This thing has 20 chapters wut. I never expected it to go this long, but what can I say? Writing Hitsukarin things is fun. Hope you're enjoying reading them as much as I enjoy writing them~!

Prompt: Link

Rating: T

I. Strangers

A ball rolls to a stop at his feet. He glances up from his phone and sees a girl barreling towards him. Be more careful, he says distractedly, kicking the ball in her direction and leaving before she can answer him.

II. Acquaintances

He looks at her, the girl with so much pent up energy that she springs a little on the balls of her feet as she smiles at him. Won't you play with us? We could really use you.It's childish, what she's asking of him, and stupid to boot. But he looks at her, the girl who, for some reason, he can't seem to stop looking at, and says vaguely, Who knows.

III. Kurosaki's sister

My brother, she asks, jaw locked in determination. Is he okay? For a moment he's frozen with shock, baffled that this random girl he thought he would never see again is actually Kurosaki Ichigo's sister. But then the moment passes, and he knows he will be seeing a lot more of her, will be keeping an eye on her, because he owes Ichigo that much at least.

IV. Friends

It comes to him as a surprise, but he finds himself enjoying her company. She's stubborn and sarcastic and kind of crass, but she is also funny and determined and considerate. For a reason unknown to him, he seeks her out whenever he's in Karakura, and she's always genuinely happy to see him. She spends time with him of her own free will and with no hidden agendas, and he finds that incredibly refreshing.

V. Taicho's daughter

He can't believe he didn't see it before, in her stubborn nature, in the slope of her jaw. Now that he knows what he's looking for, his taicho is stamped all over her. You're welcome to any of my future daughters, Shiba-taicho used to tease with a wink. Or sons. That's okay too. He would merely roll his eyes at his captain's eccentric ways and focus on completing the paperwork on time. Now, however, as Shiba-taicho's actual daughter snores on his office couch, he can't help but feel like the universe is infinitely smaller.

VI. Matsumoto's friend

He should have seen it coming. As quickly as she had managed to work her way into his life, his fukutaicho truly didn't stand a chance. Matsumoto, he growls into his neverending pile of paperwork, who are you talking to? The blonde doesn't look up from her phone, type-typing away. Karin-chan. She says she'll visit next week. Another day of a teenage girl occupying the office couch, distracting him and Matsumoto both. He sighs, then marks his calendar.

VII. Love Interest

He would be lying if he said he had never noticed her attractiveness. Her features were striking—dark hair and dark eyes on creamy, pale skin. Even when he met her, when she was no more than a ten year old tomboy, the fire in her eyes foretold the beauty she would become. But recognizing fact and understanding why his stomach flutters when she laughs—and why he fills with pride when he is the one who causes it—are two different things.

VIII. Confidante

She'll be okay, she says confidently. Just give her a little time. She loved him, and you can't just turn that off when you want to. It's the same thing he's said to himself over and over, but somehow hearing it from her has made him more relieved. Talking about Hinamori is something he has trouble with, even with Matsumoto, but somehow he feels no anxiety voicing his thoughts withher.

IX. Lover

Are you sure? he asks, and the incredulous look she shoots back makes his heart swell. She traps his slim hips between her thighs in answer and whispers sweet nothings against the shell of his ear.

X. Soulmate

He has never believed in the concept of soulmates. Frankly, the idea that fate has destined two people to be together forever is absurd. But when she slips her fingers between his, he marvels at all the ways they are linked, and finds it hard to see them as coincidences.