Hey thar everyone! Didja miss me? I know y'all did. :D

The thing is, I had to finish reading a really boring book for school called The Count of Monte Cristo. It got a bit interesting towards the end, but now I have to annotate it and be done with the stupid thing by the 19th, when my school begins. I'm sorry, I might not update Saturday, depending upon my annotating status. But I DO promise that chapter seven is the longest chapter so far! This chapter also happens to be my favorite!

DISCLAIMER OF DOOM GOES HERE. I sincerely apologize if my build-up towards high tension is off. I'm not quite sure I've ever thought about making high tension, seeing as I had no idea what it was in the first place- I guess the kind of romance I have written before is just natural? I haven't the slightest idea if I even DID high tension. XD

"I think your soul pager or whatever it is, is broken," Karin muttered irritably. "We can't find the stupid Hollow."

"You're the one that has more spiritual pressure than me, you ought to be the one who can find the thing," Toshiro argued. He was still secretly pleased that she had called him captain instead of his name for once.

"Well, the problem is I can't find it!" she nearly growled. "It's being elusive."

"Calm down," he ordered. "When this happens we have to be more alert because a Hollow could appear at any moment."

"'Calm down' he says. I'd like to see him calm down," she muttered angrily to herself, still looking for the Hollow. They had set out after dinner, Toshiro taking the excuse of going out on a walk. She had popped another soul candy into her mouth and had followed him. He said that the place where the patient had been attacked would be the place to start, and so that's the place they had gone to first.

But when they got there, they couldn't lead away from it. With Toshiro's senses dulled, it was harder to locate the thing, even though she was there. Her sensing abilities were exceptional for her age (he had said so), but the Hollow's spiritual pressure was like a candle- flickering in and out. "I have a suggestion; let's just go someplace and wait for it to come to us," she told him.

"I think that's our only choice at the moment," he answered after looking at his soul pager for the seven thousandth time. He snapped it shut and gestured her to lead. "Take us someplace."

"I enjoy being able to pick where I want to go." She threw a smile at him and together they dashed off. Karin decided that the soccer field would be the best place to go. After all, she and her family had spent many years there, so the built up spiritual pressure would probably attract a lot of Hollows.

Toshiro was beginning to recognize the way to the soccer field. I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing, he thought. On one hand, it was good because it meant he was beginning to understand the layout of the town. But on the other, it meant that he was getting too used to being in the human realm. He shivered at the thought of the consequences.

"Toshiro? Are you all right?" Karin asked, concerned. All of a sudden he had shivered, and it wasn't even cold tonight. She thought that he was getting a fever or maybe something worse.

"I'm fine. Just thinking about something," he assured her. She brought the most unusual things out of him. He had decided to help her soccer team because her leg had been hurt, he was telling her his thoughts merely because she asked, he felt oddly pleased when she called him Toshiro and never corrected her, and he got strange urges to protect her from others' snide comments that he caused. What in the world had she done to him?

"Are you cold?" she asked, jarring his thoughts. "I mean, um, you've shivered several times and I know you said that you were only thinking but I don't know it could be because you're cold and I'm plenty warm so you can take my black shirt if you need it since I have two layers of clothing and you don't have long sleeves on-"

"Karin! Karin, calm down, honestly!" She shut up and looked away. It'd be a few minutes more before they reached the soccer field, so he took his time to explain. "When I think thoughts that unseat me so to speak, or repulsive thoughts, or ones that make me frustrated, I shiver. Most of the time, I hide the shivers well. And I'm not cold. I'm ice, remember? My body temperature is naturally lower than everyone else's by a few degrees. I can withstand cooler conditions. Thank you for your offer of your shirt, but I don't need it." That was really embarrassing. Her shirt of all things!

His explanation laid her frantic worries to rest. It was logical and therefore he wouldn't need any medical attention (she considered needing to be warmed up a type of medical attention). Though, she was embarrassed about her offering him her shirt. But she could be mature about it, couldn't she? Karin wouldn't have offered it if she hadn't been mature enough. Yeah, that's right.

They arrived at the soccer field and sat down once they got there. "I hate waiting," Karin complained. "It makes me think that the Hollow is going to be worse than it already is."

"Battles tend to do that. You wonder if the plan will go correctly, if your soldiers can withstand the opposing forces, and what sort of casualties you'll suffer."

"Tell me a story."

"A what?" he asked, confused.

"Stories make the waiting go faster. So, tell me a story."

"What do you want to hear?" he asked. She thought in unusual ways too.

"Tell me about Hyorinmaru."

Of all the things she had to ask about… at least it wasn't Momo. "As I've said, he's my zanpakto. He is the most powerful ice zanpakto in the entire Soul Society." Toshiro paused, waiting for her to ask something.

She didn't fail him. "And? What's the most powerful fire zanpakto?" Trust her to ask that.

"Captain-Commander Yamamoto's zanpakto, Ryuujin Jakka."

"Sounds important."

"If you think that sort of stuff is. Anyway, he is a dragon. He's also extremely old, around two millennia."

She whistled. "That's old. Does a zanpakto have more than one shinigami?"

"Occasionally there will be a zanpakto that is just newborn, like Zangetsu, but most of the time it passes through several shinigami."

"And Zangetsu belongs to whom?"

"He is your brother's zanpakto."

"That giant butcher knife? Wow."

"His zanpakto is in permanent shikai form. It happens sometimes. Anyway, I thought you wanted to hear about Hyorinmaru?"

"Oh, right. Well, go on." He found it kinda weird that she could so easily jump from one subject to the next.

"His personality is a little hard to describe. He is part of my soul, so he should be something like me."

"As in, he's smart, pops up on people, is bossy, actually helpful sometimes, and has trouble with girls?"

Toshiro blinked, taking it all in. Then he grew red with fury. "That isn't funny! I do not have problems with girls!"

"Oh wait, I forgot one. Does he have height issues too?"

"NO!!" he shouted at her.

She began to laugh hysterically. "Your face!" she managed between laughs. "It's hysterical!" Then she laughed some more, much to his annoyance.

"Stop! Stop it right now Karin!" he ordered. Slowly it subsided to mere giggles, but was threatening to turn into full-blown laughter.

"So, ahem, did that kill any time?" she asked, finally calm enough to carry on a conversation without erupting into giggles.

"I think so. It should be coming here soon." He looked around, expecting it to pop up out of nowhere.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask this. Do you have any spiritual pressure left?"

"A little. About the same amount as Yuzu probably."

"So does that mean you can fight at all?"

"Of course I can! I can kick and punch just the same as you. And I can manage weak attacks we learned at the academy."

"I'm so lucky to have you," she said sarcastically.

"I know you are," he said in the same manner.

Before they could continue their sarcasm battle a piercing howl sounded from nearby. Both turned to see a relatively small Hollow running towards them. Karin jumped up and yanked out her sword. "There the stupid thing is," she muttered to Toshiro.

"All right, don't get cocky," he warned. "Steady your blade. Wait for it to get closer." Karin fell into the position he had taught her that afternoon. "Now jump!" he commanded.

She did as told and jumped into the air, preparing to slice the thing in half. Instead, it disappeared. Karin fell to the ground, surprised. "Where'd it go?" she asked.

"Karin! Get up!" Toshiro called, panicked. She jumped away just in time as the Hollow reappeared, swiping giant claws right where her head had been.

"Now Karin!" Toshiro shouted. "Before it disappears again!" Karin swung her zanpakto once more, only to have the stupid monster disappear.

This time, it reappeared behind Toshiro, knocking him out before he could run. Karin gasped. Her mentor had been knocked out, and he didn't have a chance to fight back at all! "That does it!" she screamed, running at an incredible speed towards the Hollow. "No one, and I mean no one, hurts my friends! Especially Toshiro!!" Fueled by her rage, she sliced the Hollow before it could attack again.

She landed on the ground, pleased that the stupid thing was finally dead. "Toshiro!" she called, racing over to him. "Hey, wake up," she said, shaking his body. Sighing after realizing he wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, she hefted him up and draped his arm over her shoulder. "I guess it's time to go home," she said to no one in particular.

Today hadn't been the first, or the second, or even the third time that she had fought a Hollow. But it was the first time that anyone had gotten hurt. It was also the first time it had taken so long to kill the stupid thing. Oh well, it was bound to happen sometime.

Deciding it would be a very bad idea for Toshiro to show up floating into the house, Karin walked along the road. She knew where she was going; she'd been there many times over the past few years.

This place was what she liked to call "Toshiro's spot" because she had first talked to him here. Placing him against the railing, she looked up at the sky, remembering. He had been tapping something on his cell phone (which she now realized was his soul pager) and she had thanked him for saving her ball. At first she had thought him rather full of himself, but she began to see his good points. To start with, his amazing skill with soccer had immediately drawn her attention.

Afterwards she had seen a rare point of his soft side. Karin had gone to find him after he hadn't shown up for practice. She had found him sitting where they were now, tapping on his soul pager again. During the conversation that followed, he had said something about memories. Right now she burned with the curiosity of those memories, but if he didn't want to tell her, she'd wait for a different opportunity.

"When are you going to wake up?" she asked, looking over at him. He was still out cold. Hee hee. Out cold. Ha ha, the pun. He's out cold. A smile spread across her face, a happy smile. First came snorts, then giggles, and lastly full-blown laughter. Toshiro shifted, and she stopped abruptly. She remembered only too well his reaction the last time she had been laughing at him.

"Karin!" he cried, snapping up. "Where am I?" he asked, confused.

She hid a smile. "Hey, Toshiro, are you all right? I mean, you were out cold for a while."

He looked at her, relieved. "I'm fine, but what about you? Did you defeat the Hollow?"

"Of course I did stupid. I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't. I'd still be trying to kill the thing."

He twitched at being called stupid. "I was concerned about you and you call me stupid?! I'm not sure I appreciate that!"

"Oh come on Toshiro-kuuuun," she drawled. "Use some common sense. Why else would we be here, against this railing, instead of the soccer field? Plus, I don't have any wounds you haven't already seen."

"Fine then. Next time I won't care about what happens to you."

"Awww, and here I was, hoping that you'd be there when I fight Hollows."

"Who said I wouldn't help you fight them?" he demanded.

She laughed. "No one." Laughing still, she stood up. "C'mon Toshiro. Let's go home."

Watching her bound away, Toshiro stood up. Why does she keep laughing at me? he thought dejectedly. Then he pulled a face of confusion. How come I'm so hurt about it? It shouldn't matter. She's only a human and has no proper respect for a captain. A deep rustling within his soul made him feel like rejecting that theory.

"Toshiroooooooo!" I'm gonna leave you if you don't hurry up!" Karin's distant voice called.

Startled, he raced after her voice, shouting, "Don't you dare leave me Kurosaki!" He heard her laugh again. "She's gonna get it now," he growled, speedily catching up to her. She saw him catching up and started to break out into a full run.

"Just try beating me Hitsugaya!" she challenged.

"You forget I'm a captain!" he cried, boosting his speed.

Karin's face set into a fiery determination. "You forget I live in this town and know my way around here!" Her strides lengthened as she sprinted towards home.

He knew she was right, but it didn't mean that he was going to just let her win. They raced through the streets neck to neck, gaining and losing the lead. At last, they saw the Kurosaki clinic. Glancing at each other, they put all of their speed into their legs to try to make it first.

Karin touched the door first. "I win!" she said excitedly. However, their momentum kept them going, and they crashed through the door. They tumbled, her on top of him. She jumped up after a minute and raced away to her room where her body was. Fortunately for them, the other couldn't see their blushes.

"Ow…" Toshiro muttered, slowly getting up. At least it didn't hurt as bad as yesterday.

"Oh, Hitsugaya-kun! You're home." Yuzu stood in the doorway, worriedly looking at him. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"I decided to run home and didn't open the door in time," he answered, heading upstairs.

She looked up the stairs, surprised. "Sometimes, I swear there's something up with Hitsugaya-kun," she muttered, heading back into the kitchen.

Upstairs, Karin had looked over her homework that her body had done without her. "Wow, those souls in soul candy are really good at this!" she exclaimed, surprised. "Guess I'd better go talk with Toshiro." She stood up and left the room, leaving it open.

He had finished the math homework and continued to be bored. School was tedious, but perhaps it'd be less than it would be if Karin wasn't in his class. Seeing as he had nothing else to do, he absentmindedly toyed with his new object. As Toshiro was beginning to think it'd be a good idea to take a bath, he heard a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

Expectedly, it was Karin. "Hey Toshiro," she said in greeting.

"Hello. Is there something you need?"

"Nope, I just wanna talk." She laid down on the bed. "Do you like it here?" she asked.

"No. School is tedious, your father disturbs me, those girls love me but hate you, and I'm stuck in this gigai."

Karin cringed at his words. "Isn't there anything good about this place? It can't be all bad."

"You're here," he said simply. "You make everything interesting."

Karin looked at him, startled. "Oh, well, thanks, I guess." She looked away.

"Karin? Why did you so willingly become a shinigami?" Toshiro asked.

She sighed a little. "I think it's because I really want to prove myself. Once, about four years ago, on the anniversary of my mother's death, my sister and I were rendered helpless. We were visiting mom's grave and then some invisible monster attacked us. All I could see then was an outline, a foggy shape. My sister and I were getting smooshed and then my brother saved us.

"I don't want it to happen again, the thought of almost dying… Yuzu almost got eaten by the thing." She shuddered at the memory. "Then Ichi-nii went away one time to train. He tried to pretend that he didn't know what I was talking about, but he knew that I knew. Right then I knew that I was tired of being in the dark and being protected by someone else, tired of having to wait to be rescued.

"Now that I'm a shinigami, Ichi-nii doesn't have to worry about us anymore. I can protect us, and that's good enough." She grinned proudly at the thought of finally being able to defend herself. "Plus, I can also protect other people for once!" Karin leaned over and stuck her face centimeters away from his. "People like you."

Now would NOT be a good time for her father to come in, was Toshiro's first thought. His second thought was She is waaaaaay too close. What does she want to do, kiss me? No, nope, I didn't just think that. "Um, Karin? Do you mind getting out of my face?"

She openly frowned but pulled away. "You're too much of a gentleman," she said, crossing her arms.

He looked surprised. "Well, what do you want me to do?"

Karin grinned a very, very, very weird grin. "Many things. Good night Toshiro. Sleep well." She got off the bed and walked over to the door.

"Wait," he asked, grabbing her arm. She turned, surprised. "Good night," he said softly. Karin smiled and reached for the doorknob.

It was then that he kissed her.

And that is why it is my favorite chapter. :D I heart the ending. XD

So far, chapter seven isn't completed, but I think that I'll introduce Karin to her zanpakto in chapter eight. That means, once chapter seven is posted, you can't vote anymore! Here are the listings:

Honaga (fire dragon)- 7

Honeko (fire cat)- 1

Kakiwa (fire ring)- 2

Homai- 3

:D I can't decide which on my own, I think I'm a bit indecisive when it comes to names. I also happen to know that it's zanpaku-to, but I don't... really... care. It just seems a bit pointless to me to change that now.