Hey my wonderful people! I'm here with another chapter! This one is a little longer too. I wanted to post this a little sooner but I've been so busy. A lot of you guys don't like the idea of me updating once a month so I'll do my best to keep you from waiting too long. Well enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

I am an idiot. What the hell was I thinking? Why would I do something like that? I'm not some friendly neighborhood hero who goes around saving people. I kill those corpse creature, zombie things at night only because of my arrangement with Urahara, not because I want to keep people safe. And yet hear I am in school, still hearing rumors about that party on Saturday when I saved Karin's life. But more specifically when I gave her mouth to mouth. What was more concerning is that for some reason I keep thinking about it.

I sighed and looked away from the window to the clock inside the classroom. Five minutes to lunch. I should just leave now, but then that would just be more troublesome later when someone called home.

Things are not going so smoothly. I feel like I don't know whats going on anymore. Saturday I don't know what came over me or why a felt the need to save Karin. I've watched countless people die without doing anything to prevent it, yet when she was drowning I acted without even thinking. But why? And more importantly what happened when she touched my scar? No matter whose touched it that never happened. When she touched my scar it was like a vision. I relived what happened that day when me and the others were cursed. I saw it in only a matter of seconds but I felt as though it happened all over again right there.

I hadn't talked to Karin in almost a whole week since the party was Saturday and today was Friday. I wasn't avoiding her, in fact I think she was doing the avoiding. I didn't blame her though. A lot of the girls would probably all jump her if they saw us talking after all these rumors that have been going around. Although I couldn't help but find it humorous to hear that all of them made Karin seem like the one to sexually harass me against my will. On the bad side I didn't hear the end of it from Momo. She, along with my better judgment thought it would have been better to just have ignored Karin and let her drown. But maybe this was a good thing. Maybe this was a step closer to acceptance?

I took a quick glance around the room and noticed Ichigo Kurosaki had his eyes angrily trained on me. That was another thing that irritated me. Why he was glaring at me?! It could be because he might have heard some crazy rumor about me and Karin – he did seem like the overprotective brother type. I really didn't care but it bugged the hell out of me.

The bell rang and I got up to go to the cafeteria. Things are always so repetitive that I almost felt willing to let a little chaos ensue. It would definitely liven things up. Once I reached the hallway I noticed Karin was leaning against the lockers looking at me. Momo and the others looked from her to me.

Go. I told them before they could say any snide remarks.

I walked past her in the opposite direction of the cafeteria away from everyone else. She followed behind me and I stopped when we were alone. We looked at each other for a second before she broke the silence.

"What happened Saturday?" Wow, she was right to the point. What do I say to that? Even I don't really know what happened and its not like I can say 'It was just a vision of when I became a werewolf, no big deal'.

"You almost drowned." I supplied, still trying to thinking of something.

She narrowed her eyes at me and placed her hands on her hips. "I know that stupid. I was talking about when you spaced out."

"Don't know what you're talking about." he said indifferently.

I could feel her dark blue eyes flare at me with frustration but I just ignored them. I've lived too long to be intimidated just by some dirty looks. Then she said something that caught me completely off guard. "What happened Sunday night between you and my brother?"

I was speechless for a second. "What do you mean?" I tried to sound uncaring again but knew my voice was betraying me at the moment. I wasn't sure exactly what she was talking about but... it couldn't be what I think it is.

"He doesn't want me around you and its apparently because of something that happened Sunday night." she said cautiously, looking for my reaction. Was she really talking about the full moon? And what did her brother have to do with anything?

I looked back at Karin who was still looking for my reply. I sighed and looked at her sternly. "I don't know whats with your brother or why he would be angry at me. I barely know him."

"You're lying." she shot back calmly. She knew I wouldn't tell her anything whether I knew what she was saying or not.

I just shrugged and started to walk away but she grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I felt a jolt similar to when she touched my scar only this time there was no vision. Why did that happen every time she touched me? It didn't hurt but it was unsettling. Unsettling because I liked it.

She looked to the ground, up to me, and then the ground again. Whatever she wanted to say she was having a hard time getting it out. "Are we... we're friends, right?" she finally said almost inaudibly.

Friends? What made her ask that? And... were we friends? I guess thats what we were but, calling Karin a friend didn't seem fitting. Its not that she wasn't worth being called a friend though. So were we friends? Why am I thinking so much into a simple question?

I studied her as she let go of my wrist and looked away. One thing a noticed about Karin was how inconsistent she was. One second she was loud, confident, bossy and sarcastic, and the next she almost seemed unsure. Of course the latter was so rare that it wasn't even in her character. It was actually kind of cute. Although I preferred it when she was herself. I liked the confident Karin.

I walked closer to her and she took a step back. I didn't know what I was doing myself but I felt a pull. Some strange force. I took another step closer. Her scent was so strong this close up. Funny enough, she actually smelled of quince. She stopped backing away and stood still. I was so close I could feel her breath on my skin and hear her heart pounding in her chest. I stopped with my mouth next to her ear as I whispered softly into it. "Of course we're not."

And then I turned around without looking at her expression and walked to the cafeteria. It was times like this when I knew I was just digging my own grave.

The rest of school was uneventful.

I got back to the house after school, I was the last one home. We all left at different times and took different routes home to avoid unnecessary questions about us living together.

When I got in the living room I saw Renji and Ikkaku playing some fighting video game. I didn't know what was so fun about those things. Rangiku was lounging on the couch while reading a magazine as was Yumichika on the other couch. I didn't see Momo at the moment and I decided to look through some old journals again. I still wanted to know about what happened Saturday and the only thing I could think of was to look through them.

Then something else crossed my mind. Ichigo Kurosaki. What was with him? Karin said something happened between me and him on Sunday night but it couldn't be... Right now, before I do anything else I should go and talk to Urahara.

I was about to leave the house again when Momo came into the room. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"I need to talk with Urahara." I cringed just thinking about it. I was never anxious to talk to that man.

"Can I come with?" she asked. "Its really boring around here."

"Sure." I said as I walked out the door. We walked through the streets of Seireitei to the dreaded candy store. Momo was a few feet ahead of me as we walked along a crowded street. It usually got like this at this time of the day. When we reached the shop there was a sign hanging on the door.

"Sorry We're Closed. Gone on vacation, be back in a week! Or two."

I felt my eye twitch. How the hell could that bastard just take off on vacation without telling us?! We're stuck here doing his job while he leaves as he pleases. Next time I see that damn shop keeper I'm going to wring his scrawny little neck!

"Did you know he went on vacation?" Momo asked me after my long silence.

"No."

"... Are you angry?"

"No."

"You sound angry."

"I'm not."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Now lets go." I finished. I really needed to cool down. Urahara sure picked a hell of good time to leave.

We walked back in the same pleasant silence we were pron to. Momo and I never really needed to talk. We were always just comfortable in our company with each other. Years and years of knowing each other made conversation not necessary among any of us. I guess thats way they liked school though. They meet new people and its almost like they are getting some kind of relief from each other. I too felt that sometimes. Its very sad to think about it though. Its come to the point where we have lived for so long that we tire of each other yet would be completely lost if there was such a distance between us.

As dismal has my view on life is things have seemed to have changed. For around a month now I've had this uneasy feeling. Like something in the atmosphere has shifted drastically. I can't seem to concentrate on anything anymore and I can't help but feel like I have to embrace it. This mysterious change of pace is such a difference from anything else in my far too long life that I think I want it to last.

But what did that mean? There was one thing lingering in my mind. Could it have something to do with Karin? Now that I think about it this feeling started when she arrived. For some reason I can't get my mind off of Karin for too long and I don't know why. Earlier today I don't really know what came over me. And is it just me or do I smell her right now? God was I that obsessed? Or was she actually nearby?

I looked to my right where a soccer field resided. And there she was. Karin Kurosaki.

She was wearing black shorts, a black and white t-shirt, and a red cap. She was standing with three other boys, talking to them. Even from the far distance I could hear what she was saying. "C'mon you guys! You said that those seniors won't let you use the soccer field so we'll just have to take it from them." she announced to the boys. They all gave back their sheepish replies to which she sighed tiredly to.

"I don't know." One of the boys said. "The only way they'll let us play here is if we beat them."

Karin put her hands on her hips. "And that what we're gonna do." she said as though it were so obvious. "Thats why I'm here. I want to use this field too and you guys are gonna be my team so we can beat them."

"Shiro?" Momo asked. I just realized I had completely stopped walking and was watching Karin. I don't know what it is but I'm positive this change is due to her.

Karin must've felt my eyes on her because she looked up right at me. She froze for a moment before giving me a small nervous smile and turning back to practicing.

Momo raised an eyebrow. "Whats with her?" she asked with slight disdain. What was that? I have no idea why but Momo really seems to dislike Karin... though I think the feeling is mutual. I wonder whats with them. "Hello?" she asked, catching my attention.

"What?" I asked dumbly.

She sighed. "I said whats with her?" she repeated while jerking her thumb towards Karin.

I shrugged. "I don't know." I lied. Of course I know I probably scared her from earlier. Hell, I even freaked myself out with the way I acted. Its just come to the point where I've let my hormones – which are how old? – act on there own. In other words. I'm acting like an idiot teenager rather than the over 300 year old stuck as a perpetual teen.

Momo looked like she was about to say something else but she was interrupted.

Toushiro. Momo. Do either you guys know where the remote is?Renji asked all of the sudden from the house.

Why would we know? I retorted.

Just checking. He defended. I need to change the channel and I can't find the remote.

I smacked my head while Momo replied. Just go up to the TV and change the channel.

Are you crazy? Renji scoffed. We're not cavemen here.

I beg to differ. Yesterday they were actually drawing on the walls. You know thats the fourth remote this month. Lose anymore and no more TV. I still can't believe this is how I have to handle things. Scolding them like their goddamn mother.

Alright.Renji said after a while. Oh yeah, what did Urahara say?

Great now I was pissed all over again.

()()()

I hate fairs. They were crappy, crowded, overpriced, and basically a waste of time. So why was I here at Seireitei's annual fair? And on a Saturday? Simple. My sweet, loving, fraternal twin sister Yuzu. She – unlike me – loves the fair and just hadto come. Not only that but she also got Ichigo and Rukia to come. I didn't mind Rukia but ever since Monday Ichigo had been on my bad side. Hes been going out of his way to make sure I don't so much as look at Toushiro. Its seriously annoying!

That and I still don't know why Ichigo and Rukia don't like him. I asked them and they wouldn't say a word. I asked Toushiro and he said he had no idea what I was talking about. And then he said we weren't friends. I didn't really understand that. I only asked because I was trying to prove to myself that Ichigo had nothing to worry about. I guess mission accomplished. But the way Toushiro said it made it seem like there was more to what he was saying... but I could just be imagining. But he definitely caught me off guard. Knowing that pompous jerk he probably just did that to mess with me. I think he purposely does thinks to undermine me. Arg! I need to stop thinking about him!

That was pretty hard considering how tired I was. When I was tired it was harder for me to keep certain things from coming to mind. I reached in my pocket and pulled out two pills. They were energy pills that I took from the clinic. I brought them just in case I didn't think I could stay awake but I didn't think I would actually need them. I had already dosed off leaning against a cotton candy stand so I bottoms up. I popped them in my mouth and snatched Ichigo's soda to get them down. I ignored his glares and gave back his drink.

Those things better work cause I don't think I can make it through the day. Although it would really suck if they did the opposite. On the bottle there was a warning that listed a bunch of side effects. One being drowsiness. What kind of energy pill makes you even more tired? And then there was dizziness, jitters, irritably, and depression. Gee I wonder which one will happen.

I sighed and looked around this sad excuse of a fair. I never liked fairs even when I was little . The rides were never big enough and I never won those stuffed animals. Never.

That will be my goal today. To get a stuffed animal no matter what. Next to me I heard Rukia 'asking' Ichigo to win her a prize. Me and Yuzu sat back and watched as Ichigo went up to the booth with the be-be guns. It was one of those booths were you have to shoot a piece of paper with a star on it. If the star is completely gone when you're done shooting you get a prize. I don't know why he would choose this one though. I've never seen anyone win at those.

"Which gun would you like?" asked the booth guy. He was holding up two guns. One that looked like a small rifle and the other looked like a handgun. Ichigo picked the latter.

Me and Yuzu looked a little skeptical at whether he would win or not but Rukia seemed satisfied as though he had already won her the prize. Ichigo aimed the gun and started shooting at the paper. My eyes widened. A few seconds later he stopped and the star was gone. Not even that but in the paper was what looked like a cut out of the star! How the did he do that?! The booth guy looked about as shocked as Yuzu and I.

Ichigo just flashed a cocky grin at Rukia and gave her the giant Chappy Rabbit that was about as big as her. If I wasn't still pissed at him I would ask him to win me something. But I'm far too stubborn for that.

We started walking around and I noticed there were a lot of kids from school here. Why were they here? This fair sucked and yet it was full of people who probably didn't have a life. We stopped at another booth because Rukia wanted to play some of the games. "I'm gonna find a bathroom." I told them.

I walked around pushing my way through people eating cotton candy and carrying stuffed animals or their screaming kids. Near the back of this godforsaken fair were porter potties. I groaned. Did I really want to go in there? It was dark, small, and smelled. I hated these things. I slowly walked up to the door and opened it cautiously as if the crap monster was going to jump out and drag me down the shit hole.

I held my breath and went in.

1 minute later...

"Oh my god! I'm alive!" I yelled as I ran out the stall. That was so disgusting! I seriously think I might be traumatized. I placed my hands on my knees and bent over, breathing hard. I need fresh air!

After a few seconds I stood up again and looked around. Now I just needed to find the others. I looked threw the crowds of people, mostly trying to see if I could find any orange. I mean it was the easiest thing to spot out of them. I once again started pushing my way through the people. After a while I heard someone scream. I heard some people yelling, telling everyone to get out the way. Out the way of what?

I turned around and saw what everyone was yelling about. One of the horses from the pony rides had gotten loose. It was running around the place wildly as people jumped out the way. But it wasn't running in my direction so I just turned around and started looking for Yuzu, Rukia, and the idiot. Then people next to me started screaming. What the hell people? It wasn't over here.

Suddenly someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to the right. I was so surprised I fell into the person. In the corner of my eye I saw that stupid horse run through right where I was standing. If that person hadn't grabbed me, my ass would've been grass. And what retard let that horse get away? Thats way people shouldn't try to play with animals bigger than themselves.

Good thing this guy grabbed me though. Mm he smelled really good too. It was like watermelon and daffodils.

Oh wait. I'm leaning into this guy like some weirdo. But now that I think about it... this seems oddly familiar. "You okay?" came a voice I knew all too well.

I looked up and my jaw dropped. "Toushiro?" I jumped back like he was the plague and pointed at him. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

He cocked his head to the side and nonchalantly took a bite of the slice of watermelon in his hand. I guess that explains the watermelon scent. But seriously, how does he smell like daffodils? Does he just sleep in fields of them or something?

He just shrugs at me. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Do I need a reason to be at the fair?" he drawled. Good point.

"Thanks." I mumbled. That was the second time he saved my ass. He just smirked at me and tossed rest of the fruit in a nearby trashcan. I stared at him for a few more seconds and then spoke again. "So why are you here? I wouldn't expect you to be here alone."

He scratched the back of his his head and sighed irritably. "I'm here with Momo-"

"I see." I said tightly, not letting him finish. "Are you guys here on a date?" Wow did I have to sound so disappointed? Why do I care if hes on a date with that psycho? But really, why does he want to go on a date with her? Shes crazy and possessive. And I'm not just saying this because I'm jealous...

And I'm not jealous!

He looked at me like I was crazy. Probably from the faces I was making while thinking to myself. "No we're not on a date. She and Rangiku just wanted to go to the fair and they ended dragging me here." he said in a bored tone.

"Oh." I said slightly relieved. Dammit! Stop this Karin! You're acting like those obsessed fangirls from school! "So where are they?"

"I don't know. I kinda snuck away from them after awhile." he explained. He then looked at me curiously. "What about you?"

I laughed. "Pretty much the same reason as you. My sister wanted me to come along with her, Ichigo, and Rukia." I said while looking around. I still needed to find them.

"Sister?" he asked. I was about to explain but I heard my name being called.

"Karin." Yuzu repeated, walking up to me. She stopped and gazed at Toushiro and then back to me while giving me a look.

I knew what that look was and I just rolled my eyes at her. "This is my twin sister, Yuzu." he raised an eyebrow and looked back and forth between us. "Fraternal twin." I added. "Yuzu, this is Toushiro. Hes in my class."

Yuzu smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed happily. She was doing what Rukia did before she started teaming up with Ichigo. It was kind of creepy but surprisingly didn't bother me as much as I thought it would.

"Same here." he said distractedly. I think he was still comparing us. I had black hair and dark blue eyes and Yuzu had light brown hair with brown eyes. I was just wearing some dark blue shorts and a red and white striped baseball shirt while Yuzu was wearing a light green dress with some flowers on it. She was smiling, I was scowling. "You sure you two are twins?" he finally asked.

"Fraternal." I emphasized to him. "It means we're not freaky clones of each other."

Before our conversation could go any further Ichigo and Rukia showed up. Ichigo looking – big surprise – pissed and Rukia looking frustrated. An idea came to mind.

I turned to Toushiro and quickly asked before Ichigo and Rukia were close enough to here. "You want to hang with us until Hinamori and Rangiku find you?" I didn't feel comfortable calling Hinamori by her first name. I don't know why.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Can't I be nice and offer to invite you to join us?" I asked sarcastically.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Fine. Sure."

Great! Now I might be able to find out why Ichigo and Rukia don't like Toushiro. They won't tell me why I can't be around him and Toushiro says he doesn't know what I'm talking about. We'll see about that. I am such a genius sometimes.

Ichigo walked straight up to me. "What the hell are you doing with him?" he said pointing to Toushiro. That was a bit more direct than I thought necessary. But then again, I shouldn't be surprised. Ichigo never was very subtle about things.

I glanced over to Toushiro. He looked pretty shocked at Ichigo as well. But why? He should know why Ichigo doesn't like him, right?

"I can talk to him if I want." I said shrugging. "Come on Yuzu, you wanted to go on some of the rides right?" I said while pulling both her and Toushiro with me as I walked passed Ichigo.

After a while we were all still walking around the fair. I hadn't seen any booth I thought I could win at so I still didn't get any prizes yet. Ichigo won at everything he tried. He won a bunch different stuff for Rukia and Yuzu. Me being me, still wouldn't ask him to get me anything. Besides, I wanted to win something myself. Toushiro didn't go to any of the booths either. He just said they were a rip off and he didn't care about prizes. He's such a stiff.

Him and Ichigo haven't said anything to each other at all but I would see them shoot each other looks every once in a while. This was frustrating. Now I just wanted to get them away from each other. I wasn't getting any answers and they were just getting me more and more annoyed. Yuzu and Rukia were walking in front of us, talking about whatever. Ichigo was walking on my left while Toushiro was on my right. So basically I was in the middle of them, keeping them from going at each others' throats at any second. I really needed to get them apart.

"Can we go yet?" I asked to anyone.

Yuzu turned around. "Not yet!" she protested. "Theres still a few more rides we need to go on first." she announced before turning back around. She continued to lead the way over to the fair rides.

That was another thing I hated about fairs. The rides here suck. I was a roller coaster person and these little spinning rides never cut it. And even if there was a roller coaster here, I wouldn't get on it. A fair is in town for a week at the most and I don't trust rides that only took a few days to set up. Call me paranoid but after almost drowning and trampled I think I should be more cautious about things.

I started to walk just a little bit slower. Toushiro noticed and looked at me curiously. I gestured him to slow down too. Eventually we were behind everyone else and then I stopped. "Come on." I said to him quietly.

I took off in the opposite direction of Ichigo and the girls with Toushiro following closely behind. "Why are we running?" he asked.

"To get away from Ichigo." I said. Once we were out of view I stopped and started walking around. "Guess I'm ditching them like you did with Hinamori." I continued.

He sighed and walked along with me. I looked around for a few seconds and then I saw it. A booth. I went up to it and almost gasped. One of the prizes was a brand new soccer ball that was just calling my name. It was a Blue Samurai ball, Japan's national soccer team. I have to get it. "Hey you." I said to the booth guy. "What do I have to do to get that soccer ball?" I asked.

He looked at me and grinned. I shuddered. All the people that worked here all had that same creepy smile. "You just have to knock down all three bottles in one hit." he said gesturing to the three milk bottles, two at the bottom and one on top. "You get three tries for five dollars."

"Too easy." I said, crossing my arms. "This thing has gotta be rigged or something. You can't expect me to believe that." I can't help it if I'm a cynic.

The guy didn't let his grin falter. "How about I only charge you three dollars for three tries. Does that sound like a rip off?"

I bit my lip. That didn't sound too bad, but that didn't change the fact that it was probably just a trick. But all the other booths were a least seven dollars. Dammit what should I do?

"Fine." I said handing the guy three dollars and he gave me the three baseballs. Toushiro just shook his head. I pouted at him "Don't judge me."

I had the first ball in hand. I aimed and threw the ball between the two bottom ones. But when the ball hit the bottles, nothing happened! That bastard! I knew it was cheating me!

The man laughed. "Looks like you need to put more muscle in it, girly."

What did he just say? Oh hell no! I'm not having that. I threw the second ball directly at the guy's face. Hit him dead in the nose. Take that you crook! "Was that enough muscle?" I asked quite satisfied with myself.

Toushiro gave a chuckle behind me. A really sexy chuckle. A really sexy chuckle that made me want to hit myself for thinking it was sexy.

The booth guy glared at me while holding his now bloody nose. "You brat." he said nasally. "Get out of here."

"I still have one more try left." I teased, tossing the last ball up and down in my hand. I knew I wouldn't be able win at this booth. From the looks of it, those bottles weren't gonna budge.

"Hand it here." Toushiro said with his hand out. "I'll take the last throw." he spoke as he took the ball without bothering to wait for me to hand it over.

I wasn't about to argue over it. If he wanted to try than I didn't really care. I now knew this damn booth was just another rip off. "You think you can knock them over?" I asked skeptically. "They're probably glued together."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter." Arrogant as usual. He walked up to the booth and without even taking time to aim he threw the ball. It was so fast I almost missed it. When the ball hit the bottles they all either went flying or broke.

No way. I could only stare stupidly. I mean, did he really just do that? "How... did you...?"

Before I could finish he tossed me the soccer ball I was practically drooling over just a few minutes ago. I dumbly looked from the ball in my hands to Toushiro. He won the ball for me? "I can't take this." I muttered to him as I held it out for him to grab.

He furrowed his eyes at me. "Why not?"

"Toushiro, this is a Blue Samurai ball." I scolded. He was acting like he didn't know how cool it was or something. "You're the one who won it."

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "And I won it for you." he stated simply. "Besides, it was your money. You paid for it. You keep it." he pressed.

This shocked me to no end. I fake gasped. "I can't believe I'm hearing this! What happened to the haughty ass I've come to know and adore?" I teased.

"Don't worry." he assured. "Me being nice to you doesn't hurt my vast pride in the least." he claimed, walking away from the booth and past some girls who just about fainted when they saw him. I looked back at the booth guy and stuck my tongue out at him before walking away.

A smile crept its way onto my face. I couldn't help but find Toushiro the most interesting guy I've ever known. I followed up behind him with the ball under my arm. "So when do you plan on going home?" I questioned.

"I don't know. I'm trying to avoid that right now." he admitted. "I'll probably leave once Momo and Rangiku find me."

I cocked my head to the side. "Are you avoiding them?"

"Kinda."

Maybe he didn't want to go home because he lived alone. He said his parents were both dead and that he lived by himself. Could it be he feels lonely? And I wonder how his parents died, but I didn't want to ask him something personal like that. I hated it when people asked me how Mom had died. It was never a subject I liked to talk about.

I shook my head. I also hated thinking about Mom being gone.

Trying to distract myself, I started thinking about other things. Like next week when I have to go against those seniors. They weren't letting the freshmen – which I guess includes me even though I'm in an advanced class – use the soccer field to practice. Until the season starts, that field was the only place to go and with those seniors hogging the field its a real pain. I challenged them to a match, winner getting to use the field whenever they want. I even found some other freshmen who were willing to join my temporary team. I just need to make sure they'll be ready by next week Friday. I looked at my new soccer ball. I was so gonna kick some ass with this.

"When are you leaving?"

I shrugged. "I guess I could leave now but I should probably find the others first." Of course they'd probably already left without me. Well maybe they would if Ichigo wasn't so bent on not letting me near Toushiro.

"So..." I said after a while of silence that was starting to bug me.

"So?" he repeated impatiently.

"I don't know." I blurted. "But you weren't talking." I pointed out.

Toushiro looked at me strangely before speaking. "Okay so lets talk then." he said like I was stupid or something. "Talk about something."

Hello! Isn't that what I was just trying to do? Is he really a genius because the way he acts sometimes I'm not so sure. But maybe he just wasn't paying attention because of how extremely aloof he is. Emotionally I mean. Its a quite obvious – and probably what makes girls swoon over him – feature of his. And as more time goes by, I think I start to figure him out more and more. Hes constantly overbearing but I think that his lofty attitude his just an act. A very good act I might add. Like he only says these things to make him sound more normal. Like hes had a lot of time to practice it. It starts to frustrate me though. I can never tell what hes really thinking.

I groaned. "Where are they?" I asked myself out loud. I needed to find the others before I left. I really need to get a cell phone.

Looking at the stupid people with those big goofy grins on their faces is pissing me off. The fair is not that great where you just walk around smiling at everything. Kind of like when you always see old people smiling when they're driving, by themselves. I just can't help but think, what the hell are they smiling about? Theres no one in the car with you so who are smiling at? And you're old as dirt, what have you got to be smiling about? Grey hair and wrinkled skin? Reflexes working at a slug's pace? Bones that turn into dust at a tap?

I sighed for the millionth time today. But I was getting agitated. I couldn't find them anywhere. I need to think of something. The Ferris Wheel! I'm such a genius, again. You can see everything from up there and with Ichigo's orange head I'll be able to find them easy. Now I just need to find where the ride was.

Once I spotted it I turned to Toushiro... who seemed a little preoccupied. He was currently pulling his arm from these two girls who had that crazy look in their eyes. A clear symptom of what I like to call, The Horrid Fangirl Malady. And there were enough girls infected with it that there should be a quarantine. I scowled and walked up to them pulling Toushiro out of their fangirl claws. "Get off him you clay-brained giglets!" I yelled at them. There was a long silence before someone spoke.

"... what?" one of the girls asked.

Wow did I really just call them clay-brained giglets? Maybe I've been reading too much of Ichigo's Shakespeare.

Without another word I grabbed Toushiro by his collar and quickly dragged him away. This was tiring. I'm starting to see why Hinamori is always needing to chase off girls. They were like ravenous hyenas and he was the freshly killed antelope. A weird metaphor, or simile, whatever, it made sense.

"You can let go now." he said after we were away from the girls. "And where are we going?"

"To the Ferris Wheel." I replied.

He gave me a confused look. "Why? I thought you hated the rides here."

I let go of him and walked up to the giant wheel. "I do, but I need to find Yuzu, Ichigo, and Rukia. I could probably spot them from the top." I explained while pointing to the crappy piece of junk. With my luck the thing will break down or something while I'm at the very top and I'll be stuck there all night.

One thing that was fortunate was that there was only two people in line when we got there. A couple. Really, how cheesy was that? The guy probably said something like, 'Come honey, lets watch the sunset on the Ferris Wheel together' to which she probably replied with, 'Yes darling, that would be just perfect. Just like those cliché romance movies I watch all the time'.

Hm, I've been talking about people a lot today. I wonder why? Most likely because I'm at one of the places I hate the most. I think I'd rather be at school doing work or even at home dealing with Dad. I shuddered at the thought. Okay maybe not the last part.

It was my turn to get on next. I almost got in but saw Toushiro standing still. "Come on."

He scrunched his nose in distaste. "Why?" How many times was he going to ask that today?

"You scared?" I teased.

"I don't like Ferris Wheels. They're boring" A thought we had in common.

"Oh no you don't." I stated knowingly as I put my hands on my hips. "If you think I'm going to be stuck up there all night by myself then you've got another thing coming."

Toushiro didn't know what to say to that. He didn't even know what I was talking about. But it doesn't matter cause he got in. I sat on one side and he sat on the other. The wheel started moving and slowly but surely we started going up. I was looking over the side of the door for any sign of my o' so loving family.

"Sweety you were right, the sunset is beautiful up here." The woman who was in front of us said to the guy she was with. They were two seats ahead of me and Toushiro but I could hear them too well.

"No where near as beautiful as you." he said back. How cheap was that. "You complete me." he went on to say. Was this guy serious? That was a quote from Jerry Maguire. I knew that because Yuzu and Rukia – and sometimes even Goat Chin – would always make me watch those stupid romance movies with them. I was more of an action or comedy person.

"Excuse me while I throw up, this is just torture."

The couple looked back at me and glared for second and then turned around. Did I say that out loud? My bad.

"I love you so much." The woman said as she kissed him.

He gave her a dopey look. "I love you too. A life without love is no life at all."

Toushiro cocked his head to the side. "Hes quoting Ever After now? Pathetic."

I looked at the couple and gawked. "Oh come on! Come up with something thats not from 'The Top 10 Cheesiest Love Quotes' list." I shouted to the guy. Toushiro shook his head at me while stifling a laugh.

The couple looked back and glared at me again. I couldn't help it. This was probably the most distracting and annoying thing I've ever had to listen to.

I then raised a brow skeptically at Toushiro. "How did you know what movie that was from? I wouldn't take you as the romance-movie-junky type."

He rolled his eyes and muttered. "Momo." Sounds about right. Her and Yuzu were just alike, except when Momo wants to rip my head off.

The couple turned back to each other again. Yeah they better turn around. If they keep looking at me like they're going to do something I would be more than happy to make their time on this thing a living hell. Wow whats wrong with me? It must be the side effects from the energy pills. I was feeling energized but also very irritated. Well I'm touching those again. I was irritable enough without those things. After what seemed like forever we were at the top. I started looking over the sides again. The wheel went so high up I could see the entire fair. It looked a lot bigger than what I thought it was. "There they are." Toushiro announced.

I looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough there was Ichigo's bright orange hair sticking out from the crowd. They were all standing in just one place near the entrance. I guess they were waiting for me. Now we just needed to wait another 10 hours for this thing to reach the bottom. A few minutes later we finally got to the bottom but the wheel wasn't stopping. I stood up and leaned over the side of the cart and called the attention of the lady working the Ferris Wheel.

"Hey, can you stop this thing? I wanna get off." She just gave me that same creepy smile and shook her head. My mouth fell open. She put up two fingers which I assume meant we have to stay on for two more rounds. "You bitch." I breathed out. Toushiro found this amusing though.

I sat back down with a huff and crossed my arms. I contemplated hitting that air-headed bimbo with my soccer ball but decided against it. I probably wouldn't get it back if I did that.

It was starting to get dark out. I looked around and I had to admit the view past the fair was really nice. I looked at Toushiro. Really looked at him for the first time today. The sky's changing colors made his teal eyes look like they were glowing. It was like the first time I saw him. He looked over to me and I quickly looked away. I was looking at him like some lovestruck idiot. Now that I think about it, I've been doing that a lot lately. Oh no! I've contracted The Horrid Fangirl Malady! The only cure is... is there a cure? Shit, I need to find one quick.

"Trying to explain how much I love is like explaining how water tastes... completely impossible." the man ahead of us said to the woman. For God's sake couldn't they give it a rest?!

"Oh thats original!" I shouted to the guy again. "Where'd you hear that? Your 'Cheesy Ass Quote of the Day' toilet paper?" Like I said, couldn't help it. I was about ready to rip my own hair out listening to these two sappy morons.

The guy turned towards me. "Why don't you mind your own business!" he yelled to me.

"Yeah!" the woman agreed. Shes such a sheep. She then looked at Toushiro and kept her eyes on him for a second. What the hell was she looking at him for? Toushiro looked at me as if he knew what I was thinking and shrugged. She started talking again. Took her long enough to come up with a comeback. "I feel sorry for your boyfriend over there. It must be terrible being stuck in a cart with you." she said snidely and then turned back around.

I stood up quicker than I could register. I yelled at her while waving my fist in the air. "What was that you mangle-faced scut?!"

Mangle-faced scut? Now I know I've been reading way too much Shakespeare. The woman looked back at me oddly for a second and then turned back around to ignore me. Oh I wasn't having that. I continued to throw insults at the back of her head. The cart was starting to rock because of my moving.

"Karin." Toushiro chided. "You'll fall if you don't sit down."

He may be right but I wasn't near done telling that bitch off. Those pills got me all hyper to fight. Damn fair! Its all this stupid fair's fault!

"When this ride is done you better run cause I'm gonna kick your ass the second I get off this thing!" I kept shouting. Even though we still have another round after this one. Why o why is this so slow?

"Calm down." Toushiro said listlessly.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why should I? She should've kept her mouth shut." He just sighed. Oh so he was on her side now? I'm already in a bad mood and hes making it worse. "And whats with you?" I asked. Dammit the energy pills are possessing me.

"Me?"

I started pacing inside the cart which wasn't the best idea but I couldn't care less. "Just the other day you say we aren't friends. Like its the most obvious thing in the world." I spell out. "But today you hang out with me, you even won me a prize." I gestured to the Blue Samurai ball. "What are you playing at?"

He just looked at me with that intense stare of his that just made you feel insignificant. I kept my pacing to fight off a direct look at him. It didn't seem like he was going to answer either. But I think I really need an answer. He was confusing me so much lately that I don't know what to think. Why does he have to be so complicated? I looked at him and for a brief second he looked unsure, but it was gone so quickly I think I imagined it.

Because of my pacing the cart was still tipping and I – big surprise – lose my balance. Dumb Ferris Wheel. I fall forward at Toushiro who was sitting opposite of me. His hands went to my waste keeping me up at an angle. This felt all too familiar as I was now looking him in the eyes again. His deep teal eyes that looked like they were glowing. I was frozen. I hated how looking him in the eye did this to me. It was like they were trapping me or something.

I didn't move. He didn't move. We were just sitting still, his hands on my waste holding me up, my hands on his arms. Just like when we met. It was too freaky for words.

Then I noticed something. He was getting closer! That or I was the one moving closer to him. His eyes still had their hold on me and I couldn't move, not that I think I wanted to at the moment. My heart was pounding like it was on crack and I could feel all the heat in my body race to my face. Without taking his eyes off me he pressed his lips against mine. They were warm and yet had an unexplainable chill to them. Nervously I kissed back. I had never kissed a guy before and knew that I was quite bad at it but Toushiro sure knew what he was doing.

I think he was a little shocked that I kissed back. So was I. Mine's were clumsy and unsure while he was an expert at this. His hands pulled me closer as he continued to skillfully take my breath away. I can't believe this is happening. Never would I have thought that this would happen, and at a fair no less. After a while I pulled away to catch my breath. We were both breathing hard and I slipped from his grip and back onto the seat across from him.

This whole time his eyes hadn't left me once. I was silent. I didn't know what to say. What do you say to a guy who just stole your first kiss? Normally I'd be mad, not that I care about things like 'first kisses' but that caught me off guard. But I wasn't. His face was red, mine probably mirroring his right now. Then I heard him speak. So softly I almost didn't catch it. Those words sent chills down my spine. Now I really couldn't get my head working. I guess my reply would have to wait until later.

I didn't even notice the Ferris Wheel had stopped. Toushiro stood up with his hands in his pockets and got out the cart. Dumbfounded, I couldn't make myself move. I looked over to him where he was about to walk away from the ride. Hinamori and Rangiku walked up to him out of no where, but didn't seem to notice that he had just gotten off the ride with me. Toushiro flashed his brilliant eyes at me one last time with that cocky smirk before walking off with the two girls.

So many thoughts in just a second plowed through my mind. Did that really just happen? Did Toushiro Hitsugaya just kiss me? Karin Kurosaki? When he could have any girl on the face of the earth he chose to kiss plain little me? I swear I could wake up any moment.

"Karin! There you are." Yuzu called. I looked to my right and there was Ichigo, Yuzu, and Rukia standing next to the Ferris Wheel. I got up and walked to them, still a little dazed.

Ichigo furrowed his brows. "You okay?" I just nodded. "Where were you?"

"Ferris Wheel." Was all that escaped my lips. The rest off them shrugged and started to leave for the exit of the fair. I followed absently while still thinking about what Toushiro had said. It confused me but I couldn't help but feel a sort of joy in his words.

"We aren't friends... because I'm not going to just settle for a friendship with you."

Yeah that last line was a little cheesy but I had such a hard time wording it. The end was a little rushed and over all I don't really like this chapter. I think I'm too picky about what I should write. What do you guys think of this chapter? Please let me know!

Please review to tell me what you guys think! Luv ya!