FH: Hi you guys! I just became a fan for this pairing and I just HAD to make this story once the plot bunnies attacked me! XD

Ichigo: Yeah right! More like Kon did…-snickers-

FH: What the Hell was that Ichigo? Do you have a death wish in MY fanfiction? –SUPER EVIL GLARE—

Ichigo: -wilts- N-No Ma'am! I-I…I…j-just…W-Whatever! J-Just start the fucking s-story already!-crosses arms in defeat & pouts-

FH: -snickers at Ichigo's stuttering, then nods head- That's what I thought. Oi! Tōshirō! Please do the disclaimer!

Tōshirō: -mutters- It's Hitsugaya-Taichō! Whatever…Kera doesn't own Bleach, any of the characters, or any quotes, poems, and/or songs that may or may not be used in this fic. She does, however, own this plot; and if anyone is caught stealing it, I will freeze them in my Sennen Hyōrō. (Thousand Years' Ice Prison)

FH: Thank you Tōshirō! Now, a little quote:

There are no ordinary cats.–Colette

And a little poem:

Loving and Liking

Long may you love your pensioner mouse,
Though one of a tribe that torment the house:
Nor dislike for her cruel sport the cat,
Deadly foe both of mouse and rat;
Remember she follows the law of her kind,
And Instinct is neither wayward nor blind.
Then think of her beautiful gliding form,
Her tread that would scarcely crush a worm,
And her soothing song by the winter fire,
Soft as the dying throb of the lyre.

William Wordsworth

P.S. This takes place on May 5th, 7 months BEFORE the Winter War. Just so we are on the same page.

"Hi!"= Speaking

'Hi!'= Thinking

Hi!= Words That Are Stressed

WARNINGS!: Mild To Moderate Adult Language And Swearing—YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Other warnings possible in future chapters.

FH: Also, give a HUGE thanks to HoneyBadger of MeteorLeopard, for beta-reading this piece of crap! And give a HUGE thanks to Etiena, for inspiring me to make my very own HitsuKarin Fanfiction! Thanks! Now onto the story!

….Chapter 1: Why In The Hell Do I Feel So Weird?…

"I am not an elementary student!"

Karin, startled by the intensity of his voice, took a step back. His eyes seemed to ice over. Although she could see how he was trying to control his temper, it was apparent that Tōshirō was close to losing the last shred of his self control. She had hit a sore spot, she realized, and she really had no right to make fun of him. Not after he saved their soccer game. And especially not after he had saved her life.

Behind her, the woman was giggling uncontrollably. "Taichō*! She didn't mean anything by it!"

Karin frowned as she looked back at the woman. Matsumoto Rangiku. Karin carefully filed the name away in her head. These were shinigami*. They were the key to her brother.

Ashamed, she turned back to Tōshirō. "Sorry," she said, not quite meeting his eyes. "I got carried away."

He didn't answer; opting instead to cross his arms and stare off into the distance.

Awkwardly, Karin looked at Matsumoto. The woman was still recovering from her giggling fit, and was flashing Karin a friendly smile. "Don't mind Taichō," she said. "He's sensitive about his age. He's the youngest-" she started to say, only to be interrupted.

"Matsumoto!" Tōshirō said sharply.

"Sorry Taichō!" she said, obviously failing at any attempt in sincerity. "Since you took care of the Hollow*, I'm just going to go back to-" She trailed off as a commotion broke out further down the soccer field.

The three of them turned to look at what was going on.

"Oh no! Kurosaki!" Ryohei shouted.

Karin's friends were back on their feet and standing worriedly over…Tōshirō's body? She squinted. It had the telltale mop of white hair, the black polo, and the beige trousers. Karin was reminded of the moment she saw her brother leap out the window, garbed in the shinigami black shihakusho*. He had left his body behind, too. But Tōshirō had been standing next to her when the monster had appeared. Even if he had left his body, how did it end up way over there?

Beside her, she felt more than saw Tōshirō cringe. "Dammit," he cursed.

"Eh?" Matsumoto exclaimed. "Why is your gigai* just lying there? What happened to the gikongan*?"

"I don't know," Tōshirō said shortly. With Matsumoto staring intently at him, he sighed and added, "The hollow was about to crush her, and somehow I just stepped out of the gigai."

"Kurosaki!" Kei, or 'Donny', yelled, in a panicked voice.

The boys were jumping up and down and waving for her attention.

"Oh no! Maybe she hit her head too hard! She's just staring off into space…! What if she lost her memory? Her big brother would kill us!" Kazuya tittered nervously, wringing his hands.

"Ugh!" Karin exclaimed. She looked helplessly at Tōshirō.

"Help me out here!" She hissed. "Can't you just jump back in and pretend you fainted, or something?"

He shot her a withering look. "Me? Faint? Who do you take me for?" He muttered.

"Well, you are just lying there. What else are they going to think? It's not like they can see you!" Karin whispered harshly.

"Kurosaki! He's not breathing!" Heita cried.

"Oh no! They're going to say we killed him!" Ryohei groaned.

"W-what? But it was obvious that…that…whatever caused that big hole…" Donny trailed off.

The individual voices were lost in a cacophony* of terrified groaning and wailing.

Cursing under her breath, Karin made her way over to the boys. The field was torn up, the ground uneven, and it didn't take more than a few steps before Karin stumbled, her bad knee giving way. With the adrenaline from the soccer match fading from her system, the pain was starting to set in. But instead of landing face first into the dirt, a hand was suddenly around her body, catching her before she fell.

"Be careful," Tōshirō said. His voice was nonchalant, but somehow Karin knew he was worried. "It wouldn't do for you to collapse in front of all of them. They all look up to you, you know," he continued.

Karin smiled in spite of the pain. "No you idiot. You're the one they look up to, now. You did save our game."

He shrugged as he helped her up, making a noncommittal noise in answer.

She was limping as she made her way up to the boys. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Kurosaki! He's not breathing! Do you think whatever made that hole hit him? Is he dead?" Heita whimpered in fear.

"Hmmm," Karin said as she bent over the lifeless…What was it? A gigai? Was that what the woman had called it? She pretended to check his pulse.

"He's fine," she told everyone. "I can feel his pulse."

"But…But…" Kazuya stuttered, unsure.

"Eh? You probably just weren't paying enough attention," she said, blithely. "Your fingers have to be right over one of his veins. It looks like he just hit his head really hard. But there's no blood, so it should be okay."

"Oh…Okay…But…What should we do? Should we call for an ambulance?" Ryohei asked worriedly.

"Yeah! Doesn't he have that cell phone? Maybe we can call the police…?" Heita suggested, getting nods of agreement from the other three boys.

Karin blinked. "No!" she cried, a little too abruptly. "Don't do that!"

"But…Kurosaki? Why? He's hurt!" Kazuya pleaded.

She frowned, and took a moment to glare at Tōshirō who did nothing more than stare at her stoically.

"I'll take him back home. My Tou-san can fix him up!" She said brightly. That seemed to satisfy her friends. "Now, guys, don't forget about the party tomorrow eh? I don't want Yuzu to be upset that all of her birthday guests decided to not show up." Karin said playfully.

All of the boys nodded, suddenly cheery again.

"You bet Kurosaki! We wouldn't miss yours and Yuzu's birthday for anything!" Heita proudly announced, receiving smiles and nods of confirmation from the other three boys.

"Oh! And tell Tōshirō when he wakes up, that he was amazing," Ryohei told her happily.

"Yeah! He really saved us! I didn't want to eat spaghetti through my nose…Tell him he can play with us any time! Do you think that he can teach us how to play like him?" Donny asked excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah," Karin said, waving them off. She made a show of hefting the gigai up and was surprised that, while weighted, the body wasn't half as heavy as it ought to be. Experimentally, she scooped the body up bridal style, and found it wasn't too hard to carry.

"Now go home!" she called out, "You know your parents are going to freak out if you don't go home soon! They knew we were playing out here. When it reaches the news that something happened, they're going to come looking for you."

That seemed to make all of them start, and collectively they turned on their heels, running home.

"Well, that worked," she said more to herself than to the two shinigami by her side. Not seeing a point in juggling the gigai more than necessary, she bent over to set it down when her knee gave. The added weight of the gigai in her arms had her slamming into the ground knee first. The pain was blinding as it shot up her body. Karin wasn't sure how long she lay there, half curled over the gigai, grinding her teeth as she struggled not to scream.

She felt hands carefully lifting her up, and when the faint, flowery scent washed over her, coupled with the all-too-obvious feel of soft breasts pressed against her body, she knew she was being held by Matsumoto.

"Taichō…?" Karin heard the woman ask.

"Yeah," Tōshirō said. Karin felt herself being lowered into his arms. "I'll take her back home." Opening her eyes, Karin saw that he was back in the body, her face perilously close to his own. She bit her lip, fighting the blush that threatened to flood her face. It wasn't often she found herself being carried by a strange boy, even if he was a shinigami. She didn't like how helpless she felt, either.

"Arigato, Tōshirō," Karin said faintly. "But I should be okay. If you just let me down..."

Deep teal eyes flickered down at her for the briefest of moments.

"Don't be stupid," he said in a low voice. "Your knee is swollen so badly that the circulation going to your toes is probably cut off. If you try pushing yourself, you're just going to make the damage worse. If I wasn't worried about someone seeing you flying through the air, I would've ran you back in my real form."

"Oh," Karin said faintly, "Okay then."

But before they could leave, they were stopped by a hesitant voice. "Karin-chan? Did you say that your birthday was tomorrow? Can we come to the birthday party…?" Matsumoto asked in a strangely cheery-hesitant voice.

Tōshirō ground his teeth together as Karin answered. "Of course Matsumoto-san! Yuzu will be so happy to know more people will be coming to the party. The more the merrier!" Karin replied, trying, in vain, to sound happy about it. It was as obvious as the sky being blue that she truly hated parties.

Matsumoto clapped her hands together in delight.

"Thank you Karin-chan! And just call me Rangiku, okay? There's no need to be so formal!" she said excitedly, "Now I just have to find something to wear…" she trailed off, as she began muttering to herself about what she would wear.

Karin sighed in exasperation before she remembered exactly where she was. Or more precisely, in whose arms.

She hoped he couldn't feel how rapidly her heart was beating as he made his way towards her house, Matsumoto trailing along in her shinigami form, still muttering over what clothes to wear.

It occurred to Karin that despite the fake body Tōshirō was 'wearing', she could still feel the rhythmical beating of his heart against her chest, and feel surprising warmth radiate from his body.

'This is kind of nice…' she thought, smiling gently as she closed her eyes in relaxation.

….Later…At Karin's House….

Tōshirō walked up the front steps and Karin wasn't surprised to see her father spontaneously open the door, just as Tōshirō was about to knock.

"Masaki! Our beautiful daughter Karin has finally returned home safe and sound!" Isshin announced loudly to the poster on the wall in the living room.

Karin and Tōshirō winced at the loud volume of his voice before he stopped and looked from Matsumoto to Tōshirō and back again. Karin growled and landed a sound punch to her father's face.

"Quit doing that already!" Karin yelled at him, and cut him off as he opened his mouth, "And don't try to give me that crap! You can see her too, can't you?"

At her accusatory tone, Isshin cast a weary glance at Tōshirō before letting a grin break out on his face. Looking behind him, he glanced back into the house, checking for Yuzu. Once he made sure that the coast was clear, he stepped outside, closing the front door behind him.

"Let's check out that knee of yours in the clinic first. I will explain everything there," he said seriously, as he led them into the clinic.

Once they were inside, Isshin made Karin sit on a medical table, to which Karin objected, but was promptly shot down, and then Isshin began examining her knee, poking and prodding at it, and causing several winces from the pain. After about ten minutes of this, he straightened back up, putting his hands on his hips.

"Well, I'd say that you bruised your knee really bad. Normally, it would take at least two weeks to heal, but since you already know about shinigami…" Isshin trailed off, and began searching one of the nearby drawers for something. A second later, he found it.

"Aha!" he said, as he pulled out what looked like a red fingerless glove trimmed in blue, with the symbol of a white skull surrounded by black flames on the back of the hand. "Here it is!"

He then proceeded to put on the glove, and then promptly slapped his own face. Surprisingly, his body fell, and there Isshin stood, wearing the traditional shinigami shihakusho. He had what looked like a piece of a torn Taichō's haori pinned to his left shoulder but Karin couldn't make out the Division number on the torn piece of white cloth. He also had a zanpakutō attached to his left hip. Karin blinked as he leaned over her knee, his hands suddenly enveloped by a soft blue light. A warm, tingling sensation ran through Karin's leg.

"You're a shinigami too? But then, that would make Ichigo, Yuzu, and I…" she trailed off.

"Yes…and no. Your mother actually was also a shinigami." Isshin cut her off, as he finished healing her knee.

Karin's jaw dropped and she stared wide-eyed at her father as he looked at her with a serious expression.

"But then…Mother…What happens to shinigami when they die?" Karin asked, confused and bewildered.

Isshin sighed and rubbed his temples.

"When shinigami die, they become reincarnated; it keeps the world in balance. So when your mother died, she was reborn somewhere in the world," he stated.

Karin sighed and nodded her head. It made sense. Shinigami had to go somewhere when they died. Why not reincarnation?

"So what does that make your kids, huh?" Karin asked irritably, as she slid off of the medical table and tested her weight on her knee. Thankfully, she felt no pain.

Isshin rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Well, you are technically both shinigami and human. Your parents are both shinigami, and yet you were born into a human body. It's really hard to explain. I don't even know much more than that. I was surprised that we could even have children, let alone three. That's why I wasn't surprised that Ichigo became a shinigami so easily. And yes, before you ask, I've known about Ichigo for awhile now. At first, I didn't know though, because I had lost my shinigami powers long ago. My powers have only just returned fully," he finished, watching Karin wearily.

Tōshirō and Matsumoto watched on in interest, keeping silent through the whole exchange. Just then, a soft voice had all of them collectively turning to the door of the clinic.

"Tou-san*?" Yuzu called out hesitantly, as she opened the door to the clinic and peered inside anxiously. Isshin had just enough time to jump back into his gigai when Yuzu opened the door all the way.

"Yuzu! My dear sweet daughter! Come to check up on your Tou-san, eh?" Isshin proclaimed, as he swooped forward and gave Yuzu a large hug. Karin sweatdropped and facepalmed at the stupidity of her family.

'How am I related to them again…?' Karin questioned herself mentally.

"Yuzu! Guess what? Karin has just invited two more friends to your guys' birthday party! Isn't that great?" Isshin announced proudly, as he stood back with his hands on his hips.

Yuzu's eyes sparkled. Karin internally groaned. That meant Yuzu had some really strange birthday games planned. Oh joy.

"Really? Where are they?" Yuzu asked enthusiastically, looking around, and spotting Tōshirō standing next to Karin.

"Oh Karin-chan! I'm so proud! You finally brought a boy home!" Yuzu cheered happily, causing both Karin and Tōshirō to blush in embarrassment.

"Oi! Yuzu! It's not like that at all! He's just my friend!" Karin spluttered indignantly. But to her chagrin, Yuzu promptly ignored her.

"~Ooh~! Tou-san! Can you believe it? Karin-chan is growing up~! I'm so happy~!" Yuzu cooed, causing Karin to blush even harder. Matsumoto was giggling and was poorly disguising her snickers as coughs. Karin stomped her foot for good measure.

"Yuzu! Urusai*!" Karin demanded, promptly causing Yuzu to turn to her wide-eyed.

"Ah! Gomen* Karin-chan! But I couldn't help teasing you! You just looked so cute blushing!" Yuzu said, sighing wistfully at the end.

Karin 'harrumphed' and crossed her arms over her small chest. What? She had a chest! Albeit a small one…

"So…Yuzu, this is Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Tōshirō, this is Yuzu, my younger twin sister," Karin grumbled, as she gestured from one to the other. Tōshirō grunted in reply and nodded his head to Yuzu, who squealed in response.

"Oh! You're so handsome! It's a pleasure to meet you Hitsugaya-kun!" Yuzu said happily, as she waved. Tōshirō turned slightly pink at the 'handsome' statement, but kept his eyes level with hers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Kurosaki-san," he replied formally.

"He is the one coming to our birthday party tomorrow. He is also bringing his friend, Matsumoto Rangiku to the party," Karin said dully, as she watched her sister.

"That's great! Now the party will be even livelier! Just so you know, the party is here tomorrow at noon. I hope that you will have fun! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and finish making dinner!" Yuzu bowed, then turned and headed for the door, but not before she heard her Tou-san's shout.

"Oh my dear Masaki! How like you our daughter is! She is so sweet!" Isshin sobbed, as he clung to another poster of Masaki in the clinic.

"Was that always there?" Tōshirō asked, puzzled, a sweatdrop forming on his head.

Karin shook her head.

"No. But he always seems to have a spare one tucked who-knows-where for just about anywhere we go. It's really embarrassing…" Karin replied, deadpanning. She quickly grew tired of her father's sobs and quickly silenced him, landing a punch harshly to his face.

"Urusai! You're embarrassing me!" Karin shouted down at her father, who lay on the ground, holding his bruised cheek, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Kya~! Karin-chan! Why are you so mean to your Tou-san?" Isshin bawled, as he stood up, gingerly holding his cheek and tearing up some more. Karin sighed, then turned to Tōshirō and Matsumoto.

"You guys can go now. By the way, where are you staying?" she asked curiously.

Tōshirō shrugged, making a noncommittal noise. "We are staying with Inoue at the moment," he stated stoically.

Karin shrugged, as she walked over to the door, and held it open for them as they exited. She stood watching them as they turned back to her and her father stood behind her.

"See you guys at the party tomorrow, okay?" Karin said, just as they turned away.

They both nodded, Matsumoto a little more enthusiastically than Tōshirō, as they continued to walk away. Karin sighed. Tomorrow was going to be one Hell of a day. Oh how wrong she was. It was going to be worse than Hell.

…..The Next Day…11:30 AM…

'Okay, it is official. This is the worst birthday of my entire life. No, scratch that; it's the worst day in my entire existence,' Karin thought irritably, as she hung more streamers in the living room. First, she had woken up late, which she had never done in her whole life, then she had wanted tuna with milk for breakfast;—TUNA! SHE HATED TUNA!—then, she had had this irresistible urge and chased after the streamers that her sister had been putting up, nearly causing them all to fall down! What the Hell was wrong with her? She was acting like a damn cat!

"Goddamn cats and the whole feline species…" she muttered to herself, as she tied up the last streamer. She stepped down from the stool and surveyed her work. Streamers hung from the walls and ceiling in a bright splash of color, looking for the entire world like a rainbow. Damn Yuzu and her bright colors! You gotta love her though…The living room was set up for a party, with the table cleared and set with festive ribbons and decorations. Karin sighed as she slumped down onto the couch in exhaustion. Yuzu had already invited so many people. Well, many for her anyway. Yuzu didn't really have friends at school, since they were all afraid of Karin, so Yuzu had invited everyone from the Urahara Shōten* that she could. That included: Kisuke Urahara, Yoruichi Shihōin, Jinta Hanakari, Ururu Tsumugiya, and Tessai Tsukabishi.

'So many people…' Karin sighed as she laid back on the couch, making herself comfortable. The next thing she knew, she was sound asleep on the couch. Just then Yuzu walked into the living room, searching for Karin. She stopped as she saw her twin curled up on the couch, sleeping peacefully. Yuzu smiled, then shook her head as she headed back into the kitchen. They were going to eat lunch before the party.

'I'll just let Karin rest. She hasn't been feeling well all day. Hopefully, she won't feel so bad when everyone shows up,' Yuzu thought, as she heated up the pan with oil in it for the fried salmon fillets. Karin may hate tuna, but she loved her fried salmon.

….The Birthday Party—12:15 PM….

Karin awoke to the sound of hushed talking. Her nose twitched as she smelled the fried salmon and she groggily opened her eyes, looking around her at the people already at the party. Everyone was already there, and she had been sleeping? What in the Hell was Yuzu thinking, leaving her to sleep like that? Karin groaned as she sat up, causing everyone's eyes to shift to her. She glared right back at them.

"What the Hell are you all staring at?" she snapped, as she stood up, glaring at them. Nobody moved or said anything while she kept her hard gaze on them.

"Well?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Yuzu smiled, then walked over to Karin. Everyone looked at Yuzu like she was crazy.

"Karin? Do you feel better now? I let you sleep because I saw how tired and unwell you were feeling this morning. It was also because lunch was not yet ready. I was just about to wake you up. Do you want to join us for some fried salmon?" Yuzu asked, instantly softening Karin's frown and making her feel slightly guilty. She hadn't meant to snap at anyone, especially on their birthday, but Karin had never had such weird feelings and urges before. The urge to sleep all the time during the day didn't sit well with her; not at all. So, in an attempt to salvage her pride and save her from guilt, she smiled at Yuzu.

"I'm feeling much better than before Yuzu; arigato*," she said, smiling. Yuzu smiled in return, then clapped her hands together in excitement and turned to the rest of the guests.

"Lunch is served!" she announced happily.

Everyone proceeded to eat the amazing lunch that Yuzu had prepared for their birthday party. After everyone ate lunch, they all ate cake and played the games that Yuzu had prepared for them weeks before. Everything was going well, and Karin had had only one incident that afternoon compared to that morning. Well, Karin wouldn't classify it as an incident really; since it was more like a very suspicious conversation that occurred. She had been speaking to Tōshirō when it had happened.

"Well, are you feeling any better Karin? Your sister said something about feeling sick…?" Tōshirō trailed off, not really used to asking people about their health. Karin was about to answer when Yoruichi showed up, slinging an arm around Karin's neck in a one-armed hug and leaning heavily on her. A vein popped up on Karin's forehead. She absolutely hated it when someone invaded her personal space without her permission.

"So kid, how has your day been? I understand that it started out horribly…?" Yoruichi lazily asked, as she casually sipped her iced milk with a wide grin on her face. Karin's glare melted, and she shrugged as she also sipped her iced milk. What? SHE LIKED ICED MILK TOO! She didn't mind answering, since she was going to tell Tōshirō anyway, and since they were both there, she decided to just get it over with.

"Well, it started off pretty crappy actually. First, I woke up really late—which I never do—, then I wanted to eat tuna with milk for breakfast—and I don't even like tuna—and then I ended up chasing the streamers that Yuzu was putting up like a…a…cat chasing a piece of string! And I feel like all I want to do is sleep! It's really strange, getting all of these weird urges…" Karin trailed off uncomfortably, glancing up at the dark-skinned beauty next to her, then to Tōshirō. Tōshirō had a thoughtful expression on his face, his eyes narrowing in concentration. Yoruichi's eyes on the other hand, gained a dark, gleefully suspicious glint in them, as she chortled joyously, slapping Karin hard on the back, causing her to stagger forward at the force of it.

"Oh, don't worry about it too much, Karin-chan! I'm sure you'll be back to normal by tomorrow!" she chuckled, as she walked off, heading towards Urahara. Karin visibly shuddered as she saw the two of them whisper quietly, then turn to glance at her, before turning around and whispering again. Karin began glaring at them. Tōshirō then turned back to Karin, cutting off her glare at the two whisperers.

"Well, happy 12th Birthday Karin. I hope you feel better tomorrow," he stated, his eyes focusing on his Fukutaichō* after saying that, who was quickly getting hammered, then returned to her, "I'm going to go and take care of my Fukutaichō. Later Karin." He then headed over to Matsumoto, no doubt to deliver a painful tongue-lashing about drinking alcohol at a 12-year-old's birthday party. Karin almost chuckled, when her attention was drawn back to Yoruichi and Urahara. They were still whispering and glancing at her!

Karin glared suspiciously at them, and was just about to march over there and give them a piece of her mind before being hauled off by Yuzu to open the presents. Karin sighed in defeat as she was sat down in front of what was presumably her pile of presents, and Yuzu sat next to her, in front of her own pile. Karin didn't pay too much attention to Yuzu or her presents, holding them up one by one with a sigh as her father snapped a picture of each item, as was their custom. Yuzu got a teddy bear from Jinta, a pink sundress from Ururu, a recipe book from Tessai, a huge box of candy from Urahara, a dog plushie from Yoruichi, a sewing kit from Ryohei, a romance manga book from Donny, a little flower diary from Heita, a bunny plushie from Kazuya, a purple dress from Matsumoto, a little silver bracelet from Tōshirō with a bunny charm, another recipe book from their father, and a golden locket shaped like a heart from Karin, with their pictures inside.

Karin got a new soccer ball from Ryohei, a baseball bat from Jinta, book on soccer from Ururu, a book on healing from Tessai, a huge box of candy from Urahara (she hated candy…), a cat plushie from Yoruichi (odd…), a soccer bag from Heita, a pair of shin guards from Donny, a book on the history of war from Kazuya, a soccer diary from her father, a silver locket in the shape of an oval from Yuzu, a new soccer uniform from Matsumoto, and a beautiful silver necklace from Tōshirō that had a blue crystal dragon pendant hanging from a thin silver chain. Karin could feel the cold from it seep through her fingers, and knew that he had made it himself from his never-melting ice. Karin felt oddly touched by this as she put it on, settling it above the locket, since it was on a slightly shorter chain.

After the presents were all opened, everyone played more games far into the night. Karin was even able to drag Tōshirō into some of them. She also wanted to speak with him alone, so when she got her chance, she took it.

"Hey Tōshirō?" Karin asked, as she climbed out her window and onto the roof, "Can I talk to you?"

Tōshirō nodded and grunted, laying back and looking at the stars in the night sky, his hands folded behind his head. He had obviously come up there to escape the party for a little bit. Karin took his acceptance and walked over to stand next to where he was sitting, before sitting down next to him as well, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Listen…Tōshirō…" Karin began, as she grasped the dragon pendant in her hand, feeling its cool and soothing texture from within her palm. She was amazed that no matter how long she held it in her warm hands, it never lost its chill. That's what she loved about it.

"I just wanted to tell you…thank you," Karin finished, a slight pink dusting her cheeks. She was glad that it was dark, so that he wouldn't see her blush. Karin kept her eyes carefully focused on the stars above, even when she heard him sitting up.

"Whatever for?" he asked, incredulous. What had he done to deserve her thanks?

"Well, for lots of things actually. For helping win the soccer game, for saving me from that Hollow, for coming to this party, and…and for making this for me…" Karin whispered gently, stroking the dragon pendant with reverence. A blush stained her cheeks, and Karin cursed. Karin Kurosaki does not blush! Tōshirō looked at her wide-eyed. She was thankful for all of that? And…why did she sound the most thankful for the necklace he had made?

"I had heard that if you make something for someone, it would mean more to the person receiving it. I'm glad that you like the necklace so much," Tōshirō said quietly, glancing over at Karin. She looked away shyly. Karin inwardly cursed again. When had she become so damn shy?

"Wow. Thank you for being so thoughtful. No one's ever done that for me," and here, Karin turned back to Tōshirō, looking him in the eye, "I love it," she breathed.

Tōshirō stared at Karin, astonished. She actually loved it! Wait…why was he getting so excited about that? Karin spoke again, startling Tōshirō out of his thoughts.

"Come on," she said smiling, standing up and holding a hand out for him to take, "Let's get back to the party before everyone starts to worry about us." Tōshirō nodded, then took her hand in his as she helped him up. He couldn't help but notice how warm her hand felt, and almost jumped in surprise when he felt something resembling a shock jump through his hand. Karin seemed to have felt it too, since she jumped slightly, but kept the smile on her face and his hand in hers. She didn't let go of his hand until she had led him back in through her bedroom window, where they both blushed and dropped their hands, looking away from each other.

"So…the party…?" Tōshirō asked awkwardly, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Karin nodded vigorously, as she then rushed out of her bedroom and down the stairs, an embarrassed flush on her cheeks. Tōshirō chuckled wryly, before following her downstairs, at a much more leisurely pace.

By the time the party had ended and everyone had gone home, (after helping clean up of course) it was already 10:30 at night. Feeling exhausted from the events and the day in general, Yuzu and Karin quickly showered and dressed for bed, determined to get some sleep. The next day was a Sunday, so they didn't have to get up early for school; however, they were dead tired. So, with a quick goodnight to each other, they both pulled the blankets over their heads and fell fast asleep. No one seemed to notice when the whole room glowed with a soft blue light, seemingly emanating from a one Karin Kurosaki. When the glow died down, two figures could be seen outside of the twins' bedroom window, peering inside intently. Both figures stood back and faced each other.

"So…she was the one chosen. That can only mean one thing," a feminine voice said, pondering to herself aloud. The—obviously male—figure next to her chuckled.

"Oh Yoruichi-san! You just didn't expect it to be the middle child. You at first expected it to be Ichigo-san, and you seemed a little disappointed by that fact. Just be happy she has a personality very much like yours," the man with the green striped hat and a long cane grinned devilishly as he fanned himself lightly with his fan. The woman—now identified as Yoruichi—huffed, crossing her arms over her ample breasts.

"Kisuke, that's not it, and you know it," she paused, seeming to ponder some more, before continuing, "You know what happened when I met you Kisuke. The same thing happened to me, and that was the only reason that they let me be the first woman to hold that position. She must've met him."

Kisuke nodded absently, as he began to walk towards the edge of the roof.

"Hmm…I wonder who he might be…? It must be someone she met very recently. Her reiatsu* has been fluctuating a lot since the beginning of the week—and it still is, even more so now—so it stands to reason that he must be nearby…" he trailed off, a curiously delightful grin upon his face.

"Well, it's no use staying here for the night. Tomorrow morning is when everything will happen, and we can expect her then. Shall we head back for now?" Yoruichi offered, as she prepared to shunpo* back. Kisuke nodded eagerly, and they both shot off back towards the Urahara Shōten.

…The Next Morning—9:13 AM…Karin & Yuzu's Bedroom…..

Yuzu stretched and slid out of bed and headed towards the bathroom, calling out to Karin as she passed.

"It's time to wake up Karin-chan!" she cheerfully shouted, leaving the room without even looking at Karin's bed. A low groan and an unintelligible mumble answered her and she laughed, as she left the room and went into the bathroom. After finishing up her morning routine, she headed back into their bedroom and shrieked in surprise. Karin wasn't on her bed! In fact, Yuzu couldn't see her anywhere! All she could see was a beautiful Siamese kitten on Karin's bed, stretching and yawning like a person! The kitten yawned once more, before turning to Yuzu.

"What's wrong Yuzu?" the kitten asked. In Karin-chan's voice! Yuzu screeched again, jumping back and feeling the closet door behind her.

"Y-You can talk?" Yuzu stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the Siamese kitten. The kitten immediately had an angry and confused look on its face.

"Of course I can talk Yuzu! What the Hell? Do you think I'm retarded or something?" the cat hissed angrily at her, sitting up and glaring menacingly at Yuzu. Yuzu froze. That was definitely Karin-chan's voice!

'But…does that mean…?' Yuzu decided to give it a try.

"Karin-chan…?" she called out hesitantly, as she stepped forward slowly.

"…Yes? What is it Yuzu? Is this some kind of sick prank? Because I'm not going to be very happy if it is," the cat stated crossly, as she—in a very human-like way—crossed her front legs across her furry chest. Yuzu blinked once, then squealed and rushed forward, swooping the kitten-Karin up into her arms and hugging her to her little chest.

"Oh it is you! You are so kawaii* Karin-chan!" Yuzu squealed again, as she hugged the kitten harder. The kitten—now identified as Karin—tried to gasp for breath.

"Yuzu! Can't…Breathe…!," Karin gasped out, as her sister's chest covered her face. Yuzu immediately reddened in embarrassment and held Karin out in front of her, away from her chest; with her hands holding her just like they would pick up a baby. She gasped in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Karin-chan! But you just looked so kawaii! I couldn't help myself!" she squealed again, as she set Karin back down onto her bed.

"I am not kawaii!" Karin muttered angrily, and then turned back to Yuzu. "And why in the Hell did you act like you had seen a ghost or something when you saw me?" Her black striped tail twitched in annoyance—unknowingly to her—behind her. Yuzu laughed uneasily, scratching the back of her head in nervousness.

"Well…Karin-chan…um…" Yuzu fumbled, unsure of how to tell her sister without having Karin try to scratch her eyes out, literally.

"Just spit it out, dammit!" Karin hissed angrily, glaring hard at Yuzu. Yuzu swallowed, then decided to just say it.

"You're a Siamese kitten, Karin-chan," she said awkwardly. Karin scoffed.

"I am not a—," her words died right in her throat as Yuzu promptly shoved a mirror in front of her, roughly the size of Yuzu's head. She was right. She was a kitten. She was small—about the size of an 8 month old kitten, with pure white fur and black markings on her face, ears, paws; and black stripes down the top of her tail, the underside of her tail as white as the rest of her body. Her tail ended with a black tip. Her ears were completely black, and she had the telltale slim, graceful yet powerful, body of a Siamese cat; with short glossy fur. The black on her face covered her muzzle, went up along the bridge of her nose, went around her eyes in a smooth oval shape (Think: Sagwa's face, from the show "Sagwa: The Chinese-Siamese Cat"), then met at her forehead in three points, in a small trident shape. All four of her legs were black halfway up, cutting off with jagged marks. She had a black lightning bolt marking that ran across her back and shoulders that ended on each side about 3 inches above where her front legs start, on her shoulder blades. Her eyes had also changed to a lighter shade of blue, looking more like cerulean*. The two necklaces she had worn the other night were still around her neck, although shrunken down to her size, so that they resembled a couple of fancy collars instead. (Picture on deviantART. Link below.) All in all, she was—in all senses of the word—a kitten. Karin very nearly fainted.

"What the—? HOW IN THE HELL DID I BECOME A FUCKING KITTEN?" Karin yowled in anger.

….Downstairs….With Isshin…

Isshin sighed, rubbing his face in anxiety as he heard Karin's scream of anger.

"I guess I have to tell them everything now…," he grumbled, waiting for his two girls—well, one kitten and one girl—to come downstairs demanding answers. And answers he would give.

….End Of Chapter 1: Why In The Hell Do I Feel So Weird?…

Definitions (*)—In Order of Appearance—:

1) Taichō—Literally "Captain" in Japanese.

2) Shinigami—Literally "Death God" or "Soul Reaper" in Japanese.

3) Hollow—They are a race of creatures which are born from Human souls who, for various reasons, do not cross over to Soul Society after their death and stay in the Human World for too long. They are corrupt spirits with supernatural powers that devour the souls of both living and deceased Humans. Hollows settle in Hueco Mundo, but can cross over to the Human World and Soul Society.

4)Shihakusho—Literally "Garment of Dead Souls" in Japanese, it is the standard garments that a shinigami wears; this includes: a whiteshitagi, a blackkosode, a blackhakama, a whitehakama-himo, whitetabi, andstrawwaraji.

5) Gigai—Literally "Faux Body" in Japanese, it is an artificial body that allows Shinigami to remain in the Human World and interact with Humans.

6) Gikongan—Literally "Artificial Soul Pill" in Japanese, it is used in the event that a shinigami has to leave their gigai.

7) Cacophony—A jarring, discordant sound; dissonance.

8) Tou-san—Literally "Dad" in Japanese, it is the shortened version of "Otou-san"; literally meaning "Father".

9) Urusai—Literally "Shut Up" in Japanese.

10) Gomen—Literally "Sorry" in Japanese.

11)Shōten—Literally means 3 things in Japanese: "Shop", or "Business Firm"; "Death", or "The Ascension"; and "Focus" or "Point". Pretty interesting, huh?

12) Arigato—Literally "Thank You" in Japanese.

13) Fukutaichō—Literally "Lieutenant", or "Vice-Captain" in Japanese.

14) Reiatsu—Literally "Spiritual Pressure" in Japanese, it is the physical force/pressure that a person's Reiryoku creates when released.

15) Shunpo—Literally "Flash Steps" in Japanese, it is the most commonly used Hohō technique. It a movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow. The focal point that determines the basis of this technique is speed. As speed is the main point of the technique the method is best characterized by how fast one can get from point A to point B in the least amount of steps. Training and skill are what determines how fast a user of Shunpo can move; those of little skill in the technique or those who haven't used it an extended amount of time would obviously be out of practice, causing those individuals to be considerably slower, which requires the use of more steps to move the same distance and become winded far easier in a shorter amount of time.

16) Kawaii—Literally "Cute" in Japanese.

17) Cerulean—A pretty medium blue color. Look at Wikipedia for more info.

Other Definitions:

1) Reiryoku—Literally "Spiritual Power" in Japanese, it is a power aligned with the spiritual sensitivity and willpower of the user.

2) Hohō—Literally "Agility", "Fast Movement", or "Step Method", it is an important skill for most Shinigami. The agility and speed of Hohō can be enhanced and improved through mastery of it, concentration, and training.

3) Hueco Mundo—Literally meaning "Hollow World" in Spanish, and "Hollow Sphere" in Japanese, it is the dimension whereHollowsandArrancarusually reside. It is located between the Human world and Soul Society; though it is separate from the bordering dimension known asDangai. It can only be accessed by tearing the dimensional fabric separating the worlds, allowing Hollows to travel to any other dimension at will. Depending on the Hollow, the effect of this process varies. Regular Hollows usually appear from a small black vortex or form out of smoke, whileMenos-class Hollows quite literally tear the sky apart to emerge. Arrancar use a more stable variant of the latter technique known as Garganta.

…Author's Note…..

FH: Well that's it for Chapter 1! I hope you guys like my idea, as there is much more to come! The link to the picture of Karin in her cat form is right here: (http:/ toshirolover1991. deviantart . com/#/d31bbtd/) Just take out the spaces between the slashes and the periods.

I hope you all add this to your alerts and favorites; and I hope that you leave your comments on how I did, since this is my very first time making a completely Bleach story, and a HitsuKarin one at that! I also have my beta-reader to thank once again: Thank you HoneyBadger from MeteorLeopard! Good luck on your HitsuKarin fanfiction!

Matsumoto: And don't forget to review!

Tōshirō: She already said that Matsumoto!

Matsumoto: Aw! But I wanted to say it Taichō!

Tōshirō: -veins pops out- MATSUMOTO!

Matsumoto: Oops! Gotta run! –shunpos away-

Tōshirō: -shunpos after her-

FH: -shakes head- She never learns…

…Next Chapter—Chapter 2: Cats & Family Truths!…..