AN: I come bearing another HitsuKarin Week story! But this one is special~ I collaborated with fuckyeahhikari. I wrote the story while she drew a picture (the gorgeous cover for this fic and my first personal cover EVAH!) based on what I wrote. And of course I was a horrible person and wrote the most abstract thing ever rather than fluff. (Sorry about that... -_-;;)

If you want to see more of her awesome work, go to her tumblr (fuckyeahhikari . tumblr . com) or her DeviantArt account (sadista0907 . deviantart . com). Just remove the spaces. :D

Themes Used: Future (with a dash of Pony Tail and Blush)

Summary: "Even after all these years there was still some woman keeping his old friend in line."

Father Knows Best

He didn't think this was how they'd meet again.

Sitting across from a man he knew decades ago but who'd disappeared in an instant was not how he imagined his day going. But Shiba Isshin—no, Kurosaki Isshin was a man who wasn't killed easily. Just a step inside the small corridor was enough to reinforce that fact, as Karin skipped her way in without a backwards glance. Her bounded hair disappeared around the corner, her voice calling out to a man that had somehow managed to escape his senses after all these years.

It was only the call of his name that got Hitsugaya to finally close the door behind him, gigai now stifling as he toed off his black tennis shoes. Any chance that his former captain might let him go unnoticed disappears as Karin peeks at him from the interior of their home and glares at his frozen form.

"If you don't get your butt in here, Toushirou, I will drag you in. My family might be weird but they don't bite."

I beg to differ. But he smothered that reply with a stiff nod, walking in with as much poise as he could muster. He was relieved to find Ichigo nowhere in sight and it seemed that the other Kurosaki twin was gone as well. That meant there were only two present, one of them being…

He wasn't quite ready for the reunion.

"IT'S SO WONDERFUL TO MEET YOU, FUTURE SON-IN-LAW!" The voice was very familiar but the dramatic hyperactivity was not. Being crushed by his predecessor in a hug that nearly knocked the wind out of him was the last thing he expected, as he pushed at the large form caging him in.

The internal conflict about whether he should fight back or hold back was decisively ended by a swift kick. Granted it wasn't given by him but somehow Toushirou didn't expect Isshin to go flying into a nearby wall. The last time he'd seen such a feat Matsumoto had been hunting down their laissez faire leader and had promptly knocked him out.

Even after all these years there was still some woman keeping his old friend in line. "Sorry about that, Toushirou," Karin sighed, brushing some invisible dust off her leg. "He gets a little… carried away sometimes."

I know was what he wanted to say but "I see" was what came out, nodding as a now-panicked father began to plead with his daughter for a little kindness. He wasn't sure what made him scoff more, the idea that a nearly invincible shinigami was begging his child for reprieve or the fact that anyone would expect mercy from Karin, of all people. Both options were highly implausible and yet were simultaneously occurring. He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it.

"And you wonder why I don't bring friends home. All of them would stop hanging out with me if they met you," she snorted, ignoring Isshin even as he groveled at her feet. It took all of Hitsugaya's strength to keep his jaw from hitting the floor when he saw how the nobleman coped.

"Do you see how our beautiful daughter treats me, Masaki-chan? After all the years I've raised her and all the baths I've given and all the diapers I've changed, she still won't let me meet her boyfriend! My precious little girl doesn't love me anymore!" Sobbing with complete absence of dignity, the patriarch hugged the wall with vigor that was downright disturbing. The temptation for Hitsugaya to shield his eyes was offset by Karin's obvious embarrassment, as a blush swam prettily across her cheeks.

"He's not my boyfriend, he's just a friend!" she defended, heating even further at the disbelieving scoff her father gave. "Stop being weird while I change, okay? That means no. Bothering. Toushirou. Got it?"

"Why, I'm hurt that you'd even consider me capable of such conduct," Isshin sighed dramatically, as Karin shook her head and went upstairs. When she crossed the first set of stairs Hitsugaya nearly called her back, not trusting himself to be left alone with the older man. But he had no good excuse and, really, there was no need for a young girl to protect him.

At least that was what he thought, until he saw the look in Isshin's eyes.

"Long time no see, Toushirou. My, you've gotten big," he said, smiling fondly at his former Third Seat.

"Ah, Taichou." And even though it'd been many years since their last encounter the word still felt right on his tongue. His mentor had vanished but the respect hadn't, as he watched the other smile and offer him a seat at the table.

"I see you're doing well. How about Matsumoto?" he inquired, preparing a pot of tea with the kind that Hitsugaya preferred. Somehow it made him warm when he saw the familiarity, as he took the proffered mug and rolled it between his fingers.

"She's good. The Tenth is still in one piece after all." It was strange how easy the conversation went, almost the same flow and comfort that he shared with Karin. The notion was mildly frightening.

"Of course it is. I named you as my successor, didn't I?" Isshin laughed, throwing him a wink. The small action forced Toushirou to notice how he'd aged far more quickly than a normal shinigami, crow's feet at the edges of his eyes and whiskers of gray in that dark hair.

But the man he looked up to as a father figure was still there, biding his time beneath the obvious changes. How had he not made the connection between Ichigo and Karin to Isshin before now? The pride he held for his intelligence was taking a beating because of this oversight.

But there were so many questions he had for the former Shiba, ones that he still wanted answered. "What happened to you, Taichou? Why did you suddenly disappear all those years ago?"

A pensive shine crossed his gaze but little else, as Isshin stared down into the cup he'd filled for himself. But for a long time he said nothing, letting the quiet wrack against Toushirou's nerves. It almost had him standing up and going, irritation eating away his usual patience and leaving him with old, bitter curiosity. However, Isshin was not a cruel man. He lifted his gaze to Toushirou with a melancholy smile.

In the end, there was little explanation he could offer. "The past is done now, Toushirou. It's time to leave it where it is."

"You can't just tell me—"

A hand stopped his outburst, commanding him to heel as if the boy hadn't been in power for twenty years. "Things happen for a reason and I was forced to play a part, just as everyone else was. It just so happens that mine involved having to stay here, marrying a Quincy and having three beautiful children. There are no words that can change that fact and there are none I would use even if I could."

For Isshin, there had been no reason to mourn his losses when he had gained so much. Even Masaki had been a short-lived but bright flame, giving him more on Earth than Soul Society had ever offered him. And one of those things was upstairs, growing up and following a path that he was becoming well acquainted with.

But, unlike with Ichigo, he knew that he needed to step in and protect his little girl. "So, you know my Karin."

There was some joy in seeing Toushirou stiffen, unsure how to respond to such an innocent phrase. His reply was slow, measured. "So I do."

"She's like me, don't you think?"

Hitsugaya snorted at the understatement, rolling his eyes. "If you mean bossy and overly aggressive and has very little respect for authority and personal space, then yes she is exactly like you."

"I see you know each other well then," Isshin laughed, leaning back as he reclined into his chair, relaxed.

"'Well' is a strong word."

"Karin is a strong girl, just like her mother." The fact became more apparent the older she became. While her coloring, brute strength and blunt personality might be his, the traces of his wife were just as visible if one cared to look for them. Charging headfirst into battle without considering her safety, it was very much a Kurosaki thing. Not like him as a Shiba, who calculated and thought his plans through, not daring to overstep his limits unless absolutely necessary.

No, his children were most certainly Kurosaki.

"Who is?" The voice drew the attention of both men, as Karin came down in an outfit suitable for their soccer game. But Isshin knew just how much effort she put into it, as ordinary as it was. His little girl was good at understated, at trying to look like she wasn't trying at all. And she'd grown even more beautiful over the years, even more like Masaki, and he knew that was what scared him most days.

He was afraid that there would come a time when she'd meet her match against someone bigger and stronger, protecting someone she loved more than life itself. But trying to stop that spirit from thriving was almost as good as killing her himself. And somehow he knew Hitsugaya understood that, as he watched him move to stand beside Karin, not quite hovering but a reassuring presence all the same.

Isshin couldn't quite hold back his smirk. "All of you, of course. You're all looking more and more like her every day." Her slow, unconvinced nod was his answer before Karin turned to Toushirou to ask if he was ready to leave.

He shook his head, following close behind her as she waved goodbye to her father. And just like the last time, neither Hitsugaya nor Isshin felt the need to say goodbye, understanding that no one was going to disappear this time around. And yet Toushirou still glanced back at him, the green of his gaze promising more than he probably intended for it to.

I'll take care of her, Taichou. Don't worry. Isshin had no doubts that Hitsugaya would do that and much more.

Glancing over at Masaki hanging on the wall, he cupped his chin as he rested his elbow on his other arm and smiled. "So, who do you think will get down that aisle first, Karin or Ichigo?" An expectant pause. "You're right, Toushirou is much less dense. He'll figure it out way before Ichigo even realizes his feelings for Rukia."

But it wasn't as if there was any rush. After all, gaining the father's approval was half the battle anyway.

AN: Yeah, reading the current Bleach chapters but not actually keeping up with the manga is messing with my head. LOL I have another one-shot I'll be putting up once I catch up on all my reading and get some writing done. This'll have to keep you guys satisfied, I guess, so review? Pretty please? :3

Until next time, everyone~