Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Someone asked me to write about how Byakuya and Ichigo met so I decided to actually write out the plotbunny bouncing around my head.

This fic consists of short stories that interconnects. I'm too busy to actually write the whole entire fic so i'll just write them in short parts and let the readers connect them with one another. If there's any question, I'll answer them as best as I can but I seriously can't write every single scene so hints and flashbacks will be inserted. I hope the readers enjoy this.

This part focuses on Karin as the main character, who instead of Ichigo, meets Rukia in the beginning. This fic is totally AU. Even the sequences are different so please dun ask about specific scenes from the manga or anime. This is the prequel to Hunter & Prey.

Background: Ichigo is eighteen going nineteen soon and she's a rising starlet. Karin and Yuzu is now fifteen and is in high school.

Future Pairings: Renji/Rukia, Hitsugaya/Karin, Byakuya/FemIchi

The Beginning

"Hey, Kurosaki!"

Kurosaki Karin, age 15, scowled and glared at the group of idiots that shouted her name from across the room.

The perpetrator, a girl of the same age, grinned nastily. She held up a magazine and with the same volume of voice, asked her:

"If this is your older sister, then what the hell happened to you?" the idiots then started to snicker and titter amongst themselves.

Karin narrowed her eyes at the magazine before recognition set in. It was the youth pop music magazine that recently featured an article about Seirênes, her sister's band.

The dark-haired female remembered the day the article was published. Ichi-nee was pissed at how the writer only focused on her, the lead singer and Orihime, for very obvious reasons. The author sang praises to the two female teens as if they were goddesses and totally ignored the existence of the rest of the bandmates.

"'Entrancing smoky eyes'," the orange-haired singer quoted, flinging the magazine onto the table carelessly, "it's just make-up, you idiot."

In the author's defence, ever since Ichigo reached 15, she was the object of attention from both males and females alike. Her charisma, blooming figure, model-like built and height drew attention like moths to fire. And boy, did they get burned. Ichigo's hair wasn't the only thing that resembles brightly burning flames, her personality too was fiery and dangerous.

She drew people to her easily by just being there and by now, she has lost count of how many confessions she had received since hitting puberty. Many people wanted to become Ichigo's important people but only a hand full can proudly say that they are. And Ichigo was fiercely protective of these people that she cared for.

Of course, there was no one that Ichigo cared for more than her two younger sisters.

And as time passes by, the twins were growing up more and more like her.

Like Ichigo's colouring, Yuzu too inherited light hair and brown eyes from their mother. Coupled with her gentle nature, it made her beauty soft and delicate. If Ichigo smiled more and scowled less, she too could be described as such. But that would be sooo unlike her.

Karin, however, was dark haired like their father and possessed a behaviour that was the total opposite of her twin sister. Strong and determined, the fifteen-year-old was so much like her independent older sister that no one could deny that they were sisters. Not to mention, they could almost share the same features.

Only idiots would question such a thing.

Speaking of which.

Those girls has been trying to bully her for the past few months with no success. After all, Karin wasn't someone that was easily intimidated. Though it made her wonder why. Was it because she was the younger sister of a rising starlet? But they have never bothered Yuzu... and for their sake, they better not. Ah, well, it was a question she could ponder on later, if she had nothing better to do, that is.

Karin looked around the classroom, noting absentmindedly the terrified looks her other classmates were shooting at her. The last time someone said something unsightly about her older sister, Karin had beaten the crap out of the poor idiot. (It had earned her a large reprimand from the principal and a detention but it was soooo worth it)

Oh, goodie, Yuzu is not here. That means she could terrify the jeebies out of these idiots.

The bloodthristy grin that she shot them wiped all smiles from their faces as the aggressive teen strode towards them. They stared at her wide eyes, fearful and wary.

Heh, time for a little fun.

Kurosaki Residence (Afternoon)

"KARIN-CHAN!! My beloved daughters are home!!"

"Oh, grow up," Karin grumbled as she kicked her shoes off and dodge her father's unwanted hug at the same time.

"Tadaima!," Yuzu greeted, ignoring her father's melodrama easily as she too sidestepped her father's lunge.

The dark-haired man (seriously, Karin still wondered how the man can actually become a Doctor of his status given his mental age) started wimpering to his wife's blown-up picture, which he had stuck to the wall. Karin felt the vein at the side of her temple tick but controlled herself. That is, until he turned to the picture next to that of his wife.

"Oh, Ichigo! My sweet daughter! Your sisters are ignoring me!"

The vein burst.

"Oh, for kami's sake! Will you stop that! You make it seem as if Ichi-nee's dead!"

In true form of insanity, their father has stuck up a picture of their sister in all her glory. Right next to their late mother's memorial photo.

The poster showed the orange haired singer lying down surrounded by white flowers wearing a graceful and elegant spaghetti-strapped gown the colour of freshly fallen snow. The contrasting colours between her hair and the surrounding was really eye-catching. The expression Ichigo wore was soft and thoughtful and she was focused away from the camera to look to the side. Ichigo once commented off handedly that she didn't like the picture. It was obvious that she, like Karin, thought that the picture portrayed her to be too gentle and almost fragile, which was only half true because she was also strong and independent, something the portrait wasn't able to show.

The picture was actually taken as the cover page for their new single due in two months until the lead singer put her foot down and insisted that a picture of her entire band was to be taken instead. So this picture was scrapped off from the front page but it didn't stop Ichigo's manager from printing the poster for the fans. And one of her biggest fan was her very own father who cooed at the picture the moment he saw it, pissing the real person off immensely.

Another reason why Ichigo wasn't fond of the poster was because Ichigo's face took up more than half the poster.

Which was exactly the reason why Isshin put the poster up.

Ever since Ichi-nee's band became famous a year ago, the 18-year old was seen less and less at home, travelling from one place to another to perform live in concerts around Japan.

This was somewhat of a replacement for the MIA daughter of his. At least, that was what he claimed.

But seriously, it annoyed the hell out of Karin whenever her father did something like this. Making as if her sister is dead or something.

"But Karin-cha-"

"SHUT UP! AND TAKE THAT THING DOWN!!"

Kurosaki Residence (Night)

Karin yawned as she wrote down the answer to the last question. She was completing her homework for the day and was dying to get to bed. Having just played three hours of soccer before returning home to bathe and do her homework, she was dead tired.

Closing her text book, she got up from her chair and caught a glimpse of something black moving in the corner of her eye. She turned to see a purplish-black butterfly floating in through her open window.

Then, a black figure followed, appearing out of no where and landing gently into her room.

The hell!?

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

The black figure was a young girl about her age, dark haired with equally dark wide eyes and clad in a black shihakusho. She looked startled at Karin's loud question.

"You... You can see me?"

"Of course I can! Do you think I'm blind or something!?" Karin retorted, frustration building up as something unsettling stirred her stomach. She felt troubled by something, not just by the sudden appearance of this absolute stranger.

"But I'm not a human-"

"Well, yeah. I kinda figured that out when you walked in THROUGH THE FREAKING WALL!" Karin shouted when the disquieting feeling continued to grow.

"I'm a shinigami. I felt a hollow nearby-"

"WHat!? What the hell are you talking about-"

A loud crash just outside her window interrupted the 15 year old. Then a horrible screech resounded through the whole neighbourhood.

"WHAT THE HELL! WHAT IS THAT!?" Karin demanded, clamping her ears shut as the girl in black stared at her.

"You can hear that." It was said more as a statement than as a question.

"Are you crazy!? You've got to be deaf not to hear that!"

The girl who later introduced herself as Kuchiki Rukia opened her mouth to answer her but did not manage to get any word out before the house shook as something slammed into the walls of the building.

"What the-" Karin was going to go into a cursing tirade before a scream she recognise broke through the tense air.

YUZU!

She got out of her room so quickly Rukia could only wonder if the impulsive teen actually knew Shunpo.

Outside the Kurosaki Residence

Karin didn't care about much in the world except for a few things. One of which was her family, which included her wacky father, her sweet twin sister and her older sister whom she secretly admired but won't admit even at gunpoint.

About a year back, right after her graduation from high school and before her rise to fame, Ichigo had left for England as a transfer student to study English literature for a few months. Before she boarded the plane, she had given Karin instructions to take care of herself and her younger sister in which she had retorted back to the older female with an "Of course I will, even if you didn't say anything." The answer earned a fond smirk from her neesan and a warm ruffling hand that left her hair a bundle of mess.

At that time, it had really pissed her off that her sister would say something like that.

But right now, she would give anything to see her older sister here. Protecting her little sisters like she always did. Protecting Yuzu, her sweet little twin who was currently wenched under the monstrous arm of the thing that was now flinging the fiesty dark-haired girl around with its other arm.

Karin had ran out only seconds before she was slammed into the wall, sending her head reeling. Before she could get her bearing, the monster had grabbed her and now, she was stuck in a situation that could only be described as 'bloody fucking hell'! And to think, only minutes ago, she was just worrying about her homework.

"YUZU!" she screamed as the sobbing brown-haired girl tried to reach up to her.

The grinning monster (God, she felt like kicking his head in, if only she could get her head back into place so that it'd stop spinning) open his gigantic mouth and was about to swallow her whole when a black figure blurred in front of her.

Karin watched in horror as warm blood spilled across her startled face. The young girl in black that had been in her room hacked off the monster's arm just as the thing was about to sink sharp teeth into its meal. But instead of making its mark on the designated victim, the monster managed to bite into Karin's saviour instead.

Karin fell unsteadily onto her feet as the other dark-haired girl slumped near her, bleeding profusely from the injury.

"Oi! You alright!?" Karin shouted.

The dark-clad girl shook her head as if trying to clear it.

The monster shrieked grasping at it's amputated arm, still unwilling to free the other Kurosaki girl. Karin's worry for her fragile sister multiplied when she spied Yuzu's unconscious form though outwardly she looked alright, no bleeding or wounds.
Karin turned to the other girl who had managed to pull herself against the wall, breathing hard.

"Oi! Do something!"

But the girl looked as if she could barely keep herself upright.

"Tell me what to do! I want to help!"

The girl looked startled at that prospect. Karin ignored the spark of irritation building in her chest for favor of the desperation that was coiling and blooming within her.

"I just want to protect Yuzu!"

Rukia held out her sword, desperation clawing at her heart. She couldn't just let the little brown-haired girl die and the look in the other girl's eyes... she couldn't just let them down, even if she didn't even know who they were.

It was then that Kuchiki Rukia came to a decision that would change their lives forever. Hers and the Kurosakis.

"I can help you by borrowing you my powers temporarily but I'll have to stab you with my zanpaktou ..."

"Then do it!" Karin shouted with no hesitation, her heart filled with fear for her younger twin.

Rukia lunged forward, piercing the dark-haired girl's chest with her zanpaktou.

The monster roared and shrieked as a sliver of light sliced through it's masked skull and down to its abdomen. Then, it started to fragment and disappear slowly.

Standing there for a moment as if dazed, Karin stared at the sword (the Shinigami called it Zanpaktou right?) in her hand, not comprehending. Then she noticed the black Shihakusho she herself was wearing.

"Oh, SHIT! Ichi-nee's going to kill me!"

Tsuzuku

I skipped all the explanations that Rukia gave Ichigo because it was much too long. So there. The first instalment. In case you're wondering were Ichi is, it will be explained in the next instalment. There'll definitely be more of her soon. Lots more.

P.S. If you find any mistakes in here, please inform me and I'll correct it the next time I log in.