AN: Look who didn't get this out in a more timely manner! I have a slew of excuses, but I'll spare you guys. This was one of the most difficult chapters for me to write. Some of it is just necessary to set up for coming plot points, and that's the least fun for me to write. But I digress! Thanks for your patience! Please stick with me. And if you ever want to bug –er, remind me about updating this fic sooner, you can follow me on tumblr. The link to my blog is on my author page! I need all the help I can get. OTL

Karin's head felt as if someone had dropped bricks in her skull and violently shaken it. She quickly pulled the blankets over her face, emitting a low groan. This whole waking up thing was hurting like a bitch and there wasn't much she could do about that. She curled into a ball, the sheets feeling soft against her bare legs.

Wait.

The sheets were soft.

Much softer than the bedding she had on Rangiku's guest futon.

She bolted upright, throwing the sheets off her body as she went. This definitely wasn't her bedroom. The memories of the previous night were filtering into her consciousness slowly, distorted by whatever liquid hell she was paying for now. The ugly feelings she had tried to drown were resurfacing, making her feel even more sick. Alcohol as a coping mechanism: Definitely not for her. As she was learning the hard way.

But just how had she gotten into a strange bed? A quick check showed that she was indeed still fully-dressed. Her shorts and tank top were rumpled, but there was no sign of foul play. It was doubtful Matsumoto would allow her to run off with some random guy anyway. The curtains were drawn, blocking out all but the faintest sunlight. She could be thankful that the mystery bed owner had been kind enough to do that much for her.

She rolled out of bed and stumbled down the small hallway, discovering a quarters that seemed to be devoid of most major forms of personalization. There was a bookshelf and a small sitting area with a table. A teapot sat forgotten on the edge of the table, the spout pointing toward another narrow doorway…

The kitchen. Just what the doctor ordered.

The countertop was immaculately clean and organized and on the end by a small sink was a bottle of some kind of aspirin-looking medication. On the other side of that sat one bento box, a pleasant surprise. She pounced on it, prying off the lid and preparing to dig in. A small slip of white caught her eye as it fluttered to the floor. She froze, the first bite just inches from her lips. With some effort, she denied herself the food and retrieved the paper instead.

Kurosaki,

I packed you a lunch and let you sleep in. After you eat, come straight to my office in the Tenth.

-Hitsugaya

That certainly explained a lot. So this was his place? It wasn't as lived-in as his fukutaicho's by a long shot, but it matched him in an odd way. If he'd left a lunch for her, she must have slept at least half the day away. She could remember him spoiling some sort of game she had been playing at Matsumoto's. He had been pretty pissed, but she couldn't remember why. He must have deemed her too far gone to be trusted on her own. That, and his note seemed to be all business. For someone who was so hung up on respect and courtesy he seemed to be lacking manners. Had he ever heard of please and thank you? Part of her wanted to hold all of this against him. She wanted to be able to roll her eyes and call him a control freak. But he had also closed the curtains for her, let her sleep in his bed, and provided a meal and medication.

Well…he certainly wasn't making this easy on her.

She scarfed down the lunch and followed it up with a giant glass of water and pain killers. It seemed to help her head, though she was still a little sensitive. Okay, she'd go to the Tenth. It wouldn't kill her to humor him.

But first she had to work on not looking like a hungover zombie.

Karin's arrival to Hitsugaya's office was met with very little fanfare. Matsumoto must have known she was supposed to come as she only greeted her with a grin and a brief wave. She slumped at her desk, scrawling half-heartedly on the pages in front of her. It looked like Karin wasn't the only one paying for their little shindig the night before. Hitsugaya barely looked up from his work, and the lack of reaction made Karin bristle. It was a reminder that they were still on the outs. Just because he made one small gesture of kindness didn't mean everything was peachy. Not that she'd let him off the hook without an apology anyways. So she took a seat on the small office couch, resisting the urge to set her feet on the table. She closed her eyes and leaned back, her way of letting him know that she didn't care. It wasn't until a heavy bang resonated from the table that she opened her eyes again.

The look on her face was worth all the effort Hitsugaya had expended on digging up the old training manuals. Her slate grey eyes widened as she took in the stack of books on the table. Dark rows of eyelashes flickered opened and closed rapidly as she tried to figure out just what was happening. Hitsugaya's face gave away none of the private satisfaction he took from her confusion. It wasn't often that he had the upper hand like this. Not that he'd admit that.

She fidgeted on the couch, raising an eyebrow at him where he stood before her. He crossed his arms and waited for the inevitable bevy of questions. It was surprising enough that she'd been so compliant in coming to his office. He could afford to be a little patient.

"What the hell is this about?" She gestured to the thick volumes that were probably older than she was. Weren't they just fighting? Now he was giving her antiques? She folded her arms as well to match his stubborn stance.

"Study up for the Shino Academy entrance exams."

Her expression colored with disbelief. "Study? Since when did I say I wanted to go to-"

He cut her off swiftly, "You have a zanpakuto now. You're a burgeoning Shinigami. This is compulsory. You can't fight against everything. As Taichou of the tenth division, I am still in charge of your wellbeing. This is a part of that."

Matsumoto, who had until that point been pretending to do her work at her desk, glanced up at them. His words rang heavily, even to her. Karin held his gaze, an unspoken challenge. Neither of them bothered to give Matsumoto attention as she absorbed the scene. They were too busy with seeing just who would crack first. Her stubbornness was becoming quite a nuisance, but he wasn't about to let her win because of sheer obstinacy.

Her gaze didn't falter, "I can't escape school even in death." The joke rolled off her tongue with a sharp flatness, the words shredding through his tough skin and lodging right in his chest. It was terrifying to see how she could disconnect herself emotionally to joke blackly about such things.

"Taichou~! Karin-chan~! How about some tea?" Matsumoto interjected in an attempt to dissipate the tension, "I could help Karin-chan out over a nice cup of tea. How does that sound?"

"That would be just great. Thanks." Though the answer was for the fukutaichou, Karin's eyes remained fixed upon him. Still, the fact that she had ceded to his demands was a small victory. Though it certainly didn't feel like it.

He ignored the knots in his gut as his gaze finally slid from her and he made his way back to his desk. "The exam is in two months."

A coolness stirring in the air made Hitsugaya feel as if something new was on the way. What it was, he wasn't sure. But certainly it had to be better than his current predicament. The sun was sliding down the horizon, casting slanted shafts of gold across Karin's back where she faced away from him. She bent over a book, trying to absorb text that undoubtedly appeared very cryptic to her. He shook his head, chastising himself for becoming distracted. He had to finish filling out what was left of the reports on his desk since Matsumoto had found a more entertaining project in Karin.

Still, his eyes wandered. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail, inky tendrils spilling out on the edges. She tilted her head as she quietly read, her hair spilling over her shoulder. She was worlds away from where she had been the night before, any traces of vulnerability were shrouded in blunt cynicism. She shivered and her arms snaked around her torso protectively. Without a word, he stood and closed the window to cut off the cross-breeze.

He half-heartedly signed off on a report, glancing over the essentials of the text. Apparently the mysterious reiatsu spikes in the Rukongai had vanished as abruptly as they had begun. The phenomenon had caused quite the stir amongst the higher-ups in the Seireitei –and for good reason. But they were probably resting easier that night. The anomaly had been attributed to wayward hollows that had probably slunk back to Hueco Mundo by then. If that was the case, it was good. It wasn't a good time to be worrying about any serious issues that close to home. After all, he had his own issue right in his barracks; an Issue that didn't seem to recall any of the things that were haunting him then.

I'm lonely too.

What kind of confession was that? It wasn't a confession of love. It was a confession of misery. They shared in that misery, but neither of them would say anything about it. She wasn't ready.

Neither was he.

"You're going to be late."

Karin chose not to answer Matsumoto directly, "This should satisfy Goat Chin," She tossed a small envelope onto the fukutaichou's desk with a smirk, "He acts like I'm living in another country."

"You're living in another dimension."

"And yet he visits me more than he would if I'd moved away to college."

"Well he can't today."

"Hence the letter," She gestured to her handiwork before turning on her heels and making a beeline for the door. Matsumoto followed suit, tossing Karin her jacket as they exited. Two months had passed, bringing with them the chilled bite of January.

"I thought you only wrote letters for Yuzu-chan?"

"Only because we can't see each other in person." The statement had an edge to it. It was the tenth division that had denied her access to the human world, after all. For her own safety, as Hitsugaya had pointed out. But that didn't mean it was painless. "Goat Chin can't see me in person today though he usually visits on Mondays. So he gets a letter." She shrugged, focusing her gaze on the sun where it was just beginning to rise. She'd had enough of talking about her family life. She just wanted to focus on getting through the exams.

The materials she'd had to study had been relatively light, but it was the past few months of repetition Hitsugaya enforced that drained her. Studying for the entrance exams wasn't even entirely necessary since loads of people from the outer districts of Rukongai made it in every year and they didn't exactly have study materials readily accessible. But Hitsugaya did nothing half-assed, and as long as she was "under his care" there wasn't much she could do about that. She wasn't even nervous for the exams; she just wanted to be done with them. No more exams meant no more dry books. And that was a cause worth fighting for in her eyes.

Having a fukutaichou as a personal escort to the exam location drew a lot of attention. Even after she left Rangiku waiting outside, the prospective students inside were giving her strange looks. Some seemed like the harmless glimpses of curiosity, others appeared to have already pegged her as some sort of enemy or competition. Whatever. That was fine by her. She was there to take care of her own business, not start petty drama with strangers.

The pomp and circumstance surrounding the process was a major source of irritation to her. It took at least forty minutes to get through registering her name and sitting through a few opening speeches from the instructors who would be testing them. So there really wasn't much difference between the living and the dead, when it came down to it. They both wanted flimsy excuses to stand in front of a crowd and make themselves look important.

A light snickering caught her attention just as she thought she was about to fall asleep during the final speech. A boy stood just a few people up from her to her right; his posture relaxed and an amused grin on his face. The picture of ease. His hakama were inexpensive yet meticulously cleaned, his hair styled just so. She imagined him getting cleaned up special for this, remembering how she herself had merely rolled out of bed and swept her hair into a ponytail. Before she could think too much about it, the large double doors to the side of the speech platform were drawn open and the crowd was funneled into the first stage of the exam process.

Karin found herself yawning through the first couple of exams. They were the kinds of banal tasks that existed solely to separate the wheat from the chaff: Those who had any semblance of reiatsu from those who where as spiritually aware as a rock. Through the whole ordeal, Karin grew more and more annoyed by the pomp and circumstance of the process. The light that the snickering boy emitted had not diminished a bit as he breezed through the exams. She decided he must have had the patience of a saint if he was still so jovial about it all.

By the time they reached the final portion of the exam, the crowd had been whittled down to the bone. Where once hundreds of shinigami-hopefuls stood, a rag-tag group of about fifty remained. Some looked as if they had been preparing for this for quite some time and were consequently unsurprised that they'd made it so far. Some seemed to be in shock that they were still in the running. Karin wondered where she figured into this equation. She was possibly the only one there who hadn't really cared. And yet she'd made it so far. Something about that struck her as unfair.

"The final test," One of the exam proctors –who introduced herself as Himura-san- spoke over the dull rumble of the group, "will definitively determine whether or not you are Shino Academy material at this time. If you do not pass, take heart. You may just need to take some time to mature."

While the words were at least slightly encouraging, Himura wasted no time before motioning for them all to take a seat right where they stood. She adjusted a pair of spectacles on her nose, gaze sweeping over the young kids before her. Something about her presence hinted at great age and wisdom, but not a single wrinkle gave her away. Karin noticed some of the kids droop under her scrutiny. She came to kneel before a smug boy whom had caught Karin's attention earlier for all the wrong reasons. He cracked the knuckles on his beefy hands and grinned at Himura.

She reciprocated with a polite smile, "All you must do is sit still. I'll do all the work."

This seemed to amuse the boy to no end. That is, until she jabbed him roughly in the forehead with her middle and index fingers. His eyes widened and he leaned away from her as if she had shocked him.

She shook her head in dismay, "As you can see, it isn't as easy as it sounds. I'm here to determine whether or not a zanpakuto spirit is present within you. This has nothing to do with social class or physical strength. We're on a level playing field here." She cut the boy a pointed look before nodding to another exam proctor who tsked and wrote down a note on a small clipboard. Himura went to each person in the room, kneeling and performing the procedure with impeccable efficiency. While she seemed very kind, it was clear she didn't stand for nonsense. Each person seemed to have a different reaction to her touch. One girl's eyelids fluttered shut as if she had suddenly become very relaxed, another boy hadn't seemed to react at all. The snickering boy merely closed his eyes –suddenly very solemn—and crinkled his eyebrows. By the time Himura got to Karin, she was just ready to get this over with. Himura smiled gently and pressed her fingers to Karin's forehead.

It immediately became clear that something was wrong.

A shrill scream pierced the silence and Karin's eyes grew wide. No one else seemed to hear it, but it filled her head to the brim with a horrible heaviness. Nisshokuko. It had to be her. She'd been silent since Hitsugaya had confiscated Karin's zanpakuto, but she could never forget her voice. She hadn't reacted well to the sudden intrusion into her world. Himura jerked away in surprise, lips making a perfect 'o'.

"Young Lady," She began, her tone making Karin's heart sink, "What is the meaning of this?"

Karin rubbed the back of her neck, tilting her head almost apologetically. "I…already have a zanpakuto."

The whole room stared, Himura included.

An eruption of murmuring swept through the crowd, all eyes on her. Of course this couldn't have gone smoothly. She was a Kurosaki. A snowball had a better chance in hell. Even the snickering boy looked decently surprised. She hadn't even been officially accepted into the academy and she was already gaining a reputation.

The sun made a rare guest appearance in the afternoon, peeking out from behind a cloud. The heat crept up Hitsugaya's back as he tried his level best to concentrate. A disturbance had been reported at Seireitei's Southern Gate. The area was more rural than the areas surrounding the other gates, so it was difficult what the problem could have been.

He crouched and ran a finger through the dirt, examining the way it came back coated in some kind of char. A low-ranked officer chattered on next to him, effectively being tuned out. They seemed to think the disturbance was merely a prank perpetrated by disgruntled villagers. But Hitsuagaya wasn't so certain.

The ground was dimpled and charred, leading him to believe some kind of explosive or firework had been the cause of this mess. He frowned quietly. The residents in this area could not afford the trip to the next big city to buy fireworks. The walk was three days at least and the money needed for a trip like that wasn't available by the standard at which the agricultural families in this area lived. Yet there was the evidence saying otherwise right in front of him. Being puzzled was an unfamiliar feeling to him, one that he wasn't overly fond of. What would be the point of aiming any kind of explosive at the wall? It was solid sekkiseki stone, resistant to attack of the highest caliber. No one could realistically believe the walls would crumble under such light assault.

Then why take the risk of being caught?

"Hmm…" He stood, turning to stare into the thick stand of trees behind him. Beyond the trees was almost endless farmland. If an unfamiliar person was creeping around, the villagers would know immediately. He would just have to send some officers out to ask a few questions. It didn't seem to be anything huge on the surface, but something nagged at him from the back of his thoughts.

This situation reminded him of a strategy he'd seen common thugs employ when he was living in the rukongai. If they spotted a shop they wanted to rob, they did something small like break a window just a few days before they hit.

It was for a simple reason, really: To test the shop owner's reaction time to the faux break-in.

Hitsugaya didn't mention the incident at the Southern Gate to anyone, treating it as if it were just another inconsequential security check up. Karin didn't tell him, but he could tell she was a bit tense waiting for the results of the Shino Academy entrance exams. She had been so resistant to his aid leading up to the exam that her sudden care was puzzling to say the least. Perhaps something happened during the exam, or maybe it was that classic Kurosaki competitiveness? He wouldn't ask. Couldn't ask. After all, they were still walking on eggshells with each other. In his eyes, he did what had to be done. In hers, he had betrayed her trust.

Neither would step into the other's shoes to look.

Hardly a week had passed and there was still no news about the Southern Gate. Hitsugaya carried his anxieties as he usually did: Quietly beneath the surface. Karin carried hers in her typical manner as well –with a hearty food marathon. But as she sat in the main office in the tenth waiting for Rangiku to arrive with the lunchtime haul, it was for a different reason. It was to celebrate.

Hitsugaya was greeted by the sight of Karin reclining on the couch, her arms folded behind her head. The smallest grin curved her lips, and it didn't escape his attention that it faded at his arrival. He cleared his throat and took a seat at his desk with every intention of setting right to work on his paperwork. She eyed him for a moment before nodding a silent hello and busying herself with examining her fingernails. On the top of his paperwork stack sat a slightly-crumpled page. He picked it up, curious.

Karin had been accepted.

"Congratulations are in order," He acknowledged, secretly pleased that his study regimen had proved successful. Most students didn't receive their letters for at least a month. If she was good enough to catch their eye so well, then that was cause to celebrate.

She rolled her eyes, as if reading his mind. "Don't get so puffed up. It wasn't your psycho study guide that did it. It was the fact that I already have a zanpakuto. One that I haven't seen in months, mind you." The toxin in her voice was a bit muted, but still present enough to make something in his stomach churn.

He was so tired of fighting. The will to stand resolute against her was being worn away. Just as the waves beat against the shore, Karin eroded his desire to trudge on in selfishness. He wondered if he could ever have the same effect on her. He cleared his throat, "You'll see it soon enough. You have to master fighting with a wooden practice sword first." He knew she didn't like his answer. So he continued, "It shouldn't take you long. You've been surprising us all from the start."

Her façade crumbled a bit at the remark. It was the closest he'd gotten to complementing her in a long white. She watched wordlessly as he stood and made his way over to her. He sat on the other side of the sofa, far enough away to not breach their unspoken boundaries. He placed the acceptance letter on the couch between them so that she could take it without touching his hand. Karin suddenly ached. If only she hadn't resurrected such a wall between them. Was it even possible to go back to the way things were before? How could she with his betrayal still a fresh wound in her heart? But when he acted like this…she remembered why she had always been so intrigued by him in the first place.

"Karin-chan…" He was quiet, but not quiet enough to disguise the fact that he'd reverted to her old nickname. It sounded so perfect falling from his lips.

She blinked in disbelief, eyebrows raised. They always knew one of them would eventually give in to the other. They fought often, but never like this. Never for this long. Never inflicting so much deep hurt on one another. They tore out pieces of each other's heart and locked them away. It wasn't consensual. It wasn't love.

But something in his eyes changed.

"I've been underestimating you for too long." He looked away from her, "And it's really hurt you this time."

She melted. The contempt she'd forced herself to keep in her heart began to ebb away against her will. When he turned those teal eyes on her again, she felt her heart quicken. Their argument was just about to give up the ghost. He was a pain in the ass, but if he wanted to he knew how to push her buttons in all the right ways. Damn him.

But she couldn't let things end quite so easily. "So say you're sorry then."

"Huh?"

She crossed her arms impatiently, "Apologize to me."

"That's what I just did!"

"No, you didn't say the word 'sorry' anywhere in there."

He opened his mouth in exasperation, about to point out how ridiculous she was being. But then he decided for the better. Expression softened, he looked right into her stormy eyes and decided that he was going to mean it. "Karin-chan, I'm sorry."

His genuineness took her by surprise. Her ears heated and he held her gaze expertly. It was no longer clear just who held the power in the situation. She cleared her throat, "I already told you that you can call me Karin now. Chan is too cutesy. I think I've embarrassed you with that enough by now, Toshiro. And besides…" She leaned closer to him, suddenly the picture of ease. "I accept your apology."

And for one shining moment, she got to see him smile.