A/N: First fanfic for Bleach. HitsugayaxOC. To clarify, Yuuki is Ichigo's younger sister. She is a year older than both Karin/Yuzu. I am also aware all their names are fruits except for Yuuki, which may not be fitting… but the description of her name will be relevant in the future.  This is only a short first chapter, but please be kind and R/R!

Yuuki stood precariously on one foot, teetering back and forth as she attempted to regain her balance. Getting up onto the roof was always irritatingly troublesome. If she didn't trip, take a wrong step, go sliding down a tiny panel of the roof, she almost always fell. Almost. In her opinion, the scratches, stubs, and other minuscule injuries were well worth it. It was the only place she could go to be alone.

Or so she thought.

As she neared the top of Orihime's roof (whilst feeling a tad bit like a trespasser, even though she'd received permission long ago) she noticed someone else sitting in her usual spot. She squinted a little, trying to deduce who it was.

Toushirou Hitsugaya.

She had only met him briefly, before Ichigo had shoved her back into her room and mumbled something about friends coming over and how little sisters should not interfere. But from that fleeting moment of a meeting, she understood what kind of person he probably was. It had taken her a while, at the least, to understand why her brother, of all people, was hanging out with a middle school student. This Toushirou Hitsugaya didn't look any older then her (or so she thought), probably a year, at the most.

Her first thought was that her brother was becoming anti-social at a more alarming rate than she noticed, thus turning into someone who was incapable of finding friends in his own grade. However, with a quick shudder she had swiftly cast that off as 'too pathetic' and decided not to delve any further. The next, was that this Toushirou Hitsugaya wasn't a middle school student, but, rather, a Shinigami. You see, her brother was also a Shinigami of sorts. It seemed more logical. Toushirouu was more of an enigma to her than anything, he seldom talked but when he did, his remarks were disdainful. She could probably sum him up in a few words.

Nice?
Not from what she knew.

Thoughtful?
Perhaps.

A narcissist?
Definitely.

Lost in thought, she stumbled and fell forward, nearly breaking her face on impact. She reached her arms out in front of her, attempting to break her fall at the least. Hitsugaya whirled around, to find Yuuki in a gasping mess just a few feet away from him.

He stared at her for a moment before scrambling to help her. He put a hand on her elbow and lifted her into a standing position, all the while wondering why he hadn't noticed her presence. Yuuki gave him a half hearted smile, meekly thanking him before removing his hand off of her elbow and dusting down her clothes. She silently cursed to herself, mentally chastising for being such a clumsy person at the wrong times.

"Um. Thanks." She reiterated, as she checked herself over for any injuries.

"Are you okay?" Hitsugaya asked, a tinge of concern gracing his features. He frowned slightly, wondering why she was here. Wasn't she Ichigo's sister? Yumi, something, was it?

"Yeah. I'm fine." Yuuki answered, giving him a dimpled smile. When he understood that she was okay, he sighed audibly, as if she'd interrupted a precious moment of his life. He sat back down, leaning back on one arm as the other was draped lazily over his stomach.

She shot him a 'well, soooorry!' look. But he didn't even glance at her. What was his problem, anyway? She decided to sit down too, glancing at him every now and then. She scooted a little closer, just to see if he realized she was still there. He remained unfazed. Neither of them said a word, mostly caught up in the awkward moment.

Hitsugaya eyed her up and down, almost wearily. It was strange, how he'd never noticed their similarities. Ichigo's sister was a lot like Hinamori. Not in looks, of course. Her hair was a strawberry blonde, that fell in soft curls just below her shoulders and some heart pin to keep stray strands of hair out of her face. She was short, he noticed. Shorter than him, at least... in which he took great pride for. She looked fragile, despite her zealous personality. The same zeal that he saw from Hinamori during her training to become a Shinigami. He smiled sadly to himself, remembering her state of health.

Yuuki was the first to break the silence. She balled a fist to her mouth and coughed, clearing her throat. "So... what are you doing here? I've never seen you around... umm, you know." What was that weird feeling that kept making her mix up her words? Ugh, nerves.

"I don't exactly want to go down there with Matsumoto and Orihime." He answered smoothly.

"Yeah, her cooking is--" Yuuki started, but was cut off.

"Terrible." Hitsugaya finished for her. She grinned. At least his taste in food was normal. He glanced over at her, cocking his head to one side. "What about you?"

"Hmm…" She paused for a moment, as she adjusted her hair clip.. "I come up here to think." He watched her shoulders slump a little, as she looked down at the ground. She looked distracted.

"Oh." He replied, wondering what had suddenly made her look so sad. He shifted uncomfortably, running his fingers along the weathered bricks of the roof.

There was a dull silence.

He glanced over at her, trying to think of something nice to say to cheer up her sudden change in mood. He opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.

"Are you a Shinigami?"