The "project" and "lost powers" I mention in the beginning… those are purely ornamental and won't affect the story, but if they boost inspiration, you're welcome to use the idea.

Suggested mood music would be "Want You Bad" (the Offspring) as well as "Ice, Ice Baby" (Vanilla Ice) and "Hungry Eyes" (Dirty Dancing). I've used phrases out of the latter two in the fic, too.

tensai = "genius"

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Maybe that's why I need you

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"I don't have a choice," Hitsugaya argued irritably. "I've been ordered to stay here for your protection until the project is finished."

"Well, that's good enough in general," Karin said, acting almost as cold as the taichou, "but I was heading out tonight and if I'm sure of anything, it's that you don't want to go. Plus, it's unlikely I'd get attacked before my powers return anyway; why would someone attack me at a club like that? Hollows won't be interested until my reiatsu levels go up, at least."

"I told you, orders are orders." She watched him for a moment.

"Right, and here I thought you actually gave a damn about me and not just your orders. Silly me."

"Don't be stupid." She was being more than a little irrational. She softened just a little, but then:

"I will be going anyway and you won't like it. You could always let someone else take over just tonight." She wasn't sure whether she wanted him there, he confused her emotions enough on days when she wasn't going to drink and dance. She wouldn't let this stupid babysitting-slash-protection thing they did stop her from living her life normally, though.

"I wouldn't force someone else to do my job just because it might get uncomfortable. Then I'd be a lousy taichou."

"Whatever. Do what you want." She threw her hands up in the air in defeat. She'd have to live with the confusion; she wouldn't have him any other way. "I'm getting dressed, so stay out." That, he could understand.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

It took her so long to change clothes that he was almost about to knock and ask if she was alright by the time she finally opened the door. It was like watching a butterfly, knowing what it had looked like as a caterpillar.

Her jeans were form-fitting and clung in all the right places. The simple, sleeveless halterneck top emphasized her beautiful shoulders and slender neckline. He had somehow known that shihakusho didn't do justice to her, but he had never imagined anything like… this.

Matsumoto loved showing off her curves, but even without the fact that she was a friend and colleague, she always over-emphasized her breasts, something that was rather off-putting to Hitsugaya. Other than that, there were really three dress codes in Soul Society; the shihakusho and the academy uniforms weren't exactly made to look flattering, the poor people in Rukongai didn't care much about clothing and the nobles dressed in beautiful kimonos that were pieces of art in themselves, but hardly meant to do… whatever it was these clothes did to Karin's appearance.

"Stop gawking and get moving, Toushiro!" He realised he had been staring and blushed just a little.

"Right, sorry."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The place she led him to was noisy and full of drunk people. All things considered, it was probably possible to get drunk just off the fumes in the air. She didn't seem to mind, though and he followed her inside distrustfully.

She hadn't commented on his clothing until it was obvious that he intended to go in a school uniform. "They won't let you in if you're wearing that, no matter what your ID says. It makes you look too young." At least his jeans weren't as… huggy as hers were and his shirt was just a shirt, even though she'd forcibly made him open the top button. 'Not a formal place'. Bah.

"You can stay here, it's noisier downstairs. If anything happens, it's not far." Why didn't she want him coming downstairs? She was blushing just ever so little, but obviously trying to seem unmoved.

"Right." It was noncommittal enough to mean anything, but accepting enough that she looked relieved.

"I'll see you around then, Tosh."

"Hey, Hitsugaya-taichou to you, you…" but she was already gone in the crowd.

"Taichou, indeed?" The woman leaning over a table by his side was a complete stranger to him. "Would you like some company perhaps… taichou?" Sliding off her chair, she walked up to him. She was very pretty, but he had a hard enough time accepting that an unknown woman had just walked up and started a conversation with him to really notice that.

"Not really," he said coldly. Why was she even talking to him? The woman laughed.

"Ah, was that woman your girlfriend? I've seen her around a few times, but I would definitely have noticed if you were with her."

"My… what?" What an incredible notion. "No, no, why'd she be…?" He was stunned. She was a friend; he hadn't even noticed that she was beautiful until today.

"Oh! That's a shame. Does she already have a boyfriend, then?"

"Not that I… why are you asking me all these questions?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm just curious," the woman said, smiling. "One of the ups of this American style is the atmosphere, after all, wouldn't you say?"

"I… I've never been to a place like this before," Hitsugaya admitted reluctantly. The woman looked surprised, but nodded understandingly.

"I see. Well, why don't you have a drink then? It helps to lighten the mood." He was about to protest, but she silenced him with a hand gesture. Were all humans this annoying? "Don't worry, it's my treat. We can go watch the dance floor as well, maybe that would interest you more?"

"Dance floor?"

"You…" she stared at him for a moment before apparently realising how rude it was. "Lived a sheltered life, have we?" Sheltered? Growing up a "genius" in Rukongai, almost losing Momo to Aizen's betrayal, constantly fighting Hollows?

"Hardly."

"No need to get defensive," the woman said calmly, pressing a glass of something into his hand. "Come on, let's try the basement. If you don't want to dance, there's a nice spot above where you can look at everyone else." Obviously not entirely convinced, Hitsugaya still followed the woman for a lack of better options.

Karin had been right. It was somehow even noisier below. There was something that could almost be defined as music coming from somewhere, but he had never heard anything like it and he couldn't even see the band.

It was as if the beat was echoing through his entire body and he stood paralyzed for a moment before joining the strange woman by the railing, looking down on the dance floor.

So many people, crowding this place. He couldn't pick out Karin at first, but she couldn't evade his keen eyes long even in this crowd. Something about her stood out; even among all these people, she was somehow alone. He raised the glass to his lips while studying this strange place and found that he liked the drink.

"What… is this?" He did not like admitting to being ignorant, much less several times in a row, but the woman didn't seem to mind.

"A Western drink, called Cosmopolitan. The owner of this place is American, so he runs it like that." He nodded without looking at her, his gaze fixed on Karin. Apparently, there were a lot of things he hadn't known about her.

Since their first meeting during the Winter War, they had become friends. At first, they had met a few times by accident, but once given the opportunity to enjoy each others' company, he had come to visit; something that had become more frequent as they learned to accept their respective eccentricities. As it was, he had considered them very close, but this was a part of her life he had never been privy to. It was distracting to think that even this complete stranger knew more about Karin in this setting than he did.

Though the world around him was moving to a steady rhythm, he remained still and silent. Karin was magical. How could he have missed it? She didn't display her body, like Rangiku, but he had always known that she had a confident aura about her. She wasn't always silent or even dignified, but she was defiant, dauntless and proud.

Karin seemed alone down there, even though she was in the middle of a crowd. The only woman in Seireitei who could replicate what she was doing, this kind of dancing, would be Matsumoto. Who, admittedly, would be more than happy to try. Yet many of the women here danced in the same fashion, but none with such grace and flow to their movements.

"You mustn't let the opportunity pass you by."

"What?" He raised an eyebrow at the stranger. She was smiling at him as if she had been watching him.

Way out of his comfort zone, Hitsugaya took another sip of the drink, suddenly noting that he had almost emptied his glass somewhere along the way.

"It is impossible not to see the way you look at her. Maybe you didn't know when you came here tonight, but such a thing isn't easily forgotten once it's been learned."

"Don't be vague, spit it out!" Her words made him uneasy. How could that be? She was just a human with no spirit pressure, no knowledge. The woman turned back to the dance floor, watching it for a moment before continuing.

"Your eyes when you look at her; you look like a man who has just realised that his entire life led up to this point. You look… hungry for more." He glanced out at the floor below. Hungry for more? Wanting. Longing. It was overwhelming.

"Karin? That's not…" He wasn't even sure anymore.

"Don't worry. She's right there." Just as the woman said that, Karin started making her way through the crowd to a booth on the side and started chatting with the guy inside. He wasn't sure why, but he felt strangely worried about that, but why? The woman seemed to sense his tension even though he was reigning in his reiatsu as closely as ever.

"She's probably requesting something. If the deejay has the song, he'll play." So the band was somehow crammed into the little booth with that guy? Humans! Something was seriously weird about the World of the Living. She looked happy enough when she returned to the dance floor. What in the world could she have asked the man for?

As the song ended, he couldn't help but lean forward just a little over the railing. There was no way he'd make himself look like a curious kid, but he was definitely fascinated by this. No one would notice the minuscule indignity with all the flashy lights, anyway.

The new song started rather softly, but the man wasn't exactly singing, more like talking in rhythm with the music. He was so caught up in the novelty of it, he didn't even notice the woman by his side until she touched his shoulder.

"I don't know your girl over there, but this sounds like she likes you."

"How would you know that?"

"Didn't you hear? This song is called Ice, ice baby. I'm betting it's a reference to your hair colour."

"Ice?" Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, but Karin knew very well that he had a close relation with Hyorinmaru. His icy partner had even saved her once. "It's a coincidence," he whispered firmly. "Why would she think of something like that?" The woman at his side turned him gently to face her.

"Go. You might not think so, but it seems very likely to me." So he went. He wasn't exactly sure why or what he was hoping to accomplish, if anything at all.

Hitsugaya Toushiro, who for decades hadn't taken a single step without considering the consequences, descended to the dance floor with no plan, no thought beyond reaching the angel that had pulled his heart unexpectedly out of his chest and into her hands; hands that were moving sensually through the air, caressing her lithe body momentarily as it swayed with the rhythm, as if every beat connected with her hips. It echoed through his mind. Ice, ice baby. He didn't even question it anymore.

When she turned, he was sure she'd see him, but her eyes were closed as she allowed her body to flow from one step to the next. It sent shivers through him, originating somewhere deep inside.

He had been so good at shutting feelings out, for so long, that they made no sense as he drank in the sight of her, all else forgotten. She moved like a cat. There was nothing in the world but her and it had all somehow happened while he wasn't looking.

He honestly thought it couldn't get more wondrously confusing… until she flicked her tongue over her lips, wordlessly following the music; Ice, ice baby to go. It struck him like a bolt of lightning. Bad things happened all too often, he was used to handling those… but this? This wasn't merely out of his comfort zone. He could never have imagined it in his wildest, strangest dreams.

The only misfortune was that she stopped moving as the song melted into another. Just for a moment, she looked up, but he was standing right in front of her. So close, he was impossible to miss; surprise and awe were evident in his eyes. She jolted out of her trance-like state, staring wide-eyed at him.

"T-Toushiro!" He nodded. It was about all he could do. "Why did you come down?"

"Ice." He was so used to speaking the truth to her; for a moment he wished he'd delayed and found a less brusque answer.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I never meant for you to… I mean, eh…"

"So it was…"

"You…" She looked away. "You're really confusing, Toushiro."

"I could say the same about you. You never told me you… dance." They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Well, I didn't exactly think it was your thing, Tosh; you're so serious. This is trivial, pointless."

"I… wouldn't say it's pointless to watch." He wasn't sure where he got his bravery; even decades of life-and-death situations hadn't prepared him for this.

"Well, a new song is starting, if you want you can… uhm, dance with me?"

"How?"

"What? Oh. Just… move with the rhythm. Feel it. I like this song," she mumbled through half-closed eyes. He couldn't even move, hypnotized by her. I look at you and I fantasize you're mine tonight. The most he could do, the most his body would allow him to do was reach out and touch her burning cheek.

"You're…" There wasn't even an adequate word for it.

"Don't worry. Just relax. Focus on… well, focus on something…"

"You?"

"What?" She froze again, staring at him. She was so beautiful, even stunned; how could it have passed him by for so long?

"Can I focus on you?"

"I… suppose, but I'm sure you can find something better to…"

"I'd rather decide for myself what I want." That brought back a smirk that he recognised, somehow she was even more attractive like this; her usual cheeky, brilliant self.

"As you wish, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Are you mocking me?" There was a chill in the words, but amusement in the tone. He stepped closer, something that would have been more intimidating if they hadn't been the same height, but his eyes burned with repressed power and her breath hitched. Before he knew it, she had a hand buried in his hair.

"You, Hitsugaya Toushiro, are the most frustrating man on the whole fucking planet." Licking her lips, she guided their faces closer together. "If you run out on me now, I won't be responsible for the consequences." He was about to ask her what she meant by that when she pulled him in, covering his lips with hers. It was an alien sensation, so soft and warm. He wasn't even aware that he had wrapped an arm around her tightly before she broke the kiss to draw in breath.

"Karin?"

"You're suffocating me, Tosh."

"I'm sorry." She smirked at his seriousness.

"Not yet, you're not, but you will be." His eyes widened at that. "I'm not sure if you knew exactly what you were doing when you came down here," she said sweetly, "but it's way too late to back out now."

"What are you implying, Karin?" He wasn't actually sure he wanted to know, but somehow he had to ask. Her wicked smile didn't exactly put him at ease. What had he done? What new terror was she about to unleash upon him?

"You see," she was clearly ignoring his question. "I'm fairly sure that by now I know more or less what make you tick, Tosh. Maybe I'd like to see the results up close and in… detail." Her hand brushed through his unruly hair and her eyes were sparkling in the multicoloured lights. Her voice made him shaky, what the hell was she doing with it to make it sound like that?

"Maybe we should just…" She put a distracting finger on his lips; she wasn't smiling anymore.

"Yes. Let's get out of here." That hadn't been his exact thought, but it would suffice to get him out of this confusing environment. Matsumoto had made fun of him with his growth spurt, gleefully sprouting something about puberty. He wasn't exactly sure how he'd get out scot-free if he stayed around her incessant meddling, so he had sought out this mission as one of the few excuses he had to get away from Soul Society and her less than amusing insinuations. He could hear a ghost of her laughter in the air and was grateful that she wasn't here to make fun of his predicament as he silently followed Karin up.

They were just about to leave when he felt a chilly hand on his arm and turned scowling to the perpetrator, only to recognise the woman he had talked to earlier.

"Goodbye, taichou-san, I hope we'll meet again." Oh, well. Maybe it wasn't so bad after all. He nodded to her.

"Goodbye."

Karin was obviously curious, but to his relief she didn't disturb him with any questions, just raised an amused eyebrow at him. He could get away with frowning at her, but the fact was that the image of her, dancing, was still so fresh in his memory that he couldn't really look at her without needing to hold back a blush, so he was glad when they reached her place. At least now, he could settle back on the roof and be at peace.

"Where were you planning on going, Toushiro?" The chilly tone in her voice was as much a warning he needed, but there was no way he'd show her that he'd noticed.

"Up." She knew where, so why was she asking? Then again, her annoyed headshake told him that he had missed something. "I have enough of Matsumoto trying to lead me around on a leash," he growled, "say what you're going to say or leave it." That, however strange it seemed, provoked a smile from her.

"I bet your fukutaichou's a bit disappointed that you're not perfect size anymore, eh?" Why couldn't the woman keep to one confusing train of thought at a time?

"What do you mean by that?" It was annoying enough that he felt like was being strung along; when she opened the door and waved him inside, he wasn't sure whether he rather wanted to be there or as far away as possible.

"I mean," she said calmly, closing the door after him, "assuming Rangiku-san is what she seems like, it must've been pretty damn good for her to have a friend that she could…" a tiny smirk fluttered past on her lips, "hold to her bosom and who wouldn't, in fact, try to grope her. You're a little tall for that now."

"You've met Matsumoto enough to know that she has no problem defending herself against anything." She shot him a pointed glance and he tried very hard not to look at her backside as she bent down to get her shoes off.

"You know, sometimes I bet she's glad she doesn't have to defend herself against you." She walked a few steps into the hallway, putting her hand on the bedroom door. "Then again, there are people who would." Do what? Defend themselves against him? What was the bloody woman talking about? He followed silently, his frown a little deeper than usual.

She walked through the door and flipped down on top of the bed covers, stretching lazily. Moving like that again. Making his shoulders tense from uncertainty. He wanted to… he wasn't exactly sure what, it was a stupid situation, but she didn't seem to be fazed at all.

"Tosh?" She had propped herself up on one elbow and was watching him intently. "Why did you come down just because you heard something about ice?" Their eyes locked for a moment before he shrugged, gazing out the window instead of trying to resist those dark eyes.

"Doesn't matter. I shouldn't have."

"Oh, no." There was steel in her voice… and something else, something that made it almost tangibly harder to breathe. "I'm not going to let you worm your way out of this one." She slid off the bed and made it very hard for him to not look at her by placing herself mere inches from him. Damn the woman for being so tall. Oh well, at least he was already good at intimidating people both his own size and bigger… only, she wasn't a shinigami, so she didn't have their ingrained respect for captains, and she wasn't exactly meek either. She did twitch just a little at his ominous stare, but it didn't seem to deter her in the slightest. Rather, her frown melted into an expression of abandon that he had never expected to see on her face. Her eyes were burning as she looked into his and her cheeks ever so slightly flushed. Damn the woman for being so beautiful. And she was snaking an arm over his shoulder.

"What are you doing? Stop that!" He sounded panicky, he realised. With anyone else, that almost unnoticeable change in pitch in his voice could have been disregarded, but he was Hitsugaya Toushiro, unrivalled king of self-control, and she had definitely noticed the wayward emotion.

"With all due respect, taichou… I think I'll disobey that order." If he didn't take back control now he was sure he'd lose it forever. Grabbing onto her arm he carefully but firmly lifted it off his shoulder.

"I don't think so." Good, that had been decisive and steady. He had intended to distance them from each other, but while her wrist was trapped in his hand she took a step forward, ignoring the weird angle it put her arm at.

"You're much more interesting when you command than when you slink about like a frightened little boy. And trust me… you are interesting." She was breathing mere inches from his face, again, and it was getting harder and harder for him to resist doing something utterly stupid. Summoning the determination that had taken him through his year at the Shinigami Academy and then to a position as the youngest taichou in history, he glared at her.

"I'd suggest you stop whatever game you're playing at. I'm not a child and I won't be treated like one." She just snorted at his words.

"I'm sure as hell not playing any games. You came to me first, remember?"

"That… was a mistake," he admitted between clenched teeth. "I'm sorry." It just made her shake her head.

"'Sorry'? It's just not that simple. I was doing good while you were unreachable; the 'look but don't touch' kinda thing. Then. You. Fucked. Up. The. Balance." He felt her grip him tightly and press her body against his. This could get very awkward very quickly if he didn't…

"Karin," he hissed, wondering if he could crack his own jaw just from the sheer pressure of holding himself together. "Please. Don't…" She just huffed irritably, clawing her fingers into the back of his shirt.

"Just give up and give me what I want, Tosh." She was motionless against his body, but so close that every breath they took moved them against each other anyway.

"What do you want, then?" His breathing was heavy and his voice was definitely strained; and she laughed!

"Isn't that obvious? I want you."

For a moment, the universe stopped spinning as his eyes snapped to hers. Apart from a slight amusement at his expense for, he assumed, being slow… she was completely and utterly serious.

It was wrong. There were no explicit laws against fraternising with humans, but it was considered extremely bad conduct. His mind kept repeating all the logical reasons for just putting her down on the bed and walking away, but something seemed to have disconnected the rational part of his brain from the rest of his body. He couldn't deny that he wanted her; this stubborn, beautiful woman who had been so quiet about all this until he stepped into the wrong situation. A traitorous part of him disagreed, stating firmly that it had been the best of all possible situations. Still unwilling to let go, he tried to stare her down as he gave her one last warning.

"I should go. This…" he hesitated as her eyes narrowed at his words. "This isn't supposed to be, but my patience isn't unlimited. If you keep this up, I will crack." The sharply indrawn breath was something he had pretty much expected, but the needy gasp that followed was more than he could handle.

The famous discipline of Hitsugaya Toushiro, tensai and taichou, snapped like a dry twig. The hand that was still gripping the wrist of her right hand forced it down behind her back as his other hand roamed in between the waistline of her jeans and the tight top, making her gasp as the rough skin connected with hers. Before she could react, his lips were back on hers, exploring with a sort of uncontrollable fury and discovering new pressure points with every touch. Her free hand clawed erratically at his back, seeming to tell his senses a different story than the moans of pleasure that escaped her.

Now he could understand her, that stranger, she had been more right than he could have imagined. He was hungry for more of this, but it wasn't so much hungry as starved. He couldn't get enough of touching the soft skin, ravishing her mouth, her jaw line and her throat with his lips. He pushed her very carefully, trying to stabilize her as he moved, but still she almost stumbled backwards down onto the bed.

"God, Tosh," she growled, lunging up at him just as he was lowering himself to her. Sweeping past his cheek she bent her arm in order to get just that little bit further, licking and nibbling on his throat and shoulder like a lioness in heat.

Maybe she needed this as badly as he did, but apparently that did not necessarily involve making it easy for him. Letting go and straightening he righted her on the bed, the token resistance she offered was hardly enough to make him flex his muscles, though. He looked at her, knowing full well that the raging desire must be evident in his eyes now that it had been released.

"You're sure… you want this?" It was strange how hard it was to just hold back and ask such a simple question. If she said no, he wasn't even sure how he would manage to stop himself from taking her anyway, but he hadn't spent decades building his discipline for nothing. Fortunately, she just smirked.

"Are you daft? I've already told you. Doesn't mean I'll lie here like a nice little bitch and just take it, so get undressed before I change my mind." He didn't exactly understand what she was implying, but he did know… that if she wanted him, he didn't have the willpower to refuse her.

With some well-placed tugs he got rid of the stupid shirt and uncomfortable jeans. She stared wide-eyed at him for a moment. Then she smirked. He raised a challenging eyebrow that made her lift herself up a little, bringing her hands down to pull up her shirt as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

"Well, well," she noted, biting down on her lower lip. "You really are something." He would have answered, but the unexpected innocence of her movements as she discarded the shirt, the fact that she wasn't wearing anything underneath and her tomboyish, lopsided smile obviously trying to hide that she was nervous… and maybe she was, but she had shown more often than not that she would and could take on almost anything. Maybe now was the time to remind her of that. He faked a slight frown, knowing that she wouldn't take well to being doted on.

"You seem a bit tense, maybe…"

"I'm not scared, if that's what you're implying! You weren't exactly all that relaxed yourself when you walked in!" Her reaction had been immediate and intense. Yes, he could understand why she had responded differently to him when he had been firm with her; her passion was brilliant in a way that her anxiousness couldn't compare to. He allowed himself a smirk, which effectively wiped out any pretence of worry on his face.

"Karin." There was something special, precious about her. It took her less than a moment to react, reaching for him eagerly.

"You're hopeless Tosh. Then again, maybe that's why I need you."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Weeks later…

"You're amazing." It wasn't so much a compliment as a comment, but it made his lip curl upward at the end nonetheless. Toushiro didn't answer; it was enough to just hold her. He still hadn't quite gotten used to the way she almost fiercely snuggled up to him, but that was ok. Then, they both felt it at the same time; Toushiro tensed and Karin sighed.

"I'd better go," he said reluctantly. She nodded.

"Yeah, Ichi-nii will probably feel forced to kill you otherwise. We're lucky he couldn't sense reiatsu to save his life." She smirked. Sooner or later, maybe they would tell, but not yet. The dark-haired goddess he loved followed him out of bed, stretching out her muscles as she went. The attraction in her movements hadn't lessened with the times they'd met since that evening; rather he needed her more with every passing day.

"I don't know when I'll be able to come back next." Anyone else would have plagued him to set a date, or tried to secure a promise that he'd come as quickly as he could, but she wasn't like that. She just nodded, with that little frown between her eyebrows that said she'd miss him.

"I'll kill a few extra hollows for you." She wouldn't say 'be careful' or 'I love you' or any other of those things, but for now none of that was necessary. He gripped her chin tightly with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, kissing her deeply, hoping that the memory would be enough in the days to come until he could see her again. And the door opened. For a moment, he was confused as he looked up, they should still have had a moment or two.

"Karin-cha…" Yuzu's happy outburst was cut short by a completely stunned look on her face. Then she grinned. "Karin-chan! You have a boyfriend!"

"You'd definitely better go. I'll take care of my bothersome family." He nodded and headed for the window, trying as best he could to ignore his lover's twin. How could two people supposedly so close be so unlike each other?

"Karin." He couldn't say 'goodbye', that was too much, and something like 'see you' wasn't exactly his style. She understood. She answered in kind.

"Tosh." And then he was out the window. He stood below for a brief moment, listening to Yuzu's chirping voice telling her family that she'd found 'Karin-chan and a handsome young man'. Silly notions. Ichigo stumbling into the room sounded like an earthquake; or maybe that was just the combined force of both the Kurosaki males trying to occupy the same space all at once? What a family. He started moving toward the street, it wouldn't be good to be too close if her brother should get any ideas. That turned out to be a good move. He was barely out into the street before he felt Kurosaki Ichigo's reiatsu spiking. A moment later, his questions were answered in an earthshaking roar from behind.

"Toushiro, get back here!"

Oh well, he would deal with that later. The Kurosaki family were easily agitated, but he wasn't worried. The thought of Karin's passionate, righteous fury was enough to send a well-concealed shiver down his spine. Oh yes, he would be back.

the end

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Imho, Vanilla Ice is a pretty silly rapper. The song, however, fit very well for my purposes.

"I would so have liked to see what makes you tick, up close and in… detail." - Blatantly plagiarized from - Frozen Sky chapter 5 by Jedi Boadicea here on ff-net

HK- Distraction by "FunnyWaffle" on deviantArt was a notable part of my early inspiration for this story. Sure, being a HitsuKarin fan who loves dancing, it was bound to show up anyway, but creds where they're due.

I realise that Shiro's getting quite a bit emotional here. Partly, I'm excusing myself with the fact that he's surprised in a very emotional environment with no one (except Karin) to see him do such foolishness. The other part is that I wanted to write PWP!HitsuKarin and I honestly could give less of a damn about running over into OOC-ness. Usually, I wouldn't do that, but who cares this once? Also, I suppose the series support that deep within he's got some really strong emotions that he keeps under tight wraps.