Through the thin drywall that separated two small apartments, loud voices could be heard firing back and forth at one another, unending and consistently illegible. On the other side, a single woman in her early twenties stood before a large shelf, currently unpacking a box of books.

"Yes, I can afford it. I've already paid the rent, haven't I?" Karin was speaking exasperatedly, annoyed both by her neighbours and the conversation she was having and quite ready to toss her cellphone out the window. "Yes, Ichigo, I'm aware that rent is a monthly thing."

"I'm just saying, having your own place is a lot of responsibility." Karin rolled her eyes, her phone held in place by her shoulder as she tore open another box of books. Her brother was being absolutely insufferable. "I still don't understand why you wouldn't just stay here. It's not like you didn't have your own room and space. For free, I might add."

"I'm twenty-three, Ichigo, it's time for me to take care of myself. Besides, you got married. It was bad enough mooching off you, I wasn't about to mooch off Rukia, too." Drawing a thick, heavy book from the box at her feet, Karin had an overwhelming urge to throw it at the wall in the futile hope of shutting her neighbours up for at least a minute. By the state the wall appeared to be in, it was more likely that the book would go straight through onto the other side. She placed it gently on the shelf. "I don't remember you being this way when Yuzu got her own place," Karin continued, cutting her brother off before he could attempt to argue that her crashing in his guest room for several months wasn't 'mooching'.

"Well, that's just a completely different situation, isn't it." Karin raised a brow, feeling her temperature rise. Leaving the unpacking go for a moment, she placed a hand on her hip and waited for him to continue. Her blank stare could burn a hole in the wall. "For one, Yuzu has two roommates. That's already far safer and cheaper than you living by yourself in one of the most expensive areas in the city. Why you felt the need to live downtown is beyond me."

"A lot of things are beyond you, Ichigo. Like being a supportive older brother, for instance. And the correct use of emojis."

"I am supportive! I went apartment hunting with you, didn't I?" Karin ignored him as she shoved another handful of books onto the shelf, catching a bit of the argument going on between her neighbours and becoming mildly interested. ("Maybe if you gave me as much attention as you give your stupid fucking script this wouldn't have happened!" – "Yeah?! Well maybe if I'd known sooner that you were gonna turn into a lying cheating bitch I wouldn't be working so hard to pay for that stupid fucking ring on your finger!"). "And I'm working on the emoji thing," Ichigo added stubbornly. "Rukia's teaching me."

"Good to know you have your priorities in check," Karin muttered, her attention snapping back into focus. Looking around at the remaining two boxes of books she needed to unpack, keeping in mind the various other items in other boxes that needed to be unpacked elsewhere, she sighed. "I'm letting you go, Ichigo. I have a lot of stuff to do."

On the other end of the line, her brother stammered. "But– no, no, wait–'

"Don't worry, your other more successful sister is cooking dinner at Dad's this weekend, you can continue judging my life choices then."

"Karin–'

Jabbing the 'end call' button with her thumb, Karin tossed her phone aside with a careless flick of the wrist and moved towards her tiny kitchen, the only area of her new place that was even remotely set up. She heard the definitive slam of a nearby door as she rinsed her coffee mug from earlier, a resounding silence following shortly after and nearly sending her into shock. She didn't think it was ever going to stop.

Filling her cup once again with the last of the coffee pot, Karin slipped on a pair of low tops and made her way out to the balcony. It was barely big enough for three people, much less a chair or two, but she was grateful for it all the same. The fresh air did its job to calm her, cool spring air whipping at her face as she leaned against the railing, her long black hair blowing behind her.

This particular bout of peace lasted all of two minutes, effectively ended when the neighbouring balcony's door slid open so forcibly it bounced back off its hinges with a loud crack, sending a shiver down Karin's spine and nearly causing her to lose her coffee to the street below. She jumped back from the railing with a start, her mug held tightly in both hands while she glared over at the next balcony, her eyes wide as saucers in surprise.

A tall frame of lank muscle came in the form of her neighbour, with a wild mess of silver hair and a rage so palpable it sent goosebumps up her arms. An oversized cardigan lashed about him as he presented himself with an award worthy meltdown, a rather large diamond ring sparkling in the sunlight as he placed it on the metal ledge of the railing and soon proceeded to smash it violently with a brick.

Karin watched on in amazement, her coffee growing cold from neglect. Several minutes passed before the man stopped, leaving a pile of mere shards and shimmering dust as he stepped back, his breathing heavy and dangerously uneven. A deafening silence ensued as the man stared blankly at what he'd done, the brick falling from his grip with an echoing thunk at his feet while his shoulders slumped defeatedly.

"That looked expensive," she commented dully, unable to help herself. He didn't so much as stir at her words, and she nearly thanked the heavens that he hadn't heard her. But then, he laughed. A self-deprecating laugh if she'd ever heard one.

"Yep."

Karin sent her gaze elsewhere, her brow furrowed momentarily. Casting him another glance, she smirked. "You should've went for the half-carat, at least. I hear that's the lying cheating bitch cut."

To her surprise, he actually laughed. A sad, genuine whisper of sound. "You heard that, did you?"

"It was kinda hard not to."

He looked at her then, a vacant expression washing over him, and she found herself fixated on his face. He had the most vivid blue eyes she'd ever seen on anyone, but they were dim, weighed down by large dark circles and a sickly complexion. He looked very much like someone whose life had just been shattered.

"I haven't seen you around before," he told her, his gaze slightly narrowed. The way in which he acknowledged her then had her choking on butterflies. "Are you new?"

Karin swallowed, fiddling with the half-moon pendant that laid across her collarbone. "Yeah," she said, clearing her throat. "Moved in a few days ago."

The man raised his brows, nodding slightly. He glanced around for a moment then, a smirk ghosting his lips as he looked to her again. "Well then, welcome to the building," he said, his tone that of mock theatrics and grandeur. "I'm Hitsugaya Toushiro, your graceful and composed neighbour."

"Oh, is that what you're going by?" He shrugged, not seeming to care that he was barefoot and covered in coffee stains. Karin laughed. "Well, in that case, I'm Kurosaki Karin. I'm very adept at social cues and definitely do not eavesdrop on other people's arguments."

Hitsugaya smirked. "Good to know."

Karin cast him a grin, her cheeks burning as his gaze lingered, and then he appeared to consider the situation as a whole, glancing about him with a gradually falling expression. He turned away with a slight stagger, moving towards the door. "It was nice meeting you, Kurosaki," he said, sliding the door open. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drink until I pass out."

Karin frowned, chewing her lip as she watched him disappear. "Nice to meet you too…"

A/N: I don't know what this is. Let's say it's just a series of connected ficlets surrounding these two being neighbours. I'm currently working on updates for my other stories, but they're all rather draining, and at times very very depressing and it's not a good time, so here's some lighter hearted stuff, where I can write little snippets when I feel like it and don't have this huge daunting plot to plan out. Maybe like a really loose chronological plot that may lead to something someday, I don't know, I'm just gonna enjoy it as it goes. I hope you all do too! Your reviews give me life. I love you all~