Toushiro stood waiting in his spot amongst the other captains. After releasing his bankai 3 years ago in the war against the Sternritter, which forced his body to age temporarily, Toushiro had returned to his normal self, only to discover to his and his subordinates' delight that he now has slowly started to age. He still looked young, but at least he looked like a seventeen-year-old instead of a child.

Kyouraku, the Head Captain, cleared his throat before saying, "Well I've summoned you all here for a formal captain's meeting. Sooo… seeing that we're all here, we might as well start."

Kyouraku brought a hand to lazily scratch the back of his head and continued, "It's come to our attention that the younger sister of Kurosaki Ichigo is developing similar abilities to her older brother. Not only is it reported that she can see spirits as well as Shinigami, but according to Urahara Kisuke, she has mastered enough control of her own reiatsu to wield it against hollows." Kyouraku paused to let the new information set among the other captains, assessing their reactions. His eyes settling to read the expression on Toushiro's face.

Toushiro could not stop his eyes from widening at the sudden recollection of the girl from the human world.

Kurosaki Ichigo's little sister.

Karin.

Kurosaki Karin.

Yes, he remembered her. Of course, he remembered her.

He had visited the human world a handful of times years ago before the start of the war. He had gotten dragged into playing soccer with her and her team on multiple occasions and had even brought her to visit Grandma Haru. They had been friends.

Toushiro frowned at this. No, that didn't seem right. Acquaintances, then?

His frown deepened, and his mind pondered a little longer before settling back to 'friend.' "Yes, Karin was more friend than acquaintance," he thought as he nodded inwardly to himself.

He hadn't been back to the human world in over 3 years now. And to be honest, he hadn't given the human world and the people who dwelled there much thought. Only maybe once in a blue moon, when he would be walking through Rukongai and see kids kicking around a ball, would he think of Karin.

But hearing the news about Karin's abilities, he wasn't surprised. He had witnessed her launch a soccer ball coated in her reiatsu at hollows years ago. And that was with her barely knowing anything about shinigami, hollows, and reiatsu. He could only imagine how much stronger she's gotten and how much more she knows now that Ichigo is back in the human world.

It's no doubt that Urahara Kisuke has kept an eye on her… which meant Yoruichi too. Toushiro sighed before turning back to listen to what else the Head Captain had to say.

Kyouraku, having sensed that it was time to continue, announced, "Her name is Kurosaki Karin. She is currently sixteen-years-old. There is also another sister, Karin's twin, however she does not seem to possess any reiatsu nor abilities. As for Karin, her powers have grown significantly since we have started monitoring her. She has shown to have even better control of her reiatsu now than Ichigo did when he was seventeen. Despite the recent years of peace, we can never be too complacent. And Karin has great potential to be useful as an ally to Soul Society, just as Ichigo has been." He paused for a breath, "I called this meeting to discuss our options and the future of Kurosaki Karin with all of you, seeing as we have a rather complicated history with substitute shinigami as well as the Kurosaki family in general."

A few captains nodded. Others smiled as well, obviously remembering the wild and erratic Ichigo, who had become somewhat of a war hero among the shinigami.

"Andddd seeing that it's her future we'll be discussing, I've requested that she come to Soul Society today to take part in our meeting," Kyouraku concluded with an enthusiastic smile.

Toushiro's, as well as the other captains', surprise was interrupted by two, well-timed, knocks on the door. And then the door was pushed open to reveal Kurosaki Karin.

She looked different, Toushiro noted. She didn't look quite so tomboyish anymore, probably because she had grown her hair out a little longer, enough so that it was pulled up into a ponytail. And maybe also because she had turned out to be quite… pretty. Not that she wasn't pretty before, but merely because it's much harder to describe someone as pretty when they're short-haired, dressed like a boy, and usually covered in dirt from soccer. It also may have helped that she was also wearing a skirt, her high school uniform, he assumed.

She gave a little bow as she entered saying, "Pardon the intrusion" She looked up and scanned the captains before settling her gaze on the Head Captain.

Toushiro noticed her eyes passed over him as they did all the other captains, with a calm assessing gaze as if she was memorizing everyone and taking inventory.

—

"Welcome to Soul Society, Kurosaki Karin. I'm glad you made it here without any mishaps. We have some things to discuss. It shouldn't take too much time. Please join us," Kyouraku said, gesturing for her to stand in the center.

She confidently walked in with an odd air of both curiosity and nonchalance.

The captains assessed her as she did so. Some obviously recognizing her from their own time in the human world. And others, who didn't know of her, probably wondering where the resemblance to Ichigo was, since it obviously wasn't the orange hair.

Kyouraku proceeded to introduce her to all the captains. The discussion was quite short as Kyouraku had predicted. It consisted of a light inquiry of her knowledge of shinigamis and Soul Society as well as the extent of her physical powers, capabilities, and control over her reiatsu. The exchange was mostly between her and Kyouraku, with another captain occasionally asking their own question. It concluded with a compromise that she wouldn't become an official substitute shinigami, but would be somewhat of an liaison between the human world and Soul Society. This allowed her to continue nurturing her abilities while still maintaining her freedom and human life, while also having access to come and go to Soul Society when approved by the Head Captain. And in return, Karin pledged that she will answer the calls of the Gotei 13 if she's needed and that, in the afterlife, she'll become a shinigami.

Kyouraku clapped his hands together loudly, signaling the end of the discussion. "Okay then, that's settled. I'm sure everyone's satisfied with the outcome. Meeting dismissed. Karin dear, you're welcome to head home whenever. Feel free to explore just don't wander too far and get someone to escort you. I'm sure a lot of Ichigo's friends remember meeting you and would be willing." Kyouraku smiled and, humming cheerily to himself, nodded his farewell.

Just as Kyouraku had said, some of the captains had briefly met Karin at some point and gave her welcome hello or a nodding acknowledgment. She politely gave brief greetings back, but quickly turned her gaze to lock on Toushiro's and began strolling up to him.

The other captains stopped to watch curiously.

Karin stopped in front of him and, smiling brightly, said, "You must be Hitsugaya-taicho! I've heard so much about you."

—

Toushiro stared at her in bewilderment. Hitsugaya-taicho? She's never called him that. It's always been Toushiro. Just Toushiro. And what does she mean she's heard about him?

"I was a friend of Toushiro's," she continued, "I met him years ago and he kept going on and on about how he's a captain or something. You must be his older brother. That's so adorable that he admires his big brother so much that he wants to be a captain just like you! He really was a cute little midget!" Karin beamed at him in excitement.

Toushiro still stared, wide-eyed, at her.

Sure, he looks much older than he did when he knew her but to think that she would assume he was fantasizing about being a captain because he looked up to some nonexistent brother!

His surprise quickly dropped to annoyance. Annoyance with a hint of something else. Sadness? No, that wasn't right. Disappointment. He was a tad disappointed she couldn't tell it was him, despite his altered appearance.

Disappointment… but still mostly annoyance.

"Look Karin—" Toushiro started, trying to figure out the best and least awkward way to explain who he really was.

"Oh! So you know who I am? Did Toshiro tell you about me? Wow, it really has been awhile. I wonder if he remembers me. How's he doing? I bet he's still a little white-haired shrimp. I mean, that's what he deserves after not visiting someone that considers him a friend in like 3 years," Karin said jokingly, still smiling.

"Okay, um, look… you see—" Toushiro felt he needed to clear the situation up before it got even more out of hand.

As he fumbled for an explanation, he looked back at her and saw her face pull into a slow smirk… Not just any smirk. That smirk. It was a look he remembered too well on Karin.

And he knew the instant he saw that smirk that she had known exactly who he was from the start. She had known there was no older brother. No young Toushiro pretending to be like his older brother.

Karin's smirk got even wider as her eyes twinkled in laughter as she saw the realization dawn on Toshiro's face that she was messing with him.

Toshiro's mood quickly turned even more sour as he realized why she must have done it… The captains who had happened to see the exchange were obviously holding in laughter. And some captains weren't even bothering to hide their laughter. Kyouraku who had stayed to watch the moment he saw her move to talk to Toushiro, had apparently been laughing since she called him Toushiro's older brother. She had made a laughing stock out of him.

Toushiro scowled and rolled his eyes at her "Haha. Very funny," he muttered to her, darkly.

Karin seemed to sober from her joke. This time she smiled, somewhat apologetically. "Come on, Toshiro. Don't be like that. I just wanted to get at you for not coming to visit these past few years."

The other captains, getting enough laughs and seeing that the excitement was over, started to depart, leaving Karin and Toushiro the last ones in the room.

Seeing everyone else go, Toushiro started to walk out. Karin quickly followed and came to walk beside him. Toshiro saw her peak a glance at him from his peripheral vision before hearing her say, "I thought we were friends, you know. It just would've been nice if you visited."

She said it quietly, not longingly, not pathetically. But just thoughtful, as if once in a blue moon, she had thought about him and wondered briefly what he was up to.