#hitsukarinweek2015

Hey all! I had intended to get this done for Hitsukarin week, but it's like a month late... Oh well. FF   AO3

Karin was running as fast as possible, faster than she could in her human body. A familiar red spirit ribbon was leading her way, but it was fading. The spirit energy, usually one of the strongest in the world, was gradually disappearing. Karin prayed that she wouldn't be too late.

HitsuKarin Week 2015 - Day 8 (College!AU)

Also Prompt #5: “More than friends, not quite lovers.”

IT HAD TO BE DONE. I have no regrets. I only hope I have done justice to an awesome premise.

And this 3.5k piece is just one part. There’s an incomplete 7k piece with me and I may post that way way later. It’s mostly plot and smut, anyway.

Intro to SE: This is set set several years after the original series. Soul and Maka are the original protagonists and students of Death Weapon Meister Academy. ‘Resonance’ between two souls requires the people to know each other really well. The closer they are, the stronger the Resonance. Pre-kishin are humans with impure souls.

Warnings: the fluff! It burns!

The pre-kishin’s possibly the ugliest thing she’s ever seen, but apparently looks - or lack thereof - is no indication of power. This one’s not even top ten.

Karin blocks a blow from the blade on its back, her counterattack strong enough to push it off balance as she skips out of reach of its flailing limbs. Getting gutted by serrated blades that pass as fingers is not on her To-Do list today.

“Finish it now!” the Dragon sword in her hand says urgently, and Karin charges, perfectly in sync with her weapon as she slashes through the pre-kishin with a hoarse battlecry.

The PK dissipates, leaving behind the bright red flame of its impure soul. Karin steps in front of the floating flame, watching the way it casts eerie shadows on the cobbled walkway. The street is completely deserted, the few people who’d be up at this hour long gone in face of the monster.

“Good job, Toushirou,” she says. Her weapon glows, and with a flash, the demonsteel in her hand is replaced with human skin and flesh and bone and blood.

“You too.”

The messy white-haired boy steps forward, his hand slipping out of hers, and grabs the pre-kishin soul. Toushirou eats souls the way he’d eat hors d'eouvres at a five star restaurant, all neat and precise, chewing with his mouth closed before he swallows.

Karin watches his Adams apple bob and turns away, mouth suddenly dry.

“That’s another one down, eh? Almost too easy,” she says. She doesn’t keep strick track, but she thinks they’re close to two hundred pre-kishin. They hold the record in the EAT class.

“Our hundred and ninety sixth soul,” Toushirou says, like he’s reading her mind. But he’s not, he just knows her that well after nearly seven years together.

“What do you think we’ll do once we hit one ninety eight?” Karin stuffs her hand in her pockets and jerks her head in a ‘come on’ gesture. Toushirou automatically falls in step with her, and they begin the trek back to their apartment.

“What’s special about one ninety eight?” he asks.

“It’s twice ninety nine,” Karin explains. “Remember when we hit ninety nine, Lord Death had just signed the treaty with the witches, so we couldn’t get a witch soul? I was wondering if this time round we could hunt down some rogue witch or something and finally make you a Death Weapon.”

“…Does it even work that way?” Toushirou muses. “Or would we have to give up all our souls to Lord Death and gather another ninety nine before we could reap the witch soul?”

Karin shrugs and rotates her shoulders, trying to alleviate some of the stiffness that comes with three hours of stakeout. “I honestly don’t know. It just sucks that we can’t make you a Death Weapon, you know? You’re one of the best weapons in DWMA. You’d make an awesome Death Weapon.”

Toushirou’s expression doesn’t change, but Karin can feel a thrum of pleasure at the praise from his soul through their bond. “A weapon is only as good as his meister,” he says modestly.

Karin laughs and bumps hips with him, ignoring the hop-skip-jump her heart does at his words. “Smooth talker,” she teases him. “C'mon, race you back home!”

Toushirou’s empty protests mingle with her laughter and the sound of feet pounding on pavement, and echo off the stone walls of the buildings of Death City. _________________________________________________________________ There is a routine in the Kurosaki-Hitsugaya household that was settled early in their partnership and, bar the end of the world or something equally drastic (like Karin’s period), remains unaltered to this day.

Karin wakes up first and stumbles to the kitchen, switching on the coffeemaker before detouring to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. Once ready, she makes two cups of coffee - one with the barest splash of milk and the other 90% cream - just in time to greet a sleepy headed Toushirou, who’s more grizzly bear than human at this time of the morning. Once he’s ingested enough caffeine to give a normal person liver failure (because as much as he’ll deny it, Mr Higher Scorer Than Maka Albarn is not a morning person), Toushirou gets started on making breakfast while Karin gets dressed.

Depending on whether or not he’s wearing a shirt, Karin takes either thirty seconds or four minutes to get ready.

Today he’s wearing nothing but low-slung sweatpants and tousled bedhead. Karin’s back in her seat at the kitchen table in record time.

“Urahara-sensei’s taking a special class today,” Toushirou remarks as he flips an omlette. “Do you remember?”

“Who could forget?” Karin snorts, propping her feet up on another chair. “It’s not every day we get to learn about the Last Freakin’ Deathscythe.”

“And Maka Albarn.” Toushirou transfers the omlette onto a plate and places it in front of her.

“Yeah. Those two are awesome together.” Karin grins a little wistfully. “Did you know their Soul Resonance is the strongest ever recorded? Right off the scales!”

Toushirou makes a vague noise, his concentration on the frying pan. He already knows all of this (super smart, remember?), but he’s letting her fangirl anyway. Karin finds this sweet and heart-melting and she vaguely wants to punch herself for that thought.

“I wonder if he’ll show us their Witch Hunter move?” Karin wonders, twirling a fork idly. “I want to compare it with Ryūsenka.” Ryūsenka is the special ability of the Dragon sword, and they’d damn near perfected the move by now.

“Why do you want to do that?” Toushirou asks, nudging her feet off the chair and sitting down to his own omelette.

Karin plops her feet in his lap and grins insolently when he raises his eyebrows wearily at her. “Maybe so we can make it even more awesome than it already is?” she suggests.

Toushirou snorts and bends over his breakfast. Under the table, his thumb finds a pulse point on her ankle and rests hotly against it. _________________________________________________________________ Karin turns a corner at DWMA and runs smack into someone. She tumbles back with a cry and falls into someone else.

Oh. This one’s Toushirou, her ever-present shadow. She knows this because even with her nose throbbing from its recent impact she can recognise the crisp, musky scent that’s unique to him.

Also, he’d been right behind her when she turned the corner.

Karin opens her eyes and for a confusing moment she thinks it wasn’t Toushirou who’d caught her 'round the waist after all, because he’s standing right in front of her. But then she realises this man has red eyes, not green, and he’s older than any of the students at DWMA. It takes her another moment to realise who it is, and by the time she scrambles upright he’s been joined by an ash-blonde girl.

“Soul, I told you to wait for me,” Maka Albarn says crossly, because yes it’s freaking Soul Eater Karin’d run into, was the universe freaking kidding her?

“Yeah, yeah. Hey, you okay?” the Deathscythe asks her and Karin nods, a little lightheaded.

“You’re Soul Eater,” she says dumbly. Red eyes squint at her, and she can see him visibly reassessing her sanity. “And you’re Maka Albarn.”

Maka (Ms Albarn? Albarn?), who evidently has more manners than both her partner and Karin, smiles politely. “Yes. Are you two students from the EAT class?”

Karin stamps down the giddiness that comes with meeting two living legends. “Uh, yeah. I’m Karin Kurosaki, meister. And this-” She twists to gesture to Toushirou and realises his hand is still on her waist.

Well. He doesn’t seem bothered by it so she’s just going to, ah, not say anything.

“This is Toushirou Hitsugaya, Dragon sword, and my partner.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Toushirou says smoothly, sounding completely unpeturbed.

Maka glances curiously at Karin. “Kurosaki, did you say?”

Living legend she may be, but Karin still has to tamp down the urge to roll her eyes. Sometimes coming from a family of overachievers is a real pain in the ass. Her mother was a five-star meister who made her father a Death Weapon, and her brother’s partner, a petite black-haired lady who turns into a six-foot-tall cleaver, was made Death Weapon the same way just five years ago.

“Uh, yeah. That’s the one,” Karin mumbles.

Toushirou, who knows how much she hates being compared to her family, rubs his thumb in circles on her waist comfortingly and whoa he better stop doing that or else she’s gonna be redder than the current Deathscythe’s hair.

“Kurosaki?” Soul asks.

“They’re a family of powerful weapons and meisters, like Tsubaki’s, only more…” Maka trails off diplomatically.

“Crazy?” Karin suggests.

“I was going to go with 'radical’,” Maka says, waving a hand in sheepish apology. A ring glints from her fourth finger.

“Cool,” Soul grins, revealing hella sharp teeth. Karin is startled but grins back nevertheless. She gets the feeling Soul Eater would get along well with her family, though how he’d deal with her overprotective, hyper-enthusiastic Dad she has no idea.

A cackling, wheezing laugh echoes through the hallways. None of them so much as start, though Karin used to jump every time she heard the bell in her first year here.

Maka glances up. “Soul, we’d better hurry. I’m sorry,” she says to the younger weapon-meister pair. “But we came to visit Ms Marie, and we’d better get there before she gets too busy. Let’s go, Soul!”

“Geez woman, I’m not your dog,” the Deathscythe drawls, but he follows her obediently anyway.

It’s not until they’re halfway down the hall that Karin realises she’s still staring.

“Shut up.” She scowls at Toushirou, whose amusement is singing clearly through the bond. How come he’s not the least bit flustered?

“I didn’t say anything,” he demures, and Karin slaps his chest with the back of her hand. (Pause. Notice chest muscles. Drool. Carry on.) She glances down the hall again despite herself. “Huh. They’re holding hands.” She nudges him. “Ya think they’re, you know?”

Toushirou shrugs, turning to watch the legendary pair disappear around a corner. “It’s not unusual for strong weapon-meister pairs to be romantically involved,” he says. She can see him watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

Toushirou’s hand is suddenly like a hot brand on her waist. “Yeah. I guess.” She shifts uneasily. Where is everyone else? Oh right, the bell. They’re all in class.

“Well, we should, uh, get going,” she says. Coward, her mind tells her snidely.

Toushirou’s hand drops. She finds herself mourning the deceased contact. “After you, then.”

Karin’s footsteps echo dully in the empty hallway. Toushirou follows half a step behind, her ever-present shadow. __________________________________________________________________________________________ The topic is dropped, but remains heavy between them the rest of the day. Toushirou’s words echo in her head, and Karin finds herself watching the other pairs in the EAT class, looking for signs of romantic attachment. Ikkaku and Yumichika, are they sleeping together? Sentarou and Kiyone definitely are. Urahara-sensei, he’s married to another meister, Yoruichi. What about their former senior Kensei, and his dual weapons Shuuhei and Mashiro?

Karin doesn’t want to think about how that worked out.

The silence between them remains thick and heavy on their way back to the apartment. The lines drawn between them are long blurred, and Karin wants to flip her finger at all the uncertainty and cross that boundary clearly, but what if they don’t work that way? She’s seen strong partnerships break down for smaller reasons, and she doesn’t want the same to happen to them. She doesn’t want to lose Toushirou. He’s been the partner of her soul for the last seven years. She can’t imagine a life without him.

Toushirou feels pensive, almost brooding, through the bond and one glance at his face confirms her guess. He’s reaching that state of mind where he thinks deep, depressing thoughts and tries to shoulder the weight of the world by himself. Normally Karin snaps him out of it with a flippant remark before he reaches that far, but today she feels like she’s not far behind.

He takes a deep breath the moment they enter the apartment, and Karin braces herself, but then the air is filled with a high-pitched shrieking and Toushirou is suddenly struggling to breathe as he’s buried face-first in cleavage.

“Toushirou-chan! Karin-chan! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?!”

Karin feels strangely vindicated as she watches Toushirou slowly suffocate in the blonde’s vice-grip hug. “Hey, Rangiku-san,” she says cheerfully, toeing off her boots. “How have you been?”

“Oh, I’m a mess. The florist mixed up our order, and half the guests are on missions of some sort, and don’t even get me started on seating arrangements…” Karin nods absentmindedly as she leads Matsumoto to their little kitchen, leaving a spluttering Toushirou in the hallway. A half empty cup of coffee sits on the dining table, showing the blonde has made herself at home in her wait.

“And how’s Gin?” Karin asks when Matsumoto pauses for breath. She catches the way her old friend’s face lights up at the mention of her fiancé, and feels a momentary pang of wistfulness. Ichimaru may be a fox-faced bastard (and a damn good independent weapon) to the rest of the world, but no one can deny just how much the two love each other.

“Oh, Gin’s been an absolute angel…” Matsumoto sits herself down at the table as Toushirou makes his disgruntled appearance in the doorway. Karin throws him a bottle of cold water from the fridge and shrugs innocently when he shoots her a betrayed look. Matsumoto is a force of nature and Karin knows better than to get in her way.

“…so I need to know if I’m putting you down as plus ones or whether you’re coming together.” Matsumoto pauses expectantly.

Karin coughs, caught off guard. “Um, actually, I was thinking of going stag,” she says, most decidedly not looking at her weapon.

Matsumoto’s eyes glint dangerously. “No bridesmaid of mine is going stag.” She says the last word as if it’s a personal insult to her grandmother. Karin pointedly shuts her mouth.

“Actually, it makes sense for us to go together,” Toushirou tells his water bottle. No, wait, he’s talking to her. “You are the bridesmaid opposite me, after all.” He glances at her and away, managing to look disinterested and diffident all at once.

She will not blush, she will not blush, godammit she will not blush…

“Uh, yeah.” Karin clears her throat. “Makes perfect sense.” She nods at a highly-amused Matsumoto.

“Excellent!” Matsumoto claps her hands, looking entirely too insufferably smug. “It’s a date, then!” And, completely ignoring the red disaster Karin’s cheeks have turned into, Matsumoto drains the last of her coffee and stands up.

“Lovely! Now, I have to get going and catch that florist before he closes,” She glides around the table to plant a wet one on their cheeks. “Karin-chan, don’t forget, we have a fitting on the 19th.”

“Wait, you’re leaving already?” Toushirou asks, startled.

Matsumoto ruffles his hair fondly, ignoring Toushirou’s grumble of protest. “I’ll see you both soon enough. 19th, Karin-chan!”

Once she is gone, a contemplative silence descends in the kitchen. Toushirou eyes his bottle moodily. Karin wonders why everyone around them seems to be getting hitched. First Eater and Albarn, now Matsumoto. It’s like the universe is sending them some sort of sign.

The universe, she decides, is a lousy matchmaker. __________________________________________________________________________________________ It’s hard to say when she fell in love with her weapon. All she knows is one day, they were sitting on the sofa, legs completely tangled, some action movie blaring on the TV, and she looks over at Toushirou, who’s engrossed in some obscure novel, and she thinks, “God I love this man.”

She’s never doubted it since. Of course, there was panic - ohmigod what if he finds out will this make everything awkward - but she’s never doubted what she feels for him.

And moments after this revelation, when Toushirou glances up at her, rubs her kneecap where his hand was resting, and asks whether she wants lasagna for dinner or is pizza fine, she realises he’s in love with her too.

So Karin grins and tells him she wants jalapeño on the pizza, and Toushirou grumbles about stomach ulcers even as he places the order, and that is that.

She’s not quite sure why they’ve never pursued their feelings. Maybe it’s because they’ve settled in a routine neither of them know how to break out of. Maybe it’s because of that seed of doubt in her heart, what if they don’t work out and their partnership falls apart and she loses him?

Which is all ridiculous, because so what if dating fails? They’ve never let a little awkwardness get in the way of their bond. (Like the time early on in their partnership when Toushirou spotted red dots in the seat of her pants. Now, he knows her cycle better than she does.)

Little else makes more sense. It’s like what Toushirou said about Soul and Maka…

“…but still, aren’t they too young to be getting married?” she muses out loud.

“Who, Matsumoto? She’s twenty eight. That’s not young.” Toushirou looks up from where he’s stirring cheese sauce expertly. Karin’s sitting on the kitchen slab next to him, wearing shorts and a T-shirt that was probably once his, watching him make mac-n-cheese at her request.

She kicks him lightly. “Don’t let her hear you say that. No, I was talking about Eater and Albarn. They’re only, what, five years older than us?”

Toushirou shrugs. “Hey, drain the pasta for me, will you?” There’s a moment of unwieldy waltzing as Karin tries to squeeze around him in their tiny kitchen. “Maybe it’s because they’re absolutely sure they want to spend the rest of their lives together. That they’ve found that one person,” he continues.

Karin looks amusedly at him. “Wow, when did you get so romantic?” she snickers.

“Shut up.” Toushirou scowls despite the pink dusting his cheeks. He flicks cheese sauce at her when Karin continues to snigger. She throws macaroni at him in retaliation.

They work in silent tandem for a few moments. “But how do they know?” Karin finds herself breaking the quiet. “How do you know you’ve found The One?”

Toushirou shoots her a look which says, now who’s the romantic? Karin scowls and silently tells him to answer the damn question.

“I don’t know, Karin.” Toushirou doesn’t meet her gaze, his eyes fixed on his bowl and whisk. “I can’t tell you their reasons. But you know how strong their Resonance is. They must know each other that well.”

“Kinda like us, huh?” Karin says.

Toushirou’s head spins around, wide-eyed and startled.

“I mean, as in, we have a strong Resonance and we’re really good partners and…” Karin’s babble dies down. She’s tired of their dance, one step forward, two steps back. Maybe it’s time to let the chips fall where they may. “Well, you know what I mean.” She attempts to shrug nonchalantly, as if her heart isn’t hammering a thousand times a minute.

Toushirou’s expression softens suddenly. Karin can hear the blood pounding in her head. He steps closer to her and slips a hand behind her neck. He tugs her forward, and Karin stumbles, clutching at him to keep her balance.

“Yeah. I know,” he breathes in her ear.

Her forehead is pressed to his collarbone. Toushirou’s crisp, musky scent is filling her senses. Slowly, Karin raises her arms and wraps them around his waist.

He knows. He’s always known.

She smiles against his skin.

“…Hey.” Karin wriggles in his arms after a few heartbeats.

Toushirou grunts, holding her more tightly. “Having a moment here, Karin.”

Karin squirms until she can see his face. This is important, dammit. She needs to know. “Are you gonna get me a ring now?”

Toushirou stares at her. “Do you want a ring?” he asks.

Karin considers it. “Nah. I’d probably lose it in the next fight,” she decides.

A rumbling sound is coming from Toushirou’s chest. It takes Karin a moment to identify it as laughter. “You never struck me as a ring type of girl, anyway” he drawls. His fingers are making distracting patterns on the nape of her neck.

Karin grins widely. “Yeah. Now let’s have dinner.”

AN: Oh man, I am not writing good endings right now guys. But this is what my muse wants. She says stop here and I’m like, no they’re gonna be mad, and she’s like, I don’t care, I’m done with you. I’m the victim here…

7. Secrets

Don’t fall in love, she tells herself when she’s eleven years old and he’s fifteen. Don’t fall in love because it’s a thankless, worthless emotion that makes no sense and causes a permanent type of insanity. It’s the only reason why she can’t call out his name, her fingers gripping the white and black ball as her eyes watch, unblinking. He’s holding the hand of some girl—some pretty, dark-haired girl his age and whose smile makes even her heart melt—and Karin is a little lost about what she should do next.

It’s better if she leaves, apologize later if he finds out she’d accidentally spied on him. But that crop of white stood out in the distance and she’d gotten ahead of herself. He hasn’t come over in a while and her heart sped up as her little legs carried her closer. If she’d have looked closer before, could she have pretended that she hadn’t see them together? Would it be okay if she’d held onto her little fantasy a moment longer?

The answer eludes her, and so she turns around. Her friends are waiting for her and she’s not childish enough to cry.

It’s her thirteenth birthday and Karin is excited to accept her gifts and the well wishes waiting for her and her sister. Her friends decide to steal her for lunch and she’s gotten more manga and video games than she can possibly use for the next four months. It makes her smile wide, ruffling their heads and inviting them back to her place to try out a few.

Dinner is reserved for family, as it is every year, and as always Yuzu is banned from the kitchen. It’s your birthday, Isshin complains in the same whiny voice they’ve heard since they were four, eyes watering so pitifully that even his most sensitive child is embarrassed. So everyone stays away and hopes that dinner is prepared by a decent time. Not that their father is a terrible cook but he gets too excited and sometimes makes more than what four people can eat. They’ll have leftovers for a week, at least.

When it reaches late afternoon her friends have to go, giving one last greeting to her and their gifts to Yuzu as they mosey on home. It’s quieter without them around and Ichi-nii isn’t back yet so she has no one to play with. So she switches to a fighting game and takes on the computer, tapping excitedly as she screams foul play at the other brawler.

She’s so determined to beat this character—how he can do so many combos at once and she gets in a dinky, little kick every thousand years is an unhappy reality—that she doesn’t register the person hanging in the doorway. He’s been there for a full five minutes but Karin is too absorbed in her playing to take note of that very important detail.

“Can I play?” Hitsugaya asks and she visibly jumps in place, peering over her shoulder at him to glare darkly. That little sentence cost her the tiebreaker round and now she’d have to start all over again. But if she looks menacing at all Toushirou takes it in with an air of amusement.

She knows she should say no. It’s been months since that day and she hasn’t talked to him since. She’s not heartbroken or anything, not at all. She’s just not sure what to say or do now that she’s seen what he looks like when he’s not being the cold, brooding type he usually is. She’s not sure what to do if he shows her that side of him.

When she halfheartedly hands him the second controller, Karin finds that there’s nothing to fear. He doesn’t treat her any differently, not even on her birthday. They throw a few insults, her laughing maniacally over a well executed technique, and decide to play a round of tag team against the computer.

He leaves before dinner and greets her happy birthday just once. Apparently he also brought a gift because it’s sitting on her bed and she wonders when he had time to place it on her pillow. Her pulse hammers recklessly, stupidly, against her ribs and she tells herself to not expect anything grand. She’s just some kid that he plays with on occasion, nothing more than that.

But she treasures the autographed picture of her favorite soccer player, and spends the whole night wondering how he got it in the first place.

She’s fifteen when she finally admits to someone else that she might have feelings for Hitsugaya Toushirou. It’s not really something she likes to tell people, even herself, because it took her more than two years just to accept that yes, maybe she did like him just a little bit more than other guys. And maybe he was a little bit more handsome than anyone she’d ever met. He has a girlfriend he loves and she’s not vapid enough to let herself believe anything otherwise.

The person she tells isn’t Yuzu, surprising since she tells her sister everything. It’s not anyone in her family really, mostly because she can’t trust the Kurosaki men to keep any kind of secret. It’s not one of her friends or someone she’s particularly close to.

Instead he’s one of Ichi-nii’s friends, Kira Izuru. She’s sitting off to the side as Ichigo hosts an impromptu barbecue in his backyard. Music is playing and laughter is abundant but Karin can’t seem to find hers. It’s there, she knows it is, but she doesn’t really want anything to do with it right now. Her eyes keep travelling to the arm wrapped around a slim waist, the couple talking to Rangiku as she chugs down yet another beer. It was going to be an interesting night for sure.

A voice catches her attention. “So you like him?”

Her neck twists so quickly she nearly has whiplash as she looks at the new arrival. “I don’t know what you’re talk about.” But she does, and it shows on her face because Kira smiles sadly down at her.

Not liking it, she punches him in the thigh and he has to crouch a little at the impact. A mildly satisfactory response but she’s not feeling too charitable right now.

For a long time they don’t say anything, and she continues to watch Toushirou and Hinamori interact. It’s all shy sweetness, never inappropriate, and it’s so cute she’s almost sick of it. But mostly it’s a dull ache in her chest that she’s become friends with over the years. It pulsates in its own little rhythm, hardly noticeable now that she’s gotten older.

Glancing over at Kira, she sees how he never looks directly at her but never does he miss any of Momo’s actions or movements. Ah, so that’s how he knew, Karin realizes as he glances down at her again. They’re a pair of fools in unrequited love, so old and worn that there are holes in the seams. So why then does it never fall apart so they can find a new one?

She doesn’t see him for a good many years after she graduates high school. It’s the universe telling her that she needs to get out, meet people form different walks of life, try some new experiences, and she embraces this new destiny. She does all of those things and more, eventually settling in a city larger than Karakura that’s rife with possibilities.

Karin is twenty-one when she spies him caught in the rain, stuck beneath a little overhead now that the rain is at its worse. She never knew that he’d moved away from home and to here of all places. She’s getting ready for graduation at the end of the term and frankly, she doesn’t think she has anything to say to him other than the mandatory hello but he’s not even looking in her direction.

Instead Toushirou is watching the rain with little interest, his mind preoccupied with something far away. He’s a bit drenched, probably thinking he could make it to a convenience store if he ran but came up short. She snorts because that’s a very Hitsugaya thing to do and she sort of hates herself for remembering that.

Unfortunately Karin hovers just a little too long and his jewel-eyed stare cuts right through her. A flash of recognition registers and she knows she can’t walk away without being rude. So she moves across the street and stands beside him, smiling helplessly as if she means the horrible weather and not how she wished she’d walked away a second sooner.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Long time no see,” Toushirou says, the edges of his lips quirking up. He’s dressed in a suit, meaning he was probably coming from work. She wonders if the storm is keeping him from anything.

Or anyone. “Yeah, right back at ya.” She feels twelve all over again, still getting used to her crush and how to act in front of him. Maybe it’s the nostalgia but those old butterflies won’t be swallowed like they usually are.

When he looks her up and down, she can’t help but flush. “You look good.” The sincerity is real and she burns even brighter beneath her skin but she doesn’t buy into it too much. The good humor there is like that of an older brother, a childhood playmate, and she’d be foolish to consider it anything else.

“You too,” she returns, voice with an edge of bitterness. He hears it loud and clear, but she can’t feel sorry.

They exchange the usual pleasantries. Yes, he’s just been relocated here and hadn’t known she went to school in the area. He blushes a little, embarrassed, and Karin tells herself that she doesn’t really care. Instead she tells him that no, she’s not quite done with school but she is working on finishing her thesis, the papers heavy in her bag, and she has to stop herself from checking the time. There are places she needed to be, anywhere but under some old, green awning in the middle of a downpour with Hitsugaya Toushirou.

“And how is Hinamori?” she asks. She doesn’t know what compels her to bring her up and it’s its own kind of punishment. But a part of her desperately wants to hear his answer.

The muscles of his jaw tighten, as do the lines around his eyes, while steel underscores his gaze. Becoming unreadable, he deftly shifts away from her. Although she can’t even begin to understand why, Karin knows this isn’t a topic she should’ve entered.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“We broke up,” Toushirou interrupts abruptly, rudely, shrugging his shoulders like he’s trying to push off someone’s arm. When Karin doesn’t say anything else, just looks at him patiently, he continues in a low voice.

“She left me for someone else about a year ago. Said she’d fallen in love with him.”

Karin took a moment to formulate a proper response. “Oh… I see.”

The words almost make him smile and she sees how he looks a bit gentler now. It must’ve been the right thing to say because he speaks a little lighter, still erring on the side of caution.

“Thanks for not saying ‘I’m sorry.’ I’ve heard it a little too often lately.”

“I have nothing to be sorry for so why would I apologize?”

She’s just joking of course, tilting her head with a playful smirk that brings him back a decade or so. It draws a reluctant laugh, a happy one, and Hitsugaya knows why he enjoyed her company so much even as a child. Karin was full of surprises, probably would always be, and she held on to her cheerfulness like it would slip away if she let it go. It was an admirable quality.

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. I just, I don’t know… It sounds stupid but I still miss it. I miss her,” he admits in a moment of weakness and Karin is glad to say that it doesn’t cause more than a twinge of discomfort in her chest, “I feel like I’ll never really stop. Loving her, I mean.”

He’s dealt worse blows so it’s only natural she doesn’t feel much of anything anymore. But that doesn’t mean she’s interested in being the shoulder he cries on.

“Hey, look, I’ve gotta go,” Karin speaks suddenly, looking at her watch as if she’s got an appointment to make. She doesn’t, just the return to her empty apartment and a rerun or two before she goes out to get something for dinner but he doesn’t know that. “It was nice seeing you again and I hope your new job goes well.”

“Thank you. Good luck on your studies,” Hitsugaya says in kind, confused about her abrupt leave. But he’s forgotten that Karin is grown up now and she has responsibilities. She has a life he doesn’t know about and it’s a realization that hits uncomfortably against the walls of his stomach.

She’s walking away from him, the rain less of a pummel and more of a patter against her umbrella when she comes to an abrupt stop. Karin isn’t sure what it is about today, whether it’s meeting him again and his words or just a chronic condition that’s finally come to a head, but her heart is set in its way. Turning around, she catches his surprise and gives him a tiny grin.

“Hey, Toushirou, you wanna know the secret to getting over someone?”

The shock is so apparent that a spurt of laughter leaves her lips, readjusting her umbrella and bag as she waits for a response. Although not much of one, she takes the sideways nod of his head as an answer and breathes in a cleansing breath.

“I’ve always been in love with you, you know. Actually, no, you wouldn’t, you’ve never really noticed me that way.” To soften her confession Karin tosses her hair back a little, hoping she looks more like the adult she is rather than the child she feels like as wide eyes watch her every move. “But I’ve decided that from today on, I’m going to stop. I choose not to be in love with you anymore. And I know that this probably won’t work for you right now, or maybe ever, but you have a choice where you leave your heart. Next time, choose someone who’ll take care of it better.”

For a few moments she stands there and waits for a reaction, seeing the comprehension dawn but the alarm doesn’t leave. Instead of speaking he just stares back, like he’s trying to find the little girl somewhere beneath this womanly appearance and pride. But even as a child, Karin had hardly been a shrinking violet.

AN: Ugh, I have exams again. Why do I always have exams???

Anyway, I’m not really sure what this is. It’s more of some weird mystery thing that I don’t even know the ending to. LOL Still, I hope you guys like it. :)

It would be great if I could actually post one of these on time. It may be because it’s currently the early hours of the morning, but I actually kinda like how this one turned out. It’s kind of an AU, in the sense that the episodes with them happened, but with both of them aged up a little (Karin’s 17 when she first meets him).

Karin jumped when she turned round and saw Tōshirō staring at her intently. Her expression quickly formed into a scowl though, realising that he wasn't staring at her face. He had been in her flat for less than two minutes and was now apparently studying her midsection in great detail. She half wondered if the heat had gone to his head before concluding that that was no excuse and almost barked at him. “What?”

“That.”

Karin narrowed her eyes, her tone getting sharper. “What?”

Tōshirō pointed at her left hip. “That.”

“See you guys later!” Karin shouted at her teammates as she ran off. She jogged off the campus and into the street, basking silently in the spring air as she walked.

She registered a new reiatsu. It was a hollow, she realized, just a couple of blocks away. She cussed and dropped her bag, running in its direction. She found it on a side street. The hollow was small fry, only a story tall and screaming mindlessly.

The teen took an archer’s stance. She concentrated the reiryoku around her into the shape of a longbow. She drew back the string and an arrow manifested, and she released it. It flew straight into the hollow’s mask, shattering it as well as the monster. She lowered the bow to her side, smiling satisfactorily.

“Karin?” She heard behind her. She pivoted on the ball of her foot, heart leaping into her esophagus. Her eyes widened in astonishment.

“Toushirou?” She said.

The soul reaper floated down, his own eyes the size of dinner plates. “Karin?” He repeated disbelievingly.

The teen dematerialized her bow and laughed nervously. “Hi, honey. What’re you doing in town? I don’t remember sensing your reiatsu. Have you been hiding from me?”

He gently landed on the asphalt a few meters away. “No, I just arrived. I was sent on behalf of Squad Twelve to see what was accounting for the new Quincy presence.” He stared almost pleadingly into her eyes. “Please tell me it’s not you.”

Her shoulders sagged. “Yeah, it’s me.”

He raked a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. “Um, okay,” He swallowed. “I’m… I’m sure since you’ve got connections with me and with the Kuchiki siblings and Ukitake and since you’re Ichigo’s sister, we can at least lighten your punishment.“

“Excuse me?” She snarled. “I’m not even going near your pathetic excuse of a justice system. I know what Central Forty-Six allowed the Gotei to do to Quincies, and I’m not allowing that to happen to me.”

“It won’t, I promise.” He assured her.

“Yeah,” she snorted, “because Central Forty-Six has totally listened to the Gotei captains in the past.”

The soul reaper opened his mouth to retort, and then closed it. “You still have a lot of leverage being Ichigo’s sister. The most you should get is surveillance, and I’m sure I can finagle myself into that position.”

The teen crossed her arms over her chest, lips pursed and grey eyes narrow with skepticism.

“What? Do you not trust me?”

“In my state? No, I don’t trust anyone, especially not soul reapers.”

Toushirou grimaced. “I promise you. I would even be willing to give up my position as a captain if it meant keeping you out of danger.”

AN: Alright, so the secret is out. I am actually stuck one day in the past. Fuck. You got me. /sweats nervously

This fic was inspired by a post here on tumblr about some girl’s experiences in college that would make good fic prompts. I reblogged it a few days ago and it was fresh so I looked for it and screencapped it. So, yes, this is just fluff and silliness. :) Also, not sure if I followed the prompt, to be honest. LOL

5. “More than friends, but not quite lovers.” (College!AU)

It was so strange moving into a new place, new city. Even stranger that Yuzu wasn’t there with her, and Karin felt the loss like a phantom ache, constantly turning around only to find that her sister wasn’t there.

Moving in on her own was just as hard, as Karin wasn’t sure where her things were supposed to go or with whom she was rooming. Judging by the stacked texts and well manicured folders, her roommate was a neat freak perfectionist with stellar grades. Not that she’d looked through anything, but someone with that much time to organize their stuff had to have high standards, no questions asked.

But the mystery woman wasn’t present, her laptop and cell phone left charging on her desk. Must’ve left to run some errands and for that, Karin was a little grateful. She needed some time to get used to this, as she started unloading her clothes into a nearby set of drawers and set out all her pictures. Karakura had been home for seventeen years but Karin was ready for an adventure, and she knew she wouldn’t find be able to find it there.

The twin-sized beds were separated by a bare strip of floor and in it laid two bedside tables. Meaningfully, she propped her family’s photo on the corner nearest her bed, a sad smile coming to her lips. Beside it, her mother was proudly displayed before she went back to assemble a decent working station.

It was when she was struggling with her bedsheets (why did those things never want to stay on their corners? It was a conspiracy) that she heard a knock at the door.

“Coming!” she called out and rushed to answer it. A little nervous, she greeted the visitor with a friendly smile. “Hi, can I help you?”

On the other side was an older boy, certainly an upperclassman, and an overtly attractive one at that. Standing a good few inches over her, he stared down at her in surprise and so she assumed he’d been expecting her roommate. A faint rush of envy hit her but she shoved it down with a quick shake of her head, hoping she wasn’t staring.

“Umm, yes. Are you new here?”

“Yeah, I just moved in,” she said, just a little too perky. It was hard playing nice with someone you didn’t know. That was what Yuzu was for.

“I see. Are you doing okay? Do you need any help?” he asked politely. Flushed, Karin couldn’t help but smile at his kindness.

Shaking her head, she tried to play it cool. “Nah, I’m fine. I don’t have that much stuff.” Except for six more boxes but whatever.

“Is that so? Well, what about Hinamori? Does she need any help?” Peeking just over her head, he peered into the room through the small crack.

“Actually, she’s not in right now. To be honest, I’m just assuming that’s her name because I haven’t officially met her yet.” A pause. “I haven’t really met you either now that I think about it.”

“Ah, sorry.” He held out his hand, appearing sheepish. “Hitsugaya Toushirou.”

She shook it. “Kurosaki Karin.”

“Well, if Hinamori’s not here…”

“Do you want to come in?” Cursing her awkwardness, the words came out in a pressurized stream and sounded overly friendly, like she didn’t want him to go. She tried again, “I’m sure she’ll be back soon and I’d feel bad if you missed her.”

“No, it’s not really that urgent…”

Embarrassed that she hadn’t even offered him something for coming by and with him being Hinamori’s boyfriend, Karin pressed on, “Please, I insist. Let me at least get you something to drink and if she doesn’t come back soon then you can head out after.”

Shifty eyes went from either side of the hallway, the walls filled to the brim with students and their belongings. Not fully comprehending the action, she saw the imperceptible nod of his head and breathed an inward sigh of relief. Karin stepped aside and offered him her chair as she searched for a bottle of water and some snacks, things she always had on-hand for guests, just like Yuzu taught her.

When he didn’t take a seat, she watched him with a growing frown. “Are you alright? Do you have something you need to do right now?”

“Uh, I’m not sure how to put this…” Hitsugaya trailed off, looking increasingly distressed for some reason. Then again, his eyes had just skimmed over her unfolded panties sticking out of a moving box, and that seemed like a fine reason to panic.

Panicked, she proceeded to kick it under the bed, nearly cursing when she stubbed her toe when it refused to budge. “Shi… Mmm. What is it?” She stood tall, hoping she was coming off even slightly normal. “Is there something the matter?”

“I just… I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.” He held up his hands in a defensive gesture, his glare softening into an understanding frown. And with that Karin was growing more and more confused by the second.

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“You seem like a perfectly nice girl—”

What the hell is he going on about? The question nearly fell out of her mouth but Hitsugaya looked so troubled that she stopped herself. Whatever it was, it was making her uncomfortable, as she tapped her fingers against her leg to ward off her anxiety.

“—and I don’t want you to think I have anything against you. Because I don’t. And, and, you’re… you’re very pretty so I’m flattered but…”

“Okay, hold on, let me stop you right there,” Karin halted him with her hand as she sent him her darkest glare. This guy was a jerk. Under that glossy exterior was some serious player, and here he was trying to get at his girlfriend’s new roommate on her first day at this school. Seriously, what the fuck?

“Look, buddy, I don’t know what kind of impression I gave you but I am not that kinda girl. I may not even know her whole name yet but my roommate deserves a whole hell of a lot more than some dick like you that goes around hitting on girls left and right—”

“Whoa, wait, now I’m confused,” Toushirou interrupted and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I wasn’t hitting on you. You were hitting on me.”

“What!? No I wasn’t!” Scanning her memory, not once did she remember saying, ‘Hey, baby, let’s do the horizontal tango’ or some other creepy line weirdos liked to use. That he’d accuse her of it was making her even more livid, as she clenched her fists at her sides to keep from launching herself at him. “You’re so full of it! You’re the one who came to my door and asked to see Hinamori-san. Who I’ve never met but who could really do with a better boyfriend than you, thanks very much.”

“Huh? I’m not Hinamori’s boyfriend!” he raged back, green irises darkening as he tried to reconfigure the situation, “I was just looking to see if her new roommate—you—got here safely and if everything was alright!”

“And why the hell would you do that if you weren’t her boyfriend?”

“Because I’m the RA, the resident assistant! I make sure everyone’s okay!”

And like a popped balloon, Karin’s anger deflated instantly. “Oh.” She licked her lips nervously, trying to grin up at him with a sugarcoating of apology. “I see. That makes sense.”

“Yes, it does,” he said finally, crossing his arms over his chest authoritatively and Karin knew she wasn’t going to get along with this man. Not any time in the near future at least.

“Wait, if you’re the RA, then why the hell did you think I wanted to have sex with you?” Forgetting her knack for a hyperbole, she skipped over flirting and dating and went straight for the gold. She was still a bit heated so her embarrassment remained masked.

This time, Hitsugaya had the decency to look flustered. “Well, you know, it’s not like it’s the first time it’s happened…”

Eyes bugging out, Karin nearly gagged on her own saliva. “I knew it! You are some campus playboy!”

“I am not!” he denied vehemently, still pink in the face as a proper glare met her smugness. “I’m very selective about who I take to bed, not that it’s any of your business. But when you invited me in, I didn’t want to say something that might be heard by other people…”

The thoughtfulness behind his intentions was almost enough for Karin to forgive him, understanding dawning as she recalled the hustle and bustle of new students coming through the halls. Just a snatch of a conversation, a poorly chosen word or a well meaning joke, could be devastating if it was heard by the wrong person. And while university was certainly not high school when it came to the rumor mill, her reputation was to be protected until she’d established a proper niche and group of friends.

Repentant, she scratched the back of her head and offered him another weak smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry about this.”

“No, I’m at fault too, for assuming,” Hitsugaya sighed tiredly but his edges relaxed into something she thought might be humor. “Next time I’ll get clarification if a girl is inviting me in for sex or not.”

Yeah, no, those girls are definitely trying to get at you, she thought as she laughed a little, still self-conscious and more than a little aware of her new RA. But at least the ice was properly broken, as he excused himself so he could go see more of the new tenants. As he closed the door behind him, Karin jumped onto her pillows and attempted to smother herself to death.

Explaining to her roommate that she was not suicidal was making her wonder if first impressions were always this difficult in college.

Humming to herself, Karin was pleased with the facilities her new campus offered. She’d explored the main library and the study rooms she’d definitely need in the upcoming years, saw the cafeteria and had a snack before passing a few of the buildings, and even took a moment to see the health services. It was from there that she was returning, hands stuffed into her pockets along with a few things she’d picked up there.

Who knew university gave out free condoms by the handful?

She certainly hadn’t, and frankly she’d gone a bit overboard as she stuffed more than a dozen into her jacket. It wasn’t as if she needed them since she’d been single for a while but she couldn’t help herself. They came in neat, little squares and pretty colors. Her hoarding habit was a necessary burden.

With her fists bundled in her sweater’s kangaroo pouch, Karin’s eyes were planted on her feet so she didn’t see the person turning the corner at the same time as her. Which was why she ended up on the ground, falling hard on her tailbone with a sharp yelp. Rubbing at her backside, she turned her face up to call out her oncoming wall.

And ‘lo and behold, there was Hitsugaya staring down at her with a queer look on his face. He scanned her and then the ground around her fallen form before raising a questioning brow.

He shot her a vaguely concerned glance. “Are you sure you’re not hitting on me, Kurosaki?”

“What the hell are you—” But the words got caught in her throat as her eyes bulged impossibly wide. All around her were the packaged condoms, so iconic in their size and shape that she couldn’t pass them off as anything other than what they were. They were littered about her like a halo of some artst-fartsy, abstract piece she wouldn’t understand.

She wanted to die there. Just… lay her down on a bed of contraceptives.

“This isn’t what it looks like.” She wasn’t sure what it looked like but it wasn’t anything good.

“I… don’t know what that means,” Toushirou replied, looking more and more uncertain. “And while I appreciate knowing you’re practicing safe sex, I think it’d be best if you kept that kind of information between you and your… partner.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not what it looks like!” she repeated, scrambling to pick up the mess she’d made before some other person saw her in such a compromising position. It took everything she had to overlook the distinct laughter that vanished down the corridor, a low, humble sound that made her pink with something other than embarrassment.

Now before anything else, let this be clear: Kurosaki Karin knew how to do laundry.

She could sort them by color, stuff them in the washer, put in just the right amount of detergent and fabric softener, set the timer on the dryer, and fold them while watching the latest episode of her favorite show. Yuzu wasn’t the only one with some domestic ability. She’d merely been the one to take them upon herself, that’s all.

Karin was pondering how she could explain this to Hitsugaya, as she tapped her chin and wondered just what went wrong. The washer was still on its spin cycle, jumping and groaning as the load got tossed around, as per usual. What was not usual was the waterfall of suds coming from the top and coating the floor. It seeped out and beneath the other machines, its size relaying that it’d be on for quite a while.

The look on Toushirou’s face was so priceless that she shot him a sunny beam. “Hey there, RA-san.”

“What happened in here?” he asked, visibly stunned as he took in the state of the laundry room. It was one in the morning, no one was around and so he wanted to finish a few loads as he read for his assignments. He didn’t expect this kind of catastrophe to hit, but he wasn’t surprised who was in the middle of it.

Uncaringly, she shrugged as she considered the mess again. “Looks like something went wrong.”

“Don’t you mean you did something wrong?”

“Hey, I didn’t do any of this. I was gone for thirty minutes and boom! It was like a tornado hit and some cleaning fairy got a little too excited.”

“Or you just put too much liquid detergent and now you don’t know how to shut the damn thing off,” Toushirou offered callously, setting down his own basket as he regarded the damage in its entirety.

“Hey, you have your theories, I have mine.” But the smile that she was trying to bite back was seen out of the corner of his eye, and for a moment Toushirou had to hold back his own grin.

But neither of them were happy when the dorm head forced them to help clean up the soapy disaster, citing it was too much for their janitors to do alone. When Hitsugaya had the nerve to complain beneath his breath that none of this was his fault he ended up with a face full of soap and an earful of melodic laughter.

Karin had been having a shitty few days. While her classes were okay, she was finding it hard to find time to complete her assignments and keep in touch with her family. Her brother wasn’t much of a problem as he preferred to text, dropping a few lines every other day to see if she was okay. Her father was a little more complicated and decided calling her was the only way he could talk to his ‘little princess.’ And more often than not he’d choose the times when she was in class to phone in, crying when she called back a few hours later and reprimanding  him for not thinking of her schedule.

But who she really wanted to talk to was Yuzu. After deciding to stay in Karakura for college, she’d been depressed to see her sister leave her behind. It was the right thing, they both understood that, because they had very different dreams to fulfill. But they were still coping, and getting used to life without one’s right arm wasn’t a hardship that someone simply got over.

So when she woke up that day and found Hinamori in the opposite bed, Karin felt a little out of sorts as she stumbled out of their room and out towards the shared showers. After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she decided to change her clothes after she had some breakfast.

Not as hungry as she thought she’d be, Karin went straight for a bowl and yawned into her hand, waving at a few people as she walked by their tables. Not many of her new friends dormed but the ones that did were nice and easygoing. Certainly better than that RA that popped up around her unwanted.

Stop thinking about him. He’s not even worth mentioning, Karin grumbled, standing in line with only half her attention span. Coffee was starting to sound really good right about now

She’d get some after she found a seat, she told herself, stepping in front of the large plastic containers and reviewed her options. After a moment, she moved down to the last one and placed her hand on the knob.

One twist. That was all it took.

In a scene straight from a movie, the brightly colored cereal spilled out into her bowl, down the table, and onto the floor in clattering that sounded eerily like raindrops. The little beads found ways under tables and people’s feet, as a few girls screamed in surprise when they crunched beneath their shoes. Even more horrifying was seeing an upperclassman slip on the fruit-flavored circles, sitting up straight as he looked around in confusion.

Groaning out loud, Karin sensed the weight of everyone’s stares turn on her, both accusing and bewildered, as she huddled into a ball against the edge of the table. The thud of heavy footsteps stopped nearby and she could feel a steady gaze surveying her, knowing exactly who it was.

“Seriously, Kurosaki? It’s you again?” Toushirou called out, exasperation in his sigh. Those simple words were the trigger opening her can of worms, as she shot up with an enraged huff. Her dark tresses fell down in what resembled medusa’s snakes and more than a few students scooted back from her, rightfully afraid.

“It’s not like I wanted this to happen! Does anyone actually plan for this kind of luck or does it just latch onto me!?”

“Kurosaki.”

“I just wanted some goddamn Froot Loops! No biggie, just something that everyone else in this damned room has!”

“Kurosaki!”

“Why does everything I touch die!?” she yelled dramatically, no longer caring about the scene she was making. There was cereal in her sock. She had absolutely no more shits to give.

“Karin!”

Swinging her arms in the air, she bestowed her most maniacal scowl on him, chest heaving as more hair fell into her eyes. “What the hell do you want, Toushirou!? Can’t you see I’m having a meltdown!?”

“It is literally the third week of school. Save all your meltdowns for finals like the rest of us,” he instructed, looking like the absolute picture of order.

Turning more sympathetic, he asked one of the other students to get a janitor to clean up the frosted rainbow mess as he took Karin’s hand and led her away from the crowded hall. No doubt there would be whispers of the strange girl with the ability to crush everything in her path. But even more interesting than that was the budding relationship she shared with her dorm’s RA, who twined their fingers and took her outside for some air.

It took a while for Karin to return to her senses and the shame that she was expecting to come finally gurgled to the surface, her face turning as ripe as a tomato as she dug it into her hands. There was no small amount of satisfaction on Hitsugaya’s face as he watched her, trying his best not to smile at her misfortune. If she wasn’t so mortified she’d be calling him out on his insensitivity. He hated to admit it but he kind of liked having her at a loss for words.

“Okay, enough with the pity party,” he spoke suddenly, not liking how she refused to look anywhere but her fingers.

“No, I’m having a grand ol’ time. Take your optimism and shove it.”

Chuckling, Hitsugaya hovered beside her and watched the lazy strolls of other students passing by. “It wasn’t so bad, you know. At least this mess didn’t require mops and a small cleaning crew.”

“Oh God, would you shut up?” Still bright red, she slugged him in the shoulder, trying her best to look sour.

Glad he got her attention, he held out his hand again but made sure to turn his gaze elsewhere. “Come on, I’ll buy you breakfast. Somewhere off campus where you won’t be able to do so much damage.”

“You’re such an ass. I hate you so much,” Karin accused, taking his grip and letting him guide them towards the south gate. Still upset, she began to list every single flaw of him she could name—and found that she didn’t have nearly enough because she got to seven and promptly ran out with an angry stutter.