Merry Christmas to you all! Yes, another one-shot.

This one is for ReginaCaelum! Hope you like your present ^_^ And, again, there's a picture to go with this! The link is on our Profile for anyone who wants to see it.

Title: Coffee Break

Author: MeteorLeopard (SugarFox)

The bustling sound of methodical paperwork rustled in the brightly lit office as the sheets were moved from pile to pile. The one and only paperwork extraordinaire, Hitsugaya-taicho of the tenth squad had been at it for hours, signing paper after paper and filling in form after form as if his life depended on it. Which it probably did, because if Matsumoto had allowed it to pile any higher, he probably would have drowned under the flood of it.

Good grief, that woman was a horrible fukutaicho! He couldn't even leave his office for a few days to go on a very important mission without things getting out of hand. Damn that woman!

Although he supposed this was what he got for returning to the real world to attend Kurosaki Ichigo's wedding and not allowing Matsumoto to come with. It was a rather nice ceremony, and well worth the effort of attending with only the Kurosaki family and a few close friends in attendance. Byakuya, to walk his sister down the aisle, and Renji as the best man, were the only other people at the wedding who were actually from Seireitei, if you didn't count the bride herself.

Toushirou was actually glad that it was a small gathering, simply because of the chaos that would have ensued if half of Soul Society had pitched up. He shuddered at the thought of how much paperwork would have had to be done because of the damages between a drunk Matsumoto and a blood thirsty Zaraki. Not to mention Ukitake's sickly health, Mayuri's tendency to kidnap innocent children as test subjects and Komamura howling when the organ played the wedding march. It would be a nightmare! No wonder Byakuya forbade a huge wedding. Besides, Byakuya adored his sister. The man might not openly show it, but it was very clear that anyone who ruined his beloved nee-chan's wedding and dented the Kuchiki pride would feel the wrath of Senbonzakura!

Truth be told, Toushirou hadn't even wanted to attend the wedding at all, but Karin had threatened him with a fate worse than death if he left her to deal with it on her own, and who was he to invoke the wrath of a teenage girl? It was not often that he was invited to these types of occasions, and he supposed that a well deserved break, just for a couple of days at least, was more than deserved after working alongside Matsumoto for the past decade.

So he had decided to attend at the last minute, thrown on a suit and skidded in just in time to find a seat and see Rukia glide gracefully down the aisle. He earned himself a glare from Byakuya for being late. However once the music began to play, Toushirou's gaze was not really on the bride, but rather on the soccer-loving girl beside her, who was trying not to tug irritably at her bridesmaid dress. Karin had a smile plastered on her face that just screamed murder for the person who had forced her into the dress.

Karin was a vision in dark blue silk. At least Rukia had good taste in colour. Once the ceremony was over, Toushirou had enjoyed himself at the reception party and successfully managed to get Karin to dance with him. She had blushed bright red and then insulted his two left feet, but they'd had fun all the same.

Toushirou had also stayed at the Kurosaki house for a couple of days before he returned to Seireitei. He was originally booked into a hotel but, to his chagrin, Matsumoto had chosen some seedy looking motel that had definitely bribed the health inspector to be approved. Toushirou had relocated to the Kurosaki household once he'd found three rats under his bed and a snake of some form living in the closet. (Perhaps there to eat the rats? He had to wonder…)

To his surprise he'd enjoyed his few days of leave and was now wondering if the huge pile of paperwork was worth the time off. Toushirou's thoughts wandered to his time spent with Karin and he decided that it was well worth his while, and doing it again soon was definitely on the agenda even if he had to do three times the amount of paperwork that he was stuck with now.

He and Karin had been friends for a while now and it was always nice to see the girl again, though it was a little awkward ever since he'd noticed how pretty she could be.

It was after the wedding and his return to work that he had discovered the huge piles of paperwork kindly left for him by his useless fukutaicho. His desk was lost underneath it and Matsumoto was nowhere to be found. He had wondered if he should hunt her down and make her do it, but she was probably drunk out of her skull and the energy needed to track her down most likely not even worth the effort.

He had decided to get cracking since all this work was his problem now. So here he was, nearly twenty hours later, and he was barely halfway done. His eyes were burning in their sockets, his neck was cramping with excruciating pains and his fingers were covered in paper cuts. To top it all off, his head was throbbing mercilessly and the words were swimming all over the pages.

Toushirou brought a hand to his neck and, stretching it wearily, glanced at the clock on the office wall. It was three am, and if he could have his way, he would be dead asleep right now. He groaned and rubbed his eyes before picking up his brush to continue his work. He could barely think straight and it felt as though his brain had short circuited. Toushirou was sure that he'd just read the same line three times over without absorbing a word of what was written on the paper. Taking a closer look at the document, he realized that he had gone and approved a form which allowed a larger sake budget for the tenth squad. If that wasn't an indicator of how tired he was, then nothing was. What kind of person in their right mind would give Matsumoto more sake? That was just it. He wasn't in his right mind. Not even close.

He was so tired that he barely had a second to register that his office door had slid open to reveal a single figure entering, holding a steaming cup of coffee. There was a gentle patter as they approached his desk and Toushirou tried to reread what he just written, trying to make sense of why he had the report of Ukitake's blood pressure. Was he missing something?

"Hey Toushirou," a quiet voice piped up and Toushirou lifted his head to nod, much to the protest of his aching neck, as the dark-haired girl placed the cup on the only free space on his entire desk.

"Hey Karin," he answered absent mindedly before he continued with his work, barely registering what was going on around him. Karin just gave him a small smile and left his office quietly, sliding the door closed behind her. It was only a few seconds later that his slow brain realized that there was something very wrong with this picture.

Wait a minute, what just happened? Had he finally lost his mind from copious amounts of paperwork or was that Karin who had just come into his office? What the hell was she even doing in Seireitei? She had never been here before and unless his brain was completely addled from the paperwork, Karin had made him coffee. Huh?

Maybe it was just one of his regular Karin-dreams that were being transformed into a hallucination because of a lack of sleep? He would almost have believed this lame excuse until his gaze fell on the steaming cup of coffee sitting right in front of him amongst all his paperwork. He reached out a tentative hand as though he thought it was a figment of his imagination and, grasping the cup, he took a quick sip of the warm drink. It was perfect. Milk, two sugars. Nobody other than Karin knew how he liked his coffee. She was, after all, the one who had given him the secret to how to drink the awful beverage that Abarai so often cursed. Toushirou had also become quite addicted to it while he stayed at the Kurosaki household, and it was all Karin's fault.

Verdict of slow-on-the-uptake brain: Karin was here.

Toushirou jumped out of his chair, knocking it over, and sprinted for the door. Running into the couch on the way past, he cursed and rubbed his throbbing knee before he burst out of the room. He froze in the hallway and looked up and down to see where she had gone. He saw Karin's outline at the end of the dark passage and he guessed that his little deduction session had taken about thirty seconds. He caught up to her quickly and Karin turned when she heard his footsteps behind her. Toushirou reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder to stop her completely and make sure she wasn't a mirage. She wasn't! She was really here! Toushirou suddenly didn't care about his throbbing head anymore.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" he asked her, surprised. Karin had certainly never come to Seireitei before, even though he had invited her twice already.

"Walking," she told him simply with a smile and Toushirou forgot to breathe for a second; her smile was so beautiful and somewhat of a rarity. "Or at least I was before you stopped me," her grin grew wider and she shrugged as if everything was hunky-dory.

There was a second or two of silence as Toushirou registered what she had said, and Karin wondered if he was alright.

Toushirou realized that his hand was still on her shoulder and that Karin felt really warm under his cool grip. It was nice and he tried not to blush as he jerked his hand off her shoulder; not that it helped since his face was beginning to heat up anyway. 'Smooth Toushirou, very smooth', he chided himself. Then Toushirou shook his head, causing his spiky white hair to whip just a little bit. "No, I mean, what are you doing in Seireitei?" He clarified for her, and a look of almost mocking comprehension dawned on her face.

"Oh, I am moving Ichi-nii's stuff into the Kuchiki mansion while he and Rukia-nee are on honeymoon," Karin explained easily and Toushirou nodded as though it made perfect sense. Why didn't he think of that? Oh yes, because his brain had imploded! "Any other interrogating questions?" Karin joked and he nodded slowly, looking as though a piece of the puzzle was still missing.

"Yes. How the hell did you find my office when this is your first time in Seireitei?" he asked slowly, the confusion evident on his face. Then he blinked and thought about his words for a moment. "This is your first time here, right?" Karin laughed as though it was the most absurd question on earth. What did he think? That she came to visit the land of the dead and then avoided him? If anything, he would definitely be the first person she would come and see. Heaven knows, she didn't really know anyone else other than Renji and Matsumoto.

"What is so funny?" He asked her irritably, wondering what he had missed. His deep sense of annoyance with his slow reaction rate was rising from his exhausted state. Karin's laughter subsided as she calmed herself down with a deep sigh as she leaned in to ruffle his hair. He was too tired to even attempt to protest.

"It isn't rocket science Toushirou," she told him. "Your office light is the only one burning in the entire Seireitei and I can see it from my bedroom window at the Kuchiki mansion," she explained with an amused grin. "Also, if the huge '10' written on your squad barracks wasn't an indicator, then I don't even want to know what was."

"Oh," was his bewildered reply as he blinked slowly, and Karin poked him with her finger to bring him back to reality.

"You are completely fried," Karin declared, seeing his unfocused stare. Normally Toushirou's eyes were sharp and piercing, making her feel a little nervous, but now they looked groggy and slow. "Leave the paperwork and go sleep. You can continue tomorrow," she told him firmly and he nodded slowly. That did sound awfully nice. Sleep. Escape from this world for a couple of hours…

Karin placed a hand on his shoulder and Toushirou tried not to shiver under her soft touch as she began to steer him back to his office with firm yet gentle hands. No! He couldn't possibly! He needed to finish! He had to do his job! Toushirou knew he had to protest, the paperwork wasn't going to do itself, but Karin's hands were so calming. He could feel her right behind him, her small yet curvy body a half step behind him, and he remembered her in his arms as they danced at the wedding. This was not the time to go off on a Karin-fantasy tangent, he told himself. However, under Karin's careful guidance, Toushirou felt the throbbing in his head fading slowly, and his eyelids seemed determined to rest.

Reaching his deserted office, she pushed him to the couch in the center of the room and with a commanding voice, she pointed at it and told him to sleep. Toushirou stood for a few seconds before Karin gave him a prod with her finger and he sat down.

"I can't-" He began to protest when she flopped herself onto the couch beside him and, crossing her legs, she took off her jacket to create a make-shift pillow on her lap. "What are you-" He tried again but she cut him off by grabbing his shoulders with firm hands and pulling him down to sleep with his head in her lap. Toushirou tried not to think about the fact that Karin was running her fingers through his hair. He was too tired to blush. It felt so right.

"There. Now sleep," Karin told him in a tone that didn't leave room for argument. Toushirou really didn't want to, but he was just so tired. Maybe just for a few minutes, he decided, exhausted. Karin nodded in approval, and before he could so much as remember where he was, he was pulled into the darkness of slumber.

Toushirou was having the strangest dream. Karin was in Seireitei and she had not only made him coffee, but also told him to go to sleep in her lap. It was a nice dream, and if it weren't for the super bright sunlight searing his face, he would continue to enjoy it. After a couple of minutes of trying to ignore it with little success, he gave up with a groan of protest and opened his eyes groggily. Wiping his eyes slowly, he had to blink twice before he registered that he had been asleep on the couch in his office. No wonder he was feeling a bit stiff.

His hands grasped the material that he had been clenching as a blanket a few seconds before and he was surprised to see that it was a black soccer jacket. Karin's black soccer jacket? Nah, there were probably a hundred of these all over the place. He lifted the jacket to his face and, breathing in deeply, he inhaled the unique scent of Karin's apple shower gel mixed with an earthy smell that probably came from playing soccer. The apple scent was the same as her mother's one, Karin had told him once, which is why the girl was so fond of it. There was no doubt that this was Karin's soccer jacket.

So where was Karin?

She wasn't in the office and Toushirou was slightly disappointed. Why was she gone? His imagination switched to complete overdrive as he thought of her perhaps being upset because of the sleeping-in-her-lap thing. No, Karin wouldn't get angry about something like that; besides she had practically forced him to sleep on her lap. So what reason would there be for her to be angry with him? Unless he said something that he wasn't supposed to while he was sleeping? He never had a track record for talking in his sleep before, but still. Had he perhaps said something awkward? Now that was sure something that could throw a spanner in the works.

He would go and find her later.

Toushirou took another look at Karin's jacket. Despite himself, a light blush began to settle on his face at the thought of the fact that Karin had seen him dead asleep. Her fingers had been combing through his hair too…

He sincerely hoped that he didn't snore or drool in her presence, because she would make sure he didn't forget it. He got up slowly, and with a wide yawn, he stretched easily before getting up. Remembering what had happened the night before, he was glad that Karin had forced him to sleep. He was refreshed and he was ready to finish the last of the paperwork before he went to find some food. It would take a couple of hours at most and he would be escaping the walls soon.

Toushirou made his way towards his desk and noted that something was very wrong. He did a double take at how neat everything was. Firstly, all the paperwork was done and all that remained was a small stack of six or seven sheets. Secondly, there was a small note on his desk, folded with his name on it in small neat script.

He picked up the note and read over it quickly. It was from Karin, and from the thin writing, he could tell that it had been done in a black pen from the real world.

Hey Toushirou!

That is the last of it and all they need is your signature. I was in there for hours and you didn't even notice. You sleep like the dead. (Get it? Coz you're dead.)

Now you owe me. So when you are awake, come by the Kuchiki mansion and we can have lunch and kill Kuchiki's plants with a soccer ball. Sounds like fun doesn't it?

Love, Karin

P.S: I refused to use that stupid ink and brush that you're so fond of after it ruined my shirt, so now all of your reports are done in ballpoint. Deal with it.

Toushirou had to rejoice. The note said 'Love Karin'. She wouldn't write that if she were angry with him. Toushirou smirked at the piece of paper and shoved it into a drawer before leaving the office. He was hungry as hell and the opportunity of an afternoon with Karin was just too good to resist. Besides, he was due for a coffee break anyway.

Omake:

Kuchiki Byakuya was strolling through his garden. A demolition site. He couldn't be too sure, but he was convinced that there used to be plants here! He leaned forward and, scrutinizing a mutilated shrubbery, he glared. It was dead. Uprooted. Mutilated. Murdered.

When Kurosaki Karin had told him she was going to play soccer in the garden, he hadn't worried too much. How much damage could a human girl possibly do? Of course, then Hitsugaya-taicho had shown up too and Byakuya had been even more appeased, absolutely certain that the young captain would keep the Kurosaki girl under control.

Oh, how woefully wrong he'd been. What the hell had they been playing? How dare they ruin his prize begonias! They would feel his wrath!

His hand moved to his belt and reached for his one and only solution; something sliver and pointed.

Karin and Toushirou paled from their hiding place behind a Sakura tree and gulped, preparing to meet their doom at the hands of the infamous Kuchiki blade. Karin was about to start praying when she saw Byakuya pull out something small and shiny from his uniform and crouch down before the flowerbed, the little shovel gleaming.

A Kuchiki with a green thumb? Priceless.