Have you read my one-shot called "Saying Good-Bye…Again"? I wrote this HitsuKarin piece for an end-of-summer contest on deviantArt a few months back. I had quite a few reviewers ask me to expand on the story a bit (i.e. a "sequel"). I just finished "A Little Thing Called Fate" (ByaRuki) and decided to do just that. So welcome to "Precious Times Together".

For now, this is rated T. As they get older, I may delve into M territory, but will change the rating as needed.

I appreciate all reviews. It's nice to know someone is reading. Oh, and I don't usually post too many author's notes. So just because I don't say much, it doesn't mean I don't get and read all your feedback.

As you know from reading my one-shot, I decided not to kill Karin and have her live her life in the seireitei. I also decided not have Toshiro decide live on earth (a la Isshin Kurosaki). For this story, they remain a world apart only spending what little time they can spare together as human and Shinigami. This story is based on the times that they do spend together….

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Prologue

"Taicho!" interrupted Rangiku Matsumoto.

"What?" Toshiro Hitsugaya, taicho of squad 10 yelled back at his fukutaicho.

Rangiku sighed and her shoulders slumped. She was, quite frankly, a little sick of this. He just wouldn't stop talking about her. Rangiku was happy that finally, her taicho seemed to be interested in something other than being a taicho, but this was getting a bit old.

"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" he asked his close friend.

"Yes," she replied. "Once and for all, will you just go visit her? We're all sick of you talking about her all the time."

"But – my work, and training, and the soutaicho, and -," he started.

"That's what vacations are for, taicho," she explained. "And one of the benefits of being a taicho is the freedom to go there whenever you want. Face it, you are a workaholic and it is time to make a decision. What is going to make you happier – continuing to work in your office day in and day out….or going to visit her in the world of the living?"

Toshiro sighed. "You're right," he admitted. "I have got to learn to do things that I want to do and not just what will make the soutaicho happy."

"Oooo, and I'm sure if this situation amounts to anything, he won't be happy," Rangiku giggled.

"Shut up, Rangiku," said Toshiro. He did not like to be taunted, though he was used to the snide remarks out of his fukutaicho. "We're just friends."

Rangiku smirked. Yeah, for now, she thought to herself.

He walked to his desk and looked at the neat piles that were situated perfectly on both sides.

"I guess now is as good a time as any. I'm pretty much caught up," he said.

"Today's Thursday, so it is perfect," she highlighted. "Take tomorrow off and enjoy a long weekend," said Rangiku. "I can handle things here until Monday."

"Hai," said Toshiro. "Thanks."

Toshiro Hitsugaya, the taicho of squad 10, was an anal retentive control freak with a temper. He liked to be praised for a job well done and he always did his best to perform no matter what the task given him. Even when the work had seemingly run out, he always remained prepared for the next request that came his way. This was his life and now, this new interest of his was pulling him in two different directions. He had met someone in the world of the living that had peaked his interest, though she was still very young.

He first met her when he was on a mission to Karakura Town. He didn't know who she was at first, but she turned out to be the young sister of the substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. Her name was Karin. He was intrigued and even watched her from afar for a bit. Karin loved to play soccer and Toshiro even helped her rag-tag team of friends win a challenge with some older kids. He hadn't expected that hollow to appear that day. The hollow wasn't a huge challenge for the taicho, but a few things happened as a result. He found out that Karin could see him without a gigai and that she potentially possessed some of the same reitsu-based abilities that her brother had. She actually stood up to the hollow, though it was ultimately him that defeated it. There was a certain spark to her.

Toshiro ran into Karin once again on another recent visit to the world of the living. He hadn't meant to see her, but ultimately ended up staying with her family. The reason for his visit was to see his old friend, Granny Haru. Granny was one of the nicest people he knew – he had met her on his first mission ever to the world of the living. She could see him and ultimately was kind to him and fed him amanatto, one of his favorite things to eat. For some reason, Karin tagged along and even took a liking to Granny Haru as well. The fact that Karin wanted to continue visiting Granny Haru even without him warmed his normally icy heart.

Toshiro could clearly see that a bond was forming between the two of them and although he enjoyed thinking about Karin, he was not yet comfortable with the bond. It threatened the Shinigami he was – the one who was "all business, all serious, all the time". At first, he was going to try to ignore it. But then Rangiku starting urging him on...