Here are some Bleach pairings that I think will actually happen, I understand that others will have different ideas. Feel free to PM me, I'm always open to discussions! HitsuKarin is the main pairing in this story, however there will be some others such as: IchiRuki, and Jinta X Yuzu. However, before we begin this story, there is a concept I'd like to make clear. This is important, because it will relate to everything in the story.
On Valentine's day in Japan, the Japanese have a tradition where the females give the male, chocolates (store-bought or home-made) as an expression of gratitude, love, courtesy, or social obligation. On March 14th, also known as White Day, exactly one month from Valentine's Day, the males who received honmei-choco, "chocolate of love", or giri-choco, "courtesy chocolate", from the ladies, are expected to return the favour by giving gifts. The rule is that gifts are expected to be at least twice or triple the cost (sanbai gaeshi, "triple the return") of the Valentine's gift. The gifts to the ladies are mostly: cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie, and marshmallows.
Now that you know the basic tradition, let's get on with the story, shall we?
Karin's POV
It was February 10th, 4 more days until Valentine's Day. Ichi-nii was with his friends doing who knows what in the park or whatever. I don't check up on him, because I know he can manage himself. My dad (I'm shameful to even call him that) was at a party with some of his highschool classmates, so that left just me and Yuzu. In a few minutes, it would be just me. You see, life in highschool wasn't that great. Sure, a couple cute boys here and there, but for me, it's all about sports and academics. For Yuzu, it was completely the opposite. She acted all girly in front of the seniors, I mean WTH? I'd rather kick a soccer ball to improve my kicks and scores. Lately, she's been hanging out with that red-headed guy who goes by the name Jinta Hanakari. A real hot-head, arrogant guy, and a pain in the ass. Yuzu could do so much better, but yet she chose to stay by him. I have pity for her, I really do. It seemed all my friends have dates and all that. I'm the only one who doesn't, and I don't really care. For all I know, I could stay at home while Yuzu and the rest venture out on prom night. I really don't care.
Yuzu went out to buy ingredients to make her honmei-choco for Jinta. As bored as I was, I went out, leaving the house deserted until Yuzu came back. Grabbing my soccer ball, and slipping in my sneakers, I ran to the soccer field to hone my skills. In 2 days, Natsumi (my best friend), a few other girls and I, were versing the boys in my class after school, and I needed to practice. Just when I was running down the hill, I saw this strange, petit, white-haired boy leaning against the stop sign. He seemed very engrossed in his cell phone, not paying any attention to the road.
"Hey kid! It's almost sundown, are you allowed to stay out this late by yourself?" I called out. Damn, I was being so reckless. Then again, if he was ran over because he was too far out on the road, while I stood there watching, the charges would be on me. I didn't want that to happen, obviously. To my amazement, that white-haired kid responded to me.
"I'm not a kid! My height doesn't prove anything!" a vein popped out of his head.
"Well, you look like an elementary kid! Anyways, aren't you too young to be addicted to cell phones?" I asked, while I approached cautiously.
"I'M NOT AN ELEMENTARY KID, DAMMIT! Mind your own business. What I do now doesn't concern you," the kid spazzed at me.
"What's your name? I'm Karin Kurosaki, currently enrolled in Karakura High, the same highschool my older brother goes to. What about you?" I extended a hand.
"...Hitsugaya Toshiro," Toshiro replied after a minute.
That was how I met Toshiro, that was the day my life changed.
I went out to the field to practice again, and sure enough, Toshiro was there too, leaning on the sign, looking all cool and that. As I went down the hill, Toshiro followed me. I shrugged him off, and proceeded with my routine. One lap around the field, then close in the net, finally, score. That was basically it, but it was essential. I lost control of the ball, and it went flying towards Toshiro. Looking quite annoyed, he caught the ball in mid-air and dropped it on the ground.
"You say you're the sister of Ichigo?" he asked. I nodded. Then, he closed his cell phone with a snap, and kicked the ball all the in the net. The net was at least a yard away. I was in awe, this elementary kid was something!
"...Toshiro, right? Can you...um...help me practice for tomorrow's game? I have this unofficial after school game with the guys in my class, but there's only gonna be me, Natsumi, Haniko, and Misa. Because we're short on players, I need to practice to make up for it," I was embarrassed. God, I was pathetic!
"...Fine. I'll see what you can do so far. What you have to do is to kick the ball and score it in the net, right?"
"Yes."
"Easy enough."
I got my very own private tutor from that day. After the training, I walked up to him.
"Uh... Would you, um...Can you... participate-in-my-game-tomorrow?" I blurted out.
Toshiro raised one of his eyebrows. "Come again, say what?"
"Can. You. Participate. In. My. Game. Tomorrow. Toshiro?" I repeated, pronouncing each word.
"No."
What? He was obviously good at soccer, and it wasn't like he needed to be someplace else, right? He was always here, leaning on the stop sign!
"I said no. I have to go now, Karin," Toshiro said coldly.
Toshiro's POV
After that was settled, I headed to Inoue's flat. I needed to talk to Matsumoto, quickly.
"Oh, Taicho! There you are! I was worried about you!" Matsumoto came waltzing in, with a bunch of bags. Shopping spree, huh. "Where were you? Going off with that Kurosaki girl, aren't you? Ichigo's little sister, the black-haired one?"
I immediately blushed, but I didn't know why. I was just training her, right? No romance there. Then why did I have butterflies in my stomach every time I see her? Made absolutely no sense, whatsoever.
"Pssh, no. And anyways, I was just training her for her game tomorrow," I defended myself. Matsumoto gave me a flirtatious look. I knew where this was going.
"You lllllllllliiiiiiike her, don't you? Aw, Taicho, all these years I thought- no everyone thought you're cold-hearted. You sure proved us wrong! Come on, tell me what's her name!" Matsumoto squealed delightly, while rolling her tongue at the "like" part. Ugh, I can't stand her high-pitched voice.
"Her name is... Karin. Enrolling in Karakura High, same school that Kurosaki goes to," I muttered under my breath.
"Ooooo, you know her name and her school! You little stalker, it's not freaky, it's cute!" Matsumoto waved her hand in front of my face.
"Just... stop, Matsumoto. Stop, or else I'll pile a lot of paperwork for you when we go back to Soul Society!" I irritately responded. She just shrugged it off and skipped back to Inoue's. What a hassle she was! However, she was sort of right. The more Karin and I bonded, the more attached I felt towards her. Dammit, what was wrong with me?
Karin's POV
I arrived home fashionablely late, 10 minutes late to curfew. Even Ichi-nii was already there.
"This is a shock! My daughter, Karin is actually late! This is a surprise, where have you been? Oh, Masaki, look at our children! They're maturing so much! I-" my idiot of a father cried.
To cut him short, I punched him in the gut. It wasn't rare that I would do that, though.
"Masaki, our children are mean to me! Hel-"
Smack! I tripped him over, and made my way to the kitchen.
"Hey, Yuzu what did you make?" I asked as I sat down, ready to eat. "Can I talk to you after dinner?"
Yuzu looked surprised, "Well, it's curry. Onii-chan's favourite! Eat up, Karin!"
After dinner, I helped Yuzu wash the dishes while Ichi-nii went to his room to study. Goat-face (dad) was busy lounging on the couch and watching TV. I had time to talk to my fraternal twin.
"So, what did you want to talk about, Karin?" she asked.
"..How did you and Jinta become...you know..." I started off.
"Oh, that! Why are you so curious all of a sudden? Did you meet your prince? Is it Takeru, that cute boy in your class?" Yuzu exclaimed excitely.
"..No. Not Takeru, he's not my type. Too much of a playboy, damn right! It's just, there's this guy who looks like he's in elementary, but he's not. He's really arrogant sometimes, and I just met him like, yesterday. I think... I think I'm falling for him, Yuzu. You gotta help me, please!" I explained my situation carefully.
"Aw, Karin's got a crushie-wushie! Don't worry, I will help you. What's his name?"
"Toshiro Hitsugaya."
"Physical characteristics?"
"Short, about 4'5". White, spiky hair, teal eyes, wears casual clothing."
"Anything else?"
"VERY obsessed over his cell phone. Nice, I guess."
"Aw, you and Toshiro make such a good couple! It's 3 days till Valentine's day! Go give him a honmei-choco! I'll help you make it, after I make one for Jinta-kun."
"...Thanks, Yuzu. I knew I could count on you."
The day of the soccer game came, and I was revved up. Time to show those boys who's better in soccer! We started the game and we pwned them 14 to 4. That was just the first game. By the second game, my team was so far ahead, it was clear who would win. Amidst all this, I spotted a white-haired boy leaning against a stop sign. Toshiro! He walked towards me and while the other team had the ball, he stole it from them. While keeping his distance from the team leader, Ryuko he scored 2 goals. The whole soccer game was finished in an hour, and my team won (obviously).
"Thanks, Toshiro. For helping my team," I hid my face and blushed.
"Naw, it's no problem. Now that's done, I have to go," Toshiro left.
I arrived home with a big grin on my face.
"Uh-oh. Something happened. What happened, Karin?" Ichi-nii asked casually over his shoulder.
"Uh..Nothing! I just won my soccer game, that's all."
"You win all the time, why is this time so special?"
"W-well, I met this guy, that's like 4'5", has white hair, and has teal eyes. He helped me score goals today. T-that's all, Ichi-nii. Now would you excuse me, I'm going upstairs. I have homework."
"Hold it! A kid about this tall (he indicated to his waist level), has white hair and teal eyes? Is his name... Toshiro Hitsugaya by any chance?" Ichi-nii caught me off caught with his question.
"How do you know him?" I was bewildered.
"Che, I've... worked with him. Where is he right now?" Ichi-nii questioned.
"I don't know. He had to leave after the game," I responded.
Ichi-nii sighed irritately, "I'm going over to Inoue's, okay? Stay here with Yuzu 'till I'm back." And he was off.
Ichigo's POV
That bastard, hooking up with Karin! I knew something was off by the way my little sister acted! Oh, he's gonna get it from me now! I sprinted all the way to Inoue's flat. When I arrived, I pounded on her door loudly, so she could hear me.
"K-kurosaki-kun?" she was surprised.
"Is Toshiro here?" I asked.
"Y-yeah, one sec. Come in, Kurosaki-kun," she greeted me.
Once I was inside, I quickly searched for the short, midget white-haired bastard. I found him lounging on the couch, reading some Narnia books.
"You teme! What did you do to Karin? You made her look all dreamy when she came home!" I grabbed the collar of his shirt and slammed him to the wall. "Spit it out, Toshiro! If you lay one finger on my little sister, I will kill you. You get that?"
"Woah woah woah, Kurosaki. I did nothing, all I ever did was help her score a few goals, no biggie. No need for you to go all mother gorilla on me. Is it a crime to help her? I didn't kill her or anything. By the way, it's Captain Hitsugaya to you," Toshiro narrowed his eyes.
I let go of him and he went crashing towards the ground. "Just remember, don't you dare hurt a single hair on her head. Or else."
"Yeah, I know. I'll take good care of her, Kurosaki."
I turned to leave, but an idea popped in the back of my head. I turned back to Toshiro, "Where did ou meet her, anyways?"
"None of your business," Toshiro said coldly, but I noticed his cheeks turning slightly pink.
"You're blushing, Toshiro... Don't tell me... you have a crush on Karin?" I choked on my own words in laughter and surprise.
"No. Why do you think that, Kurosaki?"
"Well, 'cause you blushed?"
"I didn't blush. It's too warm in here for an ice-type shinigami."
"Right, whatever you say to save your pride."
"Shut up Kurosaki, or I'll hit you."
"So you admit it!"
"...No."
"Yeah right."
"Fine. So what if I do?"
"'So what if you do'? WTH, I just pinned you up a wall threatening you not the harm her. And now you're gonna run off to the sunset with her?"
"No, I don't know if she'll accept me. We didn't even know each other for a week. It's way too early for her to like me, and it's way too early for me to have affections for her."
"Damn right you are!"
"So, what about you and Rukia? How are things going?"
"Shut it, Whitey."
"'Whatever you say to save your pride'"
"Stop quoting me," I left Inoue's flat and sprinted back to my house.
When I opened the door, I was greeted with a Chappy plush bunny on my face. Can you guess who owns it? It's not difficult at all.
"Ichigo! You're here!" Rukia punched me - or attempted to. I dodged and caught her fist.
"Worried about me? Why should you? I'm a perfect, capable young man now. I don't need you to worry abo-"
Rukia punched me in the gut, didn't see that coming.
"You baka! Why did you come back?"
Huh? Now that I took a good look at her, she wore an apron that was covered in chocolate, flour, and some green-ish substance I couldn't really identify. I turned away to stiffle a laugh. Was she trying to cook or something?
"Don't laugh, Ichigo. Something was wrong with the mixer. Let's see you cook and bake hon-" Rukia started her smartass reply.
Yuzu covered her mouth quickly. Something was fishy here... Hon- what? Honey? Hm, what was Rukia making? Or rather, there were three people in the kitchen, all probably making the same thing. Even though my family was a weird one, it was rare to see two people in the kitchen making the same thing, much less three. Karin, Rukia and Yuzu were all wearing chocolate-covered aprons, and the sight tempted me to laugh.
"Yuzu, are you taking these two as your apprentices in cooking?" I stiffled a laugh.
"Stop laughing Onii-chan! This is serious business, I have to teach these two to bake and cook before... when they enter university!" Yuzu covered up her mistake in her sentence.
"Rukia here won't ever go to university. Don't ask me why, but she just won't. She has a wealthy brother who probably haves a lot of servants to cook her meals everyday until the day she's independant," I said casually.
I received a punch in the arm. Ow much?
"Well, Onii-chan, can you go upstairs for now? We girls need some time alone, okay? I'll call you down for dinner," Yuzu said.
I scowled before I dragged myself upstairs. Before I went to my room, I went in the fridge to grab a granola bar as a snack. On my way up the stairs, I realized I could spy on the girls. Now now, for all you pervs out there, I didn't mean it that way! I meant I wanted to know what they were hiding. So, as quietly as a slithering snake, I tip-toed mid-way down the stairs. There, I had a perfect view of them, without being noticed.
"Come on, Rukia! Do you want him to like you, and appreciate you for once?" Yuzu momentarily scolded the raven-haired midget. Wait, who was "him"?
"Yeah yeah, but he will never like me back!" the midget responded.
"Please just finish off your batter," was Yuzu's reply.
"Help please, Yuzu?" Karin complained. My sister groaned loudly.
"Karin! What did you do? Now the chocolate won't taste as good! You gotta mix it like this!"
"Sorry, I'll start again."
"You better if you want what's-his-name to like you!"
Oh, so this was the "private girls talk" Yuzu mentioned. Karin wanted to make the honmei-choco for Valentine's Day. I saw where this was getting to, and I was shocked. Karin, the most toughest member of our family, had feelings for Toshiro! This was getting worse and worser by each second. Yuzu had that Jinta bastard, and Karin was leaning towards that white-haired freak? The news surprised me so much that I almost fell down the stairs. Thankfully, I caught myself before I was in deep shit. If Karin was making chocolate for Toshiro, and Yuzu was with Jinta, then who was Rukia head over heels in love with? Renji? Ishida? Ashido? Who?
February 13th
Karin's POV
I was so tired from all the kneading, mixing, and baking that I overslept. On the bright side, it was Saturday, not a weekday, so I didn't miss school or anything. I got up and immediately went to the fridge to check up on my chocolate. It was simply beautiful, with all the molding, it looked just like it was from the store, but better. Toshiro would surely accept this! In the middle, I had his name engraved in fancy cursive letters with a small heart around it. Tomorrow's Valentine's Day, finally! I knew I had to hide the gift for Toshiro from my dad, because I knew he would eat it at the first sight. I pushed it to the back of the refridgerator. I spun around to find myself face to face with Ichi-nii.
"What are you doing? You're hiding something, aren't you?" he raised an eyebrow, something he improved over the years.
"N-no, Ichi-nii! It's nothing, I'm just getting milk for cereal!" I grabbed the milk carton, trying to cover up my chocolate. Ichi-nii dodged the carton, and saw my secret.
"Don't tell me that's for Toshiro, because if it is...I'm just gonna say you can do way better, my sis," my older brother waved his hand and dismissed the subject. He saw two others, but I didn't think he cared. To hide my embarrassment, I went out to practice scoring goals. My soccer ball missed, and hit a needle or something, making it totally deflated.
Ichigo's POV
I did, in fact see two other chocolates and two packs of store-bought chocolates as well, in the fridge, but I was gonna check them out later on, when no one was in the house. I went upstairs to finish up my homework, and found Rukia sprawled across my bed, fast asleep. When did she-
I saw Chappy drawings in a neat pile on my desk. Was Rukia drawing before she went to sleep? Well, whatever, I needed to catch up with my work, since it was all Shinigami time for the past month. I couldn't concentrate, no matter how hard I tried, because Rukia was sleeping. Her very presence disturbed me, so as quietly as I could, I shoved her in the closet, leaving only a crack open for air. Finally, I could concentrate! After an hour or so, I was finished. Yes, I work fast, for those pondering about it. I just remembered the chocolates, so I went downstairs casually. Yuzu wasn't there for once, and Karin was probably out in the field kicking her soccer ball around.
Glancing around briefly, I dug inside the fridge. Karin's chocolate, whether it was honmei or giri, was the furthest away, at the very back of the refridgerator. I took it out carefully, and what I saw amazed me. Right there, in fancy cursive, was Toshiro's name. God, there was even a heart around it. Still looking like it was a giri-choco? Not so much. Yuzu's was (of course) to Jinta, but the real mystery was who deserved Rukia's chocolate. Just as I reached for it, I almost blacked-out. It turned out Rukia woke up, decided to get a snack, caught me sneaking, and wanted to kick me. Very Rukia-style, indeed.
"What are you doing?" she screeched in my ear as soon as I recovered.
"Nothing, midget. Anyways, this is my house. I have a right to be in the kitchen, whereareas you on the otherhand are just a 'freeloader'," I retorted, using Jinta's name for Renji whenever he crashed at the Urahara's Shop.
"..Baka. According to your father, I'm his third daughter, indicating I'm part of the family too, and this house is mine as well!"
"Who cares about that goat-face? If you're the 'third daughter', I'd leave right when you were born, so I wouldn't have to face all this trouble. I don't want to be related to you for God's sake!"
Rukia just bit her lip and went back to my room. What was her problem anyways? We always fought like this, what happened to her?
"Hey! Look, I'm sorry if I offended you or anything!" I called after her. I would've ran after her, but knowing her, she needed time to cool off and brush this off. Instead, I plopped myself on the couch, and turned on the T.V. After switching the channels for several minutes, I got bored and decided to go upstairs to my room.
As I ascended the stairs, I heard something so un-Rukia-like. Sobbing was emitted throught the door, and I was afraid to take a step closer. Next, I heard Rukia blowing her nose. What was going on here? I knocked softly on the door.
"G-go a-away, I-ichigo. I k-know it's you out t-there. P-please, just leave and l-let me b-be for now," was the response I got.
"Look Rukia, what's wrong? You're like my best friend, you can tell me anything," I sighed.
When I said "best friend", the sobbing increased. Damn, what a nuisance she really was!
"Ugh, what is with you today? We fought like we always do, and then you start crying! You are a frickin' Kuchiki!"
"You don't understand Ichigo! Everyone expects me to be this and that, because I'm a Kuchiki. They don't understand what it feels to be free and have all those burdens off your shoulders! They don't understand the meaning of "fun", because they're all serious. So, don't say that anymore, it will pain me even more."
"Okay, but what's wrong?"
"If you really want to find out, go back downstairs and check the fridge. Just leave me alone for once, Ichigo!"
Whoa, harsh. I retreated downstairs quietly, and headed back to the fridge. Attempt numero deux! I carefully reached in Rukia's chocolate and my surprise almost caused the chocolate to flip over and land on the ground.
The chocolate was shaped in a heart (something only Yuzu could've taught her), but there was a strawberry in the center. An actual real strawberry for heaven's sake! The engraving at the bottom caught my attention, and I was really shocked.
'Ichigo, my saviour,' was writtten in nice, smooth, fluent cursive, that I never knew Rukia could write in. I quickly placed it back, and ran to the family room. Landing on the couch with a satisfying Plop! eased my mind a bit. So the chocolate was meant for me? Now I understood why Rukia ran off like that.
-Flashback-
"What are you doing?" she screeched in my ear as soon as I recovered.
"Nothing, midget. Anyways, this is my house. I have a right to be in the kitchen, whereareas you on the otherhand are just a 'freeloader'," I retorted, using Jinta's name for Renji whenever he crashed at the Urahara's Shop.
"..Baka. According to your father, I'm his third daughter, indicating I'm part of the family too, and this house is mine as well!"
"Who cares about that goat-face? If you're the 'third daughter', I'd leave right when you were born, so I wouldn't have to face all this trouble. I don't want to be related to you for God's sake!"
Rukia just bit her lip and went back to my room. What was her problem anyways? We always fought like this, what happened to her?
-End-
I admitted that I was being unfair and harsh to her, but I thought she would've brushed it off like she always did. I didn't know I actually hurted her feelings. I didn't know I meant that much to her, and I didn't quite know what she was to me. Sure she was a best friend, but there were some times when she seemed much more. Was I falling for her? I didn't know. Man, this was confusing!
February 14th (aka Valentine's Day)
Karin's POV
Yes, today was the special day! I skipped downstairs and grabbed my chocolate and accompanied it with a bag of chocolates from the store. Yes, I was that cheap. Rukia taught me that trick, not to waste more effort making the actual chocolate. I'd told Toshiro to wait by the stop sign at 11 am today. I couldn't be late! Grabbing a random heart shaped box, I scribbled "To my Ice King" and slapped a bow on it. In a minute, I was out the door.
I arrived and saw the familiar figure leaning against the sign. It was Toshiro, looking cool as ever. He was wearing a blue sweater with two pockets on either side of him.
"Toshiro! You came!" I squealed as I ran up to hug him. As I hugged him, I slipped the chocolate in his pocket without any notice.
"Yeah yeah I did. Now get off me!" he said with a playful smile.
"You know what day it is today, right?"
"February 14th."
"Yeah."
"Valentine's Day to be precise."
"Yes. Check your pocket."
Toshiro frowned as his fingers brushed against something solid. "Wha-"
He pulled at a small, red, heart-shaped box. "To my Ice King," he read. "Who'd give me this?"
I looked at him and then turned away blushing.
"Hm, out of all the girls in this world, who could it be?" Toshiro joked. "Joking, I know it's from you, Karin."
"Ho-"
"It's obvious."
"Um, it's giri, not honmei!"
"Right," Toshiro smirked.
I blushed even more, "It's giri!"
"I believe you, I believe you." he held up his hands in defense.
That was pretty much my day with Toshiro.
Rukia's POV
That fool, hurting me more than ever! Did he know? It was Valentine's Day, so I sucked up my courage, and went downstairs. Yuzu was kind enough to buy some heart-shaped boxes. I snatched the one that was pink and red, and had ribbons on the side. I grabbed a fountain pen and in my best cursive, I wrote "For my strawberry." There were also bows and ribbons on the side counter, so I picked up a bow and positioned it on the center of the box.
I was still angry at Ichigo, but that was all in the past. I snuck upstairs, and placed my gift on his bed, before meeting up with Orihime.
"How was Ulquiorra's reaction when you gave him chocolates?" I asked excitedly when I arrived.
"He was like, 'OMG, really? For me?' and he hugged me. I'm glad he liked it, Kuchiki-san," she squealed.
"Hey, we've been friends for a long time now. Call me Rukia. Ru-ki-a," I smiled. We chatted for about an two hours before I confessed that I had to leave.
Surprisingly the house was quiet when I entered. Dead silent, only the sound of the heater was heard. Awkard silence...
"Hey Rukia. Welcome back!" Ichigo came down the stairs.
"Hey."
"Come on, feel better! I'll prove it that I'm sorry for what I said yesterday!" Ichigo pleaded.
"What are you going to do?" I wondered.
"This," he replied. A second passed and his lips were on mine. I broke the kiss, because I was confused.
"W-what was that for?" I asked, all flustered.
"Well, you like me, don't you?" he replied.
"U-um..."
"Just admit it. I admitted it already that I like you. Now it's your turn," he smirked.
I blushed madly, "I-I like y-you." "A lot," I added with a nervous smile.
"There you go! Was that so hard?"
"Yes, you baka!" I immediately hit him.
"Ow! That hurt, midget!" Ichigo covered his head in mock agony.
That was pretty much my Valentine's day with my strawberry.
March 14th
Ichigo's POV
Dammit, it was March 14th already! I was almost broke right now. A Chappy plushie was smacked in my face a second later.
"Ichi-go!" Rukia called from my chair.
"What?"
"Today's White Day! Gimme something!"
"Fine," I walked to her and kissed her gently.
"W-what? Was that necessary, Ichigo?" she sputtered.
"Yes."
"Be ready to go out at 6pm, okay?" I said, out of the blue.
"Why?"
"Just be ready."
6 pm
Rukia's POV
I wore a flouncy light green dress with sandal high heels. In my hair was a cute clip Yuzu helped me find in her room. I waited outside of Ichigo's room, impatiently tapping my foot.
"Done! Let's go, Rukia!" the door swung open, nearly smacking me in the face.
"Watch it, strawberry!" I complained.
"Sorry."
He led me outside and after what it seemed 15 minutes of walking, we reached a restaurant. It seemed Ichigo already reserved a table for us already.
"You were taking me out?" I asked incredulously.
"No duh, midget," he repsonded.
"Now, choose whatever you want on the menu. Just don't choose too much, I don't have that much money on me," he added.
We ended up having quite a lot of food, but not so much that Ichigo went broke. After dinner, he led me to an little community pond.
"Look up, do you see the stars?"
"Yeah, quite a lot up there."
"That's how much I love you, Rukia."
"Aw, you're so sweet, Ichigo. All the time you're all scowl-faced, but there are times where you can be a real sweetheart."
"Thanks."
For the rest of the time, we were staring at stars, and murmuring occasional "I love you". Our reflection on the water captured our every moment together that night.
Everything was perfect, just the way I always dreamed it would be.
Karin's POV
It was White Day, and I was expecting a gift of some sort from Toshiro. Yesterday, he told me that he'll pick me up at 9 pm to go to Kaiseki Yu-Zen Hashimoto restaurant for dinner. Not much, really.
In a blink of an eye, 8 pm passed. Crap! I needed to find a presentable clothing! I asked Yuzu, and she offered to lend me one of her dresses for the night. I reluctantly agreed, even though I hated dresses.
8:15pm came around the corner, and I squeezed myself in a sparkling light pink cocktail dress. It had some gemstones on it, but I didn't exactly care.
Finally, 9 pm arrived and my doorbell rang. Toshiro was wearing a tuxedo (very rare, and was funny) and a flower pin on his coat.
"May I?" he asked politely. I bet he just did that because Ichi-nii was in the room.
"Tch. Yo Toshiro, you better take care of her, or else," he threatened.
"Yeah I know. You'll kill me. I understand," he replied solemnly.
We were out the door, and Toshiro did something weird.
His body fell to the ground, but I saw his soul.
"Toshiro!" I cried.
"What? This is what I really am. I'm not a human, I'm a shinigami. That (he pointed to his body) is just a gigai body. It's not my real body, and it's portable. Something from Urahara, very costly though," he calmed me down.
"Ichi-nii's a shinigami too!" I blurted out.
"Yes, I know. Now, shut up while I give you a small ride to the restaurant."
Toshiro picked me up, and carried me on his back as he ran. Or shunpo-ed. In no time at all, we arrived at the restaurant, and he "went back" in his gigai.
After our dinner, Toshiro suddenly blurted out, "I like you."
I was taken aback, because this was so sudden. "Really? You don't know how that one sentence made my day."
He just smirked, "Oh, and those chocolates tasted delicious!"
I blushed, "Thanks."
He leaned in and I was confused.
Our lips met, and I knew this was what I always wanted.
"Oh yes, almost forgot, Karin! Here," Toshiro gave me a bag.
I opened it excitedly, and to my amazement, it was a blue soccer ball.
"Heard your old one popped, so I decided to get you a new one."
"Aw, thanks Shiro!" I hugged him.
"Shiro? Really?" he wondered aloud.
"Yes, you're my Shiro, and don't you ever forget that," I smiled.
Took a while to type this all out, sorry to keep you waiting, Code-Dragon! This story came out a lot faster than I anticipated, and it took me most of my night to finish it off. Also, please, please, please review! I just love feedbacks from you all, it motivates me a lot!
~Misaki