As the white and frisky, cold and wondrous snow fluttered outside in the busy streets of New York, classes were busy learning and dancing in the large building across the street. His hot breath clouded the window as his aqua eyes looked over the busy cars and people outside. The tiny snowflakes caked the window and shimmered softly with the lights of the dance room. "Toshiro, what are you looking at?" he heard and looked over at the blonde male dancer he called Shinji with a smile.
Toshiro shrugged as he smiled "So, what are you getting Hiyori for Christmas?" he asked, trying to get the attention away from himself. So far he and Karin had both agreed to try and include their friends and their relationships. Honestly, when he met Hiyori he thought she was quite a fire ball with a loud mouth and sore attitude. He had wondered why Shinji stayed with such a woman, but then there was a moment when she actually wasn't so bad, and he could see why the man stayed with her.
Shinji smiled and shrugged his shoulders slightly as he chuckled "I'm pretty sure my love is enough for a gift." he chuckled as he twirled in a circle slightly. Toshiro blinked at Shinji quickly as he smirked quietly, "Let me guess, you want a good punch in the face under the mistletoe this year." Toshiro smirked as he walked over.
"What makes you think she'll punch me in the face? I have a whole body." Shinji looked over at the teacher as Toshiro narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "Would you like her to have a perfect excuse to punch you in the manhood?" Toshiro whispered to the boy.
Shinji's face became white at the thought of Hiyori hitting him in the manhood. Just the thought made him feel the pain as he looked over at the white haired noble. "You're right. I need to get to the mall as soon as possible. I need to keep all of me intact, especially around Hiyori!" Shinji noted the smirk on Toshiro's lips as he looked over at the mirrors. "So... did you get Karin's gift yet?" he asked as the dancer froze at the question.
Toshiro looked over and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I went looking, but I have no idea what to get her." he growled. It was true; every time he and Karin were apart, he went to the mall to hunt for her gift. When he looked at jewelry, he couldn't picture Karin gawking over the gems. When it came to clothing, he had no clue what size she was and was afraid to get a size too big, making her think she was fat. Christmas was his favorite time of the year, but the shopping was horrible. "Maybe moving in together is enough?" he muttered to himself.
Shinji smirked as he patted the man's large shoulder "Trust me, moving in together is never enough for a woman. They think of it as 'Oh great! Now I literally have to become his personal maid. Clean his clothing, make the bed, do the dishes and make dinner', ya' know, all that jazz." Shinji sighed and went back to the dance they were being taught.
Toshiro thought deeply about Shinji's words. Did Karin think she was going to have to clean up after him? Was their relationship going to become nothing but a clean, cook and feed process? Was Shinji right? He looked over at the mirror to see his reflection, the large built biceps and triceps, the crafted and shimming six pack that was hidden under his dance clothing, the soft white, somewhat spike hair and aqua eyes that broke hearts in seconds. "What do I get her?" he asked himself as he looked at the mirror softly. "Come on, you're her boyfriend! You should know what to get her." he spoke to the mirror.
Shinji laughed softly as he watched the man talk to his reflection "It won't answer you. Plus you have to think like Karin, not her boyfriend. The best person to ask is Ryan, he went through this once and trust me he had the same problem. I think it's because Karin is such a great girl... I mean she understands and isn't worried to break a nail." Shinji explained. Then he smiled softly. "Have you seen her daily routine? Perhaps you can give her a gift that will change it a little bit." He was trying to give a hint but it must have failed, because Toshiro was still drawing a blank.
Toshiro knew Karin's daily routine inside and out. First she would wake up, take Usagi out, come back and shower, then dress, make her breakfast and call her father. Toshiro smiled softly at the moment as he got an idea. He knew Karin was a daddy's girl for sure, and her biggest thing was her father, but what could he do?
Twirling her raven locks on her finger she sighed and looked at the black board where Ms. Pixel was explaining something to the class, but Karin blocked it all out. Last week she was assigned to listen to a demo CD for another classmate. She didn't know the person's name or who they were, she just had to listen and answer a question she was assigned by the teacher. According to , everyone got a different demo and had the same question: would you pick this demo to be on the X-factor? Karin selected no, because the person was so soft and rough with their tone. She would never tell the person that herself, but it was her opinion.
"Okay class! So now, I hold in my hands the students that have been selected to be our contestants in our very own X-factor!" squealed as she waved around a red envelope in her hands. Karin figure she wouldn't be picked since her demo probably wasn't in the classes stack… or so she thought. "If I call your name, I would like you to come to the stage." Ms. Pixel smiled as she looked over her class.
Karin sighed as she started to pack her books and looked around the large theatre she called a classroom. Ms. Pixel stood on the large stage with a microphone in her hands as her white heels clicked against the polished, wooden floors. Velvet curtains hung on the sides for performances and the black background made the place looked bigger. The auditorium was filled with row upon row of seats, some taken by students here and there. Karin sat near the front so she could listen to the teacher, but either she was in the front or the back, she really didn't pay attention.
As Ms. Pixels' lavender painted nails opened the envelope she smiled and took the paper out. "The first person to come up is Kendra Kings!" she smiled and clapped with her class. The girl stood from her seat and walked to the stage; her short, straight, dirty blonde locks glowed in the stage lights, her slightly tanned skin shined as she walked and her perky smile on her rose colored lips. The red skirt swayed with her as she stood and smiled happily at the crowd like she was a beauty queen. Karin smiled and clapped for the girl, she knew it was rather nerve racking on the stage but you get used to it after the first few weeks of the class.
"Second is Drake Ferin!" The teacher called, and the boy scurried up with his shaggy brown hair, bright smile and dusky green eyes that made all the girls gasp at the sight. Standing next to Kendra, he smiled at the clapping.
"Third is Jessie Lieve!" Karin growled slightly; she found the boy repulsive and rude when they had to partner. He would show up when he wanted, sing when he wanted, and even boss people around. Never once had he heard Karin sing; she did it when he was out of the studio, basically when she was on time and he was late, as usual. Jessie didn't smile or wave, he smirked at the clapping like he was expecting to be chosen. His blonde hair flipped to the side and the leather jacket made him seem like a bad boy, but Karin thought under all that bad boy crap he was a really brat. If he didn't win, he would cry and say that it wasn't fair he didn't win. Karin chuckled to herself at the thought of Jessie and his fit of jealous rage.
"Quinlyn Rostie!" was called, and a girl with light brown curls and ocean blue eyes in a pink lace dress walked up with a smile. She at least seemed happy about it. Her look seemed girly and polite, but she was probably a rough throat sound for a singer… or perhaps her look matched her voice.
"Kayla Cess!" Ms. Pixel said as the girl squealed and practically ran to the stage. The auburn hair swayed in the air as her pale skin kissed the eyes of the people. The hazel eyes screamed innocent and pure, but everyone knew she probably had a good fight in her.
"Zack Silan!" A Spanish-looking boy walked onto the stage, and Karin covered her ears as the girls squealed. The wink he gave to the women in the front was so disgusting, she was sure he got lucky and one of his fans recognized his voice. The girl had probably squealed and screamed as she checked yes for her answer. His short black hair was slightly pointed up to give him more of a sexy beast look, but that was nothing new to Karin. His warm brown eyes gazed at Ms. Pixel as he kissed her hand and whispered a comment that made her blush; obviously how he got so many girls in the first place.
"Thank you, Zack." Ms. Pixel blushed causing Karin to roll her eyes "Uhmm... Tiffany Himmer." Ms. Pixel called and the crowd did nothing. Tiffany walked on stage with her long dark brown hair that she tossed in Jessie's face as she walked over. The brown eyes gave many a happy but chilled feeling with a glance, and mixed-colored skin made her seem friendlier. The black skinny jeans showed her curves and the long leather boots made Jessie stare with awe. As she stood next to Kayla she smiled at the girl as they nodded. Finally the crowd clapped for her and then settled down.
Something must have caused the crowd's hatred for her. After listening to the other ten people, Karin sighed and looked at the selections but her eyes went straight to Jessie. The blonde seemed to be looking at someone in the line and was quiet pleased with what he was seeing. Following his eyes, Karin smirked at the Tiffany girl. She probably felt the stares and was pissed at the fact she was getting them.
Ms. Pixel sighed and smiled at the group. "We have one more guys! Then I partner you up for the three days." she squealed as she got eye-rolled from Tiffany and Karin; she agreed the women was a goddess but got annoying with the up-beat attitude she always had. "Last is..." as she trailed off for more effect many students sat on the edge of their seats slightly "Karin Kurosaki."
Karin blinked and swayed slightly. "That's you Karin!" someone whispered in her ear. She nodded to the person as she stood and walked onto the stage. Each step was new to Karin; she wasn't really expecting this. She was expecting to be in the crowd judging, not the one being judged, but she couldn't complain. Literally, she couldn't… she was too scared.
Shaking Ms. Pixel's hand, she heard the clapping before she scurried over to Tiffany and Kayla. "Smile pretty and they'll love you." Tiffany whispered to Karin who raised an eye brow at the comment. A smirk touched her lips as she looked over at the pale woman. "Make sure you start off strong in a performance too. With Jessie in the running you have to trust me." she added as she looked over at Jessie quickly.
Karin hesitated slightly at the woman's words. Did she know Jessie? "Thanks Tiffany." she whispered to the woman as she smiled and patted her on the back softly. "No problem, besides you seem like the type of girl who hides her voice. If so, we'll be the best of friends." Karin smiled softly at the girl; she wasn't so bad, as friendly as she was.
Ms. Pixel smiled at the group and handed them cards as with their names. "Now go and get friendly with the person in the card you get. Then tomorrow, you'll be given studios to practice in. Whatever group is least voted for will be kicked off, both members. So, good luck!"
Tiffany smirked and opened the card quickly "Well Karin looks like we're stuck together. Unfortunately, we have the slacker people like to call Jessie." Tiffany growled at the last bit of the sentence. "I swear if he ruins my chances I will kill him!" she threatened loudly to herself. "Why would you kill me, Tiff?" he asked, noticing the woman's anger was boiling over.
Taking deep breaths Tiffany looked over at the boy with the coldest eyes and balled her hands into fists. "You better not be late for practices or you'll be singing with your belly button." she hissed and walked off stage quickly so she wouldn't make a huge scene.
Jessie smirked as he watched her leave. "Is that even possible?" he asked Karin as she shrugged and followed Tiffany off the stage. "But if you are late, I will help her with the process." Karin called out as she followed Tiffany slightly " Tiffany wait!" she called out as she gripped her forearm.
Turning around Karin's eyes mixed with the evil but warm brown orbs of the girl. "Karin, I will tell you now. If Jessie thinks his sweet boy act is going to win this, he has his head way too far up his blonde ass" she said, grabbing her books quickly. "You know, I thought he would change after high school, but he's still the same idiot he was back then."
Karin blinked at the girl and felt the cold sweat trickle down her spine. Was she serious? Did Tiffany and Jessie have a relationship? "Don't worry so much about it all, Tiffany. Just focus on winning and you're good." Karin told her. She needed to have at least one person in the group she could lean on a little, but she was good at playing the game. This was a competition and everyone wanted to win. "Nice, the whole 'my friend is my enemy' trick." Tiffany said before leaving. "See ya', Karin" was all she heard before the bell rang.
Grabbing her books, Karin scurried out of the class and into the hallway to see the white hair leaned against a wall. She walked over and smiled at Toshiro "I still have no idea how you manage to get here so fast." she whispered in his ear. Toshiro smiled as he snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her close to his chest. "What, is silence your friend now?" She chuckled softly when his hand graced her cheek and pulled her closer. "How about you stop talking for now?" he whispered as he kissed her softly.
His lips tingled softly as their lips mingled. Pulling apart softly and looking into each other's eyes, they both smiled. "Let's get your things and get back to your place." he whispered in her ear. Karin blushed softly as she bit her lip. "Alright." she sighed and took his hand in hers.
The sound of keys rambling into the lock was heard inside the apartment, and Usagi perked her ears up slightly. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at the door ready to bark but didn't when the door opened and the light poured through. When she heard a groan, she knew what was going on and went back to sleep, hoping not to be interrupted by her master and her partner.
Karin gasped as her back hit a packed box of her cookware. Since they were moving in together she and Toshiro had packed most of her things for the move but she still had to finish her room and Usagi's stuff which wasn't a huge deal. When his lips met with hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed into his chest. She loved to kiss the man. She loved the feeling she got when she did it, and how she felt warm butterflies in her stomach flutter slightly in joy.
As Toshiro returned the kiss, Karin hopped onto the box and wrapped her long, elegant legs around his waist. Taking the chance, he walked them to the couch and laid her down softly. He straddled her body and recaptured her lips quickly as her hands roamed his chest and managed to un-button his black shirt quickly. Pulling away from each other's lips, they looked into each other's eyes that were awash with lust, desire, want and love as they smiled. "I love you." he whispered to her.
Karin felt her heart flutter at the three words. She smiled as her hand pulled his neck firmly before she kissed him again, her hands sliding his shirt down his strong arms and to the lonely floor. Toshiro's lips trailed down her jaw quickly as Karin moaned in silence for the hot feeling of his lips on her flesh. "Toshiro!" she gasped when he bit down softly on her neck. This was their usual thing when they came home from school, have a hot make out session or foreplay, whatever one they felt like, but they never went all the way which was a relief and a curse.
Usagi blinked and growled, wishing she could block the noise out from the two on the couch. She was trying to sleep like usual and they were making more noise than needed. She walked over and sat in front of the two love-struck people and howled like they were the moon. They were going to have a house where Usagi could sleep wherever and not disturb them, when it was 'play time'. Usagi howled again, and Karin threw a pillow at her and shooed her away with her fingers before clawing at Toshio's back like an animal. Usagi hated being shooed away; she wanted to be treated better than that when it came to certain things, so she howled again before grabbing the pillow into her mouth and whipping it right at Toshiro's head.
Toshiro chuckled at the impact and sat up from the kiss, "I guess she doesn't like the noise!" he teased slightly as Karin growled back at her puppy "She's just being a pain in the butt, since Hyorinmaru hasn't been over lately." Karin sighed and rubbed her temples softly.
Toshiro looked down at the lonely pup and smiled softly "Trust me Usagi, when you live with Hyorinmaru you will wish you were alone." he told her. Usagi wagged her tail and barked playfully at the name of her friend, but then felt sad he wasn't there. She was getting used to cuddling with the white fur ball.
Karin smiled as she looked at Usagi softly. "We have to get to the house and paint, Toshiro." she reminded him. Since Karin wanted to make the house roomier and get the painting done before the furniture was in, they had started some of the painting already. He sighed at the reminder and kissed her nose softly. "Of course, love." he whispered as the blush dusted her cheeks softly.
Looking at the house with the snow on the lane and the mysterious trees in the background, the two smiled at each other before climbing out of the car. "Karin?" Toshiro spoke up slightly at the time. Karin looked over with a sparkle in her eyes, every time she came to the house she seemed so happy and light like it was home already. "I was wondering if, uh… never mind." he spoke as he got out of the car.
Karin followed quickly as she listened to the crunching of her shoes in the beautiful white snow. She looked over as Toshiro went to the door and juggled with the key. With an evil grin on her lips, she grabbed a handful of snow and packed into in a ball. She snuck up the steps and aimed for the back of his white covered hair before firing "Shit!" Toshiro exclaimed as the snow melted down his neck. Looking over at her quickly he glared slightly as she backed away slowly "Let's play then!" he smiled and leaped from the porch to the ground.
Karin squealed slightly and started to run around the drive way with Toshiro following her. "You know, it's sad when the taller one can't catch the smaller one!" she teased as she rolled behind the car. When a snowball went right past her cheek she ducked for cover and began to grab snow to fire back at him. Looking in the side mirror for Toshiro and seeing nothing, she grew curious. Looking under the car for the spot he would be seated she saw nothing and then looked over to the other side to get the same result.
Arms wrapped around her waist and a face buried into the crock of her neck she blushed as she ran her fingers through his hair. Turning her around, his lips kissed her neck softly and then kissed her lips quickly before lifting her into his arms. Karin wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he carried her bridal style to the house. "What were you going to ask me earlier?" she asked and looked into his aqua eyes.
Toshiro smiled and bit his bottom lip slightly "I wanted to know if you wanted anything particular for Christmas." He deflated before her eyes as he put her down and opened the door to the house. He looked into her eyes and touched her cheek softly. "Because I don't have a clue what to get you. I want get you something that was going to-" Karin placed her finger on his lips and smiled softly.
She kissed his cheek softly as she admired his eyes with hers "Can't you see?" she whispered softly.
Toshiro was confused at her words "See what, Karin?" he asked softly, when she rolled her brown orbs he chuckled softly.
She laid her head on his chest and listened to his strong heart in her ear "I don't want anything." she told him with a soft tone. Wrapping his arms around her, he smiled and kissed her hair softly. "Do you know why?" she asked.
Toshiro chuckled as he brushed his fingers through her raven locks "No, can you tell me?"
Karin looked up into his aqua eyes and touched his cheek with her hand. "Because I have everything I want and need right here." she whispered. "I am happy just with having you, me, Usagi and Hyorinmaru happily together in this house. That is the best Christmas present in the world!" she whispered.