Sorry it's taking me longer to update than it usually does, it's just been a very stressful time in my life. This chapter is, unfortunately, kind of a bridge to better stuff, but I just couldn't leave it out entirely. There are still some cute moments though, at least, I hope there are :)

When Hitsugaya woke up the next morning, it took him a minute to remember why he felt so relaxed and content. Slowly, memories of the previous evening washed over him, and he allowed a tiny smile to cross his lips as he remembered how it felt to have them pressed against Karin's. His face hurt again as she had slapped him on the same cheek that she had punched at the wedding, but it didn't bother him nearly as much as it had back then. He climbed out of bed and gazed at the window, where the morning sun was pouring in, its warm rays illuminating streaks of dust that floated in the air like…wait! SUN!

"Crap!" Hitsugaya cursed. He usually liked to leave this tavern just after dawn so that he could get to Seireitei at a descent hour. But they had stayed up too late the night before, and he had overslept. Getting dressed in a hurry, he bolted out of his room and pounded on Karin's door.

"Oi! Karin!" he called. "Wake up! We're running late!"

"Shut yer yapping!" came a cranky voice down the hall. "The whole tavern don't need to know yer runnin' late!"

"Sorry!" Hitsugaya apologized. He stared back at Karin's door, but it remained as still and silent as ever.

"She must be a heavy sleeper," he rationalized. "But then how am I supposed to wake her up?" He brought his hand to rest on the doorknob, and miraculously, it turned.

"What was that about her wanting protection?" he thought in amusement. "She forgot to lock the stupid door." He entered the room and sure enough, Karin was still sound asleep, her legs splayed wildly, her hair a disheveled mess, and her blanket bundled up in a heap on the floor. Hitsugaya smirked as he approached her. He sat down on the edge of her bed and gazed at her. She was beautiful. She really truly was. Hitsugaya wouldn't have thought so a week ago, but this morning, he found his wife to be the most spectacular woman he had ever seen.

"Too bad her mouth doesn't match her appearance," he thought fondly. He reached out and lovingly stroked her face, pushing her hair away from her features so that he could look at her properly. Karin stirred at the touch and opened her eyes.

"Hi," she said, surprised that he was here, but not really minding so much.

"Hi," he replied, bending down and kissing her forehead. "Your door was unlocked, so I let myself in. We're late."

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's alright. I overslept too." He rose off her bed. "Hurry and get ready. I'll meet you in the bar." Karin nodded and Hitsugaya let himself out.

Karin rolled over and curled up in a ball as a giddy smile spread across her face. She felt like a kid who had just received her favorite candy. She had had a blast last night. It probably wouldn't have fit most people's definitions of a romantic evening, but to Karin, it had been incredible. And, after kissing Hitsugaya once, she found that she was quite eager to do it again. She dressed quickly and headed down to the bar where Hitsugaya was paying the bill.

"I've never seen Tou-chan have so much fun!" Yachiru chimed as she handed Hitsugaya his change. "Breaking the table like that! I think Snowy-chan and Hussy-chan are going to be legend!"

"Hussy-chan?" Karin queried. Yachiru flashed her a toothy smile.

"That's what Blue-chan and Green-chan called you," she sang. "While you were playing poker with them." Karin laughed heartily.

"Great, so that's what I'll be remembered for around here. Come on Toushiro." She grabbed his hand and led him out to the stables.

"I don't like that she calls you Hussy-chan," he said darkly. Karin shrugged.

"She's just a kid, she doesn't know what it means."

"Yeah, but…" But what would have to wait, as Karin suddenly had his mouth occupied. Hitsugaya wasn't expecting the kiss, but he wrapped his arms around her waist anyway, bringing them closer together than they had ever been before.

"What was that for?" he asked slyly, running a hand through her hair.

"Do I need a reason to want to kiss you?" she inquired innocently. Hitsugaya smirked.

"I guess not," he replied before kissing her again.

ooooooooooooooooo

They reached Seireitei around noon and Karin admired the town.

"It's so different from Karakura," she marveled. "Everything looks cleaner and more expensive!"

"That's because it is," Hitsugaya scowled. "People in this town love to flaunt their money." Karin snickered.

"Oh please, have you seen your house?" she chided. "It's like twelve times the size of mine!" Hitsugaya blushed.

"I can't help that!" he protested. "That house has been in my family for generations. I don't even use half of it. I just like the garden and the smithy and…"

"Hey, I was just teasing you!" she grinned. "No need to get all defensive. Besides," she added, "you're not exactly one of those pretentious rich people. Seriously, I couldn't see Kuchiki Byakuya staying in a run-down place like the tavern we were in last night."

"How do you know Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya asked in confusion.

"My brother married his sister Rukia," Karin explained. "You know him?"

"Yeah. I've sold him a bunch of swords. He's quite a collector." Karin gasped.

"You didn't sell him senbonzakura did you?" she exclaimed. Hitsugaya thought for a moment.

"You mean the pink one?" he clarified. "The one that looks all cracked?"

"Yeah!" Karin nodded her head excitedly. "That's the most fantastic sword I have ever seen!" She remembered seeing that sword hanging over the fireplace on her first visit to the Kuchiki manor, right after Ichigo and Rukia had gotten married. She had gazed at it so hungrily that Byakuya had finally taken it down and allowed her to examine it from all angles. She had never seen anything like it and for some reason, she had been utterly and completely enamored with it, even though it was pink. It just seemed such a creative way to forge a sword.

"It was a hard one to make," Hitsugaya reminisced. "Getting that pink color wasn't easy. I had to mix all kinds of things into the metal to stain it that way. The first one I made was so brittle, it shattered as I was carving it." Karin looked at him with newfound admiration for his genius.

They continued on for a bit until they reached the heart of town.

"So, I have to go deliver those swords," Hitsugaya said. "You have two options. You can come with me, or you can stay here and explore." Karin pondered that.

"I think I'll stay here," she decided. "I want to check out the town."

"Fine with me," Hitsugaya replied. "I'll meet you back here." He smiled at her briefly then turned off down a side street.

Karin tied her horse to a hitching post and started to wander. She wasn't really a fan of shopping, but looking into store windows in Seireitei couldn't exactly qualify as shopping. There were shops selling armor made out of solid gold, and ones with dresses ten times the size of the one Karin had worn at her wedding. She wondered vaguely how anyone would breathe in it. There was a pet shop displaying exotic animals from around the world and a book store advertising the arrival of a rare, one-of-a-kind signed copy of some ancient novel Karin had never heard of. She paused briefly outside a sporting goods store and even bought something in a candy shop that had rock candy in more colors than even the flowers in Hitsugaya's garden. But nothing caught her eye like the item she saw in the window of a small toy store. Deciding that her poker winnings were burning a hole in her pocket anyway, and that she should put them to good use, Karin entered the store to make her purchase.

ooooooooooooooooo

It didn't take long for Hitsugaya to arrive at his destination. 8th street was a long promenade lined with many houses, but the Kyouraku manor stuck out like a sore thumb. Hitsugaya never understood how his client's wife Nanao allowed him to fill the lawn with lurid pink flowers, but then again, he didn't really understand anything about that couple.

He announced his presence at the gate and was brought inside immediately.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-kun!" Kyouraku exclaimed jovially as he entered. "Welcome, welcome! You're a little later than usual."

"Something came up," Hitsugaya replied noncommittally, and Kyouraku chuckled.

"Don't worry, I don't really care about punctuality. What's wrong with your cheek?" Hitsugaya groaned.

"Damn that Karin!" he thought. "Honestly, everyone and their brother has to comment on this thing! She owes me."

"An accident," he replied simply. Kyouraku shrugged it off.

"If you say so. Come on, join me for sake!"

"I'll just have tea thanks," Hitsugaya said, wondering how on earth this man could drink so early in the afternoon.

They sat down in the living room and discussed business for several minutes while Hitsugaya showed Kyouraku the swords. Kyouraku picked one up and inspected it.

"Perfect as always," he stated proudly. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you." Hitsugaya nodded.

"And I'm especially grateful that you were able to get me these before you left for the army," he continued. "I wouldn't have wanted to wait eight years for them."

"Actually," Hitsugaya corrected him, "I'm not going to the army." Kyouraku raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me they're letting you buy your way out nowadays." Hitsugaya scoffed.

"As if," he growled bitterly. "But King Yamamoto still only cares about bodies. No, I got married." Kyouraku's face lit up.

"What!?" he cried. "Why Hitsugaya-kun, that's marvelous! Tell me about your bride. Is she as pretty as my Nanao-chan?" Hitsugaya shrugged. He really didn't want to talk about his marriage with this man.

"So," Kyouraku continued to pry. "What was it like becoming a man?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused. Kyouraku gave him a knowing look.

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about," he said slyly. "Your wedding night." He winked at him and Hitsugaya felt his stomach fill with butterflies. He blushed slightly and looked down at his hands.

"Kyouraku-san, I hardly think it's appropriate to talk about…"

"Nonsense!" Kyouraku interrupted. "We're just having a little man to man chat, nothing wrong with that. So tell me. Did you enjoy yourself?" Hitsugaya felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. Sure, he had kissed Karin, but they had never even slept in the same bed, let alone done something like what Kyouraku was implying. They weren't ready, not just yet.

Luckily, Hitsugaya was spared the embarrassment of answering by the arrival of Nanao, who promptly smacked her husband over the head.

"Honestly, what did you say to this boy?" she scolded. "He's bright red! Hitsugaya-kun, I'm so sorry this idiot was bothering you."

"Oh, Nanao-chan, why can't you be a little kinder to me?" Kyouraku whined. "You're giving Hitsugaya-kun such a bad impression of married life."

"Married life?" Nanao said curiously. "Hitsugaya-kun, did you get married?" Hitsugaya nodded.

"Well I hope you're a better husband than this one," she said tartly. Kyouraku grinned.

"My Nanao-chan has an unusual way of showing affection," he chided before receiving another rap on the head from his irate wife.

As he watched the couple continue to bicker in their own unique way, Hitsugaya suddenly found that he understood them. The subtle teasing, the glint in their eyes as they looked at each other, the violence that was somehow affectionate at the same time. He knew it all. And, he came to a conclusion. There was something he desperately wanted to say to Karin, and when he met her in town later, he was going to tell her.

What does Hitsugaya want to say to her? What did Karin buy? Is Kyouraku really an alien? Find out next time on, "On the Wrong Foot." (Sorry, I couldn't resist. But bonus points to anyone who can answer those questions!-although Kyouraku is not, to my knowledge, an alien :P) Sorry this chapter isn't so great, but the next one will be much juicer. I promise.