Sorry for the late post, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. I think it's my favorite one so far.

"Where did he go?" Karin wondered as she jogged down the hall of the massive mansion. "Think Karin, think!" She was sure that Hitsugaya had some special place where he went when he wanted to be alone. He was just that kind of person. She knew instinctively that it wouldn't be somewhere to obvious like his room; people could find him too easily in there. Her first thought had been the garden, but she immediately rejected that idea. The garden was for happy times, for rest and relaxation. It was not somewhere he went when he needed to spill his soul in secret.

Karin wracked her brain. What did she really know about this house? What did she really know about Hitsugaya for that matter?

"Not a whole heck of a lot," she thought with smirk. "Ironic isn't it?" She realized that she should probably have asked Matsumoto her opinion and was about to head back there when she had an idea.

"I always go to the roof when I want to sulk," she realized. "Maybe he does the same." She knew it was farfetched, but it was worth a try. Heading up to the top floor, Karin searched and finally found a door in a secluded corner that, when opened, reveled a narrow staircase.

"This must be it," she thought. She climbed the stairs, opened the door at the top, and found that she was indeed on the roof. The view was magnificent. From this height she could see the entirety of the grounds; the scattered trees, the silent smithy, and the garden which radiated color even in the darkness of the night. Diamond stars studded the inky black heavens. A chill wind swept over her, attacking her hair and clothing and Karin hugged herself for warmth. This was why she loved the roof. She felt like she was a part of nature up here. It was so far removed from the hustle and bustle of daily life and it was so easy to get lost in the vast sky and the sound of the crickets and cicadas.

Karin glanced in the direction of the garden and, to her surprise, there he was. The wind was playing with his hair, which glowed silver in the moonlight. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his eyes were staring unseeingly into the distance. Karin approached him cautiously. If he was crying, she didn't want to embarrass him.

"Toushiro?" she said softly. "Are you alright?" His head jerked up ever so slightly at her voice and he turned to look at her.

"How did you find me?" he asked in wonderment. "Even Matsumoto doesn't know I come up here." It didn't look like he had been crying, nor was he angry that she had found his secret hiding spot, so Karin came over to him and sat beside him.

"I come to the roof when I want to be alone," she explained. "I thought it was as good a place to look for you as any." Hitsugaya nodded, then returned to gazing off aimlessly into space. Karin desperately cast around for something to say. She wasn't so good at this emotional stuff. Luckily, Hitsugaya spoke first.

"Why did you want to find me?" he asked, his face still blank.

"What kind of question is that?" Karin cried. "You just had a hugely traumatic experience! How could I not look for you?" Hitsugaya sighed and looked down at his knees.

"I didn't want you to see me like this," he admitted to his knees. Karin scoffed.

"I'm your wife!" she insisted. "I care about you. So don't give me any of that, 'men always have to be tough' crap because frankly, that just makes you seem heartless. No one can be strong all the time."

"You are," Hitsugaya retorted, and Karin chuckled.

"I'm an exception," she joked, and while Hitsugaya didn't smile, his face at least softened a bit.

"It's ok to cry," Karin told him. "If…if you need to."

"I don't cry!" Hitsugaya stated soundly.

"Everybody cries Toushiro."

"Even you?" Karin paused for a moment and gazed up at the sky. Hitsugaya didn't actually expect her to answer, so he was surprised when she spoke.

"Even me," she whispered, smiling at him. Hitsugaya pulled his knees closer to his chest and Karin, after hesitating for only a brief moment, draped her arm around his shoulder. Hitsugaya leaned against her, basking in the warmth of her body. He hadn't done this since his parents had died. He was too proud and strong, even with Matsumoto, to do anything as childish as cuddling with someone for comfort. But, for some reason, he felt safe enough with Karin to let his guard down in front of her. And to tell her how he really felt.

"It's my fault," he said, closing his eyes against the burn. No matter what Karin said, he would not cry!

"Stop feeling guilty!" she demanded. "What could you have done? You said it yourself, you thought she was happy!" Hitsugaya took a deep breath. He had never told his side of this story to anyone.

"I could have stopped her," he began. "Stopped her from marrying him in the first place. Aizen had been a client of my family for many years, but I didn't know him growing up. He was in the army. Not too long after he returned, he came to visit my father to place an order. Apparently, he had become quite an expert with a sword during his combat training and wanted something functional rather than ceremonial to add to his collection. At that time, I was old enough that my father had me join him in his meetings with clients so that I could learn about the business side of the trade. I met Aizen and despised him immediately. He seemed so fake to me. Like he was hiding something. And the way he described sword fighting; it was creepy. Sword fighting is an art. It's beautiful, if deadly, and is something that should be granted the utmost respect. All Aizen could talk about was how to maim someone with the least amount of spilled blood and how to kill someone in a single stroke, before they even realized you were there. To be honest, he scared me. I should have expected it from a recently returned soldier, but it was still petrifying to hear. He gave me the chills.

"The conversation turned to what it was like now that Aizen was out of the army, and he mentioned that now that he was back, he wanted to get married and live a stable life, but he didn't know where to begin looking for a potential wife. Momo was seventeen at the time, and her father had been searching desperately for a match for her but hadn't been able to find one. My father suggested her and the marriage was arranged the next day.

"For Momo, it was love at first sight. Aizen was handsome and charming, and Momo fell head over heels immediately. They got married a month later. I wanted to say something. I tried to say something. I felt so many insecurities about that marriage, but I was only eleven and everyone wanted it…What was I supposed to do?" Despite his best efforts, Hitsugaya felt a single tear slide silently down his cheek.

"There was nothing you could have done," Karin said encouragingly. "Like you said, you were still a child. You can't blame yourself."

"But…"

"But nothing! How do you know this is even related? They've been happily married for six years. There was no way you could have predicted this. You can't beat yourself up over it! It's not your fault!" Hitsugaya was at a loss for words. He processed what Karin had said.

"Maybe you're right," he said at last.

"Of course I'm right!" Karin asserted as she smiled at him. "Momo will be fine, even the doctor said so. We'll all get through this somehow." Hitsugaya nodded. They sat together for a while, watching the moon and listening to the sounds of the night. It was peaceful up there, even in the crisp air, and Hitsugaya appreciated the fact that he had finally found a companion to share these moments with.

Suddenly, out of the blue, Hitsugaya heard music. He thought he was imagining it at first, but it quickly became apparent to him what was happening; Karin was singing. She herself didn't know why she was doing it, but for some reason, the moment seemed to call for it. Her voice was faint at first, almost inaudible, but the tune became a little louder as she gained confidence. It was a soothing, gentle lullaby that Hitsugaya hadn't heard in many, many years.

Oh little bird,

Where do you go?

When the snow starts to fall,

And the wind starts to blow?

Oh little bird,

Do you still sing your song?

When the days are so cold,

And the nights are so long?

Oh little bird,

For spring do I yearn.

And so until then,

I await your return.

She finished and flushed slightly as she realized what she had just done.

"You have a terrible voice," Hitsugaya noted, trying to cover for her embarrassment. Karin pushed him lightly. But she was smiling. If he was teasing her, it meant he felt better.

"Thank you," he said gratefully.

"Don't mention it," she replied. Hitsugaya took his arm from across his knees and placed it around Karin's waist. His movement seemed to bring Karin back to her senses.

"We should go," she said, extracting herself from him and standing up. "We don't want to fall asleep on the roof."

"I guess you're right," Hitsugaya replied, wishing that they could have sat there longer. Karin held out her hand to help him up, and Hitsugaya took it. He didn't relinquish it, and they held hands all the way down the stairs and to their rooms. They paused outside their doors and turned towards each other.

"Thank you Karin," Hitsugaya said, placing a hand on her cheek.

"You don't have to thank me again," she scolded lightly. "You already did it once." Hitsugaya smiled ever so slightly and ran his fingers slowly through her hair. Karin blushed at the tender gesture, but she didn't look away from him. Together, they closed the gap between them. Hitsugaya wrapped his arms tightly around her as they shared the most passionate kiss they had yet. He gripped the back of her shirt, pressing her to him, as Karin held his face in her hands, kissing him fervently all the while. Eventually, the heat dimmed and they pulled apart slightly, their foreheads still pressed together.

"How did live before you got here?" Hitsugaya asked, gazing into her eyes.

"I think you managed," Karin smirked. "But your life was probably much calmer." Hitsugaya smiled.

"Yeah, most definitely."

"I'll see you in the morning ok?" Karin said, disentangling herself from his arms and opening the door to her bedroom. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Hitsugaya replied, trying not to let his disappointment show in his face or his voice. All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms and never let go. Ever.

Karin entered her room and it took her all of thirty seconds to realize that she didn't want to be there. Changing into a sleeping yukata as quickly as she could, she bolted out of the room and knocked on Hitsugaya's door.

He opened it and his eyes widened with shock.

"Karin, what…?"

"A husband and wife should sleep together in the same room, don't you think?" she said as casually as she could while trying desperately to force down her flush. "But sleep is the operative word here. Nothing else alright!" Hitsugaya nodded, still too stunned that she was actually here as he stepped aside and allowed her to enter.

"I still need to change," he mumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"What, so you can see me naked but I can't see you naked?" she teased. Hitsugaya balked.

"It's ok Toushiro, I won't look," she assured him with a chuckle. "You take me too seriously sometimes."

Karin turned away from him to give him his privacy and devoted herself instead to examining the room. She had never been in it before. Like the rest of the house, it was sparsely decorated, with only some swords and a carving of the Hitsugaya family crest (a dragon spiraling around a sword) hanging on the walls. There was a comfortable looking reading chair in the corner and a large bed jutting out into the room flanked by two picture windows that, like the ones in the dragon room, overlooked the garden. Karin liked the room immediately.

"I'm done," Hitsugaya announced and Karin turned around.

"I like your room," she told him.

"Thanks," Hitsugaya replied. "I'm glad. It's your room too now after all." Karin blushed slightly at that.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she said, realizing for the first time the implications of her decision to come into this room. Not that she regretted it. "Come on, we should get some sleep."

They climbed into bed and Hitsugaya found that, although he was nervous, it was of a different quality than it had been the night before. Last night they had been forced into bed together against their will. Tonight, they were together because they wanted to be. Hitsugaya looked over at Karin who was lying on her side with her back to him. Feeling daring, he reached out his hand and brought it down to rest on her shoulder. She stiffened slightly at the touch, but she didn't protest. Hitsugaya took this as a good sign and slid his hand slowly and gently down her arm, around her elbow, and up towards her hand, where he intertwined their fingers together. He sidled closer to her and Karin leaned backwards a bit so that her back was pressed up against his chest. They lay like that for a while, cradled in each other's arms, feeling surprisingly comfortable and content. Karin's breathing slowed and Hitsugaya was convinced that she had fallen asleep.

"I love you Karin," he whispered, deciding that it was safe to say that if she was asleep. He closed his eyes and started to drift off himself when he heard a quiet voice call out into the darkness,

"I love you too Toushiro." Smiling widely, Hitsugaya closed his eyes and fell into the most relaxed sleep he had had in a long time.

Just like a HitsuKarin isn't complete unless someone gets punched, I'm starting to feel that they aren't complete without a roof scene either. I think I've written more roof scenes than any other type of scene (with the possible exception of first kisses) and they sure seem to pop up in the weirdest places. Anyway, I hope this chapter was fluffy enough to make up for the last one.