A/N: Hiyas people!!! Merry Christmas!! Okies, this is my first fic so don't murder me if it's not the very best. Please R&R, but flames will be put out by my fire extiguisher!

Disclaimer: Unfortunatley, Bleach isn't mine. But I wish it was: P

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Karin sat in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa looking at the multiple bodies scattered around her in the living room. It was Christmas Eve and her brother had invited his shinigami friends over for another Christmas party. Somehow, someone (Karin suspected almost everyone invited) had snuck in alcohol and thoroughly spiked the punch. Again. Luckily she had avoided the punch after Renji, Ikkaku and Izuru had jumped on the couch and started singing what sounded like 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'.

Karin sighed. Yep, the party tonight had been pretty calm compared to others they had in the Kurosaki house over the years. Eight years ago, Yachiru had shunpoed from rooftop to rooftop spouting nonsense because someone had given her Christmas cookies and hot cocoa and a few dozen jumbo candy canes. It had taken everyone, including Kenpachi, to catch up and get her back in the house. Six years ago, Ichi-nee and Rukia had woken up to a hangover and found themselves sharing a bed - enough said. But the party five years ago had really taken the cake.

Another sigh came from Karin. That was when she and her soccer partner turned boyfriend, Toushiro Hitsugaya, had gotten together. She was fifteen and she had known Toushiro for four years already…

Flashback

She wanted to kick someone. No scratch that.

She wanted to MURDER someone.

Everybody around her was cheering, smirking or, in her brother's case, gawking at her and a certain taicho. It had seemed like a harmless coincidence, but judging by the looks on most peoples' faces Karin highly doubted that.

A few minutes earlier she had been smirking at Toushiro. His icy expression had slipped and now he looked nervous with Ukitake backing him into a wall. Apparently, the thirteenth division taicho was attached to the younger boy and kept shoving vast amounts of candy at Toushiro. Then suddenly, a drunken Rangiku had come up to Karin and enveloped her in a suffocating hug.

"Karin! Isn't thiz party sooooo much fun! Chris'mas is the best howiday EVUHH! Don't ya think?" she said in a slurred tone.

"Rngko plzz gerroff! I cnt bureef!"(Rangiku please get off! I can't breathe!)

"Bwahahah! Weeee! The room is spinning!" Rangiku spun around still clutching Karin like a favorite doll (though she had loosened her grip). Without warning, she released her hold on the girl and Karin went flying across the room…

"Ahhhhhh!!!"

…Straight into Toushiro's arms.

Toushiro, reacting on instinct, had absolutely no idea how his friend and crush (though he thoroughly denied it) had come to rest in his arms. But hey, he wasn't complaining.

Unfortunately, Karin had glanced up and saw why everyone in the room was staring at them. She blushed several shades of red. A few inches above their heads, tied with a red ribbon was a bit of mistletoe. Karin had never in her entire life hated a little plant so much. Toushiro lifted his head to see what she was looking at and scowled.

"Hmmm, I wonder how we got in this situation" sarcasm obvious in his voice as he glared at his own fukutaicho.

"Awww, Taicho, why are you looking at me?" Rangiku said innocently. She seemed to have sobered in the last minute or so, thought Karin.

That was when the cheering started. The two teens looked each other in the eye and blushed. Toushiro surprised Karin by suddenly leaning in and kissing her full on the mouth. Neither of them heard the others cheering for them, both being fully concentrated on the kiss.

Karin was shocked when Toushiro kissed her, but she gradually relaxed, letting her eyes close and wrapping her arms around his neck. It hadn't been until that moment that she had realized something important.

She loved Toushiro Hitsugaya.

He had been there for her that day on the soccer field with her friends and countless times after that. All this time, Karin had been falling in love with him and she hadn't realized it.

Until now.

They broke the kiss and stared into each other's eyes. A cough coming from Ichigo's direction brought them both back to reality and once again the two young people blushed furiously. All eyes were on them and no one made a sound.

"You see Nanao-chan, why can't we be like that?" the ever-flamboyant Shunsui said in a rather loud voice.

"And what exactly are you implying, Kyoraku-taicho?" Nanao adjusted her glasses.

Everyone turned to the pair, leaving Karin and Toushiro time to slip outside. Shunsui caught Karin's eye and winked while she mouthed a 'thank you'. The teens rushed up the stairs and onto the rooftop so they could finally have some peace.

"I am going to KILL Matsumoto" Toushiro said in his usual frosty tone.

"And I don't blame you. She set us up. And I'm willing to bet that she wasn't the only one" Karin replied.

Toushiro smirked. "Well I am thankful to them for something"

"Toushiro, what the hell are you – mmgff" Karin was cut off by another of Toushiro's kisses. Once again, she was shocked, but responded to the kiss when she relaxed.

They broke the kiss and stared up at the sky, lying in each other's arms.

End of Flashback

For the third time that night Karin sighed then smiled. That was one of the best nights of her life. She then realized that her boyfriend wasn't among the unconscious people around her. Karin got up from the couch and went to go look for Toushiro.

Toushiro, on the other hand, was thoroughly depressed. He was on the roof clutching a small velvet box tossing it up and catching it again every so often. Now it was his turn to sigh. He tucked the box in his pocket. All week he had been trying to get Karin alone so he could ask her something, but someone kept interrupting them. Yesterday, it was her twin who needed help with decorations. The day before that, her father had jumped in with an offer to go caroling. Before that, it was Matsumoto dragging her to the mall for Christmas shopping. Toushiro hung his head when he thought about his other tries. While he was deep in thought, Karin had crept up behind him and draped a blanket around his shoulders. She sat next to him and wrapped herself in the blanket as well.

"Hey you" she leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Hey yourself, how is everyone downstairs?" Toushiro snaked his arm around her waist.

"From what I could see, we're the only ones fully conscious right now"

"I wonder who spiked the punch this time"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe everyone" Karin said.

"Hn" then an idea hit Toushiro like a ton of bricks. Now he had the perfect opportunity to ask Karin. No one could interrupt because they were all unconscious. It was their anniversary and they were sitting exactly were they had been five years ago when they had gotten together too.

"Karin?"

"Hmmm?"

"Merry Christmas" Toushiro slipped the box into Karin's hand.

She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's this?"

"Just open it" he turned away so she couldn't see his blush. Karin looked back at him warily and flipped open the box. She gasped. In the small box was a silver ring with a small black opal embedded in the center. When she lifted the ring out of the box she could see 'My Angel' engraved on the inside. Toushiro grabbed her hand and looked deeply into her black eyes with his turquoise ones.

"Karin, I love you. Will you marry me?"

Karin gaped at him. Did she hear right? Toushiro, the tenth division taicho of the Gotei thirteen, just proposed to her!? She blushed, looked away then mumbled something.

"Huh?" he looked at her with questioning look. She turned to him with a smiling face and a tear rolling down her cheek. Karin then leaned in and kissed him. They broke apart and she smirked.

"Does that answer your question?"

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"Should we wake them up?"

"But they look so cute like that!"

"If we leave them out here they're going to get sick"

When everyone had woken up the next morning, they found that the young captain and the soccer player were cuddled up on the rooftop, fast asleep. Rangiku, Yuzu and Rukia crawled up there and decided to move the couple downstairs while trying not to wake them. That was when Yuzu noticed something.

"Why is Karin wearing a ring on her ring finger?"