AN: Are you all surprised? I realized that writing straight drama (which is what my other two stories are and with no fluff whatsoever to cushion the blow) is hard. So I decided to find a reason to write something fluffy and this, my friends, is it. A no-holds-barrel of plot-less fun.

Interactive fun, I might add. ;) You'll see why at the bottom of the page.

Anyway, onto the new fic~

Summary: A series of loosely-related, semi-AU HitsuKarin one-shots. Karin wonders if it's cosmic determination or sheer coincidence that her new homeroom teacher is the same shinigami boy she played soccer with all those years ago.

Cliché One: The (Re-)Meeting

It was a terrible way to spend the last of her break.

With the summer ending much too quickly and her homework not getting done nearly fast enough, Kurosaki Karin wasn't prepared for her vacation to finish. If only she'd been more like Yuzu and spaced out her work rather than cramming it all within the last thirty-six hours of freedom. Whoever said she was the smarter twin was obviously being sarcastic because while her grades might've been marginally better than the other's, her obvious lack of planning and foresight were huge slashes against that claim.

How she got it all done, she'd never know. Maybe a little divine intervention, or maybe she was a better worker than she thought she was because it was definitely all finished by Sunday night, even if only minutes before Monday morning. With her auburn-haired sister already nestled deep under her covers, it was with half-open eyes that Karin found her own bedding.

Digging beneath the blankets, she lazily set her alarm before closing her eyes. It only took her a second before sleep claimed her.

"Oh my God, I'm late!"

"Your sister's finally up," Isshin muttered to his other daughter, who was finishing packing up her and Karin's lunches. Biting into the freshly grilled fish Yuzu had made, he watched as she sighed deeply in exasperation. If he was going to be a little more vocal, he'd probably mention how it was like Ichigo never left with Karin home. But that would mean taking an angry roundhouse to the face and not getting up for a while afterwards.

Yes, just as if Ichigo never left at all.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" a disheveled Karin roared as she charged down the stairs, nearly tripping over the last step but managing to keep her balance. Years of soccer practice and dealing with small-time Hollows paved the way for those reflexes, Isshin mused as he watched his little girl run around the room to assemble her once-forgotten school bag.

"I did! Seven times, I'll have you know," Yuzu huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to appear cross. But with features the spitting image of her mother's, the look was little more than adorably rumpled at best. Her light brown eyes couldn't quite capture the heat her sister's could, and her smaller, curvier stature was far too feminine to hold rage. Truly she'd earned her title as the most beautiful junior in Karakura High School.

"Yeah? Well next time you've gotta try harder! Like buckets of ice water or something!" Karin yelled back, trying to get her unruly hair into a high ponytail while somehow managing to slip a foot into one of her school shoes. Peeking from beneath her shirt, a flat stomach was revealed, matching toned legs to complete her athletic build. All of her activities, both extracurricular and otherwise, had shaped her soft, boyish form. The prettiness of her face offset her rather straight lines, as it was fitted with large, ebony eyes and high cheekbones more fitting of a young model.

Not that many saw those features when they looked at the strong, smart and overly ambitious teenager. With energy to last for hours and an attitude befitting an adult, Karin was admired for her abilities rather than her physical attributes. The fact that she didn't put much stock in them since she had little respect for those without the mind to back up the beauty might've had something to do with her lack of care.

"Oh, so it's my fault you couldn't get out of bed this morning?" Yuzu snorted, handing her the other lunchbox as she put on her own shoes.

"No, but, really, it's me. You should know better by now. But because you made me lunch I'll forgive you," Karin said with a wink, as she righted her bag and flipped a piece of hair from her face.

"Y'know, I always make lunch."

"Then I will always forgive you for not waking me up properly. Yeah, I know, I'm such a giver," she laughed, dodging her father as he attempted to tackle her to the ground in goodbye. "You're getting slow in your old age, Goat Chin. Do me a favor and don't destroy anything else while we're gone, okay?"

Walking out the door as the physician clutched his older daughter to his chest and cried rivulets of tears down his face, the raven-haired twin could only smile as the lingering heat of summer hit her. Only a few more months until autumn was in full swing, as she looked forward to the other half of second year. As a soft breeze hit her, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something strange was going to happen today.

But she kept the thought to herself as Yuzu finally extracted herself from their father's death grip and they walked together in silent tandem. Despite the early morning, the warmth was still strong on their skin, the sear of it liberally applied to their nerve endings. The green trees brought some measure of protection but not enough to stop the gratefulness they felt when they saw the gates to their building come into view.

Greeting whatever teacher was on duty that day, the two were quickly separated as they were met by two different groups. As Yuzu was pulled away to talk to her friends, Karin was rushed in the direction of the building by a Student Council member. After being elected as representative of her class at the beginning of the year, she quickly found her free time being eaten up by the duties she'd unknowingly signed up for.

The early morning meeting lasted about ten minutes into homeroom, one where they discussed the expectations for the upcoming semester and any changes that had been made. One in particular caught Karin's attention, as her hand shot up readily.

"Yes, Kurosaki?" the vice president asked, adjusting the glasses on his nose as he looked toward her.

"So it's true that Sanada-sensei is already on maternity leave?" she replied, frowning at the news. The young teacher had recently gotten pregnant but she had barely been in her second trimester when school ended more than a month ago. It struck the student odd that she'd left early, unless some complications had occurred.

"Yes, but the exact reasons are unknown." With that, he continued down the order of business until the end, wrapping up their first meeting and stating that they would have another on Wednesday after school hours.

With nothing else to say, each of the officers set out on their own towards their classrooms. Knowing that Sanada-sensei was absent, Karin wondered who her new history and homeroom teacher would be. She couldn't quite fight the niggling feeling in the back of her mind, as she reached her designated door with slow, thoughtful steps.

What she didn't expect was what she found on the other side.

"You're late."

It was only through sheer force of will (and the number of eyes on her) that kept Karin's jaw from falling to the floor, as she mentally and physically restrained herself from pinching her forearm. But if seeing a ghost from one's past wasn't a reason to be struck dumb, then there was no good reason as far as she was concerned. Dully she could hear the thud of her bag falling to the ground, a poor consolation to the shock that was still coursing through her veins.

But that deep, unfathomable voice broke through her reverie. "Miss, are you in this class or not? I can't imagine it being a particularly difficult piece of information to know."

The snickers from her classmates made her color, embarrassed and suddenly angry. Did he really not recognize her after all these years? The notion was stopped when she realized how stupid that sounded, as she looked down at her obvious adult form. Of course he didn't remember her. Five years was a long time to grow and develop, she admitted as she picked up her bag and made a move to her newly assigned seat.

From the back of the class, she could see the sharp strokes of his outdated name against the blackboard. The white chalk it was written in was a poor medium for the obvious beauty his handwriting held. And its color was no match for the silver, grown-out stresses that shaded green isle eyes. The handsome face Karin knew as a child was vaguely familiar but only because it'd served as the foundation for this new one before her. Truthfully, she could vaguely recall chubbier cheeks in place of that jaw line and those lips were not quite as full then as they were now.

One thing was for sure: Hitsugaya Toushirou had aged far better than she cared to admit.

And, as she took a glance around the room to gauge her classmates' expressions, it was safe to say that the female half of the class agreed with her. The male half was still undecided, as they eyed their teacher's authoritative aura with respectfully reserved judgment. It was too bad Yuzu wasn't in the same class as her. Her reaction would've been priceless.

As roll call was done, Karin wondered if she'd get an actual response out of him. Hell, any little bit of recognition would be nice. Not that she should have much expectation. The only way she got a rise out of that kid when they were younger was when she called him short but, judging by the length of his legs and torso, she doubted any insults like that would have much weight anymore.

Watching him with deft eyes, Karin knew the exact moment he realized who she was. There was a slight pause between her name and the previous one on the list, just enough time to dart his eyes to meet hers expectantly. All she could do was smirk in return, raising her hand that looked more like a wave than an appeal to state her presence. In response, her moniker was more of an aggravated mutter than anything else, as he looked determinedly down at his paper again.

Oh yeah, he definitely remembers, she thought with a self-satisfied smile, leaning back in her chair as she waited for him to finish up the attendance and his self-introduction. For the most part she ignored whatever he said, already knowing the back story was a well devised cover. And although she really had no reason to pry, she was sort of interested in his real reason for being here. If she couldn't find out from him, then maybe she'd stop by Urahara's place. That man loved gossip, after all.

"I have a few things for the class representative to take care of. May I ask who it is?" Hitsugaya announced, but his eyes settled on a familiar face near the window instinctively. As her hand went up, he nodded for her to follow him as he gathered up his things to return to the teachers' lounge. He wouldn't be handling them until later that afternoon for world history but he had his morning class soon enough. He'd have to deal with his old acquaintance now rather than later.

Hearing the murmurs about how lucky she was, Karin nearly rolled her eyes. She really didn't understand what the big deal was with new teachers showing up, even if they were grossly attractive. It wasn't as if any had designs on their students, and knowing this particular professor she had no doubt he had no designs on anyone or anything unless they had high, uncontrollable reiatsu or a Hollow after them.

Following him out, they only got a few meters into the empty hallway before he stopped in front of an empty classroom. That was when he turned to face her, staring down his nose the same exact way he used to as a child to try and intimidate her. For what it was worth, it certainly worked better now than it did when she was a few centimeters taller than him but it still had no effect on her.

"Welcome back, Toushirou," she started, looking at him with a smile that was half warmth, half mockery. The slight glare in his eye was answer enough on how he felt about her using his name so casually. However, now was certainly not the time or place to be getting into a fight with his one-time teammate.

"I see you're doing well, Kurosaki," he replied, eyeing her up and down with vague interest. "Decided to ditch the boy haircut, I see."

"Yeah, but you obviously haven't," she shot back, nodding towards his unruly mane with an amused quirk of her lips.

"Kurosaki," he growled warningly, frowning deliberately as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sensei," Karin replied evenly, as if staring down powerful reapers was an everyday sort of thing. Actually, if her father was included in that category then it would be a fairly normal thing to her, now wouldn't it?

Observing him as he sighed deeply, she knew she had him. It was rare she ever met someone whose stubbornness outlasted hers. "Look, we're not going to do this here. I just want to make sure we're clear with each other on this."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"You will act like you don't know me and I will pretend we've never met. I can't have people talking while I'm undercover," he explained, tilting his head a bit to the side and causing some hair to fall into his eyes.

She refused to admit she admired the view. "Okay, but only on one condition."

"What?" The resignation in his eyes was reluctant but they were running out of time and anyone could see them. For now, he'd just have to humor her.

"Tell me why you're here."

He had no problems with his answer. "No."

"Then I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other for the next few months, won't we, Toushirou?" Karin singsong-ed, just as the older man opened his mouth to protest. But the sliding of other doors opening drew his attention and he knew that he had to end the discussion. Nodding solemnly, he excused his new student with a thrust of his chin. However, the gleam in his eyes held a different message altogether.

We're not done here, Kurosaki.

She grinned at him in retaliation, one that nearly made him smile in return. It was the same one she used even as a child, so characteristic on her face that he nearly chided himself for not recognizing her in the first place. And the answer was one he knew without having to look at it, turning away as they went in opposite directions.

Bring it on… Shorty.

AN: So, hooked yet? ;D I hope so because this time the story is in your guys' hands. I'm gonna be doing one-shots within this reality to the beat of your guys' drums. Why and how, you ask? Read on to find out~

Why: I've always wanted to take requests but I hate writing things arbitrarily (unless they come out from my own crazy mind). So I decided to make a game out of this new fic. I've read many shoujo manga in my time and I love them, even if they are embarrassingly similar and completely cliche. But I love them so and I'm sure many of you do as well. So I thought, why not make a HitsuKarin archive featuring them in these played-out but lovable scenes that we all adore? This story is totally separate from In Every Season (which will continue to be a breeding ground for all my personal plot bunnies) but you guys will help me write this one. Deal? :)

How: I have a few guidelines for submitting so I don't get a million plots all at once. So, if you'd like to send in something per chapter, please follow a few rules of mine.

1. Only 3 plot bunnies per submission and one submission per chapter. In one review, tell me what three scenes you'd like to see next and I will either pick my favorite or the scene that's most popular. Depends on which option appeals to me more. And, if you have more than three listed, I'm afraid I can't count your submission. Sorry but I won't make exceptions for this one. :(

2. Submit plots that come directly from shoujo manga but don't expect it to be exactly the same as how you intended for it to come out. You want Karin and Toushirou to get locked in a room together? Fine, but if a Huge Hollow breaks the door down don't be mad. Fair warning in advance. ;)

3. Have fun! This is me trying to be a bit more interactive with everyone, who waits patiently for my updates without fail. It's crazy that you guys care enough to do it so here's me trying to say thank you.

Intrigued? Good! Let me know your guys' thoughts by writing me a comment down below. Oh, and for those of you who suggest the cliche chosen, I will dedicate that chapter to all of you who submit it. Let's have some fun, okay guys? :DDDD

Until next time~