Bleach 1. Chapter 1

Alright, this is my first fanfiction, so please be kind to me. I wrote this about 6 months ago, and added a little at a time, until I got into it.

Note that even though it says Hitsugaya/OC, I'm balancing more to the comedy side, so you won't see that much romance any time soon. Also, this chapter is a prologue, part 1 actually. I'm working on part 2, but seeing the size I decided I could upload this first.

This is a mockery on Mary Sue characters, but does not mean I can write perfectly. It merely shows what would happen in a realistic version. So yeah, maybe my character will be Mary sueish as well. Of course I will do all I can to prevent that.

Bleach belongs to Kubo, and so do the characters expect for my OCs (which won't be that many, I hope).

Prologue part 1: The start of an amazingly horrible day

_It was a normal morning- no, scratch that, it was a normal morning, until **shé **appeared. Her presence changed everything: The sky, usually filled with clouds at the time of this year, would clear up immediately, the grass would actually get greener on **her** side, not the other, the flowers would turn her way and even the sun would give it's all to bestow her with even the smallest of his shine to her, warming her surroundings so she wouldn't get cold. _

_It seemed that nature bowed to her gracefulness. It touched her deeply to know that such beauty would acknowledge her as their superior, so she returned their gesture by assuring them she would do everything to keep herself as the beauty she was. _

_Not only nature seemed affected by her presence. Every pair of eyes would immediately turn at the slightest sight of her. People were like magnets, all attracted to the only opposite polar, **her**. Men would fix their attention to her gorgeous perfect body, while women would admire the way she could get her bubbly pink hair so beautiful, and her Bright blue eyes so...so bright. _

_A-Anyway, even though she loved all the attention, today she had a bigger mission. Because today would be the day she would praise him with the permission to take her as his own. Today he was going to be the luckiest man on earth. Well, who wouldn't be? He was going to date, no, to marry the most beautiful girl in Seiretei! He was chosen, and she had no doubt that he would accept her._

_With those thought in her mind she arrived at the front door of his office. She looked at her ten servants- ah no, I mean, no um, she meant, um—her ten friends and gently waved her hand to them, giving them a signal to leave her be. After all, this was something she had to do by herself, as she knew her love was **very **shy. Her hand lifted slowly to the door, and she knocked. A stuffed "come in" was heard. She took a deep breath, put on the most beautiful smile anyone had ever seen and opened the door._

It was still dawn when Hitsugaya Toushiro woke up. He tilted his head, and took off the paper that was stuck to his face. Even though it was his season, he couldn't properly enjoy it. There were a lot of... '_Obstacles_', one could say. He let out a soft sigh and looked at the huge stack of paperwork that was still left.

After the winter wars, a subject he wouldn't like to be reminded of, he had spent every little minute of his free time to get stronger.

Because he had to. He couldn't make the same mistake again. But as he spent more and more time outside his office, a very important thing slipped his mind:

**Matsumoto loved skipping paperwork.**

Thus it was only natural that after a few months, he happened to discover a pile of paperwork on his desk that was twice the usual size. A quick run through led to the fact that his fukutaichou had simply put her own pile on his. Wondering why she hadn't used a more tactical approach, he decided to take a good look around in his own office. What he discovered made his face as white as his hair.

**Matsumoto had no place to hide her paperwork anymore.**

Underneath the desk, her usual sake bottles were replaced with paperwork that partly fell out when he opened the drawer, causing him to groan in frustration. The sofa had grown a few inches in height, seeing as there was so much paperwork underneath it that it would lift the sofa up. His table had a surprisingly new blanket on it, and when he took it off, the table consisted of a few not so surprising stacks of paperwork bundled together. And then, when he went to look at his bookshelf, he discovered that half of his books weren't books at all, just a cover with paperwork between it. It seemed that the only reason he still had the other half was because it somehow had to cover up the rest, which failed miserably.

The white haired taichou threw himself on the couch, which caused the paperwork underneath to crumble a bit more, and wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. Looking around his office, it now seemed so clear. Everything in his office was in disarray, even before he had actually discovered the paperwork. It had always been so tidy, but this looked like a disaster.

He threw his hands into his messy hair and moved a few locks out of his face. His mind was as messy as his office. How could he have been so stupid? All this training he had done for the past 2 months took his mind so occupied, that he never considered his life outside it. Hitsugaya had forgotten his duties, his morals, and worst of all, his friends.

His mind shifted to Hinamori. Even though she was already healthy enough to be up and walking, something was holding her back. It was clear she had yet to progress all the events, but it seemed she had finally broken her obsession with Aizen. She no longer addressed him by his former name, if she spoke of him at all. Instead she seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. But as of yet, he still hadn't confirmed this in person. After all, he had yet to visit her.

He cursed himself. Once. Twice. He kept cursing himself. Even while gathering all the paperwork, he kept cursing. And his voice got louder as the pile got higher. He knew that by now, people passing by could hear him, but he didn't care. Right now, he was just angry. Angry at his irresponsibility, his neglect, the paperwork… And-

"Taichou, what are you doing? Cursing so loud in the morn-" She stopped in midsentence as she noticed a very tall stack of paperwork,

" I think I should leave..."

There was a not so soon forgettable presence that quickly tried to flee the crime scene. The source of his rage. Finally, he stopped cursing and took a deep breath.

"MATSUMOTOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Another sigh escaped his mouth as he moved his chair back to look outside. Whiteness as bright as his hair made him squint his eyes for a moment to adjust, which actually felt pleasing. Winter had reached its peak as it had been snowing fiercely for the last few days, but around the tenth division was only a small amount of snow left. Fortunately for him, it seemed that today's snow was still there. It relieved him, but bothered him at the same time. It meant that it wasn't time yet, but it also meant that he would have to see the snow smelt away when time came. For now though, maybe he could relax a bit and enjoy the snow while it was still there.

_Or maybe not._

He had only just sunken into a comfortable position on his chair when it started. The snow that was falling suddenly moved like a curtain from the left side. One who saw it for the first time would be shocked, and blink to see if it was real. But short taichou had seen this often enough, and the only reaction he offered was one of irritation. Slowly but surely, the snow started smelting. After a while, a black line of tape came into view on the grass. "fifteen minutes…" he murmured, as he turned back to his paperwork.

He could escape now, if he used shunpo. As soon as the thought came, it left. The thought had become a part of his usual routine. The first few days he had felt too much pride and dignity to follow it. He realized soon enough that those feeling were of no use with that kind of opponent, so for about a week he had tried to listen to those thoughts. That week had been worse than before. Much worse.

The first day the stubborn guy had taken too long to step over his pride and was caught before he knew it.

The next day he doubted a little less, but still got only as far as four blocks from his office.

The third day was a lucky one; he was up early and had some business. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whose side you take, it got canceled. And the next day was just the same. Somehow, everything that he planned between eight and nine o'clock in the morning was sure to be canceled, no matter how important it was.

On day five he decided that an unexpected visit to Ukitake-taicho might get him out. The taichou that shared his whiteness had been calling out to Hitsugaya in the hope to give him sweets, and even though he didn't like them, it was always better than running. It resulted in having himself being humiliated by getting dragged away from his small hope.

Day six started early. Hitsugaya decided to set an alarm, and as soon as it went off, he jumped out of his bed. Putting on his clothes as fast as he could, he didn't bother to do his hair. Not that he actually could do much with it. Just before 8 o'clock he reached the northern gate, which was the furthest away from the tenth division's barracks. Releasing a bit of tension, he leaned against the walls that protected Seireitei. There was no way he could be caught.

Eight o'clock sounded, and his doom befell him once again.

Seven days after his first try he decided to screw his pride and everything with it. If he couldn't escape now, he was definitely going crazy. Having set his alarm clock an hour earlier than before, he jumped out of bed, already wearing his clothes from the day before. Soon he reached the northern gate once again. Taking but a minute to catch his breathe and look at his watch (he had bought one after figuring out his hell started at 8 o'clock), and ordered for the gate to be opened. The guards looked at him unsurely, but after an ice cold 'hurry up' that was mouthed with desperate self-control, they quickly opened the door.

Hitsugaya didn't wait long. As soon as the gate was opened high enough, which in his case wasn't very high, he used shunpo and fled. He didn't know how far he was supposed to go, though by the time he stopped to reconsider it he already found himself at the edge of rukongai. He looked around, and recognized it as one of the pourer districts in North Rukongai, he guessed from somewhere around the 60th. It was by chance that he ended up here, after crisscrossing through Rukongai, but he was glad. Surely one from the higher stand wouldn't want to come here.

Once again he checked his watch. Fifteen minutes left till 8 o'clock. The white haired taichou decided that it would be best to find a place to hide. He looked around. The houses were broken and filthy. People had fled from the streets because of his presence, which wasn't very friendly at the moment, so he was alone. His clean and 'white' appearance stood off against the dark colors that surrounded him. It was very obvious that this wasn't his best idea, but it couldn't be helped. For now, all he could do was take off his haori to look a little less important, though he was sure all the people in the district were already informed of his arrival. Looking for a place to hide or rather dump his haori, he noticed something weird. At the end of the street he could see light. The light spread bit-by-bit, coloring the street in colors it had never known. The houses appeared better, the street was bright and clean, and people slowly came out of their houses, looking full of life. As the light reached him, he felt stunned, and he recognized the feeling. A shadow appeared at the end of the now beautiful street. He looked at his watch for the last time, as the figure approached him with even steps. As had happened more and more often lately, his face turned the same color as his hair, and he could count the steps with the seconds.

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

At exactly eight o'clock the person stopped in front of him. They smiled, and said

'Good morning, shiro-chan!'

* * *

It took Hitsugaya a while to realize it wasn't his flashback that talked, but in fact Hinamori.

' I told you not to call me that', he grumbled, though no anger showed. He could never be angry with his childhood friend, and she knew it all too well. She smiled at him, making his face soften. A quick look on his watch showed him that he had only dozed off for five minutes.

'Hitsugaya-kun, did you sleep on the desk again? It's really not good for your health', Hinamori said, her tone a bit teasing. More grumbling slipped out of the taichou's mouth, though it sounded more like wordless babbling. He tried to keep his face into a frown, but Hinamori's smile really didn't help at the moment. They started at each other for a while, just enjoying the presence of one other. It was Hinamori who broke the peaceful silence.

' Are you all right?' she said, her smile slowly disappearing, taking on a more serious tone. Hitsugaya knew what she meant, and merely gave her a look.

' I still think you should accept their help, hitsu-' Hinamori tried, but Hitsugaya cut her off. 'Hinamori, we've talked about this numerous times. The answer is still the same. I will not ask for their help.'

'but-'

' No' Hitsugaya flexed his hands a bit.

' Hitsugaya-kun, please, look at yourself. You're exhausted, grumpy, and if it keeps going like this you'll collapse!'

' I will be fine' he looked away for a moment when he said that, but soon turned his gaze on her again.

' No you won't!' Hinamori said as she slapped her hands on the table, causing some papers to fall of the desk. She ignored them, and faced Hitsugaya with a hard stare. He frowned and said: 'Hinamori, calm down. I will be fine, really. This is just temporarily-'

'She has been coming to see you for over a month now! There is no such thing as temporarily, and you know that she won't stop until she gets what she wants! Please, Hitsugaya-kun, just accept that you can't do this alone!' Hinamori yelled with all she had. It was almost as if she was the one with trouble, not him. They had had this conversation over and over again after that second week, and it had been getting worse and worse. Sometimes slowly, sometimes as fast as shunpo, the conversation would pop up. It had been the second one that had bothered him as of late. She would throw her arguments at him like daggers, and he had to catch them. It took him a lot more stubbornness than usual to keep his point, even though he no longer wanted to. Hitsugaya and Hinamori were both tired of arguing about it, but neither seemed like they wanted to give up.

' Hinamori, tell me. Why should I accept help from the people that got me into this mess in the first place?'

It was his thrump card, which he always played as soon as she broke through his defenses. It was the one question he knew Hinamori couldn't answer, and it was that question that always ended the fight. Hitsugaya finally moved his hands, which had been frozen to the desk when Hinamori started yelling. Resting his head on one hand, holding a pen in the other, he broke the long stare with the trembling girl in front of him and continued signing paperwork. Silence fell over them once again, a tense one this time. The only sounds that could be heard were shaky breaths and scribbling from the pen that moved a bit too slowly over the paperwork.

He looked at his watch yet again. Only five minutes now.

'You should go'

No reply was given, but out of the corner of his eyes he saw her retreating slowly. A sigh escaped his mouth, as many ones had before. He knew she had a point. He needed help. Even as workaholic he knew there were limits, and his was nearing. But he still refused. He refused to accept help from the SWA.

* * *

**Author's note**

Yes, my actual main OC hasn't even appeared yet. That's why I said you wouldn't be seeing any romance any time soon. Next chapter, she'll appear, I promise. Until then, please tell me what you thought about this. I know it's quite confusing, with all the flashbacks and stuff. They're not even done yet. But they have to be done, otherwise it's going to spoil the fun.

Hope you enjoyed it ^^


	2. Chapter 2

PLEASE READ FIRST

So I kinda forgot a few things I needed to explain. First of all, I have NOT watched the entire anime. I have only read manga (more than once). This means all those extra arcs will not appear here, nor will the information said in it. So if something doesn't match with the anime, please don't get angry. I did see the shinigami tsukan, golden stuff, so that might appear.

Secondly, this one has a time limit. This story takes place between the 17 months time skip. I might go until they returned Ichigo's powers, but I will not go into the Quincy Blood arc. Maybe I will even go AU for that, if needed, but I refuse to write about that arc. When Byakuya 'died' it was over for me. _

And thirdly, this prologue is way longer than expected, so there's a part 3… Which might be tiny or small, I don't know.

I don't own bleach or it's characters. If I did, Ichigo wouldn't be stuffed with every power that exists, and everyone would be very much alive.

Prologue part 2: walking down the aisle

Really, it wasn't that hard to find Matsumoto. All Hitsugaya had to do was put out some sake and wait in a corner. Soon she arrived, looking around quickly before hurrying to the desk, completely ignoring the huge pile of paperwork and going straight to the bottles. She opened one and drunk without hesitation, not noticing that her taichou went for the door. Only when it closed, she froze, and didn't dare to turn around.

So no, it wasn't that hard. Getting his books and furniture back however, was a whole different story. His fukutaichou would avoid every direct question to the whereabouts of his belongings, and soon she was pointing out the things he did instead of the other way around. How she did it was a mystery to him, but she knew how to press him on the right points.

'Taichou, you only discovered this now, didn't you? It wasn't just me that was kept up in other things besides work'

Of course, her busy and his busy were two totally different things, but he didn't try to push that. For now, he just wanted his things back. Maybe after that, he could chew her out.

'And taichou, have you looked at yourself lately? Not just the office, but your look has been messed up as well!'

Hitsugaya's eyes twitched at that. Now she was just outright insulting him, and he felt a great need for a comeback. Still, he kept his mouth shut. Not just because of his belongings, but he actually didn't have anything to say back. It was true after all. He hadn't changed his outfit for days, sleeping in the office, and his hair had grown way too fast the last two months. He couldn't get it back into the former state so he simply left it, making it look like a lions mane.

'It's only natural that it's become like this! You can't really blame me for that, can you?'

'We're not talking about blame here, Matsumoto. We are talking about where my furniture and books have gone'

That got her to shut her mouth for a while. Only to open it again with a mouthful of excuses that didn't get him anywhere. It wasn't likely that she was going to tell him where they were any time soon. Hitsugaya had to put aside his original plan of simply blaming her for everything, and go with a more soft approach.

'I just want my office to be as it was before chaos decided to pay a visit. All I want to know is where I can find my belongings.'

'Well, I might know were they are, but….'

He really didn't like that 'but' at the end of the sentence. He had been trying to avoid it as much as she had been avoiding his questions, but with no choice left, he had lowered his guards. This could only mean one thing.

'But?'

'I need your help with something, taichou!'

She wanted a deal.

'If it's sake I am not helping you'

'No! No of course not! This is also something that could help you! No, in fact, this is pure beneficial for you taichou!'

Suspicious, he thought, but said nothing of it.

'Then please, do tell me. What could be so beneficial to me?'

'We're going to cut your hair!'

'…my hair? What does my hair have to do with any of this?'

'It's horrible! A total mess! The new horror story of Seiretei!'

Another twitch got him as he leaned back, a bit taken by her words. Did she really have to go that far? The 'we' drifted in the back of his mind as he kept silent, waiting for Matsumoto to get to her point.

'Everyone here wants you to do something about it, but didn't dare to say anything. Haven't you seen the looks you get, taichou?'

He had, in fact, seen them, but that didn't mean he was about to say that.

'So what is in it for you to do my hair? A bet?'

She gulped loudly at that. Bullseye. He should've known that there was more than just benefit for him.

'It's nothing big taichou! Really!' Matsumoto waved her hands wildly when she said that. Hitsugaya stared at her for a while, seeing if she would explain herself, but it only made her wave stronger. He sighed and turned to his paperwork.

'If I let you do my hair, will you give me back my belongings?'

'Yes'

'What about the paperwork?'

'…'

'Matsumoto…'

'I will do it!'

'All right then. So when?'

'When what?'

'When do you want to do…my hair'

'Friday, before the meeting, at eight'

How accurate. Hitsugaya felt that even if he hadn't discovered the state of his office she still would've gotten him to do his hair. It couldn't be something she'd thought up just now. It was an appointment. That would be the 'we' she spoke of, he thought silently, as he nodded to Matsumoto as a sign of confirmation.

* * *

'Remind me again, why are we here?' Hitsugaya asked as he walked through the Kuchiki mansion. The answer was left unanswered by a mischievous smile on Matsumoto's face as he slightly looked around. The place filled him with curiosity. The relationship between him and the Kuchiki had been minimal to the meetings and the time he spent in karakura town, so it was his first time in the mansion. He felt he could get lost anytime, but Matsumoto was walking as if she knew exactly where she was going. Not only that, neither her nor other people in the building found it odd that she was simply barging in. He looked to the side to see a marvellous garden, which had him wondering once again how wonderful but hard it would be to live here.

Just as he made up his mind to ask Byakuya how he got used to this kind of labyrinth, he collided with his fukutaichou, who had suddenly come to a stop. He looked around to see where they had arrived, only to find that they had stopped in the middle of a corridor. He was about to ask why she had stopped, when she walked to the side and knocked on the wall. His eyes widened when he heard a voice coming out of nowhere.

'Who's there?'

'It's me. I've brought taichou.'

The wall opened, and Matsumoto went in. The white haired taichou stood there for a while, not sure what just had happened. The first thing that popped up in his mind was: does Kuchiki know? Of course he did. He must have seen Matsumoto come in here before. So then the question was why? Why did Kuchiki let Matsumoto use the mansion?

'Taichou, are you coming?'

What did she do? And how did she even get this secret door into the mansion? Wondering this he walking in.

'Over here taichou'

'Good morning taichou, please sit over here'

'Welcome Hitsugaya taichou, your stylist will be arriving soon'

'Hi shiro-chan! You want some candy?'

'ah, Kusajishi-fukutaichou! Please don't move while I'm cutting! It's dangerous!'

First things first. Obviously there were more people inside the secret room. While he sat down he saw known and unknown faces, meaning that Kuchiki had not just lent the room to Matsumoto. Furthermore, it seemed Yachiru had taken over Hinamori's habit to call him Shiro-chan as well, to which a vein popped on his forehead. Still, he knew better than to retort. It was Yachiru; no one could stop her from giving you nicknames. In fact, she seemed to be set on giving one, so he was glad it wasn't more ridiculous like some of the names he heard.

'I'm sorry I'm late!'

There was a knock on the door and it was opened. An exhausted looking girl entered, her brown eyes flying over the people until they fell on Hitsugaya. She pushes a few brown locks of messy hair out of the way as she walked over to him, and he wondered if it wasn't her that needed the haircut. Once she stood in front of him she bowed and spoke.

'I apologize for the delay, taichou. Thank you for choosing the Shinigami Women's Association. My name is Asukara Rica, and I will be your stylist for the day.'

Even though her look was unrefined, her words were formal. He almost felt like she belonged in a real salon, if she'd fix her look. What did bother him was the word 'stylist'. It was as if they were not just doing his hair.

'…And that's the plan. Is that alright with you, taichou?'

'Yes, sure.'

He didn't know what he just agreed to, but he knew he was going to find out very soon because out of nowhere, Rica grabbed for her zanpakuto. Immediately alert, he grabbed for his own. Or at least, he tried to, simply to find it gone. He had put it next to the chair as he sat down, but now it had disappeared. He looked around while Rica mumbled something in the background and found it stacked up with some other items in the corner.

He stood up, only to be pushed down again. He looked up to find that Rica's brown eyes were something he didn't want to see shining that dangerously.

'Well then, shall we start?'

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

'Thank you for letting the SWA take care of this. We hope to see you very soon.'

The secret door was shut and a fresh looking taichou walked behind Matsumoto to the exit. Hitsugaya touched his hair. It looked decent again, and he wasn't that unhappy with his new look. Or old look, maybe. He would have to get used to the locks though, but it also meant he wouldn't have such a hard time getting his hair right.

He dropped his hand lower to the turquoise scarf that was wrapped around his neck. It matched his eyes and was extremely soft, but somehow smelled a bit like paint. Matsumoto had almost choked him while forcefully wrapping the scarf around his neck, and the glares that he got after trying to remove it several times bore into his back painfully.

He was very glad about the chain that replaced his sash though. The sash had been a pain to get on and off again every time he had to sit down, but the clip on the chain made it easy to take it off. Besides that, he had had a few awkward moments where his sash was cut and his sword fell. Hyourinmaru had definitely not been happy with that.

So overall, he wasn't unsatisfied with the transformation. Rica had done a good job. It was a one-time job though. He'd never want to see her swing her blade that close to his head again. At one point he was sure she was going to cut off his ear. She probably would have, had he not moved his head in time. She barely had enough skills to be a shinigami, and it was obvious she had no seat. If she didn't start training, she wouldn't have one for a very long time.

It seemed Matsumoto had picked her out randomly out of a group that dared to get closer to him the last few months. True, she did not seem afraid of him at all, and she didn't treat him like a child either. It shook his interests, if only for a bit.

Outside the Kuchiki manor, they shunpo'ed to the meeting. They arrived at the nick of time, Matsumoto throwing an apologetic look at her taichou, and walked in. And came to a stop almost immediately. Or at least, Hitsugaya stopped, and Matsumoto almost fell on top of him.

Everything became clear now. How could he have missed it? The items, the preparation, the way that the way out of the Kuchiki manor seemed so much shorter than the way in.

He wasn't the only one with a 'make over'. It seemed that some of them were tricked in the same way he was.

The first thing he noticed though was that the group was complete. He had known of the search for new taichou's, but had not expected to see the old ones return instead. It made sense though, after all became clear they were no longer outlaws and could return if they pleased.

His eyes fell on Byakuya, who appeared to be glaring at him. The black haired taichou had lost the kenseikan and scarf he was always wearing, and instead had some attachments to his haori. Hitsugaya remembered the pile where his old sash was thrown after replacing it, which seemed to hold a lot of other items, but no scarf. Hitsugaya gulped, suddenly feeling that the possibly very expensive scarf was almost too tight on his neck. He would have to return it later.

Next to him stood Renji, who had also a new look. That, or he had a better way of dealing with his hair growth than Hitsugaya did. Unlike his taichou, it seemed this was of free will. He noticed Matsumoto flashing a tiny grin to Renji, who returned it. It seemed he too was involved in this charade.

On the other side a few more changes had been made. Zaraki had lost his bells and replaced his eye patch, making him look less like a clown and more like a pirate. Hitsugaya now also knew where Yachiru had made such noise with earlier that morning. Kurotsuchi had also changed his mask, but that was something he did all the time, making every change more ridiculous than the one before. Hitsugaya really didn't see the point to it, but asking it would be of no use.

Regaining his senses, he walked to his place, looking around. He could feel the eyes on him, and he knew it was not just because of his looks. This was the first time he had actually shown his face since the war. There were no major meetings, so he left it all to Matsumoto, who actually did go.

'Hitsugaya-taichou'

The simple words flew swift through the room, but the power behind them was clear.

'Yes, Yamamoto Sotaichou' Hitsugaya answered without wavering, as he stepped to the middle of the room. He faced Yamamoto, whose look was unreadable.

'It seems you have returned to the meetings. Do you care to explain your absence?'

'My deepest apologize, Sotaichou. I have been neglecting my work and duty in front of the Gotei 13. I have been blinded by rage of my own weakness, and it took me a while to see this. I have no excuse.' With this, Hitsugaya bowed, so deep that if he went any further he would fall. It was quiet for a while.

Seconds looked like hours. Hitsugaya felt his back grow stiff.

'Make sure you have your work in order, Hitsugaya taichou.'

'Yes, Yamamoto sotaichou.'

And that was it. No punishment, no anger, no nothing. Hitsugaya stood straight and slowly walked back to his place. It seemed Kurosaki Ichigo really had done a great deal to Yamamoto's judgement. Before, he would be demoted right on the spot. Now, the sotaichou seemed much softer than before. Thoughts raced to his mind, until the silence was broken.

'I assume you have heard of the circumstances?'

'Yes sir, Matsumoto filled me in.'

'Very well. Then we can go right into the heart of the situation. Soifon taichou, your report.'

'Understood.'

Soifon took out a scroll and opened it.

'In the last two months there have been several disappearances of shinigami, from a few days to a week. Currently 20 are missing, wheras ten have been found. All of them were unconscious at the time of discovery. Their condition is varied. Some are completely exhausting till the point of losing their shinigami powers; others are fit and stronger than ever before. They themselves have no recollection of the events that happened in the time of their absence. There have been several factors of interest that seem to connect some of them together, but no clear connection has been found.'

Soifon gave some files to her fukutaichou, who went around to give them to everyone. As Hitsugaya looked through them, he noticed a few odd things. The files contained two pictures of every shinigami who had returned. It was like a before and after picture you would see in advertisments. They all seemed to have 'upgraded' themselves.

'Are ya sure they are the same people that have gone missing?' Hirako asked, looking at the paper oddly. 'They look like they've had plastic surgery or somethin'.'

' We have confirmed their DNA with my database, if thats what you want to know.' Kurotsuchi replied. 'They have also been tested on their individual reiatsu, so there is no mistake about their identities.'

' What about clones? Exact replicas would have the same DNA and reiatsu, no?' Ukitake spoke this time, his voice filled with curiosity and concern.

'Impossible. Clones take 7 years to mature. In such a short time, they wouldn't even reach the age of three. Even if they had speede up the process, the clones would malfunction at the slightest point of interaction.'

'Have they been kidnapped before?'

'No reports have been given about it. They are clean.' Soifon said as she flipped through the files.

'What are these marks on the left side of their eyelids?' Byakuya noted. Rustling was heard as everyone checked the pictures.

'Their origin is unknown, but they appeared only after their absence. They seem harmless. Kurotsuchi is analyzing them.'

'What about their personality? Do they act the same as before?' Hitsugaya asked, flipping through the pages once again.

'There is no major abnormality in their behaviour, but several have been seen standing in one place for a few hours, without any reaction to the surroundings. Once they regain their senses, they didn't know they had been spacing out.'

'Does this have any connection with the condition they returned in?'

'Those with a weak state have had less of these events.'

'Has their been any difference between the first and last victims?'

'The first five were varied, but after that they only grew stronger. The last one that was found two days ago, has an exceptional healthy body' Unohana cut it.

'Any information of the kidnappers?' Kyouraku said sounding a bit tired.

'We have yet to find a suspect' Soifon answered with a dejected voice. ' The places are completely different each time, but there were four that disappeared inside Seireitei.'

'An inside job, huh' Rose said, rubbing his hand through his hair.

'Yes, we believe so'

* * *

The meeting continued for a little while longer, but no new information was given. In the end, Yamamoto dismissed everyone and told Hitsugaya to search the places where the disappearances had taken place.

And so, the doors were opened, and the taichou's and fukutaichou's went outside to meet the giant crowd of girls that started flashing with their cameras immediately.

'Matsumoto, what is the meaning of this?'

'Well, taichou, we had some problems and…went over our budget for this term…'

'So?'

'Since the new taichou's have appeared, the fan girls have been begging us for new photo's! Last time it didn't work that well because we did it ourselves, but with this we will definitely have some good pictures! And we already received money for the entrance! We've set up fences, so don't worry taichou, they won't be able to attack you!'

With that she disappeared. He quickly looked around to realize that not only she, but all the female members had already disappeared. In fact, only the taichou's were left, all looking just as stunned as he did. Next to him, Byakuya murmured something under his breath, sounding very much like 'Abarai' to him. On the other side, Zaraki and Kensei were looking very annoyed, which to Hitsugaya's surprise only made the fangirls squeal more. The other visored didn't seem that surprised, and Hitsugaya wondered if Matsumoto had warned them beforehand. Komamura was squinting his eyes, trying to avoid the flashes as much as possible. Ukitake and Kyouraku were smiling; they apparently had no problem dealing with the situation. And kurotsuchi, well let's say he didn't need to worry.

'Screw this, I'm outta here!' Zaraki suddenly yelled, jumping to the fence.

'Bakudo 81: Danku' a soft fleeting voice said, and a wall appeared over the fences, effectively bounces Zaraki off. He let out a low growl and tried again, with no success. The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen, but it was clear that they would keep them between the fences.

Behind them the doors finally closed, giving the taichou's no other option. They had to walk down the red carpet. The bloody red carpet. The short taichou was the first to move. He knew that the sooner he did this, the sooner he would reach Matsumoto. And he could guarantee that wouldn't be a pretty thing. He took a few steps and went into shunpo.

And fell right on the carpet. Scream could be heard all around him, most likely more from joy than agony. Ukitake went over to him and pulled him up. Embarrassing was a small word right now.

'Are you alright?'

'Y-yes, I'm fine, it's just…'

'What is it?'

'I can't use shunpo…'

The other taichou's looked surprised. Byakuya walked onto the carpet and took a few more steps. He stopped and frowned.

'Indeed, it seems this carpet is only allowing us to walk.'

The SWA had been fully prepared. The carpet had been nailed to the ground, protected by a barrier, and the snow that was falling vanished as it touched. They could only conclude that they had to walk all the way. And that way was looking very long.

* * *

It had been 30 minutes since they had started, and still there was no end to the red carpet. Hitsugaya was really losing his patience. It had been a very bad idea to walk next to Byakuya, but seeing the taichou glare every time he tried to distance himself, he had no choice. That Byakuya really liked his scarf, didn't he?

A few meters before them Ukitake and Kyouraku were talking and waving as if it was the most usual thing ever. It seemed to put the fangirls in a trance, so much that most of them forgot to take pictures. Of course, they would start as soon as they saw him and Byakuya. No mercy was given to them. Byakuya had once tried to glare at them, which caused an explosion of screams and flashes. He had remained emotionless since then.

Hitsugaya himself had also tried to keep his face as blank as possible. After the fall he did not want to cause more trouble. Still, that didn't keep him from retorting when he heard someone call him by his first name. The explosion was as big as Byakuya's. He lost his posture and with emotion clearly written on his face, he was the perfect victim. It took him a while to recover from that.

Behind him, Kensei was walking alone, already having lost his temper and now yelling at anyone who dared to take a picture. It didn't stop them, but probably helped him vent his anger. At first, Zaraki had been walking together with him, but after fifteen minutes Zaraki had blown it and had forced his way through the barrier with sheer willpower. When Kensei had tried to follow him, the barrier had been doubled, and he was left to accept his fate.

The other two visored had it much easier. Somehow Hirako and Rose had managed to walk beside Kurotsuchi, who acted as a barrier to the fangirls. As soon as they saw him, they lost their energy. Aah, how Hitsugaya wished for that barrier as well. If it wasn't for the scarf…

Once in a while he would spot a shadow moving through the crowd. It would stop, flash with a camera and move away again. It had to be one of the SWA members. He tried to find Matsumoto there, but it was useless. Once he noticed a slight glimpse of red hair, the fangirls would jump in front of it. No matter, he thought. He would see her at the end of the path.

The end came only in sight after another 30 minutes. By this time even Kyouraku was tired of waving at the girls, and left it at simple smiles. Hitsugaya wanted to run, really, run, but the carpet was stopping him and it didn't bring out his good mood. Which of course got the fangirls excited. Making him even more pissed.

At his limit he finally arrived at the end. The end of the carpet also marked the end of the fences and the crowd. The taichou's walked through a very decorative port into a plaza. In the middle stood a woman, dressed up in a snow white Furisode* marred with turquoise flowers. As they approached her Hitsugaya noticed that the snow didn't fall in a two-meter radius of her. In contrary, a bright light seemed to surround her. As if she was a goddess she stood their, meeting the eyes of each one of them until she found him. Her eyes lingered, as if staring straight into his soul. It felt somehow nauseating, but he could not look away. Next to the woman stood a man, dressed very simple but still radiating beauty. He gave a short cough, drawing everyone's attention.

'Gentlemen, let me introduce you to my lady, mademoiselle Fukumi Ten'imuhou Yuki-sama'

Hitsugaya's eye twitched at the name, for it had without a doubt more than one meaning. But this went totally unnoticed by Fukumi, who still stared at him. The man, expecting some kind of greeting from her, looked at her carefully. She seemed not to care at all, as she stepped towards the white haired taichou with an almost blinding smile.

'You. State your name.' She said, and his eye twitched again. Her looks might have been above average, but her attitude was certainly not. He did not seek a fight though, especially not with one who looked from nobility.

'Hitsugaya Toushiro, tenth division's taichou' He answered neutrally.

'I see. Toushiro…' A third twitch. She called him not only by his first name, but without honorific as well. He opened his mouth for his usual line when she continued.

'Toushiro, be grateful. For I have chosen you. I will allow you to stand by my side.'

'Huh?' It came out before he realised it. He looked at her with a mix of confusion and annoyance. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean that I will give you permission to date me.'

With that, she came closer to him, and put her lips on his.

* * *

A/N: This took a while, seeing as I'm currently having a test week. Don't make me explain it, it's just a lot of tests. I hope you enjoyed it.

Furisode= kind of formal kimono worn by unmarried women.  
Fukumi's name= this is a play on the meaning. Fukumi means rich beauty, ten'imuhou means 'perfect beauty without a single flaw' and Yuki is for snow, which I'm sure you know who I'm referring to.


	3. Let's crash the wedding!

I forgot to mention this in the last chapter, but I want to thank **Blackbird0** for the review. I always used to think it was ridiculous to ask for them, until I got one myself. Just after I had posted the first chapter I started regretting it, and I actually wasn't planning on continuing this story at all. But then the review came. To be honestly, I was giggling for at least 15 minutes. Really. It made me so happy. So thank you, for pulling me through. It's just one review, but it's one that made me feel like the story is at least appreciated by one person. I hope you keep reading.

Sorry for being so late, but for that, here's a chapter that's as long as the first 2 together! Finally the end of the prologue, done with all the crappy flashbacks, if I don't decide to put in more in the future. Which I probably will.

Enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter 3: Let's crash the wedding!

An eerie silence went through the hall as Hitsugaya stood in front of the door. He had been standing there for about ten minutes now, and still hadn't made an attempt to go in. A few shinigami had already passed him and asked if he needed something, but he just dismissed them.

'Are you not going in?' another one said, and he turned around to wave them away once again. Only this time, it wasn't_ just_ a shinigami.

'Unohana-taichou.'

'She has been waiting for you, you know? Looking out of the window every day.'

He swallowed hard. Hearing that really didn't make it any easier on him. He had to put aside his fears for meeting her though, because Unohana was smiling at him.

'Will you not go in?' She asked once again, her words sounding much too friendly. He turned to the door, took a deep breath and opened it.

Indeed, just as Unohana had said, she was staring out of the window. She either didn't seem to notice him or just didn't care. He froze again, but with a little push from Unohana he stepped inside. Unohana nodded and smiled genuinely this time, closing the door behind him. There was no escape for him now.

Once again he was at a loss what to do. It had taken all his courage to even get here, and he hadn't once thought about what to do next. First a greeting, he thought. Yes, he'd greet her, then he'd apologize for, well, everything and then he'd try to talk her out of that bed. Hitsugaya nodded to himself and walked until he stood in front of her.

'It's been a while, Hinamori.'

Hinamori's whole body stiffened for a second, before turning around, eyes wide and filled with shock. 'Shiro-chan', she barely whispered, and for once he didn't mind her calling him that.

'How do you feel?' he asked, not being able to hide his concern.

'Shiro-chan', she said again, 'Shiro-chan Shiro-chan!' He could see her eyes getting watery before she suddenly threw her arms around him. The short taichou was thrown off a bit and stared at her in surprise as he regained his balance. Hinamori filled the room with loud sobs as she clung to her childhood friend. He hesitated for a few seconds before dropping his arms around her, with a delicate touch, as if he was holding a porcelain vase.

After a while the sobs became more controlled as Hinamori calmed down. When she finally had reduced the sobs to such a level that she could talk, she said: 'I'm so sorry, Shiro-chan. I'm so sorry!' And with that out she lost all control over her voice again and restarted bawling loudly. Hitsugaya was now officially shocked. Why was she apologizing? After all, wasn't it his fault she was laying here? Wasn't he the one who…stabbed her? He cringed involuntarily at the thought, and tightened his grip on Hinamori.

'You have nothing to apologize for, Hinamori. If either of us should, it should be me. '

'No…you have nothing to… apologize for!' She said in between her sobs, gripping on to the back of his haori tightly, as if she was afraid he would let her go.

'Neither do you. I was the one who got you into this state!'

'And I was the one who let you!'

'Hinamori…'

'If I hadn't...done that, you wouldn't have…' She had no power to finish her sentence, as she broke into sobs once again. He stayed silent this time, the event weighted heavy on them both. He merely held her tight until her sobs had reduced to small whimpers that shook her body. He sat down next to her and moved his hands to her face, trying to nudge her up to face him, but she wouldn't budge. 'Hinamori', he said softly. Her grip relaxed, and he slowly brought her face on eyelevel with him.

'I don't blame you for what happened. It was all part of Aizen's plan, you couldn't have foreseen it. It's over now. He's locked up for good and there's nothing that he can do to hurt you anymore. Knowing that and the fact that you are alive is good enough for me.'

He wiped the tears on her cheek off with his thumb, and looking into the eyes that had now become red and swollen. She still looked like she could burst out for a fourth time, but she seemed to hold herself up now. When she spoke again, her voice was no longer wavering.

'I'm sorry, Shiro-chan.'

'Yeah, so am I.'

He pulled her into another short hug, before letting her go and smiling at her. She returned the smile, however tiny it was. Finally a pleasant silence fell over them, before Hitsugaya realised something.

'Hinamori.'

'Yes Shiro-chan?'

'It's Hitsugaya-taichou.'

And finally he could see her laugh again.

'Hinamori~! Let's drink~!'

'What do you mean by that, Matsumoto?'

'Geh-'

'It's alright Hitsugaya-kun, Rangiku-san means the tea.'

It had been just ten minutes after the outburst. Hitsugaya and Hinamori had been content with just talking. He explaining what he had been doing, or what he hadn't been doing, and she telling him how she spent the last weeks after she had regained her conscious. It had been nice. He felt like he could forget all the work that was waiting for him at the office. Well, until Matsumoto appeared. She had appeared together with a fourth squad shinigami who actually did bring tea. He sighed and loosened his glare. He had been glaring at Matsumoto way too much lately, almost making it a habit. Even she didn't deserve that much.

'Sit down, Matsumoto.'

Matsumoto's face immediately loosened up as well, as she happily sat down next to him. The tea was put on the table, and the silence returned. Hitsugaya suddenly found it quite difficult to continue their earlier conversation. They had been interrupted at the moment he was explaining his hairstyle, and with Matsumoto there, it became a dark subject. Hitsugaya looked at his fukutaichou. She smiled while grabbing a cup of tea and handing it over to Hinamori. Hinamori smiled back, which made Matsumoto blink a few times before looking over to him. He quickly avoided her all-knowing eyes, a bit uncomfortable by the look. She was definitely grinning, and it would come to no surprise if she knew exactly what had happened. And it was all thanks to her.

He silently wondered if she had left the paperwork undone on purpose. He might have been distracted, but he wasn't stupid. He knew a worried look when he saw one. And just before he discovered the mess, Matsumoto had been giving him that look. A lot. Once the office was revealed, she had made a deal instead of the expected 'let taichou do all the work'. Maybe she even had let him find her. And the promise was kept. Her part of the deal wasn't really that pretty though. The last ten days had been the last thing he wanted to remember. It was something he didn't want to think about.

'So how's your girlfriend, taichou?'

Hitsugaya spat out his tea while Hinamori almost dropped hers. It seemed he hadn't been glaring enough after all.

'G-girlfriend?' Hinamori stammered with her wide eyes curiously searching his. He put down his tea while wiping off the liquid that dripped off his chin with his sleeve.

'Matsumoto, she's not my gir-'

'Since when? Since when did Hitsugaya-kun get a girlfriend?'

'Oh, haven't you heard Hinamori? It's all over Seireitei right now! The newest hot couple! Last week they met, and fire burned in both their hearts, as it was love at first sight. You know how taichou's been in a bit of a bad shape lately? Well she broke through it. The moment he saw her, all his doubts faded away and he became his former self! And so, when they gazed deep into each other's eyes, taichou kissed her passionately without a single thought. He wouldn't let her go, but she was not sure if he would keep feeling this way. She told him to wait and see if the feeling would last. But! After four days he stormed into her house, not caring about the laws and the fact that she was a noble. He slammed the door open and powerfully embraced her, saying he could not wait any longer! He had to have her, even if it meant turning the whole world against him! With that she could no longer resist, and from that moment they are as lovey-dovey as can be! Even though taichou has it very busy with his paperwork, he always makes an hour free just for her!'

'W-wow, that's impressive...did that really happen?'

'No it d-'

'Yes it did! I was told by a very reliable source!'

'Who?'

'Taichou's girlfriend himself! We met a few times, and when I asked her about it she described it exactly as I did just now! Isn't it wonderful?'

'NO IT'S NOT!'

The girls had totally seem to forgotten the short man that was about to loose his temper. Hitsugaya had jumped from his chair when he yelled, and was now desperately trying to keep his breath under control. Both Matsumoto and Hinamori looked a bit shocked.

'It's not?' Hinamori asked concerned. Hitsugaya flinched at the worry in her voice and simply shook his head. He had wanted to avoid to conversation at all costs because of that face. Now she was looking at him with a mix of confusion and concern, waiting for him to explain.

'Matsumoto, you know that didn't happen. You were there, weren't you?'

'I only saw the last part, taichou. Yuki-chan filled me in on the rest.'

'She lied.'

'Huh?'

'Not one word of that story was the truth. We are not going out.'

'Eeeeehhhh?'

'Then what really happened? Why does Rangiku-san think that you two are a couple?'

'Well…'

'Tell us the truth, taichou!'

'It's not me that's been spreading all the lies!'

'Please, Hitsugaya-kun.'

'…All right ', Hitsugaya resigned, and told them about the events of the photo shoot. Matsumoto knew most of it already, but even she was surprised about the last part.

'So what happened after that?' She said, now very curious.

'After that…'

It had been very quiet in Hitsugaya's office for the last two days. Hitsugaya had completely turned back into his former workaholic state, and was working 24/7. Work helped distracting himself from other non-work related business. It was the only way to not think about that again. After that, Fuyumi had simply walked away as if it was the most natural thing to do, leaving him frozen to the spot. The other taichou's were either just as shocked as him, uninterested, or laughing their ass off. He didn't care. His mind was blank, and it took him more than a few minutes to move. The first thing his eyes caught was Matsumoto's silhouette.

'Matsumoto…'

He spent the rest of the evening barking at her, which was probably why it was so silent in the office. The day after _that_, Matsumoto had arrived around seven o'clock, taken a stack of paperwork and bringing it to her desk, where she sat down and took a pen. It took the taichou a few minutes to realise she was working.

Feeling his gaze she looked up and smiled at him. A nervous smile, but a smile nonetheless. He couldn't bring himself to glare at that moment. He had done that enough the day before, and she took it for hours. It was almost a miracle she was still there. She returned to her work and did not move from her chair unless necessary. He even had to order her to go eat lunch because her stomach was growling all the time. Only when the sun was far under and she started yawning, she decided to excuse herself. He let her go, smiling to himself as she left. She was his fukutaichou after all.

But now, the third day, it was almost eight and she wasn't there. Maybe she has given up, he thought. She wasn't the working type, so it wouldn't be that much of a surprise.

Someone knocked at the door.

'Come in', Hitsugaya said, wondering who it could be. Matsumoto never knocked, she just barged in. Hinamori had yet to leave the fourth division barracks and deliveries were brought in the afternoon. He didn't have an appointment either, so that only left one person.

Fuyumi. She walked in as if she was a queen, her expression almost as stoic as Byakuya's. She stopped as the same manservant as before closed the door behind her. She looked at Hitsugaya as if she expected him to do something. He waited for her to say something until he saw her holding up her hand. His eye twitched. Did she really expect him to do what he thought she would? He waited a little longer, but indeed, she was expecting him to kiss her hand.

Normally he would've ordered her to leave immediately. She was a shinigami just like the rest of them, without a rank. Even more, it was actually a mystery to as with division she belonged to. He had the second division investigate her for a bit, and the results were surprising. She was the heir of the Fuyumi clan, one of the great four Noble families, but she worked as a shinigami. Everyone seemed to know her, but there were no files on her from before two months ago. She was reported as the best fighter ever known, but she had yet to even obtain a rank. Everything contradicted each other, and it made him more confusing than ever. Still, her being a noble made it impossible for him to treat her like a normal shinigami. That still didn't mean he was going to kiss her hand.

'What do you want, Fuyumi?'

Thankfully her hand fell down. Her face however, looked as if he _had_ kissed her hand, which didn't make it any better.

'I've come up to clear the misunderstanding'

Thank you! Hitsugaya almost wanted to yell, but he stayed calm, knowing that this was not the time.

'When I didn't accept your kiss, it wasn't that I rejected you. I simply felt like your feelings for me were so sudden and too heavy to bear. '

A groan escaped his mouth before he knew it, but it didn't seem to reach her. What was she talking about this time? It was her that forced the kiss on him, not the other way around. And most importantly..

'I apologize, but I do not hold those feelings for you', Hitsugaya said as polite as he could at the moment, even though he felt like yelling at her again.

'I'm sorry, please don't be so angry. I know that isn't true. Your passionate kiss was all I needed to know your feelings for me.'

If you call crushing someone's lips passionate, he thought.

'It's all right, I'll get used to it. I'll come and visit you every day so we can talk and learn to know each other.'

'I refuse.' Hitsugaya already lost his patience to talk polite to her.

'Don't worry, I won't be in the way of your work. It's only an hour a day.' And with that she sat down at the couch, snapping her fingers. The manservant appeared once again, bringing tea with him this time. She took a cup and brought at gracefully to her mouth, as if she was a doll. A doll would've been better, those can't speak, he thought, as he went back to sit at his chair again. He had no intention to start a conversation with her, certainly not if she refused to listen to him. So he returned to his paperwork, which was now for more interesting than her.

The next hour passed in silence, Hitsugaya working and she sitting there sipping tea. At nine she stood up and said: ' It was a very pleasant chat.' Hitsugaya didn't see what part of the last hour was a chat, but as long as she wasn't bothering him, he could survive. A couple minutes later Matsumoto stormed in, sweating and puffing.

'I'm so sorry I'm late taichou! You will not believe what happened! I was attacked by elephants! And after that, a group of girls dragged me away because of the shinigami collection book. Furthermore, one of the girls hurt herself and I had to bring her to the fourth. And the-'

'Matsumoto, have you been drinking again?'

'No I haven't! I'm serious here, taichou!'

Unfortunately for him, she did look serious. Which meant he had to take the elephants serious as well. It was rare for animals to be roaming around Soul Society. Soul Society was for human souls, the only animals were pets that shinigami took from the living world or souls that accidently got stuck to a human soul. But even then, the largest animal yet to appear was a dog.

'Elephants do not exist in Soul Society, Matsumoto. Their souls are too large to enter, and shinigami are not allowed to bring them either.'

'But I saw them taichou! Honestly! And they were all decorated like some festival parade!'

'Decorated? Did it bear some kind of symbol?'

'Now that you say so, yes it did. It was a Hexagon with a cute animal nibbling on its tail. Kind of like a cute version of the figures you see on our SWA headquarters.'

Those were obviously not the emblems of the SWA, but of the Kuchiki manor. Hexagons were the symbol of the great four noble families, and the uroboros that Matsumoto was talking about belonged to the Fuyumi clan. The uroboros with wings that was floating over lake could be seen as a sign of eternal peace and pureness, but for some reason the water looked more like dripping poison that came from the spiderlike wings to him. But the only one who had control over the Fuyumi clan was Fuyumi herself.

'Fuyumi? Who is that, taichou?' Apparently he had been speaking out loud. He quickly pushed his thoughts away. Thinking about it now would give him no answers.

'No one, Matsumoto. No one to be concerned about.' He answered. 'We don't have all day Matsumoto.'

'Yes, taichou!' Matsumoto chirped, and took her stack of paperwork for the day.

The day continued as the ones before, and the next day she visited at eight again. There were no more words spoken than a simple good morning and once again the hour passed without a single chat. She still thanked him for it, which he ignored. Matsumoto was late again, and again something odd had happened. And once again, Fuyumi was most likely involved. But still he had no intention of getting closer to her, so if this went on he would be fine.

The third visit however changed his mind completely. She knocked as usual, but when she came in a blinding smile. The conversation was as large as before, but even though it was silent, he still caught her laugh and smile at him multiple times. It was as if they were having a conversation while he had no part to play. He didn't try to correct her though; focusing on his paperwork was for more important. When it was nine, instead of walking to the door as she always did, she stood in front of his desk. After a few minutes he realised she wasn't going to walk away, so he looked up. At that exact moment she kissed him on the cheek.

'Goodbye, my sweetheart. From the moment I leave through that door my heart longs for you, and I know you feel the same.'

He simple stared, not knowing what he should feel at the moment.

'I love you too, honey.' She said as she walked through the door, leaving him there, just staring. When Matsumoto came in running again, he simply told her that she could start at nine from now on. She looked at him with a concerned look, but he had no energy to explain.

At day four Hitsugaya started to wonder if women had some kind of switch in the back of their head. If they had, Fuyumi's was on. She had made a total 180 by turning into this clingy girlfriend type, and he was to play the boyfriend part. The first thing she did when she walked in was giving him a big unexpected, and certainly unwanted, hug while chattering all kinds of nicknames she had decided to give him. She then proceeded by sitting on his lap, making him stand up immediately. Instead of just falling down she gracefully jumped up, giggling about how shy he was. Luckily for him, she didn't try it again. She did however continue to chat the whole hour, about things that didn't matter and just made her look good, or bad for him. She left trying to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he avoided it this time. She giggled again and left. The next days she would only get clingier, to the point he actually stormed out of his office, which didn't help at all.

'How could she do that?!' Hinamori puffed, cheeks red from both anger and embarrassment.

'So that's why all those strange things happened…' Matsumoto said furrowing her brows. Apparently he wasn't the only one who found the elephants odd.

'What about the fourth night then? It was confirmed that someone broke into the estate.'

'It was a simple thief. She just used him for her story.'

Matsumoto looked angry, but that expression slowly changed into fear as sweat drops started to fall from her head. She almost robotically turned to her taichou, with a very nervous smile.

'Taichou~?'

'Yes, Matsumoto.'

'Last Friday was the first time you met her, wasn't it?'

'It was.'

'Are you sure you haven't met her before? Just in a hall or on your way home? Or when she brought paperwork?'

'No. I have never met her before in my life. Neither have any of the other taichou's nor you.'

'I see. Ehe aha..ahahha….'

'What wrong?'

Matsumoto gulped loudly before standing up. He looked up to follow her eyes, but soon lost them as she crashed to the floor. On her knees she bowed deeply.

'I'm so sorry, taichou!'

Surprise crossed Hitsugaya's features as he looked down on her this time. She had never been the one to apologize, especially not with a dogeza. A few seconds later it started to make sense.

'The Shinigami Women Association…' He quietly said, and he could see Matsumoto flinch. It was true, now he thought about it. If the SWA hadn't organised a photo shoot the whole thing would most likely not have taken place.

'Stand up, Matsumoto.'

'y-yes!' She shrieked and quickly stood up. It was obvious that all she wanted was to bolt out of the room immediately, but she managed to root herself to the spot as she looked at him with fear across her face. He was actually a bit impressed with her. She learned from her mistakes.

'Did the Shinigami Women Association plan the arrival of Fuyumi?' He said, his tone holding a darker note to it.

'They did not, taichou. The original plan was to have a final shoot done by our members at the plaza.' She responded formally, her nervousness replaced with a serious look as she straightened her back.

'Why did this not happen?'

'At the last minute, every cameraman cancelled due to unexplainable reasons. The material had disappeared so all that was left were hand cameras that we brought to take picture with along the way.'

'It wasn't your idea to organise the photo shoot, was it?'

'Not exactly... I might have hinted something about the highest sales we had, but it was Yachiru who made the decision.' Matsumoto said honestly, though she looked like he was about to cut her head off. Which was probably what his face said as well.

'Then I will not hold you responsible for this.'

The moment he spoke those words Matsumoto's legs gave out and she plunged on the chair, relieve all over her face.

'However, from now on I will refuse any contact with the SWA. I will not allow any of those pictures to be sold, nor to be kept.' That got her perked up and straight up again.

'But taichou!'

'No buts! Even if Fuyumi's arrival was totally unaccounted for, the fact that this ridiculous photo shoot made it happen does not change.'

Matsumoto's eyes fell down and looked like a rejected puppy. He was right, and she knew it. But it didn't make her feel any better. The SWA needed those pictures. The fortune they could make was already right in front of them, no way she was going to let that go.

'Please let the SWA make up for it!'

'No.'

She was rejected within a second. Matsumoto didnt just give up though.

'You need our help! If your description of her just now was right, only a woman can help you taichou!'

'No way. The SWA has already done enough damage. Besides, I don't think I need any help. I can solve this on my own.'

Hinamori, who had been listening up until now, finally decided to put in a word as well.

'Hitsugaya-kun, she's right. You need help. This woman is not living in reality, there's no way you can just talk her out of it.'

'Hinamori...'

'Hinamori is right, taichou! So please, let us help!'

'And in return you will get to publish the photos?'

'Yes!'

'No.'

'Hitsugaya-kun!'

'I will not accept their help and that is a final!'

'If you won't let them help I will go instead!'

Hinamori had him trapped. He didn't want to go back on his words but neither did he want Hinamori to be involved. But he was stubborn.

'You can try if you want' he spoke, absolutely confident she wouldn't even be able to meet her.

The next morning Hinamori came to visit just before eight, even though the fourth had been against releasing her so soon. Her spirit however was flared up and she looked like nothing could stop her. The fourth division members didn't even get the chance to defy her. But unlike Matsumoto she did get there in time, almost making Hitsugaya hope that Fuyumi wasn't coming today. The light knock on the door threw him back into reality.

'Good morning my lovely snowflake' Fuyumi chirped as she somehow managed to slam the door open in a graceful way.

'Morning' he grumbled as she walked up to him. Suddenly she froze. Just literally froze. Her eyes were looking just above him, to Hinamori, who had been standing behind him. She didn't blink and stayed in a strange pose for a couple of seconds, before regaining herself.

'Good morning, Hinamori-kun' she said, her stoic face back up within a second. Hinamori seemed a bit taken back before regaining her voice.

'How do you kno-'

'How could I not know about my boyfriend's childhood friend~!' She interrupted, and he saw her eye twitch. Welcome to my world he silently thought.

'Please, let us sit down. I have been wanting to talk to you for ages!' She exclaimed while she pointed to the sofa. She had changed her face yet again, which confused Hinamori quite a bit. She sat down with Fuyumi, shifting a bit with her legs. Hitsugaya made no attempt to get off his chair. He never bothered before so why now?

Fuyumi started out slowly, bit within minutes she was babbling about anything that could come up in her mind, which was unfortunately a lot at the moment. Hitsugaya had already learned he could ignore most of the conversation and all he had to do was nod when she reached a certain height in her voice. Hinamori however, did not know this and thus looked very bothered by the fact that she could not even enter the conversation.

After fifteen minutes he looked up to see if Hinamori was holding up. His hands stopped writing as he saw her face. Fuyumi on the left saw was happily giggling and making gestures with her hands. She was having a one-sided conversation about Hitsugaya new look, yet again, and from her side it looked perfectly normal. Hinamori on the other side was looking paler and paler with the minute. Hitsugaya couldn't see what was wrong, but Hinamori was getting scared. She had dug her nails into the sofa and clammed her yaw shut. Sweat was running down her face and she looked from Fuyumi to the door, as if she was Matsumoto when he found her sake.

'Hinamori'

'W-W-W-W-What is it!?' she squeaked, her head turning a bit too fast. He raised his eyebrows, looking at her worried.

'What's wrong?'

'Wrong? There's nothing wrong! Really! Ehehehe' In no way was that convincing, she knew that just as well as he did.

'No indeed. There's nothing wrong with her, my adorable white angel. She was just surprised that you suddenly said her name, isn't that right?' Fuyumi interrupted, her voice almost dripping with overly done kindness. Hinamori flinched visibly, making Hitsugaya glare.

'Yes! It's just like she said! I was just surprised! There's really nothing going on!' Hinamori said, her voice still an octave too high, but the stuttering was gone.

'All right, if you say so' He said, playing along with Hinamori for her own sake. She momentarily looked relieved until Fuyumi started talking again. Hitsugaya decided to pay attention to the conversation, seeing what was bothering Hinamori. He noticed a weird pitch in Fuyumi's voice in certain words, and the way Hinamori reacted to them.

'I just felt that it was meant to **be**. Everyone around us apparently felt the same way, because they were all **quiet! **Suddenly rose petals were circling around is, as **if **even the flowers knew what was happening. Can **you **believe that? **Don't** you think that's amazing?! **Then** as quick as the wind, I found myself in his arms. I don't know about **you, **but I think every other girl would've screamed out of happiness. 'I **will** never let you go' he said, and believe me when I say that I didn't want him to. But I had to. I felt like I was about to **die** when I started to push him away, but I had no choice. Love at first sight is **a **wonderful but unsure feeling. It was so **painful** to step out of those arms, but I had to be sure that was he was feeling was real. It was as if **death** had surrounded him as he looked at me with those eyes. **Do you understand** that feeling, Hinamori**?**'

'Yes, I do…'

'Out'

'What?'

'Not you Hinamori, I meant Fuyumi. Get out'

'O, are we going for a walk? I'm so sorry Hinamori, we will have to talk later'

'There will be no talk later. I will not let you meet her again, Fuyumi.'

'I know what you mean, sweetheart. I feel the same. All the time I have I want to spent with you.'

'Just go!'

'I will wait for you outside, my love'

Fuyumi walked out, and Hitsugaya almost ran over to Hinamori, who was trembling.

'Has she been doing this the whole time?'

'What do you mean, Hitsugaya-kun?'

'The message! I'm not stupid, you know. She clearly said, "be quiet! If you don't then you will die a painful death. Do you understand?" didn't she! What else did she say!'

'I- I can't tell you, Hitsugaya-kun. It would bring you in danger.'

'What danger!'

'I-I-' Hinamori no longer found any words as she just sat there trembling, worry and fear in her eyes. Outside Fuyumi's reiatsu slowly started to flow. He didn't much time left.

'We will discuss this once I'm done' he said, and with that he went to Fuyumi.

The walk was nothing less from unpleasant, so when he came back he was exhausted. He sat at his desk taking up his pen to return to his paperwork again when he remember that he was supposed to talk to Hinamori. But when he looked up, she was nowhere to be seen.

'She was called away be a few members of the fifth for a return party'

'How can that be? Her release hadn't been announced yet.'

'That's how Fuyumi's power work. When someone is in her way, she will let "coincidence" solve it for her. By chance someone heard it, who by chance told a fifth division member, who by chance decided to tell the Haruko-taichou, who then organised a party.'

'I see-!' Hitsugaya looked around to seee Rica sitting on his desk. He hadn't noticed her coming in, nor her sitting next to him.

'I was here before you were, if that's what you're wondering about, taichou' She said, reading his mind. 'It is nice to see you again'

'Why are you here, Asukara?'

'I'm honoured that you remember my name. I am here to help you, of course.'

'For the Shinigami Woman Association?'

'That is a part of it.'

'And the other part?'

'As you know, I was the one to cut your hair. The one to decide your hairstyle was I as well. I received some pictures before the event of you with your old style, but a picture from when you were still in the training intrigued me. If I had not chosen that hairstyle, you might not have been suffering from Fuyumi.'

'I see. What do you have to offer that Matsumoto doesn't?'

'I have been spying on Fuyumi for the last week in order to gain more information.'

'So have the people from the second division.'

'They haven't found what I have.'

'Which is?'

'That I will tell you once we have established a deal.'

Deals. He had a lot of deals lately, and he wasn't sure if he wanted any more.

'I refuse.'

'…Do you not wish to help Hinamori-san?'

That got him interested.

'Do you know what Fuyumi told her?'

'Of course I do.'

'Tell me.'

'I am afraid that is confidential.'

'I am your taichou, I order you to tell me!'

'Oh, so you figured out that I was in your division?'

Hitsugaya's eyes twitched. It was true that he hadn't known it at first, but later on he remembered her as one of the new shinigami that had entered last year. She already had an unnoticeably aura around her then. He hadn't seen much of her after that either, as she had remained almost invisible most of the time. Still, that wasn't part of the conversation.

'Which gives me the right to order you to tell me.'

'Sorry, but this is something beyond simple things as ranks. Besides, this is something Hinamori-san asked to keep from others.'

'She is my childhood friend, I have every right to know what happened!'

'If told you now, the both of you would be in danger. And even if I did tell you, you would not be able to help her.'

'Why?!'

'That again, is confidential. Once the deal is made you may ask again.'

Hitsugaya grumbled. Everything was getting way too complicated these days. Couldn't everything just go back to the simple arrangement that it had before? Lately it seemed that his status as taichou did no good to his influence. Instead it only brought misery. Then again, his stubbornness was a whole other issue.

'I still refuse.'

'Understood. But remember taichou, you will need our help, and once you realise that the price will have gone up.' Rica said with a small grin on her face, and left. Hitsugaya grimaced. He was going to solve this by himself, no matter what he had to do.

_Once again, She stood in front of his office. She had been coming here for over a month now, spending each day with her beloved. The first two days were a bit awkward; he seemed to have misunderstood her feelings. But the third day she had decided that it would no longer help to put on her mask. She could be true to herself in front of him, and he had the right to know the truth. And the fourth night he claimed her. Oh, how beautiful that night was. She would think about it every time she stood in front of this door, confirming their love for each other._

_After that every day was filled with colour and happiness. The weather cleared up for them, and they spend their lovely hour together either inside his office or out on a date. And what they wouldn't do together. She just loved laying in his arms, completely forgetting time and space. He loved playing with her hair while snuggled up into his chest. They were happy, just so happy._

_Last week they tried something different. They decided to meet outside his office instead. They would go to the outer walls of Seireitei that gave them a beautiful sight on Rokungai, where they swore to protect the pure souls that lived in Soul Society. They went to visit the sickly Ukitake-taichou and tell him their love story, which seemed to have a healing effect on him. And each day brought them further from home._

_And then, __**it**__ happened. That Sunday was the day. The day before he had told her he would be waiting in the 64__th__ district of Rukongai. She had been worried, as it was forbidden to leave Seireitei since that week, but he insisted on going there. So she gracefully accepted, for her love would do anything for her. So, at eight precise, she stood in front of him. He had taken of his haori, tossed it to the side. His hair was messy and sweat dripped from his face. It looked like he had gotten no sleep over the night, which would mean that he had to tell her something important._

'_Look at me', he said, ' for now I am but a simple man. I threw away my rank and my dignity, and stand among those of poor health. But see, as once you walked in, even this poor district has found its colours. Everyone longs for the warmth that you radiate as you appear. So do I. Would you accept me, not as a taichou, but as a man?'_

'_What are you saying?' She answered, tears behind her eyes as she realised what he wanted to ask._

'_I want you. No one else will do, I need you and you alone. I am asking you to be mine. Fuyumi ten'imuhou yuki, will you marry me?' Toushiro said, kneeling in front of her. No longer could she hold her tears back as she held her hand before her mouth._

'_Yes, oh yes I will, my sweetheart', she answered, and as soon as the words left her mouth she was brought in a powerful embrace. All the people came out of their hiding places and started clapping and cheering for them. It was the most beautiful day yet._

_But now, an even more beautiful day had come. One week after his proposal was the day._

_Their wedding day._

_She had once again chosen a pure white kimono with turquoise flowers, even more beautiful than the last one, as a reminder of the first day they met. This time, a gorgeous turquoise Uchikake was worn over it, patterned with light pink flowers. Her long pink hair was set up in the traditional bridal style, with blinding jewels in it. Her face was even whiter than before and her Bright blue eyes shone even brighter than the jewels. Oh how he would fawn over her the moment she came in. Waiting for her in his gorgeous formal attire._

_Oh no, he had been waiting. How could she let him wait? He had the right to see something so beautiful as her._

_Without a further thought, she let the door slide open and walked in._

'_My love, here I am!' She exclaimed, showing herself in all her glory and pride. As she expected, he froze, looking at her with a stunned face._

'_Have you fallen for me all over again?' she asked sweetly, blinking her eyes with a seductive look._

'_No I haven't!' he yelled, which made her giggling. It was so obvious he had, he was completely red after all. But then she noticed something._

'_My cupcake, were is your formal attire?'_

'_My what?'_

'_Your kimono, my dear. You can't attend the wedding with your work outfit, can you?'_

'…_Whose wedding?'_

'_Ours, my snowflake!'_

_Toushiro fell of his chair. What was going on? He was the one who proposed, so why did he look so surprised? Could it be?_

'_Oh my little lovely busy bee, have you forgotten what day it is today? I know you are trying so hard at work, but you really shouldn't lose your sense of time. It's no wonder though, after all, the days we spend together go by so fast. But from now on it will go by even faster. We'll be together forever from now on! So come on, my adorable husband, we have a wedding to attend!'_

'_I….I….'_

'_What is it, my love? Is my appearance still blinding you? Don't worry, after the wedding you can take it of for me, I'll show you what is underneath it too~!'_

'I SAID I'M NOT MARRYING YOU!'

_~~~~~~ Present time ~~~~~~_

Two minutes. Only two minutes left until she would come. He had sworn to not look at his watch again but still did it ever so often. He had tried to go back to his paperwork, but as always he never could do it just before she came. He was staring desperately at his paperwork, almost as if he could write it by looking. Sweat was running down from his face. He was nervous. The tenth division's taichou was nervous. It was those first few seconds that decided how she would come in today. If she had stoic face on, he could relax and ignore her to his hearts content. If she was smiling, he was in for a lot of physical contact, which lately seemed to escalate to her removing clothes. If she was blinding, he was in for hell.

Snap! Hitsugaya looked to his hand to see that he had broken another pen. He looked around and accepted the new pen that was held out in front of him.

'Thank you, Asukara.'

'No problem sir.'

Since his refusal three weeks ago she visited, or rather invaded his office daily around the hours that Fuyumi came. It was somewhat comforting to know that he wasn't the only one that had to listen to the noble princess. At first he hadn't noticed her, but slowly he was able to recognize her presence. She would stay in the shadows most of the time, but lately she had been coming out more and more, perhaps as some kind of consult. It worked, as long as she wouldn't talk about the SWA, which until had only been about twice.

'Today will be a most special day' she suddenly said, making him lose his desperate focus on the paperwork.

'What are you talking about?'

'Fuyumi has planned something yet again. It would be wise for you to take the offer now it still stands. If not, I'm not sure anyone will be able to safe you from your _fate_.'

'And then what do you propose? If it's running, you should know that I already tried that last week, which didn't turn out very well. I don't think there's anything you can do to help me.'

'My proposal will be revealed once you accept my help. _Your_ proposal will be revealed as soon as she comes through that door.'

'My proposal?'

'There she is. If you decide you need me during the conversation, just say the word. Good luck.'

With that, Rica disappeared into the corner of the office. Not a second later the door was opened, letting in a light brighter than ever.

'My love, here I am!' he heard her say, and he had to adjust his eyes for a moment to see what was going on. It wasn't unusual for Fuyumi to shine when she was happy, but this was not just shining. Her whole body was radiating light. After a few seconds, the intensity lowered enough for him to see her. There she stood, in all her overly made glory.

**In a wedding kimono.**

No, he thought. Oh no. This must be a joke. No. That's definitely not what I'm thinking it is. It must be her usual outfit. Yes, she wears white kimono's very often. But not with a Uchikake—No. No it's not that. I mean, Kyouraku-taichou also wears his kimono like that, it's not as if it's an uchikake. Then again, there was the hair. No, she's a woman; those want to dress up once in a while, don't they? So no, it's definitely not that. Having made up his mind with that thought, he settled a bit.

'Have you fallen for me all over again?' She said in a sickly sweet voice.

'No I haven't!' He reacted, and immediately slapped his hand for his mouth. He had been planning to ignore her once again, but that chance was now ruined. She giggled, making him groan. She really thought it was all about her, didn't she?

'My cupcake, were is your formal attire?'

'My what?' What was she talking about? Wasn't his uniform formal attire?

'Your kimono, my dear. You can't attend the wedding with your work outfit, can you?'

No no no. This was definitely not going were he wanted it to go.

'…Whose wedding?' He asked, almost sure he was going to regret that question.

'Ours, my snowflake!'

Hitsugaya stood up abruptly, losing his balance and stumbling back, falling on his butt. He heard a snigger and grabbed his desk to glare at the corner where Rica was hiding. He would get to her later. First, he had to deal with this.

'Oh my little lovely busy bee, have you forgotten what day it is today? I know you are trying so hard at work, but you really shouldn't lose your sense of time. It's no wonder though, after all, the days we spend together go by so fast. But from now on it will go by even faster. We'll be together forever from now on! So come on, my adorable husband, we have a wedding to attend!'

She took him by the arm trying to get him through the door but he resisted. He had no intention of going with her.

'I do not know what you are speaking off. Let go of me this instance. I will not marry you', he said with a clear voice.

'What is it, my love? Is my appearance still blinding you? Don't worry, after the wedding you can take it of for me, I'll show you what is underneath it too~!'

His eye twitched, his fists trembled and a big vein appeared on his forehead. In the corner he heard someone desperately trying to cover up their laughter, which only pissed him off more. He opened his mouth and yelled: 'I SAID I'M NOT MARRYING YOU!'

Fuyumi froze. Once again it seemed like she completely paused. He used that time to wring his arm out of her iron grip and return to his desk. He took a few deep breaths to calm down. He thought of running again, but he knew she would just follow him once she regained her senses. Which would be around now.

'What are you talking about, my handsome prince? You were the one who proposed to me last week with such passion. Even though Seireitei was on lockdown, you still went through the gates to show me your true self. Surely you are not telling me that was a mistake?'

So that's what Rica meant with his proposal. The last day of his running activities had been vague. He had lost all of his willpower after she still turned up, merely nodding every now and then. She must've have gotten the conclusion that he agreed upon marrying her.

'I'm afraid to inform you that I have no recollection of such events', he tried as polite as possible, having noticed that she reacted more to that.

'Oh but surely you must remember. You were so passionate, so full of emotion, so…' She almost swooned over her own fantasies. Hitsugaya knew now from experience that she would make up most of the events that happened between them, but only with some kind of base to stand on. What had he done to let this one happen?

'Like I said, I have none. Nor do I have any recollection of any kind of relationship with you'

She stood there for a moment, blinking, before she giggled and threw her arms around his neck.

'Oh sweetie, there's nothing to be shy of! There's only you and me here after all!'

He groaned and put one hand to his head as he tried to push her off with the other. There was no helping with this woman. One moment she seemed to listen, the next moment she was completely back into her own world again.

'Well then, now that this is solved, let's go! We need to get you into your suit!'

Wasn't it a kimono? He really didn't know it anymore, but he could care less. But the iron grip that was now around his neck did bother him. No matter how he struggled, it seemed that the door was getting closer. This really wasn't good. A tiny bit of panic flared up. If they went through that door, it was over. Outside she'd use shunpo and he would be done for. Every other bit of Seireitei thought they were a happy couple. The only ones who didn't were Matsumoto and Hinamori, both unavailable for help. That just left Rica.

Hitsugaya looked to the corner. Rica had long stopped laughing and was now looking at him with slight worry on her face. She said she had information… Could he trust her on this? He really didn't have time to think about that though, because the door was now only a few inches away. There was no other way out. He had to ask her for help.

'I failed', he almost whispered, but Rica got it. She appeared with a grin on her face. Then she took a lime green wig and put it on, before dashing over to them and standing in front of the door.

'Sorry sweets, this one's mine', she said in a weird high-pitched voice, pulling him out of Fuyumi's grip and stacking her lips on him. It left a huge purple kiss mark right on his lips. As both he and Fuyumi stood there stunned, Rica decided to waste no time in waiting as she grabbed his sleeve and made a run for it. The only thing that came up in Hitsugaya's mind was:

'Why does it always end with a kiss?'

So another cliff hanger, because I really like those. I would very much appreciate it if you could take a little time to review this story ^^. Next update will hopefully be a little bit faster, seeing as it won't be this big. Never this big again, I think.


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Bleach, Humor, Romance