"You really do look ridiculous in that white coat." Masaki jeered teasingly at a tall man in a white coat. He jumped a little in surprise, not expecting the college student to be coming so early. Usually it took her longer to get here. "Masaki what are you doing here? I thought your classes didn't get out until five o' clock." He ignored the usual joking about his doctor coat. For some reason she found it hilarious every single time she saw him. Even though she had seen it over a hundred times. "Its new years eve silly. It was a half day." She reminded him. Isshin's eyes widened and he looked at his calendar. Ever since he had decided to permanently reside within Karakura town as a doctor and Masaki's protector, he had been forced into taking on all the work he usually could have pushed off on Matsumoto in the seretei. He had been working hard, and was starting to lost track of everything, including the days. "Oh wow I completely forgot…" He laughed half heartedly and scratched the back of his head. She cocked her head at him in disbelief then just giggled. "You're such a forgetful dork!" She laughed but he knew she was only playing him and had already forgiven his slip of mind. Masaki was like that, always willing to forgive everything, even the most stupid of things Isshin could muster. And that's why his whole world lit up when the fragile creature walked into the room. "Yeah I know." He smiled back, but inside he was a bit agitated with himself. Everything he did seem to cause him embarrassment whenever Masaki was present. Why couldn't he be suave, or even 'cool' like those badass guys he often saw on the television sets? She must think he's a moron. "Do you want to go watch the fireworks with me tonight? There's a small festival going on near the lake today. I heard there's gonna be amazing food!" Masaki's eyes always lit up when the prospect of 'high quality' dining was involved. Honestly he had no idea how the girl was so skinny when she ate so much. "I thought you would be going to the Ishidas. They are still your family y'know." He poked her forehead as he made the point. She was so irresponsible sometimes. "I don't think Ryuuken wants me to ruin their evening." The grin diminished to a small, sad, smile on her face. Her eyes closed and her hands sheepishly folded together behind her back. Ishida looked away from her and sighed. When was that Ryuuken going to get his head on straight and forgive the damn girl? Isn't he a man? He has no right to make Masaki feel this way! Isshin's blood boiled every time the issue came up now. Masaki was too ashamed to go back to the place she grew up, and Ryuuken sure as hell was not putting up any front to suggest she was welcome back anyway. The surgery was supposed to save her life, not shun her from her family. In a way Isshin still blamed himself for what happened, but he would never dare to let the ball of sunshine that was usually on his heels know that. He cared too much for her to crush her spirits in such a way. "Well screw him then!" Isshin growled, letting his frustration pour from his mouth. He flashed a toothy grin and his large hand gently fell on the top of her head, ruffling her hair. "We'll have such a good damn time that he'll be begging to join us himself! Now won't we?" Her lips pulled back into a large grin again and that melodic laughter blessed his ears once more. "Right!" "Then let's get ready college lady." "Yes Doctor Shiba!" "You didn't tie it properly!" "I used to wear one of these all the time! I tied it properly!" Isshin argued with the pouty girl as they walked into the festival. They were wearing traditional Japanese clothing for the event. And Masaki was busy badgering him about his lopsided sash. She was adorned in a gorgeous pink sakura kimono and her hair was pulled back into a small bun since her hair was medium length. She was gorgeous, and of course Isshin hadn't failed to notice how the lovely white sash accentuated her slightly larger than average bust. "But its crooked!" She insisted, tugging at it gently. "Whoa! Whoa! Do you want all of my junk to fall out?" He flailed his arms at her and gripped her wrist sheepishly. "I wasn't going to expose you! Just going to retie it! Hold it in place then!" She huffed and untied the sash. Isshin grumbled and held the attire in place as she straightened the bow. He looked around self consciously but no one seemed to be paying the two much mind. "There! You see? Much better!" Masaki chimed, pulling back and admiring the cute little bow she had made. Isshin sighed heavily and just nodded. "Now can we move on with our lives?" He poked her forehead and began walking again. She followed after him with a small skip in her step. "Ohhhhh! Can we get that?" Masaki tugged on his sleeve and pointed at the watame (cotton candy) stand. The sugary treat was wrapped up in various adorable packaging and Isshin smiled a little at the younger and nodded. "Pick out what you want. I'll pay." Isshin offered. Masaki laughed and nodded, settling on a bunny and hearts surrounding it. "Nice choice!" He exclaimed and tossed the money skillfully to the vendor whilst giving a thumbs up to Masaki. She opened the package, careful not to mess up the beautiful design. "You want some?" She offered, holding out the package. "Well I didn't pay to not have some." He laughed and took a small amount out of the bag. The cotton candy was pink and he plopped it into his mouth, letting his saliva disintegrate the sugar. Masaki giggled and played with a section of the cotton candy. "Look! I made a flower!" She held out her artistic creation enthusiastically and he analyzed it with the uttermost interest. "A true masterpiece!" He applauded for emphasis. "Extraordinary Ms. Kurosaki. However…" He took the flower from her gently and put the cotton candy on her hair, careful not to mess up the fragile structure. "That is indeed, the epitome of beauty." He chuckled as he saw her cheeks turn red from his compliment. She pulled up her hand to hide her little shy smile. She was so adorable, trying to look away from him to hide her embarrassment. "Hey you two! Fireworks are starting soon! Hurry up!" Someone in charge of the traffic was flagging down everyone for the show. Masaki lit up and grabbed his hand. "Let's go!" She enthusiastically tugged him along with her, him only partially jogging as she ran. Most onlookers would describe Masaki as childish, and sometimes she was, but it wasn't a bad thing. To Isshin, it was one of her best qualities. The way her smile shined, her original outlook on even the most pessimistic situations; there was not a day he regretted leaving the Soul Society to be with her like this. In fact, he more regretted he had not met her sooner. The way her hand felt in his, it was so right. Her hands were much smaller compared to his, and he mused to himself all the time what irony it was that such petite fingers wielded such deadly aim. Her eyes were still large like a high schoolers, but she was still growing. In fact she made him measure her once a week upon her annual visit, taking time out of his clinic work. She had grown about an inch and a half in the past few months. Her gorgeous orange hair was getting longer too. Once Isshin had asked her if she was going to ever cut it again, and she just replied with, "Nah. I think I want to grow it out. A new style for a new life." And what a life it was. Isshin found himself dreaming about her more and more, even during the day. His heart jumped in his chest just from her very presence, and he felt blessed just to have her with him, just like now. He had lived without her for so many years, but now he couldn't imagine a life without her. Perhaps this is what could be called love. True love even. But Masaki was the sun; she was supposed to be shared with everyone. He had never dared to try and keep her to himself, in fear that bright light that she cast out to everyone would be diminished. Right now, he was content just with holding her hand. "Where do you want to sit?" Isshin put his hands on her shoulders to keep her in front of him in the large crowd. She was still considerably naive, and prone to getting lost in a situation like this. There weren't many places with a good view where large families hadn't already taken up. "Right there!" Masaki pointed up much to his surprise into a large tree. He risked a glance around. Well there wasn't any 'Don't climb on the trees' sign, so it must be ok. Also they would have a great view of the fireworks. "Sure. Let me lift you." He picked her up bridal style as they neared the roots of the tree. He stepped up onto the largest one before putting her on his shoulders. "Now be careful." He warned hands at the ready in case she slipped. Masaki pulled her kimono up to about her knees so that she could more easily move onto the lowest branch. Once she was secure, she swung her feet dangling over the branch and smiled down at him. "There's room next to me!" "I'm worried about weight, not room." Isshin pointed out, judging the thickness of the branch. The last thing they needed was to fall into the crowd of excited bystanders. He slowly lifted himself up, struggling for a proper footing. He ended up having to use most of his arm strength to ungracefully clamber onto the branch. She was scooted out a bit so he could wedge himself between her and the base of the tree. He let out a sigh of relief as he settled down. "Wow… look at the lake. The moon makes it almost look like crystal." Masaki breathed, barely paying attention as he caught his breath. He followed her gaze and nodded in agreement. "It's because it's a full moon." He reached nonchalantly into his own kimono and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He had told himself he wouldn't smoke around Masaki, but he figured she needed to find out sooner or later anyway, and after that climb… (This is what is called rationalization Kids. Isshin lessons 101) Isshin continued to tug out his lighter, placing the cigarette skillfully between his teeth. His lips pursed around it, hand cupping around the flame as he lit it. The intoxicating sensation of smoke made him sigh, letting his muscles unwind. He risked a glance at Masaki who was staring at him with a sort of awe. "I didn't know you smoke!" She gasped as if this was an amazing new discovery. Oh great, she hated it, he fearfully look away and scratched the back of his head, the smoke slipping out of the corner of his lips. "Eh yeah… but I don't do it a lot. I've had this pack for a few weeks. I know it's a filthy habit but…" He trailed off, placing the item between his fingers and pulled it away to let out a cloud of smoke. He made sure his head was turned away from her so she didn't have to breathe in the fumes. "Wow… that's…. so… COOL!" She squealed, making him jump in surprise. He nearly dropped the lit cigarette from the tree and probably on some other unfortunate soul's head. He blinked at her several times. Did she… Did she just say he's cool? "You look totally badass with that! You're like one of those mafia people in that movie we saw last Tuesday!" She rambled with elation as He sheepishly grinned. "Wow you really think I'm cool?" He had never thought he would hear those words from her. He always had assumed she thought of him as some goof. She actually thought he looked cool! "Of course! Can you blow smoke in cool shapes?" She pressed, pulling on his sleeve urgently. He laughed and pulled the cigarette back up to his lips. He had only practiced a few times but he could make a perfect ring when he pursed his lips just right. Luckily tonight was the night for showing off. Masaki's mouth fell open at the perfect demonstration. "So cool!" She giggled. "Hey would you two keep it down? The fireworks are starting!" A group of teenage girls were glaring up at them. Masaki giggled quietly with an oops on her lips. The two watched the sky anxiously as the crowd was hushed in a similar manner. Cheers erupted as the first firework burst in the sky, sending dazzling flurries of red and blue through the night. They all sat there in silence to watch the show move on. Isshin took another intake of his cigarette, and blew the smoke out slowly. He was mesmerized by the colors. It had been a while since he last saw fireworks. A small hand casually was placed over his free one between him and Masaki. He tilted his head slightly to look at her in surprise. She was looking at the fireworks still, with a content smile on her face. He blushed lightly and tried to refocus on the wonderment of New Years. "You know you're supposed to make a wish on new year's." Masaki finally said when they were preparing for the finale. "What is yours?" "Mine?" Isshin thought about it a while. What did he want? What could he wish for? It was a silly thing anyway, but at the same time, he felt it wasn't. "Well I guess… if I had to pick a wish…" He scratched his cheek in embarrassment as he spoke. "I guess it would be to embrace the sun." He knew she wouldn't get what he meant, but it was enough for him. She knew she wouldn't pry. It was just another of the many things that attracted him to Masaki. The finale began and the light was illuminated in color. Their ears were filled with the poundings of beautiful thunder and the entire crowd was struck into complete silence. Isshin was staring and pretty much had forgotten about his cigarette at this point, letting it stay up between his fingers. That's when he felt the soft lips touch his cheek. His face enflamed in a bright red as he realized Masaki was kissing the area. Her lips were so soft, and warm. He could feel the residue of her cherry gloss as she pulled back. He turned his head to look at her shyly and she looked back with just as much hesitance. Then, in the climax of the show, when all of the remaining fireworks were set off at once, Isshin pulled Masaki close for a gentle lip to lip kiss. Color was shining on their faces in the dark of the night. Masaki met him halfway and extended the sweet kiss for a couple more seconds. However they pulled away as the crowd began to fidget again below their feet. "That was a great finale." Isshin breathed, causing Masaki to laugh at his expression. "Yeah it was. Let's get down and get something to eat." She suggested, shimmying closer to the edge of the branch. "Oh wait! Masaki!" She stopped and looked at him. "Yes?" "Your wish… you never told me it." He reminded her. "My wish huh?" She looked thoughtfully at the hints of smoke left behind from the dazzling performance. "I wish… that someday… you can make me a heart." She pointed to the slowly fading cigarette. The wind was beginning to kill the flame and Isshin looked at it. "That's really what you want huh?" He smiled. "Yeah." "Fine. I'll work on it. If you promise me one thing." He fished in his Kimono pocket for his lighter. "What?" "From this day forward, and for when that day comes…" He placed the lighter into her hand, making her fingers curl around it gently. "I want you to be the one, the only one, to light my cigarette." Behind the words was a deeper meaning, one the two would never easily be rid of. It was a strict promise. Masaki's lips pulled back into a smile, her eyes watering a little from happiness. "Ok. I promise… Doctor Shiba." "I'll keep yah to that, college lady."