It was on a perfect day, when Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya of the 10th Division found himself alone. He sat on a perfect cushion, all the while enjoying a perfect patch of sun light in his perfect Zen garden. Each rock and tree was in perfect harmony with each other. Yes, there was paperwork, homework, and every other kind of work to do. From his assessment of the situation, these things could be put aside for a bit.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air, savoring the moment, the peace and quiet.

But, there was something missing and the Captain could not put a finger on it. He tried to push the feeling away, but it would not go away.

"What is it?" whispered Tōshirō to himself, falling into a gloomy mood. "Maybe I need to move."

He stood and grabbed his cushion.

When he turned around, he found himself running into what he thought at first, was a wall.

Yet, this wall was soft, cushy, and smelled sweet, almost like fresh jasmine flowers. Before he could pull away, the wall grew arms that hugged him quite tightly.

With these clues, it only took three seconds for him to realize who this "wall" was.

"For crying out loud! Will you stop doing this?" said Tōshirō, his voice a bit muffled (we all know why).

"Aww, stop what?" purred a very feminine voice.

"Oi, Matsumoto, isn't it obvious? Let me go!"

With a cute, disappointed huff, she let him go, and put her hands on her hips. For a moment, she looked him over with her large, warm light blue eyes.

Right away, she noticed him blushing and looking quite flustered.

"He looks adorable," thought Rangiku Matsumoto, the well-endowed lieutenant of of 10th Division, trying not to laugh out loud.

Hugging people she liked was like an unstoppable reflex and she often wondered why her captain never seemed to understand that hugging was like a handshake; the only difference was, that instead of just using one hand, you ended-up using two hands and your entire upper-body to greet someone.

He started to stammer out some words about "not sneaking up on your captain," but Matsumoto held-up her hand and did not let him finish.

"Well, you know, it was your fault for running into me like that," said Matsumoto, a small frown crossing her lips. "And I was just about to let you know I was there. So, you should be the one apologizing."

Tōshirō thought about arguing with her, but today for some odd reason, he thought the better of it.

When he said "I apologize!" it kind of came out as a squeak, for it had been a long time since he had said sorry for anything to anyone.

"Whaaa!" was all Matsumoto could manage as a reply, her mouth hanging half open in a very comical way.

Tōshirō could feel the heat rising up his neck and into his cheeks again. "Yeah, what is with you!" shouted his pride. "When did you start acting like a youngster?" To clear those words echoing in his mind, he shook his silvery white, spiky hair covered head.

"Despite this, I am still going to have a perfect day!" mumbled Tōshirō under his breath.

Still standing in shock over her captain's apology, Matsumoto had no idea what was coming, as Tōshirō set his cushion down in his calm, old man like way (think of him turning into chibi form).

"Whatever!" was the only word she heard, before she found herself being pulled down towards the open cushion on the floor by two very strong, but gentle hands.

What took seconds, seemed to go slow motion for the lieutenant as she looked down into the silvery eyes of her captain. She had never really been able to see those eyes up-close before or in such good lighting.

She had expected them to be cold and unfeeling, but was surprised to think that they looked very warm and inviting. There were also small splashes of navy blue in the silver of those eyes that made the moment even more remarkable to her.

When her knees hit the cushion, she quickly found herself back in reality. With the image of those warm, inviting eyes burned into her mind, Matsumoto could not find any words to say. She instead looked at her captain with a questioning look.

"Since you are here, just sit with me, and be quite," ordered Tōshirō in a soft, almost sarcastic voice as he let go of her.

"O.k." was all she said as she became comfortable.

It was a strange sight, to see these two sitting next to each other in silence, watching a Zen garden, and enjoying a refreshing breeze. To say the least, the thoughts going through both their heads would take two pages to fill.

When Tōshirō stole a look at the woman sitting next to him, he began to notice things about her. Like how beautiful she looked as a mild breeze played with her long, golden blonde hair. Or how her entire form seemed to glow in the late afternoon sunlight.

Now everything made sense, felt perfect, and in harmony with Tōshirō.

He was the first to break the silence.

"You know Matsumoto, I was sitting here alone and at first thought everything was perfect."

"Wait, let me guess. Then I came along and ruined it for you?"

He looked like he was going to agree, but instead smiled.

"No, you did not ruin it."

"Oh?" was all she replied, not daring to look at him.

He took a deep breath, before he reached to cup her chin in one hand and turn her face towards his.

With his lips less than two inches always from her own, Matsumoto held her breath as her heart began to beat faster. Now it was her turn to blush.

But, before any kiss could happen, Tōshirō at that last second, dipped his head and whispered in her ear:

"Without you by my side, none of my days would ever be perfect."

~~~End~~~

SK: I don't own Bleach. Love All Your Reviews & Comments! One Shot: Tōshirō + Rangiku Matsumoto