Chapter 1

Thick sheets of rain pelted the ground outside. Wind howled, whipping violently around the building. Thunder crackled, then boomed.

Toushirou Hitsugaya, Captain of the Tenth Squad, was sound asleep.

The storm didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, it was almost soothing. The cool air that seeped through the cracks of his bedroom felt wonderful on his tired skin. The sounds that would've woken most people merely reminded him of his inner world, leading him into an even deeper sleep.

"ARF!"

Toushirou twitched. No. Go away. He snuggled deeper under the covers.

*scratch scratch* "ARF!" *whine* "Arouu! Arf ARF! *whine* *scratch*

He pulled the covers over his head. Stupid stray dog…

"AROOUUUU!!! Ar-AROOOO!!! AROOO!! Arf!" *whine* *scratch scratch*

Just ignore him. He'll leave.

"AROOOOUUUUOOOUUUU!!!" *whine*

"Nyagh, FINE!" Toushirou threw the covers off and went to the door. "Stupid frikkin' dog…" He yanked the door open. "Go aw- HEY!!"

The white husky pup leapt right past him and into the room. He shook himself off (showering Toushirou in the process), then trotted over to Toushirou's bedside, turned in a couple circles, and plopped on the floor.

"You stupid dog!!" Toshiro stormed over to where the dog lay. "What the heck do you think you're doing?? I never said you could come in!!"

The dog lifted his head, opened his large, teal eyes, and tilted his head to the side.

"Now get out!!"

The dog rolled onto his back.

Toushirou swallowed. Crap… he's so… cute… He blinked, then shook his head. What am I thinking!? I can't have dog! No way in heck! I don't have time to take care of a dog; I've got two whole squads to manage! Since the battle with Aizen had ended several weeks ago, the Captain-commander had assigned three different Captains to oversee the three Captain-less squads until replacements could be found. Toushirou had volunteered to take on the Fifth Squad.

Thunder boomed.

Toushirou glanced at his open door. It's really pouring outside… He looked back at the dog (who was still on his back). Well… I guess one night wouldn't hurt. It is really bad outside… "Fine, you can stay here," he grumbled. "But you'd better be gone by morning!"

The dog rolled back onto his stomach, curled up into a ball, and went to seep. Toushirou followed suit.

l***l

Something warm and wet slid across his face. Several times. In rapid succession.

His arm raised to protect his face from this slobbery onslaught. "Get off!" He shoved the dog away. "Frikkin' heck… You're supposed to be gone, remember?"

The dog whined. "Arf!"

"What?"

He couldn't be sure, but it almost looked like the dog was nodding towards his clock.

He checked the time. "Oh, crap! I've barely got enough time to shower before the Captain's meeting!" He jumped to his feet and bee-lined to the bathroom. Turning back to the dog for a second, he said, "Shoo! Go on, get out of here!"

The dog tilted his head to the side as Toushirou closed the bathroom door.

l***l

That dog better be gone by now, Toushirou thought as he stepped out of the shower. I left my door open enough for him to leave on his own…

He wrapped a towel around himself and opened the door. Oh, for the love of- …wait…WHAT THE…??

The dog was lying on the floor, but sat up and yipped cheerfully when Toushirou opened the bathroom door. Right next to the dog was Toushirou's complete daily outfit, perfectly laid out and ready to be worn.

…That's strange… I don't remember having my clothes laid out… "I thought I told you to leave," Toushirou scolded as he walked over and closed his front door so he could change.

"Arf!" *wag wag*

Toushirou quickly dressed, ignoring the dog as much as possible. The puppy eagerly followed his every move. "Come here," Toushirou said as he opened the door.

The puppy cheerfully yipped and followed him out.

"Go on, now. Shoo!" Toushirou waved the puppy away, but the dog just stood there, happily watching Toushirou, his tail a-wagging. Gah! Stupid dog… He saw a good-sized stick not too far away. Hmm… maybe if I throw that stick…

The dog suddenly looked towards the stick, ran to it, picked it up, brought it to Toushirou, and set it down. "Arf arf!" His forelegs bent as he crouched into a playful position.

…Okay, that was weird… Toushirou picked up the stick and threw it as far as he could in the direction opposite the meeting hall. The puppy chased right after it. Good riddance, Toushirou thought as he used Shunpo to get to the meeting.

l***l

"Ho there, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Shunsui Kyouraku waved as Toushirou appeared in front of him at the meeting hall. "Shunpo, huh?" He smiled. "Wake up late?"

"You're one to talk," Toushirou retorted dryly. "No; just had something to take care of."

"I see," Shunsui replied as they walked into the large room, the doors closing behind them.

Toushirou took his place in line just as the doors closed. Already he was making a mental list of all the things he needed to do today-

"Arf!"

His eyes widened and snapped to the door. No. He blinked and shook his head. It wasn't possible. Maybe he was just hearing-

"Arf arf!" *whine*

Was anyone else hearing this?? He nervously glanced at the other Captains. A few of them were, in fact, looking at the door with expressions ranging from bemusement to annoyance. Maybe… no, it's got to be a different dog. There's no way that white one could've gotten here that quick-

The door exploded.

Okay, I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this (in the long run, anyhow). XD I just thought it was adorable & had to post it. Hope you enjoyed it! ^_^ Another chapter's on its way... no saying when it'll actually get here, but yeah. XD