"She's a whole lot cuter when she smiles…"

"Hmn?"

This was one of many random thoughts that Shunsui had uttered out loud in his semi-drunkard state. His best friend set his own sake cup down and blinked curiously at him. Jushiro was used to his friend's randomness, but he was curious to know who he was really talking about.

"The cute little red-headed flower, Tsukihana-chan~ In fact, I don't even think I've heard her laugh in all these long years. The girl should have a little fun, you know?

"Shunsui..don't do anything foolish, now," Ukitake warned. But a smile adorned his face and he couldn't help but nod in agreement. "She does seem to work herself a little hard at times, I do worry about her sometimes. She smiled a lot more as a child..before she really became serious with training and all." The two captains sat quietly for minute, enjoying the silence as they downed more sake. Shunsui chuckled and adjusted his straw hat.

"She smiles for you, I envy you~ The last time I talked to her..she slapped me with my own hat!," the eight division captain pouted. This make Jushiro laugh and rub the back of his neck.

"Well..patting her backside probably wasn't the best course of action to cheer her up after a rough day, Shunsui. You..kinda deserved that one.."

"Yeah? A different approach then," Shunsui poured himself more of the warm sake and held it up above his head. The two had been sitting outside at the thirteenth division's barracks, enjoying the cool spring night air. The air was filled with the scent of cherry blossoms, and they showered down around them. Shunsui caught a petal in his sake and grinned widely. "I always did like drinking sake under the falling blossoms~" His friend beside him nodded and looked up at the dark starry sky.

"It is rather peaceful, isn't it?" Shunsui quickly downed his third round and rested his head back on folded arms. Tomorrow, operation 'Get Tsukihana to smile' would commence.

"TSUKIHANA-CHAAAAAN!~," he was abruptly cut off as the ebony skinned girl instinctively ducked and rolled away from him as he attempted to glomp her into a hug. Already the girl was cursing inwardly at herself for making the mistaking of coming to his own turf to deliver some paperwork. She knew it wasn't going to get done, as she eyed the other piles littering the desk in his office.

"Kyouraku-taichou..try and be professional will you? It's hard for me to respect you when you act like a goofball..ACK!," Tsukiko stumbled as the man in the pink flowery kimono managed to grab her anyway, nuzzling his face against her neck.

"But I'm loooonely~ My lovely lovely Nanao-chan left me with all this work and won't help me. Sweet, sweet adorable Tsukihana-chan, keep me company for a while, pretty pretty please?" Tsukiko scoffed and tried to pry herself free from the un-shaven man's strong grip; his whining was only starting to annoy her.

"Alright alright ALRIGHT, will you let me go if I say yes? Geez..seriously, taichou. You need to get a hold of yourself. One hour, that's all the time I'll allow to help you at least get out from under this pile of work. Ugh, how can you work this way..it's all unorganized! Here..," Tsukiko roughly pushed herself away from the tall man and began rustling amongst the papers scattered over Shunsui's desk. How did this man become captain anyway?

"Aw, so sweet of you, my dear. I know, I'll pour us some sake and.."

"No sake! Sit and work. After you finish, maybe. Honestly, drinking in the middle of the day…," Tsukiko trailed off as she tapped a pile of newly organized papers on the desk and set them down in front of the reluctant man. She twitched and tried to fight the blush that crept up on her face as he merely smiled widely up at her from his chair. "What?"

"You just sounded so much like Nanao-chan just now. It's cute how you two are kinda similar. You two hang out sometimes, don't you?" Tsukiko quickly averted her gaze and pushed a smaller pile of paperwork toward him, slapping a brush down by his hand.

"Work now, talk later. At least do this pile, it's just signatures. You're worse than Omeada. I don't think I've seen him do a single shread of paperwork. He leaves everything to me. At least it gets done the right way…" Shunsui tilted his hat up, revealing more of his face.

"Ah, you work yourself much too hard sweetheart. You know what you need?" Tsukiko shot him a warning glare, and it only made him chuckle. "You need to kick back and relax! You look tense right now.."

"I'm tense right now, because I'm stuck in a room with you and you still haven't lain a finger on that paperwork. I agreed to help you out of the kindness of my heart. Humor me, okay? Half the pile, that's all I ask," the ebony skinned girl pleaded. Sighing in defeat, the division eight captain slid the pile of papers toward him and looked the first one over, bored out of his skull. He hated paperwork..so dull. He would much rather spend his time gazing at the beauty in front of him right now.

Two minutes of silence. Three..then four..

"Tsukihana-chaaaan~ Sweet, adorable.."

"What is it, Kyouraku-taichou? You're not even halfway done. Where is Ise-fukutaichou anyway? I was hoping to chat a bit about this book I thought she might like to borrow…Ah! H-Hey, cut that out!," the red-haired girl stammered as Shunsui has quickly shifted his position so her could reach over to massage her shoulders.

"You're so serious, c'mon relax~ I'll have you know that Nanao-chan likes my massages."

"Somehow I find that hard to believe…"

"Aw, don't be like that..ow!," Shunsui pulled his hands away as they were promptly wacked with the stack of papers she held in her hands. "Tsukihana-chan is so cruel.." The red-headed girl huffed and went right back to reading over what she held in her hand.

"Please..stop that. It's not very becoming of someone in your position." The man rubbed his hand and rested his chin on the palm of his hands, sending her a smile and playful wink.

"But she's also so very cute too. You know you'd be so very adorable with a smile on your face, Tsukihana-chan..hm?," Shunsui blinked as he witnessed a furious blush creep upon the woman's cheeks, and she tried desperately to hide behind her work. His smile broadened. "And what's more she's very helpful, and polite. Not to mention she has a nice-"

"That's quite enough! I think you've embarrassed her for one day, Kyouraku-taichou," Both Shunsui and Tsukiko looked up as Nanao entered the room. Tsukiko sighed in relief and got up from her chair so quickly it scooted backward and into the adjacent wall.

"I tried to get him to work..but..," Tsukiko started but the spectacled fuku-taichou simple placed a hand on her should and nodded in understanding.

"I know I know. Thanks anyway. He's totally impossible, I know.."

Shunsui waved at a quickly departing Tsukiko, she didn't even look back to acknowledge him and he sighed heavily. Day one of operation 'Get Tsukiko to Smile: FAILURE.