Damn, he thought, Damn it all Rangiku! He groaned as he folded his now Hot Pink underwear. That's what I get for letting that big breasted woman do my laundry, he groaned to himself. I shouldn't be the one doing the laundry; it's a woman's job, not a man's. He'd been out on another late mission in the world of the living, due to a recent unnaturally high rise in hollow detection and Rangiku was left in charge of the Squad 10 base.

Oh well… he thought to himself, at least I get a break from fighting those foul beings. He began humming to himself when all of a sudden, a girl called out to him.

"Lil' Shiro!" he heard his name being called.

He cringed, and tried to ignore her. Her brown eyes widened when she saw his underwear. His face turned maroon as he tried to stuff his underwear in the deep depths of the laundry basket.

"Lil' Shiro… are those…. PINK!" she cracked up laughing.

"Not now Momo!" he mumbled embarrassed. She grinned and began giggling much to his annoyance. Hyōrinmaru tried to stifle a low rumbling snort but Toshiro sensed it, and this pissed him off more. The room dropped 20 degrees Celsius.

"Momo! Come on! Stop laughing at me!" he growled.

"I can't help it, you're just so… funny!" she giggled.

"Momo, what's the real reason you came?" Toshiro asked trying to tone his voice down.

Momo's happy look slid off her face like melted butter, and it was replaced with a look that looked like sour marmalade. "You've been assigned to Sector 446 in the Human world… this hollow… it's not like any we've ever seen…Byakuya Kuchiki asked me to tell you because he got called to another sector…" she explained.

"Oh…" Toshiro's voice echoed.

"It's going to be dangerous… Toshi…" Momo said quietly.

"I know… isn't it always?" Toshiro replied dryly. Momo looked at him seriously, then she did the unexpected. She walked over to him solemnly, and put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't flinch or pull away. She looked into his icy eyes which seemed to melt into two little ponds in her warm gaze. She took a few deep breaths; sometimes she'd do this when she was having a serious talk moment. "Toshiro… " she began.

"I know already," Toshiro said, brushing her hand off of his shoulder, "I'll be careful."

"Yeah, be sure to not rush into things, don't let your anger control your actions, and … "

"… Yes?... " Toshiro asked, and his heart started to beat a little faster. She was fidgeting, and he wondered what it was she was trying to tell him. He'd been child hood friends with her since they were little, but for a while, he felt like he wanted to be more than friends. He hadn't told her because he wasn't sure about his own feelings. There was also the problem labeled Aizen, who she still had a huge crush on. It was so unbearablely hard to not go off and slit his head right off, mainly because it would devastate Momo. He didn't want to do anything to hurt her, he wanted to be the one to protect her.

The irony of it all being that in order to protect her he couldn't do anything to the man that had hurt her. She'd taken two years to recover. By then Aizen had once again slipped through the Soul Society's best defenses, it was remarkable. A remarkably annoying cockroach, Toshiro thought to himself biting his lip slightly.

"Toshiro…"

"Yeah?"

"…Don't forget…" she said slowly.

"Forget to act cool? Don't worry, I won't loose my cool air around the hollow." Toshiro said, attempting to smile, although it felt like having a botoux. He didn't want to fight any more shitty hollows. He'd had enough. He just wanted a short break, some time to spend with Momo, and to train and just… chill.

Ok, I really need to stop making puns about my element… he thought to himself slightly exasperated. She was so close… he could smell her perfume, a nice lavender…. Realizing he was leaning to close he hastily used Zenpo to quickly step away from her.

"Little Shiro?" she asked curiously.

"Oh! I just remembered, I need to tell Rangiku something before I leave Soul Society, so I'll see you later! Jannah." Toshiro said, hastily.

"Wait! Toshiro!" she said urgently.

He paused, and looked at her tentatively. "Yes, what is it?" he said impatiently.

"You forgot something…" she said.

"I did?" he asked questioningly. I don't think I did, he thought to himself.

"Yes… you forgot you're… Hot Pink!" and she grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm leaving." Toshiro said annoyed again, and he turned and disappeared.

Women… so annoying! He thought to himself. He was on the fifth roof from his bases lodgings, and he had by then burned all the anger he felt at Momo away. He couldn't stay mad at her, but still… he wished she'd be little more sensitive to his feelings. Oh great… he groaned, now I sound like a woman.

He felt something rubbing against his legs and he looked down to see a black cat with golden eyes rubbing itself around his legs. "Should I feel disturbed?" he asked the cat.

The cat grinned, and a masculine voice came out, " Meow. I'm a cat. Meow. I'm an ordinary cat."

Toshiro rolled his eyes. "Yuroichi…" he said, jumping away. "I'm busy, please go away."

"Is that any way to talk to your wise and older elder?" she purred in her masculine voice.

Toshiro ignored her and hopped onto the next roof. He looked back and saw that she was no longer present, but when he turned around, there she was, rolling around on her back on the orange tiled roof. "What are you doing…" he asked, bristling.

"Nothing strange if that's what you're thinking…" Yuroichi purred while wriggling her whole body into an S.

"I don't have time for this…" Toshiro groaned.

"Your impatience proves you're still a child," Yuroichi pointed out.

"I am NOT a kid!" Toshiro replied hotly, glaring at her.

"Sure you are, it's Puuurfectly normal at your age. How old are you now? A little older than a dino but a little younger than a baby?" she mused.

"I don't have time to listen to your mind games… " he snapped, and disappeared before she could comment. She sat on her haunches, tail swishing lightly back and forth. "Too bad…" she meowed, "I was supposed to tell him he's going to sector 447 instead… Kids these days…go so fast they can't see what's right in front of their nose. Then again… some learn better from experience…"

With that, she stretched, hopped off the roof, and trotted on her way.