Rangiku sighed, her arms propped up on the table as her cheeks rested in her hands. She was at the annual Shinigami Women's association but she found it nearly impossible to concentrate. Her thoughts were elsewhere and it was very obvious by how much she was sighing. Yachiru, Nanao, Soi Fon, and Momo all looked at her with concern in their eyes, all of them wondering what could be bothering her. Usually at the meetings she is always happy and excited but today she was not acting like herself.
Nanao fixed her glasses, eyes looking at the sighing blonde woman. "Is there something the matter, Lieutenant Matsumoto?" she was not pleased that their meeting was being disrupted. They had important business to discuss and they couldn't do that unless all their members cooperated and paid attention.
Rangiku looked at the woman and let out yet another sigh. "Yes, there is. In fact it's so huge I don't know if I'll be able to handle it alone."
Nanao looked concerned. "What's wrong? Is somebody threatening you?" she was ready to send out all the Hell Butterflies she had and inform everyone of an enemy attack.
"Not someone, but something," Rangiku stood on her feet, her face hidden in the shadows as she tried to form the words to tell her friends of the terrible thing that was happening to her. Slamming her hands on the table she looked at each, making them all go stiff with worry. Some gulped, eyes shaking as they imagined what could be troubling their friend. Finally she told them. "Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I don't have a date!"
Her words left them all speechless.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" for about five seconds before the screamed at her for making them worry so much.
Nanao growled, fixing her glasses once again. "Honesty, I swear all that sake must have rotted your brain away."
Yachiru pulled on the robes of her Vice-President and looked up at her in confusion. "What's Valentine's Day?"
Nanao opened her mouth to explain but shut it when she realized that even she didn't know. "I'm not sure. This is the first time I've ever heard of this."
"Is it a new form of fighting?" Soi Fon wonder, imaging a new training method that could be used against them.
Momo giggled. "Valentine's Day isn't a new fighting style. It's a holiday." She told them.
"A holiday?" Nanao raised an eyebrow, confusion showing on her face. "If it's a holiday then why is this the first time we're hearing about it?" she's been in the Soul Society for many years but not once has a holiday like that ever been mentioned.
"That's because it's celebrated in the human world," Momo said, explaining to them all what exactly the mysterious holiday was. "It's a day for love. You spend the time with the person you like the most by giving them chocolate. Although I'm told it's usually girls who give the chocolate that day and boys return the gesture one month later on White Day."
"Chocolate?!" Yachiru jumped to her feet, excitement shining on her face. "I want chocolate!" she ran across the table and stopped right in front of Momo. "How do I get some?"
"Like I said it's usually girls who give chocolate to the person they like. Although I suppose you give it to your friends as well." Momo said, trying to remember everything that she was told about the holiday.
"How do you know so much about this?" Nanao asked, trying to figure out how she didn't know a single thing about this holiday but Momo seemed to know everything about it.
"Rukia told me about it," Momo replied. "She said she heard about it from Orihime while she was still living in the World of The Living." She explained how she knew about it.
Rangiku groaned, her eye slightly twitching. "Hello," she called to them, making their attention focus back to her. "Did you all forget about me and my problem?"
"And what exactly is your problem?" Nanao didn't understand what the blonde was so upset about.
"My problem is that I have no date for tomorrow!" Rangiku cried in frustration, hands gripping at her hair.
"So what?" Soi Fon didn't get what all the fuss was about. There were worse things in life then not having a date.
Rangiku glared at the Captain of Squad Two. She reached out and grabbed the woman and soon began shaking her as she screamed out her anger. "So that means I'll be dateless on the day when we're meant to have dates! Do you have any idea what that'll do to my imagine? I can't have people thinking I'm some kind of loser who can't get a date!" as she continue to shake the woman Momo and Nanao were trying to get her to let go of the now dizzy Captain.
"Calm down, no one besides us knows about the Holiday." Nanao told her, trying to pry her hands off the Captain before they caused an all out war between the two squads.
Rangiku stopped, much to the relief of Soi Fon. Her blue eyes widen in realization and she grinned, dropping the woman she held to the ground and began skipping around the room. "That's right. No one besides us knows so I have nothing to worry about. So long as this stays between us I don't have to worry about the awful rumors the others will say about me." She grinned in triumph before setting her gaze on Momo and Nanao, who were both trying to lift up Soi Fon. They gulped in fear and in the process accidentally dropped the Captain back to the ground. "I know I can trust you girls to keep this information to yourselves. If this got out I don't know what I'll do." Rangiku approached them, her hand slowly pulling out her Zanpakuto and making the two Lieutenants cower in fear.
"We won't tell anyone!" they cried. They didn't like this Rangiku. They liked the lazy one much better than this scary one.
"Good," Rangiku put away her blade and smiled. "Now then how about we go out for a drink?" she was suddenly in the mood for sake.
Nanao sighed in relief. She opened her mouth to try and restart the meeting but they all stopped when they heard a giant ruckus coming from outside. "What's that?"
"It sounds like Yachiru." Momo added in, listening to the loud noise that was coming from behind them. She couldn't make out what was going on exactly but she could hear the voice of their association's president.
"Let's go check it out." Nanao told them and they ran out of the meeting room.
As they opened the door they passed Byakuya who stood outside their meeting room's door. He watched them go before turning his attention to the meeting hall that they had secretly built inside his home and saw the unconscious form of Captain Soi Fon. With a snap of his fingers her had two of his squad members carrying her away. He pulled out his Zanpakuto and in a flash millions of glowing cheery blossoms appeared and destroyed the meeting hall. Putting his sword away he pulled out a notebook from his robes and marked down where this meeting room was. So far he had destroyed eight of their rooms and he was sure there were more to destroy.
Meanwhile, unaware that their meeting hall was destroyed the three women ran out into the streets, following the voice of Yachiru. They saw her standing in the middle of the street, on e giant red stage and in front of what looked like the entire Soul Society. They all nearly fell over when they saw the giant signs above her saying "Valentine's Day Festival" and the flyers she was having members of her squad hand out to the people around them. "Come to our Valentine's Day Festival tomorrow. Show your love for the one you love. And make sure to give them lots of chocolate!" she spoke in a giant loudspeaker, making sure that everyone could hear her.
While everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves the three girls who just arrived at the scene looked on in shock.
"When on earth did she have time to do this?" Nanao didn't know how it was possible to get all this done in the amount of time that it was put together. They only took their eyes off her for a few minutes and somehow she did all this.
"It's almost scary just how amazing her skills are." Momo said, complimenting on the entire thing but even she had to admit it scared her by just how fast this was all put together.
Rangiku however had no time to think about how fast this was all put together. There was only one thought in her mind. "I'm ruined." Soon everyone in the Soul Society would know that she was dateless and the mocking that would soon follow after made want to cry right then and there.
"You need not worry," Nanao put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder and smiled down at her. "We are here for you. As the Vice President of the Shinigami Women's Association I will not have one of my members suffering because of an event that we are putting on. If you like we will spend the holiday together so this way you don't need to worry about being alone."
Rangiku felt her eyes water at her friend's kind gesture. "Nanao..." she reached out and hugged the woman. "You're such a good friend!" She cried tears of joy.
Nanao giggled at the woman's behavior but smiled nonetheless. "Hinamori," she reached her hand out for the raven-haired girl to join in on their hug.
Momo gulped and frowned. "I'm sorry but I can't."
"You can't?" Rangiku jumped to her feet, an look of hurt and shock on her face. "And why not? Don't tell me you have plans for tomorrow?"
Momo blushed, her hands cupping her cheeks to try and hide it. "Well actually..." she looked away, a happy look on her blushing face. "Toshiro and I made plans to spend the whole day together tomorrow." She told them of her plans. She has been dating her childhood friends for a few years now and when she heard of this holiday she immediately told him about it. While it took a while to convince him he finally agreed and now the two of them will be spending all of tomorrow together.
Nanao looked somewhat impressed. "How did you manage to get him to agree to that?" everyone knew of Captain Hitsugaya and his never ending workload. He never seemed to have time to take a vacation or much less relax. So hearing that he was taking a whole day off was very impressive to her.
"He said so long as we both finish our work for that day it should be fine." Momo told them, her smile still on her face as she imagined more about her special day with her boyfriend tomorrow.
Rangiku looked at her, confusion on her face. She knew her Captain and even if it was for the woman he loved there was no way he would take the whole day off with how much work he has to do. Suddenly she was struck with realization and pointed an accusing finger at the young blushing girl. "So it's your fault that I was stuck doing paperwork for the last week!" she cried out.
Momo jumped back in shock. The blush now gone from her face. "What do you mean?"
Rangiku frowned and crossed her arms. "Last week when he came in he said that I had to finish up all the work I've been putting off and have it finished by Friday. Whenever I tried sneaking out he would freeze me to the chair and make me do my work." Now it all made sense to her. She knew that her Captain was never pleased that she never did her work but he has never gone to such extremes as he did the past week. She had to admit it kind of scared her that he was acting that way.
"He did?" Momo looked shocked by this before the blush came back to her face and she started smiling again. "How sweet." She couldn't believe he did all that for her.
Rangiku growled, her eyes twitching in anger. "You traitor!" she then proceeded to chase Momo throughout the Seireitei. Although the chase didn't last for very long. Momo had run into the Tenth Division and hide behind her boyfriend who threatened to freeze the entire sake supply the Soul Society had if she didn't stop scaring Momo. Rangiku just grumbled at this and stomped out of the office in a huff. "Valentine's Day is a stupid holiday." She closed the door shut so hard it caused it to come out of its frame and made it fall to the ground. She ran off in fear just as the temperature around the office began to drop and her Captain shouted out her name. "Matsumoto!"
She ran off and hide inside her room before he could catch her. She could only hope that Momo could calm him down enough not the punish her and make her do even more paperwork. "Although right now that doesn't sound so bad." She sat on her bed and looked out the window, eyes glazing over as she remembered her past. She would often do this when she was waiting for Gin to come back. "Why'd you have to go away?"
