The Next day Hitsugaya was taking a walk through the Seireitei garden to calm himself. He has just finished yelling at Matsumoto for not completing her works. Everything was quiet until he hear distance giggles, recognizing the voice, he walk toward it.
On the white bridge crossing the small river, he sees Momo and Sakura. Mono has a wide smile on her face as she hand Sakura what seem to be a piece of paper. Sakura join Momo's giggles as soon as she look down at the paper. Before shunpo away, Momo put her index finger over her lips in the way that says don't-tell-anyone-it's-a-secret and wink at Sakura.
Even though a taichou isn't suppose to be involve in trivia things, Hitsugaya couldn't help but find himself curious. He shunpo behind Sakura and ask, "What did Momo give you?"
"Ahh." Sakura was surprise at the voice and jump up. She lost her grip on the paper so she frantically struggle to retrieve it. When she did, she turn to face Hitsugaya and quickly hide the paper behind her back. "Oh, it's nothing important. Don't worry yourself on it, just girl stuff. Ha... ha... ha." She said, hoping he wouldn't ask anymore question.
Hitsugaya look at Sakura skeptically but he knew it wasn't right pry so he let it go, "Alright."
"So Shuro-kun, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, trying to change the subject as she slip the paper into her pocket.
Hitsugaya become annoy from just thinking about the reason, "No reason and its Hitsugaya-taichou." He said in a grumpily.
Sakura giggles and Hitsugaya become curious again, "What's so funny?"
She didn't give an answer and shook her head. She move her face closer to Hitsugaya's face and said, "Be nice to Rangiku, kay?" She gave him a smile and turn to leave. "Bye bye, Shiro-kun." Sakura turn back to wave before she disappear out of sight.
Hitsugaya didn't say anything because he was still paralyze from the shock of having Sakura's face so close to his. When he snap out of it, she was long gone. He sign at his idiot racy and begin to head toward 3rd division for business.
3rd Division
The 10th division taichou knock on the door and a voice said, "Come in." Hitsugaya open the door to see Izuru sitting on the sofa doing paper works. The blond fukutaichou look up to see Hitsugaya-taichou and stood up, "Oh, Hitsugaya-taichou. Forgive my rudeness for not opening the door."
"It's fine." Hitsugaya raise his hand to accommodate his statement. I'm here to pick up some paper works left for me by your taichou." He step into the room and close the door behind him.
"Oh right, please wait a minute." Izuru said as he leave the room to get the papers.
Hitsugaya step deeper into the room. Walking to where Izuru was working, his eyes lay an image on the table.
"I'm sorry for taking so long, Hitsugaya-taichou. Here is the paper works." Izuru-fukutaichou said as he come through the door. He was all smiling until he saw Hitsugaya-taichou.
Hitsugaya have a dark mood surrounding him that gives Izuru a sense of danger. When Izuru notice what the 10th division taichou was holding, he knew the danger was real. Before the 3rd division fukutaichou could move, Hitsugaya slowly turn around and ask in a cold voice, "Why do you have this and where did you get it, Izuru." Hitsugaya's image suddenly become gigantic while Izuru shrink to the size of an ant. The white hair taichou's stare leave Izuru shaking like there was an earthquake and at lost for word.
Five minutes of interrogation from Hitsugaya and Izuru spills everything. The picture Hitsugaya had found on the table was a picture of himself sleeping and taken without his knowledge. From what Izuru had told him, before collapsing from fear, the mastermind was Matsumoto and she made a total of 25 copies, distributed them among the people who knows him.
Right now, two objectives are on the young taichou's mind. First, find all the photos and destroy them. Second, find his fukutaichou and give her hell. This time she had gone too far and she wasn't going to get out of this one easy.
After four hours of searching for the photos, Hitsugaya has return to 10th division. It had taken a long time because he had to interrogate and threaten everyone so they would give up another person who have a copy of the photo. There was a couple of time when he came very close to using bankai. In his office, the frustrated taichou begin counting the photos to make sure he have all 25 and burning them one by one in the fire. When he finish, his count was only up to 24, knowing that he can't afford to leave even one copy out unaccounted for, he begin to wrack his brain as to where the last photo could be. He suspect the photo wouldn't be with Momo, Ukitake, Yachiru, or any others that he had already retrieve a copy from, so it would have to be someone new, whom he had overlook. Then it hit him, the last copy was with Sakura. Knowing how he feel, there is no doubt the photo was what Momo had given to Sakura earlier in the garden.
Hitsugaya rush out of his office toward 5th division. He had seem her there earlier visiting her twin sister, the fukutaichou of 5th division.
Within two minutes, Hitsugaya was jumping down from a roof to 5th division ground. A commotion drew his attention and he went to see what it was.
"Aah. Oh no, Hitsu found out about the pictures." Cried Momo.
"He took my copy." Whined Matsumoto.
"Mine too." Momo and Risa said in union.
"I still have mine." Sakura said casually while holding up the her copy.
The three girls was shock that Hitsugaya hadn't taken Sakura's copy. "Hitsu let you keep it?" Momo asked.
"I don't think he even know I have one." Said Sakura.
"Um... taichou is too careful to leave even one missing." Matsumoto said thoughtfully. "Since Kira told him how many copies I made, I'm sure he will notice one missing soon. We have to hide the photo before he get here."
After Matsumoto had finish her sentence, an icy aura appear behind her. "It's too late, I'm already here." Hitsugaya said in a cold voice that matches with his eyes.
Matsumoto, Risa, and Momo slowly turn around to see an extremely piss off taichou. "Tai... tai... taichou." Matsumoto stuttered.
"Hand it over." Hitsugaya ordered, referring to the photo.
Momo speak an incantation and shot a fireball into the ground, causing dust fill the air. Hitsugaya cover his eyes, when he open them, all four girls was gone. "Damn." He cursed under his breath. He then take off and chase after them.
The first to block Hitsugaya's way was Momo and Risa. "You two, move now."
"Sorry Hitsu, we won't let you get that photo." Momo said as she send another kidou blast toward her childhood friend. The two girls charge at him both at once.
Hitsugaya also dash toward them. He dodge their strikes and without even drawing his sword, he trap the girls in an ice ball that is look similar to spider web. As soon as they were out of his way, he continue on with the two females yelling in the distance.
The next blockage was Matsumoto. "Oh come on, taichou. Lighten up. It's just one little picture." The fukutaichou said with a smile.
"Matsumoto! If you continue to cause trouble, I will add 10 more years worth of paper works to your punishment. Now get out of my way." Hitsugaya commanded, so not wanting to deal with his fukutaichou right now.
At the threat, Matsumoto completely froze. River of tears begin to fall and she become daze like her soul had left her body.
Hitsugaya left his fukutaichou and move forward.
Sakura have no idea where she was going, she was just going where the road take her. One more thing that puzzle her was why she was running from Shiro-kun, she didn't mind giving back the photo. But she figure, since Risa want to keep the photo from the white hair taichou, she would play along for fun.
"Where do you think you're going?" the voice snap Sakura out of her thought. She look sideway to see Hitsugaya shunpoing next to her. She panics and veer away from Hitsugaya, turning a corner. He continue to stay on her trail. Sakura knew even with her roller blade, she wouldn't be able to outrun a taichou.
"Spirit of the wind, please head my call. Guide these petals along your path and blind my pursuer with a wall of air." Sakura chanted and twist around, now skating backward, while guiding the wind with her hand and sending it toward Hitsugaya.
A mixture of wind and cherry blossom petals swirl around Hitsugaya like a small tornado. The young taichou was stop in his track, covering his eyes with both his arms, Hitsugaya lost sigh of Sakura. When the mini tornado cease, He look around and she was no where to be found. "Arg, this girl."
Sakura slowly come to a halt deep within Seireitei garden. She place her palm on a tree to steady herself, for she was exhaust from going top speed.
"Did you really think you could escape from me?" A dark voice asked from behind.
"Aah." Sakura quickly turn around, the speed made her lost balance and she fall to the ground. "Oww."
"You should have given up when you have the chance." Said Hitsugaya. He could see fear in her eyes as she look up at him.
Sakura quickly close her eyes and withdrawn to herself as Hitsugaya raise his hand. She was waiting for him to slap her because he seem extremely angry, but he lightly brush her cheek, just under her eye. "I know I can be cold and strict most of the time, but am I so scary that I deserve such feared look from your eyes?"
Surprise at the brush on her cheek and the question, Sakura slowly open her emerald eyes to look into another pair of emerald orbs. Only this time, she wasn't look into coldand angry eyes, instead she was gazing into a soft and gentle pair of eyes.
Guilt overtake Sakura and she avoid his eyes. She had no right to look at him the way she did when he had no intention of hurting her form the beginning. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean┘" She begin to tremble and her eyes become hazy with tears. "I'm sorry, Shiro-kun. I'm sorry for being so horrible. I didn't...┘"
Before she could finish her sentence, Hitsugaya brought Sakura's face to look up at his with his hand and press his lips against hers. Sakura was so shock at the 10th division taichou's action that her body froze.
Hitsugaya slowly part their lips, "Don't cry. I hate to see you sad." He said softly as he lift a tear from her eye.
Sakura's face was rosy red and she have no idea what to say. Hitsugaya suddenly turn deep red himself. "Sakura, I love you and you're my number one." He confessed, avoiding eyes contact.
Sakura tug lightly on Hitsugaya's haori to make him look at her. When he did, she look straight at him with her big, innocent and childlike eyes and with a smile she said, "Shiro-kun is my number one too."
"I've been waiting a long time to hear those words." Hitsugaya close in and gave her a peck on the cheek. He stand up and pull Sakura up along with him, "Let go back before the three troublemakers assume I did something terrible to you."
"Wait." Sakura called, reaching into her pocket. "Here is the photo." She take the photo out of her pocket and hand it toward him.
After a moment of thought, Hitsugaya push Sakura's hand back toward her. "No, you can keep it."
Sakura except the photo without any objection. "But, only you can look at this picture." He push her back against the tree trunk with one arm behind her head. "If this photo get into another's person's hand, I will blame it on you and will exercise an appropriate punishment, understood?" He tap his free index finger on her cheek.
His words brings the pink back to her face and she nod to answer him. "Good girl." He begin to make his way out of the garden, leading Sakura out with him by hand. Both of them walk in harmony with happiness and relieve on their faces.
A Few Days Later
Hitsugaya-taichou was working in his office and watching his fukutaichou at the same time, making sure that she did her works. She was still under his punishment and she would be for a very long time.
A knock on the door made him look up, "Come in."
It was a shinigami from 5th division dropping off a letter. The letter was address to Hitsugaya from Momo and Risa. He open it and take out a note. It said, "'Hi Hitsu, this is a present from me and Risa. Enjoy. Momo."'
He took another look into the envelope and pull out a slip of paper. It was a photograph of Sakura sleeping, she was laying outside on a hammock with cherry blossoms floating everywhere. It was the cutest picture Hitsugaya had ever seem.
Looking up at her taichou and seeing him turn red, Matsumoto ask, "Taichou, are you alright?"
This snap Hitsugaya out of his dazing, "I'm fine, get back to work." He seem stuttering like he have something to hide.
Matsumoto notice the photo in his hand and ask slyly, "What have you got there, taichou?"
Hitsugaya quickly slip the photo into his haori. "It's nothing. Get back to work, Matsumoto, before I Find something else for you to go."
"Awww." Matsumoto whined.
"Shut up and get back to work." Hitsugaya yelled, losing his temper. So many people in this world drive him crazy but with the one person that can bring peace to his mind, he would be able to survive it all.
