Fluctuate

"Rangiku, when will it get through that thick head of yours? I'm not going to be your guinea pig and that's final."

"Ohh, but Toshiro-!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"But- It's just for a little while."

"For the last time..."

"Fine, fine. Hitsugaya-taichou, will you please-"

"The answer is no, Rangiku." The tenth Division captain finally threw his brush down, upsetting the bottle of black ink on his desk. He caught it before it had the chance to ruin his reports, on which he had worked tirelessly to finish. A finely-lined brow furrowed as his eager lieutenant leaned over his desk, rocking her shoulders back and forth as she gave her best pout.

"Come on, please?" Rangiku was waiting for that right moment where she would see a fracture in his resolve, making him eventually give in to her request. She smiled inwardly as she spotted a barely-visible blush on his pale cheeks. A split-second glance from his eyes told her exactly what she needed to know. It was a well-known fact that Rangiku Matsumoto kept her uniform generously open, which in turn left open a magnificent view of her cleavage. Every man in the Seireitei would bend to her will if she stood at the right angle. But was the wielder of Hyourinmaru capable of cracking under that kind of situation? She had never tried winning him over by resorting to such an obvious tactic, but then again she never had to try hard in the first place. Her charms seemed to come naturally, even if she were wearing a burlap sack. So as long as she was herself, there was no harm in pestering the Ice King himself.

"Taichou..." she said in a sing-song voice, curling a lock of hair around her finger. His eyes were focused sharply on his reports, which had the deadline of tomorrow's date stamped in dark red ink.

"You're still here?" he muttered, clearly flustered.

"I just want to ask you something."

"Then get on with it," he sighed.

"When is your birthday?" His teal eyes narrowed, then stared directly into her own, wondering if she was serious.

"You already know it."

"I forgot," she said, giving a mischievous smile.

"It's already passed. You're too late. Now get back to work, Rangiku." He tried concentrating on his desk again. But she refused to give up. She ran playfully around his desk and hugged the young captain from behind.

"I have a present for you then. I promise you'll love it!" Toshiro gave an audible gulp and quickly pushed her arms away. She was always a little touchy-feely, but never this persistent.

"Can't it wait? I have a lot of work to get done. You could be productive and help out for once."

"How mean! I help out more than you think," she whined. Hitsugaya pressed his palms to his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on.

"I'll accept your gift as long as you promise to deliver these reports when I'm finished. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." His chair was suddenly out of control, and she spun him around, giggling as he hung on to the arm rests. She stopped when he was positioned straight in front of her. A moment passed and Hitsugaya looked skittish.

"So? Where is it?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"You'll see." A bead of sweat dripped from under his bangs right when she pulled back the left side of her uniform, exposing more of her porcelain skin. Her hand disappeared inside and her captain immediately clenched his eyes shut.

"W-what are you doing?" he demanded, trying to remain calm. "What kind of birthday present is this?!" She heard his lieutenant give a low chuckle and she shifted in front of him. He suspected that she was coming closer to him, the way her body heat seemed to intensify. He shrank into his chair, refusing to open his eyes. Wasn't he much too young for this kind of activity? And with his second-in-command! It was all too much.

"Just relax, Toshiro. Don't wiggle around too much or I won't be able to put it on." Out of nowhere, his lap was filled with a warm weight and he stiffened his legs, locking them in place. His knuckles were surely turning white as they gripped the chair worriedly. All sorts of thoughts began racing through his mind, each one more forbidden than the last. Why was she sitting on him? And what exactly did she mean 'she won't be able to put it on'? And she wants to give him a present for his birthday?

"Rangiku, I r-really don't think this is a-appropriate," he protested, stumbling over his words. "Y-you are my lieutenant and I'm you're captain. We can't have this kind of re-relationship!" She didn't answer right away, but instead curled her hands around his neck, scraping her nails lightly over his nape. He trembled, trying to resist the urge to... well, he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. But he was absolutely sure that it was of the improper and even naughty category. He couldn't help but think of what she was doing in front of him. Did she perhaps change her outfit to something outlandish? No, that wasn't possible. Or maybe... she had stripped her top half altogether! He felt blood rushing to his face, but then drain just as quickly to a more southern location. No, this couldn't be happening!

One of her hands slipped away and fastened something onto his head, adjusting it slightly behind his ears. Then with a slight groan that seemed way too close to his ear to not be considered suspicious, the weight in his lap disappeared. After a moment, Hitsugaya dared to open his eyes ever so slightly. Rangiku was thankfully fully dressed and standing a full five feet away from him. She was smiling sweetly, clasping her hands together in a rather cute way. A sigh of relief escaped his lips and his heartbeat began to slow down, regulating his blood flow in certain areas. Then he finally found his voice.

"Matsumoto, explain yourself this instant," he said slowly. His mind didn't seem to want to work very well. Luckily his speaking skills were a little more stable than the last time he tried to talk. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to take notice.

"It's... adorable!" she gushed.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya was utterly lost. Was she... talking about him? He wrenched his hands from the chair and stood up, aqua eyes narrowed in confusion. Suddenly, Rangiku squealed and covered her cheeks with her palms, shaking her head back and forth, acting like a school girl.

"Kyaa! It's coming toward me! Whatever will I do?" Her eyes lit up and she gasped in an exaggerated way. Toshiro blanched and was instantly on the defense. Something was pinching him behind his ears and he reached up to find out what it was.

"Aw, don't take it off yet Toshi- I mean, Hitsugaya-taichou," she pleaded.

"What is it? What did you put on my head, Rangiku?" he asked, looking worried.

"It's your birthday present! And it's absolutely charming on you, if I do say so myself." He sighed rigidly, feeling the strange object.

"Is this a headband? Like... a girl's headband?" He suddenly looked humiliated. The white-haired captain was grateful that nobody had come inside his office to see him like this.

"Well, no... not exactly. But it doesn't really matter, I think it looks so cute!" Rangiku insisted. "And now, there's only one more thing you have to do."

"Um... I'm not sure I want to do this," he muttered, itching to grab her 'present' and toss it in the garbage.

"Oh, trust me, it'll be perfect! All you have to do is repeat after me. Say 'Ran-chan, I love you and I will never leave you for as long as I live.'" Toshiro promptly stumbled backwards, in utter shock.

"What! You want me to--? I-I can't say that to you, Rangiku!"

"Sure you can, Toshiro. Please, just do it for me? I promise to not bother you anymore." Hitsugaya was blushing again.

"This is ridiculous! I won't say it. I'm taking this thing off," he threatened, reaching up to remove the headband.

"Don't! Please, not until you've said it!" she cried, not smiling anymore. Rangiku looked slightly upset.

"Then tell me why you want me to do this. Tell me, or I'm demoting you." She stopped in her tracks, then lowered her gaze to the floor, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Just... don't laugh, okay?" she said quietly.

"I won't. Now tell me," he replied through clenched teeth.

"It's a secret to be kept between you and me? Promise."

"Rangiku..." he warned.

"Promise me!" she yelled, sounding desperate.

"Okay! I... I promise." She took a deep breath, then met his gaze with hers. He was surprised to see a slight wetness in her eyes.

"I... Taichou, I miss Gin," she confessed. "I don't know what's come over me, but I just need to hear those words from someone. Back then, when we were kids, he promised to say those words to me someday, but... he hasn't..." she trailed off. Her bangs covered her eyes and she turned her head, not wanting her captain to see her cry.

"I see," he finally said, breaking the silence. Was that what this charade was all about? As she was looking away, he quickly reached up and took off the headband. It was a simple design, a slight orange velvet covered the plastic piece and two identical fox ears stood at attention on either side, the pink insides a silky fabric. Probably satin. He stared at it, studying it quietly. The only connection between this headband and Gin Ichimaru was the word 'fox'. The expression Gin had held always gave him a fox-like demeanor, even earning him an underground nickname 'fox-face'. So Rangiku most likely knew about this connection. However, since nobody in the Seireitei even remotely looked like Gin Ichimaru, she probably bought this headband and tried convincing someone to wear it so that she would be reminded of her former lover. It seemed a simple enough explanation, and yet Hitsugaya knew that it was far more complicated than that. Although he had a genius intellect, he was sadly lacking in the subject of how love worked.

Not saying anything, Hitsugaya slipped the headband back onto his head, ignoring how the plastic dug into his skin rather uncomfortably. 'This was for Rangiku,' he told himself.

"Ran...-chan," he started. Her head snapped up at the endearing honorific, looking at him in surprise.

"Taichou?" She wiped her eyes, erasing the tears that clung to her long lashes. He nodded, clearing his throat. He had to make this convincing.

"Ran-chan, I love you. And I will never... ever leave you, for as long as I live." He finished the phrase, enunciating the right syllables. As soon as she finished, his lieutenant seemed to brighten up. Her lower lip trembled as she smiled.

"Oh taichou!" Rangiku flung herself at him, hugging him tightly. Hitsugaya suddenly found himself buried in her abundant breasts, and he argued whether he should curse his short height or be thankful for it. After squeezing him firmly, she backed off for a moment and then leaned down to kiss him on the cheek, but close enough to his mouth that he considered kissing her back. His face burned with embarrassment once again and she giggled, mussing up his hair.

"Thanks... for doing that for me. I'm really relieved now." She looked as if she was practically glowing with happiness.

"Um... n-no problem. Glad I could help." The young captain was still a little in shock at what all had transpired. With a contented sigh, Rangiku stood up straight and gave him a wink.

"Well, I'm off to the SWA meeting." She turned and walked out the door, forgetting to close it. Hitsugaya followed her to the doorway, watching her walk away with a spring in her step.

"Maybe I can convince the other members that all men should wear fox ears..." he heard her wonder out loud. He gulped, wiping a sheen of light sweat off of his forehead. Without a word, he placed a "Do Not Disturb: All Violators Will Be Destroyed Without Question" sign on the outside of the entrance, then shut the doors tightly. He needed to be alone for a while. One thing was for sure... Rangiku sure knew how to get his blood boiling.

The fox ears remained on his head for the remainder of the day.

~Tsuzuke (To be continued)

Author's Note: Hello all, it's me again. I've written another one shot, full of sexy Rangiku and cute Toshiro. You know, I never liked Toshiro honestly. I thought he seemed like a brat and I didn't understand why he was so darn popular! However, after watching a few episodes (namely episode 228, where they all go to the beach) I saw a side of the 10th Division captain that appealed to me, and since then he's been growing on me. I'm sorry if either of them seem out of character, but this is my first time writing about this couple ever. How did I do?

Also, I'm not sure about continuing this story per se, but I wanted the possibility to be left open, in case I get another idea for an ongoing chapter. Any suggestions? I did have one fleeting idea about actually having Gin walk in on them as Rangiku was kissing Toshiro and go with that idea... hmm, I'll give it some more thought.

Something else, if you're wondering why this is rated M, it's because... I'm desperate for reviews. I'm just testing to see if it gets more reviews that way. Don't think any less of me because of it. Besides, hints of masturbation might count in that category ((grins evilly)).

Anyway, please review after you read, I love getting reviews! It really is a bit disappointing seeing so many hits on my fanfics (I have one story with over 17,000), but only a fraction of reviews to compare. Even if you tell me my story sucks, at least it's a review, and I can take it with a grain of salt. But either way, thanks so much for reading!