"Hey Gin," Rangiko called from the doorway.

"Captain to you Rangiku," he said stubbornly as he chopped up the natural seasonings for the traditional dish he was going to cook.

"Where are you?" Rangiku yelled, walking through the house.

"The kitchen," he replied annoyed.

"Hey we can't afford to call the fire marshal again okay, so be careful with whatever heat you're applying in there chef boy," she laughed at his pouted lip and ruffled his white hair. "I'm just kidding."
"I don't think you would mind going to bed hungry again," he smirked.

"I can't starve tonight, long day at work," she kicked off her shoes in the entrance of the kitchen and loosed her white and black kimono and left it open.

The opening got bigger as she sat on the mahogany, high bar stool positioned at the beautifully patterned island made of marble.

"So what made you decide to take the day off today? Everybody missed the……………hmmmmmm, what did they call you? Shark mascot I think," she giggled.

"You enjoy getting on my nerves don't you? You and everybody else in the soul society," he concentrated on cutting the red, bell pepper. He scraped the seasonings into a bowl and dumped them into the sizzling hot oil in the shiny, aluminium pot.

"You really love cooking don't you?" Rangiku asked, leaning forward to catch a whiff of the steaming vegetables.

"Not as much as I love you," he looked up at her and saw that her bosom was not covered. He stared for a long two seconds and suddenly said, "Please woman, have some pride. It's not sanitary to be naked in my kitchen."

"I am not!!!!!!!!!!! I'm jus' airing out. Do you know how restricted it is in this thing, and to be wearing it for the whole day???????" she rubbed her neck and rested her hand on her left breast.

"Especially since they don't make sizes for women with your size bust," he laughed.

"Gin open your eyes. How are you gonna cook with your eyes closed? I'm having second thoughts about eating from you. Maybe I'll just order some pizza," she tried to change the subject.

"It makes my tasting sense more alive," he stirred the food with a wooden spoon and tasted it, "See!" he pushed the spoon towards her.

"MMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!! Forget take out, this is gourmet."

He stared at her as she nodded in approval.

"I can't believe you would want to replace my gourmet cooking with that cheap Chinese food. Who knows what they've put in there?" Gin pretended to be hurt.

"And I thought just yesterday you were saying how good it was for Chinese people to make it," she laughed then went up to him and wrapped her hands around his shoulders, "you know your food is almost as irresistible as you," she rubbed his shoulders.

"Pfftt you're jus' saying that," he pouted and sniffled. Then he started smiling to himself, "Just kidding. Ha ha gotcha. Now out out of the kitchen. You are disrupting my cooking session," he shoved her gently out of the room.

"But I have to take another food test, you know just to make sure everything is just right," she made up excuses and fought back to get some food.

"If I let you taste we won't get to eat anything, plus it ain't sanitary to have a half naked woman in my kitchen. This is a chef's domain," he emphasized with his hands infront of his chest and drew them down emphatically.

"Seriously I wonder about you sometimes," she turned to look at him, but she talked to the door instead. She drew her head back and blinked, " Oh no he didn't."

"Oh yes I did. Watcha gonna do about it? Knock me over with that two tonne chest of yours?" he scoffed.

She puffed as she went to the living room to plop herself down and watch t.v.

"Hey take time. Last time you jumped down on the couch like that we had to get a different one. I don't think they've started making titanium couches yet so please spare this one," Gin called from in the kitchen.

Rangiku huffed again at Gin's insulting comment, "I will deal with you tonight," she said under her breath.

"OOOHHHH I'm soooo scared. I want my mommy Rangiku's gonna kill me," he mocked like a little boy, "…….. oh shit! Rangiku IS GONNA KILL ME!!!!!!!!!!!! DAMN IT I SHOULD LEARN TO KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT," he tightened his lips and concentrated on finishing up his dish. "I wonder if I could suck up by cooking her favourite dish, sukiyaki," he shuddered at the thought of the dish. Man I don't know how she stomachs that dish, raw egg.

In about fifteen minutes he was finished with dinner and went into the dining room to set the table. When he had finished he called, "Table for two," in a terrible French accent.

"Seriously stick to your Japanese accent," Rangiku mumbled as she came in. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat down mumbling to herself.

He removed the flower patterned covers off their dishes (hers first of course) and sat down to eat. He glanced at her in curiosity, wondering if she was really upset, and brushed off the childish fear he felt. After she finished, she got up and was about to carry her surprisingly empty plate when Gin stopped her and said he would do it for her.

He smiled inwardly, "I guess she couldn't resist the sukiyaki dish. I knew she wasn't that upset. Or upset at all." He continued eating and hurriedly did the clean up duty.

He found her in the bedroom, propped up against the mahogany, intricately carved, vine patterned bed head; watching TV. He slipped out his slippers as he sat on the edge of the bed and turned himself to be in line with her on the bed.

She did not acknowledge his presence with her usual kiss and blood-stopping body pressure on his lap. He looked down searching for some invisible sentence on the bed lining to say. But it said nothing to him. It did not reveal any of its secrets, kept somewhere in the overdone designs. She glanced at him, pleased at his confusion and stuttering mind.

Then out of the blue, she playfully thumped him on his shoulder and burst out laughing, "Silly Gin did u actually think that I was upset with you. C'mon you're Gin."

"That's the point. Plus I didn't know what to think. You do get a little oversensitive sometimes. And I don't always pick the right moment to tease you. People at work sometimes get on your…….."

She covered his mouth then kissed him through her fingers. Looking at him and smiling while she drew back. "You poor thing. Don't even remember your own birthday."

He stared at her with a puppy's innocent eyes. "It's that time of year already?! I thought I still had a few days to wait for that!! And I was preparing for it and didn't realize," he slouched in defeat at the thought of him having to wait another year before his next birthday.

"Don't worry I have something planned for you," she comforted in her sneaking voice. 'It's your birthday so I know you want to riiiiiiide out,' began to play.

He looked at her, appauled and searched her face for any sign of joke or backing down. There was none, it was serious with a relaxing expression. "Mrs. Ichimaru, you are getting very brazen nowadays," he said in his usual creepy tone.

"Oh shut up and take your gift," she went over him and the passion began.