The 24 Hour Challenge

The beginning of the month and Squad 10 was already knee deep in paperwork. Although Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya was doing the best he can, he always seemed to get the most documents and files of any Squad Captain. It also doesn't help that his first lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto, never really did any of her paperwork, leaving it all to her captain to do. And this never sat real well with Rangiku's fellow lieutenant, Vegeta.

Rangiku: "Say that again, Vegeta! I dare you!"

Vegeta: "I'll say it as many times you want!"

Toushiro was just sitting at his desk filling out some of the many important files while his two lieutenants went at it. So long as it didn't get physical, he stayed out of it.

Vegeta: "You are the most lazy, moody and stubborn person I know, and I've met a lot of people in my life!"

Rangiku: "I am nothing like my Haineko!"

Vegeta: "Oh yes you are! In case you've forgotten, a Zanpakuto is the manifestation of its owners soul! That means that they have the EXACT same personality as the one who wields it! You call your Haineko the same thing that you are!"

Rangiku: "Aren't you going to say something, Captain!"

Toushiro: "No! I'm staying out of this."

Rangiku turned back to the saiyan.

Rangiku: "So you think that you're better than me?"

Vegeta: "I'm not going to say I'm better than you at everything, but at a number of things yes!"

Rangiku: "Like what?"

Vegeta: "Discipline, for one!"

Rangiku: "You think you're more disciplined than me? Listen here, pal! I've been a Soul Reaper and a Lieutenant a lot longer than you've been alive! So don't say I'm not disciplined!"

Vegeta: "Well, you don't show it! At the first given moment, you start drinking! ... ... In fact, I'm willing to bet anything... ANYTHING, that you can't even go a full 24 hours without drinking even one drop of sake!"

Toushiro just glanced up for a second before returning to work.

Rangiku: "Oh yeah? Well, two can play at that game! I'll bet you couldn't go a full 24 hours without calling Captain Hitsugaya by his first name!"

Toushiro looked up at Rangiku and Vegeta for real this time. Vegeta looked at Rangiku and then he began to smirk.

Vegeta: "You really think that you could beat me?"

Rangiku: "Yes I do."

Vegeta: "Ok then... Let's find out. Let's find out which of us is more disciplined! For the next 24 hours, we have to resist doing what the other has bet we can't do. I can't call Hitsugaya by his first name and you can't drink any sake or any kind of alcohol for 24 hours."

Rangiku: "You're on, Vegeta. The one who slips up first, loses."

Toushiro just smiled with a raised eyebrow. This was getting interesting.

Vegeta: "If I loose... I'll do all of your paperwork for the rest of the month."

Rangiku: "And if I lose... Um..."

Rangiku had to think of a good thing to do if she lost in order to show Vegeta that she was serious. It then came to her.

Rangiku: "If I lose... I'll do ALL of the paperwork, yours, mine and the captain's, for the rest of the month."

Toushiro's jaw literally just dropped. He could not believe that those words had just come from Rangiku's mouth!

Vegeta: "Alright... What time is it, captain?"

Toushiro was still in shock.

Rangiku: "Captain?"

Finally, Toushiro snapped out of it.

Toushiro: "Huh, what?"

Rangiku: "What time is it right now, Captain?"

Toushiro: "Uh, it's... 1:00 in the afternoon, right on the dot."

Vegeta: "Ok. So the challenge starts right now and ends at this time tomorrow!"

Rangiku: "You're on, saiyan!"

Vegeta: "And remember, Rangiku... I'll be able to smell if you've drunk even a drop of alcohol on your breath."

Rangiku: "Captain... Will you tell me if Vegeta calls you by your first name, please?"

Toushiro: "Sure, Rangiku."

And the 24 Hour Challenge began! Rangiku left to go to the restroom and Vegeta just watched her leave with a confident smile.

Toushiro: "In all honesty, I'll be extremely surprised if you lose this challenge, Vegeta."

The saiyan prince chuckled. He didn't see Rangiku making it past the first 3 hours. But, low and behold, 3 hours later and she had not drank any sake. And Vegeta hadn't called his captain by his first name. Rangiku decided to get sneaky. A few minutes later...

Yachiru: "Hey Snowy!"

Vegeta: "Oh no, not you!"

Toushiro: "Oh good grief!"

Lieutenant of Squad 11, Yachiru Kusajishi, had come over. She always called everyone by some weird nickname and was hyper-active. Toushiro hated being called 'Snowy' and Vegeta hated her just being around. Because her captain, Kenpachi Zaraki, was the one and only person that the saiyan prince NEVER wants to fight again! But it struck them both odd that Yachiru would just come over without any reason.

Vegeta: "His name's not 'Snowy'."

Yachiru: "Then what is his name?"

Vegeta: "It's..."

Vegeta looked up and saw Rangiku standing in the doorway. Now it all made sense to him.

Vegeta: "You're trying to sabotage me, aren't you?"

Rangiku: "No! I'm just providing an extra challenge to test your discipline."

Toushiro: "That means 'yes'."

Vegeta just looked at the floor for a moment as he chuckled.

Vegeta: "So that's how it's going to be, huh? Well TWO can play at that game, sister!"

And Vegeta walked out. The prince had gone to talk to Kyoraku, Hisagi and Izuru, Rangiku's normal drinking buddies.

Vegeta: "So, can you do that for me?"

Kyoraku: "Sure thing, Vegeta!"

Izuru: "I'll bet Captain Hitsugaya's loving thins."

An hour later, Rangiku was walking to Squad 5 to give Momo a book back that she'd borrowed earlier. Along the way, she was confronted by her drinking pals.

Hisagi: "Hey, Rangiku. We were going to have a drinking party later on tonight. Maybe you'd like to join us?"

Rangiku: "No thanks. I'm a bit busy later."

Kyoraku: "Ah come on! I'll even whip out some of my best sake that I save for things like this!"

Rangiku was shaking. She wanted to join them so badly now. But she then saw Toushiro talking to Momo and Mika and she knew that he'd tell Vegeta. She grinned out of anger. Now it was on! For the rest of the day, both Vegeta and Rangiku tried to tempt the other to slip up. Neither of them budged. The only thing that stopped the attempts at sabotage was sleep. In the morning, the whole thing picked up right where it had left off. Rangiku has not even once touched a bottle of sake and Vegeta has not once come close to saying Toushiro's first name. It seemed that both of them were just as determined to prove the other wrong, and poor Toushiro was caught in the middle. But even the young captain found it amusing to see the lengths that his two lieutenants were taking to win the challenge. The whole thing was to end at 1:00 in the afternoon and at 12:58, it was obvious that they were eager for this to end. Well... At least Rangiku was.

Vegeta: "What's the matter, Rangiku? You look a little shaky."

Rangiku: "Shut it, Vegeta."

Toushiro was actually quite amazed at Rangiku. He'd never seen her go this long without alcohol. By 12:59, Rangiku was starting to lose it. But she managed to calm herself down when she realized something.

Rangiku: "Hey, Vegeta... What if it's a draw?"

Vegeta: "Good question. If it's a draw then I guess it'll be up to Toushiro to decide who wins."

Toushiro looked at Vegeta in shook and then looked at the time.

Toushiro: "Um... Vegeta."

Vegeta: "What?"

Toushiro: "3... 2... 1... It is NOW 1:00."

Rangiku gasped with delight and Vegeta slapped his hand against his forehead. By a slip of the tongue, Rangiku has won the challenge.

Rangiku: "Wahoo! I win!"

Vegeta: "Ah man..."

Rangiku was dancing around with joy while Vegeta was trying to not beat himself up over his little accident. But then they both got a bit of news.

Rangiku: "Wahoo! I won, captain! I won!"

Toushiro: "No you didn't."

Rangiku: "Huh, what?"

Toushiro: "You're not the winner, nor is Vegeta the winner."

Rangiku: "Huh?"

Vegeta: "But then, who is the winner?"

Toushiro: "... I am."

Rangiku: "You?"

Vegeta: "How?"

Toushiro: "One: I went a whole 24 hours without having to yell my lungs off at a drunken Rangiku Matsumoto. Two: While I don't mind you, Vegeta Briefs, calling me by my first name, you called me 'captain' for nearly 24 hours. And three... I don't care if you both won, lost or whatever... I won because I'm the captain and if I tell you to do your work, you both better do it!"

All three of them laughed. Rangiku may have beaten Vegeta, but in the end, Toushiro was the real winner. And he wasn't even playing.

The End