Since I had gotten to Rangiku's party, I had been acting happy and hoping that Rangiku would leave me alone. I knew that if I had stayed home, she would have hunted me down, so here I was.

I danced across the upper floor of the house, moving between people uttering hellos and dancing with individuals. Renji handed me a cup of punch which I accepted gratefully. I always had the feeling that Renji liked me. As I continued to move around the room, I began to notice that someone was missing; a certain short someone who still managed to be taller than me.

I turned and came face-to-boobs with Rangiku. "Hey there, short stuff! Having fun?" she said. Her voice was slightly slurred so I assumed she was drunk.

"Don't call me short!" I fumed.

"The captain doesn't like it either when I call him short but that isn't stopping me either" she said.

"So I've noticed" I said. My eyes flitted around the room searching for a way to escape her. I spotted Ichigo on the other side of the room. "I think Ichigo just called me over" I said before she could speak. Quickly, I walked towards Ichigo. On the way over, something caught my eye on the small balcony outside of the glass sliding door. It was the very person whom I thought was missing. I turned and made my way over to the door, slid it open, and stepped outside. It was much colder but I didn't mind because it was hot and loud inside and it was cool and calm out on the small balcony.

"Hello" I said as I joined him by the railing, resting my elbows on it as he was. He didn't reply but I didn't mind. I was soaking up the silence when he suddenly broke it.

"Anya, I heard you were offered a position as a taichou" he said.

"Hai, Hitsugaya-taichou. I turned it down" I said.

"Why?" he asked me as he turned his head to look at me. His beautiful aqua-green eyes met mine with a soft hint of concern.

"Trust me, I couldn't handle it. Too much responsibility…" I laughed.

"It is not a laughing matter" he scolded. "We need more good captains like you could be."

I blushed and looked away. "I wouldn't be good at it. Giving orders is not my thing and I would make a mess out of things. Usually, I don't know what to do unless someone tells me."

"Not true. I've seen you take charge plenty of times" he retorted.

"If I did, it was a spoof. Besides, I like it better here with you… and the others!" I blurted out the last part, just barely catching myself.

"You've been offered this before, haven't you?" he asked.

"Hai, but I didn't and don't want it. I told them flat out that I'd only work in the tenth or fourth divisions and I would not be a taichou" I said and I took a drink of my punch.

"Why the fourth or the tenth?" he asked.

"I have more friends in those than anywhere else, and I would be able to tolerate my taichou" I said. There was a crash inside. I looked and saw that someone had passed out and taken a vase with them. "These parties I could do without" I added.

"Really? You look pretty at home in there to me" he said.

"I'm good at faking it. I really don't want to go back in. The last time I was at one of these, I was forced to play spin-the-bottle. Lucky for me, he didn't want to be in that closet any more than I did and we got ten minutes of blissful silence" I said. He turned and faced away from me; staring back out while leaning on the railing. I watched him for a moment and then turned to do the same. We stood like that for almost ten minutes before Rangiku suddenly burst through the door and grabbed me.

"We're playing spin-the-bottle, come on!" she said, slightly less drunk. She sat me down in a circle of about eight men. I was looking around to see who was there when suddenly a cloth was tied over my eyes. "You have to do it with a blindfold. You can't know who you get" chirped Rangiku. My hand was placed on the bottle and I reluctantly spun it, knowing that if I tried to run, they would chop my legs off and make me play.

I didn't get much of a hint as to who it was except for a slight excited squeal from Rangiku. She yanked me off of the floor and dragged me across the room, tossing me into the closet. I hit the floor on my stomach and someone landed next to me with an "Oof!"

I yanked the blindfold off, my eyes just barely outlining the man's features. "T-taichou?" I stammered.

"Hai" he answered.

"Whew…" I said. "This is the second time I've gotten lucky like this. Now I won't have to do anything I don't want to do. It's just like last time."

"Hai, it is" he agreed. "And although last time was great and the silence was blissful, I always had my regrets about it."

"What do you mmph…" my question was cut off by a pair of lips meeting my own. Toshiro Hitsugaya was kissing me. I froze, not knowing what to do. His lips were cold but had a strange warmth about them and they were soft. He sensed how tense I was and that I hadn't moved and pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" he began.

I cut him off. "No, it's okay. I liked it." I blushed and looked away but he placed a hand under my chin and made me look back at him.

"It's good that you liked it because I've felt like this for a long time" he said as he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine again. This time I acted. I wrapped my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. He moved in between my legs and pressed me to the wall. His hands moved to my hips and he ran his thumbs lightly along my hip bones. I gasped at the unfamiliar contact, which allowed him to force his tongue in uninvited. He explored my mouth expertly and then broke away and kissed my jaw line, not giving me time to recover. I gasped as he left a trail of kisses down the side of my neck and slid me off of the wall so that I was on the floor with my knees up and him between my legs on top of me.

He quickly found my soft spot, just above my left collar bone, and bit it. I moaned and tangled my fingers in his soft hair. He took this as a signal and began to suck on the spot. Meanwhile, he slipped one of his hands up my shirt and ran his fingers lightly over my stomach. My muscles tensed under the unfamiliar touch. I felt him smirk against my skin and he pulled up my shirt, placing his hand on my stomach.

"Taichou" I moaned. He stopped what he was doing and looked into my eyes.

"You can call me Toshiro" he said.

"But Taichou…"

"Toshiro" he said to cut me off.

I reached up and put my hand on his cheek and brought my lips to his ear. "Toshiro" I whispered and I kissed his cheek.

"Much better" he said. He gave me a peck on the lips and then went straight back to my soft spot and bit it again. A moan escaped my lips and he paused to take my shirt off. He sat up to look at me and I blushed at how exposed I was laying under him in my black, silk bra. As he leaned back down, the closet door flew open and there was a flash. I looked up and saw Rangiku with a camera and Toshiro with his hand over the lens.

"Aww, Captain…" she whined. He obviously blocked the shot. While she was off guard, I kicked the camera out of her hand. Toshiro caught it and shot a glare at Rangiku.

"Get out!" he yelled as he threw the camera at her. It bounced off the top of her head and into the room. She chased after it and I kicked the door shut. He got off of me and I figured that Rangiku had ruined the mood. I got on my hands and knees and began to search for my shirt. He was messing with something by the door.

"Where'd you throw my shirt?" I asked. I felt sudden pressure on my back and something on my stomach.

"Why would you need it? We're not done yet" he said. "I jammed the door shut so no one else will interrupt us." My breath became shallow. He was on top of me. I could feel his breath on my neck and I shivered in anticipation. He slowly and teasingly ran the tips of his fingers under the top of my skirt. I moaned at his soft touch and wondered for a moment if I could stop him if he went too far. He kissed my left shoulder blade and then up my neck and behind my ear. He ran his fingers over my stomach again which made me arch my back and press into him.

"Toshiro" I moaned. He responded by ticking my stomach and kissing the crook of my neck. Suddenly, he moved the hand that was on my stomach to my thigh. My breath hitched in my throat as he slowly rubbed my inner thigh, gently kissing every inch of my left shoulder. I felt helpless under his power. Another moan escaped my mouth and I could feel him smirk against my skin.

For a moment, he stopped moving but then he pushed me to the ground so I was on my stomach and peeled my bra straps down off of my shoulders and ran his hand down my back. I shivered as he traced my curves on the way back up. He moved so he was sitting on the backs of my legs and he began to massage my shoulders.

"Mmm…" I moaned as I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting him do as he pleased. He worked his way up and down my back for nearly ten minutes before collapsing beside me. I looked over at him and smiled. He was on his back staring at the ceiling. Without another thought, I pulled my upper body on top of him and kissed him. He hugged me and kissed my nose after we parted.

"I know that you're my subordinate but, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked me.

"Of course" I said. "Do you think I would waste my first kiss on someone I didn't intend to be with?"

He seemed startled "Your first…"

"My first everything really" I said, interrupting him. "It's hard to get experience in anything when you're avoiding everyone."

"What was that about, anyway?" he asked me as he laid his head down and I laid my head on his chest.

"Running away?" I asked. I felt him nod. "Well, I'm sure you remember all those times you found me alone or crying outside of the academy." I felt him nod again. "I was being forced to stay there. The person who sent me said that I had too much talent to not go and gave me a choice: go to the academy or die again. Lucky for me, they died the day before my graduation; got into a fight they really couldn't handle. I decided that graduation day would be my big farewell" I finished and I snuggled into his chest.

"Why'd you come back?" he asked.

"Because when I saw you, I knew that it was serious. I knew that you wouldn't come unless it was absolutely necessary that I joined you and I figured that I would be chased to the ends of both worlds if I tried to run and you're the only one who could do it" I answered. "Why did you come after me? I thought you used to hate me" I added.

"Well, not hate…" he said.

"Not hate?" I asked.

"Not hate. More like jealousy and envy disguising emotions I didn't understand until I saw you again…" he said; his voice trailed off. My mind wandered for a moment and then shot back.

"Wait… emotions?" I said. "You mean you…"

"I said I've felt like this for a long time" he said. "I just didn't know it…" he added in a mumble.

I smiled and snuggled closer to him. "I've felt like this for a long time, too, but I always thought you hated me."

"What, I'm not allowed to be jealous of the 'other prodigy'? You were always better than me and you didn't have to try" he said.

I giggled "Believe it or not, all that natural talent cost me."

"Really?" he asked in total disbelief.

"Yep. I'm a real weakling" I answered. "No muscle whatsoever and I probably couldn't force you off of me even if you wanted to rape me."

"Oh, really…" he said with a hint of mischief in his voice. I was about to question it when he flipped me over and straddled me with a hand over my mouth. His free hand moved immediately to my hip and the button that held my skirt up.

I tried to tell him to stop but I couldn't speak though his hand. He unbuttoned the side of my skirt and slowly began to pull it down. I grabbed his arm and tried to pull it from my mouth and I began to struggle. The thought crossed me that he wasn't serious about this but the sudden evil chuckle that emanated from him made me think otherwise. He ran his fingers over my stomach and down and I struggled more but honestly didn't have the strength to fight him. Suddenly, he stopped.

"You really can't fight me off?" he asked.

"No" I said. I shoved him off of me and put my skirt back on. "I'm only good as long as I'm fast. I've always fought with quick, decisive strikes and I've never needed strength."

"I can help you with that" he said. "We can strength-train and fix that problem."

"That would be great" I replied with a soft smile. My attention turned to the door and what I knew was beyond. "Should we go back out there?" I asked.

"No. I don't want to deal with the annoying rabble" he said as he lay down on the floor. I didn't bother to find my shirt before I lay down next to him.

"They're probably all drunk and passed out anyway" I sighed and placed my head on his chest.

His breathing slowed which told me that he was asleep and I closed my eyes and let myself drift off into a pleasant dream.

My eyes fluttered open at a crash in the other room. I was still on Toshiro and he was sleeping. A few moments passed before I became aware of my surroundings. I sat up a little and found that his arm was around me and he was… shirtless. Part of me wondered how he got that way and the rest of me was checking out his perfect body.

I couldn't help but want to touch him. My eyes wandered to his face and I moved a stray piece of hair. I ran my fingers down his jawbone and neck and then over his strong chest. Each muscle that I touched tensed and I knew that he wasn't used to being touched that way. He shifted and squeezed my side. My whole body tensed, reminding me that I wasn't used to it either. He groaned and opened his eyes.

"Good morning, Taichou" I said as I brushed his hair out of his face.

"I told you to call me Toshiro" he said as he sat up.

"Last night you were Toshiro. Today, you are my shirtless Taichou and I'm confused as to why you are" I said with a smile. He put his shirt back on and handed me mine.

"Two bodies so close together get a little too warm for my taste" he said. I giggled. The thought had never crossed me. I liked the cold but I didn't mind being warm either. Another crash in the other room indicated that the others were getting up as well. Toshiro unblocked the door and opened it to reveal the others, most of whom were groaning from hangovers.

"Let's go get breakfast" he said as he snaked an arm around my waist. I smiled and nodded and we left the others to do the cleaning.