Hitsugaya Toshiro sat at his desk, idly shuffling the already completed papers for the umpteenth time in his small hands. His shock of white hair stood in a disarray of spikes from his hand raking through it in nervous thought. Glazed over, his aqua eyes hovered over the papers he slowly stacked upon the top of his desk, searching for any error or miscalculation that he had passed over. As if realizing his blank state and nervous habit, he jerked his head and blinked his eyes, harshly tossing the papers into the corner of his desk.
A well heard crack resonated from his knees as he pried himself up out of his chair, indicating he had been sitting there, brooding, for quite some time. Not too new. He had always over worked himself but he didn't mind. He had to prove to the whole sereitei that he was worthy for his spot as the tenth captain.
In his young – or younger – years in the academy, he had always been chastised and taken.. well, as a child. And this he wouldn't take. He knew that all they said and expected from him were just frames of stereotype made through their own ignorance. They thought he was only capable of small lights of spirit energy; he encapsulated his whole body in it. They thought he was only skillful enough to hit straight on; he danced and hit his target with no mercy, easily bringing those down in a matter of seconds. He did this for his own reasons and to show that he had it in him.
When word had gotten out about him, whispers of how he was "not normal" and "too serious" for his age grew and flourished rampantly around his peers. They talked, be it good or bad, he did not care, all he wanted was to reach a goal that he had never even wanted in the first place: reach and become taichou level.
The bitter memory of how the students around him snickered as he had told his own goal to their sensei hung in the crevice of his mind but, fortunately, it was easily covered by the snide essence of pride of what was present: he had become a taichou. True, tenth, but he would never replace himself into a higher squad. His squad and fukutaichou could be rambunctious and a bit idle but he cared for them as a family and wouldn't trade any one of them for a different squad member.
Usually all of those to qualify into his quarters were to be adept at swordmanship and speed, but most of all a clear head. All of these were traits of most importance to him along with honesty and respect. If any one of these were not met, be it sluggishness or panic, it would send him over the edge and cause the efficiency of the whole squad to slowly crumble like an ill constructed sky scraper, so high but one bad brick would send it to a hard fall taking down who knows how many more.
Despite these qualities, he seemed to be having trouble keeping his mind in level. No, it wasn't anything like work but ironically something of a social dispute. And oh how it annoyed him.
What did he want?
He strode over to the lengthy window showing him the large courtyard before his squad building. Teal eyes coldly held traced over the lawn in thought, carrying a type of beautiful wickedness as they scrutinized. They shut as he ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep breath. Why wouldn't he leave him alone?
Ichimaru Gin was always a tease by nature, mocking the young boy's size and age. They were little cocks of the head and everlasting smiles, small things that never seemed to get under the taichou's skin… that's what they used to be. Now, the tall, silver-haired man had gained some kind of solace and courage to speak up to Toshiro. All the quirks and jabs were adulterated in such a sickening way it made him want to throw up and smash his fist into the man's stick nose. The petty "hello's" and "how's it goin's" fumed into awkward conversations about his beauty and more pressing and almost wondering questions about the size of his body. Those had all been quite successful and obvious triggers at his temper but the one thing that hit his nerves like a machete was that Gin had gotten some sick audacity to reach out and touch him. Yes, touch him.
He really learned how to get under my skin. Toshiro thought as he recollected their past meeting.
"How have you been, taichou-kun" a cool voice accented behind Toshiro's shoulder.
His icy eyes darted ever so slightly over his shoulder as he said shrewdly, "You would know. You're the one that's been stalking me around the place for the past week."
His spine tingled as he heard Gin's chilly laughter reach his ear. It made the shell of his ear itch, almost like the man had pressed his lips to it. The thought made him shiver in disgust.
"I just like to check in on you, beauty."
Toshiro snorted as he continued his walk. "So I've noticed." Usually if a man were to be chasing him around and calling him names like "beauty" and "geisha" he would be taking some kind of action in suppressing this man from getting anywhere near him. But this was Gin, it was almost normal feeling for him to tease like some sex hound.
Toshiro's white brows shot down to meet the top of his lids as he heard a following set of footsteps echoing his own. Damn it. Heated madness boiled through the small taichou's body like it always had when small yet unyieldingly annoying issues came his way. His teeth clenched together as he picked up his pace.
He crossed and weaved through corridors, trying to lose the predatory man behind him. Unfortunately, as much as his legs seemed to move they were about the sum of Gin's long lopey ones. He cursed silently and kept his mouth pressed in a thin line. He knew that if he had some kind of trick to pounce he knew he could easily whip out Hyourinmaru and slice off his hands.
The silence grew uncomfortable until a small giggle, nearly silent, reached his ear.
The fuse to his temper blew and crackled as he stopped in his tracks. "What?" he snapped, lightly turning his head towards the impish sound. He could tell he was smiling, one for the fact that nothing ever seemed to erase it off his face and two it always seemed to grow whenever he was around Toshiro.
Gin took in a breath dramatically. "Oh, nothing, Toshiro. Just thinking."
Toshiro nearly growled at the hidden information. He's trying to get me to think about this. And he did well. He couldn't help but sift over possibilities of what he might be thinking about. Knowing Gin it was either about him or him in some explicit way. Curiosity bored into him as he waited for Gin to finish his sentence. The air tensed, almost like the astral energy around him shrank from Gin's growing grin as he watched his little prize work through his mind. He almost felt stupid for hoping he would tell him because he knew he wouldn't. Toshiro dropped his pride and belted out. "What?"
Toshiro felt the smile spreading onto the other's cheeks. "So, so curious. Just like the little neko you are." He snickered. "I can't help but think about it, what it would look like for you to have a tail on that cute little twitching ass of yours. It would be so sad to see them fall off though, when you'd lose your virginity you know?"
Toshiro growled out in rage and embarrassment as he faced the mocking taichou in front of him. As he turned, he almost rammed his head into Gin's chest. He gasped at the closeness between their bodies and stumbled back before feeling a heated pressure against his back. His head shot down to see a strong arm wrapped around his waist.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk." Gin lifted his brows as he scolded him like a mischievous little boy. "Now, now, Toshiro. You don't want to be falling over and hurting that pretty little face of yours." a great smile dangerously spread over his face, revealing large canines like that of a ravenous fox. "That would be unfortunate." He whipped out skeletal finger and swiped it playfully over Toshiro's nose in a strange manner.
Toshiro jerked in his arm and pulled away. Toshiro's fingers grazed Gin's cold wrist, eliciting a heated blush to his cheeks as he shakily stepped back, looking away. He lost courage in any way to verbally smack him back down and turned away, walking down the hall in a trembling beeline away from the intrusive man.
Why does he make me feel like this? He forcefully pressed his hand on the glass and pulling away from his recollection. Bowing his head, he felt the lump of emotion swell in his throat like it always did whenever he thought about Ichimaru Gin. His cheeks tinted again at the thought of him having affections for that ma. Be it friendly affections or sexual affections, both triggered his gag reflex. He shook his head and looked out the window.
His eyes widened as a small gasp escaped his lips. Ichimaru Gin stood, staring, at the window in which Toshiro stood. Toshiro's heart fluttered embarrassingly as he saw his smile break to show teeth. His expression was blank besides the joyous smile that lay on it. There was no reading it because of those enclosed eyes and he hated it.
Toshiro's face pulled down in a grimace as he jerkily shoved the curtains over the window. He pressed a hand to his vibrating chest. He wouldn't leave him alone. Thoughts of his intentions ran through his scrambled mind, making his breath pitch. He knew the man could be ruthless and apathetic at times but… Would he? Hopefully not even Ichimaru Gin wasn't capable of those kind of crimes. Just hopefully.
A hand grasped his shoulder. He ripped around, ferocity mirrored in his eyes. Motsumoto Rangiku stood before him, her hands up and her cerulean eyes wide and blinking in surprise. "Toshiro?"
Toshiro's eyes darted between hers as his heart started to mercifully slow its painful berating on his chest. It wasn't him, not Gin. Even though he had just seen the fiend outside his window, he knew that he was capable of great speed and determination. A confusion of emotions ran through him in a tie of relief and sorrow. He redirected his eyes to the ground as he shook his head.
Rangiku put her hand back at his shoulder, more gently this time. Her eyes were filled with motherly concern. "Are you okay."
Toshiro's expression lightened. She had always had a kind of maternal love for him. It both pestered and comforted him.
He cleared his throat. "I'm fine. Just stressed." He walked past her back into his desk. "Oh, and Rangiku?" his heavily lashed lids slowly lifted as he looked at his subordinate. "Its Hitsugaya-taichou"