Playing Zodiac
Disagreeing Dragon

Hitsugaya Toshiro sat at his desk, working on his paper work when Ise Nanao came into the tenth division office. "If you are looking for Matsumoto, she isn't here. She is in fact..." There was a sudden pause. "I think she's out drinking sake, or doing some other behavior that I do not in any way condone."

"Actually, I came to see you Hitsugaya Taicho." The female moved over to his desk. "I am working on a play for the New Year, to be played on the thirty first of this year."

"And what does that have to do with me?" The boy set his brush down and folded his arms. "Wait... you still aren't mad at me for last New Year?"

"Last New Year?" Nanao paused for a second, and then her eyes narrowed. "You mean when you decided to make negative comments against women?"

"I never made negative comments against women." The small taicho's eyes suddenly glazed over.

"I remember you saying that women always change their minds." The woman slammed her hands down.

"Oi... stop treating me like a child." The small taicho's tone darkened. "Someone asked why women always change the subject and I simply said I didn't know."

"See, that is what I mean. Do you understand what that says?" Nanao pushed the argument.

"I wasn't the person who worded the question. Actually, I have no clue why they asked me of all people that." The small boy glowered at the woman.

"What do you mean you don't know why they asked you that question?" Ise pushed up on her questions.

"I know that sometimes people change subjects because they are avoiding something, but I don't get why woman change the subject." The boy quickly responded.

"You're changing the topic. I asked why you didn't know the answer."

"I am avoiding the answer because I don't want to say why. If they find out I'll never live it down." The boy began to glance through the papers.

"So, you are insensitive in what you say to a woman." Nanao folded her arms across her chest.

"Oi... you just changed the subject! That isn't fair!" The small boy stopped fidgeting with the papers.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you happen to have a problem understanding this whole thing." Nanao pulled up a chair. She folded her arms across her chest. "I am not moving until you tell me the answer."

"Fine... though you practically said it yourself. I don't understand all of this guy versus girl thing." The white haired taicho gave an honest response.

"Guys are always trying to prove they're better then the females and we thus have to fight back." Nanao watched as the boy looked at her in confusion at what she said. "Another way to explain it is guys like to push girls into feminine roles, like being a house wife, taking care of the books from the library, being a mother."

"A good deal of you would make great mothers though." The boy stated firmly, confusion still written all over his face.

"Excuse me?" Ise felt her cheek twitch at the conversation she happened to be having with the small taicho.

"Like Unohana Taicho, why isn't she a mother or grandmother? She deserves to have her own kids doesn't she?" The small boy's face lightened up.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you missed my point." Nanao let out a deep sigh.

"Then what was your point?" Toshiro's face twisted up into a frown. "You'd make a good mother too you know. I think the only one who wouldn't would be Kurotsuchi Fukutaicho. I wouldn't want to know what she would do with her kids, or what he would do. Maybe Soifon... I think she would squeeze them to death or name them all after a certain someone."

"My point..." Nanao took up a stern approach. "My point is that men insist on saying women can only do those things and that they aren't as good fighters as them, things like that."

"They're just jealous because women can do those things and also be wonderful mothers." The small taicho kept up his rant.

"Hitsugaya Taicho... you're still missing the point and I don't know how else to explain it to you." Nanao let out a deep sigh.

"Then it is agreed that I don't know what is going on and they shouldn't have asked me, of all people, that question." Hitsugaya pushed the conversation back around.

"I guess so. You weren't very nice about Kotetsu Fukutaicho's height anxieties." Nanao pushed this side of the issue. "That was not something nice to say about a woman."

"She isn't the only one with height issues. She was looking right at me when she said that. Why does she wish to be my height anyways? I never ask her about her height issues when I see her, but she some how manages to bring it up." Toshiro glanced at the ground. "I am sorry though if I came across wrong. It is a bit late though to apologize."

"No... I understand now where you were coming from." There was one more point to use. "The New Years Cards, you seemed displeased. You made a few comments about that.

"Well, Kurootsuchi Fukutaicho... that was just disgusting. Kusajishi didn't know that there was no year of the cat. What more do you want?"

"You avoided Matsumoto's care and the comment on the seventh division's. Not to mention the ones Kusajishi made for her division."

"I found hers amusing, though I can see why Madarame and Ayasegawa did not enjoy the cards. A joke is only good if everyone can laugh at it."

"That's true. The other two?"

"I am just tiered of her always doing stuff like that." Toshiro's head glanced down, frustration written all over his face.

"That's kind of mean. It is her choice to do that kind of picture." Ise let out a sigh.

"I know that it is impossibly to convince her to stop, but as her friend aren't you also tiered of the way she degrades herself and sells her self short. It wasn't just the picture on the card. She knew that her comment about the seventh division was stupid and she knew why." Hitsugaya tapped his fingers against the desk.

"Well, she is who she is. You can't change if she is a ditz can you?" Nanao gave a big smile.

"Do you really know her then? Matsumoto is no ditz. She is rather intelligent. She's... she's the one who convinced me... she convinced me to go to the academy. I needed to go, whether I liked it or not. She's always looked out for me since we met. Her advice, when she isn't putting on that fake mask is always sound."

"I've seen that side of her a few times." Ise's face faltered. "I hadn't realized you had seen it."

"Whatever kids she eventually has will be really lucky. If she can find someone after this whole mess with Ichimaru." The boy fidgeted again with his papers.

"If that happens, won't you be jealous?" Nanao asked rather quickly.

"What do you mean?" Toshiro's teal eyes suddenly jolted up.

"The reason you kept bringing up the fact that you feel certain females would be great mothers is because of your own feelings." Ise watched as his face twisted with frustration. "You don't have to admit it if you don't want to. Why were you looking for Matsumoto that day anyways?"

"I was hoping for one year where I wasn't stuck doing paperwork on my own for once." Hitsugaya let out a deep sigh. "That year and this one I expect to be the same. Me doing my paperwork by myself and then having to do hers."

"I have a proposal for you." Nanao spoke up rather quickly.

"And that would be?" The small taicho glanced up.

"I told you about the play I am working on. If you are willing to play the part of the dragon of the zodiac, I'll do whatever paperwork Matsumoto doesn't get done until after the third day of the new year."

"I..." Toshiro paused. "It would be impolite to say know I guess. But why me?"

"You represent the concept of dragon, what with your zampaktuo," the woman stated.

"What about Yamamoto Taicho?" Toshiro suddenly asked.

"He might fall asleep." Nanao stated. "While he is tough, he still is getting on in years."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" The small taicho asked.

"Not that I can think of... why?" Isane blinked a couple of times.

"Well, your offer seems like I'm getting the better end of the deal." Hitsugaya stated firmly.

"Aren't you normally against even participating in thing like this?" Ise shook her head, a smile coming to her face.

"Yes, well... if anyone asks, I'll say you simply made a fair enough deal. Are you sure that you don't want any other help?" The white haired boy pushed the issue.

"How about while I go around asking the actors and finding them, you read through the scripts that will be coming in and approve or disprove them based on quality." The female stated. "I will leave you to your work and I'll be back later this afternoon to pick up were Rangiku's slacked off."

The small taicho shrugged his shoulders as she left. "How hard could any of this be?"