Author's Note

Another update! I'm been writing so fast! All this spare time between Korean exams is great. I've slowly been consumed by the fluff. It has definitely become more sweet than I expected. Tsubaki is reacting in a girly manner but somehow acting like a man? I'm as clueless as her, so my depiction of her and Hanataro's relationship might be strange. If you have any suggestions, please send them in! An asexual aromantic attempting to portray attraction is a little hard, haha.

I was debating whether or not to translate Tsubaki's incantation in the story so I'll give you the Japanese version here (may be incorrect, my Japanese is not at a high enough level, so it's pretty basic) Kane o okurimasu, meaning to send out/forth bells. I wanted it to have a kind of religious or shrine feel? Like the white ropes with bells on them you see at temples. So deep huh?

This chapters my longest, and I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review! Thanks to King Squalo and Nasha-Rei Kun for their reviews! I'm glad you like that this story is lighthearted and sweet. And that my OC is believable! Wow! I try to make her realistic as a death god can be!

Tsubaki had been cornered by Yumichika again. Somehow he managed to find her no matter where she hid, like the Eleventh Division's linen closet or the mysterious library that almost no one knew about. Was she really that interesting? Probably not but her 'secret' that she refused to tell him was.

It was driving Yumichika insane! Tsubaki was too stubborn for her own good and should embrace the catharsis that telling him all the details would bring. When he brought up her emotional constipation all he received was a slightly more intense death glare. He was immune to them anyway; she had used it too many times now.

When Yumichika finally challenged her to a fight over her secret, Tsubaki accepted. Maybe if she won he would leave it be. This was too optimistic of her; the fifth seat wasn't a pushover.

Their battle tore up the training yard, mainly because Tsubaki was swinging her sword haphazardly and catching the ground. Yumichika was acting more reserved than usual which pissed off Tsubaki for some reason. All that pent up emotion perhaps?

"Really, dear, you are going to have to try harder than that!" Yumichika taunted her. "Acting so angry isn't very beautiful you know."

Screw beauty! She wasn't interested in that. Tsubaki swung Hageshi no Shisa up and caught Yumichika's blade. They locked and the two pushed against each other. Tsubaki's height and weight gave her the advantage as she shoved down.

"So touchy. You know, you're acting like a moody teenage boy with a crush," Yumichika remarked offhand. He knew the idea was absurd but Tsubaki really was acting strange.

Suddenly Tsubaki's face turned bright red. "I do not have a crush!" She had only heard the last part of his sentence. And given herself away in the process.

"You have a crush!" Tsubaki's embarrassment gave Yumichika the upper hand, letting him push her back with enough force to making her fall down. "That was your secret! Why were you keeping that from me, I could help you!" He was acting like a girl in Tsubaki's opinion.

"Stop shouting! Someone will hear ya,"Tsubaki pushed herself up to see if anyone was watching. "And I don't need your help. I don't have a crush on anyone."

"You do too. You can't hide it from me. Now spill! Who is it? I can't image it would be anyone in the Eleventh. Hmmm, who could it be?" Yumichika was swept up in imaging the man who could make the strongest woman in the Eleventh blush like that. He wracked his brains trying to recall any names she had ever mentioned.

Tsubaki huffed, the fight now forgotten. She couldn't believe that she had given her secret away. At least he had no idea who she blushing over. And she would never tell him! "Keep imagining cause I'm not gonna tell you."

"So mean! Well, have you told him?"

"Told him what?"

"That you like him! Are you stupid? That's what you do!" Yumichika couldn't believe this girl sometimes. She was so obtuse.

"I can't do that!" Her face was getting redder now, "That's too weird! And it's not like he would like me back." She mumbled the last part, refusing to look at Yumichika.

"Awww, so cute!" He ignored her cry of 'I'm not cute' to start giving her advice. "You should tell him. You're statuesque and intense, men go crazy for that! And what could it hurt to tell him? You never know what he'll say." Yumichika was swept up in plans for makeovers, rehauls of closets, the whole works.

Tsubaki could just gape at the nonsense coming from her superior. Before she could sneak off, he grabbed her arm and began to drag her to the barracks.

She managed to escape Yumichika's clutches when Ikkaku busted down his room's door yelling about needed volunteers for some assignment. Tsubaki didn't bother asking the reason for the task before jumping on the assignment. Ikkaku seemed surprised but shrugged and told her to head to the front gate.

Rushing through the halls in case Yumichika decided he wasn't finished harping at her, Tsubaki was slightly disheveled when she arrived at the gate. When she finished straightening her clothing and sword she was greeted with a sight that brought a flush back to her face.

It seemed that her assignment was to escort a group of Fourth division members and that group happened to have Hanataro in it. Speak of the devil.

The stupid advice of Yumichika came rushing back to her, 'You should confess!" Tsubaki groaned internally. She had the worst luck.

At least someone was happy, "Tsubaki san! How are you? Are you our escort?" The other healers were shyer and let Hanataro speak for them. Little did Tsubaki know, there was a rumor about her in the Fourth. The other two healers she saved had gushed about a tall, female fighter that had saved them from her own comrades. Since the story was so odd, no one had believed them. But the small group was reconsidering that now.

"Yeah, I guess," Tsubaki responded. "So, what's the deal?" She probably should have been more attentive to Ikkaku.

"The Fourth needs to repair some damage to underground passages. There were some Hollows that got loose done there."

"And I'm the muscle, huh?" That figured. The Fourth was notoriously weak and more concerned with medicine and odd jobs than self-defense. How her division got stuck with the job was beyond her though.

"There have been too many incidents between our divisions so Captain Unohana suggested we work together," another Fourth member spoke up. The others still looked wary of her. Name dropping Unohana would make any Eleventh member thinking twice about harassing them.

"Ya don't say. Well, let's step to it," She was ready to get this over with. Prolonged exposure to Hanataro would make her a flustered wreck. Luckily, she was already embarrassed by Yumichika so she was more subdued.

'You never know!' Gah, go away Yumichika hallucination!

The group headed off, with the healers in the lead. A small cough by her elbow made Tsubaki glance down. Hanataro's small smile greeted her. Stop being so cute! "What?" Yeah, be cool and gruff that'll make him comfortable, not.

"I'm glad it was you who came to escort us. You're so strong and nice, Tsubaki san," he appeared embarrassed by that and once he gave her another smile moved back to his friends. He didn't notice the shocked face of Tsubaki or her blush.

She was gonna go insane by the end of the day.

The trip was pretty uneventful. There were a few small almost accidents from repairs but a group of healers were pretty handy in case of any injuries. Tsubaki mostly scanned for any odd reiatsu and hung back from the group.

She felt out of place and oddly shy. She wasn't shy but standoffish typically.

Hanataro would glance at her every so often, but so would the others. She must be interesting for some reason.

It was towards the end of the trip when Tsubaki felt the presence of a Hollow. It was strong too. One must have been hiding in the wreckage and been drawn out by the Shinigami.

"Get back," she shouted out to the healers. It would be best to get them out of her way. The Hollow was getting closer so she rushed forward into a side tunnel to meet it.

Deep in the tunnel now, she could see the strange beast. It was large, with a hulking frame. Thick set arms prop up its weight, while a tail lashed behind it. So it might not move its body fast but it can strike fast. Tsubaki wasn't fighting another Shinigami from her division. The rules didn't apply here. She needed to fight smarter than usual.

Let me out Tsu chan. Shisa's voice called out to her. He was feisty today it seemed. "Fine! We'll finish this quick. Send Forth Bells!" Her shinkai's release turned her blade into two long blades that gleamed red and gold. Around her neck a harness of bells formed.

Tsubaki struck out with her blades, but the Hollow blocked her with a meaty forearm. They were tough and her blades refused to pierce them. Grunting, she leapt back. Again and again she tried to get through but the tunnel was smaller than she was used to and stopped her from getting around the Hollow to its exposed back.

Its tail shot out from nowhere and landed a blow on her. She slammed into the wall and had the wind knocked out of her.

"Tsubaki san!" Was that Hanataro? No! He was running towards her, without any care for himself. She watched as a claw tipped paw came down over him. Hanataro was flung away from her.

"You bastard!" That attack on Hanataro made Tsubaki get to her feet fast. Moving as low as she could, she took advantage of the Hollows distraction. Like hell she would let some Hollow hurt someone as cute as Hanataro!

One of her twin blades went under the Hollow's arm and the other blocked a return attack. She had luck on her side though; her blade found the Hollow hole. The beast shrieked and dissolved in ash, purified by her zanpakuto. Her shinkai reverted back as she dashed over to Hanataro.

Tsubaki propped him up. He didn't look too injured. Hanataro's eyes opened when she moved him.

"You think I'm cute?" Oh god had she said that aloud? Yumichika had gotten to her, hadn't he? What could she say to that?

"U-uh, um, maybe?" Where had the strong, badass Tsubaki gone? It was like she was some school girl not a member of the Eleventh.

Hanataro just smiled at her. Tsubaki's face gave her emotions away.

Tsubaki carried him back to the main group who were panicking in the main tunnel where she had left them. They crowded around her, worrying over Hanataro and ignoring her for the most part. She wasn't injured. Hanataro assured them that he was fine. Being the highest ranking member present, he had chosen to aid their escort in the fight. Tsubaki thought he was just stupid.

On the walk back to the Fourth, Tsubaki was flanked by Hanataro. He didn't say anything to her and she was too embarrassed to talk. She could only imagine the ridicule she would experience when he told his division of the barbaric woman that confessed to him.

Such thoughts kept her from noticing that Hanataro didn't appear too displeased by her.

When the other healers thanked her and left, Tsubaki turned to leave. A small hand on her wrist stopped her.

Hanataro hadn't gone with his friends. He glanced up at her for a moment before saying, "I-I just wanted to say that I admire you very much, Tsubaki san. Would you, would you mind if I, uh, called on you?"

Called on her? Did that mean he wanted to hang out? "Sure?" Tsubaki was confused by this new development. He didn't ignore her or outright reject her but wanted to be friends? Accepting the fact that she wouldn't be seen as a romantic interest by the smaller man, Tsubaki would take what she could get.

Hanataro's face lit up with a blush and he lurched forward to wrap his arms around her before scurrying off.

Tsubaki walked in a daze back to the barracks. Yumichika found her staring at a scroll in the hallway. "What's wrong with you?" He tried to look at her face.

"He said he wanted to 'call on me'," Tsubaki's confused face turned to him.

"Call on you!" Yumichika screeched out. His tomboy had a gentleman caller! She must have taken his gracious advice.

"What does that mean?" Tsubaki was still torn over receiving physical affection from someone she was sure didn't like her.

"He likes you, idiot!"

And that was how Tsubaki fainted in the middle of the Eleventh's barrack's hallway.