Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Bleach series in any way. All copyrights of the characters go to Tite Kubo.


Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back with another update of Chemistry. Thank you everyone for all your patience especially my awesome reviewers: squirtlepokemon215, HitsuHinalover, Amittai, Kero-mero, XoXo, skylark dragonstar, TUranzaRE711, starlight3395, icyangel27, Misguided Shinigami (x2), saxophone, KnowledgeandImagination, Moonblossom15, sMoShFiRe, and SuPeRsPaCy2000.

In the previous chapter, Matsumoto was explaining Hitsugaya her observations from Hinamori's first when the fifth division lieutenant rushed into the office to ask her childhood friend for a big favour. After helping Momo change her hairstyle, she went out on her second date. Later in the day, Toshiro was taking a walk around Seireitei when he found Hinamori still waiting for her date to arrive. Knowing that she waited for quite some time, he offered to buy lunch for his childhood friend in which she happily accepted. Afterwards, Momo decided to repay him by cooking dinner at his place.

What is going to happen next? Well, read and find out! Enjoy!


LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."


Chemistry

Chapter Four: Definite Proof

"Hello Hinamori-fukutaicho, you're looking mighty exquisite outside of your work clothes!"

"Um, thanks for the compliment," Momo replied politely.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting."

The raven haired girl shook her head. "I just arrived here myse-"

Suddenly, her sentence was interrupted by a single rose that is held up to her face. She looked over to see the member of the sixth division is offering the gift on his knee. She let out a soft smile and accepted the red rose.

"Arigato." She took a moment to sniff the flowery aroma. "It's lovely."

"...just like you," he further complimented with a seductive smile on his face. "Hinamori-fukutaicho."

Little did either of them realize, someone nearby is keeping a close eye on their actions like a hawk. As he saw Hinamori's date take her by the hand, his emerald-teal eyes narrowed. He is so focused on her date that he's ready to sneak up and kill him at the next opportunity he makes a move on his childhood friend. "Taicho, what are you doing here sitting on the roof?"

Suddenly, a thought came into mind.

She raised her finger and began answering her question, "Ah, don't tell me what I think yo-"

Without any warning, he extended his hand out and placed it over her mouth.

"Shut up or else they'll hear us, Matsumoto. Also, make sure to erase your presence too." The tenth division lieutenant simply nodded in response. After taking a quick glance at her, Hitsugaya put his hand down and resumed his attention to the front. "I'm just checking out how she's doing with her date."

Rangiku looked over to see the peach girl is talking with her handsome date. "Oh, he's from that noble family who often does financial business with us."

"Well, there's no doubt that he's rich," Toshiro replied. "He's giving out flowers, chocolates, and kan bills to Hinamori as if they're candy."

Then, he noticed the member of the sixth division offering his childhood friend a gold necklace. Just as the sight of it made the young prodigy growl with annoyance and turned his head to the side. In the meantime, the older Soul Reaper is grinning with amusement. Knowing the exact reason for her captain's sudden change of mood, she asked, "Taicho, is something bothering you?"

"...He's definitely not for her."

"Hn?" She blinked. "what do you mean by that?"

Hitsugaya turned his attention to Matsumoto. "I mean Hinamori doesn't plan on asking him out again."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, he's not compatible."

"Then, what type of guy you think is suitable for her?" Rangiku asked.

Toshiro placed a finger over his mouth and thought about it. Now that Matsumoto mentioned it, he never once thought about anyone who could potentially be a good boyfriend for Hinamori. He has only thought that every single guy that she went out on a date with so far is not good for her. He briefly glanced at his childhood friend and then answered, "I think she should be with someone...who is willing to listen, can make her smile, protect her whenever necessary, and...Well, love her for who she is."

Suddenly, he heard a noise. By the time Toshiro turned to the strawberry orange haired lieutenant, he saw Rangiku turn away with her hand over her mouth. Seeing that she's laughing, he gave her a stern look. "What's so funny?"

"Y-You..." She stopped for a moment to face him. "You just described yourself."

"No, I did not," Hitsugaya suddenly protested. "I've known her long enough to have a good idea of her preferences, that's all."

"I'm telling you now," Matsumoto said. "You're in love with her."

The white haired captain scratched the side of his head and sighed with defeat. "For the last time, I'm not in love with Hinamori. What gave you the idea in the first place?"

"First of all, you grew up with her," she explained while she raised a finger up. "So, you know her likes and dislikes."

"So, what? That doesn't explain it."

Then, she raised a second finger. "You have a nickname for her."

"Same as what I said before, that doesn't explain I have feelings for Hinamori," he explained. "Besides, I gave her that nickname as payback or calling me Shiro-chan all the time."

"Fine." Matsumoto raised her ring finger. "You're always worried about her whenever you find out she's hurt."

"That's because she tends to be careless."

Rangiku gave him a look. Despite being the youngest prodigy to graduate from the academy, she couldn't understand why her captain still hasn't realized his feelings for the fifth division lieutenant. She let out a soft sigh. "Poor him, he's so great at everything except anything that relates to getting involved in a romantic relationship."

She raised her pinky finger side by side with her other three fingers.

"You get into a foul mood whenever you see her with men who are neither a captain nor a lieutenant."

"I'm just fulfilling my side of the promise," he explained. "I would protect her from anyone that could potentially harm her. Of course, that includes Shinigami."

Tired of counting all the reasons on her fingers, the tenth division lieutenant put her hand on her hip and continued to reason with the younger Soul Reaper. "You stumble on your words whenever you talk to her."

"I can talk to her just fine. Besides, you usually catch me like that whenever I'm stressed or angry."

"You blush whenever she gives you nice comments."

Toshiro folded his arms, showing the frown on his face. At this point in time, he is getting fed up with all points Rangiku has come up with. "That's just the reflection from the sun."

A grin appeared on her face; he's running out of valid excuses to defend his case. She further stated, "You daydream about her sometimes while you're in the middle of paperwork."

Suddenly, Hitsugaya snapped, "I do NOT!"

At that moment, he realized he spoke too loud. The tenth division captain quickly looked over to where Hinamori and her date are only to find them not there. He sighed, relieved that his childhood friend didn't get to hear any of that. On the other hand, other nobles and Soul Reapers are giving him strange looks before they went back to whatever they were doing. Shortly, Hitsugaya turned around to find his vice-captain has suddenly disappeared from sight.

"MATSUMOTO!"


As she walked down the hall of the tenth division headquarters, Momo let out a deep sigh. After a long date with the officer from the sixth division, she learned two important things: one, he's not the one she is looking for and two, she needs to get ready her next date right away. As of right now, she has less than twenty-four hours to prepare. For that, she needs to find Matsumoto and fast.

"I hope she's in her office right now." By the time the office door came around, she took hold of the handle and quickly opened it. The first thing she saw in the room is the strawberry orange haired lieutenant moving a stack of paper onto her captain's desk. Hinamori placed a hand over her chest and sighed with relief. Glad that she found the older Soul Reaper, she walked up to her and said, "Rangiku-san, thank goodness I found you here."

Matsumoto turned around and greeted, "Oh, hey Hinamori! I heard you went out on another date. How was it?"

"It's alright."

"Alright?"

Momo let out a faint smile. "Yeah. We talked a lot about stuff while he keep giving me presents."

"What did you do with them?"

"Oh, I just gave it all to the citizens in Rukongai."

"I see," she replied. "What a waste that was."

She let out a disappointing sigh.

"I guess it makes sense. Half of the stuff she can't even carry back on her own." The older Soul Reaper leaned back against the desk. With the support of her hands, she lifted herself up and sat on top. "So, are you going to ask him out again?"

Hinamori briefly thought about it before she replied, "I don't think so. He's...a bit too ignorant. All he talked about was his achievements and his future endeavors."

"That's it?"

"He also talked about marriage, starting a family, and other general stuff that relates to settling down."

"Hn, he wasted no time on the serious business."

The fifth division lieutenant nodded her head. "I'm guessing he wants to get a heir as soon as possible."

Matsumoto folded her arms over chest. "Based on your explanation, I'm guessing you don't want to experience the life of a married woman and a first time mother right away."

Again, she nodded. "Starting a family means I have to take a temporary leave from my duties. The last thing the fifth division needs right now is their acting captain and lieutenant to leave. Plus, I want to do a few things before I decide to settle down."

"Well, he's pretty much off the list. So, who's the next person you're going to date next?"

"Actually, I'm going to see a couple of them at the same time," Momo explained. "It's a series of ten minute speed dates."

"Oh..." Intrigued, she further commented, "I never thought you would try something like that."

"I think it's worth a shot. Besides, I might find the one I'm looking for there."

Without any warning, she sneaked up on the younger Soul Reaper and slapped her on the back. Feeling the jolt of pain, Hinamori let out a yelp. Suddenly, she bent over and began coughing. "Atta girl! I would totally do the same thing if I were you!"

"Mou Rangiku-san," the fifth division vice-captain said. "Warn me if you were going to do that."

"After letting me listen to everything you said, I'm guessing you need my help getting ready for your next dates." The tenth division lieutenant gave her a wink. "Am I right?"

Surprised by her insight, Momo slowly nodded her head. "Yeah..."

"Then, I have an idea. Why don't you come over tomorrow and we'll have a practice date with Gin?"

"O-Okay, but...won't Hitsugaya-kun get mad if we disturb him from his paperwork?" Hinamori asked.

"Don't worry about that." She smiled. "I'll talk with him once he gets back from his errand."

"Well, alright then. If there are any changes to the plan, be sure to tell via Hell Butterfly."

"You got it!" As she watched the younger Soul Reaper walk over to the door, Rangiku gave her a friendly farewell wave. "Bye Hinamori!"

"Bye Rangiku-san!"

Before long, Matsumoto was left alone in the office. She stopped waving her hand and turned it into a fist. "Yosh, I have a lot of work to do before the big day tomorrow! This might be my last chance! So Rangiku, you better make it count!"


Next Day

As he is walking through the division halls, Hitsugaya placed a hand over his mouth and yawned. Though he went to bed early, the young captain had a lot to think about. One of them happens to be about a certain childhood friend of his. As a result, he didn't get enough sleep. "At least I get to take a short nap before Matsumoto comes in to work."

Once he arrived at his office, he placed his hand on the handle and opened the slide door. Seconds later, Toshiro quickly closed it. For a second there, he could have sworn he saw his vice-captain up and early before him. Just in case he was hallucinating, the white haired prodigy took a moment to take a deep breath before he opened the door once more.

"So, my eyes aren't playing tricks with me after all," he thought as he watched Rangiku walk across the room with a handful of flowers. "Matsumoto, why are you here early?"

Upon hearing her name, the female lieutenant stopped and looked over to see her young captain close the slide door behind him.

"Oh, good morning taicho!" the older Soul Reaper said. "Is there something wrong with me arriving at work early?"

"No, but I get the feeling it's not because you want to complete some paperwork." He walked over to her side. "So, save me the excuses and tell me what you are up to."

After putting the flowers in the small vase, Rangiku gave him a sweet smile. "I'm getting ready for Hinamori's trial ten minute speed date."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "A ten minute speed date?"

"Yeah, don't you know? It's a da-"

"I can figure that out without you explaining it," he interrupted. "Why are you even letting her practice in this room and who is going to be her practice date?"

"Well, I thought you would do it since you're already here."

As he gave her a stern look, Hitsugaya folded his arms over his chest. "I have a few concerns with that; one, I'm not interested in participating in this trial date and two, I'm not letting Hinamori practice for her date here. Besides, I have a lot of paperwork to finish and send out by the end of the day."

"Now, don't be so uptight. Take a short break from your paperwork and spend some quality time with your beloved Hinamori."

"She's not my beloved."

"I beg to differ." Rangiku giggled. "Besides, this is my final chance to show you definite proof that you're in love with her. If I can't convince you, I will leave you to live your sad life. However, if I win, you have to buy me a nice expensive jug of sake."

Toshiro's stern look suddenly turned into an icy glare. "As if I'm going to do that for you, Matsumot-"

"Ohayo Rangiku-san, I'm sorry for taking so long."

Recognizing the familiar voice, Hitsugaya looked over to set his eyes on a beautiful young woman standing at the door. She is dressed in a pink kimono with a dark red sash wrapped around her waist, revealing the nice curves on her petite body. Her luscious long hair, smooth pink lips, glowing chocolate brown eyes, and everything else...the young captain simply found her just breathtaking. "God, she's beautiful..."

"Oh wow," Matsumoto said. "You look mighty gorgeous, Hinamori."

Upon hearing that, Toshiro snapped back to reality and took a closer look at the raven haired girl. Soon, the realization hit him like a speeding truck. He placed his hand over his face and turned his body to the side, hiding the hot blush on his face. "Idiot, you just thought Hinamori's attractive."

However, his actions went unnoticed by his lieutenant. With an amused grin on her face, she turned her attention to her fellow peer. "Now that you're here, we can get started."

After a short glance around the office, Momo noticed something. "Eh, don't we have to wait for Ichimaru-taicho?"

"Ichimaru's not going to come." The peach girl looked over to see her composed childhood friend. "Apparently, Matsumoto doesn't want to give him up to anyone else."

At that moment, Hinamori covered her mouth to suppress her laugh. However, her efforts were in vain as she began giggling in front of her two friends. "I can imagine Rangiku-san doing that."

After letting out a faint smile, Hitsugaya looked over to see his vice-captain stern expression on her face. She folded her arms over her chest, knowing too well that the prodigy said that to payback for witnessing one of his most embarrassing moments. "Haha, that's very funny. Out of all days, you had to pick today to act silly, Captain."

"I'm not acting silly, Matsumoto." Toshiro walked over to his seat at the table and sat down. "I'm merely stating the fact; you and Ichimaru like each ot-"

"Alright!" The tenth division lieutenant exclaimed. "We have a lot of work ahead of us. So, let's get started with the trial date. Come and take a seat across from taicho, Hinamori."

"So, Hitsugaya-kun's going to be my trial partner?" Momo asked as she took a seat across from her childhood friend.

"Yup, that's right."

"You make it sound like you don't want me to be your practice date," the white haired captain said.

The peach girl raised both hands in mock stance. "No, I didn't it like that. I-I'm a little surprised you would want to do this."

She put her hands together on the table and smiled.

"Thank you for taking the time to help me."

Feeling his cheeks suddenly heat up, Hitsugaya began looking elsewhere. He briefly wondered why he even agreed to do this when he already told Matsumoto he won't participate. "A-Anyway, let's get this over with before any interruptions happen."

Momo nodded. "Hai!"

With that said Rangiku placed her hands together and got their attention. "Okay! Before you start the whole speed dating process, it's important to make a good first impression. In order to do that, dress appropriately for the occasion and pay attention to how you act. So Hinamori, you've already completed the first step."

"I see, but I don't get how my actions make an impression."

"Your body language usually tells the other person what kind of person you're like," Matsumoto explained before taking a moment to glance at her captain. "For example, taicho's busy admiring you rather than listening to me."

"Eh?"

The moment Hinamori turned to look at Hitsugaya, he turned his head to glare at his vice-captain. "You're mistaken, Matsumoto. I was busy thinking about the captain's meeting that is going to take place later in the day."

"Yeah, whatever you say." As Rangiku continued to talk, Momo watched her childhood friend listen to his lieutenant. She let out an amused smile, intrigued by the younger Soul Reaper's already bored expression on his face. She had to admit she was getting a little bored as well. However, she had to get through this in order to do well on her next dates. Plus, she promised Matsumoto to listen to all the words of wisdom she had to offer. "You got all that, Hinamori?"

She immediately snapped back to reality and looked at the older female. "Ah yeah, I got it..."

However, the tenth division vice-captain gave the younger female a disapproving look. Momo placed a hand on the back of her head and laughed hesitantly.

"Fine," she soon admitted. Then, she placed her hand back down on her lap. "I wasn't really listening."

Rangiku placed a hand on her hip and sighed with defeat. "You're lucky that you're not the only one doing that."

She turned her attention to her captain, who is resting his head in his comforting arms.

"Taicho, now it's not the time to be taking a nap."

In response to her loud voice, Hitsugaya groaned. His head shifted to one side, exposing his emerald-teal eyes. From Momo's point of view, she found the action to be quite adorable. The fifth division lieutenant let out a small smile on her face. "He probably didn't get enough sleep last night."

As Toshiro slowly sat back up, he placed a hand over his mouth and let out a soft yawn. He asked, "Can you just explain the important stuff, Matsumoto? I'm sure Hinamori won't remember all the stuff you've said by..."

Not knowing when her next date is, he questioned his childhood friend.

"When is your next date?"

"It's tonight," Momo replied.

"Tonight? Why can't you give it a short rest?" He resumed his attention to his vice-captain. "As I was saying, she won't remember all the stuff by tonight."

Rangiku stared at him for a moment. Soon, the older Soul Reaper folded her arms and sighed with defeat. She then replied, "Okay fine, just don't forget any detail I said from now on."

All of a sudden, Hinamori became puzzled. "Um, Hitsugaya-kun's not the one going on a date. Why are you asking him to remember anything about the trial date?"

"She says it's important for me in case I suddenly decide to go looking for a girlfriend," Toshiro explained, "which I highly doubt I will be doing in my lifetime."

"Is that so?" She smiled with delight. "Then, you better tell me if you start looking for one. I'll do whatever it takes to help you find your perfect chemistry."

At that moment, he felt a sharp pain piece through his body. When the young prodigy placed his hand over his chest and looked down, he saw no sign of any physical weapon harming his being. He held out his hand to see no blood in sight. As a result, he began to wonder about the strange sensation he just experienced; why is he feeling this way when he's obviously not being attacked?

"Hitsugaya-kun, are you alright?"

"Ah yeah," Toshiro quickly replied as he put his hand down. "I'm okay."

The peach girl gave him a short nod before she turned to the older lieutenant. "Perfect chemistry, huh? That's a nice analogy."

Momo giggled. "I just came up with it, thinking how there are things that are meant to go well together."

The strawberry orange haired female nodded with agreement. "Yosh! Let's continue on with the lesson, shall we? Don't worry; I won't bore you two anymore."

"Okay."

"You better or else we'll be here all day," Hitsugaya said.

"I'm sure you don't mind," Rangiku replied. "Besides, you're already used to having Hinamori around and being coupe up in this cubical."

The white haired captain suddenly gave her a warning. "Matsumoto..."

"Okay, I'll get started!"


Toshiro sighed with relief. "Finally, the trial date is over."

After their lesson from Rangiku, the two childhood friends left the office to do some walking around in Seireitei. Momo stretched her arms out for a moment before placing her hands together on her lap. "I know; how long we've been in there?"

The white haired prodigy merely shrugged his shoulders. "We were in there for about three hours or so."

She looked down and placed a hand over her stomach.

"No wonder I'm feeling a bit hungry." Hinamori glanced over and suggested, "Let's go eat somewhere together."

"I don't mind; what should we eat?"

Momo placed a finger on her chin and thought for a moment. "I know a place where we can eat some good nood-AHH!"

Her shout caused the white haired to jump. "W-What's wrong?"

"We have to hurry and get to the noodle shop! If I remember correctly, all the food is on discount until one." Without another minute to waste, she grabbed his hand. Feeling the soft touch, Hitsugaya looked down to see their fingers are intertwined. Suddenly conscious of the physical contact, he lowered his head to hide the soft red shades on his face. Just as he is about to say something, Hinamori pulled him along. "Let's go!"

"H-Hinamori, you can let me go. I'm not going to get lost!"

Unfortunately, the peach girl didn't listen to a word he said. Toshiro sighed with defeat and let her lead him all the way to a local restaurant. Momo suddenly stopped in front of the big structure to catch her breath. In the meantime, Hitsugaya tried to regain his balance from the momentum. However, he ended up brushing his lips against Momo's cheek. The tenth division captain turned red as a cherry and quickly turned around before she noticed. He let out a soft sigh. "That was too close for comfort."

"Hitsugaya-kun."

He suddenly froze like a Popsicle. "Oh shit..."

Toshiro slowly looked over to see Momo. "Did you just touch my cheek?"

"I..." he said. "I did because...I was fixing your hair; it looked a little messy."

"Oh." She suddenly smiled. "Arigato. You're so sweet."

"Yeah." Hitsugaya slowly turned his gaze away. "You're welcome."

As she walked into the restaurant, the young prodigy sighed with relief and followed her lead. Somehow, he managed to dodge the bullet. However, the captain knew he can't keep this up forever. Someday and somehow, Momo will catch him in the act. Until then, he has to quickly figure out the reason why he felt and acted differently around his childhood friend than he usually does.


Japanese World Translations

Fukutaicho- Lieutenant/Vice-Captain, Arigato - Thank You, Taicho - Captain, Ohayo - Good Morning, Hai - Yes


Author's Note: Poor Shiro-chan, he still hasn't figured out he has love troubles. Oh well, hopefully he'll realize it soon before his beloved Momo is taken. XP What is going to happen? Who is Hinamori going on a date with next? Well, stay tuned and find out in the next chapter. Please review and thanks a bunch!