o.o I last updated this on the 20th of July?! A lot of stuff happened...and on top of that I went through a zero inspiration spell XD. Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer my lovely readers!


Theme 7: Taste/Mikaku
"Once you've tasted the true flavour of life, you can close your eyes without regret." – Snowy Peach Tsubasa


"So what does this taste like?"

"Well why don't you try for yourself Shiro-chan."

Matsumoto just happened to be walking by when this little snippet of conversation just happened to flow into her ear. She grinned slyly and bent down on her knees right outside the closed door. A mischievous giggle escaped through her lips as she pressed her ears against the polished wood. Momo's voice defiantly sounded a bit…seductive. Now this could be some potential blackmail!

"It's okay. Didn't taste as nice as before though."

Before? Since when did those two get so intimate with each other? Really! Even I haven't licked anybody before.

Matsumoto pressed her ear harder against the door as if doing so would rewind time, allowing her to hear those words once more. She really couldn't believe what she was hearing. Too bad there wasn't a keyhole or anything; she took a second to look up and confirm that there really was no keyhole. Many tenth division shinigamis that passed by stopped to do a double take; it was a strange sight indeed, seeing their fukutaichou so absorbed with the door. Some attempted to ask her what in hell she was doing – of course in politer terms – but she impatiently brushed them off with a wave of her hand.

"Not now, not now,' she muttered fleetingly, answering the same question for the umpteenth time.

She was vaguely aware of the nameless shinigami shuffling away. Her eyes narrowed; she could not hear any voices inside. However she did hear several soft bumps and something that sounded very much like a smacking pair of lips.

"Mm, much better."

Oh ho! I should probably borrow a camera off Shuuhei.

Before Matsumoto's newly formed plan could further be developed, something very hard and very small collided into her. The mystery projectile sent her skidding across a few inches of floor. As she opened her eyes from her wince, she was aware of a whole lot of pink.

"HIYA BIG BOOBIES! WHATCHA DOIN' HERE SITTIN' ON THE FLOOR LIKE THAT?!" Yachiru yelled out, bouncing up and down like a rubber ball.

Matsumoto didn't even have time to get annoyed at her. As soon as Yachiru started screaming Matsumoto took off with the fastest shunpo she'd ever done in her life. It would not do to get caught by Toshiro; especially since he was doing such…unsavoury things. Yachiru looked on in bewilderment, wondering why Big Boobies took off so quickly. The door opened and Toshiro looked left and right before tilting his head down.

"Was Matsumoto here, Kusajishi?"

"Mm, sure was! Big Boobies – eh! What's all that colourful stuff Yachiru sees?"

Yachiru had poked her head around Toshiro and saw many different kinds of fruits surrounding Momo. There were a couple of watermelons across from her and right next to them, a whole basket full of white peaches; but apart from those two the rest were alien. Though Yachiru didn't know their names she saw a pile of green and red apples, several varieties of pears, plums, melons and other whatnots. She zipped in without invite and promptly latched herself to a wicker basket full of berries.

"Ohhh! Is it candy?"

"Not really," answered Momo. She picked up one each of the different berries. "This blue one is a blueberry, this one's a raspberry, a blackcurrant, a boysenberry, a cranberry and a blackberry."

Momo placed the sample of berried into Yachiru's hands. They were all put into her mouth. As she chewed her smiled widened and her eyes lit up. After swallowing she began to jump up and down with much more energy than if she had just eaten candy. Momo and Toshiro – who had sat back down with her when she gave out the berries – both looked on with just a little hint of fear.

"Hey hey Peachy! Can Yachiru have some more?!"

"S-sure," Momo said with sweatdrops forming. Yachiru wasn't even standing still when she had asked that. She was bouncing off the walls like a ball bearing in a pinball machine. "Here, Kusajisi-fukutaichou, you can have the whole basket."

The basket in question was nearly as large as the hyper fukutaichou. She grabbed it and dashed out, leaving a trail of red, blue and black behind. Not too long after Momo and Toshiro heard distant crashes and yells of "Woo hoo!"

"I didn't really like the taste of blueberry anyway."

Momo fiddled around with something in her lap. "Well why don't you try boysenberry then?"

"Sounds good, but then I might want that basket back if I do end up liking it."

"Oh, so I see how it is," Momo said with feigned hurt. She threw a banana at his head; it bounced off his forehead and into his waiting hands. "You'd rather have what's inside the basket than what's here?"

"Kidding, kidding."

Toshiro closed the door and sat back down inside the ring of fruits directly opposite to Momo. Their knees were almost touching. He glanced around at the citrus and melons and vine fruit surrounding them as Momo was kept busy with her occupation.

"Lucky there's so much fruit here."


An hour later and Matsumoto was walking back to the tenth division, having deemed it safe once more. In her hand was a small automatic camera, even though she was almost sure those two had stopped with their "activities" long ago. There was always a next time she thought as she absentmindedly twirled the camera by its cord around her wrist.

As she was walking, all around her she could here repetitions of "this tastes great", "it was so nice" and "Hitsugaya-taichou sure was nice for letting us taste some".

Wait, what?

Matsumoto stopped dead in her tracks and vigorously shook her head. She must be taking things out of context! Why would Toshiro let other people lick M- arrrgh! That wasn't even possible to think! Not everything has to be innuendos (though she did have no problems finding some in what she heard before…). She gave her forehead a couple of light smacks and continued on. She was nearly at the tenth division barracks when a little snippet of conversation just happened to flow into her ear (it's true!).

"Ikkaku, she's gorgeous!"

"What the hell are you on about?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou let me try some. She tastes absolutely beautiful!"

Something set off in Matsumoto's mind; causing her to use her fastest ever shunpo twice in one day. So quick did her mind piece gathered pieces of information together and so quick was her shunpo that she didn't hear the rest of the conversation.

"Yeah…" Ikkaku said uncertainly while rubbing his head. "Why are you calling that thing a she?"

Yumichika looked mortally offended and turned his back on Ikkaku.

"Don't listen to such cruel words! Ikkaku's just being mean; yes he is!" he cooed.

Ikkaku sighed as Yumichika went back to snuggling with his cantaloupe, muttering comforting words to it.


"Woah!"

Matsumoto staggered in the hallway just outside that door. She tried to steady herself after stopping so abruptly, but failed miserably. She fell down on her front with a loud bang. Mere moments later the door opened and Toshiro stuck his head out.

"Oh, it's you."

"What you mean 'oh it's you'?!" Matsumoto flipped herself up and began to shake Toshiro back and forth. "And what are you doing letting other people lick Momo?!"

The entire area became dead silent that you could practically hear the throbbing of the anger vein that appeared on Toshiro's head. He closed his eyes and they trembled, trying to contain the anger in.

"Matsumoto," he said very slowly and very dangerously. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I mean!" she exclaimed, choosing to ignore all the dangerous warning signs flashing like neon lights.

"What exactly goes on in that mind of yours?! Why would I let anyone lick Momo, let alone touch her in those ways?!"

It was silent once again as Toshiro realised what he had yelled out loud. His face became red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment. He quickly dragged Matsumoto in and slammed the door shut. His hand lingered on the knob, gripping it entirely too hard.

"Do you mind telling me where you got that idea from?" he hissed.

"Don't play coy taichou. I heard you taking about how it tastes good," she replied flippantly.

"Urm, Rangiku, does this explain it?"

Matsumoto looked around to see Momo sitting in the middle of a ring of fruit, albeit one with less fruit than before.

"So you were just eating this whole time?" she said crestfallenly.

"Don't sound so disappointed Matsumoto!"

"But I was so sure! I even got that feeling y'know?!"

"I'd rather not."

GROWL!

In perfect unison Toshiro and Momo looked down at their stomachs. Momo laughed nervously and walked up to Toshiro.

"C'mon Shiro-chan, let's get something to eat."

"Fine."

"Wait wait wait!!" Matsumoto intercepted them, denying their exit with crossed arms. "Why would you two be hungry eh? Weren't you eating this whole time?"

"We gave most of it away," Toshiro said, turning his head away.

"A lot of shinigamis did pass by for some reason," Momo supplied.

"Are you sure? Are you sure you weren't…aha! So maybe taichou wasn't licking you (both Toshiro and Momo turned insanely red from this false statement), but maybe you two shared more than just fruit, hmmm? A kiss or twenty maybe?"

"Argh! Can't Hinamori and I just spend time together without it resulting in comments like this?"

"No, not really. You two are Seireitei's top 'cutest couple if they only got together by now!!' for three years running!" Matsumoto said like the little ray of sunshine she was.

"Great, nice to know," Toshiro said dryly. "C'mon Hinamori, let's go."

"Don't worry taichou! Soon you'll grow up and won't be embarrassed about doing things with Momo!" Matsumoto called after their retreating backs.


"Damn that Matsumoto," Toshiro cursed just as soon as he was out of earshot.

"It's kind of scary though, isn't it?" Momo asked, slyly slipping her hand into his.

"Yeah. That woman has no aptitude for real work at all, but for things like this she's freakishly skilled I hate to admit."

Momo laughed at this, carefully tucking away her recently acquired box of lip gloss further into her shihakushou.


:D Haha, I hope all you readers got that! If anything confused you just tell me and I'll explain it.

Please review!