"What are we doing here, Matsumoto?"

"We're shopping, of course, Ta--uh, Toushirou-kun. Now hush up and have fun, will you?"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and straightened his tie. "Who said I wanted to go shopping? I'd rather go back to sleep. Why did you wake me up so early, anyway?"

Matsumoto sighed. "Because...if I hadn't we'd have been caught in the mid-day rush. You complain too much, Toushirou-kun."

"...I hate you calling me that."

"Well, if I call you 'taichou,' it'll raise suspicions. You complain too much."

"I'm not complaining; I just hate this."

"That's complaining."

Hitsugaya scowled at her. "Just get on with your shopping, already."

Matsumoto smirked smugly at her victory, looking around. "Hmmm...where could I get some new clothes...? Ooh! There we go!"

She pulled him into a clothing store, nearly tearing his arm off.

Nearly two hours later, they left, and Hitsugaya felt as though he'd just gone through boot camp. Sighing, he stretched and winced as his back cracked. "...Can we go now?"

"Oh, come on!" Matsumoto said. "You know you like your new scarf, so stop whining!"

He said nothing.

"Now...where to next...? Oh...lookee there...Toooooooushirou-kuuuuun...look! There's a bookstore."

His eyes snapped up. "Huh?"

Matsumoto grinned. "Let's go see."

She didn't comment on the fact that he practically sprinted into the store.

She also didn't say anything when the first place he went to was the manga section (although she did sigh), where he instantly started scanning the titles with the critical eye of a master jeweler inspecting a diamond.

"...I thought you didn't want to go shopping," she murmured finally, unable to keep silent any longer.

Hitsugaya didn't respond.

Finally, after discovering the price of one of the slim books and doing some quick math in his head, he selected about twenty volumes and made his way to the front of the store.

Matsumoto stood behind her captain, chuckling at how childlike he could be sometimes. His eyes practically glowed as he looked at the books that would soon be his.

The cashier looked at them. "...You gonna make your poor mother buy all those for you, kid?"

Matsumoto stiffened.

"Uh...she's, uh...not my mother," Hitsugaya said. "And I'm buying them myself."

Flinching at the vice-captain's glare, the lanky young man was silent as he rang up Hitsugaya's purchase. After handing him two bags, he waved goodbye and pointedly kept his gaze away form the fuming Matsumoto.

"That little...that sniveling little jerk!" she snarled in the parking lot as they made their way to the bus stop. She had no desire to shop anymore. That puke had thought she was...was...

She wasn't that old, damn it!

"Hey, it could've been worse," Hitsugaya murmured.

"Huh?"

"If he'd known how old you really are, he would have called you my grandmother."

...That was it!

"Give me that scarf back!" she howled as she chased after her laughing captain. "You don't deserve it anymore! I am not your grandmother!"

"You're right! Who'd ever want to have a kid with you?"

"WHY, YOU LITTLE...!"

Hitsugaya laughed all the way back to Urahara's shop.


What is it about these two that makes it so easy to write humor? Sigh...oh, well. I like humor. Hopefully you guys do, too. Ja ne.