"What is it?" Yuuki questioned and poked the 'delightful surprise' Matsumoto had prepared for them. She examined it closely. It looked like jello with hairy cheese sprinkled on top, finished with a thick layer of chocolate sauce.

Hitsugaya gave her a worried look. "Don't touch it. It might be poisonous."

Yuuki's eyes widened and quickly withdrew her hand. "How does she think of these things?"

"Beats me." He replied, crossing his arms. "I'm sure Orihime's kitchen of doom was an inspiration."

"How is it?!" Matsumoto's sing-song voice could be heard from the other room.

"Very good!" Yuuki answered quickly.

"What did you do that for?" Hitsugaya whispered fiercely, giving her an alarmed look.

"Insulting a chef's creations is discouraging. Trust me. You won't believe how upsetting it is. Sometimes my family isn't quite well-mannered." She muttered.

"Isn't that a good thing?" He asked. "Besides, what if she comes back to check it?"

She pushed the plate towards him with an impish smile. "Quick, take a bite before she comes."

He gave the plate a disgusted look. "You eat it. She wanted you to test it out anyway. It could be deadly."

"See? That's the point. You're a Shinigami so surely you can't die from eating this." She pushed the plate closer towards him still.

He pushed it back towards her so roughly that the jello-y concoction slithered onto one side of the plate and coiled back to its rightful place. "Shinigami's can die from fatal wounds. I'm certain this could be lethal for me." He spoke in the most convincing matter possible. "You eat it. Take one for the team."

"What team?" She shot him a confused look.

"Team Hitsugaya."

"Team Yuuki, you mean." She corrected. "You know, if you answered that right I just might have eaten it."

He sighed loudly and propped an elbow on the table. "Here, if you die… I'll guarantee you a spot in the Academy."

She tilted her head to one side as if in deep thought. "Hmm… no thanks!" She answered. "I'd rather live then die to be a Shinigami."

Footsteps could be heard from the hallway. They both exchanged horrified glances.

"If Matsumoto is in a bad mood after this, I am blaming you." Hitsugaya whispered, glancing at the connecting hallway and then back towards Yuuki.

"Okay fine. I'm accustomed to these types of food anyway. I have a strong stomach so technically I'm not going--.."

"Just eat it, she's coming!"

She nodded and took a quick spoonful and shoved it in her mouth, forcing herself to swallow.

Matsumoto sauntered into the kitchen. "Sooo… how's my latest dessert coming along?" She glanced at the plate with a smile of approval as she saw a missing piece.

"Great. Delicious." Hitsugaya said with a forced smile and began stirring the odd desert with his spoon.

She gave them a smug smile and leisurely walked back. "Make sure to finish it off."

He waited for what seemed like ages before asking, "How was it?"

"Surprisingly good." Yuuki answered, astonished.

"Seriously?" He asked; a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Yeah, try some." She pushed the plate towards him with a nod.

He took a spoonful and pretended he was going to eat it. Yuuki watched, eyes wide as the spoon traveled closer and closer… until he quickly pulled it away.

"Like I would fall for that."

"Damn." Yuuki muttered under her breath. "I thought my acting was flawless."

"Apparently not." He answered smugly and pushed the plate back towards her, "You eat the rest since you love it so much."

"No thanks. I think a guaranteed spot in the Academy is enough for me." She replied airily.

"That offer expired."

She looked at him hard, sucking on her teeth as if thinking of what to reply with. "You're not allowed to do that." She mustered pathetically.

"I do recall you clearly declining the offer." He replied.

She glared at him, tapping her fingers slowly on the desk in an eerie rhythm. "I did not."

Hitsugaya pitched his voice a little higher and mimicked what she had said, "Oh, I'm Yuuki! I'd rather live then to die a Shinigami!"

Yuuki burst out into fits of laughter, slamming her hand down on the table in the process. "Oh – my… god…" She stuttered, barely able to breathe through her own laughter. "That was… that was… so worth it."

"I think there is something severely wrong with you." He stated suddenly, looking rather cross.

She stopped mid laugh. "What's that's supposed to mean?"

"I mean, you almost die from a Hollow and yet, you're here laughing like a crazy person."

Yuuki mumbled something that he couldn't quite catch, but it did seem like a 'way to kill the mood'.

"Do you enjoy my company that much?"

"Ew." She blurted out before she could stop herself. He feigned a look of hurt and turned away. "Uh, I mean ew because of this dessert. Bad aftertaste."

"Funny, you care about me so much." He turned to reveal his smiling face.

"You're creepy, I hope you know that."

He was just about to reply to her when Matsumoto tip-toed into the room. She took a glance at the untouched dessert.

"Isn't it good?" She asked slowly, pointing to the plate.

Silence.

"I thought you liked it?"

Silence.

Hitsugaya shot a frantic look towards Yuuki, urging her to do something.

It seemed to trigger a reaction.

"Oh… my stomach!" Yuuki shouted, clutching onto her stomach and falling off her chair.

Matsumoto quickly rushed to her side. "What's wrong, what's wrong?!" She shouted, crouching beside her.

Hitsugaya nearly flipped the table over in his earnest attempt to get to her. "Was it the hairy cheese?!"

"My stomach." Yuuki groaned, doubling over. "I think that… that… rei…" She paused for a moment, before continuing. "Reiatsu something affected me so much that my stomach seems to be hurting!"

Hitsugaya instantly recoiled as he heard this, a dull 'oh' coursing through his brain.

"Oh, don't eat anymore!" Matsumoto cooed, taking the plate away. She quickly discarded its contents and put the now empty plate in the dishwasher. "Yuuki, you should get some sleep. Do you want me to help…?"

"No. I can do it." Yuuki stated firmly, giving Matsumoto a dimpled smile.

Matsumoto nodded and left quickly, giving her a pitiful glance.

Hitsugaya waited for a minute or so before saying, "That was uncalled for."

"It worked, didn't it? I told you my acting skills were flawless."

He rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. This girl…

---

Yuuki shifted uncomfortably on the bumpy futon, wondering how Orihime slept on something like this. She turned slightly, to see Matsumoto sprawled unceremoniously on the ground.

Ikkaku and Yumichika had gone back to their house, or wherever they were staying. To be honest, she was glad they weren't staying with them. Even though they were shinigamis, she couldn't shake off their strange suggestive glances and increasingly frightening attitudes. She turned to her other side, silently wondering if Hitsugaya was better off. He had opted for sleeping in the living room. And her? She had thought this futon was the best choice, but evidently, it was not.

She could hear her stomach grumble and with a groan, she stood up, the wooden floor creaking underneath her. She frowned at the ground. She wasn't that fat. Shrugging, she tiptoed over Matsumoto and made her way to the kitchen. Maybe a midnight snack will do me good, she thought, rubbing her stomach.

She entered the living room, passing by the couch where she could see a blanketed Hitsugaya sleeping. Though, she couldn't see his face.

Not that she wanted to or anything.

Her hand hovered over the light switch, and then fell back down to her side, deciding that turning it on would wake everyone. She crept to the fridge.

"What are you doing?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she heard a voice. With a strangled yelp, she immediately turned to meet a piercing gaze. She backed up into the fridge. Hitsugaya was sitting on one of the dining chairs, with one foot on the chair and his arm sprawled lazily across it.

"Weren't you… what the…" She stuttered, regaining her composure. "Were you like, waiting for me there or something?!"

"Sure."

"Creep!" She muttered under her breath, eyes flickering to the ground.

"I was kidding." He answered with a sigh. "So what are you doing anyway? Isn't it too late for a snack?"

She glanced at the fridge behind her, letting go of her hold on the door with slight embarrassment. "I was, uh, thirsty."

"Uh huh." He replied, unbelieving.

"Okay, whatever. I was hungry… but now I lost my appetite after seeing you."

He flinched but recovered quickly. "Whatever, Miss Piggy."

Yuuki threw her hands up in the air with exasperation. "You know! It's people like you who make girls go anorexic!"

"You think you're any better?" He scoffed, just urging her to ask what he was talking about.

Unfortunately for her, she fell for the trap. "What's that supposed to mean?" Yuuki demanded.

"I mean, after seeing your face, I'm sure a lot of people lose their appetite… ultimately leading to no consumption of food which then leads to eating disorders…"

Yuuki rubbed her temples. "Okay, just stop. You win."

"Seriously, hanging around you has turned me into a jerk." He said with a sigh.

"You've always been one." Yuuki retorted.

"Ouch."

She sluggishly made her way to the table and sat down on a chair across from him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"I can't sleep. But you should." He replied dully.

"I can't sleep either. The futon sucks."

Hitsugaya let out a muffled laugh.

"You knew?!" She whispered, jabbing a finger into his chest.

He took a hold of her hand. "Will you stop that? I swear, you have no manners…first you punch me and now you're doing all this. I mean if it's physical attention you yearn for…"

"Who's the one holding my hand?"

He abruptly let go and scowled. "I bet it was part of your calculations… or something."

"You're so silly." She said sweetly, and gave him an equally sweet smile.

His scowl deepened.

"Well, I'm going to sleep." Yuuki announced, and stood up, pushing the chair back.

"Good night and good riddance." He muttered.

"Good night." She answered.

He watched her move slowly at first, then quicken her pace, she was racing towards the… couch.

"HEY!" He shouted, bolting up from his seat and rushing towards her.

She sprang onto the couch, wrapping herself up in the blankets. "You're not sleeping so I'm going to use it!"

"Go sleep on the futon!" He attempted to take a hold of her, but only met with the slippery blanket. He groaned in frustration.

"Shut up! You'll wake Matsumoto!"

---

A/N: I tried. It didn't come out as well as I hoped it would, but oh well. I've got a few ideas for the next chapter so hopefully that one will come out better. Thank you all soo much for reviewing. Eight reviews in one chapter is really a breakthrough for me! I really enjoyed all of your comments – please keep reading and reviewing… I really would like to hear your thoughts!

REPLIES (I think I'll be doing these every chapter so uh, if you have any questions… feel free to ask in your review!)

TideDrop: Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed that. I can't say I can reveal any details about the Shinigami thing, though. ;)
erina: Thank you very much! I'm not very good at writing fight scenes yet, so I'm glad to hear that from you. I didn't want to portray Yuuki as some hyped up bad-ass hollow destroyer so I gave her a more passive role. Hope that explains!

Mind Walking Rabid Squirrel: Oh, that really made my day. XD Thanks so much!

Megomi: Thank you, please keep reviewing!

Ana: Thanks for reviewing… I daresay I haven't had one of your reviews before! Always great to have new people reading my story.

NeverGoodbyeRoxas: Seriously, your comments were so nice. You pinpointed exactly what I wanted to portray… I'm so glad someone caught on!

SilentSS: Haha, I'm surprised you're the only person to mention the hairclip… I thought it was rather touching myself. Thanks for the review!

O.M.G: Thank you!!