Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights of this series goes to Tite Kubo.

Author's Note: Many apologizes to everyone! I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Aside from dealing with work and school, I was trying to figure out what to do with this chapter. It took me longer than expected to write up. Now that it's finished, I can finally update this story! Yay! Thank you everyone for all your patience especially my wonderful reviewers: Playfully Serious, Vegetable lov3r, hailey-shiro, TUranzaRE711, Shimmerbreeze, HitsuHinalover, saxophone, Nightwing Master of the Aster, Loreechan, squirtlepokemon215, hitsuhina forever bestcouple, and icyangel27. Without any further adieu, here is chapter ten: Toshiro's and Momo's first date. Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

Chemistry

Chapter Ten: It's Different

As she walked down the hallway of the tenth division headquarters, Matsumoto is humming a happy tune. Today is a lovely day to enjoy the great outdoors after pushing all the paperwork duties to her captain. Once she arrived at her destination, she opened the slide door to see her white haired superior standing in front. Rangiku blinked. "Taicho, what's with the hurry?"

"I have a meeting to attend I can't be late," Toshiro replied. "Matsumoto, look over the training session while I'm away."

"Ah sure," she said, turning her body to face the passing Hitsugaya. "What about the paperwork?"

He stopped for a moment to glance over his shoulder. "I've already finished it."

With that said, he disappeared from sight and left the dumbfounded lieutenant alone. She blinked a few times before she looked into the office and saw the neat stacks of paperwork on his desk. In all the years she has known the white haired captain, she never seen him so eager to finish his behind the desk duties this early in the day. "What time did he wake up to finish all that?"

She folded her arms and thought about it.

"It's definitely not to go back to sleep. So, that leads me to..." All of a sudden, a sly grin appeared on her face. "Well, there's only one way to find out."

So, the tenth division lieutenant closed the door to the office and went to look for her captain.

Staring at her reflection in front of the mirror, Momo swayed from side to side to check her purple and pink cherry blossom patterned kimono. "I hope this looks okay on me."

All of a sudden, she heard a soft knock from the front. Hinamori gasped.

"Don't tell me he's already here!" She hastily grabbed her sash that is hanging on the mirror's arm and quickly wrapped it around her waist. Then, she dashed to the entrance to answer the door. Just as she opened it, a pair of arms reached out and wrapped her. She yelped as she was pulled into an embrace. At that moment, she realized who this person is. "R-Rangiku-san, what are you doing here?"

After releasing the younger woman, the strawberry orange haired lieutenant happily replied, "Hey Hinamori, I was just wondering what you're up to lately."

Momo raised an eyebrow. "At this time of day? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

All of a sudden, a snickering grin appeared on her face. How did the fifth division lieutenant know she is supposed to be working today? "I should say the same thing back at you."

"I-I took a leave of absence."

"Really?" Matsumoto asked. "What's the special occasion?"

"Well, um..."

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone."

"You see..."

"We're going to visit Obaa-san."

Hearing the familiar voice, the two females turned their attention to the glaring white haired male who had his arms folded over his chest. Momo blinked a few times, surprised to see him dressed in an outfit other than his usual attire. He's dressed in a navy coloured yukata that is tied together with a black obi.

"Hitsugaya-kun."

"Ou..." Rangiku lightly nudged the young captain with her elbow. "Look at you; you're going to make some ladie-"

Suddenly, she began to shiver due to effect of the dropping of atmospheric temperature. "Matsumoto, you have the nerve to bail out on your responsibilities."

"But Captain, the training session starts in the aft-"

Then, his eyes narrowed. "Go back to the office and organize the books I left out back into the shelf...unless you want me to make paperwo-"

Within a flash, the tenth division lieutenant disappeared from sight.

"That should take care of her." He resumed his attention to his childhood friend. "Sorry about that; I should have strapped her to my desk chair when I had the chance."

"Are we really going to Obaa-san's place?" Hinamori asked. "I thought we are going on a date."

Toshiro blushed and looked away. "W-Well, yeah...we are on a date. We'll stop by at a few places first before we visit Obaa-san."

"Oh, I see."

He resumed his attention to her. "Is that alright with you?"

She nodded. "I'm okay with it. Besides, it has been a while since I last saw her."

"Then, it's settled."

"Yeah."

After a short glance at one another, Toshiro suddenly cleared his throat. "You look lovely in that kimono, Momo."

Upon hearing the compliment, Hinamori felt her ears and cheeks heat up. With her hands placed together over her lap, she slightly tilted her head forward and replied, "T-Thanks...you look quite nice as well."

They fell silent. "So, um...are you ready to go?"

"Pretty much..."

"Alright then."

With a short nod, the raven haired girl put on her sandals and stepped out of her private quarters. After closing the front door, the two childhood friends slowly began making their way to their grandmother's place in Junrin'an. Over the first couple of minutes, Toshiro and Momo walked side by side in silence. Suddenly, Hinamori sighed which went unnoticed by the tenth division captain. He took it as a signal that he needs to pick up his game or else his childhood friend might decide to look for someone else to date.

"Hey Momo..."

"Yeah?"

"Did you eat breakfast yet?"

"Well, n-"

All of a sudden, they heard a noise. They lowered their heads to see the source of the growl. Momo blushed and quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach. Looking at the eyebrow raising captain, she laughed hesitantly.

"Well, that answers my question."

Then, they heard a similar sound. Realizing where it is coming from, Hinamori placed a hand over her mouth and giggled. "Same here."

Hitsugaya cracked a small smile on his face, glad that he gotten her to laugh. "Since it's almost time, we might as well eat lunch. What do you want to eat?"

She placed a finger on her chin. After a brief thought, Momo suggested, "How about sushi?"

"Sure." He resumed his attention to the front and began looking for a restaurant. "Let's see; there should be one around here..."

Figuring she should help out, Hinamori began looking for a nearby sushi restaurant as well. "Is that one?"

Following the direction she is pointing, the white haired captain saw the local place. "Yeah, that's the place."

With that said, they walked towards it. "Have you ever ate here before?"

"No, but I heard a few good things about. So, it's worth a shot."

After putting away a thick book into the shelf, Matsumoto stopped for a moment to sigh in defeat. "Geez, how many books did he look through over the last twenty-four hours?"

Suddenly, she heard a soft knock. She glanced over her shoulder to see the slide door open and the person behind it. With his trademark grin, the familiar face raised a hand and greeted, "Yo."

"Gin." He stepped into the office, closed the door, and walked up to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Is there something wrong with visiting you?"

She turned around and folded her arms. After giving him a stern look, she replied, "In other words, you have nothing better to do right now."

"Pretty much." The gray haired captain scanned the room. "Ara, where's the younger prodigy? I'm fairly certain he would be here, doing paperwork."

Rangiku walked over to take a seat on the sofa. "He left early to visit his grandmother with Hinamori."

"Hinamori-chan, huh?"

"However, I think it's a coverup. They're actually going on a date together."

Gin walked over to take a seat next to his childhood friend. "Is that so?"

"If they are going on a date, I can understand why they don't want you to find out."

"Why is that?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Ichimaru replied. "They don't want you to interfere."

"Hey, I'm not that bad. Besides, they have my one hundred percent support."

"Then, just leave them be. A lot of things can happen if you give them time for their love to blossom."

Matsumoto then gave him a stern look. "Since when did you become an expert in the love department?"

A sly grin appeared on his face. "I have my ways. Besides, I'm good at gathering intel as you."

Suddenly, they heard a sound. The two Soul Reapers turned their heads to the closed door.

"Hn, it seems like duty calls. I better head back to my division."

He stood up from his seat and walked over to the door. Just as he opened it, Gin glanced over his shoulder to take one last look at his childhood friend. With a faint curve on his lips, he resumed his attention to the front and disappeared from sight. By the time he's gone, Matsumoto stood up from her seat. Then, she slightly tilted her head forward and muttered under her breath, "Baka, you left without a word again."

Hinamori placed her hands together and said, "Gochiso-sama deshita."

After placing her chopsticks down on the plate, she picked up her cup of tea. Just as she is about to take a drink, she observed her white haired date pick up his cup and put it against his lips to sip some tea. She has to admit the way he did it seemed quite elegant. But then again, the yukata he's wearing and how groomed he is contributed to the thought. "Momo."

Snapping back to reality, she asked, "Yeah, did you say something?"

"You're spilling tea."

Wondering what he's talking about, Hinamori looked down to see her drink splattering all over the furniture surface. She gasped. "Oh gosh..."

After putting the tea cup aside, she quickly stood up from her seat. Taking a napkin from the side, she began wiping the table clean. However, she was soon stopped when her hand bumped into another. The moment she raised her head, her eyes met with Hitsugaya's. Despite feeling the heat in her cheeks, she managed to crack a small smile on her lips.

"Arigato."

He gave her a short nod in response. "Did get any tea on your kimono?"

The raven haired girl looked down at her clothes. When she resumed her attention to him, she replied, "No, it's fin-"

However, her words were cut short when she sensed a nearby presence. It was so close that she had to jump away. As a result, she watched the wall collapse. After a few coughs, Hinamori looked over to see Hitsugaya observing the being responsible for this mess. He hissed between his teeth. "The Hollow has impeccable timing; we have to deal with it before it causes anymore harm."

Momo resumed her attention to the howling beast. She nodded in agreement. "Okay."

With that said, Toshiro raised two fingers on the side of his face. Generating a small ball of spiritual energy in his fingertips, he exclaimed, "Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!"

Just as he launched the attack, the Hollow looked in his direction and roared. The beast narrowly evaded the attack and charged towards them. Hitsugaya put his hand into the inside of his yukata and pulled out a kan bill. After placing it on the nearby table, he turned his attention to Hinamori.

"We're leading the Hollow away."

Momo nodded in agreement. "Hai."

Following his lead, the two childhood friends turned around and ran out the restaurant. Before long, both of them stopped to face the masked beast. The Hollow roared. Feeling its spiritual energy begin to increase, Toshiro and Momo knew what it is going to do next. Hitsugaya then said to Hinamori, "I'll distract him."

With that, he launched in front of the beast. The Hollow looked down to see the white haired captain within its attacking range. But before it could fire its cero, he raised the palm of his hand and knocked the fallen spirit's chin upwards. As a result, the spiritual energy attack was misdirected into the sky.

Once the beast looked back at its opponent, he is not where he was standing. By the time it spotted him, it noticed the raven haired girl gathering energy into the palm of her raised hands. "Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!"

It didn't have enough time to evade the move. So, it took the hit. However, its body could not be sustained due to the sheer power of the destructive spell. As a result, it cried out in pain before disappearing into space. Once it is gone, Hinamori placed her hands down and sighed in relief. "This Hollow must have went astray from the others."

Recognizing his voice, she glanced over to see her childhood friend looking in the eastern direction.

"I can sense more of them over there."

"You're right," she replied. "I sense them too."

Momo turned to him.

"Should we go deal with them?"

"No, it's fine. I can sense Ichimaru's and Kira's spiritual pressures nearby."

"So, the third division was sent out."

"Yeah." Once their eyes met, Hinamori blushed and quickly turned her head. Hitsugaya couldn't help, but let out a faint smile. "Momo."

She looked at him. "Y-Yeah?"

"We should get something for Obaa-san before we visit."

All of a sudden, she clapped her hands together. "Oh yeah, what should we get her?"

They began walking. "How about some rice cakes?"

"That's a good idea. I know just the place to get it." All of a sudden, she grabbed his hand and began pulling him along. "It's well-known for i-"

Realizing what she is doing, Momo stopped and looked over to see the physical contact they're making. She blushed and quickly released him.

"S-Sorry..."

Toshiro smiled. "It's fine; it is not the first time we held hands."

"Eh, it's not?"

He gave her a stern look. "You used to do it all the time whenever you drag me to your outings."

Upon turning a shade darker, she tilted her head forward.

"I-I see."

"Well, aren't you going to take me to that place that is known for its rice cakes?"

She raised her head and nodded. "Ah yeah."

With that said, they continued their walk. Along the way, Hinamori took a quick glance over shoulder to see Hitsugaya looking at the passing shops. She resumed her attention to the front, staring down at the palm of her right hand; the same hand she used to hold her childhood friend's.

"It's nice to see both of you again." After putting on their footwear, Toshiro and Momo turned to their grandmother. Hinamori took a step forward to embrace the elderly woman. "Stay healthy and safe."

By the time they pulled away, the raven haired girl replied, "I will Obaa-san."

The older woman glanced at her grandson, who gave her a sincere smile. She returned the sentiment with her own.

"We better get going before it gets dark."

The gray haired Rukongai resident turned to Momo. "Be careful on your way back."

She nodded. "See you soon."

With that said, the two elite Soul Reapers left their old home and began their journey back to their current residence: Seireitei.

"Momo." After getting her attention, he said, "Thanks."

Hinamori blinked. "For what?"

"For giving me a chance to go...out with you. Aside from the smaller details, I had a great time."

"Yeah." She paused. "Me too. It's...different from all the other dates I've been on."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that supposed to be a good thing?"

The fifth division lieutenant blushed and timidly nodded her head.

He sighed in relief. "That's good."

"I learned a lot during our outing today about you...and about myself."

"So, what did you learn about me?"

"I-I'm not sure yet."

"Oh..."

"...but I will if we do this again some other time."

"Momo." As her words began sinking in his thoughts, his lips started to curve upwards. "I look forward to it then."

By the time they arrived at their destination, the two childhood friends turned to face one another. "Thanks for walking me home."

"It's no problem," he replied. He paused for a moment to look down. By the time he raised his head up, he asked, "Is...it okay for me to give you a hug?"

The raven haired girl's cheeks turned pink.

"Not a kiss, huh? It sounds just like him." She smiled. "I-I don't have a problem with that."

After giving her a short nod, Hinamori extended her arms out so that she can embrace the young captain. "Oyasumi Momo."

"Oyasumi Hitsugaya-kun."

Japanese Word Translations

Taicho - Captain, Obaa-san - Grandmother, Baka - Idiot/Stupid, Gochiso-sama deshita - Thanks for the feast (after eating), Arigato - Thank you, Kan - the currency used in the Bleach universe, Hai - Yes, Oyasumi - Good Night

Author's Note: Well, their date turned out pretty successful. Now, it's only a matter of time before they share their first kiss...xD Anyways, I'm off to finish writing the next chapter of Unforgettable (It's about two-thirds done). In the meantime, please review! Thanks.