A.N. Hello everyone! Here I am with chapter 10! Yay! I will never get tired of saying thank you to those people who are continuously supporting this story (review, favorites, follows..) my heart is overflowing with joy!~

Thank you to DearShul (a.k.a Barb) for proofreading this chapter! :) You're the best! And thank you also to korne-pokemon-luv for her continuous support! ^^

Word Count: 3,117

Warning: prepare yourself guys...you will know what I'm talking about :)

Chapter 10

Closer

He started walking inside the room, slowly and calmly. Each step was creating a pattern of sound every time his feet would meet the wooden floor. His actions could fool other people to think that he had everything under control, but he knew better, the truth was that he was everything but calm.

'This cannot be happening.'

Hitsugaya Toushiro was supposed to be in bed at this very hour; drifting towards dreamland, storing energy for tomorrow, but he couldn't. Someone he barely knew barged and knocked the walls he built when it comes to personal space; she gripped his hands to convey her emotions and to make him understand that all along his knowledge about people like her was amiss. She put her arms around him to tell him that she accepted his apology and they could be friends… that woman did not just cross boundaries beyond her social status, she did something that to him, crossing a line that up to now he still didn't know much about.

The rest of his evening passed by in a blur, his mind occupied with this dilemma. But unlike a normal dilemma, this one was not draining his energy, not making him edgy and impatient, not giving him the desire to pick the nearest object that his hands could reach and then throw it as far as he could. It was making him confused, that's all.

He tried to lay again on his big futon, hoping that the softness and comfort that it was giving him could lull him to sleep. He then interlaced his fingers against each other and placed his hands over his chest, but this simple act brought back what happened during the afternoon,the feel of her palm, its texture a bit rough - something that a woman like her would have gotten from cleaning too much, but they were warm and comforting at the same time.

He would never understand himself when it came to his fondness of rough hands of the opposite sex, maybe her late mother had rough hands, those hands that would caress him and comfort him whenever his sense of security was rattled as an infant. But he really couldn't tell, since his mother died when he was barely one year old. The involvement of his mother in this peculiar fetish of his was the most sensible of all the reasons he could think of.

The problem was that Hinamori Momo, the geisha in trainee at the Hanamachi, had rough hands and he liked it, a fact that was making him a bit uncomfortable.

"Master Hitsugaya?" his personal guard called out to him from his post at the side of his room.

"What?"

"Is something bothering you?"

"Nothing" a blatant lie, both of them knew it but neither decided to speak further. Tomorrow would be a busy day, meetings were in line and he couldn't afford to lose anymore sleep.

'Though some fingers massaging my scalp would be very much welcome…'

He closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep, hoping that his headache together with the weird thoughts entering his head would subside tomorrow morning.

She also couldn't believe it herself, she was actually smiling.

Hinamori Momo was now on her way towards the private rooms where Hitsugaya Toushiro was waiting for her and she was actually feeling happy.

For the past few days, she always treated her meetings with him as a punishment, a certain period of her day where she would receive all the bitter blows of life. Nervousness, fear, anxiety, worry became a cocktail of bitter emotions whenever she would meet up with him. But this day, it would be a lot different; she had explained her side, he understood, he apologized for his behavior… this meeting would be more comfortable and she couldn't help but giggle in happiness.

She was finally at the door and a tall man guarding the entrance gave her a sharp look.

"Good evening, I have a meeting with Hitsugaya Toushiro-sama," she received a court nod, it seemed that her presence was expected.

The raven haired girl entered the room, and she immediately saw her guest sitting on a tatami mat, his hand nursing his forehead, combined with the frown around his lips. One look and Momo immediately concluded that he was not feeling well. Instead of her usual introductory greeting she immediately voiced out her concern.

"Are you alright Hitsugaya-sama?"

"No." He answered without even sparing her a glance. Still unperturbed of his cold response, she approached him, determined to know what was wrong.

"Are you in pain? What's the matter?"

He clicked his tongue, seemingly uncomfortable with her probing. "Just sit on your side will you?"

"Not unless you tell me what's wrong. You're my guest, it's my responsibility to make sure that you're alright." Slowly removing his hand supporting his forehead, she inspected the site and when it was clear to her that there was no damage present, the gears of her head started to discern the meaning behind his body language.

If there was no outside injury, perhaps the cause of his pain was from the inside. "Does your head hurt?"

His shoulders got stiff at her question, she was sure she guessed right.

"Yes." He averted his gaze, something that he did when getting embarrassed about something.

"Where exactly?" she then placed her fingers on both sides of his temple, attempting to locate the exact location of his pain. "Here?"

"H-hey!" Toushiro inched his face away from hers, a light blush now adorning his cheeks. "I'm alright, just-"

"Alright? You cannot even sit straight from the pain!" her brows still creased out of worry, she couldn't help but respond on his unreasonable excuse to avoid any kind of help. His stubborn attitude was definitely not helping him get any better.

Then a memory crossed her mind; an image of her grandmother looking weak and frail due to the headache that she got from being under the sun for too long. She would then volunteer to massage her head, beginning with slow, circular motions on her temple. Her fingers would then travel to the scalp, massaging the skin underneath her grey tresses all the while making sure that she was exerting the right amount of pressure to cause relief. Though at the moment she still didn't know the cause of his discomfort, she might as well do the same procedure.

"Use my lap Hitsugaya-sama."

"What?!" the horrified man before her asked incredulously, his cheeks getting darker. It took her a few seconds to realize how wrong her words sounded.

"No! I mean, you may lie here. I'll massage you." Her face now also dusted with the lightest shade of blush.

"Leave it Hinamori-san." He then turned his back on her as he continued to nestle his head with his hand.

"Please, just let me help you." She held his other hand, squeezing it to convey her desire to help. Momo couldn't help but wonder if he was always like this. Ready to decline any help, any kind of support, anything that would give away the fact the he needed assistance.

Toushiro gave her a measuring stare, as though to gauge the sincerity of her offer.

"I will use massage oil to help you sleep, and to help you relax." She knew that he was not the friendliest and kindest person alive, judging on how he treated her during their past meetings, but he already said that he was sorry and she was willing to reset everything. From now on, she would be friendlier, more patient and more understanding of the person that was Hitsugaya Toushiro, and as a friend she would help him during times of pain.

Slowly, he placed his head on her lap and his green eyes met her brown ones. She couldn't help but feel happy that he finally gave in.

She smiled and started gently massaging his scalp, his soft, white tresses were silky in between her fingers.

"Sleep now Hitsugaya-sama.."

'Wisdom.'

He fell asleep. He wasn't sure for how long but he fell asleep. His head wasn't as aching as before and it made him feel a whole lot better. The scent of lavender was lingering in the room, at first he thought he was just imagining the distinct smell, but even if he turned his head left and right the scent of the said plant still stayed. Everything felt really good, just what he imagined it would feel like if she would run her fingers through his hair. He could lie like this the whole evening and he would not even care what his father would unwittingly accuse him of after.

'Bravery.'

It took him a few seconds to remember where he was, and who he was with. How could he forget? The woman, who was caressing his scalp and easing tension out of his formerly throbbing head, used all of her convincing powers to sway him to give in to her request. The truth was that the moment she offered her help, he wanted to accept it hastily. He was feeling so terrible he would accept any remedy that was to be suggested to him, and when Momo offered her lap with a promise of relaxing massage he eventually gave in. Tsk, curse the stupid headache that he got from the lack of sleep.

As his consciousness was slowly but surely bringing him back to reality, he slowly opened his eyes to see his surroundings, preparing his eyes for the anticipatory bite of blinding light.

'Strength.'

She was writing characters on his forehead, and even with his eyes closed, he could clearly identify the words being traced on his skin. Maybe she was practicing her calligraphy, or just killing time until he would stir out of slumber. With his lids open narrowly, he was about to open his eyes fully when he heard her voice in a whisper.

"Histsugaya-sama, you have very silky hair. Do you know that?" he was sure she didn't know that he was already awake and conscious of his surroundings. She continued writing on his forehead, while her other hand was doing wonders on his scalp. He decided that for the mean time he would continue feigning asleep, he again closed his eyes, interested on what she would say next.

'Courage.'

"And you are very handsome too, but I know you are very much aware of that," she giggled afterwards, he wanted to smile at her silliness but decided to continue his acting performance. He would let her believe that her thoughts about him were falling on deaf ears.

"Of all the people that I have met, you have the longest lashes! You could put Rangiku-san's lashes to shame… and you have beautiful eyes too.." he felt her fingers lightly trace his lashes and he wanted to smirk in manly pride.

'Yes, I am all that,' the conceited part of his personality was beaming in pride at the moment.

"Your fiancé must be really happy to be engaged to a man like you"

'Love.'

"Whoever told you that I am engaged?" really, this woman has a knack of killing the moment. He couldn't help but comment on her last monologue. Engaged? Where did she get that idea?

Momo turned into a bright shade of pink. "Y-your awake!" she then stopped all the heavenly ministrations she was doing, thus he sat up and stretched his arms that lay limp while he was fast asleep. He gave their surroundings a quick scan, the blinding sting of light never came since the room was illuminated with a few candles surrounding it. The open window gave away the fact that it was now around late afternoon and the sky was starting to get littered with bright, sparkling stars, the cold breeze starting to bite his skin.

"How long was I asleep?" now that he was fully awake, he was sure that he was feeling so much better compared to when he came here.

"About three hours," she answered, the raven haired girl gave him a hesitant glance. "You were awake.. for how long?"

"Long enough to know that you find me handsome, and you think my fiancé is one lucky girl."

"Ah."

He wanted to laugh at her blushing face, he hated to admit it but she looked really adorable at the moment.

"So, since when did my forehead became your rice paper?" if teasing her was always this fun, he would make sure to do it every time they would see each other. And they would continuously see each other because he paid for her services…right, that was the reason.

"I..uh did I wake you? I am sorry." She bowed in apology for her behavior, she fiddled with her fingers to serve as a distraction.

"No"

"Ah"

Silence enveloped the air, both of them not knowing what to say next. Toushiro found it unsettling that she suddenly turned mute since she was not usually like this, so just for this time (he promised himself that he would only do it this once) he broke the silence.

"How was your calligraphy? And why are you practicing it on my forehead?" he asked with a grin, he was hoping that she would smile in return,…because her being quiet was a bit creepy, that was the only reason.

Momo laughed, "I ran out of rice paper Hitsugaya-sama, and my calligraphy is fine I guess…" she started drawing circles on her lap. "…so far, whenever I am asking for Matsumoto-san to check my work she doesn't puke in disgust," another round of chuckles ensued, both of them clearing the awkward air of silence from before.

"Then buy some, calligraphy is vital in a geisha's art isn't?"

"Yes, but I ran out of money." She casually answered.

His brows creased, "Naga-san is giving her trainees monthly allowance right?" he knew he got that information right, thanks to the incessant babbling of his father about this place.

"Yes, but there are things that should be taken good care of before my needs",Toushiro observed her every movement as she said those words, eager to decode her true emotion at the matter. Normally, people admitting the fact that they fall short when it comes to their financial status feel embarrassed and uneasy when they admit their situation, but then this woman before him was acting in a way that he did not expect, something that she was really good at. Though he settled not to probe any further, he reached another conclusion when it came to the raven haired lady.

He cupped her face without any warning, ignoring the startled look on her face and the furious blush on her cheeks.

"Hitsugaya-sama? What are you…"

What he was doing at the moment? The truth was that he didn't really know himself, all he knew was that he wanted to touch her, for some weird, disturbing and frightening reason. The distance he created between them was so small he could almost feel the heat coming off her body, may it be from embarrassment at their skin contact or her natural warmth, he really couldn't tell. Using his other hand, he then started tracing calligraphy on her cheek, his fingers lightly stroking her skin, and he could tell that it was making her feel ticklish since she was angling her head a little away from his finger.

'Selflessness.'

In all his life, he had never encountered a woman like her and as a noble, he could say that her attitude was something that should be admired and appraised. Compared to the set of rich women that he had happened to meet, Hinamori Momo's attributes were far more desirable than any of theirs.

"Selflessness?"

Toushiro smiled at her clueless look. "Yes."

"Oh, I got that right didn't I?" her face was all bright and smiling at him. The urge to pinch her cheeks was really strong, but he decided against it for the mean time.

"Tsk, a person practicing calligraphy should decipher the characters with ease"

She nodded her head, her eyes sparkling in glee. "Hai, I will practice more!"

The futon that was neatly placed on the shiny wooden floor formed creases as the two people laying on top of it moved restlessly, their breath and sweat mixing while their bodies moved in sync.

"S-Sousuke…"

The silence of the night was disturbed by their moans and whispers, the soft rays of the moonlight were the only ones able to intrude in their intimate moment, illuminating the four corners of their room. Their clothes were carelessly tossed aside, neither caring where the fabric would land, the heat of the moment so intense that menial things were out of their minds.

"Harder please harder…"

"As you wish," the man hovering over the petite lady continued his ministrations, pushing as hard and as deep as he could. Moans of satisfaction escaped the blonde's lips, eyes closed and sweat coating her whole body. The man pushed hard and as he released his seed inside her, she gave a moan, long and loud.

"Sousuke!"

Their bodies lay limp, their love making drained all the energy they have, both of them grasping for breath and the end of their toes and fingers cold from the rush.

"Are you done? We need to go now!"

The brown haired man huffed in exasperation, he was still tired and all along he thought that he could still buy sometime to regain his strength, but then at least he was able to release some of the stress off.

"I know." his calm voice caressed the room, the sound of fading footsteps served as a sign that the person who called him heard his response.

"Hey, you're going now?" she tried to hug him so that he would stop gathering all of his clothes, but since he was too strong, he continued dressing, making sure that his kimono was free from all kinds of wrinkles.

"It was a good night, Maya-san," his sweet, velvety voice made the woman blush, whether he did it on purpose to make her melt like snow on a sunny day or it was just his natural voice, no one really knew.

"Why do you have to leave so soon?"

With his back still facing her he answered, "I am looking for someone."

"Someone? Who?"

The muscles of his back became rigid, and his voice became cold and emotionless. He faced the blonde lady with a smile gracing his face. A tingle crawled up her spine at the sight.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro."

to be continued...

How was chapter 10? Please leave a review. :)

KashinaKairi- Thank you! ^^ I hope my progress on the romance department is not so fast and not so slow..am I doing alright when it comes to that? God! I am watching bleach and it was like 123737184 episodes ago before Momo was last seen. I hopw when Bleach begins on April Kubo Tite or the producers would make so progress about these two!~ What do you think? ^^

thefrozencherryblossom- thank you for wishing her well, you are so kind! :) She is already well now. hahaha, I know right! I am grinning like crazy while I was writing that part,,,oh if I could just marry them right away to compensate of the lack of HitsuHina moments at the anime...but I have so much ideas for them, so maybe next time, hehehe :D

AznVKai-hahahaha! You are right, fathers know best! I am so happy that you are enjoying the story, I have so many ideas for them, and oh, how I wish that Tite Kubo's romantic bones will wake up one of these days so that they would at least kiss or something! How was chapter 10 ^^

Raini-chan- Hi Raini-chan! I am so happy that you are enjoying so far!~ and thank you so much, I am very happy that you like the Hirakos and the children...I am squealing in delight when I thought of that part because I love love love children! Though sometimes they are very naughty and energetic, I still think they are the purest form of innocence (most of the time,hehe)oh and thank you for your feed back about the the geishas, it made my thinking about them more broad :)

Hylla- Hi! thank you the mulitiple reviews, I love you! :) I am really happy you are enjoying! How was chapter 10?

Saxophone- dearest saxophone! Wow, thank you so much! Say whatever you want, it's alright! hahaha, I am so happy that you are happy :) :) your emoticon was so cute! How was chapter 10? :*

suicene4ever- thank you so much! it made me blush :') How was chapter 10? I hope you are enjoying!

marionette16-Hi! Awww...thank you so much! Thank you for the words of encouragement. Though I recently got hired, and I am more busy, I will work very hard for this. Thank you so much! (*bows*)

ShadowWolf62400- Oh, it's alright! :) what's important is that you are enjoying and supporting the story! How was chapter 10? I hope you will continue to support the story. Thank you so much!

Vegetable lov3r- Yes! I could also just imagine the teasing. Those two are the dynamic duo! hahaha, he wants a whole basketball team as grandchildren. muahahaha!XD

Jade the Ninja- thank you! :) how was chapter 10? I am glad you are enjoying!

Mechrogaige- hey, it's alright! As long as you don't say mean things I will not get mad. Try me, my patience is loooong, hehe kidding! Thank you for the words of encouragement :) How was chapter 10?

see you on chapter 11~