Shy Kiss

"Good morning Vice-Captain Hinamori!"

"Morning!"

Any opportunity to strike a conversation with the said vice-captain was lost as Hinamori flash-stepped past the random shinigami and disappeared round the corner. Hinamori didn't have time to feel bad as she solely concentrated on increasing the range of her flash-steps.

"At this rate, I'm not going to make it in time!" she thought to herself exasperatedly.

The short-haired vice-captain of the Fifth Division was rushing to catch Hitsugaya Toushirou before it was too late. How she came to be in such a hurry went something like this:

"Man…I really wanted to visit the World of the Living…damn it Shunsui."

As Hinamori's captain complained about how he couldn't visit Hiyori and the rest of the Vizards, she tidied a stack of paperwork and fished out a jazz record that her captain thought he had misplaced.

"Captain," she started, interrupting his noisy complaints. "If you wanted to see Hiyori-san that much, you could just go down to the World of the Living. And what has Captain Kyouraku got to do with it?"

"He disallowed any uninvolved individuals to enter the living world!" he said and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Why couldn't our division be selected for the mission?"

"Because Captain, we still have—wait, what mission?"

"The one to the living world," Shinji replied, wondering why his vice-captain seemed so confused. "I heard the length of the mission was indefinite; perfect for me. Aren't the captains leaving already? Rose, Kuchiki, Abarai and Hitsugaya are currently—"

A loud bang echoed throughout the office as Hinamori slammed her hands on the desk. "That's today?!"

And that was how Hinamori turned out to be dashing through the corridors, hoping to be able to get to Hitsugaya in time. While Hinamori was berating herself over how she could get her dates mixed up, the aforementioned Captains and Vice-Captain were gathered in front of the Senkaimon, waiting for it to fully open.

Hitsugaya stood next to Matsumoto, who was there to send him off and receive any last minute instructions regarding their division. Surreptitiously, he looked around hoping to see a certain brown-eyed vice-captain. After a few moments of scanning the area but not feeling her presence, he brought his attention back to the gate, slightly crestfallen about being unable to see her before he left. Just as he turned his back, he felt a familiar reiatsu and not long after, the petite frame of Hinamori Momo caught his eye.

She ran towards them, panting and out of breath when she stood before Hitsugaya. "Thank god…I made it…in…time," she wheezed out between breaths.

"Oh Hinamori, I was wondering when you would turn up!" Matsumoto said.

"Rangiku-san…ah yeah, sorry I'm late."

Matsumoto chuckled and contemplated on teasing her but dismissed the idea, leaving the two alone instead.

"Hinamori…"

"Thank god. Good thing I made it in time; I was so sure you've already left. Sorry, I got the dates all mixed up. It wasn't until Captain Hirako complained about not being allowed in the World of the Living that I realized you were leaving today."

"I'm glad to see you," Hitsugaya said after her rambling.

Hinamori smiled back at him and asked, "When will you be back?"

The captain paused before answering, "I don't know. Hopefully we'll be efficient enough to complete the mission within the week."

"Hmm," she started. "I'll miss you. Be careful okay?"

"I will. Take care of yourself."

His voice had dropped several decibels and he slowly moved in before he was rudely cut off by Abarai Renji.

"Captain Hitsugaya!" the redhead called out. "The gate's ready."

Hitsugaya sighed in annoyance but stepped back anyway. "Then, I'll see you soon."

Hinamori nodded in response, slightly disappointed that Renji had killed the moment. She really wanted to at least give him a quick goodbye kiss…even if there were captains present. Moreover, as Captain Hirako pointed out, the length of the mission was indefinite. As if that fact was enough to help her muster the courage, Hinamori grabbed Hitsugaya's wrist in one swift motion before he completely turned away.

"Toushirou!"

She took the moment he faced her to press a quick kiss to his lips, catching him by surprise. A blush colored her cheeks as she looked up at him shyly. She noticed that the tip of his ears were red as well. Although their relationship was no secret among the Gotei 13, even the whole of Seiretei, it was still rather embarrassing to kiss (albeit very shortly) in front of several captains and vice-captains. Hinamori could hear Captain Rose commenting something about 'young love'.

"Come back safely."

The white-haired prodigy simply gave her his trademark half-smile and nodded, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. As the captains and Renji entered the Senkaimon, Hitsugaya knew he would probably be teased about what happened but he didn't care. It was worth it.

End

A public kiss between the two!