White Peaches

Chapter 11

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On the day of New Years Eve, Hitsugaya awoke to bright sunshine leaking through the gap between his curtains. He blinked sleepily at the window before rolling out of bed and opening the curtains completely, lighting up the previously dim room. "Huh? What's this?" Hitsugaya bent over the package lying on the chair in the corner of his room and read the note attached to the brown paper covering. "A kimono…?"

"Taicho!" The sickeningly cheerful shout that came from the other side of his door made Hitsugaya's outstretched hand twitch in annoyance before continuing on its journey to the package. "Oh, taicho! Are you awake, taicho? Taicho, taicho, taicho! Guess what day it is today, taicho? It's-!"

The door of Hitsugaya's room slid open and the packaged kimono slapped Matsumoto in the face, cutting off any further ranting.

"I just woke up; shut up already!"

- -

( Similarly, the rest of the Gotei 13's captains awoke to packaged kimonos and their lieutenants' explanations of the colour themes and the entrances they would be making with the other shinigami with the same colour themes… Of course that didn't go well either; especially with Soifon when Oumaeda forgot to knock and woke her up before she felt she needed to… )

- -

"What do you mean I have a 'colour theme'?" Hitsugaya asked for the third time that morning, as he sipped his tea distractedly and glared at the still un-opened brown-paper-wrapped package.

Matsumoto sighed, an icepack still held against the spot on her forehead where Hitsugaya had aimed the surprisingly heavy package. "Ouch…" Wincing, she shifted the ice pack in order to glare at her captain. "I mean… The lieutenants decided that instead of everyone wearing the same colour, we would wear the same style. So we came up with colour themes for separate groups of people. As I said before, I am wearing a pink and white kimono to match Yachiru. You are wearing a white and emerald kimono to match Hinamori."

The white-haired shinigami finished off his cup and set it aside, pulling out the day's paperwork. "Why am I going to this thing again…?"

"Because Hinamori and I asked you to and because deep down inside you know you want to come to this New Years party and show yourself off in the handsome kimono Ichigo and Rukia picked for you."

"Aah… I asked why I am going, not why I should not be going."

Lifting the ice away from her face, Matsumoto glared at her captain. "Just open the damn thing and look at it. You haven't even seen it yet; you have no idea what it looks like."

Hitsugaya rested his cheek against his closed fist as he placed his elbow on the table, never bothering to look up at Matsumoto as he finished one sheet of paperwork and moved onto a larger bundle of three pages. "Yes I do."

"How?"

He briefly flicked his gaze up to the blonde's face before returning to his paperwork. "You just told me it was white and green and was a traditional kimono."

Matsumoto slammed her palm down on the arm of the couch she was lying on. "See! You don't know anything else about it!"

"Yes I do."

"Fine. Then what is the main colour of the-?"

"White." Hitsugaya smirked at Matsumoto as she gaped at him in surprise. "I have some fashion sense, you know. It's not hard to guess what would match well with me." He gestured flippantly to his hair and eyes before flicking his wrist back down to the work before him.

"Hn. Just open it, okay? And pick up Hinamori by six o'clock—sharp!"

"A-huh…"

Hitsugaya continued to ignore his lieutenant's disgruntled murmurs as his blue ink filled up the large document page before him.

"Geez… and I thought I was incapable of communication in the morning…"

Without looking up, Hitsugaya continued onto the next page of work. "You are incapable of communication in the morning, Matsumoto."

Matsumoto scowled at the white-haired captain and sniffed disapprovingly at his response. "Fine. I'm going to go bully Kira or something. Don't forget: Hinamori at six o'clock!"

The office door slid open soundlessly and, after the soft swish of Matsumoto's robes and scarf, slammed shut with a sharp bang. It didn't bother Hitsugaya too much; he was used to these types of situations in the mornings due to Matsumoto's low tolerance and high irritability in the mornings during winter. It was no wonder they tended to get into spats more often then not; Matsumoto was born for the fall and Hitsugaya was born for the winter. It just didn't work well.

Over the course of four hours, the smooth, even flow of sapphire liquid slowed to a thinner line, then a courser line, and finally a small trickle and unpredictable spatter of ink. When he finally struggled to the end of the third page of his work, Hitsugaya flicked the pen gently against the desk; increasing the force at the lack of response from the pen's ink cartridge.

"Damnit…"

Glowering at the messy writing caused by the pen, Hitsugaya reached for the cup of pens that he always placed on the far right of his desk. Once he had dragged it closer, he removed his gaze from the paper to find another blue pen.

"Where are all my pens?"

If anyone else were in the room, they would probably think Hitsugaya was absolutely insane. The cup was full of pens. But what they wouldn't know, although Matsumoto and Hinamori might, was that the pens that currently sat in the cup were a gift from Hinamori; ones that Hitsugaya preferred not to used unless it was for important documents, crucial situations in which there was absolutely no other pens in sight or he was in a rush—which wasn't often.

According to Hitsugaya, a pen running out was not a crucial situation, he had plenty of time to finish the documents—and there weren't even that many; he only had two left—and the document he was currently working on was in no means what he would consider "important".

"Where are all my pens?"

He wasn't completely sure why he repeated himself, but it just seemed necessary. It wasn't like he expected anyone to answer.

Finally surrendering to whatever annoying trick Matsumoto or another one of his subordinates was trying to pull, Hitsugaya pulled out a—to his grave disappointment and slight amusement—a sparkly green pen. Unohana would be pleased. She had a liking for the colour and this document was to be sent to her as a check-up on his Division's health.

The emerald ink began to leave its mark on the crisp white sheet of paper and Hitsugaya smoothly and efficiently finished the last two packages of paperwork. He placed the pen down with a soft click and leaned back into his chair, stretching his slightly aching back muscles.

Reaching to put aside the bundle of documents, Hitsugaya glanced at the attractive green ink that sparkled from the clean white top page.

"…you are wearing a white and emerald kimono to match Hinamori."

Hitsugaya glanced at the abandoned package Matsumoto had placed on the corner of his desk after it had been used as a weapon against her. Secretly, his fingers itched to open the package and see what the kimono looked like—he also pondered on whether or not Hinamori would be matching him identically, or just in colour. At the moment, he wondered if the colour scheme of the kimono was as appealing as the document was with the sparkling ink.

"Green on white…?"

"I never took you as the type to talk to yourself, Hitsugaya."

Hitsugaya turned to the unnoticed intruder, guessing correctly that it had to be a captain to get past his senses completely. "Ukitake-taicho."

"I trust you are going to the New Years celebration?" At Hitsugaya brief nod, Ukitake made his way to Hitsugaya's desk. His eyebrows raised in surprise at the unopened package. "You haven't even looked at it yet?"

The Tenth Division captain glanced at the package and snorted.

Ukitake clucked his tongue. "What a shame. Yours and Hinamori's are the most attractive. Beautiful pieces of work, they are."

Hitsugaya tilted an eyebrow questioningly. "You've seen them?"

Ukitake nodded enthusiastically, reached into his uniform and produced twelve snapshot photos. "Rukia took pictures, but only of one of each theme." He grinned giddily and tossed them onto the desk between Hitsugaya and himself. "These," he pointed to the fourth picture, "are what yours and Hinamori's look like. That is what Yamamoto-dono's, Sasakibe's, and Komamaru's is based on. Oh, and this is what mine and Byakuya's look like. And those over there are…"

Hitsugaya tuned Ukitake out, pulling the image the older captain had first pointed out closer to him. Ukitake had been wrong; the kimonos weren't beautiful pieces of work.

They were amazing pieces of work.

A silky-looking, pure white material was the base material of the outer layer of the kimono and had what appeared to be fruit trees and sakura petals embroidered on it in a silvery-coloured thread. Another design, bolder, brighter and more attractive then the silvery one, was sewn into the material with a shimmering emerald colour in the shape of large, ancient dragons. The sash, cuffs, outline and trim of the outer kimono were also in the same dark emerald colour. The picture was a little blurry, but his eyes were sharp and he could make out more than enough to satisfy his hungry eyes.

"Amazing…"

Ukitake smirked knowingly down at Hitsugaya's bent head as he admired the photo. As the Thirteenth Division captain had guessed, Hitsugaya had never worn anything other than the standard uniform to the celebrations he had actually attended. Ukitake walked around the large desk, picking up the package in the process, and leaned over Hitsugaya's shoulder.

"It looks even better when you see it with your own eyes." Hitsugaya looked up at Ukitake in slight surprise before his features slipped into more of an embarrassed scowl. "You want to see it now? Ne? Ne?"

"Shut up."

Ukitake handed the package to Hitsugaya and proceeded to leave the room. "I'll see you and Hinamori at the celebration then. Bye."

Hitsugaya weighed the package with one hand, then the other, and then both. He held it up to eye level and tilted it. It was lumpy. That usually meant whatever was inside was soft and silky because the material slid around unevenly inside the package.

He glanced at the clock in the room. It was only two forty-five and he was supposed to pick Hinamori up at six o'clock; there was no point in opening the package.

Hitsugaya snorted. He didn't even want to open the package, so what did it matter if there was a point?

Tossing the brown paper bundle onto the desk, Hitsugaya picked up his completed documents and deposited them in the container that they would be picked up from later on in the day. He turned around again, glancing at the package in the center of his desk.

Why was it leering at him like that?

"Stupid kimono…"

Why was he so tempted to open the damn thing? It was a kimono! Practically a dress! And he wanted to open it as quickly as possible. Why? It made no sense. He was a captain damnit and he would keep his pride as a captain by not opening that package!

- -

Ukitake paused on his walk, searching his mind quietly.

"Oh! The photos."

Turning on his heel, he headed back to the Tenth Division building at a brisk walk. He reached Hitsugaya's office in a little under five minutes and rapped on the door politely. When there was no reply, he knocked again.

"That's strange… I just left…"

Sliding the wooden door to the side, Ukitake paused before entering the large room. He made his way over to the two figures in the middle of the room.

"Matsumoto? Hitsugaya? Is everything alright?"

Matsumoto broke out of her staring contest with the young white-haired captain. "Uh… yeah. Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." She scratched the back of her head and chuckled lightly.

Ukitake glanced around the room, "I'm guessing this is your work, Hitsugaya?"

"I knew he'd open it eventually, but I didn't think he'd open it so violently." Matusmoto commented dryly, moving to the desk—the only thing that didn't seem to be a victim of Hitsugaya.

Ukitake nodded in agreement. "After seeing the pictures I thought he'd go easy on the package."

Hitsugaya glared at the older captain accusingly. "I'm still here."

"Oh, yes. Well it looks nice, just so you know. Anyways, have fun cleaning up. It's sure to keep you busy for another half hour or so."

The blonde across the room groaned, hanging her head in shame of her captain.

"Oh, there's some on the walls as well."

The door slid shut quietly as the Thirteenth Division captain made his escape from the scene of the crime. Matsumoto glared at the shredded pieces of brown paper that seemed to coat the entirety of the room, then at the kimono-clad shinigami in the room.

Grumbling, she picked up a broom from the far corner of the room. "I didn't think the wrapping was so big… I'm disappointed in your lack of self-control, taicho."

"Shut up."

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A/N: A short, slightly humorous chapter as a prelude to the New Years chapter. Hope you enjoyed!

P.S. I appreciate criticism and suggestions for story-line ideas… But when people start commenting on my writing style and telling me that it could be better and that they wouldn't do this and that but I am or that other fanfics they read are different… That's not cool with me, sorry. I write the way I write because I like it that way and that's the way my creative flow goes. If anyone reading my stories doesn't like that: stop reading. That's all I can say to you… Sorry for the little umm 'rant'?