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

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm back with another update! Yay! Thank you everyone for all your patience especially my wonderful reviewers: hailey-shiro, icyangel27, TUranzaRE711, HitsuHinalover, squirtlepokemon215, Vegetable lov3r, saxophone, hitsuhina forever bestcouple, NatsuXLucy-1314, renell, shiramomo (x3), and Reader-Favs.

After a pretty successful first date, what is going to happen to HitsuHina? Well, read and find out! Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

Chemistry

Chapter Eleven: Gossips and Reactions

"Man, that meeting was long," the strawberry orange haired girl complained as she opened the slide door to the tenth division office. As she and her colleague entered the room, she added, "Why did what's his name again have to give that lecture?"

The younger lieutenant let out a soft smile. "It's part of his job."

As Hinamori took a seat on the sofa, Matsumoto walked to the next room to make some tea.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

After bringing the two filled tea cups to the coffee table, the older lieutenant leaned over to stare at the younger one. "I want to ask something about you...and taicho."

Momo blinked. "Me and Hitsugaya-kun, what about us?"

All of a sudden, a huge grin appeared on her face. She giggled. "Come on, I know something happened between you two."

Hinamori blushed and turned her head away. "N-Nothing happened."

"You can't fool me. Sources tell me that you two went on a date." Rangiku took a seat next to her. "So, tell me the juicy details."

The peach girl sighed in defeat, knowing too well that she cannot get away from the gossip girl for long. She explained, "It's nothing really; we just ate brunch together, went on a walk, and visited Obaa-san."

"That's it?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Matsumoto folded her arms. "I thought taicho would be a little more extravagant about his first date with you."

Momo smiled. "It's fine; I enjoyed it, regardless."

"So, when is your next date?"

"Why don't you ask him?" she asked, dodging the question.

"Taicho's hard to crack."

"And I'm not?"

She grinned. "Exactly."

Once again, Hinamori sighed and picked up her cup of tea. After taking a moment to sip, she placed it back on the table and looked around the office. As expected of her childhood friend, he has kept the office organized. "Come to think of it, where's Hitsugaya-kun?"

"Oh, he must have went to a budget meeting with the other captains," Rangiku replied. "What's up? Do you want to see him?"

She blushed. "T-That's not it! I-I was just wondering, that's all!"

"Aww, Hinamori misses him!"

"Mou, Rangiku-san!"

"So Hitsugaya, I heard the news."

Looking over at the straw hat captain, Toshiro put his hands into his kimono sleeves. Together, they slowly leave the first division barracks. "What news?"

"You going out with Hinamori-chan."

The white haired captain sighed in defeat. "Did Matsumoto tell you about it?"

"Ichimaru did."

He glanced over his shoulder to see the older prodigy chatting with the head of the Onmitsukido. Toshiro narrowed his eyes before resuming his attention to Shunsui. "I see."

"Be sure to treat her nicely."

"That's nonsense," said a familiar voice.

The two captains looked over to see the one from the thirteenth division.

"Ukitake," Hitsugaya replied.

"They've been childhood friends for a long time." He placed his hand on Toshiro's shoulder. "It's obvious Shiro-chan knows what he's doing."

"Yes," Shunsui agreed, "but if he needs the help, he knows who to turn to."

As he picked up the pace, Hitsugaya replied, "Yeah, it's definitely not you."

"Oh, come on! I'm actually quite the lady's man when I was your age."

"That's not what I heard. Ukitake was the one who attracted all the ladies."

"My my, where did you hear that from?"

"Unohana." With that said, the white haired captain headed towards the door. Along the way, he looked over to see the noble captain by his side. After resuming his attention to the front, Toshiro sighed in defeat. He then asked the sixth division captain, "Did you get the same acclamation when they found out about you and your wife?"

"Yes," Kuchiki replied.

"I see." While he began parting ways from the older captain, he mumbled, "I get the feeling that this news is going to last for quite some time."

"That's an understatement, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Oh yes, I forgot that news of the nobility lingers far longer than those of the working class."

Walking down the tenth division hall, Hitsugaya returned to his office only to find a familiar sight: his childhood friend. He took a moment to flatten the curves on his haori before he approached her. "Hey."

She felt her heart skip a beat at the recognizable voice. She slowly turned around to see him in her presence. Hinamori cracked a smile on her lips. "Hey..."

"What brings you here?"

"Rangiku-san invited me over for some tea."

"Matsumoto, huh?" He scanned the room in search of the tenth division lieutenant. "Where is she now?"

"Hey taicho!" Rangiku greeted she brought over another cup of tea to the table. "How was the meeting?"

"That is the least of your concerns," he replied. "You're late for work again."

"I needed my beauty rest."

"That's the same excuse you used last time."

Matsumoto placed a finger on her chin. "Really? I don't remember saying that."

Hitsugaya gave her a stern look. "You said that early last week."

"There's no need to get so picky with the details," Rangiku replied, slowly making her way toward the exit. "Now that you're here, why don't you spend some one-on-one time with your girlfrien-"

"Don't you dare ru-" Before he could finish his sentence, the strawberry blond haired lieutenant already bolted out of the office. "Matsumoto!"

Slapping his hand on his forehead, the white haired captain sighed in defeat.

"Why do I even bother?"

The moment their eyes met, Hitsugaya saw his childhood friend blush and look away. Figuring the lieutenant is feeling a bit timid, Toshiro walked over to the coffee table to take a short sip from his cup of tea.

"The real reason Matsumoto invited you over is to find out details about us?"

She slowly nodded her head. "I should have known better."

Hitsugaya sighed and took a seat next to her. "She's not the only one. I can't get certain captains to get off my case."

"I never thought news travel this fast in such a short time," Momo thought. "I see."

"However, we shouldn't let those things bother us." At that moment, she turned to face him. "Besides, it's up to us what we want to do with our lives."

Momo let out a small smile on her face, agreeing with his opinion. Then, she picked up her tea cup with both hands and said, "Yeah."

Afterward, she took a short sip. After a few silent minutes, Hinamori asked, "So, um...how's your day going so far?"

"Oh, it's pretty normal," Toshiro replied. "What about you?"

"Pretty much the same: paperwork, training sessions, and all the other stuff that an act in captain must do."

"I see."

Once again, they fell silent. Just as she is about to take another cup sip, she glanced over to see the white haired captain drink his tea. She couldn't help, but let out a small smile on her face. Having tea time with him made her feel content and tingly inside. It also made her forget about the everyday stress of work. "Hitsugaya-kun..."

"Yeah?"

Just as he is about to take another sip, he heard her ask, "Do...you have any plans about settling down and raising a family?"

Immediately, he disregarded his previous action and looked at her. She really wanted to know what he thinks about this. As he thought about it, Toshiro put his tea down on the table.

This is one of the rare occasions where Hinamori seriously wants to know what he's thinking. To further add, it is a fairly touchy subject. He brushed the side of his snowy white hair before he let out a deep sigh. Then, he gave Momo his answer. "To be honest, I haven't really thought about it too deeply."

"Oh..."

As she is about to turn her gaze away, he added, "However, I think I can handle another little Bed-Wetter...and maybe another Shiro-chan in the family."

Momo blushed and lowered her head to see her fiddling fingers. "So, you're okay with it."

"...as long as we deal with it after we make this relationship work out."

She looked at him and offered the captain a soft smile. "Of course..."

He raised his hand and slowly reached out to her. Aware of his actions, Hinamori turned a shade darker. Despite being nervous, she waited to see what he's going to do. With every passing second, she could feel the beat of her heart quicken. It is when he brushed her loose bangs aside and touched her cheek that she felt a strange sensation. Looking into his emerald-teal eyes, she could see the caring side of her childhood friend. He whispered, "I love you, Momo."

She slowly nodded her head. "Yeah...I know."

With a soft smile on his face, he placed his hand down. Just as he is about to reach for his tea cup, he felt an immense flow of spiritual energy nearby. The moment they looked at one another, Hinamori asked, "What was that?"

Toshiro stood up from his seat. "It's coming from the training room. We better go check it out."

She nodded in agreement. "Alright."

By the time they arrived at the tenth division barracks, Hitsugaya and Hinamori found the partially destroyed building and the gathering division Soul Reapers. "What is going on here?"

Recognizing their captain's voice, everyone turned around. "Taicho."

Slowly, everyone created a path for him and Momo to pass. Looking over his shoulder, the fifth division lieutenant saw a beaten Soul Reaper sitting beside the damaged wall. Hinamori said, "She's hurt."

In response to her voice, the female Soul Reaper groaned. Slowly, she opened an eye and raised her head to see her superior. A weak grin appeared on her lips, "Hitsugaya...taicho."

She laughed weakly.

"I'm...sorry for destroying the training room."

However, Toshiro didn't reply. After a quick assessment of the area, he looked over to see third seat in the crowd of subordinates. He asked, "Did you inform the fourth division about this?"

"Yes sir," the seated officer replied. "They're on their way as we speak."

"Alright." Then, he turned around to face his men. "I'll handle things from here. You are all dismissed until further notice."

"Yes sir!" everyone replied in unison.

As the Soul Reapers left the scene, Hitsugaya resumed his attention to his injured subordinate. With his hands stuffed into his kimono sleeves, he looked at the damaged building once more. "Are you not going to ask me how this happened?"

Hearing her voice, he glanced over and replied, "I already have a rough idea since this isn't the first time I found you in this state, Akita."

Momo blinked a few times before looking at the injured Soul Reaper.

She hesitantly laughed. "So, you knew."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "I'm your captain. It is part of my job to know what my subordinates are up to."

Sending a familiar spiritual pressure nearby, he glanced over his shoulder. Then, he resumed his attention to Akira.

"Don't push so hard next time."

With a smile on her face, she gave him a short head bow. "Yes, Captain."

After a single nod, Hitsugaya waited for a medical team to arrive and take her to the fourth division before proceeding back to his office. Curious, the fifth division quickly followed his lead. "Um, what are you doing?"

"Preparing to write a recommendation letter," Toshiro replied.

Momo blinked. "A recommendation letter? What for?"

"Akita has all the qualities to become a captain now."

"So the spiritual pressure we felt before was her Bankai?"

"Yes."

"How...did you know?"

He looked at her and replied, "I found her injured while she was doing Bankai training. Also, she mentioned that she wanted to become a captain someday."

"A captain..." As accomplishing as it sounds, the peach girl couldn't help but feel a bit down. "...just like him."

Why is she feeling this way?

"So...what do you think of her?"

Toshiro fell silent for a moment to think about it. "She's a Soul Reaper with great potential. She has done well in all my training sessions and just as she did when she was in the academy. I look forward to her future accomplishments. If she passes the qualification test, she might become your captain."

"Yeah..." She paused. "That's great."

Hearing the tone of her voice, Hitsugaya glanced over his shoulder to see Hinamori looking down. Concerned, he asked, "Momo, are you alright?"

"Eh?" Quickly, she raised both hands and hesitantly laughed. "I'm okay. I-I just remembered I need to head back to my division and finish up some paperwork I left behind."

However, she could tell the look on his face. He's not convinced. "Are you sure?"

"I-I'm probably just tired. So, I'll go take a short nap after I'm done."

"Should I walk you back?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine...really."

After a few seconds of silence, he finally decided to not press the issue any further. "Okay, see you soon."

"Hai, ja ne."

With that said, Hinamori quickly left her childhood friend's side. She glanced over her shoulder to take one last look at the tenth division captain before she resumed her attention to the front. She placed a hand over her chest. In all the years she knew Toshiro Hitsugaya, she never experienced something like this; the emotions she's feeling are all too foreign.

Japanese Word Translations

Taicho - Captain, Obaa-san - Grandmother, Hai - Yes, Ja ne - (informal/casual)

Author's Note: Oh, the premonitions. What is going to happen next? Well, stay tuned and find out in my next update! Please review! Thanks.