This one is a little something for Zerolr. Because she is awesome! And it was her birthday on the 1st of july. Nope, not a request ^^

Though I am a little late with this because of a mental breakdown that I'm recovering from... it wasn't very nice. And trolls do not help... at all. But I'm getting better now and hopefully things will improve loads more ^^

I hope you like it Zero-chan! It was very fun to write and just the best pick me up ^^

Tsuku doesn't get much love, art or fic wise. And I know you love him~ So I hope you enjoy!


Hospital Stay

It was early in the morning, and Aizen was making his steady way down towards the fourth division to visit Gin in the hospital since he had gotten himself pretty scuffed up from a fight with a hollow. A low level hollow. Which was pretty disgraceful for a captain, but everybody made mistakes, so Aizen was lenient with him.

Tsuku was trotting along at his heels with his tongue lolling out of his mouth and showing his teeth like he was smiling. His black tipped tail swishing back and forth and his black tipped ears twitching as he followed in his master's shadow, barking happily as he ran alongside him. Aizen looked down and smiled at him.

"Good boy Tsuku-kun."

Tsuku barked again, now wagging his tail more ferociously at having been praised. It was not often that he was praised, having only recently been taken in from the streets where the fox had spent many of his days and into Aizen's arms.

Aizen's footsteps – and the little Tsuku's pawprints – echoed down the quiet hallways as they padded along. Tsuku ran up to the door of their destination and barked, scratching at it. Only this time there were no muddy pawprints left on the woodwork to get them into trouble again.

"Clean paws today?"

The little fox yipped with excitement and Aizen opened the door, and Tsuku made no hesitations to running right in there, squeaking and barking and wagging his tail violently, bombing into the room with no grace whatsoever. Aizen just shook his head – Tsuku was always like this. So excitable...

So Aizen just walked in. there was nothing unusual about the room or its occupant although Gin still did look pretty roughed up. He was resting when Aizen came in, but he did try to sit up when he did come into the room, which was hard because of the very sore gash on his stomach which was proof of his carelessness.

"Hiya Aizen-chan."

"Hello Gin. Tsuku get down!"

Tsuku was climbing over Gin's shoulders and giving Gin's ears a good sniffing before reluctantly climbing down onto the bed by Gin's feet where Cherry was curled up, nuzzling his mate affectionately.

"Aww, leave 'im be Aizen-chan he aint hurtin' nobody."

"He is just so excitable..."

"Well, this's like a whole new life fer 'im, considerin' his past. But ya know ya love 'im anyway." Gin grinned. "Anyway, ya come to lecture me?"

Aizen just smiled warmly.

"Yes, yes that is true. And no, I shall spare you the lecture on the carelessness that landed you in here."

Aizen sat down on the empty chair next to the bed as Gin tried to sit back further and winced in pain.

"How are you?"

"Still sore Taichou."

"You'll get better soon."

"Hope so..."

Gin smiled, looking down at the little Tsuku who was currently crawling onto his legs again, making his way back onto Gin again. Aizen just watched him, with Cherry curled up on him.

"You be careful now." he said sternly, watching Tsuku turn his head to look at his master before carrying on climbing.

"He's a handful aint he?" Gin laughed, "bet yer happy now though."

Aizen smiled, looking at the fox. Well, both of them now since Cherry had started climbing on Gin as well now.

"Indeed."

Not long after that moment there was a knock on the door - a quiet one – which caught the foxes attentions and made their noses twitch, their ears perk up, their tails wag from side to side, and two pairs of eyes become more alert. Especially so since the door started to slowly creak open, and someone's head poked through the door.

"Umm, hello? Gin-san, are you awake yet?"

A little shinigami stepped into the room, carrying some food on a tray, along with some medication and painkillers for his patient, shaking somewhat as he walked in. Gin perked up again.

"Oh, hey Hanatarou." Gin grinned, salivating at the thought of food coming his way. "it lunchtime already?"

Hanatarou beamed politely at him, handing the tray over to Gin.

"Yep! Well, you have company, so I'll get going."

Aizen just looked at the boy, chastising his eagerness to leave, "Nonsense. Why don't you stay a while? I'm sure Gin would love the extra company."

Hanatarou laughed nervously, watching Aizen pick up Cherry and place her onto his lap.

Well, I guess I could stay just a little while."

"Excellent."

Hanatarou smiled again, stroking Cherry's head gently, before the sight of the other white fox in Gin's arms currently being snuggled caught his eye.

"Oh, do you have another pet Gin-san?"

"Hm? Nah, this one's Aizen's."

"Oh, I see. It's very cute. Um, is it a boy or a girl?"

"His name is Tsuku." Aizen answered, "would you like to hold him?"

Hanatarou squeaked. "Oh no no no no no, that's okay! I really don't think that's such a good idea! I mean, I'm really clumsy, an- and I tend to drop things a lot, and I don't want to hurt him or anything, and I don't-"

The little Hanatarou tried to protest to holding the fox, but Tsuku was quickly, quietly and gently bundled into his arms by Gin, which quickly silenced little Hanatarou.

Tsuku looked up at the bewildered Hanatarou, with his big pink tongue lolling out of his mouth and his dark blue eyes wide as he looked at him intently.

"Well, I guess you are kind of cute..." he said, letting the fox pretend to scratch his fingers with his paws and growl softly as he stroked the foxes white fur. Tsuku squeaking happily as Hanatarou played with him, and trying to playbite the fingers that were waggling in front of his little black nose.

Hanatarou was quite enjoying himself, and then he laughed quietly just as Tsuku sneezed and lay on his back in his arms with his paws ridiculously in the air, looking up at him with this dazed expression on his face. He lay there silently for a minute before he started to climb up onto the boy's shoulders, making him giggle.

"Heh heh~ you're a bit of a handful aren't you?" he said, stroking Tsuku's chin as the fox perched himself on Hanatarou's shoulder, with the other shinigami smiling at them as they watched the little Tsuku's antics. Gin was smiling as he dug into his food, watching as Aizen smirked and stealthily yet gently placed a rather sleepy Cherry-chan onto Hanatarou's head so that she was lying on her belly with her paws flat out and dangling just above his ears. She was still small, so she did fit on his head.

"Uwah! What's this on my head?"

Cherry yawned massively and licked her lips as she lazily looked around to survey the room from her new position atop Hanatarou's head before she looked down at Tsuku and tried to reach him with her front paw, as Tsuku tried to climb up higher, with Hanatarou watching them just in case they fell off him – they were still very small after all.

"Aww aint tha' kawaii." Gin chuckled. "they like ya!"

Hanatarou however, was more concerned about them falling off him, and his clumsiness for dropping fragile things like these foxes, and how likely the probability was that he would drop one of the foxes that were happily clambering all over him and squeaking happily.

"Wah! Be careful guys!"

Aizen just laughed... in a far too maniacal fashion for what Hanatarou would have liked.

"Okay, I think we've tortured th' boy long enough Aizen-chan." Gin said, watching Aizen picking Cherry up off him, just as Tsuku was again pick up and held by Hanatarou while he wagged his black tipped tail, quite pleased with himself at helping to scare the boy. Aizen just shook his head, smiling at the mischievous little fox. Watching Tsuku gave one big lick to Hanatarou's face to make him laugh again before curling up ready to go to sleep in the young shinigami's arms.

Hanatarou just smiled at the sleepy fox in his arms. This one could really be a handful sometimes, but he was adorable. Even though the only peace and quiet would come when he was asleep.