A/N: My piece for the Hand in Unlovable Hand Toko/Togami fanzine!

I've always wanted to work on a shipping zine, and it was nice having such a fun pairing for my first. Though as much as I like the ship... it's pretty obvious it'd take a bit for them to kick it off, what with Byakuya's scathing disdain and Fukawa's faults. I decided to tackle that for my piece - both sides airing their grievances before their relationship can change, even if Toko has to rely on a certain someone to do it for her.

Fukawa's devotion to her Master was absolute. His derision was just a lover's quarrel, his disdain just playing hard to get. To her, he could do no wrong. She would serve him fully and loyally, knowing that in the end, his true feelings would eventually shine through.

But every person has their breaking point. Even her.

Toko's might have been somewhere near rock bottom, but she did have one. And one day she found it during her time interning at the Future Foundation.

It was humiliating, being the only unofficial member from her class while all her the other survivors were welcomed. Every day she cursed her alter ego for holding her back, stuck delivering coffee and files while her Master did things that actually helped the push against despair. But it had its upsides… now, she could serve Byakuya in an official capacity.

Like today. Every day she'd find some way to weasel her way to him regardless of if he was part of that day's tasks or not. Sometimes she'd pretend she'd have a delivery for him only to realize, oops, it must've been for some OTHER Byakuya. Other times she'd be in his area and purposely plan for her route to head by his office on the way back. Most of the time, like this time, she had her go-to excuse: delivering a piping hot cup of coffee to him just the way he liked it, whether he'd asked for it or not. He was always typically grateful for that, even if annoyed by who was delivering it.

Holding the cup's saucer with both hands – why bother if you didn't go the extra mile? – Toko made her way through the 14th floor. The sound of drudgery surrounded her as people toiled and she navigated the maze of cubicles. On the bright side, she happened to cross Byakuya's path on her way to find him.

On the downside, he was with her.

Who she was wasn't important, just some generic office worker bimbo that Toko wouldn't think twice about in any other situation. The only reason she noticed now was that she was talking to her Master. Close to her Master. A finger pressed against his chest as the two grinned and talked over some unknown topic.

Flirting with her Master.

Now that was something Toko just couldn't abide. If she had been alone, she'd happily tell the stranger to back off her man… but since Master was here, she had to be more discrete. Quick to act, she stepped up niiiiice and close, basically wedging herself in and separating the two as she offered up the cup to her beloved. "A-ah… Master! I b-brought you some coffee…"

He practically looked through her the way he narrowed his eyes, annoyance plain on his face. "Mmm. If you hadn't noticed, I'm quite preoccupied at the moment. Make yourself useful and leave it on my desk."

"Uh… who is that?" their coworker interjected.

"No one important."

Togami had said a lot of mean things to her that she'd just brushed off. That one, though, that one stung a little. Still, she ignored it. Normally she'd follow Byakuya's orders to the letter, but this time she felt compelled to keep herself between… whatever was happening here. So she offered up the cup to him once more. "R-r-right… b-but first, maybe you could sample it? S-so I can know if I missed anything?"

Byakuya's eyes brimmed with irritation. "You know you always get it correct." From any other person it might come across as a compliment, but it was apparent he just wanted her to leave already. "I'm sure it's fine. Would you just…"

But it was too late. The damage was done as the office drone grimaced and turned to leave. "You know what? I'm just gonna leave you two to it…"

For a moment, Toko's heart skipped joyfully while the intruder walked off, the writer doing an inner fist pump at her success. Her momentary elation immediately shattered when Byakuya focused on her with crossed arms and utter disdain. "What do you think you're doing?"

"U-um…" Her Master was shrewd. She knew he was already well aware what that was all about. "I-I just…"

"You just ruined a pleasant chat because you're envious. Because despite my numerous insistences to the contrary, you still cling to the hope that there's something here that isn't. Correct?"

She winced. Even delivered relatively politely in his normally haughty tone, his words were like barbs. "N-no, I… um…" Already her mind was abuzz trying to justify everything he was saying. "Ha… I-I may have stepped out of line, but it was for your sake. That girl was probably a g-gold digger, or a brainless bimbo, or a sleazy saleswoman!"

"All of which would be preferable to you." Ouch. "And now we'll never know, because just now you decided to go from a nuisance to a hindrance."

She felt sick. How was she supposed to know protecting him from some floozy would get this reaction? She could fix this. She knew this was just a lover's spat. "W-well… you can still go find her before she escapes. I don't mind sharing if you want a harem, master. I-is that your plan…?"

Byakuya's frown deepened with disgust. It was an expression she was used to, but only now did it really sink in. "I assure you, even if I would ever plan such a thing, it won't include you."

Toko's fingers trembled, the saucer suddenly feeling heavy in her grip before it slipped and hit the floor. He wouldn't even consider her as a side girl. She bit down on her lip even as Byakuya shook his head. "Just clean this up and get out of my sight."

Her face scrunched up and Togami rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue. "Come now… crying is beneath even someone like you."

Too late he realized her face wasn't wrinkled with oncoming tears… but a sneeze.

Achoo!

Togami immediately tensed up – a Fukawa sneeze was the one thing that could break his composure. The absolute last thing this awkward conversation needed was a visit from her.

When Toko lifted her head again, the anguish in her eyes was replaced with the momentary confusion of a person wondering where the heck they'd ended up. And then they sharpened into an almost manic expression as she straightened and looked almost like an entirely different person.

Because she was.

Despite knowing full well Toko presently had the mind of a serial killer, Togami kept his cool, simply drumming his fingers on his arm in irritation. "What an unpleasant surprise. Be a dear and keep yourself in check, I have work to get back to…"

At first, the girl just stared at him. He was waiting for one of her manic laughs or some insane soliloquy… but instead, she grabbed him by the shoulder. "H-Hey…!" Before Togami could protest, he was being whisked away with frightening speed and strength as the intern dragged him towards his office and tossed him in.

Even knowing the odds of her hurting him were incredibly low, a pang of fear pulsed in his heart when she locked the door behind them. Genocide Jack might be eccentric, bloodthirsty, and did not care about personal space, but she'd never lay a finger on him. So the fact she just had was concerning. Her continued silence was MORE concerning. Gritting his teeth, Byakuya addressed her first. "What are you doing?!"

"What are you doing, Richie Rich?"

He blinked. "…Pardon?"

Jack paced, her tongue lolling to and fro as she ranted. "I wake up from my beauty sleep and the first thing I lay my eyes on is you. Normally, that's a treat! Sweeter than any candy! But now it just twists my gut. You did somethin' to the other one, didn't you?"

There was something off about the serial killer… moreso than the obvious, Togami noted. Normally she had an eccentric and carefree air, even as she described horrible deeds. Now… she was cold. Jack was prone to the occasional outburst, but this was different. She had a more muted, focused anger… focused on him, specifically. It chilled him to the core.

It was for that reason the prodigy decided to choose his words very carefully. "How can you know this? You don't share her memories."

"Nope!" Turning to him, her jutted finger felt almost as sharp as her trademark scissors. "But I share her feelings… and right now she's feeling like total crap. And alllll of it is stemming from you, buddy boy."

Despite the accusation, Byakuya stood his ground. "And how is that my problem? It's not my fault she shoved her nose into business that wasn't hers. She acted out of line… she faced the consequences."

"Ohoho, ohoHO…" Jack's braids swung with each shake of her head. "Consequences, huh? I don't know what went down, but maybe it's time Mr. Silver Spoon faced some of his own consequences. You should be ashamed, treating your most loyal follower like trash!"

"My… most loyal follower?" To him, it felt more like his most devoted stalker.

Jack carried on nonetheless. "Who else would serve you on hand and foot if there wasn't a paycheck involved? Who else would make time for you even when the world is ending? Who else knows every freakin' little thing you like in your coffee and is happy to meet your completely stupid standards?"

"I never asked for her to show interest in me!" Togami protested.

"No, but you're damn lucky she does! Any guy would be lucky to have a girl HALF as devoted as she is, and you trod all over her. And why? Because she wasn't born with a gold brick in her mouth? Because she doesn't bathe as much as she should?"

"…That last bit is a valid complaint."

"Well deal with it, because your attitude reeks way more than she does!" Jack snapped. "You disgust me. You… are… trash! The trashiest trash that ever trashed!"

"Ghh…!" Byakuya recoiled, teeth grit at the outlandish claim. To hear such words from a serial killer made his composure falter. He wasn't sure what was worse, her shameless accusations or the fact that somewhere in all of this, she had a point. He may have been just a bit harsh on Toko since he'd seen her affection so negatively. Now it felt like her alter ego was backing him into a corner.

But that might've been because she'd steadily and sneakily stepped into his personal space while he'd been thinking.

Suddenly face to face with her, he shuddered, pressing back against the wall as she stared straight into his soul. "Something ringing in that bell of yours, ding dong?" she asked, giggling to herself. "That maybe you're taking something for granted? Maybe, just maybe, you're kind of a stuck-up little troll?"

Oh, he wanted to give her a piece of his mind… but it didn't help that his was reeling, and he was feeling gradually more unsafe with her this close. The fact that he might not be protected from her morbid fascination with cute men anymore crossed his mind. "…So what're you going to do? Kill me?" he asked, voice still calm yet terse. "You and I both know that's a terrible idea."

She laughed, like he'd told the funniest joke. "No, I'm not going to kill you. For once, I'm not even gonna threaten to kill someone." She backed off and shrugged. "I'm gonna bring the wuss back and you two are gonna talk it out. This is YOUR problem, not mine. Though I sure wouldn't mind if you were my problem~…"

Togami visibly shuddered at her flirting, opting to ignore it completely while he recomposed himself. "And if I don't?"

She looked him dead in the eye. "Then you're gonna lose something great."

…Would he? He wasn't sure anymore. All he knew that the woman was already lifting her fingers to her nose and wiggling, tickling her nostrils and making them twitch. "Wait…" Byakuya wasn't sure he wanted the other Toko back just yet. Something was seriously wrong when he'd rather have her killer half around.

"Nope!" Too bad. She had the time to give him a cheeky grin before her face scrunched and her lips parted. "Ah… ah…!"

CHOO!

When she dipped back up and her expression was much more timid than manic, she looked like a deer caught in headlights – just one with a small bit of snot coming from their nostril. Toko was back, and just as distressed as she'd been before she left.

Togami was torn between his usual disgust and a bit of regret, seeing her like this. He wasn't sure why it bugged him now when it wouldn't have before… all he knew was he wanted it to stop.

But before he could do anything… she ran.

Barely stifled sobs racked the writer as she turned and bolted, unaware of the conversation that'd just gone down and wanting to be alone. She hit the door and pulled… unaware it was locked… and after some awkward fumbling she was out of there. Watching her go, Jack's words echoed in Byakuya's mind.

Then you're gonna lose something great.

Surely her words were nonsense. Why would he take advice from an ex-serial killer? Toko was just a nuisance he'd turned into an asset, someone he tolerated for their service. And yet an unusual feeling settled in his chest… was that what commoners called guilt? …No, certainly not. And yet, something in him felt obligated to at least keep her from making a scene. For her sake.

"Fukawa, stop."

She didn't stop. She didn't even hesitate. She kept running, and even Byakuya was stunned. She'd never disobeyed him before.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, praying to every deity he knew of that no one was around to witness what he was about to do. But he knew that was wishful thinking. "Toko, wait!" he called, following after her. A Togami chasing after anyone, especially someone like her… how humiliating.

Achoo!

The worst part about living with Toko, Jack decided, was the sudden leaps in perspective. Last time she'd been around, she'd chewed the heck out of her uncaring boy toy in his office. How long had it been since then? Weeks? Months? Who knew? She sure as heck didn't.

When the sneeze had passed, she sniffed and raised her head, doing the usual immediate assessment. She was on a couch. In a pretty nice room.

Oh… and Byakuya was sitting next to her. She stared in surprise. "Oh. Hey~."

Byakuya cleared his throat, a brow cocked. "Hello. Would you be a dear and bring your better half back? We were having a conversation."

Jack fake pouted, wringing her hands with her usual grin on her face. "Awwww, do I have to leave so soon? You know ya love me!"

"I assure you, one hundred percent, I do not. But I do…" He caught himself, the subtlest tinge in his cheeks as he cleared his throat. "I do hold Toko in high regard."

The fact she'd rather kiss that dumb face than hit it meant something must've happened while she was gone. Something good. Once again, affection was beating in her chest instead of anger. "I'm sure you do. Good job, fella."

"…Pardon?"

"Ya know… good job not making everything monumentally worse!" Cackling, she took a moment to catch her breath. "Oh, and for the record, past the obsession and the fantasies and the whole mess of issues in her little head… she loves you. A lot. I can feel it."

The surprising tenderness in her voice left Byakuya both surprised and unnerved – but then he smiled just a tad, nodding. "Noted. Now if you'd be so kind…"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your designer slacks on." With a roll of the eyes and her fingers on her nose, she was once more on her way to being Toko again.

One sneeze later, Toko was wide-eyed and panicking. "D-did she say something stupid?! I'll never forgive her if she embarrassed me…!"

"No, no, nothing of the sort." Byakuya reached out to drape a comforting arm around her shoulder, making the girl blush and lean into him. "Now then, you were saying…?"

"G-good. Um… f-forgive me, Master, I need a bit to recollect my thoughts…"

"Tch. Come now… I said you could call me Byakuya."