THIS MARRIED LIFE

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Inadequacies

Thanks to everyone who reviewed.

Author's Notes: Wow, seems like I got busier in the holidays then during exam period. Hmm…

To clear things up for darkfire22: Kaemon and Hinamori were friends but Kaemon is an arrancar now, so really it's just a demon with his name and body.

And to clear things up for Panoginip02: Hinamori's last name was used even though she was married because it was an emergency situation and I thought the others would use the more familiar name in that situation. I'll continue to use Hinamori but not in dialogue. In conversations, she will be properly addressed.

:Shihakusho: Shinigami uniform

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any part of Bleach, anime or manga.

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow at the new transfer shinigami.

"Hello Hitsugaya-taichou, Matsumoto-fukutaichou. My name is Hirayama Sei. I am the new transfer shinigami." She bowed after her introduction.

Matsumoto observed the new shinigami. Small, petite, Hinamori's height; her facial features were delicate; her overall appearance pleasing. She moved to shake hands with her.

"Welcome to the division," she greeted warmly.

Hitsugaya nodded a welcome at her but otherwise kept his arms folded. "The division's reselection of seats is in a month. Best wishes." He gestured to Matsumoto as a sign to show Sei what she needs to do.

"Hai," she affirmed before turning to Sei. "Follow me, Hirayama-san."

"I can't believe you were transferred to the tenth division Sei!" exclaimed her friend. Sei smiled broadly and beamed at her friend. They were having lunch just outside the tenth division headquarters. It was a scenic area; people from other divisions usually take this route to enter the tenth division head quarters.

Sei was about to take another bite of her lunch when she suddenly felt the reiatsu of an approaching shinigami. Her eyes widened slightly: it was Hinamori-fukutaichou's – she refused to acknowledge her as Hitsugaya-fukutaichou - reiatsu. An idea suddenly rose to her head and she took a small bite of her lunch.

"I heard that Hitsugaya-taichou married Hinamori-fukutaichou because he felt sorry for her," Sei started; knowing full well that Hinamori was in hearing range. She smiled to herself when she felt her reiatsu was no longer approaching, meaning that she had stopped. Seeing that Hitomi couldn't see her, it meant that Hinamori was most likely to have stopped just as she was about to turn the corner. Luckily for Sei, Hitomi was never good at detecting spiritual pressure and had no idea of Hinamori's presence.

Hitomi stopped eating in shock. "No way," she exclaimed in disbelief. "In what way? Because she lost her memory? But he proposed before that happened."

Sei shrugged. "I heard that he courted her in the first place because she couldn't get over what happened with Aizen. He knew she couldn't trust anyone else so he decided to sacrifice his chance to have a real love life to be with her. So apparently their marriage is for her comfort and security rather than anything else; in his part anyway."

Hitomi's mouth dropped. "That's impossible! Everyone can tell how he feels about her."

"For all you know, it could be true. I mean, Hitsugaya-taichou does have an immensely strong desire to protect her." Sei casually took another bite of her lunch.

"Hina-, I mean, Hitsugaya-fukutaichou!" Hitomi exclaimed, bursting out in panic as she quickly stood and bowed. Hinamori brushed past them quickly, giving Hitomi a nod of acknowledgement. She was clearly too distressed to take in their appearances, much to Sei's relief. If she had recognised her, Sei was sure that she would not be in Hitsugaya's good books. Luckily for her, it seemed as though Hinamori barely saw her.

She sighed contently and continued eating.

Hinamori stood outside Hitsugaya's office and took a deep breath. I can't believe it, no, I don't believe it. She hugged herself as she contemplated on whether she should enter the room or not. I need to make sure myself. With that decision, she slid open the door and entered.

Hitsugaya looked up from the papers when he heard the door slide open and put his pen down when he saw it was Momo. She gently closed the door and slowly approached him. He raised an eyebrow when she slightly bowed to him.

"Sorry," she began, gesturing at the door, "I forgot to knock before I came in."

Hitsugaya observed her peculiarly. He noticed that ever since she came into the room, she had avoided making eye contact with him; on top of that, she seemed very distressed despite her attempt to conceal it. He walked up to her and touched her arm.

"What wrong?" She looked at him for the first time since entering the room and noticed how concerned he was. She contemplated avoiding the question or even lying but after second thoughts she knew either would not work.

"Do you think we shouldn't have gotten married?" she blurted out before realizing that her question did not come out how she wanted at all. She touched her forehead as though it would help organise her thoughts. Hitsugaya took a step back.

"What?" He asked, bewildered. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I meant," Hinamori started carefully, "did you marry me for the right reasons?" She could tell that Hitsugaya was beyond confused. She bit her lower lip and thought of how she could try again.

"I mean I definitely married you for the right reasons," she stammered, "I just want to know if you did or if you only got married because you felt-" She stopped mid sentence.

Hitsugaya was eyeing her so intensely that she became even more flustered. "Because I felt what?" he demanded.

Hinamori looked up at him. "Obligated, because you felt obligated." Her eyes were bouncing off the walls again.

"What?" He shook his head and came towards her. "Why would I feel obligated?"

"Well, because I had difficulty with what happened with Aizen-"

She was interrupted. "Aizen!" He repeated in disbelief.

"And you felt that I needed security and comfort," she continued, ignoring his outburst. "And then I lost my memory-"

Hitsugaya swiftly closed the distance between them. This time, he silenced her with a kiss. She tensed for a second, and then she relaxed into it. She slid her hands up his back and pulled him closer.

Hitsugaya finished the kiss but he didn't pull away from her.

"Does that resemble the actions of a man who was obligated to marry?" he asked softly. Hinamori couldn't find her voice, so she compensated it with a gentle shake of the head. Hitsugaya pulled away from her and folded his arms.

"Who put that sad excuse of an idea in you head?" he demanded, one eyebrow quirked upwards.

"I just overheard two girls talking about it on my way here," she answered truthfully. Hitsugaya exhaled loudly, earning a glance from Hinamori. He shook his head gently and walked away.

Momo was puzzled. "What is it Toshiro?" Hitsugaya hesitated a moment before turning to look at her.

"I have realised, Momo, that you lack faith in me." Hinamori's eyes widened in bewilderment at his sudden statement. "What!" she gasped.

He advanced on her slowly until he was right before her; his eyes boring into hers. "Do you not think so?" he asked calmly. Her mouth alternated between opening and closing.

"Shiro-chan!" she managed to stammer out.

Hitsugaya took hold of her hand. His voice was soft when he spoke. "I can let what happened with Aizen slip past but I will not allow my wife to be swayed so easily by gossiping morons."

She let out a soft gasp when he wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her closer to him. "From now on, you will trust me fully. Understood?" His voice increased in firmness but retained the gentleness he always used when talking to her.

Hinamori nodded and rested her head against his chest. He tightened his grip and looked down at her face. "Don't doubt me anymore, okay Momo?"

Hinamori looked up and gave him an affirmative nod accompanied by a reassuring smile.

Her eyes suddenly went a little wider and she pulled away from him abruptly. "Ah!" she exclaimed before scurrying to the little bundle she had left beside the door. She held it up to him. "I made you lunch!" she proclaimed with a great smile.

He looked at her in appreciative approval and took the lunch bundle to his desk.

Friday night came and the three girls gathered at Matsumoto's room for another 'girl's night in'. Hinamori was closely examining two electronic gadgets Rukia had brought with her.

"Eh? It looks like one of those hollow transmitter devices used when shinigamis are sent to the real world," Hinamori deducted after close examination.

Matsumoto examined the other one and agreed. "Yeah, it looks just like one of those."

Rukia shook her head in disappointment and decided to impart some of her knowledge on living world devices to her living-world-deprived friends. "It's called a mobile phone: it is used for communication purposes. At first Ichigo and I thought it wouldn't work in Soul Society but it does."

Hinamori and Matsumoto looked at the cell phone sceptically.

Rukia ignored their scepticism and showed Hinamori how to use the phone. After her tutorial, Matsumoto and Hinamori sat back in awe.

"These are for you and Hitsugaya-taichou," she told Hinamori, "believe me, it becomes a necessity for married couples."

Hinamori thanked her and put the phones away. When she turned back to face her friends again, she found that they were staring at her intently. Matsumoto leaned against the sofa and smiled at her casually. Hinamori felt a chill crawl down her spine and swallowed.

"I see you managed to get that obi off," Rangiku stated slyly. Momo become instantly flustered at the obvious topic Rangiku was no doubt about to get into. "So, how was it?"

Momo decided to pretend that she had absolutely no idea what her perverted friend was going about. "How was what?" She asked lamely; her flushed expression and red cheeks badly betrayed her. Not to mention that her eyes were bouncing off the walls of the room.

"Come on Momo." Hinamori's eyes widened at Rukia, you too Rukia-san!

Rukia folded her arms in a stubborn manner. "I had to go through this talk too. There's no way I'm going to let you get out of this." After a second thought she decided to add with a pout, "Though my first time was nothing like what I read in the novels."

Matsumoto redirected her attention to Rukia. "Oooou, what novels did you read?"

Hinamori eyed the two cautiously as the two talked about the novels they had read and which one was good and which one was bad. She decided that they were sufficiently distracted for her to quietly escape.

Unfortunately for her, Rukia noticed. "Ahem, where are you going Momo-san?" She asked with smug grin. Hinamori froze and laughed weakly.

She waved her hands ecstatically before her. "No where," she replied lamely. She groaned inwardly as she realised that the attention was back on her.

"It was okay," she said shyly.

Matsumoto did not accept that. "Just okay?" She asked sceptically, "I guess even taichou can't be a genius at everything."

"R-Rangiku-san," she blurted out in embarrassment.

Matsumoto ignored her and continued on with her own explanation at why her genius captain lacked in this specific area. "It must be because of the whole no-sex-before-marriage thing; he lacks the experience you see." She pondered thoughtfully for a full minute. "But he should have gained more experience by now. I mean knowing taichou and his need to master every single thing-"

Hinamori was horrified. "R-R-Rangiku-san!" She looked at Rukia for support but received none; Rukia had gotten too accustomed to these kinds of talks with Matsumoto throughout the past century.

Matsumoto winked at Momo. "Have you noticed that I'm not in his office as much ever since you two were married? Though the desk and the walls are a little advanced for you two at the moment but the floor and the couch-"

Momo's jaw dropped to the floor. "Rukia-san" she threw another pleading look at Kuchiki. Rukia sighed and decided to help her friend.

"It might be a little too early for you to go into that deep a detail Rangiku," she said in a casual tone. Hinamori nodded in harsh agreement.

"But I haven't gotten into any detail!" the vice-captain whined. Rukia ignored Rangiku's protests and turned to Momo. "Ichigo and Hitsugaya-taichou will probably arrive soon," she said casually.

"Shiro-chan knows it is a sleep over," Hinamori said in response. She looked at the time. "And it's past twelve now so he is probably asleep."

Rukia shrugged. "Husbands can't sleep properly without their wives. It's a sad fact of men, I know, but they'll be here indefinitely."

Hinamori looked sceptical about that. "Taichou will probably come for you but I doubt Shiro-chan-"

Surprise became her when she saw the door slide open to reveal Hitsugaya and Ichigo. "Shiro-chan! Taichou!"

"Oi Rukia, let's go," commanded Ichigo. The usual scowl was on his face as he gestured with his thumb at the door.

"Momo, let's go," commanded Hitsugaya with a hint of impatience in his voice.

"What are you doing here Shiro-chan?" asked Momo.

Hitsugaya folded his arms. "Taking you home of course. It's late."

"But it is girl's night," she argued.

Hitsugaya looked at his watch. "Night was officially over forty three minutes ago." Ichigo nodded in agreement. Both men went to help their respective wives to get up from the floor. They threw a "good night" to Matsumoto before dragging their wives out the door.

"Shiro-chan, the point of a sleep over is to actually stay over at the place for the night," she lectured him playfully as they walked home. Hitsugaya said nothing and continued walking with his arms folded; a stubborn expression displayed on his face.

"Why did you come get me anyway? Is something wrong?" she asked in concern. Hitsugaya remained silent and continued walking. There was no way in any world he would tell her that he had gotten to the point where he couldn't sleep properly unless she was safely home.

Hinamori pouted at his lack of response. "Well if it was nothing then I'm going back," she declared defiantly. She spun around with the intention to stomp back to Matsumoto's room when she promptly stomped into Hitsugaya.

She let out a soft cry of surprise and looked up to see him looking down at her with an arched eyebrow and his arms still folded. She turned around to where he was standing a second ago and then turned to look at him again.

"What do you do at these functions anyway?"

Hinamori thought for a moment and then began listing them with her fingers. "We talk, play games, watch things; just things like that."

"What do you talk about?" Momo remembered the earlier conversation she had with Matsumoto and began fidgeting with the hem of the sleeves on her shihakusho.

She blinked and shook her head, quickly moving her hands in a "nothing-all-all" wave as she did so. To save herself from embarrassment, she quickly walked past him in the direction of their house.

Monday came. Momo and Hitsugaya walked into the captain's office in the tenth division headquarters to find Matsumoto lying on the couch reading the latest volume of some manga series.

"Matsumoto," growled Hitsugaya. He was contemplating giving her more paperwork just so she could live up to her vice-captain title. Rangiku took no notice of her captain's dilemma. "Yes taichou?" she asked innocently, quietly placing the comic book on the coffee table while she talked.

Hitsugaya shook his head in a 'why me' manner. He folded his arms and went to sit behind his desk. Matsumoto smiled triumphantly and picked up the manga again, winking at Momo before she resumed reading.

The wink triggered something in Momo's head and she flushed furiously as the 'suggestions' that Rangiku had so kindly imparted to her ran through her head. She shifted uncomfortably and avoided looking at Hitsugaya. "Umm, I should go to my division now," she stammered; with that she quickly walked out of the room, leaving Hitsugaya confused.

After gaining Matsumoto's attention after the third call, Hitsugaya decided to set some things straight. "What exactly did you tell Momo on Friday night?" He asked; Momo had been acting strange ever since she came back from that 'girl's night'.

Rangiku shrugged. "I just explained to her that the walls, floors, chairs and desk have an important purpose of being here is all."

Hitsugaya scowled. "No kidding." It seemed a fruitless task trying to drag anything out of Matsumoto.

: One month later:

"How did the reselection of seats turn out, Shiro-chan?"

Matsumoto answered instead. "It was pretty much the same. Except…"

Hinamori tilted her head slightly. "Except what?" she asked curiously.

"A new member earned the third seat," Hitsugaya finished.

"Who is he?" Matsumoto winked at Momo. "He's a her, and she has a thing for taichou." Hitsugaya stared blankly at his vice captain. "Oh come on taichou, the whole division knows it except for you. She's being trying to catch your attention for weeks."

This apparently did not sit too well with the vice-captain of the fifth division. She became adorably flustered in authoritative annoyance. With two balled up fist placed firmly on her hips, she demanded to know just who this daring third seater was. Matsumoto opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Sorry for interrupting," Sei apologised in a sweet voice, "I'm third seat Hirayama Sei. Permission to enter, sir?"

Hitsugaya hid his amusement at Momo's actions and gave Sei assent to come in. She slid open the door and bowed respectfully at her captain.

Momo observed Sei carefully. She had black hair pulled back in a French braid and dark brown eyes. Her shihakusho clung tightly to her slender figure, clearly outlining her curves. Hinamori was comforted by the fact that she wasn't as amply blessed as Matsumoto in the chest department. But then again, so wasn't she so that wasn't that much of a reassurance.

She narrowed her eyes and instinctively moved closer to Hitsugaya.

"I made lunch for the entire division," Sei announced proudly. She passed an obento to Matsumoto and a notably larger one to Hitsugaya. "I hope you like it," she said before turning to Momo, "I didn't know you were going to be here so I did not make one for you, Hinamori-fukutaichou." Her tone was dripping with sweetness; her expression sheepish.

Momo was all sweetness when she replied but the tension in the room had raised a notch. "That's okay, Hirayama-san," she assured with great sugariness, "It's Hitsugaya-fukutaichou now though." Her expression was cheery but her eyes confronted Sei's with a silent warning. Sei seemed deceptively unmoved and returned the confrontation with her eyes, her expression also remaining light hearted and polite.

Momo's smile faltered when her hunger gave way and her stomach grumbled.

"Momo." She turned to Hitsugaya with a questioning gaze. "Come eat." She was about to be defiant and refuse to eat Sei's food when she caught a glint of annoyance in Sei's eyes. Momo's smile suddenly became genuine. "Thank you for the food," she said graciously before adding, "It looks delicious."

Sei smiled back as nicely as she could and excused herself.

As soon as the door slid shut, Matsumoto released the laughter she had kept in during their encounter. Hinamori threw her a questioning glance, opening the obento as she did so.

"I didn't know you had it in ya Momo," she drawled before sitting down to open her lunch. "Its Hitsugaya-fukutaichou now," she mimicked before chuckling again. A pink tinge coloured Momo's cheeks and she quickly ate something to avoid further embarrassment.

Sei was fuming. To be embarrassed like that in front of Hitsugaya! She could still hear the sound of Matsumoto's laughter. She slammed her fist down on the table. Her eyes narrowed in hate. Let's see if she'll still act like that when she looses Hitsugaya. To me. That would be a most rewarding accomplishment indeed.

End of Chapter 11

Not proof read yet. I think my muse is awry this holiday for some reason. I'll try to get the next update up soon if my muse decides to cooperate. As an after thought, I'll probably use Momo more than Hinamori now. Tell me if you object. XD Reviews will be great.