Hello and welcome to the new chapter of Daisy!

I hope that you have all had time to rest during the holidays. I've been a bit lazy with updating this one, but, it's definitely a precious one for me. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it. Thank you for all who are following the story! I hope to hear from you in the reviews.

Thank you Sassifrass for correcting my silly British spelling and keeping my spirits up about writing this to the end.

OCs appearing in this chapter – I hope you know them by now!

A small bit of wisdom:

No one ever fell in love gracefully.

-Connie Brockway

Chapter 19: A small lavender package

Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood in the shop, his sharp eyes narrowed at the shelf full of goods as he read the names and prices. To any passing Shinigami he would've looked like a Captain having a particularly terrible day. Which, let's be honest, wasn't out of ordinary for Tōshirō. But, what they didn't know was that he was also running through a list in his head. He was comparing. Tōshirō was recalling the numerous books on alternative medicine and its uses in restoring reiatsu, healing wounds and generally, helping a Soul get better. He was searching for the perfect one.

Finally, he gave a sigh and reached up, straining a bit to take two small packages from different sections. He turned them over in his hands, deciding that they seemed fresh enough, and went to pay. The woman at the counter was fairly nice, not recognizing him, but knowing his status due to his uniform and she'd thanked him for his service as a Shinigami.

"Would you like me to wrap that up for you?" She asked when he'd already counted the kan he needed, but Tōshirō nodded anyways, taking out his wallet once more.

"If it's not too much trouble, wrap it in something lavender colored?" He asked. And soon, he was walking out of that shop, a palm-sized lavender box in his pocket seemingly tons heavy. That very same, troublesome, and quite ordinary, box, had proceeded to steal away his attention during the workday. A report filled out here, a glance at the box on his desk there. He was lucky that his Lieutenant had made herself scarce, as was usual during a normal, calm working day, or else she would've attacked the box immediately.

There were some things which did not escape the attention of Matsumoto Rangiku. Handsome men, for example. Free sake would be another one. Every single one of Tōshirō's slip-ups would definitely be her favorite. Luckily, she wasn't there. In fact, her pile of work had been partially abandoned since the day of the big celebration. Partially only since Tōshirō had been taking a few files off the top when he'd had the time.

"Tsutsui Tomoka, 8th Seat, requesting entrance!" A cheery voice called from the door and Tōshirō found himself deliberating if he should grab the box and hide it in his drawer or pretend to be absent from the office. Unfortunately, his bubbly 8th Seat didn't allow him the time to make that decision. The doors opened and the beautiful girl poked her head in, looking around. She squeaked a bit when she saw him sitting at his desk. "Taicho! Why didn't you tell me you were there~?" She whined in an almost perfect replica of Matsumoto.

Tōshirō chanced a glance at the lavender box in panic.

He cleared his throat. "I didn't hear you, Tsutsui." The Captain fibbed easily. "Matsumoto has me buried in paperwork again." This sentence came even easier, as it was the complete and total truth. "Did you need anything?" The noblewoman entered his shared office, carrying a tray.

"I was fetching some tea for my office and decided to see if the Captain wanted some." She smiled at him in a way that made him mildly uncomfortable. He had never really understood women. Well, Momo, he had understood perfectly. She was obsessed with a couple of things: Aizen, becoming a great Shinigami, her childhood nickname never being heard in Seireitei, Aizen, being in the 5th Division, and… did he mention Aizen? With a comparison to Momo, every other woman was more than just complicated. And, Tsutsui Tomoka was a noble of high social standing even among the aristocracy. That spelled trouble with a capital T if Tōshirō knew anything.

"I'll take some." He decided to play along, as usual. It was better not to rile the beast. He could still remember their days back at the Academy. He'd just started when Tomoka was finishing her classes. But, that hadn't prevented her from following him almost everywhere. Not in person, of course. It would always be some other girl, giggling behind him and noting down random things. Tōshirō had actually had to switch up his routine just to prevent her from learning his 'favorites'. And after all that trouble, they'd still ended up in the same squad under Captain Shiba at some point.

But, Tōshirō knew that Tomoka wasn't a bad person in essence.

She was simply… intense.

"Here you go, taicho~" His 8th Seat exclaimed cheerily, obviously happy that she had gotten her way. Again. "Oh! What a pretty gift!" Crap. Tōshirō almost dropped the cup of tea from his hands, his eyes finding the object of the trouble on his desk instantly. "Did you get something, taicho?" Tomoka's eyes were twinkling with interest now.

"No." Tōshirō replied, sipping his tea as calmly as possible. If he didn't give anything away, like that the box was precious, she would obviously lose interest in it… Right?

"Then, what is it, taicho?" Tomoka lowered the tray with another couple of teacups on his desk and reached for the box with her delicate fingers. She raised it, obviously aware of the intense look coming from her Captain, but didn't flip it over. Instead, she smelled it carefully, smiling slightly. "Oh! It's tea!" She took another sniff, her head tilting in a rather cute manner. "It should be~… ginger root and…" She took another whiff. "Licorice root~?" Then, for a moment, she had a thinking face on. "Do you know someone who's pregnant, taicho?"

This time, Tōshirō definitely did spit out his tea.

"What?!" He was painfully aware of the redness on his face. "No! No, I don't!" Tomoka's gaze was still pensive, now a little curious, too, and the young Captain quickly masked his embarrassment. "A friend was ill, that's all." Then, he frowned, grabbing his pen once more. "It's none of your business, Tsutsui. Don't you have reports to fill?" At the guilty look passing her face, he further furrowed his eyebrows. "How are we doing with the training of the newcomers?" She winced. "And what about the missions in the outskirts of Rukongai? Have you assigned teams yet?"

"I will do that right away, Hitsugaya-taicho." She lowered the box back down and gave a polite and sophisticated bow to him, before grabbing her tray and leaving his office. She'd reverted back to the noblewoman he'd met a long time ago at the Academy, no cute lilt in her voice. Tōshirō sighed, raking his hand over his face and through his hair.

He'd regressed in his socialization with Division members again.

"I was in the neighborhood… No…" Tōshirō shook his head, and then whispered to himself again. "I wanted to make sure that you were alright… No." Another shake of his head. His hand came up on pure reflex, going over his eyes, rubbing them to ease the pressure he was feeling and then raking through his hair. "I wanted to… Argh!" Tōshirō groaned and gave up, stopping in his tracks. He was painfully aware of the redness on his face. It had been so much easier last night. He'd prepared. He'd practiced. He'd had an outcome for each and every scenario. Preparation is half the battle won, his Academy teacher had taught him. And the wise old Soul had been completely right.

This had simply been a bad idea.

The Captain decided and turned around, heading back for his barracks. The lavender box in his pocket burned.

"Ooh!" A deep voice exclaimed in mild amusement. Tōshirō could detect a hint of absolute sarcasm at the surprise, beneath the bloodthirsty excitement. "Where are you heading, Hitsugaya?" His irritation at the blatant disrespect had him fuming, not to mention that this couldn't've been a worse time to get caught by this man.

"Back to the office." He turned, turquoise eyes clashing in a glare against the, more than mildly, excited glance of the 11th Division Captain. "I have more work to do and I don't doubt that you do, as well, Zaraki."

"Now, now, Hitsugaya-taicho." The giant of a man grinned. "If you've come all this way, what kind of a man would I be if I didn't offer my hospitality?" His eyes were glowing golden with his reiatsu, which was gushing out of him in ecstatic waves. Unfortunately, Tōshirō knew how this would end and he didn't like the outcome one bit. "Why don't we have a drink and then a friendly spar, eh? Demonstrate the power of the Captains to the newbies?" There it was. But, before Tōshirō could think of an excuse, the giant man had him under his arm, in a tight grip, pulling him to the 11th Division grounds with an excited grin. "You have a fever or something?" Kenpachi asked, inspecting the smaller Captain's face carefully. Before he could stop his mouth, Tōshirō spoke.

"I'm feeling perfectly fine."

"Great." Grinned Kenpachi.

And so the daily adventures of Hitsugaya Tōshirō continued.

He ducked.

Shamelessly.

There came a time in life, once or twice, when you simply had to forgo any kind of code of honor, chivalry or dignity, and run. No, not for your life. Simply, to prevent the behemoth of destruction which would undoubtedly follow the clash.

And, Tōshirō was facing one such situation.

It wasn't that he couldn't take on the Captain of the 11th Division. No. He could definitely take Zaraki. Though, there was a chance that the whole barracks and offices of the 11th Division would be destroyed in the 'friendly spar'.

Let's just be clear here that there had been absolutely nothing friendly about it.

Zaraki had taken him back to the Division grounds, pulling him onto the patio and offering drinks. In the end, after a number of cups of sake had been consumed by the other Captain, Tōshirō had accepted a cup of tea. He was painfully aware during their short conversation about the upcoming joint-Division missions that the 3rd Seat was staring at him rather hungrily. Like he was some sort of prey. In fact, most of the Division was chancing looks at him, some at his eyes and some at his katana. Tōshirō knew that he wouldn't be getting out of there without a fight.

And then, Zaraki had decided to have their friendly spar.

He'd stood, calling to Tōshirō and stepped out to the green lawn in the front. Immediately, the 3rd Seat had cleared out, taking the bunch of Shinigami he had been giving a beat down to with him. Tōshirō had stood, and once he began to say how he was leaving, Zaraki had swung.

The first slash of the sword had Tōshirō's cup in half, liquid spilling over his fingers.

The second swing of Zaraki's sword he'd parried, the skies rumbling with their power, and using the huge man's momentum to fling him towards a wall. And then, with as much dignity as possible, Tōshirō had given a small nod to the flying Captain and vanished in a single Shunpo.

And Zaraki had stood seconds later, grinning as wildly as before, the nimble escape settling off his most primal instincts.

The chase was on.

And, this was how you would find the youngest of the Captains in the Gotei 13 ducking behind a corner of the 11th Division offices, eyes wide and hands ready to grip his Zanpakutō. He'd focused in on Zaraki's reiatsu fairly easily, as the man made no attempt to disguise his presence, and then, he'd simply done his best to avoid it. Though, therein lay the problem.

He was focusing on the Captain.

And obviously, not on the exit.

A hand shot out, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the side. Tōshirō's other arm shot for his Zanpakutō at his back, eyes narrowing and ready to strike. Though, he could still feel Zaraki at least two corridors away.

"Forgive my intrusion, Hitsugaya-taicho." Smiled the person who'd pulled him to the side. It was a fairly tall man, with shoulder length hair and striking, feminine features. "But, it doesn't seem like you're participating in this game of tag of your own volition."

"Zaraki is difficult to refuse." Panted Tōshirō, a bit winded from the chase. The feminine man's smile widened.

"Then, allow me." He pulled the Captain down the side corridor, taking a couple of turns through random, empty offices which Tōshirō wasn't really paying attention to. Finally, the man stopped, pointing forwards. Tōshirō forced himself to focus less on the wild reiatsu somewhere behind them, from which direction he could hear the booming laughter of the 11th Division Captain, and more on the man next to him. "Simply continue down this corridor and take the first right, you will reach the meditation garden. After that, make a full circle around and exit at the offices of the 15th Seat. You will be right at the exit towards the 12th Division there, though, I don't recommend visiting the barracks."

"Thank you." Tōshirō nodded, mentally mapping out the plan. He really needed to learn Zaraki's Division by heart. "But, I don't understand..." His curiosity won over and he glanced at the man beside him

"Forcing a man into battle... It's just not beautiful." Replied the unusual member of the 11th Division. Heck, Tōshirō thought, they were all rather unusual. "I suppose that I'll go get some booze for the Captain... He isn't going to be happy..." And the man left Tōshirō alone in the corridor.

"Strange man..." The young Captain mused. Though, as he felt a flare of Zaraki's reiatsu, he pushed a tiny bit of his own into his feet and flew forward, right into the meditation garden. He hadn't been there before. Though, it seemed fairly sophisticated for the 11th Division. Tōshirō glanced around, noting that there were number plates in front of each office. He headed towards the 15th.

"It's not a big deal! Would you stop making such a fuss, please!" He froze at the voice. The lavender package in his kosode burned once more. Now, that was a tone he'd never heard her take.

"What do you mean it's not a big deal, Koba?" A male voice replied, incredulous. "You're going to be getting married soon!" Tōshirō had been stabbed before. In fact, he'd been punched, kicked, shot with Kidō and a variety of other forms of hurt. But, these words had positively gutted him. He had to grab onto the nearest railing in order to stay upright.

"No! For Soul King's sake! This is just a ceremony which signifies that I'm of marrying age." Hinagiku's voice was quieter now and he actually moved toward the door, wanting to hear as much as possible. Tōshirō pushed his reiatsu down, not wanting to be detected. "If I have any say in it, I won't be getting married for a long time yet."

Was he eavesdropping?

He was thankful to whatever deity was watching over at the moment that Matsumoto had no way of seeing this.

"But, there have been offers, right?" A female voice piped up now, sounding curious. "Isn't that how that fancy society of your works?" As he moved his ear even closer to the paper of the shoji door, Tōshirō was reminded of his childhood, and how all the kids from the house would listen in on the 'adult' conversations that his grandmother would have. Those hadn't been too interesting, as they had mostly revolved around rent or neighborhood gossip. No, it had been the excitement of possibly getting caught which had driven them to do the same thing over and over, even if they sometimes got sent alone to the corner. This time, it was different, though. He wanted to know exactly what would be said next.

Just who in the world would Kobashigawa Hinagiku be marrying?

"Leave her alone, would you? You vultures…" There was another man, with a fairly even voice speaking. There were sounds of movement from inside, before… "It's too hot in here, not to mention the tension. I'm opening the door." In a moment of panic, Tōshirō straightened, raising his hand in a knocking motion. His heart was beating wildly in his chest from both the chase and the fact that he, a Captain, had almost gotten caught eavesdropping. "Hitsugaya-taicho!" The man who'd opened the door offered a low bow immediately. Tōshirō counted to three in his head before looking away from the officer. He found the office mostly clean and tidy, to his surprise. But, a kind of force pulled his eyes towards a pair of familiar, purple ones. They were staring back at him in absolute shock and mortification.

"Kobashigawa." He addressed the young woman, not enjoying the way she jumped up from her chair, bowing immediately. "There's no need for that." He waved the bow off and she reluctantly straightened, not meeting his eye. He could see the way her cheeks were burning red. "Could I have a moment?" Tōshirō asked. He saw the way the other officers exchanged looks, ranging everything from astonishment to sly, suggestive nods.

"Yes, sir." Kobashigawa replied in a formal tone. Still keeping her eyes down, she threw some mail into a desk drawer and locked it. Then, she followed him out of her office. As soon as she closed the doors behind her, they both heard poorly disguised whispering.

"I'm afraid I've caused you trouble with your co-workers." Tōshirō sighed, looking at her apologetically as they started walking towards the office of the 15th Seat. He wished that she would raise her head.

"Not at all, sir." She was being too formal. For once, he didn't like the fact that he was a Captain. He wished that he was an officer, same as her, able to look at her in an equal manner. Able to have her look at him without fear of repercussions. But, alas, her gaze was still fixed on her shoes. Well, he would have to change that.

"I hope that you're not still thinking of the last time we saw each other." Tōshirō smiled, remembering her hasty escape. The response was instant. Hinagiku's head shot up, face redder than he'd ever seen it, eyes wide. He realized that any further teasing would probably have her in tears. "Before you say anything-" Tōshirō raised his hand to stop her, undoubtedly soon to come, awkward apology. "I have to remind you that I work with Matsumoto. If you have ever seen her drink, I'll have you know that she has embarrassed herself more times than I can count in worse ways." He offered a small, gentle smile at her shocked, still red, face. She still seemed like she wanted nothing more than for the earth to open right then and there and swallow here. "I hope that you'll accept this and take care of yourself."

The troublesome lavender parcel made it from the sleeve of his Shihakushō towards her. When Hinagiku didn't react, Tōshirō gently grasped her hand, pulling it up and placing the box into her palm. For a moment, they stood still in front of the 15th Seat's office. The smell of waning summer was in the gentle breeze which moved the ends of Hinagiku's messy hair. And, for once, Tōshirō shamelessly swore to himself that she was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. With her pale face covered with a blush and purple eyes zeroed onto his small token of attention in both astonishment and curiosity, she was absolutely perfect.

And he was certain that he was in deep trouble.

"I-" She stammered. "Ginger and licorice root?" Hinagiku asked after opening the lid. She inspected the bag of leaves inside and smiled at him warmly. Perhaps he preferred this to her being embarrassed. "Thank you." Then, she seemed to remember who he was and corrected herself. "Thank you for your kindness, Hitsugaya-do-taicho." For a moment, they stood in complete silence. He liked to think that she was comfortable. He most certainly was.

"Would you join me for a game of shogi sometime?" He found his mouth asking without his permission. She seemed to think it over, biting her lower lip in the corner. For goodness sake, what was he doing? She was the granddaughter and heir-by-law to Kobashigawa Setsuko. She had no business playing shogi games and drinking tea with him. She would soon be getting married to a rich noble who would make her retire from her duties as a Shinigami and become a proper wife.

But, he couldn't imagine Kobashigawa Hinagiku as a homemaker.

"If it's not too much trouble, I would greatly enjoy that." Her voice shook him from his thoughts. Tōshirō nodded to her. She seemed hesitant for a moment, fiddling with the present he'd given her. Then, she finally spoke in a small voice. "I'm terribly sorry about the-" Her voice got so quiet that he couldn't hear her anymore.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." Tōshirō offered a knowing rise of his eyebrows when she looked up with her cheeks going red once more. "But, I have some time tomorrow after official duty hours for the shogi game, if you're free?"

"I am." Hinagiku replied, eyes going back to the lavender box.

"Then, shall we meet at my office?" He suggested. "I've got a board." Hinagiku gave a nod and opened her mouth to reply, but they were interrupted by a loud cry of something that can only be described as absolute joy.

"Hitsugaya!" Zaraki Kenpachi was running towards them at full speed, a wide smile on his face. "I was worried that you'd left!"

"I told you we'd find him, Ken-chan!" Piped in the usual companion of the positively terrifying man, his Lieutenant, from the massive shoulder. Tōshirō didn't doubt that Kenpachi not appearing earlier than this had everything to do with the small girl guiding him in the absolute opposite direction. He grit his teeth, flaring his reiatsu and reaching for Hyōrinmaru at his back. This was not going to be pretty. But, he couldn't very well run away in front of Kobashigawa. He could practically feel his personal budget being drained by every step which the bloodthirsty Captain took towards him.

"T-taicho…" Hinagiku spoke, but it fell on deaf ears. He was running towards them.

"I'll be taking my leave now, Kobashigawa. Tomorrow, after hours." Tōshirō nodded, opting to save both his budget and dignity.

"Hitsuga-ah." The Shinigami fell to her knees as the Captain next to her responded in kind to her own, releasing his reiatsu. Tōshirō tried to keep it off of her as much as he could, but at this proximity, there wasn't much that he could do. The best thing would be putting some distance between them.

Tōshirō moved in an instant.

He stepped forwards, katana sliding out of its sheath. It parried Zaraki's first slice and deflected the next one. He could feel his fingers going numb and his wrist hurting from the sheer force of the hits. Luckily, Tōshirō managed to sidestep the third charge by waiting for the last possible second, sending Zaraki into the meditation garden.

And with a single Shunpo, Tōshirō wasn't in the middle of the 11th Division barracks.

As he flew through the air, before his toes touched the roof of the office building, he glanced back. To his surprise, Hinagiku was on her feet, heading towards her Captain with a frown. She'd actually managed to stand up and withstand his and Zaraki's reiatsu. As the Shinigami helped her Captain up, Tōshirō stepped onto the roof and pushed off once more, this time vanishing from the view of the bloodthirsty man. He was glad that Zaraki had caught him, despite the mess which that visit had created. If he hadn't, Tōshirō would never have even entered the 11th Division offices. Now, he was privy to important information. Kobashigawa Hinagiku would be getting married soon, like most of the aristocracy. And, knowing her grandmother, she wouldn't have much choice in the husband department.

Yet, despite that, he couldn't stop himself from grinning silly at the thought of them playing shogi the following evening.

And now, here are my replies to the reviews – remember that I love hearing from you and that your comments make me write faster!

Girl-luvs-manga:
I'm glad that you felt the transfer of Hina's humiliation. I'm really bad at writing these sorts of scenes, so this is a high moment for me!

akagami hime chan:
Right? I was giggling like mad while writing about how she puked on his shoes xD Epic scene for the ages!

katiewinchester87:
I was so happy to get your review! I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and that you're empathizing with Hina. A Seat, no matter how low, is still a Seat, right? :P We'll see how it goes yettttt…
I'm curious to hear your input on this chapter :D

lizyeh2000:
Thank you for the lovely review! Well, Shiro is quite antisocial, isn't he? I hope that here he isn't as much… Or, at least he's making an attempt at imitating a human being?

DreamsOfTheDamn:
Oh man, I loved your review! I'm evil for not giving Tōshirō a break, but I promise that I won't torture him too much. On the other hand, this chapter should be interesting for you on Tōshirō's end :P
I'm glad that you're enjoying the Omakes! I never know if I'm being too spread out and all over the place with them hahahhahaha I'll do my best to keep 'em coming!
Looking forward to your input!

Hybrid301:
OhmyGoshthankyouforthereview! I'm soooo happy that you're still with me and enjoying the story! My chapters are worth the wait… worth the wait… worth the wait… Ahhhh you've given me life between my sleep deprivation from work!
I hope that you enjoyed the aftermath of the incident in the previous chapter. Also, I was hoping for a good transition from excitement to the everyday life. Somehow, I used to read a lot of Bleach fanfics when I was younger and Seireitei has this calming atmosphere which I'm trying to convey… Of course, when nobody is wrecking the living hell out of it xD
I'm going to keep the Omakes coming! Thank you for the comment :D

GryffindorMagicianDemigodGirl:
Have I professed my undying love to you yet? No? Well, I have now. I read your review more than a few times, and for sure with a grin! I'm definitely looking forward to another review :P
Yeah, Matsumoto is a gem in my opinion! I love writing her, but I'm always worried that I'm messing her character up. I adore her and Tōshirō's dynamics when they're together.
Flowers? Hmmmmm…. Not saying anything…. Anything…. Except – drama ahead!
I know that I was evil to give you guys a scene with Shiro and Hina and then kill it with vomit, but I just couldn't resist. It was a perfect opportunity for some humiliation! And, I think that it turned out alright, wouldn't you say so? :P
I'm going to do my best and keep the Omakes coming! I'm glad that they've had such positive feedback so far :D
Looking forward to hearing from you!

Inperfection:
Hi! Welcome to the story and the family! I'm so glad that you're enjoying Daisy so far. I hope that the new chapter didn't disappoint. I'm looking forward to hearing from you in the review section!

Waterflygirl:
Oh my! Thank you soooo much for the lovely review! I'm so glad that you're on board with the Omakes. I'm going to do my best and keep them coming. Honestly, the first one with Rukia and Renji was just me playing around with my style. And now, I think that I'm hooked on my own Omakes xD
Awwwwe I know what you mean about Hinagiku and her Zanpakutō having some self-esteem issues. I promise that there will be some more character development soon!
I'm happy that you have such strong feelings about Hina and her Grandmother. Means that I'm doing my job well :P
Looking forward to your input on the new chapter!

Omake:

Hinagiku stood in her shared room, staring at the offending letter on the nightstand. She'd known that this was coming. She'd always known that her Grandmother would announce her of marrying age and attempt to find the perfect husband for her. But, she'd never imagined that it would be so soon. It wasn't that she had anyone in her life. It was simply that she didn't want to be controlled any longer. That was why she'd chosen the path of Shinigami and fought hard for it. Even a judge of the Central 46 couldn't directly influence an officer of the Gotei 13.

But, she'd underestimated her Grandmother.

There was absolutely no feeling similar to the one she'd felt when she'd seen the envelope in her mail. She knew that seal well. It was a small river, painted sky-blue and a red traditional bridge over it. Bright red. It was the symbol of the Kobashigawa household. And she knew what that meant.

The beautiful red bridge of the Kobashigawa seal had popped the bubble of happiness she had been high on since the announcement of her Seat. The feeling of dread had built up in her stomach, shortly followed by a blow to the chest as she read the contents. A prominent Shinigami of the Gotei 13 would be the perfect trophy wife for any eager nobleman. Her Grandmother had found another way to slam on the chains of their family onto Hinagiku's wrists. Despite her co-workers' jokes and teasings, the marriage wouldn't be an opportunity. It would be a sentence.

For the first time in years, Hinagiku hung her head and cried in utter despair.