It was strange to see the white gift box on her bed, a little tag dangling off of a ribbon secured around it. She moved to it cautiously, eyeing the tag suspiciously.
'Because I thought you might like it!'
She recognized the handwriting as Captain Hirako, who had seemingly been taking more of an interest in bothering her lately with his shenanigans. She couldn't deny that she liked the male attention, but she certainly could deny that she enjoyed his attention specifically. Chessebelle gave a huff, as if annoyed by the gift now that she realized it was from the blonde, and began to unwrap her 'just because' present grudgingly.
Inside was a small figurine of a lucky cat, its little paw in the air and a closed eye smile. It was a white cat with a purple collar, a small bell attached. The woman squinted at the strange figurine, not quite understanding why this man thought she would like it. Without another thought she threw the box in the corner of her room and placed the feline on her windowsill, its paw beginning to rock back and forth as if pawing at the air.
Chessebelle forced a smile on her face as Ikkaku presented her with a small gift box, smiling excitedly. She wasn't exactly sure why he was giving her this present, and apparently that showed on her face.
"I thought about you on the way home, I think you'll like it... Open it!"
Her smile faltered, a wave of deja vu assaulting her memory. The fourth seat took the small box from the other fourth seat, her hands shaking the slightest bit. Ikkaku watched her carefully, his eagerness apparent on his face as he switched between looking at her face and the box she was now opening.
Inside was a familiar face, the closed eye smile of a black lucky cat. It had its paw in the air and a red collar around its neck.
Ikkaku couldn't hold back his pride any longer. "I saw the one you have in your room and on my way back from Karakura I saw this in a shop window! There were a lot of different kinds but I thought you might like this one next to the little white one you have, like opposites!"
His voice seemed far away, distant, as he boasted about how observant he was. She tried not to let it show how upset she was by the present, looking at Ikkaku and forcing herself to nod along to his words. She could even hear herself saying thank you, his arms suddenly wrapped around her in a hug.
She felt herself trembling, gingerly placing her arms around his broad chest to return the embrace.