Following her check up with Isane, which went very well much to Rukia's relief, Rukia decided to head over to go see Rangiku. After yet another long and stressful day, the last thing she wanted to do was go home to be alone. It would be better to spend some time with her friend, she thought.

Once she reached her friend's office, she knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard the young Captain of the Tenth Division say.

Rukia couldn't help but smile. A small part of her had hoped that she would run into Captain Hitsugaya.

Rukia entered the office. "Hello, Captain Hitsugaya," she said with a smile. "Is Rangiku here?"

The young captain also smiled when he saw Rukia walk into his office. "Kuchiki, how are you? She's not here at the moment, but she should be back soon. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, Sir, I was just stopping in to see her for a bit. I can come back later."

"No need. You're welcome to stay and wait for her, Kuchiki."

A smile. "Thank you, Captain."

Toshiro couldn't help but notice how Rukia's purple eyes squinted a little when she smiled. It was kind of… cute.

"So, Kuchiki, how did the training session go today with the recruits? Oh, and thank you again for taking over for Rangiku and I. You really didn't need to do that."

"It was no problem at all, Captain. It was my pleasure. It wasn't too bad. They were doing good considering…" A pause. "Considering what's been going on."

Toshiro didn't miss how uncomfortable Rukia suddenly became. He knew it was because she remembered about Aizen and the events that took place just a few days ago.

"Yes, that's good to hear. I can't imagine what it must be like being a trainee and experiencing times like these." A smile. "It's a good thing they have someone like you, Kuchiki, to help and guide them during such uncertain times."

Rukia turned away from the captain to hide her blush. "C-Captain, you're being too kind."

"Not at all," he immediately said. He walked over to her and sat next to her on the couch. He didn't understand why she always did this. He couldn't understand why Rukia never accepted compliments. "I've noticed a great improvement in my trainees' skills and abilities. You've contributed greatly to that. They themselves have said so. And I can't help but agree. I really am in debt to you, Kuchiki."

Rukia turned to look at the captain. She was so shocked at his kind words. "Captain…" She didn't know what to say. There was no way he meant that. He was just being nice. She gulped. If he really knew her and if he knew just how weak she was, he would never say such kind things to her.

Toshiro's brows furrowed. Why did her eyes look so sad? He couldn't help but think back to the night he had found Rukia outside alone in the rain. She had looked so sad then too. He knew he had no right to know, but he was still so curious. "Say, Kuchiki, are you sure you're all right?"

Rukia blinked and looked at the captain. Her eyes drifted to her injured arm. "Oh, this? Yes, I'm all right, Captain. It just looks bad, but it really isn't."

"That's not what I meant, Kuchiki. Do you remember that night I found you sitting outside in the rain?"

She swallowed the knot that had formed in her throat. That had been the day that her trainee, Aiko Takeda, had come into Rukia's office asking questions about Kaien and Miyako Shiba. That had been the day Rukia's darkest secret had come out. That had been the day Rukia discovered that her actions, her sins, would not just haunt her, but they would also haunt and hurt those around her. Rukia really didn't want to talk to the captain about that. Not only was she was so embarrassed that she had let herself be so weak in front of him, but she was terrified at the thought of people finding out the things she had done. What would her friend think of her if they found out that she had fallen in love with a married man? What would the young man before her think?

"I'm sorry to ask, but what happened to you that day? I've never seen you like that, Kuchiki. It really worried me."

The young girl was genuinely surprised, shocked even. Had she heard him right? There was no way. There was no way that Captain Hitsugaya worried about her. Why would he?

"You know," he continued, "that if you even need help, you have many people you can turn to. You have Matsumoto, for one. And you have me as well."

Rukia was, once again, in shock at the young captain's words.

A smile. "Why are you so surprised, Kuchiki? After all the time we've spent together recently and after all you've done for my trainees, I'd like to think we're friends. Or," he said with a mischievous smile, "do you not want to be my friend, Kuchiki?"

As the young man expected, Rukia began to panic. "N-No, it's not that, Captain!" she stammered.

As Rukia continued rambling on and apologizing, Toshiro marveled at how Rukia, who was always so quiet and so formal, could also be such a mess. He was not used to seeing her like this. Her face was turning red as she frantically apologized to the captain, who was obviously joking around with her. But she was oblivious to that. It was funny that such a smart and skilled shinigami could also be so gullible, he thought. The young captain couldn't help but chuckle.

At the sound of Toshiro's chuckles, Rukia stopped her rambling. She didn't notice, but she took a moment to appreciate the rare sight. It was so rare that she got to see Toshiro look, well, not angry. He almost looked… cute? As soon as she finished that thought, her whole face turned redder than it had just moments ago. Why had such a thought crossed her mind? She was talking about Captain Hitsugaya, her superior! Not only that, but she couldn't imagine how annoyed he would be if he knew that she had just called him cute.

The two started making small talk after that, which soon turned into a really good conversation. The two laughed a lot as they thought back to all the training sessions and the many (stupid) mistakes some of the recruits made. Rukia never realized just how much time the two had spent together the last few weeks. And more times than not, she had found herself alone with the young captain because her friend Matsumoto was often late or would sneak out early. Rukia never felt nervous being alone with the captain. Why would she? They were just working. But this time was different, and she definitely could feel it. This time, she found herself feeling nervous when she never had before. She tried her best to ignore this feeling. It just didn't make sense. Why now all of a sudden was she nervous to be alone with Toshiro when she never had before? There was no reason to, at least that's what she believed.

The conversation eventually came back to Toshiro's question from earlier. "Did someone say something to you? Or do something to you?"

Rukia, with her best brave face put on, shook her head. "No," was all she could say.

"Are you sure? Was it someone from your division? From my division?"

Again, the girl shook her head no. She didn't understand why Toshiro insisted on asking so many questions. Each question made the feeling in her stomach get worse and worse. Not only that, but she felt bad because it felt like she was lying to her superior.

"If someone is bothering you, you can tell me." Toshiro paused. While it was true that he considered Rukia to be a friend, he understood that their friendship, which was quite new, was not like the one she had with Matsumoto or Renji. He wanted to make sure no one was bothering Rukia, who was, he believed, the last person that deserved to be messed with. She was so kind and selfless. She showed him that countless of times in the last few weeks that they've been working together. Someone like that did not deserve to be so sad and scared like she had been the night he found her sitting out alone in the rain. He wanted to make sure she was all right. And he wanted to know what person or event led to her being in the state he had found her in. But he had to understand that that wasn't his place. Not at this moment.

"If someone is bothering you, you have a lot of people you can turn to. You have Matsumoto, Renji, Ukitake, and even me. I understand if you don't feel comfortable enough to turn to me for help just yet. But" – he scooched closer to Rukia, who was trying to hide her sad eyes by looking at the floor. He reached over and gently turned her face so that she would look at him – "the next time you need help, and if you're ready to accept my help, I'll be right here."

Rukia's heart tightened and all the air in her lungs disappeared. Her confused eyes were looking into his piercing blue ones. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Why was the young captain being so kind to her? Why was he so worried about her? She didn't deserve his kindness. And yet, here they were.

Rukia didn't know how long they had sat in silence looking into each other's eyes, nor did he. She wanted to look away because she felt those blue eyes making her weaker and making her want to tell him everything. She needed to look away before he broke down the rest of her armor. But she just couldn't.

She was so confused. This feeling in her chest, in her stomach. She knew what it was, but why was she feeling this right now? Why so suddenly? These feelings, they couldn't possibly be for Toshiro. No, they couldn't! How could she possibly feel this way for Captain Hitsugaya, a man known to be cold and emotionless.

But that wasn't who he was. No. After spending weeks working alongside him, she understood that that couldn't be farther than the truth. Yes, he was cold. But he was also so kind and so selfless. He was not emotionless. In fact, if you asked Rukia, she would say that there are certain things he cares almost too much for.

Rukia stopped her train of thought.

Oh, no… she thought. I think…

Suddenly, a high spirited Matsumoto burst into the office. She turned to look at the two people sitting on the couch to see them frantically look away from one another and scurry to opposite ends of the couch. The lieutenant beamed at the sight. "Well, hello you two! I hope I'm not interrupting anything!" she said mischievously. "If so, I can totally come back at a more convenient time."

"N-N-N-No!" Rukia practically shouted.

Meanwhile, an annoyed Toshiro with a red face yelled, "Matsumoto! How many times have I told you not to burst into the office like that?"

"Oh, my," she chortled. "Does that mean I was interrupting?"

"No!" they both shouted.

Matsumoto, with a raised eyebrow, looked at the two before her. Both of the short ice-wielders were bright red and avoiding eye contact at all costs. I definitely interrupted something, she thought.