Time for new pairs to be in the mix! Author's Note on the bottom.
FIFTH CHAPTER: THE DATING GAME
Of Uniforms and Paperwork.
"Ah... Renji?" Rukia said as she and Ichigo ran up to the flaming red-haired boy. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Well, this is the sixth squad's area..." Renji rolled his eyes. "Anyways... Rukia, can I ask you something?" He started, stepping forward a bit. Rukia looked at him and nodded.
"Eh? Sure..." She smiled gleefully, making Renji look away. "What do you need? Neh?" Renji glared at Ichigo, then whispered in Rukia's ear. "I need to talk to you... alone."
Rukia nodded and started to follow the man. Ichigo took a step forward, then a step back after feeling Renji's dark aura. "Oh. My bad..." He spazzed, a bit freaked out about Renji's mood. "Geez..." He whispered to himself. "What's gotten into him? Pff."
"Yes Renji?" Rukia asked as they walked along. Renji looked awfully red.
"Well..." He started.
"..."
"Will you go on a date with me?" Renji finally asked. Rukia gaped at him, frozen. "R- Rukia?"
Rukia had fainted.
"I'm done, you can come back in, Hinamori." Hitsugaya sighed as he slipped his hands into his haori. Hinamori turned red in embarrassment as she entered the room.
"How did you...?" She muttered, her hands twitching as she plopped down on the nearest seat she could find.
"I can feel your aura a mile away from here." He smirked, going up to sit at his desk. Hinamori jumped up and stopped him before he could, crossing her arms at him.
"Hi- Hitsugaya-kun!" She said as he stopped in his tracks. "You're wearing your uniform wrong!" She motioned as she pointed to his clothing.
Hitsugaya lifted an eyebrow. "I am?" He looked down and saw his clothes. Nothing seemed wrong. "No, I'm wearing it correctly..."
"No!" She said as she went up to him. "Look. Your belt isn't in the middle, and your sword it sticking out half-way." She pointed out.
"But I like it that way," He mustered as he pushed the girl away from him. She was getting too close anyways. "Leave it be."
"But Hitsugaya-kun, you might hurt someone with that sword!" She reminded him. "Do you want to hurt someone with the sword?" Hinamori placed her hands on her hips in disgust.
"As a matter of fact..." Hitsugaya trailed off.
"Hitsugaya-kun!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Nemu! COME HERE!" Mayuri instructed, his voice booming throughout the office. Nemu rushed by her father's side, a stack of papers in her hand. "I said come here!" He yanked the girl's hair and pulled her closer, the papers falling down in the process.
"Hai... father. Do you need anything?" Nemu bent down and started to swipe up the papers gently.
Mayuri grunted. "It's Kurotsuchi-taichou to you, you little bitch."
She winced at his words, but was used to it by now. Nemu didn't even try to look at him as she stood back up. "What do you need? Ah... Kurotsuchi-taichou..."
What a disgrace. She couldn't even call him her father anymore.
"Take these and finish them." He showed her his paperwork.
Nemu hastily took the paperwork and stacked them on her pile of paper. "H-Hai... I-It's a bit... heavy..." She muttered quietly, suddenly wishing she had just shut her mouth.
Mayori grabbed her arm forcefully and made her drop all the papers again, making them fly all over the room. She winced. He cupped her chin and brought her closer, a sneer on his face.
"I'll kill you if you don't."
He grunted and walked away.
Nemu fell to the floor and sighed as she, once again, picked up the papers.
"So what you're saying is that you're going to thank a girl, from a year ago, because she saved your life." Chad asked in a monotone voice. Ishida nodded.
"That's right."
Orihime and Chad looked at him bewilderedly. "Woah."
"Neh, Ishida-kun, the girl might not remember." Orihime told him matter-of-factly. "It's been a year."
"Ah... well-" Ishida forgot about that.
"But as a gentleman, you have to be able to give thanks to a girl with a smile on your face, even though she doesn't remember you!" Orihime said to him, mimicking Ishida's stance. Ishida nodded.
"I guess?"
"Ah! Ano... Do you know where the Twelfth Division is?" Ishida ran up to a random shinigami, showing him the logo of theirs, the character of 'juu' and 'nii'. The shinigami ran away in fear.
Ishida looked at him cluelessly as the shinigami shrieked, "Why the hell do you want to go there?"
"What's so bad about the Twelfth Division?" He wondered. Apparently, he had short-term memory at the time of battling Mayuri. He completely forgot the fact that he was a cruel, dictator-type guy.
Ishida shrugged. "Oh well. I'll go find her myself."
So, Ishida had traveled to the Soul Society to thank that girl. She had pretty much saved her life, and all he did was give a casual 'thanks', as if it didn't really matter. So, he had come here to give her a box of chocolates. Yes, a plain box of chocolates. He had figured that he could pick out a few flowers for the girl on the way. The girl... Hmm...
"What was that girl's name?" He thought aloud. He thought, thought, and he thought.
"Oh!" He blinked, finally remembering her first name. "Nemu. There we go." He walked along, going down the lines of office.
He passed by the First Division. Yamamoto eerily gazed at the boy. Ishida shuddered.
The second. Soi Fon and her Yoruichi shrine. Nothing new, Ishida told himself as he paced along.
The third. Drinking party. "Join us?" Kira offered. Ishida shook his head. "I- I'm... fine..." The third was known for the parties being held.
The fourth. Healing, healing, healing. Most of them were 11th division shinigami. Maybe it's because Ichigo's here to visit? He swore he saw Ikkaku there.
Fifth. No one was there. It was awkwardly quiet, but he liked that.
The sixth. "Wow, It's very... neat... here." Ishida muttered as he gaped at the place. It was of nobility standards. They must be living the life.
The seventh. Ishida ran as fast as he could away from the dog-like captain as he sniffed the air. "Food..." Komamura had a great nose.
Eighth. "GAAH! YOU..." Ishida blinked as he watched Nanao throw almost all the furniture she could carry, straight to Kyouraku. "N- Nanao-chan!" Kyouraku pleaded.
Ninth. Hisagi was at the drinking party, so he wasn't there.
The tenth. "Hitsugaya-kun, Hitsugaya-kun, put it there! There!" "It can't fit." "Hitsugaya-kun..." "NEH?!" Ishida didn't even want to know, quickly breezing through without a sound.
Eleventh. He was almost there. He sneakily dashed across the place, hoping he wouldn't run into Zaraki.
Twelfth. He glanced at the wooden door that separated the outside from the twelfth office. Ishida nervously knocked on the door.
No answer.
He knocked again, this time louder.
No answer once again.
Ishida started to get impatient. He practically jammed his fist into the door. "Excuse me? EXCUSE ME??"
The door creaked ajar. A girl opened the door. "May... May I help you?"
"Oh!" Ishida smiled gratefully. "Hello. Nemu, right?"
"Y- You!" Her eyes opened wide as she saw the boy. "I'm sorry... but I... I must..." Nemu stuttered.
She slammed the door on his face.
He staggered back a few feet away onto the ground, face red in pain. "What... what was... that for?" He rubbed his sore cheeks. "I wonder... what's wrong."
Ishida brushed the dirt from himself and got back up again. "Hello?" He knocked on the door.
"Can you please stop knocking?" Nemu stiffened from behind the door.
"I won't stop until you open up!" He argued, still slamming his fists on the door. She sighed.
"Just... please, do not tell my father!" She whispered to him as she led him inside, unlatching the door. "I would be punished if you are found here, you being a Quincy, as well as defeating him."
Realization hit Ishida. That's right. Her father is a nut case abusive man.
"Right." He slightly grinned as he entered the Twelfth Division. "I won't tell." But I did tell Inoue-san and Chad...
They entered her office, which was slightly cramped. It was dark, so Nemu blindly feeling the wall for the light switch. Flick! The light was on, and Ishida could see the office, which was pretty decent, aside from the fact that it was small. She motioned for him to sit down and he did so.
"Well, what do you want?" Nemu went straight to the point. Ishida showed her the chocolate.
"Here. It's for you!" He put it in her hands. "It's chocolate."
"I'm allergic."
"Oh. Really?" Ishida rubbed his head. "Sorry. I'll just get something else for you then." He tried to get it back, but she wouldn't give it back.
"No... I'll just keep it." Nemu told him, giving him a tiny smile. "Thanks. But... What's it for... ah... Ishida-san?"
"Call me Uryu." He told her.
"Well, then, Uryu, what is this for?" She faced the chocolates at him.
Ishida smirked. "A thanks." He said. "You saved me before from dying, and I am still very grateful about it. That's why."
Nemu lit up. "Well...Uryu... That was thanks for not destroying my father... but... thanks for the chocolate." She stood up from where she sat. "Well, I'm going to do my paperwork... If you want, the exit is to the left." She walked up to her desk, where large stacks of paperwork stood.
Nemu sat and started to do paperwork quietly, when she heard Ishida stand up. She kept on going. He's leaving. Now to do paperwork.
She didn't look up as she scribbled down the necessary things on the paper.
"Need help?"
She looked up. He was still there, pen in hand. "No thanks. I'm fine." Ishida grabbed the nearest bunch of papers. He wasn't listening.
"I'll do this stack." He told her, sitting down on a wooden stool, starting to sign papers. "Okay?"
No use fighting back. She thought. "Uh... sure."
"There!" Hinamori slightly dusted her hands in satisfaction. "You look nice now." She dusted Hitsugaya's shoulder. "See?" She brought a mirror to him.
Hitsugaya looked in the mirror, grunting. "I look the same."
Hinamori pouted. "You don't. See?" She pointed to his belt. "It's been rotated. And your sword? Pushed in." She smiled at him.
"What a big change." He said sarcastically. "I'm going to do my work." He turned to walk to his desk.
"Wait! You're-" Hinamori called out to him, but tripped on her foot. "Nyaa!"
Hitsugaya turned around just in time to face the falling Hinamori. "What-?!" He half-shrieked, bringing his hands in front of him to subconsciously catch her.
CRASH! He missed.
"Oww..." Both moaned, frozen in spot.
Thunk.
They fell to the floor. They laid there, motionless. They were just in shock.
Picture this: Falling to the floor, Hinamori laying on top of Hitsugaya, his arms around her.
Their faces were so... close. Hinamori turned red as she looked at Hitsugaya, who was the same shade of red. "Hitsugaya-kun..." She mumbled embarrassingly, for if she would breathe in deeply, she would only breathe his scent.
Not a good picture. At all.
Especially when someone barges in a split second.
"Taichou, I'm back from Kira's... mee... tin... g..." Matsumoto barged into the office, happy with all the drinking she had done. Her jaws fell to the ground and almost dislocated itself.
Matsumoto paused, and then the snickering began.
Hitsugaya and Hinamori blushed as they quickly got up from the ground. "It's- It's not what you think!" Hitsugaya excused truthfully.
"Tai... Taichou..." Matsumoto snickered. "Have your parents ever given you that speech? Because if they haven't... I'd be more than willing to..."
"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya retorted, glaring at the woman. "We just fell." He pointed to her desk. "Do your paperwork."
Matsumoto stopped laughing and 'shunpo'ed' to her desk. Now laughing, she put her head onto the desk, laughing her paperwork away, as well as Hitsugaya's sanity and Hinamori's mind.
You know, I was just gonna make a IshiNemu fic, but I just though of adding it to the story. So, which do you think? Nemu or Orihime for Ishida? Tell me! I need opinions.
So... anyways... if this chapter doesn't satisfy you, I apologize. I can't write well. For reals. Anyways, I just would like to thank the reviewers for reviewing, first of all, because it makes me want to update faster. I said that I would update on February, but look! I didn't. It was earlier. Hooray? This is a longer chapter. Longest one for the story. Hehe!
Sorry for mistakes. Constructive criticism accepted gratefully.
-Tsukia, tma.