I apologize for updating really, terribly late. School problems, and grades kept my on hiatus. I apologize again. And 81... Story Alerts? Oh my, that's a whole lot of alerts. Those of you who read this, care to be nice and review?

And... here's the next installment!

Author's Note on the bottom.

EIGHTH CHAPTER: THE DATING GAME

Of Arguments and Even More Fights.

Tat... Tatsuki?" Ichigo stuttered as he blankly started at the girl. "Wh- What the hell are you doing here?" He managed to spit out. "... are- you're not... you-" It really was a weird day.

Tatsuki laughed up into the air, crossing her arms. "I'm not dead." She told him.

"Then... then... how are you here?" Ichigo blinked. "... How in the- Who in the world got you here?!" Really. Having to see your childhood friend in a place where you'd never, ever, expect to meet her in, was really a crazy experience.

"Orihime brought me along with Chad and Ishida to visit some candy-seller guy... Urahara?" Tatsuki thought about it. "... and then for some reason, they ended up telling me a long story about this place, and now... I'm here." She sighed.

"And you're not dead?"

"Nope." She answered.

"Eh? Okay." Ichigo rubbed his head dazedly. "How are you here again, then?"

Tatsuki wanted to hit Ichigo on the head until there was no tomorrow. "I just told you, Ichigo!" She spoke rather loudly. "I'm here because-"

Ichigo cut her off. "Idiot, I know that. I'm just sayin' that you don't have spiritual powers, and you never saw hollows or shinigami or-" He started, but this time, Tatsuki cut him off.

"Well, I've seen you." She rolled her eyes. "Ever since."

He was shocked. "Really?" He blinked and stared, like he saw a ghost, or that time when he first saw Yoruichi's real form. "I never knew that. You never told me!"

"Yes I did, baka." She protested, crossing her arms.

"Well, I don't remember."

A week ago.

"Ichigo, I know you're a shinigami." Tatsuki announced to the allegedly natural, orange-haired guy.

"Ishida! You bumped into my car!" Ichigo growled, pressing onto the game controller's button furiously. "That's not fair!"

Ishida smiled. "You never said we couldn't not be fair, neh, Ku-ro-sa-ki-kun?" He teased. Ishida pushed the X button. "I'm the one to win." He proudly said out loud.

"Oh yeah? Well, oh yeah?" Ichigo stood up and scampered to the game system, pressing the power button. "Oh, look. Game over."

"KUROSAKI!?"

"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT, HUH? URYU?!"

"Well, that doesn't count." Ichigo tried to excuse himself.

Tatsuki could only roll her eyes.

He had redone the papers. Again. And frankly, today was not going well.

"Hitsugaya-kun..." Hinamori started, watching Hitsugaya sign yet another paper. "Why do you do so much work?" She twirled around in the spinning chair in the Tenth Division's office. "You should take a break. When Aizen-taichou was captain, he was laid back. Aizen-taichou realxed, he was never this busy, and he got his work done!"

Strike one!

Hitsugaya barely ignored the 'Aizen-taichou' comment and scoffed. "And be like Matsumoto? Never." He continued on. "I'm a captain, and I don't have time to be like her, to even have time to talk to anyone." It seemed like he was hinting something, Hinamori proposed.

"Oh..." Hinamori stretched her legs out timidly, not wanting bother him anymore. "Okay then."

But fate really wanted her to bother him.

As she spun the chair around, her foot accidentally got caught in a vase, and the vase crashed down in a SLAM. "Oh!" She cried, picking the pieces up, but soon, she ended up knocking into Hitsugaya's desk, causing all of his paperwork to crash down and mix up. "I'm so... so... so... so sorry, Hitsugaya-kun! When Aizen-taichou was still captain, I never dropped things that much! I can't believe..."

Strike two.

"..." Hitsugaya was thoroughly pissed off. He had worked on all those papers for awhile now, and then redone it. "Hinamori."

"Y- Yes?"

"... just... just... get. out." He stuttered between words, bending down to pick the papers up. Hinamori shook her head, slowly working her way to pick the papers up.

"I can do it!" She protested, picking up a piece of paper. It was quickly grabbed away from Hitsugaya.

"I can do it on my own." He said, grabbing the papers. "If you can, Hinamori... can you please... just... stay away for a bit? I'm sure Matsumoto would love to-"

"I can help, you know? I'm not a baby. Aizen-taichou was a better captain that you! Treating his vice-captain better that you do with yours..." Hinamori trailed off. "You're such a- Hi... Hitsugaya-kun?" She watched as he stood up and walked away from the desk, as well as her.

"I'm going out." He muttered, and slammed the paper-covered door shut. "Don't wait."

"Hit-"

The door was slammed shut.

Strike three.

"Oi, Hitsugaya-taichou!" Matsumoto announced, mimically saluting him. "Did you make a move on Hinamori yet?" She snickered at her own comment.

Hitsugaya grunted and brushed past her. "..." He walked away. "I'm going for a walk."

Matsumoto watched her captain helplessly, wondering what in the world Hinamori did to make her captain angry like that.

"Nemu!" Mayuri boomed. "Chotto!" He said, using his free hand to pull something out of his pocket. "C- Chotto!" He finally pulled out a small mechanical box that sported a bright blue button on the top, labeled, 'Emergency Use'.

"You... Mayuri-sama... you... " She glared at her father. "Apologize! Apologize to Uryu-san!" She pointed to Ishida, who looked as if he was cowering in fear. It was the natural thing to do.

"... Well, then... I suppose I should." Mayuri said, with a facade planted on his face. "I should apologize."

The hold on his sword was loosened as Nemu lightened her foot's grip on it. "..."

"I apologize... I apologize for ever creating such a person as you!" Mayuri cackled, as he started for the blue button. "Be gone, and regret having to defy me!"

Nemu winced, waiting for the worst.

The worst never came, because he did not hit that blue button. He was met by an arrow. Mayuri looked up.

"I'm sorry Nemu, but I really can't risk it."

She couldn't really argue.

"Hmm..." Orihime looked at the sky. "Auras are flashing. I... I feel that one of them is... Ishida-kun?" She followed the clashes of spirit energy, only to find Ishida caught up in another fight between the captain of the 12th squad.

"ISHIDA-KUN!"

"Inoue-san?"

"Did... did I do something?" Hinamori asked to herself in wonder and in worry, not noticing Matsumoto shove her way in a rush.

"Hi- Hinamori?" Matsumoto quietly tapped the girl's shoulder. "Are you... are you okay?" She walked up in front of the girl, who sat cross legged on the floor.

She was crying? Matsumoto felt bad for her. "What's wrong? Hitsugaya-taichou seemed very distraught when he left... Did something happen?"

Hinamori didn't answer, and she sighed. She leaned down to face the girl and wiped away the tears. "You can tell me anything. Just because I'm Hitsugaya-taichou's vice-captain, it doesn't mean that I act like him, neh? Neh?" She poked the girl in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Well..." Hinamori sniffed.

"Mm. So, how long have you been a shinigami anyways?" Tatsuki asked, slurping on her drink. "I didn't see you when you first became one, so... when have you started?"

"You make it sound like a job." Ichigo remarked, rolling his eyes. He took a bite of the sandwich he had bought. He had bought Tatsuki lunch in the Soul Society, and now they were just relaxing on one of the tables and seats randomly around the place. It was really close to the cafe where Renji, Byakuya, Rukia, and Yamamoto were.

The sat across each other, Tatsuki asking most of the questions.

"It seems like an exciting one." Tatsuki grinned. "Kicking evil's ass, and getting a 'good job!' for it." She said.

"Yeah, I guess." And they soon ran out of topics to talk about. So much for being super close friends.

It was silent. Ichigo and Tatsuki watched as the little Rukongai kids ran around the place.

"HEY! WATCH IT!" A little kid announced. The large rubber ball was headed for Tatsuki, and she didn't notice. So, in the end... She didn't dodge.

The ball smashed into her back, which caused her to lose balance, which caused her to fall on the table, where Ichigo was blankly surprised, which made him lean forward, which made Tatsuki fall onto him, whereas Ichigo, who leaned forward, ended up catching Tatsuki's lips with his.

"Do you think we have time to change our bets?" Yamamoto whispered to Byakuya as they saw the scene plain as daylight.
Ahaaaa. I thought the ending of this chapter was pretty funny. I actually laughed. Oh my. Anyways, please review? It's a wonder I don't get as much as my alerts, and I don't even get half, which is about 40, or exactly 40.5. I only get about 20 per chapter. 1/4th. Aww, darnigans.

I hope you review, and find this chapter to your liking. I'm pretty much crossing my fingers here. If you review, I shall update even faster than I am planning to.

Next Chapter: It has something with Hitsugaya in it. Ehehe... he...? I don't know. Give me some ideas.

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-twelve minutes ago, or Tsukia. I changed my pen name because of my sister. Yep.

And I'm planning to write a one-shot. So watch out for that and all. I have a one-shot out already though... you can find it on my profile. It's IchiRuki, for you IchiRuki lovers. ;D