A/N: Sorry for the delay =/

26. Forever and a Day

It was how long everyone felt the pint-sized head caption took to finally ask the little Kuchiki princess on a date.

27. Lost and Found

Toushiro lost his sanity but found his soul mate . . . still, there were those rare times far and in between where he wondered whether it was a fair trade.

28. Light

The moment when the light hit his teal gaze while he looked at her; that was when she knew.

29. Dark

The look Byakuya gave Toushiro as he asked for his adopted sister's hand in marriage.

30. Faith

What kept him sitting on her front doorstep even when the first flash of lightening cut the skies and she stubbornly refused to forgive him for "being a stupidhead."

31. Colours

Even curled in bed taking an afternoon nap in nothing but a striped tank top and polka dotted boy shorts containing every color of the rainbow, he couldn't help but be left breathless.

32. Exploration

No matter how many times his fingertips wandered around every curve of her being, it always felt like it was the first time.

33. Seeing Red

When Ichigo placed an arm around Rukia's shoulder to tease the short head captain, he had nooooooo idea what he got himself into.

34. Shades of Grey

It was strange really, seeing him standing there in the remains of the building and knowing, feeling, the fact that he couldn't see her—that no matter how much she screamed, or begged, or pleaded, Toushiro would not even see her shadow.

Because even now, hearing the scratch of Shirayuki dragging against the rubble, she knew the blood she spilt for him would never be seen by his eyes.

At least that was what she thought before she heard a gasp.

"W-who . . . . who are you?"

Closing her eyes as the hollow before her let out one last echoing howl, she let her head fall to her chest. Forcing herself to swallow, Rukia begged to whatever higher being (there on her knees) that she hadn't just heard him.

But then she laughed.

For a moment the black haired woman forgot; there wasn't a god. Not since her husband had—

It almost seemed too familiar too. Except this time, it hurt much worse and the hair wasn't quite as orange.

"I'm just a shade of grey."

And before the human Toushiro Hitsugaya could question her any further, Rukia Hitsugaya, shinigami captain of the tenth squad of Sereitei disappeared.

35. Forgotten

Even in their wealth and utter luck, they never forgot that they were street-bred children who would forever be frowned upon (discreetly) in the eyes of noblemen.

36. Dreamer

It wasn't until Matsumoto caught him daydreaming (instead of doing paperwork) that he began to worry about Rukia's effect on him.

37. Mist

When he first saw Sode no Shirayuki and the level violet gaze of the petite warrior amidst the fall of the misty ice, he swore even Hyourinmaru couldn't breathe.

38. Burning

The day Rukia Kuchiki dared to give him a peck on the cheek, she didn't notice how his hand strayed to his face all day long.

39. Out of Time

"Okay," Renji said, poking his head through the doorway, "It's time."

He noted how Toushiro's eyes widened, his skin paled, and for the first time, he actually seemed to tremble as he straightened his outfit.

"Are you ready?" The white-haired prodigy stood stock still for a second, swallowed, and quickly masked his nervousness.

"Yeah." He answered, looking at Renji with a crooked grin. "I am."

Because now, the final two words he'd ever say as Rukia's boyfriend would be "I do."

40. Knowing How

It wasn't that he'd never had a girlfriend or that he barely understood the concept of wearing skirts or dresses in battle (Rukia gave up trying to explain). It was just the fact that whenever she went into a panic and began spouting nonsense at the speed of light, only he knew that the best way to shut her up was through a kiss.

41. Fork in the Road

Sometimes, when he was in the dark and watching Rukia sleep, Toushiro wondered if even for a moment, she had ever even slightly considered Ichigo as more than a friend.

42. Start

"Press start."

"No. You've had more than enough chances to beat me. Besides,

I'm hungry."

"I don't care! Press it."

"No."

"Just one more, just one more!"

"No."

"I swear on my brother's honor that I'll beat you this time!"

43. Nature's Fury

Because even Ichigo was smart enough to know that if he arrived and there was a snowstorm preceding his entrance, then Sereitei would be hard pressed in containing the wrath of its head captain if Ichigo pressed his buttons.

Which was more the reason to look for Rukia.

44. At Peace

With Momo it had been his duty to keep an eye on her to make sure she made it home in one piece. With Matsumoto, his duty was to try (as vain an effort as it was) to get her to do her duties. But with Rukia, it was his pleasure to just make her smile, whatever the cost.

45. Heart Song

If singing in the shower counted for anything (as a serenade of sorts), Rukia thought as she covered her head with a pillow to try and stifle some of the noise (at five in the morning), then Toushiro had it down pat.

46. Reflection

She had never seen him smile so softly at her. Nor had he ever let that warmth reach his teal gaze whenever she was around him. So when Momo saw the way Rukia made him laugh wholeheartedly, she realized that it was time she let go of her best friend.

47. Perfection

Rukia wore a human dress once; something by some exotic designer that Matsumoto had taken a liking to in the human world. The Shinigami Women's Association noted with glee how head captain Toushiro Hitsugaya's jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the Christmas party.

Mission accomplished.

48. Everyday Magic

Before school every day, Rukia would arrive to find him waiting for her, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he reached for her and seemingly pulling a random object out from her ear.

What she didn't realize was that the true magic was reflected in her smile of delight.

49. Umbrella

It wasn't that Ichigo rejected her, or that her brother refused to look her in the eye because she looked like her sister. It wasn't that the paper she had worked so hard on came back with a bad grade, or that she didn't have enough money for this month's rent. Nor was it that she had forgotten her own birthday or that the lady messed up her latte this morning at the café.

She was used to that.

What it was, ultimately, was the umbrella that had been forced into her hand before she left work while one Toushiro Hitsugaya walked home in the rain.

It was someone noticing her—that was what made her cry.

50. Party

The things he would do for her included many a torturous sessions, tests of manhood, and even awkward moments, but nothing in the book he had mentally procured for his rules said anything about a part—oooooh, that was a veeeeery low cut on that dress . . .