Two figures leisurely made their way to the Tenth Division offices, their hands just barely grazing one another every few strides. Hitsugaya had his haori tucked under his arm while the other held the front of his kosode closed. He found himself glancing down at Hinamori every once in awhile, their eyes sometimes meeting before quickly turning away. She seemed to still be in shock from the drastic change that had happened in the cave. He was still adjusting as well. It all felt so strange and part of him really wasn't a fan of being so much taller than he had been even though this was exactly what he'd wanted for so long. Perhaps it's just because it was so sudden. Regardless, he'd get used to it eventually.

There were not many soul reapers walking around the streets with most of them either standing guard outside their respective divisions or already out at dinner or the bar. Some were even likely already drunk if they'd managed to sneak out of work earlier. The few people they did pass, gave them strange looks, and Hitsugaya tugged at his snug fitting shihakusho, feeling a bit of embarassment being so… disheveled when he normally was quite meticulous about basic uniform standards. As they approached the gates to his division, he caught sight of his two men meant to be guarding the place. They were leaning lazily against the wall, laughing and chatting as though they had not a care in the world. He clenched his fists at the sight of such lax while on duty. His pace increased as he marched up to his men.

"The Hell you think you're doing?" Hitsugaya said as he came to stand before the men, crossing his arms over his chest. The two of them looked Toshiro up and down, visibly confused about why he was addressing them. "You're supposed to be guarding the walls. Not treat this job like a garden party."

"Bah! Who you think you are telling us what to do?" The first man slurred, the smell of alcohol on his breath.

"Yeah, it's not like anyones gonna report us to the Captain or anything." The other one laughed drunkenly while Hitsugaya's eye twitched angrily

"I see. Not only are you lazy, but you're both drunk as well." With a slight increase to his reiatsu, he lowered the temperature in the immediate area, greatly amused with how their faces went from being cocky to confusion, and then fear.

"Come on," Hinamori urged, taking him by the arm and pulling him through the gate before he could issue the guards a punishment for their conduct.

Behind him, he could distinctly hear the stuttering guards. "W-was that?"

"I think so… Captain Hitsugaya's older brother."

His steps faltered, but Hinamori's grip kept him from turning back toward the gate. "You can deal with them once their hangovers hit." She said with an amused smile on her face. His scowl deepened, tempted to deal with the issue immediately as he normally would, but found that he couldn't bring himself to do it especially as she had yet to let go of his arm. The warmth of her hand was enough to calm him for the moment and he even allowed a small smile as they walked down the halls towards the requisition office.

The doors were locked in the evening but he had the keys to every office under the Tenth Division's jurisdiction. Opening the door, he meticulously took in the disarray of the office. Items were scattered across the shelves in no particular order. Boxes with markings from the Department of Research and Development were open but the contents removed then thrown back in carelessly. There were even Soul Candies laying around with no dispensers, thus making it impossible to know which variant the candies were. Uniforms were thrown in a pile behind the desk with the only distinction of clean or dirty seeming to be how close to the laundry bin they were.

Hitsugaya grit his teeth at the sight. A few weeks ago, one of his lower seated officers had earned the promotion to the tenth seat. To see this is how that young officer treated her new responsibilities was making him strongly consider pushing her back down to her previous rank as a thirteenth seat (or maybe even a lower seat). He glanced back at Hinamori to see her reaction and it was much the same as his; surprise. Walking around the desk in the middle of the room, he flipped open the requisitions book that should be a detailed record of the comings and goings of items as well as by whom, and unsurprisingly found the forms almost entirely empty. The last complete entry was from the last day the previous holder of the position had been in charge. This could not continue. Rummaging through the drawer, he took a pen and wrote a note for the officer to come see him immediately first thing in the morning.

With that done, he turned to find Hinamori already sifting through the pile of clean uniforms and eyeballing if it would fit. Moving to join her, they dug through the pile of miss-matched uniforms before finding one that fit. Removing his kosode, he put on the new one and was in the process of untying his himbo when he notices she was still facing him. Her eyes weren't on him, instead focused on some of the items on the shelves, but he felt his cheeks heat all the same. He cleared his throat, "Uh, Hinamori?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you mind?" Her face went red, and she swiftly turned her back.

Chuckling, Hitsugaya finished changing. Holding up his old haori, it obviously wouldn't fit and made a mental note to put in for a new one to be made. Tucking the old uniform under his arm, he and Hinamori left, making a quick stop to drop off the clothes in his office before they left for a late dinner.

The food stall Hinamori had mentioned was run by a man who had once been in the Eleventh Division before transferring to the Eighth. Inspired by western cuisine, the food combined the best of the traditionally Japanese styled foods with the popular foods he'd found in the western regions of the world of the living that fell under the Eleventh's jurisdiction. The place was quite small compared to the other eateries on the street with only about eight seats around the single cooking area. Despite being new, there were only three other soul reapers eating at the place, seated on the far right side of the stall.

Hitsugaya and Hinamori decided to take two seats in the front of the stall along the left side. The menu was small enough to fit on a small plastic card on the small shelf that separated the counter from the grill. Picking up the card, he read through the list of ten dishes that were listed each with detailed descriptions of the ingredients used and how it is prepared. The number of dishes that were deep-fried was a pretty good indication of where the ideas for the food came from but the owner seemed to be well aware that not everyone would be willing to try this new style of food so also offered grilled options as well. Based solely on the descriptions and the alluring scent of cooking meat and spice, the place gave the impression that the food would at least be decent and his stomach even rumbled in agreement, while making him all too aware of how hungry he really was. Hell, dried persimmons even sounded good.

The cook, who was also the owner of the stall came over to take their order. He wore the standard soul reaper shihakusho with the sleeves tied back and a white headband tied across his forehead. He bowed politely toward them, even addressing Hinamori by her rank, while he seemed completely confused about who he was. Hitsugaya's jaw clenched, he couldn't be that unrecognizable. Still, he let it go it wasn't like the man was in his division and the last thing he wanted was to cause a scene right now. They put their order in Hinamori chose a mild curry over rice, while he had settled on the beef cutlet dish. The cook bowed again and then began to work on their food.

Hitsugaya rested his arm on the counter, his fingers tapping lightly on the wood. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the small glances Hinamori would cast him before shyly turning her head to watch the food being made. Having known her for most of his life, he always though he had a pretty good read on her and he could tell something was bothering her and from the way her eyes would linger on different parts of him, he was fairly certain that it was him. He sighed, "Alright, out with it," He prompted.

"Huh?"

"You're staring," He said. "Which means it's either something good or something bad. So tell me." He still had yet to look in a real mirror so for the moment he was going solely based on what she had said in the cave.

Her cheeks went a little red as she held her hands up, "It's nothing."

"You're blushing."

"It's hot here."

He placed the back of his hand on her forehead, "You are a little warm," He said, smirking as she slapped his hand away and her cheeks went redder.

"Shut up."

Hitsugaya chuckled, his lips relaxing into a small smile while she glared at him for a moment before she couldn't keep it up and laughed with him. "It really isn't anything bad," She said. "Its just… going to take some getting used to."

He nodded his understanding. "Yeah. That makes two of us," He said, lifting his arm and rotating his wrist experimentally. "It feels like… the first time you use a gigai. Everything is stiff and awkward."

"Was it painful?" She asked.

Hitsugaya thought for a moment, recalling the final moments before the last petal disintegrated. "Not really," He said. By that point, he was so exhausted, and determined that pain was the least of his concerns. "It felt like… do you remember what I told you about my dreams? The ones I had before I knew Hyorinmaru's name?"

"You were in a field of ice," She said. "And his energy was all around you."

He nodded, "It was sort of like that but… instead of it being around me, it went through me. It's hard to explain."

Hinamori pursed her lips, "Your bond with your zanpakuto is so different from mine," She remarked. "I couldn't imagine Tobiume offering that kind of power to me. Even if she could, I don't think she would. She's always had my best interest at heart."

"And mine doesn't?"

She shrugged, "I think… I think we just want different things."

He frowned, not liking how that sounded. He'd always thought his motivations were clear to her. For her to say that they wanted different things, he wondered perhaps he misunderstood what she was fighting for. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when shouts from down the street caught everyone's attention.

Turning to the source, the unmistakable red hair of Renji Abarai could be seen towering over the newly made Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, Rukia Kuchiki. The two were engaged in loud bickering as they walked closer, both covered in soot and their uniforms singed.

"—If you'd have just listened to me!" Kuchiki shouted, her fists clenched as she walked walked in front of Abarai, blocking his path.

"I did exactly what you said!"

"'More' Doesn't mean all your reiatsu you idiot!"

Abarai scoffed, "That wasn't all my reiatsu."

"You think I'm impressed?" Kuchiki asked, her face red with anger. "You blew us both up! Your control is terrible!"

"Yeah? Well maybe you're just a bad teacher!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

Kuchiki crossed her arms and turned her back on him, "Well, good luck finding a teacher to put up with your terrible attitude and whining," She raised her hands in a mocking gesture, raising the pitch of her voice, "Beh, I can't do a single kido right, beh."

"I will! And I don't sound like that."

Unfortunately for Hitsugaya, Abarai noticed Hinamori and smirked, baring his teeth. "Hey Momo!"

Hinamori smiled politely at her friend, "Hi Renji." Seeming to take the acknowledgement as an invite, he walked over to them and plopped himself into the empty stool next to her. Kuchiki had her arms crossed and remained standing.

"Listen," Abarai started, "I got this problem and you've always been really good—"

"—Can't you go bother someone else with your kido problem?" Abarai glanced around Hinamori, seeming to realize she wasn't alone for the first time. Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow as the lieutenant looked at him with a dumb look on his face.

"Wh-who are you?" He asked, receiving a slap on the back of his head from Kuchiki.

"You idiot," She said, "His voice should he a dead giveaway! That's Captain Hitsugaya's older brother."

Hitsugaya nearly fell out of his seat. The way she said it so confidently.

"Oh! It's nice to meet you," Abarai said.

"…Sure…" It wasn't worth trying to explain to these idiots. He glanced at Hinamori and glared at the amused smile she was trying to hide.

"Uh, hey won't your brother be pissed you're on a date with his girlfriend?" Abarai asked, his chin resting in his hand.

"Eh?"

Kuchiki snapped her fingers, "Hey! That's right! How could you!" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "Shame on you! I know the captain is an arrogant jerk, with a short temper, but it isn't right for you swoop in and steal the one thing that makes him tolerable." She continued to glare at him and shook her head in disappointment.

He couldn't believe these idiots. Hinamori reached over and placed her hand on his clenched fist, squeezing in an attempt to keep him grounded. It worked and instead his eye just twitched in annoyance as he forced a response through clenched teeth. "She's not my girlfriend," He said. "We're just having dinner."

"Sounds an awful lot like a date to me," Abarai contributed.

"Trust me, it isn't."

The two additions continued to glare at him, before conceding but not before giving them a final kernel of wisdom in regards to dating his brother's girlfriend. Hitsugaya ignored them. Idiots.

"Anyway Momo, do you think you can help with my kido training?" Abarai clasped his hands in front of him in a pleading gesture.

"Uh, I guess?"

"Yes!" He pumped his fist in victory, smirking at Kuchiki who simply rolled her eyes and finally walked away. Abarai stayed a moment longer, arranging a place and time to meet over the weekend so they could start. Hinamori hurried through the conversation, waving him off just as their food arrived.

Once the plates were in front of them, Hinamori couldn't contain it anymore and began laughing, clutching her stomach with the force of it.

"It's not funny!" Hitsugaya scolded, hunched over his food, he poked at it with a frown on his face.

"It actually is," She said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Why do people seem to think I have an older brother?" He asked. "When have I ever said anything about having a brother?"

"You haven't."

"Exactly!"

"You don't talk to anyone, Shiro."

He turned to face her, a knit in his brow. "…I do too."

"About things outside of work," She clarified.

"…Well, there's you… and Matsumoto… sometimes… not often though." She gave him a smug knowing look and he immediately turned to his food and began eating to avoid her 'you have to open up to people more' speech that she'd used on him back when they were kids. It hadn't worked then because no one wanted to be around him, and it wouldn't work now because he was a captain and he couldn't burden anyone else with his problems.

Fortunately for him, she didn't give him that advice this time, instead dropping the topic as they ate quietly for the moment. The food wasn't bad. He wasn't sure how he felt about the texture of deep-fried breadcrumbs on beef but it certainly had an interesting flavor. Glancing over at Hinamori, she seemed to enjoy the curry despite her aversion to spicy foods. It seemed this place understood the meaning of 'mild spice' better than some other places around here.

"You should do more normal things," She said suddenly.

"Normal?" He questioned. Where had that come from? What did he do that wasn't normal?

"Yeah, like going out every once in awhile. Let people see you do things like shopping, eating out—"

"—I can have all that stuff delivered," Hitsugaya scoffed.

"It's not the same," She argued. "The only time people see you in stores or restaurants is when you're tracking down Rangiku. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a rumor about you being a vampire because only a few people have ever seen you eat."

His eyes rolled at the absurdity, "That's stupid."

"What's stupid is people making up things about you because they don't know anything about you… Like you having an older brother." Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, still a bit frustrated with the whole thing but she paid it little mind as she continued. "Even being in one of the many clubs around here would help," She said. "I heard Iba's always looking for men to join the Men's—"

"—Be serious. That'll never happen."

"My point is the reason people make silly assumptions about you is because they don't see you do the same things everyone else does. Even Captain Kuchiki has hobbies that people can somewhat relate to," She smiled, and playfully nudged his shoulder with hers, "Come on, would it really be that bad to let people see a little bit of the Shiro I know?"

His first thought was a firm 'yes,' but he took a moment to think about it just to appease her. Hitsugaya could understand where she was coming from. Her relationship with those in her division was very different from his. Where he helped to guide every member of the Tenth reach their full potential, that was where the relationship ended. He didn't involve himself in the personal affairs of his men, nor was he the compassionate shoulder to lean on when things got hard. Whenever those matters interfered with the productivity of the division, his advice was simply to 'figure it out' and that was the end of it.

Within the Fifth, he understood it worked differently. Hinamori was a great leader because she took the time to get to know everyone personally and become aquatinted with their private lives. They weren't afraid to bother her with their problems and talk to her as not just their superior but as a friend when they needed to. Compassion and empathy came easily to her in ways Hitsugaya would never understand.

"It's different with you," He said after a moment, keeping his eyes firmly on his plate. It had always been different with her. He felt her eyes on him and he could see that she wasn't entirely satisfied with his answer but she knew him well enough not to press him on it.

Instead, they finished their meal, chatting about the latest bits of news around the Sereitei. For the time being, it was like old times before the war when their biggest worry was paperwork or the odd scuffle with age-old division rivalries. It was nice. After splitting the bill, Hitsugaya offered to walk her back to her barracks, continuing their easy conversation right up until they reached her door.

Standing there, he was reluctant to let the night end but saw her let out a yawn and knew that they had to part so she could get some rest. Scratching at the back of his neck, he smiled as he watched her unlock her door before turning toward him. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for going out with me tonight," She said.

Hitsugaya returned her hug for a moment and then pulled back, "You're welcome."

Her brow furrowed, and he saw her biting the inside of her cheek as she rocked onto her heels once. "I was wondering… we haven't been back to see Granny together in a while, so I thought—"

"—Sure," He said, the right side of his lips curling into an amused smirk. "It'll probably be better if you're there the first time she sees me like this anyway."

Hinamori laughed, "For sure. If you thought I was mad, she'll be furious!"

She continued to giggle, hiding her mouth behind her hand, her eyes squinting a bit and he didn't know where it came from or why, but he leaned in and pressed his lips to her forehead. It wasn't the first time he'd done something like that to her, but somehow this one felt different and she seemed to notice that as well. Her laugh stopped, and her eyes went wide as she shyly looked up at him.

Hitsugaya found the space above her head immensely interesting as he avoided her eyes. "Um… This weekend work for you?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Great." Turning on his heels, Hitsugaya left her standing there in front of her door, quickening his pace once he rounded the corner and leaving the Fifth Division barracks. As he left, he heard a little bit of the conversation of the guards out front.

"I didn't know he had a brother!"