Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Bleach characters mentioned in this series. All characters belong to the original author Tite Kubo.

However: I do own Haruka Kaenbyo and Umeko Fujiwara.

Warning: Spoilers may be present.

Gin walked up to the lab door and entered the pass code to unlock it. The door swung open to reveal Captain Kaenbyo was reading a file on her desk and writing down things on a piece of paper beside it. She was so focused that she didn't even take note of Gin's arrival.

"Good evening Captain Kaenbyo," Gin smiled. "I've brought the dinner you requested. How about you take a break and catch up on talking with me? And maybe catching up on your eating too."

Haruka laughed and set down the file. She got up from her desk and took a seat at the guest table she had in the corner. Gin followed and set the bag of food on the table. He opened it and pulled out two orders of teriyaki chicken with rice with mochi for dessert. Gin grabbed a thermos out of the bottom of the bag along with two tea cups, pouring one for each of them. He handed Haruka her food along with a pair of chopsticks.

"How long have you been up working now? Three days with no sleep?" Gin laughed as he took a bite of his food.

Haruka blushed slightly for what he was saying was true. "Maybe. But I've stayed up for much longer than that before."

Gin sighed. His smile faded slightly. "You know that really isn't good for your health Haruka. You should take a break and go to sleep. You really do need it. You don't want permanent dark circles under your eyes do you?"

"Of course I don't want that. I'll go to my room as soon as we finish eating. Okay?" Haruka bargained. "You can even walk me there to make sure that I actually go to sleep. Will that make you happy?"

"Yes," Gin smiled, his eyes turning to slits. "Staying up for three days is not good. I don't know why I allowed you to do it in the first place. I guess I'll have to keep a better watch on you from now on. Don't want you getting sick again now do we?"

Haruka ate the last bite of rice from her container. She took a sip of her tea, not realizing that she hadn't even picked up the cup prior to that moment. It was chrysanthemum tea, her favorite. Drinking it always cheered her up instantly. Gin always knew how to turn her mood from bitter to sweet in seconds.

Haruka smiled as she drank her tea. "Today's been stressful. I've had a lot of work and not enough time to finish it all."

"I heard you got in a little disagreement with Captain Hitsugaya today," Gin questioned as he got up to throw away the containers from their dinner. "He seemed quite upset when I ran into him earlier."

"He was interrupting my work," Haruka stated emotionlessly. "I asked him to deliver a few reports to me and that was it. I did not ask for him to hang around in my lab as I worked. I wouldn't have minded that much if it weren't for the fact that he continuously tried to impose a conversation with me while I was working."

Gin laughed. "He was probably just bored; looking for someone to talk to. I bet Momo was too busy to hang out with him like she normally does."

Haruka picked up her mochi and unwrapped it. She took a bite to determine that it was green tea flavored with red bean paste inside. It was an odd combination but one that she enjoyed a lot.

"Whatever, as long as he doesn't interrupt my work again," Haruka stated harshly. "I'm almost done with this project too. Another day or two and I'd be finished. And free to go on missions again, rather than sitting around in this lab room all day."

"You miss going on missions don't you?" Gin asked.

Haruka sighed. "Duh. They've had me trapped in this damn room for the past three months or so working on these annoying projects that could easily be shoved off to other people. But no, it has to be me working on them of course."

Gin drank his tea quickly for it was getting cold and he disliked cold tea. "You might want to apologize to Toshiro before you end up stuck on a mission with him while you two are still angry at each other."

"I will, some other time," Haruka yawned. "Right now I need some sleep. I just realized how tired I actually am. I guess that's what I get for staying up for three days straight."

Gin quickly cleaned up the mess they had made from eating. "Let's get going, you need your sleep."

"Alright," Haruka yawned, making the sound a baby kitten when it's tired.

Gin and Haruka walked towards squad 14's barracks in mostly silence. A few words spoken here and there but for the most part they were quiet. That was how they were; they could communicate without having to say a single word. It just came naturally to them. Haruka looked up at the night sky and stared at the bright starts that rested there.

"Watching the stars?" Gin asked.

Haruka smiled softly. "They're beautiful, bright and everlasting, always watching over us as we sleep. Like guardians in the sky."

Gin laughed. "Is that what you think of them now? As guardians? That's a first."

Haruka punched him softly in the shoulder for making fun of her. But she knew that he was just joking with her. He always was.

When they reached Haruka's room Gin opened the door for her and told her goodnight before he headed off to his own room for sleep.

Haruka changed out of her shihakushō and captain's haori and into pajamas. She got into bed and fell asleep before her head had even hit the pillow. Her reiatsu spread throughout the room and covered it in a thin layer of ice, melting and refreezing it constantly throughout the night to keep the room at a comfortable temperature for her to sleep.

Her sleep was dreamless. Peaceful.

Arigato. Reviews welcome.

- Haruka Shinigami