Both Ichigo and Momo looked on in shock as they saw the short white-haired captain approach them, his teal eyes seemed to be glowing with the rage he was trying hard to release, and a trail of ice was following behind him. It wasn't unusual to see the young captain upset, but this fit of anger was new. "What's wrong with, Toshiro?" Ichigo leaned down closer to Momo, covering up his mouth with his hand, back slightly turned towards the angry captain as he whispered into the girl's ear.

Momo mirrored his actions, covering her own mouth with her hand to whisper to the orange-haired teen. "I'm not sure. Maybe he thinks you're helping Rangiku skip out on work?" she offered up, feeling bad for saying such things about her best friends but it wasn't unusual for the busty lieutenant to drag the substitute shinigami into her escape attempts.

Slowly the two turned back around to look at the tenth division captain, and if possible, his rage had increased. You could practically see his reiatsu surrounding his body, and the ice that had been trailing around him was starting to become a violate storm.

Both Momo and Ichigo paled at the sight.

"Look Toshiro, whatever the hell Rangiku told you is a lie! I swear I haven't seen her all day but if I do I'll-!" he was cut off when his hand had been turned to ice. In the process of trying to defend himself, he made the mistake of placing a hand on Hitsugaya's shoulder and instantly his hand was frozen over. He screamed in pain and shock; it felt like thousands upon thousands of little-frozen needles were striking his hand all at once. He glared at the younger captain but was taken aback and slightly frightened by the cold stare he was getting.

"Ichigo!?" Momo couldn't believe what she was seeing. Quickly she rushed over and grabbed hold of his frozen hand. Using her reiatsu, she was slowly able to unfreeze it and use the healing techniques she had learned from the fourth division. She's seen her childhood freeze many people before, intentionally and unintentionally, and she had learned early on how to melt his ice and help those affected by it not suffered from frostbite. "Does that feel better?" she asked him after a few moments of working on his frozen hand.

Sighing in relief, he nodded and smiled down at the plum-haired girl. It felt so good to be rid of the frozen block of ice and finally feel his hand again. "Yeah, thanks, Momo." He felt the wind pick up and was not surprised to see who was the cause of it. Ichigo locked his jaw, his one eye starting to twitch as he tried holding in his anger. "Just what the hell is this kid's problem?" he didn't know why he was acting like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum, but he was not going to stand for it any longer. He was ready to tell him off when he stopped and noticed that Hitsugaya's glare wasn't on him anymore, at least not directly. Following his angry teal eyes, he saw their focus was on his hand that was currently being massaged by the lieutenant of the fifth division. His annoyance had faded into curiosity. With his free hand, he placed it on Momo's shoulder and tried to hold back the shudder when the icy winds picked up, and so did the young captain's reiatsu. Slowly he removed his hand from her shoulder and saw that while he still appeared angry, the winds had slowed down. Carefully he placed his hand back on her shoulder before quickly removing it, he repeated this action again and again and was slightly amused and terrified that it produced the same results. "You've gotta be kidding me." He was at a cross of letting out a sigh and a growl. He had figured out the reason for his sudden appearance and why he was so angry, and it had nothing to do with this lieutenant skipping out on work…at least not this time.

Momo for her part didn't seem to notice the sudden flares of reiatsu was leaking in his fit of rage. She was so used to it that it didn't affect her anymore. Instead, her focus was on Ichigo and why he kept taking his hand on and off her shoulder. "Ichigo?" she asked him, catching his gaze and tilted her head slightly to the side and motioned to his hand that was currently back on her shoulder. "What are you doing?" Was this some sort of human world culture that she didn't understand? She's always tried keeping up-to-date on what goes on in the world of the living, but she couldn't remember seeing a custom that involved this strange action.

Finally stopping his little experiment, Ichigo looked down and gently smiled at the girl. "It's a little hard to explain," he wasn't really sure what to say. What he had just discovered wasn't his business; it would be up to the Hitsugaya to tell the girl his feelings. He didn't have any right to reveal them, especially if the boy didn't want them to be. Although he wondered how Momo had yet to realize his feelings for her. By the raging storm being produced just because he had gotten to close to the girl, it was very obvious to see what the white-haired boy felt for his childhood friend. "I think it's best Toshiro it explains it to you." It was all he could offer her without giving away the boy's feelings towards her. He had no desire of getting between the two; this was a serious matter that should only involve the two of them. He had every intention of leaving them to talk out their feelings when he saw a few hairs had fallen out of place from Momo's new hairstyle. Suddenly he was having a flashback to when Yuzu was little and had a similar look on her whenever she would come in from playing. Brotherly instincts took over, and he moved to put the few stray hairs back in place. "There we go." He smiled at her, prompting her to return it with one of her own. It was a sweet moment, but it didn't last long. The soft smile on Ichigo's face was quickly taken over with a combination of shock and anger. This time his entire body had been frozen over, leaving only his hand that was previously frozen unharmed and that was just because Momo was still holding it.

It took her brain a few moments to process what just happened before she jumped back in shock and gasped. "Shiro-Chan?!" she frowned in disapproval at her childhood friend, ready to tell him off for acting so childish and when he unfroze Ichigo to apologize properly but stopped when she saw the look on his face. "Hitsugaya?" his eyes were on her, hard and steady as usual but she could see beyond his façade. She could see the hurt that lingered, the surge of emotions that he was trying to hide from her.

Biting his lower lip, Hitsugaya stepped forward. He glared at the frozen teen, feeling only slightly sorry about what he did. "It's Captain Hitsugaya." He knew it was childish, berating the orange-haired teen in the frozen block of ice but he couldn't help it. This whole day was like a giant battle of emotions, something he wasn't used to. Turning his sights back to his childhood friend he felt his pulse quicken. He took in her form. She appeared unharmed, for which he was grateful for, and the attire worn in the world of the living suited her. There had been many articles of clothing he had seen during his many visits to this world that he felt she would like. He had always planned for the two of them to go together when they both had some time. But thanks to Rangiku never doing her job, free time was rare and few. Now he wonders if he'll even be allowed to be alone with Hinamori after all this. "We need to talk." He held out his hand for her to take. There was so much he wanted to say to her. They've hardly had any time to be alone and talk anymore. In the beginning, when she was recovering he had been the only one allowed to be in her hospital room. Soon that opened up to her captain and then her fellow lieutenants before she was released and everyone seemed to take up her time. He never voiced it, but he was jealous when others started to spend time with her. Though he was thankful to the heavens for answering his prayers and healing Hinamori, he had enjoyed the time when it was just the two of them. It was like when they were kids; the two of them together…just like how he always wished it to be.

But just like when they were kids she always made time for him. No matter how short the visit, she always stopped by to be with him, just him. He wouldn't trade in those few blissful moments for anything, and that was why he was there. He was going to fight for those moments and for the others he wanted to come.

Her eyes locked with his and she felt her heartbeat quicken. She's never seen him look like this before. The white-haired boy was always serious; she had voiced to him once that she believed he was born with a frown on his face. But right now he had a new look. His teal eyes locked onto hers, they shined with a determination that could only belong to a captain. So serious and ready for battle, he wasn't going to let this matter go until the talked. But there was something else to them. A haunting look that made her nervous. With a hesitant nod, she placed her hand in his and let him guide her away to where he wanted to talk.

The two friends left, so focused on the matter at hand that they completely forgot about Ichigo and his situation. "My, oh my," Urahara came strolling by, grinning from ear to ear like the cat who ate the canary. "I see you've gotten yourself in quite a pickle. Or should I say frozen pickle." He pulled out his hand, holding it over his mouth as he laughed whole heartily at his joke.

Yoruichi wasn't far behind, coming to stand in front of the boy and knocking on the ice. "That's what you get for trying to act like a hotshot. While you were to busy showing the girl a good time you never once picked up on Captain Hitsugaya's reiatsu. And here I thought we trained you better than that." She crossed her arms, a sly smirk spreading across her face as she enjoyed this little moment.

Ichigo for his part was well aware of everything behind said, and if he could, he would punch the two. "You…bastards…" but all he could do was curse them for mocking him. He swore that when he got out of this mess, they would pay, and so would Hitsugaya!

~X~

Momo couldn't take her eyes off their conjoined hands. Whatever it was that he wanted to talk about it must have been something serious. She could count the number of times Hitsugaya had been the one to initiate gestures like this on the one hand. He was the never the type who liked to be hugged or even touched really. He preferred to be aloof, alone away from others and not be bothered by such trivial matters as he put it. She was usually the one that initiated some kind of contact with him. When they were younger, she thought he was just embarrassed by it but as they got older and he seemed to hold the same disdain for it, but he never used force to push her away. If anything he seemed to linger in her arms before berating her for doing such "childish" things. He had thought that she hadn't noticed, the way his eyes would soften when she held him or the way his lips would slip into the tiniest of smiles, or how his pulse would settle into a steady and comfortable flow. She had noticed all of these little things because she has been with him since the beginning. She didn't know why he pretended to hate contact as much as he did but she never voiced her deduction of his behavior and continued to hug the boy.

"You're rather quiet." She was shocked that he started speaking. She had thought for sure that he would remain silent until they had wondered to wherever it is he was taking them. "I thought for sure you would be asking me a million questions by now." His words made her smile, a faint dusting of pink staining her cheeks at this.

"I was just thinking how rare it is for you to hold my hand." She admitted, looking up at the sky that was slowly darkening by the minute. The day was nearly over, and soon they would all need to return home. "Usually you're always yelling at Rangiku and the others to give you space."

He didn't speak right away. Instead, he took in her words and slowly thought them over. "I thought you would be uncomfortable…" he didn't turn around to look at her, his gaze focusing on the road ahead of them. "Growing up I never understood why my body was always so cold and even after discovering my reiatsu I didn't have much control over it. It was always leaking out, causing harm to others. I had thought you would prefer not to touch someone that resembled a block of ice. Though it's rather late I have gained better control over that aspect," he felt his muscles tense as he thought of this day's events and everything that happened. "It seems I'm rather late to the game in a lot of ways."

Momo had to blink away the tears that gathered in her eyes. She never knew he felt that way. She had brushed it off as him just being a kid and being embarrassed about being hugged by a girl. But it turns out his reasoning was because of a serious matter. Even though he hadn't known about his powers, he was aware that he was different and he didn't want to cause her any harm. Though to this day he still never told her, she had visited their grandmother not long after he entered the academy to ask why he enrolled. She learned the truth than about what was happening but hadn't thought any further on the subject. She had always assumed he only became aware of his powers during those later years, but it seems she was wrong. He's been aware of them since the beginning and has been struggling ever since. "And I'm supposed to be the one that knows him best." She chastised herself, shaking her head at her blindness. Back then her focus was on figuring out her powers and when she finally did achieve that goal her sights were set on someone who wasn't who she thought they were. When instead she should have been focusing on the person who the most important to her.

"I never thought that," it was the truth. She had taken notice that his body temperature did always seem colder than others but she never found herself uncomfortable being around him. "You were never cold to me." She tightened her hold on his hand, trying to show that her words spoke the truth. Even now with only their palms touching she could feel the difference between them. His hand was indeed colder than hers, but it was a comforting kind of chill. The kind that makes you feel rejuvenated after a long summer's day.

"I see…" though he didn't turn she knew that he was smiling. Not a smile you would see on Rangiku's face when she opened a new bottle of sake or a smile when Byakuya finished his battle with grace. This smile was one that only Toshiro Hitsugaya could produce. It didn't need to be big or smile because his smile was perfect to her.

They finally came to where Hitsugaya wanted them to have their talk. She hadn't even realized they had walked up a hill until she looked around. If she were with her captain, he would have berated her for not paying more attention to her surrounding. The incline of the hill was steep; the road looked worn from all the walking and driving that takes place on it daily. There was some foliage surrounding the area but nothing that you didn't see when walking around town. It looked like a decent size residential area, with a park nearby that was full of children laughing and running around. But what caught her attention was the view. Her breath caught in her throat at the perfect sight they had of the sky. The sun was setting, casting a golden hue around them as the clouds turned from a soft white to a glowing red. "It's just like back home." Her mind flashed her back to all of their days in Junrinan, eating watermelon and watching the sunset together. Those were some of her favorite memories. "It's beautiful…" she let out a wistful sigh. Sometimes she wished days were as simple and peaceful as they were back then.

Hitsugaya knew she would like it. During his time in the human world, he first discovered this spot his first thought had been that she would love it here. "It is." He wasn't looking at the golden sky or the brightly glowing setting sun. His focus was on her. Just like how it always was. His teal eyes looking over her new haircut, the way her raven locks now blew in the wind, reaching on her cheeks. It gave her a more youthful look, but her eyes showed her maturity. While he always favored her long hair, her new look did nothing to stunt her beauty. To him, she would always be beautiful. "Hinamori, we need to talk." He forced back the nerves that were slowly starting to build up in his chest. This was no time to let his fears and worries take over. Enough was enough, he had waited too long and it gotten him nowhere. He used every excuse in the book that he had. He wanted to have better control of his powers. He wanted to be more mature. He wanted to be stronger. He wanted to be taller. But he couldn't hide behind his excuses anymore. He was going to tell her everything. "Do you know why I entered the academy?"

Turning her gaze away from the setting sun she was surprised to see how serious he looked. Gulped down her nerves she focused all of her attention on him. "It was to gain control of your powers." This was the answer he had given her on his first day. She could still remember the shock and the thrill of seeing her childhood friend walking the halls of her school. When she had questioned him he had told her that an annoying voice was keeping up at night and he had entered the academy to shut it up.

He nodded, his gaze wavering slightly. "That's part of the reason." Even with the setting sun, he knew the blush that was starting to form on his cheeks was visible. He almost couldn't believe he was doing this, but he swore that he was going to tell her everything. "The truth is I became a soul reaper because I made a vow that I would one day become strong enough to protect you!" he hadn't meant to shout, and he hated the hitch in his voice but it had come out, and there was no taking it back now. His gaze was meeting hers, trying to show just how serious he was. "I wanted to protect you because you were the most important person in my life. You still are. So I entered the academy, became a captain, and trained to master my powers because I…" He hadn't made the promise because she was the only one besides their grandmother that wasn't scared of him. It wasn't because she was his first real friend. It wasn't because they had grown up together. It was because she was the first person in their world that made his heart beat with life. "I'm in love with you."

Momo felt like her heart had skipped a beat and jumped it way into her throat. Did she hear him right? Her face mirrored his own, as red as the setting sun and burned just as strong. "He loves me…?" She almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, and she hoped to every deity out there that this wasn't some cruel joke. That she was awake and this hadn't all been one dream. But at the sight of his hands clenching and unclenching, the beads of sweat running down the side of his face and the look of uncertainty that shined in his eyes told her that this was no dream. Even in her dreams he was always the cool, calm, and collected captain that he always portrayed to be. But right now he was none of those things. He was just a man, and she was a woman. She smiled at the notion. Her little Shiro had become a man without her even realizing it, and now he was telling her his true feelings. "Hitsu-!"

"I know I'm too late in telling you this, but I made a promise to myself that I would tell you everything." She cocked her head to the side. What did he mean by too late? "I've already been made aware of your relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki."

It took her a moment to process what he just said. "Huh?" had she heard him right? Did her ears pop from the steep climb? There was no way he could have actually said what she thinks he said.

"I know what I did back there was childish, but I was unable to control my jealously. When all of this is over, I will unfreeze Kurosaki and will do my best to not interfere with your relationship." he bowed to her and while she found his jealousy towards other guys cute and endearing she was still confused on the matter at hand. "However…" slowly he stood back up, his eyes meeting hers once more and they held a serious glint in them. "Should any harm come to you by his hands, intentional or not, I won't stand for it. My vow to protect you will not waver just because you are with someone else. I will always protect you, Momo."

Her heart fluttered with how he was acting. Never before has anyone said something so romantic to her. And had he not being spouting such nonsense about her dating Ichigo Kurosaki. Which is why she hopes he can forgive her for laughing. She honestly didn't mean to but hearing him talk so seriously about such a matter that wasn't true made her laugh. The whole notion of her dating the Substitute Shinigami was hilarious.

Hitsugaya had expected a lot of things to happen after he confused his love to his longtime crush but he certainly expected her to start laughing. Was it something he said? Had he messed up and accidentally said something stupid? Or did she find the thought of him being in love with her all this time just that funny? "Hey, I'm serious here!"

"I know, and that's why it's so funny," she was doing her best to hold in her laughter but every time she pictured herself with Ichigo and the giggles would come back. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be laughing like this but it's just so funny. The thought of Ichigo and me together as a couple…it's hysterical." She waved him off, bursting into another laughing fit.

Teal eyes blinked once, twice, and once more before his brain finally kicked in. "Wait a minute!" he placed his hands on her shoulders, making her stop laughing and look at him. "So does this mean you're not with Ichigo? That the two of you aren't in love?" his voice had gone soft at the world love. His eyes as wide as they could be as he looked into her soft brown ones, silently begging her to tell him the truth. He wasn't sure how much more of this his heart could take.

Momo felt terrible for laughing and hated seeing this look on his face. He looked so frightened, like a stray waiting to see if you would kick it or welcome it with open arms. Even with this look, she could still see the hope that lingered in his eyes that he was desperately trying to hide. She supposed she could tell him the truth, tell him exactly much he meant to her, but she had something better in mind. She offered him a soft smile, hoping to help calm his nerves while she placed both hands on either side of his face. With little effort she placed her lips on top of his, answering his question and returning his feelings. Hitsugaya's went rigid for only a single moment before returning the kiss. His arms quickly circling her body, one placed on her lower back to draw her in more as his other hand buried itself in her soft raven locks. The sun had long since set but that wasn't enough to break the two apart. Only when the need for air became too great did they separate but didn't move too far away. Their foreheads touched as they held onto one another, his hold on her firm and secure as she softly stroked his cheek. "I love you too."

Her confession made his heart soar. Words that he's dreamed of hearing countless times were finally being uttered and he couldn't be happier. Because with this declaration of love he knew that the two of them would always be together. Hitsugaya closed his eyes once more and this time he was the one to initiate the kiss. All the feelings he kept pent up inside were finally being released and he couldn't be happier. Deep in his chest, he felt a warm feeling spread through him that had him shuddering in pleasure. This was the warmth of love that he long desired and finally received.

~X~

Urahara whistled to himself as he, Yoruichi, and Rangiku waited at the bottom of the hill. They had followed the pair, dragging the frozen Ichigo with them in the process. All of them wanted to see the turn out of two childhood friends, but Yoruichi had won their most recent game of rock-paper-scissors, so she was currently the one using the binoculars. Turning his gaze on the orange-haired teen and grinned, chuckling softly to himself in amusement. The giant block of ice hadn't melted in the slightest. His non-frozen hand had been waving and failing at the group, even giving them a gesture that required only one finger and he found rather rude. But he finally seemed to stop his useless failing and settled for glaring at them with all his might. "I must say I never expected the little guy to obtain this much power in such a short amount of time." He was rather impressed that the block of ice had yet to show any signs of melting. He wondered briefly if it was because of the young captain's powers growing or the power of jealousy?

"They're back!" Yoruichi sang out, grinning like the cat she really was to her old friend.

"I didn't say little!"

"Yes, you did."

"Yoruichi!"

Rangiku had never wanted to be doing paperwork as much as she wanted to right now. This whole day had gone to the dogs. She had wanted to help her captain realize that his feelings for Hinamori were in fact returned and that he had nothing to worry about but thanks to these old fools she ended up hurting her captain. She only hoped she could do some damage control. After everything they've been through the two deserved to be happy. At the first sight of white hair, she jumped to her feet and ran at the two. "Captain I-!" whatever she was about to say died on her lips when she saw the sight before her.

"Oh, my…!" you could practically hear the grin in Urahara's voice while Yoruichi whistled.

There right in front of them was Histugaya and Hinamori, looking as happy as they can be, holding each other hands as they seemed to all but float their way towards them. It was like they were in a world of their own, a world made up of only love and bliss. It was a beautiful sight and slightly disgusting. Rangiku felt her one eye twitch, but she quickly pushed it all aside. "Captain?" she called to her superior and shuddered slightly when she saw the blissful look that seemed to be plastered on his face. She's never seen him look so happy before and it startled her. "W-When did you two…how did you two…but I thought…?" it felt like her brain was shutting down. After everything that's happened today, she never imagined this to be the outcome. She had always hoped that her captain would end up with the fifth division lieutenant, but she never imagined he would appear so frighteningly happy.

Hitsugaya smirked, the idyllic look never leaving his teal eyes that seemed to be shinning. "Don't worry about it. It's been a long day, why don't you take the rest of the night off?"

Rangiku felt like her body had been frozen over in fear. Slowly she backed up, tremors racking her body as she tried to keep from running away in fear.

Momo giggled, amused at how shocked her best friend was. She doubted Rangiku ever expected to hear her always studious captain to take the night off. "I think you stunned them, Toshiro."

He shrugged, making sure their fingers stayed interlocked as he did so. "It would appear so." He turned his head to look at her, and he felt his heart soar. She was finally his. After years of watching and waiting and wanting she was finally his. And he couldn't be happier. Looking back at the small group that had gathered he finally took notice of the frozen Ichigo. With a simple snap of his fingers, the ice crumbled, freeing the substitute shinigami, before covering his ear with his free hand. He already expected what was to come.

Ichigo cried out, his body shaking as he tried to steady himself. He was frozen for hours, his limbs felt numb, and his teeth chattered so loud he could hardly hear himself think. The only thing that kept him warm was his anger. "Toshiro!" he set his sights on the white-haired captain and glared, stomping towards him to unleash all of his anger. "Just what the hell is the big idea?! Were you trying to kill me?!"

Hitsugaya sighed, even though he had been expecting this it was still annoying. "Relax. The ice wasn't strong enough to stop your heart. I made sure of that."

"That's not the point!" he cried out, annoyed with the young captain anymore. He was ready to punch him across the face but was stopped by Hinamori.

"Ichigo," Momo stepped forward, bowing slightly to the enraged teen. "Shiro-Chan is sorry about freezing you. There was a slight misunderstanding about you and I that resulted in him attacking you. I hope you can forgive him." She stood back up and smiled softly at the boy.

He hated to admit it, but the sight of her smiling face made his anger slowly start to disappear. She really did remind him of Yuzu. Sighing to himself, his scratched the back of his head. "It's fine. I have a pretty good idea of who started this misunderstanding," he turned his head around to look at Urahara and Yoruichi who looked way too amused not to be guilty. With a twitch of the eye, he silently vowed to get back at them. Turning his focus back to the two he finally took notice of their conjoined hands and smiled down at the girl. "I'm glad everything worked out for you, Momo." He ruffled her hair, just like how he always does for his sister.

It was a touching moment, the two had bonded over the course of the day, and both felt like they had gained a sibling from one another. But the moment of quickly ruined when Hitsugaya slapped Ichigo's hand away from Momo's hair, his reiatsu leaking out once more. "Ow, what the hell man!?" Ichigo cried out, holding his hand in pain. He never knew ice could burn so badly.

Cold teal eyes locked onto his angered brown ones and he felt a chill run down his spine. "I would prefer it if you didn't act so familiar with Momo. Keep your hands to yourself, Kurosaki." while the others might have found their bonding moment touching, it had only irritated him. "And how many times must I tell you, you are to call me Captain Hitsugaya."

"What was that?!" Ichigo growled out; he was so done with his attitude. "Quit making me sound like some pervert. I never did anything to Momo!"

"That's another thing, quit calling her by her name so frivolously. You are to address her as Lieutenant Hinamori and show her some respect."

"What the hell is your deal with always addressing people by their stupid titles?"

"Why are you unable to comprehend the importance of them?"

"Maybe because I'm not a little kid who gets hung up on stupid matters!"

"What did you just say to me!?"

Both boys had had enough of the other. This whole day had them fed up with each other, and they were ready to take out their frustrations. Their powers were slowly starting to build up as the others prepared for what was to come. Rangiku had finally gotten over the shock when she saw her captain start o act normally again. She was tempted to try and calm the situation down, but she preferred not to get involved. She looked at Urahara and Yoruichi to see if they would step in, but they were to busy recording the whole scene. "Where did that camera come from?" she really regretted getting those two involved.

"That's enough," Momo was surprisingly the one to end it. She had no fears about stepping in between the two and putting an end to their pointless arguing. Removing her hand from Hitsugaya's and got in-between the two power soul reapers, keeping them an arm's length apart from each other. "It's been a long day, and we all agree there have been certain issues that were misunderstood that lead to actions that should have happened. Shiro-Chan, I want you to apologize to Ichigo for freezing him and Ichigo I want you to forgive him and know that he didn't mean any harm." She looked at the two of them, smiling brightly in hopes of getting them to stop fighting. There was no point in getting worked up over such trivial matters.

Both boys only continued to glare at one another. A low growl emitting from the two as they debated over what was said to them.

"Whatever." Hitsugaya scoffed, turning his head to the side to look away from the orange-haired teen.

"Fine." Ichigo groaned out, mimicking the young captain's actions.

Momo was pleased. Sure, they could have done this nicer, but she was glad that at least a fight didn't break out. "Now shake hands and move on."

Both boys grunted but complied with her. It was a brief handshake, the two squeezing each other's hands hard then they needed to, but it ended as quickly as it started.

"I'm going home," Ichigo announced. He's had enough of the nonsense that today brought him and he was ready for bed. Waving goodbye to the group, he headed for home.

"I think it's time we head out too." Urahara and Yoruichi both agreed and disappeared into the night. What they had planned to do no one wanted to know.

Rangiku was thankful for the peace that finally settled and held her head. "I need a drink." She was off in a flash; leaving behind the newly happy couple for the most potent drink she could get her hands on.

Momo couldn't help but smile. So much had happened in such a short amount of time but she was glad it did. Her focus was pulled away from where her friends once stood to see Toshiro was intertwining their hands once more. "Let's go home." She was very glad for everything that happened today. While it may have started off rocky, it had the perfect ending. She let him guide her towards the portal that would take them home, but she slowed in her pace. "Is something wrong?" he looked at her in concern.

She frowned, her brows pinching together as a nagging feeling slowly started to take over. "I'm not sure. I can't help feeling that I forget about something."

~X~

"Dumbass!"

"Old hag!"

Shinji and Hiyori stood in the middle of their old hideout, shouting at each other at the top of their lungs. Their friends were standing off in the corner, timing their latest fight. If they continued for another twenty minutes, it would be a new record.