Last chapter!

This chapter will hopefully explain everything weird about the end of the last one.

Hinamori and Haruka were hulled up in Haruka's room. Haruka was regaling Hinamori with stories of her dates over the past few weeks and both girls were giggling like mad.

"Really," Haruka said with a sigh, "when are they going to learn and stop asking me to be their girlfriend? Don't they know I just date for fun?" Hinamori giggled.

"You're just too popular for your own good," she replied. Haruka heaved a great, dramatic sigh.

"It's a curse I tell you," she said. Hinamori giggled again.

"Oh, before I forget," Haruka exclaimed, "I've thought of a great idea for Onii-chan and Karin's wedding!" Hinamori's face lit up at the mention of the wedding. She was so happy and excited for the couple. She couldn't wait for her childhood friend to finally marry the girl of his dreams. Haruka rummaged for something in the closet.

"I was reading this book," she continued. "It's by some guy named William Shakespeare. It's called A Midsummer Night's Dream."

"Oh, I've read that one!" Hinamori said. "It's hysterical!"

"Isn't it!" Haruka agreed. Anyway, I was thinking, maybe we could put on the play at the wedding. You know, like they do in the story. It'd be so much fun, we could get everyone to help us." Hinamori considered this.

"Actually," she said thoughtfully, "wouldn't it be more fun if we wrote our own play?" Haruka squealed with glee.

"EEEEE, you're so right!" she said eagerly. "Let's do that!" Hinamori looked down at the rose in her hand, and an idea struck her.

"I know exactly where to begin!" she said mischievously.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"No!"

"But Ikkaku," Haruka pleaded.

"NO! I agreed to help with your little project because it's Karin's wedding and everything, but there is absolutely NO WAY I'm kissing Yumichka!" All the actors were gathered in the 9th squad office, discussing plans for the play.

"Actually, he's the one kissing you," Haruka pointed out. Ikkaku scowled.

"Why are we in my office again?" Ichigo groaned. Rukia rapped him on the arm.

"Don't whine," she reprimanded. "It's not like you'd be working anyway."

"I like it!" Yuzu said excitedly, flipping though the script Haruka and Hinamori had prepared. "So I'm playing Karin-chan?"

"We thought that was best," Hinamori told her. "You know her so well and everything. Plus, we just couldn't bring ourselves to mess with you and Hanataro, so it was the only way to get you in the play." Yuzu giggled and nudged Hanataro.

"And you get to be Toushiro-kun, that's so cute!" she said happily. Hanataro blushed.

"Do I really have to kiss Matsumoto-san?" he asked painfully, and the whole room burst out laughing.

"Of course not," Matsumoto said amused. "Haven't you ever heard of a stage kiss?"

"Stage kiss?" Isshin asked with interest. Matsumoto sighed, then wrapped her arm around Hanataro's head and kissed him. The whole room gasped and Yuzu checked, but when Matsumoto pulled back, she left her hand in place, visibly covering Hanataro's mouth.

"See," she explained. "I just kissed my hand. Yumichka will do the same Ikkaku."

"Oh," Ikkaku said, scratching his head. "I still don't like it."

"Mmmmm" mumbled Hanataro, waving his arms frantically, trying to pull off Matsumoto's suffocating hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry Hanataro!" Matsumoto exclaimed and the room burst out laughing as Hanataro gasped for breath.

oooooooooooooooooo

Masaki walked onto the stage. She looked out over the audience, which consisted mostly of 4th, 5th, and 10th squads and the taichos and fukutaicho's who weren't in the play. Karin and Hitsugaya were sitting in the front row, dressed in wedding kimonos and looking happier than Masaki had ever seen them. She smiled at how lucky she was; despite dying when her children were so young, she had been able to attend two of their weddings. And the third wedding was expected to occur shortly, as soon as Hanataro got over his fear of himself and built up the courage to propose.

"Go on Kasan!" Haruka encouraged from backstage. Everyone was eager for the play to start. Masaki grinned. Now that child was going to take some work.

Taking a deep breath, Masaki began the prologue.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro had four very important women in his life…"

oooooooooooooooooooo

Hinamori burst onto the stage. Hanataro, in his white wig, was lying on a couch, his head cradled in Yuzu's lap.

"Momo!" Yuzu cried. Hinamori gaped at them, then fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes.

"Taicho," Hinamori sobbed. "I…I tried to steal Hitsugaya-kun from you! I got this chocolate from 12th squad that makes you fall in love with people, only…only so many people ate it, and now everything's all wrong…And Nemu says that there's no antidote..." Yuzu laughed heartily.

"So that's why Zaraki taicho wanted to fight me so badly," she said, a look of understanding forming on her face. "He's in love with me! And Renji too!"

"And Matsumoto," Hanataro chimed in, trying to look un-amused. "It definitely explains everything."

"Momo, you say there's no antidote?" Yuzu asked patiently. Hinamori nodded. Yuzu looked at her curiously.

"Well, then we'll just have to make one, won't we?" she said. Hinamori looked up at Yuzu expectantly.

"Taicho," she said hopefully, her tears breaking.

"Momo, I was a member of 4th squad for quite a while. I know how to make antidotes. Do you have any of that chocolate left?" Hinamori paused for just a second, then reluctantly passed Yuzu the chocolate.

"Thanks," she replied, then headed to the desk in the corner. Yuzu, being a kido master herself, built a small but visible barrier around the innocent piece of chocolate. It was much better than any normal prop. Hinamori watched anxiously.

"Done!" Yuzu said finally. "This piece has been altered to counteract the effects of the other ones. If anyone who ate the chocolate eats some of this piece, they'll go back to the way they were. Momo."

"Yes taicho?"

"Gather everyone together," Yuzu said importantly.

"Alright," Hinamori said with a small blush.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Matsumoto, Rukia, Haruka, Yumichka, Ikkaku, Yachiru, Zaraki, and Renji were all standing around Yuzu, who was holding out small slivers of chocolate. Hinamori was standing in the corner looking very nervous, next to Hanataro who had his arms crossed.

"I need all of you to try this for me," Yuzu ordered. "And I know you don't like chocolate Zaraki taicho," she preempted. "But if you eat this, I'll spar with you!"

"Chocolate!" Yachiru said excitedly.

"Don't hog it!" Yuzu warned.

"Is this the same chocolate that was in the office before?" Haruka asked expectantly.

"Yes," Yuzu replied with a sly grin.

"Alright! This stuff is good!" she replied, gladly taking her piece. Eventually, everyone had eaten one, and Yuzu exchanged an anxious look with Hanataro.

"Oh, oh god," Rukia cried, grabbing her head. "I said horrible things to Ichigo! What was I thinking? I've got to find him!"

"I'll come with you," Haruka said reluctantly. "I said some weird crap to him too. Don't know what came over me today."

"Kurosaki, you still up for that fight?" Zaraki asked hopefully.

"No!" Yuzu stated soundly. Zaraki shrugged.

"Whatever. Maybe I'll find your brother instead."

"Get off me, you animal!" Ikkaku shouted at Yachiru, pulling on her. She clung to him for dear life, until Zaraki said,

"Let's go Yachiru!"

"Alright Ken-chan!" she said joyfully, leaping from Ikkaku and landing easily onto Zaraki's back.

"You and I have some things to discuss!" Ikkaku said vehemently, rounding on Yumichka. He simply sighed.

"You need to learn to lighten up, Ikkaku," he replied haughtily. "It's not beautiful to be so angry." Ikkaku growled.

"Looks like everyone's back to normal," Yuzu said with relief.

"Thanks to you taicho," Hinamori said, beaming at her.

Curtain

oooooooooooooooooooo

Everyone in the play stood on stage, bowing, as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

"So Onii-chan, what did you think?" Haruka asked, as she and Hinamori came over to Hitsugaya and Karin.

"Very impressive," he replied, and Haruka beamed.

"I can tell you worked really hard on it!" Karin admired. "Thanks you guys. I can't believe you convinced Ikkaku to do that!" Hinamori laughed.

"It was rough there for a while taicho," she said. "But it worked out in the end."

"There was one thing I didn't like though," Karin mused. "I thought the ending was too trite. It would have been neater if there really was no antidote, and everyone was just stuck like that." Hinamori's jaw dropped open, and Haruka scowled.

"Yuzu!" Harkua screamed. "Where are you? Why did you make us change the ending!"

And bow.

I hope you had fun! Thank you everyone who read both this story and "Misunderstandings". Your reviews got me through this even when I wasn't enjoying it so much. By the end though, I think I was liking this story a lot more. Writing crack is hard. Anyway, thanks again for sticking with me, and I hope to see you in some of my other stories. You guys keep me going, so thanks for your support!