The cars on the street were honking, the children laughing as they crossed the street, and the couples cheerfully walking around the block with their dogs. A streak of black hair dashed across them all, hair blowing wildly behind her despite it being tied up in a ponytail.

"Freakin' kid making me tutor him overtime," I grumbled under my breathe, trying to keep my pace even. I occasionally had to slow down to squish past some groups of people walking like slugs, taking up the sidewalk. Ahead, I could make out a large group of middle-schoolers: 9 of them, maybe even more, all walking in a group and leaving no room for me to pass. I snarled and gave them the finger while I was behind them and had to go onto the road.

A car honked as it flew past. I shouted apologetically, "Sorry!"

"Stay on the sidewalk, geez!" The driver hollered after me. I waved apologetically in response, using a free arm to hoist myself over a low fence to cut across someone's house. The back fence was a lot higher so I had to use my feet to climb and hoist myself over, which was harder than it looked especially with my bag on me weighing like tons.

"Target sighted." Thump. "Ow!"

"We're not hunting her, Matsumoto, and stop stating the obvious."

"I was just getting into the mood, Hitsugaya Tai-cho! You know, like a Japanese Ninja!"

"We're not nin-... Forget it. We just need to wait for the right time to approach her."

"I wonder why Yamamoto Tai-cho order us to find her... This doesn't seem like the kind of mission to send a Captain and a Lieutenant on, and we've never even met her!"

"Hn."

"But you're both prodigies. Do you think he's trying to set you guys up?"

"...Shut up and focus, Matsumoto."

It was like the sensation you got you heard your name whispered into your ear, and when you turn around, there's not a soul nearby. I stopped my running to look around. It had been so long since I had last sensed a reiatsu, there's no way my senses could lie to me out of nowhere, right? But then again, they don't have any reason to-

"Sh!"

I squinted my eyes, but I knew that searching would get me nowhere if they had the decency to hide out of sight. I waited, silently, before I took a step forward, and then another, and-

The sound of shifting: the shifting of those Waraji Sandals that I had ditched years ago. I exhaled, my mood only worsening, as I started sprinted to my part time job again, which I was already late 10 minutes for.

"SAKURADAAAAA!" The ramen storeowner bellowed my name as he saw me running towards the store frantically. He waved a knife in the air, "Get over here, you late little rascal!"

"S-Sorry! There was an accident and I got held up!" I said, throwing my school bag on a stool and breathing heavily.

He chuckled, and I quickly took an apron off the hook. "Get to work! Boil those noodles and clean em'."

I rolled my eyes, smirking. "As I always do."

He muttered something inaudible, while chuckling, but I was sure the phrase 'Cocky youngster' was within the unheard words.

He was a round man, and I am talking about the belly. From what I hear from the people who ate at the small Ramen shop, he used to be rather toned, and quite the ladies' man. Now what rested on his face were wrinkles galore and eyelids that covered the majority of his sight. Amazing how he could still see, truly. He had unusual features that you wouldn't notice unless you had been within a meter of him. Such as his crooked nose and oversized ears. Nevertheless, I liked this Ouji-san (Uncle)'s company. He laughed a lot - a good hearty laugh, too - which would cause his eyebrows to rise to unbelievable proportions and for his eyes to squint even smaller. They made me smile, though, his laughs. You might not see a genuine laugh anywhere else in the lying streets of Tokyo.

A rippling wave splashed over me as imaginary eerie music played in my head. A Hollow. I cursed at myself. No. Ichigo was back, and that wasn't my job anymore. Plus, I couldn't leave my job now and increase more suspicion about me. But then again, if they were already following me, they probably knew who I was, though I was sure the reiatsu was not Kuchiki... Or Kyouraku, Ukitake: in fact, I didn't recognize the reiatsu at all.

"Noodles comin' your way, Ouji-san!" I called out, placing a bowl of dripping wet noodles beside his working area.

"Cleaned and boiled, they are?" he questioned, smiling his signature grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep the change," I stated, acting annoyed before smiling for him. He laughed merrily.

-X-

"Thanks a bunch!" I bowed as I received my monthly salary. It was dark out, almost 10. "I might be gone for a few weeks. Maybe months, Uncle. I'm not sure I'll be able to find a substitute, though, and I didn't give you notice, but..."

"Heh, going on vacation with a boyfriend?"

I raised my eyebrows at his humorous remark, trying my best to keep on a straight face. "Uncle..."

"A HA HA HA!" Another one of his out-of-nowhere laughs, but he must have had some idea of the way they soothed me. "It'll be bothersome without another pair of hands. If you do find someone, your replacement better be skilled in the cooking life."

My Soul Mod, Kana's re-creation of spaghetti and meatballs popped into my mind. It was a complete disaster, and it took me everything I had not to go all S&M on her for ruining my apartment kitchen. Orihime, one of my other loyal human friends, was what popped into my mind next, but... let's not even go there.

I smiled meekly. "Yeah, I'll try."

He ruffled my black hair, messing up the bangs on my face. "Take care, kid. Laugh more."

I grinned as naturally as I could manage and swept my bangs over as I left. "See ya, Old Man."

-X-

"No evidence gathered today," the frustrated prodigy muttered.

His lieutenant shrugged. "We still have tomorrow, right?"

"It's not that. Did you see the way she halted when she was running to the Ramen booth? Her running suddenly came to an abrupt stop. She sensed us."

"Hmm... I DID lose my footing, but only after she started walking again. She heard that?"

"Surprise! I can hear you morons right now, too." Rangiku and Toushirou glanced underneath the tree they were atop of. Their eyes landed on a girl, an eyebrow raised at them. Her arms were crossed over her chest as the wind gently blew her hair to the side.

"Now tell me why you two are following me. Or have you just taken a liking to me?" she challenged sarcastically, though her face didn't waver at all. Her gaze was still hard, furious, emanating a coldness that would've given Kuchiki a run for his money.

The two shinigami leaped down, positioning themselves skillfully in front of her.

"Ayumi Sakurada," the strawberry blonde haired woman began. She was much taller than her accomplice, with smooth orange waves that erupted from her head and came pouring over her shoulders for a mature, womanly look. Not that she needed that kind of affect, seeing as the size of her full chest area was enough to scream out 'woman' and 'mature'. "We would like to have a word with you."

"The Gotei 13." Ayumi smirked, unlacing her arms to put them on either side of her hip. "Ryuusai gave in and is finally asking me to come back, is he?"

"You must already be acquainted with several of our current dilemmas," the blonde stated. Ayumi shifted her weight onto the other foot and sighed.

"I've got an idea, if that's what you're talking about. Ichigo's filled me in on on some information himself, so I know about..." She glanced up briefly to meet eyes with them, taking in their Captain and Lieutenant uniforms. The Tenth Division: the one she was in charge of before she left. "The empty Captain positions."

The trio was silent as Ayumi pondered her initiative. She squinted her eyes. "If I refuse to go with you, will you draw your Zampaku-tos?"

Toushirou and Rangiku refrained from looking at each other as they recalled on Yamamoto Genryuusai's words. "Our orders were to not take you by force."

"If Ayumi hasn't changed..." Genryuusai mused. "She will go with the two of you without too much trouble. If she does happen to refuse, do not press any further. Angering her is not our aim, nor would it be to our advantage. She should know of our predicament, so I surmise she would not hassle you more than you can both handle."

Toushirou looked perplexed just as his lieutenant did. "If that is the case, then why doesn't she just return on her own accord?"

"No," Genryuusai leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. "Ayumi is a stubborn girl. She would not give in to us before we did. She will not come back unless we ask of her. Returning won't be the problem, but whether she will take on the position is..."

Toushirou waited for the First Divisional Captain to continue, but Genryuusai left his sentence hanging. "Anywho, Hitsugaya Tai-cho, take extra care not to lose her trail. She's crafty, more than you would expect from her appearance."

The girl nodded, turning around so that her back faced them. "Not to take me by force..." she repeated slowly.

Her tone set Rangiku and Toushirou on high alert, senses sharp in case she would try anything. She didn't move as she continued to stare up at the moon. After several seconds, she whipped around. There was a candy in her hand, making the two Shinigamis flinch only slightly. She smirked at their tension. Popping the round piece into her mouth and swallowing, the world around her slowed as her soul and body were ripped apart. Her mod soul fell onto her behind before standing up, looking at the two shinigami wearily.

"Kana, I'll be back before the end of the month. Stay out of trouble and make sure to stick close to Ichigo." It nodded fervently, as if her head would fall off, and kept its eyes on Toushirou and Matsumoto. Ayumi turned around, already dressed in a black Shinigami Hakama, smirking triumphantly as she eyed Toushirou up and down again.

"Lead the way, Capt'n."

-X-

She had expected it to be nearly the same, but the minute she stepped through the gates, she knew that reality was different. Soul Society, and more importantly: Seireitei had changed. The walls made of Sekkiseki must have been moved around sometime after her departure. Her fingers trailed along the white stone, the familiar cold texture bringing back a rush of memories that accompanied pain and nostalgia. She winced; those feelings had come back recently more than ever.

"Sakurada-san, this way," Rangiku instructed. Ayumi looked up, face expressionless as the Two Ranking officers stared her down. With a sudden smirk, her hand gripped around her zampaku-to, and a pound of energy ricocheted from her being onto the walls, before filling the entire vicinity with a suffocating spiritual energy. Toushirou stood his ground, knees bent as Rangiku went to the wall to regain balance. After several moments, the spiritual energy subsided, wafting away like smoke in the air. Toushirou scowled, knowing that Ayumi had run.

"Don't lose her!" Toushirou shouted, flash stepping to catch up. Rangiku followed obediently.

Byakuya glanced up from his desk, a wave of spiritual energy had flitted past his office. It made him nauseous, his brain putting together the missing pieces as he searched his mind for the familiar reiatsu. Three more seconds, and everything clicked as he stood up and flash stepped out of his office, hoping to catch sight of the girl.

Nanao fixed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose and stifled a growl. "Kyouraku Tai-cho, we have important duties to attend to and-…Taicho?"

Shunsui sat up, eyes alert and straw hat propped on his head. His lieutenant blinked, bewildered that her Captain had gotten up and was now standing. She sighed and opened her mouth to continue her report when he ran off, Captain's haori flying at his rear. "T-Tai-cho! Where are-?"

She's here… Genryuusai let out a humming noise, reclining in his chair He was seated at the front end of the rectangular Captain's Table when the door clicked opened and she stepped in, black hair tied in a high ponytail as it swished behind her.

"I'm here!" Ayumi called out, chuckling. "But you knew that, didn't ya, Yamamoto Tai-cho?"

Genryuusai nodded, fingers lacing together. "Long time no see, Ayumi."

She beamed when he used her first name. "Same to you, Ryuusai-kun."

"So I assume you know of my request for you."

Ayumi walked forward a couple of steps, leaning her forearms on the tablet, still standing. She nodded, face solemn, as she was deep in thought. She looked up expectantly. "And Yoruichi?"

"Yoruichi has been joined back with us. Not as an official captain, but as an ally. She seems... reluctant to be tied down to duties again. Ayumi, I'd implore you to consider this proposal. You being in charge of a division would save us an incredible amount of effort, and we've waited so patiently for your return. You should know the amount of shock and disruption that your leave caused."

Ayumi exhaled sharply, ignoring the question. "Byakuya's outside."

"I haven't notified anyone of your arrival yet, though I doubt you let out such an immense amount of Spiritual Energy simply to get away from Hitsugaya Tai-cho and Matsumoto Fuku-Taicho. Your captain subordinates must have noticed you by now. They're making their way here as we speak. Though Kuchiki Tai-cho seems to have flash stepped here in a hurry to meet you."

She grinned devilishly. "How cute. Byakuya's so sweet."

"Who's sweet?"

She spun around, dark brown eyes meeting slate grey ones. "Byakuya!"

The corners of his mouth didn't lift, but she didn't care. She stepped forward, eyes taking in how much he matured and laughed, pulling him into a warm embrace. She hadn't grown at all in the past years, but he certainly had. He stood at a confident four or five inches taller than her and she rested her chin on his shoulder. "It's been a long time, Kuchiki."

"You never said goodbye," he commented quietly, and Ayumi nodded apologetically, nuzzling her face into his robes. It was so cute, how he remained so cold and yet you could convey through his words that he was hurt. She squeezed him tighter as his voice vibrated his vocal chords beside her face. "Welcome back."

Genryuusai chuckled. She had the ability to bring the Older Captains near a state of friendliness. Footsteps resounded outside the door as Byakuya and Ayumi both recognized the energy.

"Where is she?" Shunsui blurted as soon as the door flew open.

Ayumi laughed and stepped slowly forward, but Shunsui swept her up into a big hug. He hugged her like he would a father being reunited with his daughter. She sniffed him before scorning, "Geez, Shunsui. You've been drinking."

"Only because you weren't here," he teased, nuzzling her head with a balled fist. Ayumi knew the sound of a lie, but she still laughed genuinely at the sight of her old friends. It was a bittersweet feeling, having not seen them for so long. She hadn't known how much she had missed them until she realized how irrevocably happy she was to be with them again.

"Kyouraku," Byakuya acknowledged.

"Kuchiki," Shunsui responded by giving him a nod and a smirk.

"The reunion's begun?" Captains started piling in, called upon by the butterfly. Retsu, Jyuushirou, Soi Fon, Kenpachi, Mayuri, Toushirou and everyone came tumbling in, staring at the girl. Soi Fon looked away brusquely.

One by one, everyone who knew Ayumi from before she left was hugged. In the end, the Captains began sitting down in their usual seats, but Ayumi stayed at the end of the tablet, opposite of Genryuusai. She gave Toushirou a faint apologetic glance, but as he caught it he looked away. She frowned and shifted uncomfortably.

"As you can all see, Sakurada Ayumi has come to pay a visit to Soul Society." The Captains looked at one another as 'pay a visit' was initiated.

"She has not yet confirmed if she would like to return to Soul Society's system as Captain of either the 3rd, 5th or 9th's position."

Ayumi sucked in a breath before exhaling solemnly. Gin, Aizen, and Kaname...

"I'm rusty," Ayumi remarked sheepishly, genuinely embarrassed. "I've killed hollows this past week, but er... I'm kind of out of shape..."

Genryuusai and the other Captains nodded in consideration. "Initiating your bankai or Shikai is heavily forbidden on Military grounds other than the Academy training grounds, you recall?"

She nodded. "I won't get to call my releases. I... haven't trained at all. Even if I went to a practice area to initiate my Shikai, a Bankai is far out of the question."

"I highly doubt," Genryuusai said, "that you have fallen so 'out of shape' as to be degraded to a lower rank, Sakurada. You've slain hollows without calling out your releases, if that's the case."

She gulped and nodded again. "I'll still have to think about it. I haven't been given any formal notice beforehand. I'll need a few days. I just got here, so give me some time to catch up with everyone, won't you? Like Soi Fon always said, rash decisions should not be made."

Ayumi glimpsed at Soi Fon, who slightly coughed to hold back her surprise. Soi Fon had never liked Ayumi, and Ayumi had never really liked Soi Fon. It probably had something to do with Ayumi having been closer to Yoruichi than Soi Fon after becoming a captain, but soon the Hating relationship just became mutual without much of a reason…

"You're right," Genryuusai agreed, leaning forward in his seat. "Giving you the room of one of our old Captains… would be disrespectful, since you have not yet claimed which squadron you prefer or whether you will be taking on the responsibility of a Captain. Do you wish to reside with someone for now?"

She sighed. "Right. My old room was taken… by the new tenth."

"Hitsugaya Tai-cho," Genryuusai replied. Toushirou remained calm, despite her attention being on him yet again. She nodded, already knowing as much. She considered her possibilities, but realizing that she didn't want to play favorites with the men, she looked at Retsu.

"What about Unohana Tai-cho?" Retsu looked sympathetic.

"Usually I'd jump at the opportunity, but ironically I've come down with a cold myself. I wouldn't want to give it to you."

Ayumi opened her mouth to say that she didn't mind, but Genryuusai interrupted her. "What about Hitsugaya Tai-cho? He is the Captain who replaced you, and perhaps you both will find something in common."

"Well, he went through the trouble of going to get me, and I even ran from him in the end. I have to say; I've made things harder for him…" She watched him, his body stiffening as he closed his eyes. She had to admit, he was strikingly handsome with his teal eyes and snowy white hair, but as far as she could tell, he was as cold hearted as the Kuchiki. "So I wouldn't want to barge in on him, too…"

"It would be alright as long as Hitsugaya tai-cho doesn't mind," Genryuusai pressed. Ayumi's jaw tightened as she flushed white. Toushirou seemed to do the same. "Hitsugaya Tai-cho? Is it alright with you?"

"…Of course." Ayumi frowned, knowing what kind of position she had put him in. From the looks of it, he didn't seem to like her very much either.

"Meeting adjourned. For now, everyone report back to your office and duties. Hitsugaya Tai-cho, seeing as you are now Sakurada's roommate, would you mind having her follow your duties? I assure you that she will be quite a helping hand, previously a captain herself."

Ayumi cleared her throat guiltily as Toushirou closed his eyes. "No problem, sir."

"Very well. Off you all go," he said, dismissing everyone. The room was empty in the matter of a second.

-X-

"Sorry for the trouble, Hitsugaya Tai-cho," Ayumi said. Toushirou replied with a firm 'hn,' which Ayumi shrugged to. A response was something, at least. In a minute or so, they arrived outside the wooden sliding door and Toushirou slid it open, eyes never once meeting with her's.

"This is the Tenth Divisional Office. Don't touch anything." Ayumi raised a brow up in annoyance. Something was definitely up his ass.

She stood near the side door, listening to members doing their duties. They were whispering about her and she frowned even deeper. Center of attention was fine at times, but surely there were going to be stupid rumors about her that made absolutely no sense. She wouldn't be surprised if some of them thought that Kisuke, Yoruichi and her had ELOPED together!

To stop the chatter about her (or to at least cause it to die down) she stepped rudely into the office and as eyes laid on her, the voices subdued and whispers turned into whistling and coughing. She stopped at a few individual desks, spotting errors in the members' work.

"Sakurada Tai-cho," one of them acknowledged. Ayumi nodded back despite her not being assigned the rank. "I was under your supervision when you were Captain a century ago. I'm so pleased to see you again."

Ayumi let out a faint, insincere smile and muttered a thank you in acknowledgement before continuing to pace around. Paperwork was one of the most time consuming things to do, she remembered, and these members were doing a rather bad job of it — Signing documents without reading, filling out the wrong blanks, and even skipping a sheet as it was hidden under another.

Focusing on another thing entirely, Ayumi remembered Toushirou's pissy attitude towards her and decided to do something about it. Maybe if she helped out with his members' duties, he would think she was nice and less of a bother. She hadn't meant to share a room with him, and she hoped that he took into consideration the denying she had done for his behalf. As she walked around, she pointed out a document that a member had missed. She awkwardly observed the member blush and thank her uncontrollably. Members around started whispering again, and Ayumi growled, turning around to shoot them a glance. They bowed and nodded, sucking up so earnestly that she had to roll her eyes and stomp away.

Toushirou, meanwhile inside his office, could not work.

The voices complimenting his rival frustrated him more and more, as he snapped office utensil-by-utensil, pencil by pen in aggravation. What was so great about her?

It caught him off guard. Was he becoming jealous?

If Toushirou were not the most composed and dignified of men, he would have gasped.

He observed that he was losing his demeanor by the second. He had begun clutching his forehead as if having a migraine. Rangiku had noticed his unusual behavior from the doorway, peeking in to nag to her captain about paperwork, but didn't dare venture in as he had suddenly snapped a pencil in two. She had quickly gone back to her post, guessing at what could have been wrong. He needed a glass of water. Jealousy wasn't something he had felt in a long time, and he wasn't the best at dealing with it.

Hopefully, he hadn't kept any childhood habits. If he was anything like he was as a younger boy, jealousy was going to make him-

"Uwah!" Came from outside Toushirou's door, where the members were working. "I wish she was still our captain!"

Finally, Toushirou snapped. The sliding door was slid opened loudly and heads turned to see their pissed off captain. His eyes darted around the room, and as members took their seats to leave the little cliques they had formed, his target was fairly easy to spot. Even without her height, he would have seen her. She stood out like red dot in a plane of white, seeing as everyone even positioned their chairs at an angle where she was visible to everyone. Toushirou grew even more agitated.

"Sakurada," he called her name, and she immediately looked up from correcting a grammar mistake, catching sight of Toushirou and then bit her lip. Crap: had she done something she wasn't supposed to? A few members noticed the tension and began blushing as well. Toushirou huffed. "Come into my office immediately, please."

Her lips parted as she nodded, feeling rather weak: something she wasn't used to. She walked to his office courteously and slid the door closed behind her. When she turned, Toushirou was already in his seat.

"You would do me a tremendous favor if you would stay out of the member's work area. There's a couch over there that you can sit on while you wait."

Ayumi's nostrils flared up. He did not just tell her to screw off.

"Okay, look, dude. I'm sorry for running away when I first got here, but it was only a joke and it wasn't like I was going to blow up the place. I didn't think you would get so pissed, but it was just that-"

"I'm not mad," he said, more to convince himself than her.

"Uhh... dingaling, pick up the phone. Is that a bad liar on the other end? Yes you are!" she placed her palm on his desk, the other arm resting subconsciously on her hip. "I'm not blind. Telling me to piss off isn't gonna solve anything, so just tell me why you're so ticked."

"Sakurada, take a seat. I'm not mad, and you're simply causing an even more of a disruption than you were before," he stated. Toushirou wasn't about to spill his worries to her.

Ayumi raised her brows at this. "Oh, wow. So I was causing a disruption when I was helping your members with their paperwork and lessons? Is correcting grammar a crime here in your office? Really, Hitsugaya Tai-cho, as one of Soul Society's former best captains, I do not agree with the way you're running this division-"

"That's enough, Sakurada," Toushirou commanded, and Ayumi instantly had to do a double take. "I implore that you understand that you are not in a position of authority anymore, and for you to speak to me in that manner is nothing but disrespectful."

Teal orbs met a chocolate abyss as their eyes met and gripped at each other. The sound of breathing stood out as an eternity of silence held in Toushirou's office. He watched as the fierce look on her face disappeared and she looked away grimly.

"Well, then I'm sorry to have cause a disruption in your work. Believe me when I say that I did not mean any disrespect, Hitsugaya Tai-cho..."

She stepped further back and took a seat on the small couch that he had first requested that she sit on and crossed one leg over the other. One hand was placed over the knee insecurely while the other hand reached out and covered its partner. Toushirou cleared his throat before getting out of his seat. She withdrew her body even more when he stood up and opened his door to see the members completely out of it and off-task. One look from their angered Captain and they set off back to work, nevertheless absentminded.

Ayumi gazed sadly at the floor, hand gripping her knee even tighter. What an selfish ass.

Toushirou let out a stream of air, taking a seat again. What a nosy brat.

The blow-up was probably my fault.. but he really didn't have to be such an ass about it! I apologized to him, and he's not going to even bother to give me one? What a jerk! To him, I might've been distracting his members but… I was only trying to help. And he told me to screw off!

Ayumi blinked and recalled the conversation. Toushirou had never actually told her to screw off. She blushed, averting her face from his direction to hide the pink tint. It was still implied, she thought stubbornly.

That was unnecessary… She was helping out with the division, but it wasn't like I asked her to. Members should make their mistakes and learn from them instead of being corrected each time. It was like she was trying to take my squad from me, and I can't let that happen even if it was previously hers. Next, she'll also take my rank, my status, my room–Ah, but she's already taken that! Toushirou closed his eyes and grumbled. What am I doing? This is childish. Being jealous of her is only admitting that she's powerful enough to do so, which means admitting that she is in fact better than me. Jealousy isn't worth my time. I am not jealous.

He glanced up at her. Her face was still turned away, and Toushirou straightened in his seat. Had he really upset her that much? His eyes flitted to his paperwork as he heaved a sigh, noticing how dry his lips were. He licked them quickly and signed his name onto a document, placing it into the completed pile. From the corner of his eye, he saw the girl get up, and he glanced up; a bit worried that he had driven her to the point of not being able to stand his presence. Now he was guilty: brilliant.

She noticed him staring after a few seconds and cleared her throat. "I'm just… going to get some water. I'm thirsty…" she finally made eye contact with him. "Want me to get you a cup?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine."

She seemed to look disappointed at this, though Toushirou wasn't sure why. She shrugged and closed the door, the patter of footsteps disappearing in a matter of seconds.

Toushirou was alone in his office.

-X-

Walking from his office to his room was possibly the most awkward thing Ayumi had ever been through, next to the time she walked out on Sex Ed because she couldn't stand where the lesson was headed. She hadn't known that she would get into a spat with someone immediately after arriving. Obviously, he had absolutely no intention of making up with her. She had noticed how dry his lips were and how he had hastily licked them. When she offered to get some water for him on the pretense that she wanted some for herself, he had stillrefused her. To make things worse, Ayumi had been growing awfully fond of him. He was a prodigy, meaning that he had the brains and the talent needed for it. His exterior, despite coming off cold, was stunning: who else has pure white hair and turquoise eyes? Naturally?

But h*ll, he had something sharp and poisonous up his ass.

"I'm going to bed. I'll sleep here," Toushirou said, after laying out a spot on the ground for himself. Hold it. For himself?

"Hey, no! I am not going to take the bed while you take the floor. This is your room."

Toushirou continued the process of laying down a bed sheet for himself. "Save it. Just sleep on the bed, Sakurada."

"Well, Hitsugaya," she leaned on the wall, arms crossed over her chest. She played along with calling each other by last name, and watched as Toushirou fanned out the blanket. "You really expect me to take the bed after talking to me in that tone of voice? Is sharing a room with me really that hard?"

He nearly glared at her, his eyes hard and cold void of any warmth. "Sleep on the bed, please, Miss. Sakurada."

Her lips parted and she was painfully aware of how offended she was. She closed her mouth and purse her lips, jaw tight. This wasn't how things were supposed to start.

She cleared her throat and awkwardly apologized again. "I'm sorry for what happened in your office today."

He didn't reply — Toushirou had never formally apologized to anyone before. He nodded, hoping maybe that she'd get the point and leave it. She sucked in a shaky breath and held it. He half-expected her to break out into tears and sob about how mean he was to her, but he figured that her dignity wouldn't allow her to. Instead, she didn't meet his eyes again as she said, "Take the bed. I'm not going to sleep in your room tonight, I'll… figure something out."

"What?" he snapped, irritated with himself, but not knowing how to convey it through words, further angering him. "Where are you going?"

"It's harder than I thought," she answered, "to stay in a room with someone who you know really doesn't like you."

Toushirou's frown deepened, as his lips remained unmoving, until he nodded and looked away. Ayumi bit her lip. Still no apology. She walked over and slid open the door.

"I'll room with Retsu. If you need anything, I'll be there, I guess," she said, giving him one last glance before disappearing from his room.

He sat in silence, the lack of noise muffling his ears and vibrating like gongs against his brain. He held the sheets loosely in his hand before dropping them altogether. Slowly, he paced over to the tall mirror resting against his wall, beside his closet. His reflection stared back at him, a frown on his lips.

He looked the same.

Then how come he felt so different?

-X-

Ew. I dislike dramatic endings. But they're good once in a while, right? (:

Ooookay. Didn't get off to a very good start, hmm? It'll build up, it will. Just so you guys know, I'm not a hardcore Bleach fan, so if there are inaccuracies, please tell me or just leave them be. I'm not following the bleach plot (maybe I'll change my mind) so many of your favourite bishie characters might get left out? But hey, this is fanfiction. Anything's possible.

Share the love. Review if you've got time? (: