Hanatarou watched as Matsumoto started opening her kimono, almost in slow motion. Somewhere at the back of his mind, he knew that most male shinigami in Soul Society would kill to be in his position. He tried to focus on thoughts of Hinamori, even though he was forced to admit that the call of duty had never been so alluring before…

Er…excuse me…

"…"

Wake up, Hanatarou…

"…"

It's me.

"…Hisagomaru…?"

I didn't want to disturb you, …but I like Hinamori-kun too, and I don't think she's going to be happy…

"……!!!!!!!!!"

Hanatarou came to his senses in a flash. As the other, quieter, and above all, hormone-less presence in his mind slid back into his subconscious, he tore his gaze away. In his scabbard, Hisagomaru; otherwise known as Gourd of Purity, hummed a soft, gentle note of approval audible only to him. Hanatarou stammered a recommendation that Matsumoto ask Unohana-taichou about women's issues instead. His withdrawal was aided somewhat by the beeping of his cellphone's alarm.

"Fukoutaichou…I need to go and meet Hinamori now. I'm glad to have been of service …"

"Are you sure you can't teach me? Oh well…I guess that would take too much of your time away from Hinamori. It's a pity…I wanted to ask you about something called cervical cancer too; and…"

"Sumimasen…I can't spare any more time. I'm actually off-duty. Please visit the 4th if you need any more help…goodbye…" Hanatarou bowed and swiftly turned away. He couldn't escape the feeling that he'd just narrowly avoided a fate worse than death. He sped off with his chastity and fidelity intact, and shut the gate behind him.

"Bye-bye…" Matsumoto called out, almost resignedly.

Hanatarou's legs were a blur of motion as he bolted down streets, across courtyards and past hundreds of curious shinigami. At one point he barrelled past Yumichika Ayasegawa, who recognised him and wondered vaguely when Hanatarou decided to be a metrosexual too. Hanatarou barely acknowledged him and kept running. 11th Division officers be damned, tonight was the night. And Hinamori was waiting.

Outside the 4th Division, it was dark. The shinigami within had long since lit their lanterns to continue their unending chores, and the buildings glowed brightly in contrast to the shadows of the moonless night. A solitary figure walked out of the main reception, casting a long shadow on the ground. Although the shadow was stretched nearly fifteen metres long due to the low angle of the lanterns' illumination, it was still very noticeably, unmistakeably female…

"Have you found them, Matsumoto?"

The woman in question held her cellphone to her ear as her captain spoke. The shinigami of the 4th Division all claimed that Hanatarou had left to see Hinamori. This was a great thing, they said; since he began seeing her she's improved tremendously. But sorry, we don't know where they meet up…Matsumoto paced in boredom outside the medical division after confirming that Hanatarou certainly wasn't in.

"No, taicho. Are they at the 5th?"

"If I found them here, I wouldn't be asking you."

She conceded that Hitsugaya had a point.

"We've eliminated the possibilities. Izuru Kira, Abarai Renji, Hisagi Shuuhei and even Rukia haven't seen either of them since Hanatarou left for the human world two days ago. They don't know the 2nd, 7th and 8th Division's shinigami very well and wouldn't choose to honeymoon there. The remaining divisions are completely suicidal options. Even Hanatarou can't be that stupid."

"Was a one-hour headstart for Hanatarou a bit too much?"

"If you were not distracted for two hours at the cosmetics store on your way to the 4th, probably not…"

Matsumoto decided to change the subject.

"Since we can't find them, we'll just have to meet up and head back. The green fountain would be a good place I guess."

"Hmmph."

The line went dead. Rangiku Matsumoto knew that Hitsugaya would be at the fountain though, and departed quickly to meet with him.

Hanatarou, do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? Have you sat by her bedside, as she lay comatose after the stabbing? Have you heard her cry and deny the truth about Aizen for months afterward? Have you watched her division suffer as she slipped in and out of her emotional turmoil? You have been a friend to her and more. Before she met you, Hinamori has never known what it is like to be admired by someone else. But do you know what Aizen once said: that admiration was the furthest emotion from understanding? How much do you really, truly understand her? You are loyal and honest, I'll grant you that; but also simple. Has she become your 'Aizen', or do you believe that you will actually replace Aizen in her eyes?

You are a kind man, Hanatarou. But I have known Hinamori for years. And I fear for Hinamori, for her mental and emotional health and the stability of her division. I am sorry I must do this.

Hitsugaya waited for five minutes at the fountain, absorbed in his thoughts, before Matsumoto appeared. The two of them had to find Hanatarou, so that Hitsugaya could carry out his plans. And between them, they decided that no man would ever hurt Hinamori again and live to tell the tale.

Just then, they heard a distant booming noise. This was followed by a series of whistles and pops, and then another boom. Instinctively, the captain and lieutenant of the 10th Division turned to look at the headquarters of the 12th Division as the most logical source of any explosions. But the distant building was totally quiet. No flames shot out of the windows, and its main roof looked reasonably intact, insofar as it would be considering the amount of acidic substances, flames and explosive pressures it was subjected to on a regular basis.

Above them, they noticed that around two dozen shinigami, some in sleepwear; were now clustered on the top two balconies of a tall pagoda nearby. All of them were gazing at something in the distance and a few were pointing. Hitsugaya flash-stepped to the roof of the pagoda to see what was happening, and Matsumoto soon followed.

In the horizon, something was definitely happening in the sky above West Rukongai. Fireworks made of a combination of alchemical and magical pyrotechnics lit up part of the night sky. Periodically one or more balls of light would fly upwards and burst into a shower of multicoloured sparks; or fizz away into a spiral and trail glowing embers behind it as it did so. When he squinted, Hitsugaya could just make out the barrel of an enormous chimney among the buildings directly below.

The Shiba clan's Kukkaku cannon.

He was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this. As he watched, a pattern; or a word, to be more precise, formed in the sky.

!!!""" Y """!!!

!!!""" E """!!!

!!!""" S """!!!

As if to confirm his fears, when the last of the golden sparks faded, Hitsugaya and all the shinigami present saw a large, deep pink fireball shoot directly upwards. It did not come out of the cannon, but was very close to it. Unlike the fireworks that came before, it made no whistling noise and did not explode into sparks; only dissipated into a warm, pink glow that slowly faded.

That could only have come from Tobiume; and it marked the end of the display.

Matsumoto turned to look at the frown on her captain's face. They might already be too late.

At the Shiba residence, Hanatarou sat motionless staring at the sky with an indescribable feeling welling up within him. He knew of no way to describe it, though one of Ichigo's phrases 'totally blown away' came somewhat close. If anyone looked at him at the moment, they would see his eyes were opened nearly as wide as his mouth; and there were tears in them. The food, roses and candles on the outdoor table were completely forgotten. Behind him, Hinamori did high-fives with Ganju and Kukkaku Shiba. Her answer was planned secretly; long before Hanatarou summoned the courage to ask.

Like a man in a dream, Hanatarou slowly stood up. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he only had a short time to do this; while the effects of the adrenalin and mulled wine could still override his shyness and inhibitions. Sobbing with joy, he walked over to Hinamori, flung his arms around her and pulled her close. Then he kissed her hard before burying his face in her neck. She wriggled to re-sheath her zanpakutou and wrapped herself around him as well. Kukkaku grinned at Ganju, reached over with a staff, and swept the couple's feet out from under them so that they fell onto the grass. As she expected, neither noticed.

Hinamori lay on top of Hanatarou now and nuzzled him as he lay helpless. And as Hanatarou half-laughed, half-cried into the embrace, he could hear her laughing too.