Title: Personal
Date: 21 March, 2010
Words: 1210
Characters: Toshiro, Rangiku, Gin; mentioned Aizen, Renji, Hisagi
Pairings: Rangiku & Tōshirō; implied Gin & Aizen, Renji & Hisagi
Summary: Rangiku has some pictures and a curious mood. How long can Tōshirō stand it?
Inspiration: Um… nothing particular for this, really.
Rating: PG

A/N: First, I am shamelessly promoting my new Bleach/Harry Potter crossover, called "Harry Potter and the Wizards of Dissolution." Go check it out!

Second, I/we are looking for a name for a HitsuMatsu fansite! (We've had some suggestions, and a special thanks to those offered!!) We want the name somewhat vague, but still alluding to the Tenth Division leaders. (The vagueness is so that we can post fics/art for other fandoms.) You can let me know if you have suggestions by email, review, or private message.

A big thank you to everyone for reading!
-Rachel Noelle

oOoOo—RN—oOoOo

Matsumoto walked into the Tenth Division office, carrying an envelope. She walked over to her desk and pulled a few sheets from her stack of paperwork. After completing a handful, she reached for yet another, glancing a few times to her envelope.

Tōshirō barely believed his eyes. If someone else described the scene before him he would scoff and call them crazy.

Not that Rangiku never did her paperwork, but she never did it so casually and without complaint.

Rangiku stood and stretched then walked into the kitchen for a cup of tea, leaving the envelope unattended. Tōshirō noticed this.

She returned quickly and sat down. Taking a few minutes, she opening the envelope and pulled out what appeared to be pictures. She leaved through them smiling happily to herself.

Tōshirō could contain his curiosity no longer. "What's that?" he asked, indicating the envelope with one hand.

"Pictures," came her short and simple reply. He nodded. Of course, that's what they looked like. Pictures.

Rangiku settled back into work, finishing the small stack of papers on her desk. She walked to Tōshirō's desk and grabbed a handful more. Tōshirō tried vainly to close his mouth.

Again she sat and leafed through the pictures, seeming to sort them out some. Tōshirō broke down and asked, "What are they of?"

"It's personal," she replied. "You wouldn't want to see them."

"Um, right. Probably not." Rangiku was a woman of words, and the short answers worried Tōshirō. He cast that thought aside, assuming she was simply feeling unlike her usual self today.

Rangiku returned to work, casually sipping her tea. Tōshirō quickly returned to his work, trying not to worry about whatever Rangiku had.

This time when Rangiku stood, she walked to the restroom, leaving the envelope opened and in full view of Tōshirō's desk. Like any good gentleman, he ignored the things. The pictured were face down, anyway.

Rangiku walked back into the office, picked up her teacup and his, and walked into the kitchen. She came back with two cups of tea and sat his on his desk before taking another handful of papers and resuming her prior task.

Halfway through the papers she looked up as though she only just remembered something. Taking the pictures from the envelope again, she shuffled them around, looking them over for any imperfections. She flicked what was probably a speck of dust from one and slid it back in with the rest. She tucked the pictures back into the envelope and started working again.

Tōshirō stared at her, baffled. "What sort of… personal?" he inquired.

"Oh, you know. Things you don't enjoy doing," she replied, supplying a few more words.

Some time later she stood and stretched. "Well, taichō, I promised Renji and Shuuhei I'd meet them for a late lunch. They want my help planning something. I'll be back in about an hour." Rangiku walked from the office door, leaving behind and astonished Tōshirō and her envelope of pictures.

Tōshirō eyed the pictures, convinced himself that he did not need to know what they were of, and tried to get back to his own work.

Five minutes later he caught himself staring that direction again. Just one quick look couldn't hurt, could it? Yes, he told himself. Besides, there was still work left.

Another five minutes and the stack of papers on his desk had dwindled down to a mere few. He eyed the pictures, shook his head at himself for being so nosy, and finished those papers off.

He spent the next five twiddling his thumbs. And the next ten working a crossword puzzle. Another ten he spent on two sudoku puzzles. Finally caving in after ten more minutes of rereading paperwork he had reread once already, he decided that just one look really couldn't hurt.

Maybe the pictures were of Rangiku and Gin when they were younger. That would make it personal. Or had she and Orihime taken a slew of pictures on their shopping trip again? That would be something he wasn't interested in doing.

Tōshirō took a deep breath and walked to Rangiku's desk, cautiously looking around as he reached out a hand to take the photos. He picked up the envelope, committing the exact location to his memory so that he could replace it properly.

Normally he didn't worry too much about Rangiku returning exactly when she said, but with her mood today it was a top concern.

Very carefully he opened the envelope and took the pictures out. The first few were of Rangiku and some of her friends shopping and eating out. Then came the pictures of Rangiku by herself. She was posing happily for the camera. Tōshirō flipped another picture.

Now she was loosening her obi and throwing away her scarf with it. The next she had removed the obi and scarf completely. Tōshirō flipped another picture. Her top gaped open wider than usual, exposing her lower stomach.

Tōshirō felt himself growing hot.

Anxiously he flipped to the next photo. She was loosening the ties of her hakama, and had let them slip a few inches from her waist.

The pictures only became more undressed from there, until she was standing in nothing but her skin. Tōshirō stood in shock, wiping drool from his face.

He sensed Rangiku's presence returning and hastily tried to stuff the pictures back in the envelope. He replaced the envelope on her desk and beat a hasty retreat to his own, sitting just as she walked in.

Before Rangiku sat down she grabbed both her and Tōshirō's tea cups and fetched more tea. She set his teacup on his desk and returned to finishing up the few papers left on her own.

After all of the paperwork was finished she pulled out a magazine and began reading.

Finally unable to stand the pressure anymore, Tōshirō caved in and asked, "Who are they for?" He indicated the pictures when she looked confusedly to him.

"Oh. You," she smiled, knowing he had peeked. He felt his cheeks heat against his will and he nodded firmly once.

A few beats passed before he realized something rather important to their relationship. "Who took them?" he asked sternly, wondering what male (or female) he would have to encase in an ice prison for the rest of eternity. He'd think of some other punishment for Rangiku for exposing her nude self to someone else.

Rangiku grinned mischievously, "That's personal." Tōshirō's mouth hung open, a look of utter disbelief in place.

"Personal?" Tōshirō spluttered. Rangiku laughed.

"You're not going to like it," she warned.

"I don't care! I want to know who you've been showing yourself to," Tōshirō demanded.

Rangiku shrugged. "Well, he's not interested in me, not anymore…"

"He?!" Tōshirō interrupted.

Rangiku nodded again. "Yes. Gin took the pictures for me."

oOoOo

Tōshirō had Gin temporarily cornered in an alley somewhere in Second Division. "Ah, I'm sorry, 'Gaya," he whimpered, eyes opened just a bit as he smiled apologetically. "I told Sousuke it'd be a bad idea ta start a photography studio." Gin managed to escape the shorter white-haired man's punch with a weakened shunpo.

The only thing Rangiku could make out while she watched Tōshirō chasing Gin around all of Seireitei was, "Sousuke, help meh!"