Chapter 3

"Damn you Hisana!" Rukia screamed, surprising Hinamori.

"What's wrong Rukia?" she asked. Rukia looked at her smiling friend. Hinamori was one of her friends OUTSIDE the assassination agency she works at. There was a rule inside the company, one very important rule: Never speak about the agency with an outsider. If someone broke the rule, both would be killed.

Rukia let out an exaggerated sigh, "Hisana forgot her pills!"

"She didn't take them with her?"

"Like hell yeah!" she answered. "I swear… that woman has another thing coming…"

Hinamori rolled her eyes, "And I thought you were the mature one…" the two rounded the corner. They were heading towards a little coffee shop. "I still can't believe this place is still here!" she exclaimed as she caught sight of the shop.

Rukia laughed. "Yeah, it's unbelievable…. To think that this place has stood for more than 15 years…"

"Yeah, and it's still unpopular with the people," Hinamori chuckled. "Remember how we bumped into each other here?" A man opened the door for them. They were greeted by the smell of roasted coffee beans. The shop was quite small. It had wooden walls and had red carpeting. There were antique wooden tables and chairs. There were also some sacks of coffee beans for display in one corner. Some painting hung from the wall while the counter had a display of the store's pastries.

"Yep! We were fighting over some toy and Hisana came over and stopped our nonsense," Rukia said as she remembered their childhood. "If she didn't come when she did, we would be banned from this place…"

"Haha…" The two of them went over to the counter and a man with black spiky hair greeted him.

"The regular, ladies?" he asked.

"Haha, yeah Hisagi, the regular." Rukia said. He looked over their shoulders, noticing that someone was missing.

"Where's Hisana?"

"She's out of town," Rukia bluntly said. Hisagi was about to ask a few more questions when he heard someone from the kitchen.

"HISAGI! Stop flirting with the customers!" a male voice shouted.

Hisagi rolled his eyes. "I'm not flirting Ikkaku!" He ran his hand through his hair. "Damn that idiot…" The two girls giggled.

"Well, get us our order. We'll be sittin' there," Hinamori said as she pointed to a vacant table next to the window. Hisagi nodded and started taking the next customer's order. The two ladies went to the table and chatted about stuff. Y'know, girly stuff… Love life, clothes, shopping, make-up and all that crap. Soon enough, Hisagi came with their order. "Thanks." Hisagi left them and the two continued their chat.

"Don't you think Hisagi's cute?" Hinamori whispered.

Rukia laughed. "What's with the sudden question?"

"Oh, nothing…. I was just thinking that were already what? 18 and we still don't have boyfriends."

"Haha… Aren't you in some kind of a hurry? I'm tellin' ya, love isn't really like heaven y'know."

Hinamori sighed, "I know, but wouldn't it make life… a bit more colorful? When you're in love, you look forward everyday to see him…" She spaced out. Rukia wasn't really paying much attention, but when she heard nothing, she looked at her friend. She rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in front of Hinamori's face. "Ah! What?!"

Rukia laughed. "You spaced out again."

"Oh, I did? Sorry 'bout that…"

"Yeah, so… how about you? Are YOU in love?" Hinamori suddenly turned red, making Rukia smirk. "Spill it girl."

"Ahm… Well, I met him when I was working."

"A regular at the bar?"

"No, he was a first timer there."

"Name?"

"Aizen Sosuke."

Rukia's smile faded. She was in love with a dead man. "Hinamori, have you read today's paper?" Hinamori gave her a confused look.

"No, why?"

"I think you better read it." She reached for one of the newspapers under the table. 'What a handy table,' Rukia thought to herself. She gave it to Hinamori.

Hinamori's face was covered with confusion, then distress. "N-no. I-it can't be." She dropped the paper and held her face in her hands. "No…" she whispered.

Rukia felt guilty. It was the first time she felt guilt in doing her job. She stood up and sat beside her friend and tried to comfort her. "It's alright Hinamori… You'll find someone else."

"But… he was the one…. H-he was the one I was willing to spend my life with…"

"Have you two been going out for some time now?"

"Yeah… almost a month." A month… and her friend didn't tell her. "I think I should go home now."

Rukia nodded, "Can you go home on your own?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Hinamori lifted her head and forced a smile.

"If you say so…" Hinamori collected her things and left as Rukia watched her. She sat there, thinking, doubting. Aizen is better off dead, but her friend was suffering from it. Is what she's doing right?

Rukia decided to stay a little bit longer. She could have stayed till dark, but she had received another assassination.

Name: Hitsugaya Toshiro

Age: 21

Occupation: Owner of the Hitsugaya Corporation

Go to Ukitake for the mission debriefing.

She sighed. She didn't want to do anything today. She stood up and exited the building. The agency was close enough to walk to it. She passed through the security and went to Ukitake. Ukitake was the one who had all the information on assassinations. He was some sort of delivery boy or somethin'.

"Here you go Rukia," he said, smiling, as he gave the folder. Rukia opened it to reveal a picture of a white-haired person with cold teal eyes.

"He's…"

"Yeah, he looks young for his age."

"No… No, I've seen him before."

Ukitake looked up from the papers he had in hand, "Maybe, he was one of the guests in Aizen's party. You must have caught sight of him or something."

Rukia shrugged, "Yeah, maybe." She put the folder under her arm, "Thanks Ukitake."

"You're welcome and good luck." Rukia smirked. 'I always do.'

Rukia unlocked her door and entered her home. It was quiet without Hisana. She dropped her bag on the counter and took out the folder. She sat down on one of the couches and started to plan.

"Let's see now, Hitsugaya Toshiro, Hitsugaya Toshiro…" Rukia read through the papers she was given and spread them out on the coffee table. The meeting was tomorrow afternoon. 'A nice quiet injection should do the trick'.

She reclined herself and stared at the ceiling. "I swear I've heard that name before…" She lied down on the couch and closed her eyes. "Seriously, Hitsugaya Toshiro…." She dozed off.

"Mr. Hitsugaya?" a female voice called out.

"Come in Matsumoto," he said in his usual cold voice. A strawberry blond woman came in and set down a folder on his desk. "What's this?"

"It's a profile on the girl you would be having a meeting with tomorrow," Matsumoto said while observing her nails. "Well, I gotta go boss, see ya!" Before she could make a run for it, a hand had grabbed the collar of her blazer.

"You're not getting away that easily," he said, slightly irritated. "You have paperwork to-" Matsumoto dashed outside. Hitsugaya was left with her blazer in hand. "MATSUMOTO!!!"

He angrily threw the blazer on his assistant's desk and sat back down on his chair. He eyed the folder and decided to read it. "Kuchiki Rukia… Where have I heard that before?"

Yeah, it's kinda short. Sorry 'bout that…

Poor Hinamori..