NOTE:~ Chapter two! Woot! I was surprised I got reviews on the first chapter! Normally that doesn't happen for me! 8D So it motivated me to write the second chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

Of Lies And Trickery

Chapter 2: Bad Day

Toushiro stepped out of his quarters, taking a deep breath of the fresh morning air before releasing it. He was feeling good today. A lot better than yesterday. He was no longer thinking about Gin or what had happened. In fact, he was quite happy and those thoughts were now barried deep inside his mind. He turned, beginning to walk towards the office. He wondered if Rangiku was awake yet and if she was already at the office. He shook his head, knowing that couldn't be possible since she had gone out drinking last night. She was probably still asleep back at her quarters.

As he stepped to the door, he paused, realizing that the office was unlocked. He blinked, distinctly remembering that he had locked it the night before. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, looking around before spotting Rangiku sprawled out over the couch, while Ikkaku, Renji, Hisagi, and Izuru lay sprawled out across the floor in a passed out manner. His happiness faded and a look of anger now appeared on the young captains face. "RANGIKU!", he exclaimed, causing everyone to jump up into a sitting position. They looked around the room only to find an angry tenth division captain hovering near them with an annoyed look.

The men were speechless, however, Rangiku was not. She looked over at her captain and blinked, "Yes captain?", apparently she didn't see what was wrong with this. "Why is everyone laying on my office floor?", he questioned, crossing his arms. "Oh! We were all too drunk last night and I guess we didn't make it back home...We must have come and crashed in here!", Rangiku laughed as if it was ok. But it wasn't ok because the anger was bubbling inside Toushiro now. "Everyone...OUT!", he ordered, glaring down at the people still sitting on the floor staring at him in what looked to be fear. They all got up immediately, bowing and apologizing to Toushiro as they left. Rangiku tried to sneak out with them but Toushiro was quick to stop her.

"How many times have I told you no drinking in my office!", Toushiro looked up at his vice-captain sternly. "But captain~! We were just having fun and we didn't break anything!", Rangiku whined, putting on her pouty face. Toushiro growled and walked over to his desk, taking a seat on the chair. He leaned over and placed his head in his hands. His great start to the morning turned into a disaster. He now had a head ache.

"Morning~!", oh no, just the person he would rather not see at the moment. "Oh! Good morning Gin!", Rangiku smiled at her old friend. "Ahh, Izuru-kun's not'ere by any chance?", he questioned, looking around for his vice-captain. "He just left", Toushiro replied simply. "Awww, I wanted to apologize to'em for last night...", Gin frowned slightly. "Apologize?", Rangiku questioned, trying to think back to what Izuru had been upset about last night, "OH! You made him do all the paper work, didn't you?". Gin smirked and nodded, "Yup. I feel bad, but oh well. He ain't here so he'll have to wait". "Or you could leave and go look elsewhere...", Toushiro murmured, his head ache growing worse by the second. "Aw, yar bein' mean again, Shiro-chan", Gin tilted his head as he looked at Toushiro, wondering why he was being so mean. Gin stepped over to the desk and leaned over, trying to look at Toushiro's face. He could see the anger and annoyance. "Ya gotta learn to relax, Shiro-chan~! Stop bein' so angry...Rangiku's a good example, follow her lead", Gin suggested, gesturing to his old friend.

Toushiro was on the edge and all it took was Gin's words to push him off that cliff. He snapped. He quickly sat up, glaring daggers at Gin. "That is Captain Hitsugaya and I have no time for childish games! I'm not here to play I'm here to work. You should be doing the same instead of throwing everything on your vice-captain! No wonder Izuru throws himself into drinking! It's because of you! You're cold and cruel! Maybe you should stop joking around and get serious once in a while! That goes for you too, Rangiku! Both of you need to straighten up! Now get out of my office, Captain Ichimaru!", a look of surprise was on both Gin and Rangiku's features. Toushiro had never spoken like that before. It was surprising and hurtful at the same time.

"Ya really know how to bring a man down, Captain Hitsugaya", Gin stated, his smile nonexistent as he turned and left the room. However, when he left, that smirk was back on his features. He didn't care for Toushiro's opinions. But as long as the young captain thought he did then everything would go his way.

Rangiku watched as Gin walked away. He really did look hurt as he left the room. She then looked back at Toushiro, a stern look now on her features. "You don't have to be so mean, captain. He was only trying to help!", she stated, crossing her arms, "I think you need some alone time to just think things out yourself. When you're done spilling out your anger at others come and find me". She turned, heading out of the room and off to see Gin. She hoped he was alright.

...

Toushiro had been sitting at his desk now for a few hours. His vice-captain had not returned and he wondered where she had gone. He felt bad, a sense of guilt for what he had said to her and to Gin was present now on his features. He growled, shaking his head, "Damn...". He got up from his desk and headed out of his office. He had to straighten this out.

Rangiku hadn't found Gin. He hadn't gone back to the third division office but she was having some tea and a nice conversation with Izuru about everything. "Both of them, I swear. They can be complicated and at each others throats most of the time. It's Gin that pushes it but still...my captain doesn't have to react that way...", Rangiku sighed and took a sip of her tea. "I agree...Captain Ichimaru likes to push peoples buttons. I think he bugs Captain Hitsugaya because he's easy to annoy, for him, anyway...", Izuru stated, trying to come up with good replies for Rangiku to consider and maybe cheer her up. Rangiku was silent now as she stared at her cup of tea. "Hey, maybe we should just lock them in a room together and tell them to 'get along or they can't come out', or something like that", Izuru laughed, his statement obviously a joke. But a look appeared on Rangiku's features and she smiled, "That's a great idea, Izuru!". "W-What..?", Izuru blinked in surprise, "I-I was just joking!". "We should get Momo-chan in on this too~! With her kido skills locking them in there and making them powerless to escape until they actually get along should be a piece of cake! Ohhh! You'll have to trick Gin, and I'll trick Captain Hitsugaya and we'll meet in the old storage room of the tenth division, ok?", obviously Rangiku was no longer thinking it as a joke. She was serious and she wanted to do this. Before Izuru could even protest, she was already gone. "Why me...?", he murmured, almost ready to cry.

Toushiro walked down the path towards third division. He figured that was where both Rangiku and Gin would be. He looked up, however and spotted both Momo and Rangiku running at him. He blinked, wondering what was happening as they suddenly grabbed both of his arms and began to drag him towards tenth division. "Momo! Rangiku! What is the meaning of this?", Toushiro exclaimed, struggling in their grasp. "We're just going to make you and Gin get along~!", Rangiku stated with a smile. "What? How?", Toushiro wasn't liking this. "You'll see Toushiro-kun!", Momo replied. "That's Captain Hitsugaya!", he growled, still trying to struggle free.

As they arrived at the old storage room, Izuru was already there. He opened the door, murmuring an apology to Toushiro before he was pushed inside and the door was shut and locked. Momo then cast a kido seal on the storage room, making them unable to use any sort of kido to escape. "Now you two start to get along or you're not coming out!", Rangiku stated.

Toushiro began to bang on the door, "Rangiku! This isn't funny! Now unlock this door and let me out! RANGIKU!", but it was obvious nobody was listening to him. "My as well give it a rest, Captain Hitsugaya", called Gin, who was sitting on a box by the far wall, "They're not gunna let us out...". Toushiro turned, seeing Gin sitting there. He had been looking for him to apologize but now he didn't know what to say. He sighed softly and took a seat on another box by the door, a good distance of space was between him and Gin. The two were silent now.

Gin was acting as if he was still upset for Toushiro's words earlier. After all, he had come here willingly after he made Izuru spill the beans about the plan him and Rangiku had. He didn't mind being locked in a room with Toushiro. Not at all. Toushiro would be the one to have the most problems with it. Gin would enjoy this. Let the torture begin.

...

"Are you sure it's alright to just leave them there?", Izuru questioned as they walked away from the storage room. "It'll be fine!", Rangiku stated, "Besides, we need to do something to keep ourselves occupied while we wait for the results of this test. So, let's go back to tenth division and have some sake!". "I'm sorry", Momo apologized, "I have to get back. Captain Aizen needs me to run some errands for him so I can't drink with you. Maybe later". "Alright, thanks for the help. We'll let you know what happens!", Rangiku stated as the two watched the girl head off towards fifth division.

"Do you think they'll be angry...?", Izuru questioned, worry clear on his features. Rangiku looked at him and shook her head, "No, I think they'll be just fine. Besides, this gives us a break from them. You aren't forced to do paper work and I don't have to be yelled at for not helping with the paper work!". Rangiku opened a bottle of sake as they now sat in the tenth division office. She poured two cups and handed one to Izuru. Izuru wasn't sure about this but he took the sake and began to drink. Maybe this would get his mind off of this whole situation.

...

It had been about an hour now and the two had not said a word. Gin didn't mind the wait and he could tell the silence was bothering Toushiro. He began to wonder when he would finally snap and start talking.

Toushiro had been thinking this whole time about what he could do to get out of there. But there was nothing. He would have to admit, Momo was more skilled at kido than him, and most likely Gin too, so that wasn't going to work. He didn't have his zanpakuto either. He never carried it around unless on a mission or in a state of emergency. He finally released a deep sigh, now seeing this was inevitable. He would have to work things out with Gin for this to end.

"I'm...sorry...", Toushiro whispered, barely loud enough for Gin to hear. "Eh? What was that?", Gin questioned, leaning in and placing his hand to his ear, "I didn't hear ya". "I'm sorry", Toushiro repeated, louder this time, "About what I said earlier...Just forget it...". Gin dropped his hand back onto his lap and smiled towards Toushiro. "It's fine", he replied, "Ya were just angry...Guess I deserved it". 'Yes!', Toushiro thought, however, the complete opposite came from his mouth, "No. No you didn't deserve it. You were trying to help and I blew up at you. Nobody deserves to be treated like that...". Toushiro had surprised both himself and Gin with his words. But he was glad he had said them, deep down, anyway.

Gin leaned back against the wall and looked up towards the ceiling, "When do ya think they'll come back?". Toushiro shook his head, "I'm not sure...". Gin glanced at Toushiro, seeing a look on his face that said he hoped it would be soon. Gin was not like that. Gin didn't care if they were stuck in there the whole night and even into the next day. It meant he didn't have to do his paper work and he got to tease and annoy his new favorite toy. "Ya know, Shiro-chan...we don't really know a lot 'bout each other, why don't we get to know a bit more?", Gin suggested, hoping to find something else in Toushiro's past he could tease him with. Toushiro looked over at the third division captain, wondering if he should open up to this fiend. But he decided he would and he would only tell him some minor details. Nothing major. "Ok...What do you want to know?", he questioned. "Anythin' really, just start talkin' I guess", Gin stated with a slight shrug.

Toushiro thought for a moment and sighed, "I grew up in the district known as Junrinan in Rukongai. Me and Momo lived with our grandmother and she went to school while I stayed home and helped our grandmother. It was nice...". Gin tilted his head at the story, realizing Toushiro had grown up in a reasonable district. So why did he become a shinigami, he wondered. "If it ain't too personal, mind explainin' why ya became a shinigami?", he questioned. Toushiro looked back at Gin, debating on telling him. Once again he would only disperse minor details. "My reitsu was killing grandma. I had no choice but to leave and train my reitsu and become a shinigami. I didn't want her to die...", he whispered the last part but it was still loud enough for Gin to hear. Gin could tell Toushiro was leaving out the major details. It only told him the young captain didn't trust opening up to him. "I can't remember the name of it...But it stands for the 'North Alley of Wandering Spirits'. Rangiku and me came from there", Gin stated, deciding to divulge as much information as Toushiro had, with some lying thrown in there, "wasn't easy...We had to fight to live, really. We decided to become shinigami so we could have a better life. Ran-chan thought it would be fun, too". He decided that was as much as he should tell and or lie about. But most of it was true. The only thing that was not was why he had become a shinigami.

Toushiro looked at Gin, knowing he wasn't giving him all the details, but by the sounds of it, given the district area, it must have been a rough life. "I'm sorry...", Toushiro apologized. Gin chuckled, "No reason to be sorry. It's only the past". Gin was smiling and Toushiro couldn't tell if he was really ok or not.

"What about...sexual experience in the past?", the question was so random and sudden that it almost caused Toushiro to fall off of the box he was sitting on. His cheeks tinted as he looked towards Gin. That was too personal. "That's none of your business!", he quickly remarked. "Aww, it was just a simple question~!", Gin replied with a casual grin. Toushiro looked away from him now, "If you're going to ask silly questions like that then this conversation is over!". He crossed his arms, closing his eyes now. Gin's casual grin turned in a smirk as he saw the look on his face and he heard his words. This was fun watching him squirm. Without a sound, Gin had got up and walked swiftly over to Toushiro, hovering over him now. "Does that mean ya have had sexual experiences besides our encounter, Shiro-chan?", he tilted his head ever so slightly. Toushiro jumped as he heard the voice so close and looked up, realizing Gin was right there. He leaned back away from the towering figure, "That's Captain Hitsugaya! A-And...that's still none of your business!". Being trapped in this room meant Toushiro had no escape.

Gin leaned down, his face now inches from the young captains, "But I'm curious. I'll tell ya mine if ya tell me yours~!". Toushiro's heart was racing, and maybe it was a mixture of both embarrassment and adrenalin but he suddenly pushed Gin back with an amazing amount of force, "Enough!". However, he immediately regretted pushing Gin. He watched as the fox faced man fell back into a shelf, causing it to break and everything fell on him and it sounded painful. Toushiro's heart sunk as he saw the scene. That was his fault. He quickly moved, pushing aside boxes and pieces of wood from the shelves that had fallen only to find Gin at the bottom and a piece of would through his leg and wrist. He winced at the sight. It looked painful.

"I'm sorry...!", Toushiro apologized, moving the last of the debris from Gin's body. Gin was in a daze for a moment before the pain finally sunk in. He hissed in pain, looking down at his body to see the two large pieces of wood sticking out of him. "Ya got a knack for injurin' me in some way, Shiro...whether it be by words or somethin' more...", Gin remarked, trying to make Toushiro feel even worse than he already did. And it seemed to work. Toushiro quickly looked around the room, trying to find something that he could use, maybe some sort of old first aid kid. "Hang on", he told Gin as he began to search through the boxes. But he only found old paper work and records from tenth division. He also found old training zanpakuto. But finally he came across a box that had a couple old first aid kits inside of them. He then rushed back to Gin. "This will hurt...", Toushiro warned, receiving a nod of approval from Gin before Toushiro pulled the first piece of wood out of his wrist. Gin whimpered it pain. It hurt more than he thought. Normally he wouldn't reveal his pain to others, but this was one time he couldn't help it and at least it was making Toushiro feel even worse, which actually satisfied him, in a way. Toushiro used what little healing kido he knew to try and heal the first wound as best he could before wrapping it up in bandages.

He then moved to his leg and knew this one would be more painful. He closed his eyes, gripping the wood before pulling it out. This cause Gin to actually cry out in pain and he lurched up to grab his leg, however Toushiro pushed him back down and told him to relax. Once Gin had calmed down, he once again used what little healing kido he could but this time he spent a larger amount of time on this wound. It was bigger and more painful. After that he bandaged it up. The last thin he did was make a makeshift sling for Gin's arm out of the extra bandages.

Gin slowly sat up, looking at his injuries. "This ain't gunna be fun..", he stated with a sigh. Toushiro looked away, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean for this...". Gin looked up at him, seeing the sincerity on his features. He frowned, something pulling on him from the inside to reassure the boy. He didn't know why either. "It's fine", Gin replied, "I know ya didn't mean to". However, it would seem Toushiro wouldn't listen to words. So, Gin reached out with his good arm and pulled him to his chest, resting his head on his with a grin, "Stop beatin' yarself up. I'm not dead so it's fine. Besides, now I don't gotta do my paper work", he chuckled, holding the boy there and taking in his scent. He had a strange scent about him. It was pleasant and peaceful. It made him relax. Toushiro's cheeks began to tint the longer Gin held him there, "You can let go now, Ichimaru...". "A little longer...", Gin whispered, nuzzling into Toushiro's spikey locks.

...

It had been a good six or seven hours now and the sun had already set but the pair were still drinking, now with others of course. They were all having some sake and playing strip poker. By now Renji, Ikkaku, Izuru, and Hisagi were in their underwear while Rangiku sat there fully clothed. She grinned at them. She was good at playing poker. "Give up yet?", she questioned, wondering if any of them were brave enough to go all the way. Men and their egos, you know. They might not want to show their stuff to each other.

Izuru set his cards down and so did Renji and Hisagi. However, since he was so determined to win, Ikkaku held his ground. "I'm not going to lose this fight!", he exclaimed. Rangiku's smile grew and she was quite pleased at hearing this. This would be fun.

Izuru sat there and watched, feeling sleepy from how much he had drank already, but also a puzzled look was on his features. "What's wrong, Izuru?", Hisagi questioned, looking over at his friend. He looked up, "I have a feeling we're forgetting something...", he stated in a slurish manner. "Like what?", Hisagi asked. "Dunno...", Izuru replied with a shrug, "Must be nothing". And with that, he went back to enjoying more sake and watching as Ikkaku and Rangiku battled it out at strip poker.

...

It had been a long time now and it was probably already passed midnight. The storage room was cold due to it being old and poorly insulated. This resulted in at least Gin being cold. Toushiro was used to the cold so he could stand this sort of temperature but Gin, however, was having some difficulty dealing with it. Gin was laying on the floor with his head propped up by his haori that Toushiro had managed to remove from him. Toushiro sat close by, his eyes feeling heavy and he was dazing in and out. He almost fell forward before he caught himself, waking up and looking around. The room was dark but his eyes were used to the darkness. He looked over at Gin, wondering if the man had fallen asleep. It would appear that he had, however he was freezing. He was shivering and a disturbed look was on his features. It was then that Toushiro had realized the temperature had dropped and just because he could handle it didn't mean Gin could. He moved over to Gin, removing his own haori and placing it over the man like a blanket before proceeding to look around for something warmer. There was nothing.

Toushiro knelt by Gin's side, watching as he continued to shiver. He wasn't sure what he could do. By now everyone was asleep so there was no use calling for help. No one would come and get them until morning so Gin would have to suffer with this coldness for the night. But that wasn't good. He could catch a cold and that would be even worse since he was already wounded. So, Toushiro thought of no other way, and he laid down beside Gin. He was nervous at first, wondering if he really should do this. But he decided it was fine and moved even closer to Gin, using the mans shoulder as a pillow as he tried to share his body heat with the other. He hoped it helped as he slowly drifted off to sleep. The events of the day seemed to wash away for the time being as Toushiro fell asleep next to Gin. Who knows what tomorrow would hold.

END:~ Ya, a slightly cute ending lol. I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for the reviews already! It makes me really happy, especially since I almost NEVER get reviews on the first chapter! Thanks for reading and please review! More to come soon!