This is the Next chapter!
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Chapter seven
The day had gone with much ruckus for the last minute preparations of the new celebration. Every barrack now adorned with brightly decorated trees that became surrounded with different colored boxes of every size. On the streets were hurried steps filled with excitement and contentment. Except for one
"Hinamori!" Rangiku barged in looking half dead.
"AH! Rangiku it's just you…wait is Captain Hitsugaya with you?" she scrambles up from the floor, looking both ways out in the hallway.
"What's the matter…?" Rangiku's eyes flare up with curiosity as she sees a partly closed box at the foot of the table. She springs to it excitedly but was not fast enough.
"No Rangiku!" Hinamori held the package tight to her chest in a life threatening grip.
"C'mon Momo, don't you be mean too" Rangiku pouts, folding her hands to imitate her captain
"What are you talking about?" she gets up cautiously to sit on the couch, looking to see if Rangiku was calm
"My captain came back to the barracks and I asked him where he had gone. He didn't answer and then I asked him why he looked so…he looked like he was in deep thought-oh Momo after that he made up some pretend work and made me do it! I'm so tired!" She now cried on Momo's lap without restraint
"Calm down Rangiku, he was probably in some sort of bad mood" she patted Rangiku's head gently.
"Why does he have to take it out on others" Rangiku shot up "the only thing that can cure me" she giggles and takes the source of her curiosity
"Rangiku!" Momo regretted letting her guard down around her
"Is it for Hitsugaya?" she pulls out the object from the opened edge. "A purple scarf" she blinks for a few minutes, inspecting the garment slowly
"I just saw that Hitsugaya had a worn out scarf, and I only have purple yarn" Momo sighed
"Purple huh" leaning against the door stood the future owner of a purple scarf
"Captain!" The two girls said in unison.
"You found me" Rangiku tried to change the subject, hiding as best she could the long cloth behind her.
"You always run to Momo when you don't want to work" Toshiro walked over to her, taking the scarf effortlessly.
"Hey, at least pretend you didn't see it to make Momo happy" Rangiku protested
"Oh, do you wan to wrap it?" Toshiro was blunt as he extended his gift over to Momo
"N-no, it's okay, think of it as your early Christmas present" Momo waved her hands stupidly. 'Oh well'
"She doesn't mind" Toshiro repeated to Rangiku as if she was slow to process information
"Yeah, well now you have to wear it all day" she took the scarf and wrapped it around his head tightly. He didn't complain, but removed the scarf silently, folding it and putting under his hand.
"Here Momo" He stretched his hand out to her, though now with a small packet in it.
"Oh, what's this?" she took it hesitantly, inspecting it.
"Happy early Christmas" Toshiro headed out the door "Rangiku, the paper work you did was not made up you didn't do mistakes by the looks of it"
"It's merry not happy…and thank-you" Rangiku yelled after him. She knew that meant thank-you.
"It's a red ribbon" Momo interrupted Rangiku's thoughts
"Really?" Rangiku walked over to the obviously happy shinigami. When she looked at the box she knew what ribbon it was, it was the one Momo had given to him so he wouldn't forget her.
"This means he still remembers the time I gave a red ribbon to him. I wonder if he still has it" Momo blushed as she took it out to tie it around her hair bun. Rangiku was shocked, did she not recognize it? Or was she wrong
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"Good afternoon captain Hitsugaya" Renji bowed at the approaching captain
"Good afternoon" he replied
"Where did you and Rukia go off to?" he asked calmly despite the great curiosity he had
"I had to take her home, Captain Kuchiki was waiting for her" he responded coolly as he looked out at the endless falling snow, it didn't stop people from moving about.
"But she could have just taken Ichigo right? Or me" Renji said, getting pissed off with the captain's nonchalance.
"You were arguing and not putting attention to her" Toshiro crossed his arms and tucked his hands inside his sleeves
"Oh, um well guess what, I have a present for her, you know, since we are close and all" Renji added expressively the last phrase; he had to make sure Hitsugaya got the picture. Toshiro in return looked at him, giving a strange look
"What's the present" he decided, was the best question. Renji got more fumed; Hitsugaya seemed to care more about the present than the person he's going to give the present to. Was he wrong and Hitsugaya really didn't like Rukia?
"A necklace" Renji answered. Toshiro noticed it wasn't enough
"That's it"
"That's it?!" Renji repeated angrily, how could he say that. He searched his sleeve and took out a flat square box, opening it and practically shoving it at Hitsugaya's face. Toshiro silenced his mental laugh, that phrase was enough to get the results he wanted.
"This is what I'm going to give, what do you think?" He grinned with satisfaction as Hitsugaya inspected it. It was a bold necklace, Rubies hung down, and going from smaller to bigger in size as it went to the center. Rukia would like that?
"Rangiku helped me out I have to admit" Renji boasted. Toshiro was sure that if he spoke he'd laugh, out of all the people to help him. That wasn't very mature, which made Toshiro wonder if Rukia looked for people like Renji, or Byakuya that were more mature.
"How about you, what are you going to give to Momo?" Renji teased, still seeming proud of his present.
"Already gave it to her if you want to see it" Toshiro said, walking past him. He walked down the squad five hallways slowly, turning one last time as Renji headed to Momo's room.
"Momo has many friends to visit her huh" he sighed in strange relief. He decided to take the short way out of the building, jumping out the window.
"Captain Hitsugaya" Rangiku called before he could jump off the window sill
"Yes Rangiku" he waited, not moving from where he stood.
"Is it the ribbon-?"
"Yeah" he interrupts, closing his eyes
"Why?" she pushes, he could do something irrational for all she knew
"I held on to that ribbon so that I wouldn't forget. But now, I see it as some betrayal I'm doing to someone else" Toshiro sighed, he was a child, thinking some material thing could do something bad. "I bet she's mad at me"
"No, she doesn't even recognize it, she actually thinks it symbolizes that you will keep on holding her close in memory. Toshiro is the 'someone else' person owns the name of Rukia Kuchiki?" She smiled weakly at her captain's faithfulness.
"It amuses me how much she's grown on me" Toshiro speaks in a low voice
"Which by the way I got what you ordered, it's in your office" She giggles as she watches the captain leap off "at night" she informs herself.
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I thought this chapter is important for one reason…to show Toshiro doesn't like Momo. Thank you -_- YES, FINALLY, the chapter I've wanted to write is next! Along with previews to my next stories!