It Takes Time

By: Le tired

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or its characters, blah blah blah, etc.

Rated: T for some language and…stuff?

Author's Notes: Yaaay after what, eighteen chapters, we're finally in the human world, where I can play even more with the plot. Did anyone else notice that after they all split up, you don't see Matsumoto and Hitsugaya at Orihime's until nighttime but they arrived during the daytime? Hmm, what could have happened in the interim? :P Of course, I had to sort of repeat some of the actual scenes in the manga/anime, but I hope I did it without being too repetitive and hopefully adding a little POV twist to it. As for the plot of this chapter…I was on the fence about it for a while. It's kind of clichéd, I blame it on all the random shoujo manga I read that always has this happening at least once. Then again, from what I've read, it actually happens in Japan and they even have a name for it, although I forget what that is. Well anyway, I tried to make it a little different and more of a character development device that will come more into play in the next chapter. Lemme know what you think! And thanks to everyone who read and reviewed my other fic, I appreciate it! :)

sagitgirlth: Haha I'm totally jealous of them too. They have such awesome chemistry!

EmeraldTsukino: Thank you very much! I worried that it was too dramatic, but if you thought it was well-written, then that makes me feel better!

bandgirlz: Congrats on finishing your chapter! Yeah, I think it's best to focus on one story at a time, but sometimes I can't help it and start working up another story idea or two. I'm glad you liked the Byakuya bit, he's another captain that cracks me up :P.

Kohryu: Thank you for the flattering reviews! It's great that you like the character development, I'm enjoying exploring their personalities and inner thoughts too!

Writing bunny: Hah! I'd love it if they did get turned into popsicles. Unfortunately, I've noticed Hitsugaya shows a remarkable amount of restraint around them so…probably not :(. Oh well. Maybe it's Ikkaku's lucky dance XD.

Prince of Winter Dragons: Thanks for the review and thanks also for waiting for updates so nicely! Haha I hope there'll be more intense scenes sometime, or this story will be super anticlimactic :P. But, again, it'll probably be a lot later on. I also see HitsuMatsu as like best friends and soulmates who are so close they don't even realize that they've fallen in love a while back. As such, they probably won't be experiencing a lot of the more dramatic clashes in romances, and it'll be more of a deeper discovery of one another and themselves. Hopefully, it'll be good :).

therealesther: LOL your review made me laugh hard. Haha I guess I sort of did chain myself to the computer. I can't believe I've written eighteen chapters either…and I haven't even gotten to the scenes that first inspired me to write this fic. It's crazy .. Anyway hoped you enjoyed catching up, and here's another chapter for you!

kriitikko: Yeah, I think it was a good idea to explain Byakuya's thoughts in retrospect, otherwise he'd just seem like a big dick.

Chapter 18

"Oh my god taichou, you look so CUTE!" Matsumoto grabbed Toshirou and wrapped him in a massive, suffocating bear hug. "Just look at your gigai! Your uniform! You're a schoolboy!"

Toshirou growled and batted his cooing lieutenant away. His mood had not improved in the slightest as they arrived in the human world. If anything, it had worsened when he heard the next step in Abarai's plan. "Explain to me again, Abarai-fukutaichou, why is it imperative we go to Kurosaki's school posed as students instead of waiting for him at his house?"

"…well, it's not exactly imperative," Abarai admitted. "But Rukia and I know Ichigo's been having a hard time since the arrancars attacked and…we kind of want to cheer him up."

Behind them, Madarame was howling about how he couldn't carry a real sword, while Ayasegawa scolded him. Toshirou had to raise his voice slightly to be heard over the commotion. "…Again, you can't do this at his house, where we'd be less likely to attract attention?"

"He's upset about failing to protect his friends." Kuchiki Rukia stepped forward. "With all due respect, Hitsugaya-taichou, I feel it would be best to confront him there among his friends so they can mend their wounds together."

"But…" Toshirou started to say, then glanced over and saw Ayasegawa flash a smug thumbs-up, indicating Madarame was finally going to cooperate. He sighed and decided not to press the issue. There was a reason Kuchiki and Abarai were assigned to lead the mission. If they thought it was best to rendezvous with Kurosaki at the school, they surely had their reasons.

It was just…was he the only one who realized they didn't look anything like normal high school students?

…No, as it turned out, he was not the only one. Every student in Kurosaki's class noticed them and wouldn't stop staring.

Toshirou had never felt so stupid in his life, standing in front of the room with his moronic teammates, listening to the humans whisper about their appearances, while they waited for Kuchiki to climb up through the window and beat up Kurosaki, and then drag his soul off somewhere. Again, the reason why she felt she had to do this was not entirely clear to Toshirou, but he had to assume there was a reason for it. Otherwise he'd go stark raving mad.

Well he'd briefly seen Kurosaki, and he had to admit the boy appeared somehow diminished from when they'd met in Soul Society (although he'd still had enough obnoxious energy to call him Toshirou). That proud and confident way he carried himself was gone. His eyes were humbled and devoid of the passionate resolve they once held. It was actually…pretty pitiful to behold. Toshirou could empathize with the substitute Shinigami's fierce desire to protect those he loved, and the anguish that came from failing to do so. Hopefully, Kuchiki knew what she was doing and would return soon. He didn't think he could tolerate much more of the stupidity issuing out of Madarame and Ayasegawa's mouths. "Someone please switch places with me," he muttered.

"Hey, taichou." Toshirou almost jumped at the soft whisper in his ear. "Do you think it's love?"

"What?" It was Matsumoto of course. He rubbed at his ear irritably. It was tingling where her lips had briefly touched. "What are you talking about now, Matsumoto?"

"I'm talking about Rukia and Ichigo, obviously." Her eyes were sparkling. "Wouldn't that be so cute? I think they've really got some special understanding over there, you know. The look in his eyes when he saw her there at the window, and how happy she looked when she saw him too…" Matsumoto's lips curved into a sly smile. "…she looked like how I feel when I see you, taichou."

"…Matsumoto, can you please concentrate on the mission?" Toshirou turned back to trying to keep an eye on the others, especially Madarame, who was pretty much looking for any excuse to attack a human.

"Whaaat, taichou?" Matsumoto protested, "It's not like we've got anything to do right now! We're just waiting for Rukia to snap Ichigo out of his funk." She paused and looked thoughtful. "Actually, maybe they'll want to be alone for a bit. Hmm…"

"What?"

"All right! It's decided!" Matsumoto smacked one fist decisively down into her palm. "We should go now, and meet them back at Ichigo's house!"

Toshirou could feel his blood pressure spiking. That couldn't be good for his heart in the long run. "Now listen, Matsumoto, you don't decide things…" But of course Matsumoto wasn't listening. She'd spun around and was now busy chastising Madarame for threatening another student who had just burst loudly into the room. He noted with some envy that she was much more effective than him in silencing the bald fighter and ordering their rowdy group around. Even Renji, the official leader, just seemed to go along with her whims. How does she do that, damnit?

"All right, that's enough excitement for one day!" Matsumoto called, clapping her hands. "We're getting out of here, morons!"

Toshirou twitched. "Oi, surely 'morons' doesn't include me, does it?"

"No way! The captain's different!" Matsumoto smiled, and her voice turned light and teasing again. "Lately, you've been acting rather cold, so I thought you wouldn't notice what I was saying."

"So you thought you could just say whatever—"

The student who Madarame had been terrifying a moment ago suddenly made a leap for Matsumoto. An honest-to-god leap. Complete with creepily outstretched hands and shrill perverted shriek of, "That's quite the scandalous uniform, miss!".

Even the most debauched man in Soul Society would never dare attempt that with Matsumoto, at least not while she was wearing her uniform as a lieutenant of the Gotei 13. And this slow human thought she wouldn't see him coming from miles away? Toshirou couldn't help watching in morbid fascination to see how she'd react.

Matsumoto casually backhanded the boy into a coma. That was a bit of an overkill. Toshirou could tell the others were somewhat startled. To think, after all that posturing and threatening, Madarame hadn't been the one to injure a human; it had been Matsumoto, probably the calmest among them (then again, her looks hadn't been insulted over and over).

"Oi, is this guy going to be okay?" Madarame asked as they strode out of the classroom past the twitching body on the floor.

"He's fine, he's fine!" Matsumoto answered cheerily. "Now let's go!" But as they trotted down the halls, she looked over at Toshirou with a decidedly mischievous glint in her eyes. "After all, Hitsugaya-taichou didn't reprimand me, so it must be okay."

He glared at her. "You didn't have to hit him that hard." But he had to admit to himself that he hadn't thought twice about the human's condition (beyond noting he was still alive) after seeing him lunge at Matsumoto like that. It wasn't like him to be so careless of the treatment of mortals around them, but the fool really had dug his own grave. Thinking he could just touch Matsumoto like that, when he didn't even know her name, seeing her as a slab of meat…the more Toshirou thought about it, the more he realized how offended he'd been.

Of course that was just what Matsumoto wanted. He shot her another angry look, but she just smiled back. Damn he hated playing into her hands. Would it kill her to button up her shirt? Walking around like that, she was just asking to be assaulted. Of course she is, his voice of reason scoffed. She enjoys the attention; it's proof of her desirability. She's daring them to try something. You can't really blame any red-blooded man who's tempted. They're like moths drawn to a light, they can't help it. If anything, you should pity them. Right. Of course. But he didn't. It didn't matter that Matsumoto could handle a dozen perverts with one hand tied behind her back. Toshirou still didn't like the thought of her as a target. He didn't like how other men's eyes just fell on her breasts, her body so casually. He didn't like how he could practically see the dirty images flitting through their heads.

It was funny he'd never really minded in Soul Society, but there, no one actually acted on their impulses. Matsumoto was still recognized as a fukutaichou, and always commanded a modicum of respect. Here, the blind ignorant humans judged them entirely by their appearances, and unfortunately, their appearances tended to garner irreverence and dislike, rather than regard. Between them mistaking him for a child and Matsumoto for an easy lay, Toshirou couldn't say for certain he wasn't going to hurt a human himself before the mission was over.

It only got more ridiculous at Kurosaki's place. This time, it was a mod soul in a stuffed toy. It didn't even have the physical, er, endowments needed for really doing anything to Matsumoto, but it somehow managed to emit more sleazy and perverted vibes than the human. Even Madarame was asking if this was some strange custom in the human world, to throw oneself at women.

Oh well. At least Kurosaki was looking better and showing more interest about the enemy again. He was also back to his disrespectful ways, demanding where they intended to stay and refusing to assist in housing them.

"Ehhh?" Matsumoto exclaimed, at Kurosaki's response. "Even for me?"

Kurosaki was clearly taken aback. "Thinking about it logically, wouldn't you be the first one to go? More importantly, why were you thinking it'd be okay for you to stay in the first place?"

Toshirou groaned inwardly. Wrong thing to ask. He had a pretty good idea what was going to happen next, and he was right. Matsumoto began unbuttoning her top. That threw Kurosaki into a stammering panic. Toshirou could empathize; he remembered how Matsumoto had stripped on his desk not too long ago…which somehow culminated in a night out together and then this whole relationship fiasco. You just couldn't tell with Matsumoto, whether she was bluffing or if she really was going to be standing in her birthday suit before you in a few seconds.

Luckily for Kurosaki, Matsumoto backed off after reveling in his flustered reactions for a few minutes. "Well, I'll be heading over to Orihime's place now." That led to another nosebleed and flying attack from the freaky mod soul, which Matsumoto promptly smacked down. Then she straightened and beamed at Toshirou. "Are you coming, taichou?"

"Of course not, idiot!" Overlooking the fact that they hadn't been invited by Inoue, there was no way he could live exclusively with two women. He knew Inoue wouldn't be able to refuse if he asked and was also too innocent to be uncomfortable with a male stranger living in her quarters, but unlike Matsumoto, he wasn't about to take advantage of the girl like that.

"You should come! It'll be fun!"

"For you, maybe." He started walking away from Kurosaki's. He could sense Madarame and Ayasegawa departing in a different direction, and Abarai setting off on his own somewhere else. Only Kuchiki stayed behind. Briefly, he recalled Matsumoto's talk of something going on between Kurosaki and the Kuchiki, but really, it was none of his business.

"Ne, ne, taichou!" Matsumoto was strolling happily beside him. "It's still early, so I won't go over to Orihime's just yet. Since it's just the two of us, why don't we walk around and see if we can't find something fun to do?"

There it was again, that accursed word. 'Fun'. 'Trouble', more like. "I'm going to report back to headquarters that we've made contact with Kurosaki."

"Sure thing, taichou! Do your thing! I'll wait!"

He sighed and turned away. He hated it when she looked like that at him, with those long-lashed blue eyes snapping with excitement. It made it damn hard to refuse her. Well, he had promised to try and make things up to her. Fine. Walking around couldn't be that bad, could it?

But first, the report. They were in a public park now. Since it was a weekday and only early afternoon, the grounds weren't overly populated. Most of the people present were mothers with young children on the playgrounds, or the occasional group of delinquent students loitering around and trying to look tough. Toshirou sat down a wooden bench and took out his soul phone. He was halfway through when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed three high school punks approaching Matsumoto, where she was leaning lazily against a tree. It wasn't hard to guess their intentions with those greasy grins and cocky swaggering. God, not again.

Some of his annoyance must have shown on his face, because when Matsumoto looked over and saw him, she winked. Toshirou wanted to throw his phone at her. Instead, he bent down and concentrated on completing his report. If this was how Matsumoto entertained herself, so be it. She could take care of herself.

"Hey nee-chan, you're pretty cute. You want to have some fun with us?"

"Yeah, we'll go somewhere real nice."

Lots of sniggering. Toshirou refused to look up. Matsumoto's airy, teasing voice floated back to him and drilled obnoxiously into his ears. "Hmm that sounds like it could be fun. What places do you guys have in mind?"

"Oh we can go wherever you want. I know a few good places to eat."

"There's a karaoke bar just a few blocks away."

"I could get us into the VIP room at another bar with some really great parfaits."

"Karaoke!" He heard Matsumoto clap once. "I've heard of it, but I've never tried it." Toshirou punched his finger on the 'send' button a little harder than necessary. "It's a good place for a date, isn't it?"

The punks laughed some more, clearly encouraged. "It's perfect for a date with a cutie like you."

Toshirou finally put his phone away and leaned back on the bench. The scene was pretty much what he expected. The men had gathered around Matsumoto, and were all but drooling down her cleavage. Matsumoto was still playing innocent, but when she saw her captain was finished and was now watching them with a dangerously bored expression, she quickly stepped away. "Thank you! Now I know where to go!"

"Eh? Go? Aren't you going with us?"

Matsumoto stopped and regarded the young men with a lifted eyebrow. "With you little boys? Ah, that's too bad, I must have given the wrong impression." She smiled and cocked her head in Toshirou's direction. "I'm going with my taich—er, um…boyfriend!"

"HAAAH?"

Matsumoto trotted the rest of the way over to where her captain was waiting. "Hiii, taichou! Are you finished with your report?"

"Of course." Toshirou stood and brushed his pants off. "Are you finished messing around with those idiots?"

"Taichou! It wasn't my fault! They came over to me!" Matsumoto exclaimed. "I can't help it if I'm irresistible to men, can I?"

"No, of course not," he intoned dryly.

Matsumoto looked heavenward, as if in deep contemplation, with a finger pressed against her cheek for dramatic emphasis. "Or…could it be…my darling taichou was jealous?"

Toshirou twitched at the 'darling'. "Matsumoto, I warned you all as we were coming through the senkaimon not to get involved in human affairs. They only complicate things, and if any of them happen to have spiritual power, which many of the inhabitants of Karakura town do, they might sense—"

"Hey!" The two Shinigami turned, confused, at the angry shout. The three high school boys were marching towards them, looking rather put out. The one leading them, a tall scruffy boy with shifty eyes, glared down at Toshirou. "Did you just call this freaky white-haired kid your boyfriend? You're kidding, right?"

"Hmm? Why?" Matsumoto looked puzzled. Toshirou rolled his eyes, folded his arms across his chest, and looked off to the side. Maybe if he ignored the humans, they would understand not to involve him.

"He's a kid!"

"Actually, he's not. He just looks like one. He's really very old!" Matsumoto replied, as if that would end the discussion.

"Whatever," the leader scoffed. His eyes fell on Toshirou and he reached down and jerked the captain up by the collar. "Are you really with this girl?"

"For the moment," Toshirou muttered, glowering at Matsumoto, who looked slightly chastised. "Although whether that remains the case after this remains to be seen."

"So you understand the situation, yeah, midget? Then get lost already!" The boy released his hold on Toshirou's shirt and shoved him. It wasn't a gentle push. Of course, Toshirou just fell back a few steps, but it angered him to know that a real human grade-schooler would have fallen, and likely been pretty injured. What scum. He shot another look at Matsumoto that promised retribution the likes of which the world had never seen. She was mouthing 'I'm sorry, taichou!', but he did not feel very appeased at all.

Another one of the humans grabbed Matsumoto by the arm and tugged her closer. "And you're coming with us now, babe."

Matsumoto stared down at the hand gripping her arm for a moment. Then she looked up blankly. Then she raised her free arm and brought her hand up to the boy's face-level. Then she flicked the boy's forehead.

"GAACK!" The boy flew back a good ten feet and crashed hard into a tree.

"Who said you could touch me?" Matsumoto tossed her hair back haughtily with one hand. "You know, I really hate grabby men."

The other two boys gawked, unsure whether or not to believe their eyes. Matsumoto turned to face them, hands on her hips. "You've been bothering me and my taich—er boyfriend for long enough. Now get out of our sight before I just beat your asses. Go on." She made a shooing motion with one hand.

That didn't go over well with their antagonists. One ran towards her, while the leader decided to charge Toshirou, fist pulled back in preparation. The punk smirked as he saw Toshirou wasn't running and swung with a yell. Even as his brain automatically concluded he must have hit the kid, the human felt his fist meet with empty air where solid flesh should have been. The follow-through of his futile swing left him stumbling and off-balance, even as his eyes finally registered his target had somehow disappeared from his sight. The next moment, he felt a light pressure on his outstretched arm. His eyes rolled upwards, disbelieving, to see the white-haired boy in mid-jump, with one foot effortlessly using his arm as a springboard to launch himself high into the air. The added weight tipped the bully further forward, and the last thing he saw before he went sprawling into unconsciousness was the scorn in his opponent's glittering blue-green eyes as he landed nimbly what should have been an impossible distance away.

Toshirou glanced over his shoulder at where the human lay in a messy heap in the grass. He'd regain consciousness within the next half hour, with nothing more than a few bruises and cuts. He probably deserved worse, but it wasn't a Shinigami's duty to mete out justice in the world of the living, only the dead. Toshirou turned to look at where Matsumoto stood. The last boy lay prone before her, taken out by a single downwards smack of her palm.

His lieutenant looked up and laughed nervously. "Ahahaha, we sure showed them, didn't we, taichou?"

"Matsumoto…" He started towards her, fists clenched and head lowered threateningly.

"Er, y-yes, taichou?" She swallowed hard. "Ah, you know, it wasn't my fault! They grabbed me first! I…I had to defend myself, right?" She backpedaled fast as her seething captain advanced. "I honestly didn't know they were going to be so persistent or so hostile! How was I supposed to know they'd come after us like that, taichouuuu!" Her back hit a tree. Oh no.

It may have been the very flames of Hell raging in Toshirou's eyes as he caught up to his lieutenant. "Matsumoto…" he began lightly with deceptive calm, "How many times have I told you not to get involved with humans if you could avoid it?"

"Ahhh umm taichou—"

"Never mind that," he cut her off coolly. "Because it doesn't matter, does it? I could shout it at you until my vocal cords ruptured, and it wouldn't make a difference." He took a deep breath, no longer serene. Reiastu exploded violently out of him.

"MATSUMOTO, IF YOU EVER DO THAT TO ME AGAIN, I SWEAR TO GOD YOU WILL BE GOING FOR A YEAR WITHOUT PAY, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"KYAAAAHHHH!"