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: Sigh...my health continues to fail me, and my doctor is afraid I'm becoming a narcotics addict so he won't prescribe me the proper pain pills. Oh well. Guess I'll keep skipping work and crying in a fetal position on the futon. So, once again, I apologize for the slow updating but I promise I'm still alive and trying to write when I'm not super depressed about the state of things (I'm afraid my bad mood will spill into my writing and turn my fic more maudlin). Anyways, hope you'll all keep reading and feeling the love!

KhempriIrisi: Thanks again for the review! Yay for cuteness!

Writing bunny: Haha truth be told, I feel sorry for most of the Hollows in the series, they just wiped out now. Thanks for your thoughts!

Prince of Winter Dragons: Thank you, I'm glad you liked the last chapter so much! You might be right about the M rating, I thought since clothes stayed on, it was okay, but I'm definitely going to write racier stuff later. Wonder if I should change the whole story rating or if marking individual chapters is sufficient? Haha I'll see what I can do about them doing something that interests Toshirou, I think he's generally interested in most things, he's just less expressive about it. Peace and love! :)

pucflek: Thanks, it's always good to hear I'm improving! If you have any specific things you thought I did better in this chapter, feel free to let me know!

sagitgirlth: Lol yeah the manager was a spoilsport, and we all know Toshirou doesn't really mind. You're totally right on both counts! :P

Kohryu: Thank you! Toshirou is a pretty funny guy, isn't he? XD As for Matsumoto, it'd be interesting to see what she doesn't do next, haha.

xCrushxChanx18: Thank you very much for the review, they always make my day! OOC is something that can turn me off real quick in fanfics, so I'm super happy you find the characterization more real. And thanks for the well wishes, too! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Lil'ShiroLover85: Thanks a lot, glad you liked the fic!

ZoeyExtreme: Aww thanks, I'll do my best to write more so you're not jumping for too long! Thank you for the encouragement, I will immediately begin brainstorming!

Chapter 21

"Eh? You want to stay over at my place?" Inoue Orihime repeated in puzzlement while Matsumoto beamed down at the young girl. "Well, that's fine, of course, but—"

"Nice answer! I knew you'd say that!" Matsumoto drew the girl into a crushing hug. "That's why I love you so much, Orihime!"

Matsumoto was pretty excited. She had a feeling this could be a lot of fun. Ichigo and his ryoka friends were all such sweet kids and they'd done a lot for Soul Society, despite the rather rough welcome they'd received at the hands of the Gotei 13; she'd always wanted a chance to get to know them a little better and help them out.

Orihime definitely could use some help, Matsumoto noticed at once. The girl was putting up a brave front and doing her best to chat normally, but her eyes were downcast and her words carried no substance. Kurosaski Ichigo had been like that too, Matsumoto remembered with a flash of empathy. The arrancars had really done a number on these poor human children.

Well, if Rukia could cheer Ichigo up, surely Matsumoto could do the same for Orihime. The girl was super cute and big-breasted just like Matsumoto—they were practically sisters! With renewed resolve, the blond lieutenant continued, ignoring Orihime's yelps of pain from the jostling of her arm cast. "Now that that's decided, let's get in the bath! Today was really hot so I was sweating a lot, even between my boobs! Orihime, you come in too!"

"Oww! Me too…? Owowowow, Rangiku-san…!"

Matsumoto stopped her manhandling. "Ah, wait a moment!" She stuck her head back outside the apartment and called loudly, "If you aren't doing anything else, you should really come in too!"

She could practically feel the waves of irritation rolling out from the rooftop from her taichou and smirked a little to herself. After the karaoke, they'd gone shopping as agreed. Well…Matsumoto had shopped while Hitsugaya waited outside each department store to make more calls back to Soul Society to ensure their squad was still running smoothly (several passerbys stopped to ask if he'd lost his parents and needed to find a help desk). It might have been more romantic to shop together, but shopping alone had its advantages too. This way, she could take her time and try on as many outfits as she liked (and maybe check out any shoes and jewelry on sale too)! Naturally, by the time she'd finished, it was getting dark and Hitsugaya hadn't had a chance to look for a place to stay the night. Matsumoto had apologized over and over, but it was clear her captain would be in a foul mood for a while.

And of course, he was still being obstinate about turning to someone for help. Matsumoto smiled to herself. She was fairly certain she could wheedle him into coming down tomorrow. As for tonight…well, it looked to be a clear and quiet evening. And her taichou did enjoy his solitude.

Furthermore, there was still the matter of Orihime's sudden despondency, and Matsumoto had no doubt it'd be easier to wrestle the problem out of the girl without her chilly taichou around. I won't say it out loud since you'd hear and yell at me, but I guess this is good night, taichou. Sleep well.

She closed the door.

"How is the water?" came Orihime's timid voice from the other side of the bathroom door.

Matsumoto sighed in almost delirious contentment as she sank deeper into the steaming hot water. "It's perfect!" she managed to call back as she tilted her head back in complete relaxation. "Ooohhh, this is the best! It is a little small, though…"

"I apologize…"

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that!" Matsumoto frowned. Her hostess's voice was definitely smaller and more subdued than before. Time to get to the bottom of this. "Hey, you…what were you so gloomy for today?"

She could practically hear the other girl freeze outside. Of course, Orihime tried to deny anything was wrong, but Matsumoto quickly put an end to that attempt. Finally, in a quavering voice, Orihime slowly spoke of her feelings for Kurosaki Ichigo and his relationship with Rukia.

Matsumoto sighed and closed her eyes. It wasn't exactly what'd she expected, but she'd had a feeling this would happen sooner or later as well. Kurosaki Ichigo was a truly special boy, with a heart of gold to boot. And they were all at that age. Fighting together, risking your life for one another—they had experienced something special together in their bid to save Rukia and it was only a matter of time before deeper feelings began to develop. I'm sorry kiddo, Matsumoto thought sadly, you should have been a regular schoolgirl going to school and falling in an ordinary love with an ordinary boy, experiencing your first ordinary heartbreak, and falling in love again. But instead, you're cleaning up our mess with Aizen and possibly losing your heart for real to a boy with one foot in the world of the living and the dead. …Gin, do you see how many people you've hurt? Do you care? These are children, just like we were, but you're forcing them to mature before their time…

Outside, pathetic broken little sniffles could be heard. Matsumoto shot out of the tub and flung open the bathroom door. Crouched against a wall in the darkness was Orihime, tears still dripping off her face and chin. There was only one thing to do: tickle her back to normalcy.

And when Orihime had regained her breath, Matsumoto smiled and told her to continue and support the man she loved. Ichigo was still quite helpless in many ways, he would need both Orihime and Rukia to keep him going. Maybe later down the road, a choice would finally have to be made…but for now, this was enough, and hopefully things would work themselves out. Especially since Rukia was a Shinigami…but even Matsumoto had noticed the chemistry between Ichigo and the small Shinigami girl.

Ugh. Why was love always so difficult?

Matsumoto sighed and stroked Orihime's hair as the smaller girl had her crying spell. "That's it, let it all out. Honestly! Pretty girls like us should never have to cry over boys!"

"Have…you ever cried over anyone, Rangiku-san?" Orihime managed to ask shyly through her tears.

"Are you kidding? Of course I have! You wouldn't believe how much!" Matsumoto laughed, trying not to sound too bitter. Someone had to keep their morales high.

"Over who?"

"Er…" Considering how much of Orihime's heart she'd just demanded to be shared, it was only fair. But confessing to still be in love with one of their foes…that might not go over well. They were still barely acquaintances, as her captain had reminded her acidly earlier tonight.

"Is it Hitsugaya-kun—I mean, your taichou?"

Matsumoto blinked in surprise. "Oh. Do I look like I'm in love with him?" She hadn't thought she was that obvious that a human stranger could pick it up within minutes.

Orihime shook her head frantically. "Oh no, sorry if I said something inappropriate! It's just—the two of you are always together. I don't know really know that many people from Soul Society…"

"So that's it." Matsumoto smiled, relieved. If Hitsugaya learned that Orihime knew about them, he'd never come down and live with them. "No, it's a childhood friend that I often think about." She spoke slowly, picking her words carefully as she went. "He's not like Ichigo. …He's not straightforward and he likes to play tricks on people. But…he was always kind to me. He saved my life once."

"Then, he is like Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime insisted, which made Matsumoto raise an eyebrow. "Really, the truth is, I thought Kurosaki-kun was really gruff in the beginning, but then he saved my big brother and me…and I realized what a good person he was." She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Your friend is probably kind too…and he's just too busy helping other people like Kurosaki-kun to notice you…maybe…that's what I try to tell myself sometimes." She knocked the side of her head with the knuckles of her free hand and gave a small daffy laugh. "That's just me thinking silly thoughts, though, ahaha…"

"Well, you could be right about Ichigo," Matsumoto replied. The two of them were now seated next to one another against a wall. "But I…I don't think that's the case with my friend. I really don't know, though. He never tells me anything. Not what he's thinking, not where he's going…" She blew, frustrated, at some loose wet strands of hair that had fallen into her eyes. "I know he cares about me, but…he's just so far away from me at times. "

"Maybe he's trying to protect you. Kurosaki-kun is like that too …"

"Hmm, but how does that make you feel?" Matsumoto glanced at Orihime. "Do you like being protected like that? Do you like waiting around for him to finish fighting and return?"

"No! I hate that!" Orihime immediately burst out. "I want to help Kurosaki-kun always! I don't want him to always be the one burdened! I want to train and get stronger, so I can be useful to him and fight by his side! …oh."

Matsumoto laughed at the girl's expression as understanding registered. "See? That's exactly how I feel." She glanced upwards at the ceiling, imagining the small body resting above it outside, and instinctively smiled. "That's why it's so great being with Hitsugaya-taichou, you know. He's a great guy to work for! It's like you said, we're always together. He never leaves me out of anything. He pretends to be such a tough guy, but the truth is, I don't know a man with a bigger heart or deeper emotions. He acts like he doesn't care, but then he watches out for everyone in our division, and he always takes the biggest risks himself. You think he's not listening when you complain about some problem, but then you find out he went and stuck his neck out for you as soon as you left." Matsumoto curled up and hugged her knees, feeling a tender warmth sweep through her, as she continued to talk about her taichou. "That's the sort of hopeless guy he is, my taichou. He's never made me cry. And even if he did, I think I'd forgive him instantly, because he'd be so sorry and awkward and he'd drive himself crazy trying to make it up to me."

She turned to see her companion looking at her oddly. "What is it, Orihime? You've been so quiet for a while now."

"Oh! Ah, uhm sorry…it's just, the way you talked about Hitsugaya-kun…" Orihime laid her head down on her own knees and smiled wistfully. "I feel like you must really like him a lot, Rangiku-san. You know him so well, and you must really trust him to think he'll never make you cry." She blushed and ducked her head. "Maybe…he can help you forget your friend. Ah! But what am I saying, I don't know anything, really…"

Oops, I got carried away and said too much. Matsumoto laughed nervously. "Well, you never know, you just might be right, Orihime!" It was time to change the subject before the girl realized how much more Hitsugaya already meant to Matsumoto. "Well, that's that! But hey! Do you have anything to eat, Orihime? I'm sooooo hungry!"

There were barely any clouds in the night sky. Toshirou stared up at the moon, trying to settle his emotions. It had been a hectic day and he was bone-tired. Tomorrow, he definitely had to find somewhere to stay, no matter what devious attempts Matsumoto made to convince him otherwise.

Well, he could probably find a place tonight, but…it was the first night, and he told himself he wanted to make sure Matsumoto was settled properly. Her face the night he walked her home from the bar kept popping into his head. Uncharacteristic fear and loneliness had been written all over her features, and her gratitude upon his staying filled him with a helpless fury. Damn you to hell Ichimaru, for what you've done to her. You really must be the most cold-blooded bastard in Soul Society if you were able to leave someone like her without another word.

It certainly explained the ungodly amount of sleep she seemed able to undergo every time she came to the office. Toshirou wondered just how many hours Matsumoto was able to procure at home alone, then decided it was best not to think about it. He only hoped Matsumoto would be able to sleep peacefully tonight. He kept part of his mind trained on her reiatsu to detect any changes indicative of distress.

The other part of his mind…he sighed. He could identify with Matsumoto's plight. During the daytime, there were a hundred things that required his attention, and he was able to keep his mind trained on his responsibilities. But when the sun went down and his tasks were completed…he was pretty sure that in all the years to come, the moon and black night sky would forever remind him of his fight with Ichimaru. That horrifying surreal moment he realized that Hinamori was ready to kill him at Aizen's word.

Why hadn't she woken up yet? Unohana assured him that Hinamori wasn't critically injured anymore. It wasn't her physical wounds keeping her unconscious, it was the tremendous psychological shock she'd endured. With the upcoming war, Toshirou wasn't sure it was even in Hinamori's best interest to wake up. But a selfish part of him wanted her to open her eyes, to be in his life again. For the longest time, besides Granny, she'd been all he knew. When he first set out to be a captain of the Gotei 13, Hinamori's face was the one he gave the people he would swear to protect. Slowly, as he realized that there were other people willing to accept him, more faces joined hers, but Hinamori was still much of what drove him. It felt odd continuing along this path without her. If he could just speak to her again, he thought he might feel better, more centered again.

He focused on Matsumoto's reiatsu. This was the true reason he was reluctant to distance himself from her on their first night. Unlike him, his lieutenant only barely kept her spiritual energy under control and it tended to flare out when she experienced a strong emotion. It was chaotic and yet, it always soothed him at the same time. Toshirou knew his reiatsu, when released, was cold and violent, intent on killing. It was the same for most of the captains. On the other hand, the lieutenants' reiatsu were largely warm and protective, with the exception of the eleventh division. Even when they were fighting for their lives, there was more love than hatred. When Hinamori attacked him, it was out of love for Aizen. When Matsumoto and Kira engaged that night on behalf of their captains, it was out of a fierce loyalty and desire to prevent any loss of life. It was…stabilizing. Toshirou had noticed many of the captains trained on their lieutenants' reiatsu when they were feeling imbalanced. By vicariously experiencing the uninhibited emotions of their partners, it was as if the captains were better able to deal with repressing their own and continue to deal with the often harsh decisions they had to make as part of their job.

It was a strange arrangement, but it worked. Toshirou frowned. Since the defection of the three traitorous captains, he'd noticed the reiatsu of Hisagi and Izuru had grown darker, as they had to fill the gaps left behind by Ichimaru and Kaname. He prayed it wouldn't happen with Hinamori.

Matsumoto's reiatsu had dimmed slightly in sadness. Toshirou immediately tensed, then relaxed when she heard Inoue's faint sobs wafting up from below. The girl was upset about something, and Matsumoto was comforting her. Then there was a familiar anguished dip, which made Toshirou grit his teeth, as he recognized it as the signature plummeting when Matsumoto thought of Ichimaru. He was briefly tempted to see what had transpired that would cause Inoue to remind Matsumoto of Ichimaru, but it wasn't any of his business.

Gradually, Matsumoto's reiatsu rose again, and felt warmer and happier again. Toshirou let it wash appreciatively over him. Strange, it was even more gentle and affectionate than usual. First Ichimaru, now this. What on earth was his lieutenant thinking about? Could I ever be of such comfort to her?

Ugh. Where had that thought come from? He gave his head a quick shake before any emotion could follow and take hold. Things were going well between him and Matsumoto, but he wasn't going to delude himself into believing he was anywhere near replacing Ichimaru.

The women started laughing loudly again, then begin talking excitedly about food. Whatever angst they'd been experiencing had passed. Matsumoto was back to feeling happy. That was good. Toshirou shifted slightly to settle back more comfortably against the rooftop ledge and breathed in deeply, feeling more at peace. He trained his eyes back on the moon.

"Good night, Matsumoto."

He didn't know how long he'd been resting, maybe an hour or so, when it hit him.

A shock of powerful, evil spiritual pressure. It was unmistakable. "Arrancars," he muttered, half in disbelief. He hadn't expected action so soon, they hadn't even been in the human world for a day. Was this some response from Aizen?

He'd just popped the soul candy in his mouth and emerged in his spiritual form, when Matsumoto leapt up to join him on the rooftop. "Taichou!"

He kept his eyes on the sky. "Where is Inoue?"

"I told her to watch my gigai so she won't interfere. She should be safe."

"I see." There. He narrowed his eyes as he felt a presence flash around them. "Get ready, Matsumoto," he warned in a low voice. "They're here."

The words had barely left his mouth, when two figures clad in white appeared before them. He distantly felt Matsumoto's shock at their speed, but he didn't have time to worry about that as the taller newcomer disappeared to appear behind him, sword drawn. Toshirou cursed inwardly and countered just in time with Hyorinmaru.

"I'm arrancar number 11, Shawlong."

"Tenth division captain, Hitsugaya Toshirou."

It was evident they would need more space to battle properly. In unison, they transported themselves to another rooftop. Toshirou noted with disquiet that the arrancar's speed matched his. He might even be faster, while their limiters were still on.

Arrancar number eleven…what did that mean? He kept his eyes on the enemy before him, but his mind was racing. There were six arrancars in the area. One was engaging Abarai and another was fighting Madarame. He could sense Kuchiki and Kurosaki moving out, so they were presumably about to battle one as well. And of course, Matsumoto was fighting the other one who'd appeared with Shawlong. Shawlong had taken the initiative, so it was likely out of the two of them, he was the leader and therefore stronger. But what about the others? Number eleven…eleventh strongest? Were there arrancars with higher numbers here? If so, the other seated officers might be outmatched.

This was too dangerous. He was almost positive this called for a lifting of their limits, but he doubted the enemy would be gracious enough to give him the time needed to call in a formal request. Only captains and lieutenants could make such a call, and Abarai was alone. He glared at the arrancar and tightened his grip on his zanpakuto.

It would have to be Matsumoto then. It was going to be difficult, since she was fighting the other arrancar, but she would definitely try to find an opportunity to lift their limiters.

"Tenth squad captain," Shawlong was musing aloud. "It would appear I've hit the jackpot."

"No," Toshirou retorted grimly, summoning forth his reiatsu. "You might just be the unluckiest one of all." His lieutenant would find a way to get through to Soul Society. He knew she would. It was just a matter of how long it would be. There was no other choice; they had to hold on until then.

I'm counting on you, Matsumoto. Don't die.

"BANKAI!"