Toshiro was seated at his desk, as usual, but this time, he was having trouble concentrating. His gaze momentarily drifted to the window where the sunlight teased him. In the middle of July, the heat spared no one, not even the Soul Society. Yet, he had to row until eighteen o'clock.

He struggled to focus, for various reasons that were his alone, and anything could easily distract him.

He glanced at his lieutenant, who was dozing off as if they didn't have a ton of things to do, and let out a sigh before getting back to work.

Or at least, he tried.

Really.

But his resolve didn't last more than a minute.

Exasperated, he abruptly stood up from his desk.

"This can't be happening!"

His outburst woke Matsumoto. Still half asleep, she tried to grasp the situation. Seeing nothing that could justify his state, she asked him.

"What's wrong, Captain?"

"I don't know. And that's the problem. I can't seem to focus."

"When was your last vacation?"

He couldn't answer her. He had absolutely no idea.

"Maybe that's the problem, isn't it? We need a vacation!"

"We?"

"Yes, we. You may not realize it, but I have to deal with your terrible mood every day. It's hard for them." She massaged her chest to emphasize her point.

It was her who was suffering, huh? He sighed.

However, he considered that she might be right about one thing. He glanced at the documents scattered on his desk before his gaze projected back to the window.

The weather was really nice, after all.

"You're right. Pack your bags, we're taking a few days off."

"Seriously?" The young woman couldn't believe it. "And where are we going?"

"To the real world."

"Oh, great! I'll be ready in a few minutes! Don't leave without me!"

He had been tempted to do so, but he thought he wouldn't have any trouble shaking her off once they got there. Besides, he could wait a few more minutes.

When they arrived above Karakura, Toshiro suddenly felt lighter. It was strange how he associated the city with vacation, a bit like some did with the beach. It was as if all the pressure he had felt until then had evaporated, and he almost let out a smile, almost.

"Well, let's drop our bags at Orihime's place and then go shopping!"

"You go ahead, I'll join you later."

"Where are you going?"

He disappeared with shunpo without bothering to reply.

Used to his ways and too happy to be there, she decided not to pay any further attention to it for the moment.

Toshiro walked without knowing where his steps were leading him. He observed the orange hues of the sky, swayed by the evening breeze and the song of birds. He didn't think his heart could feel lighter until that moment when his eyes fell on the silhouette of a young woman he knew well, approaching him.

With her eternal soccer ball under her arm, she walked without caring about what was in front of her. Her face turned towards the sunset to her left, she seemed lost in thought.

He took advantage of the few seconds he had before she noticed him to observe her.

She had grown up. Her hair was a bit longer and tied up in a high ponytail, but that's not what immediately caught his eye. The first thing he noticed was her refined face and her body that had become more adult. It hadn't been so long since they had last seen each other.

Her way of dressing had also slightly changed. Goodbye to the loose T-shirts, she was wearing a sports bra. His gaze fell on her bare stomach, and he felt a certain discomfort in scrutinizing her like this.

Toshiro wondered if there were moments when she wasn't beautiful. Because even after a soccer match where her cheeks were reddened from exertion, she was always beautiful in his eyes. He couldn't say exactly what he found so appealing about her, and it was quite unsettling, but every time she was in his line of sight, he always made sure she stayed there.

The young girl finally turned her face towards him, and when she met his gaze, she froze. He could read surprise in her eyes at finding him here before a smile conquered her face and she resumed walking towards him. He was then soothed by her voice.

"Tôshirô. Long time no see."

She spoke with a calmness that wasn't characteristic of her. She always did that when she tried to hide her true feelings. He sensed, from her slightly higher tone, the joy she was trying to suppress.

He responded with a "hm," unable to utter any other words. He wouldn't have known what else to say anyway.

"Have you been here long?"

"Just arrived."

"Oh, okay. And where are you heading?"

He didn't know himself. He had felt the need to go in this direction, so he followed his instinct. But upon reflection, the only place this path led to was the football field. He shrugged in response.

"Well, how about joining me then?"

He affirmed by nodding, and the two young people set off. After a few minutes of walking side by side in a pleasant and soothing atmosphere, the young Kurosaki broke the silence.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't know why she had asked him the question. Well, yes, she did; he looked worried. But what she didn't know was why she had asked the question when she knew perfectly well he wouldn't answer.

He stopped upon hearing her words and turned his face towards her.

"I just need a vacation."

"Matsumoto?"

"Among other things."

Even though she couldn't know all the responsibilities he had on his shoulders, she possessed a maturity and insight that made communication easier. With her, he didn't need to explain himself, to make long sentences. A glance or a word was enough.

Just like now, he didn't need to give her a list of everything that troubled him, a list he wasn't even sure would be exhaustive, because she was capable of sensing his emotions and soothing them, unconsciously. And that's what she did.

She wrapped her free arm around his and placed her hand on his uncovered forearm. At her touch, Tôshirô felt a shiver, and, disconcerted, resumed their walk to hide his trouble.

He could feel the warmth emanating from her skin, and although he wasn't used to this kind of small attention, he found it pleasant. Even more so the little pressures she exerted with her thumb, like a caress. The gesture was timid, but the comfort he felt was indescribable.

After a few minutes, they arrived in front of the Kurosaki clinic, and the girl separated from him. Immediately, he missed her touch, yet he showed nothing.

As she climbed the steps to her porch and he turned away, ready to leave, she interrupted him:

"If you'd rather sleep here than at Orihime's, you're welcome to. And just to convince you, besides, you won't have to face the oddities of my family; they're all away for a few days. You'll have peace and quiet."

"Impossible to refuse, presented like that." An imperceptible smile deformed his lips after his response.

She smiled back and invited him in.

The house was as empty as advertised, and the least one could say was that it was unusual.

"Where are they?"

"At the beach."

"And you?"

"I had a match. And things like that, not really my thing."

Tôshirô wasn't sure what she meant by "things like that," so he furrowed his brows, questioning.

"The crowd, the tourists, the noise, sand in your hair, to name a few."

After taking off her shoes, she headed for the stairs and quickly climbed them, thus escaping the young captain's gaze. From the top of the stairs, he heard:

"Don't stand in the doorway, make yourself at home. There's something to refresh you in the fridge. I'm going to take a shower, I'll hurry up."

Slightly uncomfortable with the idea of "making himself at home," the young man preferred to sit on the couch and wait for the young woman. He glanced around the living room, his eyes landing on family photos displayed on the walls everywhere. Obviously, the imposing poster of the late Mrs. Kurosaki didn't escape his view, but that's not what he focused on. He got up to examine photos of Karin when she was a child.

He was so absorbed in his discoveries that he didn't hear the young girl come out of the shower and call for him. He simply felt her reiatsu behind him after a few minutes. When he turned around to face her, he nearly choked.

She was simply dressed in a towel and giving him a glare. He turned around abruptly:

"But what are you doing!?"

"I could ask you the same! Didn't you hear me calling you? Since you didn't answer, I thought there was a problem and I came straight in."

As he said nothing and still had his back turned to her, the young girl decided to tease him a little.

"Come on, don't act so shocked. Matsumoto has exposed you to worse."

"But that's not the same!"

"Stop it, I'll get offended."

"What? No, I didn't mean to imply that you had little..." He turned to face her again and took her defense, but his cheeks turned crimson as he faced her. "I mean..."

Karin found his reaction amusing, so she decided to continue teasing him. It was the first time she had seen him so flustered, and she liked it a lot.

"You mean?"

"Well, it's not the same thing, you know."

As it was obvious he wouldn't say more and since he had suddenly regained his composure, she gave up. After all, she had more than enough. His embarrassed expression would stay etched in her mind.

She turned away to go to her room and get dressed, unaware of the discreet glance the captain had cast on her.