Pink It’s The Color Of Passion / ‘Cause Today It Just Goes With The Fashion
Pink It’s The Color Of Passion / ‘Cause Today It Just Goes With The Fashion
Hitsugaya awoke around nine of the morning on the morning of May 13, only to find himself surrounded by pinks, greens, blues, and purples. He racked his brain for exactly why he was here, and when he recalled the previous evening’s events immediately regretted thinking on it. He groaned and tried to swing his left arm up over his eyes, but found the pain from doing so to be too great. Damned broken bones…
‘And you’re still sure you want children?’ Hyourinmaru snickered. ‘Haineko says Rangiku still seems to be set on it.’
This is not the time, dragon, Hitsugaya complained. Surely, my own children won’t be so damned hard to handle…
Hyourinmaru laughed loudly, causing Hitsugaya a mild headache. ‘If you say so.’
I do, agreed Hitsugaya. Now, do you mind leaving me to shower in peace?
‘Very well, master. Have a lovely shower, and try not to scream too loudly.’
What? Hyourinmaru, what the hell are you talking about? Hitsugaya demanded, but to no avail. Hyourinmaru had abruptly cut their communication, likely to go and schmooze up to Haineko. Hitsugaya groaned, brushing the dragon’s words off as his attempt to be funny and headed for the bathroom.
Around half an hour later, Hitsugaya emerged from the bath, having made the best of it with his injured arm, toweling off and finally wrapping the towel around his hips. He thought he noticed a pink tinge to the white towel, but dismissed it as a trick on his vision from all the pink in Matsumoto’s bathroom. He caught a glimpse of himself in the fogged over mirror above the sink, again seeing pink. Again dismissing the idea, he wiped down the glass with his towel and grabbed his toothbrush. Finally taking a good look at himself in the mirror, he realized exactly what he had seen.
His hair was… pink! He tried very hard to rub it off on the towel, but to no avail. The color was set in to stay. Realizing that he couldn’t remove it, he instinctually decided between fainting and yelling, and yelling won out. At least he didn’t scream.
“Matsumoto!! What the bloody hell has happened to my hair?!”
oOoOoOoOoOo
Kyoraku opened one lazy eye, snuggling a bit closer to the pillow beneath his head. “Nanao-chan, already? It’s barely nine-thirty, and a Saturday, no less.”
Ise wrapped a free arm around her lover, snuggling into his back. “That wasn’t me. I think Hitsugaya taicho is yelling at Rangiku.”
“So early, but it’s a Saturday…” Kyoraku mused, lacing fingers with his Nanao-chan.
“It is a bit early, isn’t it? She usually waits until about midday on the weekends before causing trouble. But it is only Tuesday… speaking of which, why aren’t we at work?”
oOoOoOoOoOo
“Oh, but Toshiro, I think it’s lovely. You know my favorite color is pink,” Matsumoto tried to console her very unhappy fiancé, wondering just when his hair did turn pink. Yachiru was obviously the cause of this incident, but she couldn’t place when.
Smirking, she plopped down on the sofa, motioning for Hitsugaya to join her. He grudgingly sat down, hitting his arm and wincing in pain as he did.
“At least she only dyed the hair on your head, right?” Matsumoto asked innocently. Hitsugaya scowled and threw her a glare. A guilty Matsumoto would have been more innocent. “Would you like me to check and make sure that’s the only place she got to?” she offered, winking suggestively.
Hitsugaya blushed deeply and stood quickly from the sofa, huffing as he marched to the other end of the room. “Find some way to have this horrendous color removed from my hair. I will not be seen like this,” he demanded.
“But you’re just so cute!” she squealed, finally waking Yachiru (who apparently sleeps like a ton of bricks), and hugging him in her customary drown-Taicho-in-my-boobs-hug.
Hitsugaya was mumbling something as she held her grip firm, running her fingers happily through his now-pink hair. Yachiru appeared in the doorway between rooms. “Shorty-chan-taicho’s hair is pink, like mine, now! Yay, it worked!”
“I think it’s adorable, Yachiru,” Matsumoto agreed. She placed an index finger on her chin in contemplation, “But, when did you dye it? And don’t you need to rinse the dye out afterward?” Hitsugaya finally struggled from her death grip and stood looking at her incredulously.
“Peacock-brow gave it to me. He said it won’t wash out for at least thirty days,” Yachiru mimicked Matsumoto’s earlier position, “you don’t have to rinse it out when you first put it on, and the only way to get rid of it before those thirty days is to shave your head. Although some color always comes off after the first wash with that color.” Yachiru finished her small monologue and jumped out a, thankfully, open window.
“Shave… my… head…?”
Matsumoto looked to Hitsugaya, who looked completely horrified, and luckily made it to him in time to catch him before he fainted. She laid Hitsugaya on the sofa, fanning him in an attempt to wake him, and composed a quick message, via hell butterfly, to Abarai and Hinamori. She needed someone to watch Yachiru while she found a remedy to Hitsugaya’s hair.
Only moments later Hinamori appeared at the door of Matsumoto’s flat, followed by a very reluctant Abarai. Matsumoto rushed over to them, giving them a death glare to force them to go no further.
“What’s wrong, Rangiku-san?” Hinamori asked, very obviously concerned. She looked questioningly to Matsumoto.
“You have to swear not to tell anyone about this,” she declared, fixing a hard stare on Abarai.
“And what if we don’t?” Abarai asked, unfazed by her unusual looks. “What are you gonna do ‘bout it?”
“How about if you say anything about Toshiro’s hair, I tell everyone what I saw you two doing in the bathhouse last week?” Matsumoto glared at Abarai, “Mr. Better-taicho-than-you-‘cause-I-wouldn’t-date-my-subordinates?” Abarai gulped nervously and gave his unhappy consent. Hinamori blushed prettily and swiftly agreed.
“Hai, Rangiku-san. We won’t say a word, will we Abarai taicho?” Hinamori, too, cast a hard glance at Abarai. Matsumoto’s glare softened and she stood aside to allow the other’s to enter her living room.
Hinamori and Abarai reached the sofa just as Hitsugaya was sitting up again. He squinted his eyes in mild pain, rubbing his temples. He scowled when he noticed the visitors, Abarai trying incredibly hard not to laugh, and Hinamori looking mothering and concerned.
“What are you staring at?” he asked, none too kindly. Hinamori ‘tsked’ and Abarai finally lost the battle to control his laughter.
“Chibi Hitsugaya taicho has… pink hair!” Abarai guffawed, earning him an elbow in either side from Matsumoto and Hinamori.
“They’re here to watch Yachiru-chan while we visit fourth division. You need to see Unohana about your arm, and they’re the most likely to have a remedy,” Matsumoto explained, causing Abarai to look shocked and Hitsugaya to cast her a skeptical glance. “Unless you want to go to twelfth?” she offered. Hitsugaya immediately decided he’d rather face the humiliation of the trek to fourth division.
“We came to watch that… pink demon?” Abarai finally choked out. Hinamori nodded.
“Yes, Renji, I told you that’s what Rangiku-san wanted before we came, remember?” Abarai’s face paled.
Yachiru came bounding back into the room, dragging an unhappy Takezoe along. “Yachiru-chan!” Matsumoto called happily, scooping the girl up in her arms, “I was worried about you, after you disappeared, and I didn’t know where you’d gone.”
“Har, I went to find me sixth mate. He be the bestest candy looter in me crew, me first mate,” Yachiru replied.
“Oh, is that so?” Matsumoto asked, placing a finger to her chin in contemplation. “I need you to stay with Renji and Momo-chan for a bit. I have to take Taicho to see Unohana about his arm.”
“Yay! Pineapple-head and Bun-girl! Har, mateys, ye can be me first mate now, Bun-girl. And Pineapple-head, ye still be me fourth in line!”
Matsumoto latched onto Hitsugaya’s arms and drug him from her home as quickly as possible. She shunpoed with him halfway to fourth division before pausing to catch breath and walk. It was in that moment that she realized Hitsugaya’s hair was indeed pink, and they were in a very public place. Thinking quickly she wrapped her arms around him again and before anyone could take much noticed shunpoed the remainder of the distance into the fourth division office.
He looked to her questioningly when they first arrived, but after seeing a strange look on Yamada’s face, turned grateful, having momentarily forgotten the state of his hair color.
Yamada walked up to them, a bit timidly, and offered a greeting. “Hitsugaya taicho, Matsu- I mean, Rangiku-san,” he bowed politely to each in turn, “Unohana taicho has returned, but she will be a few moments. Let me show you to a room.” He looked at Hitsugaya’s hair questioningly, but seemed to decide against questioning it.
“Hai, Hanatarou-kun,” Matsumoto agreed as she and Hitsugaya walked down the corridor after him. They passed Unohana’s office, the door standing slightly ajar and voices audible. Matsumoto paused for a moment, natural curiosity getting the better of her. Hitsugaya frowned but stopped as well, and Yamada followed suit.
Zaraki Kenpachi and Unohana Retsu sat on a small love seat in Unohana’s office, oblivious to their spectators.
“I’ve been thinking, Kenpachi,” Unohana said quietly.
“Yeah? Wha’ about?” Zaraki replied. Obviously it was important, normally she was quite straightforward with whatever she wanted. She seemed nervous.
“Well, Yachiru is getting to an age where she needs a woman around, to kind of show her the ropes, so to say, of growing into a teen. And well, I was thinking, what better person than me for that job, seeing as we’re together and all, and I have Yachiru’s resounding approval,” she stopped for a moment, looking to Zaraki for agreement or approval. He nodded his head, a silent encouragement to keep talking.
“So, circumstances being as such, I think that in order for me to fill my role as a foster-mother, of sorts, I should be more readily available to Yachiru-chan. And the only foolproof way I’ve found of doing that is for us to get married,” she smiled.
Zaraki simply had no words to say. Oh, he had plenty of words, but he couldn’t make his mind tell his mouth to form them, and the words on the very tip of his tongue were probably not the best choice, given the situation. Finally, after opening and closing his mouth several times, he formed a somewhat cohesive sentence.
“Are ya sure tha’s what you wanna do?” he asked, still baffled by the idea. She nodded eagerly and he managed another statement, “I don’ have a ring or nothing. I’ll have ta get ya one, an’ shouldn’ I be the one askin’ you to marry me?”
“I don’t have to have a ring, Ken-chan,” she stated, teasing him lightly with Yachiru’s nickname, “And no one ever said a woman couldn’t ask for a man’s hand in marriage. Besides, marriage comes with certain benefits that you’ve not been privy to yet…” she flushed lightly, watching Zaraki’s mouth drop.
No, he hadn’t forgotten about sex, and although she wasn’t exactly prudish, she did express wishes to not jump into such situations straight away. And even Zaraki Kenpachi had decency enough to respect those kinds of women’s wishes.
“Okay, then. If tha’s what ya want, then we’ll get married,” Zaraki choked out just before he passed out, falling from the sofa to the floor. Unohana looked a bit uneasy, but smiled just as quickly and began to set out to wake him from his faint.
“Hmm, maybe that was too much at once? The great Zaraki Kenpachi, brought down by a woman asking for his hand…” she mused happily.
Unable to contain her excitement, and being the hopeless romantic that she was, Matsumoto immediately ran into Unohana’s office, grabbing the not-altogether-surprised woman in a hug, giving her loud and happy congratulations. Unohana smiled happily and thanked her. Much to both their surprise, Hitsugaya had to as good as drag a very nervous Yamada into the office, whom he was halfway supporting, just barely, with his good arm. Unohana gasped in surprise at seeing the young men enter the office.
Matsumoto pulled Hitsugaya to the side as Unohana worked to revive the man now passed out in her office. “At least you’re not the only prude taicho in the Gotei Thirteen,” she stated, huffing slightly and pouting. Hitsugaya took a few moments to try and figure out what Matsumoto was getting at.
Suddenly it dawned on him and he opened his mouth to protest, but decided against it when he felt his face heat. Instead, he crossed his arms, as much as possible, and fumed, glaring at Matsumoto. “I didn’t realize it was such a problem for you,” he huffed.
“It’s not, not really. I was just teasing…” she stated cheerfully, before whispering in his ear. “But, we could remedy that after Unohana taicho gets you fixed up, you know?” she whispered, voice full of lust. She laughed happily as she pulled away from him, watching him blush bright red.
Hitsugaya attempted as best he knew how to school his features and fight the blush to make his glare to Matsumoto more effective.
‘Oh, so this is what my Mistress has been frustrated with?’ Haineko purred to Matsumoto.
Whatever could you be talking about? Matsumoto returned, knowing Haineko could see through the poor attempt at lying. I will not own up to anything yet, cat.
‘Tis okay, Mistress, Hyourinmaru essentially treats me the same…’ Matsumoto nearly fell over at the ash cat’s statement.
Haineko, I didn’t know zanpakuto could have sex… Matsumoto trilled, quite alarmed by the idea. Hitsugaya cast a funny look to Matsumoto, taking in the bewildered expression on the woman’s face. She was just happy that Unohana and Yamada still seemed to be occupied with Zaraki, and ignored Hitsugaya for the moment.
The amusement and slight unease showed itself in Haineko’s next words, ‘Well, Mistress, I do not believe it is the same sort of thing as your sex. Rather, it is simply a joining of the spirits, in a way. I suppose the best way to describe it is as a mating ritual with out the mating. But it really is so much more…’
Well, then… and I am not frustrated, and I like the idea of waiting, you know? It’s just so different than I expected. I mean, he’s still a teen, even by our standards, and shouldn’t his hormones be driving him over the edge right now?
‘Rangiku, consider this. He is precocious in all facets of life, as yet, and although, if Hyourinmaru is any indication, he is likely already well developed, perhaps he is embarrassed, or afraid he will be. And besides, do you really want to risk being all fat and pregnant when you get married?’ Haineko chided.
Matsumoto giggled aloud, picturing herself in a wedding gown with a very round tummy. Then noticing a little closer the details, she grimaced. I am going to be fat, aren’t I?
She huffed, crossing her arms and amplifying her chest. “I forgot about that. I’m going to be fat… why do I have to be fat?” Matsumoto asked aloud to no one in particular.
“What on earth are you talking about, Rangiku-san?” Yamada inquired politely.
A small giggle came from the corner. “She probably just realized that it’s inevitable that she will gain some weight when she conceives,” Unohana chimed in, supporting a recovered but still slightly woozy looking Zaraki. “It is only natural, and of the utmost importance to the unborn child. And nursing seems to be such a pleasant experience for the mother and child to bond. It is most beautiful, really.”
“Nur… sing…?” Hitsugaya asked. His face paled, successfully ridding him of the blush. “She can’t do that. What if some of the men in the division or somewhere see that? If they say anything, I’ll have to kill them…” he trailed off, continuing to mutter under his breath.
Zaraki laughed heartily. “Don’ worry, kid. We’ll keep ‘em in line for ya. I know Ikkaku is alwa’s rarin’ for a fight.” Hitsugaya was still so upset that he didn’t even have the heart to scowl about being addressed as ‘kid.’ Instead, he simply nodded, silently accepting whatever Zaraki was offering. “Is yer hair really pink?”
“Ah, but enough about that. Hitsugaya-kun, I believe your arm is in need of healing. Hanatarou-kun, please show him to room 93,” Unohana commanded, and Yamada, Matsumoto, and Hitsugaya walked from the office.
Only a short time later, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto found themselves discussing the best way to remove the pink from his hair with Unohana.
“I’m afraid you’ll have to get the color stripping agent from whomever you gave Yachiru-chan the dye. I could send you to the twelfth division. I’m sure they would have a remedy as well,” Unohana offered. Hitsugaya got a slight chill from thinking of having to face the twelfth division.
“I think I’ll take my chances with Ayasegawa,” he sighed, his shoulders drooping. “If we may leave?”
Unohana gave her dismissal, wishing them luck with the color problem, and saw them to the door.
Matsumoto walked beside Hitsugaya, and in an attempt to cheer him up, fed him a compliment.
“Pink is my favorite color, you know? I still think your hair looks lovely,” she tried. Hitsugaya’s shoulders just slumped.
“I know it is. But I think it looks terrible,” he sighed. Suddenly his distraught attitude turned to anger, “When I get my hands on Ayasegawa, he’ll be frozen so quickly he won’t have time to fluff those stupid feathers on his eyebrow.” Matsumoto chuckled softly, trying not to anger her taicho anymore.
“Ah, but Taicho, do you have to make shinigami popsicles from him? He’s one of the best people to drink with, and he doesn’t hit on me like the other guys do…” Matsumoto trilled, half whining. Unfortunately, her attempt to lighten the mood only backfired.
“What. Other. Guys?” Hitsugaya hissed, stopping to glare at Matsumoto for not having informed him of this before, the temperature in the surrounding 3-meter diameter dropping drastically.
“Other guys? Who ever could they be? No one, of course, Toshiro!” Matsumoto laughed nervously, vainly hoping he would drop the subject and move on. If he was as angry as she thought, even the tiniest bit of jealousy from him did not bode well for her drinking buddies.
“Who are they? I want to know so I can freeze their asses as well,” fumed Hitsugaya.
Giving in, Matsumoto replied carefully, “Well, it used to be Renji, Ikkaku, Shuuhei, and sometimes Kira. It’s not anymore, though. Besides the random guy who comes up to me, and if they’re offering to buy, well, you know, I just have to let them. Why not use them for my profit?” she sighed then. “It only works the first time, though. They buy me a drink, then Ikkaku and Renji yell at them for ‘hitting on Hitsugaya taicho’s woman,’ and they sulk off. Renji and Shuuhei stopped hitting on me themselves and defending my honor a few months ago, and Ikkaku, too. I think Yumi got mad at him for hitting on me, so he started defending me instead,” she giggled happily.
Hitsugaya calmed down a bit and the temperature returned almost to the warm, slightly muggy feel of the May afternoon. He continued walking for a moment, mumbling to himself about something, something that sounded strangely like acquiring new desk ornaments.
He stopped suddenly again, turning to her, his eyes hard, “And what about Kira-fukutaicho? He has no reason to stop.”
She laughed outright then. It took her a good five minutes and several unhappy huffs and calls of “Matsumoto!” from Hitsugaya before she could breathe properly again.
“I don’t think you have to worry about him. Word around Seireitei is that he’s after Yumi. It’s all for the sake of appearance,” she said, catching breath between statements. “There’s no firm proof, but his crush on Gin was almost as strong as mine. And he’s quite fond of Kuchiki taicho, too. He says it’s just admiration, but, well…”
Hitsugaya mulled this information over in his head and seemed to be appeased by it. His next statement seemed to surprise him as much as her. “The next time you go out, I’m going with you.”
Matsumoto, refusing to be daunted by the turn of events, cheered gleefully and hugged and kissed Hitsugaya, forcing an oncoming group of unseated shinigami to have to go around them in the middle of the corridor. They also earned a few wolf whistles and cheers from their crowd. And one unfortunate fool was dumb enough to comment on Hitsugaya’s hair.
He found himself frozen to the ground only moments later, a very pissed Hitsugaya and still sniggering Matsumoto stomping and dancing their ways to the eleventh division.
The couple passed their own division, noticing that the pirate ship still seemed to be lingering in the courtyard, fully functional. Good, Hitsugaya thought, I don’t want Kusajishi to see this. Not that she doesn’t enjoy violence herself, but, still…
‘It’s because she is still a young girl, am I correct?’ Hyourinmaru cut in.
I guess. That’s terrible of me, isn’t it? Thinking that a fukutaicho should not see her fifth seat frozen to the ground. I’m turning into them, aren’t I?
‘Who, exactly, is them, Toshiro?’
Anyone who ever judged me because of my age and height. You know, on that note, I may just send Rangiku back to invite Kusajishi to watch, if she’d like.
‘I think it will be okay to leave her be. It seemed she was well occupied when we passed by,’ Hyourinmaru laughingly assured him.
“I guess. But, next time, if she wants to see someone fight me, she has a front row seat if she’d like. She can even help,” Hitsugaya stated aloud, more to himself than anyone.
“Taicho?” Matsumoto looked at him, confusion written on her features.
“Hm?” he looked back at her. “Oh, I was just thinking… about Kusajishi. Nothing important.” Matsumoto shrugged in response and stepped up to the door of the eleventh division office.
Just as she was about to knock, the door was opened by none other than Ayasegawa himself.
“Ah, Hitsugaya taicho! I’ve been expecting you!” he chattered nervously. Hitsugaya simply gave his coldest glare to him.
“You have five minutes to find a remedy,” he brandished his zanpakuto, his glare hardening and the temperature decreasing rapidly.
“Ah, no worries, Hitsugaya taicho! I have it right here!” Ayasegawa brought out a vial from his sleeve. It looked a horrible green-brown color, and Hitsugaya expected it to smell just as disgusting as it looked. “If you’ll just step right into my shop, we should have you fixed up in about half an hour, hair as white as always!”
Hitsugaya sheathed his sword, temporarily, and he and Matsumoto followed the fifth seat inside. The office in the eleventh division appeared to hastily be converted to a beauty shop, complete with a shelf full of hair care products, old magazines, and two shop chairs, even sinks and towels. Hitsugaya stopped momentarily and looked in shock at the strangeness of it all.
“Normally, I only work on Fridays and Saturdays, and never Tuesdays, but seeing as this is a special occasion, I happily opened my shop for you!” Ayasegawa swung an arm out, displaying his makeshift shop proudly to Hitsugaya. Matsumoto seemed to have been expecting it.
“The same as always, Yumi. Even the walls are the same shade of yellow. That must take some strange kind of kido or something, right?” asked a happy Matsumoto.
Ayasegawa laughed and scratched the back of his head nervously. “Ehehe, kido? Of course not!” then he added in a whisper to Matsumoto, “I had Unohana taicho cast it. Taicho doesn’t know, of course. He simply does not see beauty the way I do. It would render me banned from my division if he knew, and that would be the lowest form of beauty!”
Growing increasingly impatient, Hitsugaya cleared his throat and growled out angrily, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to get this taken care of.”
Ayasegawa snapped to attention and quickly set to work, strapping a cape over the young taicho’s shoulders and seating him in a chair. He applied the color-stripping agent quickly. While it sat, he forced Hitsugaya into a manicure, filing and buffing his nails to a sheen to rival Ikkaku’s head. He almost had him forced into a pedicure as well, but the timer he set for the color-stripper went off at that time. A thankful sigh escaped Hitsugaya’s lips.
As he was ushered to a sink, Hitsugaya grumbled about the sting in his eyes from all the fumes in the room.
“Ah, Taicho, it’s only a natural part of beauty!” Matsumoto admonished lightly. “If you want to be beautiful, sometimes you have to bear a little pain. Trust me, what he’s going to do next will make messing with your hair seem like a ray of sunshine.”
Hitsugaya grew visibly nervous, but had no time to object as he was forced beneath the running water, to have his hair rinsed. True to his word, when Hitsugaya emerged from the ‘shower,’ his hair glowed with the same white color Ayasegawa promised.
“Alright, let’s get you dried and styled, and a quick trim, and then we’ll tame those wild eyebrows. And when is the last time you shaved? Facial hair doesn’t seem your thing. I think we’ll give you a shave, too. Not that you have much to be shaved at the moment, and it’s the same color as the rest of your hair. I assume, at least,” he gave a suggestive glance in Matsumoto’s direction. She stammered out an embarrassed and reproachful “Yumi! How could you say that!” he only smiled in response.
Hitsugaya tried his best to struggle away, but lost the battle as Matsumoto forced him back into the chair. “You’ll love this, Toshiro!” he frowned but relented to his ‘torture.’
With his hair trimmed, dried and spiked to it’s normal stature and his face clean shaven (though Matsumoto declared she liked his stubble, thank you very much), Hitsugaya’s eyes grew large and very fearful when Ayasegawa brandished a popsicle stick dripping with hot wax. “This will be quite warm, but it won’t take long.”
Hitsugaya’s yell of surprise and pain reached the surrounding divisions. When he began work on the second eyebrow, a cry of “If you mess up his eyebrows I will personally shave your head with Haineko!” rang out.
Hitsugaya and Matsumoto returned to their division not long after, Yumichika only escaping the wrath of Hyourinmaru by promising free colors, cuts, shaves, manicures, and pedicures to Hitsugaya for the rest of either of their lives. He was only fully forgiven when he declared Matsumoto could share the same benefits, even waxing.
The couple found Yachiru in the courtyard, still commandeering her pirate ship. Even Hitsugaya had to laugh outright when they saw Abarai tied to the mast, Hinamori telling him she’d make him walk the plank if word got out that he’d tried to get her to do that in the bathhouse. Luckily, no one seemed to notice their little ‘barely clothed’ make out session besides Matsumoto.
In an unusual display of public affection, Hitsugaya wrapped his arms around Matsumoto’s waist as they stood laughing at the others. About that time, Zaraki came bounding into the courtyard for Yachiru.
“Ken-chan!!” she squealed upon his arrival. “Did Braid lady ask you yet?” she asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
“Ya don’t know how ta wait for nothin’, do ya?” he asked her. “How do ya know already, an’how?”
“Braid lady told me before you left. She said she wanted to be my mommy, and said she wanted it to be okay with me. So I told her yes. I’ve wanted a mommy for so long, Ken-chan. Now I’m really going to have one!” she said, her words very rushed and only just decipherable. She jumped up on Zaraki’s shoulder, hugging his neck tightly.
“Come on, kid. I gotta go find the fruitcake and have ‘im help me find a ring,” he told her. He said a quick thanks to Matsumoto and Hitsugaya. He had nothing to give them in ‘payment,’ but offered to take the ship off their hands on Yachiru’s behalf, and neither side argued against it.
“We don’t need money or gifts,” Matsumoto assured him, “Just take the ship, and keep hair-color out of Yachiru-chan’s hands, and she’s welcome to stay anytime! That, and the repairs to Taicho’s kitchen come from your division’s budget.” She glared icily at Zaraki, and even he decided not to take her on. If Unohana was a good example, well, they say “Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned.”
Matsumoto and Hitsugaya spent the rest of the day in the office, where she successfully avoided the paperwork. The first time Hitsugaya tried to force her to help, she whined, and he let it go for a few moments. The second time, she repeated this.
The third time, however, he decided to keep his mouth shut and do it himself. All because she replied with a husky, seductive tone, saying, “You know, I can think of a few things that might make me want to work a little more…”
oOoOoOoOoOo
She didn’t go out much for the next few weeks, and each time Hitsugaya still had paperwork to finish and semi-reluctantly told her to go with herself and her buddies, but to be home early. He didn’t like having to come and find her. Come June 6, he was in for a surprise, and a break from paperwork.