IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE PT. 5

EVEN IF IT COSTS ME MY LIFE – PART 5


"I love you."
Momo stared at Toshiro, her eyes wide, her cheeks bright red. "Do-do you…really mean that?"
"Yes." Toshiro looked at Momo, his gaze intense.
"Shiro-chan?"
"Yes Momo?"
"I-I love you too," she said shyly, her blush deepening even more.
Toshiro gently took hold of Momo's hand. He leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against hers. They were soft and warm and tasted like plum. He slid his arms around her and lightly pulled her up towards him. She responded enthusiastically, deepening the kiss. Her soft hair tickled his neck and face.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Toshiro and Momo pulled apart abruptly, then smiled shyly at each other. Momo slid down into her bed again and pulled the covers up to her chin.
"Come in," Toshiro called, his voice becoming formal and commanding.

The slid open and Unohana-taicho and Rangiku entered the room.
"Ah, Unohana-taicho. You're back. I trust you found Rangiku helpful?"
"Oh yes. She was able to help me very well with what I asked her to. Thank you once again, Hitsugaya-taicho, Matsumoto-fukutaicho. And I hope you and Hinamori-fukutaicho finished catching up while we were gone?" She looked intensely at Toshiro as she said this.
"Oh yes. We finished that." He smiled discreetly back at her, grateful that she had taken Rangiku out of the room so that he could say what he wanted to say to Momo.
She smiled back at him, knowing exactly what he was getting at. Rangiku looked from her taicho to Unohana-taicho in confusion. "What? Did I miss something? Why are you two smiling?"
"No, Rangiku. You didn't miss anything. We were just being friendly, that's all," Toshiro said lightly.
"…Well, if you say so." Rangiku pouted in disappointment.
"There's some paperwork Rangiku and I need to attend to back at the Squad 10 barracks, so we need to leave now Momo. I'm sorry we have to leave so soon. I'll come back tomorrow morning," Toshiro said.
"Oh. Ok then. I'll see you tomorrow then. But don't come too early. I might not be awake," Momo replied, smiling at him softly.
'Now I really think I'm missing something!' Rangiku thought.
"Come on Rangiku. Let's go." Toshiro snapped Rangiku out of her reverie.
"Uh, yes taicho."
"Thank you for coming Hitsugaya-taicho," said Unohana. "I greatly appreciate it. And I'm sure Hinamori-taicho feels the same way."
"Oh! Yes, I do!" Momo said quickly.
"We'll be going now. Let's go, Rangiku."
The Squad 10 taicho and fukutaicho walked out of the room. Toshiro looked back at Momo briefly, then closed the door behind him.

"So Taicho, what was going on back at the Squad 4 barrack? I couldn't figure it out," Rangiku said on the way back to their barracks.
"Nothing was going on. Don't let your imagination run wild Rangiku." Toshiro's face was back to its normal scowl.
"Oh Taicho, you don't have to be so shy about it! You can tell me. I won't tell anyone."
"Rangiku, even if there was something that happened that I wasn't telling you, you're the last person I would tell."
"Taicho! That's so mean! Why would you say something like that?!"
"Because it's true. You would tell everyone you knew, then go out drinking and tell everyone you don't know! That's just the way you are."
"WHAT?! That's not true!"
"Of course it is Rangiku, and you know it. So does everyone in the Seireitei."
"But Taicho!"
"Enough Rangiku. There's work to be done, and if you want a free evening, you need to do it now."
They had arrived at their offices.
"Yes Taicho," Rangiku sighed.

XXXX                                   

"Ah! Taicho? I'm done!" Rangiku called from her office.
Toshiro appeared inside her office in an instance. "Good Rangiku. You can leave now. That's all the work that needs to be done for the next few days."
"All right. Goodnight Taicho!" Rangiku pranced out of the room.
"Goodnight Rangiku. AND DON'T COME TO WORK TOMORROW WITH A HANGOVER!!" he yelled after her.
"Yes Taicho!"

Toshiro sighed. The day Rangiku came to work without a hangover was the day pigs would start flying. In other words, never. 'Oh well', he thought. 'At least she's gone. Now I can go see Momo without her knowing. '
He stood up and stretched, closing his eyes so he could picture Momo in his mind. He relaxed for a few seconds, then stepped outside the office, sealed the door with kido, and flash-stepped towards Momo's room in the Squad 4 barracks, eager to see her again.

He came to a halt outside the door to the Squad 4 barracks, pulled open the door, and stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind him. When he looked forwards, he noticed that Unohana-taicho was standing a few feet away from him.
"Ah. Back again, Hitsugaya-taicho?" she said, smiling gently.
Toshiro cleared his throat. "Yes. We, uh, didn't get to finished catching up when I visited earlier, so I decided to come back after finishing my paperwork."
"I see. Well then, you'd better get a move on. She needs her sleep."
"Yes, I know." Toshiro started walking again, then stopped after a few paces. Standing with his back to the Squad 4 taicho, he said, "Unohana-taicho…Thank you for everything you've done for her. It-it means a lot to me…"
"I know", Unohana said gently.
They stood in silence for the space of a few heartbeats, then Toshiro continued down the hallway towards Momo's room.