Sorrynotsorry, Iba fans, but I've turned him into a bit of an asshole. Here's the last part xx

*.*.*.*

Part III:

MONDAY, 8:59am:

Toshiro sat behind his desk working through the very beginning of his weekly nightmare. Paperwork stacked up in various piles on his desk, and then when he was done with that, his lieutenant's desk was in a much worse state.

A loud crash sounded from outside the office, and the door slid open slowly, revealing a rather flustered Rangiku.

"Captain!" She sung, "I'm on time today, aren't you proud?"

"Very," He responded dryly, "What is going on out there?"

"Oh, nothing, I just accidently bumped into the fifth seat while he was carrying a heap of training equipment…"

Toshiro sighed to himself; this woman would be the death of him.

"Okay then. Get started on your work and don't forget that you're supposed to be leading a drill practise for the new recruits at 11."

Rangiku pouted at him but sat behind her desk nevertheless.

This was the first time Toshiro had seen his lieutenant since their date on Saturday night – and since that incredible goodnight kiss – and to be honest, he was feeling quite tense. He didn't know what he wanted anymore; never had he liked her so much. He wanted to be the one to take her on future dates, and hold her hand. He wanted to take her home at night and hold her while she sleeps…but what if it didn't work? Toshiro couldn't face the risk of losing his lieutenant. More than that, she was his friend, one of his only friends, and he could never forgive himself if he lost her or hurt her in any way.

He could feel Rangiku staring at him as he worked. He wasn't sure how she felt about it either. She had thrown herself at him and initiated the kiss, but then again, Rangiku was known for being rather affectionate, and maybe she just wanted to cap off the night. Maybe she just wanted a novelty kiss from her captain? That last though made his heart sink. It didn't sound like something she'd do but he was overthinking things and his mind was spiralling out of control, so to him maybe it was possible.

"Um, Captain?" Rangiku's soft voice brought him back, "Hello, Captain?"

"What is it, Matsumoto?" He snapped. Damn, he didn't mean to sound so harsh.

"You've been staring at the wall for over a minute now," She explained, a somewhat concern expression on her face, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, do your work."

They worked silently for another hour, well Toshiro worked; he was pretty sure Rangiku was just flipping through a magazine behind those stacks of paper. He hadn't actually made much of a dent himself; he just kept thinking about his lieutenant, constantly going back and forth. He was pretty sure he'd come to his conclusion though: they couldn't be together. It just wouldn't work and he was not prepared to risk losing her over it. The idea of keeping their relationship platonic was killing him inside; his decision was practical but definitely not what he wanted deep inside.

"Thank you for showing me how a real man behaves on a date, Sir, it was very educational," She winked at him.

"You're welcome," Toshiro said gruffly, "That's what friends do. I'm sure you will put that to good use in the future."

Was that too obvious? Too harsh? He had emphasised the word 'friends' and had implied that she continue dating other men. Rangiku had apparently got the hint, because she was no longer smiling at him.

"Sir, Tetsuzaemon asked me to go on a date with him tomorrow night; do you think I should go?" She asked, her eyes searching for his.

Rangiku was testing him. She wanted to get a reaction from him, to see if he wanted her to go on the date, suggesting that they should keep their relationship as it is, or to see if he would get mad and demand she not go, signifying to her that he might want to take things further between them.

"Who?" Toshiro frowned, not recognising the name.

"Lieutenant Iba, Sir."

Ugh, not that guy; former Eleventh Division brute, now second in command under Captain Komamura. He'd never bothered to get to know the guy as he so rarely encountered him. His captain often spoke highly of his loyalty but Toshiro could not get over the fact that the man wore sunglasses at all hours of the night and day, regardless of whether he was inside or outside.

"You should go then," He lied.

There, it was done. Toshiro had officially severed any ideas either of them had about starting their own romantic relationship. He hated himself for it. He hated the way Rangiku was looking at him; disappointed and a little heart broken. She must have wanted to be with him too. Knowing that made things harder, but Toshiro believed he did the right thing. Rangiku would get over it soon enough and then find herself someone who would look after her better than he could, and they could return to normal.

"Ok, good, um…I'll let him know," She spoke solemnly, before rising to her feet, "I better get to drill practise now, Sir."

And with that, she strode right out the door. There was still 45 minutes until drill practise.

*.*.*.*

MONDAY, 1:25pm:

Rangiku sat at the table picking at her lunch. Nanao sat across from her, having come to visit during their shared lunch hour.

"Come on, Rangiku, cheer up," Nanao said in a strict voice.

"I'm not hungry," Rangiku whined.

Rangiku frowned as the dark haired lieutenant sighed and finished off the rest of her lunch. Rangiku was upset that her captain had told her to go on a date with another man. She had hoped he'd want her all to himself, that he'd get possessive and tell her that she was his and his alone, but he didn't. Toshiro did not want to be in a relationship with her, that much was clear.

"I think he was just trying to do the right thing by you, Ran," Nanao suggested as lightly as she could, "He probably doesn't want to ruin the relationship you two already have."

Rangiku groaned and placed her head on the table, covering her face with folded arms. She was doing her best to keep her emotions at bay, but she was hurting, and hurting bad. She had done the unthinkable on Saturday night; she had fallen in love with Toshiro Hitsugaya. It was stupid; he was her captain, and she his right hand woman.

"How come Shunsui didn't reject you then? He's your captain and he still wanted to be with you."

"Yes, but I spent years trying to reject him. I am more similar to Captain Hitsugaya in that way and you are more like my captain."

It was true that they were similar teams, but with opposite counter parts. The tenth had a hard working captain and a lazy lieutenant and the Eighth had it the other way around. Even their personalities were similar.

"How did he wear you down then?" She asked; maybe she'd get an idea on how to change Toshiro's mind.

"He was awfully persistent," Nanao blushed before adding dryly, "I've never seen him work so hard at something."

Rangiku gave a half smile. She was one of the few people who got to see the Eighth Division team in their private time being a close friend of Nanao and drinking buddies with Captain Kyoraku. She adored the way he would look at his girlfriend and lieutenant. She wanted that so badly, and she wanted it with her own captain.

"He also used to flirt with other girls," Nanao continued, "One day, I got so mad at him that I exploded. He kissed me then, and I realised he was trying to make me jealous. Sneaky bastard."

"And it worked?"

"Apparently."

Lightbulb moment.

Rangiku Matsumoto had an idea. She would make her captain jealous when she goes on her date tomorrow night; he'll get so worked up that he'll just spill all of his feelings right out. It was a brilliant idea, in her opinion. It must have showed on her face because Nanao was rapidly trying to talk her out of it.

"Rangiku, no! It won't work on him; you'll lose his trust…"

Rangiku tuned out. Her plan was going to work and she knew it.

*.*.*.*

TUESDAY, 7:30pm:

Rangiku was prancing around the office in what was obviously a new dress. She looked stunning as always, Toshiro noted, as she awaited the arrival of Lieutenant Iba. Evidently, she was in a great mood, which just pulled his down.

Rangiku had clearly gotten over whatever 'thing' they had going on, and she had done it seemingly overnight. Of course, it was what he wanted for her, to move on and put it behind her, but he wasn't expecting her to do it so quickly. It hurt him to think she could just move along to the next guy like that.

"Would you please sit down, Matsumoto; you're giving me a headache!" He snapped. He swore he could have just seen her smirk at him.

Before she could get to the couch, a knock on the door caused them both to look up. Happily, she bounced over and slid it open. The lieutenant of the Seventh Division wandered into the office still bearing his sunglasses despite the lack of sun. It was night time and he was indoors, what a fool.

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" Iba probably winked, but who could tell.

Toshiro felt the urge to bang his head against the desk. Seriously?! This guy?!

Rangiku giggled stupidly as she turned towards Toshiro with a large smile planted across her beautiful face.

"Okay, Captain, we'll be going now," She said, "Don't wait up for me."

"Wait, Matsumoto!" Toshiro exclaimed before he could stop himself.

Rangiku looked at him expectantly. He wanted to tell her not to go, to stay with him. Well, what he really wanted was to jump across the desk and make out with her on the office floor, but that could just be his hormones playing up again. Thinking quickly, Toshiro walked over to her desk and pulled her soul phone out of the top drawer.

"Take this with you," He ordered, "And call me if you need anything."

It was lame, he knew, but Rangiku smiled at him all the same. She nodded and turned to leave. Iba was out of the door first (typical, really, why would he let a lady go first?), and so Toshiro grabbed her arm before she could follow him.

"I mean it, Matsumoto, call me, even if it's just to walk you home…please."

Damn that woman, making him feel so pathetic and desperate for just sounding out his concerns.

"Yes, Sir!" She gave him a mock salute and a wink, and skipped happily through the door after her date.

Toshiro sighed; it was going to be a long night.

*.*.*.*

Rangiku was having some regrets about going on a date with Tetsuzaemon. Despite being both lieutenants, they hadn't actually ever spent a lot of time together, not alone anyway. As president of the Shinigami Men's Association, or SMA for short, he was often at odds with her friend Nanao, who was the Vice-President of the SWA under Yachiru, and Rangiku was starting to realise why. Nanao followed a more feminist ideology, while Tetsuzaemon was a 'sexist pig' to use her words.

Well, Nanao was right about the 'pig' part anyway, Rangiku noted, as she watched her date shovel Okonomiyaki into his mouth with his bare hands while he lectured her on why Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki was much better than the Osaka-style.

They were in a fairly dodgy restaurant, in which food lay on the ground (looking several days old), and a bad smell wafted from the kitchen. To make matters worse, they were in a very poor district where the crime rates are usually much higher. To be honest, she wasn't feeling very comfortable, especially not in her new, low cut dress.

Mentally, she ran through Toshiro's 'Guide to a Good Date', checking off the items Tetsuzaemon had achieved:

1. Did he organise the date a few days in advance? Check. Did she agree to this restaurant? No, not really.

2. Did he pick her up on time? Check. Did he bring flowers? No, he certainly did not.

3. Had he complimented her efforts to look good for him? Well, not unless she counted him staring at her boobs and muttering "So fuckin' hot" under his breath.

4. Had they talked about anything that would interest her? Nope, not even close.

They hadn't got to the bill or walking home yet, but she didn't have high hopes for him. He was on his way to becoming quite drunk too, which was a big no-no in her captain's books.

Rangiku herself was beginning to feel a little tipsy, but she made sure she didn't get too drunk this time. She wasn't exactly in the best neighbourhood. She forced herself to eat the cagey food, if only to line her stomach before drinking.

"So, Tetsuzaemon, what are the SMA working on at the moment?" Rangiku asked, trying to find something for them to talk about, "Anything interesting?"

"They won't be getting a new project until they complete the one I already gave them," Tetsuzaemon growled, "They're supposed to be growing moustaches like mine, but they're hopeless, all of them."

Rangiku frowned in distaste; so that was why most of her male friends had stop shaving. They were struggling to get that exact moustache, she agreed, remembering Renji coming to a lieutenant's meeting looking like a redheaded Mario. She had fallen off her chair laughing along with everyone else, with the exception of Nanao, Yemu and Chojiro.

"Why do you want them to look like you?" Rangiku asked.

"It's a good look," Tetsuzaemon smirked, "But you already knew that, didn't you, Babe?"

Oh, yuck, Rangiku swallowed, trying desperately to keep her food down. She hated – HATED – when guys called her 'Babe' with that stupid cocky grin and lust-filled eyes. She didn't mind it as a pet name when in a relationship, but it sounded awful rolling off the tongue of the arrogant man in front of her.

Easily blocking out Tetsuzaemon's rant on why Hiroshima was the greatest city in Japan, Rangiku let her mind wander back to a certain grumpy captain; because of him, she could not go back to normal men. For one night, she had been shown what it really means to be treated like a lady, and now every guy she came across was a bitter disappointment. She wanted to be called beautiful and have doors opened for her and chairs pulled out. She wanted someone to look her in the eye and treat her like she was the most special thing in the world, just like Toshiro did. Damn that man; he had ruined all future men for her.

Rangiku missed Toshiro. She wondered what he was doing at this moment; probably still working through the paperwork and forgetting to eat dinner. He was such a mess sometimes, a cute mess, but a mess nonetheless. She would never tell him that, of course. Rangiku really hoped her plan would work; it seemed to have an effect at least, which had been obvious before she left for the night. He could tell her to date other men but he couldn't hide the care and concern in his eyes.

Oh, his eyes, his beautiful teal eyes. She missed them the most. And his unique white hair. It scared some, but she thought it was wonderful; like freshly fallen snow. It was soft too, from what she remembered. She had spent a lot of time ruffling his hair when he was younger; he'd always try to swat her hand away and now that his reflexes were better, she rarely got to touch it.

She remembered being quite shocked to realise how much he had grown on Saturday night. How had she missed this? For the first time, she was seeing him as an adult and a potential love interest, not the little boy she found in Junrinan. But it was true; he had grown up. He was strong and mature, tackling adult issues more confidently and leading the Tenth through its golden age. It was probably the Winter War that had done it to him, when he had so much responsibility hanging over him his only choice was to sink or swim. God, she loved him.

"Oi, Babe?" Tetsuzaemon called, "Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Tetsuzaemon, I got a little distracted, what were you saying?"

Rangiku was sure that the man was glaring at her but with those sunglasses on, she couldn't be sure. She briefly wondered what colour his eyes were, she had never seen them.

"Wanna get dessert?" The lieutenant of the Seventh asked.

"Um, none for me, thanks, but you go ahead," Rangiku replied hastily, not wanting to eat any more of this suspicious food than necessary.

Tetsuzaemon shrugged and clicked at the waitress. A few dirty jokes later, and the poor young girl was scrambling off to the kitchen with his order. Rangiku had to duck her head in shame, as Tetsuzaemon addressed the girl like she was a lowly prostitute from the red light district next door.

"Please don't talk to her like that," Rangiku advised softly, "She's just trying to do her job."

"What?" Tetsuzaemon snapped, obviously insulted.

"I just…I don't think it's appropriate, Tetsuzaemon."

"Oh jeez, Babycakes," Tetsuzaemon laughed, finishing his glass of sake and pouring himself another, "You sound like Nanao, and that's not a compliment."

Rangiku's eye twitched – a bad habit she had picked up from a certain someone – and she forced herself to take a deep, calming breath.

"Nanao is my friend, please don't talk about her like that," She answered coolly, trying to hold her ground without making the situation worse.

Before Tetsuzaemon could respond, the young waitress had reappeared to let them know that the restaurant was currently out of stock of the dessert Tetsuzaemon had picked. Rangiku had not expected the uproar that followed.

"USELESS GIRL!" Tetsuzaemon bellowed, "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT AND DON'T COME BACK WITHOUT MY DESSERT!"

Rangiku froze in her position. She was pressed up against the back of her chair, as far from her date as physically possible without getting up from the table. Tetsuzaemon had lost it; she hadn't seen it coming. She wondered whether there had been a catalyst for this abrupt outburst or if this was just the way the guy was. Either way, she didn't like it.

Tetsuzaemon took deep breaths from his seat opposite her, muttering quietly to himself.

"Honestly, I'm a Lieutenant now, they need to show me more respect…"

The restaurant owner came over to their table a minute later, the bill in his hand.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but I am going to have to ask you to pay the bill and leave now."

The lieutenant of the Seventh Division glared murder up at restaurant owner – who was now looking rather pale – and Tetsuzaemon suddenly stood to full height. He towered over the owner and for a minute, Rangiku was terribly afraid. She knew that look; it was the look most soul reapers had before slicing down a hollow.

Without thinking, Rangiku stood between them, nudging Tetsuzaemon back a step.

"It's okay, we're leaving now," Rangiku spoke to the restaurant owner, trying desperately to defuse the tension.

Thankfully, Tetsuzaemon only growled and then stormed out. Rangiku sighed in relief before apologising to the restaurant staff and handing over money to cover the bill and the trouble her date had caused.

She stepped out into the cold night air and once again regretted not bringing a jacket. She called around for Tetsuzaemon but he had vanished. Sighing, she pulled her soul phone out of her purse; her captain would kill her if she walked home alone again.

"Hey there, Sexy," a sultry voice sounded from behind, "Are you lost?"

Rangiku whipped around to see four burly men striding towards her. They surrounded her like animals circling their prey. She did not like where this was going.

"No, I'm alright, thank you," She said, trying to appear as confident as possible as she walked towards the Seireitei.

A man stood in her way. He grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"Why don't you come with us?" He hissed.

The other men were closing in on her. Their eyes were dark and their smiles sinister. Unconsciously, Rangiku's free arm moved up in an effort to cover herself. Futile, really; it wouldn't help her now. Her pulse raced as the hand around her forearm tightened painfully.

In a fleet of panic, she punched the guy holding her arm straight in the nose. As expected, the man whirled back, removing his hand from Rangiku's arm in order to clutch his bleeding face. With a clear path now ahead of her, Rangiku flash-stepped away from the men before they could lunge forward. She heard them curse, but she didn't look back. She kept up her speed.

After a few minutes, she landed in a forest clearing. She had no idea where she was, and she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. Her only thought had been 'run!', and as a result, she was now completely lost. She was also without her purse; she must have dropped it when she punched that man. There wasn't anything of great value within it; a bit of left over cash, her lipstick and…and her keys.

Rangiku slumped tiredly against a tree. This had been, without a doubt, the worst night of her life. She could feel the tears building behind her eyes. To be completely honest, she had been scared. It pained her to admit it, for she was supposed to be a brave lieutenant of the Gotei 13, but never had she come so close to something of that nature. She knew what would have happened to her if she hadn't escaped, and the thought terrified her. She had fled just in time, but now she was alone and in a dark forest with god knows what other predators out there; human or otherwise.

To make matters worse, she had lost her keys, and had no idea where she was. The only thing she had managed to hold onto was her soul phone.

She dialled her captain's number and shakily raised the phone to her ear.

"Matsumoto," Toshiro answered after the first ring, "What do you need?"

"I'm lost, Captain, I don't know where I am and Tetsuzaemon is gone." Rangiku told him. She was doing her best to keep her voice even.

"I'll find you," Her captain didn't hesitate, "Stay on the phone with me."

*.*.*.*

TUESDAY, 9:51pm:

Toshiro leapt across rooftops at his fastest speed. He had to get Rangiku; she was alone, lost and he could tell she was afraid even though she was denying it wholeheartedly. He headed towards the North Gate, to where she said she had dinner that night. She couldn't be far from there.

"Are you still there, Captain?" Rangiku asked; her voice laced with oncoming tears.

"Yes, I'm here. I'm almost at the gate," Toshiro responded, clutching the phone to his ear as he bound across his colleagues' division roofs.

He could see the gate now, standing high in all its glory. Toshiro focused on his lieutenant's spiritual pressure; it took him a minute, but eventually he caught hold of her red spirit ribbon.

"I've found your spirit ribbon, Matsumoto, I'll be there shortly."

He heard a very faint 'thank you' and wasted no time in flash-stepping towards her direction. A few minutes passed as he sped through a handful of districts and eventually landed in the centre of a forest clearing.

He spied Rangiku sitting at the base of a large tree, and made his way over to her. She was shivering, and she looked terrified. It broke Toshiro's heart to see her looking so vulnerable; he didn't know what had happened but there was a good chance he'd be hunting down a certain lieutenant of the Seventh after this.

Toshiro approached Rangiku slowly, slipping off his haori in the process.

"Hey," He greeted her softly, crouching down to her level and draping the Haori over her shoulders.

"Hi," She greeted him in return, her voice shaking, "Thank you for coming."

"Of course," Toshiro sighed, "What happened, Matsumoto?"

Rangiku's bottom lip quivered, and Toshiro pulled her into a tight embrace. She let down whatever guard she had up and cried into his shoulder. She had only ever cried in front of him once, and that was after Ichimaru's death, so he knew she must have been really shaken up tonight.

Toshiro adjusted their positions so that he was now the one sitting against the tree truck, and Rangiku was sitting next to him, her legs draped across his lap. She had thrown her arms around him and was crying into his neck while he held her waist and rubbed soothing circles into her hips with his thumbs.

He held her while she talked. She told him everything; about Iba losing his temper at her and the restaurant staff before disappearing, about the men who grabbed her and how she got free, and about getting lost and losing her purse. Toshiro didn't respond at first; just letting her get it all out while he seethed silently. He was going to kill Iba, and once he was finished with that, he was going after those thugs.

Eventually, Rangiku's story ended and so did her tears. She sat beside him, her legs resting atop his, and she hiccupped herself into silence. Toshiro made her look up at the sky, to where hundreds of stars twinkled exquisitely, and fortunately, it calmed her down. She rested her head against his shoulder, and he pulled his shihakusho sleeve over his thumb to wipe away her mascara-mingled tears and the clear liquid dripping from her nose.

"Are you ready to go home?" Toshiro whispered a while later.

"I've lost my keys," She replied, taking a deep breath.

"I'll organise to get your lock changed tomorrow and a new set of keys," Toshiro replied, untangling himself from his lieutenant and helping her to stand up, "You can stay with me tonight. I want to make sure you're safe."

Rangiku nodded and they started off in the direction of the Seireitei. Rangiku wanted to walk instead of flash-step, probably to clear her mind; it would take them close to two hours to get home, but Toshiro didn't mind if she didn't.

They were crossing under the gate just over an hour and a half later. Toshiro held her hand as he led through the twisting streets of the Seireitei; she seemed to like the comfort. Rangiku would probably disagree right now, but Toshiro was so proud of how she was handling the night. Where Rangiku would have seen breaking down and crying like that to be a sign of weakness, Toshiro focused on how strong she had been; handling the situation at the restaurant despite her pig of a date, using her physical strength and soul reaper training to escape from the thugs, and then being smart enough to call him for help afterwards.

That showed true courage and strength in his opinion; to admit when you need help and to be able to express your feelings. He knew, because it was something he often struggled with himself. Rangiku was the strongest woman in the Seireitei, that's for sure.

"Captain, wait," Rangiku stopped suddenly, "I need to tell you something else."

"What is it?" Toshiro turned to face her. She was looking very ashamed of herself, "What's wrong, Matsumoto?"

"I…I-I only went on this date to make you jealous," She admitted, looking down at her feet, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Toshiro asked.

When she wouldn't look at him, he rolled his eyes and hooked a finger under her chin. He felt a sense of Déjà vu as he guided her eyes to lock with his; the memory of trying to convince her she was beautiful lingering at the back of his mind.

"Why did you want to make me jealous, Matsumoto?"

"I wanted to know how you really feel about me," Rangiku answered quietly, "That's how Captain Kyoraku got Nanao to admit her feelings…"

"I'm not Kyoraku," Toshiro sighed, removing his grip on her.

"No, you're Nanao, I'm Shunsui."

Toshiro frowned; this was weirdest discussion he'd had with her in a long time.

"You wanted to make me jealous of Iba…so that I'd get mad and rant my feelings out on you…because that's how Kyoraku got Ise?," Toshiro asked, raising a sceptical eyebrow.

Rangiku nodded, "Pretty stupid, huh?"

"A little," Toshiro smirked, "Why would you want me to react like that?"

His lieutenant took a deep breath, "Because I love you, and I want to be with you…I-I know – ugh – I hoped you might feel the same way."

Toshiro stood still, trying to process what Rangiku was saying to him. To be honest, he was stuck on the 'love' bit. So she hadn't moved on quickly, he realised; she'd actually wanted him all along.

"What if I hurt you?" Toshiro whispered, his resolve to keep their relationship professional fading fast, "What if it ends badly and I lose you? I can't lose you, Matsumoto."

Rangiku took a step towards him, closing the small gap between them. She placed a soft hand against his shoulder and leant forward to kiss his cheek. Her lips felt nice there, but then she moved them to his ear. Toshiro shivered upon feeling her warm breath tickle the hairs on his neck.

"I'm not going anywhere, Toshiro."

And that was all he needed to hear.

Toshiro cupped her cheek and guided her lips to him. Softly at first, he moved his lips with hers, just relishing the thought of being close to her. He snaked an arm around her waist and she responded enthusiastically, playfully tugging his bottom lip between hers. He asked for entrance and was accepted; gently meeting her tongue in what would hopefully be the first of many get-togethers for the velvety appendages.

He didn't care that they were kissing in the middle of a brightly lit street in the Seireitei. He didn't care that it was coming up on midnight. He didn't care that the night watch of whichever division they were standing in front of was probably getting a good show. He just cared about the woman in his arms.

The kiss began to heat up; Rangiku was threading her hands through his hair and it felt great. Toshiro himself was running his hands all over her back and sides, just trying to touch as much of her as he could. His tongue was exploring her mouth desperately, and when her thigh slipped between his legs and nudged at his crotch area, he knew he was going to have to take this somewhere a little more private.

He pulled back breathlessly, Rangiku copying him. The way she looked right now was something he wanted to remember for the rest of his life; her cheeks were flushed and her hair was all over the place, her lips were swollen and her eyes contained the wildest of emotions; love.

"You're so beautiful, Rangiku," He whispered, taking her hand and kissing it lightly before tugging her along in the direction of the Tenth.

*.*.*.*

WEDNESDAY, 10:16am:

Rangiku awoke in a bed that was not her own. She felt a strong arm tighten its grip around her waist. It was a nice feeling, to be in the protective hold of the one she loved, and she could feel Toshiro's lips pressing soft kisses into the back of her neck.

Rolling over, Rangiku came face to face with her captain. Last night had been amazing – well, from the time her captain had found her in the forest onwards – and now she was having the greatest morning of her life, and she had only been fully conscious for 30 seconds.

"Good morning," Toshiro whispered, pressing his lips to hers. God, that felt amazing.

"Morning," She mumbled back.

His fingers left a trail of goosebumps on her skin as they travelled down her spin and left her arching into him. Her breasts pressed up against his bare chest and he leant down to kiss along her collar bone. For some reason, he had taken an interest in that area of her body, which – as Rangiku quickly found out – was her weak spot.

She hummed in approval as his fingers slowly trailed up her hips and along her sides.

"You're gonna be late," Rangiku teased him.

"I'm the boss, I can be late if I want," He chuckled, "And the third seat already came round and I told him that I wouldn't be in until after lunch…"

"What about me?"

"You're always late, Matsumoto, no one ever expects you before midday."

With the help of her famous pout, Rangiku feigned hurt and gave him a soft smack on the arm.

"We have a combined captains and lieutenants meeting at 11:30 though, which neither of us can be late for."

"Luckily that's an hour away," She winked at him suggestively, "And I can think of a good way to pass the time."

"You are like Kyoraku," Toshiro frowned at her.

Rangiku laughed and kissed him. He joined in, so he couldn't have been too creeped out by the comparison.

"Ok, but let's make this quick," Toshiro pulled back from the kiss, "I want to have a little chat with Komamura's lieutenant."

"Oh really?" Rangiku asked, moving to kiss along his jaw and down his neck. The protective nature of her captain was a serious turn on.

"Nobody treats my girlfriend like that."

Oh yep, Rangiku was gone. She ran a hand through his hair and pulled him close, plunging her tongue deep into his mouth. She was going to give her boyfriend the greatest morning of his life.

The End.

*.*.*.*

OKAY SO WHAT DID YOU GUYS THINK?!

Also, I really liked writing HitsuMatsu, so once I finish the Ichihitsu one-shot I'm currently working on I'm thinking of writing another HitsuMatsu story (maybe set after this one or perhaps a lemon?)… Anyway let me know if you'd be interested!