Admiration (Bleach Fanfic)

Prolog

Disclaimer - I don't own Bleach.

A soft breeze hung around the tenth division grounds, the stars slowly appearing on the black sky. The atmosphere was calming, soothing to the nerves that had been pushed beyond perhaps what one should normally have to deal with. With having a lieutenant such as Rangiku, the young taicho constantly felt such limits pushed.

Thus, he found himself up on the roof above his quarters that night, instead of inside them. He leaned backwards, the palms of his hands touching the rood. The sky was something that he had always felt an affinity to, even long before Momo had gone to join the academy. He found the stars to be calming to his mind and his soul.

As Toshiro continued to stare up at the night sky, he suddenly felt a blanket draped around his shoulders, his attention suddenly drawn back to reality and realization about how cold it actually was tonight His hands absent mindedly pulled the blanket closer around his shoulders. "Matsumoto."

"That's my name Taicho," the well endowed women smiled, suddenly sitting down next to him, a huge smile on her face.

His teal eyes first darted to her, then back up at the sky. "You didn't have to check up on me, I can very well take care of myself."

"Ehh," Matsumoto placed a finger on her lips. "Taicho wasn't in his room, so I were he might be. Then I figured, he's on the roof again, he might fall asleep there, get cold and become sick."

"I never gave you permission to go into my room," Toshiro commented, irritation in his voice.

"That was mean taicho. You spoke like I was the mother of a pre-teen or a teenager, who suddenly has to worry about their child's privacy because they're growing up. I don't think I'm old enough to be a mother."

"Matsumoto..." the boy made an attempt to remain calm. "Not only are you old enough to be a mother, the idea of you being one with a as much drinking as you do, is actually a very scary thought."

"I guess it is," the women suddenly sighed. "But you know who would make a scary parent? Taicho would."

"Matsumoto..." the young captain rolled his eyes. "I haven't even hit puberty yet and I am far off from thinking about marriage, let alone kids, you should know that."

"Well, taicho, you being a parent is pretty scary," Matsumoto sighed. "However, I was talking about taicho, taicho."

The women waited for a laugh to come, or some sort of response, however, when she found silence greeting her, she turned to look at him, only to find Toshiro's teal eyes suddenly filled with emotions, something rare for the young boy. What she read there was hurt and pain. When his lips finally started moving, which was a few seconds after she looked at him, obviously wanting a response, he choked out something that sounded like, "Taicho? Taicho!"

"Toshiro, I am so sorry... I forgot," Matsumoto's eyes suddenly filled with worry, remembering that she had brought up a taboo subject for the young taicho.

"Its Hitsugaya taicho," the boy grumbled, his voice cracking from the hurt feelings he was still feeling.

"You aren't going to get mad at me for bringing him up?" she sighed.

His response was to stand up, removing the blanket from his shoulders and draping it over one arm. "Just don't bring him up again. I'm going to bed. Good night Matsumoto."

"Goodnight Taicho," Rangiku bit her lip and shook her head at the retreating form.