Bleach: The Captain Part Two & Three, Toshiro Hitsugaya x OC

Chapter 23: Mr. Sandman

Rangiku threw clothing at me like a softball pitcher hellbent on throwing fashion at me like somehow it was eventually going to stick. She was in her element, piling up the purchases as if she thought my bank account was bottomless. I dared to glance at a few of the price tags and heard my credit card crying in my purse. How could a shirt cost as much as a month of rent? I sure as hell know it couldn't shelter me as well as a building could.

The oddest part about all this though? I let her splurge. It was easier to be carried away by the shopping tsunami than it was to swim against it.

I spent the majority of my time in change rooms, trying on practically everything in the store. Was I going to wear any of it? Probably not, but giving in to her provided a little bit of therapy for the both of us.

Yumichika leaned against the door frame, examining everything I tried on with either an appreciative nod or an upturned nose. On the odd occasion he plucked something off the pile and try it on himself, adding to the whole ridiculous affair.

By hour number one, I stopped bothering to put my old clothes back on in between changes.

By hour number two, my poor legs were starting to chafe. 

By hour three, I'd had enough and traded places with Yumichika, sneaking out through the side entrance before Rangiku could catch me.

***

I found a furniture store and fell into the first couch on display. A dewy eyed salesman made his way over to me, preparing what I imagined was a spectacular sales pitch about the sofa I'd just thrown myself onto. I pulled my credit card out and waved it at him before he could start. 

"Don't care just put it on my card," I kicked off my shoes and sighed happily as I felt my feet begin to expand.

"b-but miss this is the display model, you can't have your feet up--," he offered a polite smile.

I gave him a blank stare. "Then I'll buy this one."

He mumbled something about drawing up paperwork and turned on his heel. 

From my vantage point on the sofa I could see out into the mall, people aimlessly walking around without any real sense of purpose. I never really understood wandering around malls, if you need to buy something then buy it and get out it's just that simple. 

I shut my eyes and pulled my sweater over me like a blanket, content with the position I was settled in when someone flicked me rudely between the eyes.

"Seriously Akira? Two minutes and you're out the door? What happened to doing a little shopping?" Rangiku pouted, flopping herself down beside me.

"A little?" I scoffed and flipped over so my back was to her. "I'm just mourning my bank account right now, you murdered it."

It sounded like she was riffling through one of the bags looking for something. "What are you complaining about? You should be thankful you have person with an eye for taste and sex appeal," she purred.

"Sex appeal?" I rolled over and gave her a confused look. She held up a black lacy item and grinned like a kid with her hand caught in a cookie jar.

My face turned ten different shades of red before I yanked it from her hands and stuffed it back in the bag. "Seriously Rangiku, the world doesn't need to see that." I uttered under my breath.

"No you're right, only one person needs to see that," she winked at me knowingly.

I rolled over again, hiding the embarrassment on my face that I knew she was delighting in.