The next morning Toshiro found himself getting up early. He went straight to the office and sat down in front of the stack of paper work. At first he kept fidgeting and glancing over at the art supplies that the Secret Santa person had given him. Letting out a deep sigh he finally glanced up at the ceiling. "I promise myself I'll take some time to enjoy myself."

After that the fidgeting stopped and he finished his work within a few hours of getting into the office. He then stood up and walked over to the couch and began to sketch in the sketchbook while the watercolor items sat on the small table next to the couch. He found himself drawn into the activity when he suddenly noticed a shadow over him.

Glancing up he saw his fukutaicho bending over his shoulder. "Your picture is nice. Are you going to work with your watercolors at all?"

"I need to experiment with them a bit and I want a good sketch of the picture I want to do." Toshiro continued to keep his eyes glued on his sketch.

"What is good is that you are enjoying yourself." Rangiku smiled at him.

"And I waited to enjoy myself until after my work is done." The boy muttered. He didn't dare glance over at her desk as he would have ended up planting his face into an uncomfortable position in comparison to her body.

"I get it. I get it. I'm going to get to work." The woman walked over to her desk and began to work.

"You seem to be in a better mood today." Toshiro commented as he continued sketching. "Are you getting along with Ichimaru again?"

The small boy felt a fluctuation in the woman's reiatsu. "I don't really want to talk about him taicho. Please don't pry."

"I'm not trying to pry." Toshiro suddenly turned to look over his shoulder.

He winced as Rangiku glared at him. "What exactly have you been up to?"

"I haven't been up to anything." The boy frowned at the accusation.

"Why do I get the idea your siding with Ichimaru right now." The woman let out a deep sigh.

"I'm not siding with anybody." Toshiro set the sketchpad down. "I'm just worried about him."

Rangiku suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Have you visited him?" The small taicho glanced away from her. He heard her let out an irritated sound. "You have visited him. What has he said to you?"

"He didn't really talk about anything. He just asked me how you and I were doing and if things were all right between us. I told him if he took better care of himself that you wouldn't be so mad at him."

"I don't want you visiting him." The woman's words were sudden and startled the boy from what he was doing.

"Matsumoto..." The boy looked over to see that the busty woman had an angry look on her face. "What have I done wrong?"

"You..." The woman opened her mouth, realizing that she had been directing her anger to the wrong person. She placed a hand on her forehead. "Taicho... I'm not angry with you. I'm mad at Ichimaru right now."

"You're calling him now by his last name. You must be really made at him. "The bow set his sketchpad down. "Still... your problems between him are between you and him. My going to see him has nothing to do with your dispute with him. I don't want to get involved."

"Then why are you going?" Rangiku shook her head in disbelief.

The boy glanced down at his sandal clad feet. "It doesn't feel right not to."

"Taicho, you're going just because you're curious. This isn't a game." The woman sighed.

Toshiro glanced up, his lips pushing together and forming a thin line. "I know it isn't a game. You... I think you're letting your anger with him get in the way."

Rangiku's eyes flashed and then she spoke up, her words dark in tone. "Yes. I am possibly letting my anger get in the way. However, I above all people should know how that man is and how he treats other people. I can't see this ending in any way other then you getting hurt."

Toshiro slammed his hands down. "Knock it off already! I'm supposed to be the child!"

"That's the point I'm making." Rangiku crossed her arms across her chest.

"While that may be the point you were trying to make, nothing changes the fact that wasn't what I meant. I almost never bring up my age because I'm expected not to act my age but actually expected to act like an adult. You on the other hand are an adult and right now you're acting like a child. I'm going to ask you to back off on this Matsumoto."

"You're not going to respect my request?" The woman's face suddenly paled. "Taicho... please..."

"I refuse because doing so doesn't feel right." The small taicho suddenly gathered up his drawing supplies. "You know what? I'm going to go have a word with Hinamori and settle things between us. I for goodness sake don't like the fact you and Gin aren't getting along and it makes me think that I'm being a hypocrite for not saying what I feel to her so we can settle things."

M

The small taicho arrived at the fifth division with his sketch pad under his arm, not realizing he had brought it with him. A few of the members glanced up at him and a few of the female ones let out a giggle behind their hands that he didn't notice. He instead walked straight over to her desk. "Hinamori, can I talk to you?"

The small female glanced up, blinking a couple of times. "You want to go out to lunch with me Shiro-chan?"

"No... I just want to talk to you." The boy let out a deep sigh. "You do realize that you're not calling me Hitsugaya Taicho in front of your entire division, right?"

"Oh... sorry Shi... Hitsugaya Taicho." The female began to tap her fingers on the desk. "I thought you weren't interested in drawing?"

"Would you stop with that!"

"I don't want to talk to you if you're going to yell at me like that. Granny taught you better."

"Hinamori!" Toshiro slapped the sketchbook against the desk. "Now you listen here to me!"

"Stop yelling at me! I don't know what your problem is." Momo shook her head at the small taicho.

"Fine..." The boy took a deep breath. "First, I'll start off with the fact Granny also taught you better."

"What do you mean by that? You're just saying that because I brought it up to use against you."

"Because maybe you will listen if I tell you that your behavior isn't something that Granny wouldn't approve of. You can't keep ignoring..."

"Get out!" Momo suddenly stood up. When Toshiro didn't move to leave, she pointed her finger towards the door. "I said get out! You aren't welcome here!"

The small taicho felt his cheeks suddenly flare up before storming out of the room. He simply kept walking until he realized he was in front of the forth division. When he saw this, he blinked a couple of times in surprise.

M

Gin sat in his room at the windowsill looking out the window. Ukitake had left the room a few minutes ago. The sound of small feet suddenly came hurrying though the door and he glanced up to see that Toshiro was standing in the door way. "It isn't quite lunch time yet Shiro-chan."

"I..." The child's mouth froze before he hurried over. Under his arm was a sketchbook and in his other hand was a small package from his Secret Santa that the thirteenth division captain managed to hand him before he came to he room.

"You did come to see me though?" The man smiled at the boy.

"Kind of... sort of..." The corners of Toshiro's mouth twisted up in frustration.

The silver haired man nodded to a chair. "Why don't you take a seat?" The boy complied and Gin walked over to sit on the bed, before pointing at the sketchbook. "Can I take a look?"

The small taicho startled as he stared down at the sketchbook under his arm. "I hadn't noticed that I had it with me." He then looked up warily at the man. "Do you promise not to laugh?"

"I promise to only laugh if you meant the picture funny." The man stated as the book was handed to him. He then sat with his back against the bed's headboard and began to flip through the book. "I'm glad to see you."

"Matsumoto isn't happy that I'm coming to see you though." Toshiro's lips pushed together in a fine line.

Gin's head snapped up at this. "If she's told you not to come, you shouldn't come."

"So you're saying you don't want me to come?" The boy folded his arms across his chest, only to remember that he had the package. "I got a gift from my Secret Santa. Do yo want to find out what it is?"

"Toshiro..." The man handed the book back without going through all of the sketches. "Do you really want Ran-chan to be mad at you."

"She already is." Toshiro frowned. "Have I done anything wrong?"

"You're disobeying her." Gin shook his head. He watched as the boy glared at him. "I know... your the taicho and she's the fukutaicho."

"She also isn't my mother." The boy spoke up. "I mean, I appreciate the fact she's looking out for me and I wish she was my mother. Even if she was my mother I wouldn't be listening to her on this because what she's asked is wrong."

"You think her asking you to not visiting me is wrong?" The man shook his head in disbelief.

"Well, she's doing it because she is mad at you. It is as simple as that, and that isn't right."

Gin titled his head at the boy. "No. I guess it isn't right. Something else is bothering you though."

"I tried going and talking to Momo and telling her how I felt about the way she's been treating me and instead I got kicked out of the fifth division because she wanted to throw a tantrum." Toshiro turned to the man. "I think it is pretty bad when people act less maturely then either one of us."

"On one side... ouch." The man shook his head in amusement. "But on the other side I enjoy hearing you say the odd things you say."

"I don't think it is funny, so please stop laughing." Toshiro frowned at the man as he began to unwrap the gift.

"It isn't funny as in I think you're stupid. I find what you say to be rather intelligent. It's just only you can think of the things you do."

"You seem in a better mood." The boy shoved the package towards Gin. "What is this?"

"A CD..."

"No... I mean I don't recognize the music."

The man took the object and flipped it from one side to the other. "It's something called ragtime. It is a kind of jazz music."

"I still don't have a clue what you're talking about." Toshiro frowned at the man, taking the CD from the man.

"If you listen to it you'll know what it is." Gin tapped on the plastic casing.

"I don't have a CD player though." The boy let out a deep sigh, before turning the CD over to look at the music list."

"Are you going to stay for lunch?" the man asked.

"Yeah... I don't want to see Matsumoto right now." Toshiro found that Gin didn't push the issue.