You stared in disbelief.

"W-What?" you asked, side glancing the head captain.

The white haired boy glared at you.

"You mean me?" he asked through gritted teeth.

You raised your eyebrows in a mix of surprise and confusion. You could have sworn you heard Head Captain chuckle a little...

"It seems Hitsugaya Taichou did not introduce himself properly. It is only natural you do not recognise him by appearance," he speculated.

Wait, what? This cute little kid.. owns that scary voice?! Huffing, you stared at him warily.

The young captain seemed quite maddened, but it looked like he didn't want to say anything in front of Head Captain Yamamoto.

"I apologise. It seems I did not correctly introduce myself to her," he managed to say, yet again through gritted teeth. You simpered, quite pleased with his apology. He frowned back at you.

"That no longer matters. Captain Hitsugaya, I assume that you have no plans to promote somebody to the position of third seat?"

He shook his head, a flash of confusion crossing his face for a brief moment.

"Then you have no objections inletting L/N fill the position of third seat, yes? I know I already announced this position to the other Captains and Lieutenants, but I would like to be sure of your opinion. She would be far safer in your office than with her fellow squad members." he prompted.

Both you and Hitsugaya seemed surprised. He paused, and looked away.

"No, I understand, sir. I have no objections." he claimed, his voice level. Yamamoto nodded.

"You are excused," he boomed. Toshiro bowed respectfully, before stepping outside of the meeting hall.

"Now, listen carefully, child." he started. "In this world, there are two types of spirits. Normal spirits, known as "wholes". The second type of spirit is called a hollow. Hollows attack both living people and wholes, as a means to fill the emptiness in their soul."

You nodded solemnly, mentally laughing your head off, and he took that as a sign that you understood.

"Us Shinigami have two jobs. The first is to lead the wholes to the soul society. The act of doing so is called 'Konso'."

"The second job is to cut and purify the hollows, allowing them to pass over. The Soul Society is where most souls reside, until they are reincarnated into the human world once again. It is also where Shinigami reside. Here in the Soul Society, aging is slowed to a great extent- with lifespans of 2000 or more years not being unheard of. Most people are skipping this entire paragraph so I'll just put in some nonsense; dogs are deities here. Also, spirits here will find hunger is not a problem- however, those with spiritual power will feel hunger. Children can be born as they are in the human world. People can also be killed as regular Humans are, though they are capable of surviving wounds that would normally be considered fatal. Any questions?"

You stare blankly, taking in probably 5% of what you just heard.

"Um... questions?"

You began to list your various questions, to Yamamoto's amusement.

"You're an... interesting one, aren't you? Let me see..."

Sighing, you stepped out of the meeting hall. Your mind felt so... unorganised. Your questions had been answered, and you somewhat understood everything, but... It was so much to comprehend. You still didn't really know if you believed it all. Lost in thought, you leaned on the wall outside of the hall.

You sighed again.

"Taichou...?" you tested out of nowhere, getting a feel for addressing someone like that. You then found yourself wondering where on earth he went.

"Yes?"

"W-Wha?! H-Hitsugaya Taichou?! What are you doing here?" you exclaimed, feeling your face heat up.

He handed you a bottle of water, and you took a big sip. Well, gulp. Same diff.

"I was waiting for you, obviously. You're my third seat now, and if I just leave you alone, you'll get lost, or break something, or get into trouble... or you'll lean against a wall, lost in thought, and start muttering random things to yourself," he informed you, the hint of a smirk flashing across his face.

"You...!" you cried, slightly embarrassed. The water in your mouth dribbled out as you tried to hold back your laughter. You held up a finger and quickly swallowed, then could no longer contain yourself. You laughed until your ribs hurt, and tears sprung into your eyes. You gave yourself a few minutes to take some deep breaths, your cheeks feeling strained from smiling for so long.

Sighing happily, you lifted your head, searching for your Captain. He was also leaned up against the wall, but on the other side of the doorway.

"Are you done?" he asked flatly.

"D-Don't remind me!" you protested, swallowing a chuckle. He shakes his head at you, lifting himself off the wall.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on," he sighed, beginning to walk off.

"H-Hey! Wait! Where are we going?" you questioned loudly, catching up to him.

"Home." he deadpanned. You felt another bubble of laughter coming up.

"S-Stop!" you protested, slapping your hands over your mouth. He turned around, probably wondering if you were talking to someone else.

"Stop what?" he frowned, genuinely concerned for you.

"St... op being funny?" you replied, unsure.

"Don't answer my question with a question," he accused. "Come on."

You huffed. Well, he's no fun...

Muttering a little under your breath, you followed his quick steps as fast as you could. He weaved through the buildings, as if he knew them like the back of his hand. Out of breath, you sat on the dirt and studied the building he'd brought you to with interest.

"Is it this one?" you asked, pointing a finger towards the building. It was a very oriental looking building. He nodded, and you walked up the steps, eyeing a bottle of sake by the doorstep. It had a note attached. You picked it up, intrigued.

"What's this? Some sort of complimentary-"

He swiped it off you angrily, making you flinch ever so slightly.

"Matsumoto..." he growled, opening the note.

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"What family is she a part of? A sake family? That's weird..." you pondered aloud, already planning ways to avoid her. "Besides, there's no way I could afford to give her Sake every time I see her. Hm..."

"Idiot..." Toshiro sighed, ripping the note in half. You let out a choking noise.

"W-What?!" you protested, glaring at him.

"I was talking about Matsumoto but.. you too. You don't actually have to give her any sake, ever. She just..." he struggled to find the words.

"Wants more Sake?"

"That pretty much sums it up, yep."

~