AN:Some denial and in the end fluffiness because I can xp

Load of denial tho, so be prepared. And loads of frustrations.

Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

All was quiet around her while she was doing paperwork in her taicho's office. The serene silence was only disturbed by the sound of a brush against the paper. Her taicho was sitting in his office as well, looking over paperwork, sometimes writing a bit and setting stamps of approval.

Very distinct was the sound of the bickering of the two third seats in the background. Rukia felt completely at peace. Everything is as it should be.

Rukia put her brush down and smiled. Yes, everything was going great. She had been promoted to fuku-taicho straight after the winter war, which was a few months ago. After the war, the build up had been the hardest. No one really felt at peace or at ease. Everyone was tense.

However, after they started to pick up their lives again and their duties, everyone soon fell back into their routines and habits.

The nobles had even been quiet this time around. She was dumbfounded by their silence, but very grateful nonetheless. For the first time in her entire life in Soul Society, she felt accepted by the nobles. And that was the thing that actually disturbed her the most. Acceptance. Something she never thought she would get from them. She was glad though. At least it lessened her brother's worries.

Seireitei was just peaceful now. This was the peace that they had all been craving for since the entire Aizen fiasco. After betrayal they all have felt because of him. After all the confusion that had been brought into the world. They had been on a roller-coaster ride of feelings and never ending wars. Now, luckily, everyone in Soul Society felt this well deserved peace.

She was about to pick up her brush again when something made her pause. Suddenly, she felt a familiar reiatsu flare before she felt the person in question move. She felt her heart beat faster when she realised that he was approaching.

After Hitsugaya Toshirou had achieved his true, mature bankai form, she could not help but feel a connection with him. Maybe because their abilities were similar. Or maybe because she had released her bankai as well during the war. Maybe because he was really hot, a small voice said. She immediately shoved it back into the deepest recesses of her mind.

She was hyper aware of him though and it does annoy her sometimes. Because whenever he was near, she could not help but feel a rush of, well, something. She could not put the feeling into words.

She found herself thinking of him more often. And usually unexpectedly. She could be doing her rounds, and something reminded her of him which would lead to her thinking of him the rest of the day. Sometimes, it was downright annoying. He was stuck in her head. Yet, she could not stop herself. She could not stop thinking of him.

She was also disturbed by the fact that she somehow was always in a way focused on his reiatsu. She would always feel his reiatsu flare and know that he was annoyed somehow. She would always know when he was approaching her and would be distracted. And this distraction, this focus on him even if it was somehow unconscious, it annoyed her terribly.

She did not know why she was acting this way. She did not know why it annoyed her so much or why she was so focused on him. To be brutally honest, she did not want to know either. He was disrupting her peace she concluded, annoyed now.

She picked up her brush again and picked up what she had been doing. She hoped that he would pass their division. But as luck would have it, she soon realised that he was heading straight for their division. Straight for her taicho's office.

Within a few moments, his icy reiatsu washed all over her. She felt herself shudder and she did not know why she reacted in that way. The only thing she knew was that she was agitated by her own reaction. This could not bode well for her peace.

She soon felt her heartbeat speed up and her body was burning up as well. The moment he entered the office, she felt herself blush and became flustered. And he hadn't even said anything yet. And she was just so annoyed with her own reaction. So embarrassed as well as irritated.

She realised that she could not take her eyes off him. And she noticed things she wished she didn't. His eyes were bright and shining. His polite smile was causing her stomach to twist themselves in knots. And she did not know if it was a good thing or not. She felt like throwing up, yet at the same time, she also felt as if she was invincible. She wanted to run away, but at the same time she wanted to hug him? She was so confused by her contradicting thoughts.

Somehow, it was enthralling though. She felt as if she could just sit there and stare at him for quite a while and just be content.

She shook her head and forced her eyes to return to her paperwork. She was really grateful that there was no ink blot. Otherwise she would have to start over again.

Her strong reaction to him embarrassed her. She was usually not like this at all. And that was the problem, wasn't it? She had no idea how she should be approaching this or how to handle this.

She admonished herself mentally and tried to ignore everything that was going on. She tried to focus, but the moment he started to speak she knew she was a lost cause.

She felt so self-conscious. She could tell that she was sitting there rigidly and she did not know how to relax her pose. She was just uncomfortable.

His voice washing over her, striking a chord within her. Damn, she could listen to his voice all day and have no idea what he was talking about.

He left quite soon afterwards, and somehow, even though she wanted him to leave the moment she realised that he was heading towards them, she was disappointed. She felt as if she could breathe again. She put her brush down and just shook her heads at her own reaction. Why? That was the only thing she could wonder about.

She could feel her heart calming down gradually. At the same time, she would also feel her entire body starting to shake. What on earth? Why did he inspire such an intense reaction? She put her hand on her heart and simply sat there for a while, staring at nothing in particular.

Ukitake had sensed the change in her before it was apparent to him that the young captain was on his way to their barracks. And when the young captain was talking to him, he had realised that the young captain standing before him had inspired this reaction. He eyed her worriedly, yet at the same time he was quite thrilled. He knew what was going on and he smiled knowingly.

He had realised that his fuku-taicho had been acting differently when Hitsugaya was around her in any capacity.

He did not tell anyone his suspicions yet, but he was dying to. He was already supporting them. He could tell that they would make a good couple. They were both young, too serious at times and ambitious, also strong and independent.

They shared the same element, and they were both kind and loyal to a fault. At least, to the ones they care intensely for. He would be rooting for them.

He saw that Rukia had calmed down and was acting normally again, as if nothing had happened.

He shook his head while he resumed with his own work as well. Now, he only needed to find a way to get the two of them together. Or at least get Rukia out of her denial.

AN: Hope you are doing well and staying safe!