Aging

Rangiku's shriek had Toushirou standing in the bathroom door with Hyourinmaru drawn before he could exhale. When he didn't see an intruder, he sheathed his zanpaktou and started looking around for something smaller.

"What is it?" he demanded, still wary of the sheer horror reflected in her gray-blue eyes.

She turned to him in scary-movie slow motion. "T-taichou?"

"Yes?"

"I'm turning into an old hag!" she wept, launching herself at him.

He caught her, befuddled, but finally registering that this wasn't an emergency.

"I'm going to get old and ugly and you're going to leave me," she whined, burrowing closer to his chest. He rubbed her back.

"Don't be an idiot."

She sniffed, pulling back, and he saw actual tears pooling in her eyes. "But Taichou, I-I—."

"You what?"

"I found a gray hair!"

Hitsugaya Toushirou was not known for dramatic displays of emotion. Even hilarity. And yet it took everything in him not to fall on the floor laughing. "I-is that so?" he stuttered, holding in a smirk.

"Yes!" Her tone made it clear that the world was ending.

He sighed. "Let me see."

She pointed to a place on her part, and he leaned her head down so he could see better. There it was, a single, nearly translucent hair. He gave it a tug, but it slipped right out with no resistance.

He frowned at it, holding it up to the light. "Matsumoto, this is my hair! Were you using my comb again? I told you not to get your girly product gunk all over it!"

"Oops. But I couldn't find mine!"

"A likely story."

Suddenly his arms were full of Rangiku again. "Taichou, do you know what this means?"

"You're buying me a new comb?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I'm not getting old!"

Her expectant stare meant he had to say something. "Um, good?"

"Taichou!"

"What?"

This time her voice was quiet. "Would you love me even if I turned into an old, ugly hag?"

"Of course," he whispered, and kissed her.

When she was breathless he added, "As long as you don't use my comb."