What A Wonderful Web We Weave
Chapter 1: Every Web Starts With A Single Strand
Disclaimer: Bleach and all it's associated characters are probably owned by an evil conglomerate.
As was often the case when he was fully immersed in something, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the 10th Division really had no idea how long he had spent staring at that spot one foot above his sleeping sub-ordinates head. Other then the occasional muffled noise from outside, the only audible sounds in the office were his own soft breathing and that strange mix of muttering, giggling, snorting and snoring that Matsumoto managed to produce when she napped. Having long since gotten used to her unique brand of slumbering gibberish, it was as good as silent in the large room that served as the operations center of the division.
But all that started to change as Matsumoto began to stir, a satisfied yawn indicating that she would soon be conscious and looking to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes - making trouble for her captain.
It was finally time he concluded.
All the pieces were in place and all that remained was for him to apply a little nudge to the most stubborn cog of all. He turned in his seat to regard the lone window in the office.
"Matsumoto," he called out gently, not wishing to jar her awake.
"Mmm," she managed in reply as she stretched reluctant and unwilling limbs.
"Do you think Captain Kyoraku and Lieutenant Ise are romantically involved", he asked nonchalantly
Matsumoto promptly fell off the couch in a mess of limbs.
"What?" she managed to ask as she quickly shuffled to her feet, collecting both her wits and her dignity as she did so, having been thoroughly startled out of both.
His small smile hidden from her, he began his explanation, "I noticed at the inter division committee meeting this morning - that you slept through might I add - that Captain Kyoraku tends to pester and paw at her quite a bit."
"Well that's nothing new," Matsumoto interrupted as she made her way over to the large table that dominated the room, ⌠he's been pestering and pawing her for almost as long as I've known the two of them."
He turned to face her, resting his chin on a delicate hand as he watched her casually remake herself into the image of division goddess rather then the division layabout she had been moments before. "True enough," he shrugged in agreement, "but what struck me today is that she doesn't seem to be so...resistant to his advances any more. So I was wondering if they are finally romantically involved."
Had she been a little less groggy, she might have been suspicious of his line of questioning as her captain was renowned for being above such base gossip. However as it was base gossip and it was her captain who was initiating the conversation, she grasped this rare opportunity with both hands. It's not as if she hadn't speculated on the subject herself ...extensively and oftentimes with the subjects of the gossip.
"Well it's true they've always have been very close but I think it took the war, for Nanao especially, to realize just how important they are to each other. Before that, she sometimes mistook his overtures as Shunsui being Shunsui - not realizing he was being genuine in his...declarations."
"And is he genuine in his feelings for her?" Hitsugaya asked after a moment's contemplation.
"Yes," she responded without hesitation.
"Then they are together?" He reasoned.
Matsumoto's drawn out sigh answered the question better then words ever would have.
"So what is the problem if they both feel as strongly as you say for each other?" Hitsugaya wondered aloud.
Matsumoto couldn't help but smile at the irritation readily evident in his tone. For all his obvious brilliance, it was apparent to her that the young captain still naively believed the heart to be subordinate to the mind. For the cool captain logic trumped emotion which was of course in stark contrast to everyone else. He really was very lucky to have her around to explain how things really worked.
"Well, there is the question of perception. Nanao does not wish to give anyone reason to believe she is a Lieutenant for anything other then her abilities."
Hitsugaya huffed in reply, obviously considering it a stupid belief which Matsumoto found interesting. In the past, she found that the young Captain was adamant that you could do anything you liked provided what you did, did not cast the reputation of the 10th in a dim light. Obviously he didn't care as much when it was another division.
"Why not carry out a clandestine affair then? It would not be the first time such a thing has taken place."
"Shunsui doesn't do clandestine," Matsumoto retorted before elaborating, "He would insist on writing poems about her beauty, shouting declarations of love from the rooftop, publicly re-enacting the lovemaking whenever poss-"
"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya warned, knowing that she would continue if he left her.
"Hee, you're no fun."
They both sat in reflective silence for a moment √ content to simply share the moment.
"It is a shame," Hitsugaya finally declared, "they would make a happy couple. Somebody should really do something about it."
Matsumoto positively beamed, "Who knew Captain was such a sweetheart?"
"Matsumoto!" came the instant rebuke.
It took Matsumoto a moment to collect herself before she finally continued, "Well Captain, if you were that somebody, what would you do?"
Hitsugaya leaned back in his well worn leather chair, giving her question the thought it deserved. Finally he calmly got up from his chair and approached the large chalk board they used for planning the division rosters and neatly wrote Shunsui and Nanao's name opposite each other in the center of the board before drawing a strong bold line between them.
"If I was to get involved I'd first consider other potential partners," he began.
"But why?" Matsumoto asked immediately.
"By promoting this partnership," he explained, "we may eliminate other potentially pairings. We need to think about who is impacted by the two of them becoming a couple. It's important to take other people's feelings into account as well."
Matsumoto simply pursed her lips, not quite sure she agreed with her Captain's assessment.
Undaunted, he continued. "Can you think of anyone else who has expressed an interest in either of them or that they themselves have pursued?"
"Well Shunsui has pursued pretty much every female of age in the Seireitei but Nanao is the only one I think he's really serious about. As for Nanao, the only romance she's ever pursued has come from trashy novels from the living world. Let me tell you, those books can be quite explicit."
Unnoticed by her, Hitsugaya blushed slightly. During their stay at Orihime's house, He had mistakenly opened one such book. What he saw still haunted him.
"Matsumoto," he interrupted trying to keep the conversation on track. "Right, so we've eliminated any other parties. Next we put down the major obstacles to the relationship becoming a reality."
In even smaller script, he wrote PROPRIETY next to Nanao's name and FLAMBOYANT next to Shunsui before standing back to regard the emerging picture.
"The key is Lieutenant Ise," he declared. "If Captain Kyoraku could be convinced to tone down his Kyoraku-ness for a lack of a better word and demonstrate that he can talk to her without any of his usual nonsense then she might be more willing to take him and the prospect of a relationship more seriously in turn."
"To facilitate this, they should spend sometime together away from the Seireitei, perhaps in the living world where they won't be the subject of so many prying eyes. Were they to be sent there in some official capacity this will eliminate any issue of propriety. If alloted time was far longer then the mission required, they could use the remaining time for more personal matters."
He sighed for a moment as if considering something before speaking again.
"While they are away, a campaign can be arranged by a certain third party to further acceptance and encouragement of the pairing. If people were to genuinely express to Lieutenant Ise their approval at the prospect of her and Captain Kyoraku getting together, she will quickly realize that everyone in the Seireitei knows her merit already and that she does not need to fear tainting the name of her division. This can't be done while they're here of course as Lieutenant Ise is far too shrewd to miss something of this nature happening under her nose."
And with that final thought he returned to his chair and picked up the nearest report, as if he had just said nothing at all. Matsumoto said nothing for a few moments, her brain working through what he had just stated.
"That might...that might actually work," She finally managed.
"Probably not," Hitsugaya sighed nonchalantly, as if he had already dismissed the notion.
"No. You've got something here. I'm going to go talk to Renji about this," she decided and immediately gathered herself to leave.
"Lieutenant Abarai might not be the best choice as confident. He has...a loose tongue." The irony of who he was speaking to was not lost on the young Captain but he quickly quashed the urge to laugh out loud. "I think that Lieutenant Hisagi might be a better choice. His control of Sereitei press would be of invaluable assistance in any grass roots campaign to spread the word concerning the potential relationship."
"Shuhei - of course," Matsumoto snapped her fingers in agreement. "I'll go see him now."
"Lieutenant , there's reports to be read before you do anything else," Hitsugaya pointed at her desk, sensing her imminent departure.
"I'll do them when I come back," she sang her usual refrain as she quickly escaped from the office.
"Matsumoto," he called half-heartedly after her retreating form.
Hitsugaya sat quietly for a few moments absently drinking some water to soothe his tired throat. He really didn't like talking so much. Finally he put the report back down on the desk and returned to the board. He grabbed a cloth and slowly wiped down what he had written just minutes before. The board now empty, he double checked the door before muttering a small incantation on the chalkboard. It was a simple spell that all academy students learned as a way of hiding things from teachers (who of course knew of the spell having learned of it themselves) but was sufficient for his needs here. After all, why would a captain have need to keep something hidden in his own office.
Gradually, a fluorescent web of lines, names, and notes revealed themselves, floating a half inch above the board, including the names of almost every Captain and Lieutenant in the Seireitei with Nanao and Shunsui at the center. He casually traced a number of lines from this name to that, some of the lines bold, others dotted but each reaching from one name to another. He had made the first move, an unambitious gambit given the people involved but it would be a good test of how effective his network of unknowing helpers would be.
With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the spell, the faintly glowing words disappearing allowing the chalkboard to regain its normal appearance. He returned to the desk and resumed reading the discarded as he could not neglect the duties of being a captain even if his novice career as a matchmaker seemed far more interesting right now.
To be continued...
Author's Notes: I had written the start of this when Matsumoto Rangiku, Matchmaker Extraordinaire by Torrential Stars appeared on the site. While the stories are superfically the same, I think this is going in a different direction and focusing more on what a schemer Toshiro can be when he's got no evil captains to slay. Though I've a fairly good idea of where's it going to go, feel free to comment with suggestions, criticisms and anything else that takes your fancy.