Silently he rose from the desk and made his way over to the couch. Keiko watched from her sitting position with a small grin as he plopped down next to her with a sigh. Inside she was swelling with a hidden pride out of the knowledge that only she could have gotten him to stop working; that she could probably get him to do anything; that they would do anything for each other.
It was interesting watching his movements; watching his neck and shoulder bones adjust as he looked up that the ceiling and observing his lips part ever so slightly to release a genuinely exhausted sigh. She inwardly marveled at the fact that she may have been the only person to see him like this. They all put on public guises, the captains, for the sake of respect, but Toushirou probably let his down the least. He and Matsumoto were close, but some things Keiko did around Hitsugaya she doubted Rangiku would do because of respect if nothing else. For example, Keiko would always drink his tea without asking, or read his books or papers. She generally did not apply the concept of privacy when dealing with him, then again, neither did he. She could burst into his office at any time just to bitch about something or even wake him up at three in the morning to talk if she was feeling down, knowing that he never minded because he knew that in return he was always welcome to do the same, and honestly, he loved her company. Even now, she could sit next to him on the couch and stare at his every movement with out needing to worry about getting scolded. If she wanted to, she knew he wouldn't even care if she put her head on his chest, but a knot in her chest made her decide against it. Instead she would ask him to talk, and he would, because despite how cold he acted to everyone else, he couldn't say no to her.
"Tell me what you're thinking" she said in a near whisper. He closed his eyes and then replied in a sad and gentle voice 'there are just too many things wrong with what is going on… there's going to be a war."
"I know. We can help though, I mean, in the end we might be the only ones willing to do what needs to be done. Just remember you're not in this alone Toushirou-kun."
He swore his heart skipped a beat when she said that, but just like every time she made him feel that way, he ignored it.
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm not sure yet. Hmph, I guess I should figure that out, I am the main war strategist…" she said with a smirk as she looked over at Hitsugaya. She was slightly taken aback at first because instead of smiling back, he just stared at her.
"Oh, stop worrying about me Shiro!"
"You know you'll be making yourself a target –"
"-One; I made myself a target for this kind situation years ago, and I did it willingly. Two; you're just as much a target as I am, if not more so. Good job with that by-the-way. And three; I'm a big girl Toushirou. I can take care of myself."
"I know all of that. It's just… I don't want you to get hu- "
He felt something on his shoulder and stopped. She had fallen asleep on him. Again. It was alright though. It was probably around three in the morning anyway. He decided it would be better not to wake her up; she looked so comfortable and delicate. So he closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep.