Fluctuate

Stage 2

Author's Notes: Sorry for the wait, minna-san! I've been working a lot lately, but unfortunately not on my fanfiction. However, I finally got around to finishing this chapter and starting on the next. I can't believe I'm making another long-ish story! For those of you who read the preview, and for those who haven't, I hope I can entertain you with this. Also, review afterwards and tell me if something seems off, or if you like/hate it. I want to know! Anyway, without further ado, please enjoy!

A beam of bright sunlight poured through the front door, and Hitsugaya woke up. He didn't open his eyes right away, not wanting to deal with have to stare at a piercing light first thing in the morning. He turned over, vaguely wondering why his entire body seemed to ache. Papers crumpled underneath him and his head throbbed with a dull pang. Did he not get enough rest the night before?

Outside, he heard faint voices, some laughing... and some yelling. One particular giggle stood out and suddenly he bolted upright, his eyes flying open.

"Matsumoto!" he gasped. The night before! Did...did all of that really happen? As he took a quick look around, there were signs that none of the aforementioned evening was a dream. He was lying behind his desk, and to his dismay, papers were scattered everywhere. He had fallen asleep in his office? With a pained groan, he stood up and steadied himself, pressing the heel of his palm to his temple as the blood rushed downwards. What could've possibly given him this headache? The laughter outside his door got closer and he began to panic. Quickly, Hitsugaya kneeled down and gather up as many files as he could, piling them haphazardly onto his desk. If anyone came in and saw his office in such disarray, he would suffer much embarrassment.

"...seemed like a good idea at the time," said a female voice.

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou, you really should have more respect for your captain. Don' t you know how hard he works to keep you out of trouble?" replied another woman.

"Okay, okay, I promise I'll tell him that I'm sorry later."

"Yes, I think he would appreciate that. Also, remember to tell him that his reports are due. Though, I'm sure he already knows."

"Got it. See you at the next meeting!" Hitsugaya sighed, looking at the files currently in his hands. They all held today's date as the deadline.

"Oh no!" he gasped, trying desperately to gather all the reports to turn in before it was too late. As he stood behind his desk, a slight chill overcame him. He looked down...

Save for a modest fundoshi, Hitsugaya Toshiro was completely nude. What? When did he-- ? His eyes darted about for his clothes and found them stuffed between two filing cabinets. Putting aside how they actually got there, he straightened out his gi and was preparing to put it on--

"Hitsugaya-taichou, we need to send in our reports!" Matsumoto cheerily flung the door open, not aware of her captain's current situation. The sign hooked to the door from the previous night swung precariously before falling to the ground.

"M-Matsumoto!" he cried, hugging his robe to his chest. His entire face and neck became bright red.

"Taichou! Why are you-?"

"Never mind that, shut the door!" Rangiku did as she was told, slamming the door a little too hard. Her eyes ran up and down his form, and fixed onto his unruly hair. He was still wearing that headband from the night before. How cute!

"Stop staring at me and turn around!" he ordered, agitated beyond all reasoning.

"Yes sir!" And with that, she spun around, facing the door. She heard him struggling to get dressed and she suppressed a giggle. Fabric rustled and she waited patiently, picking at a fingernail.

"Do you need help, Toshiro?" she asked caringly, deciding not to bother with titles. Suddenly, she heard a sputtering sound and she whirled around. Apparently, her captain had given her a choking noise as his answer and she rushed over when she realized that he was decent.

"I'm fine, Matsumoto," he said shakily, catching his breath. His cheeks still held a bit of a blush as she looked him over.

"I'll say you are. You look pretty rattled to me," she replied, and then her hands went for his hakama sash.

"Oi!" he protested, backing away.

"Taichou, you're a complete mess. Let me help." He immediately thought to resist, but his mind quickly changed as his lieutenant knelt down and untied the himo sash, her face level to his stomach. With great ease, she undid the hurriedly tied knots and neatly adjusted them so they fit snugly around his hips. His heart pounded as she moved upwards, aligning his gi so it laid smoothly. She also brushed out the wrinkles from his shoulders down to his elbows, patting away the dust as well.

"There... good as new again," she declared. Rangiku looked into his eyes and Hitsugaya almost caught himself leaning closer, only inches away from her lips...

"Whoops, almost forgot." Her hands reached up and plucked away the fox-ear headband. Her captain winced as the plastic scraped his scalp on the way up.

"Ow..." he hissed, rubbing his head.

"Sorry, Taichou," she apologized. She then gave him a seductive smile, nibbling on one of the fox-ears on the headband. Whether she did it on purpose or if she was just being her usual self, he didn't know.

"It's... okay," he said quietly. Hitsugaya tried to find something else to stare at besides his beautiful fukutaichou, and his gaze landed on the pile of papers on his desk. Matsumoto followed as well and, with no words, they both began sorting all of the files, smoothing them out as best they could. Within minutes, everything was in order, signatures checked and seals stamped in the right places.

"I'll deliver them, don't worry," Matsumoto reassured him, tucking the reports under her arm.

"Thank you... Rangiku." She smiled at him, simply beaming. Ever since yesterday, her demeanor had brightened. He hoped that his words had helped her more than temporarily. The shouji door slid open, letting in the afternoon sun.

"Ah, Rangiku," he called, resisting the urge to reach out to her.

"Yes, Taichou?" she answered, not missing a beat. There was a pause.

"Be sure to come back after you've completed your delivery. That's..." He took an inaudible breath, "That's an order." Matsumoto simply met his eyes with hers.

"Of course." And she left, closing the door. The room was empty, and Hitsugaya collapsed in his chair. Could this morning get any more tense? Why was he acting this way? Usually when he came across a particularly difficult problem, he found it best to go over past events and break down everything that had happened. It nearly always yielded the correct solution. Double checking that the door was shut, he closed his eyes and leaned back, letting his mind wander back to yesterday afternoon. Yesterday...

Hitsugaya had returned from a well-deserved lunch break, relieved that he only had two more stacks of reports to sift through. He was also looking forward to relaxing later that evening, planning on having a nice, quiet night to rest as he cleaned up the files that Matsumoto had neglected to separate and put away. However, when he walked into his office, he was met with quite an uncommon scene.

His fuku-taichou was sitting on the edge of his desk, her face hidden by her long, silky hair. Her shoulders were shaking... The young captain could tell she was upset, and unfortunately, he wasn't very good with these situations. However, the fact was that he needed to finish his work so they could both go home.

"Rangiku-san," he began. She did not look at him.

"I'm fine, Taichou," she answered quickly, but it was obvious that she was not fine. Her captain came closer, arms crossed in thought.

"What's bothering you?" She shook her gorgeous head and he caught a glimpse of wetness on her face.

"It's nothing."

"You shouldn't lie to your captain, Rangiku-san."

"Fine," she said, without argument. "Someone has made me upset, and I don't know how to handle it." Her explanation wasn't much to go on. He pressed onward, determined to find an answer for her so he could get back to work.

"Then why don't you beat them down and make them pay for what they did?"

"He's not exactly here anymore," she scoffed, wiping her eyes. "And I don't want to do that to him." That gave Hitsugaya a little more information, and he was pretty certain of whom she was referring to.

"Hmm... do you miss him?" She looked at him, surprised that he would say such a thing.

"I...I suppose I do. Yes, I miss him. Terribly." Now he was getting somewhere.

"I see. May I offer you some advice?" She nodded silently, removing herself from his desk.

"You seem to be a sentimental woman, Rangiku-san. So do you have anything sentimental from him that you own?"

"Unless you count a broken heart. No, Taichou. I have nothing to remind me of him. Not even a good-bye kiss." Hitsugaya clenched his fist unconsciously. The thought of his fuku-taichou being embraced by that...fox-faced traitor, it was enough to make him want to scream. Against his better instincts, he decided to say something that might make Matsumoto happy. Anything to get her out of this slump.

"Maybe you could ask Rukia-san to draw a picture of him for you. That could be a reminder," he suggested.

"Umm, she isn't a very good artist, if you didn't know. And plus, I would imagine it would be hard to capture such a mysterious looking man on paper."

"I suppose so. Perhaps he didn't give you anything because he plans to return someday." She pouted her lower lip, and he couldn't tell if she was upset anymore.

"He's not coming back. And even if he somehow did, it wouldn't be for me."

"You don't know that," Hitsugaya replied, trying to cheer her up. But on the inside, he was kicking himself. Why was he even encouraging this conversation? He needed to get his work done! "Maybe he left something behind, have you ever thought of that?"

"Um, I don't think so. He wasn't really materialistic. Besides, I just want to see him again. Somehow..." Suddenly, Matsumoto stood up straight, as if struck by an ingenious thought. "Taichou! I've got it!"

"Huh? Already?" He cocked his head in question and his eyes widened as his fuku-taichou rushed towards him and hugged him tightly. Hitsugaya found himself buried in her chest, the chain of her necklace digging into his cheek.

"Oh, it's a great idea! Why didn't I think of it before?" she squealed.

"Ah-! Matsu...moto! Can't-- breathe!" he gasped, trying to peel himself away from her overwhelming embrace.

"Oops, I'm sorry Toshiro!" she said, releasing him right away. She had a renewed smile on her face and her eyes seemed to shine as Hitsugaya stepped backwards, blushing. He cleared his throat, trying to act unfazed.

"It's alright, erm... what did you think of again?" She giggled and wagged her finger in front of him.

"It's a secret! I'll be right back, don't go anywhere." And without any further explanation, she was out the door. Hitsugaya was left standing, confused yet relieved. Now... he could finally finish his work. He sat down behind his desk and began clearing away the finished packets one by one, though he saved the reports that were due tomorrow on the corner. Then he began the tedious task of signing his name on every approved report. He once recalled a petition to have an official stamp made with his name engraved on it so he could finish quicker, but Byakuya Kuchiki insisted that he sign everything traditionally. It was rather annoying, having to keep up with every brush and ink bottle. Too many times he had found a missing set of calligraphy brushes underneath the couch, along with messy scribbles that seemed to be drawn by Matsumoto. He also noticed that she liked keeping a stash of warm sake in the filing cabinets as well, and there had been incidents when he was reaching for a particularly high object, only to have a half-empty bottle come crashing down on his head. Could she be any more careless for his well being?

It was right at that moment when Matsumoto came running into his office again, making him smear black ink all over a very important document.

"Taichouuu!" she sang, closing the door behind her. He snapped his brush in half. "I have a favor I need to ask from you. Oh no, what happened to your ink brush?" She sauntered over to him, leaning forward to examine the messy squiggles from Hitsugaya's calligraphy brush.

"You happened, that's what," he mumbled under his breath. He didn't let his eyes stray from his desk, least they land on a part of his fuku-taichou that was inappropriately exposed.

"Sorry." Apparently, she had heard him. But she was quick to perk back up. "Anyway, I found the perfect answer. Yachiru-chan was the one that suggested it to me. I never knew the little gal was so bright!" she gushed.

"Glad you found a solution. Now can you please kindly leave?" She stopped in her tracks.

"Aw, but Taichou! You're the most important part of my plan." He looked up at her and blanched when she had a wicked looking grin on her face.

"What... do you mean?" he asked slowly, dreading her answer.

"You see, I need you to play the part... and that's about it. If I tell you anymore, I know you'll refuse. Please say yes, Toshiro!"

"It's Hitsugaya-Taichou, Matsumoto," he sighed, "And no. Whatever it is you've cooked up with Yachiru, no."

"Come on... please?" She pouted and clenched her hands into a prayer stance, wanting him to give in.

"And give in, I did." Hitsugaya leaned forward, thinking carefully over the events that had transpired. It had been a long time since Matsumoto had bothered him so much, but maybe it was because she was a little restless. And he was her captain, after all. However, that was no proper excuse for her behavior towards him. Surely she had other people to go to for this sort of thing.

"Apparently not," he muttered, just as his fuku-taichou came strolling in.

"Hey, I'm all done delivering the reports, so we can both go home now!" Silence hung in the air and Hitsugaya suddenly remembered why he had asked her to return in the first place.

Matsumoto was standing in the doorway, a light breeze lifting the ends of her hair. The sun, oh how he hated the sun, was casting a soft halo around her head. Her high cheekbones held a light pink rouge, natural from rushing around the Seireitei. She was simply glowing.

"Is something wrong, Taichou?" she asked him. He snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, his white locks following along.

"No, not at all. Good work, Matsumoto." She smiled genuinely, and something stirred inside his chest.

"Thank you, Taichou." There was a moment of silence between the two, and Matsumoto crossed her arms.

"So, why did you give me that order earlier?"

"That order... Oh, it was nothing." But she could tell something was up. He seemed so flighty today.

"Are you sure? You seemed so... adamant about giving it."

"I've changed my mind," he insisted, leaning over his desk.

"Aw, now that's just no fun at all!" she moaned, flipping her hands up in the air. With a disappointed sigh, she walked over to the couch and flopped down, crossing her legs as she sat.

"Won't you give me just a teeny, tiny hint? Why did you give me that order?" Hitsugaya was rearranging piles of papers on his desk. Anything to keep his eyes away from her. But he couldn't escape her voice, or her actual presence. If this keeps up...

"Fine, if you're going to be that way, then I'll just have to...tickle you!" The captain of 10th division suddenly jumped up, nearly tripping over his chair. He ran around behind it and glared at her, half angry but also half scared. She was coming at him slowly, hands poised to 'attack'.

"N-now, Matsumoto, d-don't do anything crazy," he said, all but panicking. It was a little known fact that Toshiro Hitsugaya was very ticklish, but his fukutaichou definitely knew. He cursed himself for ever letting her find out one of his weaknesses. He ducked behind his chair, where only his hands and a few white spikes of his hair could be seen. Rangiku chuckled like a madwoman, coming closer.

"Oh ho ho, I'm not crazy. I just know what it takes to make you talk," she replied. Teal eyes peeked over the top and she was suddenly nowhere in sight. Did she use shunpo just now? If so, she's certainly right behind him. The small captain whirled around, ready to fend off her deadly assault. But she wasn't behind him like he suspected. He took a carefully calculated step forward...

A split-second later and he was tackled to the floor, his fukutaichou sitting on his legs while she tickled him like there was no tomorrow. She was determined to withdraw the information she wanted. Hitsugaya screamed madly at first, trying to kick her off.

"Ma-Matsumoto, s-s-stop! I can't... I can't breathe!" he gasped, trying desperately not to laugh or give in to her demands. The tips of her nails fluttered against his ribs and he tried swinging his arms back to knock her away, but to no avail.

"Tell me why you wanted me to come back so badly that you had to make it an order. Once you tell me, I'll stop," she said precociously. Hitsugaya barely stifled a laugh by biting his bottom lip. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes and he beat his fists on the floor, shaking his head. He couldn't give in!

"No? Okay then, you leave me no choice. Time for my secret weapon." Matsumoto gave an evil-sounding giggle and tightened her knees against his hips, holding him in place. He felt her hands leave his sides and he felt relief, letting out the breath he had been holding. However, he didn't have much time to relax. Her fingers were traveling up his spine, tugging lightly at his haori before landing on the back of his neck. Suddenly, he panicked.

"Okay, okay okay, I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything. Just p-please don't touch me there!" he begged frantically, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could even think.

"Oh, you mean it?" she asked, a hint of triumph in her voice. The pad of her thumb traced the nape of his hairline. She almost swore she heard him whimper. Perhaps she really shouldn't touch him there...

Hitsugaya sent up a silent prayer as his voluptuous fukutaichou lifted herself up, letting him crawl away on his hands and knees. He was shaking as he stood up to face her. She was smiling when he looked at her.

"Alright, Shiro-chan, spill it. Tell me what you promised."

"Fine," he said in a clipped voice. "I ordered you back here because I didn't want you running off. That's all."

"Taichou..."

"Nani?"

"You're the biggest liar." Hitsugaya opened his mouth to protest, then closed it.

"Did you just call me Shiro-chan?" he hissed through his teeth, his reiatsu flickering around him.

"No, I called you Taichou, like I always do," she explained, examining her nails instead of looking at him.

"And you called me a liar? That's it, no more arguing. I'm docking your pay. And... you're not allowed to drink any more while you're in this office. Also, I forbid you to leave until all of the day's work is done and turned in. For at least a week, and not an hour less."

"Wha-? B-But that's not fair! How am I ever supposed to get through the day?" she whined, stomping her foot against the floor.

"I guess you'll have to find something else to get addicted to." With that, he turned around and began cleaning up around his desk. Matsumoto stood there, completely stunned. Her thoughts were racing. She didn't really care about her income getting held back, she was pretty sure that was just a bluff. However, the thought of not being able to enjoy her favorite pastime was really bothering her. The only reason time seemed to pass during the day was all the little sips of sake she would sneak while she filed what little paperwork she managed to do. She could only waste so much time by taking naps or strolling down the corridors when Hitsugaya wasn't around. He was actually trying to get her to do more work! But his last answer was still echoing in her mind.

"Something else to be addicted to?" she pondered aloud. Her captain raised his head from his current task of cleaning his calligraphy brushes.

"Yes. You can get addicted to something other than alcohol. Like your paperwork, for instance."

"You'd rather I become a workaholic like you? No thanks," she replied, shaking her head.

"Look, I don't care what it is, as long as you get your work done. And that it doesn't interfere with my work day either."

"Taichouuu! You aren't leaving me with very many options," she moaned, tugging at her pink scarf absentmindedly. This wasn't sounding very good at all. She would go crazy if she didn't have something fun to do during the day. And there was no way a bunch of stuff old paperwork was going to become fun overnight. But she felt challenged. What was something that she could do that wouldn't annoy her captain?

Matsumoto crossed her arms, looking at the small man in front of her. His eyes were in a constant state of annoyance or irritation. He was always frowning too. Very rarely would he ever smile, and he always seemed to be in a sour mood. She wondered what would make him happy. Besides her compliance of doing office work, of course.

As she thought about this, Hitsugaya walked in a circle around the room, blowing out the candles in each corner. It was a relatively simple gesture, nothing special about it. But the gears in Matsumoto Rangiku's head were whirring, trying to come up with a solution to her problem. The light in the room got dimmer, until there was one candle left. Soon, it would be pitch black inside the room. His lips tightened into a soft 'O', his breath making the tiny flame flicker.

Then it hit her. It was so obvious! Now everything made sense. The way he snapped at her all the time, how stingy he was with getting the reports in on time, that constant crease between his brow...

Hitsugaya blew out the last candle, sending his office into darkness, save for a thin stream of twilight from the door. Silence filled the room, and he walked past her.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, can I ask you something?" Matsumoto said, trying not to give herself away. His figure stopped in front of the shouji, his white hair catching the last rays of the sunset.

"I'm not in the mood right now," he said in a clipped voice. She saw him rubbing his temples in a counter-clockwise motion. "I'm going home now." The way his small shoulders were tensed and his stiff movements as he walked made Matsumoto reconsider asking him some other time.

"Okay then, I'll see you in the morning. Otsukaresama, Taichou."

"You too, Matsumoto. I'll see you at 9 AM sharp, and not a minute later." He left the room without another word. She heard his footsteps get fainter, then disappear before leaving for her own barracks.

Tomorrow. Yes, she decided. That would be an opportune time to put her plan into motion.

"Get plenty of rest, Taichou. Tomorrow's going to be a big day."

Tsuzuke~

Author's Note: Just a few liner notes, heh. Most of these words are in italics.

Taichou/Fuku-taichou: Captain and Vice Captain/Lieutenant. But I'm sure you knew that.

Fundoshi: A type of male underwear, though female fundoshi exist as well. Comes in different styles.

Himo: A male equivalent to an Obi. It's basically a sash that is tied around the top of the hakama.

Shouji: A rice paper door. There's no way you can watch any scene in most anime and not see one.

Shunpo: Flash Step. Makes you move super-fast.

Otsukaresama: Translated as "Good work" or "Good job". Only said between colleagues or from an 'inferior' to a 'superior', as seen here.

Calligraphy: Byakuya Kuchiki is the president of the Calligraphy Society, and I'm sure he would be an advocate for not only nice handwriting, but proper Kanji stroke order and upholding the tradition of writing in Kanji. What an artist!

Also, I apologize for making Rangiku seem like such a wet blanket. But I'm sure this is the only kind of situation she would be upset in, is when she's thinking about Ichimaru. They were childhood friends after all, so the feelings run deep for her. This fanfic will not have Ichimaru in it though, that's for my other fics. Refer to 'Persimmon' for more of Gin/Ran yumminess, okay? Thanks for reading!