A/N: Hello everyone! I'm supposed to be on hiatus but this has been floating around in my head and I had to get it out.

Sorry if this seems OOC and not that good, I'm not used to writing Hitsugaya, Matsumoto always made much more sense to me, but I had to try.

I hope you enjoy. :D

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.

Ataraxia :: "You can't always get what you want, but you get what you need." -Rolling Stones

Ataraxia

Ah, finally. Peace and quiet.

He was now walking back to his office, a bit proud of his daring (and successful) plan to get himself a few stress-free days. He had just seen his lieutenant off to the real world for a mundane mission. He knew that Matsumoto was grossly overqualified for the job, but what the heck. He was usually above such petty methods (God, that woman is such a bad influence), but she had been grating on his nerves every day. He was amazed that he hasn't wrung her neck yet.

He was thankful that no one questioned his decision to send his second-in-command for something so simple. But it was either that, murder, or locking the freaking woman up and throwing away the key. The last two sounded reasonable to him in his over-worked and utterly frustrated state (which meant that they were very VERY bad ideas), and so he decided to go with the first one. It seemed saner and was relatively easier to lie about should it need any justification.

It has only been a few days since Matsumoto left and the effect was obvious.

He suffered no migraines due to bouts of frustration and ire, which is good. Great, even. But of course, nothing's perfect, so he got still got the occasional headache.

He got them when he had to get up, after a few hours of working non-stop, to make himself tea. It's only for a little while anyway since Matsumoto always brought a fresh cup for him when he was working.

And that time when he misplaced something and gave up on ever finding it. Oh well. I can ask Matsumoto to look for it when she gets back.

And that day when he got hungry but he thought it was too much of a bother to grab a snack. Don't really know where Matsumoto gets that stuff.

And yesterday, when he got home early and he couldn't sleep because, well, it was still early. This is usually the time Matsumoto drags me off to someplace.

Huh.

Still, no headache most days is a good thing.

Also, he was up-to-date with paperwork (even with Matsumoto's pile). There was no one to distract him with annoying outbursts. There was no one to yell at for slacking off. There was no one to bail out of jail for misconduct. There was no one to look for at bars. There was no one to force him on impromptu walks through town just because it was pretty outside, no one to beg him to take them to that new place because it served amanatto and they knew he liked it, no one to nag him for not taking a break, no one to share a smile with after a hard day's work, no one to eat with at odd hours of the day, no one, no one, no one.

What the-?

Knock, knock.

The rap on the door forcibly pulled him from his thoughts and he shivered. The sound echoed through the office. Since when did this place seem so em-huge? He took a deep breath and stood to open the door. Wouldn't help thinking about that anyway.

He didn't know when it started but he's been feeling under the weather lately. It was weird, since he's never really gotten sick before. The trip to the Fourth Division didn't help any because they said he was in perfect health.

But then why was he more tired lately than when he barely managed to get some sleep? He even got worked up over little things more often than he did before. He's been indecisive and distracted, and he didn't even know why.

That is, until his third seat suddenly asked him: "Taichou, is something wrong?"

And he heard those words in a different voice, one that he hasn't heard in a while, and realization hit him like a ton of sake bottles falling on his head.

He won't admit it, not out loud anyway. So he placated his subordinate's worry with a shrug and a half-hearted, "No, nothing's wrong."

Damn that woman. This is all her fault.

He opted to leave the office early after that.

He didn't want to go to work. But skipping might cause a commotion because it would be another out-of-character thing to add to the already long list his division has undoubtedly compiled.

He comes in late. He's been in and out of the office without warning. He's been procrastinating with paperwork. His meals have been few and far between. And someone probably found the empty sake bottle under his desk.

Fuck. I'm turning into HER.

He grudgingly walked around the division, the whole time mumbling about how bothersome it was that he almost didn't notice it.

A familiar spiritual pressure seeped through the halls and his agitation slowly disappeared.

He could hear the sound of someone hopping along the wooden floor and the beat of his heart slowed to mimic the rhythm of those feet.

As a playful and lilting voice reached his ears, his shoulders relaxed and he released the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Taichou~!"

He couldn't help the crooked smile that crept across his face, albeit defeated, as he made his way to his office.

Ah, finally. Peace and quiet.

Thanks for reading. Review? X)