A/N: Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach.
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Hitsugaya stared idly into space and sighed. He had nothing to do. Nothing. Ise-fukutaichou was the epitome to the perfect lieutenant. Prompt, hardworking and professional he couldn't fault her apart from the fact that he was bored stupid! Hyorinmaru laughed somewhere in the recesses of his mind and he glared. They'd easily taken control of the tenth division paperwork that usually swamped the short captain and had the entire backlog completed in two days. In their boredom and to repay Nanao the favour they had taken on the eighth division work too completing the backlog in that too.
He glanced at the couch and laughed aloud at himself. Get a grip Toshiro. He grumbled to himself. You do not miss her.
Nanao had taken to the fukutaichou office. Hitsugaya found it bizarre, the silence. The fukutaichou office had always been vacant in the tenth division. Even before Kurosaki-taichou had left. Hitsugaya was used to Matsumoto's coming and goings in his office, heck the woman spent more time asleep on his couch than she did in her own quarters. Even in the unusual circumstance that he convinced her to do paperwork she always sat on the couch. He was lucky if he saw Nanao twice a day. To his annoyance he found the silence even more irritating than he did Matsumoto's chatter or snores.
But he did not miss her. He did not.
At least he'd never admit it because she'd never let him forget it…
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Rangiku sighed, twirling her hair absently around a finger. She was bored! She wasn't afraid to admit it either. Even drinking sake had lost its appeal. It seemed she only drank so taichou would yell at her. There was nobody to tell her off in the eighth division. It was no fun. She pouted. At least she wasn't the only one. Kyoraku Shunsui was probably the most sober he'd been in a century. Gods she missed her taichou…
Her pity party was interrupted by a sharp tap on the door.
"Nanao-chan!" Said Rangiku happily. Anything was a welcome change from staring into space.
"Hello Rangiku-san, is taichou here?" Asked the prim lieutenant while adjusting the pile of papers in her arms.
"He had a meeting of some kind with Yamamoto-sama I think." Said Rangiku.
"Oh that's right. About the adjustments to the transfer list. I'm surprised he remembered." Nanao murmured to herself, shifting the papers again.
"Here let me take that. Why are you delivering paperwork Nanao-chan you know you can get a newbie to do it." Said Matsumoto with a frown.
"It appears I have nothing more productive to do at this moment in time."
"Is that Nanao-chan speech for I'm as horribly bored as you are Ran-chan please tell me what I've missed?"
Nanao almost lost her composure. Almost.
"I suppose so.."
"It's that bad? You and taichou are like peas in a pod."
"Oh we get along just fine. Hitsugaya Taichou is polite and professional and hard working. He's the ideal captain but…"
"But." Rangiku agreed simply. "I miss being yelled at." She said, running a hand through her hair. "Shunsui-kun is just as bad. He's sober Nanao-chan."
"What!"
"There's no fun in drinking without somebody to yell at you." Said Rangiku sadly.
"He does miss you. Or at least I think he does.."
"Not likely."
"No really. He's restless. Every time I enter that office he's tapping something…"
"Wait you're using the fukutaichou office?"
"Yes."
"We've shared the main office since he became taichou."
"The silence is probably deafening." Said Nanao thoughtfully. "He scribbles in a notebook almost constantly." She added the small piece of information.
Taichou was drawing manga again? It was a secret Matsumoto had discovered some thirty years previously. Publishing a romance manga herself she'd been amazed. He was extremely talented, though he rarely ever used it… only when he was beyond boredom.
He'd been so angry when she found out. She never teased him too much, she figured geniuses must get bored on a regular basis and something told her that boredom to a genius was something akin to torture.
She'd dropped the topic and it was eight years later that it finally came up again. Or didn't. She been in a funk. She was at the high point of one of the most important arcs in her storyline which involved a huge fight sequence. She hadn't anticipated how difficult a fight sequence would be for a romance artist and was finding the chapter incredibly difficult.
A few days into her little problem he'd presented her with her minimum amount of paperwork plus the completed chapter. She'd been absolutely over the moon. Of course he'd shrugged it off telling her to change the style to her own and leaving it at that. She'd published it but in his own style. There was no way she could altar a masterpiece like that. She'd even subtly credited him though nobody had ever realised. In the twelve years since then he had thrown odd chapters and scenes in when she begged and his style was well known as her accomplice. That first fight sequence that they'd published as a team was still the best selling issue all those years later followed by their other collaborations…
"Rangiku-san!"
Rangiku snapped out of her thoughts to look a the other lieutenant.
"Sorry Nanao-chan you lost me completely there. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that theres nothing to say that you can't see Hitsugaya Taichou. I see Kyoraku taichou daily."
"That you do Nanao-chan!"
Shunsui entered the room with a lazy smile. It may have been Matsumoto's imagination but she thought she saw Nanao relax a little at the familiar presence.
"Yare Ran-chan Nanao-chan is right."
"It isn't that simple! They're so close… We're top of the pile in the exams I can't give them a reason to separate us. Our past, our abilities and our Zampaktou are doing a good enough job of that." She said bitterly.
"So don't let them catch you. Surely Rangiku Matsumoto half of the best Taichou-fukutaichou team in seretei can pull off a small amount of sneaking around?" Said Shunsui innocently.
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Rangiku lay staring at her ceiling that night, debating. Should she go? Shunsui was right she could easily sneak around if she wanted to but what would Hitsugaya say? Would he be mad that she risked it? Or turn her away? She wondered idly if Hyorinmaru was giving Hitsugaya as much trouble as Haineko was giving her. The bobcat's pacing was making her quite queasy. The creatures couldn't pass between landscapes while that far away. Sure they could go to the public scapes but neither were fond of them. Besides. They'd much rather materialise… Seeing Hitsugaya might help calm the cat and her queasy stomach… She glanced at the clock. 2.13 am. Throwing back her covers she rose. Whether she saw her taichou or not she was not going to sleep in her current state. She decided to go for a walk even just to think…
Despite her furious insistence that she was just going for a walk Matsumoto soon found herself outside the tenth division gates. It wouldn't hurt… just to wander around. It wasn't like she'd set off the security precautions…
The whole place felt like home. The feeling overwhelmed her as soon as she entered. Everything from the shabby mess hall to the dorms, to the offices to her taichou sitting on the office roof… Wait what?!
Matsumoto's gaze returned to the roof and sure enough she spotted the Ice captain. He sat with his back to her just watching the sky. She silently flashed onto the roof.
Hitsugaya wasn't surprised when he felt the soft pressure of a back against his own. She hadn't hidden her reiatsu from him and even if she had Hyorinmaru's sudden burst of happiness would have informed him. No he was prepared for her presence, just not the feelings it evoked as relief flooded his body and it relaxed against his will. His skin tingled with the familiar feel of her reiatsu against his.
Who the hell was he kidding anyway. He missed her desperately.
"Matsumoto." He muttered simply.
"Taichou." she replied almost breathily at the sensation of being so close again. Haineko and Hyorinmaru materialised and scampered off to some unknown corner of the roof. Their masters knew they'd never go too far. The pair themselves just sat in contented silence.
"Taichou." Said Matsumoto finally.
"Matsumoto." Hitsugaya allowed his head drop back onto Rangiku's shoulder suddenly very aware of how weary his body really was. Rangiku sighed softly, resting her head on his own. He felt her squeeze his hand softly.
"You'll hurt yourself."
"Taichou you won't give me frostbite. You're only cool to me."
In response Hitsugaya squeezed the hand holding his back.
"Are you angry with me?"
"No Matsumoto." She felt him shake his head slightly under hers.
"I miss the tenth… I miss being yelled at." She said quietly. Hitsugaya gave a slight snort of laughter. The sound lifted Rangiku's spirits and she wondered how he'd come to be in such an unusual mood.
"You can bask in the glory of the fact that I am apparently completely incapable of getting anything done in a silent office anymore."
"I miss you too Taichou."
He sighed softly, the breath tickling her collarbone.
"Why are you even up Matsumoto?"
"I couldn't sleep. Haineko makes me ill every time I stop moving anyway."
"I've been victim to something similar." He admitted reluctantly.
"Nanao-san says you're drawing again."
"She what!" He almost yelped, darting up.
"Well actually she says you're constantly scribbling something in a note book. Please sit back down taichou."
Hitsugaya stilled slightly at the ending plea, and it was a plea. Could she feel the loss of contact as keenly as he could? He sincerely hoped not… He wasn't against obeying though, he was already regretting getting up in the first place.
He settled once more, his back to his fuku-taichou's.
"So I'll take that as a yes then!" She said happily.
"Matsumoto!"
She giggled. "Sorry Taichou. I don't suppose you have anything for me?" She asked sweetly. "We're just crying out for another omake."
"No." She could tell from his tone that he was lying and making no attempt at hiding it. He was stubborn though. Matsumoto knew she wasn't getting anything without earning it, it always happened this way.
"But taichou-"
"No Matsumoto."
She pouted though she knew he couldn't see her. She couldn't find it in her to be angry though. She was just so happy to be back in their dysfunctional little friendship. To be yelled at again.
They fell into a comfortable silence, Hitsugaya played idly with the end of her scarf. Matsumoto ignored it. Instead she lapsed into deep thought. It was nice to have free run with her thoughts in Haineko's absence. They centred thoroughly on her captain.
There was something strange, Matsumoto wouldn't go as far as to call it bad but strange. She'd missed her captain, she really had but the sensation of their reiatsu's coming into contact had never been that strong. A person had contact with another's energy on a daily basis. It happened unconsciously throughout the day. She would admit that her connection with Hitsugaya's was particularly strong, mostly because they were rarely far enough apart for it to be separated and never for very long. No wonder their Zampaktou spirits had bonded. She thought. Even stranger was the need for contact. She and Hitsugaya probably had less physical contact than Kukichi-Taichou and Renji and it wasn't just her either. The fact that Hitsugaya Toshiro had willingly rested against her was bizarre.
Not that she complained in the slightest. His hair was incredibly soft for all it's appearance of icicles and his skin was smooth as silk, even the slight stubble on his jaw line was remarkably soft. Then of course he'd moved. It was probably a good thing. Came her rueful thought. She squelched that immediately. Even without Haineko in her head thoughts like that were off limits. She shuddered to think what the bobcat would have to say if she was ever caught with a thought like that.
But every lieutenant would admit to it, wanting to have their way with their untouchable taichou, be their captain of the same gender or not. Somehow Matsumoto was pretty sure this wasn't the same thing though. Most of the lieutenants had had their way with their captains. She and Nanao were the only two… And it was something she'd never admitted to, no matter how drunk Renji and Shuuhei had gotten her. Heck it was something she'd never even admitted to herself.
Rangiku was by no means deluded. She knew her taichou was no child. She'd been his Lieutenant for almost 80 years. She'd been there when he grew up. It was just something she'd never given the luxury of thought. She was too attached and their friendship too important for frivolities like that.
Suddenly she remembered where she was and her attention returned. How long had she been dazed? Her sharp eyes for detail noticed that he wasn't playing with her scarf anymore. Infact his hand fisted the silk.
Her eyes widened slightly. Was he asleep? Sure enough once she listened she could hear the deep even breathing. It was a huge sign of trust, to sleep in her presence without Hyorinmaru's protection. He must have been exhausted… Then again if he was getting as little sleep as her he had every right to be.
Matsumoto turned slowly, catching and cradling the sleeping captain before gently placing his head in her lap. She smiled as he immediately turned onto his side, curling up. His hand still grasped her scarf tightly. It was sweet that he slept in the foetal position. He didn't much look like the powerful captain he was when he slept.
She ran her fingers through his hair softly, it wouldn't do to wake him.
She didn't know how long she sat before she was broken from her thoughts by a brush of fur.
"Haineko."
"You must be cold. We thought you might want this."
Matsumoto noticed the quilt the two carried and recognised it as the one that she kept on the end of her bed. She'd left it safely packed up in her quarters.
"Thank you." Said Rangiku quietly.
She threw the heavy fabric over Hitsugaya.
"Are we going?"
Rangiku shook her head. "You can stay out if you want."
"Can we stay with you guys?"
Matsumoto looked slightly surprised. "Of course if you want to."
The bobcat curled up on the quilt, snug between Hitsugaya's chest and Matsumoto's knee. Hyorinmaru settled beside her, his head resting on Haineko's back. It wasn't long before the pair were fast asleep.
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Matsumoto didn't sleep. She passed what little time she had before sunrise watching the stars. When the sun finally began to rise she resigned herself to getting up.
She smiled, slightly amused when Hitsugaya wouldn't let go of her scarf which was still in his grasp. Old habits die hard she thought as she unwound it from her throat. She gently stroked Haineko until the cat opened her eyes.
"We have to go."
Matsumoto slid out from under her captain's head, placing it gently on the roof while Haineko got up. The cat's movement woke the sleeping dragon.
"You're off?"
"Yeah."
"We need to go wake Nanao and Shunsui-kun to make sure Nanao makes it back before our meeting."
Haineko nodded.
"Wake him in about twenty minutes Hyorinmaru."
"I will."
Haineko licked the dragon's cheek to his half hearted protests. "Love you."
"I love you too."
Both creatures dissipated and returned to their masters mind fields.
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