A/N: Hey, you lot! Sorry for the (one day) late update, but Germany has given me so much backlog, I just couldn't find time yesterday! Also, my grandparents are visiting from Canada for a month on Thursday, so any updates due during that time may happen, may not happen, or may be early/late. The Easter hols start next weekend, which is good for free time, but I'm gonna have a crapload of visitors to deal with...sorry.

And, an announcement. Well, two. One more important than the other. You know what? I'm going to start with the less important one.

WE HAVE REACHED OVER 200 REVIEWS! That is...amazing. The most (by far!) that I've ever had for any story. Then again, this is the longest story I've ever written by quite a large margin. I wasn't sure it was going too well, but...YAY!

Second thing is, I've decided this fic is definitely coming to a close. I already have a new fic idea, two chapters of which have already been betaed (I HAVE A BETA!) by Rainbow Fruit Loop. If you like Death Note, Mello and Near, feel free to check it out (when I've uploaded it). *self-advertises shamelessly*

Thanks so much to all of you for sticking with me throughout this verryyy long fic; I luvvoo all! See you next time! (I'm talking like this is the last chapter. We're going to have at least two more, don't worry!)

Credit for this word chapter goes to Keiren-Kun89! And on that note, I have about a million word requests that I haven't used, and, as this fic is ending, probably never will. Sorryyyyyy! But I have one I definitely DO plan to use, (thank you, sun and moon!) and the next chapter may be one of you lot's word requests, or it could be one of my ideas if I can't find one that fits. (I planned a chapter properly! *gasp*)

Massive response to last chapter! (Which kinda makes sense, but anyway...) Thank you to:

Assault Godzilla

amychuzzle

Kriitikko

light within the darkness

Mashar

Audrey Londonburg

ChieLuvsBleach

dragonballzlover2499

Vixenlive

Da Two Peoples, aka Winter Lover in the Snow and Hyorinmaru Stole My Bacon (Nonplussed=really, really confused)

Ice Prince Hitsugaya

Rainbow Fruit Loop (MY NEW BETA!)

Jimmy10.0

sagitgirlth

hariiiet

and AsomeM! That is a lot of people, guys. I can't even be bothered to count them all. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. All credit goes to the fantabulous Kubo Tite!

Cantankerous

Cantankerous: disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: a cantankerous, argumentative man.

If there was anything Matsumoto feared, apart from a worldwide sake shortage, it was a pissed off Yumichika.

His moods were sporadic and had no particular order to them, but most of them were usually caused by either Ikkaku or a lack of beauty in general. And all of them were something to be avoided at all costs.

This one in particular, however, seemed to have been triggered by her own folly.

"I cannot believe you and Hitsugaya-taicho were trapped in a cave together and neither of you made a confession of undying love! Denying your feelings is so unbeautiful, you know." The narcissist repeated for at least the fifth time, pouting very unbecomingly, but no way in hell was she going to tell him that.

"Uh…Yumichika, we weren't trapped. The barrier disintegrated. And what undying love?" Matsumoto asked him daringly, afraid of fuelling her friend's anger, but doing so anyway.

Yumichika adopted a horrified expression. "What undying love? Are you kidding me? The undying, forever-and-always love between the pair of you that everyone except you two blockheads can see!" he shrieked, waving his hands around in the air, to Matsumoto's perplexity.

"Who's a blockhead?" came a cool voice from behind them.

Matsumoto and Yumichika both whirled round to stare guiltily at Hitsugaya, who had apparently just walked in the room. At least, Matsumoto hoped he'd just walked in.

"Fifth Seat Ayasegawa, for your own safety, I'd advise you not to meddle with things that do not concern you. It is unbecoming of your position," Hitsugaya continued, sparing no thought for Yumichika's over-blown self esteem and his need to be 'becoming'.

Yumichika pouted again, clearly not pleased, but got up anyway. "My apologies," he muttered insincerely, before stalking to the door.

As an afterthought, he turned round and said to Matsumoto, "Just think about what I said. Open your eyes and you'll see." The man took it into his head that now might be a good time to flee for his life, and did so.

Matsumoto felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees, then creep back up again. She risked a glance at her captain.

He seemed calm enough, but Matsumoto knew better than to ever judge by appearances. "What in the world could he be talking about, huh, taicho?" she staged, adopting an extremely fake smile.

Hitsugaya just looked at her patronizingly. "I heard the entire conversation, Matsumoto," he informed her.

"Oh."

"Still, I'm quite interested to know who started those rumours," Hitsugaya admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I wonder if they'd mind losing a couple of fingers…?" he growled, revealing his inner wrath.

Matsumoto winced. Poor person, whoever they were. "Is the idea of people thinking we're together that repulsive to you?" she asked, slightly injured, though for the life of her she didn't know why.

Hitsugaya didn't bother to soften his reply. "Frankly put, yes."

Matsumoto scowled at him. "Thanks for the amazing compliment," she said, with searing sarcasm.

"It wasn't meant to personally offend you, I just despise rumours." Hitsugaya defended himself uselessly.

"Personally offend me? Do I look personally offended to you? Oh, wait, yes I do. Maybe it's because I am personally offended, whatever your intentions were." she retorted, her scowl turning into a full-on glare.

Hitsugaya took an unconscious step back. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen her drinking for a while. Maybe she was on alcohol withdrawal. "Matsumoto, calm down. It's not the idea of us…being together that repulses me, it's just the fact that everyone's fantasizing about our business, when they should just leave it the hell alone."

Matsumoto paused in her rage. "Oh." she said, for the second time that day.

Hitsugaya was silent, waiting for his fukutaicho to say something else.

"So…you wouldn't mind us being together, as long as no one talked about it?" Matsumoto asked hesitantly.

Hitsugaya froze. He wasn't liking where this conversation was headed. "Not exactly. It would be very improper to have a captain/lieutenant relationship; the soutaicho doesn't like them."

"Just forget our positions for now. Would you mind us being together?" Matsumoto repeated insistently.

Hitsugaya shifted uncomfortably. This was getting increasingly awkward. "I don't know. I'm not sure it would work. Why does it matter, anyway?"

"Oh, it doesn't. I was just wondering what you see me as. Looks like the answer was 'Just a Working Partner and Nothing Else', huh?" Matsumoto spat scathingly, flouncing out of the room. "And don't get the wrong idea; I don't want to be together either. I just thought we had something a bit stronger than what you seem to see, that's all," she called huffily over her shoulder.

The small captain was left standing in the room by himself. It seemed an awkward silence didn't depend on having two or more people in the room after all.

What the hell's going on? Hitsugaya thought wearily, running his hand repeatedly through his already messy hair. He was going to kill Ayasegawa for starting all this. When Matsumoto's own moods were triggered, she sometimes didn't forgive him for whatever he'd unconsciously done for weeks.

Hitsugaya sat down heavily, putting his head into his hands and sighing. He needed to work this out.

…

Matsumoto charged through the streets of Seireitei to get to her favourite Rukongai bar. She felt tears of anger prick rather painfully behind her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She wasn't actually angry at her taicho, surprisingly. She was just so confused as to what was going on with the two of them at the moment. One moment, her heart was squeezing almost painfully whenever he looked at her, and the next she was so angry with him she could chuck a vase at his head without remorse. But she wasn't angry with him…was she?

Matsumoto cursed under her breath. She'd known the abstinence from sake wouldn't go well; she'd only done it to please her taicho. She was acting hormonal now, and the only way to deal with hormones was to drown them in a sea of alcohol.

Matsumoto flung open the bar door and sat down heavily at the counter. "Pint of sake," she ordered tersely.

She didn't stop drinking for three hours.

A/N: Oh dear. Matsumoto's not at all bipolar, is she? I had her acting a bit weird in this chapter on purpose, by the way. It was necessary.

This was a short chapter, I know, but technically, it's transitional. The next chapter will be good. I promise. (Read: I hope. You lot know how unpredictable I am. I COULD choose to blow them all up. But then I'd get hate mail. XD Don't think that'll stop me!)