I know I say this a lot, but I'm sorry for the delay.

I had some personal issues kind of...blocking my inspiration for a while, and I've just now gotten around to this collection again. Part of the problem was coming up with an idea that actually went somewhere in my head.

This was the first thing I was able to work with. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.

"Oh, come on!"

"No. Absolutely not. You hear me? No."

Matsumoto pouted like a spoiled child, but Hitsugaya would not be dissuaded. Or persuaded. Nope. Not this time. She could pout and whine and bribe and cry all she wanted.

Not gonna happen.

"But Tooooushirooooou...pleeeeeease?"

Hitsugaya ignored that. "I am your commanding officer, the ultimate authority of the Tenth Division, and I do not appreciate your attempts to ignore that."

Matsumoto pouted again, even more pitifully this time, and bowed her head with a jerk that flopped her hair down to cover her lowered face.

"Fine. I apologize, my wonderful, gracious, glorious, generous, fair, handsome, elegant, regal, lordly captain. I humbly request an audience with Your Esteemed Eminence."

The white-haired captain flopped onto his chair with a huff and picked up a pen. "There's work to be done, here. I can't be dealing with such trivial issues right now. You have work begging your attention as well."

Lifting her head again, Matsumoto scowled at her captain. "I'm not doing anything until you say yes. I'm not moving until you say yes."

Hitsugaya groaned and put his head in his hands. "Why do you have to be so difficult? Have you checked the specifics of our ranks? If you look at mine, it says: 'Captain.' You know what that means, right? It means I'm in charge. And your rank is 'Vice-Captain.' That means you're second-in-command. You're the second authority in this division. As in, not first. Know who's first? I'm first. I'm above your station. I'm more powerful than you. My word is law."

Huffing herself, Matsumoto turned her nose up and closed her eyes, clearly not paying attention anymore. Her mind was made up, and there would be no more negotiation on the matter.

Ignoring the fact that there had never been any negotiating in the first place.

"Do I need to go to the First about this? I don't think Yamamoto-soutaichou would appreciate this kind of insubordination."

Usually, the idea of his going to the Commander General with an issue was enough for Matsumoto to grudgingly agree to his word, and so far he hadn't actually needed to speak to Yamamoto about any particular issues regarding Matsumoto's behavior.

This time, however...

Hitsugaya most certainly didn't enjoy the look on his adjutant's face at the moment. In fact, it made him decidedly uncomfortable. As if she were a spider, and he – the prey – had walked cleanly into her web.

"Uh..." he muttered uncertainly, lowering his pen very, very slowly.

Matsumoto sauntered up to her captain's desk, leaning down to look him in the eye, a deviant smirk on her face.

"I wonder how much Yamamoto-soutaichou would appreciate you abusing me on duty...Mister My-Word-is-Law. Shall we see...?"

"W-What? What are you talking about?!"

"You don't remember, Toushirou? My, my, and here I thought you were so meticulous...why, it was just after Gin and Aizen left the living world and went back to Hueco Mundo...you were clearly upset, Toushirou, and you...oh, but it hurts just to remember..."

Here she began to cry, clearly forcing it.

"You...you t-took me...by the scarf and...and...forced me to kiss you! Kiss you! Such slovenly behavior! But what could I do? I'm just a vice-captain, I have to do whatever my commander wants! But...but it hurt me, Toushirou...I thought you were different!"

Hitsugaya's face went as pale white as his hair. "But...b-but...that was...I...you...you didn't...I didn't...you...but..."

Throwing herself back in a flourish, as if acting in a play to which Hitsugaya was the only audience (he half-expected a spotlight to shine on her), Matsumoto continued to cry. "I'm afraid to tell! Who knows what lecherous things you might do to me!"

Hitsugaya continued to stammer incoherently, unable to form a sentence in his near-panic. "Y-You...you...you would...wouldn't...you..."

The tears stopped, and Matsumoto's smirk widened considerably, a sadistic, manic twinkle in her eyes. "Oh, but wouldn't I...?"

"Gah...I...but...ah...?"

"So...shall we head on over to the First Division headquarters...Taichou...?"

"I...but...you...and...fine!! Keep it! I...I don't care anymore!"

Matsumoto let out an inhumanly high-pitched squeal of glee.

"Oh, Toushirou, you're such a sweetheart!"

Leaning over his desk again, she smashed her lips against her captain's - eliciting a squeak from the younger shinigami that most certainly didn't sound like "ultimate authority" - and practically skipped out of the office.

"I'm gonna go find some food and water!" she declared from the hallway.

"I...I...get back here!"

"Thanks, Toushirou!" she called, barely audible. "I love you!"

About to get up and storm after his giggling subordinate, Hitsugaya fell back into his chair, dumbfounded and nearly speechless.

"I...l-love...you...?"

"I hate you..."

"Oh, that's not nice, Toushirou...come on. It's cute!"

"That...thing is drinking my tea! My tea!"

Hitsugaya snatched the mug away, glaring hatefully. "My tea!" he snarled.

The tiny orange ball of fur sitting atop a sheaf of paper looked up at the flustered captain with a blank expression.

"Don't you look at me like that!" Hitsugaya snapped. "I told you it was mine, didn't I? Didn't I?! And what do you do? You drink it anyway!"

Plucking at his cloak, he added, "Do you know what this is? This says I'm your master! I'm your commander! I'm your god! You don't drink your god's tea, do you? DO YOU?!"

Matsumoto giggled. "You're being silly, Toushirou. You know he can't understand you."

"Oh, I'll make him understand me! I'll make him leave offerings at my doorstep! I'll make him knit me a damned sweater if I want to!"

"Don't you listen to Daddy, little one," Matsumoto said soothingly. "He's just frustrated."

The tiny kitten mewed soundlessly and tumbled off the desk into Hitsugaya's lap.

"I—Hey, hey-hey! Who said you could do that?!"

"Toushirou, he's just a baby."

"I wouldn't let a baby just plop itself into my lap, either! I decide who occupies my lap, thank you very much!"

"Oh, quit it. Drink your tea and get over yourself, Ultimate Authority."

"Tch..."

Hitsugaya took a sip of tea – although it was far too jerky and harsh to really be called a sip – and slammed the mug down, picking up his pen and digging it into the sheet of paper he'd been writing on almost hard enough to go through into the sheets beneath it.

Things went relatively smoothly for about seventeen seconds.

Then, Hitsugaya jerked. "Hey!" he snapped, glaring down at the tiny animal currently kneading its even tinier claws into his leg. "Stop that, you little vermin!"

"Awww..." Matsumoto cooed, leaning over to look. "He's purring, Toushirou...he likes you."

"Good for him. He should show it by doing what I tell him to and knock it off!"

Matsumoto frowned. "Toushirou, come on, now. Hush. You're being childish."

"I am not being childish! Who was the one who—"

Matsumoto pinched his lips shut. "Hush. Eyes on the goal, my dear little captain. You were the one who said you wanted to work."

Hitsugaya swatted Matsumoto's hand away. "Don't patronize me. You started all this."

"Toushirou..."

"Oh...fine. Whatever. Just get working. Go!"

Matsumoto smirked and went back to her desk.

Hitsugaya acted flustered and annoyed for the rest of the day, but Matsumoto didn't miss the fact that after a while, the boy captain set a hand down into his lap, idly scratching behind the kitten's ear with his thumb.

As she worked (or pretended to work), Matsumoto wondered if it was a bad thing that she took so much pleasure in irritating her commander.

That night, after Hitsugaya fell asleep at his desk, completely unaware of the sleeping little puff of orange perched atop his head, Matsumoto decided that it wasn't.

It was just fine.

...I don't know.

My uncle's girlfriend brought over a little kitten today, apparently for us to care for through the weekend until a home is found for it, and...what can I say? I'm a sap. Always been a sucker for kittens, I have. So...this little idea popped up. Poor Hitsugaya. You'd think after all that's happened, Matsumoto would cut him some slack. But...well, things just don't happen that way, I guess.

I don't know what to name the little guy. He'll probably show up in future chapters...you know, anywhere that needs a kitten. Captain's meetings, refrigerators, cake mix, Yachiru's pocket (wait...how'd he get in there?), wherever.

Anyway, until next time.

Take it easy, everyone.