A/N: At long last another installment!

Disclaimer: I wish Bleach were mine, but it's not.

Seven Deadly Sins

Pride

Only Matsumoto sincerely believed Hitsugaya's pride to be a virtue.

It was pride that had enabled him to excel in the academy, shielding him from the bitter words of his rivals. It was pride that had seen him work twice as hard as any other shinigami, allowing him to carve a path through the doubt and opposition his height and youthful appearance so often provoked . It was pride that driven him to quickly ascend through the ranks of the gotei 13 and achieve bankai at such a young age.

But only Matsumoto understood that Hitsugaya wore his pride like a sword and shield.

So when her captain's white haori had been delivered to her unadjusted, on the eve before his instatement, she had worked through the night. Hemming his new cloak when no-one else would. Because when he accepted his promotion in the presence of his peers, she wanted him to be able to do so with his pride intact.

......

Envy

Hitsugaya and Matsumoto eyed the dragon with identical looks of disbelief as it circled above them, the former looking between his sword and the night sky. A second later Matsumoto's face fell as she looked at her own blade in disappointment.

"No fair," she said petulantly, "why do you get such an awesome shikai?"

......

Gluttony

Hitsugaya groaned miserably as he lay on the office couch, hands on his stomach and face twisted in pain.

"Matsumoto," he gasped, "please, I need medicine."

She gazed disinterestedly at him from her chair, idly sorting through the reports on her desk.

"I'm busy," she said unsympathetically.

Hitsugaya let out another pained moan.

"I'm sorry," he cried, biting his lip as his stomach cramped yet again.

"Well," said Matsumoto, fixing him with unforgiving glare, "sorry won't bring back the kilo of dried persimmons you ate. The kilo of persimmons that Gin gave to me."

Hitsugaya stared at her dejectedly, in too much pain to even appreciate the fact that his lieutenant was working for once. As another spasm wracked his body he grimaced, silently vowing never to eat another dried persimmon ever again.

......

Wrath

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Matsumoto tried to retain consciousness as he looked down at her, his expression a mixture of fear and anger.

"Well, Taicho, I was worried about your pretty face. Your good looks are only reason I show up for work, you know."

She did not flinch when he grabbed the collar of her shihakasho, although she did notice that his grip was strangely gentle.

"You could have died."

His voice was hoarse, and for a moment she felt a little guilty for causing him pain. She ruthlessly suppressed the emotion, remembering how close he had come to death himself.

"You can't fool me, Taicho," she whispered, a smile forming as she slipped into unconsciousness, "you're not really angry."

Hitsugaya released his hold on her uniform, sinking onto his knees beside her body.

"No," he said brokenly, his fingers gingerly stroking her hair, "I'm terrified."

......

Avarice

Hitsugaya stared at his lieutenant, his eyebrow twitching as he took note of the dozen's of bags she held in her hands and under her arms. Matsumoto let out a nervous laugh.

"There was a sale?"

Hitsugaya sincerely regretted not taking the time to hide his temporary credit card, raising a hand to cover his eyes as he let out a long suffering sigh.

"I sent you out for milk."

......

Lust

Members of the gotei 13 would have been surprised to discover that, contrary to popular belief, Hitsugaya-taicho was just as susceptible to his lieutenants 'assets' as everyone else. They were soft and round and appealing in a way that could make him blush by thought alone. He looked her in the eye when he spoke to her because she deserved his respect, and because sooner or later he knew she was going to bury his head in them anyway.

If pressed Hitsugaya mused as Matsumoto pulled him into another suffocating but thoroughly delightful hug, he would admit that he was just as enamored with her chest as everyone else.

He just fervently hoped that no-one ever discovered what he thought of her legs.

......

Sloth

Matsumoto let out a small sigh of relief as she lowered herself onto the sofa. Stretching languidly she lay her head on a strategically placed pillow, bringing her feet up off the ground. She made small noises of contentment as she burrowed into the soft cushions of the couch, a tranquil smile on her face. Closing her eyes she prepared to enjoy a well-deserved nap only to be disturbed a few moments later by the sound of the office door opening.

"Matsumoto. What are you doing?"

She curled into a foetal position and let out a groan.

"Leave me alone, Taicho. I've been working really hard."

The silence that followed was laden with tension.

"Matsumoto," said Hitsugaya, voice tinged with frustration, "you've only been here for five minutes."