A/N: Chapter five at last! Last one! I'm not sure I like how this turned out but after re-working it over and over again this was the best it got.

Disclaimer: I don't own bleach!

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Matsumoto knocked sharply on the door to the captain's rooms in the eighth division.

"Nanao-chan you have twenty minutes to get back to tenth before everyone wakes up! We have a meeting in forty." Rangiku sang.

Matsumoto couldn't help chuckling at the horrified gasp and walked away, shaking her head.

She lifted an eyebrow when Shunsui joined her some fifteen minutes later. He just grinned easily.

"How long has that been kept a secret?" She asked, amused.

"Just over a year." He said happily.

"So taichou and I are actually the only innocent team in the thirteen? That's ironic."

"You expect me to believe your night was completely innocent. I know you didn't come back here Ran-chan." He teased.

"Actually I do."

"I don't believe you Ran-chan."

"I didn't think you would. Honestly Shunsui-kun Haineko and Hyorinmaru were making us ill because they were separated."

"They could've gone to the public scape. Nice try Ran-chan."

"They don't like the public scape when are they ever out of contact usually anyway?"

"You allow full reiatsu contact with Hitsugaya- Taichou?"

"Yes." She frowned. "Is that strange?"

"I dare say so Ran-chan that's a lot of trust. No wonder your Zampaktou had you ill."

"I always assumed it was normal. Anyway back to the point I was trying to make we just let Haineko and Hyorinmaru materialise for the night. While I sincerely doubt their night was entirely innocent we just sat on the roof. We're going to be late if we don't leave now."

"So you're honestly telling me you've never slept with Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Yes."

"Nerves of steel Ran-chan."

"Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Ran-chan surely you know that you're one of Seretei's supposedly certain couples! The favourite one too."

"We're what?"

"Yare yare Ran-chan you just give off a vibe together not to mention that wave of UST."

"Shunsui-kun!"

"I wouldn't worry about it Ran-chan if you honestly aren't a couple it's in your questionnaire. Yama-Ji can't use it against you." He soothed the agitated woman. "You're the only pair who cleared that part of the exam unscathed Ran-chan. Even if it is only a matter of time." He winked.

Matsumoto glared at her friend.

"You may not be official now but everyone in seretei knows you love each other." Shunsui sang.

"One word when we walk into this hall and I'll make sure Nanao doesn't so much as look at you for the next three months."

"Yare Ran-chan so cruel!"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"This meeting is a warning." Said Yamamoto simply. "You are all aware that relationships within the captain and lieutenant ranks of the Goeti thirteen are forbidden as decreed by the central forty six?"

The assembled group shifted a little.

"Answer the question."

"Yes Sir."

"Then surely there is an explanation as to why only one team in the whole thirteen cleared that part of the questionnaire. A questionnaire that is presented to the forty six."

Matsumoto could see the stomachs of her fellow officers drop to their toes. She chanced a glance at Hitsugaya to find him watching her. She met his eyes.

"Who would like to enlighten us as to the penalty handed down by the central forty six for such relationships?"

Nanao swallowed audibly beside Hitsugaya. She looked a wreck, Hitsugaya noticed. After working with Nanao for a week Hitsugaya knew enough to know that she was far too intelligent to allow herself into such trouble over a simple one night stand. She and her captain were a couple…

"The team is immediately separated and more often than not the lieutenant is dishonourably discharged Sir." She spoke up quietly.

"Yare Yama-Ji that's a stupid rule." Shunsui complained.

"The fact of the matter, Kyoraku Taichou, is that it is the rule." Said Yamamoto. "Understand that if it were not in my best interests you would all be reporting to the central forty six but as it so happens it isn't and your questionnaires have been doctored. There were sighs from the majority of those assembled. "If you so much as step a foot out of line around the central forty six you are on your own. Is that understood?!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good. You're examinations are officially over. Everyone has passed. Lieutenants are to return to their home barracks immediately. Dismissed."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"He couldn't just fire every lieutenant in the Goeti thirteen it would have been completely impractical." Said Nanao as she, Shunsui, Rangiku and Hitsugaya worked on reorganising the eighth's offices.

"Oh I have absolutely no doubt that he would have Nanao-chan." Said Shunsui.

"Well why didn't he then?"

"Yare Nanao-chan Yama-Ji said that only one Captain/vice group passed that section of the examination. He never said it was him."

"It- what…?"

"He and the lieutenant are together some five hundred years now. Self preservation Nanao-chan. His conscience wouldn't allow him doctor his own records and nobody else's. If nothing else Yama-Ji is fair."

"Who passed then?"

"Em… We did." Matsumoto piped up.

Hitsugaya nodded his agreement.

"Wow." Said Nanao.

"Those were my sentiments exactly Nanao-chan."

"You already knew?"

"Ran-chan and I had an interesting conversation this morning."

Nanao's cheeks coloured.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Thank you for last night."

"It's no problem taichou." She said with a smile.

"Hyorinmaru said that you stayed. You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to taichou."

"Why do you take care of me?"

"Because I want to."

"But why?"

"Why do you take care of me?" She countered.

"Because I-. I asked you first." He complained.

"How about we just leave it at that."

He met her eyes and they said enough. He nodded with a rare smile of his own.

"Home sweet home!" Rangiku sighed, flopping down on the office couch.

"Fine now do some work."

"But taichou." She whined.

"Now Matsumoto."

She sighed but still beamed as she took a tiny fraction of the paperwork on Hitsugaya's desk. It was good to be back.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Aw Taichou. It needs at least a little kiss. It's adorable!" Matsumoto grinned. She'd finally managed to talk Hitsugaya into giving her the materials he'd worked on while she was away but only a full week later and after a fair amount of paper work.

Hitsugaya grimaced.

"I can't draw that mush Matsumoto. You know that." It went like this every time. Matsumoto always had to add the romance scenes and she always tried to make him do it.

"You have no problem with fluff Taichou." She teased.

Hitsugaya scowled at her. "I suggest you don't go there Matsumoto." He warned.

"Maybe it's inexperience?"

She went there.

"MATSUMOTO!"

"I'm only teasing Taichou I'm sorry." She said sincerely. Hitsugaya just grumbled something under his breath.

"I'll do it myself if you really don't want to."

"I really don't want to."

"Okay then." She said softly. "You can stay and watch if you want."

He loved watching her draw and she knew it. Hitsugaya hated the fact but it was true anyway. Matsumoto loved her life. She loved her work and truth be told he loved watching her fight. She was a spitfire in battle, probably due to Haineko's nature. When she drew she was completely different though, softer. She so obviously enjoyed it.

"Maybe I can show you enough that you aren't so scared of these scenes."

Not likely in Hitsugaya's opinion. Though unaware Matsumoto had hit the nail on the head when she suggested inexperience as his problem. Sure he'd been kissed. He'd grown up with Hinamori and as a result had been pecked on the lips from a very young age but he'd never been truly kissed, thoroughly kissed. He'd never been close enough to anybody to even consider it. Hitsugaya's problem was that he based all his manga work on sensations that he himself had experienced. It was how he brought emotion, energy and atmosphere to his battle scenes, how he brought pain to the character's deaths. Hitsugaya was experienced in many aspects of life but romance was never one of them and as a result he could not draw it.

He just nodded slightly in response to Matsumoto's words. He settled down to watch.

It was a long process, manga drawing, especially key scenes like what Matsumoto was drawing now. It was worth watching though, seeing her change a scene over and again until she got it right and the emotions seemed to leap off the page. It was her ability to make that happen that made her the best selling manga artist in seretei. Hitsugaya was proud in the knowledge that he could do that too, if only with a different set of emotions. Not only were they a formidable team in the battle field but in this too. It was nice to share something so unique. He grimaced at his own sentimentality. Get a grip. He told himself sternly. He was just incredibly happy that Hyorinmaru was not in his head at that moment in time. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Hmmm I think that one's a little bit risky." She said thoughtfully to herself. "What do you think?" She asked him, looking his way for the first time in hours.

"Maybe a little." He agreed.

"You see how her head is tilted?" Hitsugaya nodded. "It's just a little too far to be innocent. There are two things that affect the intensity of a kiss in manga. The eye contact before hand and the tilt of the head during."

"Tilt of the head?"

Matsumoto smiled softly at his innocence. "Oh taichou…" She found it sad that his appearance held him back so much. People could be so shallow… She pulled out a fresh sheet. "Watch."

She drew four sketches of the same couple quickly, headless, before going back to the first and carefully sketching in the faces.

"That's a peck. The heads don't really tilt at all and the pressure is light." She started on the second set. "The peck can be considered a simple friendly action. Now tilt her head slightly and the kiss is deeper. It prevents their noses banging." She worked on the next set. "Now this one is definitely what would be considered "French" in peoples opinions. That's being kissed thoroughly. And the last one…." She said as she worked. "Is one I tend to refer to as the 'I can't live without you.' kiss. It's definitely going somewhere and you'd only see it just before big bedroom scenes. See what I mean?"

"I think so…"

She returned to the other scene that she had been working on. "This pair are underage and I have them closer to a three rather than a definite two like I wanted… Easily fixed." She said picking up an eraser.

She looked up a few minutes later. Her captain was still studying the sheet with the four couples.

"You can't draw anything you've got no sensation for, huh?"

Hitsugaya jumped and grimaced slightly. He gave no reply though.

"It isn't your fault." She said returning to her work. "The world is a shallow place taichou. You can't help having been sick and if people can't see you for an adult that's their problem. Not yours." She said quietly. "Don't ever forget that."

Hitsugaya felt his lip twitch slightly.

"You still don't really understand, do you?" Hitsugaya knew she was talking about the sheet now. "You're a practical person."

She lapsed back into silence.

"You know Shunsui-kun told me how strange it is that you allow me constant contact with your reiatsu."

"I trust you." He said simply.

"I know. Thank you for that."

"We wouldn't be much of a team if I didn't."

"I guess not… You really trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then come here." He slid across the couch to sit next to her.

"What?"

"You can kill me afterwards if you really want to but just enjoy it."

"Matsumoto what are you up to?" He asked nervously, looking into her eyes.

"Showing you." She said quietly.

His instincts took over for him thankfully when she leaned in. His eyes flickered shut and his head tilted of their own accord as their lips met. He stiffened at first but slowly relaxed under the soft pressure, returning the kiss hesitantly.

Matsumoto smiled into the kiss. Ever the quick study, her captain. Gods she was kissing her captain… She vaguely registered the noise of her sketchpad and pencils hitting the floor as she was pulled in closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his soft white hair. She decided to take a chance moving from a two to a three.

Hitsugaya felt her tongue run along his bottom lip and gave her access to his mouth without thinking about it. It was a strange sensation, new, but an entirely pleasurable one as she coaxed his tongue into playing with hers. She gave a soft breathy sigh before slowly pulling back.

Her eyes flickered open slowly and she was slightly hesitant to meet his as everything began to sink in. She'd just kissed her captain. Not only had she kissed her captain but it had been his first kiss. Oh gods he'd kill her. Finally she dared look at him. His hair was mused and lips swollen but he watched her carefully.

"Was that because you wanted to or because you wanted to do me a favour?"

"Well I- Em… You see…"

"Rangiku answer the question."

"I-I wanted to." She blurted, cringing and looking away.

"Good."

Her head snapped around.

"What-?"

She was interrupted by a set of soft lips on hers. He was more confident now, better able to express himself through the action. When she kissed back it became much more passionate, urgent this time. They needed to be close. Rangiku's fingers gripped his hair tightly but he didn't mind. Years and years of tension and secrets flowed through that one kiss. It was suffocating but absolutely addictive. The sensation of his cold against her heat, the way their already familiar reiatsu danced and intertwined… They broke apart when the need for air became too strong and stared at each other, panting. His lips quirked upwards and she smiled in return. No words were needed.

In the doorway Haineko grinned at the ice dragon beside her. "You owe me money." She said triumphantly.

"Yeah yeah yeah." He grumbled.

"Oh don't be like that!" She licked his cheek. "They're sweet."

The spirits watched unnoticed as the pair shared a gentle kiss. Well, almost unnoticed. Rangiku threw a cushion at them, knocking them out the door to a hiss and a growl. Hitsugaya just laughed softly as she settled into his arms. Things seemed to be falling into place at last.

A/N: It's finished!!!!! Please please please review!!!!