A/N: Well... I wrote this a few weeks ago, in a very bored state of mind. So I'm submitting this as my first story ever... Yes, I'm quite proud of myself. Ehem. So, about the drabble... It's just a silly little story about who was to blame for the legendary pink haori that Shunsui is so fond of. And it's first person because I wanted to challenge myself. But if you think it'd be better in third person, then write a review and tell me and I'll change it. That's pretty much it... Oh, and this may or may not be a collection of drabbles. I'll see if I get any more ideas in the next few days. Hope you like it!
Legend of the Pink Haori
Picking out a present had never been this difficult for me before.
I stood there in the tiny, family owned store for about an hour, wondering what-the-heck-should-I-get-this-guy until the manager came over with a broom in his hand, using it to lean on as he asked me just what I was looking for.
"Er… Something for a friend's birthday. But I have no idea what to get." Well, actually, that was a lie. I knew exactly what to buy the man, but he was still underage and I was not a lawbreaker. Especially on his behalf, because I had already gotten into enough trouble merely by sitting next to him in class.
"Male?" I nodded in response, half-wondering what was running through the owner's mind. Maybe some things were better left unknown.
The manager looked around, seemingly counting eeny-meany-miney-moe (I could see him squinting and moving his finger very subtly) until he ended up with-- or rather, skillfully chose a dusty box stacked onto a pile of who knows what in the corner.
As we walked over to his selection, I vowed silently that I would simply take it and go. I was getting quite irritated over not knowing what to get this particular person. Usually I had a sixth sense about gift-giving, but in my last coughing fit I must have hacked it up and left it in the sink.
My assistant in gift picking lifted the box and blew the dust bunnies off of it, sending them back onto the pile where we got the box. He pried the parcel open, and when I saw what was inside, I could feel the muscle under my left eye twitching sporadically.
"Oh, sorry, um..."
"Ukitake."
"Yes, sorry, Ukitake-san. I thought that the… well, never mind. But this isn't what I remembered putting here." The middle aged man moved to put back the package, but I shook my head and took it off of the pile once again.
"This is fine. Thank you for your help, sir."
"Yeah, sure. " He seemed puzzled with my contentment, giving me a weird look as I accepted the box.
I handed him whatever money I had in my pocket and walked out with the gift under my arm. Surely, he of all people in Seireitei would find the humor of this…thing... sentimental.
I won't deny it… I was a tad bit nervous as he lifted the lid off of the gift. Though we were friends, the only thing I was sure about him was that he had an addiction to sake… and perhaps sex. Time seemed to drag as he tossed away the top to the box and reached in for the pink haori covered in floral print, and lifted it up, as if he was trying to get a better look at it.
Seconds ticked by, and I stood there, eyeing him nervously.
"Are you trying to suggest that I'm gay, Jyuushiro?" Shunsui's face was unreadable, seeing as the haori completely blocked it out from me.
I gawked. He wasn't taking this as I'd planned. "N-no! I just thought that it was, um, funny?" My voice squeaked a little bit, turning my sentence into a question.
I flinched slightly as he threw down the haori back into the box and started… laughing.
"Oh, Jyuu-chan, you should see the look on your face, really," he snickered, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. I resisted the strong urge to laugh and/or slap him for being such a prick sometimes. He'd really worried me; made me thought that I'd insulted him.
" Uh-huh. Now that you've been the source of my heart attack of the day, will you tell me if you like the thing or not?"
"Sure. It's different, and I like it. In fact, it's perfect."
I shrugged, and then paused for a moment. "What do you mean by perfect? For what?"
A wide smile crossed his face, and he slipped it on. "I'm going to wear it instead of that boring white haori Yama-jii gave us." He launched into a series of dynamic poses, the rose colored garment fluttering wildly in a non-existent breeze.
I felt a stress-induced headache coming on. "It looks ridiculous, Shunsui."
"It looks sexy. Really, have you no taste? You should get one, maybe orange, or– Hmm? Where are you going, Jyuu-chan?" He'd stopped flexing in time enough to see me sliding open the door.
I waved my hand dismissively. "Nowhere in particular…"
"Then why are you taking your zanpakutou?" He enquired skeptically.
Dammit, he had a point. Which was rare, seeing as the man was in a drunken stupor most of the time.
I wracked my brain for an excuse. "I, uh… training?" I mentally kicked myself as Shunsui's right eyebrow shot up.
He sighed. "Why didn't you just say so?" With no one to watch him, he moved in front of the mirror and began modeling for his reflection. I slipped out of the academy as dusk fell, heading down the street for the second time that day.
No one really seemed to mind when all eighty-seven of the multicolored floral haori disappeared from the shelves of the tiny Rukongai store. Well, no one except Kyoraku Shunsui, that is, who grieved tremendously for the lost "works of art".
Ukitake merely comforted him like a good friend, only allowing himself a small, smug smile while the lamenting man's back was turned.
