Chapter three
Kirria
"Kajisaki tai-chou."
"Kajisaki tai-chou."
"Kajisaki tai-chou."
Kirria was greeted repeatedly as she walked down the corridors of the squad 10 barracks beside Matsumoto. I guess they were immediately notified when someone saw us approaching the gates… They, of all people, couldn't have remembered me, these squad 10 shinigami. She chuckled to herself. She hated it when everyone was addressing her so formally. She was just a kid! She wanted to be treated as a kid. Everyone looked at her like someone you should be afraid of. Sure, her trainings were tough. But she was only that serious during trainings and battles! I can't blame them really. After all, they've been taught that small kids are not always the lousiest among them. The sight of their captain must have helped drill this reminder into their heads. That thought made her realize that she hadn't seen the squad 10 captain and the squad 5 vice since she entered the Seireitei.
"Matsumoto, where's Toushirou and Momo anyway?"
"Taichou's in the squad four quarters. He's receiving treatment, he was badly injured in the fight against… ex-captain, Aizen… They told me he was in a semi-coma. Momo, however, is in a deep coma. It now depends on her will to wake up. Though they're not expecting that anytime soon, seeing how she must be traumatized that her favorite Captain attacked her. That's what I was informed… Kajisaki tai-chou." Kirria stopped and turned to face Matsumoto.
"From now on, you will call me Kirria. Do you understand?"
"Uh… yes Kaj… Kirria. Though I hope you know it'll be impossible for me to call you that while we're in front of the Captain Commander, like when we were on the hill just now." Matsumoto grinned down at her.
"Yeah… But I'm not even an official captain! Why should I be treated like one?"
"You're surely Tai-chou's opposite, Kirria! He never let's anyone call him by his name!" Matsumoto sighed and returned to normal self, the one who talked with laziness in her voice.
"All he ever does is to tell me to do paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork!" Kirria giggled as she remembered that Matsumoto was in the prestigious paperwork squad. It brought back memories of the times when Matsumoto had tried to con her into doing her share of paperwork as rent for the room they had to build for her.
"Since you left he's been more stern and strict, cause he doesn't have you to make him loosen up and smile… I'm so glad you're back! Everyone here has missed you so badly. You could practically feel the fun level drop since you left." Matsumoto reached out to give Kirria a big hug. Kirria smiled. She too felt glad that she was finally back.
"So… is my room still there?"
"Of course! Tai-chou wanted to made sure no one else but himself enters it so he sealed it up! He goes into it once in a while to help you clean it up, hoping you'll return one day." Matsumoto's happy expression turned into a questioning one when she saw the half sarcastic half angry look on Kirria's face.
"Doesn't that mean that if he's not around, I CAN'T GET INTO MY ROOM?!"
"Oh. Yeah. Wait--" Before Matsumoto could finish her sentence, Kirria had ran out of the squad 10 barracks and into the squad 4 quarters. She could see all the shocked faces of the squad 4 shinigami as a blur zoomed all the way down their corridor. She especially liked it when others feared her speed. It was a thrill. She went towards the increasing reiatsu of the little genius until she saw him lying on a bed in one of the private wards. She ran over, jumped onto the bed, and her hands found the warm neck of the 'iceman'.
"IDIOT! WAKE UP NOW! I won't have anywhere to sleep because YOU sealed my room up! I'll give you 3 seconds to open your eyes Hitsugaya Toushirou! Or I'm gonna blast down the whole squad 10 barracks! WAKE UP!"
"Err… Kajisaki-taichou… Hitsugaya Tai-chou's in a coma… He can't possibly res…" Kirria stopped shaking and strangling him to look over at the nurse who was cleaning up the ward. He stopped mid-sentence and fear showed in his eyes.
"I'm not that dumb."
Matsumoto banged against the door in a slump and started panting deeply. Kirria and the nurse looked her way curiously. No way... had she JUST reached!?
"Kirria! I knew you had to be here!'
"Yeah… you missed out all the fun Matsu! What took you so long?"
"Aw… I'm not as fast as you are! Can you do it again?"
"Nah… not in the mood. Come on, let's go." She spotted Toushirou's sword sheath on the side table and frowned before walking out of the ward and down the corridor. Kirria buckled an invisible cord in place on her shoulder as Matsumoto caught up with her. She hadn't exactly meant what she had shouted at Toushirou. It was just an excuse to go and see the friend she had missed most when she was away, without letting anyone know that. Hope you won't mind me borrowing this for awhile Toush.