Shinigami Kids Society
Chapter 14: Reporting for duty: The Strawberry and the Snowflake
"Hey," Ichigo said when Unohana went into the boy's room, "You said that Hitsugaya tried to sneak into his office and made himself worse, right?"
Matsumoto nodded wondering what the tall teenager was getting at.
"See," Ichigo said looking at Rukia, "I told you he did this to himself." He pointed at the white-haired boy for emphasis.
"Ichigo! Have a little sympathy for him," said Rukia.
"It's all right," said Matsumoto, "I always told him that working too much was bad for him, but he never listened."
"Maybe this will get through to him?" suggested Rukia.
"Oh don't worry, when he gets better I'm never letting him live this one down," Matsumoto replied.
The said boy slept on, blissfully unaware of the fact that the others were talking about him. Though in his current state of mind he probably wouldn't have understood their speech let alone what they were talking about.
"How are you doing?" Isane asked her sister, she had moved over to sit on the couch with her and Yachiru.
"I already told you," Kiyone said to her.
"No missing memories? No sudden urges to suck your thumb?" Isane said with a smile.
"What do you think!" snapped Kiyone.
This caused Isane to giggle a little. It was always so fun to get her irritable little sister riled up.
"What about you?" she asked Yachiru.
Yachiru yawned "I'm tired," she began, "Shiro-chan is sure acting like a baby isn't he?"
"He's very sick Yachiru," Isane explained to the young girl, "For now we just need to be kind to him."
"Ok," Yachiru chirped up, "He can play with Elly if he wants." She held up her pink elephant, stuffed animal.
"Elly?" Kiyone asked with her eyebrow raised.
"That's her name, Elly the smasher; it's because she stomps on her enemies and leaves a pool of pretty red blood where they used to be, see." She pointed to the bottoms of her elephant's feet. They appeared to be covered in dried red paint.
A collective shudder ran through everyone else. Sometimes they just didn't want to know what ran through the little pink haired sadist's mind.
"Hey," said Ichigo, "Why aren't those two as sick as he is?"
"It's probably just because of their spirit power," said Isane, "Yachiru is a lieutenant and Kiyone is a third seat, they have more spirit power than the boys."
"But wait I thought Hanataro was a 7th seat," said Ichigo.
"Well the 4th isn't exactly the strongest of squads and poor Hanataro worked himself to much like Hitsugaya."
At this moment Unohana came back from the boys' room. The usual calm smile graced her face, but after spending so many years with her Isane knew how to read her captain no matter how hard she tried to keep up her mask. One look told her that Unohana was troubled.
"Hanataro must be really be sick," she thought.
The boy held a special place in her captain's heart and in hers as well. They had always been there to protect him. Being unable to do anything to help him was really taking its toll on her captain.
She quietly excused herself to follow after her captain. They both walked back to 4th deep in thought. Unohana's thoughts concerned a boy while Isane was thinking of ways she could cheer up her captain. She realized though that seeing Hanataro up and walking around was the only thing that would make that smile on Unohana's face genuine again.
"Don't worry captain I won't let you go through this alone," she silently promised her.
"They left in a hurry," observed Ichigo, he turned to Matsumoto, "Well I guess I'm stuck here what do you need us to do?"
Matsumoto handed the bottle to Rukia. "There's a kitchenette in the taicho's quarters, can you go make his bottle."
"You want it warmed?" Rukia asked.
Matsumoto smiled, Rukia was getting the idea, "there's a microwave." Just because her taicho was sick didn't mean she couldn't have some fun at his expense.
"Ichigo, you can handle the medicine, mix it in after she's finished and make some for the girls to, but don't put the fever med in Kiyone's, she already had a dose" ordered Matsumoto.
"Sure thing," said Ichigo. He picked one of the boxes of formula and the bag of medicines.
After they left Yachiru jumped up headed for the bathroom, luckily she wasn't going to throw up though. Only Matsumoto, Kiyone, and the sleeping Hitsugaya were left in the room.
"Are you really going to give Hitsugaya a bottle?" Kiyone asked with a giggle.
"Why not?" said Matsumoto as one of her hands played with the boy's soft hair, "We really don't know what's going on in his head because he's isn't talking and besides if he's sucking on his thumb he may like the bottle."
"If you're sure," said Kiyone, "Just as long as I don't get frozen, these chills in my body are enough as it is."
"He doesn't have enough power to freeze anything right now," sighed Matsumoto, "Maybe this will teach him to take care of himself from now on."
"He is kinda cute like that though," suggested Kiyone.
"He sure is," Matsumoto agreed as she gave her little one a light squeeze.
A soft light hum came from the boy in response to the hug. Both Kiyone and Matsumoto shared a laugh.
A few minutes later Rukia returned with the bottle in her hands. She quickly gave it to Matsumoto and sat down on the couch next to Kiyone to watch.
"You sure you want to do that?" asked Matsumoto, "He might go after any witnesses when he gets better."
"It's worth the risk," said Rukia.
Matsumoto shrugged her shoulders and went back to the task at hand. She set the bottle down beside her. Using both hands she sat Hitsugaya up on her lap. His head went limp to the side, looking for support. Matsumoto reached up and took his thumb out of his mouth. The effect was immediate as he began to cry and opened his eyes.
"You must have been a grumpy baby, buddy," she told him as she leaned him back against one of her arms in a half-sitting position, "You never wake up happy."
He whimpered a bit, took one of his fists and awkwardly rubbed his head.
"Is your head hurting you?" Matsumoto cooed softly at him as she picked up the bottle with her other hand, "This will make it feel better." She gently slid the tip into his mouth.
He looked up at her with wide tired eyes, wondering what to do with the foreign object in his mouth. She gave the bottle the tiniest of squeezes to squirt a little in his mouth so he could taste it. The girls all held their breath as he swallowed the small amount of formula wondering what his reaction would be.
Hitsugaya began to hesitantly pull from the bottle, picking up speed as he settled into a steady rhythm.
"See he likes it," Matsumoto told the girls.
"Crap! I missed the beginning," Yachiru said as she came back from the bathroom.
Hitsugaya closed his eyes and cuddled into Matsumoto; letting out a soft sigh of contentment before continuing to suckle at the bottle.
"Feels good to get something in your stomach, huh baby," Matsumoto said to him. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. He may have been sick but she was enjoying him being so cuddly.
"I wish I had my camera," said Rukia.
"Do you want another death sentence," Ichigo said as he came back into the room carrying two cups, "You almost died from the last one."
"Here you go," he said as he handed them to Kiyone and Yachiru.
"Thanks Ichi," Yachiru said happily.
"Huh?" Kiyone said after she took a sip, "It tastes sweet."
"I mixed in a little sugar for you two, so you would like it," said Ichigo.
"You didn't put any in his right?" Matsumoto asked him, "He isn't really used to sugar yet."
"No, no of course not," Ichigo answered.
"Good, the last thing we need is for him to be tired, cranky and unable to fall asleep," said Matsumoto.
"He is a little loud when he's upset," Ichigo said referring to when he first walked in and scared the boy on accident.
"Hopefully he won't be like that too often," said Matsumoto.
"Ichi," said Yachiru, "Do you want to play today?"
"I think you're gonna want to fall asleep after this Yachiru, I put the sleepy medicine in there.'
"Oh ok," Yachiru said a little dejectedly, "Tomorrow then."
"We'll see, we'll see," answered Ichigo, "Now come on, finish it up.
Yachiru went back to sipping at the milky liquid.
Matsumoto looked down to see that Hitsugaya was almost done with his bottle. The combination of warm formula and medication was taking effect; his pulls were coming slower and slower as he drifted off to a restful sleep.
"Everybody be quiet for bit," Matsumoto whispered, "He's almost out."
As soon as he stopped suckling Matsumoto carefully pulled the tip out of mouth. Hitsugaya curled up a little more in her arms and fell into a deep sleep. Matsumoto stood up.
"I'm going to go put him to bed," she said.
"What about the boys?" asked Rukia.
Matsumoto grinned wickedly, "They're next."
Wow I updated quickly this time, but in return I want more reviews! Thanks to all of you who do review and to those who haven't yet it's never too late to start.
This chapter was a little shorter but I felt it was a good stopping point as I haven't plotted out the next segment yet.