Chapter 17: A Snowman Tale + Laughter

Sitting in the dark, staring out at the bright lights and cheerful crowds, Yuki couldn't help but feel amused. This was the Kuchiki manor, and she was sitting under the floor and spying on people. To complete the equation, she was there all because of Matsumoto, and the woman's crazy ideas.

Suddenly remembering, she turned to Toshiro and asked, 'Snowmen?'

Jumping slightly, having gone into a distant universe for a while, the white haired captain shrugged and said, 'Matsumoto has a fascination with them. One day I came back to the Division and they were everywhere, even on the rooftops. Then I couldn't find any of the members of my Division and it turned out that Matsumoto had put everyone in a snowman,'

It was a ridiculous story, but true all the same, sighing, he continued, 'She was drunk, and she'd made a huge mess in my office with sake,' frowning, he had to pause before finishing the tale, 'Anyway, she'd done something to everyone so I couldn't sense their reiatsu, and so when she woke up, she came out and said something like attack non-snowmen and eliminate them all and then all of the snowmen started moving. They weren't actually trying to do what she said, it was just that they'd all fallen asleep, gotten frostbite, and then finally woken up when they heard her voice, and they wanted to get out,' he covered his face with his hands, 'So there were all these snowmen popping into people and then Unohana had to send a whole team of her Division just to help clean up,' leaning forward so that his head was resting against the wood, he added, 'And the worst part was that Matsumoto didn't remember anything later,'

Yuki stared out at the passing people and turned Hitsugaya's story over in her head. It did sound crazy, but it also sounded like something Matsumoto Rangiku would definitely do. Still, she didn't say anything, and hid her smile behind her sleeve.

Noticing the black bandage still wrapped around her hand, Toshiro decided to ask about it, 'What happened to your hand?'

'Wrist,' she didn't speak harshly when she corrected him, 'I cut myself,'

Toshiro, quite understandably, took that the same way Ichigo had, and he blinked in shock, 'You what?'

Yuki didn't explain, she just remained silent, eyes shifting to the camellia high on its pole in the sky.


A short while later, a more familiar tread sounded and Hinamori Momo came into view, casting around looking for something, or someone. Both captains could clearly hear what she was muttering, and it was something about Matsumoto.

Suddenly the Lieutenant paused mid-step, and Toshiro was sure she'd sensed him, but then she shook her head and continued onwards, not looking back.

'She'd better look out,' the white haired captain felt concerned for the girl's safety on reflex, 'Matsumoto's in a pretty dangerous state right now,'

'You're right,' Yuki nodded, but then she stopped, sensing another familiar presence approaching, 'Look, its Kira,'

As the blonde man came into view, both captains blinked in surprise. He was supporting Hisagi, or perhaps dragging was a better word, and singing at the top of his lungs. No doubt Rangiku was also looking for these two.

'Happy days!' he screamed the two words and then went back to chanting whatever song he'd got in his head. Hisagi, on the other hand, didn't stir once, but he was still half-walking, so he wasn't unconscious.

'There's really a lot of people in the Kuchiki estate at the moment,' as Yuki spoke, she felt a wave of cold, dark fury rushing towards them.

As Toshiro blinked in surprise, wondering just who would be so angry on a celebration day, apart from him, Kuchiki Byakuya appeared. He was frowning in a fierce way and his slate grey eyes were hard and dangerous.

As he passed, both of the other captains hid their reiatsu and stayed as still as possible, neither really wanting to know the consequences of being found hiding where they were hiding.

'Captain! Izuru? Hisagi!' Matsumoto's voice carried easily over all the noise, and Toshiro found himself surprisingly glad that Kuchiki had already used his impressive shunpo to vanish from the area, just in case his Lieutenant had annoyed the man somehow.

'Look out,' Yuki spoke very softly as she stared at Rangiku's figure, moving steadily closer.

'You lot are so mean!' that part was said in a whining tone, and she looked heartbroken. Seconds later, she was grinning ferociously again and yelling out their names once more.

'Tra la la la!' Izuru suddenly came back over, now definitely dragging Hisagi, and then the blonde man noticed Rangiku, 'Tra la oh no,'

'There you are!' shrieking out in joy, Matsumoto pounced on him, sending all three of them flying, 'Oh Hisagi! Guess what? I'm going to make a snowman!'

'And then put him in it,' Toshiro wasn't sure whether or not he should go and help the unconscious Lieutenant, as if everyone in the Seireitei got frostbite from Matsumoto's ongoing snowman scheme, then he'd probably be in trouble for not stopping her.

'Izuru,' leaning towards the man, Rangiku smiled sweetly, 'Actually, let's take him back to the Ninth Division,'

As the trio vanished again, Yuki couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. She suddenly spotted Rukia walking over, but then the petite shinigami was kidnapped right before their eyes, and taken away by Renji, who sounded like he thought he was a mafia boss kidnapping for a ransom. Who knew what he'd eaten.

Before anything too extreme could happen, Byakuya appeared and took his sister from his Lieutenant, glaring at the latter, and then he directed Rukia to somewhere safe.

Both captains noticed the worried look the shinigami cast over her shoulder as she was led away from them once more.

'Oh dear,' Toshiro knew he was going to get a headache, he just knew it.

Before he could stand up and forcefully break his way out, Matsumoto appeared again, rolling a rather large snowball. Yuki could dimly sense Kira's reiatsu and she hoped her Lieutenant wasn't inside that ice sphere.

'Kira-,' her tone was concerned as she watched Rangiku continue rolling the ball away.


Seconds later, Rangiku walked right back, but this time without the snowball. She was singing and dusting her hands off, feeling the snow melt on her hands.

Where is the captain? she thought in annoyance, I've tucked Hisagi into bed, I've made Izuru a nice new home, and now I want to make a snowman for the captain.

Muttering angrily now, she stormed past the hiding place of the two captains.

Toshiro heard his name mentioned a few times and he was glad he hadn't emerged, because he'd also heard the word 'snowman'.

In the short period of time after Matsumoto had left, there were quite a few more familiar faces that passed.

Momo wandered by, eating something innocently, and humming.

Soifon snuck past with a cat shaped rice ball, looking incredibly suspicious.

Ukitake and Kyoraku had also walked by, the latter being supported by his very angry Lieutenant.

Unohana and a small medical team had also rushed through the Kuchiki grounds to the site of some accident.

Byakuya had also done another lap of the grounds, but it seemed like he was only succeeding in stressing himself out. The expression on his face changed each time he stormed coldly by.

'Look, there he goes again,' Yuki wasn't tired, despite the late hour, but she was finding the whole thing hilarious by this point, 'Just look at his face,'

Captain Kuchiki did indeed look quite interesting. His eyes were filled with fury, his mouth was set in a hard line, his shoulders were tense, and his hand was clenched on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

Toshiro couldn't help but wonder if this man was the reason for Unohana and the medic team. As Byakuya passed out of sight and could no longer be sensed, the white haired captain couldn't help himself anymore and he burst out laughing.

It was a rare sound, rarer than even Izuru's laughter, most probably.

Since he'd started, now it seemed like he'd never be able to stop and soon Toshiro was clutching his stomach in agony and crying as more and more laughter shook his whole body. And, despite trying his best to keep to chuckles, it was a practically hopeless situation.

Yuki watched until it was finally too much and she began chuckling too. It was absolutely impossible to prevent the reaction, and she was surprised when she felt tears in her eyes.

When was the last time I laughed? the sombre thought crossed her mind and she quietened slightly, When I was a little, human girl. And he was ther-

The Third Division captain clutched the front of her shihakusho as a harsh pain ripped through her chest, but, as she kept the movement subtle, Hitsugaya didn't even notice.


Matsumoto groaned as she walked back into the Kuchiki estate. She didn't know why she kept coming back, but here she was again. Actually, it seemed that everyone had somehow decided that this was the place to be as hundreds of shinigami were moving through the grounds.

She was about to turn and leave when she heard something that made her freeze in wonder.

Is that . . . laughter? the woman moved forwards ever so slightly, and suddenly she sensed her captain's reiatsu. A few moments later, she put the two together and she had to sit down, she was so overcome with shock.

The captain's . . . laughing? even in her drunken state, she could still work that much out and it was the most surprising thing she'd experienced in a long while, The captain's laughing.

And she began giggling too, unable to stop the mad thought from repeating in her head.

The captain's laughing.

The Lieutenant suddenly realised that there was another person chuckling too, and she almost died of built up shock as she identified the voice as Kanashimi's.

What the hell's going on? she wasn't sure what to think, This had got to be a dream.

But since she didn't 'wake up', even when she pinched herself, she concluded that it was real and that the impossible had happened.

Next, humans will start praying to goldfish on New Year's, she thought incredulously as she turned and walked straight back to the Tenth Division, not even stopping when someone offered her more sake.


Author's Note:

And the reason for Hitsugaya's distrust of snowmen becomes clear . . . Rangiku, you're really quite amazing!

However, why so many people were wandering around the Kuchiki estate will, I think, forever remain a mystery . . .