A/N Just another little drabble. May or may not be a part 2. Enjoy!

Snowball Fight!

The light reflected brilliantly off the pond in sparkling beams that threw pretty patterns on the roof of the veranda. There was no breeze to stir the bells, leaving the air crisp and cold and turning every breath into huge puffs of steam. The tantous had found this out when the weather grew colder, and had great fun with it.

"Oh, it's cold!" Akita shivered, wrapping his arms around his small body.

"I like it!"

Akita turned to the boy beside him. "Do you not feel the cold, Imanotsurugi?" he asked curiously. "I'm freezing!"

Imanotsurugi laughed. Stretching his arms out, he spun in a circle, blowing a puff of air out around him.

"Nah, I don't really feel the cold much. It's all tingly, but I love it! Plus, the master gave us all warm clothes, so I barely even feel the cold!"

"Mm. That was really nice of them!" Akita agreed. "Oh! Ichi-nii!" Seeing his brother, he ran forwards, stopping just before he collided with him.

"Careful, Akita. I don't want you tripping in weather like this. Take it slowly, OK?"

Akita nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"No worries. Just be careful. There's a lot of deep snow around, and you don't know what's beneath it. That goes for all of you!" He addressed the corridor, where the rest of the awataguchi had gathered.

"But there's so much of it!" Imanotsurugi hinted.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, already seeing where this was going.

"Like, so much," the boy continued.

Ichigo looked down at the little tantou, who grinned back at him cheekily. Despite him not being one of Ichigo's own brothers, he knew just as well as any of them how to use his childish looks to his advantage.

"Like, loads and loads of it."

The rest of the tantous picked up on his hints, grins spreading craftily across their faces.

Ichigo rolled his eyes again, but smiled.

"If you want to have a snowball fight, don't let me stop you," he said. Before they could cheer, however, he added "just make sure to wrap up warm. And I don't want to see any of you using anything other than snow, understand? No injuries. I don't want to have to explain to the master what happened if any of you break anything."

"We won't!" they chorused. Ichigo smiled at them again. "Go on then. Go and put your coats on."

They hurried off, returning a few minutes later and rushing past him. Hearing the noise, Uguisumaru came around the corner, carrying his tea tray.

"What is going on?" he asked curiously.

Ichigo sighed, moving to sit down on the veranda. "The kids are having a snowball fight," he explained. "Apparently, I am to be the referee."

"Oh, how exciting. May I watch?"

Ichigo nodded. "Of course. If you don't mind the chance of being hit, that is."

The older sword chuckled at that, shaking his head and sitting next to the other. "Tea?" he offered.

Ichigo accepted a cup gratefully, cradling the warmth in his hands.

They listened to the tantous cries from across the snow. They had apparently decided to split into two teams, with Imanotsurugi and Aizen as self-declared captains. As the older members, Honebami and Namazuo had been designated as scorekeepers, although from the look they shared they had little plans to be impartial.

Soon, snowballs started flying through the air. At first, Imanotsurugi's team seemed to be winning, as his sheer enthusiasm meant he could barely stay still long enough to form a snowball, let alone get hit.

However, he had made the mistake of choosing Gokotai for his team. While the tantou was a perfectly good warrior on his own, there was a slight complication.

Or rather, five small complications. The tigers, being cubs, had not seen snow before, and were finding it hugely entertaining. To start with, they had been extremely cautious, but that initial reluctance had quickly worn off. They had soon discovered how much fun there was to be had in the fluffy piles, and were hooked.

One small problem. In summer, they could be easily located. In winter, with their white coats? Not so much.

With a cry, the tantou missed his footing, tripping over one of them and toppling over. He sat up with a mouthful of snow, spitting it out and looking around wildly.

"Ahah! Got you!"

He was hit with another mouthful of snow. Wiping his eyes, he looked over to see Hakata grinning widely, his gloves coated in white.

"I'm gonna get you!" Imanotsurugi yelled, leaping to his feet to give chase.

"Ah! Not the face! Not the face!"

Hakata had called out a moment too late, and now stood with his glasses covered in dripping snow.

"Oops." Imanotsurugi giggled, holding out a hand to help him up. The blond accepted, using the other hand to cram a handful down the other's back. Imanotsurugi shrieked, wriggling frantically to stop the icy feeling.

"I'll kill you!"

He knelt down just long enough to form a new weapon, then gave chase, yelling a war cry as he did so.

Gokotai, meanwhile, had realised the advantage of having five nigh-invisible soldiers to command. Calling the tigers back, he and Akita held them down, pointing to the enemy.

"Ready?" he asked.

Akita nodded, his face pink with the cold and his eyes gleaming. "Ready!"

They both nodded. As one, they let go of the tigers' collars, allowing the cubs to pounce across the snow.

"GO!" they cheered.

A small distance away, Maeno and Hirano were engaged in a fierce battle. Each had decided to build a fort, where they could defend against friend and foe alike.

Being twins, however, their minds were altogether too similar. Each was hunkered down in their own hastily-built shelters, only ducking out occasionally to throw a snowball at the other. Being evenly matched, they were at a standstill, neither willing to give any ground.

"Mercy!"

They looked up to see Aizen and Hotarumaru run towards them, both pelting the other mercilessly.

Seeing the fort, Hotarumaru suddenly veered sideways, throwing himself down next to Hirano.

"Can I join you?" he asked. Across from them, Aizen had done the same, hiding with Maeno.

"Sure," came the reply.

"Right."

In the other fort, Aizen sneaked a glance at the enemy, throwing himself back down quickly as a snowball whizzed over his head.

"Mind if I reinforce our walls?" he said. "I'm kind of a target here."

Maeno glanced at him, seeing the tantou's bright red hair. "Go for it," he said.

Their brothers had obviously had the same idea. With one person on building and the other on lookout, the forts quickly took shape, the boys using the deep snow to build rough walls.

Gradually, both teams noticed what was going on. On masse, they ran towards their hideouts, pelting each other relentlessly as they did so.

Once gathered, it seemed like they quickly chose positions for themselves. Imanotsurugi had taken charge of offence and was stockpiling snowballs in a mound beside him, Hirano and Midare helping. In the other, Atsushi and Yagen were talking tactics, trying to come up with a winning strategy. Honebami and Namazuo had given up all attempts to be neutral, and had joined their respective sides with a challenging nod to each other.

Back on the veranda, Ichigo and Uguisumaru watched the children play. From their vantage point, they could see both sides, the tantous huddled behind their walls. They were too far away to hear any words, but that didn't stop the proud smile from spreading on Ichigo's face.

Uguisumaru looked over to him, his face clearing in understanding. "Ah, I see," he said. "You knew this would happen."

Ichigo nodded, not taking his eyes from the field. "They may look like children," he said, "but they are swords the same as any of us. Battle is in their nature. It's what we were made for."

Uguisumaru nodded in agreement. "And this helps them learn tactics," he stated.

"Exactly."

Ichigo leaned backwards, looking up to the wooden ceiling of the veranda. "The master thought of this, actually," he said.

"Oh?"

"Apparently, it's how human children learn, too. They called it 'learning through play'. Master suggested that it might be good for them as a form of training. Something about how they're having fun, but they don't realise that it hones their skills at the same time. It's amazing, really."

Uguisumaru could only agree.

A cry jolted their attention back to the field. Looking over, they saw Aizen's team had completely surrounded the others' fort, and were attacking those within. After a fierce onslaught, Imanotsurugi had no choice but to declare defeat. He accepted Aizen's hand up, sneakily using the opportunity to pay the other back for his treachery with a handful of snow.

After that, however, they came to a mutual truce, with everyone trooping back to the veranda with grinning faces and good-natured jeers.

"Did you see that, Ichi-nii?!" Maeno couldn't help crowing. "We won!"

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, playing along. "I did see," he stated. "Well done."

"But hooooowwww?" Imanotsurugi whined. "You guys were like ninjas!"

"Strategy!" Atsushi said. "You were so focused on offence you didn't think to reinforce your fort, so all it took was us going 'round the side and boom! We win."

"Urgh. You are so unfair," Midare complained. "You know you're better at tactics than us! It's only because you went and got so much stronger during your training!"

Atsushi grinned at them at that, not denying it.

"He's right," Ichigo cut in, stopping any argument that might have begun. Before Midare could complain further, he added,

'Both offence and defence are important. You aren't always going to have time to come up with a plan before the enemy attacks, so it's a good idea to have some backup. All of you have different skills in battle, that's how the master chooses the teams. The point of training is to get stronger, but strength only goes so far. You need to remember to rely on each on of your team members as well."

He looked at them all, each of them hanging on his words. "Did you all have fun playing now?" he asked.

Confused, they all nodded. "Yeah, but we still lost," Imanotsurugi said.

Ichigo nodded at him. "Maybe, but do you understand how?" he asked.

The tantou thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. Atsushi said."

"And would you do the same next time, knowing how it worked today?"

The boy shook his head. "Nope, cuz now I'll be ready for it!" he said.

"That's good," Ichigo said. "Now, I'm sure you all had a great deal of fun, but you're all soaking. Go and change, quickly, before you all get cold. I'll go and make you all some hot chocolate, alright?"

"Yay!" they ran off, leaving a dripping trail behind them.

"You really are a good big brother," Uguisumaru commented once they had all gone.

Ichigo paused from where he was standing, turning with a bashful expression. "Um, thanks," he said shyly. "But it's really nothing. I'm no better than any of the others, really."

"Don't demean yourself," the elder sword replied. "You are a warrior too, after all." He stood gracefully, collecting their empty cups and placing them back on the tray.

"Now, I suppose they'll want something to eat after that?"

So saying, he stepped forward, falling in line with the other. They made their way to the kitchen, where they found Mitsutada evidently returned from a mission, the kitchen filled with ingredients. Hearing the two approach, he looked up from the fire, giving them a quick smile.

"Oh, hey guys. You here for lunch?" he asked.

"Not just yet," Ichigo answered. "The kids were out having a snowball fight, so they need something to warm them up. I'm going to make some hot chocolate for them all."

"Ah, so that's what the noise was," the tachi said. "They must have been really into it."

"They really were," Ichigo agreed. He sighed. "I just hope they don't catch cold."

"Nah, they'll be fine. I'm making udon for lunch anyway, that'll warm them up. It won't be ready for a while though. There's snacks over there if they're hungry." He motioned to one side, where a plate of steamed buns was piled high.

"Thanks. They'll love them, I'm sure." Ichigo thanked him, moving to take out the cups for them all.

It didn't take long for them all to arrive, now dressed in their warm tracksuits.

"Ooh, smells yummy!"

Mitsutada smiled at them. "This is for lunch," he said. "There's steamed buns over there for you. I could hear you guys from in here. Your brother said you were having a snowball fight. Had a good time?"

"Yep!" they chorused.

"That's good. I'll call you when the udon's ready, so you all go to your room till then."

"OK!"

They returned to their shared room bearing the plates to find Ichigo and Uguisumaru there already, trying to balance the cups. Gokotai and Akita sat outside the door, having stayed behind to towel the cubs dry. They looked up when the others arrived, opening the door for them.

"Oh, good, you got the snacks," Ichigo said. "Sit down, I'll hand them out for you all."

They complied, grabbing cushions and blankets from the cupboard. Ichigo handed out the plates and cups, and they each dug in, sighing happily.

Talk turned to a post-mortem of their battle, Imanotsurugi vowing that there was no way he would lose next time.

"Can we wait for a while, though?" Sadamune said. "That was really fun, but I'm totally freezing now!"

"Aw man!" Imanotsurugi pouted, cheerfully.

"Well, at least you seem to be warming up now," Ichigo said. "Next time, try not to go quite so hard, will you?"

"Nah, next time we should do it with everyone! The whole citadel!" Hakata said.

"I don't want to fight Ichi-nii," Akita put it.

"Hmm. I've got it!" Yagen said, his eyes gleaming.

"Oh?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Adults vs kids!" he announced.

"No fair!" Imanotsurugi cried. "I want to fight with Iwatooshi!"

"We want to fight with brother!" Aizen and Hotarumaru said.

"I want to fight big brothers." Attention turned to Sayo, who had been quiet until now.

"You mean with, right?" Imanosturugi queried.

Sayo shook his head. "Fight," he repeated, stubbornly.

"Ooo~kay then." The other decided not to question him further. Sayo could be fierce when he was riled up.

"Well, as long as I get to fight with you!" he declared instead. "You were amazing out there!"

Sayo blushed and wrapped his blanket tighter around himself, a tiny smile lifting his face. It was true, his small size and build had made him a perfect sniper, having placed several hits on Imanoturugi's team with frighteningly accurate aim.

"That sounds fun," Ichigo said. "BUT, it can wait. The snow isn't going anywhere any time soon."

"Bu-tch!"

Imanotsurugi's complaint was cut off with a sneeze. He looked shocked for a second, then his face twisted. He sneezed twice more, holding his breath, then once again.

As if starting a chain reaction, Akita sneezed too, hands reflexively grasping his cup tighter.

Ichigo's shoulders dropped.

He told them not to catch colds. Oh well.