'Time sure flies,' Daisuke muses to himself. The demand for Shinigami to replenish the depleted ranks of the Thirteen Divisions had caused an unintentional side-effect of lowered training standards to meet that demand. And that had meant that further training had become mandatory for all Divisions to help teach them what they hadn't learned in the academy. More then a month had slipped by in a blur. 'Christmas is a week away...I really need to go shopping for Tia's a present...but what the hell do I get for her?!'
Daisuke sighs heavily as he walks down the hall of the Fifth Division. Two members of the Division bow to the young Captain as he passes and he favors them with a smile and a greeting as he continues. "Hmm...I know! I'll ask Shunsui what to get her!" With that decided Daisuke heads in that direction, leaving the barracks and slowly descending the large staircase that leads to the Division itself. "I just hope-"
'Smack!'
The young Captain falls backwards and lands on his ass in stunned silence. After a moment he wipes the cold snow from his face and glances over at the sound of running foot-steps. "C-Captain!" exclaims Kouta, face slightly pale and snow covering his hair and shoulders. "Look what you did, Ren! You hit Captain Arata!" Ren scratches the back of his head and then shrugs in response.
"He shouldn't have been standin' there," remarks Ren. Daisuke looks from one to the other. Both of them have snow sticking to their hair and kosode and it's rather obvious what they've been doing rather then the work assigned to them.
"Aren't you two supposed to be shoveling the snow from the stairs?" asks Daisuke, slowly standing.
"Yeah, about that...we got bored so we decided to have a snow-ball fight instead."
"I can see that," remarks Daisuke dryly.
"I apologize, Captain!" responds Kouta, bowing while Ren rolls his eyes in response.
"I didn't ask for an apology, Kouta. I'm sure it was Ren who threw the first snow-ball."
"The fuck?" demands Ren. "Captain or not, don't just go decidin' that shit on your own! For all you know it coulda been Kouta who chucked the first snow-ball! You weren't here, Arata!" Daisuke arches a brow in response.
"Am I wrong?" The brunette male growls in response and then crosses his arms.
"Ya think you're so smart, don't you?"
"We'll get back to work immediately, Captain," speaks Kouta.
"I don't mind you two taking a break but make sure not to over-do it, hm?" replies Daisuke. "The longer you put off the clearing the snow the longer it's going to take to get the job done. And...try not to catch anyone else in the cross-fire." Ren growls a bit in response but doesn't reply while Kouta nods in understanding. Kouta and Ren both pick up their forgotten snow-shovels and begin working once again. "Hey, Ren!"
"Yeah, yeah, I heard ya the first time!" growls Ren, tossing some snow aside before turning. "I'll get back to work and then-"
'Smack!'
The young man lands on his ass in the snow while Kouta stares in surprise for a moment before laughing. Daisuke whistles innocently, walking away from the two of them slowly. "...You are dead, Arata!" Kouta restrains the raging Ren while the young Captain fades into the distance...
Soft humming sounds from the man, lying in the middle of the room with his face obscured by a grass-hat. His humming coming to an abrupt end when he hears a soft sound and feels a gentle wind. "It's rude to enter without knocking, you know, Daisuke?" asks Shunsui.
"Does Lieutenant Ise know that you're slacking off again, Shunsui?" asks the young Captain. Shunsui ever so languidly pushes up the brim of his hat with a single finger and gazes at the young Captain sitting across from him.
"Does Miss Harribel know that you're here?" counters Shunsui.
"Probably. I can't seem to do anything without her finding out...I guess we both have that in common, hm?" Shunsui leans up and then nods in agreement. "Anyway, I needed to speak with you."
"Hm? Having trouble with something at the Fifth Division?"
"No. It's not about work."
"Really? I've heard some stories about one of your members...Ren Kazuki, I believe his name was. I had heard he instigated a brawl with some members of the Eleventh Division and put them in the infirmary. Even put a few members of the Second Division in with them when they tried to break up the fight, Daisuke."
"Zaraki seemed more upset that his men got their asses kicked then anything else. As for Captain Soifon...I haven't seen her and she hasn't come looking for me so I suppose things are fine. Ren has a lot of natural talent...if you can get him to focus long enough, anyway."
"Kind of reminds me of someone..."
"Yeah, an angry, brash kid who just constantly started fights for no reason." Daisuke chuckles. "No matter what I did you, Jushiro and Kisuke just kept on bailing me out of trouble. I figure it's about time to repay the favor."
"You'll set him on the right path, Daisuke. I have no doubt about it."
"Thank you. But, uh...that's not the reason either. I...need some advice on a more personal matter, Shunsui." The experienced Captain arches a brow.
"Woman troubles?"
"Something like that. I...was wondering what kind of thing I should get Tia for Christmas. Usually when I give a gift for Christmas it's a bottle of sake." Shunsui grins in response and then nods.
"That was a good Christmas last year, Daisuke."
"Yeah...but I don't know what to get Tia."
"How about getting her some lingerie?" His face turns a bit red in response and Shunsui laughs.
"I don't think that would be an appropriate thing for a Captain to give to his Lieutenant. And it's also her first Christmas ever so I think I should give her something memorable." The experienced Captain nods and then sighs.
"Well, Rangiku is heading to the World of the Living to do some shopping. Why don't you go with her and see if you can find her a gift there?"
"...I've faced down Hollow, Gillian, Adjuchas and even Arrancar without so much as a flinch...but none of them sound quite as scary as the idea of going shopping with Lieutenant Matsumoto, Shunsui."
"It won't be that bad."
"Oh, you're right there, Shunsui, because I'm not going Christmas shopping with that woman."
"Alright, then. Maybe we should pay Jushiro a visit and see what he thinks." The two of them stand and start towards the door. "He's supposed to be getting a check up at the Fourth Division, so I'm sure he'll appreciate us coming to see him. It should make him smile-"
"And Captain Unohana frown," counters Daisuke, sweating a bit as they leave the Eighth Division. The pair disappear the moment that they're in the open, Flash-Step carrying them across the Seireitei as little more then two blurs. It takes only a minute to arrive in front of the Fourth and the two of them enter. It isn't difficult to locate Jushiro's Spiritual Pressure and they find him in a room by himself.
Shunsui doesn't bother to knock before pushing the door open. "Afternoon, Jushiro," speaks Shunsui in greeting. Jushiro smiles at the two of them. "Mind if we come in?" With the two Captain's already entering the room there isn't much room to disagree...not that he would turn them away, anyway.
"Shunsui, Daisuke, it's good to see you both," replies Jushiro. "It's been at least two weeks since I've heard from either of you. What brings you here?"
"Woman troubles." The sickly Captain arches a brow in question before Shunsui motions to Daisuke over his shoulder. "Our little Daisuke is growing up, Jushiro. Seems like only yesterday we were restraining him so that Unohana could treat his wounds after his fights."
"Funny," remarks Daisuke dryly. "I need some advice, Jushiro. I need to know what kind of gift I should get Tia for Christmas. It's her first one, after all." Jushiro scratches his chin and nods in understanding.
"I see," comments Jushiro. "It is her first Christmas, isn't it? I doubt they celebrated such things in Los Noches...or Hueco Mundo in general. Well, a gift from the heart would certainly mean a lot to her, I'm sure. What does she like?"
"She reads a lot. I...suppose I could get her some books but that seems kind of boring, doesn't it? And cheap, too, for that matter." Jushiro sighs and then nods again. "This is more difficult then I thought it would be. Maybe I should get her a bottle of sake and-"
"Get who a bottle of sake?" questions a voice from behind. All three men immediately stand up straighter as a result before glancing at Unohana, the woman having snuck up on them again in absolute silence. "What are you three talking about?"
"C-Christmas shopping, Captain Unohana."
"Oh, you're going shopping, too, Daisuke?"
"Yes. For a few people, actually."
"Then, why don't you come along with me? Shopping together is a lot more fun then shopping by yourself." He looks back at Jushiro and Shunsui who are both looking in opposite directions, abandoning him yet again. Captain Unohana gently but firmly captures his left arm and pulls him towards the door. "Oh, I'm sure you and I will have some fun, Daisuke."
"U-U-Uh, I-I have paper-work that needs to be done-"
"It'll be there when you return. Now come along." He glares back at the two Captains as he's dragged out the door...
- - World of the Living - -
"Haaah, how did I get pulled into this?" complains Daisuke.
"Hm? Did you say something, Daisuke?" asks Unohana, looking back at the young man. He tenses in response and shakes his head. "Oh, I see." The two of them continue to walk in silence, Captain Unohana still holding to one of his arms. If he weren't so absolutely terrified of the woman he might have taken the time to enjoy the jealous looks on the faces of the men they passed. "Daisuke?"
"Y-Yes, Captain?"
"There's no need to be so tense. How are you settling into your position as Captain of the Fifth Division?"
"Uh, fine. Things aren't as difficult as I imagined they might be...but I think I owe that to Tia. As a Lieutenant she's been an amazing help both with training the Division and the daily paper-work involved."
"That's good. Ah, here we are." Daisuke looks at the building in front of them, with groups of people coming and going. "Rangiku is going to meet us here so we can begin shopping." The young Captain groans a bit in response as they enter the mall but Unohana doesn't notice or more likely doesn't care. The mall is crowded with groups of people who've put off their shopping until the last minute.
The two of them weave this way and that through the groups of people, Daisuke following Unohana's lead the entire time. She leads him to the center of the mall, near a large foutain where not only Rangiku is waiting but several others including-
"Tia!" The Shark Queen turns at the sound of his voice, finding him in the crowd with Unohana still holding gently to his left arm. She narrows her sea-green eyes, feeling a slight twinge of something very similar to jealousy when Unohana smiles at her. They draw closer and Daisuke gets only his second look at her unmasked face...but it's as beautiful as he remembers. 'Maybe this won't be such a bad day, after all,' Daisuke tells himself.
"There you two are!" exclaims Rangiku happily. "I was starting to get worried..."
"What do you mean, 'You two', Lieutenant?" The young Captain looks down at Unohana and narrows his amber eyes. "...You planned this from the beginning, didn't you, Captain?"
"My, I don't know what you're talking about," replies Unohana. "I just happened to run into you and you mentioned needing to do some Christmas shopping, that's all, Daisuke. You shouldn't be so distrustful of your comrades."
"You snuck up on me you didn't run into me...which seems to be a reoccurring thing, by the way." Unohana smiles a bit in response. 'And it's getting real old,' Daisuke tells himself. 'I'm going to have to put a stop to that sneaking around.'
"Since you're here why don't we get started?" asks Rangiku. "There are a lot of things I need to pick up after all."
"Alright, let's go this way, then," remarks Tia, grasping him by the front of his wool coat and pulling him along without much resistance. Even in a gigai she was far stronger then any normal woman. Unohana releases his arm without a word and watches them head off in a different direction, mixing with the crowd.
"Whew," breaths Daisuke. "Thank you for rescuing me from being a pack-mule, Tia. I really-" The Shark Queen's glare is enough to freeze the blood of any man and he breaks out in a cold sweat as a result. "S...Something wrong, Tia?"
"No."
"A-Are you sure?"
"Everything is fine."
"Doesn't seem like it." Daisuke captures one of her hands in his and stops her fast walking. In spirit form he'd never have been capable of matching her strength or stopping her if she didn't have a mind to do so. But in gigai with most of their strength sealed the young Captain could rely on both the size and weight difference between the male and female gigai. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong, Tia."
"I said there's no problem, Daisuke." She turns to face him firmly and he steps closer.
"Then why are you acting like..." A grin splits his face from ear to ear, one that the Shark Queen would have liked to knock right off of his face. "...You're upset that Unohana was holding onto my arm."
"So what if I am?"
"If that's all, then you can relax." The young Captain steps closer still to her. "You're the only woman I'm interested in, Tia." She turns away from him, feeling a bit of heat creeping into her cheeks.
"Well, good...it would have been strange if you only wanted to be friends after going through the trouble of getting into my good graces."
"So, I am in your good graces."
"You stood by my side when I had no one, offered me friendship, gave me the chance to mourn my fallen Fracción and then a chance to do some good within the Soul Society. If you need to ask after all of that then you must believe I'm a very cold-hearted woman, Daisuke." He chuckles a bit and she glances back. "What?"
"Yeah, but I think you're forgetting that you have to keep a constant eye on me or else I always end up in some kind of trouble. Doesn't quite seem like a fair trade-off...you might want to get out while you can, Tia." She smiles in response, the first real smile that Daisuke has ever seen from her.
"It has to be me. After all, I don't trust anyone else to look after your well-being and you certainly won't."
"That may turn out to be a full time job, Lieutenant. Heh...here's hoping." Tia actually laughs a bit and then nods.
"Since we've agreed on that, let's go. I'm not particularly fond of shopping but I'm told that it's expected to give gifts on Christmas and I haven't had the time to pick out any for anyone else." Daisuke nods and the two begin walking, staying close but weaving this way and that through the crowd of people. "Have you given any thought as to what you might give to the other Captains?"
"...Crap! I forgot!"
"Who are you shopping for, then?"
"The people I normally shop for...with the addition of you, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Kouta and Ren this year. I had also planned to get something for Unohana...but that's more of a joke then an actual gift." The Shark Queen arches a brow in question. "It's difficult to explain but at the least I'LL get a laugh out of it..."
"Good luck shopping for Kuchiki."
"What the hell do I get someone like him? Or for that matter the Head Captain?" Tia can only offer a small shrug in response. "Mm. Thanks for the advice, Tia. Appreciate it very much."
"You're welcome..."
"Are you sure that's wise?" asks Tia, looking over Daisuke, the young man carrying several bags with gifts in them. "It just seems...well, stupid to give something like that to the Head Captain. In my experience he doesn't seem to have much of a tolerance for those kinds of things."
"Yamamoto never takes things lightly," agrees Daisuke. "Which is exactly why I'm not going to sign my name on the card...any of the cards for that matter."
"What are you going to sign, then?"
"Santa." Tia shakes her head in response and Daisuke grins from ear to ear.
"That explains why you wouldn't let me talk you out of it." The Shark Queen sighs a bit. "Alright. You're going to lie to all of them. Now, tell me how you're planning to get the gifts to each of them without being noticed. These are Captain's we're talking about, Daisuke."
"Easy enough. The man who taught me to use Flash-Step and how to hide my Spiritual Pressure is only surpassed by one woman. I figure if I use my full speed and I wear something over my face in case I get spotted it should be easy enough to drop off each gift and make my escape. Of course, I could always use some help, if-"
"I'll pass. When this blows up in your face someone has to be there to make sure you're alright."
"Then, you shouldn't have let me tell you how I'm going to do it so you don't have to lie to anyone."
"I have no problems lying to other Captains. The Head Captain included. When weighed against you they don't exactly mean anything..." Her face turns red as a result and Daisuke arches a brow, feeling a heat creep into his cheeks as well.
"Well, aren't I special?" The two of them stop in the middle of the empty, frozen park and set their bags down on the bench. Both of them look around, finding no trace of the others. "I just knew things would turn out like this..."
"How long are we going to wait here?"
"I've heard some stories...I have a feeling it'll be a while. Or at least until Unohana says it's time to go." Both stand in silence for a several minutes, looking in opposite directions. Tia hears the sound of snow crunching under footsteps and looks back moments before Daisuke drapes his coat over her shoulders. "Here. You look cold."
"...Thank you." The Shark Queen gently raises one corner of the coat to her nose and she can pick up a scent, his scent, around the collar. It's the same gentle scent as his wool cloak in the Soul Society. "Let's find somewhere to get out of the cold while we wait."
"There's a coffee shop across the street. We could keep an eye out and stay warm."
"Oh, why do we have to go back now?" whines a voice behind them. Both look back at the approach of the Shinigami women.
"Or not."
"You're late," calls Tia in way of greeting. Daisuke grins in response to the rather sour look that appears on the face of not only Rangiku but Captain Soifon as well. Unohana offers them both a smile.
"I apologize for keeping you both waiting," remarks Unohana. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." It's not really an apology and Daisuke shudders a bit.
"We'll see." Again the young Captain smiles.
"I assume everyone has everything, then," comments Daisuke. "If everyone is ready then let's be on our way..."