Hisa awoke, her eyes fluttering, and the first thought was the question as to why she woke up. It wasn't until her mind registered the rusty-machine snoring of Kohana in the bed next to hers that she figured out why. Pushing her short hair behind her ears, she turned, finding herself too warm to sleep comfortably. Hisa swayed upward, unsteady and groggy. She wiped at her face with her hands, pushed out of the bed and walked to the screen door, which she slid away. She stepped outside, closing the screen behind her. Breathing in the sweet perfume that only the night could offer, she filed the sense away, a little bit of this place that she could keep with her forever. She briefly recalled the many moments like this one, a peaceful night dense with the flavor of quiet grass rustling in the breeze, the scent of flowers traveling miles with the wind. And all of them were hers, and hers alone to recall whenever she wished.
Hisa turned her gaze upwards to the moon that shone brightly, the stars scattered across the sky. She briefly heard the rustling of tree leaves...until she also noted that the breeze had briefly ceased. She turned toward the tree next to the room, her heart jumping to her throat. She didn't have her weapon. Unarmed, Hisa took a fighting stance and readied herself for whatever was in the tree. As quickly as she had reacted, she saw a flash of red accompanied by a brief streak of white. She released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding onto.
"What do you want, Lieutenant?" Hisa demanded quietly, turning away from him to return her attention to the night sky.
"Just out on patrol with a few buddies. Can't sleep, Miss Tsukino?"
"It's Hisa. And no, I couldn't." She did a double-take as Renji and two other Shinigami climbed out of the tree. "Buddies, huh?"
"Third Division Lieutenant Izuru Kira and Ninth Division Co-Lieutenant Shūhei Hisagi," Renji introduced. The taller of the two, Shūhei, had attractive features, tattooed face included. The shorter of the two, Izuru, blinked notably at Hisa. "This is Hisa Tsukino, the girl I was telling you about last night."
"Woman," Hisa scolded. "I'm hardly a child."
"I commend you for standing up to 3rd Seat Madarame," Shūhei noted. "Not many do."
"I'm not many," Hisa whispered under her breath.
"Where's your friend from last night?" Renji asked, crossing his arms.
"Sleeping," Hisa answered. "I'd appreciate if you didn't wake her. She's a monster when she wakes."
"Sounds like she's a heavy sleeper," Shūhei added.
Hisa nodded. "Lucky for her." She stared at the sky for a few moments before she turned towards the Shinigami. "Don't you have a job to do, Lieutenant?"
Renji smirked. "Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. You relax and leave the Hollows up to the professionals."
"I'm hardly stopping you, Lieutenants." And with that, Hisa disappeared back into the room.
"Seems like she's probably more of a spit-fire when she's fully awake," Shūhei commented to Renji and Izuru. Despite the dark, a hint of pink could be seen on Lieutenant Kira's cheeks.
Just as Hisa had predicted, Kohana was quite the monster when she woke, grumbling incoherently, rubbing her eyes, then stomping off to take a hot bath. Hisa drank a cup of tea when Kohana returned, having brushed through her curls with her fingers. "Any way we could just relax and not leave the room?" Kohana wandered.
Hisa chuckled darkly. "Not a chance in hell."
"Heard some talk about Hollow attacks not far from here," Kohana mentioned.
"Heading out as soon as you're ready."