Continued from: Errand Run, Part 2
Tsukiro’s trip to the Second Division barracks was not only in vain, but a let down for him. He very much would have loved to see the workings and daily routines of the Squad Two and Stealth Force members. However, once he was there, he hiked up the long stone staircase to find that the barracks were as silent as the dead. He sighed and chalked it up to they were all out on a mission or a training session and left to head for the Third Division barracks instead.
Once there, the two guards standing out front opened the gates without so much as a good morning or a how do you do. Tsukiro nodded his thanks to them and stepped inside. The Division Three barracks were quiet and calm, almost eerily so. Tsukiro brushed it off, however, and continued on, wondering who he should talk to since the previous captain of the Third Division had defected with Aizen.
Rounding the corner of a near by hall Kira appeared. His arms filled with stacks of paper he needed to get over to the Captain Commanders. When he saw Ashimitsu Tsukiro he stepped over to him.
“Hello Eighth Seat Ashimitsu Tsukiro. I am glad to see you finally made it.” He paused for only a second then picked up his foot and started on his way again. “Follow me. I will explain what is needed of you.”
Tsukiro only had enough time to blink in surprise at the sudden appearance of Lieutenant Izuru Kira. He had been so quiet, Tsukiro hadn’t heard him coming. More so, he hadn’t felt him coming either. He shrugged it off and followed him anyway.
“Looks like you’re already busy this morning, Lieutenant Kira,” Tsukiro said, being polite. “I’ll help in whichever way I can be of assistance.”
Kira smiled warmly giving Tsukiro a side glance. “That’s very kind, but really all we need is some help in getting our Christmas decorations down. So many are out on mission or worse, sick.” He looked forward again continuing to talk. “You won’t be alone in doing this. A few others with free time on their hands have stepped up.”
Tsukiro nodded. “Whatever needs doing, I’ll get it done.”
Kira nodded as they drew closer to the commons room of division three. Kira and Tsukiro could hear laughter and talking, they even had a radio playing some pretty good music. They stopped as soon as they entered the doorway of the room. About seven others were in the room taking down the Christmas directions. The tree they had was a good 13 or 14 foot tall and covered in lights, bulbs, tensile, candy canes and anything else they could think to hang on the tree to make it pretty.
Kira looked to Tsukiro and smiled. “Well I will leave you to your duty then.” He then turned and started on his way once more to go finish up his paperwork to get it off to the Captain Commander.
Tsukiro didn’t even have time to thank the lieutenant before he slinked off. He turned to take a look at the room that was a cross between still being pretty while all the Christmas decorations hung up and messy what with everyone taking them down. Movement in the corner of his eye caused him to turn. A young woman was walking up to him, carrying an empty case that was designed to hold the Christmas bulbs.
With a bright smile she introduced herself. “Hello, I am, Sixth Seat, Yoki Tokie and you are?”
She bowed slightly to him.
Tsukiro bowed back. “I am Squad Ten, Eighth Seat Tsukiro Ashimitsu. Hajimemashite. What can I help with first?”
“Well if you like you can help me take the bulbs off the tree. We are going to need a ladder to get the ones higher up.” She motioned with her head to the ladder that sat in the middle of the room being used by two others. They were taking tensile streamers and large golden stars down off the ceiling. “But we will have to wait until they are finished to get the one higher up on the tree.” She stepped away from Tsukiro motioning with her head. “Come with me.”
Tsukiro followed the girl to wherever she was taking him, glancing again at all the decorations they had up for the holidays.
She stopped at the base of the tree and set the box down she had in her arms. Opening the box she lifted out a small container with a lid. She removed the lid and set it to the side of the box. “As you take the bulbs off the tree place the hooks in the container. Then place the bulb in the box. If the box gets full we have more.” She turned her head slightly looking over at a stack of boxes that were against the wall across the room. She then turned back to the tree and started removing bulbs.
Tsukiro looked over the tree and started to unhook bulbs from branches. He removed an armful before setting them gently on the floor and removing their hooks. Once all the hooks were off, he placed the bulbs in their slots in the box and went back to the tree for another armful. Once he had taken the last bulb off of the tree (that he could reach anyway) he took off the hook and placed it in the last slot in the third box.
“Okay, that’s done for now. What else?”
Tokie looked across the room seeing the ladder standing alone in the center of the room. She looked around and called out. “Are you done with the ladder?”
From the back of the room she heard one of her squad members answer. “Yeah, for now. You're welcome to use it.”
Tokie nodded with a smile looking to Tsukiro. “Would you help me get the ladder over here?”
“Sure thing,” Tsukiro nodded.
He folded up the ladder and carefully moved it next to the tree, unfolding it back out. He stepped up the ladder and began removing bulbs from the top half of the tree, handing them to Tokie two at a time.
She quickly removed the hook and placed them in the box going back to get more bulbs from him. They made quick work of the rest of the bulbs moving the ladder around the tree as they went. Finally, all that was left was the star at the top, and the lights. Two others already got the tensile earlier before the ladder was used elsewhere.
“Before you climb down, Tsukiro. Could you please grab the star?” Tokie asked him.
“Yup,” Tsukiro said, already reaching high for the star. Carefully, he unlatched it from the very top branch and handed it down to Tokie. “There you go.”
She smiled warmly and took the star placing it in a box just for it. She then started carrying the full boxes over to another part of the room away from the boxes they still had to fill. Tokie then walked over grabbing two more boxes. She opened one of the boxes and lifted out an orange piece of plastic that looked like a Barbie ladder.
“Now for the lights.” She handed one of the funny looking ladders to Tsukiro. “Do you want the floor or the ladder to work from?”
Tsukiro laughed awkwardly. “I’ll work from the floor.”
Tokie nodded and climbed the ladder she dug for a few minutes through the branches until she found the end of the lights and started removing them. Slowly she wrapped the lights around the orange piece of plastic. She looked down at Tsukiro. “If you fill your holder there are more in the box. I think there are like 5 of them in there. Each one holds one strand of 150 lights.”
Tsukiro nodded, now understanding what the hunk of odd looking plastic was for. He knelt down and searched for the end of the lights around the trunk of the tree. When he found it, he carefully tugged on the end and unraveled the strand of lights from the tree. He soon found out that he did not at all like taking lights off of trees. Every time he thought he had one end off of the branches, another end would get tangled in another section. Multiple times he had almost pulled the tree down trying to circle around the back to reach the other lights. He was just glad that wrapping them up was the easy part. Eventually, he had gotten his share of the lights off and wrapped up.
“Finally, that part is done,” he said wiping the sweat from his brow.
Tokei stepped back with her hands on her hip and looked the tree over well. She wanted to make sure nothing was missed before they hauled it out of the room and to the incinerator. Once she was pleased with her inspection she called out for the three that was hauling it out. While they did that. Tokie had Tsukiro help her with gathering the other odd and end things up and put them away.
Finally, the last bit of Christmas was packed in a box. Tokie looked at Tsukiro and smiled. “Thank you so much for your help. I would still be working on the tree if it were not for your help.”
He nodded and smiled back. “No problem. I was happy to help. If you need help with anything else don’t hesitate to send for me. Better than freezing my hide off back at the Squad Ten barracks.”
Tokie chuckled softly. “Yes I am sure things are a little chilly over there.” Bowing to Tsukiro, Tokie told him. “I will remember your offer. Thank you again and have a good rest of the evening.”
She then turned to retire to her room and get cleaned up for dinner.
Tsukiro stretched as he walked from the room, thinking maybe he should eat something himself before continuing on to the next barracks. He sighed as he exited out of the building he was in.
Now to find his way out of the Third Division barracks...
To be continued...
