Continued from: Errand Run, Part 3
Tsukiro wasn't too awfully enthused about going to the Squad Four barracks, seeing as how the entire division was basically a fully functioning hospital. He, like any other person, did not much care for hospitals. However, he had heard about this division's captain and quickly decided to keep his dislike of this part of his mission to himself. The last thing he needed was to bring down the calm yet scary wrath of Retsu Unohana upon him.
He entered the barracks front courtyard and made his way to the hospital area's front doors. He quietly opened them and stepped in. Immediately, he was met with the busyness of the medical squad.
Shinigami everywhere rushed around carrying medical supplies or pushing around medical beds. There was a fair amount of shouting as the officers tried to get to and treat every person.
Well, this is going to be fun, Kotaishi snorted sarcastically on his mind.
Don't you and I know it...
Isane came around from the back of one of the rooms seeing Tsukiro standing in the middle of the room. Dodging and weaving so not to get run over as the medical personnel zipped past him. She smiled softly and made her way to him.
“Eighth Seat Ashimitsu,” she greeted him.
Hearing his name, Tsukiro spun around. His eyes landed in an awkward place: staring straight at a girl's ample chest. He blinked several times and tilted his head up to see Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu's smiling face.
His jaw dropped. "What on earth do you eat to get that tall?" Then he mentally slapped himself and bowed to her. "Forgive me. That was rude. Yes, I'm Tsukiro Ashimitsu. Hajimemashite."
Isane laughed aloud at his question. “If you must know. My vegetables.” She returned his bow and introduced herself. “I am Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane. Please to meet you as well.” She turned. “Follow me and I will show you what we need you to do. Seventh Seat Yamada Hanataro will be helping you out today.”
She looked back over her shoulder to see if he was following. “I hope you do not mind the help?”
Still blinking up at the lieutenant's height, he shook his head. "I welcome it."
“Good.” Isana smiled turning forward once more. “Seventh Seat Yamada is a little --” She paused to think of the proper word. “Meek. I guess you could say, but he is a good worker and will do his share in helping you.”
She lead Tsukiro to the back of the hospital. There was where the long term patients stayed. Today; however, there were not many that needed to stay long term. So they decided to do a spring cleaning. The Hospital was always clean, but twice a year Captain Unohana likes to do a deep cleaning. This entailed scrubbing walls, floors, windows, furniture and anything else that could be scrubbed down. Isane stopped in front of the nurses station turning to look at Tsukiro.
“There will be more than the two of you cleaning. Though, you are set in cleaning groups. Two to a room so to make sure the room is done properly. Walls, floors, windows and furniture. That includes the beds they are to be scrubbed down as well. Yamada will show you what needs to be done and how to do it.”
At that moment Yamada walked into sight. He had on yellow rubber gloves that went up to his elbows and carrying a water bucket. He walked over to Isane and Tsukiro and bowed.
“Hello, Lieutenant Kotetsu.” He then turned to Tsukiro. “Seventh Seat Yamada Hanataro. It is nice to meet you. Are you the one that I will be working with today?”
"Hai," Tsukiro said bowing. "Eighth Seat Tsukiro Ashimitsu from Squad Ten. Hajimemashite."
Ha! This shrimp is of higher rank than you?! If you would just show off your power, you'd be ordering HIM around!
Silent, Kotaishi! His rank says nothing of his abilities! I've already taught you this!
Tsukiro ignored his zanpakuto and asked the small boy, "So, where to first?"
“We have ten rooms to clean. We are cleaning rooms 260 through 269.” Yamada started walking toward the rooms they were cleaning. “Follow me. I will show you where you can find gloves, a bucket and anything else you think you might need to clean with.”
Tsukiro nodded and followed the seventh seat down a maze of corridors and to a large storage area filled with cleaning supplies. Tsukiro grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and a bucket, plus some extra supplies.
"Alright, where's our first room?"
While there Yamada grabbed a few things he was in need of as well. When he turned to Tsukiro he wore a meager smile. ”I was working on room 260 when I came out for more supplies and ran into you. So I guess we will pick back up there.”
He motioned with his head for Tsukiro to follow him once more. Tsukiro followed closely behind him to room 260. When they got there, he saw that it was already half done. Only a couple walls, the bed and the windows needed cleaning. He set to work on the last two walls while Yamada started on the bed.
“So how long have you been with division 10?” Yamada asked him while he scrubbed at the bed frame.
"Two and a half months. And I think Hitsugaya-taicho already has it out for me. He keeps giving me missions that range from moderately difficult to fairly annoying."
Tsukiro put his back into scrubbing a particularly stubborn stain on the wall. As he did, he couldn't help but let his mind form the analogy of how his captain was a lot like that stain: stubborn, obvious and annoying. Subconsciously, he scrubbed at it even harder.
"What about you? Do you like Squad Four?"
“Oh yes! Squad four is amazing. I like helping others in need.” Yamada told him as he scrubbed away at the bed. “and at least you get missions. I have never seen outside the soul society.”
Yamada stood finishing the bed and moved over to clean the two windows in the room.
Tsukiro looked at Yamada. "Not even when you were in the Academy? You never went on a training mission to the human realm?"
“Nope. I was always in the Academy walls. I guess they thought I was not strong enough to be on the front line.”
Finishing his windows he looked to Tsukiro. “You ready for the next room?”
Tsukiro nodded and they headed off to room 261.
---------------
Much later, Tsukiro and Yamada had made it to room 268. Tsukiro's muscles and back ached. He was more than happy to be almost done.
The two made haste on the room and quickly got it done. Moving to the next room. As they walked in room 269 Yamada smiled wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Almost done. Will you be joining squad four at dinner tonight or will you be returning back to your own squad?” Yamada asked him as he made his way to the other side of the room to start cleaning.
Tsukiro thought for only a second before nodding and saying, "I think maybe I will stay here. I'd rather not go back just to run into my captain or the lieutenant."
Again the two made haste on the room getting it all cleaned up. As Yamada cleaned the windows he laughed and looked over his shoulder at Tsukiro who was cleaning the bed frame.
“We make a good team, Tsukiro. I think the others are only half way done with their rooms.”
Tsukiro, after finishing with the frame, turned to Yamada and grinned at him, giving him a thumbs up. "I agree."
Once they finished, they closed up the room and left. Tsukiro just so happened to look across the hall to see that the door to the room across from 269 was opened slightly. He saw the sheets of the bed were raised, indicating that someone was in there. Not only that, he noticed cords and tubes leading to a breathing machine. He walked towards the room, planning to shut the door to give the patient some privacy. However, when he got a closer look at the patient, he recognized the girl as Lieutenant Momo Hinamori.
He couldn't stop himself once he recognized her and stepped in. She was in a coma. Tsukiro recalled the report of the incident that had occurred while he was still in the academy. Sosuke Aizen had stabbed her through the chest.
He quietly walked up to her bedside, looking at her pale face. Tsukiro and Kotaishi thought at the same time.
..... Poor girl... So young...
Tsukiro looked to the table at her bedside. There were many vases of flowers, all labeled with different senders. He noticed, however, that none were from Hitsugaya. Tsukiro looked to Hinamori again, then he set his bucket down and removed his gloves, dropping them in the bucket.
He walked over to a table on the other side of the room. Focusing his reiatsu in his palms, he released the energy in the form of ice, molding it into a vase with daffodils blooming out of it. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and quickly scrawled the name "Toshiro Hitsugaya" on it, laying out beside the ice vase. Finally, he lifted two fingers and formed a kido barrier around the ice structure to keep it from melting.
"Get well soon," he bowed to her before retrieving his cleaning supplies and leaving, closing the door behind.
Yamada was waiting out in the hall for Tsukiro when he walked from Momo’s room. He looked his way and smiled.
“She is doing much better now. Captain Unohana has been taking very good care of her.” He lifted from the wall and walked toward him. “Did you know Momo?”
"No, but I know someone who does..."
He nodded and motioned for Tsukiro to follow as he walked toward the dining hall of their squad, the two talking on their way to dinner.
Continued To: Errand Run, Part 5
