A/N: Thanks again and again and again for your reviews! I'm really thankful, ya know:) Here comes chapter 6. Hehe.
Oh and, thanks to my beta Anarore! XD
Chapter 6 - "I know you very well!"
Matsumoto sighed. At this rate it would take them a year to get to Urahara's. Why did her taichou have to look around every little corner? Okay, she understood he didn't want to meet anyone that knew them but still. It was Sunday, not even eight in the morning and not any kind of sane person would leave their house at this time.
Well, except for them.
Doubting the whole situation she watched her taichou looking around the next corner, scanning the area. Really, the world was upside down. She was the one who used to do silly things and Hitsugaya taichou the one who complained about them. That's how it was supposed to be. Matsumoto came to a conclusion at this very moment.
She had to leave this body.
"Taichou?"
"Shhh."
"Taichou, nobody's there."
"I want to be sure."
"But taichou?"
"What is it?"
"Can I get rid of this scarf on my face? I'm sweating already."
"No."
"The cap?"
"No."
"But taichouuuuuuu..."
"You are not supposed to be recognized either. It wouldn't make sense."
"But taichou..." She waited a few seconds to see if Hitsugaya would interrupt her and continued. "...in case we meet anyone, we could simply pretend to be, you know, in the right body."
Hitsugaya looked unimpressed at his own body. "As if you could do that. You probably would reveal yourself within your first few words. I can't risk it."
Offended Matsumoto took in some air. "That's not true! I know you very well!"
He rolled his eyes. "We're almost there, so..."
"Taichou?"
"..." His eyebrow was twitching.
"Taichou?"
"What Matsumoto, WHAT?"
"Ichigo." Matsumoto pointed at a teenager coming closer to them.
Almost in slow motion Hitsugaya turned his head and stared unbelievingly in Kurosaki Ichigo's direction. He hadn't payed attention for like a few moments and there he was. What now?
Hide! ... But where?
Pretend not to know him! ...Hmpf, Kurosaki wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for their "costumes", when walking past them.
Run! ...Maybe a bit too conspicuous.
Maybe they could...
"Yo! Mornin'!" Ichigo called surprised, when he was only a few steps away.
Hitsugaya let his head down. It only could go wrong. "Okay" he whispered to his fukutaichou, "...here's your chance to prove I was wrong. Do your best."
Confidently, Matsumoto took off the god damn scarf and the ugly cap. "Ha, no problem!"
Ichigo had now reached them. "Rangiku-san, Toushirou. What are you doing here this early?"
Matsumoto grinned devilishly and saw her chance coming. „It's HITSUGAYA TAICHOU!!!" she yelled at the top of her voice and was more than satisfied with the result .Her taichou and Ichigo both seemed surprised.
"S-sorry." Ichigo took a step backwards from the person he thought was Hitsugaya.
The real Hitsugaya had to put some effort to get his eyebrow under control. How could Matsumoto overact the whole thing like that? As if he would ever react like that, only because someone forgot his rank. He only pointed out people's mistakes politely. Anyway, Ichigo didn't seem like he had noticed that something was wrong. The mission now was to make him leave. "Don't get us wrong, but we have to hurr..."
Hitsugaya was interrupted by Matsumoto who had cleared her throat loudly. Angry and confused he looked at his fukutaichou and wondered what was going on, when he got an idea. He had to be careful. Matsumoto had to pretend to be him and he had to pretend to be Matsumoto. Darn. Matsumoto Rangiku wouldn't refuse a little chat with someone. Plus, the only time she was in a hurry was a few minutes before the closing of some shops in her favorite shopping mile.
Ichigo blinked mistrustingly at Matsumoto. "Rangiku-san, you alright?"
"Uh...I'm fine. Ahahahaha..." Hitsugaya had to force a silly laugh and just knew that it came out wrong. Being Matsumoto was a tough thing.
Ichigo now took a step backwards form the person he thought was Matsumoto. "Uh..so, what are you doing here?"
"We could ask you, boy!" Matsumoto had put on an extra evil face and starred at Ichigo. Hitsugaya could see his fukutaichou was having some fun, acting like him. But seriously, he wasn't that bad!
"M-me?" Ichigo gulped and was asking himself if that little taichou in front of him had always been that scary. "Urahara-san had started some extra-training. That's where I came from." Why did he feel like he was a criminal here?
"Ah, extra training. A bit of extra work. Sounds good." Matsumoto nodded seriously and felt very confident in her role as Hitsugaya Toushirou. "We should do something like that. Work is good for your soul. I like to work, the whole day long. I don't know the meaning of the word fun, but...whatever."
The real Hitsugaya, stuck in Matsumoto's body, was certain to explode from anger any second. How could she put on such a show? He wouldn't be himself if he would find a way to give it back to her.
"But taichou! Work is not everything! Why don't you sleep a while. Even if the whole division will drown in chaos, who cares! I'll take you on a tour through some bars, that's going to be some fun! Oh and I'll tell you some tricks how you can get away from work." Hitsugaya was grinning.
Ichigo took another two steps backwards. Something was wrong. Definitely. Or was this the normal shinigami insanity?
Matsumoto took the obligatory Hitsugaya position and crossed her arms. "I can't do such things, Matsumoto. Even so, I wouldn't admit I had fun, if it actually was the case. But you probably know that."
Hitsugaya used Matsumoto's hands and formed fists. "I have boxes full of sake hiding in one of the rooms of our devision, but you probably know that."
Oops, why did he know that? "I have some milk in my refrigarator, 'cause I hope it's making me taller, but you probably know that."
Why did she know his refrigarator's content? It couldn't be true! "I'm hiding work under the couch in the office. But you.probably.know.THAT!"
Dear God, she needed a new hiding place! "I have a..."
"Uh, excuse me?" Ichigo didn't really want to interrupt them, but...well...
"WHAT?" they both answered at the same time.
"I...just wanted to say I'm going now. See ya." Faster than anyone could have seen, Kurosaki Ichigo had disappeared. Why he had to run like this, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto did not know.
"Aah, taichou! You're so mean. You acted completely wrong! You sounded like I was only drinking and sleeping the whole day long!"
"If I remember your interpretation I am only working all day long. I'd say it's a draw."
"Nope, I was closer to reality."
As if. "MATSUMOTO!"
Matsumoto started running in Urahara's direction. It couldn't hurt to speed things up.
TBC...