This was inspired in part by my friend, whose fanfiction name I don't know and whose Gaia name will be kept secret because I'm greedy like that, and in part by a picture that can be found on Ichi-taichou's profile on Gaia. You'll know the one. About the name...XD, I laughed at how retarded it sounded when I tried to say it, but I didn't just want 'Spring Festival' (which is what it means
"Ain't th' spring festival nice?" A grinning face peered over a shoulder at the boy trailing behind him. Kira's attention was unusually diverted from his captain and instead focused on the flowering scene around the pair. "Izuru?"
Upon hearing his named spun like spider webs from the elder's mouth, Kira snapped his head back to the shinigami in front of him. "My apologies, sir."
"Ain't a problem, s'nice out, after all. I don't blame ya fer stoppin' t' smell the roses, so to speak." Ichimaru waved it off with a hand and motioned to the blossoming trees that lined the quiet path they walked down. Birds chirped under the warm sun and a gentle breeze carried a few, loose cherry blossom petals through the air, lacing it with the scent of spring. The sound of trickling water from a gently-flowing stream nearby harmonized the outdoor chorus and relaxed even the tensest of soldiers.
Kira tilted his head into a nod in agreement and lowered his gaze to Ichimaru's back. Where he would usually find a plain, white haori with only their division's symbol to decorate it, he instead found a colorful pattern bursting with the essence of spring. In honor of the first nice days of spring, and the festival Rukongai held to celebrate such an event, the shinigami of Seireitei (at least, the ones who chose to participate) dressed in their best spring yukata and were given the day to enjoy the festivities. Ichimaru, who spent most of his childhood in Rukongai, preferred to attend the festival, though even Kira wasn't quite sure if it was for nostalgic reasons or the sweets that were offered.
Clear, blue eyes traced over the captain's clothing, deciding that it suited the man well. Soft silver was accented with lilac and pale blue flowers and complimented with a crimson obi and pink tie. Kira's own yukata seemed to stand out a tad less-- a midnight blue material spotted with bright bursts of red and gold fireworks, held together by a sky blue obi and black tie. As per custom, their normal tabi and sandals were traded in for a pair of geta.
While Ichimaru's hair was too short to draw up into a style-- not that he would have, if it had been-- Kira's had been mussed and fussed with until it was clipped up in kanzashi with purple wisteria and blue iris petals made of silk trailing from the hair sticks, as well as several, small, silver butterflies. It had been a little disorienting-- and rather embarrassing-- to walk around like that at first, but Kira quickly became accustomed to the comments and Ichimaru's praises of 'ya look adorable, Izuru' and 'ya should keep yer hair outta yer face more often' served to boost his confidence just a smidgen.
"It's still early out," Ichimaru commented idly as he ventured from the beaten path through a break in the rosy trees, "the fireworks won't start 'til nightfall."
"Did you have something in mind until then?" Kira asked lightly, feeling that perhaps he should already know the answer. He ducked under a low-hanging branch, unknowingly knocking off and catching a loose petal in his hair, and followed his superior to a deserted, grassy field where the trees were less bountiful but still equally as calming and beautiful. The gentle lull of the stream faded from earshot and the call of sky-bound birds drifted in and out as they darted from tree to tree in some game of aerial tag.
"Not really," the silver-haired shinigami responded, stopping when he deemed them far enough away for some peace and quiet. "Ain't nothin' t' do, yet. Most the good shops ain't even open." Ichimaru sat down next to a lone tree, his bright outfit dulled only slightly by the shade from its over-hanging, leafy branches.
Kira followed suit, when his captain motioned for him to relax, and sat lightly in the plush grass, the cool blades tickling his bare feet. "We could have stayed in Seireitei until it was time," he pointed out. "I'm sure there was something to do there."
"Yeah," Ichimaru agreed, "work." He sighed and stretched out, grinning up at the sun as it poked through the leaves, splashing over his pale features. "Ya gotta have fun sometimes, Izuru. Why'd ya agree t' come with me if ya were just gonna talk 'bout workin'?"
"I didn't mean it like that," the lieutenant said quickly, trying not to disrupt the serene atmosphere with the tension in his voice. "My apologies."
The man's grin widened just a little as he slid forward into the grass on his stomach, elbows resting on the ground and chin find a place on Kira's thigh. He felt his subordinate jump slightly at the sudden move, but ignored it and linked his arms around the blonde's waist in an awkward hug. "Don't worry 'bout it."
Kira's eyes, a brighter blue than usual from the reflecting sun, stared down at the lounging shinigami for a few moments in surprise. It seemed the springtime made Ichimaru a bit more playful than usual. Not that his captain was by any means stiff, but the man was certainly never this... touchy before. A small blush rose to Kira's cheeks as Ichimaru cocked his silver head up to glance at him, and quickly averted his eyes.
"Ya ain't gotta look away every time I look at ya." As the innocent face of his lieutenant came back to meet his, Ichimaru reached up and gave his head a small pat, careful not to disturb the delicately-held hairstyle. His long fingers knocked loose the stray petal and he watched as it fluttered down, swaying briefly with the breeze before landing atop his own head. Kira's fingers came to pluck the silky object from his hair and Ichimaru relaxed into the touch as those same digits began lightly combing through his coarse, silver locks.
Kira's cheeks reddened more as his captain responded to the light affection and he continued running his fingers through the other's hair slowly. A soft, content sigh reached his ears and he glanced down, realizing that the combination warm sun and gentle petting lulled his captain into a light nap. The content air about the entire situation finally sunk in and warmed his usually-cold demeanor. His back slumped against the tree trunk and his eyes closed peacefully. The pair dozed there, Kira's fingers still tangled in Ichimaru's hair and the lone, cherry blossom petal swept away by the spring breeze.
"Kira-kun!" Hinamori's arm raised above the crowd's heads as the young girl waved her friend over. She had already flagged down Renji and Hisagi, but couldn't seem to find her third academy mate. When she finally spotted a streak of blonde hair-- oddly enough held up with accessories normally meant for females-- she became excited once again.
"Hinamori-san," Kira murmured, his blue eyes flashing hesitantly to the man still at his side.
Ichimaru's gaze traveled past Kira to the three lieutenants before returning to his own. "Well, go on," he said, "ain't that what yer here for?"
"Yes, sir." Kira bowed to his captain. "Are you sure?" Ichimaru himself had been the one to tell Kira a good lieutenant never left their captain's side. Though it wasn't likely anything serious would happen at the festival, Kira had become more than just an assistant to his superior-- more like a maid or servant.
"Ya can go fer a little while," Ichimaru told him, glancing up at the pale evening sky. "Fireworks still won't be on 'til it's completely dark."
Taking the hint, Kira nodded and bowed again. "Thank you," he said quickly before turning to join his friends.
"Jeez," Renji commented as their fourth member joined the group, "it take ya that long just to get him to take the collar off for a few hours?"
Hisagi smirked, but Hinamori drew Kira's attention away from the taunting. "Your yukata's so pretty." She flushed and looked down at her own: Pitch black cotton printed with golden-brown butterflies, a yellow obi and deeper brown tie to match. "Aizen-taichou picked mine out."
Renji gave a groan and shook his head, turning back to Kira. "Nice hair sticks."
"Abarai," Hisagi muttered under his breath, a slight warning edge to his voice.
"Tsk, yeah, yeah." The sixth division lieutenant folded his arms behind his head and looked up to the darkening sky.
"We should find seats before everyone crowds in," the female of the group suggested.
"Lieutenants should get their pick, anyway," Renji said, a little disgruntle that, despite his position, he'd be forced to fight for a good seat.
"It's a festival," Hisagi, ever the voice of reason, reminded him. "This isn't the time for ranks and rules."
"Hisagi-san is right," Kira agreed. "It's been a while since we've all been able to just relax."
"Actually, Tousen-taichou takes care of most things," Hisagi told him. "I get to relax for most of the day, unless our division has some sort of mission to carry out."
Hinamori nodded. "Aizen-taichou sends me on a few tasks now and then, but it's nothing strenuous. He only calls me in for the things he really needs help with." It was a perfect balance to keep Hinamori feeling needed, but not to overwork her.
Renji scoffed and waved the two off with his hand. "Don't matter how much paperwork Kuchiki-taichou sits in his office and does, 'e's still got more for me whenever I try and relax."
"At least we don't have things as bad as Nanao-fukutaichou or Nemu-fukutaichou," Kira reminded them. He followed as Hisagi led the group to a clear spot atop a grassy hill. It was far enough away from the rest of the crowd that they wouldn't be suffocated, but still close enough to get a clear view of the spectacle.
"I pity you, Abarai," Hisagi said in his low, smooth voice, choosing to stand alongside Kira as the others made themselves comfortable on the grass.
"Eh?" Renji tilted his head up to look at the older shinigami. "Why's that?"
"Anyone with Kuchiki-taichou as a captain must have it rough," he sympathized, "but even more so for someone as loud and rambunctious as yourself."
"Hey!" Renji exclaimed, his eyes narrowing up at the smirking one. "Watch who you're calling rambunctious."
"Can you even spell it?" the ninth division lieutenant wondered, glancing down at his friend.
"Can I-- of course I can!"
Hinamori interjected, mostly for Renji's sake-- she wasn't really sure he could spell it-- and nudged the redhead. "Shh," she whispered, "they're starting."
Kira blinked and looked up as the night sky, as deep as his yukata, exploded with color. He let himself fall into a daze under the fireworks' spell for a moment before snapping back to attention. "Damn," he hissed under his breath, glancing to his friends who were still mesmerized by the light. He started to slink away from them, finding Ichimaru becoming his top priority, when he bumped into a body behind him. "Excuse me, I didn't-"
"Hush," a voice whispered into his ear as arms wrapped around his waist, which tensed with the rest of his body at the foreign contact.
"Ichimaru-taichou," Kira breathed, slowly relaxing back into the sturdy form when it became apparent that the captain had made himself comfortable.
"Thought ya might get distracted with these two 'round," the silver-haired man chuckled, casting a closed-eye glance to Renji and Hisagi, the former of which shot him a nasty glare. Ichimaru simply grinned and waved a hand in return before returning it to Kira's hip.
"My apolog-"
"Shh," Ichimaru cut him off, motioning upwards. "Watch the fireworks, hm?"
Kira nodded silently and tilted his head up to watch as bursts of gold and silver lit up the sky, raining down before fizzling out into the black abyss. He blushed faintly as Ichimaru's cheek rested lightly against his, the warmth from his captain's embrace blocking out the now-cool breeze that blew across the land.
D'awww. I had initially just planned on the first half, before the fireworks, but I figured 'why the hell not?' and took an opportunity to throw in the other three, who I always love writing together in a group. It's never boring with them. =D Well, I got that fluffiness out of my system. Time to head back to the smut. ^~^