Time Well Spent

Mia really needed to hurry. She was late for this particular cake, by a day if her calender was correct. One of the noble family shinigami had had a birthday the day before and she hadn't delivered it on time.

Black cloak fluttering around her, it was a sharp contrast for the clear covering over the rather bright and happy cake. She had to hurry and deliver it and hope she didn't get in trouble. Nobles might be rather picky about this... Was it a right at the Shirakawa grounds or left though? Stopping, she looking around a bit before pulling out her calender with one hand into the cloak.

It was then she noticed as she read over the hastily written instructions... she was not a day late, but a day early. How could she have made such a mistake!? What would she do with this cake!? Nooo. Drooping, she sighed. Another cake to be eaten alone.

"Are you okay, nee-chan?" The voice was young, belonging to that of a young girl who'd noticed the shinigami enter the area, suddenly drooping after checking a list of some sorts. That young girl was none other than Nozomi, the child from Rukon who was now under the care of the head of the Shirakawa Clan. "That's a really pretty cake, did you make it?" She asked, smiling at the shinigami politely.

She'd been out playing, even though she really should be within the gates, safely within the Shirakawa grounds. She'd found a hole though in the gate, it'd looked old but out of curiosity she'd gone out. The Seireitei was safe for the most part, much safer than roaming the districts anyway, but even still she knew even as safe as this place was it could still be a bit dangerous.

Mia was just about to turn around and leave when she heard a small voice nearby. A bright smile broke out on her face as she pulled back the hood a bit. No one else was around and sometimes the hood scared kids. If there was one thing she couldn't resist, it was children. Especially such cute ones as this little girl. She was young, probably no more than 7 or so.

Feeling better, she nodded and spoke very softly as she kneeled down to the cute little girl's level and showed her the cake. "I did. Its my job to make cakes and give them on peoples birthdays. Thank you Miss, it makes me feel a bit better. Nee-chan was early for this birthday, hehe."

"Wooow, so you're like a birthday fairy!" Nozomi smiled, though the term had been made up on the spot and without much thought. She gave a laugh, "If you were early that just means you really care about getting people their cakes on time! If they have their cake on their birthday they'll be really happy."

People that could make things like cakes, cookies, and other sweets were amazing. It was like magic to her. It was a lot of work though and could be time consuming, that she knew from watching Masaru when he cooked and made things.

Thinking of that she gave a small grin, "Masa-nii likes making stuff like that too, though he does it randomly. It's really fun to watch him, and sometimes he even lets me help with the smaller things!"

"I like that much better than the Birthday Ghost." Mia let out a small tinkling laugh, rather enjoying that idea much better than the other one. Fairies were kind and amazing. She preferred that to ghost. She nodded again, a warm smile on her face still. This little one was so precious. "I really do! It makes me happy to see others celebrate, and if my cakes do that... its the best!"

She liked doing things like that, activities that made other things. If there was something to show at the end, it was the best... Though food didn't last long, it still was there in memories.

"Masa-nii? Is he your big brother? He must be really nice to let you help." Mia started realizing she was being rude and gave a sheepish smile. "Hehe, sorry about that. I am Mia, of Squad 10. Its an honor to meet such a cake master as yourself."

She bowed as much as she could over the cake, laughing lightly. She was so cute! Mia was going to die.

Nozomi gave a nod, "Mhmm! He is! When he's not working he'll always spend time and play with me and let me watch him cook and stuff!"

She gave a smile as Mia introduced herself before giving a polite bow herself. "I'm Nozomi, it's really nice to meet you! Ah, I live over there." She pointed over towards the main gate entrance of the Shirakawa Estate, giving a big smile as she did so.

"Ohhh! Captain Shirakawa. I've heard of him. He must be the nicest person then, if he can juggle all that work and still be the best big brother to you too." Mia couldn't help but be pleased at that. Someone like that was worthy of respect, she wanted to greet such a kind person...maybe in another hundred years she could probably go up and give him a note. Yes, she'd do that. She should write it down so she could start practicing now.

"Its nice to meet you too, Nozomi. Hmm, you know what... I won't be able to eat this cake. Would you like to share it with your Masa-nii?" Giving a wink, Mia pulled her hood all the way down since no one was around at all. Her bright purple eyes shined with happiness.

"Mhmm! Masa-nii's the best!" She grinned, though her expression turned to that of surprise at the offer of the cake. "Huh? But isn't that someone's birthday cake? Mia-nee even if your early with it I think they'd still be really happy to have it."

If it was meant to be someone else's cake then it belonged to that person, not her or her Masa-nii. It looked good, yes, but it belonged to another.

"Tomorrow it will be old and not taste as good. I want them to have the best cake on their birthday, so tomorrow I shall make them a new one and it shall be fresh. Plus, then they'll get it while they are working and it will make their day brighter still." Mia winked and smiled, thinking she needed to write a very nice note to the man who had such a sweet little sister. Yes. She had to do it now.

Remembering a story she had read, she continued on with the air of one who knew things. "And today is your unbirthday, Nozomi~ You should celebrate it with fresh cake."

"Un...birthdays?" Nozomi tilted her head, her eyes curious. She'd never heard of such a term before but apparently today was her 'unbirthday?' Was it as important as a regular birthday? If it was, why didn't she know her's?

"Well unbirthdays are the days that aren't your birthday." Nodding sagely, Mia moved to her butt and made herself a bit more comfortable. She really couldn't remember how the book put them, so she'd have to make up something else... "They are just as special and important, cause every day you are happy and surviving is good. So sometimes they need cake and celebrating, cause they get lonely and are ignored."

"Ohhh, so that's what they are!" Nozomi replied, her eyes sparkling at this new discovery. "So everyday is my unbirthday except my actual birthday. That's so cool!"

Then, the young girl looked thoughtful for a moment, "Then that means it's Masa-nii's unbirthday too! Ah, Mia-nee if it's not your birthday then it's yours too!" Saying that, Nozomi had a bright smile on her face as she looked at Mia. "That means you should eat cake too! Then Masa-nii can have some."

Speaking of Masaru, she wondered if he was still working. He was home, but he had been finishing up some paperwork a little while ago and she'd been playing outside waiting on him to finish up before she'd found that hole in the wall.

"Aha! You pick it up fast Nozomi. A very merry unbirthday to youuuu~" Mia sang the last sentence, remembering how there had been one of those drawn movies too with song. She was just as excited as the young girl, laughing as she shook her head in agreement. "It is indeed our unbirthdays and they are best celebrated with others! But... I think its best you share this with your Masa-nii for now instead of me."

She had to figure out a way to get out of eating the cake, especially if Nozomi wished her to eat with Capain Shirakawa. Thinking for a second she sighed and looked a bit saddened. "I get to eat so much cake, you two should enjoy the whole thing yourselves. I feel I may lake the willpower to not eat the whole cake if I am tempted."

"But you should have some too, Masa-nii bakes a lot too so it's not like we never eat sweets. He'd probably want for you to have some too!" She said, giving another smile to Mia. "Plus it's just the two of us, Masa-nii doesn't eat much and I can't eat too much because too many sweets in one day can be bad even if it's good at the start!"

"So those lessons are sticking?"

Nozomi turned at the familiar voice, glancing around but not seeing anyone; that was, until her eyes went up. "Ah, Masa-nii!"

Masaru was looking over the large gate, his chin resting on his arms as he smiled down. Considering the gate's size though....there was no way he could simply be standing on solid ground.

"Masa-nii, how are you doing that? The gate's too tall!" Nozomi thought for a moment before something seemed to dawn on her. "Wait, are you standing on a tree branch!?"

"It's sturdy." Masaru replied, "No need to worry."

Giving Nozomi a reassuring smile, the captain turned his attention to the lieutenant. "It's a pleasure to see you, lieutenant Nezo."

Nozomi had such a good point, Mia sat there for a few seconds trying to figure out how to escape without making the little one upset at her. She couldn't stay, she really couldn't. Masaru would go looking for the... Mia's eyes widened and her pupils dilated as she picked up the knew voice. A male adult voice that she recognized and...

"M-Masa-nii?!" Looking up she gazed right into icy blue eyes and a nice smile. Her face shifted from pale to red in .0001 seconds as she almost fell over. Luckily years of being surprised with cakes in hand prepared her for this and the cake was set down as she went hopping backwards a few feet. Her hood was pulled back up almost instantly, leaving her face hidden from view again. There was nothing to hide behind. WHERE COULD SHE HIDE?! Instead she stood there like a deer in headlights, in broad daylight, with a goofy cloak as her body was frozen in a shocked way.

Both Masaru and Nozomi were quite surprised at Mia's sudden shyness, mostly Nozomi but after a moment Masaru went back to smiling.

"That's me." He replied.

"Masa-nii..." Nozomi pouted, "You scared her!"

"Right, right." Masaru chuckled, his smile turning into an apologetic one. "Sorry about that. Didn't mean to frighten you."

It was the truth, though he supposed his entranced had been a bit surprising...

"I guess I shouldn't of really entered the conversation like th-" He'd been so close to finishing that sentence. So close. He was easily silence though as the branch he'd earlier claimed as 'sturdy' broke from under him. Just like that the captain had disappeared from his spot only to be followed by a crash from behind the gate.

"M-Masa-nii!?"

"I'm alright." He called, clearing his throat afterwards. "I deserved that..."

"Hey, Mia-nee let's go inside the gate and check on him!" Nozomi called, turning to Mia with with the eyes of a puppy before turning towards the gate entrance.

Mia had called him Masa-nii. The noble Captain Shirakawa... Masa-nii. Masa-nii. Her mind repeated this mantra over and over... and over. He had agreed and was now apologizing and she still couldn't get any words out to say she was sorry for her slip up and it was okay and.... wait how long had he been there?! Had he...heard...her... the...whole... singing At his words, Mia unfroze a bit as her mind told her to run and run and never look back.

*CRACK, THUMP*

Mia was startled but found courage once he disappeared behind the gate, falling and saying something about deserving it. However her whole attention was focused on the worried girl, who gave her those precious eyes and... She gulped, nodded and instead of trying the gate... she did something silly. Running forward with a burst of speed she jumped off the wall, grabbed the top of the gate and pulled herself over.

Landing in the dirt on her feet, she then fell on her butt at the sudden movement with an oomph. It was something she only did in the library to reach places they couldn't normally. Crawling over to the fallen Captain, she got close but didn't touch him, looking him over with a beat red face before gulping again and calling out to the girl. "N-Nozomi... he looks fine... How...gate..."

She could do this much if only for the girl's sake, but she wasn't sure how much longer she'd last this close to the Captain and speaking.

Masaru was sitting up right, rubbing the back of his head when Mia jumped the gate to check on him; calling out to Nozomi to assure her he didn't look hurt.

"Guess that branch wasn't as sturdy as I thought it was." He said, giving a sheepish laugh.

Just as he finished speaking the sounds of the gates opening could be heard, Nozomi running in and immediately heading towards him and the shy lieutenant.

"You're really not hurt?" Nozomi asked, her tone a bit worried as she made sure Masaru wasn't just saying he was fine when he really wasn't.

Masaru gave the two what he hoped was a reassuring smile, "I'm fine really. Just took a tumble, nothing bad."

"His eyes look fine, so he didn't hit his head. He really does seem fine, Nozomi. He may have... A sore...b-b..." Mia was distinctly NOT talking to Masaru even as she looked him a bit more, just to reassure Nozomi with a second opinion that was truthful (Even if she couldn't finish her sentence). She would bend the truth and make fun things to do up, but if Captain Shirakawa had been hurt she would never say so just to make Nozomi feel better.

If she could just talk to Nozomi...she could speak. Even if she couldn't come out of the hood... But as Masaru smiled right at her, trying to reassure them both... Mia turned red inside her hood and poofed away... to behind the tree. She peeked out around the edge of the tree, looking at the pair from afar. She couldn't do it. Mia couldn't stay that close even to make Nozomi feel better.

"Mia-nee?" Nozomi questioned as the hooded shinigami took cover behind a tree and peeked out from behind it. "Are you okay?"

Masaru could guess the lieutenants dilemma but didn't voice it, instead choosing to give her an apologetic smile for what he assumed had been his fault for freaking her out. She was shy, that much was obvious; she was just very shy.

Mia felt like the most awful and horrible creature imaginable. She was a ghost, a witch... She was hurting this little girl who was her friend. Looking straight at her, Mia could lift the hood slightly though her voice came out as a waver.

"I-I-I am sorry N-Nozom-m-mi. Its... hard...for me...to talk to...infront... of...M-Mas-Captain....Shirakawa." Nodding, she gave a soft smile to the girl to try and soothe her. "I...am okay. Its...normal..."

Glancing up over the little girl she caught..another smile and her face turned more red as she dove behind the tree fully. No stop smiling at herrrrr! Stop it!

"Because of...Masa-nii?" Nozomi glanced at Masaru, a bit confused.

"It's okay, she's just shy." Masaru explained, giving Nozomi a pat on the head. "I used to be a bit shy too, remember?"

"Ohhh." Nozomi gave a nod before turning her attention back to Mia, "It's okay, Mia-nee! Masa-nii is nice!"

Masaru, who still sat on the ground behind Nozomi gave a small shrug and another, smaller, apologetic smile; mostly in attempt to convey that he understood just that Nozomi didn't quite yet.

"H-He...is!" Mia's voice quavered more, though she was definitely agreeing. She peeked around the tree slightly more, not wanting Nozomi to think badly of her at all. She wouldn't glance at him, she wouldn't look over... "Makes...worse..."

Another smile. Mia had looked. She shook a bit but willed herself to stay in place, even if she wanted to run far away. It would make Nozomi unhappy... Also...what about the cake!? It was covered yes, but it was sitting outside the gate.

Chancing a glance, she couldn't see it from here. "C-Cake..."

Nozomi was a bit confused, if someone was nice how did that make it worse? She tilted her head, thinking about that to herself. Her thoughts were soon interrupted though by Mia's next words. "Ah! Yeah, the cake! I'll go get it!"

Before either Masaru had a chance to object and offer to get it himself, Nozomi had bolted; almost as if she'd temporarily forgotten Mia's shy problem.

"Ah, sorry." Masaru said, letting out a breath. "I would have offered to go get it, that way you and Nozomi could talk more if you wanted but well..." He motioned towards the gate where Nozomi had run with a small, sheepish smile on his face.

It wasn't long before Nozomi came walking back in through the gate, holding the container in both hands, walking instead of running so as not to accidentally drop it. It was a bit heavy but it wasn't too heavy for her. "G-Got it!"

Mia's hand stretched out, she wanted to stop the girl but no words came out. Couldn't Masaru get it instead!? As his voice reached her, the shinigami dove behind the tree fully again, her arm retracted. Stop it...stop being nice... and smiling... She knew it. He was smiling. SHE COULD SENSE IT.

Still, it was too much for her as Nozomi came into the gate, a wavery voice sounded from behind the tree. "S-Sorry... I...have...enjoy the cake!"

Mia's signature poof of smoke appeared as she flew over the edge of the wall. Her black cape flying behind her as she fled the scene.