Author Note: Hello again, our lovely readers! CrazyAce'n'PokerFace are here to proudly present Chapter 1 of Toushirou of Oz. This story was inspired by a crazy dream PokerFace had, and we hope you'll like the insane stuff we came up with. We're really sorry that we've been gone for, like, FOREVER, but we hope that this and a few other things we'll be posting in the next few days makes up for it. In any case, we're sincerely grateful for your patience. Thank you!

Normal = prose, italics = thoughts or inner conversations

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. They belong solely to Tite Kubo. However, if there was an alternate universe where I do own Bleach, I will promptly give my left arm to switch with my other self. (P.S. We don't own The Wizard of Oz, either.) :)

Chapter One: Welcome to Kansas

It was finished.

Urahara glanced at his latest invention and chuckled to himself. After two weeks of diligent work, his newest brainchild could finally be unleashed upon the world. But who to test it out on…?

Hearing the sound of footsteps in the shop, he left the two shiny helmets on the table and made his way upstairs.

"Welcome to my humble shop!" he exclaimed, waving his fan in front of his face. His eyes widened speculatively as he saw who his customers were. These two would make excellent guinea pigs.

"Cut the act, Urahara-san, and just show me the goods," Kurosaki Karin grumbled. The now fifteen-year-old girl stood at the counter with her soccer ball balanced on her knee. A familiar white-haired shinigami taichou was fiddling with his cell phone beside her, ignoring the conversation completely.

"I don't have time for your giggling antics today," Karin continued. "Yuzu's already mad that I beat up Jinta earlier this week, so hand over the groceries before she can complain about me being late for dinner preparations, too."

"My, my, my, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said. "So it was you who gave Jinta-kun a black eye? I had my bet on Ichigo-kun."

"Please. If Ichi-nii had been the one to find them making out on the couch, Jinta would have had a lot more to worry about than a black eye and a few bruised ribs. Castration wouldn't have been out of the question, either. Anyway, I only kicked him because he stepped on the damn TV remote and broke it. You got any of those for sale?" Karin asked.

"Well, that depends on whether or not you wouldn't mind one that doubles as an electric taser," Urahara said as he bustled about, filling a couple bags with the Kurosakis' usual grocery supply. Now, how to get Karin to try out the virtual reality headsets…

"Never mind then. I don't think I'd be able to trust Goat-chin to use it wisely," Karin replied.

"Can you trust your father to do anything wisely, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya said, finally joining the conversation.

"Probably not. But that's why Yuzu's going to keep the house when she grows up. After she and Jinta finally get married and start a family, they can stick him in the backyard shed and keep an eye on him. That way we won't have any lawsuits from the insane asylum that we would have to stick him in otherwise." Karin shot her companion a wide grin, letting the soccer ball settle by her feet as she did so.

Hitsugaya smirked in reply. "I know what you mean. That's partly why Tenth Division office has a sofa in it, so we can all keep an eye on Matsumoto when she passes out." Glancing at Urahara as the shopkeeper ran up Karin's purchases, he asked, "Did any news come from the Soul Society? The patrol should be finished up in two days, and Matsumoto and I will head back then."

"No, no, nothing's come in for you. And isn't this patrol more of a mandatory break for you?" Urahara replied.

Hitsugaya's familiar scowl settled into place as Karin burst into laughter beside him. "Being ordered to take a break—that sounds just like you, Toush!"

"Shut up," Toushirou growled. "It's not my fault that Matsumoto wanted to go on another shopping spree and 'conveniently' convinced Unohana-taichou that a trip to the Living World was just the thing to help my insomnia. All that paperwork was just too much, she said."

"You have insomnia?" Karin asked.

"No, Matsumoto drugged me and took pictures of me sleeping at my desk," he replied irritably. "Now I have to take part in 'leisurely activities' and 'stress-free pastimes' while I'm here, in addition to the regular Hollow-killing patrol. I can just feel the paperwork piling up back home." He grimaced at that last sentence.

"Leisurely activities, hmmm?" Urahara said. "Why, I have just the thing for you, Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"No thanks, Urahara. Matsumoto's already snapped photos of me playing soccer with Kurosaki and her friends. That counts as a leisurely activity," Hitsugaya replied.

"You call playing one-on-one with me leisurely?" Karin interrupted. "Oh, I'm going to make you eat those words later!"

"Will this happen before or after Yuzu-san yells at you for being late with her groceries?" Toushirou asked.

"Shiitake mushrooms!"Karin exclaimed, looking at the clock. She tossed some money on the counter and grabbed a bag and thrust it at Hitsugaya, reaching for the second one. A fan smacked her hand away, and she scowled as Urahara shook his head at her.

"Not so fast, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said. "I have the same offer for you."

"Offer? What offer?" she grumbled. "Just give me the groceries so we can go!"

"But aren't you interested in playing the most advanced virtual reality videogame in the world?" Urahara countered.

"Videogame?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Virtual reality?" Karin said.

"Yup! Wait right here." Urahara quickly made his way to the secret basement, and emerged with the two headsets. "Now, in a special limited-time offer, I can give these headsets to you (for free!) with the purchase of approximately two bags of groceries. Wait, that's not all! I'll even include a unique, non-taser TV remote control with absolutely no added charge. Yes, that's right! Absolutely no extra charge! All you have to do is tell me whether you liked it or not! But the offer expires in sixty seconds! Will you take it?"

"…you sound like one of those TV commercials," Karin said.

Urahara only laughed maniacally. "Forty-eight more seconds to go!"

"Then, no! I don't want it!" Karin yelled. "Just give me the damn groceries!"

"Nuh-uh! The groceries and the headsets are a package deal!" Urahara replied. "Wait! For a special bonus, I'll even throw in Jinta-kun as your personal slave for a week. Now…ten! Nine! Eight! Sev-"

Karin glowered at the eccentric shopkeeper before slamming her hand down on the counter and screaming, "Fine! I'll take it! Give me the stupid headsets. And tell Jinta that he is now the soccer club's ball boy and my personal punching bag for the next week."

"Great! Thank you, Kurosaki-san, you won't regret this purchase, I promise you," Urahara said.

"I think it's a bit late for that," Hitsugaya replied, dodging Karin's subsequent attempt to kick his shin. He picked up one of the headsets and peered at it curiously as Karin sighed and peppered Urahara with questions.

"What's the game about?" Karin asked. "How do the headsets work? Is it multi-player? If it's one of those lame romantic sims that Yuzu's always playing, I'm going to toss it out the window."

"Rest assured! It's a fantasy-type adventure, where you get to fight lots of monsters, defeat magical enemies, steal dangerous items, and kill people. There will be blood," Urahara said enticingly.

Karin perked up after this description, and even Hitsugaya looked mildly interested. Indeed, he was the one to pose the next question.

"But how will she play it?"

"Ah, you mean how will both of you be able to play it. It is a multi-player game, after all. You can team up, or even be rivals."

"Rivals? I like the sound of that," Karin said. Hitsugaya nodded as well.

"The game is easy to play. Simply put the headsets on and press the green buttons, then state how long you wish to play. The program will take care of the rest, and you will be completely immersed in the fantasy world of the game. You'll be able to feel as if you were actually walking, fighting, and generally living in the world of the video game. Hence, virtual reality headsets! Of course, your actual body will stay put on the couch, but your mind will be tricked into thinking you're actually moving. In addition, one hour of play roughly equals one day passing in game time, so you get more for less!" Urahara's eyes were wildly animated by the time he reached the end of his speech.

"Urahara-san," Hitsugaya said, "if we can feel things in the game like we would in real life, then does that mean we can feel pain, too?"

"Eh…about that…" Urahara sheepishly rubbed his head. "You will actually be able to feel things like hunger and cold, and even minor scrapes and bruises will hurt, but things like loss of limbs or even death will only register as a slight electric buzz."

"How slight?" Karin asked.

"Umm, kind of like when your foot falls asleep and you start moving it again. Except times five."

"That doesn't sound too bad. It's not like I'm planning to get myself killed anyway. Thanks, Urahara-san. Toush and I'll probably try it out tomorrow or something, and we'll tell you how it went. Now, sorry, but I've really got to get home or Yuzu'll kill me. Don't forget to tell Jinta that he's now my slave!" Karin yelled, right as she exited the shop, Hitsugaya right behind her.

…

…

…

At the Kurosaki household, Yuzu was actually angry enough to give Karin a steely glare for being late, but quickly forgave her when she discovered that Urahara had given them twice the amount of food for half the usual price. Making her way into the kitchen to start cooking, she smiled at Hitsugaya and warmly invited him to stay for dinner. Hitsugaya was about to decline and say that it wasn't necessary, when he remembered that Orihime and Matsumoto had planned a "special feast" that night—and he'd eaten the last cup of instant noodles the day before. So he nodded his agreement and helped Karin set the table, smirking as they jostled each other in a race to see who could get the plates down faster.

Thirty minutes later, Hitsugaya was seriously reconsidering whether he should have taken up Yuzu's offer after all, as Ichigo glared at him menacingly from across the table and Isshin grinned and suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, Masaki! It looks like our middle child has finally brought a boyfriend home!" he cried.

Karin and Hitsugaya both started choking. Yuzu worriedly poured them some more water and patted Karin on the back. Ichigo slammed his hand down on the table and started yelling.

"Shut up, Otou-san! They're not dating! They're just friends!"

"Yeah! We're just friends!" Karin said. "Thanks for the support, Ichi-nii."

"No problem, Karin. You don't need this idiot to give you any weird ideas," Ichigo replied. Hitsugaya assumed he was referring to Isshin-san, but couldn't be sure as he was the one getting glowered at. Honestly, what was wrong with Kurosaki? Ever since Karin had started high school, Hitsugaya had become public enemy number three in Ichigo's eyes, second only to Kon and Jinta. Hitsugaya stopped his rambling thoughts and concentrated on the conversation.

"Look, Goat-chin, you never acted this way whenever I brought Donny or the other guys over! What the hell is wrong with Toushirou?" Karin asked, exasperated.

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! He'll be a fine father to my grandchildren."

As Karin attempted to choke her father, Yuzu patted Hitsugaya on the back this time around. She also managed to intervene and get the two raven-haired Kurosakis to sit down again.

"Well, Karin, you have to admit that Hitsugaya-kun isn't exactly like the other boys you're friends with," Yuzu said.

Karin's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "He's not? I mean, I know he's a shinigami and all, but…" Pausing, she scrutinized Hitsugaya's face so closely that he felt himself start to blush. "Nope, I don't see a difference. Is it because he has gravity-defying hair?"

Yuzu and Isshin smacked their foreheads in frustration. Ichigo, on the other hand, looked extremely relieved.

"Yeah, yeah! There's nothing special about him at all. He's just one of your awkward, soccer-freak, videogame-obsessed guy friends. Nothing to worry about at all," Ichigo stated.

"I'm not obsessed with videogames," Hitsugaya said, unaware that he was tacitly admitting to being "an awkward soccer freak." "I've never even played one."

"You've never even played one?" Karin said. "Oh, man, it's sure lucky that we got that game from Urahara-san then. You can come over tomorrow at noon. It's a Saturday, so I won't be in school, and we can battle it out against fake, non-Hollow type monsters."

"Sounds good," Hitsugaya said.

"Wait! No way am I letting you come over here on a date!" Ichigo yelled.

"Chill out, Ichi-nii. You said it yourself—we're just friends. Besides, it's not like Yuzu and Goat-chin aren't going to be here to supervise us. Not exactly the type of setting that inspires fooling around," Karin replied.

"I'm going on a picnic tomorrow!" Isshin cried out. "They can stay alone all day, playing videogames," and here he winked, "without any parental interference."

"What the hell! What kind of dad are you?"Ichigo screamed.

"Um, Jinta-kun and I are going on a date, too," Yuzu admitted shyly. "He's taking me to the zoo."

As Ichigo's attention was suddenly diverted, Hitsugaya and Karin let out a sigh of relief, exchanging grins across the table.

Be here tomorrow? she mouthed.

Yeah, he answered.

Good. I'm gonna kick your ass. She smiled.

Hitsugaya simply raised his glass to her in a silent salute. He wasn't worried about losing, however. Video games couldn't be that difficult to defeat.

…

…

…

Videogames sucked!

Karin had decided to start off Toushirou's videogame education with some of her personal favorites. For the past hour, he'd done battle with a multitude of different games, everything from Dance, Dance Revolution (why was it so sparkly?) to Final Fantasy (why the hell wouldn't this Sephiroth guy just die already?).

"I give up," he announced. "Let the angel-wannabe crawl into a hole somewhere and die."

"Hey, it's amazing you made it this far, considering it's your first time playing videogames," Karin said from her position on the couch. Toushirou was sitting on the carpet in front of her, mashing the buttons on the controller before tossing it away. "You were killer at Wii tennis."

"But I want to kill him!" Toushirou said, gesturing at the screen, where Sephiroth was currently laughing manically as the choir sang in the background.

"Yeah, yeah. Here, give me the controller," Karin said. Ten minutes later, she handed it back to him, as he stared blankly at the screen.

"…you killed him," he said.

"You're the one that wanted me to," Karin replied. "Quit sulking."

Toushirou sighed. "Your entertainment has gotten so complicated since I was last here. I mean, look at all the different machines you use, with all the different buttons and things. It was easier when all you needed was a computer screen and a mouse."

"Hmm? So you've played computer games before?"

"Yeah. Matsumoto brought one back a few years ago. It had a round, yellow circle that went around eating stuff and got chased by squid things."

"Round, yell—the last game you played was Pac Man?" Karin yelled. "That wasn't a few years ago—that was a few decades! Kami-sama, Yuzu was right. You aren't like the other boys I know. I mean, Pac Man?"

"Whatever," Toushirou replied. "Are we going to play this virtual reality game or not?"

"Sure. Guess by now you're up for it." Karin reached over and grabbed the helmets, handing one to Toushirou and, placing the other helmet on her head, she started making odd breathing noises.

"Luke, I am your father," she intoned.

"…what?" Toushirou said. He, too, put the helmet on.

"Man, after this we really need to have a movie day. Star Wars is a classic. Anyway, here goes." Karin pressed the green button on the left side of the helmet. (AN: Think of a motorcyclist's helmet. One of the cool black ones.) A mechanical voice started speaking.

"Thank you for playing Journey to Oz. How long would you like to remain in the game world?"

"What the hell. I'll go for broke. Five hours," she said. "I don't think anything good'll happen in just three virtual days. You good with that, Toush?"

"Sure."

The mechanical voice spoke again. "Do you wish to have a single-player or a multi-player game?"

"Multi-player," Karin answered.

"Please have your fellow player turn on a second console." Toushirou went ahead and pushed the green button on his helmet and waited as the helmets synchronized.

"Now, do you wish to be a hero or a villain in Oz?" said the voice.

"Being a villain sounds cool," said Karin. Toushirou just knew she was grinning under the helmet.

"Request accepted," said the helmet.

"You be a hero, Toushirou. I can't see you as anything other than a good guy, with your goody-two-shoes personality."

Toushirou was about to reply when the helmet unexpectedly asked, "Do you wish to be a Goody-Two-Shoes?"

He scowled. "Hey, you don't have to make fun of me."

"Answer invalid. Do you wish to be a Goody-Two-Shoes?"

"Fine," he grumbled. Karin was laughing hysterically beside him.

"Very well. Request accepted. Initializing game sequence in three…two…one…" the mechanical voice said.

The helmets started glowing.

"Hey, is this supposed to happ—whoa!" Toushirou yelled. The living room started swirling with shadows, and he felt himself being sucked up into a ceiling of pure blackness. He spun around and around and around, right before—

—landing on the flat of his back.

"Oof!" he exclaimed softly. Standing up, he looked around to see what seemed to be an endless field of waving, golden wheat. He was standing in a little circle clearing smack dab in the middle of it.

WTF! he thought. This was supposed to be a fantasy world? Where the hell was he? He started to move to the edges of the clearing before a growl made him stop.

Something rustled in the wheat. Toushirou held his arms out in front of him in a battle stance, and prepared for the worst. He could take on whatever kind of monster was heading towards him!

A small, white, winged thing popped into the clearing. Toushirou stared at it for a few seconds. It kind of resembled a cute, chibi version of…

"Hyourinmaru?" he said. "Is that you?"

The…dragon…barked. Or at the very least, it said "Woof." It then ran forward and licked Toushirou's hand before rolling over and wagging its tail. Toushirou stared down at in shock before the mechanical voice started speaking into his ear.

"You have acquired Toto. Congratulations, Dorothy."

"Dorothy?" Hitsugaya said. "My name is not Dorothy!"

"Are you the player who requested to be Goody-Two-Shoes?" the mechanical voice asked. It didn't sound quite as mechanical anymore. In fact, it sounded a lot like Urahara's, with that same sly, knowing tone.

"Yes, but that doesn't make me Dorothy!" Toushirou yelled.

"On the contrary, it does. Welcome to Kansas, Dorothy," the voice replied. Glowing letters spelling the same message appeared in the air in front of Toushirou.

"WHAT. THE. HELL?" Toushirou screamed.

Endnote: And that's the beginning, folks! We hoped you liked it! Hopefully we'll update soon, but we're not making promises as NaNoWriMo's going on and school is still sucking the life out of us, but we promise we WILL do our best!

And for those of you who're up to date with the manga: DOESN'T KARIN LOOK AMAZING? Man, we're so psyched for this new arc! (Hope this was vague enough not to spoil anything for those who aren't caught up.)

Anyway, thank you for reading and please review! :)