Cry of the Soul

Day 1

"Chi~bi Taicho!"

Said boy groaned and groggily raised his head from his desk. Right…he was so tired that he was fully prepared to actually sleep on the desk, his pillow being the unfinished paperwork soiled with ink. And his head was still pounding from the humongous headache he had provided himself. Just great!
Wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, he fixed his teal eyes in a cold glare on the intruder. Gin's grin widened even more at the sight and he gave a slight chuckle, leaning causally on the door frame.

"What are you doing here, Ichimaru?" asked Toshiro, without even giving a small rebuke at being called THAT nickname again. He was just too tired for the silliness. He did not want to deal with it this late at night. "Go away..."

"Nah." The silver haired captain ignored him and entered the room, coming to stand directly beside the little boy. "Ya know, ya work more than the Kuchiki brat."

Is he going to scold me? Really?

This was not fair. It was as if the odds were against him. He did this a lot, he knew. Yet that one time where he was actually tired and nearly fell asleep on his job, he was not only caught but it was Ichimaru Gin of all the people! And now the remaining few papers where blotched in ink. What a mess. And he was getting a rebuke, like a child! And from him of all people! He rubbed his temple in an attempt to soothe the pain that was slowly becoming a hindrance. Just like the man in front of him. Trying to keep his cool, he fixed his best icy glare at the man.

"What of it? And should you be calling Kuchiki Byakuya brat? Aren't you the same age as him?" This made him pause for a second. He definitely did not know that. It was just a hunch. Then again, aging was different in Soul Society. Gin could be older, especially if he died and came to Soul Society. Byakuya on the other hand, was born.
Did Gin die though? He didn't know that. Maybe Matsumoto knew? After all, they were classmates.

I really don't know anything about the man.

His eyes widened a bit at the thought. Because not even knowing why, he always wanted to know more about Gin. Maybe it was because he was labeled a genius, like himself? Or maybe it was because they were so much alike? Maybe it was for Matsumoto's sake.

Yes, that was definitely it. Furring his brows, he looked away.

"What is of is that Ran chan's worried about ya, ya know. Ya should stop acting like a bratling."

His eyes snapped back up to his face, irritated. "I am NOT-…!"

"Ya sure acting like one. Ya say you're a grown up now, but ya don't know yar own limits."

"I don't need you telling me off, Ichimaru!" He didn't realize he was standing up or that his fists where balled, or that he was leaking reiatsu and freezing the office. "I don't need ANYONE...telling me off." His breath hitched for a moment but he recovered quickly enough to shoot another soul chilling glare at the man, willing him to go away and stop bothering him. His eyes darted to the ground as he mumbled "I don't need anyone."
Toshiro missed Gin flinching at his words. When he looked up, the man had a very peculiar expression on his face. He wasn't smiling. No, that was not a smile, it was a grimace.

What in the world?

Even with closed eyes, Toshiro could feel the gaze of Ichimaru Gin. He looked away, finding a loose knot in his left sandal much more interesting.

Funny how I didn't even notice it.

Was he immersed that deep in his own thoughts the whole day? This really was getting out of hand.

It wasn't really the work around the division, no. It was more what was happening outside of it.

He had never given up, of course, on his former Taicho. Isshin-san was something akin to an uncle, a caring somebody who didn't cringe at his very presence. That was the man who accepted him, WANTED him. And then, just like that, he was gone without a word, leaving everything, the division, the work, him and Rangiku alone.
True, they said he was missing in action, that he died. Matsumoto surely believed it, and she didn't. His taicho was strong, he couldn't be dead.
This was why he had secretly and as stealthily as possible, started his little research to find the truth. And look where the truth led him. To sleepless nights and headaches and frustration. He was becoming sloppy.

But who could blame him. The little information he could find out didn't help much, other than the fact that he knew of things Soul Society tried to cover up. Like Hollowfication and the trial of Urahara Kisuke, the disappearance of more than half of the Gotei 13 leaders nearly a hundred years ago.
And what he found had so many holes in it that it was an enormous headache itself. The fact that he thought the final mission Isshin-san took was directly related to all that made it worse.
Ugh. His head hurt so much now.

And there was Ichimaru himself. Why was he acting so strange as of late, being all sneaky and vauge, pulling off his reiatsu in weird patterns in front of other souls, just to make them scared of him, disgusted, terrified. Like snakes twisting around, choking, choking...Why the act! Hitsugaya knew it was an act, he could see through it. He was even putting up a show for Matsumoto. Show so good that she was falling for it. This puzzled Toshiro. It was all so weird that a little voice in his head sometimes thought that it was all leading to something big, like this was all a big dinner and the main dish was soon to be served. Ichimaru Gin wanted to be seen dangerous, like...

Like a suspect.

His eyebrow twitched as he groaned again. His hand went up instinctively to do something with the stupid pain. He, the youngest captain in Soul Society history ever was losing to a simple idiotic headache.

Before he could as much as scratch, he felt two arms engulfing him, pulling him in a warm embrace.
"Wha-" The words died in his throat as he realized what was going on.
"What are you doing, Ichimaru", he squeaked out in a small voice, so unlike his own. Ichimaru was hugging him close. He could hear his heartbeat. His hands instinctively pressed against the chest. It was so…warm.
"Ya look like ya need a hug, Chibi-Taicho". Was it him, or Ichimaru's voice was different too? "Come now, ya need to loosen up a bit and stop trying to act like an adult for once. I don't want Ran coming to me with tears in her eyes because yar acting like an idiot." Foxface and his excuses. His brow furred. Why did he think the Matumoto reference was an excuse? He knew for a fact she was worried about him. Albeit, she did show it weirdly.
Toshiro had a fleeting thought to kick the man, but he didn't have the strength or true desire to so. It was too warm, too comfortable. When was the last time someone hugged him? Someone who wasn't repulsed bu him? By his eyes, his hair, his cold personality, his very aura...
He gripped the fabric of Gin's haori. Only Gran ever hugged him like that. Matsumoto's hugs where different, he felt squished in them, suffocating in the literal and metaphorical sense. That was why he ran from her hugs. Yet, Gin's hug was different. It was like Gran's. No. It was different, so familiar for some reason.

What in the world! How different? Why familiar? He couldn't quite place it. He couldn't even focus nor did he have any desire to think too much right now. Gin was right, maybe just this once he could loosen up? Maybe...

That was when he felt himself being lifted.
"This is so demeaning," he whispered into the cloth he was holding, eyes screwed shut but not letting go. Why, why didn't he let go? Why couldn't he? Why didn't he want to let go in the first place?

Gin had picked him up like a little child.

He should be angry, he should rage, freeze the man to the chair and be done with him, his weird schemes and smile.
He didn't do anything.
His eyes widened slightly as he felt a hand go through his hair, soothingly, gently, trying to calm him down and take away the pain. This was familiar. Something triggered in the very back of his mind, carrying him to the days he spent with his Gran in Rukongai.

Something in Gin's grip made Toshiro pause.
Is Gin afraid if he let me go, I'd disappear?
..No, I must be too lightheaded right now to think something as ridiculous as that. Curse the headache.

"Come on, Shiro-chan, sleep."

He nodded absentmindedly and with a a contended sigh and let himself relax into the arms of Ichimaru Gin. One would say it was crazy, considering what facade the man put.
Facade. Snakes, evilness, cruelty...a facade. Right now, it was too much. Too much secrets, too much unknown. Hollowfications, Gin's game, Kuchiki's sister's prolonged stay in the real world.. It could all wait. For once, he just wanted to be and feel like a child that he knew he was, deep down.

"It's like nothing can hurt me when you're near, Ichimaru", he mumbled. "So warm..and safe.."

Ichimaru Gin tightened his grip around the small boy and sighed. The boy was going to figure out some things. And he knew he just made things ten times worse. Coming for Ran's sake? Who was he fooling? Tch. He knew that coming to see the small Taicho was not reassurance on behalf of Ragiku. He had been spewing webs of lies so much around himself that he could at least keep his dignity to himself and admit the truth.

Warm and Safe

Those words made his heart ache even more.

"I won't let him have ya, Toshiro, I swear, even if I die, Aizen will never get his hands on ya!"

The night came to pass, just like any other night in Seireitei. No one was there to witness the small Taicho tucked under the chin of one Ichimaru Gin in a tight embrace, both sleeping peacefully for the first time in maybe years. So alike and yet, different. Nor was there anyone to notice the silver haired man carefully putting the child on the couch close to the morning, wrapping him in a blanket or even finishing the paperwork. There was not even a breathe of his reiatsu left by the time Hitsugaya Toshiro woke up.

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach. nor do i want to.

Comments: This is going to be a threeshot. A trial story lets say. Cos i want to write a few bit longer stories featuring gin and toshi father son relationship. Hope whoever reads, likes this. ;)