Yeah, slow start, I know, but with AU stories you have to build the world you're working with. This chapter should be fun anyway.

After making himself decent, Hitsugaya went upstairs to the family library to learn about the finer points of managing a business from Kuchiki Byakuya, an old friend of the family who had been almost as successful at running his company as Hitsugaya's father was. He had made a fortune very early on, then decided to retire young and pursue his life's goal of being a university professor. How he got conned into being a private tutor for the heir to Seireitei Inc., Hitsugaya never figured out. But as his father's successor, learning business strategy was vital to his future, so he spent several hours every day studying with the pompous Kuchiki.

Then it was a quick lunch and down to the basement (or dungeon as Hinamori liked to call it), where the evil, twisted sadist, Kuroshuchi Mayuri taught him the principles of mechanics, aeronautics, and engineering. Seireitei Inc., the Hitsugaya family's company, produced fighter jets. And not those standard, uniform jets the American army used. No, Seireitei Inc.'s jets were one-of-a-kind, personalized for each pilot to fit his or her strengths, weaknesses, and individual flying style. They had secret weapons and special abilities, designed specifically for each jet. It was therefore vitally important that Hitsugaya understood the scientific principles required for constructing every aspect of the jets and their weapons, since he would not only be head of the company, but also the chief engineer. Luckily, Hitsugaya was nothing short of a genius. No other twelve year old could possibly understand some of the advanced principles Kuroshuchi attempted to teach him.

In addition to building the jets, he also had to learn to fly them, hence the flying lesson with Seireitei Inc.'s chief test pilot, Yoruichi, the "goddess of flash" herself. She had broken several world records in her personalized Seireitei Inc. jet, yet still risked her life everyday to test out new and improved designs. Needless to say, she was a very strong and independent woman.

"Hitsugaya-bocchan, get a move on!" she shouted over the whir of the engines as Hitsugaya made his way to the private airstrip behind their mansion. Hitsugaya scoffed. Yoruichi was always so impatient on the ground. Her true element was the air, and she only really felt at home inside a fighter jet.

"I'm coming," he snapped, but Yoruichi didn't really care. She was too busy inspecting the wings and engines with the care a mother gives her child. Finally reaching the plane, Hitsugaya joined her in her inspection. It was his jet after all.

"Looks perfect to me!" Yoruichi exclaimed, putting her hand on her hip and looking very satisfied. "Let's get in the air!"

"No," Hitsugaya stopped her. "There's a screw loose."

"Huh?!" she yelled, furious that she had missed something. She came over to where Hitsugaya was pointing and saw that, sure enough, there was a loose screw under the jet, in a very difficult to see location behind the wing.

"Damn, you're getting good at this kid!" she remarked. "You'll be better than your father someday, bocchan." Hitsugaya smirked smugly, and watched as Yoruichi grabbed a wrench from her belt and crawled under the jet to tighten the screw.

Twirling the wrench like a baton and whistling to herself, Yoruichi emerged, very ready to be in the air. She hopped into her jet, which was waiting and ready right beside Hitsugaya's. Her jet was midnight black with evil yellow cat eyes painted on the side. It was capable of torquing air to create tiny tornados that threw other jets off course and could blow away any object sent flying at her.

"Let's get out of here!" she said cheerily, and Hitsugaya climbed into his jet and prepared for takeoff.

Hitsugaya loved his jet. It was almost like a best friend to him. He and his father had designed it together several years ago, when Jyuushiro decided it was time for his son to learn how to fly. The outside was teal green and the nose cone was painted with the head of a dragon. The internal router system used the heat from the engine to draw energy away from a water tank, cooling the fluid until it froze, allowing Hitsugaya to send a spray of ice crystals out the back. They were designed to pit the surface of an enemy jet and burrow directly through the window, thus creating a pressure drop inside the cockpit and forcing the pilot to abandon the jet, if he didn't die of the bends first. In addition, the diffraction pattern of the ice skewed other pilot's vision, so they would be unsure of the nature and effect of the weapon until it was too late. Sure, he didn't really need the weapon, but what was a fighter jet without one?

"Ready bocchan?" Yoruichi's voice came through the headset he was wearing.

"Ready!" he called back. Then, to his jet he whispered, "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru." It was his mantra. Call it a superstition, but all of his father's pilots had a little phrase that they spoke to their jet just before liftoff. Maybe it had something to do with the personalization factor, but it helped the pilot feel more in tuned to his or her jet; like the two really merged as one. Hitsugaya flipped several switches, and his jet, Hyourinmaru, burst into life. He and Yoruichi took to the sky as one.

"Let's see if you can keep up with me bocchan!" he heard her call, then she put on a burst of speed and flew directly into a cloud, with Hitsugaya hot on her tail. He chased her around, copying her every move, from loop-the-loops to barrel rolls.

"Yippee!" Yoruichi cried, splitting his ears open. He scowled, but privately agreed. There was nothing more exhilarating than traveling at twice the speed of sound.

"Race you to the ground bocchan!" Yoruichi called, and Hitsugaya instantly went into a nose-dive, gathering as much speed as he dared. He headed towards the landing strip, knowing that if he didn't touch down in the two square feet marked off with black lines, he would be the laughing stock of the entire company. Not that he was worried. He hadn't missed his mark in years.

With the grace of an eagle, Hitsugaya pulled out of his dive with seconds to spare, then cruised in and lowered his wheels to hit the runway exactly in the center of the black lines. The ground crew cheered.

"Well done bocchan," Yoruichi praised him over his earpiece. He coasted to a taxi and drove the jet into the hanger where the ground crew greeting him with gushing congratulations. He brushed them off. They did this every day and he was far too used to the attention to give it much thought. Removing his earpiece, he went to jump out of the jet by himself.

"Hitsugaya-sama, allow us to help you!" a member of the ground crew begged. Hitsugaya scowled, then leapt from the seat and landed easily on the ground.

"It's not that hard to get out of a jet," he barked, causing the man to recoil. "I do it every day."

"So sorry, Hitsugaya-sama," he apologized, bowing profusely. Hitsugaya scoffed. No matter how many times he scolded them, they would still offer. He waved goodbye to Yoruichi who beamed at him and left to find his father.

ooooooooooooooooooo

Hitsugaya Jyuushiro was rather amused at the moment. Watching Kuroshuchi Mayuri complain about his son was always entertaining. He brushed his long white hair out of his face, settled his elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his hand, fully prepared for the show.

"He's an incorrigible little brat!" Kuroshuchi bellowed. "Always off in his own world, doesn't listen to a word I say, thinking that he's smarter than everyone else! If you think that that spoiled miscreant is capable of taking over for you someday, then maybe you aren't as capable as everyone says you are!" Jyuushiro suppressed a grin with great difficulty.

"And exactly what did Toushiro do today that has you so upset?" he asked as politely as he could. Kuroshuchi snarled.

"He spent the whole lesson staring off into space!" he hissed. "I swear, he didn't absorb a thing!" Before Jyuushiro could reply, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Jyuushiro called, trying not to laugh as Kuroshuchi swelled with indignation at whoever had the audacity to interrupt. The door opened and Hitsugaya entered.

"You wanted to see me otousan?" he said. Jyuushiro finally released the smile he had been holding back.

"Ah Toushiro!" he exclaimed. "Kuroshuchi-san and I were just talking about you! Perhaps you can enlighten me on what was covered in today's class?" Jyuushiro knew perfectly well that his son had heard everything that was said in the lesson. He himself knew that Kuroshuchi went too slowly to stimulate Hitsugaya's brain, and that he didn't need to dedicate all his attention to the lecture in order to learn.

"The fluid dynamics of turbulent air flow through an engine and how it raises the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere above the melting point of the metal alloy without destroying it," Hitsugaya replied calmly, keeping his face as neutral as possible. He knew how much his father enjoyed mocking Kuroshuchi, and he didn't let him down. Jyuushiro's face lit up as he suppressed a laugh and turned to Kuroshuchi, who looked like he had just swallowed a lemon.

"I believe you are mistaken, Kuroshuchi-san," Jyuushiro said with mirth. "It seems that Toushiro followed your lesson quite adequately." Kuroshuchi looked like he wanted to retort, but his mouth was incapable of forming the words. He glared daggers at Hitsugaya, then swept out of the room, slamming the door behind him. As soon as he was gone, Jyuushiro broke down in hysterics.

"Oh that man!" he said gleefully through his laughter. "If he didn't have a Nobel Prize in physics, I would replace him, but oh does he brighten up my day! I sometimes wonder why he still bothers teaching you, but I guess his salary is just too good to pass up." Hitsugaya watched with irritation as his father finished his laughing fit.

"So," he prompted. "Matsumoto said you wanted to speak with me." Jyuushiro settled down and waved his arm towards the chair in front of his desk.

"I do. Have a seat." Hitsugaya sat and his father looked at him proudly.

"You are surpassing all my expectations Toushiro," Jyuushiro began. "You're bright, motivated, an exceptional pilot, and rather deadly with a sword. You may only be twelve, but you have reached the point where there is little left to teach you. It is my belief that continuing your lessons as they are will be counterproductive, and frankly, a waste of your time. There is one thing however, that is seriously lacking in your education. And that is human interaction." Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "I interact with people every day." Jyuushiro shook his head.

"That's not what I mean," he clarified. "I mean people your own age. You spend the whole day with adults, and I daresay it has made you grow up a little too fast for your own good. The only other person here who is even close to your age is Momo, and even she is older than you." Hitsugaya frowned. Where was his father going with this?

"You've never had a friend your age," Jyuushiro continued. "You don't know how to interact with your peers. That is why I believe it is time…" he paused and took a deep breath. He knew his son was not going to like this. "I believe it is time that you cease your homeschooling and enroll in a normal public school." Hitsugaya's jaw dropped.

"What!?" he cried. "Why should I have to go to some gross school full of our employee's children!? Do they have flying lessons? How am I supposed to…" Jyuushiro held up his hand and Hitsugaya grudgingly stopped talking. He crossed his arms in a huff and narrowed his eyes, feeling particularly bratty and not caring.

"I know this doesn't sound very appealing to you…" Jyuushiro said gently.

"You bet it doesn't!" Hitsugaya shot, but Jyuushiro ignored the outburst.

"But I believe that this will be an excellent learning experience for you. In order to run the company, you must not only know about business, engineering, and flying; you must also learn how to interact with others, negotiate with people, be well received and well liked, and understand what people want and how they think. You must be able to make friends, and frankly, because of the sheltered life you've led here, I don't think you have any."

"Hinamori's my friend," Hitsugaya pointed out.

"Hinamori is a special case," Jyuushiro replied. Hitsugaya looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant, but he didn't explain. "Anyway," he said, "I believe that this is the best course of action for you. I have already enrolled you in Karakura Elementary. You will start tomorrow."

"That soon!" Hitsugaya gasped. "I thought I might have some more time to…"

"Time to what exactly?" Jyuushiro asked with a knowing smile. Hitsugaya scowled.

"How long do I have to stay there?" he complained. Jyuushiro smiled.

"Until I have decided that you have sufficiently learned the lesson you are being sent there to learn," he replied vaguely. "I will decide when that is. But, I will warn you in advance, you may find this one harder to learn than anything else so far." Hitsugaya didn't fully understand, but knew that his father was not going to elaborate.

"Is Hinamori coming with me?" he asked, thinking that maybe there would be some positive aspect to this. Jyuushiro shook his head.

"I'm sorry Toushiro, but that would entirely defeat the purpose. You are going there to branch out and interact with new people, not cling to Momo. In addition, she would be in high school." Hitsugaya sighed. He knew that he had no choice in the matter.

"Fine," he said grudgingly.

"Besides," Jyuushiro added. "I have other plans for Momo. She is going to officially join Seireitei Inc. as an assistant to the new intern, Aizen Souske. I think his department will fit her nicely." Hitsugaya's eyes opened wide in surprise. Well, he thought, at least Hinamori would have something to be happy about. Sensing the end of the conversation, he bowed himself out, wanting to go to the dojo to release some of his pent up frustration at his situation.

Jyuushiro watched his son walk out and smiled to himself.

"I'll make him stay in school until he makes a friend. Not a sycophantic suck-up. A real friend. He could use one."

Yes, in case you were wondering, I made Ukitake Jyuushiro Hitsugaya's father. I promise to explain what's he's talking about regarding Hinamori at some point, but for now you can ignore it. Get excited, 'cause Karin makes an appearance in the next chapter!

Oh, and in case you don't know, "bocchan" is a term of respect for rich kids.