HOLA~~~
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Here is chapter 2, I hope you all enjoy it xx
O-Tree – Thank you so much for your long review! I really appreciate the lengthy ones xD I wanted to reply but since you reviewed as a guest, I'll just have to do it here, so hopefully you'll see this! I'm really glad you liked the first chapter and the thought it was well written xD You seriously know your canon well haaha, certainly better than me, but I've also changed a lot of details to fit this story, so hopefully that's okay by you! I know the meeting was a bit ranty but in all fairness, they had to express their views so they could make a proper decision, even if that meant being a little OOC for the more reserved captains. I really hope you enjoy the second chapter too xx
…
Chapter 2: Reunited
"Matsumoto," Toshiro called across the room, his voice stern, "Where have you been?"
Rangiku beamed happily at him, skipping over to his desk and presenting him a bag. He scowled it, recognising the familiar logo instantly; it was from one of her favourite stores in the World of the Living. He didn't remember giving her permission to go there…
"What's this?" He asked, flicking the corner of it with wooden end of his ink brush, "Don't tell me you were shopping again?!"
"It's a scarf, Captain!" She announced, conspicuously ignoring the second question and holding a soft teal fabric out for his inspection, "I got it for you! See, it matches your eyes."
Toshiro raised a questioning eyebrow. He was an ice-spirit and neither sought nor needed any protection from the cold, and surely his lieutenant would know this about him. Scarves were useless to him.
"I know what you're thinking," the strawberry blonde woman continued, moving around behind his desk chair and wrapping the scarf loosely around his neck, "I just worry sometimes, with you spending all that time out in the freezing cold. Ice dragon or not, I won't have my little guy getting sick this winter."
"Little guy?" Toshiro hissed indignantly.
"Yes, Captain," Rangiku laughed, running her fingers though his untamed white locks, "You might be one of the most powerful soul reapers in the Seireitei, but physically – whether you admit it or not – you are still very young."
"I'm not a child," He snapped, shaking his head away from her meddling hands.
"Yes, you are," Rangiku sighed, coming around to face him, "You're physically and on some level, mentally, a ten year old boy. It's nothing to be ashamed of, Captain; it's never affected your capability as a leader, and everyone respects you anyway. If anything, they respect you more…"
"Because I'm a kid?" Toshiro glared at her. This was a big of a sensitive topic for him; what more did he have to prove to show people that he wasn't a kid? He'd done everything they'd ever asked of him plus more, and still they doubted him.
Rangiku's eyes softened and she reached out to touch his cheek, but he shook her away again.
"Because you are the youngest captain in history," She murmured gently, "And because you never use it as an excuse not to work hard."
Toshiro sighed; he didn't like being seen as a child, but he doubted that he was fooling many. He was genius, yes, and more mature than half of his division and definitely more than anyone in the Eleventh, but Rangiku was right – there was still a part of his brain that matched his physical age. It was the same part that wanted his lieutenant's affectionate gestures and the part that hated the responsibilities he was burdened with as a captain. Sometimes, he wished he could return to Junrinan and have a normal childhood, but that ship had sailed long ago and with his level of spiritual power, it had never even been a possibility.
…
Bright light blinded Rangiku for a second before the familiar surrounds of Ichigo Kurosaki's living room came into focus. She and Toshiro – her captain and her son (it was still weird to think that) – stepped out of the Senkaimon gate, their teenage host waiting patiently for them.
"Welcome back, guys," Ichigo grinned at them, pulling Toshiro into a tight hug before the prodigy's eyes could adjust and enable him to get away, "Long time, no see."
Rangiku smiled as she watched her little captain trying to wriggle out of Ichigo's strong hold; the two boys had developed a close friendship (not that Toshiro would admit it) since the Kusaka incident as well as throughout the Winter War. She doubted her captain knew it, but Toshiro really looked up to Ichigo – and not because of the massive height difference. When Ichigo decided he needed to train harder in order to protect his family and friends, Toshiro had decided he needed to train harder to protect his squad; When Ichigo had told them that he loved hot chocolate, suddenly Toshiro was demanding hot chocolate instead of his usual green tea; and when Ichigo told him that having a bright and unusual hair colour, like orange or white, was cool, Toshiro finally stopped feeling so self-conscious about his hair.
It was almost like they were brothers. Ichigo was the protective and decisive big brother who adored Toshiro, and the boy genius was the little brother who idolised his older sibling and wanted to be just like him.
"Ichigo!" Toshiro hissed, finally twisting out of the embrace and scrambling away from the substitute as quickly as possible. Ichigo hadn't been called 'Kurosaki' in a long time now.
Rangiku felt a tug on her robes as the white haired boy slipped behind her and she couldn't help but think of a young child trying to hide behind his mother, the idea warming her heart.
Ichigo seemed to notice too before laughing a little. He stepped forward and greeted Rangiku with her own hug. It had been about three years since they'd first met the crazy fifteen year old ryoka that had once invaded the Seireitei with a small bunch of human friends and a cat who shall remain nameless, but the oldest Kurosaki child had grown a lot since then. He was taller and bigger built, his shoulders were stronger and his jawline more defined. His voice was deeper now, and he'd matured emotionally; Ichigo had just turned eighteen and was finishing up his final year of high school, so the Tenth Division leaders hadn't seen him all that often this last year, especially since the Soul Society had been, for the most part, peaceful.
"Rukia told me what happened at the meeting," Ichigo murmured quietly in her ear, "Are you two okay?"
"I'm not sure yet," Rangiku replied, and she wasn't lying.
The information was still so new and confronting, and she hadn't had time to process it yet. Toshiro still hadn't said much on the matter, but she figured he was just a confused as she was. There were, after all, so many emotions to deal with; Rangiku was hurt because her friend had lied to her for years, euphoric that she had a son, devastated that she was only finding out about it now – almost a hundred years later, furious at Gin's involvement, worried how her son might be feeling about all of this, not to mention being absolutely shocked by this whole thing, and guilty about forgetting her baby boy; Seriously, who forgets something like that? Sure, Yoruichi took her memory, but Rangiku had given birth, god damn it, she should bloody well remember something like that.
Ichigo nodded understandingly as he withdrew from her.
"My dad knows you guys are staying but he doesn't know why yet," He told her, "He should be home soon, anyway."
Rangiku thanked him and the eighteen year old led them up the stairs and into the guest bedroom where their gigais laid lifelessly on the double bed.
"I assume you're okay with the one bed?" Ichigo asked Rangiku softly, as Toshiro moved towards the window and pretended like he wasn't listening.
"Yeah, it's fine," Rangiku smirked a little, "It never mattered to him before."
The truth was they tended to share beds a lot when on missions, particularly in the human world, and more often than not, Rangiku would wake in the middle of the night with her little captain curled up against her side and fisting her night shirt. Sometimes he was just asleep and unconsciously looking for a warm place to cuddle up to, but other times he was having nightmares, and she would have to smooth away his terrors by running her fingers through his hair and holding him close. He'd opened up to her once about his dreams, telling her that it was him as a much younger boy, running away from someone in the middle of a dangerous snow storm. Rangiku didn't have to guess where he'd developed that idea from anymore, and that thought made her furious again.
Ichigo caught them up to date on the Karakura gossip while they slipped into the bodies; he was now dating Orihime who was currently in Cambodia volunteering at an orphanage, Uryu was on exchange in England, Chad was still Chad – quiet and mysterious – and Tatsuki was now teaching self-defence to young men and women on the weekends and after school.
"My dad is keen on me taking up medicine next year," Ichigo continued, as they wandered back down into the living room, "But I'm not exactly sure if that's what I want-"
"Did somebody say 'Dad'?" Isshin exclaimed loudly as he jumped out from the dining room. He – like his son – wasted no time in engulfing Toshiro's body in a big bear hug. Isshin went to the added extra of scooping the young boy up and holding him up against his broad chest. "It's was you, wasn't it, Shiro-chan? Did you miss your daddy?"
"Don't call me that," Toshiro pouted, crossing his arms across his chest, "And put me down!"
"I've missed you so much though," Isshin cooed, booping the unimpressed captain on the nose playfully.
Toshiro's glare intensified and Rangiku smiled. Isshin was a good father, even before he had kids of his own. A long time ago, Isshin had been a Shiba instead of a Kurosaki, and had been both Ran and Toshiro's captain, while they'd been his lieutenant and third seat respectively. The three of them together held the top three seats in the squad and had become as close as family. Isshin had loved playing the father role to his young officer, and Rangiku had of course loved playing the mother role – despite Toshiro adamantly insisting he was 'not a child' – and more than once she had actually pictured the three of them becoming a real family. It had not been the case though, for Isshin had left them to start his own family here in the World of the Living. It had been a tough blow for the Tenth Division leaders but then again, without Isshin marrying Masaki, there would be no Ichigo or his younger sisters.
"And you're not my father," Toshiro murmured, his anger suddenly redirected as his glare shifted to the plain wall opposite them.
Rangiku's smile fell; no, Isshin wasn't the boy's father, Gin – the evil bastard – was.
"Oh no?" Isshin continued to tease, completely oblivious to the new knowledge the others held, "Then tell me, little one, who is?"
Both Rangiku and Ichigo grimaced at the poor timing, and the orange haired teen sent an apologetic look to the lieutenant, silently expressing his apologies for not informing his father about the new development sooner.
"I have no father," Toshiro said evenly, his jaw clenched, teeth grinding and eyes narrowed as he seethed silently.
The tall black-haired man looked a little taken aback by the hostile response, and glanced at Rangiku questioningly. The big busted blonde couldn't form a facial expression to explain what was going on, in fact, she couldn't really form any expression as her heart ached for her son who had just found out his long-time enemy was his father – that the man who had tried to kill him, on more than one occasion, was the man who was supposed to love him unconditionally throughout his entire life.
Isshin put the young prodigy back down gently, before the boy slipped between Rangiku and Ichigo, stalking back up the stairs and muttering something about needing to have a nap to 'deal with you crazy Kurosaki's'
The three adults – Ichigo was pretty much an adult now – stood still and silent until they heard the guest room door being shut firmly.
"What was that all about?" Isshin whispered urgently, turning on Rangiku immediately.
"Uh…" Rangiku found the explanation lost in her throat as it constricted tightly. She was so overwhelmed.
"Rangiku and Toshiro have found out some big news, Dad," Ichigo supplied softly when Rangiku couldn't, "Ran and Gin Ichimaru are Toshiro's parents…"
"I'm sorry?" Isshin frowned, as if he had merely misheard his son.
"Apparently it's illegal in the Soul Society for two soul reapers to have babies together or something," Ichigo continued.
"Two people with high spiritual power," Rangiku found enough voice to correct the substitute; it was hard for her to remember all those years ago, but looking at the timeline of her life, Toshiro would have had to have been born before she had become a soul reaper, probably in the time that her and Gin had had that relationship break, which lasted almost three years.
"Right," Ichigo nodded before continuing, "And Yoruichi was in charge of the Stealth Force back then…"
Rangiku's jaw clenched at the purple haired woman's name, but Ichigo went on to explain the whole story as he'd heard it from Rukia. Isshin's face was frozen in surprise as he was told the news, and Rangiku was trying her hardest not to cry. This was all too much for her to handle. There were too many emotions to process and her mind wasn't letting her deal with any of them. Maybe she needed a nap too, preferably beside Toshiro because she needed to know that he was okay before she could think of herself, but the problem was that she needed to give him time to adjust; if she came on too strong, he would flip out and run from her.
"So…" Isshin murmured at last, "Let me just… Let me just get this straight… Rangiku, you are Toshiro's mother?"
Rangiku nodded, "Yes."
"Really?" Isshin continued to stare disbelievingly, "Like biologically his mother, and not just in that way we always used to joke about?"
"Biologically," the blonde confirmed, exhaling shakily.
"Right," Isshin nodded slowly several times before suddenly shaking his head again, refusing to accept her answers, "You gave birth to him then?"
"I thought you were a doctor," Rangiku snapped suddenly, annoyed by the repetitive questioning.
"And I thought you'd remember giving birth," Isshin quipped back with a half-shrug of his shoulders.
The blonde woman stepped back suddenly, her face snapping away and eyes clenching shut. She felt like she had just been slapped. It hurt because it was the truth. She'd forgotten her baby boy; what kind of mother forgets their child? Not a very good one, obviously.
"Dad!" Ichigo cut across them both, "Enough. Yoruichi meddled with her memory, that's why she can't remember; it's not Rangiku's fault." There were a couple of beats of silence while Ichigo paused to allow one of them to speak again. When they didn't, he continued, "Now, I think we all need to focus on the little boy sleeping upstairs who has just found out he has a mother who was ripped away from him and a father who tried to kill him."
"You're right, Ichigo," Isshin sighed, and Rangiku felt a pair of big warm arms wrap around her body, as she desperately held back tears, "I'm sorry, Ran, it wasn't your fault. You know how I worry about Toshiro sometimes; I don't like the idea of him hurting like this."
"Neither do I," Rangiku replied thickly, "He's my son."
Isshin held her tighter and she took in his familiar scent. There had been a time, long ago, when she had wished to be in her darling Captain Shiba's arms, and go home every night to a warm and kind lover instead of Gin, who – although he loved her very much – was often cold and distant, his mind always somewhere else. Rangiku had been much younger then though, and now put it down to immature fawning over an authority figure like many girls go through at some stage.
"So you're here to sort out your new relationship," Isshin continued, cupping her chin and tilting her face to look up at his, "What kind of relationship do you want with him?"
"I want to be his mother," Rangiku answered firmly; she was sure about this, "I don't care if I have to transfer divisions, or step down as a lieutenant, as long as I get to be my son's mother, properly – like I should have been this whole time."
Isshin nodded thoughtfully, "Good. Now we just need to find out what Toshiro wants…"
The three of them grimaced in unison; Toshiro rarely ever admits his feelings or openly admits what he wants. It was going to be a long week…
…
Toshiro stared out the window at the dark streets of Karakura Town; the sun had set long ago, dinner had passed and the Kurosaki children had retreated to their own rooms to do homework. Rangiku was downstairs somewhere, presumably giving him some space since the awkward dinner in which the twins had constantly kept asking what he and his lieutenant were doing in their house and why they were staying for the whole week. Isshin hadn't given them a response and neither had Ichigo, but Rangiku had tried the somewhat suspicious answer of 'we're on holiday'.
The genius was bored. He was a lot of things really, but he was forcing back any other thoughts and feelings; he didn't want to deal with them tonight. This left him restless, with no paperwork to do or hollows to fight – he'd considered sneaking out to train for a few hours but Rangiku would feel him leave and besides, there weren't too many places he could train with a zanpakuto in the World of the Living; it wasn't like he could conjure his bankai in the local park, he'd probably render every human in the street unconscious.
Perhaps though, he could train another way; mentally.
The boy rose from the seat, immediately exiting his gigai, and pulling the sheathed sword from his back. He climbed onto the bed, sat with his legs crossed and placed Hyorinmaru in his lap. It was time for a little chat with the great dragon, and all he needed to do was close his eyes and focus on the cold…
"Master?" a familiar voice rumbled and sounded to be getting closer, "What brings you here this evening?"
The little captain opened his eyes; stark white flooded his vision – snow.
Plains of the purest white stretched as far as the eye could see, and the outlines of mountains in the distance sat still and peaceful. A frozen lake twisted through the land, silent and sparking. The temperature was cool but comfortable, even for a non-ice spirit, largely due to the lack of wind. Toshiro himself sat at the base of an ancient tree that was bare of leaves but had long, sharp icicles hanging maliciously from the branches above the captain's head; the boy genius was not concerned about the danger dangling high above him though, for he knew that they would not fall on him. This was his world after all.
"You look troubled, little one," Hyorinmaru spoke once more, and Toshiro glanced over his shoulder to see the giant ice dragon slithering closer.
Hyorinmaru's dragon form could shrink or grow to whatever size was necessary or comfortable and right now the gigantic reptilian frame was shrinking down to a much smaller size, probably less than ten metres in length, as it wound its body around the thick trunk while propping its head into Toshiro's lap – just as the sword had been back at the Kurosaki guest room – and nuzzling against his stomach softly. The white haired boy stroked the dragon's head gently, and gave a half smile as Hyorinmaru purred his content.
"You were listening at the meeting?" Toshiro asked eventually, deciding what he wanted to discuss first.
"Of course," Hyorinmaru replied, "I am always listening."
The child prodigy nodded slowly but did not speak as he tried to word his next question properly. The great dragon waited patiently.
"That night in the woods…" Toshiro began at last, "With Yoruichi… You caused that storm?"
"We caused it," Hyorinmaru corrected, his voice old and wise, "It was your panic that summoned me, your desperation that made me act."
"You protected me before I even knew your name?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"You are my master."
Toshiro opened his mouth to speak before promptly closing it again; it was very rare for a zanpakuto spirit to reach out to a wielder so young and even rarer for them to use their powers to protect them before they'd learnt the spirit's name.
"I could not simply stand aside," Hyorinmaru expanded on his answer, "And I do not regret it, for otherwise neither one of us would be here together. You are my wielder, Toshiro Hitsugaya. You have hair that is the colour of the whitest snow and eyes of pure ice, both were gifts from me at your birth."
"Did you know then?" Toshiro asked what he'd been so desperate to ask, "Who my parents were?"
The dragon hesitated, "At one time, I suppose, but I lost my memory with yours. I remembered you, but not your life up until that night. I had your name, and I knew that you were my wielder because I always give those gifts to my wielders. It was all I needed to know."
"You didn't think to tell me that you'd lost a big chunk of your memory?"
"It's not a big chunk when you've lived as long as me, little one," the great dragon chuckled and Toshiro huffed his mild annoyance.
The two of them sat in silence for a long time. Toshiro wasn't sure if he wanted to ask his partner advice regarding what to do about Rangiku even though he was so desperately confused about it. He'd always wanted his lieutenant to be his mother but now that it was real, his defences were going up instinctively and a dark, nauseating feeling had settled in his stomach throughout the day.
He wanted her to love him, but what if she didn't? Or worse, what if she did, but then she was taken away from him again? It wasn't a ridiculous thought; she'd been taken away from him once and there were many other ways she could leave him. She could die, like Momo had, or just leave, like Captain Shiba had; there were many methods for abandonment out there, Toshiro wasn't sure he was prepared to risk it. However, he couldn't just leave things as they were; the fact was that their relationship would never be the same ever again, and there was no way he could order her around the division knowing that she was his mother.
This was all too much; he shouldn't have even thought about it again.
"The Kurosaki boy calls you, Master," Hyorinmaru rumbled gently in his lap, "You must return now."
Toshiro sighed, closing his eyes and re-opening them slowly.
He was sitting on the double bed once again; the only weight in his lap was the sheathed blade of his zanpakuto. Ichigo was squatting in front of him, big brown eyes skimming over him worriedly.
"Toshiro?" Ichigo murmured, his voice concerned, "What were you doing? I was calling you for ages…"
"Meditating," Toshiro shrugged, rolling over the side of the bed and returning his sword to his back – ready for any emergencies, "I needed to speak with Hyorinmaru."
"About your mum?" the orange haired teenager asked, taking a seat on the bed as Toshiro climbed back inside his gigai.
Toshiro sighed as he sat back up in the restricting faux body; he really did not want to talk about this all now.
"That is not your concern, Kurosaki," the young genius spoke evenly, but his voice was hard, cautioning Ichigo to back off the subject.
"You know, you're pretty lucky," Ichigo continued, either oblivious to or choosing to ignore the subtle warning, "I know it doesn't seem like it right now… but some people never get their mothers back."
The substitute's voice had gone soft towards the end and Toshiro glanced up to see the normally happy teen frowning at floor, lost in deep thought. When Rangiku looked like that, she was normally thinking of Ichimaru, and as much as Toshiro wanted to reach out and comfort her in those darker times, he was reminded of how much he had hated the man, and how he couldn't hope to offer up a single nice thing to say about him that might comfort his grieving second-in-command. Given Ichigo's most recent choice of words, Toshiro could safely assume the boy was thinking of his own mother, who had passed away many years ago. Another issue the prodigy couldn't help with, since his mother had just returned to his life, and was currently down stairs with the former captain that had also come back into his life.
"Did I ever tell you how my mother died, Toshiro?" Ichigo asked quietly, his brown eyes locking with Toshiro's teal.
The captain of the tenth did not speak, instead translating his answer into a mere shake of the head.
"She was killed by a hollow," Ichigo muttered, picking at the hem of his shirt absentmindedly, "She died trying to save my life…"
The young captain wanted to reach out to his friend; he hated seeing Ichigo anything other than happy, or crazy-protective-turned-murderous-rage since that was his token battle look, and Toshiro knew instantly that it meant the boy was going to win his fight. Sad though was not a feature that suited the substitute soul reaper in any way.
"There's nothing in the world I wouldn't do to have her back," Ichigo continued, his voice thick, "Don't waste your opportunity, Toshiro, your mum is here and she's alive, be happy with her."
Toshiro held back another sigh; Ichigo's intentions were good, but he was only proving Toshiro's point; People, such as mothers, die, or they leave another way, and the prodigy didn't want to feel the way Ichigo feels one day. He didn't want to be heartbroken for the rest of his life because Rangiku had died on him.
He didn't want to gain a mum after all these years just to lose her again.
…
Isshin huffed, heaving himself up through the attic skylight window and onto the roof; this would have been so much easier if he transformed back into his soul form, but he was trying to keep that to a minimum these days. His girls knew about soul reapers and hollows now, but he didn't want to encourage them to get involved, thus he tried not to transform unless it was absolutely necessary. He had also asked Ichigo to keep Kon around so that his sisters wouldn't noticed he'd left unless they saw him exit his body, which was something his son was forbidden to do in their presence, unless it was a dire emergency.
Carefully manoeuvring over the roof tiles, the father of three spotted the long strawberry blonde locks of his former second seat sitting on the edge of the roof, her legs dangling over the side.
"The roof was always Toshiro's favourite place to hide," Isshin commented as he moved to Rangiku's side.
"Still is," the woman smirked, glancing over her shoulder as he approached.
"Well, I think I can guess where he got that from," he chuckled, taking a seat beside her, "Like mother like son, eh?"
Rangiku gave a half smile, but Isshin could see the pain behind it. He felt terrible for what he had said to her earlier; it was definitely not her fault she'd had her memories taken from her. He'd been too quick to pass blame, the idea of his little innocent third seat hurting had burned in the back of his mind, but Rangiku was hurting too. She loved Toshiro more than anything, Isshin had always known that, and then she'd found out that the boy was actually her son, and that her long-time lover had handed them over to Central 46, knowing full well what would happen to them. She had been betrayed twice, once by Gin and once by her good friend Yoruichi, and she'd had the most precious thing in her life ripped away from her.
"Do you remember when we accidently called Toshiro 'Shiro-chan' in front of the squad?" Isshin grinned cheekily, "And then everyone started calling him that?"
Rangiku chuckled, "He hid on the office roof for the rest of the day. He wouldn't even come down for dinner."
"He was furious with us," Isshin agreed, "He built that ice wall around him so we couldn't bring him down and he was adamant that he was going to stay awake all night."
"That's right," Rangiku laughed again, and Isshin was happy to see her smile properly, "But he fell asleep before midnight, so we brought him down and put him to bed."
Isshin nodded, recalling the whole event, "Neither of us would be able to blast apart his ice wall if he did that now; he is more powerful than I ever was."
Toshiro had always been strong, even from his first day at the spiritual arts academy if Isshin remembered the reports correctly. Rangiku had been obsessed with the little boy she had found in Junrinan, and had practically begged him to sign the kid to the Tenth. Isshin had been sceptical at first, but when they had visited Toshiro at school, he'd seen the most adorable child practising levels of kido that were far more advanced than a student should know, and knew instantly that he just had to have him in his squad. Toshiro had agreed, mostly due to his familiarity with Rangiku and then it was made official, Squad Ten would be gain a new third seat after his graduation at the end of the year. The decision had been met with an uproar too, Isshin remembered, since it was the first case ever of a student graduating into such a high rank, especially when that student was a kid and was completing a six year program in twelve months.
Toshiro had earnt his place quickly however, mastering his shikai in no time at all, surpassing even Rangiku's strength in a few short years, and picking up the paperwork like it was second nature to him; he was easily the most valuable member of the squad in the time of Isshin's captaincy. When the boy expressed interest in learning bankai, Isshin knew it was only a matter of time until that little boy was made a captain.
"Toshiro is very strong," Rangiku hummed, "And determined, independent… smart. I'm not sure he actually needs a mother…"
"He does need a mother," Isshin argued, "He is all of those things, but he'd also be a mess without you."
Rangiku raised an eyebrow sceptically, "He's functioned pretty well without a mother his whole life."
"No, he hasn't," Isshin smirked and Rangiku glanced at him questioningly.
Isshin had been known Rangiku for the better part of fifty years, since she had transferred from the Eighth to be his lieutenant, and while he hadn't seen much of her since he had moved to the human world twenty years or so ago, he'd been her captain for a good thirty years of her career. In that time, Toshiro had been with them both for almost twenty years before Isshin had left the Soul Society, so the man had decent idea of the sort of relationship his two subordinates had developed.
"Do you still put him to bed at nine?" Isshin asked the blonde.
"Yes," Rangiku frowned, "Otherwise he'd stay up all night working."
"Exactly," the black haired man nodded, "And you still make him take a bath and brush his teeth every night?"
"It's a struggle, but yes," Rangiku nodded, "Again, he'd rather work… Sometimes he takes work to the bath with him…"
Isshin laughed loudly at that; of course their little workaholic prodigy pulled stunts like that.
"And you make him eat his meals?" Isshin continued.
"Well he'd rather starve than take breaks…" Rangiku frowned again, "I don't want him to get sick."
"Right, but if he did get sick, you'd take care of him," the father stated, a very vivid memory surfacing in his mind, "Like that time when he got sick during that big heatwave…"
…
Isshin slid open the office door and ducked inside, not bothering to turn on the lights as the light of dusk outside was still bright enough for him to get around his own office. As soon as he was in, he dumped the paperwork on his desk, slipped off the haori and was about to flop onto the nearest couch when he spotted Rangiku sitting quietly opposite him.
He didn't have to ask what she was doing as he noticed the prone form of their small third seat cradled in her lap, his head resting just below her shoulder as he slept. He was clad in only a pair of boxers, and a thin layer of sweat glistened over his skin.
"Finally get sick, did he?" Isshin whispered, dropping to sit on the coffee table directly in front of his subordinates.
Rangiku nodded, and Isshin reached out to touch Toshiro's forehead; it was dangerously hot. The Seireitei had been struck with an abnormally hot summer, and the only people happy about it were the fire-type zanpakuto wielders. There was a certain degree of danger in the heat for the ice-types like Toshiro however, and the Fourth Division had recommended they take it easy during the heatwave, but of course, Toshiro being Toshiro, refused to relax or take breaks, so Isshin had known it was only a matter of time before his body betrayed him.
"He threw up after the training drills this afternoon," Rangiku informed him quietly, "And fainted shortly after that. Isane checked him over; she said he just needs rest and plenty of water… and to take a few days off work."
"Of course," Isshin nodded, "I've been telling him that for days now."
"We both have," Rangiku agreed with a grimace, "But he is stubborn, and won't tell us when he's feeling unwell."
The boy in her arms stirred a little, groaning softly and nuzzling his face against Rangiku's collarbone. The blonde woman used her free hand – the one that wasn't supporting Toshiro's back – to gently rake though the boy's thick snowy hair and made soft shushing noises; Toshiro instantly fell back into a peaceful sleep.
Isshin grinned a little, "I'm surprised he's letting you hold him like that…"
"Me too," Rangiku nodded, a small smile forming on her lips, "I thought he wouldn't want anyone near him given how hot his body is… he was restless and having nightmares, nothing was working so I just picked him up like this and it was the only thing that was able to calm him in the end."
Rangiku would make an excellent mother one day, Isshin had decided then, as he watched the beautiful woman reach for a wet cloth that was sitting on the coffee table beside him. She lightly dabbed it on the young boy's forehead and face, before moving it down across his chest. Toshiro sighed contently in his sleep causing Isshin to chuckle softly; the boy was too cute for his own good.
"I think it's starting to cool down," Rangiku murmured, glancing out the window, "I hope Toshiro can get a good night's sleep tonight."
"I've just been talking to Shunsui, and he seems to think there's a cool change coming through this evening," Isshin told her, "I really hope so, even I'm starting to feel sick now."
Rangiku nodded solemnly, and Isshin noticed the way her arms tightened protectively around the child in her lap.
…
"You've always been his mother, Ran," Isshin murmured.
Rangiku took a deep breath and nodded slowly, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the street below, her mind obviously far, far away.
Isshin leant over and grasped the woman's hand. He wanted to sooth away her troubles and promise her everything would sort itself out – and he was positive it would – so he brought the soft hand to his lips and kissed it gently. The corners of his former lieutenant's mouth twitched upwards and Isshin grinned, pulling the strawberry blonde in for another hug. His arms wrapped around her body and he pulled her closer to him so now their legs were touching.
"Give Toshiro some time to process the news," Isshin advised softly in her ear, "Ichigo is talking to him now."
"Toshiro might even listen then," Rangiku chuckled against his shoulder.
Isshin nodded, "Well, Ichigo just adores Toshiro; he'll do everything he can to help."
"They're close, aren't they?" Rangiku commented, glancing up at Isshin.
"Ichigo studies so much harder than he used to," Isshin chuckled, "Because he wants to be smart like Toshiro. He also likes winter a lot more than he used to."
Rangiku laughed, her face erupting in a glorious smile and her icy blue eyes sparkled brightly. Isshin couldn't help but stare; Rangiku Matsumoto was, without a single doubt, one of the most gorgeous women to ever grace this world. He had never told her, but back before he'd met Masaki and moved to the World of the Living, Isshin had once had a bit of a crush on his beautiful lieutenant. He never made a move though, despite his earlier reputation as a bit of a ladies man, because he was her boss, and he'd never use and abuse her like that. Isshin had also heard some ridiculous rumours floating around that Rangiku had slept her way up the ranks, but he knew for certain that it wasn't true, because she certainly hadn't tried anything on him to get to her lieutenant position. She'd earnt that rank fair and square. He wasn't going to add fuel to the fire though, he wanted Rangiku to be respected for the reasons she deserved to be.
"I always thought it was the other way around," Rangiku said, humour still flashing in her eyes, "I thought Toshiro was the one who trailed after Ichigo."
"It's a bit of both, I think," Isshin smirked, "They're almost like…"
"Brothers?" Rangiku supplied thoughtfully.
Isshin smiled, "Yeah, like brothers."
He leant forward and kissed the blonde's forehead softly, the woman's eyes fluttering shut at the action. Isshin squeezed the hug tighter for a second before releasing her. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light filtering out of Ichigo's window below them on the far right disappear as his son had obviously returned to his room and gone to bed.
"It seems Ichigo has finished talking to Toshiro," Isshin nodded towards the window as he got to his feet, "We should go check on our children and make sure they're going to sleep."
He extended a hand out to Rangiku, who held it and allowed him to pull her up.
"Toshiro probably has gone to bed on his own," She murmured as they walked back towards the skylight window, "He's got no paperwork to keep him up."
"Keep him away from video games then," Isshin commented dryly, "Karin's a nightmare to get to bed, and she's fourteen now!"
"Noted," Rangiku giggled before dropping down through the window and landing effortlessly.
Isshin followed, much less gracefully, and they walked down the attic stairs and into hallway lined with bedroom doors.
"Goodnight, Mummy!" Isshin teased poking Rangiku in the back as she walked off towards the guest room.
"It's creepy when you say it," She shot back over her shoulder, before disappearing inside the room.
Isshin grinned; he'd missed her… and Toshiro. He'd missed them both.
They were still his family, no matter how much time had passed.
…
Rangiku slipped inside the guest bedroom and her heart nearly melted at the sight; her son, curled up in a tangle of sheets and blankets, fast asleep on the bed. The lieutenant smiled; it was hard to believe that she had only found out about their biological relationship that very morning in the captains' meeting. It had been such a long day; the meeting, waking up in the office, packing and preparing the squad, travelling between worlds, catching up with the Kurosaki family… no wonder her little captain was so exhausted.
The strawberry blonde woman moved towards her son's side, untangling his blankets – since he wasn't used to having so many layers on his bed – and tucked him back in. Toshiro didn't stir at all as she pulled the covers up over his shoulders or kissed his forehead softly. She still couldn't believe this boy in front her, the one she took orders from, was once a baby that she'd held inside her, and had once nursed and probably even breastfed. He'd grown up so much without her, and the thought that she'd missed his first words, or the first time he had walked, or maybe even the first time he'd opened his eyes and revealed those breathtaking teal irises that she loved so much, made her miserable. Well, technically she had been there for all those events, but without her memory, she might as well have not been there at all.
Rangiku sighed sadly, and turned towards the ensuite bathroom. She took a quick shower – that did nothing to clear her mind – and brushed her teeth before returning to the main bedroom. She flicked off the lights and climbed into the bed.
She did not think twice about reaching for Toshiro and pulling him close, nor about wrapping her arms around him and kissing the back of his head. He was her son, whether she had found out today or not, the fact was still the same, and she had loved him way before she had known the truth. Even before today, she had vowed to protect him, support him and care for him in every way possible, and she would continue to do so.
Rangiku would take it slow with him if that's what he needed to get used to the whole idea, but she would not give up if he turned her away.
She was his mother.
…
Oh and by the way, there will be some background Isshin x Rangiku...
Please review xxx