Toshiro tossed and turned in his sleep. He was not well-rested when he woke up.

'That dream again. It's the same every night.'

He stepped out tentatively into the hall.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

The hallway was empty.

He walked through the mansion, searching for another soul.

"Where is everybody?"

He grimaced as his stomach growled.

'Stupid stomach. If it had just kept quiet yesterday … '

With no other option, Toshiro made his way to the dining room.

There was still no one around, but a single plate of bacon and eggs had been prepared on the large table in the center of the room.

'Is that for me?' he wondered.

He stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Hey there!"

A young boy appeared out of thin air in front of Toshiro, startling him.

"Um, hi?"

The boy leaned forward with an inquisitive look, coming uncomfortably close to Toshiro.

"So you're the boy Yoruichi brought home yesterday. You've got weird hair."

Toshiro backed up.

'This kid didn't call her 'lady Yoruichi' like everyone else.'

"Who are you?" he asked.

The boy smiled so widely he had to close his eyes for his face to contain the smile.

"I'm Yushiro Sakimune Shihoin, Yoruichi's younger brother."

'I should have guessed,' Toshiro thought. Yushiro looked like a smaller version of Yoruichi, not that much older than Toshiro.

"So, where is your sister?"

"Oh, she had to get to the Sereitei early today."

"The Seretei?"

"Yeah. She's the Captain of the Second Division, the Commander of the Punishment Force and the Stealth Force. She's got a lot of jobs."

Yushiro disappeared and reappeared on top of the plate of food.

"Are you going to eat this?"

"Um, should I?" Toshiro asked.

"Well, it was left out for you."

Yushiro disappeared again. Toshiro looked around and saw the other boy standing in the doorway at the far end of the room.

"I gotta go," Yushiro said. "I've got lessons now. It was night meeting you."

He disappeared once again, leaving Toshiro alone.

Toshiro looked at the bacon and eggs, which were now getting cold.

'What am I supposed to be doing?'

"Hey, Yoruichi!"

Yoruichi stopped and turned to see a man in a captain's haori just like the one she wore approach.

"Kisuke, you're a long way from your lab."

"Can't a guy swing by to talk with his childhood friend?"

Yoruichi turned away and resumed walking. Urahara followed close behind.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked.

"I'm on my way to an inspection of several new recruits for the Punishment Force."

"Could I recommend my lieutenant for the Punishment Force? Punishing people is her favorite thing to do," Urahara said in a tone that made Yoruichi question whether or not he was joking.

His tone suddenly grew more serious. "I heard you picked up a stray yesterday."

She stopped and frowned at him.

"A stray?"

"Well, what do you call a kid you pick up off the street?"

Yoruichi turned away again. "That is none of your business."

"The fact that you're interested is enough to make me interested as well."

"Don't get too excited. I'm not giving you a new lab rat."

"That's fine. I was wondering if you were instead looking to give us a new Shinigami."

She raised her eyebrow at him.

"Just a guess, but he didn't draw your attention without having a strong presence."

She shook her head. "You are a very nosy man, you know that?"

He looked her in the eye. "What are you going to do?"

She sighed. "I don't know yet. I hadn't thought that far ahead. And the more I think about it, the more complicated it becomes."

"Whoa."

Toshiro gaped as he stared at the Shihoin library. There were so many rows and shelves of books, and each row contained more books than he had seen in his life.

Several hours later a servant girl came into the library. She gasped and clutched her chest when she saw Toshiro lying on the floor surrounded by a small mountain of books.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, causing Toshiro to look up in shock from the book he had been engrossed in.

"You can't just toss books all over the floor! Are you a barbarian?"

"Ummm …" Toshiro said, unsure of how to respond.

She quickly began scooping up the books around him. "Some of these books are centuries old! They have to be treated with care."

"Sorry," Toshiro said sheepishly.

She grabbed the book he had been reading out of his hand and examined it. It was part of a series on the history of the Soul Society.

She looked at him curiously. "You can understand this?"

"Yes."

"You can read?"

"Yes."

Toshiro felt insulted by the surprise she exhibited at finding out he was literate.

"Hmph. Well, be more considerate in the future."

'What a day,' Toshrio thought as he plopped into the far too soft bed.

'It looks like everyone's avoiding me. And Yoruichi never came back.'

'I want to get out of here, but I can't just leave without telling anyone.'

The next day was much the same. Yoruichi was nowhere to be seen, and Toshiro continued to get the feeling that Yushiro was the only person around who did not dislike. The boys could not spend much time together, as the majordomo came to escort Yushiro to his lessons soon after they started talking that morning.

Several times Toshiro heard the servants and distant relatives of the Shihoin clan talking in hushed whispers only for them to stop when they realized he was close by.

And he had a growing feeling that someone was following him.

Toshiro stood in an icy field.

"Why, why am I here?"

There was a tremendous gust of wind which knocked him off his feet.

Far in the distance dark storm clouds were gathering. Lightning flared, accompanied by the roar of thunder.

Toshiro looked up at the storm. The thunder almost sounded like a voice.

As he stared, out of the darkness emerged two glowing red eyes.

"Ahhh!"

He awoke with a start.

"What-what was that?"

He put his hand on his chest. His heart was beating faster than he could remember.

He looked around. He could still feel those eyes watching him.

"Who-who's there?"

A black-clad figure appeared in his window.

"So you sensed my presence. Impressive."

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Soi Fon. Lady Yoruichi's bodyguard."

"Were you watching me sleep?"

"I've been watching you for the last three days," she said calmly.

"Three day – what am I? A prisoner?"

"You are Lady Yoruichi's honored guest," Soi Fon said.

"Guest?" he scoffed. "I haven't seen your mistress since I got here, and everyone else seems to hate me or be afraid of me. You probably don't like me either."

"I have no opinion of you," she said. "The Lady Yoruichi believes you have value. Therefore, you have value."

"But others are not wrong to fear you. Look at your bed."

He looked down. His sheets were frozen solid and covered in a thin layer of frost.

"I-I don't understand," he said.

"You need to learn to hide your reiatsu when you sleep, boy," she cautioned.

He looked up. "Are you saying I did this?"

But Soi Fon was already gone.

"You were right," Soi Fon said. "The boy's reiatsu is unusually strong for one so young."

"I see," Yoruichi responded. "Has he been settling in?"

"Not at all. Your extended family despises him and the servants are terrified of him. They call him a freak and other names behind his back. I've even heard several of them refer to him as a demon child."

"A demon child?" Yoruichi asked in disgust.

"A growing number of servants are refusing to go into his room because he freezes the sheets every night."

Yoruichi sighed. "So his reiatsu is leaking out even more than I thought."

"I believe he's hearing the voice."

"Most people need years of training before they begin to hear the voice. This is … bigger than I thought."

"What will you do, Lady Yoruichi?"

Yoruichi looked sad. "He obviously can't stay here. He can't go back either. If he doesn't learn control soon he'll be a danger to himself and others. The only choice is to try to get him into the Shinigami Academy."