Remnants of a Forgotten Dream

by FFPA

Slight crossover fic between Naruto and Bleach. A chess match to rival all chess matches has begun. It all starts with a new soul arriving in Seireitei with reiatsu rivaling even that of their strongest. And now a conspiracy has begun to unfold.

7. Calm Before the Storm

Chapter Seven – The Calm Before the Storm.

Squaring his feet, Naruto narrowed his eyes, intent. He stared directly at the target with hands outstretched in anticipation. He breathed in; his concentration was set on what Toushiro had taught him in their few short months at the Academy—after they'd made that helpful deal, of course. "Bone of a straggling beast, spire, crimson crystal, disc of steel, when the wind shifts, and the emptiness ceases, let the clash of lances resonate through the relinquished castle!" There was a crackle in the air, and suddenly a wave of thunder shot out at the target a mere five meters away. It's a start, Naruto thought, grinning. It sure as hell is a start.

"Good job. You beat your old quota from last month, which was four feet." Toushiro patted Naruto's shoulder. "You're improving." He moved into position himself, rolling his shoulders before dropping into the preferred stance for his Kidou spells. He recited the exact same incantation as Naruto had previously. Lightning shot out of his own palm, flying ten meters before slamming into a target. He cursed to himself, narrowing his eyes.

Ever since a few weeks ago, he had hit the ten meter target and hadn't been able to exceed it. It was annoying him to no end.

Shaking his head with a bemused grin—Toushiro was so strange sometimes, not to mention competitive when it came down to it—Naruto turned back to his target, considering it for a second. "So, five feet in three months is good? Ugh, at this rate I'll never catch up to you, Mr. Ten Meters on the Dot." He fired off another wave of lightning and turned to face the white haired boy completely. "I thought for sure you would have made it past the ten meter mark, though ... Something on your mind, Hitsu-teme?"

Toushiro shrugged, getting back into position. "Maybe. I don't know." He fired again, hitting the ten meter mark once again. "I guess I'm just a little concerned, is all. I mean, even though all this time has passed and Urahara-taichou hasn't tried anything, he's still not really leaving you alone. I mean—I don't know. Maybe I'm just being paranoid." He sighed.

"Hey guys." Nanao appeared beside Toushiro, making the poor boy scream and jump a mile high. "Charming. How are you and your captain friends doing? Are you seeing them today?"

"How is that any of your business?" Toushiro muttered, moving out of the way for Naruto to fire.

"I was just curious, is all."

Naruto took his turn, ignoring the new arrival. What is with that girl? Is she only interested in getting ahead or what? Shaking his head, he concentrated on the task at hand, firing off his lightning quickly and then moving out of the way for Toushiro's next shot. "Ohayo, Nanao-chan," the blond stated blankly, not really caring to have a full-blown conversation, but Toushiro having engrained at least a little respect into him so that he couldn't just brush the girl off like he was itching to do. "Where's your friend?" He looked over her shoulder, trying to see if that blond Kiyone girl was with Nanao as well. At least she had seemed a bit less annoying than her friend here.

"I don't know; she's somewhere." Nanao waved her hand about, watching Toushiro get into place as she examined how far Naruto had shot. She snorted. "Five meters? That's it? Pathetic. Everyone's around seven or eight." She rolled her eyes at Naruto. "The two of you really are good for nothing. Why captains have any interest in you, I'll never—"

Toushiro cut her off as he shot lightning out angrily after having muttered the incantation, the lightning shooting past the ten meter mark and slamming into the eleven meter target. He turned to Nanao, smirking. The girl just stared before scoffing.

"Fine, so maybe one of you is good for something. Him, on the other hand," she motioned Naruto, "he's not good at anything."

"Actually, I'll have you know, he's amazing at Hakudo," Toushiro snapped.

"Oh, oh!" Naruto turned to Toushiro entreatingly. "I know something we can show her I'm good at! Remember when we were talking about the difference between Hadou and Bakudou? Do you, do you?" He smirked. "Let's say we show her something she hasn't even learned yet."

"But Naruto, that's mean," Toushiro insisted. "Let's do it," he said barely a second later. "Which one? You choose. I'll supervise. If you blow her up, I'll be your alibi."

"Wh-what?" Nanao demanded. "What are you talking about?" She crossed her arms, not particularly concerned, since this was Naruto. "I bet I know what you're thinking of using. Why wouldn't I? Yumichika-sensei favors me."

"Disintegrate, black dog of Rondaniini. Look upon your burning soul and sever your throat. Bakudou # 9, Conquer!" Naruto held out both hands as he finished reciting the tiresome incantation. A red light suddenly surrounded Nanao's whole body, restricting her movements. "Got'cha, Naaaaano." The smug smile just added insult to injury. "I'm not completely worthless. Toushiro taught me how to capture and restrain my opponent, but he found I had a harder time mastering things that required power since I can never get it just right." Much like my former life, he noted grimly, thinking of the demon fox he had once housed. He shivered, glad it was gone. Smile lighting back up on his face, he looked at Toushiro eagerly. "So, how's that?"

"Good job." He patted Naruto's shoulder once more. "I have taught you well, my friend." He laughed slightly. "Next, shunpo! We'll pass our final exam for this academy with flying colors!"

"Hey! What the—" Nanao struggled to move. "How the hell did you do this? What did you do?" she shrieked, terrified. "Yumichika-sensei!"

"Whoa, whoa, calm down!" Toushiro insisted. "Calm do—"

"Yumichika-sensei!" she shrieked again.

"Great... we're in trouble now." Toushiro sighed.

Even with Toushiro's statement that they were in trouble, Naruto's smug smile would not be crushed; would not waver. He was riding the high that was kicking a suck-up's ass.

"And just what do you think you are doing?"

And that brought his high crashing back down to the harsh reality that was Soul Society. "Uh, she asked for a demonstration?" Naruto supplied readily with no real conviction. He knew they were in trouble now. Freaky brows wasn't one to go easy on them, and most certainly was not to be taken lightly, as they had repeatedly discovered. Damn.

Yumichika tapped his foot against the ground, waiting. "Well?" On the outside, he appeared to be the angry teacher—the role he was meant to play—but inside, he was rather shell-shocked that the new boy, Uzumaki, had mastered Bakudou so fast. It had been only... what, three months? How had they improved so much in a short amount of time? It was unfathomable.

"Yumichika-sensei," Nanao whimpered, sniffing. "I'm—I can't move. Please, help me. I'm scared."

Toushiro rolled his eyes, knowing Nanao was milking this for all it was worth. She was maybe shocked, yes, but the look in her eyes held anger and awe; no fear. She just wanted to get them into trouble again, as if they weren't already in enough trouble. Heavens, no. They only had enough detentions to last them until they graduated—if they graduated. This was so unfair; he was going to complain to someone about this. Probably Jyuushiro. That man had a knack for getting him and Naruto out of detentions. Well, he and Shunsui combined, but he imagined it was probably because Shunsui scared people into listening to Jyuushiro, what with the brown-haired man being drunk all the time. Toushiro wondered if all the captains could live so easy.

Yumichika patted Nanao on the head sadly. "It's all right, Nanao-chan. Here, I'll teach you how to go about removing Bakudou. And then you'll know something they don't even teach in the textbooks." He glared pointedly at Toushiro, knowing that particular boy was the one to teach his blond friend in the Kidou department. "I expect you to only use the demon arts I instruct you to use during class until you have proof that you are a fully instated Shinigami. Is that clear?"

Naruto sulked, crossing his arms and turning his head in the opposite direction. It really wasn't fair how Yumichika treated them. The detentions just kept piling up and the few that he and Toushiro had made it to had been horror filled, to say the least. The crazy things the detention teacher made them do, he shivered just thinking about some of it. Running laps around Seireitei (a feat in itself), doing push-ups with large rocks on their backs (as if they could withstand all that weight; he still had a horrible ache near the base of his spine), and even scrubbing toilets. Oh, and not just any toilets. No, of course not. They had to be captain toilets. Now that was fun. Stop the joy; just stop it before it truly did kill him.

"Thanks, Yumichika-sensei." Nanao sniffed. "Some people really should learn how to respect authority." She glared at Naruto and Toushiro.

"And some should learn how to not suck up." Toushiro hit Naruto across the back of the head for the comment before realizing it had left his own mouth. His eyes widened. "Oh my God! I've been corrupted! I no longer think before I speak!" He clutched his head. He was turning into Naruto!

Sighing, dishing out about five more detentions in the process, Yumichika walked over and bent down to whisper the counter-incantation into Nanao's ear.

Naruto chuckled beside his panicking friend. "Is turning into me really so bad?" He looked absolutely innocent as he asked that one question.

"Yes!" Toushiro hollered before sighing. "Man, this is terrible." His voice cracked as he said that. "I can't believe I'm turning into you."

"Um, Toushiro?" The boy looked up, Nanao still standing in front of them.

"Weren't you freed?"

"I was, but..." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, listen, I still hate you, don't ever think otherwise, all right?"

"Sure." Toushiro was quickly growing tired of this conversation.

"Good. Now, with that aside, that was impressive. I imagine you're the one who taught that blundering idiot how to do that."

"Why does everyone insist on insulting Naruto?" Toushiro demanded angrily. "Why can't I ever be unique? Insulting him is my job."

Nanao blinked. "Uh huh." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, you seem to be a good instructor, and I heard you mention something about shunpo. Can you actually do it?" Toushiro nodded. "Really?" He nodded again. "Seriously?"

"Am I going to have to hit you?" Toushiro sighed. "Yes, I can do shunpo. Why?"

"Can you teach me?"

"No."

Nanao's head snapped back. "What do you mean no?"

"No, I won't teach you. Ask your precious Yumichika-sensei to teach you."

Eyes flaring angrily, Nanao took on the same position she had seconds before under the binding spell and fell over, Toushiro turning to Naruto, confused. The blond hadn't done it, and he hadn't done it, so—his eyes widened. She was faking it!

"Yumichika-sensei!" She shrieked again.

Naruto could only blink as the teacher rushed back over and started yelling at them again, telling them he had been going easy on them the first time but doing it again was just plain ridiculous. Somehow, they ended up with ten detentions on top of the last five. He had lost track of their detentions by now, though. He figured they had over 500, maybe more. The thought was depressing in itself. "Uh, question," the blond started, holding up a hand.

"No! I don't want to hear it!" Yumichika helped Nanao up again and escorted her off to the side. "Come on, Nanao-chan; let's go practice the counter method over here, away from these disgraceful hoodlums." He sniffed and continued to walk further away with the girl.

Even if he had known that last Bakudou was a fake, Naruto doubted Yumichika would have given them the benefit of the doubt. And so it was proven once again that there was an undercover conspiracy going on. Nanao's acting certainly needed some improvement, he noted, disgruntled as he turned to Toushiro. "What the hell is up with that bimbo?"

"She's jealous," Toushiro sighed. "And, I mean, who can blame her? We know five captains, and all five are in love with us in some way, shape or form." He rubbed the back of his head. "We should go see Jyuushiro and Shunsui at lunch. They'll help us get rid of some detentions." He paused. "Did I really just call them by their first names?" He groaned, covering his face with both hands. "God, I really am turning into you."

00000

Pachi. The sound of a black stone connecting with the Go board could be heard in the near silent room, Shunsui's humming the only noise to disturb that silence. After his move to upper-left hand star, he pulled his hand back and rested his chin on it with a sigh. "Ah, isn't this fun, Jyuu-chan? It's been a long time since we had a nice game like this." He sat cross-legged on the floor instead of the usual formal posture that was required in front of a goban. Shunsui was the informal type, anyway. He never liked following the rules much.

"Mm." Jyuushiro inspected the board before moving one of his own pieces. "Though neither of us are here for mere pleasantries, and we both know it. Have you found out any new information regarding Toushiro-kun and Naruto-kun? Did Yoruichi tell you anything when you inquired about them?" He picked up the small cup of sake beside his right hand and sipped at it before putting it back down.

"Yoruichi knows about as much as we do from deducing our own answers. It would seem Urahara's keeping things on the hush hush. Damn that Kisuke. What's he playing at?" Shunsui connected his black stone against Jyuushiro's previous white and then sighed. "I heard they've been training together a lot, though. Not just with Isshin and Kisuke, but on their own, as well. They're progressing much faster than previously expected; Yoruichi informed me of this earlier today. That's why I called you here for a game. It would seem things are starting to get interesting. She believes they may not even need those full six years at the Academy, at this rate." Ignoring his own cup, Shunsui went straight for the liquor bottle itself and took a deep swallow. "I'm looking forward to the day that they enter the Shinigami ranks."

"Aa, I as well. I was thinking of making Toushiro my vice captain. Though I'm interested in Naruto, he seems a little too rebellious for my tastes. He should fit right in with you." He smirked at his friend. "Though we'll have to fight Kisuke and Isshin for them. Lord knows those two will do everything in their power to get them into their divisions. Yoruichi is interested, too. It'll be hard..." He trailed off, having captured four of Shunsui's pieces through an unforeseen move. "We should discuss the situation with Yamamoto-sensei, don't you think?"

"Yama-jii? Aww, come on! He'll just be a spoilsport." He swirled the bottle, a bit aggravated at the speed he was losing his territory. It was hard to win against his friend. The man was quick and it wouldn't be an easy win or an easy loss. Setting the sake back down, he scooped up another stone, positioning it between his forefinger and middle one before sliding the stone onto the board to try and rectify the situation he found himself in. "And what could that old man tell us that we don't already know?"

"Well, he could force Kisuke to inform the Gotei 13 on what he's found out about Naruto and Toushiro. And we might be able to convince him to help us get those two into our own divisions." Jyuushiro placed another piece on the board. "I won," he stated plainly as he took another sip of sake.

"You always win!" Shunsui hung his head for a moment, dwelling on his defeat. "Damn, now I'm stuck with your laundry for a week. How did you let me talk you into that bet, anyhow?" He rubbed his hands over his face tiredly. "But I suppose you're right about the Yama-jii thing. Informing him may very well be a good decision, but think about it. Do you really think Kisuke is going to allow authority to control him so easily?"

Hm… I should remember to give him precise instructions or I'll end up with pink robes, the white-haired captain mused as he stood. "It's true, but even Kisuke has common sense and knows when to follow orders. If he doesn't answer all the questions asked, he'll be demoted, or forbidden from going anywhere near Naruto and Toushiro. Then again, we may just cause those two more problems."

"Who are you talking about?"

Jyuushiro let out a startled cry, turning around to see Naruto and Toushiro standing in the entrance of Shunsui's office. Toushiro was leaning against the door, his arms crossed, back in the standard blue uniform since they'd gotten a new stock over a month ago.

Shunsui put a hand over his heart, face flushing slightly. "Oi, don't do that! Are you trying to give a man a heart attack here?"

Naruto smirked, walking into the office without a care in the world. "Well, you're captains, right? Shouldn't you, I don't know, be able to tell when you have company?" If he was rubbing off on Toushiro, he rather thought that Toushiro was rubbing off on him in certain ways.

"Of course we sensed you," Jyuushiro insisted. "We-we were pretending." Toushiro cocked an eyebrow. "Don't you dare say anything, Hitsugaya!"

"Wasn't going to." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, um, Ukitake-taichou... we have a favor."

"A favor?" The man turned to look at Shunsui before turning back to the two boys. "What kind of favor?"

"Yumichika is out to get us. Seriously," Toushiro grumbled. "We don't do anything and he gives us ten thousand detentions."

"Exactly," Naruto said, nodding in agreement. "This guy doesn't like us one bit. He's already gotten himself a teacher's pet and ignores anyone else's progress beside that girl's specifically. It's insulting, is what it is."

"So, the favor?" Shunsui asked, calming down a bit and removing his hand from his chest. "I take it that it involves these detentions in some way?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Don't tell me you want us to get rid of some of them." He grinned. "Because that would just be too easy. We like ourselves a challenge, don't we, Jyuu-chan?"

"Of course, but if they are in need of our help, who are we to deny them?" The white-haired captain went to Toushiro and hugged him tightly. The boy would have protested, but he couldn't, what with him asking for a favor and all.

"Um, thanks. We were just wondering if you could get rid of a few of them. And by a few, I mean, like, two-hundred of them."

"Two-hundred? Damn, what have you been doing?" Jyuushiro laughed as he released Toushiro. "Didn't we get rid of three hundred just two weeks ago?"

Shunsui guffawed loudly, clapping Naruto soundly on the back when the blond was near enough. He then proceeded to capture the boy in a headlock and mess up his short, spiky locks. "You two are more trouble than I've ever seen!" He laughed again and released the struggling Naruto from his grasp. "So, two-hundred? I think that can be arranged. So, you two busy? We were just having a friendly game of Go. How about a speed round over lunch? Me against Naruto-kun here, and Jyuu-chan can have Tou-chan there." He winked at the white-haired boy and then tugged Naruto down beside him as he sat back on the floor. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

Naruto didn't have much choice but to take a seat or risk having those detentions stay permanently on his record. Not to mention Shunsui had unbalanced him enough to make him fall to the floor in an undignified heap. The blond righted himself and sat properly, trying to at least put an inch of space between him and the pink haori covered captain. It was a bit hard to accomplish, considering he was practically being squished to the man's side in a "you're-not-going-anywhere" type of hug. I hate my life… well, after-life, that is.

"Yes, come." Jyuushiro proceeded to drag a defeated Toushiro towards the table when a voice interrupted his actions.

"I'm sorry, gents, but they're already got a lunch date with me." They all turned to the door, Yoruichi standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, one of them cocked out to the side. "How you doin', boys? Forget about our lunch date? And I was so looking forward to seeing you two."

"Yoruichi! How are you? Come in, join us." Jyuushiro continued to pull Toushiro down beside the table, the woman laughing, shaking her head so her purple locks lost their shape.

"Nice try, but you know I don't play Go with you guys. You always end up owing me favors you never go through with."

"Harsh, Yoruichi. Harsh." Jyuushiro sighed.

"Yoruichi! Ah, we were just talking about you a while ago." Shunsui smirked at the woman, looking her up and down with a gleam in his eyes. "Why don't you join us instead? I'd rather like a lunch date with you… they're much too young for you and probably wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much as I would." He motioned to the two boys who were being held down by Jyuushiro and himself respectively.

Naruto pleaded with the new arrival with his eyes. Save us, he thought, practically begging Yoruichi for some kind of escape lest they have to endure yet another round of pure insanity that usually involved Shunsui and Jyuushiro with their glomping capabilities. He nudged the man holding him painfully in the ribs, making the captain let go briefly and just long enough for him to stand and make his way over to Yoruichi's side. He gave a sigh of relief and hugged the woman rather informally around the middle. "Thank God you're here! I wouldn't want to miss our date!" His relieved smile turned playful.

Shunsui, meanwhile, was left to grope at nothing but air, dazed that the blond had left him so quickly. He sniffed, all alone. "Mou, no fair, Yoruichi! You can't have them yet. I wanted to at least beat Naruto-kun at Go. I'm sure I can win a round against him of all people."

"Now, that's not nice to say about Naru-koi." She patted the blond's head with a smirk before motioning Toushiro. "Are you coming?"

"No, but I might." Toushiro's eyes widened at what he'd said. "I mean, I will. I mean, if—Jyuushiro is—That is to say…"

"I think he means he'll join you should I let him go." Jyuushiro chuckled slightly, letting the boy go.

Toushiro turned beet red, avoiding everyone's gazes. "Yeah, that," he whispered.

Yoruichi laughed, shaking her head as she removed Naruto from around her waist and walked over to Toushiro, holding out her hand with a kind smile. "Come on, Hitsugaya-kun. Let's go eat. You'll want something in your stomach before Isshin and Kisuke find you, because trust me, they will find you."

"They always do." Toushiro sighed as he took her hand, embarrassed, and got to his feet.

"We'll take care of those detentions for you," Jyuushiro said reassuringly. "But you both owe us a game of Go."

Naruto groaned, shaking his head. "Go is so boring, though."

"Aha!" Shunsui exclaimed triumphantly. "That supports my theory that he can lose easily in a game of Go! He has no passion for the game! I've practically won by default!"

Naruto glowered at that, meeting the older man's challenge. "Oh yeah? You just wait, Shunsui-taichou. You're going to eat those words. I'll make you eat them." The blond switched his gaze to Jyuushiro, a smile softening his expression. "Thanks, Jyuushiro-taichou, we appreciate everything you do for us." For once, he bowed without being told, showing his respect for the other captain. At least this one doesn't have a clingy problem with me. He snickered. Yeah, he only has one with Hitsu-teme.

Shunsui waved to the departing group, grinning as he addressed his friend. "I'm looking forward to that Go match, Jyuu-chan. Aren't you?"

00000

"Honestly, I don't know how you boys do it, but do you ever have a knack for attracting unwanted attention." Yoruichi chuckled as she slurped down some more ramen before sighing. "Ah, that was good." It was fairly obvious to all who knew Naruto why he liked Yoruichi. She was practically a female version of him, though unlike him, she had common sense, and she knew when to have manners.

Toushiro said nothing, staring down into his ramen with a blush still on his face. He was still beating himself up for the blunder in Shunsui's office. Naruto was never going to let him live that one down.

"We're special like that," Naruto interjected, slurping down his own ramen without pause. "And damn right this stuff is good. You're a great chef!" Tilting his head slightly to see Toushiro, he frowned, noticing the blush for the first time. What was with him lately? Every time he was around Yoruichi he seemed to act all… different. "Oi, Hitsu-teme, your face is on fire. What's with that?" Naruto could be dense at all the wrong moments.

Toushiro's head snapped up in shock, eyes wide. "I'm fine. Just sick," he blurted out.

"Sick? That's dangerous in Soul Society." Yoruichi reached out with one hand, pressing it against Toushiro's forehead. "Kuchiki-taichou's wife got sick, and she died soon after, the poor thing. Nice woman that she was, it was so sad to hear of her passing."

The other's face became even more red as Yoruichi's hand traveled down along his face, trying to feel if he was hot or not. She got to his neck and frowned. "You don't feel very warm, but you are pretty red. You should try not to overexert yourself today, all right?" She smiled as she ruffled his hair. "Everyone already knows you're fantastic."

"Thank you, Yoruichi-san."

"Koneko-hime!" Naruto pouted, finally using her nickname to gain her immediate attention. "Hitsu-teme's not that damn fantastic! All right, maybe he is, but still! What about me?" He pushed the empty bowl of ramen away and crossed his arms on the table in an indignant sulk. "It just not fair that everyone assumes we're not equals. Don't I deserve a little credit." He was a bit tired of always being called the fool, the lay-about. He was just as good as Toushiro in many ways, why couldn't anyone see that? He didn't know why it had struck a nerve with him, but it had. Maybe because he felt left out, inferior when compared to someone who knew Soul Society from years of experience instead of a few measly months. Shaking off the feeling, he looked at Yoruichi, cocking an eyebrow. "Is there something about me that just doesn't measure up or something? Do tell."

"Awww, is Naru-koi jealous?" Yoruichi teased, propping her elbows on the table so she could rest her chin on her laced-together fingers. "You both have good qualities, Naru-koi, you just tend to act like an idiot, so people perceive you as one. We all know you're actually very smart."

The woman sighed, closing her eyes. The nickname he'd given her, Koneko-hime, was cute and all, but she kind of wished he'd stop calling her that. It had been her fault, really. Kisuke had appeared out of nowhere one of the days Toushiro and Naruto were visiting, and he had grabbed her from behind, hugging her tightly. To escape, she'd done the only thing she could think of, which was using her special abilities to turn herself into a cat. The second Naruto had seen that, he'd started calling her "Koneko-hime". So now, she had Soifon calling her "Yoruichi-sama" despite how often she told her not to, then she had Kisuke calling her "Yoruichi-love" even though she hit him every time he did, and now Naruto was calling her "Koneko-hime", ignoring the fact that she'd started calling him "Naru-koi" to make him stop. There was just no winning for the heiress.

"I'm not jealous," denied Naruto at once, huffing and starting to push away from the table. "And I'm not always an idiot." He looked over at Toushiro, hoping for a little support. "Right, Hitsu?" Before any replies could be made, a rather familiar face entered his line of sight, causing Naruto to blanch and fall backwards out of his chair. "The hell, Urahara?" He was still skittish around the man. "When'd you get here?"

Instead of answering Naruto, like a good person would do after invading someone's personal space, Kisuke turned to Yoruichi and grinned impishly. "Hey there, Yoruichi-love. I decided to crash your little one-on-one time with the kids. Isshin's following, of course, though I think he got lost somewhere along the way. You know how Kurosakiii-kun is," he said, drawling out his friend's name with his infamous smirk. "I came to borrow Whitey-chan from you. I'm in need of a good sparring partner, and—oh dear, I couldn't find one!" He gasped, putting a hand to his forehead dramatically. "Isn't that just horrible?"

"Nice try." Yoruichi rolled her eyes, looking at Toushiro to see what he'd say. He was surprisingly quiet.

The woman let out a shriek of alarm as something came tumbling into her office, soon realizing it was a person who'd landed flat on their face. "Ow."

"Isshin, can't you at least act a little more like a captain?" Yoruichi hollered to cover up the fact that her heart was pounding. "You're a disgrace!"

"That's not a very nice thing to say to someone who's just banged their head on your floor." He rubbed his forehead. "Hey, Sunshine-kun! Ready to spar?" He grinned as he got to his feet.

Yoruichi covered her face with her hands. There's no way to save these boys from these two psychos. She sighed.

Naruto closed his eyes, going by the old expression 'if you can't see them, they can't see you', and remained on the cold floor in a heap, not bothering to get up. "I don't wanna," he whined, much like a child who was about to throw a fit. "Can't we just have one day's peace without you two barraging in?"

Urahara cocked his head to the side, thinking. "Hmm... nope."

"Damn you."

"Been there, done that," Kisuke stated flippantly, waving his hand. He directed his gaze at the awfully silent Toushiro. "Something the matter, Whitey-chan? You're not shrieking in terror." He feigned a put-out look. "Don't tell me my sparring partner's not feeling well!"

"Huh?" Toushiro looked up, as if finally noticing Kisuke and Isshin were there. "A spar? Oh, of course!" He jumped to his feet, grabbing his sword. "Spar sounds great! Let's go!" He practically bolted for the door, rushing past Isshin. The Shinigami stared after him in shock before turning back to Kisuke and Yoruichi, shrugging.

"I'll go after him. Make sure you get my Sunshine-kun." Isshin turned, chasing after Toushiro.

"You know, he hasn't been feeling well lately," Yoruichi informed Kisuke, concerned. "He's been flushed and he didn't eat very much for lunch. I'm concerned. After what happened to Byakuya's wife—" She cut herself off, looking at Naruto. She didn't want to concern him.

"Oh yes, that was rather sad," Urahara began, picking off where Yoruichi left off. "She died shortly after coming down with that horrible fever. Poor thing. Didn't even last two months, even with medical treatment. I hope Whitey-chan hasn't caught something, that would be horrendous, wouldn't it, Yoruichi-love?" He blinked innocently at the scowl directed toward him. "What's with that face, love? I'm just telling the boy the facts!"

Naruto had gone incredibly pale by this point, mind whirling with the implications. She barely lasted two months? He was more than a little panicked. "What were the symptoms?" he inquired quickly, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Don't worry," Yoruichi insisted, taking his shoulders and smiling kindly. "He didn't have a fever when I checked him, so I'm sure he'll be fine. Urahara" she bit out the name, "is just exaggerating. Don't worry, if something happens, he'll let you know. Now, would you like some more ramen before you're carried off to your doom, no matter how hard I try to save you?"

Naruto was torn. On one hand, he wanted that ramen, but on the other... he wanted to go check on Toushiro and make sure he hadn't been tackled by Isshin in his current condition. Sighing, he shook his head, forgoing the ramen. "No thanks, Yoruichi-san... I'll just be going." He gently worked his way out of her hold and then took off after his friend as well, leaving Urahara alone in the 2nd Division office.

Rubbing at the back of his neck, Kisuke laughed awkwardly. "Uh, sorry about that, Yoruichi-love. And did you see how worried he was about his dear friend there? This can only bring good things, nothing to worry about. Toushiro's most likely not sick, anyway. And don't you think that with Naruto's current state of mind that there will be plenty of opportunities to get some blackmail on the two of them?" He winked and then ducked the blow aimed at his head. "You know you love me!" he called over his shoulder, darting for the door.

00000

Toushiro stretched as he stood in the secret cave Kisuke had created, Isshin watching him, completely baffled. The other looked excited to be fighting Kisuke, when normally, he and Naruto ran for all they were worth. He wondered what was wrong with the boy. Maybe he likes Yoruichi and is embarrassed, he thought with a small laugh. It wouldn't be the first time a trainee had fallen in love with the quick-tongued woman. She was quite a sight to behold.

"Hey, Whitey-chan, you doing okay?"

"Great. Where's Kisuke?" he asked, not pausing in his stretching. "If he takes too long, I'll fight you."

Isshin's head snapped back. "Now wait a second, what's gotten into you?" he asked, somewhat worried. Did women make people this crazy?

"Hitsu!" Naruto cried, dropping off the ladder when he felt he was far enough down to make a decent jump. He rushed to the other boy immediately, crushing him in a hug. "Hitsu-teme, are you all right? You left so quickly! Are you okay, do you feel dizzy? Do you want to lay down and take a nap instead of sparring? Because it's okay if you want to, you know. It's no problem. I can entertain the captains while you try to feel better! That's what's important, you know... your health!" Naruto paused momentarily to catch his breath and then let Toushiro go. "But seriously, if you're not feeling well, then you should take it easy!" Somehow, he had completely ignored the Shinigami standing off to the side, watching them in bemusement. He turned to Isshin, then, and pointed his finger at his roommate. "Tell him to sit this one out, right now!"

"No." Urahara had arrived shortly after Naruto's appearance, standing beside the blond and hardly out of breath. "Whitey-chan can't just sit on the sidelines! He's my sparring partner and I don't take kindly to people trying to steal him away."

"But... but...!"

"No buts about it. Now, should we get started?" Urahara asked with a smile.

Toushiro hadn't been able to get a word in, his mouth open the whole time as he tried, but was unsuccessful. What the hell's gotten into him? Did the captains corrupt him with their stupidity? He scratched his head, confused. Grabbing the blond's shoulders, he took a deep breath—and then started shaking Naruto madly. "What in the name of Kami-sama did they do to you? Why are you acting so weird? You know I don't like touchy-feely people, so why are you hanging all over me? I left you alone with Kisuke for five minutes and you turn into a psycho!"

Isshin pried the two boys apart, laughing slightly. "Wow; that was quite violent, Whitey-chan. Be careful with him, he might break, you know."

00000

Kisuke lifted his drink, downing the hard liquor in one gulp before slamming the cup back down onto the counter and ordering another round from the bartender. "Another round of draws, Isshin, another round of draws! Can you believe it?" Instead of sounding dejected, like most people would in this type of situation, the man sounded more thrilled than anything. "They never win, they never lose, but they sure as hell can tie with us!" He laughed and swallowed the refilled sake in his cup. "This is great. Don't you think?" He glanced at his friend, grinning from ear to ear, face flushed and content in the rowdy bar that they frequented from time to time.

"Yeah, it's pretty incredible." Isshin smiled slightly, twirling his cup in his hand. "I used full power today… well, you know what I mean. Naruto tied with me without even using anything other than his sword. His swordsmanship has improved tremendously since we last fought." He drank what was in his cup before holding it out to also get another round. "Those two... they're gonna go really far. Might even replace you and me someday." He chuckled slightly. "Or maybe just me. Yoruichi keeps reminding me I'm not captain material. Can't even beat some kid." He downed his drink once more.

Urahara waved his friend off. "Ah, you know how Yoruichi is, one little fault and she'll stretch it to the extreme. But you're right." He smirked. "It would just be you they replaced. I'm rather content to just stay where I am. But... I wouldn't mind running away with Yoruichi if she begged me." He waggled his eyebrows before laughing and finishing up his sake and requesting another round.

"You and Yoruichi have always seemed pretty close." Isshin smirked. "I wouldn't be surprised if you kidnapped her and forced her to wed you." Isshin laughed slightly. "Though, we are getting old. We should really settle down soon. I'm pushing seven hundred."

The other man just laughed and continued on about the young boys they had taken an interest in. "Toushiro's shunpo is really impressive, though. He's almost on par with me! If he were to go under the 2nd Division to merely hone that skill... I don't doubt he'd be up to Yoruichi's eventual standards in that field." He shook his head, still grinning. "These kids, they're really something. It's been a long time since I've seen such potential in young children. A really long time. But, Isshin, these kids are incredible!"

"They are," Isshin agreed. "It's almost scary, to be honest. Every time I fight Naruto, I feel like there's something different about him. He's too powerful for someone who hasn't been here that long. His body adjusted to the changes almost straight away. Did you know the day we met the two of them it was Naruto's second day in Soul Society? Never before has anyone adapted that well!" He rolled his shoulders, feeling as if someone's gaze was burning into his back, but figured it was probably just Yoruichi or something, so he ignored it.

"Really?" Kisuke commented lightly, only mildly surprised. "That is a shocker, but what worries me is that he even activated that sword. It was made to adjust to tremendous amounts of reiatsu... even when I used it in my younger days after just inventing it, I couldn't get the thing to activate. How can one boy, so young as he is, be able to force that much spiritual pressure through a blade without even realizing it? He's right up there with Kenpachi, and that's just his starting strength. Can you imagine what he's going to be like when he gets older, Isshin? Can you?" He shivered and took a small sip of sake. "It's rather scary actually, but fascinating all the same."

"Yeah, that kid's gonna go far. And Toushiro, too, though he may not be as powerful. That kid can sure handle a blade, and having mastered so many things, like Kidou and shunpo and such—he'll be right at home in the captain's rank. I estimate three years in the academy for those two instead of the usual six." He turned to look at Kisuke. "What do you think?"

"Mhm." Urahara nodded, downing the rest of his glass and slumping a bit against the counter. He felt eyes on him and turned to investigate, his vision a bit blurred from all the alcohol. All he saw was a shadow in the corner that he couldn't quite make out. Leaning over toward his friend, he whispered, "Is it just me, or are we being watched?" He nodded in the vague direction of the bar's dark, foreboding corner, not chancing another look himself lest he bring attention to the fact the person spying had been discovered. "It doesn't feel hostile, but neither does it feel too welcoming, either. What do you make of it?"

"I thought it was just Yoruichi or something." Isshin said, not turning, as he sipped his drink again. "It seems someone is interested in our interests. I've been sensing people present every time we discuss Naruto and Toushiro." He looked toward his friend. "Thankfully, the bar is too loud and noisy for this person to hear us, but I suspect our two little trainees are going to be in trouble. Perhaps we should stop talking about them for a while, maybe even let them be until we feel it's safe to interact with them again. Though this person doesn't feel hostile towards us, we don't know what might be planned for our little friends."

"Hn, I noticed that, too. I didn't think it was too big a deal either, but this keeps occurring whenever we meet to discuss matters like this. Maybe you're right." Urahara looked down into his empty cup, sighing. "Though temptation always leads to disaster, my friend; it always does. These kids are the temptation... I wonder, now, what that disaster might be."

Authors' Notes:

Avril – (looks around and then grins at the audience) Naruto here, it looks like it's finally my turn to thank you all for reading this chapter! Jeez, was it just me, or did anyone else notice how Hitsu-teme's an attention hog? Though I still love him! (glomps Hitsu) It's not your fault you're wonderful… well, actually, it is. But… not going there

Sarge – (is annoyed) Remove yourself from me or I'll hurt you. A lot. And I am NOT an attention hog. I try and teach you things, you just learn them too slowly.

Avril – (insulted) Well, fine BE that way. (sulks and moves away) And I DO NOT learn things slowly, you're just not a very good teacher. (sticks out tongue) That whole Nanao thing? Tch, it was a FLUKE. Bastard.

Sarge – Uh huh. You know, dumbass, you really need to broaden your vocabulary. I mean, all you ever call me is "bastard". At least I deviate between dumbass, idiot, stupidhead, moron, and so on. At least show some variety or something, it's getting old and boring.

Avril – (sniff) Oh, you want some variety? I don't think you can HANDLE what I'd call you. You'd probably cry home to Momo or something. You're SUCH A BABY. As proven by your short, short height. Am I right?

Sarge – (blinks) I'm half and inch shorter than you. And you're just coming up with excuses now. First you insist I hog attention—which I don't—THEN you insist you have a wide range of vocabulary when it comes to insults—which you don't—and now you're calling me short when you're just BARELY taller than me? You need help, Naruto. Lots of it. I think Isshin's bonked you on the head one too many times.

Avril – (cries) Mou, so mean! And he has not. If I remember correctly, you were the one faking sick to get me all worked up! Asshole! At least I don't PRETEND! What the hell is up with you and Koneko-hime, anyway? You always act so man weird around her. She's the only SANE captain we know, and you can't even TALK to the woman?

Sarge – (blushes) (coughs) I seem to recall something about me crying home to Momo, not you. And I didn't pretend to be sick, I was flushed, and you got the wrong idea. It's not my fault you're an idiot. As for Yoruichi-san… (coughs and blushes more) She IS the only sane captain we know. What's your point?

Avril – (gives Hitsu an odd look) Man, what's got your panties in a bunch? (blinks) Have Isshin and Urahara been doing odd things to you again? And… just what are you getting at? Is MOMO your best friend, huh? And I mentioned nothing about you CRYING, I just meant you made me feel bad since I actually thought you were sick. It's not my fault you're a dick and couldn't tell someone you weren't running a fever because said person isn't going to run is hands all over you like Koneko-hime did.

Sarge – (shoves hands in pockets and starts wandering off) Hn.

Avril – WAIT, HITSU-TEME, YOU FORGOT ME!! (chases after the bastard)

Characters List:

Avril – Naruto, Urahara, Shunsui, Yumichika

Sarge – Toushiro, Isshin, Jyuushiro, Nanao, Yoruichi