Chapter 10: FYI

After making it back to the house, the group decided that it was time to discuss what was going to happen with Hitsugaya. At least, that was the plan. Turns out that none of them had carried it out. Instead everyone sat on the floor surrounding the white-haired captain lavishing him with attention. Right now Ikkaku and Yumichika were trying to make him laugh. It wasn't working for Ikkaku, however. Hitsugaya just found him and his murderous expression scary. Yumichika was having more luck, though. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and pulled his cheeks out, making a funny face. Hitsugaya, who was sitting in Rangiku's lap burst out in a giggle fit. Yumichika sat back proudly. He had succeeded.

"Why does he find you so hilarious?" Ikkaku asked bitterly.

"Maybe I'm just good with children."

"Maybe you're just funny-looking..."

He turned to Ikkaku. "Or maybe you're just scary."

"Scary? Me?"

"Perhaps it's your face."

"What's wrong with my face?"

Ichigo coughed and turned the other way.

Ikkaku went back to the task at hand. He tried making faces too, but it only frightened Hitsugaya more. He gave Ikkaku a teary-eyed expression and whimpered.

"Rangi-chan…" he tugged on her sleeve. "Baldy scary."

She covered her mouth to keep from laughing. Ikkaku looked even more murderous than usual.

Yumichika leaned in Hitsugaya's face and locked eyes with him. Their staring contest ended when Yumichika began rolling his eyes at a fast pace. Hitsugaya broke out into giggles once again. Those spinning eyes were funny.

Ikkaku frowned. Why was he getting all the laughs? He had to try harder. But he was never any good with kids for some strange reason. He tried imitating Yumichika by stretching his face out. That didn't work either. It just sent Hitsugaya cowering.

"Try being less scary," Yumichika advised.

"I don't know how I'm being scary in the first place." Ikkaku sat back and tapped his chin thoughtfully. How to make him laugh? How? What would work? Finally he had an idea. Keeping his voice a little calmer, Ikkaku spoke to the young captain. "Hey, Hitsugaya…" When the captain turned at his name, Ikkaku struck. He lunged forward and spidered his fingers over Hitsugaya's tummy. Hitsugaya squealed and flailed about at the tickling sensation. "Ha! I knew I could make him laugh!"

The others laughed along with Hitsugaya as Ikkaku tickled his stomach and neck.

"Oh, man, this is great! Somebody get a camera."

"Oh, no!"

Everyone turned at Rangiku's sudden outburst.

"What? What?!"

"I can't believe it! Oh, I'm so stupid!" She slapped her forehead. "A camera! Why didn't I think of that? I'm so stupid! Stupid! Ichigo, you wouldn't happen to have a-"

"No!"

"Don't worry, I got one." Rukia held up a camera she bought from the store the other day.

"Gimme!" Rangiku lunged, but Rukia held it out of her reach.

"Don't worry. I already took some pictures when no one was looking. I always carry it around!"

"So you..?"

"Yup! I took a few of him sleeping, a couple of him sucking his thumb, holding his dragon. And even a picture of him making dinner last night. I pulled it out and slipped it away before anyone noticed."

"Oh, you're good."

The conversation ended when a strange noise caught their attention. It was like a falsetto voice speaking in baby-talk. Their heads swiveled about to see Ikkaku tickling Hitsugaya and talking in a high-pitched voice while uttering a bunch of nonsense words.

"Who's a good baby? Who's a good widdle baby boy? You are! Yes, you are! Yes, you widdle-iddy-biddy bubaa-wubba-bubba-ba-ba-boo chu-choo! De-dee-da-dabu-da? Wubba-wubba-woo!" He glanced up at the others. "What?"

"Nothing."

Yumichika raised an eyebrow. "I've just never heard you sound like that before."

"Like what? I'm talkin' to a baby. How else am I supposed to sound?"

Yumichika shrugged and turned away.

"He's not a baby. He just thinks he's a toddler."

"Whatever." Ikkaku went back to tickling him. "I think I like him better this way… When's he changing back to normal?"

"We don't know."

Yumichika turned around. "You don't know? He can't stay like this forever, you know."

"That much we know, but he hasn't shown any signs of returning to normal, and Rukia thinks that it's only temporary and he'll regain his memories in time."

"How much time are we talking?"

All eyes fell on Rukia. She gave a small shrug. "Uh… About a few days… Weeks?"

"So you don't know for sure?"

She shook her head.

Yumichika sat down on the couch. "Well, this sucks… We were sent to find him and bring him back if possible."

"He can't return to the Soul Society like this!"

"Why not?"

"Have you thought about what would happen to him if you do? Hitsugaya thinks he's a toddler. If he returns in this state, he'll be a laughingstock! Can you imagine what would happen if someone like Ukitake or even Gin got a load of him?"

A mischievous smile crept across Ikkaku's face at the metal image. "Heh-heh..!"

"Not funny!"

Yumichika seemed to agree with Ikkaku's view, though. "Actually… I'd love to see the look on Ukitake's face if he saw him like this… That would be something."

"Get you're shoes on, Hitsugaya," Ichigo called from the door. "You're going back."

"Stop joking around, Ichigo!" Rukia hollered back.

"Who said I was joking?"

While all this was going on, Hitsugaya was trying to make himself more comfortable in Rangiku's lap. He shifted this way and that until he was nice and cozy and closed his eyes, sucking his thumb.

Rangiku shifted the bundle in her lap trying to rouse him. "Hey, hey… What are you doing, silly?"

He rubbed his eyes tiredly and said through a small yawn, "I'm sleepy."

Rangiku looked at the clock. "It's barely the afternoon."

Nonetheless, he rested his head against her chest and went back to sucking his thumb. She rubbed his back and rocked him slowly from side to side. If he wanted a nap, he wanted a nap. There was nothing she could do about it. He seemed to want to take a lot of naps now than he did before in his right state of mind. Maybe, judging from all the long hours he put into his work and the many sleepless nights at the Soul Society, he was making up for it now. Soon the rocking had done its job and Hitsugaya was out like a light.

"Alright, alright. He can't stay here forever. I say we get an expert's opinion."

Rangiku looked up. "Expert?"

"Why not?" asked Yumichika. "You want him back to normal right?"

The girls exchanged glances. "Well…"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "As cute as he is now, you know he can't stay like this forever."

"I know but…" Rukia trailed off. She knew he was right and there were no room for 'buts'. The fact was that Hitsugaya needed to return to normal. If the Soul Society was out looking for him then they needed to fix him up, fast. He couldn't return in this state. He couldn't fight, he couldn't work, everyone would have a feild day... It would just cause more trouble. "Alright. Who's this expert?"

Yumichika got to his feet. "Follow me and find out."

Rangiku shifted her captain in an attempt to wake him. "Hitsugaya, sir…" She shook his shoulder. "Wake up."

He merely rubbed his face against her chest and continued to snooze. He didn't want to wake up. So she shook him harder. He frowned and cracked open an eye.

"We have to go."

"Nugh..! Where?" he asked sleepily.

"We're going to find someone to help us out," she whispered softly.

But Hitsugaya wrapped an arm around her neck and hid his face under her arm. "No..! Don't wanna..!" He still wanted to finish sleeping. When Rangiku rubbed his back in another attempt to rouse him, he whined again. "No..!"

"Just carry him!" Ikkaku called from the door. "He doesn't have to be awake until we get there."

"Ok." Rangiku then lifted Hitsugaya's listless body up over her shoulder. Hitsugaya wrapped his arms around her neck for support and went back to sleep.

The long walk turned out to be more than Rangiku had bargained for. Hitsugaya was getting heavy and was starting to slip. She had to ask for help from Rukia when Hitsugaya's body slipped even further. With Rukia's help, they managed to place Hitsugaya on Rangiku's back and carried him piggyback style down the street. Hitsugaya drooled on her shoulder and sucked his thumb peacefully.

Finally they arrived in front of a small shop that looked very familiar.

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo groaned. "Kisuke? Come on."

Yumichika raised a feathery brow. "Do you have any better ideas?"

Ichigo said nothing.

They walked up the path and knocked on the wooden doors. They slid open to reveal the very person they came to see. Kisuke leaned against the doorframe, lollipop in hand.

"Well, well, well… Didn't expect you to be stopping by like this."

"We have a little problem and these two thought that you could help us." Rukia cut right to the chase.

Kisuke stepped outside and looked from one person to another. "Well, what seems to be the problem here?"

All fingers pointed to the bundle on Rangiku's back. Kisuke stepped forward and peered at his slumbering face. "What's up with him?"

"He got hit in the head."

Kisuke brushed a stray lock from Hitsugaya's face. "So he's out cold?"

"No, not now. He was. But the bash seems to have knocked some sense out of him and as a result he thinks he's a little kid."

"How little?"

"A toddler."

Kisuke snorted.

"It's not funny! What's with you guys? Can't you be even a little concerned for him at all?"

Stifling a chuckle, Kisuke tapped Hitsugaya on the head. He rubbed his face against Rangiku's back and gave a sleepy moan. He blinked and blinked again. They weren't walking anymore. He turned his head to the left and found himself face-to-face with a strange looking man in a funny hat. The man smiled and waved at him. He gave a small squeak of fright and hid his face from view. Kisuke chuckled. "I like him! Come on in."

They all sat around at small table in the back room and were served some hot tea.

"I just made it."

"Yeah, yeah. Can we move on?"

Kisuke set his cup down and smiled at Hitsugaya, completely ignoring Ichigo. Hitsugaya hid shyly in Rangiku's arms, unsure of this new stranger.

But Kisuke knew just how to handle kids. "Hey, little guy. Want a lollipop?" He held up a pink lollipop with a swirl in the middle.

That got his attention. Forgetting his shyness, Hitsugaya leapt for the sweet treat.

"That kid's gonna be bouncing off the walls thanks to these guys…" Ichigo muttered under his breath.

Hitsugaya took the fist-sized lollipop in both hands and gave it a test lick. "Mmm! It tastes like watermelon!" He popped it in his mouth and sucked on it greedily.

Kisuke grinned with satisfaction and turned to the rest of the group. "While he's distracted, we can talk in peace. So what can I do for ya?"

They told him the whole story. The moment of the accident, his behavior; everything up to this point.

"Do you know how to solve this problem?"

"Sure! Stop hitting kids in the head with bookcases."

"Not that! How do we cure him?"

Kisuke leaned back and thought. "Well… from what you just told me… I'd say that his injury wasn't that bad. If he was only out for a few seconds… and if the bump was gone… Hmm… I'd say you'd better let nature take its course. Just give him some space and he'll be fine."

"What about them babying him?"

"I don't think that would complicate things, Ichigo. I doubt if that would keep him in this state any longer than he would if he received no childish-attention at all. It doesn't really matter. But the idea of putting him up against a Hollow in order to regain his memory I would have to agree is pretty stupid."

"Ha! I told you!"

"Well, at the time-!"

"Alright, alright. Settle down."

"But is there anything we can do to speed this up?"

Kisuke shrugged. "I don't think you can. Trying to speed this type of thing up would probably do more harm than good. I'd say it's best to just leave it alone. He'll come back to himself in time. You'll see."

Click!

Rukia turned, camera in hand. "Sorry. He's just so cute."

Truth be told, he was. Hitsugaya was nothing short of adorable, the way he held the lollipop in his hand and looked around the room absentmindedly with those big aqua eyes. He seemed to be quite enjoying that lollipop.

Ichigo, however wasn't enjoying himself at all. Once again nothing was solved and everyone discovered what a big idiot he was for having his own ideas. Great…

"If this lasts for any longer than two days, we need to find him another place to stay. He can't stay at my house, you know. We've been through this."

"Don't worry about it! He can stay here," Kisuke offered. "I don't mind. We got plenty of room for the little guy."

"But you can't expect him to work. Not in this state," Rukia warned. "He's too young for that sort of thing."

"Don't worry, I know that. He'll be fine. I've taken it all into account."

"Somehow I don't that since you've only just found out about this now."

"Trust me! I'm responsible!"

It was Rukia's turn to raise her eyebrow.

Just then the door flew open to reveal yet another person.

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Oh, the suspense!

I think I'm going to do two more chapters, so if there's anything you want to see tell me now and I'll see if I can put it in.

Later!

P.S. REVIEW! XD