Chapter 11: All's Well

For Rangiku, waiting was hard when she wasn't allowed to have alcohol, or chat. Before and during some official functions, she would drive her captain up the wall while trying to keep boredom at bay. Today, however, she wished she was bored. Today, waiting was hard for an entirely different reason. It seemed like days had passed since her captain had been eclipsed from her sight by trees, and though she knew that her captain could take care of himself, she couldn't stop worrying.

Rangiku believed that her captain had potential to be the strongest person Soul Society had ever seen. She had seen him take on Hollows and Arrencarr. Had seen him climb from a brat from the Rukongai to a highly skilled and respected captain- the youngest captain in the history of Soul Society. She knew that Hitsugaya-taicho hated being treated as a child, hated being thought of as a child, it was a fact that was hard to escape. He was a child. He hated that fact, but Matsumoto loved it. If her captain shone this brightly at such a young age, what could he accomplish when he grew?

But even as she relished that question, she feared that she would never get to know its answer. It was terrifying beyond words to see her beloved superior in such a weakened and disoriented state. It was even more mind-numbing to realize that they had just sent her weakened, amnesiac child captain into a situation that no one was sure he would walk out of. Without a weapon, no less! She knew Hitsugaya's weakest art was hand to hand combat, and now it was all he had to protect himself with.

She was practically frothing at the mouth with worry, and she knew it, but the others weren't faring much better. Even Watanuki, who had only known Hitsugaya as 'Taicho' was worried for the well-being of the small spirit.

They felt eternity end several times, worry mounting until a figure emerged from the dissipating mist.

Matsumoto was the first to recognize it. "Taicho!" she cried, flinging herself onto the small figure, which struggled and offered muffled protests. She held her captain at arms length and looked him up and down. "Are you alright? What happened? Are you hurt? You found Hyorinmaru- is he alright?"

After re-oxygenating his brain, Hitsugaya snapped, "Getoff, Matsumoto. I'm fine. I'm not hurt, and you can find out after I file a report."

The enthusiastic vice-captain paused in her inspection. She looked hard into her captain's eyes, then started crying. "You remember!" she cried, pulling her superior once again into a tight embrace. She wanted to scold him, to chide, 'Don't you ever worry me like that again!' But he was once again her captain, and she couldn't give orders to her superiors.

This time, Toshiro didn't fight it. "Yeah," he said quietly, "I'm back." He let his head fall against his vice-captain's shoulder, breathing in the once again familiar smell of ashssakecatclothing that was Rangiku's. Her arms shook, and he wanted to tell her, 'Don't worry, I won't ever hurt you like this again,' but he couldn't. Part of their duty was to understand that sometimes people don't come back. This understanding was even more important now than ever since the start of the war. He couldn't lie to Matsumoto, saying that he wouldn't disappear again, because every mission there was always the chance that he wouldn't come back. False hope was a cruel deceiver, and it would hurt worse later than any comfort it would bring now.

Off to the side, the rest of the group watched, Watanuki feeling slightly awkward at witnessing such an emotional scene. Renji and Ichigo didn't have so many inhibitions. "Hey, you two, this reunion is cute and all, but we should get back to the shop," he said. "There are a lot of things to do, people to see..."

"Hinamori!" Toshiro struggled out of Rangiku's hug again as he realized that he was neglecting his childhood friend.

"Alright, Taicho, we'll go back to the shop. I hope Yuuko knows how to get back, cuz I forgot."

"WHAT?"

The shinigami slipped easily back into their roles as the world slowly, comfortingly righted itself around them.

LINE BREAK

The witch was waiting for them in the main room, with tea and snacks ready for all of them when they returned. "Welcome back," she said demurely, sipping her tea. "I see you've succeed, Hitsugaya-taicho."

"You knew the whole time." It wasn't a question. He retained the memories of working in the shop during the terrible period of weeks when everything that had made him who he was had been missing.

"I knew what you were, yes, but not your name."

"What would the payment have been for helping me?" Lacking any real knowledge of anything else, he had observed the goings-on of the shop, and had quickly learned Yuuko's business practices. In a shop that could grant any wish, price was the only limiter.

"Your zanpakuto." Hitsugaya's hand reflexively gripped Hyorinmaru's hilt. He knew Yuuko would never try and take something that was not hers, but his hyper-aware instincts screamed 'threat!' at the very implications of her words. "Really, it's the only payment that would have sufficed for such a large wish. Finding one's self is a very important task... and of course, the payment must be equal to the service."

"I see." And he did. A zanpakuto lost to a shinigami was really equal only to itself, especially for those who had managed to communicate with their swords.

"Indeed." Yuuko sipped her tea.

"Great, now we know why the witch-lady didn't help Toshiro when she had the chance," Ichigo said, completely destroying whatever mood that had been there before. "Can we go home now?"

"How do we go home, anyway?" Renji asked.

Toshiro turned to his rescue group. "You mean NONE OF YOU know how to get home?"

"It was Ichigo's job!" Matsumoto objected. "I mean, it's not like he was much help looking for you!"

"What? It was Renji's job! You guys dragged me along!"

"Then you should have pulled your own weight!" Renji rejoined, trying to catch Ichigo in a headlock.

"I DID pull my own weight! You guys are completely lost about everything in the real world!"

Willing the bickering to fade into the background, Toshiro turned back to the space-time witch. "You know the way for us to get home, don't you," he said. It wasn't a question.

Yuuko smiled over her teacup.

"I'll tell you where Watanuki hid the booze."

LINE BREAK

"Taicho," Matsumoto said after they had squeezed through slats in a fence to get back to the forests of Soul Society, "What happened? I mean, who took you? Why?"

Toshiro remained silent for so long, Matsumoto started to fear that she had asked a question that her captain didn't want to answer. She was about to tell him to forget it when he spoke.

"She never said, but..." he trailed off, carefully not looking at Matsumoto as he spoke, "I think that Aizen forced her to." He paused, trying to collect his thoughts. The little captain was obviously tired, Matsumoto suddenly noted. Their first stop once in Seireitei would be to see Unohana-Taicho, or there would be... consequences.

"Aizen was behind the whole thing," he continued, "But I don't think Jorogumo really cared about who I was, just about paying back her debt. And loopholes," he said with a smirk. "From what I know, Jorogumo was in debt to Aizen, who made her pay it back by sealing my memories away and keeping Hyorinmaru from me."

"So how'd you get 'em back?" Renji asked. He and Ichigo had been respectfully letting the two members of the tenth division talk, not eavesdropping. Not at all.

Toshiro shrugged, an unusually juvenile gesture for him. "Like I said, she liked loopholes. Apparently, Aizen never said how long she had to guard Hyorinmaru."

"Nice," Renji grinned.

Ichigo and Matsumoto voiced their agreement before Ichigo asked, "Um, why are we just walking?"

There was an uncomfortable pause; Matsumoto and Renji had been setting their pace to match Hitsugaya-taicho's, since the highest rank set the pace. He would normally have been using flash-step to get to the white walls of the Seireitei, just visible through the trees. Now, though, it was obvious that the small captain was tired, and not just on a physical level. The initial rush that reuniting with Hyorinmaru had brought on was now wearing away, and everyone could sense how low his reiatsu was.

Matsumoto paused. "That's right," she said, eyeing her captain. "We should get back as soon as we can. Reports and all that."

Renji said nothing, realizing that his drinking buddy was up to something. Ichigo wisely followed his lead.

"Not to mention," the fukutaicho continued, "what Unohana-Taicho will do to us if we didn't rush you back there post-haste."

"What are you-" Hitsugaya managed to get out before he was slung over Rangiku's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Let me go!" he protested.

"No chance. Sorry captain, but you know Unohana-Taicho.." she trailed off as the two other members of the group caught up with them.

"Fine, but only because of Unohana-Taicho"

Rangiku smirked, certain that her petulant captain wouldn't be able to see the expression and reprimand her, then set off.

It wasn't very long that their pace brought them up to the village located just outside the wall of the Court of Pure Souls. Their unusual party gathered a small crowd as they paused to get the ok to enter the wall. Fortunately, Hitsugaya-taicho had fallen asleep shortly after they had set off, so he was unconscious for something that would have, without a doubt, embarrassed him as much as Ukatake-taicho giving him candy during a meeting. Perhaps more.

Jidanbo shook as he held the gate open, tears of joy and relief racking his giant frame. He would have been sobbing loudly and hugging his small friend, but Matsumoto had sent Renji ahead to warn him to be quiet. Hopefully, they would be able to get Hitsugaya all the way to the Fourth Division's barracks without him waking up.

It turned out that that wasn't entirely possible. Rangiku's slowed pace woke the captain somewhat when they entered the city, but he only glared drowsily at the familiar white buildings until they were ushered into a hospital room by nervous members of the Fourth division.

They managed to keep him, though not on the bed, at least in the actual room until Unohana-Taicho arrived. She ushered the three taller people out and examined Hitsugaya alone. Prior experience had taught her that the best way to deal with the touchy child captain was to conduct his examinations in private. She realized that this need to keep such things private was most likely driven by a fear of being seen as inferior, though anyone thinking that Hitsugaya was unfit in any way was likely going to be corrected quickly, the possibility of losing respect terrified the white-haired boy.

Since everyone had their own irrational fears, Retsu respected his. She knew, also, that this fear would diminish in time as he grew.

"It's good to see you again, Hitsugaya-taicho," she said once she had closed the door. Hitsugaya only nodded, and she could tell that he was tired. Better get on with making sure he was alright before he nodded off, she decided.

Fortunately, it turned out that nothing was wrong with Toshiro that wouldn't heal in time. She told him that he was to take it easy, and after hearing the story of what the strange spider-spirit had done, she had recommended that he spend time getting re-acquainted with Hyorinmaru. Through meditation only for the first few weeks, she had stressed. Working himself to the brink of exhaustion, what was likely his first instinct, would do more harm than good in the long run.

After insisting on the importance of taking it easy and returning for regular checkups Retsu let the tired Toshiro go, with orders to Rangiku-san to take him immediately back to his lodgings and to make sure he sleeps. She watched the group leave with a smile, knowing her orders would be obeyed.

LINE BREAK

Rangiku's first instinct was to make sure everybody knew that the captain was back.

Correction: Rangiku's first instinct was to obey Unohana-taicho's orders, then make sure everybody knew the captain was back. Half the job was being done already thanks to Renji and his half of the reporting and the paperwork, but Rangiku had a very special stop to make once she had the captain all settled in. It wasn't exactly on the official itinerary of places she had to go, but there was no way she'd let this person be the last to know- forgotten in the hubbub of bureaucracy.

"Hinamori-chan?" she called.

There was a surprised clatter from inside and a rushing of footsteps before the door slid open to reveal the thin face of Hinamori Momo. She had looked horrible before Rangiku had left, losing what little weight she had rapidly, and it looked like the trend hadn't stopped while the small group had been away. The hope, though, the hope that brought a light to the girl's eyes was something that brought life, painful, wonderful life back to the empty face.

"Rangiku-san! You're back!" she launched herself at her fellow vice-captain, wrapping her arms around Rangiku's waste. "Did you find him?"

Rangiku returned the hug. "Yes, yes we did." There was a happy gasp that turned into a sob and soon the girl was sobbing openly in the older woman's arms. "There, there," Rangiku said. "He's alright, he's fine, and so are you."

"I-I wa-w-was so wo-r-ried! He disa-p-pierd!"

"I know. He'll be very happy to see you again once he wakes up. Unohana-Taicho ordered him to go to bed, but I know he'll want some tea when he wakes up, and I have a ton of paperwork to do," Rangiku sighed. "How could I possibility get my captain his tea? If only there was someone I could trust to make tea the way Taicho likes it..."

Momo giggled a watery giggle into Rangiku's sleeve. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

LINE BREAK

A short closing chapter, but I think that stopping there is probably the safest point. Any more and I might feel compelled to continue, and then this chapter would never be finished; stuck in the limbo of my mind.

Thank you for sticking with this story, and thank you for all the favorites and alerts. The ones that kept coming, especially the ones that kept coming months after I stopped updating really inspired me to go back to this and finish it. Thank you again for all who wanted the closing chapter. This wouldn't have happened without you.

As a special bonus, I present a deleted scene/blooper!

"My next question is: who is Hyorinmaru, and what is a zanpakuto?"

That question seemed to shock them. Both Matsumoto and Renji started. "Geez," Renji muttered, "I know he can't remember his name, but this is just..."

"This is a zanpakuto," Matsumoto said, holding up her sword. "Mine is Haineko. Renji's is Zabimaru. Yours is Hyorinmaru."

Hitsugaya gave the shinigami a blank look. "You guys name your swords?"

"HA!" Ichigo shouted. "I'm not the only one who thinks it sounds weird!"

Thank you all, again, for all the favs, alerts, and especially the reviews!