Hello everyone! So sorry for this late update, I got really ill the last few days and I refused to try writing when my head was so foggy. I think bad story plot would appear, and did not want that! Ctofl1, Matsumoto wasn't forgotten I promise! She returns in this chapter rather quickly actually. Hope you all are enjoying the story! Please review and comment! Let's continue!
Renji was more aware of things then Rukia or others gave him credit for, for example, he noticed when Rukia was depressed, and pissed her off on purpose to alleviate said sadness. He noticed when Matsumoto attempted to weasel him into something, and often passed it on to one of the other guys, usually Kira, who never realized it until it was too late. He also knew when Ikkaku and Yumichika would get a hold of good sake and would 'randomly' show up to visit them, and he knew when to leave the party when the same two started getting overly friendly with each other, something they till swore never happens.
However, the 6th squadrons lieutenant was starting to become aware of something he couldn't quite figure out. The red head knew his captain had been searching for Ichigo harder than he let on. He also knew the man was deeply troubled by the boy's painful plight. You would have to be downright blind not to see the two of them had formed some trusting bond these last two weeks, even more ignorant would you need to be not to see that Kuchiki Byakuya had become increasingly protective of the young man. Yet the warmth that his captain had shown was something that had the red head both smiling appreciatively and scratching his head over. How deep did this bond go?
He had appeared in Kurosaki's room multiple times over the course of the late afternoon and early evening. Each time checking on both his sleeping drained friend and reporting to his ever-vigilant captain. What had shocked him each time was that the Noble had not only stayed in the room to watch over him but had let the boy hold his hand. The entire time since the young man had fallen asleep he had neither let go nor left his side. It had been an hour since he last approached the room, night had fully taken over, and most people had eaten supper.
Urahara had told him that their friend was unlikely to awaken till morning, but Renji still fixed a tray to feed two. Ichigo had the habit of surprising people, and Renji did not feel comfortable at the thought of him waking up hungry after his ordeal. Besides, he knew his captain fairly well. The noble would have sent him down to fix Ichigo's plate regardless. He had just lifted the tray and turned to leave the kitchen when the back door opened. Glancing quickly back he caught the form of his fellow lieutenant standing in the doorway, he let his body relax again.
"Matsumoto, its about time! Been gone all bloody day!" She grunted, and he realized she was wearing an unusually grim face for such a bubbly character. "What's up?" She stepped into the room, moved aside and motioned at the smaller figure behind her. Renji nearly dropped the tray on the floor. Standing there, wearing a shit all grin, was none other than the other child that they were supposed to be weary of, since the girl had attempted to kill them. The boy had one hand in his pocket, and wore overly large sunglasses. The child raised his other hand and waved.
"Yo," He chuckled darkly, "Pineapple head looks ready to shit himself." Renji slammed the food back on the counter with a loud clang.
"Fuckin little bastard!" Face red as his hair, he spat at Matsumoto, "What the Fuck is he doing here?!" He pointed at the kid, his finger shaking in obvious rage. The boy cackled, throwing his head back.
"Yes, why is this boy here Matsumoto?" The three twisted their heads in the direction of the hallway, standing in the entrance, still barefoot, was a smiling Urahara. "I feel it's past this child's bedtime.
With a groan that spoke volumes of what she was feeling, Matsumoto waved vaguely at the child. "If this thing's a child he has never heard of bed time Kisuke."
"Thing?! Ain't you nice woman," He cackled at her eye roll and pointed upwards. "Is the king sleeping again?" Renji froze, only one person ever called Ichigo that.
Urahara merely smiled wider, he had suspected something was off about the kid the moment he walked into the room. "So…your Kurosaki's hollow, I see..." Shiro tilted his head, grinning.
"How exactly are you standing…outside young Ichigo? Its…curious you understand?" The boy like form that was the dark side of their young friend just shrugged his shoulders.
Reaching up he pulled off the sun glasses, golden pupils now stared back at the three soul reapers. "That's a long story blondie, and there are quite a few things we need to talk about first." Renji spluttered on the nickname the older Shinigami had received.
"Show some respect!" Shiro smiled at him.
"Oy pineapple, calm your ass," Rolling his eyes he glanced back at the scientist. "Hey, I can show respect, no worries…how's Mr. Blondie? That fucking better?" Matsumoto had to hold Renji back from jumping the hollow.
Chuckling the blond man said, "considering my nickname from your counterpart I feel very respected, now shall we sit down and have a decent chat?" Ignoring the stuttering Renji he motioned for them to take a seat at the table. The boy sat down, one elbow on the table, chin resting on his hand. Matsumoto followed suite but before they could start speaking Renji pointed at the ceiling again.
"What about Captain Kuchiki?"
"Ah…yes…the young Byakuya would be highly displeased if we left him out of this new development. Arabria, would you bring up Kurosaki's food and alert the Captain?" Renji nodded at Urahara, glanced at Shiro, then retreated upstairs.
"Matsumoto would you make us some tea? This may take some time." Rangiku quickly complied. She needed the hot beverage rather badly and knew it would calm all their nerves, especially a certain cold noble who would find this hollow vexing.
Shiro chuckled smiling darkly at the scientist across the table. "Ya'll would think your soul reapers didn't like me very much." Urahara smiled shrewdly.
"Now-now little hollow, we don't detest you in the slightest." The boy snorted in amusement. "I myself, have always found you highly amusing and I am sure a certain scientist in charge of the 12th division would be overjoyed if you dropped him a visit at his lap…he like's things he can take apart and play with you see."
Matsumoto swallowed audibly, sweat pouring down her face, as she rejoined the table. The two powerful males in front of her, though different in both height and appearance, were uncannily similar. They were obviously sizing each other up. They sat smiling darkly, amused by what they saw.
"Next time I get free reign of the King I will be sure to visit all of Serieitei, I am sure there are plenty of fun things to play with in soul society, though personally your shop was always a hoot, you still have them brats looking after it?" The blond man's smile darkened.
Rangiku hoped Renji hurried back with the Captain.
Byakuya stood by the window, the sky now dark, he could have been looking at the moon. The bright evening sky did not hold the noble's concentration. Instead he was transfixed on his own hand. This hand had held the boys for hours. That warm hand had held onto Byakuya's tightly. The dark-haired captain could still fill the skins heat. His palm felt tingly. He placed his hand against the cold glass of the widow. What was wrong with him. Why did he wish to protect the boy to this level?
He remembered holding his wife's hand, her illness leaving her bedridden most of their time together. Hers had been warm too, till the end, when it went colder, as death took her. He shivered and shook the thought off. He glanced back at the man sleeping in bed. The boy was breathing steadily, though he remained pale. He had finally stopped moaning fitfully an hour ago. Obvious bad dreams had plagued the man for most of the day. Knowing what the child had been through in life and after the soul reaper wasn't' surprised, though he did wonder if Ichigo recalled what he dreamed. The boy had always been prideful however, and the noble doubted if he would ever find out, as the boy would not likely speak about it later.
He watched as Ichigo snuggled into the pillow, a softer face then he had worn for the last several hours. He looked content, relaxed. This made the noble happy. His head cocked to the side. The boy may never speak of what hurt him, but he had asked for the noble to stay with him. That had surprised and pleased him. For this strong-willed man, it was so rare for weakness to be known. Captain Kuchiki felt that if he could help the young man feel calmer, even if only slightly, then he could start repaying the substitute soul reaper for all he had done.
He tried to ignore the fact that he wanted to be the one to give the boy this type of comfort. The younger man's hand clenched at the blanket. Byakuya looked away, his eyes dancing back to his own which had held onto that very hand only thirty minutes ago. It tingled again, he rubbed the palm slightly, wondering why the boy was giving him this reaction.
The boy had asked him to stay, not his best friend Renji, nor his previous sensei Urahara. Ichigo couldn't remember them now, nonetheless, the noble couldn't help but feel slightly contented that he had asked him to stay over them. That hand had been so unlike his own, the fingers warmer. He glided his own fingers across his palm, recalling the warmth of Ichigos. He was glad he could support him. He smiled. A choking sound alerted him to someone else being nearby.
When Renji found him standing there, his captain wasn't moon gazing, he was staring down at his hand. He didn't seem to register the room's door opening, or that his second in command stood close by. Renji found himself observing the noble for several silent moments.
The pale man seemed utterly fascinated by his palm. He kept rubbing his thumb over its surface, as if the skin would change. As Renji watched, the man squeezed his hand a few times. What shocked the red head was the look of serious contemplation that graced his leaders features as he studied his hand. Renji opened his mouth but froze in the act of speaking as he witnessed the man's other hand lifting slowly. He watched fingers carefully caressing the flesh. Then he let out a shocked gasp as the cold noble smiled. He Actually smiled!
Byakuya jumped, his eyes darting to his right, his hands falling to his side. Standing there was his Lieutenant. He inclined his head in acknowledgment. His facial features showing nothing. Renji kept the grin hidden as he reported the predicament downstairs. Renji wasn't blind, he knew that his captain was feeling attachment to Ichigo. He just didn't understand why this attachment was confusing the noble, it was highly amusing.
Renji noted that his captain kept his eyes on the boy longer than normal before leading the way downstairs. He let his lips curl up in a smile and followed.
Shiro was a thought-provoking child, especially since he wasn't really a child at all. When the noble and his subordinate joined them once more in the kitchen they found that the hollow had taken 'relaxed atmosphere' to a whole new level. A smirking Urahara was peering over the top of his tea at the creature, and poor Matsumoto had a twitching eye that told of frustration. The hollow, meanwhile, was yawning with his legs crossed and up on the table. He was leaning back drinking his own tea in great gulps while chortling at something the scientist was saying. He stopped at the approach of the two soul reapers, and gave Byakuya a mock salute.
"Yo Capt, looking like you got stick up your ass like always I see." Byakuya stilled, one eyebrow rising as the only sign of emotion. Renji continued the spluttering from before. Matsumoto groaned, her face now covered by her hands. Urahara laughed.
"Is this the creature Abarai was speaking about?"
"Yep, no other fun monsters in the room now is there Byakuya?" The hollow snickered. Sitting upright again. "Shall we start then? Getting tired of trading snarky comments with this crazy blond fucker." He quirked his thumb at the scientist who chuckled darkly. They motioned for Byakuya and Renji to join them for tea.
"Now would you mind telling us why you are detached for Ichigo, what happened to Ichigo and how you came to be known as a hapless child to him?" Urahara started. The hollow raised his face up from his hand, his elbow again resting on the table.
"First off, I ain't separated from the king, second it would be best if you don't go spilling the beans to your friend that I am not that weak little boy he has gone adopted." Byakuya shared a glance with the blond scientist.
"Why is that? Shouldn't he be aware that your you?" Matsumoto asked.
"Whadda ya mean you're still attached, you're sitting here, and he is up there snoring!" Renji pointed in a general direction of his sleeping friend. The hollow snorted, glaring at the red head.
"Fucking say I am attached then I am, our souls' can't be separated or we both die asshole."
"Both die?!" Byakuya interrupted sharply.
"Course, I am apart of his soul, he is my king, though maybe one day I change that, fact is I would need him as he needs me. Like surviving without your lungs, ain't possible is it?"
"Then why are you sitting at this table?" Urahra inquired.
"Simple…I fell out or should I say jumped, when the King died, had too, or the soul would have been obliterated." There was a collective intake of breaths around the table.
"Now hold your shit, I am still here, and so is he, see I say jumped out but what I really mean is he pushed me, as the king was dying, as far as possible away from him."
"Ichigo pushed you-"Renji began.
"Fuck not him, he couldn't have done much at that time, he was trying desperately not to get devoured wasn't he? Nah it was that other part of Ichigo, the other half of us." They all stared at him then Urahara made a gasping sound, his eyes wide.
"Yeah that guy, the annoying Quincy, the curly haired emotionless dick." He smiled fondly. "Course I took a bit of him with me too." He reached up and tapped the dark messy curls on top of his head.
"That's why I can disguise myself as long as I got the eyes covered. Course a bit of me is left behind in the King, clinging to the Quincy part of him." They all sat contemplating this information for a few moments.
"But…but why did he push you out at all?" Rangiku asked, her tea long forgotten. The hollow sighed, a strange look of frustration on his face.
"Cause if he hadn't pushed me out at that second we both knew the king wouldn't have survived what happened. The king was nearly devoured when he died. His soul ripped and pulled in different directions. Our mutual powers were much to strong for the kid to handle so we had to force some of it out."
"Why you then and not the Quincy part?"
One eye closed as the hollow thought on that, "hmm I would say because I can be unstable in my helping the king, my powers are erratic, while the Quincy is focused. Course that isn't really the point, my mind may have taken over this form," he motioned at himself lazily, "but the power in it is from both hollow and Quincy. The Quincy stayed behind to piolet that mixed bit that is left of both of us inside Ichigo." He grinned toothily, "Poor bastard has very little power, as most was sent off with me."
"Your saying the two powers are mixed?" Urahara asked.
"It was always mixed, remember Ichigo has a double sword, that is from his mixed heritage. I am one side, and Zangetsu is the other." He smiled happily again, "The king even accepted that when we fought the quinces. He chose me too." His voice was full of pride.
Urahara scratched his chin, shared another look with the noble before continuing his questions. "can you return to Ichigo now?"
"Now? No. Ichigo is much too weak, that would utterly destroy us. No, not now, in time hopefully, once his soul is healed."
"You want to return to Ichigo?" Byakuya asked seriously.
"Tch...course I do, we are the same, feel like I am missing bits of me too, not that I don't like taking over the reins here and there, but I am not supposed to be apart from him, it is unpleasant."
Everyone took that information and filed it away.
"So why haven't you told him anything yet?" The hollow eyed them humorously.
"Fuck knows I approached him with this thought, yet he didn't' recognize me. Knew at once he didn't know shit bout himself neither. I knew something wasn't right. Getting a head of myself though. Should start from the beginning, when death came for the king." A Hushed silence darkened the room, no one wanted to remember the young hero's last fight on earth. Shiro smirked. "Yeah not pleasant bedtime story is it?"
"First off, those things, the creatures that merge with everyone, I take it you all have gotten suspicious bout them yes?"
"I thought they were destroyed?" Renji's fist was turning white as he clenched it on the table.
"Well sure, you destroyed one, the queen bee so to speak, wiped out quite a large number. Unfortunate, that same thing had set in motion another, they had already merged with a dead hollow. The king remembers this one well, it was the grand fisher."
"What!?" Urahara waved his hand out in agitation, "he is gone, Issin took care of it, I watched it die!"
"You watched it get sent to hell, where, if you recall, those creatures liked to visit and that is where it found him." Urahara cursed.
"He can 'lure' things to him, and he lured Ichigo, with his own body, after stealing it."
"That doesn't explain why Ichigo chose to jump back into it without a care to the battle."
"It was unlikely that Kurosaki would have entered his living body nonchalantly."
"No…but the grand fisher had acquired some hypnotic tendencies. Those powers were used on the king, and he felt he had every right to return to his weak human mortal body."
Matsumoto had her hands over her mouth, she brought them down shakily, trying to forget the scenes playing out in her head. "But why…it makes no sense, they could have killed Ichigo with his body being empty. Why bring the soul in first?"
"Was it just to cause pain?"
"No, that wasn't it was it?" Asked Urahara, his eyes dark. Shiro spat on the ground, eyes livid.
"Fuck no!" He snarled, "The little shits wanted the power in his soul, so they needed him incapacitated, they lured him into his weak human form and tried to merge with him." Silence followed that outburst. Matsumoto had her hands over her mouth again. Renji's head was down, his fist still white, Urahara's hair covered his eyes, lips set grimly.
Byakuya sat stone faced, thinking. Ichigo, Ichigo had died, and they had tried to merge his soul with a monster, they had tried to destroy Ichigo completely. Shiro was watching the noble intently. Locking eyes Shiro's face showed interest. Byakuya wondered why the hollow was looking at him that way.
"The merge didn't' happen right?" Shiro kept staring at Byakuya but responded to Renji's question.
"Not exactly, Ichigo was more than that thing could chew, he fought with his all, and nearly destroyed himself in the process." He shook his head, grimly recalling. "I remember we died, then we appeared inside this hallway, and we were being dragged down it, it was agonizing, pieces of us were ripping apart, shredding and flying down that hall into a dark doorway. Ichigo was clawing at the sides, screaming, "Fuck no!" he was scared." Everyone had felt a pang of both happiness at hearing Ichigo's trade mark stubbornness and sorrow at hearing his terror.
"What happened next?"
"He started throwing himself at the sucking hole, well bits of himself, his power mostly. The thing was ripping him to shreds. Then it seemed to gorge too much. The hallway started to shake, the door bulged outwards, the power caused that creature to explode out, at that moment his soul almost shattered.
They all thought back at the time when Ichigo's own reiatsu had caused a back lash that had hit them all.
"For a long time after things were very fuzzy. It took time to even realize we were still there. His soul was barely together. He came out of his body, and we were sent back to soul society, but…as we started to go back his soul couldn't take it, it started breaking apart. Something was still attached to him. Pulling this way and that. The power that was in him was destroying what was left. That is when we decided to separate from him, or pull away, to keep him from breaking." Byakuya felt a deep guilt, he had done the deed that had nearly destroyed Ichigo, he had sent him to soul society.
"Ichigo and I were separated once we arrived here. It took me a few weeks to find him. People didn't like my eye color…so I stole sunglasses from a stupid man who tried to attack me, calling me monster. I was starving within a day or two however, and a child and her mother took me in. I stayed with them till I started to regain my strength back but then the girl's mother died mysteriously a week later." They were shocked to hear what sounded like regret in the hollow's voice. Shiro shook his memories off and continued speaking.
"Around that time these strange creatures appeared." He pulled out the bottle he had shown Matsumoto, laying it on the table softly. Everyone stared at it disgusted.
It rippled and formed teeth then lost shape again. Shiro grinned evilly at it. "This one was for me, didn't know what hit it." He laughed darkly. "The girl was infected, I realized it within minutes of capturing this one." He tapped the jar, the creature turned into a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, that seemed to roar at him silently before becoming shapeless once more. "they are so like the other monsters that I can only fathom they are evolved from them. I pretended to be infected too, wasn't hard, they just need to sense one of their own alive on me to believe it."
"May I look?" Shiro nodded, Urahara reached out and lifted it to eye level. "It is uncannily like the merging monsters from before, but instead of just gaining the powers they inherit the bodies too." They sat in silence a long time before he voiced an unpleasant idea. "Ichigo's death may have caused the infected Grand Fisher to spread his seeds."
"What?!"
"They take the form of someone they infect or kill." He lifted the creature high, so they could all look at it. "But only one can merge and collect that gift, unless it separated into multiple pieces, and thus kept a shared trait."
"But how could it do that?"
"Ichigo…Kurosaki Ichigo." Urahara glanced back at the hollow, whose eyes had narrowed. "Am I right?"
"Yes…That could be plausible." Renji and Matsumoto looked confused, Byakuya looked ashen.
"Let me explain," Urahara placed the bottle back down, it wreathed about revoltingly "for a new colony to be made, a great jolt of power would have been needed, that great jolt came from an unlikely source. As he died, Ichigo fed his devastating reiatsu to the creature that had ate Grand Fisher, a hollow that could take the form of things it killed, that power it ate… gave life to a whole new set of them, as though the new queen bee gave birth to a swarm of evolved wasps."
An echoing gasp of dread filled the room.
"What happened after that, how did you find Ichigo?" Shiro sighed, rubbing his temples.
"That part was easier than I thought, a fisherman took us two children on as apprentices, he was cruel, but only when people were watching. This was because he was being controlled too. A set up was made, to lure in a bigger prey, and I could sense who it was, and played along. I needed to know what they wanted." He narrowed his dark eyes in thought.
"It was obvious they wanted to eat Ichigo, the girl and I were 'saved' by Ichigo and eventually adopted by him, and then we watched over him. Of course, once alone I attempted to speak to Ichigo, but he never could recall me, and my eyes caused him pain."
"Pain?" Byakuya asked sharply.
"Similar to what your steal eyes do Byakuya," The hollow grimaced at the memory. "He didn't' take to it at all, so I took to never taking my sunglasses off."
"Why isn't he eaten then?"
"Why the elaborate ruse, if he was weak couldn't they finish him off?"
"That is because they cannot handle him all at once. They do it slowly. I need to return to him before they finish him off." He glared at the creature again, eyes full of hate.
"I can't return to him till he is whole…. but he can't become whole until he regains his lost bits. They are slowly sucking it out of him, those parts of him are going somewhere, but I haven't been able to find it." He slammed his hand down hard on the wood, anger in his gold eyes.
"Is that why you haven't fought them off yet?"
"Sheesh, I can't fight what I can't find. We sometimes met up with this other woman, Ichigo called her Moeko. She looked to be older, but Ichigo always called her young. He is hypnotized by her. Like he is hypnotized by Kinto. He ignores or oddities."
"Hypnotized?" Shiro nodded grimily, then pulled his sleeve up, reveling two silver bands.
"These suckers, they cling together and Ichigo gets all strange, only worked on him so far, not sure why. Maybe they use something else to enthrall others, but these silver bands work on him alone." Urahara reached out his hand, palm up. Shiro shrugged and removed them, allowing the Shinigami to study them.
"They have strange carvings on them, maybe a from of spell." He handed one to Byakuya who twisted it in hand, glaring down at the thing that had ensnared their friend. "What have you been doing if you haven't stopped them?" The hollow snorted in anger.
"Fucking keeping the King alive, long as I am here they can't get all of him see, and I sent word to you lot, hoping you would send some strong ones this way."
"Wait what?!"
"Yeah, I sent word of the missing folk, had too, the people round here refuse to admit anything is amiss, like to be ignorant of monsters living about." He grinned, "Glad you finally made it, waited long enough."
"So, the report that I read in Serieitei was instigated by you?" Asked Byakuya, slightly thankful and slightly irritated that a hollow had brought him to Ichigo. Shiro glanced at him, his eyes narrowed in thought again as he studied the noble.
"Ya know…I think I know why Ichigo seems so obsessed with your voice and eyes captain," Byakuya glared at him, "Yeah has to be that."
"What exactly are you speaking about?" Ask Urahara, glancing between the two. "We have been curious at the connection."
"Well…He was, not happy, but relieved when you stepped up back then, when you sent him on to soul society." Byakuya's was surprised.
"Ichigo…felt relived?" He had felt guilt since this conversation started. After he heard what had happened since he sent Ichigo into Soul Society, about Ichigo's soul nearly breaking.
"Course he felt relief, he had to go, and everyone else couldn't do it. He knew he could count on you." He cocked his head to the side smiling slightly. "Yeah, the king thought you looked cool, standing there. Last thing he remembered before he forgot it all, your eyes looking into his and then…you spoke, and those eyes and your voice followed him as he disappeared."
Shiro recalled those words…they kept repeating in Ichigo's head as he fell apart… 'Rest Ichigo, there is a place for you in Soul Society.' Those eyes and those words had kept the king from allowing himself to be destroyed, Shiro was grateful to the dark-haired Shinigami.
"Kurosaki knows he can trust Captain Kuchiki?" Renji felt a small smile form on his lips. "That is good news, right?"
"Hmm, I would expect that is why Ichigo has taken to Byakuya more so than the others, he feels safer with him, even if he doesn't know why."
Byakuya thought back on the previous hours, on the boy cradled in his arms shivering in pain. He suddenly wanted to say those last words to him again, wanted him to know he was safe now. Mostly he wanted to be able to look the boy in the eyes again, and not cause him pain. Shiro was still eyeing him, the noble looked away and the hollow snorted, amused.
"So now what happens? What about Ichigo and Shiro?" The hollow glanced at Matsumoto who had kept mostly silent throughout the explanation. "Do we keep it a secret or what?"
The green cladded scientist leaned back, humming to himself for a moment. Then he stood, and walked towards the stairs, "For now we should not force more than young Kurosaki can handle. We will continue with the therapy in the morning. We will hopefully be able to trace the cause of his pain from the readings we get."
"Arabria allow the hollow to sleep in our room with you, I will take the spare bed in Ichigo's room." Byakuya stood and followed the ex-Shinigami up the stairs.
"Wait!" Renji jumped to his feet. "Why do I gotta share a room with…wait Captain!" Shiro laughed.
"Where is my bed then pineapple head?" Renji glared at him. Matsumoto chuckled, stretched and patted the red head on his shoulder when she left the room.
"Easy Renji, that nickname suits you, and Ichigo always liked it too." He spluttered at her laugh then let out a breath of resignation.
"Little shit better not snore." The Hollow grinned. Matsumoto stopped at the stairway and caught Renji's eye again, her face in confusion.
"Wait…what was the therapy Kisuke mentioned?" Renji abruptly recalled an interesting bit of information. He grinned evilly.
"About that Matsumoto…no laughing around Kurosaki." He left her looking bewildered and took the hollow to their now shared room.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, I got a lot of explanations out of the way and the fun therapy sessions get to continue in the next chapter. It was really hard fitting in Shiro's back story, mostly because I changed his importance after all this time. I hope it all makes sense! You know I didn't realize how much I liked Matsumoto until I started writing this fic. I never gave her too much thought before but have loved writing her character. I am usually a huge Kenpachi fan, and yes, I will write a fanfic with him eventually. Sad, I haven't had much use for him in this story. Hope you all enjoyed the update, another soon to come!
Till next time!
Anavas88