'Killing civillains is wrong.'
'Killing civillains is wrong.'
'Killing civillains is wrong.'
That was it. Toushiro'd had enough. He didn't believe the statement anymore. "I SAID I'M NOT SINGING THIS CRAP!"
Telling him to sing cheesy love songs. Not even over his dead, cold body.
"Such a mouth," one woman said.
"Really," a man added.
"Toushiro," Tsubaki said. "You're under contract, remember?"
"Not to sing this," he snarled. "I read the whole damn thing, even the fine print. Nothing in that damn thing says I have to sing this!"
The woman sighed. "Do you have any other ideas?"
A light flush on his cheeks, he took a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to her.
"Toushiro, you wrote this?"
He nodded.
"Tsubaki-san?" the woman who just remarked on the shorter's mouth asked.
"This is quite good," she said.
The male gave a polite nod.
"Do you have any others?"
"... Yes."
"Get them here."
"Now?"
"Tommorrow. I'm not going to have your poor mother drive you back and forth twice in one day."
Toushiro was not exactly known for smiles, but there was a small, genuine smile on his face at that moment.
His mother noticed her son's rather sunny demenor (for him, anyway) when she picked him up after work. They were both certain his workload was going to get more stressful and were taking advantage of the light load. She was often with him on her days off, much to what would seem to be his annoyance by most bystanders.
"You seem to have had a good afternoon."
"It was productive."
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Toushiro. You always seemed so sad when you were younger."
"Did I?" he asked, somewhat surprised the woman had noticed in her hectic schedule.
"Yes. You seemed to brighten up quite a bit when you started seeing Ichigo-kun."
A bright blush covered the other's face before he could stop it.
The woman giggled, but then turned serious. "Toushiro, I know your father can be... difficult, but we both love you very much."
The other's gaze darkened. "The man's practically making wedding plans for Hisana and I."
"I know, Toushiro. He just needs some time. And a possible butt-kicking."
"That I can do."
"I'm certain."
"Excuse me?"
"Forgive me, Toushiro, but I saw you with Miss. Hansei in the park when I was driving by one night. Really, you needn't hide your shinigami friends from us."
"That wasn't my intention. I don't know what got into Matsumoto's head, posing as a tutor."
"Matsumoto?"
"Rangiku Matsumoto, the bane of my exsistance."
"Surely she's not that bad."
"She never gets her work done, just piles it sky-high on my desk to go thr- ah..."
"Your desk? The one in your room?"
"That is..."
"Got your lives mixed up again?"
A nod.
The woman chuckled. No, this certainly wasn't the first time her son had referanced something that was every day to him and nonexistant to her. She knew he had been someone very important in this 'Soul Society,' and with great power came great responsiblity, as well as great irritation, it seemed.
"Please, Toushiro," she asked. "Don't be afraid to talk to me."
"As if I would be," he scowled. Once past his inital resent of the woman, the two had bonded quite well. "My explaination gets... strange."
She laughed. "We've had shinigaami living at our house since you were born. Take your best shot."
Taking a deep breath, he began his story.
The two hour drive home went rather quickly. Mrs. Saionji remained engaged in her son's story to the very end.
"So there is something special between you and Ichigo-kun," she concluded while they left the car.
"After everything I just told you, that's what you picked out?"
"Of course. I'm your mother."
"Saionji-san! Toushiro-kun! Welcome home!" Orihime called from her apartment.
"Orihime-chan! How are you?"
"I'm well, thank you! Toushiro-kun, Hisana-chan and Kurosaki-kun are here if you want to come over awhile!"
"Kurosaki."
"Yo."
"Taichou! It's a party!" Matsumoto hiccuped, the only shinigami present who disguarded thier gigai to an obliguing corner. Tsuzuki's was beside it.
"You are not going to my house drunk."
"Your house, Taichou?"
Toushiro, having just finished a rather long story at the end of a very long day, was in no mood to heard the sound of his own voice for any longer than absolutely nessescary. "My mother's invited you all over for dinner, since my father's working late. But no drunks."
"I'm perfectly fine, Taichou!"
He turned to Orihime. "Is Tsuzuki here?" The question was more of a formality, since he could feel her reiatsu nearby and had seen her gigai present. He'd only asked to avoid rudely going through the healer's house.
"Yeah. She's in my room, getting dress-" A bright blush crossed her face before she could continue.
Toushiro rubbed the bridge of his nose. Not something he'd needed to know. "Would you go get her?"
"Sure."
"Kurosaki, hold down Matsumoto."
Ichigo barely caught the woman before she damn near flew out the window. "Taichou, it's not fair!"
"I am not subjecting that poor woman to a drunk fukutaichou."
"You needed me, Taichou?" Tsuzuki asked upon entry.
"Sober up Matsumoto."
Ichigo's eyebrow arched.
The fifth seat raised her hands in front of her. "Combat Art 82: Flood!" A torrent of water from her to the fukutaichou, and of course, orange-haired taichou.
"Now I'm wet too, you jackass!"
"All right, we can go."
"Toushiro!
"Taichou!"
"Fine. You two have five minutes to dry off."
"Toushiro!"
"Taichou!"
"All right, we'll leave now."
The two did manage to dry off before the 10 year old herded (and forced back into faux bodies) all from the apartment.
Mrs. Saionji welcomed them with open arms, and in twenty minutes time, set out a grand meal before them.
"This is wonderful, Mrs. Saionji!" Orihime exclaimed, and all agreed.
"Thank you, and you all can call me 'Yasumi,' if you like. And I have a question for you three, if you don't mind," she said to the visiting shinigami.
"Ok." Matsumoto.
"Yeah?" Tsuzuki.
"Shoot." Ichigo.
"How is it sometimes others can see you, and sometimes not?"
"Dad didn't explain about gigai?"
"Oh, you mentioned those. What are they?"
"A... false body shinigami can use when thier powers have depleted or need to play human awhile."
"Really? To think such technology exsists."
"Even if it is in the world of the dead," Tsuzuki joked.
"I must say, this 'Soul Society' seems very much like the living world."
"As far as I can tell," Ichigo stated. "Soul Society is a middle ground for people not ready to let go of the world, or still want to help it, anyway."
"Did that just come out of you, Kurosaki?" Toushiro asked.
"Children should be seen and not heard."
"Asshole."
"Toushiro, language."
The front door shut a bit more loudly than normal. "Yasumi, I didn't know we had quests tonight."
"Kori!" the woman exclaimed at the sight of her husband. "I had thought you were working late tonight, so I let Toushiro have a few people over."
"Hn. I'll take my dinner at my desk. I still have work to do."
"I'll make you a plate."
The man said nothing more and left the room.
"Man, Toushiro. Your dad's disposition is about as bright as yours."
"Perhaps, but even I don't say some of the things he does when you're not around."
Ichigo's spoon stopped in front of his mouth. "Like what?"
"Mother, may I have seconds?"
"Of course!"
"Like what?"
"Let it go, Kurosaki."
"Like what?"
"Please, pay his comment no mind," Yasumi asked.
"...Kay," he sulked, but continued eating.
Most of the group left almost three hours later, but Ichigo stuck around. Yasumi excused herself, leaving him and Toushiro with a Monopoly board.
"Man, this doesn't really work with two people, does it?"
"I won anyway."
"'Took over' would be more accurate," the taller replied, cursing the other's good luck with the game. How was he supposed to know Toushiro would kick ass at a game he'd barely seen, let alone played?
"You're just pissed I took all your money."
"Hey, about your dad..."
"We are not discussing my father."
"It used to be we weren't discussing your mother."
"My mother has an advantage over my father."
"Oh?"
"She has a personality."
"Is that a fact?"
"Yes. If he says anything to me, it's about how I should spend more time with Hisana," the white-haired male looked up from putting the game away. "And how I should spend less with you."
"Does he think I'm gonna molest a 10-year-old or something?"
"Probably."
"Idiot."
"Finally."
"What?"
"We agree on something."
Ichigo chuckled.
"By the way, Mother, I know when I'm being spied on."
The taller looked over his shoulder to see the woman disapper around the corner.
Still, when Ichigo left the house, he almost turned back into it.
"No," a calm voice from his psyche advised.
"Why not?"
"Any action you'd take now would likely lower that man's opinion of you further."
"I don't think that's possible."
"Just wait, Ichigo. If a confrontaion arises, deal with it. Don't go looking for one."
"Tch. It's just one thing after- WAH!" He was knocked out of the concersation, suddenly not walking, but being carried. "Dad? What the hell are you doing now?"
"There's a lovely woman that awaits your arrival, Ichigo!" Isshin proclaimed. "We mustn't make her wait!"
"What the hell are you babbling about?" the other continued to yell, trying to break free.
"Your mother, my stupid son!"
"...Mom?"
Ichigo had never about actually seeing his mother again. The chance was there, yes, but to think his father had known all this time where she was...
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Ichigo! Don't kill Daddy!"
"You bastard! You've known all this time?"
"She asked me not tell!"
"Mom did?"
"Yes! She thought that if you still felt so guilty about her death, you probably shouldn't see her!"
"So she changed her mind?"
"I told her how well you were doing!" Isshin seemed very proud of himself. "And that seeing her again would likely do you some good."
A look of surprise crossed the younger male's features a moment, then scrunched up in discust. "How the hell would you know what's good for me, old man?" he yelled, landing yet another dead-on punch.
"No matter!" the other declared, bouncing back miraculously. "We go!"
Ichigo rolled his eyes, but still followed.
"RUKONGAI?"
"Calm down, you'll wake the town!"
"Why the hell does Mom live in Rukongai?"
"Because," a kind, feminine voice said from behind the younger shinigami. "There are many motherless children here that need to be cared for."
Ichigo turned slowly, brown eyes wide. He knew that voice anywhere. "M-Mom?"
"You've grown into a fine young man, Ichigo, just like I knew you would."
His cheeks flushed slightly. "T-Thanks... It's good to see you, too."
Masaki smiled. "Come inside, won't you?"
"Sure."
Isshin thought that an opportune moment to leave the two alone and left.
Toushiro blinked. 'I must have spaced out again,' he realised, seeing the book in front of him still on the same page. It wasn't like him, no, but when he did, he usually recalled something about his past. This time, he could remember nothing, just a very warm feeling and a violent urge to take a very cold shower. Something had just played out in his mind, though, that much he was sure of...
"This house functions as a home for children who haven't found thier parents yet," Masaki Kurosaki explained.
"Like an orphanage," Ichigo said, taking a seat beside her.
"I try not to call it that. Children do find thier parents most of the time."
"Most?"
"Yes."
"But I hear your life has taken an interesting turn, Ichigo."
"Not the word I'd use... I don't think there is a word to describe it, really."
"He remembers you, yes?"
"Well, yeah... starting to, anyway... He mostly just remembers his captaincy and Soul Society." The shinigami seemed to get lost in his own thoughts. "There are sometimes, in the morning, I go straight to the 10th Division building to bug him. I never remember before I see that empty office."
"Old habits are hard to break. You do visit him?"
"Yeah. He actually visited me the other night. Tsuzuki's startin' to give him too much freedom. If something happened to him-"
"She likely knows no good will come of coddling such a headstrong boy. And of all he could have done or those he could have gone seen, he chose you."
Ichigo smiled. "How do you do that?"
"Do what, love?"
"Make the bad stuff seem so insignificant."
"Must be the mother thing."
"Yeah. Guess so."
After a talking awhile longer and a tight hug good bye, Ichigo went home, promising to visit soon.
"Toushiro... you're so beautiful."
"I'm a guy, Kurosaki," the other replied, completely not impressed. The mood was gone, Ichigo knew that for certain when the other sat up.
"Toushiro! Learn to take a damn compliment!"
"Perhaps when you offer one."
The taller was getting scared. Just one well-intentioned remark had completely pissed his dragon off. There was only one thing he could do, if he wanted to save his hide, anyway.
Grovel.
Hard.
"Fine, then," he smirked. "Toushiro, you are not only the strongest and most powerful taichou of the 13 Squads, but you are an amazing kisser and probably lover if you would come down off your high horse long enough for me to find out. Better?"
"Still needs work," the other replied, but with a smirk.
Ichigo snickered. Of all the times they'd had sex, he really hoped the first time Toushiro remembered wasn't thier first.
"Something funny about that request, Ichigo-kun?" Matsumoto asked from her desk.
"No," the male replied plainly.
"Oi! Shuuei! Want to go drinking again to night?" she asked the other male.
"No," he replied immediately.
"You went drinking with Matsumoto?" the taichou asked in disbelief. "Are you insane?"
"Apparently," the male fukutaichou replied. "There were several others, too."
"But you were the most fun!" the woman stated happily.
Hisagi muttered something incoherent.
"Wow," Ichigo said. "Now I'm glad I didn't go."
"You should have, Ichigo-kun! It was SO much fun!"
The other fukutaichou held his silence.