A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, but I'm in Wyoming right now. ;;; I'm actually on a tour of Yellowstone... well... not really, more of just a trip that happens to include stopping at Yellowstone for two days. But I visited lots of places and I think you'll all be happy to know that my writer's block is GONE! Yay! Happy happy! So here's a new chapter for all y'all, and there's only ONE more after this till the first volume is over! Gosh is this exciting and... kinda sad. But ENJOY it all the same!

Track Thirteen:

Wholesome

/Two halves to a whole. Two fourths to a half. Then just add some more. But that's all just a laugh\\

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I nodded and took a deep breath. Hitsugaya sighed behind me, a frown on his face.

"Alright then, but don't you dare break down again, like you did last time, and start yelling at me," he warned, albeit teasingly. I rolled my eyes and glared at him. He out on his trade-mark smirk and led me into the shining light behind the opened doors. A burst of wind and blinding light later, I was in the human world once more. I grinned as I looked upon the familiar road. Even the trees seemed welcoming and the sky was a crisp, light blue, occasionally dotted with wisps of pale clouds. The sounds of cars rumbling down the street seemed all so homely to me.

"C'mon, we'll go to Urahara's and we'll have Takamori meet us there," Hitsugaya said, walking off towards the distinct locations of the corner candy shop. I followed closely behind him and stood quietly as he knocked on the door.

"Ohanyou gozaimasu! And welcome to Urahara's Candy Shop. I'm Urahara Kisuke, otherwise known as the owner of this-"

"Damare Urahara. We don't need your babbling to start off the day," Hitsugaya drawled, frowning up at the blond-haired man. Urahara's lifted an eyebrow and a wide grin slid across his features.

"Oh ho ho! If it isn't Hitsugaya-taichou and Takamori-san! What a pleasant surprise! Why don't you come in and have a drink? Ururu-chan! Get Ginta-kun to go and make some tea for us, will you?" Urahara called over his shoulders. A distant "Hai!" called back as Urahara ushered us inside.

"Long time no see, Takamori-san. How is life in Soul Society? Have you made any new friends?" Urahara asked, giving me a disturbingly feline-like grin. I smiled warmly and nodded.

"It's been great! All of the Taichous and Fukutaichous are so nice! Well... other than Kuchiki-taichou, but I hear he's like that with everyone. Kyouraku-taichou and Ukitake-taichou are especially good to me, and of course, Hitsugaya-taichou's the best out of all of them," I complimented. I heard Hitsugaya scoff next to me.

"Oh? You haven't been sent to Rukongai yet? I was certain they were going to find you a place to live after questioning you," Urahara said. I frowned. The Rukongai? The place that Hitsugaya forbade me from going? Why would they send me to a place where people starve and everything?

"No... Hitsugaya-kun forbade me from going when I asked if I could go visit... but... what exactly is it?" I asked, confusion swirling inside my head. What was this? Had they been keeping me for a reason? Did I stick out that much that they had to keep me shut in? Or was it something else that prevented them from sending me to this Rukongai place? Urahara raised his eyebrows and looked over to where Hitsugaya was standing.

"Really now? And why would that be?" he asked. It seemed to be directed more at Hitsugaya than me, so I kept my mouth shut. Hitsugaya scowled at him.

"The Taichous and Fukutaichous all decided that it would be better if she stayed in Seireitei. Who knows what might happen to her in some of the Rukongai districts? And the people there, knowing that she came from Seireitei, might do something to her. You know how they treat people of higher standing than themselves," he said, annoyance oozing out of every syllable in his voice. Urahara grinned slyly at him.

"Are you sure that all of the Taichous and Fukutaichous agreed upon this, and not because a certain Taichou convinced them to, for the sake of Takamori-san?" he asked. Hitsugaya looked away and scoffed.

"Tch, of course I am. If the other Taichous and Fukutaichous decided to send her to Rukongai, then I can't do much about it, can I?" he asked, though the tiny blush on his face contradicted him. Urahara nodded as if in understanding.

"Oh yes. I know that. But I also know that they value your opinions greatly because of the fact that you are supposed to be Takamori-san's care taker. Therefore, I just thought that you might have had a greater say in this than you're letting on, ne?" he said. I frowned, watching the pair of them. What Urahara was suggesting is that Hitsugaya convinced the rest of the Taichous and Fukutaichous to not send me to this Rukongai place, just because he was afraid of people treating me badly. And however much Hitsugaya was trying to contradict him, I couldn't help but feel a bit flattered.

"Urusai. I just didn't want anything to happen against us, ok? And to make sure of that, we needed to keep an eye on Takamori-chan. Her being an Enchantress is a good enough reason to keep her close, and on top of that, she knows too much about the inner going-ons of Seireitei to just let her go out on her own," Hitsugaya reasoned with Urahara.

"True. But are you sure that it wasn't just because you cared about her and didn't want her to see the things you had to see while growing up, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Urahara asked in a quiet voice. He sounded serious. My eyes widened. Hadn't he mentioned something along those lines when he told me I couldn't go to Rukongai to visit? Yeah, it was something like that. Something about the terrible things that go on there, that he doesn't want me to see.

"Well, who'd want another person to have to live through that? Surely you know what I'm talking about, Urahara-san. I'm not the only one who spent time in the dirtier places of the Rukongai districts, am I?" Hitsugaya asked. He didn't look at me. But I had a creeping suspicion that he'd wanted to. Urahara smiled and nodded, sitting down and flipping open his fan.

"That's true. I guess there's no point arguing about it now. But I really do think that she should at least go and visit. It would give her and idea of what she would possibly have to live like, if Seireitei decides so. Just so that she's mentally prepared," Urahara said. Ururu came in, holding a platter full of tea and biscuits. She set it down on the table and smiled at me. I smiled back.

"Ohanyou gozaimasu, Takamori-san," she greeted, bowing her head. I bowed back.

"Ohanyou gozaimasu, Ururu-chan," I smiled. She was so innocent and sweet-looking that you can't help but to smile at her.

Hitsugaya sighed and took a sip of his steaming tea. I honestly don't know how a person who liked the cold so much could possibly drink this sizzling hot tea without even twitching. I, for one, can't handle such a hot liquid or any sorts. I liked milk and orange juice better. Though Coke and Sprite are also up in the top 5.

"Maybe you're right. I should take her to see Rukongai, at least once. But that'll have to wait till she gets back from Ximax. I've got full plans for the next week and she came back here because she wanted to visit her brother. Right, Minako-san?" he asked. I looked around. I thought they'd forgotten I was there, judging by the way they were talking about me right in front of my face, but I nodded nonetheless.

"Yeah. Last year was his final year at Ximax, so he won't be going this year. I wanted to let him know that I'd gotten the letter and everything," I said. Hitsugaya nodded and looked back at Urahara.

"Do you know anyone we can send to get Takamori-san? Because Minako-san can't just go to her house anymore. Her parents all think that she's dead," Hitsugaya said. Urahara pursed his lips, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hm... I suppose I could send Ururu-chan or Ginta-kun to get him... yeah, I think I'll do that," Urahara mused. Hitsugaya nodded.

"That would be good. And give them a good excuse to tell him, because if they're going to be in front of Takamori's parents, we wouldn't want them getting suspicious," Hitsugaya pointed out. Urahara nodded again before calling Ginta into the room and instructing him on what to do. I just sat there, listening to all of this. It wasn't rare for me to be excluded from the conversation like this. After all, I'm just a spirit like any other. Not a part of the Gotei 13, or even a Shinigami. So, it was only natural that they leave me out sometimes. By now, I'd rather gotten used to it. I prefer letting my mind wander than to think about actual business.

About an hour later, Ginta returned with none other than my brother. He looked confused as he stepped into the room, but his face changed as he saw me sitting there.

"Mimi-chan! How are you?! Oh lord, I missed you so much!" he said, engulfing me in a big-brother-bear-hug. The kind that was warm and comforting, but at the same time, very air-constricting. I squeezed my eyes shut and enjoyed the moment.

"Kao-nii-chan. I missed you too. I'll be going to Ximax in about a week, and just thought I'd drop by and give you a heads up," I said. Finally escaping my brother's grasp.

"Right! You got your letter already?" he asked, beaming down at me. I reciprocated his smile and nodded. But his expression became worried as he held me by the shoulders.

"Listen to me, Mimi-chan. There are things you will see and learn in Ximax that are truly cruel. You'll never forget them, where ever you go, but I want you to know this: I'll always be here for you whenever you need me, kay? When it seems like no one else in the world understands you, remember that you can always come to me, alright? I've been through Ximax, I know what goes on there. So if you ever need to, just mail me, ok?" he asked, peering down at me. I blinked at him, processing the words he said, and nodded.

He let go of me and patted my head. I grinned up at him, though a bit forcibly. I didn't think there'd ever be a time like which he stated. Not with Hitsugaya around, anyways. I felt bad for thinking it, but it was the truth. That boy really did seem to understand me better than he did. It was almost scary, but I'd accepted that fact a long time ago.

"Oh, since you're here. Why don't we all go out and get some lunch later? It'll be on me," Kaoru offered. I gasped and squealed.

"Yay! Can we go to that one restaurant that I like? Remember that one with the really good vanilla ice-cream cake?" I asked like a little girl, excited about going to the candy shop. Kaoru laughed and nodded, looking around at everyone else.

"How about it?" he asked. Urahara shook his head.

"Alas, I have to stay here and attend to my shop, but thank you for your gracious offer. I'll be sure to join you another time," he said, lavishly bowing his head. I almost giggled. He was always so overly formal and funny. Hitsugaya, though, shrugged and looked annoyed.

"Oh c'mon, Toushirou-kun. I swear, the food's really good," I said in my sweetest, most pleading voice. He glanced over at me with a raised eyebrow. I could see faintly a grin spreading across his features.

"Yeah? But have you forgotten that we Shinigami don't need to eat?" he asked. I opened my mouth to retort, but closed it again. Oh yeah... they don't need to eat.

"That doesn't mean you can't eat does it? There are lots of other things in the world that you don't need. Like... you don't need to read comics, but you do it anyway, don't you, because you enjoy it," I shot back. He flushed and scowled at me. I laughed and raised my eyebrows challengingly.

"See? So why don't you come? I promise you'll like it," I coaxed. He sniffed and rolled his eyes.

"Please, Hitsugaya-taichou," I begged, dragging out the 'please' bit and putting on my puppy face. I knew he couldn't resist it. He took one glance at my face before sighing.

"Fine, fine. I'll go," he said, finally giving in. I smiled and clapped my hands cheerfully.

"Yay! So... when are we going?" I asked, looking back at Onii-chan. He shrugged.

"Whenever you want to, I guess. In the meantime, we could go and shop for a bit. I bet you'd want some new things for Ximax, right?" he asked. I frowned.

"But I already did all of my shopping with Toushirou-kun," I said. Onii-chan looked surprised.

"Did you? Well, we can go buy you something else then," he stated. His voice sounded a bit bitter to me, but I couldn't puzzle out exactly why that'd be. I jumped up, grabbed Hitsugaya by the hand and dragged him to the door, where I put slipped on my shoes.

"O-oi! What're you...?" Hitsugaya asked, stumbling behind me as I led him out the door. I looked back.

"We're going shopping!" I gushed, my voice more bubbly than usual. He scoffed and rolled his eyes, though he couldn't keep a small smile off his face.

"You never fail to amaze me, girl," he said, falling into step beside me. I laughed brightly and took a deep breath of the fresh August air. Time had passed by so fast. Last time I checked, it was only Spring Vacation and I didn't know any of this. Nothing about Shinigami or spirits or Enchantment. I was just as sickly girl back then. A sickly girl who was fully ready to embrace death. And now, I was going to be going to Ximax in a week. It almost seemed too much to take in if I thought about it too much, so I chose not to.

"Chouto matte kudasai!" a voice called from behind us. We turned around and spotted my brother jogging to catch us up. 'Whoops' I thought, grinning sheepishly at Onii-chan. In all the excitement of going shopping again, I'd forgotten it was my brother that was paying for the said shopping spree.

"Gomen, Kao-nii-chan," I apologized, grinning up at him. The annoyed expression on his face faded to a small smile as he spotted my grin.

"Heki da yo," he replied. Then his eyes flickered down to my hand. I looked down and realized with a furious blush that Hitsugaya and I were still connected by the hands from when I dragged him out behind me. We both jumped apart. Hitsugaya was scowling but his cheeks were tainted red, and I was fighting the continual warmth crawling up my neck.

"Well... shall we get going then?" Kaoru asked, trying to lighten up the mood. I nodded and, fighting not to meet Hitsugaya's eyes, hurried after Kaoru.

We made it to the Parks Ave. Square and entered one of my favorite shops in the world: Bibliophilia: The Book Store. From what Onii-chan had said, I'd loved to read ever since I could. From Dr. Seuss to Harry Cat's Pet Puppy to An Anthology of Aesop's Fables, as long as it was readable, I read it. And the topics ranged from fiction to non-fiction, from Astronomy to Gardening, and from world-dominating space aliens 2000 years in the future to evil-fighting European knights of the 14th century. And when I got a bit older, I remembered reading The Odyssey by Homer, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien, and A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare.

I eagerly pushed open the door to the old, but recently remodeled, shop and smiled at the old lady behind the counter. She looked over at me from behind her blue-rimmed spectacles and smiled.

"Ah, Takamori-san. Good to see you again. Back from some more books, I see," she greeted as Hitsugaya and Kaoru both made their ways in. She peered owlishly over at them before introducing herself.

"Welcome to Biliophilia, I'm Marshal Alyna, and the current owner of this shop. Pleased to meet you," she said in her British accent. She bowed her head, her long gray tresses falling over her face.

"Hitsugaya Toushirou," Hitsugaya said. And Kaoru just smiled at her. She already knew who he was, what with the many times he'd accompanied me here for a new book or two.

"Pleasure. Now, Takamori-san, what will we be looking for today?" she asked. I shrugged and skipped in, taking a good look at all of the well bound books on the shiny, mahogany shelves. The place was Victorian-styled and the books were all old and musty, but that's how I liked them. Of course, there were new books there as well, but it was the old, leather-bound ones I liked the best. They gave me a sense close to time-traveling. I don't exactly know how, but it does.

"Ah, I almost forgot," Ms. Marshal said, rummaging around under her desk.

"A new stock came in today, and I thought you'd be rather interested in seeing it, Takamori-san," she said, finally pulling out a thick, very worn book that had strange engravings on it. The title was almost entirely chipped off, but I could still make it out:

Secrets: And Enchanter's Guide to Self Study

I stared, wide-eyed at the book, then looked back up at Ms. Marshal. She was grinning, but glanced over at Hitsugaya and kept her mouth shut.

"How did you...?" I asked. But she shook her head, as if saying 'Not now...'. I looked over at Hitsugaya then back at her, and then scoffed.

"He knows. He was right there with me when I got my letter," I said. Ms. Marshal looked surprised. She looked inquisitively over at Hitsugaya, who was frowning at the book resting on the counter.

"Oh was he now?" she mused. She looked back at me and smiled again.

"Then I suppose there's no use hiding it. I got this from one of the biggest hidden libraries in the world, and thought you might need it. Knowing you, though, you'd probably finish this in less than a day's time," she commented. I laughed and flipped open the large volume.

"It might come in useful at Ximax, now that you'll be referring to me as Instructor Marshal from now on," she smirked at me. I stared at her in shock.

"Y-you're one of my teachers?!" I exclaimed. This Enchanting thing was more wide-spread than I thought it would be. Who knew Ms. Marshal would be involved in all of this? She merely nodded before bagging the book for me. I looked at Kaoru, who reached for his wallet, but Ms. Marshal shook her head.

"It's a gift. And may it help you in the days to come," she said. The finality in her voice told me that it was time to leave the store, though I was sure she had more books on Enchanting than she was letting on. I bowed.

"Arigatou gozaimashita Instructor Marshal!" I said as I picked up the bag and headed for the door.

"Douitashimashite and good luck!" she called. I waved back at her.

"What was all that about?" Hitsugaya asked as she made our way down to the lunch place. I grinned.

"That was one of my favorite shops. Who knew that Ms. – I mean – Instructor Marshal would be connected to all of this Enchanting stuff?" I said, happily taking a seat next to the window. Hitsugaya didn't say anything for a few seconds. He was frowning deeper than ever, and looking out at the bustling people among the streets. I didn't pay much attention as I was busy ordering my favorite dishes.

"Oi, Toushirou-kun. What do you want?" I asked, waving a menu in front of his face. He snapped out of this trance and started to order. In the end, we got more than we could possibly finish, and took it all back to Urahara's place. He seemed interested in the food, so he took them and gave them to Tessai-san. Tessai seemed ecstatic about the food, but I couldn't understand why. Oh well, Tessai will always be... Tessai, in his own, kind, loving way.

Finally, it was time to return to Soul Society. I'd said goodbye to Onii-chan and everyone else and now stood by the Senkai Gate, ready to go back. I took a deep breath and stepped through, following Hitsugaya. A moment later, I was back in Seireitei, with its many old-fashioned buildings and shihakushou-wearing Shinigami.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Back in the human world, I didn't feel as at home as I used to, but here and now, I felt finally at peace. And with Hitsugaya shouting at me to get a move on, I was at home. This, was where I belonged.

A/N: Well, this is much more filler-like than I originally intended it to be, but whatever. ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER!! GAHHHH!! So... REVIEW! And tell me what you thought, and any predictions for the next volumes? Tell me all about them in a REVIEW... Haha, oh, and don't forget to visit the 'Official' Riddles of Water series website. The link is still up in my profile. There are SO many side-info pieces there, and a few extras for the story. XDD. Now GOOOO and REVIEWWWW!! -- Man, I sound like a bad advertisement person...