Understanding
~Soap~

Time itself became inmeasurable as he lay there in the clinic room. For all he knew, it had only been a few minutes. All he knew really, was he was doing what his former taicho had told him to do, relaxing, whther he liked it or not. He heard the door suddenly kreep open, and he fel his body flinch. "Please tell me, it isn't who I think it is."

"I hope it is who you think it is. I find the two of you funny."

"Hyranmaru!" Of course, Hitsugaya had to wonder, why the dragon found his interaction with a certain someone to be funny.

"Toshiro!" the voice was filled with anger, admonishment, and a lot of other conitations. Concidering who it belonged to, their were numberous lukelyhoods as to why the tone was being used.

"It is who I thought it was! I am so doomed!" Toshiro's stomach did a few flips of agitation.

"I think the two of you make a cute couple." It was hard to tell if the dragon was serious, or purposefully teasing him, which was disturbing.

"Hyranmaru!" Came the extremely upset reply from the child captain. "I can't believe that you said that! My zampaktuo is a pervert!"

"And you're being silly!"

"Toshiro! Could you at least look at me when I talk to you!" Karin's irritation was actually growing, from the sound of her voice.

Of course, Hitsugaya's won irritation was growing. Other then last night, he hadn't recollected one time, sh had been nice to him, except for the night before. Last night was also debatable whether that was really being nice, due to the level of embaressment involved with the situation.

Truth of the matter, he was getting tierd of the level of hatred she threw his way. Perhaps it wasn't intentional, yet he was still in the know that he wasn't wanted. This was how he saw the whole situation. He sat up in a hurry, irritation in his own voice.

"You know what, Kurosaki-san, fuck off," the words came pouring out of his mouth. He didn't care one bit, how much trouble he wouldn't get into. Then again, this really hadn't crossed his mind.

Karin's face twisted, completely hurt and angry. "Bastard! Don't tell me that. When it's your fault Ichigo's friend got hurt!"

This caused two teal eyes to become flored with his temper. The next thing either one of the two preteens knew relized it, a string of name calling, was going back and forth between the two, not to mention the curse words escalated.

The level of malice got to the point, that only one thing stopped Toshiro's mouth. Karin though, who couldn't see behind her, took the boy's pale, green face as a chance to berate him. He, however, shook his head and mad a cutting motion across his throat. "Dad's behind me… isn't he?"

"Hell he is," came the rather angry voice behind her. "Hitsugaya, to my side now."

Karin's eyes widened, as she watched Toshiro respond to her father's barking command. The first response or thought that came to her mind, was military brat, which was confirmed by Toshiro's tone of, "hai!"

Isshin then grabbed the two by the ear, and not caring how embaressed either are was, made them to follow him into the kitchen. Letting go of their ears, he pulled two chairds from the table, and set them facing the wall. "Sit now."

Both complied, while Karin couldn't help but glare at Toshiro. The boy was acting like it was a military command that her father had given him. Hitsugaya, picking up on her on the fact, in turn, turned to her, his glare venomous. Both knew though, not to say a word. Isshin first went to one of the bathroom, then went to the kitchen, where a sawing second with one of the kitchen utensils could be heard. The man then stormed back over. "Open your mouths."

Both of the miscrient children reluctantly did so and Isshin stuck a piece of soap into each to his clinic duties.

"I want both of you to stay here, no speaking, no removing of the soap. You are to do that, until I happen. To get back and say otherwise. "Got it?" When both nodded their heads, he went back to his clinic duties.

Things remained silent for a short period of time. Yuzu came downstairs and headed towards the kitchen, not paying them anymind. However, they soon heard her cry out. "Who killed my flower soap."

Karin began to suddenly have a giggle fit, only to be glared at by Toshiro. Yuzu heard the sound, and came over with her hands on her hips. "It isn't funny! Whoever did that was mean! Half of its missing! You know one of our friends at school gave me the soup making kit for our birthday!"

This caused the other twin, to suddenly point to her mouth. One might have not thought it possible, but Yuzu's pout grew. "How could the two of you! Bad words are stupid! I'm going to my side of the room to read a book. I'm also not talking to either one of you! Not only is it not funny, you two need to learn to get along with each other!"

Yuzu then stormed up the stairs, seriously upset. Karin, unfortunately, had a retort to this, removing the soup from her mouth. "I wasn't laughing at getting in trouble. I was laughing at dad using one of Yuzu's soaps. Though… it is more nasty then other soap."

Two teal eyes glared at her, which caused her to narrow her eyes not to mention, return the glare. "Dad's not here. What are you going to do? Tattle on me? It's completely boring… even you have to admit that."

Hitsugaya closed his eyes in annoyance, onlt to suddenly have his Adam's apple bob down. The next thing is either knew, he was clutching his throat, as his eyes suddenly became wide. Karin watched, simply unamused. That was until he blurted out. "Oh God!"

"See here… bad words aren't amusing either," the female signed.

"No! I swallowed it!" He continued to clutch his throat, panic striken.

"I don't think… that's good for you," Karin couldn't help to notice the sudden paleness, not to mention green shading, that appeared on his face. "I'll... go get help."

M

Karin got up from where she had been sitting, and set her piece of soap down, and headed towards where her father was. "Dad?"

"Kaarin?" Her father glanced up, his face not happy to see her. "I thought you were supposed to be in time out."

"But…" she quickly found herself interrupted.

"I don't want to hear your excuses. Get back to sitting until I say so, the man grumbled, turning back to his paperwork.

"Fine." Karin muttered, storming back to where she had come from. Toshiro's face was even greener, and there was a chance he happened to have heard her and her father yelling. He was also clutching his stomack, as if it hurt.

Karin then hurried up the door, and knocked on her brother's door. She received permission to enter. When she opened the door, she swore her bother was hiding a stuffed animal behind his back. "Toshiro swallowed soap."

"What…" her borther's, let's act innocent face suddenly dropped.

"He swallowed soap," Karin sighed.

"I am not going to ask how he ended up getting his mouth washed out with soap. That doesn't really surprise me. What surprises me, is the fact he managed to swallow it. Bars of soap, should be too small, to do that with."

"It was a quarter of Yuzu's mini flower soap. We each had to put it into our mouths," the preteen sighed.

"Dad cut up Yuzu's special soap?" Ichigo shook his head. "She's going to be pissed."

"She already knows," came the blunt reply. "She's sulking in our room and has said that she is not speaking to me. Or Toshiro, for which I'm glad."

Ichigo raised an eybrow. "You mean to tell me, where going to have to make our own dinner?"

"Is that all you can say? Toshiro's likely to puke on the living room floor, and your thinking about what's for dinner?" Karin's look though, didn't seem to phase him, other then to get him moving.

"Right, right…" Ichjgio chuckled, dropping what was behind his back, then shoved his sister out of the room so she didn't have time to confirm her theory. "Why didn't you get dad to help?"

As they went down the stairs, the raven head let out a sigh. "I tried. I'm in trouble, and supposed to be staying put."

Instead of stopping to talk to talk to Toshiro, Ichigo headed straight to the clinic. "Hey dad?"

"Yeah… Karin… your supposed to be in timeout," their father sighed, as Karin stood just behind her brother.

"Here me out dad," came the eldest Kurosaki's response. "Toshiro swallowed the soap you put into his mouth."

"Use cod-liver oil," Isshin stated off handedly, not truly paying attention. Ichigo took off, without him even noticing.

"Dad, you just realize, you told Ichigo, to give Toshiro cod-liver oil, and he is going to go do it?" His daughter shook her head, not at all impressed with her father's antics.

"Ichigo's…" Isshin suddenly paused, a horrified look growing on his face. "Shit!"

The next thing that was happening, Isshin was heading towards the living room. He was just in time, to see his eldest, manage to stuff a spoon into the smaller boy's mouth, only to have him gag, and vomit onto the floor. Kurosaki senior stepped over, scratching his head. "I see that the soap didn't come up."

"You told me to do it!" Ichigo stated, his temper flaring, as the two preteens watched.

"And this is why I always tell you to not help in the clinic, and instead to go curl in a fetal position. Your sisters have more common sense then you do with this!" his father stated, rather exasperated. "I wonder how you are my son sometimes."

"Oh… thanks dad," Ichigo muttered. "You told me…"

"You aren't supposed to follow my instructions when I am not paying attention to what your saying," Isshin couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Help your sister clean up."

"What?" Karin's eyes suddenly grew wide.

"You were talking when you had your soap in your mouth, weren't you?" the man stated. "I am not going to push this on Yuzu."

"Good… she's already mad at three of you," Ichigo suddenly scratched his head.

"What do you mean?" Isshin's eyes had a look of surprise on them.

"You cut up her soap dad," came the quip back.

"Shit…" Senior Kurosaki picked Toshiro up under the arms, and began to take him upstairs.

"Bad words dad," Karin chided.

M

The first thing that Isshin did, when he got upstairs, was bang on the girl's door. "Yuzu… are you making dinner tonight?"

There was a silence, then the door suddenly creeped open. "Dad was as mean as Karin and Toshiro."

"I am so sorry. Daddy wasn't thinking!" the man suddenly faked cried, much to Toshiro's annoyance.

"Daddy never thinks!" came Yuzu's reply.

"What about Ichigo?" her father tried.

"No," the girl stated, then closed the door.

"Looks like I'm stuck ordering pizza tonight," Isshin stated, heading to his room with Toshiro. "I am surprised she didn't even notice you.

He set Toshiro down on the futon, at the foot of his bed, and then sat down crosslegged in front of him. "All right mister, where did you learn such language?"

"Hic… was the real… hic… reason you… hic… brought me up here… hic… so you could talk to me privately… hic," the small taicho's chest heaved with heavy hiccups. A couple of bubbles, thanks to the soap, came from his mouth.

"All right, all right, fare enough," Isshin rolled his eyes. "Where did you learn such laungage from? I never heard you say it before."

"Most of it I learned from you, Ikkaku and Yumichika, but mostly you," the boy stated, hiccupping every so often.

"Most of it… I avoided a good deal of laungange when I was around you. How can you say that," Isshin sighed.

"You never took into concideration when I wasn't around," came the firm response, despite more hiccups. "There are other things…"

"I don't want to know what else I taught you," Isshin hissed. "You are a captain now Toshiro."

"Yet I'm supposed to act my age. I don't get it," came through hiccups.

Isshin's face suddenly softened. "You shouldn't do it really, no matter what age you are, fair enough? And, I don't think they want you to act like a miscrient. More of, to enjoy yourself, and understand your limits."

"I understand my limits. I can only hold Bankai for so long," the boy commented, confused, and still hiccupping.

"That wasn't what I was talking about, limit wise," Isshin sighed, scratching his head. "Look… I'm going to order pizza. If you are still hiccupping by the time you finished, I'll give you a sedative, so you body can calm down."

"I am calm," Toshiro blinked his eyes.

"No… you aren't," Isshin sighed.

Author's note – As of this chapter, I will have one-million words archived.