Toshiro looked curiously at his hand, sitting up in bed. He could have sworn he'd seen another symbol on it, but when he'd looked it was one again. He was clearly getting too impatient with these things.
It was the day after Karin's arrival and, since he didn't really have all that much to do, he thought he'd let her meet his more…musical side of the family. They were the only ones aside from the Royal Guard who called him anything other than 'prince' or 'lord' or something related to it, though they still did that too. Sylfie especially tended to drop formalities, but she was just that kind of person and he'd gotten used to it. He was anxious for Ruala's report on the meeting happening in the Soul Society today, but since it was only morning it probably hadn't started yet.
Glancing at his brand one last time, just to make sure, he sighed and headed outside. The Kurosaki twin at least knew how to get up to the roof where Dyrilæn no doubt anxiously awaited her, having returned sometime in the night after her partner had fallen asleep, the exhaustion from the fight finally catching up to her.
"Ah, Soul Prince!" Someone called out.
He paused, turning back to see one of the messengers racing towards him with something in hand.
"Lady Nakryin sent this in, it's apparently a report from the Head Captain on what's happening in the meeting today in the Japanese branch. He had her deliver it to you before the meeting started."
"That so?" The messenger nodded. "Alright, thank you."
With a deep bow the messenger darted away to deliver something else to quite possibly anyone. Toshiro instead focused his attention on the report in his hands, reading through it quickly on the spot.
"Oh so that's his decision…" He mused aloud. "I'll have to pay him a visit."
"Pay who a visit?"
He looked up.
"Oh, Karin."
The girl nodded sleepily and stifled a yawn while patting down her stray black hair. She was dressed in one of the kimonos he'd gotten for her from Senjumaru, a violet cloth that faded to blue with silver fish swimming through it.
"So who do you need to visit?" She questioned.
"The Head Captain was kind enough to give me a report on his decision about the war." He responded, noticing her interest peak. She stepped closer to read over his shoulder. "But I'll need to speak with him about it."
She leaned on his arm and frowned.
"He doesn't want them to come here for training?" She quirked an eyebrow.
"I can see why he would insist on that, as without the Captains the Soul Society is unfortunately vulnerable." Toshiro sighed. "But, they would gain that power faster here with the higher density of Spirit Energy in the air. I'll have to speak to him about this."
"Wait until after the meeting, maybe the other Captains and Lieutenants can convince him otherwise."
"Hopefully." He turned away from the paper to look at her. "Meet me on the roof; I don't really want to carry this around."
"We going somewhere?" Karin asked, looking a little excited.
"Not far." He chuckled. "Remember the island you were first on when you came here?"
She nodded.
"There's more to it than forest. I think you'll like the people there."
"I think I saw this big mansion made out of trees."
"That would be them." He walked off back to his room.
Confused yet a little excited, Karin went to put on her Shihakusho before pausing. These were Royal Families, and the kimono did make her seem a little nicer than the plain black uniform. Instead she attempted to fix up her hair before heading up to the dragons, glad to reunite with her dragoness again. Dyrilæn had been worried sick about her the entire time during the fight, able to know she was in danger, and the Soul Reapers had had a hard time calming her down.
Eventually Toshiro joined them, Myndræl purring in greeting, and they headed off towards the Kingdom of Magika. Dyrilæn had been able to tell her that the only family living here happened to be related to the white haired prince on his mother's side and that they were very carefree. She had some hope, then, that they'd be easier to get along with than most nobles.
The dragons let their riders off but while the ice drake took off for his own time the dragoness refused to be far from her partner.
"Where does your dragon go?" Karin asked as the large blue dragon flew off.
"Practice." Toshiro replied simply. "He's still developing his powers."
"So he's like you?"
"Ha ha." His sarcastic tone made her smirk. "Anyway, the family living here is the Greenleaf Family, one of the most powerful. The head also happens to be my aunt."
"Dyrilæn told me." Karin nodded. "She says they're pretty easy going."
"The head definitely is, yes."
As if she knew they were talking about her, the green haired woman appeared behind them and latched an arm around their shoulders. Karin yelped, startled, while Toshiro just scowled as if he'd expected this.
"Is this a GIRL you're travelling with, my dear nephew?" Sylfie asked dramatically. "What a strange world this has become!"
"You never stop." Toshiro grumbled lightly and pushed her off.
"Of course not!" The Greenleaf head skirted around to stand in front of Karin. "And who's the lovely lady?"
"Uh…Karin Kurosaki." The teen replied in a sort of confused stupor. This lady was Toshiro's aunt? There was an extreme lack of family resemblance.
Sylfie's eyes lit up. She knew about the girl but had never been given a description, and now here she was with her nephew, whom she had teased relentlessly for his love for this girl. So many things raced through her head, things she could do or ask, perhaps even plan a party and force the two alone.
"Tell me, how did you meet my nephew?" Sylfie questioned first and Toshiro sighed, deciding to leave Karin with her and walk over to where Lilianna sat by the mansion, watching the interaction in amusement.
"By chance, really." Karin shrugged. "I almost lost my soccer ball but he caught it and threw it back to me. I had no idea he was a Soul Reaper at the time."
Sylfie nodded, intrigued.
"So you have a fire-type zanpaktou?" The change in subject didn't seem to faze Karin.
"A fire-wind type, actually."
"I see…so you're a soccer player?"
"I love it, I've played it since I could kick a ball."
"Very nice, good sport. So, do you prefer traditional music or modern rock?"
"I don't have a preference, really, but some songs I can't stand, especially when they play it over and over again."
"I know that feeling. I heard you kept having trouble with demons."
"Don't know why they have to bother me so much, it's really annoying. Thankfully they can't reach me here."
"Hold on." Toshiro cut into the girls' conversation. "How are you keeping up with her? You lost me when she started asking about your zanpaktou."
"It's a woman's thing." Karin smirked. Toshiro scowled at her, disbelieving, and the green haired woman laughed.
"I like this one!" Sylfie put an arm around the Substitute. "So, might as well meet the rest of the family since you're here."
"I have some things I need to see to." Toshiro spoke up. His aunt made a face. "I'll be back, it won't take me long."
They watched him walk away into the forest.
"He never stops." Sylfie sighed and Karin turned to her, confused. "He has to earn four more marks on his birthmark before his father dies and he's been training relentlessly to get them."
"What are they?"
"Not anything training can get him, that's for sure, but he doesn't know what else to do." Sylfie started walking inside, Karin following behind to hear more. "Being a prodigy means nothing concerning these marks. In fact, it's probably making it harder. His own moral code is conflicting with what he needs to do as king."
The Greenleaf twins weren't inside as they sat down at the table, allowing Sylfie to continue uninterrupted.
"Each Kanji on his hand symbolizes an attribute he must possess in order to be king." She explained. "The two I see conflicting most are the attributes of Honor and Tranquility. He wants to help his comrades in the Japanese branch become strong in order to survive this fight, which would be a very honorable thing, to protect his friends, but he also must stay neutral, to look at things from a faraway glance and decide what's best for his kingdom, not just for himself. His involvement in trying to help everyone become strong is honorable, but it's conflicting with the fact that he knows he needs to stay away to maintain tranquility."
Karin nodded slowly in understanding and chewed on that thought, wondering if maybe she could help find a center balance for the two. It came to her.
"Dethmaiyn is targeting the Japanese branch first because of Toshiro's connection to it, right?" She ventured. Interested in what she'd come up with, Sylfie nodded. "Well, if we lose this branch, there could be an upset in the balance and then he'll also go after the other branches and people in the World of the Living. By helping us gain power he's making sure that doesn't happen. He's protecting his friends AND everyone else by making sure this front doesn't fall."
"You're a genius in your own way." The Greenleaf head beamed.
"I've overheard several of Ichigo's strategy plans with Ishida and Urahara, it's important to make sure the target of attack is also the strongest defensive line, since after them the rest will fall. Works in soccer too. Keep the defense strong and the other team can't score a goal, then just let the offensive find their weak point and score!"
"Nice!" Sylfie high-fived her. "Maybe when he comes back we'll let him in on that. Put your ideas with his genius and the two of you just might find a way to beat Dethmaiyn."
They felt the air get colder.
"Looks like he's trying for that new attack again." Sylfie noted. "Along with the two he learned in the Five Trials he's caught onto another one and has been trying to master it."
"Five Trials?"
"Just like it sounds, he took five different trials in order to raise his Spirit Energy to the point that it's at. He was not allowed his zanpaktou for four of them."
"He wasn't?" Karin's eyes widened.
"That was the point of it, to raise his Spirit Energy. He couldn't do that if he depended on Hyorinmaru. He was forced to raise it in order to hold out in a fight with multiple elemental spirits." Sylfie paused, moving to arrange a few things she saw were out of place. "It's something Ruala did to earn her elemental powers, but with some adjustments, she made it work for him. It was a quick way to awaken his locked away Spirit Energy and bring him to the needed level of power faster than normal."
"That's how he got so strong. He wouldn't tell me."
"He wasn't allowed to. The Soul King, or at the moment the Soul Prince, has never been so involved with affairs in the Soul Society and the World of the Living. Just like it's forbidden to give humans too much knowledge about the land of the dead, it's forbidden for him to interact so much with the other realms. Thanks to the rather unique circumstances of this war he's been allowed some leniency but he still had to hold his tongue."
"What about now?" Karin asked as the woman sat back down. "He's going to bring several Soul Reapers here."
"There was a meeting a few days ago with the commanders of the different branches, so basically the people who represent the world, and they all agreed that defending the Japanese branch, Dethmaiyn's current target, is top priority right now. Several of them are going to help with the training, or if not them at least one or two of their officers underneath them."
"What about the Royal Guard?"
"They're as into this idea as he is. It is their job to protect him so they'll go through with it if he does, Ruala especially."
Karin gave a nod of approval before looking around the mansion home.
"So how come you guys live here with one of the Royal Guards?" She asked.
"Ah, one of my daughters sort of adopted dear Ruala as a sister, so she's like my surrogate daughter. Ælfwyn almost considered her more of a daughter herself since…" Karin looked at Sylfie in confusion as the woman cut off, a saddened expression on her face. A smile was quickly slapped back on. "That doesn't matter. With Ruala's habit of taking in the wilder creatures of the surface area no one else is brave enough to live here, but our ancestry was all about forests and animals so we love it here."
"Cool, I bet that makes Ruala happy."
Sylfie nodded.
"Say, how do you feel about my nephew?" There she went again with a change in subject.
Karin's cheeks turned a little red and she avoided that amber gaze.
"He's…difficult to get along with, sometimes." She practically muttered.
"Well of course, the two of you are complete opposites." Sylfie snickered. "Fire and Ice…usually those two are referred to as enemies when they're in the same sentence."
"Yeah, well, he definitely gets on my nerves sometimes." The teen huffed. Her expression softened. "But his heart's in the right place."
"I think you need to melt him a little." Karin blinked, confused by the woman's use of words. "Ya know, make him a little less stiff. If anyone can shake off his cold exterior it's a girl with fire."
"Um, well…how?"
"Be creative." Sylfie shrugged. "The two of you are infatuated with each other. Just get used to being by him more and figure out how to open him up."
"Well, I'm not complaining but…" Karin furrowed her brow in thought, "he's just so cautious. And even though he..." She cut off, blushing, "even though he…is friends with me…it's hard to open him up."
"It's a lot easier now, trust me. With Ruala's ability to see what it is you truly feel and his father's kindness he's showed more of himself than when he first came here."
The cold grew less intense and they assumed perhaps he was done and on his way.
"I'll go find my daughters." Sylfie stood, winking. "We'll talk about our strategy later when I get back. Work on getting those feelings out of him."
Karin stuck her tongue out at her and the green haired woman laughed before vanishing into the halls.
Instead of waiting for him inside the Substitute returned to the open air, sitting peacefully with her dragoness. Myndræl had come back and was sitting next to the fire drake, a little closer than she had thought the two were willing to sit, what with them being complete opposites in body temperature and powers.
"That demon was honestly lucky I wasn't there." Dyrilæn snorted, referring to Gralio. "I would have roasted him."
"I thought you didn't have your breath yet." Karin teased and her dragoness did the dragon equivalent of a scowl, fangs bared. "Better get it soon, Myndræl's at least three feet bigger than you and dragons don't grow any bigger than you until they get their powers."
Following that she turned to her ice counterpart and snorted, her partner laughing at the ice drake's amused expression and the fire one's irritated. Dragons were nothing like in stories. They acted like big scaly people. Sometimes.
"Well it's not like you're helping." Dyrilæn turned to her partner. "Myndræl had help from his partner; your power isn't high enough that I can learn from it like he did."
"Oh I'll get there." Karin snapped. "I'm a Kurosaki, power runs in the family."
"There's no denying that." A cold voice replied.
Steel gray eyes turned and spotted the white haired figure approaching them. He looked a little frustrated with something, though most of it was hidden by a smirk as he entered their conversation easily.
"Hopefully you can control yours better than your brother." He continued and she pouted. "Sylfie find something else to do?"
Karin noted with interest how he called the Greenleaf head by her first name, having finally called her something other than the 'Greenleaf Head'. Then again, he was probably just trying not to confuse her, but still. It had taken her forever to get him to call her by her first name.
"She went to find her daughters." She replied to his question.
"I didn't think that would take so long." He frowned.
"So what were you up to?" The teen changed the subject.
"Thinking." He said simply, causing her to frown. "I think best when I'm training. The meeting in Soul Society should be starting soon. I'll give them an hour or so before I head over."
"I'm guessing you're not going to let me come?"
Toshiro sighed, noticing how she was avoiding looking at him, instead helping her dragon itch a hard to reach spot. Dyrilæn purred happily and Myndræl snorted, earning himself a fiery glare.
"I just don't want to risk it." Came his reply.
"Well, guess I'll train with Ruala then." She shrugged. "I heard about the Five Trials, maybe she'll let me take them."
"Probably not, they're more difficult than you think. It took Nakryin five weeks to complete them."
"You?"
"…Three and a half."
"Why'd you hesitate?" Karin turned to him curiously, catching onto a possible teasing subject.
"Well I wasn't going to lie." He frowned. "Trust me, these trials are difficult. You're not going to complete them in a day."
"I'm gonna be here a while, might as well do something."
"Just to warn you, once you start the trials you don't get your zanpaktou back until you've finished."
She gaped a bit. Yes, Sylfie had said he couldn't use his zanpaktou during the trials, but she hadn't known that he couldn't have it at all while training. That was a bit harsh.
'Oh I'll burn anyone who tries to take you away from me.' Homuratei growled, the sound echoing in her inner landscape.
"That's insane." Her master said aloud.
"I agree, I was very unhappy with that arrangement." He grumbled, moving over to sit next to her in the grass. "I suggest finding a different way of training if you don't want to lose your zanpaktou for several weeks."
"Suggestion taken." She nodded. "Ruala was a pretty strict trainer."
"I suppose everyone was surprised by her strength due to how quiet she is." He smirked a bit, trying to imagine the looks on some of his friends' faces.
"Surprised!?" Karin snorted with laughter. "She knocked Kenpachi into a wall and he blacked out! Most of Squad Eleven won't go near her!"
She got a pleasant surprise as Toshiro laughed loudly, the scene playing in his mind.
"He got off lucky." The Ice Prince said once he'd settled down. "My final trial was to fight against her and she actually used her powers against me. Fighting against your opposite elements is NOT an easy task."
Giggling a bit at that, Karin continued on to tell him about the training back in the Soul Society with Ruala, getting another laugh when she retold Ichigo's story about Yoruichi's reaction to the Royal Guardian's speed. He truly was more relaxed now, quicker to smile than she was used to, though she wasn't complaining. He seemed to light up when he smiled, making him an almost completely different person. He almost looked more like his father, though there was still an instinctive stiffness to his reactions, no doubt able to switch right into battle mode if needed.
Sylfie eventually called them in and they walked inside for Karin to meet the twins. Toshiro spent his time with the girls before he had to head off to see the Head Captain, though the Greenleaf girls noticed a definite focus of attention on the newest member to the King's Realm accompanied by a lighter attitude while in her presence.
All too soon the girls waved a temporary goodbye to their prince as he left.
"Oh man." Karin face palmed. "We forgot to tell him about the idea we came up with."
"Oops." Sylfie frowned, realizing she was right. Her daughters both sighed lightly, giggling. "Eh, we'll tell him later."
Probably my longest chapter ever, almost five whole pages on Word Doc. Yay! Not as much fluff here but Shiro's a lot more relaxed around her now, obviously. And he's slowly introducing her to his family, that sneaky bastard XD Now he just needs to get along with HER family, namely a certain strawberry, hehe. Enjoy!
