There seemed to be more dragons than usual, with Lilianna as always at the center, easy to spot. She turned to them with mild curiosity.
"Why are there so many dragons?" Myndræl asked as he sat a few feet in front of the dragoness, scanning around at the gathered drakes. Dimara was still watching but now she did so whilst standing, gaze more intent than before.
"It is nearing the end of spring." Lilianna replied. "Dragonlings hatch in the week right before summer begins."
"So most of the dragons here are mothers?" Toshiro was able to spot a few large eggs with some of the dragons, their surfaces smooth like polished stone and in colors similar to their mothers.
"Yes, and while there seem to be quite a few, not all dragonlings hatch." The violet dragon stood and walked over to another dragoness they did not recognize, most likely a wild one. The mother was glancing wearily at Toshiro but seemed to recognize a fellow dragon, not to mention he and Myndræl were still considered dragonlings. "Come here."
The mother now growled at Lilianna, bristling a bit.
"He would not dare harm your child, Kalina." Lilianna said in a stern tone, like a strict mother reprimanding a stubborn teenager.
"He best not." Kalina snorted, reluctantly allowing the Ice Prince to approach. She was a large dragoness, easily standing over Lilianna even though the violet dragon was able to command her, and of a bright green color. Her egg was of a darker color, thin lines of brown spider-webbing across the surface.
Curious, Myndræl carefully leaned his head down towards the egg, taking caution not to touch it. Kalina was more at ease with him but still held a steady glare down at him.
"Ice and Earth drakes don't really mix." She grumbled.
"Neither do Fire and Ice." Lilianna said with a mysterious grin, looking towards Hitsugaya knowingly. He avoided her gaze, sitting down near the egg and watching it curiously. He wondered if they were like birds, little balls of fluff, or more like reptiles. Probably the latter, though he'd seen a few fur-covered dragons.
"Of course not." The green dragon huffed at Lilianna. "Those kinds of dragons never get along."
"And yet…" The violet dragon trailed off as a new person arrived, Karin and Dyrilaen. The black haired teen raced over, curiosity turning to fascination as she spotted the egg. Kalina's brown eyes widened a bit as the girl, her spirit clearly that of a strong Fire Wyvern, leaned up against the young Ice Drake, the prince, without any repercussions. In fact, he seemed to enjoy her company.
Gaze softening, Kalina nudged the egg towards the pair for them to look at. If dragons of Fire and Ice could enjoy each other's presence, she didn't see a problem with letting them stay. She could sense her dragonling beginning to awaken within the shell and wanted the two and their dragon partners to see it. A huge sign of trust among dragons, though no mention of such a thing was made.
There was a shift and Karin's eyes lit up.
"It moved!" She inched a little closer
"You must be quiet." Lilianna whispered, tone amused. "Dragonlings are easily frightened, especially on their first day of life."
"Sorry…" The teen covered her mouth and sat back next to Toshiro.
The egg wobbled a bit more before going still. The two dragons shared a glance and looked at their partners, awaiting their reaction. Cracks lit up on the shell's surface before exploding outwards, revealing a tiny dragon, no bigger than a house cat, lying on its back. Startled, Karin let out a yelp and fell back, Toshiro barely managing to catch her and pull her back up. Though her cheeks were red from embarrassment she looked at the small creature thrashing about in front of them, trying to get on its feet.
"Come on, little one." Kalina purred softly, nudging her baby over until he was on his feet. He was even smaller than Shimmer, dark green skin smooth and still a bit wet, black eye barely open.
With a pitiful squeak he lifted his head up and nudged his mother's snout, the Earth dragoness purring happily.
"He's adorable." Dyrilæn told Kalina.
"And I'm sure he'll be as strong as his dad." The mother replied with a toothy grin. "My little Halith will be a strong guardian."
The dragonling gave a happy chirp and they laughed.
Leaving Halith to his mother, Toshiro and Karin walked a little ways away.
"So what did you come here for?" She questioned. "I doubt it was for the baby dragons."
"No, it wasn't. I thought I'd learn a bit more about the dragons. Lilianna seems to think I'm going to be king of the dragons so I don't want to be ill informed."
"Soul King and Dragon King. That's quite the combo."
Toshiro gave her an amused glance.
"Why did you follow me?" He asked.
The girl paused for a moment, the excitement of seeing a dragon hatch having erased her original thought from her mind. After a moment it came to her and she quickly faced him.
"It was when I was talking to Sylfie." She started. "We came up with this idea, see, to maybe help you get another mark."
He looked surprised that she knew about the marks and stayed quiet, listening.
"Since Dethmaiyn has been targeting the Japanese branch, it's kind of important that you make sure it doesn't fall, because then the rest of the world is in danger. So yeah, you're helping out your friends and making sure they're safe, but you're also doing it to make sure Dethmaiyn can't get any farther than here."
"That…is a legitimate reason." The young prince mused.
"So then you should stop trying to get away from everybody." The teen continued. To this he looked away, unwilling to refuse that claim but not about to accept it either. "Let's go back?"
With a quick nod he started heading back towards where Myndræl and Dyrilæn sat together, a few of the wild dragons looking at them curiously. Right, they didn't think Fire and Ice could get along, let alone have a relationship. The dragons tended to follow the same path as their partners, including their feelings.
Something warm grasped his hand, making him turn. Karin grinned foxily at him and kept walking, her hand in his, and he couldn't help but smile. He could care less what the dragons thought, he loved her.
"To be honest, I had hoped the others wouldn't be by for a few days." He said aloud.
"I'm sure you'll have me all to yourself later." She sent back with a snicker, watching a slight blush creep onto his face. She'd hit the nail on the head.
Their partners were still with Halith and his mother, watching the newborn attempt to walk and move to learn his surroundings. This place was a sanctuary for the young, so Toshiro knew they wouldn't be leaving any time soon, not until little Halith was big enough to fend for himself. In the end only two had hatched, but the week was not yet over. Mothers hoped their little ones would make it.
Myndræl informed them that he and Dyrilæn wanted to stay, though the former was willing to at least drop them off before he came back. A week like this was exciting for them. Not seeing a problem with it, Toshiro agreed and quickly mounted, Karin riding behind him as the ice drake flew quickly back to the palace.
They spotted a figure standing on the stone platform where the dragons landed, though they shifted to the side. Teal eyes caught onto green hair and he groaned.
"Well, at least it'll be interesting." Karin offered. He just grunted in response.
Myndræl chuckled, landing smoothly and allowing them off before immediately flying back towards Dragon Isle. They weren't to expect rides anytime soon, which meant they'd have to find different ways of travelling across the island kingdoms. Knowing what that entailed, the young prince mentally grimaced before turning to his aunt.
"What are you planning?" He asked.
The woman pouted.
"Must I want something to come visit my brother-in-law and his son?"
"That depends…"
"Well, I do, but don't worry, I won't be bothering you guys." She winked and headed off towards the stairs. "I might later, though! With a crowd this big we could have some serious fun!"
"Ooh, I like your aunt." Rangiku grinned. On reflex, the young prince cast her a glare.
"Oi." Kenpachi walked over to him, Yachiru currently running around to explore. "When do we get to start fighting?"
"When someone comes for you." Toshiro replied calmly. "I suggest you relax, it takes a while to get used to the difference in the Spirit Energy concentration here."
"He's right; I was exhausted when I first got here." Karin agreed, stretching her arms and moving to sit next to her brother. He seemed happy with this, having been scowling when they'd arrived together. "Though I guess it's because my Spirit Energy isn't as high as everyone else's yet."
"You look just fine to me." Ikkaku snickered.
"I've been here longer." She replied easily.
There was a pause as a butterfly rushed past, catching their attention. It settled onto the waiting hand of the young prince who listened intently. After a moment his eyes widened in surprise but he continued listening until the end. He was frowning in confusion when the insect finally left.
"Kurosaki…both of you…follow me." Toshiro headed for the stairs.
The siblings shared a glance before they stood and did as they were told, the others watching in confusion.
"Wonder what's wrong." Rangiku mused. "Are humans not supposed to come here?"
"But Ichigo's a Soul Reaper now, a full time one." Rukia argued. "And Karin's been here before."
For the time being they decided to let it be until they came back and spoke of other things to pass the time. Ikkaku stumbled upon a training room and made sure to inform his Captain, the two of them then proceeding to duke it out to kill some time.
Following the young prince, Karin and Ichigo stayed silent, wondering what was going on and why they were asked to come along. It was nerve wracking to say the least, not knowing why they had to be summoned as well.
"So…" Karin finally decided to break the silence, "where are we going?"
"To see my father."
"Eh?!" Ichigo gaped, startled. He'd been summoned to see the Soul King? "But, why?"
"Good question." Toshiro spared a glance back before opening the door to the floor his father lived on. "I truly have no idea. This is as much a surprise to me as it is you."
Having already met the man, Karin was somewhat more relaxed than her brother, who was unsure what to do. He wasn't big on manners and never bothered to really give any respect to Byakuya or even the Head Captain, who'd finally gotten used to being called Old Man all the time by the orange haired man, but this guy was king. For some reason that just made him nervous, especially when he knew how strong Toshiro was after training here for several weeks.
Said prince had them wait in the office attached to the Soul King's room while he stepped inside. He spotted his father lying in bed; clearly it was one of his low points. The sight made Toshiro frown as he hurried over.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"Oh, I'll be fine." Satoru assured him with a strained smile. It was obvious his son wasn't convinced. "Now, where are the Kurosakis?"
"Just outside." There was a noticeable hesitation before Toshiro turned and walked back to the door, allowing Ichigo and Karin inside.
Nervously, as they didn't know why they were there, they approached the bed-ridden man, their prince friend immediately moving back to his father's side with a worried stance.
"I can see you're wondering why you're here." The Soul King said with a gentle smile to calm them, reminding Ichigo somewhat of Jushiro, except for the intensity of that green-blue gaze.
"A bit, yeah." Ichigo replied. His sister elbowed him with a glare that said 'this isn't the time to be disrespectful.'
Satoru just chuckled.
"When I heard the two of you were coming I wanted to make sure I had a chance to speak to you before training. I apologize for the state I'm in at this point. I'm not very kingly."
"There's no need to apologize for that." Karin bowed her head slightly, uncomfortable with him apologizing for being sick.
Toshiro cast her a grateful glance before focusing back on his father. He couldn't believe he'd ask for a meeting with them during such a bad moment.
"Now then, on to why I asked Toshiro to bring you here." Satoru cleared his throat. "It's about your heritage."
"Heritage?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow in question.
"Yes, from your father's side. The Shiba Clan was once a Royal Family, before my time."
"Seriously?"
As the Soul King nodded, the two siblings let their jaws drop in wonder. They were royalty? Karin suddenly remembered what Kamai had told her, how they were the same, both Royal Families. So he was telling the truth. That just further proved he was incapable of lying, which made her inwardly grimace. Some of the things he'd said she didn't like, such as his thoughts about Toshiro becoming King. She refused to believe they were true.
"I knew they were once a noble family but I didn't think they were one of the Royal Families." Toshiro spoke up, also surprised.
"The Shiba Clan was banned from this realm many centuries ago. I believe it was because, even back then, they interfered far too much in the World of the Living. They were knocked down to being a noble clan until their continued actions had them disowned even there."
"And now we've saved the Soul Society from destruction." Ichigo smirked.
"Indeed." Satoru chuckled. "Funny how fate works, don't you think?"
"I can't wait to see the look on Byakuya's face when you tell him." Karin snickered, grinning mischievously.
Amused, the Soul King let them be for a moment as they wondered how to tell the Kuchiki head the news and get the best reaction.
"About your training." He finally spoke up and the siblings silenced. "Considering you've inherited much of the power from your ancestors, there might be a way to help you gain them faster."
They listened intently.
"For you it's more of a choice, but I would think training by way of the Five Trials would be the best option."
"Five Trials?" Ichigo looked confused while Karin seemed excited, before remembering the downside to the trials and frowning, having to really think whether she wanted to do them or not. Toshiro had done them in three and a half weeks, but he was a genius, plus he had a lot more power as Soul Prince. She didn't know if she wanted to be without her zanpaktou for that long or longer.
While she'd been thinking, Toshiro had explained the basics of the Five Trials to Ichigo, including the fact he wouldn't be allowed his zanpaktou. Though a little put off by the last bit, the young Reaper stood firm.
"I'll do it." He said.
"Same." Karin nodded. It was time she got out of her brother's shadow. Everyone expected her to be like him. She'd prove to them she was more than capable.
"Very well." Satoru smiled. "I'll have Ruala take you there tomorrow."
The man suddenly fell into a fit of coughs, startling the Kurosakis. Toshiro had moved closer, helping support his father up but unhappy with being unable to do anything else. The coughing ceased though it was clear the others were still worried.
"I'm sorry to keep you so long." The king said with a scratchy voice. "That was all I had to say. Best you go back to the others."
Understanding that this was a fragile moment, Ichigo and Karin gave a respectful bow and left quickly. Toshiro remained behind to look after his father.
"Must be tough on Toshiro." Ichigo frowned as they entered the main room. "He didn't even get to know his dad for very long."
"Yeah…" Karin glanced back sadly before taking lead, as Ichigo had no idea how to navigate the floors.
Her brother looked at her suspiciously but said nothing. There was too much going on for anything to be going on between them anyway, so he looked past it.
Tomorrow they were starting some very important training; it was time to cool off before heading in full charge.
Baby dragons! And then depressing subjects T^T
Anyway, I have a proposal. This is starting to get kinda long so I thought of maybe splitting it into two stories. I THINK I might have a good place to end it and I still know where i'm heading with this so I can keep going. What do you think? Just keep going, no matter how long it gets? Please PM me!
Other than that, Enjoy!
