I'm back~

I didn't have the heart to break this chapter up, so you're getting the full 20+ pages!


A party was to be had the next day. Squad 13 members were running around their barracks, preparing for the small celebration that would be held in the Captain's garden. Despite Shunsui's insistence (read: whining), Ukitake held firm in his decision to keep any sake and alcohol out of the festivities. It was a celebration for Ryoko finally becoming a Soul Reaper, not an excuse to get black-out drunk.

Aside from Shunsui, there were others from different squads invited to the party. Most of the other Squad captains and lieutenants had said they would join, excluding Squads 12 and 2. Kenpachi flat-out refused, but Yachiru was more than willing to join them without him.

As the unseated members were setting up the garden, Ryoko ran across the grass toward her father, who was talking with Kaien and Miyako near the fence about the ungodly amount of food they would need. She was grinning ear to ear, wearing her Shinigami attire with her sword bumping against her thigh. "Father!" At her call, Ukitake turned from his lieutenant to his daughter, giving a warm smile.

"Yes? Is everything alright?"

Ryoko paused, taking a small breath before asking, "Do...Do you think I can invite a few of my friends? From the Rukongai?" She had wanted to ask him a little earlier, but had only now worked up the courage to do so. After all, it was rare for anyone who wasn't a Soul Reaper to enter the Seireitei.

She also hasn't told Toshiro about her promotion yet. She wanted it to be a surprise.

Ukitake gave a soft hum, his silence making Ryoko feel a bit anxious. That anxiety quickly melted when his smile grew and he gave a nod. "I'm sure the Head Captain wouldn't mind letting a few souls in here."

Truth be told, he didn't know what Yamamoto would want. But the beaming smile Ryoko gave him in response to his answer was enough for him to not care. As long as she was happy, he was happy.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, giving him a quick hug before turning and running off.

"You really think the Head Captain's going to be fine with that?" Kaien asked a few moments after Ryoko disappeared from their sights.

Ukitake looked at his Lieutenant, who could swear he saw a sparkle of mischief and defiance in his Captain's eye. "He will be."

"Hi, Jidanbo! Bye, Jidanbo!" Ryoko yelled out quickly as she rushed past the giant gatekeeper in a blur. She was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop her.

Unfortunately, something stopped her.

"Ryoko~" a voice sang behind her. Looking back, she felt her heart skip a beat in surprise as a foxy grin entered her vision.

"Gin?!" she exclaimed in shock. She yelped a moment later, her foot getting caught by a root. Her momentum being used against her, the poor bluenette slammed face-first into the dirt, skidding a bit and leaving a gash in the earth.

Gin stopped beside her, leaning forward slightly and tilting his head. The smirk didn't leave, though his eyebrows did rise slightly in concern when she didn't get up right away. "Ryoko~~?"

A groan answered him. Her head shifted enough so her glare was visible, a single golden eye glaring at him.

Gin's eyebrows returned to their usual position and he straightened. She was fine.

Ryoko pushed herself off the ground, coughing and spitting out dirt and grass that had been shoved mercilessly down her throat. Wiping off the excess with her black sleeve, she finally spoke, "W-What the heck are you doing here?"

Gin's smirk grew. "I can't see what my friend is up to?" he asked as said friend pulled herself up off the ground. Brushing off some dirt, she turned to him.

"I mean, you're usually with Aizen or that lady-friend of yours," she pointed out with a slight pout.

"Aw, ya feelin' a little jealous?" he asked, ruffling the top of her head. She swatted his hand away, rolling her eyes. "If ya must know, I was just walkin' around when ya zoomed past me. I was bored, so I decided to follow ya."

"Stalker."

"I ain't no stalker," he quickly corrected, brows creasing slightly to show his annoyance. She seemed so insistent on him being such. "Ya just took forever to notice me. So I helped ya."

"By scaring me and making me literally eat dirt." She gave him a deadpan look. He merely shrugged.

"So, where ya goin'?" he finally questioned, getting to the point. He leaned down to her eye level, crossing his arms. "I figured ya'd be back at your Squad preppin' for your little party."

Ryoko tried not to let her sudden horror show on her face as she realized he would find out about Toshiro. It was bound to happen, but she'd hoped to delay that particular situation a little longer.

She quickly turned her head away with a huff to try and hide her pale expression. "I-It's none of your business." Crap, she stuttered.

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?" He wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily, and she knew that. She was just delaying. That meant it was only going to be more fun for him. "Is it a boy?" She didn't turn, but the slight tensing in her shoulders coupled with her silence told him the answer. He leaned slightly closer. "Is he cute?"

"Oh shut up!" she finally said, pushing his face away in exasperation. He laughed, stepping back and straightening back up.

"Aw, little Ryo's got a kiddie crush!"

"It's not a crush!"

"Little Ryoko's finally growing up..." He sniffled, pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. He received a smack on his arm a moment later from a furiously blushing Ryoko. She turned and started walking again, huffing in annoyance. Gin quickly and easily caught up with her, walking alongside the fuming girl. "Aw, don't be so mad, Ryo. I'm jus' messin' with ya." She didn't say anything.

Gin knew she couldn't stay mad at him forever. She was simply annoyed with his teasing.

But Soul King, it was so easy and fun to rile her up!

After a few minutes of walking, they finally made it to a house surrounded by trees, and Gin was a little surprised to see how far it was from the rest of the district. As soon as the house came into view, Ryoko couldn't help herself and ran the short distance through the small, open field to the door, leaving Gin practically in the dust. He himself walked at a normal pace, curious, but not nearly as excited as Ryoko seemed to be.

She knocked a few times, then a few times more, and good god if she didn't stop the door was going to break off its hinges.

The door opened before that could happen, her fist pausing before it could hit the boy who opened it. Gin examined the boy. He looked about as tall as Ryoko, with hair whiter than his own and big teal eyes. Judging by the smile Ryoko now has and the way she was bouncing up and down with excitement, he can accurately assume this boy is who she was looking forward to seeing. Though, the rather uncanny resemblance the two boys had was quite surprising.

"Ryoko? What are you doing here?"

"Wanna come to my party?!" she asked quickly, barely acknowledging his question. Toshiro blinked a few times at the rapid pace she spoke.

"...Party?" he finally replied. Ryoko nodded.

"Dad said I could bring you and Momo into the Seireitei to join us! Even Granny could come, if she wanted to!"

The boy seemed to think for a moment about the invitation, before his eyes finally slid over to Gin. Wide eyes narrowed slightly. "Who's this?" Gin blinked, noting the distrust in his tone.

Ryoko, suddenly remembering who was with her, let out a small sigh. "This is Gin. He followed me here like a stalker."

"I'm not…" Gin started, only to stop himself and sigh. She wasn't going to let that go.

"Gin, this is Shiro."

"Toshiro," the younger boy, Toshiro, corrected, looking up at Gin. He was clearly a little perturbed by Gin's fox-like expression, but there was a bit of realization in his eyes Gin couldn't help but be curious about.

"So this is the guy you said looked like me?" Toshiro finally asked. The older boy raised his eyebrows in surprise, looking to Ryoko.

She nodded, looking between the two. "Yeah! I mean, the resemblance is a little uncanny. If I had met you two at the same time, I would've sworn you were brothers."

Gin reached a hand out, grinning. "Nice ta meet ya, lil' Shiro."

Toshiro's eyes narrowed at the nickname, and he didn't take the hand offered because of it. Gin pulled back, not insulted by the boy's refusal. The younger boy looked back at Ryoko. "So what's this party you mentioned?" She lit up.

"Oh! It's a celebration!"

"Of what?"

"Me!"

"..." After a moment, Toshiro sighed. "You really don't understand how egotistical you just sounded…"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" She grabbed one of his hands with both of hers and bounced in place. "I know you're not big on parties, but I promise you'll enjoy it! Please~?" she begged.

Gin knew the moment she said please that Toshiro would break. His shoulders had sagged just a bit and his face had softened. The boy clearly couldn't say no to her.

"Fine," Toshiro finally accepted. Ryoko let out a happy whoop, throwing their connected hands in the air. "Let me ask Momo and Granny, though I don't think Granny would come." His hand was let go.

"Hurry up! It'll start soon!" She pushed him back into the house, the boy letting out a surprised yelp at her sudden shove.

"...He's cute," Gin finally said after Toshiro disappeared from their sight. Ryoko's eyes widened and a furious blush spread across her cheeks. Her head whipped to him.

"Shut up!"

"What? I'm just being honest."

"It's creepy coming from you."

"Because I'm a boy?"

"No! Because you're old!"

"Ol- I'm not that old…"

"Old enough to be creepy." She turned and crossed her arms, though the blush was still there. Gin's smirk formed again.

"You're so cute when you're jealous."

"Shutty…" she muttered, her narrowed eyes and low tone promising pain if he continued on this route. He chuckled. "I don't know why I'm friends with you…"

"Aw, that hurts." He put a hand over his heart in mock hurt. Ryoko turned her head to him, then rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure your heart's just bleeding out right now."

"Well if you keep stabbing it like that, then it will."

"Are you two done?"

Ryoko and Gin looked to the door, where Toshiro stood with his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, Momo standing behind him and giving Ryoko a wave and a smile.

The bluenette felt herself pale. "Ah, how much of that did you hear?"

"You were questioning your friendship," Toshiro answered, giving his friend an odd look. Why was she so pale?

Gin chuckled, turning to look at Momo. The younger girl looked right back, giving him a wave, as well, to which he reciprocated. "Well, now that we're all here, shall we go back?"

"Is Granny not coming?"

Momo shook her head. "No, but she said she'd be fine here, and wanted us to have fun." Ryoko nodded at that. She was a little sad the old woman wouldn't be joining them, but she couldn't force her, either. Maybe she should bring some leftovers after the party?

"Alright, then let's go!" the bluenette exclaimed, starting their walk back to the Seireitei, closely followed by the others.

"So Shiro told me we're going to a party in the Seireitei," Momo spoke after a few silent moments had passed, "but he never said why. What's it for?"

"Me!" Ryoko chuckled, skipping slightly in excitement.

Toshiro sighed, shaking his head at her answer, or lack thereof. "That's not an answer…"

"Yes it is."

"Well it isn't a good one."

Scoff. "Who are you to judge?"

Gin snickered behind his sleeve, earning a small sideways glare from Ryoko, not that he cared.

"C'mon, just tell us what it's for?" Momo begged, drawing out the 'please' as she stepped beside her friend. "I can't stand surprises!"

"You threw me a surprise birthday party," Toshiro pointed out, "Five times."

"Of course I did! You wouldn't have celebrated your birthday if I didn't. I just don't like surprises when they're for me," the brunette admitted, looking away with slight embarrassment.

"That takes the fun out of it, though!" Ryoko replied, patting Momo's shoulder. With her free hand she held up a finger, speaking in a sage voice, "Besides, you gotta follow Rule Number One: Always prepare to be dished what you dish out."

"I thought Rule Number One was Dessert comes first?"

"No, that's Rule 26."

"How many rules do you have?" the teal-eyed boy asked, giving his friend an odd look.

She thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Like, ten."

"But… That last one was-"

"Yeah, I just like to give them random numbers."

Toshiro shook his head, though a small smile twitched on his lips. This girl was ridiculous, he swore. Her childishness was on a whole new level sometimes. He wondered how she could be so carefree when she was trying to become a Shinigami, not even counting all that's happened in the past thirty years. Though he entertained the small thought that she'd simply gone off the deep end and this was just her psychotic tendency, but only for a moment. She didn't seem like the kind of person who even had psychotic tendencies.

Actually, now that he thought about it a bit more, the idea of Ryoko becoming a psycho in any shape or form horrified him. The image didn't suit her.

"Man, I wish you guys could flash step," said girl muttered pathetically about ten minutes later. They were still walking, though they'd reached the town at this point.

Gin chuckled at her. "Well, what did ya expect? They ain't Soul Reapers."

The only response he got was another soft whine in protest.

"What's flash step?" Momo asked, leaning forward slightly so she could see the sulking girl and her taller companion.

"It's a technique used by Soul Reapers. It makes them go really fast, to the point where you can't see them," Toshiro answered, getting Momo and Gin's attention. Seeing the man's gaze on him, the boy elaborated, "Ryoko taught me a little when she would visit. I'm nowhere near your level, though."

Gin's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

Ryoko huffed, giving her friend a look. "Are you kidding? You caught on to it so easily!"

"I mean… It's a pretty simple technique."

"It took me months to do it!"

"It's not like I'm that fast. Even with your condition, you're still leagues above me."

The bluenette scoffed, crossing her arms and straightening, though there was a hint of a prideful smirk. "You just need to practice, Shiro!" Toshiro rolled his eyes, but didn't otherwise comment. She was right, after all. He would practice on occasion, especially since he was entering the academy soon. He wanted to be one step ahead of the rest, since he would most likely be one of the younger students enrolled.

Gin's interest was rekindled at the new information, his focus staying on the white-haired boy. "Are you thinking of becoming a Soul Reaper?" Teal eyes lifted to him, and a small nod was his answer.

"Ryoko convinced me to, after a while, anyway." Lowering his gaze, Toshiro lifted his hands a bit to stare at his palms, a frown forming on his lips. "My Spiritual Pressure, as Ryoko calls it, is extremely potent, especially when I'm asleep. Because I didn't know what was going on, I ended up hurting my grandmother. I want to learn to control it so I don't hurt anybody." He didn't mention his suspicions about that icy power being one of the reasons everyone stayed away from him.

Gin didn't say anything for a moment, studying the younger boy. He was still quite young, around Ryoko's age if he recalled correctly. To have such volatile Spiritual Pressure at that age is quite impressive and intriguing. And now that he thought about it, he could feel how cool the area around them was compared to when it was just him and Ryoko. Could it be the boy? It's most likely possible, and he had a feeling it was, even without being told explicitly what kind of Spiritual Pressure he has.

"So I can expect ya to be joinin' our ranks soon, hm?" he asked with a sly grin. Toshiro huffed and looked away, though there was a faint hint of pink on his cheeks.

"If I succeed, then yes. But there's no guarantee I'll-" His words were interrupted when something heavy latched onto his back, arms wrapping around his neck, the sudden weight screwing with his balance and nearly mating him eat dirt.

"Oh, don't be like that, Shiro!" Ryoko chided, having been the one to jump on him. Toshiro's eye twitched. "You're super smart and learned Flash Step so easily! You got this in the bag!"

"Get off me."

"But you're comfy."

"Ryoko."

"Toshiro~"

He turned his head just enough to glare at her, her head by his shoulder, while she gave a sly grin in return.

Gin and Momo watched silently, the latter moving beside the former while the other two argued.

"Sooo…" Momo drawled, eyes staying on Toshiro and Ryoko a moment longer before glancing up at Gin. "They're totally a thing, right?"

Gin's smile couldn't have gotten wider if he tried.

It took another half hour to actually get back to the Seireitei. The silence between the four, whenever there was silence, had become a lot more comfortable during that time. While Toshiro and Ryoko talked about his joining the academy, Gin and Momo had created a small friendship between them after they realized they had similar shipping habits. It would only get worse from there, but the shipping started it all.

"Here we are~!" Ryoko exclaimed, arms thrown out by her sides, gesturing the the white buildings beyond the giant wall. Toshiro and Momo, having never been anywhere near the Seireitei before, were stunned and awed at the clean, pure white buildings that seemed to pile up before them.

It honestly hurt Momo's eyes a bit, not used to seeing such bright structures before. She and Toshiro were so used to the slums and the green forests.

"It's so...clean," was Momo's muttered response. Toshiro was too awed to make a jab at her obvious observation.

Gin chuckled at their open-mouthed expressions. He supposed it would be a bit of a shock to see this place compared to the grassy forests and run-down shacks they were used to. He couldn't blame them, and neither could Ryoko.

"C'mon!" Ryoko exclaimed, grabbing Toshiro's right hand and Momo's left. "Squad 13's not too far away! I can give you the tour on the way!" Without waiting for a response, the golden-eyed Soul Reaper dragged her friends into the Seireitei.

"I'll let Captain Ukitake know you're back!" Gin called out, cupping one hand by his mouth. Ryoko yelled back an affirmative. Now alone, Gin had no problem using flash step to get to Captain Ukitake's home. He appeared in the center of the garden, noting all the decorations that littered the area and the food that was neatly placed to one side, ready for consumption. Those from Squad 13, as well as the others from the remaining divisions who wished to join in the festivities, had all arrived by now and were waiting for the young girl to show herself.

"Gin?" Turning, the silver-haired male came face-to-face with just the man he was looking for.

"Hello, Captain Ukitake," he greeted. The other man gave a soft smile in return. "I wanted ta let ya know Ryoko's back, and I believe she's givin' her friends a brief tour o' the division before makin' her way over."

"Ah, thank you. I was wondering when she'd return."

Gin smirked. "Also, ya better be careful." Ukitake gave him a confused look. "Seems like little Ryo's got a kiddie crush." Brown eyes widened slightly in understanding, before an eyebrow rose in curiosity.

"I assume you're talking about one of Ryoko's friends, and not Byakuya?" At the mention of the young Kuchiki heir, Gin felt his smile dip just a tiny bit, hardly noticeable but still there.

"Yeah. A short kid with white hair. He's the one she wanted to see." Ukitake nodded. He was familiar with the boy, but not overly so. He knew who he was, and knew he was friends with Ryoko, him being the reason she would often escape the Seireitei for hours on end. She's also given him a few details here and there about his overall personality, and some adventures they went on (he still wasn't too happy when she told him she burned down a man's shop), but aside from a few tidbits here and there, the kid was an unknown. Not that he minded; clearly the two were good friends, and he trusted Ryoko's judgement enough to welcome the boy.

"Well, thank you for the warning," he said, a hint of sarcasm sprinkled into his words that Gin no doubt caught.

"It's my pleasure," Gin replied, his grin returning.

Ryoko didn't want to take too long on the tour, so she gave simple, brief explanations for certain buildings within the Squad, like the infirmary or main barracks. Toshiro, when he'd gotten over his shock, pointed out that almost every building looked almost exactly identical. The shapes were a little different for a few of them, some taller, some thicker… But she easily pointed out signs by the doors to these buildings, as well as the fact that certain buildings had the same structure and shape in most, if not all squads. For example, the infirmary would be a rectangular building, one floor, and would be located close to the training ground for ease of transport should someone be hurt. Aside from the Fourth Division, where their infirmary is the largest due to it being their specialty, that's how others would recognize the building. There's none other like it in the rest of the Squad.

"What's that?" Momo asked when they had neared the end of the short tour, her hand outstretched and pointed upward behind Ryoko. A little confused, she and Toshiro turned to where the other girl was pointing, the former's eyes lighting up.

"Oh! That's Sokyoku Hill." Ryoko stepped forward, gazing at the hill with a strange sense of awe. "Pretty neat, huh?"

"I mean, it's just a hill…" Toshiro muttered, his eyes catching onto something he could just barely see. "What is that?"

"What's what?"

"There's something on the hill."

It took Ryoko a moment to realize what he was talking about. "Ohhh. Yeah, that's the execution thing." Toshiro and Momo gave her looks of horror. "What?"

"E-Execution?"

"Why are you acting like you're talking about the weather?!"

"I mean…" Ryoko looked away. "It's not like it's been used in a while…"

"That… I mean…" Toshiro was at a loss for words. He should have expected something like this, but that didn't mean it was pleasant."

"So what happens there?"

"Momo!"

"I'm curious! I mean, it's terrible that this thing needs to exist, but I'm curious to see how they execute souls." Morbid as it may be, the white-haired boy couldn't help but agree in a way. How does one even execute a soul? Do they destroy it completely, or do they just go back into a life cycle?

"Well, I don't know all the details," Ryoko started, looking thoughtfully at the hill. "But I do know a little bit." She pointed at the structure Toshiro had seen. "The soul is held at the top of those pillars, and they release a giant phoenix that turns the soul to ashes with a single hit." It was the abridged version, but enough to get the point across.

Momo looked a little scared, her hands tightening by her chest. "That's...horrifying."

The bluenette waved her concern away. "Don't worry. Like I said, it's rarely used. You'd have to have committed a really, really bad crime to be sentenced to that." She conveniently left out the whole "Nest of Maggots", though. She didn't want to traumatize her friends any more than they already were. Oh, they'd learn eventually.

But not from her. And she was okay with that.

Her words did help them relax a bit more, which was good.

"Welp! Now that our tour is over, let's head to the party!" she exclaimed, turning away from the hill and starting her walk once again, the two Rukongai souls following her. They weren't too far from her house, thankfully, and they reached it with no more interruptions.

She closed the door behind them, leading them through the house until they reached the back door. With a wide grin on her face, Ryoko grasped the door handle.

"So, what's this party for again?" Momo asked, once more trying to get a good answer out of the bluenette.

She chuckled, quickly sliding the door open. "Me becoming a Shinigami!" she exclaimed, her hands lifted by her sides. The party-goers quickly noticed her loud entrance, giving her nods and welcomes and congrats in their own ways as they walked around, a few already digging into the food prepared. "Welcome to the show, friends!"

Behind her, both Toshiro and Momo were in a state of shock, for multiple reasons. The first being the people here. It wasn't too big of a party, but there were clearly strong Shinigami walking around the garden, a few of note wearing strange white jackets or badges on their arm. A sign of status, to be sure; they're most likely the captains and lieutenants Ryoko had told them about. They at least recognized the badge since Kaien had worn it when he went to retrieve Ryoko.

It took a moment for any words to actually be spoken. "Ryoko, this…" Teal eyes turned to the girl in question as her body turned to face him. She still had a wide grin, hands on her hips and golden eyes shining happily.

"You're… You're a Soul Reaper now?" Momo finally asked, her own eyes wide as she stared at her friend. Ryoko nodded, grin somehow getting wider at the mention of her accomplishment.

"Yep! I passed the test yesterday! Dad put together this party to celebrate and to welcome me into the Squads." She gestured behind her as she spoke. "Not all the Squads are here, of course. Two of them actually hate my guts!" She said that with such joy that it caught the two off guard.

"There you are, brat!"

Ryoko squeaked, turning her head toward the voice just before a hand placed itself on top, pushing down and ruffling her hair roughly. Toshiro and Momo blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of a rather...endowed woman.

"Took your damn time, did you?" the woman scoffed despite the smile on her face. "Kaien was this close to getting you again." Ryoko pushed the woman's hand off, giving her a look of mild irritation as the bluenette tried to fix her hair. As she did so, the woman turned to the two Rukongai souls, who seemed to tense at her stare. "Are these those friends Kaien mentioned?" At the mention of the two, Ryoko's irritation was replaced with happiness.

"Yep! This is Toshiro Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori!" She introduced them, gesturing respectively, then turned to said children and gestured to the woman. "This is Kaien's big sister, Kukaku. She's awesome with fireworks!"

"You're damn right." Kukaku smirked at the praise.

"It's nice to meet you," Momo said with a smile, bowing respectfully. Toshiro followed her example, giving a small greeting, as well. Kukuaku nodded at them, but waved her hand at their actions.

"Hey now, no need for all that bowing crap. I'm not a stiff like some of the others here." Her flippant attitude surprised them a bit, and they straightened back up. Toshiro noticed one of her hands was raised slightly, a cigarette stick held lightly between her fingers. "I gotta say, it's good to see Ryoko's got some friends her age."

"There's no other kids in the Seireitei?" Momo asked curiously. Sure, this place was more for soldiers, but surely there were some families that had children.

That small thought was put down by Kukaku's head shaking negatively.

"Nope. Well, unless you count Lieutenant Kusajishi." At the name, the woman pointed with her thumb behind her at a small pink-haired child that was currently devouring a mountain of candy. It was...horrifying, honestly. Especially to Toshiro. As someone who hated sweets, seeing someone stuffing their face full of candy with such gusto was quite disturbing for him.

"Wha-Hey!" Forgetting about her friends, Ryoko bolted over to Yachiru with a look of anger. "That's my candy! Don't hog it all!"

Momo chuckled at her friend's annoyance, while Toshiro simply shook his head. His eyes moved around, shoulders a little tense at the amount of people. It wasn't too many, probably about thirty, but it was still awkward for the boy. He was so used to being ostracized, yet there hasn't been one glare or sickened look or mention of his hair or eyes. Being with Ryoko and Momo has helped him realize that not everyone sees him as a freak, and seeing a pink-haired girl just now helped to ease him a bit despite her...actions. But he still found himself preparing to be made fun of or scoffed at. An unfortunate habit he's gained that Ryoko had strived to strip him of.

It was silly, and he found himself hating how easily he guarded himself.

Seeing movement near the corner of his eye, the white-haired boy turned his head as another person approached. This man also had white hair, but it was longer, and in Toshiro's eyes it looked more natural.

"Hello there," Ukitake greeted, giving the two children a soft smile that almost immediately made them relax. "You two are Ryoko's friends, correct?" He crouched down so they were eye-level.

Momo nodded, and Toshiro replied, "You're her dad, right?"

The man nodded. "My name's Jushiro Ukitake. It's nice to finally meet the children my daughter's been escaping the Seireitei to play with. You must be Toshiro and Momo. Ryoko tells me a lot about you two."

The children suddenly became a little worried despite his calm and innocent air. "Ah… I hope it's been all good things?" Momo said, though it was more of a question. Ukitake chuckled.

"Of course. I haven't heard one bad thing about you two." A small lie (Ryoko likes to rant about Momo's extreme lectures) but a harmless one. Momo and Toshiro blushed slightly under the small praise. "How are you liking the Seireitei?"

"It's big," Toshiro muttered, avoiding the man's eyes, something Ukitake noticed. He didn't comment on it, however. Not yet.

"It's so clean!" Momo said, her eyes glittering with excitement. "I've never seen so many tall and pretty buildings! All of the Soul Reapers live here, right?"

Ukitake chuckled lightly. "Yep! Every single one."

Momo turned excitedly to Toshiro, grabbing his arm and shaking him slightly. He turned to her in slight surprise and annoyance. "Hear that, Toshiro?"

"Don't call me that."

"You're going to live here!" Ukitake's eyes widened at her words, turning to look at the miffed boy.

"You want to become a Soul Reaper?" That question made the two pause. Toshiro looked away, nodding. "At such a young age?"

"Ryoko asked me to," Toshiro explained, then spoke again when he noticed Ukitake's worried look, "She said my Spiritual Pressure was really strong, and that I needed to learn to control it properly. Becoming a Soul Reaper is the easiest way I could do that."

"Our grandmother and I also agreed with her," Momo added, "We were the ones who finally helped him decide."

Ukitake still didn't like the idea of him joining at such an early age, but nothing could be done about it now. If he's made his choice, he shouldn't interfere with it. "And what about you?" he asked Momo, who gave a small hum.

"I'm not too sure yet. Becoming a Soul Reaper is a tough job, and I don't know if I'm up for it yet. But I'm definitely keeping it in mind! It'd be cool to live in a place like this! Though, I don't want to leave Grandmother alone like that..." She and Toshiro exchanged looks. Ukitake hummed.

"Well, you're still quite young. Don't think you need to force yourself into this decision." He patted her head gently as he stood. Momo smiled. His eyes glanced at Toshiro for a moment, noticing the boy's gaze was behind him. Looking back, the sickly captain noted the other Shinigami roaming the garden. It didn't take long to realize what had the boy so tense. "It must be pretty overwhelming, hm?"

Realizing he was being spoken to, Toshiro turned to Ukitake, the latter turned back to the former when he spoke, though teal eyes quickly darted away. "It's...different."

Ukitake chuckled. "It's alright. I'd be a little surprised if you weren't, to be honest." His light tone caused Toshiro to relax again, not even realizing he'd tensed up again before. However, his gaze didn't lift. Momo seemed to realize her friend was stressed, looking at him worriedly.

"You okay, Toshiro?"

"I'm fine."

"Well that's a lie and a half," Ryoko stated matter-of-factly as she reapproached them, one arm tucked to her chest, cradling a decent amount of candy she was able to salvage from Yachiru. While she had been momentarily distracted by her poor candy stash being obliterated, she happened to glance over at her friends to see one of them not enjoying themselves. Toshiro was usually a party pooper, but she wanted him to have fun here, not drown in misery!

"Ryoko, I'm fine," Toshiro insisted. But she wasn't having that.

"Tell me the truth."

"I'm fine."

"The truth."

"I already told you!"

"The. Truth."

"Ryoko-"

"I will shove this candy down your throat," she threatened, deadly serious as she held out a piece of chocolate, her eyes narrowed. Toshiro blinked at her threat, one he had no doubt she'd carry out. Momo and Ukitake simply watched the exchange.

Finally, he sighed. "...I just… I'm so used to not being welcomed, okay?" Ryoko's eyes widened, as did the others'. He didn't look at them, eyes pointed at the ground as his hands balled into fists. "No one's mentioned how we look, how I look… Once they take a good look at me, they'll call me a freak and tell me to get lost."

Momo frowned, holding a gentle fist to her chest as she lowered her own gaze to the ragged clothing she wore. It wasn't terrible, but it was so plain and dirty compared to everyone else. They really stood out, and it did feel odd to be the only ones who were dressed this way.

Ryoko was silent for a heavy moment, simply staring at her best friend. Finally, she sighed and stepped forward until she was right in front of him.

And then she slapped him.

Toshiro's eyes flew wide open in shock, his head turned to the side from the impact. It didn't hurt too terribly, and it wouldn't even leave a mark, but it was enough to leave a sting. Momo gasped lightly, and Ukitake looked shocked at his daughter's actions.

"Ryo-"

"You're so stupid," Ryoko growled, cutting her father's reprimand off. Wide teal eyes turned to her, his hand moving lightly to his cheek where she had hit him. "I told you already. You look fine! No one here is going to care about your white hair or bright eyes. Yachiru's hair is pink; my hair is blue!"

Ryoko dropped her candy, gripping Toshiro's shoulders tightly and glaring into his eyes. "There is a guy here with a bucket on his head. No one cares that you look a little different. And if they do, I'll just have to break their legs and beat them 'til they shut up!"

He blinked in surprise, though he really shouldn't have been shocked. Just as it was a sore spot with him, it was for Ryoko, though for different reasons. Whenever the topic of his appearance was brought up, he found himself upset or angry, because so many people have scoffed or turned him away, calling him a demon or unnatural. For Ryoko, she would become defensive or angry for him. She found nothing wrong with him, and her anger was pointed at those who did.

And at this moment, she was angry both at, and for him.

"I have to agree with her, though I don't think beating someone up is the best solution," Ukitake finally spoke, his words still calm and soft even as he gave Ryoko a look, "Everyone within the Seireitei has their own quirks, whether they be physical or emotional or spiritual. No one is able to judge another." Neither of them mentioned the one exception to this rule, at least for Ryoko. But she has a strong hatred for sadistic clowns, so it was partially a personal preference to hate that person.

"We're your friends, Toshiro," Momo said, the boy turning his head to look at her. "We like you the way you are. Who cares what anyone else thinks?"

He did, obviously, but he didn't want to. And it annoyed him to no end whenever he would go to the store or see some of the other village kids shying away from him because he looked odd. It annoyed him that he would get hurt and angry so easily over something so simple.

Ryoko noticed Toshiro had become lost in thought and sighed. She gripped his wrist, turned, and dragged into further into the garden. The sudden jolt tore him from his thoughts, eyes widening in surprise.

"Ryoko!?"

"You are going to mingle with these people whether you like it or not, and you are going to have a good time!" she growled, but Toshiro knew it wasn't anything malicious. Sighing, he let himself be dragged willingly to the first person closest to them: "Uno! Come meet my friend!"

Momo and Ukitake watched, baffled, as the bluenette dragged the poor boy deeper into the party. "I'm sorry," the girl apologized, getting the captain's attention. "Toshiro's always been turned away for his looks. He doesn't tell me, since he doesn't want me or granny to worry, but Ryoko's told me about the shopkeepers."

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I've heard about some of their trips. I believe she once set fire to one of the stalls, if I recall correctly." He'd spoken with a light smirk, showing he wasn't upset by her actions. No one was killed, so he'd dismissed it since she was only looking out for a friend.

The young girl laughed at the reminder. At the time, she'd been upset by their actions. They could've gotten into real trouble, but Ryoko had been careful in her little plan, so the culprits weren't ever found. Now she looked back on it with a small, smug smile. "Hopefully his time as a Soul Reaper will give him some more confidence. Ryoko's already done a really good job helping him, even if neither of them see it."

"That's good to hear," Ukitake added softly, warm brown eyes watching as Unohana and Isane talked with Toshiro and Ryoko, noticing easily how the boy's posture slowly started to unwind as their conversation continued. After a few moments, he turned back to Momo. "I'm sure you're eager to meet a few Soul Reapers, as well."

"Ah," Momo suddenly got both excited and nervous, "A-Actually, I am.. Though it's a little overwhelming."

"Don't worry. You don't need to meet everyone," he reassured, "But I would hate to see you just standing in the corner."

"Well, lead the way then," she replied with a smile. She was nervous, but this man was so kind it had melted some of that nervousness away. With a nod and a smile of his own, Ukitake led the young soul into the garden.

Ryoko had gotten Toshiro to open up a little bit after a few introductions and conversations. Unohana was extremely nice to the boy, and when he asked about his appearance, she simply repeated what Ryoko said.

She also brought him to Shunsui and little Nanao, who was now just as tall as Gin and had become a Shinigami a few years before Ryoko, standing proud as the Third Seat of Squad 8. The two girls got along rather well, though Nanao was a little uptight; most likely because if she didn't Shunsui would be slacking off completely unsupervised, which was never a good thing. But even she admitted it was nice to relax every now and then.

The two kids had just finished talking with a few members of Squad 13 when Ryoko had complained she was hungry. Toshiro was, too, but only said anything after she did, not wanting to be rude. While she went to the food table, the white-haired boy stayed by the wall, feeling a little overwhelmed and wanting to calm his nerves a bit.

"I must say, I wasn't expecting Ryoko to bring friends."

Toshiro turned to his right, surprised at the sudden appearance of another captain. He assumed they were a captain, if his white coat was anything to go by.

"Sorry," the man apologized, "I didn't mean to startle you." His face held a smile similar to Ukitake, soft and disarming. Brown eyes were gentle behind square-rimmed glasses.

"It's fine…" Toshiro muttered.

A flicker or resignation shone in the man's eye. "You must be Toshiro. Ryoko's told me a little about you."

"She did?"

"All good things, I promise. She holds you and Momo in high regard. Although, I'm surprised you were allowed access to the Seireitei." At Toshiro's questioning look, he elaborated, "The Head Captain doesn't usually approve of bringing wayward souls in from the Rukongai."

The young boy understood that. It would be dangerous to let random people in, after all. And the gate and gatekeepers were there for a reason.

"If you don't mind," Aizen started again, getting Toshiro out of his thoughts, "Captain Ukitake told me you're planning on becoming a Soul Reaper. Any particular Squad you're thinking of joining?"

Toshiro honestly hadn't thought that far yet, at least not completely. He's looked into the different Squads a bit, with Ryoko there to help give him some more insider information, but nothing leading to a concrete decision.

"I-"

"Shiro~!"

His answer was interrupted by Ryoko running over, latching onto his arm with an excited look on her face. "Shiro, they've got watermelon!" Without waiting for his answer, Ryoko dragged the surprised boy to the food table where Miyako had placed some freshly-cut watermelons, seeded and seedless, cubed and sliced. "Miyako! Get us the best watermelon slice there is! Preferably with seeds!"

The woman did so, smiling softly as she handed Toshiro the biggest slice of the bunch, surprising him. When she saw his wide eyes, the woman laughed. "Ryoko told me about your love of watermelon after Ukitake came up with the idea for a party. Don't worry, there's plenty more."

"Th-Thank you." He wasn't used to such generosity, his eyes glued to the massive chunk in his hands that equalled a little under a fourth of the whole melon. It was, as Ryoko had said, the best one there was.

With the watermelon in their hands, the two friends sat on the stairs of the outer walkway to the house. Ryoko happily chewed on her piece, not caring about the drips of water sliding down her mouth or chin. Toshiro had a small smile on his face as he ate his piece, though at a slower pace than his friend and wiping off the water when it got on his face with his sleeve.

"This wasn't so bad, was it?" Ryoko asked, pausing between bites to turn to him. He thought about it for a moment, using the time to chew and swallow his food before answering.

"No," he finally replied, "This was...nice."

She nudged his arm. "See? Told you you'd enjoy it." Teal eyes rolled at her smug look, but the smile on his face held no lie.

"There you two are!"

Both kids turned to Momo, who walked over with a watermelon of her own. Toshiro moved closer to Ryoko so she could sit.

"All of these Soul Reapers are so lively. I still can't believe you're friends with so many Captains!"

Ryoko chuckled. "I was… a bit of a special case. And they're all mostly nice, too, which helps. The only terrifying ones are Clown-face and Eyepatch. Soi-Fon's just a buzzkill who doesn't like me because Kitty liked me better."

'Well forget about them. You're amazing!" Momo chuckled. Ryoko's chest puffed out in pride.

"Oh I know."

As they spoke, Toshiro's eyes were looking around the garden again, noticing one prominent person was missing. He's never met him, but the missing presence was easy for him to see.

"Ryoko, where's Byakuya?" he finally asked once there was a break in their conversation. Ryoko's smile instantly dipped, and he winced. "Sorry-"

"No, it's fine," she sighed, lifting her head back to look at the sky sadly. Toshiro and Momo exchanged worried looks. "To be honest, I don't know. I saw him recently when I was walking through the Seireitei to talk to Gramps about my test, but that's it. I hope I can see him soon, though…" She lowered her head, her eyes now pointed at the ground. "Dad and Old Man Yamma haven't decided when they should announce my other powers, but I know it's going to be soon. I want to talk to Bya-kun before that happens."

Setting aside her watermelon, the girl shifted back a bit and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin on top. "I'm afraid if I don't, then it'll be too late…"

Momo frowned, leaning forward slightly so she could see her friend. "Well, what's stopping you from talking to him now?"

"...I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of talking to him?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow. She was contradicting herself.

Ryoko shook her head. "It's hard to explain… I just… Whenever I think about talking to him, I get this weird feeling in my chest." She placed a hand on the center of her chest, frowning down at it. "I feel jittery and scared, and I end up turning and running the other way."

"Maybe you're just anxious?" Momo suggested.

"Maybe…" Her voice was low, showing how truly worried and afraid she was. Her relationship with Byakuya was already on a thin, frayed rope. A wrong move could destroy that small thread, that connection, so easily. She had to be careful, but not much time was left.

"You could ask your dad for more time," Toshiro said.

Ryoko shook her head negatively. "Central 46 doesn't want that. In the event I'm found to be a traitor or need to be dealt with, they want that information up front so people can defend against me properly. Me asking for more time would be seen as me delaying for a possibly negative reason." She didn't look at the two, so she didn't notice their rather disturbed expressions. That was not a reason they expected. Ryoko looked to the wooden walkway, moving her finger indiscriminately. "Like I said, I'm a special case. They don't want any unknowns about me. I'm surprised I didn't become a science experiment, with how weird I am."

"You're not weird," Momo argued, "Different, but not weird! Don't think about yourself like that!"

The blue-haired girl gave Momo a thankful smile. She couldn't help but feel lucky she had such great friends on her side.

Toshiro was used to seeing a rather upset/depressed Ryoko by this point, since she always seemed to come to him to vent. So he simply said what he's said to her before, "Nothing that happened between you two is your fault, Ryo. If he wants to hate you for something you didn't know about then that's on him."

Momo gave her friend a look, but didn't reprimand him. She didn't know the full extent of what happened between Ryoko and Bakugo, but she knew Toshiro did.

"I just...don't want to lose another friend…"

Toshiro sighed. He couldn't offer any life-saving advice about that, since his only two friends still cared about him a lot. "You can't please everyone, you idiot." He knew exactly what she was thinking about, or rather, who. But his point still stood in this case. Not everyone was going to like her, she knew that. But people also change a lot, including friends.

"...You…" Toshiro and Momo gave the girl their attention when she paused, golden eyes downcast for a moment before finally lifting to them. Wide, full of worry and fear. "You guys won't leave me, will you?"

"Of course not!" Momo practically shouted, seeming insulted at the very idea. Even Toshiro looked affronted.

"Even if we wanted to, we doubt you'd let us escape at this point."

Smack!

"Ow!" Toshiro glared at Momo, the one who had slapped the back of his head. Why was he getting slapped so much today?!

"Don't be rude!"

"I wasn't being rude, I was telling the truth!"

"You made it sound like we're her prisoners!"

"Have you seen how she drags me around?"

"You're ridiculous!"

A burst of giggles interrupted their argument, brown and teal eyes looking over to Ryoko. A smile had formed on her face and her shoulders had relaxed, her legs unfolding into a more comfortable position. After her little fit, she gave the two a genuine smile.

"I love you guys."

"Alright!"

All three turned to the garden as Kaien's voice rang in the air. During their conversation, one section of the area had turned into a volleyball court, with Squad 13's own Lieutenant holding the ball in his arm. "Who wants to play volleyball?!"

The three exchanged looks, then the two Rukongai souls shook their heads. "We'd rather not die."

"Have fun~!"

Grinning from ear to ear, Ryoko pushed herself off the stairs and ran over to the net, where a mix of Squad members, Lieutenants, and Captains all gathered.

Kaien blew the whistle, and everything dissolved into chaos.

Standing on the sidelines, Aizen watched with Gin by his side, the latter holding more enjoyment than the former at the little game. Though even Aizen had to admit, it was quite humorous seeing short little Ryoko attempting to play volleyball with people nearly twice her height.

"It's a shame," Aizen said softly, so only Gin could hear him. The silver-haired man turned to him, though the older didn't elaborate. The sound of whistling wind behind them had the two turn around to see Kaname. "Well?"

"It's begun. The word should spread quickly, knowing the Seireitei."

Aizen's smile widened just enough to show he was pleased with that answer. While Gin's face didn't change, internally he felt worry creeping into his stomach. He turned to the game, eyes landing on Ryoko, oblivious to what was to come.

At that moment, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her.