Request for my lovely guest reviewer Cisco! I appreciate all your reviews Cisco, and wish ffn would allow me to reply~
Request: Isshin's reaction to pre-academy Tosh burning himself.

Also I only realised last year that Kukaku had a prosthetic right arm! Tell me I wasn't the only one to miss that while watching the anime X'D

…

Fireworks

Toshiro loved his new name.

The big man, Isshin, had given it to him a few weeks ago, and though Toshiro he knew he was still to truly earn it, it was still nice to be called something.

It was also nice that Isshin didn't seem to be so distrustful of him anymore. In fact, he was now tutoring Toshiro for his entry exam into the Spiritual Arts Academy and came home most nights to do so, usually bringing Rangiku. Toshiro still didn't stay nights at the manor, terrified of freezing them and especially Granny, but he never went far and he returned every morning.

While Isshin worked during the day, so did Toshiro. He tried to help out Granny as much as possible, and if not her, then Kukaku and Ganju, who were also too nice to him.

"Do you need any help today?" Toshiro asked Kukaku, standing in the doorway of her and Ganju's fireworks workshop.

Granny was starting on dinner, though it was still early, and told Toshiro to entertain himself as she didn't want him burning himself in the kitchen. Well, Toshiro didn't like to not help out especially as the Shibas were feeding, clothing and tutoring him all for free, so the boy had wandered out into the workshop Kukaku and Ganju had built in the yard. He knew they had a fireworks show coming up, and that they might appreciate an extra pair of hands.

"Hey Kid," Kukaku grinned up at him from where she sat on the floor, surrounded by firework casings, explosive powder and little pellets they called 'stars'. "Come in, you can help me put these together."

Toshiro straightened excitedly and rushed inside to help. Well, 'rushed' as much as he could with his injured leg. Thankfully, the wound was healing well – according to Kaien and Miyako – but it still hurt a little to walk in, causing him to continue to limp for now.

He lowered himself beside Kukaku as she explained which stars she wanted placed around the inner wall of the casings. Toshiro set to work, and felt his face heat slightly as she complimented his speed.

Of course he was able to load the cases quicker than her – she only had one arm!

He didn't say anything, but his eyes slid to her prosthetic wooden arm. The noblewoman noticed and her lips twitched with a smirk.

"It's okay, Kid," she chuckled, handing him (with her good arm) an empty case to start filling. "You can ask."

Toshiro hesitated, eyes flicking up to hers. Kukaku didn't have brown eyes like Isshin, she had green ones.

"How did you lose it?" he asked eventually, his curiosity outweighing his fear of getting into trouble for a moment.

"Fireworks," Kukaku shrugged and nodded down to the casings they were currently filling up.

Toshiro gasped, his eyes going wide. Fireworks did that to her? Kukaku was still working with them and Toshiro was helping her fill them up literally as they spoke about how she lost her arm to them. Was that not crazy?

Kukaku saw his expression and laughed loudly, patting his back reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Kid," Kukaku chuckled. "It was a long time ago and we're not going to let it happen to you."

Toshiro frowned, not entirely reassured. Nevertheless, he continued to put together the fireworks, though with much more care than before.

They were just finishing when Ganju entered the workshop.

"The tubes are set up," he informed them gruffly. "Ready to test?"

"Certainly are," Kukaku winked at Toshiro, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

He helped them load the tubes outside in the garden with the fireworks as Kukaku explained they were only going to test a few.

"Even though it's daytime and we can't see them?" Toshiro asked as the last of the tubes were loaded.

"They're pretty bright, I think we'll still see them," Ganju murmured, squinting up at the overcast, albeit glaringly bright, sky. "We just test to make sure they are executing the way we want anyway, and also to get a better sense of timing."

Understanding, Toshiro walked over to stand by Kukaku as Ganju moved to light the first firework. The noblewoman stood with her back straight and arms crossed, her eyes focused on the first tube. Glancing at her wooden arm again, Toshiro wondered briefly if she always hung back during the testing as to not lose another limb.

Ganju lit the fuse and a moment later the firework shot up into the sky, exploding loudly. He was right though; as light as it was, Toshiro still made out the red colour in that first firework.

"So cool," Toshiro breathed, as Ganju lit the second one and it exploded in the sky the same way, shooting out gold stars this time.

Kukaku snorted and held out her fist for him to bump with his own fist. He had learned to do that while helping her out; it was her version of a handshake or a hug it seemed.

"Hey Kid," Ganju called over to him. "Want to light one?"

Toshiro's eyes lit up.

"Really?" he asked, excitement already in his voice.

Ganju smirked and jerked his head in gesture for Toshiro to approach. The boy limped over to the nobleman's side quickly. Ganju passed him the lighter.

"Reach over to light the fuse," Ganju instructed, pointing to the fuse end on the ground by Toshiro's feet. "Then step away quickly. Understand?"

Toshiro nodded, and when he was given the signal to go ahead, lit the fuse. He stepped away quickly as instructed, and watched in awe as the firework shot up into the sky and exploded in green stars.

"Wow," Toshiro murmured turning to grin at Kukaku first, who gave him a thumbs up, and then to Ganju who rolled his eyes despite a grin on his face.

Ganju nodded to the next fuse along.

"Do you want to do the next one?"

"Yes please!" Toshiro's eyes lit up again. Ganju gestured for him to go ahead and Toshiro did as instructed.

This time, however, the firework did not explode as planned. It exploded much sooner than expected, in fact, as soon as the lit fuse reached it. It did not shoot up into the sky first, instead bursting open at ground level. The bang was loud and Toshiro flinched away, bringing his hands up to cover his face. Someone screamed – it might have been him – but a burning on his hand stole all of Toshiro's attention.

He gasped and whimpered, trying to shake off the burning as the smoke around him started to clear and he felt hands on him. He didn't see it, but he felt something fall away from the palm of his hand

"Kid, you alright?!" Ganju was there, dragging him away from the area and towards the house.

"Hand," Toshiro gasped, feeling himself panic as his hand continued to sting horrifically hot.

Ganju cursed and looked down at it, grabbing Toshiro's wrists and turning over both palms. Kukaku was there then, her hands on Toshiro's shoulders and holding him tightly.

Bravely, Toshiro finally looked down at his hand and saw an angry red mark across the middle. It didn't look too bad actually, but it hurt worse than anything.

"It's okay," Kukaku assured him, rubbing his shoulder gently. "It's pretty minor. We get burns like this all the time."

"Must have been an unexploded star," Ganju murmured. "Better get it under some cold water."

Toshiro swallowed but his eyes stung with painful tears. It hurt so much. He didn't want to cry in front of them though, so he held back, biting his lip desperately.

Kukaku squeezed his shoulders and led him inside the manor and into the kitchen.

Granny gasped seeing them, rushing forward.

"What happened?" she asked, worry in those brown eyes surrounded in wrinkles.

"Firework burn," Kukaku informed her mother calmly. "Only a little one. We're going to sit it under some running water for a little while."

Kukaku led Toshiro further into the kitchen and with only her good arm, picked Toshiro up and lifted him onto the bench next to the sink. Turning on the cold tap, she guided Toshiro's hand under the flowing water. The boy flinched back at first, worried about the burn stinging more but Kukaku held him still, and soon he realised the cold water was actually helping.

After a while, it didn't feel so bad.

"We'll keep your hand under the water for a few more minutes," Kukaku explained. "Then we can put some special ointment on it to help it heal. I'm sure Kaien can take a look at it later."

Toshiro nodded, not trusting his voice to speak.

"You're being so brave, Toshiro," Granny told him, her arms coming around him and hugging him against her chest, though she was careful not to knock his hand. "Must have hurt a lot, especially being an ice type as Isshin tells me."

Toshiro only swallowed and leaned into her hold. It did hurt. More than even his leg did when he had first been injured by that Hollow in Hitsugaya.

"Oh yeah," Kukaku sighed, grimacing. "Forgot about that."

Toshiro swallowed and bit his lip harder, turning his face into the folds of Granny's kimono as she patted his back gently. He didn't know if being an ice type like Isshin had suspect made it hurt more for him or not, but it did sting badly. His hand, even under the cold water, felt hot, though it was marginally better than before.

"What's going on?"

Isshin's voice had Toshiro's face popping out of Granny's kimono as the two women's gazes snapped over to the clan head too. The captain stood in the kitchen doorway, confusion on his face and… was that concern?

"Just a small burn," Granny sighed, turning back to Toshiro, lips turned down. "Hurts a lot, but he's going to be okay."

Toshiro nodded looking down and away, feeling the eyes turn on him.

Isshin came over and lifted Toshiro's hand out from under the water for a moment to inspect it. He gently touched the burned skin and Toshiro gasped and flinched, unable to stop his face diving back to Granny's kimono. The elderly woman made soothing sounds, and hugged him closer as Toshiro felt his hand be returned to under the water flow.

"How did this happen?" Isshin asked, his voice tense.

He had asked Granny but it was Kukaku who answered with a sigh.

"Testing fireworks," Kukaku informed her brother, voice resigned. "Dodgy one slipped in the mix."

"You let him test fireworks with you?!" Isshin spluttered, his voice suddenly raised.

"It was an accident, Isshin," Kukaku was calm. "Just unlucky. Toshiro wasn't harmed too badly."

"Then why am I looking at a burn on his hand?" Isshin snapped.

Toshiro's breath caught. He realised as scared as he had been of Isshin when he had first met the big man, he hadn't actually heard the man angry before. Now though, the oldest Shiba sibling was furious and though that rage was directed at his sister, it still scared Toshiro a little.

"How can you be so stupid?!" Isshin yelled again when Kukaku didn't answer. "He's a child!"

His raised voice had Toshiro burying further into Granny's hold. He removed his hand from the water flow to wrap it around his middle and away from the argument.

"Isshin, temper!" Granny hissed warningly then. "Please calm down."

"Calm down?" Isshin growled back. "He's hurt, Mum! In our care, after he saved you, and he's hurt by our fireworks!"

"It's okay," Toshiro managed weakly, aware that his voice was probably muffled in Granny's kimono but Isshin still heard him.

"It's not, Kid," Isshin huffed before he seemed to turn back on Kukaku again. "You and Ganju will keep your fireworks away from him, or you'll start testing off manor grounds."

"You can't do that!" Ganju's voice came from the other side of the kitchen and was insulted. "That's our business."

"I am the head of the clan." Isshin snapped again, his voice loud and commanding. "I will not have Toshiro hurt."

A moment of tense silence passed over the kitchen.

Toshiro peeked an eye out of Granny's kimono to view the situation. Isshin's face was furious – he looked so full of anger, that maybe he would explode like a firework next, and one that would be far less pretty. Ganju looked annoyed, but was keeping his mouth shut. Kukaku on the other hand, looked entirely entertained.

"Well, well, well," she drawled. "Who would have thought you would grow to be so protective of the boy from Hitsugaya, hm?"

"That's enough," Isshin cut her off. "Treat his wound and send him up to the study when he's ready. We'll do our work up there today."

With that the man stormed from the room, his face red and in his wake, a hot breeze passed over them. The kitchen remained silent as they listened to Isshin's stomping footsteps ascend the stairs to the second story of the house.

"We're sorry, Toshiro," Kukaku sighed at last. "We shouldn't have had you lighting the fireworks today."

"But I liked it," Toshiro deflated a little. "It was fun!"

"Yeah it is, isn't it?" Kukaku grinned at him, reaching over to ruffle his hair before she reached down to pull his hand out from where he had hidden it between his and Granny's body. She guided his hand back under the water.

Granny moved away then and returned a moment later with a tube of medical ointment. Kukaku took it from her mother and took over the treatment.

"At least you've still got your arm, right?" Kukaku joked suddenly, causing Toshiro to chuckle weakly, his lips turning up into a smile despite the darkness of the humour.

Gently Kukaku began to rub a small amount of the ointment into Toshiro's palm. An ugly red mark was forming, but upon inspection, Ganju didn't believe it will scar.

"Will I really not be able to test fireworks with you again?" Toshiro asked with a disappointed pout.

"Oh no, we wouldn't take that away from you," Kukaku laughed. "We just won't tell Mr Grump upstairs, okay?"

"He'll be so mad at you," Toshiro's eyes went wide, not quite believing Kukaku would betray her brother's order after seeing him get so angry.

"I was surprised he exploded like that, even with his temper," Kukaku admitted quietly. "Obviously you have made more of an impact on him than any of us realised."

Toshiro threw her a questioning look, but the noblewoman merely winked at him.

"He cares a lot about you is what I'm saying," she told him a moment later.

Toshiro blinked disbelievingly. Isshin? The big man who hadn't wanted him here originally? Care about him so much he would yell and threaten his own siblings like that because of a small burn on Toshiro's hand?

Kukaku shrugged, wrapping his hand in a bandage that was thankfully not too tight.

"Alright Kid," Kukaku sighed, letting go of his bandaged hand and stepping back a little. "You're all patched up and ready to study. Let's keep you a safe distance from those fireworks in future, hm."

"They're so pretty though," Toshiro grinned and Kukaku chuckled and nodded her agreement.

"You know, I believe we are all like fireworks," Granny added, watching over the scene. She had stayed close, her hand on Toshiro's back and rubbing soothingly. "We climb, shine and always go our separate ways and become further apart. But even if that time comes, let's not disappear like a firework, and continue to shine... forever."

Toshiro smiled up at her – he liked that analogy. He would use it himself one day.

"We've got to keep him alive first," Ganju snorted from the other side of the kitchen. "If Toshiro stops shining, Isshin will blow us up for sure."

Kukaku laughed at that, while Granny pursed her lips in disapproving amusement. Toshiro couldn't help but grin too.

He couldn't believe Isshin cared about him that much, but if his family who had known him forever believed it, then maybe it was true.

Isshin cared for Toshiro, and that made the boy's heart soar higher than any firework could.

…

I honestly don't know how she lost her arm. I tried to look it up but there doesn't seem to be a canon-confirmed answer.

Next up, we have another chapter for Geishaaa who wants to see Rangiku since she's had two chapters off. Lazy bloody lieutenant…

Stay tuned~