Chapter Three: A Way Home

Here is the next chapter for you all.

A big thanks to my Hubby for looking this over for me while my Beta Reader is getting better.

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Yue in the Stars Thank you for your review. Yeah, please forgive me for the grammar. As you know my Beta Reader is not feeling the best. And I had meant to have my husband look over the chapter before I posted it, oops. Yes, I had fun writing out the interactions between Toshiro and the guild. I especially had fun writing Natsu and Toshiro talking. : )

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I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful day.

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Previously:

Erza smiled as she saw what the others other than Makarov didn't. What looked like uncertainty in Toshiro's eyes was actually a lost child who didn't know what to do. Natsu was right the child side was still inside the boy it was just so closely guarded that it never had a chance to come out. 'I think we will actually be able to see what his true childish side the longer he says with us.' "Hey where have you been looking for you information if you don't mind my asking?"

Toshiro blinked pulling his in uncertainty as he answered, "The town library."

The red head smiled, "You know we have a library as well right?" Teal eyes slowly widened with shock, "And I can promise we have far better books." Toshiro looked like he didn't know what to say, "Unfortunately there is only one way to access them. But this way also allows you to get money and a place to live." She gave a small smile as the white haired captain looked at her, "Sorry, but I didn't make the rules. They have been here since I was a kid. It is just a matter of are you willing to do so to find a way home."

Now:

Toshiro tried to come up with something to say but was unable to. Natsu looked at Erza shocked, 'How does she do that? The entire time he's been here he has never spoken much but he is actually…thinking about it.'

He looked back at Toshiro still trying to come up with an answer. Finally when he did, "But…I wouldn't even be here long. That doesn't make sense." He looked down, "It's okay I can look elsewhere. Thank you for the offer but I am going to have to decline."

Makarov laughed lightly, "Nonsense." Toshiro looked at him, "Putting a roof over someone's head is not a problem at all. We would love to have you no matter how long we have you for."

"What are you talking about?" Toshiro asked shocked.

"We are asking you to be one of us, even if you have to visit every once in a while." The master replied with a smile.

"Wait…you don't think I'm a plague?" Toshiro said, without thinking before looking away, "Don't answer that!" Then the young captain dashed out of the building not waiting for them to reply.

Makarov sighed and shook his head, "I knew that poor kid had some mental scars."

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Toshiro sighed as he sat on a tree branch, 'Damn it why did I say that? What is wrong with me? I've gotten over that.'

'Sorry master but you really haven't.' Toshiro sighed as he let his dragon continue talking, 'Even if you have accepted that is has happened to you it still is a mental scar.' Hyorinmaru curled around his master, 'But even so I still care for you. Nothing will ever change that. I will be there for you no matter what.'

The white haired boy sighed and curled against his Zanpakto spirit, 'I just don't want to be bothered by everything that has happened to me.'

The dragon gave a purr of comfort, 'Bad things happen Hatchling. I would protect you from all of them if I could.'

Toshiro happily stayed in the comfort that the dragon was offering opening his eyes to the real world several hours later about jumping out of his skin when he saw Lucy smiling at him from below the tree branch he was sleeping in, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just a few minuets. I actually came to check on you." The blond said with a small smile on her face, "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm fine." Toshiro answered unsurely.

"If it helps I don't think you are a plague." Teal eyes widened so she quickly added, "In fact I like the way you are. You may not have said much to us but you are really polite and helpful when asked for something that you are able to do." She gave a bigger smile, "That is how I feel but I am absolutely positive the rest of the guild feel good things toward you. Even if you pull the anti-social bit off really well." Toshiro was still unable to come up with anything to say. He was sure he looked like a gasping fish, "Beside this is the best guild you could have possible landed in. I should know I joined them not long ago myself. Before that I have been following their activities in the magazines. They may be crazy and that is what makes them who they are today."

Toshiro sighed, "I'm sure I can find the information out in town."

Lucy sighed, "How about you worry about that later. You haven't eaten yet. Even when doing research you still need your strength."

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Toshiro sat at the bar with Lucy picking at the food left on his plate. His brain was still going a mile an hour with what he had already found out. His phone didn't work and when he tried to open the gate to Soul Society it either wouldn't catch or Hyorinmaru wasn't letting him. Either way he had to find a way home. Teal eyes looked up when the blond touched his arm, "Are you okay."

"Yes, I'm trying to use the information I know to find a way home."

The blond cocked her head, "I'm sure they would understand if didn't get back right away." Teal eyes looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "I'm not saying don't try to get back but don't wear yourself out doing it."

"I wish I could afford that." Toshiro said looking away, "But Central has been acting weird and if they knew a place like this existed…I don't know what they would do with that kind of information."

"What if we helped you?" Lucy asked with a tilt of her head.

The boy looked away, "N…I don't know. That might put you in some kind of danger I don't think you should be in."

'Master please, don't try to go back.'

'Why Hyorinmaru? Why shouldn't I go back? Why do you keep discouraging me to find a way back?' The soul asked his zanpakto spirit in frustration.

'You never belonged there. You ended up there by accident. When alive you never started there.' The dragon answered.

'Then tell me where I began then. If that place was never meant to be my home why did I end up there?'

'Master if they knew what you were you would have ended up a lab rat. Remember when you wondered why you never had a chained up inner hollow like the rest of them?' Toshiro froze in shock, he hadn't thought about that in a while. 'There is a reason why, because your soul was never supposed to end up there. It was an accident. When you were going somewhere else your soul traveled to a different universe. Hatchling…' The dragon sighed, '…you are home.'

'What do you mean I'm home?'

'Those vision you kept having there were actually memories. To protect you…I hid them.' The young soul reaper didn't know how to reply, 'Hatchling you traveled to there your soul partially died. When it did that to you I was suddenly in your head. Hatchling in life…you were my adopted child.'

'What are you trying to say?'

'I'm saying you and I were once two separate people. But what ever happed during that travel caused you and I to become one. I don't know how so don't ask me. Hatchling please I took you away for your safety.'