DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FRUITS BASKET OR BLEACH, NOR DO I PROFIT FROM THIS STORY.

I'm getting better at this updating thing. Is what I would say if I actually posted this when I was planning to.

I have been dragged into the Miraculous ladybug fandom and I'm not exactly sure how to get out of it, or if I even want to. Those two dorks and their ridiculous love square are ruining my life.

Previously...

Mission Status Update.

After today's incidents, I firmly believe that the Sohma family has a connection to the fluctuating reiastu and that the hollow's are drawn to the occurrence. I have been unable to ascertain what the relationship between the two is yet; I will look into it further in the coming days.

Awaiting further orders.

- Hitsugaya Toshiro

Found Out

Hitsugaya Taicho,

Find out all you can about the Sohma family, if they are connected to the phenomenon like you say, it is imperative that we find and remedy the problem as soon as possible.

Report anything of importance regarding your investigation.

- Yamamoto Soutaicho.

Sixty years ago…

The last few months had been interesting to say the least. It wasn't that anything spectacular happened, quite the contrary, it had been perfectly normal. Sawako still attended her classes, Hoshiko and Chiyo by her side causing some sort of chaos, as was the norm for them. The rainy season was right on time forcing students inside the gymnasium for most – if not all – of their recent gym periods. Which of course meant a few rounds of dodge ball, or as her classmates affectionately called it 'stay-the-hell-out-of-Sawako's-way-lest-you-suffer-the-consequences'. Only one student had been sent to the nurse's office so far, but in her defense, if the moron hadn't jumped the ball wouldn't have hit him in the groin.

Exams had come and gone – along with most of the student's sanity – leaving some in a pit of despair, others lounging around with indifference and a few patting themselves on the back. Sawako had fallen into the latter much to her parent's pleasure.

So the days progressed normally, falling into weeks and eventually into months, until it was nearing the end of the spring term. Students were discussing holiday plans; some were going away with family, others planning gaming marathons with people from around the globe, a few smitten teenagers were working up the courage to confess to their crushes hoping holiday luck was on their side. Chiyo was spending the time off with her family, they had a tradition of staying at their grandfathers Onsen for the first week of break. Hoshiko had been scheduled weeks ago to work full time at the family diner her parents owned and would spending the break waiting tables.

The students excitement was typical, the teachers had more bounce in their step each looking forward to the time off – even if they would spend most of it getting ready for the next term – which was customary for them. The club newsletters had slowed to a trickle until they stopped coming at all.

Everything was normal.

Except it wasn't.

Not for Sawako.

Now that's being a bit dramatic but lets face facts, the Sohma's have a flare for the dramatic, no doubt about that. Things were normal, classes were normal, homework was normal and her friends acted the way they always had, the idiot Kurosawa still glared at her if they crossed paths – which turned out to be quite an alarming amount. There was only one change, something so small it should be insignificant, yet it wasn't.

Hitsugaya.

He's always there.

He sits behind her every lesson, even in gym when they're on the bleachers.

On the odd occasion they both get school lunches they wait beside each other in line. They'd been matched up on cleaning duty after her previous partner changed rooms; he scrubbed the floor while she aired out the erasers. They take the same route home, Hitsugaya always a few steps behind her never faltering in his steps. He's not so close that it appears unseemly, but close enough that she can hear him muttering to himself. Sometimes it's about a particular lesson that day, other times its going over plans for the weekend, often it pure nonsense a slew of mumbles that Sawako can't make out no matter how hard she tries.

He's at her locker every morning.

"His locker is next to yours Ko-chan" Chiyo laughs at her when she brings it up one afternoon. "It'd be kind of hard to go to class without supplies. Of course he's going to be there." She rolls her eyes and shrugs. "Not that it'd matter, that guy is too smart for his own good."

"Sounds like someone else we know." Hoshiko has always been a bit of a smart ass.

He's at her locker in the afternoon.

"Again – you loon-" Chiyo tips her chair backwards and leans on Sawako's desk. "his-" she pokes Sawako on the forehead, "locker" another poke, "is-".

Sawako swats her away. "I get your point, but he leaves earlier than I do, he should be gone by the time I get there!"

"Irrelevant." Hosiko lazily adds.

She huffs and crosses her arms staring moodily out the window, only to catch sight of Hitusgaya. He's spending lunch period outside playing a small game of soccer with a few other students.

She tells them that it's annoying, that's it's weird and they should be comforting her, not laughing goddamn it!

But she's lying, because it also kind of makes her day.

She doesn't mention how warm he feels at her back, that she relaxes just that little bit when he pulls out his chair in the morning and readies himself for the day. She doesn't tell them that whenever they sit on the bleachers he lightly bumps his knees into her back or that it sends a shiver down her spine every time.

They don't know that they send each other looks out of the corners of their eyes when they wait in line, that they look away when they're caught or that he lets her go first when they reach the counter. They'd have a field day if they knew he paid for her once when she forgot her wallet and she'd be damned if Juro got the last takoyaki roll again.

She doesn't clue them in, even when it's their turn to clean the room and he always offers to do the floors because it's the worst job or that he has an extra onigiri in his bag that he gives her at the end of the day. He tells her that he buys it at the local corner shop in the few minutes they have to spare before they have to start cleaning. She doesn't tell him that he manages to get a few of her favourites.

She supposes they'll find out eventually that they walk home the same way; one of them is bound to con their way into a sleep over at her house someday. Until then though, they wont have any idea that she enjoys hearing him talk to himself on the way home, that she looks forward to his quiet musings almost like a narrator at the end of a TV movie. She hates the fork in the road that sends them in different directions, she tries to stop herself looking over her shoulder watching him retreat home.

She fails. Everytime.

She doesn't know that he looks at her as well.

It's not their concern that he greets her with a smile every morning and gives her a quiet "Good morning Sohma-san." She doesn't know when she starts to return his greeting shy smile.

Or when her stomach became a butterfly enclosure.

They don't need to know that on that particular afternoon, he catches her eye from all the way down on the field. They don't need to know that he stops to give a small wave and shy smile.

But they do happen to catch him crumpling to the ground when the soccer ball smacks the side of his head.

Somehow, the butterflies triple in number after that. The embarrassed smile he sends her when class starts again doesn't help in the slightest.

'And now its Friday,' Sawako thinks to herself, a little more bounce in her step than usual. The day had been fun; most of the Teachers hadn't even bothered to act like they were going to teach them anything today. It was the last day of term and the students had been allowed to talk among each other for the lessons duration. Sawako spent the day soaking up as much time as possible with Chiyo and Hoshiko before their holiday plans took them their separate ways.

Chiyo was probably already home, packing the car with her family. Hoshiko was most likely spread eagle on her bed, lazing around as much as she can before work at the diner beckoned her.

Leaving Sawako on her usual walk home, with Hitsugaya's mumblings as her backing track and his even steps as her beat. She sways her hips a little more than usual and steps in time with him so the beat is louder and she knows that at this moment he is watching her, getting lost in their silent dance.

They're nearly at the fork in the road when she finally decides to take the bull by the horns. "So," she begins but doesn't turn to look him, stubbornly keeping her gaze a head of them. "When are you going to ask me out?"

He falters and their dance comes to an abrupt end. Sawako takes a few more steps before coming to a stop and finally turning to look at the boy behind her. He's hunched over, hands on his knees and shoulder bag slowly falling down his arm until it lands with a dull thump beside him. His eyes are wide as he looks at her, Sawako gives herself a mental pat on the back for making a boy speechless.

He straightens a few moments later and scratches the back of his neck, a blush spreading across his cheeks. "I- uhm, well I was – ah- planning on-" He starts, his usual eloquence missing in actions.

has stopped working.

He stops to clear his throat and his eyes flicker back and forth between Sawako and the sidewalk. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair before starting again. "You see I'm a bit nervous, I've been planning on asking out this girl I like for awhile now, but I've always chickened out because I'm worried she wont say yes." He admits with a blush.

Sawako smiles and takes a small step toward him. "So this girl you like, does she likes you back?"

He shrugs. "I hope so. I mean, it seems like it but I'm not the best at reading people." He laughs nervously, his eyes scrunching up in an adorable manner.

"That's obvious if you don't think I'll accept." She smiles and bounces on the balls of her feet. "Which I totally will by the way."

He doesn't laugh or take her in his arms immediately as some others might have. He only gives her shy smile, stuffing his hands in his pockets for a moment – most likely suppressing some sort of mini celebration – his eyes expressing his relief. They're silent for a moment taking each other in before he speaks again. "Can I see you tomorrow Sohma-san? We could see a movie, or go to the festival in town?" Despite knowing that she wont turn him down, Hitsugaya still sounds nervous.

"I'd like that." She smiles. "But if we're going to do this, it's Sawako-chan not Sohma-san." She bends at the waist and shakes her finger at him, as if that will emphasize her point. When he finally laughs she straightens. "If that's okay with you…Kouhei-kun?"

"It's more than okay Ko-chan."

"Don't call me that ridiculous nickname!"

When a Shinigami is sent on a mission to the world of the living, it is not unusual for said reaper to live off instant meals. Ramen was a favourite, along with take away sushi, an easy meal that doesn't require any effort. If the Shinigami was lucky and their commanding officer forked out enough money they would get housing that had an oven, further opening up the meal market. This seldom happened as most missions were over in a few days or a week at most, so it was a seen as a waste of money providing such accommodation.

The last Shinigami to receive this treatment was Rukia, and she didn't even use it. Deciding that the closet of a fifteen-year-old boy served her much better during the time of her mission. The apartment went unused for months and had collected so much dust that the landlord issued a cleaning bill to the registered name – one Urahara Kisuke - who dutifully forwarded the notice to Ukitake. Who in turn had to explain the sudden dip in the Jusanbantai's expense account to the Soutaicho.

So when Toshiro and his team had been deployed in Karakura Town, they hadn't been given any lodgings at all. Evidently the crisis had come one so quickly there hadn't been anytime to find suitable accommodation, and therefore they were on their own. It had nothing to do with the fact the Soutaicho could hold a grudge, none what so ever.

Toshiro didn't think much of it; much of his youth had been spent on the streets, in West Rukongai no less. Compared to that the few weeks spent in Karakura would be a walk in the park. Rangiku and Renji had felt the same, both spending a fair amount of time fighting for survival in their own parts of Rukongai, finding new friends along the way. It had been pure luck that they all managed to find a place live during their time there.

This time around though Toshiro didn't have to find housing for himself and had instead been given a fitting apartment. Not too fancy but not unlivable either.

And so it's times like these, standing in the middle of the fresh food section of the supermarket, that he's glad Granny taught him how to cook. He isn't limited to microwavable dinners or instant ramen as some of his colleagues are, and he's not too bad at it so the food is at least edible.

Unlike Rangiku's.

He shivers; that grilled salmon topped with custard and soy sauce would forever haunt his dreams. Toshiro shakes his head and places the cabbage in his basket, picking out a few more ingredients for his okonomiyaki tonight before heading over to the fresh meat counter. He takes a ticket stub with the number thirty-seven printed on it and inspects the pork for a suitable cut while he waits to be served.

"Do you need some help little lady?" Toshiro rolls his eyes at the lame excise of a pick-up line. He can see the reflection a man behind in the glass of the case, he's an older man maybe in his late thirties and obviously desperate if he uses a grocery store to 'pull' women. He can't see the woman he's talking to, his own reflection blocking her from his view. Admittedly Toshiro doesn't have much experience when it comes to dating, most of his time is spent at the office meeting deadlines for paper work and generally keeping Rangiku from destroying the division. He'd been on a few dates back at the academy and had a partner or two before he graduated, so he knew that his flirting wasn't too bad, at least not as bad as this man.

The woman replies so quietly that Toshiro can't make it out but the mans reaction makes it clear as day. "Oh come on!" Toshiro sees the man lean forward and attempt to take something from the woman who he still can't see. "That basket looks heavy, I'd be happy to carry it for you." The man is now looming over the woman and Toshiro can hear a few of the other customer's whispering to each other about the display, wondering if they should intervene.

Toshiro closes his eyes and sighs, feeling just as conflicted. If there was one thing his time in the Soul Society taught him, it's that women can take care of themselves and they don't need a white knight coming to save the day. That's not to say the gesture isn't appreciated, Rangiku tells him as much when he comes to her aid on and off the battlefield.

"I'm a big girl Taicho. I'm more than capable of handling myself." She tells him one night when he retrieves her from a bar outside the Seireitei. When he arrived – to drag her back to the office to finish her paperwork – she was surrounded by a hoard of men, each cat calling her in a vulgar manner. Her usual posse was passed out at their table and was of no use. Toshiro had immediately moved forward negotiating the mass of people until he standing in front of his Fukutaicho, he'd taken her hand in his and proceeded to pull her out of the huddle and eventually outside, the men too drunk to notice her absence. "You don't need to save me every time," Rangiku told him as he walks her home having decided she was in no shape to complete paperwork, it would be no use if they handed in gibberish.

When they do reach her home Rangiku leans down and kisses him on the cheek. "I appreciate it though." She whispers. "Thank you for coming to get me Taicho."

With that in mind Toshiro keeps his eyes forward, determined to stay out of it lest the situation escalated and became his problem. He sees the man reach forward, still looming over the woman, and attempt to grab the basket from hr. "It's no problem, it'd be fun! We could talk, maybe exchange numbers, what do you say?" He really didn't know when to stop does he?

"I'm fine, thank you though! I can manage on my own."

And now it's his problem.

Because he knows that voice, and damn that's not a woman it's a seventeen-year-old girl and that man needs to stop right now.

Toshiro turns around his gaze falling on Tohru as she politely turns the man down yet again. She uses the basket as a buffer, holding it close to her person as she takes a hesitant step back, nearly knocking over a stand of soup but luckily only jostles a few of the cans. The man laughs. "See! You can't even walk properly. Just let me help you and then we can have some fun." He winks at her. The customers are openly staring now, a few even getting out their phones to record the scene.

Torhu blanches at the thought and that's when Toshiro makes his move.

Toshiro strides toward the pair and plants himself in front of Tohru who gasps at the sight of him. "I think she's managing just fine on her own." To an outsider the sight must be amusing; Toshiro is at least a head shorter than the other man and is even shorter than Tohru, and yet he stands there with such confidence that no one dares move him. Toshiro reaches back and gently nudges Tohru - an act that everybody missed - signaling that she should move away. Thankfully she gets the message.

The man stares down at him for a second and rolls his eyes, a derisive sound escaping his lips. "Look kiddo," Either the man doesn't hear Toshiro click his tongue at the title or he chose to ignore it, "I'm not sure what you think you're doing but I was talking to this nice lady," He obviously hasn't noticed that Tohru had put a considerable amount of distance between herself and the pair after Toshiro arrived. "And you're kinda killing the vibe. So I'm just gonna need you to," he makes a shooing motion with his hands, "move along."

Toshiro cocks his eyebrow. "If you were going for a an 'overly desperate and creepy vibe' you certainly achieved it."

"How dare-" The man flares his nostrils and turns red.

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." Toshiro says flippantly, a bored look on his face that only served to anger the man more. He clenches his fist and raises it so that Toshiro could see it, a threat that Toshiro wasn't overly concerned with. It's only when the overhead lights glint over his finger that the mans status becomes apparent.

"What do you mean by that?" Comes the snarled response.

"Well," Toshiro continues with an air of indifference, "I'm not the one who hit on a teenage girl. I certainly didn't choose to do so at a supermarket of all places, where everyone would see my get turned down over three times under a minute and," Toshiro points to gold banded wedding ring. "I didn't do all that while married." Toshiro shakes his head in pity. "No, that would be much too humiliating. Honestly, I think I would die of embarrassment."

The man breaks when the gathered people snicker. He pulls his fist back and lurches forward using his body as momentum to put more strength behind the hit. Toshiro merely sidesteps the man and watches as he looses his footing and tumbles the ground, landing on his shoulder and sliding a few feet before coming to a stop in front of the delicatessen.

The only thing heard is the man's heavy breathing, nobody saying a word before Toshiro repeats himself.

"Honestly, how humiliating."

"What are you doing here?" Kyo asks, irritated at the two standing at his doorstep. He already has that idiot dog to deal with as well as Haru and Momiji who have overtaken their kitchen. His only saving grace is that Yuki is at a Student Council meeting and out of the house.

"Hello to you too Kyo." Hiro huffs and pushes his way past the grumbling teenager, Kisa close at his heels. It had been a few weeks since the pair had last visited and the first time since Tohru's near miss not too long ago, much to Kisa's displeasure. It had been hard enough for Hiro to calm her down when they first heard, let alone when her mother forbade her from seeing Tohru until her exam period was over.

Although Hiro has grown to like Tohru more than he used to, he didn't see the point in making a fuss over what happened, at least not as much as the other Sohma's were making. The car didn't hit her, it was a near miss and thanks to a bystander Tohru had come out with only some minor bruising. The same amount you would get if you fell off your bike or jumped off the swings too late, nothing to worry about. Yet here he is, seated at a kotatsu, with Kisa at his side and across from that damn dog that never failed to get on his nerves.

"Now Kyo, that's not how we greet our guests is it?" Shigure scolds from behind his newspaper. "Aren't you supposed to be studying? That is why you didn't help Tohru with the shopping isn't it?"

"Sissy's not here?" Kisa asks quietly, sounding dejected.

Shigure puts the newspaper down and finally greets them. "I'd afraid not. Our dear Tohru has ventured out into the unknown, alone and defenseless, and for what?" Shigure leans back on his hand and pats his stomach. "So that we may fill our empty tummies with her famous tempura." His mouth waters at the mere thought and his gathered audience finds the sight ridiculous. "But alas! She's been gone for so long I fear I may die of hunger. Its so dark now that all the distasteful people are coming out of the shadows."

"The sun hasn't even set old man." Kyo growls as he walks away from the trio and up the stairs to the second landing.

In a last ditch effort to annoy the cat Shigure, ever the show pony, throws his head back, one hand cushioned on his forehead and other supporting his weight behind him. "Dear Tohru! Please be safe, we cannot survive without you. I fear that if you leave us," he pretends that his arm gives out under his weight and crumples to the floor. "One of our hearts will give its final purr" He lets out a wail. "And then beat no more!"

Kyo slams his door shut and dust falls from the roof.

Shigure snickers.

"Is Sissy in trouble?" Kisa asks worriedly. Let it be known that picking up on sarcasm is not one of her strong points and is something that people have exploited on many occasions.

Shigure sits up with a laugh and lays his head on the kotatsu, his arms stretched out in front of him. "She's perfectly alright, our Tohru is a big girl so she doesn't need a chaperone to go shopping." He pats kisa's hand and wise chose to keep his distance from Hiro. "I just like to rile that cat up. It's so easy!"

"Something that you always take advantage of." Haru comments as he emerges from the kitchen, Momiji not far behind. "You've annoyed him so much today that he's stormed out of the room six times already."

Shigure flicks his hair. "It's a gift. Don't worry; I know you're jealous."

Hiro pinches his nose and wonders how on earth he's related to any of these people.

"Thank you, for what you did." Tohru says when they exit the store about half an hour after what the staff is calling The Incident. Tohru had been a little shaken by the ordeal and Toshiro offered to finish their shopping together, Tohru had eagerly accepted. "I'm not sure what I would've done if he kept going."

Toshiro shrugs his shoulders. "You shouldn't have to worry about things like that. He had no right to act the way he did and should be ashamed of himself."

A blush spreads across Tohru's face at his kinds words. "Usually Yuki or Kyo are with me, so people tend to leave me alone. Today is the first time I've come alone because Yuki is busy with the Student Council and Kyo needs to study." Toshiro cocks his brow, why would those two help her with shopping? From the amount of ingredients she picked out it's clear that she's cooking for her family tonight, so why would those two have anything to do with it? Is the Honda family close to the Sohma's or related in some way? Maybe they're neighbours, he has seen the three students walk the same direction after the school day ends, and they do arrive at the same time. But that was unlikely, in his observations of the Sohma family he found that they owned a small house in the rural area of Kaibara and the land surrounding it. The next property was a good kilometer away. So the boy's either went quite a bit out of their way to make sure Tohru got home safe or-

"Do you live with the Sohma's?" Toshiro curiously asks causing Tohru to falter and drop one of her shopping bags, a few daikon rolling out when it hit the ground. Toshiro immediately drops to his knees and packs the bag, idly noticing that Tohru had yet to move from her position. Most likely too surprised and maybe a little frightened to be of any assistance. Once the final daikon is back in its place Toshiro rights himself and holds the bag out to Tohru, who is doing a remarkable impression of a fish with the way her mouth opens and closes as she tries to think of what to say. Toshiro sighs when she still doesn't manage to get anything out a few seconds later. "You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable."

Tohru shakes her head and takes the offered bag. "N-no, it's not that. You just surprised me; you're the first person to figure it out on your own." She shuffles her feet awkwardly. "If people at school found out, I don't know what would happen. The Prince Yuki Fan Club" Toshiro had to roll his eyes at that, that particular club had already caught his attention once or twice now with their ridiculous displays. "-definitely wouldn't like it. They've already threatened me about staying away from Yuki. I hate to think what they would do if they found we live in the same house." She sighs and twists the handles of the grocery bag. "It's not as if I don't have anywhere else to go. Grandfather would definitely let me stay with him, but my aunt and uncle live there as well and they're not the nicest people. They-" She cuts herself off, not sure how to continue without blurting out the whole story. Toshiro didn't need to know about any of that, it's much too personal to lay it on someone else, especially one who helped her so much already. She smiles a little and bounces on the balls of her feet, trying to perk herself up a little bit. "It's alright though, you-"

"Your reasons for being there are just that, your own." Toshiro interrupts her, his voice steady and sure. "You don't have to explain them to me or to anyone else for that matter. If they cant deal with it, it's their problem, not yours." He knows that better than anyone. After so many years living on the streets he was hesitant to believe that anyone would offer him a place to rest, let alone a family to join. It had been pure luck that Granny had taken him into her home and into her heart. A privileged position that he holds dear to this day. "You need to be where you feel comfortable and secure and if that's away from your family, so be it. I'm not going to judge you for your decisions."

Tohru doesn't say anything for a few moments, too surprised by his reaction to respond immediately. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"Don't mention it." The sky was starting to darken as the sun set for the day. Toshiro frowns. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to walk you home. It's getting late and I don't think you should walk home alone."

It doesn't take very long for them to reach the house, maybe a twenty-minute walk from the store. Tohru spends the time regaling Toshiro with stories of the Sohma's and her friends. For being such soft and mild mannered girl, she sure has some lively people in her life. She had just finished telling Toshiro about the time she mistook Ritsu Sohma as woman because of his habit of dressing in woman's clothes. Apparently the different dress would help calm his nerves and make him appear less anxious. Toshiro had never heard of such a technique, but to each there own. If it worked for him, Toshiro wasn't going to say anything about it.

Tohru was half way through the tale of the trip to the family hot springs when a house came into view. It isn't as modern as some of the other houses in Kaibara, in fact it looked like some of the homes found in the Soul Society.

The feeling of homesickness is as surprising as it is unwanted.

"Here we are." Tohru says happily. She enjoyed the walk home, even if Toshiro hadn't contributed much to the conversation, only offering his opinion every so often, even if it was a simple 'yes' or 'no'. "Thank you for walking me home." She does a little bow but Toshiro waves it off, saying that it wasn't a problem. "Would you like to come inside? I can get you some water if you like?"

"I'm fine thank you." He checks the time on his phone; tis nearly time to hand his update to Yamamoto. Right now would be a perfect opportunity to observe the Sohma's and maybe catch them in whatever they're doing to affect the town's reiatsu, but its unlikely they would do anything if he were inside the residence. He needs to leave now if he wants to gather any Intel before his next report is due. "I should get going before it gets too late."

Tohru hesitates before nodding her head. "If you're sure-"

"Sissy!" Tohru is interrupted when the front door opens with a bang and girl flies into Tohru's arms. The pair would have tumbled to the ground had Toshiro not braced them with his arm. The girl seems to take no notice of this. "I'm so glad you're back!" She laughs and buries her face in Tohru's chest. "Hiro and I would have come to visit earlier but we had exams-"

Toshiro tunes out the girls conversation and instead focuses on house and the surrounding land, trying to find a good vantage point. Even though he would be coming back without his gigai it never hurt to hide yourself away incase someone could see you and he definitely wasn't taking any chances with the Sohma's. If they can affect reiatsu the way they have been there is no telling how in tune they are with the spiritual world. The dirt road that overlooked the house looked promising; with its lack of erosion and overgrown vegetation it's obvious that it isn't used often. The chances of him being spotted there are very slim. He should be able to gather more information about the Sohma's if he doubles back after he leaves and stakes out the house. Someone was bound to screw up eventually.

He distantly acknowledges that a few more people have come outside and are now watching the spectacle the two girls are making. They don't pay him any mind because since he s hidden behind Tohru and the unnamed girl. He is brought back into the conversation when Tohru mentions his name.

"Would you like to meet him? He's right here."Ahh, they must have been speaking about car mishap from before. Tohru steps to the side and suddenly all eyes are on him. "Kisa, this is Hitsugaya Toshiro."

It's not exactly a good feeling when people stare at you; its invasive and often distressing, but he's grown used to it.

He's used to their gawking expressions.

He's grown accustomed to the panic in their eyes when they take in his appearance.

He's learned that people often run away from what they don't' understand or like.

He knows that when it comes to him, its not 'fight or flight' its 'flight and flight some more and hey why aren't you running yet?'

So he knows what's going to happen next.

In three…two…one…

Kisa bolts.

Lift off.

A brown haired boy around her age takes off after her, calling her name as they disappear beyond the trees. The wide birth he gives Toshiro when he passes by him doesn't escape anyone's notice.

Silence descends upon the rest of the group, some of them too embarrassed to speak or shocked in Tohru's case. Shigure, who only just seemed to get over seeing Toshiro in the flesh, speaks up. "Well, that was a shock. Such an odd girl that one." He steps forward and introduces himself with a bow. "I'm Sohma Shigure, it's a pleasure to finally meet the boy who saved Tohru. Please don't pay Kisa or Hiro any mind, they're a tad peculiar."

"I-I don't know why they did that." Tohru stutters from beside him, still looking in the direction the two took off in. "They're never like that. I'm sorry."

Toshiro waves it away. "It's not the first time, and I doubt it'll be the last." He doesn't wait from them to respond, being pitied is his least favourite pass time. It's listed just under spending the afternoon Aizen and Ichimaru. "As I said before, I must be going." He nods his head at Shigure and Tohru before turning around and making his way down the path. He acknowledges their faint 'good byes' with a slight wave over his shoulder.

Kyo waited until Toshiro disappeared behind the tree line before making his way down stairs. He decided as soon as he saw the white haired boy walking Tohru to the front door that he would keep his distance. With Hiro and Kisa here there were bound to be fireworks when they recognized the boy walking with Tohru. There was no way her was going to be in the fall out zone. Nope. He was staying right here.

It was hardly a minute later that he saw Kisa make a break for it, Hiro taking off not a second later, calling her name as they tore down the trail leading back to town.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He hears Shigure ask Tohru as he comes down from his room.

"I'm fine, honestly. Hitsugaya-san took care of it, so there's nothing to worry about." Tohru said embarrassedly, holding her hands out in a placating manner, hoping it would calm down the three zodiac members.

"Took care of what?" Kyo asks curiously as he pads down the last step and up to the group.

Momiji whips around to face Kyo, his eyes wild and his nostrils flared. "Tohru was accosted by a man at the grocery store! Toshiro had to step in so that he would stop!" The blonde haired boy begins to pace out of anger, a huff escaping his lips every so often. He and Shigure grumble together, the older man having retreated to the kotatsu after Kyo came down. Haru wanders back to the kitchen mumbling something along the lines of 'sharpening the knives'.

Kyo takes no notice of this, his sole focus on Tohru. He should have been there. If he or Yuki had been there, nothing would have happened, the man wouldn't dare approach Tohru if someone accompanied her. Kyo had been ready to go with her, but she insisted he stay home, saying that his time was better spent studying rather than going into town with her just for a few groceries. She got that stubborn look on his face that promised he would not win if her chose to argue with her. For being such a kind-hearted girl she could be remarkably headstrong, especially when it came to schoolwork. He had reluctantly agreed.

And now he wishes he hadn't. Because even now, coming off what would be quite a traumatic event, she is trying to comfort him.

"-nothing to worry about! Hitsugaya-san took care of it before it got out of hand." Tohru stops herself, thinking about her next words very carefully. "I'm sure you would've done the same-"

"Where's the food?" He interrupts her; he doesn't want to hear her reassure him. It would only make things worse.

"Oh! I put the bags down when Kisa came out, I guess I forgot about them." Tohru rubs the back of her neck in a sheepish manner and holds her hands out in apology. "I'll go get them now." Kyo Shakes his head and stops her before she can make a move. He gently places his hand on her shoulder and gives a light squeeze.

"Don't worry about it." He moves past her and makes his way outside stopping a few feet shy of bags.

She could've been hurt.

She could've been taken away. Kidnapped.

Alone.

Frightened.

'She could've been-' Kyo cuts himself off with a sharp knock to the head, his hand eventually seetling in his hair. He grips the strand tightly and squats down and he allows a few tears of frustration escape him. Can't he protect anyone? His mother left when he so young, buried in front of family and friends who abandoned him, even his own father. If he can't even protect his friends, what use is he? He has yet to defeat that damn rat and the dead line is growing closer and closer. It's weighing him down and the load grows heavier by the day.

He tugs on his hair harshly, a growl escaping his lips.

"Kyo-kun? Are you okay?" Kyo whirls around and stands at his full height. Tohru is standing behind him, arms crossed over her front and her shoe is toeing the ground. Tracing imaginary patterns in the dirt. Kyo blinks and wonders how she snuck up on him. Tohru starts again when he fails to respond. "Are you mad about what happened? I know I should've been more careful but-"

Oh for the love of god.

She thinks he's angry with her?

Kyo resists the urge to slap his forehead; this girl is so oblivious it's almost painful.

He steps forward and without a thought, gathers Torhu up in his arms. He can feel the telltale tingling in his chest that always rears it head when he transforms. He brings his arms up around her and hugs her close to his chest, she tucks rather nicely under his chin. Before he finally gives out he manages to whisper a few words to her.

"I'm so happy that you're okay."

For having him up against the ropes for so long, Toshiro didn't think they would screw up so quickly or in such a spectacular fashion.

He didn't think much of it when Kyo emerged from the house a few minutes after his departure, or when the boy appeared to have a minor break down. He chalked it up to teenage hormones and left it at that, looking on disinterestedly as Kyo went though the motions. Tohru came out a few moments later, no doubt to fetch the boy and possibly bring the bags inside so she could start dinner.

So at that point, nothing noteworthy had happened, unless the Soutaicho had a particular interest in teenage angst.

No, the screw up came next.

And boy was it big one.

He felt it when Kyo stepped towards Tohru and gathered her in his arms.

That spike that eluded him for so long, that was causing the Souls Society so many problems.

And it came from a hug between a boy and a girl.

Like the times before it, this spike only lasted a second before it disappeared again.

And curiously, so did Kyo. In a puff of orange smoke that for a moment blocked the pair from his sight. It was only when the smoke dissipated a few seconds later that Toshiro knew that Kyo hadn't actually disappeared.

Tohru was seated on the ground and in front of her sat a very familiar orange cat; nestled atop the clothes Kyo had been wearing not a second before.

Perhaps a call to the Soutaicho will be more beneficial than a written report this time around.

Hello people!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The plot is going to start taking off soon and I'm really excited about that.

I never realized how much fun it is creating your own characters and then fleshing them out on paper. It's incredibly fun writing about Kouhei and Sawako so I hope you like reading about them!

I don't think the cliffhanger is that bad, I mean its not like I stopped it before he saw Kyo transform.

I'll see you when I upload the next chapter!

R and R

DragonShenron