Toshiro usually enjoyed his trips to Division Thirteen. Miyako made all of his favorite foods, and Kaien was always willing to give his some help with his sword technique, and when the captain was well he was one of the few people Toshiro still struggled to beat at Go. Ukitake would also tell him stories about past captains and conflicts, and the darker parts of Seireitei's history; things most people wouldn't talk to him about because he was too young, but Ukitake seemed to think he needed to understand the mistakes and misdeeds of the past, and unlike nearly everyone, Ukitake never forgot Toshiro was older than he looked as well as being a great deal smarter than most children his age.
But he was not thrilled to be going this time. It seemed to him that the very least his mother and Aunt Miyako could do was ask him to be a part of their plan if they intended to use him, but of course they didn't. They made all their plans to use him without ever telling him at all. They just expected him to go along with everything like some stupid kid who had no idea what was going on.
He very nearly ruined the whole thing by telling his dad at breakfast. There was no better way to ruin any of his mom's games than by telling his dad, but at the last minute he felt sorry for her. She hadn't done anything stupid just for the fun of it in forever.
So he guessed that meant he had agreed to cooperate, but he didn't have to be happy about it. He was sitting on the counter in the Division Thirteen kitchen, helping Miyako make rice balls for lunch when the expected interruption came.
It was a call from a very annoyed Lieutenant Ise, demanding to know where Miyako was. She had agreed to fill in as Division Thirteen's rep at the Gotei Thirteen Meeting for Second Quarter Resources Allocation and Expenditure. It was painfully boring for all involved, and Miyako doubted she was the only late rep. In fact she would bet money that the only people who had already arrived were Nanao and Ayasegawa from Eleven. Nanao expected to have to call everyone and drag them in, but that really was the whole idea.
"I'm so sorry, Shiro," Miyako said, as soon as she got done apologizing to Nanao. "But I'm going to have to go. I forgot all about this meeting. I'm not going to be able to come on our picnic. You're going to have to apologize to your mom and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi for me. I'll find someone to take you to them. I have to get to the meeting before Nanao combusts."
Toshiro watched her shove rice balls into the bento boxes as she spoke. He'd been trying to work out the details of their plan all morning, but his purpose was now perfectly clear. He was the excuse they were using to get Captain Ukitake out of the division. "There's nobody here," he said, hating to give them credit, but they had planned well.
Kaien had nearly the entire division out in Rukougai practicing coordinated defense and attack strategies. Of the remaining skeleton crew there was exactly one person Toshiro had ever met before, Captain Ukitake.
Miyako made a show of looking worried when he pointed that out. "I'll have to ask the captain to take you," she said, finally.
"Don't worry, Shiro, I know he won't mind," she added, completely misinterpreting Toshiro's frown.
She was right, of course, and Toshiro was not even a little bit surprised to find himself carrying the boxed lunch and walking with Captain Ukitake to Division Twelve. They were supposed to meet up with his mother and Lieutenant Kurotsuchi there, and he would go with them on a picnic and fly the special kite Lieutenant Kurotsuchi had made for him and Captain Ukitake would be able to go home.
Toshiro was pretty sure none of that was going to happen. He even tried to apologize to Captain Ukitake, but the captain had just smiled and assured Toshiro he hadn't been doing anything important.
When they got to Division Twelve they found themselves in the middle of a mass of chaos. There was a chained hollow roaring in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by very nervous-looking unranked squad members armed only with long poles. Beyond that was a row of computers where nearly all of the division's best scientists were working at a panicked pace, scurrying back and forth from one screen to another, speaking over the top of each other, all the while trying to follow directions their captain was shouting at them.
In contrast, Lieutenant Kurotsuchi calmly read off the readings from her computer screen. Her voice could be heard clearly through all the ruckus, reciting numbers that were slowly increasing.
Toshiro stopped immediately. This was the first time he had ever come face to face with a hollow. He'd seen pictures and read dozens of books about them, but the real thing was something else entirely.
It was a hideous shade of white. For the first time he understood why people might recoil from his appearance. There was something sickening about the hollow's bone-white form. The long, curved claws and teeth were nothing to the color. It was just-wrong.
"You're perfectly safe," Captain Ukitake said, setting his hand on Toshiro's shoulder.
Toshiro wanted to tell the captain he knew that, and he wasn't afraid of any little hollow in the first place, but his mouth had gone dry, and he found he couldn't speak.
As they watched, the hollow began to glow. Toshiro could feel the field of reishi building up around the creature. It made him feel better, like the creature's darkness was being buried In light.
For a moment the hollow grew still, like even it could feel the comforting sensation of the glowing reishi. It seemed almost calm, and for an instant Toshiro thought he saw a glint of human eyes in the skull-like mask.
The hollow burst suddenly, exploding into dust.
Toshiro heard Captain Kurotsuchi shout, "Idiot girl! I told you to watch the pressure!"
He looked over just in time to see Kurotsuchi smack his lieutenant into the computer in front of her. She fell to the ground and Kurotsuchi continued to curse her. "Why can't you ever get anything right? I gave you more than adequate intelligence to follow simple directions!"
Toshiro was just as stunned as everyone else to find, the moment Captain Kurotsuchi raised his hand to strike Nemu again, his wrist was caught in Captain Ukitake's grasp.
"There's really no need for that, is there?" Captain Ukitake said, in a gentle tone that was somehow absolutely unbending.
"Release me!" Kurotsuchi shrieked, turning on Ukitake.
Ukitake let him go, watching the other captain rage at him with an air of complete calm.
"How dare you touch me! You have no right to interfere in the discipline of my subordinates. You will leave here immediately, do you hear me? Unless you wish to fight, you will leave my division now and never return!"
Ukitake looked away from the furious captain and instead turned his attention to the lieutenant, still on the ground in front of her computer. Blood was dripping from her brow, where she had collided with the edge of the computer, but she looked more confused than hurt or frightened.
"Are you alright, Lieutenant?" Ukitake asked, dropping to one knee beside her and offering her a handkerchief for her head. "Do you need to go to Division Four?"
"What do you think you're doing?" Kurotsuchi demanded. "Did you not hear me tell you to leave? The girl is fine. Do you think I would allow her to be damaged by such an insignificant strike? What use would she be if she was as fragile as an ordinary female?"
Ukitake ignored him, continuing to focus on Nemu as she first stared at the cloth he offered her. Then very slowly she took it and raised it to her brow to stop the blood flowing into her eye. She seemed completely bewildered by the captain's attention. "I do not think Division Four would know how to repair me," she told him. "But I have not taken so much damage than I cannot repair myself."
"There!" Kurotsuchi snapped. "You see? She's fine. Now, leave, before I decide to pay you back for this unacceptable interruption!"
Ukitake offered Nemu his hand, which she was just as puzzled by as she had been by the cloth. He had to ask her if he could help her to her feet before she understood and took his hand.
"What are you doing?" Kurotsuchi demanded. "Did you not hear me tell you to leave? I cannot believe this intrusion! Why will you not get out?"
Ukitake turned slowly to face the scientist. "I expect you will want to apologize to your lieutenant now, Captain Kurotsuchi."
"What are you talking about? Her mistake cost me months of work! That was our very last captive hollow. Now I am going to have to file a request for a new supply and wait for some other captain to feel like sending out his men to capture them, and Squad Eleven nearly always ends up killing them, while Two refuses even to try after I sent the wrong sedative with them just once. If that idiot had kept a better eye on the reishi-"
Ukitake finally interrupted him. "You are aware that captains are not permitted to use violence to discipline their subordinates, are you not, Captain Kurotsuchi?"
"Don't be absurd!" Kurotsuchi answered. "Nemu's mine. I can do whatever I want with her. She's hardly even a person."
"She is a lieutenant of the Gotei 13, and she has every right to be treated as such," Ukitake said, still showing no trace of anything but perfect calm.
"You are trying my patience, Captain Ukitake! There is no reason for you to waste your over-sentimental feelings on Nemu. She does not even feel the pain you are so concerned about. I would not allow such weakness—"
Ukitake cut him off there, turning to Nemu once more. "You do not feel pain?" he asked.
"The inability to feel pain would be a handicap," Nemu answered with perfect honesty. She only lied when specifically directed to by her father. The purpose of lying was generally lost to her. "I have been trained to endure any level of pain without reacting, so as to avoid losing functionality due to injury. I have not yet mastered the ability to remain conscious in all circumstances but I hope to one day."
For the first time in the encounter Ukitake lost his calm expression as a sick horror spread across his face. "What has he done to you?" he breathed.
She frowned slightly. Even Nemu could not miss his expression. "You object to my training?" she asked. "Do you not think I am more useful this way?"
"What you must have suffered!"
"All training requires some degree of suffering," Kurotsuchi cut in. "I imagine that even in your division training has resulted in occasional broken bones and concussions. I may train my own division members as I wish, and if I see fit to train them to endure a certain amount of pain that is my business, not yours."
"You still have no right to hit her in a fit of temper."
Kurotsuchi rolled his eyes. "Nemu, would you please tell this idiot that the occasional smack doesn't bother you and he needs to mind his own business."
Nemu nodded and spoke as directed. "The occasional smack does not bother me and you need to mind your own business," she said, in an almost robotic fashion. Then she lowered the blood-stained handkerchief and started to return it, but she paused. "It was very kind of you to give this to me, but I think it would be best if I washed it before I return it."
"You don't need to worry about returning it. I have plenty," he told her, a very troubled smile on his face.
"Then I may keep it?" Nemu said, in surprise.
"Certainly."
She bowed abruptly. "Thank you very much, Captain Ukitake. I am grateful for your kindness."
He only looked more troubled at her response. "Lieutenant, if there is anything I can do to help you, please tell me."
"It boggles the mind that a man as soft as you could possibly have made captain of the Gotei," Kurotsuchi said. "How could you ever win a fight? You'd never even start one, you'd be too busy feeling sorry for your enemies."
Ukitake's expression shifted once more as he turned back to Kurotsuchi. His eyes narrowed and his expression was uncharacteristically hard. "It has been a long time since I've started a fight," he said softly. "Perhaps I should see if I can find the energy once more."
With that he turned and walked away, crossing the courtyard quickly. He paused only for a second in front of Toshiro. "I hope you have a good picnic, Shiro-chan," he said, smiling at the boy before raising his eyes to the person behind him and nodding politely. "Rangiku-chan."
"Captain Ukitake," she answered, and Toshiro spun around to give his mother a very annoyed look.
"How long have you been here?" he demanded.
Rangiku watched the white-haired captain pass under the gate before she answered. "Half an hour-I wonder what he will do now. I don't think I've ever seen Captain Ukitake look so upset."
"It's your fault," Toshiro told her.
"I'm not sure it went quite right," she answered, ignoring the fact that Toshiro should not have known she had anything to do with the encounter. She was beginning to feel there was nothing the boy didn't know, regardless of whether anyone had ever told him.