Okay so...ya. I have nothing to say except sorry for not getting this out sooner. Life has not been kind to my family so ya. Anywho I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and hopefully I can get back on track with this.

Disclaimer: Don't own. Just, don't. T.T

Chapter 4

"How long have your teeth been hurting Nato?" Ichigo asked.

"For about…two or three days I think." The boy Nato said.

Ichigo nodded as he wrote that down on his medical sheet. It was currently 9:15 in the morning and Ichigo was very tired. The ball had ended around midnight last night and even though he left early he couldn't go to bed till nearly 1 in the morning. He had only gotten four hours of sleep since he wanted to come in to the hospital early. Even though today was supposed to be his day off.

"You are a werewolf right?" Ichigo asked the fifteen-year-old boy sitting in front of him on the examination bed.

Nato nodded. "Yup. Fourth generation I think."

"I thought so. When's your birthday?" Ichigo said as he looked into the boy's mouth to look at his teeth.

"Uh, in a few days. Five actually." He clarified as he watched Ichigo write some stuff down.

"That makes sense." Ichigo said. "Have your parents told you about werewolf puberty?"

Nato was silent for a moment in thought before he answered. "Um, yes?"

Ichigo chuckled. "I'll take that as a 'I wasn't paying attention' answer." When Nato blushed, Ichigo gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. You see, when a werewolf reaches a certain age, they go through puberty."

At that Nato nodded. "I know that. And I know that it's different from how humans go through puberty."

Ichigo nodded. "Correct. But with werewolves it's different. The reason your teeth are changing is because your body is changing the shape of them."

"Why?" the boy asked.

"It's to prepare your body for the changes it will go through. Your body will also go through growing pains, more extreme then when you were becoming a pre-teen." Ichigo explained.

Nato nodded. "Okay. So, does this mean my parents went through it too?" he asked.

Ichigo gave an affirmative nod. "Of course. All werewolves go through it. Your parents actually should of told more you about this the moment you turned thirteen. To prepare you for it more."

Hearing that Nato's brows furrowed. "Why?"

"When a werewolf transforms for the first time, the body is in so much pain that most werewolf children are not able to transform again. The parents are supposed to prepare their children for the pain by having them go through different obstacles two years prior to their transformation." Ichigo said.

At his explanation, Nato paled. "So, what does that mean for me?"

Ichigo gave him another reassuring smile. "Not a lot actually. Since you are considered a fourth-generation, the pain will not be as great. It will still be painful, but you will be able to go through it."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"I know your parents. And since they are both third-generation the pain will not be as excruciating as it normally would be." Ichigo answered.

Nato nodded. "I see."

"Don't worry I'll still prescribe some pain-killers that will be able to help you through your transformation. And I'll also speak to your parents as well." Ichigo said.

"Thank you Kurosaki-san." Nato said, standing up to follow Ichigo out of the examination room.

"No problem Nato. I'm happy to help." Ichigo said.

X

Ichigo gave a grateful sigh when he sat down in his chair in his office. Looking at the clock he gave a groan when he realized what time it was. 'It's already 3 p.m.? I haven't even eaten yet.' He thought. After Nato's appointment he had to go into surgery that took at least two hours, go to a few other appointments, and then do a consultation. All in a measly four hours he thought grimly. Looking at his desk he gave a sigh and went about to cleaning his desk off.

Filing his papers in the appropriate places and putting a few folders in his outbox, Ichigo was just about to put the last book on his shelf when Orihime walked in.

"Kurosaki-kun you have a visitor." She said with a giggle.

Raising a brow in confusion, Ichigo looked at her. "Who is it?" he asked.

Grinning, she merely said, "You'll have to see."

Brows drawing together, he said, "Um, okay. Send them in I guess."

Giggling, she nodded. "Okay."

Ichigo stared at the spot where the female healer stood a few moments ago before he shrugged and turned back to his bookshelf, putting away the various books he had took down.

"My my Ichigo. Don't you ever stop working?"

Ichigo froze when he heard the female voice. Turning around slowly, his eyes widened when he saw who it was. The person who spoke was standing at a height of 5'2", had dark skin, hair that in a ponytail reached the middle of her back and is the color of dark purple, and had eyes the color of gold. But it was the outfit that would attract attention. Wearing complete black except for the orange jacket, she looked like a spy. …Which is sort of exactly what she was.

"Yoruichi-san!" Ichigo said with surprise, then happiness.

Laughing she said, "It's good to see you too Ichigo! And I thought I told you to just call me Yoruichi."

Walking around his desk while she spoke Ichigo opened his arms and gave his former teacher a hug.

"It's good to see you! Where have you been?" he asked, pulling back from the hug.

Smiling, she said, "Work. Well, more specifically, a mission. But that's not important."

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his old teacher's reply. That was so like her. Even though she was, in a sense, retired, the Gotei 13 requested her services in recon missions. Since she was not only a former Elder, she was also the former commander of the Onmitsukido, an elite unit separate from the Gotei 13 that is headed by the current 2nd Elder, Soi Fon.

"Right. So," Ichigo began, leaning against his desk while Yoruichi sat down, "have you given your report already?"

Giving a sheepish smile, she said, "No. I haven't actually given my report yet. I came here first."

Sighing, Ichigo said, "Yoruichi-san…"

Chuckling, she waved a hand at Ichigo. "I'll be okay. Besides, I actually wanted you to check on something."

Raising a brow, Ichigo said, "Um, okay. What do you want me to ch-" His reply was cut off short when the cat-eyed woman brought a box over from where it had been resting against the wall. Ichigo drew his brows together in confusion. 'Where did the box come from?' he thought.

Giving the orange-head a sheepish smile, she said, "I had to sneak it in here. The hospital doesn't allow pets after all."

When she said 'pets' Ichigo eyes widened in surprise. "You brought animals into the hospital?"

Knowing what her ex-pupil was going to say she quickly said, "But they're babies Ichigo! I couldn't just leave them out there! It's cold and wet."

Sighing, Ichigo pushed himself from the desk to peer in the box. Looking inside, he felt his eyes widen even more. Inside the box were six small kittens, all different colors. Though at once Ichigo could tell they weren't ordinary cats. They were called kōtetsu-neko, or 'steel cat'. The name, though sounding strange, was given to these cats for the fact that they were tougher than steel. Ichigo had actually seen one and almost lost a hand due to his ignorance.

"I don't understand. What do you want me to do?" Ichigo asked as he continued looking in the box.

"I just want you to check them out. See if they're okay." Yoruichi said, giving the kittens in the box a fond look.

Ichigo gave a small sigh. "I'm not that kind of doctor Yoruichi-san. You know that."

"I know but I figured you could just see if they were healthy. You can do that right?" she asked her golden eyes shining with hope.

Knowing that she was pretty much begging, Ichigo gave another sigh along with a roll of his eyes. "Yes I can."

Turning to his desk he noticed out of the corner of his eye how a smile that loudly said 'Victory!' came to her face.

Huffing out a laugh, Ichigo looked in the box and immediately came to a stop. 'Wah…?' he thought in confusion. The kittens were a little small but that was not what stopped him. What stopped him was the kitten that he was currently having a staring contest with that was black in color, with a white streak going over his eyes in a connected diamond sort of way, making it look as if it had glasses on. Ichigo blinked when he saw the color of the kitten's eyes. The eyes were a very dark brown much like his own and they looked very familiar…

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked.

When he received a meow in return he gently lifted the black kitten out of the box. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Hearing a chuckle behind him, Ichigo spun around to look at a smiling Yoruichi. "Oh c'mon Ichigo. Don't tell me you forgot."

Brows drawn in confusion, he said "Forgot what?"

Shaking her head as if in disappointment, Yoruichi looked at him with smirking yellow eyes. " 'If a spirit companion feels that his or her master was in danger or anything of the sort, they materialize in the form of a mortal world animal.'" She said, smirking when she saw a dawn of understanding lighting up Ichigo's face.

"Oh yeah. I forgot." He murmured. Looking in his arms he realized that the kitten was staring at him the whole time. Gently setting him down on his desk, Ichigo was about to say something to the feline when he realized something.

Turning around Ichigo looked at Yoruichi with wide eyes. "How did…how did you know that I have a spirit companion?" he asked, confusion coloring his voice and wariness in his eyes.

Rolling her eyes at him, Yoruichi stood up and walked closer to Ichigo. "I was once chief commander of the Onmitsukido AND your former teacher. How could I not know?"

When he realized how foolish he had been he gave a nervous laugh. "Oh. Yeah. Heh. Right. I forgot. It's just –"

"You are a Healer and Healers don't really have them. Except for Unohana and a few of her division members." She finished.

Nodding he said "Exactly. Though it makes me wonder if any of the Elders know."

"They don't trust me. I asked Soi Fon not to tell them, and if anything should happen that would lead them to suspect you I would take the punishment."

Eyes widening in surprise, Ichigo exclaimed "You can't do that Yoruichi-san! You have somebody and I –"

"Don't? What about your family Ichigo? They would miss you. And I would never be able to look your father in the eye if you died."

Swallowing, he looked away. "I still don't like it."

Smiling, she said "Well you'll just have to deal with it. Now that we've got off topic, are the kittens fine or what?"

Giving her a look that obviously said they would talk about it later, he turned back around to examine the kittens. Holding his hand out he focused his energy into his palm. Moving his hand over the kittens slowly, Ichigo kept his senses open in case anything might slip by unnoticed. When he found nothing he let the energy in his palm dissipate into the surrounding air. Letting his arm drop he turned around to speak.

"They're fine. They are a little malnourished but other than that they seem healthy. I don't sense any illness in them." He said.

Giving a relieved sigh, she said "Thank you Ichigo. I can rest easily now knowing that."

Looking back at the box Ichigo blinked in shock. During his examination Zangetsu had been still as a statue. Now he had his front paws on one side of the box, his small head peeking in and giving small meows and mewls. Blinking, he was about to ask what the small cat was doing when he noticed the cat that had gotten Zangetsu's attention.

The cat was pure white, no other color mixed in it's fur that Ichigo could see. The only color that wasn't on the fur was the cat's eyes. The cat's eyes were a turquoise sort of color, and reminded him of someone he knew that had the same color of eyes…

"Hey, Yoruichi-san. Can I ask you for a favor?" Ichigo asked suddenly, never taking his eyes off of the cat.

Yoruichi, taken aback by the sudden request, just nodded. "Of course Ichigo. What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"I want you to take this cat to someone for me." Ichigo said as he gently lifted the white cat up. Holding it in his hand he turned around to face her. "Can you?"

"Of course. Just tell me where he is and I'll deliver him for you." Yoruichi said, though a second later a smirk made it's way to her face. "May I ask why?"

"Cause it's this person's birthday and this cat reminds me of him that's all." Ichigo said absently as he scratched the kitten behind the ears.

"Is this person your mate?" She asked. She had to bite her tongue to stifle her laughter when Ichigo whipped his head up so fast she was sure he would get whiplash.

"What?" he exclaimed, his eyes so wide they looked like they were about to fall out.

"You heard me. Is this person your mate?" she stated calmly.

"No. What would make you think that?" Ichigo said defensively.

Yoruichi shrugged. "No reason. It's just you really don't get that look on your face is all."

"What look?" Ichigo asked.

"The look that says you are thinking about someone very intensively." She answered.

Blushing, Ichigo stuttered an answer that made Yoruichi snort in disbelief. "I-I do n-not! I just…met somebody is all."

"If this person isn't your mate then why," here Yoruichi stepped closer to Ichigo and, pulling down the collar of his shirt, continued "do you have a mark on your neck?"

X

The sound of shuffling papers could be heard in the office that was currently occupied by one person. A white mob of hair swiftly hit his head on his desk so fast one would wonder if he really did. Letting out a sigh into the room, the white mob lifted and let out a small growl.

"Damn that woman! I swear she is so god damn lazy!" Hitsugaya murmured to himself. Four large stacks of papers currently surrounded him, though three of the piles were done and he was currently plowing his way through the fourth. 'God what I wouldn't give for a working second-in-command…' he thought with a bitter smile.

Looking at the paper he just pulled from the pile, he stared at it and gave a disappointed 'tsk' when he realized that the paper was another fight report. This was the two hundredth one, making him wonder if his division was either a victim of these fights or if they were the ones that started it. 'Maybe I should make them do some cleaning for Unohana-san…' he thought.

A swift knock sounded on his door, pulling him from his musings. Looking up, he blinked and silently wondered what time it was.

"Enter." He ordered, going back to signing papers. When he heard the door open he looked up and blinked when he saw his third seat hesitantly step into the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb Hitsugaya-taicho but this was just delivered and I was told to give it to you right away." He said nervously.

Brows drawing together in confusion, he asked, "Who sent it?"

"It was delivered by Yoruichi-sama sir." He answered.

"Shihoin Yoruichi?" Hitsugaya asked. When he received a small nod his forehead furrowed more in confusion. 'Why would she deliver something to me?' he thought.

"You may leave it here, Suzuka." Hitsugaya said turning back to his papers.

"Yes sir." Stepping forward Suzuka gently placed the box down on the table in front of the Elder's desk.

"Oh, and Suzuka."

Turning around from where he was standing at the door, he turned around and said, "Yes sir?"

"Tell the division that if they get into anymore fights they will have to clean for Unohana-taicho for FOUR months or longer depending." He said without looking up.

Gulping, he answered with a shaky "Yes sir."

Listening to his subordinate leave the office quickly to no doubt tell the other subordinates what he said, Hitsugaya allowed himself a small chuckle.

'Now then. Lets see what I have been brought.' He thought. Getting up from his seat Hitsugaya walked around his desk to the table on which a small box with holes on the sides sat. Giving it a confused glance, he lifted the lid of the box and peered inside.

"Meow."

He blinked. Did he just hear a meow? Realizing that he DID hear a meow, Hitsugaya was shocked to see a small white kitten in the box, it's turquoise eyes shining up at him.

Looking into the eyes, he realized that the eye color was like his own. And no other creature that he knew of had the same eyes so…

"Hyorinmaru?"

"Meow."

Hitsugaya blinked. Why was he here? In the human realm no less. Lifting him out of the box, Hitsugaya set him down on the table.

"Are you here because something might happen?" Hitsugaya asked quietly.

When the cat gave a nod, Hitsugaya stood back a little. That was odd. Hyorinmaru never appeared. Not even – No! 'Don't think about it Hitsugaya. That was in the past.' He thought with some self-anger.

Hearing soft padding noise, Hitsugaya opened his eyes, wondering when he had closed them, and saw that Hyorinmaru was walking on the table, sniffing at anything and everything. Hitsugaya had to resist the urge to chuckle. To some who didn't really know the ice dragon, they would assume that he was dangerous and unapproachable when in fact he was just the opposite. Hitsugaya had been more than a little shocked when he found out that his 'fearsome' dragon was actually a 'cuddle'-like creature.

"I swear you act like a child sometimes Hyorinmaru. Even when we talked you acted like one." Hitsugaya said with a smile. When the cat just continued sniffing and ignoring him, Hitsugaya let out a small laugh. "Fine. Ignore me then. I have to finish some work so try not to break anything."

The white cat gave a small mew, as if saying 'yes mom' and continued exploring the table as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Chuckling, Hitsugaya was about to turn and walk back to his desk when he noticed a small white card on the bottom of the box. Turning back to the table, the young Elder reached into the box to lift the card up. Turning it over he saw that it had has his name written on it in an elegant hand. Opening the card he quickly scanned the contents, his cheeks gaining a little pink hue as they read over the words.

Toshiro,

Happy Birthday. When you told me last night that your birthday was today I started thinking on what I should do for you to start getting into the habit of doing something for your birthday. So, how about you go to dinner with me tonight? That is, if you aren't busy with duties or something. If you are busy let me know by calling the hospital and asking for me. Hopefully you are free tonight!

Once again, Happy Birthday.

Ichigo

Hitsugaya stared at the paper for a few more seconds before he realized that his face felt hot. Cursing, he turned around and started walking towards his desk, Hyorinmaru trailing behind him.

Sitting at his desk Hitsugaya felt, he did not know how he felt. He never had anyone do something like this for him. Yes, Matsumoto got him a cake –an inedible cake- but a cake nonetheless. Though that would be the end of the festivities. Years ago his sister Momo would do something for him but now…

Shaking his head so he wouldn't have to think about it, Hitsugaya started working on the documents in front of him. After a few minutes he stopped, looked up, and was face to face with a white furry face. Blinking a few times, he stared at the small feline that was currently sitting on one of the documents he needed to sign.

"What is it Hyorinmaru?" he asked, coming very close to giving a sigh.

The cat just stared at him for a moment before he looked down at the paper he was sitting on, giving a soft mew. Hitsugaya opened his mouth to ask him again when he noticed that his ears were laid against the back of his head. Looking down at the paper, he reached forward and grabbed the edge of the paper that the small cat was not sitting on. When he made no move to attack him, Hitsugaya gently pulled the paper out and turned it so he could read it.

Not noticing the wary look the kitten was giving the paper, the small Elder's eyes swept across the report, his eyes getting slightly wider as they went.

'This is...!' he thought with a sense of dread.

Slamming the paper down, he strode from behind his desk to the door, barely sparing Hyorinmaru a glance as the white cat jumped off the desk to step beside him.

"Matsumoto!" he yelled as he strode down the hallway.

"Taicho?"

Head whipping to the side, he watched as the buxom strawberry-blonde quickly walked over to him.

"Call the division together at once." He said in a low voice, eyes darting to the side.

Brows drawn together in confusion, she asked in a small voice, "Why?"

Turning back to face her, he told her, not noticing her eyes widening as he did so. "Asayo has just been found… as a Hollow."

Well here it is! I hope you guys like it! Please bear with me if I don't get a chapter done really fast. Life has been cruel so I'm trying to look on the brighter side of things.

Review please!