"Deathwish in the fading light

Headlight painting through the night

Never thought I'd see the day

Playing with my life this way."

Sting: 'Deathwish'

Ichigo was always thankful that Unohana knew how to do her job without having to be asked. It was unnerving, having to watch her work at Toshiro's body from a distance, but he knew he could trust her more than anyone with this particular situation. Well, save for perhaps himself. But sadly his proficiency for healing kidou, or even kidou at all, was null and void. He couldn't even claim to need practice; he had no idea how to even use the most rudimentary spells that Rukia seemed to know implicitly. And he couldn't count how many times she had ripped him one for that fault; but he only ever survived under the guise that no one was perfect; and he was no exception.

But at this point he was wishing that he was perfect. If he could even do rudimentary kidou, he could have done something to have eased Toshiro's pain. But now, the best he could do was deliver him safely to those who could help him, and to those who could ease his pain. But he was leery of that idea; of easing his pain and of their ability to do so. It wasn't just about physical pain. It wasn't just about physical or mental displacement. It was about something far more than that, and to Ichigo, it had been from the beginning. From the very, very beginning of the whole affair. It wasn't even about the destruction of the soul, as much as that is what it appeared to be. He just had this lingering hesitance in his gut, past the roiling emotions and the helter skelter ride that came with them, about that theory.

Because if that was what Aizen had intended to do, he would by no means have let them come in and out so easily. He would not have left Toshiro sitting out on a silver platter for them to take. Even Ichigo knew he was too smart for that, and it disturbed him that the possibility of the other man having planned for them to rescue Toshiro even existed. And yet it did; that lingering risk hid in the shadows as they fretted to connect ends that didn't have the same beginnings.

But he kept quiet for the time being, watching Captain Unohana set to her work of preemptively examining Toshiro before either the Head Captain arrived or ordained it safe to let Toshiro into the city. Ichigo was wary of that too; of what the old man would say and of what he would approve of and disapprove of, and how, inevitably, it would directly affect Toshiro's lifespan. That was too much power for someone like him to have at a time like this, even though he would have paid the worlds weight in gold to be able to trust the other man.

When the dragon began to finally reawaken, Ichigo couldn't have been more relieved at anything in his life. Unohana was still perched on him quite literally, as her gentle hand searched the flesh beneath the plated bone for something Ichigo could not define. Perhaps a sign of life, perhaps not. But even that was too simplistic for her intellect. She was searching for answers, he knew, but ones that suited only the questions in her own head. But when the muscles in his neck began to stir, she settled herself into a steady kneel on the plate on his shoulder, looking down with all the clinical curiosity of a diagnostician poring over a new case.

Those striking teal eyes blinked open slowly, jet black lids peeling back to reveal them to the fading evening's pastel drunk light. They remained glassy for a moment, unclear as they searched for purchase in what was probably a world of swirling color. But after a moment, a painstaking moment for Ichigo, they cleared. He thought that, had Jidanbo been around still, it would have been a nerve-wracking for him as well. But, under Captain Unohana's advice and his own want for peace for the dragon, he had sent him back to the gate, promising to let him know when Toshiro woke up and when Captain Yamamoto had made his decision or reached some manner of deliberation that would change their current situation.

For now it seemed that the only thing that had changed was the state of Toshiro's consciousness. Which, he supposed when put into perspective against Toshiro being unconscious entirely, had been a pretty big jump towards the "not so miserable" side of things. But considering things were still pretty damn miserable, especially with the dark evening storm clouds descending over the hills coming from the horizon and headed straight for the Seireitei.

"Welcome back, Captain Hitsugaya," the lady Captain addressed him in that caramelized ginger tone that she had when speaking to a patient. Toshiro lifted his head from the ground, remaining laying on his side in order to keep from disturbing his own wounds and Captain Unohana too much. Ichigo stood up from his place on the grass, brushing the dampness of the descending night's dew from his shihakusho pants as he walked over to where the other two were. He felt the ground under his feet vibrate as Toshiro made some comment, resting his head back down on the ground with a weary huff rattling out of his nostrils.

From the look on Unohana's face, she had not been expecting that. Which wasn't surprising, considering how much there was odd about the situation; there was little that they could anticipate for sure when it was entirely an unknown instance that they were dealing with. And though there had never really been at time that Ichigo knew all the details of what he was doing in regards to the Soul Society, at least most times he was able to understand where he himself stood. He stood on the side of those who upheld law under the premise of it protecting lives. That was all it took… at first.

But not anymore. Especially not now. In the beginning, it was a war against a sociopath, who went against everything he'd ever loved or fought for. That was the easiest part to understand. The "good guys" had still been the "good guys" and the "bad guy" had still been the "bad guy". Nothing too complicated, nothing too subjective. But then, things had begun to change when his attachment to the people in the Soul Society had grown strong. Things had begun to change when the flaws in the Soul Society's hierarchy began to sift to the surface. Things had begun to change when the preservation of life was no longer at the forefront of the causes the Soul Society used to prompt their actions.

And all of it up to this point had led up to the current situation, that not only had Ichigo questioning his own motives, but the motives of the Soul Society, and, most disturbingly, the motives of the man he had set out as his enemy. Why was he protecting the Soul Society, really? Why did the Soul Society function the way it did? Why did Yamamoto make the decisions that he did, based on no evidence or rationale at all? Why did Aizen rebel, really? What was it that drove him to this "depravity" that everyone painted him so gruesomely with?

The answers didn't come to him, no matter how hard he tried to think a way to them. And his world didn't stop spinning with those damnable uncertainties until he realized that his hand was resting on Toshiro's elongated snout. He looked down, blinking his own glassiness away as Toshiro's teal eyes stared back up at him questioningly, through a lingering haze of tire and weariness that they both shared. He let out a breath he didn't realize that he'd been holding, trying to smile weakly down at where the dragon lay. He had to recover himself; re-tether himself to reality before it escaped him forever. And it seemed that the only person that was capable of even helping him do that was Toshiro anymore, probably because they were so far strained by the toils of the earth that they were the only two that could share in each other's sorrows if even for the softest most fleeting moment.

Ichigo was still thankful.

"Come on now, big guy, be nice," he said weakly, knowing that Toshiro was more likely to have made a dry comment than to have been uncharacteristically pleasant. And even though Captain Unohana had the capability of instilling obedience in even the wildest men, even her foul moods couldn't quite quell the snark that Toshiro carried around with him like a lucky charm. Or just a certain kind of charm in general, but Ichigo wasn't going to tease him about that when he felt so run down himself. He didn't have the energy to drudge up all the emotional implications that came with that type of teasing, and he didn't have the time to linger on lesser questions when the world was hanging on a hair.

"I think that is the only time in my life that I've ever had someone call me big," the dragon replied, with a bit of a tired, but albeit genuine smile in his voice. Ichigo could see the thankful little twinkle in his eyes, and his own smile strengthened a bit because of it. Apparently sometimes sleep really was what the doctor ordered; even if it wasn't perhaps Unohana who had given the order. "I don't know whether to scold you out of habit or enjoy it while I can."

Ichigo sat down next to Toshiro's bottom jaw, leaving his hand wandering over the bone plates absently. He wondered if Toshiro could feel it at all, or if the bone was just a numb extension of some apparatus he had attached to him. That conundrum helped distract him for a moment, until he noticed Unohana getting down, and he was brought back to the lingering comment that Toshiro had made, left hanging out in the open by Ichigo's own distraction.

As if a sudden weight had been impressed upon his shoulders, Ichigo slumped against the underside of the dragon's jaw, letting his knees curl up a bit, enough for his chin to rest on them for a moment. "Trust me, Toshiro," he whispered, letting his hand rest for a moment, shaking on where he could actually feel the dragon's strangely silky black skin beneath the end of the plating, "enjoy it while you can. Please, enjoy this while you can."

He didn't have the heart to add the afterthought, "Because I don't think we'll have time to do that for long." He just couldn't bring himself to think so grimly, not when he was still clinging to the same hope that everyone was, including Toshiro.

"Exspecto dolor," Toshiro's voice answered, and Ichigo both listened and watched mystified as the dragon's vocal cords vibrated beneath his fingers as the sound they produced rang in his ears like the saintly bells of a far off cathedral. And yet that close, intimate reality remained, grounding him down to the barest forms of realization and knowing until he felt stripped raw, yet gently encompassed all at once. "Sed et alium expectamus diem."

He knew this language, though he could not understand from where the knowledge came. Yet its sound, its feel, was one that he felt in that moment so intimate with that he could have closed the entire world away in favor of listening to it for one more second.

He was embittered towards reality when it came invading into his thoughts when Unohana's hand rested on his shoulder. He was embittered towards the world when it prevented him not only from having heard those words sooner, but preventing him from further hearing them. It was almost like a torture, but the more reality began to invade the more he began to realize that his reaction was extreme, even in his own mind. But that gave it no less validity, even as the details of their surroundings and of his true situation settled around him once more.

This, whatever it was, had rooted into deep soil within his soul, and had connected to something truly buried down there. Deeper than he could ever hope to imagine; deeper than even Zangetsu's presence went. It went deeper than the worlds' influences on him, deeper than the passage of time. This was the antithesis of the remembrance of time; this was akin to becoming time itself, and reaching betwixt the worlds of the known to the deep darkness that was existence and looking there were no eyes could see.

The face of the dragon looked at him with an equally stunned expression, if not more glassy and shell-shocked. Apparently it, whatever it was, had struck Toshiro as well, though apparently so much harder that it actually began to worry Ichigo as Toshiro's barely readable complexion wilted down to something searching and afraid. His teal eyes darted around the clearing, his pupils narrow little slits of primal panic as his mind saw things that Ichigo's, now detached, could not fathom. But he recognized that searching gaze, that panicked flare to the nostrils even if the body they were attached to was not at all human. It was the look of someone searching amongst the hazes of midnight terrors for the light of day and the palpability of reality.

"Toshiro!"

His cry caused an immediate reaction, and the dragon's head whipped around to face him. For a moment he was staring down the nose of an animal, the mind and inhabitant impossibly elsewhere. But as the reality of the hellish moment lingered, Ichigo realized that it was not fear for his life that he was feeling. It was not fear for his body, fear for his pride. It was fear for his mind, and its fate should it be lost down the same rabbit hole into oblivion that had swallowed Toshiro.

And yet the second he realized that, out emerged the little white spirit of the man fallen down the burrow, his teal eyes clearing as realization and delirium began to settle over him again. He spread the fingers of his forefeet as he visibly sagged against the ground, his righted position on his belly barely held by the quaking limbs. He breathed in slow, heavy pants that rasped up and down his throat like compressed air through a torn pipe; loudly, and with grating harshness.

He was bleeding again, Ichigo noted, as the crimson lines that ran between the tooth shaped slats on the mask glistened with new moisture. It was in that moment that Ichigo wished that the old saying of mind over matter wasn't quite so damnably right. Especially considering now it was more of Toshiro's mind that was plagued than his poor body… or bodies if one wanted to get needlessly technical.

"Mr. Kurosaki," Captain Unohana's voice, painted with soothing worry even as she grasped his arm firmly to support him, "are you alright?"

The flat answer was that, no, he was nowhere even close to the realm of "fine". But that seemed moot at that point, along with the question she had even bothered asking. He shook his head, indicating that he wasn't alright, big surprise, but she didn't seem put off by that statement. She still held onto his bicep, looking between the two of them as if something akin to an explanation would solidify in the air between them. Nothing did; also a big surprise. But now that he was back on terra firma, Ichigo knew for a fact that this could not go on. It couldn't last any longer than it already had, otherwise Toshiro really would be lost down the rabbit hole of his own mind, where Ichigo could never hope to reach him.

"No, I'm not, and I won't be until all of this crap is sorted out," he replied candidly, looking apologetically over at the Captain after realizing how biting his words had been. He couldn't quite help it; he'd been sitting on his ass for hours doing nothing, watching nothing happen, and getting a whole lot of nothing sorted out. That, in his books, was the biggest God damned waste of time ever, in spite of how much Captain Unohana may have affirmed for herself.

"I understand, Mr. Kurosaki," the responded gently, luckily not nearly as angrily as she probably could have been justified for. "Hopefully things will get sorted out shortly; I sense Lieutenant Abarai and Lieutenant Matsumoto approaching. It is my hope for all our sakes that they come bearing good news."

Ichigo nodded, looking back to Toshiro. He seemed more lucid now, calmer and less confused in spite of the thoughts obviously racing across his eyes. The words from before still rang in Ichigo's head, and he knew that even shaking his head would not dispel them. Nothing would dislodge them now; they were like a part of him that had been missing… or that would be missing at some point. He couldn't even quite describe it to himself, but after a moment of tying his head in knots he stopped trying to.

For a moment, he glanced back to Unohana, unsure of one particular detail that would be rather pertinent regardless of what news Renji and Rangiku brought. That simple fact was that they the four of them could probably not lift Toshiro. It had taken both he and Renji, and Tessai, who made two of both Unohana and Rangiku combined, to lift him. And something told him that unless Jidanbo was coming with them, they would require a lot more assistance to get him up.

"Can you tell if Jidanbo is coming with them?" he asked, voicing his thoughts before time ran out. Unohana paused for a moment, before shaking her head. That would indeed pose a problem for them, and he glanced back to Toshiro, who had apparently overheard their entire conversation. But there was a glittering keenness in his eyes that had not been there before; nor had it been there since their entire endeavor had begun. It intrigued Ichigo, because mostly it implied that the dragon had something up his sleeve.

Well… armor.

"What is it, Toshiro?" he asked, watching the other as the dragon's body settled into what appeared to be a rather awkward position. It was like he was trying to scoot himself backwards, so that his legs were stretched away from his body. One fiery eyebrow rose, and Toshiro seemed to catch the look well enough. He held one black skinned finger up, indicating for him to wait.

Then, in a massive surge of what was probably the only energy he had left from his nap, Toshiro hauled himself up onto his feet, using his stretched limbs clawing into the turf for leverage as his massive head and rippling muscles pulled the rest of him up. He was unsteady for a moment as he resettled his footing to accommodate his injuries, but it only lasted for a moment until he was standing in a relatively stable position. From which point he gave a full body shake, apparently displeased by the settling of his own plates. The sound of each bony plate hitting another was akin to the sound of breaking china; tinkling in an almost musical way, yet grating and unnatural.

He looked down at Ichigo with an almost "I told you so" look, before craning his neck to where Renji and Rangiku had landed in the clearing. They both seemed stunned that Toshiro was standing, and that in spite of his wounds he seemed so lively. Ichigo was surprised as well, knowing just how grievous the wounds had seemed at first. And, though he couldn't speak for everyone, he did know that after a while one could become accommodated to the pain and weather it more reasonably. Though, he couldn't fathom just how much of that pain Toshiro was weathering anymore, considering there had to be an exorbitant amount of it to begin with.

"What do you have to report from Head Captain Yamamoto?" Always the first to return to business, Unohana redirected their vagabond group to the actual issue at hand. Ichigo paid attention, knowing that Toshiro was already doing so. Which was rather pitiful when thought about; that a wounded, mentally displaced midget had better topic tracking skills than a perfectly sober human being.

Both Renji and Rangiku's expressions were odd mixes of emotions. They were relieved, yet tired, and the slightest bit wary. It was as if they were gladdened by what the Head Captain had decided, but unsure of how to really react to his orders. That was concerning in and of itself, but Ichigo, unlike Yamamoto, wouldn't jump to conclusions so easily. He would stave off the bad news until he knew it was actually bad news.

"Head Captain Yamamoto has given clearance to Captain Hitsugaya to enter the Seireitei," Renji stated first, and even the group that had just arrived sighed a collective breath of relief. But from the look on Rangiku's face, it was a bit preemptive.

"However, he has requested that Captain Hitsugaya be escorted to the Squad 12 Commons immediately so that he may be examined by the Research Department and a proper assessment of the situation may be achieved," she explained grudgingly, looking at her Captain apologetically. But Ichigo understood that Toshiro knew that it had nothing to do with any fault of hers; it was the fault of a system that looked before it leapt. The strawberry blond was biting at her lip nervously, as if fighting the urge to go against the order, in spite of it being direct. For once, someone's humanity was actually painting their actions in the Soul Society! It was almost unheard of… save for all the things that had occurred that Head Captain Yamamoto hadn't sanctioned.

Before any of them could give a proper answer, a frustrated chilly huff resounded from Toshiro's flared nostrils. He shook his head in a regal manner, setting the row of tines along his back to a clicking ripple as he expressed his annoyance. Ichigo, who was unquestioningly closest, pressed a hand to the dragon's side, wanting to catch what he said before it was lost on everyone. But Toshiro was much more used to the system than Ichigo realized, and had actually waited until Ichigo touched him to continue.

"We aren't getting any answers out here," he said, glancing down at Ichigo seriously. There was a faint, fleeting glimmer of distrust at his own words, but Ichigo was sure he was the only one who caught it. He knew without needing to ask that Toshiro didn't entirely mean what he said; not when that stunning moment of… heaven knew what, had passed between them. That was getting answers of some kind, though probably not the kind they were looking for or needed quite yet. Ichigo would have also begged to differ, seeing as Unohana seemed to have made some progress on her private vendetta, but he knew that Urahara himself had said that they had not the tools to properly examine Toshiro's current vessel. And in spite of how much he hated admitting it, the only place that had those tools was Squad 12. "So for now, our best option is to do as the Captain Commander says. If need be we can take care of things in an alternative way should the circumstance arise."

Ichigo let his hand slip from Toshiro's plating, repeating what the icy Captain had stated even as his mind hung onto the words. They just seemed… odd. Foreboding, actually now that he thought about it. It was as if Toshiro had about as much faith in Squad 12 figuring out what was going on as Ichigo had in Head Captain Yamamoto becoming the next Dalai Lama.

But how exactly they would "take care of things" themselves was a bit hard to imagine. All along he'd been hanging on the hope that once Toshiro's soul was returned to the Soul Society, things could be sorted out and fixed. That which was broken would be mended, that which was lost would be found again, things of that like and manner. And he didn't like at all the idea of it not being so at all.

He didn't realize they'd been walking until they reached the Western Gate of the Soul Society. He didn't realize he'd subconsciously been walking by Toshiro's front shoulders, the side of his hand brushing against the dragon's leg with each stride until Toshiro stopped moving altogether. He looked about him, watching the light fade over the Seireitei as the golden sun retreated behind the horizon and the veil of clouds that lay gathering there like mourners garbed in black.

Jidanbo was proclaiming vociferously how glad he was that Captain Hitsugaya was alright, being surprisingly calm enough to resist touching him. Ichigo was thankful, because it probably would have hurt Toshiro much more than Jidanbo, even if the brute had gotten a hand full of those tines. As it stood, he just kept babbling his pleased piffle at all of them as he hefted open the gate, having to stretch even as far as his towering height would allow to leave enough space for the dragon to enter.

The entourage of normal sized Soul Reapers entered first, watching as the dragon calmly stepped under the gate. Ichigo even caught Toshiro giving Jidanbo a curt nod, knowing that the other wouldn't be able to understand anything he said unless contact was made. And that would involve not holding up the gate that he was standing under, which would involve a lot of inconvenient pain. But Jidanbo seemed to beam anyway, thankful for even the slightest recognition from the dragon he had found unconscious in the forest earlier that day.

Ichigo still hung back as soon as their group began to navigate the labyrinthine streets of the Seireitei, keeping by Toshiro's shoulder as he watched the Soul Reapers all but clamber onto the roofs in order to get a good look at what had become of one of their Captains. Here, Toshiro could not hide. Not in the trees, not in the buildings, not anywhere. He was exposed, for what exactly he was or wasn't couldn't be determined just yet. But now he was getting a taste of what it was like to be larger than life in the literal sense; not just in the figurative sense. His head towered over even the multi-leveled structures of the Division Headquarters; though he was still dwarfed by the towers of the Repentance Cells off in the distance.

Ichigo would be astounded if, at the end of all of this, Toshiro had even an iota of pride left. This was akin to being put on exhibit for the humor and amusement of others. At least, Ichigo saw it that way until he actually looked at the Soul Reapers watching them pass. They all bore worried expressions, to be sure, which was the first unusual thing. But secondly, they all also seemed reverent in that undying respectful way that obedient officers were of their Higher Ups. So in spite of everything, it appeared that his men, and the men of the other divisions, still viewed him as a Captain and as a superior officer.

Ichigo thought he deserved more credit than that, considering he had survived hell and come back still walking like a man. He had faced adversity, stared it down, and conquered what had stood in his way. And, with help or without, that was an impressive feat regardless. Taking into consideration his injuries, and his enemy especially.

When a flash of white caught his eye on one of the higher rooftops, Ichigo realized that it wasn't just division members that were watching their slow progression to Squad 12's commons. Captains were assembling also, staring on only for a moment if they weren't personally vested; like Soi Fon for instance. He only caught sight of her for a moment, but he knew she had been there, because the trademark black hooded members of the Omnistukido were left in her wake.

Other Captains, much more vested Captains, stayed longer, and even made to join their procession after a time. Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku were unsurprisingly the first to arrive and join in with their group, gaping and looking on in curious befuddlement as Toshiro did his best to keep walking on his wound beset leg.

"I guess we can't exactly call him little anymore, can we Shiro?" Captain Kyoraku commented idly to Ukitake as they walked, tilting his hat up to get a better look at the dragon's imperial face. What he got as a response, instead of an answer from Ukitake, was a snort of subarctic air aimed at him. He laughed, brushing the actual frost that had gathered on his garments because of the rush of air. "But he certainly is himself still, that's for sure."

Ichigo managed the catch the slightly bitter, "Who else would I be but who I am, regardless of vessel or shape?" that Toshiro had probably meant to be intoned only to his own thoughts. But he could feel the grumble vibrating in the dragon's chest which gave the rest of the group the general idea of an unhappy vocalization. 'If only they knew what Toshiro really thought of all this,' he thought to himself even as he tucked his hand away to keep from overhearing any more of Toshiro's thoughts. 'If only I knew what Toshiro really thought of all this.'

But he knew that even if he did know, it probably would only make things more difficult in the end, wherever it may lie.

It was only by the fading blushing light of the retiring sunset by which they arrived at Squad 12. Their brigade had been joined by no other Captains save for Ukitake and Kyoraku, but had been spectated by all of the rest. Thus, knowing after having watched all of the faces of the other Captains pass by, Ichigo was rather surprised to find all of them assembled in the massive courtyard outside the labs tucked into the hidey holes of the 12 Division. He didn't like the place. He'd never really gone there before, but he got an ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he walked by or even heard about it. It was like walking by an armory with live nuclear weapons inside; chilling in a way that went deeper than the skin or the other senses could comprehend.

Captain Yamamoto was there as well, and Ichigo was unsure whether or not to be thankful. At least now he could really hear with his own ears what the old man had to say. He kept one hand clenched at his side, hearing Toshiro's words in his head one more time. He didn't doubt that should they need to take care of their own business that they would be able to, but he was praying incessantly that it wouldn't come to that. Heaven knew, it was about the last thing they needed at a time like this to be stateless and enemies.

But his main priority at the moment was keeping his comments to himself as the old man's eyes, barely cracked open, gazed in a long lingering sweep over the dragon standing in front of him. He seemed to take longer than the rest to deliberate on whatever was going through his mind, whereas everyone else seemed to have already drawn their conclusions. Soi Fon was wary of the entire ordeal; he could see it in the stance and the tenseness around her feet. Byakuya's gaze lingered on all of them, searching Toshiro's appearance surprisingly the most unassumingly. It was as if he were trying to discern for himself just how to accept the fact that this was still the Captain of the 10th; just in a form they none of them were familiar with. Captain Komamura looked stunned; even as he stood there. Ichigo could see that he was practically drooling over the fact that now another Captain knew his plight of being trapped in such a bestial form. Kenpachi looked bored as always, but there was that mischievous little twinkling in his eyes that let Ichigo know that the brute was very interested in testing the limits of Toshiro's new form; especially considering his spiritual pressure had been multiplied an unprecedented amount.

And Mayuri… Ichigo was almost afraid to look. The man's cold metallic eyes roamed over the dragon's form like he was examining a dead body just seconds before he cut it open to look inside. His painted white hands were wringing themselves, desperate to get on with this investigation. Ichigo hated the sadistic glee he could feel tingeing the man's spiritual pressure; it almost made him physically ill to himself. But Mayuri hung back for the moment, waiting impatiently for Head Captain Yamamoto to say something or explain himself. All of them hung back, waiting.

"Well, Captain Hitsugaya," the old man said, his voice booming over the courtyard. "It does appear that Lieutenant Abarai and Lieutenant Matsumoto were correct in their report. Rest assured that, now that you have been safely returned to the Soul Society, your situation will be handled in the most immediate fashion possible."

Ichigo didn't bother commenting on how sometimes faster wasn't always better when it came to chess, knowing that it was probably not the best time.

Ichigo watched out of the corner of his eyes to gauge Toshiro's reaction. He'd been relatively quiet up to this point, which was rather unusual. However, he then understood why the other had not vocalized when the draconian head, crowned with a greater mantel than any man could ever hope to compare, began to bow. The whole courtyard watched in rapt awe as the dragon bowed its head low, even dipping one of its front legs beneath its chest to give the fully effective gesture.

No animal would have bowed to a superior officer, especially not considering how much effort it must have taken. But Toshiro seemed to get himself back up well enough in spite of the change in static position.

"Head Captain Yamamoto, this is a disgrace," Mayuri complained vocally, drawing the entire courtyard's attention to the twisted man. The elder Captain did not seem amused, but nor did he seem to feel the need to ask what the Squad 12 Director meant, probably already knowing that Mayuri was more than loquacious enough to want to continue talking all by himself. "The specimen is horridly damaged! How do you expect me to be able to dissect it when there's so much of it that's been ruined?"

Ichigo could have sworn that his fist would have been imbedded in Mayuri's face had it not been for Captain Unohana's vice grip on his arm. He still jerked against her grasp, wanting more than a bit sorely to give the man his just desserts, if only for the lewd comment he'd just made. Let alone for the idea that he didn't want to save Toshiro, or understand what he was going through, but that he wanted to dissect him just for the sake of wanting to. But before the small congregation could burst into further riot against one another, Unohana wisely stepped in.

"It is my assessment, Captain Kurotsuchi, that after having examined Captain Hitsugaya's condition, that he is fit for examination by Squad 12, should no invasive measures be taken preemptively," she said, her tone as cool and silken as always, but with that iron fist hanging just behind the veil of kindness that sent the courtyard plummeting into silence. "But seeing as you seem to be so enamored with the matter, I would like to request of Head Captain Yamamoto that you not be the one to conduct the examination."

The sadist roared with anger, seething from across the clearing. "You impudent little-"

"Enough." Thankfully, Yamamoto's voice seemed more than capable of silencing the warmongering Kurotsuchi. "In such a situation, I cannot help but concede to Captain Unohana's request. Surely Captain Kurotsuchi you will be allowed to oversee the examination process. But due to previous issues with your record in that department, I cannot ignore them in favor of humoring you. This is a matter of utmost importance, and as few risks as possible must be taken in order to achieve the answers we seek. That includes exposing Captain Hitsugaya to as little risk as possible."

The Captain was still roiling with rage, looking to be on the verge of a tantrum akin to what a toddler might pull when displeased. "How can you still call that thing a Captain? I am fully capable of understanding how its form may have been a state forced upon it, but as it stands it bears no resemblance to anything even remotely worthy of that title!" he bellowed, his hissing voice grating against Ichigo's ears with every venomous word. "And I refuse to show such respect to an animal whose only real worth is to be dissected, regardless of what you pig-headed fools think!"

The crowd at hand, including Ichigo, was already bursting into rebukes he had even finished. And, had not it been for Toshiro stopping him directly, Ichigo would have gladly cut off the heathen's head himself for such unrequited remarks. But as it unfolded, one of the dragon's front legs stepped in front of him, barring his way from what would probably have been a moot battle anyway. He looked up at Toshiro's looming figure as the silence settled around the rest of the group. They had seen what Toshiro had done, apparently, and had swiftly fallen back to tense peace.

The Squad 10 Captain cast Ichigo a fleeting, furtive glance before looking back to Yamamoto, whose instructions had originally been interrupted. The rest of the still bitter group followed suit, their collective silence uneasy and distrusting.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, it is never in your duty to question an order from your superior," the aged man noted, and Ichigo had the strange childish urge to pump his fist in the air and stick his tongue out in Mayuri's general direction, but something told him that he would have gotten scolded for such juvenile behavior before he could even finish his bump. And, a pity though that would have been, he knew they would have been justified in doing so. Thus, he remained quiet, celebrating in Mayuri's scolding only within the confines of his own mind. "Thus, when I order that you are to oversee the examination of Captain Hitsugaya's current condition, it is your duty to comply. I will place your Third Seat, Akon, in charge of all physical examinations. Thus, your and your Lieutenant's duties will consist of analyzing the data and reaching the proper scientific conclusions."

Mayuri was grumbling throughout the entire explanation, his arms crossed over his chest in the only act of defiance that he would ever be able to get away with, especially with Yamamoto.

"I will also be assigning Captain Unohana to the duty of supervising all physical examinations. As it seems, she has already made a preemptive examination, and her input will be critical to the final report." With that, the Head Captain finally took the liberty to look straight at the dragon's face; having avoided doing so the entire time.

Ichigo was a bit put off by the show of impugnation, until he realized that Yamamoto must have been watching the dragon's behavior in order to assure for himself that it was actually Toshiro. Ichigo hope he found what he was looking for, because if it wasn't obvious from the start who it was, he was sure it would have been made obvious through Toshiro's total lack of bestial behavior, especially around people. He was actually being more civil than Mayuri; though that wasn't something terribly unusual considering even Kenpachi was more civil than Mayuri to an extent.

"Captain Hitsugaya, rest assured that we will do whatever it takes to rectify this situation," he assured firmly, before turning to Ichigo. The young Kurosaki knew that his presence would be questioned at some point, but he was loathe to think that it would be so soon. He was the one that had even alerted them to Toshiro's status in the first place. He was the one who had found him; it was more than right for him to be able to stay and see things through. But he knew that the Soul Society didn't exactly function on what was only right; it functioned on what was practical. But even then, his presence was more than justified by the fact that he could probably tell them a lot more about what was going on as he figured it out for himself, so that lingering need of him being there for supplemental explanation could still be held in high regard.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, you will assist Captain Unohana and input any further information you may have on this matter." Ichigo was quite literally stunned speechless. For once in the entire time that he had known Captain Yamamoto, even from a distance, the man was doing something rational. He could barely believe his luck, and held his breath at the older man continued to speak to the rest of the assembled group. "The final report shall be deferred to me when it has been assembled. Until then, the rest of you may return to your duties. It may be asked that some of you stand guard over the course of the night, but should positions need to be filled, you will be alerted. Dismissed."

Much to Ichigo's surprise, the majority of the Captains assembled did not leave right away. He heard Soi Fon leave, barking out orders to her men probably in an attempt to establish a more stable perimeter. Of course Unohana didn't leave; she was one of the few required to actually stay. In fact, even as she stood there, waiting for the crowd to disperse so she could get to her work, she turned to Ukitake and Kyoraku, who had both remained.

"Captain Ukitake, Captain Kyoraku, would you please return to Squad 4 and assist Isane with attending to and guarding Captain Hitsugaya's body? I want to keep a close eye on it now that the soul is back within the same spatial proximity. If anything changes, alert me immediately," she said, nodding them off as they set to the task she had indicated. It was a wise idea; considering none of them knew what to expect now that Toshiro's soul and real body actually exited within the same plane together.

He wondered idly if it was an odd feeling; knowing that your real body was elsewhere as the one you were inhabiting stood only as a vessel and a tool.

-Okay, for those of you that haven't been informed or read my other author's notes for my other fics, I have taken down the poll for the pairing to be featured in fic two because I have already decided myself what it will be. For a while it was variable; but now that the series has solidified into a trilogy, it has also defined itself. Sorry to supplant all of you, but you are only a democracy in so far as you comply with my desires as Dictator and Chief. I'm not sure how much more I have to say, other than that I'm going to be working on another AU fic along with my next set of drabbles. I may try to get 200 done by the end of February, but that may not work for… sneaky reasons. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and I will see you next month for its next update!

8-90s love,

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