thanks for the reviews, sorry it took so long to update, my internet's been down.
Unohana walked into Toshiro's patient room and found Ichigo and Rukia standing around him as the captain inspected a metal arm.
"Hitsugaya taicho, you have a visitor." She announced.
"Thank you, send them in." he answered. Rangiku stepped in and bowed to Unohana as she left, then turned to the three in the room.
"Taicho how are you feeling?" she asked.
"Much better, thank you." He replied still inspecting the arm.
"What are you looking at? She walked up to his bed and peered over his shoulder.
"Matsumoto, what do you make of this?" he pointed to the in scripted picture on the arm.
"Well…. I don't know… it's a sun."
"Thanks for establishing that obvious fact for the umpteenth time." Ichigo said.
"At least I'm trying! What have you done?"
"Found this arm and a very other important piece of information."
On hearing Ichigo say this, Toshiro looked up, curious and even Rangiku looked interested. When Ichigo remained silent, Toshiro decided he needed to voice the question.
"And what is this important information, Kurosaki?"
"Oh right, sorry," Ichigo stammered. Rukia smiled and shook her head while Toshiro merely rolled his eyes. "When I went to the place you and Toshiro w-"
"Hitsugaya taicho."
"yeah, anyway, in one of the back rooms was one of those tv things you guys use. What are they called?"
Toshiro's face gave away the surprise his voice hid. "They don't have a specific name, we call them monitors."
"Thanks Toshiro."
"You did that on purpose!" the captain steamed, Ichigo merely smiled and rustled the boy's hair. Rukia went to grab him, but Rangiku was faster. She yanked his wrist away and pulled him away from the other two. Glaring into his eyes she warned him. "Being turned into a strawberry popsicle will be the least of your worries if you antagonize him further. He's still recovering and in his anger he's likely to reopen wounds. If you do anything else that could cause potential harm, you'll regret it, 'kay."
Ichigo nodded, speechless, and the carefree smile returned to Rangiku's face. "good."
She walked back over to the others with Ichigo a few steps behind. Another person is added to my list of people not to piss off. He thought.
Toshiro smirked, although he didn't like his battles fought for him, he found it humorous Rangiku was able to intimidate Ichigo like that.
Rukia turned her head toward the captain, "it's time I report this to my taicho."
He inclined his head toward her, "thank you for informing me on your findings." She bowed to him, forcing Ichigo to do the same, then they left.
"Matsumoto."
"Yes, taicho." She was beside him in an instant.
"what do you make of what Kurosaki said?"
"It was shocking, that they had a monitor. What do you think that means, sir?"
"It could mean a few things, the first and most likely being that the creators of the robots were smart enough to know how to make one. The second possibility is that one was stolen from within the seireitei, and the third is that someone from within the seireitei… is behind it. I don't think I need to explain why the best option would be the first. We don't want anyone being able to slip in without us noticing, and we certainly don't want anyone within our walls against us. For all sakes I pray it's the first."
"Do you really think it's possible? For someone in the seireitei to be…"
"Yes, I think it is possible, but not probable."
"I see." Rangiku looked out the window, she was glad they'd given him one. He didn't do well in closed spaces.
"Matsumoto," she turned her attention back to him. "How much paperwork have you done in my absence?"
She smiled, knowing full well what he was expecting. "All of it, sir."
He stared at her, disbelieving, she met his stare and smiled even wider.
"You know I don't appreciate jokes." He said.
"Would I joke about this with you? I stayed up all night! I didn't even get to go out with Hisagi and Kira!"
Toshiro gaped at her, "Well… I … thank you." He said, "You can take the day off, go shopping, hot springs, do whatever you want." She smiled, pulled up a chair, and sat down beside him.
***
Jushiro Ukitake sat in his office drinking tea and enjoying the sight of his garden when a knock was heard at his door. "come in." the door opened and Kioney and Sentaro, his two third seats, barged in shouting in unison. "Rukia Kuchki and Ichigo Kurosaki requesting permission to speak to you!" then without waiting for a reply they glared daggers at one another, and began shouting at each other.
"I wanted to tell him!"
"I'm older, it should be my right!"
"Well I'm taicho's favorite! He'd rather hear me than listen to me than hear your loud obnoxious voice all day long!"
"Well he'd rather see me, a handsom man, than you, a girl who looks like a little boy."
"I do not look like a boy!"
"Do to!"
"Do not!"
"Do to!"
"Do not!"
"Do to!"
"Do NOT!"
Ukitake coughed and the two immediately silenced. "The visitors." Ukitake reminded. "Please send them in."
They both rushed out, and soon Ichigo and Rukia were entering the captain's office with Ichigo carrying the arm. "Ukitake taicho, Rukia bowed, "we have something to tell you."
Ukitake nodded, "Let's go out to the gardens." Once they had, and were seated comfortably, the two once again recounted what they had discovered.
***
It was late midnight, and although most of the seireitei slept, Toshiro could not. He did not want to wait any longer for his body to recover, there was too much wasted time already. Even Hyourinmaru was growing impatient.
I've spent too much time in here. He thought. Throwing of his sheets, he sat up wincing, then swung his legs over the side of the bed. With a huff, the boy pushed himself onto the floor.
Toshiro did not realize how hurt he still was until his feet hit the floor. Pain shot up through his body and he cried out as his legs crumpled under him. As he fell he reached out and grabbed a table near him, sending a tray of dinner wear, not cleared up by a new member of squad four, crashing down on him.
He hit the floor hard, glass shattered around him. He didn't move, the fall had reopened a few of the deeper wounds rekindling the pain that had been slowly subsiding.
"Oh little one," Hyourinmaru said. "what have you done to yourself?"
Toshiro thought he heard the sound of running footsteps, but they grew further away until they disappeared. He was about to try and get up but Hyourinmaru stopped him. "Think! Do you want to cause further injury to yourself?"
"No, I-"
"Then don't move, use the brain everyone is so sure you have."
The child captain didn't respond, maybe someone would come by and help him. "I hate to be dependent on other people."
"Who knows better than I? but right now, you must swallow your pride and admit your helplessness."
Toshiro sighed, he did not say any more, he had blood from his reopened wounds and was slowly starting to lose consciousness. The door opened, a figure moved across the room, casting a long, dark shadow across the wall. The figure came closer until it was right over the little captain. Toshiro was alarmed, he couldn't since any spiritual pressure so he couldn't tell who it was. Slowly he looked up, only to see Retsu Unohana standing over him. "Hitsugaya taicho, what have you done to yourself?" Then consciousness left him.