The Head Captain looked at the Captains and Lieutenants gathered around him, for once unsure how to explain what he'd been told. They waited expectantly, some of them slightly annoyed with having their trials stopped for such a sudden meeting. This was the third meeting regarding the Soul Prince in the span of a day and a half.
His eyes shifted to the vacant spot where Toshiro should have been, a few others following his gaze and frowning as well. The Squad Ten Lieutenant frowned deeply, wondering where he could have been; he hadn't been in his office, and the book and his zanpaktou were gone as well.
"I've gathered you all here to report that the Soul Prince has been found." Yamamoto finally spoke up, making sure his voice remained authoritative despite the suspicion he felt at the claim.
"He has?" Nanao pushed her glasses up before looking at the Head Captain with a shocked expression.
"Who is it?" Momo Hinamori, a young girl with black hair in a blue-clothed bun and sweet brown eyes, questioned.
"I have not been told, but a member of the Royal Guard came to me not fifteen minutes ago and said he had been found with the help of Captain Hitsugaya. I assume his absence is due to the discovery."
There were looks passed between various Soul Reapers, wondering who else was not around that could have been the Soul Prince. The Captains shared knowing glances, as they had been the ones told of the black book and the secrets it hid. Anyone who had been given that book would have found the prince rather quickly, especially a prodigy like the Squad Ten Captain.
The doors opened, snatching everyone's attention so that they looked that way.
Ruala, her hood up to hide her face with the black book tucked under her arm, and another man stepped inside. This man had black hair placed in a large 'regent' style and was very tall. His chest was exposed with his white jacket around him and the black hakama was tied by a yellow sash, sandals on his feet finishing the look. The man seemed to be chewing on a stick and looked at the gathered Soul Reapers with a superior look.
"Since you guys spent many hours helping us search for him, we thought it only fair to let him say his goodbyes before he left." The man told them huskily. "You should feel honored to have known the Soul Prince for so long."
That statement through them for a loop; they knew him? It clicked for a couple people in the room whose eyes widened and mouths dropped open in shock.
Ruala and the other Royal Guard member stepped aside, bowing deeply as a small figure stepped inside.
Toshiro glared at the two of them, uncomfortable with the circumstances of their bowing, but stepped inside. He stopped before reaching the lines of Captains and Lieutenants, eye downcast to avoid looking at the faces of the people he had known for years.
"Captain Hitsugaya…you are the Soul Prince?" The Head Captain's voice echoed in the silence of the meeting hall.
"…Yes…I figured it out when I began looking through the profiles of former Soul Kings. The most recent one…my father…had recruited Nakryin during his time. Once I knew she was a Royal Guard member, I realized why she had given me the book in the first place. I confirmed it with this." He held his right hand up, letting out some of his power so the icy mark would show.
Some of the others began to mutter, causing Toshiro to hunch a little from the pressure of their skeptical and expectant gazes
"Impossible!" Mayuri growled. On reflex of dealing with him in the past, Toshiro stood straight again and glared. Rangiku next to the scientist looked ready to slap said scientist. "An annoying brat such as yourself couldn't possibly be the Soul Prince!"
"Kurotsuchi!" The Head Captain roared and many shrunk back as the temperature rose. "Whether you like it or not the mark on Hitsugaya's hand proves he is the Soul Prince. You will show respect!"
The scientist scowled but dared not speak lest he anger the old man even more. The unnamed Royal Guard snickered at his dilemma.
Ruala moved to whisper in the man's ear, catching Toshiro's attention; that, and he didn't want to focus on the stares of the others.
"Hm…we'll need to be going now, the prince isn't safe here." The man explained to them. Several of them gasped, wondering what he meant.
"What do you mean?" Momo stepped past her Captain, not wanting to see her childhood friend leave. Toshiro offered her a sympathetic look but kept his gaze away from the others. "Why isn't Shiro safe here?"
"Well…the details are classified." The man scratched his head. "But we're having a…conflict among the Royal Families back home. One of the Soul King's enemies sent out a grunt to try and, well, kill Prince Hitsugaya."
"Kill!?" Rangiku's hand shot up to her mouth as horror crossed her face, while Toshiro mentally gaped at the fact that the evil being that had frozen him with their voice alone was simply a grunt.
"With him out of the way his father would have to pick someone else to take his place to make sure everything doesn't fall apart, and most of the competition is being eliminated. It's crucial we get the prince home and safe."
"So…we'll never see him again?" Momo took a few steps towards them, not sure if the guards would stop her or not.
"Momo…" Toshiro looked at her sadly. Of course she'd be sad, she saw him as her little brother, and now she was worried she would never see him.
Noticing this, Ruala stepped towards the Lieutenant, reaching into her haori for something. Some of the others tensed, worried what the girl had planned, but relaxed when she pulled out a simple pendant. She handed it to the girl and whispered something before standing and returning to Toshiro's side. No one had any idea what was said, but Momo looked a little less sad about her 'brother' leaving.
"Well, sorry to leave you all so soon but we need to get going." The man smirked, hands resting behind his head as he pivoted on his heel and walked dramatically out the door.
Ruala made to leave as well but stopped at the door to wait for Toshiro. Ignoring the growing weight over his heart, the ice Captain turned away from the others and quickly stepped outside. Shutting the door behind her, Ruala kept at the back, the three of them joining up with a giant cat formed Sofia and then Flash Stepping away from the Squad One barracks.
"What now, Head Captain?" Rangiku turned to the silent old man.
"We search for a replacement." Byakuya replied monotonously. "Hitsugaya is to be the next Soul King; we have no need to worry about him."
"He didn't seem too happy about it." Jushiro mused worriedly. "Let's hope he's safe now."
"Tch, to think a brat like him could become the most powerful man in the spirit realm." Mayuri growled to himself.
"Oi, Momo." Shinji called out to the small Lieutenant still standing in the center of the room, gazing at the pendant. "You okay?"
"That's right; Hinamori and Hitsugaya were childhood friends." Izuru, the blue-eyed blonde said aloud, eyebrows permanently knitted into a worried expression with one eye covered by his long bangs.
"I'll be fine." Momo turned to her Captain, a smile plastered on her face when her eyes said it all: she was going to be upset about Toshiro's departure for a while.
Once everyone had settled down, the Head Captain sent them off to return to their normal duties, with the added mission of keeping an eye out for a possible Squad Ten Captain candidate.
With the group of four now leaving the Rukongai's outer areas, Ruala led the way to an average-sized house, a sign held up by obnoxious steel arm statues that read 'Kukaku Shiba' in bold Kanji. A tall pillar sat next to the home, awaiting them. Standing in front of the pillar was Senjumaru and Kukaku Shiba herself, a woman with wild black hair tied with bandages, a revealing red robe and provocative white skirt. Her right arm was a prosthetic and hung limply at her side.
At their approach, both women turned to greet them.
"Guess you guys want to be off now?" Kukaku kept a serious face for now, knowing the situation called for such.
"Yup, as quick as possible. Once Prince Hitsugaya is in the Soul King's Realm, the Dethmaiyn grunts should leave the Soul Society alone." The man, who along the way was introduced as Tenjiro Kirinji, stated plainly.
"Alright then, let's get going." Kukaku lifted a fist to shoulder height. "Won't want to keep the king waiting."
As she and Tenjiro got ready to leave, moving the pillar into place, Toshiro looked back in the direction of the Soul Society. Even from that distance he could see the tall white tower at its center and the Sokyoku Hill. He wondered who all would remember him, and who would forget him at first chance. He doubted Byakuya would care about him, and Mayuri would probably just erase him from memory. He knew Momo and Rangiku would always remember him, and Karin Kurosaki would surely wonder where he went.
"Hitsugaya." A soft voice grabbed his attention.
Though his face remained passive as he turned to acknowledge Ruala, his teal eyes still held the sadness he felt about leaving everything he knew behind.
"The Soul King is able to return," She explained, "They've just never had a reason to. Among the rare cases of Soul Princes, none have ever been raised in Soul Society, let alone become a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads."
"Why was I here?" Toshiro questioned, suspicion rising as he thought about how, despite being a prince, he'd lived his life in mockery from the other kids in the Rukongai districts.
"Your mother left the realm with you, but no one found you afterwards." Tenjiro answered as he approached the duo. "Weeks later we found her body, but you were nowhere to be seen, so we assumed she'd managed to find a safe place for you. Didn't have a reason to find you, since you were safe in secrecy and no one else besides your father and we Royal Guard knew you existed, so we let you stay. Ruala's the only one who knew what you looked like anyway." He pointed to the hooded guard.
"But now that they know, these soldiers of Dethmaiyn want me dead?"
"Unfortunately." Tenjiro paused as Ruala walked away. "You know, that's the first time she spoke so much in one go."
"It is?" Toshiro raised a single eyebrow. "She didn't talk much at first, but after I found out who I was she spoke a bit, just not very loudly."
"Guess she likes you." Tenjiro shrugged. "That girl doesn't talk to anybody she doesn't like unless she has to, and even then at a whisper with short answers. So far the only people she talks freely with are your father and Kirio Hikifune."
Toshiro found that interesting. Even though she seemed rather shy, she seemed to be more at ease once he'd learned his truth and had spoken to him willingly. He had assumed her before mentioned shyness was an act to get him off her scent as a Royal Guard, but now he knew her shyness was genuine.
"I know that members of the Royal Guard are only chosen if they've made a significant contribution to the Soul Society. What was her contribution?"
"Ah, she's a special case." Tenjiro scratched his head, before noticing Senjumaru waving him over. "Ask your father when we return. It's time to go anyway, so let's go."
With one last glance at his former home, Toshiro followed the three Royal Guard members inside. In less than five minutes he would leave his childhood home and more than likely never return.
Here's what everyone was waiting for! Everyone's reactions to their chibi Captain being a prince. Some hostile, some depressed (You guys had to know Mayuri would throw a fit over that). So now he's off to the Soul King's Realm with his guards and away from everything he ever knew...poor Shiro. Hope there's plenty of feeling to it. Enjoy!