With those words it finally seemed to click into place. Now he knew how he'd handled the sudden shift so well; he didn't believe it was truly real. But with the words 'my son' coming from the Soul King's mouth and the fact that they looked so much alike registering in his mind, it all came crashing down on him and he lost the ability to think for a brief moment.
Satoru noticed the emotions flashing by in Toshiro's eyes and he frowned again. He reached a hand out to the boy and Toshiro blinked, looking at it cautiously before taking it and allowing the Soul King to pull him closer.
"I understand you must be feeling rather overwhelmed by this. I, too, wasn't ready for the position when my time came to take charge."
"How did you do it?" Toshiro questioned, voice cracking slightly as his emotions seeped through. "How did you manage to shoulder it all?"
"Well, it wasn't easy." The king sighed. He put an arm over his son's shoulders, pulling him up to sit next to him on the bed. "It took years to master everything before I could take the throne."
"How long do I have?" The young prince could tell his father was deathly ill and that he wouldn't last long.
Clearing his throat, Satoru avoided the subject and instead inspected Toshiro's new haori.
"Goodness, Senjumaru always was over the top." He chuckled. Toshiro gave him an odd glance but decided not to ruin the mood. He was finally getting to meet his father, no sense in souring the mood by discussing his death date.
"I still don't think I deserve this." Toshiro replied, gripping the white fabric and examining the intricately woven head of the icy dragon that held a surprising likeness to Hyorinmaru. She must have looked into his zanpaktou's ability at some point to come so close.
"Of course you do, you're the prince."
"I was raised in the Rukongai where finding even the smallest thing was difficult. Not to mention I was expected to know my place as the freak of the town."
"Freak?" Satoru looked startled and somewhat angry. "If I had known you would be treated that way I never would have sent you there."
"Sent me…?" Toshiro looked at the king in confusion and shock.
The Soul King nodded gravely.
"The minute you were born a darkness rose among the Royal Families that put your life in jeopardy."
"Darkness…the people who are after me?"
"Yes. I realized my time was ending soon and I promised the position of king to one of the suitable members of the Royal Families. His name is Kamai Dethmaiyn."
Just hearing the name made Toshiro shiver involuntarily, though he did not realize it was a reaction caused by the Fear embedded deep in his heart.
"However, when you were born he quickly realized his promised position of power would go to you and not him, since when a Soul Prince is born only he can succeed the throne, and became violent. Upon realizing this I had your mother take you from this realm to a safe place in the Rukongai where the two of you would hide away safely until Kamai could be dealt with. However…"
Toshiro noticed pain in his father's eyes. From that he could tell what happened next.
"He killed her….my mother." Toshiro finished for the man.
Satoru smiled sadly and nodded, his hand gripping Toshiro's shoulder a little tighter.
"When Kirio and Tenjiro brought her body back I was devastated, thinking Kamai had managed to kill you both. However, Ruala found that you were taken in by an old woman in the Rukongai and reported as such to me. While I still grieved over your mother I was happy to know you had survived."
"So even after all these years… Kamai is still trying to take the throne?" Toshiro asked, wanting to get off the dreary subject of his mother's death.
"Unfortunately yes. He won't kill me until he's found you, since we both need to be dead for him to take the throne safely. If he killed me first while you were still alive and unfit for the position, the worlds would crumble. With you out of the way first I'll have no choice but to choose him as my successor and then he will most likely kill me as well."
"So he needs to be stopped." Toshiro narrowed his eyes. Now he was beginning to see everything connect, why he was needed to become Soul King when his father finally wore out and took his last breath.
"The Royal Guards are doing their best to find where he and his demonic minions have hidden themselves." He noticed Toshiro's eyes widen. "Yes, demons. When he found out he would no longer be Soul King he fell to darkness and summoned demons to serve him. He'd be better suited as the King of Hell, but Satan isn't quite ready to fall into his own grave just yet."
"Then…the man who attacked me, Gralio, was he a demon?"
"Not quite but he suits the personality of one." Satoru sighed. "I heard what he did to you and I fear for your soul."
"Why?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow. Yes, what Gralio had done was painful, but he didn't think there was anything else.
"Kamai has found a special kind of poison that's spread through darkness, seeps into the skin like air. He calls it Fear." Satoru remembered what Ruala had told him about the wisps of darkness still tangled deep in Toshiro's soul and frowned. "I was afraid it could never be countered, but I found an antidote."
"What is it?"
"It's the reason Ruala Nakryin became the newest member of the Royal Guard." Toshiro's father let the smile come back. "After she returned from the Rukongai and reported to me you were alive, we found she had the ability to counter Fear. Not to mention her skills in magic. It was soon after she defeated one of Kamai's own guardians by countering their Fear and reversing it onto them that she was made an official member of the Royal Guard."
"So Nakryin has the ability to cure Fear?" Toshiro mused aloud.
"Correct. Since her light counters the darkness of Fear, we started to call it Hope. Cheesy, I know, but Kamai took to it rather quickly and it's the only thing he fears, despite being the Lord of Fear; that's what his demons call him anyway."
"Then if she can counter it, why am I at risk?"
"Because the Fear has latched into the deepest part of your soul, where it will slowly spread when you are afraid or feeling any other negative emotions. Ruala can only push her light as far in as you will allow. It involves trusting her with your very soul, something you probably don't feel comfortable with just yet."
"Trusting her…with my soul?"
"Yes. You have to trust whole heartedly that she won't hurt you, and then she can remove it. If you have even the slightest doubt against her, she can't reach it."
"That's…a lot to ask."
"I know." Satoru nodded. "Just remember, the Fear is still there, and Kamai will attempt to use it against you in any way he can.
"Now, on to happier subjects. I haven't seen you in over a century; I believe there's some catching up to do."
At the man's bright smile, Toshiro couldn't help but grin as well. He had always wondered what his parents were like, whether he was a pure spirit from Soul Society or a human from the World of the Living who died at a terribly young age and lost his memories, he'd always wanted to know his parents. He had a chance to now, and he was NOT about to miss it.
As time passed and he got used to speaking familiarly with the Soul King, Toshiro found he had never trusted someone so quickly, had never been so open with another person before. He wondered if Ruala's ability to see through to the heart of his feelings had already unlocked the gate around his emotions, allowing his father to simply open him up and talk with his son heart to heart. The prince didn't mind though. It had been many years since he could comfortably speak his mind without being looked down upon or hated.
In turn, the Soul King shared some of his feelings and experiences with the boy. In his centuries of ruling over the three realms he had a lot to share, and the power his father seemed to have entranced the young prince as he listened with rapt attention.
"Dear me, it seems to have gotten late rather fast." Satoru glanced outside to see darkness quickly falling. "Goodness, this is the first time I spent an entire day simply talking."
"Will I see you again?" Toshiro asked as he slipped off the bed and stood.
"Anytime, my son."
So we finally get to know Satoru better, as well as a little extra on Ruala, and Toshiro gets some bonding time ^^ I also added some insight to what happened to Toshiro's mother and elaborated on how he got to the Rukongai, as well as who the main bad guy is. Kamai is another OC of mine (hm...there's gonna be a lot of them) and most of his elite fighters are all OC's of mine. More on them later. Enjoy!