Christmas Nightmare
~Awakening~

The two Kurosaki males had chosen not to speak with each other. Ichigo had to admit, that he was quite bitter about everything that had happened. Nothing at all, was making any sense at all. That was, except for the fact that it was dangerous to interfere with what Ichimaru Gin was doing. In one way, Toshiro's life depended on it, and the threat that the man had levied at him was something he had never felt before.

Ichigo leaned up against the wall, having made a promise to his father to do nothing, while he headed home, to prepare the clinic for the next morning. There was no telling what kind of complaints, that Isshin would get for not having opened up today. In some ways he hoped that his dad would be lectured by his patients, and in some ways not. But the old grannies would be fun to watch.

As he thought about his father and his attitude towards him, he remember that he had sensed that kind of feeling from his old man before. Yet it had a more positive vibe, the times that he could remember, one that was less threatening. The thing was, he really couldn't put a finger on what all was going on here, which in truth was frustrating to say the least.

As he sulked, he suddenly heard a slight moving from inside of the room, and slid the door open, rather quickly. Everything was as it had been left, with Gin holding Toshiro carefully in his lap, his chin resting upon the small boy's head, as they both slept the time away, trapped in some ways in Hitsugaya's inner world.

Ichigo walked over, and took a seat, watching them carefully, and shook his head at the fact that Toshiro was still not awake, and wondered how the small taicho would react to finding himself sleeping in Ichimaru's lap. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation, he knew that he would find himself laughing at the matter.

His eyes suddenly glanced down at Ichimaru Gin's hand, which had an open locket clutched into it. Ichigo suddenly raised an eyebrow, upon seeing that there was a picture of both Matsumoto and Toshiro in there. The one with Matsumoto there, was much neater cut, and fit better. Why both were in there, Ichigo couldn't himself be sure.

Gin's reaction, had been so much like his fathers, when it came to protecting their kids. This caused Ichigo to inwardly laugh. "As if Ichimaru and Matsumoto would be Toshiro's parents… that is ridiculous."

"I don't think it is…" his inner hollow laughed. "I think the idea is awesome, not to mention psyc… psyc…"

"Psychologically damaging…" Ichigo imputed to the thing. His head and posture though, shot up straight, when he began to notice Toshiro wiggling a bit.

"Come on Toshiro. I think it is time for you to wake up. You look ready…" Ichigo couldn't be sure if this would actually come to work. In fact, he actually had his doubt that it would. However, when two teal eyes opened, to peer at him, a smile broadened on his face. "Toshiro… you're awake!"

"Who are you?" the boy asked, causing Ichigo's face to suddenly fall, until the small boy slapped the palm of his hand against his face, and then shook his head. "Gomenasai… you're Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute soul reaper. How can I help you?"

"Toshiro…" the teenager's mouth suddenly twitched at the oddity of the small boy's words.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro… I mean, Hitsugaya Taicho…" the boy blinked a couple of times.

"I see that you are still rather out of it," came the soft chuckle.

"Ne… where did taicho go?" the small boy wiggled a bit, not yet realizing he was in some ones, lap, but then he did realize, and again shook his head. "Sorry, it was Isshin-san taicho who has been taking care of me while I was out of it?"

"Ehh… you mean to say, that the person who happens to have… that you're sitting in the lap of?" Ichigo's mouth twitched again, having a feeling that Toshiro was going to blow up. "He actually… isn't here…"

"But that means he is definitely alive, and that I wasn't imagining things?" came Toshiro's response. His tone has suddenly turned a tad cheerful. He then scowled just as quickly. "Kurosaki… it isn't my former taicho who has a hold of me, then whose lap am I sitting in? Why the hell am I sitting in anyone's lap?"

"As for why you are sitting in someone's lap, you'll have to ask Urahara that one," Ichigo nearly bit his tongue, not wanting to say the next part.

Toshiro waited a few seconds, then began to move around. Kurosaki could only watch as Toshiro's body moved, then turned to look up at the person. The reaction, as soon as Toshiro saw him, was something else. First, his teal colored eyes narrowed, and then widened. His jaw began to tremble, and he pushed himself away.

Ichigo watched as Toshiro quickly scuttled backwards from where he had been, and in some sort of irony ended up sitting in the older boy's lap. This caused the substitute soul reapers eyes to suddenly narrow. "Umm… Toshiro… usually you care a lot more about your reputation, don't you?"

"Ahh…" Toshiro almost glanced up, but his eyes remained fixed on Ichimaru, and he pressed up against Ichgio. "Pedophile…"

"And that would be why he has a picture of you and Matsumoto in that locket of his," came the dry words.

"Ehh… when I gave him that locket, it only had Matsumoto's picture in it," Toshiro began to wiggle uncomfortably, his eyes still on the man. Suddenly, a fist pounded him on the head.

"Why would you do something like that!" Ichigo snapped, having expected the small captain to be a lot smarter than that.

"Because… it was to make him think before he ran off again," the boy muttered.

"If he is a pedophile, why do you care?" If it weren't for that one accusation, Ichigo would have found the situation hysterical.

"I did it because Matsumoto's gloomy! And I didn't really figure him to be one, until he asked me why there wasn't a picture of myself in there! The only logical explanation is…" Toshiro suddenly froze, as one pale teal eye sprung open.

"So, chibi-taicho is actually awake finally…" Gin stated, causing two eyes of a more vivid teal color to glare back at him. "And I am not a pedophile… your logic as to why I am one, is flawed…"

Both of the young males watched as Gin began to lean on his arm, watching the small boy carefully, keeping his usual grin, though in truth, he happened to look a bit tiered. Ichgio shivered at how much the two of them looked alike. "So then, are you willing to tell me why it is flawed?"

"Are you willing to let me talk to you privately, or does the child prodigy of the tenth division happen to have a fear of me?" Gin stated, glancing away. His emotions were completely cold. Something kept running through his head though. "My Christmas wish, is to find my parents that don't even exist anymore." This caused him to blink a couple of times.

"Is something the matter?" Ichigo asked Gin, as he placed a hand on Toshiro's shoulder protectively. However, the white haired youth shrugged it off, and moved to sit by himself. He couldn't physically look up.

"Why would I be willing to talk to you privately. I don't know if I really can trust you," Toshiro murmured. "I even have to wonder, how is it that Urahara, Ichigo and Isshin-san taicho both trust you."

"Oh… I don't… it's the old men who do… which I found odd. They let Ichimaru go into your inner world," came the reply, completely unheld back.

"Kurosaki…" Toshiro's face suddenly paled, as he sat there, staring at Ichimaru Gin. "That… he…"

"Yes, I went into your inner world," Gin closed one of his eyes, and placed his arms behind his back. "Why do you think I was the only thing there agreeing with you that it was a dream?"

"Because you're always that contrary!" Toshiro suddenly yelled. "No one ever can tell what thing you're going to do next! No one knows, whether to believe what you say or not!"

"True… but I had a reason for making it so that people saw me that way," Gin smirked, switching the eyes. "You're funny Shiro-chan… worrying about something like that."

"I still can't believe that you were in my head," the small white haired boy stated, glaring at the man, his voice filled with disgust. "I mean, come on…"

"Come on… huh… ehh, think carefully about what happened while I was in there," Gin stated firmly.

Two teal eyes turned to the man, remembering the facts that had unfolded in his mind, no matter how chaotic they were. His eyes suddenly went wide, and he found himself stammering out. "You won't go and tell…"

"Go and tell… you mean, about like the fact that you had Matsumoto beating me up, when she showed up in your dream… or… other things?" the man raised an eyebrow at this, causing the small taicho to squirm. "Who's this K…"

"Don't!" Toshiro's face suddenly turned pale, and his two eyes suddenly darted over to the substitute soul reaper, without his face turning towards him. However, Ichigo turned to him, when he had heard the small cry of dismay, not to mention, the fact that it sounded like Toshiro didn't want for the whole thing to be blabbed out, whatever Gin was going to say. The small taicho's body… it could be seen that he had suddenly tensed up.

"Names that start with that sound," Ichigo stated firmly.

"Your last name," the silver haired man smirked. "And…"

"Don't you dare!" Toshiro suddenly growled, his body tensing in a different manner. Teal orbs happened to have a panicked gleam to them, as they stared at the older shingami. Well, ex-shingami.

"Don't I dare what…" Gin stated firmly, narrowing his eyes.

"Kurosaki…" Ichigo blinked a few times. "Ne… it wouldn't happen to be my little sister Karin, would it?" A gagging sound was suddenly heard from Toshiro, as his mouth twitched. The sound actually caused Ichigo to look at him again. "Sorry…. I'll try for a different name…"

"Please don't bother…" Toshiro chocked out. "He is a person who likes to poke and prod at people, and make them squirm, and completely uncomfortable."

"All right… all right… I'll stop prying," Ichigo stated, suddenly turning to look at Ichimaru Gin, who was staring at Toshiro very carefully, a rather un-amused look on his face. He passed it off as the man not being pleased that Toshiro was playing along with his games, not realizing the look had appeared as soon as he had said that Karin was his sister.

"I need to get back, before Matsumoto throws a fit," the small taicho stated, suddenly standing up, only to find himself wobbling on his feet, then suddenly falling forward a bit. The one to catch him wasn't the substitute soul reaper, but a quick acting Gin. "Please… let go…"

"Gomen… Shiro-chan, but you really should get something to eat, shouldn't you?" the man stated. "Your rietsu got trashed good time, and you need to replenish it, don't you?" the man stated, suddenly running a hand through Toshiro's hair, only to have it irritably swiped away.

"Don't do that!" the white haired youth snapped. "I don't like it when Matsumoto does it either… or when anyone does it."

"What about your granny?" the man chuckled, a smile widening, if that was at all possible on his face.

"Granny doesn't count because granny is granny," the boy muttered, then found his eyes narrowing. "I haven't seen her since Kuchiki Taicho's sister was supposed to be executed…"

"Good grief Shiro-chan, that's been about six months roughly," the man shook his head, seemingly to pretend his dismay. "There is no way that they would let you go back to Soul Society until you recover some. I mean, it isn't as if you can't recover here, as well as you can there. That, and you have no serious injuries."

"Just these places that the ivy bit…" Toshiro pulled back his sleeve and suddenly paled. Wherever the ivy thorns had penetrated his clothing, there wasn't just a small open wound. A rash had spread out from it. "Please tell me… this isn't a form of poison ivy."

"Yes and no…" came the peppermint hat man's voice. "The poison's only effect is to cause that trouble with your dream world. What you are currently experiencing, is called a mild allergic reaction to the ivy." He walked over, and showed a place that was a little different. "This is a spot where a whole strand of the ivy touched your skin."

"Why me…" the boy muttered. "And why doesn't it itch?"

"Since you are actually coming awake, that means the other effect of the poison on the ivy will take effect. Not only will you feel the rash, but also… you'll feel every single one of those painful pricks. Hadn't noticed before?" the man's tone was dark.

"Why didn't you use healing kido…" Toshiro winced, not wanting for this to happen to him.

"Kiddo… healing kido can't counteract poisons that happen into the blood system. One has to still have antidotes. It is the same with allergies… one needs medicine to deal with it," the other older man suddenly laughed.

"Ichimaru… your commentary isn't appreciated," the small boy muttered, suddenly moving to be somewhat behind Urahara, his discomfort showing through. "Pe-do-file…"

"Oi! Stop that! It is starting to become overly annoying!" came the snapping reply. Gin shook his head. "Look… we really need to talk about some things. You need some medicine for that allergy, I need to find a Christmas present for Ran…"

"First, with what money, second… there is no present that you could give her that could mollify her," Toshiro stated.

"So, you don't think I would be smart enough to have something saved away in the living world? I have my own place," Gin stated.

"Isn't that against the rules?" Toshiro narrowed his eyes.

"I used it when I happened to come to the living world in the area, since this was one of the major places I happened to come to when I did come. I wasn't going to mooch off someone," the man stated firmly. "That is something Rangiku does…"

"Ehh… Orihime's place…" Toshiro felt his face twitch, a few things possibly running through his mind.

"Oh… and if you come help me, maybe I can find something to make her happy? Hmm? She told you her Christmas wish, didn't she?" the man folded his arms.

"As if I am going to simply tell you…" the boy muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"I don't think it is a bad idea that Gin takes you. Whether or not you like it, I don't think people would look favorably on a kid buying any sort of medicine," Urahara stated.

"I could go with Toshiro," Ichigo stated.

"And the two of you would be mistaken for some miscreants from a gang… this works better, as I am busy," the man smiled, suddenly turning to leave. "Oh… and Kurosaki… don't you think your family is looking for you?"

Author's note – It's been over a month since I've updated this one. I unfortunately got sick for a good portion of February, with a nasty cold, and had to play catch up with school. Oh well, hopefully I can start updating more frequently again. Anyways, for someone who is wondering why Urahara doesn't just whip something up, there is a reason for it… :)