Christmas Nightmare
~Christmas Shopping (Part One)~
Two teal eyes watched as a few snowflakes began to fall outside the bus window. The tense body they belonged to had unconsciously leaned up against the one thing on the crowded bus that was at all familiar. The mind of one Hitsugaya Toshiro was contemplating ways to harm certain individuals. Something told him that Urahara had purposely connived the trip, using tools at hand.
Was there really truly anything he needed to talk to the man who betrayed Matsumoto about? That would in fact be the other person he was irritated, and he was aroused from his thoughts as the man placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump away. "Shiro-chan, we're here."
Startled from his thoughts, the young man glanced up from the floor, then followed the silver haired man off the bus. He pushed his hands into his pockets. "Why did we have to come to Tokyo, when he could have done this just as easily in Karakura Town?"
"That would be because this way, I can guarantee our conversation is private." There was nothing sinister in Gin's tone, however, with this particular person, this meant nothing. He easily slipped into another subject, trying to change the subject. "Plus, the bus ride was fun, wasn't it?"
"Perhaps fun for you," the small boy's irritation was evident. He reached up to suddenly scratch, only to have a bony hand grab it. "And why does our conversation need to be secret? It makes it sound like you are plotting something… again…"
"I guess that would sound like I'm plotting something evil, and while I have to say I am plotting something, I also have to say, it isn't anything that is evil and world domination orientated." The man laughed as two white eyebrows rose up, as if the whole thing was a no brainer, and that he doubted the second part that had poured out of Gin's mouth. The man's smile only grew. "The conversation we're having is private, so only those you want to find out, do so. Does that make any sense?"
"In some ways yes, and in some ways no," Toshiro resisted the temptation to pull his hand out again to scratch the itch. His entire body ached and itched, but at least he so far didn't have another headache. "I can't imagine anything other than some evil plan that I might want to keep secret. You are the kind of person, who would try and intimidate people, to keep quite."
"Are you actual scared of me like that?" the tone and look almost seemed like Ichimaru had his feelings hurt by what the small boy had said. "However, considering who it was he was speaking about too, Toshiro choose to keep quiet, and not even bother to apologize or find out if this was the case. He simply followed the man, wherever they were going.
Gin came to the front door of what amounted to a small, family owned drug store, or so it seemed, and then went in. Toshiro quickly followed, and grimaced at the smell. It wasn't that the place was unclean, but that it was too clean. He watched carefully, as Ichimaru walked up to the counter. "What would you recommend for a minor allergic reaction that results in a rash?"
"Getting a prescription from a doctor," the man uttered, rather annoyed. "Go away. I don't need any sick jokes.
"It isn't for me," Gin hiked his thumb Toshiro's way, as the boy held his hands dejectedly in his pockets. "It's rather mild, and I'd rather not take him to see a doctor."
"You should take him to see a pediatrician," the man grumbled.
"Excuse me?" two teal eyes suddenly looked said person straight in the face, the small boy's voice cracking, rather irritated with the comment.
"A doctor should be able to tell you what caused it, the man glared, causing the small taicho's head to drop to the ground, and for him to fidget.
"We all ready know what he's allergic to," Ichimaru's mood began to turn dark. "Problem is, there are so many types, and…"
The man quickly muttered a brand name, and direction to look in. Gin took off, leaving Toshiro to glare at a display. The former taicho came back, and paid for the items. As they left, the glaring preteen turned to try an look in the bad. "How much did you buy?"
"Three tubes," Gin stated, handing the small taicho the plastic bag, which he placed over his arm.
"Isn't that too much?" Toshiro wrinkled his nose up, having a dislike for anything that could possibly relate to fourth division.
"Better safe, then sorry. It's all over your body, different spots," Gin stated, handing the bag to the white haired youth. "I don't know how much or how long you'll need to use it."
"Isn't it a onetime thing," Toshiro stated, only to have Gin open one eye and raise an eyebrow at him. This shut him up for a short period of time. He followed Gin around, until they came to a nicer shopping area.
The entire place was decorated much like Matsumoto liked to do to the office this time of year, yet this year, she really hadn't felt up to doing. There were also quite a few people bustling about. "Stay close to me, chibi-taicho, we don't want to get separated, do we?"
Two teal eyes narrowed at this, but refused to comment on what the man had said. He did in fact, stay close, window shopping with Ichimaru, much to his irritation. They had neared a small park, when he finally choose to speak up, as Ichimaru looked in a store window.
"You know the only thing that will fix things between you and Matsumoto, is to find some way to make up for the rift you caused," Hitsugaya saw his breath vaporize in front of his mouth.
"Who says the reason I'm getting her a Christmas gift, is because I am trying to fix things with her," Gin's bony fingers suddenly reached down to play a bit in the head of white hair, much to the boy's annoyance, who was still staring out the window. "I get her one every year. It's been tradition for some time. That's part of what the holiday is about."
"So says the person who missed her birthday this year," the boy grumbled, causing the hand to suddenly pull away, tense. "She's going to toss any gift you do give her, until you do fix your mess you've caused, and I don't see that happening."
"And why would that be?" Gin stated, folding his arms across his chest.
"Your going with Aizen caused a rift between you two," the small taicho stated, a bit of anger appearing on his face. "Everyone knows that, right?"
Aizen isn't what caused the rift. That started further back, then this whole betrayal of soul society thing. It's more of the thing that clenched it. I also don't exactly… how to put it, I know it needs to be on Rangiku's terms, if anything happens."
"I guess then, it's one of those things, it's none of my business, so I'm better off being polite, not asking. You still haven't explained what is so important, in order to drag me out here." The fact that Gin had said that there were things that they needed to talk about, hadn't escaped him.
"Actually, Shiro-chan, you could very well say that you are the rift between you and her, the man stated.
At this, Toshiro's own body suddenly tensed. His eyes grew wide, his mouth twisting into a half smirk, half grimace, as he wasn't sure what to think about the situation. "How immature. I know I'm a child prodigy, but personally, I don't think you should have seen me as a replacement for her."
"Hit…su…ga…ya…" Gin suddenly turned to him, his eyes suddenly wide, and looking straight at the small boy, a hint of mirth in him, and his smile changing shape a bit.
"What? I think it is a stupid reason for a friendship to go sour," the boy stated, a scowl appearing on his face. "Especially since I'm not worth it."
Ichimaru let out a sigh, then grabbed the small taicho's sleeve, slapping away the boy's hand, as he tried to scratch again. He shoved the small boy into a small bench at the park. "Sit here. Stay until I get back."
This behavior caused Hitsugaya suddenly to scowl at the ground, frustration written all over his face. He wanted to get back, as the itching was getting irritating, and he was tiered. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
"Toshiro?" This caused him to glance up, in time to see Gin holding a crepe and a cup of hot cocoa in each hand. He handed one handful to Toshiro, who had to use both hands. "It's been awhile since you've eaten something."
"Quit avoiding the subject Ichimaru." The glare suddenly drifted to the crepe.
"Well… you guessed wrong again. I've never been jealous of you," the silver haired man stated, his eyes remaining open for once.
Of course, Toshiro's face suddenly twisted up, as he looked at the man. "You mean… Matsumoto figured out you are a pedophile too?"
"Oi…" Gin turned his head towards the small boy. "How many times have I told you to quit calling me that? I am not one, and saying something like that in public could cause problems."
"Your behavior's weird," the small boy turned his glared at him. "You put my picture in that locket. You are being rather nice, getting me things. You are a pedophile."
"And you are annoying," Gin muttered, shaking his head. "Seriously, stop calling me that. Eat your food."
A rather miffed Toshiro took a bite of his crepe. "You are one to talk, considering you love to annoy people."
"Karma… big time…" came the groan. Out of the corner of this eye, Toshiro watched as the man glanced up at the sky. "There are only a few flakes every now and then."
"That's a good thing, otherwise we'd be freezing our butts off, and we'd have to find somewhere else to talk," Toshiro took another bite. "Could we get to the point of why you need to talk to me?"
"Do you remember what I said to you, when you gave me that locket with Ran-chan's picture in it?" the man suddenly stated, folding his legs and relaxing.
"You flat out told me, there were things I was not ready to hear, for your own reasons," the boy stated.
"I changed my mind, for two reasons that came up while you were unconscious, and I entered your inner world," Gin's smirk suddenly turned into a grimace. "Three, if you count the fact that I would really like for you to stop calling me that word."
"So… the reasons are," Toshiro took another bite, rather bored with the conversation.
"the first is, when I told you I didn't think you were ready, it was partially because I didn't think you would understand. I hadn't realized though, how much you had grown, and that you had matured in some ways, since I was gone, and also after Aizen was defeated."
"Yet I get the feeling you don't think I'm quite old enough to understand still."
"No… I don't. You also probably wonder what right I have to make such a decision, but that's beside the point. For one thing, I might keep using it as an excuse, no matter how old you grow. Plus, the second thing made the decision for me."
"And what would that be?"
"Your Christmas wish," Gin's sudden statement caused Toshiro to stop eating, and suddenly store at the man.
"My… I don't have a Christmas wish…" his head shook in disbelief.
"Then what do you call, that little ranting spiel you gave scary Santa Clause," two pale teal eyes watched as the child glanced at the ground.
"There is no way such a wish could ever come true," Toshiro was half way through his own crepe, while Gin had only taken a few bites. "I also don't see how that could be a deciding factor. But then, with you, who knows."
"I wonder… is this something you've wished for, not just around Christmas time, but around times like this? Times that the idea of family ends up playing a role in what goes on?" The decorations were filled with many red and green all around, honed with metallic golds.
"Does it really matter what I want, Ichimaru? It never has." Gin tilted his head, listening to the sad tone in the man's voice.
"If something like that showed up in your dream world, messed up inner world, whatever you want to call it, it means it is likely important to you, bothering you, eating away and worrying you." Gin placed a hand on his shoulder, and then stopped Toshiro's hand began to scratch, and then went back to his shoulder.
Toshiro however, pushed the hand off. "Look… you don't have a reason to be worrying about my welfare."
"Actually, kiddo… I do?"
"That would be what? Because you wish to use me to get on Rangiku's good side," air blew through her nostrils. "Because, you did say, I'm the reason the rift between you formed. No way am I going to let that happen… you using me."
"I doubt that I could use you to get on her good side. I might also just make things worse," Gin let out a deep sigh.
"By what? Making her mad because you're trying to use me? Of course she wouldn't be happy with that." Toshiro was irritated.
"I know that, and I am not going to try and get on your good side, so quit with the reasoning. That in truth would be wrong of me. Out of you and Matsumoto, I hurt you the most."
A sudden chuckle came from the preteen's throat. "That's laughable Gin. I don't remember you doing such a thing."
"You were too young to remember. It is as simple as that," Gin ran a hand through his hair.
"How, the first time I met you was when I was in the academy," a white head of hair shock in disbelief.
"That… wasn't the first place we met," Gin tensed up, his voice straining.
"Not the… when was the first time we met? I mean…" Toshiro's two teal eyes suddenly went wide, as he was half way to taking another bite.
"I was there, Toshiro, when you first opened your eyes, and took a look at the world around you," Gin stated, suddenly causing Toshiro to pause, quite surprised.
