This is Week 1: Challenge 1 ~ part 4. Use each trait from the poem Monday's Child to write a one-shot.

Summary: The new taicho... who were once old taicho... find out how much of a child Toshiro still is. (Rating T)

Thursday's Child
~Thursday's child has far to go~

Shinji took a deep breath as he placed his hands in his pockets and headed through the gate back to Soul Society with Kensei, Rojuro and Mashiro. The fact the others didn't want to return honestly bothered him, but arguing with Hiyori about whether they should go or stay honestly was going nowhere at all. He stepped through the gate into their old home, only to find himself bumping into someone.

Looking down, he saw that he had knocked the small taicho of the tenth division onto his bottom. Shinji watched as the bright teal eyes went wide and the boy's mouth dropped open. Shinji continued to frown at the boy, raising an eyebrow as he did so. Kensei though let out an irritated sound. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Greeting the... there are only four of you. I though there would be eight." Toshiro raised a finger as he counted the four of them again.

Rojuro shook his head. "We were given the option of coming home or staying home. The others had their reasons for staying."

"The..." Toshiro's mouth snapped shut as he looked up at Shinji.

Mashiro bent down to look the boy in the face. "Is this some new kind of cosplay?"

"What is... cosplay?" The boy blinked a couple of times before shaking his head. He stood up and brushed off his clothing, turning after this to look Shinji straight in the face. "Are you the leader?"

"Him?" Kensei hiked a finger at them. "Why are you talking about us as if we're some rouge group."

"No... I meant..." The bright teal eyes blinked a couple of times. "Head of the family?"

"You see us as a family?" A smile spread across Mashiro's face before she hugged the small taicho tightly. "So cute!"

"Um... yeah... well, isn't that how it works in the Rukongai... you form family units not based on blood ties?"

"Don't you have anything against us?" Shinji shook his head at the boy.

"No..." The boy paused. "Which one of you is likely going to take over the fifth division?"

"I'll likely am going to take over. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I don't have a problem with any of you taking over the captains positions. You're never seemed like an enemy. No... actually, the person whose likely to have a problem is the current fukutaicho. She's..." Toshiro paused, the corners of his mouth twisting down. "That's beside the point! I came here to greet you!"

"And why isn't the head taicho here?" Kensei folded his arms across his chest.

"I told him I can handle it."

Rojuro's mouth dropped open. "Should we be taking that as an insult?"

The boy's cheeks puffed out. "I would like to know what you're implying here."

Mashiro placed a finger to her mouth. "I don't get... oh! It's insulting because you're a little kid."

"I am not a little kid!"

Shinji pointed a finger at the boy's chest. "Let's say the head taicho didn't let you take this on yourself, would you assume that he was treating you like a kid?"

"Of course!" The words came out of his mouth with great earnest. The boy's eyes widened again once he realized what he had said as well as his cheeks reddening. "I mean..."

"Ah... looks like the old man wasn't trying to insult us Rose. He's trying to stop the kid from throwing a tantrum."

"I told you. I'm not a little kid. Anyways, Ukitake and Kyoraku both backed me up when I requested and said I was a good choice, so it isn't a matter pacifying me. I also know that they would have been better candidates as would anyone else who knew you guys from way back then. It's just..." Toshiro paused. "For some reason certain people don't like you guys."

Kensei let out a deep sigh. "Look, that shouldn't be surprising really. We were exiled over a hundred years ago."

"But you guys aren't bad guys. I don't get bad vibes from you like I did Aizen or Tosen."

Mashiro let out a laugh. "You didn't mention Gin-chan?"

Toshiro tilted his head away. "Ichimaru... I never got negative vibes from him."

Shinji stopped short and turned to look at the boy, only to have Toshiro crash into his back. "Say what?"

Two bright teal eyes blinked as the small taicho backed away holding his nose. Upon taking a deep breath the child taicho waved his hands. "I don't mean that he... I mean..."

The short blond turned and looked at the boy, watching as the corner of the child's mouth twitched. "Just spit it out. You are a taicho aren't you?"

"I know full well that Ichimaru made a lot of people feel uncomfortable, but I never felt that way around him."

"So in other words you're one of the few people he couldn't hide his true self from."

"Ah... no. That would be..." Toshiro snapped his mouth shut.

"Shinji..." Kensei glowered at the small taicho. "Something bothering you."

"Not especially." The man continued to walk along. "Be glad that you're one of the few people who got to know the kid before he died."

"Ichimaru isn't dead."

The one with the short blond hair turned to the boy. "Say what?"

"There was no funeral. Plus... wait... you said one of the few people who got to know him... you knew Ichimaru when he was younger?"

"Oi... exactly what kind of negative influence did Ichimaru have on you?"

"None... I don't want to end up like him." Toshiro tilted his head again. "Again... did you..."

"Yes... he used to be my third seat when he was a kid."

"So... Ichimaru also used to be his taicho's third seat." The boy continued to follow them.

"Look, I don't want to talk about him."

"Yes... if you knew him, did you also know Matsumoto when she was younger? She would have graduated the same year as Ichimaru as she was classmates with him."

Shinji paused, turning to look at the boy. "Gin and Ran-chan weren't classmates?"

"Then how come they know each other?"

"What other way would they know each other?"

"Friends?"

Shinji paused, frowning at the boy. "Kiddo... do you know how babies are made."

"Unohana taicho makes them in the forth division." This caused the three older males to burst out laughing.

Mashiro blinked a couple of times. "What is so funny?"

"I... did I say something wrong."

Kensei covered his mouth. "The way babies are made... and your statement... I can't imagine Unohana doing that of all things."

"What? Making babies is just making babies, right?"

Rojuro placed a hand to his mouth. "Shinji... should we tell him how babies are made?"

"I know!" Mashiro raised her hand. "Babies are created by having sex. So by him saying that Unohana is making babies he just said that she is having lots of sex."

"Um..."

"Can you imagine her..." Kensei continued to laugh.

Toshiro spoke up, his cheeks quite red. "Actually. I can. I suggest not saying that her libido is off in front of her. Or telling her that she can't wear a revealing bathing suit for that matter."

The three males suddenly paled while Mashiro bounced forward. 'She wore a revealing bathing suit? What did it look like?"

"Um... ah. It was completely backless."

"So wait... how did you end up seeing her in a bathing suit?" The words came choking out of the mans mouth.

"I've actually seen the entire woman's society in their bathing suit. What's the big deal with that."

Shinji let out a deep sigh as the other twos jaws dropped. "Keep in mind this is the kid who up until a few minutes ago thought babies were made by means other then sex. They don't see him as a threat."

"Kurosaki and some other guys were there as well."

"Kurosaki is oblivious as well." Mashiro added in.

"Abarai isn't."

The three males pulled back. Rojuro shook his head. "How did the kid ever become captain?"

"Well, he isn't stupid. He's just..."

"Innocently naive about things." Shinji stated. "Hey... what were you telling me about my possible fukutaicho?"

"Hinamori? She's a major pain to work with. She refuses to call me by my title, let alone my last name. It's always Shiro-chan."

"Wait... this wouldn't happen to be the girl you stabbed and then went ballistic on?" Shinji shook his head at the boy.

"Yes..."

"What exactly is your relationship with her?" Kensei frowned, folding his arms across his chest.

"We grew up together raised by granny."

"Ah, well... if she's such a pain maybe I won't keep her as my fukutaicho."

"Don't care so long as you don't send her to my division." Toshiro turned to look at the man, only for the heel of his foot to hit something, causing him to fall over again.