This is Week 5: Challege 1 ~ part 1: I'm working with each flower for each Gotei Thirteen division as well as the meaning.

Summary: The truth caused him to run.
Notes:I'm finally on the latest challenge, but I'm probably going to have to catch up again as this weeks challenge consists of thirteen parts.

Chrysanthemum
~Truth and Innocence~

Toshiro listened as the water dripped down the cave wall into the pools he couldn't see. The child taicho huddled off to the side, his zampaktuo folded across his arms. The boy was a nervous wreck, having run for two days straight from the Gotei Thirteen. He didn't want to think about the fact he once considered himself one of them and now he found himself trying to get away from his companions. Fear caused his body to shake and his mind to go numb, not to mention lack of sleep did not help.

The child buried his face into his arms, his forehead resting against his hilt. Rangiku was probably worried sick and the division was likely locked up again under threat that they would be disbanded. It wasn't as if his division cared though about him as they had always seen in his opinion a usurper to what had always been under the Shiba clan's control. All he had wanted to do was keep something precious to Isshin and Kaien going and now that would be gone.

He should have just let someone else take the captain's position. Instead he had been stubborn about change and was going to cause a drastic change for said division. His head nodded off and he found himself drifting off to sleep despite the pain he felt racking his entire body due to running two days straight, as well as the various injuries he had sustained.

He found himself walking through the twelfth division, the memory that had caused him to run coming back fully. He couldn't wake up from the dream though and simply had to relive the painful memory. Of course, said memory only meant that Rangiku would be even more worried sick about him as she would have even more cause to worry. That in itself caused him to run perhaps.

He was delivering something to the captain, only to find the man working away at one of his experiments. The boy peeked over out of curiosity at the computer, only to have Mayuri glare at him and suddenly reach out and yank out a hair, causing the boy to yelp. It was that nasty, horrible colored hair that caused him problems all his life that caused him problems yet again.

The man plugged it into his device and spoke rather candidly as if he thought Toshiro would have any interest in his experiment. That, or the man simply wanted to brag. "The living world has something that compares DNA. I combines that technology with a technology that compares rieatsu, which should in turn make it easier to find matches. That's what occurred when I tried the Omaeda family out."

"So? Why should this concern me?"

"An orphan of the Rukongai who doesn't know who his parents are, but who happens to have curiously high reiatsu level isn't at all curious as to who his parents are?"

"Simple. I died and came to Soul Society. Why should I wonder who my parents are?"

"Well, I've got lots of samples that I required off the forth division."

"Unohana's not going to like that."

"I don't care what Unohana thinks about this!"

"You will once she finds out." Toshiro rolled his eyes into the back of his head.

"Shut up." The man continued to click the computer keyboards. "This is the result for you."

"As if you could have come up with any results. I told you, I died and came to Soul Society."

"Not according to my computer you didn't." Toshiro flinched, his throat tightening. His eyes looked up at the screen to see pictures of both Ichimaru Gin and Matsumoto Rangiku."This result is rather interesting I must say. I wonder what forty-six will do if they find out you're the child of that traitor. Actually, what will the other captain's do? Death I think."

It was then that Toshiro decided to run and it was then that Toshiro woke up. A bright light caused him to stir from his sleep. His haze filled eyes caught on to the fact some sort of light was spreading across the place. He also heard the sound of flames instantaneously lighting. A sudden lurching fear came over him and he felt his body moving as Yamamotto of all people came into focus.

This ended badly, himself having forgotten that he had injured his foot. That was the reason he had retreated into the cave and had hidden himself her. He could feel the sobs trying to rack his body, but held them back. He couldn't hold back though the gut wrenching vomiting as his empty stomach decided to be unkind to him. The taste on his tongue then was vile.

Arms reached out from behind him to scoop close into a bosom larger then Rangiku's. Soft hands that were also calloused where a sword was held touched his cheeks. "The boy isn't doing well."

He could then hear Yamamotto let out a sigh. "Why did you run off like that?"

Toshiro could feel his body shake. Without realizing it he blurted out words without any form of control. "I don't want to die."

"Sweet heart, we aren't going to kill you. Is that what Kurotsuchi Taicho said to you that made you take off like you did? We won't hold that man's crimes against you. You're a child."

Sobs suddenly wracked Toshiro's body. "I don't want to be like him. I want her to remember me. I didn't want to know."

He then found himself pulled close into Unohana's arms, the woman comforting him with her embrace as she did so. "We will have to have a major discussion with Mayuri when we get back about delving into private matters. Though I imagine that he'll say that its too late to undo what he did and that Hitsugaya Taicho would need to know eventually."

"As if that excuses his behavior." Yamamotto cursed before calling out to his fukutaicho. "Send word to everyone else that we've managed to find Hitsugaya Taicho safe and sound." The man paused. "How long do you think he'll need to rest up before he mentally recovers Unohana?"

"I don't know. It may take a very, very long time."

"As much time is needed." The boy then drifted off to sleep.

He awoke to see Ukitake and Kyoraku near him, Matsumoto asleep next to him. He looked at her, a frown crossing his face as his hand reached out to touch her hair. Ukitake was the one to speak then. "We have told her. The only ones we told when we found out were the head taicho and Unohana."

Toshiro's hand pulled back then, his face burying into the pillow. Kyoraku spoke then, coming over to rub the boy's shoulders. "It's not as if we don't plan on telling her. We wanted to know what you wanted to do though. If Mayuri had his way more then just those who know will know."

"Forty-six?"

"Apparently they've known all this time. So has Unohana and Yamamotto. They're not able to speak more on the matter, but we can honestly say that forty-six won't touch you. Apparently they're as furious as Mayuri about this situation." Ukitake placed a sack of candy next to the bed.

"That isn't like them."

"No." Kyoraku watched as Rangiku stirred. "Shall we tell her."

"Not yet. I..." Toshiro's mouth snapped shut as Rangiku looked up, before glomping him tightly.

"Don't ever do that to me again. Gin and taicho always ran off. It worries me so much."

Toshiro's arms wrapped around her small waist. "About Ichimaru?"

"What of it?"

"The two of you... you weren't just classmates, were you?"

"Taicho... Gin and I were never classmates. He graduated before I entered the acadamy."

"Did the two of you ever..."

A finger suddenly was placed on his mouth. Rangiku looked at him sternly. "Now see here. He and I doing it is not something you should be asking about at your age."

"No. I was going to ask if you know you had any kids with him?" Toshiro heard a chuckle come from the eighth division taicho. "What is so funny?"

"Shiro-chan... in order to have kids you have to do it." The man watched as the boy's face suddenly turned red in the face.

Rangiku clapped a hand over her mouth. "Taicho... I'm sorry. I didn't realize you weren't referring to that. As for us having kids..."

There was a sudden sad look on her face. The boy tugged on her clothing. "Matsumoto, is something the matter?"

"I don't remember, but Unohana says I likely did have kids. A female's body when they have children shows signs. I didn't tell Gin though because the child may not have been his. Could have been... well, I likely don't remember my past for a good reason. Still. A child is a child."

Ukitake coughed then, causing Toshiro to look at him and then nod his head. "There is something we need to tell you Rangiku. About what Mayuri did to cause Hitsugaya Taicho to run off like he did."

The woman pulled the boy closer, listening to the two captain's speak to her. Toshiro snuggled closer, something that at first surprised her. However, the revelation quickly caused her to understand. "I don't know what punishment they're dealing out for him, I'm going to make sure his life is a living hell for the next few days, weeks, months. Until my ire dies out."