Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.
Toushiro pondered Kisuke's charge. He would be trained to use his energy. Not only would this improve his abilities but it would also keep them safe on the journey home. Besides, Toushiro will need something to do while waiting for Karin to finish the treatment. Now that he thinks about it, he will have to go to the academy in Sereitei and he promised to get thru in one year. If he is trained now, then it would be that much easier to graduate by the one year deadline.
"Okay Kisuke, I accept your offer." Toushiro's answer nearly split Kisuke's face in two with how large his smile became.
"That's perfect. Now Jinta will take you to Kukaku and when you get back you can finish eating."
"But, I'm not hungry," too bad his stomach disagreed, again.
'Shut up stomach.' Toushiro growled in his mind.
"I know, I know, but you will need to eat until you feel full." Kisuke waved the question away with his fan before Toushiro could speak. "I will explain everything once you get back. Now go," Kisuke herded the two boys out the door. Before he returned to the house, Kisuke gave Jinta a large pouch of money.
"Okay, let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back." Jinta stated, pulling Toushiro away from the house before he could argue.
"You don't have to drag me." Toushiro grumbled pulling his arm free of Jinta.
"Just making sure, especially after we had to nearly force feed you back there," Toushiro prepared to object but Jinta cut him off. "And, don't try to say you aren't hungry. In case you didn't notice, Kisuke Urahara can read a person like a book. So, if you don't want to waste your time while you stay, I suggest you stop arguing with him."
"He does appear to be perceptive," Toushiro glanced to his palm and the red marks from the kido spells. Toushiro didn't know he had these marks. 'Did those kido spells really make these marks on my hand?'
"So where are you two from?" Jinta asked, interrupting Toushiro's thoughts.
"We're from Karakura."
"Hmm, what division is it under?" Toushiro stared blankly at Jinta.
"What do you mean divisions?"
"Wow, you must be really isolated." Jinta blinked, surprised that any person did not know about basic geography.
"Karakura is set in a valley surrounded by forests and a string of mountains, so we don't get too many outsiders." Toushiro answered.
"Hmm, no wonder you don't know anything." Toushiro glared at Jinta for his comment, but it was soon forgotten. They turned to the main road and the numbers of shops, homes, pubs, and stables all amazed him. Toushiro knew that most villages are bigger than Karakura, but that still did not prepare him for the sheer size of this kingdom.
'Wow, this city could swallow Karakura five times over.' Toushiro thought as he watched the hundreds of people darting in and out of the surrounding stores and cabins.
"Just follow me and try not to get lost." Jinta stated as he stepped into the traffic.
Toushiro had to dodge a two horse buggy as it trotted down the lane. Turning around Toushiro could not help but watch the small vehicle. Toushiro followed the buggy with his eyes and noted it headed toward a castle, possibly a mile away. Since Toushiro was focused on the buggy, he didn't notice an apple salesman pushing his cart until he slammed into him.
"HEY! Watch where you're going!" A burly man twice his size yelled down to Toushiro. He looked at the cart and spotted a few apples rolling into the street.
"I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention." Toushiro apologized running to the fallen apples to help the man collect his product. The man stood and blinked as Toushiro carried the fallen apples back to the salesman.
"I think this is all that fell from your cart. I hope none of your produce is damaged." Toushiro handed the apples to the man. The man looked them over before he carefully stacked them on the cart. The man then looked back to Toushiro with a bit of confusion.
"You're not from around here are you?" The man asked. Toushiro shook his head in the negative.
"No sir I'm not." Toushiro answered turning around to find Jinta but paused. During his confrontation with the apple salesman, Jinta had disappeared in the crowd and Toushiro did not see any clue as to where he had gone.
'Great,' Toushiro grumbled and rubbed his hand to his forehead.
"Something wrong?" The apple salesman asked noting Toushiro's slight distress.
"I lost the person that I was following and now I haven't a clue as to where to go." Toushiro answered looking up and down the street hoping for any glimpse of Jinta.
"Where are you headed?" The apple salesman asked.
"I was looking for Kukaku Shiba's home to send a letter to my hometown." Toushiro answered turning back to the salesman.
"I know where she lives. I can show you there."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm headed in that direction anyway. The baker lives across from her and he wants to make some apple pies. He's my best customer. Just follow me," the salesman pulled the cart up and started walking down the street. Toushiro followed him quietly.
. . . . . . . . .
Jinta was walking down the street with his arms folded behind his head. He looked around thinking that Toushiro had become very quiet in the last couple of minutes.
"So what do you think of Rukongai?" Jinta asked turning his head to look behind him. He jumped around in surprise that Toushiro wasn't following him.
"TOUSHIRO!" Jinta called out then growled in annoyance. "I told that kid not to get lost, and what does he do? He gets lost." Jinta growled folding his arms across his chest.
"Next time he needs to go out, Ururu is taking him." Jinta grumbled and stomped back the way he came. Maybe he would find Toushiro, or maybe he was wasting his time. All the while he looked for him, Jinta was grumbling under his breath about babysitting.
. . . . . . . . .
"So what's your name?" The man asked Toushiro.
"My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya," he answered with a slight bow as he followed the man.
"My name is Rin, but everybody calls me Ringo." The man answered looking back to Toushiro and his questioning look. "It's my nickname for all the apples that I sell from my orchard." Rin smiled back to Toushrio showing blue eyes under a mop of black hair and a mustache that nearly engulfed his entire lip.
"I see. It's nice to meet you." Toushiro answered and Rin nodded his head.
"Likewise," Rin turned back and took a good look at Toushiro. He was wearing: a simple red shirt and black pants. The dark colors seemed to contrast with his white hair, a strange hair color for such a young boy. But, Rin shrugged this feature of him away and chalked it up to genetics.
"You know, I was surprised when you didn't dash off with any of my apples after you had collected them." Rin admitted glancing over his shoulder at Toushiro's raised eyebrow.
"Why would I do that? I didn't have any money to pay for them." Toushiro answered and blinked at the man's chuckle.
"Well, someone could take you for a street urchin." Rin answered over his shoulder causing Toushiro to scowl in disgust. There were no street urchins in Karakura because it was a small enough village for everyone to take care of each other.
'But, I have a feeling that if I didn't grow up under Rangiku in Karakura then I would have become one of these street urchins.' Toushiro sighed and fell into silence following the man.
"I meant no insult but sadly we have lots of homeless kids running around in Rukongai. They have a tendency to steal food and clothing but they don't really have a choice." Rin heaved a sigh, obviously uneasy with the number of 'street urchins.' "Rukongai is just too big. There's no way anybody can locate all of them much less find good homes and make sure they all get fed. It's a shame but there's not much we can do about it." Rin answered and Toushiro nodded his head in understanding of the situation.
"My hometown, Karakura, is a small village so everyone is able to look out for each other." Toushiro answered very grateful for his upbringing.
"That must be nice. I have to admit that I'd move to a small village if for nothing else but the peace and quiet." Rin answered.
'Karakura would not be the village for you, Rin, we are anything but peaceful or quiet.' Toushiro thought choosing to leave out Karakura's troubles.
"How far away does Kukaku Shiba live?" Toushiro asked going back to the subject at hand.
"Kukaku lives at the gates of Rukongai. We're almost there." Rin stated as they emerged from the busiest part of the city and Toushiro was able to recognize the area around him. He spotted the open gates and saw the forest where Hyourinmaru had dropped them off earlier that morning.
'I wonder if Hyourinmaru can hear me from here if I call for him.' Toushiro thought as he followed Rin.
Toushiro gazed over the cabins and shops lined up to the gates to Rukongai. There was a blacksmith shop that was open and the owner was pounding at some metal. Toushiro heard a horse neigh and looked back to see a young boy leading a black horse out of a stable.
'That stable is huge. At least fifteen horses could be bedded in comfort.' Toushiro shook his head and fell back in step with Rin.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DIDN'T GET IT!" Toushiro jumped in surprise at the voice of one very loud and, apparently, angry female voice coming from the furthest cabin.
"There's Kukaku." Rin smiled as he turned toward a small bakery on the opposite side of the loud woman's cabin.
"I'll let you continue on. I have to go drop these apples off to the baker. Hello Heita," Rin called gaining the attention of the baker, a husky man with black hair and a tall white hat on his head. Toushiro watched the interaction between Rin and Heita before he was jerked back to focus with a crash and some person flying out the door.
"I DON'T CARE IF THAT HAT AND CLOGS SCARES YOU! NOW YOU GO AND GET THAT POWDER BEFORE I -" the odd woman stopped screaming when Toushiro looked up to her. She was a woman wearing bandages on her head to keep her unruly black hair tamed. She was also wearing a red robe that exposed her belly and a white skirt drifting from her sprint out the door. It wasn't her appearance that surprised Toushiro, but a wooden arm attached to the right shoulder through several layers of bandages. The woman scowled at him and with a grunt stormed off of the porch. Toushiro stepped back as she continued to stomp in his direction. He failed to notice the large body sprawled on the dirt just to the left of him.
"WHAT DID I JUST TELL YOU! NOW GET TO URAHARA'S AND GET ME THAT POWDER!" Kukaku yelled making Toushiro's ears hurt from her close proximity.
"But, Kukaku he's too weird," the man whined. Toushiro blinked as he recognized the voice.
'Isn't that . . .'
"Ganju, you are a big, strong man. Now it's time to act like it and run a simple errand!" Kukaku yanked Ganju up by the back of his shirt and held him in front of her the way one would hold up an ill-mannered cat by the scruff of the neck.
"Kisuke is not going to bite. Now are you going to shame the Shiba family name and hide from any man that is the same size as you? Well? Answer!" Kukaku shook Ganju for a moment and he mumbled, or rather whimpered, "no, sister".
"Good, now that we have an understanding. Get going." Kukaku dropped Ganju onto the dirt. However, the sudden loss of support caused him to become off balance and fall down, this time in front of a still, and silent, Toushiro.
"Hey, it's you!" Ganju quickly hopped up and stepped toward Toushiro. "Did your friend get the help she needed?"
"Yes, she did. Thank you for your help." Toushiro answered and looked between the two people, siblings by their appearances.
"Ganju do you know this kid?" Kukaku gruffly asked her brother.
"He came through the gates with a sick girl on his back looking for a doctor. I showed him to Urahara's and left them." Ganju answered over his shoulder before he turned back to Toushiro. Ganju failed to notice Kukaku's face turning a lovely red to match her robe. However, Toushiro saw the rage in the woman and wisely took a step back.
"YOU MEAN YOU WERE THERE AND YOU DIDN'T GET IT!" She screamed and knocked Ganju upside the head, toppling him to the dirt once again. "GANJU SHIBA, I DEMAND YOU GO BACK TO URAHARA'S SHOP AND RETRIEVE THAT POWDER THIS VERY INSTANT!" While Kukaku was screaming at her brother, Toushiro looked troubled.
'Shiba. I wonder if these two are who Kaien spoke of back in Karakura. They certainly look like siblings . . . same dark unruly hair . . . dark eyes . . . and he resembled Ganju in his stature.' Toushiro took a deep breath and swallowed a lump in his throat. When his stomach felt empty before, it was getting very full and churning with the grave news he would need to tell them.
'If these are Kaien's relatives, then I have to tell them.' Toushiro squeezed his eyes shut as he thought of some way to tell the siblings of Kaien's passing. Kukaku glanced at Toushiro and noticed the way he looked disturbed with his eyebrows scrunched up and his eyes squeezed tight. His pale face was further indication that something was deeply troubling the kid.
"GET GOING!" Kukaku kicked Ganju down the street leaving a lovely print on Ganju's rear as he grumbled on his way to Urahara's store.
"Okay, now that the idiot is out of the way. What are you doing here, kid?" Kukaku addressed Toushiro and he looked up to her. For a moment, he had forgotten why he traveled all this way for anyway.
"I came to see if there was any way I could get a letter sent to my hometown." Toushiro quietly asked, still trying to figure a way to explain what happened in Karakura.
"HA! Letters are so last century. You need to get with the times it is the 18th century after all. The way to communicate is through kido portals." Toushiro looked at her with his eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Follow me," Kukaku turned toward the cabin and indicated for him to follow.
"My name is Kukaku Shiba by the way. What's your name?" Kukaku asked as she held the door open for Toushiro to enter.
"My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya," he explained stepping through the door into her spacious living room.
"Nice name," she exclaimed stepping past him and walking down a long hallway. Toushiro followed her and blinked when she opened up a door and walked down a staircase into some type of cellar.
"Let me show you a kido portal." Kukaku exclaimed pulling a curtain back with a flourish. Toushiro blinked. He didn't see what was so "special" about the corner of an old cellar. The only thing he saw were some yellow markings in a circle at the corner and some scribbles on the wall.
"Is this supposed to be a kido portal?" Toushiro asked pointing at the corner.
"Just watch," Kukaku exclaimed then bent down to the floor board. Toushiro's eyes went wide when the yellow markings started to glow blue and beams of light shot from the markings to join the floor and ceiling in a cylinder of hazy blue.
"Now let's see. How about we have a little chat with my brother in Sereitei?" Kukaku asked glancing to Toushiro. Her gaze turned hard when Toushiro kept his head bent down and his brow became scrunched once again.
'Something this kid isn't telling me.' She thought before her attention turned back to the portal.
"Kingdom Sereitei, Division 13." Kukaku stated and Toushiro looked back up. He blinked when the cylinder seemed to morph as the beams of light twisted and turned changing colors from blue to green then brown, an ugly stone before finally widening back into a cylinder with a gray background. Then, some particles started forming in the center of a cylinder. After a couple of moments, Toushiro could make out the face of a man with a very big afro. The man stiffened in a salute.
"This is Zennosuke Kurumadani! How may I direct your communication?"
"Drop the formalities, Zennosuke. It's Kukaku Shiba. I want to talk to Kaien. Where is he?" Kukaku asked and Zennosuke blinked in the beams of light. Toushiro could not believe what he was seeing, and hearing.
"Kaien has left Sereitei as a part of the relief efforts for a village in the Tenth Division." Zennosuke saluted once again after a small glance behind his shoulder.
"Yurouichi still hasn't found a captain for the Tenth? Let me talk to her." Kukaku demanded causing both Zennosuke and Toushiro to blink at the woman.
"I will go see if the Princess is free to speak."
"Just tell her it's Kukaku and she'll have all the time in the world." Kukaku smirked to the image of lights. The man bobbed his head causing his afro to zoom in, looking as if it would burst through the lights at any moment.
"What do you think of the portal so far, kid?" Kukaku looked back to Toushiro smirking at his stunned silence.
"I can't believe I can actually see and hear a person in another kingdom. Where is Kingdom Sereitei?" Toushiro asked, now realizing he didn't have a clue as to where the kingdom was located on a map. Very few maps seemed to survive the trip to the village for some odd reason.
"It's halfway across the country. One perhaps two weeks traveling by horse," Kukaku carelessly stated ignoring Toushiro's surprise. The two went silent as they waited to see if the princess would be able to appear in the cylinder of light.
. . . . . . . .
In the meantime, Ganju was sulking as he trudged to Urahara's store. He didn't want to show Toushiro to the place this morning but he did so out of duty, now he had to go there to get a powder for his sister. Today was not turning out to be a good day at all.
He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't notice a small red-headed boy until the boy was nearly trampled.
"HEY WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Jinta yelled up to Ganju as he pushed past the older man.
"When I find that white haired little shrimp, I am going to beat him to a pulp." Jinta mumbled darkly. The description made Ganju pause.
'A white haired boy? Toushiro?' Ganju thought before he approached Jinta.
"Hey, what's the name of the kid you lost?" Ganju asked making Jinta glare even harder, first out of frustration and second out of annoyance with the bigger man's intrusion.
"Toushiro," Jinta stated and was about to ask when Ganju cut him off.
"That's funny. There's a kid with white hair that goes by the name of Toushiro at Kukaku's place." Ganju stated causing Jinta to stare at him with his mouth falling to the ground.
"HOW DID HE GET THERE SO FAST!" Jinta yelled turning down the street and running as fast as he could to Kukaku's house.
Ganju was left standing in the middle of the street watching the dust trail settle after the kid ran off.
"Speaking of Kukaku, I need to get that powder." Ganju sighed turning toward Urahara's house. "Better get this over with. The sooner I get that powder, the sooner I can get out of there." With his mumblings, Ganju trudged on.
. . . . . . .
"KUKAKU!" The face of a dark skinned woman with purple hair and golden eyes filled the window of the cylinder accompanying the cry.
"Yurouichi, how is the princess life treating you?" Kukaku joked with the woman.
"Boring as ever! It's nothing but meetings and rulings and work, work, work. I had more fun on the punishment force than I do here. But, I have to be responsible and become the leader I was born to be." Princess Yurouichi stated in exasperation then breaking into a fit of giggles with Kukaku laughing along.
"I'm sure you'll pass the mantle onto the next in line in-"
"In a couple of years at least," Yuroichi sighed then noticed Toushiro standing in the background. "Aw, Kukaku, I didn't know you wanted to be a mother so soon." Yurouichi stated as she smiled and laughed as both people cringed.
"I'm not her son."/"He's not my son." The two exclaimed at the same time causing Toushiro's cheeks to show a little bit of color.
"Really? What a shame, you'd be a good mom, Kukaku." Yurouichi teased back then became more serious. "So who is he?"
"My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya, Princess Yurouichi." Toushiro politely bowed to the woman. She blinked in surprise.
'Byakuya told me he was young, but I wasn't expecting this – he looks to be barely thirteen.' Yurouichi thought but she covered her surprise with a wide smile.
"It's nice to meet you. I am Yurouichi Shihoin, the current ruler of Kingdom Sereitei. But, I guess that wasn't too hard to guess was it?" She exclaimed with a smile echoing in her voice.
"What are you doing in Rukongai? Aren't you a little far from home?" Yurouichi asked as she stared Toushiro in the eye.
"I've got a better question, Yurouichi." Kukaku interrupted the small exchange. "Why haven't you found a captain for the Tenth?"
"I have been trying, but the men we have seen aren't up to the challenge. You know the Tenth division has been hit the hardest of all the others. Especially in recent years, I have never known of such a small section to see so many attacks." Yurouichi stated as she became more serious.
"Now, back to the matter at hand: why are you in Rukongai?" She directed her question back to Toushiro.
"My friend was in need of medical assistance and Rukongai was the first kingdom we came upon. Luckily, Urahara was able to treat her. I am relieved to say that she's starting to recover." Toushiro exclaimed, neither woman could ignore the hint of longing coloring Toushiro's voice.
"So you're staying with Kisuke Urahara, huh?" Yurouichi gave her trademark Cheshire cat smirk at this news and Toushiro couldn't help but feel left out of a joke.
"Yes ma'am." Toushiro responded.
"Well, enjoy your stay in Rukongai, but I must warn you," Toushiro watched her eyes sparkle with excitement. "You're going to be in for a wild ride being Kisuke's guest, Toushiro. It was nice to meet you. Kukaku, it was good to see you again. You need to call more often and we can both drink tea." Both women burst out laughing as the call ended and the cylinder of light fell to the floor. The room became dark once again. Toushiro had to blink his eyes to readjust to the dim room after the sudden loss of light.
"Well, let's go upstairs and we can talk about setting up a portal in your hometown. Ganju should be getting back any minute now." Kukaku exclaimed walking up the stairs as Toushiro followed her once again.
"TOUSHIRO!" Jinta burst through the door of Kukaku's home and stomped over to him as they stepped up from the cellar. Kukaku growled at her door seeing as it was no longer attached to the frame. Instead it was lying on the floor with Jinta huffing on top of it glaring at Toushiro.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET LOST! NOW HOW DID YOU GET HERE BEFORE ME?" Jinta yelled as he stomped toward Toushiro.
"Rin showed me the way." Toushiro answered and noted Kukaku growing angrier as she looked between her fallen door and Jinta.
"Was it necessary to break down my door?" Kukaku asked in a deathly low tone. Jinta looked back to the door then up to Kukaku, and started to tremble.
"Uh-"
"Well?" Kukaku stalked up to Jinta forcing him to back up or get stepped on. "Was it necessary to break down my door?"
"Uh . . . no?" Jinta quietly answered.
"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST OPEN IT LIKE ANY SANE PERSON!" Kukaku began yelling. Toushiro made the wise decision to keep his mouth shut and move away from the temperamental woman.
. . . . . . .
In Sereitei, Yurouichi stared at the yellow markings on the floor as she thought over the conversation.
'So, Toushiro's staying with Kisuke? Kisuke is going to train him and Toushiro won't know what hit him.' The crafty ruler thought before she addressed the empty room.
"Don't go too hard on him, Kisuke." She stated to the wall and turned from the cellar.
"I have got to get this portal moved." She groaned as she thought of the endless hallways between the cellar and her room.
. . . . . . .
Kisuke suddenly sneezed while he sat at his desk writing some notes on a piece of paper.
"Okay, let's see what we got," Kisuke looked over his 'training program' for Toushiro. "'Get him to his strongest with food . . . 'test his limits' . . . 'strength training' – he is too scrawny for his reiatsu level . . . 'endurance.'" Kisuke chuckled at this last one. He was going to have fun but he didn't need to go too hard on him. No sense in running him off before Karin's fully recovered.
"Who am I kidding? Toushiro wouldn't leave Karin behind even if there was a stampede of buffalo bearing down on him." Kisuke tapped the tip of the brush to his chin as he thought over the guest.
"Let's go see how the patient is doing." Kisuke stated to himself dropping the brush into a waiting glass of water as he stood from the chair and winced at the crack his back made with a stretch. Stretching out any more kinks in his back, Kisuke made his way to Karin's room. He slid the door open a crack and smiled that Karin had started to wake up.
Karin opened her eyes and blinked at the new room surrounding her.
'This isn't my room. Where am I?' Karin started to sit up but a sharp pain under her collar bones forced her back to the bed.
'What happened? Why is my chest hurting?' Karin opened her shirt a little and blinked at the bandages wrapped around both sides of her chest. A door opening drew her eyes to the person.
"Good afternoon, Karin. Did you sleep well?" Kisuke strolled in sliding the door closed behind him as he walked toward her.
"Yes, I did, but," Karin squinted up to him as he stepped up to her bed looking down at her, "who are you again?" Kisuke frowned for a moment but it disappeared behind a fan that popped up from his sleeve.
"It hurts that you don't remember me, but it's understandable considering you were recovering from venom that was making you hallucinate." Kisuke lamented waving his fan in his face.
"Oh well," he smiled down in a sudden mood change, "my name is Kisuke Urahara. It is a pleasure to meet you . . . again." Kisuke extended his hand and Karin shook it.
"Hi, where's Toushiro?" Karin asked as she placed her hands in her lap.
'So, he's on her mind as well,' Kisuke hid his sly smile with the fan while his eyes glinted with glee from under the shadow of his hat.
"He is out to send a letter to Karakura. I'm afraid that you won't be getting home anytime soon." Kisuke watched Karin frown before he continued "but in the meantime I'll have Ururu bring you some lunch, and we can see about getting some feeling back into your legs." Kisuke stated poking her lower leg with his fan.
"When will I get out of this bed?" Karin asked staring at the place where he just poked his fan. She was frowning that she was not able to feel the pressure from the fan.
"Tomorrow, in the afternoon at the latest," Kisuke answered looking back up to Karin's eyes. "Now, I'll go tell Ururu to prepare some food and I'll be right back to give you a check up." Kisuke stated turning from the bed and walking through the door into the hallway.
"He never told me where Toushiro was." Karin mumbled at the closed door.
. . . . . . . .
Jinta sported several red bumps for his punishment for breaking down Kukaku's door. He was resetting the door into the frame when a particularly sensitive bruise on his head met the door frame in a not-so-friendly manner.
"OW!" Jinta growled clutching his head, making the pain even worse.
"JUST GET THAT DOOR UP!" Kukaku yelled as she sat at a coffee table across from Toushiro with several maps laid in front of him.
"Let's see Karakura," she shuffled several parchments aside as she looked for the village on paper. "Karakura . . . Karakura . . . no." Kukaku rolled up the set of maps only to be replaced with another set of maps of a different part of the country.
"It would help if you told me what division this village of yours is located." Kukaku exclaimed as she ruffled through several more drawings.
"He doesn't know. Apparently that village is so small, nobody knows what division it's in." Jinta called from the door. He paused in his work when he heard a pair of heavy footsteps pound up the stairs. He started sweating when the door handle turned causing the door to fall flat on the floor, wasting his efforts to set the door straight for the past half-hour. Kukaku scowled at the door then up to the idiot who broke it this time.
"Ganju," Kukaku growled but it was ignored as the man held up the pouch with her powder.
"I got your powder sis," Ganju dropped the pouch onto a nearby table he passed.
"Ganju," Kukaku whispered caused him to turn toward her.
"What?" Kukaku slowly stood making sure not to disturb the maps and walked to her brother.
"What's up sis?"
"YOU BROKE MY DOOR! NOW FIX IT!" Kukaku threw her brother to the door and glared at Jinta demanding he help Ganju. They both scrambled to the door and did their best to set it straight before Kukaku exploded once again.
"I think I found it," Toushiro stated looking at a map. He pointed out the tiny village to Kukaku as she joined him at the table.
"So you did," she gathered a larger map to discover the division. "It looks like Karakura belongs to the Tenth division." Kukaku huffed. Toushiro remembered her conversation with Yurouichi and, with it, the depressing news he would have to tell her. Kukaku glanced down at Toushiro and saw that grieving expression on his face.
"What are you hiding?" Toushiro looked up to her and foolishly hoped Kaien wasn't her brother.
"Do you happen to have a brother named Kaien Shiba?" Toushiro whispered trying to make sure Ganju didn't hear.
"GANJU! Go take that powder to the cellar and get to setting up a new portal. Hey, Red," she pointed to Jinta who glared back to her. "Go help him."
"But the door," Ganju stated holding the door as gently as he could.
"Forget the door. Now do as I say!" Kukaku yelled and Ganju moved to obey. Jinta followed after him, leaving the door without a leg to stand on (pun intended) and fall back to the floor. The boys cringed at the door then bolted to the cellar. Kukaku simply glared at the door before she turned back to Toushiro.
"Now tell me what's happened to my brother." Kukaku demanded with a scowl.
"Alright," Toushiro began, over the next few minutes he explained everything: Kaien coming to Karakura, telling about his family, and his passing.
"I regret to say that while he was out with a team, Kaien Shiba was killed protecting his team." Toushiro somberly stated waiting for a reaction from Kukaku. She remained silent for several minutes. She had been so silent Toushiro was startled when she began speaking again.
"Kaien had a good life." Kukaku snorted as a memory came to her, "he was so excited when he got into the army. All he could talk about was making the world a safer place and protecting all the little people. It looks like he died doing what he loved." Kukaku suddenly stood from the floor and dusted her hands off, as if she was burying the past to move on.
"Let's get that portal set up in Karakura. I'll get that idiot brother of mine."
"Do you want me to tell him?" Toushiro asked looking up to Kukaku. This was the first time he had ever presented news of death of a loved one and it was difficult for Toushiro.
"No, he'll find out when he gets there. And I won't tell him where Kaien was stationed." Kukaku stated as she stalked down to the cellar.
"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG?" Toushiro sighed in relief that it was over, now he could worry about Karin and earning enough money to travel back home.
After another hour of getting the details ironed out, Toushiro and Jinta were ready to leave Kukaku and get back to Kisuke.
"Okay, Ganju will start out in the morning and get to Karakura within the week. As soon as he gets there he's going to set up the portal and then you can chat with whoever you want. Right, Ganju." Kukaku sent a piercing glare to her brother as he stood on the porch.
"Yes, Kukaku," Ganju answered.
"And don't forget. See you guys later, and tell Kisuke thanks for the powder." Kukaku sent them off with a tap on their shoulder. However it felt more like a punch as the two boys stumbled then headed back to Urahara's. Toushiro sent one last look at the gates and figured he could go at night to see if Hyourinmaru could hear him from the edge of the forest.
. . . . . .
Rangiku was mad. She doesn't get mad very often, but when she does get out of her way.
"Where is he?" Rangiku cornered Rukia in the medical cabin as she glared down to the smaller woman. Rukia knew who she was speaking of but she didn't know where her brother was hiding.
"I don't know Rangiku. I'm sure he'll find you when he has something." Rukia exclaimed, but that set Rangiku off.
"He said that he'd let me know what he found when he returned. Well, it is almost dark and he still hasn't told me a word. In fact, I haven't seen him all day! You're his sister surely you know where your own brother is." Rangiku backed Rukia into a corner, literally, as she demanded to discover the noble's location.
"Well, he left with Captain Kyoraku this morning, but I haven't seen them since." Rukia answered meekly, cowering from the strawberry-blonde woman falling into a mam-bear-who-lost-her-cub mentality, and sadly Byakuya was the man she saw as keeping her from her cub.
"Thank you," Rangiku managed to reign in her temper, but just barely.
"When I find him," Rangiku stalked out of the medical cabin whispering threats of pain/death/punishment toward the Kuchiki captain. Rukia sighed and collapsed in the chair beside Ichigo's bed. He was looking better: his face was getting a little bit of color, but the sweat dotting his brow caused her worry. She informed Dr. Unohana of her fears, and the kind doctor assured Rukia he would get the best care. So Isane has been hovering near his bed to ensure Ichigo continues to improve. Rukia looked up and was not surprised to see Isane standing there looking at Ichigo with her nurse's eye.
"We'll do the best we can, Ms. Rukia." Isane promised and turned to give her privacy in the room of the medical cabin.
Rukia nodded her head. Now that Ichigo would have good medical care, Rukia began to worry about her brother. Byakuya just might need treatment when Rangiku gets through with him.
Rangiku stormed toward the noble's home and spotted his white scarf as he retreated into the door.
"Oh, no you don't." Rangiku whispered and ran to the cabin throwing the door open nearly knocking him on his backside.
"Where is he? What did you find?" Rangiku growled, her stormy eyes sparking lightning in her fury at the cold shoulder she had been receiving.
"You said that I would be informed of your findings. Now what did you find?" Rangiku demanded as she stepped toward Byakuya. Now Byakuya did not get scared very easily, but he had heard stories of Rangiku's rabid protection of her charge. And considering her kido skills were on the level of a lieutenant, knowing that Captain Hitsugaya had developed new techniques that he would obviously teach Rangiku (techniques that nobody else had seen), so he has reason to be cautious around this pissed off mother figure.
"Yes, Rangiku, I did say that I would inform you of my findings," Byakuya held his hands up to calm her, "but I needed to confirm my suspicions. I have completed my research and am prepared to inform you of what I found at the clearing." Byakuya answered easing Rangiku into a relaxed stance with her arms crossed, except the lightning continued to shoot from her eyes.
"What did you find?" Rangiku demanded and Byakuya explained everything. Their campsite, the prints in the dirt, the dragons, the history of dragons and humans, and, finally, the personal account of a wizard showing dragons were not the mindless killers everyone had grown to believe.
"After all of my research, I am confident that Toushiro and Karin are traveling in safety with two dragons." Rangiku stared at him with her mouth open and her arms hanging at her sides.
"Rangiku?" Byakuya asked. What happened next, Byakuya would never have guessed. She squeaked, what could be guessed, a word of some form then fell to the floor in a faint. Byakuya was so stunned and unprepared that he simply blinked at her form on the floor.
"I did not expect her to faint." Byakuya exclaimed to the kitchen. He bent down and gently carried her to a couch where he got her a cold cloth for her head and waited for her to regain consciousness.
. . . . . .
Toushiro and Jinta walked into Urahara's shop arguing for the past half a dozen blocks. Kisuke glanced between the two boys. They were arguing so loud and so fast that Kisuke wasn't able to keep up. It looked like they would argue for hours if Kisuke did not do something.
'I better break up this fight before it becomes violent, and I know just how to do that.' Kisuke took his fan out and took a deep breath.
"Karin is awake." The second the words escaped his mouth, Toushiro dashed past the man leaving Jinta to glare at his back before it disappeared into Karin's room.
"Hi Toushiro," Karin smiled up to him as she sat up on the bed. Ururu was sitting in the chair beside her and keeping her company. Karin handed the empty bowl and cup to Ururu who stood with the items and left the room. Toushiro remained silent only staring at Karin. Silently he was comparing the Karin dying in the cave to this Karin sitting up on the bed and smiling up at him.
"Hi Karin, did you sleep well?" Toushiro asked moving to the chair that Ururu vacated moments before.
"Yes I did. What about you?" Toushiro blinked at her and she laughed. That one sound made his heart skip a beat, she was going to be fine. "Kisuke told me that you passed out asleep on the bed when I was moved to this room. So, how did you sleep?"
"I slept well. I'm glad to see that you're awake and you look so much better now." Toushiro noted enjoying her smile and the way her eyes lit up.
"Yeah, I feel better but my stomach is just a little bit queasy. Kisuke says that's a part of the treatment. Apparently it's the only way to get the remaining venom out of my body." Karin answered putting her hands on her stomach.
Like clockwork, at the very mention of food his stomach made its anger known with a loud grumble.
"Is that your stomach?" Karin asked pointing to him. Slowly, Toushiro nodded hating his stomach at that moment.
'Stomach, I hate you.' Toushiro inwardly growled and his stomach growled in response almost saying 'I don't care. Now give me food!'
"You should go eat." Karin said tapping his shoulder to urge him off the chair. Toushiro found it very difficult to move from the room: it almost felt like a dream and he was scared that once he moved the dream would shatter putting them back into that cave where Karin was dying in front of his eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere, Toushiro." Karin smiled over at him to ease her best friend into moving. Kisuke had advised Karin not tell Toushiro about her legs saying it would cause him to worry too much.
"She's right. Now, Mr. Hitsugaya, you made a promise," Kisuke strolled into the room and picked Toushiro up by the back of his shirt. "You will eat and we will begin your training. Now come." Kisuke dragged Toushiro from the room. Karin was holding her hands over her mouth to keep the laughter inside, but it was escaping in little snorts just as the door closed to her room.
"Ururu has made a lovely spread to satisfy your stomach." Kisuke stated, still dragging Toushiro by the back of his shirt. Kisuke forced Toushiro into a chair and placed a full plate in front of him. Toushiro was about to protest, but the sight and smell of the food drowned any protest he could form. So, he started to eat and listened to Kisuke explain.
"Now, you wanted to know why you are suddenly so hungry." Toushiro nodded. "The reason is because your body is trying to replace all of the energy you used up over the past day and a half. Your body was using your energy to keep functioning, and to keep from being hungry. Now technically, you could have gone, maybe, a week without noticing your hunger and still be able to perform a great many kido spells. But, it comes with a heavy price – your body would start to use up your life source when your energy runs out." Toushiro paused on his second plate as he listened intently.
"This food that you're eating is feeding your rieatsu, that's spiritual energy. It's getting absorbed before the food reaches your stomach. So, even though you're going on your third plate at this sitting, you still haven't had the food to give your body the nutrients it needs to survive. That's why it is so critical that you eat all that you can until you feel full and can't eat another bite. You need to feel the food fill you up so that your body can get the nutrients it needs and keep from using up so much of your reiatsu. Do you understand now why I keep stuffing your mouth with food?" Kisuke asked as Toushiro popped in the last chicken puff from this plate. Toushiro nodded then swallowed his bite.
"What about Karin? She hasn't had that much to eat and she's been fighting that venom attacking her body. Will her reiatsu do the same thing?" Toushiro asked in between sips of water and pulled up a plate.
"The antidote that I gave her will give her the nutrients her body needs to fight this infection and recover. But to answer your question, yes when she is fully recovered she is probably going to have a similar appetite as you have right now. That will be another week before we get to that stage. I'll give her the antidote on a daily basis. This antidote will remove the venom and, at the same time, build up her body strength." Kisuke finished his explanation as Toushiro finished up another plate of food. He sighed before he pushed the empty plate away.
"Will she have any lasting side effects from this incident?" Toushiro asked, turning to look Kisuke in the eyes. His cold teal eyes demanded Kisuke tell him the truth.
"She won't be maimed or lose any function of her body if that's what you're asking." Toushiro continued to look at him. "Her arm where the venom was introduced will take a long time to fully recover, and I mean years for it to fully recover. The scab will fall off and the physical wound will heal, but the muscle strength in her arm could take years before it gets back to the level before she was attacked. Her arm will also be very sore for at least another year. She's going to need to take extra care of her arm. I'll give you some salve that will help to ease any soreness that will develop. Hopefully it will also strengthen that muscle at the same time, but there are no guarantees. The only thing I can say is that she will still have full use of her arm, but she will not have the same level of strength for a long time." Kisuke answered and Toushiro nodded picking up another plate which he started eating faster.
Knowing that Karin will be seriously weakened in the use of her arm was only further reason to fine tune his abilities and learn all he can on controlling his energy while he is there. Her survival depended on it.
'Stomach, are you happy now?' Toushiro silently thought and was answered with a small grumble as the feeling of hunger was slowly easing away. He started on his sixth plate as Kisuke stood from the chair.
"Now that I know you will eat until you're full. I need to go finish setting up your training regimen. I'll be back in about an hour and we can start the training before the sun sets." Kisuke turned from the room and Toushiro nodded his head then continued to eat the food set in front of him.
A/N: Here is another chapter. I know it's been almost a month since I've updated this story, so I've made this chapter two chapters in one. I know it's still a little slow, but there are so many little things that need to be added in order for the rest of the story to make sense. Let me know how I'm doing. Also, do you think my writing style has changed since I've started this story?
A/N2: In case anyone is curious Ringo means apple in japanese. ;)
Did you guys like my "kido portals". It is the 18th century advanced technique that will replace the letter and carrier.
This story is inspired by Dreamworks "How to Train Your Dragon."
Let me know what you think about this chapter.