Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
I would like to thank all of the readers who have kept with me as I have written for this story. I apologize for taking such a long time to post an update. A/N: I have gone back and corrected the errors from the first time it was posted. Enjoy!
Captain Kyoraku and Captain Kuchiki stepped away from the kido portal to turn toward the door. The darkness of the room was only broken by the daylight peeking out from underneath the door to Chief Yamamoto's office. Captain Kuchiki pulled the door open and preceded Captain Kyoraku who titled his hat in thanks to the Chief for the use of his room. As he spotted Ganju Shiba leaning on the wall to the cabin Captain Kyoraku moved to join the younger Shiba member.
"We owe you thanks for setting up this fascinating kido portal for us." Shunsui tilted his hat toward the younger man. Ganju shrugged his shoulders.
"It's my job. Sis already paid me for coming all the way out here. I'll probably head back in a couple days. I don't like being away from Rukongai if I can help it." Ganju replied. Shunsui nodded his head in understanding.
It's hard being away from home." The pair fell into a short silence. "Well, Chief Yamamoto I think we've invaded your home enough for today. We'll be going." Shunsui inclined his head to the Chief, at the same time he grasped the elbow of Ganju. Despite the younger man's protests, Shunsui succeeded in dragging the man out of the cabin and into the street. On the way, Shunsui insisted Ganju stay at his place and feel free to make himself at home. Ganju replied in kind but thought it slightly creepy that Shunsui was so open and comforting when walking into his home. Shunsui proved to be a gracious host and did his best to make Ganju feel welcome and at home. It was hours after the sun had set that Shunsui sat with Ganju at the fireplace and gave the news to the Shiba member.
"What's the big deal?" Ganju demanded.
"I just want to talk to you about your family. I find your sister very intriguing. So please I beg you to join me for drinks." Shunsui asked. Ganju looked at the Sereitei captain in suspicion but grudgingly agreed. Shunsui beamed as he draped an arm over Ganju's shoulders and led Ganju to his cabin for the evening.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Zangetsu stared at the gates to the kingdom Rukongai from their shelter in the woods. They had been resting in this small clearing for the past four weeks. Things had been going slow. Their only news of Karin and Toushiro came from Benehime. Her visits during the night helped the two dragons pass the time during Toushiro's stay with Urahara. She explained the best places to find enough food for the dragons. In that team, Zangetsu's wing began healing. As of this moment, one month afer the injury, the joint had reformed and he had no pain when he flexed the wing. Zangetsu had not attempted to fly on the advice from Benehime and Hyourinmaru. So, Zangetsu calmly waited for his injury to heal and for his fire to return. Toushiro's attack that day proved to be the longest to heal of all his injuries. In the first two weeks, Zangetsu felt soreness in his throat when he attempted to breathe fire. The soreness finally disappeared the day before and Zangetsu was able to feel the fire begin to build back up in his chest. It would still be many weeks before he could breathe fire again, but he was healing a little more each day.
"How much longer do you think they will be, Hyourinmaru?" Zangetsu asked. He gazed over to the open gates and watched people enter and leave the large kingdom while waiting for his fellow dragon to reply.
"It won't be too long now. Benehime has been saying Toushrio's training will end any day now. She informs us that Toushiro is undergoing the last few lessons." Hyourinmaru explained. Zangetsu nodded and returned his watch over the gates.
"She said the last lesson would be the toughest of them all. What do you think she means?" Zangetsu asked.
"Who knows? We will find out when Toushiro and Karin finally leave." Hyourinmaru answered. It was the only answer he could give, because even Benehime was not fully aware of the final lesson for Toushiro Hitsugaya. "It won't be too long from now."
. . . . . . . .
"Toushiro, my, my," Kisuke tsked the younger boy with his fan tapping his chin. I am very disappointed in you," Kisuke leveled a stare at the boy from under his hat. Toushiro saw a darkness in the eyes that made warning bells ring in his mind. There was something about Kisuke's speech and gaze that unsettled Toushiro.
"Why is that?" Toushiro managed to question and watched Kisuke hide the fan back in his sleeve.
"You have been training under me for six weeks. Now you have shown me exceptional skill, but you have not quite done enough." Toushiro didn't understand what the older man was saying. He obeyed every order, completed every task that Kisuke demanded (no matter how seemingly ridiculous) and now he says that wasn't enough.
Kisuke slowly approached Toushiro keeping his stare, "it is a real shame." He stepped up to the younger's left shoulder, so that he was looking up to the house.
"It's a real pity seeing Karin come so far only to take everything back. After all," Kisuke leaned down to whisper, "I can't let a service go unpaid for." Toushiro froze and looked up to the shopkeeper in shock.
'Services unpaid for,' Toushiro felt his eyes widen and the hairs on the back of his neck rise. 'He can't possibly mean. . .'
"Looks like Karin will die after all," Toushiro's breath caught in his throat at those words. Kisuke continued toward the house without a care in the world.
'He's going to try and kill Karin.' Toushiro thought then snapped around to the older man.
"You can't do that!" Toushiro yelled, but Kisuke did not pause in his walk to the house.
"Try and stop me," was the only response with a small look over the green-clad shoulder. Still he continued toward the house.
"I will stop you," Toushiro growled low in his throat. With his back to the boy, Kisuke heard the threat and secretly smiled at the energy Toushiro was gathering to attack him.
"Bakudo 9: Horin!" Toushiro called the yellow and red spiraled rope to lasso Kisuke so he was able to fling the larger man to the back end of the yard. Now Toushiro stood between Kisuke and the house. "I will not let you take one step closer to that house." Toushiro glared at him and raised his arm so the palm faced Kisuke. "Hado 31: Shakkaho!"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Karin sat in the kitchen beside Ururu as the girl poured her a cup of tea.
"So today's Toushiro's last day of training," she asked the quieter girl.
"Yes, that's right." She gently inclined her head and turned her head toward the back yard. "Mr. Kisuke has to give Toushiro a test."
"So that's what that is," Karin whispered as she heard Toushiro yell out a hado spell.
. . . . . . . . . .
"Bakudo 39: Enkosen." Kisuke casually called a dull yellow shield to block Toushiro's attack.
"I thought you'd know better than that." Carelessly Kisuke pointed two fingers in Toushiro's direction and Directed a Sokatsui attack to the smaller boy. Toushiro dodged from the blaze of fire and retaliated with a Shakkaho spell, which Kisuke dodged by dashing to the left. Toushiro continued firing Shakkaho spells following Kisuke's retreat.
"You'll need to do better than that." Kisuke batted another Shakkaho spell with the back of his right hand. Toushiro crouched low and prepared another attack spell. Kisuke surprised Toushiro when he ran straight toward Toushiro.
'What is he doing?' Toushiro blasted a Sokatsui spell toward Kisuke but the older man jumped above it. Toushiro spotted Kisuke direct his spirit pressure to the bottom of his feet and leap up fifteen feet in the air, and landed several feet behind Toushiro.
"Horin!" The lasso shot toward Kisuke's back but at the last moment he turned and grabbed the energy rope with his bare hand.
"This is the best you can do?" Kisuke shot Toushiro a withering glare from beneath his hat, "I am truly disappointed Toushiro. You're holding back. I thought you wanted to protect Karin."
'If that's the case,' Toushiro raised his left hand calling lightning and struck the rope sending a charge through the kido straight for Kisuke.
"That's better," Kisuke easily broke the rope before the attack could reach him.
"Hado 33: Sokatsui," Toushiro sent the blue beam of fire to Kisuke who erected a yellow spiraling shield to block it.
"This is how the spell goes," Kisuke pointed two fingers to Toushiro. "Hado 33: Sokatsui." One single wide beam of blue kido energy fired toward Toushiro. He jumped to the side as the beam flashed past him. Toushiro rolled on the ground and looked up at Kisuke walking toward the house not glancing back for a second.
Toushiro fired off another shakkaho spell to Kisuke's back. Without a glance backward Kisuke easily deflected the spell with a wave of his hand. Toushiro grit his teeth and gathered his energy for another attack but his knees went weak and he stumbled to the ground.
"What's going on?" He asked while he started to pant and his vision started to waver as he fell to his hands and knees. "I can't let him . . . get . . . closer." Gritting his teeth Toushiro glared up at Kisuke who had stopped to watch the boy struggle on the ground.
'That's right,' Toushiro finally realized why he was suddenly so weak, 'Kisuke sealed up 80% of my power!' Toushiro growled in the back of his throat and tried to stand but only succeeded in stumbling back to the ground. Kisuke watched Toushiro fall once again, then continued toward the house. Now he was less than 20ft away from the door.
'I can't let him get any closer,' Toushiro wearily raised his right hand and shot out a shakkaho to the man's back. He was growing weaker as he watched his spell sputter out in mid-air. 'I am out of energy.' Kisuke walked five steps. 'Kisuke warned me that using too much of my energy would result in using up my life energy.' Kisuke was 15 feet from the house. 'But he will kill Karin and I will never let that happen.' Toushiro glared at the man's back and spoke the incantation for another shakkaho spell calling a red ball of energy no bigger than a softball. The spell was really weak but it was all he could manage at the moment. He threw the energy to Kisuke's back.
"KISUKE!" The man turned at his name and nearly rolled his eyes at his use of the spell.
"Predictable," Kisuke raised his left hand to form a round, yellow kido shield that absorbed the shakkaho spell.
While Kisuke was focusing on the shield to block the shakkaho spell, Toushiro gathered all of his available energy to call forth a spell that would stop Kisuke in his tracks. Extending his right hand, blue energy began gathering around the two extended fingers.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" Toushiro felt his life energy start to seep away from his body but he continued on taking a deep breath.
"On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus." As the blue energy continued to gather in his hand, he felt a cold energy mingle with the reiatsu in his hand forming an icy mist further condensing into a solid mass.
"In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." Kisuke was still focusing more on the shakkaho spell and had ignored Toushiro as the spell was completed. The blue energy finished gathering in his hand and a small spear of ice energy was extended waiting to be sent forth.
"HADO 73: Soren Sokatsui!" The energy shot from his hand and Toushiro collapsed to the ground. His vision started to darken but he saw Kisuke stand in shock as the kido spell rocketed toward him. At the last moment, Kisuke extended his hands and barely managed to throw the energy spell to the sky. Toushiro's vision blacked out at the echo of the blast exploding above the yard leaving Kisuke unharmed. Toushiro gasped for breath and he felt his body slowly shut down as the last of his available energy was used up.
. . . . . .
The three in Kisuke's house jumped at the loud blast and thundering echo resonated through the building. Karin ran to the backdoor followed by Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu.
"TOUSHIRO!" Karin yelled in surprise and shock as Toushiro lay face down on the yard. She ran out into the yard and fell to her knees at his still form. Slowly she rolled the boy onto his back and cried when he didn't respond. "Toushiro! Wake up!"
"Tessai get out here." Kisuke called the larger man to run to Toushiro's side. The large man knelt by the two and placed his two fingers on the tattoo above his heart whispering some words which caused a glow of yellow light to engulf Toushiro's body. Toushiro gasped and coughed when the golden light faded from his body. He managed to open his eyes to see Karin kneeling above him with tears in her eyes. He also saw Kisuke walk up to stand behind her.
"Karin," he struggled to raise his hand in warning, "run." His arm fell back and he passed out from exhaustion.
"Toushiro!"
"He'll be fine Karin. Let's get him inside." Kisuke ushered Karin back into the house while Tessai picked Toushiro up from the ground and easily followed them inside.
"Place him on the couch," Kisuke ordered.
"Kisuke, your hands," Jinta stared at the blonde's hands as they fell to his side. Kisuke raised them both and hissed in pain. His hands were burnt from a reiatsu-infused ice, even now the tips of the fingers were turning black and dark purple bruises dotted the palms.
"He certainly did a number on me," he lowered his hands, "but he passed his test. His training is complete."
"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!" Karin stomped up to Kisuke and yelled in his face. "TOUSHIRO WAS NEARLY KILLED ALL FOR A STUPID TEST!"
"It was necessary," Kisuke explained and raised a burnt hand to Karin to end any response. "I will explain once Toushiro awakens."
"Ururu," said girl turns when Kisuke addressed her, "I want you to go to Kukaku and notify Rangiku that Toushiro's training is complete and they will be heading to Karakura by the end of the week."
"Yes, Mr. Kisuke." Ururu quietly bowed and left to do as ordered.
Karin watched Ururu leave the house but returned back to watching Toushiro sleep once Tessai had settled him on the couch. Tessai whispered some more words calling a blue glow engulf the large hands and passed them over the boy's body.
"There are no broken bones. Looks like he's only collapsed from using too much energy." The man explained looking over his shoulder to Kisuke with a nod of his head.
"Good," Kisuke looked back to his hands and winced at the pain caused by the simple flex of his hand. "I'll have to speak with him once he awakens."
"Now, let's have a look at those hands." Tessai walked toward Kisuke and the two men moved toward the back room, where Karin had been treated on their first day in Rukongai. Jinta leaned on a wall while Karin knelt at the side of the couch watching Toushiro sleep.
"Stupid kid." Jinta mumbled but kept staring at the sleeping boy.
. . . . . . .
Rangiku paced furiously in the front room of Yamamoto's cabin. She had been there for the past hour when she felt a disturbing stab in her chest.
Rangiku was walking to the Kurosaki residence for lunch when she felt a pain in her chest. The pain wasn't physical as much as it was emotional. Something was wrong with Toushiro. It is well-known that mothers can sometimes tell when their children are in terrible trouble. Rangiku had heard that the pain felt like a knife had been driven in the mother's heart. Now, Rangiku was not Toushiro's birth mother but she cared for him as if he were her own son. Now she could feel something had gone very, very wrong.
"Toushiro," she whispered before turning away from the Kurosaki home and bolted to Yamamoto's cabin. The fastest way to find information was to use the kido portal and speak with Kukaku. Rangiku burst into the cabin and stormed to Yamamoto's desk.
"I have to speak with Kukaku in Rukongai." The chief had never seen her in such a state of panic and worry so he quickly granted her request. It was a shame that Byakuya was currently using the portal to update Yuroichi on the events over the past month. She would have stormed into the room and ended Byakuya's report if Yamamoto had not intervened and reasoned with her. He reasoned that she wasn't able to do anything in Karakura so there would be no harm in waiting.
So she had been pacing in front of Chief Yamamoto's desk for the past hour. Just when she thought the princess would never let Byakuya out, the call was ended and Byakuya emerged from the small room.
"Rangiku," Byakuya stepped up to her and quirked his eyebrow at her frazzled state. "You have a call from Rukongai."
She ran into the room ignoring all formality and stared up at the yellow portal. In the window, stood a small girl with her black hair pulled back in two pig-tails. She bowed to the older woman and Rangiku found the sense to bow back.
"Are you Rangiku?" The timid voice barely reached Rangiku's ears for the low volume of the girl's speech.
"Yes, what happened? Is Toushiro alright?" Rangiku rapidly asked the younger girl.
"Toushiro Hitsugaya is alright. He over-exerted himself while he was training with Mr. Kisuke Urahara. Mr. Kisuke wishes to inform you that Toushiro and Karin Kurosaki will be leaving for Karakura at the end of the week." The small girl gave her report and Rangiku nearly fainted for the relief she felt. She slowly knelt to the floor and bowed her head in relief.
"He's alright," Rangiku whispered to the floor. Ururu waited at the portal to see if Rangiku had anything she needed to ask. "Thank you." Rangiku slowly stood and bowed to the young girl.
"You're very welcome. Good-bye." She returned the bow and ended the connection. Rangiku stared at the corner after the yellow rays had disappeared back into the flooring.
She wiped the tears of relief from her eyes and walked out of the room. She nodded her head in thanks to Chief Yamamoto as she walked out the door. All Rangiku could think about was that her figurative son was safe.
. . . . .
Toushiro lay sleeping on the couch when Kisuke and Tessai returned from the back room. Jinta noted that Kisuke's hands were wrapped with white bandages.
"What would possess him to do that?" Jinta whispered to no one in particular.
"I needed him to do this, so I poked the only button where I knew he would over react and push himself over the edge. I threatened to kill Karin."
"YOU DID WHAT!" Karin leapt from the floor at the couch and stormed up to Kisuke.
"Well, I needed him to use up all of his available energy to teach him the final lesson. It appears that I may have gone a bit too far." Kisuke raised a mummified hand to his eye.
"Gee, you think?" Jinta gaped while staring at the bandaged hands.
"That was stupid! Couldn't you have said something different?" Karin demanded to know glaring up at the older man.
"No, I could not. I don't think you've noticed, but where you are concerned, Ms. Kurosaki, Toushiro Hitsugaya tends to forgo his own safety in favor of yours. I thought it appropriate to point out for future reference. That will be something you have to keep on the lookout for." Kisuke answered her in his cheerful, yet eerie voice. Karin could only stare back. She knew that Toushiro was protective of her but would he really give up his own life to save hers. Looking back to the couch, Karin finally realized that to him, her life was far more precious than his own.
"I doubt he'll do something this stupid ever again but it would be useful for you to keep him in check in the future." Kisuke easily explained waving his battered hands in the air.
The small group heard Toushiro groan as the boy blinked his eyes up at the ceiling.
'Where am I? What happened?' Toushiro thought as he saw Karin run to his side.
"TOUSHIRO! You're okay!" She hugged him as he continued to lay on the couch blinking at her actions.
"Karin," he blinked and his eyes widened when Kisuke stepped into view. "You need to run." He tried to move his arm but stared in surprise that he was paralyzed and was unable to move even a single finger.
"Calm down, calm down. I never had any intention of laying a finger on the young girl." Kisuke waved a bandaged hand to the boy. Adding "the number you did on my hands wouldn't allow me to harm her anyway."
"Huh?" Toushiro blinked up at him and growled low in his throat. He put Toushiro through that torture and made him think he'd kill Karin. "What kind of sick person does that?"
"The kind of person that needs to teach a powerful young man a critical lesson. Toushiro do you know what is the leading cause of death for young people? Specifically kido users?" Kisuke questioned causing both Toushiro and Karin to blink up at him in confusion.
"I thought it was gargoyle attacks." Kisuke shook his head to negate Toushiro's answer.
"Overuse of kido." Karin gasped and Toushiro dropped his eyes to his feet. "Remember I warned you when you first came to me that when a person uses too much of their reiatsu they end up using their life energy without realizing. I have seen more young people die as a result of using up all life energy than any other cause. That is one of the reasons I sealed up 80% of your power at the start of your training. I needed you to become aware of the levels of reiatsu you are using. Also, I needed you to experience what it was like when you use up the last of your available energy. If I had not sealed up your reiatsu and you had drained yourself, then you would be dead." Karin took a gasp of air and Toushiro closed his eyes in regret and understanding. "Even today you nearly died. It may seem cruel, but it was necessary for you to understand how critical it is you become aware of your reiatsu."
"I understand, Kisuke." Toushiro whispered and leaned his head back onto the couch arm.
"I'm glad to hear it, Toushiro. I sent Ururu to Kukaku's so she could inform Rangiku that your training is complete. You and Karin will leave Rukongai when you have regained all of your strength. Which will most likely be the end of the week." Kisuke calmly explained and Toushiro nodded his head to affirm he understands.
"Good, now I will leave you to rest. You'll be going back to sleep in a few minutes. Once Ururu returns she'll start making food so that you can start to replenish your reiatsu when you wake from your nap."
Toushiro nodded his head once again watching as Kisuke turned to leave the small living room.
"Kisuke," Toushiro called the man back into the room, "thank you for training me."
"You're welcome and I must say that I enjoyed training you. You have been an excellent student. I will be sad to see you leave." Kisuke responded waving a hand before leaving the two friends in the living room. Toushiro slowly drifted back to sleep and Karin stood staring back at him.
Karin remained standing in the middle of the room processing all that Kisuke had told her. The part that really surprised her was how Toushiro reacted to her perceived danger. She knew that he was protective of her, and that he would do anything to see that she was safe. Now that she really thought about it, it should not have been a surprise that Toushiro would go to such great lengths to see to her safety.
It made her feel a little guilty. Here she was unaware that Toushiro would die to protect her, and she made stupid decisions that put her in danger. If she didn't put herself in so much danger, then maybe he wouldn't be so dead set on protecting her with his life. But she knew that would never be the case. He would protect her with his life without a second thought no matter what. After all, he is her best friend and best friends saw that the other was safe. Right?
Karin was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't hear Ururu walk back into the house and head straight for the kitchen where she met up with Kisuke.
A/N: I am done with this chapter! Yoo-hoo! Let me tell you this chapter was a bear, a lion, and a tiger mixed all in one. Well, this story is almost over. There will be at most 2 more chapters before I will wrap this story up and all of the little loose ends will be tied in a nice bows.
A/N2: I know it has been over a year since I posted anything for this story. And I want to say that I am sorry for taking that long. I've just been going through a few things and it has made it difficult to concentrate and for a while I lost all interest in writing. Now I'm better and I am feeling more relaxed and I want to write and share my stories with you wonderful readers. I know it has been awhile since I've posted anything so I'm really going to need you guys to tell me how this chapter turned out. So I kindly ask you to leave a review.
A/N3: I hope this extra long chapter is enough for you guys to forgive me for taking more than a year to update this story. Thanks for sticking with me through this author's note.
This story is inspired by the Dreamworks move "How To Train Your Dragon." I do not own this movie (not even a DVD copy). This movie belongs to Dreamworks and all of the creative people who caused that movie to come about.