Day 2

Toshiro decided that fate or whoever it was up there, maybe even the Soul King himself, hated him. He couldn't have such bad luck, it was absurd! Almost like Kurosaki Ichigo luck and that was saying something. Stuck bleeding in a dark corner of a human town AND cornered by none other than Ichimaru Gin wasn't what one called good luck.
The blood on the concrete floor was glistering so innocently under the moonlight, perfectly visible from Gin's angle. He felt his eye twitch. Just another hindrance. If Gin was here, he wanted to talk to him, finally understand! And a bit of blood was not going to stop him!

This was why he ultimately ignored his pain and the drip-drip of his own blood and raised his head back up to look at the man straight on. He gasped in surprise when he realized Gin was much closer than before, he was, in fact right in front of him, hands going for his tightly wrapped up haori.
"What are you doing!" Out of pure combat instinct, Toshiro kicked the approaching hand away and backed up against the wall, defensive. "I am not in a mood for your games, Ichimaru! Why are you here? What do you want? Did you come with another group of arrancar or are you here to finish the job yourself?" Questions poured out of his mouth before he could even think them properly through. He didn't want to know the answers to those, he needed answers to others. Why was he being so prissy all of a sudden?

Bony hands gripped his own tightly and wrenched them apart. The white cloth fell open, revealing the torn black shihakusho and the deep gash that was oozing blood and pus by now. The little captain struggled to free himself but he had no strength left. All that was left of it was taking care of the 'not fainting' part now.

"Answer me!" he demanded. The effect was lost due to the weakness of his voice.

Gin looked directly at him and opened one teal eye.

"I needed to check on a few things, none of yar concern, no and no." The silky voice betrayed no emotion whatsoever.

Toshiro blinked a few times, trying to discern the answers.

"What are you doing..", he complained as defiantly as he could in his current state when he realized Gin wasn't wasting time and was already taking off his bloody upper clothing.

"Stopping ya from being a selfish brat, that's what!" Gin barked and threw the items on the ground nearby. The chilly air on his bare skin made the little boy gasp. The resd slash right across his torso was probably a sickening sight.

"I am not ac-.." The icy glare from that one eye was enough for him to swallow the rest of his words. Toshiro gulped as he watched the man fumble with his own clothing, reach the white underkimono of his right sleeve and expertly tear it into long strands.

Is he going to choke me with them, he thought, blinking a bit faster than usual. His chest was burning from the pain already; maybe it would be an easy death then? Would Ichimaru grant him that?

"Stop thinking whatever it is ya're thinking there," came a calm drawl as the silver haired man ripped the other sleeve as well. When apparently finishing the assessment of the amount of material needed for whatever reason he wanted, Gin moved closer him. What he wanted to do, Toshiro had no idea, because the inner child of his that conveniently forgot about being a captain for that moment panicked. Eyes wide, his body jerked back from the suspected touch and he hit the back of his head hard on the wall. With little dragons flashing in front him in a weird dance, he promptly crumbled to the ground, hissing in pain.

What a day.

He would have ended up cracking his head open on the concrete floor had Gin not been fast enough. The man caught him in time and lowered him in a sitting position right in front of his nose.
Toshiro blinked hard, trying to get rid of the swimming surroundings. When he finally focused, he realized a few things.

One, he had two new additional pains to deal with. His head hurt where he hit it and his ankle was throbbing. It was probably twisted. Ugh.
Two, the pain on his chest had dulled and was comforting.
Three, the latter was because Gin was using a healing kido on him at the very moment.

Well, at least he knew now Gin wasn't trying to finish him off. That was what he had made up himself, he knew the man wouldn't hurt him. Well, intentionally, that is. Whatever the reason was, Toshiro couldn't complain. Gin would overpower him if he ran and with this foot, this wound and his overall sorry state it wouldn't take even two steps before he crumbled like a corpse. Besides, the man was healing him. Gran didn't teach him to be a brat in a situation where someone was offering help he knew he desperately needed. Least he could do was sit this out. Maybe he could really get answers after that? Determined to pull them out of the silver fox if needed, Toshiro waited patiently. They spent quite some time like that, sitting on the ground in the middle of nowhere. By the time Gin took up the ripped white pseudo bandages, the gash was only just a pink scratch, a bit deep but no longer bleeding at least. The internal organs that were damaged, along with his cracked rib were all healed up and working perfectly once more. The boy was getting giddy. The time for answers finally was coming.

Come on, faster…

Gin was taking his sweet time bandaging him!

When he was tying the knot on his stomach, Toshiro's patience promptly abandoned him.

"W-.. ouch!" Gin secured the knot a bit tighter then the boy expected.

"Ya know this little scratch here could have very well earned you a long term relationship with one of Unohana Taicho's infirmary beds." Gin looked at him, both eyes open now. Toshiro caught the gaze, gulped and looked away, feeling small, his enquiries forgotten. Gin's bony hand gripped his chin and forced him to look back up. "Kiddo, I know that ya care about others and all, I know that ya feel they are more important then ya, but that's selfish of you. Ran cares about ya more then for herself! That Kurosaki brat cares for ya too. They all care for yar well-being! Ya need to think of ya'self as well! If ya don't like that reason, how about his one! Ran's gona cry if something, anything happens to ya. Hinamori is gona cry, Kurosaki's gona go wild in rage!

His hand had long left his chin, but Toshiro didn't look away. He couldn't. This was so much like when Gran scolded him that one and only time when he was younger, only much more intense. Gin was right. About everything. Just like last time.

"I toldya once, ya think ya're an adult, ya better at least start acting like one. And even for a child, which you still are, ya're being too selfish, what would your Gran say if she knew?!"

Tears pooled around the corners of his eyes. Toshiro looked down, unable to hold it any longer.

Gin was right.

But he didn't need to see Hitsugaya Toshiro crumble to pieces and cry. He wouldn't.

"I want ya to promise me to never ever neglect yar own health. Even if ya have others get healing first, don't you dare ignore yar own thinking it'll pass. I forbid it!"

His white head snapped right back up, glaring at the man with an intensity and rage he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since Aizen's betrayal and Momo's near death experience by his hand.

"Why the hell do you even care what I do? I have always been alone, always did things on my own! Wait, you don't care! And what right do you have to forbid me anything! You're not my father or my captain! Why would-..."

In his icy rage, Toshiro missed the very evident flinch at the word 'father'.

"Ya're right. It's cos R-.."

"Don't you DARE make Matsumoto an excuse again! Just like last time, a freaking EXCUSE for whatever the HELL is going on!"

Gin pulled his cheek rather painfully. "Stop cursing. Kids like ya shouldn't know such words."

Toshiro pushed him away with two hands. "Well, you seem to forget that I'm a captain of a division that has a lot of grown men who like drinking." He shrugged. "It's not MY fault those idiots blab stuff. Plus Matsumoto says those too!"

"That's cos Ran-chan has no idea. If she remembered, she would never ever use such vile language in front of ... never mind."

Huh? What the hell? Matsumoto forgot something? In front of who? I'm her captain. So what if I'm still ..growing!

"What did she forget?"Toshiro asked, head tilting to the side. Gin smiled at him, eyes closed and hummed. "Never ya mind, Chibi Taicho." When Toshiro huffed in annoyance, the man fixed him with a frown. "I never got yar answer tho. I need ya to promise me and do it fast I didn't come here for a nighttime leisure stroll ya know."

"If..if i promise, will you answer a few of my questions?" The downright evil glare he got was enough to make him reconsider his own words.

"This is not a negotiation, Shiro-chan. I need you to keep your word on it, like a man".

Hitsugaya closed his eyes and breathed, gingerly rubbing the bandages.

"I know you are right, in everything. And well, I just wanted some answers, thought maybe I'd try...never mind. I promise never to be such a fool again. Like you said, I don't want Matsumoto to cry because of something that happened to me. No..scratch that, I don't want her to cry, ever." Gin was regarding him curiously, eyes half open with a strange glint sparkling in them. It was almost a wistful glance.

"You really aren't going to tell me anything, are you?" He was going to try at least once more, before Gin left. The man gave a full smirk, head titled to the side. "Depends on what ya ask."

Toshiro's skin tingled with excitement. He stifled it down though. It was evident that Gin would choose to answer or not, so he needed to think about what he wanted to ask. And his time was definitely limited, so he needed to think fast.

"Aizen doesn't know you are here right?", he tried first. Gin hummed and nodded. "So, you don't have much time.." The statement made him frown. He didn't want Gin to go. Maybe Gin could come back to their side, admit his wrongs or something. Or, Toshiro could hide him in the living world. Urahara would definitely help.

"Chibi..stop it."

The utter dejection in that one sentence made the boy stiffen. He started shaking, hands clasped in his lap. Everything suddenly came back at him, everything that happened, that one fateful night when Gin came to give him a hug, his strange behavior, everything else that happened afterwards, that Gin did afterwards, Toshiro's own thoughts and theories. The bottle had finally reached the limit where he could no longer contain it. He blew up.

"Why! I just don't get it! You and your acts! You think I didn't notice? You made Aizen seem innocent back then and yourself as a villain, you didn't everything to make people hate you, so that you were suspected for anything weird that were to happen? And that day when you came to the 10th, you.. you! Why did you join him! What did Aizen offer you? Aren't you a genius? I KNOW you're smarter than him, smarter than to fall for whatever that little - gasp - traitor had said! And you aren't like Kaname, him and his stupid vengeance for his friend! I know your double act Gin! At least, i think it is. I just..." He put his hand to his face, voice cracking as tears freely pooled form his eyes. "I just want to understand. Are you doing this for someone? My guess would be Matsumoto.."
Gin grabbed his small arm and gently pulled his hand away, revealing a tear stricken face of a child. Child who was burdened by far more than his small shoulders could carry. A child who, besides all that worried and wanted to carry someone else's burden as well.

Realizing he had just ranted out on Ichimaru Gin, Toshiro went red in embarrassment. This was all very unusual for him and he didn't like it. He quickly cleared away the wetness on his face with the back of his hand, looking anywhere but at Gin.

"Why do ya think its Matsumoto, Shiro-chan?"

Toshiro, surprised, snapped his head back up to look at the man. He definitely did not expect an answer. Gin was looking at him with a frown, both eyes open, sad.

Why was he sad?

"Um ,well, because you were classmates? You ..care for her, I see it every time you interact with her."

"Toshiro," he started carefully, as if picking the words to say next. "Ran and I were never classmates. We joined the academy in the same year, yes, but I joined earlier then her and I graduated in one year, ya know that. Besides.." A pause and a sigh." Me and Ran knew each other before the academy. We lived together in Rukongai."

The white haired boy felt his eyes widen. His mind was already analyzing the new piece of information. This connection Gin just mentioned is deep. No wonder he always looked at her that strange way, and Rangiku too. He had never ever seen her cry like that day after Gin's betrayal! It was different than the tears she drowned others in when a shop got closed or something. Gin just told him in plain words that he was very close to his fukutaicho. Not like he and Momo are. Gin definitely did not see Matsumoto Rangiku as a little sister. Did he love her?

Why do ya think its Matsumoto, Shiro-chan?

And didn't that one question directly mean that there really is someone who is involved in all the Gin following Aizen thing?

Wait..

"Gin.." Toshiro's mood darkened and the wind got a bit too chilly to be normal. "Did...did something happen to Matsumoto? Did..did Aizen do something to her?", he asked in a whisper.

Ichimaru went silent, pokerface back up. Toshiro watched him carefully, a part of him afraid to hear the answer.

Finally, as though coming to a conclusion, Gin nodded.

The boy went nearly limp. So it was true, Gin was doing this for Rangiku. That bastard Aizen was going to pay, for everything he did.

"He was experimenting with the Hogyoku", Gin explained, his eyes shadowed. "He took almost all of her reiastu, along with.. well, doesn't matter. She nearly died back then because of it. Ya know, Toshiro, when the Hogyoku is around beings, it sucks the spiritual energy they have. If ya're weak, ya simply disintegrate. Back Aizen had powered it up by sucking out the reiatsu from a lot of people." He paused and clenched his fists. "It was not enough for him, he wanted more. So he experimented on the first person who happened to be spiritually aware. Ran had no idea what hit her. She lost almost 70% of her reiatsu. All of it went to the cursed Hogyoku and the worst of it was that she never recovered it. She could have easily gotten her Bankai and her Shikai wouldn't be so sloppy had that never happened...When I got there, it was already too late."

They sat in silence, each in their own thoughts, Toshiro studying the man intently. His gaze must have triggered something in Gin, because he hurriedly said, "Don't look at me like that, Toshiro. I have done many bad things, and I will have to do them still-.."

"I don't care," grumbled the boy and awkwardly, a bit unsure of himself and what he was doing, crawled closer to the man and wrapped his arms around his middle, forehead coming to rest against his chest.
Gin froze but recovered quickly enough to wrap his arms around the boy and rest his chin atop the snowy spiky head.

The sheer feeling of comfort overwhelmed Toshiro. Once again, he felt invincible; nothing could happen to him with Gin there. Nobody could hurt him. He wanted to give this feeling to Gin too. He was out there, all alone, with Aizen and the arrancars, trying to do what seems so farfetched, something one would consider impossible.

The sudden realization made Toshiro freeze and tighten his arms around the man.

If Aizen discovered.. Gin..Gin could die.

"Will everything be alright?", he choked out. When Gin didn't answer, Toshiro looked up at him, feeling every bit of his young age. "Will it?!"

Gin looked up at the few stars that adored the sky. They looked so lonely up there. "I really don't know."

Toshiro furred his brow and scowled, really not liking that answer. Gin planted his thumb right between his eyebrows. "Stop doing that, ya'll get ya'self wrinkles, like an old man. Girls will call ya a baldie."

Toshiro snorted. "Hn."

"Well, come on then, it's pretty late. I've kept you from yar beauty sleep a bit too long now." Ichimaru stood up, easily picking the boy in his arms and crinkled a smile.

"I'm not a little kid! I don't need to be carried, especially like this!" Toshiro raged, squirming.

"I wouldn't do that if I were ya."

True enough, after a little wriggling around white hot pain shot from his toe up to his torso and he nearly yelped. He had totally forgotten about the stupid twisted ankle. At the same time, his chest started aching a bit.

"Don't complain, ya brought this on ya'self." said Gin rather cheerfully and hoisted the boy up in a more comfortable position, nestling him on his hip like a little toddler and picked up the bloody garments from the ground. Toshiro went beet red. He was a bit old to be carried like that!

"Na ya're not. Plus ya're small for yar age anyways."

Could he read minds?

"No, I can't. Ya're just an open book now, Chibi-Taicho."

Defeated, Toshiro rested his head on his shoulder. "It's Hitsugaya Taicho..."

"Hai hai...Shiro-chan."

They disappeared from the alley in a quick shunpo.

My chapters keep getting longer. This is baaaad :D

Okey, so one day left. I might just split it into 2 chaps just like this one. Not sure yet.

Cherrio.