Hello everyone! Merry Christmas! Here's an extra long chapter for the Holidays, and in apology for not updating for awhile. :) Reviews please!

Harry was led to a restaurant down the street by Ukitake, Momo, and Rangiku, who had come back quickly. It turns out Ukitake was Hitsugaya's 'legal guardian', though they didn't live together. To Harry, it kind of explained why Hitsugaya had white hair at his age. Rangiku, despite her height, was Hitsugaya's same age. The woman showed Harry a picture she got from one of their friends (Orihime) with her and Hitsugaya (along with a few others). Harry burst out laughing at the sight of someone who couldn't be older than 10.

"He got his growth spurt only a few days before he left for your school." Rangiku explained, grinning cheekily. Somewhere in the distance, Hitsugaya sneezed.

They arrived at the restaurant quickly, where Ukitake ordered several bowls of strange foods Harry had never heard of. Set in front of him was… That is salmon, right? As the raven-haired boy stared bug-eyed at the huge slab of meat (Sorry, fish), the other three started giggling (or in Ukitake's case, chuckling).

"W-What's so funny?" Harry asked, flustered and embarrassed.

"Sorry Harry-kun. I thought you might be hungry so I ordered a large plate for you." Ukitake managed to get out, suppressing his laugh as he smiled apologetically.

"No, it's alright." Harry replied hesitantly, looking back at the huge platter. He picked up the chopsticks, having been shown how to use them, and clumsily started eating. The others seemed to be having a great time watching him.

Later, the trio dragged Harry off, showing off Japan and its unique wonders to the boy. Poor Harry seemed to be dragged around a lot lately. They passed a police station just as Shouta exited it. It might have been him, but Harry thought that the brunette seemed a bit down. "Shouta-kun!" Momo called, bounding over to him. Shouta looked up at them in slight surprise, a smile making its way onto his face as he greeted the girl.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, eyeing them with curiosity.

"We were just showing Harry around!" Rangiku replied cheerfully. "He's got to see what a great place Japan is, don't you think?" Ukitake smiled behind her, seeming a little left out, along with Harry. "What about you?"

Shouta's eyes wandered back to the doors he had just exited, before quickly looking away again. "Just… visiting an old friend. Last time I saw him, we weren't exactly… on good terms." He replied carefully, and the three shinigami nodded in understanding. "He wasn't there anyways, though. So it probably doesn't matter much." He said quickly.

Harry noticed the bittersweet smile, and his brow furrowed in thought. What was it that Manabu had said about the brunette?

"Anyways, it's almost six. We should be getting the birthday boy ready, shouldn't we?" Shouta pointed out, and Matsumoto grinned mischievously.

"I'll be overlooking the decorating at the party hall~!" She sang, winking at Harry before running off. Ukitake chuckled softly.

"Shiro-chan!" Momo called out, skipping into Urahara's place. The white-haired shinigami trudged into the room, looking tired and not at all happy.

"I thought I told you not to call me that." He grumbled, a slight scowl on his face. Momo seemed to ignore him.

"Get changed, it's almost time for the party." Hinamori scolded, pushing him back into another room.

"Oi…" The other two laughed, Harry chuckling along with them.

"Are they dating?" The boy-who-lived asked as the three of them waited outside. It had gotten pretty cold, and they were all wrapped in coats and scarves, Shouta wrapped in a blanket. Both Ukitake and Shouta blinked at his question, before falling into fits of laughter. (Well, Shouta mostly.)

"No, no!" Shouta replied, waving his hand in a dismissing manner. "Those two are more like brother and sister. If anything, Momo's going to end up dating Ai…" The brunette immediately shut himself up, frowning deeply. A depressing mood fell over them, Harry seeming both worried and confused at the sudden change in mood.

"Dating who?" He insisted.

"It's no one, Harry. Our Headmaster might tell you, but it's not a good time right now. But, please don't mention it around her. Preferably not around Hitsugaya either." Shouta replied, a pained smile on his face. Harry looked at them in confusion.

At that moment, Momo and Hitsugaya rushed out, Hitsugaya out of his gigai, and in his shihakusho. "What were you guys talking about?" Hitsugaya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing at all." Ukitake replied, his kind, fatherly smile lighting up in an instant. As they walked out, Harry noticed Momo in a similar outfit to Hitsugaya's, but without the white sweater. (I know, it's called a haori. Harry doesn't know that though.)

They walked quickly to the empty park, Harry looking around in confusion. "Where is everyone?"

"At the school. We have a special… gateway that we use to get to the school, like the wall you run through to get to Platform 9 ¾. Only members of this school can open this gateway, though." Momo explained cheerfully.

"Wouldn't that be a pain to go through every day though?"

"That's why we have dorms, of course."

"So, then those are your school uniforms?" Momo nodded as Hitsugaya opened the 'gateway' to the Precipice world.

"We have to go through an alternate dimension to get to the school, and every once in awhile there's this train-thing called the 'Cleaner'. Call it a type of… security guard, if you will. So we always have to go a bit quickly." Shouta explained, picking up Harry over his shoulder like a big sack.

"Hey! I can run fine, mind you!" Harry protested, struggling.

"Yeah, but we've been trained to run faster than the average person, and you can't get past the cleaner with average speed." Harry faltered in his struggling at that, and then they were off with a burst of speed, Harry now holding on for dear life. Looking in front of him, (which is behind for the ones running) a light came from the distance, growing larger by the second. What looked like a purple demon train rushed towards them, blaring.

"Sh-Shouta…" He stuttered, fixated on the thing coming towards them.

"Yeah?" Shouta asked, not looking at the boy slung over his shoulder.

"Is… that the cleaner?"

Shouta turned around in confusion, eyes widening. "Gyahh!" He yelled, speeding up. He raced past the others, who looked at him in confusion. They turned around as well, and, having the same reaction, quickly caught up to Shouta and Harry. "Almost… there…!" They jumped through the gate at the end, just as the cleaner had caught up. Shouta swore that the stupid thing got faster every time he saw it.

Dropping Harry back on his feet, the group followed Ukitake through the Seireitei, past buildings and buildings of white. As far as Harry could see, they were going in circles.

They stopped next to what looked like a courtyard, and Ukitake looked back at them as Momo covered Hitsugaya's eyes. "Oi!" Shouta did the same for Harry.

"Why me too?" He asked, trying to remove the hands.

"Because this is the first time you've seen a party Matsumoto-style." Shouta replied, grinning cheekily. They slowly led the way into the courtyard, Harry confused and curious as to what a 'Matsumoto-style party' was like. They stopped, and the pair of hands were removed.

Colorful lights lit up the area like a Christmas tree, the trees themselves dancing in the breeze. Tables had been pulled out, covered in cakes and sweets of all kinds, many Japanese. There were boxes of pizza, buckets of steak, and gallons of soda. And much to Hitsugaya's delight, at the center was a whole table covered in watermelon and a fountain of green tea. All over the courtyard were dozens of grinning faces and laughing people, many of varying ages. They all turned at their entrance, grinning and holding up their drinks. "Happy Birthday Hitsugaya! Welcome to Japan Harry!"

Hitsugaya blinked in surprise, speechless. Harry was much the same, before grinning like a madman. The two of them were pulled into the crowd, getting countless pats on the back and cheerful greetings and congratulations. Even Byakuya came up to his fellow Captain, nodding in greetings. "Happy birthday." His voice was monotone, but Hitsugaya accepted it gratefully none the less.

It wasn't long before Matsumoto got herself and half the group drunk, loud singing ringing throughout the air as shinigami laughed goofily. Somehow, Ichigo got drunk as well, turning a friendly conversation with Renji into a brawl, before a drunk Kenpachi interrupted.

"Ichigo! Fight me!" Kenpachi slurred loudly, stumbling after Ichigo. At some point, Harry got pulled away, already slightly drunk.

"*Hic* Shouta? *Hic* What is it? *Hic*" He slurred stumbling as the brunette pulled him away.

"Snap out of it Harry. I can't believe Matsumoto turned even this into a drinking party. God. Anyways, I figured, since you're here, you can go meet our Headmaster. We'll take the long way around though, so you can sober up a bit." Shouta replied, slowing down a bit so Harry could walk properly.

"*Hic* Okay. *Hic*"

They walked in silence for a long while, until they finally reached the 1st Division. By that time, Harry had stopped slurring, and for the most part could think properly. They stopped at two big doors, Shouta pushing open one as Harry stared at them in awe. "Well? C'mon." The brunette pulled him inside, before disappearing somewhere. Harry looked around the big hall, his eyes finally resting on an old man in front of him.

He was covered in scars, and had a long beard rivaling Dumbledore's, only this guy had his wrapped in what looked like purple ribbons. He wore the same uniform as the others, though he had the same white sweater only a few others had draped over his shoulders. His hands rested on a gnarled wooden cane, and he sat in a chair.

"You must be Harry Potter." The man spoke in English. "I am the… Headmaster, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto."

"N-nice to meet you sir." Harry shuffled nervously.

"The English Wizards are currently in a war with this Voldemort character, correct?" Harry nodded. "Seeing as you have already defeated him once before, could you perhaps tell me what you know about his power?" Yamamoto opened one of his eyes, peering at Harry. The boy looked at the ground, shuffling again.

"Sorry, sir. I don't know a lot. He's the most powerful dark wizard alive, and he wants to destroy all muggle-born wizards. And he's the descendent of Salazar Slytherin, one of the 4 founders of Hogwarts." Yamamoto nodded slightly.

"I see. Thank you. You deserve to know about our enemies as well, seeing as how they have allied. Sosuke Aizen was a former Professor, and a powerful one. When he defected, he brought with him 2 other Professors: Kaname Tousen and Gin Ichimaru. He seeks to destroy our school and rule over both our World and the… muggle world. He has the power to create powerful illusions, ruling over all five senses. When you have seen his abilities once, you have forever been trapped in his illusions. He also has an army of monsters known as Hollows with him. Powerful creatures of varying strength, ranging from 100,000 and even more in number. Some of these Hollows may even be more powerful than some of our Professors."

Harry's eyes widened at the thought. 100,000 monsters?

"We have already had many casualties. There is also the matter of Raynaulski, who has been… resurrected by the two. However, only Shouta-san can rightfully explain him to you." At that, the Head Captain looked up expectantly, where a reluctant brunette jumped from the high ceiling. He landed with grace, smirking in amusement at Harry's stunned face.

"Raynaulski right? I can't necessarily tell you much, but… Well, he murdered my mom, set fire to my house where I lost my little sister, gave me some really painful scars, and has tortured me both physically, emotionally, and psychologically for his own amusement. Not much to say otherwise. And his abilities… Well, before he 'died', he was much faster than anyone I know, and he was an expert with a sword. He was also pretty decent with a gun, though he prefers carving up his victims and leaving some cryptic message that only taunts people." He walked past Harry, who was stunned speechless, and towards the open door.

"Trust me Harry Potter. You Wizards have it easy. Try living a day in our shoes."