Child of the White Winter
Kia Ixari & Aventria

2008.10.15: Would you rather the chapters stay this long, or be a little bit shorter? Shorter chapters update faster. Longer chapters take a while to write and edit.

Warning(s): None in particular for this chapter.

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IV

Yasashii Yoake
(A Gentle Dawn)

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(1) konpeitou – Japanese sugar candy.

(2) Genryuusai-jiji – lit: "old man Genryuusai"

(3) Onmitsukidou – Special Ops Kidou Corps

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Ultimately, they had to succumb to Toushirou's apparently innate stubbornness, deciding to wait for the child to fall asleep in order to pry Hyourinmaru away from the protective little arms. The boy refused to be parted from the sword, giving them a flat and blatant 'no', coupled with the beginnings of a very intimidating frosty glare. He simply sat on his cushion, content with petting the sword, holding a silent yet evidently meaningful conversation with the reawakened dragon through their mysterious spiritual bond.

Even the best of their researchers, Urahara and Kurotsuchi, could only offer theories to explain the bond between sword spirit and wielder—their current science still was inadequate, unable to fully comprehend how the swords acquire their spirits and choose their wielder. They were aware that the bond was as a contract, but how or why it is formed, they could only hazard their best guesses. There was an even lesser chance of finding a solid explanation for this exceptionally resilient reincarnated bond between Toushirou and Hyourinmaru.

Urahara proposed that, perhaps, it was Hyourinmaru who initiated the reincarnation right after Toushirou died, as if in a last and desperate attempt to save his wielder and ferry the soul somewhere safe, where it could recover and survive. As an end result, Urahara had stated earlier, this maintains the spiritual bond between them. Of course, this would imply that not only was Hyourinmaru extremely powerful, he was also able to control and utilize his own powers even without the presence of his wielder. A sword's sentience was common knowledge, but wielder-independent spirits were practically unheard of.

Sipping his tea, Urahara watched the child with awe and wonderment. Then again, if there was ever anybody in history who would be able to show us impossible things, it would be him.

What an exceptional child this was, truly! He could not help but think of what could have been accomplished had they noticed Toushirou's abilities much earlier on. If they'd put him in special training during his academy years, his reiryoku could have been much higher during his captaincy. He probably would have been able to tap into Hyourinmaru's more obscure powers as well.

He reckoned the younger Toushirou in his past lifetime in Soul Society had his reiryoku sealed by something, perhaps a traumatic experience of the past. The past Toushirou also did not meet with Hyourinmaru until he stepped into the academy and moved past the level where carrying a sword was acceptable for a student, consequently shortening his time with his sword.

This Toushirou, however, went through reincarnation, which was basically a washing away of everything, leaving only the very core of the soul. This Toushirou was fresh, pure, and unbound, with overflowing reiryoku unhampered and unadulterated.

This Toushirou was showing his talents far earlier and faster than the past Toushirou would ever have.

A chuckle from across the table caught Urahara's attention. His eyes moved from Toushirou and met Kyouraku's.

"When you stop and think about it, our younger generation is something to be proud of, no?" Kyouraku took a sip of sake and reclined slightly. "Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends. Kuchiki Rukia. Matsumoto, Abarai, Hisagi, Kira, Madarame, the lot." He turned and watched Ukitake try (in vain) to persuade Toushirou to let go of the sword in exchange for a bag of konpeitou (1). "And there's the little dragon over there too."

"If it's the younger generation, then you can count Byakuya-bou as well," Yoruichi yawned, currently in her cat form. She rolled over in Urahara's lap. "…and Ichimaru Gin. He was most certainly one of the best. Only, he ended up on the opposite side."

There was a momentary silence, within which Toushirou's resounding umpteenth 'NO' was heard across the room. Turning his back on Ukitake and Rukia, he shuffled off to a corner and hugged his sword closer.

"Look, can't we just let the kid keep the sword?" Ichigo sighed, scratching the back of his head. "It's not like he can draw it from the sheath anyway."

"We can't just let him keep a potential danger!" Rukia bristled. "He's a child, Ichigo—he's not Hitsugaya-taichou!"

Ichigo gave her a bland stare. "I know that, Rukia. But I also know that Hyourinmaru remembers. The dragon wouldn't hurt Toushirou; in fact, it'd probably be Toushirou's best protection against anything! Shouldn't we at least show a little trust here?"

Frowning, Rukia conceded, but rose to pose another front. "Would it be advisable to let him do whatever he wants with the sword, though?"

"I don't think we have any other choice but to surrender to him, Kuchiki-kun," Ukitake sighed, retreating. He tucked the bag of specially made konpeitou back into the inner folds of his robes. "Toushirou-kun seems completely convinced that he will be keeping Hyourinmaru. I don't think it's a matter of simply wanting to keep the sword anymore—it's a matter of needing the sword nearby. Perhaps it calms him, somehow."

The sliding paper doors from the far side of the room slid open, revealing an ever-stoic Kuchiki Byakuya followed by a tight-lipped Matsumoto.

Urahara looked up at them. "Has it been decided, then?"

"The Soutaichou has given his permission," Byakuya stated in his usual indifferent manner. "However, there still remain the Kuchiki clan elders. It will not be an easy persuasion."

"Then we will simply have to put up a solid front," said Yoruichi. Her slit-eyed golden gaze swung towards the shuffling Toushirou. "Those old and rotting geezers should know better than to tickle a sleeping dragon. If they don't, well, that just gives us a show to look forward to, doesn't it?"

After Hyourinmaru's reawakening, they'd immediately notified the Soutaichou, making sure to keep Toushirou indoors and safely within sight. It was not hard to keep the child still—he seemed far too preoccupied with his new companion to care about anything else. He was content to sit and cuddle with the sword, keeping it close even through his meals.

The afternoon was spent with much heated discussion between Matsumoto, Urahara, Byakuya, and Ukitake with regards to the aforementioned adoption into the Kuchiki clan. Urahara thought it appropriate to give their newest prodigy the best education Soul Society could offer, but Ukitake was quite apprehensive about handing Toushirou over to the noble families.

On the contrary, Byakuya seemed to see Urahara's point and agree. He moved to reassure Ukitake that should he ever adopt Toushirou, the boy would be safe from meddling hands and family politics. Despite their considerably heavy influence upon the noble family's businesses and traditions, the elders would not be able to direct how Byakuya handled his immediate nuclear family. There were explicit rules forbidding any such actions within the clan, with exceptions only for extreme and emergency cases.

Matsumoto, however, was a different matter.

Ichigo watched the Tenth's captain seat herself beside Toushirou, effectively calling the child's attention. Beaming happily up at her, Toushirou began relaying his conversation with Hyourinmaru, arms waving about in animate illustration.

Leaning towards Urahara and lowering his voice, Ichigo asked, "Is this really okay? Rangiku-san is obviously not happy with this."

"She's not happy, but she realizes that it's for the best," Urahara murmured. "Kuchiki-taichou will be able to provide for Toushirou in ways that she alone won't be able to. The boy will need a family; a father figure, most importantly—someone to identify with. Security, comfortable living, a proper family structure, a proper home. Besides, it's not like they won't see each other anymore."

"Still…" Ichigo sighed, toying with his teacup.

"Toushirou needs instruction, Ichigo. His abilities are vast and varied—don't you feel the sheer amount of reiryoku he already possesses? And the potential! He needs to be taught how to control his own powers, else he hurt himself, or someone else."

"Well, there's the Academy…"

Urahara shook his head. "They aren't geared towards special cases like Toushirou. The lessons given to students in the Academy are generalized—they won't even begin to cover the topics Toushirou really needs to understand. Control of his reiryoku, for one. The Academy only goes over the basics of kidou—only the first forty-five spells—and does not even touch on the more advanced and specialized theories, which are the ones he eventually needs to learn. He will also need very early instruction on how to control Hyourinmaru—even just the basics of it. The Academy can't provide that; they don't cater well to extremely young students."

Leveling Ichigo with a catty frown, Yoruichi asked, "Don't tell me you seriously considered placing such a special child under the care of the Academy."

Ichigo flushed and spluttered. "H-How should I know?! I've no idea what to expect about the Academy anyway!"

"Knowing Ichigo," Ishida snorted from where he was seated beside Orihime, "he probably assumed that the Academy cannot possibly be substandard by looking at its products. He didn't even stop and consider that we have only been acquainted with the best of Soul Society."

Yoruichi sniffed. "Still an ignorant brat. Half the people you know here did not go through the Academy's standardized training. Byakuya-bou had his personal instructors—much like Toushirou will have his own—some of them captain-class. Jyuushirou and Shunsui both were personally instructed by Genryuusai-jiji (2). Both Kisuke and I had specialized training as well. Soi Fong was trained privately by her family, retainers of the Shihouin clan and producers of the best onmitsukidou (3) warriors."

"But Renji and Rukia—"

"—were hardworking students, and continued their training and study even after graduating," Yoruichi continued for Ichigo. "Of course the Academy produces good warriors. There is no question in that. But sometimes, there comes cases they cannot handle. Byakuya-bou would not be as strong as he is had he gone through ordinary Academy training. Similarly, it would do Toushirou's talents injustice as well if we left him in the ignorant care of the Academy's generalized curriculum. Surely even an idiot like you can understand that much."

Ichigo grunted. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So Toushirou needs special attention. Who will teach him, then? Does the Kuchiki clan have special instructors reserved for these cases or something?"

"That's easily decided. We worry about that later," Yoruichi shrugged, sprawling herself upon the table and purring as Urahara reaches over to scratch her chin. "First, you've got to get that child to let go of the sword and get him into bed."

The table turned to the child still huddled in his tiny corner. Dinner was an hour ago, and even then, Toushirou insisted upon keeping the sword close. It seemed even Matsumoto was not having any luck with persuading the child.

"…just for a bit, Toushirou-kun," Matsumoto pleaded with the child.

"No, Ran-san," Toushirou firmly said.

Ichigo sighed. "Let's just grab the sword."

With a mischievous catty grin, Yoruichi said, "Sure, go ahead. You're welcome to try."

"You'll be sleeping with frostbite tonight," snickered Rukia.

Before Ichigo could even leave the table, though, Byakuya rose and made his way to the child, effectively silencing Matsumoto's persuasion. Crouching down to Toushirou's eye level, Byakuya said, "Toushirou."

Feeling the heavy gaze, Toushirou straightened himself, sword still in lap. "Yes, sir."

Back by the table, Ichigo's eye ticked. He nudged Rukia. "Your brother's not going to threaten the kid or anything, right?"

"Idiotic fool!" Rukia hissed under her breath, swatting said substitute shinigami upside the head. "Onii-sama wouldn't stoop so low!"

"Do you know who I am?" Byakuya seated himself in front of the child with his usual flawless grace.

Toushirou promptly answered, "Kuchiki Byakuya-taichou." The child's eyes were trained upon the rather intimidating yet respectable man before him, attentively observing, perpetually curious.

Byakuya continued, "I need to tell you something very important. Will you listen carefully?"

The boy nodded.

"I came to tell you that you will be joining my family very soon."

"W-What Byakuya-nii-sama is saying," Rukia interrupted, rushing over and glancing apprehensively at Byakuya, "is that we would like you to join our family, Toushirou-kun."

The boy blinked. "I can't stay with Ran-san?"

Matsumoto smiled sadly and petted the child's downy hair. "I'd like you to stay, Shiro-chan, but I won't be able to provide for you as well as Kuchiki-taichou will be. Over there you'll be able to read and study as much as you like, and you'll have your own tutors to teach you. And you'll have Rukia-nee-chan and Kuchiki-taichou to look after you. Do you understand?"

"Oh," Toushirou voiced, nodding. The boy was obviously disappointed. After a small pause, he then turned towards Byakuya and politely asked, "Will I still be able to see Ran-san, sir?"

"Of course," nodded the noble.

"Okay then," Toushirou smiled, satisfied.

Matsumoto nodded to Byakuya, moving away and leaving the child in the other captain's care. Her eyes, though, showed strong reluctance tethered only by sheer willpower. The lady captain obviously wanted to care for the child herself—and it was not unreasonable of her, considering her previous relation with said reincarnated soul.

Byakuya once more turned to Toushirou, pausing to consider his words upon Rukia's glance. He then carefully spoke, "I will have to ask you to give me the sword, Toushirou."

Toushirou's face clouded once more, an upset frown marring the child's inherently beautiful face. "But…"

"You can talk to Hyourinmaru again tomorrow," Byakuya smoothly assured the child, "but only if you let me keep him for tonight."

The child looked down at the sword currently seated in his lap. Only attuned eyes would have seen the shimmer of air around the sword—Toushirou frowned.

"Why can't I keep him?" he asked, glancing back up at Byakuya. And then, as an afterthought, added, "Sir."

Byakuya patiently explained, "You need to sleep, Toushirou, and you do not sleep with your sword in the bed. You might cut yourself. You do not know how to handle your sword yet."

"Will I be able to keep him after I learn?" the boy immediately asked, seeking for a middle ground. And then added, "Sir."

Toushirou's attentive eyes caught the corner of Byakuya's mouth lift in a slight half-smile. The older man was hard to read, but the feat was not impossible—Byakuya was mildly amused. Toushirou relaxed, knowing that he had gained the first preliminary approval from his father-to-be.

"Yes, you will, child," Byakuya steadily replied.

"Then when will I start learning?" Toushirou eagerly asked, leaning forward in his seat. "Sir."

"When you become a part of the family, Toushirou. But for now, I need to keep him. Do not worry—he will be well taken care of."

Toushirou nodded slowly, hesitating. He fully understood the reason, but the need to stay beside his dragon spirit was strong enough to make him waver. Hyourinmaru's soft rumble echoed through their bond—the dragon agreed with Byakuya. But even so, he was hesitant. Would Hyourinmaru be well within the hands of someone else?

But in conclusion of his lightning-quick internal conflict, he realized he had no choice. He had to hand Hyourinmaru over if he wanted to learn, and he needed to learn so he would be able to keep Hyourinmaru.

He sighed in surrender. He petted the sword one last time as if bidding the dragon spirit goodnight. There was another considerably stronger shimmer, and then Toushirou lifted the sword—with some effort—and handed it carefully to Byakuya.

"Please take care of him," Toushirou said. He smiled sheepishly as he forgot once more, and added, "Sir."

Byakuya took the sword in hand and nodded. He extended a hand and gently patted Toushirou's head, eliciting a jolt of surprise from Rukia. "When you sleep tonight and dream, you will see him again." A smile lit Toushirou's face.

Nodding to Matsumoto, who was about to take Toushirou home to sleep, Byakuya rose and made his way back to the table, where a piping cup of tea was waiting for him. Ichigo goggled wonderingly at him, while Rukia sat herself with a small smile. Urahara and Kyouraku merely shared a chuckle.

"Impressive," Yoruichi grinned, now somewhat half-seated on Urahara's thigh. "I wouldn't have imagined you to be capable with children, Byakuya-bou. Not even Jyuushirou was able to persuade the kid!"

Byakuya merely ignored Ichigo's (rather distracting) goggling and sipped his tea, Hyourinmaru aligned with Senbonzakura at his side. "He is an intelligent child. There is no need for extravagant persuasion—if properly explained to, he will see reason and understand the situation."

"Indeed," Kyouraku nodded. "Byakuya understands the child well. Nobody did try to explain to the kid properly."

"Then again, we're still learning what he can do and how much he can understand," Ukitake said, contemplative. "There's so many possibilities when it comes to that child."

There was a silence of agreement.

Which was unceremoniously broken when Urahara flipped his fan open, hiding an impish grin behind it. "Araa~. It seems Kuchiki-taichou will make the perfect Daddy for Toushirou-kun, don't you think?"

An eyebrow ticked.

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Tiredly, Ichigo tried to work his neck muscles, feeling pressure build-up, which was usually indicative of an incoming tension headache. Shinigami work coupled with university most definitely did not go well with each other. It made him a horribly hectic and unbelievably inconvenient life.

But then again, he thought to himself, inconvenience is a staple requirement for my daily living.

His eyes thoughtfully scanned over Seireitei's nightscape, noting that from this angle as he sat on the roof of the Tenth captain's residential house, he overlooked the entirety of the Tenth division. It stretched out before him endlessly—he could not even see the high walls bordering Seireitei and Rukongai. He faintly wondered if from the other residential captain houses, he would be able to see the corresponding divisions as well.

"What are you doing?"

Starting, Ichigo turned to see Rukia standing atop the roof, watching him. Having known her for so long, he'd become extremely used to her reiatsu that there were times when he didn't even detect her nearing anymore if he was not paying proper attention or was otherwise occupied.

He shook his head at himself and sighed. "Not much. Just looking at the scenery, I guess?" Ichigo turned back to the sprawling Tenth division.

"Scenery?" snorted Rukia, seating herself beside him. "What scenery? This is pitch black darkness, idiot."

And indeed it was. It was as if a shroud of deep ebony cloaked over the entirety of Soul Society, penetrated only by tiny glowing pinpricks of golden lamplight. The moon was waning up high, shedding an inconsequential amount of moonlight. The stars were nowhere to be found.

"…it's been a while since you've visited the living world, hasn't it." It was not so much a question as it was a statement. Both of them knew as much.

"Perhaps it has," Rukia sighed. "Here, in Soul Society, time seems to pass by slowly. So slow that the passing seasons seem endless, and you lose count of how many days, weeks, months it has been. I would never have noticed it's already been four years since had you not kept with your monthly visits here."

They both knew what was to come within the conversation, but both were unwilling to breach the sturdy barrier of silence.

Ichigo shifted in his seat. Shuffled his feet. Adjusted his haori.

He liked to think that he understood Rukia's situation. He knew he didn't, not really. He didn't live under the same pressure and expectation Rukia did with the Kuchiki clan. He didn't have a complicated relationship with a brother-in-law who probably would count as one of the hardest people to talk to. He didn't have the same duties as a full-time shinigami as she did.

He sighed.

He would never fully understand Rukia. Not this way. He knows this. Rukia had seen and lived through things he could only even begin to imagine. She was a mere sixteen years shy of a hundred years old. The passing of time was something Ichigo knew left a permanent imprint on a person, and that imprint helped define that person. If he could not understand that imprint (and he was pretty sure he would not be able to in his current state), he would never be able to fully comprehend that person.

But I want to try.

If only trying was that easy.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were stuck, scratching, suffocating, in his throat. The sentences were rough, too rough. He knew they would make him—no, both of them—bleed. But did he have any other choice? Should he make excuses, Rukia would only see through them. Should he skirt the issue, it would simply come back later to haunt him.

If only trying was that easy.

Rukia was all sorts of things – a friend, a sister, a warrior, a comrade. She brought with her happiness and joy, bitterness and anger, sadness and grief. And with all of this she came barging into Ichigo's life, upending the very foundation of reality and keeping it that way, upside-down.

Ichigo's medical mind parroted that psychologically speaking, it was natural that Ichigo was attracted to the girl, despite whatever her faults might be. Someone who's had such a strong and lasting impact on him would surely catch attention.

But he knew that that was not all of it. That couldn't be all of it.

The brave warrior he saw within those fiercely burning eyes whenever they fought back to back, the caring friend he glimpsed whenever he would look into warm eyes as they walked side by side, the loving and devoted sister he'd only ever seen once when she was caring for Byakuya.

The way she stood beside him through thick and thin, the way she believed in him during times of duress, the way she kept him up but kept him humble, the way she gave her all to support him whenever he was in a struggle—

Trying is not easy.

"Will you come with me to visit the living world for a while?"

There was moonlight, pale moonlight.

"Yuzu and Karin both say hello, and insist you come over for dinner once," Ichigo continued. "I highly suggest against it—Dad will be extremely annoying, far more than usual. He's been like that since I moved out. I think he's ran out of people to annoy, that's why."

A paltry breeze sifted through Ichigo's slightly longer hair, chilling them as they sat under the wintry midnight skies. The silence was unbearable, but Ichigo bore through it, for it was all he could do, really.

"I can't, Ichigo."

Trying is not easy, because I know—I have always known—what your answer is going to be.

"I can't," she said, gently and absently wringing her hands. "I have to stay here. I'm needed here. I have duties—"

"—as a shinigami, yes, I know," snapped Ichigo, though his voice was kept and controlled. Knowing that I still ask you. Can't you see?

There was a lengthy pause.

Rukia murmured, "I'm sorry."

Sighing for the third time, Ichigo shuffled his legs. He shook his head. "No. No, I'm sorry." There really was nothing more to it than this, he thought to himself. But it was so hard to try, especially when failure was looking you in the face. "It's okay, I understand."

I just want your company.

There was not anything else to it other than that.

"Take care of yourself, Rukia. Don't overwork yourself, okay?" he gave her a grin, though he knew she would see the falseness of it.

His hands, they brushed against fallen snow. The tiled rooftop felt warm in comparison to his stiff and frozen fingers. This was why he was hesitant to try. Because trying would rip away the rocking, warm comfort of a lie.

Truth is rarely pure, and never simple.

A whisper of a breath and the rustle of cloth—and then he was gone.

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Morning dawned upon Seireitei, and still the wintry skies were at peace. There was not a single sign of the violent snowstorms that used to plague said skies—it was as if they'd never existed at all.

Inside a small solitary room within the Tenth division's captain residency, a little boy was cocooned in a warm confusion of wool and mink and cotton. Said boy was nestled in such softness and comfort so heavenly that not even the prolonged and undoubtedly incessant ringing of the borrowed alarm clock by his bedside woke him from his deep slumber.

It was not until much later, when a fully dressed Matsumoto prepared for the day's duties came by his room and checked on him, did he finally wake (and very grudgingly so). The Tenth division captain had great difficulty coaxing the boy up, and it took an entire fifteen minutes of active persuasion to get him to reluctantly part from the bed.

"What's wrong, Shiro-chan? Yesterday you were up early," Matsumoto worried. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No," Toushirou groggily rubbed an eye and yawned. "Bed comfy. Hyourinmaru."

"Hyourinmaru?" echoed Matsumoto. As if to check, her eyes darted towards the bed and confirmed that there was no sword on the futon beside the boy.

With a sleepy smile, Toushirou sank back into his soft bed and said, "Hyourinmaru was in my dream, just like Kuchiki-taichou told me." He rolled over, burying his face into his pillow. "I like Kuchiki-taichou."

Matsumoto flinched.

"Do you, now?" she silently said, tugging Toushirou up and helping him roll up the futon. Her smile was a conflicted smile, but she hoped it didn't show.

"He doesn't lie to me," Toushirou explained. "He's never lied to me yet. I hope he doesn't ever." The child happily continued to arrange his futon and blankets, making sure to properly fold them and set them by the far wall.

With a half-hearted smile, Matsumoto watched the child. All night she had tried to reason against her selfish want to keep Toushirou close by beside her, to keep the child near and away from any danger. She knew that the Kuchiki clan was one of the best, if not the best, noble houses currently present, and that they would be the best choice for a child as special as Toushirou. And so she reasoned.

But reason doesn't really work well against emotions.

Her smile was wry as she realized how she sounded. She could easily be mistaken for a mother reluctant to let go of a growing child. She sighed to herself. Really, I'm too young to be suffering under separation anxiety. This doesn't do well for my beauty.

"Ran-san."

"Mm?" Her eyes returned to the boy, who was staring quite pointedly at her. The child was clutching his clothes in his hands. "Oh! Right." She giggled, stood, and left the room so the boy could dress.

Amazing how fast he grows, she remarked to herself. The boy was already as responsible as any child two or three years older than his actual chronological age. Very capable of taking care of himself at the very basic level, Toushirou was a very easy child to watch over.

Which is most certainly a good thing, considering who he's going to live with soon enough.

Kuchiki Byakuya was not on the top of her list of candidates for possible parents for Toushirou. Of course, her list was largely biased, with her at the very top. But in this particular case, the bias was negligible. Byakuya was most definitely not a person who enjoyed the company of children. She wasn't even sure he knew how to take care of children!

She had to admit, though, that she was impressed with how easily Byakuya dealt with Toushirou the night before. Sighing, she strove to make compromise with her own feelings. It wasn't as if she wouldn't see Toushirou anymore. She would be right there. She could even check on him daily, if she made the proper adjustments to her schedule.

I have to talk to him, though. Poor child cannot possibly know what to expect…

She didn't have to wait long, for Toushirou was quick to wash his face and don his clothes. When the boy came out of the room, fully wrapped in warm winter clothing, Matsumoto knelt down and took the boy by his shoulders. She gently adjusted his clothes, and made sure the scarf was snug around the neck.

"Shiro-chan," she began. Pursing her lip, she took a pause for a deep breath. "Shiro-chan—"

"It's okay, Ran-san." With small hands, Toushirou reached over and patted her either cheek. "I promise I'll visit a lot. And Kuchiki-taichou is really nice! I'm sure he'll let you visit too."

…I didn't have to say anything. Matsumoto was paralyzed by surprise. He knew.

A chuckle escaped her, and she couldn't help but land a kiss on top of Toushirou's small nose. "Such a smart child, aren't you?"

Wrinkling his nose, Toushirou giggled. "Tickles!" He pulled away, but left a hand to pet Matsumoto's tresses. With intelligent and compassionate eyes, he said, "Ran-san shouldn't be sad. Ran-san's too pretty to be so sad."

Matsumoto couldn't help but smile, seeing a shadow of her late captain shining through the child. Truly, they were of the same soul. Ruffling his hair, she drew back and said with a serious countenance, "Alright, then, Shiro-chan. Let's make a deal. I won't be sad anymore if you promise that you will take care of yourself. Okay?"

Toushirou nods. "I promise!"

She continued, "Staying with the Kuchiki clan will teach you many things, but it will not be easy. Kuchiki-taichou will protect you and take care of you, but he has his own duties. You have to learn to take care of yourself. Rukia-nee-chan will be there, though, so you can go to her."

The boy frowned. "Kuchiki-taichou seems nice. He's just very quiet. But that's okay. I like that."

"You can talk to Kuchiki-taichou too, of course," Matsumoto amended. "After all, from here on, he…"

There was a lengthy pause.

"Ran-san?"

With great effort, Matsumoto said, "From here on, he will be your father."

Toushirou nodded again and petted Matsumoto's hair. "No crying," he firmly stated, frowning at Matsumoto in what was supposed to be a serious and intimidating manner.

The (adorably cute) frown simply made Matsumoto laugh.

-

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Whenever there was a heavy decision to be made, Byakuya made sure to seek opinion from his grandfather, his parents, and his late wife, Hisana. Only, he had but mere memories of them, so at best, all he could do was give his best guess on what they would have to say.

Hopefully he knew them well enough to anticipate what their answers would have been. His grandfather, his foremost mentor, certainly taught him well, giving him a set of principles to govern his decisions. They spent enough time together for him to be able to accurately assume what his grandfather's opinions and suggestions would be, which was primarily the reason why he always sought his grandfather first.

This time, though, his memories drew him a blank.

The prospect of having a child was something he had considered a long time ago, when Hisana was still alive. He was young and foolish, blind and in love. Hisana, however, had not wanted a child. She did not need to say it for him to be able to feel it. As such, he did not push the issue, and it was walled off and never again breached, more so after her death.

His decision to take Toushirou was, with full honesty, impulsive. He hadn't a single inkling on what possessed him to agree with Urahara's sudden suggestion, but he did anyway, and it was done. He was quite apprehensive at the idea of being responsible for a child, never having dealt with one before.

But it seems his fears were unfounded.

The child was an unarguably smart child, though probably a little too inquisitive for his own good. (Then again, he was pretty sure that most children had a tendency to be far too curious about things, so that was alright.) He had no doubts that Toushirou would be more than capable of handling life as a noble. The boy was certainly responsible enough to take care of himself, and was already showing aptitude for strategic thinking, which was the first and foremost requirement for dealing with politics. Not that he wanted to involve the child in such things—it was simply inevitable that there would be involvement, as a member of the Kuchiki main house. It was better to have the child ready.

Whether by luck or accident, Byakuya did not know, but when he arrived at the doors of the Fourth division's medical halls, he found himself blissfully alone in the morning silence. There was audible shuffling from inside the inner quarters as he made his way into one of the waiting rooms, an indication that the day was already underway for the medical staff.

He did not have to wait long, though, before the Fourth captain bowed into the room and bid him a pleasant morning.

"Toushirou-kun and Matsumoto-taichou are on their way and will be here in a few moments," Unohana notified him. "The check-up will only take about half an hour, and then you will be on your way."

Byakuya nodded. The moment she finished speaking, there was a flurry of activity behind her, and in through the door came her vice, Isane, guiding Matsumoto, who was tugging along a flushed but evidently happy Toushirou.

"Ohayou!" Toushirou chirped, giving a little bouncy wave. He beamed when he saw Hyourinmaru tucked safely at Byakuya's side with Senbonzakura.

"Ohayou, Toushirou-kun, Matsumoto-taichou," Unohana smiled, her usual kindness just a little bit brighter as she saw the cheerful child. She knelt to his eye level and asked, "How are you feeling today, Toushirou-kun?"

"Very good, thanks," he smiled brightly.

Unohana nodded. "We shall start with the check-up immediately so you can be on your way with Kuchiki-taichou. Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Not yet," Toushirou replied, giving a sheepish grin. "I woke up late today." He wiggled as Matsumoto divested him of his outer layers of clothing.

"He did sleep quite a bit late last night," mentioned Matsumoto. "And he doesn't seem sick."

"Quite the opposite," Unohana remarked as she started taking temperature and heart rate. "Pulse is strong, and he's sufficiently warm but not too hot. Seems perfectly healthy—children's bodies are quite remarkable when it comes to recovery, resistance, and repair—but just to be sure, we are going to check him all through." She turned to Toushirou and gave him a kind and reassuring smile, the type she'd mastered over years of dealing with patients—both the good and the bad ones. "Don't you worry. It'll be over before you know it."

Toushirou nodded, and was ushered back out the door towards a small clinic where the necessary equipments were located. Matsumoto and Byakuya both fell back, watching the boy attentively converse with Unohana and answer her probing questions.

"Shiro-chan mentioned seeing Hyourinmaru in his dreams last night," Matsumoto began without preamble.

"I would have expected as much," Byakuya replied in his usual steady voice. "A bond as strong as his and Hyourinmaru's is a bond to respect. I do recall the late Hitsugaya-taichou mentioning dreams of a dragon and a plain of snow prior to his wielding Hyourinmaru."

Deigning not to ask the stoic captain of where he acquired such private information, Matsumoto continued, "Will these dreams continue? Will they have some sort of negative side-effect?"

"I cannot pretend I know everything regarding the contract between sword and wielder, but I do know that this is a symptom of growing power. But as long as he is taught the proper way of controlling his powers, I do not see any problem with it. On the contrary, it might only deepen their bond."

Nodding, Matsumoto returned to silence. With a slight start, she realized this was probably the most she'd ever heard Byakuya say. She couldn't help but wonder if that said anything about his concern for Toushirou.

The rest of the check-up passed in a blur of white. They watched as Unohana drew blood from a brave and relatively unflinching Toushirou. They watched as a myriad of tests were performed on the child, and were reassured by each one that he was in perfect health despite whatever trauma he might have gone through during the brief time he wandered as a soul in the living world.

Soon enough, Unohana was giving Toushirou a few last explicit instructions to eat enough, be careful when playing, and sleep early. Matsumoto helped tuck the child back into the warmer clothing, and they made their way to the Fourth's front gates, where Toushirou delighted in sinking half his legs into the pristine white snow.

Matsumoto gently took him by the shoulders and gave him one last peck on the cheek. "You'll be going with Kuchiki-taichou now, Shiro-chan. You be a good boy, alright?"

Toushirou nodded resolutely, and gave Matsumoto two wet kisses on each cheek, giggling as they rubbed noses. And then he was handed over to Byakuya, who placed a warm and steady hand upon Toushirou's shoulder.

"Please take care of him, Kuchiki-taichou." Matsumoto looked up at Byakuya, her frost blue eyes reflecting sobriety. "He's a precious child."

Byakuya inclined his head in respect to her wishes. "I will. You are welcome to visit him anytime."

"You promised to come and play, Ran-san!" Toushirou cheerfully reminded her.

A few more words and the two of them were leaving, headed towards the general direction of the Kuchiki manor. Toushirou gave one lively wave to Matsumoto, before turning his back and grasping Byakuya's offered hand.

Matsumoto's tears fell upon smiling lips as they blurred into the wintry whiteness.

-

Tsuzuku
(Unrevised Version)

Kia Ixari / Aventria
First Draft: 10.26.08
Updated: 12.21.08
Last Revised: 10.26.08