Title: Broken Trust

Genre: Angst

Characters: Toshiro, Kyoraku, Ukitake and others

Summary: Toshiro finds his world breaking apart and the last straw comes with yet another death. In order to try to find answers he finds himself making a rather big mistake.

Rating: T

Broken Trust

Two bright teal eyes stared at the broken sword that lay on the cushion as the young mind that they belonged to tried to wrap his mind around the whole situation. The head captain happened to be dead and there was another hole added to his heart. "Hyorinmaru, how should... I keep forgetting I can't hear him anymore. The head captain's fukutaicho and now him though. Why?"

It was then that Soifon burst into a yelling rage and the small taicho found himself taken aback as well broken from his train of thoughts. He looked over at her and his mind puzzled something else. "Why is she acting like none of them liked Yamamoto? They wouldn't have come back had they hated Yamamoto, right?"

The boy then heard the comment from the seventh division taicho about wanting to yell and not doing so out of respect for the old man. The boy found himself thinking to himself. "Do I want to yell? Yes... I think so. But why am I not when normally I would be yelling long before Soifon? Would I normally be yelling before her? I don't know. I'm not sure of my feelings."

The boy found himself heading out and back to his division only to find Rangiku in a daze. "There is no use talking to her. Something about our fight with the Quincy bothered her. It bothered me as well, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I don't like not being able to figure things out like this. If I had Hyorinmaru, then I could figure it out."

He got to work on the paperwork and then let out a deep sigh. "I should be training, finding a way to communicate with Hyorinmaru. How much time has passed since I was at the first division."

"Hey, taicho. Did you hear that Kyoraku's been named the new head captain. They sent a message a couple of hours ago. No, I think more."

The boy looked up at his fukutaicho and found himself noticing the fact that she had actually made a dent in the paperwork despite her current mood. He on the other hand hadn't made anywhere near the same kind of dent in the stack. "How long have I been out of it."

"Don't worry about it."

"Matsumoto, please."

"It's the afternoon."

Toshiro got up. "Since he is now the head captain I will go and see him and see what he wants me to do if anything."

"Taicho..."

"I'll be find Matsumoto." The boy got up and first headed to the first division. The new head captain was in the first division office and he knocked on the door. He stepped into the room.

Kyoraku glanced up and closed the book he had been reading, frowning as he did so. "Ahh... Hitsugaya Taicho. There is something I need to talk to you about."

"I see." The boy glanced out at the sky. Another knock came and a messenger came into the room.

"I came to tell you that the captain of the eleventh division has sent word that we are to make funeral preparations for the forth division captain."

The boy found his eyes going wide. "Wait... I don't understand..."

"Shit... you weren't supposed to hear about this like this." Kyoraku got up and went over to whisper something into the messenger's ear before he took off.

"Kyoraku..." Toshiro frowned. "Unohana is dead?"

"Toshiro... sit in this chair across from me so that we can talk."

"Why are you reacting the way you are. I don't understand."

"Sit, now." The boy let out a deep sigh and then sat down in the chair across from the man. "Yes, Unohana is dead."

"Why?"

The man folded his hands in front of him. "Have you ever heard the story of the thirteen oni?"

"That's just a story they tell little kids to get them to go to bed and behave. My grandmother never had to tell me the stories to frighten me, but the older kids liked to use them to bully me when I was younger." Toshiro then shook his head. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"It isn't just a story Toshiro." The man narrowed his eyes at the boy. "What else do you associate with the number thirteen." He watched as the boy swallowed. "I take it you know what I was wanting you to think of. Yes, the thirteen oni were the founders of the Gotei Thirteen. The last two remained are now gone."

Toshiro found himself shaking his head and could feel his throat tightening. "I'm a captain, I need to remain composed. Unohana's dead... but... and she's not an oni!" He took a deep breath. "But why is Unohana dead."

"Unohana was the first Kenpachi Toshiro."

The boy swallowed and felt his hands clutch the chair. "But..."

"Yes, yes. I get what you're thinking."

"Then you should know as well as I that Unohana is an oni. I wouldn't call the head... I would call."

"It's all right Toshiro."

"The current Kenpachi killed her, did he not. Why?"

Kyoraku sighed "What did I just tell you about her? Don't hold it against Kenpachi."

"I won't." Toshiro glanced at the ground. "Or will I?"

"This isn't what I wanted to talk to you about."

"I came to see if you had any orders for me." The boy glanced up, a rather hopeful look in his eyes.

"Good. Because I do have an order for you. I don't want you to participate in the upcoming battle."

Toshiro's face had remained emotionless to this point but he could feel his mouth falling into a frown and his eyes widening. "Wait? What have I done wrong?" "You lost your Bankai moron." "Well, I can see what I've done wrong."

"You're not in trouble." The man frowned at the boy. "I'm going to be brutally honest with you here. Without your Bankai, you're not going to be much help to us."

"What if the twelth division can find a way to unlock my Bankai?" The boy's eyes gained a hopeful look.

"The answer is still going to be no. How many people have you lost recently that you cared about? You've not tried to grieve for them. You're not even grieving right now."

"You yourself said that this isn't the time too..."

"You're still a child Toshiro. What I expect of the others is different."

The boy felt his anger suddenly surging forward. "The prior head captain..."

"... of course did things differently. I'm not tied down to the same traditions he is and I have an honest reason for you not going into battle."

"You think I'd be useless."

"Toshiro..."

"I'm going to ask that you not call me by my first name head captain. You're only making my mood worse. Or are you suggesting that you don't think I deserve the captain's rank?"

"You know I never said that."

"I've also worked really hard on finally mastering my Bankai too, so if I got it back..."

"You may have finally mastered it, but you are far from reaching your fullest potential." Kyoraku watched as the boy's eyes fell to the ground. "Eventually you could be Head Captain."

"I don't want to be." The boy stood up.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have said that..."

"I think I'll take my leave. I'm not useless though." Toshiro found himself turning and heading away from the man. "The thirteen oni..."

He headed towards the library and began to look at the books, only to find himself nearly dropping the book. "Shiro-chan?"

"I'm sorry. I came to see if I could do any research that would help since I'm pretty much useless otherwise."

"Don't say that. You're very useful." Ukitake smiled at the boy. "You can help me as that's what I am going to do."

"Tell that to the new head captain."

"What do you mean. Kyoraku..." The white haired man shook his head.

Toshiro picked up another book. "He forbid me from fighting in the upcoming battle."

"I see... so he's planning on having you stay here in Soul Society when the group that is going to attack the Vandriech goes, if we can find out where they are."

The boy paused, frowning. "Am I that useless?"

"I don't think it is an issue of you being useless." Ukitake glanced away. "We've already lost the former fukutaicho of the first division and the head captain."

"Unohana as well..."

The man paused before turning his head. "So... she finally had that fight she wanted with Kenpachi?"

"Is that supposed to make me happy about the fact."

"Toshiro... you're not reacting the way I'd expect you to be reacting."

"What? Do you both think I should be bawling my head off like a little kid? I'm not a little kid anymore despite the fact both of you think otherwise."

"Normally you go off by yourself and do whatever it is you do by yourself."

"That would actually be going off and bawling my head off like a little kid. But I don't do that anymore. Seriously..."

"Right now you're remaining close to people. It is a bit worrisome."

Toshiro closed the book. "I'm going to head off in this direction since you believe I'm better off having some time by myself to grieve."

"That's not..."

The boy kept going through the archive, wandering farther and farther away. "The thirteen oni. Has he ever thought of the connection between the two?"

The boy went through various books and paid no mind to the fact it was late at night. Despite the fact people normally weren't allowed in late at night an exception was likely being made. He picked up another book and opened it, his eyes taking in the information and eating it up. He glanced up towards where Ukitake was before swallowing.

A couple of hours later Ukitake came looking for him but instead found a note left on the table for him. He quickly opened the letter only to find his breath catching. He spun on his heals and headed to the first division and opened the door. "Kyoraku!"

"Have you found something dealing with how to get Vandenreich?"

"No... but apparently Shiro-chan did."

The man let out a sigh. "He shouldn't be involved with this. What did he find?"

"How to get their apparently, but he put whatever book he found the information in back and left me this letter. It isn't good." The man dropped it onto the desk. "Did you really have to make him feel like he was going to be useless in the fight."

"I'm not sure..." Kyoraku let out a deep sigh. "Perhaps I should have been clearer about why he wasn't to fight in this battle. This just makes our situation worse."

"He can take care of himself Kyoraku, but I don't like the idea of him doing this."

"This isn't a matter of him being able to take care of himself. If that was the problem with him being in this fight I wouldn't have forbidden him from fighting." The man set the letter down. "Reconnaissance of all things..." The man then looked up at his friends. "You know as well as I that Toshiro is special."

"Yes. He holds the hope and future of the Gotei Thirteen on his shoulders. If you had simply told him that, surely..."

"Except that isn't the reason I forbid him either." Kyoraku tapped a book. "I've read old man Yama's notes. Perhaps I should have told him the truth, but the kids emotional state is bad enough as it is with the two top seats of the first division dying."

"And Unohana. I heard from Toshiro."

"At least we have a body to bury." Kyoraku glanced down at the book. "Basterbine... that is Juhabach's family line."

"Basterbine. Wasn't the child that fought Komamura fought?" Ukitake frowned at the man. "What does this have to do with Hitsugaya Toshiro?"

"Apparently Toshiro's zampaktuo is one of the ones inherited through family lines. The original shinigami who wielded an ice dragon was a female who disagreed with the way the Quincy were treated by us and went with them. Yamamoto's notes indicate that the reason he didn't kill Juhabach was because she defended that man."

Ukitake continued to frown. "Are you saying that Hitsugaya Toshiro is also of the Basterbine bloodline?"

"Not just the Basterbine bloodline, the Royal Families as well. That woman was in fact the daughter of the king of soul society. That girl you mentioned is likely of the Royal Bloodline."

"Wait... he wouldn't need the zero squad to get into the Royal Palace. He would just need..."

"..one of them. When that man says he plans on rebuilding Soul Society, he means he plans on rebuilding the entire structure. Yamamoto didn't just believe that Toshiro was a member though, he believed that the boy is the direct heir to the throne."

"Toshiro's not old enough though too..."

"No, he's not. Juhabach can place himself in the position of adviser to the young king."

"Toshiro wouldn't..."

"All he has to do is lock the boy up and by the time Toshiro is old enough to take the throne it will be to late."

"You should have told him."

"And how do you think he would handle hearing the news." Kyoraku then glanced to the side. "There is also no telling how the man will also try to influence Toshiro's young mind. Despite being a captain, Toshiro is still a child and with the right moves can still be molded in a manner in which a person sees fit. Yamamoto admits to doing it in his own writing."

"Old man Yama wouldn't..."

"Jushiro, the man was one of the Oni." Kyoraku however folded his arms across his chest. "However, having read his notes his reasons for molding Toshiro wasn't without merit. He was well aware that the old ways were dying out."

"So he was trying to mold Shiro-chan in a manner that would keep the old ways strong?"

"Actually, just the opposite. Yamamoto's goal was to foster a strong awareness of true justice in that boy's mind."

"Hopefully it will help him out."

"How? He's as good as out of the battle once they capture him and his strong sense of justice will do no good if he's locked up."