Rain poured down in the town, drenching him from head to foot as he sat on the sidewalk, his body way to heavy to move, frustrations building within his mind. He had gone for so long without food and that he might very well die where he was, and no one would truly know what had happened to him, all in thanks to that treacherous man, 001 Aizen. Hope was bleak.

If all living souls could see him, he would have to say that he was quite sure he would have caused a stir now, as he had been sitting there, propped up against the wall for quite a few days now. He couldn't tell for how long, as it had been raining quite strongly, so there was no sunshine to allow him to guess by. But if the number of times he saw familiar faces coming and going, he would guess three to four days.

He wouldn't be able to last much longer and knew that he was lucky enough to have lived this long, what with having lost his powers, and other factors. Factors like his body being frozen to the bone due to the rain, causing his temperature to drop, or the lack of food in his belly. He also had come to have quite a bruising from his fall. But his mind focused more on what he would be missing due to his death.

Shiro-chan, he figured, would have to be pulled out of weather like this, as the child had no idea about the cold around him, and never had the audacity to bundle up unless it got very bad. He would have made a comment to Rangiku and Isshin though about making sure they bundled up. This caused Isshin to shake his head yet again.

"I can't be thinking about what he might say… that doesn't help me," he muttered aloud again, knowing that people would tend not to hear him.

"Who would say what that wouldn't help you?" came the sudden voice from above.

This caused Isshin to suddenly look up in sudden surprise. A young woman, closely equivalent to his age likely, stood in front of him, an umbrella in her hand. She had beautiful eyes and strawberry blond hair that was even more curly then Matsumoto's. He realized then he shouldn't think such thoughts at times like this, but his mind wasn't exactly thinking right. "How can you see me?"

"Answer my question first," she smiled, bending down so that she could see him better.

"He's… a child I know, a brilliant one, who thinks that he is an adult when he really isn't, though he tends to give more sound advice then most adults I know," Isshin stated.

"So… what would he have said that wouldn't have helped you," the woman smiled.

"Oh… I am sure he would have come up with something," Isshin gave a half smile. "I was just thinking about how the weather would phase him, and he wouldn't bundle up, but he would tell everyone else too."

"Would you like my help?" the woman smiled at him.

"You… haven't exactly answered my question," Isshin muttered.

"Well, if you think about it, as a shingami, you should already have known that certain souls are born with high levels of reiatsu and can see the dead," the woman laughed. "I didn't think I needed to answer. By the way, my name is Masaki."

"Isshin…" he stated firmly. "I don't see how you can help. Even though no one could see me, it isn't good for a male to stay with a single female."

"Who says I'm single?" the woman laughed.

"Says the fact that you have no wedding band," Isshin sighed.

"So you caught me," she smiled. "Don't worry… I shouldn't know the term reiatsu, so that should tell you someone taught it to me. I am going to go to them for help and I will be back as soon as possible. Try to hold out that long."

As he saw her retreat away, his senses dulled and he found himself falling asleep.

M

Warmth slowly filled his frozen limbs and he eventually, after he had warmed up, found himself beginning to wake up from the deep, dreamless sleep he had been in. He found himself in a home and sat up, only to have someone tisk at him for his actions. A man with a pinstriped hat sat in front of him. "Good to see you awake."

"Where did the woman go?" Isshin asked.

"She is a hot babe, isn't she… she's in helping Yoruichi and Tessai with something or other," the man smiled.

"Can it Urahara, I am not a pervert," the shingami muttered.

"Can it yourself… how'd you show up on my doorstep, your powers gone?" the man laughed clicking his fan shut. "It is good to know you recognize me after all these years."

"I wish I didn't," Isshin sighed. "Also, old friend… it's a long story."

"Let me try to shorten it for you," Urahara frowned. "I can safely guess… Aizen was involved."

"How did you know?" the goat beard was quite surprised.

"This and that, plus I know he was in charge of the events that happened oh so long ago that got me and others kicked out of Soul Society," the man smiled.

"I take it Masaki knows about us and everything," Isshin sighed.

"Ahh… so you are on first name bases with her," Urahara smiled. "Yes… she knows. I trained her in spiritual power myself."

"I see…" Isshin felt his head twinge from pain. "I need to get back… I have someone who is likely worried about me."

"And who would that be?" Urahara frowned at this.

"My lieutenant… he… how to put it," Isshin shook his head.

"This lieutenant of yours, he wouldn't happen to be the child you mentioned earlier, who happened to be a genius?" Masaki smiled, coming in with a tray of hot soup and green tea.

"I need to be getting back… he's is smart, but…" Isshin found himself interrupted by Urahara.

"I got lectured once for not putting my faith in my own lieutenant. She was older then what I heard yours was, but I think that the same blow to his pride can be applied, no?" Urahara frowned.

"No… it isn't because of the fact that I worry about his ability to do the job…" Isshin shook his head. "What I have a problem with is that he has too much of the ability to do the job and too little to act his own age."

Urahara watched as Isshin gripped the futon. "I'm sorry, but Aizen reported you as dead, you can't go back… not now. He'd pull something, you know he would."

"So… then… Shiro-chan is going to become captain," Isshin frowned.

"Excuse me?" Urahara was suddenly caught off guard. "There is no way… I mean, the third way is impossible… seeing as you are here, and as for the first way… do you really think he can pass the test, or muster up enough support to get passed by so many captains? And… that assumes he's already…"

"Learned Bankai?" Isshin stared at the ceiling. "He indeed has. If I hadn't pushed him to do so, his reiatsu would have been a lose canon at the level of a captain… and he's still growing and maturing."

"But still… the other thing…" Urahara frowned at this.

"There is the fourth way…" Isshin had a sad look on his face. "I was informed of it by the general."

"You mean… I had heard of that way… due to which captain I replaced, however… all of them approved," Urahara frowned. "As far as I know, from my research into it, no one has had that before. That is why it is rather unknown."

"Yes… there is a history behind him and the chambers too, I would rather not go into," Isshin stated.

"I understand fully," Urahara stated.

"You seem… sad," Masaki stated, pushing her tray forward. "I know you probably thought of him as a son, but you need to keep your strength up."

"I know…" Isshin frowned. "I am just… I get the feeling that all my hard work to get him to open up is now trashed.

M

"Hyorinmaru?" Toshiro suddenly asked. He had gone into his taicho's room, where the smells were still like the ex-taicho. So far, he had gone unnoticed by those around him. The smells were comforting.

"Hai?" the ice dragon asked suddenly, not quite sure where this was going.

"Why do I get the feeling that he is alive still? I get this weird feeling he still is…" the boy muttered. "Maybe though… it is just wishful thinking on my part. Or because I'm in here, where I can still sense his presence lingering?"

"I really do not know child…" the dragon hummed. "Are you sure you want to go after the captain's position?"

"And who will replace taicho? I have to really do this…" the boy closed his eyes. "So, it isn't a matter of want. I learned a long time ago, one has to sometimes do what that which they don't want to. I didn't want to become a shingami, but because I became one, something good came out of that, didn't it?"

"You found additional family with Isshin and Matsumoto, not to mention Atsuo?" the dragon asked.

"No… those are good things. If I hadn't become a shingami, I would never have come to know you, right?" Toshiro commented, continuing to stare at the ceiling, peaceful thoughts flowing through his mind as he tried to latch onto certain memories.