"Yeah… I just want to see her," Toshiro chocked out. "I can't believe this is happening. We're supposed to be in a war, Matsumoto gets into legal trouble, and me… I'm reduced to a whimpering, cowardly, useless child!"

"None of those things are true," the woman smiled. However, that was about the time that the alarms went off, startling the both of them. Unohana watched as the small boy in front of her suddenly tensed up, almost as if he was waiting for orders from the general on what to do.

A few minutes passed, and Toshiro turned to look at the woman, who had raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"Does all your life revolve around the Gotei?" the woman asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You really need to get your rest."

She said this just as a hell butterfly came through the window into the room to find her. Toshiro's curiosity made him speak up. "What exactly is the message about, or are you going to tell me that it doesn't concern me?"

"Well…" the older captain let out a sigh. "The message is about the fact that there was a sudden appearance of a Ryoka. The divisions are being given their orders by the general himself about this matter, and a captains meeting is being called… however, I was also gave orders to the general about you earlier."

The woman could see the anger in the boy's eyes, and felt the room suddenly chill. "So I am to be treated like a child."

"You listen to me right now, Hitsugaya Toshiro. When it comes to my patients' health, their age does not matter. It is my job to make sure that their health be taken care of. And anyway… you are not the only one reporting to the captain's meeting," Unohana stated.

"Yes… Ukitake isn't well either," the boy muttered.

"No… the general is having me remain here as he knows you are rather stubborn about things and have the likely hood of taking of to help with the situation, plus, all casualties will come through here," the woman stated, only to get a dirty look from the white haired taicho.

"Yet again, am useless, and completely useless child," the boy muttered, rolling over to look away from her.

"The only reason you are useless right now is because you feel that way," the woman gave a small smile, concern in her face. "If you want, I can bring you some green tea… or if you decide to run off again, I can try something else."

"Green tea will be fine…" Toshiro muttered. "I'll behave." Unohana stepped out the room, but stood where she could here the boy speak to himself. "Hitsugaya will behave, behave just like the child that Hitsugaya is expected to be," she heard him mutter, bitterness in his voice.

"Sometimes little one, it wouldn't hurt you to act your age… other then times that are… how to put it, the worst times like you always do," the woman sighed, heading off to go and get the tea.

M

A few minutes before the alarm had gone off, a gate had opened up, and a captain level shingami had stepped through. The guards at the door both startled, then asked who went there, causing them both to look at each other in confusion. Isshin let out a sigh. "I really don't have time for this…"

"Stand down," the two men stated.

"I thought that Yoruichi's gate into her estates wouldn't cause a problem," the man sighed, almost rolling his eyes at them.

"Did you mention Yoruichi-sama's name?" came a firm voice.

"Uh-oh," Isshin yelped, recognizing the voice of the current captain of the second division. "I forgot about you! Bye-bye!"

"Everyone! Get onto alert that we have a Ryoka going about," Soifon snapped orders to the men. "How the hell did he get through Yoruichi-sama's gate is something I would like to know. If that man Urahara had anything to do with it, I will most certainly strangle him!"

However, Isshin was older and wiser then Soifon and had already cloaked his reiatsu. The last thing he needed was anyone or everyone to be on his tale. He watched as the hell butterflies were dispatched. "So much for me well thought out plan."

"I should say so," came a voice from behind him. "Long time no see… Isshin-san taicho."

"You know that I am no longer a taicho of the Gotei thirteen," Isshin smirked, turning to the man, one who looked nearly as smug as he did. "How has Shiro-chan been doing in my place, Kyoraku Shunsui taicho?"

"Ehh… so you heard about the incident between Shiro-chan and Ran-chan," the eight division taicho tipped his hat. "Is that the reason that you came?"

"They both can take care of themselves, for the most part," Isshin sighed.

"Care to come to the captains meeting with me?" the other man smirked. "You are already in trouble, so it would be worth it just to see the looks on the other taicho's faces."

"Just tell me Shiro-chan isn't going to be there," Isshin stated. "I don't want him to try to freeze… I won't say the word as from what I've heard is there was another freezing of Matsumoto's underwear incident."

"Another?" the man suddenly questioned.

"Ahh… yes. Toshiro got… in a way, blackmailed by Momo-chan and Yachiru-chan to freeze Matsumoto's underwear back when he was a lieutenant," the man chuckled.

"I believe that quite a few people are going to be in a shock," Isshin sighed, but also smirked.

"I would tell Ukitake, but there is no telling whether or not he'll be at the meeting. Oh… and as for Toshiro being there… he won't be. Unohana is personally seeing to it under general's orders that he remain in bed," the other man laughed.

"She will be one of the few who ever could," Isshin smirked.

"The child tried escaping to go do paperwork again though," the other man laughed.

"Oh… he did, did he," Isshin stated. "That child… I really do love him, though I don't think he'll ever forgive me for disappearing like I did."

"I take it that you would rather not go into the reasons behind that?"

"No…" Isshin smirked as they came to the meeting chamber of the Gotei thirteen captains.

"I've found our Ryoka. He was ready and willing to come willingly," Shunsui smirked at the reactions that he received from the present captains.

"Isshin-san taicho…" Ukitake muttered.

"I do believe that he is no longer a captain," Mayuri muttered, his tone none to pleased.

"I hear that Shiro-chan could run circles around you knowledge wise, Kurotsuchi taicho," Isshin smirked, causing the twelfth division captain to smirk. Yamamoto on the other hand glared at him.

"I really don't find this funny," the man stated. "You come to tell me that you came out of hiding for your two former subordinates' sake?"

"Well, look at it this way," Isshin shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't regain my shingami powers until a little while ago. I didn't see the point, what with the fact I am not in league with Aizen and felt that if I appeared at the wrong time it would seem that I was."

"You are still a ridiculous old man," Soifon commented. "How dare you run away from me like that!"

"Well… I heard from Yoruichi you perfected your Shikai, and that wasn't something I wanted to experience," Isshin inwardly shuddered. "Just stick me in a jail cell and give me a tin cup."

"And lots of sake," Kenpachi suddenly spoke up. "I wish to fight him, if you don't mind…"

"Sorry… not up to my old standards," Isshin stated firmly, letting off a small burst of reiatsu. "I still haven't gotten back up to shikai release… I think."

"Your reiatsu is captain level… never mind," the general stated. "Byakuya… please take him to the jail cell near tenth division lieutenant. I am sure that they could use some catching up time."

Isshin followed the man, not needing to at all be detained, singing uproarishly as he did so.

"Exactly what is the point of him coming here," Komamura muttered, confusion in his eyes.

"Possibly to draw attention away from Matsumoto and Hitsugaya's problem. Notice that he didn't comment on your looks. Normally he would have smart alecked something," Shunsui sighed. "Don't ask… he would have meant no harm by it."

M

Unohana had watched as the small boy taicho had fallen back to sleep. She had come to think of him as one of her own, but with as old as she was, she couldn't help but feel that way about many of the young ones. But Toshiro had always struck such a strong cord of pity with her due to the hurt she always saw in his eyes and the fact that she knew that he was torn between acting like an adult all the time and sometimes actually acting his age.

She then suddenly felt the reiatsu go of and her brow creased as she watched the small white haired boy stir in his sleep. "Oh dear… so he was who Kurosaki-san thought he was. This complicates things… I wonder who all knows…"

She carefully pulled the covers closer around the small taicho as he muttered a few things inclining to a childish want for the ex-taicho of his. "I know Toshiro-kun… you won't admit it, but you've missed him for a very long time."

Kotetsu Isane stuck her head in, frowning as she did so, only a few minutes after the burst. "Is lieutenant Hinamori here?"

"No… she had no knowledge of what has happened to her brother as she might take it the wrong way and try and hurt Matsumoto," the healing captain sighed. "She has taken off, hasn't she?"

"Right around the same time that weird reiatsu went off. They are now announcing that we aren't looking for a Ryoka…"

"Isane… I need you to watch Hitsugaya taicho while I go and retrieve our other patient," the other woman sighed, getting out of her seat.

"I could do that… she was under my watch," the tall girl protested.

"No… I have my reasons for doing this," Unohana stated, closing her eyes. "Send word to the general that she has disappeared and I am going after her."

"All right," Isane stated, going and sitting down in the seat, sending off a hell butterfly she had caged up her sleeve. She watched the small taicho sleep. "I don't think that Matsumoto would intentionally hurt someone she thinks of as her own child…"

She jumped as Toshiro suddenly stirred, then clutched a hand to her head. "Gomen… I forget you like to be treated like an adult… but… it is kind of nice having a child for a captain. A lot of people are scared of you… but I think you are a sweet heart."

She jumped again as he moved, then clamped her hands down by her side. "Shutting up now… shutting up now."