One Tin Soldier

Chapter 9: Go Ahead

The month went by fast and Harry enjoyed every exhausting bit of it. He was learning so much living with the Kurosaki family. Isshin was just as crazy as Ichigo had warned him. He reminded Harry of Mr. Weasley, but Mr. Weasley was much, much calmer...unless he was exploring 'Muggle artefacts'.

His training now included physical training with a group of people called the Visoreds. They were exiled Shinigamis that lived in the old warehouse Urahara had taken him to. Life was good, in Harry's opinion.

"GOOOOOOD MORRRNINGGG! ICHIIIII....Gooo!"

Harry peeked sleepily out of the closet to see Isshin in a flying leap heading for the prone teen, but before he landed, Ichigo jumped up, planting a fist into the man's face. The blow sent him flying across the room and out into the hallway.

'Shades of Alastor Moody!" Harry thought groggily.

"GIVE IT A REST OLD MAN! Geeze why can't you be normal for once?" Ichigo shouted, standing there wearing only a pair of sweatpants.

Harry silently hexed Isshin's hair neon green as he exited the closet shouting, "Constant Vigilance!"

The first time Isshin pulled this stunt, it had frightened him so badly that he almost refused to leave the relative safety of his bed. Now, however, he was getting used to it. At least he didn't flinch at the loud fighting. This was different than the Dursley's, that was for certain.

Harry headed for the bathroom, leaving a very loud and angry Ichigo cussing out his green-haired old man.

After his morning routine, Harry found Yuzu and Karin downstairs at the table. He quietly sat down, ignoring the huge poster looming over them.

Yuzu, the very quiet and shy sister, was the cook and housekeeper of the family. She reminded Harry a bit of Ginny Weasley who hung around him and Ron. He liked Yuzu better, at least she didn't give off fan-girl vibes.

Harry, ignoring Yuzu's protests that he was a guest, insisted on helping out with the household chores between his training sessions, despite her disapproval.

Karin was the tom-boy of the family. She frowned a lot, like Ichigo, but she was such a sports nut! She reminded Harry of the girls on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, especially Katie Bell. She was grateful that Harry wanted to help protect Yuzu from not only their father, but anyone wanting to bully the shy girl. It made points in Karin's book.

The strangest member of the family was a plushie lion named Kon. According to Ichigo, the toy contained a modified soul. Ichigo used it when he had to leave his body to fight hollows so that his body would not rot while he was away. After he caught the plushie reading a porn manga Harry decided Kon was a pervert, a lot like Seamus Finnegan.

Breakfast was great. It was the one meal that everyone sat around the table to eat together. Ichigo and his sisters were in school for lunch while Isshin took his lunch when he could between patients. Harry tended to eat with Hachigen, or with the rest of the Visoreds at the warehouse.

However, supper was hit or miss in the Kurosaki household. Everyone had different schedules, depending on homework, eating at friends' homes, or just getting away from Isshin.

Although Harry normally had summers off, the three children of the Kurosaki family were still in the middle of their school year. Ichigo could only train in the evenings or on the weekends if he didn't have a ton of homework to do. For all of his violent and delinquent ways, Ichigo was very good in school and kept his grades up.

It was important to note that Ichigo cared who helped Harry train. That he knew his cousin didn't trust easily, and cared about what Harry was learning meant a lot to the English teen. No one had cared before. The Visoreds also cared how they trained Harry. He was still young, and most importantly, still alive.