Of Birthdays and Siblings

Exhaustion

The small white haired child continued to watch as the party continued. He ate a few bites of the cake, but his stomach felt nauseated and his head hurt more then it had before. He also felt exhausted and his head began to tilt forward. After a bit of time for eating, it was announced that a few games would be going on and the children that had chosen to sit at the table cleared the table.

"I'm going to be asked to participate." Toshiro glanced at the ground. Glancing back up, he saw his grandfather give him a strange look. "Great... he's mad at me for not participating. I can't help the fact that I am anti-social like I am. I wouldn't have made friends with Kusaka or either of the Kurosaki family members if they hadn't approached me first."

He glanced down, only to suddenly see the man waving him over. Swallowing, he headed over to the table, his uncle hot on his heals. "Sit Toshiro."

The boy found himself sitting down and setting the partially eaten piece of cake onto the table. He found himself unable to look the man in the eye. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

The comment from the man caused him to glance up, swallowing again. "Because I didn't socialize with anyone."

"Most children would have gone after the other treats on the table, but I couldn't help but notice that you didn't even do that." The man folded his arms across his chest. "You don't know how to act like a child, let alone how to interact with others your age do you?"

"That... and I honestly don't know how to interact with high society unless we're talking military ceremony, or a traditional tea ceremony. That kind of thing." Toshiro glanced away.

The man glanced up at the boy's uncle and the man's eyes went wide. "I'll be right back."

The white haired child didn't glance up and didn't take a bite of the cake and simply stared at it. "And then there is the fact I know I am a stranger here and the other kids are likely wondering why I am getting favored like I am. I know that I am a child genius, but that doesn't make me special compared to any other child. Being different..."

The thought didn't finish as a plate of treats was set in front of him. Toshiro glanced up and blinked a couple of times at his uncle before looking down at the treats. He then glanced up at the games being played and noticed that a few of the kids were still staring at him. He glanced down, not liking the fact he stood out.

He slowly picked at the food as he continued to try and ignore the stares that were levied on him. He had noted that none of the children had sat near the leader when they sat at the table. "Great... one more reason why I stand out. I wonder if it would be worse if they found out I'm Baba-nee's brother."

"They might have been more willing to share her with you."

"I don't want them being my friend because of who my family is. I want friends who see me for who I am."

"You should get to know the other students when you start lessons tomorrow."

"Great... some of them already hate me."

"I was thinking I would take him with me tomorrow." His uncle spoke up.

Toshiro glanced up, his eyes going wide and a look of hope spreading on his face. Upon realizing this, his mouth opened and he glanced back down, continuing to pick at his food."

"I don't see why you should take him with you." The tone in his grandfather voice said he was not happy about his decisions being challenged. That was until he said something else. "He's had no training in Quincy abilities and I'm not yet ready to give him back his blade. If something were to happen I would not be pleased."

"I'll be there to take care of him. I don't know when we'll be doing this again and I think it would be a good opportunity for him to see more of Vandenreich outside of the palace. I took Bambietta before she learned any Quincy abilities. Why is this different?"

Toshiro suddenly found himself looking between his uncle and his grandfather, frowning as he did so. His grandfather spoke up. "I apologize Toshiro." The white haired youth glanced back at his half eaten cake thinking the answer would be no. "You aren't your father, so you can go."

The frown on the boy's face deepened. "Exactly what is that supposed to mean."

"Your father had a habit of running away. The last time he ran away he never came back. We recently received news that he's passed away. We just got you back as well. Plus, I made the mistake with your father of not allowing him the freedom he craved. There are a few things you can't do, like returning to Soul Society and remaining within needed protocol. I want you to have more freedom then I ever gave him."

"With the hopes that I won't leave?"

"With the hopes that you don't feel as if I expect you to be a certain person. I never saw your father for the person he was."

Toshiro glanced at the plate, frowning as he did so. "I honestly don't know the answer to the question of who I am. I think I was just beginning to discover that before I came here thanks to the Substitute Soul Reaper."

"Kurosaki Ichigo?" The man blinked a couple of times. "Do you look up to him?"

"I don't know. There are a lot of things I'm still figuring out."

"Why don't I take him back to his room and let him get some sleep. I'd like him a nice night of sleep,"

"How is your head doing?"

Toshiro glanced up at his grandfather in surprise. "I've got a massive headache if that is what you mean."

The man shook his head. "And yet you haven't complained about it once."

The small boy glanced away. "I've been sliced and diced by Arrancar. It's not really something new for me."

"Yes... go ahead and get some sleep."