Water and Ice
by ZoeTsunami
Prologue
The cave was dark, lit only by the silver moonlight that shone through a hole in the ceiling onto a dark blue pool of water that was framed by black rock. The girl stood in front of the pool, gazing down into its depths, apparently lost in thought.
Suddenly the quiet crackling noise of falling pebbles made her turn.
A boy, slightly shorter than her, had landed softly on the ground beyond the entrance of the cave, stirring up the air as he did so and loosening a couple of small stones that clattered to the floor around him. His hair was silver and stood off his head in a spiky kind of way, with one small strand hanging over the left side of his face, and his eyes had an icy turquoise color. He was wearing a black kimono, black hakama and a white haori and had a Zanpakuto slung over his shoulder, indicating that he was a Shinigami and a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. His face was set and controlled as he walked through the entrance of the cave towards her.
"I've finally found you, Yoko", he said quietly.
Her eyes widened as she looked at his face.
"You… how do you know my name…? Who… are you?" she asked.
He stopped in his tracks and locked eyes with her. They looked intently at each other for a moment that seemed to last an eternity.
Finally, not looking away, he said: "You really have forgotten me, haven't you? You've forgotten everything."
She blinked.
"Forgotten…? What is there… to remember…?"
"Do you know who brought you here? Do you know why? And do you know what happened to the others?" he asked.
"Others? Who? I… don't know what you're talking about…"
A puzzled expression crossed her face, followed by one of concentration.
"Do you know who I am? Have you any idea of your own significance in a war that could change our entire world? What do you remember?" he continued asking, his face leveled and controlled.
He seemed to have startled her, for her eyes widened again.
"You…? A war…? I… I have no idea… what are you…"
She lowered her voice to a whisper and looked down at the floor.
"Memories?" she asked blankly. "Remember? What… do I remember…?"
He took a step closer to her, and when she didn't back away he seemed slightly relieved.
"Is there anything? Anything at all…?"
Slowly she looked back up at him. "Remember?" she asked again.
Then there was silence. He dared not break it for fear of breaking her concentration.
"All I remember… is my… name…" she murmured finally. "I… don't know how I got here or… who I was with before. When I woke up, I… was lying on the ground, over by that pool of water… no, I was in front of the cave first… who are you? And what do you want from me?"
He breathed deeply, then sighed. "I really am glad I found you before they did. And I'm grateful you can still control your spiritual pressure, otherwise they would have arrived here way before I did. The only reason I found you was because I knew what I was looking for… no wonder. I know you, after all…"
She frowned at him.
"You know me? Then why… don't I remember you?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to restrain himself, then opened them again and said: "They erased your memories, evidently. You don't remember anyone or anything that's been going on around here. Listen… I came here to find you and take you back home. Because they... they're planning to use you, and your powers. Your strength, which was once ours, is now our weakness and their advantage as long as you don't remember us. That's why I have to take you back. So we can restore your memories before Aizen finds you."
"Aizen? Who's that?"
He restrained himself from crying out in frustration at how bad the situation was getting. She really had forgotten everything, and if he didn't act fast she would be in serious danger. Despite all her power, as long as she remained ignorant of her significance he himself was also at a disadvantage.
"He's the man who wants to take over the Soul Society", he answered, knowing full well she might not even know what that was anymore. As he had expected, the confused expression returned to her face.
"Soul Society…?"
"It's what we call this world. We, that is, everyone that lives here. It coexists with the world of the living, where you come from. Here is where all the souls come that died in the world of the living. The Soul Society is ruled by the Shinigami, who are souls with spiritual power. If someone is a Shinigami, they are a member of one of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, whose Captains are the strongest Shinigami and also the ones in control. I am a Shinigami, and so are you", he explained. He hoped a few of the things he said would ring a bell somewhere and trigger some memories inside her, but apparently it wasn't going to be that easy.
She nodded slowly, signalizing her understanding, but she didn't look like she had remembered anything.
"Listen" he continued. "You are a Shinigami with enormous spiritual pressure. You are strong and Aizen is trying to steal your power for his own gain. That is why you have to come with me now and restore your memories as quickly as possible!"
Her face lit up.
"You know how to do that?" she asked hopefully.
He breathed deeply. "No, not I myself, but I know someone who can probably help. Please, I know it's hard… but can you try to trust me? It's unhelpful that you don't remember me at all… but I need you to come with me."
She nodded. All she really wanted was to have her memories back. She didn't question why exactly he was helping her at that moment, and she knew that was rash, but somehow she trusted him to be telling the truth.
They started moving to the cave entrance when she stopped and turned back to the pool.
"Wait, please" she whispered. Slowly she walked back to its edge, mesmerized by the stillness of the water.
He watched her silently, neither moving nor, apparently, breathing.
A few breathless seconds passed, then he broke the silence.
"You came here for a reason, didn't you? The only other thing you remember, am I right?"
She was surprised, he knew, even without seeing her face, the face he knew so well.
"This… name… what does it mean? And why do I keep hearing this voice…?"
He nodded, understanding.
"It's your power that's calling you. Your Zanpakuto. The manifestation of your soul. Your sword. The one you're wearing around your waist."
She looked down at herself and realized she was wearing exactly the same clothes as he was, and carrying a slender looking sword that was slightly curved at her left hip.
Suddenly a dark kind of pressure filled the air around them. Instinctively he grabbed the hilt of his sword above his right shoulder, ready to strike.
Three people appeared behind her, so fast that he couldn't see them coming at all. They surrounded her, blocking her from his view.
The tallest of the three, and also the one standing in the middle, was a middle aged man with dark brown hair and a handsome face. He was wearing a white robe that fell from his shoulders all the way to the floor. The sword at his side however was dark. The second person was a man with purplish white hair and a wide grin on his face. He was wearing the same white robe as the brown haired man. The third was a dark skinned man with long black hair framing his face. He was wearing white glasses over his eyes, which were blank, and the same white robes.
"Finally we've found you, Yoko", the tall man said, smiling. "And it's a good thing we did, too! Otherwise this boy here would have led you into a trap."
She turned to stare at the newcomers.
"Do I… know you?" she asked.
"Aizen!" the boy called angrily from the entrance of the cave. "Get away from her!"
The man ignored the boy behind him and addressed the girl.
"Why of course, he must have removed your memories! What a mess! We'll have to fix that. My name is Sosuke Aizen. This is Gin Ichimaru and Kaname Tousen. We are your friends. Don't you remember?"
"He's lying!" the boy screamed. "Don't listen to them, Fumiko!"
The girl, Fumiko, seemed surprised to hear him use her first name.
Slowly she reached for her Zanpakuto with her right hand.
"Please… please… I don't understand! What is this all about?" she whispered, and for the first time she sounded really frightened.
"Calm down, Yoko", Aizen said, still addressing her with her last name. "I will deal with this boy, then we can take you back home, all right?"
"Shut up! You're not going anywhere, Aizen! Not if I have anything to say about it!" the boy yelled, his eyes sharp with anger.
"Well, aren't we full of spirit today, Captain Hitsugaya", Aizen said mockingly.
Captain Hitsugaya.
These words left a strange echo in her head. It triggered something. A memory?
Faint pictures appeared before her eyes. The same white haired boy, walking next to her on a long, winding road. Behind them walked a tall, pretty woman with orange hair. A second picture flashed across her mind: She and the boy were running, jumping over rooftops, in pursuit of something ahead of them, each of them carrying a Zanpakuto.
She came back into the present because of the loud clash of sword against sword. The boy had charged up to Aizen and attacked him, and Aizen had parried the attack with astonishing speed.
"Is that all you can do? We won't let you take her from us!" he taunted, laying a hand on Fumiko's shoulder.
"Don't touch her!" the boy yelled. "Stop lying! You know full well she would never help you!"
Aizen pushed the boy away from himself with a simple movement of his Zanpakuto.
"Wouldn't she?"
He turned back to her. "Do we seem to you like evil people, Yoko? You do know we're your friends, right?" he asked.
Fumiko pressed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. Memories. Those had been memories, hadn't they? So they were still there, somewhere!
Aizen reached out his hand to her head when a scream interrupted him.
"I thought I told you not to touch her! You…! Get away from her!"
The boy raised his Zanpakuto above his head.
"Reign over the frosted frozen skies – Hyourinmaru!" he called.
"He's decided to fight with his sword's Shikai form", Gin observed.
A huge wave of cold washed over everyone in the cave, while a gigantic dragon of water and ice appeared above the boy's head.
Aizen's smile widened.
"So you're going serious on me now, are you, Captain?" he asked.
Fumiko's eyes met the dragon's and she gasped.
"Hyourin… maru…" she whispered.
She knew she had seen that dragon before. A memory flashed across her mind, of the impressive creature rising up in front of her.
Was it attacking her?
She looked over at the boy.
"Captain…"
Aizen's words echoed in her head. Captain… how? What was the name again? She couldn't have forgotten already, could she?
Who was the one who was wrong? Who was lying to her? She had to find out if she wanted to avoid a catastrophe.
What was it the boy had said? "Have you any idea of your own significance in a war that could change our entire world?"
And he had told her she was powerful.
Aizen stared at her intently. "Take a look at him. He's cold, isn't he? Everything about him is cold, his hair, his eyes, even his Zanpakuto! Be glad we're here to help you, Yoko – otherwise you wouldn't stand a chance."
Fumiko looked up into Aizen's handsome face. Could he really be evil?
Then she turned to gaze at the boy again. The boy and his dragon.
"Hyourinmaru!" he called and jumped forward. Aizen dodged the attack quickly.
Cold?
Fumiko's eyes locked with the dragon's. Yes, the dragon was cold. And the boy… his cold eyes, and the cold power he was emitting… she had to agree that he, too, seemed extremely cold.
"Come on!" Aizen said, still smiling. "Show me all that sword's got, Captain Hitsugaya!"
It was like she could feel her heart beating inside her head, loudly and clearly. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Hitsugaya. Captain Hitsugaya.
Once again she remembered the dragon rising up in front of her. But now she could see more of her surroundings. She was standing in what seemed to be the remains of a building that had been blown apart.
And what she was seeing was the dragon's, Hyourinmaru's, back. Its wings were spread in front of her. And before her stood the white haired boy, his arms spread wide just like the dragon's wings. In her head she heard the words he had said.
"Never! I will never surrender her to you! And if I have to die here protecting her, so be it!"
Hey eyes widened.
Protecting… he was protecting her?
Captain Hitsugaya… Hitsugaya…
And all at once she remembered his first name. It was clear as anything to her now.
As if she had never forgotten him in the first place. Thousands of memories started streaming back into her mind.
Hitsugaya…
She opened her mouth just as Aizen lunged forward to strike, and screamed:
"TOSHIRO!"
Both Aizen and the boy stopped in their tracks when they heard her voice. The boy's eyes widened.
"You remembered… my name?"
Her face suddenly became set. With a firm hand she gripped the hilt of her Zanpakuto.
"Not just that. I remembered everything."
In one smooth movement she unsheathed her sword. Immediately huge amounts of spiritual pressure filled the cave.
"Amazing. And it's still rising! Her pressure is crushing! This is the kind of power I need. Come, Gin, Kaname. We're leaving. We don't want to get hurt, now do we?"
Aizen stuck his sword back into its sheath and the three of them vanished.
Abruptly the spiritual pressure stopped increasing.
Fumiko closed her eyes briefly, regaining control of her power.
Toshiro stood still, Hyourinmaru had returned to its original form in his hand.
A look of relief crossed his face.
"Are you alright?" Fumiko asked, sticking her sword back into her belt. She walked swiftly over to stand by his side.
A quick grin crossed his face.
"Back to normal again, are you?"
She smiled grimly. "Yeah. Let's go back – we've got to tell the others what happened."
He nodded. "You know – he'll be back. He wants your power. He's not going to give up that easily."
"True. We'll just have to be more careful."
They left the cave together and walked out into the night. They were about to jump into shunpo to get to the Seireitei faster when Fumiko reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"Toshiro. Just a moment."
He turned to look at her. She smiled down at him.
"Thank you. For coming for me."
He made a noise that sounded like "hmph" and turned away. But Fumiko wasn't fooled, she knew him too well for that. Her smile widened and she said: "Let's go, then!" and jumped up into the air.
"Right!"