Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Bleach series in any way. All copyrights of the characters go to Tite Kubo. On the other hand, the only original characters I do own are Kiyoko Kazumi aka Kuro, the guardian of darkness, the Great Guardian, and Momo's mother.
Synopsis: Prequel to Beyond Perspective. A story about the heavenly guardian's awakening, a guardian's first meeting with a certain strawberry orange haired girl, and how everyone else are able to see guardians of the heavenly afterlife.
Author's Note: Sorry to burst your bubble Ichimaru x Hitsugaya fans, but there's no yaoi here. Try somewhere else. As for the others, well if you enjoy reading Beyond Perspective, this is the right story for you to be reading. This is the one-shot prequel which explains the following points:
1) How everyone (Hinamori, Hinamori's mother, Kusaka, Abarai, Kira, Hisagi, and Matsumoto) are able to see guardians of the heavenly afterlife;
2) Ichimaru's and Matsumoto's first meeting; and
3) Toshiro's awakening as the heavenly guardian
Anyways, I need to explain point number three in great detail or else you might not be able to understand this concept. Momo's mother explained in chapter one of Beyond Perspective, Kuro and Shiro have the ability of reincarnation and the power to have their memories carried forward to their next life. Once they have reincarnated, it takes them a few years before they regain their memories of their previous lives. It's like...having amnesia for a certain period of time.
I hope you understand my explanation; if not, you can read the story and figure it out. You can also leave me a review, asking that question. I'll do my best to help you understand. Aside from that, want to find out more about it? Well, you just have to read and find out! Enjoy!
Oh yes, before I forget, this one shot takes place ten years before the start of Beyond Perspective.
LEGEND
"Talking." "Thinking." Toshiro's POV. The Great Guardian's Voice. "Short Flash Back."
Put into Perspective
It is a cold and wintry night; a time where people remain inside to avoid experiencing the hardships that nature has to offer. However, there is one person who didn't care about that and it is not because she's used to being in all kinds of weather conditions. She's busy searching for someone; a person who is just like her. Someone who has supernatural powers and wings like an angel.
The young female child flapped her black coloured wings, flying higher in altitude. Along the way, she was looking for him from the skies. "Shiro!"
After a few moments of waiting, the black haired girl turned to the other side. She called out his name once more from the top of her lungs.
"Shiro!"
Once again, she heard no response. So, she turned her attention to the front.
"Shiro, where are you?" However, the storm's roaring winds overpowered her crying words to the heavenly guardian. Kuro, the guardian of darkness, sighed with defeat and decided to take a break. Besides, she has been looking for him over the past three hours or so. The six year old girl flew back to her house and quickly stepped inside to warm up. "Brr, it's cold out there."
Kuro shook her body back and forth, removing all the accumulated snow off. Then, she took off her boots and scurried to the living room to get warm by the fireplace. After spending a few moments with the open flame, she turned to the window to see the snowfall outside. She sighed with defeat.
"I wonder if he has regained his memories yet."
Six year old Toshiro Hitsugaya sat by the table alone as he watched the other orphan children, who are around his age, play games with one another. He wanted to play with them as well. However, he didn't want to experience the same thing that happened to him on the first day of his stay here; they ran away at the sight of him. Since then, he just avoided any contact with them.
Meanwhile, one of the children stopped and noticed his presence. He asked one of his newly made friends, "Who is he?"
"Don't go close to him," the second child whispered in his ear. "He's weird."
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Weird?"
"Just take my word; you don't want to make friends with him."
Little did they know, the white haired boy is listening to the conversation. He didn't like what they were saying about him. However, he didn't act. All he did was hug his blue dragon plush: the only memento he has left from his past. Although it should represent something precious, he didn't think of it that way. Besides, he has been living here in this orphanage for about four years. He was too young to remember anything that happened before his time here.
They hate me.
He turned his head to the side to see a group of three girls sitting together and play tea party with one another. Toshiro could tell from the expressions on their faces, they were having fun. Then, he heard something. He turned his head to the front to see a soccer ball rolling towards him. He also noticed a brown haired boy running after the spherical object.
Wanting to help him out, Hitsugaya stood up from his seat and walked up to the ball. He stopped it by trapping the ball on the bottom of his foot. By the time the boy realized his presence, he stopped running. The white haired boy smiled and gently kicked up the ball to his feet. "Here."
Instead of accepting his act of kindness, the boy slowly took a few steps back. "Um, no thanks."
Before long, he quickly turned around and ran away. Toshiro extended his hand out and tried to call him back, but he already ran back to his safe group of companions. He put his hand down and sighed. Sadly, he returned to his seat at the table.
Is it because of the way I look or the way I act?
After putting his dragon plush aside, he took out a green crayon from his crayon box and began drawing on the blank piece of paper initially set out. From time to time, he exchanged the crayon he's holding for another one which has a different colour. Minutes later, he stopped to look at the progress of his drawing.
He drew a stick figure of himself, holding hands with other stick boy and girl figures. They were all smiling, happy to be friends with one another. Young Hitsugaya sighed with defeat and turned his attention to the window on the side.
If there is one thing that made him feel better, it is watching the weather outside. He found it to be very intriguing to watch because there is always something new to see. Nothing out there is the same as it was before. It is nothing compared to what he's currently feeling about the people he interacts with.
They're all the same...
"Okay kids, dinner is ready!"
"Yay! It's time to eat!"
Toshiro glanced over his shoulder to see the children stop what they were doing. They immediately dropped their toys and dolls on the ground, got on their feet, and ran out of the room. He waited until the caregiver to call him over. However, she just gave him a look she left the room. The white haired boy lowered his head. He was left with no other choice, but to go there alone once again like all the other meal times. He stood up from his seat. Taking the plush dragon with him, he walked to the large dining room.
By the time he arrived, the children have already taken their seats. He could tell from the looks on their faces; he wasn't welcomed to sit with them. Hitsugaya then looked at the adults, seeking for their help. "Just sit at whatever empty seat is left."
...the grown ups too.
He turned to the other side to find there is one. It just happens to be the same one he has been sitting at over the past few years. The children called it the lonely spot. According to their point of views, it suits him. Nobody wants him.
The boy silently walked over and took his seat. He lowered his head, hiding the sad expression on his face. He wondered, "Why am I the only one suffering like this?"
I don't want anyone to act the way they treated me.
He closed his eyes and sighed. He patiently waited for his portion of food to be served. He waited five minutes for the plate of mixed vegetables, small slices of meat, and rice to be placed in front of him. Toshiro raised his head up to see one of the caregivers. Just as he was about to say thanks, she interrupted, "Finish your food."
Intimidated by the cold look in her eyes, he kept silent and obediently nodded with head. She soon walked away to supervise the other children. Left alone once more, the white haired boy put his dragon plush aside and placed his hands together. After saying his words of thanks, he picked up his spoon and began eating.
All I want is to be a part of something.
A few bites later, he stopped and placed his spoon down. He began thinking, trying to remember the face of the person who took care of him when he first came to this place. He could only remember one thing about her: she was the only person whom he was closest with. However, she met her unfortunate end when he was only three years old. She passed away because of an illness.
All of a sudden, he heard a single dripping sound. Once he broke out of his thoughts, he looked down to see the small splash on his slice of meat. He soon realized something. Toshiro placed a hand on his right cheek. Suddenly, his eyes widened; he was crying. Not wanting anyone to see the sad expression on his face, he raised his arm up and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes away.
Wanting to go to the washroom and wash his face, Hitsugaya turned his body around. Just as he stood up from his seat and took a few steps, he accidentally bumped into something. By the time he realized it, he heard the sound of glass shattering. The white haired child looked down to see where the noise came from. A bowl of warm soup was smashed on the ground. Then, he raised his head to see the crying girl standing before him. Not only her dress has been stained with the spilled soup, but small cuts and minor burns appeared on her legs from broken shards.
"I-I'm sorr-"
The girl wailed out loud, overpowering the words of his apology. Just as he tried to walk closer and comfort her, he felt something took hold of his wrist. By the time he realized it, he felt a painful sting on his cheek. After placing his hand on the slap mark, he looked up to see a serious look on the caregiver's face. Before he could say anything, she began pulling him away. Realizing where this is going, Hitsugaya quickly snatched his dragon plush from the table and was taken to the children's sleeping room.
I want to be loved by someone.
Once they were inside, she threw him to the ground. The force was enough to make him drop his soft toy on the side. Toshiro looked over his shoulder to see her still standing before him. "You're not eating for the rest of the night."
The boy protested, "I said sor-"
She picked up his dragon plush from the ground. After taking a look at it, she looked over to see the fireplace. It is currently in need of something to burn in order to keep the fire lit. Hitsugaya gasped and extended his hand out to her.
"No, please don't!"
However, it was too late; she already walked over there and threw his plush into the hungry fire. At that moment, his heart suddenly shattered into a million pieces. Though it wasn't the first time he was punished for his accidental actions, this was a punishment that went too far.
Unable to bury the feelings deep inside, he raised his head up and started crying. The caregiver turned away from the sad boy and said, "If you come out of here before tomorrow morning, I'll throw you out to survive in the cold weather."
With that said she left the room and closed the door behind her. Once he heard the footsteps fade away to the side, Toshiro stopped crying for a moment and ran over to his bed. By the time he threw himself on the mattress, he returned to grieving the loss of his favourite plush.
"I-It's not fair!" He hyperventilated between sobs. "I...I can't take this anymore!"
I want to find it: the place where I belong.
"I-I just want to...I just want to disappear!"
Shiro...
I hear a voice.
Shiro.
An angelic voice: soft and warm.
Can you hear me?
Who is the person calling out to me?
Shiro.
Please tell me; I want to know.
It's time to wake up.
Toshiro opened his eyes to find himself lying on his belly in bed. After a few moments, the memories of last night's events surfaced in his thoughts. "Oh yeah, I cried until I was too tired to stay up."
He glanced over to the side to see the other orphan children still tucked in their beds and fast asleep. Using the opportunity he has right now, he decided to get out of bed. Just as he is lifted himself off, he soon realized something. Why does it feel that there are weights on his shoulders? Wondering what it is, he glanced over one shoulder and gasped. For some reason, he could see a wing made up of ice on his back. He looked over his other shoulder to see there is another one on it as well.
"I-I have wings?"
Making sure they're real, Hitsugaya tried to flap them back and forth like a bird. Soon, a bright smile appeared on his face.
"Wow, they really can move!" Suddenly, a thought came into mind. He jumped out of bed and ran up to the curtains. He pushed it off to the side and quickly opened the window. "I wonder if I can fly with them."
He nodded.
"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Hitsugaya took a few steps back. He took a deep breath. "Yosh, here I go!"
He ran towards the window. Just as he is about to jump out, he heard a noise. He stopped and turned around to see the children. They were abruptly woken up. As some of them are shivering, others were crying. It didn't take long before three caregivers entered the room and began comforting the children. "Oh, there's no need to cry. It's alright."
Noticing that the room is oddly cold, one of them raised their heads up to see where the winter air is coming in from. Once she found it, she gasped.
Toshiro's heart dropped to his stomach. She saw him. "Oh no, I'm in trouble."
Knowing that he won't be able to get away easily, he moved to the side and watched her closed the window. By the time she's done, she turned towards him. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and waited for the slap he is going to receive. However, it didn't happen. "Who did this?"
The white haired boy opened his eyes to see the caregiver is paying attention to the other orphan children.
"I-It's Toshiro's fault!" one of them said as he pointed his finger to the side. "He's the only one who could have done this!"
"Toshiro?" She looked over and noticed the empty bed next to the window. "Where is that kid?"
Seeing there is no reason to hide, Hitsugaya said, "I'm right here."
"I bet he's hiding somewhere," one of the children said.
The six year old boy blinked. "Eh?"
"What if he jumped out of the window and ran away?" another child suggested.
"That can't be true," the caregiver said. "There were no footprints on the snow when I checked outside."
"They can't see me," Hitsugaya said.
"You stay here children. We'll go look for him."
"Hai!" they replied in unison.
They watched the caregivers leave the room. Once they are gone, they turned to one another and started talking. "Hmph, it seems like he ran away from here."
"Well, that's a good riddance," another child said. "We don't need him anyway."
"No one can." Toshiro raised the palm of his hand up. "Is it because I said that I wanted to disappear last night?"
After a few moments, a smile appeared on his face.
"Sugoi!"
With no reason to be here anymore, he ran past the talking children and out the door. He spread his arms out and felt the generated breeze through his skin and clothes. He never felt like this before; the entire burden on his shoulders suddenly disappeared into thin air. He doesn't want to stop feeling this blissful sensation.
Once he arrived at the coat room, he grabbed his coat, scarf, and boots. After dropping them down on the ground, he took a seat and began putting the extra layers of clothing on. By the time he's done, he stood up again and ran to the attic upstairs.
Toshiro opened the room to find it filled with all kinds of furniture. He raised an arm up and coughed a few times. Dust has accumulated since the last time he was here. That was about a year ago. He couldn't forget; it was one of those times where he received severe punishment for wandering around the house without anyone knowing.
Hitsugaya entered and walked across the room. Once he stopped in front of the large window, he placed his hands on the handles and opened it. The winter breeze came like a speeding truck. However, he didn't mind. He didn't feel cold at all.
The boy looked down to see how high he is. Thought it's quite a distance from here to the bottom, Toshiro smiled. He always wanted to do this. Hitsugaya took a few steps back and then ran. Once he stepped onto the windowsill, he catapulted himself into the air. With his arms spread out like a bird, he shouted, "Freedom!"
After a few seconds of being in midair, gravity started to kick in. By the time he realized it, he began falling from the sky.
"AHHH!"
Not wanting to see the ground below, Toshiro covered his eyes with his hands. Unknowingly, he spread his wings out. As a result, he began to slow down. Hitsugaya removed his hands from his face and opened his eyes to find himself gliding in the air. He looked over one shoulder and then the other. Apparently, his wings are helping him around. He flapped them a few times and found himself flying higher in altitude.
"I'm flying." Suddenly, he cracked a smile on his face. "Wow, I'm really flying!"
Toshiro spread his arms out and flew across the sky. With no time to waste, he dived down towards the streets below like he's on a roller coaster ride.
"YAHOOOO!" Just as he is about to crash, he pulled back and flew up. Then, he went to do something daring. He flew around in circles. "WEEEE!"
By the time he stopped in midair, he burst out with laughter.
"That was so fun!"
Just as he is about to do another test flight, he spotted something below. Curious, he flew down to take a closer look. Once he landed on the ground, he concealed himself behind a telephone pole. He took a quick peek. Soon, his eyes widened upon astonishment.
"He has wings just like me except they are gray."
Suddenly, the gray haired boy stopped walking. By the time he glanced over his shoulder, Hitsugaya quickly bent down and hid behind a trash bin. After waiting for a moment, he cautiously took another peek. He wasn't there. Wondering where he is, Toshiro came out of his hiding spot and looked around.
"Where did he go?"
Flying across the clear blue sky, the gray winged boy is looking down at the city below. A smile appeared on his face. "This place is really intriguing. I'm glad I made the right choice to accept the special mission from the Great Guardian. I can't wait to witness the future events that will happen in the days, months, and maybe years to come."
He placed his hand into the paper bag he's carrying under his other arm and took out a handful of dried persimmons. He threw them into his mouth and ate it.
"Mm, they're delicious. Who would have thought these dried fruits taste better than the ones in the heavenly afterlife?"
Deciding to take his time with his meal, the boy flew down to the ground. Once he landed, he started walking through the empty streets. He took another handful of dried persimmons from the bag and ate them.
After a few minutes of alone time enjoyment, he noticed something and stopped in the middle of the street. A young girl with dirty strawberry orange hair is walking towards him, dressed in a ragged pair of clothes and light brown coat over her shoulders. "Hn, it's a girl from this world."
Suddenly, the girl stopped walking. She lowered her head and wrapped her arms around her growling stomach. She sighed with defeat.
As he watched her, he could see the life aura that is wrapped around her body. "She's dying...from hunger."
The strawberry orange haired girl raised her head up to see the blurry image of the person standing before her. She extended her hand on and weakly said, "H-Hungry..."
Unable to stand any longer, the girl collapsed onto the thin layer of snow.
"Hn, she can see me?" the winged boy thought. "It must be from me being in her presence for so long."
After silently watching her for a few seconds, he walked up to the young child. Then, he bent down and extended his hand out.
"Here." The girl raised her head to see a handful of dried persimmons. Then, she looked higher to see his face. Once their eyes met, a genuine smile appeared on his lips. "You look like you can use something to eat."
The female blinked. "Eh, is it really for me?"
"Well, who is it I'm giving this food to?"
She slowly sat up. After a few moments, she slowly extended her hand out and placed it over the dried persimmons. Then, she grabbed what she could hold and ate it like there's no tomorrow. Once she is finished, she looked at the paper bag that is under the boy's arm. Noticing what she's looking at, he looked at the bag of dried persimmons and then back at her pleading eyes. He sighed with defeat and held out the bag to her. A smile suddenly appeared on her face. She grabbed the bag and ate everything inside. "Umai!"
"There, are you feeling better now?"
The female nodded with agreement. "Mm, thank you so much...err..."
His lips curved out into a wide grin. Then, he opened his mouth to say his reply. He said to the strawberry orange haired girl, "Gray; my name's Gray."
"Gray, huh? I'm Rangiku," she said. "Rangiku Matsumoto."
"Rangiku." A grin appeared on his face. "I'll keep that in mind, Ran-chan."
"You're not from around here, aren't you?"
There was a short pause. After a brief moment, he finally replied, "Nope, not at all."
It is when she got up on her feet and walked up to the gray haired boy. She stopped next to him and asked, "Why do you have wings? Are you cosplaying?"
"No, they're real."
"Really?"
Without any warning, she began pulling one of them. Feeling the sharp pain in his wing, the boy cried out, "Ah, itte! That hurts!"
Matsumoto then let go of him. "Ah, you're right."
"You're so mean."
The girl hesitantly laughed. "Oops, I'm sorry. It's just that you look like some sort of guardian angel."
"You...could say that."
All of a sudden, the strawberry orange haired girl placed a fist on top of the palm of her hand. "Ah, I know!"
She raised a finger up for the taller boy to see.
"You're my guardian angel. You've been sent from above to help make my life better!"
Gray raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
However, she didn't listen to what he said and continued talking. "You must have known that I lost both my parents to the fire accident that happened a while ago too."
"Hn, so that's what happened to her. No wonder she looks the way she is now."
Suddenly, he felt something. By the time he realized it, the girl already took hold of his wrist and started pulling him. "Let's go."
"Go?" Gray asked. "Where are we going?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Rangiku said. "You're going to help me find a place to stay. You don't want an innocent little girl like me freeze out here in the cold, right?"
"Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into?"
After walking around for a long time in search of the taller winged boy, Toshiro decided to take a break and rest at a nearby park. He took a seat on the bench and sighed with relief. It has been a long time since he exhausted himself like this. It felt great.
He raised his head up to watch the weather above him. The clear sky is now covered with a blanket of clouds. Then, he noticed something: a snowflake. He extended a hand out and watched the snowflake fall on it. Once it melted, he saw more snowflakes fall from the sky.
Hitsugaya stood up from his seat and looked up at the clouds. With a smile on his face, he opened his mouth. He stuck his tongue out, wanting to taste the flavour of snow. Once a few landed in his mouth, Toshiro licked his lips. It tasted like cold water. "Come and get me if you can, Kira! Hisagi-san!"
The white haired boy looked over to see a red haired boy running away from two other boys. One of them has pale blond hair while the other has short dark violet hair. They threw a few snowballs at the runaway child, but none of their shots reached him.
Wanting to join in on the fun, Toshiro decided to help the boys out. He flew into the air and landed on one of the thick branches of a nearby tree. With a smile on his face, he patiently waited for his time to strike. Meanwhile, the red haired boy glanced over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at his friends. He said, "Phh, you guys suck at aiming!"
The older boy hissed between his teeth. "We'll see about that, Abarai!"
He quickly scooped a handful of snow and turned it into a snowball. Then, he threw it towards the runaway boy. However, the red head anticipated the move and changed direction. As a result, the short haired boy missed. The red headed child stopped by the tree and began taunting them. "See? I told yo-"
All of a sudden, a pile of snow from above fell on him. Once they saw him fall to the ground, his two friends ran up to see if he's alright. The lump of snow suddenly moved. By the time the red haired boy got out, they burst out with laughter.
"Hey, that's not funny!"
"I'm sorry, b-but we couldn't help it."
Little did they know, Toshiro is watching them from the tree top. He too is laughing at the red haired boy's misfortune. Suddenly, he heard something. He looked down to see the noise is coming from his stomach. He placed a hand over it. "I'm hungry."
He was having so much fun exploring the city that he forgot about eating. What made things worse is he didn't get to eat anything since he woke up this morning. Suddenly, a thought came into mind. Knowing exactly where he can get food to eat, a grin appeared on his face. This is his chance to do some payback.
"This is going to be fun. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!"
He jumped off the tree branch. As he is falling, he spread his wings out and flapped them several times. Once he gained altitude, he flew into the air and began his journey back to the orphanage.
When he arrived at his destination, the boy sneak into the large house through the front door and took off his wet boots and coat. After properly putting them away, he flew into the kitchen to check the contents in the fridge. Seeing that there are some leftovers, he took out the plate and moved it to the counter. He closed the fridge and grabbed a spoon from the drying rack. Hitsugaya placed his hands together and said his thanks. With no further time to waste, he scooped a spoonful of food and stuffed it into his mouth. All of a sudden, he turned his body to the side and spat out the contents in his mouth. "Yuck!"
There's no mistake; the other caregiver must have prepared this food. He pushed the plate away from him and flew up to the cupboards to look for something else to eat. Luckily for him, he found some cereal in one of them. He took the box out, stuffed his hand in there, and ate some of the contents inside.
Once he is done, he left the box on the counter and flew off to the bedroom where he and all the other orphan children are usually gathered at the end of the day. He found them playing games such as tea party and toy car racing together in various small groups. The white haired boy flew over their heads and across the room to his bed. He glanced over to see them busy with their games. Toshiro let out a wide grin before he grabbed onto his blanket. He pulled it off the mattress and draped it over his body. Then, he lifted the blanket as much as he could so that he can see what is going on. Without another moment to waste, he put his plan into motion.
Hitsugaya raised both arms up and began walking up to a group of boys, who are playing with their toy cars. By the time he stood in their presence, he waited to see the reactions on their faces. One of the children glanced over his shoulder and noticed Toshiro. He made a face. "Oi, are you supposed to scare us with that?"
He stood up and began pulling the blanket.
"You know it's not going to wo-"
Then, he took a step back and froze with fear. In his eyes, there was no one hiding under the large cover. The other boys turned around to see the frightened boy. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"You look like you've just seen a ghost," the third boy pointed out.
Toshiro placed a hand over his mouth, suppressing his laugh. He walked around them. The first boy slowly raised a finger up and replied to his friends, "T-Th-There's no one under the blanket. Here, I'll show you."
The child lifted the blanket and draped it over the place where the invisible person was standing. However, it only fell down to the ground. The other two children gave him a look of disbelief. "You're just imagining things."
"No, I swear! I saw it with my two eyes!" As the three boys continued to chat, Hitsugaya picked up the cars. He spread his arms out and began running with them as if they're flying. The first boy noticed. Pointing at the direction where Toshiro is, he called out, "L-Look! The cars are flying on their own!"
At that moment, the other children stopped what they were doing to see what the boy was talking about. A few girls screamed. "Ah, it's a ghost!"
"This place is haunted!"
Without another minute to waste, the children got up from their seats. They yelled as they scrambled out of the room like runaway sheep. Little did they know, they left the white haired boy behind.
Toshiro clutched his arms around his stomach and began laughing out loud. His prank was so entertaining that he fell and rolled around on the floor. Once he is done, he stopped to stare at the ceiling. A bright smile appeared on his face. He never felt so satisfied in his life. "I want things to stay this way forever."
Suddenly, he let out a yawn. Feeling a bit sleepy, the boy with icy cold wings sat up and began floating off the ground. As he is flying towards his destination, he picked up his blanket and dragged it across the room. Once he is at his bedside, he fell onto the mattress and let out a content sigh. He then draped the covers over his body. Without a care of what might happen next, the happy six year old child closed his eyes and went to sleep.
"Thank you so much Gray!" Matsumoto happily said after taking a seat on her bed in the new house she is now staying at. "You really are a guardian angel!"
"I said I'm like a guardian angel," the gray haired boy replied.
However, the strawberry orange haired girl didn't listen to his comment. She is too busy bouncing on the mattress. Suddenly, she thought of something and stopped. The girl asked, "Hey, will you always look after me?"
Gray just stood on the spot and didn't answer. Rangiku then let out a deep sigh and lowered her head.
"I guess not."
The winged boy turned around and walked out of the room. By the time she noticed, he already left. So, she quickly got out of bed and went to the living room to find him about to leave the house. "Oi, wait up! Where are you going?"
Just as he opened the door, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "I'll be right back; I'll get you some tasty food to eat."
As he is about to step out, Matsumoto took hold of his hand. As a result, he stopped to look at the determined look on her face. "Let me come with you."
"...It's too dark outside. It's dangerous for someone like you to be walking around in the street especially during this time of night."
She gave him a stern look. "Hey, I've been out this late before. I can take care of myself."
"Rangiku, you were just lucky that you didn't meet any bad people."
The strawberry orange haired girl folded her arms. "You're so stingy, Gray! I hate you!"
There was a short pause. The gray haired boy soon sighed with defeat. "Fine then, you can come."
The young girl smiled. "Just wait for a bit, I need to put on my coat and shoes."
She let go of him for a moment so that she can put on her footwear. Once she is done, she followed his lead out of the house. Once the door is closed behind her, she checked to see if it's locked. Then, she and the gray haired boy went to a place to get something to eat.
"Ou, I want to shop in there."
Gray looked over to see the store she wants to shop in. It's a clothing store. He resumed his attention to her and said, "You don't have any money."
"Yeah, but I want to look at some of the clothes. I'll buy them later when I can afford it."
The winged guardian gave her a look before he sighed with defeat. "Fine."
She smiled. "Arigato Gray!"
With that said she took hold of his wrist and dragged him along. Just as they were about to enter the shop, Rangiku stopped to look at the side. Wondering what she's looking at, the boy looked in the same direction to find her watching a woman walking on the sidewalk while she is holding hands with a little girl. They looked at one another and smiled. "I know it's getting late. Do you want to have some curry for dinner, Momo-chan?"
The raven haired girl let out a bright smile and nodded with agreement. "Hai Okaa-san! After that, can we have some strawberry tarts for dessert?"
The loving mother giggled. "Of course, now let's go shopping for those ingredients. Then, we'll hurry home to eat. Besides, you need to go to bed at nine."
"Okay!"
He quietly watched the two females walk past them. Then, he looked at his new friend. For some reason, she has gotten so emotional that she's ready to burst into tears. "She misses her family."
Suddenly, a thought came into mind.
"Rangiku," he said, getting her attention. "Wait here, I'll get you some dried persimmons."
Matsumoto asked, "Y-You'll come back, right?"
He let out a smile. "Of course, I'll come back."
She then raised her fists up. "You better or else...or else I won't forgive you!"
The gray haired boy began floating in the air. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Don't take too long."
"I won't; see you soon, Rangiku."
With that said the winged guardian took off to the sky and left the little girl to patiently wait for his return. "Have a safe trip, Gray."
Shiro.
It's that voice again.
Toshiro opened his eyes to find himself standing in a middle of a field of lifeless bodies. Each of those bodies were pierced with various sharp weapons from arrows to spears. He lifted his right arm up to see that he's wielding a long ice sword. "What is this?"
Shiro, can you hear me?
He raised his head and looked out into the distance.
It keeps calling out to me.
Shiro, it's time to wake up.
Curious, the white haired boy jumped and flew towards the horizon in hopes of finding the person whom he keeps hearing. Maybe he or she can help him find the answers he has been looking for so long.
I'm here to listen; please tell me.
Hurry, before it's too late.
Toshiro suddenly opened his eyes to find his surroundings not what it should be. He gasped and quickly sat up to find himself surrounded by blazing fires of red, orange, and yellow. "W-What's going on?"
Then, he looked around for any of the orphan children. All he could see so far are the burning furniture. Suddenly, he felt something hot. Hitsugaya glanced down at the blanket and let out a yelp. He quickly threw the blanket aside and flew into the air. He raised an arm over his forehead and hissed between his teeth.
"I have to get out of here."
He flew across the room and tried to open the door. However, his eyes caught onto something. He looked down to see what seem to be the burning bodies of the children who decided to sleep here. His heart began racing. They were trying to escape through the door. However, they met their unfortunate ends. The white haired boy gulped. If he were to wake up any later, he would have been in the same situation. Hitsugaya looked at the other end of the room. The only way to safety is to escape from the window.
The winged boy turned his body to the side and took a deep breath. With all the courage he is able to muster, he flew towards the window as fast as he could. Just as he is about to crash into the windows, he raised both arms up and shut his eyes tightly. The boy braced himself for the worst.
Suddenly, he heard a loud smash before feeling a strong gusty wind. He opened his emerald-teal eyes to find himself outside. He glanced over his shoulder to see the whole building is burning. "Hn, it took you long enough to show yourself."
Upon hearing the voice, Toshiro turned to the front to meet with a young man with swept back hair and sinister looking eyes. The boy narrowed his eyes, sensing danger from the dark violet winged male. Besides, he's a stranger. At that moment, an image of him appeared in his thoughts. He was standing with a bunch of people like him in a paradise looking place. "That man; he looks familiar."
A smile appeared on his face. "So this is what you look like right now, Shiro. It's quite cute."
"Who are you?" Toshiro asked.
"Hn, it seems like you haven't gotten back your memories yet. That's unfortunate." He flew up to the white haired boy and extended a hand out to him. "Don't worry, I'll help you. You just have to tell me your name."
Hitsugaya looked down at his hand before he looked at the man once more. He appears to be a nice person. So, he raised his hand out and reached out to him. But for some reason, his gut told him to do something entirely different. The boy suddenly jumped back and kept his distance away from him. He said, "No."
The smile on the man's face soon turned into a frown. Like magic, he extended his hand out and called upon his sword. He raised it up to his shoulder and replied, "That's the wrong choice you made, Shiro."
Without any warning, he swung his sword and fired a sword beam towards the boy. Instinctively, Hitsugaya flew off to the side and dodged the attack. Seeing that things are going to get dangerous, the icy winged boy decided to run away from the battle. However, he was soon confronted by the dark winged man. He hissed between his teeth. "Why is he after me?"
He tried flying in the opposite direction, but the man easily caught up with him. "You can't run."
Just as he is about to grab the boy by the shirt, Hitsugaya raised both hands out. With his eyes shut tightly, he yelled, "Go away!"
Suddenly, he heard a smashing noise. He opened his eyes and noticed that the dark winged male has moved to the side and the small impact crater that has been made just moments ago. He looked down at the palm of his hands, wondering what he just did.
Then, he noticed a shadow looming over him. He raised his head up to see the man is about to strike him down with his sword. Toshiro screamed and flew down towards the ground. Afterward, he fled from the scene. Hitsugaya glanced over his shoulder to see the man following him. He resumed his attention to the front. "I-I have to get away from him. He's dangerous."
He took a deep breath before he flew higher in altitude. After a while, he took another quick glance over his shoulder. He hissed between his teeth; the young man is still following him. Toshiro went back to looking in front and began to pick up the pace. Then, he flew downwards like a speeding bullet before braking at the last moment. Once he is in control, he took a left and began maneuvering past the obstacles that are in his way.
The dark violet winged man remained close to the white haired boy until he suddenly disappeared into thin air. He stopped to look around. Then, he slowly flew through the street while keeping an eye on any sign of the missing boy. "Enough with all the fun and games; turn around and fight me, Shiro."
As he continued searching, Hitsugaya carefully watched his movements from a narrow alleyway. He clutched onto the left side of his shirt and slowly took deep breaths, trying to stay calm in this unfavourable situation. He wondered, "Why is he after me? I didn't do anything wrong."
At that moment, an image appeared in his thoughts. He was standing at the top of a long staircase in the presence of someone whom he couldn't identify. The light behind him or her was shining so bright.
"Shiro."
He looked over to the side to see a young woman with black wings, smiling at him.
"Let us do our best as always."
Toshiro suddenly fell down to his knees with his hands clutched onto the sides of his head. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, hoping that it would ease the throbbing pain. "Oww, my head. It hurts..."
"There you are; I've been looking for you."
Recognizing the voice, Hitsugaya's eyes shot open. He raised his head to see the winged man is standing in his presence. Why can't he hide from him?
"Now that our little game of hide and seek is over, it's time start another game that is a bit more entertaining." The older male raised his sword out on the side. "I call it kill the little guardian before he wakes up."
Stricken with fear, the six year old boy began shuffling back and away from the sinister man. "L-Leave me alone!"
At that moment, he felt something. Toshiro glanced over his shoulder and let out a gasp. His back has suddenly met up with a wall. His eyes widened.
"Oh no, I'm trapped."
"Sorry, but I can't do that." By the time Hitsugaya resumed his attention to the front, the older man already had his sword pointing at him. "I have to kill you before anything else happens. So, be a good boy and accept your fate."
This can't be happening.
He raised his weapon above his head. As he looked down at the frightened boy, a wide grin appeared on his face. "Sayonara Shiro..."
What did I do to deserve this?
All Toshiro did was lower his head and shut his eyes tightly, hoping for a small miracle to happen that would get him out of this mess.
Please anyone...I don't want to die!
At that moment, he felt a strong gusty wind blowing through his body. He opened his eyes before they suddenly widened. He put his arms down and began looking around. For some reason, he is standing in the middle of a very strange place. The scenery is filled with fluffy clouds and the sound of chirping birds. "W-Where...am I?"
Then, he saw something from the corner of his eye. When he tried to look at it, the bright light blinded his sight. Toshiro raised an arm up and placed it against his forehead. He heard an echoing voice.
It's time to wake up...
"W-Who are you?" Hitsugaya called out. "What do you want?"
Awaken and see the truth.
"I-I don't get it!"
You will understand soon enough. All you need to do is awaken your true self from within.
"Awaken my true self? What are you tal-" At that moment, the throbbing pain in his head returned. He lowered his head enough so that he can place his hands on it. "Itte, my heard hurts..."
Wake up, Shiro.
Toshiro dropped down to his knees. The pain of his headache is slowly intensifying. So many different images are appearing in his thoughts.
"It hurts so much..."
Kyo, Gray, and the Fallen Ones have betrayed us and are plotting to take over the world you live in right now and the heavenly afterlife. You and Kuro must stop them and prevent such an occurrence from happening, my dear heavenly guardian.
All of a sudden, his eyes shot open upon realization. He slowly raised his head up to see a silhouette of a person with wings standing on the top of the stairs. "H-Heavenly...guardian?"
Yes, that's who you really are. Now, it's time for you to wake up.
Suddenly, the mysterious figure raised its hands up. At that moment, the light let out a radiant shine. As a result, it caused the young boy to close his eyes once more. The next thing he knew, everything that has been going on around him recently started to make perfect sense.
I see; so that's why things are the way they are.
By the time he opened his eyes again, Hitsugaya quickly reacted to the man's attack. He summoned a long ice sword in his hand and raised it above his head. After he blocked against the strike, the boy let out a fierce yell and swung his sword off to the side. Then, he placed both hands onto the hilt and swung his sword again. This time, he created a field of ice daggers which shortly charged at his opponent.
Sensing danger, the dark violet winged man flew up and dodged the assault. It is when the boy with icy cold wings flew up and confronted him. He pointed the tip of his blade towards him and said, "Sorry Kyo, but I don't have any intentions of dying for your sake anytime soon."
"Hn..." The traitor of the heavenly afterlife held his sword out on one side. A smirk appeared on his face. "Now this is getting interesting. You're finally awake."
"Thanks for triggering it." Toshiro placed both hands on the sword's hilt and got into fighting stance. "Now, it's time for you to come with me."
"So, the Great Guardian told you about the latest news."
"Yes, she did."
"Sorry, but I can't."
Just as he is about to fly away, Hitsugaya quickly flew around the ex-guardian and swung his sword. He created a wave of ice. Kyo quickly turned around. However, the heavenly guardian anticipated his move and got him surrounded. "It's not a choice."
Toshiro raised his sword above his head and quickly swung it down while letting out a fierce yell. However, all he managed to cut was a glass mirror that was shaped to his enemy's likeness. Hitsugaya hissed between his teeth and glanced over his shoulder to see the evil guardian standing behind him.
Just as Kyo is about to swing his sword, Shiro blocked against his attack with his own. After a short battle of power, they began exchanging sword swings. Their blades kept clashing into one another. Then, the dark winged guardian released a sword beam. Toshiro quickly defended and diverted the attack to go up into the sky with a strong swing of his sword. At that moment, he felt something sharp against the side of his neck. He hissed and looked over to see Kyo is standing behind him.
"I had fun, but it's time for me to go. I have other important matters to attend. Let's clash blades again soon, Shiro."
"You're not getting away!" Shiro tried to attack him again, but Kyo anticipated his move and evaded the attack. Just as he is about to fly away, he suddenly disappeared from sight. Toshiro cursed, "Damn it!"
He flew in the direction where his enemy last faced towards.
"He should be somewhere nearby." With several flaps from his wings, the heavenly guardian flew high as the tallest buildings in the area. After a few minutes, he flew down and close to the ground. During this time, he looked back and forth for any signs of the traitor. "Where are you hiding, Kyo?"
Suddenly, he noticed something white fluttering down. Realizing what it is, he raised his head up to see snowflakes has began falling from the dark clouds above.
"I better get going before the weather gets any worse."
With that said, he continued flying above the city. Then, he decided to take a short break. He landed on the roof of one of the nearby houses. He scanned the area for Kyo's whereabouts, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. He let out a sigh. "Kirei!"
Hearing the voice, he looked down to see a dark haired boy, who is around his age, standing in the balcony. He is busy looking out and enjoying the pretty scenery. It is when Hitsugaya saw two people: a man and a woman come out from inside the house. "Are you enjoying the sight, Sojiro?"
The six year old child glanced over his shoulder to see them. "Oto-san...Okaa-san."
With a smile on her face, she walked up to her son and draped a small jacket over his shoulders. She said, "It's cold out here; how can you stand out here in only your pajamas?"
The dark haired boy placed a hand on the back of his head and laughed hesitantly. He resumed his attention to the front to watch the snow fall. Little did he know, the heavenly guardian has finished his break and took off into the skies. He went back to searching for Kyo.
"Come to think of it," he said. "The Great Guardian mentioned that Gray and the Fallen Ones also betrayed us; so, they must be somewhere nearby."
Deciding to cover as much area as possible, he quickly picked up the pace.
As Gray is flying back to the place where he left his new friend, he took a quick glance at the bag of dried persimmons that is under his arm. "Hn, this should be enough for the both of u-"
Then, he stopped and turned his attention to the front. He sensed a familiar presence and it's somewhere close by where he left Rangiku. The boy with gray coloured wings made a serious face and quickened his pace. Just as he arrived at his destination, he spotted the dark violet winged guardian confronting the strawberry orange haired girl. Around them are several lifeless bodies which are drowned in their own blood. Gray landed on the ground about three blocks away. Then, he walked as close as he could so that he can see what is going on. He listened to their conversation.
"Well, isn't this interesting?" Kyo said. "You're able to see me."
Matsumoto took a few steps back until she met with a wall. She glared at the young man and said, "Stay back! I'm going to tell the cops on you! You killed those innocent people!"
Rangiku tried to runaway, but the dark winged guardian grabbed her arm and pulled her close.
"Let me go!"
As she struggled to break free, he forced the girl to stare into his menacing eyes. At that moment, the young girl lost her conscious and fell down onto the thin layer of snow on the ground. "Sorry, but I can't allow you to do that."
Gray narrowly opened his eyes, revealing the pair of light blue orbs as he glared at the traitor of the heavenly afterlife. He soon came out of his hiding spot and confronted him. Kyo glanced over his shoulder and noticed his presence.
"Ah Gray...how long you've been there?"
He simply let out his trademark smile. "Since you grabbed the girl and sapped her memories with those eyes of yours. They never cease to fascinate me."
"I see." Kyo resumed his attention to the unconscious girl. "I should kill her just in case she remembers me."
He raised his bloody sword up. Just as he is about to strike down on her, Gray interrupted, "If you do that, Shiro or Kuro might sense you."
The dark winged guardian stopped and looked at the gray winged guardian. After a short pause, he made his sword disappear from his hand.
"That's true." He turned his body to the side and began walking. Just as he past by the younger guardian, he said, "Let's go."
With his light blue eyes locked onto the older guardian like a hawk, the child guardian obediently replied to him with a single response. "Hai."
Kyo quickly took off into the sky and flew away. Once he is gone, Gray turned his attention to the unconscious girl. He walked up to her and bent down to place the bag of dried persimmons on the snow. By the time he stood up again, he began floating into the air.
"Gomen ne Rangiku. I'll make sure he pays the price for causing you harm and..."
The gray winged guardian flapped his wings and flew out into the sky, following Kyo's lead.
"...for making you forget me."
After spending a long time searching for Kyo, Hitsugaya decided to give up and return to the orphanage. Once he arrived at his destination, he noticed the blazing fire from the building has been put out by the firefighters. Now, they are carefully removing the large debris to recover all the dead bodies and hopefully rescue anyone that is trapped underneath. Toshiro stopped for a moment to see if there are any life auras leaking from under the rubble. He soon closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I'm the only survivor, huh?"
He reopened his emerald-teal eyes and flew down. He went through the window and made it inside the burnt building. Once he landed on the ground, his wings disappeared from his back as he reverted back to his original state. He suddenly sneezed. Then, he heard a voice, "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, someone's still alive. Is anyone there?"
"Oh shit, I have to hide somewhere."
He had to do something fast. If they were to find him here right now, they might suspect him of being the culprit who started the fire. Thinking fast, he grabbed onto his right shirt sleeve and began partially tearing it off. Then, he did the same to the left side of his pants. Once he is done, he picked up a piece of burnt wood and scratched it against his cheek. Just as he opened a bleeding wound, Hitsugaya let out a loud hiss.
"Hello?" Toshiro did the same with his left arm. He got down on his knees and crawled under some large debris. Using the burnt ashes on his hands, he rubbed them all over his clothes and body. He finally turned himself around and waited for them to arrive. Then, one of the firefighters entered the room. He called out, "Can you hear me?"
Hitsugaya then made himself known by letting out a series of forced coughs. While he crawled out of his hiding spot, the firefighter called out to his nearby allies to come to Toshiro's aid. Once they arrived, the other firefighters scattered and began their search for anymore survivors. In the meantime, the paramedics gave the six year old child an oxygen mask to help him breathe. The firefighter, who found him, took out his transceiver and informed the other emergency workers outside about their discovery.
"Everything is going to be alright," the paramedic said while helping him remove the mask from his face. Then, he began giving him treatment for his injuries. "We'll take care of you."
Toshiro silently gave him a nod and waited for them to finish wrapping the bandages over his wounds.
"It doesn't appear you have any serious wounds, but we'll take you to the hospital just in case."
Again, he gave them a nod. By the time the paramedic was done, Hitsugaya was given a heavy blanket to drape over his shoulders before he was escorted out by one of the firefighters. Then, he was asked by the other paramedics to enter the ambulance from the back doors. He followed their orders and sat on one of the portable hospital beds. After two of them entered the vehicle with him, he watched the pair of doors close. As he is driven away, the white haired boy looked though the window to see the falling snow in the dark cloudy sky. He slowly closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
"Don't worry, boy." Toshiro looked over to see the paramedic, who is sitting across from him. He let out a soft smile and said, "Once you're all better, we'll find you a nice place to stay."
The six year old child just resumed his attention to the winter scenery outside, knowing that he doesn't understand the situation he has gotten into this time. It is not like any other because his situation is beyond ordinary. From this point on, things are only going to get rough...just like all the other times he has already been though.
My life as Toshiro Hitsugaya has completely changed forever.
~ To be Continued in Beyond Perspective ~
Japanese World Translations
Shiro - White; Toshiro's name as the heavenly guardian, Kuro - Black; Kiyoko's name as the guardian of darkness, Sugoi - Amazing, Umai - Delicious, Itte - Ouch, Arigato - Thank You, Hai - Yes, Okaa-san - Mother, Sayonara - Good Bye (formal), Kirei - Pretty, Oto-san - Father, Gomen ne - I'm Sorry
Author's Note: And that's how things came to be. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Now, it's time for me to focus on completing my current works. Please review! Thanks and I'll be back soon with another short story. Laterz!