Good evening! (It's evening where I'm at, please bear with me.) Here's my new story, "Hyourinmaru's Wielder". There are a few things you'll need to know:
First: I've read the manga and watched the anime. However, this will be MANGA based, considering that the manga doesn't show much of Hitsugaya's past.
Second: I will be taking a few things from the anime, such as the fact that Hitsugaya attended Shino Academy.
Third: I will use OCs. Quite a few, actually. However, they do not play that large of a role, though they may or may not appear multiple times.
Fourth: I will switch between Japanese and English terms. It depends on what comes to mind first, though.
Please read and enjoy. (: If you did, leave a review. Constructive critique is appreciated.
Toshiro Hitsugaya loved the cold.
It was invigorating. It was beautiful. And it took the shape of something that could be both hard and soft.
Winter was his favorite season, when snow poured down from the heavens. He'd always stay outside, catching the white flakes in his palms, dismayed when they always melted within his hands.
The others thought he was weird, for liking the winter. It was harsh, they said, and white is such a boring color.
Well, so are you, he'd think to himself, but he didn't dare say that aloud. No one liked him.
Then they'd add, it looks just like your hair.
They didn't know that he took that as a compliment. He liked the color white.
During the cold seasons of December, he'd sit out in the snow, wearing nothing more than a few tattered shorts and t-shirts. It wasn't like he had anything else. He'd welcome the cold, watching as his breath came out in white mist. He never caught colds. It was like he'd developed immunity to them.
The other children never joined him, always bundled up in their jackets and scarves, playing close to home.
Toshiro would merely embrace the fact that he was alone and move on. He was used to it, though he had to admit that it was a bit disheartening that no one cared about him. After all, he did live on the streets.
However, whenever he went into the town, people with broken chains coming out of their chests would surround him. Oddly, no one else seemed to be able to see them, and they swarmed around him. Despite the fact that the others couldn't see them, they avoided them.
The chain-people, as he liked to call them, would talk to him occasionally. After a few days, they'd disappear, and he never saw them again.
After he talked to the chain-people briefly, he'd go search for something to eat, a skill he'd picked up when he was younger. In other words, thieving. He always managed to hide his hair and face and then run out with something edible to eat. Then, he headed off into the woods. No one ever followed him there.
On his birthday, he'd always sit outside in the snow, watching the flakes drift down almost lazily. It seemed that whenever December twentieth rolled by, the heavens would slow the snowflakes, allowing him the luxury to watch them, with their pretty designs. When he caught the fragile flakes, it was almost as if the flakes melted slower.
After the last snow of winter melted and gave way to muddy spring, Toshiro would be disappointed. Spring would bring sneezing and allergies. He'd never liked them. The flowers would begin to bloom and animals would wake up from their long sleeping periods.
Spring is when the baby animals emerge and the pretty flowers bloom, they would say.
Toshiro would wait patiently for spring to end, enduring sneezing fits and cold rain for the next few months.
Summer was an absolute nightmare for Toshiro.
The heat it brought was unbearable. He loved the cold and would never like the heat. It almost burned, and he couldn't see why the other children loved summer so.
Summer was hot, and the water that had collected during spring began to disappear, making it harder for him to find any at all. He could barely wait for summer to pass.
Summer is so warm and we can have fun, the others would comment.
When the first leaves of fall fell to the ground, Toshiro was excited. Fall wasn't all that bad. It was cool and it meant that winter was on the way.
Fall brought peace and coolness to the air. The children groaned all the time about it, but Toshiro didn't mind. There wasn't anything to complain about.
Now we can't have fun as much anymore, they would moan.
Toshiro would imagine that the falling leaves were snow and catch them. They didn't melt, but they didn't bring that sense of awe to him like snowflakes did. Why should they? They were only dried leaves, dead leaves.
Toshiro could wait for fall to pass, but his heart would pound as he counted the days until winter took its hold on the land.
(PAGE BREAK)
Toshiro was walking through the streets of the town. He'd never bothered learning the name of the town, even if he could read and write. Today was his tenth birthday, but he'd decided to take a walk and chat with the chain-people.
But no matter where he looked, there were no chain-people. Only normal chainless people.
He frowned. That was odd.
Then a shrill shriek pierced the air, and he felt a sense of foreboding. No one else noticed it and continued on their business.
He turned tail and ran.
I can sense your reiatsu, boy.
He continued to run, terrified. Toshiro left the town and continued to run, biting back a scream and feeling his eyes water.
Suddenly, he felt something dig into the back of his neck and slash down. Dark spots erupted across his vision.
There was immense pain. Then the cold of the snow enveloped him. He couldn't see.
A triumphant cry came from the creature behind him, and he lifted his head weakly just in time to see a horrific mask of bone before he lost consciousness and heard an audible snap.
(PAGE BREAK)
He opened his eyes to see something lying on the ground, and with horror, he realized it was his own body. Toshiro glanced at his chest and noticed that there was a broken chain hanging there.
He…he…
The creature growled and screeched with laughter, lunging at him and he was terrified. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
That's when a sword came out of nowhere and slashed the creature to pieces. Its laughter faded into pain and it disappeared.
Toshiro collapsed to his knees, shaking with fear.
A woman with orange hair walked towards him, concern in her blue eyes. She knelt down to his height, ruffling his hair.
"Are you okay?"
Toshiro lifted his gaze to meet hers, terror evident in his teal eyes.
The woman sighed. "I'm sorry to say this but…"
He froze, fearing what she would say next.
"…you're dead. You were killed by that Hollow."
Toshiro drew in a deep breath. "So, I'm dead," he whispered.
"You're taking this rather well."
He nodded. "I know…I suppose there's an afterlife, if you're here."
She nodded. "You're quite intelligent, kid."
Toshiro shrugged. "I'm just using my common sense. Now, how am I supposed to reach the afterlife?"
The woman drew her sword again and raised it. "The afterlife isn't much different except for the fact that you're kind of immortal and you don't need to eat unless you have reiatsu, which you certainly have." She smiled kindly. "Don't worry." The hilt of the sword touched his forehead and he felt himself disintegrate. The world faded to black.
It was nice, dying in winter. I hope the people in the afterlife are kind.
(PAGE BREAK)
When he came to, he was in a forest with slashed trees.
Toshiro sat up, rubbing his eyes. He knew he should've been freaking out about being dead and all but it was probably because his mind hadn't caught up with his body yet.
He took a deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Nope, he was still sane. No complaints there.
Toshiro stood up shakily, grabbing onto a nearby tree for support. It turned out that he didn't really need it. He drew a long breath again.
There was nothing here except cut down trees and snow. He picked up a handful and oddly, the snow didn't melt in his hands. Shrugging, he let it slip between his fingers and headed in a random direction.
There wasn't much danger here other than a few stray branches that he could trip over. He looked around and noticed a small and frozen creek. Excited, he ran over to the area, staring at the frozen water.
Toshiro touched the ice, feeling something stirring deep within him. He closed his eyes and somehow, his imagination cooked up a deep rumbling voice that rolled through his mind.
A dragon, his mind supplied.
Then, his stomach growled. Oops.
Sheepishly, even though no one was watching, he stood up and looked around. He supposed there should've been some kind of food around here.
He sighed. Time to go find something to go eat.
(PAGE BREAK)
A week later, he'd found a little settlement, but soon, he was kicked out within seconds as soon as they saw his white hair and teal eyes.
Racists.
Toshiro rubbed his eyes. He was tired, and night was approaching. Sighing, he walked through the forest when he tripped over something.
Something black.
When he got up, he heard a faint groan from the lump that he'd tripped over.
"Sorry, did I trip over you?" he asked, genuinely apologetic.
He got a moan and some coughing as a response. Toshiro realized that it was a person wearing the black robes that the woman who'd saved him was wearing.
She was rather petite and had dull yellow hair that was stained with blood. Her black eyes bored into his.
"That's fine," she muttered. "The name's Kaminari." Kaminari smiled sourly.
"Um, Toshiro. Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied rather nervously. He could see that there was a rather serious wound in her chest.
Kaminari laughed. "It's nice to know that someone knows my name when I'm dying, even if he'd just a child. No one really noticed me. No one really cared about me."
Toshiro felt his heart ache for someone he barely knew, but he had gone through something similar. He didn't know how to act. He'd never watched someone die.
"That's the same as me," he said quietly, mourning silently.
"I changed my name from Hana to Kaminari for a reason. I didn't want to be a little flower that no one noticed. I wanted to be the thunder that everyone would hear," Kaminari said, sadly, rambling. She lifted her sword. "I never even heard my Zanpakuto. I won't ever know what his name is, or even what his gender is."
She looked at him, and suddenly Toshiro felt the sword pressed into his hands. "I hope that you can find out the name of your Zanpakuto. Please carry my dream on," she pleaded, black eyes meeting his. Toshiro felt that he couldn't say no.
He swallowed. "I will." Kaminari was far too similar to him.
Kaminari smiled weakly. "Now leave me so I can die in peace. I hope I reincarnate in a nice place."
Toshiro met her gaze. "I hope so too. I hope you are reincarnated as a successful person and that you'll have a good life, and you won't ever be forgotten."
Kaminari nodded. "Thank you, Toshiro."
Toshiro headed off, casting one more glance at Kaminari before headed off into a sprint, carrying the sword in his hand.
(PAGE BREAK)
Toshiro tripped again.
How the heck was one supposed to use such a long sword? It was his height, for heaven's sake!
Toshiro glared at the sword, which was standing with its point buried in the ground.
It did not give him a glare, merely standing there coolly.
Lately, he'd been having dreams of an icy mountain, where the air was thin and cold. He loved it.
But when he woke up, the clarity of the dream was wiped away by the morning sun.
Toshiro got up again, irritated, and pulled the sword out of the ground. He wasn't bothered by its weight. On the contrary, he found that it was the perfect weight. It was balanced.
But he couldn't learn how to use it without a proper tutor unless he was a genius.
In total, he'd cut himself a total of fifty-four times.
He swung the sword in a large arc and thought about it. Apparently, it left him pretty open if an enemy attacked him from behind. So he should keep it…argh! The thinking was making his head ache.
Toshiro rubbed his temple with his left hand and glared at the sword again.
"Are you being impossible on purpose?" he demanded.
The sword did not dignify his answer with a response. With a disgusted snort, he sat down and placed the sword on his lap.
Toshiro sighed and began to think about it. Maybe he could…Che. That was stupid. He'd give himself a migraine—if that was possible, was it?—if he continued to think that way.
He rubbed his eyes again and got up, fastening the sword to his waist with a piece of twine he'd found a while ago, letting the ungrateful piece of metal drag behind him on the ground.
Time to go explore.
(PAGE BREAK)
The trees loomed above him, and as he walked through the undergrowth barefoot, he felt a strange sense of foreboding, similar to the one he'd felt before that Hollow attacked him. There was probably something dangerous here. His intuition told him to turn back. His curiosity told him to keep going forward.
Which one to listen to?
In the end, his curiosity won over his reason and intuition. What was wrong with him?
Deciding that he was completely insane, he continued on. Toshiro kept a hand on the sword and prayed that he would be able to use it when the time was right. He really didn't want to meet up with one of those Hollow-things when he could barely use a sword.
His footsteps became slow and dragged out as the sense of foreboding nearly overwhelmed his senses.
Now would be a good idea to turn back, his intuition said uneasily.
No! Go forward. There's something there, his curiosity replied.
Was his consciousness seriously that divided? Toshiro fought an urge to slap his forehead.
But his curiosity was slowly beginning to be replaced with fear.
Toshiro gulped and turned around immediately. He could come back later, right? Yes, he would come back when his bravery was a little boosted.
Before he knew it, he was flying over the ground, running as fast as he could. Yeah, his pride was taking quite a bit of damage.
(PAGE BREAK)
December twentieth rolled by again.
That was the fifth year that had gone by and he still hadn't mustered up enough courage to go past those woods. What was wrong with him?
Also, he hadn't grown an inch! Was he going to look like a ten year old for the rest of his life—afterlife?
At least he'd learned how to use the sword. He still sucked a lot though.
Toshiro lay on the snow-blanketed ground, gazing at the sky. He hadn't met a single soul other than Kaminari and the group that had thrown him out since his death.
"It's awfully lonely," he said aloud to break the silence.
A rumble at the back of his mind was his reply. This had happened for quite a while. It was rather strange, but the rumble was rather comforting and he'd gotten used to it.
The snow was cold, but rather nice. It wasn't freezing and brought a sense of comfort to him. It was pretty. And it didn't melt when he touched it.
He sat up, leaning against the tree. The woman who had sent him here had told him he was somewhat immortal. Did that mean he'd be able to reach several thousand years? That'd be rather hard to keep track of.
Now, he was fifteen. Sighing, he rubbed his teal eyes. No use thinking about such trivial matters. The boy stood up, brushing off his clothing, which had become rather threadbare.
Maybe he'd go to the woods.
(PAGE BREAK)
It turned out he waited another month before he worked up the courage to go past the woods.
He felt a twinge of unease as he neared the settlement he'd found after going past the woods. Was this what made him so apprehensive? Just looking at it, he knew that it was. Toshiro kept a hand on his sword just to be a bit cautious.
He entered the settlement and looked around.
There were a few huts and some people—scratch that, a lot of people—were fighting each other.
Oh.
A rather large boy with droopy black hair and a little girl with pink hair were sitting down on a tree stump, watching the fighting go on. It was clear that he was the leader of the little group. He probably fought his way to the top.
"Look! There's a newcomer," said one of the spectators, pointing to Toshiro. To his surprise, he could understand the words.
Toshiro glared at the one he guessed was the leader, trying to stare him down with the frostiest glare he could muster.
"Heh! This one's got spunk, even if he's so small," the other snickered, slightly fazed by the glare but trying to hide it.
"Let's see if he can get in to the Zaraki district!" chirped the pink-haired girl rather cheerfully.
Toshiro was nervous now. They wanted to fight him? What were they thinking? What was he thinking?
"He's got a big sword," noted one of the boys. All of them had stopped fighting.
"Can he use it?"
"Let's see!" shouted a boy with dirty blonde hair. He stepped forward.
"If you wanna join the Zaraki district, you'd better prove your worth!" he said.
Another few joined him. "Don't worry, we won't kill you. Just beat you an inch to death," said one of them.
Toshiro cursed inwardly. What the hell? Were these people crazy?
It turned out that they were serious about it. He barely had time to draw the sword to block a blow from the first boy.
"The name's Shi! It means 'death'! I bring death to all those who oppose me!"
He gritted his teeth. Damn.
As Shi jumped back, one of the other two exchanged blows with Toshiro. "Hello. I am the reaper. I am Karitoriki, or reaper." He had dark blue eyes and spiky dark purple hair.
Karitoriki backed off, allowing the last of them attack. He slid into position behind Toshiro, slashing towards him.
"I am Gosuto." Toshiro managed to dodge his attack at the last minute, earning a scratch on his cheek. Gosuto had midnight black hair and onyx eyes.
Gosuto retreated, standing next to Shi and Karitoriki calmly. "We are brothers who died side-by-side. We specialize in killing," explained Shi. "We will become Soul Reapers once we have become strong enough.
"I wish to become the Captain of the Eleventh Squad, just like Zaraki," Shi continued.
"I would like to be the Captain of the Second Squad," Gosuto murmured quietly.
"I don't mind which Squad I take," Karitoriki added.
"You may have been able to defend, even if only barely, against us one-on-one, but I think you'll find that taking on all three of us is going to be tough," Shi said maliciously, licking the blade of his sword.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :3
Please read and review!