Tracing a line in the wall with a sword, blood leaked into the dirty, indented trail. Not a trace of emotion twisted the blank face, and the once pretty, bright, and happy golden eyes were faded and cold. The shinigami in front of her cowered in fear, as her sword swept silently in an arc, blood spraying the walls. A broken mask covered her head, a long tooth covering her right eye, golden locks swept to the side. Her mind was tortured; plagued with memories she couldn't forget. Plagued with an image and a sense of self-hatred that drove her on.
It was time to go.
Pacing the quiet streets, you watched the moon rise, memories flashing through your mind, like they did every second of your life.
"Toushiro! Look at the moon!" The golden haired girl giggled, her eyes bright and happy. The boy beside her scowled, as normal. "What's so great about it?" He muttered, as the girl smiled. "Nothing, really." He was surprised. "It just looks nice at this time of year. Don't you think?" He couldn't really say no, when she smiled like that. So he agreed, as they watched the stars together in silence.
You stood up quietly, a presence approaching. This would be the third attack in two days. Waiting in silence under the moon, images flashed through your mind once again.
"Ne, Toushiro?" There was only silence as the girl waited for her friend. "Toushiro?" Still silence. She wished he would come. She was scared, and lost. Lost in her own town, again. And again she hoped he would come. "T-Toushiro?" She was scared, crying now. It was dark, no comforting light flooding the empty streets. "Toushiro!" Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing. "Hikaru?"
You blinked to clear the thought, as the presences grew closer. You were fading into anger, self-hate, and pain. It hurt to remember. It hurt to think. Your thoughts were blurred, as the shinigami grew closer, your vision faded, blackening. It wasn't long before darkness took you.
Toushiro reached the destination first, Ukitake, Kyouraku, and Matsumoto close behind. The girl standing in front of him was unrecognizable, but something seemed familiar. Her white shinigami uniform was splattered with blood, a thin red blade hanging loosely in her right hand. He stared closer as his comrades appeared behind him, and the girl looked up. Her once lively golden eyes were dull, and pained, the whites of her eyes blackened. The white haired captain froze in recognition. 'It couldn't…be her.' He struggled with an internal battle, and a loss of words. All eyes were on him, as his face changed from confusion, to shock, and finally settled on disbelief. "H-Hikaru?" The girl said nothing, and didn't respond. Suddenly, she shot forwards, sword pointing at his heart. He dodged, refusing to draw his sword against her as she attacked over and over again. "Hikaru!" He spoke over the noise of her attacks, as she stepped back to give him some space. He tried to reach for her, but she just got further away. She couldn't speak, couldn't think, and couldn't move properly. She was lost in her own madness, the fear and pain of her past haunting her all the more because of the boy in front of her.
"Toushiro!" She giggled, golden hair flying everywhere. He chased her up the tree, the early blossoms swirling around them in the early morning light. She laughed, and pointed to the next tree. "Try and jump that!" She said, her small hands clapped together in happiness. The white haired boy frowned, and jumped. He landed fine, as the girl followed him and pointed to another one. They jumped from tree to tree, going higher and higher each time. "This one, this one!" She said in excitement, pointing to a thick and old branch. The bark looked firm and safe, as the boy nodded. He jumped, and landed safely. She opened her mouth to giggle, when a sickening crack was heard. The branch beneath the white haired boy snapped slowly, wach image moving in slow motion as he fell forwards. The girl could only watch as he fell, her eyes filling with fear. Yes, she could only watch. Watch helplessly as he fell to his death.
The girl's eyes widened suddenly, the darkness receding from her eyes. The fight was dragging on, cuts covering both sides. She stepped back, scared, and pale. It was as if she'd seen a ghost, which of course, she had. His figure stood before her, the same as it had always been, as she stared ahead at him, her hands shaking. "Y-you…" Her voice was small, shaking, as the other shinigami leapt in to attack. She flinched, and dodged away from them, allowing a few more cuts she should never have gotten. The boy stared hard at her, the mask, and hole in her neck. It was obvious what she had become, but to him, it wasn't obvious why. "T-Toushiro…" She whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She was sad, and yet happy. She had killed the boy before her, and yet he was here. He was looking at her with sad eyes as she fended off against his comrades. It was a strange feeling. "What happened to you, Hikaru?" He asked, as she fought off his friends. They returned to where he stood, the two sides facing each other in silence. "You know her?" Matsumoto asked, as she looked between the two. He didn't respond, just repeated the question. "What happened to you?" She couldn't answer, instead lowering her sword in silence. Finally, she spoke. "How can you talk to me?" It wasn't an answer to her friend's question. He watched her carefully, her eyes shadowed, tears running silently down her cheeks. "How can you even look at me?" Her voice was shaking. It was small and innocent, a child's voice. And yet, she was a threat.
"What do you mean?" This time, his voice showed wariness, and confusion. The girl was shaking. Shaking more and more. They stood facing each other, in silence. She broke it with fear, with the one thought that had driven her mad. Her guilt. "I killed you!" She shouted, backing away instantly. It hurt. It hurt. It drove her mad. Mad with guilt. She couldn't control the self-hatred she felt. She couldn't control the madness she had created. She was too weak. She clutched her head, the tears flowing silently as the pain took over.
"Toushiro…? Toushiro! Please…" She sobbed, kneeling over the broken figure. "Please wake up…" She was scared. Scared, and alone. Just like before. Before he came and helped her. "Someone…" She was shaking as she reached out towards the path. "Someone help me!"
The girl straightened, her head moving upwards. When she turned again, her eyes were black, a distorted grin on her face. "Well, well. The girl's crying again." The voice was not her own. Toushiro stared at the girl in front of him. She wasn't here anymore. It hurt to do it, but the captain drew his zanpakuto, blocking just in time. She leapt forwards, laughing madly, as she swung her sword around the four of them. "Cero!" She fired madly, her eyes wide and fearless. This wasn't the girl he once knew.
"Toushiro!" The girl smiled up at him, a flower in his hand. "Hey, it's for you!" She said with a smile, waving it in front of his face. He snatched it quickly, turning away from her as she pouted. "Toushiro! Be nice to the flower!" It was a happy memory. Slowly, a forgotten emotion stirred. Happiness. The girl shook herself. She latched onto her consciousness, and pulled hard. This was her life.
It was a short battle. Over quickly. With three captain-level shinigami, it wasn't hard to imagine what had happened. The four closed in, blocking her escape routes just as she grabbed her forehead. Some internal battle raged, and the white haired boy could do nothing. He knew what he had to do. The girl was on her knees before him, one hand holding her sword, the other grabbing that wrist, as if trying to stop it. He had to kill her while she was weak. And yet, he couldn't do it. Slowly, she forced the blade down. "T-Toushiro…" He found it hard to move, the others waiting patiently as she spoke quietly. It was her choice in life, not the darkness's choice. She wanted to make the decision, not the darkness again. "Please…kill me." The simple request could not be complied, as the boy stood in front of her in shock. She was loosing control again, as she gripped her blade tight. "Please…hurry…" 'Some friend I am…' She thought.
He stood still, frozen. He couldn't kill her. He knew he couldn't. He loved her. Slowly, she grabbed his katana. He couldn't move. Pulling it towards her, she threw herself onto its blade, her blood splattering his face. She smiled sadly. This time it was her turn. With the smile fixed in place, she looked up at the boy, feelings long forgotten surfacing in the moment. 'Toushiro…I love you.' The thought wasn't heard, and never would be. The soul would be forgotten, her words wasted on deaf ears. He would never know.
Finally, it was over.