A few things before you read this story!
Number 1: I don't own any of the characters at all. I wish I did but I don't.
Number 2: I watched the English version of the anime so this story is set up more like that.
Number 3: I tried to get the characters personalities as close as I could. If they are not exact than I am is also no romance between the characters. They are just friends that care about each other.
Number 4: This story is going to have 3 chapters to it.
I hope everyone enjoys this story! I worked really hard on it! :)
"If ever there is a tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is even if we are apart, I'll always be with you."(Winnie the Pooh)
"Hey did you hear about the new 3rd seat of squad 10?"
"Yeah! I saw him yesterday, walking with the Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto. He looks like a little kid. His Zanpakutō looks taller than he is."
"You wonder how he doesn't fall over from the weight of it. He carries it on his back."
"Well he would have to because it would drag on the ground if he had it on his waste."
7th seat Momo Hinamori of squad 5 stopped walking when she heard the two soul reapers conversation. Squad 10 has a new 3rd seat? She thought. At the time, Momo did not understand that at that moment, she suddenly remembered her white-haired childhood friend. It had been so long since she last thought of him, let alone saw him. Later she would realize why but that moment she could not help but wonder how he and his granny were doing. Suddenly, many questions sprung into her mind. How was he? Had he grown since the last time she saw him? And more importantly, did he miss her? Momo figured that he would be angry with her. After all, she had not been to visit him since he joined the academy. She could not help it though, the higher the seat she was, the more she had to do and right now, she was seat number 7. She knew that he would understand. Probably.
7th seats Renji Abarai and Izuru Kira of squad 4 and 11, who were walking with her, noticed that she had stopped walking.
"What going on, Momo?" Asked Izuru. She turned her attention away from the conversation and her thoughts to Izuru and Renji.
"Did you know that squad 10 had a new 3rd seat?" She asked her friends. Both Renji and Izuru looked at each other and then looked back at her.
"Yeah, we knew. It's kind of old news now," Said Izuru.
"Well it's no wonder that you haven't heard anything about it. After all, you do spend most of your time kissing Captain Aizen's ass," Renji commented as he put his hands in his pockets.
Momo put her hands on her hips "I do not! I just admire him for being a great captain! There is no shame in that. Now if you don't mind, tell me what happened?"
Renji sighed before answering her "Apparently he is like a genius or something. I heard that Lieutenant Matsumoto found him and convinced him enroll into Shin'ō Academy."
Momo looked confused "What makes him a genius?"
This time it was Izuru answered her "He graduated from the Academy after only being there for a year and after graduating, he quickly overcame the previous 3rd seat. Rumor has it that the spirit of his Zanpakutō revealed itself to him long before he entered the Academy and that he was able to use Shiki soon afterwards."
"Wow" Momo was shocked. She couldn't believe there was someone that amazing around and she had no idea about it.
"The Captains are saying a genius like him is hard to come by. They are excepting a lot from him," Said Renji.
I want to meet him thought Momo. She wanted to see for her own eyes just how great this person was. Momo started to wonder what he could be like. He must be strong and handsome and has a bunch of spiritual power. Probably just like Captain Aizen.
"I want to meet him!" Momo told her friends.
"Well he is probably going to be at the court yard with the other top officials. All the squads' 3rd seats and above are going to be discussing something about the hollow attacks that have been going on recently in the Land of the Living," Izuru told them.
Momo was excited "Really? Let's go!" she said before taking off to the courtyard to see the mysterious new addition to squad 10.
"Wait for us Momo!" Renji and Izuru yelled as they tried to keep up with her.
When Momo, Renji, and Izuru arrived at the courtyard, they quickly went behind one of the many pillars so that no one could see them and hid their spiritual pressure. They peeked around the pillar and looked toward where Squad 10 was standing. "Damn! I can't see him. Captain Shiba is blocking him. Why does he have to be so freaking short?" Renji said in frustration.
"Yeah this sucks! What are we going to do? Oh hey there is Captain Aizen!" Momo said, pointing to where the captain of squad 5 stood.
"Focus Momo" Izuru said "We are here to see squad 10 not squad 5."
"You're right. Oh Head Captain Yamamoto is about to say something."
All three of them shut their mouths and listened what the Commander and Captain of Squad 1 had to say. "Before we get to talking about the Hallows in the World of the Living, I would like to introduce the new addition to squad 10 top members. I am sure you all have heard about him in some fashion or another. He is very strong and I have no doubt that he will become a great contribution to the Soul Society. Please introduce yourself!"
A short white haired boy wearing a traditional Shinigami attire with a long sword attached to his back took a step forward. Momo gasped. She couldn't believe her eyes. It had to be someone else because it couldn't be him. The white hair boy spoke "My name is Tōshirō Hitsugaya. Please take care of me."
Momo couldn't believe this. Her childhood friend was a Soul Reaper and a top ranking one at that. Though it had been many years since she last spoke with him, she didn't think that he even wanted to become a Soul Reaper because of his grandmother. "Wow it seems like the rumors were true. He is just a kid," Izuru stated, interrupting Momo thoughts.
"We better get out of here. It seems like we have been spotted," As soon as Renji spoke those words all of the Captains were looking straight at them, even Tōshirō. The three of them quickly ran off before they were questioned. However, they knew that they respective captains would be questioning them later. It was amazing that Tōshirō was able to sense their presence. All three of the were pretty good at hiding their spiritual pressure and it seems that only the captains seemed to notice their presence.
Momo didn't look back though she could tell that Tōshirō was still watching her. Shirō what happened to you and how did you become so strong?
That was Momo. The newly promoted 3rd seat Tōshirō Hitsugaya of squad 10 was leaving the courtyard after the meeting. I guess she heard about me becoming a soul reaper. I bet that surprised her. After all, he never showed any interest in becoming a soul reaper when they last met. It hadn't even been that long since he became a soul reaper and he was already a top official, only one seat below the lieutenant, which was currently held by Rangiku. Even before he met Rangiku, he could already hear Hyōrinmaru, though he didn't know beforehand that was Hyōrinmaru until Rangiku pointed it out. After he went to the academy, it wasn't long that he was able to hear his name. He recalled the warm feeling he felt when he finally heard his name despite that his element was ice.
Tōshirō Hitsugaya had been in the academy for two months now. In the short time that he had been there, he was already able to control his reiatsu. He was getting closer and closer to be able to hear his Zanpakutō name. His dreams continued as they always did. Soon he thought as he looked down at his Zanpakutō, soon I will be able to hear your name, and we will never be alone again because we will have each other.
That night, when he was sleeping in his room, he had the same dream. He was standing in field. The grass was frozen and the wind was cold. He looked around and saw in the distance the gigantic, icy blue, serpentine dragon with large wings looking at him. He ran as fast as could to it. He was not afraid of the dragon now knowing that it was the spirit of his Zanpakutō. When he reached it, he held out his hand. It stayed that way for several minutes, his hand held out, and neither of them speaking. It was Tōshirō who broke the silence. "Please tell me your name."
"Are you finally ready to hear my name? Are you strong enough to be my Master?" the echoing voice of the ice dragon asked. "I have tried many times to tell you my name."
"I know and I wasn't ready, forgive me. But now, I am strong enough. So please tell me your name." He was ready. He knew it. He had been training for this moment since he entered the academy.
The dragon stared at him for a moment before speaking "My name is… Hyōrinmaru."
Tōshirō woke up in a cold sweat. The room was freezing. It was a good thing that he didn't have any roommates. Though the room was cold, he had a since of warmth. He got up and went to his Zanpakutō where it was stationed and saw that the sword had changed. The sword was longer and the guard was in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star. The hilt is light blue, and sheath, that was normally the regular black had change to a dark blue. Hyōrinmaru he thought as he took hold of his sword, I finally heard your name. Now we can become stronger together. Needless to say, he didn't get much sleep after that.
A couple of weeks passed and the day came where they were learning about their Zanpakutō. They were able to bring their Zanpakutō to class that day, only Tōshirō had his covered as he knew everyone would make a big deal about the fact his sword had changed. He could no longer have his Zanpakutō around his waist where it was longer so he now had to carry it on his back. "As you all know this is a Zanpakutō," The teacher spoke. He laid a Zanpakutō on the desk so that everyone could see. "This is what we use to defeat the Hallows. It is our main tool when it comes to fighting the Hallows. As you all know, when you enter the academy, you each received a standard Zanpakutō like this one. This is also known as a training Zanpakutō or Asauchi. Now each Zanpakutō has a spirit that is connected to your soul. When you are ready, the spirit of your Zanpakutō will appear to you and tells you its name. Though it will take many years to learn its name."
"What happens when we know its name?" A student asked.
"When that happens, your Zanpakutō will change shape and sometimes the size. Your Zanpakutō will obtain special abilities that are based on your soul. It is up to you for your Zanpakutō to become stronger. The stronger you are the stronger your Zanpakutō will become. You are born with your Zanpakutō and you will die with your Zanpakutō. It cannot be changed. Now any questions?"
Tōshirō raised his hand "What if you already know the name of your Zanpakutō?"
The teacher looked shocked "That's impossible. You couldn't have learned your Zanpakutō's name already. You are just a first year student. Come show it to me."
Tōshirō got up from his seat and walk down to where the teacher was standing. As he walked down the steps, he could feel the stares of his fellow students boring into his back. When he reached to where the teacher was standing, he demanded "Show it to me."
Tōshirō obeyed and handed him his Zanpakutō. The teacher took it and removed the cover on the sword. The teacher couldn't believe it. The Zanpakutō had changed. It was no longer a regular Zanpakutō. He couldn't believe that a student who had only been at the academy for two months already had an advance Zanpakutō. Just who is this kid?
Tōshirō smiled at the memory of his face when he learned that his sword had changed. Many events happened after that. He met the headmaster who told him that he was a genius and he met Captain Shiba who asked him to join his squad as soon as he graduated from the academy. He likes Captain Shiba though he seemed very childish at times. In fact, it seemed like he was the one in charge than both the captain and the lieutenant. Well it didn't matter how his superiors acted. He knew how strong they were. They would be a great help in achieving his goal. His goal is to be a strongest captain of the Gotei 13.
The next couple of days passed with little to no problems. He was able to complete his jobs quickly and correctly. He even had a few sparing matches with some of his fellow squad members, which he won, in what little free time he had. After working the past couple of days, the captain gave him a day off to rest. However, Tōshirō wasn't going to rest. He had too much training to do. So Tōshirō decided to head for the forest and train. What his captain doesn't know, won't hurt him.
When he got close to the exit from Squad 10's domain, he felt three different spiritual pressures. One of which was Momo and the other two was her friends that she was with the other day. I wonder what they want.
He could hear them talking as soon as he got close to them. They didn't seem to have notice him or his spiritual pressure. They were going to have to work on that if they wanted to be a higher rank. He leaned against the wall and listened to their conversation. It sounded like they were have an argument. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," that was Momo.
"God Momo, we have been through this already. We came all this way for this. Stop being a coward!" a rough male voice growled.
"Yes Momo, it doesn't hurt to just talk to him. He is your childhood friend," the other male whose tone was a lot friendlier spoke.
"But it has been years since we last seen each other! He could have change. What if he is mean? People who considered to be a genius can let it go to their heads. Or worse, he doesn't remember me at all? He hadn't had any interest in becoming a Soul Reaper and now he is a higher rank than me. I don't think that I can do this."
Tōshirō had enough of this and made himself known to the three soul reapers. "I couldn't forget that annoying voice even if I tried." The three soul reapers snap their gaze to where Tōshirō stood.
"Shirō!" gasped Momo, her eyes wide.
Tōshirō sighed and pushed off the wall "That is Hitsugaya to you. You should all work on sensing spiritual pressures. I was standing there the whole time."
"Yes Sir. Sorry Sir." The two males shouted. The two looked at each other before blond spoke "We will leave you two to talk," and they bowed to Tōshirō before running off, leaving the two alone in an awkward silence.
Neither one spoke. Momo was gathering her thoughts together and Tōshirō was letting her do so. After a few minutes passed, Momo said "That was Renji of squad 11, the red head, and Izuru of Squad 4, the blond. They are my friends from the academy."
"I see," said Tōshirō. "From their spiritual pressure, they have a lot of potential."
Momo nodded her head and bit her lip. There was the awkward silence again. After a while, Momo sighed "You sure have changed, Shirō."
"You didn't expect me to stay the same, did you?"
"You became a soul reaper, Shirō. You never wanted to be a one but here you are just out of the academy and already a third seat. You didn't even tell me!"
"I'm not a child, Momo. I don't have to ask you for permission. I outrank you so you better watch what you say."
"What happened to the boy that I grew up with?" Momo was crying now. Tōshirō hated it when she cried.
Tōshirō sighed and looked off into the distance "It's not like I wanted to become a soul reaper. I didn't have a choice."
Momo wiped the tears out of her eyes "What do you mean?"
Tōshirō ran a hand through his hair "I didn't tell you this but for the longest time, even before you left for the academy, I had been having dreams about an ice dragon calling me and asking me if I was worthy."
"Your Zanpakutō?" Tōshirō nodded.
"I didn't realize it was the spirit of my Zanpakutō until I met Lieutenant Matsumoto. She tracked me down and told me to become a Soul Reaper because I was slowly killing Granny. I asked Granny for her permission and do you know what she said to me?" Momo shook her said. "She said 'Tōshirō, I always knew that you were meant for greater things than being stuck here in this place. Go live your life the way that you want. I'll support you."
"Oh, Shirō," Momo said with tears in her eyes.
"Next thing I knew, I was at the Shin'ō Academy and was being labeled as a genius. Soon after, I learned that my Zanpakutō's name is Hyōrinmaru and mastered Shikai. I graduated a year later and Captain Shiba made me his 3rd seat."
"Wow, Shirō. It seems like you been through a lot. Who would have guess that little Shirō would one day become a Soul Reaper and outrank me," Momo laughed weakly, unsure how to take all of the information that she was given.
"It's Hitsugaya and I am not little!" Tōshirō was getting really tired of having to repeat himself. "And you better get used to it because I plan to go even higher."
Momo was confused "What do you mean? Do you plan to be a Lieutenant?"
Tōshirō shook his head "No, I plan to go higher than that."
Momo was really confused now "But Shirō the only thing that's higher than a Lieutenant is a-," Momo gasped. "But Shirō, that's almost impossible! And besides you have to have a Bankai to become a Captain!"
Tōshirō realized that he couldn't waste anymore of his time talking to Momo. He needed to get back to his training while he still had free time and talking to Momo was not going to make him anymore stronger. He closed his eyes and walked past Momo. He paused and turned back to Momo so that he could tell her one last thing before leaving "I am already half way to Bankai." And with that Tōshirō left to go continue his Bankai training leaving Momo behind.