The Not So Golden Touch
Toshiro put down his bowl onto the table and wiped his mouth with a cloth.
"Ahhh… nothing like a nice bowl fruit to cool down," said Toshiro. He stretched out his arms and took out his cell phone.
"Everything seems calm," he said. "After a day of hard work I think I'm going to rest."
He spread out onto the floor and closed his eyes. It was not long before his exhaustion put him to sleep.
"Captain, Captain!!" someone yelled while barging through the door. It was Matsumoto in shinigami form.
Toshiro slowly got up and rubbed his eyes. The night sky hung over the town like an eerie backdrop. "What is it Matsumoto?" Toshiro answered in an annoyed tone. The sound of water dripping onto the floor could be heard from behind him.
"What happened to you?" asked Toshiro.
Matsumoto was sitting on the ground wiping red juice off her over-sized chest. "Oh right!" said Matsumoto. She threw the cloth aside and grabbed Toshiro by his wrist. "You have to come Captain, there is a large amount of monsters attacking the town."
Toshiro pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. "I don't see anything Matsumoto," he replied, once again sounding annoyed.
"What?! Let me see." Matsumoto grabbed the phone from him and held it up to her face.
Toshiro glared at her and impatiently tapped his foot. "Are you sure you saw hollows attacking the town?" he asked.
"Of course I'm sure the town was being attacked," said Matsumoto. She waved the phone wildly in the air. "I fought my way back here and got covered by this monster gunk!" Matsumoto rubbed her sticky arm on Toshiro's face for emphasis. "Do you not feel it?"
Toshiro swatted her arm out of his face and stood up. He grabbed the phone back from her and searched through it once more. "I still don't see anything…"
"Maybe it's broken!" she exclaimed. "That Urahara Kisuke cannot be trusted; whenever I go to see him, he always keeps his eyes glued to my breasts."
Toshiro rolled his eyes and sat back down at the table; he finally surrendered. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check out the situation."
"Alright Captain," said Matsumoto. "But first, can I take a shower? I'm all sticky…"
"Forget it, I'm going back to sleep," said Toshiro. He pulled the blanket over himself once more and turned his back to Matsumoto.
"Captain…" Matsumoto whispered. "C'mon, don't be a sleepy head."
"Caaaaaaptainnnnnnnnn," she repeated. "Don't be so difficult…"
"Matsumoto!!" Toshiro yelled.
She jumped back in fear and hid behind the door.
"Y-yes Captain?"
"Let's go," said Toshiro while folding his blanket. He stretched out once more and stomped over to Matsumoto.
"Since you won't let me rest, I'll follow along with what you're saying," he said with a fiery grin.
His vice-captain dropped to her knees and whimpered at the demon-like presence looming over her. "I-I-I'm sorry Captain," she said nervously. An awkward smile formed on her face as she thought of what to do next.
"Ok, so lead the way," Toshiro said impatiently.
"But my shower…" whined Matsumoto.
"I said 'LET'S GO'!!" yelled Toshiro.
Matsumoto shot up onto her feet and ran towards the window. "Alright, follow me!" she said while jumping.
"This better not be one of your ploys to get me to go out to the city with you!" Toshiro yelled. He popped a green pill into his mouth and swallowed. His body flashed and separated from him.
"Don't do anything stupid," he said while glaring back at his soul container.
It waved good bye as Toshiro walked to the window.
Toshiro could already feel the intense heat and humidity seeping into the room. "What a nuisance," he thought.
The hot summer air engulfed his body, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead almost instantly.
"How you feeling Captain?" asked Matsumoto. She ran up and slapped him on the back.
"I hate this weather…" he said nonchalantly.
"You'll survive the heat somehow."
"There's nothing I hate more than summer in the human world," said Toshiro. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve and ran after Matsumoto.
"Over here Captain!" she shouted while leaping into the sky.
The two of them look an aerial view of the town, searching for any signs of disruption.
"This is turning out to be uneventful," said Toshiro.
"Maybe they left already?" Matsumoto said nervously.
When they finally reached the ground again, Matsumoto continued running out. "Don't worry Captain, we're sure to run into them."
"You better hope so," he replied.
It wasn't long until the sound of collapsing buildings and cars being tossed around could be heard. Matsumoto looked back and couldn't help but grin when she saw Toshiro's pouting face and deflated hair.
"Yes!" yelled Matsumoto. "I told you there were monsters here." She leaped up into the sky once more and searched for the source of the noise.
"Hmm… normally there's a large brown plume," Matsumoto thought.
"Just a second!" she yelled down to her Captain.
Suddenly she spotted a large cloud of dirt. "Ahh… here we go."
She fell back to the ground and began running again. "This way Captain."
Toshiro reached for his cell phone and sighed. "I left it back at the house," he mumbled.
They kept running and jumping through the town until they began to see the wreckage of the attack.
Trees were destroyed and the sidewalks were all torn up. Trails of water flowed around the road. The power lines were all drooping downward.
"Let's hurry," said Toshiro. He ran ahead of Matsumoto and continued to search for the culprit.
They ran down the street, splashing in the puddles with every step they took.
"I'm not sensing any hollows in this direction," said Toshiro.
Matsumoto caught up next to him and glanced over at Toshiro. "Uhmm Captain, I never said that they were hollows," said Matsumoto.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?!?" said Toshiro. He buried his face in his sleeve and attempted to soak up all the sweat.
"But Captain I just said that I never said that," Matsumoto complained.
"Then what exactly were you running away from?" asked Toshiro.
"I don't know," said Matsumoto. "It was like a HUGE hamster that kept spitting on me."
Toshiro found what he was hearing very hard to believe. "Did you attempt to fight it?"
"Every time I tried to knock it to pieces with Haineko, but I think it has some sort of regenerating ability," said Matsumoto.
"Hold on a second," said Toshiro. The two of them stopped and waited.
"Do you sense something?" asked Matsumoto.
Toshiro looked up and around. "Matsumoto, do you remember what the hamster monster sounded like?"
"Ahhh I remember. It made a really annoying 'Skreeeee' noise."
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Toshiro put his hand on his katana, ready for a sudden attack.
"How big was the thing that attacked you?" he asked.
"I'd say around the size of an average hollow, but then again I didn't stick around long enough to get a good look at it," she replied.
The sound of crumbling walls echoed down the street; the ground began to vibrate.
"Captain…"
"I know, be ready Matsumoto."
Matsumoto pulled out her katana and faced the direction of the incoming beast.
Suddenly, a large object flew overhead, surrounding the two in darkness.
"See!" said Matsumoto. "It really does look like a hamster."
The giant hamster landed hard, creating a wide crater under its paws. It yelled out and began racing towards them.
"Matsumoto!"
"Alright Captain," said Matsumoto. "Growl Haineko". The blade of her katana dissolved into a cloud of gray dust; which she sent toward its legs.
The hamster fell to the ground, taking everything around it down with it.
Toshiro ran up and pulled out his katana. With one quick swoop, he managed to slice the entire back of the monster. He looked back and examined the motionless beast on the floor.
"Captain, you have to look out for the--" Before Matsumoto could finish, the large cut began to spew a transparent red juice.
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The hamster yelled out once more and slowly got back up, pushing rubble in all directions.
The soggy captain wiped the juice from his face and poised himself for another attack.
"Captain!" said Matsumoto while running over to him. "I get to use the shower first when we're done with this, alright?"
The hamster began running towards them, kicking debris into the air.
"Haineko!" yelled Matsumoto. She sent her zanpakutou at it once again, smashing a hole in its stomach and knocking it onto its back.
"Let's go, Hyourinmaru," said Toshiro. He ran towards the beast again, but a white circle appeared before he could release his zanpakutou.
"Some no mai…" Ice began to form around the hamster and a column of light shot up towards the sky. "Tsukishiro". The hamster shattered with the ice, leaving red juice frozen across the road.
"Kuchiki!" said Matsumoto, running towards her friend.
"Rangiku?" said Rukia. She looked surprised to see them out here. "Captain Hitsugaya!"
"Kuchiki, do you know what's happening?" asked Toshiro.
"No Captain Hitsugaya, but Ichigo and I have been chasing them around town all night," she replied. Rukia put her katana away and examined the ground.
"I see… so there's more than one of these," said Matsumoto.
"Hey hey," someone yelled. "It's Matsumoto and Toshiro!!" said Ichigo, falling down from the sky.
"Ichigo!" said Rukia. "Did you finish up with the bunch that attacked by the school?"
"Yeah, but I'm not sure if there are still more out there," said Ichigo. "These evil watermelons are annoying."
"Watermelons?" asked Toshiro.
"Captain Hitsugaya, look at this," said Rukia. She knelt down and pointed at where the monster used to be. "Look at these black seeds."
Toshiro bent over and picked up a handful of seeds. "Watermelon seeds…"
Matsumoto bent over to take a closer look at things. "What does this mean Captain?"
The seeds fell back to the ground like rain, clicking one after another. "We need to find out who's behind this," said Toshiro.
"Captain Hitsugaya is right," said Rukia. "There's no way that the watermelons would become like this on their own."
"Wait!" said Matsumoto. "But what if they're not watermelons from the human world?"
Toshiro looked at his vice-captain funny and sighed. "What do you mean…?" he said grimly.
Matsumoto pulled out a pad of paper from her cleavage and began to sketch out a diagram.
"What if these are watermelons from another dimension that take the form of whatever they eat? And then they suddenly grow to huge sizes. That would mean that we should search for a portal and close it off!" exclaimed Matsumoto.
Ichigo joined Toshiro with a funny look of his own. "Maybe it's hard to see in this lighting," said Ichigo. "But that looks like a bunch of watermelon-jack-o-lanterns and bunnies…"
"CHAPPY BUNNY!?!?"
An awkward silence crept down upon them…
"Who said that?" Rukia asked nervously.
Finally, Toshiro stepped forward. "Anyways… I believe whoever is behind this is close by."
"How do you know?" asked Ichigo.
"After the monster was vanquished, I could sense someone with a large amount of reiatsu nearby," Toshiro answered.
"And from that trail of watermelon seeds!" Matsumoto yelled out. "It leads down the road and around the corner."
Ichigo looked down at Toshiro and shrugged. "I suppose we should've looked closer eh?" He patted Toshiro on the head and then bolted up ahead.
"Whoever you are, show yourself now!" yelled Ichigo.
"Don't just run right to the enemy, it might be a trap…" said Toshiro.
Ichigo disappeared around the corner, and the sound of his foot steps suddenly stopped.
"Ichigo… what's wrong?" asked Rukia.
"I think there's a squirrel on my back," said Ichigo. He walked back with a small child around his neck.
Toshiro immediately prepared to draw his sword.
"Spiky hair… you're so mean to immediately grasp your sword upon seeing me for the first time," said the girl sitting on Ichigo's shoulders.
"Ehh?" Ichigo pulled the child off him and placed her on the ground. "What're you doing here little girl?" he asked.
The girl smiled and looked up at Ichigo with her large magenta eyes. "I'm just walking around, trying to make some new friends…" she said sweetly. The girl held out her hand at Ichigo and continued smiling.
"Do you guys find no suspicions of a girl who appears out of nowhere that can see and touch us?" asked Toshiro. "Honestly… you girl, what are you?"
Matsumoto pushed Toshiro aside and bent over to pat the girl's head. "Look sweetie, we don't have time to play for you," said Matsumoto. "So we'll just bring you home then alright?"
She kept her hand out, but turned around to face Matsumoto. "So we can be friends then?"
Matsumoto took her hand and gently shook it. "Alright, if you really want."
"You too carrot head," said the girl. "And you with the oddly shaped hair; let's all be friends."
"Hey hey don't be giving people you don't know strange nicknames like that," said Ichigo.
Rukia stared at Ichigo and laughed. "Are you still that sensitive about your orange hair?"
Ichigo bent down and took the girls other hand. "Alright missy, I'll be your friend."
Their hands were joined by Rukia's as they joined together in friendship (awww how sweet).
The girl finally looked over at Toshiro who was standing with his hand on his katana. "Spiky head, come join us too," she commanded.
Toshiro released his sword and crossed his arms. "I'd rather not partake in whatever you guys are doing…"
"Alright then, your loss," said the girl. She turned back to face Matsumoto, Rukia, and Ichigo. "Thanks for being my friends you guys; you can call me the Watermelon Fairy."
"Eh?"
"That's an odd nickname," said Matsumoto. "But it's cute."
"Ha… right," Rukia said awkwardly.
The girl looked up and smiled when she met Toshiro's eyes. "You don't find it odd do you, Spiky Head?"
Toshiro kept a straight face and felt his body tense up. "Not at all…"
The soft sound of small seeds dropping to the ground began to wail like rain. Black puddles formed all around the three shinigami and their new friend.
"What?!" thought Ichigo, pulling back his arm. Black seeds were dropping out of his robe in a non-stop stream.
"Don't tell me… this girl is?" Rukia said in shock.
Matsumoto lifted her katana at the girl, but her arm slowly fell to the floor as watermelon seeds along with her sword. "I guess so?" said Matsumoto.
Toshiro walked up and smacked Matsumoto on the head. "Why do you sound so nonchalant about this?!?!" yelled Toshiro.
He pulled out his sword and pointed it at the girl. "I know you're behind this now, so why don't you just stop all this before you get hurt?"
The girl pushed Ichigo down to the ground. Everything below his waist had already turned into watermelon seeds. "So what if I'm behind this?" She licked her finger and rubbed it along the side of his sword; a wide streak mark appeared on the cold metal.
"I'm done with this," said the girl. "Just fall already." The three shinigami dropped to the ground, turning into watermelon seeds before they hit the floor.
Toshiro watched carefully as his comrades disappeared into the pile of dark seeds. Slowly, he stepped back and raised his sword to attack.
"Wait!" said the girl, stopping Toshiro in his tracks. "Are you sure they'll come back after you kill me?" She stepped off the mound of watermelon seeds and approached the captain. "Not that you could kill me without your sword."
With a wave of her hand, his blade joined the pile by his feet.
"That's… pretty nice," Toshiro said in a stoic tone. "Exactly what are you?"
"I told you, I'm the Watermelon Fairy… fairy of watermelons?" said the girl while pulling back her long brown hair.
Toshiro backed farther away from the girl and spoke with authority. "I've never heard of such a fairy."
"Would you like a watermelon?" Her hair grew into a long brown vine, piercing into the ground. A small sprout reached out of the ground by Toshiro's feet. The surrounding seeds slowly began to gather, forming a large watermelon.
"Those seeds were formerly your katana," said the girl. "I'm sure the watermelon will taste as cold and bitter as your blade."
The watermelon gave a loud crack as a large pink dragon flew up through the sky.
"Hyourinmaru?" thought Toshiro. He tilted his head upward as he peered at the giant tower of frozen watermelon juice hanging above him.
"What a nice sword," said the girl. She wiped her eyes and waved her hand at the dragon. "I'm getting a bit tired, so I'll just wrap this up now."
The pink dragon started falling apart, scattering frozen seeds in all directions. Toshiro looked down and found his feet frozen solid to the ground.
"Why are you doing this?" asked Toshiro. "What exactly is the job of a watermelon fairy?"
The girl's hair shot down as vines once more, this time sprouting up as three individual watermelons. "A watermelon fairy's purpose is to grow watermelons of course," said the girl. "We possess a, green thumb, not to sound cliché. Or more like… a golden touch."
Toshiro attempted to lift his foot, but it was glued down by the watermelon seeds. "Is this your idea of growing watermelons?"
"It's the fun way to do things!" she shouted. The three watermelons exploded, shooting juice everywhere.
"Matsumoto!" yelled Toshiro, as the juice took the form of his vice-captain.
A pale green version of his three allies stepped forward with a zombie like appearance.
"Your friends look good enough to eat now," said the girl. "Or should I saw my friends!"
Ichigo was the first to move, leaping forward and throwing his arms tightly around Toshiro from behind.
"Ichigo! What are you doing?" yelled Toshiro. "Get off of me this instant." On his left, Matsumoto embraced him (although I bet her large chest got a bit in the way) and to his right, Rukia hugged fiercely.
Toshiro's front was still left open; leaving him no choice but to look straight ahead. "So to kill time you've decided to attack the town?"
"I guess so?" she replied ignorantly.
"Aren't nature fairies supposed to be good?" asked Toshiro. "I thought fairies dissolve into dust when they commit bad deeds."
The girl slowly walked up to Toshiro, kicking aside seeds with each step. "What I'm doing isn't against my job," she said boldly. "I was just told to create watermelons, and that's exactly what I'm doing isn't it?"
Toshiro tried to shake lose, but neither sides were budging. "Alright… fair is fair I guess?"
The girl stomped her foot and grabbed the side of Toshiro's cape. "Your personality is kind of pissing me off," said the girl. "Instead of letting you live forever as a watermelon, I'll let you die."
"What do you mean by that?" Toshiro managed to give one last cocky smile before his muscles began to feel the immense pressure.
"Well I'll show you…" The girl dug her hair into the ground once more and forced up ten large vines, stretching 25 feet into the air.
Matsumoto, Rukia, and Ichigo dissolved back into seeds, freezing Toshiro in on all sides.
"Good thing you're so short, this will take less seeds than usual," the girl said cheerfully.
"Why you little…" Toshiro turned his head and glanced around the street. It had now become a sea of watermelon seeds flowing out as far as he could see.
"Don't even try to fight back," said the girl. "These seeds bind your power; you can't move a centimeter."
Toshiro's neck was barely sticking above the ocean of seeds. He looked over and saw the girl sitting peacefully above the surface.
"Alright, now to the main event," said the girl. She clapped her hands, and Toshiro began to sink down.
Toshiro watched as everything turned black and cold. Above him he could see each seed transforming into large watermelons, sending their pressure down onto the helpless captain.
"Dammit, how am I going to escape this?"
The weight of the watermelons around him felt like it was crushing his skeleton. The compact sea of watermelons felt suffocating.
Toshiro struggled fiercely to try and free himself from the large mass of fruit above him.
"Too bad I just can't eat it all…" thought Toshiro. He felt his body finally give out as he was painfully torn apart from the large pressure. "Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Toshiro yelled as loud as he could before his whole life went dark.
The room felt hot and stuffy as Toshiro opened his eyes and sat up. He rubbed his eyes and blinked until they adjusted to the darkness.
"A dream?" thought Toshiro. He looked down at his hands, and then at Matsumoto; sprawled across the floor in a sloppy manner. "Just a dream…"
Toshiro got up and switched on the fan. He took a cloth and wiped the sweat from his forehead before sitting back down on his mat.
"What an odd dream…" He glanced around the room and found everything was the same as before he fell asleep. Toshiro threw the cloth back down on the ground and stared at the table.
He frowned when he saw a bowl of pink, cubed, melon.
"No more watermelon before bed…"