"M-Mairuzu Hitomi" I replied when I had finally found the ability to speak again. "I live with Katy Lynn and help her with weaving"
"I see" he said, obviously uninterested in this conversation.
"May I sit down and have some watermelon?" I asked shyly.
"Sure" he blandly answered. I sat down and picked up a piece of watermelon, he proceeded to pick up another piece of watermelon. The two of us just ate watermelon and stared out into the valley, not saying anything. Then I caught movement in the corner of my eye and turned my head. Coming around the side of the house was a fox. Hitsugaya turned towards the fox and eyed it warily; unsure of what it was planning to do. The fox felt familiar; it looked like every other fox but it carried a familiar aura. That's when I realized that it was the fox from the woods, which I saw when I first woke up in Soul Society. I didn't get a good look at it before but now I see that is has orange fur with little flecks of black covering his back and the top of his head. The fur covering the rest of his body is pure white. It silently walked closer and closer to Hitsugaya and I. Just before it reached us Hitsugaya unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the fox. The fox turned its head away from Hitsugaya's sword and looked at me. Suddenly a voice sounded in my head.
"Please Hime, don't let him attack me, I do not mean any harm" I was shocked, and looked at the fox in disbelief.
"D-do you mean me?" I asked it out loud.
"What are you talking about Hitomi?" Hitsugaya asked, obviously very confused.
"The fox just spoke to me" I answered, hardly able to believe the words coming out of my mouth.
"Hime, it is time that you realized your full potential, but I cannot help you with this sword in my face" the fox said in my head.
"Hitsugaya put down your sword, this fox means us no harm" I confidently stated.
"Fine" he said, as he lowers his sword but doesn't put it away in its sheath. The fox then comes next to me, lies down and rests its head on my lap. I began to pet its head, and it closes its eyes.
"Do you have a name fox?" I asked the creature resting in my lap.
"For now you can call me Gin" he communicated.
"So what's its name?" Hitsugaya asked after he sat down again.
"Gin" I responded.
"Gin?!" he said surprised, momentarily dropping his icy demeanor.
"Yes, that's his name" I assured "Why, is there a problem?"
"No" he said, returning back to his cold icy self. I shrugged my shoulders and continued to eat watermelon with one hand and pet Gin with the other. We sat there for a long time just doing nothing, and soon the sun began to set.
"Wow the view of the sunset her is amazing" I said amazed "Don't you think so Hitsugaya?" I turned my head towards him and found him looking at me with soft eyes. "What is it?" I asked.
"Nothing, I was just remembering" he said and then turned back towards the sunset.
"Hitsugaya, what's your full name?" I asked embarrassed because I had just spent an entire afternoon with the boy and I didn't even know his full name.
"Toshiro Hitsugaya, but I would prefer if you called my Captain Hitsugaya" He said
"Why captain?" I asked
"Because that is my rank in the Gotei 13" he answered
"What's that?"
"How do you not know?" he said surprised "The Gotei 13 protect the dead from hollows and help them cross over to soul society.
"Oh, Katy did mention something like that a while ago" I said finally understanding "She also said that only the most powerful members can be captains"
"She is correct" Hitsugaya assured
"But you are so young, you're basically my age" I exclaimed.
"I'm sort of a prodigy"
"Oh, that explains it" I finally understood
"Hitomi it's time to head home!" yelled Katy Lynn
"Coming ma'am" I responded "It was nice meeting you Captain Hitsugaya" I looked down at the fox in my lap and gently woke Gin from his slumber. "It's time for me to leave" I told him
"Then I will come with you hime, I am here to protect you"
"I don't know if Katy will allow that" I told him
"Why don't you ask her" he responded. I walked into the house with Gin right next to me and Captain Hitsugaya right behind me. I asked Katy if we could keep the fox and to my surprise she allowed it. Hitsugaya gave G a kiss on the forehead and told her that he would come and visit again. He then left out the door and disappeared. Katy and I thanked G for the stay and we headed home. When we got home Katy told me that it was time for me to go to bed and I obeyed.
In My Dream: I was walking in a huge forest with giant ancient trees that were a fluorescent green and the ground was littered with flowers of every color imaginable. It was beautiful and I never wanted to leave. I began to start exploring this strange place until I came upon a woman. She turned her head to look at me and she was gorgeous. Her skin was a pale white with a tint of green, her eyes had no pupils but her iris was purple. Her hair was a deep dark green that was short in the back and got longer in the front. She had two long strands that framed her face and went down to mid-chest and ended in curls. Her outfit was a Kimono that hung off of her shoulders and it seemed to change colors depending on when you looked at it. Her sash consisted of a pink floral pattern. She turned to look at me and smiled as if she was expecting my arrival.
"Hello mistress, my name is-"She said
"I'm sorry I could not hear your name" I responded
"It seems you are not yet ready to hear my name" She smiled at me "But that's okay you can call me Shi, for now"
"Alright, ummm Shi, where am I?" I asked
"You are in your innerworld" She answered, I think she noticed the confused look on my face because she continued "It is a place that your zanpakuto lives but it is also your soul"
"Does this mean you are my Zanpakuto?" I questioned
"Yes milady, I am here to serve you" she then bowed "I was awakened when you spent so much time with that ice captain, his spiritual pressure gave me enough power to arise."
"I think I understand" I said
"It's time for you to leave you have worried your family by staying her for too long" Shi said. I awoke to something licking my face, when I opened my eyes I saw that it was Gin. I hadn't noticed this before but his eyes were a striking blue color, unlike most foxes whose eyes were usually golden. I didn't have time to dwell on this because no sooner had I opened my eyes Katy Lynn was by my bedside.
"Are you alright Hitomi?" she asked, I looked at her and saw the worry that was etched in her face.
"I'm fine" I responded confused. I then remembered what Shi had told me about staying for too long. "How long was I out?"
"You've been asleep for four days now" she told me.
"W-What, it had only felt like a few hours at most" I exclaimed. Katy then put her hands on my shoulder and looked me dead in the eye.
"Hitomi, were you in your inner world?" I widened my eyes in surprise.
"How did you know about that?" I responded shocked.
"I have lived here a while, plus I was once a shinigami myself, also little flowers were beginning to sprout next to you" she said. I looked next to me and saw little roses, lilies and daisies all growing around my body. "I think it's time that you started preparing yourself to become a shinigami"
"What are you talking about 'become a shinigami' you mean like Captain Hitsugaya?" Katy nodded.
"You have an incredible untapped potential that is being wasted here" she stated "But because I do not want you embarrassing me by showing up to the Shino Academy knowing nothing you are going to have to stay here and train with me for some time"
"A-alright, I'll try my best" I said unsure of what my future would hold.
Time Lapse (2 years): Katy taught Hitomi about the basics of being a shinigami. Hitomi learned how to fight with a sword, although she wasn't too good at it; her Kido was pretty decent though. Soon the day came that Katy Lynn felt Hitomi was ready to enter the shinigami Academy.