Disclaimer: I wish I owned Bleach, but I don't. Tite Kubo does.
Hey guys! Is there anyone actually reading this? Probably not. Oh well. Well for the people not
there, Ryuu is a genuine Japanese name and it means "dragon." I thought it was pretty cool so I went
with it. Wish me luck! I'm taking the ACT today! :P
Ryuu suddenly woke up and sat bolt upright in bed. He was panting and dripping with sweat despite the
extreme cold of the room. It felt like the temperature had dropped twenty degrees since he first
climbed into bed. The moon still cast its pale light about the room. He glanced over at his alarm clock.
It read 5:09 AM. He threw off his covers and stormed into the bathroom. He knew he had no chance of
getting any sleep now. He quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. He closed his eyes and let the
hot water sooth his tight muscles. He ran his hand through his dark unruly hair. He had given up long
ago on trying to manage his hair; he couldn't get it to do anything but stick straight up at odd angles
except for one little lock of hair that hung over his left eye. His little sister often joked that he looked
like a crazy rocker who ate children. The little brat was always criticizing his appearance. He was numb
to her remarks by now. His hair, when he thought about it, actually looked pretty cool. Just trying to
put it in any other style was a total failure. *Thunk!* A small branch hit the skylight. Ryuu opened his
eyes, then started to reach up again to run his fingers through his hair, but stopped. His hand was
covered in what looked like some sort of dark ink. Ink?! How did I get ink in my hair? Oh well, I hope it
comes out. He grabbed his shampoo bottle, poured a small amount into the palm of his hand, and
worked it into his hair. The ink came out fairly easily. He rinsed and stepped out of the shower. He
grabbed a towel and sloppily wrapped it around his waist. As he reached for his toothbrush he caught
sight of himself in the mirror. He couldn't help but stop and stare, for there gaping back at him was an
unrecognizable wide-eyed individual. His hair had changed from its dark color to a bright snowy white,
and his eyes were now a luminous teal instead of their usual grey. "AHH!" He yelled and swiftly backed
up to the wall. What!? Wow, I must be really tired. That can't be my real reflection. He walked back
over to the mirror. And to his horror it was real! He reached up and ran his hand through his hair. He
pulled out a few strands. They were completely white even to roots. What has happened to me? I'm
going out for a walk to sort this out. He dressed in a daze and the next thing he knew, he was wandering
around in the woods behind his house. Whenever he had a problem or was thoroughly vexed, he went
for a walk in the woods, because first off his sister (more like his little shadow! She followed him almost
everywhere, yet she claimed that she hated him. Little sisters don't make sense!) didn't like the woods.
She thought they were scary and dirty. And walking in the woods always helped to calm him down and
get his thoughts straight. Something is certainly wrong with me. He thought as he ambled through the
woods. A pale glow peeked over the horizon bathing the trees in golden light. The frozen ground
crunched underfoot. It had yet to snow at all this year. Ryuu unlike most people loved the snow and
the cold. He didn't know why. He just did. It was so peaceful. He stopped at the base of a large oak
and watched the sun come up. At some point he must have fallen asleep, for the next thing he knew,
he was there again. The sky was a light grey, as if the sun was hidden by a blanket of snow clouds.
"Hello," a voice behind him startled him. He turned to see the man with the 'x' on his forehead standing
not ten feet behind him. "Stop fighting it. It is time to come back. Time to remember."
"What are you talking about?" Ryuu inquired.
"You've been asleep for long enough. It is time for you to awaken," the man replied as he walked
toward Ryuu. Ryuu had started to calm down as he had walked in the woods, but all of that had gone to
the wind. He didn't know why, but everything in his body rejected this man. He felt anger rapidly rising
up in him. He backed away from the man swiftly. "No!" Ryuu yelled as he turned and ran in the
opposite direction. "It is time for the dream to end. Awaken!" proclaimed the man. And then almost
too softly for Ryuu to hear the man added, "Toshiro." Ryuu's eyes snapped open. The beautiful sunrise
had been replaced by dark low-lying charcoal clouds, but Ryuu hardly noticed, for he was running as fast
as he could down the deer paths through the woods. He didn't know what he was running from, he only
knew that it was gaining on him and at a rapid pace. Running was futile really, but his mind couldn't
think of anything else to do, so he obeyed his instincts and his instincts told him to run! Run like the
devil himself was hot on his heels! Spots flickered on the edge of his vision, but he fought them back,
gritted his teeth, and continued his mad dash through the foliage. His peripheral was slowly darkening;
his entire world fading into blackness. His muscles suddenly tensed up and he collapsed in a heap at the
base of a large pine tree. The branches slowly blurred and dissolved into a familiar desolate rocky
landscape. Standing in front of him was the infuriating man. "You cannot escape so easily this time,
stop fighting it Toshiro."
"I am not Toshiro!" Ryuu yelled.
"The more you resist the harder it is going to be."
"I hate you," Ryuu whispered. The man winced as if in severe pain. Suddenly the world started spinning
at what Ryuu thought was a rapid pace until it started accelerating. A howling wind picked up and
seemed to be tearing hem apart limb from limb. Ryuu gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he
fell to his knees. "Stop it!" he pleaded frantically. Pressure was swiftly growing in his head. "This is the
turmoil in your soul. Only you can stop it."
"WHAT!?!"
"Call my name."
"WHAT!?" The pressure in his head increased.
"Call my name."
"How the hell am I supposed to know your name?!" The pressure increased tenfold and the world was
spinning unbearably fast. The tugging wind caused the tendons in his shoulders to pop. "I…" Ryuu was
about to protest again, when the mounting pressure became almost too much for him to bear. His
head, he was certain, was going to explode. The pressure was … a word, one word, … a name! His eyes
snapped open. "Hyourinmaru!" he yelled. Instantly the world stopped spinning, the wind died, and the
pressure ceased. The man shattered in a million ice crystals and there stood a magnificent ice dragon.
Ryuu reached out his hand and it bent down and touched its snout to his palm. "Hyourinmaru."
"Little one." Then the memories came flooding back. At first in just a slow trickle, but that slow trickle
quickly grew until it was a rushing waterfall. Something small landed on his cheek. Toshiro opened his
eyes. Small snowflakes drifted through the pine branches. He held out his hand and caught one on his
fingertip. Darkness descended, and Toshiro lost consciousness.
Hope you all liked it! Again, please review and let me know how I'm doing! And please vote on the
story title! Hope everyone has an incredible day! :)
