Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its associated characters. Most characters in this story, however, are of my creation.
" Hey, Captain Hitsugaya!" I shouted, spotting him walking a ways ahead of me in the street. He paused and turned to look who had called him as I jogged to catch up to him, Yuri and Ren following along confused. They didn't exactly know about my nightly routine so they were rather surprised when I had told them I wanted to invite the Captain along with us while we went and had lunch in the forest.
" Good after noon, Captain." Yuri said respectfully, her and Ren bowing.
" Afternoon." He replied shortly, looking at me questioningly.
" I, uh, well I wanted to ask you if you would, um, like to go out into the forest with us today?" I said nervously.
" We're going to have a picnic!" Yuri chirped happily.
" Yeah, our neighbor got lucky this morning and killed this huge deer out in the woods. He gave some of it to us because there was so much meat." Ren explained.
He just stared at us for a moment, silently thinking it over. I figure he will say no, with Takeshi still out there and a threat to everyone. " I'm afraid I cannot. I apologize." Was his expected answer.
Ren and Yuri's expression turned to that of disappointment, but I wasn't about to give up. I have yet, in the week he has been here, seen him relax. The closest I have is at night when he is sitting on the roofs, but I have began to notice that even then he is completely alert and ready for anything. " Please, Sir, it would be our pleasure. I insist." I said, smiling, silently begging him to. Despite my lack of really knowing anything about him, I feel like he's my friend. Plus I still have that feeling that I know him and I've been looking for something, anything, that would make me remember.
" I believe you should go, Captain. We shall be fine while you are away for this short time. If we have need of your protection, we shall page you on the Soul Pager." The Village Leader, who apparently had been there, unnoticed, the whole time, said.
Captain Hitsugaya sighed, seeing no real way out probably, " Alright, I will come." He said. My face burst into a grin.
Ren and Yuri stayed uncharacteristically quiet as the four of us walked along the forest path to the clearing we were headed to. I guess they're intimidated with the Captain being there, but I've gotten used to him already. We arrived in the clearing still in silence, Yuri, Ren, and I setting up to eat while Captain Hitsugaya stood close by, observing, flicking his gaze about us every few minutes. Yuri sat the basket with the extra food and supplies down, rummaging through it and pulling things out one by one and distributing them. We sat around in a circle, Captain Hitsugaya sitting between me and Yuri. I spotted a slight blush spread across her nose when he sat down.
Ren was the first to begin eating, everyone else soon following, the silence still hanging heavily. I gaze down at my food sadly; I wonder if Ren and Yuri wish I hadn't insisted on bringing Captain Hitsugaya with us…
" The meat would be better warm." Ren's voice commented, his nose slightly scrunched up.
" We could make a fire to put it over." I said, standing to gather supplies to do so.
" But how will we light it? We didn't bring any flint." Yuri commented from her place on the mat.
" I could assist with that." Captain Hitsugaya's voice suddenly said as he stood beside me. " It would be a simple Kidō spell." He explained.
Ren's face bloomed into excitement. " That would be great!" He shouted, immediately flushing in embarrassment afterward at his eagerness. Captain Hitsugaya smirked slightly in amusement and I grinned at my friend.
" Well, let's get to it then." I said, heading off to gather some sticks with Ren, Captain Hitsugaya following for a short distance then stopping, glancing back at Yuri still sitting on the mat alone. Ren didn't get out of sight from the two of them, his jealousy rising no doubt, and hurried to gather enough sticks and get back. Because of that, it didn't take us very long to have enough for a small bon fire. When we left the shelter of the trees, I noticed Captain Hitsugaya talking to Yuri, but their conversation ended before we could get close enough to hear it.
Captain Hitsugaya stood close behind us as we arranged the sticks to be lit, Yuri standing beside him. " Hadou Number 31, Shakkahō." He spoke the incantation smoothly, holding out his right hand, finger tips pointing up, palm towards the pile of sticks, as a ball of crackling red energy began to force. It didn't get very large before shooting off into the wood, disrupting the stack and causing it to fall some, but caught fire instantaneously. When he turned to face us his face became one of confusion due to our awe filled expressions.
" That was…so…cool!" Ren shouted, face splitting into a grin.
" You all have never seen a Kidō spell before, have you?"
" No, we haven't. Actually, until you showed up, we hadn't ever seen a Soul Reaper either. We only know what they look like from books we've found." Yuri said quietly, causing him to frown.
" Nobody ever bothers to come way out here for anything." I said, the same bitterness in my voice as before when I said this.
" Well, it should be amended shortly." He replied curtly, glancing at me with that same expression from the night I had first started talking to him. The expression I can't understand or quite describe. I want to ask him about it, but even if Yuri and Ren weren't here, I don't know how I would go about doing that.
We moved all of our things closer to the fire, putting the meat on some long sticks to cook it, and waited.
" So what do you do here during the day, Captain? I don't normally see you around the village much." Yuri asked quietly, her eyes looking up at him shyly.
" It depends on what is happening. There are times when I must travel to villages north and south of here."
" You mean you're not just protecting our village?" I asked, surprised. The closest village was about two dozen miles to the east; I don't even know how far away the northern and southern villages are.
" That is correct. There are four, including this one, that is currently under my protection." He seemed unconcerned and brushed it off, but to us that's a huge thing. All the outer villages are spaced out with forests, rivers, and, to the north, mountains in between them. To travel, by foot, between them all every day? That's amazing.
My stomach growled again, this time rather loudly, making everyone's eyes turn to me. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks in embarrassment and laughed, Yuri and Ren joining in with me.
" They're probably ready by now, right?" Yuri questioned, gazing at the cooking deer meat.
" It just needed to warm up so probably." I still hesitated to grab my food, despite my hunger. I hadn't really thought about it, but what if Captain Hitsugaya will think less of us for being alright with eating off of sticks we found in the woods. It's not exactly the cleanest and I'm sure he's used to top quality food on plates with utensils seeing how highly ranked he is. I don't know if Yuri and Ren paused because of this too or just because I did, but none of us moved to withdraw our food from the fire.
" If you don't get it, it will burn and this would have been for nothing." Captain Hitsugaya told us, taking one of the sticks with the roasted meat and biting into it without a moment's hesitation. I saw Ren grin as he snatched another and took a large bite, yelping quietly as he jerked back, probably having burned his mouth. Yuri and I laughed at him as Captain Hitsugaya smirked to himself quietly.
It was like there had never been any apprehension at all now, Ren and Yuri smiling, laughing, and joking around like normal, me joining in as Captain Hitsugaya watches, commenting every now and then, smirking almost continuously. I believe he really is enjoying himself here, allowing me to relax finally and release the last bit of the tension I had about having invited him. It's like a barrier between us normal souls and the Captain of Squad Ten had been broken, allowing all of us to relax and enjoy each other's company.
We'd now been in the small field for over an hour, with my friends and I talking and laughing, Captain Hitsugaya contributing some. At the moment, Ren and I are about to have a mock dual; each of us with a wooden, makeshift sword that we had made months ago. As we prepared, I felt the Captain's eyes on us and, turning to look back at him, discovered that the stood next to Yuri a short distance away, seeming to ask her a question. He's probably asking what we're doing.
" You ready, Haru?" Ren asked excitedly.
" I can tell you are." I laughed, holding the weapon readily in front of me. He did the same and Yuri walked over to stand between us, Captain Hitsugaya staying where he was, watching silently.
" Are you both ready?" We nodded, not taking our eyes off of each other. " Ok! And….Begin!" She shouted, quickly darting backwards to be out of our way and falling back to stand beside the Captain.
With a shout, Ren slammed his sword into mine, the wood denting with the impact. I shoved him back and slashed at him, adding a scratch to the scarred wood as he blocked the blow. We blocked, slashed, hit, and laughed as we relentlessly tried to land a hit on each other. The two bystanders watched us, Yuri shouting encouragements to both of us and cheering as Captain Hitsugaya watched, turquoise eyes analyzing our every move and more than a little amused. Embarrassment flooded through me as I think of how juvenile this must seem. My distraction in taking time to glance at them, however, made it worse, for Ren hit my wooden blade with as much force as he could, sending me stumbling backwards and falling to the ground.
" Yeah, I won!" Ren cheered, thrusting the sword into the air over his head in victory. All three of them walked over to me, Captain Hitsugaya offering me a hand to help me to my feet. " I got you good!" Ren gloated, a large grin on his face.
I must look embarrassed, because Captain Hitsugaya speaks up. " Yes, you won, however I see no reason for your gloating. The majority of the dual he was winning, plus both of your techniques and forms are horrible." I'm not quite sure if he was trying to help at all or not now.
" Well, I, uh…" Ren said, trying to make some sort of comeback but not being able to think of one. It's probably better that he can't, because he always makes to worst comebacks.
" Then perhaps you should show them the correct ways then, Captain Hitsugaya." Yuri said, her face flushed slightly in anger.
He blinked in surprise and glanced at her, seeming to not understand where the sudden hostility came from. " Alright." He replied simply, grabbing his Zanpakutō off his back, sheath and all. " Come here, both of you. Now act as if you are about to battle. What is your stance?" We held our swords out in front of us with both hands, feet slightly together, back straight. Ren leaned some into his sword and held it closer to his body than I did. He frowned as he walked behind us. " Your feet need to be set further apart." He commented, tapping our ankles with his sword. " You must also lean forward slightly into the blade." I felt his hand on my back as he pushed my shoulders forward some.
He circled back around us, still frowning. " Try to copy my stance." He commanded, smoothly falling into a stance. He stood with both hands of the hilt of his Zanpakutō, feet slightly apart, most of his weight on the top of his feet, and his shoulders leaned forward only a small amount. Ren and I studied him for a moment before standing in a similar stance. After a moment he relaxed, " Better. Now, Ren, I want you to attack me."
He didn't adjust his relaxed posture at all. " Now?" Ren asked hesitantly.
" Yes, now." I watched him gulp nervously as he charged forward and swung, meeting only empty air as Captain Hitsugaya stepped to the right, leaning out of the way smoothly, his blade reaching down to hit Ren's feet lightly, causing him to trip and fall. As Ren landed with a small yelp of surprise, I glanced at the Captain, meeting his smirk with a smile as I understood why he had tripped Ren instead of simply blocking. " Alright, now you, Haru." He said, turning to face me, stance still calm.
Taking a deep breath, I rushed at him, the wooden weapon held out and slightly to the side as I watched his movements. I swung horizontally with all my might and he parried the blow, one hand holding the blade, and forced me backwards. " Not bad." He complemented before moving forward and swinging at me skillfully in an upward slash. I tightened my grip and prepared myself for the impact. " If someone is attacking you like this, it is best to avoid the hit, otherwise you risk having your weapon knocked out of your hand." He said, the side of the sheathed blade resting lightly on the underneath of the sword. I nodded wordlessly as he withdrew.
" Can I have another try?" Ren asked, now standing. Captain Hitsugaya nodded, moving over to him in an attack, striking the sword. Ren flinched at the strength of the impact but held his ground as the Captain pulled back. His next blow landed much more easily, allowing Ren to counter with his own. He parried smoothly and attacked again, coming at him with an upward strike, no doubt testing to see if he was listening to the advice he had given me, and wrenched the weapon out of Ren's hands, sending it flying into the air, leaving the blonde looking very confused.
" As I said to Haru, dodge a blow like this, it is too risky for this could happen and in a true battle, it could very well mean death." He said calmly, lifting up his blade and knocking the tip into the flat side of the descending sword , causing it to flip into his outstretched hand. " If you wish to improve, think over what I have said and practice together. I must be heading back now." Ren nodded, taking the branch back from him with a bow of his head.
" Must you go, Captain?" Yuri asked quietly, disappointment lacing her voice.
" Yes. I apologize but I must return to my duties." He said, an apologetic expression on his face.
" Can't you sense where the Arrancar is?" I asked. I had read somewhere that Soul Reapers could sense the reiatsu of other beings.
" Many have developed the ability to conceal their reiatsu, making it impossible to track them. It is a part of their acquiring the abilities of Soul Reapers. You cannot feel my reiatsu, can you?" He asked.
I paused a moment, " No I don't feel anything from you. But, would I really be able to?"
" Yes, I am a Captain and my spiritual pressure is immense, even ordinary humans can feel it to an extent. If I were not concealing it there is a good chance that your spiritual bodies would not be able to withstand the strain and would disintegrate."
Ren and Yuri's eyes widened. " Wow." I breathed, shocked that that was even possible. " Do you think that any of us would ever be able to become Soul Reapers?" I asked as he began to turn away to return to the village.
He paused, his back still towards us. Slowly he turned to look at me. " You have much untapped power residing in you, Haru. It is very possible that one day it will awaken and you will be able to." His eyes turned to Ren. " You may as well, but your reiatsu is very low and underdeveloped. With proper training, you may indeed become one as well. But it will take much time." Finally he turned to Yuri. He studied her for a moment, her face apprehensive and slightly afraid. " You…" he shook his head at her. To Ren, I'm sure that she appeared disappointed, but I could tell that it was forced. She was glad he had said that, I just don't know why.
I turned back to look at the white haired Captain, only to find that he was no longer there, he was quite a distance away, walking steadily back to the village, his blade once again strapped to his back.
The storm that Kytoshi has been warning us about for weeks now has finally arrived. We, unlike most of the village, were fully prepared by now. We'd warned them, but everyone just thought that the old man had finally gone crazy, just like we had. Now they see he hadn't as the dark, threatening clouds rolled ever closer, flashing with lightning and booming with thunder. Everyone was scrambling to secure their things and ready their homes.
When the storm finally released its fury upon us, the four of us thought we were safe, that we would be fine because we were the most prepared in the village for this storm, but things have a way of changing. It's been down pouring for only several minutes, but the wind is already howling and whipping the rain against our wooden walls. Luckily, we had patched most of the leaks in both the walls and the ceiling, but not all and water still managed to get into our hut.
" I hope everyone in the village stays safe. This is already a really bad storm." Yuri said quietly from where she was huddled up in her light blue blanket against the wall. She had always hated storms. She jumps with every flash and rumbling boom. The wind and rain left her shivering in fright as her golden eyes stay squeezed shut. Ren, however, never leaves her side. Every storm we've ever been through he always stays right beside her, one arm wrapped comfortingly around her thin, shaking shoulders.
" I'm sure everyone will be fine. Despite people ignoring our warnings, everyone has been working hard on patching up the houses." I replied, closing my eyes and listening to the rain. I was the opposite of Yuri; rain relaxed me and storms were like a shot of adrenaline in my veins.
An explosive boom was heard close to us, causing all of us to jump in surprise and Yuri to emit a sharp shout of fright, when suddenly everything around us collapsed. Wind and rain whipped and slashed at my skin as all the protection from its fury disappeared. My throat burned as smoke filled my lungs, causing me to cough violently as my eyes began to water, blurring my vision.
I felt a sharp, sudden pain in my head before everything blurred and got fuzzy. I closed my eyes, opening them lazily when I heard a familiar voice shouting for me. I blinked again and saw a figure with shockingly white hair standing over me, yelling words to me that I can't understand. Wind grabbed at me and at the white haired person, whipping their clothes all around. I blinked again and when I managed to open my eyes there is no more rain or wind or smoke and the white haired figure is gone. It's calm; A blanket is draped over me and a roof holds firmly over me although the sound of rain and wind still meet my ears. Pain radiates through my head as I sit up, almost causing me to fall back down.
" You shouldn't move too much." A familiar voice says suddenly. I glance quickly to the doorway, finding Captain Hitsugaya striding in.
" What happened?" I murmured, my voice slurring as I stumbled over the words. Weariness clung to me, making my vision waver for a moment. I lay back down with a groan.
" A tree fell onto your home." He said shortly, sitting down beside me, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes.
His words sunk in slowly, but when I finally was able to grasp what it was he was telling me, I shot up, my head spinning wildly. " The others-" I began breathlessly.
" They are fine." He laid his hand on my shoulder. " Look." His turquoise gaze glided to the other side of the room, my own following to find that Ren was asleep on the floor across the room, with Yuri close beside him.
" Kytoshi-"
" Is in the other room also asleep. You are in the Village Leader's home now." He finished, gently applying pressure to my shoulder to make me relax back down. I sighed in relief. The weariness and dizziness were almost gone now, allowing me to focus and finally take everything in. I finally noticed that Captain Hitsugaya was dripping wet, causing his normally spiky white hair to appear darker, basically grey, and hang down even more in his face. " Only you and Ren received injuries, but both of you will be fine. Ren, however, will be unable to move around much for several days. He was trapped underneath of a wall."
I paused, processing the information. Everyone was ok. That was good. We don't have a house anymore, but the only thing that really matters is that we all made it out of this alive. Thanks to Captain Hitsugaya. I know he's the one that got us here. There's no way that Yuri and Kytoshi dragged both me and Ren all the way to the opposite end of the village in this storm. " Thank you, Captain." I said softly breaking the silence that had descended on us.
" Hm?" He opened his eyes once more to look at me.
" Thank you, for saving us. Without you, we would probably still be stuck in the ruble." I smiled gratefully towards him, and, for some reason, he looked away.
" It is my mission to keep this village and everyone in it safe."
" From Hollows. You didn't have to help us, but you did. And for that, I thank you." He looked as if he wanted to say something, but didn't respond, merely closed his eyes once more and relaxed against the wall. I followed suit, listening to the soothing sound of the heavy rain.
" May I ask you a question?"
I opened my eyes to glance at him. He was looking at me calmly, but I can just barely see the apprehension in his eyes. " Of course."
" Do you remember anything from when you were alive?"
My dream immediately comes to mind. " Not really." I answer truthfully. I know that my dream is a memory but it's still so dark and hazy I don't know exactly what I am remembering. Disappointment and sorrow flash across his expression but are gone so quickly I am unsure if they were really there at all.
" I see." He sunk a little against the wall, his eyes looking up to the ceiling.
" Do you?" I ask hesitantly.
He doesn't answer right away or look back at me. " Of course not. We are not supposed to retain those memories here." His voice is small and completely unconvincing. We fell back into silence again, the rain's music filling the air. Before long, I fell asleep once more.