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~oOo~
Toshiro took a rather quick breath, clearing his mind.
Okay. So there are three guys—obviously older and bigger than me—coming towards me. I need to defend against all of them. And I need to beat all of them.
That sounds as possible as me sprouting wings and flying over a rainbow.
A rumble of annoyance came from the back of his mind. Please be quiet.
He scolded himself mentally for thinking of such things before assessing his opponents.
Karitoriki seemed to be rather sneaky and clever but didn't have all that much strength behind his attacks. Shi had brute strength and plenty of speed. Gosuto, like his name suggested, was silent and almost transparent and disappearing.
He then noted his own weaknesses.
He was only a beginner when it came to swordplay. While the sword was light in his hands, he couldn't use it well. He'd just begun, after all. He knew that while his sword had a long reach, it was rather hard to use against the other three, who he knew had experience and rather short katanas.
Gosuto slipped behind him, silent as a shadow. This again? He whirled around, his sword following his movement. Toshiro felt the sword connect with flesh and a wince of pain from Gosuto confirmed it. Crimson spattered the ground.
While his back was turned, Shi leaped at him and his instincts told him to move, and so he did. Shi's blade connected with his shoulder, and he gritted his teeth, pulling away from him.
Blood dripped from his arm, slipping down to his fingers. Thankfully it was his left arm.
Toshiro barely raised his sword in time to block Karitoriki's katana, hearing a loud clang as the two weapons collided.
His arms shook as he tried to block Karitoriki's harsh blow, but somehow, the other seemed to be affected by their swords.
He cast a sparing glance at his arm.
Oh.
The harsh vibrating of his arm was making the swords clatter, in turn harming Karitoriki's arm, even if it was only a little bit. Then, of course, Shi and Gosuto joined in on the onslaught of attacks.
He could only just barely dodge most of the attacks, mostly because of his intuition and for some reason, that rumble at the back of his head. He didn't really understand it but he was grateful to it anyway.
Toshiro went on autopilot, letting the rumbling tell him what to do. Despite this, the other three weren't actually tired, continuing. And he knew that he was going to lose.
Eventually, he did. Eventually was two minutes later.
He found himself on the floor with a dagger at his throat, pinned to the ground. His teal eyes burned into Shi's, who stared at him from above.
"Do you yield?"
"Yes, dammit. I didn't even want to fight," he panted. Despite his words, he actually quite enjoyed the little brawl, even if he did lose.
"Are you sure?"
Before he could retort, someone else butted in.
"That's enough. The kid can join. He did last more than a minute against you three."
He looked up at the guy who spoke, assuming he was Zaraki.
"I wasn't even planning on it," he muttered rather mutinously but made sure that Zaraki couldn't hear.
Then he promptly passed out.
~oOo~
He opened his eyes to see an actual roof over his head. Toshiro sat up and found that his wounds were wrapped in bandages.
"Good morning whitey!" sang a high-pitched voice.
A mess of pink hair entered the room/hut/tent/whatever-it-was. "I'm Yachiru Kusajishi! It's nice to know that there're other kids like me!"
Kusajishi-san seemed rather friendly but hyperactive. "Um…I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied awkwardly.
She was rather excited. "We can be friends, right?"
Apparently, she wouldn't take no for an answer because the moment he opened his mouth, she sang "YAY" and then jumped onto him.
He winced when she landed on his shoulder. She noticed this and jumped back, settling for a rather happy grin.
"Er, Kusajishi-san?"
"Yeah?"
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Hmm…I can't really count. Let me go ask Ken-chan." Kusajishi-san jumped out of the tent and he could hear her voice shouting.
She returned. "About three hours," she said. "Come on, let's go play!"
Much to his chagrin, he was pulled to his feet and dragged outside. However, all of the other people in the area didn't look at him funny; on the contrary, they gave him pitying glances.
"Kusajishi-san, where are we going?" he asked when they entered the forest.
The pink-haired girl merely laughed. "We're going where Shi-chan is."
Okay…so she just called Shi Death-y.
He really didn't want to see the three brothers, who'd obviously handed his ass to him in three minutes.
They entered a clearing with trees all around them. He could see a small creek flowing, and he could guess it was the one he'd found during the winter. Shi, Karitoriki, and Gosuto were sitting by the water, feet splashing in the cool liquid.
He heard a deep rumble of excitement at the back of his mind.
Kusajishi-san let go of his wrist and jumped at Gosuto, who was favoring his left arm.
"You got me pretty good," Gosuto said rather quietly. "We weren't expecting that. You cut to the bone."
Shi grinned. "We thought that you'd only graze his arm. But you're better than we thought. And you also have reiatsu, which must count for something."
"Thank you, Shi-san."
Karitoriki merely kicked his feet in the water, staring into the clear depths. After a moment, he pulled them out. "It's cold."
Toshiro brightened up at the words and sat down, testing it. Kusajishi-san went off, probably to get more people over.
"Not bad," he conceded.
Karitoriki stared at him. "It's freezing and you're saying not bad?"
Toshiro shrugged. "I used to take baths in water colder than this in the winter."
After a moment, Karitoriki asked tentatively, "Did you die from pneumonia or something?"
He shook his head. "I was killed by a Hollow. It was about five years ago, on my birthday."
"That sucks," said Shi rather awkwardly.
"Nah. It wasn't that bad. After all, I like the afterlife more than I liked the 'life'," Toshiro responded rather cheerfully.
Gosuto raised an eyebrow. "Really? Even though you got landed with the Zaraki District, and even though you were alone?"
Toshiro tilted his head. "Eh. I enjoy the afterlife. It was better than life. Besides, hanging with you guys isn't as bad as being alone."
Shi sighed and then gestured to the sword, changing the subject fluidly. "Where did you get that, and how did you even learn to use it?"
"I met up with a Shinigami called Kaminari. She gave me the sword because she was, well, dying for a second time."
"And how did you learn to use it?"
"I just figured out a few things. The sword is a nice length and weight."
"Toshiro, do you know that learning how to use a sword is hard work?" Karitoriki asked, quirking an eyebrow. "To teach yourself in less than five years is incredibly hard."
"Really? I didn't know. I've never read anything about sword art." He paused. "Well, I did, but it didn't help much."
"Wow," Karitoriki breathed.
"Hey! Spiky-chan! Ghost-chan! Shi-chan!" called Kusajishi-san. "I brought the stuff you wanted!"
Toshiro turned to see the pink-haired girl carrying several weapons in her arms. She dumped it all off in front of them.
"Karitoriki-san? Is it safe for her to carry those around…?" he murmured to the other.
Karitoriki didn't seem bothered. "Yes. Unless she's brandishing one at you, no. She can kick a lot of the people here's asses. Us included."
The other didn't seem to be kidding so Toshiro merely shrugged it off.
"Thanks, Yachiru-chan," said Shi, taking a weapon from the pile. Toshiro recognized it as the one he'd been using in their fight earlier.
When Toshiro thought about it, the people he'd befriended—or kind of befriended—here weren't all that bad. On the contrary, they were quite kind outside of battle. He smiled inwardly.
The rumble at the back of his mind told him to trust these people, as did his instincts. So he decided to ask a little bit about the world here.
"So, I'm still not understanding the afterlife," Toshiro began. "Can you explain to me what reiatsu is?"
Gosuto had begun to play with Kusajishi-san while Shi and Karitoriki answered his question.
"Well, reiatsu is spiritual pressure. A similar term for reiatsu is reiyoku, which is spiritual energy. All beings with reiatsu can see souls," began Shi.
"If you die and become a soul, you can become a Shinigami if you have reiatsu or reiyoku. All Shinigami are given an asauchi, much like the sword you have over there," Karitoriki added.
"Kaminari mentioned something about hearing the voice of her sword," Toshiro recalled. "What does that mean?"
"It means that a Zanpakuto is being born from your soul," Shi replied.
"All seated officers at least know the name of their sword, which means that they can commune with a second being inside your soul," Karitoriki said.
"Once you know your Zanpakuto's name, you can learn Shikai, which is a release, and Bankai, which is the final release. However, not many Shinigami have Bankai. Only the Captain-level and a few lieutenant-level Shinigami have Bankai."
"Um, what is it like to hear your Zanpakuto?" Toshiro asked, excitement beating within his chest.
"It depends. It could be a rumble, or a murky voice," answered Karitoriki.
Toshiro took a deep breath. "Well, um, sometimes I can hear a rumble in the back of my mind, responding to my thoughts and instincts. It can be a bit annoying at times but it's the reason why I could dodge your blade in the beginning," he said, nodding to Shi at the last part.
"Wow. You really are a genius," Shi said breathlessly. "I am so jealous."
"I can't even hear my Zanpakuto," Karitoriki muttered.
Toshiro smiled sheepishly. "Well, I can't help it. I wish that I knew what my Zanpakuto's name was though."
"It's probably ice-type," Karitoriki put it, shrugging. "After all, you're kind of 'immune' to the cold."
"Ice-type?" he asked.
"Oh yeah! I forgot! Zanpakuto have different types!" said Shi, bringing his fist on his open palm.
"All Zanpakuto have a type. The categories of Zanpakuto are Kidou and Melee," Karitoriki said.
"They are exactly what they sound like. Kidou means 'demon arts', which Shinigami learn to use. They range from level one to level ninety-nine and are in two halves: Binding and Destructive. I don't know much about Kidou, so I won't talk too much about it.
"Anyway," Karitoriki continued, "Kidou can also be separated into two categories: Elemental and Kidou. Elemental is like ice, fire, or lightning. Kidou is technically…Kidou. Melee is just what it sounds like. It is used mainly for fighting, not firing off fancy spells."
Toshiro soaked in every detail. "Wow. Now I really want a Zanpakuto."
Shi nodded. "I know, right?"
"Speaking of which, I think Zaraki went up and challenged Kenpachi Unohana at some point," Karitoriki added. "That was a fearsome battle. They actually tied."
Toshiro knew that the name Kenpachi was meant for extremely powerful swordsmen only. The fact that Zaraki tied with such a terrifying woman meant that he was not to be trifled with.
"I hear that he's going to challenge the Eleventh Division's Captain," Shi added.
Toshiro sighed. "Division? Captain?"
"I keep forgetting that you don't know this stuff!" Karitoriki said.
"Please don't rub it in."
Ignoring Toshiro's comment, Shi began his explanation.
"The Shinigami all join this thing called the Gotei 13. The Gotei 13 is made of thirteen Divisions, all with a Captain at the top and a lieutenant as the second-in-command. There are up to twenty seats afterwards. The Gotei 13 lives within the walls of the Seireitei."
Toshiro nodded. "I understand."
"Also, there's this crazy strong dude called Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto or something. He's really old but he's the strongest dude in all of Soul Society."
"So, is his Zanpakuto strong too?" Toshiro asked.
"Duh! It's apparently the strongest in history!"
Toshiro smiled. "Really?"
There, he decided something.
He decided that he would surpass Yamamoto in at least one way. He knew there was no hope for him to have a Zanpakuto as strong as his. But he knew that he could do one thing: become the youngest Captain history has ever known.
~oOo~
Thus, Toshiro Hitsugaya's adventure in the Rukongai began. Toshiro began to train hard, learning different sword techniques from the three brothers and, surprisingly, Kusajishi-san and Zaraki-san. His sword skills improved greatly with their help.
Despite the fact that he was being trained by five excellent warriors—in both Zanjutsu, as sword fighting was called, and Hakuda, hand-to-hand—he still couldn't defeat half of the group. His solution? Train even harder.
About five years later—he was twenty now. It was strange, being so old yet looking so young—he'd managed to fight his way to the top ranks, earning the respect of many. However, Zaraki Kenpachi had left, killing the Eleventh Division Captain and earning the title of Captain without even taking the test. He took Yachiru Kusajishi with him, and though he would never admit it aloud, he missed Yachiru and Kenpachi dearly.
When Kenpachi Zaraki left, a new leader was chosen. His name was Inazuma. He was a patient man and extremely kind but strict.
It would be five more years before Toshiro officially entered the Shino Academy and became a student.
~oOo~
"You want to spar later?" Toshiro looked up as Shi walked towards him.
"That'd be nice," Toshiro replied, taking another bite out of his pear.
"It's kind of quiet without Yachiru-chan around," Shi remarked, sitting down next to Toshiro.
"Mmm. Kusajishi-san used to always jump on me." Toshiro inwardly laughed at the memory.
"You're still calling her that?" Shi snickered.
"Yes. Is there something wrong?" Toshiro responded, casting a sideways glance at the other.
"Yes, there is something wrong." Shi poked him on the arm. "You shouldn't be calling her that."
"She is older than me," Toshiro argued rather weakly. "And I call you Shi-san all the time."
"That's different. She looks younger than you."
"You know, I'm not going to win this argument." Toshiro finished his fruit and tossed the core at the bottom of a nearby tree.
It's nice, being like this. It's very peaceful.
The rumble in the back of his head had become a voice. He couldn't hear its name when he asked but he could hold a conversation pretty well, even if the other's words weren't clear and there was often thunder.
"I agree."
"It's kind of strange to be chatting with someone inside my head. I still have not gotten over it."
"Where's Taiyo-san anyway?" Toshiro asked. "Can't you go bother him instead?"
Shi snorted. "Taiyo's too busy with his girlfriend."
"Since when did he have a girlfriend?" Toshiro asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Last year, Toshiro. Guess what her name is."
"Luna?"
"How did you guess?"
"Was that sarcasm, Shi-san?"
"Why, yes!"
Toshiro smirked, finding Shi's antics hilarious as usual.
"Why're you here anyway?"
"Eh, no reason," Shi answered.
"Then go away," Toshiro replied playfully, pushing him. After a moment, he added, "Why don't we go spar now, then?"
~oOo~
The winner was, obviously, Toshiro. Nevertheless, Shi enjoyed the spar.
"I can't believe that I could kick your ass when we were younger," he said, snickering.
"Hmm. I seem to recall that you didn't kick my ass. I remembered that I started beating you four years and two months ago."
"You keep track?" Shi exclaimed disbelievingly.
"Yep!"
"You're crazy…"
"Like everyone else."
~oOo~
Toshiro enjoyed sleeping.
Karitoriki and Shi could never understand it, but Gosuto did. It was for a different reason though.
Sleeping was when he could dream. And dreaming was when he could commune with his Zanpakuto. And when he spoke with his Zanpakuto, it was blissful and beautiful.
"You sleep for the dreams?" Karitoriki had asked once.
"Yeah. It's really vivid."
"You're weird."
~oOo~
Toshiro stretched and yawned. It had been a rather tiring day, since at least three people challenged him for a spar.
He headed into the tent that belonged to him. He waved the brothers a goodnight and ducked into the tent.
Lying down, he fell asleep nearly instantly.
~oOo~
He opened his teal eyes, sitting up to find himself in a world of snow. Flakes of white drifted down almost lazily, landing in his white hair. Toshiro stood up, his bare feet barely noticing the cold. He relished in the beautiful cold.
A rumble rolled through the sky and Toshiro turned to see his Zanpakuto spirit crouched there, a large majestic dragon of ice. The Zanpakuto tilted his head, regarding him with crimson eyes and Toshiro met the gaze boldly.
The gray clouds hovering in the air began to weep water and snow, with the occasional deep rumble of thunder.
"Hello, child," said the Zanpakuto, unfurling his wings smoothly.
"Er, hello," Toshiro replied, unsure of what to call the dragon. He wasn't afraid of the spirit; on the contrary, he thought it to be the most majestic and stunning being he'd ever seen and probably will see. But he knew the difference in power and merely respected him, and even if the dragon did attack, how would he kill him in a dream? And for what reason? He'd always assumed the spirit was logical, like himself.
"What should I call you?" he added, tilting his head to look at the dragon and shouting over the storm.
"You want…know my…?" was the response. He could barely make out a few words. Toshiro assumed the dragon asked him if he wanted to know his name.
"Yes," he called with conviction.
The dragon seemed amused. "…name…cannot…storm?" the dragon responded.
What did the dragon ask him? He didn't really understand what he was saying.
"I can't hear you!" he shouted.
"…know…hear me…mature enough…op storm…"
"Please! I can't hear you over the storm!"
But the dragon merely looked at Toshiro with his piercing red gaze sadly.
"Wake up," the Zanpakuto spirit said to him, and even though he said it with such a low tone, he could hear it ringing through his ears.
"Wake up, child. You are needed in the real world, and you may not like what you find." The dragon turned and disappeared into the snowstorm, but not before he said a few parting words.
"Be strong, Toshiro, and find your resolve."
~oOo~
Toshiro awoke with a start, sitting up as screams pierced the air. The dream he'd just had was longer, more vivid than all of the ones he'd had before. Almost…like a premonition. A bad one.
"Hollows! Hollows! Why aren't there any Shinigami here?" he heard Taiyo scream, anguish in his tone. "Why haven't they come?" Terror coursed through his veins as soon as he heard Taiyo scream those words.
Inazuma's deep voice rang out over the district as souls ran out of their tents. Toshiro looked around, seeing Hollows all over the place.
Why hadn't any Shinigami came? he thought despairingly. There's no way we can defeat this many Hollows alone!
He held onto his sword, clenching the hilt so hard that his knuckles turned white. If he would go out, then he'd go out fighting.
Apparently, many others had the same idea, as he wasn't the only one who charged the Hollows head first. He knew it was stupid. He knew that his pride was not going to let him live.
Be strong, Toshiro, and find your resolve. The Zanpakuto's words rang in his ears, and when he turned to the souls around him, he knew he couldn't let them die.
For the first time, the Zanpakuto's voice was clear.
"Congratulations, Toshiro. You have found your resolve. You have stopped the storm raging within your soul."
Toshiro's teal eyes were absolutely cold as he cut down Hollow right and left. He was a demon with white hair and brilliant teal eyes.
"Unleash the Guardian within you, Toshiro. Say my name, child. Say my name. You know it, buried within your soul, under centuries' worth of time."
"Hyourinmaru!" he shouted at the top his lungs, feeling the sword within his hands change, growing slightly longer, its hilt becoming star shaped. It became lighter and seemed like an extension of his soul, which it was.
Power seemed to be overflowing from every single pore of his body, waiting at his fingertips to be used.
And use it he did, unleashing every last bit of his reiatsu, destroying everything in its path.
The power did not discriminate between foe and friend, crashing into everything within a radius of thirty feet.
Toshiro lost hold of his consciousness and felt himself drop to the ground, completely spent.
~oOo~
Toshiro stared up at the dragon known as Hyourinmaru. Hyourinmaru looked half-amused, half-sad, but most of all, proud.
"Good job, child," Hyourinmaru said. "You've stopped the storm."
Toshiro nodded, feeling strangely different. He didn't understand the feeling.
"Er, Hyourinmaru-san?"
"Yes, child?"
"Why do I feel a bit different?" he asked, tilting his head.
"You just released every single bit of reiatsu you had at the time, which is a lot," Hyourinmaru answered. "Also…you might not like it, but…" The dragon trailed off.
Toshiro feared the answer, and felt his eyes sting but he forced himself to be strong. Be strong. He could feel a lump at the back of his throat.
"You've destroyed everything close to you," Hyourinmaru said bluntly, apparently unable to find a gentler way to say it. "In other words, you've killed every single Hollow, soul, and plant around you."
He felt as if the world around him had crumbled into dust, and the world around him responded to his emotions. A raging storm swept up, pouring tears of snow, hail, and rain down to the ground, a fierce wind tearing at the landscape. Yet, somehow, in the terrible storm, was Hyourinmaru, sitting there, watching Toshiro scream his agony to the heavens. And he watched as the blue sky hide behind the storm. Hidden, and unseen, yes, but not gone. Hope was hidden behind clouds but it was not gone.
No, Toshiro Hitsugaya was not gone yet.
And Hyourinmaru would make sure of the fact. He would not lose his to-be master like the ones before him did. The dragon watched, settling down. He would sit the storm out and give comfort to his young charge.
Toshiro Hitsugaya's mind might have been fragile at the point, but it wouldn't break. It would become stronger.
Just as Hyourinmaru hoped.
~oOo~
When Toshiro awoke, he could hear voices.
"Look, he's waking up."
"What, is everything about this child going to be strange? First of all, his hair, now his eyes?"
"Shut up, Kozui! We all know you're an asshole, so stop proving it."
Toshiro felt the hilt of his sword in his hand. A rumble from Hyourinmaru told him that the spirit was still there.
"We all know you're a bitch, Ami, so stop proving it!" Kozui's voice retorted.
"Ami, Kozui, are you two arguing again?" came a third voice.
"Ah, no, Captain Shiba!" the two answered quickly, and when his eyesight focused, he could see the three above him. Ami—the girl—had chin-length auburn hair that framed her face and bright orange eyes. A Zanpakuto was stashed at her waist. Kozui—the shorter one, he assumed—had spiky light blue hair and the same eyes as Ami. His Zanpakuto was stationed on his back. The third one, Captain Shiba, had black hair that was smoothed back and dark eyes. He also had a rather scraggly beard.
"Hey, kid," said Shiba. "How're you feeling?"
Toshiro's teal eyes met with Shiba's, dull and flat. "What do you think?"
He expected to be reprimanded for such a tone, but instead, Shiba grinned like a maniac and laughed. "He's got spunk!"
Shiba turned back to him. "I'm Captain Isshin Shiba of the Tenth. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"
Toshiro turned away from the other by flipping over on his side, inwardly wincing at the pain it caused. "Toshiro Hitsugaya," he replied tonelessly. "What happened?"
"Aww, come on, Toshiro! If you want me to tell you, you've got to turn around!" Shiba said cheerfully.
"Don't want to. I'll ask Hyourinmaru-san then."
Shiba winced audibly. "About that, kid…"
"I know. They're all dead," Toshiro interrupted monotonously. "Hyourinmaru-san told me. Hyourinmaru-san is my Zanpakuto."
~oOo~
Isshin Shiba was shocked.
This kid…he'd already heard his Zanpakuto spirit and knows its name? Unbelievable. Well, it did explain why he was clutching the sword to his chest so resolutely.
Behind him, Ami and Kozui Kawa stifled gasps. Isshin stared at the kid's back, which was thinly covered by a blanket.
This kid was interesting, all right. And he had to make sure to watch the kid carefully. And he had to make sure that Aizen Sosuke never got his filthy hands on the child.
~oOo~
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it. It was fun.
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