Toshiro can feel his eyelids drooping and begging to welcome sleep. He yawns widely and stretches his arms up while leaning back in his chair. The Book of Cycrus lies open in front of him and although he understands the language it is written in, the words on the page look gibberish for his brain refuses to remember them.
'This is useless!' he scoffs in his head and gets up on his feet to pace the attic which is his room. 'I'm never going to learn the words on time so what's the point? It'll just give him the satisfaction of knowing that I am incompetent of becoming a magician.'
He scowls and kicks the air. Despite being a respectable man, despite having so much power and prestige, Master Yamamoto is a cruel and heartless man. He doesn't have to say it but Toshiro knows he isn't working to see him succeed. On the contrary, he's working Toshiro so hard in order to see him fail. This isn't the first time he has asked him to do a near to impossible feat.
For his first act as a magician's apprentice, he had been asked to balance an egg on his nose while trying to avoid a rabid dog. Not only did he spend his first day completely humiliated but he also had to wrap a bloody wound and get egg yolk out of his hair. But from that day onwards, he realized that he never wanted to be humiliated like that again. Whatever Yamamoto would give him to do he would do it without complaint. He would see his work through to the end and make sure he did it well. Ever since then, he has learned dozens of spells, concocted a number of potions mostly healing ones and memorized ancient scrolls of power and magic. He has progressed faster than he would have wished to and in no time, Yamamoto had begun practicing spells on him to help him get the feel of using spells spontaneously. Perhaps he owes the man a lot for even taking him in and teaching him magic. But then again, Yamamoto hadn't exactly been kind to him and he knows that one slip and the old man will kick him out without a backwards glance. He can see it in the man's eyes as he watches him work endlessly on his chores. Just waiting for Toshiro to break down.
The white-haired boy sighs and stops pacing. He closes his eyes and lets calmness wash over him. He doesn't like to get riled up about petty things. Yamamoto had agreed to train him. It doesn't matter what he wants but as long as Toshiro gets his training, he is satisfied. It's all that matters. One day, he'll be a great magician and maybe, just maybe, he can break that barrier between magical beings and magicians so they can work as one force in bettering the world. But that is only a fantasy. Magicians and magical creatures aren't meant to work together. It's not that the act isn't possible it's just that expecting them to cooperate with each other is impossible. For the longest time they have been enemies and the chance of someone, even Toshiro, to patch things up between them is one in a million.
'It's impossible,' Toshiro chuckles as he walks to the little circular window in the attic and gazes out over the village. The wizard's house is just on the edge of the village and overlooked the church. He likes to look out the window while he is practicing some spells and see what the people are up to. To see them live a normal life without an old geezer breathing down their back and expecting them to learn 104 verses of some goddamn mumbo-jumbo of a poem-spell written by a dead guy. As he peers out the window, he squints. Is it just his imagination or is their smoke spouting up from the church grounds? He rubs his eyes and looks again. It's definitely thin tendrils of grey smoke curling upwards in front of the church. Smoke and fire out in the open isn't exactly common in Karakura village.
Toshiro glances back at his desk. Should he stay and complete his work or should he go investigate? He snorts. Like he's going to spend the rest of the afternoon studying! It's time he got some action around this dead beat town! As he sprints down the narrow pathways of the village, his thoughts are on the smoke that is shown to be ascending from rising flames. Maybe it's a fire that the people can't put out and maybe Master Yamamoto is out cold so the village is helpless. And out of the blue, here comes Toshiro to quench the flames and save the village. His thoughts of glory come to a halt when he skids to a stop.
The church is actually present in the village square where town festivities are usually held. But right now, in the middle of the square, is Master Yamamoto with a shimmery shield of energy in front of him to protect him from a man with chocolate brown skin and long purple dreadlocks. Except, he doesn't seem like a man. He hisses like a snake and lunges like an animal, scratching and clawing as if trying to wreck the old man to pieces. As he opens his mouth to howl, Toshiro catches a glimpse of his sharp, pointy fangs and his heart stops.
A vampire…?
As he steps back, he accidently stumbles over the footpath behind him and lands hard on the floor. As he closes his eyes and winces at the pain, he feels a gust of cold air rush past him. He shivers as the temperature gets colder around him. He hears some chuckle near his ear.
'And just who might you be, pretty little thing?' murmurs a mocking voice but all Toshiro can see are silvery bangs of purple hair and all he can feel are feather touches of fingers across his cheek that turn his blood to ice.
'Toshiro!'
The creature next to him cries out in pain as Master Yamamoto sends a blast of white energy at him, thrusting him away from Toshiro. Yamamoto has blasted the dark-skinned man away and is now glaring at Toshiro.
'You stupid boy!' he roars at the boy as he snaps his fingers and a gust of wind blows past him towards the thing behind him. 'Have our lessons taught you nothing? Use that brain of yours or stay out of my way before you get killed!'
The black man leaps up from behind him and tries to wrap his fingers around Yamamoto's throat but the old man quickly turns around, grabs him by the throat and thrusts him into the ground, sending cobblestone pieces flying everywhere. Toshiro shakily gets to his feet and quickly clears his head.
'Focus, Toshiro, focus!' he scolds himself and quickly turns around to face his opponent who is also getting to his feet. Toshiro can't see his eyes but he doesn't mind as long as he doesn't lose the nerve to fight him. He fights back the urge to flee when the creature-like man looks him straight in the face and grins demonically.
'Ouch! That hurt!' he says pleasantly, like he simply tripped and scraped his knees. Toshiro flinches at his sadistic tone. Gin cocks his head to one side. 'Are you scared of me?'
Toshiro spots a pitchfork from the corner of his eye and then, without warning, he rolls on the floor towards it, grabs it and faces Gin once again, weapon poised menacingly. If possible, Gin's smile widens.
'Good,' he says simply before curling his lip back to reveal his fangs, evoking a gasp from Toshiro, and leaping onto his victim.
Toshiro isn't too stunned to react. He quickly lunges forward with the pitchfork, almost impaling Gin on it if the vampire didn't move so quickly. Gin circles around him, like he's trying to calculate from which angle he should attack. Toshiro follows his gaze, not letting him out of his sight. As he edges forward, Toshiro edges back, thrusting his weapon forwards for protection. Suddenly, Gin leaps forward, snarling. Gathering courage, Toshiro lunges forward as well while uttering a war cry. They clash; Toshiro using the wooden staff of the pitchfork and Gin using his forearm to prevent him from using the more dangerous part of the weapon. They stay locked like that for a while. Toshiro grits his teeth and tries to push forward but Gin just flicks his hair back and advances, making Toshiro's feet slide backwards across the pebbled floor. Gin chuckles again.
'You are a gem to watch struggling like that,' he chortles as he leans forward. 'And such pretty eyes. I feel like I have seen you before.'
'Bite me!' Toshiro growls.
'Gladly.' He snaps his teeth closer to Toshiro's head.
In panic, Toshiro quickly mutter a defense spell and out of thin air, a shimmery shield similar to Yamamoto's forms between Toshiro and Gin. Gin hisses and back away. He eyes the warily and circles Toshiro again.
'You can't evade me forever, little one,' he says in a singsong voice and leaps at him again but only a little so he can see the boy jump back. 'But there is something about you that is oh so familiar yet I can't place my finger on it.'
'Go to hell!' Toshiro yells in fury and runs forward, using his shield as a battering ram. Gin easily sidesteps it and as Toshiro runs past him, he grabs his throat and pulls him backwards onto the ground. His shield dissipates and he falls flat on his back with a cry of pain. Gin leans down on him but Toshiro quickly brings his weapon up at him. Gin grabs the shaft in a quick movement and squints at him, keeping a firm grasp on the boy's weapon. Then, suddenly, Gin hisses and steps back, as if trying to create even more distance between. Toshiro props himself on his elbows and eyes Gin curiously.
'No,' Gin gasps. 'No, it can't be.'
Aizen, who is standing close by, notices Gin's strange behavior and looks the boy up and down. What is so perturbing about this boy that Gin is backing away so quickly? Then, his eyes widen in shock. Can it be…? No! impossible! But it is…
'Gin! Tousen! To me!' he calls out. In a flash, the two vampires are by his side but Gin keeps his gaze trained on Toshiro. Yamamoto raises an eyebrow and his hand rises as if to perform another spell.
'Had enough, Aizen?' Yamamoto says quietly.
'On the contrary,' Aizen says thickly and eyes Toshiro on the ground. 'We have spotted something of even more value and interest in this village.'
Yamamoto follows his gaze and stays on Toshiro, emotionless. Toshiro can feel his body heating up. What did the vampire mean by 'more value and interest'? The church crowd had gathered at the door to watch the charades from a safe distance and is now murmuring with curiosity at what the vampire had just said. Hinamori can feel her heartbeat quicken. She whispers Toshiro's name over and over in her head, praying for him to be alright.
'You can't save him,' the chilling voice jeers in her mind.
'He'll be alright,' she argues.
'He's dead. He's dead. Do you want to see his dead body?'
Her voice gets caught in her throat. Then, the one with the purple hair shifts in his direction and her façade snaps.
'Toshiro!' she cries out in anguish and pushes the crowd aside to the front. She is about to run towards him but is stopped by Yoruichi, who grabs her around the waist and pulls her back.
'Let me go! Please let me go!' Hinamori sobs and beats her fist on Yoruichi's arms.
'Hush, Sister Hinamori,' Yoruichi whispers in her. 'Do not draw attention towards yourself.'
But the vampires have already turned to the crowd, scanning it for the source of the outburst. Aizen's gaze lands on Hinamori. The girl stops struggling, her breathing ragged, those red eyes are practically suffocating her with their intensity. Aizen's lips tug into a small smile and he turns back to Yamamoto.
'We will dance some other time, old magician,' he muses and turns his back to the wizard, his black clothes bellowing behind him despite the fact that there is no wind. Tousen follows but Gin hesitates, his smile actually lessening for once.
'Lord Aizen…' he says slowly but a quick glance at his master leads him to snap his mouth shut and turn away as well but not before he looks at Toshiro on last time. Toshiro slowly gets to his feet. What was that in the vampire's eyes? Was it hunger? Or was it longing? But longing for what?
The brunette flaps his arms and bounces into the air, his shape transforming and dwindling even smaller until he is nothing but a black bat in the dreary sky. The other two follow suit and soon, they trio are nothing but three specks drifting further and further away from the village.
'Everyone!' Soifon's voice booms in the air. 'Return to your homes immediately and don't leave until tomorrow morning. Don't forget to string a strand of garlic on your doors as well as a cross and keep all your windows closed! The safety of your family depends on it!'
Toshiro stands motionless in the middle of the square. He has his arms wrapped around him, as if trying to protect himself from the vampire he had been battling, like the demon man is still there just waiting to spring on him. He jumps when he feels a delicate hand touch his hand. He looks quickly and his body relaxes when he sees Yoruichi's concerned face close to him. Toshiro had never known what it feels like to have a mother or even if he did, he probably doesn't remember. Yoruichi is the closest thing he has to a mother and is just glad that Yamamoto hadn't stopped him from spending time with her. Fortunetellers are just as condemned by the magical world as magicians so it's best that the two sects stick together and help each other.
'You alright, Brother Hitsugaya?' she asks softly as she unwinds his arms from his body. He didn't realize he had held himself so tightly for the immediate release of his arms from his body allowed him to breathe more freely.
'I'm fine, Sister Shihōin,' he murmurs and lowers his head to stare at the ground. He doesn't want to look like he got scared by the vampires but he can't hide the fact that he is shaking.
'Toshiro!' Hinamori sobs as she catches him in her arms and hugs him tightly. 'I thought you were going to die! I really thought you were going to leave me! Oh, Toshiro!'
Toshiro is stunned. Then, he realizes where he is and quickly pushes her away. She looks at him through tear-filled eyes, a look of shock and hurt on her face.
'Don't call me that in public you hear me!' he snarls and glances at the crowd that is filing away. No one had noticed Hinamori embrace him and for that he is relieved. However, it doesn't mean that…
'Hitsugaya!' comes a booming voice form behind him and he flinches. He slowly turns around and keeps his head down as Master Yamamoto approaches him.
'I was about to congratulate you on your skills against the vampires but I see that is unnecessary considering you disobeyed me,' the old man says in his calm manner. Toshiro flinches again. He hates it when his master talks like that. It only means that he is extremely disappointed and cannot be bothered to raise his voice against such a low-life. Like he is nothing but dirt under his feet that doesn't even deserve his punishments. He hates it when he treats him like that.
'I didn't mean to disobey you, Master,' he mutters coldly and his eyes flicker on Hinamori for a second. Nobody was supposed to notice but Hinamori did and she could feel like her world shattering. Yoruichi drapes her hands over her shoulder for comfort but Hinamori just feels numb.
'Of course,' Yamamoto says curtly and walks past his apprentice. 'Come. Let us return to my home. We will continue our lesson for knowing you; you have not finished learning the verses. But you will have no supper tonight.'
Toshiro trudges behind him, his head still hung low. Still having a hint of hope, Hinamori hesitantly approaches him to touch him but he stops and stares daggers at her. She quickly pulls back, her eyes wide in disbelief. His angry eyes linger on her before returning to staring at the ground and following his master. She stares after him, even when Yoruichi nudges her towards her home and whispers that she will walk her there.
She always thought that she had Toshiro. That just because he is a magician's apprentice doesn't mean that she has lost him. But she had lost him the minute he had agreed to live with the magician. And because of that, her heart can't help shattering no matter how hard she is trying to piece it back together.
