Hah. I managed to evade my deadline goal once again! : D
Unfortunately for you, or fortunately- depending on how you look at it.
Thank you very, very much to all yous who have reviewed the story- every time you've dropped one in, it's just made my day. ^^
Anyhow, read on, and enjoy the product of all my scribbles on Microsoft Word! I would love a review, if you want to share your thoughts. Reviews are the new pink.
Btw, yes, Hitsugaya and Rukia are going to get out of the damned forest clearing soon.
Freestyler
Chapter 2: Daybreak
Morning comes way too soon.
The night was too short, the hours too few, the minutes too fast, the walk here too short. When Rukia arrives at the forest clearing the next day, she comes so very unprepared.
She looks around warily, carefully. However there is no one in sight.
There is no one in sight.
She lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
.
Bending down, Rukia drops her water canteen onto the ground and scoops up a handful of snowflakes, holding them up to the awakening sun.
Everything has been washed back to a sparkling pristine white.
No more is the glacial ice created from the thrust of Hitsugaya's sword, nor the scattered footprints and haphazard tracks through the frozen field from yesterday's escapades. Winter has come upon this place and decreed that nothing shall ever taint the snow.
Everything is the same as always.
Rukia muses wryly that yesterday might as well have not been, for all that it matters.
And then pauses.
It's almost, as if nothing has happened.
A sudden chill sweeps across her, and she clutches her arms together. The ground beneath her spins and she bites her lip, unnerved.
The feeling's very much akin to déjà vu.
.
She slowly trudges out into the open space, feet falling heavily into the snow.
Apprehension is pooling in her stomach, her heart is starting to beat faster and Rukia still has no idea why. Ever since yesterday she's felt offbeat and unbalanced as if something, somewhere has been set decidedly wrong.
She glances upwards. Sunlight has already started to streak itself in brilliant hues of red and orange across the sky. It's a dazzling display, but Rukia doesn't notice the beauty. She frowns instead.
He isn't here yet.
Irked for reasons she can't quite identify, Rukia's brows furrow further. That captain better manage to turn up soon. The trees around her shiver in the morning breeze and she inhales the chill air deeply, closing her eyes.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
Today is going to go as planned.
Breathe in, Breathe out.
She's going to try and force herself to believe that.
.
She opens her eyes, slowly-
Only to hear a high whistling sound as metal cuts through air and watch a slender katana thud down before her feet. On reflex she jumps back, startled and immediately reaches towards her waist-
Before realizing that there is no sword there.
"Kuchiki."
Her head snaps up to find a pair of green eyes peering back down at her from aloft a high tree branch. Hitsugaya stands with folded arms; his back leaned casually against the tree trunk.
"You can use this as a temporary replacement for your zanpakutou," he says, nonchalantly, pausing before he adds, "You're late."
Rukia opens her mouth to apologize, but then realizes something that innately bothers her to the core. Her brow furrows.
"I saw no one in the clearing when I came… taichou. You were here before me!" She tries not to sound accusing, but the implied meaning slips out anyway.
You were watching me.
It catches him totally off guard.
.
"You looked like you were meditating," he says hurriedly, before jumping down, landing mere centimeters from her and then backpedaling a few good meters.
He picks up the sword and holds it out towards her, hilt first, his head turned away. Even with his eyes averted, she can still see the slight pleading in them. It confuses her a little bit, because this is Hitsugaya Toshiro and Hitsugaya Toshiro does not back down.
Ever.
But the questions are straining, fighting within her- she tries to search his face for the answers and finds only an awkward silence in return. She wants to settle everything now, and now only. On the other hand, he looks like he'd rather never speak of the subject again.
It's a bit of an unsolvable problem, she thinks.
…
It seems she's been getting herself into quite a lot of them lately.
.
But she gives him the benefit of the doubt and tentatively steps forward, taking the hilt of the sword. The green eyes turn back towards her and she can see relief fill them.
It's not a truce- but it's the closest thing they'll get to having one for neither of them are ever going to give.
Yet Rukia smiles for one moment, and for one moment only.
It's enough for now.
As the dawn ascends slowly into midday, Hitsugaya sides step a swing from Kuchiki and ducks again as she makes another quick blow at him.
Thrust. Parry. Block. Spin. Strike. Duck.
He re-adjusts his hold on his own sword, and glances at the Kuchiki in front of him.
He pauses.
She's better than he thought she would be.
.
But better doesn't particular mean that she's a master swordsman, either.
He blocks another blow from her and returns it with one of his own, than another, and another.
The strain of fighting constantly is beginning to show in Kuchiki's face, her sword grip, her everything- not that he's surprised. She's been jailed up until only a few days ago with no exercise for a month. Added to her slim build and a lack of a lot of muscle tone, he can pretty much assume that her specialty is in Kido and not in swordfighting.
.
She huffs and there's a flash of determination in her eyes.
His brows furrow.
He tries not to notice that she fights a bit (or, rather, a lot) like Hinamori.
His lips tighten, and Histugaya swoops close, clanging his sword against hers once again.
Rukia jumps backward and brushes the hair out of her eyes. She pants, gasping for air. It's been a long time since she's engaged in a decent sword fight, let alone be involved in strenuous exercise.
Hitsugaya is far from a lenient tutor, and he's relentless in every assault.
Your posture is wrong. Look- your arms are too far from your body. Extend your sword, not your arms, Kuchiki! Keep your legs farther apart.
The orders go on and on and on. Once in a while there's a word of encouragement or a half-compliment.
But even so, he pushes a pretty fast pace.
.
There's little time to rest, and she's barely managing to keep up with him.
She knows he's meant to be a talented swordsman, and suspiciously wonders how easy he's going on her.
She's tired, breathless and she knows she's probably not going to best him.
But just moving like this feels good anyway.
.
In the mid morning sun they pause for a break.
Hitsugaya has just managed to snake his sword through her defenses and right onto her neck where she can feel her pulse thumping, thumping against the metal tip of his katana. The captain holds the position for a second before drawing away.
"You let your guard down, that's all," he says, pointing to her flimsy grasp on her sword, "Eh. I think that's enough for now Kuchiki. Take a break."
Finally.
Rukia heaves out a heavy breath, nodding before thrusting her sword into the snow, leaving it to stand upright. She walks back to the cover of trees, before leaning against a trunk and picking up her water canteen.
As she drinks, Rukia looks with slight envy back at Hitsugaya- there are no signs of fatigue for him. The shinigami only decides to sit down beside her, sword in his lap.
She pauses, before too sinking down onto the snow. The cold seeps immediately through her robes, soothing the bruises and soreness of battle. Snow's always had that affect on her; she supposes it's just part of her nature.
Rukia glances at Hitsugaya and wonders whether it's the same for him.
But she doesn't open her mouth.
The silence stretches on.
After a few minutes, Hitsugaya makes the first tentative stab at contact.
"How did you lose your zanpakutou?"
He tries to keep his voice controlled, cool, calm- but the question blurts out anyway. He almost wants to take it back, but doesn't.
His breath hitches and he decides not to look at her.
.
"A couple of months ago, in the living world."
Hitsugaya starts at the sound of her voice- it's serene, almost detached.
It's the complete opposite of what he expected.
But if she's not going to point out nor acknowledge the surprising lack in awkwardness…
Than neither is he.
So Rukia loses herself in the flow.
She tells him firstly, about Ichigo. About that lanky, tall, orange-haired almost-always-frowning boy. She tells him the facts first, of which she already knows, of Ichigo's immense spiritual power, his zanpakutou, his incredible stubborness.
And then stops, gathers breath, and tells Hitsugaya about that night.
.
That night, where everything just went wrong.
Where, suddenly there was a boy running at a hollow, with nothing to defend himself but a few bloody fists and feet. Where she'd jumped in front of him,and taken the blow meant for him. Death saving life, she points out wryly.
Hitsugaya's eyes are wide, so wide at this but Rukia ignores it and presses on.
She tells him of gut feelings, and desperation that ends up in a plan she doubts will even work. She tells him of the feeling of her zankpakutou slamming through her chest. She tells him of suddenly having almost nothing and he then had almost her everything. She tells him how she has no regrets about that night.
And then stops.
Rukia refuses to think anymore, recollect anymore, after that.
After all, it still hurts.
Finally, Rukia speaks again.
When she does, she asks this: "How'd you first find your zanpakutou?"
It's question for question, and while Hitsugaya knows he can easily evade an answer, he chooses not to.
It surprises him in more ways than one.
.
When Hitsugaya starts talking, he's quiet.
But there's no embarrassment in his voice, no hesitation.
This is his life story. It's something only his grandmother, Matsumoto and Hinomori really know, for after all, they were a part of it. Hyorinmaru was it.
Yet he does tell her about frozen over nightmares, his first meeting with Matsumoto, and his decision to become a Shinigami.
There's a lot of unnecessary things he tells her too, about long summer days, and snowball winters, and watermelons on a wood porch.
It's as if he has owed her something of himself since yesterday, and something within him is telling him that this is how he's going to repay his debt.
When Hitsugaya finishes talking, he's still quiet.
He's completely at ease, too.
When all's said and done, Rukia stands up, stretches her arms out and looks up the sky.
It's noon, he realizes. They should both be going soon.
She turns away from him so he can't see her face and she takes a deep breath.
"How do you intend to help me get my powers back?"
It's blunt, hard, and decidedly emotionless.
.
"I don't know," he admits after a long while.
She turns back to him, looking surprised more than anything.
However, he looks at her and keeps her gaze evenly.
"'But I will, eventually."
Ehm, hopefully people enjoyed this. If anyone wants to point out writing flaws, they're much obliged too, as well, as just their opinions!
If anything, tell me what you think will happen next/ what you'd like to see. 8D
Thanks for the read!