Author's Note: Wow, this is the longest one yet. I was originally going to post another one, but I figured that another drabble-ish chapter would do better than one that furthered the plot, so I'm going to wait a few chapters before posting the one I have been working on. Thanks to all who have reviewed, and I'm still looking for a beta reader, so if you're interested, say so and leave contact info.
Some people asked Yamamoto why he had decided to put Ichigo under Hitsugaya's tutelage. He always just said that he thought that Hitsugaya was suitable for the job, and had nothing more important to do. Really, though, Yamamoto had his own reasons for placing the two together. Of all the shinigami in Sereitei, no two had greater potential than Ichigo and Tōshirō, and he felt that they would really learn best from each other. When asked if he had also forseen other things that would happen between them, Yamamoto merely gave a gravelly chuckle and a crooked smile, saying "fate has a habit of deciding how things will turn out for itself despite any predictions one might or might not make."
-
If asked which two captains in the Gotei 13 were most alike, most shinigami would say Kuchiki Byakuya and Hitsugaya Tōshirō. Both rigidly adhered to the rules, had a cold exterior, and were very dangerous to be around when angered. However, anyone asked would say that they ran their divisions fairly and justly, albeit with little creativity.
No two captains spent less time around each other, either. Therefore, it came as a shock to Hitsugaya and his subordinates when Captain Kuchiki showed up at the 10th division one day while Ichigo was out.
"Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya questioned when the other captain appeared at the entrance to his office.
"Good afternoon, Hitsugaya-taichō." said Byakuya, not dropping a even a small bit of formality.
Hitsugaya looked at him confusedly for a moment before responding.
"Good afternoon. Would you like to take a seat?" Hitsugaya offered, motioning to one of the chairs opposite him.
Byakuya gave a clipped "thank you" and sat across from Hitsugaya.
"Kuchiki-taichō, forgive me for being curt... but why exactly are you here?"
Byakuya closed his eyes momentarily, as if he was testing the area, making sure the was no other reiatsu close by that might be listening in, before responding.
"I would like to ask you a few questions about your vice captain."
This only served to confuse Hitsugaya further.
"Ichigo? Why is that?"
"I was wondering how you... deal with him."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, how do you deal with his temperment? He is stubborn, hot-headed, arrogant and dense. Is he not?"
Hitsugaya was nothing if not perceptive, and could sense something of a veiled meaning behind the other captain's words. What, exactly, he was not sure, but the very faint blush creeping up on Kuchiki's face, and the somewhat stressed tone of his usually-restrained voice were dead giveaways.
"I would think that you would know about this better than me, Kuchiki-taichō. Your vice captain is much like that too, is he not? You just have to exhert your authority. Be professional."
Kuchiki was also very perceptive in his own right, and could tell that Hitsugaya hadn't caught the meaning behind his words, or even more amusingly, noticed what many others had been noticing lately. Byakuya smirked slightly and changed the subject.
"I see. So, I also wanted to ask you about the vice captain's seat in your division that will be opening up when Kurosaki is promoted..."
-
"You have to do your reports, Ichigo." Hitsugaya said firmly to his vice captain for the twelft time that afternoon.
"I'll get to them later. Stop following me around, eh?"
"Do them now!"
"Why? They're just going to get sent off to somebody who's never going to read them."
"You have to do it if you're going to be a captain. Even Zaraki does his battle reports!"
"Zaraki dictates his battle reports to Yachiru, who draws them."
"Which is still better than not doing them at all!"
"I'll do them later. I'm going to go spar with Ikakku right now."
"No you are not, you idiot, you're going to go finish your reports, or this is going to be a stain on my record."
"Lighten up, Tōshirō, if they get done in a few hours instead of right now, it doesn't matter."
"I'm not Tōshirō to you, I'm Hitsugaya-taichō."
Up on a rooftop, not too far away, two people were watching the exchange.
"Ah, to be young. Reminds me of us when we were like them, eh, Jūshirō?"
Captain Ukitake smiled silently at his friend's comment. He thought that he had gotten on a bit better with Shunsui than Kurosaki and Hitsugaya were with each other.
-
Ichigo thought they made a good team. He had gone into battle alongside many allies. Beating back thugs with Chad. Hunting hollow alongside Ishida. Tearing down menos with Renji. Hacking away at other arrancar with Grimmjow. But he never fought with anyone as well as he did with Hitsugaya. Wherever Ichigo couldn't be, Hyōrinmaru was there. Nobody he had fought with could react as fast or adapt to a situation as quickly as Hitsugaya. He didn't have to worry about who he attacked, because he knew that Tōshirō would deal with the rest.
-
Tōshirō liked the cold. Not much else was more comforting to him. Whenever he entered a room, from the sheer force of his reiatsu, the temperature would drop. This made some people uncomfortable around him, but he would be uncomfortable around them otherwise. Tōshirō liked the cold, but nothing was more reassuring to him when leaping into battle than Ichigo's blazing reiatsu constantly nearby.
He knew that if he missed a target, Ichigo would get it before he could even collect himself to make another attack. He knew that if he left an opening by mistake, Zangetsu would be there to cover it faster than he could ever hope to dodge or block it. He knew he'd be safe for as long as Ichigo's spiritual presence remained smouldering in the back of his mind.