"Damn it!" Toshiro swore, his arms lifted above his head while Kenpachi wrapped bandages around his cracked ribs.
"You wimp!"
"Its not my fault you operate on maximum strength all the time."
"No point in not giving it your all."
"Not when you're crushing the breath out of me!"
"Shut up." he tied off the bandage and Toshiro dropped his arms.
"Geez, you're a real mess." Kenpachi criticized. He nodded, indicating the bandage around Toshiro's throat. "Better change that too."
Toshiro raised a hand to his neck. The bandage was damp.
"No way, this should be healed already."
"Must have reopened it when you were dancing around with that girl."
Toshiro ignored the insult and tore off the bandage. He took a clean one from their pack and daubed ointment onto it before he wrapped it back on.
"Make sure its tight, its bleeding pretty good again."
"Well if I make it tight to your standards I'd be strangled."
"At least you wouldn't bleed to death."
"Yeah." Toshiro laughed and finished. He stretched out on the ground under the hot sun.
"I wish I could make some snow now." he muttered
"What's with that anyway?" Kenpachi said laying down as well.
"I don't know, but it has something to do with the dragon. He called me Hitsugauya."
"You were dreaming."
"I know, but it sounded familiar. His name is Hyorinmaru. That's sounds familiar too." Kenpachi said nothing. "You looked like you knew that girl. But that's impossible."
Kenpachi sighed. "She had this look. It was creepy, she really believed she knew me. But there's no way."
"No way."
"Still...she seemed..."
"Familiar."
"Yeah. Like your dragon I guess. The whole world is going crazy."
"What happened to just finding a straightforward fight?" Toshiro sighed.
"Tell me about it."
The two lapsed into silence, comfortable, familiar. It had just been them, two against the world for ten years. They'd woken in their black and white uniforms in the soul society, their previous lives erased. People told them it was common not to remember anything, especially if their death was particularly traumatic. They'd stayed together. Something about those numbers haunted them, told them they were allies. They'd travelled almost the whole world together, picking fights whenever they could to satisfy their boredom. Ten years they searched, unknowingly, for the Seireitei. It called to them, they followed, never realizing their true destiny.
"Captain Hitsugaya." The voice came out of no where but he felt her presence as soon as she appeared. He sat up wincing in pain, unprepared for battle, half naked and half asleep. But Kenpachi was always ready. He jumped to his feet in an instant. He faced a beautiful woman. Her uniform did little to conceal her exceptional figure; her face was taught with emotion, framed by long red locks.
"Who are you?"
"Captain Zaraki," she said, barely able to tear her eyes from Toshiro. "Its me, Rangiku Matusmoto. Please, you both need to come with me."
"Everyone keeps saying that but we're not going anywhere."
"Captain Hitsugaya." she said again, looking to the boy on the ground. He was fixated with her, too engrossed to stand. Who was she?
"Toshiro, snap out of it!" the big man roared. The boy stood up but could not look away. "Get your hormones in check kid!"
"You're...." She looked expectantly at him but he couldn't finish. "Who are you?"
"I'm you're lieutenant, from squad ten. Don't you remember?"
"No. Impossible."
"No, please, Aizen did something to you. He took Hyorinmaru– "
"How do you know that name?!"
"He is your zampakuto! Hyorinmaru, the dragon of ice and water. I know you know him, I feel your spiritual pressure at night. He's calling out to you, even from Hueco Mundo."
"Hueco Mundo...?"
"She's trying to trick you kid, smarten up."
"Wait...I want to hear more."
Rangiku smiled warmly. "We'll get him back and then you'll remember."
"But how can I know you. Kenpachi doesn't know you."
"So?"
"So, its always just been the two of us, forever. If I had met you before, he would know."
"Captain Zaraki? Don't you remember anything?" Rangiku pleaded to the big man.
"Sister, I ain't interested in your fantasy world. You soul reapers better leave us alone or we'll take you down."
"No please, just come and it will all make sense, I'm sure of it."
"No, now get out of here."
She stood her ground. Kenpachi advanced.
"Wait!" Toshiro ran forward and grabbed his friend's wrist. "Let's just go, okay?"
"Kid, what is it? Don't let them confuse you."
"Its just–" But Kenpachi swung a fist through the air without warning. Rangiku dropped like a stone, her mouth trickling blood.
"What the hell did you do that for?" Toshiro demanded, kneeling at her side. She was unconscious.
"She was getting to you. We need to leave now." Toshiro rose reluctantly. Kenpachi was already thrusting his belongings into his hands. "Lets go, now!" He looked back the prone figure on the ground and then followed his friend. He was angry and confused, but trotted after him, knowing that no matter what, they had to stick together.
