So I'm back with a new chapter. It has been a while, longer than I intended actually but what's a girl to do when she gets so totally obsessed with the wonderous perfection of White Collar? I mean, how could I fight a program that has a con artist and an FBI agent working together? If you haven't seen it - WATCH IT!
Anyway, back to Bleach. After MONTHS of waiting for the price of the damn second Bleach movie to come down to an amount that doesn't knock my head off I finally have it speeding its way to me. Which of course means that this little story floated back in to my wee brain.
WARNINGS: None.
Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me, nor any of its characters.
Enjoy!
If Reality Could Drown
Chapter Four: A Captain And His Secret II
"ARE YOU INSANE!"
"Keep your voice down, anyone could be out here" Toshiro retorted mulishly as Ichigo reached in and dragged the Ouin out.
He looked at it more in astonishment than any other reaction, gripping it so hard his knuckles turned white as if he couldn't believe what he held in his hands. Then he looked up at Toshiro "what the hell is going on in that head of yours!" he demanded, "have you completely lost your mind!"
"I have my reasons"
"Like what! You wanted the Ouin for yourself or something!"
"Of course not" Toshiro gave him an angered look and turned away.
"Then what is this?" Ichigo followed him and thrust the Ouin in to his face "Toshiro, what are you THINKING!"
"It's not what it looks like"
"It looks like you've secretly hidden the Ouin in the wall!" the substitute fumed "it looks like you've stolen the Ouin for some crazy reason! Don't tell me, it's some kinda crappy shrine to Kusaka!"
Toshiro shot him a hard glare, his blue eyes flashed, "I only wished to keep the Ouin safe, it's what I was ordered to do"
"So hand it back to the royal family then, that's where it should be!" Ichigo stared at him "what is wrong with you? This isn't you, Toshiro! You don't steal things. Is this about Kusaka? Can't you let go of the Ouin because Kusaka became part of the-"
"Kusaka has nothing to do with this!" Toshiro snapped harder than he meant to, it showed emotion and he was trying to keep a lid on that, something that appeared to be hard to achieve "and I never said I stole it, Yamamoto gave me orders to keep the Ouin safe from sight"
"Ordered?" Ichigo repeated "you mean he told you to hide it in the wall of the training grounds?"
"No, you fool, Yamamoto asked me to hide away the Ouin, he doesn't know where I've placed it"
"But why? I don't get it, I thought it was the job of the royal family to keep it safe"
"They asked that we kept it" Toshiro replied with a sigh "since the Ouin's power was released, groups and organizations have made attempts on it, trying to steal it from where it was kept, they need to keep it safe, so they asked the Seireitei"
"And Yamamoto asked you?"
"I wouldn't use the word ask"
"He ordered you to do it" Ichigo frowned "but others know about it, right? I mean, you weren't the only Captain he told?"
"Yes, I was, is that a problem?" the defensive edge to Toshiro's voice had returned, but this time it told Ichigo that the Captain knew what he was thinking, and Toshiro knew what Ichigo was thinking because he was feeling it himself.
"But that's dangerous" the substitute protested "if you're the only one in the whole of the Seireitei who knows where the Ouin is then you're the one the bad guys will come after"
"There is that possibility" the Captain agreed.
"But…" said Ichigo again "that's not right! That puts you in danger, and there's no one else to help you"
"One, I don't need anyone's help" Toshiro replied stiffly "and two, you now know, so if anyone comes after me I can just as easily send them in your direction"
"Stop messing around, I'm being serious here!"
"So am I. Ridding myself of you would solve more than one problem"
"Toshiro-"
"Captain Hitsugaya"
"Look, I'm not playing your game!" Ichigo snapped "some of these people are dangerous, they'd kill you without a second glance!"
"Believe it or not, I can protect myself just fine"
"That's not the point! Yamamoto shouldn't be sending his Captain in alone, not with something so important as the Ouin! I don't understand why you can't see that!"
"I can see it" Toshiro answered "but orders are orders and there's nothing I can do about it" he looked back at the substitute his blue eyes devoid of any emotion or defiance, instead he only blinked when Ichigo spluttered.
"Why are you being so calm about this?"
"Why are you being so uptight?" the Captain retorted.
"Because the Ouin is a powerful thing that will have a lot of attraction, Yamamoto needs more than one Captain on this, surely you see that!"
"It is not my place to question the judgement of the Head Captain"
"And it's not his place to send you in to something that could very well get you killed!"
"I thank you for your vote of confidence"
"Don't be like that, you know what I mean! He shouldn't be leaving the sole responsibility of the Ouin to you, it's not fair!"
"Fair doesn't come in to it, I was given orders and I must follow them"
"But why you?" Ichigo persisted "surely Soi Fon would be the better choice, she is head of-"
"The Head Captain chose me" Toshiro interrupted coldly "if I knew how much you questioned my skills then I wouldn't have bothered showing you the Ouin at all"
"Don't twist my words" Ichigo said patiently "I know you're a great Captain and you know I know it, I only meant why would Yamamoto choose you?"
At first the insulted expression on Toshiro's face remained for a moment; this would have concerned Ichigo if it weren't for the fact that he was constantly insulting the Captain over something, he knew a few seconds down the line Toshiro would simmer somewhat and only give a scathing remark that would have Ichigo bristling. That was how they worked. But what did concern Ichigo was that, when Toshiro realised there was no point in acting insulted, instead of his usual cocky retort his face only relaxed in to a sigh and a shake of his head.
"Are you really this dense?" asked the Captain softly.
Now it was Ichigo's turn to be insulted "what's that supposed to mean!" he scowled hands on his hips "I'm only trying to understand!"
"You really don't get it, do you?" Toshiro had the effrontery to be somewhat amused by this, though his smile was only the touch of a smirk "just don't go in to politics whatever you do, Kurosaki, you wouldn't last five minutes"
"HEY, stop mocking me!" Ichigo growled irritably "and stop being so elusive, it's pissing me off!"
"Fine, you want me to be blunt" Toshiro made a noise that could have been compared to a snort of laughter, except there was now no humour in his voice and no mirth in his eyes "Yamamoto chose me not because he believed I was the best Captain for the job but because I failed"
Up until then Toshiro had been in complete control of his emotions and reactions despite Ichigo's uncanny skill of getting under his skin; but his strong restraint wavered disconcertedly when Ichigo looked at him in surprise. The substitute gazed at him confusion covering his face like a blanket; then his expression cleared as he realised what it was the Captain was referring to.
"Toshiro, you didn't fail anything" he replied quieter than before, his annoyance softened by comprehension.
"Yes, I did" Toshiro folded his arms and his jaw tightened "it was my duty to escort the Ouin from one guarded place to another and I failed, spectacularly"
"But you went after it" the substitute reminded him.
"I left my post" Toshiro corrected, "I abandoned my Squad and disobeyed orders"
"Yeah, to go after the Ouin"
"No" Toshiro's expression dropped to the ground "I left my post to go after Kusaka, not to retrieve the Ouin"
"But Kusaka had the Ouin" Ichigo pointed out.
"I was not thinking of the Ouin" the ice Captain replied "I was thinking of Kusaka, had I been thinking of the Ouin I would have returned to my Squad"
"But you got the Ouin back" Ichigo said defiantly "it doesn't matter why you left, you retrieved the Ouin"
"And it doesn't matter that I did retrieve the Ouin, not where Yamamoto is concerned!" Toshiro snapped heatedly, then he realised he'd spoken too loud and he recomposed himself, taking a deep long breath before continuing "in Yamamoto's eyes I failed, and because of that I no longer have his trust-"
"But-"
"Let me finish" the Captain lowered his gaze to the floor though his jaw remained hard "since then my Squad's duties have been limited to nothing more than paperwork, documenting reports and other menial chores that the other Squads don't want, because of me they've lost their pride and their status"
"That's not true" Ichigo shook his head with a sigh and said, "it's crazy"
"To you maybe, but I need to prove to Yamamoto that I'm still a good Captain, only that way will he return my Squad to its original position"
"But you don't need to prove anything to anyone" the substitute repeated in a hard voice "Yamamoto's a fool if he thinks anything else"
"Coming from a substitute that is not a good compliment no matter the good faith"
Ichigo rolled his eyes "just shut up and take it as a compliment, would ya?" looking back at the Ouin one last time he felt the raw pure power of it pulse through his hand. It was tempting; it would be tempting to anyone who knew the meaning of power. But Ichigo didn't want it. There were things in the world that he wanted more than raw power; his family, his friends, they were so much more important than any throbbing power enticing as it was. Closing his hand round the Ouin he looked up and found blue eyes staring at him.
"What?"
The Captain shook his head in response "I knew you wouldn't understand, now you know why I wasn't keen to tell you"
"I do understand…I understand that Yamamoto is a hard-ass bastard who would use you as a scapegoat if anything happened to the Ouin, what I don't understand is why you're letting him"
"He's the Head Captain, I'm his subordinate, I don't have much of a choice"
"Is that really the only reason?"
Toshiro was taken aback "what's that supposed to mean? What other reason could there be?"
"That you're letting your pride get the better of you" Ichigo replied staring down at the younger Captain "you want your status back so you're letting Yamamoto walk all over you"
"And what else would you have me do?" a dark shadow passed over Toshiro's face "disobey him?"
"No, but if someone finds out where the Ouin is then you'll be the only one that's blamed, that's after someone's tortured you to within an inch of your life to discover where you've put the damn thing" the substitute branded the Ouin back in to Toshiro's face "it's crazy, Toshiro, and it's not like you to let people use you as their puppet"
The Captain bristled accordingly "I don't appreciate being referred to as a puppet"
"A puppet is a good comparison for you right now" Ichigo replied sharply "what happened to the Toshiro who didn't suffer nonsense from anyone?"
"You seem to be suggesting that I refuse Yamamoto's bidding"
"No, I'm just saying that you should tell him that it's not a good idea for you to be doing this by yourself, it's not safe, what if Aizen hears about the Ouin and decides to come after it?"
That was Ichigo's second mistake; his first mistake was to forget Toshiro Hitsugaya's almost obsessive hatred for the traitor Squad Five Captain. The blue teal eyes darkened in to a deep prolonged look of loathing, one so murderous and dark that for one brief moment Ichigo forgot whom he was talking to and thought he was staring in to the face of Kenpachi.
"I live in hope that Aizen hears of the Ouin and comes for it, that's just one more reason for me to kill him" Toshiro's voice had dropped in to a low growl of poison, his intent was clear "and if Aizen did bleed out of the woodwork, then I wouldn't tell anyone, I'd kill him first"
Ichigo held up his hands "alright, Aizen was a bad example, I should have remembered the mention Aizen is enough to make you forget your senses"
Toshiro glared at him but said no more as Ichigo felt the sudden chill of icy air wrap around him like a tightening cover that filled his mouth and stung his eyes. He pursed his lips and sighed irritably, releasing a cloud of hot breath from his mouth; he folded his arms and looked impatiently at the Captain who had turned his head away.
"You mind? I'm freezing over"
"You deserve it" Toshiro retorted.
"So I called you a puppet with anger management issues who's allowing himself to be used as a stumpy scapegoat that will be thrown in to shame and dishonour that will forever destroy him when he fails to protect the Ouin safely, it's not that bad"
Hitsugaya breathed fire "Stumpy!"
Ichigo quirked an eyebrow with a smirk "isn't it interesting that, out of all those insults, it was the height reference you picked up on, you got some real issues, you know that right"
Toshiro's mouth opened; for a moment he looked stunned in to speechlessness, he struggled to keep his control and come back with a worthy insult that would have Ichigo spitting. He was further rattled when Ichigo had the disgrace to smirk at him, arms folded, and a great deal of smugness about his face. Toshiro growled- then dropped his shoulders "you're impossible" he grumbled tetchily.
"You're only saying that because you know I'm right" Ichigo replied.
"Enjoy the feeling while you can, it won't last long"
The substitute ignored this with the grit of his teeth "you admit I'm right then" he pressed.
"I admit nothing," Toshiro said holding out his hand expectantly "as far as I'm concerned my Head Captain gave me an order and I am more than capable of handling the situation without help"
Ichigo pushed the Ouin forwards ready for the Captain to take but when Toshiro's hand closed round it he held on tighter refusing to release his grip; Toshiro's blue eyes snapped up quickly, his fingers clung fast his gaze.
"If you're so capable of doing this job then why did you show me?" asked the substitute.
"Kurosaki, let go of the Ouin"
"Not until you tell me"
"You're not getting an answer"
"It's a reasonable enough question, Toshiro, I can't imagine Yamamoto will be thrilled if he finds out about this"
"That's for me to deal with" then Toshiro glared "and I keep telling you to call me Captain!"
"Why did you show me the Ouin?" Ichigo asked again clasping on to the Ouin harder, Toshiro looked ready to reach for his Zanpakuto "just answer me"
"What other choice did I have?" the Captain answered with irritation "if I hadn't shown you then I wouldn't have heard the end of it"
"So it had nothing to do with the fact that you wanted someone else to know? Are you sure about that?"
"Uh, why would I tell anyone else?"
"For safety purposes, if anything happened to you then someone else would know where the Ouin was and protect it. Except that Yamamoto wants you to do this alone and so I'm the only choice you had"
"I had no intention of telling you or anyone"
"Really?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes and pulled the Ouin back "you seriously expecting me to believe that you didn't know I was watching you clamber out of your bedroom window? I know you better than that, and you knew I was there, you knew I would follow you"
"Despite what you think, I knew nothing of the sort. Had I known you were there I would have headed you off"
Ichigo looked at him further, studying the blue eyes that looked back icily; Toshiro's hand was floating in the air, just itching to retrieve the Ouin, but Ichigo wasn't prepared to give up so easily "nah, I'm not buying that, you knew I was there"
"I promise you, I didn't"
"Fine, why didn't you notice I was there?"
"I was preoccupied by other things"
"I don't believe you"
"So now you're calling me a liar?" Toshiro withdrew his hand temporarily "you're full of it tonight, aren't you, Kurosaki? Is there anything else you'd like to accuse me of?"
Instead of the irritation that Toshiro was expecting, Ichigo only let a small smile of amusement pass his features; he shook his head and looked down at the Ouin still in his hand "you know, I never classed you as a player, but I'll admit, you really played me tonight"
"I don't know what you're talking about"
"No? So why did you let me follow you tonight? Why did you show me the Ouin? Hell, why did you even let me stay at the Squad Ten Barracks?" he grinned wider "and I fell for it, hook, line and sinker"
Toshiro rolled his eyes; he folded his arms stubbornly "what are you babbling on about? I only let you stay with Squad Ten because I was in your debt, you allowed me to stay in your home when I was injured and I had to repay you"
"Yeah, that's what I thought" Ichigo couldn't control it, he bubbled with sniggers "right up until I realised that you'd known I saw climb out of your bedroom window"
"As I said before, I didn't know you were- stop laughing!" the Captain snarled "if I have played you as you say then I fail to see the humour of the situation, most would be insulted"
"I can't help it!" the substitute guffawed helplessly "I can't believe I've just been duped by someone so short!"
"W-What's my size got to do with anything!" the Captain spluttered irately.
"It's nothing- except that I've battled with Captains twice my size, hollows, evil insane creeps with stronger power than me, crazy Soul Reapers, Quincies, Arrancars and I get tricked by someone a head shorter than me!" he laughed again, louder, only breaking out again when he caught the sour expression on the Captain's face.
"And that's…funny, is it?"
"You gotta admit, there's a kinda irony to it"
"Just give me the damn Ouin!" snapped Toshiro swiping it from the substitute's hand in one quick movement, glowering at the hilarity still splashed across Ichigo's face "I don't know why I put up with you in the first place!"
He turned from the substitute to the wall where the gaping hole was blacker than the cliff side around it; pushing the Ouin deep in to the wall he pointedly ignored Ichigo who had broken in to bursts of laughter again as soon as he'd realised how low down in the wall the Ouin was hidden. Placing his palm flat against the gap he murmured a few chosen words, the air lighting up in to a glow around his hand as he spoke; the air grew cold and ice began to form over the hole black as the cliff itself and almost invisible to the eye.
Once finished he pressed his fingers to the ice oblivious to the cold touch and satisfied himself that the Ouin was once again secure and safe; his job done for the night he turned back to the substitute who had sobered up somewhat.
"I suppose I should take it as a compliment that you trust me enough to show me the Ouin" he said coming to stand next to the Captain and admiring the black ice which he could only see because he knew it was there "I know you're not the most trusting of Soul Reapers"
"I think I have enough reason to be suspicious of those I don't know" Toshiro answered quickly.
"Hey, don't get me wrong, I don't blame you" Ichigo said still gazing at the patch of unseen ice, he reached out a hand to brush his fingers over the smooth surface and found he could feel nothing of the Ouin's power behind the guard "Kusaka probably isn't the best example of a friend one could get, he did try to kill us all after all"
"My trust in you has nothing to do with Kusaka"
"Then what does it have to do with?"
"Rukia Kuchiki"
"Huh? Rukia? How come?"
"You risked your life to cross the Seireitei to save the life of girl you barely knew" the Captain elaborated "that implies a great deal of insanity and stupidity, but it does convey a certain amount of reliability"
"I guess I should take that as another compliment" Ichigo said resignedly "though you still managed to make me in to a fool"
"That's because you are a fool" Toshiro retorted "getting yourself involved in things that are none of your concern is going to get you killed one day" he glanced sideways at the substitute "but at least I can trust you"
"What if you couldn't?" asked the substitute "what would you have done if you couldn't trust me?"
"I would have killed you" said the Captain simply.
Ichigo swallowed and clutched his throat, the tone in Toshiro's voice suddenly had him feeling very mortal "yeah, I thought you might something like that" he gave a rather weak grin.
"I should go" Toshiro turned from the wall and retrieved his Zanpakuto "Rangiku may be a deep sleeper, but she will have felt my spiritual pressure"
"Hey, wait a minute! You're just gonna leave it like that!"
Toshiro turned back "it's safely secure" he replied.
"But all you've done is hidden the Ouin behind a little bit of ice! That's not gonna protect it! What happens if the ice melts?"
"What happens if the ice melts?" Toshiro repeated, he lifted his eyebrows in disbelief "you honestly think I'm that stupid?"
"I don't know…are you?"
"I wouldn't leave the Ouin behind a simple piece of ice!" the Captain snapped very much irked by the stupidity of the substitute.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news" Ichigo replied pointing at the wall "but you just did"
"IT'S NOT ODRINARY ICE, YOU MORON!"
"It isn't?"
"The ice is the physical form of my spiritual pressure! The only way to break it is to kill me and- why are you laughing!"
"Haha! You really are too easy to wind up, you know" Ichigo clapped him on the shoulder ignoring the flinch of the Captain "you make me look all laid back"
"Oh shut up!" Toshiro snapped.
Around them the temperature dropped several degrees, a mist floated up in clouds around their feet and it took Ichigo a moment to realise that in the heat of the moment Toshiro had lost control. Now the young Captain stood there arms folded face intense as around him the air sparkled with icy particles that clung to Ichigo's skin. Instead of pacifying the substitute it only made him grin more.
Toshiro scowled darkly but decided it wasn't worth his patience to bother with the mocking, so he asked in indifferent tones though his body sharpened visibly "now you know about the Ouin, I presume I can trust you to keep your mouth shut"
Ichigo stopped laughing at him and nodded only once "do you even have to ask?"
Toshiro watched him for a moment longer before his white head turned away and he stood his back to Ichigo and his haori rippling in the wind that gently pushed through the training grounds. He paused longer, as if hesitating thinking as if he were about to say something; he even turned back to look at the substitute.
But turned away again and in the blink of an eye he was gone, the rush of air the only sign he'd ever been; Ichigo sighed heavily again and his shoulders sagged. Shaking his head he scratched the back of his neck in bewilderment.
Then he looked to the cliff wall; even from where he stood, so close to something so powerful, he couldn't feel it. The wind ruffled his bright hair and he tried to search for the small patch of ice that was invisible to the naked eye; still it bothered him to think that Toshiro was allowing Yamamoto to rule him so, it felt strange when he knew Toshiro was so independent, commanding and self reliant. But now Yamamoto had the threat of demotion over Hitsugaya's head and Toshiro was rolling over like a little puppy.
Did his Captaincy really mean that much to him?
Dragging a hand through his hair Ichigo yawned widely, the late of the night finally capturing up on him "I don't get that guy"
And there ya go! Off to make another chapter now, hopefully Human for those who have requested it.
Please leave a review.
Thanks for reading!
Kiki
Kizzes!