Child of the White Winter
Kia Ixari & Aventria
Disclaimer(s): Standard disclaimer applies.
Warning(s): For this chapter, none so far.
2008.09.15: Gaaaaaaaaaah! The Twinnesses just finished watching Gekijouban Bleach 2 together! Toushirou was looove. And did anyone else notice just how loaded with innuendoes that movie was? I mean, come on! That scene where Toushirou was in Ichigo's bed? And Dattebayo just chose to translate certain things a certain way. Tsk, fangirls. Everywhere, I tellz ye. (Oh, and oh, and oh, Byakuya! That scene where he went "Yudan suru na," that was soooo Kunimitsu-buchou! Ooooh, love~!)
Notes on Revision: This chapter is only partially revised due to the editor Tria's current inability to proofread properly without practically stripping the story of essence and creativity. (Pardon her, she's taking an English class with a hellishly anal professor, from what I hear. She's hypersensitive to errors right now, and if I let her touch the story, she'd butcher it beyond recognition. I need a certain level of deviance from prim and proper writing to be able to give my own touches, no?)
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III
Guardian
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(1) mochi – Japanese/Chinese rice cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape, often eaten during the New Year festive season; daifuku is the sweet variation that has red bean paste filling.
(2) Ohayou. – Good morning. (Informal)
(3) Onee-chan – Big sister (Variations: aneue, aneki, onee-sama)
(4) Mae, Sode no Shirayuki – Lit: "Dance, Sleeve of the White Snow." Kuchiki Rukia's shikai release command.
(5) Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren – The second of Rukia's special attacks with Shirayuki, lit: "The Next Dance, White Ripple," sends a massive wave of ice towards the opponent.
(6) Chire, Senbonzakura – Kuchiki Byakuya's shikai release.
(7) Shun Shun Rikka – The little fairies Orihime command from the hairclip.
(8) Souten Kisshun – Orihime's healing/event-rejection technique.
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The child inched backwards, uncertain. He made a move to hide behind Orihime's legs. Persian green eyes showed mild confusion and a healthy dash of apprehension, as if a well-honed innate instinct was whispering silent warnings only his young ears would hear. The potent mixture of shock and disbelief was so palpable Urahara was quite certain one could take a knife and slice clean through the tension. None dared utter a word, each one waiting for someone else to break the trance.
"…H-Hit… Hitsugaya-taichou?"
Matsumoto's anguished voice effectively dissolved the tension, crumbling the fragile walls that kept the tumble of questions at bay. Hirako and Kyouraku both released simultaneous whistles of barely suppressed awe. Even the inscrutable Kuchiki Byakuya had a light dash of wonder, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
Before Matsumoto could go further, Urahara intercepted, "I have conducted the standard test procedures prior to this meeting and confirmed that he possesses the same soul as the late Hitsugaya-taichou. However, as is with any other case of reincarnation, he appears to retain no memory of his past life here in Soul Society or his life in the living world prior to that. All he remembers is his current cycle."
He gave Matsumoto a meaningful glance, warning the woman to keep her emotions at bay. However, it did not look like Matsumoto was even registering what he was saying—he suspected it was quite a shock for her to see her beloved captain once more, but in a different form and with naught a single shred of memory of the time they had spent together. "It will do no good to talk to him about his past life, so please refrain from doing so. We do not want to confuse him."
"So you say, Kisuke, but I think the child can comprehend every single word." Yoruichi languidly stretched on her little nest of warm blankets, all fluid feline grace. "Careful what you say—that child is most certainly not an ordinary child."
"How interesting." The smile on Kurotsuchi's face perfectly conveyed his longing to pry apart the new object of his interest and satisfy his curiosity and thirst for more knowledge. "How utterly captivating, indeed…" He earned a couple of warning glares, the fiercest ones from Matsumoto, Ukitake, and Ichigo.
"But—is this even possible? I have never seen an actual reincarnated soul—and in such startling similarity!" exclaimed a momentarily dumbfounded Soi Fong.
"Well, you're seeing it for the first time now, that's for sure." Yoruichi gave her a catty grin. "The child's no illusion."
Kyouraku sighed, and then grinned. "The prodigy will never stop dishing out surprises, will he? And here we thought the legacy was lost. But here he is, right in front of us!"
"Until when are we going to be calling him 'the child'?" A smiling Ukitake stepped forward and from his voluminous pocket pulled out a small container with mochi (1) inside. He knelt in front of Toushirou—the child clutched at Orihime's hand—and offered the sweets. "Would you like some?"
Eyes flicking towards the food, Toushirou's face reflected conflict.
"It's alright, I promise it's good," Ukitake coaxed. "Here, you can take all of it. You must be hungry, right?" Glancing up at Ichigo, he received a nod. The child had yet to eat anything—he was surely famished, more so if he had to maintain such a high-density reiatsu the entire time.
The boy gently took the small container, a small, uncertain smile on his face. He respectfully bowed and murmured a silent 'thank you'.
"Could you tell me your name?" Ukitake prodded, eager to hear more from the curious green-eyed child.
"Toushirou," he said, looking up at the rest of the room's occupants. Full comprehension was evident within his face—then and there Ukitake knew this was a very intelligent, very gifted child. Scarily so. "Takeshima Toushirou."
"Takeshima?" echoed Matsumoto.
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "That's what it had on the orphanage's records when Karin found him. She says it's his biological mother's name."
When all he received were blank stares, Ichigo gave a sigh and began to relay the entire story to a rapt audience. All the while, little Toushirou savored his mochi, glancing round and about. His eyes were full of curiosity and now devoid of apprehension, having verified he was in no immediate danger.
Urahara attentively watched the child, having already heard the story an hour past. He was glad to find that Toushirou was slowly adjusting to the atmosphere—he was a tad apprehensive himself prior to the meeting. He'd already had several scenarios unfolding in his head, and none of them had been particularly attractive. He was relieved that the child remained relatively calm and composed. He gave a wry smile. Without a doubt, little Toushirou was far smarter than the average four-year-old—so smart, in fact, that Urahara doubted he would measure below the mentality of a seven- or eight-year-old.
The hum of voices was a monotone in the background as Urahara observed his object of study. Toushirou was replacing the lid on the half-empty mochi box, all the while gazing out the window at the breathtaking blue-lit wonderland. The snow was pristine, the moon at its zenith, far and unreachable in its solitary beauty. Tonight was a starless night, but the stars were not needed, for the moon alone was enough to give the entire of Seireitei a beautiful nighttime glow.
"This is our first quiet winter night in four years, if you have yet to notice," Yoruichi pointed out from behind Urahara. She effectively silenced the rest of the captains, who were preoccupied throwing around theories, ideas, and suggestions regarding the issue at hand.
Toushirou, leaning over the low windowsill, turned to them. "Onee-chan (3), what is that?" he asked Orihime, finger pointing into the distance. If one would squint, the Shrine of Penitence was visible, a darker silhouette against a dark winter night sky.
"Oh, that's the Shrine of Penitence, Toushirou-kun," Orihime said with a smile. By now she was used to the child's endless curiosity. For the last hour, he had bombarded her with similar questions of 'what' and 'why' and 'who' and 'how'—the questions were so simply phrased and yet sometimes so deeply philosophical in nature, she was pushed her to her wit's end!
"Shrine?" Toushirou dubiously turned to her.
"Yes, the big white tower." Orihime turned to Ichigo. "Maybe we can bring you later so you can see it up close."
"Sure," Ichigo shrugged. "I don't mi—"
"No, no, not the big tower!" Toushirou said, all eagerness and animation. By now, the child had the entire room's attention. "The thing beside the big white tower. See? It's sparkling. Like ice!"
"I can't see a thing in this dark, Toushirou. There's nothing sparkling over there." Ichigo scratched his head again. "I don't even think there's anything beside the Shrine. Is there?"
"But it's right there!"
He earned blank stares.
"Perhaps, even from this distance, he can see the Pillar of Eternal Ice." Byakuya, having remained silent for the span of the entire conversation, commanded all attention the moment he spoke. The Kuchiki clan head was obviously very much taken with the young child that was currently on the verge of tottering off the windowsill and through the window. "Perhaps the Pillar calls out to him."
Despite not completely comprehending the meaning behind Byakuya's words, Toushirou turned towards them. "Will I be able to see the Pillar? I want to see it."
Speaking directly to the child for the first time that night, Matsumoto padded over and placed a gentle hand upon Toushirou's head, ruffling the snow white hair. "Would you like to go tomorrow? It will be cold."
Toushirou nodded. "I like cold. Snow is pretty." Green eyes turned back towards the landscape, straining to see into the deep, far darkness, to catch a glimpse of the Pillar's light. It was as if the child was actually physically straining towards the Pillar's general direction, as if some force akin to gravity was pulling him forward.
Gently tangling her fingers into the child's downy hair, a smile gently tugged at the edges of her lips. She did not even notice her own tears until they trickled past her cheek and fell upon her hand. Faintly alarmed, Toushirou turned to her and reached up, placing cold hands upon her tearstained cheeks. However, he uttered not a single word, simply looking up at Matsumoto as the woman let the tears flow. It was as if he felt that there were no words that could possibly describe the happiness that was overflowing from within Matsumoto at that very moment.
Silently laughing despite herself, Matsumoto gathered Toushirou into a gentle embrace, burying her face into the child's hair. Tiny arms reached up wordlessly, failing to wrap around the woman but determinedly grasping at the white captain's haori.
It would have been a picture perfect scene, had Hirako not belted a deliberately huge and noisy yawn.
"Well, happy reunions are happy, but I'm missing out on my precious beauty sleep here. My skin will suffer," he drawled. "So if we could please hurry up and decide what to do with the kid? Oh, and just to set the record straight—I'm not gonna be the babysitter."
"Then I shall take the child." Kurotsuchi stepped forward with a smile that spelled pure evil. "I swear on the very essence of science and on the honor of the Twelfth Division that I shall take very good care of hi—"
"Absolutely not!" Ukitake barked.
Yoruichi cackled in her corner. "Do you plan on slicing and dicing him until you find whatever it is you are looking for, Kurotsuchi?"
"If that's how it is, then I shall take the child. At least all of you can rest easy—I have far more finesse than certain people when it comes to the matter of research," Urahara coughed into his hand discreetly.
"Kisuke!" Ukitake exclaimed, aghast. He turned determinedly towards the Soutaichou. "I shall take the child."
"Ehh, look, won't it be better if he stayed with people he's more comfortable with?" Ichigo stepped in. "I won't mind having him over for a few more days—"
"He will not be safe in the living world, Kurosaki." Byakuya turned a glare upon the Fifth's fukutaichou. "Surely even you can comprehend that much."
"Now, now, children," Kyouraku chuckled nervously as aggressive glares began to circulate the room. "Let's all be nice—there's plenty to share."
"I will take him," Matsumoto volunteered, holding the child close. "I will take full responsibility. I ask of you to let me look after Toushirou, Soutaichou."
A ripple of silence echoed through the room, and then Soutaichou gave a nod. "Then so be it. Temporary custody of Toushirou-kun shall be given to Matsumoto-taichou until further notice. His presence is the first of its kind in the history of Seireitei; there is much to be considered. We cannot make rushed decisions anymore—we have seen how much damage that has cost us in the past."
There was another pause of silence, within which silent suppressed sighs of disappointment (and relief from Kyouraku) were heard.
"That will be all for tonight. Dismissed."
The simple dismissal effectively dissolved the tension inside the room, and once more, murmurs rose from its occupants, fully awake and still not quite believing what they were seeing. The Soutaichou was just about past the doors when Toushirou spoke once more.
"Onee-san, we can go to the Pillar tomorrow, right?" he asked, wide and innocent Persian green eyes peering up imploringly at the woman.
Matsumoto looked up to the Soutaichou, who gave a small nod. She smiled down at Toushirou. "Soutaichou says yes, we can go. But it'll be really cold tomorrow!"
"I don't mind!" Toushirou grinned up at her. "Will I be staying with onee-san tonight?"
"You can call me Ran-chan! Short for Rangiku—that's my name. I'll be taking care of you from now on. Don't worry; we'll have lots of fun!" Matsumoto took off her scarf and wrapped it around Toushirou instead. "Do you like books?"
"Yes!" Eagerly bouncing on his heels, Toushirou asked, "Do you have many books, Ran-san?"
Matsumoto pouted, "Ran-chan."
"…Ran-…san."
"I won't give you books if you don't call me Ran-chan."
"…but Ran-san is older than me!" Toushirou reasoned. "I can't call Ran-san 'Ran-chan'."
Laughing, Ichigo patted the pouting Matsumoto's shoulder. "He's got you beat, Rangiku-san. He's one smart kid."
Ukitake stepped forward and knelt to face the child. "I have many books I could lend you."
Emerald eyes widened. "Really?"
"Of course," nodded Ukitake. "I'll bring you some tomorrow, Shiro-chan."
"Thank you!" Toushirou's smile was so blindingly happy that the entire room could not help but grin along with him. However, after a second of pause, the face-splitting grin on the ecstatic child's face suddenly froze, and very very slowly, morphed into a scowl.
"Shiro-chan? What's wrong?"
"…don't call me 'Shiro-chan'!"
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Intently trained upon the fluttering butterfly, Toushirou's keen eyes observed the swoop and lift of dark hues of blue, painting an elegant gradient of midnight on the tiny wings. Making care not to move the finger upon which the butterfly was resting, the boy slowly stood and headed towards the corner table, where a small vase was kept. In the vase was a single pristine white daffodil, the flower symbolizing the very essence of the Tenth Division.
Of course, little Toushirou spared not a single thought on this.
Lifting his finger very carefully, he deposited the butterfly upon the white daffodil, watching its midnight wings flutter delicately once more. The blue-black velvet wings were startling against the daffodil's pure white, but Toushirou decided he liked the contrast of color.
He settled back, rocking on his heels as he continued observing the little innocent butterfly perched upon the flower. The past few days were a jumble of confused images in his memory. Not to say, of course, that he failed to understand what was happening. (He was not dumb, thank you very much.) It was just that things were speeding past far too fast he failed to keep up. He was just a little child, after all.
Despite his youth, he had a grasp of the concept of life and death. He understood that this world was a different world, and that he was no longer in the "living" world. But in essence, he was still alive—only in a different world and in a different way.
He also understood that the people around him were well-meaning people. Orihime-nee-chan was nice, and so was Ran-san. Ichigo-nii-san was silly, but he was also very strong and could protect him. Urahara-ji-san was weird and a bit scary, but he was funny, especially when he was talking with Yoruichi-san.
But what he did not understand was why people were all making a big fuss of him. Remembering the previous night's meeting, he grimaced. He did not like the scary person with the funny voice and funny face (when he relayed his thoughts to Ran-san earlier, he learned that the scary person's name was Kurotsuchi-san). He also did not like how they all argued about who would take him. He was so glad when Ran-san was chosen!
"Shiro-chan? Are you ready? Hurry up, or we're gonna be late! Ichigo and the others are waiting!"
"Haai," he quietly called out, before bidding his butterfly goodbye. Snatching the empty mochi box from the floor, he headed for the door. It would not do to forget to return Ukitake-ji-san's box, not after he was given the delicious mochi to snack on. He had to make sure to say thank you.
And to hope that he would get more sweets.
But of course, he would not say that, because it would be impolite.
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Seireitei was met with beautiful blue skies and crisp winter air the following morning, a testimony to the heavenly guardian finally returned to their midst. News had traveled fast, and by midmorning most of the Twelve Divisions knew of the developments. The Tenth Division was particularly jubilant, some squads even going so far as throwing parties. Ichigo had to snatch Toushirou and flash away from the crowd to prevent the child from being suffocated by overly eager former subordinates. Of course, the ruckus settled when Matsumoto delivered a sharp scolding and reminded the squads that the child had no memories of his previous life.
He had heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he was off the hook.
Now holding Toushirou's hand as they approached the looming Pillar of Eternal Ice, however, Ichigo realized the worst had yet to come. He eyed the entourage flanking them as they progressed forward through snow and frost, brow twitching in annoyance. To his left, a number of indubitable idiots (namely Renji, Yumichika, Ikkaku, and crew) milled around gawking at the little child. To his right, Rukia, Matsumoto, Orihime, Ishida, and Chad were in some sort of conversation. Behind them were several captains, Ukitake, Urahara, and Kurotsuchi foremost (the rest were all either willing—such as Kyouraku and Yoruichi—or unwilling—such as Byakuya and Shuuhei—tag-alongs).
Little Toushirou, however, seemed not the least bit bothered by the number of gawking onlookers and observers. In fact, he seemed simply absorbed with the winter white, raking his warmly clad feet against the cold, wet, melting snow.
As they steadily grew nearer to the Pillar, the temperature steadily began to decrease. A fine mist of water vapor surrounded the base of the Pillar due to the sublimation of ice, but even then it was a few paces away from the Pillar itself. So cold was the ice used for the structure that one would only be able to step past the ring of vapor and approach the Pillar if one was unaffected by the cold, if one had a natural way of warding away the cold, or if one used a very potent kidoujutsu to counteract the bone-frost.
They stopped a few yards away from the vapor, the temperature already having dropped too far for them to move any further.
"This is as far as we can go, Shiro-chan," Matsumoto explained.
Toushirou's head snapped up. "Heh? But why?! We're so close!"
Teeth slightly chattering, Matsumoto knelt down. "Shiro-chan, don't you feel cold? Onee-chan is really cold."
Frowning, Toushirou shook his head in negation. Matsumoto glanced up at her fellow captains, particularly at Urahara, who nodded. They had already discussed the very likely possibility of the child possessing very similar (if not completely similar) abilities as the late Hitsugaya-taichou had. It seems they were right on the spot.
Detaching his hand from Ichigo's, Toushirou stumbled forward past the mist, leaving the rest of them behind. Matsumoto called out in alarm, surprised, but Urahara had a pacifying hand on her shoulder before she could move to retrieve the boy.
"Let him," Urahara coaxed. "We can still watch from here. If something happens, it's not that much of a distance. We can cover him."
"But—"
"Come now, Matsumoto-taichou. Are you not in the least bit curious how Hyourinmaru will react to the reincarnated soul of its previous wielder?" Kurotsuchi added. "This is brilliant opportunity to observe just how much the boy resembles Hitsugaya-taichou."
"I am curious as well."
Matsumoto frowned. "Ukitake-taichou!"
"Ah, let's have some faith in the child, shall we?" Kyouraku sighed. "He's obviously very capable of taking care of himself to a certain degree, and he certainly knows what he's doing." He nodded towards the Pillar. "Look."
All eyes turned to the boy, who was stumbling over himself in his eagerness to get closer. A few more steps and he stood right in front of the Pillar. He reached out.
Finally.
The moment Toushirou's palm flattened against the ice's burning cold surface, a riptide of pure, unadulterated power tore through the atmosphere, sending aftershocks rumbling through Seireitei.
Toushirou stumbled backwards, staring wide-eyed up at the great emerald-eyed ice dragon curled around the Pillar. For a moment, everything remained shock still. And then, slowly, as if waking from a long slumber, the dragon's eyes glinted, blinked. The tail very slowly unfurled from the base of the Pillar. Icy scales of white and blue and green glistened under the brilliant midmorning winter sun as the dragon unfurled its wings, unsheathed its claws, and reared its head into a deafening roar.
Ears ringing, Toushirou blinked furiously.
The dragon snorted a puff of icy mist, slithering around the Pillar and settling its eyes upon the boy. It reared its head as if to ready for a blow, and unhinged its jaws—
"Mae, Sode no Shirayuki!" (4)
A barrage of pure white ice forced the great dragon away from the startled child, and in a flash, Rukia was tugging the boy back.
"Onee-chan—"
"Don't worry, Toushirou, it'll be fine—"
The enraged dragon reared and charged, forcing Rukia to throw up another ring of ice to shield them—however, it was not enough. Hyourinmaru's brute force cracked Shirayuki's shield and shot straight through the more fragile, thinner ice, wounding Rukia's shoulder.
"Onee-chan!" "Rukia!"
Ignoring the wound, Rukia brandished her sword determinedly, despite knowing her attempts were futile. "Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" (5)A tidal wave of ice erupted from the tip of her sword, ripping through the winter air and blasting the dragon backwards. Beside her, Toushirou yelped in alarm. She knew she had to deliver another blow, at least enough to hold the dragon back until they got past the ring of mist—she was the only one who could bear the paralyzing cold and step inside, since she too was an ice-type wielder.
She lifted her sword, pouring her determination into one last blow, knowing full well that it would still be insufficient to defeat Hyourinmaru. However, before she could even speak the first of her attack, the dragon's tail whipped from where it was hidden in the mist—she ducked, tugging the child close to her, acting as a shield.
Do not interfere!
Again, the tail whipped, and she rolled out of the way. Rukia looked up, eyes widening as spikes of ice rained upon them—there was nowhere to run—
"Chire, Senbonzakura." (6)
A swarm of thousand petals cocooned Rukia and Toushirou, forming a secure shield against the spikes of ice, which, upon contact, shattered into a million shimmering pieces.
Seemingly unfazed by the cold, Byakuya strode forward, blade in hand. There was a furious glint in his eyes as he eyed Rukia's wound, and then a somewhat impressed yet confused appraisal when he gazed upon little Toushirou clutching and gently tugging on Rukia's sleeve.
"Onii-sama," Rukia breathed in relief. "Thank you."
Byakuya simply nodded. "Did the heavenly dragon say anything of importance? Any explanation, perhaps, of why it is attacking the child?"
"No, onii-sama, it simply told me not to interfere," Rukia explained. "Interfere in what, I do not know." Unable to ignore the insistent tugging on her sleeve anymore, Rukia turned to face Toushirou. "It'll be fine, Toushirou."
"No, onee-chan—"
A loud crash was the only warning they had before Byakuya's shield was slightly dented by a huge barrage of ice. Eyes narrowing, Byakuya frowned. A section of the shield parted upon his command and commenced attack on the great dragon, who grew even more enraged.
Throwing its head back in a gigantic roar that shook the very plateau they were standing on, Hyourinmaru reared and gathered energy into a ball, intent to hurl it at the three of them—
Ripping free of Rukia, Toushirou ran forward and spread his arms before the dragon just as Hyourinmaru was to release the ball of energy.
His next words froze the entire cliff.
"HYOURINMARU, STOP!"
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Never had Urahara ever felt this intensity of wanting. Wanting to be closer, to be nearer, to get as close as a spectator could get. The words that rang from little Toushirou's mouth startled the entire clearing—not once did they ever tell him of Hyourinmaru's name—
And yet the child knew.
The Pillar is sentient! No—more importantly, Toushirou has an established connection with Hyourinmaru!
Beside him, Kurotsuchi was similarly struck speechless. Matsumoto had tears streaming down her cheeks, a hand covering her mouth in shock. Urahara wagered the repressed and supposedly forgotten memories were by now resurfacing to her consciousness.
"…i-is h-he alright?" Shivering Orihime was the first to break the silence. It was interesting how the girl had grown out of her shy shell and instead developed a new shell—a strong, almost impenetrable one that let her shrug off and smile at almost anything life could throw at her. In Urahara's very honest opinion, it was most probably evolution—it was her coping mechanism after having been through so many trials early in her life. It was not a surprise that this much just barely touched her.
"Y-yeah, he's… he's fine," Rukia's voice replied, cracked with surprise. Beside her, Byakuya sheathed his sword, and all eyes were once more upon the child.
Urahara watched very carefully, making sure to remember as much as he could—these things, he knew, were once in a lifetime, living world or not.
The dragon unfurled itself, its claws sinking into the Pillar's ice, crushing it. The sword inside, trapped in shikai release, was grabbed by a deft tail, and was transformed into the normal, sealed form. The dragon shrank, and shrank some more, until it was roughly as long as the sword. It touched its snout against the side of little Toushirou's head, as if to whisper something reserved only for the child's ears.
And then, with a flash of bright light, the dragon furled itself back around the sword and formed a solid sheath with the imprint of its own likeness on either side. The now sheathed and sealed sword hovered above Toushirou's outstretched hands for a few more seconds. Then the glowing stopped, the power halted, and the sword fell.
"Oof!"
The boy heaved the sword, too long and too heavy for his small body. Around him, chunks of ice, no longer supernaturally cold, lay scattered, bare remnants of what was once an elegant and forbidding heavenly Pillar.
There was a few more seconds of silence, interrupted only by Toushirou's grunts as he wrestled with the sword's weight. And then, as if snapping out of a trance, Matsumoto rushed forth, taking Toushirou by the shoulders. "Shiro-chan? Are you alright? Does anywhere hurt? Did the dragon hurt you?"
Toushirou looked up at the rest of them with wide eyes completely devoid of any trace of fear. "Why would Hyourinmaru hurt me? He's a very nice dragon." As if to emphasize his point, the child petted the sword lovingly. A shimmer of power ran down the length of the sword, as if the sword was purring its agreement.
"But it hurt Rukia-nee-chan," Orihime reminded Toushirou as she wedged herself in between a very worried Ichigo and an even more worried Renji (Byakuya did not make things easier by flanking his little sister). She called upon her Shun Shun Rikka (7) and activated Souten Kisshun (8) to begin healing Rukia's wound.
"Hyourinmaru was trying to talk to me, and Rukia-nee-chan suddenly attacked," Toushirou pointed out, as if the entire thing was common sense. To the child and to his dragon, it probably was. "Of course Hyourinmaru would get mad. I mean, its bad manners to interrupt people, right? Hyourinmaru said it was very important talk. And then when he tried getting to me, Rukia-nee-chan attacked again, so he had no choice to return attack. And then Kuchiki-taichou attacked too, so Hyourinmaru got even madder, since he didn't understand why people were trying to keep him away when he just wanted to talk."
The group stared at Toushirou, the explanation still not fully digested. The child (who was now sprawled over the snow due to the sword's weight and length) simply resumed the petting.
"So it's your fault," Renji blandly remarked, raising an eyebrow at Rukia.
Flushing, Rukia indignantly and very heatedly spluttered, "H-How was I supposed to know?!"
"Yeah, how was she supposed to know? I mean, if you were being snarled at by the dragon, wouldn't you draw Zabimaru?" Ichigo added.
"I wouldn't—… well, I would…" Renji scratched the back of his head.
Ichigo snorted. "Idiot."
"What the—oi! Watch who you're calling an idiot, idiot!"
Sensing an opportunity as the squabble escalated, Urahara strode forward and knelt beside the child. "Toushirou-kun, how did you learn Hyourinmaru's name?"
The question, so low it was almost a whisper, silenced the entire clearing once more.
Persian green eyes gazed up at Urahara, brimming with happiness and contentment, as if finally sated now that he was reunited with his dragon. "He's been talking to me since last night! He was the one who told me to come here and see the Pillar; he said he'd give me something!"
Urahara leaned back, simply staring at the child for a full moment. Then he turned to Kurotsuchi, who did not even need to hear his question in order to answer it.
"The earliest a zanpakutou bond can manifest is after at least ten years of stay within Soul Society, according to our research. Normally, the time gap allows for adjustment to the spirit particle density difference, as well as for the preliminary growth and development of reiryoku," Kurotsuchi stated.
Turning back to stare at Toushirou, Urahara contemplated for another second.
And then he gave a nod.
"Kuchiki-taichou," he began.
He settled a gentle hand upon Toushirou's head, raising his eyes to meet Byakuya's.
"I would like you to consider adopting Toushirou-kun into the Kuchiki clan."
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Tsuzuku
(Unrevised Version)
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Kia Ixari / Aventria
First Draft: 2008.09.18
Uploaded: 2008.10.28
Last Revised: 2008.10.03
