I do not own anything.

"Japanese"


Weathered and slightly paled skin along with the type of slight hunched back that came from pouring over books for several years. Professor Mcgonagall had the tell tale signs of being a woman who had spent a good deal of her life in a library somewhere, but she still had a impressive posture and voice, a look in her eyes that would do a Captain of the Court Guard Squads proud, and a spiritual energy fitting of a sixth seated Soul Reaper. Her set jaw line commanded obedience and her words spoke experience. Toshiro already liked her.

Ok, maybe liked isn't the right word, respected her would be better.

She wasn't the tallest figure, and her hair was going grey and tied up in a tight bun underneath her witch's pointed hat, something that Toshiro still couldn't believe people actually wore.

She was speaking about the sorting ceremony, and about the history of the houses. Information that the young Captain had already read up on, and therefore didn't interest him. His eyes and ears were peeled as he moved through the hallways of the school, taking in as much of his surroundings as he could and trying to figure the significance of what he was seeing.

Moving staircases, obnoxious things, why would anyone want to have their own home randomly changing shape on them? A total waste of good energy. It was as if the wizards were just trying to show off and thought nothing of practicality. Though considering most spells ranged from useless to something that could just as easily be done with two working hands, that wasn't all that surprising.

Unfortunately there was another example of completely unnecessary magic that was going to be making his mission a lot harder. Living pictures. They were several of them, seemingly at random on the walls. Unwanted eyes that could spot him as he moved around the castle. He would have to figure out a way of dealing with them, a way to disrupt their magic so that they could not recall his presence. Hopefully the number of them around the actual objective would be minimal.

Hermione was staring to quote random things she had read about the houses, mainly Gryffindor as they walked along. "What house are you hoping to be sorted into, Toshiro?" She asked him.

"I frankly don't care." Hitsugaya said simply. It was true, he didn't care. The houses were meant to promote a sense of pride, community and friendship among their housemates. Getting them to compete in order to try to become the best that they can. Things that the Captain couldn't care less about. He wasn't there to make friends. In fact, the more his housemates left him alone, the better. He was going to have to waste enough of his time with the classes. He was going the be half-assing all of the homework as it is, doing just enough to stay out of detention so that he could focus his efforts on studying the wards and traps around his objective.

"Well... I hope we are in the same house... that would be nice." Hermione said awkwardly. Toshiro blinked, he couldn't tell if she meant it or if she was just trying to be nice.

"Perhaps." The white haired boy said as the doors to the Great Hall opened and the new first-years filed in.

The room was large, longer than it was wide, with four long tables each underneath a banner that symbolized its respective house and fifth table at the front were the teachers and staff were sitting. The half giant sat at one end of the table, grinning widely as he saw the new students.

Ghosts, around twenty of them were flying about, talking among themselves. It was Toshiro's first time seeing wizard ghosts. They were... uninteresting. Their spiritual energy was so low that the Captain could hardly even sense them if he tried. They had even less than a living witch or wizard. And with such low spiritual energy, there was no way they could sense what he truly was. No threat from them at all.

Flouting candle sticks moved overhead, though the light in the room didn't seem to shift with their passing, so they were probably just for decoration, more useless magic. Though that was hardly even comparable to the actual ceiling.

"The ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside." Hermione said in a voice she probably thought was hushed but was still easily heard over the noise of the other students. "I read all about it in 'Hogwarts a History'."

Toshiro nodded as he looked around the room at all of the curious faces before his eyes spotted a dusty old hat sitting on a chair in the front of the room. The Sorting Hat.

The room quieted down as the hat started to move, and then it started to sing.

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,

But don't judge on what you see,

I'll eat myself if you can find

A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,

Your top hats sleek and tall,

For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat

And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head

The Sorting Hat can't see,

So try me on and I will tell you

Where you ought to be.

You might belong in Gryffindor,

Where dwell the brave at heart,

Their daring, nerve, and chivalry

Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,

Where they are just and loyal,

Those patient Hufflepuffs are true

And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,

if you've a ready mind,

Where those of wit and learning,

Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin

You'll make your real friends,

Those cunning folks use any means

To achieve their ends.

So put me on! Don't be afraid!

And don't get in a flap!

You're in safe hands

For I'm a Thinking Cap!

After the song was over, Professor Mcgonagall stepped forward and unrolled a particularly long list of names. "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stoll to be sorted." Mcgonagall said loudly, so that her voice carried throughout the entire hall.

After the first three names were called, Toshiro released they were going by alphabetical order of the last name, so Granger would most likely be going one before Hitsugaya. So he wouldn't have to pay attention until the girl had left his side.

Knowing this, he let his attention wonder over the table, measuring up the staff, making plans for how he would approach them. Their powers ranged from insignificant, to the level of a decent member of the Kido-Corp, though there were three in particular that caught the Captain's attention.

The first was a thin and pale looking man waring a turban. He seemed to be shivering slightly and his eyes darted around the room as if in a panic, though the thing that startled Toshiro was the man's soul, or souls. There were two of them, each one seeming to be damaged in some way as they were wrapped around each other.

The Captain had never seen anything like it before, and made a mental note to keep an eye on this man in the future. No reason to consider him a threat to the mission yet, though the combined soul did have a strong power to it, but it was still a curious thing to see.

The second person to caught the Captain's eyes was the smallest person at the table, someone who could make even Toshiro look tall by comparison. His hair was grey and sticking out to the sides and he had a very large forehead. Traits similar to that of a goblin's though the man lacked the sharp noise and teeth. A half-goblin perhaps? Though his frame was small, he had a powerful Soul, one that could almost equal a lieutenant.

The man seemed cheerful and was clapping happily with the rest of the school as the students were sorted, clapping a little louder when it was a Ravenclaw. Again, no reason to suspect him to be a threat to the mission.

Finally was a man sitting in the center of the table, the headmaster of the school, Dumbledore. Toshiro recognized him from the research he had done prior to entering the school. The man was powerful, very powerful, and making no effort to conceal it. His long beard didn't hide his smile as he looked down at the students with an expression that reminded the young Captain of Captain Kyoraku, a mask to hide the trained killer's true face. This was a dangerous man, best to stay under the radar with that one.

"Granger, Hermione!" Mcgonagall called out. The brown haired girl gave Toshiro a hopeful smile before walking up to the stoll and putting on the hat.

It took a little will longer than most, but the hat eventually shouted out its decision. "Gryffindor!" The girl put the hat down on the stoll before running off to join her table. She looked happy enough with the decision. Of course she was, it was the house she had admitted to wanting the most.

"Hit...Hitsogay...ai..., Toshieroo?" The Captain almost didn't want to go up after that complete butchering of his name, but he just sighed and slowly walked forward, putting the hat down on top of his white locks and closed his eyes.

'Oh my... a Soul Reaper. Never thought I would be sorting one of your kind.' The hat said into the boy's mind. 'You are here to steal the stone, I see. Very brave of you, to walk straight in here like this and simply allow me into your mine.'

'I imagine so, but your enchantment does not permit you from revealing my identity, regardless what you find out.' Toshiro thought back to the hat.

The hat seemed to laugh at that. 'Very clever and knowledgeable. Regardless of who or what you are, I will do my assigned task. So lets take a look and see where it is you belong.'

The hat was quiet as it filtered its way through Toshiro's memories. Seeing the world as he saw it. It was nearly a whole minute before it spoke again. 'Oh dear...' The hat said, sounding a bit miffed. 'I've never had this problem before.'

'And what problem would that be?' Toshiro asked, his mind the same uncaring as his usual tone.

'I often come across children who would do equally well in two or even three houses, but you young Captain... you simply do not belong anywhere.' The hat said. Toshiro winced, those words stung. 'You are clever and resourceful enough, but you do not belong in Slytherin. They would not want you because of your appearance and you would hate them for their underhanded ways.'

'You are intelligent, too intelligent. If placed in Ravenclaw, they would not treat you as one of their own. They would resent you and how effortlessly you would outdo them. Competition is in there nature, something that come with a thrust for knowledge. And regardless of your natural talent, you do not have their desire to learn, just the ability to adapt to whatever is placed in your path.'

'Your loyal, but only to a select few and to your cause. You are too cold and unfriendly for Hufflepuff. And your effect on the temperature would kill all the plants they keep in their dorm. Not a very good ice breaker, pardon the pun.'

'Courage... is perhaps not the right word for what you have. Resolve would be the better fit. You do not have the impulsive nature of a Gryffindor, and you would most likely find the members of that house to be obnoxious and short sighted. Not to mention hot headed.'

'These houses were set up to help children grow and learn to be the best that they can, concentrating on the traits that children show that help unit them. The simple fact is, regardless of appearance, you are not a child. You do not belong at Hogwarts.' The Sorting Hat said, sounding apologetic.

Hyourinmaru gave a low growl in the depths of Toshiro's soul. The words hit old wounds. The idea that he didn't belong anywhere was crushing. But... he could feel the weight of the squad's symbol on his back. He could see his office in his mind, clear as day. He knew where he really belonged, and that it would always be their for him to return to.

'I understand, but in the end, you must put me somewhere.' Toshiro said to the hat.

'Hm... I suppose I do. Well then, I wish you luck in' "RAVENCLAW!" The Hat shouted.

Toshiro took of the hat and started towards the named table, sitting far away from the children. He half noticed that the clapping wasn't as loud as before. Not that he cared. This was just one more step on his way to his goal. For his duty, he would put up with these snot nosed brats.


This was going to be my reasoning all along, and was the reason why I could have just dropped him anywhere, because he belongs no where. Not belonging is Toshiro's deep seeded fear, as shown in the Zanpakuto Spirit arc. So his time at Hogwarts is going to force him to confront old memories and feelings that he had been repressing ever since he became a Soul Reaper.

I choice Ravenclaw because that would make Professor Flitwick his head of house. Also because Ravenclaw has its own set of bullies who go after people like Luna, and therefore opens up the door for possibilities later than Gryffindor wouldn't.