Here we go, another chapter! I actually know what I'm doing this time! Haha, that;s like, unheard of for this sequel.
I thought I should clarify something that I thought might need clarifying. In the end of the first installment, if you remember, Kyoka Suigetsu was destroyed by the explosion with the Hogyoku's power, meaning Aizen can't use any illusions anymore, only kido and kendo. I thought I made that quite clear but I just wanted to make sure you all knew that...
I'm getting rid of these OCs as fast as I can, I promise! They'll be gone soon enough, but they haven't played their most important part in the story yet, so we gotta wait a little. Though Shiro-chan gets some pain soon...and I know how we all love that...
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
Izuru's small voice gave Toshiro a deeper frown as the boy got to his feet, his expression deep. With a glance to Hisagi, he gave a silent nod, still too absorbed in his own thoughts to be fully lucid.
"Well then," Shuuhei continued carefully, examining the boy's countenance. "We should be getting back to the Seireitei."
Another silent nod. The small ex-captain's increasingly morose behavior became progressively strange to the two lieutenants, who stood mystified by the change that had overcome the petite soul reaper.
Without much of another word to offer to Toshiro, Hisagi turned to his friend, unsure, but knowing the boy probably only wanted to be alone.
"Take care of yourself, Hitsugaya." Finished Hisagi, giving the boy one last concerned glance before shunpoing away, Izuru trailing behind him.
Toshiro stared at the water as it flowing through the river in a somber state, neither forming any coherent thoughts nor lost in his own mind. He felt empty, as thought the excitement from the previous night had sucked away all of energy and left the boy feeling dry, thin, and utterly exhausted.
With a sigh, Toshiro turned away from the cool water and walked away into the forest, making his way back to his makeshift home he had managed to get so far away from. Within half an hour, he was back at the small camp, staring darkly at the neatly packed supplies he kept at the ready. Glancing around slowly, the boy settled himself against a tree, sitting on the ground as he removed a book from a small pile he had obtained from Ukitake.
Toshiro fingered the well-used binding, but couldn't bring himself to open it. At a time, not even too long ago, the child prodigy had unbreakable focus. If it was something that benefited him to pay attention to, Toshiro could remain focused for hours on end.
But as he brought his knees up to his chest, resting a cheek on one, his mind wandered away drowsily, the unopened book sliding down into the grass once more.
Master... Won't you at least eat something? You haven't in days.
Toshiro stole a glance at the bundle of buns Ichimaru had brought to him. They were cold now, but they were still warm when he had received them. Warm, and baked fully out of Rangiku's loving care and compassion.
At the thought of Rangiku, however, Toshiro's stomach churned as the image of her horror-stricken face flashed momentarily before his eyes, and the sickening sound of his own blade cutting through her flesh rang in his ears. Illusion or not, the memory remained as realistic as any murder the boy had committed in the past few months.
With a nearly inaudible groan, Toshiro turned his eyes away from the buns, trying to take his mind elsewhere.
Master? Hyourinmaru once more questioned his master's well being.
Not now, Hyourinmaru... came the boy's forced reply, though even in his own mind he nearly choked on each word. I can't... Not now.
The great ice dragon fell quiet, too kind to press the fatigued boy any further. Toshiro, turning to lay on his side, closed his heavy eyelids, sinking as softly as he could manage into a light slumber.
"You've made the right decision, Akite."
Akite threw Domoji a dirty glare, not in the mood to hear the man's words. As the remaining men gathered, Domoji gave the teenager a short glance, then turned to them, his jaw set with determination.
"Today won't be like last night." The man's voice rang out to the gathered villagers, all who turned their attention to him immediately, their thoughts clinging to his every word. "Hitsugaya is somewhere in this forest, and he's already tried to kill us once! What's to say he won't come again, and terrorize our families once more, who says he won't kill everyone we hold dear?"
A roar tore through the crowd of men, each raising their voices as if the very sound would save them from the nightmarish murderer.
"We can not allow this traitor to roam free as the Seireitei decrees. For the sake of everything we care for, we WILL hunt him down! And we WILL kill him!"
The resounding cheer that followed Domoji's words rose through the village, and echoed in the night sky, scattered birds with intensity of their passion.
"Shiro... Shiro-chan..."
The small boy's breath came shakily, uneven and broken as he struggled to manage each intake of air.
"Shiro... you said you wanted to protect me, Shiro-chan..."
Thick drops of blood splattered on the ground as thin wires cut deeply into the boy's wrists, drawing more and more blood as he was pulled forward, stressing the wires that bound him. A petite girl stood in front of him, holding the boy by the neck as she brought him closer to her, her peachy skin brushing against his tanner.
"But if you wanted to protect me... then why did you kill all those people... why did you kill Rangiku? You might as well have killed me."
The boy's lower lip trembled, and he softly whispered an apology, his head bowed and eyes shadowed by locks of silver hair.
Anger shook through the dark brown eyes of the boy's childhood friend. "You're pathetic, Hitsugaya Toshiro. A murder, traitor, and a monster. You've fallen too low to even be called human." As she raised a blunt, black object, her features began to change, and smile formed across her lips. "You must be punished, Hitsugaya, what you've done is unforgivable. You're nothing but a dirty coward."
The boy trembled as the person before him forced his head upwards to meet his eyes.
The dark brown eyes had changed to a lighter shade, and the entire face had been transformed.
"You must be punished."
Aizen Sousuke drove the weapon into the chest of the wide-eyed boy, and the room filled with a scream wretched and pain-stricken.
Toshiro bolted upright, scream still caught in his throat. His teal eyes wide, the boy shuddered, gripping his robe so tightly the cloth began to stretch, in danger of ripping. As he futilely attempted to pull himself together, the image of Aizen's cruel face flashed before his eyes, bringing back unwanted memories.
Nervously, Toshiro wiped beads of sweat from his forehead, his hands uncontrollably shaking. Even his breath came harshly, breaking into sudden gasps that led him into hyperventilation. In his panic, the boy clutched the area over his heart, grasping it until his nails dug into the skin leaving small scratches across the blackened surface.
His chest, the center scarred black by the device of Aizen, shuddered as Toshiro struggled to regain his breath, to bring himself stability. From deep inside of him, Hyourinmaru didn't speak a word, but silently ran his reiatsu through the boy's being, enveloping him in an attempt to comfort him.
It was several minutes before the boy managed to clamber to his feet, though his shaking knees almost buckled underneath his weight. Calming his breath, the boy steadied himself, until the shaking had mostly stopped.
Still trying to regain his lucidity, the boy stumbled forward, trying to head towards the small river that was so nearby. In his disoriented state, however, the boy soon found himself with no clue where he was, and tried helplessly to recognize his surroundings.
Toshiro took a long, deep breath. The boy had become familiar with such situations in the past month, he often awoke from nightmares and then wandered off to find some cool water to relax him, only to find himself lost and befuddled. But as the boy regained his calm countenance, he slowly took a look around him.
What met his eyes nearly caught the boy by surprise. His expression widened into a shock that was mirrored almost perfectly in the dark blue eyes of the young teenage soul reaper who stood across the clearing.
The wind rustled Akite's brown hair as he stared, disbelieving at the person before him, a person who had only appeared to him once before, on a day that felt like a horrible nightmare.
Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Hey I actually wrote a longer chapter then usual... although it is only 1300 some words... I'm sorry... but I needed to end it where I did for a good cliffhanger effect. Sorry sorry...
Akite finally meets Shiro-chan! hooray!
I have no idea where I'm gonna come up with all the nightmares shiro's gonna have, cuz throughout this story he seems to have A LOT of nightmares. Also, I should mention i've put a lot of work into his change of behavior and how his past is now effecting him emotionally and transforming his demeanor. It gets worse though, lol, but at least there's always ichigo to step in... Anyway, tell how I'm doing with it please!
I think I need to have Momo show up soon, even though she doesn't play as much of a role in this part of the story... Ichigo does most of the yelling at shiro-chan lol. Wellll... please review me, my friends (AND WATCH THE NEWEST EPISODE OF BLEACH THAT CAUGHT UP TO THAT PART IN THE MANGA AAGGHHH) I love you all!
