Just to warn everyone, this is a slightly longer chapter then the previous. Not as long as the first but longer then the rest.
Chapter 10:
-Two years later-
'After that night, I hadn't been able to see Yoruichi at all, nor any of the others. I tried to make time...but it seems that every opportunity I got to see them, there was always something that kept us apart. But now its graduation day for all of them and I finally got the time to see them. Though as I look at them...it seems that they're a bit...different. Ever since Shinji and Rojuro have been promoted to their captains positions, I haven't been able to actually talk to anyone because of all the work I've had to do, I have probably not said more then six words to anyone for almost an entire year.'
"Congratulations Yoruichi Shihoin, you have officially graduated from the academy and and are now a Shinigami of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads!" the head teacher said happily shaking her right hand eagerly and hand her a small scroll in her other.
Yoruichi smiled at him and headed off the 'stage.' She was met by not only her graduation friends but the new Third Seat of the Sixth Division, she ran up and gave each of her friends a hug, and though Toshiro noticed that she had given Kisuke a longer hug then him this time, he just ignored it. "Congrats Yoruichi, so what division are you going to?" Toshiro asked.
She looked over at him and smiled; "I'm going to the Onmitsukido, I was told that I'll be starting off as the Seventh Seat, but will end up working mostly at the Second Division." she said happily glancing at Kisuke.
"I'm going into the Onmitsukido as well, as the Ninth Seat." Kisuke said with a smile.
"Unfortunately, I'm going to the Kido Corps. so I won't be seeing you guys very often." Tessai said sadly.
They all turned to him and sighed sadly; "Don't worry Tessai, your a talented shinigami, you'll be the captain of the Kido Corps. in no time, then you can come back to visit any time you feel like." Toshiro said encouraging.
Tessai smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Thanks Toshiro, and good luck to you for the promotion of Third Seat."
Toshiro tilted his head away and lightly smirked; "Actually, I already won the position." they each looked at him and smiled once again.
"Mainly because I-" he started but was cut off by Yoruichi.
"Well I've gotta go, see you guys later!" she called out as she grabbed Kisuke by the hand and dragged him off.
Just before Toshiro turned away he noticed that even after they started walking at an even pace, they were still holding each others hands. Kisuke did seem to glance at her then over his shoulder at him, before asking her some sort of question, but all she did was just yank his hand and continued walking. Toshiro felt a sudden pain in his chest as if he had trouble breathing, he quickly looked away from them but the image didn't go away.
He slowly made his way back to his division, still thinking about Yoruichi and Kisuke, 'When did they...why did she...but what about...I thought...' yet he could never finish any of his thoughts.
As he continued walking, the 'pain' in his chest increased the further he went, but then he noticed that the summer sun was no longer shining, he looked up and widened his eyes, "Oh shi-" but was cut off by a clap of thunder.
'Damn! I didn't even realize that my spirit energy was leaking out!' he thought as the clouds began to disperse and make way for the sun once again.
"Third Seat Hitsugaya?" a voice asked a few yards away, causing Toshiro to stop very abruptly.
He turned to the source of the voice, only to see Captain Kuchiki himself, 'Shit! he was probably watching me the whole time!' he thought as he formally bowed to him.
"Sorry Captain Kuchiki, I was not paying attention to my spirit energy, I was just deep in thought, I apologize. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again." Toshiro said hoping that he wouldn't say anything about it, or deem him unfit to be the Third Seat anymore.
Captain Kuchiki stared at him for a long while, but in the end simply nodded, turned around; "I know your troubled by something Hitsugaya, its completely normal, just be sure to control your emotions and not allow them to control you." he said and then walked away.
'Damn it, he did know...but he's right, I have really got to keep my self in check when I'm dealing with...those kinds of things .' Toshiro sighed deeply and walked to his office.
'The Sixth Division still hasn't appointed a Lieutenant yet, so in order to make my captain's job easier, I took it upon myself to do most if not all of the duties and responsibilities for being the Lieutenant and that includes doing the paperwork. I have never taken any of it lightly of course, I always make sure to complete every task on time and with the utmost efficiency, to make sure that no one would doubt that I am worthy of the position. But I still feel the same as when I first arrived here; no one person should have to fill out this much paperwork.' Toshiro thought as he walked into his barracks.
He sighed deeply and thought about Captain Kuchiki's words, 'Just be sure to control your emotions and not allow them to control you.'
"He's right. I won't let my emotions get in the way of what I want. I'm going to be a Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." he promised himself, forgetting all together whom he had already made the promise to.
-Another two years later-
'Once again, I hadn't seen Yoruichi or most of my other friends since their graduation, except for Isshin Kurosaki, who was promoted to the Lieutenant of the Third Division under my former Fourth Seat, Rojuro Otoribashi, about a month ago. I had received the Sixth Division Lieutenants spot almost a month after I had been promoted to the Third Seat, so it was still a year and a half between our promotions. Isshin had told me about how he was doing during a Lieutenants meeting which ended up being one of the longest conversations of my life, it was also there that I had met a man called Sosuke Aizen a new lieutenant that had just been promoted along side Isshin. And no matter how he portrayed himself, I couldn't help but feel a sense of caution around him. But aside from that...I was now receiving a captains position just a few weeks after I achieved Bankai, though only a select few knew about it, I could only imagine that none of my friends knew. Although I doubt that she would care much; we became quite...distant, from each other, but I never dwelled on it, in fact I rarely dwell on the past at all anymore. I couldn't help but to be at all of her promotions throughout the years, including her becoming the Lieutenant of the Second just a few days ago; but I can't imagine that she actually noticed that I was there, I disappeared after every ceremony so I wouldn't get in their way; any time I had thought about the past...it was usually about those two. I had formed a few suspicions about them, but I would refused to dwell on them for very long, and over time...I began to change, and not just my personality, but my outer appearance as well.'
"Welcome Captains and Lieutenants of the 13 Court Guard Squads, I have some great news, the position for the Tenth Division Captain's slot is finally being filled." the Captain-Commander said with his normal demanding voice.
Then he slightly opened his eyes and called out, "Please enter!"
Instantly, the doors opened and all eyes were on a young looking 'boy' that looked only about 12 to 13 years old, he wore a standard sleeveless haori with a dark green coating on the inside, he also had a green sash with a silver clip draped over one shoulder and across his chest to hold his zanpakuto in place. But the main things that caught everyone's attention was not just his white hair, and narrowed teal eyes, it was that his hands and feet were completely covered in a thin layer of ice, forming dragon-like claws over them, and on top of all that, he had a thick layer of ice encircling his neck almost like a neck guard. (Note: His look is similar to Hyorinmaru's human form; from the Zanpakuto arc.)
All but the Captain-Commander and Captain Kuchiki were shocked at his...odd appearance, but none more so then Yoruichi; she was completely wide eyed like never before. With every step he took, you could hear the ice hitting the floor like...well, ice hitting the floor, yet none of the ice ever broke off or left a wet spot on the floor. "Congratulations Toshiro Hitsugaya, you are the new Captain of the Tenth Division, unfortunately there is no Lieutenant assigned in your squad, but I trust you will be able to find someone worthy of the title?" the Head Captain said.
Toshiro nodded; "Yes Head Captain, I will be sure to find someone that will be best suited for the position." he said with ice in his voice, as if he was freezing the very air with his words, which sent a chill up everyones spine...even the Head Captain himself.
But the Captain-Commander just nodded, then Toshiro walked over to his spot and stood in exactly the spot he was supposed to be in, not a single centimeter out of place, and the way his face showed absolutely nothing, not happiness for his promotion nor joy when he glanced over at her for a brief second, he was actually started to scare Yoruichi. He seemed like a younger version of Ginrei, only he seemed even colder then the elder captain.
Yoruichi never paid any attention to the meeting and therefore didn't realize when it was over until everyone started leaving; "Heeey! Toshiroo!" she yelled as she ran to catch up with him.
Everyone turned to her as she ran past. "Hey, Toshiro?" she said as she walked up beside him.
He only slightly glanced at her, but then turned away; "Toshiro, I was calling you." she said in a slight whimper, but he still didn't respond nor did he stop walking and when she looked into his eyes an saw...nothing, just ice.
'What happened to you Toshiro? I can't leave you alone for one minute.' she said to herself as she walked up in front of him.
He came to a stop, and at first he seemed to look straight through her; "Toshiro?" she asked.
Toshiro finally focused his eyes on her, but tilted his head down and closed his eyes; "Can I help you with something Lieutenant Shihoin?" he asked not sparing any of the ice in his cold voice.
She once again went wide eyed, 'He called me by my title? What the...what happened to him? Where did that loveable guy I used to know go?' she thought as she tried to wrap her mind around why he would be giving her 'cold shoulder' even though she knew he always had a cold shoulder, she also knew that deep down he was a really nice guy and always had a soft spot for her.
"Wha-Why did you...Toshiro? Why are you like this? I thought we were friends?" she said with apparent sadness in her voice.
He brought his head back up, opened his icy cold eyes, stared at her for a moment and slightly raised a brow; "I would prefer it if you would call me Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant." he said far too cold for Yoruichi's liking.
She actually stepped away from him, as if she'd just been slapped; "T-Toshiro." she whispered his name in complete and utter shock and fear.
Toshiro continued to stare at her with a hardened glare, which was all but permanent on his face, but as he looked into her scared eyes, his expression seemed to suddenly soften. He then sighed deep; "I suppose our friendship has not diminished."
At that, she raised a brow in confusion, "Well, why did you call me by my title? Why were you talking to me like you hated me? And where did that ice come from?" she asked, once again with sadness in her voice.
Toshiro sighed once more, only this time in slight annoyance; "Well, I call everyone by their title. Hmph, I forgot you don't use formalities." he said as if he truly just remembered about that, but still not sparring any ice.
"If it seemed like I hate you then I apologize, this is just the way I have been talking to everyone. And the ice...*glances down at a frozen hand*...it started forming all on its own, the same day I was promoted to the Third Seat to be exact." he said literally chilling the air with his voice, her eyes went slightly wide as she began remembered that day.
'That was my graduation day! Why would it start forming then? I know I hadn't talked to him for a while...but Kukaku told me to...oh shit! Kukaku told me to try and make him jealous by hanging out with Kisuke a lot, then to get them both together to make it seem like I would choose one or the other. And I actually tried it! But I forgot about the whole thing mid-way through cause I got wrapped up into my work...wait! Does that mean...that...I made him like this? But...I...I didn't...oh no...I'm so sorry Toshiro. Hold on one second! If that's true, then Toshiro really did get jealous! Does that mean that he actually does li-...no, but he never...well I suppose that's cause he's a bit-' but she stopped her thoughts as she noticed Toshiro looking over at someone.
She followed his gaze and saw the fifth divisions Lieutenant Sosuke Aizen walking by; she looked from one to the other, 'What's wrong with Aizen Toshiro? Why are you giving him such a cold stare, he doesn't seem too bad. So what don't you like about him?' she wondered.
"Well, that means your not too different from before, right?" she asked with a slight smile, gaining his attention.
He looked over at her; "Actually I am quite different then I was before, even more so from two years ago...*her head and shoulders drop, and he sighs deeply*...just remember you have to fulfill your part of the agreement." he said closing eyes and crossing his arms.
She raised her head and a brow, and couldn't think of anything better to say then "Huh?"
As he uncrossed his arms, he opened his eyes and stared into hers, sighed once more and even allowed a rare smirk; "We were both supposed to become Captains, remember? I've held up my part." he said forming a slightly wider smirk on his face.
She went wide eyed all over again, only this time with joy. She smiled really wide, jumped up, and just how she used to...latched onto him with her arms and legs, only instead of her arms being around his neck they were mostly around the ice covering his neck; "Oh Toshiro! I knew you still had a soft spot for me!" she squealed.
He just sighed again; "Maybe...but don't go thinking that I'll treat you any differently then everyone else." he said sounding firm, but not as firm as he had spoken before, she had caught on to this and continued the hug while widening her smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't dreeeeeeaaaaam of it." she said snuggling herself as close to him as possible, as if he would disappear forever if she let go.
Toshiro sighed yet again and finally embraced her hug, and although she felt the ice on her skin it didn't actually seem cold like real ice would; it felt...warm, somehow. She was surprised at this realization and pulled her arms away, but left one hand around his neck and put the other on his shoulder, 'Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when ice can feel warm...you really are a wonder Toshiro.' she thought happily.
"You may say you changed but I think deep down, you will always be a softy...I'm glad you didn't change that part of yourself, when I first saw you, I thought...you had really become someone completely different." she said a bit sadly at the end.
His gaze seemed to soften even further and put a frozen hand on her shoulder, and even now it still felt warm somehow; "Well, just for your sake...I'll try not to change too much." he said allowing another smirk, and even though he was sincere, his voice still held some sort of natural chill to it.
Yoruichi put her hand over his, nodded then grabbed him for another hug; "You've got yourself a deal!" she said as a happy smile crossed her lips.
Toshiro closed his eyes and once again embraced her hug, 'I suppose, but you never really promised me anything in return, looks like I'll be doing most of the work...again.' he thought smiling inwardly.
'Once again Yoruichi...you seemed to have changed me within the first few minutes of our meeting, I don't know how you do it...its almost annoying.' he continued with another sigh, which he seemed to do more within the last few minutes then the last few years.
After a few more moments of talking, they once again had to say their goodbyes, and go back to their own divisions. Toshiro, now being a Captain had to make sure that he was forceful with his words, strict with everyone, and in the end had to pick someone out of 'the lot' to become his Lieutenant. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, nor was it going to be anytime soon, he had to be sure to pick someone with the necessary skills and abilities, they had to be a hard worker, and have a compatible personality with his; "Hmm, maybe my expectations are a bit too high." he said to himself as he walked past the Fourth Division.
He then shrugged a bit, "Well they at least have to fit two out of three, for me to even think about accepting them." he said, nodding to himself...not realizing just how much of a difference two out of three could really make.
Alright! Chapter Ten is done! Yay, Toshiro's back! For the most part anyway. But he is still the youngest Captain ever and even though he looks differently, his skills are even more heightened then what they are in the show. I hope you all enjoyed this and you'll press that incredible button just below the text and leave at least a little comment of what you think. Till next time!