Author's note: It took longer than I expected, but the next chapter is finally here. I hope it is up to your standards. I've uploaded the illustration for the last chapter. You can find it on my DA profile (link is on my author's profile, for those who have been skipping my Author's Notes up to now). I made an illustration for this chapter too, but as I am currently without access to a scanner, I cant post it yet. I should be able to post it on Thursday or Friday. As a bonus, there might be two pictures this time.
As for when the next chapter would be up, well, I make no promisses. I have about a half of it finished, but it proves to be the hardest chapter to write, with the unwritten half being the really tough one. I hope that once I get over it, the future upates will be more frequent.
That being said, read and enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
On the Frozen Plain - Falling
.*****************************************************************************************.
By some accident, he transferred to the Eighth on the same day the Academy graduates arrived. He ended up waiting for his new assignment together with them. As he watched them, he realized he recognized several of them vaguely. He had attended classes with them when he had first entered the Academy. Most of them he didn't remember by names, but he recognized Yumiko. And the girl recognized him. She crossed the room and greeted him.
"Hitsugaya-kun!" she smiled. "What a surprise. But what are you doing here? I thought you graduated early."
"I did," he answered. Several people looked at the boy dubiously. "I just transferred here. I was told to wait here for my instructions."
"Oh. So how is the life in the Gotei 13?" Yumiko asked. She sounded eager for the great adventure ahead. Hitsugaya wondered whether he had ever been like her. The answer was yes, but it felt so long ago, despite it being only a few years. So many things had happened since them, stripping him off the optimism he hadn't known he possessed. He wondered how long it would take before it would happen to Yumiko too.
"That depends of what division you are in," Hitsugaya replied, thinking back on his experiences. He didn't want to go into details. The girl would find out the hard way soon enough.
"And how's the Eighth?" she inquired.
"I haven't found out yet," he answered sincerely.
"Oh," she made an apologetic face, "well, I hope it will be good."
"So do I," he sighed wearily.
Before they could say anything else, the door to the room opened and in walked Captain Kyouraku, looking slightly inebriated, Lieutenant Ise trailing behind him, looking strict.
"Hello everybody!" the pink-clad man greeted cheerfully. Nanao scowled disapprovingly. "Well, now you're all members of the Eighth Division, so be proud of yourselves, work hard and have a drink." Nanao slammed Kyouraku on the head. Shunsui turned to her with wounded puppy eyes.
"What was that for, Nanao-chan?"
"Be serious for once," she chastised him. "This isn't what you are supposed to say to the new recruits."
Hitsugaya blinked in surprise. He wasn't the only one. He had seen many strange things during his time in the Gotei 13, but never before had he seen a lieutenant scolding her taichou. Granted, Kyouraku deserved it, but it was still weird. Hitsugaya decided that if he ever made captain, he'd find a Second Seat who would be well-behaved and obey him unquestioningly.
At that time, Kyouraku's eyes fell on Hitsugaya. He blinked as if to doublecheck what he was seeing. "They're making them smaller and smaller," the pink-clad man commented. Hitsugaya bristled. Why did everybody have to comment on his size? He was fed up with it. "I didn't hear there was somebody so young among this bunch of recruits."
"There wasn't," Ise-fukutaichou supplied. "Hitsugaya-san transferred here from the Second."
"Oh," Kyouraku lifted his head. "So this is the 'experienced officer' we're getting?"
"Yes," Hitsugaya and Nanao answered in unison.
"Wow, are you related?" Shunsui commented.
"Don't mind my captain," Nanao said. "He can be a bit odd at times."
"I realized that the moment he first denied my application saying that I'm neither a pretty girl nor can hold a drinking contest with him," the boy answered.
"You did what?" Ise-fukutaichou asked scandalized. "Did you fill the paperwork drunk?"
"I did?" Kyouraku scratched his head. "I don't remember."
"It was five years ago," Hitsugaya shrugged.
"I wasn't his lieutenant back then," Nanao mused aloud. "Isogai-fukutaichou wasn't minding you enough. I wouldn't let you write such drivel. And don't think you'd get out of doing your paperwork if you try this."
"Well," Shunsui agreed reluctantly before turning to Toushirou. "But we still have to hold the drinking contest."
"No!" Hitsugaya and Ise shouted in unison. Kyouraku raised an eyebrow at the reaction.
"Captain," Nanao spoke, "you don't want to see him drunk. Never."
"No?" The captain looked more curious than discouraged.
"No," the lieutenant confirmed. "And now, you still have to deliver a speech to the recruits. And make it a serious one. These poor little dears are already confused." That was an understatement. The recruits looked like everybody just sprouted a second head.
"Ah? Yes," Kyouraku nodded. "But I'm no good at being serious." Nanao sighed.
"Don't I know."
.*****************************************************************************************.
After spending time in so many different divisions, Hitsugaya had an idea what to expect upon joining a new one. The Eight Division reminded him a lot of the Third, mainly because they both were fairly 'normal' divisions, as far as any part of Gotei 13 could be called normal. But the atmosphere in the Eight seemed brighter somehow, probably because they didn't live with the insecurity of being long-term without a captain. Captain Kyouraku was the embodiment of security. Ever since the founding of the Gotei 13, his subordinates could always depend on him being there, usually drunk and chasing after girls. Hitsugaya was surprised that it didn't cause the discipline to deteriorate, but he concluded that it must be thanks to Ise-fukutaichou. She was the exact opposite of her captain, always stern and strict and hard-working and the person thanks to whom things got done in the Eighth. If Kyouraku-taichou was left to his own devices, he would probably just slack off and hope that things would sort themselves out. Eventually.
He was a bit concerned when he realized that one of his superiors would be Yoshitsuna's older brother. Tatsufusa resembled his younger sibling a lot, both in appearance and arrogance, but fortunately he wasn't really a bully. And he didn't really get on with Yoshitsuna, so he wasn't interested in causing trouble for Hitsugaya. It made the boy immensely relieved.
Not too long after his joining the Eighth, the time for Officers' trials came. Hitsugaya didn't take them. He didn't see the point. He knew he was better than a Tenth Seat, but he felt no desire for it to be officially recognized. Higher rank meant more responsibilities and less time for his materialization training. And though higher rank would earn him more respect, he couldn't bring himself to care. Few things seemed important or interesting enough after the death of Ikeda-sensei. He knew that he was probably depressed, but he couldn't bring himself to care either. He just went through his daily routines and hoped it would get better with time.
.*****************************************************************************************.
"Shiro-chan? What are you doing here?" That question brought a sudden sense of déjà-vu. Hitsugaya slowly turned around.
"Momo! What are you doing here?" he asked without any real interest. He had a suspicion what the answer was going to be.
"I came to deliver some paperwork here," she said. Oh, so she wasn't visiting a friend from the SWA today? "I also wanted to talk to Ise-fukutaichou about something for the SWA." Ah. So he was right. "What about you?"
"I transferred here," he answered.
"And you forgot to tell me again?" Hinamori sounded angry.
"Yes," he answered sincerely, not even bothering to come up with an excuse. It would have been pointless anyway.
"Well, while I'm glad you're finally out of the Second, what's wrong with you that you can't stay in the same division for more than two years?" the girl continued her tirade.
"Nothing's wrong," he answered defensively. Everything was wrong, but he didn't want to bother Momo with his problems. With her sunny disposition, she would never understand. But Hinamori knew him too well to be fooled.
"Seriously, Shiro-chan, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he shrugged. "I already told you."
"Something is definitely wrong," she stated with conviction. "You didn't even correct me when I called you Shiro-chan."
"I told you not to call me that!" Hitsugaya snapped.
"Now you remembered to get angry," Hinamori commented. "Before you didn't even twitch. That means something is very wrong."
"Nothing is wrong," Toushirou repeated stubbornly. "And didn't you have some paperwork to drop off?"
"Don't try to get rid of me," she scolded. "It isn't that easy. You are going to tell me what's wrong with you."
"It's nothing," Hitsugaya tried to convince her to let the matter drop for one last time. He didn't have to bother.
"Why do you have to be so difficult?" Hinamori sighed. "Tell you what: I'm going to drop off this paperwork and then we're going to have a long talk in private."
"I told you..." Hitsugaya began, but Hinamori ignored his protests.
"I know a perfect place where we can go. They make the best amanattou."
"Really?" Toushirou asked half-heartedly.
"Now I see how seriously wrong things are with you," Momo stated. "We are having a talk and you aren't getting out of it. Wait here, I'll be back soon." And she rushed off to hand in her pile of paperwork.
.*****************************************************************************************.
Half an hour later, they were sitting in a park, a bag of amanattou between them. Hitsugaya took one from the bag and chewed on it absentmindedly.
"So will you tell me what's wrong now?" Hinamori prodded. "I haven't seen you looking so down since... well, I've never seen you looking so down."
"Hm," Hitsugaya shrugged, taking another jelly bean.
"You know, it would be easier if you answered my questions," the girl suggested.
"Hm." Hitsugaya didn't feel talkative and hoped that Momo would get the hint.
"And 'hm' isn't an answer," Hinamori scowled. "Would it kill you to answer in whole sentences? Or do you want to keep me guessing? Or do I have to pry it from you? And don't try to tell me that you are alright."
"I don't want to talk about it." Once again, she ignored his wish.
"But you are going to. It's going to make you feel better."
"Hm."
"Seriously, Shiro-chan," she sighed, "don't bottle it up."
"Don't call me Shiro-chan!" he scowled.
"I'll stop when you stop acting like a child," she said.
"I'm not acting like a child!" Toushirou pouted.
"You are," she stated. "So be mature and tell me."
"I don't see what it has to do with being mature," Hitsugaya objected.
"That's because you're a child," Hinamori answered. "So will you tell me?"
"I don't feel like it," the boy snapped.
"You're being such a brat," Momo sighed.
"Right back at you. Why do you want to know so much? Can't you resist your curiosity?"
"Don't avoid the subject," she scowled.
"You're the one avoiding it," he shot back.
"And you're the one acting like a child."
"I'm not," he pouted.
"You are." Then she sighed. "We didn't come here to argue. Why do you have to be so difficult all the time?"
"I'm not," he protested, but she ignored him.
"So it looks like I'm going to have to pry it out of you."
"I'm not telling." Now he was really being childish and stubborn, but he didn't care.
"You really are impossible," Hinamori sighed. "If you aren't telling me, could you at least tell someone else? Like that new friend of yours? Ikeda-san was her name?"
Hitsugaya flinched. Momo noticed it.
"What is it?" she asked. "Did you two have a spat?" Hitsugaya wondered how Momo could be still so naive after five years in the Gotei 13. Even the harsh reality of their life and the dangers they faced couldn't cure of her optimism. Though he wished she was right and he and Ikeda-sensei just had a spat. Then they could be reconciled. But now, he was never going to see her again.
"What is it?" Hinamori asked upon noticing his rapidly worsening mood. "Did something happen to her?" Toushirou felt his breath catch in his throat. His eyes were watering. He blinked back the tears furiously. He wasn't going to cry, he just wasn't. Not in front of Hinamori. "What happened to her, Shiro-chan?" Momo asked softly. He couldn't find it in himself to get angry at the nickname. He was too busy fighting the losing battle against tears.
Then he suddenly felt Momo's arms around him. "Oh, Shiro-chan," she said. "Something really bad happened, didn't it?" A small part of Hitsugaya wanted to scold her for treating him like a child, but the bigger one insisted he throw his arms around Hinamori and cry like a baby, so he did it. And he didn't care how childish it made him look. There just was no holding back the flood of tears anymore. He sobbed into Momo's shoulder while the girl whispered soothing nonsense into his ear. He had no idea how long had they stayed like this before he stopped. He didn't exactly feel better, but at least he didn't feel like crying anymore. He composed himself as best as he could after abandoning his dignity so completely and freed himself from Momo's arm.
"She's dead, isn't she?" the girl asked. Toushirou was a bit surprised that somebody so cheerful and innocent could even come up with the possibility, but Momo had been serving in the Gotei 13 for just as long as he was. She must have seen her fair share of death. He nodded mutely.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," he replied.
"I wasn't there for you when it happened," she elaborated. "When did it happen, anyway?"
"It's almost two months now."
"And I had no idea. I've been a terrible friend, haven't I?"
"You had no way of knowing," he said. "And I didn't tell you about it."
"Still, I should visit you more often," Hinamori sighed. "But I'm always so busy. I'm the Fifth Seat now and that is a lot of work. And I have to do my best for Aizen-taichou." She completely missed Toushirou's grimace.
"I understand," he said. "The higher the seat, the more responsibility."
"You say that like it was a bad thing," she remarked. "Speaking of which, why are you still a Tenth Seat? You are a Tenth Seat, aren't you?"
"Yes," he confirmed.
"But you were always better than me. You should be a Fifth Seat by now too, or even Fourth or Third. So why are you still stuck so low?"
"I don't feel like trying for a higher position," he answered.
"But why?" she asked in confusion. "Are you lazy or what?"
"No!" he snapped. Hinamori recoiled. "Sorry!" Hitsugaya apologized hurriedly. "I shouldn't shout at you. It's just that everything seems so bleak lately."
"Is it because of Ikeda-san? Oh, sorry. You are sad because of her death and I nag you over your rank. That was really insensitive of me, wasn't it?"
"Don't worry about it." He tried to smile, but he managed only a strained grimace.
"So what happened to the Hollow?" Momo asked.
"What Hollow?" Now it was his turn to be confused.
"The one who killed Ikeda-san," she clarified. So that was what Hinamori thought. Of course she would assume that. She probably couldn't imagine that shinigami could die of another cause than a Hollow's claws, especially not another shinigami's sword. His first instinct was to correct her, but he stopped himself. He'd really hate to burst her bubble. And besides, the whole mess with Eminoshi was classified.
"It has been purified," he said.
"That's good," Hinamori said.
"Mmmmmm," Toushirou nodded absently, remembering Eminoshi's dead eyes staring into his. Was it really a good thing that he was dead? Sure, he had killed a lot of people and would probably kill more if somebody didn't stop him, but killing him still didn't sit well with Hitsugaya. He knew that he had no other choice, that it was either him or the crazy man, but the fact still stayed that he had killed another shinigami. The realization that he was capable of it didn't sit well with him. If he could have done it once, would he be able to do it again? He wanted to say that the answer was not, that he wasn't a killer, but he wasn't so sure. It was another thing that separated him from his peers in the Gotei 13. Most of them only ever slew Hollows. Maybe he should have considered joining the Onmitsukidou. There he would be in the company of fellow killers. But that would also mean that he would have to kill again and he didn't want that.
"You're zoning off on me again," Hinamori's voice interrupted his train of thoughts.
"Uh? Did you say something?"
"No, but you fell too silent," she replied.
"Sorry," he said sheepishly.
"You don't have to apologize," she smiled. "Just don't look so lost again." That's because I feel lost, he thought. Aloud he said:
"I just need some time to get over it."
"You'll get over it soon," Hinamori smiled.
"You think so?" he asked dubiously.
"Yes," she confirmed. "You are strong, Shiro-chan."
"Huh?" That wasn't something he'd expect Momo to say. Ever.
"I mean it," she said with conviction. "I know I always treat you like a child and you are, but you are strong. You could always deal with everything like it was nothing. I'm the one who worries all the time and is scared of everything. I know how scared I was when I entered the Academy. Everything was so new and big and I felt so small. But then Aizen-taichou came and patted my head and Abarai-kun and Kira-kun helped me so I pulled through. You never had any such problem. You just pulled through and never worried about anything."
Hitsugaya was taken aback by Hinamori's vote of confidence. Even if it meant that she had no idea what his time in the Academy had been really like. But she was right in one thing: he had dealt with hardships before and came through stronger. He could do it again, no matter how hard it seemed.
Just then a black butterfly flew by and landed on Hinamori's finger. She listened to its message for a minute.
"Looks like I have to go," she said apologetically. "We have an emergency. But you can come talk to me again anytime. Or you can talk to Granny. But now I really have to go. Bye!" And she disappeared in a shunpo.
Hitsugaya remained sitting on the grass, munching on the amanattou absentmindedly. Though Hinamori was the same airhead as ever, her words boosted his confidence some. He could get over this, even if he had yet to figure out how. Maybe a visit to Granny's wasn't a bad idea. The old woman always knew how to make him better. It was bound to work this time too.
.*****************************************************************************************.
Not too long after the Officers' Exams he didn't take, he was informed that he should assume the command of an unit that had recently lost its leader. He didn't know how to feel about being in command of a unit again. His experience in the Second had been a nightmare. It was something he could do without. But this time it didn't have to be so bad. Yoshitsuna and Kayaku were still in the Second and there was no-one else who hated Hitsugaya with such passion. Now he just had to hope that none of them were cousins of the lieutenant, though from what little he knew about Ise-fukutaichou, he doubted she would show favoritism to anyone. There was nothing to fear, really. Well, except all the regular things like possible squabbles inside the squad, tough battles and subordinates who had a problem with obeying a child. So maybe there was a reason to fear. But on the other hand, if they made him really busy, it might take his mind off the fact that Ikeda-sensei was dead. Even after several months, her loss still hurt.
So his mood wasn't too bad when he arrived at the training grounds where he was supposed to meet his new unit. It looked like everybody was already there. He counted eight men and women. He walked over to them.
"Hello," he greeted. "Is this the Fifth Combat unit?"
"Of course," a tall man with grey hair, tanned skin and zanpakutou stuck at his right hip answered. "And you are?"
"Hitsugaya Toushirou. I'm supposed to join this unit today."
"We've heard there should be someone new coming," the man nodded. "If that's you, well. I am Jouda Haruto. Twelfth Seat."
"Pleased to meet you," Hitsugaya replied.
An average-height person with dark hair stood up to introduce themselves. Hitsugaya couldn't tell whether the shinigami was a he or a she just by looking. "Kuno Yasu, Seventeenth Seat." Neither the name nor the voice answered Hitsugaya's question. Both could belong to a man or a woman.
"Yamada Tobio, Fifteenth Seat," a middle-aged, middle-height man with dark hair and eyes introduced himself.
"Yamada?" Hitsugaya asked. "Are you perhaps related to Yamada Seinosuke, the Fourth Division lieutenant?"
"No," the man shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't boast any relations to your noble friend. I am just a lowly peasant from Rukongai."
"So am I," Hitsugaya replied. "And Yamada Seinosuke is no friend of mine. I doubt he's anybody's friend."
"Everybody asks Yamada this," another man commented. He was rather tall with sandy-blond hair and hazel eyes.
"And you are?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Minamoto Shinta," he introduced himself. "I'm not a lowly peasant from Rukongai, but I'm not anybody important either," he added in a joking tone.
"Takahashi Takara, Fifteenth Seat," a short woman with shoulder-length black hair introduced herself.
"Wasabi Yoshirou, Sixteenth Seat," a tall, thin and pale man delivered his introductions.
"Touji Narimi," a woman with long indigo hair tied in a braid introduced herself. "Eleventh Seat. I've been the second in command before Tenth Seat Ohayashi's death, so now I should be in command here. It's just a matter of time before it becomes official."
"Uh, I hate to burst your bubble," Hitsugaya said, "but I'm a Tenth Seat. I'm supposed to take command of this unit from now on."
"What?" she blinked. "You?"
"Yes," he confirmed.
"I don't believe it," Touji Narimi said. "You are supposed to be our new commander?"
"Yes," Hitsugaya confirmed. "I have all the paperwork to prove it. Do you want to see it?"
"Never mind," she waved her hand, "I believe you. But Kyouraku-taichou had to be drunk when he assigned you to us. Do you know who we are?"
"You are the Fifth Combat Unit of the Eight Division," Toushirou answered. "You already said so once today."
"That's correct," Touji nodded proudly. "And do you know what that means?"
"That you're my new subordinates," Hitsugaya replied evenly.
"That's not what I meant," Narimi said.
"What then?" the boy questioned.
"That means we are elite," the woman explained. "Every one of us is a seated officer and we could be commanding our own units, but we are here together, as one of the best units in the Eighth Division, capable of taking on any Hollow below Menos level. Our commander has to be a strong and experienced shinigami, not a wet-behind-the-ears kid."
"I assure you I am quite capable," Hitsugaya stated. He understood why the Eleventh Seat was so angry. She was the highest ranking of the group and she had expected to become the new commander upon the death of the old one. When she had found out the position had been given to 'some new kid,' it had been a huge letdown.
"All the newbies say that," Touji scoffed. "They are the first to die."
"I've been through some tough missions, lived in tough places, and survived," Hitsugaya informed her.
"Tough missions, you say? Maybe they were tough only for you," Narimi doubted his prowess.
"Don't be so harsh on him," one of her colleagues interjected. Despite the introductions, Hitsugaya still couldn't remember all of them.
"Don't interfere, Minamoto," Touji scolded him. "I'm saying what has to be said."
"You're being too harsh," Minamoto argued. "I've heard about this kid. He's good." Hitsugaya wanted to tell him off for calling him a kid, but the man was praising him, so he held his tongue.
"I'll believe that when I see it," the woman scoffed.
"So you want a demonstration of my abilities, Touji-san?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Yes," she confirmed. "If you can beat me, I'll admit you're not just a whelp."
"I accept the challenge," Hitsugaya said. Not only it would help to establish him as the strongest, it would allow him to observe one of his subordinates in action. "What kind of combat do you prefer?"
"Anything goes."
"Alright," Toushirou agreed. "We're alone here now, so we can begin right away."
"That's good with me," Touji answered, picking up her zanpakutou. Hitsugaya did the same. They walked to the middle of the training field. They stopped facing each other. Toushirou drew his sword.
"Shall we begin?"
Instead of an answer, Narimi charged. Hitsugaya parried her attack easily and counterattacked. Her eyes widened as she barely blocked.
It became soon apparent that Hitsugaya was the better fighter, with a huge gap between the two of them. For a while, he kept only defending to see what his opponent was capable of, but then he went on the offensive. Touji had trouble blocking all his strikes, despite Hitsugaya still holding back. She scowled. She really didn't like this. There was no way she was losing to the young upstart. So what if he was strong and powerful, she had enough experience and trickery to prevail.
She shunpoed behind him and tried to stab him in the back. She was dismayed when he blocked. So he could track her movements? Well, it just meant she'd have to take it really serious. She used shunpo again to put some distance between them. Hitsugaya didn't follow her. He observed her silently, curious what she would do now.
"Terikagayake, Nijihebi!" she called. Spiritual energy burst from her. Her zanpakutou changed. The blade dissolved, changing into a stream of light shining in all colors of rainbow. As she moved it, the light seemed to be forming a glowing whip or maybe the body of a snake. It seemed to have something like a head. Toushirou thought that it looked very pretty.
Narimi didn't give him the time to admire it long. She closed the distance between them with a shunpo and swung her weapon. The glowing snake sprung into attack with lightning speed. Hitsugaya blocked. Then he gaped in surprise as the glowing snake went right through his zanpakutou. He had to use all the speed gained during his time with the Second to dodge. And still he didn't quite make it. The snake sunk his teeth into his right shoulder. His arm went numb. He felt Hyourinmaru falling from his grip. He quickly grabbed it with his left hand. He cursed inwardly. He had gotten overconfident that he had allowed her to hit him. But to his defense, this was the first time he had seen a zanpakutou that could pass through matter.
Touji didn't give him time to ponder over it longer. She attacked him again. Now Hitsugaya knew better than trying to block, so he dodged. He frantically thought of a way to win his fight. He was naturally right handed and though he had learned to fight with his left hand, it decreased his efficiency drastically. So what he had going for him now? Speed. Narimi's shunpo seemed as slow as a snail to him. But the problem was that if he got too close to her, he'd be attacked by the glowing snake zanpakutou again. And he wouldn't be able to protect himself. Maybe he could try kidou? No, Hadou were too easy to evade and he'd have to drop his sword to cast one. So no kidou. What else?
Touji charged at him again. Her rainbow snake extended far, nearly reaching Toushirou before he could react. He slipped into shunpo at the last possible moment.
"Not so confident now?" Narimi taunted. Hitsugaya scowled. He had to end this fight quickly. He could feel the numbness from his right arm spreading. He flash-stepped behind the woman, sword raised high. She quickly turned and retracted her weapon to attack him. He shunpoed again, appearing behind her back once again. She swung her glowing whip at him again. Hitsugaya shunpoed again. This time Touji guessed where he was going to appear and he avoided the tip of her weapon only by a hair's breadth. He saved the situation only thanks to another quick shunpo. Ten shunpo later, Touji made a wrong guess where Toushirou was going to appear next. He now stood at her side and her whip was extended in the opposite direction. Her eyes widened. She tried to lift her weapon in defense. Hitsugaya slashed. Hyourinmaru's blade passed through the glowing rainbow, slamming the flat side into her chest.
"I win," he announced. Narimi's face twisted with bitterness.
"You were already hit by Nijihebi's poison," she pointed out. "You won't be enjoying this victory for long."
"I think I have plenty of time to get to the Fourth for treatment," Hitsugaya replied evenly.
"You won't have to," she said. "I'll remove the poison."
"Thanks." He waited as Touji touched the hilt of her zanpakutou to the wound. The feeling returned to his arm. "Much better now."
"I can't believe I lost," Narimi murmured.
"That's because your zanpakutou uses the moment of surprise. It's intended to finish off the enemy in one hit when it goes right through his defenses. If he dodges the first attack, you have a problem because it's nigh useless for defense."
"Don't lecture me about my own zanpakutou," Touji took offense.
"Was I wrong?" Hitsugaya asked.
"That's beside the point," she huffed. "You still have no right to lecture me about it. I know Nijihebi the best."
"I don't doubt it," Toushirou replied.
"Then don't do it, kid," she advised.
"You said that if I beat you, you'd accept me as your commander," he reminded her.
"You were lucky," she scoffed.
"He won fair and square," Minamoto interjected.
"He got lucky," Narimi insisted.
"It didn't look like that from here," Minamoto stated.
"Then have your eyes checked," Touji suggested.
"Charming as ever," Jouda muttered.
"What was that?" Narimi turned to him angrily.
"Enough!" Hitsugaya shouted. Everybody turned to him. "This is a squad training, not a gossip hall. You are supposed to cooperate, not bicker amongst yourselves. And you will be a well-disciplined unit as long as I'm in command. Got it?" Some of the glares they sent him weren't too friendly, but eventually all of them nodded. "Good," he said. "And now, let's begin the training."
He watched as the eight shinigami lined up. He tried to recall their names. Forgetting them so soon after they introduced themselves would make him look bad. So that was Minamoto, Touji, Wasabi, uh... he couldn't remember, next was Kuno? Probably. Then Takahashi, Jouda, Yamada. So who was the guy he couldn't recall by name? He couldn't recall. He could recall only seven people introducing themselves to him. That was right. One name he hadn't heard yet.
"You haven't introduced yourself yet, have you?" he asked the unremarkable man.
"Oh, yes," Touji exclaimed, "we forgot about Tanaka again!"
"Tanaka Tarou, Seventeenth Seat," the man in question introduced himself. "I don't mind. People keep forgetting about me."
After that, the training could finally begin. Hitsugaya wondered what his command of the unit would be like. They seemed like an interesting bunch. Putting it mildly.
.*****************************************************************************************.
The day had seemed completely ordinary at first. The Fifth Combat Unit had returned from a patrol in Rukongai and now he was delivering the report about a Hollow purified to the captain's office. He expected to find just Ise-fukutaichou there, hand her his report and be on his way. Therefore he was surprised when he found not only Captain Kyouraku there, but also another captain he wasn't familiar with. He paused in the door, unsure whether he should hand in his report now or wait until the captain wasn't otherwise occupied.
His dilemma was resolved for him when the captains turned to him.
"Good day," he said, suddenly intimidated by the company. Kyouraku just gave him a look of acknowledgement. The other captain, one with long white hair that obscured the symbol of his division, so Hitsugaya couldn't immediately tell who he was, smiled brightly.
"Hello," he said. "I believe we haven't met before." Toushirou was taken aback that the captain wanted to talk to him.
"Hitsugaya Toushirou, Tenth Seat," he introduced himself. "I'm just here to drop off a report." He moved to drop off the paper and get lost, but he soon realized that it wasn't going to be that easy.
"Pleased to meet you," the white-haired captain smiled warmly. He seemed to do that a lot. "I am Ukitake Juushirou, Thirteenth Division." Hitsugaya's eyes widened for a moment. He was in the presence of a living legend. Captain Ukitake was older than the Gotei 13 itself. Captain Kyouraku was too, but it was hard to regard a notorious drunk and womanizer with any kind of reverence. Especially if you saw his lieutenant beat him on the head on a daily basis.
"You don't have to look so awestruck," Ukitake said.
"Ugh..." Hitsugaya wanted to respond, but his voice suddenly failed him. He was never much good with conversations. And this was a situation he had no idea how to deal with.
"I think you're scaring him," Kyouraku observed with a chuckle.
"Really? There's nothing to be scared of," Ukitake said. When Hitsugaya's deer-in-the-headlights expression didn't change, he added: "Perhaps I should have brought some candy for the little dear." That was enough to shake Hitsugaya from his stunned stupor. He hated when people treated him like a child and he didn't care if said people happened to be captains.
"I'm not a child," he snapped.
"Isn't he cute?" Ukitake smiled. "I definitely have to bring some candy next time." That wasn't the reaction Hitsugaya had been hoping for. He wanted to tell the white-haired man what he thought about it, but he stopped himself. No matter how annoying, they were still captains. And he didn't want to get in trouble for insubordination. And he felt it was very likely to happen if those two will continue to treat him like a kid any longer. He had only a limited amount of patience and if somebody treated him this way, it tended to run out quickly. He had to get out of here as soon as he could without insulting anybody. He marched towards the table and laid the report on it.
"Here's the report, sir" he said.
"You don't have to be so stiff and formal," Kyouraku chuckled.
"I think it's rather endearing," Ukitake said. "So young and so serious. He definitely needs some candy to lighten up."
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and hoped the sound wasn't too loud. Why did the ancient captains have to be so weird? He had once heard that the older and more powerful the shinigami was, the stranger they got. Up to today, he hadn't been sure what it meant. Now he was beginning to understand. Both Kyouraku and Ukitake were old and powerful and they were certainly weird enough. He wondered whether that meant that Yamamoto-soutaichou was the craziest shinigami ever. And whether he'd once end up just like them. He shook in terror. This line of thought was too disturbing to pursue.
"I'll take my leave now," he said, turning on his heel and heading to the door as fast as was still considered polite.
"You can come visit anytime," Ukitake called after him. Hitsugaya didn't answer, slammed the door behind him and ran. He hoped he would never run into the Thirteenth Division Captain ever again.
******************************************************************************************.
The Pink Grasshopper was a dangerous Hollow. The shinigami who heard its ridiculous codename and saw the color of its body tended to forget it, but it reminded them quickly with its lightning fast attacks and razor-sharp appendages. The testament to its strength were the twelve shinigami it had managed to kill since it was first registered in the archives of the Soul Society thirty seven years ago. And those were only the confirmed kills. Another five were suspected. That was why the presence of the Pink Grasshopper in outer Rukongai was confirmed by the bloodied last surviving member of the patrol unlucky enough to run into it, it was quickly decided that an elite unit would face it. That elite unit happened to be the Fifth Combat Unit of the Eighth Division, under the command of Tenth Seat Hitsugaya Toushirou.
The mission began easily enough. They arrived at the place where the Hollow had been spotted without any complication and followed the trail of blood until they found their target. Once they saw it, it was easy to understand where did it get its nickname. It looked like an overgrown pink grasshopper with a white bone mask. It was about as big as a horse and it looked utterly ridiculous.
"This thing killed twelve shinigami?" Touji expressed her disbelief.
"Don't underestimate it," Hitsugaya chastised her. "It did kill twelve shinigami somehow. Now we're going to use a three-pronged attack. Groups and leaders like in training. Now go."
They quickly split into three teams, one lead by Hitsugaya, second by Touji and the third by Jouda. They assumed their positions around the Hollow, which so far seemed unaware of their presence. The plan was simple. Touji's and Jouda's groups would catch its attention with a frontal attack while Hitsugaya will take it out from behind in one hit.
The attack began. Touji and Jouda sprang from their hiding places. The Pink Grasshopper turned to them. Hitsugaya shunpoed behind the Hollow, Hyourinmaru raised for a strike. What happened next... well, Hitsugaya wasn't sure what happened. He knew just that one moment he was standing above the Hollow, prepared to purify it, and the next moment he was lying on the ground, his head reeling, his ears ringing and the world around him swaying dangerously.
Something wet landed on his face. What was it? He couldn't see. Something appeared in his field of vision. He lifted Hyourinmaru to meet it. He made it in the nick of time. One of Pink Grasshopper's legs slammed into it and pushed his blade back. The edges of the leg cut into his skin, but they didn't cause any significant damage. But it revealed to Hitsugaya how precarious his situation was. He had blocked one leg, but the Hollow had more of them. Six in total, to be exact. And in his current position Hitsugaya was a sitting duck. Whatever attack the Pink Grasshopper had used earlier, its effects lasted. He still could barely note what was going around him. He had to do something quickly.
"Souten ni ..." Hitsugaya tried to call his release, but the Hollow didn't allow him. His leg moved like lightning. It disappeared from Hitsugaya's sword and cut into his side. It was a serious wound. Hitsugaya cried out in pain.
There was a flash of movement. Toushirou couldn't see it clearly, but it looked like one of his subordinates, probably Jouda, got to his feet and attacked.
"..zase, Hyourin..." Hitsugaya continued his release phrase. Why, oh why did it have to be so long? The Pink Grasshopper swung his leg and sliced the attacking shinigami in half. Then it turned its attention back to Hitsugaya.
"...maru!" The release was finally complete. Cold blue reiatsu swirled around him and the sky darkened with heavy clouds. Hitsugaya immediately felt better. His injuries didn't hurt so much anymore and the world finally stopped swaying. He climbed to his feet. He could finally survey the situation. It wasn't good. Most of his team had been knocked out by Pink Grasshoppers' initial attack. Jouda was lying on the ground unmoving, his torso sliced open from neck to groin. He was obviously dead. Touji was bloody and on the ground too, but she was trying to get up. He could see Minamoto sitting on the ground with his head in his palms. He wasn't going to be of any use in the battle. It looked like Hitsugaya was on his own. And he had to act quickly, because he was losing blood fast.
The Pink Grasshopper turned around. Hitsugaya swung Hyourinmaru, sending an ice dragon flying at it. The Grasshopper did... something. As a result, the ice dragon shattered and both Touji and Minamoto collapsed to the ground. Hitsugaya alone remained unaffected. The ice dragon had shielded him from the attack.
What was it? the boy mused. There was some high-pitched sound. It was barely perceptible. Some kind of sonic attack? It wasn't mentioned in the materials. Did it eat another Hollow recently and gained new abilities?
The Hollow moved. Hitsugaya almost didn't notice it. The Grasshopper jumped high, trying to get Hitsugaya from above. The boy quickly slipped into shunpo, evading the attack. The movement aggravated his wound.
"I can't keep your wounds closed for much longer, little one," Hyourinmaru informed him. Hitsugaya nodded. He knew that he had precious little time to finish this battle. He had to finish it with one decisive attack. He just had to make sure that the Pink Grasshopper wouldn't dodge. That thing was very fast. He would have to be faster.
Hitsugaya gathered his reiatsu, as much as he could. The ground around them was instantly covered in ice and it began snowing heavily. The Pink Grasshopper turned towards Hitsugaya and let out another of its devastating shrieks. To Hitsugaya, it was only an irritating sound now. The thick reiatsu he was emitting protected him from the harmful effects. The Hollow looked a bit startled by it, though it was hard to tell with its mask. Hitsugaya swung Hyourinmaru. The ice dragon formed and coiled around its master, bigger and more powerful than the usual attacks. The Pink Grasshopper sprung forward. Hitsugaya let his dragon fly.
The ice attack hit the Hollow midflight. The Pink Grasshopper couldn't withstand the power behind it. It was frozen and shattered instantly. The ice dragon continued on its path, only mildly scratched. It crashed into a nearby building and flew right through it. It didn't stop until it crashed into the ground nearly a mile away.
Hitsugaya didn't see it. He collapsed to his knees shortly after he had let the attack fly. His wound reopened and blood flowed freely. He grasped at it, trying to stop the bleeding. He felt weak. But he couldn't afford to faint now. He had to take care of his team. He had to call for the Fourth. Their support unit should be close, but they were usually slow. He quickly summoned a Hell Butterfly and gave it his message. Then he gathered whatever strength he had left and scrambled to his feet, to check on his squad.
There was nothing to be done for Jouda. That man was dead. Touji was breathing. She seemed merely knocked out. Hitsugaya just hoped she didn't have some internal injury. Minamoto seemed to have merely passed out too. Hitsugaya let him be and looked for his other subordinates. He found Yamada just behind a corner. The man had no injury, but he couldn't withstand the spiritual pressure. But he was breathing, so he should be alright. Kuno was close, conscious, but shaking heavily and probably not completely aware of his surroundings. Wasabi was lying in some bushes. He too was out of it.
And then Hitsugaya found the man. Or what was left of him. Hitsugaya's breath caught in his throat. He collapsed to his knees and retched violently. He had seen many mangled bodies during his career, but this one was the worst. Because this wasn't the doing of the Hollow. The man's body was frozen and partially shattered. He had been hit by one of his ice dragons. Probably the very last one, considering that he was lying in the path of devastation. Hitsugaya's body trembled in shock. He had just killed some poor soul from Rukongai. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was firing his attacks and he had hit one of those he was supposed to protect. He had been so disoriented by the Pink Grasshopper's initial attack that he had been unable to keep track of the people he couldn't see. Or maybe he just hadn't been trying hard enough, a part of his mind suggested. Toushirou couldn't argue with it. During the course of the battle, he had been thinking only about the destruction of the enemy. He hadn't spared a single thought to the safety of his subordinates and innocent bystanders. He was a miserable excuse of a commander. Not only he had stifled his underlings and everybody who happened to be nearby with his reiatsu, he had actually killed one of them with a careless attack. It was unforgivable. He was unforgivable. He watched in stunned stupor as the unknown man's body was slowly shattering into smaller pieces and dissipating into reishi. Then he looked at the path of devastation left after his last attacks. It went through several other houses. How many people had been there? How many didn't flee from the Hollow? How many more had he killed? He began crying and he didn't care who saw him.
He barely noticed when the Fourth Division squad arrived and began taking care of the wounded. He just sat there and stared blankly at the man's remains, having run out of tears a while ago. When a medic came and attempted to treat him, he just pushed her away. He didn't deserve treatment. He deserved to die a gruesome death, like that unknown man did. The medic said something. He wasn't listening. She was probably telling him to allow her to treat him. But he didn't want to. He wanted to tell her to leave him alone, but he felt too tired. It was no wonder. He had been sitting there for hours. It was evening already. Everything was going dark.
.*****************************************************************************************.
It was quiet. It was also warm and soft. He was lying somewhere comfortable. There was some lingering pain in his side, but nothing too bad. He slowly opened his eyes. Everything was out of focus for a while before his eyes adjusted. He recognized the room he was in. It was in the Fourth Division. So what did he do to land himself in the hospital this time? They were hunting a Hollow. The Pink Grasshopper. It had laid out most of his team effortlessly. He had been wounded, but he had managed to hit it with his best attack. But he had hit somebody too. He had hit a man. He had killed a man. He had killed some random soul that was dependant on his protection. He was overcome by a sudden sense of self-loathing. He had killed somebody and he was in the hospital. He should be in the prison instead.
He felt tears welling in his eyes again. How could this have happened? He had begun his training as a shinigami so his uncontrolled power wouldn't hurt anybody. And after seven years of training, he went and killed an innocent because he couldn't control where he was aiming his attacks. He was despicable. He could try to make excuses that he had no idea that somebody had been there, but they would be really just excuses. He had known there were inhabited houses all around. He had no business firing his attacks at random. There must have been a better way to deal with it, if he only took the time to figure it out. And he shouldn't make excuses that there wasn't enough time.
What good was he for? He was supposed to protect his subordinates. Not to hurt them with his uncontrolled power and misaimed attacks. He was a sorry excuse for a team leader when he was able to do something like that. He didn't deserve his position. He didn't deserve to be called a shinigami. He didn't deserve to wield his zanpakutou when he wasn't able to use it properly.
"Little one!" Hyourinmaru's voice sounded both concerned and urgent. Hitsugaya ignored it. He wasn't worthy of talking to the great dragon. "Child!" Hyourinmaru called again, this time more urgent. Toushirou just stared blankly. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Least of all his zanpakutou. It was all his fault. If he had no power, he couldn't have hurt anybody. If he had no power, he wouldn't even be there.
"If you had no power, who would have saved the others?" Hyourinmaru asked.
"Whoever their new commander was," Hitsugaya shrugged. "He would have done a better job."
"Are you sure?" the dragon questioned. "Their new commander would be just a regular Tenth Seat. They'd get all eaten by the Grasshopper."
"You can't know that," Toushirou argued.
"I know that if you had trouble, most lieutenants would as well. There aren't that many shinigami who are stronger than you, remember?"
"But they are more experienced," the boy objected. "They wouldn't have done something so stupid."
"The only thing you can do about your inexperience is to gather some experience," Hyourinmaru stated.
"But what would be the cost?"
"That I don't know, little one."
Silence reigned for a while. Hitsugaya stared into the ceiling blankly, but he didn't see it. The sight of the man's mangled corpse was occupying his mind. He barely registered when the door to his room opened. He just laid there prone as a nurse checked his vitals, asked him something he didn't deign worth a reply and then left to inform her superiors that he was awake.
Some time later Ise-fukutaichou showed up to hear his report. He didn't feel like telling her, but an order was an order so he told her everything that had happened. She took notes, barely showing what she thought about it. When he finished his report on the battle, He got to the part about the dead man. He choked and began crying when he spoke about it. The thought that he was behaving childishly didn't even cross his mind.
"The whole area had been evacuated," the lieutenant said. "The team that had first encountered the Pink Grasshopper got everyone out before you arrived."
"But that guy was there," Hitsugaya said between sobs. "And I killed him."
"Nobody else reported a dead civilian," Nanao said. "Are you sure that you killed him?"
"Yes."
"Some of your subordinates reported being severely disoriented after the Pink Grasshopper's attack," the lieutenant informed him. "That dead man could have been a hallucination."
"I know what I saw."
"If you really killed an innocent bystander, you would be in trouble," she reminded him. "But this way there's no proof there have ever been one."
"Why are you saying this?" Hitsugaya asked in confusion.
"I don't want to see my subordinates in trouble for something that wasn't their fault," she answered.
"I didn't ask you to protect me," Toushirou snapped. "I don't need it."
"Do you want to get punished?" she asked with exasperation.
"I deserve it. I killed him."
"You obviously aren't coherent," she stated.
"I'm not crazy!" Hitsugaya protested.
"You're doing nothing to convince me. I'll leave now and take your report again once you can think clearly." She didn't wait for his response, snapped her book closed and marched out of the room. Hitsugaya stared after her retreating back completely stumped. Why did she do that?
"I'm sure she has a reason," Hyourinmaru said, "but that isn't important. She offered you a way out of trouble."
"I don't deserve it."
"Do we have to go through it again?" Hyourinmaru rolled his eyes. "That wasn't your fault. So stop the pity party. Think about the people you have saved."
"That's easier said than done."
"At least try,"Hyourinmaru prodded. "You have defeated a Hollow that had killed over a dozen shinigami and who knows how many innocent souls."
"But I still killed that guy."
"It was an accident. He should have run the moment the Hollow appeared. And how do you know you killed him? Sure, he was in ice, but couldn't the reason he hadn't ran be that he had been already dead? The body dissipated fast." That made Hitsugaya pause. He concentrated on the sight of the mangled body. Now that he thought about it, a part of his torso had been gone. He had initially thought it had been thanks to his attack, but what if it had been missing previously? He honestly couldn't tell.
"I still feel responsible," he said.
"At least you aren't blaming yourself so badly," the zanpakutou spirit said. "Get over it. I don't ask you to forget it, but learn from this experience and grow stronger. So next time you won't make the same mistake."
"I'm not sure I can," Hitsugaya sighed.
"You can. I trust that you do."
.*****************************************************************************************.
Not long after Hitsugaya was released from the hospital, an inquiry into the incident with Pink Grasshopper took place. It was confirmed that several souls from that part of Rukongai went missing, presumed dead, but it was impossible to determine what had happened to them. The official verdict said that they were victims of the Pink Grasshopper and Hitsugaya got off scot free. It felt to him that nobody was really trying to investigate and nobody wanted to get any shinigami in trouble. It felt like nobody actually cared about the souls from Rukongai, or at least not as much as about the shinigami. If it wasn't for Hitsugaya's testimony, there would have been no investigation at all. It left a bitter taste in Toushirou's mouth. Had everybody witnessed so many pointless deaths that they became jaded and didn't care unless they knew the deceased? Would it happen to him too once he served in the Gotei 13 long enough? What if a Hollow attacked Junrin'an and killed Granny? Would he and Hinamori be the only ones to care? Probably.
After the inquiry was over, he was approached by Captain Ukitake, who came for some mysterious reason. The white-haired captain smiled at him cheerfully, told him to cheer up and showered him by candy in cheerfully colorful packages before he left. After the proceedings earlier, Hitsugaya didn't feel like cheering up and could barely even look at the candy. They were too cheerful for the somber occasion. The inquiry had left a foul taste in his mouth he was sure no amount of sugar would wash out. He felt tempted just to throw away the candy on the spot, but Captain Ukitake might take offense. So he dragged them home and buried them at the bottom of his closet, determined to never take them out again. Later, they were joined by many more candy.
After that, the life returned to what it used to be. The deceased Jouda was replaced by some guy called Ueshiba Susumu, 13th Seat, and the Fifth Combat unit resumed their duties just like they used to. Though Jouda was mourned, they barely talked about the incident with the Pink Grasshopper and nobody ever mentioned the dead civilian. It was like he never existed. Only Hitsugaya remembered him, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that maybe he had been just a figment of his imagination. It was frustrating.
He continued working on his Bankai training. He was beginning to realize how important was gaining better control over his powers. Whether he had actually killed somebody by mistake or not, he knew he'd do everything to prevent it from happening again. But a sliver of doubt found its way into his heart. Wouldn't greater power also mean a greater risk of collateral damage?
.*****************************************************************************************.
Hitsugaya sighed in frustration. His materialization training had hit a plateau. For over two months now he wasn't able to improve a bit no matter what he did. He knew the training was supposed to take at least ten years and he had started only a little less than two years ago, but the sudden lack of progress irked him. He had been doing so well until something he couldn't figure out blocked him. And Hyourinmaru was unhelpful in helping him figure out what the problem was, saying that Toushirou had to deal with it on his own if he wanted to achieve Bankai. His argument was that if the boy wanted to become his master, he couldn't rely on his guidance. Hitsugaya couldn't find a fault in his logic. But that left him stuck on square one: what was the problem? The only hint he had was Hyourinmaru's cryptic remark that the problem lied within him, but that wasn't telling him much. It was with those thoughts in mind he went to sleep that night.
.*****************************************************************************************.
He was flying through the clouds again. The snowflakes from the raging blizzard parted before him. The ground was rushing past him as he ran across it. He hadn't even realized when he made the transition from flight to running. His feet were sinking deep into the snow. He was tired, shivering, barely able to make the next step. But he had to. He had to get away from...
.*****************************************************************************************.
Hitsugaya woke up with a start. It was still night. Moonlight was shining through the open window, glittering on the frost covering the floor, and the grounds outside were quiet, nothing disturbing the peace of Seireitei. He willed his racing heart to slow down. What did scare him about the dream so much anyway? It wasn't like this was the first time he had dreamed about it. He blinked. He had dreamed about flying often since he started training for materialization, but the running through the snow was new.
Wait, not really. Lately, there were moments of running intertwined with his usual dreams of flight. He had barely acknowledged it until now. But what made this dream so scary? He had nightmares before, but they were usually about something he could identify. This sense of dread for no apparent reason, that was new. No, wait, he scrunched his brow in concentration, that wasn't entirely true. He used to have this kind of nightmares before, but that was such a long time ago he all but forgot about it. Everything that had occurred before his joining the Academy seemed like it was from a different life. And maybe it was true.
He was a very different person from the child who used to live with Granny and spit watermelon seeds at Bed-wetter Momo. He wondered when had the change happened to him and how did he miss it happening. Maybe it had happened when he had first held Hyourinmaru in his hands. His zanpakutou became the new driving force in his life, its sheer power dictating his course. Now he thought about it, most of the things he did since then were to gain better control on the power that constantly grew and threatened to spill out, not caring it would freeze everybody who got into its way. Like Granny. Like that nameless man. The thought made him shudder and his heart clench. It brought home the point of how much he needed to gain more control. But he was stuck. Why? He couldn't understand. Hyourinmaru probably knew, but refused to tell him. It was frustrating. He wanted to just grab the zanpakutou spirit by its neck and shake him until he told him. But that was a silly thought. There was no way he could make the ice dragon do something he didn't want to. At least not yet. And he wouldn't be until he got over his problem. It was a real Catch 22 situation.
With those thoughts, he fell asleep again.
.*****************************************************************************************.
A few days later, their unit was assigned another mission. Reports of Hollow activity came from 76th district of South Rukongai. There was almost no intel on the Hollow itself, just his victims. Hitsugaya felt a bout of unease when he received the orders. It was in the same district where they have fought the Pink Grasshopper. What if he met some friends of the man he had killed there? How could he face them? Even when he wouldn't recognize them and they wouldn't recognize him? He still felt like scum.
"Don't think like that," Hyourinmaru scolded him. "Your mission is to help them. Think of all the people you'll save when you purify the Hollow."
"I know," Hitsugaya replied, "but I just can't help it. What if I mess up again?"
"If you think like this then you will mess up," the dragon stated. "Remember what I always tell you: your heart mustn't falter."
"That's easier said than done," Toushirou sighed.
"You sound like you're already giving up," the zanpakutou spirit observed. "That just wouldn't do."
"I'm not giving up!" Hitsugaya snapped.
"Could have fooled me. And don't snap at me, spare your anger for the Hollow."
"I know," the boy said, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
"Also, I'd say we're almost there."
Hitsugaya snapped from his thoughts. Hyourinmaru was right. The village that had reported the Hollow activity was in sight.
As they neared it, Hitsugaya slowed down and tried to feel the Hollow. There were faint traces of reiatsu in the air, but he couldn't pinpoint their origin. It was just like the reports said: the Hollow attacked and then disappeared, not to be seen until it attacked again. It looked like finding it was going to be the trickiest part of the mission.
When they arrived to the village, they asked around whether there were any news about the Hollow. There weren't. It hadn't attacked again and nobody had seen it either. They asked about the places the attacks had occurred. They were all close to the village, but none of them had happened inside. The villagers were too scared to lead them to the places, but they at least described the way.
Hitsugaya investigated the spot the last attack had occurred. It was on a dirt roar a bit to the east from the village. There were bloodstains on the ground and pieces of torn cloth, a bit of Hollow reiatsu in the air, but otherwise nothing that would have told them something about the mysterious attacker. That in itself was strange. Most Hollows left some traces. There should be foot- (or rather paw-) prints and some tracks leading somewhere. But there was nothing. So how did the Hollow move that it left no traces? Did it fly?
And how comes it was never spotted when it attacked? The landscape around the village was mostly flat and covered in meadows. There wasn't a hiding place anywhere. So either the Hollow was small enough to hide in the grass or it was invisible. Or it might burrow underground. But in that case the ground should be disturbed, and Hitsugaya couldn't find any sign of it, no matter how hard it looked. It was a mystery.
In the end, he divided his team into pairs and told them to patrol the area, looking for any disturbance. Hitsugaya was paired with Yamada, Touji with Wasabi, Takahashi with Tanaka, Ueshiba with Minamoto and Kuno.
They spent the day patrolling, looking for any sign of the Hollow's presence. They found nothing. Only the faint reiatsu of unknown origin was the proof that the Hollow was still around.
It was when they were almost ready to call it a day when the Hollow struck. The one who felt it first was Tanaka. That was because the Hollow struck his back before he could notice its presence. He shrieked in pain and collapsed to the ground, because his limbs suddenly refused to obey him.
"Tanaka!" Takahashi screamed as she turned around, zanpakutou in hand. But there was nothing to attack. Only her comrade was lying on the ground, several small wounds on his back. Takahashi's eyes darted left and right, but she couldn't find a sign of Tanaka's attacker. How could it have disappeared so fast and so completely?
A slight movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she jumped back instinctively. Something snake-like shot through the place she had stood on and quickly retracted back into the grass. Takahashi's eyes narrowed. So that's where it is hiding. She stepped closer to it, a determined look in his eyes. The snake-like thingies attacked again, but she jumped over them. She landed right where he thought they were coming from and swung her sword hard. She hit only grass and soil. Huh? Where did it go?
She got her answer when it bit the back of her ankle. The short pain was followed by numbness as whatever poison was in its teeth began spreading through her bloodstream. She cursed inwardly. Now she wasn't able to move around, the Hollow would just slowly bite her to death. There was just one way to escape it. She hated using it, but in this situation she had no other option.
"Soratobe, Seirei no Ginyoku!" he called. Fly in the sky, Dragonfly's silvery wing. Her sword glowed an aqua light and the blade sprouted two protrusions resembling dragonfly's wing. She pointed it skywards and called: "Up!" Her zanpakutou's power lifted her from the ground. She continued rising until she was well outside of the Hollow's reach. There she closed her eyes and began shaking. Flying was a useful ability to have, unless you were mortally scared of heights.
With a blur of shunpo, Touji appeared close to Tanaka's body, followed shortly by Wasabi. They were the closest to them, so they were the first to arrive once they heard Tanaka's shriek.
"What's going on?" Touji shouted. Nobody answered her. Tanaka was unconscious and Takahashi was too busy trembling in fear.
"Look out!" Wasabi shouted. Touji dodged. Three snake-like things shot through where she used to stand. Wasabi slashed at them, but he was too slow. They retracted so fast that the two shinigami barely saw where did they come from.
So it hides underground and conceals the entrances to its tunnels with leaves and pebbles? Touji thought. Clever, but it cannot hide from me.
"Terikagayake, Nijihebi!" she called. Her blade turned into a snake made from colorful light. She swung it down. The ethereal snake shot through the ground unhindered. Its head struck right where Narimi thought the Hollow's main body was. Unfortunately it was very hard to hit something she couldn't see or feel clearly. Nijihebi attacked repeatedly, but it had no visible effect. The Hollow's snake-like protrusions shot from the ground again, nearly hitting Touji's calves. She had to dance between them to avoid being poisoned. Wasabi tried to help her, but he had no power that would seem useful in this situation. He tried to catch the Hollow with a Bakudou, but missed.
"What's the situation?" Hitsugaya asked as he appeared at the scene. His question was answered when the snake-like tentacles attacked him. He quickly jumped out of the way. He swung Hyourinmaru at them, but he managed to only scratch one. Those things were very fast.
"That thing is hiding underground!" Touji shouted as she beat at the ground repeatedly.
"We have to force it out," Hitsugaya said, trying to figure out how to accomplish it.
"Nice idea," Narimi muttered sarcastically. "We couldn't figure it out without you."
Hitsugaya suppressed the urge to snap something back. He felt for the water underground. Could he use it to force the Hollow out? It didn't seem so. This area was mostly arid and there wasn't enough water to use. He might try to hit the ground with an ice dragon, but that might force the Hollow to burrow itself deeper and they would never dig it out.
Yamada arrived, a bit out of breath after trying to keep pace with Hitsugaya.
"Where's the Hollow?" he asked between gasps.
"Underground!" Touji answered.
"Then let's get it out!" Yamada stated. Hitsugaya looked at him oddly. "Hikkurikaese dosha, Doryuunikukyuu!" Overturn the soil and sand, Mole's paw. Yamada's zanpakutou changed shape into something that resembled a shovel vaguely. He stuck it into the ground and turned it. A large chunk of earth turned with it. Hitsugaya almost slapped himself in the forehead. How could he have forgotten about Yamada's zanpakutou? Maybe because the man never used it. The ability to overturn large chunks of the ground wasn't very useful in battle. It was slow and any opponent could see it coming from a mile away. Dodging it was easy even for somebody who never heard about shunpo. But it was useful when they needed to dig something up, like now.
As the overturned chunk of earth fell down, the Hollow was partially revealed to them. All they could see were the snake-like tentacles, but it was obvious it was much closer to the surface now. They had to catch it before it could burrow underground again.
The glowing snake shot through the air and bit into one of the tentacles. The appendage went limp within seconds. Hitsugaya slashed down and cut off the two that were the closest to him. Wasabi cut off another one. But there were still many more to go.
Yamada stuck his spade into the ground again. This time he lifted the chunk of soil with the Hollow inside. It let out an angry sound. Finding itself on the top of a heap, it realized it was in an unfavorable position. Anyone could attack it from any direction and the assembled shinigami did so. Another one of its tentacles was disabled by Nijihebi's poison and one more fell victim to Hyourinmaru's blade. It could also see that digging deeper wasn't going to help. Yamada could just dig it up again. It decided to leave the protection of the ground and attack directly.
As it jumped out, its form could first be seen. It didn't have a central body, it seemed to be composed entirely of tangled snake-like tentacles. It wasn't apparent where its mask and hole were. But there was little time to ponder about such things. The Hollow attacked Yamada, recognizing him as the greatest threat to its safety. The man tried to block it with his spade, but he couldn't stop all the tentacles. At least five of them bit him in the chest, stomach and neck. Yamada collapsed down. Touji struck with her zanpakutou again, but she could only paralyze a small part of the whole thing.
"It's going to run!" she screamed. Hitsugaya could see it too. If they allowed the Hollow to dig itself now, there would be no way to get it out again. And because there was no clear weak spot on the Hollow's body, they'd have to use an attack that hit it whole at once.
"Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya shouted. The sky immediately covered with dark clouds and a layer of ice formed on the ground. It seemed that the ice was making trouble for the Hollow, because it made the difficult to describe angry sound again. But the Hollow wasn't the only one who seemed to have trouble. Tanaka's body, lying next to Hitsugaya's feet, was covered in ice too and the man didn't seem to be breathing. Even Yamada, who was lying further away, seemed to have trouble. I'm hurting them! Hitsugaya realized with a start.
The Hollow didn't just sit around and attacked Touji. She tried to dodge, but her foot slipped on the ice. She tried to block, but Nijihebi wasn't meant for defense. The Hollow jumped right through it. Its multiple little mouths bit into her body. She was out of the fight too.
Hitsugaya stood there and stared. He could destroy the Hollow with one hit, but he would hurt Touji as well. And if the Hollow got up from her, he'd risk hurting Yamada, who was lying some distance behind her. Even Takahashi, still hovering overhead, could be hit if Hitsugaya attacked. And he just couldn't risk that. The image of the unknown man frozen in ice rose in his mind and paralyzed him. He began shaking.
The Hollow abandoned the downed Touji and attacked Wasabi. The man slashed at it, but he ended up bitten nevertheless. He cried out in pain. I have to help him, a part of Hitsugaya's mind screamed, but his body was frozen to the spot. He still couldn't bring himself to risk hitting one of his subordinates. Then the Hollow turned its attention to him and he found himself still unable to move.
There was a blur and something slammed into the Hollow. Then something slammed into him. Hitsugaya landed on the ground painfully, his trance broken. It took him a second to realize what happened. Ueshiba, Minamoto and Kuno finally arrived to the scene.
But they were in no way the cavalry saving the day. The Hollow had already disabled Minamoto's right arm and Ueshiba was bleeding from a shallow gash on his leg. Kuno stood in the background and fired some kidou at the Hollow. The spell passed between its coils harmlessly. And considering what he knew about their shikai, they didn't have the ability to purify this Hollow in one strike. He was the only one who could do it, if he just wasn't such a coward.
He took a deep breath to steady himself. If he fired an ice dragon now, he would hit at least three people, no matter how he aimed it. He'd have to find another way to catch it. He wished for the chain on his zanpakutou hilt to extend and then he threw it. The crescent blade flew between the snaky tentacles and got entangled with them. That was exactly what Hitsugaya wanted. He sent his reiryoku into the chain and ice began forming around it. The Hollow screeched as more and more of its parts became frozen in the ice. Hitsugaya didn't stop until it was fully encased. Then he tugged on the chain. The ice block shattered and the Hollow with it. Soon there was nothing but a cloud of quickly dissipating dark reishi left of it.
Hitsugaya resealed Hyourinmaru and sank to his knees, trembling. He surveyed the results of the battle. It wasn't good. The enemy had been defeated, but most of his unit was down. And there was no guarantee they would get better again. And it was entirely his fault. If he hadn't been too scared to release his zanpakutou and use it, he could have ended the battle before the casualties were so heavy. If somebody died, it would be on his head. He was a sorry excuse of a unit commander. Scratch that, he was a sorry excuse of a shinigami. What good he was if he was too scared of his own power?
Somebody was talking to him. Somebody was asking him what they were supposed to do. Ah, yes, he still had a unit to command. Even if he didn't deserve it. Even if he had shown everybody what a useless coward he was. Despite that, they still looked up to him for leadership for some unfathomable reason. So what was it he was supposed to do again? Ah yes, call for the Fourth Division. And get Takahashi down. And unfreeze Tanaka. He almost forgot about it. He went through the motions of giving orders, trying to appear confident, while inside he was dying with shame.