Chapter.14: Living is simple
Hitsugaya's p.o.v
Everything was gone. I pressed my palm to my stomach, willing even the mildest stream of energy to flow out; the simplest to perform a Kido healing spell. Nothing. I closed my eyes, gritting my teeth, focusing my will…not even a flicker. Hyourin Maru from within my mindscape, lay down on the frozen ground, his massive claws splaying out, 'give it up, little wielder. You have someone more important to take care of right now.'
I looked up; that's right!
Rukia.
I made as if to touch her but a sharp voice interrupted, "don't!"
That wasn't Kurosaki.
I turned my head to glimpse a tall man stepping forward from the shadows, flapping coat, green-striped hat, walking cane held in one hand and shadowy eyes gazed at me for the longest time, "looks like you need some help, eh, little Captain?"
~~~*~~~
The man introduced himself as Kisuke Urahara, shop owner and purveyor of unique items. How unique I had to wonder when he took me to his store; he'd placed some kind of Kido barrier over Rukia then lifted her up himself, not allowing me to do a thing but watch helplessly.
"Will she be alright?" I asked as we walked into a dusky lit room filled with shelves. Urahara continued on to the back of the store, hesitating to answer my question. I kept up pace, standing in the doorway, while he set Rukia down on a woven Tatami mat. A few words were uttered and a crystalline bubble of light blue energy encapsulated her; I started forward, "why does she need this? It was only—"
Urahara turned to me sharply, "I don't believe you understand what exactly we are dealing with here, Toshiro-kun." I blinked and managed not to stutter, "How do you know my name?"
Urahara winked at me then, "let's just say I know a lot more about your society than your average human."
'Sounds fishy,' Hyourin Maru muttered in my head.
'I know,' I said to him, 'I'll be careful.'
"Okay so I take it you know where I come from…Soul society, right?"
"Uh huh."
"And I noticed one or two particular items that weren't meant for the humans use back in the shelves area. So then your main clientele must be Soul reapers…" I saw him nod slightly. "Well then why can't you heal Rukia?"
Urahara sighed and I thought, looked a little sadly at the pulsing barrier before him, "Before I tell you anymore…can you answer something for me?"
I glanced at Rukia's immobile form, "what is it?"
"What did the Hollow whom pierced Miss Kuchiki here, say to you before you killed it?"
I didn't bother looking incredulous at his knowledge of my fight and said it plainly as I could remember, "dream poison and something about her being trapped-?"
"Ah…it's as I thought. A nightmare eater," Urahara said, seeing my confused look, he explained, "most Hollows only eat souls but a select few…possess the ability to plunge someone like Miss Kuchiki here, into an eternal nightmare. One where they relive the worst experiences of their lives and only…when the soul is broken as it were. Filled with bitter anguish will the Hollow release them and well…you get the rest."
Horror filled my mind, "but I…I killed it! The one that did this to her…I killed it! And…and I—"
"But you were wounded as well?" Urahara smiled sadly, "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Miss Kuchiki must've had more despair than you inside; the nightmare eater sensed it and latched onto her instead of you. Which in a way you were lucky that it did. You were also lucky that I came along when I did so I could help you."
"So you can save her? Take her out of the nightmare?" I asked hopefully.
Urahara chuckled suddenly, "no. I can't. I believe that is only something Miss Kuchiki can do. You on the other hand will need a Gigai until your powers are recovered."
~~~*~~~
I got little sleep that night.
Once lent a temporary body to inhabit, I was given a room next door to Rukia's. To which I refused, wanting to stay as close to her as possible. At times when I huddled in the corner near the door, I would see her expression twitch just the slightest. I got close once and leaned as near as I dared to the barrier…a name I think she whispered.
It sounded like…Kaien.
Shiba, I thought. Summoning an image of his face in my mind, I heard Hyourin Maru rumble, 'that kid. So that's why she tried to protect him.'
When I asked him to explain, he growled at me.
"Get some sleep he says," I muttered to myself in the muted darkness of the small room.
~~~*~~~
In the morning, Urahara greeted me with a wave of his paper fan, "sleep well?" he inquired after seeing my frosty glare.
"Not very."
"Well it happens," he said dismissively. He folded the fan up then unfurled it, stabbing the air excitedly. "Those papers are for you. Entire attendance history, reasons for transfer and that pile of clothes are also yours," he indicated a suspicious bundle of gray material. I lifted each item up separately, a mandarin collared jacket, slacks and for beneath a white short-sleeved shirt. In short…a high-school uniform.
My left eye began to twitch, "what is the meaning of this?"
Urahara took a quick sip of tea, holding his cup before his face, "I should think it would be crystal clear, Toshiro-kun. After all I can't have you lazing about my shop whilst waiting for your powers to return. I already have a lazy helper around here," he said coolly then yelled out, "Jinta I meant you!"
The sliding door behind me rattled and I caught a glimpse of a small boy with a shock of red hair running away, following him much slower was a little girl with dark hair in pigtails and a mournful look about her face. These I took it were his helpers, though the boy definitely had the look of a skulking rat…I mean brat to him.
I studied the coarse gray outfit with distaste once more, "fine. I'll go," I said defeated by my own adherence to my elders wishes.
~~~*~~~
'You know it doesn't look that bad on you,' Hyourin Maru commented as I modeled before the bathroom mirror.
'A Shihakusho suits me much better,' I said haughtily to him.
The overgrown lizard snorted, 'yeah. And just when are you going to be able to wear a Shihakusho anytime soon, hmm?' he said reminding me—us of our situation. I rubbed my forehead, feeling a pounding headache starting, "shut it and don't remind me," I retorted rather childishly I might add.
I stepped into my new shoes at the front door, swinging my bag of textbooks over my shoulder. A strand of black hair tickled me unfamiliarly; absently I reached up a hand to run it through my black hair. White, Urahara had said, would attract too much undue attention so when entering my Gigai last night, I'd had to concentrate extra hard on picturing myself with a head full of black locks.
I sighed and rolled my shoulders; would I ever get even the least bit acclimated to this body?
~~~*~~~
Karakura High, it turns out is rather far from Urahara Shoten. So much so that I found myself arriving late and being forced to run for the first class of the day, Homeroom with Ms. Ochi. Every eye turned to me when I slipped in the classroom door, a brown-haired woman with a worn smile looked up from the teacher's desk, "Hitsugaya-kun, I presume?"
"Yeah," I said a little out of breath.
"You can take the seat by Kurosaki," she said, waving toward a lone desk among a sea of staring faces. The one I was directed to had its neighbor on the left side inhabited by a familiar orange-haired boy. I had to look twice before I was sure it was he. Ichigo Kurosaki, the human whom had stolen my powers.
He looked just as surprised to see me. Even more so when I cast him a questioning look after he muttered in a low voice, "you…why are you here? Didn't you—"
"Go back to the Soul society?" I finished for him.
He nodded dumbly.
"I couldn't. Idiot. Not after you stole all my powers!" I shot him a withering glare to which he shrank from. I was spared any more of this idiocy when a tiny buzz rang shrilly in the air. Nobody noticed but him and me. I covertly snuck a peek inside my book bag and discovered a soul pager…of all the low down dirty rotten—
Wait a second!
On the screen it showed a tiny red dot moving fast…a Hollow!
A suspicion occurred to me and I quickly grabbed a handful of Kurosaki's shirt, "you're coming with me," I hissed, yanking him out of his chair. Ms. Ochi barely glanced at us as I barreled out of there with Kurosaki in tow, "bathroom!" I called to her. A plausible excuse…no?
~~~To be continued~~~
A/N: wow this was done pretty fast! I didn't expect to write anymore on this one for a while but eh…I had the time :D remember, people who review the story really love it! Heehee Bluesky says that.