Bleh. The semester's over, and usually that's supposed to mean I'm on vacation. Vacation is supposed to mean relaxation and rejuvenation. So why have I not been fully conscious since it started?

In any case, I have a new blog set up now, but it's not like the old one (which fell off and died a few months ago). This new blog, "The Cottage at the Edge of Forever," is a place for my original fiction. I post a new piece every weekday. So take a look, if you're so inclined, at ib-fantasy (dot) blogspot (dot) com. Also, if you want to keep up on what I'm doing creatively, might I suggest finding me on Facebook? Yes, yes, I'm caught up now. Look for the "Iced Blood" from Lodi, California. That's me. I post every update, fiction or otherwise, up on there.

With that said, I tried to go back to the older method of short little snapshots for this chapter. I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately, and maybe that's an indication that I'm not doing it right. But anyway, I hope that you enjoy this little glimpse of madness.

See you next time.


"Ah…Taichou? What are you doing?"

"Training."

"That isn't what it looks like you're doing. What kind of regimen involves balancing on your head?"

"Don't ask me. It wasn't my idea."

"Your face is red. I think you might want to stop."

"No. I have fifteen more minutes."

"…How long have you been upside down like that?"

"Five hours, forty-five minutes."

"How, exactly, are you keeping track?"

"That's part of it. I'm counting seconds. If you could stop talking, please; you're breaking my concentration."

"Oh! My apologies. Um…good luck, sir. Let me know how it works out."

"Fine."

"…Matsumoto-fukutaichou, there you are. Um…why is the captain balancing upside down in his office? He says he's training."

"He was talking to Kurosaki-taichou earlier this morning."

"So, it was his idea?"

"I'm sure it was a joke, but…well, he's surprisingly convincing when he wants to be."

"I've never known the captain to be much of a jokester. Not to mention, he didn't have the look of someone involved in a joke. He looked…rather grave."

"Oh, so did Kurosaki. He told Toushirou that this training method was a tried-and-true way to enhance one's sense of balance, passed down by his father. He said it would undoubtedly raise Toushirou's capabilities, and it was a simple exercise to do. He'd be a fool not to try it."

"But…six hours?"

"Any less, and the body won't recalibrate itself."

"…Of course. Kurosaki-taichou must be playing some kind of prank."

"Obviously, he is. I'm sure Toushirou knows that, too."

"So then…why is he doing it?"

"He's too proud to decline a challenge. He's not about to admit defeat. Not to mention…if it actually does amount to anything. Well, then, why not? I sincerely doubt he's fooled. Toushirou hasn't listened to a word out of Kurosaki-taichou's mouth ever since he first arrived here. But, on the off-chance he does believe this…well, I don't have the heart to tell him otherwise."


"You don't seem particularly…perturbed about the whole thing."

Hitsugaya didn't respond at once, choosing instead to study the wall for a while. "I'm not."

"Didn't you just say this morning that he played you for a fool?"

"I did." The young captain shrugged. "And he did. But that's not particularly important."

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow, wondering if perhaps her leader were growing more mature. She remembered a time, not so long ago, when being mocked like this would have sent him into hysterics. "Oh?"

Hitsugaya nodded, though he certainly didn't look pleased. "It's common practice to haze the newcomer, especially in an institution like ours." He actually chuckled. "This is the first time I can think of when the newcomer's actually done the hazing."

A suspicious look crossed Matsumoto's face. "…You're proud of him."

Hitsugaya blinked, then shrugged again.

"Maybe."