Massive thank you to Diah77, Consttanzaa and the Guest for reviewing last chapter!
I know this one was very delayed, I always post updates on my Trello though, so you can keep up to date with where I am in my workload. Next to car issues (it cost me £1,000 in repairs), a wisdom tooth extraction emergency and work making me work through a few weekends (as well as all week) this fic has defo been delayed.
Link to my trello is on my profile, or google "LethanWolf Trello" and it should come up. It will show you where I am in my story progress and if you click into the cards it will show you how much words I've gotten written via the comments.
This chapter was heavily inspired by a roleplay Geishaaa and I did once, so massive shout out to her for this chapter! Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 7 – The Dancing Owl
Toshiro PoV
'Sucks, Bro,' Yukio said with a wide yawn, 'having your birthday be on a Monday and all that.'
Yukio liked to rub this in Toshiro's face. Every year Toshiro's birthday would fall just on the cusp of their winter holidays. Normally the school would let out on the 21st or 22nd of December and Yukio would get to enjoy playing his videogames back in the comfort of his own home for his birthday on the 23rd.
Toshiro's birthday was the 20th and was always on one of the last days of term. He didn't mind, he rather enjoyed the atmosphere just before the Christmas holidays.
It was Thursday evening and Professor Aizen's Christmas party was scheduled for that Saturday.
The entire castle had been decked out for festive period. Large fern Christmas trees plagued the hallways and fat wreaths of holly, buxus and spruce hung on the front of every door in the castle. The smell of cinnamon clung to every student's robes and the meals in the Great Hall had changed to reflect the colder weather.
The Slytherins had spent a bit of extra time making their dank basement common room look a little more homely and inviting, ensuring their friends from other houses would come and hang out. Toshiro had stayed up late one night with Yukio finishing off a collection of fake snowflakes and when Sen had appeared to clean, the house elf helped them hang them up around the large windows.
'Did you just give everyone in the school our password?' Toshiro asked Ninny, ignoring Yukio's birthday jibe, as he did every year.
Ninny smirked and grinned, 'I put it on flyers and hung them around the castle inviting them to our common room to help us make it look more festive.'
'I don't think we're meant to be giving the password out to everyone, Ninny,' Toshiro sighed, running a hand down his face and watching as a bunch of Hufflepuff girls came clambering through, talking in whispers and looking eagerly around.
'What's it matter, we're all students, we're all friends now? Besides, it's not like Gin is going to stop us,' Ninny rolled her eyes. The mention of Gin caused a tight coil to wrap itself around Toshiro's stomach. Nothing else had happened since that day they'd caught Gin talking to this "Dark Lord" person. Toshiro had taken the map out and kept an eye on Gin every evening to see if he snuck off again. Gin had acted like the model student since and could only ever be found patrolling corridors, at his classes or in the library. One evening he disappeared from the map entirely and Toshiro wondered if he'd left the school grounds to meet this mysterious person.
It was almost as if they knew about the map and knew how Toshiro had found them last time - they were clearly being very careful.
'Here,' Ninny said, pulling a box from her bag after removing her feet from the table they all sat around, 'don't read too much into this.' She narrowed her eyes and slid a box over the table toward Yukio.
Yukio blinked down at the box, then glanced back up at her. Ninny reached into her bag and pulled out an identical looking box and handed it to Toshiro, a faint dusting of pink rising in her cheeks.
'Are these gifts?' Toshiro asked, taking the box from her and watching her shrug.
'It was Noel's idea, it's not like I like you both or anything, big pains in my ass,' she leaned back on her chair and put her feet back up on the table, 'they're from both of us.'
Toshiro glanced at Yukio, 'should we wait until our actual birth-'
Too late, Yukio opened his box by taking off the beautiful plum coloured ribbon and grinned happily down inside it.
'Thanks Ninny!' Yukio said happily, pulling two Chocolate Frogs from inside and then fishing around in the tissue paper for an escaped Sherbet Lemon.
'Yeah, yeah,' she waved a hand and glanced over her shoulder where Noel was helping a group of first and second years decorate a black Christmas tree in the corner. Noel caught her girlfriend watching her and sent her a soft smile that had Toshiro glancing away.
Suddenly he empathised with Yukio. Being lonely was hard, especially this time of year. They hadn't seen Rukia all day and no doubt she was off gallivanting with Ichigo somewhere. Toshiro often caught them on the map together, their two dots so close it was hard to differentiate one from the other.
'You not going to open yours?' Yukio asked him, nodding to the dark box Toshiro still held in his hands. Toshiro gave Ninny a smile in response.
'It's bad luck to open gifts before your birthday, so I'll hold onto mine if that's okay,' he said.
'Sure thing, we got you both the same gifts anyway,' Ninny said.
'I didn't think you liked me,' Yukio howled, leaning over the table and into her personal space. It earned him a warranted kick to his shin that had him recoiling away.
Toshiro watched Hyorinmaru playing with the remnants of Yukio's box, pulling the ribbon over to the edge of the table and tossing it onto the ground. Then Toshiro watched the bird ruffle his feathers and fly up off the table, only to be replaced by a beautiful sleek ginger cat.
'Haineko?' Toshiro questioned, recognising the ginger cat at once, despite the fact this was his first time meeting her.
'I hope you don't mind,' chuckled a voice behind him. Toshiro whipped around in his chair. Rangiku was standing there, peeling her travelling cloak off her shoulders, her face flushed like she'd just been outside in the snow. 'I had to go and stop her attacking the Glumbumble's.'
She rolled her eyes and glanced around for a place to put her coat. Toshiro sprung to his feet and offered to take it, his fingers glossing over the skin of her wrist as he did so. He ducked his head and moved away to hang it up on one of the large black coat hangers in the corner.
'Rangiku!' Yukio boomed, 'always a delight, did you come to help our little decorating party?'
'Naturally,' Rangiku smiled, 'though I will admit it's ballsy putting your password on those flyers.'
'Ninny has balls of steel,' Yukio nodded his head grimly and it earned another kick and a noise of disgust from Ninny.
Toshiro walked back to his chair and pulled it out for Rangiku, the older student beamed at him and slid into the chair. As she sat, Rangiku pushed her long blonde hair away from her face, making it look sexily tussled and Toshiro watched the way Ninny and Yukio gaped at her.
'It's nice to finally meet you, Haineko,' Toshiro said, drawing attention to the cat and away from Rangiku, since he knew how much she hated being stared at. Haineko had short fur adorned with stunning ginger tabby markings and her eyes were a deep rich yellow, piercing as they considered him. Hyorinmaru had settled himself on Rangiku's head and Haineko's eyes turned toward the bird, her tail twitching curiously.
'Don't you even think about it,' Rangiku said to the cat. Haineko deflated her posture, looking sulky as she did so, her eyes not moving from Hyorinmaru.
'Maybe this will interest you,' Toshiro said, holding up a pinecone that they'd been using to decorate. He placed it on the edge of the table then flicked it onto the floor. Haineko didn't waste a second, springing down after the silvery painted cone and pawing it across the floor. Toshiro smiled, watching the cat as she chased it under one of the dark leather couches at the other end of the common room.
'I also wanted to bring you this,' Rangiku said, pulling a beautifully wrapped parcel from her bag. The paper was modest, brown packaging paper with golden thread tying it shut. It didn't look anything like a package he'd expect from the woman who had painted her nails violent shades of red and green for the holidays. Rangiku placed the parcel down on the table in front of Toshiro, her grin stretching over her face. 'Happy early-birthday Toshiro!'
'Rangiku,' Toshiro said softly, 'I didn't get you anything for yours?'
'My birthday was right at the start of the year before we became friends,' she said, rolling her eyes but smiling as if she'd expected this response.
'OPEN IT!' Yukio said, leaning across the table and grinning at him.
'Maybe Rangiku doesn't want him to open it in front of everyone, you idiot,' Ninny rolled her eyes.
'I do,' Rangiku said, bouncing on her seat, her eyes alight.
Toshiro was torn, 'I just said I'd open Ninny's gift late-'
'Oh shut up and open it,' Ninny said, exasperated.
Toshiro glanced at Rangiku, trying to work out if she really was okay with it. Her baby blue eyes were twinkling in the soft common room lighting and her smile was dazzling. Taking that as affirmation he reached out and picked the parcel up. It was soft and squishy, clearly an article of clothing.
He looked at the label, which was gold to match the string and simply said "Happy Birthday Toshiro," followed by three kisses. Her handwriting was bubbly, elegant and she dotted the "i" in his name with a heart. Feeling his heart leap up into his throat, he gently undid the bow on the string and opened the gift.
The first thing he noticed was the colour, a deep rich teal, the fabric was soft to the touch as he picked it up. The scarf flowed smoothly down to the floor. It was long enough to be wrapped around his neck at least three times.
'I thought your neck looked cold,' Rangiku said with a shrug. Toshiro smiled, feeling a warmth blossom deep in his chest as he glanced back at her.
'I love it, Rangiku, thank you so much!'
'Try it on, Mate!' Yukio called from the other side of the table.
Toshiro wrapped the scarf twice around his neck and let the ends hang down, the material was soft and comfortable and infused with Rangiku's light perfume. He tried to subtly inhale it from the fabric, but a soft smile from Rangiku told him he'd been caught.
'I thought it would bring out the colour of your eyes,' she said, reaching over to him and fixing the way he'd wrapped it around his neck. Having her attention on him and having her so close was making his heart beat even quicker in his chest. Toshiro swallowed, his eyes waiting for hers to meet them, which they eventually did after she'd adjusted the scarf.
'There,' she said with a soft smile, sitting back to examine her work before offering him a blinding grin.
'It looks good on you,' Yukio said, nodding from across the table, 'good choice Rangiku, it does bring out his eyes. My best friend's a stunner isn't he?'
'Yukio,' Toshiro scowled at him, feeling heat climbing up his neck and across his face, but Rangiku was nodding her head in agreement and Toshiro found he couldn't look her in the eyes again.
'You might want to take it off again though before you get it covered in glitter and silver paint,' Ninny said as she picked up another pine cone and began to dust it with fine silvery powder.
'How can I help?' Rangiku clapped her hands together eagerly looking around at the crafting material on the couch. Toshiro unwound the scarf and hung it carefully up beside Rangiku's jacket, secretly hoping that more of her scent would infuse with the fabric before she left.
The evening had been a success, with Rangiku and everyone else's help the entire Slytherin common room had been transformed from dark and dingy to silver, white and homely. Despite Toshiro's original concern over Haineko, he'd had very little to fear as Hyorinmaru had helped the cat by removing the pinecone she'd been playing with from all the impossible to reach places and passing it back to her. The two had developed an unlikely alliance that at least served to stop the cat staring at Hyorinmaru as if he were food.
Rangiku left that night in high spirits and Toshiro watched her walk all the way back to her common room on his map, ensuring she got back safely. He wasn't sure when Gin and this mysterious "Dark Lord" may make their re-appearance.
Friday seemed to drag on. His Herbology class and his Potions class which he usually enjoyed seemed to be taking up precious time in his day on the lead up to his Alchemy class at the end. With their growing friendship, Toshiro hoped that Rangiku would maybe sit beside him during the lesson, but when the woman entered, she beamed and waved and sat in her usual seat beside Nanao and Isane.
'Mind if I join you?' Noel asked. Toshiro tried not to look too disappointed as the witch sat beside him. They needed to be working in pairs at the very least for the day's lesson and though Toshiro was happy to have Noel's company, he couldn't help but steal side glances at Rangiku for the remainder of the lesson.
'Toshiro, can I grab you please?' Yoruichi asked as the class packed up at the end of the day. Rangiku gave him a final smile but disappeared out of the chamber with her best friend.
Yoruichi had scheduled their flying lesson earlier. With winter moving in, the sun was setting around three in the afternoon in the Scottish highlands. They'd planned to hike up the edge of the lake and return at the tail end of dinner.
'Professor, can I ask you a question?' Toshiro asked breathlessly forty minutes later as he glanced back down the trail they'd just been trekking up into the forest beside the lake.
'You just did,' she smirked, completely less phased by the physical exertion as he was, 'but you may ask me another.'
Toshiro eyed her sceptically, unsure if he was going to get another sarcastic remark. She looked innocently back at him.
'I wondered… did you ever ask anyone out?' he was closely examining a wavy oak leaf close to his face so he didn't have to look at her.
'Yeah I did,' she smiled, 'I asked Urahara to our end of year dance in our seventh year.'
Toshiro glanced at her and she was grinning as she looked out over the lake below them. The sun had started to sink below the mountains in the distance and the sky was a beautiful stilted shade of pale purple with dark blue creeping in from the East.
'The idiot thought I meant as friends and he and I spent most of the night dancing the most ridiculous dances we could invent. It ended with us being thrown out,' she chuckled at her own memory, 'not much has changed.'
Toshiro wanted to ask her more about her relationship with Urahara, like how she knew he was more than a friend but he didn't want to cross some invisible barrier that existed between teacher and student. He was sure they'd already done that with the two of them sneaking off into the woods together during the night away from the castle. If there were any rules about it, she didn't seem to care.
'I'm guessing you're asking because of Rangiku?' she asked. Toshiro's face felt hot again, and he was back to examining the forest around him.
'Is it that obvious?' he asked.
'I saw the way you kept looking at her during class,' she chuckled.
'Crap,' Toshiro covered his face with his hand, 'I promised myself I'd not do that to her.'
'Something tells me she wouldn't mind if it were you,' Yoruichi was smiling kindly at him when he finally turned to glance at her.
'I wanted to ask her to Professor Aizen's party tomorrow night, but I…' he trailed off and sighed, glancing down at his feet.
'Lack the confidence?' Yoruichi asked.
Toshiro didn't need to acknowledge the assumption, it was obvious that she'd hit the nail on the head. His feelings for Rangiku had started to change. He found himself looking forward to the private time they got to share in the Prefect's Bathroom. She was both a lovely person and an intelligent witch, two things he valued above all else.
'I did have a thought, that could be really romantic,' Yoruichi said and when Toshiro saw the way she was smiling, he was sure it was going to involve breaking rules.
'What did you have in mind?'
'Why don't you write her a note asking her, and fly it to her dormitory yourself?' she suggested. Hyorinmaru, who had perched himself on a tree very close to Toshiro, let out a low quivering note at the suggestion. Toshiro glanced up at the Phoenix who was staring expectantly down at him.
'That's…' Toshiro considered it, 'not a bad idea.'
'That way you don't have to ask her to her face, but also you still get to see her genuine reaction,' Yoruichi said grinning still, 'admit it. It's perfect and you should have thought of it.'
Toshiro laughed at the tease and shook his head, 'you know me Professor, I don't break the rules unless it's you encouraging me.'
Yoruichi laughed out loud, 'you should have been sorted into Hufflepuff, not Slytherin.'
Toshiro considered everything she'd said as they continued their hike. Their lesson consisted of learning to fly in the windier conditions further up one of the mountains, and flying through the trees of the woodland they'd just traipsed through. Toshiro found it less terrifying dealing with the high winds as he did trying to fly through the trees at high speeds without hitting a branch. Naturally he hit several.
When he returned back to the castle and sat down to dinner, he was ravenous. Yukio and Rukia came to join him for food and before either of them had opened their mouths to ask the question, he already answered.
'I'm asking her tonight,' he said, feeling his stomach contort with all the food he's just shovelled into it.
'Legend!' Yukio beamed at him. Rukia smiled happily back at him too, she was trying to tempt a reluctant Hyorinmaru to have the last bit of her broccoli. 'Do you need us to help with anything?'
Toshiro hesitated, he didn't want to share his plan, it felt ridiculous and a little pathetic. Not to mention it would involve having to tell them about his Animagus.
He shook his head, 'no I should be fine myself.'
They changed the topic onto lessons and homework as they ate, and only when they were done did Rukia raise the topic again.
'Ichigo thinks you're in with a chance,' Rukia said smiling. It only made the nervous knots in Toshiro's stomach tighten further, 'reckons Rangiku is quite taken with you.'
'It's settled then,' Yukio said, thumping the table and making Hyorinmaru take flight in fright. 'We'll catch up with you later?'
'Where are you two going?' Toshiro frowned as they stood up.
'The library,' Rukia shot Yukio a glance, 'we've got a Muggle Studies essay due on Monday that Idiot here has left until the last minute.'
Yukio grimaced and Toshiro waved them both off, walking out of the Great Hall when he finally located Hyorinmaru who had cuddled himself up on Professor Shiba's shoulder. The two of them made their way back to the Slytherin common room and Toshiro went straight up to his dormitory and pulled out the Marauders Map. He propped it open on his desk at the page that showed him Rangiku's dormitory over at the Ravenclaw tower.
The hours dragged on, and it wasn't until close to nine in the evening that Toshiro saw the familiar little named dot walking up the stairs toward the dormitory. Sitting up straighter in his seat, Toshiro pulled the parchment to his face and watched as she made her way into the room alone.
'It's now or never,' Toshiro breathed a heavy sigh. Hyorinmaru flew onto the desk and bopped his head against Toshiro's hand in comfort. 'Remember the plan, you can't be seen.'
The bird nodded his head silently. Hyroinmaru was going to fly Toshiro to the tower to ensure he was safe and wait for him just outside the window, out of sight of Rangiku. Thankfully the night was dry. Dark clouds hung overhead, but they didn't threaten rain and the wind which blew up from the water of the lake below was frigid and cold. Toshiro shuddered as he opened the window, propping it with the bronze latch as he gazed outside. He was nervous about everything he was about to do, the flight, the note, the response and getting back safely and unseen into his dormitory.
Not wanting to put it off any longer, he stripped down to his boxers and transformed. The little note that he'd re-written three times was sitting on his desk waiting for him and he had no issue flying up to it and clutching it tightly in his claws. His eyes followed Hyorinmaru who hopped gracefully onto the window ledge first and waited for Toshiro to join him. Toshiro was a little taller and had to duck his head to get out.
The wood of the ledge outside the window was slick with moisture from the water below. Fungus growing on the edge of it made it easier to grip, but he was worried about getting the note wet so held one claw out of reach. Hyronimaru clicked his beak, spread his wings and flew down off the ledge and up into the air, turning to wait for him.
With his little heart pounding in his chest Toshiro copied his friend's movements. There was a torrent of air pushing back up off the water which he used to help him soar higher. It was clear he wasn't as experienced as Hyorinmaru in flight as the two of them used the current to climb for a short period, then the Ice Phoenix flew off around the castle and Toshiro followed him. Every now and again the bird in front glanced back to check Toshiro was still there.
It took Hyorinmaru no time at all to locate the Ravenclaw tower and the very window of the floor they'd counted on the map. The Icy Phoenix settled down on a ledge around the circular edge of the building, just out of sight and Toshiro flew to one of the few rooms that still had a light on. Inside, he could see Rangiku sitting on her bed, reading. Feeling his heart set into a new chaotic rhythm, Toshiro landed on the window ledge and was instantly spotted by Rangiku before he'd even tapped the window with his beak.
The girl was still wearing her robes, and put her book down on the bed looking perplexed as she padded over to the window. Toshiro listened to the latch unfasten and the window was lifted open high enough for him to hop inside.
'Hello there,' Rangiku said, closing it behind him and cutting off the draft of cold air. She still looked confused when she approached him and took the small scroll of paper from his claws. Toshiro settled himself down on the desk, relishing the time he could take to look at her without her feeling uncomfortable. Rangiku raised a curious eyebrow when she saw that the message was addressed to her, then a smile as bright as sunshine itself broke across her face.
'This is Toshiro's handwriting!' she said, sounding excited as she glanced across at him, 'I didn't even know he had an owl!'
Toshiro watched with mounting apprehension as she unravelled the scroll and her eyes read from side to side. The smile on her face did not falter, in fact it seemed to grow in radiance as she read.
'I didn't think he'd ask me,' she breathed, grinning. That wasn't quite an answer and he tried his best not to act impatient, remembering that he was just an ordinary owl in her eyes. She reached over toward him and he held his breath. Her finger ghosted down the front of his feathers and the touch felt so warm and soft that he closed his eyes in bliss. While she was stroking him, his ears picked up the background sound of some music. He opened his eyes and glanced across the room at a small travel speaker she had wired up to her phone. His inner musings were interrupted as the door to the dormitory opened and Nanao walked in.
'Honestly, have you seen the state of those showers? It's disgusting, what are those first years doing in them?' she scowled. The other seventh-year had her wet hair tied up in a ponytail and stomped over to her bed before tossing the bag down onto the mattress.
'I offered you the password to the Prefects Bathroom,' Rangiku said.
'And be the third-wheel? No thanks! Besides, it would be really awkward if Toshiro and I ended up in the bathrooms alone together. What if I walked in on him changing?' Nanao's face heated up and she shook her head.
'He changes out of view of the door and Hyorinmaru is always with him, you'd know before you saw him,' Rangiku replied patiently.
'No thank you,' Nanao sniffed at the very idea of breaking the rules and began to undress. Toshiro hastily turned away from the other girl and focused all his attention on Rangiku who was watching him from where she sat on her bad.
'Whose owl is that?' Nanao asked.
'Toshiro's, he just sent me a note inviting me to Professor Aizen's party tomorrow night,' Rangiku said with a hint of the smile she'd had on her face before Nanao entered the room.
'About time,' Nanao said briskly, 'I was starting to think he wasn't going to.'
'So was I,' Rangiku leaned back on the bed, staring down at the paper, her eyes flicking up to where Toshiro sat on the desk pointedly not looking in Nanao's direction.
'He's beautiful, matches Toshiro's hair,' Nanao said with a laugh and Toshiro felt another finger stroke his head this time. He turned automatically and was happy to see that Nanao was in her pajamas. It felt strange to be stroked by Nanao as it had Rangiku and Toshiro was suddenly feeling foolish for taking this mission. He'd expected Rangiku to write her reply straight away and send it back to him. He'd never entertained the possibility he might be expected to wait around for a while.
He started to panic. What if Rangiku waited until the morning to send the reply back? How would he communicate with Hyorinmaru? What if someone closed the window through the night and Toshiro couldn't get back into the room?
'Are you going to reply to him tonight?' Nanao asked, helping Toshiro out.
'Yeah I just don't know what to say,' Rangiku was thoughtful and Toshiro felt his little heart sink in his chest.
'I thought you wanted to go?' Nanao asked, sounding surprised.
'Oh I do!' Rangiku said, correcting the assumption. 'I'd just rather speak to him in person about it.'
'Why?' Nanao asked.
Rangiku opened her mouth to reply but they were interrupted by Miyako throwing the door open and coming into the room with tears pouring down her face.
'Miyako!' Rangiku and Nanao descended on the other woman instantly.
'What happened?' Nanao asked, leading her toward the girl's own bed and then sitting down beside her.
'Kaien and I had a row,' she said, sounding upset. Toshiro hopped his way along the desk he'd perched on so he could better see the three girls together.
'You need to break up with him,' Nanao scowled, 'that's the third row you've had this year and it's not even Christmas yet!'
'I know, I just… I like him so much,' Miyako started crying again and Rangiku and Nanao looked at each other helplessly. Toshiro felt helpless too. He suddenly understood why Hyorinmaru hated watching witches cry, there was something about not being able to comfort them properly in a human body that made watching the entire ordeal uncomfortable. He glanced around the room, looking for some inspiration when the music that had been playing from Rangiku's speaker changed. The low thrumming beats of Flo Rida sounded around the room and Toshiro had a ridiculous idea when considering the question; what would Hyorinmaru do?
Toshiro flew down onto the floor close to the girl's feet, his little talons clipping against the stone flooring as he hopped closer to them. The three girls stopped talking to glance down at him, all of them confused. Toshiro stopped beside their feet, wishing he'd thought this through, and not even sure how he was going to pull it off. He started by bobbing his head in time with the music then extended his wings and awkwardly took a few hops to the right, then to his left. He continued to bob his head, internally smiling when he saw the look of confusion on their faces change.
Rangiku squealed, 'he's dancing!'
'That's adorable!'
'Let me get my phone!' Nanao sprung across the bed to grab her phone and scooted back to the edge. Miyako, her tears now forgotten, started laughing when Toshiro attempted to flutter his wings in what was a very poorly orchestrated wave. Knowing he was safer with head bobs, he went back to doing them, but around and around in circles, his little talons clipping on the stone.
'That's so fucking cute,' Miyako laughed.
'I've never seen an owl act like that, have you?' Nanao asked.
'No, never,' Rangiku shook her head, but was still smiling down at where Toshiro was now attempting to side step, which was incredibly challenging with legs so short.
Their giggles and laughs fuelled him and he didn't care about making a fool of himself, so long as the tears had stopped. He turned his back to them and bent over in an attempt to shake his tail feathers.
'Oh my god,' Miyako laughed, 'is he twerking? Please tell me you have this on camera!'
'I do,' Nanao was grinning and trying to keep her phone steady. Toshiro stopped when the song ended and flew over to Rangiku's bed where she'd discarded the note amongst the drama. He picked it up in his beak and bobbed his head.
'I think he's pretty keen for your response, Rangiku,' Nanao said with a smile.
'Alright, alright,' Rangiku laughed, standing up and pushing her hair out of her face as she took the note from his beak. She went to sit down at her desk, 'how can I say no to an owl that cute?'
'Two adorable birds, he really does know how to attract them,' Nanao replied.
'Three if we include Rangiku,' Miyako chuckled.
'Rangiku isn't someone's bird,' Nanao scolded. Their discussion on feminism faded into the background as Toshiro watched Rangiku scribble her response on a piece of parchment. If Toshiro got metaphorical goosebumps as she attempted to tie it to his leg, well, that was no one else's business but his own. He hopped onto her arm as she walked over to the window and pushed it wide open, shuddering at the frozen air. Toshiro felt elated and spread his wings, turning to give her one last glance before he swept off into the night.
Hyorinmaru circled the turret of the tower in the opposite direction before meeting Toshiro out of sight of the dormitory window and led the way back down toward the lake. The wind that bit at the edges of his wings didn't cause him a single second of hesitancy, he was flying as light as his heart felt.
Toshiro followed the beautiful icy-tipped tail feathers as they disappeared into the boy's dormitory, pausing just outside the window before Hyorinmaru gave him the sign that everything was clear for him to enter. When Toshiro slipped back inside, the hangings around the other beds were pulled closed. Transforming back into his human self, he quickly unfurled the note and read.
Toshiro,
I'd love to come to the dance with you!
Rangiku xxx
P.s you have an adorable dancing owl!
He grinned down at the piece of parchment, before tucking it safely into his trunk and getting ready for bed. As he fell asleep that night, his thoughts were far away from Gin and "The Dark Lord."
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘ ༓ ∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Toshiro's feeling of elation continued into Saturday morning when he went down for breakfast. He was in such a good mood he helped himself to an extra two slices of toast.
'You're eating toast?' Yukio commented, the blond boy had been a little annoyed at the early wake-up call, but brightened when Toshiro told him that Rangiku had agreed to go with him to the party that night.
'I'm in a good mood,' Toshiro shrugged, his eyes kept sliding to the Great Hall doors as he watched various students and staff members trickle in for breakfast. Eventually they were joined by Rukia and then a few moments later Ichigo made his way into the hall with Ninny and Noel.
'What are you looking for?' Rukia asked him, poking him in the side of his ribs and making him flush as he turned to glare at her.
'It wouldn't be a pretty red-head now would it?' Noel asked casually. The heat on his cheeks confirmed her suspicion. 'Rangiku had just come down to the common room as we left, I think she was waiting on Nanao and Miyako.'
Toshiro straightened up, in his own elation of asking Rangiku out, he'd almost forgotten Miyako's situation.
'I heard she ended things with Kaien via note,' Rukia said, 'overheard him complaining about it in the common room before breakfast.'
'News travels fast,' Ninny said, glancing at her girlfriend. Noel neither confirmed nor denied, just shrugged her shoulders.
'I don't know if Rangiku and Nanao will come down to breakfast if Miyako is worried about seeing him,' Noel was talking to Toshiro now.
'You should take them breakfast up,' Yukio said quickly, his face lighting up. Hyorinmaru chirped his agreement and swept from Rukia's shoulder down onto the table and began pecking at various plates. No sooner had the thought occurred to them than food storage tubs appeared on the table.
'Why didn't the elves just send food directly up to the common room?' Ninny asked, frowning at it.
'Because Sen has Toshiro's back,' Rukia flashed him a grin, 'did you ask her to the party yet?'
'Yeah,' Toshiro refused to meet her gaze as he began putting tattie scones into one of the tubs and sausages into another.
'Did she say yes?' Rukia was leaning over the table in a bid to catch his attention, but Toshiro was focused on the pieces of food Hyorinmaru was pointing out to him.
'Yeah, she did, he told me this morning,' Yukio's voice was smug and it was doing little to quell Toshiro's embarrassment.
'And now you're going to be taking her and her friends food, Toshiro, you're a champion,' Ichigo said with a smile.
His friends helped him load the boxes and Noel offered to help him carry them. Toshiro could have used a spell but he didn't want to attract more attention to himself than he needed to. His friends ignored this, and happily shouted their good luck calls at him when he was halfway out the hall, turning a few heads. Toshiro disregarded them. He focused on Hyorinmaru as the bird flew ahead, his flight pattering bouncing up and down as if he were excited at the prospect of seeing Rangiku as well.
Toshiro liked Noel. The girl didn't feel the need to fill silence with small talk or polite conversation. She was just as comfortable leaving Toshiro to his thoughts as Toshiro was being left to them.
They made their way to the fifth floor in the direction of Ravenclaw tower and stopped outside a large wooden door with a brass eagle knocker. The Ravenclaw common room was one Toshiro hadn't ventured into before. He'd never had reason to go before today. Noel always joined Ninny in the Slytherin common room which was easy because it only required a password. He'd also been to the Gryffindor common room a few times because of Rukia and it used a password similar to their own.
The Ravenclaw common room was trickier.
Noel knocked the door and the knocker came to life. The eagle gazed at them with bleary little bronze eyes and then opened its beak and asked them a question.
'How can you row a boat without a paddle?'
Toshiro frowned at the brass eagle and turned to look at Noel who was smiling at him.
'Do you want to try?' she asked.
Toshiro had heard the rumours of this knocker and its absurd questions. He thought carefully. Apparently it had the reputation for asking deep metaphorical questions that on the surface appeared to be simple enough to answer. He wanted to say that he'd use his hands, but decided to try the metaphorical route.
'The journey of life isn't about direction, it's about enjoying the ride whichever way it takes you,' he said.
'Very beautiful,' the knocker replied and Toshiro was sure it was making fun of him. Its little beady eyes flickered to Noel for her answer.
'Use your wand,' Noel replied with pursed lips.
The door clicked and swung open and Toshiro was left feeling incredibly stupid.
Noel laughed as she led the way inside. The Ravenclaw Tower common room was beautiful. It was light and airy, with a ceiling so high it reminded him of the Transfiguration classroom. The carpet was a vivid blue with white stars printed onto its surface. In the centre was a circle of polished wood flooring which bounced back the light that emitted from the high tower windows giving the illusion of the whole chamber being filled with sunlight. Dark emerald blue drapes hung down over white marble walls and the pillars holding the high ceiling in place were lined with bronze. The chamber looked expensive, with velvet furniture and a white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw herself. In the background curve of the tower, books lined the walls in elegant rows on shelves of mahogany.
'Toshiro!' Rangiku squealed, waving at him from where the girls were crowded around one of the room's fires. Toshiro's eyes found her baby blue ones and he grinned at her. Hyorinmaru was already perched on her arm, having his head scratched by Nanao who was sitting beside Rangiku. Their suspicions were confirmed when they saw Miyako sitting opposite them, gazing into the fire. Noel led the way over and the girls made room for them to sit down.
'Did you bring us food?' Nanao asked, surprised but pleased when she saw the tubs that Noel and Toshiro were carrying.
'Yeah, we thought you'd be hungry,' Noel lied for him.
They didn't need to know it was an excuse for Toshiro to see Rangiku again. The woman beamed at him and Toshiro felt his ears getting hot, he focused on opening the tubs.
'You should try eating something,' Nanao said, pushing one of the containers of toast toward Miyako.
The girl sighed and picked up a bit of toast.
'I should head back down, my girlfriend will murder me if I don't help her with her essay,' Noel said rolling her eyes. Hyorinmaru chirped a friendly goodbye to her and Noel sneakily winked at Toshiro as she walked away.
Toshiro locked eyes with Rangiku again. Her eyes were sparkling in the light of the chamber, the expensive backdrop of blue making her look even more beautiful than she had the right to be. A mutual understanding passed between them, they would not mention the dance or anything about their… relationship? While in the presence of Miyako, who was obviously going through a tough time.
'We met your owl last night,' Nanao said, once she'd taken a slice of toast and passed the rest to Rangiku who shared hers with Hyorinmaru.
'He was a delight,' Miyako brightened at this, 'what's his name?'
Fuck.
He'd not thought about a name for his fictional owl self!
'Shiroi,' he said the first thing that popped into his head. Very original.
'You named your owl after yourself?' Nanao raised a judgemental eyebrow at him.
'Well, more after Professor Ukitake, who is one of my favourite professors,' Toshiro tried to cover his lie with another lie, feeling awful about it.
Rangiku tilted her head curiously but none of the girls pressed the matter of the imaginary bird's name.
'Well he's cute, did you know he could dance?' Miyako asked, her whole face lighting up as she recounted the tale and told Nanao to show him the video.
Rangiku was fairly quiet as they moved the conversation toward coursework and exams, she was feeding Hyorinmaru the last bit of her sausage when Nanao and Miyako proclaimed that they were going to go to the library.
'You two go ahead,' Rangiku said with a smile, 'I'll catch up.'
Toshiro tried to relax now that the two of them were alone. Most of the Ravenclaw's were outside enjoying the first snowfall of the year, completing final bits of coursework or packing to head home for the holidays.
'Shiroi?' Rangiku smirked at him, sweeping her long hair over the other side of her face.
'Yeah?' Toshiro replied, his palms growing a little sweaty, he didn't like the idea of lying directly to Rangiku now that they were alone.
'You could have done better than that,' she laughed, 'as soon as you started dancing, I knew it was you.'
Toshiro let his breath go in a gust, there was no point in denying it. Rangiku was clearly an astute woman.
'How did you figure it out?'
She smirked in triumph, 'well let's see,' she held up her long fingers and began counting down her points, 'you disappear off on the regular with our Transfiguration professor for extra lessons, the owl was the whitest owl I have ever seen in my life. I know male barn owls are usually paler but never pure white, when the light hits your eyes just right I could see a little bit of teal in them too, no normal owl would dance like that to cheer a girl up, you turned away while Nanao was getting changed-'
'Okay,' Toshiro said, hushing her as three more students came down the staircase and into the common room, 'okay, yes you're right, it was silly of me to dance.'
Rangiku still looked incredibly pleased with herself, Hyorinmaru was looking up at her from where he now sat perched on her legs.
'Don't worry, your secret is safe with me,' she nodded and sat back in the chair.
'Thank you, Rangiku,' Toshiro smiled sheepishly at her, 'I knew it would be, but it's still nice to hear you say it.'
She grinned at him, 'just think, if you ever annoy me I can ask to borrow your owl and have you send a letter for me,' she laughed and Toshiro rolled his eyes. He knew she'd never actually do that, she just found the idea funny.
'So what time are you picking me up tonight?' she tossed her hair back over her shoulder, like she'd been using it as a shield during their more private conversation.
'Well,' Toshiro scratched his head, 'the party starts at seven so if I meet you here at quarter-to and we just walk there together?'
'Sounds perfect,' Rangiku squealed and clapped her hands together, 'I better go and start getting ready, you're not planning on using the Prefect's bathroom today are you?'
'I- wait it's only eleven,' Toshiro said, his eyes flickering to the large marble clock on the common room wall.
'Yes I know,' she laughed, 'I have nails to paint and places to shave, it takes a long time for a woman to get ready, you know.'
Toshiro could feel his face growing hot again, he hadn't really thought about how much time women spent getting ready. He'd been around Rukia most of his teenage years and she just seemed to appear ready, like she came pre-made that way.
'Okay well, the bathroom is all yours,' he said smiling, 'I'll make do with the Slytherin common room showers.'
She beamed at him and he took that as his cue to leave. He was now very concerned that he hadn't thought enough about what he would be wearing or doing with his hair in a bid to impress Rangiku, did men have to put as much effort in? He decided he'd go and ask Yukio for help.
'I'll see you tonight,' Rangiku waved at him and Hyorinmaru swept up onto Toshiro's head with a final chirp farewell to Rangiku.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘༓∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
Yukio was elated to help Toshiro get ready. Thankfully Toshiro had a decent set of dress robes that had belonged to his father, Granny had taken them up a bit for him and sent them to school using one of the school owls that Toshiro had sent her asking for help.
She demanded to know how it went and reminded him that Rangiku was lucky to have his attention, which just made Toshiro laugh.
If only his Granny could meet Rangiku, she'd realise it was the other way round.
The dress robes were old-fashioned, boasting a bow tie rather than a regular tie, though the bow tie, which had originally been purple, his Granny had replaced with a teal green one to match his eyes.
They'd given up trying to do anything with Toshiro's hair. It looked stupid when he and Yukio tried to gel it and even straightening it just made him look stupid. Hyorinmaru was very vocal with his displeasure anytime they tried too hard and only when his hair was back to normal, did the tiny Phoenix chirp in content.
Trusting his wingman, Toshiro picked up the flowers he had and took one last look in the mirror at himself.
'It's as good as it's gonna get, mate,' Yukio said with a smirk.
'Yeah I think you're right,' his stomach twisted uncomfortably.
'Is Hyorinmaru coming with you tonight, or are you worried he'll just interrupt,' Yukio sniggered suggestively and Toshiro glared at his friend.
'If he wants to stay here, he can,' Toshiro glanced at him. He was worried about getting distracted with Rangiku at a party where anyone else could steal him away, 'but he may be safer here, hidden in the common room.'
Hyorinmaru chirped in agreement and Toshiro relaxed. He wouldn't have to worry about keeping his eye on him at the party.
'I'll walk you part way,' Yukio said, slinging his bag over his shoulder, 'I have that essay to finish,' he grumbled.
'That's what you get for leaving it until last minute,' Toshiro teased back, but he was thankful for his friend's company and gentle banter to ease his nerves as he walked to meet Rangiku at their scheduled time.
Yukio eventually broke away, with a wink and a "go-get-her-tiger" comment before he made his way, laughing, toward the library.
Toshiro's stomach was in knots as he walked to the Ravenclaw common room, and knocked on the large wooden door.
The brass knocker came to life, and eyed him with a judgemental glance before opening its metal beak and asking; 'how long is a piece of string?'
'As long as it needs to be to do its job,' Toshiro smiled.
'Well argued,' the brass knocker returned and the door swung open. It wasn't as hard as Toshiro thought it would be to gain entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. He was secretly pleased for that, he rather enjoyed seeing Rangiku in the lighting of this room compared to the dark Slytherin common room.
The thought was echoed tenfold when he saw Rangiku hurrying down the marble staircase at the other side of the chamber, led by Nanao who was holding her shoes in one hand and fixing the front of Rangiku's dress with her other.
She'd opted for a stunning set of dark pink dress robes, tied around her waist with an elegant red sash that highlighted the dip before her hips. The edges were stitched with red lace that probably would have looked too much on any other girl, but Rangiku somehow pulled it off flawlessly. Momentarily stunned and lost for words, Toshiro just stood there staring at her, aware of Nanao's smug glances. Rangiku paused at one of the chairs and leaned against it to slip her feet into beautiful red heels, her toenails flashing red in the dimming light of the fading fire.
'You're here on time!' Rangiku grinned happily at him.
He was at least eighty percent sure he'd forgotten how to speak.
'Are those for Rangiku?' Miyako saved him, nodding at the flowers.
'Oh yes,' Toshiro held them out to her, aware he was coming across like a blundering mess. Rangiku didn't seem to care, she took the flowers and beamed at them. The flowers had been a last minute reminder by Yukio who'd done him a solid and got some from Ukitake. There was only a limited selection to choose from, wild daffodils that Ukitake had preserved from spring and some of his finest roses and snowdrops.
'I'll put them in water beside your bed,' Nanao said, taking them from Rangiku's hands, 'you'd better go or you'll be late.'
Toshiro awkwardly held out his arm for her, but Rangiku grinned and took it, making him feel less stupid. They turned to leave and Toshiro held the door open for her as they walked through into the hallway.
'You look…' Toshiro knew he wanted to compliment her but didn't know if there were words in the English language strong enough.
Rangiku threw back her head and laughed at his dumbfounded expression, 'it's not very often I get to exercise my ability to make someone as intelligent as you, inarticulate.'
'I don't know what spell you cast,' Toshiro smiled shyly up at her, 'but it's a bloody good one.'
She beamed back down at him again, her face beautiful whenever her smile reached her eyes. He could tell she wasn't putting it on, she was genuinely happy.
'I am a Ravenclaw,' she smirked, pulling her wand from inside her bra and Toshiro's whole face went red, which just made her laugh harder.
'Please tell me you're not keeping your wand in your bra?' Toshiro groaned, covering his red face with a hand.
'Where else am I meant to keep it? They don't make women's dress robes with pockets and you'd think they'd consider that?' Rangiku complained.
'That is fairly surprising,' Toshiro tried to rub the embarrassment away from his cheeks.
'I mean… I know where I could keep it, but I think that'd be even more inappropriate than- I'm sorry!' she was laughing hysterically at him now as Toshiro practically dissolved in his own embarrassment.
The banter continued, much to Toshiro's ambivalence, until they arrived at Professor Aizen's classroom and office space. Much like the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the office was attached, but was just through a door to the left that had been turned into a beautiful archway for the festive period. The entire space was decorated with snowy drapes, creating a winter look, with glitter all over the floor and pine trees with ornate decorations hanging from their branches. In the corner the band had set up early, Noel was strumming on a stringed instrument that looked like a guitar but with extra strings, while Ninny sung a ballad version of God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogriffs.
'Toshiro, glad you could make it,' Professor Aizen greeted them. He wore a set of handsome bronze robes and his intelligent brown eyes flying up to Rangiku and a soft smile spreading on his face, 'and Rangiku, I hardly recognised you, radiant as ever,' Aizen kissed Rangiku's hand with a smile like he was enjoying an inside joke. He shook Toshiro's hand and gestured for them to join the party.
Rangiku and Toshiro walked in, the space was not as crowded as Toshiro had expected it to be, it seemed Aizen was quite selective of the students he invited. Rangiku relaxed after a few moments.
'You okay?' Toshiro asked, glancing up at her.
'Yeah, just, I was worried that Gin would be here,' she frowned down at him. In his elation of successfully asking Rangiku out, he'd almost forgotten about her ex and how she must have been feeling.
'Shoot, I didn't even think of that,' Toshiro frowned.
'It's fine, I think Professor Aizen already knew, he doesn't seem to miss a beat,' Rangiku glanced gratefully back at him.
'Toshiro! Rangiku!' a familiar voice shouted. It was Rukia, wearing dress robes of stunning pale blue, she waved them over to where she was stood with Ichigo close to a table of drinks. Ichigo had downed a set of maroon red robes that were some of the more colourful dress robes in the room, but he pulled them off with his charming grin and handsome features.
'Looking good,' Ichigo nodded to Toshiro, with a soft smile.
'Thanks, you too,' Toshiro grinned up at the Hufflepuff who just smirked back down at him. Glancing back around the room, to double check for any signs of Gin, Toshiro saw Uryu and Orihime off dancing by themselves in the corner close to the band, Ulquiorra making small talk with an uninterested Grimmjow whileNell, Nemu and Bazz B were all mulling around talking to people. There were several ghosts present as well as a few Professors including Professors Urahara, Shihouin, Yadomaru, Kyoraku and Ukitake..
'I'm surprised he didn't invite Momo,' Rangiku said with a frown.
'Yeah,' Toshiro's eyes slide around, looking for his cousin. It was strange, she always seemed to be glued to Aizen's side.
'I heard he only invites people he thinks are going places,' Rukia said with a sly smirk at Toshiro, 'no offence to your cousin.'
Toshiro shot her a glare back, he and Momo might not entirely see eye to eye, but he didn't like it when other people spoke poorly of her.
'It's a wonder why you were invited then,' Ichigo shot at Rukia who choked indignantly on her butterbeer and glared up at him.
'Excuse you?' she snapped, 'best Quidditch player here, thank you very much.'
'We'll see about that,' Ichigo's eyes were twinkling with mischief and even though Toshiro had to look away or risk losing his lunch, the exchange did make him a little excited for the Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match at the end of the year.
The butterbeer and food was free, so the four friends took full advantage of it. Ichigo and Rangiku began to drink some of the firewhisky, which had Ichigo scowling as it seared his throat and made Rangiku's cheeks turn pink as she laughed at him.
'Do you want to try some?' Rangiku asked, smirking at Toshiro.
'No thanks,' Toshiro frowned at the drink, it had a significantly higher alcohol percentage than butterbeer and he was worried how it might impact his actions. He preferred having a clear head.
They were eventually joined by Isane and her sister Kiyone as well as Professors Ukitake and Kyoraku. Toshiro had hoped to avoid both of them, but he didn't expect them to be invited to the party. Kyoraku was clearly intoxicated, from the way he was hanging off of Ukitake's shoulder. It disturbed Toshiro to see his teachers in such a state.
Professor Shihouin smirked knowingly when she saw that Toshiro had arrived with Rangiku, but thankfully didn't say anything about it.
Ukitake was smiling coyly from over his cup, and Toshiro was sure it had something to do with his date as well, but unlike Professor Shihouin, Professor Ukitake would never go out of his way to make Toshiro feel uncomfortable, unlike-
'So, Toshiro,' Professor Kyoraku started, as he leaned in close and grinned at him.
'No, Dear,' Ukitake said, gently taking his arm and lifting him up, 'I think there's some Wolfsbane bites being served.' Kyoraku looked like a child who had been denied a great opportunity of mischief and Toshiro's nerves felt like they were shot. Perhaps this was the worst place to invite Rangiku for their first date, this felt much more like it should have been a third or fourth date.
'How did you get on with the Alchemy homework?' Isane asked them both, and Toshiro, who was thankful for a normal topic of conversation, jumped to answer.
'It was really complicated, but I think I completed it,' Toshiro said with a smile, 'I really enjoyed the challenge.'
'It was easy-peasy,' Rangiku sang happily, winking at him and leaning over toward Isane. It took all of Toshiro's self-control to stop his eyes drifting anywhere inappropriate, which was made harder by the obvious way that Rangiku was leaning across his lap to speak to the girl.
He contented himself by counting the number of times Professor Urahara made inappropriate hand gestures, and was saved when Professor Ukitake came back after depositing Kyoraku in a chair to sleep off some of his alcohol abuse.
The chat moved dangerously close toward dating topics, thankfully Toshiro managed to avoid most of the questions which were aimed at Rukia and Ichigo.
While the Professors pried into the love lives of his friends, Rangiku twisted closer toward Toshiro to clap loudly as Ninny, Noel and their band wrapped up the end of another Christmas song. He didn't mind the proximity, but he was growing alarmingly concerned with how… floppy… Rangiku was becoming. She slipped across his lap, laughing as Professor Kyoraku slid out of his seat in the corner, still fast asleep and snoring on the floor.
'Should we get some fresh air?' Toshiro offered, frowning as Rangiku placed both her hands on his left thigh to push herself up.
'I'm not half as drunk as I think I am,' she replied.
'Yes, let's get some fresh air,' Toshiro stood up, watching her pout and offered her his hand. She grinned and took it, letting him pull her to her feet.
'Where are you two slipping off too?' Urahara asked loudly, 'some alone time?'
'Claws away, let them be,' Professor Shihouin patted his cheek to capture his attention and everyone else's, allowing Rangiku and Toshiro to slip toward the back of the room. Professor Aizen was stood close to one of the large open windows in his office and glanced over as they walked in, smiling.
'Are you enjoying the party?' he asked.
'Yes, Professor, thank you for inviting us,' Toshiro led Rangiku toward the window where she was observed by Professor Aizen.
'That firewhisky can be dangerous,' he smiled kindly, producing a glass of water from nowhere and handing it to Rangiku to drink. Gratefully, she took it and began to sip, leaning against the wall. Toshiro watched her face, noticing the little twinkle in her eye as she glanced at him and felt his heart skip. He turned his attention back toward the Professor who was gazing out across the forbidden forest with a concerned look on his face.
'Professor?' Toshiro asked, following his gaze to the Dark Forest and seeing, not for the first time, distant black movement above the trees.
'I feel like something is happening,' he said, speaking so softly Toshiro could barely hear him. He raised his finger and thumb to his chin thoughtfully.
'Professor, we've been meaning to talk to you, actually,' Toshiro said, nodding to the Dementors in the distance, 'about something we've noticed in the castle.'
Aizen's eyes flew toward the door and back to Toshiro, 'it's alright, Toshiro, I've already been informed.'
It seemed Yukio had beaten Toshiro to it.
'What do you think?' Toshiro asked with a frown.
'I think you should tell very few people, I think keep it close until we have more information,' Aizen said with a frown, 'was there anything else concerning you?'
'I am worried about Hyorinmaru,' Toshiro said. Aizen's fatherly expression morphed into one of understanding, allowing Toshiro to continue if he felt the need. 'He's not been acting himself, and I worry this all has something to do with him, or he's warning me of something.'
'He's a very intelligent bird, I'd heed his warning' the Professor stated. His eyes flickered around the room and he frowned, 'where is he tonight?'
'He's in the boys' dormitory, but maybe I should go back and check on him,' Toshiro was feeling anxious all of a sudden. Aizen continued to study his face for a moment before nodding.
'Perhaps walk Rangiku back first?' he said, turning his attention to the girl who had finished the water and was leaning her head against the cool stone wall.
'Yes, good idea,' Toshiro said and he walked over to the blonde girl.
After a bit of coaxing, Rangiku agreed to leave and she and Toshiro managed to slip away with the help of Aizen. When they stepped into the hallway and began to walk down it, they saw Yukio walking toward them. Yukio soon spotted them, grinning broadly and pushing his blond hair from his cheeky face as his eyes flickered between the two of them.
'What are you doing here?' Toshiro asked, surprised. The smile on Yukio's face faltered for a second.
'Well I absolutely wasn't just at the kitchens getting extra study snacks before bed, because that would be really irresponsible of me,' he laughed and Toshiro rolled his eyes.
'Hey Yukio, you're looking as chipper as ever,' Rangiku grinned at him. The blond beamed up at her.
'Just remember if he's not treating you right, I'm still very available,' he winked and Toshiro scowled at him while Rangiku laughed.
'Please stop flirting with my date,' Toshiro sighed and Yukio winked at him.
'Feeling left out pal? I can flirt with you too if you want?'
Toshiro wanted to hit him.
He laughed at the look on his face and shook his head, 'I'm heading back to the common room just now, I'll see you there, excited to hear all about the party,' his eyes flickered back up to Rangiku and the smile never left his face.
'See you later, Yukio,' Rangiku waved him off as Toshiro walked her back to her dorms.
'He's a lovely boy,' she sighed, 'I hope he finds a girlfriend soon.'
'I reckon it's the chasing he enjoys, even if he got one, he'd likely ignore her in favour of the latest Playstation game,' Toshiro shook his head, he loved his friend, but he was hopeless at times.
'And what about me?' she asked.
'Hm?'
'Am I going to be getting ignored for a Playstation game?'
Toshiro glanced up at her, she was looking ahead as she spoke, but there was softness to her lips that hinted at a smile.
'I don't even own one,' Toshiro replied.
'You're so bad at this,' Rangiku's composure finally broke and she smiled and shook her head, 'I was trying to ask if I'm your girlfriend.'
'Oh,' Toshiro did not pick up on that at all, he thought they were talking about games. He felt the heat creep up his neck and spill over his cheeks and he glanced away from her.
'Did you want to be?' he asked.
'I thought I made that obvious when I agreed to come on this date with you,' she grinned at him.
'Well… then, I guess you are, as long as that's what you want,' he mumbled shyly.
'You're so cute,' Rangiku laughed, but her fingers caught and entwined with his. The scorching heat of her skin shocked him since he wasn't expecting it. Tentatively he gave her hand a gentle squeeze and felt the pressure return. Grinning, like a love struck idiot, he was sad when they rounded the corner and the Ravenclaw tower room door came into view, brass knocker and all.
'I guess this is where I say goodnight,' Rangiku said, turning to face him.
'Yes,' Toshiro replied, awkwardly, 'goodnight, Rangiku.'
She smiled expectantly down at him and Toshiro rocked on his feet for a second, his eyes on her lips. Her smile widened encouragingly, but Toshiro was so scared of pushing his luck, he chickened out and leaned back away from her.
'I'll see you tomorrow?' he asked, stupidly.
Thankfully, Rangiku didn't look put out, her smile remained and even reached her eyes and she nodded.
'Of course you will,' she said.
Toshiro nodded his head and stepped away from her. He made sure she got into the Ravenclaw common room okay and turned to leave when the door had swung shut behind her. He felt elated, like he was walking on air, and barely refrained from skipping back to the common room.
No sooner had he turned the corner, than he saw Yukio sprinting toward him, his chubby face flushed and his green eyes round with fear.
'Toshiro! Quick! It's Hyorinmaru!'
Terror and dread, unlike anything Toshiro had ever felt, shattered his happiness and he darted toward his best friend who spun on the spot to run back with him in the direction of their common room.
'What happened?!' Toshiro asked.
'The whole room is trashed,' Yukio panted, rubbing at a stitch in his side, 'I couldn't see him!'
Toshiro picked up the pace, feeling bad for leaving Yukio behind, but he knew his friend would understand. He had to get to the common room! If Hyorinmaru was gone, the map was his only way to find the bird again.
The Gryffindor Tower was located on the other side of the castle and it took Toshiro longer than he'd have liked to get there. Some students, who had stayed up late, were shocked as he came barrelling into the common room and threw himself up the stairs. He had a sharp pain shooting through his chest as he took the stairs two at a time and then crashed into their dormitory room. The door had been left intact, but wide open and a few of the other students had poked their heads in to see what was going on. The entire bedroom had been demolished, upturned, with the contents of both Yukio and Toshiro's trunks sprawled across the floor. Toshiro had just finished ushering the students out of the room when a painful chirping cry met his ears. He turned around and glanced around the room as another little cry sounded lower down and he threw himself onto the ground to look for him.
He found Hyorinmaru hiding under the wreckage of his bed, shaking, his feathers sticking out at odd angles.
'Hyorinmaru!' Toshiro called, the relief in his voice making it shake. He crawled closer toward the bed, not caring that he was dragging his father's dress robes across the dusty stone floor. Hyorinmaru didn't seem to recognise him, tilting his head this way and that, like he wasn't really sure it was Toshiro.
As concerned as Toshiro was for the phoenix's health, he was so relieved to find him alive and still in the room. A few minutes went by, while Toshiro tried to coax the bird out, before the door banged open and Yukio collapsed into the room in a pile of worn out robes.
'He's here,' Toshiro said instantly.
'Th-thank god,' Yukio panted, crawling over to Toshiro's side and breathing heavily. Toshiro had already recovered and thanked his stars that he ran regularly, if he'd been away any longer, goodness knows what state Hyorinmaru would have been in.
'Hyorinmaru?' Toshiro tried again, gently trying to tempt the bird with one of his favourite treats. The tiny little phoenix continued tilting his head in different directions, as if trying to rid its head of something.
'I wonder what the heck happened? I wasn't gone for long, I couldn't have been away for any more than half an hour,' Yukio said.
'It's fine, he's safe, I just need to take him to Professor Isshin,' Toshiro sighed. With each passing minute, Hyorinmaru drew closer to him. It seemed the bird was slowly coming to.
When he finally found his way onto Toshiro's arm, Toshiro vowed to never leave the bird alone, ever again. He stepped back up, stroking his feathers, 'we're going to see Professor Isshin.'
'Toshiro?'
Toshiro turned around to see Yukio looking amongst the wreckage of their trunks, a frown on his face.
'What is it?'
'It wasn't just Hyorinmaru they were after,' Yukio glanced at him, 'the cloak of invisibility is gone too.'
Remember to check out my Trello for updates, I've not even started writing the next chapter yet so expect delays but the Trello will let you know when I start writing it and how far along it is :D
I appreciate any reviews too! As long as they're not passive aggressive comments about how long it takes me to write when George R.R Martin is out there existing XD