Welcome back, everyone! I'm not going to lie; I was worried about updating in Norway. I thought it would end up going into Norwegian or something, but I guess I was worried over nothing. Whew! But, we know that our Toshiro isn't worried over nothing. His premonitions are coming true, people say he looks like Ryuki, and he's now got wings! What will this mean?!
Chapter 13
The Real Reason
"We're here." Caleb said in a hushed voice. He stuck to the shadows as he moved to some bushes, and the only noise he made was the sound of his feet touching the grass. He looked around him with his eyes, keeping his ears pricked up for any movement. Nothing. He looked over his shoulder and beckoned the girl to follow him. She moved quickly from behind a tree trunk and got to Caleb, holding onto his coat. Caleb placed a hand on her back, silently comforting her. "If it's too scary for you, you can back out if you want." The girl shook her head. "Alright. I think I see them." Caleb pulled down some leaves and looked out through the light. His eyes widened. Was that a Feather? And who was that person with wings? Squinting, Caleb recognised him as that same white haired boy he attacked yesterday.
Damn… Caleb thought, clenching his teeth. To think Etheline would bring out a Mecha Feather.
"What is it, Caleb?" The girl asked. Caleb moved aside to let her look, and she let out a sharp gasp. "The boy! He's…"
"Yes." Caleb nodded. "It's just like we thought. Those two are the ones we need. They could be…the key."
"You mean…" She looked away from the gap and at Caleb. Caleb smiled a gentle smile, and she understood. "So…Wh-What do we do?"
"We wait."
"Okay."
Meanwhile, the Feather was staring down at the ant-sized Toshiro, who still held the sword in his hands. Toshiro looked up at the guns underneath its head. He then recalled how the Feather fired a green laser, and afterwards, Ren couldn't use her Shackles. Maybe, that was what caused her to lose that ability. If that was the case, then he had to avoid it at all costs, otherwise who knows what would happen. The Feather creaked its head up, the tentacles moving from the lake and up its legs, where they went underneath the head and waved like snakes underneath the chin.
"Hey, Steph. Don't you think it looks like Cthulhu with those tentacles?" Ren said, pointing at the Feather.
"Oh, yeah." Steph said, finally noticing it.
"Ha!" Tom laughed. Ichigo, however, looked at them with blank eyes. How are they so relaxed in this situation?
The Feather let out a rumbling noise, and a gun pointed at Toshiro before firing a stream of red fire at him.
"Hey, no fair! The Feather has flame throwers!" Ren yelled.
"!" Toshiro dodged the fire by jumping to his left, but he could still feel the heat from the fire. The fire followed where Toshiro ran, burning the ground with a line of fire. Caleb and the hooded girl were nearby, and Caleb immediately pulled the girl away from the bushes, afraid of getting burned and/or discovered. Toshiro, however, wasn't fazed. After all, he had wings now. But, these were different to the wings he had on his bankai. He used his spirit energy to control the wings and fly before, but these wings he had now were different. They weren't made form ice, for starters, and they were proper limbs, which meant that he physically controlled them, and that if they got damaged, he would definitely feel it. He skidded to a stop, and the Feather stopped firing the flame thrower at him. Instead, it changed tentacles, and went straight to the one that fired pulsations. The one that knocked Toshiro back earlier. Toshio decided that he just had to give the wings a shot and see how it went. If it went well, then he was at an advantage. Just as he thought about taking off, Toshiro felt the wings move, ready to fly. Wings that moved on their own? How odd. Shrugging that off, Toshiro clenched the sword in his hands, and just as the Feather fired pulsations at him, jumped up into the air. The wings flapped on their own, and Toshiro was soon flying a little higher than the Feather's head. As soon as Toshiro reached that height, the wings spread out, and he remained hovering there. Toshiro looked at each wing, marvelling at how they worked.
Okay. He thought. I think I have it figured out. They're an extension of my body, yet they do not require me to actually physically use them. They move by thought alone. That's good. That way, I won't have to focus on them while I fight. The Feather turned its head at Toshiro, who immediately charged at the Feather. Using the sword, Toshiro ran the tip of the blade along the head, leaving an ugly scar upon the left side of its head. Toshiro hovered in front of the Feather, the wings spread out and remained motionless, letting him float there. I'm a lot faster than I was on ground. It must be the air velocity that's making me speed up, but it's as fast as Flash Step, maybe even faster. Perfect. Toshiro noticed how another tentacle was sneakily pointing at Ren and the others, who were unaware of this deception. Toshiro immediately dove down and sliced that tentacle off, letting it drop down on the ground. While he was underneath the head, Toshiro hovered underneath it and stabbed the sword right in the centre. Seeing as it was a machine, Toshiro expected to see a few sparks fly, but there was nothing. Then, he felt something drip on his face. Still keeping one hand on the sword, he moved the other hand where he felt the drip, touched it with his fingers and looked at the tips. It was grey, and it felt flaky and dry. What was it? Oil? Blood? Toshiro was so distracted by this that he didn't notice how another tentacle was pointing right at him. Just as Toshiro looked to his left and saw the tentacle, he only just had enough time to pull the sword out before it fired another pulsation at him, knocking him back. Toshiro was sent spinning through the air, before he finally managed to stop himself, and remained hovering in the sky, slightly grazed from that attack.
"Damn. It had another one?" Toshiro cursed. He looked at the sword, hoping there weren't any cracks or any noticeable damage on it, and there wasn't, much to his relief. He didn't want to see Ren's face if he broke something belonging to her. But, he had a Feather to kill. A Feather that was a lot more powerful than the others Ren and Toshiro had previously encountered. The Feather twisted its head to Toshiro, and it aimed not one, not two, but three tentacles at him. Toshiro recognised the heads. They were the ones that shot fire. The fact that there were three of them could only mean that the Feather was determined to get rid of this fly once and for all. The Feather fired the three flame throwers at Toshiro, who crossed his arms in front of him, bracing himself for the inferno to come. But, instead, he didn't feel hot. He felt…cold. He heard a crackling sound, a silence and then a smash. He lowered his arms, and looked down at the ground. There was a pile of red ice that lay shattered on the ground. Ice? How did that happen? When did that happen? And, why was he still feeling cold?
"What's going on?" Toshiro thought out loud, rubbing his head. "Huh?" He then noticed that there was something around his wrist. It looked like smoke, and it occasionally shone in the sun, like fresh snow. It was on his other arm, too. He looked down at his legs. The smoke was around his ankles too.
"What are those things?" Tom asked, noticing the smoke around Toshiro's limbs.
"I don't know." Steph answered.
"…" Ren stared at the smoke in silent contemplation, trying to put two and two together. But, no matter what she thought of, nothing seemed to make sense. However, they did look rather familiar to her.
"Caleb!" The girl gasped, turning to Caleb, who had noticed the smoke, too.
"Yeah, I know." Caleb said. "Now, there is no more room for doubt."
"What are these things?" Toshiro said, looking at the smoke over and over again. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand, and looked at his wrists again. They were still there. The Feather's growl brought Toshiro back to his senses. Several of the ordinary Feather tentacles shot out at him, their heads spears. With a yelp, Toshiro instinctively dropped the sword and thrust his hands out if front of him. Frost instantly shot out of them and encased all of the tentacles. As soon as the frost cleared, the tentacles were literally frozen where they were, before they dropped to the ground and shattered into tiny pieces.
"Did I…?" Toshiro started, looking at his hands again.
"Did he freeze them?" Ichigo said, seeing what just happened. "It's just like Hyorinmaru."
"Odd…" Ren said slowly, standing up to see if she could get a closer look. Ren stood on her toes, and her heels tapped together out of habit. Suddenly, her Fire Shackles appeared around her wrists and ankles. "Wah!"
"What's wrong, Ren?" Tom asked, hearing her yelp. Ren looked at her hands, feeling the familiar and reassuring warmth from the fire.
"They're back? They're back!" Ren exclaimed. She glanced up at the Feather. "And I have an idea." She said, smiling. Steph, recognising that look on her face, smirked. That Feather was done for. "Ren's back, baby!" Ren yelled, blasting off into the sky and straight at the Feather. In seconds, she was hovering by Toshiro's side, and her sudden appearance snapped him back to reality.
"Whoa!"
"Hi, Shiro." Ren said happily, giving him a little wave.
"Your Shackles…" Toshiro said rather stupidly, pointing at her ankles feebly.
"Yup, they're back. And I guess you have them, too."
"What do you mean?"
"That smoke. I think I know what they are. See, when Ryuki appeared, he had this weird smoke around his wrists and ankles. And it looks just like that." Ren pointed at the Shackle around Toshiro's left wrist. "Now, I know this sounds crazy but…I think that's Ryuki's ability."
"!" Toshiro's eyes widened, the words echoing through his head so many times, it gave him a headache.
"I think that's Ryuki's ability."
First the premonitions, then the wings, now this? Toshiro thought, still in shock. What the hell is going on?
"Shiiiiirooooo!" Ren said loudly to get his attention. "Are we gonna whoop this things ass or what?"
"R-R-Right. Yeah." Toshiro said quickly. "Um, do you want this back?" Toshiro asked, pointing at the sword that was in the ground and next to Ren's discarded blazer.
"Nah. Keep it there for now. I have a plan anyway. But, I'll need your help."
"Just tell me what to do." Toshiro said, ready to help.
"Alright." Ren placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear. After a few seconds, she pulled away. "Well? What do you think?"
"It's a little risky." Toshiro admitted. "I don't even know how these things work, anyway."
"Just leave it to luck! That's what I do! "Ren said cheerfully.
"Yes, but you are a special case." The Feather growled and aimed some if its guns at the two of them. "On second thought, let's do it. Let's leave it to luck!" Toshiro quickly changed his mind, not wanting to get burned.
"Alrighty then." Ren cupped her hands to her right side, and a fireball developed between her hands. At the same time, Toshiro placed the heels of his hands together in front of him, and sure enough, a ball of frost developed in his hands. "You ready?"
"Yeah." Toshiro nodded.
"Wait for my signal." The Feather growled and fired the three guns of red fire at them once again.
"Ka-me-ha-meeeee…" Ren said slowly. "HAAAA!" Taking that as the signal, albeit a rather unusual one, Toshiro released the frost around his hands into a huge blast, and simultaneously, the fire Ren shot was also a long stream of orange fire. The frost and fire travelled towards the red fire, and they twisted together into a spiral, drilling through the red fire and extinguishing it. It hit the Feather head on, and there were drops of grey liquid flowing out until it started to stagger and it slowly leaned to the right. With a long and loud creak, the Feather toppled onto the ground, and remained there.
"WOO HOO!" Ren back flipped in the air. "I didn't expect that spiral-y thing to happen, but that was freakin' awesome!"
"It was amazing, but uh…what was with the…you know…" Toshiro waved a hand airily, expecting Ren to finish the sentence.
"Oh, the Kamehameha bit? Hee hee! Sorry, but I couldn't resist." Toshiro sighed and closed his eyes.
"What am I going to do with you?"
"Dunno." Ren shrugged. Ren decreased the intensity of the fire around her ankles, and she dropped down onto the ground, landing squarely on her feet. She picked up her blazer and put it back on, ignoring the fact that she was still a little wet form her time in the lake. Toshiro dove down from the sky and also landed on the ground beside her. "Gotta say, though. I am a tad jealous of those things." Ren pointed at the wings on his back.
"Oh, right. Them." Toshiro said, looking over his shoulder at them. He gave them a small flap, as if checking they were really real. They were. Why did he have them? Moreover, how did he get them? He didn't have the markings, but the wings appeared, nonetheless. Then there were the Shackles. Toshiro looked at his right wrist again, where the smoke still shone, as real as they could get.
"Is something wrong, Shiro?" Ren asked, noticing the glazed look in his eyes that showed he was thinking. "Well, I admit that it is strange how you have Shackles and wings, but it's a good thing right now. Now, you can fight!" Ren said happily. "That's what you wanted, right?"
"Well, yes, but with powers and abilities I'm familiar with. These? I don't even know what they are or why I have them."
"But you're not denying that they're useful, right?" Ren asked.
"…" Toshiro looked down at the ground. She had a good point. Sure, he wasn't sure how or why he got these powers, but they are useful, there was no denying that. With these, he was able to fight and to protect Ren. "You're right, Ren." He said, looking back up. But, he saw that Ren was distracted by something else. She was looking up to her left, and wore a face that was a mixture of surprised and confused. "Ren? What is it?" Without saying a word, Ren pointed up. Toshiro looked. "Wha…" Toshiro stammered, taking a step back. The Feather was standing up again, although a couple drops of grey blood spurted out of the huge head wound occasionally. "How is it still standing?!"
"I don't know. Shiro, grab the sword. You're gonna need it." Just as Ren said this, the sword wedged in the ground disappeared in a flash of yellow light. "Or not." Quickly, the Feather took advantage of their distraction, and fired two green lasers. One passed through Ren, and the other passed through Toshiro, once again making small dents in the ground behind them.
"What the…" Before Toshiro's eyes, the Shackles around his wrists and ankles disappeared, and his new wings glowed white and shot back into his back.
"Nya!" Ren also stared at her limbs as her Fire Shackles vanished. "That laser again. It's disabling my Shackles." Ren finally noticed how Toshiro's Shackles were gone, too. "And your wings are gone and all." Ren slowly looked back up at the Feather, which was charging a red blast on the tip of its face.
"Cero?" Toshiro gasped, forgetting how the two were different from one another.
"Well…" Ren started, a blank look on her face. "Crap."
"!" The girl watching with Caleb gasped as soon as she saw the blast. She left her position and ran through the bushes.
"Hey!" Caleb tried to stop her, but she was already gone. "Man, she's fast. Guess it can't be helped." Caleb calmly walked through the bushes.
"What do we do, Shiro?" Ren asked. "Please tell me you have an idea!"
"I don't. There's nothing we can do."
"Oh, real helpful, Shiro!"
Whoosh!
Slash!
"What the…" Ren noticed the appearance of someone else in front of her and Toshiro. A person wearing a brown, hooded cloak with the crest of White Raven on the front. "White Raven?"
Clunk!
"Eh?" Toshiro noticed the Feather looked different. One of the bottom parts of the legs was missing! The Feather was now balancing on two legs, and was trying extremely hard not to fall over again. In one such stumble, the blast fired up into the sky, not harming a single thing.
Did… Toshiro thought, looking at the cloaked figure in front of them. Did that member attack a Feather? I don't understand. Why is a member of White Raven helping us?
"You will not kill our hope!" The hooded figure said loudly, her voice no longer carrying the shy, fearful tone it usually had. "I won't let you!" The girl reached up to her cloak, and she threw it off her, revealing herself for the first time. She was a teenage girl just a little younger then Ren, although she was definitely taller than her. She had blonde hair tied up in thick bunches, and each one had a pink ribbon in it, the ends sticking up in the air, giving the appearance of animal ears. She wore a blue long sleeved top underneath a short, dark pink hooded t-shirt with two fuzzy pull strings, and a cute picture of a rabbit on the front. Her light pink skirt was just above her knees, and had small, circular mirrors around the bottom edge, and on her feet were beige ankle boots and white over the knee socks with pink lace at the top. On her face was a look of determination, and her light blue eyes showed no fear.
"Who're you?" Ren asked.
"Geez, you really had to go and run ahead." Caleb sighed, rubbing his head as he walked over to the girl's side. "I told you to wait."
"I'm sorry, Caleb, but I can't let a Feather kill them. They are our hope!"
Hope? Toshiro thought, raising an eyebrow.
"Fine, fine." Caleb said, smiling. "Stand back, kids. We'll handle this stubborn hunk of metal."
"Okay, I don't get it, but I get it." Ren grabbed Toshiro's arm. "C'mon, Shiro. Let's leave it to them."
"Hey!" Ren ran from the Feather and back to Ichigo and the others, Toshiro in tow rather reluctantly.
"Who are they?" Tom asked as soon as Ren arrived.
"I think they're with White Raven. I recognised that man from yesterday. I'm as lost as you are, but they said they'd take care of it, so we're letting them take care of it."
"Yes, you're letting them handle the Feather, but I am not. They're the enemy. They can't be trusted!"
"Would the enemy really fight one of their own?" Ren asked, a blank look on her face. Toshiro opened his mouth to answer, but after a couple seconds, shut it, realising that Ren was right. Again!
"How does she do that?" Toshiro said under his breath.
"Besides, you'll only get in the way. Your Shackles are turned off, your weird magic does hardly any damage and your wings have vanished too. You'll only get in the way." Ren said bluntly.
"Hey! That was cruel!" Toshiro exclaimed, taken aback at how straight forward Ren could be.
"The truth, Shiro. Not cruel."
"…" Toshiro looked away with his arms folded, not sure whether he should be embarrassed or humiliated.
"…" The girl stared up at the Feather, waiting for it to make a move. "Caleb, I think its heart has been exposed. I'll distract it, and you destroy the core."
"Right." Caleb brought his right hand up, his nails growing into claws.
"Go!" With that, the girl dashed off to her left so quickly, she was behind the Feather in an instant.
"Whoa! Did you see that?" Ren yelled, amazed.
"Yeah. I blinked, and she was there." Ichigo agreed. "Just who are they?" The Feather growled and shot a tentacle at the girl, and she promptly jumped out of the way, leaving the tentacle to be wedged into the ground, staying as still as a spear. The girl ran around behind the Feather again, and the feather followed her with its head. Caleb, seeing this distraction, ran to the Tentacle wedged in the ground, planted a foot on it and jumped up into the air, landing on a bend in the Feather's leg and leaping up onto its head. He ran to the centre, and saw the huge hole in the middle, which was made by Ren and Toshiro' combined attack. In the middle of the torn metal, ice and grey liquid was a blue sphere no larger than a football. Caleb raised his clawed hand up, and in one swipe, scratched the sphere, leaving claw markings on the surface. The cracks got bigger and bigger with each second, and Caleb jumped down from the head just as there was an explosion on its head. The Feather staggered a little, until it started to glow white, and it burst into ashes.
"Right away?" Steph gasped.
"Incredible!" Tom said, in awe at what he had just witnessed. Caleb landed on one knee on the ground, retracting his claws as he stood up, and his companion appeared beside him, catching the falling Feather core in her hand. They stared ahead of them at Ren and the others. They looked at one another, and they nodded, knowing what had to be done. The girl grabbed Caleb's arm, and she moved quickly again, appearing beside Ren in literally one second.
"Nya!" Ren was so surprised, she jumped back and landed on the ground. "Don't scare me like that!" Ren exclaimed, picking herself up again.
"Sorry about that." Caleb apologised.
"Here." The girl handed the Feather core to Ren, who after hesitating a moment, took it, and it turned gold. Ren promptly put it with the others in her drawstring bag.
"Thanks. Now who are you?" Ren asked.
"Right. I guess introductions are in order." Caleb cleared his throat. "We're members of the Twelve Masters. I am the Master of Senses, Caleb."
"I'm the Master of Speed, Lina." The girl said, her voice once again quiet.
"Huh. Seems legit." Steph said, understanding why she was so fast.
"Nice to meet you." Ren nodded at Caleb and the girl, now Lina, with a smile on her face.
"Names aside, why are you here?" Toshiro asked suspiciously. "You're our enemy. Why would you help us? And why are you calling Ren and me your hope? Hope for what?"
"…" Caleb and Lina looked at one another, and Lina had a sad look in her blue eyes. Caleb held a finger up, and it extended into a claw. Toshiro instinctively placed an arm on Ren, moving her back so that he was in front of her.
"The Twelve Masters are a…unique group among White Raven. You see, we are all different, but we have one thing in common." Caleb held his other hand up, and using his claw, scratched the palm of his hand, and showed the fresh cut to the others. To their surprise, it was leaking grey liquid.
"Hey, that's the stuff on my fan from yesterday." Ren realised, recognising it.
"And I saw it when I stabbed that Feather earlier."
"The one thing we have in common is that we are not human." Caleb continued, and the others observed how the grey blood covered the cut in a grey line, and after a few seconds, it vanished. "We are Feathers in human form."
"What?!" Ren gasped, wide eyed. The others also had a hard time hiding their shock, and Lina merely looked away sadly.
"We all have a common dream; to become human. While some of us have different goals, our ambition remains the same. Lina and I, however, do not wish to follow the mission of White Raven. That is why we are here. We believe that you, Ren, can help us find a way for us to become human like you."
"So…please help us!" Lina bowed to Ren after her request. "We'll do anything you want. We would be indebted to you if you would be so kind as to consider-"
"Okay."
"Huh?" Everybody looked at Ren, amazed at how she made her decision so quickly.
"Ren, are you out of your mind? They're with White Raven." Toshiro protested.
"I know, but I can tell that they're good people. And, they're telling the truth. I can tell when people lie, remember?" Ren outstretched her hand to Lina, who straightened up with a surprised look on her face. "I'll help you. Both of you." Lina beamed.
"Thank you so much!" Lina clasped Ren's hand with both of hers, bowing her head.
"Thanks." Caleb said, smiling with one hand on Lina's shoulder. "We will still work with White Raven, but you can consider us your allies."
"So you'll be, like, double agents?" Ren asked, tapping her chin with her finger.
"Sorta."
"Cool."
"So, is there anything we can do for you?"
"There is." Toshiro said, his arms folded and his eyes narrow, as he was still suspicious of them. "I have some questions for you."
"Ask away." Caleb said with a smirk.
"Ryuki." Toshiro said. After saying that word, Lina and Caleb's eyes widened, and Toshiro knew he had hit a spot. "I take it you know what I'm talking about and what I want to know. Those abilities I used just now were not my own. You say that I look like Ryuki. What I want to know is why. Why am I your target? Why can I use those powers? Who, or what, is Ryuki?"
"Well…um…" Lina stammered, fiddling with her hands.
"I'm waiting."
"Fine." Caleb moved in front of Lina, protecting her from Toshiro's cold glare. "If you want to know, then I'll tell you. But, I'm not sure if you'll like it."
"I don't care." Toshiro asserted.
"Very well. But first, let me ask you something. Have you ever heard of Cielvia?"
"Cielvia?" Toshiro repeated. "You're lying. I've never heard of it."
"Of course not. It is a world that nobody on Earth knows about. Even their most powerful satellite cannot find it. It is a world that exists in the skies of the planet Earth. That is where most of the members of White Raven come from, including some of the Twelve Masters. It is also where Zena and Ryuki live. Zena is the princess of Cielvia, and the heir to the throne. But I guess you knew that already."
"Get to the point!" Toshiro said impatiently.
"Alright, alright. Keep your hair on." Caleb said with a smile. "Zena, as the princess, had to choose her Heavenly Guardian, or bodyguard, when she turned sixteen. That's where Ryuki comes in. She was friends with him for many years. He had become a captain not too long beforehand, and had already gained a reputation and the title of The White Dragon, so he was the perfect candidate for the job. He knew Zena better than anybody, and he was one of the strongest captains in history. He could wield four swords at once, and he was the only one who could use the Ice Shackles. The same Shackles you used earlier."
"…" Toshiro looked down at his hand, remembering the Shackles and how they froze the Tentacles and even fire.
"The Ice Shackles could freeze anything. Water, air, fire, even time itself. Ryuki could control them with ease. He was extremely powerful, and combining that with the force of the princess made the two of them an unstoppable team. But then, two years later, something terrible happened. White Raven launched an attack against Cielvia. Lina and I were not in the Twelve Masters when it happened, nor do we have any recollection of what happened. We are not Cielvians. But, we know that Cielvia is currently in a frozen state as a result of that attack. It is neither dead nor alive, as are the inhabitants. Citizens, guards, captains, even the royal family. When it was frozen, White Raven was expelled from Cielvia as a result of a powerful barrier, so nobody could get in, but White Raven saw that the princess was no longer there. She had vanished. However, everybody else remained where they were, frozen. This was a full proof method of protecting Cielvia, but it was not immune to the magic that White Raven used to bring out soldiers and even citizens to fight on their side. Nonetheless, it prevented anyone from getting in or out. But, one Cielvian managed to escape. While they are still there physically, they can leave Cielvia spiritually at certain moments through a physical manifestation. You." Caleb pointed at Toshiro, stunning him.
"Me?" Toshiro said, placing a hand on his chest. "I don't get it."
"Remember when Dixie attacked you? One moment you were at the lido, and the next you were at Ren's school. Ren told you that someone was controlling you and acting through you temporarily, leaving you with no memory of what happened when they left. That someone was Ryuki. Your resemblance to him is uncanny, and after he appeared, you got abilities that you were not familiar with. The Ice Shackles. The wings. You do not have the markings of the Cielvians, and you act nothing like Ryuki, yet you still look exactly like him and have his abilities. He is still technically alive, and yet, he appears through you. What was thought to be impossible has happened."
"What do you mean?" Ren asked, still unable to put the pieces together, as was Toshiro.
"I mean that this is the real reason why he is a target. This is why he appeared to your world. And, this is why he is crucial in the battle to come." Caleb looked at Toshiro with an intense seriousness in his eyes, ignoring the confused expression on Toshiro's face. "Toshiro Hitsugaya…You are the reincarnation of Ryuki."
"What?!" Ichigo gasped, recoiling back.
"Toshiro?" Steph and Tom looked at one another.
"Reincarnation?"
"I can't believe it!" Ren exclaimed. Toshiro didn't say a word. Or rather, he couldn't. After hearing that news, he was so shocked, he almost forgot to breathe.
"That's right. You lived your life unaware of this fact, but I am aware of your abilities with ice back in your home world. That is an indirect link to Ryuki, yet it is not the same power as Ryuki. The second you entered into Earth, your powers were suppressed because of Ren's presence, making it seem as though people with your powers did not exist. Just having her there both strengthened you and weakened you. In a way, Ren was indirectly interfering with your powers, and at the same time, she was slowly and gradually awakening the part inside you that is Ryuki, until today, where you could use his powers by yourself."
"Way to make me feel bad." Ren grumbled, folding her arms.
"I…I'm…" Toshiro said, trying to get a word in edgeways. "I'm a…reincarnation?" Caleb nodded in the affirmative. Seeing that nod, Toshiro collapsed onto his knees, not noticing how his body was shaking. Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense. His similarities to Ryuki. Why his powers vanished. The Ice Shackles. The wings. The premonitions. It was all because of Ryuki!
"Shiro!" Ren got down to Toshiro's level, placing her hands on his shoulders. Her eyes widened as soon as she felt how fiercely Toshiro was shaking. She had never seen Toshiro like this.
"I'm sorry that I had to bear this news." Caleb apologised. "But you have a right to know, even if it's not the most pleasant thing to hear. And it is essential knowledge for the fight ahead. That Feather you fought with was the toughest that the two of you have faced, and from now on, the battle will only get harder."
It's just like Ryuki said. Ren thought.
"But…what about the other Feather Shiro and I beat? It didn't have the guns."
"That Feather was merely a prototype. A baby."
"That thing was a baby?!" Ren exclaimed.
"I'm afraid so. The one we just defeated was the perfected Mecha Feather. That only shows how much more difficult things will get. Lina and I will help you wherever possible, but if our status as traitors was revealed, then we may not be able to help you. But…" Caleb smiled at Ren. "If you have one another, I'm sure you'll be fine."
"Um…"
"Lina?" Caleb looked at Lina, who was still fiddling with her hands and glancing in different directions.
"Ren…be careful of Epona."
"Eh?" Ren blinked.
Epona? Toshiro thought, over hearing the name. He stopped trembling and listened to what Lina had to say, although he was still a little shaky.
"She's set her sights on you." Lina continued. "That black smoke you saw today and yesterday? It's hers. If her magic succeeds on you, then there is no way to undo the damage. Just be careful."
"Okay." Ren nodded.
"Also…" Lina handed to Toshiro a small vial of blue liquid. "It's…It's for your injuries."
"Um…Thanks." Toshiro said slowly, taking the vial. Before, he wouldn't even consider taking the vial, but after hearing that knowledge, he knew that these two could be trusted. He wriggled the cork out with a pop, and immediately caught the stench. "Ourgh!" Toshiro recoiled his head away from it in disgust, holding the bottle at arm's length. "It smells like Rangiku's sake!"
"Ew!" Ren backed away from Toshiro. "That smell is nasty!"
"Oh, well." Toshiro sighed, standing up again. "Here I go." Pinching his nose with one hand, Toshiro emptied the bottle in his mouth and swallowed it, pulling a face at the disgusting taste. "Bleugh! It's tastes awful, too!" Almost immediately, Toshiro felt the cuts on his back seal up, and looking at his arms, the grazes vanished before his eyes.
"Whoa." Tom said, open mouthed. "Just when I thought I'd seen it all."
"Thank you for-" Ren looked back at Caleb and Lina…but they were gone. It was as if they weren't there. But they were. The knowledge of Toshiro and Ryuki was still there. Toshiro… Ren looked back at Toshiro, who was staring at the empty vial in his hand. But, he was actually looking at how his hand was still shaking. He grabbed the wrist with the other hand to try and stop it from shaking, but it still trembled like a leaf. Giving up, Toshiro let his arms hang by his sides, dropping the empty bottle on the ground. The news he just heard…He wasn't sure if it was good or bad. It was good because he had fewer questions in his head. But at the same time, he saw it as a bad thing. The fact that he was a reincarnation made it inevitable that he would come here, and it was because of that that he was a target. What would all this mean? What was the battle in the future going to involve? For the first time in years, Toshiro was actually unwilling to fight. He was, dare he say it, scared.
"Shiro?" Ren said quietly, placing an arm around his shoulders. He didn't even react. He remained looking at the ground, a lost look in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Ren asked. Toshiro finally noticed Ren, and looked up at the concerned expression on her face. Toshiro couldn't say anything, so he closed his eyes and shook his head before looking back at the ground again.
"Ren? Is there anything we can do?" Steph asked.
"Please. Tell the school that we're going home. I've got frees for the rest of the day, so I'll go with Shiro. Ichigo, you wanna come with?"
"Yeah." Ichigo went to Toshiro and Ren. "We're heading back, Toshiro." Ichigo said, just in case he didn't catch what Ren said. No response. "Toshiro?" Still nothing. That worried Ichigo more than anything. No short tempered bursts. No corrections of calling him captain. Not even an icy glare. It was like Toshiro had just shut down completely.
"Just tell them that um…" Ren glanced away, trying to think of an excuse. "That's we've got a cold. I mean, we did get wet in the lake and all, so that's a good excuse. Can you two be our alibis, or whatever?"
That is not a good excuse. Ichigo thought.
"Yeah, that's believable."
"No problem, Ren. We'll tell them that you're ill." Tom said.
They agree with her? Ichigo thought, sweat dropping on the inside. This girl is really rubbish at lying, and they're stupid for thinking it's a good lie.
"Thanks guy. I appreciate it. I'm going to get our stuff. We'll see you next Monday."
"'Kay!" Steph said happily, waving them off. Ren and Ichigo started to walk away and Ren had to practically guide Toshiro to where they were going. As soon as they were out of eyesight, Tom and Steph exchanged worried glances, both for Toshiro and for their role in all of this. Soon, things will be so bad that even excuses and alibis wouldn't be enough for them to help Ren.
…
Saturday, 11:20pm
Toshiro lounged on the roof of Ren's house, staring up at the many stars in the sky. After the day he had yesterday, the stars just didn't comfort him the way they used to in the past. To him, the stars were just white spots on the sky. Ever since they got home, Toshiro hadn't come out of his room. He just wasn't in the mood to see Ren or Ichigo at the moment, and he didn't want them to see him the way he was now. He needed time alone, and time with his thoughts. He'd had that, but he was still the same. With a sigh, Toshiro sat up and continued looking at the sky, his knees drawn up. What was he going to do now? What should he do?
Rustle
"Hm?" Toshiro glanced down at where the sound was coming from. There was a shuffling sound below the roof, as if something was trying to get up. Suddenly, a hand slapped onto the roof, followed by an arm, and then a head. Ren.
"Aha!" Ren said triumphantly. "Ichigo was right!"
"Ren?" Toshiro muttered.
"Upsy daisy." Ren clambered onto the roof of her house and stood up rather uneasily. With a wobble, she turned around to look at Toshiro. She was dressed in her jeans again, but this time, she wore a yellow t-shirt that had three pink butterflies on the front and had blue Crocs on her feet. Ren wobbled up to the top of the roof, and she sat herself down beside Toshiro. "So I see that this little bear finally got out of his cave." Ren said playfully.
"Uh huh." Toshiro said in an absent minded tone.
"Uh huh?" Ren repeated, narrowing her eyes. "That's all you have to say?"
"Uh huh." Toshiro said again.
"Uuuu! You're boring!"
"Why do you always make that noise?"
"What noise?" Ren asked, her usual blank look on her face.
"That "Uuuu" noise."
"Oooooh. That." Silence. Ren shrugged her shoulders, making an "I dunno" noise.
"Ren, sometimes, you are so weird."
"Thanks!" Ren said happily.
"I didn't mean it as a compliment."
"I know!"
"Huh?"
"That's why I said thanks! The worlds gotta have weird people in it, 'cos without them, then the world would be a boring place."
"I never thought about it like that." Toshiro said, stunned at Ren's logic.
"That's my theory anyway. But…" Ren glanced away. "People have called me weird before, and not in a nice way."
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologising?"
"I just thought it was the right response."
"Oh. Thanks." Ren looked up at the sky. "Why do you come up here?"
"I like looking at the sky."
"Hm. Yeah, I can see why. I used to do it all the time when I was little. Because I live in the countryside, you can see a lot more stars in the sky than you can in the city."
"I noticed."
"For example, see that consolation there?" Ren pointed up at the sky. "That's Orion."
"I see it."
"And that there's Orion's Belt."
"I always wondered what they looked like."
"Well, now you know. Hey…there's something under Orion's Belt."
"Ren, that's ridiculous. What could possibly be-You're right, there is. What is that? A sword?"
"Or maybe a…" Ren trailed off, letting Toshiro put the pieces together, which he finally did.
"Oh, come on, Ren. That's gross! Dah! Now I can't get that image out of my head!" After that, Ren hit Toshiro behind his head. "Ow! Why did you do that?" Toshiro asked, rubbing the spot where Ren just hit him.
"I was getting the image out of your head." Ren said simply.
"I take back what I said. You are in a special place that is beyond weird. In fact, you're downright random."
"Yay! I'm unique!" Ren cheered, throwing her arms up in the air.
"Why are you here again?"
"I was looking for you. You hadn't come out of your bedroom since we got home, and when your door was open, you weren't there. Ichigo said you might be on the roof, so I went out to look, and…here I am."
"That's not what I meant." Toshiro said, shaking his head. "I mean…why are you here?" Toshiro asked again, putting extra emphasis on the word "why".
"Oh." Ren went quiet after that, looking away. "Well…I was worried about you. You haven't spoken to anyone since yesterday, and I thought you might want some company."
"I didn't ask for you to come here."
"But you haven't asked me to leave, either."
"…" Toshiro flinched a little at that. Again, she was right. It irked him.
"But, if you want me to go, then I can go." Ren proceeded to stand up, dusting the dirt off her jeans. "Don't stay out too long, or you really will catch a cold." Ren started to walk down the roof.
"Wait!" Toshiro cried out, grabbing Ren's hand.
"Huh?" Ren looked back at Toshiro, surprised to see an almost pleading expression on his face.
"I…" Toshiro let go of Ren's hand, stunned at how he had reacted, and looked away. "I mean…Could you stay with me a little longer?"
"…" Ren smiled a gentle smile. "Sure." Ren sat back down beside Toshiro, but Toshiro still did not look Ren in her face, a little embarrassed at how he had acted. "I'll stay with you as long as you need."
"Thank you." Toshiro said quietly. He didn't know why, but he felt a little more at ease now that Ren was here. Maybe it was the mindless conversation that had helped him get his mind off things. Whatever it was, it worked for a while. But, why was he so desperate for Ren not to leave him alone again?
"Are you thinking about yesterday?" Ren asked.
"Yeah." Toshiro admitted.
"I know it must be a shock to you."
"There are lots of words for what I'm feeling right now, and shocked is one of them."
"Oh? What are the rest?" Ren asked, pressing Toshiro for answer. She thought that, if he just said what was on his mind, then maybe he'll be a little at ease.
"I had most of my questions answered, but I still feel confused. I just found out that I'm a reincarnation of somebody I don't know, and now that I'm getting powers I don't know how to use, I'm going to be an even bigger target than I was before. Not even you and Ichigo will be able to protect me. Just when things were starting to make sense, it goes and gets ten times bigger than it was in the first place!"
"We'll deal with it, Shiro. I know we will."
"I want to believe that, but I'm not sure. You saw that Feather. These guys are insane, and I'm the one they really want." Toshiro wrapped his arms around his knees, as if trying to make himself as small as possible. "I'm so confused. I'm angry and I don't know why. And…And…" Toshiro trailed off, unable to believe that he was opening up to Ren like this, when he had previously kept everything inside him so that not even his closest friends in Soul Society could read him, let alone a human. And, he was even more unable to believe what he was about to say next.
"Shiro?" Ren shuffled closer to Toshiro after he stayed silent for a few seconds.
"I'm afraid." Toshiro said in a small voice, feeling like the child that he kept denying he wasn't. "I don't know what all this could mean for the future. It's not knowing what's coming that's so scary. What am I supposed to do now? What's my role in all of this? What will the battle with White Raven involve? Every time I think about this, I can't stop shaking." Toshiro clenched his arms, his body starting to shake. "I've never had problems with this before. I'm used to the concept of war. But now that I'm at the centre of it all, I'm absolutely terrified." Toshiro closed his eyes tightly, trying to hold back his emotions. "So terrified that I can't take it!"
"Shiro…" Ren started, not sure what to say to Toshiro to make him feel better. She closed her eyes for a moment, but then she got an idea of what to say. She opened her eyes and smiled. "I'm here, aren't I?"
"!" Toshiro's gasped at that one sentence. He looked over at Ren, his eyes shining and silently asking her to explain.
"When thing get scary, you want someone who you know will be with you until the very end. Someone who will not leave your side, no matter what. Well, I'm that someone. I made a promise with you, and I am never going to break it. I'm not saying this because we're going to be comrades in battle, but because we're friends. And friends help each other out. They stick together through good times and bad. They listen to their problems. They comfort them when they are sad or scared. So, you can count on Ichigo and on me. Tell us what is on your mind to lighten your burden. Through thick and thin, I swear that we will always be there for you."
"…" Toshiro was speechless, touched at how Ren was willing to stay with him, even though he was a walking target.
"It's just like I said. If I abandon a friend in need…"
"Then I have no right to call myself their friend." Toshiro finished, a small smile on his face.
"Exactly!" Ren said happily. Ren edged closer to Toshiro once again, placing her arm around his shoulders. "You haven't got a thing to worry about, because I won't let you worry."
"…" Toshiro relaxed his grip on his arms. Hearing those words come from Ren, and letting out everything on his mind, from his doubts to his fears, had made him feel much better. In fact, he didn't feel afraid anymore. Just having Ren here made him feel like everything will be alright. Toshiro shifted towards Ren and placed his right arm around her waist, as she was a little taller than him so he couldn't really reach her shoulders. But Ren didn't seem to mind. "Thank you, Ren. Thank you for listening."
"Anytime, Shiro." For the next few minutes, Toshiro and Ren were silent, content with staring up at the stars in the night sky and happy to be in one another's company. Even when the church nearby struck midnight, Toshiro and Ren didn't react. At one point, Toshiro even rested his head against Ren, accidentally inhaling her scent. She smelt of roses and vanilla, and right now, nothing was sweeter.
"We should probably head back inside soon." Ren said, breaking the silence. "It's still winter, so we may catch a cold."
"I'm used to the cold."
"No excuse." Ren stood up and outstretched a hand to Toshiro. "So, you coming in, Shiro?"
"Yeah." Toshiro took her hand, and he stood up, automatically staring up into her blue eyes. "Thank you, Ren. Really."
"Like I said, Shiro, anytime. You help me, and I help you." Ren held up her little finger. "That was the deal, right?"
"…" Toshiro smiled, both at Ren's selflessness and her simplicity. "Yeah. That was the deal." Toshiro raised his little finger up, and linked it with Ren's "The promise."
"Now there's a face I wanna see more often. Smiles are an infectious disease, 'cos when you smile, then everyone smiles with you!"
"Interesting philosophy."
"My philosophy. And one of many." Ren turned to walk down but her foot stepped on some loose moss. "Nya!" Ren stumbled and tripped down the roof, miraculously staying on her two feet. When she reached the edge of the roof, she wobbled on one foot for a few moments saying "no, no, no" repeatedly, but she lost her balance and fell off, landing outside of her mother's bedroom on the low roof and making Toshiro flinch at the painful thud she made landing there. Fortunately, her mother was still downstairs, so she didn't see Ren suddenly drop out of the sky. "I'm alright!" Ren yelled, waving over the edge of the roof at Toshiro, who was a little stunned at Ren's endurance and clumsiness. Ren was totally unexpected, but that was exactly what he liked about her.
That's right. Toshiro thought, making his way down the roof to Ren. Ren is here with me. I'm still uncertain about the future and what White Raven will hold for us. Toshiro reached the edge of the roof and jumped down to the ground, where Ren was already waiting for him.
"Nice."
"Ren…" Toshiro started, turning around to face her. "Don't ever change."
"Never." Ren said firmly, her cheerful smile on her face.
"…" Toshiro smiled to himself, reassured.
But with Ren here, I don't have anything to worry about.
Well, there you have it! Now we know why Toshiro is a target. Plus, I couldn't resist slipping in a moment with Ren and Toshiro for all you guys eager to see a little romance. Just my way of saying thanks! Hee hee! Stick around for the next chapter, which is coming soon, but I can't say how soon just yet. Sorry, guys.