Toshiro stopped in midair to avoid the energy blast.
He looked down. Chad was pulling his arm back in preparation for another blast. In the meantime Orihime was launching her own attack.
The little man, Tsubaki, launched himself at Toshiro, who dodged again.
Chad unleashed his next attack, forcing Toshiro to make a sharp right turn.
This training was meant to improve Chad and Orihime's accuracy as they tried to hit a fast moving target while also allowing Toshiro to practice using his Bankai for extended periods.
Toshiro frowned as he saw Tsubaki move in for another strike. The boy reached out with his free hand and grabbed the angry fairy out of the air.
"Hey! Lemme Go!" the avatar of Orihime's attacks yelled.
Below, Chad and Orihime stopped their attacks as they watched Toshiro come in for landing.
"What's wrong?" Orihime asked.
Toshiro held up Tsubaki and let him go.
"I want you both to attack me at the same time," he said. "And this time I won't dodge."
"What?" Orihime cried.
"You can't be serious," Chad said.
"I am. You both need to trust me."
Orihime and Chad looked at each other in worry. Chad nodded at Orihime and drew his arm back again.
Orihime gulped and held her arms out in front of her.
"Koten Zanshun, I reject!"
The two attacks bore down on Toshiro, who seemed unconcerned despite Chad and Orihime's worry. They struck home, creating a large explosion Chad and Orihime were forces to shield their eyes from.
Orihime heard Tsubaki return to her and opened her eyes. The area where Toshiro had been standing was covered in smoke, with much of the surrounding ground on fire.
"Oh no … " she whispered.
Toshiro's wings appeared from the smoke, pushing it aside. He stepped forward, a frost extending from his feet to extinguish the flames around him.
"As you can see, you can't hurt me," Toshiro said. "Even if you manage to hit me, my wings can absorb all of the damage, and I've got other ways to defend myself."
"So stop holding back," he said with a hint of annoyance. "I need to know what you're truly capable of if we're going to work together in battle, and I can't get any sense of your true strength if you keep using such weak attacks."
He looked at Chad. "Can you show me that power that scared Byakuya?"
Chad looked down in thought, remembering his confrontation with the captain on the bridge and the desperation he had felt in that moment. He nodded and clenched his fist. The torrent of energy burst from his shoulder again,
With a mighty yell, Chad launched an attack into the sky. This blast was far larger than the previous ones and bathed area in white light.
Orihime stared in awe at the power of Chad's attack.
"That's more like it," Toshiro said. "From now on, I want every attack you make to be at least as strong as that one."
Toshiro glanced at Orihime, who seemed doubtful she could unleash an attack with that much power.
Truth be told, he was starting to doubt her power himself.
Deep in the dungeons of Hueco Mundo, a large figure sat in a stone prison. The figure was bound head to toe in bandages, giving it the appearance of a mummy.
It moaned in a deep, loud voice.
The figure began to writhe in pain as its body expanded, bursting out of the bandages.
Its fists slammed on the ground. It stood, examining its new body.
Where it had previously walked on all fours, it now stood bipedal with human arms. Everything about it was different, new, better. Everything except its hollow mask.
The figure took a deep break, and the mask opened up at the mouth, revealing a human face underneath,
It roared in triumph, its transformation complete.
"Toshiro … Hitsugaya …" it said, its voice full of hate.
For the second day in a row, Toshiro struggled to pay attention in class.
After spending the better part of a month in his Shinigami form, it felt strange to go back to his human, non-super hero body.
It wasn't just that as a human he lacked the speed, strength, and durability he had as a Shinigami. During his fight with Kenpachi Zaraki and his Bankai training Toshiro had learned to perceive his environment in a completely new way. He could hear the tiniest sounds around him and perceive all of the moisture in the air. While it had been overwhelming at first, he had gotten used to having advanced senses, relying on them rather than his eyes in battle.
Those senses did not work when Toshiro was in human form, leaving him feeling blind and vulnerable.
It was a relief when his substitute Shinigami badge began to vibrate in his pocket during class, signaling the appearance of a hollow. He stood up and calmly stated that he needed to use the bathroom.
When the teacher gave Toshiro permission, Chad and Orihime quickly stood up and ran out of the classroom, yelling that they also needed to use the bathroom.
"Is it a hollow?" Orihime asked.
Toshiro nodded.
The hollow had a pig's mask.
"That's different," Chad said.
"I can't believe the hollows are still around," Orihime said.
"I fear that hollows will inhabit this planet for as long as there are human beings" Chad responded.
The hollow leapt into the air, screaming about pork and beef. It launched an energy attack from its mouth, which Orihime blocked with her shield.
Toshiro turned to Orihime. "You want to take this one?"
"M-me?"
He nodded. "He's all yours."
Orihime looked up at Chad, who nodded as well.
"Um, all right.
She put her hands together and took aim at the hollow.
"Tsubaki! "Koten Zanshun, I reject!"
Orihime's attack fairy launched itself at the hollow, striking it in the center of its pig mask.
"She did it," Chad said as they watched the hollow fade away.
Toshiro nodded, but he did not look happy.
'So that's Orihime's full power, what she can do when she really puts her mind to it.'
They gathered at their training grounds again that evening.
Toshiro sat down on a tree stump next to his sword and took out several sheets of paper.
"I've been thinking of some ideas for combination moves we can practice."
Orihime and Chad took the papers and looked them over.
"Um … " Orihime said hesitantly, "there's nothing here in which I use Tsubaki."
Toshiro looked down. "No, there isn't."
Orihime glared at Toshiro.
"So what? You don't think I can help?"
"You can help," Toshiro insisted. "You can do things Chad and I could never do. Your strengths are just not offensive in nature."
"So I just watch as you and Chad get hurt again."
Chad put his hand on Orihime's shoulder, but she rebuffed him and walked off into the forest.
Chad looked at Toshiro, who in turn looked at his zanpakuto. He gripped the handle.
When she was out of earshot Orihime fell to her knees, sobbing.
That was not a rejection.
She looked up to see the great dragon crouched behind her.
"Oh, Hyorinmaru," she said, raising her arm to wipe her eyes.
The dragon tilted its head in puzzlement.
You have always been scared of a little boy, and yet now you show no fear in the face of a dragon.
"I guess, somehow I know you won't hurt anyone."
My master was terrified of me. He thought that if he used my power he would hurt you.
"Your master?" she asked. "You mean Toshiro?"
Do you remember his fights with Ikkaku Madarame and Renji Abarai?
Orihime winced as she remembered Renji throwing Toshiro thrugh the wall and how badly hurt he was when he emerged.
He could have ended both battles without injury, but he held himself back to protect you, Chad, Uryu, Ganju, and Hanataro.
"Are-are you saying he got hurt those times, because of us?"
He, who has never known friendship before, is terrified of losing it now that he has found it. He will suffer whatever harm so as not to lose any of you.
"You mean that he'd go through the same lengths for us that he went to to rescue Rukia?"
Yes. But he does not know how not to push his friends away. I believe that is why he turned to me now.
Orihime chuckled despite her tears. "Yeah. That sounds about right."
"Can I ask you something?" she said. "Why do you call Toshiro your master?"
That is the relationship between Shinigami and zanpakuto. We share the same desire.
"And what is that?"
We both desire a place where we belong.
"Rukia's a Shinigami. This is where she belongs."
Chad's deepest desire is to discover the purpose of his strength. The Quincy seeks to prove himself worthy of his heritage. And you wish to be special.
"Is that so wrong?"
You do not have to fight and kill. There are other ways to be special. To my master, anyone who is willing to put up with him is already special.
Orihime smiled at that. "Thanks, Hyorinmaru."
She began to walk back in the direction of her friends. "You know, you're actually a pretty chill guy."
The dragon sweat-dropped.
Was that a pun?
Orihime had hardly walked a few steps when a shudder ran through her.
"This-this reiatsu!" she said in fear.
It is far greater than the hollow you defeated earlier.
Orihime turned her head, but the dragon was already gone.
She ran back to the edge of the river, where she saw that Toshiro had stood up and sheathed his sword.
"Looks like training is cancelled for today," he said with a surprising anger in his voice.
"We're ready," Chad said.
Toshiro shook his head. "No. This one's mine. I recognize its stench."
"Are you sure," Orihime asked. She had never heard such hatred in his voice before.
A white and blue aura began to surround Toshiro.
"This hollow killed my sister."
With that, he vanished.
The monster landed on top of one of the largest buildings in Karakura Town.
It had the body of man, though it was nearly as large as Jidanbou. The green fur of its cape covered most of its body as well.
The hollow lifted the top half of its mask to look around the city.
"Toshiro Hitsugaya!" it bellowed. "Come out!"
It continued to scan the city.
"Arrrgh! Where is that boy?"
"Come and face me, Toshiro Hitsugaya! If you don't I'll reduce this city to rubble!"
A small voice answered, "there's no need for that."
The hollow turned around. A small boy with white hair and a sword on his back stood at the opposite end of the roof.
"Toshiro Hitsugaya," the hollow said, "at last."
"Grand Fisher," Toshiro responded, "I've been waiting for this."
He stepped forward. "You look different from last time."
The Grand Fisher laughed. "So you've noticed! I've become an Arrancar!"
"An Arrancar?" Toshiro asked. "What's that"
"Hehehe … When a hollow removes its mask, it gains the powers of a Shinigami!"
Toshiro stopped.
"He hid something in Rukia's body through her gigai, something I've been searching for. The key to removing the barrier between hollow and Shinigami. It's called the Hogyoku."
"A device which can break down the barriers between hollows and Shinigami, allowing each to take on the powers of the other."
'So this is what they meant,' Tohiro realized.
"Did Aizen do this to you?" he asked.
"I do not know who this Aizen is," the Grand Fisher said. "I did what I had to to become stronger to destroy you!"
The Grand Fisher reached over his head and tore the top half of his mask off, shattering it.
Toshiro scowled as his opponent grew even larger, sporting giant horns from his shoulders.
"You are disgusting," the substitute Shinigami said.
"Now you see my true power!" the Grand Fisher declared.
The hollow reached behind its back and drew an enormous sword the size of a house.
"You have no chance, little Shinigami. The size of a zanpakuto is equal to one's reiatsu! It is obvious that little weapon hanging on your back could never defeat my zanpakuto!"
"Care to put that to the test?" Toshiro asked, seemingly unperturbed.
The Grand Fisher roared, swinging his zanpakuto down with all of his strength.
Toshiro caught it.
"No, impossible!" the Grand Fisher yelled.
Toshiro held the blade of house-sized sword in his bare hand.
"You aren't the only one who's changed. In the last month I've beaten foes ten times stronger than you."
The Grand Fisher attempted to his sword back, but Toshiro's grip was stronger.
Toshiro reached for his own zanpakuto with his other hand.
"Goodbye, and good riddance."
One swing was all it took to bring the Grand Fisher down.
Toshiro sheathed his sword and looked over his fallen foe. In a matter of seconds the Grand Fisher began to fade away as all hollows did when slain.
'I got him, Momo.'
"Well, that was fun. Let's do that again."
Toshiro's eyes widened and he collapsed to his knees.
'What's going on? Some kind of voice in my head?'
"You never killed someone out of anger and hate before. You should have known that would make me stronger."
'I-I recognize that voice!'
"That's right. You know me, partner."
"No!" Toshiro slammed his fist into the roof.
A foot appeared near his head.
"My, my. And here you were doing so well at keeping your reiatsu concealed. But now you're radiating so much a lot of hollows are going to be summoned to this town."
"You really need to get that hollow inside you under control."
Toshiro looked up. He saw what appeared to be a teenager with long blonde hair.
"I know you," he muttered. "You're from school."
The man standing over Toshiro smiled. "Shinji Hirako. And I've got a proposition for you, Toshiro Hitsugaya."