Toshiro finally emerged from the tunnel to the familiar sight of the Sunny just in time to see a figure flying off. He wondered at first if it was Dextra, but noticed the wings were oddly transparent and the hair of the retreating figure was bright green. Confused as to who the strange winged woman was, he approached the others.
"Hey, you're alright!" Shachi called out with a wave, catching the Nobody's attention. Toshiro also didn't miss the odd look Thursday gave him, but chose to focus on the stranger first.
"Who was that?" He asked the nearby pirates, motioning to the figure flying away out of the tunnel.
"Thursday says she was in the tunnels too, helped her get away from the crazy lady. Tebliel, was it?" Shachi glanced at Thursday, waiting for her nod before continuing. "She's apparently a Mink and Human hybrid, don't see those often."
Toshiro recalled being told that Bepo was of the Mink tribe, a race of humanoid animals, and was told Chopper was not one since he had in fact been a normal reindeer before eating his Devil Fruit. He wasn't quite sure what sparked such an evolutionary line with normal animals still around, but chose to leave that knowledge alone since he'd met many humanoid animals in his travels.
"What odd wings… I wonder why they are transparent."
"Transparent?" Shachi looked baffled. "They're just white." Penguin and Thursday nodded.
"What? They were black." Law, who had been nearby, cut into the conversation with a frown, causing his crew to give him curious looks.
"I saw white as well." Sanji put in his word.
"Oh, I thought they were a nice hero red color." Usopp mused aloud.
"Hang on, hang on, did everyone see different colored wings?" Toshiro stopped the comments short, wanting to understand what was going on.
"She mentioned something about an angel type Devil Fruit, or something." Thursday spoke up, trying to remember what the odd woman had told her when asked about her wings. "She did ask what color I thought they were…"
"Wings that look different depending on the person… perhaps it depends on people's perspective of an angel." The Nobody wondered. He couldn't know for sure, of course, without the woman herself to explain, but that was all he could think of for the moment.
"Why would they be transparent for you?" Penguin asked, curious. "Most of us saw normal white ones."
"Probably because I come from the afterlife and angels do not exist for us, but being a spirit I could still see some kind of form there."
"I see, like a ghost." Jimbei clarified.
"That actually makes decent sense." Toshiro agreed, liking the simpler explanation better. "Though, I'm surprised I didn't see my own wings reflected on her…" He noticed multiple stares drawn his way. "What?"
"You have wings?" Law asked, having never seen such a power before.
"Well, I can't use them now, but in Bankai I have wings of ice yes."
"….Bankai?" Several voices questioned and Toshiro was surprised he hadn't told them about Bankai. Then again, he wasn't sure he could use it in his current state, and so perhaps felt it was unnecessary to mention.
"Bankai is when a Soul Reaper unleashes the full power of the zanpaktou, and mine happens to fuse me with Hyorinmaru, giving me wings and such all made from ice I can easily reform if broken, as well as much greater control of the area around me. I don't think I can use it as I am now though, since Hyorinmaru is no longer part of me."
"Wow, turning part dragon sounds super cool!" Usopp said in awe.
"It definitely would have been neat to see." Penguin agreed, Shachi nodding next to him.
"That aside, why did this angel woman decide to leave?" A bit uncomfortable talking about a power he could no longer use, Toshiro put them back on the topic of the Human-Mink that had fled and got them onto this topic to begin with.
"She was scared of Hyorinmaru." Thursday said. "He ate Lacia's heart, and she didn't like how dark he was."
Toshiro gave a disapproving glare at his shadow where golden eyes opened in response to the glare.
'She had caused you great distress, so I dealt with her.' The dragon defended, a rumble of indignation reverberating on the ship for the others to hear. 'It is better for creatures such as her to be removed.'
'That doesn't make it okay, this is not who we are.'
He was saved from any arguments from the dragon as Nami and Luffy finally came out of the cave, the navigator looking happy with herself. Apparently the crystals still had some worth after all.
Toshiro couldn't help but frown, however, at the large gems in her arms. He had no attachment to the cavern, but knowing the kind of place it was, that it once kept the spirit of a young girl alive when she was unfairly taken from her life, he felt some discomfort at seeing it stolen from. But he would not expect the pirates to listen to him and so remained silent. He was already freeloading; he couldn't tell them what to do. His hand went absentmindedly to the hidden music box in his coat, easing the tension in him somewhat. This was the real memory to be saved, the cavern no longer had to carry her soul, or rather, she was no longer trapped there. Perhaps it was better this way after all.
He still looked away as Nami returned to the ship and skipped past him to hide away her haul.
"Alright, time to get out of this freaky place." Franky was at the helm again, ready to move the ship back out of the cave and back into the open.
"Hopefully the others haven't been shot down." Robin commented offhandedly as they moved out, her form of wondering how the others outside were faring. A few of her crew mates gave her concerned glances, now somewhat worried for their friends.
The Sunny made her way back out of the cave at a slow pace without any wind to back her up, the light of the outside orange from sunset to show how long they had been chased by phantoms. Fortunately, when they came out of the tunnel, there were no problems in sight. The submarine still floated calmly by the shore, anchored and secure, its crew relaxing outside with the rest of the Straw Hat crew. Tebliel didn't seem to have joined them, Thursday wondering if she really did flee completely… perhaps she had gone back to Maleficent. The young woman wondered if she should tell her Captain about the Human-Mink's loyalties, but something kept her mouth silent on the topic.
Chopper in his large 'human' form waved to them from where he sat by Dextra, keeping an eye on her as he promised Law. Dextra definitely seemed better than she had that morning, if worried for them as they reunited on the shore once again.
"So was there anything in there?" She asked her Papa with some concern, picking up on some distress among the group.
"A woman with a Devil Fruit, but nothing too damaging." The surgeon responded, patting her on the head to reassure her. "No one got hurt, but it was difficult to find her. She's gone now."
"Hyorinmaru ate her." Thursday added, wanting to make sure that was said as well, though why she wasn't quite sure. She felt everyone needed to know what the Heartless would do if provoked, told herself it was just a good thing to do.
Toshiro didn't much appreciate the comment, however, sending a suspicious glare her way. He didn't like what his dragon had done either, even if he would have brought his sword down on Lacia given the opportunity, but he was pretty sure they all would have and was not okay with the young woman singling him out as the sole murderer.
"Probably nicer than what I would have done to her." Law said with a huff and a scowl, bringing the stares off of Toshiro. Intentional or not, the Nobody was grateful for the intervention, and decided he might try to speak to Thursday later. She had been oddly cold to him since the caves despite her gratitude that morning.
"She was a cruel mistress perhaps but you shouldn't think of defiling a woman like that!" Sanji argued back with his usual flair, ever on the side of women.
"The only defiling I would do is on an operating table, get your head out of that filthy headspace you're always in."
"That isn't okay either, lousy nurse."
"Nurse?" Law bristled at the demoted title; he may not have an official degree or anything but he damn well earned the right to be called a doctor. "Should I remind you who saved your Captain?"
"Hey, Sanji, I can help with dinner if you want, I bet everyone's super hungry." Thursday was quick to cut between the two men before they escalated further, successfully switching Sanji's mood to a better one and pushing him away to the Sunny's kitchen, leaving Law to stew in his anger as Luffy laughed off to the side, seeing no difference between this and Sanji's usual spats with Zoro.
"I guess you guys had a fun trip?" Dextra felt better about their success, turning to ask her question to Toshiro instead since her Papa was now in a foul mood.
"I wouldn't say fun…" The Nobody grumbled, pushing the phantom and the nightmares it brought back out of his mind.
"It was at least well paid~!" Nami added in with a great amount of cheer, a greedy twinkle in her eye as she admired one of the smaller crystals from the hidden cavern in her hands. A few others cheered, glad the trouble was at least somewhat worth it.
The night came by and things settled down, word going around about what happened in the caves, many glad they didn't have to face the Chaos user and sending empathetic glances to those that did. Usopp naturally played it off as no big deal, having dealt with his parasite 'easily'. Toshiro had his share of food – Sanji had to hunt him down first and drag him over to eat, watching intently to ensure the Nobody had his share as the cook wouldn't stand for anyone going hungry – and pardoned himself from the group to be somewhere more quiet. He chose to go inside the submarine, the enclosed walls more of what he was looking for at the moment, and his choice brought up the curiosity of a certain eagle user who lived in it.
Dextra followed him quietly through the halls, not wanting to get too close and bother him since he was clearly looking for some space to himself. He went inside the training hall, now currently empty, and she paused at the still open door, barely peeking around the edge as she watched him sit down in the center of the room, legs crossed. Hyorinmaru rose from his shadow in his smaller form, curling up on his master's shoulder once more and seeming eager for something. His back was to her, so when he reached into his jacket, she couldn't see what he took out.
"Tell me if you can hear it." His words startled her, causing her to give a slight squeak as she jumped back from the door and promptly fell on her rear. Toshiro turned to look at her curiously, hoping she hadn't hurt herself. "… did you forget I can sense the living around me?"
"Right… yeah…" She grumbled in response, rubbing her tail bone gingerly with a pout on her face. There was no point being stealthy around someone who was always aware of the souls around him, which she had realized too late. "So… what am I listening for?"
He motioned her into the room with a tilt of his head, Hyorinmaru calm and relaxed to show he had no problems with the idea. So, she stood and walked into the room, cautiously stopping next to the small figure. He motioned for her to sit across from him, and as she moved to do so she noticed what he had taken from his coat; the music box.
"Did you find that in the cave?" She asked as she sat with her knees hugged up to her chest.
"Yes, in the room where the crystals were." Toshiro answered in a softer voice, suggesting this was a sensitive topic he did not necessarily want overheard. "I… didn't really want to show everyone, but you followed me in here so I figured one wouldn't be so bad."
"Is it important? The thing about the guardian?" Curious as always, Dextra had many questions about the odd item.
"Not necessarily, not on its own at least." His vague reply made the girl tilt her head, and he thought quickly about how to explain something he himself was still working through. "It… well, it seems to be something left behind by my previous incarnation."
He opened the box with the care someone would take when handling glass, revealing the sparkling fairy inside. Now Dextra could understand his hesitation to show this to the others; there was no telling what price something this well-crafted could go for to the right buyer. The fairy alone had to be made from some kind of magic crystal to glow as it did, giving it a unique rarity that would put it at priceless even if it was made out of simple quartz.
"The memories I got when I found this… well, they're still blurry, and I need time to understand their purpose, but I do know this was made by my first incarnation to soothe the souls of those sick with darkness."
"Sick with it?" Dextra questioned, taking her eyes away from the glowing fairy to look at Toshiro, noting he looked confused and nervous, teal eyes still focused on the item and not giving her much attention. She kept a close eye on his reactions while he was distracted.
"The meaning behind that is still one of the unclear things to me, but… I think the first had a younger sister, one who was taken by some kind of sickness brought around by the plague of darkness that existed long ago. He made this for her, to ease her pain, so I think it can only be heard by those in similar situations. I know you mentioned a tough past when I mentioned mine, so… here, see if you can hear it." After his nervous and somewhat vague explanation behind the music box – Dextra still had so many questions – he reached down and wound up the small silver key and let the fairy dance.
The eagle child could hear the music perfectly fine, her eyes wide while the fairy spun slowly and her mind felt a comforting warmth wrap around it. Her sharp senses were still alert, and some feathers appeared over her body in apprehension at the foreign presence brought out by the lullaby… but there was no threat, no malice in its soft touch, just a feeling of peace. It felt like being wrapped in the arms of loving parents, a kiss on the forehead and whispers that everything was going to be fine. After a moment, the feathers disappeared and she closed her eyes with a small smile. How long had it been since she felt this safe?
"This music box is the last memento of the first Heavenly Guardian and his family." Toshiro's voice stayed low and relaxed so as not to break the flow of the lullaby, but could still be heard. "He never wanted to be such an important figure… he just wanted to stop souls from suffering. Hyorinmaru… he used to be the only spirit capable of stopping their suffering by destroying them, he and many other spirits worked tirelessly to rid the world of corrupted souls. The first proved his determination in his cause and won Hyorinmaru over, the first Soul Reapers to have spirit companions to fight back against the darkness."
"To save his sister, right?" Dextra's voice was almost at a whisper, opening her eyes again as her curiosity returned.
"She… passed… before he could make it to Hyorinmaru." The Nobody answered quietly, tone solemn and refusing to meet the other's gaze. "The cavern inside the mountain was a secret place for her to stay, filled with the first's magic, but it wasn't enough to save her. She's been haunting the place since… until I found it. Her last memories are now within this lullaby."
"But then, does that mean the Heavenly Guardian comes from here?" Blue and black eyes filled with wonder at the thought.
Toshiro shook his head, however, turning her excitement to confusion.
"That was something else I learned." He explained. "All the worlds, all these places, they use to be ONE world. A war over the light destroyed it, and all I know for now is that 'the light within the hearts of children restored the world in separate pieces'."
"'The lights within the hearts of children'…" Dextra repeated, taking in this information in fascination. "So then, if they were all one world before, is that why our world and yours are similar?"
"Who knows?" Toshiro shrugged, truly having no answers for her at this time. "The magic in that cave may have caused a butterfly effect across this world to produce its power, or it could have evolved entirely on its own. Either way, our two worlds don't have any real connection to each other except for that past, which they share with all of the worlds, and they don't have Devil Fruits or Soul Reapers. I still don't think the first had any real connection to the Soul Society as it is today, he just set off the chain reaction to start it, and I happened to be born into that world as well to reunite with Hyorinmaru."
The lullaby slowly came to an end and Dextra glanced down at it again, hand itching to restart it.
"Kind of ironic you found this when you're having trouble with the darkness." She said absentmindedly.
"It is rather convenient… but considering its purpose and its connection to the first Guardian, it's a convenience I'll take. I won't refute the idea that I may not have found my way here by accident."
The eagle child looked up at him with a questioning gaze and Toshiro responded with an almost unnoticeable smile. Like her, he seemed a lot more at ease than he had previously.
"Stumbling on the one person on this world that can fix me? Coming to this cave and finding this music box? Normally I hate the idea of being led around blindly on a path I didn't choose, but this path feels like one I need to take to get stronger, and a lot better than the path I was forced on to be in this mess to begin with. All I have to do now is choose what to do with it."
Hyorinmaru gave a deep rumble in his throat similar to a purr, rubbing his icy head against his master's own.
"It sounds like a hard path." Dextra's voice went quiet as she said this, mind drifting to old memories that made her heart hurt.
"It is, especially when I'm so used to trying to do the right thing and watching the darkness tighten its grip on me." Toshiro responded with a sigh, choosing not to ask personal questions and just continue his own thoughts. "All I can do right now is follow the Keyblade's guidance and that of the spirit of my previous lives, or I suppose life as I'm the second. If I do that… perhaps I can finally be free of Aizen's hold."
"Is he the one that did this to you?" Her question was cautious, knowing he tended to get angry about the topic. He seemed resigned, however, and not angry, so she relaxed the tension in her shoulders that she didn't realize she had.
"He didn't make me a Nobody, no, but he played a huge role in getting me to that state… Xehanort is the name of the one who pulled me into the darkness, namely his own Nobody Xemnas."
"Why does his Nobody have a different name?"
"I'm not sure and personally I don't care, I simply refused to accept their demands and kept my own name. I needed something to hold onto… I can't let them win."
"But then, if the Nobody guy was the one who made you a Nobody, what did Aizen do?"
Toshiro looked away briefly, his anger returning at the memories attached to the dreaded name.
"He made sure I was on a path towards darkness… isolating me, fueling my hatred, giving me a reason to snap, to want a power I could not have. While seeking out his own goal, he made sure to prepare me for his ally in the darkness, Xehanort. Everything he did…" His hands clenched tightly into fists and she thought she could hear him grind his teeth together.
'He has no control now; this path you walk is unknown even to him.' Hyorinmaru assured. 'His power will no longer be able to control you once we reverse this handicap.'
Complete Hypnosis. The power to control all five senses. Those who have seen the Shikai of Aizen's zanpaktou are forever under its spell, even when not released, forced into a scenario they have no control over. That power put the Soul Society to its knees, and made Toshiro himself do things that haunted him every day after the war. Nightmares of Aizen's power over him had made him colder than ever to those around him, seeking to avoid connections that the ex-Reaper may use against him, causing him to be alone. Only Ichigo had put an end to it, the only one strong enough to face him and not under Aizen's control.
Without the ability of his zanpaktou Aizen could no longer place people under its spell, but the power he gained from the Hogyoku on its own was stronger than all of them, and they weren't certain if he could still control the hypnosis on those already under it. It was why, even locked away, Toshiro was still afraid of him. He was able to admit that to himself at least now. Knowing everything that he did, knowing that his journey through the worlds was not necessarily by accident, that unassuming, smiling face still terrified him. That's why Xemnas had won over him so easily, that's why seeing the puppet in the cave had made him freeze. He didn't know how to react anymore, to know if he should kill or wait, and the indecision, to not know what was real or not, scared the Nobody.
He almost killed Hinamori once acting so rashly, he didn't want to hurt anyone else. The nightmare Maleficent had given him, of murdering all those who had been against him, still made him shudder. Even if they hated him, seeing himself become such a monster was a sight he never wanted to see again.
A hand touched lightly to one of his, bringing him from his thoughts to look back at Dextra. She looked concerned, no doubt sensing the conflict within him with her sharp Haki.
"You know… the person who made me so different as a harpy… by the sounds of it, what he did isn't too different from what Aizen did to you." She looked uncomfortable saying it, but she clearly wanted to offer a bit of her own troubles in return for Toshiro saying his. So, he listened, and as he calmed down she seemed to become more at ease as she spoke. "He was a big pirate, one of the ones who worked for the Marines to take out other pirates in return for ignoring most of what they did. The Shichibukai. His crew, the 'family', were all really strict with me in training, but he always made sure to be super nice to me. Once I was… trained… he acted less like a dad and more like a Master, if I did things wrong I still got hurt. The things he told me to do as a bird… I got so upset, I somehow separated myself from 'her' so that I would just obey and not get hurt, but I didn't want to think it was me… so that's why, when I get that way, I only respond to orders. Papa hates it so much, he's been trying really hard to fix it, but he makes sure I can't hurt anyone and that I go back to normal as quickly as possible."
"That… actually doesn't sound too different after all." Toshiro grimaced as she finished her story with a sniffle. "But he didn't do that to me… he did it to someone very close to me. There was only one other kid in the village where I lived that didn't hate me. She became a Soul Reaper before I did, and he made sure she was his Lieutenant. He treated her like a daughter… and she fell head over heels for him. But once the time came to put his plans in place… he had no issues running her through where she stood, still believing in him, and SMILING at her." Ice spread thinly across the floor as he lived through the memory once more. "And he did it while I was there to see it. He almost killed me when I went after him… the worst part? She still believed in him."
Dextra gulped nervously at the expression in his eyes. This man had truly hurt Toshiro, and he had a murderous passion in his gaze for the one who hurt someone so close to him. He calmed down, though, and took a deep breath to ease the tension in his body. The frost broke up a bit as he returned to a more relaxed state. At least the ice had still kept a blue hue.
"I guess now I understand why being around you felt familiar… you're so much like her." He told her, finally looking back up at Dextra. "Different powers and a different family… but it sounds like you two went through the same thing. All I can say to that is it will get better… she's been recovering well since the war against Aizen and his followers."
"What about you?"
The question caught him off guard and he blinked in confusion for a moment, before looking away again.
"I haven't really been given the chance to…" He grimaced once more.
"You shouldn't hold onto it so tightly then." Dextra offered, and when he looked back at her, listening curiously, she continued. "Whenever Aizen gets brought up, there's so much anger and darkness that pops up I get worried you might snap again. Maybe… you should try letting yourself move on? If your hatred for him is being used so much, maybe you need to let it go."
"That's easier said than done, unfortunately." Toshiro sighed. "You're not the first one to tell me that, so don't feel too bad, I'm just… it's not easy for me… especially now, when my emotions are just memories of my past, the only thing I have."
"Focus on the memories of happy times."
The look he gave her in response to the idea was so full of sadness and regret it almost made her cry as well. He didn't need to say anything for her to understand.
He didn't have any happy memories.