03

It all happened so fast, faster than her senses could comprehend. There was a huge shock wave, someone holding her tightly, and crimson - burning crimson - all over. The pain didn't even register in her mind, but beyond her consciousness, she had been aware of what happened to her. Her body - no, not just her body - everything about her had been gravely harmed. She was dying, she was sure of that, and nothing could be done to save her.

It was kind of ironic, seeing how it happened soon after she entertained the benefits of early dead. Curiously though, the one thing that crossed her mind as she surrendered her fate was that she never got to know his name. She was about to curse him when suddenly a pleasant cold sensation permeated into her chest. From there, a strong wave of otherworldly energy spread all over her body, rejuvenating her being and saving her life at the last moment.

Then she regained consciousness. And the first thing she noticed as she did was the weight of his hand on her breasts... It felt good, so good, but like hell she would just let him get away with such a brazen sexual harassment!

"Your hand... It's touching my boobs. This seems kind of scandalous, don't you think?"

"If you think it's there because I'm the least bit impressed with them, you'll be disappointed. They're too small compared to the ones I deal with in daily basis."

Ignoring her scandalized expression, he gave one of her soft breasts a dismissive pat as he casually took his hand away.

Unbeknownst to him, he just sent an unbelievably pleasurable jolt throughout her body with such a simple touch. Oh god... No way, there was just no way. It felt much better than any orgasm she had ever had, seriously. She was unable to resist savoring every moment of it. But as soon as she recovered from the intense sensation, she was reminded that she was supposed to be absolutely offended by him.

She quickly shoved him away as she tried to sit up. And it was actually surprising that she managed to do such a feat to someone of his caliber. Interestingly, she didn't seem to be aware of the surprising amount of strength she just used.

"You jerk! I'm still growing up, you know! And you call them small?! You must've been around cows too much!"

"My lieutenant wouldn't like being called a cow. I also don't appreciate being called a jerk. It's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

"No way I'd call you that. I'm not your subordinate. What's your full name, anyway?" Calling him by his surname somehow just felt wrong.

"It's Toushiro Hitsugaya. Keep in mind, however, I don't allow non family member to call me by my given name."

"Oh well, from now on, you might as well consider me family, Toushiro." Hmm Ino Hitsugaya didn't sound that bad to her.

"Don't make me regret saving your life, Yamanaka."

"It's Ino to you, darling. Thank you, though. I just realized I'm still not ready to die after all. By the way, how did you manage to do it? I'm a pretty good medic if I say so myself. Even then, I know that my condition was beyond saving..." Right then, she finally noticed that there was something different with her body, but she couldn't tell what it was exactly.

"I don't think you've heard of this before. One of the main components that makes up everything in the world of the living, humans included, is something called Kishi. And its equivalent for the realms of afterlife is called Reishi. That destruction spell from before is capable to damage those vital components. It didn't effect someone of my level that much, you on the other hand... I had no choice but to use an extension of my Reishi to replace your damaged Kishi. Healing your wounds alone was not enough to save you. I'm sorry."

"What have become of me then?" She sounded lost even to her ears.

"I suppose you deserve to know that you are now physically more akin to that of soul than human."

He couldn't help feeling guilty then for letting her involve herself in this mess to begin with, and it all just began. The look in her eyes at that moment clearly showed how young she was, far younger than how she tried to pretend, as she tried to accept her predicament.

"... My parents would still be able to see me, right?"

"I believe so."

An unfamiliar warmth unexpectedly filled his heart at seeing her face brightened instantly. Too bright in fact, that it started to become irritating.

"Then I see no problem. In fact, if you stop being mean to me, I would kiss you now for giving me a prospect of having a timeless beauty without the need to die first!" Really, she was having a hard time to not do just that already.

"That nonsense again." He sighed. "There's a downside to your current state. When you die there will be no afterlife for you. Just like us souls, a death would mean the end for you." He considered her nature had become quite similar to those of Quincy and Bount.

"So what? You only live once, they say. It will only make life more exciting, Toushiro."

If he were anyone else, he would've rolled his eyes. He was Toushiro Hitsugaya, the most esteemed Captain of the Gotei 13, however. It was simply below him to do such a thing. He still didn't wish to hear any more of this girl's nonsense, though. So he stood up with every intention of leaving her be at last. As he did, the moonlight exposed more clearly how bad the state he was in.

Not willing to be ignored, Ino stood up too. And she winced instantly as she finally noticed how his supposedly pristine white haori had nearly as much crimson on its tattered surface as white. It broke her heart then when she realized he ended up like this to save her.

"You're hurt... I mean, you're really hurt, Toushiro! How could you be so calm about this? You're unbelievable!"

"It's nothing." It really was nothing compared to his past injuries.

"Don't play tough with me! It's uncool, you know. For god's sake, that explosion made Pain's buildings blaster attack look like a breeze!"

The tension between the two became uncomfortable quickly. Fortunately, someone appeared just in time to bring a welcomed relief with her familiar loud voice.

"CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA! MISS INO!"

"Hachigo, thank you for the quick Gentei Kaijo call." He wasn't sure he could take a direct impact of an Ito Kasou with his limiter on, maybe if he focused on personal defense he'd be fine, but while protecting a human girl...

"Hachigo-chan! You can move like a flash too?!" She couldn't help feeling jealous after seeing the little girl moved like a blur through the air.

"Of course she can. Anyway, Yamanaka, are you well enough to return home on your own?"

Actually, he asked just out of courtesy. Certainly, she was much more than well after receiving a small fraction of his power. Nonetheless, she was genuinely happy for his rare thoughtfulness.

"Yes, I think I can manage. Thank you, Toushiro."

"Good. I suppose it's time for us to part ways. Take care."

He then gave his subordinate a nod as he began to walk away. The small Shinigami understood, but before she moved to follow him, she gave the teen girl a bow with a warm smile. Seeing this, a sudden panic overwhelmed the girl as the prospect of not seeing them ever again registered in her mind.

"Hey, wait! Where are you guys going?"

"Somewhere. We still need to find a temporary base of operation." He didn't even look back.

"Oh gawd... Do you think I'm that heartless, Toushiro? I still don't like you that much, but I owe you my life."

He stopped then and turned back around. She grinned as she ran to catch up with them before stopping right in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly. What he got was her arms wrapping around his neck without warning as she pressed her body close to him.

"What do you think you're doing, Yamanaka?"

"Ha! You're having dirty thoughts, aren't you? Sorry to disappoint you, darling. You see, I'm just not in the mood to walk home by myself. So hold me tight like you did before and take me home. I'm not inviting you to my bed just yet, though." Oh what was she saying?

She was actually the one who couldn't hold her dirty thoughts as soon as she felt how good it was to have her breasts pressed against his solid muscled chest. Oh she so wanted to invite him to her bed. But like hell she would give him such pleasure after being so condescending to her. She would make him beg on his knees before her! It was only a matter of time, really. No one could resist her.

Oblivious to her thought, the Captain decided to comply with her just to avoid another pointless argument. This time, he took a far more relaxed pace that could barely be called a Shunpo. His little subordinate followed closely behind him.

Along the way, the teenage girl in his arms was thankfully quite for once, resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. The first time he saw her, he thought she was just a typical annoying girly girl, but she turned out to be far worse than that. Somehow, this cheeky girl could easily make him lose his composure within minutes they knew each other. That was a far from easy feat, considering that alongside with his training, he had spent the last couple of decades strengthening his control over his composure. And he had a great success, seeing how the very embodiment of annoyance like Hiyori Sarugaki and Isshin Kurosaki had been left hopeless against his icy persona lately.

He was still lost in thought as the village came into view, but his reliable unconsciousness made him stop high in the air just before the village's gate.

To Ino's puzzlement, the boy holding her just stopped and did nothing else. Reluctantly, she lifted her head from his shoulder to take a look at his face. He seemed to be spacing out. She guessed he had been enjoying the nice travel back home as much as her with her in his arms. A smirk formed on her rosy lips then before turning into a sultry smile.

"Oh Toushiro, while your desire to keep holding this sexy body of mine is completely understandable, I think it's time to let go, darling. I'm not yours, you know."

"I'm not into under-aged girls."

Taking advantage of the girl letting her guard down from shock, he carelessly dropped her from such a height.

"KYAAA! I HATE YOU, TOUSHIRO!"

She closed her eyes in panic, but before she could hit the ground, a small hand seized one of her flailing arms.

"I GOT YOU, MISS INO!"

"Hachigo-chan... You're an angel! And please, call me neechan!"

As soon as they safely landed on the ground, she enveloped the smaller girl in a bear hug. This little Shinigami who just saved her life couldn't possibly get any better in her eyes. But the warm moment was abruptly interrupted by a condescending snort.

"Hachigo is a shinigami, not a tenshi. Besides, she's old enough to know that angels don't exist. Keep in mind that she's older than you, little girl."

"THAT'S IT! You've gone too far, you know that?!"

"You look as much threatening as a bunny, even more so being half naked like this." He pointed at her torn skimpy outfit that barely covered anything anymore after all the damages it suffered earlier.

Surprisingly however, the girl didn't look that embarrassed to be pointed about her near nakedness, if at all. She only huffed in annoyance as she performed some kind of hand signs. And soon later, she smirked triumphantly as her outfit and overall appearance appeared to be back to a pristine condition. There didn't even seemed to be any grim and blood left on her body.

"Oh poor, Toushiro... I'm sorry that you can't ogle me anymore, darling. I'm just that good at Genjustu!"

And she did it just on time. Because right after that, a middle-aged man appeared through the gate with a worried expression. It was her father.

"Ino! Your mother has been so worried! Where have you been?"

"Oh, daddy! You saw the huge crimson blast from before, right? I was trying to see what it was."

"I did. It looked so terrifying... Currently, Kakashi is leading several ANBU to investigate it. Things wouldn't get better anytime soon, I'm afraid. You should stay with me and your mother for the time being, Ino."

"I'm good, dad. I'll just go back to my place. It's still standing, unlike our home. Please, don't worry! I'm a big girl, you know."

She almost dropped her nice little acting just then as she heard the boy beside her snorted again at her claim. But it seemed like she was not the only one who heard it. Her father's gaze immediately settled on her two companions.

"And who are these people, Ino?" His eyes narrowed as he sized up the seemingly wounded boy.

The girl was surprised that her dad could also see them. But her acting was simply too good that she didn't even need to think.

"Oh, these siblings are supposed to be the clients for my upcoming solo mission. Unfortunately, they got a bit caught up in the Akatsuki's invasion earlier."

And it worked like a charm. The father didn't look suspicious anymore as he gave the siblings an apologetic smile.

"I see. My apologies, but it seems like Konoha would not be able to accept any missions for a while, considering the situation. And we're really sorry for getting you into such trouble. You might wish to go to the infirmary."

"We understand, sir. Your daughter has explained as much. We will just come back another time." Thankfully, the Shinigami Captain was also good at acting.

"See, dad? We're good. I'm gonna talk to them for a bit more. You go on ahead. I'll be back to my place shortly."

"Alright, but don't you dare to bring a boy to your place again, young lady."

"No way, dad! I'm totally not in the mood to spend the night with a boy. See you and mom tomorrow!"

As the father left, the Captain took a moment to consider about the man's previous warning to his daughter. Imagine what Mayuri Kurotsuchi would do if his own daughter ended up becoming like this girl by the time they return to Seireitei. No. It was Toushiro's responsibility to prevent it.

"It'd be better if Hachigo and I find another place, Yamanaka. I don't think your interesting lifestyle would be a good influence to her."

The girl couldn't help but wince at the implication. It was fair for him to raise such concern, but still...

"I know you don't see me in good regard at all, Toushiro. But there's no need to worry. I'm capable enough to control my hormones if necessary."

As they walk to her place, the Captain still didn't feel at ease about staying there. But his feelings were irrelevant, he supposed. His main objective was setting up a temporary base of operation and a decent place for his little subordinate to stay. The teenager were free to do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't disturb their work or give the innocent little girl bad influence.

A short while later, they arrived at the front of a big multi-story building located a good distance away from the destroyed part of the village. The girl led them as they climbed up the ladder to the top floor until they arrived in front of one of the doors there. She wasted no time to unlock the door and open it, showing her guests the first glimpse of her place.

"Well, come on in. Hey watch out, Toushiro! I swear, if my furniture got dirty with your blood, I'll kick you out!"

The boy remained quiet as he stepped in, but not his little partner. Hachigo who had been spending all her life living in a lab couldn't contain her wonderment at seeing a normal living space for once, one that was full of feminine touches no less.

"Wow... This place looks very nice, Miss Ino."

"Aw thank you, Hachigo-chan! Okay. You can see the kitchen over there, that room beside it is mine. The bathroom is the one across from it. And adjacent from it is a spare room. You can stay there once we short it out. As for you, Toushiro, I'll let you sleep in that couch once you clean up."

It was then that the Captain realized that the girl was still mad at him over their last conversation based on her sudden hostility. But he couldn't bring himself to care. He had been thinking over how the situation might require a full attention from the Gotei 13 after the recent unexpected development.

"Hachigo, can you please set up a communication screen in that room? I need to report to the Commander immediately."

"YES, SIR!"

Ino watched the little girl went into the spare room with a smile. But she quickly dropped the smile as her gaze met her other guest who seemed to be in a deep thought. It irritated her how he seemed to ignore her again.

She was still pissed at him for being a hypocrite. He was the one who openly admitted his life as a seasoned player. Heck, the boy even had his own exclusive fangirls! Surely, she was a mere novice compared to him in that regard. But he got the audacity to condemn her lifestyle as a novice. To make it worse, his judgement affected her so, no matter how hard she tried to deny it. Because of him, she felt like a dirty slut all of a sudden.

Strangely, all of her anger began to dissipate as she looked at his battered form again. It was nothing, he said. Then why had he not taken care of it already? He did no one any favor being lost in thought like that. Or perhaps he was too exhausted after everything that happened. If he was then...

"Strip down." It'd be best to take matter in her own hands.

That one honestly caught him off guard. Surely, he had misheard her, but he had never misheard anything all his life so. Then again, he should have expected something like this from this girl.

"I don't know about this world, but in Soul Society asking a guest to strip down is considered to be inappropriate."

"Excuse me?! Do I look the least bit turned on by you?"

"You do." And not only the least bit.

So much, actually. Was she really that obvious? She sighed in exasperation.

"Just let me take a look at your wounds. I've told you I'm also a medic, haven't I?"

"Thank you, but I can handle it on my own later. Like I said it's nothing. Do I need to tell you how I've been cut in half in a battle or that one time I was turned into a zombie?"

"Now now, are you telling me beside working as a death god you've also taken part in horror movies, darling?"

To her surprise, he only gave her a tired look. And it was more than enough to make her feel like such an insensitive bitch all of sudden.

"I'm sorry... I thought you just said that for the sake of arguing, you know. Please, I didn't mean to... "

"No worries. They meant nothing. Any pain inflicted upon my body mean pretty much nothing to me."

"Then what is it that can hurt you? Heartbreak?" She couldn't help but snort a bit at that.

"No. It's the pain that crushed your very being as your sword pierced through the body of someone important to you..."

Here we go again. This boy really had the talent to make her feel like the worst kind of trash. Then again, it was actually her fault to begin with.

"I can't even imagine..."

"Then don't. You're too young for that. Go back to thinking about boys or your toenails or whatever suits your fancy."

"Just when I'm about to feel sorry for you... Forget it. Now let me see your wounds. Your messed up appearance is messing up the fanciness of my living room."

This time, she begrudgingly decided to do it herself, not giving him any room to object. Surprisingly enough, he just stood still, and didn't resist at all as she clumsily removed his tops. And soon after, it was her who just stood still for a moment, gaping at the mesmerizing view.

Even though he looked to be no older than eighteen, his body was definitely that of a real man. Seriously, seeing these amount of muscles normally hidden under his baggy traditional attire made her pity all the guys she had ever been with, but to hell with those guys. She was more than willing to forget all of them as she admired this Shinigami boy's perfectly sculptured body. It didn't even cross her mind that she shamelessly spent the next few moments groping him more than tending to his injuries.

Before the silly girl could even make a decent progress with her task, it seemed like a certain little Shinigami already finished with hers as she ran outside.

"IT'S READY, CAPTAIN HITSUGAYA!"

"Good work, Hachigo. Now, you girls stay outside of the room. This upcoming conversation is supposed to be confidential between top-ranking Shinigami only."

"Hey, wait a sec, Toushiro! I still haven't done touching - I mean - healing you!" She just couldn't get enough dammit!

Brushing off the the teenager's protest, the young Captain quickly headed to the room, and closed the door before she could be any more unreasonable. Her presence would only add unnecessary trouble. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

Too bad for him, he still had to wait for a while, staring at the view of the empty First Division office until his Commander showed up on the screen.

"Ah, Hitsugaya-kun! Sorry to keeping you waiting. I couldn't possibly reject the Shihoin's gracious invitation to try a nice drink, you see... So how are you doing?"

Well, the man should've noticed his subordinate's battered state already. So there wasn't really any point to his question. They all knew that Captain Hitsugaya didn't care that much about pleasantries.

"Fine. Let's get to the point. Not long after our arrival, I encountered one of those Ancient Ones as it was about to eliminate a Plus. The thing is its power level actually far exceeded our expectation. The one I fought was stronger than our average Captains. I did manage to bring it down with no problem after a limiter-release. However during its last moment, it did something that caught me off guard. Somehow, it could cast a full powered Hado #96 Ito Kasou. We should put the threat they possess in our priority, sir."

"That's... definitely shocking. It's unlikely even for Kurotsuchi to be already aware of it."

"It's important to gain deeper knowledge of them. I suggest we first ask the Kuchiki if they keep any archive regarding the Ancient Ones."

"That's a good idea. Perhaps we should also add another objective to your mission. If possible, can you please capture one alive and bring it here?"

They both knew that disarming a dangerous opponent is far harder than outright killing them, but it was necessary. Besides, there was no one better for this job than the Tenth Captain himself.

"Yes, sir. That's all I've got to report for the time being, but if you allow me I wish to inform you that I... am sorry for disturbing your work."

"I found the sarcasm as you said 'work' rather funny, Hitsugaya-kun. I know I deserve it. Still, I believe you actually meant to say something else. Let me guess. Is there a lucky girl who managed to steal your heart in that world?"

"You know if I lost my heart, I would've become a Hollow."

"My mistake, Hitsugaya-kun. We all know you never have a problem with girls. You have too many of them, already. So, what did you mean to say earlier?"

"It has something to do with the nature of Ito Kasou. I suppose you know enough about this particular spell."

"Well, I still think they should've labeled it as #99. Yes, it's neither as difficult nor as grand as Goryutenmetsu, but its unblockable trait along with the sacrifice needed to cast it seriously make it more horrific. There's also a reason why it's called the 'unholy cremation'. The blast is capable to damage any Reishi near its proximity."

"There was another person with me, a human. I know I shouldn't have brought her there. And I made the wrong judgement by deciding to not use my Bankai. But what's done is done. We were caught briefly within the main blast despite my best effort. By the time it was over, she was too far gone, but I refused to fail her. I shed aside my professionalism. I'm sure by this point, you can already tell what I resorted to do in the end to save her life."

There he said it, and admittedly it felt good doing the right thing, despite the severe consequences that awaited him. His relief didn't escape the Commander's notice. The man admittedly was proud of his chosen successor for daring to be honest about something that could cost him everything.

"Your rebellion a long time ago was just a starting point, I see. I should've realized you'd do something like this sooner or later."

"I first hesitated to tell you this because I was afraid that it would compromise the mission. The entire situation has a serious potential to turn into a calamity. I thought about reporting my action once it's all over so I could make some contribution beforehand. But now, I admit everything. I have tamper with the life of a human. I have intentionally given a part of my power to a human. I'm willing to take full responsibility for my crimes."

It was somewhat sad to see how the boy didn't seem to care about his own fate. He was too young for that. At times like this, Shunsui Kyouraku wished his best friend was still there to help him making the right decision.

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-kun. It would most likely be a death sentence... Nonetheless, I will give all I have to talk some sense to the Central 46."

"I appreciate it, sir. But I knew what I was doing. And I knew the risks. I don't regret it. If it would really be the end for me, then so be it."

He didn't need to worry about the future, he realized. He believed in his comrades. In fact, he could already picture Ichigo Kurosaki coming back in action to once again save the world, and everything would be alright.

I envision adult Toushiro in this story to be some kind of jerk and womanizer because he unconsciously grew up under Rangiku's strong influence. I was actually inspired by a one-shot I read a long time ago that has such Toushiro giving Byakuya some advice.