04
One of the most prominent characteristic of Ino Yamanaka was her stubbornness so it wasn't surprising that she paid no mind to Toushiro's words. With her ear pressed to the door, she had been listening on the supposedly confidential conversation.
At first, she couldn't believe that the goofy older man's voice the Captain was talking to actually came from his Commander. Then she decided it made sense because who else dared to tease such a powerful Shinigami other than his superior?
For a brief moment, she couldn't help but consider the implication behind such teasing. It is common for boys to pretend to be mean to the girl they secretly like, right? It kind of explained why Toushiro protected her despite being mean to her most of the time. He had a serious crush on her! But then her silly hope got squashed in a second as she heard the boy's heartbreaking dry response. She should've known better.
The rest of the conversation was pretty boring. That was until she heard the revelation that chilled her to the heart. Nothing made sense at all... How could someone who most of the time found her annoying would go as far as willing to be executed to save her life? Regardless, she just couldn't accept such a stupid plot twist. It was not right that he had to die because of her. It was not right that he had to die, period.
Without thinking, the girl barged in before glaring hard at the large screen showing a middle-aged man with an eye patch.
"What kind of bullshit is that, huh?! Toushiro did a noble thing by giving me another chance to live. But his own comrades want him dead for that?!"
The boy in question couldn't believe that he didn't see it coming. He would've set up a barrier if he did, or perhaps simply knocked this impudent girl out cold. Even though he knew they could trust his superior, it would still be best if she remained anonymous to Soul Society after what happened.
"Do not involve yourself in this, girl. Your concern is pointless. I am nothing to you just as you are nothing to me."
That was what he did best, protecting others by pushing them away, even as far as hurting them if necessary. And hurt her, he did, much more than he even realized. The Commander noticed this, however, as he saw the human girl fell into a stunned silence. He really didn't agree with his trusted Captain method in dealing with feelings in particular.
"Now now, there's no need to be rude, Hitsugaya-kun. I believe your lady friend is just worried about you. Would you care to introduce us, by the way?"
"Yes, sir. She's Ino Yamanaka, the girl I mentioned in my report. We owe her gratitude for providing Hachigo and me the space we use as a base of operation here. Now, if you please pay attention, Yamanaka. The man in the screen is the Captain-Commander of the Shingami Shunsui Kyouraku."
"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Yamanaka-chan. Please don't take Hitsugaya-kun's words seriously. Once you get to know him better, you would understand that he actually cares about everyone. And no matter how hard he'd try to deny it, I can already tell you've secured a special place in his heart."
"Pardon me, sir. But I don't think it's appropriate for someone of your status claiming such a nonsense like that. A heart is just a life-sustaining organ."
The older man laughed easily at that. It was so typical of this particular boy to say such a thing.
"That's why I desperately need you to replace me, Captain Hitsugaya. Sadly, it's just not meant to be after all. I will not stain your honor by pitying you. We've known each other for so long. You know how I view the course of fate. To me, there's nothing wrong with death as long as you pass on with no regret. That's all I wish for you in case I failed to help you. Go fulfill everything you ever wish while you're there, and come back here with no regret. You have my permission to return in your own term. Though, it will require me to send someone to supervise you."
"Thank you very much, sir. Another competent mind would be helpful for this mission."
"It is really inspiring how you still committed to your job, Hitsugaya-kun. If you please care to listen, Yamanaka-chan. The boy beside you is actually very different than how he normally wants others to see him. He could've left the truth behind. He is capable to stand against the whole Gotei 13. But no, he would forever stubbornly dedicate himself to his honor and belief. Even then, I never stop hoping someone would come to make him realize how he has been missing out on many so things he deserves." Smiling sadly, Shunsui wished this human girl could be the one to fulfill his hope.
It was becoming uneasy for the boy to keep listening on his superior's embarrassing nonsense.
"The only thing I deserve is punishment and nothing more. Now if you allow me, sir. I still have a mission to do."
"Ah, of course. Just one more thing. I would never send anyone after you only if you decided to follow your old Captain's footstep." The senior Shinigami gave the pair of youngsters a mischievous grin before the large screen turned dark.
The room fell silent after that. Ino found herself intrigued by the goofy Commander's final message. It was enough to make her push aside the hurt she still felt.
"You know what he meant, don't you? You'd be okay if you do as he said, Toushiro! I'll help you as much as I can."
The boy groaned slightly. This girl was too impulsive. She didn't know what she she was saying, and yet, the determination in her eyes made it seemed that it didn't matter. She at least deserved an explanation, he decided.
"I'll explain it to you, and you'll decide. My predecessor gave up his power to save a human lady whom he later married. They started a family, and lived a happy life in the world of the living for many years, unbeknownst to Soul Society." Though in all honestly, he'd rather die than follow the fool's footstep.
It took the girl a moment to consider the implication. So for him to be okay, he needed to marry her and have a family with her...
"NO WAY! I'd much prefer watching your live execution than being married to a total jerk like you! I'd be damned if I got myself into an abusive marriage with you treating me like a slave whose only worth is just to bear your spawns!"
"I never asked you to do so, wench! Your intelligence is pitifully lacking, I see. Having a pretty face only made it harder for you to see anything beyond your pathetically shallow self."
This time, she couldn't even bring herself to be angry because all she felt was just a hurtful defeat.
"Why did you save me then? If that's really what you think of me, Toushiro... Why did you even bother to save me?"
"Because I promised. I've made a promise to never fail anyone again, whoever they are as long as they deserve my help. Because you're too young. You can deny it all you want, but it's the truth. There are still so many things you want to see and experience, so much room for you to grow, and so many opportunities to be a better person. Because you are loved. If I let you die, it would mean I let the ones who love you suffer a tremendous grief." And it ended with a sigh.
"I am sorry, Yamanaka. I have no right to judge you so unfairly."
The girl looked carefully at his face for a moment. She heard everything. His answer was harsh, but it spoke the truth. As strange as it was, she was honestly touched by his harsh but kinda sweet way of expressing his feelings to her.
"Stop being so genuine like that. Or I can't help but fall for you... and force you to be my boyfriend, and burn through all of your money, and lock you up in my bedroom." She giggled suddenly. "Kidding, Toushiro!"
"You'd better be. No point in harboring feelings for a dead man."
"Well, you look like one, alright. Go take a bath!"
He seemed to ponder it for a second before quietly going to her bathroom. She found it cute that suddenly he looked to be embarrassed for some reason. Let's see if she could make him feel even more embarrassed.
"Want me to come with you, darling?"
"Do what you want."
It backfired, badly. It was then her turn to be embarrassed for some reason. It was not like she had never had a bath with a boy before. She knew what was to be expected to happen! But she found herself blushing madly, and she didn't understand why.
Of course she did.
Ino was really not that smart, but she wasn't as stupid as Toushiro made her seem to be, especially regarding her heart. She indeed had begun to fall for him. It might sound ludicrous since they had only known each other for a few hours, but somehow it felt much longer to her. She harbored feelings for him. That was why she found her herself blushing like a virgin when he didn't reject her for once.
Before she knew it, he already finished his bath. She could only watch shyly as he walked out of the bathroom all fresh and pristine like the first time she saw him. He really knew how to take care of himself, she realized in amazement. But to her disappointment, he soon disappeared with not even a glance.
There was also this fact that he didn't have any interest in her at all.
She wasn't sure if she wanted him to know about her feelings. All she wanted for the time being was just to be closer to him until the time come for him to... Seriously, she absolutely had no idea why he accepted such injustice that easily. Damn him for making her feel so guilty. Falling for him indeed led to nothing good, just endless frustration. It also frustrated her to no end how she wasn't smart enough to figure out what to do. She had been so confident with herself, but after meeting him, she realized she was nothing more than a helpless - albeit very pretty - human.
She must've looked as helpless as she felt because her little guest seemed to notice her distress.
"MISS INO?" She looked up at the teen worriedly.
"Oh! Hachigo-chan. I'm sorry for spacing out. Let's take a bath together!"
And that was how Ino still ended up having a fun bath together with a Shinigami.
The girls spent the rest of the evening together, having a dinner, cleaning up the spare room. It was surprising how nice it was to just talk without the jerk being there to spoil the mood. The two talked about many things from girly stuffs that the little girl was unfamiliar with up to scientific matters that the teenage girl was completely clueless about.
"Alright alright, Hachigo-chan. Talking about science makes my head hurt... Let's talk about something else, shall we? Like how long have you known Toushiro? You seemed to idolize him so much." She could even tell the little Shinigami had a childish crush on him.
"TWENTY YEARS, FOUR MONTHS, and NINETEEN DAYS! He's my hero. The first time I met him, he almost got into a fight with my father for saving me from being recycled... Since then, he always treats me as a good comrade."
"Wait, WHAT?! What happened?" Her surprise that the two Shinigami had known each other far longer than she had been alive could wait for latter.
"I am the Twelfth Division Captain's latest product of his research in developing enhanced artificial souls. I am number eight of the Nemuri project... just a poor replacement for number seven. He didn't even bother to give me a proper name even though he gave my older sister one." Her voice was unusually quiet.
As soon as the poor girl finished speaking, Ino enveloped her in a loving hug. She held back her tears as she tried not think of how messed up the realm of the afterlife was. She didn't care at all that this little Shinigami was practically a robot.
"Hachigo-chan... I swear I will not see you differently. I want you to be my sister and nothing will change that."
"THANK YOU! You're amazing, Miss Ino! I know Captain Hitsugaya thinks so too!" Though she wondered why he chose to act mean toward the blonde girl...
"Does the jerk always treat an amazing girl like a cheap bitch though? Sorry, Hachigo-chan. I don't believe you on that one. By the way, do you know how he became so impossible like that? I'm sure you know a lot about him." Secretly, she hoped she'd get to know about his embarrassing secrets.
"Oh, if you want to know more about Captain Hitsugaya, I can show you his profile."
She then extracted something from her compartment device that she later explained as a tablet to her pretty friend. It took longer than expected for the not very smart girl to understand how to - clumsily - use the technologically advanced device, but it was worth it.
First, she learned from the home page about the basic information of Soul Society and Gotei 13. Minutes later, she found it boring, and used the search function to find the section about the Tenth Division Captain. To her annoyance, a lot of the information were classified for officers only, and her attempt to bribe the small Shinigami to give her access was fruitless. One of those was the record about an event called The DiamondDust Rebellion. Having no choice, she settled for reading about his brief history and some technical information that she could barely understand. There were a few interesting info about some amazing techniques of his, but the rest were mostly just some stats that supposedly showed how prodigious and powerful he was.
Feeling bored, she was about to return the device when she spotted a link to image galleries. And of course it made her day. Her eyes widened instantly. Then she couldn't help herself from fervently kissing the touch-screen that showed a picture of the ice Captain during his earlier days of captaincy.
"Kyaaa! He's so kawaii! Oh, gawd! It's such a tragedy how an uber-cute boy like this ended up becoming that horrible jerk! Look, Hachigo! Aah, he's blushing~ I wonder why -" Her brows furrowed suddenly.
And soon, she figured out that what his head was pressed tightly into were actually a pair of woman's breasts... a really huge pair of woman's breasts. It was such a horrid plot twist in her opinion. Unlike her though, the little girl didn't seem to see anything wrong with the picture at all.
"I think it was because Lieutenant Rangiku showed him her love as usual."
"Is this Rangiku a creep or something?! I mean, he was just a little boy and she -" Suddenly, she didn't feel strangely threatened anymore as she realized that the woman must've been an old lady by the time he got older.
"She is a very fun lady! BEAUTIFUL TOO! Let's look at the more recent images. You'll see that they now look so good together!"
Enthusiastically, Hachigo showed her a nice image taken during the new year celebration, the one that showed a drunk Rangiku being carried by her Captain in his arms. Ino couldn't help the pang of jealousy as she saw how Toushiro's face in the picture showed a deep fondness toward the woman. And it displeased her so to find out that the woman looked to be still around her early twenties.
"Damn you Shinigami for never aging."
Reluctant but curious, the kind of jealous girl opened the link to the Lieutenant's page. She quickly sound an earlier story that revealed Rangiku Matsumoto as the one who recruited Toushiro Hitsugaya to be a Shinigami. There were also some mentions about how great they were as partners and how irreplaceable they were to each other. Those things only agitated her further so she turned her attention to her galleries.
She regretted it instantly. Never in her life had Ino Yamanaka felt so inferior as she looked at the clearer pictures of the Lieutenant. The woman was absolutely gorgeous with a body that could easily rival the Hokage, but considerably taller! She finally understood why the infuriating Captain dismissed her exceptional figure so easily. How could she ever compare to this?
―
With only the dim light of a simple Kido spell as company, Toushiro had been browsing through various books and scrolls within a supposedly secret library of the village. What he found so far was worth the effort. He had learned the existence of two resurrection methods. At first, he was rather surprised when he realized that the Plus he sent to the afterlife earlier was the one responsible of the mass resurrection in that village. But then, he felt somewhat relieved that the cursed eyes had gone with him. As for the other method, he was still mostly clueless about it.
Perhaps, it was time to ask for assistance.
"Would you like to aid me in my research, Ninja-san? A help from an experienced shinobi like you would be well appreciated."
He had sensed the presence of the ninja observing him from the shadow even before they came a hundred meter into the vicinity. And at last, with a somewhat carefree gait, the man showed himself as he approached the Captain.
"I would like to, but I'm afraid the reading materials I'm familiar with have nothing to do with what you're interested in. I'm Kakashi Hatake, just another Jounin of Konohagakure."
"Toushiro Hitsugaya, a Shinigami Captain."
"Nice to meet you, Captain. Well, I don't mean to be rude. I don't think you came here with ill intent. But it's still my responsibility to make sure the safety of my village. That's something I just failed today, I know. Now, I can only try not to fail again. You see, somehow I got the feeling that you have something to do with the mysterious explosion that happened a good distance away from here earlier this evening. Am I correct?"
It was only normal to be cautious. As a highly experienced shinobi and one of those persons who could see spirits, Kakashi had no doubt in his deduction that the young man in front of him was a spiritual being of unimaginable power. Even then, this Shinigami seemed to be entirely different than what he knew from tales. He dared say he seemed friendly, but not really.
Friendly was not the best term to describe Toushiro Hitsugaya, he was... diplomatic.
"Yes, you are. Hatake-san, I will explain everything once so please listen. You're free to decide whether to believe me or not later. I've met enough people in my life to know that you are one of those who see everything through and through."
He started by explaining about his identity and duties as Shinigami as well as his reason for coming to this particular world. The other man listened carefully in silence, but he seemed to accept all the information quite well. Seeing how it went better than expected, the Captain then talked about the things he went through since he arrived, including his clash with another kind of Shinigami. He was even willing to voice his concern over a possible crisis that might befall soon to the worlds if he failed to act quickly.
The man tried to return the favor by sharing all he knew regarding resurrection techniques. He also promised to tell the Captain if he found any new information or something unusual with the world even though he wasn't sure if he could give meaningful helps. In the end, he found himself having a nice chat with his new associate from Soul Society.
"You know Captain, I'd like to offer you to stay in my humble abode if Ino-chan proves to be too handful for you... But I doubt you would appreciate the smell of dogs there. So good luck with her!" He tried hard not to laugh as he pictured how those two very different individuals lived together.
"I admit I've felt my blood pressure rising higher in the few hours I've been with her than in the past few decades. Do you have any advice?"
"Perhaps you can try to behave like someone her age so she'll have easier times to relate to you better and understand your needs. Hmm asking her out for dinner wouldn't hurt either, I suppose."
"Let me clarify, Hatake-san. I need an advice on how to make her behave more appropriately and not to bother me with her nonsense."
"Eh? My apologies, Captain! I mistakenly thought you would like to date her just like any other boys. Sorry, I cannot think of any solution if that is your problem. Why don't you give her a chance, though?"
"It's fine. But why should I give her a chance or care, for that matter?"
"Oh well, it's just that you might be good for her. Her father often shared his complains with me about how his innocent daughter is no more. My student who happened to be her best friend also sometimes talked about her concern for the girl."
And that was how Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya ended up going through the night listening to various stories about Ino Yamanaka. He found them pointless and none of his concern. Still, they were somewhat amusing. So he gave no indication that he minded about it.
―
If she wasn't already asleep that night, Ino would've shown how grateful she was that she didn't have any nightmare even after all the things she experienced the day before. In fact, she was having a very pleasant dream winch involved a hot guy she had recently seen in a magazine cover. She was excited, but just when it started to get a bit naughty, her dream suddenly changed drastically. The queen sized bed she was lying on was no more, being replaced with cold rocky ground. As she looked around, she could see nothing but a vast plain that was too dark to her liking.
Just then, she noticed a figure in the distance standing with their back to her. She quickly recognized him as the infuriating Shinigami Captain, but his hair was far longer. She didn't give a damn, though. He had dared to ruin the best dream she had in a while so she decided to unleash her wrath on him.
"Hey, you jerk! If you like me that much, admit it! Don't be a creep, stalking me even in my dream! Hey, don't ignore me you -" She lost her voice as soon as she got herself in front of him.
The first thing that shocked her was the circular hole at the center of his chest that pierced cleanely all the way through his body. Then as if moving on its own, her head tilted upward to look at his face. Her frightened eyes were immediately locked with a pair of glowing crimson orbs surrounded by blackness. Getting hold of what little courage she had left, she broke the eye contact, but it only resulted in her losing it completely. Ice... His face was covered with a skull-like ice mask. That was the simpler way to describe it because what she was facing was actually a horror that could not be described.
She just wished this nightmare to end. And somehow, her wish was granted as she felt an intense burst of power before everything ceased to exist.
She woke up with a start, cold sweat covering her trembling body. After taking a few deep breaths, she managed to calm her racing heart. Her gaze then found the clock. It was four ten in the morning, far too early for her to wake up. Still too lazy to do anything, she chose to get back to sleep, hoping there wouldn't be any more nightmare.
Just as she closed her eyes, she suddenly noticed a voice coming from the balcony. It didn't take her long to realize that it was the voice of the source of her nightmare. Maybe it was ridiculous for her to be scared since it wasn't real. She had no reason to fear him, but she just couldn't help it. Though in the end, she decided to check on him, but not before covering her naked body with a large green sweater.
Once she got close enough, she noticed him talking with someone through a mobile communication device she had seen earlier. He didn't sound happy.
`Listen, Matsumoto. If someone of my standing avoids punishment, it will create an uproar or worse a divide in Soul Society. That's something we have to avoid at all cost especially with the looming crisis.`
`Don't you dare to ask for Kurosaki's help. I respect him, but I refuse to lose what remain of of my honor by depending on him.`
`Enough. Once again, I ask you to stop being childish. She doesn't deserve your hate. She's just a silly teenager who has a family... friends... dreams.`
`Please, Rangiku... Don't say such a thing. You know how much you mean to me.`
`We'll say our goodbyes later. Now, go get some rest.`
So it was the Rangiku, Ino realized with a scowl. The woman seemed like a real bitch, but he did seem to care about her a lot. And it agitated her so.
"Who was that? Your girlfriend?" She didn't eve bother to hide the snide in her tone.
And the boy didn't bother to look at her. Maybe he was too tired that he didn't care with her boldly invading his private moment like that.
"Rangiku Matsumoto my Lieutenant. We're not a couple, but we're indeed exceptionally close."
That was... good news, she decided. Not that it was a surprise because no woman in her right mind would want a relationship with a player like him. Really, this was the boy who openly admitted sleeping around with multiple women at once! Speaking of that...
"Have you ever slept with her?"
"Once. She taught me." He didn't even blink.
The girl on the other hand did. She didn't know what to think of that. She had become completely lost about the nature of the Tenth Captain and Lieutenant's private relationship. So what else could she say then?
"Why not more?" Okay, that was kinda stupid.
"We can't afford that. It would risk jeopardizing the threads that tie us together. It's hard to explain. We have something... special that I doubt even real couples have."
So... they were in love? ... or not? It confused her so! Well, at least the two were not an item. She sighed in slight relief.
"Jeez, you Shinigami are complicated. If we humans are interested with each other, we'll hook up together. If it doesn't work, just find another and try again. Simple and fun." Though honestly, she wasn't sure about that anymore ever since she met him.
"Not that complicated. We just do our duties with some breaks once in a while until the time come for us to retire or die."
"That sounds so boring. No wonder you don't mind to die... Serious question though, what would happen to you if you died?"
He leaned toward the railing then, and gazed at the early morning sky that was still full of stars, silently reflecting on his life. Feeling much less anxious than before, the girl instinctively moved closer to him, joining him in enjoying the tranquil view. He gave her a brief glance but didn't show any indication that he disliked her close proximity. In fact, he found her presence somewhat pleasant for once as he thought of her question.
"I doubt I'm considered as a good person so I will just tell you what would most likely happen to me. After my death, I would manifest once again in hell to receive the justified punishment."
It was a bit hard for her to see him as a good person anymore after the nightmare she recently had. Even then, she didn't like the idea that he was going to hell. He deserved better, she believed.
"I highly doubt it too, but I can't help being curious. What if the God got drunk and mistook you as at least a decent guy?"
"I would be reborn as a human, somewhere, maybe in this world, maybe close from here, maybe we'd meet again... who knows." Being a normal human... the notion was strange to him, but perhaps it wouldn't be that bad.