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Chapter Four - Friend

Toushirou had been informed by Head Captain Ukitake that his powers would be tested that evening and the boy found that he wasn't exactly certain how he felt about that. He had already overheard conversations between the adults where they spoke of the powers that he possessed but for his part the kid wasn't entirely certain that they knew what they were talking about.

Absently the white haired youth touched the hilt of the sword that he kept with him at all times. Ukitake had given him a sash and now Toushirou wore the sword strapped across his back.

It's presence was comforting but he was still uncertain about it's origins. Perhaps he would learn the truth of it soon but at this point Toushirou was beginning to fear that he would forever be in the dark.

It was frightening not to know anything about yourself but Toushirou refused to give in to the fear. He was not weak and he refused to allow these feelings to overwhelm him.

"Stay strong little one…"

This voice that seemed to echo through his mind had grown familiar to him in the relatively short time that he had been hearing it and Toushirou no longer tensed whenever he heard it.

This voice brought him comfort and made him feel as though he could keep going, despite all of the uncertainty.

Lost in thought Toushirou had wandered away from the Squad One courtyard and he now found himself in completely unfamiliar surroundings. The boy's teal eyes widened as he realized that he hadn't been paying attention to the direction in which he was walking.

Which of course meant that he had absolutely no idea how to get back.

"Are you lost little boy?"

Toushirou bristled and turned toward the voice that was calling out to him. His searching gaze fell upon a girl, several years older than himself, with dark hair and eyes the color of chocolate. She was gazing at him with a sympathetic expression in her eyes and for some reason that annoyed him. "Don't call me little."

"Oh," the girl said, coming to stand a few feet away from the snowy haired boy. She could feel a chill in the air as she grew closer to him, which aroused her curiosity. "I'm sorry. My name's Momo Hinamori. What's your's?"

Toushirou paused, unsure of how exactly he should answer this question. He didn't know this girl, not that he really knew any of the inhabitants of this place called Soul Society, and he decided to give a noncommittal answer. "Toushirou."

"Toushirou…" Hinamori prompted, waiting for the white haired boy to finish his introduction.

The boy knew that she was looking for a last name to go along with that so he thought about it for a moment longer and said, "Hitsugaya."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Shiro-chan," Hinamori said, offering the boy a broad smile. "So where exactly are you going?"

Toushirou shrugged, not really having had a set destination in mind. He had merely wanted to go out for some fresh air and had somehow found himself here.

Wherever here might be.

However the one thing he knew was that he didn't particularly care for this nickname that the girl had given to him. Narrowing his large teal eyes he said, "Don't call me Shiro-chan."

"Are you from the Rukongai?" Hinamori asked, concern for the small boy evident in her eyes as she managed to completely ignore his annoyance over how she had addressed him. She didn't know how he had managed to get into the Seireitei but if someone found him then he could get into a lot of trouble.

"Not really," Toushirou said, shrugging his shoulders once again. "I'm staying with Head Captain Ukitake."

Hinamori's eyes widened upon hearing this and she gazed at the boy with new interest. And it was in this moment that she noticed the large sword that he was wearing strapped across his back.

Could it…

Was it possible that this little boy was in possession of a zanpaktou?

Hinamori couldn't deny the fact that she felt a tremendous amount of reiatsu radiating from this small boy but what did it mean? She had never seen him around before but surely someone of his obvious power level would be enrolled in the Academy.

Shaking her head Hinamori decided that she could find out the answers to these questions later. For now she should probably help the boy find his way back to Squad One before someone else saw him and mistook him for an intruder.

Reaching out she seized hold of one of Toushirou's hands. "Come along Shiro-chan, and I'll take you back to Squad One!"

"Don't call me that!" Toushirou snapped as the strange girl began to pull him along by the hand.

Hinamori merely laughed as she led the way across the Seireitei toward the Squad One barracks. This strange little boy definitely had a temper but Hinamori was fairly certain that he was nice, underneath it all.

Pulling Toushirou along behind her Hinamori quickly made her way to the Squad One barracks and, when they arrived, she saw that Head Captain Ukitake was standing at the entrance to the courtyard. Coming to a stop she bowed politely to the leader of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Ukitake nodded politely to the young girl and then his eyes focused on the disgruntled boy whose hand she was still holding. "There you are Toushirou. I was beginning to wonder where you'd disappeared off to."

"I just felt like taking a walk," Toushirou said, pulling his hand free from Hinamori's grip.

"Well I'm glad that you made it back unharmed," Ukitake said with a smile. Then he turned his attention to the young girl. "Thank you."

"You're welcome sir," Hinamori said politely before turning her attention back to the white haired boy. "Maybe we can hang out sometime Shiro-chan."

"I told you not to call me that!" Toushirou barked, his eyes narrowing once again.

But Hinamori merely smiled that infuriating smile as she turned and began to walk away.

"Shiro-chan huh?" Ukitake said as he and the boy turned and entered the courtyard. "I think that's a very fitting nickname."

Toushirou groaned, raising his hand and running it through his snow white hair. Could this day possibly get any worse?

Later on Toushirou would lament the fact that he had ever had this thought. Because, no matter how bad the situation seems at the time, it can always get worse.

"Come Shiro-chan," Ukitake said, his gaze focused on the snowy haired child who stood beside him. "I think it's finally time that we see exactly what you're capable of."

Toushirou nodded, feeling his heart rate begin to speed up. He had known that Ukitake wanted to test these powers that he supposedly possessed but the boy wasn't entirely sure that it was a good idea.

But he couldn't refuse. Not after Ukitake had been so kind to him. So, with a sigh, the boy followed along behind the white haired head captain.

"It's going to be okay little one…"

"I hope you're right," Toushirou thought, feeling a shiver run down his spine. For some reason he was scared but the boy refused to show this fear.

But that didn't mean that it wasn't there.

A/N - And here's the end of yet another chapter. Hope that you enjoyed. And thank you to everyone who has submitted reviews to this story. They are greatly appreciated.