Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Thirteen - Bond Between Partners

For a moment all Toushirou could do was stare at the huge dragon that appeared as though it were comprised of ice. He had to incline his neck at a rather odd angle just to look at the creature's head and he felt the beginnings of a crick begin to form.

Which of course he chose to ignore.

After all there were far more pressing issues at hand than a simple sore neck. Gazing at the dragon Toushirou said, "You've been with me from the beginning haven't you?" It was more a statement of fact than an actual question since the white haired boy was almost one hundred percent certain that he already knew the answer.

But he wanted to hear it from Hyourinmaru.

"That is correct little one… You and I have always been a part of one another. Partners in the truest sense."

"But… if you were there from the beginning then why didn't you show yourself sooner?" There was a confused expression in the boy's large teal eyes as he posed this question. And there was also a trace of something else, a slightly pained look. "If we're partners then why… why did you wait until now to show up?"

"I've been keeping my eye on you the entire time little one. Unfortunately you weren't yet strong enough to be able to cope with my powers. However I believe that now you have the necessary strength, both physical and mental."

Toushirou was silent for a moment, contemplating the words spoken to him by his zanpaktou. He hadn't been strong enough before but he was now.

"I suppose that makes sense," the boy muttered, although he still didn't sound overly happy.

"Don't take that as permission to slack off… Although we are true partners becoming a team is another matter entirely and will require much effort on both our parts. But it is possible if you are committed."

Determination replaced all uncertainty in the boy's teal eyes as he nodded his head. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

The dragon inclined it's head to the boy. "I'm pleased to hear that Toushirou. Because there is a task that I wish for you to accomplish. It won't be easy but it is necessary none the less."

Still holding the blade in his hand, Toushirou tightened his grip on the hilt. "Just tell me what to do."

"Do you feel the unfamiliar reiatsu that is radiating from a short distance away?"

It was almost masked by the fierce reiatsu that was being radiated by Hyourinmaru himself but when he focused his concentration Toushirou found that he could just pick out an unfamiliar power. "I feel it."

"It belongs to a fairly powerful Hollow… much stronger than what you faced here. I want you to find and destroy it."

The boy was slightly taken aback by this command, and more than a little annoyed that he hadn't picked up on the Hollow's reiatsu on his own, but he merely nodded his head. If this was what it took for he and his zanpaktou to become a real team then he was willing to track down the Hollow and do whatever it took to kill it.

"Right," he said with a nod.

In a moment the plain of ice had disappeared and Toushirou found himself alone once more. However the comforting presence of Hyourinmaru remained, a feeling that made it seem as though he wasn't alone.

Which, in a sense, he wasn't. No matter where he chose to go there would always be one being that went with him.

The embodiment of his heart and soul.

"Interesting…"

Urahara had been sitting in the garden outside of the Squad Twelve barracks, pointedly avoiding his work, when he felt a fairly large flare of reiatsu. This felt oddly familiar to him and the Squad Twelve captain decided that it was something that he should investigate.

If only for the fact that it would be more fun than doing the endless paperwork that seemed to be piled upon captains.

"I don't know why they make us fill out endless forms," the blond man mused to himself as he made his way across the Seireitei. "Seems like a vast waste of time and energy."

Energy that he could better use doing something else or, more to his tastes, doing absolutely nothing at all.

Walking along an overgrown path in the Rukongai, Toushirou followed the reiatsu signal that was being given off by the Hollow that Hyourinmaru had told him about. It was easy enough to track now that he'd been made aware of it and the child prodigy still found it hard to believe that he'd actually missed it.

Even though it had been masked by Hyourinmaru's massive reiatsu the fact that he had to have it pointed out to him was unacceptable to the boy. "Not something that I'm going to allow to happen again," he muttered darkly to himself.

"Focus on the task at hand little one… you're getting close."

Listening to the words of his zanpaktou, Toushirou tightened his grip on the sword's hilt. He hadn't bothered to sheath his weapon, wanting to be prepared for whatever he had to face. Because he was determined that he would pass this test and prove himself worthy to the sword that he wielded.

At that moment a screech split the air, startling the boy despite the fact that he was searching for a Hollow. Gazing around he searched for the creature that had made the otherworldly sound, his teal eyes soon focusing on a huge, bird-like Hollow. The creature was massive and had a razor sharp beak that was the color of steel and glinted in the sunlight.

"This is it Toushirou… put your trust in me and together we cannot fail."

Trust…

It sounded like such a simple word but for Toushirou it was one of the hardest things to give. Having been found abandoned in the Rukongai with absolutely no memories of how he came to be there, the white haired youth didn't exactly trust anyone. Because there was no way for him to know what had happened to him… or who was involved. As a precaution he had kept his guard up around everyone, even Ukitake to a certain extent.

And now his zanpaktou was asking for the one thing that it was almost impossible for him to give.

His hands actually trembled as he gripped the sword and watched as the Hollow prepared for it's attack. Could he really put his trust in another being, even one that was born from his very being? It seemed like a question that should have an obvious answer but Toushirou found that he honestly didn't know if he could do it.

But it appeared as though he were about to find out.

With another ear piercing screech the Hollow gave a mighty flap of it's huge wings and flew toward the boy who was standing on the ground a few yards away.

A/N - Hope that you enjoyed the chapter, please be kind enough to leave a review and tell me what you thought. Til next time.