Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
He is very uncomfortable. It has been so long since he has been in his human form, not since he was very young.
The sun is very warm, and he wishes he could jump back into his cool lake.
He runs a hand, clumsily, through his spiky white hair. It is not very tame, but that is to be expected, because he is not one for a casual monthly visit to the barber. Now he berates this choice.
In addition to this dilemma, he is also very unpracticed with using his extremities. Although he is impressed with the human thumb, it has been a very long time since he has walked on land with two feet. The act is feasible but awkward for him, and is periodically halted with stumbles.
He has forgotten how disagreeable clothing is. Although, the clothing his sister bought for him many months ago is very open and breezy, and he thanks her dearly for this. No stuffy collars or itchy sleeves. It makes the situation slightly more bearable.
So does the fact that the object of his affections is going to appear at any moment.
He awaits her arrival eagerly, yet also anxiously. He knows she is awed by his dragon form, and hopes she finds his human form just as pleasing. It will be a step towards friendship.
When she arrives, he notices she has obviously not been in one of her lessons. Her choice of wear is as boyish and simple as his own dress, and he is highly amused by this. Tucked under her arm is a battered object, which he recognizes as her beloved ball of soccer.
"Mr. Dragon!" he hears her calling. "Where are you?"
Taking in a calming breath, which does not work very well, he slowly trudges away from the woods and towards the figure carefully searching for his form in the lake.
"Hello, Ms. Karin," he calls out. "I'm glad to see you've made it safely."
Her reaction is not one he expects. When she whips around quickly, he becomes aware that something is wrong.
When she instantly drops her ball and sets her hands as fists in front of her body protectively, he becomes aware that he is what is wrong.
"Who the hell are you?" she demands. He is surprised.
"What? I-It's me!"
The words have only just left his mouth when her fist makes contact with his jaw. He stumbles back from the force of the attack.
He thanks Kami that there is no sickening crack; he has tough bones. But the pain shooting through his jaw is intense. The girl has one hell of a punch!
She is already curling up her fists once again, and preparing herself for the next punch.
"Ms. Karin, stop! I mean you no harm."
"Oh, is that right, you sick pervert? So you just make it a habit to follow young girls into the woods?"
She punches again, but he is ready this time. When her fist comes within close proximity, he catches it with his palm and twists her arm behind her back, though not hard enough to cause her pain.
"Ms. Karin. If you would please let me explain. It's me."
"Me who, idiot? I've never seen you before."
"...Mr. Dragon," he answers in a mortified hush.
She snorts in disbelief.
"I think you're missing a few things there, buddy. Like scales for one. And a tail, for another."
He releases her once he feels her calm slightly. She steps away and faces him, her arms crossed and a defiant look across her face.
"I know it is very difficult to believe, because I look so unlike the creature you met yesterday. But this is my human form."
"Prove it," she commands. He nods gently, knowing there is no other way.
When he begins removing his shirt, she yelps.
"O-Oi! What the hell are you doing?" she screeches, a flush rising to her cheeks. "I knew you were a pervert."
Now he is embarrassed.
"This clothing will not fit me once I transform," he explains quickly. "I have no other choice but to remove it, or else it will tear and I will have nothing more to wear once I change-"
"Alright already. I get it. Just hurry up."
She huffs in chagrin and turns away from him, giving him privacy.
He is quick in removing all that is adorning his body. It feels strange to be bare only inches away from her.
He awkwardly steps over to the water, seats himself at the edge, and pushes himself forward, sliding gracefully into the lake and submerging himself. Being surrounded by water gives him an added strength in order to transform quickly.
It has been years since he has experienced the sensation of transforming. It feels foreign to his body, just as the act of changing into a human had, hours prior.
His skin begins changing first, switching from soft flesh to rough and hardy scales. He feels his body elongating into that of a slithery serpent. Soon, his extremities become shorter, and more hunched into his body. His fingers lengthen into claws, his newly acquired thumbs recede into his hands. He feels a tail protrude from his posterior.
His face changes last. His hair becomes shorter and flatter, stretching out along his back. His nose extends into a snout, while his ears shift to a higher position on his head, and become pointed. The pupils of his eyes constrict, his teeth become fangs.
He becomes a mighty dragon.
When his changes have ceased, he whips his tail in the water, just as the day before, to capture her attention with the splashes.
It is satisfying to see her turn, freeze, and gape.
"Wow," she breathes. He feels arrogant, until she continues. "Mr. Dragon is a kid?"
He growls menacingly. She, rather than appearing frightened, chuckles.
"You don't like that, huh? Me calling you a kid, I mean. I guess that's one trait we share." She pauses to stare at him in wonder. "I have something in common with a dragon..."
He chuckles too, pleased with this new discovery.
"All right, I guess I believe you now, Mr. Dragon...oh, I guess I should stop calling you Mister, huh?"
He gently nods his head, and then begins making strange jerky motions with it. She only stares at his odd behavior, not understanding what he is trying to tell her.
"What?"
The strangest sound escapes his lips just then. It sounds like he is in pain, and she becomes alarmed, worried that something has gone wrong with his transformation.
It is a groan. After all the trouble he has gone through to meet her as a human and communicate with dignity, he still has no choice but to resort to the old way!
Gritting his teeth, he, very slowly, bends his face towards the ground, until his snout is touching the dirt.
'Please look away.'
"...Why?"
Too mortified with the situation already, he only has the patience to write out three words.
'Human form. Nude.'
She is not the only one flushing as she turns around.
After his changes are complete, he scrambles to slip on his clothing.
"All right Ms. Karin. You may look."
She immediately spins around, and the look on her face is one of scrutiny. She walks closer, and he instantly feels uncomfortable when she is only two inches from his face.
She looks at his face from every angle, then pulls backs and looks at the rest of him very carefully.
"Hmmmm...you'll do, I suppose," is her review. "You're kinda scrawny, which is unexpected from a dragon, but I can live with that. At least you're a looker, though your hair makes you seem more albino than anything."
He is not sure whether he should be relieved, but decides he is, since this reaction is better than flat out disapproval.
They seat themselves on the lake's edge, like she has done for years. For her it is comforting because of the routine. For him it is comforting because he is seated so close to water.
"Do all dragons look like you?"
"Dragons, much like humans, are unique in appearance and personality. The only trait they may share is their powers, depending on the element they thrive in. I look and act differently from my fellow water spirits, but we all possess the ability to control water."
"Cool. And, are there a lot of dragons. I mean, living near, or with, humans? It would probably be hard to tell."
"My guess would be no. Many dragons are isolated creatures. There are few that are not – many of my own companions are examples – but a dragon will feel more comfortable and safe staying close to a constant source of their element, which is usually difficult to find in a human village."
"So that's why you stay here, in this lake!"
"Correct. This lake is my home, has been for years. It is unknown to most of the human population, which I appreciate as I like my privacy. It remains unpolluted also, as a result. And should I ever need to call upon my powers, as I did last night -" both their faces darken as they remember the events of the previous night, and his powerful water attacks "- I have the water available to aid me, and provide added strength."
"But are there a lot of you? Why aren't there more sightings of dragons? Why are you guys myths now?"
"To answer your first question, yes, there are many dragons scattered across the globe. Most are not known of because, as I said previously, their source of strength is located in a secluded area. Those that are not still do not make it a point to advertise their existence."
"Why?"
"Well think for a moment. How do you think the many residents in your village would react if they were to learn that a dragon, a powerful creature with ten times their strength and magical ability, existed among them?"
She pursed her lips, knowing the answer, but not liking it.
"...I suppose most would be frightened."
"Exactly. Your unaffected reaction is very rare among humans who meet dragons."
And they lapse into silence, each pondering what they have discussed.
It does not take long for her to grow bored with the silence, and ask the most important question, at least in her books.
"Do you know how to play soccer, Mr. Dr...oh no, I mean, um-"
"Toushiro," he supplies. "You may refer to me as Toushiro."
"Toush it is!" she agrees happily. He does not bother pointing out that this is not what he told her he wanted to be called. After all, a pet name signifies a close relationship. "You know how to play soccer, Toush?"
"I know the basic concepts, yes." He chooses to leave out the information that he only knows from watching her play for years.
It seems all the times his eyes followed her should be gratified, because her eyes shine with obvious acceptance at his knowledge of soccer.
"Then let's play."
She runs over and grabs the soccer ball she had dropped previously, and places it in front of her feet. He hesitantly stands a few feet away, facing her.
"I must warn you. I am not very good with my feet -"
"Heads up!"
She has obviously ignored what he was trying to say; instead, she kicks her soccer ball towards him. With unnecessary strength, he thinks, as he just barely manages to catch it beneath his foot. She grins.
"Alright, those two shrubs will be your goal, and these two trees will be mine. First one to three wins."
She rushes at him, her face determined, her eyes on the ball. As a result of the panic from her sudden charge, he kicks it out of her reach without realizing it. She scowls and changes direction.
He begins running towards the designated goal. Actually, it is more of a waddle. He is very unsure of the placement of his feet, and is given no time to think about it, as she is fast approaching. So he keeps going.
"You have to be better than that, Toush!" she says with a triumphant smirk, as she steals the ball away. He has no hope of catching up as they change direction.
It is absolutely humiliating when he tries to kick the ball away from behind, crosses his feet, and trips on his own leg. She takes no care to stifle the laughter that erupts from her lips moments later.
Wiping dirt off of his nose – even in human form he is subjected to it! – he stands up just in time to see her score.
"Goal!" she screeches delightedly. To be fair, she kicks the ball towards him, to give him another chance to score. It is no help.
Only seconds into the game, he tries to kick the ball, only for his foot to land on top. It rolls over the ball, and he is thrown onto the ground. The worst part is that the ball flies backwards, into his own goal!
"That's one more point for me," she is helpful enough to point out. "One more and you lose."
Needless to say, she wins. And he is left spitting dirt out of his mouth as she fishes her ball out of the two shrubs.
"You suck, Toush," she says pointedly, but he can see she is happy that she won. His approval rating has just gone up in her eyes for losing, and he silently thanks his clumsy feet.
When she decides to head home, she leaves behind the soccer ball.
"So you can practice," she explains in response to his quizzical look. "You're not a man in my eyes until you can score at least one goal against me."
He gets no sleep that night, but he does get accustomed to the taste of dirt.
Tell me Moon Of Jupiter, what did you think of Karin's reaction to his human form? I thought of your review when writing it.
I actually had this done a long time ago, but I had trouble with the website and couldn't upload it. A thousand thanks and hugs to CrystallineX, who put up the trick needed to finally make it work on her story Re:Hollowfication.
Oh well, it's finally up, so I hope you enjoyed it.