Author's Note: This chapter is mostly flashback. It's sappy too, unfortunately. And sorry if it's confusing.
"Hey, Toshiro…What do you think life will be like after we're married?"
"I don't know," a young Hitsugaya replied. "We'll decide that when the time comes, Kusaka. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me by my last name?"
"Sorry," the thin, purple-haired youth, called Kusaka Sojiro, responded sheepishly, "But in a while, that won't make a difference, 'cause you're going to be 'Kusaka Toshiro' sooner than you think. Call me 'Sojiro,' okay? You're my fiancé. You don't have to be so uptight with me anymore."
"I'll call you what I want," Hitsugaya retorted.
"Oh, fine. If you say so, Toshiro." As he spoke, Kusaka reached to the smaller boy's hand, intertwining his fingers with Hitsugaya's, who, on one finger, bore a small and plain engagement ring. Both boys were dressed in blue academy uniforms, but by just looking at them and feeling their reiatsu, one could tell that they were no average students. In fact, Hitsugaya and Kusaka were ranked number one and two, respectively, out of the year's entire class, both described as young prodigies. A katana rested across Hitsugaya's back, while Kusaka's was fastened to his waist.
The young Hitsugaya didn't look extremely different than he did at the current moment. He had the same silver hair, the same stunning teal eyes. But yet, he had changed so much since then. His eyes had been brighter, they had been much more innocent, and they did not bear the haunted, regretful expression that the Hitsugaya of today did. He was also rather pretty at the time, but years of worry and depression had taken the child-like innocence out of it. And there was the fact that he was smiling.
Hitsugaya was sitting against a building, the kendo dojo, to be precise, next to the taller teen with the warm smile. The other students were off and about in the sun, but having ice-type zanpaku-to's, the two of them preferred to stay cool in the shade.
As they enjoyed the silence, they were suddenly interrupted as a shinigami appeared in front of them.
"Kusaka Sojiro…And Hitsugaya Toshiro?"
"Yes, sir," Kusaka answered, pulling his hand away from Hitsugaya's. "That's us."
The shinigami's gaze flickered from Kusaka's face to Hitsugaya's, observing his teal eyes, his lips curling in a sneer. "You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? It's a shame, really…"
"What do you mean?" Hitsugaya demanded angrily, fully aware of the fact that the shinigami was staring at him like an all-you-can-eat buffet.
"Oh, you two will find out soon enough. In the meantime, you guys are to come with me. I have specific instructions to bring you to the office of the first division – The sotaichou would like to see you two."
"The sotaichou?" Kusaka glanced worriedly at Hitsugaya before getting up. "What does he want from us?"
"You'll have to find out yourselves…But whatever it is, it can't be good," the shinigami scoffed. "The sotaichou never requests to see any students, unless it's about something really bad."
Unsure of what was going to happen, the two reluctantly followed the shingami out of the academy grounds and to the first division office, where to sotaichou was waiting.
"Yamamoto-sama, I brought them, as you requested."
At the front of a room sat an old but strangely intimidating man, with a long white beard pleated in front of his face. Gnarly hands clasped a knobbly wooden cane and beady eyes stared intently out from behind the drooping white brows.
"I will make this quick, as I don't really have time to deal with naïve little academy students," the man, the sotaichou, spoke. "What you are about to hear may come as a shock, but you'll have to deal with it one way or another."
"Sotaichou, why-?" Hitsugaya started, but was cut off as the old man slammed his stick on the ground with a bang. "Hold your tongue, boy. Allow me to explain without interruption."
"I'm sorry, sotaichou," Hitsugaya muttered, looking down.
Kusaka glanced at him sympathetically, patting his back reassuringly.
"As I was saying," the sotaichou continued, "I'm sure that both of you are very aware of the fact that you both possess the same zanpaku-to, Hyorinmaru. Now, this is strictly against the laws of Soul Society, and it is punishable by death. However, we are not going to have you both executed, as we do not want to throw away a weapon as powerful as Hyorinmaru. Instead…We want you two to fight each other. The winner of the duel will receive Hyorinmaru, and the loser…Well, that won't matter, because the loser doesn't get to live. Go on now, you two. Show us who is worthy of Hyorinmaru."
Kusaka was the first to speak. And what he said was simple.
"No."
There was a deathly silence before the sotaichou raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"No," Kusaka repeated. "I won't do it. There's no way you can make me raise my blade against Toshiro."
"I refuse as well, sotaichou," Hitsugaya added, though his voice wavered fearfully as he did so.
The sotaichou's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"
There was another silence.
Muttering impatiently, the sotaichou beckoned to Hitsugaya. "You, boy. Come here."
Hesitantly, Hitsugaya looked from Kusaka, and then to the sotaichou, before doing as told and stepping towards the old man.
No sooner had he come to a stop in front of him, the sotaichou reached out quickly, seizing Hitsugaya's wrist and bringing his hand up to see. The old man's eyes narrowed as they caught sight of the engagement ring that rested on one of the boy's slender fingers.
"I see. This is how it is…"
With a snort of disgust, the sotaichou snatched the unadorned ring from his finger, throwing it aside like a mere piece of trash. And then, without warning, he suddenly reached up again and struck Hitsugaya viciously across the face, sending him sprawling to the floor in an undignified heap.
"Toshiro!" In an instant, Kusaka was at his side, putting his arms protectively around the boy, kneeling next to him as Hitsugaya shamefully brought himself to his knees.
"You foolish little boy," the sotaichou barked, pointing a gnarled finger accusingly at him. "You are only a child! What business of yours is marriage!?"
"Sotaichou, forgive him," Kusaka answered, "He's mature enough to understand-"
"Silence, boy! I am getting impatient. The two of you will either fight now, or I will have both of you put to death."
Kusaka bit his lip, looking at Hitsugaya, until he finally made up his mind.
He reached around Hitsugaya's back, pulling the boy's sword out of its sheath, before reaching down to his hands and uncurling his fingers, recurling them tightly around the katana's hilt.
"K-Kusaka…What are you…"
"It's alright, Toshiro," the taller youth answered quietly, still holding Hitsugaya's hands.
Then, guiding the white-haired boy's hands with his own, he slammed the blade through his own stomach.
There was the sickening sound of the blade tearing through flesh, and then Hitsugaya's eyes widened in horror and shock as he realized what had just happened, flecks of Kusaka's blood dotting his face.
The raven-haired youth's hands dropped limply to his sides, leaving only Hitsugaya's to hold the katana, whose blade had gone clean through Kusaka's midsection.
"N-No…Kusaka…Why…?"
"I love you, Toshiro," Kusaka managed to speak, before coughing a mouthful of blood onto the floor. "You've got to…You've got to stay alive, and you've got to move on without me…Go on and become a taichou, please…Do it for me, Toshiro…"
"K-Kusaka!" Hitsugaya's eyes were wide with panic, tears streaming down his face as he pulled the blade out, throwing the blood-stained katana to the floor. He flung his arms around the form of his dying fiancé, screaming hysterically.
"Please, Kusaka! Please, stay with me, don't…I'm begging you, please don't leave…"
"I'm sorry, Toshiro. I really wanted…I wanted to make you happy for the rest of your life…But this…This is as far as I can go for you. Goodbye."
"Take the wretch away," the sotaichou ordered coldly. "If he isn't dead within an hour, then you know what to do with him."
At his words, several shinigami attendants hurried to do as they were told. One grabbed Hitsugaya's wrists, jerking him roughly away from Kusaka, pinning his arms behind his back as he struggled wildly, while the others pulled Kusaka to his feet and escorted him away, a trail of blood marking their path.
"No!" Hitsugaya screamed pleadingly, trying to jerk free. "Let me go! Please! Kusaka! Sojiro…no, not Sojiro, please… Please don't hurt him, I beg of you…"
But it was too late. They had already disappeared.
The shinigami restraining Hitsugaya released him, and sobbing, the boy crumpled helplessly to the floor, begging with choked pleas for the sotaichou to have mercy, receiving nothing more than an apprehensive glare in return…
Ichigo's eyes shot open.
He sat up abruptly, his heart pounding at the dream he had just had.
Was that really how it had happened…?
But why, the orange-haired boy wondered. Why had such a dream been sent to him, of all people?