A.C.: Happy birthday Hitsugaya-!
Disclaimer: I wouldn't be here if I did
Warnings: possible spoilers, oocness, breach of grammar security rule number something, something, something, mature themes, implied rape, noncon and general BL-ness that you can ignore by skipping the italicized parts in the beginning.
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"What happened?"
Urahara wore a secretive smile as he tapped his striped, bucket hat twice with his cane.
"...That... is not my story to tell."
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Haineko spewed out worlds of ashes but Rangiku herself was a creature of fire, her hair like the color of the sun as she waited for her captain under the dappled shaded of a tree.
Hitsugaya brought two ice cones in his hand, one covered in cherry-red syrup and another colored in deep green. Matsumoto took the green colored ice cone and sank her teeth into the icy treat. Hitsugaya rolled the paper cone between his hands as he quietly scrutinized the cheery red coloring. The blonde had an idea that he had bought it more for her benefit than his. Though the day was hot and the ice cone not as sugary as some of the sweets the vendor was selling, the prodigy had yet to touch his and let the ice melt into an unflattering pool of faded red.
"Your cone is melting," Matsumoto offered and Hitsugaya quietly sipped the edge, draining it of excess liquid.
"Remember," the shape of her captain's mouth changed slowly almost as if they weren't moving at all. She fixated herself on his cherry colored lips because she could not bear to stare into his cool, green eyes. "When I asked about how you died a long time ago..."
Matsumoto tensed, she swallowed the remains of her melting snow cone
"Yes"
"Once upon a time I was a human being and I still am. I'm not dead exactly, at least... not yet."
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After he had shooed the others from his shop, Urahara made his way down to the training grounds in the basement. He closed the door, making sure that it was locked up tight enough that neither Renji nor Chad would be able to break in thinking of extra training. Well technically he was throwing the redhead lieutenant a day off; he'd have to do something to make up for it. But until then, he thought as he locked the door, he had bigger fish to fry.
Benihime's curved blade clashed sharply against Shinsou's lengthy form. The female zanpakuto glowed an ethereal shade of red as the other's emitted irregular bluish-white glow. Urahara tipped his bucket hat to his challenger,
"Ichimaru."
"Urahara." The pale haired man conceded with a grin.
"And what might bring a former captain and traitor to a lowly salesman."
Gin shrugged before pushing Shinsou off Benihime and sheathing it. Urahara jumped back, raising an eyebrow.
"Thought ya might be interested in the chibi-taichou."
With a small pop Benihime turned back into a cane.
"Why would you say that?"
"Know ya've been watching da Soul Society of late, they're getting desperate ya know. Even to the point of seekin' allegiance with da vizards."
"I fail to see the connection you have with Hitsugaya-taichou."
"Ya'd be surprised."
"And if you're lying?"
"Would I lie?"
The word 'yes' was on the tip of his tongue as the other man blithely continued, "'s one-use only but ya might be worth it." In his lands laid a perfectly formed black butterfly. Its antennas twitched against the unnatural air currents within the chamber and fluttered its wings as Gin cast it gently in mid air. It floated lazily, showing off the rough-heart like shape on its secondary wings as the familiar voice of Captain Yamamoto flowed out from the spiritually crafted creature.
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"I don't really remember how I passed from the material world into the Soul Society without losing limbs. I guess I have Hyourinmaru to thank for that though it might have been better if he had just let me die."
The buxom lieutenant grew angry at the careless manner in which her captain spoke of his death then relaxed, puzzled at the conundrum. Was he technically alive or dead? If he had died, would he have been the same Hitsugaya-taichou she knew? If he had died... technically was reborn... he would have been a shinigami... which he was right now... wasn't he?
Now she was getting a headache.
Hitsugaya dragged in a deep breath. Matsumoto spun a small cat-faced dispenser case in between her fingers as the newcomer stared at them. All around them spiritual particles were glowing, some lights were glowing bright, and others were dimming and fast.
Aizen Sousuke had made his next move.
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Shihouin Yoruichi had learned to expect a lot of things from the blonde salesman as she sojourned from the Soul Society and back. Sometimes they were understandable, other times plain embarrassing; this time it was... well how do you describe a scene in which a well-known traitor conversed with your best friend over tea?
Though fairly liberal since her self-imposed exile from the Soul Society, there were things even she put a furry paw down on. And so she adopted her protégé's well honed method of kill first, ask questions later as she tied a ribbon around the pale-haired man's neck and pulled.
With a strangled squeak Gin was pulled back, a cocoa-skinned woman straddling his waist as she twisted the ribbons around her wrists. Just barely catching himself from falling over, the pale-haired man's hands jumped automatically towards the material around his neck. Grimacing at the man's tenacity, Yoruichi was about to perform a quick kidou spell when her longtime best friend pulled a binding spell over the two struggling shinigami.
"Stop!"
Yoruichi threw the blonde a disgruntled look at the sudden interruption.
"Saa" Ichimaru managed, wheezing through the noble's chokehold. "Not that 'm complainin' or anythin' but I ain't aimin' to fight a naked woman." The cocoa-skinned woman unintentionally tightened her legs around his waist. The man jumped a little beneath her lithe body. Though never the one for modesty, she saw his point and transformed back into a cat. Taking a deep breath she asked as calmly as possible
"What is going on?" Gin jumped a little at the unusually masculine voice coming from the feline. Yoruichi took a pleasure in the unintentional flinch and turned her attention back to the blonde.
"Ichimaru... came to me offering some information."
"He's a traitor, not to be trusted. We should just turn him in now."
"I think he's telling the truth." Urahara said simply as he poured the amber-eyed woman a cup of tea.
"What makes you so sure?"
"He had a hell butterfly in his possession," the blonde smiled "it was the old man."
Yoruichi sighed. Urahara had the familiar spark in his eyes again. She settled herself around the lanky shinigami's shoulders, making sure to brush her thin tail against his closed eyes.
"One wrong move and you're going to wish that you stayed in Hueco Mundo."
"Think I liked ya better when you were naked." Ichimaru chirped unhelpfully. Urahara too nodded in agreement before coughing surreptitiously; looking at the package Yoruichi had dropped.
"So this is what Byakuya-kun called you out for."
She flattened her ears against her skull
"How'd you know that?"
"Trade secrets my love." He examined the stark Shihouin emblem on the corner of the envelope before tearing the top open. Slowly, enough that Yoruichi was considering pounding on his face, he extracted the contents and presented them to the rest.
"This is..."
Gin suddenly jerked his head up and squinted into the air. He rubbed his neck absentmindedly, the side where the Shihouin noble wasn't breathing down upon. The shinigami-turned-cat felt the burn of energy not quite reiatsu but not quite anything she was familiar with rub against her silky fur as he moved.
"Uru-chan didn' wait for me after all."
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"Your friends are otherwise occupied right now." Ulquiorra said mechanically as he descended from the air. The two tenth division officers tensed at his arrival, eyes darting left and right towards unseen enemies.
Hitsugaya swallowed a hard, round candy and burst from his body. Immediately, both the soul and its bodily double fell to their knees in pain. Matsumoto's gigai carried the body off to safety while she administered the pain-relieving drug on her captain.
Ulquiorra took all this in calmly as he observed them from his lofty perch in midair. Even when Hitsugaya unleashed his frozen bankai, the arrancar stood with a supercilious expression, simply taking time to brush off the ice over his darkly lined eyelashes.
"Growl Haineko."
Matsumoto's zanpakuto disintegrated into an ash-colored phantom. She commanded it to immobilize the dark-haired arrancar as Hitsugaya tackled him head on; his aura pulsing to accommodate hers as Ulquiorra finally raised a hand to defend himself.
Haineko's swirling claws touched the arrancar's neck but retreated once it felt the pale skin. Matsumoto appeared, her katana against Ulquiorra's lower jaw. Hitsugaya pushed the arrancar's arm away and swung Hyourinmaru back to strike against his opponent's face. The green-eyed arrancar disappeared and a wide eyed Matsumoto stood in his place, only her incredible speed and Hitsugaya's timely reflex saved her from being skewered by the ice elemental. They stared at each other incredulously. Matsumoto opened her mouth and flung her arms around the boy captain's neck. She rolled him over to the side just in time as a cero blast plowed into her spine, sending them into the ground below. They stopped at the foot of a tree, the patches of grass torn up before them. Hitsugaya swore out loud before looking to see if his lieutenant was alright. What he saw then would continuously haunt him for the rest of his life.
Blood had stained his haori into a nightmarish shade. Matsumoto lay crumpled on his lap, her forehead just inches over her ground as her gold and red hair spilled over his thighs. Her eyes were glassy as she took in Hitsugaya's stunned face. Then she smiled in relief before closing her eyes.
Hitsugaya held a trembling hand to the small of her back, trying hard not to flinch as he felt the open flesh and broken bones. Ice climbed up from his fingers, a gentle, torturing contrast to the battle cries he had so frequently uttered of late. They washed over her back and smoothed out the patches of torn muscle and nerves in an attempt to stem the flow of blood. She shivered when he lifted her slightly to lay her down flat on her stomach. He stood up, seemingly lost in the scent of metal and ashes.
'Hyourinmaru...' the shinigami inhaled, 'the chains.'
The dragon flicked the end of his tail. Sure enough the crystal chains that had once encircled his body were breaking and scattered over his scaled back. He looked disturbed as he drew a translucent claw against his frozen torso.
::You're not ready...::
Hitsugaya's breathing came in short, quick bursts. His hand shook, almost dropping Hyourinmaru if it hadn't been frozen onto his skin. The frost encircled his chin, glided over his face and hid his eyes almost like a Hollow's masks. And yet even without holes he could see through the transparent glass, he could see the crystal clear form of the creature that had nearly destroyed his lieutenant.
::Toushiro calm down!:: the dragon's mind surged against his own and the teen viciously clamped over it, taking vindictive pleasure in stabbing through both Hyourinmaru and Ulquiorra's defenses as the ice-coated zanpakuto passed through the arrancar's ribs.
Ulquiorra unsheathed his zanpakuto and scored it against Hitsugaya's chest. The piece of frozen armory fell away as a new one grew to take its place. With a roar, Hitsugaya lashed out, uncaring of the weapon he carried in his hand and striking with his claws and tail instead.
Ulquiorra raised his arms and zanpakuto in a defensive position, waiting out until the blows slowed and the young captain tired. Hitsugaya never let up. With each blow the arrancar faltered until one particularly hard strike, the white clothed arms were thrown off completely, his green-lined face bared in air.
With a feral snarl, the white-haired captain stabbed forward. Hyourinmaru scratched the horn of the Hollow armor on the arrancar's head. Green met green as Ulquiorra's zanpakuto was sheathed with a small click. The arrancar disappeared only to reappear behind the young captain. Hitsugaya bit back a short scream as Ulquiorra's hand slammed against his lower back. His tail grew in length as it fended off the arrancar's swift blows. It whipped out and struck Ulquiorra across his cheeks as the arrancar grabbed the end of one wing and crushed it with a cero blast.
A crack started from the broken end stretching towards the shoulder end. His tail struck once more as he created distance between himself and the arrancar. The dark-haired arrancar lowered his arms as he scrutinized the bony spines protruding from where Hitsugaya's left wing should have been.
Hitsugaya landed on the ground, his chest heaving as the other wing melted away into a similar row of ivory spikes.
"Aizen-sama would be pleased to see you once more." Ulquiorra murmured softly as he landed. "It would prove that he was right and Soul Society has indeed grown desperate."
"What would an arrancar... know of such things..."
A shadow passed over Hitsugaya's eyes, darkening the whites but never once touching the oceanic green.
Ulquiorra's own green eyes flickered as the arrancar pursed his lips, tempted to tell.
Ice wound past their ankles but Ulquiorra broke free of them easily, surprising both Hitsugaya and the spirits within. Ulquiorra caught the young captain's neck in a stranglehold and slammed the teen into the dirt. Hitsugaya's head struck the ground with a crack and he lay dazed as his cheeks were scraped open against the gravel. Ulquiorra loomed over him eyes shimmering in the shadows, a shade almost identical to Hitsugaya's own.
Hitsugaya stuck a tongue out and brushed it against his cracked lips.
'You...'
"I know more than you think... former Lieutenant Shiba Kaien."
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A.C.: yeah I know, Kurosaki Ichigo looks an awful lot like the deceased lieutenant of the thirteenth division. However, I seem to remember on occasions Byakuya denied the connection between the two and I figure since they were from two of Seireitei's four noble families, they (Shiba and Kuchiki) must have known each other... pretty well probably. So uhh yeah. I know Hitsugaya being Shiba Kaien doesn't make that much of a sense either but –scratches head- I noticed that the Shiba family is the only ones (with the exception of Kurosaki Nemu) with green eyes besides Hitsugaya. People have drawn connections between Shiro-chan and Ukitake Jyuushiro before so why not Hitsugaya and Shiba Kaien?
-Coughs- Please keep in mind that this is a fan fiction and you may leave the logistics of this argument in your reviews.