Author's Note: My thanks to those who have reviewed and/or put this story under favorites/alerts. I'm really grateful; thanks for your patience as well. This is chapter 2 of The One. I hope you enjoy it!

Side note: When I say Hitsugaya in this story, I mean the real Hitsugaya Toushirou. When I say Toushirou in this story, I mean the 'fake' Hitsugaya Toushirou, ok?

Warning: OOCness, mainly from Hitsugaya…You don't mind, do you? (gets paranoid)

Disclaimer: Read previous chapters.

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Chapter 2 – The One Who Claimed the Name

Hitsugaya watched the barely visible snowflakes drift along with the cool breeze, slowly making their way from the sky to the ground. At once, he felt like there was not a worry in the world. Watching snow was something he always loved to do, especially when he had a dilemma. It was a tie he shared with Hyourinmaru; Hyourinmaru was of the element of ice and Hitsugaya was its wielder. Moreover, Hyourinmaru had control over rain and snow, so Hitsugaya loved watching snow drift peacefully.

His head resting upon his hand and his elbow on the windowsill, Hitsugaya continued watching the snow. It was then he heard someone enter the office. "Taichou…" he heard Matsumoto pause. He hated it when someone disrupted his peace, especially when he was enjoying it. He gave a grunt as a reply anyway, motioning for Matsumoto to continue. Matsumoto sighed heavily and began, "Taichou, I heard about what happened at the 4th Division. As in, after Renji, Ichigo and I were told to leave."

Hitsugaya turned to face her for a moment before turning back to see the snow. "News sure travel fast."

"Taichou, forgive my rudeness, but…" Matsumoto hesitated, then continued, "Why didn't you say anything? Are you intending to let that mysterious boy use your identity? What if he was part of Aizen's army? Would you…" she stopped half-way and looked at the floor, sighing. "…Would you forgive yourself if that was true?"

There was an awkward wall of silence between the captain and the vice-captain of the 10th Division. It was so quiet Hitsugaya could hear the cold wind whistling in his ears, and the snowflakes, whispering. He sat there, unmoving. His emerald orbs were totally focused on the snow, but his mind was not. It was trailing back to what had happened before at the 4th Division, and to when Hitsugaya 'gave' his identity away and 'earned' a new identity. For now.

＜ブリーチ＞

"Matsumoto," Hitsugaya called.

"Hai," she replied, standing straight.

"Abarai."

"H-hai," the red pineapple replied, feeling rather unsure.

"Kurosaki."

"What?" Hitsugaya gave Ichigo a cold glare for not responding back to a taichou appropriately. "What?" Ichigo asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Hitsugaya sighed, "Never mind." He looked at the said shinigami with a serious look. "Leave the 4th Division straight away."

"Huh? But why, Toushirou?"

Hitsugaya stole a quick glance at 'Toushirou' who stared at Ichigo, probably confused as to why an orange-haired shinigami was asking him something he didn't know how to answer. Then Hitsugaya looked at Yamamoto who did not display any objection to Hitsugaya's order. Hitsugaya sighed again, mostly at Ichigo's ignorance. "It's an order, Kurosaki."

"But-!"

"I said, it's an order. You are in no position to defy a taichou's orders, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya interrupted with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Finally, he was the one doing the ordering. Sometimes, he wondered why he never did that to Ichigo before.

"Fine…If you say so, I suppose," Ichigo sighed in defeat as he shunpo-ed out of the 4th Division with Matsumoto and Renji. Hitsugaya turned to face Toushirou and awaited Yamamoto's orders. Until then, there was complete silence, with the captains present and Toushirou playing the staring game with each other.

"Firstly," Yamamoto began, breaking the silence. "We would like to hear your name once more, just to confirm our suspicions."

Toushirou looked at the old captain and moved to the edge of the bed further away from them out of fear. He managed to mutter out, "Um…I believe it's Hitsugaya Toushirou."

Yamamoto glanced at an indifferent Hitsugaya who just continued staring at Toushirou. Yamamoto then faced Unohana. "Unohana-taichou, please take down whatever Toushirou-chan," Hitsugaya twitched a little at the name. Yamamoto didn't notice it. "will be saying from now on. I would like to bring the notes back to study them," Yamamoto concluded.

"Hai," Unohana replied, taking out an inked brush and paper from nowhere. She began writing down Toushirou's answers.

The 1st Division captain nodded and turned to look back at Toushirou. Toushirou gave a tiny squeak in fear and covered his mouth immediately. "Do not worry, Toushirou-chan," Yamamoto assured, earning another unnoticed twitch from Hitsugaya. "I will not harm you, and neither will my subordinates. Relax, Toushirou-chan. Do not be afraid." Somehow, Hitsugaya managed to ignore that.

Toushirou was unsure at first, but replied in a soft voice, "Ok…"

"Tell me. From where do you descend?"

Toushirou blinked. "I…I don't think I can remember…"

"Ok then. Tell me all that you remember."

"I only remember that my name is Hitsugaya Toushirou…and everything that happened to me in Rukongai…meeting Hinamori Momo…"

Hitsugaya's eyes widened. He was the real Hitsugaya Toushirou. This imposter must've been sent by Aizen to trick everyone. Yet, Hitsugaya felt that he could trust the child, even just a little. After all, there had to be a reason to why the child looked like a younger version of him, and why he claimed that he was Hitsugaya Toushirou when he clearly wasn't. Hitsugaya, noticing that Yamamoto had stopped the questioning, walking up to Toushirou. Toushirou didn't flinch or back away, like as if he trusted Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya began, "Hajimemashite, Toushirou. I'll be taking care of you from now on." (Note: Hajimemashite – pleased to meet you)

"Ok," Toushirou replied with a smile. "What's your name, oniichan?" (Oniichan – older brother; not necessarily needs to be blood relatives)

Hitsugaya smiled back. "Hyousetsu Arare."

＜ブリーチ＞

Hitsugaya stood up and grabbed his zanpakutou. "Matsumoto, I'm going to the 4th Division," Hitsugaya informed Matsumoto before leaving his office. He trudged through the thick snow on the grounds of Seireitei and sighed. It would be tough to use shunpo on such thick snow but walking would take him forever to reach the 4th Division. Heck, even Hyourinmaru hadn't made such thick snow appear before. He stopped to ponder. It wasn't the winter season yet. So why was it snowing?

There wasn't any fluctuation in his reiatsu. Moreover, he was practically the only shinigami with the ability to change the weather as and when he pleased since Hyourinmaru controlled the weather. The strange snow was definitely not his doing. So who could be the one controlling the weather? And why? Did it have anything to do with the boy who mysteriously appeared with no memory and claimed to be him?

Then it occurred to him. There was no time to think about it now. He had to fetch Toushirou back to his division. Hitsugaya proceeded to try shunpo on the thick snow. As expected, it wasn't easy, despite the fact that snow was usually under his and Hyourinmaru's command. Sometimes he would land on a thick pile of snow and his feet would get stuck in it. Other times, he would slip and fall on his face. He wondered if Soi Fong and Yoruichi would have trouble using shunpo as well. But it wasn't like as if Yoruichi would come to Soul Society for no apparent reason, so there was no need to waste brain cells in thinking, Hitsugaya decided in the end.

＜ブリーチ＞

"Ah, Hitsu-" Unohana paused, remembering that Hitsugaya had to use another identity temporarily, and corrected herself, "Hyousetsu-taichou, you've arrived to pick Toushirou-kun up, I presume?"

Hitsugaya blinked, not really getting used to being called Hyousetsu-taichou, but replied anyway, "Ah. Is it okay for me to pick him up now?"

"Sure. He's waiting in his ward."

"Arigatou," thanked Hitsugaya as Unohana led the way to Toushirou's ward. When they arrived, Hitsugaya entered the room and saw the young white-haired sapphire-eyed boy sitting obediently on the bed, waiting for his arrival. Toushirou looked and recognized Hitsugaya and smiled. "Ah! Hyousetsu-oniichan! You've come!" Toushirou exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping down from the bed and rushing over to Hitsugaya.

It was then Hitsugaya realized that Toushirou was about half his height which made Hitsugaya feel very tall, for once. Hitsugaya smiled a little and ruffled Toushirou's hair. It was like travelling back in time and meeting his past self. "You ready to go, Toushirou?"

"Yup!" Hitsugaya then bent down and Toushirou blinked in confusion. "Huh? Hyousetsu-oniichan…What are you…?"

"Climb on," Hitsugaya spoke, sounding a little bit demanding.

"Huh?"

Hitsugaya flashed the child a smile. "Just trust me."

"O-Ok…" Toushirou replied hesitantly and climbed up Hitsugaya's back. Hitsugaya stood up, not feeling the weight from Toushirou and gripped onto his hands. "H-Hyousetsu-oniichan, why are you…?"

"Be quiet, Toushirou." Hitsugaya felt like slapping himself mentally for scolding himself. He sounded insane. "I'll get you back to my division."

＜ブリーチ＞

"So, soutaichou," Byakuya began the captain's meeting. "Did you call us here to discuss about the mysterious boy who appeared in Seireitei?"

"That is correct, Kuchiki-taichou," Yamamoto replied. "Hitsugaya-taichou will not be with us today because of the boy as well."

"May I ask what exactly is Hitsugaya-taichou doing with the boy?" Ukitake asked, smiling. He was pretty amused, now that there were three Shirou-chans in Seireitei.

"He is going to take care of the boy until we find out who he really is," replied Mayuri. "Of course, if the strange weather has anything to do with the boy, I have the right to conduct my research on him." Mayuri smiled sadistically, thinking up all the possible conclusions he could get.

Ignoring the mad scientist (A/N: Hey, that's a good name! XD), Unohana spoke, "He is currently taking the child back to his division. I just hope that they would be alright in that cold and harsh weather…"

As if on cue, a white and black blur flew past by, landing on the ground with a thud. Snow trailed behind the white-haired boys. Toushirou was sitting on top of Hitsugaya's back while Hitsugaya was lying flat on the floor, moaning a little in pain. Hitsugaya sat up while Toushirou sat on the floor as he got off Hitsugaya's back, blinking adorably. "Ow…" Hitsugaya moaned, rubbing his sore back. "Where are we?" He blinked, looking around. Then it finally clicked in his mind and he panicked, his face reddening a little in embarrassment.

"Hitsu-" Yamamoto paused, then continued, "Hyousetsu-taichou, do you have any reason to come here?"

"Well, I…I slipped, sir," came Hitsugaya's sheepish reply.

Ukitake, Kyouraku and Unohana smiled at the white-haired captain's child-like innocence. Yamamoto seemed a little amused as well. He arched an eyebrow. "Slipped?"

Hitsugaya was completely embarrassed with all the captains staring at him. "I was using shunpo in the snow to get back to my division, but I…slipped. On the snow," he quickly added. Ukitake struggled back a fit of laughter – and coughs – at the boy's innocence again.

"Ah…You slipped," Yamamoto replied, teasing Hitsugaya a little. "I see."

Hitsugaya felt a tug at his captain haori and looked down at Toushirou who was looking at him with glimmering eyes. Even Byakuya, Soi Fong and Zaraki found him cute. "Hyousetsu-oniichan, when are we going home?" Toushirou asked, his voice as high-pitched as ever.

The captains, especially Soi Fong, Byakuya, Mayuri and Zaraki, resisted the urge to say 'awww' at the sight. It was truly adorable, truly. Hitsugaya flushed due to a sudden rush of embarrassment. Yamamoto cracked a tiny weeny smile at this, and cleared his throat deliberately. "Hyousetsu-taichou," Yamamoto began. "I think you should take the boy back with you now."

Hitsugaya didn't know how to react. He just turned his back facing Toushirou and stuttered, "C-climb on, Toushirou." And the child did just that, earning a soft 'aww' from Ukitake. Hitsugaya stood up, and felt uneasy again with all the captains staring at him. "A-ah! G-gomen!" Hitsugaya apologized shyly for his behavior earlier on and immediately shunpo-ed off in shame.

"Now," Yamamoto's voice made everyone back into serious mode. "as you can see, Hitsugaya-taichou has to temporarily use a new identity because the boy who has mysteriously turned up claims to be Hitsugaya Toushirou."

"What new identity?" asked Kyouraku.

"For some reason, he has called himself Hyousetsu Arare," Unohana answered.

"Yes, so everyone has to call him Hyousetsu-taichou for now," Yamamoto stated. "Moving on to the next topic. Kurotsuchi-taichou."

"Hai," Mayuri answered, stepping forward.

"Tell everyone what you have discovered so far about the weather patterns that have been occurring in Soul Society," Yamamoto ordered.

"Hai," Mayuri obliged, taking out a remote control of some sort. "I have discovered that the weather only consisted of abnormal rainfall, snowfall and hail. The climate of Soul Society has become that of a harsh polar climate."

"We already know that, Mayuri!" Zaraki exclaimed impatiently.

"Hmph." Mayuri then continued, "As I was saying, I have also discovered that in Seireitei," Mayuri pressed a button on the control. The lights went out and a hologram showed up, showing Seireitei. Dark clouds were looming above Seireitei and snow drifted around. "There has only been heavy snow. Whereas in Rukongai Districts 1 to 40…" Mayuri pressed another button to show different photos of the named Rukongai Districts, all with hail, and residents getting injured by the hail. "There has only been hail. Lastly, in Districts 41 to 80…" Another press and another collection of photos of the named Districts with some cases of mild flooding but very heavy rainfall. "There has only been heavy rain. As we speak, the Rukongai Districts are still plagued by the strange weather."

Before Mayuri could continue, a white and black blur dashed past by the captains and tripped in front of Yamamoto. Everyone peered. It was the lookalike of a younger Hitsugaya, panting. Toushirou looking up at Yamamoto with those beautiful sapphire eyes of his. "Onegai, Yamamoto-ojiichan," Toushirou begged, obviously oblivious to Yamamoto's rank in the Gotei 13. (Onegai – Please; ojiichan – grandfather)

"Hmm?" Yamamoto became curious. He stepped down from his seat and went over to Toushirou. "What seems to be the problem, Toushirou-chan?"

"Well…Something happened to Hyousetsu-oniichan. You're the only one who can help him now."

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A/N: Don't worry about Hitsu…Seriously, don't worry about him. It's nothing big; really. It's not a big problem. I just made things look serious, that's all. No biggie; no harm done…

…Except for Hitsu's hair. XDD

You'll find out what happens in the next chapter. No previews! Haha. XDD

Edit: I forgot to add in the meaning of Hitsugaya's new identity. Hyousetsu means ice and snow. Arare means hail. Pretty fitting, eh? XD