Author's Note: Hi, this is a Bleach FanFic for my friend. Lots of OC.
Check out my profile for the dress links and the pic of Byakuya's face when I hug him. :D
Disclaimer:I do not own Bleach
Hitsugaya Saves the Lamb
Valerie was excited to have finally taken a vacation to Japan. She had never expected to be able to go, and certainly not while being accompanied by her friend Taylor. While her parents unpacked to set up the suite's rooms, and Taylor roamed the resort's recreational departments, Valerie decided to take a stroll.
Here in Karakura Town of Western Tokyo, the evening was peaceful. The soft, warm summer air caressed Valerie's cheek as she breathed in the clean air at the riverbank. She continued to slowly walk along the margin while wondering what places were nearby to explore. Valerie sat down and fiddled with the grass beneath her fingertips.
'Maybe I should have brought Taylor with me so I wouldn't have been so bored… Oh my gosh, this isn't an anime where I can just stare out into the sky and not be bored at all!' Valerie giggled slightly at her thoughts, her small hands covering her mouth and nose as she slightly convulsed in laughter.
Suddenly her peace was disrupted as she slightly sensed something foreboding coming up behind her. Valerie snapped her head in the direction of the disturbance, and her small eyes widened at the sight of the beast before her. For a moment she sat there, gripped by the fear that so suddenly overwhelmed her, but then she scuttled backwards on her bottom in an attempt to get away.
The monster was extremely large. Its body had a forest green tone to it, and its face was a white mask that took an appearance similar to that of a bull. It moved closer as she moved away, looming over her the entire time and making it impossible to escape. Valerie's pulse quickened and her palms moistened as she realized what must happen next. Beside the impossibly potent fear that she felt, she also experienced guilt and sadness as she assumed that she wouldn't be able to return to her family just because she wanted to go walk around in a foreign country on her own. How foolish…
Valerie watched as the monster, also known as a Hollow, threw its head back and let out a piercing cry. Her eyes stayed glued to the second set of teeth behind the ominous mask, until a sudden flash of black and silver caught her eye.
Valerie gasped as she watched the new being back the Hollow away from her. A tingly feeling invaded her chest as she watched the young boy fight for her safety. She stayed on the grass near the river, watching as the beast and her savior battled. This monster seemed to be strong and gave the mysterious boy some trouble, but it wasn't too much of a challenge for long.
The young man's sword clashed with the Hollow's claws once more before he was pushed to the ground, sliding backwards on his feet from the force. His silver brows descended upon his ice blue orbs as frustration set in.
"Alright," he growled softly, "I'm not playing around with you anymore."
The boy's eyes flashed as his power seemed to increase and flow around him. The spiritual pressure that he emitted overwhelmed the girl by the water, making it harder for her to breathe. The boy's immense power continued to swirl about him as he glared at the Hollow, unhappy that he couldn't defeat it with his sword alone, and that the use of his Shikai was necessary.
Valerie's eyes widened, feeling that she knew this person from somewhere. She smiled as warm feelings took over her chest and adrenaline pumped in her veins.
The boy glowered at the Hollow before him as it released another blood-curdling scream. He was getting tired of all the noise, and decided to speed his mission along. He inhaled, raising his sword before softly calling upon his Zanpakuto.
"Reign over the frosted Heavens… Hyorinmaru!"
A great dragon of ice emerged from his sword. Its ruby eyes and crystal structure captivated Valerie from her spot on the grass as it wound out of the weapon, resembling a coil as it moved. She shivered as the air around them chilled, and the young boy continued his attack.
The blue dragon twisted out from his master's sword, letting out a cry of its own. It was pulled backwards, up into the sky by its master's blade, before being flung back down as its master launched him at the Hollow that stood dumbly in front of them. The ice beast's chops opened wide as it descended upon the bakamono that it was to rid of, and its jaws engulfed the monster completely before smashing into the ground around it.
With his eyes closed and face tilted toward the ground, the mysterious boy deftly sheathed his sword. He stood there for a moment before he turned in Valerie's direction and walked over to her.
Frozen in shock and adoration, Valerie could only stare at the ground as her savior approached her. Her eyes shone at the sight of his socks and sandals while he knelt down in front of her.
"Are you alright?" the boy asked seriously. Valerie looked up to meet his gaze, and his large turquoise eyes bore into her small black ones. Recognition registered on Valerie's face as she took in the sight of his silver hair, blue eyes, cute nose and small lips. A smile spread across her face from ear to ear as she also remembered what his black kimono and white coat symbolized.
She bounced slightly in her spot on the ground before covering the lower half of her face with her tiny hands once more. "Oh my gosh… You're Toshiro Hitsugaya! Toshiro Hitsugaya, Taicho of Squad 10, in command of your whole squad including your Fukutaicho, Rangiku! Oh… my… GOD!"
Toshiro frowned, not sure why this human that he'd never seen before knew so much about him. "Why do you know all of that?" he demanded.
"Oh my gosh! I love you so much!" Valerie cried in response.
Toshiro looked at her funny for a few moments, then sighed and decided to let it go for the time being. He looked her over quickly to make sure she was okay, and just before he prepared to wipe her memory, his eyes locked with hers.
Cerulean blues clashed with dark obsidian and immediately all thoughts of erasing the girl's memory fled Toshiro's mind. They stared at each other for a few more moments before he opened his mouth to ask her a question. He stared at her adorable, pink lips as he voiced one of his wonderings.
"What is your name?" he breathed softly.
Valerie shivered pleasantly as his fresh, cool breath brushed past her skin. She loved the feelings that his presence elicited. He was exceptionally tantalizing.
"Valerie Lam…" she said just as quietly as he had asked her.
Toshiro smiled as he gazed upon her pretty face. He raised his hand from his knee to set it on one of hers that lay in the grass. "Valerie…Lam…"
"You… you can call me, Valerie…chan?" she said hesitantly, her cheeks reddening slightly.
The captain smiled once again, this time chuckling slightly at the pink tinge on her skin. "Kawaii…" he whispered. He hadn't meant to say the word out loud but now that he had, Valerie's thoughts began to run along the same course in her own native tongue.
'Tā shì kě ài jí le!' she thought with a small smile that matched her new friend's.
Toshiro sighed as he stood up, his eyes closed yet again. "Well Valerie, I don't know why you're out here by yourself at this time of night, but you'd better return to your family."
Valerie frowned as intense fear-driven emotions resulted from just the thought of him leaving. "A-are you saying you're going somewhere? Are you leaving?"
Toshiro opened his eyes to look at the girl that was only two inches shorter than him. She was adorable with her pretty little face, small body, and long light hair with curly the tendrils of her baby hair. He could tell she wasn't Japanese so he asked about her ethnic background.
"Where are you from, Valerie-chan?"
Valerie looked the teeniest bit upset since he ignored her question, but her eyes lit up since he was asking his own. "Um… my dad is Chinese, and my mom is Indonesian."
Toshiro's eyebrows rose as he nodded. "Oh so what do you consider yourself to be? Chinese?"
Valerie nodded with a cute smile on her face.
Toshiro smiled back as he nodded again. He took a few steps back from his new, pretty friend, and stared at the ground next to her as he thought about what to say next. He didn't come up with much.
"Right… you should return to your family now. I have business elsewhere as well, but maybe I'll see you again," he said, his voice softening at the end of his words.
Valerie nodded, and without realizing it began walking in the direction of the hotel. Toshiro stood in the same spot for a moment and watched her go, but then smiled, and turned to leave as well. Shoji doors appeared in the sky and opened up for him. He passed through, returning to the Soul Society, as the object of his new affections returned to wherever she resided.
Valerie made it back to the hotel room and knocked on the door. Inside, Taylor had been awkwardly sitting with Valerie's parents as they panicked over not knowing where she was. Taylor had been anxious herself, and when a light knock sounded from the door, a nervous feeling twisted her stomach.
"Please tell me that's Valerie," she breathed almost silently as Valerie's parents ran to the door. Taylor got up and slowly followed them, scared to face the awkwardness that would increase if it wasn't Valerie at the door. She stood back and to the side as Mrs. Lam opened the door.
Taylor breathed a huge sigh of relief as Valerie's mother began to speak rapidly in Chinese. 'It must be Valerie,' she thought.
Valerie stepped through the door, sheepishly apologizing to her parents. She looked away from them so see Taylor awkwardly leaning on one foot, with a painful expression on her face. Valerie's own expression contorted into humorous confusion as she shook her head at her friend.
"Do you have to poop or something!" she cried, not understanding why her friend was looking so strained.
Taylor stood up straight on both feet, and narrowed her eyes. "Are you really in any position to be so casual after everyone was worried over you disappearing in a foreign country?"
Valerie laughed sheepishly, but waved Taylor off. "Who are you to speak like that to me, my parents? No, you're not 'cause they're standing over there!" Valerie cried as she thrust her small thumb in the direction of the silent adults behind her. She giggled slightly and Taylor smiled, trying not to laugh with her.
Valerie's mom walked forward from where she had been standing and stood right behind Valerie. "Um, let's go over to the kitchen and have dinner now."
Taylor's brows shot up at the lack of harassment on Valerie's parents' part, but kept her mouth shut and followed directions. Who knew what Mrs. Lam had said to Valerie in Chinese a moment ago? Well, besides Valerie, her dad, and her mom… Taylor deadpanned, one eyebrow standing up as she shuffled to the kitchen after the Lam's.
After dinner Valerie and Taylor went to the bedroom that they'd be sharing for the duration of the trip. Taylor changed and slid into her bed, and Valerie did the same after spending more time in the bathroom.
Taylor turned from the Japanese program that she had been trying to understand to stare at Valerie.
"Where did you disappear to today? You scared the crap out of your parents," she said quietly.
Valerie fiddled with her hair momentarily. "Umm… I went to take a walk," she said. Valerie briefly wondered if she should tell her friend about her meeting with Toshiro Hitsugaya.
Taylor scoffed. "Did you run into Hitsugaya on your walk?" she taunted. "Maybe you had a date with your hallucination."
Valerie laughed slightly. "Shut up," she said as she slid down under her sheets and lied down. Taylor and Valerie were quiet for most of the night's remainder, watching weird Japanese sitcoms until they fell asleep.
The next morning Taylor and Valerie got up and dressed. They didn't shower, but they washed their faces and brushed their teeth, then had breakfast with Valerie's parents before heading out to the pool. The girls had the option to stay at the indoor pool that included a hot tub and gift-shop, or to go right out the door to the outdoor pool and hard-to-find outdoor hot tub. Taylor suggested that they stay indoors so that if the pool water seemed too cold, they could easily hop into the hot tub, and vise versa.
Valerie and Taylor enjoyed their time in the pool as they pretended to battle Hollows, while calling out the usual battle cries from their favorite anime. At the moment, Valerie was using Bleach material, and Taylor was using InuYasha's.
"Daiguren Hyorinmaru!" Valerie cried with her arms above her head, pretending to hold a sword. She held her shoulders back and rigid to accommodate the imaginary ice wings that she 'obtained' from Hitsugaya for their little game.
Taylor laughed as she watched Valerie warp her body into an awkward shape just before meeting the water's surface. Taylor stood up, her legs spread and knees bent as she prepared her own attack. She lifted one hand above her head and brought it down diagonally as she screamed, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!" She imagined the jagged, golden stripes splitting the water and causing it to fly up around her as she joined her friend in the pool.
Only a few minutes later, Valerie and Taylor were out of the water again, preparing for their next attacks. Valerie stood at the edge of the pool, her legs spaced apart. She threw her head back, staring at the large skylight in the ceiling as she spoke softly, then yelled obnoxiously.
"Reign over the frosted heavens…" she whispered and then paused for the ultimate dramatic effect before taking a deep breath and crying, "HYYYOOOORINMARU!" She flung her arms out and then jumped into the air. She twisted, spinning once while airborne, and then happily welcomed cool water that engulfed her.
Taylor stood at the side of the pool laughing at the dramatic display. She waited until Valerie surfaced to begin her own. She stood with her back to Valerie, who scoffed at her theatrics. After about two minutes of just standing there, and Valerie staring at her like she had mental problems, Taylor whipped her head in Valerie's direction and stared at the far wall. She tilted her head downward, and spoke quietly in a deep, Japanese accent.
"Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
Taylor turned fully in Valerie's direction, and then thrust her hand out to the side. She grasped onto an imaginary sword, and then jumped into the air with her eyes closed. She gave a little spin just before plunging into the water.
Taylor surfaced, laughing at herself, while Valerie continued to give her the stink eye.
"What? Don't be jelly just 'cause Byakuya is more amazing than Hitsugaya!" Taylor jeered.
Valerie's small eyes widened. "No!" she cried as she smacked the surface of the water. It sprayed all in Taylor's face like she wanted, but she hurt her own hand.
Taylor laughed and headed over to the hot tub, and Valerie chuckled too for a moment before getting out and joining her.
Two hours later Valerie returned to the hotel room with Taylor. They each took hot showers and got dressed, and then sat down for a great lunch with Valerie's parents. When everyone finished eating, they moved out to do some sightseeing in the town.
Valerie and company came across various shops as they explored Karakura Town, but only one really caught their eyes. They entered the clothing store that had all kinds of items ranging from traditional Japanese attire, to a more modernized type of wear.
Taylor gasped and pulled her wallet out of her bag as she spotted a beautiful black and pink kimono dress. Valerie followed her, quickly finding something for herself.
Taylor found two outfits: a black and pink one; and a simpler black, purple, and white one. Valerie had lots of luck too, finding a bright and adorable pink version of the first kimono dress Taylor found, as well as a really pretty red and white one.
As the girls shopped for shoes and bags to go with their new outfits, Valerie's parents found them and informed them that they'd also need more formal clothing for dinner that night. Valerie and Taylor squealed and sped back over to the dress section faster than one could say 'onigiri'.
Taylor almost immediately found a beautiful light blue kimono with pretty white and pink flowers, which also was floor-length with long, billowing sleeves. She couldn't stop caressing its smooth silk.
Valerie came across the cutest kimono that was also sexy. It was hot pink with subtle and pretty floral and butterfly designs. One sleeve was the normal large type, while the other was a cutout version of the usual. Hers was also floor-length and was absolutely gorgeous.
The girls took their last outfit choices of the day to the counter with the rest of the clothes, and then continued shopping for accessories.
Valerie's parents joined them soon after they returned to the shoe section, and Mrs. Lam showed off the outfit that she planned to wear for dinner. She picked out a beautiful pink kimono with light rose prints that was long and lovely. Mrs. Lam let Taylor and Valerie pick one more dress each, this time it being her treats.
Taylor and Valerie chose matching kimono dresses. They had the same patterns, but different colors for the backgrounds. Taylor's was blue and Valerie's was white.
After all the clothes and accessories were paid for and packed up, everyone went back to the hotel to drop everything off. After having a quick snack they went back out to see what activities the town had to offer besides shopping. They ended up seeing a movie that was half in Japanese and half in English, and they all enjoyed every moment of it. They took pleasure in all the recreational activities that Karakura Town had to offer before they came across the party that was setup in town by the hotel they were staying in.
Valerie gasped, realizing that it was the same place that she had been in the night she saw Hitsugaya.
'Oh yeah… I never told Taylor about that. Maybe he'll show up again so I won't have to,' Valerie thought hopefully causing her face to heat up.
Valerie's parents called her and Taylor over to the tent so that they could watch others do karaoke. As they laughed, gaped, and applauded over the various performances, night settled in and it got dark out. Suddenly there was a flash of light inside the tent, followed by a thin, green mist.
Valerie and Taylor frantically looked around, noticing that everyone in the tent had passed out. Taylor covered her nose and mouth quickly, wary about the strange fog.
"Valerie cover your mouth in case this is what caused everyone to pass out!" she cried to her friend. Valerie complied quickly, the emotion in her small eyes unreadable.
Suddenly a loud cry sounded from outside the tent, the sound piercing the girls' eardrums. They peeped out the tent to see what was going on, Valerie already having an idea and images of Bleach episodes running through Taylor's mind.
What they saw there on the riverside shocked Taylor to her core, but Valerie just looked on with sparkling eyes.
'He's back…'
Taylor drew in a large breath, before running out of the tent and screaming.
"BYAKUYYYAAAAAA! Kuchiki Byakuyaaaaa!"
Valerie just sweat dropped, that "You're retarded, Taylor" look plastered onto her face.
Taylor knew Valerie was giving her that special look—she could feel her eyes boring into the back of her head—but she just kept running toward the disturbed but totally sexy shinigami.
Taylor crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his perfect frame, and stroking the hair that stuck out from his Kenseikan.
"By-Byakuyaaa," Taylor cried with tears brimming in her eyes. "Byakuya… Kuchiki… Taicho."
The man in Taylor's arms stood rigid and his eyes tightened as he glared at her from the corners of them. If looks could kill…
Valerie just stood by the tent shaking her head, before she turned to stare at the other Captain. He was battling the Hollow that had incapacitated all the people in the tent, glowing in all his icy glory.
The monster screamed and howled, agitating Hitsugaya. A vein twitched in his forehead at all the noise.
"Urusai! You noisy bakamono!" Toshiro cried as he drew his Zanpakuto. He charged at the Hollow, reaching it in a flash. In one swift, fluid motion he slashed the monster in the chest and sheathed his sword as it dissolved.
Taylor and Byakuya stood in the same position as before, Taylor taking advantage of his post-partner-defeated-the-enemy-without-help-calmness and laying her head on his chest. After a little while, however, Byakuya looked down and closed his eyes. He sighed softly before giving Taylor a first-hand display of his second-best Flash Step to escape her lovey-dovey clutches. Taylor pouted, tearing up again as she saw Byakuya standing near Hitsugaya instead of being in her arms.
Valerie made her way over to the young Captain, and he turned in her direction with a happy smile on his face.
"It's nice to see you again, Valerie-chan."
Valerie grinned brightly as she finally reached him. "Hi, Hitsugaya-Taicho."
Toshiro was taken aback by the formality in her greeting. Hadn't he given her a nickname to call him by? "Valerie-chan, please call me Toshiro. Or you can call me Shiro-kun, I suppose."
It was Valerie's turn to be shocked then. "But you don't even let Momo… or I mean Hinamori call you Shiro-kun without correcting her!"
Toshiro smiled softly. He stepped closer to Valerie and took her hands in his. "Call me Shiro-kun… Valerie-chan."
Valerie smiled back at him, but couldn't look him in the eye due to their intimate position. He pulled her closer to him and she wrapped her arms around him when he hugged her. Valerie inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh, icy smell of Hitsugaya-taicho. No! Toshiro-kun…
Taylor had been walking over to Valerie, but turned around and headed in Byakuya's direction when she realized things were getting saucy with Valerie and Hitsugaya.
"Um… Kuchiki-taicho?" Taylor said softly to get Byakuya's attention. When he turned his head in her direction slightly, she continued. "Can... Do you by chance have any cookies on you?"
Byakuya calmly turned in her direction, a nicer look on his face. "I do, actually."
Taylor's eyes widened, brightening as she imagined little seaweed shaped cookies. "Omagosh yay! May I have one, Kuchiki-taicho?"
Byakuya reached into the pocket of his Captain overcoat and pulled out a brown baggy. He opened it up and handed Taylor two Captain Seaweed cookies.
Taylor gasped, bringing the cookies closer to her face as she smiled broadly at Byakuya. "Arigatou-gozaimaaaasu!"
Byakuya just nodded once and watched the girl become the first person to consume one of his strange cookies. This may be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
Toshiro stepped back from Valerie but kept his hands firmly on her small shoulders. "Will I see you again, Valerie-chan? This has turned out to be our meeting spot hasn't it?"
Valerie giggled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess it has. Well… it's not like I live here so I won't see you all the time."
Toshiro's face fell. "You don't live here?"
Valerie shook her head. "No… I'm just here on vacation with my friend and my parents."
"Oh…" Toshiro said softly. He then perked up quickly. "Well then I suppose we should spend as much time with each other as possible before you leave to go back to…"
"I live in Maryland—in America."
"Oh," Toshiro said again, feeling his heart giving way. "America… So you're a Westerner? Wow, I really will never see you."
Valerie looked down, unable to take the sad look in his big turquoise eyes. "Yeah it really sucks."
It was silent for a few moments before Toshiro spoke up again, this time a little more cheerful. "Well, like I said before, we're just going to have to use all the time that we have to be together."
Valerie nodded, smiling with him. "Okay."
It was then that everyone heard stirring in the tent. People groaned as they woke up, not understanding why their heads were pounding.
Hitsugaya looked Valerie in the eye. "We'll be leaving now," he said to her. He then turned and called Byakuya. "Kuchiki-taicho."
The tall, semi-stoic man stopped feeding Taylor his strange cookies, and looked up at the other Captain. He gave a brief nod, gave Taylor the rest of the cookies he had, and then flashed over to the far end of the small field with Toshiro. There the two opened the Senkaimon, and before they left Valerie exchanged a smile and wave with her Shiro-kun, and Taylor received another nod and a rather soft look from the usually cold Captain Byakuya Kuchiki.
The girls continued to smile and wave until the round Shoji doors in the sky disappeared. They walked back over to the tent to find Valerie's parents, and then they all left together to get ready for dinner.
Once all the women were dressed in their kimono and clogs, and dolled up, Taylor and the Lam's left for the nice Japanese restaurant that they had made plans for. They ate rice, fish, onigiri, and skewered quail eggs. They had tea, and Sour—virgin Sour for the girls of course—and a variety of cutely prepared Japanese sweets. They clapped, danced, and sang along with the performers at the restaurant, and had an all-around great time.
Within the last ten days of their trip, Taylor and Valerie swam at the pool, went to the beach, and hung out with Hitsugaya and sometimes Byakuya. Now on their last day, early in the morning, Taylor and Valerie headed to the meeting spot. Toshiro and Byakuya were coming so that they could all go to the beach together.
Byakuya wore purple swim trunks and a white sweater with his division number on the back. In his hand he held a bucket and other beach tools for sand sculptures. Toshiro wore a green tank-top with black swim trunks. Taylor and Valerie just wore bikinis with cover-ups on top. When everyone was ready to go they headed for the beach. They all had a great time together for a while. They swam, ran around, played tag, and secretly laughed at Byakuya's sand sculpture of Captain Seaweed. Not after long, however, the sun got to Toshiro and the group decided to split up. Valerie and Toshiro would go and hangout at the indoor pool while Taylor and Byakuya stayed at the beach.
Valerie led Toshiro away as Byakuya began showing Taylor the steps to creating Captain Seaweed in the sand. The two of them walked side-by-side in silence the whole way, eventually coming closer together and linking hands.
When they finally reached the indoor pool, Valerie pushed Toshiro into the chilly water to cool him off. She then jumped in after him and poked him in the arm. They smiled at each other, and then an elaborate water-war broke out between them.
After about 30 minutes all four joined up again for pizza and drinks in the Marketplace, the gift-shop at the pool. When they finished eating they all just stayed together in the pool and hot tub until it was time for everyone to leave.
The girls got out of the pool first, and the men followed. They all dried off and got dressed, and then the farewells began. Near the exit Byakuya and Taylor had their own conversation, and as a parting gift he gave her a small sculpture of Captain Seaweed that he'd made. In return Taylor gave him a hug, and they continued with their friendly conversation.
Over by the lounging chairs, Toshiro and Valerie had a talk of their own. Toshiro had also prepared a present for Valerie. He gave her a cute picture of himself yelling at his lieutenant, along with a necklace. It was a simple necklace that consisted of a long, thin chain, and a charm. The charm was a replica of the formation of the purple crystals that appear during his Bankai. Instead of all three groups, it was just one. The four purple crystals that made up one cluster hung from the silver chain. Toshiro placed it around her neck as she held onto his photo.
"Thank you, Shiro-kun," Valerie whispered as he moved away from her.
Toshiro returned her gorgeous smile. "Now you won't forget me in America."
Valerie gave the boy a hug, hoping that he wouldn't forget her either.
"Hitsugaya-taicho," Byakuya called, "It's time for us to return to the Soul Society."
Toshiro nodded at the other Captain, and gave Valerie one last hug. Taylor got another hug from Byakuya as well, before the two men headed over to the exit. They waved and called goodbye one last time before going their separate ways.
Valerie and Taylor back to the hotel and later America… Toshiro and Byakuya back to the Soul Society. Each person with their mind filled with the one that made this trip phenomenal.
And just think… None of this would've happened if Hitsugaya hadn't saved his Lam.
Author's Note: Sorry for the weak ending and title. Valerie and everyone else, please reveiw!