Toshiro woke. It was evening. Had he been asleep an entire day? He rolled over and sat up. His neck pained him greatly. Dried blood crusted the front of his robes and chafed his skin. He raised a hand to the spot where the dagger had cut into him but it was bandaged.
"Ken?" He whispered hoarsely. His whole body trembled with weakness. Then he noticed the body beside him. Kenpachi was sprawled in the melting snow, snoring loudly.
"Kenpachi." Toshiro shook his shoulder. Nothing. He tried again and this time the giant stirred. He remembered what had happened and sat up straight.
"Ken, what happened?"
"I passed out." His hands were shaking too. "What the hell did you do?"
"I don't know. What the hell did you do?" He pointed to Kenpachi's chest.
"I don't know."
They both sighed. Kenpachi found the rest of their bread and split it with Toshiro. They both began to feel better with the sustenance.
"Is this snow?" Kenpachi said after a while, scooping up the last little clumping of it in his hand.
"I guess so. Good thing I slept outside, you might have frozen."
"Good thing, are you kidding me? You nearly got yourself killed being so careless. Since when could anyone ever sneak up on you?" The boy's eyes fell to the ground and he absently rubbed his sore neck.
"I was dreaming."
"Pft."
"I keep having the same dream, about this dragon made of ice."
"You got into the sake didn't you?"
"Yeah right that stuff is disgusting."
"So this ice dragon...what do you think it means?"
Toshiro looked up at his companion. His tone of voice caught his attention. "What is it? Are you having weird dreams too?"
The big man looked down at the boy, his face strange. "I can never see anything..." he began. "Its just dark, but there's this sort of... presence."
"What's happening to us?" The boy said looking down at his hands.
"I don't know. But its time for us to move on." Kenpachi said rising to his feet and surveying the bodies around him. "Man, whatever you did, it sure was powerful." He mumbled getting a whiff of the charred corpses.
"Yeah." Toshiro stood as well, but his skin was still deathly pale and what little blood he had left rushed to his head. He fell forward and Kenpachi caught him by the front of his robes just before he hit the ground.
"Maybe I should have mentioned you nearly bled to death before I got that tourniquet around your neck."
"Maybe." Toshiro whispered before he went completely limp. Kenpachi hoisted him to one shoulder, grabbed their things, and marched away over the corpses.
"Hey baldy." Ikkaku looked up at his young lieutenant. She hardly filled the roll, Yumichika did all her paperwork, but he couldn't bring himself to depose her after Zaraki had gone. He did however, get tired of her lack of respect.
"Its captain Madrame to you."
"He's back." She waited for the reaction but it didn't come. "Kenny, I felt his spiritual pressure, you need to get the squad ready for when we feel it again. We might not have much time to find him."
"Yachiru–"
"I know it was him!"
"Yachiru!" His face softened slightly. "I know it was too. Where do you think the whole squad's gone?"
She stopped short. The girl raced to the window and saw no signs of life in the yard or the barracks. She turned around with a smile.
"Oh pinhead, you're the best."
He ignored her.
"I'm waiting until I feel another spike. What about you?"
The girl considered. "Hmmm, I could, but I think I'll head out now, it was pretty far away, like the other side of the world away."
"I know. That must be why we didn't sense him before."
"Hmm, I guess, but I went over the whole soul society and I never felt him."
"True."
"Well, I'm going."
"I'll see you when we find him then." She flashed him a smile and his killer's heart warmed a little. It had been years since anyone had seen her smile. Then, in a flash of pink, she was gone.