This Light, the Will of the Heart, I See
"I must return Tousen to his senses. He believes that the path he travels is justice, but it only brings pain." –Komamura Sajin
NOTE: This is the second revision of this fanfic. If you have been reading it before, ya might wanna go back through an' look through it again… This is the one chapter that I did not change much in.
Inspiration: The stuffed fox named Gin sitting on my bookshelf
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Spoiler Warnings: ..for the next chapter, if that counts… (see chapter warnings, lol)
Chapter Warnings: mentions of rape. Whoops! That's next chapter! Um…mature themes.
"These are normal thoughts."
Note: Some Japanese words may be in italics.
These are thoughts Sakana receives. "This is stuff she sends."
"This is one's Zanpakuto."
Chapter 7: Christmas Love
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Toshiro opened his eyes around 10 the next morning. Toshiro's fried mind could not comprehend anything now because of last night. It had been amazing… He had never drunk sake before; therefore, he had never gotten drunk. However, he suspected what he had felt last night was how it felt to be drunk. His aqua eyes flickered to his love, whose head was on his chest. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she let out a soft whimper before falling back into a deeper slumber.
"I wonder what she's dreaming about." Toshiro thought. Her eyebrows twitched and she flexed the hand that was not on his chest. Toshiro let out a groan; her left hand wrapped around his cock, trapping him. He stroked her head gently, attempting to coax her to let go.
"Let, go, please." Toshiro thought, even though he felt a little ridiculous, trying to think to her. To his surprise, she actually released his manhood, and he let out a sigh.
Now, if he could just get out of bed without waking her…
Toshiro sensed something. It felt weird to him, getting this feeling, but it made him feel warm and fuzzy. He looked back at Sakana, who had a slight smile on her face.
It was pure affection. She was subconsciously taking his feelings and returning them to him. He gently kissed Sakana on the cheek and slid out from underneath her, replacing his body with a pillow. She hugged the pillow to her, but did not wake. The girl could sleep like a rock; that was for sure.
He put some boxers and an ice blue yukata she had bought him last Christmas on and went to the kitchen. Most of the time Toshiro just pulled some cereal out of the cupboard and put some milk with it if the servants all captains were provided (except Kuchiki-sama) didn't cook. However, the snowy taichou did know how to cook relatively well, so he went through the pantry and pulled out some ingredients.
Sakana snuggled closer to the pillow. Toshiro's mint and evergreen scent coated the pillow, and she did not want to let go of it. It smelt so heavenly…
Another scent reached her nose, and she took her nose from the pillow and sniffed the air. Did she smell bacon and eggs?
Smiling, she got out of bed and put on the purple and white yukata Shunsui had bought for her some time ago when she made captain. Brushing her black hair into a ponytail, she entered the kitchen and grinned.
"Ohayou Shiro-kun, you made breakfast?" Sakana said, sitting down in a chair. Toshiro smiled and nodded.
"And what's wrong with that?" Toshiro asked. Sakana giggled and picked up her chopsticks (1).
"So, what are we going to do today, kaen-hime?" Toshiro asked, making Sakana blush slightly.
"I dunno… we could go to the Karakura Lake. It's frozen over this time of year, and I've never gone ice-skating before…" Sakana trailed off. Toshiro gave her an adorable confused/surprised look.
"You've never been ice-skating?"
Sakana shook her head. "No. I hate getting wet; see, so I've always been terrified of falling through the ice. You can ask Shunsui; he tried to take me once, and I threw such a tantrum he left me with Ukitake." Sakana said.
"Humph. You hate getting wet, huh?" Toshiro said with a smirk on his face. Sakana turned a lovely shade of red and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Nyeh."
"Well, I'm going to teach you how to ice-skate." Toshiro said triumphantly. Sakana raised an eyebrow.
"What, you know how?"
"Of course," Toshiro said with the smirk on his face, "I'm the Ice Prince after all."
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Toshiro slid out onto the ice on Karakura Lake. There were a few familiar faces, like Keigo, who had dragged Ichigo and his friends out to the lake. Rukia was laughing at Ichigo, who was white-washing Keigo.
"C'mon, Sakana." Toshiro coaxed. He only got the fleeting feeling of fear from the flame taichou (holy crap another tongue twister xD).
"A-Are you sure? Ice has a tendency to melt under my touch (in more ways than one, lol); I'm the wielder of a flame Zanpakuto, after all." Sakana said. Toshiro smiled took her hand.
"I'll make sure the ice doesn't melt for you. I told you; I'm the Ice Prince. This ice will stay frozen, no matter what you do to it, even if you don't mean to."
He taught Sakana how to get going, and how to stop. Once she got the hang of it, it was almost as if she had known how to ice-skate all along.
"Hmm… you're pretty good," Toshiro said as Sakana stopped in front of him, "It's almost like you're a natural born ice-skater." Sakana blushed at this.
"I guess so." She said.
After a while, Ichigo came up to them.
"Hey, Toshiro, Sakana."
"It's Hitsugaya-taichou, Kurosaki." Toshiro said. Ichigo rolled his eyes; the captain's constant reminder always got on his nerves.
"Whatever. You wanna play ice hockey with us? There's another group coming, and we're playing against them. Thing is, we're missing two people." Ichigo said. Sakana shrugged.
"Sure, seems like fun. C'mon, Shiro-kun!" She said, grabbing Toshiro's hand.
The duo waited in the snow surrounding the lake as the opposing team arrived. They looked menacing, and looked a lot larger than Ichigo's team.
"Gulp… maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Sakana gulped. Toshiro snickered at his love.
"What, is my kaen-hime frightened?" he asked. Sakana shook her head, her body trembling.
"No, it's not that… It's the thoughts of these guys… not exactly the nicest guys on the block." She muttered, putting a hand to her head, "Ugh…headache…" she whispered. Toshiro began to feel the heat from her; she was losing control of herself. The snow around her began to melt. He helped her up, and went to Ichigo, who was standing on the ice.
"I'm sorry, Kurosaki, but we have to go. Sakana's not feeling well." Toshiro apologized. Ichigo glanced quickly at Sakana and then at the ice hockey players.
"…that bad, huh?"
There was a creaking sound, and the ice underneath them broke.
Both Toshiro and Sakana managed to get to the bank. Ichigo had grabbed Keigo, Chad had leapt to safety carrying Uryu who was protesting to be put down, Rukia had simply jumped on Ichigo's back as he jumped to the bank, and Orihime simply created a shield and floated on it. The heavy-set ice hockey players were not as lucky, as they were standing more in the middle of the area. Sakana's eyes widened as her nightmare became a reality.
Toshiro could not refreeze the water, because the hockey players were still in there. They flailed around, shouting for help. The ice taichou could feel the heat coming from Sakana, and tried to use his own reiatsu to counter hers. It was a feeble attempt; after all, it is hard to freeze a flame. (2)
Toshiro leapt out of his gigai and jumped into the freezing waters. Maybe if he could freeze the water underneath them, they would stand a (GHOST OF A) chance. Sakana fell to her knees on the bank, a hand still to her head.
"Sakana…" Ichigo said, reaching for her. She flinched and drew away.
"…Don't touch me—!"
However, Ichigo's hand touched her shoulder, and his eyes widened in shock.
He heard and felt everything she heard and felt.
The substitute soul reaper pulled his hand away in surprise, like he had touched a hot stove. In that instant, he had been in her shoes, experiencing what she did. As Toshiro came back to the surface, the ice froze, saving the big ice-hockey players. They crawled back onto the bank, coughing up water. Then they piled as quickly as they could back into their van and drove off, leaving Ichigo and Co. on the bank, crowded around Sakana.
Sakana was shaking, her arms wrapped around her knees. They did not, or rather, could not, get too close to her, because her reiatsu had created a heat shield around her. Her instinct was protecting her involuntarily. Her breathing had increased; almost to the point of hyperventilation. Toshiro sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her, gently nuzzling her neck.
Calm down, kaen-hime. It's alright. He thought, forcing a bit of his reiryoku into her. It wasn't as effective as making love to her, but it would have to do for that situation. Sakana's body stopped shaking and she relaxed against him, closing her eyes.
Just relax. I'll get you home.
Toshiro picked up Sakana and nodded a farewell before running off with Sakana in his arms.
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Once they got back to the house, it had begun to rain. Sakana awoke as Toshiro was laying her on the bed. The girl tried to sit up and tell Toshiro something, but Toshiro's lips cut her off.
"To…Shiro…? MMPH!"
"Be quiet. You need to sleep." Toshiro mumbled against her lips. Sakana felt his cold breath on her lips and her eyes flickered.
"Mmph…stop it. I need to go shopping later…" Sakana muttered. Toshiro flopped down next to her and pulled Sakana into a hug.
"Hatsu no nemuri."
Both Shinigami left their gigai. Sakana snuggled next to her Toshiro, his chilly breath on her neck. The girl finally surrendered to Toshiro's will and the duo fell into a doze.
A few hours later Sakana awoke feeling much better. She slipped out from underneath Toshiro's arm and straightened herself out. She saw Hyourinmaru on the sword stand next to their bed and picked it up.
"Toshiro, I'll need to borrow your Zanpakuto for a little bit. In the meantime, I shall leave Kaenrinmaru with you." Sakana thought, slinging Hyourinmaru on her back. She quietly opened the door and shunpo'ed out into the rain. She hated the rain (being the wielder of a flame Zanpakuto, she tended to hate water in general, except for Toshiro, she supposed), but this was something she had to do.
"Sakana-san, what are you doing?" Hyourinmaru asked. Sakana almost lost her footing and almost fell off the roof she had landed on; surprised that she could hear Toshiro's Zanpakuto.
"Nyeh?" Sakana thought, shocked. She had never heard of a Zanpakuto spirit actually talking with someone other than their original wielder.
"You are surprised you can hear me? It is obvious I can trust you." (3)The ice dragon said with a snort, "So, what is the plan? You would not just take me out for a little joy ride, would you?"
Sakana laughed and landed on another roof. "No. I want to ask you something, but I waited until Toshiro was asleep to ask you. Toshiro can't hear you right now, can he?" Sakana asked.
"No. as long as I am in your possession at this moment, he cannot hear me unless he summons me. What is it you ask, child?"
Sakana flushed slightly at the kind tone Hyourinmaru used. "Would it be possible to buy a different sheath for you? I-I saw one that I think Toshiro and you would like…" The taichou trailed off, slightly embarrassed.
"Well, I would believe it would be possible. Let us see it." Hyourinmaru said. Sakana grinned and shunpo'ed off to the shop she wanted to visit.
"Hello?" Sakana asked, sliding open the door. The shopkeeper was a man with messy black hair and an eye patch over his right eye. He was wearing a silver Shinigami uniform. The man dropped down on one knee upon seeing the captain.
"Satoshi-taichou! What a surprise!"
"Ah, Tenshu, you don't need to treat me like that just because I'm a captain now!" Sakana laughed, cuffing Tenshu upside his head playfully. Tenshu stood up and gave Sakana a friendly hug. The two had been friends in the academy. When they graduated, Tenshu learned he had a special talent; he could make special Zanpakuto sheaths, sheaths that could amplify the power of the Zanpakuto and its wielder. After much discussion, Yamamoto allowed Tenshu to go to the world of the living and make his livelihood there. He wasn't a super-strong Shinigami, but he did know how to fight, and was willing to fight for what he believed in.
"Huh? This isn't your Zanpakuto… This belongs to Hitsugaya-taichou, does it not?" Tenshu said, looking at Sakana suspiciously.
"Yes, it is his. I've come for that sheath you had for me on back order. I just brought Hyourinmaru to make sure it fits." Sakana said, drawing Hyourinmaru. The sword felt oddly familiar in her hand, as if the Zanpakuto were her own.
"Ah. But how did you get it away from him?"
"He's asleep. I left my Zanpakuto with him to make sure he doesn't wake up until I get back. Now, about that sheath…" Sakana said. Tenshu nodded and motioned for Sakana to follow him back.
After moving boxes around Tenshu pulled out a slim box. "Here it is." He said, pulling the sheath out of the box.
The sheath was a light blue that complimented Hyourinmaru's hilt perfectly. The sheath had a green swirl from the tip to the other end. Wrapped around it was a blue and green sash.
"Well Hyourinmaru?"
"…Toshiro will love this."
Sakana laughed and took the sheath, carefully putting Hyourinmaru in it. After a few moments, she took the Zanpakuto out of the sheath.
"I'll take it." Sakana grinned. Tenshu looked from the sword to the taichou and shrugged.
After Tenshu wrapped the sheath and Sakana paid for it, she walked home, humming lightly to herself.
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Toshiro opened one eye sleepily. How long had he been asleep? He felt drugged, or like he had drunk sake.
"Hey, Hyourinmaru…"
No response. At least, not the one he was expecting.
"Huh? What? Oh, you're awake." Kaenrinmaru mumbled.
"What?" Toshiro exclaimed, sitting up straight in bed. His eyes shot over to the sword rack and immediately noticed Hyourinmaru was missing.
And so was Sakana.
"Kaenrinmaru! Where's Sakana?" Toshiro demanded. Kaenrinmaru materialized in front of Toshiro, something he wasn't expecting. The fire dragon yawned.
"I can't tell you that."
"And why not?" Toshiro growled. Kaenrinmaru opened one eye and gazed at Toshiro.
"Because, Sakana-san told me not to tell you. In fact, you're supposed to still be asleep."
Toshiro grumbled at the dragon, arms crossed.
"So, Sakana took Hyourinmaru and left without telling me, but she told you and won't let you tell me. She is in SO much trouble when she gets back…" The door opening cut Toshiro off.
"Oi Oi, Toshiro, you're awake!" Sakana said. She came into the bedroom holding Hyourinmaru.
"I should say so. What did you do with Hyourinmaru?"
Sakana gulped; she hadn't anticipated him being awake at this moment. "Uh… training," was the first thing that came out of her mouth.
"Training?" Toshiro asked, raising an eyebrow, "I find that very hard to believe."
Sakana blushed as Toshiro shook his head, crossed the room, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. He rested his head on hers, letting his reiatsu wash over her.
"Do you remember what today is?" Toshiro mumbled.
"Uh, isn't it the 19th of December?" Sakana asked. Toshiro smiled and pulled a present from his sleeve.
"Happy birthday."
Sakana stared at the present that Toshiro had seemingly pulled out of nowhere. She took it and shook it, trying to tell what was inside of it.
"Shaking it won't do you any good." Toshiro said smugly. Sakana frowned and tried to read his thoughts, but there was nothing in them that would help her. Shrugging, she opened the box.
"Toshiro…"
Toshiro almost flinched at the tone Sakana used. "Hai, my kaen-hime?"
"Alright, tell me. What did you get me?" Sakana asked, still shaking the box. Toshiro smiled gently and pointed to a door outside of the bedroom: the closet door. Sakana stared warily at the door for a moment before turning back to Toshiro. She opened the box and pulled out a key.
"It's not going to jump out and eat me, is it? You didn't get me a Menos for my birthday, did you? (AN: I wouldn't mind getting a Menos for my birthday, as long as it didn't attack me and listened me xD)" Sakana said jokingly. Both Shinigami laughed as Sakana unlocked the door.
Sakana never got a chance to even open the door.
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Translations and Kuso like That:
Hatsu no nemuri: sleep first.
Tenshu: his name means shopkeeper. Hehe, I'm clever. xD jk.
Oi Oi: It actually means hey in Japanese. Me and my friends say Oi a lot. NO YOU DAMN COMPUTER YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GO BECKY ON ME!!! (is talking about grammar corrections above with the me and my friends thing)
Kouhii: coffee.
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(1) … I know it's out of place… hold on. (beats auto number thingy on word 2007) STOP THAT! Anywho, I know it's out of place. I'm being kinda redundant, aren't I? I eat almost everything with chopsticks, except for thanksgiving dinner. The one thing I didn't eat with my pretty blue chopsticks.
(2) Although, according to Pokémon, it's possible to freeze a fire-type Pokémon with an ice-type attack. I was playing Pokemon Chrystal and I was battling an ice type trainer with Roy (my Arcanine; yes, I named him after Roy Mustang) and the Pokémon used Powder Snow and Roy froze. O.o
(3) Hee, I'll explain this next chapter.
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There's gonna be some epic shit happening next chapter! Along with Aizen and Gin! No Tousen because I hate him. Even though we're both black. Does that even make any sense? CONGRATZ! YOU HAVE SURVIVED ONE CHAPTER OF FILLER!
So yeah, I took out a huge chunk because I didn't like it. Meh. Now, onto rewriting the 8th, 9th and 10th chapters!