CHAPTER 2
There are few things Toushiro Hitsugaya would never admit, and even fewer that he would acquiesce to admitting at sword point.
For example, he would never admit that in getting closer and closer to Hyorinmaru through his usage of Bankai, and as a direct result of his deeper understanding of his Zanpakuto, his ability to feel sensation in and of itself has all but disappeared.
Of course, he can still tell if something is sharp, or hot, or wet, or thin—but the sensations in and of themselves are extremely weak, or muted. The blood drawn from something sharp is unmistakable (not that something sharp could easily harm him, contact or not), and whether something is wet is simple to tell through observation and bodily awareness (the temperature was easy enough to figure out as well—if vaguely uncomfortable: warm. If vaguely comfortable: cold). Thinness and thickness is easily told through observation, strain of muscle, and weight of said object, but much subtler sensations have been somewhat lost to him in the recent century.
Perhaps this is why he trained his reikaku to an almost preternatural sense of detection, along with his almost ridiculously keen intuition; because of this, Zaraki's sudden bombardment of his person did not surprise him in the least. He hadn't even attempted the courtesy of his bells, instead leaving them behind to confront Toushiro—a worrisome sign of seriousness.
'Although,' Toushiro blandly thought, adjusting his grip on Karin while glancing at the sanguinary, psychotic Captain who approached him with the glee of a wolf, 'even without something like touch or his bells, the weight of his presence and sword would be difficult to miss.'
A low sigh escaped the younger man as he promptly ducked a horizontal swing, unsheathing Hyorinmaru and blocking the next diagonal that swept his way. Utilizing the force of the blow, Toushiro allowed himself to be pushed back in a calm manner before wielding shunpo and disappearing from the irksome 11th Division Captain.
"Aww, come on, Hitsugaya! Let's have some fun!" the paroxysmal savage laughed before running after him, sticking to Toushiro like a wolf to a deer.
Brow furrowing in dislike of the older man, Toushiro rapidly changed directions, leaping over walls and buildings and districts with all the finesse afforded to him, off-balance and encumbered as he was. Even then, he somehow managed to appear graceful and efficient to all those who could witness the improbable sight. Behind him chased Zaraki with far more brutality than grace, the man all but barreling through obstacles that remained in his way.
"..mn…"
Turquoise eyes snapped to his unlucky passenger, noticing the slight opening of her more serious wounds that began to drip blood, and the general discomfort of the exhausted girl. Jaw set with worry, Toushiro paused on a roof, blocking Zaraki's strike before properly confronting him.
"Kenpachi."
—-
"So, you've decided to stop running, huh?" the man laughed, scar stretching uncomfortably with his maniacal smile.
"No, I've stopped to propose a deal with you."
The firm words gave Zaraki pause, his smile fading and his expression tinged with irritation that his good fun was being interrupted due to some deal. Gaze honing in on the girl cradled in one of Hitsugaya's arms, he noticed blood stains and weakness, the hint of fresh blood in the air letting him know exactly what Hitsugaya would ask him.
Now, while he understood his reasons, he really didn't care all that much—it had been a long time since anything even remotely interesting had happened in the all-too peaceful Seireitei, and Hitsugaya removing himself from mountains of paper was significantly more so than staring out the window. Not only that, but after leaving his post, the ever dutiful and icy 10th Division Captain was carrying a girl who was the Hollow attack survivor to the home base of the 4th Division?
This beats the clouds any day.
"Let me guess," Zaraki grinned in a way that would make regular people's skin crawl, "you wanna postpone doin' this til that lil' soul gets proper treatment, huh Hitsugaya?"
The younger captain's expression remained serene, but there was the slightest hint of irritation in his brow, on the corner of his mouth, and the narrowing of his eyes.
"Yes," he responded blandly, eyes cutting through Zaraki in spite of his calm, "I wish to bring this girl to get treatment. Then, her matters of concern to you are over. If you will allow me to deposit her to the 4th Division, I shall agree to your… duel."
"Oh?" Zaraki sneered, leering at the younger captain. "And why should I take this deal seriously?"
"How seriously you take this deal will reflect in my performance in the duel—interrupt me now, I'll wait you out until you're bored and return to my solitude. Allow me to deposit her at the 4th Division, I will be willing to release my Shikai. Allow the deposit and isolation from civilians and personnel alike… and I would be willing to release my Bankai."
Zaraki stared at him with widened, maddened eyes, his grin reaching a wideness that seemed to threaten his face splitting.
Bankai?
Hitsugaya Toushiro's Bankai—the one the 10th Division Captain was ordered never to release near civilians after the incident a century ago, after he had surpassed Head Captain Shunsui?
The mysterious incident in which 12th Division Captain Kuchiki had lost control of a situation, and Captain Hitsugaya was ordered to clean up the fallout with his Bankai—ordered and moderated by Head Captain Shunsui himself?
Tremors of excitement and bloodlust rushed through him at the prospect, a disturbing cackle ringing out on the roof tops before he stalked towards the younger captain and placed his arm on Toushiro's shoulder in a firm, yet strangely friendly pat. Toushiro's face immediately twisted with something between distrust and dislike as Zaraki continued to howl with demonic chuckles, larger frame shaking slightly.
Small, mad eyes turned to the younger man, and with a smile a cross between a snarl and a smirk, Zaraki answered, "Well then, what are we waiting for, Captain Hitsugaya? Let's get this girl to the doc, and get ourselves somewhere isolated!"
— — —-
The arrival of the reticent Captain Hitsugaya caused quite the stir amongst the personnel of the 4th Division, with several Shinigami leaving paperwork in favor of catching a glimpse of the mysterious captain. Between his exceptionally good looks, the menace of Zaraki Kenpachi behind him, and the mysterious woman held within the younger captain's arms, rumors spread and a decent crowd gathered.
Mikami Mitsuki was one such personnel, soft gray eyes widening as the younger captain exchanged with the more volatile elder captain, resulting in a grimace and a nod from the scarred older man. Hanging back, an odd distortion between glee and irritation twisted the larger captain's face as Captain Hitsugaya approached the gates and entered, unimpeded. Turquoise eyes scanning the crowd, they landed on Mitsuki. Much to her surprise, butterflies began fluttering in her stomach as he began approaching her.
Heart pounding madly, a thousand fanciful scenarios ran through her mind as the handsome captain grew closer, unique features coming into focus the closer he approached. She felt as if she were drowning his strange eyes, the paleness of his hair and the darker tone to his skin making them pop even more.
'W-Why is he…'
"Are you part of the Civilian Healers?"
His lower baritone seemed to rattle up and jumble Mitsuki's thoughts up, and she felt red seep into her cheeks as she stuttered, "C-Civilian? Y-yes, I'm a ci-ci-civilian healer!"
"Is there an open cot for another soul? She was injured in a Hollow attack at West Rukongai's 80th Division—hado has been administered as a temporary stop gap, but my arrival was somewhat impeded. Could you provide proper treatment for her?"
Efficiency practically dripped from his words in his request, and nodding rapidly at his explanation, Mitsuki hurriedly led the way to an open med bay. Entering the building, she led the captain to an open cot, offering to take the patient from him, but a firm headshake silenced her words.
Cradling her neck , Captain Hitsugaya set her down with a strange care, expression unreadable but eyes strangely… tender. Something between nostalgia and melancholy settled into the lines of his face, and between his low voice, elegant movements, and mystical looks, he was a sight to behold to many of the female (and male) Shinigami of the 4th Division.
As quickly as he had entered, he left with the 11th Division Captain, but many did not manage to register that, Mikami Mitsuki included.
Sinking to her knees, she let out a deep sigh and desperately fanned her face, in hopes of ridding herself of the blush staining her skin, setting herself ablaze.
'I should've joined the 10th Division instead…'
— — —-
"So, what's the deal with that girl? You would usually never leave your mountain of papers, but the oh-so mysterious Captain Hitsugaya left his post and went after a Hollow at West Rukongai, and returned with a gal in his arms? Sounds like the making of one of those human soap operas…" Zaraki chuckled as the pair approached the outskirts of the Seireitei, mirth and bloodlust rising in tandem within his body.
A twitch of the younger man's brow was all that informed Zaraki that he was irritated, his voice completely calm as he replied, "She was fleeing from the Hollow—I merely slayed it and escorted her to the medical bay, as I would any soldier. I fail to see the significance of my actions."
"All I'm sayin' is that you never abandon your post, let alone for some Hollow that the 11th can easily handle."
"Perhaps not easily, given its usage of cero."
"You lookin' down on my troops, Hitsugaya?"
"More so your methodology, rather than your troops."
"I don't wanna hear that from a paper-pusher."
"Yet you are so desperate to fight this 'paper-pusher', that you'll abandon any human decency towards a young woman."
Booming laughter rang out from the desert-like clearing, Zaraki's head lolling back as Toushiro advanced forward, gaze solemn and clear.
"I suppose that's true, lil' Shiro~"
The twist of his lip was the only indication that he had managed to successfully annoy Hitsugaya.
"Anyhoo, can we get started now? Surely we're far enough away now."
"...Just a little further. 100 miles to be safe, as regulated by Head Captain Shunsui."
"I thought it was 10 miles?"
Toushiro stopped ahead of him, posture straight and rigid. Turning around, his robes flowing, he unsheathed his Zanpakuto, and with ice gleaming in his turquoise eyes, he calmly inquired, "Do you truly believe me to be the same as 200 years ago?"
"Not sure," Zaraki snarked, readying his own blade, "I haven't really had the chance to fight you much. I've been told I did when we marched on the Quincy's all that time ago, but I really can't remember that time."
Finally, a smile laced with derision crept onto Hitsugaya's face, his expression strangely animated as he countered, "Ah, yes… your unfortunate Bankai, where you go mad beyond belief and ruin everything… have you still not named it?"
"Why should I? It works just fine the way it is. Inn't that right, Nozarashi? Nome (Drink)."
Immediately, his Shikai emerged, an enormous cleaver with a green tassel swinging as he hefted the enormous blade onto his shoulder. An enormous amount of reiatsu descended on the pair, the grown shaking and the trees of the nearby forest quivering beneath the strain of Zaraki Kenpachi's pressure.
Hitsugaya Toushiro remained neutral, expressing no discomfort and no bloodlust.
"Before we begin, Kenpachi, I have a question."
Zaraki groaned, annoyance lancing through the expression as he all but shouted, "What now?!"
Toushiro's eyes were hidden behind his white bangs as he gently inquired, "If I had refused to fight you… would you have attacked the girl?"
Rolling his eyes, Zaraki sighed, "Obviously. I've been goin' crazy with boredom—any reaction would have been good."
"...I see."
Suddenly, the reiatsu of the surroundings became that much more saturated, the weather becoming stormy in a matter of seconds as a terrible cold cracked the ground, the temperature falling at a mind-boggling speed as ice formed in the forest and the dirt beneath the two captains feet started to ice over from where Toushiro was at. Plumes of warm air emerged from Zaraki's mouth, his eyes widened to a maddening frenzy.
"Then, Zaraki Kenpachi—allow me to react."
Gripping his sword, chilling words emerged as cold mist surrounded his form, turquoise eyes gleaming with an intensity of emotion that could not be described.
"Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru."
The long blade grew in length, eight stars forming at the guard while a chain which carried sickle emerged at the hilt.
"Tenso Jurin (Subjugation of the Heavens)."
Flickers of snow began to fall, the small flakes piling upon the ground slowly, a scene somehow picturesque with the younger captain the focal point of the image.
"...I forgot how damn annoying your Shikai is… stupid weather control…" Zaraki grit out before raising his sword and slamming the ground with it, destabilizing the already weakened earth.
Enormous cracks formed as a large slash permeated the rock towards Toushiro—but he was already gone, having used shunpo to escape before the blade had even made contact. Throwing the chained sickle, the armament wrapped itself around Zaraki's sword arm before wrenching his arm and his sword up and out of the ground.
Knocking him off balance, Toushiro utilized his chain to swing around Zaraki before kicking him in the jaw—hard. The chain instantly froze Zaraki's sword arm, temporarily ceasing its movement.
"You little—!"
Dragging Zaraki, he spun the older man with the chain before throwing him into the thicket of trees. A mixture between a shout and a cackle emerged from the man as he flipped and landed on his feet, skirting back before rushing forth again, swinging his blade awkwardly with his frozen arm, with a power that slashed through the air with a concussive boom, launching pure kinetic energy toward Toushiro.
Ducking under the slash like some violent game of limbo, Toushiro once again threw the chained sickle at the older man, the sickle slashing his cheek and freezing the wound immediately before Zaraki snatched the chain and pulled Toushiro towards him savagely. The ice encasing Zaraki's arm shattered, leaving behind bleeding wounds which Zaraki ignored before punching the younger captain in the gut, throwing him back.
Blown back, Toushiro mentally commanded the chain to shorten and tighten, utilizing his inertia to land and wrenching the older captain into the air towards him, the chain still within his grasp. Pulled again, the chain froze his free hand, but left his sword arm prepared to land yet another slash.
Twirling Hyorinmaru, Toushiro summoned a dragon that faced the blow head-on, tanking the brunt of the hit before firing another one in conjunction to slash at the older captain.
Tanking the hit, the older man shattered the first and second dragons and completed another slash.
"Mamoru, Hyorinmaru (Protect, Hyorinmaru)."
Yet another dragon formed around Toushiro's blade before it twisted and opened its maw, swallowing him and freezing instantly.
Zaraki's blow shook the frozen dragon, slicing the top half of it off, while the part that surrounded Toushiro remained untouched, save for cracks lining its top surface. Slamming Nozarashi into his iced hand and freeing the chain from its grasp, Zaraki flexed his hand, shattering the ice encasing it. More blood pooled from his wounds, but a smile was all that marred his expression as a resounding chuckle emerged from his mouth.
"Ahhh, this is what I've been searching for! Blood! Excitement! Carnage! Only battle is when your life truly means anything, and only through battle is the difference between men and weaklings realized! More! Show me more fun, Toushiro!" he howled, releasing yet another slash of pure, concentrated reiatsu, slicing the earth in half and breaking up some of the gathered clouds in the atmosphere with his strike.
The dragon was easily sliced in half, revealing no Toushiro inside. Flipping his body in a surprisingly flexible manner, considering his size, Zaraki released a 360 degree slash around him, slicing countless trees in all directions around him, heightening visibility.
"Oh, Hitsugaya~! Where are you!"
Sensing danger, Zaraki rose Nozarashi above him, slicing through the ice crescent that was launched towards him in two. Manic eyes flickering above him, Toushiro's calm figure stood with Hyorinmaru raised.
"Shinku no Kori no Yaiba (Vacuum Ice Blade)."
A highly concentrated ice blade launched itself towards Zaraki, which the man easily slashed in half. A resounding snap and command emerged from the higher captain as the two halves of his blade pierced the ground next to the lower one:
"Saku (Bloom)."
The blades burst into star-like shapes, impaling Zaraki's arms and side. Ice permeated into the wounds, freezing the organs and muscles beneath his skin, latching into his muscle fibers with such intensity that he found it unwise to move, unless he desired his arms to be put out of commission, which he preferred not to happen.
Temporarily held captive, Zaraki grit his teeth and began building his reishi, intending to blast it and destroy the ice inward and outward.
"...You wished to see my Bankai and remember it—isn't that right, Zaraki Kenpachi?"
A feral grin slashed across Kenpachi's face, him seemingly unable to feel his wounds as he barked, "More than remember it—I'll slash it to pieces, and destroy that futile arrogance of yours, Hitsugaya Toushiro!"
A deathly chill fell across the clearing as the clouds regathered and intensified, snow pelting down on the pair before Toushiro spoke once again. The somber timbre of his words and expression matched the atmosphere he had created, a dislike clear in his gaze.
"No… I don't think you'll be able to, Zaraki Kenpachi."
Gripping Hyorinmaru, he extended the blade before him, his other hand shackling to his occupied hands wrist as a blast of reiatsu emerged from Kenpachi, freeing his arms for movement as he gripped his Nozarashi, intending to slice Hitsugaya down.
"Ban-kai: Daiguren Hyorinmaru."
The descent of the snow frenzied, the entire world whirling in the frost and winter that Hitsugaya invoked as a calamitous blizzard swept the clearing. Ambient temperatures fell so low that the ground and the earth began to crack and shatter under the assault, as a cold that seemed physically impossible to experience enveloped Zaraki with such wrath, he could not even call to mind his Bankai—not that he wanted to to begin with.
He wanted this etched into his memory for all of time, this rare and inconceivable display of emotion of the taciturn Hitsugaya Toushiro—the monster the Head Captain had trained personally; the man who had sought teachings from the best of the best in the human world and Seireitei to elevate himself; the dragon born into the flesh of a man; the prodigy that had been granted special leave for 50 years to develop his powers, and by the end had emerged a walking calamity.
"Shikai Hyouketsu (Four World Freeze)."
And then, the world turned white and still, and the last thing Zaraki thought before he fell unconscious was that the younger generation was only getting scarier and scarier as time went by.
— — —-
Gasping awake, large ash-gray eyes rapidly took in unfamiliar surroundings, black shihakusho and murmuring voices stimulating her into fight or flight mode.
Like always, Karin chose "fight".
"Get away from me, you sickos!"
Pushing several worrying officers away, she gazed around at her surroundings, panicked. It was simultaneously foreign yet familiar to her, the arrangement of beds in a recognizable, hospitable fashion hurting her brain as her mind scrambled for memories that had been carved out of her skull at her death.
She had never been here before; she had never seen any of these faces, experienced any of these smells, observed any of these sights—so why did they remind her so viscerally of something already gone? Lingering images of smiles and hope; regret and sorrow; the wailing of someone precious; brown hair and opposition; black, orange, chestnut, brown and white; Hollows.
Migraine building, her head seemed to seek to tear her to shreds, gasps being pulled from her lungs and the ambient temperature and energy rising to a crescendo around her as she spiraled. Rising unsteadily from her cot, she bulldozed her way through black garbed people and anxious eyes that reminded her of someone she couldn't recall anymore. Her heart rate spiked, her reiatsu spiraled, her mind broke—and Karin was fairly certain she was having a panic attack.
Unfamiliar places had never done well for her—the 80th District was never a trustworthy place to reside in, and unfamiliarity either meant abuse, or things even worse than death.
Tripping, she tumbled to the floor as more mysterious people, more waggling mouths and gaping eyes hovered around her: too close, and too far, and too loud, and too concerned, and too much.
'I'm dying,' she wildly tore at the thought, 'I'm going to die.'
'Karin.'
'I'm dying.'
"Karin."
'I'm… dying…'
"Karin. Karin, listen to me—focus on my voice. You are safe here; no one is going to hurt you, and no one will so long as I am here. Calm down."
The voice was clear-cut and calm, an icy-cool touch that settled on the back of her neck and her shoulder wrenching her attention from the overload of sensations and people. Steadiness seemed to emanate from this person as the oddly familiar figure called for the other people to give her space, and to let him handle it.
"I-I'm… dying…" wrenched from her throat in a garbled manner, body shaking as she gazed at the floor and her pale, pale hands that dug into the wooden floors, mind slowing from a million miles an hour to a thousand miles.
"You are not dying, Karin, nor are you going to die; so long as I am here, I will not allow something like death to befall you."
Tan, angular hands that were simultaneously a warrior's hands and a musician's hands appeared in her field of vision, gently yet firmly lifting her chin up and resting on her shoulder. Coming face to face with the face of her savior, he appeared slightly more ruffled and scuffed when compared to his almost inhuman perfection from before. It was strangely… grounding for her, and she felt herself begin to settle as she gazed into calm, yet slightly concerned and surprisingly earnest turquoise eyes.
"Do you feel calmer now?"
"Y-Yes."
"Very good—now stop with the fire."
"W-what? Fire? I don't know what you…"
"You're on fire."
"I'm on what?!" she shrieked, looking at herself to see flames on her shoulder, upper arm, and apparently back, from the direction of his gaze.
"Fire. You're on fire. So please put them out."
"Do'ya think I know how to do that or something, idiot?! We wouldn't be in this situation if I knew I could set myself on fire! I coulda just kamikaze'd the Hollow if that was the case!"
A strangely annoyed, yet almost fond sigh emerged from him, before he murmured, "Very well, then I shall deal with them. Please excuse my disturbance of your space."
Moving his hands—that now seemed much colder—he grazed the line of her shoulder with the back of his fingers, lightly ran his palm on her back, and trailed the barest tips of his fingers along her upper arms. Lastly, he pat her head, and the vestiges of the flame disappeared, but what hadn't was the race of her heart and the flames in her cheeks.
Ash gray eyes and the various other eyes of the spectating Shinigami were blown wide and almost blushing at the nigh-intimate interaction.
"W… What was with that?!" Karin exploded, shuffling away while the man stared at her with confusion evident in his clear eyes.
"I was stopping the flames," he blandly replied, which just fanned the flames of her embarrassment even more as she exclaimed, "Then what's with the light touches and stuff?!"
Tilting his head slightly, his white hair drooped slightly over his eyes, giving him an almost innocent, yet charming appeal as he smoothly answered, "If I hadn't done that, then you would be frozen solid by now. I was simply nullifying the runaway reishi—I didn't want to nullify and freeze you."
Forcing herself to calm, she grit out, "Then… thank you."
"Your welcome, Karin."
"..."
"..."
"...Why're you here?" she mumbled, the silence becoming slightly too awkward for her to handle.
"I was dropping off baggage until I heard screams. When I investigated, you were tearing out of the med bay on fire before collapsing. I dealt with the fires and acted accordingly."
His voice was clear-cut and smooth, and his way of speaking reminded her of the way a soldier delivers a mission report.
'He's so… formal. And stiff,' Karin thought to herself before the man rose again, readying himself to leave. Before she could even get a word of question out, he disappeared, like he wasn't even there to begin with. Blinking rapidly, and turning to awkwardly face the other people in the black shihakusho she was fast becoming used to, she timidly inquired, "Um… what just happened?"
"You were panicking—most likely triggered by something—and Captain Hitsugaya dealt with the fallout before leaving," one of the black-garbed people plainly said, slowly approaching her before settling beside her. "And now, it's time to take you back to your cot, and finish up your treatment. You'll want to be at your best before enrolling into the academy."
"Academy?" Karin questioned before allowing the girl to guide her back to her cot.
"Yes, Shin'o Academy, for Shinigami!" the girl beamed before tucking her into the bed. "But before that, he needs to talk to the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 Court Guard Squads to allow you to go, and to get off the hook for abandoning his post and dueling with Captain of the 11th Division, Zaraki Kenpachi. He's the 'baggage' he mentioned."
As she settled into the bed, Karin couldn't help but wonder what on earth she'd gotten herself into, letting herself be saved by some weird, super-powered pretty boy.