Just Like Ice

Author's Note: Chapter -15 is one of the most touching chapters I have ever read on Bleach, and thus I wrote this. I'm so sorry if this turned out too weird for your liking, or even if it isn't nice. I just needed to get this off my chest. And I know the title is…um, weird, so as to speak. I specially did a new writing style just for this oneshot and this oneshot alone, and moved everything to the center as well. This oneshot is a dedicated b-day fic for our dear Hitsu-chan, even though it has nothing to do with his birthday whatsoever, which is why I added this! Say something, Tou-chan!

Hitsugaya: …

I think you would have a lot to say if Ichigo is here with you, riiiiight?

Hitsugaya: -blush- …Shut up.

Warning: Major spoilers if chapter -15 isn't read yet. Quotes are also not one hundred percent accurate; I'm only quoting from memory. (And I realized that the quotes in italics are in the wrong order. It's meant to be that way too)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything at all. Some bits in between are added on by me and actually, that's the point xp I don't own anything except for a bit of the plot.

Italics – Hitsugaya's POV/dream/non-Bleach Japanese terms/flashbacks

Bold italics – Hyourinmaru/emphasization

Enjoy.

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Maybe it's my silver hair, or maybe it's my blue-green eyes…

Or maybe it's just the cold way I act.

But everyone says I'm 'just like ice'…

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The plump silver-haired grandmother's eyes slowly opened, eyelids moving upwards steadily and revealing beady eyes that sparkled with pure elderly energy. She pushed herself up from her futon into a sitting position, flinching a little at the familiar iciness on her shoulder. One would be horrified, however, to suddenly wake up and see the arm of oneself totally covered with frost and snow, but the granny didn't seem to mind it, as if it were an everyday occurrence. She simply brushed the bits of ice off, her fingers shaking as she did, and stood up. It was dawn.

"Ok! I'll be moving into the dormitories but I'll be back to visit you in the summer holidays! Ja ne!"

The snow white-haired boy moved his hand into underneath his casual outfit and scratched his belly, cupping his mouth with the other free hand. "Don't ever come back here, Bedwetter Momo," he called out to his waving friend, failing to notice his rather fat grandmother standing behind him who had finished her rounds of watering the plants behind the large wooden house that the three of them – the grandmother, her grandson and his friend – stayed in for as long as they could remember. Or at least, that was in her young blooming grandson's case, seeing that he was born in that very house.

The elderly chuckled warm-heartedly and ruffled the young Hitsugaya Toushirou's beautiful snow white hair, earning herself a rather surprised glance from her dear grandchild. "My, my, how rude…" she spoke tenderly, hand not leaving his hair. "You know you won't be seeing her for quite some time, but you say such things to her…"

The bratty child at that point of time gently pushed the hand away and scratched the back of his head. "Who cares? I mean, she'll come back here whenever she's free right? I'm sure she'll be back soon." He looked up and caught sight of two other figures standing near their wooden house, one man and the other, a lady. Ayumi was the more cowardly of the two, or rather she seemed so in Hitsugaya's opinion, since whatever she did in his presence was stutter and tremble. Tatsukichi was no better off, even though he was smiling. Smiling awkwardly, to be precise.

Hitsugaya stared at them confusingly and when they noticed, Ayumi leaned in and whispered in Tatsukichi's ear, "N-ne ne…he's looking at us…W-wha…what should we do…?"

"W-well…we should just go…You know how this kid is like; he'll freeze you to death someday…Go, Ayumi; we have to go now…" And thus, they made a run for it, like as if an innocent child like Hitsugaya was going to kill them or something terrifying like that. He stood there, frozen for a while, and even though he pretended not to hear what they had said about him, he knew the truth much better than anyone else did. He looked down at the ground, and sent a mental greeting to the soil on the earth of the soul universe.

His grandmother was slightly baffled by his sudden display of saddened and confused expression, but when she turned her head back a little, she finally realized why. As quickly as the frown came before, a smile found its way to her wrinkly face, before patting her grandson on the head. He looked up, blinking out of his trance-like state, and gazed at the warm smile before he finally smiled himself.

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It's not like I ever did anything to them…

But I can tell that they're scared of me.

I guess that's just how everyone feels around here...

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Hinamori Momo finally got a day off, and she spent it by rushing back to Junrinan, sprinting all the way from the Shinigami Academy and laughing with excitement. She hadn't seen her friend Shiro-chan for months now…and her neighbors Tecchin and A-chan…oh, and of course Shiro-chan's obaa-chan! Oh, how she missed all of them!

The girl with her hazelnut hair tied in two dainty ponytails giggled at the thought of seeing everyone, especially Shiro-chan, with looks of surprise that she managed to get this far even though it had only been a few months. She still remembered how he said that she wouldn't even bear to live a day in there, let alone a few months. Well, she'd show him…

Ah, there he was! "Shiro-chan! Ohayou!" Hitsugaya looked up from the pond, a vein throbbing from his head when he could clearly distinguish the voice that just called him. He waited impatiently for the baka girl to reach him, and boy was she slow. Not that he had always been a good runner, of course, but he was at least much faster than Hinamori; and still was, apparently. "Mou…If someone says good morning to you, you should at least say good morning or even hi or something, Shiro-chan!" Hinamori pouted.

"How many times must I tell you; don't call me Shiro-chan!" Hitsugaya retorted, folding his arms.

Hinamori giggled. Shiro-chan still hadn't changed, and probably never will. "Ne, Shiro-chan…" Twitch. "Since it's my first day off in months, let's have watermelon! But just so you know, I have to get back to the dorms by evening, so I can't stay for too long!"

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine…" He turned and cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Baa-chan, Bedwetter Momo's here! We'll be going to the market to get some watermelon! Do you want anything?"

The same old grandmother peeped from the door, the grandmotherly smile plastered on her face. "Ah, Momo-chan, it's so nice to see you. No, I don't need anything. We still have a lot of ama nattou left over," she kindly replied before returning to her futon and sat down carefully.

"Mou, Shiro-chan, don't call me Bedwetter Momo!" the old grandmother heard Hinamori protest.

A pause in answering, most likely her stubborn grandchild rolling his eyes. "Sure, only if you stop calling me Shiro-chan."

Their trip to the market in Junrinan was filled with their usual kiddy mockery, with Hinamori asking Hitsugaya politely to call her by her first name (at least) but as expected, the other would retort icily and disagree. Even though it was supposed to be a fun day, seeing that his friend had actually bothered to come back and visit her old home, Hitsugaya felt out-of-place in the supermarket like as if he was all alone in the broad bazaar with no one by his side to assure him that nothing was wrong, the cold and emotionless stares mixed with glares all on him and him alone. They felt like daggers piercing his heart but he didn't show it; it would be best to say 'ignorance is bliss' and just forget everyone staring at him, whispering to one another. They finally reached the fruits shop, and nearly all of the customers in there fled the area, all with the same excuse.

I have a stomachache.

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West Rukongai, first disctrict. Junrinan.

The only ones here who aren't afraid of me are Hinamori…

…and ol' granny.

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Hitsugaya looked around the shop, getting a very uneasy feeling that the shopkeeper was shooting daggers at him. It was most likely because he was the main reason why all of his customers had fled the scene like as if a bomb was going to drop on them. But the white-haired child couldn't help but get another odd feeling that the shopkeeper was just using an outside appearance of anger to hide the true fear hidden deep inside. The young Junrinan boy still couldn't understand what exactly it was about him that made every single citizen in Junrinan other than Hinamori and his grandmother so scared of him. Hinamori giggled as she picked out a fresh watermelon, asking her friend whether it would suffice. Snapping back into the present, Hitsugaya blinked and scratched the back of his head, commenting that one watermelon wasn't enough.

"We'll have four."

Hinamori's eyes widened. "Ehhhh?!"

Her childhood friend shot an icy glare towards her. "Fine. Make that five."

"Shiro-chan, are you sure you can finish all of those watermelons?! You'll get a tummyache!"

He sighed and folded his arms. "Baka Bedwetter Momo, during those few months you weren't here, I finished off six. Now, get me five or else," he spat, boasting a little. Hinamori could only gape. She knew Hitsugaya had a voracious appetite – she had seen him polish off ten plates of ama nattou (sugared nattou; fermented beans) before – but she had no idea that his appetite had grown by so much in just a few months. And yet, he was not growing taller. It was weirdly astounding.

"Ok, whatever you say, Shiro-chan," Hinamori obliged, fishing out some money and handing it over to the shopkeeper. The frightened man's hands trembled as he placed the five watermelons in plastic bags, and that shaking action did not go unnoticed by Hitsugaya's sharp piercing eyes.

The shopkeeper nearly jolted when he noticed the intent and fierce eyes on him, and he leaned over the counter and whispered in Hinamori's ear, "Hey…everyone here knows that you two are close, but…I should warn you, Momo-chan, since you're a regular with the exception of those few months you spent at the academy, that the kid there…" Hinamori turned to face her fellow white-haired friend who was on the verge of pouting with impatience and a growling stomach that he desperately tried to hide. He was glaring at the floor, and one thing that the shopkeeper didn't realize was that Hitsugaya was an earshot away from them, and he could hear what the shopkeeper was telling his older friend, loud and clear. "…Rumor has it that at night, he'll go round the district and freeze people to death. He won't spare anyone, not even his own obaa-san. You should stay away from the likes of people like those…"

Hinamori slapped the hand of the shopkeeper away. "How can you say that about Shiro-chan!" Hitsugaya looked up from the ground, surprised to suddenly hear Hinamori yelling at the shopkeeper. "Shiro-chan won't hurt anyone! You should know that! How can you believe those rumors in the first place?! I should know, because I slept with him before I got accepted into the academy and Shiro-chan definitely doesn't go round Junrinan to so-called freeze people! Have you seen him do that with your own eyes?! Have you? Have you?!" she challenged, her temper peaking.

"H-hey, hey, no need to get so uptight, Momo, I was just stating the facts…"

Ooh, what a huge mistake to say that.

"You still don't believe me?! Fine!" Hinamori stomped out of the shop, pulling a startled Hitsugaya's hand with her. "C'mon, Shiro-chan, we're not going to buy any fruits from this shop ever again!"

"A-ah…" was all he could manage to mutter out. He still had yet to recover from the shock of Hinamori defending him like that; it wasn't something that happened every day after all. To be frank, he was used to the people of Junrinan criticizing and spreading rumors about him, as much as it was probably the worst thing that ever happened to him while living in the first district of Rukongai. At least the people never resorted to pitch forks or lighted torches and attempt to kill him and send him 'back to hell where he belonged' or something like that. He knew, because he overheard a few conversations during frequent trips to the market, some comments about him being a demon with an icy exterior from hell or rumors about him being a hollow when he was in the realm of the living, which wasn't true of course, since he was born in Rukongai. That rumor never got to his head, but it still made him feel upset.

But one thing's for sure; when he and Hinamori return to their large house, they would have a lot to explain about returning empty-handed…

"Oh? That really happened?"

"Yes! Can you believe the nerve of those people, obaa-chan?!" Hinamori exclaimed with fury, picking up a slice of watermelon that the old grandmother and her grandson had personally grown. "Don't ever go back there to buy fruits ever again; I prefer your watermelons anyway, obaa-chan!"

The elderly smiled and patted Hinamori on the head as she slowly bit into the fresh red flesh of the watermelon. She glanced at her grandson who was munching down on the healthy fruit with the speed of a jet plane. Already he had polished off five slices of the watermelon, and it had only been fifteen seconds. "Toushirou."

Hitsugaya stopped eating halfway and looked at his grandmother. "Hn?"

"May I have a word with you for a while?"

Her white-haired grandchild blinked. "…Ah." He placed the unfinished slice of the juicy watermelon down on the porch and walked into the wooden house with Hinamori still enjoying her own slice, but she would occasionally glance back, wondering when Shiro-chan would come back.

"Toushirou, no matter what kind of horrid things those people say about you," she began. "please don't take them to heart." When she saw Hitsugaya nod his head lightly, she continued, "They just don't know you as well as I do. And I know that you won't hurt anyone intentionally."

At the word 'intentionally', the young white-haired boy couldn't help but get the pinching feeling that he might have had injured someone without him realizing it. "…Baa-chan, did I…?"

His grandmother smiled warmly and patted him on the head, stopping him in mid-sentence. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. And even if you did do something wrong, I would never leave you, nor would I estrange you. You are my beloved grandson, Toushirou; I will never leave you alone to fend for yourself."

Hitsugaya stared at her for a while, unable to say anything at the moment, and moved closer to her before embracing her in a soft hug. There was dead silence between the two, but it was because he didn't want to say anything else, and she on the other hand was slowly running her hair through his soft springy snow white hair, a contented smile on her face. At the sight, Hinamori Momo cried.

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…It's been five years since Hinamori entered the Shinigami Academy.

I haven't got any taller though.

…And Granny…

She's just thinner.

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Hitsugaya waved a solemn goodbye to his childhood friend who was ever so enthusiastic to get back to the dormitories as soon as she got here. It had only been a five-minute long visit, and she didn't seem the mind the distance from the academy to Junrinan, seeing that she was hyper enough to run all the way from there just to say hi to him, cold, icy him sitting on the top of his house, and then sprint back to the academy after claiming that she had stayed there for long enough. That was when Hitsugaya noticed that her hair had grown a little compared to five years ago when she was wearing those childish pigtails; she looked more like a bedwetter back then too. He sighed wearily and pushed himself off the roof, landing on the ground with serene grace. He stole a glance at his grandmother behind him, kneeling on the floor stoically, and stayed in his standing position until she noticed him. "…Toushirou."

He blinked, realizing that she was trembling a little at her position, but flashed an assuring smile all the same. "Hey…I'm gonna go buy some ama nattou. We're running out." Without letting her speak any further, he dashed towards the bazaar. The old frail granny looked back down at the floor again.

Of course she had realized it; she had known for a very long time now. Even when he was born, she had already realized that something was different about her grandchild. It wasn't his snow white hair or his beautiful turquoise orbs; it was something else. There had been points in time in which she had the chance to tell him the truth, but she just couldn't gain enough courage that was required of her. His reaction would be enough to break her heart. But seeing him suffer all these years made her feel worse. And it seemed that Toushirou already had the strange feeling that she wanted to tell him something that he didn't want to hear or know. When the right time comes, she decided, she will tell him, even if he won't be ready till then.

Hitsugaya's tiny dainty feet carried him into the heart of the marketplace before he glanced back, and his speed steadily and slowly decreased to the point whereby he was walking. The sand and pebbles underneath the soles of his feet seemed to have calmed him down a little, making him walk as slowly as his grandmother usually did. The ama nattou shop was not that far away, and besides, he wanted some time alone to think.

Lately…his grandmother had been acting very weirdly.

He didn't know the reason behind that, but he knew it had something to do with him; his intuition told him so. Maybe it was because of his dreams of late, but he had always gotten strange and distant dreams like those for as long as he could remember, and he had never told anyone else about those dreams so it couldn't have been the dreams that made his grandmother act differently. Her sudden loss of weight came as a surprise to him as well; one day she was her usual fat self, and the next she was as skinny as a pole. With no reason at all. He wanted to bring her to see a physician, but she assured him that she was alright. He insisted that no one loses twenty-two pounds overnight and even resorted to asking the physician to go to his house to check on her, but all the physicians in town claimed to be busy with patients and told him (actually, more like yelled at him) to leave.

He thought that maybe some ama nattou would cheer her up. He had been watching her diet for quite some time now, and noticed that she didn't eat much over the past few years. What's more, there was one time when she totally fasted for three whole days.

It scared him just thinking about it.

He walked into the shop famous for its ama nattou, averting the angry gazes from the customers. That was still a major improvement, in his opinion. At least they didn't run away. Mumbling something under his breath to the shopkeeper, the other rolled his eyes with a frustrated sigh and packed the amount of ama nattou sloppily. Hitsugaya looked at him doing his work quickly but messily, and handed him the packet of seemingly delicious fermented beans before taking some coins from the pocket of his kimono and placed them in the shopkeeper's hand. "That'll be three kan change." Hitsugaya inwardly heaved a sigh and stretched out his hand, palm facing the ceiling, but the cashier-cum-shopkeeper nearly got a heart attack when he saw the hand in his direction, and placed the coins on the counter instead, moving his hand away quickly with a swish. The white-haired child stared at the coins, feeling so empty inside when he looked at the loose change like as if they were far away from where he was, but said nothing to the manager of the shop and picked the coins up with his own hands instead.

"Hey!!!" Hitsugaya nearly dropped the change when he suddenly heard a feminine voice yell, earning many confused and curious stares and glares from random customers in the shop. "Dropping the change on the counter, is that any way to treat your customers?!?!"

When the highly curious and investigative future captain of the 10th Division turned around to take a look, his face was met with two large 'things' popping out from the woman's chest which he couldn't exactly identify what since things happened way too quickly. The tall strawberry blonde pushed him out of the way with her heavenly boobs and the next thing he knew, Hitsugaya felt the back of his head collide with the wooden counter, dark crimson from his nostrils spurting out like a fountain and staining his kimono. He muttered curses under his breath and fell to his side, gripping the back of his head with both hands. The damned nosebleed just wouldn't stop. And. His. Head. Hurt.

"What, you thought you could get away just because he's a kid or something?!" Hitsugaya heard the woman scream, and as much as he hated being called a kid more than anything, his head hurt too much for him to actually bother. "I can't believe you can be so rude!" She swished around, bright orange hair dancing with the breeze when she did, and bent down, grabbing Hitsugaya by the kimono. "And you, stop lying there crying about it!! If you're a man, you should stand up for yourself like one!"

Anger swirling within his chest, hands still clutching to his tuft of white hair at the back of his head, Hitsugaya retorted furiously, "You're the one who knocked me down in the first place!!! And I wasn't crying, get off!!" He saw the other's mouth open but it closed as soon as she blinked. Really…what was up with this woman and her large breasts and that weird outfit she was wearing? Hitsugaya, pissed as he was, glared at her and pushed her hand away. "I said get off!" And then, he galloped out of the shop, packet of the fermented beans firmly in his grip. He didn't stop when the mysterious woman told him to and just carried on running.

"Toushirou?"

Hitsugaya rubbed his nose with a finger and handed the packet of sugared nattou over to his grandmother. "Here, baa-chan, this should be enough."

However, his old and thin granny wasn't concerned about the ama nattou. "Toushirou, your nose…it's bleeding. What happened?"

"Nothing," he replied before moving towards his futon.

"Did you get into a fight with some ruffians again?"

"I said it's nothing, baa-chan." The white-haired boy resisted the urge to scowl and lied down, pulling the blanket of his futon over himself.

"At least let me help stop the bleeding…"

"I'll live," he answered icily. "Get some sleep, baa-chan. It's late."

The silver-haired elderly slightly raised one of her silvery white eyebrows at the statement. "But Toushirou…" she whispered. "…it's only five."

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…I hear a voice…

…An echoing voice…

…Crushing…

…Engulfing…

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All he could see before him was darkness. There was not a hint of light, nor was there anything he could touch or feel. But even so, he knew that he wasn't alone. There was a voice, a voice so loud and yet so soft, a voice so distant and yet so close, a voice so cold and yet so warm…Who could it be?

He had been living in the darkness for a while before the chilly iciness of the drop in the temperature of his surroundings sunk deep into his skin, settling in his bones. At last, the darkness faded away, and revealed to him a world of nothing but ice and snow, the blackened heavens in the skies above edging closer and closer to the crescent moon, his only source of light. It faded…and faded…until nothing was left. A moment of pitch dark was all it took before a rip in the skies was formed, and he could see light seeping out from the newfound hole, dawning upon his features.

The bright light blinded him, and all he could see other than the light was his shadowed fingers covering his eyes as he waited for the light to die down. He moved his hand away slowly and opened his teal eyes expressive with confusion. A dragon with unnoticeable scales and maybe even hundreds the times of his size stood before him. He had never seen a creature of such icy aura before. It was screaming an intense shade of ice blue, bright crimson orbs gazing at him intently, and majestic wings of nothing but pure ice exuded white mists of ice and vapor. Fins trailed along from the back of its head all the way to the sharp, slim tip of its long, thick tail. What seemed rather intimidating about this Chinese dragon was the fact that it looked like as if it were smiling grimly, and the young child didn't know if it was contented or distressed.

A small gust of icy cold wind brushed against his small frame. He stepped back a little from the shock of seeing this dragon in his dream for the very first time, but later curiosity got the better of him, taking command of his mind, and he moved forward just a little. "What the hell…are you…?!" he demanded, even though it was spoken in a loud whisper.

The dragon roared and sent a strong blast of icy wind towards the future captain. "Little boy!!" it screamed, jaws wide open. "You have-!"

Whatever the dragon said to him afterwards became a very hushed whisper, the cold frigid wind brushing against the child's small frame. "What are you saying?! I can't hear you…!"

"My name is-!"

Before he could even stay on longer to hear the name of the dragon, a wave of snow and ice blown along with the wind soon came towards his direction…and then engulfed his entire being.

Hitsugaya Toushirou stirred awake.

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…Falling into my hand…

…Just like thunder…

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"Hey!"

First thing Hitsugaya saw when he awoke from his slumber was the familiar big-busted woman from the marketplace earlier on, and it didn't help that she was smiling and waving hi at him when her boobs looked like they were going to fall on him any minute now. He didn't know how to react at first; he still had yet to recover from the stun of seeing that dragon of ice in his dream. Beads of sweat trickled down his face, and he could feel his heart racing. It was hard to get a dream like that out of his head.

Turning over, he sent a bewildered glance towards the strawberry blonde. For some reasons he could not identify, the air surrounding him felt tense and cold, and his kimono was bristling against his skin like as if there had been a breeze. "It's you…from before…!"

Matsumoto Rangiku cut him off. "Your reiatsu. Stop leaking it everywhere and get some sleep." She bent further down. "Your grandmother looks pretty cold."

Hitsugaya turned to where his grandmother lied, the air getting colder and frostier. The silver-haired granny was sleeping, but the white-haired grandson could see her trembling in the cold. The symbol of purity in winter covered the entire side of the upper torso of her shaking body, and puddles of melted snow were near, her breaths coming out in white puffs. Snow and a thin layer of ice coated her futon and Hitsugaya could hear her wheezing for air. His eyes widened slightly, words unable to form at the lips of his mouth. "…Kid." He waited for the woman to continue. "…You should become a shinigami."

Hitsugaya twirled to his left and gawked at her like as if she had grown an extra limb. "What?!"

"Kids with power as strong as yours," she explained. "…need to know how to bring that power under control." She looked away from his piercing emeralds and stared at the freezing elderly. "You know, if you stay like this, you'll end up killing your grandmother with that power of yours soon enough."

The young white-haired boy blinked, not knowing how to react to the fact that someday he might really cause the death of this someone he held dear to him like what she said, and tried to get up from his futon, not able to get over the shock. "What are you-" She touched him lightly on his chest, and he stopped, sinking to his knees and calming down just a little. He stared into her narrowed blue-grey eyes and waited for her to say whatever she wanted to say.

"You hear a voice calling out, right?"

His eyes widened a little more, drops of perspiration trickling down the temples of his forehead and slightly pale cheeks. Noticing his reaction, Matsumoto continued, fingers slowly trailing from the center of the chest to the left. "Once you learn how to discover that voice properly, you'll learn how to control that power. But," Damn, there was always a catch in things like that… "That would mean becoming a shinigami."

"…"

"I'll only say it once more…kid."

"…No," he muttered out, slopping down to the ground and sat there Indian style before his sharp aquamarine eyes sent greetings to the wooden tiles. "I understand."

Matsumoto took a moment to stare at him before she spoke once more, "The entrance exams will be held exactly one week from now. If you get in, be sure to thank me when you graduate." To lighten up the mood, she smiled and winked at the young white-haired child. "My name is Matsumoto Rangiku, third seat of the 10th Division. What's your name, kid?" she asked, stifling a giggle as she ruffled the other's hair.

Hitsugaya closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm himself down from absorbing such new and rushed information out of the blue. He looked at the big-busted strawberry blonde and his eyebrow twitched before he pushed her hand away. "I'm not a kid, shinigami; I'm Hitsugaya Toushirou."

Matsumoto's 'comforting' technique worked; she could feel the reiatsu level in the room drop drastically. It was getting warmer and it felt so much easier to breathe now. "Well, Toushirou-chan," she cooed. "I hope to see you in the 10th Division when you become a full-fledged shinigami. Who knows, maybe we might be fighting alongside each other when you do!"

Hitsugaya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Like that would ever happen." The cold death glare from the white-haired child sent chills down her spine as the words escaped his lips with a waning tone, "Matsumoto, if you're done here, get out of my house."

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…Hear a voice…

…Far…

…Near…

…I hear it resounding…

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Only six days. That was all the time he had left till the entrance exams for the Shinigami Academy, if he didn't include yesterday.

The irony of it all; he was one who did not like the idea of going to a school like that, seeing that it was pointless and boring, but in the end, it was compulsory for him to go. He was still in a head-spinning dilemma. On one hand, he had to go, for different reasons too. After Hinamori left, both grandmother and grandson depended on each other to live the days happily. They were not financially adapted either, and could only rely on Hinamori's pay she would earn by becoming a shinigami, but they would have to wait till she graduated and the money they had left would certainly not help them tide over. If he were to leave, his beloved grandmother wouldn't have to worry about feeding another mouth. He had a ravenous appetite, and both of them knew it. And the huge appetite had been an omen all along; he had heard from Hinamori about how souls with rapacious appetites had high reiatsu within them.

That was why he tried caving in whatever power he had.

Things like reiatsu leaking out…those had happened before. But he had no idea that it would hurt the people around him. All it did in the past was make snow fall or even cover things with frost, but never freezing people to death.

Hitsugaya sat cross-legged on the porch and looked up at the glaring sun.

"…Little boy…Toushirou…Learn of my…!"

"The hell…? It started raining…" the white-haired child muttered before he turned and entered his house. That would be under his list of things whatever stupid leaking reiatsu he had.

…Only five days left to make a decision…

Occasionally, Hitsugaya would cast his frail and weak grandmother a worried glance, pondering what would happen if he were to leave. She would be all lonely with no one by her side. If she were to fall ill, what would happen then? No one would be around to accompany her to the physician's, no one would be around to feed her medicine. Oh say, what if she had a fall? Would anyone be there to notice it? No one would, right? He knew his grandmother had no other friends in Junrinan, and that was particularly because of him. On one hand, if he chose to leave, perhaps she would finally have the chance to know other people better without having to worry about the citizens criticizing him and ultimately ostracize her. But on the other, if he chose to stay, he would be the only one she would be dependent on and if the first case scenario were to fail, he would, at least, be by her side…

"…Toushirou…Defy not the being within you and speak of my name. It is-"

A loud crash coming from the small, usually unnoticeable by visitors, kitchen in the corner and Hitsugaya leapt from his spot in his personal garden, rushing into the house and entered the kitchen. Imagine his horror when he saw his grandmother lying on the floor, moaning in pain. Next to her laid a tray of shattered porcelain and Hitsugaya instantly realized the cause of the unholy accident: ice. A coat of ice on the area where his grandmother supposedly stood and slipped on just now.

…Damn.

Only four days remained.

He really didn't do much, other than taking care of his slightly injured granny and finally gaining the courage to ask of the voice to stop pestering him for the day. There were, sporadically, times whereby he would discover frost or ice appearing out of nowhere but not within the radius of his grandmother which was a relief to him.

It was only on the fourth day into the week did his old grandmama realize that something was bothering her darling grandson. By then, only four days remained.

"Toushirou…" she muttered out, hoping that it would get her grandchild's attention and…maybe…even answer her questions. "Is something wrong, dearie?"

Hitsugaya blinked, a silent pause between the two family members, before his lips curled to a smile and shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, baa-chan. Hey, look, I'll water the plants today, alright? You should stay in the house and sleep."

When she saw him walk out of the house with a pail of water held firm in his grip, she sighed and lied down on her futon, trying as hard as she could to get some sleep like what her grandson told her to, but with the image of the horribly false smile still etched to her mind, there was no way she could sleep without any particular worries for the young feisty child.

The clock was ticking.

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…Brushing against my hand…

…Like a delicate flower…

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The white-haired Junrinan boy squeezed his way through the crowd. What mystified him was the crowd that suddenly appeared out of nowhere outside his house; he could tell by the commotion the people of Junrinan were making. What's more, they seemed to be too caught up in something to even notice him squeezing his way through. Kicks by random people struck him in the sides but this time, it wasn't on purpose, unlike the usual days before. Just when it seemed far too impossible to get to the front, he squatted down instead and peeped through the opening, mind growling at whoever was kicking him in the ass.

All he could see from where he was was a carriage of some sort. The wheels were made entirely out of wood, and the small hint of the box-like carriage was brown from where he was. It halted to a stop, and he saw a pair of tabi (traditional Japanese socks) touch the ground. Blinking, he moved forward, straining his eyes to see who it was. The most he could catch was a black hakama before the familiar roaring voice of the dragon distracted him.

"…Little boy, I am part of you; learn of my name, it is-"

Kuchiki Byakuya turned to face the crowd when he sensed the sudden burst of reiatsu coming from there. It wasn't like him to visit the districts of Rukongai, but it had been on Yamamoto-soutaichou's orders and it would definitely not be like him to defy the soutaichou's orders. He still didn't know the exact reason behind the old man's request for him to go there, but the high reiatsu level in the region was a plausible reason. The nobleman, clad only in his shihakushou and not wearing his haori, stepped closer to the frightened crowd and felt the reiatsu getting stronger. It was definitely from the crowd, whatever this cold reiatsu was. It was dangerously high – no wonder the old general wanted someone of captain-class to investigate the mysterious high reiatsu located in Junrinan.

In someone's fear of the noble, he kicked the poor white-haired child as he took off and ran. Hitsugaya suppressed a yelp of surprise when he found himself getting kicked and sent flying forward a little before landing on the ground, right in front of the raven-haired noble. He pushed himself up from the ground and scratched the back of his head when the firm, stoic voice gained his attention, "So it was the work of this boy here; a mere child, no less." Hitsugaya gave him a what-the-hell glare, but Byakuya paid no mind to it and turned around. "I'm reporting this to the soutaichou." When the 6th Division captain left Junrinan and went in the direction of Seireitei, the white-haired child could easily recognize the statue person as a shinigami. That would mean that…

…he was definitely going to have to leave.

With only one day remaining, Hitsugaya couldn't help but panic a little. He still had yet to arrive at a consensus and dammit, he didn't know how to put it to his grandmother. If he were to tell her, she'd definitely ask of him to go but still, he wanted to make the decision by himself. And it looked like he was going to be heading towards the path of the shinigamis after all…

That night, he found no courage to get to sleep. The voice had been bugging him more often than before ever since he dreamt of the dragon of ice, and it was even affecting him during the day. People stared at him more often than usual as well and they either began picking fights with him or fleeing the area. He didn't know which one was worse. As the day of the entrance examinations drew nearer, the roars at the back of his head grew more and more frequent, not to mention annoying. There was no way he could sleep; who knows what would happen during his sleep? Finding his grandmother deep frozen or making winter come earlier for Junrinan? Whatever it would be, it would definitely not be pleasant.

"You must be…" Hitsugaya turned around, coming face-to-face with an old man. "…the child Kuchiki-taichou spoke of."

Hitsugaya arched a silvery white eyebrow at the braided beard and the many scars and wrinkles on the old geezer's face. He was wearing that familiar black kimono so he must be a shinigami. Crap, why were so many shinigamis after him? First, the big-boob woman called Matsumoto Rangiku, then this pissed off prissy that came and went like the wind, and now an old bastard too? "What do you want?" he demanded, folding his arms across his chest. Yamamoto moved closer and stretched out a shaky wrinkly arm, placing his hand on Hitsugaya's fluffy white hair. "Oi, what are you-"

"You do have a great deal of spiritual energy within you, youngster," Yamamoto interrupted. "And yet, you are but a mere boy. How did you gain all this spiritual power?"

"How am I supposed to know? Back off," Hitsugaya retorted, pushing the old man's hand away.

"Well, you may be rude to your elders…" The white-haired boy snorted at that but the old geezer carried out, "However, it would be wise of you to take the path of a shinigami and discover how to fully control your reiatsu. Make the right decision, child. It would be in our favor if you could join the Gotei 13."

Hitsugaya still couldn't sleep after Yamamoto's sudden visit in the wee hours of the night, but he still had to arrive at a conclusion, even if he would be deprived of sleep. He glanced at his grandmother worriedly and lied down, staring at the ceiling. Six days had passed, and he finally decided on what he had to do, even if it was a choice that he didn't like.

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…But now I decide to search…

To find it, and move onward…

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The silver-haired grandmother woke up to find her grandchild missing from his futon. She sat up slowly, expecting to find the familiar icy cold snow somewhere within her radius, but it was spotless. Bewildered by the rare occurrence, she went on her knees and looked around. It was all squeaky clean, with not even a drop of melted snow or a thin layer of ice. Nothing. She stood up and stepped out of the house, taking in a fresh intake of oxygen and began her daily walk around Junrinan, hoping that she would 'coincidentally' bump into her dear grandson, wherever he was.

Wherever she walked, people stared. Wherever she stopped, people stared some more. Being the relative of someone they all knew and feared, they obviously couldn't help but fear her as well, even though they knew she didn't even have enough reiatsu to withstand an unseated shinigami's sealed one. Residents thought she got defrosted after millenniums, while others believed that she came from hell just like her grandson. Rumors and myths were totally different, but the Junrinan citizens labeled those rumors as so-called myths. Grandmother paid no heed to them spouting rubbish, and walked on. She glanced around for Toushirou-chan, but he was nowhere to be found. Worry began gripping her heart when she returned to find no one else at home. Just where was Tou-kun?

"…Baa-chan…" The elderly woman glanced up from her kneeling position, and to her expectation, the owner of a familiar tuft of snow white hair stood before her, a few packets of the delicious fermented beans and folded clothes in his hands. He placed the clothes aside and handed the packets of food to his grandmother who accepted them gratefully with a warm smile. An invisible wall of silence built itself between the two of them, one brick after another, before Hitsugaya went down on his knees and bowed once. When he looked up, he saw the expected look of surprise on his grandmother's wrinkled face. "Baa-chan, I'm…sorry for making you worried this morning. And I've made up my mind about something…"

His grandmother raised her eyebrows slightly. "Toushirou, when I asked you if something was bothering you…"

Hitsugaya faced her, meeting her straight in the eye, and then averted her gaze grimly. "I needed some time alone then."

She nodded as a form of understanding. "And what is your decision, my dear child?"

"Baa-chan, I didn't tell you earlier, but…" he trailed off, eyeing the folded kimono by the side, and bowed down before her once more, this time not tilting his head back up like as if he intended to stay in that way. "…I've gone to take the entrance exam for the Shinigami Academy."

When the first wall of silence crumbled, it left behind one block for some more blocks to pile on top of each other. The frail woman gazed at her beloved grandson intently, waiting for him to get up, but she knew him well enough to know what he meant. That would explain why he was gone for such a long time and why he returned with a pile of new clothes all of a sudden. She sighed inwardly. They couldn't stay so quiet forever; someone had to stop the construction of the silent wall, and it just so happened that she had to be the one who would do that. "…Is that right." She smiled sadly, knowing that this was the perfect time to tell him what she had been meaning to say from the very beginning.

"That's wonderful."

Hitsugaya looked up, alarmed to some extent when he heard those two words, but did not say anything. The other fixed her eyes on the floor, the gloomy smile carved on her features, and spoke once more, "You've been holding in everything all this time…thinking that you don't want to leave your old granny all alone…" Her fingers curled slightly and gripped onto some of the soft fabric of her kimono. "But you know…just thinking of me and hurting yourself like that…I think for me, as your grandmother…" She looked up at him and her white-haired descendent noticed something sparkling in her eyes.

"That's the hardest thing of all."

He tried hard not to, but his teeth were simply urging to bite his lower lip. He blinked before fixing his emeralds on her, taking in this very image laid before him and merging it with his brain as he closed his eyes and bowed once more. Who knew how long it would be till he could see her again? He couldn't bear to live without her for a day, let alone a few months; she was his only next-of-kin left, and he didn't want to be the one who would be the cause of her demise, but at the same time, he couldn't…he didn't…he didn't want to leave, but…

"Toushirou, why don't you try your new uniform out?" his grandmother suggested, a hint of sadness covered up by another tinge of happiness in her voice. She ran her hand through his marshmallow-like hair, smiling warmly. "At least let this ol' granny see her own grandson wearing whatever stylish uniform they have come up with."

Hitsugaya blinked slowly, and closed his eyes, letting a tear drop fall from his eyes for the very first and last time of his life. "…Ah."

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Maybe it's my silver hair, or maybe it's my blue-green eyes…

Or maybe it's just the cold way I act.

But everyone says I'm 'just like ice'…

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No. No. No way. No fucking way.

That was the exact thought that flashed in one strawberry's mind.

Kurosaki Ichigo was stunned numb when he heard the news about his favorite little taichou betraying Soul Society or disappearing while fighting against a group of mysterious people or any about that shit about him being part of the enemy. They hadn't gone that far to execute him yet, but the orange-haired substitute shinigami had a very bad feeling about that. Whatever the case, he had to find Toushirou, like, now.

Dragging a half reluctant Quincy with him, they decided to see if they could sense any of the icy cold captain's reiatsu anywhere in Karakura. All they found were hordes of ugly bastards called hollows chasing after soul after soul, and likewise Ichigo had to perform konsou for soul after soul. And yet, they arrived at nothing concerning the white-haired taichou. However, the rash strawberry would never give up. Those two words never existed in his dictionary in the first place. The former ryoka both felt a burst of reiatsu coming from the remote woods, but as soon as it died down, they had already reached the woods with the paranormal agility they both possessed.

Ishida pushed his spectacles up to the bridge of his nose, Ichigo beside him saying something like 'I'm pretty sure that was Toushirou's…' but he was cut off. The spectacled spiritual being and the orange-haired strawberry noticed the wet white fluffs against their cheeks. As they glanced up at the sky, they realized that it was not rain, but snow.

Hitsugaya was definitely around there somewhere.

"Over there!" Ichigo yelled after a few minutes or so of searching. Ishida looked from wherever he was and ran alongside his friend-cum-rival. The Quincy bent down and so did Ichigo. The white-haired prodigy, still clad in his haori with the 10th Division insignia facing the sky, was lying there, unconscious, unmoving and silent, cold to the touch.

Just like ice…

…At least, that was what only Ishida thought.

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Granny never says that…

That's why I like her.

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The darkened heavens loomed over the whole of Soul Society. It was like as if a volcano had erupted; all the ash had completely covered everywhere in darkness. All of the souls stayed in their homes, and all those homeless ones in the higher numbered districts took shelter in cardboard boxes or under newspaper wrappings. Rain had yet to fall, but the bright lightning flashes and the clapping sound of thunder scared the shit out of the young children of maybe not more than six years old or perhaps even younger than that.

And it was mainly because of the rainless storm that old grandma of Hitsugaya Toushirou was unable to step out of the house.

The silver-haired woman didn't have anything to do, except to sit down like a statue and stare at the floor, hoping for a miracle to happen. Every time storms ever occurred in Soul Society, she remembered, her grandchild would be the one embracing her instead of the other way round, telling her that the clouds were sad and wanted to cry. Back then, he was barely even three years old in the human world's standard of time. Other times, when he grew older, he would still be the one consoling her that storms weren't frightening at all. Just that they had no one to turn to for comfort and could only vent their closed up frustrations on the denizens of the ground by hiding their tears as rain. When she asked how he knew all of that, he would reply with a very standard answer which never seemed to change, no matter how old he had gotten. The old and frail grandmother smiled weakly at the memories, wishing that her grandson was by her side.

That was when she heard a swift swish of a fabric or a piece of cloth.

She glanced up from her fixated position, neck numb from staying in the same position for hours, and looked at the stranger who had suddenly barged into her house. Situations like that were very common on the streets of Rukongai; Junrinan being the best, most citizens would be more than happy to let in children on the street who either lost their way or were looking for the nearest shelter when a storm was coming (and even though they were probably the nicest souls, she figured that they were probably the rudest people around). Due to the darkness caused by the dark grey clouds, she couldn't see whoever it was clearly. It was like a shadowy figure had entered her house without her realizing till she heard the swish of the material. The only things she could see in the darkness…

…were that particular stranger's glowing eyes.

Peculiar as they were, she could not help but feel a wave of nostalgia overwhelm her when she saw the bright piercing teal orbs staring at her. She had her suspicions but remained indifferent on the outside, even though she was quite sure who it was that suddenly came in. As if to help confirm her suspicions, a bolt of lightning flashed across the skies above, right outside her doorway, and the light from the electrical jolt of the clouds gave her a chance to have a glimpse.

"…Toushirou?"

"…Baa-chan," came the deep masculine voice.

The old grandmother tried to move but she was stuck to the ground. Sensing her every move, the sharp intuitive prodigy walked towards her and clasped her faintly cold hands into his own. "Toushirou…" she began, and when she did, Hitsugaya flinched a little. He knew exactly what she was going to say. "I've heard about it. The captain-commander is out to kill you, my dear boy. What happened? Everything seemed just fine when you last visited three years ago."

"…Baa-chan, I…" A lightning flew across the sky and the elderly noticed the pained look on his face, even if it was just for a second. "…Gomen."

"Child, there's no need for you to apologize. You did nothing wrong," she whispered, moving her hair around in the darkness to find and stroke his hair which still had that fluffy spikiness to it.

"But you don't even know the truth behind everything…" he whispered back, his voice softer than hers.

"…Do you remember, Toushirou?" In the darkness, she smiled sadly. "I told you once before that even if you did do something wrong, I will never leave you, didn't I?"

"…Ah, of course I remember that. That's why I…came here in the first place."

"So why are you apologizing?"

"…I…"

When yet another lightning bolt flashed in the sky, his granny grabbed this chance to cut him off. "Toushirou, if it'll be this hard for you to tell me, as your grandmother, I shan't press you any further. Wherever you'll be going later…I hope you'll come back in one piece."

"…Baa-chan…"

As the bolts of lightning got more and more frequent, the thin grandmother wondered to herself if they were giving her more time to have a good look at her beloved grandchild. How long had he been wearing that cloak of his? It was all dirty and stained with the crust of the soil and mud. The way he tied his green sash around his hand where he held something shinigamis called zanpakutou…his hand was going to get blisters or, at least, a brighter shade of his skin.

She stretched out her hand when another flash popped up in the sky and patted him on the head. "Just promise your ol' granny that you'll come back to visit her."

When darkness settled in for a few silent moments between the two, the silver-haired elderly heard the sound of a metallic blade clattering and some more swishing of fabric. Before she knew it, a death cold hand gripped her shoulder while another chilly hand gripped the other. The lightning brightened up the area once more and the old granny saw the tuft of white hair right next to her neck and the face buried into her right shoulder. No tears could be felt, but she knew that her grandchild was dying to spit out the despair that swirled inside. His hands were trembling but not that violently. Still, one could not deny the fact that even if he were labeled as 'just like ice' by everyone else, it wasn't like he could totally contradict the existence of emotions. Sometimes, he would allow himself to show the true feelings buried within.

And during that sometimes, ice would melt.

The aged and wrinkled woman ran her hand through his marshmallow-like hair, déjà vu taking its toll on the both of them. Streams of tears flowed down her lined cheeks, choked gasps escaping her jaws every now and then. She had no idea why, but she had just started crying on the spot. At the sound of her crying, Hitsugaya loosened his grip and his hands stopped their shaking, totally relaxing as if it were his grandmother crying on his behalf. He felt so much better; it was the first time he had experienced someone taking a load off his chest in so many years.

"I know, as your grandmother, that you will not let me down, Toushirou. So, when you go out there, no matter what happens…don't hold back. Just give it your all, child." She pushed him off her chest lightly and stroked his hair. "And when you come back…I want to see that pretty little smile you've always had since you were young."

Hitsugaya blinked and looked down, before he looked up and flashed his grandmother a rare but beautiful smile. "How about now?"

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Kurosaki never says that either…

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He might not be conscious right then, but he was awake enough to feel someone's strong arms around his body and carrying him to who-knows-where. The undeniably high reiatsu was all he needed to confirm whoever was there, carrying him. Wavering in and out of consciousness, the white-haired captain strained to open his eyes and take a look at his surroundings, wherever he was. He had been trying to communicate with Hyourinmaru too, but all that came up in his mind would be the nostalgic plain of ice void of any living beings. He had no idea how long he had been asleep or injured for, but when he did wake up, he saw worried and mystified chocolate brown eyes staring into his own.

"Ah, Toushirou, you awake?" Hitsugaya had the urge to say 'shut up, Kurosaki' but his mouth wouldn't move. "Y'know exactly how worried we're about you, bastard? Tell me what happened; Ishida and I saw you lying on the ground and you were injured for no reason too." The white-haired prodigy glanced at his environment, recognizing it as someone's home. Probably Kurosaki's.

Hitsugaya blinked but he did not say anything, instead he lied back down and tried to pretend to be sleeping until Ichigo would leave, but knowing the idiotic and impulsive strawberry, he wouldn't. "Oi, tell me, Toushirou! What the fuck happened?!"

"…"

"Toushirou…!"

He knew he was concerned about him; he knew he was, but the white-haired taichou wanted to get everyone close to him further away from him, at least until he managed to solve this problem by himself. Especially since this was Kurosaki he was talking about here…All the more he didn't want the orange-haired substitute shinigami get hurt because of him.

Hitsugaya opened his eyes only to give the other a glare before closing them and making Ichigo think he was really tired and wanted to get some sleep. The strawberry gave out a frustrated sigh and scratched the back of his head before he went upstairs to his room, figuring that he could check on the white-haired kid later. After being absolutely certain that Ichigo would not be bothering him for the next few hours, Hitsugaya sat up and sent a mental apology to the other before he tugged at the sleeves of his haori and let it fall to the ground.

A few hours later, Ichigo went downstairs to see if his favorite little taichou was alright and ready to tell him what happened. To his utmost shock, the captain was gone from sight. "Chikushou!" he cursed, pushing the badge against his chest and separating his shinigami form from his human body, rushing outside into the eerily vacant streets of the late evening. Unexpectedly, the white-haired other was nowhere to be seen; wherever he had gone to, it had gotta be pretty damn far. Ichigo just carried on running down the streets.

Not too long after, soft distant footsteps came to a halt when the owner arrived at his destination, the Kurosaki household. Cloaked Hitsugaya stared at the bright blue sign before he bowed and turned to leave. After only walking a few steps into the distance, the familiar unrestrained reiatsu stopped him and a rather pissed orange strawberry was standing right in front of him, arms folded, expecting to get the answers he wanted. "Where the hell did you go?"

Hitsugaya glared at him. "It's none of your business."

Silently, Hitsugaya wished that keeping up this mask of ice would be enough to get everyone away from him.

But Kurosaki Ichigo was not 'everyone'.

"So, you still not willing to tell me anything, Toushirou?" Ichigo demanded, his tone of voice getting harsher. "I don't get it; why the hell are you handling this alone?"

"This is my problem, so don't you interfere in it," Hitsugaya warned, unsheathing Hyourinmaru and gave an attempt to slash at the other who jumped back, the pissed look still on his face. Any moment now, and he would demand, shout, yell and curse why in the name of the thirteen levels of hell he was being so cold and distant to him, like a block of the frozen water he was a master of.

So could you imagine his inner surprise at Ichigo's next few words?

"Why aren't you trusting your friends?!"

Everyone's reaction back in the days of Rukongai would either be calling him a being from the depths of hell or running away for their lives. That's how it's supposed to be. Or rather, how it was supposed to be. Hitsugaya's grip on Hyourinmaru's hilt tightened; that was the first time he had been treated like a real friend, with the exception of Hinamori and a certain someone, but they were different.

After all, they weren't humans.

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…And neither does Kusaka.

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Genius. Prodigy. Tensai. Lucky bastard. Bribing teachers. Cheating on exams.

Those were just a few of the comments he had heard from the many students at the Shinigami Academy.

He couldn't believe it; it was supposed to be a six-year long course, making Hinamori his senior since she was already in her fifth year, but still, those five years served as a very large gap between them. That was why he began giving it the best he could; he was no genius, no prodigy, no tensai, and not even lucky to begin with (don't even get him started about the rest of the nasty comments). He just did what ordinary folks would do. His very best.

And that 'give your best' attitude boosted him up by two years ahead within less than three months, making him a third year student. While some teachers decided that it was enough, others were more than willing to promote him further to fourth year, but that didn't happen. Yet.

It was break time, the casual hang-loose moment for all of the students at the Shinigami Academy. While other students went on to play or fool around like the idiots they were, Hitsugaya was leaning against the wall, alone, and reading the notes he wrote down during class as well as comparing his notes with the scrolls that served as their textbooks to make sure that he had everything written down correctly and added on extra information that only fifth year students learned about. It was pretty normal for him to be ostracized by his classmates due to his diligence and sense of initiative which nearly everyone in the school probably lacked.

That's why they're total idiots.

"Ah, hello there," a middle-tone voice got his attention away from his notes as Hitsugaya turned and looked up at the purple-haired adolescent before him. Well, he looked like a teen anyway. "You must be Hitsugaya-kun. I'm Kusaka Soujirou. It's nice to meet you."

"Hn."

When he willed for the other to leave him alone, it appeared that he did quite the contrary and stood next to Hitsugaya, peering into his notes with a lot of interest. "Wow, you know things about the shinigamis that even I don't know of. You must study a lot."

"Whatever."

Kusaka sighed, but he wasn't going to give up. "You know, Hitsugaya-kun, I'm a whole lot like you." Ah, that finally got Hitsugaya's attention going. "When I first came here three years ago, everyone treated me like as if I'm some sort of freaky genius or something. So when I got promoted to second year when I hadn't even completed the first year course, people pretty much leave me alone, just like what's happening to you now."

Hitsugaya blinked, shock clearly written on his face. So this Kusaka – whatever his name was – was probably a fourth year student treated by everyone else like a nerd with two brains. At least, that was what another geek called him. Oh, the horrible irony. He rolled his scrolls and notes closed, and raised an eyebrow at his senior standing next to him. "So you're interacting with someone like you, hoping that you could mix around better." That wasn't even a question to confirm his suspicions; he was sure.

"You're truly a genius, Hitsugaya-kun." Kusaka stared at him, mouth near gaping. "How did you know?"

"Intuition."

The purple-haired fourth year senior smiled a bit weakly. Geniuses would have to meet on the battlefield of books and knowledge someday, and it looked like he found himself a rival in a newfound friend. "Well, Hitsugaya-kun, mid-year exams are coming up soon. I wish you the best of luck."

"…And just one more question, Kusaka." Hitsugaya folded his arms suspiciously. "How do you know so much about me?"

And the white-haired child was stunned when he noticed the warm smile on the other's face. He chuckled a little bit and replied with a wider smile, "It's because I'm interested in a genius like you, Hitsugaya-kun." The third year blinked confusingly at the reply, but before he could say another word, the bell rang, notifying the students around the campus that break time was over. "There's the bell. I'll see you later then, Hitsugaya-kun," Kusaka bade goodbye, waving his hand friendlily and moving in the direction of his class. Hitsugaya just stood there, frozen on the spot, the reply coming out only after Kusaka was totally gone from sight.

"…Ah."

That year, after the examinations for the first semester, Hitsugaya and Kusaka instantly got promoted to fifth year.

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That's why I like them too.

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A/N: This is my last update of the year since I'm gonna be going to Hong Kong on Friday and return on the following Wednesday. By then, school will only be a milestone away from re-opening. It's been a fruitful 2007 and I owe it all to you, minna! I hope 2008 will be a marvelous year for all of us here at fanfiction dot net!

Happy birthday, Hitsugaya-kun! And a merry Christmas to you all out there! May God bless you and your family and keep you all safe from harm and illnesses : )

Let's all sing a Christmas carol for Hitsu-chan!

Hitsugaya: …Damn you, Kage!!!

Ichigo: Oi, oi, Toushirou, don't get so uptight. I'm singing one for ya too!

Hitsugaya: -blush- Kurosaki…!!!

Kusaka: I, too, shall sing for my friendly rival before I show my true colors in the movie.

Hitsugaya: …Some villain you are.

Ichigo: Oi, Kusaka, back off, teme, I'm the one who's gonna sing for Toushirou!

Kusaka: No, I am.

Ichigo: I am, bastard!

-both parties carry on until they suddenly argue about who's gonna marry Hitsugaya in the near future-

Hitsugaya: ……Oi……I'm right here, you know.

XD Happy birthday, Hitsu-chan.

Hitsugaya: It's Hitsugaya-taichou!

Reflect the truth of which you see

Tsuki-no-Kurokage