Snowing Blood

There is a time in our lives when we stop and listen. We listen to the voice coming from within, the voice of our true selves.
That voice tells us exactly what we need to hear, and changes our lives, forever.

***

It was a winter day like any other in the Seireitei, the sun was glinting behind the soft white clouds as they floated by, powdering the inhabitants of the Soul Society with soft snow. It wasn’t cold, yet almost everyone was bundled up in winter gear.
Toushiro Hitsugaya was not.
The captain of Tenth division was taking a lazy stroll around the Seireitei alone. He wasn’t wearing any cold-proof clothing, not even a scarf. He simply strolled through the streets with a distant expression on his face. The other soul reapers dared not ask him if anything was wrong, they simply pulled their clothes tighter around themselves and went about their business.
Toushiro stopped by the Fourth division barracks, looking up to the sky as the snow fell on his face, still as young as ever. For once, his lieutenant was not following him, the silence was nice. He sighed, and turned to head back to his office.

Winter again; I wonder what winter means to everyone else? For me it’s just like remembering my death, even though the details still avoid me. To others winter is just another time of year, the time the tears of the sky become frozen. And when they melt, they become…
Toushiro was frozen in his thoughts when a loud crashing and much yelling interrupted him. He turned to look back at the hospital, and saw a large crowd heading his way. Toushiro stood back against the wall of the walkway, only to then notice the crowd of noisy soul reapers were not just heading his way quickly of their own accord – they were chasing after a cat.
It the seconds before the cat was level with Toushiro, he inspected it thoroughly. It was a rather small white cat, with wide, fearful eyes. It was not the fear in her eyes that caught Toushiro’s attentions, but rather their color. A bright, crystalline purple which seemed to glitter in the light.
As the cat ran from the soul reapers (Eleventh division, Toushiro noted) she glanced at Toushiro, and their eyes met.
Without thinking, Toushiro flung himself in the path of the cat, scooped her into his arms and vaulted over the opposite side of the walkway, and onto the one that ran directly below. The Eleventh division soul reapers were too focused on the chase to notice what had happened.
Toushiro landed silently on the floor below, and quickly tucked the cat inside his clothes, fearful she was cold. She didn’t protest, but rather kept very still – too still for any regular cat.
The pair watched quietly as the rampaging soul reapers got further and further away, and only when their angry shouts had faded away did Toushiro dare remove the cat from inside his clothes. He cradled her in his arms and gazed at her with wonder.
She gazed up at Toushiro with equal curiosity, replaced by a submissive drooping of her ears after several moments. Toushiro stroked her head.
“It’s alright now, I won’t let them near you. Those brutes from Eleventh division are no-brainers, seriously. They were just itching for a good fight, I bet. Just like their captain they are…” Toushiro’s voice trailed off as he saw the latter following his underlings at a more civilized pace.
Toushiro hardly breathed as Kenpachi and his pint-sized lieutenant Yachiru ambled along the walkway above. Toushiro heard Yachiru chattering on about a ‘white kitty’ and was sure she had been the one to point it out to everyone else.
Toushiro scowled, and turned away from the hospital. The cat mewed softly. He began walking again, casually so as not to draw attention to himself. He felt Kenpachi watching him, but not pursuing him.
The desire I feel to protect this cat is strange, I cannot even begin to describe the feeling inside me right now. All I know is that if I don’t protect her, something is bound to go very, very wrong…
It wasn’t until Toushiro arrived outside his office that anyone took notice of the cat in his arms. It was Byakuya Kuchiki, captain of Sixth division.
Toushiro tried to appear calm as Byakuya approached him.
“Captain Hitsugaya, may I inquire as to how you cam by this cat?” he asked, his voice thick with concern. Toushiro could see it on his face too, Byakuya seemed genuinely worried.
“She was being chased by Eleventh division, I swept her out of harms way.” Toushiro replied, gently placing the cat on the floor between him and Byakuya. Toushiro heard Byakuya sigh heavily, and when Toushiro straightened up, he saw relief had replaced the worry on Byakuya’s face.
“That’s good. You have my thanks. Ayame here has a knack for getting herself into trouble like that. I’m glad you found her before they caught her, things could have gotten… complicated.”
Toushiro tilted his head to one side.
“She belongs to you?”
“In a way, yes she does. But she doesn’t like to think of it that way.”
“Oh… uh… right…”
Byakuya scooped Ayame into his arms, she purred as he held her close, then wrapped her in his scarf. Toushiro slid the door to his office open – Rangiku was sleeping on the sofa again. He turned back to Byakuya and Ayame. Byakuya spoke first.
“Well, thank you again for rescuing Ayame. I’m sure the two of you will meet again sometime soon.” Ayame mewed, louder this time, and blinked her crystalline eyes in Toushiro’s direction. Toushiro smiled, something he didn’t usually do around other people.
“No worries Kuchiki. I’ll look forward to it.” He said, stepping into his office as Byakuya turned on his heel and drifted away.
Toushiro closed the door behind him, and wandered over to his desk, dropping a heavy pillow on Rangiku as he passed.

***

That was along time ago. Why now of all times do I dream of that day? It is unbecoming of a Captain to be so… so… distracted.
Toushiro groaned as he straightened himself out of the slouch he had been sleeping in. His face was sore where it had been pressed against the paperwork stacked before him. He probably had ink stains on his cheek too.
Stretching his arms and torso, Toushiro got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. He wondered briefly what time it was.
Leaving the paperwork, Toushiro shuffled outside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The sun was just rising over the Seireitei, casting a warm golden glow across the sky. It was early winter, and the first snow was due any day now. Yawning, Toushiro walked towards his quarters as fast as his sleep-deprived legs would allow. He passed some Fourth division soul reapers on the way, hurrying to the hospital.
Toushiro grumbled at his door when he reached it, and slid it open. Rangiku had already been in here, there were fresh clothes laid out for him and a tray laden with freshly brewed tea and pancakes beside them.
Toushiro sipped the tea, ate half a pancake and threw his dirty clothes in a pile before sliding back into bed. He really didn’t want to work today.

***

“…hat do you think could be wrong?”
“It could be anything. Maybe he’s going into the ‘rebellious teenager’ stage, like they do in the human world.”
“I don’t think that would be it. Toushiro wouldn’t let something like that get to him. I think he’s just overworked. He’s not as old as the other captains, yet he is probably the hardest worker beside Unohana.”
“That’s true. He should take a break every once in a while. He’s still so young; he should be enjoying life more…”
Toushiro groaned as the voices clicked with names and faces in his thoughts. Rangiku and Ukitake… he should have known.
He heard movement beside him, and felt a hand press against his forehead. It felt wonderfully cool, which meant he must have a fever. Brilliant.

*****************************************************************

‘Why now of all times must I have a fever? This is most … annoying…’
Toushiro groaned as he opened his eyes, the lighting in his room was dimmed, yet he could still see clearly enough to distinguish the people around him. His lieutenant, Rangiku Matsumoto was close by his side, preparing a clean cloth to go on his forehead.
Captain Ukitake of the Thirteenth division was standing by the door, accompanied by his subordinate Rukia Kuchiki and Hanataro Yamada of Forth division.
Toushiro groaned again, and pulled a pillow over his face. He heard Rangiku’s muffled laughter mingled with that of Rukia and Ukitake. Hanataro grumbled something incoherent, probably about it doing his health no favors.
“What do you all want? I’m fine so buzz off.” Toushiro hissed from under the pillow. The laughter stopped. He felt Rangiku put her hand over one of his.
“You’re very sick, sir. You need proper medical attention. Hanataro sent for the top nurse, since Captain Unohana is busy taking care of some Eleventh division twits who went and got beat up last night. She’ll be here soon and then…”
Rangiku was cut short when Toushiro rose up out of bed, his expression nothing short of livid irritation. He pulled on his uniform amidst blocking out the combined complaining of everyone else in the room.
Grabbing his zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru, from his bedside, Toushiro pushed past Ukitake and Rukia in a bid for freedom.
“Captain! You’ll only make your condition worse if you go outside! It’s too cold and you’ll…” Rangiku began, but she fell silent when Toushiro paused, and looked back at her blankly.
“I’ll be fine Matsumoto. No fever has ever stopped me from doing my job. It didn’t last year and it wont this year.” He murmured. Ukitake took a fistful of Toushiro’s robes into his hand and yanked the small captain away from the door.
“You’re telling me this is not the first time you have put yourself in harm’s way because of a fever? You could be killed if you slip up even in the slightest when facing a hollow. As a fellow captain I…” Ukitake was also cut short as Toushiro swatted him away, and turned once more for the door.
“I appreciate your concern, but it is not needed. I’ll be in my office later.”
Toushiro opened the door, too quickly it turned out. A fellow soul reaper stood in the doorway and at the same time Toushiro stepped back in alarm, the soul reaper stumbled forwards, effectively tackling him to the floor.
“Ow…”
“I think Captain Hitsugaya is unconscious…”
“I’m not surprised, his fever is pretty bad and that fall more than likely caused a dizzying head spin…”
“I get it, Hanataro…”
“Do you think he’s dead?”
“Rangiku!”
“Well well, your timing couldn’t be more perfect. Miss Kurama.”
Ukitake addressed the soul reaper who had a motionless Toushiro pinned to the floor. It only now became evident that it was a young girl. She slowly got to her feet, rubbing her sore wrists and knees.

Rukia’s eyes narrowed as she surveyed the girl before her. Her long black hair was unrestrained, and fell about her face elegantly. Her bangs managed to keep themselves out of her eyes, which were a bright, crystalline purple. She was shockingly small, and when Ukitake pulled Toushiro to his feet, Rukia noted that she was almost half a head shorter than the pint-sized captain. The girl dusted off her soul reaper uniform and stood up straight, flashing a quick smile to Hanataro as she did.

“Ayame Kurama, reporting for the treatment of Captain Toushiro Hitsugaya as requested by Hanataro Yamada.” She said in a clear voice.

***

Toushiro stirred at the sound of his name, spoken by an unfamiliar voice. When he opened his eyes, he was back in his bed, and his uniform had been removed. He made to sit up, but a hand pressed gently on his shoulder. He turned his head to see none other than the soul reaper whom had unknowingly foiled his escape plan.

At first he scowled at her, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, his face smoothed into a look of curiosity.
His attention was drawn immediately to her eyes, and the memories of that white cat he had saved all those years ago came flooding back to him. There was no mistaking it, those were the exact same eyes, there was no way it could have been anyone else.

Toushiro sat up abruptly; his fever had gone down noticeably. He looked at her face properly and he could see the apprehension growing in her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but she instead plumped Toushiro’s pillow with averted eyes.
“Who… who are you?” Toushiro murmured, his eyes fixated on the girl’s face. She looked up at him, her eyes glistening in the darkness.
“My name is Ayame… Ayame Kurama. I am a nurse in the Fourth division, I work primarily at the hospital…” she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper. Toushiro’s eyes widened slightly. Ayame. The same name that Byakuya had claimed the cat went by also.

If this Ayame and the cat Ayame weren’t the same person, Toushiro swore to himself he would let Ukitake stuff him with candy until he died.

Toushiro stared at Ayame for a long time, whilst she awkwardly re-arranged her medicine bag and checked she had everything in its proper place.
After several long minutes, the door slid open, and Hanataro ambled in, carrying a tray laden with food and a fresh towel draped over his shoulder.
Ayame greeted him brightly, seeming to forget the awkwardness Toushiro had put her in. The latter was now openly glaring at the rice Hanataro had placed in his hands. Ayame gave a short grunt of frustration, and prodded Toushiro sharply in the eye.
“Hey! What the hell?” Toushiro hissed, putting a hand to his eye and gawking at Ayame with the other. Ayame smirked.
“You need to eat if you want to fully recover. The remedy I gave you won’t work unless it gets a boost from nutritional food.”
Toushiro grumbled, and began eating. He was surprised by how hungry he was. Ayame watched him carefully as she ate her own food, oblivious to the hawk-like gaze of Ukitake and Rangiku coming from the doorway.

***

After being cared for by Ayame for three whole days, Toushiro was granted permission to go back to full time soul reaper duties. Rangiku had taken care of most of his paperwork, but there was still much to be done.
He had grown accustomed to Ayame’s constant presence in his quarters, so when the time came that Ayame had to leave, Toushiro found himself somewhat saddened. She hadn’t said much to him, yet her company was somewhat comforting, and he was able to be more like himself in her presence. Perhaps that’s just how nurses are.

All the more to confirm his suspicions of Ayame and the white cat, Byakuya turned up at the door, claiming he was there to escort Ayame back to the Sixth division barracks. Toushiro knew Byakuya all too well to know that he was hiding something; the manner in which he spoke with Ayame was proof enough. Clearly Ayame was more than just someone he knows from the hospital.
Renji was close behind Byakuya, and pulled a rather distressed Ayame into a playful headlock. Byakuya ignored his lieutenant’s childishness, and turned on his heel and drifted away. Toushiro scowled. He was disturbed by the way Byakuya ‘drifted’. Ayame freed herself from Renji’s clutches and shoved a bewildered Rukia into Renji instead. Rukia had obviously been on her way to check up on Toushiro; her alarm at the presence of both Renji and her brother was all too comical.

Both Renji and Rukia hissed under their breath at Ayame, but she ignored them. She instead turned to Toushiro, a sad smile on her face.
“Remember to take better care of yourself, you’ll easily get sick again in the cold weather if you don’t look after yourself.” She said.
Toushiro chanced a smile, and thanked Ayame for her care. She opened her bag, and pulled out a length of soft blue material. It was thick and woolen, and the hue was one shade lighter than that of Toushiro’s eyes.
“I have this for you, please make use of it. You didn’t wear one last winter and you got sick then too, remember?” Ayame said warmly, handing him the scarf. Toushiro did remember, he had gotten quite sick last winter after spending an entire morning out in the snow with no scarf on.

But he didn’t know Ayame back then, so how could she have known that?
Was it really Ayame in the form of that white cat all those years ago? Had she been watching him all this time?

Before he could ask, Ayame spun around and drifted away. It was so similar to Byakuya’s movement, Toushiro shuddered. Or maybe it was just the cold. He unraveled the scarf and wrapped it around his neck. It was wonderfully warm, and smelled faintly of flowers and ice.
Renji snickered.
“You know she made that herself? Took her a long time, but she made that, just for you.” He said, before turning away and following Ayame. Rukia was silent, clearly as bewildered as Toushiro was.

*****************************************************************

A week had passed, and Toushiro had not seen Ayame even once. Even when he paid a visit to the hospital, she wasn’t there. And he didn’t see any white cats around either.
So it came as quite a surprise when he found her in his room one morning, wearing a distressingly short maid’s costume, complete with ribbons, frills and bows. Toushiro’s words got caught in his throat as she turned towards him and smiled.
“Rangiku told me your room was getting really messy again, so I offered to clean it up for you, I hope you don’t mind.” She said softly, waving a feather duster at him. Toushiro managed to unravel his tongue.
“No, not at all, thank you. But… what are you… wearing?” he mumbled, pointing a shaking finger at her suspiciously fancy outfit. Ayame giggled, and stood up so he could see the ensemble better.
The main part of the dress was black, with soft pink ribbon and white frills around the hem of the skirt, the shoulders and waist. Ayame also wore long white socks that reached up to mid-thigh. She also had a ribbon in her hair.
“Juushiro bought it for me in the human world. He said you’d like it if I wore it today, so I decided to go along with it…” Ayame explained, her voice trailing away slightly at the end.
Toushiro seethed. Ukitake was up to something. Toushiro looked up to see Ayame’s eyes glistening slightly. She looked… sad. Toushiro felt his cheeks starting to burn.
“Hey, uh… I’m sorry if I seemed angry or anything. It’s not you… I really do like the dress, seriously! You just caught me off-guard... is all…”
Toushiro fell silent as he heard Ayame giggling again. She smiled, all traces of sadness erased.
“I’m glad; Juushiro said it was expensive to buy… I wouldn’t want his effort to make you happy to go to waste…” Ayame said, smoothing her hands over the skirt with a warm smile. Toushiro had all but forgotten his anger now.
Ayame smiled at him again, and returned to dusting the shelves and windows. Toushiro edged past her into his bedroom, she had already been in here. The bed was made, and fresh clothes were laid out on his pillow. He froze; this seemed like Déjà Vu… just last week his room had been exactly how it was now… had Ayame been the one to clean it out, not Matsumoto?
Toushiro turned around to ask her, but immediately wished he hadn’t. Ayame was on her hands and knees, trying to reach a discarded bottle from under the table. If she had been wearing a shihakusho it would have been alright, but the fact she was wearing an extremely short dress meant that he saw more than he ought to.
He turned away and closed the door behind him, shuddering slightly. Perhaps it was best to stay in here and hide until she was finished…

***

Ayame had left sometime well after Toushiro had fallen asleep, he later discovered. His quarters were now spotless, his laundry all done and put away neatly, and there was no lingering smell of candy or watermelon left at all. Instead he could smell flowers… and cats…
It took him several minutes to notice the cat sitting on the windowsill, and even longer to figure out it was alive, since it wasn’t moving.
It was the white cat, the same once from all those winters ago. The same eyes, the same soft fur. The same aura of mystery and power. Toushiro stared at her for a long while, she stared back at him with an equal level of scrutiny. Toushiro did not know how long the pair stared at each other, only when that familiar scent of sugary, teeth-rotting goodness began to waft in through the window did Toushiro tear his eyes from those of the cat and run into his wardrobe. If the cat was really a cat, she couldn’t tell Ukitake where Toushiro was hiding. Could she?
Squashed amongst his spare shihakusho, Toushiro barely breathed as he heard Ukitake talk to the cat. He heard him say her name, Ayame…
“… you still sitting here for? Don’t tell me you forgot your overcoat and changed from cold-shock again…” Ukitake said, his voice growing louder as he moved closer to Toushiro’s hiding spot. Sliding open the door to Toushiro’s room, Toushiro could see through the crack in the door that he had the white cat perched on his shoulder. She was watching the wardrobe with narrowed eyes. Toushiro closed his eyes and prayed he would not be discovered.
He must have been praying to the wrong person, because he heard the door in front of his nose slide open, yet he remained still as stone, feigning sleep. Even as the dim afternoon light brightened his eyelids, he kept very still, hoping Ukitake was feeling soft enough to let him ‘sleep’.
“Aww, look at that. He must be freezing cold if he’s sleeping in the wardrobe. It hasn’t even begun to snow yet, and he wields an ice-type zanpakuto. Ah well, may as well leave him there…”
“You can’t do that; he’ll damage his posture sleeping all cramped up like that!” Toushiro had to bite his tongue to stop himself from jumping at the sound of Ayame’s voice. The same Ayame who had healed him last week. He dared to crack an eye open, and quickly shut it again, it was still Ukitake and the cat.
‘So… she really can turn into a cat… I thought as much…’ Toushiro thought to himself, shifting ever so slightly in his ‘sleep’ so it seemed more natural. He felt Ukitake gently slide him out of the shelving, and roll him onto his bed. He then felt thick blankets being draped over his body, more than two thick blankets.
“There, that should keep him from getting sick again.” Ukitake said, Toushiro heard him get to his feet. He than heard a soft ‘thwump’ as the cat landed on the futon beside him
“I want to check his temperature, can you change me back, Juushiro?” he heard her say, her mouth close to his ear. He heard the familiar sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath.
He slowly opened his eyes, but obviously at the wrong moment. He could see Ukitake was looking away, and when the handle-end of the zanpakuto touched Ayame’s forehead, he found out why.
There was a strange ripping sound, and a cloud of pink smoke. He held his breath as it cleared, but as the smoke faded, he pulled the blanket up over his head. He should have realized. Go figure she wouldn’t be wearing anything.
After what he guessed was Ayame putting on some clothes, he felt her gently pull the covers away from his face, and her hand gently brushed his hair out of the way so that she could check his temperature.
“Hmm… interesting.”
“What, has he got a temperature?”
“Not on his forehead, but his cheeks are waaaay hot.”
“Really? Do you think he’s having a saucy dream or something?”
“No I don’t think that’s it… he might not even be sleeping…”
“How can you tell?”
“I can’t tell, but I can sure find out.”
“I don’t think I want to know what you’ll do to him. All those days spent around Mayuri… you’re not gonna torture him are you?”
“Captain Mayuri and his silly little pain fetish has not rubbed off on me in the slightest. And for you information, Captain Ukitake, the word torture has a very different meaning to you as it might to Captain Hitsugaya. He might actually like my kind of torture.”
“You think so, do you?”
“I hope so…”
“Do I want to watch or should I wait outside?”
“Suit yourself, I don’t care, this wont take a minute…”
Toushiro dreaded to think what was going to happen, if Mayuri was somehow indirectly involved. He felt Ayame move beside him, and could smell her flowery scent even more so than before. He felt her lay a hand gently on his chest. Was she going to use a spell, or rip open his chest? He couldn’t suppress a slight shiver, and if Ayame felt it, she said nothing.
He felt her hair brush his face, and he felt her leaning on him slightly. Now he was just confused. It wasn’t until he could faintly taste strawberries that he opened his eyes a fraction. Once again, his timing was terrible.
Ayame kissed him. Not some awkward peck on the lips, but something more intimate that he had never experienced before. He forgot about Ukitake and the plan to pretend to sleep. His eyes snapped wide open, and his body went rigid under the thick blankets. Ayame’s mouth moved gently against his, and after several long seconds, she moved away.
Toushiro gawked up at her for what seemed like an age, only faintly aware of Ukitake trying not to burst out in laughter behind Ayame. She smiled down at him, almost as if nothing had happened.
“Good evening, Captain Hitsugaya.”

*****************************************************************

Toushiro was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside the entrance to the nurse’s offices, his mind racing with questions and all sorts of foreign thoughts and ideas.
Ayame has kissed him. Kissed him! He didn’t know what to make of it; she had left before he could say anything. Ukitake didn’t know anything either.
She had just got up, and walked out. Wordlessly.

So now, only minutes later, Toushiro was standing outside her office, debating over the pros and cons of going in to see her. At the moment he reached out to open the door, it opened from the inside, and Toushiro snatched his hand back. It was Captain Unohana.
“Ah, Toushiro. Is there something I can help you with? Sick again?” she asked serenely. Toushiro shook his head silently.
“I was just wanting to speak with Ayame, if that’s alright.” He murmured. Unohana gave him a warm smile.
“She came in to get her training gear, then left for the training fields. I’m sure you will be able to find her there.”
Toushiro thanked her, then made his way to the Eleventh division’s training field. When he arrived, he saw that all the trainees were wearing masks to conceal their faces, even their hair was concealed. There was no way he could find Ayame discreetly.
“Yo, Captain.” It was the voice of Renji Abarai. Toushiro turned to see Byakuya’s lieutenant walking towards him.
“If you are looking for Ayame, try entering yourself in the contest. I have no doubt the two of you will face off at one point, and after each battle the contestants must reveal their faces.”
Toushiro mulled over the idea, then agreed. He took off his captain’s robe and held Hyorinmaru in his hand without a sheath. He then pulled on one of he hollow-like masks, and waited to fight.

***

It was the seventh round, and Toushiro was finally called out to battle against another soul reaper, a small one at that. They both drew their swords, and began to fight.
Toushiro was amazed at the strength, speed and stamina of his opponent, there was no way this machine could be Ayame. She was too delicate. At least, that was his opinion of her.
He blocked another blow, and slashed out with Hyorinmaru. He saw blood splatter the snow, he had cut his opponent across their middle. He heard them hiss in pain, and made to strike again. The enemy easily swatted aside Toushiro’s attack, and the tip of their zanpakuto sliced Toushiro just above his left eye, causing his mask to reveal one eye. His enemy paused, looking at Toushiro with only what he could guess to be as confusion. They must be trying to guess who he was.
Well, no time for that, this match is over. Toushiro thought, and picking up Hyorinmaru once again, he executed a complex series of blows until his opponent fell to their knees, blood oozing from their stomach wound.
Toushiro was declared the victor, and removed his mask. His opponent’s head was drooped, so Toushiro pulled their mask off for them.
A curtain of long back hair tumbled down their back, and when they raised their head, Toushiro gasped.
“Ayame!”
She looked up at Toushiro with wet eyes, her wound must be painful. She was looking particularly at Toushiro’s cut, and when Toushiro knelt beside her, she peered at it carefully.
“It’s not too bad, it wont… take much to… fix…” Ayame’s voice wavered, and she fainted in Toushiro’s arms.

***

Toushiro sat gloomily in the hospital’s waiting room, between Renji who was clutching a bruised jaw, and an Eleventh division boy with a swollen eye. Kenpachi had been in before, said his name was Ichioru… or something like that.
Ayame had been rushed in for special care, and had not come out yet. Toushiro felt bad for wounding her, but Renji had said that’s what happens when two soul reapers do battle, someone is bound to get hurt.
Finally, after what seemed to be a lifetime, Ayame came through the doors and stood before them. Renji looked indifferent, Toushiro’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
It was as if Ayame had never been hurt, she was wearing a somewhat in-appropriate nurse costume from Earth, in a shade of soft pink. She smiled at Toushiro, a medical kit in her hands.
“Who is gonna be first then?” she said in a sing-song voice. Renji put a hand up. Ayame kneeled before him, and pulled out a pair of long tweezers from her bag.
Renji opened his mouth slightly, and before he was even prepared, Ayame and whipped out a cracked and blood-covered tooth. Renji groaned, either in pain or relief, as Ayame gave him a gauze pad to bite down on. Then she turned to Toushiro, pulling out a swab and some antibacterial cream.
She cleaned Toushiro’s cut gently, and then put a band-aid over it.
“How does that feel, better?” she asked. Toushiro nodded, gently running his fingers over the plastic. Renji spat out one gauze pad and shoved another into his mouth, Ayame wrinkled her nose slightly.
“Thank you, Ayame. I do apologize for today. Had I known it was you, I would not have…” Ayame silenced Toushiro by putting a finger to his lips.
“The whole point was so you didn’t know, silly. And think nothing of it, I no longer have a wound.” She said, smiling.
“You don’t? But how…? It’s only been minutes…”
“It’s just easier to heal me than others… that’s all.”
“Are you sure? There is no wound at all?”
“Quite sure. Do you want to see for yourself?”
“Ye… no. No that’s alright… wait… was that a trick question?”
Renji made quite a show of changing his gauze pad again, and Ayame giggled slightly. She petted Toushiro’s head softly.
“I promise, I’m fine. Really. Now, your all clear to go, Captain Hitsugaya. Renji, once the bleeding stops you take these pills and the tooth will grow back nice and pretty for you, ‘kay?”
“Mnnnff.”
Toushiro sighed and got to his feet, dusting off his robes. Ayame was rummaging in her bag for something, and when she turned around, practically shoved a watermelon-flavored lollipop into Toushiro’s slightly open mouth. She then kissed him swiftly on the cheek, and seemingly fled from the room. Renji snorted with laughter.

*****************************************************************

Toushiro hadn’t seen Ayame since that incident; despite his distaste for candy he had actually finished the lollipop she had given him. Ukitake caught him in the act, and Toushiro knew he would never hear the end of it.
After a Captain’s meeting, Toushiro cornered Byakuya, and inquired about Ayame. Byakuya smirked.
“She has been secluded with Mayuri and his squad; they are… researching her potential as a soul reaper.”
Toushiro did not like the sound of that. Mayuri was insane in many ways. Most of them Toushiro preferred not to know about. Toushiro seethed and turned on his heel, deciding to pay Mayuri a visit and ease his mind over Ayame’s ‘research’ involvement.

The room Toushiro was shown into was dark and creepy, the only source of light being a lamp that illuminated a steel operating table, upon which lay Ayame. She was clothed at least, yet Toushiro couldn’t help but notice all the red tubes extending out from under her dress.
He approached her slowly, and peered at the tubes. They weren’t red, they were clear. The redness was the blood passing through them, out of Ayame’s body and into various glass containers. Mayuri stood to the side, watching the extraction with a blank expression.
“What are you doing to her Mayuri?” Toushiro said in a low growl. Mayuri turned his gaze to Toushiro, his face still blank.
“She volunteered for this procedure; she approached me with the intent of another extraction.” He explained, barely noticing as Nemu, his lieutenant, walked in with a clipboard and began recording things.
“Just because she volunteered does not mean you should have let her. She’ll die if she keeps giving blood in such large amounts. Shut it off.”
Toushiro’s voice was low and menacing, even frightening. Nemu even showed signs of fear. Mayuri stared down at Toushiro.
“I cannot do that, Captain Hitsugaya.”
“And why the hell not?”
“The machine only shuts off when she wills it to.”
“Then wake her.”
“I cannot do that either. She does not respond to me.”
Toushiro sighed, and reached out to touch Ayame’s cheek. It was still warm, so she wasn’t dying. It seemed she was going to be alright, for now.
“Wake up Ayame, open your eyes…” Toushiro said softly, tracing his fingertips down the side of her face. Ayame stirred, but her eyes remained closed. Toushiro leant closer to her.
“Open your eyes Ayame; it’s time for you to go. Come on now, wake up…” Toushiro felt stupid, talking to Ayame like this, especially infront of Mayuri. Nemu had already vanished. Ayame stirred again, and this time she opened her eyes and smiled up at Toushiro. Her eyes were slightly duller than the bright purple they were usually, and her skin seemed paler as well.
“Hey… Captain Hitsugaya… what are you… doing here…?” she whispered, she seemed very tired. Drained even…
“I could ask you the same thing, Ayame.” Toushiro said softly, his fingertips still pressed to her cheek. Ayame sighed, and nodded to Mayuri. He pressed a button on a hidden keypad, and all the tubes the were connected to Ayame ran clear, and then disconnected themselves from her body. She sat up, stretching, and turned to face Toushiro. She moved slowly, almost sluggishly, like she had been drugged. Toushiro put his hand on her shoulders.
“Are you alright, Ayame?” he whispered. She shook her head. Toushiro went on to ask her what was wrong, but she gently pressed a hand to his lips. He fell silent, studying the sad expression on her face.
“What’s the matter, is there anything I can do to help?” he asked. He hated feeling so helpless, he was the captain of Tenth Division, and he felt compeletly helpless in Ayame’s presence.
“Toushiro, I’m not like the other soul reapers here… I’m too different; my body doesn’t work like yours does.” Toushiro frowned slightly.
“What do you mean?” he asked, glancing up at Mayuri. The other captain shook his head, and left the room without saying a word. Ayame took a deep breath, and looked Toushiro squarely in the eyes.
“My body, various individual parts of it in particular, have been discovered to have amazing medical properties. My blood can make wounds heal much faster than normal, and is a prime ingredient in most of our healing elixirs and potions. My… stomach fluid has the power to dissolve any kind of viral infection, and my tears and saliva can numb pain. We are not sure why my body is like this, which is what we are trying to find out.”
Toushiro looked at Ayame sadly; she had a genetic quirk that made her a source of medical ingredients. She had offered herself to Mayuri’s research so that she could find out why she was like this, as well as helping out the medical division with her blood.
She slid off the operating table, and wobbled slightly, weak from blood loss. Toushiro pulled her into his embrace, he was quivering.
“I can’t let you do this, you’ll die…” he said softly. Ayame made a soft choking sound, she was crying. Toushiro held her tighter.
“I’m dying anyway Toushiro.”

*****************************************************************

“W-what do you mean?” Toushiro murmured, not sure of how to react. Ayame had grown still in his arms. She sniffled, not answering straight away. When she did, she avoided his eyes.
“My body is deteriorating at a speed where I won’t be able to move around much more. It’s all internal, and I don’t know why it’s happening or what caused it. It wasn’t a hollow… or even an Arrancar. I came to the Seireitei with this condition, and it has been slowly eating away at me ever since I died…”
Toushiro was silent, he had no idea she had been sick all this time, let alone if there was anything he could do to help her. All he could do was hold her as she cried, so he did.
Ayame cried for a long time, and by the time her sobs had subsided, Byakuya had come looking for her. The sixth division captain looked at Toushiro with deep, hidden emotion in his eyes. Toushiro pulled off his captain’s robe and wrapped it around Ayame’s shoulders. She wiped the tears from her eyes and attempted to smile up at him.
“Don’t worry, I wont die for a while. Mayuri said…” Toushiro put a single finger to her lips, and she fell silent.
“I’d rather not know. When the time comes, we’ll deal with it.”
Ayame’s eyes lit up, he said they would deal with it together. He was going to be by her side when her second life was coming to an end.
“Thank you… Toushiro.” She whispered, hugging him tightly. Toushiro held her close, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. Byakuya sighed behind her, Toushiro smirked.
“The ceremony that makes Ayame an official member of the Kuchiki family is next weekend. You should attend, Hitsugaya.” Byakuya said, watching Ayame as she wandered around the room looking for her Zanpakuto and shihakusho. Toushiro was confused.
“An official member of your family?” he repeated, looking from Ayame to Byakuya whilst picturing Rukia in his mind. He knew Rukia was the younger sister of Byakuya’s late wife, but Ayame…

“Ayame is a descendant of the Kuchiki family from generations ago. One of her Kuchiki ancestors, recorded as being Amaterasu Kuchiki, left the Seireitei to live a human live with her human lover. Their firstborn child was a girl, Ayaka, and every firstborn has been a girl, right down to Ayame’s mother and Ayame herself. A letter was passed down to every daughter when they turned eighteen, stating that the thirteenth generation of the Kuchiki descendants must be sent to the Seireitei to become a Soul Reaper. That was Ayame. She was sent to us the day she turned eighteen.”
Byakuya sighed, after he had finished Toushiro remembered that he had never heard Byakuya say so many words all at once. It was probably the most he had spoken in a great many years. Another thought occurred to Toushiro, he looked back at Ayame as she sat on the operating table and began polishing her Zanpakuto with a small scrap of material.
“How was she sent here? Don’t you have to … die…” he realized he probably should have kept his mouth shut a moment too late. Ayame became motionless and Byakuya seemed to hold his breath. When nobody said anything… Ayame looked up with glassy eyes.

“My mother sent me. She pushed me over the edge of a glacier on the day of the eighteenth birthday. I did not die from the fall as she hoped I would. I lay there in the snow and ice, broken and bleeding. I was kept company by two wolf ghosts, who became the twin spirits of my Zanpakuto. I died from hunger, for the cold seemed to absorb itself into my body.”
Toushiro stood frozen, she remembered her death perfectly, yet the memories of his own eluded him. She had resumed her polishing, with wet eyes. Byakuya came forward and scooped her into his arms, cradling her small, frail body against his chest. She sighed, and gave Toushiro a half-hearted smile.
“I’m sorry to drop all this on you now, but I wanted you to know. I…” Ayame was cut short as her body tensed up, and her eyes were wide with fear. Byakuya swiftly lowered her to the floor, and she immediately moved on to her hands and knees, her body shaking silently.

“What’s going on? Byakuya?” Toushiro cried, kneeling beside Ayame. She hissed slightly, and blood oozed from her mouth onto the floor, she heaved a couple of times, more blood splattering the floor, as well as both Byakuya and Toushiro’s clothes.
“Stay with her, I’m going to get Unohana and Mayuri.” Byakuya had barely got the words out before he was gone. Toushiro pulled a shaking Ayame into his lap, her heaving had stopped but she was still twitching with blood all over her mouth.
“It’s going to be alright, I’m here.” Toushiro whispered, not wanting to say anything to make the situation worse. Ayame gripped his clothes tightly, eyes streaming with tears. She held on to Toushiro tightly, but they both knew she wasn’t going to die. Not here, not know.

Byakuya returned sooner than expected with Unohana, Mayuri, Nemu, Hanataro in tow, followed by an anxious Rukia and a bewildered Renji.
As soon as Renji saw Ayame, the pool of blood and the panic-stricken Toushiro, he looked pale, if not slightly green. Tears streamed down Rukia’s face as she stared at Ayame, eyes wide and full of terror.
“No not again… not again…” she whispered, turning and burying her face in Renji’s chest. Byakuya stepped away from Ayame so the healers could take a look at her. Mayuri took her from Toushiro’s embrace and put her back up on the steel table. Toushiro couldn’t move, he was completely in shock. Renji eventually had to get Rangiku in to take him away.
When Toushiro’s lieutenant saw him, she burst into tears herself. She had never seen her captain like this, let alone Ayame. This was almost too awful, like something out of a seriously sick horror film. She shook Toushiro by his shoulders, but still he would not respond. Eventually Ukitake came and the pair were able to get Toushiro to his feet, and back to his quarters.

After a hot bath and a silent meal, Toushiro’s brain seemed to kick itself into gear again. Ayame was sick. She was dying. He had to find out why, and furthermore how to save her. He had barely known her… properly… for a month, but already he felt a deep connection with her, different to what he felt for Rangiku, Ukitake or even Momo.
Ukitake stayed with Toushiro overnight, despite objections from everyone else about his health. For once he didn’t offer Toushiro candy. The thought didn’t even cross his mind until Rangiku came to deliver a tub of toxically-rich chocolate ice-cream. She told Toushiro it would he therapeutically good for him. He doubted it, but at the lot himself anyway.

The next morning he found Rukia waiting to talk to him. She had dark circles under her eyes but seemed cheerful enough.
“Hey Hitsugaya. You feeling okay?” she asked. Toushiro shrugged, and ran a hand through his hair. Rukia sighed.
“Ayame recovered well, that was not the first time that kind of thing had happened. It was just a bit badly timed is all.” Rukia said, trying to sound convincing. Toushiro looked at her with scrutiny.
“How often?”
“What?”
“How often does that happen to Ayame?”
“It’s not…”
“Rukia… please…”
“Average of three times a week, sometimes more, usually less.” Toushiro swore under his breath, but Rukia continued. “But the attacks are getting worse, lasting longer, she loses more blood. Last week it happened seven times. Three times in one day.”
No wonder Toushiro didn’t see her around much. She was being kept in dark rooms while she threw up her life blood. She wouldn’t last as long as she hoped at that rate. Rukia seemed close to tears again.
“I want to take her to see Uruhara. In the human world. I’ve spoken to Byakuya, he thinks he might be our last chance.”
Toushiro looked at Rukia with dark curiosity. She wore a shadow of a smile, she knew Toushiro had guessed what she was telling him.
“Great, back to school with Ichigo Kurosaki and his merry band of humans.”
Rukia laughed.

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