Snowing Blood

Toushiro went to visit Ayame the following Friday, the day before her Kuchiki ceremony was supposed to take place. They were going to go to the human world on the Sunday, there team already picked out.

Along with Toushiro and Ayame, there would be Rukia, Renji, Rangiku and Hanataro. Byakuya said he would keep an eye on them, but didn’t want to get involved too much with the humans.



When Toushiro was shown into the hospital room where Ayame was staying, he feared she would be in a coma, or on some sort of life support. But there she was, propped up on a pile of pillows playing cards with Ukitake. The pair looked up as Toushiro stepped inside.

“Well well, the long wait is over. You finally decided to show up.” Ukitake teased. He knew Toushiro had been doing stacks of paperwork, he was just picking. Toushiro ignored him and moved up beside Ayame.

She looked healthy enough, there was good color in her cheeks and her eyes were bright and sparkling. She smiled up at him.

“Hey Toushiro. I’m glad you came to see me. I was getting worried you were sick.” Toushiro smiled and shook his head; of course she would worry more about everyone else rather than herself.

“I’m happy to see you are well again. I hope Ukitake hasn’t been stuffing you with sugar, that can’t be good for your condition.” Toushiro smirked at Ukitake. The squad thirteen captain raised his hands in an open gesture.

“I wouldn’t stuff poor Ayame with candy in her condition, the last thing we need is sugary-flavored blood everywhere, who knows what that would attract.”

For a moment everyone was silent, and then the three of them burst out laughing. Ayame shook her head slightly with a smile, even if Ukitake had a point, she wasn’t going to say anything to ruin the moment. Instead she changed the topic.

“Hey Toushiro, are you going to come tomorrow? I’m really looking forward to it, and I would love it if you would come.” She said warmly, eyes bright with hope. How could Toushiro refuse?

“Of course I’ll be there.” He said. Ayame thanked him and practically launched herself into his arms. Ukitake laughed while Toushiro tried not to drop her. Ayame then remembered something.

“Oh it’s a formal occasion, do you have a proper kimono you can wear?” she asked, looking up at him with curiosity. Toushiro thought about it for a minute. Then he remembered he had a turquoise one in a box somewhere in his wardrobe, a gift from Rangiku years ago.

“Yeah I have one. Anything else I should know?” he asked softly, Ayame still pressed against his chest. She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. Ukitake snorted at a thought of his own, Toushiro scowled at him.

“No, that’s all. It’s at the old Kuchiki manor, in the Sakura Gardens. Byakuya said for everyone to turn up around noon, so there will be plenty of time to get everyone organized and in place before the ceremony begins.”

Toushiro made a mental note to remember all of that. He prayed he wouldn’t forget, maybe he should remind Matsumoto to remind him…



***



At noon the following day, Toushiro shifted uncomfortably in his kimono. It was the same shade of turquoise as his eyes, with a white honeycomb-flower patter on the shoulders and sleeves. He had attempted to make his hair look less everywhere, but gave up when it simply refused to do anything he wanted. Rangiku was with him, in a bright pink yukata with magenta sakura blossoms all over it.

Ukitake was wandering around in his Captain’s clothes, he wasn’t staying after the ceremony. Momo was present with Hanataro, Renji and Izuru, all wearing their own yukata and kimonos.



When everyone was seated, Byakuya and Rukia entered the room, both wearing amazingly intricate kimonos adorned with flowers hand-sewn in gold thread. Rukia wore red whilst Byakuya wore a deep purple.

Toushiro watched at the made their way to the center of the circle that had been made by the guests. Rukia placed four candles at precise intervals inside the circle, one red, one yellow, one green and one blue. Each candle was decorated with swirling silver patterns to represent the separate elements. Fire, Wind, Earth and Water.

Byakuya stood in the center holding a white candle with swirling gold patterns all over it – the candle of Spirit.

Traditional, soothing music began to play, and everyone turned to watch as Ayame entered the gardens from the Sakura Temple that loomed over them.



Her kimono was white like Toushiro’s hair, with hand-sewn gold flowers and runic markings covering it much like that of Rukia and Byakuya’s kimonos. Toushiro concluded they must be special kimonos made especially for the Kuchiki clan. The obi was a deep gold.

Many oohs and aahhs were heard in the crowd as Ayame slowly stepped up to stand before her soon-to-be older brother. She caught Toushiro’s eye and smiled, she looked more like she was getting married than being taken in to the Kuchiki clan.



Byakuya surveyed the guests, wearing his rare smile. He even smiled at Rukia, her eyes went all teary as she smiled back. Toushiro wondered if they had a ceremony like this for Rukia too. He hoped so.

“My friends, I am honored to have you here today, to witness the return of the Kuchiki clan’s long lost daughter. Ayame, descendant of Amaterasu Kuchiki, do you accept your place in this clan, and promise to uphold our family values and continue our bloodline?” Byakuya said in a warm, strong voice. Ayame sunk to her knees so that she knelt in the center of the circle before Byakuya. She looked up at him with a smile.

“I do, Brother.” She said. Byakuya smiled.

“Then let us light the five candles, and return you to the clan of your birth. Awaken, Fire, Wind, Earth, and Water. Come, Spirit, and join our family as one.”

As Byakuya spoke, each of the five candles seemed to glow in the afternoon air. The shadows cast by the Sakura trees and the temple were dissolved by the light being cast by the now flickering candles of each element. Toushiro watched in awe as the smoke from the five candles wafted around Ayame, circling her, then Rukia, and Byakuya.

Ayame slowly rose to her feet, and, with Rukia, they danced to the music. A slow and beautiful dance performed with glittering golden fans casting flashing lights all around the Gardens. Byakuya stood silently in the center as his two sisters danced around him, and they began to slow in their movements. Eventually they stopped altogether infront of Byakuya as the smoke died away, and the music’s final notes played, everyone applauded the Joining. Toushiro smiled as Ayame looked over at him, she was starting to look a bit pale. Byakuya must have noticed too, because without arousing suspicion, he announced that dinner would be served in the main hall of the Kuchiki manor. He ushered Ayame and Rukia into the Temple, Unohana materializing out of nowhere and following them inside.

After a moment Rukia stuck her head out, and motioned for Toushiro to come as well. He quickly crossed the courtyard, and ducked inside the temple behind Rukia.



Ayame was seated on a chair under the Sacred Sakura Tree that grew within the temple. She looked pale, but other than that she looked fine. Unohana checked her over, then declared she was safe from ‘attacks’ today.

Toushiro sighed a breath of relief, and shuffled over to stand next to Ayame. She fanned herself slightly, it was stuffy inside the temple.

“Um… you look… beautiful… Ayame.” Toushiro said quietly. Ayame leaned against his side, smiling when he draped an arm over her shoulders.

“Thank you, Toushiro.” She then looked up at him. “You look very handsome.” Toushiro felt himself blushing, he hoped nobody would notice.

“Er… thanks.” He whispered, glancing around nervously. Byakuya was talking to Unohana and Rukia, but Rukia wasn’t listening. She was watching Toushiro and Ayame with narrowed eyes.

Rukia with narrowed eyes usually meant she was planning something. And with them all going to the human world tomorrow, that something was probably either going to be painful, or painfully embarrassing.



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



Toushiro had never been more nervous abut going to the human world than he was this time. He was in his gigai, and together with Rukia, Rangiku, Renji and Hanataro he was waiting for Ayame to get her gigai so they could depart. He barely listened as Hanataro complained about his school uniform being to small, not loose fitting like his shihakusho.

Rangiku said he shouldn’t complain, at least all his buttons could be done up, it wasn’t her fault she had to leave some open.

Finally Ayame came out of her office, followed by Byakuya and Unohana. She too was wearing one of the uniforms from Ichigo’s school; she and Rukia really looked like sisters. Ayame stepped up beside Toushiro and her hand found his, she squeezed it slightly.

“Nothing’s bad is gonna happen, everything is gonna be fine.” She said reassuringly. Toushiro still couldn’t help but worry a little bit. Byakuya was going to escort them as far as Uruhara Shoten, and then he would have to return to the Seireitei and watch them from afar.



***



The small group of school uniform-clad soul reapers stood outside Uruhara’s shop, it was dark, all the lights were out – they looked like they were closed. Byakuya sighed, and pulled out his sword. Ayame and Rukia immediately turned on him.

“You can’t shred Uruhara!”

“I don’t think you should do that brother…”

Byakuya’s jaw tensed, then he lowered his zanpakuto. Ayame and Rukia sighed with relief. Byakuya made to pat Ayame reassuringly on the head, forgetting he had his sword in that hand. As soon as the end of the handle bumped the top of Ayame’s head, there was that strange ripping sound with the cloud of pink smoke. Renji, Rangiku and Hanataro cried out in alarm, Byakuya cursed his foolishness where Rukia and Toushiro just sighed.

In Ayame’s place, sitting in a pool of her clothes, was the purple-eyed white cat sometimes seen around the Seireitei. Ayame glared up at her brother, he had forgotten the handle of a zanpakuto could he used to force her to transform into her cat form. Toushiro knelt beside her.

“It’s okay Ayame, perhaps you can find an alternate entrance in this form, and get Uruhara to let us in.” he murmured. Ayame looked up at him with a cattish smile.

“I can give it a try I suppose.” She said, before bounding off around the side of the building. The others waited outside for her to return, Rukia carefully folding Ayame’s clothes and putting them in her bag. Toushiro tried to ignore her as she made quite a show of folding and re-folding Ayame’s striped panties. She was taunting him already. Perfect.

After a few minutes the roller doors flew up, but before the group had even taken another breath Uruhara came running out, followed by a raging Ichigo wielding his Zangetsu. The pair stopped upon seeing their unexpected audience. Ichigo glared down at Rukia.

“Rukia? What are you doin here? And Rangiku, Renji, Hanataro… BYAKUYA?!” Ichigo looked up at Byakuya in a mix of awe and fear. Byakuya narrowed his eyes at Ichigo. It was Toushiro who spoke up.

“We are here to see Uruhara. We need his help.”

For a moment Ichigo looked around for the source of the voice, but eventually he decided to turn around. Toushiro was standing almost directly behind Ichigo, with Ayame draped across his shoulders like a scarf.

“Oh … Captain Hitsugaya. Sorry I didn’t see you.” Toushiro fumed, but let that one pass. He turned to Uruhara, who was standing back a bit, watching the gathering with interest. Toushiro approached him and petted Ayame gently.

“Well well, never thought the captain of squad ten would be coming to me for help.” He said, reaching out and petting Ayame. She gawked at him.

“Ayame Kuchiki needs your help.” Byakuya said softly. His voice was so low, it sounded dangerous. Uruhara looked at him suspiciously.

“Never heard of an Ayame Kuchiki. Care to elaborate?” he said, as Yoruichi poked her head out of Uruhara’s shop to see what all the noise was. She spotted the white cat on Toushiro’s shoulder, and nearly burst out laughing. Everyone turned to gaze at Yoruichi in wonder, as she approached Toushiro and lifted Ayame into her arms.

“Long time, no see. Ayame.” She said, hugging the tiny white cat as she purred. Uruhara tilted his head to one side, confused. Ayame turned to look at him, eyes sparkling.

“Yes, I am Ayame Kuchiki. Yoruichi trained me for a while before she left the Seireitei, and I can turn into a cat much like she can… only my transformation is ruled by the Zanpakuto. I still can’t transform at will.”

Uruhara didn’t seem as shocked by Ayame talking as Toushiro thought he would be, he invited them all inside.



Eventually Byakuya left after returning Ayame to her human form, she put her uniform back on and joined the others in Uruhara’s dining room for tea.

She slid herself between Rukia and Toushiro, and practically stole Toushiro’s cup of tea. Uruhara and Yoruichi watched in interest as Toushiro made no move to scold her. He just thanked her when she poured him more tea to replace what she drank.

“So, Captain Hitsugaya. What is it that I can do for you?” Uruhara asked after the tea was gone. Toushiro thought for a moment, unsure of how to explain Ayame’s condition. Ayame stood and moved around to kneel beside Uruhara. She took his hand, and held it over her heart. Uruhara’s shadowed eyes went blank, and after a minute Ayame let his hand go, and he looked at her sadly.

“You’re dying.”

Ayame nodded, leaning back against Yoruichi, whose eyes had turned glassy with tears. Rukia tried not to look sad, but she didn’t try very hard. Tears escaped down her cheeks, and she leaned into Renji for support.

Her childhood friend wrapped an arm around her shoulders, ignoring the death-stare Ichigo was giving him from Rukia’s other side.

Rangiku, who sat on Toushiro’s other side, wiped her eyes but stayed alert; she was listening for anything unusual. Hanataro looked gloomy.

“Is there anything you can do to help her?” Toushiro asked, glaring at his empty teacup. He felt eyes on him, but didn’t look up.

“I can do a few things, but it could take years before I find out what exactly this could be. Your best option is freezing her in suspended animation. That way you won’t have to worry about her dying while you find a cure.”

Almost everyone looked at Uruhara in shock; his bored voice was suddenly serious, he really meant what he was saying. They would have to freeze Ayame’s body to keep her alive long enough to find a cure. Uruhara put a hand on Ayame’s shoulder, and she met his eyes.

“I have never seen this kind of virus before, but I give you my word I will help you to cure it.” Ayame’s eyes lit up, and she thanked Uruhara softly. He went on to explain what kind of tissue and blood samples he was going to need, but Toushiro had stopped listening.



Ayame had to be put into a frozen coma, for years. They didn’t know how long it would be, but she wouldn’t be able to smile, to talk… for a very long time. He didn’t think he would ever feel heartbroken, but the pain in chest must be damn close.



***



Ichigo invited the group back to his house for dinner, telling his dad they wee friends from school. Not that his dad was fooled, he used to be a soul reaper after all. Karin and Yuzu were overjoyed to have Rukia come back, and to meet her sister, Ayame.

Dinner was loud and cheerful, but under all the happy faces, the soul reapers were deep in thought. They knew Ayame would die if they didn’t do as Uruhara instructed. It was just going to be too hard to say goodbye, without knowing when they would see her smile again.



***



The next day, the group made their way to school with Ichigo. When the mob of seven filed in to the classroom, every one of Ichigo’s ‘special’ friends wore looks of complete disbelief.

Orihime greeted the group enthusiastically; Chad and Ishida wore looks of confusion. Ichigo’s friends Keigo and Mizuiro were likewise confused, they remembered Rangiku, Toushiro, Renji and Rukia, but were confused as to who Ayame and Hanataro were.

After an irritated Ichigo made all the introductions, their teacher came in, and the class settled into their seats. Their language class went by fast, followed by math. Ayame and Toushiro ended up giving Ichigo all the answers; he was so hopeless it was sad. He was still wondering why such a large group of soul reapers had to accompany one girl to see Uruhara.



At lunchtime, he brought up the subject with Rukia. She was sitting close to Renji, discussing the pros and cons of homemade rice balls. The others were sitting under the trees not far away, laughing and sharing their lunch.

Ichigo approached Rukia and Renji, and sat down on the bench beside them. Rukia stopped talking at looked at Ichigo with curiosity. He took a deep breath.

“Not to pry or anything but why are all you guys here with Ayame when she’s just going to see Uruhara about a medical condition?” he asked, looking Rukia squarely in the eyes. He could tell she was sad about Ayame, really sad. Rukia sighed.

“We are all here with her, but for different reasons. I’m her sister, Hanataro is here incase she gets sick. Renji is the hired muscle along with Rangiku, incase some mega-hollows show.” Rukia explained, looking at Ichigo innocently. Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

“What about Toushiro, then?”

Rukia looked over at her sister, who was watching as Orihime prepared her a sandwich, with god-knows-what in it. Toushiro said something, and Ayame turned to look at him. She said something back, and they both laughed.

In all his memories of the tenth squad captain, Ichigo could not remember Toushiro Hitsugaya looking so happy. He looked back at Rukia.

“I think he’s got a thing for your sister.” Rukia laughed.

“I think so too. It’s only too obvious.” She said, still watching them.



***



At the end of the day, Ichigo and Orihime walked back to Uruhara’s shop with the others. Toushiro was glad that Ayame hadn’t had any ‘attacks’ today, and that she seemed to be having a good time. She caught him watching her and smiled, but the both knew what the other was thinking. Their time together was numbered in weeks, if not days. Sooner than they wanted, she was going to have to go into stasis. There was no other alternative, save death.



Once they had rolled out all the futons and thick blankets, the six soul reapers quickly changed into their sleeping robes, and crawled into bed. Ayame fell asleep quickly, as did the others. Toushiro sat up for a while, thinking about a variety of things. He glanced over at Rukia, she was sleeping with her head on Renji’s chest and he had his arms around her shoulders. Toushiro snapped a photo of their embrace on his phone; he might need it for later.

Eventually he grew tired, so Toushiro slid under the blankets in the bed beside Ayame’s, only to find her watching him with a smile.

“Cant sleep?” he asked.

“Not with you moving around so much”

“Ah… sorry.”

“Don’t worry, it’s alright.”

Toushiro sighed as he closed his eyes. Sleep came to him quickly, he barely registered the fact that Ayame crawled into his bed and curled up beside him. He welcomed her warm embrace, and slept better than he had in a very long time.



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



The next day, Ayame stayed at Uruhara’s shop with Rukia whilst Toushiro, Renji, Hanataro and Rangiku attended school with Ichigo and the others. Renji asked Toushiro what he was so smug about, but the small captain merely smiled and kept walking. Rangiku knew something was up; it was a little bit more than obvious. She didn’t pry, however, she knew she would find out in due time.

Ichigo greeted the foursome at school; giving Toushiro a ‘huh’ when he was told Rukia and Ayame were staying at Uruhara’s to do some tests.



At lunch, Orihime was talking to Renji and Rangiku, Toushiro listening in. Ichigo and Hanataro were conversing over their lunches.

“So … how are things going back in the Seireitei? Haven't seen Aizen or Ichimaru at all?” Orihime asked, more so to Renji than Rangiku. She saw Rangiku stop eating when Ichimaru was mentioned, immediately feeling bad about saying anything. But Rangiku gave Orihime a small smile.

“We haven’t heard of or seen any activity from Aizen or Gin in a while. Things in the Seireitei were pretty quiet until Ayame got really sick. It’s the talk of the town, so to speak.”

Orihime’s eyes went wide, one hand over her mouth. She obviously didn’t know about Ayame’s illness.

“Should she be out and about if she’s so sick? Shouldn’t she be like… in bed resting?” Orihime stammered, directing her questions now at Toushiro. The white-haired captain shook his head slowly.

“No amount of rest will make Ayame any better. She can’t heal like a normal person, human or soul reaper.” He murmured. Orihime’s eyes went all watery, and she sniffled. Toushiro sighed and tried to put on a brave face.

“She’ll pull through, I know she will. She has a strong will to live… I know she… will…” Toushiro’s words faded into a heavy silence. His throat felt like it had a huge lump stuck in it, and his eyes hurt. He felt sad, frustrated and annoyed. He ground his teeth together and glared at his half-eaten sandwich.

Rangiku watched him carefully, and gently moved around to sit beside him. She put a hand on Toushiro’s shoulder, and when he didn’t hiss at her or swat her away, she slowly wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Toushiro barely moved, but his glare slowly faded. His death-grip on his poor sandwich loosened, and he set it down gently. Rangiku gently stroked his hair with soft, smooth strokes.

“You’re right, Captain. Ayame will live through this. She will be fine, I know because after all she’s put you through, she’s not gonna back out on you now.” Rangiku whispered. Toushiro nodded, the lump in his throat preventing him from speaking. He tried not to let the others notice, but he leaned into Rangiku’s warm embrace, for once grateful to have such an understanding lieutenant.



***



“Uruhara better not have been doing stuff to Ayame while we were at school. If he has…”

“Relax, Captain, I’m more than positive…”

“But you’re not 100% sure, are you?”

“No…”

“……………………”

Toushiro was impatient in returning to Uruhara’s after school, seeing as Uruhara was Mayuri’s predecessor; he had the thought that they would have the same weird personality quirks. He never knew how wrong he could be.

The group arrived at Uruhara Shoten to rind Rukia and Uruhara, as well as his two young employees, trying to coax a cat-form Ayame down from a tree. Her fur was on end and her eyes wide, she simply refused to move.

Toushiro approached the tree and looked up at Ayame. The fear and anger drained out of her eyes in an instant, and she leapt lightly from the tree and into Toushiro’s arms. She curled up against his chest and purred.

Toushiro glared questioningly at Rukia and Uruhara. They both squirmed with sheepish expressions.



“Care to explain?” he said in a low voice. Yoruichi slid open the door to the shop, stepping outside with a frilly pink dress on a coat-hanger. It was short, lacy and very inappropriate. Toushiro stared at the garment for a long time, and then glanced down at Ayame. No wonder she had run up the tree. The transformation must have been from shock-horror.



Rukia took the dress from Yoruichi, and looked at it with a soft smile.

“We only wanted to see if it fitted, she didn’t have to be wearing it when you came back.” She said, with a slightly more genuine smile. Toushiro scowled. She would have found a way to make Ayame wear it until Toushiro returned, he knew her well enough for that.

Ayame sighed, and slid out of Toushiro’s arms and onto the ground. She looked annoyed.

“Fine. I’ll try on the dress, if it makes you happy.” She turned to look up at Toushiro, but when she spoke, her words were softer.

“Don’t laugh, okay?” Toushiro knelt down and petted her gently.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He said with a smile. Ayame narrowed her eyes at him, he laughed.

“I’ll do my best, promise.”

Ayame smiled, at followed Rukia and Yoruichi back inside. Everyone else followed, but Toushiro stayed behind, so did Uruhara.

The ex-soul reaper looked tired and grim; he fanned himself while Toushiro prepared his mind for the onslaught of painful information. Uruhara sighed, and snapped his fan shut.

“She needs to be put in stasis as soon as possible. If you leave it for too long, her internal organs will begin to fail.”

Toushiro knew it was going to be bad, but this was more than he prepared for. His knees gave out and he collapsed ungracefully onto the ground. Uruhara made no move to help him; Toushiro couldn’t be helped, not now. Uruhara could do no more than continue.

“Sometime before she died, my tests have confirmed she was implanted with some kind of organic poison that slowly began eating away at both her body and her spiritual pressure. If we are able to extract some of the concentrated poison and try to develop a cure, we may be able to save her.”

Toushiro looked up at Uruhara; there was a chance for Ayame, a real chance. He got to his feet, dusting off his pants.

“Where in her body is the organic material? What is it exactly anyway?” Toushiro asked, looking up at the shop as laughter and squealing echoed down from the upper floor.

“It seems to be made of a toxic substance that has the density and radioactive signature of hollow flesh. My guess is that someone… my guess being Aizen… created this hollow-toxin-thing and then implanted it into Ayame’s body at a young age, she grew with it, probably causing the unique properties of her blood and whatnot.” Uruhara said, he sounded unsure, but sure enough at the same time. Toushiro’s hands balled into fists.

“So we need to freeze this thing inside of her to stop its growth, and then find some way to nuke it so that Ayame will live?” Toushiro asked, looking squarely at Uruhara. Uruhara nodded, his face dead serious.



Toushiro wandered inside not long after, and made his way slowly into the room they had all been sleeping in. The futons were still scattered around the room, Toushiro collapsed himself onto the nearest one, groaning as his tense muscles relaxed themselves. He heard muffled voices from the room next door, but didn’t hear Ayame until she gently touched his shoulder.

Toushiro turned his head to the side to look up at Ayame; she was wearing that little pink dress after all. It didn’t look at scary on her as it did on the coat-hangar, it actually looked… cute.

Ayame looked down at Toushiro with worried eyes, whilst he looked up at her with sad ones. How many more times would he be able to see her like this… before the time came…?

“Are your shoulders sore, Toushiro? Have you been slouching again?” she asked in a warm voice, she must know what Uruhara told him, so there was no point in addressing the issue again now. Toushiro sighed.

“I don’t slouch… not much anyway. I guess its just tension. Or something like that.” He murmured, rolling a shoulder. He heard a faint cracking sound, and pain seared across his back. He froze on the mattress, eyes screwed up from the pain. Almost immediately after the pain started, he felt it begin to ebb away as Ayame pressed her hands against his shoulder blades, rubbing in tight, hard circles to work out the tension.



She began at the base if his skull, her touch firm and warm, and her precise fingers automatically sought out the tensest muscles. Toushiro – face down on the mattress, groaned with relief. Ayame blushed slightly, but continued down to work on his shoulders.

“You shouldn’t work yourself up like this; it’s really not good for you.” Ayame whispered; as her hand moved down to knead the muscles between Toushiro’s shoulder blades through the thin cotton of his school shirt. Toushiro groaned again, his body had gone completely limp. He felt Ayame’s hands hesitate for a moment as she sighed; he felt her breath lightly on his hair. Finally all the tension was erased from Toushiro’s body, and with nothing appropriate left to rub, Ayame’s hands fell aimlessly into her lap. She gazed down at Toushiro with teary eyes.

He noticed her silence, and turned his head to look up at her. He sat up abruptly upon seeing her tears. He pulled her in against his chest, forgetting about her outfit and the hidden observers watching from a crack in the doorway. Ayame clung to Toushiro’s shirt, trembling slightly.

“I’m scared, Toushiro.”

“Its okay… so am I.”

“We have to go back tomorrow, don’t we?”

“Yeah, better to be safe… than sorry.”

Ayame sighed and wiped her eyes, then locked them with Toushiro’s. In his gaze she saw fear, sadness, curiosity… and something deeper, more intimate than what she had seen last time they had been this close.

Ayame rested her cheek on Toushiro’s chest; he wrapped his arms around her instinctively. He pressed his lips to the top of her head.

“There is nothing to be worried about. I’m here.” He whispered, stroking her hair gently. Then, barely more than a whisper, he added;

“I’ll always be here.”

Ayame didn’t say anything, but he felt her nod against his chest. He gently reached down, and cupped her chin with one hand.

“Look at me…”

Ayame lifted her head, and her wet, sparkling amethyst eyes met with Toushiro’s glittering turquoise ones. She smiled, and he laughed softly. He leaned down the inch or so needed, and kissed her lightly.

Ayame responded to his kiss, sliding her arms up around his neck. Toushiro held her close, not wanting to let her go ever again. Ayame pulled away briefly, and looked Toushiro in the eye.

“If I can’t be saved… this… will be really hard on you… maybe... we shouldn’t…” Toushiro cut her short, capturing her lips once again, this time she didn’t try to stop him. He tasted her tears as she kissed him fiercely, clinging to his body like a cancer.

They heard the others making dinner preparations, and wished they could have had more time alone together. Toushiro hugged Ayame tightly, before standing and carrying her into the dining room.



Rukia was puffy-eyed when she saw Ayame and Toushiro; she was clutching a wad of tissues and was watching the pair from her place in Renji’s lap. Toushiro looked at the couple with curiosity; Renji rested his chin on Rukia’s head while she tried to stem her sobbing.

Toushiro set Ayame down beside Renji, and she too crawled into his lap and snaked her arms around her sister. Toushiro and Renji exchanged looks of sadness and understanding. Hanataro poked gloomily at his food, Rangiku sat down next to Toushiro and ruffled his hair with a smile.

At least they could enjoy this time together… before the time came to say goodbye.



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



Toushiro and Uruhara agreed it would be alright for Ayame to attend school for one more day to say goodbye to everyone before she left with the others to return to Soul Society, and a number of years frozen in time.

Orihime didn’t understand what Ayame meant when she said she may never return, in the end Ishida took Orihime aside and explained to her softly. Ayame felt herself grow cold as Orihime’s eyes filled with tears; she eventually collapsed into Ishida’s embrace, his face sad.

Ichigo said he would try to visit sometime, if he could. Toushiro then went on to explain that time moved differently in Soul Society, and that what seemed like hours to him now could very well have been days for Soul Society. Ichigo said he didn’t give a damn; he wanted to visit Rukia and Ayame and make sure they were doing okay.



Rukia and Ayame went everywhere together that last day, Ayame put on a brave face and tried to act normally, but Rukia’s act wasn’t quite as convincing. Renji watched the sisters all day with dark circles under his eyes. He hadn’t slept last night; Rukia had woken him up too many times with her own restless sleep that Renji gave up on sleeping altogether.



The end of the school day came sooner than the group would have liked. Rukia had collapsed after an anxiety attack, and was being carted around by Renji. Rangiku, Hanataro and Toushiro all wore grim expressions, Ayame tried to smile when the time came to say goodbye to Orihime, Chad, Ichigo, Ishida, Keigo, Mizuiro and Tatsuki. The crowd was assembled outside Uruhara Shoten.

The girls had their teary goodbye; Chad petted Ayame on the head. Ishida did pretty much the same. Keigo tried to hug Ayame, but Rangiku’s ‘reflexes’ had him face-down on the pavement. Mizuiro put a hand on Ayame’s shoulder and told her to be strong.

Ichigo looked down at Ayame with an unreadable expression. Rukia was standing just behind Ayame, eyes watery. Ichigo pulled the pair into a rough embrace, his face still blank. Renji hissed under his breath, but Ichigo ignored him.

“You’re going to be fine, Ayame. You’ll pull through this, I know it. Rukia, you have to be strong, and live your life to the fullest, for yourself and Ayame. Be strong for your sister.” He said, when he let the girls go, he was smiling. At that moment Karin and Yuzu came running down the street, in their arms large, wrapped packages. They stopped and handed one package each to Rukia and Ayame.

“They’re matching dresses; we made them for you ourselves. When Ayame comes back, you can wear them and come show us!” Ayame felt her eyes go teary again, and after handing Toushiro the parcel, she and Rukia hugged the Kurosaki sisters in thanks.



Then it was time, they were going to exit the world of the living from the underground chamber Uruhara had under his shop. Ichigo took his sisters home, and slowly the rest of the humans melted away, until only the six soul reapers remained. They wandered into Uruhara’s shop. He smiled when they entered, and looked curiously at the packages held by Renji and Toushiro.

“Presents for the ladies?” he asked lazily.

“Yeah, the Kurosaki girls made them dresses.” Renji said with his eyes on Rukia as she followed Ayame upstairs to change out of their gigai and back into their proper Soul Reaper bodies. Uruhara laughed.

“Well, I have some outfits out back they can have if they want, free of charge.” Uruhara watched as Toushiro, Renji and Rangiku all scowled.

“Free of charge?” Toushiro repeated.

“Yes. Do you not believe me?”

“Why are you giving them away?”

“Because I think they would make more use of them than I would.”

Toushiro sighed, no point in arguing with Uruhara. Ururu, one of Uruhara’s young assistants, came into the room carrying a stack of boxes. Each was labeled with either ‘Ayame’ or ‘Rukia’.

So it surprised Rangiku when Uruhara tossed her a box with her name labeled on it. She cast Uruhara a long side glance before opening it.

Inside was a brand new winter-yukata, a stunning shade of white with pink cherry blossoms and butterflies decorating the sleeves, shoulders and skirt. It came with a black and red obi, and several assorted hairclips.

Rangiku looked at Uruhara in shock; he waved his hand with a smile.

“I’ve had it for a while, but couldn’t think of whom to give it to. Consider it an early Christmas present.” He said, laughing as Rangiku continued to look at him with wide eyes.



Toushiro smirked, and moved upstairs to discard his gigai. He found Ayame and Rukia already back in their soul reaper bodies, curled up on the floor of what had been their bedroom just this morning.

They weren’t talking crying or anything. They were just curled up together, eyes open and gazing blankly into space.

Toushiro turned to leave, but then Ayame called his name; he turned and found both girls looking at him, smiling sadly. He returned their smile, and removed himself from his gigai. He let Uruhara’s assistants take it to put in storage with the others. It felt good to be back in his proper body, the gigai he had been in had a limited range of physical feelings and whatnot.

Just this morning he had not even felt it when half a tree branch fell on his head, and last night…



Ayame and Rukia got to their feet, and gathered up their zanpakuto. Rukia ruffled Toushiro’s hair on her way past, no doubt in search of Renji. Ayame stepped into Toushiro’s arms and hugged him tightly, he returned the gesture. Ayame didn’t seem quite so scared anymore, she almost seemed… content. Toushiro ran his fingers through her hair, she sighed.

“I hope brother does not react badly to the… news…” she whispered, tracing her fingers over the brooch that held Hyorinmaru in place. Toushiro silently agreed, Byakuya’s wrath was the last thing they needed at the moment. Ayame’s stomach growled, and Toushiro laughed.

“Better hope dinner is served by the time we get home, hmm?” he murmured, stepping back so that he could see the laughter in Ayame’s eyes, wondering if it would be the last time. He hoped not.

Ayame must have guessed what he was thinking; she stood on her toes and kissed him gently.

“I’ll be fine, with the knowledge that you and my family are waiting for me, I will make it through this and see you again.” She said, looking directly into his eyes. In hers he saw no more fear, or doubt. He saw determination, and sadness for leaving her loved ones behind.

He wondered briefly what she saw in his, until Rukia called to tell them it was time to go.



The pair arrived in Uruhara’s underground battlefield to find Ukitake and Byakuya waiting for them, as well as Momo, Izuru and two other soul reapers, one lady from eighth division, and that Ichioru guy from eleventh. This last pair were carrying several boxes each with the ‘Ayame’ and ‘Rukia’ labels on them; Izuru was carrying a few more. Momo was holding a large medical kit, looking tired but happy to see Toushiro and Renji again.

Ukitake smiled as he watched Toushiro and Ayame approach him, Byakuya looked pale and worried. He swept a hand over Ayame’s forehead as soon as she was within arm’s reach, and sighed with relief when she seemed perfectly fine.



She hugged her brother, reassuring him nothing had gone wrong during their stay. Uruhara hung back, away from the crowd, looking grim and detached. Yoruichi, in cat from, sat on his shoulder.

Ukitake ruffled Ayame’s hair with a smirk, and turned to look at Toushiro. And did a double-take. Toushiro looked older, taller than he had just four days ago. Despite the circles under his eyes, Toushiro looked moderately cheerful, if not just a little but smug. He caught Ukitake watching him, and for once, didn’t snap. He just gazed blankly at Ukitake until the latter looked away, shaking his head slightly.



Instead he watched as Rukia and Ayame quizzed Uruhara over the contents of the boxes, he refused to tell them, and had rigged the boxes so that they couldn’t be opened until Christmas day. Ayame scowled, and asked which Christmas. Uruhara laughed and said hers weren’t rigged; she could open them only when they returned safely to Soul Society. Toushiro sighed and shook his head. Uruhara could be so infuriating sometimes.

Byakuya turned to face the entrance to Soul Society, declaring it was time to leave. Ayame hugged Uruhara and whispered something to Yoruichi; them slid her hand discreetly into Toushiro’s, and followed her brother through the gateway, and back into the Seireitei.



***



After bathing, Ayame met up with the rest of the ‘team’ and enjoyed a decent, burn-free meal. Uruhara could cook, but sometimes he burned things. Actually, most times he burned things. And nobody really likes to live on a charcoal-rich diet.

Afterwards, Rukia invited Toushiro back to the Kuchiki manor for drinks. He accepted, and inquired if Renji was going to come too. Rukia blushed, and moved through the small crowd to find him.

Ayame stayed close to Toushiro the whole night, laughing at the jokes Renji told, and talking with Rukia about life before becoming a soul reaper. Toushiro sighed and sipped his drink, looking out the window as the snow began to fall. He noticed when the others fell silent, also watching the snow fall. Ayame leaned against Toushiro’s shoulder, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap.

Together, with Rukia, Renji and Byakuya, they watched the snow fall and blanket the Seireitei with soft white powder, only when the cold began to settle in did they close the windows and head for the bedrooms.

Ayame followed Toushiro to his quarters, ignoring his protesting about her getting sick. So of course when the cold got to her so much as to make her transform, he only stood there with his arms folded, eyebrows raised.

After a moment to let his message sink in, he gathered up Ayame’s clothes, and the white cat Ayame had become, and went into his living space out of the cold.

“I’m sorry Toushiro.” Ayame said softly after he set her down on the couch. He looked at her quizzically. She dipped her head.

“I don’t care much for my own health… I care too much for the health of others… I’m sorry… you had to do this for me.” She said, avoiding Toushiro’s eyes. He knelt down beside her, and stroked the length of her back. When she looked up at him, he smiled.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to be sorry. Just remember to look after yourself as much as others. By hurting yourself, you also inflict pain on those who care about you.”

Ayame blinked up at Toushiro, his eyes didn’t give anything away. She gave him a catlike scowl, and then dragged his Hyorinmaru away into his bedroom so that she could change back into a human.

Toushiro laughed softly, and set about making some tea. Hopefully tomorrow they would find out what was going to be done about Ayame’s need for a stasis chamber.



Ayame came back into his kitchen minutes later, wearing… a dress shirt. One of those shirts human men wore under like… a tuxedo. She was wearing one as a dress, since it was much too big to be a normal shirt on her. Toushiro looked at her blankly, she just smiled.

“It was Uruhara’s, he gave it to me.” She explained, twirling on the spot to show Toushiro the 360 degree view. He sighed, and shook his head with a smile. Ayame wasn’t very subtle.

She sat down on his couch as he served the tea, and watched him as he drank. He felt nervous, and didn’t know why. It appeared Ayame was going to stay the night, which should be no big deal. They had shared a bed the past few nights… but tonight they would be… alone…

Ayame must have sensed his worry, she kissed his cheek. When he looked into her eyes, she smiled and kissed him again.

“Don’t worry, I wont try anything. Promise.” She said, her eyes glittering with laughter. Toushiro laughed, she just wanted to be with someone… incase she needed that stasis pod sooner rather than later.

But when Ayame was curled up beside him on the mattress an hour later, breathing deeply and evenly, it occurred to him that perhaps she just wanted to be with him, because…

“I love you… Toushiro…”

Toushiro froze, she may have been sleep talking, but what she said sunk into Toushiro quickly and thoroughly. She loved him? He didn’t know what to do… he couldn’t really say anything, she was sleeping. That aside, he hugged her closer, and kissed her forehead.

“Love you too, Ayame.”



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



Toushiro got up before Ayame, which was odd. She usually always was awake before him, even if she hadn’t made it out of bed yet. Ayame was still sleeping even after Toushiro had cooked – and eaten his breakfast.

He tried waking her, but she only groaned and rolled away. In the end he gave up, and sent for Rukia with a hell butterfly.

She arrived within minutes, Renji in tow. Toushiro barely raised an eyebrow, he guessed it made sense for the pair to end up so close, they had grown up together outside of the Seireitei before becoming soul reapers.

“Ayame won’t wake up. Would you mind watching her or something while I go do some paperwork? I wouldn’t usually leave her like this… but…” Rukia sighed and waved a hand at Toushiro as she and Renji filed past him into his room, and seated themselves comfortably on the couch.

“She’s my sister, Captain. Think nothing of it.” Rukia said with a smile. Renji looked back over his shoulder at Ayame, still sleeping in Toushiro’s bed. He then looked back at Toushiro with something that resembled disbelief. Toushiro scowled and turned to leave.

He then backpedaled and turned to look both Rukia and Renji squarely in the eyes, ignoring their shocked expressions.

“Do not… mess up… my room. Make a mess… and you will die.” He said in a very low voice. He could see Rukia shaking, and saw when Renji swallowed awkwardly. Pleased that his message had been understood fully, Toushiro turned on his heel and practically flew out of his room towards the tenth division captain’s office.



Rangiku was sleeping on the couch when he arrived; he was feeling mellow enough to let her rest for a while longer before having her do some work. It was a quiet winter morning, so he noticed when Rangiku began moaning in her sleep. After about five minutes, Toushiro pushed his chair back from his desk, and knelt beside his lieutenant.

She didn’t have the scent of sake on her breath, nor did he see any empty bottles lying around. She was just… dreaming. Toushiro scowled and prodded her face.

“Wake up Matsumoto. Another day in Soul Society, get up and face it.” He said tiredly, prodding her face slightly harder. She moaned again and rolled away from him, mumbling something into the back of the couch.

Toushiro gently rolled her so that she was lying on her back again, and she mumbled something so quietly, Toushiro barely even heard it.

“Gin…”

Toushiro froze, Ichimaru Gin had been gone… for ages. Months as he remembered. He also remembered Gin was a traitor and had left Soul Society with Aizen and Tousen with the breakdown sphere. Hence all the Arrancars that had been troubling them lately.

Rangiku looked sad in her sleep, Toushiro took a tissue from his pocket and dabbed at the tears that escaped her closed eyes. She must have felt his hand, for her eyes fluttered open, and she look up at Toushiro, clearly confused.



“Captain? What going on?” she said, sitting up and taking in her surroundings. Toushiro sighed and handed her the tissue. She looked at it, and then touched her eyes.

“You were dreaming of him. Of Ichimaru.” Toushiro whispered. Rangiku cried openly now, even after all this time she still felt the pain Gin had caused when he betrayed the soul reapers, and broke her heart.

Toushiro patted her head awkwardly, not sure of what to do. So he was relieved when Rukia slipped in with Ayame and Renji. Ayame immediately flew to Rangiku’s side, and hugged her tightly. Toushiro looked away from the tears, not wanting to have to remember this moment someday.

Ayame coughed slightly, and whispered something gentle to Rangiku. The strawberry blonde nodded with a weak smile, and whispered something back. Toushiro cast Ayame a long side glance; she was pale… and seemed physically weak. He eyed Renji, who was watching her like a hawk.

She must have fallen over at some point on their way here… he frowned as Ayame coughed again. He hoped it was just a cough. He prayed it was just a cough.



***



Ayame didn’t cough again until after dinner, and she glanced at Toushiro with something close to guilt as she did. He watched her as she gulped down some water with guarded eyes, making sure not to mistake her mild coughs for exactly what they seemed to be – mild coughs.

Ayame didn’t seem as unwell as she had been in the past, so Toushiro said perhaps she should stay with her family tonight, so that Byakuya wouldn’t feel left out, what with Ayame being with Toushiro and Rukia tagging along after Renji all the time. Ayame agreed, and kissed Toushiro’s cheek gently before heading back to the Kuchiki manor.

Toushiro wandered back to his room, and sighed when he found a passed-out-drunk Rangiku on his couch. He left her there after throwing a blanket over her, and crawled into bed.



***



Ayame slid open the door to Byakuya’s room, and found him reading a book on his couch. He looked up and smiled as she shut the door behind herself and crawled up onto the couch beside him.

“Good evening, Brother.” She said, leaning gently on his shoulder.

“Hello Ayame, how are you feeling?” he asked, closing his book (it looked to be educational and important) and putting an arm around Ayame’s shoulders. She looked from the closed book to her brother’s face; he made her feel important when he did things like that.

Just before the trip to the human world, she and Rukia had been training in the manor’s private sparring room when they accidentally broke one of Byakuya’s wooden swords. They both went to find him and apologize. He was in the middle of a captain’s meeting, and excused himself so that he could hug the pair of them and tell them not to worry about it, as long as neither of them was hurt.

He had changed a lot since Rukia came to being his sister, his promise to his late wife Hisana as well as watching and learning from people like Ichigo. Those things had made him softer, kinder towards his sister. And now he had Ayame to care for as well, and seeing her smile and laugh with Rukia was worth the worry when she got very sick.

Ayame smiled at her brother, she knew she didn’t have to say anything for him to understand. It was just a Kuchiki thing.

There was a faint knock on the door, and Rukia poked her head inside, Both Ayame and Byakuya smiled at her, and she let herself in, and curled up on Byakuya’s other side.

The head of the Kuchiki clan held his two sisters close, fearing that this would be the last time in a long time; they could be a family like this.

If only he knew how right he was.



***



Toushiro had a fitful sleep, plagued with dreams of death and blood. He woke up in a cold sweat, breathing hard like he had been running for his life. He ran his hand through his fluffy silver hair, trying to calm down.

When that didn’t work, he got up and went to make himself some tea. He liked tea, it was soothing to make and drink.

But when he glanced out the window, he forgot all about the tea. There was a ghostly white dog sitting in mid-air, watching him. Okay it was waaaaaaaaaaaay to big to be a dog, it must be…

A wolf.

Ayame’s zanpakuto, she had said it had twin spirits, Wolf Ghosts. She had once said to him they were Touketsu Sakura and Aisu Enmu, otherwise known as Frozen Blossom and Ice Haze. This spirit has pink eyes, it must be Frozen Blossom. He walked up to the window, and peered at the wolf closely. She stood up, and made to move away. But then she stopped and turned back to Toushiro, a pleading look in her eyes.

Without a second thought, Toushiro pulled on some clothes, and grabbed Hyorinmaru. His zanpakuto felt warm in his hand, a worried feeling ebbed from the sheath into Toushiro’s body.

Toushiro vaulted out of the window, and quickly followed Blossom’s ghost-like figure out into the snow. It had started to fall quite heavily, and Toushiro was suddenly glad he had put on thick clothes and grabbed his scarf on the way out.

He struggled to keep up with Blossom; she melted into the snow easily. Eventually, Toushiro sighted a dark ghost-wolf with glowing blue eyes – Ice Haze. He led Toushiro through the blizzard easily.



Eventually they came to a snow-blanketed field, and Toushiro could see a figure kneeling in its center. Toushiro knew immediately it was Ayame, and thanked the gods he was light enough to jump over the snow easily without sinking any further than his ankles.

The snow swirled around Ayame, but seemed to avoid her slightly. She was practically sitting in a snow-free bubble of air, and she turned with a startled expression to see Toushiro standing behind her with Blossom and Haze. She scowled at the pair of them as they faded into the snow, but she stood up and smiled as Toushiro pulled her into his embrace.

“What are you doing out here Ayame? All by yourself?” Toushiro whispered, hugging her thin frame to his.

She was wearing a white kimono, with a thick pink one underneath. The outer layer was decorated with soft pink butterflies and cherry blossoms. She didn’t look of feel cold; she just smiled serenely at Toushiro as he gazed at her in confusion.

“Brother and Rukia are sleeping. I could not, so I came out here to enjoy winter at its finest.” She whispered, leaning against Toushiro’s chest. He hugged her, gazing out into the gathering blizzard.

“Wont you get sick if you stay out here?” he asked, pulling back so that he could see her face. She looked… sad. She looked up into his eyes, and he could have sworn she was trying to tell him something.

He found out sooner than he hoped to, just what it was.

Ayame gently freed herself from Toushiro’s arms, and turned to look out into the snowstorm. Toushiro watched as she held her arms out, the snow whipping around her like she was some kind of snow queen.

Then she coughed. Toushiro watched as she cleared her throat, and stood watching the snow as if nothing had happened. Toushiro turned his gaze from her, and watched the snow as well. It was captivating in its beauty, no matter what terror it may have held in the past.

Ayame coughed again, this time it sounded like there was thick liquid in the back of her throat. Toushiro froze; he could faintly smell something like iron, a wet, terrifying smell that filled every nerve in his body with dread. Fresh blood, it was the smell of fresh blood.

Toushiro couldn’t move, he was afraid of what he would see if he turned around. Terrified that he might be too late. He didn’t want to watch Ayame die. Not now, not ever.

“Tou…shiro…” his name was filled with blood, but Ayame didn’t sound scared. She sounded worried, for him and not herself. Toushiro forced himself to turn and face his fears.

Ayame was on her knees, bent over at the waist with bright red blood streaming from her mouth and seeping into the smooth, white snow around her. Blossom and Haze had re-appeared, and were standing by Ayame with sad faces. Their zanpakuto lay on the snow nearby, all but forgotten.

Toushiro ran back to Ayame, and caught her as she began to fall. He knelt in the blood-soaked snow behind her, and pulled her into his lap. He pulled open her kimono until all she wore was the thin cotton dress shirt she wore to bed last night. He used the sleeve of her kimono to wipe blood from her face, it was now pouring from her eyes, nose and mouth.

“This can’t happen now… I’m not ready.” She paused as she coughed again, more blood oozing from her mouth. Toushiro was dead silent and kept wiping the blood away. “I don’t want to leave you, it’s too soon…”

“It’s okay Ayame. You’re not alone. I’m here, same as always.” Toushiro whispered. He tried to sound calm so that Ayame wouldn’t worry, but they both knew the other was breaking apart inside.

Toushiro barely noticed as the hell butterfly battled the snowstorm to get to the pair. After it had gone again, he knew someone somewhere was looking for them. He heard Ayame whisper his name.

“Save your strength Ayame, don’t talk.” He whispered, wiping her damp hair away from her sweaty face. She looked up at him with red eyes, tears of blood streaming down her face to soak into his captain’s robe.

“You’re crying… T’Shiro…” she whispered. Toushiro bit his tongue.

“I can’t help it…” he growled, holding her tight. Her hand touched his cheek.

“Don’t cry.” She whispered again, eyelids fluttering. Her breathing was working into a wet pant, he could see and hear the blood that was starting to clog her airways.

“I wish… we had more time… it’s too late…” she murmured, her head turning limply into Toushiro’s lap. He put a hand to her cheek and turned her face to look at him. He rubbed a bloody tear from her face, smearing red across her cheek. She looked up at him with failing vision.

“It’s never too late. You’re going to live.” He whispered, and bent to touch his cold lips to Ayame’s blood-soaked ones. His tears mixed with her blood. He felt Ayame shudder, and she pulled away and coughed up what was left of her blood onto the snow. Toushiro could do no more than hold her, he was frozen in the snow with Ayame dying in his arms.

Their relationship was wonderful and terrible… and seemed to be over too soon. But Toushiro forbade himself to think that, they were going to save her, they had to save her. There was no other option.



Ayame turned her head into Toushiro’s lap, her arms awkwardly wrapped around his waist. She cried tears of blood, he didn’t even care that his last clean uniform was ruined. Ayame grew very still, and the snow seemed to die away with her breathing. Toushiro stroked her hair, his eyes blank and lifeless. He could hear voices on the wind, and Ayame turned to see Byakuya and Rukia come running through the snow towards her. She tried to smile and greet them, but her words were lost as the last of her life blood ran red rivers from her eyes, nose and mouth.

Her family and loved ones watched in horror as her life drained away, barely noticing as Mayuri appeared and jammed a needle into her neck. Ukitake appeared, and ran to Toushiro first. He helped the young captain to his feet and Mayuri caught Ayame’s limp body. He handed Toushiro a tissue to wipe the blood from his mouth.

Then he watched with Byakuya, Rukia and Ukitake as Mayuri carried Ayame’s body away towards the finished stasis chamber, and felt their hearts ripping as Blossom and Haze lifted their noses to the sky and howled.



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



Toushiro couldn’t move. He couldn’t think, all traces of self were lost in the snowstorm. Everything was blank, white. He only barely noticed when it all went black. He awoke in the hospital, Hanataro was watching over him, with bloodshot eyes and a wad of tissues in hand.

Toushiro didn’t say anything; the will to communicate had left him. So he didn’t protest when Rangiku and Renji came in to take him somewhere. He could see that they were speaking to him, but their words fell on deaf ears. He knew that whatever Mayuri had injected into Ayame, had prevented her body from dying. She was still alive. But the experience of her coming so very close to death had all but crushed Toushiro. He could see that the other captains took pity on him; most of them knew the pain of losing someone dear to them. Byakuya felt pain much like Toushiro, perhaps more because they were family, but Rukia had been so traumatized by the occurrence that Ukitake had her sent to the Kurosaki hospital in the human world to settle down. Renji was displeased, but had to remain behind to help incase Toushiro should cause the crater-forming uproar that Rukia did.

It had taken two captains and their lieutenants to bring down Rukia, they would need all the help they could get to try and restrain a grief-enraged Toushiro.

But the latter was beyond grief-driven violence. He was beyond everything. He was empty, hollow. Rangiku and Renji escorted him (carried him on a stretcher) to twelfth division’s labs, to where Ayame would be frozen in time until they found her a cure.

They were let inside the dark room by Nemu, her usually expressionless face seemed sad, and her eyes far away. Toushiro was set down next to a steel table, upon which lay the pale figure of Ayame.



They had cleaned the blood from her body, and dressed her in a turquoise, Chinese-style dress that split at her hips, revealing much of her thighs, clad in black tights that cut off just short of her knees. On her feet were simple black slippers.

Her silken black hair was unrestrained and cascaded over the edge of the table just within Toushiro’s reach. His hand moved slowly to touch a loose strand of her hair, and slowly pulled himself to his feet.

Ayame’s skin was close to white, her body void of blood. Toushiro didn’t care how she was still alive, but seeing her chest rise and fall with her slow breathing brought a little of the light back into his eyes.

Ayame looked thin and frail, with dark shadows under her eyes that gave her a ghostlike, vampiric appearance. When Toushiro’s hand touched her arm, her skin was ice cold.

Byakuya entered the room shortly after Toushiro, Rukia clinging to his arm. Renji made no move to comfort her, as she moved to stand opposite Toushiro on Ayame’s other side. Byakuya stood by her, an arm around her shoulders. Rukia looked better now that she had calmed down from yesterday’s horror. She took one of Ayame’s hands in both of her own, and held it to her heart. Mayuri stood at Ayame’s head, his face blank as he prepared a serum to keep Ayame alive for the next decade or so.

As he moved to inject it into her neck, Ayame’s eyes opened a fraction. Her vision was clear, and her eyes wandered over the faces before her. She stopped finally at Toushiro, his eyes wide, both fearful and hopeful at the same time. Her free hand twitched, and Toushiro took it in one hand, his other moving to brush the tears from her eyes.

“Thank god you’re alive…” he whispered, shaking slightly. Ayame smiled weakly, and held onto his hand with the limited strength she could muster.

“I’m okay, Shiro. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…” she murmured, her voice hoarse and rough. Toushiro met her gaze with sad eyes, he was never good at this sort of thing. He felt a hand on his shoulder – Rangiku. He was glad to have her as a lieutenant; she could help him through this ordeal.

Toushiro chanced a small smile; she had called him Shiro, kind of like how Momo used to call him Lil’Shiro when he was younger. Ayame’s eyes glittered as his smile widened, but the sadness remained in his eyes.

“I know you’ll be fine. I have faith in your strength, and Mayuri’s ability.” Toushiro didn’t mention how much he disapproved of Mayuri’s methods, but he knew with Uruhara’s secretive help, the pair would no doubt find a cure, or a way to neutralize the hollow-material that was killing Ayame.



Ayame smiled, and closed her eyes. She folded both her hands over her heart, and felt as Rukia, Byakuya, Toushiro, Rangiku and Renji all put their hands over hers. Her family would always be with her, this moment would be in her memory for as long as she was frozen.

She winced as the needle punctured her neck, and injected her with bright green fluid. She was then carried by Renji to a large round platform, which was the base of the cylindrical tank that would enclose her. She was set down on the floor, and Renji stood back behind the others to watch the freezing process. Toushiro’s head snapped up and he called for Mayuri to wait a minute. Toushiro pulled himself up onto the platform beside Ayame, and pulled a small silver chain out from the folds of his shihakusho.

Dangling from this chain was a small silver snowflake with a tiny diamond in its center. He unclasped the chain and secured it around Ayame’s neck. She looked up at him in wonder. He smiled warmly.

“I saw this in a shop back when we were at school with Ichigo and company. I thought you would like it, I was hoping to give it to you… under better circumstances…” he said, watching as Ayame peered at the pendant in wonder.

“It’s beautiful… thank you Shiro.” She said, before crawling forwards and kissing Toushiro as best she could manage. He held her up, knowing she would probably crumple if he let her go now. When the pair parted, Toushiro looked into her darkened purple eyes.

“I’ll be waiting for you when you wake up.” He said, touching her cheek gently. She smiled with tears in her eyes. She pulled him into a tight hug.

“I’ll be looking forward to that day, then.” She replied, kissing him gently as he moved away. He slid down off the platform as Mayuri tapped the controls to seal her inside a glass cylinder, which after locking in place began to fill with water. Ayame wasn’t afraid, she really didn’t need air anymore, and breathing was just habitual.

Once the tank was full, Mayuri turned his gaze on Toushiro, and indicated that he draw his zanpakuto. Toushiro drew Hyorinmaru from its sheath, and touched the tip to the glass between him and Ayame. She pressed her fingertips to the glass opposite Hyorinmaru, and Toushiro could tell she was crying. He tried to compose himself as he closed his eyes, and focused on Hyorinmaru.

“I call upon you, Hyorinmaru of Ice, allow me use of your power, and stop time within this room. Preserve the life of this soul, so that she may be saved in the future.” Toushiro’s voice echoed off the walls, and the group watched in amazement as the entire room was encased in ice. The floor, walls and roof all became covered in a fine layer of blue-white ice, and a sculpture in the likeness of Hyorinmaru’s dragon from was coiled around Ayame’s tank, as if sealing her in and protecting her from time itself.



Then the floor surrounding the tank began to sprout long, sharp icicles, which grew to form a kind of fence around the tank. More icicles grew down from the roof, and out of some of the walls. There was a good chance anyone who came in here without permission would slip over and impale themselves on one such icicle. Pleasant thought, that.

Toushiro stepped back to admire what Hyorinmaru had done, and through the ice he could see Ayame suspended in the water, frozen in time. He face was smooth and blank, her eyes closed with her hair drifting gently around her. Toushiro smiled slightly, he knew she would be safe here.

For a while… at least.



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

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

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



It’s … cold… why is it so cold? I can barely feel my body, nothing is responding. My eyes feel so heavy… I wonder if I can open them?

…

I can… good. Everything around me looks blurry, and pale. White… blue… am I floating in water? I don’t know, I don’t even know if I’m breathing. I cant be if I’m in water, I’d drown. What.. happened to me? There are black wisps floating across my vision… is that my hair?

…

There is someone standing on the other side of the invisible wall that holds the water in around me. He’s very tall, with silvery hair. My vision is getting a bit better, but my eyes hurt a bit, like I havent used them in years. The man has thin, spidery hands. He’s wearing a strange white outfit, something tells me he’s not from the Seireitei. Or he was, once, because I can see him drawing out his zanpakuto. It’s really short… I wonder what he is going to do with it…

…

His zanpakuto is growing longer, I can almost hear him speaking to it, telling it something. All the strange white things surrounding my watery cage are being broken up. He’s trying to get me out of here.

Is that good… or bad?

His zanpakuto is now aimed at my tank, he commands it to shatter the glass and leave me intact. I see the blade skewer the tank, and the glass shatters around me. Water flows everywhere, and I find myself dropped to the floor of the tank, unable to move in the slightest. The man waits for he water to go away before he slowly approaches me. I can see now, his eyes are closed… or actually rather squinty. He looks familiar, but I cant remember where I have seen him before. Hell, I cant even remember my name.

He stands on the platform beside me, and prods my shoulder with his foot. He’s making sure I’m alive… I guess. He crouches down beside me, I glance up at him, his expression is hard to read. He notices me watching him, and grins. That grin… I know it from somewhere…

“Well well, looks like I caught myself a live Ayame.” He said in a strange voice. Something stirs inside of me, Ayame. That is my name. Ayame Kuchiki. My brother… Byakuya, and sister. Rukia.

I watch the man as he checks my vital systems, and groan as he rolls me onto my back. I try to move as he starts to undo my clothes, which feel oddly tight now that the cold water is all gone. He sits me up against his leg, and opens the front of the blue-green garment I’m wearing.

If I could scream, I would have. My entire belly is blue-black and bruised. It looks like it’s rotting from the inside out. The man sighs and touches the tender flesh, I’m ashamed to admit his touch made my head spin. In a good way… He watched me through his squinty eyes as I sighed and tried not to meet his narrow gaze, he did up the buttons on my clothes again.

“You seem to have grown some these past few years. So much for being ‘frozen in time’, you still grew, and so did the Material.” He said, gathering me into his arms, and standing up. I didn’t know what he meant, I couldn’t remember anything. He carried me away from the tank, I saw there was shattered ice everywhere. I looked down at myself, and vaguely saw what he meant. My body looked longer, and my hips were definitely wider. I didn’t even want to think about what bra size I would be now, just seeing how the dress I wore streatched across my chest made me blush.

The man set me down on a table, and pulled a strange white robe out of his own. He found a towel in a cupboard I couldn’t see, and handed it to me. I found I could sort of move now, and sat up to dry myself. He told me to change into the dry clothes. He didn’t grant me any privacy, I wondered if he was a perv.

When I pulled off the green garment and dropped it on the floor, the man sighed and stared out of a drak window. Maybe not a perv. I dried myself off as best I could, and slid carefully onto the floor so I could try and put this strange garment on that he had given me.

Once I had it on, I saw a mirror and looked at myself. My hair had grown so long it touched the floor, and my purple eyes looked sad, and dull. But what caught my attention was the clothes the grinning man had given me. I knew these clothes. I knew this man.

“Ichimaru… Gin…” I whispered, and the man pulled me up against his chest, running his long, thin fingers through my overgrown hair.

“So yeh know me. I’m pleased.” He whispered, igoring my feeble attempts to escape him. The clothes he had given me were not unlike the ones the Arrancars wore. I was slowly remembering things, and knew this man was here to take that Hollow-Material that was poisoning me.

He may very well be here to kill me.

I felt my body go limp again, and Gin lifted me into his arms. His smile never faded as he carried me out of the room, and into the dark of night.

“How long…” I began, but Gin’s grin made me fall silent. I hope he isnt into the whole captive-rape thing, I cant deal with that right now.

“You’ve been asleep for seven years to the day, love.” He whispered, holding me closer as he snuck around the deserted Seireitei. I tried to push him away, and he paused. Stopping and looking down at me, his eyes opened a fraction. They were blood red, and captivating.

“If you don’t stop squirming I’m gonna have to put you to sleep again.” He said in a teasing voice, his eyes closing to be squinty again. I squared my jaw mentally prepared to give him a blast.

“Go ahead, see if I care.” I said, glad that I could at least hear the venom in my voice. Gin smirked, and hitched me up higher against his chest. All the while my brain was in overload, all I could think was;

PERV PERV PERV ZOMG PERV GIN BAD PERV PEDO PERV PERV…

He smiled even wider (if that’s even possible) and lowered his face so that it was barely an inch from mine. I couldn’t move, he had me.

“You sure you don’t want to reconsider that statement?” he purred. Now all I could think was;

PERV FOX PERV SNAKE GIN BAD PERV HOT PERV ZOMG NO…

I was getting mixed messages, and my brain hurt. I couldn’t resist even if I wanted to. He was tempting me in a way I couldn’t fathom. He made me want things my current state couldn’t accommodate, as well as things my brain couldn’t even articulate.

He was screwing with my brain, making me want him. Badly.

It was then he kissed me, and I coudlnt help but melt in his arms. My body went limp, and before I passed out, all I was thinking was;

“Forgive me, Toushiro Hitsugaya…”



***



Toushiro sat bolt upright in bed, he had heard a familiar voice speak him name. He looked around, eyes wide in alarm. He could sense something was wrong. Ayame…

He looked out the window towards twelfth division’s area, and saw that the ice pillar that had marked Ayame’s place was broken in half. That meant she was free, awake. Alive.

But Mayuri told him just hours ago the cure was not yet ready, she needed to remain in the tank for a while more. So that meant…

She had been stolen, abducted. Aizen was behind this.



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