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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:15:16 GMT -6
Bleach Unrated: REBOOTEDCurrent Arc: The ChaosEpisode 571 “No Two Snowflakes”: Toshiro sat in his office rifling through the paperwork of the day, looking over requests and case files and debriefings. It was a typical day at Tenth Division, something Toshiro had come to find comforting. Despite the heavy workload the division usually saw, the regularity of it amongst the chaos that was the other aspects of a shinigami’s job was something Toshiro could rely on to always be the same. However there were times when something came in throughout the day to break up the monotony of the day.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Toshiro called without looking up from his work.
What came through was nothing short of a brisk winter’s wind to wake him up from his midday sluggishness. |
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:18:27 GMT -6
“Toshi-nii! I got your letter!” Haku trotted in through Toshiro’s door. Like always, the young captain was working on the buckets of paperwork Tenth Division always seemed to be doing. The captain looked up to give Haku a halfhearted glare.
“I thought I told you about a million times already to call me ‘Captain Hitsugaya’,” Toshiro sighed at the young Soul Reaper in training.
“But we’re so close in age!” Haku stepped up to the captain’s desk and leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge as he looked down at the paperwork he was doing, scanning the documents absentmindedly without much actual care for what was said on them. He grinned at his fellow white-haired Shinigami. “It’d feel weird if I called you ‘Captain Hitsugaya.’”
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:18:58 GMT -6
“I also outrank you several times over, so no, it would not,” Toshiro tried to reason with him.
He shuffled together some of the more sensitive documents and shoved them into his desk drawers. Haku, social butterfly that he was, also was infamous amongst the Gotei for being able to sniff out the most confidential of information. It wasn’t that he was nosey. He just had a subconscious knack for finding things and chatting up the officers in ways that made their tongues loosen.
A fact that Toshiro thought would make Haku perfect for Third, Ninth, or even his own division.
He was also sure that his last name made him somewhat of a trusted person amongst the officers, despite the fact that the boy wasn’t even in the academy yet. The upper ranking officers had all learned their lessons.
When Haku shrugged off his comment, Toshiro sighed. “Anyway, I’m glad you got my letter. I meant to meet with you a bit sooner, but things came up.” Toshiro stood and walked around his desk, motioning for them to sit at the couches and coffee table off to the side of his office.
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:21:31 GMT -6
Haku followed Toshiro and sat down across from him with a shake of his head. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I know you’re busy. You’re a captain, after all. I know I can’t go around bugging all of the senior officers all day.”
Toshiro gave him a dead-eyed stare, not saying a word. Haku smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “Well, now I do.”
Toshiro grabbed a tray of jam cookies that Suzume had baked and pulled them between the two of them, grabbing a tray of tea as well. “Well, nevertheless, I appreciate your patience.”
Haku reached down and poured himself a cup of tea, noticing it was English black tea from Sasakibe’s garden. He smiled, wondering if his uncle and guardian had sent some back with the letter. He poured milk and a small drizzle of honey into it, stirring it, then grabbing a few of the jam cookies.
“So, what did you want to talk about? Kibe-jisan said the letter didn’t specify. Or, well, I should say he didn’t tell me if the letter specified or not. Just that you wanted to talk about something important,” Haku took a sip of the tea, humming when he tasted that it was perfectly brewed. He imagined his uncle talking Toshiro’s ear off or writing and extremely long letter about western tea, though somehow, he also imagined that was a conversation or letter that Toshiro would have been deeply interested in.
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:22:57 GMT -6
Toshiro fixed himself a cup of tea, adding milk and foregoing sugar or honey. He left the cookies for Haku, having already secretly devoured about a half dozen of them before Haku had walked in. “You have a very precious friend, Haku. I hope you know that.”
Haku paused with a strawberry jam cookie halfway in his mouth. “Wha ‘o you mea’?” He said as he bit into the cookie.
Toshiro sighed and rolled his eyes. “Surely your uncle and grandfather taught you better manners than that.” He couldn’t help but be amused by Haku’s impish grin as he finished off the cookie in record time. “I mean your friend Makino Tori. She came to my door the other night asking for advice because she was worried about you.”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:23:49 GMT -6
Haku choked on his next cookie. He quickly washed it down with a huge gulp of his tea, couching the crumbs out of his throat. “Wait, she did what?! Why would she do that?!”
Toshiro tilted his head at Haku, handing him a cloth napkin. “And why do you think? What reason would she have for coming to me specifically?”
Haku grimaced, setting his tea and cookies down onto the coffee table. “So… she told you. About my zanpakuto.” Haku looked down at his mostly healed hand. It was still a bit red and blotchy in some areas, but the rest of the skin was pink and healthy. He wasn’t even on painkillers anymore. A few more days and he’d be set. “I… I don’t know what happened. It’s been happening more and more recently. Before it was just a cup of tea or when I brushed my hair. But that time… it’s like it overflowed out like a waterfall. I don’t know why.”
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:24:50 GMT -6
“Really? You can’t begin to think of why?” Toshiro asked him, not in an accusing tone, but in pleading for him to open his eyes.
Toshiro leaned forward, placing a hand on the coffee table as he leaned closer to Haku. “Haku, I understand that you didn’t get what you wanted when you first connected with your zanpakuto spirit. I understand how disappointed you must feel. Yamamoto-dono was your grandfather. You may come from Rukongai like I do, but you are his grandson. There is no doubt about that.”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:25:37 GMT -6
Haku sighed heavily and pulled his long, white hair over to one shoulder. He anxiously raked his fingers through it, grabbing a few strands and braiding them absentmindedly before pulling the braid out. He squeezed the length of hair in his hands tightly, turning away from Toshiro.
“That… that doesn’t mean that I can’t hope to be at least a little more like him. I know no one will ever be him, not even me, but… I wanted to feel closer to him.” Haku gritted his teeth together, forcing the surge of emotions down. “He’s gone. I’m never going to see him again. Souls born here don’t get a second life. They get reincarnated. I’m already on my second life, just like you. He’s someone else entirely now. And once I’m gone all of me will be different too. So while I’m here, I want to make the most of my life and spend it feeling as close to him as I possibly can, because after this, that’s it.”
Haku looked at Toshiro, pain filling his eyes. “Having a fire type was just a small piece of that. Something that would have been proof of my identity.”
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:26:08 GMT -6
Toshiro gave a heavy sigh and nodded slowly, leaning back again. “I get it, Haku. What lays in store for us after our second death is something I think about often as well. Recently even. But you have to remember that while you may not have a fire type zanpakuto, you have something just as powerful.”
He stood up and walked around the couch to sit next to Haku. He lifted his injured hand in front of them. “Your ice is colder than anything I’ve seen aside from Rukia Kuchiki’s Bankai. It freezes anything in its path. It’s so cold that it causes instant frostbite. Do you realize how cold something has to be to cause frostbite that instantaneously? That kind of cold is dangerous and can be just as damaging as any flame. You may not have a fire type, but you have ice that burns like fire.”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:27:24 GMT -6
Haku frowned and pulled his hand away, cradling it in his stomach. He shook his head at Toshiro. “And what does that say about me, huh? That I’m cold and uncaring? That I’ll hurt anything and anyone I touch? That no one can get close to me or even stand to be around me?”
Toshiro’s chest squeezed. Haku was asking himself the exact same questions he had asked himself constantly in the Academy and even after that, before he was Third Seat of Tenth Division. He had tortured himself with those questions over and over for years. Convinced himself of the answers.
Toshiro shook his head at Haku. “Don’t think like that. You know that’s not true. Look at me. Look at Rukia Kuchiki. Look at you.” He placed a hand on Haku’s shoulder, encouraging him to look him in the eye. “Ice type or not, there is a fire within you. One that burns hot and bright. You are Haku Yamamoto, Commander Yamamoto’s grandson. No matter what, you will always burn bright like the sun. Even on the coldest nights. It’s in your spirit.”
“But—”
Toshiro cut him off with a shake of his head. “It’s in there. You just have to find it. You have it in you. You have it because your grandfather gave it to you. He believed in you more than any of us in the Gotei. He wouldn’t care what type you had, as long as you did great things with it.”
Haku bit his bottom lip to keep it from trembling as he thought of his grandfather. However, just as quickly as the sorrow came, it was replaced with anger. Anger he was all too familiar with. “They… they took him from me.” He looked up at Toshiro with white hot fury buried deep in his eyes. “I feel so angry… all the time. Every time I think about everything Soul Society has been through because of him. Because of Aizen. After the Winter War I pitied him. But now… after all of this… I hate him. Just as much as everyone else. He nearly tore Soul Society apart because of his own lust for power. And then he did succeed in tearing it apart. But before that…”
Haku balled his hands into fists, gritting his teeth together again in a silent snarl. “The Quincies took him from me. From all of us. They killed my grandfather and destroyed my home. I will never forgive them for that. And I never want to see my home in pieces and flames ever again! Every time we have to pick up the pieces it makes me burn with rage, but I keep quiet about it. I stay silent and I pretend like it doesn’t bother me as much as it does. But still, it’s there. I thought surely that was a sign that I would have a fire type like my grandfather. But now I… I’m worried that the hatred is just turning me cold and unfeeling because I can’t forgive Aizen or the Quincy or anyone else who has destroyed my home and hurt the people in it. I want to protect everything my grandfather worked so hard to build, but… how do I do that if all I can think about is how angry all of this makes me?”
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:28:38 GMT -6
“I understand more than you realize, Haku. You know how much Aizen has taken from me. From all of us. Two of the most important people in my life are gone because of him,” Toshiro’s voice wavered. He squeezed Haku’s shoulder. “I know that burning anger and cold hatred well. Aizen told me during the war that that hatred made me unworthy of being a captain, and I believed him. But now… now I’ve realized the truth.”
Haku gave him a questioning look. “What’s that?”
“That there is a difference between blind hatred and righteous anger. You use that anger—that rage—and harness it for good, not evil. If you control it instead of letting it control you, then you can use it to protect those you care about. Let your desire to protect push you to greater heights. Let that righteous anger burn bright, not with the desire to kill and slaughter, but with the desire to protect. That’s something I learned watching Ichigo Kurosaki fight for what he believed in.”
Toshiro shook his head. “But Haku, you have to learn to control you reiatsu. You can’t let it run wild. People will get hurt, and not just you. If you don’t learn to control it, a lot worse could happen than just a burned hand.” He took Haku’s wrist and squeezed gently. “Leaving your emotions undealt with will only make things worse. Your anger, your fear, your grief. All of it makes your reiatsu harder to control. Face those emotions with courage, and you’ll be able to control your reiatsu. It’s not just about physical strength, but emotional strength too.”
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:30:01 GMT -6
Haku was silent for a moment as he thought over Toshiro’s words. After a moment he nodded and gave a weak smile. “Okay… I will.”
Toshiro nodded firmly, satisfied that something had gotten through to Haku. Suddenly he stood and walked further into his office towards a side door. “Makino also told me that you broke your Asauchi to protect her. So if you understand what it takes to control your reiatsu, then I have something for you.”
Haku watched as the captain opened the door to reveal a supply closet. And sitting inside was a plain katana with no frills or designs. He watched the captain as he picked up the sword and closed the closet.
Toshiro walked back and sat down next to Haku once more. He placed the katana in Haku’s lap. “The headmaster of the Academy gave me this Asauchi. I tried using it to regain Hyorinmaru’s powers, thinking that maybe I had to start all over. But it didn’t work. I couldn’t put so much as an ounce of my reiatsu into it. It wouldn’t take at all. So now I just have this sitting in my supply closet. So if you promise me that you’ll move forward and grow from this experience, and learn to control your reiatsu, then you can have it. Promise?”
Haku’s eyes widened as he picked up the Asauchi. His jaw dropped as he looked over at Toshiro. “I… I promise Toshi-nii. I won’t let you down. I promise.”
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:31:27 GMT -6
Toshiro smiled and nodded. “Then make the most of it. Turn it into the best damn ice type Soul Society has ever seen. One day you’re going to surpass even me. So work hard and give it everything you’ve got. Make the old man proud.”
Haku barely gave Toshiro time to finish speaking as he lurched forward and threw his arms around the captain. Toshiro grunted but Haku just squeezed him tighter. “Thank you, Toshiro. You have no idea what this means to me.”
Toshiro sighed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around the boy, patting his back. “I think I can wager a guess. Just don’t… don’t tell the headmaster I gave it to you. I’d like to keep my head attached.
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Post by Haku "Katsumi" Yamamoto on Nov 14, 2024 18:32:43 GMT -6
Haku pulled away and nodded, standing up from the couch. “I won’t. You’re the best, Toshi-nii!” Haku ran for the door without another word.
“Hey, hey, hey! Where are you going?!” Toshiro lept up, gawking at the boy.
“I’m going to go train! I gotta make up for lost time! Sorry, Toshi-nii! Thanks again!” Haku waved as he was already halfway out the door.
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Post by Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya on Nov 14, 2024 18:34:11 GMT -6
Toshiro sighed and shook his head, bending down to clean up from their tea and cookies. “That kid’s gonna kill us all one of these days. I swear. He’s got too much energy to burn.”
Once Toshiro was finished cleaning, he walked back to his desk. As he sat down he thought about Haku, imagined him graduating from the Academy in however many years it would take him. Surely not the full seven. Toshiro chuckled with a shake of his head.
Though the two of them were both ice type wielders, prodigies of their generation, and shared much of the same feelings for how things had been the past several decades, they couldn’t be more different.
He was excited to see where Haku’s journey led him. -END- "Favor"
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