Prologue: World of Ice and Snow

I dream of a plain of Ice…I feel the presence of Ice…

I hear a voice…an echoing voice.

Crushing…Engulfing…

Resounding into the Distance…just like thunder…

As long as I could remember…I had that dream.

A dream on plains of Ice…and nothingness as far as the eye could see.

But…what was the meaning of this dream…to start with? I wondered as I slowly opened my eyes.

Soon I saw someone staring down into my face. "Good morning! Whitey-Chan!" Hinamori quickly greeted me. It took me a minute or two to understand what was happening.

But soon I glared up at her, "Get out of my face." I told her.

I hear a voice…

"Come on! Get up and eat your breakfast! It's my first day; I don't want to be late!" Hinamori said backing away from me as I sat up. "I'm just gonna to say goodbye to Tecchin and A-chan next door, kay?" Hinamori yelled hurrying out of the room.

Crushing…engulfing…

Resounding into, the distance…just like thunder…

"…Tch. What a pain." I growled getting out of my bed.

Brushing against my hand…like a delicate flower…

On that plain of Ice, I die.

"I'll be staying in the dormitories, but I'll still come see you when I have the chance!! See ya later!!" Hinamori yelled hurrying out of the village.

"Don't bother coming back here ever again! Bedwetter Momo!" I yelled back to her.

"My my, how rude…even though you won't be seeing her, for a while, you say such things to her…" Granny said patting the top of my head. "Who even cares? I mean she'll be free like straight away, right? I bet she'll be back here in no time!" I quickly stop talking watching two people walk by.

Tatsukichi and Ayumi from next door…Hinamori's friends.

They're both scared of me.

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

Even so, I can tell that they're afraid of me.

I guess it's because that's how everyone feels around here.

West Rukon Gai, First District, Junrin'an.

The only ones here, who aren't afraid of me, are Hinamori and Old granny.

Maybe it's my silver hair or my blue-green eyes…or maybe it's just the cold way I act…but everybody says I'm just like ice.

"People fear those who are different…" The wind whispered.

It was true. They do…and I am different on every level.

I slowly headed, back toward the house I live in with granny; Granny never, says that. That's why I like her.

I hurry into the house with granny.

"That boy…" The wind whispered. "Ice surrounds his heart, an unbreakable kind of ice…so I found you, boy of my vision." The wind whispered. "Rangiku-san…" A dark hair girl appeared within the wind. "Hai!" a shinigami appeared behind the dark hair girl.

"This boy…maybe the last one I have been searching for. But…I need you to make sure." The dark hair girl said; turning toward rangiku. "Hai! I understand hime-chan." Rangiku bowed toward hime. "Good…I'll leave things to you then…" Soon hime disappeared into leafs.

He has the unbreakable Ice…

"I'll be back in the summer holidays! Well, I'm off then!!" Hinamori yelled.

She would come back and visit when she could.

Soon the years when by…

"Ahh! So this is where you were!" Hinamori voice called from the ground. I slowly looked down toward her.

It's been five years since Hinamori entered the shinigami academy…

I waved to her as she headed on her way again.

She's been coming round here a little less often recently…

Apparently she's found a goal for herself; her hair's a little longer now, too.

I haven't got any taller though…I thought. As I hopped off the roof and looked inside the house.

And Granny…she's just thinner.

"Toushirou."

"Hey…I'm gonna to buy some ama-natto. We're running out." She only nodded to me before falling asleep.

I wasn't just feared in the village…but everywhere I go too.

"That's three Kan change." The cashier said placing the change on the counter. They fear me here as well; not that is anything new.

I picked it up without another thought. But then…I heard something.

"Hey! Dropping the change on the counter, is that any way to treat your customers?!" A loud female voice yelled; I quickly turned around to see who it was only to be…knocked back by something huge. Soon my neck hit the counter knocking me to the ground.

"Think you can get away with it because he's kid or something?! Who would have thought you could possibly be so rude!" The woman yelled at the cashier. Slowly I sat up looking up at the woman. She was dressed in black with blond hair. Soon I felt her lift me off the floor. "And you don't just lie there crying about it!!" The woman yelled at me. "You're the one who knocked me down!" I yelled back at her. "If you're a man you should stand up for yourself like one!" She yelled back at me again.

"And I wasn't crying!! Get off!!" I yelled; she just stared at me without saying a word.

"I said get off!" I yelled freeing myself from her. I quickly took off running out of the store.

"Ah! Hey wait right there!!" the woman cried behind me.

But I didn't stop. I didn't look back. I kept on running.

"That boy…" Rangiku grinned to herself before summoning a hell butterfly.

"You're right…hime-chan. There is no doubt this boy…is the one from your…vision." Rangiku said as the hell butterfly took off. "To think…I would run into the boy in a place like this…" Rangiku smiled before disappearing.

I hear a voice…An echoing voice…

Crushing…engulfing…falling into my hands…

Just like thunder…

This time…a blue dragon appeared before me in my dream. He-He was huge!

"What the hell…are you…!?" I yelled staring up toward the dragon. "Little boy!! YOU HAVE…" I couldn't make out much more of what it was saying.

"What are you saying?! I can't hear you…!" I yelled.

"MY NAME IS…." The dragon yelled as Ice surrounded me and I quickly awoke.

"Hey!" a voice yelled. I quickly looked up to see that woman from before. "Why you…from before…" I growled at the woman.

"You're Reiatsu. Stop leaking it everywhere and get some sleep. Your grandmother looks pretty cold…" The woman told me. I quickly looked toward granny.

Soon another woman stepped out from behind the blonde one. But this one had long dark brown hair; and soon she spoke to me. "That woman will die if you stay here, much longer…Hitsugaya Toushirou." The young woman told me.

She-She knew my name?!

"W-Who are you? And how do you know my name?" I asked. "I know everything; I am what ones as you call a seeker." She told me.

A-A seeker? One who is gifted and can see into the future?! I wondered.

I met her back then…back in my tiny village; where I was feared by many because of my hair color and my coldness.

That was the first time me and her spoke; let alone met each other…

"Then you can see into the future?" I asked her. "I guess you could say that." She told me. "My name is Kaze Sara hime." She slowly told me. "…that can't be your name! That's the name of the spirit hime!" I quickly told her.

"Indeed it is. That is who I am." I didn't believe her. What reason would I have too? "I don't believe you! How can I just believe those words coming out of your mouth?" I yelled at her. "Toushirou don't be rude." Granny told me. "Rude? I'm the rude one when she enters this house without asking first?" I asked granny.

"Brat…" The large breasted shinigami whispered. "What did you call me?!" I yelled back at the one behind hime. "What? Can't hear? Then I'll yell it! You're a BRAT!"

I glared at this woman; I do not like her!

"Enough Rangiku-san. Anyways…he has a point." Hime quickly said. "Hime-chan! Why are you agreeing with-with this brat?!" Rangiku yelled pointing toward me.

"I am standing right here…" I growled.

"Because he is right." Hime told the woman beside her.

Well…this woman isn't as stupid as she looks…I thought.

"Show me something that shows who you are." I quickly said. "Excuse me?" Hime asked. "Show me something and then I will believe you." I told her. "Hmm let's see…" She said as she took off a glove from her right hand. "Does the seal of the soul society count?" She asked as she showed me it.

"…!" I look shocked at her. "Or…the fact that your reiatsu is coming out…is hurting that poor woman beside you?" She asked me.

Then…that woman hadn't been lying?! I wondered.

"My Reiatsu?" I asked. "You are a gifted child. But you must learn how to control it. Or…" She started to say. "Or?" I asked. "It could kill others around you." She told me.

a-around me?

Granny!

"G-Granny!" I yelled to her. "T-Toushirou the-the room why is it so cold?" She asked me.

"…!!" I slowly shook my head.

"Rangiku-san."

"Hai!" The blonde woman steps up beside me.

"…Kid. You should become a shinigami." Rangiku told me. "Wha…?" I started to ask. "Kids with powers as strong as yours…need to know how to bring that power under control…" She told me.

"What are you?!" I started to yell as she placed a hand over my heart.

"You hear a voice calling out, right?" I gasped at her.

"Once you properly discover that voice…you'll understand how to control your power. But, that…means becoming a shinigami…" She told me.

I looked from her to hime; she nodded to me.

Become…a shinigami?

"…I'll only say it once more, kid." She told me before standing up.

"That enough, Rangiku-san." Hime spoke up. "Hai!" she bowed toward hime before leaving the house.

"I will give you a week then I will return for your answer. But know this…this problem will not just go away." Hime told me before leaving the house as well.

I quickly ran after them…

This was our fateful meeting…

She would give me a future; I only had to do one thing in return.

Become a shinigami…

"Wait!" I yelled to them. "Yes?" Hime asked. "…Why? Why would you want to help me? Or even why aren't you scared of me?" I asked her. "Why should I be scared of you?" She asked me. "…what?" I asked in shock.

"…And why I want to help you? I don't know…but you have that power for a reason. When you learn to control it you can use it to protect the ones you love." She told me. "It's yours and only yours. No one but you can use that power. And that makes it special doesn't it?" She asked me.

"I…" I didn't know what to say to her.

"I will see you in a week…Ja ne!" She yelled disappearing with rangiku.

"Wait!" I yelled.

But she was gone…

I started to wonder if I dreamed the whole thing…but I knew…I didn't.

On Thursday of the following week I spoke to granny…

I bowed to her after telling her. I was going to leave her alone.

Would she hate me?

"…Is that right. That's wonderful." She quickly told me.

I quickly looked at her in surprise. "You've been holding everything in all this time…thinking that you don't want to leave your old granny all alone…" She sighed.

"But you know, just thinking of me and hurting, yourself like that…I think for me as your grandmother that's the hardest thing of all."

I was hurting…myself?

Granny…thank you.

I hear a voice…

Far…Near…I hear it resounding…

Now I decide to search…

Granny patted my head. "Toushirou…has grown up…" She whispered to me.

"Kid!" Rangiku yelled into the house. I glared toward her.

It wasn't a week…then why?

"Hime-chan sent me. She said he has found his answer." She told me.

"Yeah, I have." I said slowly getting to my feet.

…To find it, and move onward.

Soon the two of us left the house; we found hime waiting outside.

"Hime-chan?" rangiku asked. "Ready to go?" She asked me. I nodded to her.

"Then come on, Shiro-kun!" She told me. "S-Shiro-kun? Don't call me a stupid name as that!" I growled. "Why not? It fits you! Plus…I want to know more about shiro-kun. Maybe even become friends with him."She told me.

F-Friends?

The only real friend I ever had…was Hinamori…

She wouldn't fear me? Because I'm different?

She held her hand out toward me.

"…but others will hate me." I told her. "Then I will beat them up! If they are mean to Shiro-kun!" She yelled.

Slowly I smiled.

Her heart felt so warm…so warm maybe it could melt the unbreakable ice that surrounded me.

I slowly took hold of her hand. She smiled at me; I felt myself smile back at her.

"Aww…you got the kid to smile…how…cute!!" Rangiku cried hugging me.

Even if I die on this plain of ice…

"What the hell?! Let go of me now!" I yelled.

"Oh! Oh! I made him angry!" Rangiku giggled. Soon I heard hime giggling as well.

"Well, let's go home!" Hime said and soon the three of us disappeared.

Home…

I have a new home now.

And I hope I will not be feared there…