Previous: Dangerous Disguise
Toshiro stepped through the Senkaimon and into the world of the living. It was a calm, bright day as he made his way to Urahara's shop. He wondered if the strange shop keeper would recognize him in the outfit. He walked through the familiar streets of Karakura Town, hoping that no one he knew would run into him.
He walked past the park and turned down an alley to the elusive candy shop. As he did he spotted the perfect test dummy for his disguise. Ichigo and his two sisters. He knew that Ichigo and his dark haired sister would be able to spot him in this form, but he wasn't sure about the other one.
Walking down the sidewalk Ichigo was talking to his sister, Yuzu. She was complaining about how he was always disappearing and how she worried about him. Ichigo of course played it off like he always does. He then noticed a guy walking toward them. He looked at the guy in confusion, “is that Hitsugaya?” He said a little louder then he expected. Karin looked at Ichigo then toward the guy Ichigo seemed to be watching.
“Ichigo?” Karin called to him. “You’re being weird again.”
Ichigo quickly looked over to his sister then back at the guy coming toward them.
Toshiro saw confusion cross Ichigo's face as he approached, but heard nothing of what he said. He so very much hoped that Ichigo would not attack this seemingly harmless arrancar (referring to himself), and that his disguise did the trick. The tension he felt was high as he passed the three on the street. He did not dare look at any of them.
Toshiro kept his head lowered, his dark hair covering half of his face, and his one visible eye on the street in front of him. He bet the hollow jaw was going to stir up some kind of reaction in Ichigo, but he also prayed that the strawberry did not pay much attention to it.
Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu walked past, Ichigo being sure he was between his sisters and the arrancar. However, he could not stop the gnawing at his gut when the saw Hitsugaya’s sword hanging at the arrancar's side.
“HEY YOU!” Ichigo called as he turned quickly looking at the arrancar. “Tell me where you got that sword?! If I get the right answer you might live.”
Toshiro stopped dead in his tracks. Damn. He knew his zanpakuto would get him caught! How was he going to handle this? He turned slowly with a smile so sinister, so eerie, it would make ones blood freeze and replied, "This? Hm.....You know, I'm not to incline to answer you."
Ichigo stormed up to the arrancar grabbing him by the front of his shirt. He was a little on the short side so Ichigo ended up lifting him from the ground slightly. “I think if you want to continue living you better start talking! That sword belongs to a good friend of mine and I want to know where you got it!” Ichigo gave the arrancar a slight shake.
He glared at Ichigo. How dare HE handle a captain this way! Ah! Toshiro wasn't a captain though....not anymore anyway. He could not let Ichigo see his fighting style, so there was only one thing to do. Something that turned his very stomach and made him want to hurl.
He kicked Ichigo hard in the chest allowing himself to break free, then targeted the sister he suspected could not see him. He pinned the girl's arm behind her back and held Hyourinmaru at her throat. "Threatening me still does not incline me to tell you," he smiled, "It just irritates me."
Ichigo stumbled back slightly quickly regaining his balance. He glared at the arrancar as he watched his sister Yuzu struggle against something she had no clue that was restraining her. Gritting his teeth Ichigo tightened his hand into a fist. “Get your hands off her or I will beat you too death with my bare hands!”
Toshiro thought for a moment, "....Well from where I stand you can do one of two things. One you can TRY and attack me, but I promise before you take your first step I will cut off her head, or two...." Out of the corner of his eye he saw Karin sneaking towards him in an attempt to stop him. Not good, not good! Karin lunged at him!
He quickly threw Yuzu at Ichigo and knocked Karin into the brick wall next to him, much harder than he intended to. The force of his blow and the collision into the wall knocked her out completely. He hesitated for a brief moment fighting back the urge to make sure she was ok. "Or two, you can look after your now injured sibling and I'll be on my merry way. The choice is yours," he said with a haunting grin.
Ichigo grabbed Yuzu when the arrancar threw her toward him. Once he had on her feet safely they both ran toward Karin to make sure she was alright. By the time Ichigo was able to look around them for the arrancar he was already gone. “Bastard!” Ichigo growled under his breath.
He went back to tending to Karin who was shaking her head as she held her hand to it. Toshiro continued to leap across the rooftops, but eventually he landed hard. When he did he threw up painfully. How could he be capable of such atrocities?! Scaring Yuzu like that and greatly injuring Karin. He got up slowly and continued on his way.
Shakily he entered the candy shop. He had to hold onto the door for support.
"URAHARA! ARE YOU HERE," he called out, his voice shook more than his body did.
Urahara was at the back of the shop when he heard his name being called out. "That sounded like Hitsugaya?" Urahara turned and quickly made his way to the front of the shop. By the way Hitsugaya's voice sounded he was not doing so well.
Once to the front of the shop Urahara stopped in his tracks. "Toshiro?! Is that you?!" He adjusted his hat to get a better look.
"Yes, it's me. I apologize for my appearance, but you must not tell anyone!" He walked into the shop, locking the door behind him. "I need your help."
"My help? You do know Captain Commander has every one out looking for you? His orders are to kill you on sight.” Urahara walked toward him looking at the mess Toshiro had himself made up in. “I do have to say. You have quite the attire there for drawing unwanted attention. You must be out to get yourself killed.”
Toshiro laughed. "The Captain Commander assigned me this mission. This outfit is a disguise for Los Noches. I'll tell you about it over some tea."
"Hm, yes tea sounds good." Urahara turned and walked to the backroom, "So this mission you’re on... It would not have something to do with the seraph Aizen has his hands on would it?" Urahara looked to Toshiro as he sat down at the table.
Toshiro took a long sip of the tea before answering. "Yes it does." He told Urahara about the mission, and how he had gone to the Forest of Menos’, and fought the giant snake. He told him how he realized Hyourinmaru would get him caught and blow everything, and how this was proven when Ichigo had questioned him.
"...So after I got rid of Ichigo, I came here. Is it possible for you to change Hyourinmaru's appearance, give the illusion of me having a hollow hole, make this thing change (referring to snake jaw around his neck) as I release more power, and alter my spiritual pressure?"
Urahara sat and listened to Toshiro has he spoke to him telling him about his mission. Taking a sip of his tea he then heard Toshiro's requests, "My my. We are not asking for much are we?" Urahara places his tea cup to the table and extended his arm for Toshiro's sword.
"You know I can pay for it," he replied passing his precious zanpakuto to Urahara.
Urahara nodded to his statement taking the sword, "We will have to change the color of the hilt and most definitely the guard. The color of the sheath will have to change. This will have to go as well.” Urahara grabbed the dark green sash and pulled it from the sword holding the clip within his hand. “If Aizen, Gin or Tousen see any of this you’re as good as dead.” He looked to Toshiro again, “I might have something that will help suppress your reiatsu, but you will have to keep it on you at all times. It helps the reiryoku suppress your reiatsu.” Urahara lifted from the table walking to another room, “What color would you like, Hitsugaya?”
"I don't care, anything is fine. I am also open to critics on this outfit as well."
Working away at Toshiro’s sword, Urahara thought about a few things that might work for him in his mission. “So tell me? Do you have any idea of where the seraph is or who it might be? The more you run around in there the better of a chance you have of getting caught.” Urahara peaked from around the corner of the wall. Then went right back to work.
Toshiro thought for a moment, "No, so far I have no leads. I was hoping you could provide some information on seraphs. I only know that they are some form of angel, no more than that."
Urahara laughed, "If you’re going in there looking for an angel then your going to the wrong place." Urahara walked out with Toshiro's sword in hand. The hilt was now a blood red with the sheath matching. The hilt was a solid oval with two imprinted stars running parallel with the blade. He also tossed him an arrancar uniform. “I had Ururu sew the seal in your uniform to suppress your reiatsu. What ever you do, do not take off your jacket. Your hollow hole will appear when the jacket is worn. As for your information…” Urahara paused and took his set back at the table with Toshiro.
He adjusted his hat and smiled from beneath it. “I am sure if you stick around a little longer I can introduce you two,” Urahara said under his breath.
Toshiro listened quietly as he inspected his zankaputo and uniform. He couldn't help but look at the uniform with disgust. Still distracted by the uniform he replied automatically, "Introduce me to who?"
Urahara wore a sly smile across his face as he lifted his tea cup, "A seraph wears a mark on their neck. It can only been seen by another seraph or a soul. Aizen hides his seraphs mark, but what Aizen does not know is I have known this seraph for sometime now."
"And I assume you are not just going to come out and tell me who it is huh?"
Urahara's fan came from nowhere and popped open, “Now what fun would there be in that?
Toshiro sighed and got up, "I best change into this outfit. Where may I go?"
"There is a room around the corner to your left."
Toshiro went off in the direction he had pointed. Of course that sly shop keeper was not going to tell him who it was. Urahara loved to play games and mess with everyone. True it usually turned out that he was in fact helping them, but that was never revealed until much later.
While outside the shop, Kita looked at Urahara's front door as she walked up to it and tried to open the door. "Is it stuck?" Kita thought to herself as she tired again, "Maybe he is gone?" She then decided to knock before she turned and head back to Los Noches. Raising her hand she knocked at the door.
Urahara looked the way of the front door hearing the knock. It then dawned on him that Toshiro locked the door. Urahara got to his feet and went to the door unlocking it and sliding it open. He smiled as he saw Kita standing in front of him. "Kita, come in come in. I was hoping you would stop by."
Toshiro walked back to the front adjusting the jacket, "Urahara, I have one last question before I--" he looked up and spotted Kita. "Uh....."
Kita tilted her head looking at the arrancar that stood in Urahara's Shop. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him and went to step forward, but Urahara stopped her flat by placing his hand to her shoulder. She so badly wanted to ask the arrancar why he was there and who he was. She had never seen him around Los Noches, but there he stood in a uniform that the arrancar wore. Kita just glared at him gritting her teeth.
Toshiro thought it strange, this one looked like a normal girl to him, yet she could see him. Hell, she looked like she was going to attack him. He couldn't help but wonder why?
Urahara smiled, softly gripping Kita's shoulder, "Why don't you go to the back and have Ururu make you some tea, Kita. I need to take care of something."
Kita nodded as she walked past the arrancar. She could not take her eyes from him. She even looked at him from the corner of her eyes as she past by him to go to the back.
Toshiro continued to look straight as she past by him, showing no interest in her what so ever. Once he was sure she was out of earshot he asked his question. "How do you open the Garganta?"
Urahara laughed, placing his hand to Toshiro's shoulder. "Like all the arrancar... with the snap your fingers."
"But I am not an arrancar," he retorted.
Urahara stepped back and looked at Toshiro, "If I did not know the truth about you. You could not prove that to me."
Urahara walked past Toshiro and peaked into the room where Kita was sitting. He had a wide smile across his face. "I will be a few more minutes, my dear." He then motioned for Toshiro to follow him.
Toshiro pick up his zanpakuto, secured it in his belt, and followed the shop keeper.
Urahara led Toshiro outside. He turned and looked at him, "Right now all your powers have been converted to Arrancar. To open the gate you need to only think of Hueco Mondo, snap your fingers and the gate will open."
"Ok, and what of a Cero?"
"What part of 'all of your powers' did you not understand. A cero is a blast of concentrated spiritual power. It is like a soul reapers keido all you have to do is concentrate."
"I mean where does it fire from? I know some fire from their hands, while others from their mouths or horns."
"For you I am not sure. It could be your mouth, your hand or even your finger. You will have to work that out in Hueco Mundo." Urahara shooed him away, "Go... Go practice on some hollows to become stronger my little arrancar minion.”
Toshiro snapped his finger and opened the garganta. Before he walked in he paid Urahara in full with some extra, "In case I don't come back." He stepped into the opening and as it closed he quickly asked, "What is the name of this sword?"
Urahara looked to him before the gate closed, "Hielodragón, and don't be surprised that your resurrection is a serpent or maybe even a dragon."
Next: Infiltration
