ICE HEART
ix. surrounding
❝WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?❞

The white-haired Captain was knelt down beside Ayame's unconscious form, his eyes gazing over her bruised body as he released a small sigh. He had to admit, she was absolutely stunning, despite the marks that covered her pale body. She had only been unconscious for a few hours, but those few hours had been the most worrisome for Toshiro. Once Ayame had passed out, Kōri no Joō vanished, presumably returning back to her inner world and leaving Orihime to heal the blonde-haired female. When the ginger-haired human had finally finished healing her, everyone began to worry when she didn't wake up, but a small inch of her spiritual pressure could still be felt, so the group simply took her back to Orihime's house and allowed her to rest. Although, it had been a few hours since the battle and Ayame still hadn't woke up, causing Toshiro's nerves to spike up even more.

"Why do I even care?" Toshiro thought to himself, his eyes narrowing as he brushed a strand of Ayame's hair back, "I haven't known her for long but it seems like I've known her for years. Maybe I like her?" The white-haired Captain paused for a while, contemplating the thought, "Or maybe it's because she's part of the Royal Guard Squad - if she died, there would be a large commotion and the Soul Society would have a disadvantage in the war."

Suddenly, Ayame's eyelids began to flutter open and her breathing began to increase dramatically as she began to have a panic attack.

"Where am I? What happened? Is everyone alive?" The female questioned in her thoughts as she began to hyperventilate.

Toshiro's turquoise eyes widened dramatically at the female's panicked state, and he felt a pang in his heart as laboured breaths escaped her mouth. Hastily, he squeezed her hand, not knowing what else to do.

"Ayame, you're okay. You're at Orihime's house. You're safe. Everyone's safe." Toshiro informed the female, her laboured breaths slightly slowing down with each statement that the white-haired Captain made, and after a few minutes of Toshiro muttering soothing words to her, she had finally calmed down and Toshiro gazed over her with concerned and wide eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ayame responded hesitantly, lifting her head to face the male as Toshiro raised his eyebrow suspiciously.

"You don't sound it." Toshiro murmured, "Lie back down or else you'll get dizzy."

Following his instructions, Ayame lay back down, "Don't worry. I was just... confused... for a few moments and began to worry about if everyone was okay and where I was."

"Everyone's fine." The white-haired Captain smiled slightly at her as he released his grip of her hand.

The small male had completely forgot that he had a hold of her hand, and as he realised, his cheeks began to burn a bright colour of red which he hoped Ayame didn't notice.

He felt extremely responsible for her current state, and he hadn't stopped thinking about it ever since she passed out. If he was strong enough, then she wouldn't have had to come and help him in the first place. If he was strong enough, then he wouldn't have passed out. If he was strong enough, then she wouldn't have transferred her spirit energy over to him, making her pass out.

"Thank you." Toshiro spoke in a hushed voice, remembering that he never had the chance to thank her for sacrificing her own life.

"For what?" She questioned with a perplexed look on her face.

With shame, Toshiro glanced at the ground as he clenched his fists, "You risked your life to protect mine. If it wasn't for you then I surely would have died."

"Don't thank me. If I was stronger then none of us would have gotten hurt anyway. The Arrancars that we faced were weak compared to the ones we will face in a few weeks time - however, even two captains couldn't defeat them without going full power. I failed in my mission." She released a soft sigh, her gaze avoiding Toshiro's as though she was ashamed of her actions

Teal eyes widened at the female's statement, and without even thinking about it, Toshiro wrapped his arms around her petite form to reassure her that' she had nothing to be ashamed of. Her blue orbs widened from the sudden contact, but soon enough, a smile broke out onto her face as she returned the hug.

"You didn't fail, Ayame. Those Arrancars were weak and we did have to go full power, but that just means we'll have to try harder and become stronger, and we will." Toshiro murmured, knowing that he and the others would have to train a lot harder if they wanted to beat the monsters that they were facing.

"Thank you, Cap-."

"Toshiro." He blurted out, without even thinking about what he was saying, "I think it's only fair that you call me Toshiro after everything that you've done for me."

"Thank you, Toshiro." She corrected herself, her smile growing wider.

Standing up on his own two feet, Toshiro glanced back at Ayame with a slight smile on his lips, his heart racing rapidly, "I'll leave you to get ready. Everybody has been waiting to see you ever since you passed out."

"What is going on with me?" The white-haired male
murmured, attempting to stop his heart from beating so quickly.

Wiping his hand over his face, Toshiro entered the living room to see all of the Shinigami glaring at him with curious and suspicious eyes as they wondered how Ayame was. The small male ignored their stares and sat down at the silent table, waiting for the awkward silence to break.

"How's Captain Kireina?" Rangiku asked while winking at the male, not being subtle in the slightest.

Toshiro lifted his head up to face his Lieutenant, "She's woken up and is currently getting changed. She will be out in a moment."

"You know that isn't what I meant~!" Rangiku sung, a sly smile on her lips.

"What did you mean then?" He murmured, not in the mood to deal with her hidden questions.

Renji released a small groan, "Oh, c'mon, Captain Hitsugaya. I've never seen you so concerned over somebody."

"I think that you've all forgotten that she's a member of the Royal Guard Squad. If she dies, then we lose a huge advantage in this war. I am worried about her because of that, not because I love her." Toshiro explained to them, although deep inside, he knew that wasn't true, "I've only known her for a week and you're saying that I love her?"

"Yep!" Rangiku beamed while the others nodded, chuckling slightly to themselves.

"I'm not even going to attempt and change your mind." He muttered.

A few minutes had passed in complete and utter silence until the door flew open and there stood Ayame wearing a pair of black leggings and a beautiful, pastel blue crop top. She looked absolutely gorgeous and Toshiro could feel his cheeks get warmer for some strange reason. She smiled brightly before sitting down at the table with the rest of the group.

"Captain Kireina, you're finally awake!" Rangiku exclaimed happily.

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you all with the Arrancars yesterday, I was caught up with my own fight." She apologised as she looked down at her lap.

Ikkaku glanced over at her as he put his hands behind his head, "Don't stress about it."

Nodding at Ikkaku's statement, Renji decided to add to it, "The main thing is that we're all alive and nobody faced life-threatening injuries."

"Stop being so serious!" Rangiku scolded her, playfully slapping the female's hand.

"Rangiku, this is serious. Those Arrancars that we fought yesterday were small fry and even two captains couldn't defeat them without unleashing their full power. We need to get stronger, all of us." Toshiro began to explain, knowing that he had to convince them to train to get stronger, "The Head Captain has contacted me about a device which will allow us to contact the Soul Society. He has important information which he wants to tell us."

"Until then, I suggest that we all go back to our places and get ready for the upcoming battle." Ayame continued the sentence, and the group nodded with agreement.

Standing up, Renji nodded along with the rest of the group, "Sounds like a plan."

Ayame crawled to her feet with a bright smile on her face. Before she could attempt to rush off, the white-haired Captain grabbed her arm tightly and she snapped her head back towards him.

"What's wrong, Captain Hitsugaya?" She asked, a curious glint in her blue orbs.

"Are you sure that you should be moving? You've only just woke up and you could still have the poison in your system. Also, none of us know where you live. If there was a problem then we wouldn't be able to contact you." Toshiro responded, a bad feeling in his gut about her leaving the house yet.

Ayame smiled lightly before she replied, "I appreciate your concern, but if there was a problem then just raise your spiritual pressure and I'll be over quickly."

A flash of white temporarily blinded the group as a familiar woman appeared with long, straight white hair. The woman wore a long, pastel blue that flowed beautifully around her. Everybody else quickly stood up, becoming on guard, though Toshiro and Rangiku remained still, since they already knew who she was.

"You're an idiot, my Queen." The woman grumbled as she placed her hand over Ayame's head.

Ayame's eyes closed and she began to fall to the ground. Toshiro's eyes widened and he quickly grabbed her limp body before it hit the ground and she sustained even more bruised.

"Kōri No Joō, what did you do to Ayame?" Toshiro asked, his eyes narrowing as he gazed up at the zanpakutō.

The zanpakutō released a small sigh, brushing a stray piece of hair behind Ayame's ear, "She's still in a bad condition, so much that even a simple trick can knock her out. The poison is still in her system and her spiritual pressure hasn't restored yet, as long as she rests then I should be done in two hours and she'll be fine."

"I see." Toshiro replied as Kōri no Joō disappeared in a flash, leaving Ayame in Toshiro's arms.

"Who was that?" Renji asked with shock laced in his voice.

"Ayame's zanpakutō, Kōri No Joō." Toshiro answered before picking up Ayame bridal style and walking over to her room, then placing her on the bed.

The white-haired Captain sat down next to her side and grabbed onto her hand tightly, not wanting to let go of her fragile body. He caressed her cheek, smiling lightly as he did so. Realising what he just did, Toshiro sighed softly and placed a hand to his head while shaking it side to side.

"What is wrong with me?"