#hitsugaya has had years to deal with his feelings

[alexiethymia]

realization

summary: [Post-TYBW] Momo falls in love. It's messy business. 

[read on ao3]

part 1

It happens on an ordinary day.

They’re in his office sharing amanatto from Isane-fuku –no, Isane-taichou now (she still feels echoes of sadness. It seems so unfair for someone so kind to just be gone, for Momo to still remain when the reason she – and many others – remains alive in the first place is no longer here, and yet -), the weather is pleasant, a mild breeze entering through the open window that she cannot help but feel at peace.

When before, Isane-san might have joined her, unfortunately, her new responsibilities keep her busy. Rangiku-san, for some reason, had escaped with a hearty wave and a cheeky wink that she still had trouble deciphering. It was fortunate that her captain hadn’t been there when she made her speedy exit (however knowing Rangiku-san, it had probably been intentional), so when Hitsugaya-kun returns to a room bereft of his vice-captain, and containing only a package of amanatto and a sheepish smile, he can only sigh in resignation.

He apologizes for doing work while she’s visiting, but this – him at his desk, eyes glued to his papers but keeping an ear out, and her, animated and gushing about the newest manga she’s been reading – is more than enough for Momo.

He hadn’t really understood, but Momo was nothing if not a voracious reader, so when Hirako-taichou had brought back picture books from the Living World called ‘manga’ from his friends, it was inevitable that she’d get hooked. She even managed to get Nanao-san to join in her latest reading obsession, not without a lot of nudging from Yadomaru-taichou. Still, not even Yadomaru-taichou could get either of them to try out the racier ones she preferred.

It is in the midst of her latest spiel on the ending of a manga she had been reading (‘-so moving, even when it seemed like she loved another, he was steadfast-’ eyebrows bunched together in confusion, ‘I thought this was a story about hanafuda’ ‘It’s karuta, Shiro-chan.’ His unimpressed look shows he still didn’t understand the difference.) that he suddenly interjects.

“So it’s the same as that manga,” it’s awkward in his mouth, but he says it anyway, and only with a slight grimace, “with the princess and her guardian?”

Here, Momo stops, stares. “Which one?”

He waves the hand holding his brush around in a lazy gesture, “The one where the princess was betrayed by her first love who kills her father, and she runs away with her guardian. You said she eventually falls in love with her guardian who’s loved her since childhood.”

Momo continues to stare. Hitsugaya-kun, misunderstanding her gaze, shifts his eyes away, “Did I get it wrong?”

Momo flails, waving her arms wildly, “No, no! You’re right, it’s just like that one. It’s just…” She bites her lip, hesitating on whether or not to continue. Hitsugaya-kun merely raises a brow, waiting.

Momo shakes her head. It’s silly. It’s just that, she talked about that one with him, months and months ago. This is the first time they’ve actually been alone since the invasion. Whenever she’d go off-tangent, he’d be nodding along absentmindedly as he scrutinized another report Rangiku-san left unfinished. She’d always assumed he wasn’t really interested and Momo didn’t begrudge him that since she knew with certainty that he’d give her his full attention if it was something truly important. It was just nice to spend time with him.

She’d actually forgotten about that particular story till he mentioned it. It had resonated with her, a story about admiration turning into poison. Reading that story made her feel like water was filling her lungs, and yet she still pushed through, just so she could see that girl of fire reignited.

“It’s actually not yet finished. We still don’t know what happens to the both of them from here on out…” she says quietly, in contrast to her earlier energy. Hitsugaya-kun only nods. Funny, she remembers that story made her feel like drowning, so why is it that now, as she looks into Hitsugaya-kun’s eyes, she feels like burning like that girl of fire? (It was a story that resonated with her.)

That particular interaction done, Momo expects Hitsugaya-kun to go back to his reports, expects it, wishes it even (if only so she no longer has to look into his eyes). Instead, not only does he continue looking at her, he surprises her by saying,

“Your hair has gotten longer.”

She brushes the ends of her hair self-consciously, “What are you talking about, Shiro-chan? No, it hasn’t. It’s still the same.”

“Yes, it has,” he drawls.

“No, it hasn’t.”

“Yes, it has.”

Momo pouts. This is silly. What they’re doing is silly, arguing about her hair of all things.

Momo is happy about where they’ve ended up after the invasion. Shiro-chan’s shoulders are lighter as if his captain’s cloak isn’t so heavy anymore. The lines on his face have lessened, and Momo couldn’t be more thankful. But just because she was happier that he smiled more didn’t mean she wasn’t entitled to feel disgruntled at the self-satisfied smirk on his face, no matter how slight it may be.

She was about to launch into another denial when he surprises her yet again.

Shiro-chan – Hitsugaya-kun reaches his arm across his desk toward her. He lets his fingertips kiss the ends of her short hair, and brushes a wayward strand away from her forehead, before retreating.

It is only then that Momo breathes out (she didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath in the first place).

“Be careful,” he says, voice sly, “You don’t want to burn your hair off accidentally – again – like that disastrous kido training session.”

It takes a while for her to place the event, but when she does, she really can’t help the full-blown pout. Oh, she’s worked herself up and crossed the threshold to righteous indignation (otherwise, she’ll have to examine everything else going on right now). “Honestly, Hitsugaya-kun! That only happened because you weren’t paying attention!” Actually no, she’d just been recruited into the Gotei, and Hitsugaya-kun right after her. She’d been so excited to train with him (to impress him if she was being honest) that things got out of hand and her hair got caught in a shakkaho spell.

(She can’t believe she forgot, but now that she remembers, what sparks vividly in her memories is the rapid transition of Hitsugaya-kun’s expression from feigned disinterest to heart-stopping panic.)  

Graciously, Hitsugaya-kun doesn’t contradict her version of events, but he does catch her attention, “Hinamori,” just one word, her name, so firmly that she pauses (and holds her breath again) when he smiles (not a smirk or a grin, but a true-blown smile that she’s only ever glimpsed once-), “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s not ‘Hitsugaya-kun’, it’s ‘Hitsugaya-taichou’.”

Oh.

This isn’t Shiro-chan’s smile, because she’s hardly ever seen him smile when they were kids.

Oh.

It’s not that his cloak isn’t heavy anymore, it’s just that he’s grown into it, even if in truth he’s only grown a mere centimeter.

Oh.

This is what she’d felt back then when she’d first seen that smile, this disquiet and unease, and curious perfect blankness that she’d felt when she realized that her Shiro-chan had transformed into a captain. That same feeling that she was being left behind, but still, the awe that she could not help, as she gazed at him soaring in the heavens, her Shiro-chan (because no matter what he would always be her Shiro-chan) protecting them all. This same feeling she’d pushed aside, unconsciously, time and again, in order to avoid thinking about it, because otherwise everything would – change.

(Oh, she finally understands, Rangiku-san.)

It happens on an ordinary day. The light doesn’t hit him just right. He hasn’t grown any taller than her. They still haven’t finished the amanatto Isane-taichou carefully packed for them as a souvenir. That brilliant smile slowly fades away into a look of confusion, the more she sits there, gaping at him, “Hinamori?”

It is on a perfectly ordinary day that Momo realizes she’s in love with him.

Him.

Hitsugaya-taichou.

Hitsugaya-kun.

Shiro-chan.

“Hinamori…?” He asks again, this time worry coloring his voice. He reaches out a tentative hand, but Momo bolts upright. She consciously stills her arms against her sides, else she’ll instinctually try and cover her (burning, burning) face.

“Hi-Hitsugaya-taichou!” She stuttered! She has never stuttered in front of him. She feels conscious of everything - her too-loud voice, the ends of her hair brushing her shoulders, her fisted hands, her scarlet face. “I beg your leave. I forgot that I have to meet with Hirako-taichou right about…now. Yes, now! I have to go right at this moment. Bye!”

And before Hitsugaya can so much as grasp at her – to ask what on earth was wrong, he didn’t expect his oft-repeated reminder to garner such a reaction, it was habit by now, was she mad at him, did he do anything – she has already shunpoed away leaving behind only the scent of peach blossoms, and a confused captain in her wake.

-

“Momo! Where’s the fire? What’s got ya in so much of a hurry?” One thing that Shinji noticed about his lieutenant was how graceful she was. Even when she was only walking, she always seemed so light on her feet, as if dancing on flower petals. There is none of that grace, here, now, as she barrels head first into him.

“Taichou!” Her head shoots up, voice so panic-stricken that Shinji’s heart jolts. He places the back of his hand against her forehead. “Ya running a fever or somethin’? If you’re sick, you should head to the fourth. Don’t go runnin’ yourself ragged, I promise I’ll finish all the paperwork.”

She shakes her head lightly. “Never mind that,” Wait, what? Momo not reminding him about his paperwork? This must be serious. “Do you notice anything different about me, Hirako-taichou?”

“Besides you bein’ outta breath, ya mean?” Even if he had no idea whatsoever about what was going on with his lieutenant, Shinji still decided to indulge her. If anyone deserved a scheduled psychotic break, it was her. He grasped his chin in hand and scrutinized her. Ah, he knew what this was about. His face was introduced enough times to a straw sandal for him to not say the right thing this time around.

“Don't worry, you haven’t gotten fatter. Heck, I think you should eat more. You’re light as a bird.” There, Hiyori would have no excuse to kick his face in now.

“Thank you, sir,” she says, voice clipped, “But no, I mean do you think my hair has gotten longer?”

Shinji narrows his eyes and looks closer, huffs out, “Nah, it hasn’t changed a bit.”

Evidently, that had been the wrong thing to say. Flabbergasted, Shinji could only watch as his lieutenant buried her face into her hands to muffle a frustrated scream.

[silenceofthecookies]

Hello cookie, congratulations on 700! For the event, can I plz ask for domestic headcanons for the bleach captains? If not that's ok! Thank you!

Of course! Enjoy!

Shunsui Kyouraku

Shunsui is at the age where he no longer plays around in a relationship. He's in it until the end, or not at all. He insists on open an honest communication and on being able to talk differences out like adults instead of screaming at each other like two stubborn teenagers.

He will do pretty much anything you ask him to do in the house. Captain or not, you shouldn't be the only one keeping your house clean and organized.

Waking up with a bad mood when living together with Shunsui is impossible. He prefers to have you in his arms when going to sleep, and he will hold on to you throughout the night. When he wakes up, he'll stay as still as possible until you wake up. Then it's time for morning kisses and cuddles.

Shunsui enjoys stargazing with you in the garden, accompanied by a nice bottle of sake and some snacks. He'll have his arms around you, or even have you sitting on his lap if you're comfortable with that, just so he can comfortably hug you and still watch the stars.

Juushiro Ukitake

Due to his illness, Juushiro can't do all that much in the house on bad days. On good days though, he likes to take the opportunity to cook for you. He enjoys is and is very good at making typical home-food. Nothing fancy or exotic, but the kind of things that are nutritious and make you feel happy.

Juushiro enjoys being near you more than anything. It doesn't matter if you two are doing different things in the same room, as long as you are near him and sometimes look up to smile at him, he will be happy. This is why he insists on getting a house with an open kitchen.

He also likes to decorate the house with lots of potted plants. Flowers to brighten up the room, some herbs for in the kitchen to cook with, and some bonsai trees for him to occupy himself with on days when he can't leave his bed.

He really enjoys you combing his hair, and if possible, he will gladly return the favour. Ideally, he'll sit in front of a big mirror when you do so, so he can look you in the eyes though the mirror as he talks to you. You can style his hair pretty much anyway you want.

Bakuya Kuchiki

Byakuya does what he can to be a good boyfriend/husband, but he is and will always be a noble. Things like housework is done by the servants, not by him. This counts for you too, of course. You won't need to lift a finger. He won't really understand if you want to do certain things in the house anyway (be it for the sake of control or just because you like something), but he'll let you.

Well-taught as he is, Byakuya wouldn’t be able to cook a meal if his life depended on it. He never learned how to cook, and he has no intention of learning it either.

Despite his busy schedule, he tries to have dinner with you every night. It’s not always possible, and sometimes when it is he has to go back to finish work afterwards, but he wants to make some time for you every day.

He will often get you little gifts. Flowers, chocolates, jewellery… Sometimes because he saw them and thought of you, sometimes just because he wanted to spoil you a little. Whenever he has something to apologise for, like for example not being able to make it to dinner with you, he gets you something as well.

Unohana, Shinji, Yoruichi, Urahara, Toshiro, Soi-Fohn and Kenpachi below the cut!

Retsu Unohana

Retsu's house is full of plants, and it wouldn't be complete without a garden as well. Most plants that she grows have some kind of medicinal properties, or can be used to make a nice, calming cup of tea. Teatime is a must, and if the weather allows it, she prefers to have it in her garden.

The plants are pretty much the only bright colours in the house. Aside from those, everything is in soft colours so the plants really pop out. There's also very little dark colours in the house, she prefers everything to be light. Big windows/windows that cover a complete wall are a must.

Retsu insists on no shoes in the house. They are left at the door and changed for indoor slippers or socks. No. Dirty. Shoes. In. The. House.

Marriage is no big deal for Retsu. If you want to get married, she'll be on board, but if you don't want to, she's just as fine with that as well. She appreciates the symbolism but at the end of the day, that's all marriage is. She doesn't need a piece of paper to tell people that she loves you and that she wants to spend the rest of her life with you.

Shinji Hirako

Shinji loves teasing you and once you live in the same house, that just gets worse. His terribly cheesy sense of humor is also still a daily occurrence. Yes, even when you're in a bad mood. Especially when you're in a bad mood.

Shinji is very lazy when it comes to his household. He'll make sure it's clean enough to not get sick from living in his own trash and dirt, but he'll push his chores off a lot and he'll leave his stuff lying around throughout the house. If you're a person who likes a clean and/or tidy house, you'll either have to kick his ass or clean up after him.

Surprise kisses. They happen a lot in general, just when he feels like it, but especially when you're in a video chat. He thinks it's hilarious to have your friends/family/co-workers think you have a perfect and loving boyfriend/husband, while he's actually a cheeky little bastard.

He leaves little notes throughout the house when he leaves. Some are sweet, some are jokes. He'll put them in the fridge, on the toilet, inside the shower, on his pillow,… anywhere he knows you'll come.

Yoruichi Shihoin

There is one night of the week dedicated to movie night and takeout. Both the eating and watching the movie will be done in bed. No, this is not up for debate. Lazy movie nights in bed are a must.

Be prepared for this woman wearing little to no clothes when she's home. She doesn't give a damn if people see her naked or not, and you're living together anyway, who cares if she's naked? Clothes are for going outside and for when visitors come over.

She loves taking baths or showers together as well, and not (necessarily) in a suggestive way. It's just a nice way to relax together, ‘and it saves water, right? *wink wink*’

She's actually a pretty good cook, at least when it comes to comfort food. When either of you are in a bad mood she'll step into the kitchen and make some of the best comfort food you've ever had. Which will then, of course, be eaten on the couch or in bed, in front of the tv, with a comfort movie.

Her favourite movies are comedies and romcoms. Anything that'll give her a good laugh is fine.

Kisuke Urahara

Another very laid-back person to live with. There is no rush at all when living with this man, with anything. He's the type of person to be at least a little late to every party or meeting because he just wanted to take his time and get ready in a relaxed way.

Don't let him take care of plants. He is the worst plant dad and they will die. Only cacti survive, and even those will struggle to do so.

Kisuke moves around in his sleep a lot and will steal the covers. A good way to remedy this is to use his chest as a pillow, he'll barely move at all then. Does the pressure on his chest really keep him still, or did he move around a lot on purpose as an excuse to get to you cuddle up to him at night? You will never know.

This man is very clingy. It doesn't matter what you're doing, he wants to have his arms around you. You're cooking? His arms are around your waist. You're trying to clean up? Good luck. His favourite moment is when you're both watching tv though. He'll pull you as close to possible to cuddle up on the couch.

Toshiro Hitsugaya

Toshiro has the windows open all-year round in his bedroom. Even when it is freezing outside, he'll want to open the windows for some fresh air as he sleeps, so he doesn't wake up in that stuffy sleep air that gets stuck in bedrooms. This does give a great excuse for cuddling while sleeping though.

He'll get you flowers every week, on the same day. It's a habit, one he doesn't want to miss. It's his way of reminding you that he cares, even though he's usually very busy with his work as a captain.

He'll agree a schedule with you to do chores in the house, just to make sure it all gets done and nothing gets forgotten. Of course, he helps in the house as well.

If you're not a fighter, Toshiro will want a dog in the house to protect you. Toshiro is very good at training dogs, as he is already used to being a leader and giving orders, and this dog will be the sweetest thing until either you or him give it the command to attack. He really counts on the dog to protect you when he cannot.

Soi-Fohn

Soi-Fohn will decorate her home in a minimalistic way. The colours don't jump out at you and there is just enough decoration to make it feel homely without having trinkets and pictures all over the place. Her home basically radiates calm and is so clean you'd almost wonder if she cleaned every day.

She sleeps with a lot of blankets. During the night she will want to say warm and she'll get closer to any source of warmth, which usually is you.

You need but say the word and Soi-Fohn will help you out with whatever she can in the house. Grocery shopping, the dishes, the laundry,… you name it. She will also start doing things without saying it if she notices you are a little overwhelmed.

She REALLY wants a cat. She loves the little creatures and has always wanted one of her own, but due to her often being away from home for extended periods of time, she never got one. If you've got a job that allows you to go home every day, she'll definitely bring it up.

Of het days off, she likes to cook something for you. She's actually a pretty good cook, though she rarely has the time to prepare something special for you.

Kenpachi Zaraki

Kenpachi is oddly clingy when you're home. He loves you, so he wants to be around you. Preferably have an arm around you. He's not shy about admitting it either. Why should he be? He wants to hold you. He's your boyfriend/husband. It's only normal.

He is the easiest guy ever to cook for. As long as you have made it, Kenpachi will eat about anything. Doesn't matter if you burnt it a little, doesn't matter if it's something he usually doesn't like. If you made it, he will eat it.

His favourite food is BBQ though, and when you eat BBQ he's the one making it. It's about the only thing he can cook, but that meat is prepared perfectly. He'll wear an apron will some stupid BBQ-related pun on it whenever he's doing so.

Kenpachi needs a dog in the house to play with, to get rid of that excess energy of his. It's likely a breed that's generally seen as dangerous, like a Pitbull. The dog is the absolute sweetest thing though, wouldn't harm a fly, and it loves playing fetch.

Kenpachi lets his dog sleep on his bed, which will cause some funny moments while trying to cuddle because the dog wants in on the affection too.

[milkberryroll]

optique.

now on AO3

It is not so common Matsumoto Rangiku, 10th division's lieutenant, invites Kurosaki Isshin, formerly Shiba Isshin and captain, to a drink. He obliges her.

"Just for old times' sake, Capt—, I mean, Kurosaki-san", she said, a wryly smile decorating her face.

The first few glasses soon became bottles, continuing to increase in number. With a clank, Isshin put his glass down after downing a particularly bittersweet glass of brewed beer.

"Seems like my daughter is following in her mother's footsteps. Who would've thought?"  Isshin chuckled quietly, and said after a moment of silence.

"You tell me! Is it some kind of bloodline thing passed down to your family? First you, then it was Ichigo, now Karin-chan!"

He knew the truth. He wasn't blind to how his former third seat may have been just a little too similar to him. He also noticed how his daughter is a little too similar to her mother.

He couldn't deny the little touches of their hands, the conversations that seemed way too relaxed between just two friends, and the eye contacts that lasted for a second too long.

He knew about the late night conversations they had on his house's roof, the way he brought her to bed when she fell asleep, and the way she would elusively ask about him after she wakes up. He knew everything.

A 10th division shinigami captain and a human? Now, where has he heard that before?

Isshin could only laugh at her words and his own thoughts.

Calling for another bottle, Rangiku proceeded to ponder silently, and slightly cursed the Kurosaki women for having the ability to pull her captains out of duty. If only the women in the mens' lives weren't so easy to hold dear, it would have been easier to hate them and drag her captains back to their offices, call it a day, and drink it all away. But she knew she couldn't hate on people who was like the sun.

Kurosaki Masaki, while she has never seen the woman herself, was the center of Isshin's life. One look at their home with the poster, and the three children she had bore, told her more than words could. She was a great woman, and Isshin would not have traded the short number of years he had spent with her for anything in the world.

Kurosaki Karin was someone who was Hitsugaya Toshiro's opposite. She thought it was funny. Her captain's whole white, pristine, icy look and the human girl who was undeniably Shiba through and through with her coloring? He was, quite literally, icy, stern, and her, a ball of fire. The winter lion and the summer pear? The whole thing felt like Isshin was playing a joke on her and intentionally named his youngest as such.

But, in reality, the two couldn't be more similar. She was someone her captain held dear. It wasn't obvious through his words, but the way he acted around her, subtly glanced and gently touched her, like she was the most fragile thing in the world, while he thought no one was watching gave him away.  It hadn't helped that his feelings were not unrequited, and the way the youngest Kurosaki brightened up in his presence was only proving the point.

If they weren't the women they loved, she wouldn't have been worrying about the work she'd be left with. Not thinking about her current captain, whom she thought of as a brother? As a son? She herself really didn't know, but she knows it would be bittersweet to see him feel love outside of family.

She wonders if this is how Captain Kuchiki felt, seeing Rukia and Ichigo.

"I'm really starting to wonder if your wife and daughter hates me or something. Making me deal with a mountain of paperwork. By myself!" She complained, while pouring Isshin a glass, then herself.

"Hey, now. Cal— ! " Isshin looked at her in slight panic as she downed her glass of alcohol, stood up, then proceeded to chug the liquor straight from the bottle.

"What do they even see in my captains anyway? They're either a pervert or a kid with a stick up his ass! You think handling a squad is easy?! I'd have to deal with a captain less squad again!" She half screamed and half slurred, before she plopped the bottle on the table, about to pass out, swaying as she sat back down.

She tells Isshin to pour her one more glass, and promises it's her last for the night.

He should be stopping her, but he doesn't.

He's part of what she's pissed off about, anyway.

[recurring-polynya]

Once again, I am thinking about the dubious claim that people make from time to time that Renji would have gotten better character development in the TYBW arc if Byakuya had died. The thing is, though, that Renji did get excellent character development in this arc, particularly with respect to his relationship to Byakuya, it was just very subtle and I want to talk about it.

So, the first thing I want to point out is that the captain-lieutenant relationships is one of the major themes of the TYBW. A lot of this is sort of weird and awkward, but this is perfect, actually, because captain-lieutenant relationships are, for the most part, weird and clunky and awkward. Take for example, the part that I always make fun of, where the captains are told not to go to bankai, and Hitsugaya, Komamura, Byakuya and Soi Fon immediately go to bankai-- but they all do this on the assumption that they are luring their opponent into a trap to see how this works, and that their lieutenant will somehow ??defeat them anyway?? (well, except Soi Fon who seems to think she can one-shot her Quincy). There’s Sasakibe’s funeral, where we find out that Yamamoto cared far more for him than we ever imagined. Kyouraku returns Nanao’s zanpakutou to her and stands behind her as she defeats an opponent he can't. Iba carries Komamura’s body off of the battlefield as he loses the last of his humanity. Isane struggles to keep her head above her grief because that’s the burden Unohana left her with. Rose avenging Kira. Hitsugaya and Matsumoto fighting and (sort of) dying together. The Zaraki-Yachiru thing. The Mayuri-Nemu thing. Momo and Shinji actually got to have a relatively normal one, which they each deserved, but at least they got to have normal one together. Anyway, that could be an entire essay, but as usual, I only want to talk about Renji and Byakuya.

Renji’s introduction as a character happens in stages. Initially, he sort of appears to be Byakuya’s sidekick-- he's here to do the dirty work during Rukia’s arrest, while Byakuya stands by and calls the shots, but even early on, it’s clear that Renji’s a little hung up on Byakuya. He’s trying to impress him, and gets more embarrassed and self-conscious as things go progressively pear-shaped. When Byakuya finally enters the action, Renji’s thought bubbles reveal that he’s watched Byakuya for a long time, that he knows all his moves. When we get the Renji backstory reveal a few issues later, we learn that Renji’s goal is to defeat Byakuya, which he seems to feel is necessary to seeing Rukia again, even though there has never been any sort of causal link revealed between these two things. Don’t get me wrong, if Young Academy Renji had tried to continue to be friends with Rukia, I think Byakuya would have kicked him out on his ass, but it’s clear that a lot of Renji’s hang-ups are internal-- he doesn’t want to face Rukia again until he can stand against Byakuya. I think the origin of this is that he simply wants what’s best for Rukia, and he can’t stomach the idea of asking her to leave her rich, noble family for him, unless, of course, he’s somehow better than Byakuya in some dimension, and the only thing Renji’s ever considered himself good at is fighting.

Even more interesting is that he’s chosen to go about this by... studying the man’s every move and becoming his lieutenant. But for as much energy as Renji has put into learning Byakuya’s favorite combat moves, he doesn’t actually know anything about him as a person. He’s shocked when Rukia predicts that Byakuya won’t lift a finger to help her, and then horrified when this actually comes to pass. A few chapters later, as he’s running Hinamori through, Aizen comments that “Adoration is the state furthest from understanding.” I would probably classify Renji’s feelings towards Byakuya more as admiration or idolization, rather than adoration, but I think this statement is also very true of Renji and Byakuya’s relationship. Unlike poor Momo, Renji gets a little more time and opportunity to do something with this information. With a little Ichigo-forced soul searching, he realizes that he’s not going to come out the hero of this story no matter what, but if he doesn’t do something, Rukia’s not going to come out of this story at all, and even if he’s not really ready, he’s spent 40 years trying to figure out how to beat Kuchiki Byakuya, let’s hope all that was good for something.

The Byakuya-Renji fight has no direct impact on the events of the Soul Society Arc. It makes Byakuya show up to Rukia’s execution 5 minutes late and without his scarf. Renji gets healed, so it really doesn’t matter all that much to him, either. You could argue that they both wasted a bunch of energy (that they could have used to fight Aizen later) but it’s primarily a character-driven moment of them both drawing lines in the sand about where they stand, vis a vis Rukia. Byakuya wins this fight, and he wins it handily, but he’s wrong, as he comes to realize a few issues later, when Ichigo kicks his ass and tells him he’s a bad brother, a lesson that Byakuya will take to heart for the rest of the manga. Byakuya claims that the difference between Renji and himself is class, but the real difference between is the heart, and in the long run, Renji is the real victor of this fight.

The hospital scene is an interesting footnote to this. Byakuya defeated Renji, but Byakuya was the asshole and everyone knows it. There’s an expectation that perhaps Renji will quit or perhaps Renji will give him an earful and perhaps even Rukia will choose to leave the family, either to go to the Living World or to be with Renji (and Byakuya would deserve this), but instead, both Renji and Rukia give Byakuya another chance, which is not, I think, a place Renji ever expected to be.

Rukia and Byakuya building up a sibling relationship after this is fairly straightforward (although I’m sure it had its weird moments), but Byakuya and Renji now have this profoundly awkward relationship where Byakuya is obviously in charge, but he sort of depends on Renji as a personal compass because he’s shit at dealing with people and he doesn’t want to screw stuff up with Rukia again. Take for example, the part of the Hueco Mundo arc where Orihime is kidnapped and Rukia and Renji desert their posts to come help rescue her. Kubo takes to the panel-space to tell us that Byakuya has tacitly approved this. As a clan head and a captain, a person who is entrenched in the hierarchy of Soul Society, Byakuya couldn’t possibly go to Hueco Mundo-- but he can turn a blind eye while his sister and lieutenant scurry out through the Kuchiki family senkaimon. Renji, for his part, tried to go to Hueco Mundo through official channels and got shot down. We don’t know what Renji would have done if Byakuya had explicitly forbidden him from going, but it doesn’t matter-- Byakuya enabled Renji to follow his heart here, because Byakuya can’t. Rukia would have gone to Hueco Mundo regardless. She cares about Byakuya, but she doesn’t depend on him for validation the way Renji does.

I said this was going to be about the TYBW, so let’s get to that. Early in the arc, we’re shown several scenes where it’s clear that Byakuya respects and values Renji as a lieutenant, but he’s also pretty damn patronizing to him. Renji is the first one to engage As Nodt, and when Byakuya shows up, he acts surprised that Renji hasn’t taken him out yet, but then proceeds to take over the fight (real, “stand back, fives, an eleven has arrived” energy). After Byakuya then loses his bankai like a doofus, Renji wants to take point so that Byakuya can figure out As Nodt’s attack and Byakuya won’t let him... and then proceeds to get thrashed.

This has to be one of the most emotionally charged fights in Bleach. Byakuya is losing, and Renji jumps in, absolutely incensed that As Nodt would use Senbonzakura against Byakuya. Renji isn’t doing great, but he’s not doing terrible when Byakuya gets up and tries to help Renji, even though he’s a big bloody mess. As Nodt reacts by shredding Byakuya into chunks, and Renji just loses it, and if Mask de Masculine hadn’t shown up and kicked him halfway across the Seireitei, I daresay Renji would have killed himself trying to take down As Nodt.

This is where I usually make the point that if Byakuya had died to here, it would have broken Renji into little pieces, but that’s not today’s essay. Instead, everyone goes to the Royal Realm, and by virtue of the fact that Byakuya is injured worse than everyone else, Renji has to go forward without him or his approval.

In typical Renji fashion, the thing that motivates Renji here is not glory or heroism, but the desire to accompany Ichigo, the need to be with his friends in their times of trial. In fact his companionship here is absolutely essential-- at Hikifune’s, Ichigo expresses deep doubts that he’s doing the right thing, and Renji reminds himself that if he wants to protect others, he has to take care of himself first.

At Nimaiya’s however, Renji and Ichigo are split up because they must follow their own paths. The other extremely interesting thing that happens here is that Renji’s sword is reforged. Byakuya shattered one of Hihio Zabimaru’s joints the very first time Renji used them in combat. Renji brushed it off at the time, saying that he could get by without it. Even though Byakuya has long been his motivating force and his mentor, he’s also been held back by his connection to him. And at this point, it’s gone.

I really wish we got to see where Renji and Rukia meet up again, but we don’t. Unlike with Ichigo, though, Rukia doesn’t seem to need anything from Renji. They travel together, fight together as equals, wear matching outfits, like you do. Oh. Wait. After all this time, in the 493 chapters between Needless Emotions and Blue Stripes, Renji can finally see himself as an equal to Rukia. They get. bankai. Together.

I want to emphasize that it’s not really anything about Rukia herself that allowed Renji to make bankai, it’s the fact that he’s finally managed to move past the feeling that he’s not enough. Defeating Byakuya would not actually have solved this problem, and having Byakuya dying in front of him wouldn’t have either. Renji gets criticized for losing a lot of his fights, but that’s such a key to his character. He’s not always the strongest, he doesn’t always win, but he keeps fighting for what he cares about. He struggles with his need for approval, for external validation, but Renji is at his best when he doesn’t have time to think about that, when he’s just fighting by his friends’ sides against impossible odds, doing what he knows in his heart is right.

I think people tend to make a little more than is strictly necessary of the line where he tells Mask that he’s “a villain”, I think he’s most just making fun of Mask’s own self-aggrandizement. On another level, though, this is just Renji being at ease with himself. Byakuya typically enters a fight bloviating about the honor of Soul Society and “how dare you raise your sword against me, the 28th Head of the Kuchiki” and even Ikkaku had the whole deal about telling people your name before you kill them, but Renji is more like “you beat up my friends, so I’m gonna break your face,” like there’s no ego in it, just you’re there, and he’s there, and then you’re lying on the ground and he’s taking a nap somewhere. This is so different than the insecure, posturing young man he was at the start of this series and I love this growth for him.

Even after he eventually meets up with Byakuya again, something has changed about their dynamic. The group gets split up and rejoined two or three times, and Renji and Rukia always stay together while Byakuya ends up fighting alongside others, Hisagi and later Hitsugaya and Zaraki. This is cemented in their last scene together, where Rukia and Renji try to stay with Byakuya and he sends them off to fight with Ichigo by saying “your help is not needed here.” In some ways, it’s an echo of Byakuya sending them off to Hueco Mundo, but in other ways, it’s acknowledging that they are their own people, not just an extension of him.

Hitsugaya follows it up with this:

There’s more here than meets the eye, though-- Byakuya and Renji have maintained a pretty strict superior-subordinate relationship, because that’s the easiest way for them to make sense of the world, but the fact is, they do care about each other and are important to one another.

I know there would be a certain narrative satisfaction in seeing Renji make captain at the end-- he’s one of the hardest working people in Bleach, and it frankly seems weird to see Iba get the haori when he doesn’t. But Renji has never wanted to be a captain. Renji becoming captain would, in some ways, be a failure. He spends years pre-canon chasing rank and prestige because that’s what he thinks will make him worthy, and it didn’t. Instead, he found worth in being himself, in loving his friends and being there for them, in learning things from Byakuya and teaching him things in return. Renji doesn’t need to be Byakuya’s lieutenant anymore, he just does it because he likes it. It makes him happy. What better character development is there than that?

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

Until the Day Comes When it Won't

Hitsuhina Weekend Day 1 - Ice skating / Cooking / Lilac / A rainy day

Setting: In the time between the end of the Full Bringer and Thousand Year Blood War arcs.

Rating: T for violence

Synopsis: Momo remembers the day that changed her life forever, and wonders when it won't affect her anymore.

AN: Hitsuhina Weekend is here! For today, I’m going with a short angsty piece, one that has been on my mind lately. I hope you enjoy it!

_______________________________________

She catches herself starring at the spot only after the rain starts. She ducks under the cover of the roof awning just in time. The downpour drops the temperature a few degrees and slams into the floorboards.

Despite how thick the sheets of rain are though, they don’t obscure her view of towering white wall a short distance from her.

How long had she been standing here just starring at where everything had changed?

The memory floats to the surface, still too vivid for her liking. Of his ‘corpse’ pinned high up by his own sword, his blood fanned out across his uniform and seeped down the wall like a grotesque flower. Her world had shattered, had hollowed out and made no sense.

She closes her eyes and focuses on the rain. The violent image fades back into the dark, but her heart still clenches. She wants to be better, to be beyond these emotions and thoughts that weigh her down. Having a new captain helped in a way, helped convince her to move on for the sake of her division and for her heart. She knew ‘it takes time’ to heal, but when would she get better completely though? It feels like a faraway hope, something she can sometimes barely see in the distance.

It’s at times like this she wished she were older, having the experience needed to deal with these feelings and thoughts.

“Oi, Hinamori.”

She startles, her eyes flying open and her fist pressing into her chest. It takes her a second to register who stands before her, arms folded and wet hair dipping under the weight of rain.

“Shi…I mean, Captain Hitsugaya,” she fumbles out.

“What’re you doing here?” His question is gentle, not demanding a complete answer from her.

“I was on my way to the joint meeting, but then the rain started, and…” She wants to tell him, but she still isn’t ready. They’d reconciled, were able to look each other in the eye without any awkwardness, but she can’t tell him right now.

Toshiro looks out at the rain. “Is it that bad?”

Of course the rain doesn’t bother Toshiro, never has. She allows a rueful smile. “It just suddenly happened so I went under cover.”

He doesn’t turn back to look at her though. Did he remember what happened here too? She can’t imagine that he’d forgotten.

If it weren’t for what happened here, both of them would have thought of this as just being any other section of the Seireitei. There’s nothing that makes it stand out, no division insignias or monuments or evidence of what happened more than a year ago. The blood on the wall have been scrubbed off after they took down the ‘corpse’, and the damage to the floorboards - one large gash caused by Tobiume’s fireball and the other Toshiro had made when he forced Tobiume into the ground with his foot - had been mended.

Momo swallows against the tightness building up in her throat. “I just realized, I never…” I never apologized for what happened that day. He turns back to her.

After discovering ‘Aizen’ dead, she’d done regrettable things, had apologized for all of them to everyone involved. It was essentially the same response from everyone though: there’s no need to apologise, I understand why it happened and we made it out the other side; I’m glad we’re both still here.

So no, she won’t apologise again. She’ll take the next step. “It was here when you came between Kira-kun and I. Back then, you saved us from hurting each other, even though you could have gotten hurt too. I’ve never thanked you for stepping in.”

Toshiro blinks slowly, gaze softening and falling down to floor. For a moment neither speak, the only sound is the rain pattering on the awning and floorboards.

“There’s nothing to thank me for,” he eventually says. His shoulders sink with a short exhale. “Truth is, I’ve…I’ve wondered if I could have handled it better, if somehow…”

He stops, bowing his head lower. It always takes a lot for him to admit his thoughts and feelings, and right now she can tell he had said more than he wanted. Her chest tightens at the regret he clearly felt. Was it the warnign he gave her about the third division? He couldn't have known she would heed it in that moment. Was it that he locked her and Izuru away? He couldn't have known that she would try to break out after reading the letter. She can tell him these things, but she can't assume what he regrets.

“Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Hitsugaya-kun. None of us knew what was happening or what was going to happen. I regret even raising my sword against Izuru, and then later against you. So, regardless of everything that came after the moment, thank you for stopping me from doing something else I would have regretted.” When he says nothing, she continues, “We can’t change the past, no matter how much we want to.”

He looks up, frown deepening and eyes full of uncertainty. She’d said the same thing when he finally came to see her after her recovery. She’d already apologized to Toshiro for other things, and he had in turn for her. Forgiveness was given where either of them felt it wasn’t needed in the first place, but it helped. It helped Momo in being the first step forward, even if it mightn’t completely stop those memories from completely affecting her.

She sighs. “We can only live in the present and walk forward, right? I’ve apologized to you for so many things, and some part of me may always regret what I did, but from now on, I also want to be thankful.” She smiles at him. “I’ve realized I have a lot to be thankful for, and I should give my thanks more often.”

She knows the implication hit its mark when his eyes widen a fraction. The things they’d done against each other months ago hurt, but it’s nothing compared to the gratitude she feels for having him in her life.

Aizen had changed her life, but he wasn’t the only one. The captain before her had done that long before him. When she met him, when they were children in the Junrinan on that winter night, her life was never the same since. It got the point where she can’t imagine a life without him being a constant, there at most stages of her life. There are only a few others who knew her from before her Academy days and were still around. He's been there through the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and everything in-between, he’s been there, close by and far away.

After a moment, certainty returns to his eyes, but he also sighs and unfolds his arms to scratch the back of his neck, an old habit of his. “I guess that’s a good mindset to have.” He turns from her. “Come on, we should get to the meeting, we’ll be late.”

He always has a hard time accepting positive sentiment about him, and given the regret he still feels about certain actions he took, she imagines it will take him a while to fully accept this is how she felt towards him.

Just as he hadn't questioned her further about why she'd stopped, she won't question him further now. "Yeah, let's go."

They walk under awning, the wall in her peripheral until they turn to the left and her back faces it.

It’s become more and more apparent to Momo that the moments where one’s life is changed often happen in places that are mundane or familiar to them rather than in grand scenes or dramatic locations like in the books she used to read. It's reality, she knows.

One day that wall will not have an impact on her. One day she will walk by it and realise hours later that she hadn’t stopped and starred at it or even thought about what memories it held for her.

She can't become a resilient adult unless she has experiences with what troubles her or the support of others. Impatient as she is at times, she knows it’s a step at time, sometimes by herself and other times with her friends, whether it's by her side or from afar.

[bleachbleachbleach]

I saw that one post you had, your headcanon about Hitsugaya's grandmother. You said Hitsugaya and Hinamori had baller names, and I was wondering what you meant by that? I mean I love both of these characters, and I'm always interested in any tidbits I get to know about them. I'd love to get your perspective. Thanks! ^^

Omg! This blog’s first ask! ToT <333 Thank you, and it’s def a pleasure to meet someone who also loves these characters! Please allow me to express my love via a time-honored Tumblr tradition, the Enthusiastic TL;DR:

#PeasantLife

"I’ve never met anyone with that name before" might be my definition of baller here, haha. But at the same time, like, all the Rukongai characters have pretty baller names considering there's no real reason they would have family names at all, because 1) peasants, and, to add to that, 2) no families. (Except Hisana and Rukia--I assume they are genuinely blood-related and Hisana didn't just pick up a baby she thought looked like her, LOL.)

SS seems more-or-less modeled off the Edo period, a time where only fancy people could have fancy things like swords and surnames. It was only in the last 150ish years the peasant class not only could have names but had to, and suddenly people either had to make one up or have someone make one up for them and all these priests were suddenly like, fuck, oh no, gotta make up a bunch of names!! lol. But anyway, my point is, I feel like Rukongai would be even more like that because there'd be even less reason for the souls there to have family names.

What’s in a name?

Like a lot of Japanese names in general, a lot of these characters' names are locational: @littleeyesofpallas has a ton of very cool posts about everyone’s names, and they are much better informed than me, so I recommend their whole blog 9000%.

But at the same time like, I know Matsumotos and Ichimarus. I’ve never met an IRL Hitsugaya—nor a Hinamori, though I feel like I’d be less surprised to meet a Hinamori in the wild. Momo is a normal name, and Toshirou would be, but as far as I know Toushirou is not. (I mentioned this in the original post, but there are lots of different potential kanji for to or toshi, but Hitsugaya’s name uses tou, specifically the tou (冬), for winter, which I think is neat/clever.) Also, Hitsugaya’s name is six characters long, which is certainly above average and definitely seems real freakin’ long for a peasant kid, even for the Fancy Peasants of Junrinan.

Indulgent Junrinan Grandma HCs

I love the idea of part of, like, Grandma’s occupation/pastime being the imagining and assigning of names. She has the capacity to house and clothe and feed (! which feels special since this is not an expense most Rukongai people would even need to deal with) so I feel like she’s gotta have some kinda hustle goin’. And she’s clearly good at it, since Hitsugaya and Hinamori’s names fit them so well. Plus, for a name to fit you so well, and to express so deeply your nature, also feels pretty baller. It means someone cared to know you, or to see who you might become.

I remember once someone important came from Japan and was bestowing Buddhist names to people in my Buddhist church, so my mom signed us all up to get one. Mine had to do with like, wisdom and flowers (and my given name also has to do with flowers). But then my little brother got DRAGONS in his and I was like, HEY NOW. WHAT IS THIS. WHY IS HIS COOLER. XDD So, anyway, I’m imagining Grandma in a similar role, but whereas that Buddhist person was Important and had some kind of institutional authority, Grandma is more maverick. Like, this woman who’s been in Rukongai for ages and ages and has acquired, in this long and fairly monotone Rukongai life, literacy and a lot of imagination. And what are you going to do with these skills in a crappy peasant village besides give the people around you some baller-ass names?

And I’m kind of into the idea that like, you probably need to sign your Shinigami Academy entrance exam with your name―and in order to do that you need to HAVE a full name in the first place, and if you haven’t acquired one by the time you’ve journeyed through the rest of Rukongai, then there are people you can go to to buy one/have one given to you. And if you’re in the west, well, maybe that person is Grandma.

日番谷隊長だ

I think it adds another layer to why Hitsugaya would want to be addressed by family name and rank, too. I still think the biggest reason is the need to assert some kind of authority, because otherwise that authority would go unrecognized/erode quickly, because he’s a pretty new captain and certainly a young one (and honestly if your division is on its third captain in under 150 years I imagine that might raise some questions about the whole division, irrespective of who Hitsugaya himself might be. XD I WOULD HAVE SOME QUESTIONS). But he seems largely well-respected within SS without the need for an overabundance of arm-twisting. And he doesn’t need respect from Hinamori, nor distance, so insisting on titles with her seems more like a way of having moved through multiple stages of life and wanting to mark the differences, acknowledging the new while also recognizing what you’ve had to leave behind. Not in the sense of like, "oh, we’re fancy now, that’s behind us" but in the sense of there being people you don’t often get to see anymore. Why did you need this name? What did you take on with it? Who gave it to you? Why is that important?

--

But anyway, I’d love to get YOUR perspective, too! I wanna hearrrr everyone’s hcs!

[fectless]

(This is technically in response to the post right below this one, as world building totally counts for it, right?)

Anywho, more fandom thoughts, but for BLEACH this time. I recently started rewatching the anime again for the nth time as part of my language practice (and having the Japanese subtitles on while watching it in Japanese is an experience) and reached that episode where Aizen and co. get rescued by Menos Grande after declaring their intentions to Soul Society. And then a few things hit me.

The first: Rukia says, the first time Ichigo sees her sending someone on via Soul Burial, that one neither feels hunger nor gets sick in Soul Society. We know that this is false for a few reasons.

Those who can become shinigami definitely need to eat and all souls need water which implies that they can suffer from thirst (and perhaps heat exhaustion).

Captain Ukitake is suffering from an unknown disease that makes him literally cough out his lungs. I’ve read something about it being a defect in the make up of his soul that is only not killing him because of the pact with the Soul King’s arm, but I cannot recall if this was canon or fanon (as the Blood War arc was just like that). If so, does this mean that sickness does occur in Soul Society, but so rarely as to not be mentioned? Or does it occur more in the outer districts? Why does it occur?

Hisana died from a sickness as well. Yes, it’s stated to be exhaustion, but I feel like that doesn’t make sense? Like, the flashback in the anime has her abandoning Rukia after she collapses while carrying her around. And she collapses later when she regrets this and goes to look for her sister. And then she dies.

Seriously, why does it occur? It’s weird. And it cannot be an Aizen thing as I’m pretty sure Aizen is younger than Ukitake. Is it because of what happened to the soul king? Does it have something to do with when people get sent on (like if they were close to being a hollow)? Is it because they died while sick? Is it because of their resolve?

...Do we never see sick souls in Soul Society other than them because they usually just. Die pretty soon after arriving?

And if spiritual power leaking is what causes spiritual pressure, and the “vents” can be closed... do people in the districts sometimes close them by mistake and then blow up? Is spontaneous combustion a thing in the afterlife?

The second: I’m pretty sure “Ichirin no Hana” is a love song that Byakuya is singing to Hisana’s memory.

Someone has probably stated this before, but the lyrics of the song literally say how some one, a “single flower,” is precious and can’t be replaced. How that flower bloomed despite being stuck somewhere dark and how they looked lovely but like they were about to wither away. And that the singer would accept all of their pain if only that person would smile and stay with them...

The title of the song also matches the title of the chapter in which Byakuya reveals to Rukia the secrets he’d been keeping from her about Hisana. He uses the same words, “ichirin no hana” to describe the season in which she died

Literally his whole dilema during this arc, the entire way he interacted with Rukia up to this point, was that he was conflicted between his sense of duty (to his parents, his wife and keeping his word) and his feelings for his beloved Hisana. Rukia’s physical resemblance to her sister is almost uncanny and the lie she is told when she asks why she was adopted was, “You look like Byakuya’s late wife.” How much must he have hated that? A person whom he had sworn to protect that, had she arrived two years earlier might have saved his wife’s (after)life? A person that looks just like his beloved, who reminds him of her every time he sees her (for those first 50 years), but is not and never will be Hisana. And then. To know that she’s going to be executed for crimes, that she felt she could not rely upon him enough to even let him know she’d encountered trouble in the human world when he’s been doing his best to ensure she’s safe (because that is one of the few reasonable explanations for why Rukia hadn’t been promoted yet, and then was promoted during the 3 year gap)? To see her stripped of her rank, her strength even (with that collar and the stone of the prison tower). To see a small form who so resembles his beloved all listless and soon to die, wearing a white yukata like his wife had in her last days...

Watching it again made me feel things, okay? Like yeah, it seems like it’s a stupid dilema from some perspectives. Especially considering Central 46 had a run in with Aizen by then, but. Byakuya was raised in the Seireitei. He was raised knowing that his life was the Seireitei’s tool. That his duty, his reason for existing was for the sake of his family’s honor, so he must be composed, must act as the family and Soul Society bid him. That’s some mighty powerful brainwashing/indoctrination right there. And he broke it once already to marry some nobody from the slums. He did something not only against the norms, but something selfish. Maybe if she’d had high spiritual power this would have been accepted, but she was sickly and likely did not. He went against the clan elders who had probably instilled obedience in him since birth and was afraid of doing it again.

(And if you count the filler arcs, you can bet that they held that one Kuchiki who went traitor against him too. Like: “he married that Hisana girl against our orders? What next? Will he betray Soul Society too?”)

And maybe I’m making a bigger deal out of his upbringing than I need to. Maybe it wasn’t really like this. But I feel like it really was. (Moreso with the filler arcs and what I’ve heard of the light novels.)

Also, this song and the way that the opening animation fit together really solidifies the whole “Ichigo and Rukia were always meant to have a tragic romance” vibe that I kept getting the first time I encountered this series.

The third: Rukia was likely younger than six months (physically) when she was abandoned, but I’m pretty sure that she was older than three months when she and Hisana died.

Her blanket was pink in the flashback.

Sure, the above might not seem to have much significance but it’s been proven in canon that clothes are part of oneself. I reblogged a post a while ago that went into detail, but to sum it up, clothes are part of your self image and your self image determines a bit about what you look like when you die.

Babies are usually no longer swaddled by the time they’re six months old, and some places recommend that you stop by the end of their second month.

Babies have pretty bad vision when they’re born. They take four to six months to reliably track objects in motion and use binocular vision decently. They take about four months to see across a room, and about two months to see farther than maybe 30 cm away. And around the three month mark, they start having decent color vision. Around then is when babies supposedly start showing color preference.

Babies tend to have poor long term memory. (To be fair, they’ve got a lot going on compared to being in the womb and sensory overload sucks.) Their memory by the age of six months is only a few weeks. Two months old had a memory span of a few days.

If she’s been consistently wrapped in a pink blanket, then by the time she’s old enough to see color, she would be old enough to remember what color her blanket usually is— or if it was a different color that particular day.

The fourth: when Gin raises his spiritual pressure on Aizen’s orders, Chad remains standing. This raised a bunch of questions as Gin is stronger than Yammy (to the best of my memory).

Chad remained standing. Yes, his whole fight with Captain Kyouraku was about his resolve and how he would stand by his friends and fight for their safety/ideals but. Like. Earlier that year, his spiritual strength was on par with Yuzu. He’d been friends with Ichigo for years which was why he was even that strong. He’d been in a Hollow attack maybe three times before Rukia was arrested and could only barely see them the time Ishida pulled a stupid and used Hollow Bait. Sure, he has experience fighting and he’d trained under Yoruichi, but it feels sus considering how the others fared.

Orihime fell to her knees pretty quickly after Gin turned up the pressure. She’d also fought against high-ranking shinigami at that point, and trained under Yoruichi, and fought off Hollow (alone even! And she was the reason why Sora moved on, despite Ichigo’s Blade purifying him) before. And yet... It could just be a lack of resolve, as that had come up in earlier chapters but it doesn’t feel right.

Ishida is excused from this due to circumstances.

Tatsuki has been friends with him for ages. Sure, it seems like they weren’t as close after his Mom’s passing, but by then they’d already known each other for quite some time. I’m pretty sure that they were hanging out semi-regularly through junior high/middle school, at which point he got close with Chad and she got close with Orihime. She also has experience fighting (admittedly in martial arts rather than the street fights Ichigo and Chad get dragged into). She experienced at least one hollow attack during Ishida’s Stupid Day. But she collapses as soon as Yammy shows up? That feels off.

In contrast, Ganju was struggling about the same amount. He was born to a noble family— who are known to typically have decently high spiritual power, like his older brother Kaien and his cousin/uncle Issin. He was raised in the Rukongai, meaning he likely came across Hollow attacks. (And those definitely occur.)

Makes me wonder things about Karin’s strength. Like, she managed to escape from the hollow who attacked their house to run for Ichigo’s help (manga) or lived long enough while alone with it that Ichigo and Rukia could come save her (anime), both of which are quite impressive for an eleven year old. She also kept up with Hitsugaya when they played soccer and he’s a captain. Based on Ichigo’s experience, it’s likely that she too will become stronger as she grows up. And does she have an inner hollow too, or is that Ichigo only? If White was simply a parasite and decided to stick to Ichigo I could accept it. But as a hollow Ichigo is a Vast Lorde, and hollows of that level can split into parts (like Starrk and Lilynette).

Does Yuzu not really have any spiritual strength because she inherited more of the Quincy genes from her mom and the hollow genes she inherited don’t balance out that same way it does in her siblings...? Food for thought.

TLDR: how and why is sickness as thing in Soul Society? Byakuya listens to rock music and I’m p. sure the third opening song is him angsting over his wife’s death; it also gave me strong feelings about how he was prolly brainwashed growing up so his angst over Rukia’s fate is not actually stupid. I continue to have IchiRuki feels. Rukia and Hisana died when Rukia was about 3 months old. And I am more confused now about how spiritual power works than I was before I started rewatching the anime for language practice. Also, more questions have arisen about hollows.

[hinamoria]

Clumsy ghost

Hitsuhina Week 2021 : Day 9- AU / Ghost

Rating: K+ or T ? (It’s a little bit angst, we’re talking about ghost, so character’s death, but no violence or anything like that)

Synopsis: Living with a clumsy ghost was no rest for Hitsugaya at all.

Word Count: 1953 words

Setting:  Modern world

Author’s Note: my favorite one shot of the challenge <3. The first one I wrote immediately after reading the themes. And, rare enough to note it, I liked what I wrote at the first try xD

—

The sound of shattered glass abruptly stopped Hitsugaya in his chemistry exercise. It was 9:00 p.m., his parents had gone out to see some friends, and he didn't have any cat that could make that kind of noise last he noticed. He almost wished the culprit was a thief sneaking into his home. It would have been easier to justify the disaster to his parents on their return. But no, the probability was almost certain that Hinamori had done something stupid again.

The young boy let out an exasperated sigh and shouted in the direction of the downstairs.

“Hinamori! What did you break again this time? "

Silence answered him. But he was not fooled. Putting down his pen on the notebook, Hitsugaya got up from his desk, stretched briefly, and walked towards the crime scene. The living room seemed unoccupied, but right in front of the wooden bookcase was one of her mother's little blown glass figurines, shattered into dozens of pieces on the floor. Beyond repair. Better get it all out quick before someone got hurt.

As he picked up the pieces, Toshiro noticed a book also on the ground, a few inches next to the statue. “Alice in Wonderland” by Lewis Caroll. A classic. Hinamori probably wanted to read it and must have dropped it on the figurine. However, the culprit still had not deigned to show up.

"Instead of watching me clean your mess in silence, you could at least apologize," he said sternly, keeping his eyes on his task. “My mother loves this stuff, she's going to notice it "

A silhouette gradually appeared a meter beside him, remaining translucent. A brown-eyed brunette teenager, looking half embarrassed-half pained, played nervously with her hands while looking at her white-haired friend.

"Shiro-chan…" She started in a small voice. “Sorry… I wanted to grab the book, but it slipped out. "

This sort of thing has unfortunately happened quite frequently over the past few months. As a ghost, the young woman could not interact with objects as easily as a human being. But as she built up enough spiritual energy over time, she could do small things like turn on the light or the TV, or read. But if turning the pages of a novel was easy, getting the book out of the library was more complex. And she frequently dropped the objects she was holding for lack of spiritual energy.

"Here’s the result," thought Hitsugaya, looking at the fragments one last time before throwing it in the trash.

He will look on the internet to order the same item. With any luck, it would all go unnoticed. In two years of living in this house, he had ended up gaining a reputation as a “legendary clumsy”, completely false. But being the only one to see Hinamori, unless he wanted to be taken for a madman, he preferred accepting the reproaches, and turning against his ghostly friend afterwards.

His parents had made a good deal by buying this house. The former owners, devastated by grief after losing their daughter in a traffic accident, wanted to leave the place as soon as possible. Everything reminded them of Hinamori here, to the point of even thinking they saw her or heard her voice.

Their hallucinations must have been caused by their daughter's ghost desperately trying to make contact with them.

When he arrived, the feeling of being watched had not left Hitsugaya. He wasn't naturally paranoid, but something about this house was bothering him. And then one day, when he almost hit the corner of a cupboard in the kitchen cabinet, he heard a female voice screaming "watch out!" ". His face had crumpled up when he saw the half-translucent young woman right in front of him, and she mimicked his expression as she realized he could see her. And since then, she never left him. Sometimes to his dismay.

Ghost life seemed boring, especially when you mysteriously couldn't leave the house. So the young woman spent her time talking to him about everything and nothing, most often nothing. His ability to grab objects was a small revolution in their lives. Granting some peace of mind for Hitsugaya. He brought her CDs and books from the library every week to her delight. He also frequently left his computer or television on for her.

Sometimes he wondered why she didn't go to "heaven" or the afterlife. But she always dodged this question. So he had come to terms with her daily presence. At least she had the decency not to go into the bathroom. He would probably have asked to go to a boarding school otherwise.

Finishing cleaning up the mess, he motivated himself to return to the bedroom to end his homework and have his evening free.

"Can you take the book and bring it to the bedroom?" Momo asked behind him with a small smile. “I don't know if I would have the energy to do it on my own all the way."

Denying her nothing, he put the open book on his bed, letting the young woman start reading, while he finished his work.

"Alice in Wonderland ". She must have read this book at least fifteen times since he had known her. It had to be her favorite without a doubt. The book was starting to get damaged around the edges from turning the pages.

He walked over to the bathroom to relax in the shower and found himself disappointed that the bulb was burnt out.

"I had nothing to do with it this time!” Hinamori objected reflexively upon hearing his friend's exasperated sigh again.

You spend your time turning on the lights in the house," he retorted. “You are indirectly guilty of that”.

She pouted at him at the new accusation but didn't refute. Spare bulbs were in the attic and Toshiro walked there wearily.

The house had been renovated with the exception of the attic which retained old with its creaky and fragile parquet. A real ghost room, Hitsugaya thought.

Having found the purpose of his visit, he was about to leave when he noticed a partly defeated wooden slat. Better put it back on before someone got hurt. Crouching down, he was about to reposition it when he noticed a metallic-looking object underneath.

Removing the slat, he noticed with surprise a small metal cookie tin hidden in a recess between the parquet floor and the ceiling below.

Intrigued by this new treasure, he opened it. Inside he found a multitude of photos, as well as several papers and small items. He recognized Momo in one of the photos, dressed in high school clothes, surrounded by two boys, one blond and one with red hair.

He then decided to take the set to its real owner.

"I found this in the attic," he showed her, putting the box on the blanket with a small metal noise.

Momo's face lit up at the find.

“My treasure box! I can’t believe it! I completely forgot it was there!"

Abandoning her book altogether, his friend immediately took an interest in the content, scattering the photos everywhere.

"Look! It's Kira-kun and Abarai-kun! "She explained, pointing at the two boys earlier. «I’ve told you about them before. We went to college together and we were in the same class in high school! A real sign of fate. I wonder what happened to them now...”

She paused, staring at the photo for a long time.

"They must be in college today," she continued. ”Kira was a good student. I could see him teaching one day. Abarai was more impulsive. He spent his time being reprimanded. But I think you could have got along.”

Her tone had grown melancholic as she explained the scenes in the photos: Momo dressed in some sort of pumpkin costume for her fifth birthday, a family outing to the beach, birthdays...

"And this is a bracelet I made in elementary school!” She showed him, grabbing a sort of black rubber band with a small turquoise bead. “It's the same color as your eyes. Another sign of fate! » She added, laughing.

She started the gesture as if to put it on her wrist, but the bracelet crossed her arm and fell back on the bed, triggering a temporary silence in the young woman. A cloudy veil seemed to appear for a moment in the young woman's eyes but disappeared before Toshiro could even speak.

"I'll give it to you Shiro-chan!" She finally declared smiling again.

He grabbed the jewel and inspected it for a few moments between his fingers. He wasn't the type to wear this kind of thing, but the style was simple and the stone was pretty on its own.

“Thank you”, he finally answered, picking up a micro smile from the little brunette.

She nodded and turned to the photos again.

“Maybe we could make copies for you and send the originals to my parents?” She proposed. “They would surely be happy to have them”.

He nodded, approving of the idea.

As he began to put them away, Momo spoke again:

“You know…I didn't want to die Toshiro”, she blurted out followed by a bitter little laugh. “I…”

He was surprised that she brought up the subject so suddenly, but let her continue. The veil over her pupils reappeared, brighter than before.

"I loved my life," she said with a tight throat. “I had a lot of plans. I wanted to travel, adopt a dog, fall in love, take a parachute jump, learn baking... Those things may be trivial but I will never have the chance to do them again. When...”

A first sob broke her, and Toshiro, who by reflex wanted to put his hand on his friend's arm, saw it cross her without feeling the contact of her skin. She smiled at him, appreciating the gesture nonetheless.

“Thanks Shiro-chan”, she said taking a deep breath. “I was saying, when the accident happened, I kept telling myself that I didn't want to die and then I ended up at home like...that. A ghost. And then I met you... And I loved those two years with you, I don't think I could have dreamed of a better roommate to tease."

She giggled in front of his "hey!" and continued

“But seeing all of this, I realize what a lovely life I have had. And even if it was a little too short, it was happy and full. I shouldn’t have any regrets ".

Hitsugaya watched her with a slight pang in her heart, understanding where she was going.

"You're going, right? » He asked her

She paused, thoughtful, then turned to her book on the bed.

"Did you know I never finished it?" She confessed to him.

"I've seen you read it a dozen times," he remarked to her in surprise.

"That's right, but I’ve never read the last chapter."

She laid down on the bed and turned to her friend

"Can you read the end of the book to me, Shiro-chan? It would be a shame not to know how the story ends."

"Haven't you seen Disney? She wakes up, that's all," he replied to tease her a last time.

But he accepted, because as said before, he could not refuse her anything. And it was as if she had dictated her last will to him.

The text was crazy. His serious tone didn't match; but he continued to Momo's laughter anyway. And as he said the last sentence, he found that he was now alone in the room, surrounded by photos of his friend. On the back of one of them he could read in a somewhat shaky handwriting: "Thanks Shiro-chan, and goodbye."

[hitsuhinahappiness]

Scar Map - All Sewn Up Chapter 2

The halls of Shin’ō academy were noisy and filled with the voices of its students, socializing before class, grabbing their books, their pads, their swords, and their fighting equipment. Although the area was crowded and loud, one voice rang out louder than the rest, at least to Toshiro Hitsugaya.

He sat near the window, waiting for one of his Kido classes to begin. Hitsugaya watched his longtime-friend chat with a male student, one with dark brown hair and bright green eyes. He first felt something was off about him when he had snaked his way behind her storage locker and surprised her when she slammed it shut. Toshiro would have lost interest and assumed it was a friend of hers playing a prank, but then he heard her yelp in surprise. That peaked his attention. Hinamori was nice enough to the guy, but she didn’t seem like she wanted to engage him any longer, assuming she had a class of her own to go to or an instructor to see. The bold brown-haired boy didn’t seem to catch the hint.

“I’ll tell ya what, I’m throwing a party at my parents’ place. They’re off on some mission in the world of the living. Gonna have lots of sake! Eh? Whaddya say?”

“You know, that sounds like so much fun, but I’ve got a lot of studying to catch up on, so thank you for the invitation, but I’ll have to take a raincheck.” She responds politely, then attempts to walk to her next destination, but is once again halted in her tracks by the boy, who slid in front of her as she tried to step away.

“I don’t think you understand,” He says, narrowing his eyes. “My name is Tajima Yoshiyuki. Both of my parents are full-fledged soul reapers. I’m kind of a big deal around here.” He points his thumb towards his chest and continues.

“I’m gonna be the one carrying on their legacy. In fact, I even plan to surpass them both and become a full-fledged captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.” Yoshiyuki crosses his arms over his chest, closes his eyes and states smugly,

“You don’t just say "no" to me. What have you got to lose? So far, you’re a nobody--AGH--!”

The arrogant man was unable to finish before Toshiro grabbed him by the back of the neck and twisted his arm behind him. He slammed Tajima up against the wooden lockers with a solid ‘THUD’.

“I believe she politely declined your invitation,” Hitsugaya said to him in a low growl, pinning his arm further up against his back to force a sharp 'CRACK' from his bones.

“GAHAA--!” Tajima screams.

“Maybe you should learn how to take a hint!” The silver-haired boy exclaims as he pulls Yoshiyuki back by the collar of his uniform, spins him around, twists to the side to put all his weight on one foot, then pounds his other full force into the already regretful boy’s back, sending him flying into some chairs.

Toshiro is left holding his right fist out in front of him as Yoshiyuki stumbles and slips as he tries to get up onto his feet and finally scurry away.

“Same temper, same old Shiro.” Momo chimes in behind him. His shoulders relax from their tensed state and he glances back at her.

“It’s been a while! Look at how much you’ve grown!” The pig-tailed girl exclaimed.

He turns and before he’s able to reprimand her, she’s practically on top of him, her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He settles on letting her have this one and relaxes in her arms, after all, she did just get harassed by some strange, wolvish student in the hall.

I’ll have to have a chat with the headmaster about Mr. - … what did he say his name was?

Hitsugaya blushes as Momo buries her face into his shoulder.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue, Shiro, although,” Momo begins, as she lifts her head to meet his shining emerald eyes and places a palm on her hip, the other still slung around his shoulder.

“I could have handled him myself.” He smiles ever so slightly back at her.

“I know that, stupid. I just wanted the assholes here to know that you’ve got someone in your corner who isn’t as polite and kind as you manage to be. Don’t get me wrong, Momo, you’re strong, but you’re a pushover, same as always!” He begins to brush her off of him, and Hinamori pouts.

“You can’t let them treat you like that. You’re better than them. You know that. Can’t you feel the energy growing inside you?” He says to her, now holding her shoulders and staring into her chocolate eyes.

Hinamori sighs and nods.

“So… you’re going to be a soul reaper now, huh?” She says as a smirk creeps onto her lips.

“Kinda lame, don’tcha think?” She prods, elbowing him in the ribs. Toshiro crosses his arms and closes his eyes with a hmph.

“Yeah, yeah, I know…” He sighs.

She knows there’s something on his mind, so she waits patiently, even as others pass to get to class. Toshiro continues when all the students flood into their respective classrooms and the hall is vacant save for the two of them. His eyes are cast anywhere but her face to avoid showing emotion.

“Granny wasn’t doing well when I left her.” He admits. Momo’s eyes become wide and filled with worry.

“As it turns out, I’ve been… suffocating her with my… immense spiritual pressure. I wake up every morning and the room is just… coated in a layer of ice... I suppose I didn’t have any other choice than to come here and learn to control the powers inside me.” Hinamori nods, and once again, draws him back into a hug. Normally, he’d resist, but right about now, Hitsugaya realized she was just what he needed.

“You made the right decision.” She tells him before lowering her voice and saying, “I really missed you.” His eyes widened a bit, he had never heard her sound so… wanton. He shakes it off, just happy to be in her orbit once again, and rests his hand on her head, hugging her back.

“Yeah, I guess I kinda missed you too.”

They both chuckle softly, seemingly lost in a world of their own. Toshiro allows her to rest her head against him for a few more moments before slowly taking a step back and taking a hold of her shoulders again. He can tell she’s exhausted, that she’s been training extra hard lately in preparation for their final exams, which, unbeknownst to her, he’d be taking the exams alongside her as a prodigy student who was able to skip a few years due to his raw talent.

“You need to know,” He takes on a more earnest tone.

“If you’re ever in trouble, I’m going to do everything in my ability to help you. I won’t ever leave you alone or let anyone hurt you, okay?” Hitsugaya looks deep into her eyes, a serious and concerned expression on his face. She frowns at him a little and uses her thumbs to try and smooth out his eyebrows.

“Okay… the same goes for you, you know… you’re so serious, Shiro. Lighten up a little.”

I’m sure that’s what you’d tell me right about now.

“Lighten up, Toshiro.”

The things I’d do to hear your voice again… and yet, how am I supposed to face you? I’ve let you down. I wasn’t strong enough to protect you. How can I tell her that her idol and mentor has left for good? And that he is now our sworn enemy?

He walked out of the meeting hall to see Rangiku waiting for him, her back against the wall and her arms crossed over her chest. She looked up when she heard the doors open and her eyes glistened.

“Oh, Captaaaain~What took you so looong~” She sang, skipping towards him.

“Matsumoto,” He started, striding up to her.

“I need your help with something... “ He looked around and spoke to her quietly.

“Are you willing to break some rules?” He asked. Rangiku froze, narrowing her eyes at him. Her captain raised an eyebrow back at her.

“... Well?” He badgered when she didn’t answer.

“You? Break the rules?” Her serious expression couldn’t have held up another five seconds before she started to break down in hysterical laughter. Toshiro rolled his eyes.

“You--AHAHAHAHAHAH, y-you want me… to help YOU--” Before she could finish and incriminate the both of them, he slapped his hand over her mouth. She stopped laughing.

“Come on. Not here.” He said frigidly, flash-stepping out of sight.

Rangiku sighed.

“This damn boy..”

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter! As always, constructive criticism is never not welcome. Let me know what you all think so far!Sorry the italics are weird, I tried to only italicize one word at a time, but it won't let me! Strange. I know I'm doing this code things right! I think..

[pinkhairedlily]

The Spring He Came Back

Summary: Momo found herself face to face again with her childhood best friend after he left town ten years ago in the middle of winter. She waited every spring and fervently hoped for his arrival.

Set in an alternative universe where Soul Society is a normal town, and Momo and Hitsugaya are normal adults. 

Author’s note: Hello Tumblr! I’m back to posting fanfictions again. Thank you to @rays-of-fire-and-ice​​​ for hosting HitsuHina Day and being the most loyal blog out there! 

It’s spring again. Hinamori took in the sight of the budding dogwood trees against the backdrop of the setting sun as she rode her bike on the way home. Ten spring seasons, but why am I counting? She sighed, dejected at the trail of her thoughts.

A lot of things have happened within that span of time - the town that was once a cozy enclave of memories has become an escape for the younger, rowdier bunch. This encouraged the rise of businesses that eventually took over natural spaces, like the meadow of daffodils where they used to hide from household chores, the riverfront where they tried to catch fish but they ended up falling anyway, and the hill where they used to stargaze well after the lights were out.

They. Hitsugaya and her. Hitsugaya, the scrawny kid with an ever irritated disposition.

Despite this, she thought herself the same. She had the same hobbies, went to the same market, bought her fruits from that one vendor, ordered her usual in the cafe by the corner of her flowershop which she bought just two years ago. Yet she found herself still waiting.

The next day

Her black tea went cold on the counter. Again. She was so busy updating the accounting books. It was fortunate that customers were scarce today. Just as she was stretching her arms from too much typing, the door to her shop opened.

“Shiro-kun?” His turquoise eyes levelled with her sight, and his face mirrored her shock.

“Hello?” The silver hair caught her eyes first, and then she saw him. The youngest postdoctorate professor of the town. He was featured countless times in major scientific journals and magazines. The most notable, Nobel Prize, just might do a piece on his work on physics.

And yet to her he was still her childhood best friend who disappeared during winter.

Hitsugaya gave a small smile and took a few steps closer to the counter. “Rangiku said this place is the best flower shop. I didn’t know you’re the owner.”

Probably because you went off the deep end when you left at 15. “I didn’t know you’re back.” Hinamori’s hands tried to grab scissors and some ribbons, but they all fumbled from her grasp. “So what flowers do you need?”

He did not reply to her earlier sentence, just stood there awkwardly with his hands inside his jeans’ pockets. She noticed he was a few inches taller than her, his hair quite longer, and his face more angled than what she remembered. He also wore glasses...which was weird because she knew he had a 20/20 eyesight.

“Are you busy? Can you show me around?” He asked instead. Hinamori wanted to shout in response. Why should I have to?

“I don’t think it’s rational that you can come right here and then ask me to give up a day’s business to be your tour guide,” she replied and eventually sighed. “But I guess you can be an exemption."

They walked together in fragile, awkward silence, held together by noise of the crowds. She showed him the top sights in town, reacquainting the stranger with the streets he once frequented before. Eventually, they arrived in front of the library.

“It’s still here, huh?” Hitsugaya stiffened his stance ever so slightly.

She was still the library’s dedicated visitor and reader but not for reasons in the past. While the haunting feelings lingered, I no longer felt guilt and pain, only regret for my younger, naïve self who didn’t know better. That person also left ten years ago. He plagiarized published works, and she was his willing assistant. Teenage shrieks broke through my reverie.

“Dr. Hitsugaya!” “He’s here! He’s the real deal!” “I can’t believe you came back to your hometown. Will you do consultations here?” “Can you sign my copy of your book, Professor?”

Hinamori took a few steps back, wavering from the newfound popularity surrounding Hitsugaya. When the little commotion died down, they found themselves again in company of the fragile, awkward silence. She was wondering if he wanted to go here to spite her.

“Do you despise me?” Momo suddenly blurted out. She kept her gaze on the library building, on its red brick walls, and the ivy leaves trailing its surfaces. On her periphery, she thought she saw pain flicker on his face. He left in the middle of winter, when nightmares were the strongest and ghosts were the loudest. She drowned in guilt and self-pity for a long time. Until she decided to take back her spring.

Hitsugaya sighed and ruffled his long silver hair. “Momo I-” He sighed again, probably phrasing the words in his head on how to deliver this to her in the best way possible. That was the academician’s training unlike his younger version where he can just say anything. “I’m sorry for leaving that way. I needed to.”

“I disgust you.” Momo knew this dulling pain. It was her most fervent fear, and it was coming true.

She felt him touch the locks of her long hair, and that made her look at him. He held her gaze. “You’ll never disgust me, Momo. It’s just.....you were so lost that time, and I thought you needed to heal on your own terms without me hovering and dictating what you should have done.”

Her eyes were brimming with ten winters’ worth of tears and worry. “But....I needed you, Shiro-kun. I was so lonely. I was ridden with guilt. My association with Dr. Aizen threatened your acceleration to the university because I was your friend.” It was the first time she said his name since the fiasco. And then it dawned on her. “They thought all your works were plagiarized too.”

“And I cannot put you through all that again. It was better for us that way, wasn’t it?”

“You left for me?”

“If I stayed, they would have called you multiple times for grueling discussions. Your communication was also tracked so I didn’t write to add to your burden. Besides, it was easy to find other better universities outside of town. I’m sorry I did not push through with our dream to study and graduate together.” A hint of a smile crept on his face. “I had the urge to replace him quickly, so this was the result.”

Momo reached out to touch his glasses. “No, please, Shiro. You are not him.” They were not graded lenses. “You are Hitsugaya, and you are more than him.”

She suddenly reddened with her statement. “Oh um.. So why are you looking for flowers earlier?” Wow nice change of topic, Momo.

“I asked Rangiku where you were and she gave me the address of the flower shop. I guessed I would find her in a bar, and I was right. But I couldn’t guess where you were.” Hitsugaya took off his glasses. He looked like he was flushing. “I was looking for you, Momo.”

"You’re so straightforward now.” Hinamori tried to laugh off this observation. It was true. He tiptoed around her before, avoiding any topic concerning feelings or emotions. She should meet him halfway then. “And I waited for you.”

Like spring blooming right after the harsh winter, Hitsugaya smiled at her reply. "To compensate for our lost time, would you consider it too fast if I asked you for a date?”

[lunaslashsea]

Crossover Fanfic Recs

The Addams Family/Harry Potter

'Family Values' by Ishtar Petunia Dursley discovers that taking care of two small boys is too much for her, so she passes the guardianship of Harry Potter over to a distant relative — Morticia Addams. With Harry growing up in a very different type of Family, Dumbledore desperately tries to get him back. But the Harry Potter who finally arrives at Hogwarts, along with his "cousins" Pugsley and Wednesday, will be nothing like what Dumbledore expects.

The Addams Family/Rise of the Guardians

'Nightmares for Christmas' by Neyiea Not all children are happy that their nightmares have disappeared, and as such North finds himself receiving a very unexpected letter several days before Christmas.

Big Hero 6/The Martian

'Big Hero Martian' by althor42 There would have been no rescue for Mark, if NASA had not noticed he was still alive. Unless of course, a certain Big Hero noticed instead.

Big Hero 6/Marvel

'Magnets for Trouble' by PitViperOfDoom Months after Callaghan's downfall, Hiro receives a surprise in the mail: a special invitation to this year's Stark Expo. With Fred for company, he leaves the protection of the city temporarily in the hands of the rest of the team and flies across the country to meet the man with twice the brains and bank account of Alistair Krei and several times the infamy.

But of course, it can't be that simple, can it? Really, after how his last expo went, he should have seen this coming.

Bleach/Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

'Teamwork for Hire' by junko After the defeat of Aizen, Ichigo has lost his superpowers but not his skills so he's been hiring himself out to any sports team looking for a strong player. When Nagisa Hazuki approaches Ichigo to join the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club, something piques Ichigo's interest…

Bleach/Harry Potter

'Crazy=Genius' series by blackkat Minerva McGonagall isn't about to let Harry go back to the Dursleys after his first year. She finds an alternative, and along the way, Bazzard Black finds that he might have more family left than he'd ever thought.

'Lost Boys' by glacis After the Triwizard fiasco, Harry leaves Britain behind for a new life. Uryuu befriends Ichigo at a much younger age. Sirius escapes. Points converge and lost boys find a family. Isshin fails. So does Ryuuken. Kisuke finds a friend. Ukitake covers and cleans up. Fate changes.

'There May Be Some Collateral Damage' by metisket Ichigo's been ordered to go undercover at a magic school to bodyguard a kid named Harry Potter, and this would be fine, except that he's about as good at bodyguarding as he is at magic. And he considers it a good day, magic‐wise, if he hasn't set anything on fire.

Bleach/Hunger Games

'Storm the World with Reckless Abandon' by SSAerial So due to one of Urahara's failed experiments that Ichigo unluckily got a full blast of (because life hates him and trouble is attracted to him like a clingy fangirl he could do without), Ichigo ends up in a dystopian universe where people take perverse pleasure in watching kids fight to the death. Which just, no. So Panem now has to deal with a pissed of Ichigo who's determined to stop the Hunger Games and pummel Snow to the ground. And Panem doesn't have a snowball chance in hell in stopping him.

Bleach/Lord of the Rings

'Behold the Flowing Years' by Straight‐Outta‐Hobbiton Ichigo escapes his dimension to start anew, away from the memories of death and friendships past that he can't seem to put to rest. Rohan is a beautiful country, and Théoden is a good king, but evil only grows stronger within the borders of Mordor, and Ichigo finds himself once more forced to protect those whom he has grown to love.

Bleach/Marvel

'Foreign Recruit' by SSAerial Ichigo doesn't know where to start. He has no friends, no family, no personal attachments to the world he got dumped into. The Soul King never specified what he was supposed to do in a world where technology is ahead of its time and aliens and secret governments exist. As for the people he has to deal with… Well, it isn't like he hasn't dealt with colorful personalities before.

Bleach/Naruto

'All My Ghosts are at Rest' series by Zakad An older Ichigo and Uryu leave Soul Society and all its problems behind to search for the near-mythical homeland of a particular Shiba ancestor. They find the Elemental Countries and one little boy who is desperate need of a family.

'Bite' by blackkat Orochimaru and his sons crash‐land in Karakura. Soul Society is most definitely not prepared for what's coming.

'A New Home' by Rain1701 In an effort to save her life and freedom, Hitsugaya Toshiro winds up landing head‐first in the Naruto universe two months before the start of canon. Not much stays the same after that.

'Soul of Fire' by Zeionia aka Disturbed After being betrayed by Soul Society, Ichigo and his sisters leave Karakura behind to find shelter with the remains of their grandfather's clan in the Land of Fire. Instead of the peaceful life they were hoping for, they reach Konoha just as a new danger appears to threaten the Uzumaki. Heart‐broken and tired of fighting, will Ichigo be able to protect his sisters and his new home?

Bleach/Stargate

'Stardust' by Vathara What if some Alterans found another way to survive the Wraith? Five thousand years before the Stargate opens, contact with creatures of energy changes the way of life for an Alteran colony…

Card Captor Sakura/Harry Potter

'Cardcaptor Harry' by LunaStorm In which both Albus Dumbledore and Clow Reed would have done well to remember that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in any philosophy… or predicted by the most imprecise branch of magic…

Doctor Who/Marvel

'Alien Taskforce' by TheSovereigntyofReality Just because S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers didn't listen to Tony after the Battle of New York, it doesn't mean no one did.

Downton Abbey/Marvel

'Tony Stark Meets an Extremely Unimpressed Time Traveler, or, Thomas Barrow Makes a Surprisingly Good 21st Century Butler' by Alex51324 In which Tony Stark ditches a boring party, makes an addition to the household staff, throws a much better party, and tries not to sexually harass his new butler.

Or, In which Thomas Barrow has a little trouble getting home from the pub, is generally unimpressed with many aspects of the 21st century, never thought of himself as a conservative dresser before, and may or may not be falling in lust with his new employer.

Gilmore Girls/Stargate

'Physics of the Spin' by Mhalachai Rory Gilmore always thought she was Christopher Hayden's daughter, but things are a little more complicated than that…

Good Omens/Supernatural

'Misfire' by VivatRex Crowley finds himself in another universe; Aziraphale goes to fetch him. In the meantime, Team Free Will has to figure out what to do with the 6,000 year old demon that won't stay in a devil's trap and keeps rooting through Dean's vinyl collection. Shenanigans ensue.

Gundam Wing/Naruto

'Worlds Apart' by Mieren Something went horribly wrong and Duo and Naruto are in the wrong worlds. Ninja vs technology. How could this possibly go wrong?

Harry Potter/Marvel

'Behind the Shield' by GeeEs It was a good thing the new scientist, Dr. Harry Evans, was working out so well. Because nothing else was going Fury's way. And that was before Loki made off with the Tesseract and some of his people. Maybe AU to Mortem Cantor by Kyandua.

'How Harry Failed to Conquer New York' by Impossible_Insanity

'I See The Moon' by hctiB‐notsoB While on the run, Bruce meets a young man who speaks to the moon. He's probably not quite the sanest friend Bruce could have made, but, well… beggars can't be choosers.

'Mischief's Heir' series by mad_fairy Mostly Harry Potter with the addition of Loki in the first parts

'Mortem Cantor' by Kyandua After losing everything he holds dear, Harry Potter is thrust into a new world; one with Superheroes and evil Villains that make Voldemort look like a kitten. Struggling to survive in this new world - and, meanwhile, gaining the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. - he attempts to live a NORMAL life. But, he is Harry Potter after all... what could possibly go wrong?

'On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads' by Enigmaris Harry finds out that his dad is alive, has been the whole time. Instead of being overjoyed, Harry's disgusted. His dad left earth and abandoned his friends. Every painful thing he's ever gone through can be traced back to one man. Now Harry's got super strength he can't control and an almost unnecessary amount of magical power. His dad might be living it up with the Avengers now but not for long. With the help of his friends, Harry comes up with a plan for revenge. Get ready Avengers, Harry's out to punch a god.

'Safeguard' by esama The Chitauri invasion launches a whole new age – for everyone.

Inuyasha/Yu Yu Hakusho

'Devoted' by Ookami‐chan Loving someone means seeing to it that they receive nothing but the very best of care. In all things.

'Healing Soul' by Trelweny Rosephoenixwolf Canon, IY slightly alternate ending, BG blend but more manga than anime; YYH boys' last year of school but otherwise through series, anime only.

'By Any Other Name' by Deviant Nature Kagome's return after an unexplained, prolonged absence leaves her family with questions she refuses to answer except to assure that it's over. While she attempts to readapt to the present, Kurama is feeling the pressures of human society's expectations. But the solutions to his troubles aren't as straight‐forward as he had hoped. Note: Unrated version is on MediaMiner.net as 'Par Tout Autre Nom'

Harry Potter/Ranma 1/2

'Harry Hibiki and the Philosopher's Stone' by USA_Tiger On the night Voldemort attacks the Potter's home, a completely different person finds Harry before Sirius Black or Hagrid. Harry is found and adopted by Nerima's very own eternal lost boy Ryoga Hibiki! Soon Harry will be joining his classmates at Hogwarts but how will Hogwarts handle this kind of Harry? And how does it affect the prophecy, what is the 'power he knows not?

Harry Potter/Sherlock

'The Avalon Seven' by sifshadowheart Major Non‐Canon A/U, Harry is treated for abuse and massive injuries by John Watson as a John Doe. To help solve the mystery of the battered boy John calls in his partner Sherlock — whose father has much more information about his patient than John ever thought possible. Turning to an old acquaintance, Siger Holmes contacts the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Wallace…Harry's rightful guardian.

First several chapters will be covering Pre‐Hogwarts years, story starts with Harry at age four so it'll be a while before any sort of slash or real conflict happens. Very political fic with lots of twists and turns. Because the plot‐bunnies won't leave me alone!

'Magnificent' by esama The birth of the Ministry of Magic and his relationship with the British Government.

'Whispers in Corners' by esama Everything started with a stumble — his new life in a new world as well as his surprisingly successful career as a medium.

Harry Potter/Sherlock/Star Trek

'Harder Choices' by sifshadowheart Post‐Avalon Seven A/U…a.k.a. This is what happens when plot‐bunnies start mating and multiplying.

Hadrian saves Earth…at a cost

Hetalia/Naruto

'An Englishman in Konoha' by pupeez4eva Itachi Uchiha is a strange child, who regularly converses with things no one else can see, drinks far too much tea, and has a strong and unyielding obsession with being the best big brother ever (or, in a world where England is reborn into the Naruto universe, Itachi ends up a little…different).

The Hobbit/Sherlock

'All Things Old and New' by teacup_of_doom All around the world, people are remembering past lives. Bilbo Baggins discovers that Tookish streaks can span lifetimes — and can have unintended, hilarious, consequences.

Katekyou Hitman Reborn!/Naruto

'Force of Nature' by Ramabear (RyMagnatar) He had died— honorably, he'd like to think, despite living as a villain and an assassin for over half a century— and that, as far as Xanxus had ever figured, would be the end of that. No heaven. No hell. Just life when you were breathing and nothingness when you stopped.

Except that it didn't, quite, turn out that way. Except he came back as the son of the kindest, sometimes saddest father in the world. In both worlds. A father that he knew, without a doubt, to be his flesh and blood. All at once, Xanxus had everything he'd wanted as a child. A home. A family. Stability. And he was going to fight like hell and beat down anyone who tried to take it from him, no matter what his age.

(In which Sakumo raises a son who speaks multiple languages from birth, all of them gibberish to the poor single father jounin, spits vulgarity with the same ease as he does his praise and burns with an unshakable determination to build himself a family that will not fall, no matter who or what is thrown against it.)

'Uchiha Kyōya' by Tsume_Yuki In a world where Fugaku has three sons, he wishes he'd stopped at the one. There's nothing wrong with the youngest, it's just…

The middle child.

Marvel/Sherlock

'In Which Neither Coulson nor Sherlock are Dead' by TheDullYellowEye … and John sort of joins the Avengers. While Coulson's recovering from being stabbed in the chest by a magical spear, Fury is rapidly running out of Agents willing to play babysitter for the newly founded Avengers. So he calls in Captain John Watson, late of the British Royal Army, and blogger and best friend to the infamously antisocial presumably deceased Sherlock Holmes.

Naruto/One Piece

'Lost Uzumaki' by Silver Dragonfly (lillikira) Shanks was used to strange meetings on the various islands of the Grand Line. However, this one was unusual even for the Grand Line. A Lost Uzumaki is found and Naruto has no plans of not becoming part of his family. (A Series of Snapshots about the finding of lost family.)

Naruto/Pern

'One World's Tragedy is Another World's ...Gain?' by Foodmoon Pern goes to hell in a handbasket. Ir'ca tries to rescue the future of dragonkind by being a thief and somehow ends up in the Land of Fire. It's probably a good thing Kakashi handed over the Hat a while back...

Naruto/Sherlock

'Deduction in Shadows' by GremlinSR Shikaku just wanted to finish his paperwork before lunch so he could squeeze in an afternoon nap. His plans are derailed by a six year old orphan when she sneaks into his office with proof that somebody has been kidnapping the children of Konoha and covering it up.

He never does end up getting that nap.

Or: A Holmes is reborn into the ninja village Konoha. Chaos ensues

Rise of the Guardians/Marvel

'Constellations of Old' by kuroi_atropos When the Man in the Moon recognizes Thor as a representative of Asgard, he decides to send the Guardians of Childhood to ask for help vanquishing the last of shadows, as well as a few other things he could use some help with.

'Winter Gods' by avearia The Guardians discover that, outside of Earth, many races actually worship Jack as a God. Meanwhile, the Avengers deal with the implications that come with an almighty spirit, otherworldly religions, and the revelation that Santa is real.

[alexiethymia]

In relation to that earlier (crack)post, it dawns on me that for all that they call him ‘Aizen-taichou’, neither of Aizen’s vice-captains really choose him.

Sure, Aizen has only disdain for bonds, but I’m also of the interpretation that he tried to replicate at least a facsimile of them through twisted ways - loyalty, dependence etc. - but it always boiled down to no one would ever be able to understand him because no one was at his level, so he discards them.

What makes a prodigy? Age? If so, Nanao would be considered one. Intellect? But no one really alludes to either Hirako or Urahara as a prodigy. Maybe potential, and if so it would make sense that Gin and Hitsugaya are referred to as prodigies. And it would make sense to show that Aizen was at around the same age (at least physically) as Gin when he started to question everything. Despite being prodigies, Gin and Hitsugaya had what Aizen didn’t - people who understood them and made sure they didn’t feel too “other”. From his perspective, I could easily imagine Aizen perceiving his fellow prodigies as being held back by those bonds, at not even attempting to nurture their potential to be ‘god-like’. I am also of the theory that Aizen did want to bring Hitsugaya into the fold, or that he had a sense of his potential so if he wasn’t going to be under his control like Gin, then he had to be cut down.

But going back, when I say that neither of Aizen’s vice-captains choose him, this is prefaced with the context that both Gin and Hinamori were people he cultivated for years, maybe even centuries. Aizen showed Gin his true face (or as true as it could be knowing that Gin meant to kill him) while showing Hinamori the ideal captain, the image of the best captain even. But unlike Gin’s vice-captain who fights Hinamori to defend him (no matter how sick and self-loathing it made him feel deep inside), Hinamori despite being ordered by Aizen himself couldn’t manage to avenge him (she didn’t even try to her fullest capabilities). This was not in Aizen’s plans, and he even says it himself. Aizen was one of the most revered Captains, and he intentionally manipulated Momo to become dependently loyal on him, to the point that, he alleges, ‘she couldn’t live without him’. But if both were a test of loyalty, Kira passed his while Hinamori didn’t. And Gin rewards this (in a twisted sort of way) by involving Kira just enough that he could make sure that he and Rangiku were outside the blast point.

I could easily believe that Aizen intentionally did make Momo fall in love with him (his use of the words, ‘as a man’ in his letter for example), but unlike Hitsugaya who was ready to commit murder and treason just to keep Hinamori away from threats, she couldn’t fully severe that connection with Hitsugaya to avenge him. For all that Aizen seems to be above Hitsugaya and Gin, and they both lose to him, they will always have something he will never have. Even later, Momo despite the centuries of hypnosis chooses to stand on the battlefield against him.

In other words, in that confrontation, as a vice-captain, Hinamori couldn’t do for him what Kira did for Gin, and as someone who ‘loved’ or ‘admired’ him, she couldn’t do for him what Hitsugaya was willing to do for her, and this is after years and years of intentional emotional manipulation. For all of his ambitions, he failed to be the most important person for someone he intended to mold for that exact same purpose. And this is why in the realm of canon and headcanon, I do believe that as much as Hitsugaya hates Aizen, Aizen also hates Hitsugaya, just as much, insofar as someone like Aizen is capable of hatred. This is where you can see Aizen’s surface level understanding of bonds, as well as his being an unreliable narrator. His plan was for Kira and Hitsugaya to kill her, both people shown to love her, and when they couldn’t do it, for him as the person she ‘loves’ to deal the final blow. Did he really think that either Kira or Hitsugaya could actually go through with it? Maybe because he assumed that Momo actually would (because he knows the lengths Hitsugaya would go through and suspects the same of Gin, so as someone she ‘loves’ he might have had that same expectation of her).

He made sure she knew who was the one to hurt her, and he did it in the cruelest way possible. When I think about his overall plan, the interaction in Central 46 never had to happen. He already had his distraction. He didn’t have to deal death blows to both Hinamori and Hitsugaya, especially since no one at the execution knew what was going on at Central 46. In fact, it was because of that interlude that Unohana was able to warn the rest of the Gotei. But that wasn’t just an interlude. It really was part of his plan to kill Hinamori because ‘she couldn’t live without him’. Or maybe he convinced himself of that fact.

Even with Gin. For all that he says it was all part of his plan, and that he only kept Gin around because he knew Gin was going to kill him, I find it difficult to believe that he told Gin Kyouka Suigetsu’s weakness with that in mind. This is where his being an unreliable narrator comes in. When all is said and done, he can just claim it was all part of his plan. But I noticed he let his guard down when Gin claims to have killed Rangiku, and that he acknowledges that he could have been wrong about Gin having feelings for Rangiku. It seems to me that having another prodigy who was against Soul Society was something that he maybe wanted? And that he was just waiting for Gin to fully cut off those ties (to Rangiku) and prove his loyalty, in a manner of speaking.

So showing both his true face and his ideal face didn’t secure him the loyalty that he [wanted]. All the pieces fell into place, but it was actually his vice-captains who acted against his expectations. He claims it was Hirako’s rejection or suspicion that allowed him to hollowfy the Vizards, but even when he actually and actively exerted his influence over them, still neither of his vice-captains choose him. Even Urahara, who he considers an intellectual equal, still does nothing about the Soul King despite knowing the truth, because Urahara also has existing bonds he wishes to take care of. No matter how many people he hurt and defeated, and no matter that he considers it all a part of his plan, no matter that he doesn’t consider bonds important in the first place, ultimately Aizen was rejected on every front.

[xfadingstarx]

A Bleach Retrospective: In defense of Bleach

These are opinions, please respect that.

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My Journey with Bleach (please skip if you want to go straight to the analysis):

On September the 8th, 2006 YTV’s weekend evening anime programming block (Bionix) aired the first episode of Bleach. I, unfortunately, did not catch this episode, instead, I caught the second episode on September 15th the following week. I was ten and from then on, Bleach fascinated me. It had an interesting concept, tight pacing, catchy music, a good story, and unique character designs. I also really enjoyed how Bleach lacked the same kind of emotional labour that Naruto demanded (as child who survived off of constantly seeking validation from others because of absentee parents, Naruto is way too much work).

My fascination with Bleach got me started in the fandom communities of yesteryear, for I was a child with zero internet supervision. My introduction to fanfiction was because I loved Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Bleach was my entry into poetry (poem at the start of every volume).

But alas, all good things were not meant to last and by the summer of 2009, I was officially done with Bleach. It had felt stilted for some time before then. Over the years, I would gradually revisit bits and pieces of Bleach, but I would not read it in its entirety until months after its finish, about a decade after I had first saw Bleach on my TV. Between the time I stopped reading and the series ended, I became friends with people who didn’t think highly of Bleach and I also started seeing criticism I had made about Bleach in 2011 being repeated by fans on the internet, I started to think that maybe Bleach was bad, but I knew what bad writing looked like —I started reading fanfiction through Bleach fanfiction AMVs on YouTube — and somehow Bleach didn’t sit right with me in the “bad writing category”. 

I sit back now, a decade and ahalf later from when I first started and ask, “was Bleach really that bad, and if so, why do I keep coming back to it?”

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What Made Bleach So Good?

Unique story and aesthetics: When Bleach first started in 2001, it was one of the first manga series to talk about souls and death in a poetic way and with such coherence. Bleach clearly knew what it wanted to say about life and death. It also had a very unique aesthetic, very similar to that of “The World Ends With You” or “Persona 5″ — an urban Japanese take on R&B kind of vibe. Also, Bleach had the most “realistic” and minimalist art style amongst the Big 3.

Cool Music: Bleach had cool music, from very solid rock’n’roll and R&B style songs in its OPs and EDs to very funky OST music with lots of pizzazz. Many singers feature by Bleach ended up successful (to varying degrees) outside of anime, eg: Orange Range, UVERworld, YUI, sid, etc.

Versatile tone: Bleach was edgy, there’s no doubt about that. It was willing to show a lot of blood and bodily violence, especially in the manga (eg half of people blowing up and bits of bone still attached). Despite this though, it was not pretentious about its edginess — it didn’t revel in it. To contrast the edginess, there is a lot of humour in Bleach with character interactions. It was able to be laid back enough with its strong characters that it would rely on the characters’ relationships for comedic relief. The post-credit skits and the fillers really helped to add to this overall feel as well.

Maturity of the Story: Bleach was very willing to handle topics that made people think. For example, the Ulquiorra - Orihime subarc was treated with a sense of carefulness about it, as if to reflect Ulquiorra’s own cautious curiosity about the heart. A less emotionally mature story would’ve gone for the cheap rape/torture porn, but instead we are treated to determined strong Orihime, who has found strength through the heart after the death of her brother, clashing with the nihilistic hollow who wants to know if there is happiness outside of emptiness. It’s a very loaded question and one that requires both perspective and life experience to fully understand both parties. As well, Bleach always knew what it wanted to say about life and death as the final conflict of Bleach is between Ichigo, who has accepted his transient life and Yhwach, who is scared of death. And ultimately, underneath all that action, Bleach produced takes on its themes that were hard to relate to unless the reader themselves had a certain level of emotional maturity (eg: 12 year old me got nothing out of the Ulqui-Ori arc, but 20 year old me spent a good 10 mins crying after)

Strong characters: Contrary to popular belief, Bleach does have quite solid characterization. In fact, Bleach is the journey of Ichigo as a character, from grappling with his weakness and pain to finally accepting all the parts of himself and his history in order to defeat Yhwach and protect those he cares about. Even the secondary characters of Bleach receive a sizable amount of backstory and/or development. Bleach also managed to have more proactive female characters. Even the damsel in distress Orihime stands up to Ulquiorra and slaps him. As a result of these strong characters, Bleach was able to rely on them and their relationships to drive aspects of the story (eg Ichigo crying in the Fullbringer arc).

Willingness to Deal with Emotion: Given that Ichigo is an internally motivated character, it was obvious Bleach would deal with emotion at some point in time. Making Ichigo just a normal high school boy also relives the previous edginess. Bleach also clearly too the time to make its readers feel in its early years. We are treated to beautiful panelling and very real displays of strong negative emotions. Bleach is also very good at giving its characters room to breathe and be sad. Eg: moping Orihime, moping Ichigo, etc. As well, Kubo went to extraordinary lengths to break Ichigo down during the Fullbringers Arc.

Interesting Character Designs: Every character in Bleach feels vibrant and unique with their personality showing through in their designs. For example: Shunshi’s sloppily tied up hair, visible stubble, and overcoat-hidden-haori show that he is both easy going and not looking for a fight; meanwhile Byakuya’s neatly pulled back hair and neck covered by scarf show that he is both someone who likes structure and is conservative.

Poetry and Symbolism: Kubo manages to weave poetry into Bleach in the beginning of each volume. The poem was said by the character on the volume. It gave the reader insight to this character and it gave Kubo a chance to flex his poetic chops. Further proof of this is the fact that many people don’t realize that the name “Bleach” refers to the bleaching of soul that is key to the story. Kubo loves to use rain to set sad scenes. It rains when Ichigo fights Grand Fisher, Zangetsu tells Ichigo that he hates the rain, etc. Kubo also specifies that he wishes for the reader to read certain volumes on stormy, rainy nights.

Panelling: Many people like to criticize Kubo for the lack of effort with the Bleach manga, but Kubo has stated that he uses negative space (i.e., foregoing backgrounds) to focus more on his character’s expressions. This not only further proves that Bleach cares a lot about its characters, but it’s done well enough that the average reader likely doesn’t notice the lack of background on the first read through. As well, Bleach has very cinematic panelling. Kubo uses the format of manga well, utilizing the human mind’s ability to fill blanks in with clever panelling to create tone and build tension and the feeling of movement through a scene.

In fact, in finding pages for this analysis, I found myself noticing that Bleach panels very similarly to slice-of-life shoujo but with a boy MC manga like "Horimiya": focus on expression through intimate angles and use of panels and breaks to create mood and the feeling of cinema; whereas something like DBZ panels like a shounen action manga with many hard lines and action shots, instead of a focus on subtle details and emotions.

Some Examples:

Notice now in Chapter 197: The approaching danger, Kubo uses a gradual zoom to build tension and the black background to add intensity and signal to the reader that Hitsugaya is relaying important information.

Here in Chapter 234: Not Negotiation, the immediate close up to Ulquiorra’s eye from the full body shots creates a sense of intimidation and unease with its sudden intimacy. As well, the immediate zoom in from Ulquiorra’s side full body shot to his facial profile creates tension and the change from the dark background to the white face with Orihime releases this tension (very fitting with considering the line for this panel is “but not you”). (This scene also ties into Ulquiorra’s central dogma of “that which is not reflected in my eyes does not exist’.)

Again in the same chapter, this gradual zoom in on the two creates tension that is then release in the next panel and summarily cements Ulquiorra as a terrifying BAMF.

In Chapter 262: Unblendable, Kubo uses the negative space to create a feeling of isolation, similar to how Orihime is supposed to be feeling.

In the same chapter, notice how Kubo creates a sense of intimacy (not in the romance sense) with the relationship of Ulquiorra and Orihime. He creates tension gradually with the zooming into Orihime’s eye and releases it with the zoom out to Ulquiorra. Through this scene, Kubo has shown us that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a tense relationship and with the implication of eye contact through the shots and panel breaks creating both the intimacy and showing Orihime’s defiance.

(Interestingly, I’ve noticed that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a lot of these intimate zoom shot-reverse-shot eye panels)

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What are the Bad Parts of Bleach?

Okay, so by now, you’re probably thinking that I’m ignoring the massive amounts of critique that Bleach gets and don’t get me wrong, while Bleach does have a very special place in my heart, I’m also not maudlin enough to pretend that Bleach was all good.

Pacing:

Pacing in the First Half of Bleach (Karakura Town - Arrancar)

When Bleach first started out the pacing was excellent. Kubo showed great mastery of pace to control the tone and highlight the emotions throughout the first two arcs. Mid-way through the Arrancar arc, the fatigue sets in and it was hard to keep up with, especially since Kubo would interrupt one exciting fight set up to go set up more plot elsewhere (eg Fake Karakura town right as Ichigo and Ulquiorra were about to battle). Whilst looking back and reading it all at once does help with the pacing, it was frustrating if you were reading/watching on a weekly basis.

Pacing in the Anime:

I don’t ascribe to a simplistic belief of “fillers bad” simply because I think that sometimes fillers can be a good thing, for example, since every chapter is ~15-20pp, some character interactions have to be cut for the sake for space, so filler is a great opportunity to add those moments back into your story. For example, a lot of early Bleach fillers are just the people of Karakura town just hanging out. That being said, Bleach does have an unfortunate amount of fillers, with some of them even interrupting tense fights (eg the Beast Sword Arc interrupts Ichigo’s battle with Ulquiorra). However, the padding that the fillers provided did wonders for the transition between Soul Society to Arrancar Arc in the anime. Ultimately, the Bleach anime adaption was a long-running anime made for syndication and that’s okay.

******* Brief Aside: many people like(d?) to point out that Bleach has a very cyclical plot structure. I used to think this way too; however, this is not the case. There are many other long running stories that repeat similar goals. The problem lies not in the idea, but the execution. The main complaint about the Orihime rescue was not that it was uninteresting, but instead that it felt a rehash of the plot of the previous arc. This is largely because the story was not given enough time to breath between similar character arcs. For example, in One Piece, Luffy and Co have to save Nami and by extension, her home village so she can join them; however, the next time a Straw Hat needs to be saved is 227 chapters (2 whole story arcs) later. In between saving Rukia and Orihime, there is only a really an arrancar encounter, a bit of training, cheering up Ichigo, and a Grimmjow encounter before Orihime goes with Ulquiorra, thus making the goal of this arc “save Orihime” in only ~59 chapters vs 227. These two similar arc goals so close to each other does indeed create the sense of repetition.

Pacing from Fullbringer to End:

This is where Bleach really lost a lot of people. If you weren’t gone after the Ulquiorra fight, you probably were by this arc.This arc went at breakneck speed, and ngl, during my first full read through I almost gave up here too. I mention earlier that Ichigo had been broken down in this arc, but it was hard to feel his despair and the weight on his shoulders because there wasn’t enough for the reader to take a beat and breathe. The Thousand Year Blood War, similarly suffered from sloppy pacing, with many readers feeling like story lines of Squad 0 and the Soul King were anti-climactic. As well, this arc started with a massacre and feature the deaths of many fan-favourite characters, and unfortunately due to the pacing, their deaths were not given a sense of gravity.

Missed Opportunities and Forgotten Story lines: Many people felt that Kubo forgot about a lot of his characters after the Aizen arc. Many thought the Fullbringer Arc was going to be a Chad/Orihime Arc. Whatever happened to Uryuu lolol? We all just collectively forgot about him for a large portion of the last half of Bleach. At one point in time, there was a rumour going around that Kubo had written out the story for Bleach and lost it. Idk if there is any credibility to it. However, in a 2017 interview, Kubo did say that he did end the series exactly the way he wanted to.

(If anyone wants to see me write an entire ass text post about Orihime and her treatment in Bleach, please let me know because I will do it)

Too mature:Even though above, I praised Bleach's mature handle on its themes, an unfortunate side effect of this is forgetting that the characters are only 15 at the beginning and for the first half of Bleach. This unfortunately, leads to some readers feeling disconnected from Bleach.

Epilogue: THE DESTROYER OF SHIPS!!! A lot of people hated this ending. Many people felt like the romance was shoe-horned in, others didn’t like the pairings, and there were some people who actually liked it. Personally, I didn’t like it too much, but it was a cute conclusion nonetheless. Since it didn't add anything to the story except for a "where are they now" look and because of that, I low-key felt like it was unnecessary, but w/e.

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Perspective

Making a long-running weekly serialized story is hard and doing it for 15 years is gruelling (obligatory “fuck capitalism” here). Like many artists of long-running manga, Kubo destroyed his health for the sake of publishing Bleach weekly. Kubo on his health after Bleach (photo from AshitanoGin on Twitter):

Given this insight, I think it’s only fair to be respectful and grateful for Kubo’s contribution to the anime-sphere. Also, through his work, Kubo seems to be a very understanding person and artist. I’m sure he knows better than anyone where Bleach went wrong, but there’s nothing that can be done now. Despite him having a twitter, he is not Joanne and doesn’t feel the need to constantly hemorrhage out word of god info about Bleach (and thank god for that).

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Final Thoughts

It’s hard to forget my happy memories when I think about Bleach. It had my first adolescent crush and first OTP. As a result, I think the best way to enjoy Bleach is to take what you want out of it. People always think that something has to be 100% without flaw for it to be good, but that is not true at all. It is totally okay to just like the parts that you like without engaging with anything else. It’s special to you for a reason, you know? 

There’s no use in fretting over what Bleach could’ve been, besides, very rarely is the reality better than the fantasy in your head.

I do think though that a lot of Kubo’s issues could’ve been fixed if he planned the story better but not all of us can be “I've been planning One Piece since elementary school” Oda Eiichiro.

Other voices on this issue: here

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Wow. I can’t believe you made it this far down. Congratulations! Thanks for reading my 2:30am non-sober take on Bleach (it only took me 7 hours to write). Here's a cookie <3

[tayman001]

GrimmIchi (post epilogue): Includes some Anime characters and an original character of mine also using Anime terms. 2

Taylor: The maximum amount of kids a man can give birth at one time is 10 and the number in general is random each time so...

Grimmjow (visibly scared): shaking uncontrollably Ichigo: Great Tay now you've freaked out Grimm... tries to comfort Grimmjow Taylor: ...you have to wait another month until we know for sure how many at once you'll be having but I will say this 10 is the rarest amount and only a lucky few ever get only that amount. Grimmjow: Then I hope I'm not lucky because I don't think I'd survive that... Kazui: Awesome so if it is 10 I'd have 10 younger half brothers! Ichigo: Kazui don't you see your Dadjow is freaking out. Kazui: Isn't he an Arrancar? If so than shouldn't his Hierro protect him from harm? Grimmjow (visibly panicked): Ichigo: Please go to your room Kazui because you aren't helping. Kazui goes to his room Uryū: If you want I can be his personal Doctor to make sure he doesn't suffer any injuries during his pregnancy, Ichigo. Ichigo: Sure, Uryū. Taylor: You'll probably say no but I can inject something into him specifically designed to allow him to survive just in case it turns out he is to have 10 kids. Ichigo: You sound like Mayuri with his experiments so no. Taylor: If you think its an experiment you are wrong so no I'm not mimicking Captain Kurotsuchi since I actually test my experiments on clones of volunteers that are specifically designed to run tests on so that actual people aren't harmed so no the substance has already been tested and is unharmful in fact it actually will make him live longer but if you truly don't trust me or my science then fine, if Grimmjow does and 10 kids and ends up dying you'll have no one to blame but yourself. proceeds to walk away Ichigo: Wait... Fine inject him with it. BUT IF HE ENDS UP DEAD YOU'LL BE DEAD BECAUSE I'LL KILL YOU IN COLD BLOOD! Taylor: If I wanted him dead I'd never have said anything. injects the formula into Grimmjow Grimmjow (feeling drunk): his words are slurd and are not understandable Ichigo: What the fuck have you done to him! I TRUSTED YOU! Taylor: That is supposed to happen idiot and its only temporary it does that so he doesn't feel any pain during the procedure. Grimmjow (still feeling drunk): changes are happening inside him that aren't affecting his pregnancy *moments later* Grimmjow (is an immobile slob): What happened and why can't I move? Ichigo: What the fuck have you done to him Taylor! Taylor: He needs that wait to survive the 10 kids since the pregnancy needs blood to give birth and as a result of the pregnancy any fat he has is measured in blood for the pregnancy so each pound of fat is equal to a liter of blood and each child needs 100 liters of blood to be used to successfully be born and for the pregnant man to survive with 100 extra liters per child just in case the procedure takes longer than the estimated time so in total for 10 kids he needs to weigh 2000 pounds which he now weighs well plus the weight he had prior and if you are worried about his weight the formula makes it so he never suffers health problems again and I even have a formula solely for the no health problems just in cause you were worried about your gluttonous appetite might lead to those and I have another formula solely for always being mobile. Ichigo: Yes inject both of those sole formulas into me then inject the mobile one into Grimmjow. Taylor: does just that Ichigo: Now leave... I wanna go order 50 boxes of Pizza. Taylor leaves and so does Uryū A month later Ichigo (pigging out on some pizza): moans and chumping Grimmjow (feels 10 things kicking inside him as they form): moans in pain Ichigo: Grimm what's wrong? Grimmjow: moans in pain Ichigo: Grimm please say something! Grimmjow: moans in pain call... moans in pain ...everyone. moans in pain Ichigo: calls everyone An hour later Taylor, Kazui, Uryū, Brandan, Rukia, Renji, Ichika, Chad, Noba, Orihime, Nozomi, Karin, Yuzu and Riruka show up Karin and Nozomi: Ichigo why'd you call us like I don't see why... Karin: ...Nozy and me... Nozomi: ...Kary and me... Karin and Nozomi: ...had to come.

Yuzu: Karin you do realize I was called to so don't go assuming Ichigo called you and your girlfriend on a whim since he probably has a reason for calling all of us. Chad and Noba: silence Rukia and Renji: Why did you call all of us? Riruka: I bet something stupid. Orihime: Maybe it has something to do with Grimmjow's pregnancy? Uryū and Brandan: Probably. Kazui and Ichika: But why were we called aren't we still too young to hear where babies come from? Taylor: I doubt that is why we were called here since if that were the case they would have only called the two of you not all of us. Shinji, Shunsui, Nanao, Momo, Suì-Fēng, Nelliel, Marechiyo, Kensei, Shūhei, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Rose, Izuru, Isane, Kiyone, Byakuya, Tetsuzaemon, Atau, Lisa, Yuyu, Mashiro, Tōshirō, Rangiku, Kenpachi, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Mayuri, Akon, Sentarō, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro and Chizuru show up Taylor: Hi, Captain Hirako, Head Captain Shunsui, Lieutenant Ise, Lieutenant Hinamori, Captain Suì-Fēng, Nel, Lieutenant Omaeda, Captain Muguruma, Lieutenant Hisagi, Kisuke, Yoruichi, Captain Ōtoribashi, Lieutenant Kira, Captain Kotetsu, Lieutenant Kotetsu, Captain B Kuchiki, Captain Iba, Lieutenant Rindō, Captain Yadōmaru, Lieutenant Yayahara, Lieutenant Kuna, Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Captain Zaraki, Lieutenant Madarame, 3rd Seat Ayasegawa, Captain Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant Akon, Lieutenant Sentarō, Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuiro and Chizuru. Shinji: ...Taylor I told you, you can call me Shinji I don't care much about formalities. Shunsui: Hey Taylor. Nanao: You'll never get promoted Taylor if you slack off and don't do what your ordered to do! Taylor: Lieutenant Ise who said I wanted a promotion? Since I'm perfectly fine staying unseated even if I have the strength of a Captain. Momo: Nanao why not just let it go? Nanao: I might as well since he seems to have his mind set. Suì-Fēng (focused on Yoruichi and not realizing she is talking out loud): I wanna marry Lady Yoruichi! Yoruichi (hearing Suì-Fēng say that): flash steps over to her So its a promise then? Suì-Fēng (shocked and embarrassed): I, uh... Yoruichi: kisses Suì-Fēng Suì-Fēng and Yoruichi leave to spend some alone time Taylor: Well that was kinda unexpected but I had a feeling that info would soon come out. Nel: I fell on my face when I arrived since I keep tripping out of the sky Garganta. Taylor: If you don't look wounded than its clear that your Hierro is strong enough to protect you from the impact. Nel: True. Marechiyo: I kinda knew Captain Suì-Fēng was a Lesbian all along! Suì-Fēng returns and kicks Marechiyo so hard he passes out and needs medical attention Taylor: I would have told him to shut up but it was already too late since as soon as he opened his mouth I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened. Kensei and Shūhei: Yeah he can be a idiot sometimes. Taylor: Say how is your lives treating you after the two of you tied the knot? Kensei and Shūhei: Pretty good. Shūhei: And I'm Pregnant and he is due next month. Kensei: I'm still kinda scared to be a father. Since the last time I tried to handle crying all I could come up with was "Laugh or else!!!!" Shūhei: Yeah and that was 100 years ago when you were yelling that to me when I was a kid. Kensei: Yeah but I'm still confused on why you stopped crying? Shūhei: I saw your chest and 69. Kensei: Oh come here. Kensei and Shūhei make out Kisuke: I wish Tessai could have been here... Taylor: Why where is he? Kisuke: Hospital... Someone ran him over in a hate crime. starts crying Taylor: He is gonna be ok, Kisuke after all he is your husband and you know how strong he is. Kisuke (stops crying): Yeah you're right. Rose: playing his guitar Izuru: guarding the perimeter Isane: gets bumped into I'm sorry that was my fault. Kiyone: Isane its not your fault you were the one bumped into not him since he bumped into you. Byakuya: Ichigo Kurosaki why the fuck did you ask all of us here like really. Taylor: Captain B Kuchiki, I think it has to do with his husband Grimmjow's pregnancy.

Byakuya: ...wasn't he married to Orihime Inoue? Orihime: He was but I divorced him once he told me the truth so that he could marry the one he loves. Tetsuzaemon: Atau I'm gonna go take Sajin for a since he is is bugging me to walk him. Atau: does ok in sign language Taylor: Let me guess Captain Iba, you are taking care of Sajin Komamura who was your captain back when you were the Lieutenant of Squad 7 but who was turned into a wolf after using the Humanization Technique back during the war with the Quincy. Tetsuzaemon (ashamed): Yeah... Taylor: There is no reason to feel ashamed after all he was your captain for a long time and you still care for him and its not in your nature to leave anyone behind, now is it. Tetsuzaemon: That is true. Taylor: I can look at ways to reverse his condition if you want I just need to clone him genetically so he doesn't end up dying in case a formula doesn't work. Tetsuzaemon: I'll have to ask him. Taylor: If he is in the form a normal wolf he can't speak in any language that we as humanoids can understand so how can you understand his wolf speak? Tetsuzaemon: He taught me it when he was still a werewolf. Taylor: Oh. Lisa: Hey Taylor. question do you have Line? Taylor: Uh no but I have Facebook. Lisa: You should get Line! Yuyu: Yeah get line!~ Taylor: How about stop asking! Mashiro (using her Hollow mask): Mashiro Super Cero! Taylor: jumps out of his body, puts on his hollow mask and blocks the cero with his hand Mashiro: Big deal so you countered it... Here it goes Mashiro Drop Kick. Taylor: grabs her foot and throws her across the room Mashiro (dizzy): I was just getting started... passes out Kensei and Shūhei: She deserved that. Tōshirō: Why is it that everyone is so manic today? Rangiku: Relax Captain. Kenpachi: attempts to attack Taylor Taylor: cuts Kenpachi's arm off Kenpachi: Asshole! Taylor: I warned you never to attack me. Ikkaku and Yumichika: Well it looks like we need to take the Captain to Orihime again... Mayuri: I would like to test a new drug on you Taylor. Taylor: Too late you are already testing new drug of mine. Mayuri: Huh? Akon: Captain... Get off me your crushing me. Mayuri: Well now look what your drug did Taylor, I can't move and if I don't get off of Akon quickly I'm gonna end up killing him. Taylor: checking Akon's vital signs Nope he is lying in fact he is too ashamed to admit it that he is actually aroused by all of this and is in fact not being crushed to death. Akon: blushing Mayuri: blushing Oh so he likes this huh? Maybe this isn't so bad after all. Sentarō: I'm gonna go fight with Kiyone for old time sake. goes over to where Kiyone is to pick a fight Tatsuki and Chizuru: making out Keigo and Mizuiro: making out Taylor: Ichigo please tell me you didn't invite anybody else. Since I doubt this place can handle anymore people. Ichigo: Nope this is everyone. Kazui: Dad I'm sleepy can I rest on your belly until I can reach my room? Ichigo: Sure Kazui. Kazui: climbs onto Ichigo's fat belly and falls to sleep Ichigo: starts eating more pizza Hours later Ichigo (looking like a immobile blob): I think I ate too much pizza. Kazui: still sleeping Taylor: Well you aren't immobile even though you look like it. Rukia: GET THE FUCK UP ICHIGO! Taylor: Captain R Kuchiki there is no need to yell like do you wanna wake Kazui? Rukia: Oops sorry. Kazui: still sleeping so... comfy... love... dad's... fatness.... so.... soft...... Ichigo: Please tell me he'll wake up eventually since I don't intend to have him sleep only on my belly. Taylor: Depends on his actions. everyone eventually clears out except for Taylor, Rukia, Renji, Ichika, Orihime, Riruka, Chad, Noba, Karin, Nozomi, Yuzu, Uryū and Brandan Kazui: still sleeping Ichigo: Why has he still not woken up like did he fall in love with my belly or something? Taylor: That is a likely reason. Grimmjow: If he loves it why not teleport him in and have him stay there until I give birth to his half brothers. Ichigo: Yeah I'm not gonna risk digesting Kazui, Grimm.

Noba: I have that risk when I do my job as a living Taxi. So I release my passengers as soon as I start burping just so I don't digest them and they never reach their destination because of it. Rukia and Renji: Yuck. Chad: What's so yuck about it, its hot. Karin and Nozomi: We have to agree with Rukia and Renji since YUCKY! Yuzu: I agree with Mr. Giant since if my Future Husband went around and did that I'd be turned on by it. Uryū and Brandan: We are agreeing with Chad and Yuzu. Taylor: I like it as well. Orihime: Of course you would after all you made this Gigai for Noba since Kisuke decided against making them any new Gigai for the three of them... speaking of which where is Ririn and Kurōdo? Riruka: I wouldn't know since I have never met them. Meanwhile Ririn: showing off her new sexy look which she's been doing for years Kurōdo: showing off his new handsome look which he's been doing for years Meanwhile Taylor: I have a feeling they haven't stop doing what they said they were gonna do when I made and gave the three of them their new Gigai. Sometimes I wish that I didn't ask them what they wanted and just remade their original Gigai and only asked Noba what he wanted. Meanwhile Gō Koga returns to Karakura Town for the first time in years Koga: I really hope those kids don't assume I'm here for revenge. Meanwhile Noba: A Bount! Meanwhile Ririn and Kurōdo: BOUNT! Meanwhile Ichigo: But the only Bount left would be the one with the Doll known as Dalk the one who Yoruichi said Thanks me for defeating Kariya. Uryū: You think he is here for revenge. Taylor: Doubt it since I can sense him and based on his Spirit Energy he isn't here to fight in fact he is here for peace. Rukia, Renji, Chad, Noba, Ichigo, Grimmjow, Orihime, Riruka, Uryū, Brandan and Ichika: HUH? Kazui: still sleeping gay Taylor: Um.... where'd Kazui decide to say that out of the blue sure he is sleeping but still it must have been a reason. Rukia, Renji, Chad, Noba, Ichigo, Grimmjow, Orihime, Riruka, Uryū, Brandan and Ichika: Beats us. Gō Koga shows up in the house Koga: Sorry to barge in uninvited but I wanted to say sorry for my actions years ago... wait... I must have the wrong house since none of you look familiar. Taylor: The ones who you've never seen before are myself, Grimmjow the blue haired guy, Kazui the little orange haired guy who is sleeping, Ichika the red haired little girl with violet eyes, Brandan the auburn hair guy and Riruka the magenta haired lady with the magenta eyes. I'm pretty sure you remember Ichigo, points to Ichigo Uryū, points to Uryū Rukia, points to Rukia Renji, points to Renji Orihime, points to Orihime Chad, points to Chad and Noba. points to Noba Koga: WAIT HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN? Taylor: 10 years and 20 months since you and the other Bounts showed up about 3 months before the fight with Aizen took place and its been 10 years and 17 months since that fight with Aizen. Koga: ...I might as well leave since it seems I waited to long to apologize. proceeds to leave Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Chad, Uryū, Renji and Noba: There is no need to leave. Koga: OK if you... Ririn and Kurōdo show up Ririn: Stop there this is no place for someone of your kind Bount. Kurōdo: If you don't leave we will have to destroy you. Taylor: Ririn and Kurōdo back down he isn't an enemy any longer. To Be Continued

[recurring-polynya]

Do you think Byakuya ever fully recovers from his fight with As Nodt? Poor guy lost the basically the entirety of his blood volume and I feel like thats a hard thing to bounce back from. But Byakuya is kinda a freak of nature soooooo...

So, from the canon material, he certainly appears to have come back at full strength. There is this one, very intriguing panel shortly before he leaves Kirinji’s:

Then, although he brags to As Nodt about his improved connection to Senbonzakura, he lets Rukia deal the finishing blow. I swear, I forgot the entire Pepe fight even happened, I had completely blocked it out of my mind, but it’s interesting, because he throws Senbonzakura aside and fights most of it with just hakudo and kidou. (Also, he’s just fighting Hisagi) And then in the fight with Gerard, he teams up with Hitsugaya, but then Zaraki shows up and takes over just as it’s getting good. So there is sort of this ambiguity this whole time... is Byakuya as strong as he used to be?

Buuuuuuut, then we get this at the end of his fight with Gerard:

Yeeeeaah, in canon terms, I’d say that’s pretty definitive evidence that he did, in fact, get his strength back. Nuts.

I hate it. I completely agree with you, anon, he ought to have some aftereffects of that kind of damage, even after a trip through the Royal Realm, plus it would also just be a really cool bit of character development. A major character thread that never gets resolved is that Renji spent years and years trying to surpass Byakuya, but uh, that first fight didn’t go so well for Renji. It’s fairly clear that by the TYBW arc that Byakuya has grown to accept Renji as a bearable second, but that’s... not the same as surpassing the guy.

I feel like it is somewhat underappreciated that when Renji shows up to fight Mask de Masculine, Mask has just definitively taken down not one, but two Visored captains in a row (and Hisagi, but, again... Hisagi). Rukia takes one look at Mask, says “you do not need my help, catch you later, babe” and then Renji crushes him. Mask doesn’t even put a scratch on Renji. Renji isn’t just captain-level, he is upper-tier captain level.

Imagine, if you will, just imagine, Byakuya at 75% of his strength. He’s still one of the strongest guys around, but going to bankai really takes it out of him, and maybe he can’t get to the glowy wings level of bankai at all. Is he gonna fake it and pretend he’s still in top form, and then lean over his desk and cough blood into his hand when he gets back to the office? He’s Byakuya, so yes, of course he is, but if there is one person he can’t hide it from, it’s the man who’s been watching him like a hawk, nipping at his heels for years and years and years and years.

Except that Renji doesn’t want this. He’s surpassed Byakuya, they both know it, and there’s no satisfaction in it, none. So he stays as Byakuya’s lieutenant, and he helps Byakuya keep up the front that he’s strong as ever, and helps B with his PT. I am not sure I could come up with a more exquisite form of torture for Byakuya, to have to accept assistance from his lieutenant who is now stronger than he is. His pride! His priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide! He has to, though, because otherwise Rukia will yell at him and that is somehow even worse.

For me, this would be the perfect closure for Renji. Renji’s early character arcs are all about his failures to achieve his goals with strength, no matter how hard he works. I have always headcanoned Renji as a guy who fights because he must, because he was thrown into a brutal life, and he’s always believed that his only value lay in his fists. But the definitive RenRuki scene is when he’s running away with her from Soukyouku Hill-- I love that in this story, he ends up with the girl he loves, not because he’s the strongest, but because he cares about her more than he cares about being the hero, and also because he says shit like this:

Likewise, I think gaining Byakuya’s trust and gratitude, especially at his most vulnerable, would mean more to Renji than defeating him in battle ever would, especially if it comes along with Byakuya accepting his relationship with Rukia, not just grudgingly, but as family. Basically, I would like to see Renji come to a place where he realizes he doesn’t need to defeat Byakuya anymore, that he’s not a dog howling at the moon, he’s a person who has people who love him and need him and that he loves in return. Likewise, Byakuya should also have to accept that he is a person who loves and is loved by others, whether he deserves it or not (he definitely does not), whether he wants this or not (again, he definitely does not).

Bleach characters live a really, really, really long time, and it’s really depressing to me whenever Kubo says things like “oh, you broke your bankai, so you’re going to be weaker forever”, so I think I would like Byakuya to regain his full strength eventually, but it shouldn’t be quick or easy. I want to see him squirm a lot and also drink a protein shake that Renji made with bananas, just for him.

[unohanadaydreams]

How do you think the captains would react if you got hopelessly lost like on the way home or something? Also I love you and your blog makes me smile. 💖

Ahhhh, thank you so much, you are so kind!

Captains Reacting To You Getting Lost:

Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto: He would be very disappointed that you couldn’t find your way home and will be arranging a formal training time where he’s literally just walking you through the Soul Society, pointing out landmarks and dropping off paper work to the other captains.

Shunsui Kyoraku: He would sort of delighted, chuckle, ruffle your hair, and call you hopeless in a lighthearted, teasing manner. He genuinely finds it adorable. He’d start asking if you were just so busy thinking of him that you got distracted and make you forget any ill feelings you had toward getting lost, if you had them! He would likely offer to pick you up and walk you home next time, but it’s up to you!

Yoruichi Shihoin: She would find it hysterical and ask you to recant the details because she honestly wants to know just how you managed that. She’s used to scatterbrained geniuses, so she takes it in stride and finds it a bit endearing. She’ll bring it up casually in conversation until the end of time, though. She’d probably jokingly give you a golden star sticker the next time you made it home without getting lost.

SoiFon: She would make it a bigger deal than it likely was, partly because she would be flustered from you coming home late, and partly because she can’t belive someone SHE decided to be involved with can’t navigate the Gotei 13. She would take you on her next circuit of soul society, which would be useless to you in a practical sense, because she would be using hiding places and underground networks mostly.

Rose Otoribashi: He would ask you if you’re alright and tell you that if you were truly lost, you never would’ve made it home, so really you just went on a nice little scenic walk! He’d like to try that with you sometime soon, actually. Maybe you could make a picnic of it? He could even bring his guitar while you two simply floated through the Gotei 13.

Gin Ichimaru: He finds it’s pretty funny that you can’t navigate the Gotei 13 and would start offering to walk you home, only to conveniently get a soul butterfly summons half through. Even more conveniently, he would walk you home using drastically different routes when he does this. If there was ever a time you couldn’t find your way home, he would eventually appear back by your side, his smile a little too wide, apologizing for being gone so long.

Retsu Unohana: Although she’s concerned you turned up late, she understands how overwhelming the random dead ends can be throughout the Gotei 13. She prefers using the janitorial routes, herself, and would be very willing to show you around if she had time. If not, she would ask Isane to show you, before kissing your cheek and softly reminding you to send her a butterfly if you think you’re lost again.

Isane Kotetsu: When you’re late getting home, she starts thinking of increasingly bizarre situations as to what could have possibly happened to you. By the time you get to your door, she’s already gathered a search party of squad 4 members, ready to sweep the entire Gotei 13, because what if you got held hostage by the 12th division in some unspeakable experiment involving the time space continuum? What if an elite band of hollows even worse than arrancar are leading you to some dark forest for some horrid suprise? She cries a little bit when she sees you from relief and from feeling silly, but she forgives you easily and is glad to walk you home or have a squad 4 member walk you home from now on.

Shinji Hirako: He’s amused and unbelieving that you could get lost on your way home. He almost wonders if you’re lying. Were you walking blindfolded? Are you five years old again and need a chaperone? Really, if he has to come lead you home by the arm to get you there on time, then so be it. Of course, he’s going to tell anyone around he’s there to make sure you don’t get lost and playfully pinch your cheeks while he’s at it. And, no you’re not allowed to pout like that, because he’s doing you a favor.

Aizen Sousuke: He doesn’t outwardly seem to care or react much, aside from a smattering of false platitudes. If anything, he enjoys that you get lost. He takes it as a sign that you’re less intelligent and more pliable to his whims. If you can’t find your way through the Gotei 13, then you surely can’t manage any of his scheming. He’ll kiss your forehead and silently wonder how you even managed to pass your school exams.

Byakuya Kuchiki: He’ll be displeased you were late making it home and insist that you at least memorize your route home, whether it be with him or otherwise. He has a schedule he must stick to and if you can’t abide it, then you won’t have time to see each other that day, which is what he’s most upset about. Of course, he’s not going to say that in any way shape or form before criticizing your lack of spacial awareness and memory.

Sajin Komamura: He doesn’t quite understand how you could get lost, mostly because his sense of smell guides him extraordinarily well, but he’s sympathetic and tells you what truly matters is that you didn’t give up the moment you didn’t know where you were; it’s important to keep moving forward. Dogs are excellent guides, so why don’t you take one of Sajin’s stray friends with you next time? Even if you say no, you’ll notice a very happy, welcoming dog whenever you get lost again.

Tetsuzaemon Iba: He walks you to and from your division almost everyday, so he apologizes when you get lost on one of the days he couldn’t be there to guide you. It’s his job as your very manly partner to support you, after all. He hugs you tightly and gets scolded by Lieutenant Ise when he misses a captain’s meeting to walk you home a few weeks later.

Lisa Yadomaru: She finds it relatable and suggests you make the most if it. Maybe next time you both can get lost together and find some lonely corner(s) to have fun it. Besides, how do you think she gets the best candids of all the captains and lieutenants? Life is an adventure and she’s stumbling through it right there with you.

Kensei Muguruma: He’s worse than you when it comes to finding his way home. He tells Mashiro to make you one of the maps she made him (it’s a very poorly made map with a total of 4 routes and lots of cute characters drawn on it that mostly cover over the routes, making it effectively useless). He would absolutely shrug it off as no big deal, unless it started to cut into his time with you. Then he’d pull out his (horrible) map and start looking for you so he can give you an earful about how your his s/o because he wants to see you not wait for you.

Kaname Tosen: He was wary about getting lost in the Gotei 13 when he first started, so knows the layout very well. He smiles a bit patronizingly when you tell him what happened and lightly jokes at your expense before offering a comforting embrace and peaceful night in. He wouldn’t offer to walk you home, because he enjoys scolding you a bit and wouldn’t mind you getting lost again in the future. (Spends a bit too much time with Aizen, doesn’t he?)

Toshiro Hitsugaya: He would be pretty smug about it. Wow, you got lost on your way home? He remembers when he had a heard time finding his way home, when he was three. What does it feel like having less sense of direction than a three year old? Of course, he can’t just let you wander aimlessly, since he’s your s/o and obviously he needs to look out from you now on. He supposes he can walk you home next time, since you need him so badly. He will dutifully pick you up, with grace befitting a Gotei 13 captain, and wait till you’re not in public anymore to tease you for even needing him.

Kenpachi Zaraki: He is the reigning king of not knowing where the hell he is, at any given moment. The 11th division literally has a task force dedicated to tracking his lost ass down. He’s actually impressed you found your way home, when he gets there 5 hours after you, with a posse of his squad that guided him. Maybe you should just come to his barracks from now on, since it only takes him an average of 3 hours to find his way there, yeah? (Yes, your name is put on assignment for the task squad, even if this is your first time getting lost.)

Kisuke Urahara: He wonders if you really got lost or were distracted by something? He walks you home a few times before he realizes that, no, you don’t pretend to be lost in order to break the rules as he’s prone to do. His time in squad 2 makes him a rather good source for directions, so he kisses your face a bazillion times and promises to show you around on his next day off. Maybe you can help him test out a few gps systems he’s got in the works in the mean time?

Mayuri Kurotsuchi: It’s like you just told him that you don’t know what the Gotei 13 even is. He creates a detailed map for you to carry with you everywhere, has Akon make an even more detailed 3D map for you to wander around in virtual reality, makes you take computerized tests to ensure you studied properly, and sets you loose with a collar that zaps you if you stray from your designated route. He also sets up a scan for your brain, to ensure that you have not been turned into a mindless sleeper agent for one of the Gotei 13′s enemies. He would beyond a doubt lecture you and insult you over this.

Jushiro Ukitake: He’s glad to see you safe at home. His imagination isn’t anything compared to his lieutenants, but he was worried all the same and welcomes you back warmly, while telling you stories about when he’d gotten lost around the Gotei 13 as well as some old stories about Shunsui, Nanao, and others, to make you feel less embarrassed. He mentions it in passing as a cute story to his lieutenants when they ask how his night was and suddenly you have two very eager chaperones bickering about what’s the best way to walk you home, and getting you lost in the process.

Rukia Kuchiki: She’s a bit haughty about announcing that her brother taught her very well in regards to navigating the Gotei 13, but laughs with you instead of at you about your getting lost. She informs you that the Gotei 13 isn’t even that confusing compared to the rukongai districts, so it’s a good thing you got lost somewhere safe. What is she going to do with you? Other than tease you about it, of course. She pulls you down to kiss her, calls you ridiculous, and presents a mascot riddled guide to the Gotei 13 with helpful tips and interesting information that she hands out to her new recruits.