With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
Toshioni was out and about that Saturday afternoon. He was wearing a white tee shirt and a black pair of jeans. It was kind neutral compared to his usual outfit but he wasn't really in a flamboyant mood. He didn't know what had zapped that out of him. Perhaps it was the training and the military-esque mentality that went along with it. Either way, he had the day off and he was going to enjoy his leisure time dammit!
He was currently at the mall and just kind of wandered around. A few girls caught his eye but he really didn't care about them. Some even giggled as he walked by. He had gained quite a bit of muscle mass since working with Roy. Frankly, they were too plain for his liking. They weren't like that girl he had shared an afternoon with. They wren't even like Mizuki. It didn't matter though. He was really just here to kill time.
He found a bench and slid into it before sliding down into it a little. He wasn't tired, but this was the body language to emulate that you wanted to be left well enough alone.
Mizuki had decided to go to the mall for the afternoon. Especially after that morning and everything that had happened. That, and she kinda needed to get a few things... Like paint for her room. She decided that it would be a nice change, that and she had to tear off all the wallpaper because of that damn Neko. He had ripped her room to shreds practically. Even some of her clothes were thrashed, so she decided that she could get away with buying a few new things.
She was wearing a white shirt that had silver stars coming from the center bottom to the upper right. She wore tight fitting jeans that had two crescent moons on each butt pocket. Her ear rings, she wore her favorite ones, the crescent shaped ones. All this plus her red hair up in a ponytail. It wasn't like she was dressed up, but she did want to feel good about the way she looked, that and this was one of her favorite outfits.
She passed a couple of stores, none of which spiked her interest. Then she stopped in front of this particular store. It was a kinda girly store, one that Mizuki could spend tons of money on. One that she could find the perfect outfit for seeing Neko in! Wait... Why would she wanna she that jerk? He had tore her room up and bailed on her! Not only that, but he was really mean to her! Why should she care about him? Either way, she decided to enter the store.
Inside the store, she didn't see much of anything that she liked, when suddenly she saw it! A pair of dangling ear rings that had the following pattern; star, crescent moon, triple star, full moon. It was perfect! She then looked at the price... She sighed... It was way out of her budget. She decided to leave the store before she would get to obsessed with it. She walked out and saw a young man on the bench in front of the store... He looked familiar... Where had she seen him before... Then she had a flash back. She could see him and another with her, going through rooms, getting shot at by explosives... It sent chills down her spine! It was a place she didn't want to go back to... But this person... It was Toshioni!
"Toshi-kun?" Mizuki asked in a somewhat confused tone. She wasn't sure if it was really him or not.
Toshioni's brow furrowed. He had heard this voice before but he couldn't quite place it. Closing his eyes and thinking for a second, he tried to remember a scenario that occurred before. He remembered an extensive headache. For some reason, he remembered being almost sick the last time he had heard this voice. Wait...that was it. Hueco Mundo. This was someone he had met in Hueco Mundo.
He remembered the four people he had gone through that rat maze with. There had been the two Vizards. Rei and Sentenza. Rei had been a bit conceited but useful. Sentenza was a lot nicer and still helped out a lot. There was Masashi-sensei. But none of them would fit this bill. Their voices didn't fit. But, there was Mizuki. That redhead he had met there too. Yeah, she fit the bill.
As he turned to face the voice he saw that he was indeed correct. It was Mizuki. Damn, she looked really good today. She wasn't all dressed up but she was still damn hot. He didn't know what to say to a girl in this situation. How did you just say "Hi" to someone you had risked your life with?
"Kon'nichiwa Mizuki-chan. Take a seat and a load off for a while."
In a playful manner, he took his and patted the bench that was beside him. He flashed her a small grin as he did this. It was actually kind of nice to see her again.
"Kon'nichiwa Mizuki-chan. Take a seat and a load off for a while."
Toshi was rather playful right now, or maybe just seemed like it. Either way, maybe Mizuki should just sit for a moment or two... She had been walking for sometime, and after this morning, it would be good to talk to someone who actually is nice! Damn that Neko and his meanie face ways!
Mizuki walked over and sat down across the bench from Toshi. It wasn't like she was trying to stay to far away from him, but she'd rather not give him the idea that she likes him... He might think of it as something else... Like they should be together or something! NOT. HAPPENING. Not for Mizuki anyway. She was somewhat confused right now, about the whole Neko thing. She thought maybe it would be better to just talk to Toshi for the moment.
"So, how have you been since that god awful thing that had happened?" Mizuki asked. She really didn't want to remember it, but seeing Toshi, it brought back some of those memories.
Mizuki gave a slight smile. It was somewhat obvious that she was still thinking about that morning... Why did she have to see Toshi today?! What horrible timing.
"So, how have you been since that god awful thing that had happened?"
Toshioni gave it a bit of thought. How had he been? It had been up and down mostly. He had joined the Haven as well as trained with Roy. That was really about all he had done since then. Oh, he had met Konan as well, but that wasn't really something you talked about to another girl. Wait, did he actually like Mizuki? Well, she was pretty and kind of nice to him. So, he was at least a little attracted to her.
Looking at her sitting across from him, he thought about what to say for a second. Did he go into how Arrancars still traumatized him? Did he say that his worst fear was becoming one and he worried about hollowification after meeting Vizards? No. He didn't say any of that. Instead, he would pretend he was okay and ask her what was new with her life. That was the pragmatic choice. Lie. Lying was pragmatic.
"I've been doing alright. I've been training since that incident so that maybe I can be in a better situation if it ever happens again. How have you been since then Mizuki-chan? I mean, I haven't exactly seen you around since then. I'm sure a lot has happened."
After he said this, he studied her more closely. She had quite a few bags and stuff and he didn't know if it was all clothes or other girl stuff. It seemed ridiculous that she could feel up so many bags. He should ask her about it. If nothing else, it would help to make conversation. This was a bit of an awkward encounter.
"Mizuki-chan, what's in all those bags. I mean, that's a lot of clothes. A LOT of clothes."
Apparently, Toshi had some of his own thoughts. But, he was probably not thinking about the same thing. Actually, Mizuki knew that he wasn't! He must of been thinking about when they met... Would every time they met up be a reminder of that god forsaken day? It couldn't be, they would have to make new memories, but when and where?
The memories swirled in Mizuki's head. She had completely forgotten about the morning she had, or even the night that she had last night. It was apparent that she had a deeper connection to Toshi, just from what they went through in Hueco Mundo. It was rough to think about it, and it made Mizuki feel sick to her stomach. A horrible feeling, like it could happen again... Hopefully it wouldn't, probably wouldn't.
"I've been doing alright. I've been training since that incident so that maybe I can be in a better situation if it ever happens again. How have you been since then Mizuki-chan? I mean, I haven't exactly seen you around since then. I'm sure a lot has happened."
It seemed everything had been normal for Toshi, Mizuki knew it had been for here, extremely boring though... Except for last night and this morning... Damn. She thought she had escaped that thought, but no, here it was, rearing it's ugly head!
"Me? Well.... Um..." Mizuki's thoughts were all over the night before and the morning "I had a long night last night... But before that, it was damn boring... School ended, my parents want me to get a summer job, everything else is pretty dull."
Mizuki smiled slightly. It was nice to have a regular conversation. Then came yet another question for her. It was very random and off subject. It was about nothing other than... HER BAGS. Did her really want to know? He was in for it now...
"Well... I have one new set of clothes for an interview that my dad is forcing me to go to, and another is for just hanging out with friends, oh and this one..." Mizuki pulled out a dress. She normally didn't wear dresses, but she really wanted to have this one for some reason. It was a midnight blue with a cluster of stars on the bottom. "This dress just called to me... If only I could find a good reason to wear it. What do you think about this dress?"
Toshioni sat and looked at her while she talked about having a long night. He could relate to her on that. Having had night terrors, he knew what it was like not to get a good night's sleep. He also knew what it was like to have your parent(s) pressure you. With a slight cock of the head because he didn't know what she meant about life being dull. He sometimes felt a bit bored but things were never dull. He was always tracking or putting down a hollow. If he wasn't doing that he was training. He didn't get a chance to let life be dull. At that moment, he couldn't really relate to Mizuki.
"Mizu-chan, I don't really know what you mean. I mean, I'm always tracking or hunting down one of the little buggers. And when I'm not, I'm training with my sensei. I mean, I just don't want to have to worry about being weak again. You know what I mean?"
After that he just kind of nodded for what he was pulling out and showing to him. They were just girl clothes; they weren't really all that interesting to a teenage boy. However, when she pulled out the dress everything changed. His face turned beet red and he quickly looked away. Feeling his heart beat in his ears, he knew how she would look in that dress. She would look beautiful.
That's when it all flowed back to him. Exhaling to aim when suddenly his head was turned to the side. His lips thrust upon his for a brief moment while his eyes closed in utter euphoria. Then, her hands fell off his cheeks and she backed away. Saying it was "For luck". Moments later, he had hit his target without a shadow of a doubt. Then, the memory blurred.
They were just about to exit Hueco Mundo. Not knowing if they would ever see each other again, she leaned in for a kiss on the cheek. She told him that if they ever saw each other again that they would have to go out sometime. Now, here they were, seeing each other again. He wondered if she would bring it up. He was much too nervous to say anything about it. Just picturing her in that dress was enough to make him almost speechless.
"It looks beautiful Mizu-chan. I'm sure it'll look...breathtaking on you."
Toshi was very polite as Mizuki talked. It had seemed as though he knew what she was talking about, or at least the feeling of a long night. She hoped he didn't actually know about that night... That wouldn't be good, hell, he might even leave her alone and ignore her! Mizuki didn't want that. She hardly had any friends since all of her school friends left on vacation. That and any other friends she had weren't really ever around. Then, it seemed as if she confued poor little Toshi.
"Mizu-chan, I don't really know what you mean. I mean, I'm always tracking or hunting down one of the little buggers. And when I'm not, I'm training with my sensei. I mean, I just don't want to have to worry about being weak again. You know what I mean?"
"Well you are just full of luck aren't you! I haven't been on a hunt in some time, or even ran into one of those fowl things. Maybe I need to find a job that entails that, huh? Oh well..."
Mizuki looked down and away for a moment. It had been a while. And she didn't want to be weak, even though she was the weakest back then... She had almost gotten badly hurt a few different times, and it was always Toshi or Saba saving her.
Those thoughts slowly drifted as a new one came up. Not just one, but two. The two kisses that she gave to Toshi. Suddenly her face became red and she got nervous. Why had she done it anyway? It was just something about her that she always made some sort of first move. Back in Hueco Mundo, last night, today too probably! Then a few words drifted into her mind as Toshi spoke.
"It looks beautiful Mizu-chan. I'm sure it'll look...breathtaking on you."
What was he talking about? Wait, the dress? How did that happen? Oh, she still had the dress in her hands... She was so enveloped in her thoughts that she totally forgot! Hell, instead of talking about the dress, why not mention the words that had been said before they had left the hell hole know as Hueco Mundo.
"So... Um, you wanna do something tonight, like that date that we had thought of before we left that place..." There it was... Mizuki making the first move yet again. How did this always happen? "I mean, if you're busy, that's fine, but I don't really have anything planned..." Mizuki looked up at Toshi.
Mizuki talked about how she hadn't been on a hunt in a while and that she wanted to do that more often. Toshioni had to look away for a second. Not because of humor, but in disbelief. He could never imagine what it would be like to miss hunting Hollows. He hated having to do it. The only reason he did it was to keep people safe. Yet, here she was saying that she hadn't hunted and missed it. That just wasn't right to him.
With a sterner look he stared back at Mizuki and into her eyes. His face was one he didn't make often. He wasn't serious often and honestly didn't much care for it. Being serious was for Dylandy-sensei and Stour-san. His job was just to shoot things and be playful about it. He was even kind of jovial in his training now that his body had gotten used to it. But, he had to make something clear now. He wasn't going to have any of that. Hunting hollows was a necessity; it wasn't something you were supposed to enjoy.
"Mizuki-chan, you're not supposed to enjoy or miss hunting Hollows. It's an unfortunate necessity that people like us have to do to keep people safe. I mean, they're like beasts. They don't know any better. Think of it as putting down a dog. Plus, when you hunt you run the risk of biting more than you bargain for. I mean, if that happens to me I can get away with Hirenkyaku. I don't know if you have anything like that."
Just then, the mood of the conversation changed in an almost unprecedented manner. She had asked him about the date they had arranged in Hueco Mundo. His face became a bright scarlet as he suddenly became very interested in his shoes. Tapping his feet, he heard her ask if he was busy. He wasn't, of course, busy at all but he didn't how to tell her that. He wasn't stupid; he knew that this would be a date.
He wanted to say that he would go in an instant. However, he had never really been on a date. Having had that one get together with Yue didn't really count. She hadn't really seemed all that in to him. And Mizuki did, at least a little. So, he felt that he had to. If for nothing else, it would tell him how he really felt about Mizuki. Looking back up at her was difficult and giving a small smile almost killed him. But, he knew what he had to do.
"Mizuki-chan, you're not supposed to enjoy or miss hunting Hollows. It's an unfortunate necessity that people like us have to do to keep people safe. I mean, they're like beasts. They don't know any better. Think of it as putting down a dog. Plus, when you hunt you run the risk of biting more than you bargain for. I mean, if that happens to me I can get away with Hirenkyaku. I don't know if you have anything like that."
This comment didn't bother Mizuki, but what did, and appalled her at that, was his comment about hollows being like dogs. When he said this, Mizuki put her hands up to her face and was disgusted for a moment. Dogs are like hollows? Hollows are like dogs? Mizuki couldn't see it! They were far from anything related! How dare he say something like that about dogs!
"Putting down a dog? Hollows are things that eat people cuz it's their nature! They are evil things that deserve to die!" Mizuki was pissed about this. After all she had been through, all she has done, hollows were something she hated! More than anything! She continued, "Hollows kill the innocent, take their very being, and for what? Their hunger? What about the arrancar's? Do they not know any better? Y'know, they are hollows too!"
Mizuki stood up and turned her back to Toshi after putting her clothes back in her bag. For some reason, she couldn't stay mad. Especially not at Toshi for some reason. She turned back around and decided to explain a little something or two.
"Toshi-kun, listen. Dogs are my favorite animal... And hollows... Well, I hate them. They killed me sensei, the took away my first friend here from me, and they almost took you away..."
Wait, what?! Mizuki couldn't help but say that. She had a passionate hatred for hollows after all they have done. And yet, it was more so about losing things than anything else. She couldn't stand losing people close to her, like in the past, and she couldn't bare to have the same happen to Toshi.
"So, yeah, about the date... I'm gonna go home real quick to change and I'll be back. It'll be up to you where we go though." Mizuki blushed a bit and winked at Toshi.