After Aizen's betrayal and defection from Soul Society, Seireitei finally returned to a state of uneasy calm. Although the Gotei 13 busied themselves with reorganizing and repairing the damage left behind, the lingering tension in the air was slowly replaced with sighs of relief. For the first time in a long while, people began to breathe easier.
"Rukia, do you know the difference between your Zanpakutō and Captain Hitsugaya's?" Amamiya Miyako asked. He had a rare day off from intense training and found himself chatting idly with Rukia inside the Thirteenth Division barracks.
Rukia tilted her head slightly, touching the hilt of her blade. "My Sode no Shirayuki? Compared to Captain Hitsugaya's Hyōrinmaru, there's no contest. He's the youngest captain in all of Soul Society, and Hyōrinmaru has the ability to manipulate the weather itself, almost like Captain-Commander Yamamoto's overwhelming power. My Sode no Shirayuki… it can't even compare."
Her tone carried a trace of resignation. To her, her Zanpakutō would always stand in the shadow of Hyōrinmaru. But Miyako knew better. He had seen glimpses of what Rukia's true Bankai could one day become—and it was far from inferior.
"Rukia," Miyako said calmly, "your Sode no Shirayuki isn't the same as Hyōrinmaru. Hyōrinmaru freezes the very moisture in the air directly. Yours doesn't work that way. Do you think that makes Sode no Shirayuki weaker?"
"Eh?" Rukia blinked. "Well… I can't freeze water vapor directly like Captain Hitsugaya does. Sode no Shirayuki relies on releasing cold air from the blade. That's how my attacks freeze my enemies."
"Exactly," Miyako nodded. "But that doesn't mean your Zanpakutō is weaker. Sode no Shirayuki focuses on the release of cold air as a medium. The difference is control. With enough spiritual pressure, the freezing effect can spread quickly and decisively. In fact, under the right circumstances, it might even freeze faster than Hyōrinmaru."
"…I never thought of it like that," Rukia admitted, eyes widening. "Miyako, how did you figure that out?"
Miyako gave a small grin. "Simple. I've already watched you use all three dances of Sode no Shirayuki. Before each attack is complete, you always release cold air from the blade first. Once you notice the pattern, it's obvious. What do you think? Not bad for observation skills, right?"
Rukia gave a pout, cheeks puffed slightly. "Hmph… I have to admit it, your sharp eyes are impressive. But increasing spiritual pressure is still… really difficult."
"Then why not shift your focus?" Miyako suggested. "Train the direction and speed of the cold air's spread instead."
"The direction and speed?" she repeated curiously.
"Yeah," Miyako continued. "For example—your First Dance: White Moon. You've always limited it to a circle around you. But what if you directed it straight ahead instead? Or compressed the cold air to only reach an opponent's legs? That way, you'd freeze an enemy more efficiently, instead of wasting power."
Rukia's eyes lit up, her thoughtful expression changing into excitement. "I see… I never considered adjusting it like that."
"Exactly. You've got more potential than you realize," Miyako said warmly.
"All right! It's decided then!" Rukia suddenly exclaimed, her usual restraint giving way to enthusiasm. "Let's start developing Sode no Shirayuki's abilities right now! Come on, Miyako, let's go to that training ground you told me about before!"
"Oi, Rukia—wait!" Miyako called, but she had already grabbed his wrist and started dragging him along, practically running out of the Thirteenth Division barracks.
The other squad members looked on, their faces a mixture of jealousy and frustration.
"Seriously? Why does Kuchiki-san get to monopolize Vice Captain Amamiya every day?" one grumbled. "I want to receive his guidance too…"
"Idiot," another member sighed. "Vice Captain Amamiya already guides us often enough."
"That's true, but… to have him all to herself… tch, so unfair," a female shinigami muttered through clenched teeth, watching Rukia's retreating figure with envy.
…
Meanwhile, in the Tenth Division Captain's office, Tōshirō Hitsugaya stood quietly with his hand extended, communing with his Zanpakutō spirit, Hyōrinmaru.
Even though he had already attained Bankai, his spiritual pressure still wasn't enough to draw out the dragon's true power completely. Hyōrinmaru's strength was vast—too vast for someone his age to yet wield fully.
Just as Hyōrinmaru was about to make contact with Tōshirō Hitsugaya, the massive dragon of ice suddenly froze in place, shattered into countless shards, and vanished into thin air.
"What…?" Hitsugaya muttered, his teal eyes narrowing in confusion. For Hyōrinmaru to react in such an abnormal way left a heavy unease gnawing at him. But before he could dwell on it, the noise coming from his office pulled him out of his thoughts. A vein pulsed at his temple.
"Tch… what now…"
He pushed open the sliding doors of the Captain's office and was met with the sight of Rangiku Matsumoto, her Zanpakutō, Haineko, stabbed into the wooden floor as she yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Ugh, damn it! What kind of lousy Zanpakutō calls its own master an old hag?! You hear me, Haineko?! Get out here and say it to my face!"
Hitsugaya let out a long sigh. "Matsumoto!"
Between his recovery, the mountain of Division paperwork, and now this chaos, he felt like his lifespan was getting cut in half.
But Rangiku either didn't hear him or pretended not to. She stomped her foot and kept cursing at the blade stuck in the floor.
"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya barked louder this time, walking over to her. Finally, Rangiku snapped her head toward him with an indignant pout.
"Captain! You won't believe this! Haineko just up and mocked me to my face today. Sure, we've had some… disagreements before, but at least she'd talk to me properly. But this time she just hurled insults and vanished. No response after that at all!"
Hitsugaya couldn't stop the small smirk tugging at his lips. "Sounds to me like even your Zanpakutō thinks you need to reflect on yourself."
"Captain! You too?!" Rangiku's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you've never had a fight with Hyōrinmaru before!"
Hitsugaya folded his arms. "Hyōrinmaru and I have always been on good terms. Whether it's Shikai or Bankai, he's been a reliable partner. But… just now…" His voice trailed off, the memory of Hyōrinmaru's sudden disappearance weighing on him.
Rangiku blinked, missing his mutter, and sighed dramatically. "Must be nice… My Haineko's been nothing but difficult since I first achieved Shikai. Even activating it back then was a nightmare."
"Your Zanpakutō isn't your servant—it's your partner," Hitsugaya said sternly. "If things are this bad, maybe you need to work harder at communicating with her."
Rangiku stomped her foot again. "But Captain, this was different! Today's Haineko wasn't just difficult, she was… strange. What kind of Zanpakutō insults its own master like that?!"
Before Hitsugaya could retort, a familiar voice called from outside the office.
"Captain Hitsugaya! Rangiku-san!"
Isane Kotetsu of the Fourth Division entered, handing Rangiku the written results of the Vice-Captains' meeting. She looked a little unsettled herself.
When she casually mentioned that her own Zanpakutō, Itegumo, had also been acting abnormally—similar to Haineko—Hitsugaya's expression darkened.
"One case could be called coincidence… two, maybe the same. But three?" Hitsugaya thought grimly.
His eyes sharpened as he slid Hyōrinmaru back at his side. Without another word, he strode out of the office.
"Captain? Where are you going?" Rangiku called after him.
"To confirm something," Hitsugaya replied, his tone colder than usual. "If other Captains and Vice-Captains are experiencing the same… then something bigger is happening in Soul Society."