1000 Years: One Shots (Part 1)

53. Icy Fear

Title: Icy Fear

Genre: Angst, Psychological

Characters: Toshiro and other characters.

Summary: Toshiro finds himself recognizing the place he is.

Notes: Well... I theorized that Juhabach wanted to get his hands on Toshiro somehow. Instead of bringing the kid to them, they go to the kid.

Rating: T

Icy Fear

The small taicho's wooden sword clattered to the ground as the walls of the dojo were replaced with an ice covered building. Toshiro's bright teal eyes widened in horror as he looked at the place he once considered to be home be replaced by something else, something that for some strange reason felt all to familiar. His arms went limp at his side and he could simply stare at the walls that felt like they were closing in on him.

"Taicho..." and... "Taicho, are you all right?"

Toshiro's mouth opened and closed as he tried to form words as well as thoughts in his head. "This place... it's like..."

"What is with all this ice?"

The boy's head shook as he continued to stare at the wall. "I died on a plain of ice and came to Soul Society... this..."

"Taicho..."

"I wasn't..." Two small hands came up to the sides of his head. "I wasn't..."

"Taicho..." The child taicho suddenly felt two calloused hands cover his, causing him to look straight into the eyes of the kendo instructor. "Taicho... it's going to be all right."

"You can't... you don't know. I don't want to remember."

"We should get him to the office." The kendo instructor carefully touched the small taicho's shoulders.

"But if everywhere else is changed, the office won't be there anymore."

"The location that would be equivalent to the office then. And watch out for their soldiers." The kendo instructor turned to the small taicho. "If I guide you by touch, do you think you can make it that far?"

"Yes... I need to think, but I don't want to."

"I understand that taicho. Please bear with us. Our job is to keep you safe."

"That's..." the thought didn't come out but did continue through the taicho's head. "...my job."

Some how they managed to get to the place and Toshiro frowned as he looked around what had been the office. "Everything's gone."

"Taicho..." One of the men spoke up, the one who had questioned what would happen to their division.

"Everything that belonged to the former taicho's gone..." Toshiro looked around before turning to old man thunder. "This can't... this is a nightmare. Tell me that it's just a bad dream and that I'll wake up."

"He's not doing well."

"What are we going to do."

"Until Matsumoto Rangiku gets back or the taicho becomes mentally stable I'm in charge." The kendo instructor suddenly grasped Toshiro under the arms and lifted him onto something to sit. "Taicho... no, Toshiro. I'm going to speak to you as an elder to one of the young ones under them. You know something we don't about this place."

"This place seems... no, it's not that I know this place." The boy looked around. "The style of building and all this ice." The boy began to look around carefully. "Particularly the outside area, it's very familiar."