69Gin was bored there was no other word to describe it his feelings. He had been assigned a new area to patrol in the real world. It'd only been a few days, but there was nothing to do he'd already sent a few pluses on their way and only one hollow had appeared.
He was strolling through the market completely invisible to the town folk if they had been able to see him he would have stood out. His distinctive silver hair and Shinigami uniform certainly would catch someone's attention. He allowed his eyes to wander and it seemed he had caught someone's interest. A small boy who he estimated to be three or four years old seemed to be staring directly at him.
The boy was almost as distinctive as Gin was, his pure white hair and bright teal eyes stood out against the dark hair and eyes of the people around him, however unlike Gin he was wearing appropriate clothing. Gin continued walking thinking it was just a coincidence the boy was looking in his direction, but the boy's eyes followed him and eventually he turned his whole head to stare at Gin. 'Weird kid', Gin thought to himself. He reached out and felt the boy had very high spiritual pressure for a human.
The small boy tugged on his father's arm and pointed directly at Gin, but all his father did was pat his head and continue walking with the boy in tow. Apparently the father didn't have the same power as the boy and Gin figured he couldn't be blamed for being interested in the only person who could apparently see him. So when he followed the boy back to his home Gin thought it was completely understandable.
Once he made a mental note of where the boy lived he continued his rounds of the town. However that night he slipped through the child's open window without really considering any consequences. The mother was with the child and she didn't notice him, meaning neither parent had any sort of ability like the child. The young boy noticed him immediately and although Gin didn't catch was he said he did hear the mother, "Go to bed, you can play with your imaginary friend tomorrow." She clearly thought Gin was just a figment of his imagination.
His mother gave him a kiss on the forehead and left the room shutting the lights off before closing the door. The moon shining through the open window was the only source of light in the room, but it was enough for the the small child turned to look at Gin. "Are you my imagination?" He asked completely serious. He sat up in his bed a bit more and leaned against the headboard looking at Gin as seriously as a small child could.
"Nah, 'm real," Gin replied stepping further into the room taking a look. He felt completely relaxed waltzing into the home of a human and talking to him despite the fact that he was pretty sure it wasn't allowed, but he didn't know or particularly care. Who was going to report him, the little guy staring at him in awe?
"Really real?" The boy asked with wide eyes. His head cocked to the side and a bit of disbelief was present on his face, for some reason Gin didn't like the child doubting his existence.
"Really real," Gin picked up a picture book and put it on the nightstand next to the bed to prove he was 'really real.'
"Oh," the boy paused and after a moment asked, "Can you read to me?" He sounded almost too sweet, but Gin wasn't as bothered as he expected himself to be. Despite how he tended to act Gin wasn't really a people person and he was even less interested in kids, but he was driven by boredom so he didn't immediately leave.
Gin wasn't sure how he looked anything like someone who would read a child a book, so he simply asked, "What?"
"I wanted another story, but my mom said no," The child explained gesturing to the large amount of books on the other side of the room showing Gin where he could find a story.
"Readin' really isn' mah thing," Gin shrugged hoping to ignore the child's request. However, his attempt to shut down the idea didn't work if the expression on the child's face was anything to go by.
"Please," the small boy dragged the word out and looked up imploringly. If Gin was a lesser man he would have caved immediately to the adorable display being put on. Toshiro paused for a moment before some realization dawned on him, "Oh, you don't know how to read, I'm sorry," he apologized and Gin felt slightly offended. If the boy was trying to be sarcastic it would have been annoying, but he was being completely sincere and honestly believed Gin didn't possess the ability to read. It was even worse that the boy actually felt sorry for him.
"Ah know how ta read," Gin replied defending his honor as a literate being and quickly decided to change subjects, "Didn' your parents, eva' tell you not ta talk ta strangers?" Gin asked the boy looking at him carefully. The boy's expression didn't change, he continued looking at him innocently with no fear in his bright eyes.
"Hmm," the boy hummed as he nodded that yes his parents told him not to talk to strangers. "But you're not a stranger," he pointed out.
"Ahm not?" Gin had no idea how the boy came to that conclusion.
"Nope," he popped the 'P', "My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya what's your name?" The boy stuck out a small hand to shake as if just trading names meant they were no longer strangers.
"Gin Ichimaru," Gin replied simply and lightly grasped the other's tiny hand and shook it gently noting how small and fragile it seemed.
"So Chimaru-kun?" Toshiro asked testing the name out.
"No Shiro-chan its Gin Ichimaru," Gin placed emphasis on the 'I'. He couldn't really blame a child for not getting his name completely right, but if anyone else tried calling him Chimaru-kun he would probably already have his sword against their throat. Toshiro didn't seem to mind the name Shiro-chan which Gin thought might upset him.
"I'll just call you Gin," Toshiro decided and Gin was visibly relieved.
"Jus' because we kno' each other's names doesn' mean we aren't strangers," Gin tried to explain, but Toshiro once again shook his head.
"No, you're my in-invsible friend," the boy struggled to say invisible.
"Invisible?" Gin asked providing the boy with the word he was looking for.
"Yeah, that," the boy nodded sagely.
"A'hm not invisible, ya little monster. Most humans just can't see me," Gin informed him with a slight smile.
"I'm a monster?" The boy smiled, obviously not upset at the comparison.
"Just a lil' one," Gin responded poking the kid's forehead.
"You're not scared of me, right?" The boy asked rubbing his forehead.
"No," Gin raised an eyebrow wondering why on earth he would be scared of the child.
"Good I didn't want to scare my indivisible, friend," Toshiro smiled again.
Gin didn't bother to ask the boy why he immediately assumed they were friends or ask why he should be scared instead he told him, "Ah told ya already, A'hm not invisible just a Shinigami."
"Whazzat?" The boy asked clearly interested, but confused.
"A Shinigami is a soul reaper," Gin tried to explain which failed miserably because soul reaper meant nothing to him.
"What?" The boy repeated sounding less sure.
"We help ghosts who're stuck 'ere move on ta tha' afterlife," Gin tried again to help the child understand and a flash of realization appeared on Toshiro's face.
"You're an angel?" the boy cocked his head in a way that could only be defined as adorable.
"A'hm a far cry from an angel," Gin said in a dark tone which Toshiro clearly didn't read correctly.
"You help people go to heaven, so you're an angel. That's what angels do," the boy explained ignoring Gin's words.
"Ah fight monsters called hollows as well," Gin tried to distance himself a bit from the idea that he was some angel. It didn't really suit his personality and was slightly embarrassing.
"Does that make you a hero?" Toshiro asked completely serious.
"No, ah already told ya it means ah'm a shinigami," Gin said slightly exasperated, but he was still amused.
"A sh-shinorigami?" Toshiro tried and failed to reiterate.
"Sure close enough," Gin sighed not particularly caring about the child's ability to pronounce the word.
"Good so can you read me a story now?" Toshiro asked finding his way back to the idea of reading a story which Gin still didn't really want to do.
"Fine, but ah have ta go afta' that," Gin couldn't sense any hollows, but he still needed to patrol a bit more and get away from the boy.
The boy cheered, grabbed Gin's hand and pulled him to the bookcase to find something for reading. Gin didn't recognize the books, mainly because he didn't spend too much time in the world of the living and he didn't spend that time reading children's books.
"What'm I gonna read ya?" Gin asked, in response Toshiro shoved a small book in his hand.
"It's about some ducks," Toshiro pointed at the cover which did indeed have a duck on the front.
"Wonderful," Gin said sarcasm dripping from his voice. Toshiro once again ignored his tone or didn't understand it and dragged him to the tiny bed pulling them both onto it. Once they were situated Toshiro leaned against Gin, luckily the moonlight was shining directly onto the bed giving enough light for Gin to read and for Toshiro to point at the various pictures.
Although Gin was less than happy when he started by the end he was enjoying Toshiro's reactions to the story enough to not mind reading it. He was actually slightly disappointed when the story ended and he had to leave. It was domestic, peaceful, and so unlike the rest of his life that he couldn't help relaxing a bit. "I have ta go now Toshiro," he said to the boy who was already half asleep.
"Kay, come back some time Gin," Toshiro murmured barely conscious. Gin shook his head and gave Toshiro a fond smile, the kid was far too endearing to dislike.
"No promises," Gin replied lightly, despite his casual response he knew he'd find his way back to see Toshiro. He had only one companion in this world and if that was a small child so be it.
"Bye-bye, Gin," Toshiro mumbled just before Gin jumped back out the wind.
"Right, bye-bye, Shiro-chan," Gin replied finally leaving.
Gin showed up every night after their first meeting and each time Toshiro smiled so brightly Gin was sure it could light up the room.
On the fourth night Toshiro held up another picture book and asked Gin,"Gin, can you read to me tonight?" Gin had managed to dodge reading another story after the first night, but he finally gave in. Much to his chagrin Gin ended up taking the book and reading offering comments the whole way through about how stupid it was. Toshiro didn't seem to mind Gin's poor job at reading or his commentary.
"Thank you, Gin," he smiled brightly.
"Yeah, yeah, ya lil' beast, " Gin found it difficult to accept the thanks, but the boy's infectious smile had him smiling as well.
"You talk funny," Toshiro pointed out after listening to him read the book.
"Ah talk funny?" Gin asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's your assent, asint, ascent," Toshiro stumbled over the words.
"Accent?" Gin supplied
"Yeah, your accent," Toshiro concentrated on the word.
"Ya, know if yer gonna be mean, maybe I shouldn't come back," Gin teased.
It clearly went over Toshiro's head that he was joking and he looked horrified at the prospect of losing his new friend, "No, no I like it when you talk. It sounds nice, I like your voice and assent." Gin felt the slightest bit of warmth when the child complimented him.
Gin chose not to correct him again on his pronunciation of 'accent' instead he just patted Toshiro's head, "Ah know Shiro-chan, ah was jus' kiddin." His voice was softer and a bit more soothing than when he usually spoke.
"Oh, that's good," Toshiro breathed out in relief wrapping his tiny arms around Gin who was still seated next to him from his time reading.
"You should be gettin' ta bed now, right?" Gin asked seeing the boy's eyes starting to droop.
"Probly," Toshiro allowed Gin to gently push him from his position sitting to him being flat on his bed.
"Go ta sleep Shiro-chan," Gin rested a hand on the boy's head.
"Kay," Toshiro yawned and slipped into a deep slumber the way only a carefree child could.
"Bye-bye Gin," Toshiro said as he did every night.
"Bye-bye Shiro-chan," Gin felt weird giving such a childish goodbye, but it happened every night and who was he to change it?
Gin looked back once before he stepped out of his window into the cool night. It had only been a few days since he met Toshiro and the kid was already growing on him, which bothered Gin in some way.
A/N
I don't remember how or why I randomly came up with this idea, but once I started writing it I liked it a lot. Through the story we'll see how knowing Toshiro changed Gin and what happens with them going forward.
Please let me know what you thought, I really don't have an update schedule, but I figure I'll post a second chapter in one week. Thanks for reading.
