* ICE TO NEVER THAW.

does your muse have parental / nurturing figures in their life ? how do they impact them ?

“grandmother” :  the foundations of his life, the ground that he stands on. she is the experience of unconditional love for family, countryside closeness. when all you have is yourself, it is imperative to learn and foster one’s perspective. most important, she is the person who taught him to let go. change … is the first step forward.

rangiku :  radiant, worldly, lackadaisical sunrise to contrast the stark chill of the setting moon. her generosity, zest for life, and mature heart formed the foundations of toshiro’s emotional resurrection — to trust again. perhaps, the closest thing to a mother’s love he’d ever have, her intelligence and soul every bit a core part of his life and the division’s. she is wise as she is silly, loose where she needed to that thawed frozen joints of tired bones. her personality is necessary, irreplaceable, happiness. when my light dims, will you shine on? i trust you, i trust you, i trust you.

what does your muse long for ? is it a realistic desire ?

          𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒𝐍’𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐒𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐄,  it wasn’t like Tatsuki knew of anyone else besides Ichigo   —   and then he opened everyone’s eyes.   Honestly it was more annoying than concerning in the beginning,  but it got dangerous fast and she understood why Ichigo would keep something like that to himself for so long.   It led to watching your friends bleed and come to school so tired,  it meant more secrets and bruises to hide,  it meant seeing monsters and being all that you could do:  just watch helplessly and have your childhood friend feel so far away even when he stands right next to you.

          A small laugh escapes her,  empty of humor.   Wow,  it’s still upsetting.   Tatsuki knows all of that about Ichigo and yet she also knows she only thinks she knows him and that’s the problem.   Oh,  she wants to,  of course she wants to know him.   But it didn’t seem mutual.     “  𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩? 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝘁, 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙞𝙩? 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 —  ”     Absolute hell,  he was going through fuck knows what and that was someone she once protected who she couldn’t even understand anymore and he didn’t want to talk and how else was she supposed to react if not upset and hurt and he didn’t trust her either.     “  𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝘂𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗜’𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙. 𝗦𝗼 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲.  ”     Tatsuki sighs,  hot breath leaving her system and the cool coming in.   She can’t say she’s more sad than angry,  it’s a lot of both.   This guy really doesn’t deserve it though.     “  𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳. 𝗬𝗼𝘂, 𝘂𝗺, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝘂𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗱. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽, 𝘀𝗼… 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗼𝘁. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀.  ”     Because Orihime is definitely not off the hook either,  which was a whole other messy plate on its own.

        “ would you do the same ? ” his question comes quickly, sharp as winter’s edge. not a scold, but a fair one all the same.     “ you’re angry, i get that. but how mad can you be at him ? what if you were in his shoes ? ” shrugging he walks along the railing with slow pace. truthfully he’s not here to theorize about the sanctity and integrity of ichigo’s friend-group. it doesn’t interest him and frankly he doesn’t care, but at the same time he can respect what that means and how much stronger it makes a person.

          𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊 𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒,  𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 is painted with caution tape.   The boy is familiar,  not that Tatsuki has met him formally but he feels…  different.   Like those people.   She’s not as acquainted with all of that as her childhood friends are.   She could have sworn Orihime’s house was too cold when she visited last time,  even Ichigo felt like his essence was thawing from leftover frost.   It’s far from winter,  and Tatsuki feels a chill.     “  𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗲.  ”     She can’t be blamed:  since they were kids,  Tatsuki beat up anyone who taunted Ichigo over his ability to see beyond the veil.   And that ability has lead him to such a heap of trouble   —   how many countless times could he have died without her or his family knowing?   Would it be all that unfair to pin that blame on these people?   They’re here to help,  is all she knows,  however that works.     “  𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗼’𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?  ”

       “spirit friends.” that’s a rather blunt way to put it, shifting on his seat on the school’s railing ledge. however, the demeanor he currently carried melted into something else — something near sympathetic, yet tangibly soft. imagine only being vaguely aware of things that went on in ichigo’s life, on the precarious edge of concern and mindfulness ( do you press on, or leave it alone ). careful sigh escapes his lips.   “ i guess you could say that, ”   since there wasn’t any other way to put it.    “ didn’t know there were that many people in this town that could see us. ”    made the work of a reaper harder, at least in respect of it needing it to be an unseen transition.

An old woman lives a few miles further in, close to the Great White Road Gate that divides the exalted Seireitei from the humble Rukongai. This woman had taken in a girl a few years back, so they’ve heard, and decide to leave this supposedly dying boy with her so that when he did eventually die, they didn’t have to face the reality of their failure.

They approach this elderly woman, lonely from her quiet life as a mortal, and leave him with her without much word. They only state that they cannot keep him any longer, and run in shame thereafter. The old woman is dazed, though she too takes notice of his cool body. But he seemed vibrantly alive, so how could it be? She’s been aware of the couple’s existence beforehand, but she doesn’t feel compelled to search them out for answers. Clearly, this boy had been unwanted and in need of the warmth that adjoined love.

She chooses to raise him just as she was the girl named Momo Hinamori. Taking notice of his peculiar features, coupled by cool corporeal form, she dubs him Tōshirō, and jokes about how it was akin to the story of Momotaro. Indeed, she was blessed by something extraordinary.

      “ what’s with the stink eye ? ”    suppose he can’t really blame her considering the way he simply wafts in and out of their lives as the phantom he truly was, lingering around ichigo’s business as it’s haunted by the strings of the otherworld. the question was whether he should patronize her about the fact of his existence or merely continue to put up a facade? either way it’s difficult, not something eh wanted to bother with. he doesn’t mention it.    “ something on your mind ? i rather you just say it. ”

      𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.   he knew this now.   it was this exact realization that dawned on the student as the shattering of glass.   dark innocent eyes had widened rather easily with a fervour born out of   ——   dare he admit it to himself   ?   ——   intimidation.   keigo had stood there confounded,   mouth agape with unmirrored astonishment.   seconds passed.   clearing his throat,   the action broke himself out of this shameless stupor.

      ❛      𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻   ?   i can’t tell.      ❜      a slight hint of a pause,   followed by a tone that was matter-of-fact.   his gaze swept down,   witnessing the icy disposition unfold before him.   he knew well enough that this ire had been directed at him   &   his big mouth   ——   not that it truly mattered.   ignoring the warning signs,   keigo delved deeper into his array of tricks.      ❛      i figured   …   wait.   are you one of those class skipping high intelligence students   ?      ❜

         ah man, he really yammered on? most of it was ignored until given a graceful out in the form of a neatly-wrapped excuse ... roll with it.   “ yes. now, if you don’t mind — ”   he gestures carelessly at his entire height. what pathetic looking guy. however, he seemed to hang around ichigo a lot. maybe, possibly, he was important to keep tabs on in that regard.   “ whatever your name is, i got smart-people things to do. ”   dismissive words flawlessly leave, cooly turning away to maintain the biting persona. now that his authority was asserted (of course a classic tactic), time to get to the meat of the matter.