2Today is August 14th - Hisagi Shuhei's birthday! In his honour I have created him a birthday fanfic! Please enjoy!
"Shūhei! Shūhei!" The young boy ran, a bright smile engulfing most of his young face. His hands were clasped around something, and a small piece of black material could be seen peeking through the gap between the child's hands. As he ran through the crowded streets he caught sight of the boy he was calling. Big eyes looked towards him, confusion taking over. The boy stopped in front of Shūhei, still smiling.
"What's wrong?" Shūhei asked, confused by his friends arrival.
"You dimwit! You thought I didn't know when your birthday was, didn't you?"
"How did you find out?" Shūhei asked his voice cold and angry. The smiling boy just continued to grin knowingly.
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is this!" The boy opened his hands to reveal something that vaguely resembled a Giraffe. It was made out of a strip of his black Kimono and the eyes were made from little rocks.
"What is it, Shuji?"
"The old man that lives next door said that when he was in the human world he visited a place where there are many animals and he said his favourite was the Giraffe. He drew us pictures of loads of different animals! I wanted to make you the Wolf, but he went really wrong, so here!" Shuji held out the little creature. Shūhei happily took the Giraffe, and he smiled happily.
"Thank you Shuji."
His knuckles were bleeding as he held the little Giraffe in his hands. It was his birthday again. Hisagi hoped that no one in Soul Society had discovered that today was his birthday, but deep down he knew that at least one person knew. Since Toūsen had left he had been angry, and frustrated. However, he didn't show this in front of his friends or subordinates because he felt that he had to remain calm around them. At first he had taken to drinking mountains of Saké, but that had just lead to more pain in the morning. So lately he had taken to punching trees. It worked because he didn't get wasted or wake up with a headache in the morning and it allowed him to relieve his stress. Right now, he was sitting against the tree he had just been hitting. His blood had stained the tree's mossy trunk and had trickled down the sides and dried to form intricate patterns. The night breeze was cool as he looked at the Giraffe in his hands. "Shuji." He whispered.
"Shūhei! Let's go play outside the woods today! We can bring Marcus and Mizuki with us!"
"That sounds fun, Shuji. Let's go!" Shūhei said excitedly.
The afternoon was enjoyable. They played with a ball that was deflated and had been abandoned in a bush. All the while the Giraffe sat snugly in a handmade pocket on Shūhei's Kimono. Marcus ran up to kick the deflated ball he kicked it so hard that it swooshed through the air and landed next to a large berry bush. Marcus fell on his backside and they all started to laugh.
"I'll get it!"Shuji called as he ran towards the bush. As he picked the ball up he froze. He suddenly began to sweat, and it made his seal brown hair stick to his head. His small eyes widened in fear as he looked up at the huge white Hollow that stood in front of him. It roared, and Shuji screamed.
Hisagi clutched tightly to the Giraffe as he held it to his chest. He pulled his knees towards his torso and took on a protective position as he fought back the tears that attempted to overcome him every year. He tried so hard not to think of that day, but he did every year and he couldn't stop thinking about it.
Shūhei looked at where Shuji had once been, and where his blood stained clothes now lay. He was terrified and so were Marcus and Mizuki. He couldn't do anything; his body was frozen with fear. Eventually he managed to tell them to run. They didn't move at first, but when he got them moving he tried to fight the monster off with a stick. It wasn't enough. The Hollow picked up the young boy. I'm going to be eaten...just like Shuji he thought, the voice in his head shaking with fear.
When the Taicho saved him he was grateful. Kensei had saved his life. The only reason he had cried was because he was frightened and angry. Frightened of the Hollow – angry that Kensei didn't arrive sooner. Kensei's threatening face scared the little boy as well, as Kensei attempted to make him smile. The 69 tattooed on his torso was Shūhei's inspiration to become a Shinigami so that he could protect others like Shuji. He had made a promise to himself and he would fulfil it.
Hisagi wiped away the tear that had managed to escape its prison. He could hear people approaching. It was Kira and Renji. They looked irritated. Hisagi was quick to shove the Giraffe back inside his Kimono before they could notice. "Hi." Hisagi said quietly.
"Where have you been all day?" Kira asked.
"Yeah, it's your birthday after all." Renji said.
"How did you find out?" Hisagi asked coldly.
"We're your friends – of course we know. Hinamori isn't feeling well, but she sends her regards." Kira said pleasantly.
"We have a present for you!" Renji exclaimed. He pulled a small, circular cake from behind his back and watched as Hisagi's face lit up. "We knew you'd like it. It took fifteen attempts and this was the only part of the last cake that was vaguely edible." Renji said proudly. Kira nodded enthusiastically. Hisagi stood up and embraced his two friends, partly out of thanks and partly to hide his tears of joy. Both Renji and Kira were taken by surprise, and hugged him back, smiling.
"Happy birthday, Hisagi." The two of them said together.