Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Resilience ❯ Part V ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Disclaimer: Bleach and all affiliated characters and settings are the creative property of Kubo Tite and his friends at Jump Comics. Not mine.

Warnings: language, violence, major SPOILERS up to current-ish manga chapters

Part V

Breathe. Deeply - in, out… in, out. That's it. Now open your eyes. What do you see?

…You don't see anything, do you? Don't panic; not yet. What you do not see will not hurt you in your current state. This is what you have been taught, and will continue to be told until you discover otherwise. You told me long before that, however, that you never wanted to be in the dark again - and yet here you are, in the place you once feared the most. It doesn't seem to bother you anymore, as if you don't even realize where you are. But I've known from the start, because I am not blind, and this is where he wants you to be.

Taking that first step into the light isn't easy. First steps never are that simple. He doesn't want you to remember anything, after all. If you want to know the truth, you'll have to take a blind leap of faith and trust me. I'm all you've got in the dark.

Ah, I see you're still afraid yet, Toushirou… but that's a good start.

He was tired, and almost used that exact excuse to brush the buxom fukutaichou away as they sat on the roof, his arms wrapped around his knees and his chin resting against his forearms. He hated the intensity of the look she'd pinned on him from the side - he could feel it, even if he couldn't see it. Maybe he'd said too much, or not enough of the right things to say. But he'd never had this happen to him before, and though he still was new to the captains' club, he had been around long enough to know what happened to Shinigami whose memories returned. It was more than just a little unsettling, especially if he risked losing his position - and of course, memories he'd just been able to regain - before he could make sense of what was going on. Like why Gin was in the picture, for one thing. Of everything, that was the single thought he wanted to keep until he figured out why.

Common sense dictated that Matsumoto wouldn't be pleased at the information, and that was why Hitsugaya chose to remain silent for the time being. Let her draw her own conclusions for now. If Gin was a problem in more ways outside of his traitorous desertion, she would find out later. He didn't want to bring up a rather sore subject for her unless it was absolutely necessary.

“How is Abarai?” he finally asked.

“Oh!” Matsumoto exclaimed. “That's why I came up here. Orihime says he'll be fine, just really sore for a bit. He's resting, but he'll probably need to be off-duty for a day or so.”

A small measure of relief washed through Hitsugaya, though he refused to let it show. Damned if he would. He could see Matsumoto narrow her eyes out of the corner of his vision and he tensed. His mind considered a dozen possible distracting topics before she could open her mouth, but none of them seemed to come out in time for him to actually keep her from asking the dreaded question he was sure she was about to ask.

But sometimes, Matsumoto completely surprised him.

“Do you want me to hold dinner for you, or will you be down in the next half-hour? You're not getting out of eating all day by pouting.”

His muscles relaxed reflexively, and instead he tore his gaze from out over the cityscape and shot her a scowl. “I don't pout.”

She snorted as she stood and smoothed the wrinkles from her pants. “Sure you don't.”

“I'll be down for dinner.”

Matsumoto nodded with a small self-satisfied grin before turned and went back downstairs. Hitsugaya sighed, and then went back to staring out over the cityscape, allowing the bustling thoughts to occupy his mind.

Ichigo checked the clock on the wall and scowled as his homeroom teacher's voice droned in the back of his mind. He really hadn't wanted to come to class today - especially with what had happened the previous night, and damned if he wasn't worried about Renji and the short captain. However, when Rukia insisted that they keep up a proper pretense and attend class, he couldn't say no. She was right, after all. Besides, somebody needed to take notes for Renji and let the teachers know that Matsumoto and Hitsugaya would also be absent that day.

Even that thought didn't help ease his mind, though. While he didn't know everything about Soul Society's ridiculous political system - nor did he want to know much, especially after what they'd done to Rukia - he could tell that the other Shinigami was unsettled. Apparently, Hitsugaya's little trip to lala-land in the middle of that brawl had more consequences than just the most immediate ones, like Renji's injuries and Hitsugaya's upset brooding. In the end, none of that had been serious, and yet the look on Rukia's face even after they heard Ikkaku and Renji would be fine… that told volumes. That was how he knew there was much more to the situation than he was seeing.

Which was exactly why he was going to bolt the second class got in five mintues, twenty-six seconds and counting. Well, that and the fact that Tatsuki had been glaring at him nearly all day. He didn't want to be around long enough to figure out what that was all about. To the heart of the matter; he may not be an official Shinigami, he determined, but he sure as hell wasn't going to be left in the dark when everyone else knew what was going on.

He also wanted to know how Renji - despite the fact that he was still exhausted - had been healed so quickly. The injuries he'd sustained from the fight were pretty damn serious, as far as Ichigo saw. He wasn't there when Orihime had treated him, but even he knew that Renji's wounds had been healed at an extremely fast rate. Orihime had to have done some training of her own while he was with the Vaizards. There was no other explanation.

There were so many other things he wanted to know as well, like why Ishida had been absent as well, or where Yoruichi had run off to in the meantime. So much was happening these days that he almost couldn't keep up. Aizen was planning something bad; while that was inevitable, he still wanted to at least have a head's-up of what he could expect.

When the teacher dismissed the class, Ichigo couldn't leave fast enough. Tatsuki's angry voice calling his name followed him down the hall, but he had to ignore it for the time being. He felt like he just didn't have time to listen. But when he nearly ran directly into his English teacher, he had to stop. The teacher had an odd look on his face.

“Kurosaki-kun, I need to have a few words with you.”

He sighed and nodded. No getting out of this one; he had missed a few classes after all. He needed a few quick excuses, though it was doubtful any of them would work on the teacher. He'd have some extra homework to do. Hopefully Rukia would head on home, but he had a bad feeling that she would wait for him.

Just his luck; the teacher did have some make-up work for him to do, but actually did understand a few of the excuses Ichigo managed to cook up at the last second. He usually wasn't so good at this whole lying thing, but twisting the truth - that he could do. His `uncle' had been hurt and he'd had to help out. It got a little chaotic, and he'd ended up missing a few classes. The teacher nodded and let him go, reminding him to call the school next time there was an issue.

By the time he rounded the corner back towards Orihime's apartment, the massive shift in reiatsu told him he was right.

Renji was bored. And when Renji was bored, he tended to pick on those around him to get some reaction out of them for entertainment's sake. That, at least, usually helped him get through boredom. However, even Renji knew when there was too tense of an atmosphere for joking, and he was smack in the middle of one. Hell, he knew he had a little to do with it - his own fault for stepping in like that and getting everyone to twist their loin cloths in a bunch - but he didn't see that as much of a choice. They needed Hitsugaya in this upcoming war, or whatever Aizen was planning. And Hitsugaya needed to be mentally whole.

So instead of fidgeting or annoying the hell out of Rangiku - who usually was a perfect target, since she always got so flustered when he pushed just the right buttons - he passed the time by keeping careful observation of the apartment. Ichigo wasn't there, obviously; his reiatsu stuck out like a sore thumb. Shorty alternated between his office and the roof, and Rangiku fluttered worriedly about. Orihime was also in and out, usually coming in to check on him and to warn him not to do anything stupid. Though he was still sore, he did notice that his wounds were healing far faster than he'd ever seen them heal, and he knew it had to have something to do with Orihime's abilities. He was impressed.

The young captain's lapse during the fight had him worried. Hitsugaya had seemed to recover from the Parasite incident well enough - faster than Renji had expected him to, considering just how bad he remembered the situation was - but he had a bad feeling that the current issue was somehow connected with that. While he wasn't sure how that was possible, his instinct told him to keep an eye on shorty.

Shifting irritably, he scowled as stiff muscles protested. He wanted to get up and walk around; it was easier to think that way. And he wanted to make sure that Hitsugaya back to his right mind. The younger Shinigami had looked shaken the last he remembered, and despite Renji's inquiries after the captain once he'd awakened, he'd been told nothing. Rangiku would know, and he hadn't seen her around yet. Maybe Orihime had caught on to the fact that they'd become drinking buddies and had forbidden Ran-chan to visit him with the much-desired alcohol. Gods knew he could use a few rounds right now.

Screw what Orihime ordered. He was going to get up, and he was going to get out of this stifling room for some fresh air. Clear his mind a bit and all, the whole zen thing. He didn't sense Orihime around anyway.

By the time he swung his feet over the bed with a sore grunt, he did sense that Rangiku was around, and decided he'd go talk to her first. Pulling a loose shirt on over the bandages stretching across his chest, he trudged out of the room and towards where he was sure Rangiku was bustling around. He found her in the kitchen, messing with what he assumed would be dinner. Not bad; Rangiku was a pretty good cook.

“Need some help, Ran-chan?” he asked, annoyed at how scratchy his voice sounded in his own ears. But damned if he was going to lay around any longer like some kind of invalid.

She looked startled as she turned away from the cutting board with wide eyes. “Renji! What the hell do you think you're doing out of bed? Orihime told you to rest, you idiot!”

Renji smiled sheepishly and put a hand behind his head. “I needed to get up and stretch. Besides, I'm fine now - the injuries are almost completely healed anyway.”

Rangiku glared, and his smile faltered. He doubted that anyone was as intimidating as Rangiku on the warpath, which was exactly where she was headed. But much to his surprise, her expression softened and she sighed.

“Well, I suppose you could get a pot of tea started,” she said, turning back to the cutting board as she spoke.

Renji felt his shoulders relax - he hadn't realized just how tense he was - and fumbled around the pantry for a teapot. He filled it with water from the tap, and then carried it over to the stove and put it on a burner before he switched it on. Once that task was complete, he leaned against the counter with one elbow and turned to look at Rangiku as she chopped vegetables and thin strips of raw beef. She already had a pot out with butter melting in it. Sukiyaki, perhaps?

“How's Hitsugaya-taichou?” he asked suddenly. Rangiku paused for so brief a moment that it almost looked like she hadn't stopped at all, but Renji noticed it and frowned.

“He'll be fine,” she replied easily. “He was just a little shaken up, I think.”

Renji nodded in agreement, but he couldn't help but feel that Rangiku wasn't telling him everything there was to tell. So he decided to press her a little further.

“I wonder what made him stop like that in the middle of a fight; it's just not like him,” he said casually. “What if he really isn't completely better from before?”

Rangiku stopped this time and put down the knife and pinned Renji with a cautious stare. Renji tried to put on his best innocent look, and she sighed. “Renji, I know what you're getting at. If you really want answers, you'll have to ask Hitsugaya-taichou himself; it's his place to divulge such information, and not mine.”

Reasonable answer, but still frustrating. He grunted. “Fine. I'll drop it.” For now.

They were quiet for a little while with only the sound of sizzling beef in the background, and Renji fidgeted, uncomfortable. He didn't sense anyone else in the house, which confused him a bit. He was sure that Hitsugaya at least would be around somewhere. It was about time for Ichigo and the others to arrive back from school; they were running a bit later than usual.

“Where is Hitsugaya-taichou, by the way?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.

Rangiku shrugged. “Not sure, but he did go out on a walk earlier. He said he'd be back in time to eat with the rest of us.”

“Think he'll be okay?”

Rangiku shot him an odd look, but then she smiled confidently. “I'm sure. He can handle himself on a little walk.”

With a grin, Renji opened his mouth to reply, but a sudden, burst of powerful, heavy, familiar reiatsu interrupted him and sent both fukutaichou to their knees.

“What the hell…?” Renji grunted, completely unprepared. “Kuchiki-taichou… why is he here?”

Rangiku looked incredibly upset, eyes wide with worry. There was a sharp knock at the door, and Renji forced himself to his knees as he went to answer it. Eigth division's Kyoraku Shunsui stood there with Kuchiki, both looking somber.

“Kuchiki-taichou, Kyoraku-taichou,” he said.

“Abarai-fukutaichou,” Kuchiki greeted with a tight nod, after eyeing his subordinate with a quick once-over. “We're here on behalf of Yamamoto-taichou to collect Hitsugaya-taichou.”

Suddenly, Renji felt ill. Something was terribly wrong here. “He's not here at the moment, Kuchiki-taichou.” He felt Rangiku move up behind him.

“Hitsugaya-taichou has gone on a brief patrol, but he will be back shortly,” Rangiku said firmly. “Is there anything I could do for you in the meantime?”

“No, thank you, Matsumoto-fukutaichou. We will wait for him here.”

Renji swallowed and nodded, allowing the two captains to come into the apartment. Rangiku went off to the kitchen - probably to make sure nothing was burned and to get some tea - and Renji hadn't missed the horrified expression. Hitsugaya was in trouble. He wasn't sure if it had anything to do with the incident from the night before, and suddenly he felt like he was at least partly to blame. He knew how the system at Soul Society worked, however, and he knew that whatever was going on there was nothing he could do to help.

At the very least, he could tell that this wasn't going to go well.

Hitsugaya knew exactly what was going on, as a matter of fact. He'd gotten a feeling that the report he'd filed on the previous night's incident - by the book - had not been well met. As he'd anticipated, they had indeed read between the lines, or someone had managed to slip something. It wasn't Matsumoto; she was too trustworthy to go behind his back like that. Renji was out of the question since he'd been so out of it. Either that, or whoever had received the report was smart enough to figure out something was up.

Part of him didn't want to go back to the apartment, but it wasn't worth the trouble it'd cause. He had known from the start - this was something he was going to have to deal with. In fact, he'd been counting on it. Hopefully Yamamoto-jii would see the logic behind the claims he'd already formulated in his mind in his own defense.

Determined, he turned back towards the apartment. They would be waiting, and he wanted to spare them the task of looking for him. That would be a sign of mistrust on their part, and a misjudgment on his. He could use all the positive points in his favor that he could possibly muster at this point.

In his favor, on the other hand, was the fact that Soul Society sincerely could not afford to lose him - or any other captain, for that matter - because of the upcoming war with Aizen, regardless of a breach on an antiquated rule... and especially if he might have some information that could help their cause.

Rubbing fingers harshly into his forehead in a sincere effort to stave off the growing headache that threatened to spread behind his eyes. Damn, but this was getting frustrating.

Quite frankly, Byakuya was getting tired of being sent as a messenger for these kinds of things. At first he'd been surprised to see just how nervous Matsumoto-fukutaichou was about their presence; she really didn't have anything to be worried about. Then again, their arrival so soon after the report could be troubling, especially after Hitsugaya had frozen in the middle of a battle. That would indeed require some investigation, but as far as he knew, Hitsugaya wasn't going to receive any kind of harsh punishment for that matter.

Unless, of course, there was something more to the situation than Yamamoto-taichou had bothered to mention to him. Kyoraku's unusually serious expression gave him the idea that this might be the case. Maybe that's why Kyoraku had been told to accompany him.

His thoughts on the matter were cut off when he sensed Hitsugaya's distinctively cooler reiatsu approaching the premises. They would be returning to Soul Society soon enough, and hopefully the answers would become more apparent then.

Kyoraku stiffened beside him when the door opened, and a rather haggard-looking Hitsugaya stumbled into the apartment, showing no signs of surprise at the guests in the common room. He looked like he was probably going to collapse, but somehow managed to make it into the room and take a fairly dignified posture as he sat.

“Kyoraku, Kuchiki,” he said. “Yamamoto-taichou summoned me?”

“I see you're as sharp as ever, Hitsugaya-kun,” Kyoraku replied with a tight smile. “He expressed a desire for us to return quickly, so if you wouldn't mind…”

Byakuya schooled his expression to neutral despite his small pang of sympathy for the boy captain. He was clearly exhausted. But it wasn't his business, really - orders were orders, and they were going to follow them to the letter.

“Understood, Kyoraku-taichou,” Hitsugaya said coolly as he stood, this time on slightly more steady feet.

Matsumoto-fukutaichou looked like she wanted to say something, but Hitsugaya shot her a knowing, restrictive glance, and she said nothing. A determined look flickered in her eyes, and she suddenly stood straighter, as if ready to take on the task of heading up the earth-bound group in the young captain's absence. All this transformation, and not a word spoken. Kuchiki was impressed at the level of communication between the two, but had no further time to think on it as he followed Hitsugaya and Kyoraku back outside where there was enough space to open a portal back to Soul Society.

The intensity of the gaze leveled at the small apartment and the glowing portal above it was belied by the casual posture of the observer. Soul Society was on the move, which meant that something was stirring within the ranks there. The healer-girl would be vulnerable without a captain's strength to help lead the protective group around her; it was high time that he made his own move. He hadn't really expected Soul Society to come after the white-haired kid, not when they were in such dire need of stronger manpower in the situation they were in. The foiled attempt to kidnap the girl had been a fluke; now it was frighteningly clear that she was far more important that even his own companions had seen. The training had paid off well.

The promising orange-haired kid was on his way home now, probably alerted by the massive change in reiatsu back at the apartment. He grinned, a toothy expression, before he crouched and sped across the rooftops towards where he knew that Ichigo would be. All in all, this should be an interesting turn of events.

As much as this could become a problem, he was looking forward to it.

Ukitake had originally been upset that Yamamoto had forbidden him to travel with Shunsui and Byakuya, but he realized that Yamamoto was probably right. He might have let his own feelings about Hitsugaya get in the way of his judgement, and that would have been entirely counter-productive. It wasn't as if Hitsugaya was in serious trouble, after all. They just needed to have a chance to talk with him, according to Yamamoto. Even so, he still had a bad feeling that there was more to this than even the old man was willing to say.

But from what Ukitake could determine, it was more than enough cause for worry. He hadn't seen Yamamoto with such a serious - and yet concerned - expression in a very long time. He knew that Hitsugaya had somehow broken a rule, but the real question lay with how and why this was coming up now, when they really needed every captain they could afford to face Aizen's mounting forces.

Ukitake coughed, shivering, and he took a sip of the hot tea he'd requested. Even just thinking about Aizen's treachery made him feel ill. Everything he'd known for so long in Soul Society had been completely turned upside down. Though he also knew that it was time to move on and face the facts that they were going to be seeing trouble soon enough, he wasn't in the mood to think about it right now.

Hopefully the issue with Hitsugaya would be minor. Hopefully it would amount to practically nothing, and the boy would be back on his happy way to earth to continue leading the small defense force that had been deployed there. Hopefully…

He saw the portal light up, and as he watched the three captains step through, his gaze met the icy exhaustion in Hitsugaya's eyes for the briefest moment before they walked past him. Hopefully the boy's determination would override the apparent fatigue he'd just seen. He turned and hurried into the lead without a word, knowing he too was requested to be present at the small meeting in Yamamoto's office.

The small procession entered the ante-chamber to Yamamoto's office, and behind them the door closed and latched shut. Sasakibe-fukutaichou bowed in his usual solemn manner, motioning them into the first division captain's office. Ukitake had never been so surprised in his life to see that the office had been completely rearranged in so quick a matter of time. But then, he had seen this once before, a very long time ago. The realization hit him too late to do anything about it, and his stomach dropped with a sickening force as he understood exactly what was going on.

Hitsugaya was in far more trouble than he ever could have anticipated.

.to be continued in part VI.

As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. I do want to see if there's more than one person here reading this, haha.