Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Resilience ❯ Part VIII ( Chapter 8 )

[ 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 all companies holding the rights to its license and distribution (including Shueisha Jump Comics, Studio Pierrot, TV Tokyo, Viz, etc.). Used for a non-profit entertainment purpose.
 
Warnings: language, blood, brain-breakery... basically, I'm not a very nice writer.
 
If you have questions on any of the historical, mythological or cultural material in this chapter, don't hesitate to ask them!
 
-
.notes.
banshou issai kaijin to nase: lit., “Disintegrate All Existence” - Yamamoto's shikai (a zanpakutou's first release)
Hadou (shinigami demon arts) 90: Kurohitsugi (black coffin) - this is an actual canon hadou. ;3
Karura: one of the 8 Legion, part of the Tenbu charged with upholding Buddhist law, and part of the 28 Legion guarding the 1000-armed Kannon that originally came from Hindu origins in India; an enormous fire-breathing eagle-man with golden feathers and magic gems crowning its head whose mortal enemy is the naga (snakes, dragons, etc.); also known to feed upon the naga, and it is said that only naga who have Buddhist talismans or have converted to Buddhism can escape Karura
Sougyo no Kotowari: lit., “Parable of the twin fish”; the name of Ukitake's twin-bladed zanpakutou
 
--
 
Part VIII
 
It was unexpectedly quiet at Orihime's apartment after Hitsugaya had been escorted back to Seireitei. The young taichou wasn't much of a noise-maker or a party animal, but the absence of his presence seemed to put a damper on the atmosphere. Then again, the circumstances in which Hitsugaya had been summoned were not pleasant. Matsumoto wished they would at least give her an update. It had been almost twenty-four hours since he'd left.
 
Rukia's stern lecture had reminded her earlier that she needed to keep a level head about the situation, but she was still worried. Worried enough that she'd tackled the massive amounts of paperwork on Hitsugaya's borrowed desk in order to take her mind off of the things she didn't really want to think about, and on to something productive.
 
She lasted an hour, if that. But in her own defense, she would have kept working on it if Renji hadn't come in to see what she was up to.
 
“Looks like we've got a house full of the brooding type,” Renji said offhandedly, picking at his ear casually with a pinky. “I thought we'd have less of that without Hitsugaya-taichou around, but looks like it must be part of the job description.”
 
He said it in jest, but she shot him a glare regardless. Bringing up the captain at this point wasn't helping her mood at all, and Renji's casual air faded to a cowed grimace. Matsumoto sighed; this wasn't going well at all.
 
“Where is Orihime-chan?” she asked neutrally, trying to both change the subject and remind Renji that she did have a job to do.
 
“She's with Urahara-san; said something about training or whatnot.”
 
“Did Rukia go with her?”
 
Renji sighed, catching the hint of a reminder of Matsumoto's rules. At least one of the shinigami under Hitsugaya's command was to stay with Orihime at all times; two, if they could afford it. “No, but Ikkaku did. He wanted in on the training part. Oh, and Chad's been a regular at Urahara's of late, from hearsay.”
 
Matsumoto nodded, trying to relax the tension in her shoulders and failing miserably.
 
“Look, Ran-chan, they'll contact us when something happens,” Renji said. Matsumoto tensed further, feeling a little frustrated at herself that she couldn't even keep her thoughts in check enough to put on a mask so much like her captain did. “I'm sure if something was seriously wrong, they would have at least let us know about it.”
 
Renji was probably right. “I know,” she said with a sigh, “but I'd still like to get some kind of a progress report. Shouldn't they be... done by now?”
 
Done with the memory-wiping procedure - it was left unspoken, but by now the entire detail knew at least a little about what had happened. They'd had the right to know that something was up with their captain, and so Matsumoto had told them the bare basics. Something had broken the seal on Hitsugaya's memories, and Yamamoto was going to take care of the problem.
 
But what had been left unspoken as well - and yet was mutually understood - was that there were widely-known rumors that the procedure was less than pleasant, if not downright brutal. Hitsugaya had known that as well, and seemed ready to face the consequences.
 
Except... Except she remembered how quiet his voice had been when he'd said, “I'm not sure I want to forget them again,” and it shook her belief that Hitsugaya was truly prepared. He might be a strong, smart captain, but the downside to being a prodigy was the fact that he was so young. She didn't think it was right of Yamamoto to enforce such an old rule, especially in light of the more recent events with Aizen's betrayal and the following chaos it had caused.
 
“I don't know,” Renji replied solemnly. “I really don't know how the procedure works.”
 
It was time to change the subject, Matsumoto decided. “Please tell me there was a reason you came to harass me,” she said suddenly. “You brought the good stuff, didn't you?”
 
Renji's cheeks flushed ever so slightly, and then he held up a bottle of sake with a sheepish grin. “Caught,” he said lightly, waving it around.
 
“We really shouldn't be drinking on the job.”
 
“Never stopped you before,” the redhead muttered.
 
Matsumoto managed a mockingly offended look. “I didn't know you thought so little of me,” she said with a sniff. Then she pointed an accusing finger at him. “Why is it that every time you come around, we drink? We should get some company. But not Ichigo - he's too young. Where is Yumichika? He may be feeling better, but Hime-chan said he still shouldn't do much until tomorrow. And I know he likes a good cup of hot sake.” She knew she was nearly babbling, but somehow just talking about nothing helped.
 
Renji snorted. “He's taking his time in the bath.”
 
“Figures. Well, more for us!” Matsumoto grinned. Yes, this is a healthy idea. Really, it is.
 
The break - from paperwork, dark discussions, thinking - was a welcome one, but even the pleasant buzz from the alcohol wasn't enough to entirely keep Matsumoto's worries at bay. It did, however, manage to push them to the side for the time being. They probably would let her know if something serious was happening, she rationalized, and she could wait until then.
 
--
 
This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare. I can't be seeing this.
 
It was a mantra running wildly in Ukitake's head as he watched Hitsugaya's body thrash more, the inhuman snarling in his throat growing louder even around the strange incantations coming from the boy's trembling lips. Blood welled at his wrists, his struggles against the invisible bonds so strong that it was causing skin to part against the air.
 
Was this Yamamoto's doing? Why would Yamamoto want to do this to Hitsugaya over some recalled memories? Sure, Ukitake knew all about the last shinigami that had managed to break the seal on her memories. That too had been a hellish memory, but Ukitake didn't remember Yamamoto using any sort of torture methods on her. The simple task of resealing the memories had been unpleasant, but Yamamoto hadn't been intentionally cruel, even though it was quite obvious that the shinigami's memories would cause a great deal of conflict between her and another shinigami in her division who had happened to share a bad life history with her.
 
That was the reason they had such a rule in the first place - it was there as a failsafe, in case there were shinigami who happened to have been enemies in their previous lives that would cause a problem with them working together after their deaths. It was a measure for peace among the ranks, so that old personal grudges wouldn't color the ability to work as a team. Of course, new grudges were always bound to come up when living in such close quarters with other people - shinigami were dead, not perfect - but at least the previous baggage could be left behind.
 
Whatever it was that Hitsugaya had remembered... surely it wasn't so bad that he had to be tortured like this. It couldn't be; the fact that he'd had his memories back for some time now - from the reports, at least, that's what it had sounded like - and it hadn't caused a problem save for that one lapse the other day should be proof enough that Hitsugaya was capable of handling such knowledge with discretion. Didn't Yamamoto see that?
 
Yamamoto's face was still infuriatingly blank, devoid of any indication of what the man was thinking. His hand, however, had moved to his zanpakutou. Surely he wasn't intending to kill the boy! Ukitake opened his mouth to protest, but Yamamoto suddenly stopped in his tracks when a deep, throaty chuckle bubbled from Hitsugaya's lips.
 
“You think this will be enough to stop me, old man?”
 
“Draw your zanpakutou,” Yamamoto ordered, ignoring the taunt.
 
Shunsui cast Ukitake a questioning glance before he pulled his zanpakutou from its sheath, and Ukitake followed suit. Whatever it was they were up against right now, it was powerful. Ukitake only hoped that Yamamoto wasn't expecting to kill Hitsugaya; he wasn't sure if he could follow such an order, should it be given.
 
“Intimidation, huh? You do know that if I die, the boy will go with me,” the voice sneered.
 
Ukitake couldn't help but look in Yamamoto's direction at that comment, but he should have known by now that Yamamoto simply didn't display his thoughts in any sort of way, unless he meant to. He obviously didn't mean to now; likely because of this thing - whatever it was that had clearly possessed Hitsugaya - watching.
 
What was it, anyway?
 
“You'd do well to leave the boy now, Karura,” Yamamoto said, his voice icily serious.
 
Karura? Where had he heard that name before?
 
“Do you-” Shunsui began to ask the same question that was on Ukitake's mind, but never got a chance to when 'Karura' cut him off with a cackle.
 
Perhaps it was a trick of Ukitake's mind, but it sounded an awful lot like a crow's taunting call.
 
“Ah, so you do remember me, old man. Then you should know why I am here.”
 
“Leave the boy now, or we will be forced to extract you,” Yamamoto warned.
 
Karura cackled again. “Such an unfriendly host, geezer. I couldn't care less what happens to the brat, but if you insist on throwing me out the door, he goes to hell with me.”
 
Banshou issai kaijin to nase,” Yamamoto murmured, summoning the shikai of his zanpakutou without blinking an eye.
 
Ukitake and Shunsui exchanged a nod before they each called upon the first release of their dual-bladed zanpakutou with poetry, and they moved forward to support their leader. By now, it was clear that this wasn't Yamamoto's doing - he had probably known all along what the real problem had been with Hitsugaya. Ukitake still was curious as to why Yamamoto hadn't said anything to Hitsugaya about it sooner, but the man must have had his reasons.
 
And now wasn't the time to be thinking upon them.
 
Karura screeched, but Ukitake couldn't determine if it was out of laughter or anger. “It's been a long time since I've had such a challenge,” Karura said, twisting Hitsugaya's lips in a smirk. “Let's see what you shinigami can do.”
 
“Kurotsuchi-”
 
Yamamoto only had to say the man's name before he pulled a beaker full of what looked like water off of Yamamoto's desk. Mayuri hadn't seemed ruffled at all by what was going on - as usual, he had a look of fascinated curiosity as he watched the scene unfold, but even he knew when to stop observing and start obeying. He splashed the clear liquid on Hitsugaya, and Karura shrieked in pain as smoke rose from the boy's pale skin as if the liquid had been acid.
 
“Damn you!” Karura roared, forcing Hitsugaya's hands to scrabble against the armrests and the bonds until they began to give. “Damn you, you old geezer!”
 
“This is the end of the road, Karura,” Yamamoto said.
 
“Like hell it is!”
 
And suddenly, the chair seemed to explode before them, sending splinters flying through the office. Ukitake raised his arms to block the debris from his face, but just above the cloud of dust the chair had become, he saw Hitsugaya's smirking face flying at him, red eyes gleaming in murderous rage. He barely had time to block the blow, shoving against Karura's claws with both blades of Sougyo no Kotowari and sending Hitsugaya's body across the room. He landed on his feet in a low crouch, one hand on the ground in support.
 
Shunsui wasted no time charging in after Karura, and from the corner of Ukitake's vision, he saw Unohana's lips moving in a silent chant for what he hoped was an insanely strong kidou. The woman was an expert healer, and as such, she also knew how to strike with the deadliest force when it came to kidou. That was likely one of the reasons that Yamamoto had brought her here.
 
The other would have to be any extra damage.
 
“Yamamoto-soutaichou...” he said in a low voice.
 
“I'll have to explain later - we don't have time, if we want to preserve Hitsugaya's mind,” Yamamoto replied in an equally low voice. “We just need to stun him.”
 
So Unohana was working on a binding kidou; they were the distracting force. If they could keep Karura at bay long enough for Unohana to bind him tightly, then there would be a good chance that they could not only preserve Hitsugaya's mind, but his life as well. Nodding in a show of silent understanding, Ukitake leaped into the fray before Shunsui accidentally killed the boy. Although Shunsui wasn't stupid, Ukitake knew he wasn't one to tolerate having someone attack his friends.
 
Ukitake only could hope that they would be enough.
 
--
 
1877
 
There were no pretenses this time.
 
Hitsugaya knew he was living the life that Kazuki could have lived, but had never had - thank the gods. And yet there was such an eerie familiarity to everything that happened that it struck his core in an excruciatingly cruel manner. It was as if whoever that other voice was, it was telling him that no matter how he'd lived his life, that no matter what had happened while he was alive, none of it would have stopped everything from going downhill.
 
Masahiro hadn't gone to war with Saigo, but he'd certainly gone to war at home.
 
Kazuki - no, he was cowering like a goddamned child in the corner as he heard his mother's soft cries on the other side of the shoji. Granted, he technically still was a child at this point in his previous life. But it didn't make him feel any better about the fact that he barely had control over his own motions. It was like he was watching a horror film from the star's eyes.
 
It wasn't his father.
 
Murae Masahiro was never a drunkard, nor was he a violent man. But in this version of Kazuki's life, he was both. And there were nightmarish, crow-like creatures around every corner, watching Kazuki with sparkling eyes and taunting calls, even as he sat in the corner with his head cushioned between his hands, whimpering like a whipped dog.
 
Kazuki - damn it. Damn it all!
 
With a sudden burst of rage, Hitsugaya forced the boy's limbs to move, to stand, to fight. This wasn't how it was supposed to be!
 
“Toushirou-”
 
At least this time, he knew exactly where the voice was coming from. It wasn't Ryujin, his patron kami, but perhaps Hyourinmaru had been of that sort of lineage once in his lifetime. Maybe that was why Hyourinmaru was his zanpakutou in the after life; the kami still fulfilled its ancient promise to protect the sea - Hitsugaya's life force, the essence of his reiatsu. Water.
 
Thinking of reiatsu brought back to mind another issue with this story he was witnessing. Hitsugaya forced Kazuki's body out the door, limbs becoming easier to move with each step as if he'd finally worked the stiffness out of sore muscles and had warmed them to their full potential. Battle-ready. As soon as he was outside, he broke into a run, not stopping - despite the sudden jerk towards the sakura grove at the fork in the path, a sign that Kazuki was still a part of him - until he caught sight of the first of the torii of Ryujin's shrine.
 
“Ichimaru!” he roared. “What the hell do you want with me?”
 
“Toushirou-”
 
And suddenly, he understood. He knew even if it hadn't been spoken: he was one with Hyourinmaru. The dragon wanted to be free, free to lead him out of this hell and back into the dark, back to fight whatever it was that was attacking his mind. So much like the last time, and yet it wasn't at all. This time, he was on very familiar terf. His battlegrounds, his rules. He'd been here before.
 
“Not s' fast, little taichou,” a familiarly easy-going (deceptive) voice said from behind him. “Now ya wouldn't want t' ruin all the fun, would ya?”
 
“What the fuck did you do to me, you bastard?” Hitsugaya hissed.
 
“Now, now, no need t' get nasty,” Gin said with mock-offense. “I'm jus' here 'cause I'm observin'. Yer itchin' t' fight the wrong enemy, kiddo.”
 
“No, I think I'm looking at the right one.” Hitsugaya felt Hyourinmaru's presence stronger here at the doors to Ryujin's shrine, as if the patron kami was lending them both its strength, and it was giving him courage.
 
“Well, I like watchin' a fair fight. I don't want t' distract ya too bad,” Gin replied, nonchalantly examining his nails as he spoke, the smile never leaving his face.
 
“The hell is that supposed to mean?”
 
“Oh, I left ya a little present. Long while back, actually, but looks like 'e's woken back up. He ain't the type to enjoy bein' woken from a nice, long nap. Ya know how that goes.”
 
That other voice - was that what Gin was referring to?
 
“Well, it's been nice catchin' up an' all, but I'm done here. Later, little taichou.” And before Hitsugaya could protest, Gin was suddenly gone.
 
Hitsugaya frowned, confused. What the hell had that been about? Gin wasn't usually one to simply run from a fight, but he had mentioned that he was only there to observe. Hitsugaya had a bad feeling that there was someone else here that he should be more aware of - it was disconcerting, violating like the parasite-Hollow had been. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.
 
The sky began to darken with angry, storm-heavy clouds. Something was coming, and no matter what Gin had tried to say to - likely - throw him off guard, he wasn't going to go anywhere without a fight.
 
“This isn't the right place, Toushirou. You can't fight it here.”
 
The dragon was absolutely right; this - wherever this was - was unnatural, a constructed trap to snare him in. And he'd nearly sprung it in his own rage.
 
“Lead me out of here, then. Souten ni zase, Hyourinmaru!”
 
With a pleased roar, a fully embodied Hyourinmaru flew from the shrine's direction and through the torii leading to it, shattering the world around the shrine with its mighty claws. But as Hyourinmaru plucked Hitsugaya from the ground and headed to the void beyond the torii at the shrine, half a dozen of the crow-beasts Hitsugaya had seen from before poured from the forest around them, claws thrashing at him, breaking his skin with bursts of pain. From their beaks came a screeching of horrible words in a language he couldn't understand. Gasping from the pain of the sudden onslaught, he gripped Hyourinmaru's scales tighter as they went back to the dark void. Hitsugaya chanced a look over his shoulder, and felt a small swelling of victory as he saw the mirror behind him shatter into thousands of shards before it faded entirely.
 
Hyourinmaru knew where to go, and before Hitsugaya could even think about how long they'd been traveling in the suffocating dark, they suddenly were in a very familiar place - the tunnel off to the side of the cave. The place where he kept the most precious last piece of himself, found in his memories. It almost felt like home, and Hitsugaya drew a shaking sigh of relief. At least, until he looked up. Dark, feathered arms and tendrils created a bizarre networked web of creature-limbs above his head. Gods, no wonder his memories had been so distorted - he'd been like a marionette, with the real puppet-master pulling the strings on his memories. How had he missed that from before? Had he really been this blind for this long?
 
Whatever “present” that Gin had left him with, it was going to die.
 
The network of feather-arms looked like its source was in the main cavern. Son of a bitch, setting up house in his own mind. Hyourinmaru growled lowly as they approached; the dragon's senses had likely picked up the scent of whatever it was. However, the dragon's growling became a full-bodied roar by the time Hitsugaya laid eyes on the present. Looking down at the dragon with question in his eyes - he'd never seen Hyourinmaru like this before, all nerves and rage - he wondered what the dragon knew that he didn't.
 
Well. He had certainly expected a fight, but what he hadn't expected was to see their enemy - half bird, half man, all wrong - shrieking and writhing on the ground of the cave.
 
“Hyourinmaru, what-”
 
“Karura the dragon-eater,” Hyourinmaru hissed.
 
The bird-man stopped writhing and looked up, and even while it continued to quiver with pain, it still managed to pull off a half-decent wicked grin.
 
“The dragon's finally come to play,” it said in a hissed voice.
 
Without further fanfare, all Hitsugaya suddenly saw was the murderous crimson of its irises as it flew directly at them.
 
This time, Hitsugaya didn't hesitate. “Bankai!
 
--
 
Ukitake winced as he saw Shunsui dodge another charge from “Hitsugaya” - rather, Karura, still firmly and stubbornly entrenched in the boy's body. Shunsui had taken a bad hit to his head earlier, and Ukitake wouldn't be surprised if he had a minor concussion. The man still continued to fight as though it was nothing, periodically wiping blood from his face with a grimace. It had to hurt.
 
He wasn't faring much better, to tell the truth. Though he had managed to dodge everything thrown at him thus far, his lungs were slowly seizing to the point that he knew he was wheezing. He couldn't keep up this pace much longer.
 
Yamamoto didn't even look like he was breaking a sweat. Yama-jii, old man mountain standing steady. But Ukitake could tell that on occasion, even Yama-jii had to stop himself from delivering a final blow on several occasions. It was taxing all of them, and Ukitake hoped that Unohana would be ready soon.
 
As if she'd read his mind, she suddenly shouted out the last of the chant for the kidou she'd been planning. When Ukitake heard her words, he understood why it had taken so long - it was a ridiculously complex kidou that not even most of the captains knew. He'd never had to use it before, and it was strange to see the unfamiliar bright white light envelop Hitsugaya's small frame and suddenly freeze him - and Karura - into place.
 
Karura's shrill, angry shouts echoed off the walls of Yamamoto's office.
 
“Kurotsuchi, do it now!” Yamamoto ordered.
 
Kurotsuchi didn't have to be told twice. He was suddenly in front of Hitsugaya with a hose that came from a tall water container that held the same clear liquid that they'd been using earlier. With a quick flip of his wrist, the substance sprayed from the end of the hose and drenched Hitsugaya in a matter of seconds.
 
“I'm going to kill him!” Karura shrieked. “I'm going to fucking kill him, so help me-!”
 
“Don't stop,” Yamamoto snapped.
 
Ukitake hobbled over to Shunsui and helped him into a chair before they both turned wide-eyed gazes on the sight before them. Hitsugaya's body was still, eyes closed, but it looked like he was separating into two beings - a man-like body covered in dark feathers began to emerge from Hitsugaya's chest. Karura's torso was exposed down to the waist, and its glowing red eyes were wide with surprised fury.
 
“I swear - I will kill this child! I will not go down alone!” Karura warned, voice shrill.
 
Kurotsuchi continued to spray the liquid, a small smile finding its way across his face. He was morbidly amused by all this, Ukitake realized. This was something he'd like to harness and study, this Karura. Ukitake suppressed a shudder; he hoped Karura never saw the light of day again.
 
Karura had no intentions of going down without a fight, and even with Unohana's strong hold, it still struggled furiously, trying to get free, squawking. It looked like it was just barely hanging on by its claws. Unohana's brow was furrowed with concentration, and Ukitake saw that it was taking a lot of her just to maintain the hold. With a short glance at Shunsui, the two silently made an agreement, and then added their power to Unohana's.
 
Trying to harness the thrashing body in demon arts was like trying to reign in a wild horse, but they saw that the steady stream of the liquid from Kurotsuchi's hose was doing its work. Such progress lent Ukitake strength; he could only hope that they would do a fast and careful enough job to avoid permanent damage to Hitsugaya's body or mind. Karura was exposed to the ankles now, its legs shaking as it strained to hang on to Hitsugaya. Its hold was failing, and it knew it.
 
“Say goodbye to the brat!” Karura suddenly snarled, ripping its clawed feet free from Hitsugaya's chest with a vicious jerk.
 
Hadou ninety, Kurohitsugi!” Yamamoto barked, holding his hands out in front of him. The blast that came from his hands was powerful enough to destroy the entire building; the black ball of reiatsu struck Karura squarely in the chest, and the bird-man demon's dying shrieks were sure to have deafened the entire first division. It certainly left Ukitake's ears ringing.
 
And then Karura was gone.
 
Ukitake felt Shunsui's and Unohana's holds release, and he left his there long enough to help Hitsugaya drift gently back down to the chair below, the same chair that they'd strapped him in hours - days? - ago. The strain made his lungs twitch in warning, but he had just enough strength left in him to at least afford Hitsugaya a softer landing.
 
Unohana hurried - she never ran - towards Hitsugaya the moment he was sitting in the chair, and Ukitake and Shunsui followed closely behind. Ukitake felt Yamamoto's presence close behind him as they all crowded around Hitsugaya.
 
When the young captain's eyes fluttered open, he frowned as he looked muzzily up at the faces surrounding him. Ukitake couldn't hold back the gasp of relief when he saw that they were back to the familiar turquoise color. Blinking several times, Hitsugaya looked rather relieved himself, if not rather worn down.
 
“Gods,” he murmured, voice hoarse from Karura's screaming. “I never want to do that again.”
 
Ukitake's chuckle died in his throat when Hitsugaya suddenly coughed and gagged, a deep crimson liquid spilling out of his mouth and over his lower lip, his eyes rolling back to show only the whites. Ukitake could have sworn his heart stopped. Blood. Unohana called Hitsugaya's name desperately just before he limply collapsed out of the chair and landed limply onto Unohana, unconscious.
 
--
to be continued in part IX
--
 
I hereby apologize for any mistakes I might have made (and adding a worse cliffhanger to an already bad one). I didn't do any editing other than a little picking at the first scene, so there are probably a ton of horribly-written patches and such.
 
Ah, well.
 
I also should apologize for taking so long to post this chapter here; I haven't exactly had consistent internet access, at least not on the computer I'm using to write. Hopefully this will make up for that? Thank you to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter to be posted; it's been up for over a month now at FFnet (yikes, I'm horrid).
 
Next chapter is in progress, I swear! (And hopefully I didn't just jinx myself, haha.) Thank you to those handful of you who have taken time so far to leave comments; I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. :3