Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor its character. Just the ones made up in this labyrinth called my mind.



x Fractured Hesitation x

Bleach © Tite Kubo

Fractured Hesitation © Dia de Luz

OCHO:

"Collide"


A brother is a friend given by Nature

- Jean Baptiste Legouve


I held my arm out, swinging my sword up to block my face, just in time to counter Hosyu.

He struck again, swinging from the ground, going so fast. I pivoted, turning on my heel and slicing through air.

He was gone.

Up!

I blocked his attack from above, face pinching. He was good with a sword. And I hadn't used mine in twelve years. His attacks were forceful, brutal, and his face showed nothing. His eyes were stone. Cold. He just kept swinging, making me take steps back, staying on the defensive.

What the hell?

Why was my brother doing this? Just to keep me out of Central 46?

No.

Kuria-Dei…

He came down again, and I grunted in effort, holding up my sword underhanded.

"What the hell, Hosyu?!"

I shoved him back, catching my breath, watching him. He wasn't expressing anything. Just determination. Just that intimidating rigidness that I had always overlooked. He spoke again, "I cannot allow you to go in there, Hazumi."

And he was gone in a flash.

Okay, screw this.

He was at my right; I could feel him.

Dodge!

I dove to the left, rolling away from Hosyu's attack, which splintered the ground, causing dust and rubble to rise. My breathing was already heavy. He was actually starting to piss me off. He was coming at me again, but I wasn't going to stand for this anymore.

Closer.

He was right there-!

"Bakudō 62: Hyapporankan!"

The rods formed around me, and I chucked the one in my hand at him. His green eyes widened, and he dodged, but I just kept hurling them. One caught his arm, sending him flying back, and I took advantage of the moment.

I flashed in front of him, bringing my sword down to cut—!

And his sword ripped flesh.

I choked out a desperate sound, gasping in pain, shunpoing away before he could land another hit. I landed a few yards away, heaving, holding my side.

That bastard. He actually cut me.

I grimaced, staggering on my feet, holding myself up. Blood spilled to the ground.

My blood.

Hosyu just stood there, his expression now torn. He looked as if he were in pain. Good. I coughed out a chuckle, "You going to kill me, brother?"

His eyes softened for a moment, and his lips were pulled in a deep frown. "You know I would never, Hazumi."

I snorted derisively, keeping my hand on my side. It was bleeding pretty fast, and it hurt like a mother. "Then are we at a stalemate?"

And then his eyes were back to that unfeeling mode, making my heart wrench in pain. He wasn't going to stop. His grip tightened on his sword, and he tensed again, ready. My face crumpled, and my voice was just above a whisper, "What's in there that I don't need to see, Hosyu?"

He was gone again.

I held up my sword as he went for a full frontal attack, just hitting and hitting with brute force, his mask of nothingness tight in place, making my eyes water. This wasn't my brother. This wasn't the Hosyu that I knew and loved. He shoved me back with unthinking force, making me crash into a nearby pillar. I heard him cry out in frustration, but I couldn't register much. I was so dizzy. There was something thick and wet running down the side of my face. My side was screaming in pain. But I made my way to my feet, swaying.

I couldn't stop now.

Finding Reizo was a priority.

Something concerning him was somewhere behind that door.

I would bring him home. Reizo was coming home.

I looked straight at Hosyu, watched him wrestle with that mask and failing to keep the emotion off his face. He spoke to me, voice breaking, "Don't do this, Hazumi. I'm doing this for your own good."

My grip on Kuria-Dei tightened, and I managed a sneer. "I'm tired of you protecting me, Hosyu. I'm not weak anymore."

I brought my sword up, readying myself. It had been so long since I had released Kuria-Dei.

Hosyu looked at me warily, faltering.

He knew.

I saw him swallow thickly, ready himself. He looked me in the eye, his emerald orbs wavering. His voice was soft, "I know."

I cleared my throat, holding out Kuria-Dei in a spin.

Steady. Breathe.

"Ravage, Kuria-Dei." (1)


Ichigo's head snapped up, eyes widening as he recognized the burst of reiatsu.

He whirled around, watching the dark blue substance rocket into the sky, feeling the desperation of whom it belonged to.

Hazumi…

"It's time, Ichigo."

His eyes were glued to that spot, lips tugged in a frown. That sudden blast. He was unnerved by it, so much that he couldn't tear his gaze away. So much anxiety and despair came from that direction, it was almost tangible. Hell, he could almost taste the bitterness of the energy.

Yoruichi, too, was staring in the direction of which the reiatsu was peeling off, branching, weaker and weaker. Something was wrong. But she couldn't stop it. Hazumi had made her decision. Yoruichi had a job to do.

"Ichigo." Ichigo tore his gaze away from Hazumi's reiatsu, nodding.

Hazumi would be alright. She'd come through. Whoever she was fighting, she could take them.

But that reiatsu… there was something desperate about it.

He shook his head, pushing the thought away. He had to go save Rukia.

That's why he was there.

He couldn't worry about Hazumi.

She would live. She couldn't die.

She was too stable. She was a rock. A wall, always offering, never taking. She never once asked for anything. Surely she wouldn't want him to help now. She would probably hate him. After all, this was execution day. He had to move.

With one last glance at the reiatsu, Ichigo turned, flashing away.

Don't you dare die on me, Hazumi.


"I haven't seen your released zanpakuto in a long time, sis."

I shoved Hosyu back, breathing heavily. More blood spilled.

A puddle had formed now. It dripped from my hands, where I had been gripping Kuria-Dei. It spilled from my side, leaked from the cuts on my face, dripped from Hosyu's arm. God, I hated it.

I grunted, going forward again. Hosyu dodged, maneuvering his sword sideways, giving me only a second to jump back, the tip of his blade just nicking my cheek. I shuddered in a breath, "It's not easy to release, Hosyu," my face twisted in pain, "after all, I was always weaker."

He swore under his breath, coming at me. It was getting more difficult to move, more difficult to breathe. How much longer? I narrowed my black eyes, spiking my reiatsu. Hosyu backed off, green eyes also narrowed.

"Let's get this rolling, Nee-san."

He gave a curt nod, holding out his zanpakuto, "Shred, Mie!" (2)

Branches sprouted out from the edge of his blade, flying at me, poised. I held up Kuria-Dei, "Guraindo." (3)

The branches of his zanpakuto halted, jerking erratically, shattering.

I flew at him, going offensive. He was having trouble, I realized.

He couldn't use his left arm as well as his right.

I faked right, causing him to block, and it gave me space to poise my finger right over his chest, and his green eyes widened as he realized his mistake.

"Hadō 4: Byakurai." The white light surged from my finger, going straight through my brother, leaving a clean hole, and he staggered back, looking at me with incredulous eyes.

I stepped back, coughing, once, twice, hacking, dropping my sword to regain my breath.

Blood spilled from my brother's chest, and he stood there, zanpakuto loose in his hand, gasping in air. I could hear the blood splash onto the ground, both from me and Hosyu's wounds, and I winced, staggering.

His sword clattered to the ground, and I lifted my gaze, watching him. "Hazumi…"

I pulled a face, watching the emotion flicker on his face. I inched closer to him, lips twisting. "I'm going in there, Hosyu. You can't stop me."

I was in front of him now. Ignore the pain.

Ignore it, dammit.

Hosyu cracked a wry smile, "Guess I can't stop you. I got my ass handed to me." He stopped to cough, swaying.

I didn't steady him. I didn't proffer any assistance.

He noted this. "Forgive me, Hazumi."

And he fell.

His eyes were closed, and his expression was still painful, even unconscious. A part of me crumbled inside. But I stepped over him, making my way through the passage.

Nothing could stop me.


I could feel the power of the Soukyoku from here.

It was crushing, immense, searing.

And I couldn't imagine how Rukia was feeling right now. I could barely feel anything aside from the pain. My heart was squeezing with each thump, and my throat felt so tight. I had to stop walking, lean against the wall for support. My side was oozing blood, but I wasn't concerned. The pain was coming from inside. I felt that I had to stop in order to continue. My lungs were heavy; and finally my eyes welled, tears splashing over.

If the Soukyoku was released, Rukia was a goner.

Ichigo didn't stand a chance.

A sob escaped my throat, and I covered my face with my hands, pushing off the wall and stumbling down the hall.

I had to move.

No use just standing there.

Rukia… No.

Think about her later.

Reizo is close.

I could feel it.

Close it out. Just breathe.

You're here, I know you are.

I will find you, brother.


It felt like hours that I had been running down these halls.

Running, and not finding a thing. No, that wasn't true.

No, I had not found the main chambers where the forty sages and six judges gathered and convicted, but I had found a green room full of paperwork. And there I stayed, tearing through files as if I were looking for the Holy Grail. My brother had been taken to Central 46 one hundred and ten years ago. That much I had gathered.

But everything else was gone.

Totally erased.

His files were gone. Just gone.

And now I was running again.

There!

There was a long passage, and then an opening.

A room on a lower level. That had to be it.

Closer, closer!

I skidded to a stop, leaning in the doorway.

And I stilled, black orbs widening.

What… What the hell?

My stomach gave a sickening lurch, and I turned my head away, breathing heavily.

How…?

Dead.

They were all dead, I realized numbly.

I felt something shift just then, but I couldn't place what it was.

My head was in a haze. Central 46, gone.

Murdered. No, butchered.

And their bodies were left here. Left here for someone to find. I barely registered walking down the steps into the chamber, stopping at the beginning of the circle. These wise people, the ones who ruled Seireitei and judged and convicted and prosecuted. Dead.

Just… dead.

And then I felt something. Actually, a few things. One of them was Ichigo's reiatsu. God, I could feel it from here.

Strong.

Oh. He had reached Bankai.

I looked down at my shaking hands, knees buckling, and landing on my shins, legs pulled under me.

I felt so weak, so discombobulated and dizzy and weak. I had lost a lot of blood. Why hadn't I taken care of that?

Oh well, I thought.

Ichigo was alive. And Rukia was, I realized. I could feel her reiatsu, her life force. Faintly, but I was sure. And Ichigo was alive, fighting. And winning. His reiatsu was different, a shade darker, and I tried to fight through the haze that threatened to clog my mind. It was dark and inky and nasty. Suffocating. But he was alive. Good.

My hands clenched as I lifted my head, black eyes exhausted.

I couldn't stop here.

But what was I supposed to do now?

My lead on Reizo. Gone.

I closed my eyes slowly, letting the pain wash over me.

My face crumpled, but I couldn't bring myself to cry. It would feel so good right now, just letting go. But the tears wouldn't come.

Instead I lay down, laying my head on the cool, hollow floor. In this hollow room, full of death and darkness. Full of answers I would never find. Finding myself feeling very, very hollow.

So empty. I waited for the darkness to come.

But I didn't receive that kind of mercy.


He couldn't feel her reiatsu.

There Ichigo sat, staring into the distance, face twisting.

God, if he could just heal faster…

Inoue had taken to patching up his wounds, and everybody was there, alive. Ishida, Chado, Ganju… but not Hazumi. And he couldn't feel her. His hands fisted, and his brows pulled sharply.

Dammit.

Why couldn't he feel her? She wasn't… she couldn't be… No. He refused to believe she had just… He couldn't even think it. It was only because of her that he was there. She had saved his life, more than once. She had healed him, she had risked everything. Her job, her position, her status. Hell, she was the Vice Kido Chief. That even sounded important. And she had used her title to her advantage, helping. Helping him, Rukia.

"I had a brother once, you know."

Her brother.

And what had she gained?

"Is something wrong, Kurosaki-kun?"

Ichigo turned his head to meet concerned grey eyes.

Inoue's brows were pulled, studying him. Of course she would notice. Inoue was sensitive… sometimes.

He turned his gaze back to the cliff, swallowing slightly, "No, Inoue. Everything's fine."

No. Everything was wrong.

Hazumi wasn't supposed to die.


(1) Her zanpakuto's name, Kuria-Dei, is my amateur translation of 'Clear Day'

(2) 'Triple Branch'

(3) 'Grind' One of her attacks.

Her zanpakuto will be explained a little better later, I apologize. I kinda just threw it in there, and I realize you may be a little lost. Maybe. After all, she didn't carry her sword at all until last chapter.