Kyouraku Shunsui loved rooftops.
Well, in truth he loved many things in Sereitei. He loved warm afternoon naps under his favorite tree, apple blossoms slowly drifting around him and the sun filtering through his wide-brimmed hat. He loved the way his hand stung when Nanao-chan smacked him with her fan for being insufferable. He loved anything pink. He adored the way tea tasted when he was drinking it with Jyushirou, although in every other circumstance he greatly preferred sake. He loved practical jokes, and enjoyed doling them out in devious precision almost as much as he enjoyed finding himself the recipient of some cleverly-designed and well-deserved revenge. He loved singing off-key, composing stream-of-consciousness poetry and heavy flirtation. And above them all, what truly pleased him was a beautiful woman to look at and possibly a little something more. Unless Nanao-chan caught him, of course. No wait, take that back - especially if Nanao-chan caught him...
Still...rooftops were just marvellous. You could accomplish all kinds of delightful things on rooftops. You could get a very nice tan, or catch a cool breeze on a particularly hot day. You could watch the sun rise, or set, or follow the stars as they wheeled overhead. You could listen in on a private conversation, or an even more private rendesvouz, and late at night you could watch students and various (meaning predominately Eleventh) squad's shinigami stumble home drunk, hooting and hollering and issuing slurry cat-calls. Assuming, of course, that you were not stumbling home right along with them.
And every once in a while, if you were lucky, you could meet someone else up on the smooth, red tiles and help them out a little bit. And this, despite popular opinion, was what Kyouraku Shunsui truly loved the most.
Which is why, on one particularly balmy night, standing outside his favorite vendor with a fresh bottle of his most beloved sake in hand, Shunsui was hard-pressed to decide exactly which of the above enjoyments was called for that evening. While Nanao-chan was, as always, at the top of his list, his hand already smarted from several earlier rappings and he had quite satisfied that itch for one day. Tea with Jyush was similarly moot, given the fine beverage just purchased, and would have to wait for another time. He did have several exquisitely designed practical jokes in mind for some of his favorite recipients and it was terribly hard to turn down such revelry, especially at night when it was decidedly easier to catch his prey asleep and unawares. Tempting, he thought to himself...very tempting...
But the fact of the matter was, there was little question as to how he would spend his night. Bad weather was brewing over a particular compound, had been noticably building for quite some time now, and for that particular squad to be experiencing adverse weather of any kind could only mean one thing. And after all, despite his reputation for lascivious self-indulgence, Shunsui was often the first to hear a silent cry for help, and never could turn his back on those he held dear when they were in need.
Hitsugaya was peering intently at the night sky. Or trying to, anyway; a small concentration of storm clouds were hovering directly overhead, limiting his field of view and producing the lightest of rains. A low rumble on the edge of hearing was running in counterpoint to the quiet rustle of falling drops; a long moment of observation would draw the conclusion that it was not thunder, but an ominous and continuous growl. Not that he noticed; it was Hyourinmarou producing the drizzle, Heineko providing the rumble, and for either to be occurring meant that Hitsugaya was far too upset for such background things to invade his perception. For the moment it was the moon, just rising and low on the horizon, that held his attention; he'd always been drawn to its cold brightness and he was perhaps hoping that its silent, white brilliance would illuminate some of the dark mysteries besieging him.
Hours had passed since he'd flashed away from the office directly below him; well, retreated actually. Over the past few weeks, it had become increasingly impossible to be comfortable or productive in his own administrative room. Despite how much he had complained about it in the past, having the place to himself for endless hours and chipping away at a never-ending pile of reports and filing had become rather routine and, dare he admit it, relaxing. It helped give him time to himself, time alone in his own head, and he had gotten to the point where much of his paperwork was done with only half a mind, giving him a certain solitude of thought that was famously difficult for a captain to secure. But now...
Now he had company. Near-constant and unnervingly mild-mannered. Not to mention frighteningly productive. The scritching of another pen in the silent room had taken to setting his teeth on edge, and he had often watched in somewhat frightened awe as his paperwork seemed to disappear before his very eyes. There were even some days where it was already done before he arrived in the morning, disorienting him entirely and leaving him little option but to face all the other demands on his time. But even worse than the unnatural presence of his dream vice-captain were the times when his fukutaicho's pen would start to slow down, scratching softer and softer and eventually stopping altogether. He wouldn't have to look over to see her corn-silk eyes glaze over as she slipped away again. And not long after she started blankly staring, pulled back into her past by her relentless specter, the low bank of smoky haze would start crawling across the floor...
"Lovely weather we're having."
Despite the quietly casual tone to the voice, Hitsugaya pratically jumped out of his skin. While he knew that he was far from alone in seeking quiet moments of reverie on rooftops, this was his rooftop and unexpected company was unusual to the point of being unseemly. There was a certain etiquette among those who liked the high perches and usually favored haunts were well-known and generally considered sacrosanct. Except, of course, for Matsumoto; his fukutaicho had long ago established a relatively consistent and seemingly clueless habit of breaking his solitude and joining him, blithely chattering away to his general irritation. An ache in his chest belied how deeply he missed such interludes...
The warm, chocolatey voice that had just spoken, however, was most decidedly not Matsumoto. As he whirled around to face the intruder, disappointment mingled with surprise.
"Kyouraku...taicho...?"
Shunsui was displayed in all his floral pink splendor, looking for all the world as if he was as much a part of the roof as one of the red clay tiles. Hitsugaya wondered grumpily how long he'd actually been sitting there watching him; the sake bottle was already open and going by smell had been at least partially enjoyed, although Toushirou could have sworn he was alone just moments before. No one should be able to hide their reiatsu that effectively. Or drink that fast, for that matter. How does he do that, Hitsugaya wondered, nose crinkling up in irritation.
"Indeed," Shunsui agreed affably, lifting a brimming sake cup etched with racy images. "Drink?"
"No, thank you..." Hitsugaya grumbled, wondering how he could tactfully ask his elder just what the hell he thought he was doing half-drunk and unannounced on a Tenth squad rooftop.
Shunsui saved him the trouble. "Ah, pity," he said, in a tone that was neither surprised nor put-off, and expertly tossed back the refused imbibement. Grimacing more from disappointment than fiery liquid, Shunsui continued. "And I do so hate drinking alone. Truth is, I was on my way to persuade my favorite drinking partner into sparing me the burden but," warm brown eyes peered out from under wide brim to regard him keenly, "it seems she is otherwise...occupied."
Despite feeling utterly invaded, Hitsugaya found himself grunting in bitter agreement, turning back around to look down into his coumpound. A low, thick fog seemed to be hovering on the ground, swirling and roiling under its own power and refusing to melt away despite the light precipitation. Maybe it was because he knew Shunsui was a good friend of Matsumoto's and he was hoping for some insight. Maybe he was just too tired and frustrated to hide his desperate need for advice. It absolutely had something to do with his hope that Kyouraku was deep enough in his cups not to remember any of this. Whatever it was, he found himself speaking more openly that he was usually wont to.
Staring morosely at the fog, Hitsugaya spoke with quiet intensity. "She's thinking of...him." He practically bit off the last word.
"Mmm," hummed Shunsui in quiet acknowledgement. There was something in the sound that was relaxing, as if there was no surprise or judgement. As if one was in just the right company for revealing deep issues of a personal nature. Hitsugaya didn't know if it was a product of cunning or inebriation, but surprisingly, it worked; he found the words practically pouring out of him.
"Whenever she...gets like this, I know she's thinking of him." He tried to keep the bitter tone out of his voice, utterly refusing to notice the timbre of jealousy. "And when she stays like this long enough, Heineko breaks loose and starts prowling - fully manifested and entirely out of control. She's positively terrorizing the entire squad, and our subordinates can't decide if they're worried or terrified. Last week, our fifth Seat tried flirting with her, just like he would have before. Harmlessly, in good fun, trying to get her to be," he sighed, fighting a tiny smile, "normal, I guess. Well, last night he woke up and found a six-foot-tall hellcat manifestation sitting on his chest and drooling on him; he won't even look at Matsumoto now. And don't get me started on what she's been doing to the kitchen staff..." He tried to hide a sudden grumble from an unusually-empty stomach. He couldn't remember the last time in a week he'd had a proper meal...
"She's been back for weeks now, but she's still not...okay. She's just...she..." He struggled to find the right example to properly convey his agitation. "Kyouraku, she does paperwork for heaven's sake!"
A finger shot up as the wide brim was shoved up off the tanned forehead. Chocolate eyes wide open, Shunsui regarded the young captain in utter shock.
"Really?" He looked as rattled as Hitsugaya had ever seen him.
"Reams and reams of it," Hitsugaya replied grimly. "It's even spelled correctly, and impeccably organized." A note of panic was creeping into his voice; gods, how often had he wished for exactly that? Now that he had it, though...
"Dire indeed,"Shunsui rumbled dolorously. "Still...isn't that what you always wanted? Are you sure this isn't an improvement worth keeping?" Hitsugaya thought he saw a small smile forming before the hat brim was pulled back down to hide it. Hitsugaya ground his teeth, hoping the drizzle and darkness would hide his faintly pink cheeks.
"I just want Matsumoto back." He stared ferociously at the fog below and prayed that he wasn't about to hear something along the lines of looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Several moments and more than one slurp of the sake cup passed before Shunsui spoke again.
"Can't you just tell her to keep Heineko under control? You are her captain, after all..."
"I've tried talking to her, but she's always...gone when Heineko manifests. I've tried everything, even shouting right in her face, but she doesn't even hear me..."
"Ah!" Shunsui erupted, knocking his hat back as a knowing smile spread across his face. "Sounds like you've stumbled across a trigger."
"A what?" Histugaya's brows descended as he stared at his senior in confusion.
"A trigger," Shunsui repeated jovially. "Like on those strange contraptions humans use? You know, those gun-things?" Hitsugaya's mystification only deepened, as did his frown, so Shunsui stopped toying with him and his tone descended towards serious. "It's a thought, or a memory, that sparks a release. A well-documented if extremely rare phenomenon in reiatsu development." His somber expression took on a sharp edge. "It is also tends to be ridiculously powerful and notoriously unstable. Not to mention nearly impossible to unlearn." Brown eyes seared into him. "More than one shinigami have died in the attempt."
Hitsugaya quietly absorbed that information. He'd never heard of such a thing, although it was true that releases and what sparked them were not something one talked about often. Or ever, for that matter. It was far too personal, too...intimate. But this was unlike anything he had ever considered. Not that reiatsu releases were ever without danger or risk; for his part, he and Hyourinmarou had always worked in tandem. Even when he was gaining mastery over his bankai, the challenges Hyourinmarou gave him and the vicious fights he'd had to win in order to achieve dominance were still accomplished within some kind of communion and understanding. He'd...learned from his ice dragon, even while facing him as an adversary. He'd naturally assumed that the process was more or less the same for everyone. But if this trigger concept was indeed the case, if something other than total symbiosis and synchronization was controlling Matsumoto's release...
His eyes sparkled dangerously as the lights in his head went off.
"She doesn't...own her own release?" It was a horrifying and terrible prospect, but as soon as he said it he knew that it was the truth. If the memories... if those memories are controlling it...Something twisted hotly in his chest and a bitter taste stole into his mouth as the ramifications of that thought hit home. For Gin to have any part of Matsumoto, much less her kai...
"She has to take it back." He growled ferociously, teeth bared. "No matter what's in the past, her kai should belong to her and no one else..." He fell silent, fury and something he didn't want to name making the bile rise up in his throat.
Shunsui leaned back, eyes slipping closed as he spoke almost off-hand. "Perhaps...she needs help."
Hitsugaya's teal eyes widened. "Help?" His skin prickled at the thought, and a slow blush stole into his cheeks. "But...you can't help someone with their own bankai. That would be like..." ...sleeping with her, his mind finished as he clamped his mouth shut. Only that wasn't strictly true either...it would be even more intimate than that. It would be...would be like... He could feel the heat rising to his face as he imagined exactly what that would be like. He glared at Shunsui as if he'd been asked to do something positively indecent. "A person's ban-kai is their own, and not to be achieved with anyone."
Shunsui shrugged, deftly ignoring the heated look, a knowing aire peacefuly resting across his features along with a small, secretive smile. After a long moment, without opening his eyes, he spoke softly.
"It's been done before."
A deep shock stole over Hitsugaya, the words stilling him. For a long moment he couldn't think straight, but as the words sank in his heart started beating faster. His eyes slid aside to rest on Katen Kyoukotsu as Yamamoto-dono's words echoed in his head...
"...twin swords...the only two of their kind in all of Sereitei..."
Awareness flooded him. Kyouraku..and Ukitake...? The breath caught in his throat as the truth slammed into him. Can it really be done? It's dangerous, he said... people have died trying...but if it could be done...if she could be free...
Possibilities opened up in his head as Hyourinmarou surged upwards, drawn by his silent call, glowing eyes regarding him clamly. What do you think, my friend, he asked silently, ramifications thrumming in his head and his brain racing a million miles an hour, trying to see every outcome and weigh every probablility. For his part, Hyourinmarou said nothing, but his ruby eyes sparkled the way they always did when presented with a challenge worthy of accepting.
Hitsugaya never noticed Shunsui leave, or that the rain had stopped falling.