11 The Limit of Love
"KAI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" Renji yelled across the courtyard.
Kai turned and smiled sorrowfully at him.
Toshiro lunged once more at her and Kai felt the ice cold steel katana embed itself in her abdomen and slide right out the other side of her body. She cried out at the pain, it shot through her body in waves, making her dizzy and unfocused. As Toshiro went to withdraw his Zanpaktou Kai grabbed his arm and pulled him into a fierce embrace tucking his head into her shoulder.
"I know you can hear me Toshiro. Now quit lying about on your ass in there, you have a fight to finish remember! Good versus evil and all that shit." Tears slid down her face and she tasted blood on her lips. Slowly she reached into her Hakama and pulled out a small metal star that had a small portion of chain on it. She quickly slipped her arm around Toshiro's neck and felt for the small lump of the bug. Once she located it she slit a line across his neck. She felt him struggle briefly and then slump against her. She slipped her hand into the wound and grasped the slimy creature inside. She pulled at it and heard it shriek as she dislodged it.
Kai felt fresh tears roll from her eyes as she threw the bug across the courtyard.
Renji threw a shot of red fire at it and the bug disintegrated instantly.
Gin and Ulqiourra fell back to Aizen's side.
"Well this is an interesting development." Aizen said uninterestedly to no one in particular.
Renji, Ichigo, Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared beside Kai. Renji clutching Kuroi Hoshi, which was missing the star from the end of the long chain.
None of them moved they simply stared at the forms of the two, locked together in a tight embrace.
Toshiro stirred slightly.
"Kai?"
He opened his eyes, only to find himself still blind, pressed against the fabric of Kai's Hakama. He breathed deeply inhaling her fruity scent. He enjoyed her closeness for a short moment, only to realise that he had Hyorinmaru in his hand and Kai was trembling.
No, what have I done?
"Kai! Kai say something, please, shit. Kai talk to me please!" He stood, their roles reversed as he now supported the two of them. He withdrew Hyorinmaru from Kai's side, his heart tearing as she whimpered from the pain.
She dropped to the floor coughing blood.
"Shiro? Are you okay?" She looked up at him through unfocused eyes.
"I'm fine, Kai stay awake I need you to stay with me okay! Don't go to sleep."
"Shiro….I'm sorry I cut you"
It was only after this Toshiro realised that the back of his neck was sore and warm with blood.
"How very touching this is, however I think that it is time we took our leave."
Aizen's voice rang out over them.
"Ulqiourra if you will do the honours."
Ulqiourra turned and waved a hand lazily across the air. A large rip appeared and the three of them disappeared back into Hueco Mundo.
"Aizen you bastard get back here! This isn't finished yet!!" Toshiro was on his feet yelling at him, his riatsu flared wildly. The next thing he knew he was spinning towards the floor.
"Captain Hitsugaya!!" Renji caught him just before he landed on the concrete below him.
"We need medical help, NOW! Let's go!" Renji stood holding the nearly unconscious Captain. Matsumoto was helping Yumichika, and Ichigo carried Kai to the 4th division.
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Captain Unohana was waiting for them. Her face filled with worry. She immediately took Kai off of Ichigo and disappeared into another room. Yumichika was healed fairly quickly and taken into the recovery rooms. Toshiro was put into a ward for observation after much protesting. And Renji, Ichigo, Ikkaku and Matsumoto were treated for minor injuries.
No one slept that night.
Toshiro, who had been ordered to rest, paced around his room. There had been no news on Kai for hours. He stood at the window watching the moon. He remembered the night he had first kissed her, in the moonlight, tears fell down his face. What if she didn't make it? He would be responsible, he, him alone was the one who had caused her wounds. If only he had been stronger.
"I promise you, if you make it through this, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again! Just don't die on me!!" He slammed his fist into the window ledge splintering the edge.
The door behind him opened and someone stepped in. Toshiro turned round only to be met with the large blue eyes of his lieutenant, swollen puffy eyes that were filled with tears.
"Captain…….." Matsumoto stumbled over her words. She shook her head and walked over to him, embracing him tightly.
"I'm so sorry….."
Toshiro's head spun, he couldn't see or hear anything. His mind buzzed and he felt his body fall to the floor, taking Matsumoto with him.
"No……no Matsumoto? Please don't….don't tell me."
" Captain Unohana said she's gone….. And I was to come tell you. You can go and see her if you want."
"NO! Dammit!" Toshiro punched the floor, the room suddenly had a sparkle to it as the walls lined with ice. There were a few screams from the adjacent rooms as the building shook from the force of his riatsu.
He stood, silent tears ran down his face. He turned from her and walked straight out of the room, past Ichigo, Renji, Yumichika and Ikkaku who were sitting in the hallway.
He ignored their cries and continued down the hall, he turned and walked into the room Kai had been in. Captain Unohana was sitting on a small sofa in the corner, Jushiro sat beside her, his face battered and bruised from the explosion earlier. They were talking quietly and quickly stopped when they felt Toshiro enter the room.
Kai's body lay on the bed in front of him. He slowly walked over to her and took her hand in his own. It was still warm. She looked so peaceful she could have been sleeping, a faint smile was still on her lips.
"I…I'm so sorry, I… I should have been stronger! I shouldn't have allowed myself to be captured, to be manipulated so easily!! I should have saved you!! And… I couldn't… I hurt you…I…..I killed you. Please...Kai…forgive me…"
He pressed her limp hand to his mouth and kissed it, tears rolling down his cheeks onto her wrist.
"I'm so sorry, Kai. I love you, you're everything to me. You win, I give up trying to pretend I don't care! I don't want to be ice cold Toshiro Hitsugaya anymore! I want to be with you! I'd give anything just to hear your voice, to hold you." His voice broke and he let go of her hand. Jushiro appeared beside him.
"Toshiro? What's wrong?"
Toshiro looked up at Jushiro and it was then that the thought crossed his mind.
Why isn't Jushiro upset? She was his daughter!
"Matsumoto told me Kai had…she'd…gone. And that I could come and see her."
A caring smile appeared on Jushiro's lips.
"Toshiro, Kai has gone, but only to sleep and she'd asked for you before she fell asleep so we called Matsumoto in to come and get you. I didn't realise she thought I meant she'd died! If she had I would have came and told you myself." Jushiro put his hand on Toshiro's shoulder. Toshiro smiled slightly, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Is she going to be okay?"
"She'll be fine, she just needs to rest. It was quite a blow you gave her but Captain Unohana isn't captain for nothing."
Toshiro's heart flooded with guilt.
"I'm so sorry, I should be punished for my actions, I'm no better than Aizen."
Then for the first time since his arrival in Soul Society Toshiro seen Jushiro angry.
"Don't you dare compare yourself to that, that BASTARD!" both his hands were on Toshiro's shoulders and his long white hair had fallen around his face but Toshiro could still see the tears that ran down his cheeks.
"You are NOTHING like him! He is the reason Seireitei is in an uproar, I will not have one of our best comparing himself to that TRAITOR!"
"Hey some of us are trying to sleep here!" Kai's groggy voice rang out over them.
The two men stepped back and turned to face her. She was leaning on her side propped up on one arm, a small smile on her lips.
Toshiro ran to her and embraced her tightly.
"Toshiro, I'm enjoying the hug and everything but I did have a sword through me just a few hours ago."
He immediately broke the hug, apologized and settled for holding her hand instead.
Jushiro looked at Captain Unohana and nodded towards the door, she smiled in agreement and they quickly exited the room, closing the door gently behind them.
Kai smiled at Toshiro.
"You look stressed, did you think I was gonna die on you or something?"
Toshiro smiled slightly, his emerald green eyes still shimmering from forcing back tears. He didn't answer, he simply placed his face over hers and kissed her forehead, his free hand in her hair.
"I'll take that as a yes?"
"Stop talking and rest." It was more of an order than a request. Kai nodded, already struggling to keep her eyes open. She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes. Soon soft breaths escaped from her lips, indicating she was in a deep sleep. It was only after this that Toshiro stood and left the room. He walked down the hallways into the room that he had been in, Renji, Ichigo, Ikkaku and Yumichika were now inside the room with Matsumoto. Toshiro stood in the doorway, his head hung low, hair flopped over his eyes.
"Matsumoto…" His voice was menacing.
"Y..yes Captain?"
"Kai….says hello" He raised his head and looked directly at her, his emerald eyes boring through her.
"K…K…..Kai? But…but…I thought…"
"You thought she was dead? You thought you just wouldn't listen to the entire story before rushing out to come and tell me? You thought you'd give me the worst news I could ever expect to hear?"
Matsumoto stared at the young Captain in front of her. She couldn't answer him, she had been an idiot, she prepared herself for what was about to come and then….
Nothing.
Toshiro turned and walked out the door.
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Three weeks later
Kai stood at the entranceway to the 4th division. Captain Unohana and Jushiro stood with her.
"Thank you so much for everything Captain Unohana." Kai bowed low. Captain Unohana bowed also.
"My pleasure, I'm glad you have made such a quick recovery. Take care of yourself, and you Jushiro."
Jushiro nodded at her and the two left, walking back to the newly rebuilt 13th division.
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Kai sat down on the floor while Jushiro made tea for them. Just as he sat down someone knocked on his door.
"Is it safe to enter?" Captain Kyouraku's voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"You could say that, but I don't know for how long, Toshiro is due back from the real world in just over an hour."
The door slid open, Kyouraku was smiling.
" Would you like some tea?" Jushiro shook the little pot towards his friend.
"Tea would be lovely, thank you. However I hate to break up the party but I do believe that Toshiro has returned somewhat early, I seen him heading towards 1st division just now, presumably to give Old man Yama his report."
Kai's smile spread rapidly across her face, it had only been two weeks since Toshiro had left for the real world, but she had missed him. He hadn't wanted to go but he was the only available captain at the time.
"In that case, if you'll excuse me." Kai stood and walked over to Jushiro giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. She did the same to Captain Kyouraku who looked mildly flustered.
"I'll see you guys later, no late nights drinking and playing cards okay!" She waved at them as she closed the door.
"So Shunsui, what brings you here?"
"Actually my friend, you do."
Captain Kyouraku rose to his feet and smiled down at Jushiro. Jushiro never even seen him draw his Zanpaktou but he felt it pierce with enormous ferocity through his heart.
"Shu..Shunsui….why?"
Kyouraku's face had changed, it was no longer smiling but sneering down at Jushiro, who lay on the floor, blood pooling slowly around him.
"Why? Because you took the only woman I ever loved and made her leave! She left because of you! I loved her more than you ever could! And she left because she was pregnant with your child!! She told me before she left! I even confessed my feelings to her! She refused me and left the same evening! And then twenty years later in comes your daughter here to save the day and defeat Lord Aizen! Well I shall not stand idly by and watch her ruin the only chance I have of ever being with Lily!"
Jushiro's eyes widened slightly, he was having trouble understanding the words coming out of his friends mouth.
"And how exactly do you expect to do that old friend, Lily is dead. Killed by your Lord Aizen. You can do nothing now." Jushiro coughed, spitting up blood.
Shunsui sheathed his Zanpaktou and turned towards the door. As he stepped out, he looked back at Jushiro.
"Because he is going to bring her back to me, and this time you lose"
And with that he slid the door shut, leaving his friend to die.
OOh the dirty traitor! well sorry bout the long gaps between updates but im writing like three other fanfics right now. it's hard to keep up! till next time! Ichirin no hana x