chIX: liberation/guardians
…Awaken…
…Who…not…Hyou…rin…?
…Awaken!
His teal eyes snapped open when he found himself started into consciousness by an unknown, commanding call. With wakefulness was the silence. A quiet was pressed over all as he strained his limited senses outwards, grappling against the fatigue and grogginess with returning strength.
It was dark. It felt ancient and-
Breathe…
-And amazingly, he was still breathing and yet in a sense…not-breathing because this realm didn't seem to accommodate inane mortal needs. Floating midair with no ground to meet his feet, he searched his surroundings for an iota of normalcy but saw nothing of that sort.
All around him threads of green twirled like notes to an orchestral masterpiece and the accompanying phosphorescent lights danced to the silent unheard music. There was warmth and chill as the temperature fluctuated with the harmony and when brief accordance was met, the lights would interweave and flow to an unseen singular destination before scattering. Darkness was the canvas and it encompassed all sides, the empty void – non-particles – limitless.
A whispered thought brushed over his mind. Pure Lifestream.
But if he was in the realm that housed the Planet's life force…"Wouldn't I…?"
In an act of shrewd reassurance, he reached for his sword surely sheathed upon his back but his hand met emptiness. It was then did he realize that he was missing his half.
Hyourinmaru was gone.
With every effort to reach into the soul-link to find his dragon, he could feel an invisible something smother his attempts. It was not that Hyourinmaru was lost per say (there was no entrenched barrenness or hurt) but he…just wasn't there. A hollow absence was at the end of their shared bond and he strongly felt the ill and unease. Perhaps this was what it was like to be collared with Death Stone – reiatsu unmercifully suppressed and his link to his other severed.
Finding it exceedingly difficult to focus, his reiatsu, normally lively and compliant, was unnaturally subdued. The heavy shifting energy around him did not offer comfort but as a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen, he did not panic. Rather, he retained the calmness that deserted him during the scuffle against Jenova's Heathen and thought through the situation.
"There." He took a breath in, feeling the sets of eyes watching him from afar. Carefully, he addressed his watchers, "What's going on?"
A cohesion of emotions and voices swirled through his spirit. The undertone carried a response. You…despair…
"Despair?" He closed his eyes and queried, "Where is Hyourinmaru?" He needed confirmation.
In the realm of the dying force. The disembodied colours and tones gave him his answer. You passed into the living force – what they call as the Lifestream.
"I died then."
You failed. A difference. The emerald strands of light hummed. You are not surprised.
He knew what he did wrong. Jenova's will – her negative essence – manipulated his emotional state. He was careless and 'the Heaven's Harbinger' took that as an easy advantage to surprise and overwhelm him.
He panicked.
And he paid for it.
The melody changed. He watched as smooth lines of vibrant green energy bound together, forming a faceless, humanoid shape. The figure stood in front of him passively before speaking, Consider this a test of pride. You know your failures. Take responsibility.
Wary, he finally understood. "You saved me."
Mistakes are done. Mercy is given, Death God. Do not let this happen again.
"I won't." Hesitation did not colour the statement.
The (meta)physical burns, gained from his conflict against Jenova's contamination, twinged angrily but gradually, the red haze of pain was removed by the gentle soothing balm of the Lifestream. In turn, the entity nodded minutely and abstractly waved their arms. Tendrils of light swirled in unison towards the pair, gravitating to the humanoid figure.
There was no flourish when Hitsugaya felt a realization, a thought, forced upon his mind, wherein the Lifestream gave him a plan and goal – a 'what must be eliminated'. The 'understanding' coursed and leeched into his aura where the vivid blues flickered brightly against the greens, and the humanoid figure, again, nodded, granting a silent askance. A burst of intense white light separated from the spiritual Lifestream entity and circled him. The glow then merged into his chest and he could feel the unnatural warmth spread through his body.
The lights faded just as the shinigami consciously rubbed his chest, feeling the piece of Lifestream nestled beneath his fingertips. Hitsugaya acknowledged the glimmering entity and cautiously questioned, "I asked Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair to relay the difficulties that I am encountering in communicating with my organization. My message…?"
A silence ate at the end of his question before the Lifestream confirmed almost amusedly.
The message has been sent to the Court of Pure Souls.
"I see." Hitsugaya paused. "Thank you."
The lights dimmed in rejoinder and the figure made from life force scattered. The Lifestream, echoing his final sentiments, began to fade. The green that oh-so-matched his eyes slowly dispersed into the surroundings, and Hitsugaya stared on ahead, unfazed.
Go.
They then forced him back into the physical realm (the dying force) where his other half and the enemy were waiting.
Five seconds, little dragon.
He heard no more as his spirit left the Lifestream.
Marlene struggled.
The helplessness and frustration she felt bled away into a burning ferocity she hadn't experienced since the Meteor crisis. Except this time around, she wasn't waiting for the end of the Planet, the end of civilization, in the – ironically – panicking city of Kalm. No, she was trapped hanging powerless from a tree and the situation below her made this incident infinitely worse.
She tore her gaze from the battle between the Remnants and Cloud – "Oh Gaia he was bleeding." – and tried her best to shut out the combat noises. It was to no avail, though, as the cacophony of metal swords, gunfire, and explosions rocked the Forgotten Capital, shaking her to the core. She could feel her heart race along to every agonizing second as attacks were exchanged and dust and debris flew into the air. A silent hope blossomed from every fibre of her being, a wish that the fighting would stop.
The calls were answered. Shadows brought a friend to her aid.
Her breath was caught lodged in her throat when she heard from above a familiar voice – awkward in their attempt to comfort – whisper,
"It's alright. Hold still…"
But it didn't matter how socially discomfited they were – she nearly cried from heady relief. Help was here. And when the gag in her mouth was gently removed, she blurted out incoherently, "Please! Cloud, he-!"
The rescuer said nothing except silence Marlene with a carefully placed hand over her mouth. They then snapped the bonds holding the girl and whisked her away under the cover of darkness.
The Remnants below did not notice that their captive disappeared.
At Captaincy level, trust with their other half bled both ways.
So naturally when a lucid Hitsugaya returned to the physical realm effortlessly reaffirming his existence with Hyourinmaru, no questions were asked; there were no surprises, no panic or confusion, elicited by his sudden reappearance. The only needed communication was the phrase "five seconds" and the dragon within trusted and understood his younger counterpart.
After all as a genius it was too easy to realize the implications of the unsaid statement: "five seconds…five seconds of reprieve without the presence of the Lifestream". A vacuum was to be placed around their immediate area and a flicker of unrest edged into his emotions as he readied an attack.
Buoyed by the water and bound by the dark strands of contamination from Jenova's creation, Hitsugaya took a split second to center himself, ridding the distractions of the mind. Hyourinmaru, patient, waited. In unity, his reiatsu, vivacious and thrumming beneath his skin, surged into the surroundings unhindered by the Lifestream. Smoothly, the energy meshed with the molecules of water and interrupted the black streaks of poison. Almost like over-tensed strings, the psychic control Jenova's puppet had over his emotions reached a staccato apex and abruptly snapped, fading away.
Vibrant emerald eyes sparked azure and the dragon lambasted, speedy counterattack exacted. There was absolutely no hesitation in his movements, only firm resolve as he manipulated the water so wholly. Commanding his reiatsu fluidly – indeed it was second nature – he struck the wraith with a reverberating, precise blast, diamond dust collecting and crystallizing around the dark form.
Jenova's victim did not stand a chance in his elemental domain whilst he was unrestricted.
The temperature of the water dipped drastically, fine cobwebs of ice tracing haphazardly in the current. Hyourinmaru churned around him ominously by the third second, rouge eyes gleaming and his presence, imposing. Without wasting time, Hitsugaya's next attack was created as ice shards of wild power, tinting the waters with hues of sea green and cerulean.
Deliver the final blow, Toushirou.
"I know."
Perhaps hinted with regret and penitence, the rippling energy was sent towards the frozen figure by a wave of the shinigami Captain's hand. Even while feeling the remorse towards his own actions, there was no blunder or accidental misses on his part. The attack landed precisely like how he intended and the crystallized enemy shattered beneath the raw pressure and force.
All in four seconds.
By the fifth second, a cusp was reached. Before the Death God could successfully retract his reiatsu from the surroundings, the Lifestream rushed back into the water and he knew with certainty that it would not end well. Not well at all.
Hyourinmaru was inclined to agree, rumbling quietly within the back of his mind. Brace yourself.
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and would have returned the sentiments with an appropriate remark if not for the sudden explosion of light and heat that blinded his senses.
Regardless of his battle experience, it certainly did not prime him against the blast of energy created when the residual reiatsu reacted with the Lifestream. In fact, Hitsugaya was definitely not prepared when the detonation propelled him out of the water.
During his air time (consisting of free flying without touching the arched roof of the cavern and falling towards the rough earth), he spotted a smear of colour and heard a startled yell – one that most unquestionably did not come from him. The flickering firelight from his previously lit torch contrasted the shadows greatly, allowing a blurry sight of the rocky canvas below. Landing was going to hurt.
…Perhaps he should thank the deities for having a considerate guide.
Zack, who immediately got to his feet after sensing the explosion within the water-filled ravine, leapt to the shinigami Captain's rescue. With enhanced speed and the will of the Lifestream at his beck and call, he darted towards the area where the Death God was to land. Determined violet eyes calculatingly watched Hitsugaya's descent and the man 'caught' the slighter spirit – or at least he tried to 'catch' him.
(The landing really left a lot to be desired.)
With Hitsugaya crashing into him, the force of the collision sent them both headlong into a particularly large boulder. In fact after the forceful blow and the dust settled, the rock was barely holding together and Zack could feel it crumble behind him.
"Nngg…" moaned the spirit beneath him. "Remind me…not to do that again…"
Reeling, Hitsugaya, without thanking his human pillow, quickly rolled off of the dazed man. On his hands and knees, he coughed uncontrollably as the water clogged in his lungs finally exited. He was vaguely aware at this point that he narrowly avoided death by drowning all thanks to the explosion.
Hyourinmaru growled quietly. Blessings in disguise.
Wincing, Zack rubbed his head and sat up. "Ugh…You alright?"
The Death God shuddered and clenched his hands into tight fists. "Does it…look like-?" He paused as another coughing spiel racked his body.
Zack eyed the boy sympathetically while patting the quivering back. Almost candidly, the man asked, "What did you do to piss off the Lifestream like that?"
"Long…story…"
"Hm. How about…Did you find Holy?" Zack scratched his cheek idly. "I'm sure that's an easier question to answer right now…"
Without responding the ex-SOLDIER, the shinigami continued to kneel on all fours trying to breathe properly.
Almost taking the silence as a cue, Zack chattered on, "No questions huh? Well, at least you're still awake and coughing out the water yourself. I really wouldn't want to do CPR on you. I haven't practiced in awhile and probably would have killed you or something in the attempt. Now that I think about it, that's not exactly a heartening idea to have over my head for the rest of my afterlife…" The warrior paused and thumped the Captain's back again after an unforgiving cough. "Hmmm…You know what? While you were swimming around, I figured out a plan to convince Cloud and the-"
The rambling was gradually tuned out. Hitsugaya grimaced and concentrated on his current predicament, gasping as his trachea burned; his gag reflex was more sensitive than he was comfortable with. It was during a particularly bad spell – when Zack was gesturing eagerly with his hands – that he not only coughed up water, but a particularly harsh expelling of air made him choke out a fist-sized orb. Hitsugaya, rubbing his throat in obvious pain, prodded the glass-like ball, concerned.
How did that end up in him?
Zack, on the other hand, stopped talking and was gaping openly in wonderment. Hitsugaya would later join him on the same wavelength of thought as the man exclaimed fervently,
"That's…That's the White Materia!"
To Be Continued
A/N: Hugs to all (Almost the end of the year…Hope everyone is doing well).
~Phoenyxx