Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#20/?]
Chapter rating: PG
Chapter specific warning: None
Chapter specific spoiler: None
Chapter summary: Hitsugaya wakes up to the bitter reality.
Warning: Do you see ByaxRen? You might or might not.
Author's Note:
I did say in the last scene I posted to expect an update soon +_+ Here it is. Finally, chapter 20. Everyone who welcomed me back and sent me your reviews, thank you very very much XD It was lovely to hear from you again.
I also won NaNoWriMo while I was away. Whoot! Although… now I'm paying heavy price for the time I spent on the damn thing. orz
Well, without further ado… please enjoy and I'd love you even more if you told me what you thought of it. *self-pimping*
:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.20::::: Exposed
Renji fixed his grip on the cosy blanket around him, shifting slightly in the wooden chair. The room he was in was actually not his but it did not matter. The fourth division was happy to let both Byakuya and Renji do as they wish within the small distance between their neighbouring rooms. And more importantly, they had a very distressed princess on their hands with the stoic noble looking subtly but surely lost as to how to console his step-sister.
"Rukia, stop crying. We are not dead, you know."
The wet blue orbs shot daggers at the redhead who instantly regretted his exasperated tone when he should have been regretting his choice of words. Renji scratched the back of his head sheepishly when he caught the delicate glare from the Kuchiki leader, silently rebuking him for the crudeness.
Byakuya had taken longer than anticipated to wake up which had led to another detailed examination but fortunately, the result had come back relatively clean, their circumstances granted. Rukia had been at her wits end with Ukitake in the intensive care, Byakuya unconscious and Renji still as white as a perfectly bleached sheet, the tension holding her taut. However, once both of her brothers had been given the eagerly-awaited clear by the medics and were transferred to a private ward for each, it seemed the sudden relief broke what little control she had barely kept herself by and the petite girl had startled them by starting to shed tears without a warning, furiously wiping them away as she continued to mumble apologies in a shaking voice.
"Rukia."
"I… I apologise for this, nii-sama. I…"
"Rukia."
"…Ha…hai, nii-sama."
There was a short pause as Rukia clenched her shihakushou in an effort to stop the ungracious sniffing which the dignified noble must consider unsuitable for one who bears the name of Kuchiki.
"…The title of the Kuchiki head will only be considered for succession once you have shown significant achievement in purging the manor of the SWA."
A stunned silence filled the air as both Rukia and Renji blinked at the raven-haired shinigami with wide eyes. Even Rukia's tears seemed to have come to a full stop in a flash. Then Renji broke out into a half-nervous, half-amused laughter, while the girl abruptly began issuing squeaky hiccups, making the sixth division captain raise his fine eyebrow.
"Hic! I… I'm sorry, nii-sama… Sudden… Hic!"
"That's what happens when you laugh in the middle of crying, you dork."
"Renji, shut.. hic! Up!! I wasn't.. Hic!"
"Yeah, whatever, Rukia."
Then the snicker turned into a jaw-dropping yawn and the redhead rubbed his eyes with another smaller one following almost immediately, even before his mouth had had chance to close. With the warm heat trapped in the snug blanket coupled with the strain his body had been subjected to, Renji felt like he had been on night duty for a fortnight straight with not a wink of sleep. Now that Rukia's sniffing has been instantly shushed, perhaps it was safe for him to leave for his own room and crawl into the bed that was no match for the lush one he had grown used to but nevertheless very much blissful for someone in his state.
"Sleep. I need sleep."
Rukia lightly smacked the top of the crimson mane at the bluntly put words with a smile. The scene that she had encountered at the grand hall had been more than terrifying and she was relieved beyond what words could describe that her lifelong friend, brother, and family was still here to glare at her with the familiar gruff voice vibrantly echoing in the otherwise quiet room while a pair of obsidian eyes watched them in the usual silence.
"Hey! Don't go off hitting patients!"
She ignored it all like the words had never been said.
"Nii-sama, is there anything you would like from the mansion?"
"I will send a message directly to the servants later on. You will be required at your division full-time until Ukitake returns."
The noble's words erased what little joy that had surfaced on the girl's face and Renji quickly stepped in before all their efforts so far was scraped into waste. He was just thankful that they were both here awake and well enough to be comforting her. It was certainly not the first time he had seen the face of death, and most likely, nor would it be the last, but it was easily one of the closest looks he had got.
"Just until Ukitake taichou returns, Rukia. He'll be back after a while, Unohana taichou said that herself as well, didn't she? It can't be helped; his illness has worsened, that's expected, but she said he'll pull through."
"…I know." Then Rukia suddenly shot up, furiously ridding her face of any last trails of tears. "I think I'll go and check on taichou before I go back to the division."
She received a small nod from her step-brother and after a moment of hesitation, she reached out for Byakuya's hand then grabbed Renji's with the other hand. Both men looked at each other in perplexity before turning to the petite girl who put all of their hands together. The cobalt globes looked down at the hands entwined, one rough, callused one, one opulent, elegant one, and hers that looked like those of a baby next to the large pairs.
"I'm… I'm so glad that all of you are well, nii-sama, Renji. If… If it hadn't been Hitsugaya taichou…"
The phrase was left to trail off but no one missed what was not said and the men both closed their hands on hers in silent reassurance. Rukia gave a shaky laugh and hurriedly took her hands away to wipe away freshly drawn tears then grabbing Renji by the blanket, rushed out of the room.
"I'll come back tomorrow, nii-sama. Please rest well."
Renji's room was right next to the Kuchiki head's but instead of returning to sleep as planned, the tattooed shinigami decided to accompany his childhood friend to the intensive care. As beat as he was, he had just seen a truthful glimpse of how troubled Rukia was by the incident tonight and leaving her to see Ukitake on her own did not seem such a good idea. The older Kuchiki obviously thought along the same lines because the eyes, the shade of midnight, had found his burgundy ones before he was dragged out of the room, mutely asking him to stay with her. Having woken up only a moment ago, Byakuya was still having trouble moving freely.
The situation was unfortunately worse than the redhead had expected. Numerous hoses and equipments formed an airy labyrinth and the oxygen mask was placed over Ukitake's mouth, the clear dome turning hazy with every strained exhale the long-haired captain took. An artificial pump next to the bed was forcing in the oxygen that the weary lungs were too torn and weak to take in themselves. Renji took a place behind Rukia as she sat down next to her captain but soon blinked when something familiar newly entered his spiritual sense. He cocked his head with a raised eyebrow when he recognised; it was his human friend, Kurosaki Ichigo.
The wine-red irises flickered towards the girl in front of him but the vice-captain seemed to have missed the untamed reiatsu in her concern over her sick captain. Stifling another yawn, Renji wondered what the substitute shinigami was doing here at this time of the day but almost immediately, another yawn followed, this time big enough to make him think his jaw was going to pop, and disrupted not just his musing on the abrupt appearance of the loud-mouthed teen but Rukia's fretting over Ukitake and the redhead scratched the back of his head sheepishly when the blue orbs made a humoured roll at him.
"Renji, go to your room and sleep. I won't be long anyway."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I can't carry you even if you drop dead on the corridor. I wouldn't even if I could."
Renji chuckled and stood up.
"Point taken. 'Kay, see you tomorrow, Rukia."
Waving his hand, Renji gingerly walked out of the room, his eyelids starting to droop down under the undeniable weight of drowsiness. He did not even remember what had intrigued him just a second ago. Thankfully, the walk was not long and when he reached his room, he swore the few steps to the bed were even more difficult to take than the few steps to Byakuya he had forced upon his broken body during their fight before Rukia's execution. Once at the bed, the tattooed shinigami did not even bother to pull back the cover, simply flopping down onto it, and in a flash, he was already out cold, snuggling his face into the soft blanket.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The hell butterfly had led Ichigo straight to the relief station via the shortest route possible from Senkaimon and once inside, it flew through the crowded corridors with ease, graciously fluttering past the shinigamis agitatedly running around. Somewhat comforted by the return of the rhythmical pulse of the ring but still too troubled, the substitute shinigami did not take in much of the surroundings but was nevertheless stunned to see the relief station this hectic. It was a scene that had almost disappeared after the War.
Soon, the obsidian fragility came to a stop in front of a door but before the teen could knock, he heard Rangiku's voice from the room.
"Ichigo, come in."
He arched his eyebrow at the wooden door before opening it to be greeted with a pair of silvery eyes, glancing at him over the shoulders. The brown orbs remained connected with them only for a moment before searching the room for a certain someone, failing to notice the special attire of the vice-captain.
"How did you know?"
"You forgot to hold in your reiatsu."
"Oh. Hadn't realized that."
His reply perfunctory at best, Ichigo did not bother pulling back his reiatsu, or more correctly, he could not and did not care about it when his apprehensive tension was ready to explode at even the smallest of a spark. And he found the one he had been seeking, there was a sharp intake of air, stunned and severely distressed.
"Kimono? …But why is it all…?"
The turquoise kimono that had been his present last year was smeared and splashed with blood, some blacker than the other, some fresher than the other, and the sheer amount of it nearly had his self-control come unwounded completely. All that blood… It could not be Toushirou's, could it?
"Don't worry, most of it isn't his."
"Most?"
His hand closed around the sweaty one automatically and the chocolate pools, shaky but blazing, glared at the quicksilver ones, evidently wanting some answers as to what had happened to his precious beloved. The vice-captain's face morphed into a rather crestfallen look and Ichigo felt his heart plummeting down to his gut. Rangiku did not wear that kind of face.
"He's okay, Hanatarou had finished treating him a while ago. We are just waiting for him to wake up."
"Treating him for what? Didn't you say he was okay?"
"Just the minor damages. He had the poison out soon enough not to be gravely injured."
"What the fuck happened?!"
Matsumoto shook her head as she looked at her captain. Hitsugaya had not even twitched since he had collapsed back in the hall and although Hanatarou had assured her that it was only exhaustion, she was starting to get worried.
"I wasn't there from the beginning so what I've said in the message is pretty much all I know."
"What, Toushirou saving everyone?"
The strawberry-blonde bobbed up and down a few times and the irate teen barely managed to keep his voice civil, aware that whatever the reason had been, it could not have been Rangiku's fault. Nevertheless that streak of feral snarl could not be all completely hidden.
"Why did he have to do it himself? I mean, wasn't there like antidotes and medicines and stuff?"
This time, she shook her head sideways, sighing softly. The substitute shinigami's burning anger was once again aimed at Gotei 13 for the second time - the first time had ultimately led to the destruction of Soukyoku - as Ichigo practically seethed but she could not really blame him.
"It was an unidentified one. Nemu's still working on its component and without knowing that, we can't hastily administer anything. Just prolonging their lives long enough was all the fourth division could do."
Ichigo lowered his head, fixing his gaze on the still form of his baby dragon with frustration and concern, and sat down next to the snow-topped head on the bed. The other free hand came up to gently swipe off the glistening sheet of sweat on the forehead with affection that surprised Matsumoto even now with its intensity, hardly witnessed by anyone in such clarity.
Calm down, calm down, calm down; the faint warmth palpable on his fingertips gliding across clammy skin was the first promising sign and he let out a trembling sigh. The velvety skin was far too pallid for his liking, wet with the perspiration that was yet to evaporate, the evidence of how tough tonight had been for his lover; even the quiet respiration grated him with its diminished sound but he trusted the talented medics of the fourth division, especially Hanatarou of whom he had personal experiences.
After taking a few moments to slow down the erratic beatings of his heart and cool his head, Ichigo finally said what he should have said before half-screaming at the vice-captain.
"Rangiku-san, thanks for letting me know."
The weary look turned into a frown.
"I didn't do it for nothing; I need you to keep taichou away from work afterwards. I guess who wouldn't but he's got this odd dislike about the relief station so I'd say out is better than in for him but then…"
"He'd be working before you know it."
"Exactly."
That much had been expected and the exasperated teen had been just about to guarantee the frowning woman that such thing would not happen now that he was here when, speak of the devil, the subject of their conversation and worries started to stir with an almost inaudible groan. There was a couple of cautious breaths as if learning to take the air in and out for the first time before the black lashes fluttered for a moment and then the eyelids were blearily opening, revealing the unfocused teal orbs.
"Toushiro."
Hitsugaya shifted about his hazy gaze at the voice that he would never fail to recognise anywhere at any time now, delicately stimulating his hearing. There was no definite edge to any of the objects in his vision and the harsh light was painful but the messy orange tuft told him enough as to who it was. However the aggravated eyes soon asked for the comfortable darkness in burning stings and he thickly swallowed the dryness in his mouth down the equally dried throat, his eyelids falling back down. His mind was taking a ridiculously long detour to come around and a splitting headache was bashing his head on either side like a military drum roll. Then suddenly, there was a cautious, affectionate caress tousling his hair ever so tenderly and the stoic shinigami could not help the corner of his lips twitching into something of a smile as his pain diminished with every soft touch.
"…Ichigo…"
Ichigo doubted if the captain could actually see him well. The usually sparkling turquoise crystals were matt and foggy, looking eerily void as they vaguely searched for him. Knitting his brows at the stark lethargy on the pale face, he bent down to press his lips against the sweaty forehead.
"Hey… How're you doing?"
The pallid features scrunched into an irritated frown at the question and Ichigo looked up at Rangiku to find his unspoken concern mirrored on her face.
Truth be spoken, Hitsugaya felt… well, he felt like shit really, however much ineloquently that was put. As if the migraine had not been enough, his stomach had just done a somersault although it was not nearly as bad as before. Mostly, he felt drained to the last ounce of his energy and there was nothing he wished for save unperturbed slumber for the next 12 hours, or if he was honest with himself, 48 hours at the very least. However what his sluggish, muddled memory had just reminded him of was enough to force him to deny that single desire.
'Toushiro.'
Hyourinmaru's deep voice resonated from the core of his soul, its restlessness barely masked in the rumbling growl, and Hitsugaya tore his incoherent thought process away from tonight's incident. He needed to thank his soul companion properly for what it had done.
The frosty plain was bare as usual, only the different tones of opaqueness distinguishing the blocks of never-ending ice from each other, and there were thick, grey clouds obscuring the ashen canvas. His inner world looked about to greet a stormy night and the prodigy was not surprised at the foretelling signs of a heavy blizzard. On the far horizon sat the faithful dragon, his ice-scaled wings folded on either side, the bright red eyes keenly gazing upon him.
Thankfully, his soul remained unaffected in the inner world by the physical exhaustion and once near enough to be only inches away from the burning rubies, Hitsugaya laid his hand on Hyourinmaru with a rare, sincere smile, letting his gratitude freely run through their intimate connection.
'Hyourinmaru, you have saved us all.'
'We have, little one, but it is time to rest as you have promised.'
The dainty hand on the frigid scales of the dragon curled into a fist.
'…I…'
"Toushiro?"
Another uneasy voice brought his attention back to the outside world and the prodigy slowly opened his eyes, frowning at the bleak rays of artificial radiance torturing them. It seemed the other had understood his problem as a shadow promptly blocked out the monstrous gleam and when the teal orbs reopened, they found the substitute shinigami hovering just above with badly concealed anxiety on his face. The ends of the pale lips travelled up by a touch as the groggy shinigami found the hazels clouded with qualms before another familiar voice called him from the other side.
"Taichou…"
Hitsugaya would have jumped if he had had any energy left for it. He had not noticed his vice-captain's presence at all until now and the teen's reiatsu softly wrapping itself around him was not helping him to fight down the little blush creeping up to his cheeks as he became aware that Matsumoto had just seen a sneak preview of the unrestrained 'Toushirou' that only Kurosaki had seen.
"Matsumoto."
To his surprise, the buxom woman stayed very much non-giddy, non-giggling, non-teasing, non… non-Matsumoto, basically. She only gave a wide, relieved smile when the emerald globes, yet to find their penetrating glitter again, turned towards her with no apparent problem.
"Taichou, the area's been all properly secured so you have nothing to worry about."
"How are they?"
The reassuring smile wavered a little at the question and Hitsugaya bolted upright in alarm before either of them could stop him. However it was immediately proven to be a bad idea without Ichigo or Matsumoto having to say anything. Vertigo-like dizziness overwhelmed his just-recovered vision and the captain would have flopped straight back quite involuntarily had it not been for the arm that had instantly wound around his waist. A well-toned chest supported him from his back, soothing warmth radiating through the shihakushou and his soggy kimono, and a callused hand softly pressed his pounding head onto the offered shoulder before running down his cheek.
"Toushirou, don't be stupid."
The captain did not say anything, simply swallowing thickly at another small tumbling of his gut as he remained under the teen's administration. The cup of cool water that had been waiting on the stand was quickly passed from Matsumoto to Ichigo who pressed it into the petite hand. Even in his condition, the stubborn boy would probably manage to find the energy from god-knows-where to elbow him if he tried to treat him like a feverish, sick, incapable kid, especially in front of the vice-captain.
The turquoise eyes cracked open again laboriously and much to his relief, the prodigy managed to take a firm hold of the cup. The water was blissfully cold and his parched mouth and throat greedily absorbed the liquid which was soon flowing down like a roll of silk to calm his rebelling stomach and his swirling vision; the sensation of water newly entering his wrecked system was heavenly, to say the least, and Hitsugaya inwardly sighed in content before lifting his head up again. Taking this as cue, Matsumoto swiftly filled him in, in case he tried to get out of bed this time.
"Everyone's safe. Ukitake taichou is in intensive care but they say he'll recover with time. Soi Fon taichou is yet to wake up but it's only because she was the last to come in. I also heard Unohana taichou is planning to keep everyone in here for a few days just as a cautionary measure."
"…I see."
"I'll go and bring Isane. They told me to alert them the moment you wake up."
And with that, the vice-captain dashed out of the room, leaving a flurry trail of pink in her tow. With the bang of the door closing came a muted sigh that would have gone unheard in the echoes bouncing off the blend walls if Ichigo had not been sitting right behind his lover. When the teen gently pulled him back, the snow-topped head easily rolled and nestled at the crook, the captain too worn-out to retaliate, and Ichigo quietly mumbled, making sure his voice did not rise to a volume that would pain his baby dragon.
"You shouldn't be worrying about others right now."
"I-"
"Taichou, it's us!"
A somewhat vexed suspiration tickled his neck before the cool body gingerly left him and the substitute shinigami stood up from the bed without a word. Nevertheless their hands remained linked, placed under the white blanket, and when the seagreen pools did not glare but merely glanced at him, Ichigo only smiled, tightening his hold on the dainty hand.
As relieved as he was, he was not ready to let go of the small physical contact yet because witnessing the extent to which the evening had sapped his Toushiro of the frightening frostiness was nothing but a blatant reminder for him that he could have very well lost another of his dearly beloved tonight. Just the thought of it was enough to shrink his airways to nothing and the fact that he had not been there shattered his heart more than anything else, regardless of the most probable uselessness of his presence in the situation.
The dainty hand was a little colder than usual, a little damper than usual, a little weaker than usual, but nevertheless, it was alive and fidgeting, though whether to get out of his grasp or for more comfortable hold, he could not tell. The unnoticeable squirming did not last long though. The door had slid open and surprisingly revealed Unohana, Matsumoto's strawberry-blonde locks just visible behind her.
"Unohana taichou, I thought you would be resting."
There was a little nod from the healer who approached the bed with the seraphic smile she never failed to keep up even with the notorious 11th division members.
"Kotetsu fukutaichou is doing most of the work. Sotaichou had woken up just before we returned from the hall, and he wished to express his gratitude for your efforts. Of course, same goes for all of us. We all owe our lives to you." Then Unohana lowered her head in a respectable bow for her fellow captain. "Arigato gozaimasu, Hitsugaya taichou."
"Iie. I only did what I had to do."
The other three in the room blinked in confusion at each other but it was not Hitsugaya's expected response that had caused it; it was the unbefitting bitter frown on his face.
"Taichou?"
However what came from the prodigy next did not explain anything behind the incomprehensible scowl that swiftly disappeared.
"How is everyone?"
"…Ukitake taichou will have to stay in the ICU. I cannot yet determine exactly for how long but I do not doubt he will be back to his post in due time. As for the others, they have all been stabilised well."
"I heard we were to remain here for some time."
Unohana caught the real question veiled by the statement and her calm gaze flickered to the orange-haired teen for a split second though her smile did not change at all. If for the best interests of her patient, an exception could always be made.
"Yes. However, we have done all we can medically for you and hence, I am prepared to discharge you if you wish, but under one and one circumstance only. You are to return to your quarters without any detours and take proper bedrest for full three days before returning for a check-up."
Three stunned shinigamis gawked at the head healer and when she nodded in confirmation, Hitsugaya found himself frowning in mild irritation instead of relishing in the unanticipated decision as his fate for next 72 hours was sealed by a far too enthusiastic and determined strawberry.
"Don't worry, Unohana-san. We'll tie him down to bed if we have to."
The courteous smile widened a little when Unohana caught a subtle glare at the teen from the young captain but there was no verbal protest. Instead, a resigned sigh, accompanied by an apprehensive scowl, was taken to be an agreement to the proposal but Ichigo blinked in perplexity, his gaze travelling up from the hidden linkage of their hands to what he could see of the face that was turned away from him in favour of the braided shinigami; he was sure he had not imagined the brief tightening of the clammy hand just now.
"I'd like to see soutaichou before I go."
"I'm afraid that he is now asleep. In fact, all the afflicted are, except us."
"…I see."
"I daresay we all require some time for recuperation, including soutaichou-dono. All the other fukutaichous have now returned to their respective divisions of which the commanding positions have officially been delegated to them for the duration."
The frozen emeralds shifted to the buxom woman next to the healer with great scepticism and Matsumoto grinned with one hand on her hip, the other on her overflowing bosom.
"Hai, taichou! I will be taking care of our tenth, so you can relax and take it easy for the next three days!"
The vice-captain pouted when the disbelief did not disappear. Rather, it was only topped with a quiet snort.
"Taichou, even I can't tumble a division down into bankruptcy in 72 hours! Really!"
"But you will, given enough time?"
There was an awkward laugh at the raised eyebrow and Matsumoto swatted her hands, suddenly finding the blank ceiling the most attention-grabbing thing in the world. Ichigo smirked, a hint of alleviation starting to smooth out the creased forehead at last. It was the same old interaction between the two top-seated officers of the tenth division; the same old indifference to the same old wrongly-centred passion as if nothing had happened.
The last examination before discharge confirmed that all that remained was the residual pain, nausea and weakness, for which Isane took it upon herself to perform some quick, relatively simple medical kidous, and relayed that by the time the effects wear off, the symptoms should have disappeared.
"Should they persist, you will have to return here immediately, Hitsugaya taichou."
"I understand."
Having been placed in charge of the intensive care, Isane took a speedy leave and Unohana also stepped out but not before leaving a warning for her juvenile colleague renowned for his obduracy.
"You may leave when you are ready, Hitsugaya taichou. And please remember that if you are found not to have complied with the terms agreed, I will have no choice but to have you confined here for your own benefit."
The self-appointed carers of the tenth division captain shared a chuckle at the half-stunned, half-dismayed look from the prodigy who slowly nodded; they all knew very well that the detainment warning had not been merely for the purpose of threat, no matter how angelic the head healer's smile was.
Once Unohana left them to themselves, Hitsugaya did not waste any time in flipping the blanket away and pushing himself off the bed. His leg muscles protested against the strain when he landed on the ground but they held out and that was all he needed. He had never liked staying at the infirmary for any longer than necessary, all the more if he needed time and space to think on his own without any disruption. However the rapid departure was halted when the captain realised his faithful zanpaktou no longer rested where he had last seen it and when the irked turquoise eyes glanced over the shoulder in a half-glare, he found it exactly where he had expected it to be; in the hands of the orange-haired teen who swoop down for a light peck on the bleached cheek.
"I'm carrying you instead if you insist on taking this. I'd prefer if you did but it'syour choice."
Ichigo was obviously well aware that his aloof dragon would never let himself be seen being carried out in his arms, although for him, there was nothing else he wanted to do more. Half of him hoped that Toushiro would snatch away Hyourinmaru from him which would give him a pretty good reason to scoop up that lithe body and press it firmly against his but unsurprisingly, the prodigy only rolled his eyes that clearly said 'whatever' and stepped away from him, heading from the door.
"Nice try, Ichigo. Tough luck, though."
He shrugged nonchalantly with a crooked smile, squirming away from the teasing pokes on his side from the vice-captain.
"It's okay. I'll get to hold him for 72 hours anyway."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As they walked in the halcyon night atmosphere, the pandemonium that had occurred just a while ago seemed like a bad dream, the silent serenity of the inky blackness horribly contrasting the disastrous calamity that had barely been brought down to a close without any loss. With most of Seireitei still unaware of theincident, only the distant sounds of the relief station and the tiredness sweeping through his body served as confirmation for Hitsugaya that it had not been just another twisted dream.
Thin slice of cold silver adorned the bleak sky with its indifferent shimmer, its only companions a handful of feebly twinkling stars. Matsumoto, who was leading the way through the soundless alleys to the tenth division, looked over her shoulder once in a while at her captain who had not said a word since leaving the fourth division, while just a step behind him, brown eyes stayed fixed on the pristine spikes at all times.
The night saunter was not of a long distance and the anxious silence warped the sense of time for the three of them, Hitsugaya lost in his thoughts, Ichigo watching every movement of the white-haired shinigami like a hawk, and Matsumoto atypically quiet. Nothing was said and in the sheer vacuum of noise, even the sounds of their footsteps and breathing seemed to have frittered away long before the sound wave had any chance of leaving the origin.
Unsure of what the captain's silence represented, Ichigo found the hushed journey extremely jarring on his nerves and therefore, could not be happier when the tenth division insignia came into his view at last, boldly printed just below the terracotta-tiled roof. It meant he did not have long before he could perform his own personal, thorough check on his yuki hime and honestly, he was not sure if the scare he had received would leave him even then.
Once at the gate, they took a different route that wound round the division compounds which led them to the quarters through the open space outdoor rather than through the building. Not many knew of the immaculate promenade, for it was connected to nowhere else but the captain's quarters, the stone path more or less brand new; even Hitsugaya rarely had the opportunity to enjoy the serene stroll since he hardly found himself at anywhere but the administration office. The substitute shinigami had heard about it from the prodigy but it was his first time even seeing it because a direct journey to the premises was one you simply did not make if your aim was to see Hitsugaya Toushiro.
It was not long before they were all standing on the grey stone bridge leading to the private residence and as he set his foot on the overpass, the substitute shinigami found his attention inexplicably drawn to the fully blossomed lotus flowers, gracefully floating on the still surface. An eerie shiver ran down his back at the sight; instead of finding their softly illuminated beauty enchanting, he found their shimmering reflections of the ghostly moonlight rather ominous tonight. With a nauseous scowl, the teen tore his eyes off from them, only to find that the captain had come to an abrupt stop with furrowed eyebrows.
"Toushiro?"
"Matsumoto."
The other two turned to each other with puzzlement filling their faces but there was not a delay of a fraction of a second in Matsumoto's reply; it was now more than her second nature, especially when the baritone voice lacked the irritation that more often than not carried the ringing echoes down the miles of corridor she had just fled through, away from the office.
"Hai?"
"Find and arrest Takezoe."
The vice-captain blinked at the sudden instruction and although she had a sinking feeling that she knew the reason behind it, she could not stop the questions.
"Takezoe? Our Seventh Seat Takezoe, taichou? Why?"
The teen's face creased in displeasure when he caught the expression on the bleached visage, the usually milky skin gleaming like that of an illusionary phantom in the frosty moonlight. The incomprehensible look and the deep swirling in the emerald jewels were reminding him of the blank expression the prodigy had worn after killing his sister, something he had hoped to never see again. Though it did not have the devastating emptiness that had hollowed Ichigo's heart out every night he had witnessed it, they spoke of similar bitterness.
Unaware of his lover's growing anxiety, Hitsugaya turned his back on the two, clamping his lips tightly in effort to mute his suspiration. Waiting from him ahead was his quarters, snugly wrapped in much wanted tranquillity with the hopeful promise of delightful rest, behind him, his division yet oblivious to the ugly truth, anticipating the return of its head officer.
"…Toushi-" the cautious call was cut off by the emotionless and monotonous voice that did not befit the reality the following words revealed, shattering the deep midnight's serenity that was nothing but a deception for them.
"He's the culprit."