Chapter 4:
"I can't believe I bit him," Hitsugaya told Akon the next day. "Why did I do that? I knew I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. Oh, why did I do that?"
"It's a perfectly natural response," Akon told him from the other side of the room. "He was pissing you off. You wanted him to do something. He wasn't listening."
"But biting him? Knowing I'm a werewolf and could transfer these powers to him?"
"It's also natural in the sense of you being a wolf." Akon removed a couple books from a shelf to peer through the gap and have his voice not be muffled as he spoke to Hitsugaya. "Wolves don't have hands and must do things with their teeth, their mouths acting as their hands. You were trying to pull Hisagi in a certain direction and instinctively tried to do so in that fashion."
"But I was using my hands before."
"And when that didn't work, you resorted to other means. It's not that hard to figure out." Akon put the books back on the shelf and disappeared from sight as he walked up and down the row of bookcases to gather materials.
"Do you not understand the severity of the situation?" Hitsugaya asked him. "I'm a werewolf and I bit Hisagi. I could have turned him into a werewolf, too. I probably did, if the lore is correct."
"We'll know soon enough."
"How are you not bothered by this?"
Akon stuck his head out from one of the bookcases. "You told me that in your dream, you refused to bite anyone for fear of what might happen, correct?"
"Yes, except for Shinji. But that was an accident. And he ran off into the woods to be wild."
"Which was the dream version of Shinji's response. Not the real thing. Now we'll find out what will happen to someone who gets bitten by a living werewolf. There's a chance they won't do that."
"I didn't like the result in my dream…"
"This isn't a dream, Captain. Besides, you didn't like the outcome of your dream with Byakuya anyway. The same dream where you refused to bite anyone."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying we know what happened in the dream when you didn't. So maybe this time you do."
"You want me to bite people and turn them into werewolves?"
Akon shrugged. "In the interest of science, yes. And possibly changing the outcome of your dream. Change it up a little."
Hitsugaya folded his arms. "Unbelievable. I can't even… How could you want be to do such a thing?"
"It's not like it'll kill them."
"As far as we know!"
Akon walked back to a table and set down a stack of books which shook the beakers resting on the surface. "As a scientist and researcher, we're supposed to try different things to see what will happen and see what's possible."
"Within reason," Hitsugaya argued. "There's a chance jumping from a bridge into shallow water could kill you, so does this mean you should throw yourself over the edge to see if it's true?"
"No," said Akon. "We send someone from Squad 11 to try it."
"Stop joking."
"Alright, alright. But, yes, that's true. Some things are done within reason. Some things are deemed too dangerous or harmful to try. Other things are done within a controlled environment where no one gets harmed. We're not stupid. Satisfying one's curiosity shouldn't make life worse for the innocent. We are also held accountable for our actions, which is why everything is done carefully."
"But what I did wasn't an experiment. It was an accident and a foolish mistake on my part," said Hitsugaya. "Who knows how Hisagi will react? What if he turns feral?"
"Keep an eye on him," advised Akon. "We shouldn't jump the gun. There are a ton of possibilities and we won't know until it's discovered. And what if we make an assumption and we're wrong? Better to have all the facts before taking action so we don't end up looking like fools and doing needless harm."
Hitsugaya understood what Akon meant but he still had reservations about biting Hisagi. He knew how to be a wolf but Hisagi didn't. He probably had no idea what was going on.
On the other hand, this could have been useful. In his dream, Hisagi became one of Byakuya's loyal followers. Perhaps by biting him, he saved Hisagi from that fate. Question was how the bite would affect Hisagi.
Ever since last night, Hisagi had been feeling strange. After the incident with Hitsugaya, he wasn't in the mood to practice the guitar and went back to the barracks to get some sleep. He examined the bitemark on his forearm again but couldn't find any marks and figured Hitsugaya hadn't bitten him that hard, allowing the marks to fade quickly. He tried to sleep but found himself tossing and turning. When he finally did get to sleep, he would wake up every couple of hours, plagued by strange dreams.
Dreams of moving very fast through the woods and close to the ground. Dreams of him being unable to hold a sword. Dreams of creatures with bright yellow eyes watching him from the shadows. Growling, running, chasing, snarling.
He woke with a start every time, sitting up in bed until his heartrate slowed to a normal rhythm.
As a result, he felt tired come morning and staggered into the office with bags under his eyes.
"Rough night, Hisagi?" asked Kensei when he saw him.
"I didn't sleep well. Weird dreams."
"Nightmares?"
"No, just strange." Hisagi rubbed his forearm absentmindedly as he walked around the office in a daze. "What should I do first?"
"If you still remember how to get there, take these papers to the other Squad to be signed and filed." Kensei handed him a folder.
"I'm not that out of it. I know the way." Hisagi took the folder and left the office.
Even if he knew where he was going, he still felt bemused and distracted. He blamed it on lack of sleep, but there were other symptoms he couldn't place as he walked outside.
The air felt so much nicer for some reason. The smell alone was very refreshing. His sense of smell seemed to have been heightened. He could detect the aromas from restaurants down the road on the air in addition to the grass. The scent of the trees in the distance was so strong, he may as well have been sitting under them.
That food smelled so good. It lured him away from his duties and over to an open window where he could smell the cooks inside roasting meats on a grill. He inhaled the aroma, tasting the charcoal on his tongue. He licked his lips. He needed to actually taste the meat, not just smell it.
He went around to the front to place his order and gobbled it up. It tasted so good, he had to have more. He placed another order. When that was gone, he placed two more orders and ate most of that before realizing how much his appetite had increased. Perhaps lack of sleep made him extra hungry.
He finished his food and resumed his duties. He didn't think twice about being so hungry and he didn't question why his senses seemed to have heightened. However, when he found himself wandering around outside the building for almost an hour, he stopped to question why he hadn't gone inside to deliver the papers. It was a beautiful day, so perhaps his body just wanted to walk around and enjoy it.
"A walk does sound nice, but it'll have to wait until I finish with this." He started to go inside then stopped, something capturing his attention.
It was a bird hopping around on the ground. Stop, hop, hop; stop, hop, hop. Its head turned this way and that, chirping, then hopped again and stopped before repeating the ritual.
That bird. It was so interesting. So fun.
Overcome with a strange new desire, the folder slipped from Hisagi's hand as he stepped closer to it, a smile slowly spreading across his face. Suddenly, he wanted to…
Getting down on all fours, Hisagi got ready and pounced towards the bird. It flew out of reach, landing a few feet down the road. Grinning from ear to ear, Hisagi crouched then galloped forward on all fours and tried again to catch it. The bird flew to the top of a dividing wall and Hisagi stood up and tried to catch it by jumping onto the wall. The bird flew off in a different direction and Hisagi ran after it, unable to ignore this feeling.
A Soul Reaper discovered the papers on the ground and brought them to her Captain to deal with. She knocked on his door and handed them to him directly.
"Thank you," said Byakuya. "I'll take it from here." He closed the door and retreated inside his dark office. Every blind had been closed and every light turned off but the dim light still irritated his senses. "It's too bright."
He set the papers on his desk and looked over at the person standing in the corner.
"Fill these out for me. I don't have the energy to waste on them."
Renji lifted his head and stepped forward, a look of admiration in his eyes. "Yes, my master."
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