Chapter 6: Rukia puts her training to the test; Hitsugaya finds something new to fight for
She couldn't help but grin at him. This was clearly her Hitsugaya.
Rukia had been late because she had had a hard time falling asleep the night before. After the captain had dropped her off she had gone inside and begun the process of meticulously removing herself from the yukata, carefully folding the material and putting it away, and then getting ready for bed. She had focused her attention on the tasks at hand and it was only when she had been lying in bed that her mind had been flooded with thoughts.
She was going to be a lieutenant.
Well, she was going to try.
Rukia wasn't so modest that she completely doubted herself. She knew she had worked hard, she knew she had gotten stronger. She had objectively compared herself to the other lieutenants and could gauge where she stood with them. In terms of strength and power, she didn't quite come up to someone like Renji who had already achieved bankai, but Rukia could still hold her own against him anyway. She figured she was level with lieutenants like Hinamori and Nanao, which was not bad company to be in. Her fears more rested in the idea that what she thought was good enough was not actually what was good enough, and that she had somehow overestimated herself.
Another thing on her mind was Captain Hitsugaya.
Rukia often thought about the captain, but she had previously put this down to the fact that they were spending so much time together and he was pretty much her only extensive social interaction for the past few weeks. After last night, though, she had come to the realization that something was not quite what she thought it was.
When he had offered his hand, she had honestly just taken it automatically. When his fingers had wrapped around hers, though, something in her chest had jolted. It felt like her heart had stuttered. Something about the way he had secured his hold, comfortably, reassuringly, had greatly pleased her. She knew it was unlikely that he had had such intentions and that it was just a simple action on his part, but Rukia couldn't hide from herself that she had wanted it to be so.
It had left her feeling shy and overly self-conscious.
When he had asked if she would allow him to carry her, she had looked over at him and her first thought had been that he looked good, a thought that thoroughly panicked her. For transparency's sake, Rukia had thought the captain good-looking before, and had even gone so far as to say he was handsome, but this had been in a purely observational, matter-of-fact way. Last night it had been less that he looked good and more that he looked good to her. Rukia's heart had done another stutter thing. Then she had to consider his proposition.
On the one hand, the thought of being close to him greatly appealed to her (another heart stutter) but on the other hand, she felt like she would be putting herself in a position ripe with opportunities to make a fool of herself. What if she smelt bad? What if she was too heavy? What if her merely agreeing would make him think poorly of her? In the end, Rukia had to make herself back into a person without such thoughts, a normal person who wasn't evidently attracted to Captain Hitsugaya, and make her decision. Practically, it would be best if he carried her.
Rukia had both enjoyed and regretted her decision. She was close enough to him that she could feel the way his chest moved when he breathed (heart stutter) and see how his throat bobbed as he swallowed (heart stutter). Hitsugaya smelt like the thin layer of sweat he had accumulated from sitting in his office all day and the dry parchment paper and ink he handled most often, and each inhale made her heart stutter. She could also feel the brush of his hair against her hands where they were clasped behind his head at the base of his neck and noticed for the first time that his long, thin eyelashes were just as white as his hair—heart stutter and heart stutter.
Unfortunately, this arrangement had not been good for Rukia's heart and it made her wonder if she should have said no and remained ignorant of these things.
And yet whenever she thought about it she absolutely couldn't help the abashed smile that made its way onto her face. She had hidden that smile in her pillow and relived the moments until she had fallen asleep from exhaustion.
As Rukia followed behind Hitsugaya to wherever he was leading her, her eyes never straying from his back, she became aware that the erratic pounding of her heart had nothing to do with the exercise of shunpo. She couldn't help but think back to last night, the mere thought of which had her face flushing unnecessarily, making her whole face rosy by the time they arrived at their destination.
Hitsugaya had taken Rukia to a desolate outer Rukongai district. Here there were no souls or houses, only a standing forest from within which Rukia could feel the pulsing dark energy of hollows. She gave Hitsugaya a questioning look.
"The barrier between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society is very weak here," he explained. "Hollows therefore often congregate within these woods. There's bound to be a few hiding out here at any given time."
"So…this is a fieldtrip?"
Hitsugaya smiled. Rukia looked away.
"Over the past few weeks I've calculated what your kill per minute is."
Rukia swung her head back to look at him. His smile widened. "Yes, did you think my timing you was without reason?"
"I thought you wanted to torture me," she said honestly.
"That too," he said carelessly and Rukia felt her chest tighten, as if there were warm bubbles being pumped into it.
"I won't tell you what it is because your aim today is not to beat it and I don't want you focusing on that," he said. "This stretch of forest goes on for about two miles. The minute you step foot inside, the hollows there will immediately begin to attack you. I want you to make it through to the other side, killing as many as you can. I'll be following behind you to keep score and to be there just in case."
Rukia frowned. "What's to stop the hollows from going after you instead of me?"
Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at her. "I believe the head captain told you that you should always have one of Kurotsuchi's suppressants on you?"
Immediately understanding, Rukia withdrew the piece of red paper Nemu had delivered to her so long ago. Hitsugaya leaned over and took it from her, being none too careful about how his fingers touched her hand and somehow restricting her ability to breathe properly.
He rolled up the sleeve of his shihakusho and placed the suppressant on the inside of his wrist. Rukia tried not to be too distracted by his exposed skin.
"It's supposed to go on your head," she said absentmindedly.
"This will do," he said resolutely, looking not at all pleased at the idea of sticking the bright red thing on his head.
Rukia felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu recede and the air around her became noticeably warmer and drier. It didn't completely disappear but dropped to a level so miniscule that no hollow would choose him over her.
Hitsugaya fixed her with a look so amiable Rukia had to force herself to look away, pretending she was scoping out the trees in front of her.
"If it gets to be too much for you, you just need to call for me," he told her. "You might not be able to feel me all the time but I'll always be close to you."
Rukia could do no more than nod.
"Alright," he said. "Are you ready?"
She turned to face the trees, drawing her zanpakuto. The blade glinted promisingly in the early morning sun and Rukia pushed all other thoughts but what she was supposed to do out of her mind. She glanced over at the captain, who was steadily watching her, and nodded.
She was ready.
Hitsugaya looked down at Rukia and couldn't help his smile. Those swings of her sword, that stance—he had taught her that.
As he had predicted, she had been swarmed by hollows the minute her little foot had crossed the threshold of trees. She had made easy work of those small-fry and preceded inward. Rukia didn't seem too eager to get through the forest. She was taking her time, making sure to get to every hollow that she could see, even though there were quite a few she could just easily outrun. Hitsugaya had meant what he said when he decided not to tell her what her kill per minute was but it seemed she had taken it to heart regardless.
He followed behind her, moving from tree branch to tree branch, silently keeping count. It had only been about eight minutes, they weren't even at the middle point yet, and Rukia had already taken care of twenty-five hollows—granted, most couldn't be considered dangerous opponents, but there were a few more powerful ones in the bunch. And she had done all of this with an unsealed zanpakuto.
For the first time since Hinamori had been made a lieutenant, Hitsugaya felt pride that had nothing to do with his own accomplishments.
At some point, deeper into the forest where the hollows could no longer be taken lightly, she had released Shirayuki and Hitsugaya had felt the relaxingly cool reiatsu brush against his skin. It was strange, having always been surrounded by his own reiatsu, he had forgotten what it felt like to feel a cool breeze until he had stood within range of Rukia's reiatsu.
She was powerful enough to draw frost over the ground and even a few surrounding trees from her release alone. Of course, the trade-off here was that this attracted more hollows.
Hitsugaya believed in Rukia and her abilities and hadn't been concerned up until this point. But watching the horde of hollows descend on her made something pull incredibly tight and taut inside him. As he stood on a high branch, looking down at her, he felt his stomach drop.
It was strange, he thought, that the way he felt about the girl could only be compared to the way he felt about Hinamori, but it wasn't exactly the same. Before really getting to know her, Hitsugaya had regarded Rukia as a normal but rather unfortunate Shinigami, what with what had happened with Kurosaki and then the Hogyoku. Spending some time in the human world, he had come to learn a little about her personality, which at the time he had merely thought was perhaps something one wouldn't expect of a so-called noble and then moved on. Getting to know her these past few weeks, he had come to realize that she was quite a bit more than just that.
He felt protective of Hinamori because she had always been that kind of person he felt was very easily taken advantage of. It had nothing to do with strength, he knew Hinamori was strong. But she had never had to learn to be cautious of anyone, was always readily trusting and chose to always see the best in everyone. Aizen had been a rude awakening for her and though Hitsugaya would give a limb if it meant she didn't have to suffer the way she had by his betrayal, he was somewhat grateful that at least she now knew better, and she could grow from the experience.
Hitsugaya didn't have to worry about these things when it came to Rukia. In addition to being strong herself, he knew her life experiences had done well for her in the end and she could handle herself in any situation. But yet despite this, Hitsugaya couldn't help but still feel like he had to protect her. It was a weird contradiction because as much as he firmly believed in her and what she was capable of, he couldn't help but think she still found herself in trouble more often than not, had been hurt numerous times in the past, and despite the many powerful people around her, her life had somehow ended up hanging precariously in the balance.
At first, he had thought he pitied her, but pity couldn't be this strong and Rukia wasn't a person who embodied pity anyway. It had taken him a while to realize that he had grown very fond of the girl, so much so in fact that he cared about what happened to her, he worried about her, and he would miss her if she was gone from his life. Hitsugaya wasn't a person who gave much thought to his relationships with other people. It was all black and white in his eyes. But for the first time, he found himself desiring to put effort into maintaining the relationship he had with Rukia. It was a thought that kept him up at night. She was an asset to his life simply by just being in it.
She was stubborn and fiercely determined. She was respectful and kind, and was honest and open about how she treated people. She had good sense and knew when to hold her tongue and when to speak out. She was loyal and forgiving to a fault but managed to be this way while also avoiding being taken advantage of. She was always mindful of herself and considerate of others. Occasionally, she could be childish, but this part of herself she seemed determined to keep hidden. Hitsugaya had only seen glimpses of it under Matsumoto's profuse affection and attention.
She was also somewhat awkward and closed-off, presenting a very rigid and artificial version of herself at first—if he hadn't seen for himself how she treated Kurosaki and Abarai, he might have never known otherwise. She had been very cautious how she interacted with him and even when she had relaxed and become more open, she had never seriously toed the line between them. Usually, this was how Hitsugaya preferred to be treated, but he couldn't help but think that, for all the time they spent together, she should be treating him more familiarly by now, and it greatly bothered him.
Looking at her small back as she weaved through the trees and hollows, Hitsugaya thought it would be nice if she could look at him the way she looked at Kurosaki and Abarai.
Down below, Rukia was growing tired but she was still pushing through. She hadn't sustained any serious injuries, just some cuts and scrapes, but by now she was covered in sweat and fatigue. But Hitsugaya knew this was also a test of determination and Shinigami often had to find extra strength and power amidst battles after they had been fighting for a long time.
He would not and could not interfere prematurely, even if every time a hollow snuck up on her from behind and it seemed like she wouldn't notice in time, his heart constricted. He had told her to call him if she needed him but he knew she wouldn't do that even if she should. So Hitsugaya could do little more than stay back and bear it, though he absolutely would step in if he had to, whether she thought to call for him or not.
Rukia continued to cut down hollows like her life depended on it. She spared not a single one, clearing a clean path to the exit. It was only a small forest and Hitsugaya was sure she had completely eradicated it of hollows. She was almost at the end when Hitsugaya felt a change in the air. From the way Rukia jerked to a stop, he knew she had felt it too. It only took Hitsugaya a moment to recognize the new presence and he couldn't help the sharp spike in his reiatsu, noticeable even with the suppressor.
It was unlikely that Rukia could still feel his suppressed reiatsu with the distance between them so despite knowing he was nearby, she likely had no idea where he actually was.
She had been vigilantly surveying the area, all senses on high alert, but when she felt his reiatsu flare, she couldn't help but swing around to look up at him.
At the same time, a sharp white claw came down on her, completely shredding the material of her shihakusho. The hollow made its signature sound, a sharp, high-pitched screech that sent the birds in the trees scattering. Rukia was too surprised to even make a sound, unable to stop herself from pitching forward.
Hitsugaya didn't even think. His body was moving before he even realized and he dropped from the tree, Hyorinmaru already in his hands. Screecher stood between him and Rukia. The girl was alive but winded and struggling to get to her feet.
Screecher turned its attention to him and swung its arm forward, catching his blade at an angle that pushed him back a few feet. Screecher's claws retracted and Hitsugaya leapt into the air, bringing his zanpakuto down on the hollow's head.
But Screecher was much faster than he had been before, and nimbly dodged, skittering to the side. Hitsugaya pursued him, relentless attacking with his sword and directing him away from where Rukia was.
The trees here were too densely packed for him to swing his zanpakuto normally and Screecher just kept dodging his blows. The hollow made a sharp turn, catching the trunk of a tree with his claws and leaping over Hitsugaya's head. It landed behind him and then took off, heading straight for the injured girl.
Hitsugaya swore and ran after it.
Rukia was leaning heavily against a tree, staining the wood with blood. Hitsugaya wished she would run but it was clear by the way her eyes locked on the hollow approaching her and the tight grip with which she held her zanpakuto that she had no such thoughts. Screecher headed straight for her, weaving through the trees like a ghost.
Hitsugaya tried to direct his reiatsu to freeze it, but the damn suppressor wouldn't let him and he couldn't let go of Hyorinmaru to peel it off his wrist—he was now sorely regretting not putting it on his forehead. Screecher was a leap away from Rukia, Hitsugaya bearing down on the hollow. It raised its arm, sharp claws poised to cut through the tiny Shinigami in front of it. Rukia didn't flinch, pushing herself off the tree and directly into its path. Hitsugaya swung his sword forward.
Having no choice, he began, "Sōten ni zase—"
Several things happened all at once.
A blanket of snow and ice wrapped around Screecher's feet, causing the hollow to trip and plough into the ground, but it didn't come from Hitsugaya. Rukia's reiatsu wasn't as powerful or as overwhelming as Hitsugaya's but it did the trick. Without a second's hesitation, she drove her blade through the hollow's mask and head. At the same time, Hitsugaya stumbled out of his shunpo and crumpled to the ground. The second he had uttered those words he could feel himself being pulled away and he had a brief moment of incredulity. After having tried for weeks to meditate and fight his way into his inner world by trying to release Hyorinmaru, it was only now that it worked. Hyorinmaru seemed equally as reluctant, his attention on the little Shinigami ahead of them and the small pool of blood that had gathered under her feet.
Rukia had to drive Shirayuki into the ground to keep standing. Her side where the hollow had clawed at her felt like it was on fire, and was slick with blood. It occurred to her that Screecher's claws might have been more than just sharp, as her vision had begun to blur.
She took a moment to gather some strength and in a burst of stamina, she shunpo'd over to where Hitsugaya lay on the ground. She had already figured out what had happened but she didn't have the time to think about it. She had done a good job of clearing the immediate area of hollows but Hitsugaya had said that the barrier here was weak, so no doubt there would be more soon. She had to at least get him out of the forest. Fortunately, she had almost made it to the other side when Screecher had appeared.
Gritting her teeth against the dizzying pain and ignoring the protest of her body, she quickly dragged the young captain up from under his arms and hoisted him over her uninjured side. Then she shunpo'd them both out of there.
She didn't stop until she just couldn't run anymore. The forest was far behind them when her knees hit the ground. Laying next to her, Hitsugaya's body was limp and unresponsive. Rukia gave him a once over, making sure he wasn't actually injured, and then looked around her but even at this distance, it seemed that no soul would be found around an area like this. She knew she would never make it back to Seireitei and she couldn't count on the captain waking up in time.
Feeling her consciousness slipping away with every second, her body in so much pain she could feel herself going into shock, Rukia quickly threw a protective barrier up around them. Then she crawled closer to the captain, unsteady hands peeling away his sleeve so she could get to the suppressant he still had on him. If she took it off then someone would notice his reiatsu, she was hoping. Even if the same thing happened again and he began to freeze the area around him, she was sure she could withstand it long enough for help to find them. There was nothing else she could do and her brain was too overwhelmed by pain to think further.
The small red paper was stark against his lightly tanned skin. If Rukia had a little more presence of mind, her heart might have done that stutter thing as she held his hand in hers, leaving bloody imprints of her fingers on his clean skin. As it were, her heart was busy trying to keep her alive. She immediately reached for the paper, fingers trembling.
The last thing that could have occurred to her right then was the experiment they were supposed to be doing. Rukia hadn't even thought about it. But the minute her fingers brushed the thin edge of the paper, it came back to her all at once, because there was that feeling of her bones being tugged forward. The pain disappeared almost immediately and her vision completely failed. Desperately, Rukia tried to fight it this time, but it was like something had buried itself into her soul and was dragging her forward. The incredulity of the situation finally hit her as she lost all feeling and plunged into the darkness.
At the Twelfth Division laboratories, Captain Kurotsuchi looked up at the time and clicked his tongue.
"Nemu!" he called for his lieutenant, unable to keep the irritation from his voice.
"Yes, sir?" she said timidly from where she stood, not two feet away. Kurotsuchi swung around to look at her, frowning.
"Is it not time to deliver the hollows to the Tenth Division?" he asked her, and in the same breath, mumbled, "My experiments are not toys for others to play with. That Captain Hitsugaya has some nerve to request as many as he has. I expect my generosity to be repaid fittingly when the time comes."
Nemu didn't show any particular reaction to this. She said, "Captain Hitsugaya has sent word that they will not be needed today."
Kurotsuchi stopped short, his mouth twisting in that way it did when he was unreasonably displeased. He sneered a little at the lieutenant and turned away.
"Has the reiatsu suppressant stock you gave away to that Kuchiki girl been replaced?"
"They have, sir."
"Let me see," he demanded impatiently.
Obediently, Nemu retrieved a small box and placed it in front of him. The captain lifted the lid, took a look inside and froze.
"Nemu," he said calmly.
"Yes?" the girl replied, her tone not indicating she thought something was wrong.
"Please tell me which suppressors are in this box," the captain requested, voice clearly edging on something sharp.
The clueless lieutenant leaned forward. In the box was a neat stack of small red squares of paper. Kurotsuchi pointed one of his deathly pale, enamelled fingers at the tiny, almost unnoticeable inscription at the bottom edge of the topmost sheet.
"What does that say?" he asked levelly.
"Reiatsu suppressor special prototype," Nemu read.
"Yes, yes," Kurotsuchi mocked her. "Am I to believe that this means that what you gave that Kuchiki girl were these?"
Nemu leaned back on her feet, her hands clasped before her. She bowed her head. "My apologies, Captain Kurotsuchi."
"You imbecile!" he seethed, his reiatsu flaring enough to knock the box off the table. The red papers scattered like dropped wine on the floor. He turned on his heel and marched out of the lab.
"Come!" he ordered sharply. "We must find Captain Hitsugaya right away!"
When she could see again, Rukia was looking at an all too familiar wintry valley. It looked exactly as it had last time, a frozen over lake with sharp and imposing icy mountains all around. Rukia was standing on the same snowy hill she had been on before but there was no storm this time, though the sky ahead was still covered by dark grey clouds.
As she stood there collecting herself, three heads turned in her direction.
The two Hitsugayas were standing on opposite sides of the valley. Rukia could tell that they hadn't started anything yet by their pristine appearances. The one closest to her mouthed her name, a little shock and a lot of relief in his expression. She couldn't help but grin at him. This was clearly her Hitsugaya. The other one only looked at her blankly.
Hyorinmaru was standing nearby to her Hitsugaya. His face was a little harder to read but he definitely didn't look displeased to see her.
"Rukia!" her Hitsugaya called up to her.
She gave him a wave of assurance. "I'm fine," she said, lowering herself to sit. "Don't mind me."
Truthfully, she was maybe not fine. She didn't feel as present here as she had the last time, but she knew there was nothing that could be done. She would have to wait for Hitsugaya to finish his fight before she could leave, and knowing that time flowed differently here than in reality, she could only hope it would only be a short time before she returned.
Her Hitsugaya frowned but turned his attention back to the valley. From where she sat, she could see them talking but couldn't hear.
"This is not a battle to take lightly," Hyorinmaru was saying to his wielder. "Your opponent has access to things you do not yet possess. It may seem like you are fighting on the same level but remember that he has nothing to lose. You will be guided only by your own strength. I will not be able to help you."
"I got it," Hitsugaya said, his face serious, eyes sharpening on the mirror image of himself that was waiting patiently.
Hyorinmaru considered him for a moment. "That girl," he said at length, "has been seriously injured."
Hitsugaya snapped his eyes to him and frowned. He had suspected that, of course, and he hadn't forgotten. There was more at stake here now, though in actuality, Rukia could have very well died the first time, too, slowly freezing to death in that hospital room as she waited for him to finish. But back then, there had been people looking after her on the outside. The circumstances this time were alarmingly graver. He glanced up at the girl, who was looking at them curiously.
"The longer she stays here, the more I suspect she bleeds out on the surface," Hyorinmaru went on, his normally matter-of-fact voice coated in a novel mixture of gravity and urgency. "You are also fighting for her life."
Hitsugaya could see himself reflected in Hyorinmaru's placid eyes. "I understand," he said quietly.
His zanpakuto spirit gave him a brisk nod and disappeared, reappearing next to Rukia. It was like the dragon was standing guard over the girl and Hitsugaya could only be assured leaving her to Hyorinmaru. He gave them one last look and then turned back to his opponent.
The pseudo version of himself was looking at him calmly. The first time they had fought, his opponent had been the one to make the first move. This time, Hitsugaya couldn't afford to wait. With a quick flash step, he crossed the icy lake between them, swinging his sword forward. His opponent reacted exactly like Hitsugaya would, blocking his attack with a swift parry.
Looking into his own eyes was a surreal experience and he wondered if his own gaze always looked this cold and detached. His opponent pushed him away, coming in with a swing of his own. Hitsugaya dodged, the missed hit striking the ice with a loud crack, sending shards flying in every direction. The first time, it had taken them less than an hour to completely obliterate the ice over the lake. Hitsugaya couldn't be certain what it would mean when there was no longer any ice to stand on, but he thought it could only count as a loss.
The first round of attacks took them into the centre of the lake. The valley was filled with the sounds of a sword fight, clanking metal and ice breaking. Hitsugaya was much more prepared with his attacks this time. Unfortunately, his opponent was himself, so there was nothing of his fighting style and strategy that the other Hitsugaya didn't know or couldn't predict. It had been like this the first time, too, and in the end, every blow he had landed had been given back to him, leaving them both bloodied and injured. Occasionally catching sight of Rukia's dark head as he moved, Hitsugaya knew he couldn't do the same this time.
But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get the upper hand. Half of his mind was on what was happening back in the real world—where they were and what Rukia's condition actually was—and the urgency of the situation. Her presence in his inner world felt very faint.
His opponent seemed to be taking advantage of his distraction and Hitsugaya would see his eyes flicker over to where the girl sat as often as his did. It was all Hitsugaya could do to keep the other's attacks at bay. That is until he was a second too late in his defence.
The blade nicked his own and slid into his chest, just above his ribcage. His hand managed to catch the hilt early, stopping it from going any further. He bit back the grunt of pain and swiped with his own sword but the other man retreated quickly and Hitsugaya caught only the cold air he left behind.
From here it all seemed to go downhill. His opponent didn't give him a chance and seemed more intent than ever to defeat him. Hitsugaya was a little thrown by this change in attitude. The other man bore down on him, relentlessly attacking him with no reprieve. Hitsugaya struggled to get his own attacks in and before long he was riddled with wounds and injuries. By comparison, his opponent was almost unscathed.
At some point, the other Hitsugaya caught his leg with the edge of his sword, bringing him to his knees on the ice. Without hesitation, the other man aimed his blade for his neck. Hitsugaya barely caught it with the hilt of his sword, unable to hide the incredulity in his expression.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked the other man and watched as his eyes took on another layer of frost. He didn't reply—Hitsugaya had never heard him speak—and leapt back, quickly aiming another blow at his head.
From where she sat, Rukia could plainly see that her Hitsugaya was not winning. Though she hadn't paid very close attention the first time, she could still tell that his opponent, whom she had decided to call Hitsugaya#2 to prevent confusion, was far more hostile than he had been before, and seemed more intent to kill the other man than anything else.
As her Hitsugaya struggled to his feet, she couldn't help but look up at Hyorinmaru worriedly.
At the start of the fight, Hyorinmaru had greeted her very respectfully, calling her Little Lady Kuchiki. It had tickled her insides in a way she couldn't explain. He had asked her to watch quietly and keep her reiatsu low so any spikes from her reactions wouldn't be felt by the two below them. Rukia had agreed readily, though she didn't tell him that her spirit pressure being so low wasn't really a conscious effort at this point.
The dragon had kept quiet since then, unmoving next to her, but looking down at the fight with a barely noticeably furrowed brow.
She felt like she shouldn't disturb him but couldn't help quietly calling his name. The man looked down at her. Rukia couldn't know but even for a spirit of a spirit, she looked very pale. The frown between Hyorinmaru's guarded eyes became more pronounced.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Captain Hitsugaya," she began uncertainly, redirecting her gaze back to the fight below. "What happens if he doesn't pass?"
"Do you not think he will?" he asked instead, sharp eyes looking carefully at her face.
"Of course I don't think that," she said immediately, and it was true, even if her stomach felt like it dropped completely out of her abdomen every time Hitsugaya sustained an injury. "But there must be some consequence for failing, right? I'm just wondering what it is."
The man considered her for a moment. "There are consequences," he said after a while. "But they are consequences only my master would know."
Rukia blinked up at him. "Are you worried he won't win?" she asked plainly.
"I am not," Hyorinmaru replied calmly, looking down at his master, who had just created a deep gash across his opponent's chest but was struggling to evade the other's attacks. "Because he will win."
"Then," Rukia caught his eyes and said slowly, "What are you afraid of?"
For the longest time, Hyorinmaru didn't answer. Down below them, the ice was being broken away by the strength of the two over it. Her Hitsugaya looked worse than he had the first time, while Hitsugaya#2, while not uninjured, was in far better shape. Despite this, Rukia hadn't given up hope. She remembered what he had told her once, and decided that being worried was okay, but having doubts was unacceptable. There was no one she believed in more than Captain Hitsugaya in that moment.
"Little Lady Kuchiki," Hyorinmaru said next to her, catching her by surprise. The man wasn't looking at her. Right now, his eyes only had room for his master. "Why do you wield your sword?" he asked her.
Sode no Shirayuki wasn't with her in this world but Rukia couldn't help the familiar motion of her hand passing over the hilt that usually rested at her hip. She considered her answer thoughtfully. She had fought for many things in her life: her place in the world, recognition, to protect herself. But the times she had really fought with her heart on the line had been for only one reason.
"To protect the things I love," she said.
If Rukia wasn't looking at him, she would have missed the slight curve of Hyorinmaru's mouth, which startled her in its inconceivable-ness and by how similar it was to Hitsugaya's.
"You and my master have that in common," the dragon told her.
Rukia's heart missed a beat. "And you," she said softly.
Hyorinmaru's blue eyes flickered over to her. They had always been unreadable, almost empty, but for the first time, she could see clearly what was in there.
"Yes. In this life, there is only one thing I want to protect."
She couldn't hold his gaze, looking away. Hyorinmaru said nothing more. Down below was a familiar scene.
Her Hitsugaya was kneeling on the ice, his arms raised, sword blocking the blade that was bearing down on him. Rukia could see the tension in his arms as clearly as she could see the way Hitsugaya#2's sword was slowly inching forward.
"How did you know," Hyorinmaru's voice came from beside her. "Which one was my master the first time?"
Now it was Rukia's turn to remain silent, watching the scene below her intently. The sound of metal sliding against metal suddenly broke the still silence in the air. Her Hitsugaya released the tension between them, ducking under the blades and catching his opponent's knee with a swift and powerful kick.
Rukia smiled. "That," she pointed unnecessarily, not at all noticing the way her arm seemed to shimmer in transparency. "The first time, even when he knew he was going to be defeated, he had that look on his face."
Hitsugaya had got to his feet, looking down at his fallen opponent. "You keep looking at her," he said. "Why? What do you want with her?"
He didn't expect the other man to answer, already preparing to swing his sword forward. But the other him did speak, his voice and tone eerily identical to Hitsugaya's.
"You keep looking at her too," he said, manoeuvring to his feet agilely.
Hitsugaya frowned, catching the other's quick attack. Over the crisscross of their blades, his steely blue eyes looked back at him. "I am you, Captain," he told him softly. "I can only want what you want."
Unhesitatingly, his opponent withdrew just far enough to redirect his blade to the centre of Hitsugaya's chest. But the captain dodged, momentarily oblivious to all of his pain and injuries. His eyes had sharpened at the statement and he found himself filled with renewed determination. His eyes passed briefly over Rukia's dark form above. Her spirit pressure had been steadily growing fainter. Hitsugaya didn't need to be a genius to figure out what that meant.
"You want to defeat me so Rukia can leave," he surmised. "You want to save her."
His opponent didn't answer but frowned. He, too, looked over at the girl. Hitsugaya guessed he knew about her diminishing spirit pressure just as he did.
Without warning, Hitsugaya drove his blade forward. It caught the other man in his abdomen, missing vital organs just by the other's quick reaction. Still, blood flowed forward and onto the ice, and Hitsugaya was exceptionally violent when he withdrew his sword, opening the wound even more.
The shock he saw reflected in the other's eyes was almost vilifying. But he didn't stay unmoving for long, countering with a brutish stab of his own. But Hitsugaya was expecting it, nimbly moving out of the way.
"You should know, when you defeated me the last time, I remained unconscious for several hours afterwards," he said, voice calm but hard. "Even if Rukia did wake up, at this point she wouldn't be able to do anything. And where we are, there's no one coming to help."
The other him paused at this. Hitsugaya didn't let it go to waste, coming in with another swipe of his sword. He missed this time but managed to push the other closer to the edge of where the ice had broken off.
"If you really want to help her, your only option is to stop this fight and release me."
He watched the other man frown, a clearly conflicted look crossing his face. "I want her to be saved," he said, voice pained. It was hard to see these emotions in the other man, because Hitsugaya had himself been trying to keep them buried during their fight. "But I can't stop. Once you're here, we have to finish this, one way or the other."
Hitsugaya had been expecting this. The other man came in for another attack and the power behind it was unexpectedly fierce, his face heavy with determination. Hitsugaya didn't even flinch. He blocked with his sword, which pushed him back a few feet. Before the other could retreat he reached up and grabbed his arm, pulling him violently forward, jerking him right off his feet so he was now the one kneeling on the ground.
Hitsugaya looked down at his own face. "That means I have no choice but to defeat you," he said quietly, and with astonishing swiftness, he slid his sword out from between their bodies, somehow managing not to slice a limb off, and drove it into the ice. He used as much strength as he could and the ice obligingly cracked, giving way under them. He watched the shock on the other man's face but unflinchingly leapt into the air, pulling his sword free and bringing it down on his opponent's shoulder, driving it deep into his torso.
The other man didn't have his feet beneath him to evade or escape the sinking ice. His body sunk unceremoniously, tinting the clear water with dark blood before he completely vanished. Hitsugaya didn't stick around, immediately shunpoing over to where Rukia was and stumbling in the snow at the sight of her cradled in Hyorinmaru's arms.
His zanpakuto spirit's face was exceptionally dark, and making an expression Hitsugaya had never known the dragon could make. The unmoving girl was thrust into his arms. Hitsugaya looked down at her pale face, startled by the way her features seemed to be flickering. Above them, the dark clouds had started to retreat, revealing the bright and colourful aurora borealis that usually occupied the sky.
"Leave!" Hyorinmaru ordered him shortly.
Hitsugaya didn't need to be told twice. Holding her close to his body, he closed his eyes and focused, allowing the snow around him to fade from his mind.
When he came to, he found himself looking up into the Rukongai sun. He was lying flat on his back, the ground beneath him hard and unforgiving. There was an unmoving weight lying across his chest and cold fingertips against his wrist.
Like he had been struck by a jolt of electricity, Histugaya sat up, taking care to wrap his arms around Rukia's body so as not to jostle her. Holding her head against his chest, his fingers found the torn material of her shihakusho at her side. He was somewhat surprised to find that the blood there had been frozen over, but as he took stock of his surroundings, he discovered that there was a kido barrier around them and the ground within the barrier had been covered in a layer of hoarfrost.
With a pounding heart, he examined the girl in his arms. She was still unconscious but alive. Like it was the most natural thing in the world, and overwhelmed by relief, he brushed his lips against her forehead, comforted by the warmth he felt there.
At the same time, he felt the sudden appearance of familiar reiatsu. He looked up to find Kurotsuchi, his lieutenant Nemu, and Matsumoto step down outside the barrier. Unabashed relief flooded Matsumoto's face.
"Captain!"
"Matsumoto," he addressed her, voice hoarse with urgency. "Rukia needs the Fourth—"
"Nemu, get rid of this," Kurotsuchi ordered his lieutenant, gesturing at the barrier. She took it down in no time, and came to kneel beside him. Matsumoto appeared on his other side, her worried eyes alternating between her captain and the unconscious girl he was holding. Hitsugaya tried to stand, wanting to immediately shunpo back to Seireitei. But both lieutenants placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him back.
"If you leave like that, you'll drop her," Kurotsuchi informed him. "Nemu, deal with the girl. Captain Hitsugaya, where is my suppressor?" he asked, eyes carefully scrutinizing the other man's head.
Hitsugaya frowned, his arms instinctively tightening around Rukia when he felt her being pulled out of his hold. It was only through Matsumoto's gentle persuasion that he reluctantly let her go.
"The suppressor, Captain Hitsugaya," Kurotsuchi demanded impatiently.
Keeping one eye on Rukia as Nemu forced a pill between her teeth and began her healing, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the piece of paper stuck to his wrist. His stomach dropped at the sight of bloody fingerprints on his skin.
Kurotsuchi's eyes seemed to darken, looking at Hitsugaya's wrist at then at the unconscious Shinigami. His expression became very resigned. He turned to Matsumoto.
"Who removed it the first time?" he asked her.
Matsumoto blinked in confusion for a moment, before recalling slowly, "Captain Unohana."
"And she was wearing gloves, I presume," the Twelfth Division captain mused. "Captain Hitsugaya, I suggest you remove that thing from your body and destroy it. Though if you and Kuchiki would like to repeat your experience for an experiment, you are more than welcome to keep it. You can consider it repayment for the hollows I have loaned you."
Hitsugaya ignored him but ripped the paper off himself, directing the resulting spike in his reiatsu to freeze the thing before crumpling the now fragile paper into dust.
"Is this thing the reason Rukia was pulled into my inner world, Kurotsuchi?" he asked darkly.
"Is that what happened?" Kurotsuchi replied with clinical interest. "I see. How unexpected. This will require more research. I will have to make arrangements at the laboratory, if she lives," his apathetic eyes passed over Rukia's body, "Though a dead body is useful in its own ways."
Hitsugaya only became aware of how his reiatsu flared by the way Matsumoto dug her fingers into his shoulder and how Nemu flinched away from him.
"How's Rukia," Matsumoto asked hastily, directing his attention back to the girl.
"I've healed what I can of her external wounds," the other lieutenant said emotionlessly, "However, it appears that the wounds were infected by some kind of poison. I'm afraid she will have to be taken to Captain Unohana immediately."
Hitsugaya succeeded in getting to his feet this time. Physically, he was fine, but his limbs seemed a bit unfamiliar to him and he stumbled. Matsumoto's hand grabbed onto him.
"Let me take her, Captain," she said quickly.
Hitsugaya frowned, clearly unwilling, but, not entirely trusting himself, he gave her a nod.
Kurotsuchi clicked his tongue. "Poison, eh? How interesting. Nemu, follow and collect a blood sample for me. Captain Hitsugaya, we will be speaking again." And with that, the strange captain disappeared.
Hitsugaya didn't spare him another thought. He watched with some anxiousness as Matsumoto gathered up the girl in her arms. His body protested somewhat as he shunpo'd and it was difficult to keep up with his lieutenant but he managed through sheer force of will, Nemu trailing unobtrusively behind. His eyes barely left Rukia's pale face.
Hang in there, he thought uneasily.
Speaking for the first time since he had left his inner world, Hyorinmaru quietly echoed the sentiment.
End of part two.