Disclaimer; I don't own Bleach. Nuff said.
She couldn't breathe. The smoke was getting to her, invading her lungs, forcing her to cough as she collapsed on the ground, exhausted. Burned. The whole place was burning and she was too.
But it didn't hurt. Hinamori took another shaky breath, willing herself to move, to stand, to grasp cold steel one more time. Tobiume would not be used in a vengeful manner. Tobiume would not be used to spill blood. Tobiume, in her hands, had never been used for anything. Except for when she'd let herself be blinded by rage.
Tobiume, in her hands, would be used to protect.
It became her mantra as her fingers closed around the hilt of Tobiume's shikai form, energy already gathering there, ready, waiting. She took another shaky breath, calmed herself, raised the zanpakuto. Concentrated. Tobiume would be used to protect.
Who will I protect, Momo?
She frowned, gaze intent on the red ball of flame that licked at the hilt. She had no captain to defend anymore. She had alienated her friends, slowly but surely. And she had lost the trust of her division, if not the entire Gotei Thirteen. Who did she have left to defend? "We will protect each other. The fifth division. Kira-kun, Abarai-kun, Hisagai-senpai, Matsumoto-san, my friends. Granny. And-"
Growling. That is a lot of people, Momo. If you could only save one?
She closed her eyes, willing herself to control the blast, to not fire it until she was ready. Slowly, slowly the red flame was changing and she could feel it in the way Tobiume shook in her hands. "If I can only save one, then I am not who I thought I was."
Laughter. Honey and silk and wind chimes in summer breezes with the untamed roar of fire beneath it all. So who will we protect, Momo?
"We will protect everyone we can with our own power." Hinamori's eyes opened, confused, still feeling the ball of energy but no longer seeing it. She released and it flew true, hitting its mark but she couldn't trace its path, couldn't sense it from the time it left her zanpakuto to the time it hit. She smirked, summoning again, testing herself, willing the now invisible energy blast to follow her every command.
It did.
You will not find the world as you left it.
"I don't expect to."
People will not treat you as they once did.
"I wouldn't want them to."
Will you wield me as a weapon, then? Like every other fool in Seireitei, will you use me and yourself until there is nothing left?
She paused, not quite grasping the true meaning of the question. "You are my friend, Tobiume." Wasn't it that simple?
But you can be strong without me.
"I am stronger with you. You're not a weapon, but you are a part of me. Until there is nothing left, I can only hope you are willing to aid me when I need it. I will not force you to answer me." She didn't expect flame, any fire, to be so easily subjugated. After all, Yamamoto-taichou held the strongest fire based zanpakuto, and it showed in the way he carried himself. Neither bowed to the other. They simply were. Codependent. "I will not belong to you, either." Existing as one. "But I will lend you my strength when you need it." Together, burning.
For once, the zanpakuto had no reply. Hinamori continued on, gripping the hilt that much tighter.
Tobiume, in her hands, would be used to protect.
Medics rushed back and forth, carefully tending to the burns as they avoided jostling the girl. Nothing healed them, and they continued to feel hot to the touch, like there was a fire underneath her skin, constantly burning, trying to break its way out and consume her. Unohana watched, expression as guarded as the one before her.
"How long as it been?"
"She has been out for a week and a half." He shifted, brought his hands together, let them rest at his sides again.
"Her condition hasn't stabilized?"
"No. She has been going from fever to chills unexpectedly, and now there's this. But I do not think we need to worry. Her body is holding strong." He fidgeted under her watchful gaze, under the constricting orders laid in place to protect the girl that was looking more and more fragile as she whimpered softly.
"Does anyone thing she won't make it?"
Unohana paused, looked at him. Eyes narrowed as they met with stubbornness. "If they feel that way, it has not been made known to me. As far as I am aware, everyone is waiting for her to wake up. Not because they hope she will, but because they know she will."
"I was with Kira and Abarai last night. They said she looked-" He paused, unable to really find the words and not just because most of the previous night had been spent in a drunken stupor staring at each other and Matusumoto's breasts until Hitsugaya had finally come in search of his vice captain and dragged her off to bed with a reproachful glare, but because the words would mean he was admitting that the girl who had once saved his life was battling with something he couldn't help with.
She smiled warmly in response. "Hisagai-fukutaichou, your coming to visit means a lot to her, I'm sure. As you can see, she's not in any real physical pain. Anyone else with those sorts of burns would be screaming this place down at this point. Her heart is strong, and she will be able to tell you all about it when she wakes."
He frowned slightly, watching Hinamori's breath catch in her throat as she whimpered again. "I'll come back when I have a chance. Thank you, Unohana-taichou."
She watched him walk away, offering a quiet "you're always welcome here" to his retreating back. Unohana glanced back over at the sleeping girl, an amused expression on her face despite the seriousness of her burns. "Well, Hinamori-kun. It looks like you make friends whatever you do. And so patient, too. Don't disappoint us."
Is she in pain?
No. She burns, but it does not affect her. She is becoming immune.
The world will not wait for her.
She knows.
We are not waiting for her.
As long as you accept that she will return, there is nothing else you need to do.
I owe her my wielders life once. I could not have chosen him if it weren't for her.
It is not something she has concerned herself with.
Are you to continue then?
We will go until she cannot. No matter the outcome, she is the one I have given myself to. I have faith that she will be able to command me fully.
A girl like that, afraid of battle, constantly trying to find peaceful solutions, and you let her tame your fire?
No. There is no one that can tame fire. But she can utilize it, as long as it will protect.
But who will she use it to protect?
If you have to ask, then you do not know her at all.
No one knows her like you, Tobiume.
I wonder.
A/N: I don't know about you, but I have no clue what Hisagai's zanpakuto is called. As far as I'm aware it hasn't been released, and he's not been shown calling on it. So there you go. I'm not brave enough to make up a name, but hopefully it's clear enough without one.
And... Again with the older brother sentiment. Hinamori is the sort of person who draws people to her, and since she did save his life way back in the day I'm sure Hisagai's never forgotten that. A lot of people seem to forget about their relationship as well, so I just had to throw him in there for my own amusement. I'm not exactly taking requests on who else should visit her, but I am open to suggestions. :3