Sorry Ely. I lied about the academy chapter. There will be one, but this isn't it.

-Nir

The summer's blue heat faded to a gentler smolder as the months passed. Hanatarou had few visitors besides Isane and the couple of loyal squad members who continued to care for him. Of course, Hisa did not tell him about the visits. After months of "No, Hana… Nobody came today." Hanatarou stopped asking. At first he suspecting the spirit was lying, once again looking out for him in its unorthodox way. Soon though, he realized that there would be no point in anybody visiting him when he would be completely unaware of their presence.

There was simply nothing to do in Hisa's realm. Hanatarou could swim now, but had no desire to go back into the freezing water. Even sleep was impossible, due to the hard, uneven ground and the damp, chilly air. Not only that, but he never felt tired. His body was already resting, and there was rarely anything to occupy his mind. He did not want to pine for those he'd left behind, but found himself unable to think about anything else. It was silly. They had lives of their own. Why would they waste any concern on him? He should be working on a way to wake himself up, if there was one.

The monotony was not at all helped by Hisa's sudden disinterest in him. The spirit was less talkative than it had been in the previous months. It no longer made attempts at conversation, and ignored most of Hanatarou's. Sometimes, Hisa would disappear off into the unearthly vastness of the lake, leaving Hanatarou alone. Though he knew that nothing else existed in the dead realm, he allowed himself to see things in the distant, shifting fog, and he would become frightened. Hisagomaru found that its master was always immensely relieved when it returned, even more so the longer it was away. It was an interesting connection, certainly, and one that Hisa would happily exploit. Hana had no other companions in this place. His memories of those he cared about in the real world were not enough to support him, so Hisa had to make up for their frailty. It sought to gradually tip those metaphorical pillars over until it was the only one that remained.

--

"Why isn't he better? You said he'd be better in a few months."

"I didn't say for sure-"

"Yes you did! Now it's been that long and nothing's happened!"

"Please, Shiba-san…" Isane raised her hands in an attempt to calm the large man. "We gave you an estimate. When this happens to someone, there's really no telling when they will wake."

"You said you'd take care of him! Look at him!" Ganju flung an arm in the direction of Hanatarou's bed. "He's wastin' away!"

"That's typical of coma patients."

"Can't you guys do anything to make it stop?"

"No. We really can't…" Isane sighed. She'd been busy all week and didn't have the patience to put up with Ganju at the moment. "I understand your concern, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But…"

"We're doing all we can for him. I'm sorry to say it, but your presence here makes it harder for us." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm really sorry, Shiba-san…"

Ganju stared at her for a moment. He wanted to argue, but he knew she was right. A big oaf like him wouldn't be any use in this place. What could he do? Blow things up with his fireworks? Even that wouldn't wake Hanatarou.

The kid had whined a lot about feeling like he was useless, and Ganju had always cuffed him on the back of the head, told him he was not, and demanded that he shut up about it. Now, he knew what Hanatarou had been talking about. It really was a terrible feeling, knowing your best friend was dying in the next room and there wasn't a single thing you could do but stay out of it.

Resigned, he exited without another word to Isane. She watched him go, then peered back into Hanatarou's room. Same as always, though the occupant was a bit paler and thinner now than he'd been when he was admitted. No additional signs of life to his breathing and the occasional flicker of his eyes beneath his closed eyelids. At least his mind was working as he slept.

"What are you thinking about, Hana…?" She asked quietly, crossing her arms as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Hopefully something happy."

Isane jumped. "T-taicho! I didn't hear you come in…"

Unohana smiled at her vice-captain. "Yes, I can be very quiet when I want to. What are you doing, Isane?"

"Just… just checking up on him." Isane replied. "He's, uh… he's doing okay…"

"As I expected." Unohana said. "Except that he has not woken, he is fine. Am I right?"

"Um…" Isane wasn't exactly sure what her captain expected her to say. "Y-yes... Taicho? I know you said it might be years, but… would you really let it last that long? He isn't brain-dead. Something's going on in there, and I'm sure he knows what's happened…"

Unohana listened patiently. She knew what Isane was going to ask, and answered during her vice-captain's hesitation. "I will wait as long as I can. Unless he slips into a completely vegetative state, we cannot even consider that option."

"I… I understand, taicho." She had to agree. Hanatarou might even have a link to the outside world through the spirit of his zanpakuto. What would he think of them if they gave up so quickly?

What would he think if they decided to end his suffering?

--

As insubstantial as the distraction was, Hanatarou found himself withdrawing into his memories again and again. It was difficult to stay away from thoughts of those he missed so dearly. This memory, however, wasn't a pleasant one. Hisa was gone, and he'd found himself thinking about it for once, as he thought of others like Rukia and Ganju. The ghostly words of a conversation they'd shared had drifted like the ambient fog from the back of his mind, where he put all sorts of things he didn't like to think about.

"I… I couldn't…"

"Why not…?"

At the time, the gray clouds had been riding high above the lake's surface, urged swiftly along by a chilly wind. It was the sort of ominous weather that preceded a storm. The storm was coming, but not for Hanatarou.

"They're trying to save Rukia-san. Don't you think-"

"No. You think, just for a moment about what would happen… These men are ryoka… Ruthless invaders… They have already hurt many, and they will continue their destruction if they are not stopped…"

Hanatarou was quiet, watching his pale reflection pensively. Even in the brisk breeze the water was still. At the moment his body was held captive by two of these invaders. Initially they'd tried to use him as a hostage, but he'd proved useless in that respect. Most likely, the only reason he was alive was that he was a healer. In fact, he'd just patched up them both, and Hisa had summoned him to its realm when he'd passed out from exhaustion.

"But… they're not really bad." He finally said. "They're just trying to rescue someone they care about…"

"I knooow, Hanaaaa… And I know you care for her too… Am I right…?" Hisa leaned in closer, putting its paws up on his crossed knees.

"I… I guess…" He looked timidly down at his lap, as he always did when such subjects were raised. "She was really nice to me, and I don't think she deserves to be executed. I want to save her too…"

"But you would be a hero! You would have taken down two of the strongest ryoka! Think of the praise, the admiration… You might even be promoted! Wouldn't you like that, Hanaaa?"

"I… maybe, but not if I had to… kill someone to get it." He winced as Hisa's nails dug into his skin.

"But… you are a Shinigami, Hanaaa…" The spirit grinned at him through clenched teeth. "You have destroyed Hollows… It will be no different. They lie asleep and helpless, Hanaaa… It will be so easy…"

Hanatarou shook his head, knowing what was coming. "It's not the same. Purifying Hollows and murdering someone defenseless…"

"This might be your only opportunity!" Hisa snarled, through with being patient. "Do not let it slip by! Kill them, Hana! Kill them and let us be recognized!" Its breath was cold, unpleasant in the same way a draft was in an otherwise warm bed. "Do you want to remain a servant, forever undistinguished?!" It swiped a paw at him, catching the side of his chin and leaving a trio of bright red lines. "KILL THEM, HANA! USE ME TO KILL THEM!"

He shoved it back. "I'm not that kind of person! Even if you beg me, I'll never be able to do it!"

Hisa's response was another enraged hiss as it flung itself at him again, clawing his bare wrists as he flailed against its attacks. He was aware that he was crying out in pain, but didn't realize it had carried over to the real world.

The light changed. He was back in the dingy sewer. Ichigo and Ganju were staring at him.

"What the hell was that?" Ichigo asked. At least Hanatarou thought it had been Ichigo. At the time he'd still been disoriented. The pain of Hisa's scratches lingered dully, though he found no marks on his face or hands.

He rubbed the back of his head nervously, looking away from them. "It… it was nothing…"