I can't believe I had anonymous reviewing disabled… Well, it's on now, so feel free to review, my non-account-having readers.

-Nir

Itegumo was concerned. His master had been acting oddly for several months. Not that she wasn't an unusual person to begin with. The woman frequently had nightmares about condiments, but this was something else entirely. She was distracted to the point where she was walking into walls, which was not at all helped by the fact that she hadn't had a good night's sleep in weeks. Itegumo hated seeing her so hung up on something, even if it was due to something as important as caring for a patient.

"So… I just thought I'd find out for her how your master is doing... Would that be all right with you, Hisagomaru-san?"

The tiny island on which the griffin stood was bordered with a delicate doily of frost. The wind howled like it was being tortured, sending fog billowing eerily around the two spirits. Hisa stood on the water's surface. Little crusts of ice had formed around its feet.

"Ah… the snake asked something similar of me… My answer is no." Hisa said, twitching its tail impatiently. "Must I repeat my reasons for keeping Hana isolated?"

"But…" Itegumo hesitated. He did not want to act pushy, but Hisa had to understand his reasoning. "Don't you think this would be good for both of them? It would put my master's mind at ease, and yours would have someone to talk to for a little while, to let him know that he's still being taken care of... You understand, don't you?"

"Oh yes, I understand…" Hisa's paws broke the ice surrounding them with a minute chink as it took a step toward Itegumo. "You wish to remind Hana of everything he is missing… Everything he cannot have… Surely you do not intend to be so selfish."

Itegumo shook his head hurriedly. "No, no, I… I really do think it would be good for him. I have only his best interests in mind… Please don't get the wrong idea, Hisagomaru-san."

"We do not need you or your master." Hisa said flatly. Itegumo's claws scrabbled on the rocky shore as he attempted to back away from the advancing spirit. "It would be best for Hana to be alone, as he is right now. Sudden change is never a good thing in delicate situations like this. The effects cannot be predicted. That is why you will stay away. Do you understand…?"

"I do, but…" Itegumo watched as Hisa began to circle the little island he stood on. "You cannot truthfully tell me that all is well with your master. He is wasting away despite any effort to keep him healthy. It isn't normal…"

"That is the fault of the caretakers, not my own…" Hisa said. "I would never mistreat the only person I care about. It is your master who is wrong…"

Itegumo frowned. "My… Isane would never neglect a patient. You know how dedicated she is to him. I know that you watch her, and that you don't like her. I may not know why you feel that way, but don't ever speak as if you know her better than I do…"

"Ooh…" Hisa cooed. It seemed to have touched a nerve. "Where were you when she so lovingly took him from his bed into the cold…? Perhaps next time she'll drop him and he'll split his head open, or maybe she'll be too busy cuddling him to remember to refill his nutrients… Anyway, you have no right to be lecturing me about neglect..."

Speechless, Itegumo stared down at his reflection, his claws curled tightly against the rock. True, Isane had been preoccupied lately, and she had made a few mistakes. Her heart was in the right place, though, and if she only knew that Hanatarou was doing well in Hisa's realm, maybe she would be able to focus better.

"Hisagomaru-san…" He finally spoke. "You must let me see your master, for both his sake and Isane's. She may very well hurt him in her current state, but if I were able to reassure her…" His voice trailed off. Hisa was staring at him, its eyes hard and unyielding. "Please, Hisagomaru-san…"

"Leave." Hisa began to turn back toward its own realm. "I no longer wish to hear your insipid whining. Your master's incompetence is not my problem. Deal with her on your own."

Itegumo could remain docile no longer. "Have you not been listening?!" The griffin demanded. "You said it yourself! Your master could die if Isane remains as she is now." Hisa did not even acknowledge Itegumo's outburst and remained with its back turned toward the other spirit. "Will you allow him to die for the sake of your own selfishness? Just because you don't want anybody else to see what you are doing to him? You say you care about him, but you really don't, do you? You only care about your influence on him!"

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, Itegumo felt Hisa's claws dig into his skin as the smaller spirit latched onto his neck, wrapping its long tail tightly around his throat. The griffin screeched in surprise and clawed at Hisa, beating his wings in agitation, but he could not get it to let go, and its grip was getting tighter. In his agitation Itegumo had backed farther into the water, which seemed to cling to his legs like icy concrete.

"Do not speak of things you do not understand, little birdy…" Hisa said softly, its breath cold on Itegumo's ear. "Hana and I are not the same as you, and we do not need your help…"

Itegumo shrieked as Hisa sunk its teeth into his ear, and then shrieked louder as it pulled until the thin membrane tore. He staggered back, too occupied by this new pain to pay attention to the pressure that had left his throat.

Hisa waited patiently until Itegumo recovered, then spat the remains of the griffin's ear into the water, where it sank quickly. "If I see you here again, or any other spirit for that matter… I will kill you. As you have just seen now, I could do it quite easily… Now, leave. I must get back to Hana. I would advise you to return to your own realm as well…"

For a few stunned and painful moments, Itegumo remained where he was. What was he going to tell Isane? Nothing he'd heard from Hisa would do anything to ease her mind, but what choice did he have? He didn't want to lie to her…

It was turned away, so Hisa did not see Itegumo as it struggled into the air and glided off to its home dimension. The griffin's claws had carved deep grooves into Hisa's back which bled sluggishly into the water. They would heal later. Simple interaction with a zanpakuto's wielder was sufficient to heal any damage done to it.

Besides, Hana was waiting, and Hisa was thirsty. Perhaps that could wait until they were done with the little remembrance sessions Hana was so dedicated to. Hisa found them very tiresome. They would need to done away with soon, so more important things could be discussed. Things that had been done wrong in the past and needed to be corrected. It would stand Hana's games for now, but Hisa's turn was coming.

--

"You actually spoke to it?"

"Yes, Isane-san..."

She had just finished one or her many-times-daily checkups on Hanatarou. She'd given him a bath, changed his clothing and sheets, made sure all his life-sustaining equipment was functioning properly, and tucked him back under his covers. The bathing and changing part only happened once a week and she always insisted on doing that part herself. Unbeknownst to her, this had led some of the other caretakers to believe her fixation went deeper than simple concern for the patient's well-being, but this was untrue.

Hanatarou would wake eventually, she was sure of it, and if his first interaction with his waking world went poorly it could really affect him in a bad way. She wanted to make sure he knew he was safe, that he was being cared for. There was no telling what his metal state would be like, so it would need to be handled delicately. Perhaps she was worrying over nothing, but it was better to be over-prepared than not at all.

"So… what did Hisagomaru say? Did you get to see Hanatarou?" Her desperation was heartbreaking. It would be wrong for Itegumo to lie, but if he told her the truth it would only make her feel worse.

"Hisagomaru-san..." Itegumo began. "…does not want to see anybody any more. It says… it told me it does not want help, or for anyone else to visit it…"

"You sound strained… Are you okay? It didn't… It didn't hurt you, did it?"

Itegumo was quiet for a moment. He had been trying not to let the pain from his severed ear show through in his voice. Isane had enough to worry about. She didn't need to know that Hisa was willing to use violence in its desperation to keep others away. "No, no. I'm just… concerned. You must relax, for Hanatarou's sake. Hisagomaru-san is worried you may hurt him accidentally…"

Isane looked over at the sleeping boy. He was turned on his side, away from her so she couldn't see his face. It was cooler now, especially at night, and these small back rooms were not used often enough for it to be worth heating them sufficiently. She had made up for this by piling plenty of blankets on him, enough to keep him warm without smothering him. "I would never hurt him…"

"I know that, but we can't afford to be careless. Hisagomaru-san says it is… taking good care of him…" This was a lie, and Itegumo hated to be the one to tell it. Hisa had not said such a thing, and Itegumo knew it was treating its master far from kindly. "I should not have bothered it. If it wants help, I'm sure it will ask."

"I certainly hope it will." Isane sighed, standing and slipping her zanpakuto back into its sheath. "I'd do anything it takes to wake Hanatarou…"

"As much as I wish to help him, I would not want to see you in his place."

"Yes, I suppose not. But if there's one thing you don't have to worry about, it's me going anywhere." Isane smiled to herself as she closed the door to Hanatarou's room behind her. "That's something I can promise."

--

Itegumo sighed and let his head fall onto his paws, sending up a puff of soft snow. He could not decide what was more worrying: That he'd lied to his master or what he'd learned in Hisa's realm. If Hanatarou woke, he might share with her the details of his confinement in his own head, and she'd find out then. There was always the chance that she might have forgotten by that time, but it was doubtful. Itegumo hoped she'd be able to forgive him. He'd only lied because he wanted her to be happy. And she was happy. Maybe things would get better, at least for her. There was nothing he could do for Hanatarou now but hope that he woke before Hisa had the chance to do any lasting damage.