This is without a doubt the darkest chapter so far. Hurrah for writing four pages at 1:30 in the morning!

You know, it's not as if I don't appreciate every review I get, but it's sort of futile to go 'update soon!' because I'm not going to update soon. It almost always takes me a few months to write a chapter. You could use that space to say something else if you'd like, but far be it from me to tell people how to review. Just enjoy the story, but remember, there probably won't be any more for a while :( Don't forget though that I will finish this! Never give up hope!

-Nir

It was Ogidou's turn to move Hanatarou. As always, the sterile white room was a neutral 75 degrees. The curtained windows glowed softly with sunlight reflected off the white tiled walkways outside. The snow had long been cleared from them by the diligent officers of fourth company.

Shinshika cocked its hooded head curiously. "It isn't here today."

"What isn't?" Ogidou asked as he went about making sure Hanatarou's IV was set correctly. It was. The nutrients needed refilling though.

"As if you don't know what I'm talking about…" Shinshika peered up at its master, its empty eye sockets somehow shrewd. Standing beside Hanatarou's bed it looked like the old image of the Grim Reaper the humans used, only quadrupedal. "His spirit. The green one with the red eyes. I know I've mentioned it to you before."

"Ah yes…" Airways clear, throat clear, no sign of infection. It could not be said that his fellow officers did not take good care of their star coma patient. "Perhaps it is busy today."

Shinshika bent over Hantatarou's unconscious form, making the vertebrae in its neck click. "You should thank him, you know. They gave you his position. Who knows how long it may have taken for you to rise up on your own…"

Ogidou chuckled. "Have a little confidence in me why don't you? Maybe I was okay with where I was."

The skeletal spirit "hmm"ed thoughtfully and backed away as Ogidou went to turn Hanatarou on his side. A few small sores had formed on his shoulders but it was nothing that Ogidou couldn't treat on the spot. Still, he made a mental note to talk to whoever had turned the young officer last. They obviously hadn't been keeping up with their duties.

"A shame, though…" Shinshika said as Ogidou worked. "That these things happen so rarely. That the weak and incompetent officers are put where they belong, so their places can be taken by those more responsible... Don't you think so?"

"That's a terrible thing to say, Shin." Ogidou scolded, though his tone was lighthearted. "If you go around talking like that, I'd start to wonder if you weren't hoping something like this would happen to me."

The spirit did not reply.

--

The three spirits had long since left the crossroads between their three realms, but the snow persisted, falling ever more heavily as they neared Hisagomaru. The water had frozen over, leaving a thin sheet of ice on the top that Tobiume shattered with her passing. The cold water was visibly uncomfortable to her, obvious in the way her jaws were clenched, but she said nothing about it. It was also possible that she was fighting against the strange pull the water had, its way of drawing things slowly, inevitably into its depths.

"It must know we're coming." Shirayuki said between bounds. "Why is it snowing? Itegumo and I are both familiar with snowy environments. It puts us at an advantage."

"I don't know…" Itegumo admitted. "It may only be a coincidence." It wasn't, of course. Hisa knew. There was a reason for the snow.

"Speak of the devil…" Shirayuki slowed to a stop, the ice platform beneath its feet crackling thinly as it spread, freezing the water around it. Unable to find a small island for itself, Itegumo landed lightly atop Tobiume's head. The serpent was shaking, from rage rather than fear Itegumo supposed. From this vantage Hanatarou was nowhere to be seen, but he could easily be buried underneath the snow. Would Hisa have moved him, knowing what was coming?

The small green spirit was seated atop a protruding boulder several yards away, looking downright serene, its tail folded around its body like a cat's. Its lips parted in a smile, revealing its jagged front teeth. "Ah… you've come back, little birdy. Is your ear all better?" It stepped off the rock and onto the water, which froze quickly beneath its paws. "I can't quite tell when you're all the way up there… Perhaps, as it healed, you forgot the warning that came with it."

"We aren't afraid of you, Hisagomaru." Shirayuki said. The snow had begun to fall more thickly, covering the ice. Soon it would be impossible to tell water from land. "And though we've come expecting a fight, there doesn't have to be one. You need only show up proof that your master is comfortable and happy here, and if he isn't, promise that you'll make him so."

Hisagomaru sighed quietly and closed its eyes, an exercise in restraining its frustration. "It never fails… I cannot understand why anyone would show such concern for him. He is dying. I am sure you realize this… To make him comfortable is an exercise in futility. To argue and fight over him endlessly is a waste of my time and yours. A corpse cannot appreciate a kind word."

"No!" Tobiume nearly swung her head around before realizing it had been Itegumo who had spoken. The griffin steadied himself, standing straighter and folding his wings tightly before continuing. "You're lying… Everyone is taking good care of Hanatarou. You're the only thing that's killing him!"

"Is that so?" Hisa replied, its grin widening. "I'm surprised you'd say something like that, after what happened last time… Only now you've got your friends around to protect you, hmm? What I said still stands. I will kill all of you, if you won't leave me alone..."

"We're not-!" But before Itegumo could finish, Hisa suddenly darted toward Shirayuki, who leapt out of the way and braced himself for the sting of Hisa's claws or teeth. It never came. Hisa seemed to have vanished beneath the wispy covering of snow. The thin crackle of ice re-freezing followed its disappearance.

Shirayuki held his tense stance. "It's underwater." He said. "Tobiume, can you drive it back up to the surface?"

"I can try." The basilisk lowered her head, allowing Itegumo to step clumsily onto the small island Hisa had originally been seated on. "But I'll need to remove my blindfold to find it." Hisa's body gave off no heat, so it would be impossible for her to locate it using just the heat pits on her nose. "Please do your best to stay out of my sight."

The reason Tobiume identified herself as a basilisk rather than just a snake was her ability to stun or even kill living spiritual matter simply by looking at it. She had nearly killed Hinamori when they'd first met. The girl had been paralyzed for a few days and taken to the 4th division to recover, and Tobiume had fashioned herself a blindfold so that she would never make such a mistake again. It was worth never being able to see Hinamori if it meant Tobiume would not be able to harm her. Still, Tobiume mourned the fact that her spirit had not taken a more benign form.

Underwater the pull was even stronger. Tobiume fought against it as she swam, her lidless gold eyes searching for any sign of movement. It was nearly pitch-black beneath the ice, and growing darker as the snow piled up. Hisa was clever, manipulating its realm in such a way. Tobiume could admit she would have never thought of doing such a thing.

It was completely still beneath the ice. Could Hisa have resurfaced somewhere else before she'd even entered the water? It was possible, but then, she could see no sign of a confrontation on the surface. Perhaps Itegumo and Sode no Shirayuki had not noticed its reappearance.

It was impossible to tell if Hisa was underwater or not, so Tobiume began to climb gradually back to the surface, the water's pull hanging on her body like a blanket of lead. As she neared the surface, a bolt of pain suddenly shot through her right eye, and half of her vision went black. She thrashed her head wildly, shattering the ice on the surface. Somewhere to the side she heard Itegumo screech in shock, but she would have to trust him to stay out of her sight.

Something was inside her . She could feel its tiny claws, buried in the soft tissue like it was gutting a fruit, and smell the sickening odor of burned, rotting garbage. It had to have placed its paw in front of her eye to get at it in the first place, and her deadly vision had singed it before it had ripped out whatever part made that power possible.

"Tobiume! Stop!" Shirayuki shouted, getting as close as he dared to the threshing pink serpent. But Tobiume was in too much pain to acknowledge him. Itegumo could only watch in horror as Tobiume thrashed her head and tail against the ice, trying in desperation to shake Hisa off. He could not even attempt to help her, as she would surely crush him with her writhing. Hisa was relentless, and soon Itegumo heard another high hiss of agony as it dug its claws into her other eye. Shortly after this she managed to throw Hisa off, sending it flying toward another protruding rock, which it collided with to Itegumo's short-lived satisfaction.

"Itegumo." Tobiume turned in the direction of her fellow zanpakuto. Dark blood oozed from her mutilated eyes and dripped sluggishly into the icy water. "I fear I can no longer be of any help to you… Please, when you are done… take me back to Hinamori…" With an oddly quiet splash, she collapsed. Hisa's realm was not yet done with her, it seemed, as the water began to draw her body slowly back into its depths.

"Tobiume!" Itegumo cried. But where was Hisa? It still had to be dealt with. But if he didn't do something soon, Tobiume would be underwater, and there would be no way to get her back.

Fortunately, Shirayuki was decisive enough for both of them. "Go!" He shouted. "I'll take care of Hisagomaru!"

Itegumo did not hesitate this time, and sprinted over to where Tobiume lay, or rather, floated. Not for long though. The water was like a carnivorous plant, an unthinking thing that consumed anything unlucky enough to land in its maw. Itegumo couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Hanatarou to spend months and months here, in a place as far from comfort as the moon, and indeed, he didn't have time to. He was not equipped to grab onto Tobiume, as he lacked thumbs, and her scales were too smooth to provide any grip. Plus she was many times heavier than he was, and there was the added pull of the water. If only he had a rope, or something he could put around her neck...

A piece of fabric might work as well. Tobiume had discarded her blindfold earlier. Maybe it was nearby. She'd surfaced only a few yards away from where she'd entered the water. If only she'd made it a color other than white! He had to buy himself some time. It wasn't likely he could pull her out of the water by himself, but maybe he could get her out of it just enough…

Itegumo seized the top half of Tobiume's jaws in his beak and pulled, his talons scrabbling for traction on the ice. Her heavy body barely moved. He tried again, beating his wings against the icy wind, but again he only managed to stop her from sinking further.

There, what was that? Beneath a sheet of newly-frozen ice he could see a ring of white fabric. The blindfold. Itegumo dropped Tobiume and darted over. The ice was not so thick yet that he couldn't shatter it with his beak, which he did, making himself see stars with the impact. But now he had it, and he just needed a way to hook it around Tobiume's head so he could pull her out.

Unfortunately, her skull was just not wide enough, and the blindfold kept slipping off. To make matters worse, the wet fabric had become stiff as it froze, and Tobiume's head was the only thing sticking out of the water now. For the last time, Itegumo lifted her head and worked the blindfold around her jawbone, only to have her slip out once again.

Isane would have to explain to Hinamori how he'd let her zanpakuto drown. He couldn't put her through that, he just couldn't…

Tobiume's mouth hung open slightly. Her fangs were stained with the blood that had seeped into her mouth.

Fangs.

Her head was underwater now. Itegumo dove blindly, the fabric gripped in his beak. He would only have one chance to do this. Tobiume's bottom teeth scraped the top of his head as he broke the surface, but he hardly felt it. The fabric was tense. He'd caught her. The blindfold was hooked under her two main fangs. She was impossibly heavy, but he had no choice. He would not let Hinamori lose her zanpakuto.

Occupied with his struggles, Itegumo had forgotten completely about Sode no Shirayuki and the rabbit's promise that he would go after Hisagomaru. As he pulled Tobiume from the water, inch by painful inch, Itegumo suddenly became aware that there was something sitting across from him, on the other side of the jagged opening in the ice. He lifted his head, his vertebrae creaking as they moved from the downward-bent position they'd previously been locked in.

Sode no Shirayuki hung, limp, from Hisa's jaws, his velvety ears torn and bloodied. Hisa's expression was one of bright curiosity, like a child's. Without looking away, it let Shirayuki fall with a muffled thump.

"I told you, didn't I…?" It said, folding its tail around its body, as it had when they'd first arrived. Years ago, it seemed. "Who is selfish now? You allowed two innocent zanpakuto to die... And for what? Something you think might be happening?"

Itegumo could say nothing, for to speak meant letting go of the blindfold, the only thing keeping Tobiume out of the water. That is, if it still mattered. He hadn't actually checked if she was still alive.

Hisa was a liar. He couldn't stop to listen to its lies. He had to save Tobiume. Had to get her back to her own realm. To Hinamori. Sode no Shirayuki too. Hisa was just trying to make him nervous. It was hard to kill a zanpakuto, didn't it know that?

"Well I'll tell you what…" Hisa stood and stepped onto the opening in the ice. The flesh on its forepaws had been blackened. "You are right, little birdy. Hana is not happy. Would you be happy here?"

He could not stop to listen. Tobiume was almost out of the water. They had to go home. Had to get out of this place.

"So… you may tell your master that, no, Hana is not happy. In fact, he is very unhappy. Isn't that what you wanted to hear? Now that you have your proof, what does that change? Nothing…?"

Yes… it changed nothing. Itegumo could admit that. Hanatarou would have to go on suffering, because they could not change that. They had not defeated Hisa, or made it change its ways. Nothing had been accomplished. They'd failed.

--

The walk back was one of the longest Itegumo had ever taken. It wasn't simply the weight of his fellow zanpakutos' bodies that made it so, but the dread of what would come next. What he'd have to tell Isane, and what she'd have to pass on to Rukia and Hinamori.

Though, maybe it wasn't worth worrying over. After all, he could do nothing about that, either.