Propane Nightmares (Bleach, Ichimaru/Hitsugaya, #16 - Invincible/Unrivaled)
Title: Prodigal Son
Chapter: Propane Nightmares
Author/Artist: azardarkstar
Pairing: Ichimaru Gin/Hitsugaya Toushirou
Fandom: Bleach
Theme: #16 (Invincible/Unrivaled)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. All characters are depicted as legal age.
Spoilers: Soul Society Arc and Beyond
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five
Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four
Toushirou blacks out to the sight of Hinamori bleeding inches away from him and the sound of Aizen's smug voice. He has a second to feel the kiss of a healing kidoh, but his mind is too far gone by then for it to register. He wakes later with a wildly beating heart and sucking in air like a drowning man. Toushirou doesn't have the energy to throw himself up in his hospital bed, so all he can do is shake like a leaf as Unohana orders him to take deep breaths.
He hurts all over. His chest. His ribs. His head right behind his eyes. His arms and legs straight down to his toes.
His mouth is dry and his voice hoarse as he demands to know what happened, but Unohana can't quite meet his gaze. Toushirou has a moment to panic, to feel his heart claw its way up his throat before she tells him that Hinamori survived but is comatose. And his head reels and throbs both throughout the rest of the story.
Kuchiki Rukia. The ryoka are heroes. Aizen's a traitor. So is Tousen. So is Ichimaru.
She squeezes his hand so hard as she tells him that he loses feeling, and his eyes burn when he swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. He can't hear over the roaring in his ears. He can't speak. He can't breathe.
The first night, Toushirou has a lot of time to think as he lays there in the dark. If his eyes are red in the morning, Unohana says nothing. She just brushes his hair from his face after she helps him sit up.
Toushirou has visitors; he honestly wishes he didn't.
Ukitake comes to see him and stays for hours. Kyouraku brings candy. Kira stares blankly at the wall as he apologizes before stumbling out. Matsumoto says little but wipes her eyes a lot. But there's no flash of silvery hair disappearing from his doorway when he wake up the following morning. There's no familiar taste of reiatsu to the air that lets him know someone slept in the chair by his bed.
He pretends that doesn't hurt all the worse.
Toushirou curls up on his side the second night with his back to the door. He dreams of blood and Hinamori crumbled on the floor, but he comes to when Unohana shakes him awake. His limbs are tangled in his sheets, and his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. His throat is raw from screaming.
Unohana finally lets him go the next morning, but her forehead is pinched with concern, and he spends the day getting his division in some semblance of order. It's after midnight by the time he makes it home, and his house is silent and far too still. He crawls into bed fully clothed and completely exhausted but only stares at the ceiling.
There's no one to wake him up this time, and his mouth has a metallic taste all the next day from biting his tongue.
Weeks pass. The circles under his eyes grow until Matsumoto ambushes him with concealer. Hyourinmaru coils in his soul but barely speaks to him; he's too busy mourning a future that won't happen. And most of Toushirou's nights are spent doing paperwork in his office or anything else that keeps him from having to go home. But images start to flash behind his eyes even when he's awake.
Hinamori with tears pouring down her face. Hyourinmaru's roars. The world as he falls in slow motion. Aizen's smug smile. Slitted eyes that glance at him and then look away.
Toushirou suffocates in Seireitei. He can't stand how Unohana looks at him in meetings. Can't stomach the way Ukitake and Kyouraku handle him so gently. Can't take how his own division acts like he'll explode in a wave of ice at any moment. Matsumoto is the only normal one of the lot, and he goes on assignment to the living world if only to get away from it all. The roof of Inoue's building is a refuge that finally lets him take a deep breath, but even that doesn't last.
Inoue's taken and then rescued by her nakama. He goes to see her to apologize for not being there but never makes it. He's just not a match for the first Espada, and he almost swears the man looks at him mournfully before he's dragged before Aizen on his tall throne. It's all he can do to be held back, but somehow, he manages not to sweat from sheer fury and fear both. It's hard to admit, but he's afraid in that instant. They only just got Inoue back, but some part of him honestly doesn't think they'll come for him. He's done little to endear himself to the Karakura gang or even his fellow captains in the last few months.
Toushirou could take outright torture, but that's not Aizen's style. Instead, he just throws Toushirou in a room with Hollows, Arrancar, and possibly an Espada or two but no sword and with his reiatsu half-bound. It's easy to lose track of the fight and the extent of his injuries and reality itself.
Dodge. Duck. Counter. Leg sweep. Claws to his side. A jab in return. Punch. Kick. Stumble. Fire in his veins. Copper on his lips. A Hollow's scream. And blood, blood, blood. Pain. Darkness.
He wakes to what has to be a dream. To being carried across the white sands of Hueco Mundo. His head's tucked into a bony shoulder, and he feels a trickle down his side with every step. Time is more like a suggestion and comes in dollops. He remembers the black sky. Then the sensation of movement between worlds. Urahara's shop. His injuries knitting together. A hand in his. Silvery hair that tickles his cheek as a kiss is pressed to his forehead.
Toushirou opens his eyes then and stares.
"Ichimaru?"
Chapter: Propane Nightmares
Author/Artist: azardarkstar
Pairing: Ichimaru Gin/Hitsugaya Toushirou
Fandom: Bleach
Theme: #16 (Invincible/Unrivaled)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor belongs to Tite Kubo. All characters are depicted as legal age.
Spoilers: Soul Society Arc and Beyond
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five
Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four
Toushirou blacks out to the sight of Hinamori bleeding inches away from him and the sound of Aizen's smug voice. He has a second to feel the kiss of a healing kidoh, but his mind is too far gone by then for it to register. He wakes later with a wildly beating heart and sucking in air like a drowning man. Toushirou doesn't have the energy to throw himself up in his hospital bed, so all he can do is shake like a leaf as Unohana orders him to take deep breaths.
He hurts all over. His chest. His ribs. His head right behind his eyes. His arms and legs straight down to his toes.
His mouth is dry and his voice hoarse as he demands to know what happened, but Unohana can't quite meet his gaze. Toushirou has a moment to panic, to feel his heart claw its way up his throat before she tells him that Hinamori survived but is comatose. And his head reels and throbs both throughout the rest of the story.
Kuchiki Rukia. The ryoka are heroes. Aizen's a traitor. So is Tousen. So is Ichimaru.
She squeezes his hand so hard as she tells him that he loses feeling, and his eyes burn when he swallows around the sudden lump in his throat. He can't hear over the roaring in his ears. He can't speak. He can't breathe.
The first night, Toushirou has a lot of time to think as he lays there in the dark. If his eyes are red in the morning, Unohana says nothing. She just brushes his hair from his face after she helps him sit up.
Toushirou has visitors; he honestly wishes he didn't.
Ukitake comes to see him and stays for hours. Kyouraku brings candy. Kira stares blankly at the wall as he apologizes before stumbling out. Matsumoto says little but wipes her eyes a lot. But there's no flash of silvery hair disappearing from his doorway when he wake up the following morning. There's no familiar taste of reiatsu to the air that lets him know someone slept in the chair by his bed.
He pretends that doesn't hurt all the worse.
Toushirou curls up on his side the second night with his back to the door. He dreams of blood and Hinamori crumbled on the floor, but he comes to when Unohana shakes him awake. His limbs are tangled in his sheets, and his tongue sticks to the roof of his mouth. His throat is raw from screaming.
Unohana finally lets him go the next morning, but her forehead is pinched with concern, and he spends the day getting his division in some semblance of order. It's after midnight by the time he makes it home, and his house is silent and far too still. He crawls into bed fully clothed and completely exhausted but only stares at the ceiling.
There's no one to wake him up this time, and his mouth has a metallic taste all the next day from biting his tongue.
Weeks pass. The circles under his eyes grow until Matsumoto ambushes him with concealer. Hyourinmaru coils in his soul but barely speaks to him; he's too busy mourning a future that won't happen. And most of Toushirou's nights are spent doing paperwork in his office or anything else that keeps him from having to go home. But images start to flash behind his eyes even when he's awake.
Hinamori with tears pouring down her face. Hyourinmaru's roars. The world as he falls in slow motion. Aizen's smug smile. Slitted eyes that glance at him and then look away.
Toushirou suffocates in Seireitei. He can't stand how Unohana looks at him in meetings. Can't stomach the way Ukitake and Kyouraku handle him so gently. Can't take how his own division acts like he'll explode in a wave of ice at any moment. Matsumoto is the only normal one of the lot, and he goes on assignment to the living world if only to get away from it all. The roof of Inoue's building is a refuge that finally lets him take a deep breath, but even that doesn't last.
Inoue's taken and then rescued by her nakama. He goes to see her to apologize for not being there but never makes it. He's just not a match for the first Espada, and he almost swears the man looks at him mournfully before he's dragged before Aizen on his tall throne. It's all he can do to be held back, but somehow, he manages not to sweat from sheer fury and fear both. It's hard to admit, but he's afraid in that instant. They only just got Inoue back, but some part of him honestly doesn't think they'll come for him. He's done little to endear himself to the Karakura gang or even his fellow captains in the last few months.
Toushirou could take outright torture, but that's not Aizen's style. Instead, he just throws Toushirou in a room with Hollows, Arrancar, and possibly an Espada or two but no sword and with his reiatsu half-bound. It's easy to lose track of the fight and the extent of his injuries and reality itself.
Dodge. Duck. Counter. Leg sweep. Claws to his side. A jab in return. Punch. Kick. Stumble. Fire in his veins. Copper on his lips. A Hollow's scream. And blood, blood, blood. Pain. Darkness.
He wakes to what has to be a dream. To being carried across the white sands of Hueco Mundo. His head's tucked into a bony shoulder, and he feels a trickle down his side with every step. Time is more like a suggestion and comes in dollops. He remembers the black sky. Then the sensation of movement between worlds. Urahara's shop. His injuries knitting together. A hand in his. Silvery hair that tickles his cheek as a kiss is pressed to his forehead.
Toushirou opens his eyes then and stares.
"Ichimaru?"