Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos #18: Crimson splash
Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos [#18/?]
Chapter rating: PG-13
Chapter specific warning: ...Load of BS
Chapter specific spoiler: None
Chapter summary: All the captains are down and Hitsugaya races against time and his own power.
Author’s Note:
…I’m making up load of crap here. I can only hope none of it sounds too out of it. Sorry if it does. *mopes in a dark, mushroom-growing corner* And I seem to have not made this clear enough but it was the soup that the mysterious shinigami poisoned, not the sake ^^;;
Enjoy… please. *trembles in uncertainty*
:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.18:::::
Crimson splash
A variety of laughter filled the festive air, ranging from quiet giggles to outright choking, accompanied with clear clangs of flat, top-quality china glasses, and someone slapping the cool floor in a vain attempt to relieve the tight pressure around the chest from the raucous guffawing that would simply not stop. The fat-bellied sake bottles went round and round the tables that the vice-captains had taken the initiative in breaking out of boring parallel lines in the favour of more friendly, interactive circle in the middle of the adequately sized room. A heavily fashion-vocabulary riddled conversation was currently in place between the beautiful -and loud- tenth division vice-captain and the feminine ninth division vice-captain who had a lapful of pink blob, making sure that his ex-vice-captain did not get her tiny hands on any sake that was whizzing past them. When Zaraki had once offhandedly passed a small glass of the alcohol to the little girl, it had turned out to be one hellish mistake that led to countless nightmares for the subordinates that had been present at the time.
“Next time we get days off, we’ll go to the real world together and I’ll take you to that store. I tell you, it’s so much cheaper than here and the range they have! It’s unbelievable!”
And with the dreamy sigh and distant eyes, Matsumoto pulled her sake glass out of Yachiru’s reach just in time, her move proficiently practiced over a length of time that not a single drop was lost. The small vice-captain pouted and blew raspberry at her, to which the curvaceous woman only giggled with a teasing wink and did not waste a second longer in draining it in one go. Yumichika also took his chance to empty his glass while his charge was distracted, sending a silent signal to Nanao for refill behind his back. He was not going to have any sake bottle lingering more than three seconds in the view of the hyperactive girl.
Nevertheless, all in all, it was an occasion of merriment, the thirteen vice-captains enjoying the wonderful food, the smooth, delicious sake, and the joyous party atmosphere.
“I wonder if taichou is having fun…”
“Rangiku-san, you should know the answer to that already.”
Matsumoto sighed unhappily, mildly glaring when Yumichika chuckled. Yachiru remained oblivious to all, too absorbed in following the white china bottle with sparkling eyes, ready to pounce on it when it came round. However her caretaker had already caught the silent movement and with a flick of the purple eyes, the flask was back on moving in opposite direction, much to the girl’s dismay.
“He looked so gorgeous in that kimono of his though…”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you should’ve seen it. It’s this soft, turquoise…?!”
Abruptly, all the noisy hubbubs in the room subdued into unbreakable silence and the gathered shinigamis looked at each other with wide eyes as if to confirm that they were not imagining things.
A number of reiatsus spiking up unstably had intruded their spiritual senses then vanished just as quick as it had come but there was no mistake in whom those reiatsus belonged to. Even Yachiru had turned as still as ice in Yumichika’s lap. Furrowing her eyebrows, Matsumoto turned to the direction of the meeting hall where her small taichou would be. All of a sudden, the unusually thick, irate air that had enveloped the young prodigy before the celebrative dinner nagged and pestered her. Was it really a simple something that the irksome paperwork could be entirely blamed for? After all, the famed tendo’s intuition was not one to be lightly looked over.
“…What was that?”
However, before anyone could come up with any presentable answer, another unleashing of a well-known reiatsu had the twelve pairs of widened eyes falling on the busty vice-captain who had already put down the sake glass, the jolly smile from a minute ago nowhere to be seen as she whipped around for Hai Neko.
Something was going very, very wrong at the captains’ New Year banquet.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
“!!!!”
The emerald eyes widened in alarm the moment the first gulp of the clear soup seared the tongue and ignoring all the manner and etiquette for such a banquet, Hitsugaya bolted from his seat in a flash and spat out the hot liquid on the shiny floor. He was not the only one either. Albeit slower, Unohana and Soi Fon seemed to have also noticed it, warily looking at the puddle of soup they had just spewed out.
“Don’t drink the soup!!!”
The loud voice carried a tone of urgency at a level that had never been heard of from the icy prodigy, echoing shrilly throughout the large hall and startling the other captains, but it was too late. All the others except the three had already swallowed the ozoni that had made the master of water and ice go into red alert instinctively. Cursing mentally, Hitsugaya sought for the fourth division captain but just as his eyes caught the healer already pulling out her zanpaktou with a grave frown unbefitting her usually calm exterior, a violent lurch wrecked his stomach with anabrupt gag reflex and before he knew, his hand had already shot up to clasp over his mouth
A split second was all it took for him to realise this was no normal nausea. The digestive organ was tensing then going into spasm, aggressively trembling under the excruciating clawing of gnawing clutch, and the scowl on the whitened face worsened as Hitsugaya barely beat it down with a thick gulp. The soup had only touched his tongue yet apparently, that had been more than enough.
“Hey, tensai. What’s…”
Having managed to gulp down the steamy ozoni without getting choked at the sudden scream like most others, Kyouraku blinked with a raised eyebrow but he never got to finish his bemused question at the young shinigami that had unexpectedly bolted from his seat. And neither did he have to. Hitsugaya could visibly see the fatal wrongness of the situation starting to set in on the soft but masculine features just as it was in every single fibre of his soul and the harsh echoes of porcelains spoons hitting the wooden tables and floor followed the perplexed silence.
The sharp teal orbs caught the healer’s hand swiftly moving to her zanpaktou, at which the prodigy allowed himself to feel a small hint of relief, but the paled face distorted stiffly at the creepy scene when a freaky gargling sound from the right had it turning reflexively towards it. The 12th division captain was not any better even with his modified body; in fact, the emotionless eyes were twitching and widening as if to pop out of their sockets.
Cursing under his breath, Hitsugaya snapped around to the attendant standing not too far behind him and was about to order her to fetch the vice-captains when a sudden pang of feral ripping shot through his entire body, instantly paralysing him, and before he knew, his eyes had scrunched shut and his teeth, about to draw blood from his lower lip.
Tight clamping of his lips managed to prevent the painful whimper escaping him but it was not enough to stop his knees buckling on their own accords. One by one, the organs were exploding in agonising screams.
Something foreign and undoubtedly dangerous was flowing through his veins, causing chaotic upheaval in his system, even when he had not swallowed the spiked soup. It was not the first time Hitsugaya had been faced with poisoning; it was a rare but one of the most threatening, dangerous abilities for shinigamis that some Hollows attained after losing their hearts and while less than a handful of times, the prodigy had had his experiences in the field. However this was something wholly on its own level.
It was urging the very blood that flowed through his veins to ruthlessly assault the host.
The viscous fluid that used to deliver the essence of life around his body and made his heart beat was now attacking every crooks and corners of his soul it could reach and his pain sensors were going into overdrive as they continued to shoot electrical signals to his brain which was having hard time in processing the sudden huge influx. There was not one that could escape the bitter cannibalistic attacks. The very thing that was the symbol of life was now the bringer of the true death.
In the end, a low growl left the pallid lips but went unheard by anyone in amidst the horrified commotion. The situation was fast tumbling down a hill with no brake; most of the captains were now spluttering blood and Unohana and Soi Fon looked only so much better near the front. Though his suffering seemed to be slightly less than the others that had realised the deadly truth all too late, it was only by an unrecognisable degree.
Just then, through the pain in its rawest form, the hectic shouts from the shocked servants, and the hacking coughs from the afflicted captains, a sound of metal hitting the wooden floor pierced his eardrums and the turquoise eyes widened with a hint of distressed fear when they verified the origin.
It was a grim sight. The soft pastel green that had perfectly expressed the tranquillity that the fourth division captain carried herself by was now tainted with rotten inky blood that trailed down from her mouth in thick stream. Just out of her arm’s reach laid sealed Minatzuki, abandoned on the floor that was turning ominously dark red.
Unohana never got to releasing her zanpaktou.
Hitsugaya took another hurried swipe across the hall but there was no need nor time for another analysis of their present condition; the stabbing pain in his abdomen made sure he knew that. An invisible mallet had begun to mercilessly hammer his prickling peripheries and nothing was perceived correctly by the perturbed senses that had gone haywire. The poison was working towards its aim at a frighteningly rapid rate and the only medic in the room was down.
Finally, the tender flesh broke under the added pressure from the sharp teeth, crimson droplets oozing out to redden the pure whiteness of them, and Hitsugaya called out for his zanpaktou, his decision made. It was do or die and he was not going to go down with a fight.
‘Hyourinmaru!’
It was definitely something not recommended. It was not even something Hitsugaya had ever done before. However it was an only option where, otherwise, something that no one had thought possible could very well happen tonight. With the bloody Death approaching them rapidly in its grim cloak unbefitting the soft but vibrant decorations of the room and Unohana unable to hold herself, Gotei 13 was soon going to be saying its goodbyes to all of its captains in one night if something was not done immediately.
“…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…”
A trembling voice, feeble and frightened, attempted to reach out to him before fading away in fuzz, then somehow crawled its way through the agonising pain that was wrecking his body at the moment. His nails scratched the wooden floor as the hands curled tightly into white-knuckled fists and Hitsugaya forced his eyelids to open up. His vision was blurred and corners of it were starting to disperse crimson dye as if bleeding. Every intake of blood-scented air stabbed his screeching lungs and the spasmodic stomach threatened to cripple him into a crammed ball with its excruciating clawing and gnawing clutch.
“…Get… the fukutaichous… immediately…”
It was only breathy, raspy whispers yet the four words were easily one of the most difficult words he had ever had to utter, each syllable only an inch away from turning into anguished groans.
“Ha…Hai!!”
The girl hastily getting back on her feet again was all he could keep his eyes open for, the vision falling back into darkness again as the eyelids clamped down again.
The dragon’s gruff voice sounded far and hazy but it reached him more clearly than anything else currently hailing his slowly malfunctioning hearing. Resigned concern dragged down the tone of the rumbling growl but he could feel the mighty dragon already uncurling itself from his inner world, the icy wings stretching out majestically.
‘…It seems we do not have any other choice.’
Hitsugaya grimaced but it was not from the agony flooding his small body. The odds were that if successful, he would effectively, not neutralise, but completely remove the toxin out of his system. However the only choice of theirs that he had never done before also carried a huge amount of risk, not to mention that it was going to be hard to maintain the required level of exactness and fine delicacy in control of his reiatsu through the ripping stabs and sore spasms. A slip for longer than a second and the result was not going to be pleasant at all, one way or the other.
‘We cannot wait for fukutaichous, the poison is too fast. Either we do this now or…’
‘Do not speak more for it will not happen. Prepare yourself and we shall remain standing at the end of this.’
The unwavering assurance grounded his over-stimulated mind firmly, easing the troubled scowl on the pallid face a little.
‘Focus, little one. I’m not planning to lose my young master this early.’
A pair of blazing ruby eyes bore into his intently from his inner world and the young prodigy gave a curt nod, aware of the taut tension running through him and his zanpaktou even in amidst of the overwhelming suffering. Then Hyourinmaru spoke of words that he had not expected to hear.
‘Toushirou, do not forget of the one that awaits you.’
If he had half a mind to spare, Hitsugaya would have scoffed at the image that either his subconscious or his zanpaktou had projected on his closed eyelids; a crookedly grinning idiot of an orange-haired substitute shinigami. Instead, he only shook his head unnoticeably, not admitting that the image had fortified his determination further than anything else could have done.
A strained deep breathe marked the rise in the glacial reiatsu along with the ragged shards of broken concentration pulled and put back together. Slowly, the panic-laden ruckus started to die away to mute, all existences thrown out of the world until there was nothing left but him and him alone. The pain induced from the circulation of his reiatsu was excruciating, his limbs seemingly being torn apart in bloodthirsty rawness, as the summoning of his power only sped up the spread of the poison. Most likely, it was a part of counter system against the practice of reiatsu to ensure the kill or perhaps a last streak of humanity to grant the victim a quick death once the target lost control over their reiatsu. It was hard to tell and it did not matter.
This was a battle against time, coupled with very effective distraction called pain, and torturous it might be, he would push the limit of his tolerance of physical agony if his survival depended on it.
A gusty wind from the flapping of grand wings alerted the tendo of the ready departure of the mythical ruler and Hitsugaya did not bother stopping his conscience securely latching onto the image that he still insisted Hyourinmaru had dragged out of his memory. A roaring voice of Hyourinmaru shook his eardrums again, freeing them from the numbness.
‘You know what’s at stake. Do not let yourself be distracted.’
And with a silent nod of the white-spiked head, the icy dragon was freed from its lair.
The servants who had been frenetically tending the sick captains to the best of their abilities involuntarily shuddered as the room temperature took a sharp plummet and looked up with even greater terror, wondering what had now befallen upon them. The source was obvious and in fact, it drew collective, relieved sighs from them, then the room dove into lost silence.
Thick, hardened tension choked the soundless air, ready to shatter at the smallest move. Only the gargling and hacking coughs were daring enough to goad the edginess as all the eyes were fixed on one figure bent over the floor that was covered in a thin, translucent sheet of ice. The temperature of the hall was dropping fast, nearing that of Arctic, and while it caused many to shiver involuntarily, there was not one in the right mind to question why the frost was strangely limited to a small circle around the white-haired shinigami instead of the sheer radius the infamous dragon usually covered.
Nervous glances bounced back and forth between the unaffected ones, none venturing to speak of a budding hope. At least one captain seemed to be just a step further away from the blood-splattered chaos than the others. However none of them understood what the tenth division captain was trying to do; the icy reiatsu was homing in on its owner.
The short nails scratched against the cold rime ice as the dainty hands curled into fists. Frigid chill that had always been aimed at anyone that stood in the way of the young tendo, freezing and mercilessly pulverising them, had gotten a firm grip of his entire body as Hyourinmaru soared through him. The iciness was far more than the usual comfortable coolness that resided in him as a symbol of his connection with his zanpaktou. A mix of malevolence and benevolence was what the dragon’s flight was, for their enemy at this moment dwelt in none other than himself. He was the object of both the attack and the protection.
The glacial sheets wrapped themselves around the vessels. There were sturdy barricades barracked up, impenetrable for the maddened crimson river. The cannibalistic attacks were forced to an abrupt halt. Hyourinmaru’s coarse and swift caresses chilled him to sub-zero, pulling stop on any and every process of living before the poison that had already entered the organs could inflict any more damage. All it took was a flash of a moment, even with its strength suppressed by its wielder.
However the tentative optimism did not last long. The toxin had already achieved its fair share of sabotage in the short span of a mere few seconds and with a violent jerk that had his face nearly smashing into the frosted floor, Hitsugaya coughed up a bout of thick blood that had escaped the dragon’s sharp claws, spoiling the pristine display of his wintry power. In that blink of an eye that his concentration faltered, the rime ice thickened to opaqueness and instantly spread miles out, startling the nearby servants who reflexively scuttled away.
‘Toushirou! Get a grip on it, now!’
Hitsugaya winced with a muffled groan at the tangy metal taste at the back of his throat. His hands seemed to have gone numb; he could no longer feel the familiar coldness of what should have covered the area around him with the release of Hyourinmaru. It was not just his hands. His entire body felt out of his reach, as if it was not his. He was only aware of the icy dragon spread out inside him to every corner and there was only one thing for him to focus on if he did not want to meet the end by his own power.
The lethality of the power of the mythical ruler was something Hitsugaya could not be more intimate with. The precise and fine balance of prohibition and liberation of the mighty dragon’s force was the only reason that he was not encased in a mass of ice the minute Hyourinmaru was allowed to exert its offence power on him and a minute slip could mean a permanent stop in his heart’s currently hysterical beating against the rebellious blood and the abrupt chill.
The last remnant wave of the pain from the abrupt cough died away and the brief dip in the torment allowed him to flex his fingers and a few moments to catch his irregular breathing. The stiffness in them led to a tense scowl on the whitish features. They might not have as long as they had first anticipated.
This was one hell of a mission with many odds stacked up against them and time was definitely one of it in more than one way. The mythical ruler was of water in its essence; the mixture of water and ice that composed of its materialised form proved that. While its prime sovereignty lied over the solid ice, Hyourinmaru had a certain level of governance over any that contained the wet element and that was what the wielder was betting on to save his, their lives. Nevertheless, the dragon’s notorious ability to turn all into icicles meant some level of solidification was inevitable even for the captain and while it effectively shut down all the self-attack, the same chill gripped the entire system. Take too long and the glacial spell could push his body pass the point of return.
The iciness wrecked yet soothed his poisoned body. The crimson talons were frozen midway down the deep lacerations on his intestines, liver, lungs and heart but neither could he feel them being alive under the arctic shields. The last remaining numbness at the tip of his fingers receded away, giving way to the chill and with every inch now covered, Hitsugaya could feel his soul companion cautiously swimming through the slush-like arteries and veins.
Soon the wielder felt one of the weirdest sensations he had ever experienced as something was slowly filtered from within his partially frozen blood and travelled up his veins, signalling that his soul companion was now in full control of his every cell. Gradually, there came a relieving sensation of what little thrashing of the toxin that was left now disappearing, and the deadly toxin was now torn away from their rimed targets in an undefined globe, gathered from all around his body to his heart that had now started to slow down dangerously in the unrelenting grasp of the bitter frigidness.
A hoarse groan tore through the abused lips as a different type of pain squeezed his heart, tightness in his chest making it difficult to breathe. With the unearthly frostiness entirely enveloping him, hypothermia was setting in fast even for the wielder. Perhaps it was because he took as long as he assumed he could afford in order to become accustomed to the detailed finesse of the control required from him. Whatever the reason, a pair of invisible arms was clamping around him as if to expel the last ounce of air and suffocate his resigning heart with the crushing pressure. Starting to feel a little light-headed, the prodigy grimaced; they had to wrap up this semi-suicidal act soon or the consequence was going to be as threatening as the poison itself. It was at that moment that he heard exactly what he had been waiting for.
‘We only have to get it out of you now, master. You are doing well, endure it just a little longer.’
‘How…’
‘Cut yourself. Through the blood vessel is the only way I can safely lead it out at present.’
Wordlessly, Hitsugaya gingerly brought his arm up to grab the physical manifestation of his soul companion on his back, scowling at how sluggishly and stiffly the limb obeyed his order. The zanpaktou had been giving off silvery chill even from within the thick sheath and the navy blue sheath promptly disappeared as the blade immediately brought down to slash across the slim wrist, the unforeseen action inducing gasps from the servants that had been watching him. However no blood gushed out from the deep cut that was sure to have damaged the radial artery, not even a single rivulet of crimson made an appearance.
“…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…?”
The teal orbs had opened the moment the prodigy had moved for Hyourinmaru yet they looked strangely distant and showed no sign of having heard the cautious call; Hitsugaya was still in the world that he had created out of utter concentration.
He knew why the lack of spurting sprays of crimson; his blood was thick, near solid slush, still in its track everywhere in his body. All in all, his physiology was, systematically speaking, dead at this precise moment.
Another bout of pain pierced his heart, signalling the imminent danger, but Hitsugaya showed no sign of it except the involuntary twitch of his cold fingers. It was certain that the deadly encounter was coming to an end, and in his victory. Soon, the proof of that appeared in crystal clear droplets oozing out of the self-inflicted wound and the wary emerald eyes narrowed. How could such lethal poison be so transparent, so harmless-looking?
However it was not the time to linger on the question. Having received a confirmation from his zanpaktou that his body was now safe from the poison’s deadly grasp, Hitsugaya used a simple kidou to roughly connect the lacerated tissue again and mentally thanked the dragon before it coiled away to his inner world, setting him free from the frigid spell. And for a while, there was only silence between the two as the tendo and the dragon waited for the signs of vitality to make their return, heavy anxiety churning with dread.
And when they did, the stoic captain could not help but sigh in relief, the exploding thumps of his heart threatening to crash through his ribcage. They had made it in time. Being the wielder of the strongest ice-snow zanpaktou did not transform his constituents suitable to be frozen inside out at will, especially not by the said zanpaktou’s incredible power. Contrary to some very wild assumptions, Hitsugaya was simply -much- more tolerant of sub-zero temperature outside, around him due to the coolness dwelling inside but that was as far as it went.
‘Arigato, Hyourinmaru.’
‘Toushirou.’
‘…?’
The dragon’s rumbling voice was now much more composed with the urgency now gone but the worries still firmly held its place and Hyourinmaru had certifiable reasons. The prodigy had not escaped the poison completely unscathed just as that bloody cough had shown and once fully thawed back to normal, the captain was going to sense the after effects of his own stunt just now. Its stubborn master appeared unaware of it just yet but the dragon was already picking up the distress in the boy’s forcibly exerted reiatsu and for shinigamis, spiritually ailing reiatsu was same as physical injuries, possibly worse, as it inevitably sent the afflicted one to the infirmary even without any bodily wounds.
‘It is our luck that the poison was blood-based but you will have to rest properly after this, little one.’
With the main source of its power now withdrawn, the chill was making its retreat and with it came back the surroundings that his concentration had removed his conscience from. There was a splash of red on the frosted floor and the sounds of countless feet running around thrummed his eardrums along with hacking, gargling coughs. Knitting his eyebrows, Hitsugaya willed his heart to return to normal rhythm from its weedy, erratic beating, his blood to melt and return to its course, though it was easier said than done. The soft ripples gently stirring his soul from the core echoed the dragon’s concerns and the wielder replied with a wave of gratitude and reassurance, disregarding how rigid he felt.
There was no telling as to how long his conscience had been away from the urgent turmoil but the prodigy did not waste any time in figuring it out, for he knew something much more crucial required his attention. Stabbing his zanpaktou into the rime-covered floor, Hitsugaya pushed himself upright onto his feet, his eyes already searching for Unohana, only to have the hall wildly spinning in front of his eyes, his vision swirling into nothing more than a churning of colours. He could feel himself heading for a flat fall as he reflexively shut his eyes, abrupt weariness sweeping him off his feet.
Yet the anticipated crash did not come. Rather, on thecontrary, something soft and warm had cushioned his throbbing head before it met the unforgiving floor, and after a second to recover his orientation, Hitsugaya realised that someone with familiarly huge breasts had caught him from behind, his head landing exactly in between the round fleshes, much to his chagrin.
“Taichou!!”
The perturbed, high-pitched voice shook his frayed mind and with an unnoticeable cringe, Hitsugaya cracked his eyes open and turned around as he regained his foothold. Everything was still a little hazy but he saw what he needed to see. Strawberry-blonde, distinctively pink, a pair of silvers and massive breasts. It could be only one person.
“…Matsumoto?”
“What’s going on? A servant literally crashed in but she couldn’t tell us much!”
Hitsugaya did not answer but quickly looked around the room that was unexpectedly empty, unaware of Matsumoto’s hand that still did not leave his shoulders. The fourth division captain was found a few seats up from him, coughing up horribly blackened blood in the arms of her vice-captain. Then he found why the other captains were unseen in the room. Next to Unohana, taking up the whole corner of the hall was Minatzuki.
Having finally realised his vice-captain’s concerned support, Hitsugaya placed his hand on hers just a little longer than necessary in a rare show of appreciation before sliding it off him and called for the fourth and the 12th vice-captains as he walked up to Unohana, his steps imperceptibly faltering once in a while as his body fought against the last remnants of frost and the residual effects of the poison. Nobody noticed the scowl worsening by a touch when his knees almost buckled once more as sharp pain ran down his legs.
“Kotetsu, Kurotshuchi!”
“Hai!”
“Collect that”, Hitsugaya pointed to the small puddle of clear liquid on the floor that had left his body just a few seconds ago, “and find the antidote for it as soon as possible. All taichous have been poisoned.”
Everyone looked at him in shocked disbelief save Nemu who was already scooping up the liquid into a small bottle, her expressionless face remaining so as usual. On the other hand, Isane was obviously torn between the order and her sick captain and Hitsugaya barked as he knelt down on one knee next to the healer. Time was of essence and a single second could decide life and death for his fellow captains if his own experience was anything to go by.
“Now!”
“Ha… Hai!”
“Matsumoto, call the fourth. When you come back, secure the area.”
“Hai, taichou!”
The three immediately ran out of the hall and Hitsugaya turned his eyes to Unohana, noting the ghostly whiteness of her contorted face.
‘Hyourinmaru.’
‘…It is not impossible but it would put great strain on you as well as the other one.’
‘But she would live.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Hyourinmaru.’
The captain swore he heard a sigh from the dragon.
‘…Yes. Most likely. If you have enough energy and focus. Toushirou, let them bring the antidote. The medics would soon be arriving too. Repeating this feat 12 times is impossible in your current state.’
‘I won’t have to but that’s only if we have Unohana taichou back in commission. She is the only one that can keep them alive until then and she cannot do it the way she is now. With Minatzuki released… the reiatsu is killing her faster than anyone in Minatzuki.’
There was no response from the dragon and Hitsugaya knew that as much unhappy and reluctant as his soul companion was, Hyourinmaru agreed. For all the genius he was, Hitsugaya did not possess the required level of medical knowledge and he could safely say from his brief yet intense experience that the toxin was made to be absolutely fatal. Knowing the answer already, the captain pressed on once more.
‘We cannot wait, not at least for Unohana taichou.’
With a determined look, Hitsugaya gently grasped Unohana’s arm to bring her attention to him. The blurry black eyes looked at him, asking what the healer could not voice out in the effort of pushing herself, and with a flitting glance at the long blade of Hyourinmaru still clutched in his hand, Hitsugaya answered the silent question.
“Unohana taichou, I am going to remove the poison from you but I need you to focus on letting my reiatsu in. This needs to be done in the shortest time possible so please, do not retaliate against it.”
A firm nod was her reply even though she did not know of the risk involved in the process, her trust in his ability clear in that single action. However, she did not seal her zanpaktou back and when Hitsugaya looked at her again, there was a shake of the head with the air of finality. The prodigy did not waste any time in attempting to persuade her either. The time was ticking.
The returned tension had his mind instantly clearing like a veil of fogs lifting and Hitsugaya waited until the last wave of the lingering aftereffects had passed before placing the sharp tip of Hyourinmaru above the healer’s wrist. Taking in a deep breath to prepare for another intense session of focus, the prodigy looked at the healer and murmured quietly. To set Hyourinmaru free within another’s body under his control, there was no other way but for his zanpaktou to make a direct contact with its target.
“I apologise for this.”
And with that, the blade plunged into the wrist, much to the horror of the remaining vice-captains and servants. However in a second, another circle of thin frost was forming around the two captains and the temperature that had just gained a few degrees was fast plummeting again.
Thanksfully, Unohana seemed to have enough of conscience left to focus on locking down her reiatsu and Hitsugaya could feel the glacial reiatsu of his and the dragon. Almost immediately, they were ready to display their newly tested ability.
At that moment, Matsumoto came running back with the shinigamis of the fourth division at her tow then stopped dead when she saw her captain next to Unohana with his zanpaktou undoubtedly through her wrist.
However before anyone could mutter a sound of shock or confusion, her captain was back on move, pulling Hyourinmaru out of the healer’s limb and everyone was astonished when only clear fluid leaked out of the gaping wound.
“Everything should melt again soon. How do you feel?”
“Definitely much better. Arigato.”
Unohana decided she was not going to complain about the unrealistic coldness she remained under. It was nothing compared to the pain that had coursed through her veins just moments ago and now her life was intact.
Hitsugaya remained knelt down next to the healer as she healed her injury he had inflicted, unnoticeably tightening his grip on the hilt of his zanpaktou in effort to hide the heaviness that seemed to drag his body down. The truth was, he had doubled the speed as he recognised that others were not familiar with the iciness as him. It had meant severe pressure on him but with the medical division here, Unohana would soon be taking over the crisis. Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi must be nearing finding the antidote too. Glancing at Minatzuki behind him, the prodigy let himself feel the first wave of relief since the chaos broke loose.
Healing her gashed wrist professionally, she looked at the young captain in front of her in a mild awe, taking his wrist to have a look once she was finished. The deep cut he had inflicted on himself was mended just enough to stop any bleeding and Unohana quickly finished off the job, the muscles and the skin healed back to their original, flawless condition. She found that using her reiatsu was still more difficult than usual but she was now free of bloody coughs and her organs were slowly returning to normality from the poison-induced pandemonium.
“It is only a last resort. Hyourinmaru is fundamentally water but its nature and power makes it strenuous to control it for such purpose. The hypothermia only ups the danger. Normally, I would not have put you under the risks but...”
With a gentle smile returning to her still pale face, Unohana finished off the sentence.
“…I was the only medic. I understand.”
“I have sent Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi for the antidote. They should be back soon.”
Unohana could see why the tendo was waiting for the medicinal cure for the others. Having been under the effect of Hyourinmaru personally, she knew what a fine line it was that the arctic chill walked on, balanced precariously on the time and the hypothermia. With the lives of the captains on theline, she found it explicable that Hitsugaya would be reluctant to repeat the procedures unless absolutely necessary.
And more importantly, now that she was safe from the grim clutches of the death, it was her responsibility to care for the ailing ones. She looked around her, slowly standing up with the help of two of her subordinates. The white-haired shinigami simply stepped aside, noticing the change of air around the healer. Words were seldom needed between the captains when one was about to take on his or her duty.
“Minatzuki.”
The giant creature tensed up for a moment before pouring out all the captains it had swallowed and Hitsugaya and Unohana both had trouble covering their grimaces when they saw the sticky, transparent saliva of Minatzuki mingled with what could have been easily mistaken as spilt ink rather than blood. There were collective surprised calls as every vice-captain ran to their respective captains and the fourth division shinigamis were already setting out the shields around each of them.
Leaving the rest in capable hands, Hitsugaya calmed a sudden nausea that had lurched his stomach. A scowl pulling down the ends of his pale lips, the small captain swallowed thickly, only to have the bitter taste of bile eliciting another gag reflex. He took a deep breath in. His vision was a little blurry but it was nothing that a few blinks could not clear away.
“Taichou, are you okay?”
“Mm.”
The silvery eyes travelled down the short captain from the head, frowning when they caught asmear of blood on the turquoise kimono. At least it was better than the healer’s. Unohana’s pale-green one had most of its front soaked in tainted blood.
Hitsugaya was aware of the concerned gaze but showed no sign of it. Instead, the turquoise orbs simply fixed themselves on a group of medics huddled around Kyouraku opposite of him, his mind not quite falling into the fatigue yet from the adrenaline.
Who was it that wanted the deaths of all thirteen captains? Was this the work of the killer they had been after? But why poison then?
One question was only followed by the other and he shook his heavy head. They would have to wait until later when there was less of adesperate urgency in the air, the bloody scent of Death dissipated and the wheezy sounds of gurgling coughs vanished.
“Have you secured the area?”
“Hai. No one is to enter or leave without reporting and some of our men are guarding the area. I’ve also sent a hell butterfly to Onmitsukidou just in case.”
A loud shout interrupted Matsumoto then. The blonde Third Seat was organising the subordinates in place of Unohana who had a nervous looking medic checking her pulse. Standing aside as not to get in the way of the shinigamis dashing around, Hitsugaya thought back to the traditional ozoni that had led to this mayhem, the eyebrows drawing tightly as throbbing migraine suddenly took hold of his head.
However before he could marvel on it for any longer than a second, a terrible coughing fit snapped the tendo out of his thoughts and when he turned to the origin of the horrible gargling sounds, he was shocked to find Ukitake bringing up anunhealthy amount of jet-black blood, the twisted face far too ashen and his every body language screaming of unbearable pain as Kuchiki Rukia held his shoulders down so that the medics could continue treating him. The petite girl looked close to tears as her blue eyes darted between her captain, her step-brother and her childhood friend. Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. When was the antidote going to arrive?
“Unohana taichou!!”
The pressing call alerted of Kotetsu Isane shunpoing into the room but instead of the relief that Hitsugaya thought he would be met with on her return, he could feel blood draining from his already whitish face. The distress on Kotetsu’s face spoke of volume and most of all, she was empty-handed. And her words were enough to silence the large hall in a second like fire doused with cold water.
“Unohana taichou, we have a problem! Kurotsuchi fukutaichou cannot determine what poison it is, it’s something we have never seen before!”
( #17 l #19 )
Chapter rating: PG-13
Chapter specific warning: ...Load of BS
Chapter specific spoiler: None
Chapter summary: All the captains are down and Hitsugaya races against time and his own power.
Author’s Note:
…I’m making up load of crap here. I can only hope none of it sounds too out of it. Sorry if it does. *mopes in a dark, mushroom-growing corner* And I seem to have not made this clear enough but it was the soup that the mysterious shinigami poisoned, not the sake ^^;;
Enjoy… please. *trembles in uncertainty*
:::::Orderly Madness, the Melody of Chaos by Kanon Ch.18:::::
Crimson splash
A variety of laughter filled the festive air, ranging from quiet giggles to outright choking, accompanied with clear clangs of flat, top-quality china glasses, and someone slapping the cool floor in a vain attempt to relieve the tight pressure around the chest from the raucous guffawing that would simply not stop. The fat-bellied sake bottles went round and round the tables that the vice-captains had taken the initiative in breaking out of boring parallel lines in the favour of more friendly, interactive circle in the middle of the adequately sized room. A heavily fashion-vocabulary riddled conversation was currently in place between the beautiful -and loud- tenth division vice-captain and the feminine ninth division vice-captain who had a lapful of pink blob, making sure that his ex-vice-captain did not get her tiny hands on any sake that was whizzing past them. When Zaraki had once offhandedly passed a small glass of the alcohol to the little girl, it had turned out to be one hellish mistake that led to countless nightmares for the subordinates that had been present at the time.
“Next time we get days off, we’ll go to the real world together and I’ll take you to that store. I tell you, it’s so much cheaper than here and the range they have! It’s unbelievable!”
And with the dreamy sigh and distant eyes, Matsumoto pulled her sake glass out of Yachiru’s reach just in time, her move proficiently practiced over a length of time that not a single drop was lost. The small vice-captain pouted and blew raspberry at her, to which the curvaceous woman only giggled with a teasing wink and did not waste a second longer in draining it in one go. Yumichika also took his chance to empty his glass while his charge was distracted, sending a silent signal to Nanao for refill behind his back. He was not going to have any sake bottle lingering more than three seconds in the view of the hyperactive girl.
Nevertheless, all in all, it was an occasion of merriment, the thirteen vice-captains enjoying the wonderful food, the smooth, delicious sake, and the joyous party atmosphere.
“I wonder if taichou is having fun…”
“Rangiku-san, you should know the answer to that already.”
Matsumoto sighed unhappily, mildly glaring when Yumichika chuckled. Yachiru remained oblivious to all, too absorbed in following the white china bottle with sparkling eyes, ready to pounce on it when it came round. However her caretaker had already caught the silent movement and with a flick of the purple eyes, the flask was back on moving in opposite direction, much to the girl’s dismay.
“He looked so gorgeous in that kimono of his though…”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you should’ve seen it. It’s this soft, turquoise…?!”
Abruptly, all the noisy hubbubs in the room subdued into unbreakable silence and the gathered shinigamis looked at each other with wide eyes as if to confirm that they were not imagining things.
A number of reiatsus spiking up unstably had intruded their spiritual senses then vanished just as quick as it had come but there was no mistake in whom those reiatsus belonged to. Even Yachiru had turned as still as ice in Yumichika’s lap. Furrowing her eyebrows, Matsumoto turned to the direction of the meeting hall where her small taichou would be. All of a sudden, the unusually thick, irate air that had enveloped the young prodigy before the celebrative dinner nagged and pestered her. Was it really a simple something that the irksome paperwork could be entirely blamed for? After all, the famed tendo’s intuition was not one to be lightly looked over.
“…What was that?”
However, before anyone could come up with any presentable answer, another unleashing of a well-known reiatsu had the twelve pairs of widened eyes falling on the busty vice-captain who had already put down the sake glass, the jolly smile from a minute ago nowhere to be seen as she whipped around for Hai Neko.
Something was going very, very wrong at the captains’ New Year banquet.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-IchiHitsu-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
“!!!!”
The emerald eyes widened in alarm the moment the first gulp of the clear soup seared the tongue and ignoring all the manner and etiquette for such a banquet, Hitsugaya bolted from his seat in a flash and spat out the hot liquid on the shiny floor. He was not the only one either. Albeit slower, Unohana and Soi Fon seemed to have also noticed it, warily looking at the puddle of soup they had just spewed out.
“Don’t drink the soup!!!”
The loud voice carried a tone of urgency at a level that had never been heard of from the icy prodigy, echoing shrilly throughout the large hall and startling the other captains, but it was too late. All the others except the three had already swallowed the ozoni that had made the master of water and ice go into red alert instinctively. Cursing mentally, Hitsugaya sought for the fourth division captain but just as his eyes caught the healer already pulling out her zanpaktou with a grave frown unbefitting her usually calm exterior, a violent lurch wrecked his stomach with anabrupt gag reflex and before he knew, his hand had already shot up to clasp over his mouth
A split second was all it took for him to realise this was no normal nausea. The digestive organ was tensing then going into spasm, aggressively trembling under the excruciating clawing of gnawing clutch, and the scowl on the whitened face worsened as Hitsugaya barely beat it down with a thick gulp. The soup had only touched his tongue yet apparently, that had been more than enough.
“Hey, tensai. What’s…”
Having managed to gulp down the steamy ozoni without getting choked at the sudden scream like most others, Kyouraku blinked with a raised eyebrow but he never got to finish his bemused question at the young shinigami that had unexpectedly bolted from his seat. And neither did he have to. Hitsugaya could visibly see the fatal wrongness of the situation starting to set in on the soft but masculine features just as it was in every single fibre of his soul and the harsh echoes of porcelains spoons hitting the wooden tables and floor followed the perplexed silence.
The sharp teal orbs caught the healer’s hand swiftly moving to her zanpaktou, at which the prodigy allowed himself to feel a small hint of relief, but the paled face distorted stiffly at the creepy scene when a freaky gargling sound from the right had it turning reflexively towards it. The 12th division captain was not any better even with his modified body; in fact, the emotionless eyes were twitching and widening as if to pop out of their sockets.
Cursing under his breath, Hitsugaya snapped around to the attendant standing not too far behind him and was about to order her to fetch the vice-captains when a sudden pang of feral ripping shot through his entire body, instantly paralysing him, and before he knew, his eyes had scrunched shut and his teeth, about to draw blood from his lower lip.
Tight clamping of his lips managed to prevent the painful whimper escaping him but it was not enough to stop his knees buckling on their own accords. One by one, the organs were exploding in agonising screams.
Something foreign and undoubtedly dangerous was flowing through his veins, causing chaotic upheaval in his system, even when he had not swallowed the spiked soup. It was not the first time Hitsugaya had been faced with poisoning; it was a rare but one of the most threatening, dangerous abilities for shinigamis that some Hollows attained after losing their hearts and while less than a handful of times, the prodigy had had his experiences in the field. However this was something wholly on its own level.
It was urging the very blood that flowed through his veins to ruthlessly assault the host.
The viscous fluid that used to deliver the essence of life around his body and made his heart beat was now attacking every crooks and corners of his soul it could reach and his pain sensors were going into overdrive as they continued to shoot electrical signals to his brain which was having hard time in processing the sudden huge influx. There was not one that could escape the bitter cannibalistic attacks. The very thing that was the symbol of life was now the bringer of the true death.
In the end, a low growl left the pallid lips but went unheard by anyone in amidst the horrified commotion. The situation was fast tumbling down a hill with no brake; most of the captains were now spluttering blood and Unohana and Soi Fon looked only so much better near the front. Though his suffering seemed to be slightly less than the others that had realised the deadly truth all too late, it was only by an unrecognisable degree.
Just then, through the pain in its rawest form, the hectic shouts from the shocked servants, and the hacking coughs from the afflicted captains, a sound of metal hitting the wooden floor pierced his eardrums and the turquoise eyes widened with a hint of distressed fear when they verified the origin.
It was a grim sight. The soft pastel green that had perfectly expressed the tranquillity that the fourth division captain carried herself by was now tainted with rotten inky blood that trailed down from her mouth in thick stream. Just out of her arm’s reach laid sealed Minatzuki, abandoned on the floor that was turning ominously dark red.
Unohana never got to releasing her zanpaktou.
Hitsugaya took another hurried swipe across the hall but there was no need nor time for another analysis of their present condition; the stabbing pain in his abdomen made sure he knew that. An invisible mallet had begun to mercilessly hammer his prickling peripheries and nothing was perceived correctly by the perturbed senses that had gone haywire. The poison was working towards its aim at a frighteningly rapid rate and the only medic in the room was down.
Finally, the tender flesh broke under the added pressure from the sharp teeth, crimson droplets oozing out to redden the pure whiteness of them, and Hitsugaya called out for his zanpaktou, his decision made. It was do or die and he was not going to go down with a fight.
‘Hyourinmaru!’
It was definitely something not recommended. It was not even something Hitsugaya had ever done before. However it was an only option where, otherwise, something that no one had thought possible could very well happen tonight. With the bloody Death approaching them rapidly in its grim cloak unbefitting the soft but vibrant decorations of the room and Unohana unable to hold herself, Gotei 13 was soon going to be saying its goodbyes to all of its captains in one night if something was not done immediately.
“…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…”
A trembling voice, feeble and frightened, attempted to reach out to him before fading away in fuzz, then somehow crawled its way through the agonising pain that was wrecking his body at the moment. His nails scratched the wooden floor as the hands curled tightly into white-knuckled fists and Hitsugaya forced his eyelids to open up. His vision was blurred and corners of it were starting to disperse crimson dye as if bleeding. Every intake of blood-scented air stabbed his screeching lungs and the spasmodic stomach threatened to cripple him into a crammed ball with its excruciating clawing and gnawing clutch.
“…Get… the fukutaichous… immediately…”
It was only breathy, raspy whispers yet the four words were easily one of the most difficult words he had ever had to utter, each syllable only an inch away from turning into anguished groans.
“Ha…Hai!!”
The girl hastily getting back on her feet again was all he could keep his eyes open for, the vision falling back into darkness again as the eyelids clamped down again.
The dragon’s gruff voice sounded far and hazy but it reached him more clearly than anything else currently hailing his slowly malfunctioning hearing. Resigned concern dragged down the tone of the rumbling growl but he could feel the mighty dragon already uncurling itself from his inner world, the icy wings stretching out majestically.
‘…It seems we do not have any other choice.’
Hitsugaya grimaced but it was not from the agony flooding his small body. The odds were that if successful, he would effectively, not neutralise, but completely remove the toxin out of his system. However the only choice of theirs that he had never done before also carried a huge amount of risk, not to mention that it was going to be hard to maintain the required level of exactness and fine delicacy in control of his reiatsu through the ripping stabs and sore spasms. A slip for longer than a second and the result was not going to be pleasant at all, one way or the other.
‘We cannot wait for fukutaichous, the poison is too fast. Either we do this now or…’
‘Do not speak more for it will not happen. Prepare yourself and we shall remain standing at the end of this.’
The unwavering assurance grounded his over-stimulated mind firmly, easing the troubled scowl on the pallid face a little.
‘Focus, little one. I’m not planning to lose my young master this early.’
A pair of blazing ruby eyes bore into his intently from his inner world and the young prodigy gave a curt nod, aware of the taut tension running through him and his zanpaktou even in amidst of the overwhelming suffering. Then Hyourinmaru spoke of words that he had not expected to hear.
‘Toushirou, do not forget of the one that awaits you.’
If he had half a mind to spare, Hitsugaya would have scoffed at the image that either his subconscious or his zanpaktou had projected on his closed eyelids; a crookedly grinning idiot of an orange-haired substitute shinigami. Instead, he only shook his head unnoticeably, not admitting that the image had fortified his determination further than anything else could have done.
A strained deep breathe marked the rise in the glacial reiatsu along with the ragged shards of broken concentration pulled and put back together. Slowly, the panic-laden ruckus started to die away to mute, all existences thrown out of the world until there was nothing left but him and him alone. The pain induced from the circulation of his reiatsu was excruciating, his limbs seemingly being torn apart in bloodthirsty rawness, as the summoning of his power only sped up the spread of the poison. Most likely, it was a part of counter system against the practice of reiatsu to ensure the kill or perhaps a last streak of humanity to grant the victim a quick death once the target lost control over their reiatsu. It was hard to tell and it did not matter.
This was a battle against time, coupled with very effective distraction called pain, and torturous it might be, he would push the limit of his tolerance of physical agony if his survival depended on it.
A gusty wind from the flapping of grand wings alerted the tendo of the ready departure of the mythical ruler and Hitsugaya did not bother stopping his conscience securely latching onto the image that he still insisted Hyourinmaru had dragged out of his memory. A roaring voice of Hyourinmaru shook his eardrums again, freeing them from the numbness.
‘You know what’s at stake. Do not let yourself be distracted.’
And with a silent nod of the white-spiked head, the icy dragon was freed from its lair.
The servants who had been frenetically tending the sick captains to the best of their abilities involuntarily shuddered as the room temperature took a sharp plummet and looked up with even greater terror, wondering what had now befallen upon them. The source was obvious and in fact, it drew collective, relieved sighs from them, then the room dove into lost silence.
Thick, hardened tension choked the soundless air, ready to shatter at the smallest move. Only the gargling and hacking coughs were daring enough to goad the edginess as all the eyes were fixed on one figure bent over the floor that was covered in a thin, translucent sheet of ice. The temperature of the hall was dropping fast, nearing that of Arctic, and while it caused many to shiver involuntarily, there was not one in the right mind to question why the frost was strangely limited to a small circle around the white-haired shinigami instead of the sheer radius the infamous dragon usually covered.
Nervous glances bounced back and forth between the unaffected ones, none venturing to speak of a budding hope. At least one captain seemed to be just a step further away from the blood-splattered chaos than the others. However none of them understood what the tenth division captain was trying to do; the icy reiatsu was homing in on its owner.
The short nails scratched against the cold rime ice as the dainty hands curled into fists. Frigid chill that had always been aimed at anyone that stood in the way of the young tendo, freezing and mercilessly pulverising them, had gotten a firm grip of his entire body as Hyourinmaru soared through him. The iciness was far more than the usual comfortable coolness that resided in him as a symbol of his connection with his zanpaktou. A mix of malevolence and benevolence was what the dragon’s flight was, for their enemy at this moment dwelt in none other than himself. He was the object of both the attack and the protection.
The glacial sheets wrapped themselves around the vessels. There were sturdy barricades barracked up, impenetrable for the maddened crimson river. The cannibalistic attacks were forced to an abrupt halt. Hyourinmaru’s coarse and swift caresses chilled him to sub-zero, pulling stop on any and every process of living before the poison that had already entered the organs could inflict any more damage. All it took was a flash of a moment, even with its strength suppressed by its wielder.
However the tentative optimism did not last long. The toxin had already achieved its fair share of sabotage in the short span of a mere few seconds and with a violent jerk that had his face nearly smashing into the frosted floor, Hitsugaya coughed up a bout of thick blood that had escaped the dragon’s sharp claws, spoiling the pristine display of his wintry power. In that blink of an eye that his concentration faltered, the rime ice thickened to opaqueness and instantly spread miles out, startling the nearby servants who reflexively scuttled away.
‘Toushirou! Get a grip on it, now!’
Hitsugaya winced with a muffled groan at the tangy metal taste at the back of his throat. His hands seemed to have gone numb; he could no longer feel the familiar coldness of what should have covered the area around him with the release of Hyourinmaru. It was not just his hands. His entire body felt out of his reach, as if it was not his. He was only aware of the icy dragon spread out inside him to every corner and there was only one thing for him to focus on if he did not want to meet the end by his own power.
The lethality of the power of the mythical ruler was something Hitsugaya could not be more intimate with. The precise and fine balance of prohibition and liberation of the mighty dragon’s force was the only reason that he was not encased in a mass of ice the minute Hyourinmaru was allowed to exert its offence power on him and a minute slip could mean a permanent stop in his heart’s currently hysterical beating against the rebellious blood and the abrupt chill.
The last remnant wave of the pain from the abrupt cough died away and the brief dip in the torment allowed him to flex his fingers and a few moments to catch his irregular breathing. The stiffness in them led to a tense scowl on the whitish features. They might not have as long as they had first anticipated.
This was one hell of a mission with many odds stacked up against them and time was definitely one of it in more than one way. The mythical ruler was of water in its essence; the mixture of water and ice that composed of its materialised form proved that. While its prime sovereignty lied over the solid ice, Hyourinmaru had a certain level of governance over any that contained the wet element and that was what the wielder was betting on to save his, their lives. Nevertheless, the dragon’s notorious ability to turn all into icicles meant some level of solidification was inevitable even for the captain and while it effectively shut down all the self-attack, the same chill gripped the entire system. Take too long and the glacial spell could push his body pass the point of return.
The iciness wrecked yet soothed his poisoned body. The crimson talons were frozen midway down the deep lacerations on his intestines, liver, lungs and heart but neither could he feel them being alive under the arctic shields. The last remaining numbness at the tip of his fingers receded away, giving way to the chill and with every inch now covered, Hitsugaya could feel his soul companion cautiously swimming through the slush-like arteries and veins.
Soon the wielder felt one of the weirdest sensations he had ever experienced as something was slowly filtered from within his partially frozen blood and travelled up his veins, signalling that his soul companion was now in full control of his every cell. Gradually, there came a relieving sensation of what little thrashing of the toxin that was left now disappearing, and the deadly toxin was now torn away from their rimed targets in an undefined globe, gathered from all around his body to his heart that had now started to slow down dangerously in the unrelenting grasp of the bitter frigidness.
A hoarse groan tore through the abused lips as a different type of pain squeezed his heart, tightness in his chest making it difficult to breathe. With the unearthly frostiness entirely enveloping him, hypothermia was setting in fast even for the wielder. Perhaps it was because he took as long as he assumed he could afford in order to become accustomed to the detailed finesse of the control required from him. Whatever the reason, a pair of invisible arms was clamping around him as if to expel the last ounce of air and suffocate his resigning heart with the crushing pressure. Starting to feel a little light-headed, the prodigy grimaced; they had to wrap up this semi-suicidal act soon or the consequence was going to be as threatening as the poison itself. It was at that moment that he heard exactly what he had been waiting for.
‘We only have to get it out of you now, master. You are doing well, endure it just a little longer.’
‘How…’
‘Cut yourself. Through the blood vessel is the only way I can safely lead it out at present.’
Wordlessly, Hitsugaya gingerly brought his arm up to grab the physical manifestation of his soul companion on his back, scowling at how sluggishly and stiffly the limb obeyed his order. The zanpaktou had been giving off silvery chill even from within the thick sheath and the navy blue sheath promptly disappeared as the blade immediately brought down to slash across the slim wrist, the unforeseen action inducing gasps from the servants that had been watching him. However no blood gushed out from the deep cut that was sure to have damaged the radial artery, not even a single rivulet of crimson made an appearance.
“…Hi…Hitsugaya taichou…?”
The teal orbs had opened the moment the prodigy had moved for Hyourinmaru yet they looked strangely distant and showed no sign of having heard the cautious call; Hitsugaya was still in the world that he had created out of utter concentration.
He knew why the lack of spurting sprays of crimson; his blood was thick, near solid slush, still in its track everywhere in his body. All in all, his physiology was, systematically speaking, dead at this precise moment.
Another bout of pain pierced his heart, signalling the imminent danger, but Hitsugaya showed no sign of it except the involuntary twitch of his cold fingers. It was certain that the deadly encounter was coming to an end, and in his victory. Soon, the proof of that appeared in crystal clear droplets oozing out of the self-inflicted wound and the wary emerald eyes narrowed. How could such lethal poison be so transparent, so harmless-looking?
However it was not the time to linger on the question. Having received a confirmation from his zanpaktou that his body was now safe from the poison’s deadly grasp, Hitsugaya used a simple kidou to roughly connect the lacerated tissue again and mentally thanked the dragon before it coiled away to his inner world, setting him free from the frigid spell. And for a while, there was only silence between the two as the tendo and the dragon waited for the signs of vitality to make their return, heavy anxiety churning with dread.
And when they did, the stoic captain could not help but sigh in relief, the exploding thumps of his heart threatening to crash through his ribcage. They had made it in time. Being the wielder of the strongest ice-snow zanpaktou did not transform his constituents suitable to be frozen inside out at will, especially not by the said zanpaktou’s incredible power. Contrary to some very wild assumptions, Hitsugaya was simply -much- more tolerant of sub-zero temperature outside, around him due to the coolness dwelling inside but that was as far as it went.
‘Arigato, Hyourinmaru.’
‘Toushirou.’
‘…?’
The dragon’s rumbling voice was now much more composed with the urgency now gone but the worries still firmly held its place and Hyourinmaru had certifiable reasons. The prodigy had not escaped the poison completely unscathed just as that bloody cough had shown and once fully thawed back to normal, the captain was going to sense the after effects of his own stunt just now. Its stubborn master appeared unaware of it just yet but the dragon was already picking up the distress in the boy’s forcibly exerted reiatsu and for shinigamis, spiritually ailing reiatsu was same as physical injuries, possibly worse, as it inevitably sent the afflicted one to the infirmary even without any bodily wounds.
‘It is our luck that the poison was blood-based but you will have to rest properly after this, little one.’
With the main source of its power now withdrawn, the chill was making its retreat and with it came back the surroundings that his concentration had removed his conscience from. There was a splash of red on the frosted floor and the sounds of countless feet running around thrummed his eardrums along with hacking, gargling coughs. Knitting his eyebrows, Hitsugaya willed his heart to return to normal rhythm from its weedy, erratic beating, his blood to melt and return to its course, though it was easier said than done. The soft ripples gently stirring his soul from the core echoed the dragon’s concerns and the wielder replied with a wave of gratitude and reassurance, disregarding how rigid he felt.
There was no telling as to how long his conscience had been away from the urgent turmoil but the prodigy did not waste any time in figuring it out, for he knew something much more crucial required his attention. Stabbing his zanpaktou into the rime-covered floor, Hitsugaya pushed himself upright onto his feet, his eyes already searching for Unohana, only to have the hall wildly spinning in front of his eyes, his vision swirling into nothing more than a churning of colours. He could feel himself heading for a flat fall as he reflexively shut his eyes, abrupt weariness sweeping him off his feet.
Yet the anticipated crash did not come. Rather, on thecontrary, something soft and warm had cushioned his throbbing head before it met the unforgiving floor, and after a second to recover his orientation, Hitsugaya realised that someone with familiarly huge breasts had caught him from behind, his head landing exactly in between the round fleshes, much to his chagrin.
“Taichou!!”
The perturbed, high-pitched voice shook his frayed mind and with an unnoticeable cringe, Hitsugaya cracked his eyes open and turned around as he regained his foothold. Everything was still a little hazy but he saw what he needed to see. Strawberry-blonde, distinctively pink, a pair of silvers and massive breasts. It could be only one person.
“…Matsumoto?”
“What’s going on? A servant literally crashed in but she couldn’t tell us much!”
Hitsugaya did not answer but quickly looked around the room that was unexpectedly empty, unaware of Matsumoto’s hand that still did not leave his shoulders. The fourth division captain was found a few seats up from him, coughing up horribly blackened blood in the arms of her vice-captain. Then he found why the other captains were unseen in the room. Next to Unohana, taking up the whole corner of the hall was Minatzuki.
Having finally realised his vice-captain’s concerned support, Hitsugaya placed his hand on hers just a little longer than necessary in a rare show of appreciation before sliding it off him and called for the fourth and the 12th vice-captains as he walked up to Unohana, his steps imperceptibly faltering once in a while as his body fought against the last remnants of frost and the residual effects of the poison. Nobody noticed the scowl worsening by a touch when his knees almost buckled once more as sharp pain ran down his legs.
“Kotetsu, Kurotshuchi!”
“Hai!”
“Collect that”, Hitsugaya pointed to the small puddle of clear liquid on the floor that had left his body just a few seconds ago, “and find the antidote for it as soon as possible. All taichous have been poisoned.”
Everyone looked at him in shocked disbelief save Nemu who was already scooping up the liquid into a small bottle, her expressionless face remaining so as usual. On the other hand, Isane was obviously torn between the order and her sick captain and Hitsugaya barked as he knelt down on one knee next to the healer. Time was of essence and a single second could decide life and death for his fellow captains if his own experience was anything to go by.
“Now!”
“Ha… Hai!”
“Matsumoto, call the fourth. When you come back, secure the area.”
“Hai, taichou!”
The three immediately ran out of the hall and Hitsugaya turned his eyes to Unohana, noting the ghostly whiteness of her contorted face.
‘Hyourinmaru.’
‘…It is not impossible but it would put great strain on you as well as the other one.’
‘But she would live.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Hyourinmaru.’
The captain swore he heard a sigh from the dragon.
‘…Yes. Most likely. If you have enough energy and focus. Toushirou, let them bring the antidote. The medics would soon be arriving too. Repeating this feat 12 times is impossible in your current state.’
‘I won’t have to but that’s only if we have Unohana taichou back in commission. She is the only one that can keep them alive until then and she cannot do it the way she is now. With Minatzuki released… the reiatsu is killing her faster than anyone in Minatzuki.’
There was no response from the dragon and Hitsugaya knew that as much unhappy and reluctant as his soul companion was, Hyourinmaru agreed. For all the genius he was, Hitsugaya did not possess the required level of medical knowledge and he could safely say from his brief yet intense experience that the toxin was made to be absolutely fatal. Knowing the answer already, the captain pressed on once more.
‘We cannot wait, not at least for Unohana taichou.’
With a determined look, Hitsugaya gently grasped Unohana’s arm to bring her attention to him. The blurry black eyes looked at him, asking what the healer could not voice out in the effort of pushing herself, and with a flitting glance at the long blade of Hyourinmaru still clutched in his hand, Hitsugaya answered the silent question.
“Unohana taichou, I am going to remove the poison from you but I need you to focus on letting my reiatsu in. This needs to be done in the shortest time possible so please, do not retaliate against it.”
A firm nod was her reply even though she did not know of the risk involved in the process, her trust in his ability clear in that single action. However, she did not seal her zanpaktou back and when Hitsugaya looked at her again, there was a shake of the head with the air of finality. The prodigy did not waste any time in attempting to persuade her either. The time was ticking.
The returned tension had his mind instantly clearing like a veil of fogs lifting and Hitsugaya waited until the last wave of the lingering aftereffects had passed before placing the sharp tip of Hyourinmaru above the healer’s wrist. Taking in a deep breath to prepare for another intense session of focus, the prodigy looked at the healer and murmured quietly. To set Hyourinmaru free within another’s body under his control, there was no other way but for his zanpaktou to make a direct contact with its target.
“I apologise for this.”
And with that, the blade plunged into the wrist, much to the horror of the remaining vice-captains and servants. However in a second, another circle of thin frost was forming around the two captains and the temperature that had just gained a few degrees was fast plummeting again.
Thanksfully, Unohana seemed to have enough of conscience left to focus on locking down her reiatsu and Hitsugaya could feel the glacial reiatsu of his and the dragon. Almost immediately, they were ready to display their newly tested ability.
At that moment, Matsumoto came running back with the shinigamis of the fourth division at her tow then stopped dead when she saw her captain next to Unohana with his zanpaktou undoubtedly through her wrist.
However before anyone could mutter a sound of shock or confusion, her captain was back on move, pulling Hyourinmaru out of the healer’s limb and everyone was astonished when only clear fluid leaked out of the gaping wound.
“Everything should melt again soon. How do you feel?”
“Definitely much better. Arigato.”
Unohana decided she was not going to complain about the unrealistic coldness she remained under. It was nothing compared to the pain that had coursed through her veins just moments ago and now her life was intact.
Hitsugaya remained knelt down next to the healer as she healed her injury he had inflicted, unnoticeably tightening his grip on the hilt of his zanpaktou in effort to hide the heaviness that seemed to drag his body down. The truth was, he had doubled the speed as he recognised that others were not familiar with the iciness as him. It had meant severe pressure on him but with the medical division here, Unohana would soon be taking over the crisis. Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi must be nearing finding the antidote too. Glancing at Minatzuki behind him, the prodigy let himself feel the first wave of relief since the chaos broke loose.
Healing her gashed wrist professionally, she looked at the young captain in front of her in a mild awe, taking his wrist to have a look once she was finished. The deep cut he had inflicted on himself was mended just enough to stop any bleeding and Unohana quickly finished off the job, the muscles and the skin healed back to their original, flawless condition. She found that using her reiatsu was still more difficult than usual but she was now free of bloody coughs and her organs were slowly returning to normality from the poison-induced pandemonium.
“It is only a last resort. Hyourinmaru is fundamentally water but its nature and power makes it strenuous to control it for such purpose. The hypothermia only ups the danger. Normally, I would not have put you under the risks but...”
With a gentle smile returning to her still pale face, Unohana finished off the sentence.
“…I was the only medic. I understand.”
“I have sent Kotetsu and Kurotshuchi for the antidote. They should be back soon.”
Unohana could see why the tendo was waiting for the medicinal cure for the others. Having been under the effect of Hyourinmaru personally, she knew what a fine line it was that the arctic chill walked on, balanced precariously on the time and the hypothermia. With the lives of the captains on theline, she found it explicable that Hitsugaya would be reluctant to repeat the procedures unless absolutely necessary.
And more importantly, now that she was safe from the grim clutches of the death, it was her responsibility to care for the ailing ones. She looked around her, slowly standing up with the help of two of her subordinates. The white-haired shinigami simply stepped aside, noticing the change of air around the healer. Words were seldom needed between the captains when one was about to take on his or her duty.
“Minatzuki.”
The giant creature tensed up for a moment before pouring out all the captains it had swallowed and Hitsugaya and Unohana both had trouble covering their grimaces when they saw the sticky, transparent saliva of Minatzuki mingled with what could have been easily mistaken as spilt ink rather than blood. There were collective surprised calls as every vice-captain ran to their respective captains and the fourth division shinigamis were already setting out the shields around each of them.
Leaving the rest in capable hands, Hitsugaya calmed a sudden nausea that had lurched his stomach. A scowl pulling down the ends of his pale lips, the small captain swallowed thickly, only to have the bitter taste of bile eliciting another gag reflex. He took a deep breath in. His vision was a little blurry but it was nothing that a few blinks could not clear away.
“Taichou, are you okay?”
“Mm.”
The silvery eyes travelled down the short captain from the head, frowning when they caught asmear of blood on the turquoise kimono. At least it was better than the healer’s. Unohana’s pale-green one had most of its front soaked in tainted blood.
Hitsugaya was aware of the concerned gaze but showed no sign of it. Instead, the turquoise orbs simply fixed themselves on a group of medics huddled around Kyouraku opposite of him, his mind not quite falling into the fatigue yet from the adrenaline.
Who was it that wanted the deaths of all thirteen captains? Was this the work of the killer they had been after? But why poison then?
One question was only followed by the other and he shook his heavy head. They would have to wait until later when there was less of adesperate urgency in the air, the bloody scent of Death dissipated and the wheezy sounds of gurgling coughs vanished.
“Have you secured the area?”
“Hai. No one is to enter or leave without reporting and some of our men are guarding the area. I’ve also sent a hell butterfly to Onmitsukidou just in case.”
A loud shout interrupted Matsumoto then. The blonde Third Seat was organising the subordinates in place of Unohana who had a nervous looking medic checking her pulse. Standing aside as not to get in the way of the shinigamis dashing around, Hitsugaya thought back to the traditional ozoni that had led to this mayhem, the eyebrows drawing tightly as throbbing migraine suddenly took hold of his head.
However before he could marvel on it for any longer than a second, a terrible coughing fit snapped the tendo out of his thoughts and when he turned to the origin of the horrible gargling sounds, he was shocked to find Ukitake bringing up anunhealthy amount of jet-black blood, the twisted face far too ashen and his every body language screaming of unbearable pain as Kuchiki Rukia held his shoulders down so that the medics could continue treating him. The petite girl looked close to tears as her blue eyes darted between her captain, her step-brother and her childhood friend. Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. When was the antidote going to arrive?
“Unohana taichou!!”
The pressing call alerted of Kotetsu Isane shunpoing into the room but instead of the relief that Hitsugaya thought he would be met with on her return, he could feel blood draining from his already whitish face. The distress on Kotetsu’s face spoke of volume and most of all, she was empty-handed. And her words were enough to silence the large hall in a second like fire doused with cold water.
“Unohana taichou, we have a problem! Kurotsuchi fukutaichou cannot determine what poison it is, it’s something we have never seen before!”
( #17 l #19 )