sirenspull_logs | Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand,

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Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand,

Who: Hitsugaya Toushirou (

icy_heavens), Kuchiki Byakuya (

soul_scatter) and possibly Hinamori Momo (

plum_that_snaps) eventually.
When: Backdated to March 18th, early evening.
Where: At the homestead.
Summary: Hitsugaya got hit with memory issues. Time for a shinigami pow-wow about the situation.
Warnings: Probably none.

Finally.

Hitsugaya wasn't even going to admit to himself how relieved he was that he'd managed to find his way back to the house. The only reason he'd stayed so long around . . . goddamn it, what was that redheaded moron's name again? Anyhow. The only reason he'd stayed so long with that idiot was because he needed to be assured that he knew where he was going. He wasn't going to wander around lost through the city.

The city that he knew inside and out until sometime today. Something was seriously wrong.

His steps are a bit heavier than usual, as though his body is weighted down by the thoughts running through his mind about how the hell this could have happened. Curiously, he noticed that Kuchiki was there and Hinamori wasn't.

"What did you say to her?" His tone might have been somewhat accusatory, but he wasn't in the best mood to begin with and if Kuchiki had upset Hinamori, it wasn't going to get any better.

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Byakuya had felt Hitsugaya approaching and had left the reiatsu beacon going until the steps touched the front door. Then, he pulled it in. He didn't rise to the bait of the accusatory tone.

Instead, he just makes tea. "That the network was insecure and she should be cautious. Also, that you would be fine."

He sets a pair of mugs on the table. He doesn't know what he said, or even if she was upset. He just knew she'd excused herself. "What happened?" Because, while he understood Hitsugaya's worry over Hinamori, there are bigger worries now.

He frowns a little more in Kuchiki's direction. Sure, Hinamori is the emotional type, but even that much shouldn't have upset her. Either there's something else, or it was the way Kuchiki had said it. Doesn't he know he has to be careful how he talks to her?

"Watch how you say things to her." It's all he'll say concerning this particular issue. Because like hell he's letting it go completely.

He takes a seat, mind still working. What happened? That's the real question, isn't it? If he knew the answer, he might not be so worried about this.

"... I don't know."

Byakuya nodded and just accepted the admonition. He settled into his seat, and sipped the tea. There was something so not right about this.

"Your memory has been altered?" That part was what worried Byakuya. To alter the mind was something that was unheard of, except in certain situations, and that hearkened back to Aizen in a very uncomfortable way.

He rested his elbows on the table, and briefly cradled his head in his palms. No, it didn't hurt, but the action was instinctual.

"It must have been, somehow. I didn't remember how to get here without reiatsu to track, and . . ." There was one other thing that bothered him, though on a lesser level. "I can't even remember that idiot's name."

His mind had reached an association with Aizen on this subject as well, which was hardly the most comforting thought. He hated the idea that somebody else could get into his head and just do whatever they wanted. And he had no clue who such a person could even be. It made things all the worse.

"Grell." Because, unfortunately, Byakuya knew that name. Even if he had avoided the idiot for over a year. However, that person wasn't their problem.

"How much do you remember?" That would give him a place to start. He hated not having an ability to help in any way, but questions and logical conclusions he could do. He hoped Hitsugaya was able to think through it, and work with him. He didn't want to be... frozen out now.

Even he almost winced at the mental pun.

Grell. Right. Whatever. The point was, he shouldn't have forgotten it. He'd had to deal with his antics often enough.

He sighed quietly and took a moment to consider the question. "Everything from home. I'm not having any trouble recognizing anyone from there. Where I work. The people behind the names. I remembered the address of the house, just not how to get here."

Hitsugaya took a sip of his own tea in an effort to calm his tension. It wasn't working. Nothing about this situation was right, and he had no idea who to blame or how to fix it.

Byakuya was watching his fellow taichou, well aware of the tension floating around him. He'd leave him be, but they needed to know the extent of this current crisis.

"You do not remember names?" Byakuya asked, the started to list off a few. "Hattie, Ella-san, Sheila-sama, Asano, Rainbow Dash?" He didn't know many of those that Hitsugaya had spoken to, but those were, mostly, shared acquaintances.

And most of those names got blank looks. Hitsugaya was well aware that he should know them -- and know some of them very well indeed. That was probably the most frustrating thing about all of this; that he knew that he should know them, but he didn't.

"Asano's I remember." If the blank looks hadn't been confirmation enough before, the fact that he didn't say he remembered any of the others would do the job. Those names were gone.

Whoever had done this had a hell of a lot of explaining to do. What purpose was there for altering his memory like this?

Byakuya did not like this in the least. He should know Ella-san's name at the very least. They both protected her. And Hitsugaya had been the one to introduce him to Rainbow Dash. This wasn't a good thing at all.

"Have you spoken to Unohana-taichou?" Because, yeah, she was the only doctor Byakuya trusted. And maybe she'd be able to tell something.

His brow wrinkled as his mind tried and failed to put faces or relevant pesonality details to the names. Goddamn it, this was important. He didn't just forget things; his memory had never been a problem in the past.

He shook his head. "There was nothing on the network from her, and this is the first place I came to."

The first place he'd been able to find, and that much only because Kuchiki had allowed his reiatsu to leak. That he'd been so completely disoriented . . . It was hell.

"I'm not certain if I'll be able to retain the knowledge if it were reintroduced at the moment." Because who the hell knew how this mess was suposed to work?

"You— you think he needs to see Captain Unohana?" Momo had just come down the stairs, and just overhearing that question confirmed her suspicions. Someone or something had tried to hurt Hitsugaya, or at the very least, something bad had happened to him.

She had gone upstairs intending to meditate and calm herself down, but instead she had found herself searching through the responses to Grell's post on the network, trying to make sense of what had happened. Hitsugaya's frustration was evident in all his replies, but she also hadn't failed to notice how very deliberately he seemed to be working to hide whatever was wrong.

Byakuya wasn't surprised to see Hinamori. Instead, he just sipped his tea. He looked between the two, almost feeling as if he should excuse himself; though technically, he considered himself the senior taichou here.

"I think it would be prudent." He didn't know if she'd be able to do anything, but it couldn't hurt. If nothing else, she'd be able to determine if it was physical or not - though he doubted it was.

He finished his tea and stood to make more.

He looked up when Hinamori came down the stairs, then once again attempted to calm himself with a bit of tea. Nope, still wasn't working. Honestly, how was he supposed to keep her out of trouble if he was getting into it?

Honestly, he probably should talk to Unohana-taichou about this, though he was almost certain that this wasn't due to some physiological manipulation. But at the same time, if it wasn't physical, there really wasn't much she would be able to do about it, and going to her would just be a waste of time.

"This isn't a physical issue; I don't see how that would help."

Hinamori remained standing halfway between the stairs and the kitchen. It felt safer over here— in case she needed to run away again. She scowled disapprovingly at Hitsugaya's answer.

"Your mind is a part of your body, Hitsugaya-kun. Don't be stupid."

Byakuya leaned against the counter and waited on the tea to steep. He agreed with Hinamori, but didn't feel the need to point that out. Instead, he just looked at Hitsugaya, hiding his amusement and ticking up an eyebrow.

He noticed Hinamori not coming into the kitchen and again felt like he should leave... He honestly hadn't wanted to scare her, but this place... He kept the sigh to himself. Sometimes, it was freeing being here, just because he wasn't the Kuchiki.

Well, pointing that out would have been redundant, anyway. Kuchiki had been the one to suggest it in the first place. No need to say what was already obvious.

He frowned at that scowl, but ultimately sighed. Fine. If it made her feel better, he'd go. But not right now.

"Tomorrow. There won't be time tonight before I have to work."

He was aware that this sounded stupid. But it wasn't. His head was more together now, even if he still didn't remember things. There were ways around the navigation problem. He wasn't going to let this incident take over his life.

Momo just froze in disbelief. Surely he wasn't planning on going to work like this. He'd said his job was to courier packages, right? In the Darkness? And he couldn't even find his way back to his own home from running errands? No. She would not stand for this.

"You're not seriously considering going to work like this, Hitsugaya-kun! You have sick leave, right? You've probably never used it a day in your life— this is precisely the kind of thing it's for!"

She wasn't going to back down on this. No way he was going out to fight monsters in the dark with his mind in who-knows-what condition. If she had to, she would come with him. Make sure he was safe.

Byakuya really wished he wasn't himself right now. Because he'd be snickering so hard. However, he just poured himself some tea.

"I agree with Hinamori-fukutaichou." Byakuya knew his word didn't mean much, but perhaps Hitsugaya would see the foolishness of it.

He was aware of how it sounded, thank you. He did not need to be yelled at. Kuchiki's word . . . whatever. It wasn't like he couldn't see the logic. The only thing that gave him pause was the way that Hinamori was yelling at him.

"The NV has maps of the city. I can work out a route before I leave the offices. And it's not like I've forgotten how to fight."

He might have been taking Hinamori's feelings into consideration, but he wasn't quite ready to give in just yet.

Hinamori looked at him exasperatedly. Why are you doing this, Hitsugaya-kun? Is it that important to you? But she supposed she shouldn't stand in the way if that was what he wanted to do. And she didn't really know— maybe he could lose his job, and that would be her fault, but...

"I... still don't like it, Hitsugaya-kun. We don't even know what happened to you yet! What if it happens again? Worse? Even if you can fight, I don't want you lost..." Her face filled with sadness at the thought, then went firm again as she proposed a solution: "Let me come with you."

Byakuya sipped his tea, knowing full well that Hinamori's arguments would be listened to more than his. He wasn't stupid.

"There is another possibility. That whoever, or whatever, did this could be tracking you." Byakuya was a paranoid man, but he was still alive. That counted for something. "If it is doing so, I doubt it would stop and merely you."

Implying Hinamori might be in danger to get his way? Yes, yes he is.

It wasn't so much Hinamori's arguments as her emotional state that Hitsugaya paid attention to. He preferred to avoid upsetting her whenever possible.

He did have sick leave, and no, he wouldn't lose his job if he called in. It was more the principle of the thing; stopping what he normally did felt like he was losing to the person that did this to him. He didn't like losing.

He was about to give in to Hinamori's suggestion that she accompany him -- for her peace of mind, not for his own safety, thank you -- when Kuchiki decided to bring up an unsettling possibility.

"... I'll call in."

Later, he would be annoyed with Kuchiki's tactics here, but right now, all he could consider was Hinamori's safety.

She should have been happy at Hitsugaya's pronouncement, but Captain Kuchiki's statement had unsettled her, too. It was what she had thought previously; why she had asked what kind of security the house had. If something was affecting Hitsugaya's memories, there had to be a reason for it. Was it a diversion, to keep him from guessing the real attack? Was it part of a wider event, something that had affected multiple people? Was it about him, or about them, as shinigami, or...

"Good. Stay." She says it to voice her approval, but her voice and her eyes are distant. Whatever this was, it was wrong. They couldn't just ignore it. But... neither did she know what to do.

Byakuya hid his amusement as Hinamori's order behind a sip of tea. "I also suggest we mount a watch for the night, and resurrect the kidou barriers." Because, he was paranoid. But just because he was paranoid didn't mean people weren't out to get them. "Two taichous and a fukutaichou are more than a match for most things that can attack, but I do not doubt at least one Arrancar would enjoy taking advantage of this situation."

And possibly more. But Luppi wouldn't mind taking advantage of anything that happened with the shinigami.

"Until this is resolved, or new details arise, we should be extra cautious." Paranoid noble was paranoid.

This was not following orders. This was protecting Hinamori. Which was completely different. Nothing to be amused about here.

Hitsugaya made a conscious effort to keep his shoulders straight so that he didn't sink into his chair like a sulking child. Because that wasn't what he was at all.

And yes, Luppi at the very least would want to take advantage of any vulnerability he had. The Espada had made it no secret that he'd seen everything that had happened on the network. Not that Luppi ever made a secret about anything; he was a jabbering idiot, after all.

"Fine."

Hinamori looked up gratefully at Captain Kuchiki for taking command. Certainly, his words had been a "suggestion," but it gave her an order, something to act on. "I... would like to take first watch," she said politely. It was instinct, really, for her to volunteer herself and take any burden away from others, but it would also allow her to focus outside herself for a while, and that way Hitsugaya-kun and Captain Kuchiki could get some rest.

But they had at least a while before Darkness fell, and with a plan of action in place, Hinamori felt much better. She finally brought herself into the kitchen and took a cup out of the cupboard. She gave a quick nod to Captain Kuchiki, to thank him for having made the tea in the first place, and then poured herself a cup and sat down between the two of them. She scooted her chair just slightly closer to Hitsugaya-kun than to the other captain.

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Sometimes the mind, for reasons we don't necessarily understand,

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