sirenspull_logs | 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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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.

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

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