Enclosed Spaces

This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all! They should have brought more men with them! This... This wasn't supposed to be such a complex mission though! This had just been a hollow horde to deal with at first, no problem!

Then...Then those damn arrancar!

From what had been gathered they weren't affiliated with the arrancar and Espada of Los Noches... They were rogue, and had been able to infiltrate the Soul Society.

There had been three of them... Them plus those hollows...

Captain Shirakawa had told him to run back, get backup or help... They were a many good few miles away from the nearest district but it was still too close to become reckless...

Captain Shirakawa was to hold them off, defeat them while he, Kouki Tsuruya, was to rush back to the Seireitei. He hadn't been able to stay behind and assist, his orders were to head back immediately to alert someone.

He was running, using shunpo and draining himself of energy to rush back as quickly as possible. His breathing was hard, but he couldn't stop now!

Had to...make it back...

Masaru wasn't here? Mia pulled the cloak lower over her face, unable to face all the people here without it at least. She tried most days, but she'd gotten off of the morning shift for the Library and had come to eat lunch with her boyfriend. If she did, he was forced to rest for a bit at least and unwind. Sometimes she'd even give him minor head and shoulder rubs if he listened...

It seemed he had a minor mission to the rukon though and had taken someone out with him as backup. Smart, after last time when he was sick, but also a bit worrisome...

Mia frowned, pushing away her worrywart nature and headed out of the main building as she greeted the members who said hello. At least her cloak was recognizable by now and no one ignored her...

Masaru would be fine... She should head out of the squad and head home. Maybe Nozomi would like another lesson in baking today? Before the real lessons... Thinking this, Mia headed for the main exit of the Division.

The division was in sight, he'd made...he'd made it back. He felt like he would collapse at any moment now but he had made it back! He couldn't let himself collapse yet though, he had to inform...inform someone!

One of the higher ranking officers perhaps...anyone that was near that could pass on the information.

Kouki ran, and continued to do so without much mind as he bolted through the division gates. Someone... Anyone here...

Someone...

He ran inside, nearly tripping over the steps as he did so before he reached out to grab something, some cloth? I...No, it was a person! He felt their arm under the cloth!

"E-Emergency...in... In the Rukon! Ordered...ordered to come back! Rogue...Rogue arrancar!" He could hardly get the words out, but he did so with urgency to whomever he was holding onto. "S...Shiraka...wa...ordered me to...alert...-!"

Mia was just about out of Division Six when someone ran full tilt into her after tripping. She held in a sound, giving only a sharp gasp as he took her arm and cloak while trying to steady himself... Silent for a moment though as he began speaking, Her eyes widened as she heard his words. Rogue arrancar!? In the rukon!?

No! Masaru was out there alone!

"G-Go inform the rest of the squad! I-I'll head there immediately, I'm L-Lieutenant of the Tenth." Mia nodded, accepting the responsibility now and reaching inside of her cloak to pull the long zanpakuto out of the bottomless hole. He was... She barely waited for the man to give her the proper district and direction before she rushed off, hood down as the woman shunpo'd and moved quickly to the location of Captain Shirakawa.

It was the Rukon but he needed help... That man... Could inform the rest of the squad... She had to read Masaru at least...

That... The person he'd grabbed was...

"R-Right away, M-M'am!" He was exhausted, but he'd gotten his job mostly done; the lieutenant of the Tenth, she was someone important to Captain Shirakawa, if anyone could sense him out enough to make it...

He would inform the others!

"I...I'll inform...others right away!" He shouted as Mia ran off.

Turning, he went about finding some others that could assit with this...


G..gh...

Nn... What'd...

The arrancar and those hollows... They'd... He'd wiped them out, he remembered but... There'd been consequences, one of them had pulled a stunt with few of the hollows, which had sent him flying.

He'd... He remembered hearing their dying cries, but...

Where was he?

When he'd opened his eyes all he could see was darkness. Where was he? What... He'd been unconscious...and...

Masaru felt around, attempting to figure out where he was...why he couldn't see clearly... He came upon a wall and followed it...to encounter another wall...

That opened the door for some uneasiness... Where... Where was the way out?

Where was Ikari? Where... way out...


Uknown to Masaru, he had been trapped in one of the underground centers of the Rukon, long abandoned by citizens for being too dangerous. There were too many holes...too many ways the area could collapse.

His zanpakutou currently lay amongst the rubble of the attack, the bodies of the hollows having disappeared, destroyed and de-manifested.

The arrancars bodies were still in the process of doing so, the ice making the process more difficult as it kept their physical forms intact.

Good! That person would do what was needed... That left Mia to rush off and get to Masaru with no guilt. She hurried, shunpoing across roofs as fast as was possible for her. He needed backup, that was it. There wasn't any issues. No major issues, it was just a precaution and he could handle this. He could easily handle any problems.

He wasn't sick, not with her watching him like a hawk...

Mia fought off all her nerves, quickly and efficiently making her way through the Rukon to the place where Masaru had been.

It took a bit to arrive, but she made it there with a few soft pants as she looked around. Masaru... was nowhere to be seen. Nothing... There was a bit of ice left, but where... Where was he?! Fighting down her panic, she used logic for the moment to stay calm. There were also no arrancar or hollows...

His energy... it was nearby... But... But there was nothing! Mia unsheathed her sword from her back, holding it out as she examined the surrounding area before calling. His energy was over this way... "Masaru?! Masaaaru!"

Where...was he?

That unease has easily shifted into panic, unable to help it as his fears took over. This... This was... There wasn't a way out. All he'd felt were walls.

Walls...

No exit...

He couldn't see, which did nothing to help him; there wasn't anything to see... His body felt sore, and stung due to various small wounds he'd sustained, but they were nothing he couldn't handle.

This... This was much worse.

He couldn't stand closed spaces, couldn't stand areas without exit or escape. He couldn't stand the feeling of being trapped...shut in...

His breathing was quick, and panicked and his mind was in overdrive attempting and failing to work through it. He couldn't think logically under these circumstances, couldn't think clearly now that panic had already set in.

Couldn't... Not... He couldn't stand this.

Get out... He had to...had to get out somehow... There wasn't...

Despite being unable to see, his eyes moved quickly, searching for exits that didn't exist.

His reiatsu likely felt erratic, fluctuating to those that felt it in bursts. He couldn't keep his control, couldn't keep his cool like this.

"A...Aa..." A shout was caught in his throat, unable to bring himself to yell, his hand went to his throat and grasped it as if trying to will something out.

Nothing...

There... He was there, she had finally found the exact section where Masaru was. Mia stared in horror at the debris and collapsed state of this spot. The place was riddled with holes and tunnels and she bent down to pick up Ikari, shaking the blade and wiping it clean before instinctively sheathing him in hers on her back. He was laying there all alone without his master... Who had to be below her. She... was sensing right, she had to be. Masaru was below her, under this pile...pile of just building remains and debris...

Moving it was impossible. How could she dig him out without...without burying him!? He was definitely fine, his energy signature stable and not weakening... Fine, he was fine he was fine...

No panic was bad. Panic was not good. Mia stared in horror for a few moments as her breathing slowed, intentionally taking deeper breaths to allow her body to calm down. She had to stay focused...

However she quickly noticed the problem of Masaru's energy. Before it had been steady but now? Now it was fluctuating... Those spikes and drops... Was he panicking?! No that was the worst thing he could do! How in the hell was she to get him out!? The others would be here soon enough but...

Looking around for something, anything she could do to help, Mia noticed a hole nearby. It was pitch black from what she could see but she rushed over, unsealing her zanpakuto as flames burst around her. A few balls of violet flame floated around her head, the Lieutenant of that terrifying Library not daunted at all by the task of jumping down a pitch black hole with no end in sight...

"I-Ikari! K-Keep him from panicking. I-I'm going down there! I'm on my way..." Maybe he couldn't hear her, maybe he couldn't hear Masaru... But it was worth a shot. If she could...could find Masaru, that was a good plan... She could get to him.

She jumped straight down into the dark with only her flames to guide her.

Keep him from panicking...

Ikari heard Mia's words as he was sheathed and carried; he contact with Masaru had been cut for sometime due to unconsciousness, but...

He was panicking, there was only one reason he could be...


Masaru had stumbled back, losing his footing as his back hit the floor in his panic. Quickly, he turned on his side in attempt to sit up. He pulled himself up, his body having begun shaking as he moved over to the nearest wall he could find, leaning against it.

"Masaru."

Ikari's voice attempted to reach him, but Masaru gave no response. It wasn't a good sign; his mind was in disconnect. Had he attempted to reach him too late?

The man's thoughts were in shambles, nothing was keeping together. He knew this was a severe case, a severe situation they'd found themselves in, but he had not expected his master's panic to have reached such extremes...

Then again, this was a situation he had not been put under in decades.

Suddenly having this happen again...

"Masaru." His tone was firmer, but...

It was a maze down here but Mia cared not. Landing in the middle of a room, her flames lighting up the broken shambles of remains of items all around. However none of the details stuck in her head, the place abandoned and dangerous but nothing unmanageable. There was far worse in the Library and she'd spent a century working alone there.

These were just ruined tunnels and basements or whatever... HMPH.

With her orbs lighting the way, Mia ran down a tunnel that headed in the direction of Masaru's fluctuating energy. Even if he was panicking, she wasn't going to let herself do so. She needed to keep her head and get to him, get him out of whatever was making the man panic...

The tunnel curved off after a few minutes and Mia paused. It lead away from Masaru's energy... No... She didn't have time to double back... Maybe where he was had no entrance? "Damn it..."

Mia banged her hand against the way, solid rock... Wait... Solid rock was an issue only if you didn't... didn't have a rather special power. "Ikari, I still have no idea if you can hear me or do anything... But get him away from this wall. One of you can sense me right? I'm cutting through the rock."

If she hadn't been trained by Masaru for weeks now she might not have had the confidence to think her sword could cut through something like this... But she had and taking that confidence and her anger at the situation, her flames flared higher with the burning energy as she took a stance. Stabbing forward with her unnaturally long blade, it went through the rock like butter as she gritted her teeth and started cutting a large rectangle in the solid stone.

She wasn't sure how far in he was or how far from her the place he was in was... But Mia was damned if she wasn't going to just remove this stupid obstacle in her way!

Hahahaahahahahha! Yesssssss! At least Hono was enjoying this... Her Zanpakuto's amused and pleased laughter rang out in her head, ignored for now.

"Masaru."

Ikari continued to attempt to reach Masaru, pierce his thoughts and get his mind focused, but it wasn't working. He'd attempted to reach him at too late a time.

When he became like this, it wasn't easy to take his mind off of it. This had been a problem he'd faced before; this wasn't going to be easy...

He hoped Mia would soon find an exit, if Masaru had that... If there was a way out, and even Mia's presence might help...

"I can't reach him like this..." He spoke to himself rather than Masaru. "We're too disconnected at the moment..."

It was then he heard Mia's warning. Get him to move?

"Masaru!" He attempted to do just that. "You wish not to, but move to the center of the room. Now!

His words did not have the entirely desired effect, as Masaru only jolted from hearing it.

"Move!"

Masaru jolted once more as the thought connected, but it was difficult to fully comprehend the word. His legs weren't his ally at the moment...and out of instinct he'd attempted to move, follow the command but in the next moment the next thing he felt was the side of his face hit the ground as he landed on his shoulder.

There was pain, but...

Mia couldn't tell if Masaru was still there or not, she was too close and he was right across from her. His panicked state wasn't helping her ability to sense him at all and she hoped... Hoped he wasn't right there. Muttering softly took the edge off of her own panicked state and she did so to the swor don her back even if she was half sure the being couldn't hear her. "If you didn't get him out of the way I am doing the same thing I did to this rock to you Ikari..."

Her sword cut a rectangle out of the stone after a few short moments, her breathing heavy as she had had to control the blade far more than she had in a while. The smell of molten rock was awful but right now it couldn't be helped and at least the woman had been in her uniform...

It hadn't cut all the way through the wall though. Ugh! Mia moved to the wall once again, slicing out a large chunk of the lopsided rectangle and pulling it away. She had to hurry, he was still still in there... Her right hand pulled rock away, heedless of its heat or sharpness as she quickly cut a reasonably large section that allowed her to step inside. Her blade was set near the top of her impromptu tunnel though and she quickly stabbed through once more. It was much thinner now, Hono reaching air easily on the other side as Mia quickly cut out another rectangle. Violet light shined behind her even as the rock melted and possibly shone through the cracks. "Masa?! I'm right here! I'll be there in a minute..."

She called even if he couldn't hear her, focused on cutting the rock for now. Mia had to get in there... Several moments later was all it took for her to cut the main section out and then with a diagonal slash she could finally move the stone! Pushing against it with her shoulder, Mia grunted as she forward one half inside of the room and crawled onto the quickly cooling rock as her flames flew inside to light it up. Where was he!? Her eyes darted away, attempting to find her love... "Masaru?!"

Masaru jolted at the sound of a voice, followed by sounds of breaking rocks... B...Behind him! Quickly, he attempted to pull himself away from that area.

The... The opposite wall?

If he just...kept moving forward.

Name, his name? He froze as he heard the voice again, still on the ground as his widened and panicked eyes looked towards the source. Despite it being Mia's voice, it was obvious by Masaru's state he wasn't all quite there.

There was light, but he could hardly comprehend it; he heard a voice. Voice...but...

He couldn't take in it's worried state, he wasn't hearing Mia clearly.

"M-Masa? Are you..." Mia stopped mid crawling over the remaining rock, staring at the almost broken Masaru. What had happened to him...? Her violet flames filled the room as she dropped her sword, rushing towards him for a moment before stopping short. He might... might not recognize her right now.

Her eyes took in the room, small and with no escape in the utter dark... No... Worry filled her, anger at its core over what had been done to him again but instead of rushing to him she fell to her knees with a small pained wince. She had no idea what to do, what could she do!?

Small, be small...but also soothing? What was soothing!? She held out her arm, beseechingly as she spoke in a calm tone in an attempt to reach him. "M-Masaru. Its me, its Mia. I came to get you and take you home. Come on, we can leave now... You can come back with me and we'll have some curry rice for dinner... And maybe take a bath together again..."

There was an exit now she had made and her fire at least lit up the room enough so it wasn't pitch black... But what else? Rambling? Aaah! Mia hid all her panic and worry behind a warm smile, attempting to reassure him... She wanted more than anything to rush over and grab him and pull him into her arms though...

Instinct took over, causing Masaru to back away as Mia rushed forward before she stopped herself. His body shaking, but frozen; the only thing his mind able to register was someone coming at him.

He remained in place, unable to move any farther as he saw the person sink to the ground. His eyes followed, but they lost none of his panic.

As a hand was extended towards him, he flinched his hand moving as if he were about to attempt backing away again before Mia began to speak.

Light... There was...some light...but...

Home. Go home... Dinner... Bath...

...

Home... Dinner... Bath...

His mind was attempting to work through the words, process them correctly as Mia's calm tone reached out to him.

M...Mia...

Mia... Home...

His eyes shifted downwards slightly towards the hand, darting back up to Mia before looking down again, and then to the side before returning to her.

Mia... It... It was Mia...

Out... He needed to get out of here... Outside... Air... He needed open air...

It was Mia... It was Mia in front of him... She said so...even if his mind couldn't process everything correctly right now... He heard the name... It was somewhat able to get through...

Hand... One of his own shakily reached out with hesitance, just barely touching the tips of her fingers.

It was the hardest thing she'd ever done, Mia felt, sitting there and waiting for Masaru to make some sort of movement. She had obviously startled him, he had panicked and backed away from her as if she was going to hurt him... Damn it... Damn it all... All she wanted was to hold him tightly to her and soothe him but...but later...

Her smile wavered but she kept it in place with sheer stubborn will, forcing it to stay there as she waited for Masaru's response. He seemed a tiny bit calmer, just a bit as he looked at her hand and at her as well... He...recognized her? Even a little would help.

As his hand reached out for her, Mia suppressed a small pleased sound as his fingers barely touched hers. She leaned forward more, slowly enough to be able to stop if he showed any sign of panicking so that she could gently take his hand in hers. "Come on Masa, lets get out of here and go outside. I'll lead you out if you let me..."

She just needed to speak calmly and reassuringly and give him...his own options... Maybe? Maybe... Just everything in her wanted to grab him, drag him out and bring him back to the surface immediately... But that might not help him at all. No panicking needed, at least anymore.

"..." Masaru remained still, his hand unmoving aside from its shaking as Mia moved forward some, grasping his hand in her own before she began to speak again.

Outside.

That was the one word his mind registered; outside. He wanted...needed to go outside. He needed to be outside.

His hand gripped hers in return at that; outside...

If he kept...If he kept a hold he would be taken outside. Walk... He would...need to stand... His legs were still shaky, though that wasn't something he was focused on right now. Outside...

Mia smiled truly at that response, Masaru gripping her in return finally. Her hand reached behind her to grab her own weapon, slowly moving it inside of her cloak before she then moved to stand slowly. H-He...was shaking...

"This way Masa. I know the way outside, it'll be a little bit of a walk but you can make it." Turning slowly, she attempted to pull Masaru along behind her slowly as she lead him to her homemade exit. Outside had registered with him when barely anything else had. That was where he needed to go then! Her flames slowly moved along with them as she pushed aside the remaining rock in the way.

"Ikari's on my back, see? Safe and sound... Just like you'll be soon!" Mia kept her voice calm and light, as if this was nothing more than a simple stroll through some magical cave or something. She had to go slow and allow his shaking legs to make it through but...her urges to wrap him in her love were too strong... Will power was the only thing holding her back at this point and keeping up her calm facade. Inside she was torn to bits...

Move... He had to move...

He needed to get up, he needed to get up if he wanted to get outside. He wanted to get outside, he needed to get outside... He was doing everything in his power to push his legs to work as he felt his hand being pulled.

Masaru attempted to force himself to stand, stumbling some as his legs refused him at first. Outside...

It was the one thing driving him...and slowly he made his steps, his movement unsure due to his shaking, but... Moving... He was moving...

Would he let her touch him more? Mia... felt awful, awful as hell for just pulling him along behind her. His stumbling got a wince from her but she held strong for now... Would he startle if she held him? Yes... probably... As they reached the rubble that was the tunnel she'd made, Mia was very very careful to go slow. Any sign of him falling or stumbling too much would have her immediately attempting to catch him.

He wasn't allowed to be hurt anymore, his unsure and shaky movements killing her. Her voice cracked despite how much she forced it to stay calm, her hand squeezing Masaru's again in worry. "J-Just past the tunnel and then out into the bigger tunnel... There's a large room past there and it leads right outside! Just a shunpo or two straight up and we'll be back out under the sun again!"

Masaru was slow, unable to pick up his pace as he attempted to make sure he was stepping right. He didn't want to fall, he wanted to keep walking... He wanted to keep walking, and make it outside where he could move...

He wanted to keep walking... if he kept walking he'd make it... Open air...

He felt the squeezing at his hand, but there wasn't anything he could do to respond to it, his hand already gripping Mia's as he walked. He still hardly grasped the concept that it was Mia with him. He had heard her name, but not everything was registering right now.

The only thing that had gone through without fail was hearing that he could go outside.

Past...a tunnel...bigger tunnel...large room...

Shunpo...? He heard the term, uncertainty clouding him. If he couldn't use his shunpo...he couldn't out...

There, he was making it... It was slow going but Mia felt like as long as she got him out in the open air he'd feel immensely better. That came first, then other soothings could follow. At least her homemade tunnel wasn't long, the rocks and debris well lit by her flames and they were out in the main tunnel after a bit of slow going.

"It's not far now, just a bit this way and then we'll be able to see sunlight." Mia called back to Masaru, glancing back to see him a bit uncertain... What was causing that? Ah... Quick think of something... "I-If anything happens I can just...carry you out. I'm stronger than I look... And its not far. They say love gives you strength, and since I love you... I should definitely be able to do this."

...Was that going to help?! So stupid! Her words had been so stupid! At least the tunnel wasn't too long, the way they were headed. So they should be out in that larger room soon. Sunlight for Masaru...

A few moments after she thought that, the woman led the fragile man out into a larger room. Bright light was shining above them, the outside, and she looked back at Masaru. "Do you need help getting up there? I-I can...carry you on my back..."

Not for long at all but... A few steps should be easy enough. Besides as long as she got him out into the world again it didn't really matter what happened to her...

Masaru kept walking, kept up his pace despite how slow it was as they made their way through the tunnel, soon after reaching a large room where...

There was light, sunlight...

That was the way out...

His eyes had immediately gone up towards the source of light above them, his grip never loosening on Mia's hand. That was the way out, if he... He had to use shunpo....to get out...

Knowing that, outside still seemed so far away... He was barely able to keep his legs from collapsing, nevermind his tattered state from the fighting before.

Back...

His eyes shifted down to Mia again as he heard her voice again...before his eyes looked back up.

Mia's attention focused on Masaru who was finally responding fully to something. He was staring at the light shining down... On her back would be the easiest... But he didn't seem inclined to crawl onto it just yet. His grip on her hand was still strong though and she turned and sighed.

Well... Outside was right there.. Realizing a weapon she hadn't used before this point, Mia softly hummed Masaru's mother's song to soothe him hopefully before her next actions.

Taking a deep breath, she quickly bent down and scooped him up in her arms. Immediate shunpoes followed her action, she would hold tight despite any actions he took and she was straining her strength to the limits to carry him light this even for that short of time. But within two steps, as promised, they were outside and above ground. Mia promptly collapsed with a wheezing sound as she fell to the ground. Heavy...Heavier...than looks... but at least...he was outside...like she promised...

Could die... peacefully now...

Mia's choice of humming had earned a visible reaction, Masaru jolting as he registered what was being hummed; it distracted him long enough for her to gather him up, and before he knew it he was surrounded by the light.

He was on the ground, Mia having collapsed now that they were out. His eyes took in his surroundings, scanning the area.

Voices could be heard a bit away, the shinigami Kouki had informed there and seeing to the area.

His breathing was still uneven, but it was slowing as the moments passed, as it began to register that he was outside. He was outside...breathing open air...

His eyes were still wide, and panicked but there was obvious changes in his overall state. He was outside...

Outside...