Quick Diversion

Mazuki had finally stopped after running frantically across Karakura. Ironically, his unintentional pace brought him to the Karakura hospital. He began to drop his composure when he had landed on the dirt. His breathe feel to a loud harsh gasp for air. Mazuki's breathe became more and more desperate for air when he tried to move. Inching himself closer to the hospital he stopped and fell leaning on the building. He had run far from the site the strange boy was at but Keira tried to stop him, however he had ripped himself from her clutch and flew off over the building and trees of Karakura. Against the building he held his injured hand with the other as to stop the shaking of his arm. He whipped his hair down to cover his face and fear driven eyes. Examining his hand, he could tell he had made a cut he did not intend. It was, in fact, much deeper. He had felt his sword slip further than he intended when he made his "blood pact" to that boy. The cut's depth could be from his shaking while trying to make a small scratch due to fear of bleeding. This was how most predicaments ended up when Mazuki accidentally (or intentionally) hurt himself.

He looked down at his hand and began to shake even more. His slight shaking in his arm turned into a full body tremor. He hoped that he was the only person for miles that would be here and hoped Keira would be lost due to his quick pace. He tried to stop himself from shaking but the more he tried the harder it became. As he looked down at his hand he began to cry. The image of Mazuki's hand differed from that in reality than that in his head. The picture he saw was that of a waterfall of red spewing out of his hand. The more he looked at it the wider the cute seemed to be and more blood would push out. This wasn't true. It was more like a 1/8 inch cut that had nothing more than slight beads poking out of it one at a time. Though this was enough to make him fall apart. Hold his hand to his chest he began to close his eyes hoping it will all go away. "Please...stop. Please....stop." Mazuki whispered to himself over and over to himself like a chant to stop this nightmare from happening.

Keira was left in Mazuki's dust. She had tried to catch up but she wasn't able to. Luckily she could still feel his slight spiritual pressure getting farther and farther away. Even though he was getting farther away she was still glad that she could sense him.

Why was she even worried? He was just some guy she had met that day. She didn't even like him did she? Sure she had a duty to go after him as his superior officer but why was she so damn worried? She decided not to think of it and just pushed the thought aside.

She continued on running as fast as her feet could carry her. The wind that passed through her hair almost felt as if it were holding her back to let Mazuki get away. She fought harder. It pissed her off to no end with how worried she was.

Why did she get attached to people like this? It just happened randomly. If she saw a certain weakness she'd grow attached and feel as if she needed to protect that person. She did that all the time and that was another reason why she kept that wall up around her mind. So people that got hurt and hurt her couldn't get in...

Keira gritted her teeth and continued on. Finally it seemed as if he stopped because she felt his spiritual pressure closer and not moving. She quickly followed the feeling and saw Mazuki clutching his hand to his chest. He was shaking. She could tell.

Her heart felt as if it were hurting. Almost physically. She walked up to him like someone would with a hurt animal. Once behind him she put one hand on his shoulder and the other she used to hold his hurt finger. She pulled it away from him so he couldn't see the blood. "Mazuki... don't look at it okay? Look into my eyes and just think about something else. Think about the drinks we're going to have okay? Do that for me."

Mazuki swatted Keira away when his wounded hand. Withdrawing himself from her he began to get hostile. "Leave me alone!" Mazuki closed himself off from her and the world. His hair shelter the rest of what was around him from having to look at anything. "It'll stop....it usually does." Mazuki kept his back to her and tried to keep her away both physically and verbally. "Why do you care? Your a higher official. You should care for the well-being of those below you..." Mazuki didn't just fear his health, but Keira too. "Your all alike. Just leave me alone." There wasn't sadness but exile. A solitude that he brought upon himself as to keep himself safe.

Mazuki turned his head slightly. He wanted her to leave but didn't want it to seem personal. His trembling died down a bit but there was some shaking. "That boy is waiting on someone to meet him up at the checkpoint. You should be the one to go to him." There was no reason or assurance of why this was the best idea. As much as he would like to train with someone as strong as that kid, right now wasn't the best time. He wouldn't get the opportunity again but it was better than showing up there like a frightened kitten. Someone had to go and if he needed it he would pin it on Keira.

As Mazuki swatted Keira away she withdrew with wide doe eyes. She bit her lip as her eyes held hurt and began to water slightly. This was why she kept that damn wall up. Why did she even start to feel anything for Mazuki anyway? They had just met. She didn't even know why the hell she cared.

It's not like she felt anything like love or even friendship. It was too early for that kind of thing right? Why did she get hurt so easily? Why didn't she just harden her heart? She mentally sighed. She knew why. She was a people person. It didn't matter how many times she got hurt, she never learned.

She loved the feeling of being with someone that you could understand. Even if they had just met, Keira felt like her and Mazuki were kindred spirits. They both had walls around them. Keira had begun to open her walls slightly before Mazuki rejected her. Her walls had slammed shut again.

But what should she do? Just leave him. Again her heart hurt just seeing him like this. Seeing someone you thought you might be able to get along with and perhaps even admire be hurt like this with nobody else to help them. It reminded Keira of herself.

She wasn't going to just leave him though. She couldn't. As he said his next words though, well Keira couldn't help feeling as if they were totally and completely false.

"That's not true Mazuki. I don't just care about you because I'm your superior. I care because... because..." she trailed off not knowing what to say but pleading with her eyes for him to understand. She gulped and heard what he said next.

"No, I think you'd do better. I'm not good with teaching and at the moment I have other priorities. Besides, you only need to teach him the basics," she told him. She wasn't going to touch him no matter how much she wanted to give him comfort.

Mazuki ripped his robe sleeve and bandaged his hand. "Look..." he said in a voice that sounded like an old man on his death bed. "I'm fine..." He turned around and let his hair hand on one side. "Don't take offense to anything I say or do." After some time he had finally obtained his sanity and stopped his trembling. "I have some reasons for my mixed behavior, and at this moment I don't feel like discussing them." Mazuki recovered faster than usual. Whether it be from a slight worry of Keira's feelings or perhaps from a want to not embarrass himself in front of a higher-up but at least he was able to get himself together.

Mazuki stared at Keira. It was a bit obvious that he had somehow hurt her with his actions. As much as he wanted to apologize it seemed a bit late now. If anything he could at least follow what she says and pretend this didn't happen further down the line. Combing his hair he thought about her request to go to the boy who was waiting for one of us. At this point it would be a good idea if either one of them went but he did request to be unarmed. That may be for the best but if something happens then Mazuki would be screwed.

"Alright." Mazuki said trying not to gasp. "I'll go meet that kid up." Mazuki searched through what he kept on him. He looked around his pockets and such to see if he had a communication device on hand or anything of the sort but no luck. "Damn...ok if something happens I'll send you a hell butterfly or something to let you know what's happening. You should take my zanpaktou. He request one of us go unarmed, and I can't leave this lying around." Mazuki handed Keira his sword and then turned to the east. "Do you know where he went." Mazuki was trying to avoid eye contact with her at the moment. He didn't want this moment to get sentimental after his nervious breakdown. Heart touching moment pissed him off and if anything it would be the last thing in the world he'd want.

Keira began to talk. "B-but Mazuki. You don't seem fine at all. You were shaking. I just want to help..." she couldn't help the emotion in her voice. Her eyes seemed like the ocean. They were as wet as it too.

Of course he wouldn't trust her. They had only met earlier that day. Why would he have a reason to? She tried to shrug it off but was unable to. It still hurt after all.

Keira tried to harden her eyes as she looked away from his face and to the ground. Now it was her turn for her hair to fall into her face. Her nose was slightly wrinkled with frustration and the spot between her eyebrows was also wrinkled.

Keira's eyes widened as he told her she should take his zanpakuto. Keira stared at the weapon. That wasn't just handing her some weapon. It was a part of his soul that he trusted her with. Keira felt her eyes brim with tears as he turned around.

So he did trust her in some way. Keira held his zanpakuto close to her chest. "I-I'll wait for you to come and get it then...I'll be sure to keep it safe," she murmured. Keira looked at him though he was looking away. She smiled slightly.

"He said to meet him at the top of the school where you were patrolling earlier. So you should head there. I'll wait to feel your spiritual pressure when you come back so I can give this to you," she told him.

Keira was getting more sensitive when every passing second. It was nice knowing he had a friend but Mazuki didn't want to stick around this too much. If he did, he may not want to leave. "Alright. I'm leaving." Mazuki's mind was made up. The reason this was the best idea as that Mazuki hasn't had field training so with this kid at his use he might be able to over come his fears. Fears being plural. That meant there were some other things he hasn't externally shown. If it came to it he would have to spill his guts to that guy if necessary. So far the plan sounded solid but at this time nothing was certain. If he trusted that guy and he turned out to be a frawd then Mazuki was screwed and with his sword gone, that can not be allowed.

"Hey, Keira." Mazuki stopped for a moment. He could spare her a couple more words. If he wanted her around as a friend for now, he needed to let her know something about him, so long as it's not his fears. "This isn't my natural color. I'm actually blond." Mazuki stroked his hair and tugged it a bit. "I were this for two reasons." Mazuki paused and then took a breathe. There was some worry in his voice but he let it at. "My mother loved red. She said it made her think of a sunset." Mazuki looked out to the west. In fact, it was going to be night in a couple hours. The perfect atmosphere for this story. "A sunset...the perfect way to end a day. It's like the final burst in a firework show. The other reason for my hair. It's like a brand for my sins i have committed." Mazuki stopped there. He no longer need to explain himself to her and felt it wasn't nessesary on either party.

"I'll see you soon." Mazuki flew out without a goodbye. Goodbyes were a way of saying you won't comeback. If he said that, she would worry and most likely follow him. He stepped across the sky zigzagging over the trees and building heading back to the school. The wind had dried the tears from his breakdown and now he was confident there was a way out of this. The boy was his secret, a tool that we was going to abuse till he got what he wanted. Mazuki's sensor began to kick in and he was able to sense the boy near by. This was the being of Mazuki's next chapter and it began with a human that was anything but ordinary.

Keira blinked as Mazuki said her name. He then explained about his hair color. Keira's eyes widened slightly. He was still trusting her with information. She also felt a pang in her chest at one of her earlier comments about his hair. She should have thought before she said anything.

Keira felt another pang as he explained that it was his mother that loved red. She thought that something might have happened to her by how he dyed his hair in her memory and that his expressions showed slight pain though he did try to hide it.

Keira wanted to reach out and touch his hair. To tell him that everything was okay but she couldn't. Things weren't okay. She may have had that instinct to help people in pain but she couldn't help him that way. The only way she could help Mazuki was earn his trust and slowly open the door to his heart little by little.

Keira watched as he left. She sighed and held his zanpakuto close. She practically cradled it as she walked home. The wind seemed to chill her though it was summer. Keira gripped the sheath tightly and her eyes darted around as if she sensed danger. She was going to make sure that nothing happened to his zanpakuto. It was in good hands.

The last thought Keira had before she left was, "I need to take this home and make sure nobody touches it until he returns."