Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did, I would make Ishida stand on his head and cluck like a chicken while wearing a pink dress.
As a quick note, -taichou means captain. So Hitsugaya-taichou means Captain Hitsugaya
Blood.
It dripped down the sword of the Tenth Division Captain, staining its bright blade. Hitsugaya Toushiro's eyes were open wide as he stared at the crumpled body in front of him. No, he thought. It's not possible…I couldn't have…killed her… Tears began to form in his eyes; he, who hardly ever showed any emotion at all, was crying. Or, at least, the closest he had ever come to it. How could this have happened? No, he knew how it had happened. It was all because of Aizen.
Aizen Sousuke, the former captain of the Fifth Division. Respected by all, it caused quite the uproar when he was found hanging from a building with a sword in his chest. The one affected the most by his death was his vice-captain, Hinamori Momo, who loved and admired him to the point that she would die for him.
Hinamori, as well as Hitsugaya, was nearly killed by him. Staging his death, using the ryoka that entered Sould Society as a diversion for his real plot…Aizen and his accomplices had thought out their plan very well, being sure to include every small detail. What their true purpose was, no one was quite sure, but they showed no mercy to those who had stood in their way. It had been a miracle that the two had survived his attack, as their clothes had been stained with so much of their own blood.
While Hiysugaya had recovered completely, however, Hinamori had not. She had lain asleep in her bed in the Fouth Division's quarters for three months after the incident. Although all her physical wounds had healed, she was still deep in the coma that she had been in ever since the incident. No matter what anyone said or did, she would not wake up.
The question was: why? Nothing appeared wrong; all the monitors that she was hooked up to said she was perfectly healthy. Even Unohana, the captain of the Fourth Division and an expert in all aspects of medicine, was stumped as to why her condition would not improve. The only thing she could come up with was that it was all in her mind, and, for some reason, Hinamori did not want to wake up.
The emotional stress of being betrayed by the man whom you had admired and looked up to was something no one could even begin to comprehend. All the trust and hope she had placed in him was shattered in an instant. Even Hitsugaya, who had known her since childhood and wanted nothing more than to share her pain, could not, for he could not grasp the feeling of despair that she must have been feeling.
The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months. All other injuries that were received by Aizen and his crew had long since healed, leaving an unspoken question hovering over their heads. Would she ever wake up? In Soul Society, they were constantly reminded of death. After all, this was where souls were sent after they died in the human world. But the Shinigami were different. When they died, where did their souls go? For they were not human, and didn't go to Rukongai like other souls. No, death in Seireitei was different. When you died as a Shinigami, your soul was lost.
The thought of losing Hinamori was unbearable; she, who had always been by his side since childhood, and then was stolen away by Aizen. Aizen, who only used her and then tossed her away when she was no longer useful to him. The mere thought of him made Hitsugaya want to chase the bastard to the end of the world just to kill him.
So, when he sat in her room gently holding her limp hand and saw her eyes slowly open, no words could describe the feelings of relief that spread throughout his body. His joy quickly disappeared when he saw her eyes, however: they were blank and lifeless, as if her spirit had been drained from them.
"Hinamori…? Hitsugaya whispered, still clasping her hand in his. The Fifth Division Vice-Captain slowly sat up in her medical bed, knocking off all the wires that had been attached to her body to track her health. She sat, unblinking, unmoving, as if she were waiting for something. After a moment, she turned and faced Hitsugaya. The young captain said her name again, but was met only by the sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. A second later, Tobiume came flying towards him. The Zanpakuto cut the arm that was holding her hand. Hitsugaya instinctively jumped away from the bed, blood dripping from his arm.
"Hinamori, what-?" he began, only to have the sword come at him again. He dodged the attack, and stared at the normally shy girl before him. It was not Hinamori. This girl had a strong desire to kill written on her face, her vacant eyes narrowed and he her brow furrowed angrily. No, this was not the girl that he had grown up with; she wasn't the friend that he had laughed with through his childhood. This was someone different.
"Unohana-taichou!" Hitsugaya yelled, as he dodged yet another of Hinamori's attacks. With one last glance at her, he ran out the door and into the hallway, where he bumped into the Fourth Division captain—literally.
"What is it, Hitsugaya-taichou?" Unohana asked with concern.
"It's Hinamori…she's…" he began, but before he could finish, Hinamori came racing out of her room, Zanpakuto in hand. She had one goal in mind: Hitsugaya.
Well, here's the first part of 'Strength of Pain.' Interesting title, huh? It'll make sense later. I hope. Anyway, please review so I know if people are actually reading this, and if I should continue it. Arigatou!