The Guardian
Author's Note: I do not own anybody you recognize from Bleach. That being said, this is an AU where Aizen surprised the soul society by not only attacking earlier than anticipated but by attacking the Seireitei itself rather than Karakura Town. And now 12 years later is there anyone left who can oppose Aizen? This story happens before Xcution or the Wandenreich arcs even happen, or before Aizen was defeated (obviously). Enjoy!
The attack began just before dawn. It was mid-autumn, and nobody had predicted that Aizen would complete the Hogyoku early. And that the battle ground was going to the Seireitei, not Karakura Town. There was no stealth involved in Aizen's strategy; that arrogant bastard knew he had caught us off guard. He knew when would be most vulnerable. He knew there was nothing we could do to stop him. He had Ichigo Kurosaki. After the initial wave, most of the Shinigami who not been slaughtered yet began to push back against Aizen's forces. They fought harder than I have ever seen them fight before; pouring everything they had into defending our home. Knowing that failure was not an option, failure would mean death. And for a moment, I actually believed that we would win, this was our home, and we would die to defend it. But then he dragged out Kurosaki. It was as if time stood still. The entire battlefield went silent; as there stood the one man we had hoped would somehow appear in the nick of time and save the day, like as happened. But here he stood beaten, broken, and in heavy chains in the hands of the enemy. You could almost feel the hope of victory slipping from our grasp in that moment. And every Shinigami felt it, and Aizen knew it. The tides turned at that moment, and this battle to save our home became a battle of survival. Aizen had ordered his army to slaughter everyone who didn't hold a captain or lieutenants rank, unless they got in the way. He wanted to give them an "opportunity" to join him, and those who refuse, he would kill himself. I tried so desperately to help as many as I could. I can't remember all of the details. Momo. He killed her, right in front me, and I could do nothing to stop him. We ran in there thinking we would be safe and the next I knew, a long zanpakuto had come out of the shadows and pierced through my right shoulder and pinned me to the wall above the ground. In walked Gin with the zanpakuto that pierced me, and Aizen right behind him. Before I could even try anything, Aizen simply smiled and uttered, "Goodbye, Momo" before placing his hand on her chest and sending a kido blast straight through her. I didn't even have to comprehend what had happened, when Aizen was upon me next, roughly grabbing my chin and forcing me to look right at him. I tried to reach for Hyorinmaru, but that bastard let lose his spiritual pressure, crushing me into the wall. I mustered all of the hatred and loathing I could into glaring daggers into this bastard who was destroying my home, killing everyone I knew, holding me here helpless, and who had just killed Momo. Aizen smiled at this and even chuckled, which infuriated me more.
"You still have so much fight in you, young Hitsugaya." Aizen stated, sounding pleased. "Maybe you can be of some use to me."
"I will never join you, you bastard!" I managed to ground out through the tight grip he still had on my chin. His grip tightened after that, causing my jaw to ache even more, but then relaxed slightly after a moment.
"Never say never, Toshiro." He smiled, before turning to Gin. But he never spoke, because there stood Head captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake.
"Release Captain Hitsugaya this instant!" Ukitake uttered with all of the authority that he could muster, but it was clear the battle had taken its toll on the sickly captain, as he was swaying where he stood and was holding his right arm, that didn't look like it was moving on its own.
"Ah, Captain Ukitake, and Head Captain Kyoraku how nice of you to join us and save me the time of finding you myself." Aizen grinned as three high ranking espada stepped out of the shadows. I couldn't tell who they were from my position, but I saw the blonde female, one with straight mid-length black hair, and I was unable to see the third. "Old friends, "Aizen began, "I give you the chance to live. A chance for young Hitsugaya to live." He had their attention now. "Swear your loyalty to me, the Seireitei has fallen. Your only chance of getting out of this alive is if you join me, gentlemen. I could use pawns of your strength and power. Together nobody will ever stand in our way!"
"Why should we believe that you would ever give us the chance to live, Aizen" Kyoraku spat through clenched teeth. "We will never bow down and serve a monster like you."
"Tsk. Tsk. And here is was hoping we could be friends. Sorry Toshiro, nothing personal." Aizen mocked before moving his grip on my chin to my neck and squeezing tightly. Breathing became very difficult at this point. I noticed the captains promptly lunge towards us, and Aizen pulled out his sword to block his two assailants, with the three arrancar on their heels. Acting quickly, I used Aizen's momentary distraction from to pull Hyorinmaru and quickly run it through Aizen's side. His spiritual pressure quickly went from pinning me to the wall the crushing me to the floor, gasping for breath. Hyorinmaru still sticking out from just under his rib cage. It gave me a small satisfaction to receive to an angry reaction from this man. The look of burning hatred in his eyes that he had been caught off guard and run through. As Ukitake was keeping the arrancar occupied and Kyoraku had just managed to trap Gin within a binding kido and was heading towards Aizen with killing intent, I had never seen to man so serious and focused before. Aizen was once again distracted again from me, as he pulled my sword out and threw it angrily to the side, far out of my reach.
I'm still not quite sure what happened next. All I know was the entire building was collapsing around us, burying us under the rubble. Acting purely on adrenaline, I quickly shoved off the rocks on top of me and crawled out to find the captains, wincing as I noticed my newly wounded ankle. We had to leave before Aizen crawled out or we would be dead. I noticed Captain Kyoraku's upper half sticking out about twenty feet away and ran to help him. His left leg was crushed by a rock, but I quickly moved it off of him and dragged him out, he was barely conscious. Next to find Ukitake. I frantically looked around until a blood curling scream filled the sky before a sudden deafening silence.
"Join me, captains. That is your only chance of survival." Aizen's cold voice rang throughout the streets. "All others will perish." My heart sank as I turned to the head captain. I at least wasn't going to let him die. Pulling him over my shoulder I helped the half conscious man away from the area to try and find some safety. After I while I had decided to hide us for the night. The streets had gone silent, and the arrancar were beginning to roam the streets, searching for survivors. Captain Kyoraku was not looking well. I had managed to stop the bleeding in his leg with what little healing kido I knew, but there was lots of internal bleeding, and maybe other internal damage. But I think it paled in comparison to the sound of his long time friend's death.
"Here, drink some water Head captain." I had found a few small water bottles, and some cans of food in the building they were hiding in. He smiled at me wearily.
"Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya." He tried to sound cheery as he accepted the drink, but I only heard defeat. We both sat in silence for a while after that. Taking in everything that had happened. Everyone that had died. I was fighting the lump forming in my throat. I had to be strong, I wasn't going to let him die too. "I'm not going to make it, Toshiro."
"Nonsense!" I practically screamed at him, before quickly lowering my voice. "We are going to make it out of here. We can rest here until you are feeling a little better and then we can carefully move at night. I know a route the is sure to be passable, we just . . . "He promptly held up his hand, silencing me.
"My body is broken, Toshiro." He began softly, as one would to a child. "I'm pretty sure a rib has pierced my lungs. It's getting harder to breathe." He abruptly coughed a few times, and then grimly smirked at the blood splattered on his hand. "You need to go on without me. I will only get you captured or killed." I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off again. "It's the only way to stop Aizen." He waited to make sure I would let him speak before continuing. "Along with all the duties and responsibilities that comes with being the head captain, this is the most important." Kyoraku wearily reached over to his right arm, panting the whole time, as if it took great effort to do this. He then pulled the should sleeve all the way down his arm revealing an intricate tattoo that covered his shoulder cap and went halfway to his elbow and down his back to his shoulder blade. My breath caught at the intricacy and beauty of this tattoo, along with the immense but subtly power that seemed to emit form the design. It consisted of many ancient incantations that formed a dragon that curled around his upper arm, it almost seemed alive.
"This is the key for creating the Oken." Kyoraku began after a moment. "Or I should, it is the guardian of the key. Within this tattoo lies the secret spells needed to summon the Oken. It has been always been the secret and sacred duty of the Head Captain of the Gotei 13 to protect these secret incantations with their lives." He paused a moment to catch his breath. "I'm going to need you to protect it now, Toshiro." My eyes widened at this statement.
"Captain Kyoraku, there is no need to be telling me all this, I'm not going to leave you. We're going to. ." He abruptly grabbed my left hand in a firm unbreakable grip. I momentarily panicked and tried to pull my hand away, but he held on time and began to quietly chant. My eyes widened and my heart began to race as the dragon tattoo began to stir. And as the chanting continued, it began to curl itself around his shoulder before it began to snake its way towards my arm. Full blown panic began to set it as it inched closer to my hand.
"Trust me, Toshiro." Kyoraku managed to get out between chants, and low of sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. As soon as the dragon's head reached my hand, an explosion of heat washed over as my soul I was completely overwhelmed by the invading presence. My mouth opened in a soundless scream as the tattoo and pain snaked its way up my arm. Everything began to spin. I felt overwhelmed by the sensations, and I could feel my grip on reality slipping. I could hear captain Kyoraku speaking to me as his voice faded into nothingness.
"Take care, Toshiro. I'm sorry to place such a burden on you, but I know you can do it. You have more potential than you know. Goodbye Captain Hitsugaya."
This is my first fanfiction in about ten years, so please be nice, and please Review! Constructive criticism is always welcome, just please don't hate me for the people I kill off!
* dodges shoe*
I regret nothing!