A/N- Okay, this whole plot was really just made up on the fly because I really wanted to kill someone off. So, the plot is really hazy, and ended up being really AU... Any suggestions regarding how to make this work would be gratefully accepted!!!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!
Disclaimer- Last time I checked, I didn't own Bleach. Let me check again... Nope! Still belongs to Tite Kubo!!!
No one was supposed to die.
No, they frantically tried to convince themselves, that isn't true, there are going to be casualties, and I may be one of them. Every time they subconsciously tried to give themselves a shred of comfort by thinking the forbidden thought, it was immediately pushed to the side, hidden away in their minds. The thought was too painful, and everyone knew that it meant only disappointment.
No matter how hard they tried, every time a Soul Reaper tried to fool themselves, there came a time when they were all alone, and unwanted dread of the looming Winter War set upon them like a tidal wave, the thought was back, comforting in its unwanted ness. And, although it was never said aloud, it was a fact. No one was supposed to die.
And so here they were, fighting futility against Aizen's infinitely stronger army, hoping with every fiber in their bodies that they might prevail.
Hitsugaya had always considered himself to be objective, but the truth was, of everyone in the Soul Society, he was having the most difficulty truly grasping the concept of death. He watched as many of his closest comrades and subordinates fell, and although horror gripped him as he watched them fall, he had no doubt that she would make it in the end. The truth was, he really couldn't fathom the idea that everything he knew could be taken away so quickly, as inexperienced as he was.
And yes, though he would never admit it, the concept terrified him.
The silence was consuming as the shinigami gathered them selves when the chaos gave way to a pause, where everyone seemed to take in a deep, steadying breath. During that moment, the world seemed to right itself somehow, and they all took it to survey their surroundings.
Ichigo stood panting on the blood-soaked ground, sweat and grit lining his face, his back faced to his fallen opponent. He had lost count of how many arrancar he had defeated, and he had long passed the point where every opponent seemed to blend together. He was using Zangetsu to support most of his weight in earnest now, wondering how he was going to have enough energy to face Aizen for even a moment. He was the Soul Society's last chance, as it was. He was trying to pretend that the pressure mounted on his shoulders wasn't staggering.
Most of the other Soul Reapers were in similar situations, standing triumphant over the shells of their enemies, wondering why they couldn't find it in themselves to feel triumph. Every time their gaze passed over to the bodies strewn over the land, the idea of triumph seemed like a distant memory.
Suddenly, several simultaneous things broke the silence at once. A laugh rang over the land with an echo that faded into the distance that created such an ominous atmosphere that no one had to think twice about who had uttered it. True enough, Aizen, closely followed by Gin, sauntered across the plain, not bothering to walk around the bodies. At the same moment, a gartanta opened not far to their right, revealing a somewhat distraught Hinamori Momo.
Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he saw Aizen glide across the battle-field with an almost surreal calm, but when he saw Momo come into view in his peripheral vision, all thoughts of Aizen were completely eclipsed by his concern for Momo. Unohana would obviously not let Hinamori come of her own volition, a fact that was made apparent by the way that Hinamori's eyes flitted nervously around, as if she was waiting to be reprimanded.
"Hinamori!" He called sharply to her, but she waved it off with an apologetic smile. He didn't miss the way that her mouth was set in a firm, straight line, and she gave off a slightly resigned air as she seemed to drift in Aizen's direction. Hitsugaya's heart raced as he tried to figure out what she was thinking. He felt his limbs scream in protest as he began to follow her, an uneasy feeling setting in the pit of his stomach.
She continued on toward Gin and Aizen, as if possessed. Her gaze was locked on Aizen's features. Hitsugaya grabbed her arm frantically.
" Hinamori. Stop," he commanded, trying not to wince when it came out sounding more like a plea. The moment he said these words, Aizen looked slowly over in their direction, and smiled chillingly.
"Lieutenant Hinamori. I hadn't expected to see you again," he said, feigning pleasantry, and then looked towards Hitsugaya, "See now? She must have been so distressed since I've been gone. Don't you regret wishing her to live?" Hitsugaya knew that Aizen was toying with him; he could already feel something deep inside him curling in fury.
"Shut up," he said, his voice shaking. He frown deepened when Aizen smiled contentedly, and moved protectively in front of Hinamori.
"Toshiro. Please," Came Hinamori's voice quietly from behind him. He looked towards her desperately, hoping with his entire existence that she would just back down. He shivered when he felt her warm hand on his wrist, removing it from her arm. Something inside him seemed to snap when he released her. Thoughts ran through his mind at break-neck speed as he tried to understand her actions. She clearly was too confused, driven entirely by her unbreakable desire to rationalize her wish that Aizen lived.
Hitsugaya knew that that Hinamori didn't want him to feel as if she were choosing Aizen over him, but he couldn't deny that he knew that it would always come down to the choice.
Suddenly, Aizen cleared his throat impatiently.
"My sincere apologies for breaking up this beautiful moment, but this is getting a bit tedious, and I do hate leaving unfinished business," he proclaimed sinisterly. Dread washed over Hitsugaya, but only for a fleeting moment.
There was no time to react. There was no time to realize what was happening. There wasn't even enough time for her to scream.
One moment before, Momo had been standing, untouched next to Hitsugaya, and the next, she was barely standing, her entire front bathed sickeningly in blood. Her eyes met Hitsugaya's for a fraction of a second, and her lips parted as she almost inaudibly uttered one last thing.
" I'm sorry, Shiro." It seemed to take years for her body to hit the ground. Hitsugaya couldn't move to catch her. He couldn't even breathe.
"See? That's all settled then. I'm sorry I made this all more difficult than it had to be Captain Hitsugaya." Said Aizen from somewhere behind him, not caring in the slightest that the words fell only on deaf ears. To Hitsugaya, the only thing he could hear were Momo's last words echoing over and over in his head. He didn't hear Renji, or Kira or Matsumoto calling Momo's name in disbelief, or hear their dull footsteps as they ran towards them. He didn't hear Ichigo yell his own name, nor did he process the fact that Aizen was probably going to kill him as well. He couldn't recall why he had been so adverse to dying before.
He dropped to his knees beside Momo's body, not daring to touch her, to feel her once warm skin grow cold. Suddenly, only one thought was on his mind. Aizen. His vision swam in red, and he couldn't even think rationally. He didn't care if he died, as long as Aizen bled.
His body shot upwards, and he flew towards Aizen's turned back with speed that he didn't know he possessed. His fingers were numb around Hyorinmaru's hilt as he unsheathed it in a blur. Aizen didn't turn, or even acknowledge the fact that Hitsugaya was going to attack him, a clear sign that he knew how little a threat the young captain posed. Hitsugaya simply didn't care. He was a foot away from Aizen's exposed back, his sword drawn and ready, not even bother to activate his shikai, when he felt two pairs of hands force him backwards.
"No! NO!!!" He heard his voice scream, though he couldn't quite recall uttering them himself. He struggled against what he recognized was Matsumoto and Ukitake's arms holding him down firmly, almost knowingly. He wanted to scream at them, to tell them that they didn't understand, that he had to let him go, but he couldn't speak over the lump lodged deep in his throat. Suddenly, all of the energy drained out of him, and his body grew limp in their grasp. Anger was replaced by desolation, as he saw Momo's body for the first time with anything other than disbelief.
Her image blurred and his vision swam sickeningly, and he let himself cry for the first time in years, finally realizing that the one thing that had kept him strong was gone forever.
As suddenly as it had gone, his spirit energy flared dangerously, and the clouds turned gray and snow fell in earnest. Frost crept across the ground, crackling ominously. Reietsu rolled off his body in thick waves. He felt Matsumoto and Ukitake shift nervously from their positions on either side of him.
"Captain…" started Matsumoto, her voice shaking with emotion.
"Toshiro, calm down," Ukitake pleaded, for once not using the dreaded nickname that he knew Hitsugaya would never want to hear again. Hitsugaya let a strangled sob escape him, as abruptly broke free of their restraints, directly disappearing into a flash-step.
Although it lasted for what felt like eternity to Hitsugaya, the battle was over in a single instant. He felt Hyorinmaru's deadly blade slide across Aizen's flesh, knowing all the while that he didn't have nearly enough power to kill Aizen, he could tell by the way Aizen's skin felt like marble; he could tell by the way that his sword felt like lead in his hands. All of those facts were overshadowed by the brutal, merciless instant of satisfaction he reached as he saw Aizen's eyes widen in surprise as he realized that Hitsugaya's sword had somehow reached him.
But Aizen, true to his invincible nature, recovered all too quickly, and, before Hitsugaya had a moment to blink, white hot pain shot through his torso, and his blood flowed freely to mingle with the traces of blood of Aizen's he had drawn merely seconds before. He used the last strength that he had to gaze over to Momo's body, surrounded by a dumbstruck Matsumoto, a disbelieving Ukitake, and many other figures that his sluggish mind couldn't place.
He could feel the world spin as his body hit the ground, but he was too numb to actually feel it.
As he felt Hyorinmaru slip from his shaking palm, and he felt his consciousness slip away, he promised himself that this time, he would try and die with his eyes closed.
A/N- I killed Hinamori!!!! I feel so evil!!!! I'm thinking of adding more chapters, but I probably only will if anybody actually likes it... Anyway, please review. All criticism is graciously taken!