Five Captains and a Mask in the Elevator
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Gintama.
Author's Note: This is a short little fiction that I came up with watching this youtube video. If I find the video and channel again I will mention them. This is a Bleach fiction that is based on a Gintama script, I'm not sure which episode but it's one of the one's with the unibrow zombies.
"To the elevator! Hurry!" Soifon shouted as she rushed through the narrow corridor.
She made it to the elevator first, waiting in the safety of the metal box. Along with the rest of the group of captains, Soifon was trapped within her Gigai as the Soul Candies they had been using were now out of reach.
"Over here!" The Squad Two captain continued to yell, beckoning for the others to follow her path.
Multiple hollows were shambling to the left and right of the group as they charged into the corridor though they found themselves lucky enough to make it to the elevator. The heavy doors closed shut, Gin Ichimaru pressing the button for the ground floor as there was no point in sticking around to be devoured.
Toshiro was huffing inside his childlike Gigai, the sealed form not allowing him to use his usual speed. "We're safe…"
"Is everyone alright? Are we all here?" Captain Unohana asked openly, too worn out to look around and count their numbers.
Byakuya Kuchiki was the one to answer, "One, two, three, four, five, six… Yes, we are all present."
"No, wait! Six?" Toshiro paused, looking around at the group before moving his gaze to the sombre Captain. "Count again."
"Hm? Why? You, me, Captain Ichimaru, Captain Unohana, Captain Soifon and Captain Komamura," Byakuya assured, his eyes not even having a trace of doubt.
Toshiro nodded slowly, looking over at Komamura in the corner though instead he was left with the sight of nothing but the man's mask. The white haired Captain stood in silence, not a single Captain saying anything as Toshiro stared at the mask on the elevator floor.
"Hold on! Captain Komamura! That's his mask!" Toshiro shouted in a mixture of annoyance and confusion as he picked up the Captain's mask and held it up for the other's to see.
"Right. Captain Komamura wore a mask," Byakuya replied unfazed.
"That isn't what I mean!" Captain Hitsugaya complained, throwing the mask at Captain Kuchiki. "This is Captain Komamura's mask!"
Gin was the one who answered this time, his perpetual smile unnerving Toshiro to no end. "That's correct. Captain Komamura is only a mask."
"We must have left him behind! We have to go back up and save him!" Toshiro groaned, holding his head in pain.
"No way," Soifon replied. "If we go up there now we'll just be overwhelmed and turned into Hollows."
Byakuya held the mask that had been thrown at him, examining it before offering it to Toshiro. When the white haired Shinigamu refused to take it, Byakuya pointed at the mask before he began to explain things more clearly.
"Think about it, Captain Hitsugaya. Is this not the Captain that we know? Do any of us know what lies under the mask?
"No matter how you say it, when I look at it… it's just a mask," Toshiro answered blankly.
Regardless of the other male's beliefs, Byakuya continued anyway, "Think about it more carefully. Between this mask I hold and the man that we left behind, who is the real Captain?"
"I think you're the one who needs to think about it more carefully!" Toshiro shouted back.
"That thing we left behind is just a mask stand," Gin cut in once more, his smile not faltering for a single moment.
"What's a mask stand?" Toshiro asked, confused."
"It's a model used to hold up a mask," Soifon replied, leaning back against the elevator wall.
"But you can use a hook for that!" Toshiro yelled back some more, not realising how he was most definitely drifting from the subject.
Gin and Soifon simply shrugged as Byakuya offered out the mask once more. The fox faced Captain was the one who took it from him, staring at it directly.
"He's just a hook with hair. The real one is right here. Right, big guy?" Gin conclude before he impersonated Komamura's much deeper voice. "Right, Captain."
"Shut up. You annoy me," the white haired Captain seemed to hiss.
Retsu Unohana was the one to cut in this time, her warm smile ultimately belying her own beliefs. "Captain Hitsugaya please think about it again. Where is the heart truly located?"
Toshiro stared at the woman blankly though it didn't seem to have any stopping effect. He thought of saying something but at this point it all seemed to be pointless.
"Is it in the heart?" Retsu asked, clutching her chest before moving to clutch her head. "Or is it in the brain? No… I believe it to be in the mask." She summarised, gesturing to Kommaru's mask which Gin was putting on his head.
"DON'T YOU GUYS HAVE ANY HEART!?"