Bleach Forgotten Stories: Hitsugaya's Journey
Chapter 1: The Fall Of The Shinigami
Former 10th Squad Captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya gazed mournfully across the destroyed lands of Rukongai. After Aizen's successful campaign to create the King's Key, he then ventured into Soul Society and easily gained control over it, while all 13 captains were busy either fighting the final Espada Yammy in Hueco Mundo, or lying injured within the barrier of Fake Karakura Town.
It was a miracle how Tōshirō got away, and to this day he himself isn't even quite sure how he did it, but through some ploy he convinced Aizen that he was dead. Now for what has been almost 25 years, he has been concealing his reiatsu and avoiding the countless guards that Aizen keeps stationed around Soul Society.
Tōshirō continued to sit perched up on a cliff and investigated his surroundings. He could feel it. There was something incredibly familiar about this part of Rukongai, but what was it? Through all the debris and roughage left scattered over the area, it was hard to even make out a seemingly recognizable landmark.
Then it came to him! "No. This couldn't be…" he whispered to himself.
"Oh no, It's Junrinan! I can't believe it's in ruins! All the memories I had of growing up here with Momo…oh Momo!" Tōshirō felt a hole in pit of his stomach begin to form as he reflected on his past life. A life he would never have back and friends whom he'd never see again.
Carefully, he concentrated his thoughts and scoured for any sense of a shinigami's presence near him. Slowly and surely, he has been traveling throughout Rukongai doing this same operation, in hopes he would detect a reiatsu that was familiar.
Another minutes waiting but with no prevail. The only thing close he could make-out was the ghastly energy which Aizen's guards emitted. Tōshirō cautiously poked his head down below. There, approximately 50 feet below him paced the stationed watchmen.
In short, they were mere cloaked figures. As far as he'd seen, there was one stationed in every district. He was clueless as to what they looked like, or even their purpose. What could be told was that the majority of them he has seen are about the size of an average human and all of them wield swords similar to a zanpakuto, but he wasn't sure if they were or not.
He silently leaned his head farther off the side of the cliff and creaked his neck to the left, in hopes to see something that resembled a human, but the cloak of which the guard wore concealed its entire body, including their feet and face.
Tōshirō began to raise himself back up to his perch when a rock unexpectedly gave way underneath his hands! He quickly shuffled around, looking for somewhere to grab but the whole cliff started to collapse around him and before he knew it, he was plummeting down, directly above the hooded figure!
"Oh great! Ok, concentrate Tōshirō!" he began to recite a spell, in hopes it would subdue his fall or make it slightly less painful.
"Bakudō 37: Tsuribo—. " Tōshirō was abruptly cut short, as he stopped falling mid-air!
"What? I didn't even finish the chant. Maybe I got hung on something—"
"No, I think it's me." Tōshirō snatched his head around, only to see he was being held up by someone in a heavy wool cloak.
"Hey you creep! Let me go now, or else!"
"Hey, I didn't mean any harm, but I saved your butt big time, because you wouldn't have stood a chance against him down there!" the stranger bargained in a pleasing tone while pointing at the oblivious figure below.
"Fine, thanks I guess."
"Yep, don't mention it. Anyway, I only saved you because you have significance to me." The stranger hoisted Tōshirō back onto the cliff and ushered him to a safer spot.
"So, are you going to remove the cloak? The fact that I have significance to you means that I either know you or you know of me."
"No, I will not reveal myself just yet. My garments seal my reiatsu, and removing them here could give away my existence."
"Oh, I see. So, how exactly did you happen upon me anyway?"
"Well first of all, I was in the area doing a scouting mission in search of fellow shinigami, and I obviously found one! Of course, I wouldn't have detected you if your spiritual pressure hadn't flared up when you slipped there."
"Well, as of now I cannot determine whether trusting you would be the correct choice or if your being deceiving. What I do know is that you are in fact a shinigami, due to the fact that you spoke of me as a familiar. So this poses the question. Since you are still conducting search missions this must mean you have hope that we are not extinct and makes me wonder if you have in fact found others. Is this correct?" Tōshirō gave the man a quizzical look, which appeared odd on his childish face.
"Ah, very perceptive of you. To answer your question, including me, there are 19 of us."
"Nineteen? Perhaps there is hope for us yet." Tōshirō's train of thought soared away. Who were the survivors? He couldn't help but wonder if Hinamori Momo or even Rangiku Matsumoto were a part of the remaining shinigami.
"Well, if you would like to come with me then follow. If not, do as you may, but I will say that now that they have detected your reiatsu, they will be here any second." The stranger began to walk away from Tōshirō, crouching down ready to spring away.
"Okay, wait. I'll go. I mean I might as well since—"
"Tōshirō, watch out!"
Tōshirō turned around, juts as a dart shot into his neck causing his legs to go wobbly and give out underneath him.
"Dammit!" cursed the hooded figure. He quickly ran toward Tōshirō's limp body and scooped him up in his arms.
Just as he was about to dash away, the mysterious guard that was patrolling down below rocketed up onto the cliff.
"Now that I have found you, I am not allowed to let you leave." Warned the newcomer in a cold, callous voice.
"Ugh, this is a drag, I guess I have no choice but to fight you. Okay, Tōshirō," the hooded man looked down at Tōshirō who was draped carelessly in his arms. He could see his conciseness was fading in an out, and his eyes were struggling to stay open. "I need you to get on my back okay? I'm going to try to ward him off, but we need to go and I need my sword hand open just in case."
"Yep, sure." Murmured Tōshirō in a loopy voice. Upon the confirmation, the unknown figure
shifted Tōshirō's body so that he was draped across his back then continued to remove the hood
covering his facial features.
"Alright, let's get this show on the road!" The now uncovered man dashed off into the distance
while drawing his zanpakuto from it sheath.
"Your attempts are futile, lowly shinigami. I will squash you!" scorned the malicious guard.
"My goal is not to kill you, but simply to return with both mine and his body intact. Saying
this, I will easily evade you." The man quickly darted off away from his enemy with such a
speed that it left his apprehender far behind him.
A delirious Tōshirō crooked his head that lay on the man's shoulder so he could get a good
look at him for the first time.
"You need to give up. The more time you refuse the sleeping drugs effect o you body, the more
strain it'll put on you. Now, go to bed."
"Okay I will. Oh, and thank you for saving me, Ichigo Kurosaki."