Tai: Well, this is what happens when I have 2 reports due over the next two days; I suddenly realise that I need to write a fanfic.
...yes...well I wrote this in one day, or rather one afternoon/evening. It hasn't really been spell-checked or anything, so there may be some errors. I'm sitting here wishing I could write reports as easily as this seemed to flow, but ah well. Now, before anyone goes off accusing me that I hate certain characters, I'll admit I do. Not the ones you think. I'm not sure why but I'm mean to my favourite characters...
With that said, onto the story!
Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or it's characters. The story is sorta mine, since I wrote it, so yea...
The room was dark from what he could originally tell; nothing was allowing any sort of light into, what he assumed to be a room. He took stock of what he did know about the situation; it was dark, he was tied to something, but it wasn't horizontal…
He still had pants at least, but his shirt was gone; he could feel the coldness of whatever he was tied to pressing against his back. Relaxing as he concentrated on the situation, he wondered just what was going on. His arms were tied above his head, and he could feel the cold…whatever it was beneath them as well. A slanted table, maybe?
So he was tied to a cold table in a dark room…or was he simply blindfolded to the point where he couldn't see? Closing his eyes he let out a sigh; he couldn't feel anything like a blindfold over his eyes, but the unmistakable feeling of cloth was definitely around his mouth. He couldn't help shivering in dread; this was starting to feel like one of those perverted sex stories Matsumoto enjoyed reading.
Blinding light suddenly embraced the room, forcing out the darkness he'd been slowly growing accustomed to. Teal eyes darted around the room, looking for any sign of another person, anything to identify where he was. The room seemed hauntingly empty; other than the slanted table he was tied to, the snowy haired taicho could identify nothing else. There was bound to be a door somewhere, though the young taicho reasoned it would have to be behind him.
Along with whatever madman was holding him.
…
In a room very nearby, deep brown eyes raked over the image displayed on the monitors before him, a wicked smirk gracing the male's lips. He needed a moment, just a moment, to enjoy seeing his new 'toy' all tied up and confused. "Ulquiorra, you did an impeccable job of capturing him without causing him any damage."
"Thank you, Aizen-sama, though I believe having that girl, Hinamori Momo, may have been what made it so easy." The dark haired arrancar stated, as emotionally detached from the world as he ever was.
"Good. I'll be going to 'welcome' our guest; bring her here and make sure she doesn't come to any harm. She's a very important part of this experiment." Standing, the brown haired ex-taicho cast a final glance at the screens before leaving the room, a self-satisfied smile firmly in place.
The door to the pale room opened with an eerie creak, Aizen's echoing footsteps breaking the imposed silence of young male's captivity. "So good to see you again, Toshiro." The male's smug voice caused a growl of displeasure to erupt from his captive's throat; the deep black cloth serving as a gag prevented him from saying much more.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here, Toshiro…ah, my apologies." He smirked at the glare the young shinigami was giving him. "You prefer being called 'Hitsugaya taicho', don't you? I'm afraid I won't be calling you 'taicho' any time soon, but being on a first name basis does seem wrong, so we'll go with Hitsugaya instead. Regardless, you're here for an experiment of mine."
The brunet male pulled two very similar items from his pockets, and it took the snow haired male only a moment to realise what they were. "We both know one of the key differences between ice and glass, don't we? It's the way they break. If something made of glass breaks, you can pick up the pieces and put it back together. It shatters, true enough, but you can always find all the pieces. When you put it back together, the cracks are always visible; nothing will make them go away. The fact remains however, that it looks more or less the same.
"But ice…ice is different. When it breaks it shatters. Things made of ice can't be put back together; the broken edges disappear and all you have left are meaningless pieces, and even then you could be missing some. What fascinates me, Hitsugaya, is how people break. Every little experiment I've done to make people break, they've all broken like glass."
"They fall apart, emotionally shattered into shards so small no one thinks they can be put back together. They manage it however, but the cracks remain. Take your dear Hinamori for instance; I broke her not once, but twice! She picked herself up and tried to move on both times, because she broke like glass. I can still find those cracks, the weak spots I created, and push hard enough to break her again. I could, but I won't; watching someone who breaks like glass isn't any fun.
"You however, might break like a brilliant piece of ice. Who else, but the icy taicho of squad ten has a better chance at it?" the brown haired male ran a hand gently down the side of the boy's jaw, tilting his head until the blue-green eyes met his own. Their faces were mere inches apart, close enough for the younger male to catch Aizen's rather subtle scent. "I want to watch you break, Toshiro. I want to see how you shatter, and watch as you try to put yourself back together."
With the dark haired male so close, he couldn't resist the urge to try and strike at him; straining against the bindings that held him to the table. It was useless, as the older man's laugh seemed to prove. "Like it or not, you'll be participating in my little game."
Releasing the boy's chin with one final gentle stroke, he smirked and removed the gag from his mouth, turning his back to the taicho. "Ulquiorra, bring her in here."
The door creaked open once more and a dark haired arrancar slowly came into Toshiro's view, though it was the male's company that made his eyes widen in surprise. "Hinamori…"
The girl walked slowly over to the brunette male before him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Aizen...taicho…" He gave the girl a welcoming smile, which seemed to remove any remaining fears she had approaching him, running over to hug the male.
"Bastard…Hinamori get away from him!" the ice taicho yelled, a glare fixed on the brunet embracing her. It seemed to have the opposite effect; the girl flinching and clinging tighter to the male. "The hell have you done to her?"
Aizen seemed to ignore him, the smirk never leaving his lips. "It's all right, Hinamori. He can't hurt you; you're safe. You wanted to get revenge on him didn't you? After what you saw him do to your poor Shiro-kun…" his smirk seemed to grow as it dawned on the trapped taicho. Aizen had already used his zanpakto on her, to what end he wasn't sure, but as far as the girl was concerned, he was no longer Hitsugaya Toshiro.
"Bastard! I swear I'll kill you!" He snarled again, pulling against the restraints hard enough that two dug deep enough into his flesh to cause him to bleed.
He found the deep brown eyes locked onto his own for a moment, his mind not registering his next words as they were whispered to the girl. They struck home as Hinamori's sword pierced his right shoulder.
"It's up to you what you want to do to him, Hinamori. I'd recommend staying away from his vitals however; I'd think you want him to suffer after what he did to Toshiro…"
He felt the blade pull free, though it was soon driven into his upper left arm, not far from mirroring first strike. She shrieked in frustration as she struck once more, plunging the already bloody tip into his left knee. He cried out in pain, which seemed to quell her fury momentarily. She lent heavily on the sword, panting as both heard it collide with the table beneath him.
He let out a cry of pain, his eyes still wide in horror as she spoke. "Why…why did you do that to him? He never did anything to you! He tried to protect me but…but…" she burst into tears, ripping the sword free from him. "Aizen taicho…let him down. I want to fight him before I kill him!"
"Aizen stop this! I'm not going to fight her!" Toshiro snarled, wincing once more as he tried to break free of his bonds.
"You seem to think this is about what you want; it's not. It's about what I want, and what dear Hinamori wants. Hinamori; just cut him down." His smirk seemed to grow with every passing moment. "I won't be giving this monster a weapon; I'm sure he could hurt you far too much without one anyway."
The snowy haired shinigami soon found himself dropping to the ground as the ties were cut, his childhood friend standing over him with a sword at his throat. "I'm not going to fight you, Momo…" a howl of pain escaped as she thrust her sword into his chest, striking his spleen.
As the weapon was pulled free he moved away from the table, away from the sadistic traitor, and away from his friend. The door was locked, Hyourinmaru had been taken from him, and Hinamori was trying to kill him. He couldn't stand, he knew that; his kneecap had shattered when she'd thrust her sword through the joint.
"Hinamori listen to me!" he yelled, barely having time to avoid a fatal swing as she charged forward blindly, though he didn't escape completely, the blade biting into his chest and leaving a trail of crimson from shoulder to hip.
"You killed Shiro-Chan!" she cried, her bright brown eyes locked on Toshiro's bright teal ones. "He did nothing to you and you tortured him! He was still a kid…I'll never forgive you! I hate you! I'll kill you myself!" despite her seemingly insane ranting, there was a fixated determination in her eyes that Toshiro couldn't deny.
The icy taicho felt something in his heart shatter as she thrust her sword forward once more, burying it up to the hilt just beneath his ribs. His eyes wide in a mixture of fear, horror, pain and confusion, the ice taicho found himself frozen to the core. Her words were echoing; whether it was due to Aizen's zanpakto's ability or his own mind cruelly torturing him he wasn't sure, but they were definitely echoing.
"I'll never forgive you! I hate you! I'll kill you myself!"
He felt numb inside as the girl dropped to her knees, crying. "Hinamori…" Anger seemed to be the only thing boiling inside him; Aizen had done this, he'd caused her to think him dead and caused her such pain. His wounds didn't seem so bad anymore as he stood and ripped her sword free, charging at Aizen. "Bastard! I'll kill you!"
The sword barely grazed his cheek, the larger male's fist connecting with the boy's ribs with a sickening crack. He fell to the ground coughing and panting, unable to do anything more than glare up at the male. The sword was abandoned on the ground, its blade crimson with blood.
"Well now, I think that went rather nicely." Aizen smirked, motioning to someone Toshiro couldn't see. The footsteps were unmistakable; whoever had brought Hinamori to Aizen in the first place was back, and guiding her back to the sadist.
Her eyes were still red and tears still falling, even as the ex-taicho of the fifth squad gave her a light hug. "It's all right, it's almost over." The smirk on his lips told Hitsugaya that he meant that, but only for her. "Ulquiorra, make him stand. I think he'll want to see this."
He felt two strong yet slender arms slide beneath his own, forcing him back onto his feet. One arm moved to around his waist, pressing firmly on the injury to hold him upright.
"Make sure he stays awake and pays attention, Ulquiorra. I don't want him to miss a moment." The merciless tone was back as Aizen gently guided Hinamori to stand in front of the bleeding taicho. "Are you glad, Hinamori? You've caused him enough pain that I'm almost certain he regrets everything he's done."
The girl nodded and the brunet's grin widened. "AIZEN! Don't!" Toshiro snarled, weakly attempting to fight the grip the arrancar had on him. The blood loss he'd already experience had weakened him already, but he could still…
"Take a good look, Momo."
His teal eyes widened as they met with the soft brown of his childhood friend's, Aizen finally dropping the hypnosis he'd had the girl under. The icy taicho felt helpless as he watched the girl shatter, her eyes full of horror as the realisation hit her. "Shiro…chan…"
"What was it you said before, Hinamori?" the genius questioned, watching as the girl dropped to the ground, the terror on her gentle features overruling everything else. "Oh yes, 'I hate you!' Tell me, Hitsugaya taicho, how does it feel to know the girl you've been trying so desperately to protect hates you? How does it feel to know she wants you dead?"
He forced the girl to stand, his dark brown eyes focused on the dim iciness of his young captive. "How does it feel…" his voice had changed, from his usual calm tone to a much harsher, colder, crueller alternative. "To watch helplessly, as I stab her through, yet again?" The sharp blade burst forth from her chest, undoubtedly piercing a lung.
"Hinamori!" he struggled fruitlessly against Ulquiorra's grip, stopping when he realised he was still having difficulty breathing. "Bastard…"
Aizen allowed the girl to drop to the floor, stepping over her carefully as he returned to the all too familiar position in front of the taicho he'd held not long ago. He'd already sheathed his sword to keep both hands free. One now forcefully grasped his chin as the other ran almost lovingly through the soft white hair. "Don't worry, taicho. I won't let her die." Slender fingers traced his jawline, a predatory smirk slithering its way onto his handsome face. He leant close, until his lips were grazing the young taicho's ear. "Now, I want to watch as the unbreakable ice dragon shatters into nothing more than a whimpering, blood soaked mess. I want to see one of the powerful taichos of the seireitei too sore and too weak to protect himself, let alone anyone else."
Doing his best to strike Aizen at least once before the psychopath could have his way, Toshiro swung his uninjured knee towards the most reachable (and probably most vulnerable) part of the male's anatomy. The limb was caught easily, and the hand that had been tracing his jaw struck the side of his face roughly. "Good to see you haven't given up yet, Hitsugaya, but that fire won't last much longer."
He was helpless to watch as Hinamori was carried from the room, the male holding him moving him back over to the slanted table. In a few quick moments he was once more restrained, finally able to see the male Aizen had referred to as Ulquiorra. His pale skin and dark hair were a stark contrast, but his eyes were almost haunting; piercing green in colour and void of all emotion. The broken mask made it easy to identify him as an arrancar.
The dark haired male stepped forward, gently cupping one cheek. "It definitely will be interesting to watch you break little one. I have to admit, you intrigue me more than the others, it's a pity he's so determined to break you."
The pale haired shinigami found the statement confusing, though he had no time to question it as Aizen returned to the room, a rather triumphant smirk on his lips. "Hinamori will be well cared for, but for now there's something I think you need to watch. Get something to slow that bleeding, would you Ulquiorra? I don't want him dying before the best bit."
A panel on the wall opened, revealing a rather large screen which soon flickered into life, showing the current scene in the room. The dark haired arrancar was holidng a cloth to the largest of his wounds, slowing the blood flow somewhat. "You see, while people are tricked by my zanpakto, technology, mainly cameras, are not. Ulquiorra, keep his eyes open, I don't want him to miss a second of this."
A few button presses later he saw the very scene the sadistic ex-taicho had orchestrated, though it seemed there was one particular part he wanted to watch. Toshiro knew it instantly when he saw it; Hinamori stood over him, and he didn't need the speakers across the room repeating her words as she thrust her zanpakto into his abdomen. "I'll never forgive you! I hate you! I'll kill you myself!"
The scene began to repeat for a second time, and the icy taicho tried to look away. Hearing those words stung more than his wounds, pained him more than seeing her thrust her sword into his body. Attempting to turn his gaze from the screen he found the arrancar's hand firmly holding his head in place, his steel gaze catching his teal eyes for a moment. "Close your eyes and I will hold them open. Aizen-sama has told you to watch."
The scene changed, but only barely. Instead of looking down on himself and Hinamori, Toshiro found the shot to be focused so the girl was looking directly at him. He couldn't tear his gaze away; it was nothing more than a video, but his own eyes met those brown orbs once more. It took only an instant for him to recognise the loathing, the hate, the complete and utter loathing present in her gaze; something he'd missed before. "I'll never forgive you! I hate you!"
He stopped listening, or it stopped playing, he wasn't sure which. He felt numb; the words echoed in her mind with the emotion behind them hitting home. "She was being tricked by Aizen's zanpakto, she didn't know it was me. She doesn't hate me…Momo doesn't hate me…" he muttered, though his gaze remained fixed on the screen. It continued to replay, how many times he wasn't sure, but at some point it finally stopped.
"Momo doesn't hate me." The teal eyed taicho stated, now hanging limply from the table as he stared at the ground. He wasn't sure when they'd stopped forcing him to watch, nor when Ulquiorra had stopped putting pressure on his worst wound.
"Are you sure, Toshiro? After everything that's happened, are you certain she doesn't hate you? She sounded pretty certain to me." The brunet mocked, walking behind the table. As the tenth squad's taicho looked up to snarl at the male, he found himself instead looking at Hinamori.
"I hate you, Toshiro."
"Bastard…"
"You've always known it. Everyone hated you when we were kids. They still do. I still do."
"Shut up."
"I hate you, Toshiro. You're a demon, a freak! I hate you!"
"Shut up! You're lying!"
"I'm not. I hate you, Toshiro. And I'm not the only one. Hyourinmaru hates you too." She held up the sword, his zanpakto, and smiled. His zanpakto was unmistakable, it definitely appeared to be Hyourinmaru . "Why do you think he's not with you right now? It's because he hates you. Let me show you just how much."
She stepped forward slowly, her eyes fixed with the same hatred they were when she'd thrust Tobuime into his abdomen. He couldn't look away as Hyourinmaru was thrust into his right thigh. The unmistakable screech of metal on metal clawed at his ears as the blade sunk deeper, to the point where the four pointed star hand guard pressed against his leg.
She stepped back with the self-satisfied smile, briefly cupping his cheek. "Don't you get it, Toshiro? Your sword hates you, I hate you, everyone hates you. You can't protect me, you can't protect anyone. You're a powerless child, Toshiro, and I hate you."
He met her eyes one final time, searching the normally warm brown orbs for any trace of a lie. His own bright teal eyes had become dull, empty and lifeless. The burning cold that spread like fire through his body seemed to agree with her words, as the young taicho found the world spinning into darkness. "Hinamori…Hyourinmaru…everyone…they all hate me…."
He went limp, and Aizen's smirk couldn't help but grow as he finally dispelled the illusion. "It took longer than I anticipated to break you, Hitsugaya, but you broke, just like I hoped you would." His gaze flickered momentarily back to the door as he pulled his zanpakto free from the boy's leg. "Drop him off back in the soul society. I'm sure they've been missing their dear taicho."
...
The indigo haired male let out a sigh, brushing a hand roughly through his already messy mane as he looked around. He'd been given orders to search the area for any signs of the tenth squad's taicho; he'd disappeared suddenly and no one had found a trace yet. "Hisagi fukutaicho, we've finished searching the surround caves, there's no sign of him."
Rubbing his forehead the male started giving the group more orders, when a familiar reiatsu caught his attention. "That's…you two, gather the rest of the squad and have them prepare to head back! You, head back to seireitei and inform Unohana taicho we've found him. He may be hurt, possibly worse than Hinamori fukutaicho was. Go, now!"
Without a further word the male raced off, heading in the direction he'd felt not only the missing taicho's reiatsu, but a rather powerful hollow as well. The evil presence had since vanished, but the male's had not. Breaking through the trees into a small clearing, he froze at the sight before him. The snow haired male was indeed injured, with a wound that seemed to go from his abdomen to his back and another straight through his right thigh. Most of his clothes were gone, with the small form only clothed in a pair of light pants that were stiff with hardened blood.
"Hitsugaya taicho!" Quickly gathering the smaller male into his arms, he took a desperate moment to try and get a response of some sort from the limp male. "Hitsugaya taicho, wake up." he stated, attempting to keep the concern from his voice. He was failing miserably in that respect, and he knew it, but at least no one else could hear. His breath caught in his throat as the teal orbs were slowly revealed, finally meeting his own steely black ones.
"Hisagi…fukutaicho…"
"Hang on, Hitsugaya taicho. You'll be okay." Holding the smaller male close to his chest he began running back toward the seireitei. With any luck, the squad member he'd sent on ahead would get the message to Unohana, and they'd have a squad waiting at the gate.
"Just hang on, Toshiro; I don't want to lose you." His last comment was barely a whisper, so silent that the icy taicho almost didn't catch it. He probably wasn't meant to, he reasoned, but he was glad he did. 'Someone was still worried about me…' the snowy haired male thought, a small relieved smile working its way to his lips.
A hand gently reached up and clung tightly to the front of his Shihakushō, startling the older male slightly. "Thank you…Hisagi…"
Tai: I think Toshiro really, really needs a hug right now. Maybe a little medical treatment first, but he needs a hug.
Probably some cookies too.
