Chapter 21:
-Continue-
Toshiro felt the man closing in. His reiatsu felt… off. It wasn't hard to register this man as a captain, that much he guaranteed. But the way is presented itself didn't represent that of a true shinigami. He did his best to conceal himself from both sight and senses and watched from the shadows.
"You did it!" He heard a female voice shout. "You killed Captain Aizen!"
"Calm down Momo!" Another voice shouted, desperation clearly in his voice. The woman uttered a battle cry and a familiar metallic sound echoed throughout the area. Toshiro shunpoed a bit closer to the scene and something caught his attention. Hitsugaya's eyes widen and his mouth fell agape. He face contorted into one of shock and confusion. That man…
The same man whose plagued his childhood nightmares and his teenage daydreams. He never had in a name, but he always had that distinct smile and that air of calm, superior kindness. He saw the group of shinigami looking upwards towards a barren wall; him being slightly confused.
That man in question stood slightly behind the fighting shinigami with his back turned towards the white-haired teen. He didn't see the face but the hair and the aura surrounding him had an eerie similarity. He didn't move for a second and neither did Toshiro, but Toshiro had the vague idea that the man knew he was watching him. His suspicion was confirmed when the man disappeared from sight.
He felt a palm gently push him into the open. "Now, now. You shouldn't hide Hitsugaya-kun." The person behind him spoke. Upon hearing that unnervingly calm voice again after so long, his reiatsu spiked and his sword seemed to appear in his hand. He quickly turned on his heel and glared at... the empty space behind him. "Shit." He heard a collective gasp and froze in place for a brief moment before fully realizing the situation he was in.
"One of the ryoka! It was him who killed Captain Aizen!" Someone screamed from the crowd. Toshiro had very little time to react before a fire-ball flew at him with a surprising amount of speed. He side-stepped slightly to avoid it and jumped forward as the second one came from behind. Suddenly the person who shot both balls of flame shunpo-ed near him, with her sword primed to strike. Time seem to slow down for a second as he felt the slightest bit of wind behind him, giving him the knowledge that someone was there.
He threw his sword across his back and blocked the attack coming from behind and quickly stomped on the female's blade to force it into the floor. Toshiro then shunpo-ed a few feet away to make his opponents lose their balance; which happened far quicker than he expected. He watched them butt head and turned to leave as quickly as possible before he saw an unwelcomed sight.
The same sword that they had saw the very first hour they got here, Shinso, I think he called it, was several inches from his throat. Everyone stood still before Gin spoke, "Wow Gaya! Didn't think ya could sense me, let alone stop in time." He sounded enthusiastic.
Toshiro glared at the silver-haired man before Gin kneed him in the stomach, sending him back a few meters. Toshiro bit down on his lower jaw and barely avoided the second knee. Both he and Gin broke off into a simultaneous shunpo; becoming completely invisible to the shinigami who were just about to riot. A huge gust of wind suddenly blew by everyone and even caused some unseated members to fall backwards. "Captain!" The Third Division's Lieutenant yelled in concern.
Toshiro and Gin reappeared in the exact same spots they were previously. Toshiro sported his usual scowl and Gin, his mad grin. They clashed swords with a resounding "clang" and another wind blast erupted from contact. Gin's grin faltered ever so slightly as Toshiro lost his footing and a clear shot to his throat was revealed. 'Come on boy. I know you are stronger than this. You'll need to be if you hope to stand a chance.'
He could've ended the white haired teen's life right then and there but he didn't. He instead opted to give the boy a shallow cut on the cheek as warning. He was however, surprised at the fact that Toshiro managed to not only parry the blade, but also counter in such a way that Gin, for the slightest instance, felt completely open.
He narrowly avoid Toshiro's attack and his grin widened.
"Captain Ichimaru." A cold, angered voice spoke bringing everything to a stand-still. Gin had sensed her coming but didn't bother to retreat; he hoped she would come a bit faster actually.
"Hiya Cap'n Arai." Gin said with his childlike glee. He spoke extremely casually for the situation he was in; having his blade still firmly pressed against Hitsugaya's.
'Now's my chance.' Toshiro thought. Hitsugaya had very little knowledge of Kido, but the little he learned from Urahara would be vastly useful now. He channeled his reiatsu like he was told and pressed both palms on the floor. "Bakudo #21. Sekienton!"
As expected, a plume of red smoke appeared out of thin air and blinded Toshiro's white hair from the world. Akame was pleasantly surprised to see that Toshiro knew kido and briefly thought about what other kido Kisuke taught him. But now was not the time for pondering.
"Captain Arai, the ryoka is escaping! He killed Captain Aizen!" The girl with a bun in her hair said with tears in her eyes.
"Enough Hinamori. Going after him would be pointless." Akame said with her annoyance barely restrained.
"What?! How could you say that?!" The girl was hysterical now.
"If he took down someone as powerful as Aizen, what makes you think you could beat him?" Akame questioned in a tone that almost made the air visible. "Hinamori, instead of going on that suicide mission, why don't you try to get him down?"
No one said a word as Akame turned around and shunpo-ed over to Gin. She grabbed his coller and shunpo-ed away once more.
"Ichimaru…" She began to speak the moment she felt that they were far enough away to not be heard.
"Yes, Cap'n?"
"Did you kill Captain Aizen?" The question was quick and simple. Giving him no time to answer, she drew Murasame. The long sword with a purple rose guard and a purple and black hilt was swiftly placed on Gin's shoulder.
"Now, now, Arai. How could ya say such a thing?" Gin questioned, sounding rather suspicious.
Akame glared at the man. She really hated him. His constant on-again, off-again relationship with her lieutenant was really getting on her nerves. "That ryoka, do not mess with him. Nor the red-eyed one."
"Oh? May I ask why Cap'n?"
"Do it and find out." She warned.
Gin secretly knew who the boys were; all three of them. Ichigo Kurosaki was the strawberry, Ash Kita was the red-eyed one and Toshiro Hitsugaya was the last. He found out their identities during a meeting in the First Division not one week prior to this. The old man had announced the three as threats and, though he found it unlikely that they would ever invade the Soul Society, he told everyone to be on high alert. Akame was also at this meeting but it would appear that she wasn't paying attention again.
"Ichimaru. If I find out you hurt one of them, I will slaughter you." Akame's stare was sometimes only rivaled by Unohana's.
"Wouldn't dream of it Cap'n."
A/N: And this is where things will get AU. My story will be taking over. =)