Chapter 25: When A Door Opens…

When morning came, Hitsugaya felt as if he'd been run over by those motorized vehicle things they had in the living world. He was exhausted and his head ached. He rolled over in bed and brought the covers up to his chin, burrowing into the warmth of the bed. He had always been an early riser, but today he was going to stay in bed for a while. He had been told to rest and give his body time to heal from the injuries of the day before, and he was going to do just that.

He drifted off to sleep again until a delicious smell raised him from his slumber. He tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but the aroma permeated the bedroom and made his stomach growl.

"Damn it," he mumbled and got up to see what the aroma was.

He padded over to the living room in his socks to find that breakfast had been laid out on one of the tables. It was a traditional Western breakfast of omelets, sausage, and toast. That wasn't what had drawn his attention, however. Beside the plate was a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. He'd fallen in love with the things on his last trip to the living world and hadn't had one in many years. When he got close to the table he saw that there was a note propped up next to the tray.

Hitsugaya-kun,

I hope you don't mind the meddling, but I thought some comfort food might be in order. I remembered how much you liked these and asked Rukia to have her baker make some for you. Yuzu makes them for Ichigo all of the time, so Rukia has the recipe. I also left some tea that will help with any lingering effects of the alcohol.

Ukitake

Hitsugaya smiled at the kind gesture. Even now, Ukitake was still feeding him sweets. He sat on one of the chairs and munched on a cinnamon roll and sipped the tea. The tea brought out the sweetness of the cinnamon and Hitsugaya let himself forget about everything else that was going on and just enjoy the simple pleasures of a good breakfast. The things that had seemed so bleak the night before seemed different in the light of day, but not different enough that they could be ignored for too long.

When his stomach was satisfied, he got ready for the day. He wasn't going to work for the next couple of days, and he was starting to think that he might be better off working somewhere more neutral; somewhere that didn't have so many memories for him. He could try going to one of the other divisions or perhaps he could even go teach at the academy. He had enough experience as a shinigami that they would probably give him a chance there. He wasn't entirely happy with the thought of spending his days surrounded by children, but it was an option.

As he left the guesthouse, he looked longingly at the dojo. His body could use some exercise, but the aches and pains from the day before, and the pronounced limp that he now had from re-injuring his knee, had stopped him from actually doing it. He felt slightly off, too. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but it wasn't what he'd come to consider normal.

Once he'd left the Kuchiki property, he headed in the direction of the shopping district in Seireitei. Now that he was making money of his own, he could afford to buy a few things that he'd been missing since his return. He headed to his favorite bookstore first. He perused the bookshelves for quite a while, soaking in the various titles and the scintillating knowledge they contained. He picked up several books and sat down to flip through the pages. Time lost its meaning as he disappeared into the world of battle tactics and strategies. He'd always found the strategy behind wars fascinating. How well you strategized could make the difference between a victory and a humiliating, costly defeat, and yet a lot of people throughout history had gone into battle completely blind, ultimately paying the price.

He placed the books he wouldn't be buying back in their shelves and made his way to the writing supplies. He picked out a set of writing brushes and ink and started to make his way to the register. Halfway there, a case with books about teaching caught his attention. He stopped to look at the titles. A book called "Delivering your Message" caught his eye and he pulled it off the shelf. It was about how to communicate ideas to students in a way that wouldn't bore them and would ensure that they retained the information even after the class was done. Hitsugaya thought that the idea of imparting knowledge to the younger generations was intriguing. He'd had some horrible teachers in his life, but he'd also had some excellent ones. He wondered if they'd read books like this.

"Thinking about teaching, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Hitsugaya turned to see an older man dressed in fine clothing standing beside him. He had a kind face and his smile lit up his eyes. The man looked familiar, but Hitsugaya couldn't quite put his finger on the man's identity.

"Not really," Hitsugaya said, putting the book back on the shelf. "The book just caught my eye."

"You have gained so much knowledge in your years as a shinigami," the man said. "My students would benefit greatly from it." The man stared at Hitsugaya, and then seem to realize that Hitsugaya didn't recognize him. "I apologize, I'm Saito Hikaru, the directory of the academy."

Recognition suddenly dawned on Hitsugaya. This man had held some position at the academy since Hitsugaya himself had been a student, and had spent the last decade as the academy's director.

"Pardon me," Hitsugaya said, bowing slightly. "Your face looked familiar but the name escaped me."

Saito-san's smile widened, having taken no offense. "If you have some time, I would like to speak with you about the academy. I was serious when I said that your knowledge would benefit my students."

Hitsugaya hadn't thought further about the academy since the idea had popped into his head earlier that morning; now that the opportunity was here, he had nothing to lose. They headed for the small café at the rear of the bookstore and settled themselves in a back table, away from most of the activity.

"You've done some mentoring work over the years," Saito-san said, "even before you became captain. What was it about the mentorship that you enjoyed?"

Hitsugaya thought back to the dozen or so students he'd mentored over the years, most of which had been from Rukongai.

"Being at the academy can be difficult, confusing, and intimidating, especially for kids that aren't from Seireitei," Hitsugaya said. "I enjoyed helping make the experience less frightening. I also liked being able to help answer the many questions that come along during that very awkward time when students are acclimating to their new surroundings."

"Imagine doing that for dozens of students at a time, not just one or two," Saito-san said. "The academy years are very intimidating, especially for those that don't fall into the mold. Yourself, for example," the man added with a smile. "You were in a class all of your own, which I'm sure made the experience quite lonely."

Hitsugaya didn't like to think back to the academy very often. His innate skill and talent had made it difficult to fit in, and the entire time, short as it had been, had not left a good impression in his mind.

"I don't have any teaching experience outside of working with the members of my division, and that's a very different dynamic," Hitsugaya said. "They are trained to follow orders. Academy students are not."

Saito-san laughed. "Indeed, they're not, and quite a few of them like to remind us of that every day," he said. "Still, the leadership experience that you have, which a lot of our professors do not, will help with the wayward youngsters. I seriously urge you to consider it."

Hitsugaya stared at the man and said the first thing that popped into his mind. "Why?"

"Why?" Saito-san repeated, his voice showing traces of his confusion. "I want the best for my students," he finally said, "and it's not everyday that I have the opportunity to recruit a former captain."

Saito-san stood. He dug into one of his pockets and retrieved a business card and handed it to Hitsugaya. "Please do consider my offer. If you have any questions or wish to discuss further, I am always available. Thank you for your time, Hitsugaya-taichou. Good day."

Hitsugaya watched the director walk away and then looked at the card. He tucked it into his own pocket and picked up his things. He went back to the shelf where he'd run into Saito-san and picked up the book about teaching that he'd been previously perusing. It couldn't hurt to give it a read as he considered the man's offer. He paid for his items and then left the store. He was so distracted by what had just happened that he almost didn't notice the shinigami he was about to walk into. He stepped aside at the last minute and just barely avoided running into the man.

"I'm sorry," Hitsugaya said, "I'm not paying attention to where I'm going."

"No harm done," the man said, and only then did Hitsugaya realize whom he had almost run into.

The other man must have realized the same thing because his eyes widened, before he gave Hitsugaya a low bow.

"I'm very sorry for the way I behaved when we first met, Hitsugaya-taichou," the man said. "It was despicable behavior and it will not happen again."

Hitsugaya watched the man rise out of the bow, the anger he'd felt when the man had manhandled him surfacing quickly.

"Are you saying that because you now know who I am… was?" Hitsugaya amended. "I won't retaliate, if that's what you're afraid of. I'm sure Abarai has already handled the matter."

"Yes, sir, he has," the man said. "I wasn't afraid of retaliation… well, not entirely."

"What's your name?" Hitsugaya asked, not liking that he was having this conversation at all.

"Watanabe. I'm a member of the 6th division, as you already know."

"Watanabe, you've made your apology and I accept it. There's nothing else to discuss," Hitsugaya said.

Watanabe struggled between following the not-so-hidden order to let this drop and his desire to explain himself. Hitsugaya would have thought this whole exchange comical if not for the very real anger he still felt at the way this man had treated the rest of his adopted family.

"I spoke with Kuchiki-taichou shortly after Abarai-fukutaichou disciplined us over the incident," Watanabe finally said. "He said that I needed to learn a little bit of Seireitei history, so I did. I just wanted to say that I think you were an incredible captain. The whole experience has taught me never to assume or to take things for granted. The people of Rukongai are ours to protect, and I promise you I will take that seriously."

Hitsugaya didn't see any measure of deceit or falsehood on the man's face, which helped diffuse his anger a little bit. Maybe he had learned a lesson out of the whole thing.

"Good," Hitsugaya said. "Make sure that you never forget that."

Both of them were startled when Kuchiki Byakuya himself appeared beside them. "Is there a problem here?" the man asked, looking suspiciously at them.

Hitsugaya felt a measure of gratitude towards the captain. "No, Watanabe was just telling me about the lesson he'd learned from our encounter," Hitsugaya said.

"Thank you for your time, Hitsugaya-taichou," Watanabe said. "I'll be on my way." With a bow to both of them, the man continued into the bookstore.

"You talked to him on my behalf?" Hitsugaya asked, amused.

"He needs to learn not to judge people without information," Kuchiki said. "I will not have thugs in my division."

Hitsugaya chuckled at the comment. "Thank you. So what brings you here? Or were you worried that Watanabe and I were going to get into another confrontation?"

"Matsumoto-fukutaichou is looking for you. She said it's urgent," Kuchiki said. "Let's meet her at your division."

Without further warning, Kuchiki wrapped an arm around Hitsugaya and slipped into shunpo. Hitsugaya felt dizzy, having never experienced shunpo without him controlling it. It was a very unpleasant feeling. The trip ended quickly as they arrived at their destination.

"What's wrong, Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya asked the woman, who was pacing the office.

"There you are! I've been looking for you," she said. Her face was pale and drawn. Something was very wrong. "I got a message from the west gate. Jidanbou says that there is a man named Toshi here to see you. He says it's urgent."

Hitsugaya paled. He didn't think he'd hear that name ever again, especially not here.

"Do you know him?" Kuchiki asked.

"He's the son of the couple I was staying with when the arrancar tried to capture me. I put them in danger."

Hitsugaya made as if to walk out of the office, but Kuchiki's hand on his arm stopped him.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"I need to know why he's here," Hitsugaya replied. "If he's here without his parents, something must have happened to them. Aizen must now know that they're important to me."

"Fine, let's go,"

Kuchiki put his arm around Hitsugaya again and off they went. The disorientation wasn't as bad this time, but Hitsugaya's stomach was in knots from worry and fear by the time they made it to the gate. Jidanbou opened the gate and motioned to the man who was pacing nervously in front of them.

"Toshi, what's going on?"

"Hitsugaya, you're here!" Toshi said and wrapped his arms around Hitsugaya. "He said you'd be here. You have to help me, mom and dad were kidnapped." The young man was distraught, his face tight with fear.

"What?" Matsumoto said. "What happened?"

"Who said I'd be here?" Hitsugaya asked.

Toshi took a deep breath in an effort to calm down a bit. "We were stopped by this weird guy with a mask on his face. I thought he was going to rob us so I attacked, but he brushed me aside like I was a fly. He grabbed mom and dad and told me to come here. He said to tell you that he won't harm them if you come willingly."

"Who told you this? Describe him," Matsumoto said, already knowing what Toshi was going to say.

"I don't know, I'd never seen him before. He was a tall guy, brown hair, with an ugly mask on his face. He was wearing white," Toshi said. "He knows you, though. He told me that you'd be here and that you should do as he said before he killed my parents."

"Where am I supposed to come to him?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Your childhood home. He said it was around here."

"Grandmother," Hitsugaya whispered, his face losing what little color it had. "He's got all three of them."

"You know this guy, don't you?" Toshi asked. "Is it that same guy you told us about, the one after you?"

"Yes, it is," Matsumoto replied when Hitsugaya didn't. "We'll help get your parents back, don't worry."

Hitsugaya started to walk away from the gate, but Matsumoto stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"Home," he said. "Aizen has my grandmother, too."

"You would willingly walk into his hands?" Kuchiki, who'd been silent until then, spoke.

"What else would you have me do?" Hitsugaya replied. "Stay here where it's safe while Aizen does who-knows-what to three people I care about?"

"This situation is much bigger than just you," Kuchiki, ever the loyal Gotei captain, said. "This is our change to finally put an end to him."

"So what do you suggest, then?" Hitsugaya asked, his patience running thin the more they spoke. "You want me to wait here until we notify Yamamoto-soutaichou and he comes up with a plan? Would you do that if Rukia was the one being held hostage by Aizen?"

Kuchiki actually thought about it for a moment. "No. I would go."

"Then I'm going," Hitsugaya said.

"Jidanbou," Kuchiki said. "Get a message to Ukitake-taichou and Yamamoto-soutaichou. Tell them what happened and that Hitsugaya, Matsumoto-fukutaichou, and I went to Hitsugaya's childhood home. Tell them we need reinforcements as soon as possible." He turned to address Toshi. "You, young man, stay here with Jidanbou. Where we're going is not safe."

Together, the three of them made their way to Hitsugaya's childhood home, knowing what they were going to find when they got there and not knowing what they were going to be able to do about it.

And we're finally getting back to the action... what's in store for our heroes, I wonder?

Don't forget to leave a reply on the way out. I'm not sure if I'm losing readers, or if people are just not replying.