Hitsugaya Toushirou
"Be careful, Isane, move him carefully,"
"Hai, Taichou,"
I felt myself being picked up and forced into an upward leaning position.
My eyes shot open and I jolted in surprise at the contact.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, please calm down, you're okay," Isane tried to calm me.
I looked around in a panic.
"Where is she?" I shouted furiously.
"Who, Hitsugaya-Taichou?" Unohana asked.
"Takashita Azumi, where is she?" I repeated.
"Her whereabouts are unknown; she has escaped confinement." Unohana answered.
"You need to calm—"
"Shit!" I cursed.
I sat up immediately; wincing from the pain of my injuries.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, you need to calm down immediately. You need rest!" Isane urged.
I ignored her and uncovered myself. As I started to get up, Unohana stepped forward and pushed me back with her hand.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, you're not allowed to leave this bed—that's an order. Your injuries are too severe for you to even stand." Unohana ordered with that menacingly nice tone of hers.
I grit my teeth. Of course she was right, but I couldn't just sit here and do nothing now that Azumi was in enemy hands.
"Where is Matsumoto?" I asked.
"Recuperating in one of our other rooms. Her wounds were less severe than yours, but she's still to be on bed rest until further notice." Unohana told me.
I sighed in relief.
It was good to hear that at the very least she was okay.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, what happened to you and Matsumoto-Fukutaichou?" Unohana asked.
I clenched at the sheets. If I told her that Azumi caused our wounds, then it would only further convince everyone that Azumi really was a traitor. However, the only upside to this situation was with Hinamori.
"Where is Hinamori?" I asked, evading answering her question.
"She was here not too long ago; she was the one that found you and Matsumoto-Fukutaichou and called for help. She's been here—waiting for you to wake up for the past few days,"
"Few days?" I cut Isane off.
"How long have I been out?"
"Just two days. You woke up a few times, but you seemed like you were in a trance. That wound on your abdomen was very deep; I'm not surprised you were asleep for so long." Unohana explained.
Two days? Now I really couldn't afford to lay here, who knows what Aizen has done to Azumi all this time.
"I need to talk to Hinamori right now. I need you to send someone for her immediately." I told her.
"As you wish; she asked to be called when you awakened regardless. Isane, would you please?" Unohana asked.
"Hai, Taichou. Excuse me," Isane said before leaving the room.
Unohana put a hand on my forehead—no doubt checking my temperature—before sighing and walking over to the window.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, tell me," she shut the curtains and paused.
"It was Takashita Azumi wasn't it?" She asked.
I didn't answer.
I had to talk to Hinamori before anything else—I had to see what information I could get from her. She could completely change this entire situation, or she could worsen it; I wouldn't know until I talked to her.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, to tell you the truth, this entire situation involving Takashita Azumi doesn't quite sit well with me. I didn't know the young lady too well, however, she really seemed as if she cared about everyone here—even if they didn't care about her. Going along with that, during our last meeting, I studied her reactions throughout the entire duration of it. Her emotions weren't that of one who's been caught—they were rather of one who's been framed."
She turned around to look at me; a serious, yet cautious look depicting her features. Unohana was a smart woman; she was one who was always able to interpret things reasonably—could she be trusted?
"What do you think of Takashita Azumi's confession along with the recent incident?" She asked.
I evaded making eye contact with her while I thought the situation through. Unohana generally stayed out of the affairs of others, however, that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't have an opinion about them. Generally, every time that I've heard her opinion, it's been justified and with wisdom; at times her cunning reminded me of Kyoraku. Kyoraku didn't look like the wisest guy ever, but that was his tactic. He doesn't look the part, but he acts the part and blows people away with it.
Unohana seemed almost the same; except instead of just disguising her cunning, she simply keeps it to herself until the right reason arises. Maybe I could do a test...
"Unohana, what is today's date?" I asked.
"The 27th of July," she replied.
"Matsumoto, Takashita and I returned to the Soul Society from the World of the Living on June 23rd. Please keep this in mind for the moment. I want you to be in the room when Hinamori gets here. Please don't leave." I told her.
She nodded, getting the hint that this may just be the answer to her question.
A few, silent minutes went by, and Hinamori came with Isane.
"Shirou-chan! Are you okay? I'm so happy to see you awake!" Hinamori exclaimed, rushing over to me.
"Thank you, Hinamori; yes I'm fine." I replied.
"What happened to you? And to me? What were we doing? I just found you passed out next to me in the Rukongai; then Matsumoto-san on the way back! What is going on?" She asked in a panic.
I looked over at Unohana who returned my gaze, wordlessly. I turned back to Hinamori.
"I'll tell you what happened in a few minutes. First, I need you to answer me this: what is today's date?" I asked.
"Today's date? What does that have to do with anything?" She asked, puzzled.
"Everything. Please, tell me what today's date is." I prompted again with more urgency behind my tone.
She gave me a questioning look, and then looked up at the ceiling in thought.
"Well, two days have gone by…so I guess today is June 27th."
I knew it.
She didn't remember anything.
"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked.
I looked back at Unohana again. She was shocked, but she didn't say anything; she let me continue.
"Hinamori, when was the last time you and I talked before this recent incident?" I asked.
Hinamori looked back and forth between Unohana, Isane, and myself.
"W-What is going on here? W-Why is this coming up now? What's happened? Did I do something wrong?" She asked nervously.
"No, Hinamori, you haven't; please, just answer my question." I urged again.
She looked down at her hands, taking a moment before answering.
"Shirou-chan, I've been meaning to apologize for this; for what happened the last time I saw you," she began.
"Which was when what happened?" I asked.
"It was when you corrected me in the hallway out of the dining area; I-I said some things that were out of line, and I'm sorry that I didn't come sooner to apologize," she staggered out.
"It's okay, Hinamori, I forgive you. How many days ago did that happen?" I asked.
"The same day when I woke up with you in the middle of nowhere in the Rukongai," she replied.
"You're scaring me! Please, tell me why you're asking these questions!" She asked again.
"Isane, get the Soutaichou here immediately." Unohana ordered.
"T-The Soutaichou? Right away, Taichou! Excuse me!" She bowed and left.
"Why does the Soutaichou have to be here? What's going on?" Hinamori asked with panic now.
"Hinamori, you were possessed by an Arrancar for over a month." I began; she gasped as I continued.
"While she possessed you, she cunningly used your knowledge of how the Soul Society functions in order to kidnap Takashita Azumi."
"B-But how? When did she—how did she—"
"I don't know exactly, but it would appear that one of her abilities is to somehow inject herself into others and use them to her advantage." I cut her off.
"She used this in order to also convince the Soul Society that Takashita Azumi is a traitor. Not only that, she tried to convince them that I am also a traitor." I paused.
"So Takashita Azumi's confession," Unohana started.
"Was to protect me at the cost of her life." I finished for her.
"I figured that much out shortly after the meeting; the only problem I faced was proving that the evidence was fake. But now with Hinamori, the situation seems promising." I concluded.
"Indeed it does in that regard, however, the question is, where is Takashita Azumi and the Arrancar now? Was the Arrancar the one who attacked?" Unohana asked.
"No, it wasn't the Arrancar. Takashita's Hollow alter-ego took over and broke out from her containment cell and came straight for me. I was able to knock her unconscious long enough to get her out of the Seireitei; however, she regained consciousness in the Rukongai and got the better of us. Once Takashita regained control of her consciousness; the Arrancar came out of hiding and threatened to kill Hinamori, Takashita's parents, and I unless Takashita agreed to go with her to Hueco Mundo." I concluded as I clenched the sheets.
"Damn bakayaro!" I shouted, slamming my fist against the mattress.
This whole situation was completely eating away at me. I can't believe that Azumi was stupid enough to let her feelings get in the way. What was she thinking?
My life and Hinamori's have been dedicated to protecting others and making sure others live. Our lives are insignificant; the Soul Society as a whole is more important. Going along with that; Azumi isn't a Shinigami. Her life isn't dedicated to others—she shouldn't have sacrificed herself for me. I don't matter; I'm completely insignificant. She's an innocent girl that didn't deserve to get involved in any of this.
I was supposed to protect her. I wasn't supposed to let anything bad happen to her…and now she's in Aizen's hands, getting experimented on and…and…
I couldn't even finish that sentence. I'm such a fool. I've failed as a Taichou, failed as a friend, and worst of all failed as a significant other.
"Master, you didn't fail at anything; this isn't your fault in the least. You did the best you could with an uncontrollable situation," Hyourinmaru tried to comfort.
"You're wrong, Hyourinmaru. I didn't protect her…I just—"
"I wouldn't go as far as that, Hitsugaya-Taichou," Unohana interrupted my train of thought.
She walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sure you would risk your life to protect the person you care about the most in this world; would you not?" She asked with a small smile.
I stared at the wrinkled bed sheet over my legs and put a hand against my forehead.
"My thoughts exactly," Hyourinmaru commented.
"S-Shirou-chan, I am so incredibly sorry," Hinamori suddenly spoke up.
I looked at her as she continued.
"I am so sorry that I caused you and everyone else trouble! I still can't believe that I…that I was,"
It was then I noticed that she was shaking.
I put a hand against her shoulder.
"Don't be—it wasn't your fault. It's in the past; I'm just glad that you're okay, she didn't harm you, and you're back to being yourself. I've missed the bed-wetter I grew up with." I forced a small smile.
I wasn't in the best of moods with this whole situation, but one of the positives was that everything that happened with Hinamori wasn't her. Every bad thing she said this entire month, my childhood friend completely betraying me, was all a lie. For once, I can truly say I'm glad that I was lied to. Losing Momo was a pain I never wanted to go through again.
"Excuse us," Isane said as she opened the door.
The Soutaichou walked in and looked at the two of us.
"What is this urgent matter to be discussed?" He asked.
Unohana and I explained to him the entire situation. Hinamori told her side of things which was immensely helpful. The Soutaichou didn't say a word as we explained. He assessed everything we told him, and then even at the end of our explanation took some time to think.
After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"It is unfortunate that this has happened to Takashita Azumi, however, there is nothing we can do at this time. Aizen has won for the time being."
I immediately became outraged.
"Soutaichou, wouldn't we be able to throw together an assault team for her retrieval? If Aizen were to go through with his plans—"
"Absolutely not." He interrupted Unohana.
"It's already too late for that. If she had only been taken perhaps within the hour, then we would've been able to intercept. However, too much time has passed; Aizen has most likely already used her for his bidding and she is most likely already dead. It would be sending our most valuable assets to their slaughter if we created an assault team." He said.
I couldn't help myself.
"She could still be alive!" I immediately interjected.
"If what the Arrancar said previously was true, then that would mean we have a few months before any results from experimentation! We could still stop Aizen in his tracks if we go there and take Takashita back!"
I was incredibly angered and flustered. The fact that he was just pushing this to the side was completely unacceptable.
"We cannot!" he snapped back.
"At this point in time, we are not equipped to go into enemy territory. If we lose our men now, when the Hogyoku awakens in a few months, we will suffer complete annihilation! One life in comparison to the rest of the population is not a risk I am willing to take, Hitsugaya-Taichou,"
If I was angry before, I was furious now. The old man didn't get it—he didn't get it at all.
"Action is prohibited at this time until further notice. I will inform the other Taichou today in a meeting. This conversation is now concluded." He sternly ordered.
Unohana, Isane, and Hinamori slightly bowed at the Soutaichou, and then he turned and left.
The room was thick with silence. I was so infuriated at the entire situation that I was about to snap.
Sensing my frustration, Unohana stepped forward and ushered Hinamori and Isane out of the room. Hinamori was hesitant to leave, but with Unohana's look, she left with them.
This was unbelievable.
Azumi has been taken hostage and is most likely getting experimented on, not to mention sexually abused and the answer is to just forget about it? Just leave her there to suffer and die? Her—a life not committed to serving and protecting others, a life that isn't that of a soldier's—to just accept her fate?
How terrified she must be right now. The thought of Aizen and his men doing those things to her…
I could already feel the temperature drop.
I couldn't just lay here and do nothing. I was going after her whether the Soutaichou liked it or not. Let him take my Taichou title—it wasn't worth Azumi's life.
I had to tell Matsumoto everything that's happened before anything else. After I tell her what happened, I'm going by myself to the World of the Living. I'll get healed by Inoue Orihime, and then see if Urahara knows how to get to Hueco Mundo. I'm sure that he has to know something about how to get there.
A few hours passed by, and finally a squad member came in to check on me. I ordered him to bring in Matsumoto immediately. He momentarily hesitated, but with his ranking versus mine, he complied and brought her in on a wheelchair.
"Taichou! Where is she?" Rangiku shouted upon entry.
I ordered the squad member to leave the room for a few minutes, and when he left, I explained the entire situation to Matsumoto.
"So you're telling me that we aren't allowed to do anything about this?" Matsumoto asked, clearly as outraged about the situation as I was.
"That's the order he's given," I reaffirmed.
Now repeating the story for a third time, the Soutaichou's response was to be expected. I didn't agree with it, but I did understand his point.
"That is the stupidest order that I've ever been given! You're not going to seriously let this slide, are you?" She asked me, gripping the handle of her wheelchair.
I took a long look at her, and took a breath.
"I'm not, but you are." I started.
Her eyes widened and immediately her facial expression changed to shock. Before she could say anything, I continued.
"Matsumoto, I need you to stay here and recuperate. I need you to take care of the Squad in my place in case of anything. If I don't make it back, you're all they have." I told her.
She averted her angered eyes away from me. She didn't say anything, just kept her gaze affixed at something on the floor.
"Know this, Matsumoto: I will bring Azumi back safely, at the cost of my title and my life. If I happen to lose either of them, I need you to take care of her and our Squad. You'll be the only one they have—"
"Absolutely not!" She interrupted.
I was taken aback; Matsumoto never interrupted during an order. She always just complied without question.
"I can't follow that order, Taichou. I refuse." She replied as she looked me sternly in the eye.
"I can't just sit here and wait for your return. I can't just sit here and while my best friend is being tortured. I can't sit here again and watch the people I love the most suffer and leave me again. As far as the Squad goes; they'll be taken care of because I plan on all three of us coming back here alive. Please, have some faith in me." She said.
I looked into her eyes; laced with a serious intent I'd never seen before. As much as I didn't want to risk losing her too, she wasn't going to let me go by myself no matter what I said.
I looked over to Hyourinmaru, and couldn't help but smirk.
"Matsumoto," I turned back to look at her.
"Watch my back then."
She smirked right back at me.
"Always, Taichou."
-[×]-
The moon wasn't out tonight—all the better to aid us.
I grit my teeth to keep from grunting from all of my movements. My wounds seriously needed more treatment. Tokiwa got into my side pretty deep; it couldn't be fixed with just mere stitches and healing kido.
I opened the window to the recovery room Matsumoto was in, and within a few seconds she was out the window with me. Without another word, we both headed out toward the Senkaimon.
The guards at the gate were both surprised to see anyone at this hour.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou," they both bowed and said in unison.
"Open the gate, immediately." I ordered.
They both gave each other a quick glance before one of them spoke up.
"Taichou, unfortunately we did not receive clearance that—"
"That's an order." I repeated myself.
"H-Hai, Taichou!" they both said.
Immediately they both took hold of one of the doors and opened it. They bowed, and held onto the handle.
"Let's go," I told Matsumoto.
"Right," she replied.
We went through the doors and flash stepped through the Precipice world. Since this was an unauthorized visit, we had to hurry before the cleaner came, or any other Shinigami for that matter.
Soon enough, we made it through to the World of the Living. After taking a brief moment to catch our breath—especially since our wounds opened from the voyage—we went straight to Inoue Orihime's home.
Matsumoto knocked loudly.
"Orihime-chan! It's Rangiku! Won't you please let us in?" She called.
After a few seconds, she finally came to the door.
"Rangiku-san? Hitsugaya-Taichou-san? What are you guys doing here this late?" She asked, rubbing an eye and motioning us in.
"Sorry, we'll explain everything I promise, but first would you please heal us? Taichou and I are both hurt," she smiled and showed her bitten shoulder.
"Oh my goodness! Of course! Please sit!" Orihime told us.
As I started to shut the door; a familiar voice shouted at me.
"Hey! Toushirou!" Kurosaki shouted.
I looked through the door to see him and Kuchiki approaching.
"Rukia and I sensed you guys; what's going on? Why are you guys here?" Kurosaki asked, pushing the door back open.
"Hi, Kurosaki-kun, Kuchiki-san!" Orihime greeted.
Matsumoto decided to tell everyone everything that happened in the Soul Society while Inoue healed us.
Kurosaki was immediately outraged, as I knew he would be.
"What the Hell is that old man thinking! You can't just leave behind a young girl like that!" he shouted.
"Ichigo," Rukia tried to console.
"I'm going with the two of you." Kurosaki said, standing up, and staring at me with those intense eyes he has.
I thought about what he said for a moment. It would be more help if he did come; Kurosaki was around Taichou rank in strength. It would be troublesome, but it made sense for me to take the offer.
"All right. We're leaving as soon as I'm finished healing. I'd suggest you get anything you think you might need quickly." I told him.
"I'm good to go." He answered immediately.
"Well, I can't just sit here and do nothing either. Plus, I have to make sure this one doesn't do anything regrettable." Kuchiki elbowed Kurosaki.
"I'm going to pack some snacks for you guys; there's no telling when you will be able to eat again, so you should take the time now before you go," Inoue said, standing up.
She walked over to the kitchen and started rustling around some things in there. After a few minutes, she came back out with a few items. There were small water bottles, some chips, and some onigiri.
"I want to go with you guys as well…however…" she started handing each of us one of each item.
"I won't be much use. Also, if I got hurt and didn't make it back, who would heal all of you when you return?" She concluded hesitantly.
Kuchiki put a hand on her shoulder while Matsumoto gave her a hug.
"Orihime-chan, we know that you want to go, but we don't want to risk losing you too. We'll send Azumi-chan all your good thoughts as soon as we take her back. I promise," Matsumoto cooed.
"Don't worry Inoue, everything is going to turn out okay; I promise." Kuchiki patted her.
"H-Hai!" She replied; anyone could tell she was holding back from crying.
I felt my side and couldn't feel the hole any longer—that was good enough for me. We had to leave before the Soutaichou caught on to everything.
I stood up put the food and water in my pockets.
"Let's get going; there's no time to waste." I told them.
The three of them nodded and grabbed their things.
"Thank you, Inoue, I owe you one." I told her.
"N-No! Not at all!" She smiled sheepishly.
I looked at the others and Kuchiki opened the door.
"Thanks again, Inoue!" Kurosaki turned to her.
"Please be safe, all of you! I'll await your return!" Inoue said.
With that, we all left.
-[×]-
"Word gets out pretty quickly, when you have the right resources." Urahara grinned.
He already knew what happened without us saying anything at all—evidently Soi Fon told Yoruichi everything a few days ago. They figured that it was only a matter of time before she would be kidnapped and taken to Hueco Mundo. Urahara already had the gate ready for us.
At least with this we saved time and were able to leave immediately.
"I'm going with you," Yoruichi stood up.
"I can't allow one of my students to die prematurely." She stretched.
"Also, this will give us better insight to exactly what we've been dealing with for the past thousand years." She smirked.
After a successful back-crack, she started walking down toward the underground training area, all of us following suit.
Abarai woke up to see what was going on, and after Kuchiki filled him in, he was on board and coming with us. Urahara finished with the preparation and was about to open the gate.
I turned to everyone.
"Remember, we're going in for one purpose, and one purpose only: Bring back Takashita Azumi. Try to avoid any unnecessary combat. As much as we all want to have a shot at fighting Aizen, at the moment we need to avoid it at all costs. Understood?" I asked.
Everyone nodded.
The gate opened, and a dark sensation immediately crept into the room.
I turned around and looked up at Urahara.
"Everyone, its time! Please be safe! Bring me back my cute little Azumi-chan!" he tipped his hat.
"Let's go!" I shouted.
"Hai!" everyone shouted back.
We jumped into the dark portal, and were finally on our way.
"Azumi, I'm coming…please, hold on for just a little longer..."