Toshiro couldn't move. Why bother? The outcome was always the same. Even when it was a fake, Aizen was a menace, one that knew exactly how to get what he wanted from the small Captain. Under normal circumstances, he would have snapped and charged at the man with full intent to slaughter. But this time… he had his back to a wall with nowhere to go. If he destroyed this one, a new one would come back. If he didn't, the current one would keep coming after him. And Nami was still here. He didn't have any room to use his power without hurting her. He couldn't let himself be tricked to do that again.
"How many more will you allow to die?" Aizen stepped around the navigator on the ground, her breath heavy as she held her stomach in pain. "Haven't you learned yet? That no matter where you go, you bring only death?"
"That's not true." Toshiro snapped, though his voice shook a bit. This was a thought he battled with constantly, and why he preferred to keep his distance.
"If not by your hand, it's by your failure to protect them." The puppet continued approaching Toshiro. "Those you care about are cursed to die around you. When have you ever been anything other than a monster?"
"I'm not!" Toshiro lifted a hand at the menacing figure. "Hado Number-"
His Kido was cut off as Aizen quickly closed the distance, his sword aimed for the Nobody's head. Toshiro managed to dodge, getting past the man to stand between him and Nami. Hyorinmaru came out of his shadow, but not to fight, carefully picking up Nami and placing her on his back before heading off down the tunnels. The dragon had been asked to take her to the others, if possible, at the least getting her away from Aizen.
"You should have kept the dragon here." Aizen removed his blade from the wall and turned back to face Toshiro. "Though I suppose Hyorinmaru is no longer the guiding light he used to be."
"He's still my greatest ally, Heartless or not." Toshiro scowled, backing away down the tunnel. "Now get out of my head."
"Trying to hide something? Is that the real reason you wanted her to leave?" Aizen's smile began to twist into a sneer. "I'm sure she'd be quite horrified to hear what kind of things you've done."
"None of them were intentional."
"You wish you could though, just like in that nightmare…"
"I would never do any of that!" Toshiro tensed at the mention of that horrible dream.
"But you want to!" Darting forward, Aizen clashed blades with the smaller figure, managing to push the startled Nobody up against the wall, his zanpaktou barely able to keep his opponent's sword from his throat. "Aren't you sick and tired of everyone treating you like a freak? Aren't you done with the whispers behind your back and the dirty looks? Everyone working against you when you were already trying harder than anyone to prove yourself, only to continue walking a tight rope as a Captain."
"Shut up!" Toshiro tried to push back, but he couldn't get the leverage he needed to get that blade away from his head.
"Face it, Hitsugaya, that nightmare was showing you what you really wanted to do, what you SHOULD have done. Do you honestly think they'll let you live after your mistakes? You pledged your being to them knowing very well they would dispose of you first chance they got, and it's chained you back from what you could have been."
"No…"
"Free yourself, Hitsugaya, become what you were meant to be. Become the monster, kill anyone who stands in your way." Aizen's expression was one of pure malice, and while it was an expression the man himself would never have made, it scared Toshiro. "Just like those academy brats in your nightmare."
For a brief moment, Toshiro felt like he was back in the dream. Around him were the bodies of his classmates, the floor dyed red, their teasing and hatred finally silenced, no longer able to hold him back. They couldn't keep making excuses to put him last if there was no one else to be first. He could see himself laughing, more relieved than he should have been, could see the cold, dead stare in his own eyes at finally having had enough. The teachers, horrified, too afraid to touch him as he walked away, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
It was nothing like his academy days had actually been, just a nightmare made of decades of paranoia and having the kids around his home treat him that way, but it felt so horrifyingly real, like it easily could have happened to him. And it was the thought of it being even a remote possibility that terrified him, that he had thought even for a moment it might have been better that way. A vision of himself he worked his hardest to stay away from.
"Let that darkness out…" Aizen's voice was echoed by that of a female, her tone an evil hiss as she poured her power into her task, a sneer on its face as the necklace turned black once again.
"No!" Snapping away from the terrible visions, Toshiro found the strength to push back, black ice covering the cave walls just in time for the puppet to be pushed against the spikes. Not wanting to stick around and see if that killed the creature or not, Toshiro turned and took off down the tunnels, breathing heavily. He wanted to be anywhere but here right now, he had to find a space to calm down.
A gentle whisper bid him pause, and surprised by the voice, he listened. He still shook a bit, gripping tight to his blade, but he looked around for where the whispering came from. He was reminded why he had come in these caves to begin with, searching for something that called to him, and now the feeling had resurfaced, much stronger this time. He must be close then if he could hear it now. He took a few more steps down the tunnel, keeping a careful eye out as he calmed his breathing.
A flicker caught his attention, a break in the tunnel that allowed tiny beams of azure light through. It was clearly meant to be hidden, the walls trying to block his way, but it was being forced away by something else. The echoes of a song caught his attention as well, drawing in his curiosity by its soothing melody. Cautiously he approached, not sure yet if this odd power calling to him was actually friendly. He carefully reached a hand out.
As his fingers brushed against the stone, the false wall faded away, and he had to bring his arm up to block the sudden light, the melody becoming louder. It took a moment, but once he adjusted to the brightness, he looked inside. This new tunnel had no lanterns like the rest, and instead was lit by walls covered in crystal shards, the light source emanating from a single, large crystal inside the room. The light inside called to him… so he stepped inside.
Elsewhere in the caves, Hyorinmaru ghosted through, seeking out any of the other pirates. His sense of smell was useless as the tunnels shifted, but following the direction of their hearts aided him, and eventually he came across one of the groups.
"Whoa, Hyorinmaru!" Usopp exclaimed, shrieking a bit. The giant black dragon had turned a corner on them and nearly gave the pair a heart attack. "What are you doing here? You didn't get separated from Toshiro, did you?"
Hyorinmaru shook his head, turning to look back at the girl he had been carrying. He was pleasantly surprised to see her sitting up, the blood and wound previously leaving her immobile gone. She seemed surprised as well, rubbing her stomach where the sword had gone through.
"Nami?" Jimbei called out, confused. Why was their navigator riding the dragon? "Are you alright?"
"Well… I thought I had been stabbed, but…" She hopped off Hyorinmaru's back and approached her crewmates.
"Stabbed!?" Usopp gaped.
"Right here, but it's gone now." Nami pointed to her stomach. "Toshiro had some weird guy as his opponent, and he snuck up on us and ran me through. Next thing I knew Hyorinmaru was flying off down the tunnels with me and it stopped hurting, and now it's just gone."
The two males shared a look, curious.
"It does seem that these opponents we face are nothing more than golems made to look like our enemy, so perhaps, because those enemies are illusions, any wounds they inflict are as well." Jimbei theorized.
"That would make sense." Law's voice made them turn, spotting him and Luffy joining them from another tunnel. Law still looked pale, but the arm where he had taken an attack by Doflamingo was now clear of any wounds. "The hit I took vanished as well once we got some distance from ours."
"Argh, where's the hag in charge hiding!?" Luffy was still ready to punch some people's lights out, one woman in particular he needed to teach a lesson to.
With a growl, Hyorinmaru pushed past them and started heading off down the tunnel.
"If anyone can find her in this changing maze it's him." Nami said to the group. "He got me here to you guys after all."
"At the least we should start sticking together." Jimbei agreed.
And so they followed after the dragon, hopefully to end the Chaos user's madness once and for all.
Further in, Robin and Sanji were still away from the group, looking frantically for Thursday. Sanji couldn't stand that he had lost her, focused as he was on getting rid of his irritating brother. Surprisingly, both Niji and Lucci had stopped reacting as well, and fell apart quickly once the pair turned their focus to getting back the Heart Pirate child. The fact that their opponents had been mere puppets only served to make Sanji angrier, and Robin's silent rage was ready to deal a painful blow to their enemy if they came across her.
"Thursday!" The cook called out desperately. "Thursday, answer!"
His voice managed to carry through the stone to where the girl they looked for was still in hiding. She turned at the sound of the voice.
"They're looking for me." She turned back to the Human-Mink who had so far kept her safe. Up until then, Tebliel had told a tale of Maleficent completely opposite from what Toshiro had been telling them, and since she had helped this winged woman, who was now helping her, Thursday began to wonder if maybe Toshiro had a bias against the dark fairy he wasn't telling them. She had not been present either for Toshiro's nightmare – only heard of it – or her appearance outside the caves.
"They must have dealt with their parasites then, though that doesn't really mean it's safe." Tebliel answered. "We'll be better in a group, though… do you think your friends will mind?"
Thursday thought for a moment. If she mentioned Maleficent, she would most certainly NOT be welcomed… but she had been helpful so far, and knew how to get to Lacia, so if they left out the witch, they might be able to stop all this before Toshiro or anyone else got hurt. So, she nodded, and hoped it turned out alright.
"Alright, let's see if I can trick the tunnels again." Standing carefully on her bird legs, Tebliel lifted a hand up to the wall. A soft glow enveloped her hands and the stone shifted away, seeming to obey her just fine even if the creator of the maze was someone else. "My fruit power thankfully can help me kind of override Lacia's influence for a bit… it's how I kept us in a room the whole time."
"Neat." Thursday complimented, standing and taking a moment to stretch before following the angel-like figure out of their hiding place.
"Thursday!" Sanji's voice echoed over them again, this time much louder.
"Over here!" She called back.
In the next few moments they could hear a fierce stampede across the tunnel floors as Sanji ran as fast as he could towards the shout. He rounded the corner in a cloud of dust before stopping short just in front of the two.
"Thank god, we were worried sick." Sanji was only lightly panting after the long sprint through the tunnels, showing off how much stamina he had for running. "Are you okay? You're not hurt? How did you disappear like that?"
"I'm fine, Tebliel here got me out before those things could hurt me." Thursday answered, waving a hand to the Human-Mink as an introduction.
"Oh sweet angel, thank you!" Sanji got on his knees in front of the winged woman, who looked rather surprised, taking a cautious step back. At that point Robin had caught up, giving Thursday a hug in relief that she was unhurt.
"Tebliel knows a lot about Lacia, the woman who's got us trapped here. She's been trapped here observing her, she can help us put a stop to her." Thursday explained to the two Straw Hats.
"We'll have to be quick though, she's probably starting to close the snare on her target." The Human-Mink warned.
"Let's see if we can meet up with everyone else and we'll get her." Robin said, a determined expression on her face. Now that their charge was safe back with them and the puppets didn't seem to be bothering them anymore, her main priority was returning to her crew.
They made their way through the tunnels, Tebliel and Thursday explaining what to do once they came across the Chaos user.
The reason the puppets had stopped short was because Lacia had already been found. Controlling the Aizen one had grabbed her full attention, and as a result, the tunnels were becoming less twisted. Her room was no longer cut off from everyone else. Hyorinmaru held back an angry Luffy while they waited to figure out what to do about her. They had come across her around the time she was starting to overpower Toshiro, her back to them and hood down to let her long purple hair free.
"Free yourself, Hitsugaya, become what you were meant to be. Become the monster, kill anyone who stands in your way." Lacia hissed, and they could see what she could from a vision she created on the wall, Toshiro backed up against a wall and panicked. "Just like those academy brats in your nightmare."
They saw Toshiro's horrified response, how he froze up, flashes of something they couldn't quite make out as Lacia forced out the nightmares, her hands glowing red.
"Let that darkness out." She beckoned.
"I can't keep watching this." Nami scowled, letting Zeus back out from her weapon. "Hit her hard!"
Lacia tensed, the link she had to her puppet cut off just as Toshiro snapped, the vision vanishing. She turned back to them, shocked to see them there. Her eyes were heterochromatic, one red and one blue, and they went wide as the thundercloud loomed menacingly over her.
Now that her focus was back on them, however, she growled and jumped from her tree, her image shimmering before changing spots just as Zeus's lightning destroyed her former perch.
"You weren't supposed to make it here." She hissed, hand glowing red again as more golems rose from the ground. She didn't bother putting ghosts over them, just used the mountain around her for bodyguards. "Once I had the kid I was going to have him kill all of you."
With a vicious roar, Hyorinmaru launched forward, smashing through the golems with ease and forcing her to change her position again.
"And why aren't you back with your master!?" She shrieked, knowing this was bad. She had almost captured the Reaper, and now everything was going wrong. To make it worse, she couldn't even sense Toshiro in her maze anymore. Had he escaped? She knew the three Heart Pirates had, but they weren't important so she had let them go, but for Toshiro to escape so quickly… impossible!
An angry shout brought her attention back to the problem at hand, and she didn't have time to warp herself away before a fiery fist of rubber smashed into her stomach and sent her crashing against the wall. She'd never been hit before, as no one had been able to get close enough to her, so her pain tolerance was low and she was easily dazed. She lifted a hand, ready to crush the tunnels around them, a deadly fire in her eyes.
But her spell was promptly cut short by a well-timed bolt from Zeus, the thundercloud looming above her again. It didn't kill her, but definitely put her out cold, her purple hair a mess and skin charred.
"Good boy, Zeus!" Nami praised, letting out a few small thunderclouds from her climatact that Zeus happily munched on.
The Devil Fruit user out cold, the tunnels around them began to shake, dust falling from above as the mountain began to return to normal. They looked around nervously and did their best to keep their balance while Hyorinmaru ignored it and took the heart of the one who'd caused his master grief before anyone could stop him. Sanji and his group ran into the room just as all this began to happen.
"Whoa, you already defeated her?" Tebliel gasped, though she gulped nervously as she saw the giant black dragon snap up the glowing heart.
"Yeah, but I think we better get out of here!" Usopp said in a panicky tone, wondering if the mountain was going to close up around them.
"No, wait, don't go back in the tunnels!" The Human-Mink called out as they turned to try and reach an exit. "This room existed naturally in the mountain, it used to be the only place to go, with only one tunnel, if we stay here we'll be fine!"
"How do you know that?" Law narrowed his eyes at her, suspicious.
"It's okay, Papa, she's helped me out." Thursday answered. They paused as the mountain made a more dramatic shape, the tunnel Sanji's group had just come from vanishing as it all became solid rock. The tree Lacia had created as a perch crumbled away, the room shrinking a bit to its normal size.
"Wait, where has Toshiro gone?" Robin spoke up, noticing they were still missing one. Law was concerned for his crew as well, not knowing they were already back on the Sunny watching the mountain shake with concerned looks.
"He was dealing with some Aizen guy; I don't know if he got out or not." Nami explained, worried as well.
"Aizen?" Law recognized the name, knowing the reaction it usually sparked. If that was the person Lacia was using against him, he could very well be lost to darkness as they spoke, and if not he was still out of their reach.
Hyorinmaru rushed past them, having finished with Lacia, and vanished into the shadows of the mountain, likely to seek out his master. Tebliel let out a slight squeak as the Heartless passed her by.
The mountains shook again, causing a few gasps, and they gathered into the center to wait it out as the Human-Mink suggested. They hoped Hyorinmaru could bring Toshiro back in time before the maze vanished completely with him inside it.
The nightmare I gave Toshiro is actually based off of one I myself had a while back and actually made me scared of him while in the dream, and it didn't help I was him for most of the dream.