Chapter 20:
-Continue-
Toshiro left the underground base shortly after Akame and her lieutenant left. He noticed that the sun was going down and briefly thought about staying in for the night. 'No, that won't do.' he told himself over and over. 'Maybe I could go to the Tenth Division.' He shook his head at the thought, 'that wouldn't be smart.' He stayed hidden until the full moon came out, only then choosing to shunpo across roof tops. It annoyed him how shinigami often traveled in packs, as it made it harder for him to pick one off for a brief interrogation. He stopped atop the highest building he could find and closed his eyes. Admittedly, his ability to sense reiatsu was that great; slightly above par at best, but he put that keenness to use. When his eyes close, he "saw" various white orbs in different locations around the Seireitei. He ignored the smaller ones, as he figured that they were not threat to him, he focused on the large colored ones and scowled. 'Those are the captains and lieutenants.'
"What ya doing?" Toshiro heard from behind him as he felt cold steel press against his throat. The white-haired teen's eyes shot open and he reached for his sword. "No, no Hitsugaya-kun." The male voice said as it caught his wrist.
"Who are you?" Toshiro questioned through gritted teeth.
"Now, Hitsu-kun. Ya aren't in a spot ta ask questions, are ya?"
Toshiro turned his head very slightly and looked out the corner of his eye to his attacker. He squinted heavily but saw nothing, but a brief flash of silver. The teen squirmed violently, trying to break free of this vice-like grip this man had on him, but the man didn't budge in the slightest.
"Anyways, ya nor the orange-haired kid nor that guy with the black sword are strong enough to take down Cap'n Aizen. But ya have immense potential. Keep this in mind kid, your eyes," He opened his own eyes very slightly; not that anyone can see it. "Can play tricks on ya."
Toshiro felt a strong force push him forward and a gust a wind behind him. He regained his balance shortly before hitting a wall, allowing him to cushion his fall. He gripped his sword tightly and swiftly turned around. "Tch." The guy had been long gone.
-The Human World-
It had only been two days since Ichigo, Ash, and Toshiro had left to go on a trip but it felt like five months. The lives of the Kurosaki family carried on fairly normally, aside from Isshin always attempting to "surprise" his son in anyway he could. Karin, ever since meeting that Hitsugaya had grown fond of him and, even though she would never admit this to anyone but Yuzu, missed him. They argued a lot, mostly because they have very similar personalities; both being as stubborn as two angry mules. She even hit him sometimes. But never with any real intent to hurt him, only to mildly annoy him. It worked every time and it always made her laugh at his anger. Ichigo would receive a beating when he returned. Not only had he just randomly left, but he also took Karin and Yuzu's first real male friends in a long time. Damn it Ichi-nii.
Yuzu on the other hand had tried not to think about the absence of her brother and best friend. She completely blocked them out and replaced them with cooking, cleaning and really anything else to keep her occupied. Well almost anything. Jinta had gotten….clingy over the past two days. He would often show up to the Kurosaki home unannounced and politely ask to speak to either Karin or Yuzu. While he got rejected every single time, he still found it necessary to return several hours later, or to follow them around in school. She remembered Ash's words and did her best to avoid him. She would have to tell him about Jinta when he got back. (She was fully aware of what he would actually do when he finds out.)
-Soul Society-
Akame sat in her office with Rangiku laying motionless on the couch. She quietly filled out paperwork and let the silence soothe her restless spirit. 'How'd we get into this mess Murasame?' She questioned her inner spirit.
A little girl, no more than eight years of age, playfully hopped onto her shoulder. The child wore a plain red shirt with a flower bow in her purple hair. 'I dunno…' The girl said, trying to sound mysterious. There was suddenly a puff of smoke and the girl disappeared. In her place, appeared a tall, shapely woman, whose figured rivaled that of Rangiku herself. 'But seriously. You know whose fault this is.'
'Yeah but how do I possibly tell them that? They'll kill me for sure.'
'Oh? Is the Captain of the Tenth Division finally scared of something?' The woman jested despite the serious moment. Akame closed her eyes and said nothing. Murasame rolled her eyes and put her hand on her master's shoulder. "Master, you did what you had to do."
"It saddens me to think that...there was another way to solve this problem. If only I had followed the plan."
"You not following the plans has made those two monsterous. Can't you put that memory aside?"
Akame sighed. Not willing to answer, she pulled herself from her inner world and back to reality. The sun was up. Had she really done paperwork all night? Rangiku was still her and asleep on the couch. She looked out the window at the bright sunny sky and couldn't help but smile. Ash and Toshiro were alive and well. That thought had finally set in on her. Suddenly her senses were assaulted by the feeling of multiple shinigami roaming the halls with panic strongly in the air.
"Captain!" She heard from the other side of the door. It suddenly burst open to reveal several unseated shinigami, staring at her in disbelief. She turned to face them with hardened eyes and an intense scowl.
"Report!" Akame said with a stern shout.
"It's Captain Aizen, ma'am. He's been murdered!"
-The Fifth Division-
Toshiro, having nested in an abandoned building finally prowled around. Yoruichi had visited him in the dead of night, bringing a sip of tea and some advice. 'Ash is going to be fine.' She assured him. 'Also, I've heard that the Head Captain is not pleased with your whole "Rescue Rukia" team.'
Toshiro thought about that. This was no longer a simple rescue squad; this was… a war. The usually 'cold' teen sighed. Suddenly he heard a commotion not too far away from his position and thought about going to investigate. Though he thought against that idea, he didn't have time to shunpo elsewhere, as he felt a captain rapidly approaching.
"Shit." He swore.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a review.
