I was in shock. Captain Aizen… murdered? How could such a thing be in Soul Society? The death of one shinigami at the hands of another was unheard of, especially with someone of Captain Aizen's skill.
What could be the meaning of it?
All of a sudden, we felt an incredible reiatsu behind us. No doubt it was one of the captains come to investigation the commotion.
When we turned, we found ourselves face to face with none other than Gin Ichimaru.
My guard was raised immediately, for I found it too much of a coincidence that he should be in the area purely by chance, especially after everything the captain had observed. A man was dead, and the person he had previously been arguing with was at the scene of the crime within seconds of the body being discovered? Much as I wanted to believe in Gin's innocence, this was far too suspicious. I prayed that my captain would arrive soon.
'Oh yes, that certainly is a tragedy,' the silver-haired man commented, looking up at the body of his former captain.
It was then than I began to become nervous. The man was quite possible a killer. He had nothing to lose and his powers were far superior to ours. In a battle it would be no contest who would win.
A smile flickered upon Ichimaru's fox-like face. Hardly appropriate when a fellow captain has been murdered, I could not help but think.
Momo was clearly convinced of his guilt by what her close friend had warned her of the previous night and of the evidence she saw with her own eyes. Drawing her zanpakutou, she suddenly rushed at Ichimaru.
'It was you!' she screamed, tears falling from her lashes.
There was a flash and an enormous explosion of reiatsu as two swords met. But when the smoke cleared, we saw that it was not Ichimaru who had drawn his weapon, but his lieutenant!
'Izuru…' Momo sobbed, clearly shocked at the thought of confronting her friend, 'stand aside! He is a murderer!'
'You have no authority to make that statement Momo! I beg you; do not do something you will come to regret!' Izuru implored her. But the poor girl's reason seemed to have completely deserted her.
'Let me past, at once!' she cried, her hands shaking on the hilt of her zanpakutou.
'I cannot allow it!' he shouted, 'as the lieutenant of Squad Three, I cannot permit you to take up arms against my captain. I beg you, Momo, stand down.'
In response to his request, Momo sent a blast of kidou towards Ichimaru. The blast missed and stuck the side of the nearest tower, and I found myself thrown most unceremoniously to the ground, with Shuuei crouching over me to avoid the flying debris.
As expected, Izuru released his own zanpakutou in answer to the threat. The pair rushed at each other with anger such as I have never seen on their faces.
I knew, in that instant, that we would not be able to stop them…
There was a crash and the clang of metal on metal. But instead of Izuru meeting Momo's sword, he was blocked by none other than captain Hitsugaya. Hinamori's sword was forced through the floor as my captain stopped both attacks with little effort.
'Tou…Toushiro…' Momo gasped.
'Place these two under arrest at once!' my captain commanded to the shocked lieutenants.
I would never have believed that the words could come out of my captain's mouth. It seemed that Momo could not either. I knew when my captain gained that authorative note in his voice it was dangerous to argue, so I strode forward and seized Momo by the arm, as Iba grabbed the other and Shuuei held on to Izuru.
'Momo…' he sighed to his childhood friend, 'at times like this you choose to take up arms against your own? Did it not occur to you that your priority should have been to remove Captain Aizen's body from his position?'
Momo's eyes filled with tears as she realised what a dreadful mistake she had made. I could not help but feel sorry for her, as I knew that were it my captain I found murdered I should quite take leave of my senses as well.
She came along quite quietly, pausing only to look sideways at Ichimaru as she was escorted away from captain Aizen's body.
As we led her away, I strained my ears in an attempt to hear what was going on behind me. I felt certain that Captain Hitsugaya would confront Ichimaru about this, now that the evidence against him seemed overwhelmingly strong.
'Thank you, Squad Ten captain,' I heard the silky voice of Gin Ichimaru, 'I truly appreciate your support during that potentially disastrous situation.'
'You know, Gin,' my captain began in a calm tone, but one that was clearly only there to mask his anger, 'I believe that, just now… you were about to kill Momo.'
His voice was light, but I could feel the anger seething beneath his calm façade.
'Really?' was the reply, 'whatever could have made you think that, my dear boy?'
'Play the innocent if you want,' Hitsugaya-taichou said in that same light tone, before turning to face Ichimaru.
'But know this,' he continued, and now there was a darkness in his voice that chilled me to the bone.
'If you cause Hinamori's blood to be spilt… I will kill you.'
I was stunned. Never had I heard my captain make such threats. And to a fellow captain as well!
Ichimaru, on the other hand, was not in the last fazed.
'Oh how scary!' was the flippant and slightly sarcastic reply, 'but I suggest that you keep an eye on her… after all, you wouldn't want any harm to befall her now, would you?'
His smile widened to even greater proportions. That was the last thing I heard before we rounded the corner, leading Hinamori to her cell in the Squad Five barracks.