Part Four- Reaction

Chapter Fourteen - The Price of a Country

...

"I think I've won, old friend."

"I-"

"You did choose the broken piece after all."

"I'm not done yet-"

"Oh but you are."

"I have a plan-"

"You had a plan. I do believe your piece is what we would call self-destructive. He's walking to his death."

"We are not done yet."

...

Momo used some sort of transportation Kido – exactly like what Captain Kurotsuchi said she would. One minute he was holding her against in cell wall, the next they seemed to be in an underground cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, dripping water onto the stone and dirt ground. A small steam ran through the centre of the cave, swirling around pillars and jagged boulders. Toushiro couldn't see an exit anywhere, even when Momo muttered another incantation, causing a ball of yellow light to float above them.

"Where are we?" he demanded, his voice echoing along the stone walls.

"You said you wanted to see Aizen," she sniffed and began to lead him along the stream.

He walked a half- pace behind her, keeping the sharp icicle against the small of her back. If it came down to it he wasn't sure if he could really attack Momo. It only mattered that she thought he could, however. He ground his teeth as she led him on in silence. Aizen should still be sealed, if Kurotsuchi was correct. He could handle Aizen if he was still sealed. And once Aizen was back in custody the Central Forty-six would have no choice but to clear his name. Momo on the other hand... he might have to figure out a way to distract er before he could act. He could bind her with Kido, but that probably wouldn't hold up too well. If her reiatsu had been increased by how much he suspected, then his Kido spells would have no hope against hers. She was still very much dependent on Aizen, however, as if she were still his lieutenant. Maybe if he used Aizen as a hostage, he could get her to do what he wanted. She wouldn't dare take the chance and harm her precious Aizen. He snarled in disgust.

"I really hope you don't think that you can kill Aizen," Momo murmured.

"I don't have to kill him.

"So you're going to bring him back to the Seireitei? You don't even know where we are. It would be so much easier if you'd just join us. You wouldn't have to be on the losing side."

He narrowed his eyes. "The losing side of what?"

"This game we're in." She held up her arms, but Toushiro jabbed her back with the icicle and she lowered them back to her sides. "We're the star players."

"What are you talking about?" Momo had lost her mind. "This isn't a game, Hinamori. People have died and even more lives are at stake."

"It may not be a game to us, but it is a game."

Toushiro adjusted his grip on the icicle, as Momo's words rang in his head. Could this be what Squad Zero was doing? Were they actually the ones who were manipulating Momo? Had they brainwashed her? He chewed his bottom lip. But what game was she referring too? Why would she even think this was a game? So much was at stake with Aizen free, and not just the annihilation she had spoken about earlier. Could Squad Zero want to do away with the Seireitei? Was it like Kurotsuchi had said? Did they really not care about them? Did they want them gone? His stomach suddenly felt cold. Squad Zero held most of the power in the Soul Society, if they wanted destruction there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.

Toushiro stumbled, tripping over a small rock. He managed to catch himself before he fell, but he had been so lost in thought that he didn't notice that Momo was no longer in front of him. It took him a while to realise that the stream was no longer flowing and that everything had gone quiet. He brandished his icicle, wishing not for the first time that he had Hyourinmaru.

"What the hell are you doing, Hinamori?" he shouted, his voice echoed, bouncing off the bare, stone walls.

He spun in a slow circle, eyes scanning each crag and tunnel while he let his reiatsu roam, sensing, so that she wouldn't be able to sneak up on him. He swore softly, of course Momo wouldn't have gone quietly, he should have been expecting something like this. His stomach twisted; this was looking to be a showdown after all. He was going to have to fight his sister again, but this time without Hyourinmaru he was going to be severely handicapped. He adjusted his grip on the icicle again. With how strong she was now, he didn't think that the odds would be in his favour at all. Though, he still didn't know the full extent of her reiatsu, maybe he was still stronger, maybe he could overpower her with his reiatsu alone. Well whatever he was going to have to do, he hoped that Kurotsuchi would hold up his end of the plan.

"Hinamori!" he shouted.

He couldn't sense her at all. The cavern wasn't that big, but it was like she had vanished, suddenly and completely. Toushiro didn't like this one bit.

"Hina-"

"She's not here."

He spun around nearly tripping over the same stone as before. His leg spasmed and he grimaced, funnelling more kido to keep it numb. The newcomer calmly walked up to him, a tall figure in a simple, black kimono and a long-sleeved haori. Toushiro took a step backwards bringing his icicle upwards and pointing it towards the man.

"Who are you?" he asked, trying not to betray how confused or agitated he was. He needed to calm himself; fighting while he was battling his emotions usually didn't go well. He took a deep breath through his nose.

"There is no need to be frightened, Toushiro."

Toushiro's eyes widened. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"Who I am isn't important." The man smirked. "What is important, however, is that we're losing."

"Losing?" Toushiro frowned. "Losing what?" Momo's words rang in his head and he swallowed thickly, "Who are you, what's going on?"

The man sighed softly, "Walk with me?" And he began gliding along the unmoving stream.

Toushiro narrowed his eyes, and against his better judgement followed the man. He remained a few paces behind him, studying his every movement, the way his hands swung at his sides as he walked, the unnatural straightness in his back, and his even, calculated steps. Was this the man responsible for all the metaphorical shit that had been dropped on to his head? He felt his hands begin to sweat, the icicle nearly slipped from his grip. He fumbled with it and ended up holding it in one hand while he wiped his palms on his robe. Should he attack? Should he run? Could he survive if he attacked? What were his odds if he ran? He didn't even know where he was-

"I told you, there is no need to be frightened." The man suddenly turned around.

Toushiro backtracked a few steps, brining his icicle up in defence and holding it so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The man pursed his lips. "Foolish boy. I sometimes wonder why I chose you."

"Chose me?" Toushiro echoed.

"To be my player. The one who fights to keep Soul Society alive this time. You should be honoured."

Toushiro swallowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't your sister just tell you?"

Toushiro felt his blood run cold and his stomach dropped. "I don't know what you're thinking, but this isn't a game. People are going to die, this isn't some joke-"

"It is not a joke. We are losing. Your life, above anyone else's, is on the line."

Toushiro clenched his jaw. "And why should I listen to you?"

The man's eyes narrowed to slivers. "Because I am your only way out of this. Do you want to die; do you want your sister to die?"

Toushiro's scowl deepened. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to lose this time and unless you want to die, then you had best listen-"

"Why the hell would I play along with you? You have been manipulating me from the start, you killed my men, brainwashed my sister, freed Aizen, and now you want me to clean up your mess so you don't lose? No. No, I'm not taking part in the sick game anymore. You can go fuck-"

The man's eyes flashed and Toushiro went crashing to the ground with his left leg on fire. He ground his teeth together to keep from crying out, but he wasn't sure if that was blood he felt running down his limb or if it was just his imagination. Either way, he almost couldn't breathe with how much pain he was in. He had to check to see if his leg was still attached, unable to feel anything but angry pulsing from his thigh. He bit his bottom lip hard as he hunched over his leg, trying his hardest to funnel healing kido into his limb. It wasn't working, he realised with growing horror. And spearing a glance to the man, he noticed a thin trickle of reiatsu emanating from him.

"There's my answer to that. You will listen and do exactly as I say, or you will enter into a world of pain."

Toushiro spat at his feet. "I'm not your pawn," he hissed.

"No? I'm not sure you quite understand the amount of power I have. This was just a game; do you really want to feel my wrath? Do you want the whole of the Soul Society to feel my wrath?"

Toushiro fell silent, breathing deeply as his leg screamed in agony. He couldn't possibly play along with this twisted man with a god complex. He couldn't take part in a game that put no more worth to shinigami's lives than broken toys. He couldn't, not with a clear conscious, not when he was working so hard to keep everyone safe. But... if he didn't... what was the true extent of this man's power? If Momo was anything to go by, and if he considered all of this to be a mere game... he could probably flatten the Seireitei with a flick of his wrist. If Toushiro could do anything to stop that... he bit his lip harder and began to taste the faintest bit of blood. Rangiku would berate him for biting it again... when he saw her again.

He swallowed, grimacing as his leg spasmed violently, sending waves of pain up his side and across his pelvis.

"I'm sorry," the man sneered, "You're probably in a lot of pain right now."

Just like that his leg stopped hurting. His thigh tingled slightly, but it was a small discomfort compared to what he had felt seconds before. He prodded his thigh with his fingertips, expecting to have to soothe the knotted muscle, but no pain accompanied his touch.

"I imagine being crippled would be an inconvenience," the man said, "You should be able to walk fine now."

Toushiro looked up at him, his frown deepening. Then taking another deep breath and pushing himself to his feet. He tested his leg, moving his weight from one foot to the other. It didn't jolt, tremble, or even hurt for that matter. "What did you do?" he demanded.

"Healed you."

Toushiro blinked. Even Unohana had said that she had done all she could in terms of healing kido. He really did have no choice but to play along. "What do you want me to do?" he asking despite the bitter taste at the back of his tongue.

The man grinned with his eyes; his mouth remained in a straight line. "Win, my dear boy. Fight and win."

"You... you want me to fight... my sister?" he asked, shaking his head. "No, I'm trying to save her. I'm not going to fight her!"

"Save her? You must know that she doesn't have the same feelings for you. She'd kill you in a heartbeat."

Heat rose from his stomach and his chest felt too small. "That's because you brainwashed her! I'm not going to forgive you for doing that!"

The man sighed. "Unfortunately, my opponent cheated; interfering directly has always been against the rules."

He spoke without any remorse. Toushiro clenched his jaw and his reiatsu flared with his anger. Squad Zero obviously did not care about them; they were little more than playing pieces. He did not care about what had happened to Momo, he only cared about his stupid game. It was no surprise that Kurotsuchi had been right, but the truth was bitter. Those with power were selfish and dangerous. He didn't quite understand the functionality of Squad Zero, he didn't know if this man was the captain, or an unseated soldier. All he really knew was that every soldier had at least four times the power of one of the Gotei's captains.

"Then why are you talking to me?" he growled.

"Because I don't want to lose."

If only he had Hyourinmaru with him, he would gut this man from neck to groin. He would probably die trying, but he wanted to hurt him. He wanted to hurt him as badly as he had hurt Momo and himself. He wanted him to pay for killing his men and dragging Squad Ten through his dirt. He had to clench his hands into fists to stop them from shaking out of rage.

"Why?" he asked, his voice trembling and choked in anger. "Why put us through all of this? What do you have to gain out of it?"

The man raised an eyebrow. "Gain? I was simply bored."

"Bored?" Toushiro roared. He let his reiatsu explode and the temperature of the cave plummeted. A thin layer of frost began to form on the cave walls and at the edges of the river. Both his and the man's breath came out in white puffs. "My men died and Hinamori was experimented on because you were bored!"

"Calm yourself," he said, staring at the growing frost on the ground with disinterest. "You know you get careless when you're angry."

Toushiro's scowl deepened.

"Now, are you going to cooperate or not? It would be such a pity to waste such a capable soldier just because we don't see eye to eye."

The thinly veiled threat had Toushiro's stomach tumbling clumsily. As much as he wanted to turn his back and not take part in this demented game any more, he couldn't. He couldn't walk away quietly and leave both his fate and the fate of the entire Soul Society in the hands of a madman. He took a long, deep breath and slowly shook his head.

"Tell me what to do," he muttered.

...

Toushiro was left alone as he fingered Hryourinmaru's blade, sliding his fingertips along the edge not worrying about cutting himself; Hyourinmaru wouldn't allow it. The dragon curled himself into a tight ball, burrowing into the snow. He was both agitated about what Toushiro was being forced to do, and relieved that he had been reunited with his master. Toushiro wanted to reach out to stroke his snout and comfort them both, but he was still technically on the battlefield. Momo was still trying to kill him.

He glanced to the stream; the soft sound of rushing water was magnified in the empty cave. He held Hyourinmaru close to his chest, to both defend and ready to attack if need be.

Toushiro, Hyourinmaru grumbled softly, be careful.

He knew the dragon meant so much more, however. He nodded and took a calming breath before searching for Momo with his reiatsu. She was patiently leaning against a small outcrop near a smaller tunnel that lead deeper into the cave. He turned to face her, trying to mask his face against the sudden surge of emotions that tumbled out. Her eyes travelled from Hyourinmaru to his leg and she sighed softly.

"I see. You did choose a side, after all." She slowly unsheathed Tobiume and took a step towards him. "I'm sorry, Shiro, but I can't let you win."

Toushiro ground his teeth. "I don't want to fight you. I know what's going on now-"

"Then you should know why we have to fight."

Toushiro shook his head. "What did they do to you?"

Momo looked at her feet. "I don't know," she mumbled.

Toushiro's eyes widened and something that felt like lightning struck him though the chest. His sister was just as much a victim of these men's twisted game as he was. She had been brainwashed just so that she would agree to fight him. He should have known that something was fishy the moment since she had said that Aizen was still a hero. He growled softly; they had been playing with her since then. He should have noticed something. He should have seen that something was off. Her memory loss wasn't a result of trauma. He tightened his hold on Hyourinmaru until the hilt bit into his palms and his arms began to shake. And now they wanted him to fight her. He should have attacked the man as soon as he was given Hyourinmaru back.

Momo raised her head and took a step forward. "I just want you to know, that I didn't want it to come to this. You should have been on my side, with Captain Aizen."

Toushiro nearly leapt at her. He wanted to shout, to shake her until her memories clunked into place. Hyourinmaru growled softly, reminding Toushiro to keep his head on straight. What they did to her was inexcusable, yes, but remember the plan. Do not go charging in like some crazed animal.

Toushiro restrained himself with great effort. He whipped his blade to the side and sank back into a defensive position. The plan, he sneered; Kurotsuchi should have been here ages ago. Momo tilted her head, as if asking him why he had stopped. Then jumping into a shunpo she appeared millimetres away from him and swung. Toushiro took a step backwards, narrowly avoiding the blow, and blocked her next strike with the back of Hyourinamru's blade.

She attacked rapidly, determined to do more than hurt him. He had to fight to keep a straight head, but he was able to keep up with her attacks and blocked all of them. He reasoned that he just had to keep her distracted; he didn't really have to fight, not any more. Momo leapt away from him for a few seconds of reprieve. He knew what was coming when he saw a grim expression take over her face. She took a deep breath and they locked eyes for a few heartbeats.

"Snap Tobiume-"

Her release command was cut off by a sudden puff of dense smoke from the roof of the cave and a tightly woven net that crackled with reiatsu descended on her. She was pinned to the ground, Tobiume resealed even before she realised what was going on. Toushiro lowered Hyourinmaru as Head-captain Yamamoto stepped out of the shadows. A ball of kido illuminated the cave, bobbing behind him and several other shadows followed.

Nemu Kurotsuchi was holding what looked like a grenade launcher on her shoulder and Mayuri was already running over to where Momo had landed and was sneering at them.

Toushiro swallowed the lump in his throat that had formed when he saw Momo's expression. He looked away, closing his eyes for a brief moment before heading over to the other shinigami. Captains Kyoraku, Ukitake, Kuchiki, and Soi-fon gathered around him.

"Captain!" Rangikupushed past the captains and bounced up to him, flinging her arms around his neck. He allowed her a few moments before he pushed her away. "You're okay," she said with a small smile, "What happened?"

He shook his head and turned to Yamamoto. "We shouldn't stay here, but I finally have answers."

Questions?

Like I said before, I re-worked this fic over and over again and I'm still not too happy with how it turned out. But this was the best solution I could come up with.

Reviews are always welcome.

- Mymomomo