Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights go to Tite Kubo.
Author's Note: Tension is approaching its peak. It's only a matter of time before the epic showdown ends and OMG, I have received 300 reviews for this story! Gah, HitsuHina cookies, some fresh popcorn, and a large cup of pop/juice for everyone! Yum! Anyway, thank you so much for supporting me especially my reviewers from the last chapter: becomeafan, tlg, The Sweet Peach, Maya-chan2007, BLEACHISAWESOMEANDIMAWESOME XP, MoonLightView, AznInvasionGirl, Pieps XD, Tamashi Aisuto, KnowledgeandImagination, Supreme cookieeater NANCY, Neko-cheung, applestoapples, WhitePrincessOfHope, icyangel27, Samantha (x2). They're greatly appreciated. Will Hisagi, Renji, and Hitsugaya able to take down their enemies? Find out in chapter twenty-two. Enjoy!
LEGEND
"Talking." "Thinking."
The Greatest Treasure
Chapter Twenty-Two: Surprise
The exchange of sword swings, kicks, and punches are continuously traded off as Hisagi and Renji are attempting to defeat Aizen on their own. So far, they have managed to keep up with his moves. However, no damage has been inflicted. As the general watched his subordinates stand in front of him, mostly out of breath, he said, "I thought you two are going to defeat me."
Renji narrowed his eyes at him. "Shut up..."
He grinned. "I have prolonged this battle for long enough. It's time to get serious."
All of a sudden, raising his sword at the two members of the Royal Guard, Sosuke took the initiative to make the first move. Both knights separated on opposite sides so that the general have to decide which on of them to face. In their minds, once he has made his decision, the unmarked knight will strike him from behind. The other person will serve as a distraction. Aizen decided to take care of Hisagi first. Upon noticing the change in his movements, Renji lowered his head and smirked. "You're going down Aizen!"
Just he is about to stab him on the back, Aizen turned his body to the side and showed a grin. Renji hesitated.
"Shit, he noticed!"
He grabbed his wrist and forced the red headed knight to pierce his sword through Hisagi's abdomen. Shuhei bit the bottom of his lip and manged to hold back his yell. As he is falling to the ground, he cursed, "D-Damn it..."
"Hisagi-san!" Abarai yelled. He then turned to his opponent. "Curse you, Aizen Sosuke!"
The General of the Royal Guard merely grinned. "You're wide open."
Before he could dodge his move, the Aizen heavily wounded his right shoulder with a single swing of his sword. There is no way he is going to give up just yet especially after what he has done to his fallen companion. Renji held his ground, still standing in his presence. "I'm not going to let myself go down so...easily."
Though he heard him say that, the taller man could tell that the red head is struggling. His sword strike left him a big enough slash mark to cause him to lay on the ground and slowly bleed to death. Unfortunately for him, it is not so; he underestimated him. "I can see that, Abarai-kun. However, it is only a matter of time before you fall just like the rest of your allies."
Aizen raised his sword high up in the air and struck him down. Luckily, Renji had enough strength to side step away from the move and retaliate. Just as he is about to stab him, the general took hold of his sword by the blade. The Trio Knight's eyes widened. Slowly raising his head up, he look at the sinister look on his face. Never minding the flowing blood dripping from his injured left palm hand, Sosuke held back his weapon and quickly stabbed him in the gut. Renji gasped, coughing out some blood as he felt his body suddenly turn heavy. "Sh-Shit..."
As the knight fell down to the hard flooring, the General of the Royal Guard turned his back away. Holding his sword down and off to the side, he raised his head up to see two familiar faces standing before him. "How interesting; it seems like you're ready for another round of punishment, Hitsugaya-kun..."
The white haired thief stepped forward in front of Hinamori. Placing a hand on the hilt of his blade, Hitsugaya drew his long sword from his back and held it in front of his opponent. "I won't go down until you're finished Aizen..."
The general smiled. "We'll see about that."
He narrowed his eyes, watching his every single movement. Without turning his attention to the princess behind him, Aisu no Ryu said, "Momo stand back. I don't want you to get involved in this."
The princess slowly nodded with agreement. "Okay, but be careful Toshiro."
With that said, Hitsugaya put his free hand into the inside of his kimono and took out three kunais. Holding them between his fingers, he threw them towards Aizen's direction. His opponent easily evaded the move. Just as he moved to the side, the thief already rushes up to him, ready to strike him down with his sword. Raising his sword in between him and Toshiro, Aizen blocked his attack. Shifting his weight over to one side, Hitsugaya began his fierce attack. The General too defended against that move and pushed him back.
Quickly, Aisu no Ryu threw a fist to his body. However, his opponent has already anticipated his move. He caught his fist with a single hand. With a smile, Aizen forced the teenager to the side. Using his other hand, he pointed his blade towards him. Unfortunately, for him, he is already aware of his intentions. Hitsugaya broke free of his grasp and intercepted by raising his sword between him and his face. The two swordsmen are stuck in a dead lock.
Suddenly, the teenager started being pushed back by Aizen. In comparison to his strength alone, he did not stand a chance. Thinking quickly, the white haired thief changed his pace. Clutching both his hands onto the hilt of his blade, the thief did a spin and used its momentum to strike him from the side once more. Before his blade could make contact with him, Aizen took a step back. Not only he dodged his opponent's move, but he also countered by forcefully kicking him in the gut.
Hitsugaya winced in pain. Using this opportunity, Aizen kicked him once more, sending him to the ground, dropping his sword along the way. Just as the general is about to implant the tip of his blade down, the thief quickly rolled his body away. However, his back soon met with a thick and rough wall. He grind his teeth together, trying to hold back his scream. He looked up to see Aizen about to swing his sword at him once more.
He had no other choice, but to defend. Aisu no Ryu swiftly sat up and placed his hands together, catching Aizen's swing before it made contact with his body. The General of Royal Guard stopped and narrowed his eyes. "You don't know when to give up."
"Yeah, I don't," Toshiro replied.
Suddenly a grin appeared on his face. He said, "In that case, a change of plans is in order."
Aisu no Ryu raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out what he is talking about. However, his thoughts are shortly interrupted when he lost grasp of Aizen's blade. He looked up to see him strike at his face. Luckily, he moved to the side and got back onto his feet.
Aizen turned his body towards the white haired thief. As he is walking towards him, the general is equipped with his long sword. "It looks like you're weaponless now."
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. "That problem can be easily fixed."
Putting his hands on the opposite sides of his sash, Toshiro pulled out three daggers on each hand. Holding on hand up on the side of his face, Aizen noticed that there are explosive tags on them. When he threw them towards his direction, the general jumped to the side to avoid getting caught in the explosion. Smoke filled the air, clouding Aizen's sights on the young thief. Before he knew it, Hitsugaya rush up to him. He threw two more daggers with his other hand, but missed its target. General Aizen barely managed to evade his hidden short weapons.
All of a sudden, Toshiro threw his last dagger towards Aizen's left and knocked his long sword into the air. As he is stopped for a moment, Hitsugaya caught his sword by the hilt and immediately started his counterattack. He began his fierce attack by continuously swinging his sword from different angles. Eventually, one of his attacks managed to rip a section of Aizen's sleeve. The general narrowed his eyes and jumped back to create some distance. However, the young thief won't let him. He continued to rush in and struck a few more times until he lead Aizen against a wall.
Aizen hissed between his teeth as he glanced back. Upon resuming his attention back to the white haired thief, Hitsugaya has already begun his next move. "You're finished Aizen!" he exclaimed.
Just as he is about to stab him, the taller man elbowed the young thief. Hitsugaya gasped in pain, feeling his previous injury against Aizen's elbow. The General pushed him all the way to the other side of the room and against the wall. The white haired teenager struggled to break free, but couldn't escape. Aizen leaned closer to Toshiro and said, "I win..."
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes. Changing his grip on the hilt of his blade, he held it downwards and impaled in on the top of his foot. Aizen bit the bottom of his lip, holding back the sudden pain.
He cursed, "You bastard..."
Taking out a kunai from the inside of his kimono, Hitsugaya held it with both his hands and rammed it into Aizen's abdomen. He arched over, leaving them to cease movement for a few seconds. Even though things appear to be going his way, the white haired thief knew it is too early to relax. Suddenly, Aizen gripped his hand onto his sword and removed it from his foot. Raising his head up to Aisu no Ryu, he struck back. Toshiro easily evaded his move by taking a side step. However, he was soon knocked onto the ground after a fist is thrown at his face.
As he had a hand placed over his face, Hitsugaya then whipped the dripping blood off the bottom of his nose with his sleeve. He then heard a metallic sound. Looking down on the ground is his sword lying there. When he raised his head up, his emerald-teal eyes soon widened with shock. Where he found Aizen is also where he found Hinamori. The Princess of Seireitei has been captured by the General of the Royal Guard. "Momo!" he exclaimed.
"Toshiro!" she exclaimed back.
However, the raven haired girl is soon pulled back by Aizen's grip on her neck. He had the tip of his sword against her throat. A grin appeared on his face. Aizen asked, "What's wrong Hitsugaya-kun? Why don't you attack me now?"
"How dare you involve her in this battle!" Aisu no Ryu yelled.
"Its strategic tactic, that's all."
Hitsugaya growled with frustration as he got back on his feet with his sword at hand. He knew that if he were to attack him now, he will not hesitate to hurt Hinamori.
"What's wrong? Why are you just standing there for?"
"Shit, I can't attack him," Toshiro cursed. "What should I do?"
"Toshiro..." Momo thought worryingly as she watched the thief contemplate.
The Princess of Seireitei has made her decision to not stand and wait for him to save her. She began struggling, trying to break away from the general's grip. However, he is too strong for her. Aizen noticed her rebellion. "Now Hinamori-kun, stay still so that I wouldn't accidentally cut you."
"Let me go!"
"Sorry, but I just can't comply to your request or else your thief boyfriend will rush and murder me." Upon knowing that, Aizen is certain that Hitsugaya is not going to attack. He's smart enough to know when to move and when not to. He loves Momo and doesn't want anything to happen to her. In other words, the notorious thief, Aisu no Ryu cannot win this showdown. The chance of attaining victory is zero percent. Sosuke grinned. "It's game over for him."
All of a sudden, his eyes soon narrowed. He looked back to see the tip of a sword against the throat of his neck. Its owner is an all too familiar member of the Royal Guard.
"Gin..."
"Gomen nesai General Aizen," he replied with his trademark smile. "No hard feelings..."
References
Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon. Hitsugaya's codename as the notorious thief, Gomen nesai - I'm Sorry
Author's Note: O.O Ah! Renji and Hisagi are down! Gah, Ichimaru just saved Hinamori and Hitsugaya from Aizen's grasp! What the haywire is going on here? There is only one way to find out and wait patiently for the next chapter. Please review! Thanks.