Kenpachi slid the door shut on the child who lay now unconscious from the pain of the deep burns and his exhaustion. He stepped back beside Byakuya who starred intently in the cell.

"What happened?" The giant murmured.

"I saw nothing in Hitsugaya's actions to warrant this."

"You think the old man lost it?"

Byakuya was silent. He stared in on the child, carefully analysing what he'd seen. The two blades had collided. For an instant the flames had died but then they returned. Hyornmaru held them at bay for the most part but there had been something else, an unusual spike in spiritual pressure in both Yamamoto and Hitsugaya. Hitsugaya had recoiled. He'd held his head. He'd asked a question What did you do?

"Hey Kutchki? What do you think?"

"The Head Captain must have his reasons." The solemn captain turned away just as Unohana came rushing in with her medical team. He left Kenpachi and the whole scene behind– he had his suspicions about what happened, but until he knew what to do about it, he would have to keep them to himself.

...

Unohana heard hurried footsteps behind her followed by the creak of the cell door opening.

"Rangiku, thank you for coming."

"Of course." the Lieutenant barely looked at the healer as she came to her side and dropped to her knees next to the body of her captain. She held a bundle of his clothes tight to her chest. "What happened?" She breathed.

"He held the Head Captain's power's at bay. His injuries are not that severe, he will be alright in a couple of days."

"But I don't understand why he's been arrested."

"Its best not to question the Head Captain. I'm sure he has his reasons."

"Do you really believe that?" Matsumoto asked gravely.

"I believe that all we can do right now is take care of your captain." she had finished bandaging his hands and arms where they were burned most severely. She took a wet cloth and rubbed away the soot that covered his body but found no more serious wounds. Rangiku unfolded the fresh clothes and they redressed him. When they were finished Unohana draped a blanket over him and slid pillow beneath his head.

"That's all I can do for him." She said sadly.

"When will he wake up?"

"I don't know, he is exhausted from his fight, he just needs rest."

"But...he looks..." Rangiku couldn't finish her thoughts, she was lost in her captain's face. His eyes were closed, he was asleep, but his brow was tensed, his jaw clenched as if in anger or pain.

"Matsumoto," Unohana said in a voice only the lieutenant could hear, "we must go."

The lieutenant understood that the healer was not deceived, her captain was definitely in some sort of turmoil, and it must be linked to why the Head Captain had him arrested. She stood and gave a last glance back at her captain before following Unohana out of the cell.

...

He saw the pits full of hollows. There were thousands, piled ontop of one another, fighting to breath, trapped in endless darkness and agony. Some were monsterous, but others...one was small, child sized. Her mask was cracked in half, a watery eye shone up out of the darkness accompanied by a scream of horror.

Hitsugaya recoiled from the image but he only found himself plunged into more. There was a soul reaper on the ground, screaming, weeping, pleading for mercy. He felt his arm raise again, and hot flames licked the man's back. Again and again he tortured him. Then he was somewhere else again, a captain's meeting, this one was the most clear.

Hitsugaya felt himself standing before them, for once looking down. None were the same captains he personally knew but with Yamamoto's memories he knew all their names. He could hear Yamamoto's words and thoughts– he was explaining a mission. The faces before him fought to stay calm.

"You must go to the city of Kurakara and kill them all."

"Who?"

"The Humans."

There was a stunned silence but one soul reaper stepped forward. He was the oldest among them, his hair short and silver, his face set in determination.

"No."

"You must. There is one among them that will endanger us all."

"Then we'll find him."

"No, the risk is too great."

"We cannot violate the law in that way. We cannot take the lives of humans."

"You will if I command it."

Another stepped forward, this one a young woman. "No."

Then another, and another, until they'd all stepped in and resolutely refused.

"This is mutiny."

"Call it what you will old man."

"Make sure this is what you want, once you decide, there is no turning back."

No one moved.

"So be it." Toshiro felt his right arm raise, the staff disintegrate and suddenly the flames errupted. There was a flurry of movements, everyone reached for their swords, but none had the power to resist him. There were screams, horrible, agonised screams. Then silence.

"NOOOOOO!" Toshiro sat up sharply in his cell. The images still flashed before him until he came completely back to reality and then he was retching uncontrollably.

"Those people..." he gasped after a long time. He could sense the other's presence but did not look, even when he knelt with a hand on his small shoulder to calm his trembling body.

"You have my memories, you must understand why." The Head Captain said darkly, but his grip was gentle.

"No. It doesn't matter, you can't justify what you did."

"I won't argue with you. You know all my thoughts, there would be no point. This also means you know what I have to do."

Toshiro felt the grip tighten and he turned to face the head captain. "I'm a liability." He said knowingly.

"In more way than one. There are certain memories of mine that must never be revealed. But that is only one threat you pose. As you proved today, you are the only one who has the power to face me."

"And now I know all your weaknesses."

"Exactly."

"So its an execution then?"

"That is one option. For now at least, you must be isolated." The commander's hand became a vice around his shoulder, he felt the pulse of a concentrated bust of the Commander's energy. In his current condition it hit him like a ton of bricks and he went limp in the Commander's grasp.

Yamamoto lifted the small captain up and walked through the near complete obscurity to his destination, high atop Sokioku hill. Gently he lay Toshiro on the smooth seki seki tiles and replaced the blanket over his shivering body.

"Try to understand the memories you have in your head, then maybe, we can come to alternative solution."

The Commander spoke as he walked to the door. Toshiro still trembled but could not yet move on his own, so he closed his eyes and was plunged back into the horrible darkness.