Author's Note: Yay, another two-chapter update! I am just on a roll this week, aren't I? Anyway, last chapter was a little on the shorter side, sorry about that. Then again, I noticed that my chapters tend to be a lot shorter than in most other authors' stories, so I'm sorry about that, too. I also went back to reread the fic, and I caught so many typos that I never noticed before, and for some reason, my spell check didn't pick them up. So, again, so sorry about those!
Hitsugaya cautiously got to his feet, swaying unsteadily. He was tired and weak, and he knew that walking around and about was not a good idea for his body. But now was not the time to worry about that.
He moved towards the door, almost collapsing to the ground. Cursing under his breath, he forced himself to pick up the pace, finally reaching the door, and with a push, managing to swing it open. Thankfully Aizen had not locked it; this was also probably due to the fact that he hadn't been expecting him to try to get out.
The prodigy hurried down the dimly lit hallway, squinting to see through the darkness. He was moving quickly and quietly now, ignoring his body's protests to take it easy.
They didn't call him a genius for nothing. He remembered the way to the room where Aizen had his video conference screen easily, and he was almost there now.
Finally, he saw the door at the end of the hallway, and he rushed forward, disregarding the pain in his chest. He stopped briefly to catch his breath, wondering how he had become so out of shape in just a matter of days. There was something about the palace of Las Noches that seemed to just suck the energy right out of you.
He gave the door a push - it didn't budge. It was locked.
Without hesitating, he raised his hand, quickly whispering the words to another kido spell. His hand glowed red for a moment, before, with a loud explosion, the lock on the door gave way.
His heart was pounding so fast now, he was sure anyone within a mile's radius could hear it. He looked to his left, then to his right, seeing no sign of any Arrancar or someone else coming to see what the commotion was. But he knew there would be soon. Quickly, he ducked inside, hurrying to the room's front and kneeling by the screen.
He hesitated for a moment, wondering how the hell you worked this thing.
Hitsugaya remembered using one of these before in the real world when he had to report back to the sotaichou. But the one Aizen had was quite visibly different. But he couldn't give up now, he'd just have to figure it out.
Biting his lip, he reached gingerly to the control panel, giving one of the buttons a cautious push.
Nothing happened.
He bit down harder and pushed another, and another. The screen flashed once, but other than that, nothing happened. God, who the hell made this piece of crap? He stared at the buttons, his eyes moving down the rows and rows and rows. He reached out, trying again. He placed a finger on another one of the buttons and pushed down.
It turned out to be, thankfully, a lucky guess.
The screen flickered, the static clearing in a matter of moments. He found himself staring at the quite empty-looking first division office.
Shit.
"Is...Is anyone there?" he spoke, his voice wavering. This could not be happening. All that trouble he had gone through, all that resolve he had felt to warn Soul Society about Aizen's plans...was it all for nothing?
"Someone...please..."
He was about to get up and leave when he heard a voice coming from the screen.
"T-Toshiro?"
Flaming orange hair and a surprised face appeared, and Hitsugaya couldn't stop himself from smiling. Ichigo had come.
"Kurosaki, I don't have much time," Hitsugaya spoke hurriedly as he watched Ichigo yell for the sotaichou - who was probably somewhere off-screen - to come quickly. Surely enough, the old man appeared promptly, which led Hitsugaya to wonder if either of them had been sleeping at all.
"Hitsugaya-taichou, what is the meaning of this?"
"I'm not supposed to be here right now," Hitsugaya admitted, "But I had to tell you. Aizen...he...He plans to attack Soul Society, first thing tomorrow morning. I'm sorry I was unable to get here earlier...but he's bringing all his Arrancar with him. I'm quite sure that this is meant to be an invasion of sorts. And...and he's after Kurosaki, too..." He turned to Ichigo. "Kurosaki, it's not safe for you in Soul Society. You must leave."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Yamamoto demanded, "How do we know you aren't giving us false information on Aizen's orders?"
"You know me, sotaichou," Hitsugaya answered, "Had I any intention to betray Soul Society, I would have done it long ago."
Hitsugaya suddenly froze, hearing a sound somewhere outside. Footsteps. They seemed to be far off at the moment, but they were coming closer. He had done what he needed to do, now he just had to get the hell out of there.
"Toshiro?" he heard Ichigo say, his face riddled with worry, "Toshiro, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Hitsugaya whispered, though he obviously was not. "I...I have to go. I'm sorry."
"Toshiro, wait-"
As much as he wanted to hear what Ichigo had to say, Hitsugaya knew he had to leave the room, and he had to do it now. Otherwise who knew what would happen. Hurriedly, he pushed the same button he had used to turn the screen on, and the image of Ichigo and the sotaichou faded to static before disappearing completely, leaving the screen blank and black again.
He got to his feet, making a dash for the door, stumbling but regaining balance as he hurried out, closing the door behind him.
Panicked, he ran back towards the the direction of the throne room. If he could somehow make it back there before he was found, perhaps it would appear as if he had only just escaped not too long ago.
The white-haired boy scrambled inside, closing the throne room doors behind him as he entered.
He stopped to regain his breath, panting softly. He coughed, but slowly, he could feel his heartbeat returning to normal. He exhaled in relief.
Suddenly, just as he began to calm down, he felt a large hand seemingly out of nowhere reach out and grab him by the wrist. Startled and horrified, he nearly screamed, but the air caught in his throat as he felt the other hand wrap around his throat, pulling him back against the body of the owner of these hands. He felt his captor twisting his arm behind his back, and he gasped for the air he was not getting.
"Welcome back, Hitsugaya-kun," came the cold, amused voice, and the prodigy's heart froze. Aizen.
"What were you doing, sneaking off in the middle of the night like that?" Aizen inquired calmly as Hitsugaya struggled for breath, "Taking a midnight stroll, perhaps? Don't you know it's dangerous to be wandering about alone in the dark here in Las Noches...especially for someone as pretty as you? Someone could...try to take advantage of you," he finished in a low whisper by the terrified boy's ear, the affection in his voice so fake and mocking that it was beyond disgusting.
"Let go of me..." Hitsugaya gasped, and with a chuckle, Aizen complied, giving the boy a hard shove and watching him topple to the floor.
"I'm disappointed in you, Hitsugaya-kun," the traitor spoke as Hitsugaya coughed on the floor, "And here I thought that you might finally be learning to behave. Tell me, where did you plan on going?"
"None of your business," Hitsugaya spat.
Aizen raised an eyebrow as he knelt next to the young captain, reaching out and turning his face towards him with his hand, forcing the boy to look him in the eyes. "None of my business, you say? You forget, Hitsugaya-kun, that you belong to me now, and it most certainly is my business."
Hitsugaya pulled away. "Don't touch me."
The ex-captain of the fifth division's brow arched even higher and a cold, grim smile appeared on his lips. Without warning, he suddenly struck Hitsugaya across the face, a short gasp of pain falling from the boy's lips. The sound of the blow's impact seemed to echo menacingly through the dark room.
"Enough of your attitude," Aizen spoke in a dangerously soft voice, "Where were you going?"
"I don't remember," Hitsugaya snapped. It was a beyond obvious lie, but he didn't care. Either way he was not going to tell him a word.
"Don't play coy with me," Aizen snarled, seizing Hitsugaya by the front of his robes, "I'm becoming impatient with you, Hitsugaya-kun." He grasped a fistful of the snow-white locks, jerking him roughly to his feet, drawing out a cry of pain from the boy. "Answer me."
Hitsugaya shook his head stubbornly.
"I don't answer to traitors."
This seemed to be the last straw for Aizen. His hand went to Kyoka Suigetsu as he unsheathed the sword, slashing the blade across the boy's chest in a sudden, swift, and unexpected movement. Hitsugaya gasped as pain seemed to explode across the upper portion of his body. He dropped to his knees, his hands grasping pitifully at the bleeding gash, blood seeping through his tattered kimono and onto his trembling hands. It wasn't a cut deep enough to cause him any fatal damage, but it was enough to send pain shooting through his whole body at the slightest movement.
"You're lucky I need you to be in good condition for tomorrow," Aizen spat, "Otherwise I could have done something much more entertaining."
"Bastard," Hitsugaya gasped out, coughing.
"I expect you to obey me fully tomorrow morning," Aizen ordered, "After Soul Society is mine, I will have no more use for you. I am tired of your disobedience, and tomorrow, after I am done with my business, you can die with your precious Kurosaki Ichigo."
With that, he left the room, leaving Hitsugaya bleeding and crying softly on the floor.
