Christmas Nightmare
~Headache~
"Now aren't you an annoyance," the female Arrancar had a rather annoyed look on her face. As the ivy held Hitsugaya tight, and the thorns pressed into his skin, and his rietsu grew weaker, she suddenly stated aloud. "Gin-kun, kill the boy."
The small taicho knew he was in trouble due to the fact that he happened to be unable to move, and his rietsu levels were dropping to very low levels. The ivy scrapped its thorns across his skin in some places as he struggled. He watched as the fox demon, for that was what Gin had become with his nine tails, turned slowly and looked at him, allowing for Isshin to have a chance to shove him away.
"I thought I told you to kill the boy, or you just plain stupid," the woman grumbled. "Do I have to do this myself?"
The small taicho felt a gust as Isshin suddenly moved behind him, and cut the ivy with his zampaktuo. He could feel his vision starting to fade, as his body lost all of its energy. His limbs felt like they had bricks attached to them, and they fell to his side. A strong arm wrapped around his chest and under his shoulders, supporting him so that he wouldn't fall to the ground below.
"Fuck… I was completely taken off guard…" the small boy's eyes were half closed as he tried to retain his focus. "Let me get my sword…"
"As if I would let you," Isshin muttered into his ear. "At this rate, you'll last at most, one, to two minutes."
"That should be enough…" the small boy stated, blinking a couple of times.
"I have to question why Yamamoto sent you, and you alone," Isshin sighed, holding onto the boy, even though it made it harder for him to fight.
"I know I told you to kill the boy… why are you refusing!" the woman snapped. Toshiro felt his former taicho tense, almost as if he had realized something. "Fine than, if you don't than, I will. Both are occupied."
Through his blurring vision, the small taicho saw that the woman made a stance to attack with her sword. He thought that she would get her attack in soon, however, to his dismay, it was the transformed Gin who moved first, coming towards the small taicho, his face suddenly appearing in front of Isshin and the small taicho.
Toshiro felt himself gag, as he saw what should have been a familiar face, not so familiar. Not to mention, even though he had seen this change with Gin, during the Winter War, he had never been this close, and he could smell his breath, and see the drool slipping down his jaws. There was nothing human left about him, and he half expected him to do something horrible to Isshin-san and him.
That was also when he felt his chin fall to his chest, his eyes closing, and his whole mind blacking out.
M
Isshin had seen that his former lieutenant was in trouble, and had hurried forward, only to place himself in a tight spot. Ivy, the small girl that had sent out the vines, made no move to make another attack, without orders from her partner. The female Arrancar was irritated with the fact that Gin wasn't moving to attack them.
"I know I told you to kill the boy… why are you refusing!" This statement caused Isshin to suddenly tense up, as he realized that she was right. Some instinct in Gin, one might say, was causing him to not attack the two of them. Because of the fact that the fox creature had been attacking him earlier, the reason that he had hesitated had to have been Shiro-chan.
He soon realize that he had tensed up, when Toshiro himself followed suit, even though he could also tell that the boy's body was weak. In fact, he knew that he would very quickly be unconscious, in an even shorter time frame than he had given the white haired child. Since Gin would not attack, he would have to brace himself for an attack from one of the two others.
To his surprise, the fox creature, soon after the Arrancar iterated that she would kill the boy, moved so that his hot breath poured down on the two shingami, catching Isshin off guard. Isshin felt that if Gin did in fact decide to go ahead and kill the charge in his arms, that he would not hesitate to kill the man. He pulled his sword and swung.
However, instead of hitting the face and the mask, it glanced across the side as the fox suddenly turned to face the female Arrancar as she charged forward, to attempt to kill Hitsugaya. That was when Isshin suddenly felt a pushing, as the blow of the strike that she had thrusted forward, shoved Gin backwards. However, instead of the weight of Gin's body crashing against Isshin, the mask crumpling and him returning to his human form.
Gin's eyes were a monstrous red, as he glared at the woman, and his skin was in a cold sweat, as he attempted to make a grab for his zampaktuo. However, Isshin brought his sword in front, blocking another blow from the Arrancar, feeling that Gin's powers would also disparate soon, not due to the woman's powers, but because of the strain of the seal having been broken.
"Take Shiro-chan from me Gin. Protect him from the other Arrancar," the man snapped out order wise. "Even though you wish to tear her limb to limb, I am better off doing the fighting."
To the former tenths delight, Gin stepped to the side as Isshin held Holly off, carefully scooping the young taicho into his arms. Heading towards the ground, he landed on one of the buildings, and lay the boy down, and stood in front of him. Ivy was likely to be an easy opponent, but the chance was that she tougher than he thought existed.
His hand went up to where the locket that the small taicho had given him was, only to discover that the whole thing was starting to break apart. He glanced around his surroundings and noted that Hyorinmaru had fallen and stuck into the roof of the building. Suddenly, strings of ivy shot down at him, and he swung his sword to deflect and rip them apart. He glanced up, seeing the small girl there, his eyes glowing red.
"Shoot to kill!" his voice hummed, and his blade shot out, only to be blocked by a whole veil of vines that acted like a shield. He grimaced at this, then muttered a quick kido to make it so that a barrier would be formed over the small taicho to block him. His eyes then fell on the ice zampaktuo, then at the girl who was glaring at him.
At that, he rolled to the side, and grabbed the zampaktuo. "I know I am not your master, and I know that you possibly don't like me, however, are you willing to help me protect him?"
"Do not think I am blind to the reason why you choose to protect him… I have known for some time, and have chosen not to tell him as it isn't my place…" the dragon hummed.
Gin's eyes narrowed and he knew that he would have to go and take this as a yes answer from the dragon, and swung around to face the small Arrancar child, his eyes livid. The small girl tilted her head at him. "Can… you actually… use someone else's?"
"On very rare occasions… yes…" Gin muttered, hoping that his plan would work. He held the long katana out so that when the next volley of ivy came through, he could tilt Hitsugaya's zampaktuo so that it wrapped around them.
"Are you… playing with me? What you are doing… makes no sense at all," the girl's voice had an amount of slight confusion, barely audible.
"Sit upon the frozen heavens… " Gin's voice called out, suddenly brining the zampaktuo into its shikai state, causing the vines to suddenly freeze over. "If that little one had been able to see you coming, you would have been dead."
Suddenly, as that happened, the other female Arrancar came crashing down next to Gin and Toshiro, cracking the roof. Isshin landed near where they were, his face reflecting that he wasn't going to be messed around with. The female stood up, clutching her right arm. "Ivy… we need to get out of here… the plan didn't work out…"
"Hai…" the small girl stated, leaving her vines behind. Both disappeared through a portal. Gin made a move to go after them, but Isshin grabbed his shoulder.
"There is no point in rushing into the whole matter, Gin," Isshin sighed. "Anyways, you're injured."
"Not that much," Gin stated, sheathing his own zampaktuo, and allowing Hyorinmaru to return to the first state. "The locket Shiro-chan gave me deflected her blow… it probably won't hold up."
"Toshiro gave you the locket… not Rangiku?" Isshin's eyes suddenly went wide.
"No… his idea was, if I had a picture of her on me, I would be less likely to betray her trust again," Gin stated, going over to where Toshiro lay on the ground, releasing the kido he had placed around the small boy.
"As for being injured, I am speaking naturally of the wound in your side that I gave you, it looks rather deep," Isshin sighed, shaking his head at the man.
"I'm fine… I'm more worried about Shiro-chan," the man stated, suddenly bending down and picking up the boy, even though his side was as bad as it was. The small taicho looked peaceful, as he was unconscious, but there were still signs that the boy had lived through more than someone his physical age should.
"Gin… why didn't you attack?" Isshin narrowed his eyes, getting around to the question that was bothering him.
"Because, Ran would be mad at me, if I killed her little taicho," the man stated, still smiling.
"As if… you know as well as I, that there is almost nothing that will get you into her good terms again," Isshin snapped. "Aren't you bothered that, between the two of us, Toshiro has called me Oto-san, and not you?"
At this, the silver haired man flinched, and glanced away at this question. "I think we should get the kiddo to peppermint hat's shop…"
"You mean Urahara… we can discuss what I want to on the way there, you aren't avoiding my questions, understand me?" Isshin stated as Gin took off to the place where the charge in his arms could rest best. "I asked, aren't you bothered about the fact that he's called me Oto-san and not you?"
"No… you're more of a father figure than I ever was," Gin stated as he hurried along. "You deserve him to call you that more than me, ever… even though…"
"Even though you think of him as your son… or is it that you are his blood father," Isshin stated, as they neared the shop.
"If Aizen had blood children, Isshin-san, he would not deserve for them to call him father… ever," Gin stated firmly, his tone turning cold.
"And you think that you are as bad as him?" Isshin stated, glancing around for Urahara. However, the man wasn't there, so he motioned him into a back room, grabbing some of the supplies that his old friend kept on hand for such matters. Gin attempted at avoiding answering the question, instead settling the boy onto one of the futons. This causes Isshin's irritation to grow, to the point that he snapped out. "Gin! Do you really think that you're as bad as Aizen!"
"That is what everyone else thinks, so it really doesn't matter," the man stated, refusing to look the man in the face.
"That is what everyone thinks Isshin, give him a break about that," came a voice from the doorway. Urahara was glaring at the traitor. "I would rather he not be in here, but as he is injured, and with you, I should think it is fine. The others are out tracking Gin down… due to the fact we felt his release form… perhaps he can give me good mind as to why I shouldn't contact Soul Society right now?"
"He saved Shiro-chan's life, Urahara…" the former tenth division taicho stated.
"Well, let me step in and make sure his life remains saved, with what little healing kido I do know," Urahara sighed. "I trust that the former tenth division captain will lend a hand?"
"Of course…" Isshin muttered, as he helped pulled out supplies. "Though I get the idea I'll be doing most of the work…"
"My, my, well, that would be because you know healing kido, I don't!" Urahara laughed.
"You two make it seem as if my saving him is a big deal," Gin stated, his irritation showing.
"Well, isn't it," peppermint hat asked.
"No… it isn't,"
"Hell it is Gin!" Isshin snapped back as he worked. "Under mind control of that wench, you attacked me, but when she told you to kill Hitsugaya Toshiro, you instead got in the way of her attack, causing me to hurt you, and her to damage that locket of yours!"
Urahara's head snapped up, and his tone became serious. "You know… I feel as if I am possibly missing some information here."
"I was Ran's former taicho, Gin," Isshin glared at the younger man. "When I promoted her, she was nervous, and rather upfront about missing a year in the academy. I knew that there were only a few reasons that she would have missed, but I didn't push the issue, but later on, she did tell me why. The year after you graduated from the academy, before she did, she miscarried a child."
"And where is this going, this train of thought of yours?" Urahara shook his head, knowing he had possibly heard more than he wanted too.
"Good question, where is this going? I would rather you didn't bring up private matters…" Gin muttered.
"Private?" Isshin became irritated. "Don't kid me, not when it involves this small boy! As I recall, the date that she told me she miscarried was the twentieth of December…"
Urahara's eyes suddenly went wide, realization also hitting him. "The young taicho… that is his birthdate, is it not?"
"I had always thought it was just coincidence that his birthday had been the same. I dared not bring it up with him, because it was not my right to do so. I bring it up now, because of the fact it is the only thing I can think of that explains away your crazy behavior!" Isshin was livid, but kept his tone down, as to not bother.
"It would also explain why you went as far as you did in this whole mess," Urahara sighed. "This whole time you've been protecting your son."
"Just because I did this to protect him from Aizen, isn't a reason that I should simply be pardoned for my atrocities…" Gin muttered darkly, referring to the reason that Yamamoto had chosen to pardon him.
"So than, I am right in assuming that Toshiro is your and Ran's child?" Isshin stated, his tone calming.
"Well, it is quite obvious, now that I think of it," Urahara stated. "The boy looks so much like you, and acts like you…"
Gin's eyes snapped open, and his smirk turned in a frown. "Yes, he looks like me, but he is far more like Ran-chan than me!"
"I was going to say… there are traces of her in his looks, and I've seen some of her traits come out in him…" Urahara stated. "I should think that he inherited both of your good traits, rather than your bad…"
"You call both Toshiro and Rangiku being stubborn as hell, good traits?" Isshin muttered, suddenly realizing that fact.
Gin let out a soft chuckle. "Yet I would have described that as their good traits."
Isshin suddenly frowned. "Urahara… could you take a look at Shiro-chan's blood… I think that the ivy thorns had something in them…"
"Of course…" Urahara watched as Gin suddenly squirmed. "Look… if at all possible, we'll make it so all your efforts these past years don't go to waste."
After Urahara left, Isshin tilted his head. "So, how are you going to tell Rangiku that you've lied to her all this time?"
"I shan't… not yet anyways…" Gin sighed. "I don't think anyone would understand why I did what I did."
"You mean the fact that you knew as soon as Toshiro was born, that he would be high in rieatsu. And even if that wasn't the case, the fact that he was male, made it more likely Aizen would use him… perhaps… even hollowfying him."
"When he was born, you don't know how much I hoped he wasn't a boy. Not because I don't love him, but because I knew that, I would have to give him up, to protect him. What Aizen did to me, ripped me apart, made me… I couldn't let that happen to my little one. But… as he grew in Ran's womb, I kind of had to wonder, if… even if he had been born a girl, that I might have had to have done the same thing…"
"How did you trick Ran like you did? And how come she hasn't figured out yet?"
"I think deep down she knows… but, the reasons she hasn't figured it out is, because… well, obviously she didn't tell you this part, but… she thought that she had miscarried a girl, because that was what I told her. I created a fake grave for the baby, and… I was lucky that he was one of those that didn't cry…"
Author's note - Yeah, if Gin ended up hollowfied by Aizen, it would be sad. But the likelihood is rather high. I much prefer Gin with a fox mask, and fox form, rather than a snake… but the other is likely to…
