Day 2: Prelude

It was night in Karakura town, one might say a normal one with a crescent moon and a few stars sparkling here and there. Many where in deep slumber, seeing their third or fourth dreams. Some were awake and alert, waiting patiently for another strike from the arrancar and the espada despite the fact that they left already, leaving injuries and broken pride behind.
Hitsugaya Toshiro folded his arms over his roughly bandaged chest, watching patiently as Inoue Orihime healed his comrades with her special skill. A part of his mind idly wondered about it, after all it was exceptional and unique. Pretty powerful too, if the true potential was unlocked. Everyone else gathered there was discussing the course of events and the steps to take. Just what difference did it make? They were weak. He was weak. He was forced to go bankai with the limit unsealed against a fraccion, a lowly arrancar. And the espada were stronger, much, much stronger. Arguments followed, complete with petty silliness. Usually it would have been welcome, but at the moment...

Toshiro exhaled through his nostrils and turned around. He needed some time alone. He needed to think.

"Taicho, where are you going?", demanded Matsumoto.

He blinked and turned his head around. The sight of his fukutaicho made him gulp guiltily for some reason. She just looked so vulnerable, standing there with her hand holding to her arm tightly, and her eyes.. Why was she looking at him like that every single time he left without telling her? It was like she wasn't even seeing him. Tch. Maybe it was a bad habit, but he was used to it, he always walked alone, liked doing things alone. And Gran never asked for a reason, she just watched him go. With Matsumoto it was harder. The guilt intensified. He stifled it down.

"I..", he paused then closed his eyes in a smile, unknowingly imitating that one person Rangiku cursed in her mind a lot. "I have something I need to do, Matsumoto". Shifting his head back, he looked up at the sky. "Contact the 12th Division Research Bearau. They can analyze the data fast. Also, keep in touch with Urahara Kisuke as well. He probably knows a lot more than us."

"But where are you going to go! You aren't even healed Taicho! At least let Orihime-chan heal you then go!"
Toshiro knew she'd put up a fight. Of course she would. This was Matsumoto Rangiku, the mother cat. Well, truth be told, he did refuse healing, arguing that the others needed Orihime's skills more than him, after all it was just a scratch. So he had taken bandages and did the work himself, not letting even Matsumoto touch him or see said scratch, one that ached pretty badly.

"Matsumoto! I am fine. Just follow your orders." Please. You know I don't like pulling rank on you...

She always had a way of making him feel incredibly guilty, for reasons he himself didn't understand. Ugh.

"Understood."

With a nod, he disappeared in a quick shunpo, leaving freezing wind in his stake.

Dropping on an empty street somewhere near the end of Karakura town, the white haired captain paused and exhaled loudly. The wound was throbbing and his sloppy wrapping of bandages was already leaking red. Maybe it was not such a good idea to refuse healing altogether. Then again, the rest needed it more. Matsumoto herself needed it more and he'd be damned before he let himself heal up first. His lieutenant's health was much more important.

With a grunt, he circled his right arm around the wound tightly. Why did he have a feeling that everything was going downhill? All because of the selfish demonic desires of one man.
No, he shouldn't call him a man. He's a monster.

Aizen...

After the betrayal of the three captains, everything fell into place, well, at least some things did, like the blotched documents on the Hollowfications and Urahara's exile. It all became clear, who was behind it. Toshiro suspected some other things as well, like the death of Shiba Kaien, and the strange, much stronger hollow appearances. He still didn't know when the idea began to take root in the mind of Aizen Sosuke, but he knew for a fact that he was already evil during the time he was the vice of Hirako Shinji.

The thought of wanting to know those captains and vice captains who disappeared that night struck him as odd. He especially wanted to meet Hirako Shinji, the real person. All he knew of the man came from all the old reports he could dig out unnoticed.
He was alive, they were all alive. And probably hating Soul Society more than anything.

A stray drop of blood dripped on the concrete, painting it red. Toshiro looked at it for a few minutes, thoughts a jungled mess, swirling around and around but always coming back to focus on one person.

Why, he still did not understand.
He hated Aizen with a passion, mostly for hurting Hinamori. He could care less about Tousen, he never liked the man. But Ichimaru was a whole different story.

That night not even a month ago when he came to scold him, he was different. Like the part of Ichimaru Gin, the dangerous fox was left behind and it was just Gin there. And the hug, it was so comforting, so warm.

So strange.

It was, of course, the other day, when Toshiro thought things over rationally and with a coherent mind, he came to a conclusion that the hug was for Gin, not him. Gin needed it just as much as he did, probably more. There was some sort of reassurance, as if telling either him or Gin himself that everything was going to be alright.

Still it didn't explain why the embrace was so familiar to him. It didn't explain all the other little things that he took note of, like the definite Matsumoto excuse, for example.

Toshiro wanted to talk to the man about it, but the latter avoided him like a plaque after that incident. Whenever they met by chance, Gin disappeared before he could even breathe out his name. At first, Toshiro tended to think that Gin was afraid and he was simply dodging the topic. Then, the fateful day when Aizen's pseudo corpse was found, he made it clear with just one single expression. Toshiro could read it clearly.

Yar a nuisance, get lost.

That stung. Nevertheless, he had more things to focus on. His own feelings on the matter didn't matter. What mattered was Hinamori and her mental state. Aizen was everything to her, and she found him dead. Gin was there, emitting the shifter reiatsu, making himself seem suspicious. Of course Momo would react like she did. The man did everything possible to be seen as a suspect and dangerous person in her eyes. And Ichimaru ignored him altogether. Nuisance, a child, weak, get lost…Maybe that was the reason he so foolishly told Gin that if he hurt Momo, he's personally kill him. He didn't mean it. Of course he didn't. He couldn't kill Ichimaru, even if his life depended on it. Not because of skill, though he knew for a fact that Gin was much, much stronger, but because his hand would never go for a killing blow. Never. He didn't know why he felt that way and it was infuriating. Because he was Matsumoto's classmate? Probably. Right?

Grr, now I'm like him, using Rangiku as an excuse. Tch.

Of course it was like a punch in the face when Gin actually tried to kill Momo. Toshiro had no idea those were Aizen's orders, of course and he really, really didn't want to raise his blade against the man. But he would never have Momo hurt.

What was strange about the fight though, was that Toshiro enjoyed it. It was a serious fight, yes, but it felt more like a spar than anything else. One thing he was sure of even then. Gin wasn't trying to hurt him. He struck knowing Toshiro would dodge. He was enjoying himself too.
Hell he even knew that Matsumoto was going to jump in the very last second. It was all in his expression. No one could read those closed eyes and the creepy smile. Gin was very good at masking his emotions, not even Kuchiki Byakuya could read him. But Hitsugaya was very good at reading people, better than the Kuchiki head. Even if most of the times he couldn't understand anything from the perfect pokerface and foxy smirk, there were a few precious moment he could count on one hand when he could tell a little bit. That itself was a feat and he tended to mentally pat himself on the head when it happened. For example he could always see faint traces of worry and regret when the man gazed at Rangiku. Sometimes, it was a little spark of happiness, a strange glint in his ever closed eyes. At that time Gin must have had something on his mind back then, because Toshiro could tell that he knew Ran was going to jump in front of Momo the very last second. Besides, Shinso was very slow, deliberately. Hitsugaya knew that the zanpakuto was extremely fast, probably faster than the speed of sound. Gin made it go slow for a reason.

It was all an act.

His chest ached more. He had the strongest desire to scratch himself. Great, now an infection probably started settling in.

I don't need anything else to rot inside me. I've got too much crap already.

He smirked almost feeling the mental swat Hyourinmaru gave him. His zanpakuto wasn't very font of bad language. Not that Toshiro used it much, but still. The smirk vanished when he swayed on his feet, vision going blurry for a few seconds.
He sought out the nearest wall and leaned heavily on it, mind wondering to the time Aizen cut him in two. Aizen and his freakish zanpakuto. And he fell for it, like a little child. And Gin, Gin had watched the entire exchange. If it hadn't been for Unohana, he'd have died. Him and Hinamori both.

And Gin had watched.

Toshiro could swear for a second that he saw the man's eyes, wide, pale fearful eyes. Teal. Lighter than his own.

"Who am I fooling anyway. He's gone, he's a traitor, he hurt Momo", he whispered to himself. "I was nearly unconscious by then. I was probably seeing things. Yup, didn't Isshin-san taicho always say that before people die, they see some images, flashes of what had happened before, or what will happen in the future." He paused furring his brows. "Although he went onto a lecture about time traveling and ridiculous superhero stuff and vampire stuff after that. Stupid taicho and his obsession with the real world. Tch"

Remembering his former captain caused an old ache to resurface. This was exactly what he needed. Another painful reminder.
He sunk to his knees, head in hands and breathed.

Thinking rationally was a bit hard when so many emotions whirled around. Gin was an enigma, and somehow important. He felt like the man would play a very big role in the upcoming war. Yet feeling was so childish. He had no facts, no anything. For all he knew it all could have been a double act, everything! And the hug that one day was to set him in his current, helpless, moping and bleeding self.

Wait...

Slowly he lowered his hands and pulled them close to his face, observing and not seeing.

Let's go through this once and for all.

"One: shinigami hollowfication started early hundred years ago, somewhat during that time Urahara Kisuke created the Hougyoku. Let's assume that at first simple hollows were modified. Aizen was the vice of the 5th Division then. Gin had just joined after graduating the academy in one year. So either Gin wanted to go there, or Aizen saw something in Gin and stole him before anyone else could get his hands on him. Sort of like Aizen did with Hinamori, Abarai and Izuru." Toshiro folded the pinky on his left hand.
"Two: Around that time four captains, three vice captains, and the vice of the Kidou Corps were hollowfied. According to the reports, it was Urahara Kisuke who did it, in league with the Kidou Corps captain. Fact, it was Aizen's work and Urahara most probably saved their lives. Ok, then they all disappear, along with Yoruichi-san. Gin was probably there..." With a sigh, he closed the ring finger.
"Three: Gin becomes Aizen's vice captain. It's safe to assume that Tousen was with them since then." He paused. "No, according to Ukitake, Gin was a kid then, and Tousen was the same, so most probably Gin joined their little gang last." He folded the middle finger in distaste.
"Four: Komamura Taichou said that Tousen's friend had died and that he became a shinigami for them. But I always had a very bad feeling when I was around him. And Komamura once did tell me that Tousen only ever talked of the world his friend wanted to protect. He never said a word about what he himself wanted." Toshiro frowned, thinking hard. "If..ugh, maybe I am wrong but, what if Tousen is like Tennouji-san?"
He frowned more, forefinger hand folded, remembering that one incident long ago. He had gone with Isshin, Matsumoto and a few others to investigate hollow activity in a small town a few miles from Karakura. A spirit had gone mad because the love of his live was murdered. The spirits that did it were an enormous organization of ruthless killers. They haunted any dead female they could find and tortured them before killing in gruesome ways. And Tennouji went mad. Many spirits become hollows extremely fast if they go mad. Yet this one was also smart. He integrated himself into the gang, becoming one of them, making them believe that he was a comrade, even proving it with heartlessly beating up other female souls. Then when the time was right he murdered them all in cold rage, creating a bloodbath. That was when the squad got there. It was also the first time Toshiro saw the Gates of Hell open up for a person who committed crimes after his death.

Nodding to himself, Toshiro folded the finger. "There is chance of it being true. So, if Tousen is like Tennouji-san, it means that his friend didnt die, rather was murdered probably by a shinigami." The thought itself made him cringe." It would be understandable then why Tousen joined us."

He held up his thumb. " Five: Gin. I still don't get why he followed Aizen in the first place. Ugh..." This really wasn't a finger fact, as he liked to call then, but he still folded the finger. Clenching his fist, he went to the other hand, took a deep breath and continued.

"Six: Isshin-san goes missing in action. The mission was related to the hollowfication." A pause. " Also, three months before the ryoka invasion and Kuchiki's execution, Gin starts acting even more strange. There is the more frequent foxlike smirk of his, the shifting of his reiatsu around specific people to make them afraid of him, hmm... also he it was about that time that he kept a longer distance between himself and Matsumoto." He folded the thumb of the right hand.

"Seven: The hug...". Enough said. His thoughts on that matter where too jumbled anyways, he needed to focus. Closing the forefinger, he muttered further into the dead night. "Eight: Kuchiki's execution and Ichigo's barging in." He gave a small chuckle. The teen did poke a hole into the oh so unbreakable barrier that encircled Seireitei. The middle finger went down.

"Nine: Gin did everything to seem suspicious to anyone. Maybe a bit too suspicious. Then again, no one really likes him. I'm probably the only one who noticed it was a bit too real." Rig finger went down.

"Ten:...If i were to assume all of this is a double act, it would mean that Gin did all this to get close to Aizen and strike from the inside. He probably knows much more about the cursed zanpakuto of his then any of us. But if it's not..." His voice trailed away. He knew deep down that he hoped the double act was the truth. He didn't want the man to be a real traitor. Gin was just too smart for his own good. He wasn't that much of an idiot to fall for that monster's words. Double act was the only explanation.

Was this his logic talking or his heart?

"Ugh!" He buried his hands in his snowy hair once more, curling into a ball against the cold stone. The throbbing of his wound had intensified during his little thinking time. The bandages were nearly soaked whole in his blood, which was slowly dripping on the floor.

Refusing the healing had been a very bad idea.
Was it childish? Gin would probably say that.

Sighing audibly, he unclasped his hands from his halo of hair and started clumsily unwrapping himself. Maybe re-bandaging a bit more accurately would help. He was a child genius, true, but bandaging, along with other skills, like cooking for example, was beyond him.

He was halfway to fully exposing the wound to the air when his ears perked up. He stood up slowly, ignoring the stabbing pain and looked ahead. The alley was empty and a soft wind was blowing from that direction, gently playing with his hair. It was a nice feeling, peaceful.

Toshiro slowly closed his kimono right over the half bandaged gash and held tightly, trying to calm his breathing. His teal eyes were fixated on one spot straight ahead.

Seconds passed. The boy held his breath. He nearly choked on very air when a figure suddenly appeared, dressed in all white, a light teal sash being the only color standing out tied loosely around his hips, hanging low.

The usual grin that everyone, even Toshiro associated with the man was gone. He couldn't read him, at all.

As pale teal eyes revealed themselves, Hitsugaya Toshiro gasped.

So I didn't imagine it after all…The night Aizen cut me, it was not my imagination.

Not that the little revelation helped him in any way.

Ichimaru Gin was here. As an enemy. Toshiro was wounded, in a dark alley far away from any other shinigami that came with him.

Keep your cool...

Adjusting his haori with both hands in a nonchalant manner, as if there was no deep bloody slash that nearly ripped his upper half in two, he fixed the man with a cold stare. Maybe it was finally time to get some answers. Or…the man had come to finish him off.

"Ichimaru Gin." His voice didn't waver or crack. Good. There was no need to show weakness. "What are you doing here?"

The man didn't grin.

His eyes were boring right into his very soul. They were livid. Unable to hold his gaze, the boy looked down.

Then he noticed the small pool of blood he had gathered right under his feet.

"Oh crap..."

It was a bit too long so I decided to make Day 2 a two chapter thing. Hope whoever reads this, enjoys.

If there are typos (I do reread what i write, but one can miss a few things, right?) tell me please? o.o I really want to have clean stories.