CHAPTER 25: THE RESCUE BEGINS

Where am I? Tayomi was completely bewildered as she turned her head, wondering who the voice came from. She turned to see a grinning man with silver hair smiling at her. That freaky smile could only come from one person. Startled, she attempted to move, but her legs and hands were tied together. She struggled as Ichimaru took a step back and allowed Aizen to walk forward. Aizen was smiling at her, his smile full of its usual sacarsm. Tayomi glared at him, her eyes burning with fury. She demanded to know where she was and Aizen replied discreetly, telling her she was in Las Noches, in Hueco Mundo. Her eyes widened, once she realised that she was in the home ground of the many hollows that existed and saw in her textbook from her school days.

"It seems that even Shinigami like you can fall prey to the simplest things…" Aizen smirked. "Apparently, Tayomi-chan cannot hold her liquor very well…"

"Shut up Aizen…" Tayomi snapped. "Why have you brought me here? Are you that afraid of me? Do you think I'm so big a threat that since you can't kill me, you have to lock me up in this strange place?"

"Smart girl, you're half right…" Aizen smiled.

"Then what's the other reason?" Tayomi demanded.

Hitsugaya and the other Captains had been called up bright and early in the morning for a Captains' meeting. Hitsugaya yawned sleepily, wondering what the issue was. Usually, a Captains' meeting was called for only if there was an emergency. Ever since Yammy's defeat, Aizen had not made his move. Soul Society had been rather peaceful, besides the usual appearances of hollows in the various districts in Rukongai. Speaking of Rukongai, Hitsugaya realised that he had not told his grandmother the good news regarding Tayomi and his relationship, including the fact that they were attached. His grandmother would be delighted to hear such news, since she adored Tayomi and hoped he would be attached to her. It was perfectly normal for him to bring his girlfriend home to inform his grandmother of their relationship anyway. It would have been a lot easier to carry out, if she was not angry at him. Sighing, he knew that the only thing he could do was give her time and wait for her to cool down, before explaining things to her. He looked around the room and instantly noticed that something was wrong. Tayomi was not here. She was never late for meetings. The other Captains seemed to notice it as well.

Just then, Captain-commander Yamamoto entered the room, with Lieutenant Sakasibe trailing behind him. Yamamoto had a stern expression on his face, as he stood before the Captains and ordered Sakasibe to play the video for them. Sakasibe nodded and showed the Captains a very shocking video from Aizen. Aizen and Ichimaru were smiling at the camera, before stepping back to reveal Tayomi lying on the ground, clearly knocked out and unconscious. Her eyes opened slightly, but she kept slipping in and out of consciousness. Hitsugaya gasped in utter shock. Aizen had kidnapped her! He clenched his fists in sheer anger, ready to storm off and kill Aizen. He had sworn to kill whoever dared to try something funny with Tayomi or harm her. Ukitake looked at Hitsugaya with a worried expression, hoping that he would not flare up in the middle of the Captains' meeting. Yamamoto ordered for a Captain to rescue her, as Tayomi held a very important position in the Gotei 13 and her strength would be crucial in the battle against Aizen. Tayomi was a prodigy, an outstanding Shinigami. Losing her would weaken the Gotei 13's strength and Yamamoto could not afford to let it happen. Even so, he knew that if he did not give such an order, a few of the Captains would gather and race off to save Tayomi. Hitsugaya immediately volunteered to go to Hueco Mundo and retrieve Tayomi. Yamamoto nodded and ordered him to set off right away.

"The other reason…" Aizen smiled before pausing.

Tayomi held her breath, wondering what it was. Her whole world was messed up and spinning with her problems. Her hangover aggravated the whole situation. Aizen and Gin appeared as fuzzy images, sometimes she could see two images of them, running in and out of their bodies. She was curious about what Aizen could possibly want with her, but at the same time, she knew that sometimes, it never paid to be curious. Right now, the only few thoughts running through her mind was related to Aizen, Ichimaru, the Gotei 13 and Hitsugaya. Surely, they would have noticed that she was gone. In a subconscious state of mind, she saw Aizen taping her and mentioning to Ichimaru that he would send it to Soul Society. If Soul Society knew she was here, they would either leave her here or send someone to save her. She definitely hoped they chose the latter option.

"It's because…" Aizen got up close to her, in her face, trapping her on the ground. "Ever since my last visit to Soul Society, I have taken a great interest in you."

"Aizen…" She glared at him fiercely. "You're…a sickening… paedophile…"

Tayomi's eyes shot open in shock as Aizen bent down and kissed her lips. It felt absolutely disgusting, revolting and perturbing. She tried to resist, but her body was totally drained of energy. Aizen stroked her cheeks before smiling at her. Tayomi, using her hands which were tied together in front of her body, wiped her lips violently, trying to get Aizen's kiss off her lips. Aizen and Ichimaru left the room, leaving her lying on the floor, completely stunned and horrified. Tayomi blinked twice, hoping that it was just a nightmare and that Aizen's words and actions were just an illusion. Darn it… It's not a nightmare… It's actually reality! Clenching her fists, she could only hope that somehow, her hangover would end quickly and she would attempt to escape. Unfortunately, she was well-aware that her hangover would never last for such a short time.

Rolling onto her side, she stared at the white ground. It had a very strange smell. In fact, it smelled just like sake. Groaning, she suddenly realised that the floor was rather damp. Though she was dizzy, she could easily conclude that something had been done to the room on purpose. The whole room was stained with the smell of sake, which was strong enough to keep her weaving in and out of consciousness for a period of time. The smell of sake could affect her as well and judging by Aizen's intellect, it would be quite simple to figure out that it played an effect on her. Sighing, she knew that she would be stuck in the white prison for a considerably long time, until the smell wore off. With her hands and feet tied together, her movement was restricted and she was unable to move around. Lying on the ground was extremely boring and the fact that she was experiencing a hangover would make the boredom excruciatingly uncomfortable.

Her thoughts wandered off, as she entertained herself with her own mind. She was completely angered by the fact that Aizen had actually dared to hit on her. Well, she was vulnerable when she was drunk, but that was not the point. Their difference in height and age was so great. Aizen could practically be her grandfather, ignoring the fact that he still looked young and including the fact that he was much older than her. Aizen was hideous in her eyes, the most revolting man she had ever seen. He had a rotten heart, he killed innocent people at whim, he made use of his subordinates, he betrayed his colleagues and there simply was not anything positive about him.

She began thinking about the events that took place right before she woke up in this room. She had gotten into a major argument with Hitsugaya regarding Hinamori and him. Inside, she really wished that she had not seen it at all and she wished she could pretend that she never saw anything, but she knew she simply could not. He had betrayed her and to think she had been fooled for so many years. She secretly wished that it was not true and that there was a hidden misunderstanding, but it had happened right in front of her eyes. She trusted her eyes and knew that as much as she loved to deny it, Hitsugaya loved Hinamori and not her. Then, why? Why did he kiss her on that night, when they graduated? Why did he hug her so tightly and confessed his feelings for her on the day she returned? Why had he treated her so nicely during their beginning years in the Gotei 13? Her mind was so messed up right now and her heart was confused. More than ever, she wanted to return to Soul Society and stop herself from dragging her soul into such turmoil.

Hitsugaya slumped down in his chair and sighed, running his fingers through his hair and looking nothing but troubled. She had been kidnapped by Aizen. There was no way that he could stop worrying about her. He had failed to protect her again and he swore to himself that he would get her back alive. Full of anger, he was very tempted to kill Aizen on sight, but Yamamoto's orders were the rules and he had been ordered to return to Soul Society once he found Tayomi. Fighting Aizen could wait, but saving Tayomi would be their top priority. Hitsugaya could not help but agree and decided to wait for Tayomi to return safely before they settled their score with Aizen. Gripping his Zanpakutou and thoughts of her flowing through his mind, he gathered his usual team for a briefing.

Matsumoto, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Renji gathered in his office, all aware of the news of Tayomi's kidnap. Matsumoto sighed, worried about how her Captain was taking it. She knew that the last thing he wanted was to lose her all over again, because of Aizen. Hitsugaya announced that they would set off immediately for Las Noches, right away. They took a trip down to the 12th Division's barracks and asked Mayuri to open the Garganta for them. Mayuri's lab was filled with the usual, strange objects and Nemu was around, helping out in his experiments. With a freaky smile all over his face, he opened the Garganta for them and Hitsugaya and his team jumped right in, running towards Hueco Mundo. As he ran, memories of himself with Tayomi flooded his mind, further motivating him to save her as quickly as possible.

Hang in there…I'm coming for you... I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, because I'll still protect you always.

Author's note:

Alright, we're going to Hueco Mundo and Hitsugaya and his team are gonna save her! :D As much as I hate the idea of her becoming a 'damsel-in-distress' character, everyone needs some saving sometimes and it's just that sort of moment for her right now. After that experience, I'm sure Tayomi's never ever going near sake again ^.^ And she's still perfectly capable of protecting herself... That is, as long she isn't near sake. If Aizen brings it to the battlefield (which sounds quite funny, actually!), she'll find some way to block it out :D
Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! Thanks! :D