#I cut a lot of content | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

suchine-toki · 2 years ago

Note

Hey can i ask u something? I just finished rereading gintama again and read the final chapter, and kinda stumbled to ur blog. Do you think in the end Takasugi kind of ressuracted, reincarnated, or not? It's really bothering me since he is my fav character and besides lackness that i felt towards his story, his 'death' chapter was delivered... so great, and i dont think ressuraction was needed:( isnt that mean he becomes immortal, again?

Hello! Thank you very much for your question. Sorry for the late reply, I didn't see your message because I was on hiatus due to the end of Gintama lmao

I consider the death scene very beautiful, and it shows that there was a lot of love behind it. In fact, Sorachi himself admitted that he cried while he was drawing it (didn't we all?). However, I think when Takasugi's death is judged only by the scene itself and not also by the context, you miss the forest for the trees. (I previously talked about his death in this post.)

Other people and I have discussed the ending as such, so I’ll now address the circumstances surrounding the end of Gintama before delving into Takasugi’s possible resurrection. I'll try to analyze what happened from other angles, including information both inside and outside of the series, like the fanbook released some time ago.

The prolongued ending

Damn Manabe you could've done a better job. And I blame you for all the Utsuro crap, even if it wasn't your idea, you should've stopped it!

Weekly Shōnen Jump, where Gintama was published, has a system in which it’s announced half a year in advance when a series is about to end, to give it a conclusion in that time. Nevertheless, Sorachi exceeded this deadline, and for three years was unable to finish the series. Faced with this, they moved it to Jump Giga, where he would’ve three extra chapters with more pages and more time as it was a monthly publication. But once again he was unable to finish it and ended up concluding it through the Gintama App.

Even though at the time we all laughed at it, in hindsight the series did suffer from this. Especially if we consider that Sorachi's intention was to defeat Utsuro in Weekly Shōnen Jump and then use the other magazine just to have an epilogue. Even in the last chapter uploaded to the application they made him cut four pages. This denotes that it was a turbulent period, and the end was extremely hasty.

I think what happened in the end was Sorachi's attempt to squeeze ideas into a short amount of time. Takasugi and Zura weren’t present to defeat Utsuro, despite foreshadowing it. Thus, because he didn’t pay enough attention to the relationship between the members of the Shouka Sonjuku, the second part of Silver Soul arc emerged, in which Utsuro/Shouyo was revived and there was a greater focus on the connection between Takasugi and Gintoki. I explain this to emphasize that there wasn’t enough planning to properly develop and conclude what happened to Takasugi.

Takasugi's fate

The last page of the manga referring to what happened to Takasugi strongly suggests that he revived, due to the presence of a newborn baby in one of the dragon holes (places where altana veins sprout), along with dialogue from Sakamoto expressing, essentially, the high probability that Shouyo intervened to save him from death when his corpse was sucked into the terminal’s altana.

However, in the fanbook, a page is dedicated to what happened to Takasugi. Sorachi is frank, revealing he intentionally left it vague to avoid giving a clear answer that might disappoint fans. Also, once again he alludes to the fact that he didn't have more pages to delve into what happened, so he opted to just put more jokes, thinking that was enough.

In said fanbook, Sorachi chats with his former editors about various topics, including Takasugi's death, which he repeatedly avoids talking about. He says it's weird having to explain everything. Nonetheless, the others insist with questions. Among the most important things to salvage, he clarifies Takasugi’d already been sort of dead when he lost Shouyo, and he was just looking for a way to die. He also indicates he doesn't consider that Takasugi needed to be saved because he already was. Instead, he was going for the image of saving the Kiheitai beyond whether or not the baby was Takasugi. This gives me the impression that Sorachi didn’t actually plan to revive him.

I fundamentally disagree with the above point of view. Although I'm not a fan of resurrections, I think his rebirth would make sense, given that it's an element already introduced in the series. Also, I believe it's necessary because it didn't make sense to kill him in the first place, both for consistency on a character level and on a series level.

Now, regarding his possible immortality, I really wish he isn’t. Since it was never explained how that or the altana worked, I can't say for sure. But, considering the dialogue of the master protecting his disciples, it wouldn’t be logical for Shouyo to sentence Takasugi to live an immortal life. What would make the most sense is for Takasugi to live in a normal body with his own memories, experiencing both suffering and happiness, just like everyone else.

Regarding his growth as a normal human or abnormally by the altana, it’s even more difficult to discern. I think if he kept his memories, it would make sense for him to grow at an accelerated rate just like Shouyo, until the altana runs out at some point.

Deliverance from sin?

Goddammit Manabe it's all your fault!

Since the concept is used on several occasions, I would like to comment on what is meant by “salvation”, a term closely related to religious beliefs. The perspective I’ll take in this part is that of Shinto and Buddhism, the predominant and deeply connected religions of Japan.

In both cases, the most common path after death is reincarnation. In Shinto, the concept of salvation is based upon the belief that all living things have an essence, soul, or spirit known as kami. This lives among us rather than in Heaven or Hell. Buddhists believe in reincarnation after death, known as rebirth. Depending on the actions a person has done during their life (karma), they’re more or less likely to be reborn as a lower or higher being. If one has a multitude of good actions, one is likely to be reborn as a human.

In Buddhism, anyone who understands Buddha's teachings can attain salvation. This includes the understanding that since suffering is a part of life, one must find ways to overcome it. In this regard, I don’t consider that Takasugi has been “saved” in the more traditional sense of the word, quite the contrary. As referenced, the true way to find salvation isn’t to die to stop suffering, but to continue living despite it, as Gintoki has shown.

From now on

Sorachi explains he’s aware that the people who liked Takasugi aren’t as happy with how he ended up, and hints he knows the ending could’ve been better. This, coupled with the fact that he's been inactive for so long after Gintama ended (despite declaring his intentions to start another series) makes me think there might be more Gintama content in the future.

Could it be wishful thinking? Absolutely. But it’s true that Sorachi is interested in making money, and what better than to return to his star series with a question that interests many fans? Maybe it's something he didn't plan on doing. Do I take it? Without a second thought.

The next Gintama festival will take place on March 19, 2023. Perhaps nothing will happen. But hope is the last thing that dies. Being a successful franchise, I think it's very likely that in the near or distant future they’ll release more material showing what happened to Takasugi.

TL;DR: I think it would be more consistent with the character and the series for him to be resurrected, keeping his memories, possibly growth-accelerated by the altana until it finally fades from his body. This would allow him to keep a mortal body. But no one can say for sure what will happen.

#Gintama #Takasugi Shinsuke #Sakata Gintoki #Yoshida Shouyo #Utsuro #Hideaki Sorachi #Ask #Analysis #Text #my post #I cut a lot of content #I kept repeating myself JUST GET TO THE DAMN POINT lmao #although I still deviated a bit (｀-_ゝ-)#but I think it was relevant to say it #I hope this gives more insight on the matter #Thanks for reading!

18 notes · View notes

rays-of-fire-and-ice · 3 months ago

Text

An Unwavering Light - Chapter 2

Rating: T/Teen for violence (in this chapter) and mature themes, including ones about trauma and depression.

Setting: begins before the confrontation with Aizen and co. in Fake Karakura Town arc, and goes from there to the Thousand Year Blood War arc. This chapter takes place during the events of the manga from chapters 334-391.

Music to listen to: Recollection I (YT | Spotify), In Remembrance by Evan Call (YT | Spotify), Ceremony Commences by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), 1130 TYBW full of guitars by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nothing Can be Explained Instrumental by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify), Nightmare by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify) Invasion by Shiro Sagisu (YT | Spotify)

Fic synopsis: During the confrontation against Aizen, the unthinkable happens. For Hitsugaya, a vow is broken, and for Hinamori, her future is unknown. With everything in shambles, how can they piece their lives back together? Or their bond?

Chapter synopsis: Hitsugaya loses his focus after Hinamori's sudden appearance on the battlefield and he finds himself turning his attention to the man who started all of this. Hinamori sets out to prove why she is worthy of being the lieutenant of the Fifth Division.

AN: A warning that this chapter is particularly violent, with mentions of severe injuries, including self-inflicted (only for Halibel's fraccion if you remember how Ayon comes into being).

Other than that, this chapter feels like I'm going 'look at all the missing scenes!'. I didn't want this to be a complete a play-by-play for the whole battle (and for the moments I did, I simply to did it either to show another perspective or look deeper into how the character may have felt in that moment), so I found moments where I thought something may have happened. We're only moments away from the pain that is chapter 392/episode 293 ;_;

Hope you all enjoy this!

Disclaimer: BLEACH and it’s character’s belong to Tite Kubo.

<< Prev chapter || Chapter Index || Next chapter >>

___________________________________

The crescent moon shone overhead against a starless sky.

Hitsugaya shielded his eyes to make it out. He’d never seen a moon so sharp and bright. Somehow, though, he knows he’ll eventually grow accustomed to it. That it will become as natural to him as the sun and moon in the real world.

Hello, Master.

The booming voice didn’t startle him. He lowered head and hand, but was slow to turn to the towering dragon behind him. Unlike the last few times, the creature doesn’t bring icy gusts of wind or crashing snow with his arrival.

“It’s you again,” is all Hitsugaya could say. He was not in awe or fearful, only confused. What was this creature? Did he have anything to do with the spiritual potential that woman mentioned? “I can understand what you’re saying this time.”

Do you know my name? he asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head.

The dragon lowered his head rather sullenly. You will hear it in time.

"You haven't told me what it is," he said.

I have tried, but you cannot hear it.

Hitsugaya didn't understand how that was possible. Rather than question the dragon, he stared at the ice beneath his bare feet. It’s cold, but it does not freeze him. A landscape like this should have him shivering at the very least, but it’s surprisingly not unpleasant. If anything, it felt liked he belonged here.

The idea made him frown. “What is this place?”

Your inner world. It is where all your potential and power resides, the dragon said.

“And why did you bring me here? Why are you in my dreams?”

You called out to me.

Hitsugaya raised his head. “What do you mean? I never did that.”

You did it without realising. I hear things you cannot. For years now, you have been calling out to me, and I heeded.

“No, you were trying to hurt Baa-chan,” Hitsugaya accused. “Why?”

I did not. That was a result of you not having control of your abilities. I had hoped you would hear my name, and in doing so, harness the power within you. The dragon gave a growling huff – a sigh, perhaps. However, despite the power you have, you are still a child, after all.

Hitsugaya bit back a barrage of arguments, knowing it would get him nowhere. He was also perplexed at the range of emotions this dragon was showing. Before he’d been stoic, but just now he’d sounded disappointed. Still, there’s a patience about him, a willingness to listen to him even when he knew it would get him nowhere. In a small way, it reminds him of the patience of his Granny.

He stared down at his hands. This power the dragon spoke of, did it come from them? If he directed his hands in certain ways, like how Hianamori did when she practiced those weird gestures on her breaks from the Academy, would it he be able to control it?

Without realising, he found his mind shifting, as if focusing on a sense. But this was nothing like the senses he knew. He didn’t see, smell, taste, hear, or physically feel anything. It was a sense beyond those, one that encompassed his mind. It picked up a presence in the land around him and the towering dragon before him. It radiated in icy, invisible waves. It’s immense, so much so Hitsugaya winced as he tried to break out of whatever this was.

With a yelp, he freed himself, but it sent him stumbling back and barely catching himself before he could fall on his backside.

“W-What was that?’ he murmured to himself.

You sensed the power within you. That is only the surface, like what you see immediately here.

He looked around again and noticed for the first time just how vast the icy plain was. It extended beyond what his eye can see, continuing past the horizon into darkness. Frozen trees and hills far as the eye could see, lit only by a small crescent moon.

Hitsugaya shook his head. “What’s my power?”

You will learn that in time. First, you must train. Then, you must learn my name. The more the learn about your abilities and mine, the better control you will have.

“And Baa-chan will never be hurt again?”

No, my power will be for you and you alone to wield.

Shinigami were supposed to use their spiritual powers to protect Souls and Humans from harm caused by Hollows. He’d seen, however, that Shinigami are not the revered figures most children saw them as. Like any adult, they have faults. Like any adult, they could disappoint you.

He raised his hands again, looking at the backs before rotating them to face the palms up. What things could he do with these powers? The same as other Shinigami? He never wanted to become a Shinigami, but it seemed he had no choice. If he stayed in the Junrinan, he would never learn how to control the cold that had nearly killed Granny. And Hinamori would be there at the Academy, at least. He tried to ignore the slight glee that came with that thought.

“How do I learn your name?”

____________________________

When Hitsugaya woke this morning, before the sun had risen and all of his officers were still asleep, he thought about seeing Hinamori. Try as might, he couldn’t dismiss the idea as he changed into his uniform, attended the emergency meeting, or ate a small breakfast, appetite lost at the thought of who he would be facing. Even after Rangiku joined him in the few hours they had left before the battle, he thought to ask his lieutenant to take a detour with him to Fifth Division before they met up with the other captains and lieutenants.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t. He needed to focus on what lay ahead for them. They weren’t just engaging Aizen in battle, but the Arrancars. He’d trained in the spare time he had to ensure he was better prepared than he had been in the World of the Living.

Hitsugaya would cross swords with Aizen, he would see to it that it happens. Because he would not cut him down out of malice or hatred. He would defeat him for the vow he'd made years ago, and for Soul Society as part of his duties as a captain of the Gotei Thirteen. He had earned the title fairly and without agenda, Aizen had not. He would stand as an example of what captain should be, and against everything Aizen is and believed in.

He would go to this battle as a captain, and return ready to help Hinamori through whatever came next.

Yet, as he and Rangiku had made their way to the Senkaimon, he’d extended his senses to detect Hinamori’s reiatsu. It was stable, much stronger than he thought it would be. He couldn’t help but let out a small, relieved breath. She’ll be safe here, he thought, they can’t get to her here.

It’s why the pulse of her reiatsu is a shock to the system. For a fraction of a second, he thinks he’d imagined it, but it’s stable and remains in the periphery of his sense. He hesitates mid battle, almost earning him a slash from the blonde Espada. He doesn’t have time to look around as Hyourinmaru clashes with her sword.

The Espada holds him there, matching his strength. “Your spiritual pressure was spiked for a moment.”

He keeps his expression neutral. Was this a tactic to catch him off guard? “What are you on about?"

Her gaze narrows a fraction. “What happened?”

He matches it. “I don’t know what you're walking about.”

He releases a flurry of ice, which she lunges away from with ease. At least it put distance between them. More than being perturbed by his opponent’s observations, his chest constricts at sensing Hinamori’s reiatsu is still in the area.

Hinamori…

She’s somewhere behind him, next to Rangiku. She was likely the source of that fiery explosion before that helped his lieutenant against The Espada’s fraccion. Just as he noticed this morning, her reiatsu is steady and strong, perhaps the best it’s ever been. Yet he is reminded of the last time he’d seen her.

Please save Captain Aizen!

He lets out a shuddering, quiet exhale through his parted lips. Why did you have to come?

What’s going on in her mind? More importantly – the very next thought makes his stomach churn and anger roil up at himself for even thinking such a thing – was she here for the Soul Society or for Aizen?

His opponent comes in for another strike, and he’s forced to forget about Hinamori for the time being. If she’s with Rangiku, she should be safe.

___________________________

It’s had been simpler to find the battle than Hinamori thought. It was simpler still to rush around undetected, setting up an invisible kido net that used a combination of the spells around Rangiku and attaching it to her lieutenant’s badge. It’s one of the many combinations she’d come up with while researching and reciting kido chants in her room. Depending on how they faired after this one, she may need to use another. As Genji had said, these opponents are far stronger than any they’d faced, she can sense it from the reiatsu that emanates from them.

Even as she stared down these opponents a few minutes ago, Hinamori couldn’t help but notice Rangiku’s worry in her peripheral. This is why she came here: to prove to her and everyone else she was no longer Aizen’s subordinate. She was the lieutenant of Fifth Division, and she would fight alongside them.

Around them, her fire now extinguishes to smoke. She pants for a couple breaths and a sweat has broken out on her face and arms from exertion and nerves. She inwardly chastises herself for the latter. She has been in many battles, some of which have had months long gaps between them. Why should this one be any different?

“Are you okay, Hinamori?”

“Yes.” She drops a hand from Tobiume’s hilt and turns to look at her fellow lieutenant. She musters up a smile – albeit an rueful one. “I apologise, Rangiku-san. That’s the first time I’ve ever used that king of kido combination.”

Rangiku smiles faintly. “Don't apologise. It was impressive.” She briefly glances at the slowly dissipating smoke around them. “That was Fushibi, right? I’ve never seen it so finely spread out before.”

Hinamori can’t help but embrace the tiny swell of pride cause by Rangiku’s words. She lifts her other hand from Tobiume and gently massages it with the other. “Well…I blended Fushibi with Shakkago. After that, I cloaked them with Kyokko and stretched it out like a net.”

Most of the smoke has dissipated, and she casts her gaze to the horizon. It’s one of the few places where she didn’t see a battle occurring. “I must admit, it was hard to do all of that under these conditions but…” She returns her small smile to Rangiku. “I’m glad it worked.”

At Rangiku’s widening smile, Hinamori dares to hope. Finally, one of her friends’ worry had vanished. She’d proven she didn’t need worry or concern. She can fight alongside Rangiku and the others. Now, she needs to confront –

One of the few plumes of remaining smoke shifts strangely. Then, not even a second after, “Thrust, Cierva!!”

The other two also emerge from the smoke, calling out what sounded like releases for their weapons.

Hinamori’s heart races. “What?!”

She takes in their changed appearance – one has become half humanoid half serpent, the middle one has horns, and the last one had a yellow mane coming from coming from a headpiece. But above all, they looked unharmed.

She shakes her head. “I knew it wouldn’t affected severely affect, but there’s unscathed!”

“They regenerate when they perform their resurrection,” Rangiku explains. “It's their most powerful attack."

So surprised by this revelation, Hinamori doesn’t pay attention to what her opponents say to each other. Both she Rangiku raise their blades, ready for their next attack.

For Hollows, Hinamori had a knack for being able to tell what sort of attacks they will likely use. There was usually a tell, perhaps in something unique about their appearance or in the way they moved across the battlefield. With these three, she has no idea. They’re a species she’s not confronted until now. She wishes she got more intel about them before coming here.

Then, without warning, all three Arrancar each violently rip one of their own arms off. Both she and Rangiku can only gasp in horror, and watch as they throw their limbs into the middle of their semicircle, where they knot over one another, then twirl and becoming a thick cloud of white smoke.

It expands, becoming monolithic and taking the shape of something inhuman.

“Wh-What is that?!” Rangiku stammers.

But Hinamori cannot reply. She has lost her voice, and all she sees is darkness. A strange terror has her in its clutches, one that sends ripples of cold through her and drags her closer and closer to the beast’s eyes that are as black as bottomless pits.

___________________________

A new presence has joined the battlefield. One which gives Hitsugaya pause. He’s never felt anything like it; a dark abyss of energy, one that threatens to suck in anything near it.

He doesn’t chance a glimpse in the direction of the reiatsu, focusing on the Espada as she lunges forward with a particularly hard strike. He deflects it with a grunt, sending her sword off to the right. He takes the chance to stab at her side, but she spins out of the way and comes for his side instead. He twists and blocks the attack, but it leads to them clashing swords again.

Neither budge, pushing their strength and weight into their weapons. There’s faint tremor in his limbs which he pointedly ignores. However, there’s something about the Esapda’s posture too, it’s a fraction more ridged than it should be. He hasn’t been much of a struggle for her up to this point, and surely crossing swords like this was not a challenge for her. Is she affected by this dark presence too?

“What is that thing?” he demands. “It’s come from your fraccion.”

Halibel considers for a moment, simply returning his glare. “It’s none of your concern.”

Before she can notice, he lands a kick in her sternum, sending her skidding back. The beginnings of Hyourinmaru's Shikai are on his lips, ready to use the chain to –

Rangiku’s reiatsu violently spikes up

He freezes, eyes widening at the shock of it. She’s severely hurt, bordering fatally. Matsumoto!

Faintly, he hears someone else scream her name. With a grunt, he realises it’s Hinamori. What’s happening? He needs to --!

The Espada is suddenly in front of him. Her slash at him sends him barrelling backwards, his feet in the air until he forces them to the ground to skid him to a stop. Heart pounding and a bead of sweat falling down his temple, he struggles to return his focus to his opponent. He goes on the defensive against the Espada while he senses what’s happening with the lieutenants.

Rangiku’s is falling, and so Hinamori. Judging from her stable reiatsu though, Hinamori isn’t injured. Again, she calls out his lieutenant’s name. Then, they come to a stop, and as he dodges a strike from Halibel, he sees below them and off to the far right a blur of blue -- some kind of kido net, he can’t tell which – and two figures in the middle.

He barely has time to feel an iota of relief. Not because of the Espada’s attacks sending him away from the view within seconds, but because that dark presence suddenly appears in front of Hinamori’s reiatsu. Only two seconds later, it strikes her.

The impact on her reiatsu is as sudden as Rangiku. She’s gone into shock, and her injures are almost as severe as his lieutenant’s. She’s being propelled backwards.

He almost falls back and drops out of the sky. Hinamori! No!

He quickly straightens and looks back in the direction of the lieutenants. He can’t see them anymore, but there’s the source of the powerful reiatsu. A giant creature stands in the air above the city building, looking like a Huge Hollow but having the height of a Menos.

That all too familiar violent anger boils up in the pit of his stomach. He goes to flash-step to Rangiku and Hinamori, ready to freeze whatever this vile creature was to the bone.

A stab from the Espada stops him. The point of her sword comes dangerously close to his temple, and he barely manages to evade it. Strands of his hair are off, flying into the air.

"Pay attention," she reprimands despite her flat tone. "Their battle is not yours."

Hisagi and Izuru’s reiatsu suddenly appear next to Hinamori’s. The creature hasn’t moved, keeping it’s distance from Hinamori but still far too close to Rangiku.

Can he leave it to them? Does he really have a choice? His opponent won’t let him leave their fight, and he can’t let her attack someone else. With that in mind, it pains him to return his full attention to the Espada.

___________________________

Hinamori can barely breathe. There’s a wheezing sound coming out of her mouth as she tries to get air into her punctured lung. She tries to ignore the coppery taste on her tongue and she’s distantly aware that Hisagi is battling Ayon, but she only keeps her hazy gaze on Rangiku.

Izuru has his back to her, bent over their fellow lieutenant as he heals her. Sweat drips down his face and arms, and his brow and lips are drawn down in concentration. The green-blue kido emanating from his hands stands in stark contract to Rangiku’s paling skin and the light blue of the Tozansho’s prism.

Rangiku’s bones and organs slowly heal, while her flesh knits over itself smoothly and quickly. It’s evident Izuru hasn’t performed this kido in years; the spell is supposed to heal both internal and external injuries at the same pace, but an inexperienced or rusty user ends up repairing one part quicker than the other. Still, it's beneficial, better than her bleeding out.

Without warning, Izuru goes rigid and twists to the looming threat approaching them with booming steps. Hinamori forgets to breathe. Where is Hisagi? Had he been defeated by Ayon?

“H-He’s coming!” Izuru says, more to himself. “I’m almost finished, I just need a little more time.”

The kido beneath his palms stutters out for a moment. Hinamori is about to call out to him, when a hole of blood appears in Ayon’s chest. When she notices the Captain-Commander, she doesn’t know whether to be scared or relieved.

Izuru stumbles over his words in the older man’s presence, who lectures him in return. She loses focus, not able to keep up with what they’re saying. A wave of dizziness and cold suddenly overcomes her. Has she lost too much blood? Or is this from pent up anxiety?

She rests her head against the kido beneath her, but turns her gaze back to Rangiku. She’s still taking shallow breaths, and her shattered ribs and injured organs are sealed over by skin. She’s safe for now, but it won’t be long until she’s back to being on the brink unless Izuru continues to heal her.

“Izuru-kun…” Hinamori rasps out.

She’s not sure if he heard her. A darkness creeps in around the edges of her vision and a fatigue sets into her limbs. Her eyes become hooded, trying to resist closing them all together. Something escapes her lips, but she can’t tell if it’s a slurry words or a just a sound.

Izuru becomes a blocky blur, but he twists around to her. Before she falls into the darkness, there’s a loud, terrifying roar, and as she shuts her eyes, she thinks she hears Izuru say, “I’m going to move you and Matsumoto-san! Hold on, Hinamori-san!”

___________________________

Hitsugaya spins away from another missile of water. It splashes hard into the top of a building, caving in the roof and several floors before pouring out on to the streets.

He stops flapping Hyourinmaru’s wings and flattens them, sending him gliding lower. The Espada is stronger than he anticipated, and he hadn’t understood her battle strategy before. She shoots with waves after wave of water he can easily dodge. However, as he soars over the streets, the collecting waters gave him the idea. She’s waiting for water to build up.

To think he would face an opponent like her. They can wield the same element but in opposite states. Had Aizen brought her here to face him for that very reason? There’s something that feels almost predetermined about their fight he can’t shake off. Nor can he forget how she’d threatened the Captain-Commander.

“I will avenge their deaths.”

He glances over his shoulder. She’s gaining on him, fast. She draws her weapon back, and his eyes widen at the yellow glow that builds up on the blade.

“Cero.” She slices the air, sending the beam in an arc. He flash-steps away, but not quickly enough. One of Hyourinmaru’s wings is cut in half, and he has to quickly find somewhere to land. He goes to the first rooftop he sees and lands on it’s balcony. The railing is slick with water, as are the walls beneath and the power-lines above it.

Another of Hyourinmaru's flower petals breaks apart. Considering the attack he’s come under just now and for how long he’s been in the Bankai state, he’s doing better than he anticipated.

In the back of his mind, something bothers him. Reaching out his senses, he curses under his breath. Izuru and Komamura’s reiatsu are close by – so much so Hitsugaya is confident if he looks over his shoulder right now he would see them be able to clearly make them out from this distance. Next to them are the weaker reiatsu of Hisagi, Rangiku, and Hinamori. He takes what little relief he can that his lieutenant and childhood friend are both safe and no longer on the verge of serious injuries. Still, the way Hinamori’s reiatsu flickers and wanes, is worrisome.

He wills his expression to neutral, but find himself fighting off a deepening frown. The Esapda has her back turned to him still, but she no doubt sense him. Based one how this fight has gone, he’s confident she won’t attack the others; she seems focused on finishing their fight first.

“Your tactics are strange,” he comments, drawing her attention. In his peripheral, Hyourinmaru’s wing regenerates; he needs to stall until it’s completely reformed. “But I have a feeling why that's the case. I'm guessing we're both waiting for the same thing to happen. For this battlefield to fill up with water, allowing either of us to strike a killing blow.”

She says nothing, and her expression remains impassive. Still, it’s all the confirmation he needs to say his theory was right. He’d said to her before one should save their greatest tactics for the greatest moments of crisis. Given who is not too far away from them and how the battles around him were going, he needs to help shift the tides in the Soul Society’s favour. Given her strength, there’s only one ability he had that can vanquish her at this point. What if it affected the others somehow? He's never --

"Are you concerned for them?"

He grunts, returning his gaze to her. "What?"

"Your allies just over there, are you concerned for them?"

At his lack of an answer, her expression briefly breaks into something reflective. "Right now, you have a choice to either sacrifice them or make yourself a sacrifice to save them. Regardless of what you choose, either you or they will carry the moment you made a choice forever." She raises her weapon, once again becoming stoic. "Choose carefully."

What was this? Is she trying to unnerve or goad him? He shakes it off, choosing to see this as a threat to those behind him.

“Fine. There’s no use both of us waiting.” He raises Hyourinmaru, and more to himself than his opponent, he says, “I’ve never tried this while in Bankai, but you leave me no choice."

“What are you talking about?”

Hyourinmaru’s wing is almost regenerated. He doesn’t have to stall her for much longer. “To tell you the truth , I don't need to wait for water to gather. Hyourinmaru is the ultimate ice-type zanpakuto.” He fully faces her and grips his zanpakuto with both hands. “All water is my weapon.”

The Espada lets out a quiet, startled sound and her eyes widen at the sky as what he meant dawns on her. The clouds darken and rapidly gather above them, blocking out the sun for half of the battlefield.

With Hyourinmaru’s wing back to its full form, he launches himself from the railing and shoots back into the air, coming to level with her. “The whole sky is under my control.”

“What is this?”

It’s most emotive she’s sounded. He thinks to just initiate the attack and not tell her; given the circumstance, it might the smartest strategy to use. However, he finds himself uncomfortable with the idea.

He goes on to explain his abilities to her, and she only listens, not moving to strike him when she has every opportunity to do so. Is she accepting her fate?

When he comes to the end of his explanation, he pauses. He was not blood thirty or a lover of fighting like Kenpachi, but she’s been a worthy opponent, the strongest he’s faced in decades. Then there was her threat to Captain-Commander that won't leave his mind…

“What is your name, Esapda?”

As if his words take her out of a daze, she schools her expression to impassive again and looks down at him. “I'm Espada Tres, Harribel Tier.”

“I’m Captain for the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro.” He raises his blade. “Are you ready?”

___________________________

Both Hinamori and Izuru watch as the clouds part and form a circle above the Espada. The that snow descends in a cascading rush through the hole makes both of them gasp. It’s so glaringly white, she has to squint to still see Hitsugaya and his opponent, who goes to make an attack against his. It’s useless; the magnitude of the avalanche is something no one can fight off.

“I-Incredible,” Izuru murmurs, stunned. “What…What is that ability?!”

“Whatever it was, he risked much doing it this close to us,” Sajin comments, failing to keep the alarmed tone out of his voice. “But then, he didn’t have much of a choice.”

Within seconds, the snow rapidly transforms into a tower of spiky ice. It resembles a pillar of flowers, piled on top of one another as though growing from hundred of vines snaked around a column. The Espada is nowhere to be seen, likely trapped within the ice.

The clouds begin to thin and the sun returns, but Hinamori frowns when she notices Hitsugaya hasn’t moved away. He remains close to the ice tower, zanpakuto lowered. Is he gazing into the ice to check his opponent is there?

Eventually, he turns, lingers for several more seconds, then flies off. He's heading towards them. For a moment, she wonders if he’s coming to check up on them. However, he angles himself higher into the sky and passes them overhead. She loses sight of him and she can't help the tiny pang that pricks at her heart.

“Shiro…can.” She barely realises she’s said the nickname aloud.

It’s been so long since she last saw him, and now she’s only gotten to see him from afar. That will change after this battle is over, she’ll make sure of it. Whether he’s angry at her for coming to battlefield or happy to see her, she’ll find him after all of this and thank him for protecting all them.

A whimper comes from her left. She lolls her head to the side. Rangiku has her eyes shut still and her brow furrowed in pain, but her breathing is normal. Izuru has done the best he can, but Hinamori hopes Fourth Division will arrive to battlefield sooner rather than later.

On the thought of her friend, she tilts her head downward to look at him. He’s kneeling over Hisagi, working on his internal injuries. The Ninth Divison’s lieutenant is still conscious at least, but he grimaces as he’s being healed.

Izuru's forehead and temple glisten with sweat, and there’s a small tremor running through his arms. He’s getting fatigue. Soon, he won’t be able to keep this up without hurting himself.

“Kira-kun…”

“I’m almost done here,” he says, slightly clipped.

“Are you all right?”

He lets out a grunt, and finally his eyes reach hers, wide with bewilderment. “What? Why would you ask that?”

“Don’t…push yourself –” A cough interrupts her, causes a fresh trickle of blood to run down her lips. The pain returns afresh, and she winces as it explodes through her chest.

Alarmed, Izuru looks between her and Hisagi. She wants to tell him to focus on Hisagi, but at the former’s nod towards Hinamori, Izuru deactivates the kido and rushes to her side.

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be pushing themselves,” he warns, before activating the kido over her torso. The relief comes quickly, soothing the pain into smaller waves. Her breathing remains shallow, not able to take in full breaths.

Her gaze slips to behind Izuru’s shoulder. There’s the pillar of ice, which Hitsugaya has returned to. He's comes out of his bankai state, but his posture is one of vigilance. He watches the battle unfolding around the area, looking for a moment he can strike perhaps.

Further away, Yamamoto’s flames burn in a circle of high walls. Hinamori tries and fail to not detect the reiatsu emanating from behind the fire.

She looks at Izuru. “Have you seen any of them?”

He picks up on the implication quickly. His brows fall into furrow. “No, just sensed him.”

She can’t help but let out a relieved sigh. “I hope…you don’t have to.”

The corners of his mouth tighten. “Yeah…I hope so too.”

The spike in his reiatsu says otherwise. There’s a hint of anticipation there, buzzing along the weighed down whirl that is his reiatsu.

He hesitates as he deactivates the kido over her. They both wait for almost a full minute for another coughing fit or for her pain to return.

“Where’s Abari-kun?” Hinamori asks in a whisper.

“He and Kuchiki-san went to Hueco Mundo.”

“Why?”

“I can’t say for certain, but likely because their Human friends went there to save the girl that sided with Aizen.”

Hinamori frowns. If she’s a traitor, why would they go after her? An answer comes to the surface, one she desperately wants to dismiss. Are they like herself? Unable to accept the truth about someone they thought they knew? Or perhaps this girl is innocent in all of this, and had been tricked by Aizen into following him. Perhaps it’s the fatigue weighing her down or the last embers of hope, but Hinamori wants to believe the latter is true. “I hope Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san are all right.”

Izuru doesn’t respond. After a beat, he tilts his head to the side, pensive. “Why did you come here, Hinamori-san?”

She blinks. She shouldn’t be surprised by the question, but perhaps it’s because it’s coming from Izuru. A part of her had thought he’d understand without having to ask.

She lifts her gaze to battles happening above them in the distance. “I couldn’t stay behind. I had to be here, it’s a simple as that.”

He doesn’t raise his head. “You’ve always been like this.”

With how flatly he says it, she can’t tell whether it’s a fond observation or a critique of her character. “How do you mean?”

He shakes his head and shifts over to Rangiku. With his back turned, she can’t tell how he feels. “Nevermind.”

She wants to say more, but finds herself speechless. Is he disappointed that she came? Are there others who feel the same?

She watches the battles unfold, first with victory of Soi Fon over her opponent, and the battle between an Espada and Kyoraku and Jushiro.

Terror grips her as the sky splits a new Espada arrives with a fearsome, gigantic creature. The new Espada injures Jushiro and with a yell, breaks the ice encasing Hitsugaya’s opponent. Near her, Izuru goes rigid, his wide-eyed gaze solely on the events unfolding above them and the kido cast from his hands over Hisagi stuttering away to nothing.

He begs Komamura to go join the fight, but before Komamura can respond, a sounds comes the creature. It moves out of the split in the sky and comes to loom over the circle of fire. Pursing it’s lips, it blows a current of air flames, reducing them to streaks of smoke within seconds.

Hinamori forgets to breathe. Her vision is becoming increasingly blurry, but she can clearly distinguish Aizen. He’s there. He’s really there.

Izuru lets out a choking sound. In the end, he did see his former captain afterall. Despite their earlier interaction, she wishes she could stand by his side and they could help each other through this.

He falls forward, barely catching himself with his hands on the ground. “This is really the end!”

It must be. What can they do against Aizen? She came here and show he doesn't have a hold on her anymore, that she is worthy of carrying her title. In the end, she has ended up injured and scared.

And then, without warning, a new presence joins the battlefield. No, not just one, several. It's enough to pull Hinamori out of the spiral that threatens to engulf her. She barely registers the new arrivals, her senses so hazy she can’t quite distinguish each reiatsu from the other. There’s something strange about them. They’re Shinigami, but there’s something else within them.

She searches the sky, finding a group wearing clothes from the World of the Living. They’re directly confronting Aizen and the other former captains. Who are they? Are they on their side?

Perhaps her panic has gotten the better of her or her bewilderment is so great that she's lost her mind, but she can't help but feel an inkling of hope.

___________________________

The winds were harsh, screeching in his ears and threatening to push him over. It was the coldest it’s ever been on the frozen plains, it even burned the soles of his feet. Still, he remained standing. Still he kept his eyes closed. Still he gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to raise his arms and block the wind from biting into his face.

He focused on the power of this place, burling around him like a blizzard. This was his, even if he didn’t fully comprehend it. He knew it had to be his. Only he can wield it.

He cursed and opened his eyes. The dragon towered over him, watching Hitsugaya, unflinching as a statue. He could hear him speaking, voice as loud as a thunder clap, but like all the other times, the words are lost in the wind. He listened, really tried to listen.

“Your name is…Your name is!”

He hissed out a frustrated grunt. No matter how far he tried to reach for it in his mind, it always slipped from his grasp. He’d been training this whole time learn it, and yet it had only taken him so far in learning his zanpakuto’s name. Was it that the dragon did not trust him with it?

He’s at his limit. The desperation clawed at his heart, twisting and clenching it. Where else could he go? This power was his. He wanted it, needed it…

He flung his gaze up to the dragon’s. “There are things I want to protect with this strength and power!” he yelled over the wind. “That’s all I will ever use it for!”

The vice around his heart squeezed even more, causing him to let out a strangled gasp. If he didn’t have this power and strength, how can he possible help those who helped him? How can stand by Hinamori’s side? How can he --?

It came out him as a scream, one that soared above the winds and plunged deep into the ice below his feet. “I want to protect her!”

There was a flash. Not before his eyes, but somewhere within him. Something like a locked door finally opened. One that had always been within him, hidden away until this very moment.

The power shifted, coiling around him, hissing in his ears and rushing up into his veins. He gasped at the cold of it, at the way is thrummed through his blood and against his bones.

“It’s…coming,” he murmured in wonder, staring down at his hands. Then, with more excitement, “It’s coming to me!”

Another flash, this time through his whole body. The power solidified, as if turning to impenetrable ice. It was a vital part that kept him together and whole; he doesn't knwo how he's lived without it for this long.

With widened eyes, he looks up to the dragon. He’d spread out his wings and bowed his head closer. The very action stopped the winds and brightened the moonlight shining down upon them.

The creature, he realised now, is truly a part of him. This power he held was this creature, and it carried in it a name. He spoke to him again. “ ‘My name is…’” Hitsugaya repeated back without realising.

He stood taller, hands fisted at his sides. He listened closer to the voice that whispered rather than roared in his ear, echoing from his veins and heart. From a part of him that had always been there, remaining unnamed until now.

He grasped on to what it said, in the voice of the dragon. “ ‘My name is Hyourinmaru!’ ”

He left his inner world through the moonlight, letting it consume him as the ice crackled and Hyourinmaru flapped his wings with a howl.

___________________________

Hitsugaya leaps forward, the air whistling around him and the world becoming streaks of color. He only sees the traitor he will cut down. He is far from anxious to face the Soul who had cut him down ad made him feel powerless. That boiling in his stomach roiled as he raised Hyourinmaru and brought the blade down harshly against Kyoka Suigetsu. It did nothing to rattle Aizen, but he half expected that would be the case.

“You came at me without much thought,” Aizen says, smiling faintly. “That was rather reckless of you, Captain Hitsugaya.”

Hitsugaya withholds a sneer; he refuses to show any emotion in front of Aizen. “Someone had to make the first move. I commend you for not activating Kyouka Suigetsu on your first strike.”

“Allow me to do the same for you…” Aizen says flatly, before deflecting Kyouraku’s attack to his side with a kido shield.

Hitsugaya knew Kyoraku would follow, had sensed it in the way he’d glanced at him briefly. Had he known he would strike first? Hitsugaya shakes his head; it didn’t matter.

He falls back, sensing the remaining captains, lieutenants, and their newfound ‘allies’ all coming towards them to join the fight. He and Kyouraku will have to keep Aizen occupied for the next minute.

He goes in for several attacks, as does Kyouraku, all avoided or blocked with ease. This is not the fighting style Hitsugaya has seen Aizen use before. This is a different Aizen, a truer version of him. He still has the same grace that comes when he deflects an attack with his zanpakuto and casts a kido at the same time, but there’s a fast pace to it, and a calculation behind each strike. It’s as if he knows their moves before even they do.

Swallowing the cry that wanted to come from his throat, Hitsugaya lunges again, bring Hyourinmaru down hard. He can’t let this frustration get the better of him. He can use it as fuel to keep him engage in the battle, but never as source of power. Never as his sole motivation. He is a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen, and the Soul before him had turned his back on that title.

Aizen brings his zanpakuto down, countering the attack and causing Hitsugaya to skid back. He comes to a stop a short distance away. As he stares the traitor down, he can’t get rid of the previous thought. Aizen hadn’t just turned his back on the title, but also on everything it stands for.

The words come to the surface, and Hitsugaya doesn’t stop them from reaching his throat. “Before, you said a sword without hatred is light an eagle without wings…that a sword swung out of duty will never cut you.” Aizen’s smile falters, falling to a straight line. Hitsugaya doesn’t gloat on the small victory, instead continuing as he lowers Hyourinmaru to his side, “You don’t seem to know the truth, and that is…a sword wielded from duty alone is what a captain always does. To wield one with hatred is nothing but violence. The Soul Society would never consider that a battle.” He stands a little taller. “It seems, Aizen, you weren’t ever captain material if you truly believe that.”

He was always planning the Soul Society’s downfall and their deaths along with it. He never cared for a single Soul or Human. He didn't even care for his allies, cutting down Harribel like she was nothing to him this whole time. The vision he had, whatever it was, had led him to this and dragged everyone in with it. To think he can hold such power, it sickens Hitsugaya.

“How interesting…” Aizen’s smile returns. “To hear those words from you, the captain who hates me the most out of all of them, is quite surprising to me.”

Hackles raised, Hitsugaya brings up Hyourinmaru again. He loathes how the comment struck close to home, that he has read him that well.

“Are you telling me you have no hatred in your sword right now?”

What’s he getting at with this?

��Or perhaps…did your hatred vanish when Hinamori-kun showed up completely recovered?”

It rushes up his spin, white hot and surging through every nerve-ending. It’s something dark and scorches like an ice burn. He’d experienced in the past few months on a smaller scale, in the moments where he struck a training dummy far too hard, or awoke in the middle of the night wanting to scream to the sky, or when he had last spoken with Hinamori and wanted nothing more than to kill Aizen right there and then.

Her near-death flashes before his eyes, far too vivid still. He can never forgive the traitor for that, could never let him walk away from this battle alive.

He’d missed whatever had happened between Aizen and Kyoraku as he'd gone into this state. Aizen turns around when Hitsugaya cries out his Bankai’s release. Behind him, Kyouraku becomes wary.

He ignores his fellow captain, zeroing in on Aizen alone. “You’re right, Aizen. My sword is filled with hatred. Hatred for you.”

Hyourinmaru roars in his mind, ready for this fight. The burning cold now flows through his veins and strikes through to his bones. He will become as cold and ruthless as he needs to be, as vicious as a blizzard that smothers all life caught in it.

Because truth of it all was he didn’t come here for the Soul Society. He wanted to fool himself into thinking that was his main motive, but he never could. Ever since the day he’d seen Hinamori dying on the floor of underground chambers of Central Forty-Six, this fight was never going to be about just protecting Soul Society. He'd thought of Hinamori this very morning, and how she would be safe. How he would ensure she remained safe.

“I didn’t come here to just do battle with you!” he bellows. “I came here to violently hack you to pieces!”

Let him be a hypocrite. In face of what this traitor did to Hinamori, what did his captaincy matter? If it meant he had to abandon it, then so be it. He’ll crush Aizen to nothing, will freeze him through to the core and shatter him to icy dust. His name will vanish in the decades, forgotten by all and only brought up when his demise was spoken of.

And what would become of himself? It didn't matter.

___________________________

They’d become specks in the distance, hard to see beyond the yellow of the kido shielding them. Hinamori had tried to keep her eyes open, but they were hurting and she ended up closing them and rolling her head to the side.

Now she cracks them open a fraction, able to see Izuru and Iba watching the battle. They’d stopped focusing on the injured and are completely still. Something must be wrong. She rolls her head to the other side. Rangiku, now conscious, has her gaze also above, but Hinamori can’t tell through the tussled blonde hair if her frown is one of concern or confusion.

She tries to make out the figures, and all but three are indistinguishable. The Ryoka boy – Kurosaki Ichigo, she corrects herself – stands a long distance away from the battle. Hitsugaya’s ice wings flap shooting himse forward at such a speed he becomes a blur before he attacks Aizen.

Other figures swoop in after that, and it becomes a chaotic scene. She loses track of the battle, seeing but not really concentrating on what is happening.

It’s why she frowns when, after Soi Fon engages Aizen in the confrontation, he vanishes.

She let’s out a surprised gasp when her view is suddenly obstructed. The white of the Soul before her is glaring against the kido. Without having to see his face, Hinamori’s heart seizes up and then races as her blood turns cold.

His shadow casts over her. A vague sense of kido, one of concealment, rolls off him. A blink, and Hinamori sees him more clearly as he casts his gaze to Rangiku. In the sickening seconds that feel like minutes, she hazily suspects he’s considering doing something to her fellow lieutenant.

She makes a sound, the beginnings of a wordless protest, which draw his attention back to her.

Hinamori blinks again, and he bends forward and grabs her by the front of her uniform. His face is darkened by shadows, making his appearance all the more shocking to her.

With a violent jerk, he pulls her back off the ground, forcing a choked gasp out of her. Her head and limbs loll back, as though she were a ragdoll. Is this real? How did he get past barrier? Why is no one around her seeing this? Even if he is using a concealment kido, it would have broken with him grabbing her. Unless it's one stronger than any she knows. The power of him, the things she never knew. The things he'd done, to her and her friends.

She lets out a broken whimper. “C…Captain.”

Aizen pauses. Behind him, high up in the sky, Soi Fon has created an army of clones, but they’re a blur to Hinamori, her focus only on him.

“Why did you come here?” His voice, so familiar but somehow so different, breaks something in her.

She can only let out a strangled sound in response. How she wanted to tell him to his face she'd come her to face him and fight alongside her fellow lieutenants and captains. She should reach Tobiume, sheathed at her hip, or shoot a kido through him. She has the strength to do the latter, but she’s paralyzed.

“No, I already know why.” She can hear the cold smile in his voice.

With a tilting back of his head, sunlight and the glow of the kido around them illuminates Aizen’s face. His eyes finally reach hers. He says something else, but it doesn’t register. The disdain and coldness in his gaze pierces her. It tells her what she already knows, what she’d tried to deny weeks ago but realized before she came to this battle. it's what splints whatever in her had broken before. You never mattered.

With a brutal pull, she’s off the ground completely. Everything passes in a haze, and then all she sees is the sky, much closer than before. A sudden cold presses up against her back, and she’s losing her footing. Looking down, Karakura Town is sprawled out beneath her, and Soi Fon is rushing at her.

Aizen is nowhere to be seen.

__________________________________

“It’s over Aizen!”

Hitsugaya lunges forward, and with a flap of his wings, he shoots forward at great speed. He doesn't give the other captains a chance to deal the finishing blow. He keeps his grip on Hyourinmaru strong and his focus solely on the man frozen again the ice.

Seconds before the blade pierces through the traitor’s back, Hitsugaya thinks he hears Hinamori begin to call out to his name. It ends so abruptly he barely even registers it.

He stabs Hyourinmaru through the ice and into Aizen’s back, and it's all over.

_________________________________

<< Prev chapter || Chapter Index || Next chapter >>

#toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsuhina #rangiku matsumoto #izuru kira #sosuke aizen #tier harribel #bleach #fanfiction #angst #oh boy...#next chapter's going to be a hard one...#I hope you all liked this one though!#I ended up cutting a lot of content from it #hoping to find a way to incorperate somehow down the line in other chapters

29 notes · View notes