Aizen pushed up his black-rimmed glasses and said, "Gin, you mustn't... underestimate me..."
Ichimaru Gin, standing behind Aizen Sōsuke, turned and walked away without another word, his Third Division haori fluttering behind him with each step, trailing in the cold wind that followed him.
His pale expression and ever-present serpentine smile made the air around him feel even colder.
As he passed Hinamori Momo, she involuntarily tensed, her body reacting as if chilled to the bone.
It wasn't the kind of cold that came from weather, but one that crept slowly into the soul.
When Gin had disappeared into the distance, Hinamori's toes pressed awkwardly into the tatami mat beneath her, as if she were trying to dig in and disappear.
Her thin ankles seemed delicate enough to break with just the lightest pressure.
"Cap-Captain Aizen..."
"I... I know it's wrong to disturb you so late..."
"But I just heard that Yuta... he's been caught and imprisoned by the secret mobile squad..."
"Even though... Even though I haven't known Yuta for very long..."
"I... I want to help him."
"This whole thing... I just haven't been able to sleep."
"I know it's inappropriate to bother you at this hour..."
"But I really couldn't stay in bed and do nothing..."
At her words, Aizen Sōsuke stood slowly and draped his lightweight striped haori over Hinamori's shoulders.
Momo felt the lingering warmth in the fabric and instinctively stopped talking for a second.
"Do you really think I'd turn you away because of this?" Aizen asked softly. "Do I look so heartless to you?"
He smiled gently, hand resting on her shoulder. "Come in. Stay as long as you want."
Momo's face flushed as she looked up at him in admiration. This was the Captain Aizen she believed in: calm, kind, and reassuring. Being near him calmed her anxiety and gave her strength.
It felt as though so long as he was here, she had little to fear.
And that he would always shield her from harm.
She sat down on the floor of the room as Aizen returned to his desk and continued writing in silence.
"I heard the Kiso Corps Captain, Hideki, was captured by the secret mobile team today," he said, eyes on the paper. "They say it was for killing and mutilating his own subordinates."
Momo hugged her knees and looked up. "Ah... Captain Aizen, do you think the Kido Corps Captain was falsely accused?"
She'd only recently learned that Yuta had earned the title of Kido Corps Captain, although there hadn't been time for it to be officially announced in front of the captains.
Instead of answering directly, Aizen said calmly, "Don't you think this situation is strange?"
"First-the ones who accused him later died. Officially it's reported that the most aggressive accuser, that violent man, killed himself after being exposed."
"But why is it that only those who accused Yuta ended up dead?"
"There were many dead Shinigami at the scene-but did anyone actually witness Yuta killing them?"
"Why was the secret mobile squad nearby?"
"Why didn't they step in immediately to stop him? Why wait until the fighting was already finished before making the arrest?"
"Aren't those questions worth asking?"
Momo's eyes widened. "Captain Aizen… you're saying Yuta was actually wronged?"
She hesitated briefly before speaking again. "Many people opposed the arrest, too... What about you, Captain Aizen?"
He turned from the desk and smiled. "It's not only me. The Captain-General, the Captains of the Second, Fourth, Eighth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Divisions too. After the arrest of the Great Ghost Master, Seireitei itself began to shake."
Momo's expression finally began to lighten.
"That's... that's so good to hear."
She exhaled, her tension easing. "Captain Aizen... it really is comforting to work under you..."
As the night deepened, Momo fell asleep on the floor where she sat, wrapped in the quilt Aizen had given her.
Outside, beneath the night sky, Aizen stepped out into the wind.
White-socked feet followed just behind him.
Together, Aizen Sōsuke and Ichimaru Gin walked beneath the Great Holy Wall-a towering white rock formation, pale, cold, and imposing.
"It's quite the spot," Gin remarked, arms folded lazily across his chest. "Could make for the perfect 'death' place for the Fifth Division Captain."
He squinted and added, "Ahh... Captain Aizen-no, Aizen-sama now, isn't it? You really don't hold back when toying with that girl's feelings."
"Do you pity her?" Aizen asked, glancing to the side.
Gin chuckled coldly. "No... On the contrary. Stirring the heart of someone naïve like that only strengthens the chaos to come. It helps our plan move forward."
As dawn approached, the sun rose slowly over Seireitei.
Gradually, activity returned to its silent streets.
At the Kuchiki residence, Kuchiki Rukia polished her Zanpakutō with calm, methodical strokes of white cloth.
After sheathing the blade, her eyes held the same clarity and purpose as the steel she wielded.
She walked forward without hesitation.
At the Fifth Division quarters, Hinamori Momo stirred from where she had slept on the floor.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she realized the sun was already up and bolted to her feet.
"Ah-shoot-"
"I fell asleep without realizing it-"
"Wait...?"
"Captain Aizen's not here?"
She looked around and found no sign of him. Her gaze fell on the desk instead-where she spotted what looked like documents or possibly correspondence left behind.
"Captain Aizen probably forgot these when he left."
"I'll take them to him."
Tucking the letter into her uniform, she hurried out the door and began to run in the direction of the captain's quarters.
"Why didn't Captain Aizen wake me?"
"But I'm not too late... I'll just take the shortcut."
As she leapt smoothly over one of the roadblocks ahead, she couldn't have known what awaited her on the other side-
"Ahhh-!"
PS GOALS: 150 PS= 5-10 extra chapter on an update.
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