Ichimaru Gin smiled and said, "Ah... what are you talking about?"
Hitsugaya Toshiro's eyes narrowed with hostility. "Let me say this first-if anything happens to Hinamori... I'll kill you."
"Oops... so scary. You'd better be careful not to leave her around bad people, then... I won't give up," Ichimaru Gin replied, his usual faint smile remaining unreadable on his face.
-Division Four-
After Unohana Retsu examined Aizen Sosuke's body, she sensed that there was some inconsistency she couldn't quite identify. It felt like the impression of unease was only her own illusion.
"So... Captain Aizen is really..." someone asked cautiously.
Unohana nodded. "When we removed him from the holy wall, he was no longer breathing."
"We considered the possibility that this might be a decoy or prosthetic to mislead others... but the conclusion is confirmed: he is dead."
"Aizen Sosuke, Captain of the Fifth Division, has died," she stated calmly. Her tone remained even, with no hint of emotional disturbance.
At that moment, Tosen Kaname prepared to move Aizen's body out of the Fourth Division clinic, accompanied by Komamura Sajin.
Hisagi Shuhei, the vice-captain of the Ninth Division, stood nearby. He was dressed in the standard black Shinigami uniform, with his hair cut neatly and the number "69" tattooed on his left cheek-a mark tied to the symbolism of "Ninth Division."
Hisagi had earned that place under Rojuro Otoribashi's command before the latter's exile. It wasn't just anyone who survived long enough to serve with that history behind them.
Three scars crossed over Shuhei's right eye, the result of encountering Hollows early in his career. The injury had reduced his vision in that eye permanently.
"Captain Tosen, how is the situation?"
Tosen answered in his usual controlled tone. "Captain Aizen is dead. If you wish to know who is responsible, I'm afraid further investigation will be needed."
"I see..."
Komamura stood beside him, towering above the others. He exceeded twice the height of most Shinigami, his face concealed beneath his wooden helmet. The helmet's purpose was not protection-it was to hide the fact that he was not human, but of the beast-like human-wolf clan.
"It appears conflict is unavoidable again."
"Were it not so, mankind would not be led astray by its darker emotions... and there would not be so much tragedy."
"I hate war." Tosen's words followed him as he walked down the corridor, Shuhei falling into step behind him without question.
Shuhei glanced at his captain's back, momentarily lost in thought. Captain Tosen seemed unfazed by Aizen's death-too calm, perhaps. Shuhei couldn't shake the feeling that he understood very little of the man who led him.
He felt, for just that moment, like someone who knew nothing of the world at large.
He followed anyway.
It passed quickly, and he remembered what he intended to say next. He tightened his grip on the Zanpakutō clipped to his side and spoke with hesitation.
"Captain Tosen, there's... there's been a problem I wasn't sure how to bring up."
"Speak."
"It's about my Zanpakutō-Kazeshini-it's beginning to manifest fully now."
Tosen recalled the transformation Kazeshini underwent during Shuhei's previous releases. After activation, it formed into two double-bladed sickles, joined together by lengths of chain. The weapons were curved in the shape of crescent moons, similar to silver scimitars, fluid and designed for unpredictable, whirling strikes that could be directed at any angle via chain manipulation.
Shuhei looked down slightly. "Sometimes I feel... Kazeshini is too cruel. Every cut feels closer to taking life than preserving peace. Can this kind of Zanpakutō really be used to protect people?"
Tosen stopped walking.
Shuhei came to a halt as well. The silence made the atmosphere tense for several beats before Tosen spoke again.
"No one who fears the weapon in their hand lacks the qualifications to wield it."
"Your fear-that hesitation before violence-it means your desire for peace is genuine."
"But the morality of the weapon does not lie in its form or its bloodstains. If the blood that coats your blade belongs to those who commit evil, then it walks the path of justice."
Shuhei nodded slowly. "I understand... Captain, as long as Kazeshini is used to cut down wrongdoing and prevent harm... then it is in the right."
Tosen gave only the slightest smile. "Shuhei... you are earnest, but far too young. You speak of evil-yet you do not truly understand what that means in this world."
Shuhei didn't know how to respond to that. Tosen said nothing further for the moment, and they continued walking in silence.
-Fifth Division Barracks, Detention Cell-
Hinamori Momo sat against the cold stone wall of her holding cell. Her heart was far from calm.
She curled in on herself, arms wrapped around her legs as she sat in silence, sorrow pressing tight against her chest.
She couldn't accept that Captain Aizen was gone. Even now, it felt strange to say it in her mind.
Only then did she notice the hard object tucked beneath her arms.
When she withdrew it and looked closely, she realized it was both a sealed document and what appeared to be a personal letter-retrieved earlier from Aizen's desk in the Fifth Division.
Wait… a letter?
Could it be... his final message?
Hope surfaced in her expression for the first time since the news broke.
Perhaps this was it-a final explanation, or proof of who had done this to him. What he had planned for that night...
Hinamori opened the letter carefully and began to read:
"Hinamori, by the time you read this, I may not be able to return."
"I've caused you much trouble. No matter how many times I try to express my gratitude, it will likely fall far too meager to be enough."
Her hands trembled slightly as she processed each line. Aizen's tone was gentle, sincere. Even in farewell, his words carried warmth.
She couldn't believe someone capable of this kind of heartfelt thank-you would fall victim to betrayal-or be guilty of any himself. Surely, he knew who sought his life.
He continued:
"I've kept much from you-all of my unease, my doubts. Please understand it was to avoid hurting you."
"But now... I must ask you to forgive me, because I will end up hurting you again."
"I may not live to see the end... but the truth lies in what I've written here."
"I offer you my final trust."
Though it was thin and fragile as paper often was, in Hinamori's hands it felt heavier than steel.
Captain Aizen had placed his last trust in her with this letter-and it led directly to the name of his killer. Her hands trembled again as she neared the final line.
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