Aizen Sōsuke. Three days ago, Hitsugaya had seen this man's corpse with his own eyes and felt sorrow for him.
A man who should be dead was now standing right in front of him, alongside the very mastermind mentioned in his suicide note? No, if Aizen was still alive, then that suicide note was an absolute joke...
At this moment, Hitsugaya's mind was in chaos. Or rather, ever since the night Hinamori drew her sword against him, his heart had never known peace.
It was exactly this turmoil that made him feel as if he were caught in a turbulent current, even though he was the first to stand before Kōe and Aizen.
It was exactly this turmoil that caused him to completely miss the fact that someone had been following behind him the entire time. She was his weak point, his greatest attachment. To not notice even this... as a Captain, he was truly incompetent.
"Captain Aizen!"
Hinamori? The voice from behind jolted Hitsugaya awake as if from a dream. Was that Hinamori's voice?
But before he could turn around to confirm, Hinamori's figure slipped past his fingertips. She seemed to have returned to her usual relaxed and happy self, but for this one time, Hitsugaya truly did not want her to find her pillar of support again.
"Captain Aizen, is it really you?" Hinamori ran up to Aizen. She desperately wanted to throw herself into Captain Aizen's arms, but she didn't dare, terrified that all of this was merely her own illusion that would vanish like a bubble at the slightest touch.
"It has been a while, Hinamori."
It was indeed Captain Aizen's voice. That familiar warmth made Hinamori tentatively reach out her hands. *If all of this is real, I will absolutely never let go again.*
She caught it. Hinamori subconsciously gripped the haori in her hands tightly. Even though tears had blurred her vision, she was no longer afraid, because she was now certain that the Captain Aizen standing before her was real.
It was precisely because he was real that the situation was so terrifying. Hitsugaya shouted Hinamori's name over and over, but she seemed completely isolated from the rest of the world, as if she hadn't noticed his presence at all.
Regardless of what Aizen Sōsuke was like before, from the moment he returned from the dead, all past impressions of him were completely invalidated. A man who used a faked death to hide within Central 46—his terrifying nature far surpassed Ichimaru Gin's!
Watching Aizen's slender hands embrace Hinamori, Hitsugaya's heart nearly stopped beating. He had to get Hinamori away from Aizen.
"I'd advise you not to move."
He had forgotten this guy was even here. Hitsugaya abruptly spun around, simultaneously leaping away from where he had just been standing. He stared warily at the slouching Ichimaru Gin. This man was the one who truly belonged here.
Ichimaru Gin didn't seem to mind Hitsugaya's rude reaction. Judging by his expression, he looked more like a child delighted by his own prank after suddenly scaring someone from behind.
"Don't be so scared. I'm just looking out for you. If you act rashly, Hinamori might just get hurt."
Hitsugaya furrowed his brows tightly. He knew that without being told. But knowing Aizen was dangerous, was he supposed to just leave Hinamori there? Let her become Aizen's hostage? Other than him, would anyone else care whether Hinamori lived or died?
"Oh my, I am truly sorry." Ichimaru Gin's sudden apology made Hitsugaya's heart instantly sink. Following his gaze, he saw a sharp blade piercing right through Hinamori's chest. And the person holding that sword was none other than Aizen!
"Whether you move or not, it seems it makes no difference."
"Aizen!!"
Hitsugaya roared in fury, drawing his Zanpakutō and charging straight at Aizen, slashing at his neck without a moment's hesitation.
Aizen merely turned his body to dodge the strike. All that was left for Hitsugaya was a blood-coughing Hinamori and her eyes—eyes that held not a single trace of blame, as if Aizen's reflection still lingered within them.
"Before I kill you, I will ask you one last time, Aizen," Hitsugaya said coldly, his head lowered. "No matter what your reason for deceiving us was, you should know very well that with Hinamori's admiration for you, she would never have been an obstacle to you. Why did you have to hurt her?"
"I am well aware of that. There is no one easier to control than someone who admires you, which is precisely why I chose her as my subordinate. As for why I had to kill her..." Aizen chuckled softly. "You cannot find a reason for me to kill her, but by the same token, there is no reason for me not to kill her."
"What kind of joke is that?!"
"You cannot comprehend it, can you? I never actually wanted to deceive anyone. It is simply that none of you could comprehend my true self." Aizen met Hitsugaya's fury-consumed eyes directly, speaking like a teacher instructing his student. "Hitsugaya, there is one thing you must remember."
"Admiration is the furthest emotion from understanding."
So, even if she was being used, was Hinamori always the person furthest away from Aizen? Sparing her would be mercy, but killing her meant nothing at all...
"You bastard!"
Hitsugaya was finally swallowed by his rage. His long sword whipped up an ice storm that instantly swept across their location, leveling even the wooden cabin that had granted Kōe and Aizen a moment of peace.
"Scary, scary. It seems he doesn't agree with your words, Captain Aizen," Ichimaru Gin said with a smile to Aizen, who had appeared beside him. An attack of this level couldn't even serve as a scare tactic.
"With half-truths, it's possible to either believe or disbelieve them. Not agreeing is perfectly normal," Kōe said dismissively. If Ichimaru Gin remembered correctly, this was probably the first time Kōe had shown any form of agreement with Hitsugaya—perhaps it didn't count as agreement, but it at least wasn't criticism.
If it weren't for this stab, given Hinamori Momo's personality, it would be absolutely impossible for her to remain in the Gotei 13. For someone destined to speak up in Aizen's defense, there would be no place for her to live in the Seireitei.
Admiration is the furthest emotion from understanding.
But exploitation was a flower of sin rooted in understanding. Aizen understood Hinamori Momo all too well.
He wasn't a bloodthirsty person. The mercy of not killing her was likely the compensation he gave for exploiting her. Or perhaps, it was so he could continue to use her. Only Aizen himself knew the exact reason, but his choice was to not kill her—a calculated sparing of her life.
Aizen seemed to understand the underlying meaning in Kōe's words and asked, "But the distance between you and me cannot be severed with a simple slash, Kōe."
The brief exchange between the three did not reach Hitsugaya's ears. Even if he had heard it, he most likely wouldn't have understood. He still lacked an understanding of the Seireitei's complexities.
All he could see was Hinamori lying on the ground, clinging to life, and all he could hear was Aizen's utter disdain for her existence.
"Bankai..."
A biting cold wind, mixed with shattered ice, suddenly swept through the entire cavern. Layers of frost grew across the ground at a visible rate, piling up in front of Kōe and the other two.
A pair of ice wings spread open behind Hitsugaya. At this moment, it was as if he had transformed into an ice dragon himself; with every breath he took, the surrounding layers of ice grew thicker.
"Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"