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[Crossover] Ch 34: Was It You?
🕑 Added 2025-05-21 23:04:18 +0000 UTC— — — — — —
Hitsugaya Toshiro clenched his jaw as he looked at Momo, who was crouched on the ground, sobbing with her head in her hands.
"Damn it… When did this happen?"
He had tailed Ichimaru Gin almost all of last night. He was confident Gin hadn't made a move—at least, not then.
Could it have been that Ryoka working with Gin? But he'd been near Division 5 all night and never felt a single spike of Reiatsu that would suggest a battle.
And yet—Aizen Sōsuke, captain of Division 5, was dead. Killed here, in his own division's barracks, and the scene clearly showed signs of a violent fight.
None of it made sense.
Hitsugaya was struggling to piece it together… when another voice rang out.
"Well, well… Who's crying so early in the morning?"
The familiar tone made Hitsugaya's eyes narrow as he whipped around to face the voice behind him.
And there he was, strolling casually out of a nearby building—hands tucked into his sleeves, that infuriating smile still on his face.
Ichimaru Gin.
Behind him, following like obedient subordinates, were Ryo (as Uryū) and Orihime.
Ryo adjusted his glasses with a calm expression, his gaze resting on the crying Momo and the barely-contained fury in Hitsugaya's eyes.
That one simple gesture—pushing up his glasses—made Gin's hand twitch slightly inside his sleeve.
That habit… it was just like Aizen's. Was the person behind him really Ryo… or had Aizen somehow disguised himself?
"...Ichimaru Gin." Hitsugaya's voice was low, angry.
This bastard had toyed with him all night, and now he was showing up at the scene of the murder like nothing had happened. The nerve—walking right into the aftermath of a captain's murder, as if mocking them all.
Hearing Hitsugaya's voice, Momo turned, revealing her tear-streaked face. In that instant, she remembered what he had told her earlier.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the hilt of her zanpakutō, drew it, and used a flash step to launch herself at Gin.
"ICHIMARU GIN!!"
Gin kept his smile, calmly placing a hand on his sword hilt as if preparing to strike back.
At the same moment, Hitsugaya placed his hand on the hilt of Hyorinmaru and began to whisper. "Bankai—"
Gin's eyes snapped open, sharp and alert now. He knew exactly what was coming. If he made a move, he'd be fighting a captain ready to unleash their Bankai.
So he let go of his sword and used Shunpo to dodge Momo's lunge, landing lightly on the second-floor eaves of a nearby building.
"Don't think you can run!" Momo turned mid-air and released her zanpakutō.
As the blade transformed, a soft sigh echoed nearby.
"Get some rest, Momo!"
Kotetsu Isane appeared behind Momo and struck her hard in the lower back with a precise blow.
"Ugh!"
Momo doubled over, coughing up stomach acid from the sudden impact.
Hitsugaya didn't move. He just watched in silence as Isane used kidō to restrain her.
Gin, who had moved aside earlier, reappeared in front of Momo. He bent forward slightly, smiling sweetly at her teary, furious glare—like a fox toying with its prey.
"Back away from Momo!" Hitsugaya, who had briefly let his guard down, now shouted in rage.
"My, my… What's all the fuss about? Huh? Wait… is that Captain Aizen?"
Gin finally pretended to notice Aizen's body—suspended across the way, slumped lifeless with a zanpakutō impaled through his chest.
Feigning shock, he stepped forward and placed a hand on his sword hilt again.
"Looks like… someone's trying to frame me."
Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and drew his sword an inch. Gin did the same.
Their Reiatsu flared instantly, clashing violently in the air and causing the very atmosphere to tremble.
"You two. Are you planning to get executed by the Captain-Commander himself?"
A gentle voice cut through the tension.
Unohana Retsu slowly stepped out from the building behind them, coughing softly into her hand.
"Oh dear… Captain Unohana." Gin let go of his sword again and raised both hands in mock surrender, still smiling.
"You were in pretty bad shape yesterday, and here you are walking already. Scary~"
Unohana raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone mild but her gaze cold. "I'm not nearly as remarkable as you, Captain Ichimaru. I just dabble in healing, that's all."
She turned her attention to Hitsugaya, her voice suddenly sharp.
"Hitsugaya, are you planning to violate the rule forbidding combat between captains?"
"My apologies, Captain Unohana." Hitsugaya immediately released his sword and bowed like a scolded student.
It wasn't just formality. Back in the Shinō Academy, he'd been one of Unohana's students—though he'd only studied the basics of healing kidō under her.
Satisfied with his response, Unohana turned to the restrained Momo.
"Lieutenant Momo. You attacked a captain in public and released your Shikai. According to the laws of Central 46, that earns you one month of confinement. Captain Ichimaru, do you object?"
Despite addressing Momo, her eyes were locked on Gin.
Everyone could tell what she was really doing—making it clear this was the lightest sentence possible under the law. If Gin wanted to push the issue, Momo could easily be facing a sentence of twenty years or more.
Unohana's move was deliberate, an attempt to protect Momo from further punishment.
"Well, if Captain Unohana says so… I'll go along with it," Gin said cheerfully.
Hitsugaya exhaled in relief.
With Unohana stepping in and Gin not pressing charges, Momo had dodged a bullet—barely.
But there was still the matter of Aizen's death…
Just as Hitsugaya was about to speak again—
"I know."
She sighed and looked up at the body hanging above them.
"Another captain dead, and all within a single day…"
Hitsugaya nodded, debating whether or not he should share what he'd learned with her.
But before he could decide, Unohana turned her head toward Ryo.
"Tell me… was it you, Mr. Ryo Yagami? Are you the one who killed Captain Aizen?"
The entire courtyard fell silent.
Every eye turned to Ryo.
Under their scrutiny, Ryo's lips slowly curled into a smile.
.
.
.
