Bleach: The Forgotten Captain - The Memoirs of Akari Miyazaki

Chapter 4: The Moment, That Changed Everything

I vividly remembered the day Aizen suddenly appeared at the academy. It was a Thursday, and he was looking for Gin, who in turn spent time with me. We had been together for almost three years now.

"We have a mission," the Vice-Captain said calmly and kindly. Gin did not reply. "There's a Hollow lurking in Rukongai," Aizen added, and my eyes widened. "How did a Hollow get to Rukongai?"

The Vice-Captain studied me for a moment before responding, "Exactly, that is the question."

"But why are you still standing here? There are innocents in Rukongai who could be attacked by a Hollow," I exclaimed, and Aizen glanced expectantly at Gin. He remained silent.

"How about you accompany us?" Aizen's question was not unexpected, yet I felt that something was different than usual.

Kisuke and Rangiku turned the corner at that moment. They also offered to accompany us, but Aizen immediately shook his head, which didn't surprise Rangiku. Kisuke, on the other hand, seemed somewhat taken aback.

"Akari is the only one whose Reiatsu is strong enough to endure this."

It puzzled me a bit, as I was certain Kisuke could withstand it too, but I didn't argue with Aizen. I went along and cast a glance at Kisuke, who furrowed his brow in distrust.

We journeyed to Rukongai. I hadn't been there often, but every time, the conditions in the outer districts shocked me anew. The further we left Seireitei behind, the worse it became. Children living on the streets, people begging and stealing, it was all part of everyday life. Finally, we arrived at the place where the Hollow was said to be. It was a small forest on the edge of a village, and I could already sense a strange Reiatsu from a distance. It sent shivers down my spine.

Aizen gave us only a few instructions. A wild chase ensued.

The plan was to surround the creature from multiple directions so we could all attack it together eventually, but it was faster than anything I had experienced before. Just as I began to feel the first signs of fatigue, I nearly collided with Gin. Concentration seemed to be dwindling for all of us. He quickly kissed my forehead and grabbed my arm a bit too roughly.

"You go right, I'll go left," he whispered and vanished. For a moment, I was rooted in place. A fear I hadn't known before crept up in me, and it wasn't the fear for myself.

I stood in the dark forest and hesitated. My gaze shifted in the direction Gin had sent me, but everything in me screamed to follow him. It was like an instinct I couldn't suppress. I realized that the fear welling up in me was for Gin.

Without thinking, I hurried after him. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and burst into a clearing in the forest, where I saw a creature. I froze. On one hand, it looked like a Hollow, but it had such human features, unlike any Hollow I had ever seen. I watched for a few seconds as Gin fought the creature. It was so fast and skilled that I hesitated. I had never seen anything like it, but I didn't presume to know much about it. In general, I had seen only a few real Hollows so far.

Then something happened that I could hardly comprehend. The monster knocked Gin to the ground and drew a sword I hadn't noticed before. I reacted before I could think, a bright, cutting pain shot through my back as I looked down at Gin. I had placed myself between them.

I will never forget his gaze: eyes wide open, mouth open in a scream. But I couldn't hear him anymore, because at that moment, the monster fired a red light at me, seemingly tearing my body apart. The pain tore at me, tugging at my mind and burning into my skin. Gratefully, I embraced the cool, painless darkness that enveloped me.