Broken Cage

Part 11

Was this real? Had Aizen somehow made the pass the weeks just some dream only to wake him now and pull away from the last scraps of hope? This was too good to even be real for the shattered mind of the ragged looking boy's mind to hold all at once. She was here and standing before him. Real as the scent of honey and glover flouted on the wisp of winds to bath him once more like a lost memory.

She had said his name, or might that be his name on those lips.

"Hitsugaya"

Teal orbs only stared like a wonderment of a babe's at this woman or maybe a merciful goddess comes to end his tortures from that hands of those who scarred his flesh. Shiro felt his body grow numb, shocking ripping in his mind and shattering like a frosted glass. Now could she be real? Somehow his mind was trying to come up that he had made her up to hide from the pain of those days, to give hope to his soul in the darkest hours pass. Yet here she stood in front of him as tears ran down those vivid jeweled eyes.

Tears for him and no one else.

"Taicho, your alive!" her voice was ragged, the rush of the shock of seeing alive in front of her.

Shiro only could stand there at her words. Trying to find his own voice that seemed lost now in front of her.

Seeing that pure light of hope in her words left him, even more, loss in what to do or say to this figure of light to him. Most of his world to this point had been just white and with her, there were colors he could not name at all in his mind but he knew them well from such a long time ago. Shiro could only stand there, searching for his voice to say something.

"Taicho?" her voice shivered a little, "Do you remember me?"

For the first time, he spoke in weeks into the stale air of the silver sands with a scar mood overlooking the pair for the moment. A soft voice, trembling as a glass shattering sounds to her ears. A voice of a lost child who sought his place or a warm touch before he passed into the reaches of darkness.

"No.."

She could only look at the ragged frame of her former captain, those once burning teal eyes were dull as polished glass but everything had been stripped to the bone of the young soul. What had they done to him? To lose himself like this without even remembering her at all and see him so lost in front of her was the painful part may be all the more. So many had thought the young man dead and lost to Aizen's cruel hands but she knew. Never losing that feeling he was alive in some fashion and hidden from them by that monster and now when opening the door. She had been right.

"But I remember you, some how.."

That one line was her grain of hope now, he looked down at the sands at his bare feet.

"I saw you in my dreams, I thought you were made up in my mind as an escape from them."

He did remember her in some way at least, the Venus walked a bit closer as he shied away from her. Did he think she was going to hurt him? Would he trust her? Lightly only holding out her hand to him.

"My name is Matsumoto, would you please come with me?" she asked in a hopeful whisper.

Shiro peeked up from between the silver locks at her, Matsumoto. The dream of this time had a name he could call her now. Looking at the outreached hand for the moment. Would he trust her? Could he now? Every fiber in his body told him to run from this person; the pain was a lesson burned into his skin well from that time.

But..

Also, what did he really have to lose now? His Freedom? Had ever been free in this empty world at all? Shiro let his face hide these deeper thoughts in the ripple of his mind. Only the slight hum of a growl was his answer of comfort, to trust this woman and her outstretched hand to come place unknown and full of light and warmth.

"Go with her Shiro, you can trust her as you trust me."

So the great dragon for the first time spoke to the young boy in weeks. Shiro only looked at the sheathed sword in his hands in a stare of questions. Did he really trust a talking sword that only he could hear in his mind? So many things raced through his mind as a fire set flame with oils. Swallowing a bit in his throat, he reached out to grab that hand.

It was warm and soft, gentle but strong in the grip of this person.

It was alive and sun-kissed.

Momo's hands had been cold and ready to break almost if you held on too tight to them.

Aizen's held pain and gore with blood scented into the flesh.

Those were the only hands he knew to this point as his teal eyes looked up to meet the vivid blue of this woman.

She only smiled warmly at him, somewhat sorrowed fill but an undying joy he did this simple thing of holding her hand. Matsumoto's grip was feather light as he felt the pulse of her in his skin for the moment.

Alive like he was now.

The only thing he could walk into the lighted door from this dead place for the last time. Questions might have answers at last to him. Shiro only hoped this world was much better than this one.

Answers to who he once was might be found here with her.

Nothing showed off his departure from the scared moon as his footprints were swept away by the hands of the winds may be as to protect him from those seeking him still in far of Ashen Palace.

Who knew what he might find in this new world or if wanted to really know the answers.