𝑯𝑨𝑳𝑪𝒀𝑶𝑵 𝑶𝑩𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑰𝑶𝑵 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

your sadness ~ Age 13

Asao burned the bodies they left behind.

The smell of burnt flesh hung heavy in the air, making it the only thing Aizen could truly pay attention to.

His head was void of thoughts—something he found himself not minding. He didn't need to think about what happened, nor what was going to happen when they get back.

All was said and done and nothing could be changed.

_

The silence was almost unbearable at that point.

Hikaru hadn't spoken a word since he heard what Asao said. To be truthful, Aizen had expected an outburst of sorts, or at least softly muttered insults—ones that didn't quite mean any harm—but what he got in return was...

... silence.

_

He could feel his skin boiling beneath the bandages, but that wasn't a good enough description. At the same time, it was as if his arm was there and it wasn't there—a weird sensation.

That could explain what Asao told him, how third degree burns cause nerve damage. Nerves are what caused sensations to be felt and without them, there would be no sense of touch or feel. So, his nerves truly were damaged, eh...?

In the light of a dying sunset, he couldn't help but feel like it was karma.

_

The lush trees that surround Konoha greeted them like they were an old friend. Sunlight peeked through the leaves, leaving bright spots on the ground. Aizen felt the familiar feeling of the summer breeze brush over his skin, and he breathed in, allowing himself the last moment of relaxation. Once they got inside, he would be rushed to the hospital while Asao reported their mission success to the Hokage.

It was inevitable that his brother would be informed of what happened.

Ah, yes... his brother, who was now the Hokage.

"Hikaru, take Aizen straight to the hospital. I need to report to the Hokage." Asao told them, lightly speeding up.

The wind ruffled the leaves, producing a slight rustling sound, "Okay." Hikaru spoke for the first time since they left the flaming hut behind.

In a moment, Asao disappeared from in front of them, and the only thing they could see was the giant gate ahead.

Hikaru said nothing else as they passed through it.

_

Nurses flocked around him and he was quickly ushered into a vacant room. As he was being pulled away, he watched as Hikaru turned his back to him and walked away.

The bandage was slowly peeled off his raw skin, and he looked away, not wanting to know what it looked like after hours passed.

"Phew," a light breath left the nurse besides him, "It didn't get infected."

Well, that was a relief.

"Still, young boy, how did this happen?" She asked, raising his arm up and looking it over, "It's heavily damaged."

That wasn't a relief.

He swallowed, not making move to meet her eyes, "Pushed a teammate out of the way."

She didn't say anything else after that.

The door clicked open and in walked a man. He had a blank expression as he approached them, "So, this is Namikaze Aizen?" Light reflected against his glasses, "I'm doctor Ueno Akira, let's take a look at that, shall we?" Aizen went silent as the nurse moved back and the man took her place. He bit back a flinch as the man hovered his palm over the burns, a light green glow emitting from it. After a few minutes of repeating the motion, he spoke, "Oh."