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Feb 26

The Reconciliation of Hitsugaya and Hinamori: Headcanons

Okay, it’s time. I decided to finally sit down and write all the headcanons and ideas I have around how Toshiro and Momo reconciled after Aizen’s defeat. I’ve scattered a lot of these ideas across my fanfics, with some having come up more than once in different or similar forms.

You can read this as either as platonic Hitsuhina or a shipping post, I really don’t mind either way. There’s also some brotp moments here (Momo and Shinji, Rangiku and Toshiro, and a smattering of others).

However, what started as wanting to make a simple list of headcanons quickly turned into a mega post. Firstly, it turns out I had a lot more headcanons then I thought, and I think it's becomes more of an outline of the events that I headcanon took place in between the end of Fake Karakura Town arc and the Full Bringer arc.

And second, while this post is specifically for headcanons and my ideas based on my interpretation of the source material (mainly the manga), I’ve also done some analysis over in this post (I couldn’t help myself!). The analysis was originally going to be part of this post before it got too long. You don't have to go read that post to know what's going on with the headcanons, but if you're interested and have some time, I would appreciate it if you could check it out!

With that said, let’s get to it!

CONTEXT

Before we go into how I think Toshiro and Momo reconciled, we need to cover a few things that will help with context for some of the headcanons and ideas. These will be short and sweet versions of the analysis I've done in the post I mentioned above, so for the full version you can go look at them over there. However, feel free to skip over this section if you feel like you don't need it:

When did Aizen switch places with Momo?: I’ve talked more about this over in this other post, but in short, I came to the conclusion that Aizen switched places with Momo when Soi Fon went to attack him a second time to activate her shikai ability. However, there’s also the possibility he actually switched places after Soi Fon made her second attack, and while she was shocked and confused by her shikai not working, Aizen put Momo in his illusion’s place on the ice for her to create a shadow and get injured by Kyoraku. This bring me to…

Momo’s injuries and recovery time: during the Fake Karakura Town arc, Momo sustained injuries from Ayon, [potentially] Soi Fon, Kyoraku, and Toshiro. According to Death Save the Strawberry, it took her 4 months after Aizen's defeat to recover in the Fourth Division. Her recovery is the longest amongst the BLEACH cast, with most of the characters who were at the fight against the Espada and Aizen having recovered and returned to their daily lives ten days after Aizen's defeat; at that time Momo was still in the Twelfth Division receiving treatment to repair her internal organs.

Despite what some summaries of Death Save the Strawberry say, I suspect what kept her in Fourth Division was not her physical injuries but the mental trauma she went through during Soul Society and the Fake Karakura Town arcs. I also imagine, certain facets of her personality would make her be hard on herself, like the part of her that's a hard worker and is generally organised and responsible. I can see her feeling pressured to recover, and she wonders why she just can't shake off the melancholy consuming her. There is no captain now, she is the only leadership Fifth Division has, but if she's like this, how can she lead her division to prosper again? Who will be their captain now that Aizen is not only gone but not who she thought he was? Is everyone moving on without her? Why cant she catch up to them?

Then exactly four months after Aizen's defeat, in comes Shinji who tells her what she needs to hear. He essentially says ‘You’re not useless, you’re still a good lieutenant and I think you can help the division prosper again. Your friends aren’t leaving you behind, and I’m not going to either, let’s work together.’ The future is suddenly a bit clearer, enough for her to want to return to her duties and forge a way forward to move on with everyone only a few days after speaking with Shinji. he gives her a goal, guidance if you will, and this sets her on the path to recovery. However, let's not forget that in 13 Blades she not only credit Shinji for her recovery, but also Rangiku, who I imagine had visited her often and helped her return to her lieutenant duties.

Why am I doing all of this?: mainly because over the years I’ve been reading/watching BLEACH, this is the one thing that I have never been able to shake off. I have always wanted to know how these two made up after everything they went through.

On one hand, Kubo not showing us allows fans to imagine whatever they like, creating their own scenarios and headcanons about how it happened (or in some cases, if it even happened at all). On the other, it almost feels like something is missing. Of course, BLEACH is not Momo or Toshiro’s story, they’re side characters who ‘compete’ with other characters for panel/screen time in most chapters/episodes; but as someone who loves both of these characters, seeing these two reconcile and move forward from what happened feels like a vital part of their character development. It’s such a shame we didn’t get to see it in canon.

Also, it’s just fun to write this sort of stuff, it’s what being in fandom is all about, right? :D Now, finally, on to the headcanons!

Side note: if you're someone who likes to listen to music while reading, I would recommend listen to this fantastic playlist of BLEACH songs that I listened to while writing this whole post. Otherwise, find something that's either calming, sad, or both to listen to.

HEADCANONS

PRE AIZEN'S DEFEAT (AKA, THE PAIN, THE PAIN! AKA, PRE FAKE KARAKURA TOWN ARC, THEN CHAPTERS 334-422)

Before she arrived at the Fake Karakura Town battle, Momo had been recovering in her quarters after her conversation with Toshiro in chapter 224. Her division wished her nothing but the best recovery and made sure she didn't do any work. Although her division looked after her, they only had each other to look after; their leader was gone, and now their second-in-command was bed-ridden with the emotional trauma she faced.

Momo felt weak and that she was being left behind by everyone; she felt like she was a failure to her division, but she was also still in denial about Aizen. Everyday she would remember when he stabbed her and the lengths he went to to deceive everyone. She tried coming up with an explanation for why it happened, but no matter how hard she tried nothing made sense to her except the truth she kept trying to deny: that Aizen's actions were his own and he intended for her to die.

She overheard her subordinates who were walking past her room and talking about the plan for the lieutenants and captains to go confront Aizen in a Fake Karakura Town, which they heard from Genji (her third seat, who has been attending meetings in her place). Fifth Division was told not to come to the battle and to remain in the Soul Society; both Genji and the subordinates suspect that the Gotei 13 worry how they'd react to seeing their former captain and any members could be a liability in battle.

Hearing this, Momo became determined to show that Fifth Division (and herself) were not weak, that Aizen didn't have any influence on them. She wanted to also prove to her subordinates that she was better, that after the fight was over and she returned they'd see she was still a capable leader.

Fast forward to after Rangiku got injured by Ayon. While battling Halibel, Toshiro stumbled or froze when he sensed Rangiku was down, and again when Momo was punched by Ayon. He considered trying to get away from Halibel to help them, but then sensed Izuru and Shuhei had arrived to help them and refocused his attention on defeating Halibel. However, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but keeping wondering why Momo had shown up.

Fast forward to chapter 389-392. Momo is barely conscious as the fight unfolds between Aizen and the Shinigami. She's healed up enough to know she's awake and that there's a battle happening, but not much beyond that. However, next thing she knew, Aizen was above her and in a blur she's suddenly up in the sky, being propped up against a pillar of ice, with Soi Fon in front of her, who looked shocked and confused.

Alternative if you believe Soi Fon injured Momo: Momo was stabbed by Soi Fon. In her shock, Momo grabbed on to Soi Fon's arm and tried to ask why she attacked her. Soi Fon withdrew her weapon from Momo's stomach, and Momo mistakes Soi Fon's shock and confusion for having realised who she has stabbed.

She tried to ask Soi Fon what's going on, but then she's stabbed through the back, just below her left shoulder blade, and looked over to see Kyouraku, who said something about creating a shadow on the ice.

She collapsed against the ice, trying ask 'What are you doing?', but then she heard Toshiro behind her saying 'It's over Aizen', but Aizen was nowhere to be seen.

Too weak from her injuries from Ayon and her fresh one from Kyouraku (and maybe Soi Fon), she couldn't move, could only fall back on the ice and look over her shoulder at Toshiro in panic.

She couldn't see Aizen anywhere, and despite what Toshiro said, he wasn't looking at or for Aizen; he's looking right at her. She's stricken by the hatred in her childhood friend's eyes, and the rage and fury that got more apparent the closer he came racing at her. Why is he looking at her like that? Why is he aiming his zanpakuto at her? She might have even used what little energy she had to scream out to him, desperate to stop this.

She only barely registered Shinji, who's zanpakuto ability she didn't know about, so she didn't figure out Toshiro is actually coming from a different direction to the one she's perceiving.

Then it happened: Hyourinmaru is impaled through her chest as ice broke all around her. In shock and choking for air, she couldn't say anything. She could feel the cold of the blade, and her insides were starting to freeze. The only thing she could do was reach up and grab Hyourinmaru, trying to get blade out of her, but she's too weak and Toshiro just plunged the blade in further, causing her drop her hand and look ahead, consciousness fading.

When Aizen dropped the illusion, Toshiro went into into shock when he saw the back of Momo's head. He'd stabbed her. He uttered her name as he becomes aware that her blood is on his face and hands, and it's rapidly cooling. In the back of mind Hyourinmaru cries out in confusion and regret, but everything is muffled to Toshiro.

Next thing Momo knew, Hyourinmaru was pulled out and she's in Toshiro arms, who looked horrified and shocked. So confused, dazed, and barely conscious, she could only think about what just happened to her, about what the captains did to her and the way Toshiro had looked at her. Why did this happen to her? Why had her childhood friend looked at her with such hatred? She says 'Shiro...chan...why?' before the world fades to black, and the last thing she hears is the start of Toshiro's scream.

Toshiro carried Momo down to a building while still in shock. After she says, “Shiro…chan…why?”, he started to lose it. He laid Momo down, shaking as he does so. As soon as he’s laid her down, the last of his shock vanishes. He sees her there, colour fading from her skin, blood on her face and chest, eyes staring straight ahead; it's a sickening sense of deja vu, but this time he's the one who caused her to be like this.

He flung himself up, screaming in despair and having a near mental breakdown. He's hurt the one person he swore to protect with the powers that were never ever meant to harm her, the one person who has been a constant in his life.

His agonized scream turned into one of rage as he set his eyes on Aizen and he charged at him. He didn't hear Kyouraku call out to him, he only had his eyes on the man who caused all of this and was the source of Momo's misery.

After the Shinigami were cut down by Aizen and fall to the ground, Momo fell in and out of consciousness from then on, struggling to keep her eyes open and cope with the immense physical and emotional pain she’s in.

After being cut down, Toshiro laid amongst the ruins. With his left limbs sliced off, he stopped the bleeding by icing over his wounds. With his rage cooling, he’s filled with immense guilt and was determined to find Momo, unsure where he'd left her in his shock. But it’s as Aizen said, he was able to remain conscious but couldn’t move. He’s essentially left with his thoughts and unable to get to Momo. If he didn’t already loathe Aizen before, he does now.

The guilt and pain overwhelming, Toshiro didn’t completely focus on the battles taking place all around him, all he could do is focus on is Momo’s reiatsu in the distance, flickering like a weak flame, barely clinging on to life. He couldn’t stop remembering what he did, and thinking how he must have looked to her. He shed tears at the thought that he’s harmed her, almost identical to how Aizen did: she was harmed by someone she cared about, with Aizen revealing his true self and Toshiro being blinded by an illusion and his own rage. For all the power and potential he has, he couldn't protect her.

After healing the Visoreds, Unohana sensed Momo is in a critical condition and went to her. She did what she could to keep Momo alive, but recognized that most of Momo’s organs had gone into failure and need to either be regrown or repaired by technologies in the Twelfth Division.

Toshiro, relieved enough that he can sense Unohana’s reiatsu next to Momo’s, now realized Rangiku’s reiatsu was nowhere in the Fake Karakura Town. He feared for her safety, and was perplexed that there wasn’t a single trace of her reiatsu in the area.

Eventually, Fourth Division officers arrived in the Fake Karkura Town and transported Momo and the rest of the injured back to the Seireitei. Momo was completely out by this point, and would not wake again until she was in Twelfth Division. At some point along the way, Toshiro sensed Rangiku's reiatsu in the distance. Knowing his lieutenant was alive and exhausted from his injuries and the emotional turmoil, Toshiro fell unconscious.

THE TEN DAYS (AKA, THE TIME BETWEEN CHAPTERS 422 AND 423)

Momo was immediately taken to Twelfth Division. Her treatment consisted mostly of operations involving organ repair and replacement, so she spent most of her time unconscious. Outside of treatment, she’s conscious but tired and wasn’t allowed to move too much or have visitors.

When she could, Nemu (wanting to repay Momo back for some of the kindness she showed her during their Women Association meetings/skirmishes) would secretly visit her for a few minutes whenever she was sure no one would notice; but even if she wanted to socialize, Momo was too tired to talk for long. She did ask about her friends though, if they were all right and recovering. Nemu gave her brief updates on anyone she asked about.

Toshiro got his limbs back either with Mayuri or Orihime (who according to Death Save the Strawberry spent the month Ichigo was unconscious healing the wounded Shinigami in the Soul Society). I’d like to think Toshiro was healed by Orihime (someone who he knows fairly well and who I wish we got see more interactions with) but I could see him going straight to Mayuri to get the quickest treatment he could to get his limb, and also considering the time frame, Orihime was likely still with Ichigo and co by the time Toshiro got back to the Seireitei.

In Mayuri’s case, Toshiro doesn't like Mayuri and just barely respects him as a fellow captain, but he knows his procedures are quick and effective. I imagine he used hojiku-zai on Toshiro (see chapter 122 for reference). It’s a quick but very painful procedure which likely required the Fourth Division to use kido to ease the pain after his limbs regrew.

Alternative if you want it to be Orihime: she visited him in Fourth Division and quickly got to work regenerating his lost limbs. She tried to make conversation with him, but he's barely responsive. So for the most part they're quiet, but Toshiro thanked Orihime for healing him once she's done. He's going through a lot right now, but internally he's glad Orihime is all right and that she wasn't a traitor (though he didn't really believe she was, leaning more towards the idea she had been kidnapped, but he couldn't rule out the possiblity).

Immediately after getting his limbs back, Toshiro asked for updates about Momo’s condition and where Rangiku was from either Unohana or Isane. He’s horrified to find out Momo is in Twelfth Division undergoing organ repairs and replacement. Aside from not being Mayuri’s biggest fan, he can’t believe she was injured so badly that she needs that kind of treatment. The extent of her injuries is so grave there was no estimate on when she will be released into Fourth Division. He wondered if Orihime could heal her instead, but Twelfth Divsion have already begun their treatments on her. He also learned Rangiku needed to undergo some treatment at Twelfth Division but would be released the next day to Fourth Division.

Toshiro stayed in Fourth Division for 2-4 days, with the first two days spent testing his regrown limbs to make sure they react to stimuli and move normally. The other days were mainly for resting.

On his new limbs, Toshiro noticed any faint scars he once had are gone and that his palm is smoother and softer compared to his other one, which is calloused from years of fighting and training. In a way he’s s bit disturbed that signs of years of progress (the scars, the callousness) have been wiped away from his left limbs. Also the fact that two parts of him that have been a part of his body since he was born, that he has grown and shaped, are gone, no longer a part of him, and in their place are identical looking replacements, but with the skin he used to have as a child, before he became a Shinigami.

Right after Aizen’s defeat, Rangiku was of course not her usually self, struggling to make a smile reach her eyes and being quieter. She's transferred to Fourth Division for a few days to recover and rest after her treatment in Twelfth Division.

Toshiro visited her while they're both recovering in Fourth. Although relieved to see each other, their mood in tampered down by what happened. They have a long chat and he finds out about what happened between her and Gin, and that Gin may have actually betrayed Aizen. This doesn’t sway Toshiro’s opinion of Gin too much, as he still can’t forgive him for the pain caused both Momo and Rangiku. Rangiku was hesitant to bring up what her captain did against Momo, but she gently did so out of concern for him, wanting to see how he was coping.

Toshiro was so uncertain about his friendship with Momo, that maybe she wouldn’t even want to see him again. He's consumed by guilt and doesn't know how he's going to make amends with her. Rangiku though makes him realise Momo will be told the truth of what happened once her treatment at Twelfth is completed, and will know that his actions were never meant for her. However, even though she will know his rage was never directed at her, Toshiro reasons it doesn’t undo what he did against her, that she may feel some resentment or fear towards him regardless. Rangiku can't say for certain, but she's confident that in time, Momo will want to see him again.

While in the Fourth Division, Toshiro struggled to fall asleep, and when he does he usually has nightmares. So at night while he’s staring up at the ceiling, he reflected back on every time he could remember teasing Momo to the point she got flustered or irritated, or when he made unthinking or potentially harmful comments about her. He wondered if he should've gone easier with the teasing and his brattish attitude, if he should've apologized more for some of the things he said. Had he hurt her before without realizing? He also reflected on memories, mainly ones from his childhood. He remembered times where Momo was kind to him, when she stood by him when they wondered around the Junrinan together, and how fiercely she defended him when he was attacked or mocked by other residents.

Five days after Aizen’s defeat, Toshiro is back in the office, but finds himself too distracted to focus solely on paperwork. Hyourinmaru, who had mostly been quiet to Toshiro after Aizen's defeat, looked different to him now. He can’t help but recall what he used his weapon for, how he had been so blinded by his hatred for Aizen and a perceived lack fo control over his bankai. He left his zanpakuto in his room and hadn't picked it up since he returned to his division.

He tried to come up with a guide or plan for himself moving forward, but with irregular sleep and his emotions frayed, he didn't know where to start.

He visited Granny either the next day or the day after, who immediately saw something was off with him. After making tea and stilted small talk, she got him to tell her what happened. Toshiro didn't go into what happened with himself at first. Granny is horrified when she found out what happened to Momo, but she also felt a great deal for her grandson.

When she took his hands in support, she's confused why one feels softer than the other. Toshiro doesn't tell her the complete truth, saying he lost his arm in the fight (but nothing about his leg). For a moment he has to comfort Granny over this news. She wondered aloud how the Shinigami could let such a thing happen, but Toshiro said it was his own fault and he always knew there was a possiblity it could happen to him or any other Shinigami.

He looked around then at her house, the place he used to call home. It's so much smaller than he remembered, so quaint and quiet and peaceful. He remembered so many days spent here, but he can't go back to those. He now has memories that seem to eclipse the ones that make him happy. The world became so much bigger and darker after he left Granny. He was thrust into that world by his powers, one that were freezing his Granny to death.

It's after this silent contemplation that he expressed his fears for Momo and his friendship with her, but Granny assured him that Momo is strong and that they have a bond that’s just as strong; nothing can change what they've gone through, but nothing can also change the past they've had together. She half seriously said he’ll have to find a way to make it up to Momo when the time comes.

This got Toshiro thinking about when that time will be. He couldn’t imagine himself facing Momo after what he’s done, but he also couldn’t imagine not having her in his life anymore. He felt unworthy as a Shinigami or as a friend to see her.

Six days after Aizen's defeat, Rangiku returned to her duties. She actually got pretty into paperwork, trying to distract herself. Toshiro also tried to focus on division duties; he tried to comfort Rangiku as best he could (letting her take longer breaks, telling her to not push herself, allowing her to leave early to see her friends after work, that sort of thing), but he wasn’t really equipped to help her through her grief. She’s appreciative, but could tell both of them are pretty lost right now.

Around this time, Momo learned Toshiro lost his left limbs but they'd been restored. In her fatigued and anxious state, she's upset he was harmed so severely, but a moment later is unable to forget how he looked at her before he attacked her. She also remembered his agonised scream before she fell unconscious. She's also relieved Rangiku, Izuru, and her friends have made full recoveries.

Eighth day, Toshiro picked up Hyourinmaru for the first time since being discharged from the Fourth Division. In the days between his visit to Granny and this day, he knew he had to speak with his zanpakuto spirit and not let the memories of what happened affect how he saw his weapon. He has been with Hyourinmaru for decades, and it's those memories of training with his zanpakuto and communicating with him that help him pick up his weapon again. He performed jinzen and met with Hyourinmaru, who is very remorseful for what happened.

They both contemplated where to go next, with Hyourinmaru feeling guilty for not being able to see through the deception and protect what his master cared about most (a reflect of Toshiro's own guilt). Toshiro had already forgiven his zanpakuto, even though he felt there was nothing to forgive on his part, and blames only himself for what happened, that he, as the wielder, controlled Hyourinmaru's actions.

Toshiro reflected back on his visit with Granny and returned to a thought he had many years ago when he discovered the depth of his power: having this power can harm Momo, so he vowed to use it only to protect her. Believing he can only face Momo once he strong enough to protect her and knowing his bankai hasn’t reached it's full potential, he resolved to finally obtain and control all of Hyourinmaru’s power to better protect Momo. He thought he could discover and realise this potential over decades, but now he felt he was slack with such thinking.

He made plans to train everyday, adjusting his usual schedule to make room for it. As a result, either Rangiku or his third seat will have to cover his share of paperwork while he’s away, or he will have to complete it later in the day after he's done training.

Rangiku was away on the morning of the tenth day, so Toshiro asks his third seat to cover his paperwork for that day. He found the caves – an area he used to train in when he was trying to achieve bankai – and we get chapter 423. It’s the first time since Aizen’s defeat that he’s activated his bankai, and after seeing the number of ice petals break apart above him in a short time, he concluded he's too weak, that he lacked control over his powers more than he thought, and that none of his abilities could have stopped someone like Aizen. It's there and then he vows to train to gain better control over his bankai and Hyourinmaru.

That morning, Rangiku had gone to find Renji and Shuhei, hoping to distract herself by hanging out with either of them, only to find them not around. She then went to check on Momo, but realized she wasn’t in the right state of mind to see her, so she left to go find Toshiro. She found out where he is either by asking their third seat or searching for his reiatsu.

Seeing and hearing his training, Rangiku realized her captain was moving on, creating a path forward to move past what happened. She resolved to move on too after realizing Gin never left a memento for her to dwell on. She sheds a few tears but otherwise remains still, waiting for her captain to finish.

It took Toshiro a while to realise Rangiku was there. When he’s done training, the two of them left for the barracks. Toshiro told his lieutenant he plans to make time to train everyday, and Rangiku half-teasingly said she’ll have ‘pick up the slack of her captain’ to get paperwork done for their division; it’s her way of supporting him to do what he feels he needs to do to move on. Toshiro was relieved to hear her somewhat return to her old self.

TIME APART (AKA, AFTER CHAPTER 423/EPISODE 310)

After almost a whole month in Twelfth Division, Momo was transferred to Fourth Division. Unohana could tell that although physically better (save for a scar where Toshiro stabbed her and a fainter one for where Aizen stabbed her), mentally Momo wasn't coping well (given how she spent most of her time in Twelfth Division, it's not surprising to her). However, Momo was in a better mood only a day into her stay at in Fourth Division, as she was now allowed visitors.

Over the course of her stay in Fourth Division , she is visited by Renji, Izuru, Hisagi, members of the Women’s Association, her division members in the higher seats, and the lieutenants of all divisions. Kyouraku visited her once to apologise for his part in her injuries, but she said there was nothing to forgive. Her most frequent visitors were Isane (who did medical checkups on her), Nanao (who gave her books and discussed them with her), Genji (who gave her updates about the division), and Rangiku (who gave her updates about various Shinigami, listened to her worries, and just chatted with her). Of the four, Rangiku visits the most, usually coming once a week.

Rangiku came to visit Momo as frequently as she does because she wanted to look out for her friend. She also knew her captain wouldn't be visiting her anytime soon but that he'd want to find out how she's doing. She planned to encourage him to go visit at some point, but for now she recognised he wasn't ready yet. She also felt she owed Momo for trying to save her during their confrontation with Ayon. Momo appreciated Rangiku coming to visit her and trying to cheer her up, helping her to take her mind off of her melancholy even it's only for a little while. It helped them grow closer as friends and cope in small ways with what happened.

Momo learned from Rangiku that Toshiro was focused on training, telling her she suspected he's doing to try to move on. She's tempted to ask Rangiku why he hasn't come to visit, but knew deep down it's because it's of the same reason she'd be very nervous to see him. It then she understood that reconnecting with Toshiro wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

Momo's happiness at Fourth Division was brief. She reflected on her actions (ie coming to the Fake Karakura Town) and felt she didn't accomplish what she had set out to do: prove to herself, her division, and the others that she was capable of still being a lieutenant and was strong enough to fight alongside them all.

She also was no longer in denial about Aizen's actions, knowing he had intended to kill her back when he revealed his betrayal, he had intended to bring down the Soul Society, and he had intended for her to die by Toshiro's blade. She called him 'Captain Aizen' now out of habit and because she can't let go of the memories from before Aizen's betrayal, where she was happy with him and their division. Now all she felt towards him and the memories she has of him is melancholy. She felt like a fool for not seeing through his facade, even though she knew he had been meticulous and didn't just fool her but everyone else.

Seeing everyone gradually move on and hearing about the lives of her subordinates and friends made Momo feel more depressed because she just couldn’t shake off everything that’d happened. She gradually started to believe everyone was moving on without her, and may even wonder if some were visiting her out of pity.

Not helped by this is the well-meaning wishes from her subordinates; Genji told her they all believe she will return to be their lieutenant when she has recovered, and wait for that day to come. This put more pressure on her to try and recover as quickly as possible.

While in Fourth Division, Momo’s days usually consisted of scheduled meals, going for a short walk around the division grounds to get some air, reading books given to her, and drawing in her sketch book when she’s feeling up to it. Visitors, like Rangiku and Genji, sometimes joined her for walks when they visited.

A month into Momo's stay at Fourth Division. Rangiku reassured Toshiro that Momo knows what happened in Fake Karakura Town and that she doesn't blame him at all for what happened; he's barely relieved by this, still feeling guilt over what he did. However, it does make Toshiro realise she doesn't hate him, and he asked Rangiku pass on messages to her. These messages were brief, like "Make sure you rest and eat well."

Two months into her stay, Momo asked Rangiku to pass on the message to Toshiro that she isn't afraid of him and understands what happened. She suspects these are the reasons he hasn't come to visit her, and although she wants to see him, she wonders if she's truly ready to face him as she currently is. Regardless, she wants to reassure him, especially after hearing about his pwn injuries and hearing how focused he seems to be on training and throwing himself into work (she worries he's pushing himself too much as he has the tendency to do so). Rangiku passed on the message, and even tried to encourage Toshiro to go visit her, but he wouldn't.

Toshiro was deeply conflicted about visiting Momo from the start: on one hand, he’s concerned about her and wants to be there for her as a friend, but on the other hand he worries that her seeing him will only upset her or that he won't know what to say/do. On top of that, he felt unworthy to see her while he hadn’t strengthened his bankai to be a 'true bankai' yet; until he has tangible proof (reaching a standard where he has a bankai that can best protect Momo), he feels he can’t face her. It would be like the last time he visited her at Fourth Division after Aizen stabbed her: he didn't know what to say her then and there, and he believed that would be the case right now too.

He almost gave in a few times, starting to go towards the Fourth Division, but stops and turns back before he reaches it. He became more critical of himself in these moments, believing he'd almost given into weakness and forgotten his guilt.

There was also an element of ‘what if she doesn’t forgive me?’, but he knows Momo is asking about him through Rangiku, so I feel this question is overshadowed by his feelings of unworthiness and the concern that seeing him would remind Momo of what happened.

While performing jinzen as part of his training, Toshiro's inner world reflected all of the emotional turmoil he's going through. The crescent moon is still present, but doesn't cast as bright a light as it usually does. The icy, barren landscape is more hostile and had fractures running through it. There were blizzards blocking his vision and training in the inner world is a constant struggle, which at times helped him strengthen his bankai through sheer endurance but other times hindered his progress.

Likewise, Momo's inner world changed with her emotional turmoil, becoming more unstable and unpleasant to the point she didn't want to go to it. However, she continued to speak with Tobiume. Her zanpakuto tried to help her through the struggles, encouraging her master and saying she should take her time and not feel guilty for taking so long. However, she also wanted her to move on from Aizen, and was deeply worried for her master. This, her 'failure' to prove herself, and the wishes of her division made her start to believe she was unworthy of being a lieutenant. She can't move on from Aizen, doesn't know how to, and she isn't recovering quick enough (in her opinion).

Four months after Aizen's defeat, Shinji first meets Momo in the Fourth Division. Momo was vaguely aware of who Shinji is thanks to Nanao, who told her about him and the Visoreds. As shown in Death Save the Strawberry, they have a long chat getting to know each other and Shinji seeing how deeply Aizen manipulated her and the whole Fifth Division. Shinji eventually tells her his intention of becoming the Fifth Division's captain. Having heard how well-liked she is in the division, how hard she worked to obtain her position, and her impeccable work ethic, he decided to keep her on as lieutenant. He also sees a bit of himself and the Visoreds in her, in that after being betrayed by Aizen they were not sure where to go or what to do. He wants to give her what he didn't have at the time: guidance.

After her talk with Shinji, Momo went through a flux of emotions. At first she's conflicted about Shinji as the new captain, as she still clung to the memories of how her division used to be with Aizen. She wished she could go back to how it was, but any memory of Aizen only brings her misery now; she admired and felt happy around an 'illusion'. She also wonders how Genji and her other subordinates felt, and wished she could be there for them, that she was strong enough to lead them right now.

Later, after a check up with Isane, she thought more on Shinji's words: that she isn't being left behind by her friends, that they are all waiting for her to recover. All this time she had been focusing on what she'd heard they were doing (some were training, others just getting on with their duties) and not on the moments where they came to visit her, telling her they look forward to the day she returns to her duties. What she took as pressure was meant to be encouragement.

She briefly felt guilty about this, feeling like she's been dragging her feet to recover this whole time, but then it gave her hope when she recalled earlier memories involving her friends - her first Women's Association meeting where she was made an official member, her first times meeting Rangiku and Nanao, working alongside Izuru and Renji when they were all in Fifth Division and when they rushed with her into battle to save Shuhei, meeting the other lieutenants and her subordinates for the first time, seeing Toshiro in a haori for the first time, and other skirmishes or adventures she went on with all of them, including moments where she helped or they helped each other.

After all these decades, after everything that happened, she felt she should have known better. They've been waiting this whole time, they never gave up on her like she had given up on herself. They believe in her, and although they'd only just met today, Shinji believes in her too. Suddenly there's a future, one she can be a part of and shape along with her friends. Part of that future, she resolved, was going to talk with Toshiro about what happened.

Shinji visits Momo on the day of his reappointment, just before the ceremony. There's a difference between when he first met her versus right there and then. Although a little anxious, she accepted his offer to be his lieutenant and even tentatively talked about what she plans to do once she can leave Fourth Division. Shinji said she was way too eager, but was glad that she was better since they last spoke.

Shinji is appointed captain of the Fifth Division a few days after first meeting Momo. Many worry Momo won't accept Shinji as the new captain of the division, believing she still clung to the memories of how her division used to be. In a sense, their worries as correct as it took Momo a while to let go of clinging to the old memories she has of her division, but within a month she made a vast improvement, even referring to Shinji as 'Captain Hirako' without any trouble or hestiation.

Toshiro met Shinji for the first time at the ceremony where the latter was reappointed captain. Toshiro kept a close eye on Shinji initially, and their first conversation was more like an interrogation, with Toshiro asking pointed questions about Shinji’s past and his intentions for the Fifth Division. Shinji took it personally at first, but then remembered 1) what happened with Toshiro during the Fake Karakura Town arc, and 2) Momo talking about her long friendship with Toshiro and how she worries for him after not seeing him for so long. He then understood Toshiro's concerns, but still pointed out that his past isn’t really the younger captain’s business. It doesn’t take too long for Toshiro to back off and see Shinji isn’t another Aizen though, that he's in fact the opposite.

After spending three months in Fourth Division, Momo made a remarkable recovery, able to get back to her division within five days of her first conversation with Shinji. Shinji was there on her final day in the Fourth division to take her back to Fifth. She was welcomed back with open arms and caught up with everyone. Despite the melancholy she clearly experienced, Shinji saw her interactions with their subordinates and knew for sure he made the right choice in keeping her on.

Momo noted when she returned to her private quarters her room has been cleaned. She'd expected there to be dust on the surfaces and for everything to be as she left it when she snuck out to fight during the Fake Karakura Town arc. There was even fresh flowers in a vase she keeps up the window. It moved her to tears knowing her subordinates have welcomed her back and kept her room tidy, and that Genji's words to her while she was recovering were true (that they believed that she would return to be their lieutenant).

But later that night, she had a hard time sleeping. She's come back to her room a changed person; she's come back to the room of a person who no longer existed. She can't be who she once was anymore, and her division will never be the same again. Her subordinates could define their division as 'before Captain Aizen's betrayal and after it'. She even tried to look at her old sketchbooks, but is afraid, knowing there are sketches of Aizen in them, and had a hard time looking at a few books on her bookshelf that were gifts from him.

Toshiro hears about Momo's return to her division. He is still a bit suspicious of Shinji at this stage and even considered going over to the division to see her, but thinks better of it, fearing the timing would be off and also that he still hasn't reached a good enough standard with his bankai.

A week after she resumes her lieutenant duties, Momo attended her first lieutenant’s meeting since the Soul Society arc. Genji, who had been attending the meetings in her place, gave her a run down of the last meeting before she went. When she got there, Rangiku stuck with her through the meeting and brought her up to speed – maybe along with Izuru and Renji or Nanao – on what’s been happening at the meetings, Women's Association business, and news about the other lieutenants. Everyone is happy to have her back, but also go out of their way to make sure they don’t upset her. Momo noticed, but didn’t say anything, mostly just glad to be back with her friends and coworkers.

Rangiku told Toshiro about the meeting when he came back from training, and after a pause he asked if Momo is truly well. Rangiku internally noted how vulnerable he sounded when asking this, and gave her honest answer that she genuinely believes Momo is on the up, and was surprised by just how well she was compared to when she last saw her in the Fourth Division. He doesn’t completely show it, but Toshiro is immensely relieved to hear this.

Rangiku tried to once again convince her captain to talk with Momo, but it doesn't go anywhere. She started to see that neither of them can keeping moving on until they've spoken with each other.

Also, although Rangiku is definitely moving on and accepted that Gin never left her anything to remember him by, she believed her captain and Momo get a chance to work things out between them and talk about how they truly feel; she doesn't want to see the two them go down the same road as her and Gin and grow distant, nto when she can see they care about each other as much as they do.

A few days later, Momo decided to get her hair cut when she realised how long it grew while she was recovering. She also, on some level, wanted to not style her hair in a bun for a while, as it served as a reminder of everything before. Rangiku (and maybe Nanao) accompanied her to the hair dressers. Momo got her hair cut short, both as a sign she’s moving on and just to try something new. She tries to style in different ways based on Rangiku’s advice before settling on the hair-ornament-on-the-side look.

Momo spent the rest of the month focusing on running her division with Shinji. She returned to her hard working self in no time as she and Shinji figured each other out: Shinji is the laid-back one while she's the straight man. She finds their dynamic confusing at first, so used to her [unhealthy] captain-lieutenant dynamic with Aizen, but comes to appreciate it for being refreshing. Shinji both directly and indirectly asks her to speak her mind, leading her to develop a sense of assertiveness with him.

They discuss Aizen when he comes up in conversation. They reflect on their times with Aizen, knowing they never really truly knew him but acknowledging there were moments where he may been sincere (according to Momo in Death Save the Strawberry, Aizen once said that if someone is rebelling against a law, then maybe that law isn't a good law to begin with; this in a way matches up with the true Aizen, who wanted to break the Soul Society's governing system apart because he found out what was ruling over it and believed he should change it).

At first Momo's mood plummets while talking about her former captain, but gradually this begins to change little by little, and it becomes easier to talk about him with Shinji, especially when she found out instances where Shinji had similar experiences to her before and after Aizen's betrayal from 110 years ago.

Meanwhile, Toshiro has returned to being the captain his division knows and loves, and his 'straight man-slacker' dynamic with Rangiku has also more or less returned. However, she did keep an eye on her captain, seeing him trying to juggle his usual captain duties, his training, and staying in touch with their subordinates. She supported him, taking on paperwork and other duties when needed, and noticed the changes in his reiatsu over the months. It'd grown colder and denser, a sign he is strengthened himself and his bankai. However, she also still sensed an flickering undercurrent, a sign he is still troubled.

Toshiro, so focused on his training and running his division, let his hair grow out a little. It got to a point where he has a fringe at the front, which he kept brushing to the side.

Also, as he's strengthened his bankai, his ice has gotten colder. Because of this, the caves are freezing during and after his training. As a result, he took up the habit of wearing an old, tattered scarf given to him by Granny when he was younger.

THE RECONCILIATION

(Couldn't find the gif version of this scene, so have a still instead and pretend that isn't Reigai Momo.)

Five months after Aizen's defeat, Toshiro and Momo see each other for the first time at a captains and lieutenants joint meeting. Toshiro is standing in his place in the Captain Commander’s meeting hall, having arrived early, and then sees Momo and Shinji walk in right on the dot with Momo whisperingly lecturing her captain about punctuality. Toshiro doesn’t hear what she’s saying, too stunned to see her after so long.

Momo is also stunned to see Toshiro, and both of them are distracted throughout the joint meeting, occasionally glancing at the other when the other isn't looking. However, there’s a moment where Toshiro looks over at Momo and she's looking back and doesn’t break eye contact. They look at each other, really look, and see who they’ve become now, and what has become their bond. Are they drifting? Had Aizen ruined their bond? Momo wonders why Toshiro never came to see her, and Toshiro wonders if he’s worthy enough yet to face her.

Momo also can’t help but feel apprehensive when she looks at Hyourinmaru’s hilt. She knows just how cold that blade is now, and the pain it inflicted is something burned into her memory. She can’t hide her apprehension and looks away. It reminds Toshiro of why he stayed away, and that he still needs to work on his bankai.

After the meeting, Toshiro makes to go towards Momo, who is speaking with someone else and has her back turned to him. As in other instances where he had the urge to see her, for a moment he forgets his goal about strengthening his bankai; all he wanted to do was speak with her. He stops after a few steps though, his goal coming back to him as well as the feelings for guilt and shame. He turns and leaves with Rangiku, who saw the whole thing.

What he doesn’t know is Momo had turned around just in time to see him turning away from her. As she watches him and Rangiku go, she takes it as a sign he wanted to speak with her. She leaves for her division contemplating on this.

Shinji notices she's a bit glum and asks what's up. She explains it's the first time she's seen Toshiro in a while, and she's just realising some of her feelings of anxiety about what happened between them still linger - ie how she reacted to Hyourinmaru. But also, she realised just how much she wants to talk with him, and selfishly she hopes he feels the same. She wonders who should be the one to approach, to open the conversation, or where she would even start. Shinji more or less says 'Only if that's what you want, don't push yourself. As is, this has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You two have been friends for decades, right? But nothings going to happen unless one of you takes the first step, doesn't matter who it is.'

Toshiro is left to reflect on his slowing progressing with his bankai training. He feels he has stagnanted, having strengthed his bankai in certain areas - like lowering the temperature of the ice, increasing the duration of the ice petals before they break, producing larger quantities of ice, and having better control over certain abilities like Guncho Tsurara and Hyoten Hyakkaso. He feels like he's on the verge of discovering something, something that would unlock Hyourinmaru's 'true bankai' and show him what his powers are truly meant to be, but he hasn't become strong enough to bring it to fruition. He's missing something, but he has no clue what. He feels he can't face Momo without some sort of tangible progress.

Despite her anxiety, Momo decides she will take the first step. However, she knows Toshiro's schedule is packed and considers sending Hell Butterfly to deliver a message to him, but feels she needs to ask him in person. She wonders if Rangiku will tell her what caves he's training, but then thinks better of it, not wanting to interrupt him and not knowing how either of them will react if she sees Daiguren Hyourinmaru. The only other opportunity she can think of is to go the division on an errand.

She finds the opportunity a few days later. With some trepidation, she visits Tenth Division. She's only guessing Toshiro will be there based on what Rangiku told her about his new schedule; it pays off though, as she finds him and Rangiku in the office.

Before Momo arrived, Toshiro was going over a new training regime for his lower-seated subordinates with Rangiku, but the moment they sensed Momo's reiatsu approaching the Tenth Division, Toshiro was stunned into silence. Rangiku could see he was considering going. She was also aware of how much these two want to speak with each other. She spoke up, telling him to stay and finally speak with Momo. It's then that Momo knocked on the division door.

Rangiku is a witness to the most awkward encounter she's ever seen between the two as Momo, trying to keep a smile in place, hands her some paperwork that needs to be overseen and then asks Toshiro to with her in private. Rangiku says she'll take of the plans and paperwork as a way to excuse them.

Toshiro and Momo take their conversation just outside the office, and Momo more or less gets straight to the point: we need to talk. However, she also gives him a way out in case he's not ready, saying it doesn't have to happen right away. Toshiro agrees that they need to talk, and Momo offers to meet up in a few days at a place where it'll just be the two of them.

The same conflict about visiting her arises in Toshiro - his feelings of unworthiness vs wanting to speak with her and be there for her as a friend. The former almost wins, but then he realises that seeing her again right here and now, despite the uneasiness and anxiety, has lifted a weight off his shoulders. She's really okay, and she wants to talk with him. Why didn't he visit her sooner? He feels like a fool, but he also wishes he were stronger now.

Despite his guilt and sense of unworthiness, he agrees to see her in a few days.

After Momo leaves, Rangiku doesn't ask what happened, she has a fair idea already. She only checks on her captain, who is more anxious now.

Two days later, they meet up. Toshiro has been freaking out about it internally, and Rangiku picks up that something isn't right with her captain on the day.

She eventually asks (a few hours before he's about to go), and he tells her. In a rare show of vulnerability, he admits his fear of how the encounter will go and believes he should have seen her sooner. Rangiku has faith that he and Momo can make amends, knowing both of them want to move forward and see each other again, and deep down hopes he can have what she wasn't able to: a bond that lasted with a childhood friend. She says she was able visit Momo's during her recovery at Fourth Division, and that even though her captain couldn't/didn't want to be by her side then, he has a chance to do so right now.

Momo has also been anxious about this day, and told Shinji what she'd done not long after she'd made arrangements with Toshiro. She appreciates her captain's support, and promises to work extra hard when she gets back to make up for her absence if she takes longer than her usual break time. He tells her she can take all the time she needs and that he and Genji have the paperwork covered while she's gone.

The meeting place is somewhere quiet, like a private courtyard in the Fifth/Tenth Division or somewhere in a forest that they're both familiar with. If somewhere like the former, I can see Momo preparing tea for the two them before Toshiro arrives.

They meet up, and it's tense. Neither are sure how to start, but Momo does, commenting about Toshiro's new look, saying it suits him. He haltingly thanks her, and comments on her hair - he's never seen her with short hair before. She vaguely tells him she cut it as part of her fresh start. However, she also notices his reiatsu is different: it's colder and stronger. She brings this up and assumes it's because of his training.

That gets to Toshiro. He gets on his knees (or deeply bows) and apologises to Momo. As she watches on in shock, he apologises for what he did to her during the conflict, for not seeing through Aizen's illusion, and for not coming to see her while she was recovering. He then says, his emotions nearly taking over, that he'll never hurt her again.

A silence prevails over them, and he realizes in that moment that his feelings of unworthiness weren't the only thing keeping him from seeing her: he was scared. He's afraid that what has happened between them is too much to overcome - he's still having nightmares and intrusive thoughts about what happened sometimes come to mind. He's afraid he'll never be worthy, that no matter what he does he can never make up for what he did.

In his view, she had nothing to gain from befriending him back when they were children, nor from staying friends with him during the years before Aizen's betrayal. Why did she befriend him in the first place? He was a cold, isolated child who everyone warned her to stay away from, but she didn't. He has nothing to give back in return, except for loyalty and a will to protect her; if he can't strengthen his bankai to become a 'true' bankai, how can he fulfill the latter? Even though he knows it was an illusion, that he couldn't have known Momo was there instead of Aizen, he still made the choice to charge forward, to give into the rage; to him, it's damn near unforgiveable unless he has something to show for it, to show he is sorry and will do better.

Finally, Toshiro, to a degree, is still haunted by what Momo said ('Shiro-chan...why?') Why? Because he was too weak, he thinks. He couldn't see through Aizen's illusion and he couldn't stop him from using his powers in the first place. He played right into his palm once again. He hadn't gotten stronger or wiser in the time between Aizen's betrayal and the war against him.

While recovering and again in the hours before their meeting, Momo reflected on everything before the Fake Karakura Town arc. How Toshiro forgave her for the things she did against him, and how he tried to help her. He never once drew his sword against her and even before everything that went down in the Soul Society arc, she could always count on him to be there for her when duties didn't get in the way. She realised just how much of her time had been taken by Aizen and by their respective duties [as a captain and a lieutenant], that they had been growing apart even before Aizen betrayed the Soul Society. She always considered him a friend, but just how much of him was as she remembers from when they were closer? They've certainly both changed now, have seen the darker and most vulernable sides fo each other. Can they overcome that? She feared during her recovery they might not.

Momo is still affected by what happened, but with the help of Rangiku and Shinji has been able to move forward and knows each step forward, no matter how small, is a step toward the memories that haunt her affecting her less and less. She realises Toshiro was moving forward through his training but maybe, just maybe, it hasn't been enough. Seeing him in the most vulnerable state she's ever seen him in, she is pained by the immense guilt he had bottled up inside, and remembers his scream from the battlefield - how agonised it was. In that moment, she wants to give the same reassurance and help that she received from her friends to help her move forward.

I would LOVE to think they hug it out, but a part of me thinks they don't. They're relieved to see each other and talk things out, but they're still anxious. Perhaps all they do at most is hold hands. Momo is aware that Toshiro isn't a big fan of physical affection, but in that moment, high on emotions, I can see Momo taking Toshiro's hand/s (or pulling him into a hug because I really do love the idea them hugging it out), holding him as she responds to his apology. If she holds his left hand, she'll notice how smooth it is compared to her own and remembers he lost his limbs.

Momo starts off by saying after she heard why everyone attacked her, she never blamed him, not once. Even when she didn't know, she was more confused then angry, knowing in her heart that Toshiro wouldn't hurt her. Just as he did for her after the Soul Society arc, she feels there is nothing to forgive, however: "But if it will help you to keep moving, then I...I forgive you, Hitsugaya-kun. Truly."

This brings Toshiro to tears, and even though he tries to not let any shed, a few escape. He still can't let go of the anger he feels towards himself, but her forgiveness immensly relieves him. To him, she still has nothing to gain by forgiving him or continuing to be friends with him or even continuing to care about how he feels, but she does it anyway, and it moves him something fierce.

It's been several decades since Momo last saw her friend cry and this is one of the few times he has done so in front of her, so she's taken aback a little. Still she waits for him to say something, and if she's holding him or his hand, she holds on a bit tighter in reassurance.

When he says nothing, she opens up about how she felt during her recovery. She wondered where he was, why he didn't come visit. Seeing how guilt-ridden he is and how much he has tormented himself, she understands now. She more or less says, 'You always take so much on, even when it's not your fault, and you're always looking out for others, never yourself. You need to take care of yourself more, or else you'll burn away.'

Toshiro disagrees, saying it's her who looks out for everyone before herself. Believing it will help prove his point, Toshiro asks a question that's been haunting him in the back of his mind: why did you come to the Fake Karakura Town?

Momo recounts to him what she heard from her subordinates and that she became determined to prove to herself, her subordinates, and her friends that she was still able to lead and was strong enough fight alongside them. She had similar feelings while recovering in Fourth Division, but she didn't use these feelings as motivation to get better, she dwelled in them. She felt she'd failed to prove herself, she felt she couldn't lead her division anymore and that she was being left behind by everyone.

She tells him something she hasn't told anyone else: as a result of all these factors, she feels she has been selfish and that despite Shinji's vote of confidence, she has days where she doubts if she should still be the lieutenant of the Fifth Division. She believes she only thought of her own pain while in recovery and feeling abandoned by everyone, which is what kept her from leaving Fourth Division earlier. When Shinji told her her friends were waiting for her, on one hand she felt relieved that they hadn't forgotten her, but on the other she felt bad for keeping them waiting, including Toshiro. They had believed her this whole time and she never fully realised; they had to move on, but they were waiting for her to join them. Now, she has days where she doubts her leadership and Shinji's decision to allow her to continue being the lieutenant of Fifth Division, but she gets through these doubts one way or another.

It's not entirely the reason Toshiro thought she came to the fight - he thought she came to show she was better, but also to help her friends and look out for them. He didn't realise the other factors that played into Momo coming to the Fake Karakura Town.

Toshiro again apologies for not coming to see her sooner, saddened that she felt she had been left behind. Toshiro thinks to tell her to look back on her legacy with her division, but realises that much of that legacy likely involves Aizen (even in moments where she and she alone accomplished something for her division), and so out of fear that remembering Aizen would harm her, he doesn't bring it up.

In a true moment of vulnerability, he tells her if she ever doubts her strength or her ability to be a lieutenant again, that she should remember what she once told him many decades ago: our strength comes from others, in believing in them and them believing in you. He says she has always been a strong person, strong enough to stand by what she believes in and by those she believes in, to always provide others with strength or looking out for them. All of this in turn makes her one of the strongest people he knows. It also why no one could ever forget her or think of leaving her behind. Realising how he has spoken up until now, he quickly adds that her strength in kido also shows her apitutde as a Shinigami, being one of the best practioners of kido amongst the Gotei 13. She's also got good zanjutsu skills last he checked, and well, she's a lieutenant isn't she?

Momo sheds some tears at his words. She has never known Toshiro to speak like this. He always shows his care through practical advice ("Hurry back to bed, you're starting to get bags under your eyes" for example) or trying to divert her mind from whatever is making her sad (teasing her about not getting enough sleep). His words become a part of her moving on process, knowing now he still believes in her. However, his quick cover up at the end when he goes on about her kido and zanjutsu makes her chuckle. He's embarrassed by her reaction, asking what's so funny. With a smile as she wipes her tears, she says she'll try to remember what she told him about believing in others and thanks him.

She also acknowledges that she really shouldn't have been at the fight at Fake Karakura Town, that if she hadn't showed up maybe none of this would have happened. However, she knows if she hadn't been there someone else may have taken her place. Toshiro also reminds her that Rangiku may have ended up in a worse condition too, and thanks her for saving his lieutenant after she was attacked by Ayon.

They sit in silence again for a moment, the air isn't as tense as before. They at least know the other still considers them a friend, but where do they go from here?

In the silence they reflect. They can never truly be the same again, as individuals and as friends. They can never go back to being children in Junrinan, or to a time before Aizen's betrayal. They will now have to live with the memories of what happened for the rest of their long lives. Toshiro will continue his training, and Momo will continue to move on from Aizen. Neither of them could have done this though without seeing each other today and determingin where they stand with each other.

After a moment, Momo looks to Toshiro, and he turns to look at her. They see this revelation in each other, and they come up with an idea to have lunch together soon, maybe even visit Granny. The first step in a long path to reconnecting. As the sun sets, they go their separate ways.

Toshiro leaves with a weight lifted, but his determination still set to better his bankai. He wants to protect Momo to the upmost best of his abilities; she has forgiven him and he was no longer afraid to see her, but now more than ever this meant he needed to get stronger. He can't let another threat break their bond again. he returns to Tenth emotionally exhausted, but still considers going to train. However, Rangiku curtails this idea, taking her captain out for dinner and berating him for always being so focused on work. She can tell there's a change in him.

As they eat, Toshiro thanks Rangiku for everything she did while Momo was recovering. Now that he's seen hersaying that it's likely Momo was able to bounce back the way she did because of her. Rangiku is surprised at first, but then says that she's her friend, and that it was all Momo's effort.

Momo also leaves with a weight lifted from her chest, knowing Toshiro still wants to be her friend and that there's a chance for them to reconnect after all the trauma they've been through, even if their friendship isn't the way it was before. She knows she will still have days where she doubts her leadership, but commits to remembering Shinji and her division's belief in her, how Rangiku and her friends helped her during her Fourth Division stay, and now Toshiro's words. She returns to Fifth also emotionally exhausted, but wisely decides she needs to rest rather than do paperwork. For the first time in a while, she remembers her happier days in the Junrinan and Academy with Toshiro and friends.

They both fall asleep that night knowing they can begin again. Aizen sought to rip their bond asunder, but he couldn't. He had power over so many things during this whole ordeal, but the one thing he couldn't ruin was the bonds between Shinigami, including their own. So they won't let him win, they won't give into despair and never see each other again. They have been traumatised with what happened, but they won't let it stop them from seeing each other and continuing to be friends.

TOSHIRO'S TRAINING (AKA PRE FULL BRINGER/THE LOST AGENT ARC)

(Seriously though, how is there no gifs of this scene on here?!)

Toshiro continues his training - though not on as strict a schedule as before - and finds he's making more progress since reconciling with Momo. Up until now he felt immense guilt, unworthiness, and fear, but as they reconnect over the course of the year [before the Full Bringer arc begins] those feelings are slowly being lifted away. It's in coming to terms with these emotions and knowing he ultimately wasn't the one at fault during the Fake Karakura Town arc that he's been able to make more progress. His inner world is also more or less back to normal.

Also, while in the caves alone (save for Hyourinmaru), its given him time to reflect on things other than what happened during the Fake Karakura Town arc. Aside from his bond with Momo, he thinks about his bonds with others and how they stand after everything that happened. He's still focused on strengthen his bankai to better to protect Momo, believing the only way he can maintain her wellbeing (both emotional and mentally) and make amends for what he did is to be able to physically protect her. However, after seeing Rangiku so low after Gin's death, his Granny worried about his injuries during his fight against Aizen, and the hard-work and concern of his subordinates, he wants to gain control and new powers for them too.

Two months after reconciling with Momo, he gains an ability which he has great difficulty controlling: flash freezing using either his blade or a gesture of his hand (like what we saw in chapter 670 where he froze the section of the Soul Palace that'd broken off from the platform to keep it in place). The ability almost frightens him due to his lack of control, and reminds him of how his powers have the potential to hurt those he cares about.

However, he's still missing something to truly unlock his bankai's potential. A few times he feels like he can just touch whatever is beyond him, and this is usually when he's on the last few ice petals. He believes to achieve a 'true bankai', he needs to increase his endurance, and in doing so increase the time each petal can last. If he can do that, he might have more time while in bankai to unlock the powers beyond his reach.

One time he doesn't deactivate his bankai before the last petal shatters; as a result, he undergoes immense pain (including muscle spasms and cuts on different parts of his body; this was his body trying to shape itself into a form that could take the full powers of Hyourinmaru and what he doesn't know at this stage is that it's an 'imperfect transformation').

He used a Hell Butterfly to contact Rangiku to come help him back to the division. By Unohana's orders he's confined to his room until he gets better (she even gives him 'the look' to ensure he follows her instructions) and that she will send someone to check on on him and provide healing kido where necessary. He's out of commission for two days.

It's not the first time this has happened to Toshiro. In the early days of learning his bankai, he let the last petal break to see what would happen. It was why he aimed to defeat an opponent before all the petals broke and also why he allowed the rumor to run that Hyourinmaru transformed back to his shikai state when the last petal broke. Rangiku is the only person who knows the truth, so she already knew why he was in such a pained state at the caves. She tries to convince him to take it easy on the training, worrying he's pushing himself too much for something that wasn't his fault.

The next day, Rangiku tells Momo what happened (saying that something happened during his training but not what caused it) after a Women's Association meeting, hoping she will visit her captain. Momo visits him after the meeting, but can't stay long. She asks about his training, what did he do to end up like this?

Since reconciling, Toshiro wants to be more open with Momo and she becomes the second person to know about what happens when the last petal breaks - he more or less swears her to secrecy to not tell anyone else though.

Momo had hoped after reconciling with him that he'd ease up on training after speaking with him, having suspected it was the only way he was moving on from what happened. However, knowing everyone is moving on in their own ways (including herself), she doesn't pry into why he's continues his strict training schedule. She tells him to look after himself and not strain himself while training.

While Toshiro recovers, he thinks back on his training and what he could try next. He thinks about how he obtained his flash freezing ability; he gained it while on the last few petals, and he remembers a distinct feeling that went with it, one he can't describe or put a word to. It's then he realises he shouldn't be focusing on extending the duration of the petals, but instead on what happens when the last petal breaks. The thing he feels he can almost touch and what will lead to strengthening his bakai is just beyond the last petal, and he has to find some way to access it without damaging himself.

Once he has recovered and caught up with all his division duties, he goes to the caves and performs jizen to communicate with Hyourinmaru and tells him his revelation.

Toshiro wants to learn what is beyond the last petal, and nearly pleads with Hyourinmaru to allow him to find out. Hyourinmaru says his master will need to beat him in combat to find out. Toshiro is surprised by this, as he'd thought they'd gotten to a stage in their partnership where they wouldn't need to combat each other for a new ability anymore.

While they train, Hyourinmaru gets Toshiro to reflect on how they achieved other milestones together, like when he first learned his name or gained his Shikai. The main thing he concludes is all were instances of his will to protect those he cares about (he left Granny to protect her from his powers and went to the Academy to better understand and refine them, then he learned Hyourinmaru's name from his will to protect Momo), and right now he's doing the same thing again: wanting to strengthen his bankai until it becomes a 'true bankai' so he can better protect Momo. He's always wanted to protect Momo because she means so much to him, and having gone through the trauma he has, he realises just how much. He wants to protect her from beings like Aizen, wants to make it that they never have a chance to use their powers against him or Momo or anyone else he cares about.

However, it's only half the puzzle. They continue to train over the next week, with Toshiro trying to understand what else he's missing and Hyourinmaru ejecting Toshiro from his training and diffusing his bankai before the last petal breaks. He senses fear coming from Hyourinmaru, both while combating him and outside fo training. He tries to bring it up with him, but his zanpakuto spirit is elusive.

It's while combating Hyourinmaru one day and reflecting on his zanpakuto's fear that Toshiro makes a discovery about himself: on some level, he still fears his powers, and it's this fear that's holding him back. He fears what they will do to others if he cannot control them (leaving his Granny so she wouldn't freeze to death, warning Izuru to leave the area when he was about fight Gin, believing he needs to control his bankai to better protect Momo to ensure they never harm her again) and that he cannot use these powers to protect rather than harm. But also, he fears what he will become because of his powers. He believes that his powers were the reason he came off as cold while he was a child, they were transforming him such a young age and continuing to inform his personality into the present: a Soul who can be as temperamental as a blizzard but also an icy cold captain with a strict code.

He connects all of this to what happened at Fake Karkura Town, that for a moment Aizen was able to turn him into everything he hated and never wanted to be towards Momo (or anyone else he cares about). For her, he wants to be a fearless protector, one who's powers would never harm her, but now they have and he can never take that back. But it wasn't just her: he'd once harmed Granny, making her thinner and freeze her at night. He's been trying to protect everyone from himself and the powers we was born with since almost the beginning.

Hyourinmaru, sensing his master's thoughts, pauses their training and gets him to think more on it. Toshiro feels a bit of guilt, believing his fears of his powers have reflected on to Hyourinmaru, a being who is a core part of his Soul; he has been affecting his zanpakuto spirit this whole time.

Toshiro more less says: "To protect, I need to change. I need to become whatever it takes to control my bankai and strengthen it. Do I need to be fearless? Is that it?"

Hyourinmaru says something to effect of: "That girl [Hinamori] is the reason you train now, and she is the reason you learned my name, but it wasn't her and her alone that made you do those things. You've never been fearless, not once. But...even if it meant dying on this field, you've always strived forward, reached for me, even when all of this was unknown to you, even when it terrified you to leave everything you've ever known behind. That was the day you decided you were not a child. That was the day you became the wielder of my power. You and you alone can control it. You've done all of that in order to find a way to control our powers and use them to protect those you care about."

Toshiro: "It's not true. I'm still learning how to. I couldn't control it against that bastard, and it cost Hinamori-"

Hyourinmaru: "It wasn't your fault, she said so herself. You know that too. Do you remember at the Academy, what they told us? About protecting those you hold close to you? About fear? 'A Shinigami of your power is not without fear, for it would be foolish to not fear the power you wield...'

Toshiro finishes: " '...but you can't allow that fear to debiltate you. Fear comes from the unknown, but also from knowing what one is capable of.' These powers, they shape you just as much as they shape me. They are me, and also a part of me. I can't seperate them."

Toshiro knows in order for him to traverse into the powers out of his reach, he must transform himself so he can know the unknown. For Momo and those he cares about, he's willing to do that. He wants to be a protector, not just to be able to feel he is worthy of being by Momo's side, but a protector who wants to presrve the happiness of those he cares about and is aware of the magnitude of his power and is not crippled by fear for his powers or himself.

He is alone in how powerful he is, but not in company. Momo, despite everything the Junrinan residents told her, the aura Toshiro gave and the powers he discovered, has never been afraid of him. Rangiku, rather than fear the power she sensed in him, showed him the way to start discovering and controlling it. He concentrates on these sentiments and on facing the unknown, on sitting with his fear and not let it control him as the last petal breaks. He won't run away, he'll allow himself to be shaped by whatever this power is, and in turn will shape this power himself and decide what it will be used for - to protect, always to protect, Momo, the people he cares about, and the Soul Society.

As he's down to the last two, Toshiro can feel what's beyond his grasp become closer. He focuses on what he wants to become - a protector who wants to preserve the happiness of those he cares about and is aware of the magnitude of his power but is not crippled by fear for his powers or himself.

As this happenes, Hyourinmaru reveals why he was fearful and didn't want to reveal the powers beyond the last petal without combating him first: he feared that whatever lies beyond would be too much for his master to handle and that once they've discovered the potential there, there may be no going back. His power is immense, and not even Hyourinmaru knows the full extent of their abilities. Of what he does know, he feared it would take a great toll on Toshiro, that he would have to become something else to harness and control such power, something that required him to confront his fear of his powers and self and of the unknown.

However, seeing now his master overcome some personal issues that were holding him back and learning to cope with fearing his powers (and by extension Hyourinmaru), Hyourinmaru instructs Toshiro on how to finally reach out and grasp that power. Toshiro let's go of his physical forms, allows it to shift into whatever it takes it wield all of his powers. He is not a helpless child with no control over his powers or the teenager desperate to protect those he cares about from himself, he is the wielder of Hyourinmaru and a protector who uses his powers to protect those he cares about.

When the last petal breaks, Toshiro turns into the Completed form for the first time. It comes to him in a blinding white light from the crescent moon of his inner world. There is pain and strain as he ages up, but it's much less compared to his imperfect transformations. After the transformation is complete, the light fades and he's back in the real world. He immediately notices his hands; they've grown larger, and he feels oddly out of proportion. When he speaks to ask Hyourinmaru, he doesn't recognise his own voice (being a few octaves deeper), and when he finds the strength to stand, the world is taller and his uniform is a lot smaller, ripped in areas, and his tabi and waraji are completely torn, leaving him mostly bare-footed. The whole thing disorientates him and he stumbles back, almost falling over. He finally notices the ice covering every inch of the cave, even creating stalagmites from the cave ceiling and mist rolling in waves all around him.

He looks at his reflection in the ice and sees he has aged up into a young adult. He's so stunned by this he doesn't get around to exploring the powers that come with the form. However, he takes a moment to meditate on the power within him, how much more of it there is. It's immense, almost staggering, it threatens to overwhelm him. This is the true power of Hyourinmaru. A minute after transforming, his body can't take it and he goes back to his regular self.

Toshiro now understands why Hyourinmaru was afraid of there being no going back: he's now seen and felt what he needs to become in order to gain all his true powers, and it's a lot to take in. However, he already recognises that the form takes a lot out of him, and that in reality he isn't supposed to have these powers yet, but will continue to train and strengthen his body and mind to increase his endurance. He has come to know the unknown and recognise the power that comes with it; he might be fearful of it now, but he won;t let that fear cripple him or stop him. So rather than fear at this new form, he's stunned and eventually thanks Hyourinmaru for lending him his strength, for allowing him to access all of his powers.

It's now been 11 months since Aizen's defeat and six months since he reconciled with Momo. In his eyes, Toshiro has finally obtained something tangible to show he is stronger now and can be by Momo's side.

He spends the remaining months [before making his first appearance in the Full Bringer arc] training to control and understand the new abilities available to him in the Completed form. As before, he is afraid of his new abilities and the immense power he now possess, but knows he can become less feaful of them through training, to gain more confidence in his ability to control them. It's this way of thinking - and his motivation to protect Momo and those he cares about - that allows him to keep accessing the Completed form. His next several transformations are like the first, in that he transforms back against his will, leaving him only a few minutes to train in the form and explore the powers he has. With Hyourinmaru's help, he eventually acquires the ability to maintain the form and transform back when he wishes to.

He decides given the magnitude of the powers, how painful the transformation can be, and the physical toll it takes on him, he won't use this form unless it's a last resort in battle. Through his training, he has refined other techniques he already has in his regular bankai, and in most cases they should do the trick. If, however, he is facing an enemy like Aizen or one with god-like powers that can't be incapacitated by his usual powers, he will use the Completed form.

On the more comical side, while training in the first week with the Completed form, he forgets sometimes he's become an adult. He hears his own voice and doesn't recognise it and freaks out that someone else is in there before remembering his new form gives him a slightly deeper voice, or he'll forget to duck when going through certain sections of the cave that are now too small for him, resulting in a few bumps on his head.

Then there's uniform issue; learning from the first time he transformed, Toshiro starts to borrow uniforms from the spares cupboard that are a size or two bigger than usual when he goes to train, and brings an even bigger sized shihakusho with him just in case. This includes bringing along a larger sized pair of tabi and waraji. As for his haori, he wears it to the caves but takes it off before starting training, not wanting to risk damaging it in some way. His division members start to notice a few of the spare uniform pieces are going missing, so he's quick to wash

Just like before with the last petal, Rangiku is the only one who knows about the Completed form. Toshiro doesn't tell her right away, but when she catches him borrowing a larger sized shihakusho from the spares cupboard he tells her. She asks for a demonstration, and Toshiro has a feeling he already knows what her reaction will be. He takes her out to the caves and sure enough, she reacts with shock and wants to take a picture so everyone can see. He makes her swear to not say a word about it, that he only showed her so that she knew what to expect if he ever has to use it in battle.

Her excitement sobers up when she sees his abilities. She has known him for decades, was the one who set on the path to dicvoering his powers, she never imagined it would be anything like this. She is a little afraid for her captain wielding these powers; he's still so young and to have these new, powerful abilities must be a lot for him.

In all seriousness, Rangiku vows not to tell anyone. That doesn't stop her from teasing him about it, vaguely making references to the Completed when it's them and someone else and outright talking about when it's just the two of them.

Toshiro decides he will one day tell Momo as well, and a select few others in his division once he has a good grasp on his powers, but otherwise will not reveal or tell anyone about the form unless it's necessary.

By the time the TYWB arc rolls around, he's got a good grip on the powers, calling his Completed form a 'true bankai' and has considered it 'perfected'.

MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME (AKA PRE-FULL BRINGER ARC AND BEYOND)

(Didn't find a gif or still of a scene to match for this part, so have this unfinished, very rough WIP I worked on a few years ago. Can't remember exactly what the scene was, but I remember I had the headcanon about them meeting up for lunchbreaks in mind while drawing it)

While all of this was going on for Toshiro's training, he and Momo were reconnecting over the course of the year before the Full Bringer arc.

As a first step to getting back on track, they spent the next several months meeting up when their schedules align - usually on lunch breaks. In the grand scheme of things, this only turns out to be about six to eight times they meet up before the war against the Quincy begins.

It's a bit awkward at first, as they're trying to understand just exactly what their relationship is now and where they go to from here. Can they talk about their past together, or is that just relying on the past and not trying to build something in the present? Is their shared past the only thing they have in common now?

Both realise that it's been decades since they last spent any 'quality time' together, and that their view of the other have changed since Aizen's defeat. During Soul Society, Arrancar, and Fake Karakura Town arcs, they've seen sides to each other that they never knew existed, and now they have to accept that these characteristics are part of this person.

For instance, Toshiro saw Momo's selfless can work against her, making her feel bad for not 'recovering quicker' and feeling she had been selfish. It's another instance where he sees the positive traits of Momo can have negative sides to them as well (the other time being her fierce loyalty to someone she cares about, Aizen, being turned into an irrational mind state during Soul Society arc). Likewise, Momo saw just how much Toshiro can punish himself for something he perceives he did wrong, and the rage he is capable of expressing in battle.

Every time they go on one fo these breaks, Toshiro doesn't turn up with lunch (he doesn't usually take lunch breaks, so he rarely has lunch). With the exception of the first break together, Momo always takes him out to the Rukongai to get lunch - even though he insists he doesn't need anything to eat...but knows Momo is right - and then they go somewhere to eat together.

On these breaks they mostly talk about work-related matters. Momo talks about what it's like to work with Shinji (with Toshiro checking to make sure she isn't being overworked) and just general division affairs. Every few lunch breaks Momo will ask about Toshiro's training and try to offer pointers. In the last few breaks together, they eventually start reminscing about their childhood together and the Academy days, having at this point accepted the different sides they saw of the other and that there is some things they have in common - both things from before Aizen's betrayal and new things they never realised they had in common. They can create something in present as their changed selves, a friendship with some things are still the same but other things are new and different and bring them closer.

On their first break together they visit the Junrinan and Granny. She's thrilled to see that Momo has recovered and invites them to stay for lunch. While Momo is out visiting her other friends in the district, Toshiro helps Granny prepare the food. She more or less says 'see, I told you everything would work out'. Being in his childhood home and seeing Momo happier than she's been in the last year and a half, Toshiro feels a sense of calm he hasn't experienced in years, and thanks Granny.

About a month in, Momo accidently calls Toshiro 'Shiro-chan' without realising. Toshiro even gives his stock answer in response: "It's Captain Hitsugaya!" It takes them both a moment to realise what she did, and how it didn't affect either of them in a negative way. Momo didn't realise she needed to hear the usual response from him, and she never realised she was worried about calling him by his old nickname. So of course she goes back into the old habit after this, much to Toshiro chargrin but also relief.

In another of these breaks, they bring up the nightmares they've each had, and that a few times something (a sound, a smell, an action they or someone else did) has triggered a memory or image. It's something they both acknowledge they will be dealing with for years. Toshiro internally wonders if being around him will really help with this, but as if reading his mind, Momo says that the only way to get through such things is together with each other and with their friends.

Toshiro (who brought his zanpakuto to this particular break, intending to go train in the caves afterwards) notices Momo staring at Hyourinmaru's hilt strangely. She admits that seeing Hyourinmaru still makes her a bit uncomfortable, but that she's getting over her feelings. Toshiro makes sure not to bring Hyourinmaru with him on breaks with Momo from that point on.

However, for one of the later lunches, Momo requests they he bring Hyourinmaru. As she's been reconnecting with Toshiro, she fully recognises that his weapon never meant to harm her, and based on what Toshiro told her, Hyourinmaru regretted what happened just as much as his master did. Toshiro does as she requests, and Momo more or less engages in exposure therapy, letting herself sit with her anxious feelings and gradually calm down while looking at Hyourinmaru. By the time of the TYBW arc, she's totally fine with Hyourinmaru.

There are some things they don't talk about regarding their trauma (such as Aizen, the scar Hyourinmaru left, or certain places that affect Momo). Some things are still too raw for them to talk about, but in time after the Quincy invasion they get around to it.

When not on these breaks together, they see each other when running errands around the Seireitei or at meetings. Their conversations are five minutes at most and are usually just work-related.

Having almost lost Momo made Toshiro change a few of the ways he interacts with her.

For one, I can see Toshiro avoiding talking about Aizen, fearing it will make Momo upset. We’ve seen him avoid talking about the past in chapter 224, where he is quick to forgive Momo and diverts the topic on to something lighter/comical to try and take her mind off things. Eventually, Momo tells him it’s okay to talk about her former captain, that her talks with Shinji (where he won't bring up Aizen in conversation, but if the former captain so happens to arise as a topic of discussion he won't avoid or dismiss it, instead talk with Momo about him and share his experiences) have made her realise she needs to not avoid speaking about him, even if it still hurts her a little. However, Toshiro realizes talking about Aizen also affects him. As a result, Aizen rarely if ever comes up in conversation.

Toshiro is still a little iffy about his worthiness. Nearly losing her twice has now made him want to spend as much as he can with her outside of his duties. On the other hand, he still feels he has no right to be with her after everything he did (even after reconciling when she fully recovered); he’d convinced himself months ago that with a perfected bankai, he’d able to face her and have a right to stand by her side again with something tangible to show he is strong enough and learned from his failures. He tries to not let this thought pattern stop him from being in Momo presence though, with his desire to spend time with her normally outweighing this sense of unworthiness, since he talked to her and cleared the air. His worries gradually fade away with the help of Rangiku and by spending time with Momo more, and by the time he has a good grasp on the Completed forms powers, he feels more at peace.

In the first few months of reconnecting with her, Toshiro goes easy on the teasing, still a little worried that he may hurt her feelings if he does. In fact, he tries to be more open about how he feels, though it's still very tough for him to do; he's so used either hiding his feelings in one way or another, or just not thinking to talk about them. He's able to smile around her again in no time though, she just brings it out in him and he doesn't want to hide his smile from her anymore. He wants her to know that he's happy to be around her.

This doesn't stop Momo from teasing him though. However, she does notice Toshiro seems to be teasing her less. She almost misses it, having gotten used to it in the past.

There are certain locations that make Momo feel uneasy for a while. The first is the wall where Aizen pinned his fake corpse. Everytime she walks past it she remembers what happened there, from discovering his 'body' to her confrontation with Izuru. The other is Central 46, though she rarely needs to go there. There's been a few days where she's swears she can almost feels Aizen reiatsu emanating from the underground prison, but she knows it's her being paranoid while she's physically and/or emotionally low. In time she is able to overcome these struggles, going past these locations without incidents.

However, many months later after the war against the Quincy has ended, she finds out the wall once caused her so much trouble was destroyed at some point during the invasion, and she can't help but feel at ease to know it's gone.

Momo also reconnects with Renji and Izuru. They came to visit her a few times while she was recovering, she and Izuru had talked about what happened between them during the Soul Society arc and had forgiven each other. They go out together a few times for the start of the TYBW arc, mostly to dinners. Her and Izuru also talk about what it's like to have Visoreds for captains, each of their new captains' quirks, and their more casual atttiudes to their work.

Momo also gets to speak to the Visoreds - both the ones who returned and the ones who didn't return to the Soul Society. She gets along fine with Rose, Kensei, and Mashiro, and they all tell her stories about Shinji, mostly unflattering ones to get on his nerves. Shinji often calls Hiryori and co, and based on his reaction to them she wonders if she'll get along with any of them. Surprisingly, she and Hiyori get along fine; Hiyori even admitted she doesn't know how someone like her 'can stand being around Shinji' and that she's surprised she hasn't run for the hills yet. She doesn't get much of a chance to talk with the other Visoreds. Shinji plans to go to the World of the Living and wants to introduce Momo in person to them.

Shinij and Momo grow closer as a captain-lieutenant team, with Momo comign to appreciate the jazz music Shinji plays in their office and Shinji looking forward to whenever Momo decides to bake something. Further, Momo finds talking about Aizen with Shinji is easing her melancholy. A year after Aizen's defeat, she now refers to him as 'Captain Aizen' not because she is in denial, but out of habit. A habit she is gradually grows out of, consciously referring to him as 'Aizen Sousuke' when she can.

Momo also did some training of her own. With her recovering in Twelfth and Fourth for four months, she has lost some of her physical strength and stamina, and needs to reacquaint herself with wielding Tobiume. She begins a training regmine to increase her physical strength and speed a month after returning to her duties. From there, she also trained with Shinji so they could each understand the other's shikai abilities, and she attended zanjutsu practices/classes with her subordinates.

She works on her kido too, aiming to increase the number of spells she can cast over a short period and also the number she can have at her disposal, work on her kaido (healing kido), dsicover other spells she can fuse together like she did against Halibel's fraccion, and new ways to incorperate Tobiume's fire into the spells.

Tobiume believes that she may have contributed to her master's poor mental state while she was recovering, but Momo instead thanks her for sticking with her and working with her now to help her return to her former strength.

A few months before the beginning of TYWB arc, she has exceeded where she was before Aizen's betrayal, being physically stronger, her stamina increased to the point that she can use several low to medium-grade kido one after the other without tiring herself out, she and Tobiume are as close as ever, her zanjutsu has improved, and her kaido skills having increased to where she can now heal someone with deep wounds that they should be able to walk around with little issue.

The last time Toshiro and Momo see each other before the beginning of the TYBW arc is a week after Ichigo regains his Shinigami powers. They do the usual - get lunch, find somewhere to eat it, and chat. This time, Momo picks a rooftop Internally, Toshiro notices it's the happiest he's seen Momo in a long while. He considers telling her about the Completed form, but decides against because 1) on the comical side, he's worried about her blabbing to someone, and 2) on the more serious side, he's a little afraid about her reaction if she wanted to see it, and also if she asked how he obtained the form (he doesn't want to lie but he also doesn't want to reveal his motivations behind it right now; one day he will be brave enough to tell her why he trained in those caves for so long, but not right now).

He also noticed how different (and better) Momo is under Shinji's leadership. He notices she's more assertive about her feelings, unafraid to show her doubt or annoyance, and that Shinji doesn't try to control her or treat her like she is beneath him (ie Aizen treating Momo like an admiree while he was the admired). Toshiro realises there are things Shinji can do to help Momo's recovery that he can't (such as openly speak about Aizen and relate to her on being betrayed by someone she worked closely with). He feels mixed about this, but ultimately recognizes that Shinji is helping her recover and grow. He's not a fan of the man's laid-back attitude and wants to ensure that Momo isn't the only doing the paperwork for her division, but Toshiro treats Shinji like he would any fellow captain and is grateful to him in helping Momo recover.

Momo notices Toshiro is more open with her, in what he talks about and in expressing himself. Sometimes it's stilted, but she can tell he's making an effort to be more open with her. She never asked him to, but she wonders if it's because they almost lost each other. She knows if she ever lost him, there would be things she'd regret not saying or doing certain things with him. She welcomes this new openess, and when he gets more comfortable with teasing her again, she finds herself oddly welcoming that back too.

Not knowing of course that this would be the last time they'd see each other before the TYWB arc, they had planned to meet up in a month's time. However, this one kept getting pushed back to due other commitments for their divisions.

In the end, Toshiro and Momo overcame everything Aizen threw at them, trying to divide them and traumatise them to the point of breaking. They didn't let him win: Momo moves on with her new captain, not completely unscarred or healed by the time TYBW arc occurs, but it's a tremendous recovery and she will without a doubt oen day be able to refer to Aizen without his title and cope with the trauma she was dealt. Toshiro learned to forgive himself after what he did, had to control the fear he held for his powers, and didn't let Aizen turn him into everything he swore to protect Momo and those he cares about from.

But above all else, Toshiro and Momo stuck together. They reconciled, knowing they were stronger together than apart. Knowing that Aizen's way of seeing the world - as a power hierachy where relationships are a weakness to be exploited - was not how they were going to live their lives. Their bond has remained, and it's proven to be one of the few constants in their lives, withstanding so much and being a strength for both of them.

CONCLUSION

And with that, we’ve come to the end. I honestly didn't think this post would be this big; it went from just several headcanons to an absolute mega post!!

This whole outline of events was purely my take on how I can see it going down, but that doesn't mean I've imagined other scenarios too (like ones where Toshiro actually visits Momo in Fourth Division), and I’d love to know how you thought Hitsugaya and Hinamori made up and/or the events leading up to it.

As I said above, if your interested and have time, I'd appreciate you checking out my analysis post that was originally going to be a part of this post, it explains where some of my thinking came from and includes Momo’s injuries and why it took her so long to recover, if Toshiro and Momo have reconciled in canon, Daiguren Hyourinmaru’s Completed form and it’s powers, and why Aizen showed such callousness towards Momo and Toshiro in particular.

For now though, whether it was all the way to the end or just parts of it, thank you so much for taking the time to read this post (or as I like to call it, ‘the outline of a fanfic I hope to one day write when I don’t feel so daunted by it’), it means a lot and I hope you enjoyed it! :D

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