a mask lifted
the world is your enemy
A little while after Hitsugaya left, Hinamori wakes up. Being a Demon Arts (Kidou) specialist, Hinamori easily breaks Hitsugaya's barrier from inside and chases her friend immediately, still mistaking him for Aizen's murderer. However, the girl's determination becomes shaken as soon as she sees the bloody scene at the courtroom of Central 46 Seats:
Why was Kira-kun there? Wasn't Hitsugaya-kun the one who did all this...?
Before Hinamori had enough time to think the matter over, Gin appears and brings her to a place she's never been to before - the forbidden forest of Seireitei. There she meets Aizen once more, who apologized to her first for making her suffer and then suddenly pierced the delighted girl with his Soul Cutter. Without enough heart to contain her shock from the unexpected discussion, Hinamori falls to the ground bleeding hard.
Meanwhile, Hitsugaya realizes that Kira was merely set as a distraction by Gin, whose purpose was to draw Hitsugaya away from Hinamori's side for as long as possible. Overwhelmed with anxiety, Hitsugaya leaves Kira in Rangiku's hands and reverts his way back - to find Hinamori half-killed by Aizen. Confused and irritated to the max, Hitsugaya releases his Bankai (a.k.a. Soul Cutter's second/ultimate form) but was easily defeated by Aizen's illusion. Fortunately, Unohana arrives on time to cure Hitsugaya and Hinamori while exposing Aizen's evil plot in front of all Shinigami, though Aizen managed a successful escape to the Hueco Mundo with Gin and Tousen eventually.
A week has passed since Soul Society's battle with Aizen. Hitsugaya is up to his feet again, thanks to the proper treatment of 4th Division as well as his strong will to live. However, Hinamori remained unconscious because the shock of Aizen's betrayal was too great for her fragile heart. Once in a while, Hitsugaya would sneak in to see a sleeping Hinamori without notifying anyone; however, he no longer had the freedom to do so when Yamamoto asked him to take lead in a temporary team formed to investigate Aizen's movements in the human world. In the end, the small captain leaves silently, not knowing what word should he pass on to Hinamori at the time.
Source
- Manga: Behind Me, Behind You, Volume 19
- Manga: End of Hypnosis, Volume 20
- Manga: End of Hypnosis 2 - The Galvanizer, Volume 20
- Manga: End of Hypnosis 3 - The Blue Fog, Volume 20
- Manga: Something in the Aftermath, Volume 21
- Anime: Episode 58-60, 63
- Novel: Shiratama Zenzai, Chapter 1, Volume 2