AiHina (Japanese: 藍雛) is the name of the relationship between Sousuke Aizen and Momo Hinamori .
Their Relationship[]
Soul Society: The Sneak Entry Arc[]
Assemble! The 13 Divisions
Elsewhere, Lieutenant Renji Abarai and the lieutenant from the 7th Division are seen walking on a catwalk. They start walking into a room and see Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, of the 5th Division , sitting down. Then Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto, of the 10th Division, walks in. Momo asks Renji if he's seen Captain Sōsuke Aizen lately, because he's been acting strange, something which Renji agrees with.
Tragedy of Dawn
Momo seeks comfort from her captain, Aizen.
Another Shinigami approaches and informs Hinamori of Captain Yamamoto's newest order, authorizing the carry and release of Zanpakutō. Afraid of the inevitable battle and of Hitsugaya's warning, Momo seeks Captain Aizen's comfort. Aizen does not seem bothered by the visit and he invites her in.
In the Fifth Division, Aizen is reassuring Hinamori while writing away at something. The two discuss the ruling at the meeting earlier that day and Momo asks if she can stay with him to help her feel better.
Aizen's pinned to the wall by his Zanpakutō.
The next morning, she has long since fallen asleep. Aizen puts a blanket over her and leaves, while another figure watches him. Later, Momo suddenly awakens and begins apologizing for having fallen asleep, only to realize that Aizen has already left. Aizen's alarm clock goes off, and she panics at her tardiness. While rushing to her scheduled meeting, she is suddenly distracted by something: a drop of blood. She slows down, stopping to look and screams in horror. The other lieutenants hear her and rush to find her frozen in place. They all look up to see that Captain Aizen has been murdered, impaled to the wall with his own Zanpakutō.
Aizen Assassinated! The Darkness which Approaches
Lieutenant Momo Hinamori, having just learned of Aizen's death, screams out in shock. Captain Gin Ichimaru suddenly appears to question what's going on. Momo recalls Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya's warning to beware Gin. Momo becomes furious, charging at Gin, but is stopped by Lieutenant Izuru Kira. Izuru announces his loyalties lie first with his captain, as Gin turns to leave. Momo begs Izuru to move, but he refuses. Now furious at Izuru for letting him leave, she releases her Zanpakutō's Shikai, while Izuru rebukes her for getting carried away. She tries to attack him anyway and Kira announces he will fight back. He releases his Zanpakutō's Shikai, and the two clash, but are blocked by Hitsugaya. He orders them both to be arrested, then rebukes Momo for not taking care of Aizen's body first and for attacking her own comrades. On her way to the cells, Momo glares hatefully at Gin. Gin apologizes to Hitsugaya for the wasted time, and Hitsugaya accuses him of attempting to kill Momo, which Gin denies. Then, Hitsugaya warns him that if she loses one drop of blood, he will kill him. After a tense moment, security arrives, only to be shocked at Aizen's death. Hitsugaya orders the body to be taken down and leaves to inform the Captain-Commander of the assassination.
Zaraki Kenpachi Approaches!
Rangiku lectures Momo and gives her Aizen's letters.
Back at the 5th Division station, Lieutenant Momo Hinamori is in jail. She recalls the deceased Captain Sōsuke Aizen's body being hung from the wall. Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto enters to check on Momo. Momo asks what's going on outside, and Rangiku reports utter chaos. When Momo asks how the investigation goes, Rangiku explains the 5th Division is in chaos more than anyone because they've lost both their captain and vice-captain. She rebukes Momo, who apologizes for her actions. Rangiku then presents Momo with a letter from Aizen written before his death.
Momo carefully opens the letter and reads. It is Aizen's will. It explains that Aizen knew he was being followed and he apologizes for worrying her. She figures he must have written it the night before when she visited him. He says he will reveal everything he knows so far, and she is shocked at the news.
Authentic Records! School of Shinigami
Lieutenant Renji Abarai is seen running across the landscape after breaking out of his detention cell. Lieutenant Izuru Kira walks behind his captain, Gin Ichimaru, after Gin offered to release Izuru from his own cell. Momo sits in her own cell and recalls an early memory of her deceased captain, Sōsuke Aizen.
Next, Izuru is seen sparring with Renji in class. Renji is constantly on the offensive and eventually manages to strike Izuru, knocking him to the ground. Renji is declared the winner, but everyone rushes to Izuru's aide, and Renji simply scoffs and walks out. Later, as Renji relaxes from the sparring match, Izuru joins him and the two are then formally introduced. They are interrupted, however, by students running past them to a larger gathering in the courtyard. They find Momo, and there they all line up to see the arrival of Captain Aizen and, then his lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru. On her next day off, Momo goes to visit Tōshirō and she talks about joining Aizen's division when she graduates.
The three manage to eliminate their dummy hollow, and return to the rally point where they are supposed to meet. Shūhei calls the barrier team, who are all shown to be dead, and suddenly, a Huge Hollow appears. Hearing the screams of the students, Izuru, Momo, and Renji run to the rally point, only to see the first sixth-year student, Kanisawa, be killed. The other sixth-year, Aoga, rushes to avenge Kanisawa, but is impaled and swept away, leaving Shūhei by himself. The other students run, but Momo is mesmerized and doesn't run. Shūhei calls for reinforcements and tries to fend off the Hollow, but his seen slamming into the wall as blood runs down his face. Renji, Momo, and Izuru manage to save Shūhei from an attack. They band together and fire three Shakkahō blasts at once, knocking the Hollow back and Shūhei tells them that they must retreat. They run away, but they are surrounded by a group of Huge Hollows. Izuru screams that he's not ready to die, and as the Hollows are about to strike, Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru and Captain Aizen arrive from Seireitei to lend a hand. Aizen tells everyone that they will take care of the Hollows, and this is when Momo realizes that she wants to serve under Aizen as a member of the Fifth Division. Then, Gin releases his Zanpakutō, Shinsō, and kills most of the remaining Hollows, while Aizen effortlessly kills the last one.
The Avengers
Momo escapes her cell, thinking of the letter she got from her Captain Aizen, claiming that he knows something that nobody else does, and proceeds to tell her about it as she runs away. She says that she will believe him, and that she knows who his killer was.
The focus returns to Momo, who is still thinking of the letter Aizen left her while evading Shinigami patrols. He mentions that he knows why Rukia Kuchiki must be executed, why her execution date keeps being moved up, and that he wanted at least her to know the truth, so that she could reveal it to the rest of Seireitei.
Reality of the Despair, the Assassin's Dagger is Swung
Momo tearfully hugs Aizen.
Back in the Central 46 chamber, Momo is surprised by Gin, who tells her to follow him. He leads her to Seijōtōkyorin, the living quarters of the Central 46, where she meets Sōsuke Aizen, her former captain and partner whom she believed to be deceased. Aizen apologizes to Momo for hurting her by staging his death. As she weeps tears of joy, he holds her and apologizes again, then bids her farewell before skewering her through with his own Zanpakutō. Aizen and Gin leave Momo for dead.
Aizen stabs Momo.
As Aizen and Gin are leaving the living quarters, they run into a distraught and winded Hitsugaya. Tōshirō is shocked to see Aizen alive and demands explanations. Aizen assures Tōshirō that he is alive and tells Gin he needs to explain Tōshirō's presence there. Gin replies that Izuru must not have been able to keep Tōshirō occupied. Hearing this exchange, Tōshirō asks what the two are talking about, and is answered by Aizen that they are talking about "The breaking down of an enemy's fighting power..." Hitsugaya hangs on to the word 'enemy' and asks for Momo's whereabouts. Sensing Momo's presence behind them, Tōshirō uses Shunpo to flash past Aizen and Gin to where she lies dying.
Aizen betrays and stabs Momo.
Aizen provokes Tōshirō to attack, saying no other person, but Gin, has ever been fit to be his lieutenant. He explains that he wasn't lying, but that no one else was capable of understanding, as his true identity was beyond them. He says Momo's admiration for him made her easier to control, since admiration is the furthest quality from understanding. After hearing that, Tōshirō decides that he has heard enough, and he draws his sword, immediately taking a fighting stance and releasing his Bankai.
Evidence[]
- Momo's love for books has developed since Aizen regularly gave her the books he had read.
- Momo sometimes bakes cookies, and once made a batch in the shape of Aizen's glasses.[5]
- Though normally kind, Momo's rare bouts of anger can appear rather menacing, such as her outrage at Captain Gin Ichimaru when she blamed him for killing Aizen.
- While serving as his lieutenant, Momo greatly respects and admires Aizen.
- Momo idolizes Aizen to the point where a letter from Aizen leads her to attack Hitsugaya, her childhood friend,[8] and even after being stabbed by Aizen,[9] she, proclaiming Aizen was being manipulated, asks Hitsugaya to save him.[10]
Quotes[]
- (Thinking about Sōsuke Aizen) "Captain Aizen's words... his voice... Captain's everything calms my restless spirit. I'm so glad I came... I'm so lucky to serve under you, Captain Aizen."[78]
- (To Tōshirō Hitsugaya) "Please save Captain Aizen. What Captain Aizen is doing is bad, but I bet he has a good reason for it. Yeah, that's it... Surely Captain Ichimaru or someone is forcing him..."[79]
- (To Tōshirō Hitsugaya upon his discovery of an injured Momo Hinamori) "How unfortunate! You found her? Pardon me. It wasn't my intention to traumatize you. Before you could have noticed, I should have chopped her into unrecognizable pieces."[297]
Trivia []
- When Aizen leads an attack on the Fake Karakura Town, Momo helps to defend the town from Aizen and his forces, but she still notably refers to him as "Captain Aizen".[11]