Shattered Heart, a bleach fanfic

Shattered Heart

Author's Note: Well, I have decided that I shall write more and more HitsuIchi…but they shall all be oneshots because, well, if I write multi-chapter, I think I'll go insane XD I like writing oneshots anyway. In any case, just read, review and enjoy the HitsuIchi fanfic!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The eerie silent atmosphere of the room hung sharply in the air. He who heard many in his life with the blessed and well-functioned ears he had, unlike those who were deaf to songs and noises, was unwilling to take in the incessant beeping of the machinery and the deep, hollow breathing of the unconscious patient lying on the bed. He looked so peaceful, that patient. His eyes were closed and there was no such thing as a frown in his case. His hair of envied purity acted like his pillow, so soft and dainty. The oxygen mask over his mouth in a straight, thin line showed signs of condensation from his breathing. But the visitor of the patient knew, deep in his heart filled with the burning intensity to kill, that behind the peaceful exterior laid a lurking danger that could be proven lethal.

The harmless drip attached to his left hand would be the evidence.

The disgusting tubes positioned into his chest, where his lungs lay, would be the confirmation.

And he, the visitor, would be the key witness to it all.

Kurosaki Ichigo had completely lost track of time. He had been in the ward since gawd-knows-when, standing there like a statue with his arms folded and a worrying frown carved onto his features. He leaned against the wall, eyeing the sufferer with concern and unease that his dark chocolate orbs expressed. Many a time he did not bother about the lingering weight of his zanpakutou strapped to his back, but now, he could feel like as if he was going to topple over from the sudden gravitational force that had been proven too much for him to take with his zanpakutou in the bundle. It was his mind, his psychology that was telling him that it was his zanpakutou's weight pulling him down, making him feel so heavy, but in reality, it was his heavy heart that had been filled with guilt and anguish that was pulling him closer and closer to the porcelain floor.

How could this happen…?

Unohana had entered and left the ward countless of times. Her medic team had been sent every fifteen minutes to come and check on the patient before reporting back the condition back to her and coming back once more. The protective strawberry had already been worried enough as he was; the constant condition check was worrying him even further. The fact that he was allowed to stay in the room during the checking made him think in a pessimistically. It was probably the 4th Division's way of telling him to be prepared in all various forms. Narrowing his eyes at the thought, Ichigo looked away from the unconscious one. There was absolutely no way he could face him anymore, not when he was the one who caused it. He was too ashamed…far too ashamed to face him. The failure to protect him was only the fuel. Watching him lie on his deathbed added fire. Constant checking threw steaming hot lava.

Ten hours had passed.

＜ブリーチ＞

"…No…" The bun girl whispered, her hands that had been clutching onto her zanpakutou's hilt trembling. Tears were spilling from her eyes, and they dripped onto the blade, slowly trickling down and falling onto the earth. "No…I don't believe you…"

The white-haired prodigy looked at her with soft and pleading eyes before sending the chestnut-haired sadist behind her his cold, icy death glare. Aizen grinned at him, and he immediately averted his glare away, looking back at his childhood friend with the same soft eyes. "Hinamori…You have to believe me. Aizen is-"

"-the true savior!" Hinamori protested, tears streaming uncontrollably down her pale cheeks. "Aizen-taichou is only acting! He's just putting on an act! He's trying to get close to Ichimaru-taichou to learn about his plans and stop him! He's doing this for Soul Society's sake!" Her entire body shook like a leaf before her mouth suddenly curved upwards, forming the trademark grin of a person who stayed in an asylum. Hitsugaya's eyes widened in horror, doubt and distress residing in his heart. Hinamori turned to face Aizen, and the sadist was content to see that her usually sparkling and enthusiastic eyes had turned dull and vacant. "R-right, Aizen-taichou…?" she asked, the insane smile still etched on her face.

Grinning affectionately in a false manner, Aizen stroked her head and gave a light nod. "Yes, Hinamori-kun. Everything you said is true."

Hinamori turned back robotically to face the stiffening Hitsugaya, her body twitching as terribly as Mayuri. "S-see, Hitsugaya-kun? I'm right…I'm right! Don't you see, Hitsugaya-kun? Don't you? Don't you?"

Hitsugaya felt that there was no obligation to answer her. It would be useless to give an attempt to talk her round, to wake her up from her dream. The Hinamori Momo he knew from Rukongai was gone. There was no trace of the original Hinamori evident on the present one anymore. She was still under Aizen's hypnotic control; he wasn't going to let her go. He was the one who had changed her totally, the one who brought so much pain and agony to his heart. He had become a shinigami to protect her, but he still lost her in the end. There was no point in him carrying on his afterlife as a shinigami anymore; he wanted so much to give it all up, he wanted so much to just sleep it all off. He stepped away from Hinamori till he was a few feet away from her, and turned around to leave.

"This is great, Aizen-taichou. Hitsugaya-kun has definitely realized the truth about you. Now he's going to get help! But oh, Aizen-taichou, why can't Hitsugaya-kun be more like you…?"

＜ブリーチ＞

The erratic beeping pattern from the machine snapped Ichigo out of his daze. His eyes finally widened after the ten hours, and unfolded his numbed arms. His entire body didn't circulate his blood well with him standing like a statue, and so as he rushed over to the patient's side to check on him, he tripped and fell. His forehead, lined with worry, smacked against the hard, solid side of the bed. Yelping in pain, he sat down on the floor and rubbed his forehead. Feeling something wetting his palm, he opened his eyes and looked at his bloodstained hands. His eyes narrowed as he stood back up on his feet and he slowly turned to look at the unconscious body. "This pain is nothing…compared to what you're going through…" Ichigo whispered, restraining himself from stroking the body's hair lest he stained it with the blood he shed.

The damned beeping just wouldn't stop…

The door opened with a bang and Unohana's medic team immediately rushed to his side. Majority checked on the unconscious patient's condition, trying as hard as they could to find out what was happening, while the small minority of them treated to Ichigo's newfound wound. Disinfection hurt like hell, they took helluva long time to get it all done, and he still didn't know the condition of his friend's yet, dammit. Until they decided…

…that it was compulsory for Unohana to come.

The protector struggled to break free from the medic team's hold on him. He wanted so much to see his friend, his unconscious friend. This was the first time he had to be called out of the room during the ritual of checkups. Why? They promised…They promised he would be all right. They promised! When he first brought the bloody body to the 4th Division, Unohana was the one who told him that his comrade would be perfectly fine, that everything would take a turn for the better, and the rest of the 4th Division gave their nods to agree with her. They promised, dammit! The very fact that he had to be called outside, the very fact that the medic team was restraining him with bakudou, the very fact that Unohana spent over an hour in the operation room…just showed him that they were giving him false hope.

…Bloody hell…

The gentle captain of the medical division stepped out of the room solemnly, her heavy steps sending invisible shock waves through the air, piercing Ichigo's heart. The substitute shinigami knew – he somehow knew – that she had broken that very promise to him. She raised her hand slowly and the medic team released Ichigo from their combined bakudou. Ichigo jumped out of his sitting position, landing on his feet with a loud thud, and rushing towards Unohana. He carefully examined her face. Her brows were furrowed with sorrow, and her eyes were expressing apology with a sparkle. Her mouth was curved downwards, and she was averting his fierce gaze as hard as she could. Ichigo growled under his breath. This was unlike the usually composed Unohana…unless…his friend's case was…

…hopeless?

"…So…how is he?" Ichigo asked in a demanding manner, his voice low and waning with every word. He didn't want to hear an answer from her, because he already knew what she was going to say. It was so hard, just so hard for him to hear those words coming out from the top doctor in the whole of Soul Society. If she even admitted it…Ichigo would be at a loss.

Unohana whispered, "He has…lost the will to live…He doesn't have much reiryoku left to support his breathing…The damage he has received is hard to heal, even for me, so…" Ichigo looked at her with narrowed eyes, as if beckoning, no, begging her to stop…To just stop with it, because he got the message. The 4th Division captain was not about to stop.

"…Hitsugaya Toushirou will not survive the night."

＜ブリーチ＞

"You…you bastard!" Ichigo screamed with all his might as he jumped from the tree branch above, thrusting Zangetsu down towards the two chestnut-haired shinigamis as hard as he could. Hitsugaya spun around at the familiar voice and burst of hellish reiatsu. His teal eyes registered the sight of the rash and impulsive strawberry clashing swords with Hinamori who had every intention to protect her dear captain. It was the perfect opportunity. Hitsugaya unsheathed Hyourinmaru and grabbed the chance to catch Aizen off-guard. He shunpo-ed towards the ex-captain and thrust Hyourinmaru forward in an attempt to stab him, but just as he was merely inches a few away from Aizen's stomach, it was the sadist who pulled off the first move. Hitsugaya flinched as Aizen pulled his zanpakutou out of his stomach, his blood gushing out like a river. Ichigo caught sight of Hitsugaya falling limp and in a hurry to protect him, he forced Hinamori aside. "Toushirou!" Ichigo shook the limp body. "Toushirou, Toushirou, oi, you all right?!"

Hitsugaya looked up at Ichigo, his eyes half-closed from the pain that was bringing upon fainting spells. He tried to move his body, but it was like as if he had been caught in his own cocoon of ice; unable to move and unable to keep himself awake. He could only roll his eyes around to look at the scene unfolding right before him, but that was all he could do. "…Kuro…saki…"

"Toushirou…"

"I'm…fine, Kuro…saki…" Hitsugaya croaked, his voice becoming more and more like a distant whisper to Ichigo's ears. "Just…just…"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of 'em for you, alright?" Unwilling to wait for the standard 'no' from the stubborn icy prince in fear that Ichigo might kill his best friend, the orange strawberry stood up and pointed Zangetsu at the ex-taichou and ex-fukutaichou of the 5th Division, his reiatsu flaring up and sending tremors across the soil. Behind the strawberry shield, Hitsugaya clenched his fists after he finally got his fingers twitching, and strained to keep his eyes open and not succumb to an eternity of sleep. "You will pay for everything you've done, Aizen teme!"

Ichigo ran up to stab Aizen with Zangetsu, but Hinamori was wedged in between the two with Tobiume released in shikai and blocked Ichigo's melee attack with the blade of Tobiume. "No! Don't you dare hurt Aizen-taichou! He's innocent! The one you should be killing is Ichimaru-taichou!"

"Why the hell are you still defending him?! Didn't you see what he did to Toushirou, damn you?!" Ichigo screamed, his reiatsu getting out of control as was his emotions. "He fucking stabbed Toushirou and you're still saying that he's innocent?!"

"Aizen-taichou only did that because Hitsugaya-kun was the one who wanted to kill him in the first place! Of course Aizen-taichou would attack back in defense!" Hinamori began her insane protest, tears spilling out like hot tea. "If it were me, I'd hit back Hitsugaya-kun as well! You can't blame Aizen-taichou for this!"

Ichigo saw the hurt on the icy captain's face as Hitsugaya buried his face in the mud. "You BAKA! You total asshole of a complete moronic mindless whore of a bitch!" Ichigo insulted greatly as soon as he felt the drastically cold reiatsu emitting dangerously from Hitsugaya's slim and slender body. It was like as if the two were one in body, mind and soul; Hitsugaya was suppressing all of his pain and anger while Ichigo was helping him get rid of the hurt by screaming it all out.

Hinamori paid no heed to Ichigo's curses. She had completely lost her mind…Aizen placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Now, Hinamori-kun, it's time for you to pledge your loyalty. Kill him for me, and then kill Hitsugaya-kun if you can. This rain is getting icily annoying."

Hinamori muttered in a robotic voice, "Aizen-taichou has given me an order…and I am obliged…to follow it."

＜ブリーチ＞

"…There has to be a way, dammit." Ichigo held onto Unohana's shoulders and shook her violently. "There's gotta be! There's gotta be a way to save him!"

"Ichigo-kun, please calm yourself down! This is a hospital," Unohana replied, trying to be as calm as she could. Ichigo took a few deep breaths before sighing in defeat and letting his arms hang to his sides. Concerning Ichigo's request, Unohana later shook her hand sadly. "No. I'm terribly sorry for this, Ichigo-kun. The only thing I can do now is to inform the soutaichou. I've given my heart and soul to save him, Ichigo-kun. Believe me…I have."

In one corner, Isane and Hanatarou exchanged sorrowful glances with each other. Of all their years working together with their kind and motherly captain, they had never, never, seen her look that desperate before. She had always been successful in every medical case she handled; no matter how complicated it got, she would always find a way to save her patient's life. Yet, when her fellow colleague's life was on the line…Unohana Retsu had failed in her job to keep him alive. Isane, Hanatarou and the rest of the medic team fully understood why Unohana would feel that way. It was probably the first time Unohana and her zanpakutou of healing miracles and wonders had failed together.

The only pain that could exceed the pain of failure Unohana was going through would be the pain and suffering Ichigo was going through. No, scratch that. Hitsugaya's pain was far worse than anything that anyone was suffering. His childhood friend's betrayal and words of hurt had completely broken his heart, and to make it worse, he watched her die right in front of him. Her death had most probably been the factor to his unwillingness to keep himself alive. After all, he had become a shinigami; a captain, at that, just to give his life to protect her. But she died on him when he had the chance to protect her for the very last time. It had definitely, definitely killed his soul. He must've had found no point in living any longer when the one person he swore to protect died because of his failure.

"…Damn it, Toushirou…You think I've never failed before?" Ichigo asked, gripping onto the white-haired captain's stiff, icy hand. "I know exactly how it feels…I know exactly how it feels to have someone you wanted to protect die in front of you just like that. I don't think you believe me, do you?" Ichigo gave a small scowl at the memory of his mother's body lying there in a pool of her own blood, dead and unmoving. "My mother died…because I failed to protect her. Your friend died because you failed to protect her. You sure don't find any differences…but I'll tell you something that oughta wake you up, Toushirou. My mother died while protecting me from a hollow. Pretty chivalrous of her, wasn't it?" Ichigo's voice was getting dry and sarcastic with the knowledge that Hitsugaya would die on him any moment now. The beeping of the heart monitor was beginning to slow down noticeably. "But your friend, that insane fucking bitch…What did she do? All she did was cling onto you and ask of you to save the bastard of a sadist. Why didn't you just kill her, Toushirou? You wouldn't be in this state if you hadn't gone all softy on her just coz she was your friend."

"A true friend wouldn't betray you like that, Toushirou. Since when was she your true friend?"

＜ブリーチ＞

"YOU BASTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!" Ichigo shunpo-ed away from Hinamori, and with a large burst in reiatsu, he shouted, "BAN…KAI!!! TENSA ZANGETSU!" Zangetsu glowed bright blue before Ichigo's entire being glowed along with it. The light dimmed, revealing the strawberry clad in the cloak similar to his zanpakutou spirit's, and in his hand was the black zanpakutou of power and wonder, its guard nicely shaped in the manji sign. With an even quicker shunpo, Ichigo spun around Aizen and Hinamori, trying to force them to a corner. Hinamori shot hadou towards Ichigo, hoping that at least one would land a hit, but Ichigo was proven to be way too fast for her and he knocked her off her feet with a blow from Tensa Zangetsu. "Now, you bastard…" Ichigo scowled. Said sadist was staring at him expectantly, and the suspense hung thickly in the air. Hitsugaya just made the rain heavier. "You hurt Toushirou…and you're not getting away with all the fucking crimes you committed!"

"Well now, what makes you think you can stop me, Ichigo?" Aizen taunted with the trademark sadistic grin. "The last time we fought, I stopped you, remember?"

"Yeah, but not this time, you're not! I've gotten stronger…and I will kill you!"

"You kids have to learn…" Aizen muttered seriously, indirectly meaning Ichigo and Hitsugaya. "…not to use such strong words that will make you look weak. Oh, Hinamori-kun," Aizen called out cooingly that nearly made Hitsugaya puke out blood in disgust. "Would you please take care of him for me? I have some business to attend to with Hitsugaya-kun…"

"Oh, no need, Aizen-taichou!" Hinamori excitedly replied, hopping on one foot and Tobiume already positioned above Hitsugaya's heart. "I'll take care of him for you!"

Ichigo's and Hitsugaya's eyes widened. Teal eyes scanned across the sharp blade just a few centimeters away from his body. The jitte-like prongs reflected light into his eyes, but he didn't blink. Was Hinamori going to stab him or was she going to use her energy balls? Either way…he was in a deadly situation…wasn't he? Perhaps it was the fucking miscalculation for karma, he figured; he had sacrificed so much for her, yet he was about to die at her very hands. It wasn't irony; it was ironic retribution for failing to protect her in the first place. Ichigo went on his heels, ready to shunpo off to stop her from hurting Hitsugaya, but a byakurai spell distracted him as he fell on his back. Aizen pointed Kyouka Suigetsu right above his nose and Ichigo's eyes trailed up the direction of the blade when he finally caught Aizen's ugly face and glared at him with the burning intent to kill. "…Bastard," Ichigo muttered as his grip on Tensa Zangetsu's hilt tightened. He manifested his reiryoku into the blade and a small sphere of black and red appeared. Aizen looked down and noticed the sneak attack. He was just about to stab into Ichigo's chest when Ichigo shunpo-ed away in time. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

"Nani?!" Aizen exclaimed, taken aback that he didn't succeed in killing the one and only Kurosaki Ichigo once and for all, and even got thrown off his feet with the Getsuga Tenshou Ichigo pulled off.

"Ah! Aizen-taichou!" Hinamori yelled out in concern…letting go of her zanpakutou as she rushed to Aizen's aid. Her action was done swiftly. Ichigo stretched his hand out to grab the hilt of Tobiume to stop it from falling threateningly into Hitsugaya's chest, but he was so close…So close…Just half a millisecond earlier and the blade wouldn't be stuck on Hitsugaya's chest at all.

"Toushirou!!!"

＜ブリーチ＞

The beeping was unsteadily slowing down at an erratic rate. At first, it was beeping way too fast, and Isane had to stabilize him with a jab or two. Next, it was Ichigo's turn to have a heart attack when the beeping suddenly stopped and made the frightening long beep sound that wouldn't fail to produce one more beep. Ukitake had been asked to use Sougyo no Kotowari's electrical reiryoku to bring the young captain back every once in a while, just to let him live for a little while longer…just for his reiatsu to linger on in everyone's mind and heart for a while more…just to let Yamamoto have time to decide on the next captain for the 10th Division…just to let Soifon and Yoruichi stop practicing their moves and give their outmost respect with silence…just to let Kira bow his head towards the direction of the 4th Division to apologize for everything he did before…just to let Unohana figure out a way, ANY way to let Hitsugaya survive…

…Just to let Byakuya close his eyes and give a small sigh for another loss of a captain while Renji was being quite upset…just to let Komamura remove his iron mask for once and growl at Aizen's atrocity…just to let Kyouraku finish a bottle of sake before he put an end to his drinking for the night…just to let Hisagi ponder about how Matsumoto was going to survive…just to let Matsumoto drown all of her sorrow in sake before she cried out a river of stinging salty tears…just to let Zaraki punch the land and for Yachiru to stop pouting…just to let Ikkaku and Yumichika silently promise to themselves that they would reveal their secrets to the world someday…just to let Mayuri prepare a special elixir that would help preserve the young captain's body (so that he could examine it without worrying that it would decompose)…just to let Ukitake make a silent note to himself to eat at least one box of candy a week in remembrance.

…Just to let Ichigo bid his final farewells…

Ichigo glanced at Ukitake, wondering why the sickly white-haired captain of the 13th Division had suddenly stopped sending jolts of electricity to Hitsugaya. The candy-giver knelt before the side of the bed, his quivering hands holding onto the hilts of his twin zanpakutou subconsciously losing their once firm grip. Ichigo wanted so much to demand for Ukitake to carry on, to demand why he had stopped trying to save Hitsugaya's life. No…Ukitake must be suffering from a relapse. That must've had been the reason why he stopped. Of course, Ichigo thought to himself with hope, of course he would stop if he was feeling unwell. He stood there, waiting rather impatiently for Ukitake to resume, and for the gawddamned machine to stop with its elongated cursed beep.

However, that moment never existed.

Ukitake stood up, his limbs still wobbly from the impromptu attempt to save his fellow Shirou. He staggered his way to the door where Ichigo was leaning against, letting his long white hair cover his tearful eyes. With a light shake of his head, he left the room, not able to stand it any longer. The Kurosaki strawberry stood there, dumbfounded. His feet finally gave way and he fell to the ground with a soft thud. He couldn't, no, wouldn't believe that Toushirou, the Hitsugaya Toushirou, had died on him just like that. His heart began to ache as he clutched his chest with a wince. He felt just as guilty as when his mother died. Worse…the worst that could happened…of all days…

He just had to die on June the 17th.

The cursed June 17th…The cursed month…The cursed date…Everything about June 17th just happened to be gawddamned cursed for Ichigo. Why must heaven treat him that way?

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP………

"…Toushirou…"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP………

"Come on, Toushirou…Wake up…"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP……….

"Toushirou, you're stronger than this, I just know it! You've gotta wake up, you bastard! Wake up!"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP……….

"Open your eyes, dammit…"

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP……….

"Open your eyes…"

＜ブリーチ＞

Fear gripping his heart, Ichigo pulled Tobiume out of Hitsugaya's chest, causing the said icy captain to spit out blood onto his face, but Ichigo didn't give a damn. "Toushirou…?" he asked breathlessly, hoping that it wasn't what he expected.

"…o…aki…"

"No, no! Toushirou, don't say anything now…I…I just wanted to know if you're okay, so…"

Hitsugaya would not let Ichigo say anything else, on the other hand, for he had a lot to say to the said strawberry. "…ro…ki…Kur…aki…I…"

"Just shut up already, Toushirou…"

"…Kuro…saki…I…I'm…grateful…to you…for hel…helping…S-Soul…Society…"

"No, no…Toushirou, shut up! Just…just keep quiet for now…" Ichigo panted with hope clearly not expressed in his voice. In a rage of anger, Ichigo tossed Tobiume directly towards its wielder, stabbing the bun girl in her side. Blood oozed out and dripped onto the ground, letting the earth take in the fresh warm blood of the shinigami at fukutaichou-class. Hitsugaya took in a sharp breath at the sight of the bleeding Hinamori. He couldn't blame Ichigo, no way. All Ichigo wanted to do was to bring Aizen to justice…There was no way he could blame Ichigo for hurting Hinamori like that, but…but…

"Well now, Ichigo," Aizen spoke when he placed a finger under Hinamori's nose before wiping his hand with his shihakushou as if in disgust of Hinamori. "It looks like you've helped me accomplish the job of killing my dear Hinamori-kun. She died too easily, don't you think?"

"Shut up, teme! Getsuga Tenshou!"Aizen shunpo-ed away from the attack and slashed at Ichigo from behind. Ichigo just did the same and attacked umpteen times with Getsuga Tenshou missing his target all the time. It was completely pissing him off, the way the sadistic bastard kept on dodging his attacks. He just had to hit him, just once…just once to bring a tiny bit of the sense of accomplishment to his heart. Hitsugaya couldn't bear to watch the fight any longer. He had to get reinforcements; Ichigo wouldn't be able to handle it all by himself and dammit, Hitsugaya hated to admit it…but he was useless without any strength left within him. As he began to crawl away right under Aizen's nose, the keen eyes of the sadist caught it and Aizen immediately shunpo-ed towards Hitsugaya, Kyouka Suigetsu's blade to Hitsugaya's neck. "Toushirou!"

"Take one step closer…and it's sayounara to his head."

"Shit…" Ichigo cursed under his breath. The silence between the threesome hung sharply in the tense atmosphere surrounding them. The rain pelted down against their faces and their bodies as each one anticipated another's moves. After what seemed like a century, Hitsugaya mustered up some strength to elbow Aizen right in the ---- and tried to move away as quickly as possible, holding onto his wound. Aizen was about to stab him when Ichigo jumped it to shield Hitsugaya with Tensa Zangetsu. With a cry of Getsuga Tenshou and striking his enemy down more than twenty times, Aizen Sousuke's body stopped moving.

＜ブリーチ＞

"Ichigo…I'm so sorry for this…"

"Nah, it's okay, Rukia. Go ahead; do your thing," Ichigo replied casually, hiding the urge to cry out in agony that was lurking in his voice. His inner world was experiencing a harsh thunderstorm, and he could hear Shirosaki Hichigo complaining about the heavy rain with Zangetsu telling him to keep quiet for Ichigo to have some peace to himself. The strawberry thought a mental thank you note back to his zanpakutou's spirit.

"Are you sure you want to…stay, Ichigo?" Rukia asked concernedly. She knew how hard this must've had struck Ichigo. He most probably didn't want to watch the process.

"I'm sure, Rukia." Arching an eyebrow at the rare worried look on the violet-eyed girl he rescued from execution, he gave her a small forced grin to assure that it was alright. "C'mon, don't look at me like that, would ya? Told you I'm fine."

After a moment, Rukia sighed, finally giving up on changing Ichigo's mind. "Fine. But if you want to leave, you can."

Ichigo gave a shrug of his shoulders. "I won't."

Rukia brought up her zanpakutou's blade to eye level and closed her eyes. Ichigo leaned against the wall like how he usually did before and watched patiently. "Mae, Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia whispered her zanpakutou's name, spinning it around as the white, symbol of purity, covered the hilt, guard and blade with a snow white ribbon trailing from the base of the hilt. Her heart felt heavier with reluctance as she turned to look at Ichigo who shifted around in his position, as if telling her to carry on. "Tsugi no mai…" Rukia tapped the tip of Sode no Shirayuki's blade against the ground four times, each with a fixed distance away from each other. A bright white light shone upwards from every point her blade tapped against. "…Hakuren." Rukia closed her eyes as she summoned up a blast of ice and snow from the tip of Sode no Shirayuki's blade. She couldn't bear to watch; she was closing her eyes on behalf of Ichigo who was acting tough on the outside. The snow engulfed everything in its path, freezing the earth and the sides of the secret tunnel located in a remote part of Seireitei. As the snow cleared, Rukia sealed back Sode no Shirayuki and heavily stepped towards Ichigo.

"Oh, so you're done?" Ichigo gave a small sniff before sneezing. "Maaan…Rukia, next time you use that Hakuren thingy, remind me to bring a sweater or something. It's really cold."

Rukia clenched her fists not in anger but in prevention from breaking down in tears. "…Ah," she plainly replied. Why couldn't that idiot show his true feelings just for once? Why go to the extent of making use of something else to cover up his true feelings? It not only hurt him, but everyone else as well. Perhaps…Ichigo just wasn't the type who let others see through his mask and realize the fragile barrier within, just like…just like… "Here, Ichigo," Rukia mumbled softly, digging into her shihakushou and taking out a small potion bottle before handing it to Ichigo. "Kurotsuchi-taichou made this, and Urahara made the final adjustments. You know how ice is; it's prone to melting, so whenever I'm not in Soul Society, if the ice melts and you can't find me…use it."

Ichigo picked it gently from her hands and stared at it. "What is it?" he asked, his voice icy and low.

Rukia didn't flinch, unlike how many of the others reacted to his new tone of voice. "It's a special elixir. Like I said…boke (idiot)…" she whispered the small bit of casual comment before continuing, "The ice that will help preserve his body will melt and if I'm not around in Soul Society, you can use the special elixir. It will help preserve his body as well, and it should last till I return."

"…Arigatou, Rukia."

Rukia gave a minute nod before continuing, her voice barely above a whisper, "…You may go see him now. Remember, Ichigo, don't tell anyone about this. You know we're not supposed to defy the soutaichou's orders, so…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, Rukia. Thanks for showing me this place," Ichigo thanked, folding his arms.

"…No problem, Ichigo. Renji and I found it when we were young. That time, when we graduated from the academy, we met Hinamori-fuku-I mean, Hinamori-san and…" Rukia paused before continuing, "…here, so we made it our secret base. Not that…we actually bothered to come back here so…I thought…"

Ichigo smiled, and it wasn't a false smile this time. It was finally a true blue smile. "No matter what, Rukia, thanks."

Noticing the real smile on his face, Rukia eased and smiled back a little. "You're welcome."

＜ブリーチ＞

"…Aizen…" Ichigo hissed, pulling Hitsugaya's bleeding body closer to him. "…Teme…You're still alive…"

Aizen smirked at the sight of Ichigo's protective arms supporting the body of the white-haired prodigy, the warm yet cold blood dripping continuously from Hitsugaya's open wounds. Clearly the human child was making a foolish attempt to escape Hueco Mundo and return to Soul Society for the 10th Division captain to get treatment. Didn't he know that Hueco Mundo was full of the Arrancar guards he created? It would be useless to even make that one attempt; Aizen already had Ichigo and Hitsugaya where he wanted: Las Noches, his domain. "Of course I'm still alive, Ichigo…" Aizen muttered tauntingly, as if wanting the strawberry to attack him with all he had. "You think your bankai is able to stop me just like that?"

"…"

"You won't be able to make an escape if that's what you're hoping to achieve. I suggest you give up and succumb to me, Ichigo, and help me destroy Soul Society. In return, I'll save Hitsugaya-kun's life," Aizen lied.

Thankfully, Ichigo wasn't that much of an idiot to fall for such a trick like that. "No way, asshole. I'm getting Toushirou out of here, and I'll beat your ass if I have to."

Watching Ichigo carry the delicate and petite body of Hitsugaya with one arm and pulling out his zanpakutou with the other, Aizen unsheathed Kyouka Suigetsu and prepared for a (quick) fight that would put an end to all of Ichigo's nonsense. "Such strong words. You're exactly like Hitsugaya-kun in every way. No wonder I find both of you as weaklings."

Ichigo's reiatsu flared at the nasty comment. "You can call me whatever crap you want…but Toushirou ain't no weakling!"

"Oh really? Then why is he lying in your arm now?"

Aizen's retort just pissed Ichigo off even more than usual, and the reiatsu level in the room rose considerably. Keeping a calm exterior, Aizen got into a fighting stance, his clothes flying around wildly due to the burst of reiatsu Ichigo was giving off. Hitsugaya subconsciously curled into a ball, so fragile yet adoring, and clung onto Ichigo's shihakushou, possibly his way of telling the orange-haired vaizard that the reiatsu was getting too much for him to handle with his condition. Ichigo's heart softened, and he didn't know what to do. If he were to don his hollow mask now, Hitsugaya would most definitely not have enough strength to take the reiatsu; it was bad enough as it was. But if he didn't, Aizen would surely kill both of them off, and he wasn't going to take any of that shit.

"Toushirou…" Ichigo whispered. "I'm sorry."

Hitsugaya's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes opened half-way as slowly as a tortoise. "…Go…Kurosaki," was all he could mutter before darkness engulfed his mind once more.

Ichigo smiled before scowling as he sheathed Zangetsu, covering half of his face with the palm of his hand. The reiatsu rose even more, and bits and pieces of the hollow mask began to form on his face. It only took him a few seconds before his face was entirely covered with the mask of red and white markings, and his eyes; the pupils glowing ferociously gold and the black surrounding them. Unsheathing Zangetsu and calling out bankai, Ichigo shunpo-ed towards Aizen and blasted the solo ability of his zanpakutou. Getsuga Tenshou struck Aizen square right on the chest, and the sheer power burned right through his shihakushou underneath his Las Noches outfit. Grinning sadistically at the bleeding sear on his chest, the brown-haired ex-captain spoke, "You are serious…Well then, I'll just have to satisfy your needs."

Ichigo didn't say anything and shunpo-ed straight at Aizen, Tensa Zangetsu thrust in front in a threat to stab Aizen and just kill him off, once and for all. To his disappointment, Aizen managed to get away quickly. Not only that, he also managed to strike a slash on Ichigo's back. Feeling the rush of flowing blood, Ichigo only got even more pissed off and focused his reiryoku into Tensa Zangetsu's blade. A blast of blood red that resembled Getsuga Tenshou shot out at blinding speed - at about twice the normal speed of the usual Getsuga Tenshou - and landed a hit on Aizen's chest once more, this time leaving a gaping hole in his chest. It was thrice as large as a regular hollow's hole, and blood dripped down creepily. Aizen's body twitched a little. "How'd you like that, teme?" Ichigo asked dryly, his hollow mask breaking off into small pieces.

Aizen's sadistic smile gave Ichigo the creeps. "…You're so full of surprises…Kurosaki Ichigo…That was a very powerful cero…"

"Mixed it with my Getsuga Tenshou. I only want ya to drop dead."

"And you got your wish…Only…" Aizen trailed off and disappeared before reappearing behind Ichigo with Hitsugaya in his arms instead, Kyouka Suigetsu's position fixed at a diminutive height above Hitsugaya's chest. "…I guess Hitsugaya-kun won't be here to share your glory."

"Toushirou, no!!!"

As Aizen Sousuke landed the decisive and final stab right into the unconscious Hitsugaya's chest, he gave a slow and painful twist of his zanpakutou, and Kurosaki Ichigo could hear the cracking and crunching of the ribs breaking from the stab before the sadist stumbled backwards and lied there in a pool of his own blood, the sadistic smile still etched on his face.

＜ブリーチ＞

Ichigo touched the coffin of ice and felt the stinging cold sink into his finger bones from the touch. "Toushirou…" he muttered, his voice softer than a whisper as he laid his other hand on the ice and knelt down. Within the ice was the body of Hitsugaya Toushirou, and tucked nicely under his interlocked fingers was his lifelong partner, Hyourinmaru. Ichigo couldn't help but painfully smile. The boy prodigy looked so…peaceful in that position. He looked more like as if he was cursed with eternal slumber instead of death. No; he looked more like a sleeping angel of snow. His white hair and white kimono were a perfect match, and the fact that he was enclosed within the magical ice of preservation only further emphasized on that. "Toushirou, how are you feeling? To be trapped within something you wield?"

Ichigo's cold joke didn't stir any reply from the sleeping angel.

"You know? That old bastard told us to get rid of your body…coz you'll be reincarnated into the human world…and that if anyone preserved ya, I guess it'd be going against his orders, but you know what? That's just fine with me, Toushirou, coz I ain't gonna lose you again." Yet again met with silence. Ichigo continued, his voice as soft as ever, "Actually, Toushirou, if you think the old Yama doesn't miss ya, think again. Hell, everyone misses you so badly, bastard. I saw the daft old man trying to stop his fiery reiatsu from rising so much since your icy reiatsu ain't here to cool it down; Rukia's and some of the other ice wielders' reiatsus aren't enough. And…that bitch ninja girl…Forgot what her name is. Well, she's gotten much fiercer to her subordinates now that you're…" Ichigo stopped there and hesitated before he spoke once more, "Yeah, and that blond guy. He and Rangiku-san and the 9th Div fukutaichou are drinking together more often. You should see the way Rangiku-san cries and drinks as she keeps on talking about the times she shared with you, Toushirou. A-and…and…Unohana's looking through all her medical books to find a way to bring you back, and Ukitake and Kyouraku are helping her by turning the library upside-down…and…ugh, dammit, Toushirou…"

The still body stayed there, motionless, as Ichigo began to talk again, "…Unohana said that she remembered this ancient medical book that might help…She's looking through it for a way to bring you back. And Toushirou…no matter what it is, I'll be the one who'll bring you back. I swear on my soul, I'll protect you, Toushirou. I know you're not…dead, Toushirou. You're not. I just know it. Kenpachi and Byakuya the two assholes say so too. Well…not really Kenpachi, but Byakuya said something about Rukia's sister, Hisana, once. You know about her, Toushirou? If you don't, I'll tell you. Whatever happens in Soul Society, I'll be here to tell you, Toushirou. So…Byakuya told me that before Hisana died, she asked of him to find Rukia coz she abandoned her when she was a baby and all, and…so, Byakuya told me that even after she died, he knew that she was still alive somewhere. Do you know where that somewhere is, Toushirou?"

Ichigo rubbed against the part of the ice where Hitsugaya's hands were. Removing one hand and placing it over the left side of his chest where the holy organ was, he whispered back, "In here, Toushirou. Right here." As he let that hand fall limp, he continued, "You might see Byakuya as some kind of cold, unfeeling bastard who doesn't give a shit about feelings. I saw him like that too, till he told me about Hisana after they…pulled out your life support." Ichigo cringed at the memory. "Yeah…Wait, dammit…Dammit dammit dammit…I'm not like this…Why the hell am I acting all emo? I gotta snap outta it…" he whispered to himself, rubbing the temples of his forehead. "…Anyway, Toushirou, I just wanna let you know that…even if everyone thinks you're gone and all, I'll still be thinking about you, and keep on believing that you're still with us. So, I know, I just know it, bloody hell, you're still alive! Somewhere…Somewhere…! I just know it…And when you wake up, gimme a ring, will ya? I wanna be the first one to see you, Toushirou…I wanna be the first one to see your eyes…I wanna be the first one to see you spring back into action…I wanna be the first one to hold your hands…I wanna be the first one to call your name…I wanna be the first one to hear your voice…"

"Because I love you…Toushirou…I love you with all my heart…no matter how broken it is now."

＜ブリーチ＞

Four years later…

"MATSUMOTO! You get your STUPID ass in here NOW! You hear me?! NOW!!!"

"H-hai, taichou!" The buxom fukutaichou of the 10th Division timidly rushed into the office with two stacks of paperwork nicely positioned in her full hands as she piled them together on the desk of the ever-so pissed captain who was sitting there on his seat, his arms folded and his fingers tapping on his elbow expectantly, trying as hard as he could not to show the throbbing vein on his forehead. Panting and wiping the beads of sweat off, Matsumoto plopped onto the sofa and gave a loud sigh.

Her captain stood up and inspected the first piece of the paperwork he saw. He banged his clenched fist against the table, causing the paperwork to fly off his desk. Matsumoto scrambled to a corner and trembled. She had always been afraid of her captain's exceptionally hot temper; it seemed to have worsened with his fit of nightmares recently. Not that he would admit it, of course. His pride was at stake, but that was yet another story. "What do I see here, Matsumoto?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and stuffing the paper he inspected into her face.

"Um…Paperwork?"

"Yes. I can see that." Matsumoto gulped at the venom in her captain's voice. He inched closer to her and she could feel his hot but icy breath against her face. "But what kind of paperwork do I see here?"

"Um…Completed paperwork?"

"I. See. Smudged. Kanji…"

"R-really? Oh, I…I must have accidentally spilled your tea while working on it…S-sorry, taichou…" she mumbled, scratching the back of her head with a sheepish grin.

"My tea or YOUR SAKE…?" Matsumoto was on the brink of going on her knees and beg her captain to let her off just this once, but she knew that this wasn't the first time she totally messed up that certain piece of paperwork. Scratch that. She was practically drinking and doing the paperwork at the same time, for a change, and it not only didn't please her captain; it even added more fuel to his inner volcano that would erupt any moment. Blue-grey eyes caught sight of the open office door and she grabbed the chance to crawl away as fast as she could like the sneaky cat her inner spirit was. Before he could grab her by the back of her shihakushou's collar, she had already dashed out of the office to avoid his wrath. "MATSUMOTO! YOU GET BACK HERE!!!!!!!!"

Of course Matsumoto wouldn't be that stupid to stop and return to the office where a pissed off captain awaited her arrival. She immediately rushed off to the one division where she always visited these past few years, since the deaths of its former captain and vice-captain. The 5th Division. Sure, Ichimaru Gin betrayed her once, as did Tousen Kaname. But they had already been killed by Soul Society's reinforcements a long time ago. She drunk herself silly upon learning about Ichimaru's death, but later got back on her feet and became hardworking, if you called drinking while doing paperwork hardworking. Yamamoto later decided on new captains for the empty divisions, and a certain hot-headed strawberry volunteered to take on the post for the 5th Division and had Rukia as his fukutaichou who took on the job after Ukitake's incessant pestering and Byakuya's (slow) approval.

Well, a lot sure happened these past four years, at least, and that wasn't all.

"Yo, Rangiku-san!" Ichigo acknowledged his friend gleefully.

"Ohayou, Matsumoto-san," Rukia greeted formally with a warm smile on her face.

Matsumoto entered the 5th Division office and didn't bother to bow at the sight of the captain since Ichigo strongly insisted on forgetting about formalities. She exhaled audibly and rushed to hide in Rukia's room, locking the door in the process. Question marks popped up above the twosome's heads until a particular pissed off captain opened the door with a bang. Ichigo and Rukia could literally see the storm cloud forming above his head. "Have you seen Matsumoto? She and I have some paperwork to settle."

"Again," Ichigo added with a toothy grin.

"Yes. Again."

"Nope, haven't seen her."

"I see," he muttered before shunpo-ing off into the 6th Division's direction.

Stifling her giggles, Rukia went over to her room and knocked on the door. "Matsumoto-san, you can come out now."

"…Is he gone?"

"He's gone."

Finally, Matsumoto decided that it was safe to open the door before she heaved a huge sigh of relief and sat down on the floor next to Rukia. Grinning from ear to ear, Ichigo asked, "So, Rangiku-san, what did you do to him this time?"

"All I did was spill my sake while doing the work for him! Is that so wrong?!" Matsumoto protested, making it seem like as if she was crying from her captain's accusation by rubbing an eye with a finger.

"Well, yeah, considering the fact that you still spilled the sake."

"Sigh…I'll never be able to please him at this rate…" Matsumoto sighed as she gulped down some sake from a bottle she snuck from the 8th Division.

After the comical scene, Rukia began to ask about something serious concerning the incident that unfolded four years ago. "…Matsumoto-san, you didn't come here just to escape your taichou's wrath, did you?" Seeing the fallen look on her face, Rukia knew that she was spot-on. She glanced at Ichigo who gave his nod of approval and continued, "Is there something you wanted to tell us?"

"Yes…" Matsumoto muttered out, nodding solemnly. "Taichou has been having nightmares lately. He won't tell me about them, but I know what they're about because late at night, I always go to check on him like what Ichigo-kun told me to do. I always see him waking up and getting a cup of tea to calm him down. And I always see his hands trembling…"

"But…has he remembered anything?" Ichigo asked, worry clutching his heart.

"Not that I know of…He never told me anything. I'm not sure if he remembers Hinamori-chan or Aizen…" Matsumoto trailed off before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh yes! He did say something! I don't know if it has anything to do with his nightmares, but taichou said that he's having insomnia and can't sleep at all now."

"So it's still the same then. Good," Ichigo sighed with relief. "I was scared that the little kid remembered about the stupid whore and lowlife of a bastard. I don't know what he'll do."

"But haven't you thought about it, Ichigo?" Rukia asked with a bit of suspicion. "Hitsugaya-taichou doesn't remember anything about Hinamori and Aizen. He only remembers the rest of us and Soul Society. More importantly, all he remembered of us are our names and general information and personalities…but his clearest memories would be of you, Ichigo." At that, Ichigo gave her a smug smirk which urged her to continue with her speech. "He still knows everything about being a shinigami; it's only the times he remembers. Remember what happened those four years ago, Ichigo? Unohana-taichou said she found a cure and…"

"And the only way to bring Toushirou back would be to find the shards of the Soukyoku, ain't it?" Ichigo confirmed with an even wider smirk. "And you couldn't believe I managed to convince the old bastard to grant me permission to search the entire Soul Society for 'em."

Rukia smacked him with her sketchbook, earning a giggle from Matsumoto. "Yes," she spoke through gritted teeth. "But that's not the point, baka. That day, when you used the power of the Soukyoku…Hitsugaya-taichou's first reaction when he was revived…would be asking us except you for our names. When you asked him about yourself, don't you remember how hard he slapped you and said that he still remembered how often you call him Toushirou instead of Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Heh. Yeah?"

"BAKA! How many times must I repeat myself for four years?! Hitsugaya-taichou may have regained some of his memories of us, but the point is, even though he was amnesiac when he was revived, he only remembered you. Don't you see that? This is the perfect chance, Ichigo. Hitsugaya-taichou must face the truth about his past, and the only way he can do that will be receiving help from you and you alone, Ichigo."

Ichigo shook her off with a wave of his hand. "Nah. Toushirou ain't got low enough a pride to ask me for help."

"Ichigo…"

"And anyways, Rukia," Ichigo continued, completely ignoring her. "If I tell Toushirou about the truth now…he might go hysterical. I don't know what he'll do to himself if he remembers…and I don't want to know, ok, Rukia?"

"But sooner or later, taichou will regain his memories, Ichigo-kun!" Matsumoto exclaimed with a hint of worry and hope in her voice. "If there's any way he'll be able to pull through, it'll be through receiving your help! Please reconsider, Ichigo-kun! If you won't do it for our sake...do it for taichou's." Ichigo frowned and Matsumoto wouldn't stop there. "You want taichou to live normally, don't you? You want taichou to be able to sleep peacefully without worrying about nightmares, don't you? If you do…please, Ichigo-kun, please find the time to tell him about what happened in his past."

"…Alright, Rangiku-san. I'll try."

＜ブリーチ＞

Grinning affectionately in a false manner, Aizen stroked her head and gave a light nod. "Yes, Hinamori-kun. Everything you said is true."

Teal eyes opened as quickly as Ishida's Quincy arrow shooting and killing a hollow. Hitsugaya Toushirou panted with beads of sweat rolling down his face. The high-pitched voice belonging to a girl from his nightmares of late kept ringing in his head. To top it off, he couldn't get it out of his mind and it kept bugging him throughout the entire day. It was the same nightmare every night; and with every passing night, the nightmare would become clearer and longer. At first, all he could see in his nightmare would be the girl's insane smile and it slowly but truly grew into a horror scene unfolding itself, and he would always see himself as part of it. Or worse, it was like he was acting the major role as a protagonist in a horror J-series or some kind of bloody periodic drama. Gripping his head in an attempt to block out the ringing voice, he kept telling himself to calm down and get a drink of tea to ease his nerves.

Really…What was going on? The Soul Society he remembered from before totally changed in his perspective; first thing he saw when he woke up from his good night's sleep from a regular day of piling paperwork and scolding this blond girl with big tits and a fetish for sake was this pair of chocolate brown eyes boring into his. He easily recognized it as his human comrade, Kurosaki Ichigo, but then there was a crowd of shinigami surrounding him all of a sudden and they all seemed to know him but he just couldn't remember any of their faces. Of course, as the years slowly passed, he began to have a clearer vision and memory of those he recognized from before. He didn't know how, but he was told that he lost his memories and was suffering from temporary amnesia. Not like he would ever remember how he lost them in the first place since it was amnesia, despite its temporariness. Then these weird nightmares…and this sword called a zanpakutou he found strapped to his back every single day…

Oh yes. His zanpakutou.

Zanpakutous have names, as he could remember...During these past four years, he watched many shinigamis train with their zanpakutous whose names had been recognized and acknowledged, but somehow, he couldn't remember his own. He felt this lingering and uncomfortable emptiness within him. People said that it was because he failed to remember his zanpakutou's name so it felt like as if its spirit wasn't part of him any longer when it still was. He asked about his zanpakutou and had different answers. Some said that his zanpakutou was the most powerful ice zanpakutou in the whole of Soul Society, some said that he was weak even with that powerful a zanpakutou (coughZarakicough), and others simply said that he should communicate with its spirit to know the truth. He had been trying to talk to his zanpakutou, but all he could see would be this frigid wasteland of endless blizzards and hailstorms and nothing else. Oh right…A dragon's pained roar in a distance…Was it calling to him? Was it his zanpakutou's spirit?

"Ugh…! Why can't I remember anything?!" Hitsugaya shouted to himself in frustration, banging his clenched fists against his pounding head. Clearly he was forcing himself to remember too many things at one go…It wasn't going to help him regain his memories that way. Why bother?

Ichigo decided that it was time for him to step in. "Toushirou."

Hitsugaya spun around in shock. "Kurosaki? What are you doing here in my room?"

"Rangiku-san gave me the keys and this isn't your room. It's your office," Ichigo replied simply, swinging the keys around.

"…Oh." Hitsugaya nearly slapped his forehead. How could he walk straight into his office from his room without even knowing it? "What do you want? It's late and I need to go back to sleep."

"I heard you…talking to yourself." Hitsugaya slapped his forehead this time. He had been way too dense to talk to himself in public… "Actually, I'm here to tell you the truth."

Hitsugaya arched a silvery white eyebrow. "The truth?"

"Yes." Ichigo took a deep breath and began, "Toushirou…When you were young…"

＜ブリーチ＞

…Again. It was that same frozen wasteland that had been plagued with blizzards and harsh winter winds. This was no nightmare; no, it definitely wasn't. Hitsugaya dared to answer the dragon's roar behind him. He turned around and came face-to-face with the mighty symbol of heaven in ancient Chinese texts: a dragon. A dragon made of ice scales with the blood of freezing water flowing through its icicle veins. Hitsugaya nearly stumbled backwards. This dragon was amazing! He had never seen a dragon like it before…had he?

"You're confused, Toushirou." Hitsugaya blinked. Did the dragon just talk to him? Dragons don't talk; they roar. And how did this dragon know his name? As if it had read his mind, the dragon continued, "All this time, Toushirou, I have been trying to talk to you. I have been trying to get you to remember who I am. But…"

Hitsugaya arched an eyebrow as realization slowly sunk into his brain. "You're…Are you…my…?" Hitsugaya blinked and his eyes widened. "You're my zanpakutou's spirit, aren't you?"

The edges of the dragon's mouth moved upwards as if cracking a smile. "I'm so glad you remember who I am to you, Toushirou…" Hitsugaya still couldn't get his fuzzy mind to focus. Ichigo had been telling him all sorts of things he didn't remember, then he knew he fell asleep and now his zanpakutou's spirit was finally talking to him. What was going on?! What was it that everyone knew except for him?! What was so important that he had forgotten?! "You're in a dilemma, Toushirou. But that is fine. After you escaped the clutches of death once more four years ago, I made you forget of all the unhappy moments you shared with Hinamori and Aizen, as well as all the happy memories together with them to prevent you from ever remembering them again. But…that was a grave mistake...I apologize for making you suffer, Toushirou…"

Hitsugaya rubbed the back of his head. "No…It's fine…" He still didn't know what was going on. The amnesia was addling his mind, dammit. "There is something I wanted to ask you…"

"You wish to remember my name?" his zanpakutou spirit enquired amusingly. "But you must pass a certain test before I tell you my name."

"What is it?" Hitsugaya got anxious. Not because his zanpakutou's spirit was giving him a test, but because he finally got a chance to remember something he should've remembered a long time ago. It would help him regain his memories faster, at least.

"Tell me, Toushirou, do you place your trust in me?"

Hitsugaya arched another eyebrow. Zanpakutous sure ask weird questions…courtesy of the blockhead Ichigo, at least. "…Yes?"

"You don't sound like it at all. I ask you once again, do you place your trust in me wholly?"

Hitsugaya sighed, "Yes. Yes, I do."

"Then if I were to let you ride on my back to scale the frozen skies, would you trust me to let you have a peaceful ride?" Hitsugaya nodded slowly, his eyebrow still raised in confusion. The next thing he knew, he was on the back of the dragon of ice, feeling the rush of the icy winds blowing against his face and the hail stones pelting against his body. It felt…nice. It felt really nice and soothing. For once, Hitsugaya Toushirou felt relaxed and at ease. The dragon shot him another question, "And if I were to let you fall from the skies, would you still trust me to catch you?"

Hitsugaya's eyes widened as he kept his answer quiet. His zanpakutou still carried out the challenge and overturned while soaring in the skies. Hitsugaya lost his grip on the dragon's scales of ice and fell…Why was the dragon doing this to him? Did it have this intention to kill him or something? But the dragon said that he should place his trust in it. So by right, he should believe that it would save him from plummeting to his death…he should believe that the dragon wouldn't send him to die…right?

"Call my name, Toushirou!" the dragon yelled, still staying in its position in the sky. "If you really trust me that much, call the name that you always call when you need my help!" Hitsugaya closed his eyes, forcing himself to remember that very important name. Should he trust the dragon or not? It was practically killing him with its test…and its constant shouting for him to call its name wasn't helping! What was the dragon thinking? Should he really trust Hyourinmaru? Should he really trust Hyou…rin…ma…

…Trust Hyourinmaru…?

…Trust Hyourinmaru…

…Hyourinmaru…

Hitsugaya's eyes shot open as realization dawned upon him.

…Hyourinmaru…?

"Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya exclaimed like as if he had been chanting that name for the past half an hour. The dragon, his Hyourinmaru, flew down at blinding speed and caught Hitsugaya with his back, the edges of his mouth cracking into a smile as small bits of ice fell off his body.

Hearing the frightened pants of the amnesiac 10th Division captain, Hyourinmaru couldn't help but smile even more. "You finally remember my name, Toushirou…You finally recognize me now…"

Hitsugaya clenched his chest, trying to calm himself down. He was barely a few meters away from bleeding on the snow. What kind of sick joke was this?! He wanted to whack Hyourinmaru's back but just then, memories of he and Hyourinmaru together flooded into his mind. So many memories…so many lost memories…suddenly finding their way into his head. It hurt! Rubbing his temples, Hitsugaya mumbled a complaint, "Ugh…I remember when I first tried to communicate with you, and you tried telling me your name…You used the same method as this."

"So you remember, Toushirou. That is good to hear."

"…You are so original, Hyourinmaru."

And the dragon laughed.

＜ブリーチ＞

Ichigo tossed and turned in his bed, his chocolate brown orbs plainly refusing to close and get a well-earned rest. Telling Hitsugaya the truth about his past was draining…and especially unnerving even for the protective yet impulsive strawberry. Bloody thoughts and images of his white-haired crush using various ways to commit suicide filled his mind before he shook his head violently and knocked a clenched fist against his forehead to get such thoughts out of his mind. He knew that Hitsugaya wasn't the emo type; of course he wouldn't kill himself over that. What the hell was he thinking?

"Ichigo."

Ichigo blinked at the familiar deep masculine voice that he recognized as the voice of the young prodigal captain of the 10th Division. Hitsugaya would never ever call him Ichigo unless the stubborn kid wanted to, but those had been on very rare occasions. "…Toushirou?"

He heard the trademark sigh of utter frustration. "It's not Toushirou, it's-"

"Hitsugaya-taichou. I know, I know," Ichigo replied teasingly with a grin.

To his surprise, his face was met with the incoming fist that felt way too cold even for an icy captain like Hitsugaya. Ichigo sat up and rubbed his nose, moaning in pain. Hitsugaya dusted his hands and folded his arms. "Don't assume so much, boy. Just because I look like Toushirou doesn't mean I am him." Noticing the baka-ish blink, he sighed and answered the question, "…I'm…Hyourinmaru."

Ichigo ran into a corner, his eyes as wide as saucers. "What the fuck?! How is that possible?!"

Hyourinmaru arched an eyebrow in a very Hitsugaya-like manner. "You don't know?" Ichigo shook his head umpteen times, possibly in shock and fright from knowing that Hitsugaya's zanpakutou could materialize and look like him. That would mean that if he just so happened to admit his closed-up feelings to Hitsugaya and it turned out to be Hyourinmaru instead…Ichigo shook his head violently to get the thought out of his head. Hyourinmaru sighed, "Ask your zanpakutou. He should know."

"…Ok…So why are you here and why do you look so much like Toushirou?"

"First, I'm here because I'm relaying Toushirou's message to you, and second, this isn't my real form. I'm just assuming Toushirou's image, otherwise it'd be impossible for you to see or hear me," Hyourinmaru simply explained. Ichigo rolled his eyes to his left and they rolled back to face Hyourinmaru who then spoke, "Toushirou wanted to…thank you for telling him the truth." At this, the zanpakutou spirit noticed Ichigo's chest move down with relief. "He is slowly regaining his memories, and I will be there to guide him through the unsteady ride in the frozen heavens, so you shouldn't worry, Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded dumbly. "And…that's all?"

"Yes, that's all. You may go back to sleep." Just as Hyourinmaru turned to walk away, he suddenly turned back to face Ichigo which scared the wits out of the strawberry boy. "Oh, and Toushirou said that…you'll forever be here," Hyourinmaru paused to place his hand over his chest. Ichigo blinked before he remembered that certain incident and smiled warmly. "as well," the wise dragon of ice ended before disappearing off into the night.

Kurosaki Ichigo pulled the blanket nearer to him and finally closed his eyes to sleep peacefully. The precious memories of the time he spent with Hitsugaya filled his mind as he dreamt, and the events during the past four years replayed in his mind, and last…Hitsugaya's message to him through Hyourinmaru. Over here…eh? Ichigo's hand somehow found its way to his heart as he smiled in his sleep, dreaming and remembering about the depressing times when he thought Hitsugaya had truly died. The unfolding scenes of killing Aizen and Hinamori to avenge his beloved replayed themselves using the image of dreams. The chocolate eyes suddenly opened as Ichigo looked around the room. The memories were keeping him awake. Dammit. He let his arms hang to his sides and sighed. Two decisions suddenly reformed themselves in his mind.

Telling Hitsugaya the truth and not telling him the truth. What would the consequences be?

He had already gone ahead with telling him the truth, and things ended out to be good. If he had continued on with keeping the truth from him, he would never be able to use Hyourinmaru ever again, would he? And if that happened, Hitsugaya would fail as a captain…Experiencing failure once more would prove to be too much for the young captain to handle, and the horrid memories would find their own way to resurface. Wouldn't Hitsugaya really think about the unthinkable that way? Wouldn't his already sunken heart sink even further? But…Hitsugaya was fine, and that was all that mattered. His bleeding heart was healed; the blood had clotted and a bandage stopped the bleeding even further. The shattered heart was Hitsugaya; the blood was the salt added to his wounds; the bandage was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo himself, and the bandage would forever coil itself around the heart to keep the pieces together to prevent it from bleeding again. That was for sure, and it would last for all of eternity.

And perhaps…that was how to piece a shattered heart back together…

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N: …I'll tell you this right now…I swear, I had no intention of making it this long…

Oh…and if you find this whole thing cheesy, crappy and/or too OOC, just tell me straight. I don't mind.

I added my own mix of zanpakutou tidbits to it, meaning I kinda added extra info that I made up about zanpakutous. Ok, since zanpakutous are part of their wielders, wouldn't it make sense that if they materialize, they can't be seen by anyone else other than their wielders? So, since they're a part of their wielders, it should sorta make sense that they can take on the form of their wielders if the need to talk to other shinigamis arises. So, yeah. That's the fact I made up. Idea for that struck me when I imagined Zangetsu turning into an image of Ichigo. I just couldn't resist and made up a zanpakutou fact XD

Inspiration for this oneshot would be when I was playing Bleach: Shattered Blade. You can safely assume that I was too addicted to killing Hinamori and Aizen off XD And then I thought to myself, what if I made a HitsuIchi oneshot with them getting killed? And so, that was how this was born and thus, that is how the title came to be.

I initially wanted a songfic, but one: I couldn't find a suitable Japanese song and two: it's already so long…o.O

Please review! Reviews make an author's world go round, and it would motivate me even further to write more HitsuIchi in the future! Arigatou gozaimasu! Jaa, sayounara for now!

Reflect the truth of which you see

Tsuki-no-Kurokage

Real reason for inspiration: Did anyone notice that Ichigo and Hitsugaya are next to each other in the character select menu for Shattered Blade?