In You I Trust

By: theunknownvoice

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter 1: The Betrayed

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

There were few in Soul Society who focused on the chaos within the Gotei 13. It was easier to ignore the problems of fellow shinigami who were not in your bantai. There were just too many individuals for every captain to personally keep track of.

Ukitake, however, had too much time on his hands. Frequently at the hospital and too ill to do anything, he could spend his time thinking and associating with fellow shinigami. It was one of the things he had had in common with his deceased vice-captain that individual members mattered. People, the individual, mattered to Ukitake and he had noticed.

"You are thinking too hard Jushiro," Shunsui said.

It was the afternoon meeting between the two captains and a bottle of sake and a box of chocolate was between them.

"Sometimes I think this place sucks the life out of people. Being a shinigami must result in a death sentence and the more life a shinigami has the more Soul Society tortures them. Look at those we have lost. Kaien who had more life than anyone I knew is dead. Rukia is a shell. Soi Fon is embroiled by bitterness and now this," Ukitake replied.

"You think too much Jushiro. People change. Life moves on," Shunsui replied.

But Ukitake only shook his head. "No, you're wrong my friend. Something is happening and this time it won't take one person but two."

Shunsui wanted to argue that the old man wouldn't let that happen but he knew better. Yamamoto was too tied into his ways to see the disaster standing in front of them. Trouble was brewing in the Seireitie long before Ichimaru, Aizen and Tosen had left.

"What can we do Jushiro if you're right?"

Ukitake only looked at his friend before replying. "I don't know but kami help those two before they too are another causality of Soul Society."

He hated the blasted paperwork. Why the hell was he a vice-captain again?

Oh that's right the pay was better.

Who was he kidding?

He liked being a shinigami. It was something he was good and there were few things he considered himself good at.

He used to believe he was good at judging the character of a person. He could understand a person but after Tosen—

He couldn't even think of his former captain.

Tosen had been the type of man Shuhei Hisagi tried to be. He wanted to be the man that held onto honor and believed in justice. He wanted to be the type of person who didn't overburden his subordinates. The type of man that believed in justice. Maybe that type of man didn't exist.

The paperwork laid sprawled out in front him waiting for him.

"Paperwork was invented to drive us crazy."

He recognized the lilting voice of the well endowed female lieutenant.

"What brings you here Rangiku?"

"Can't a friend say hello?"

He wanted to roll his eyes at the woman. They were friends. It was a painful truth after he had tried to make them more but he had been forced to accept it. Rangiku Matsumoto wasn't interested in him. She preferred men with lighter hair for one verging on silver and white.

"Why are you really here Ran-chan?"

Matsumoto's smile fled her face. It was obvious even after the betrayal two months before that Shuhei was still struggling with what happened. She had accepted it primarily because Hitsugaya was there to pull her back from falling. Shuhei didn't have anyone like that.

"Are you sure you'll alright Shuhei?"

He glared. What the hell was it with everyone asking him that? First there was Captain-Commander Yamamoto, then Captain Komamura, Captain Ukitake, and now Matsumoto?

She could feel his retsai rising.

"Shuhei?"

"Leave Rangiku. I don't want to talk."

"Captain Unohana asked if you would come by," Matsumoto said as she fled the room.

Her friend was scaring her. He was falling further and further into despair. She didn't want to remember the smirk or the whispered, "Gomen Rangiku." No she couldn't think of him. She didn't want to.

The memory of blue-green eyes that could see through her kept her from crying. She hated seeing her friend hurt by betrayal but she herself was still dealing with what happened. The green eyes pulled her back. She needed to be safe right now. She needed to know she was loved.

She needed sake, a couch, and Hitsugaya because only Hitsugaya could make her feel better.

Captain Unohana sat glancing at the monitor. There was still no change. Aside from waking up a few times with nightmares, Hinamori hadn't been very responsive. To make matters worse Hitsugaya didn't want to spend time here.

"I've talked to her Captain Unohana and there is no point. I don't value the sentimentality of this."

"But Captain Hitsugaya, you and Hinamori-chan are childhood friends surely—"

"Hinamori and I may have grown up together but we are hardly close now. Besides I don't see the point of talking to her. It makes no difference."

"She just needs someone to call her back."

"No, she needs to heal."

She hadn't been able to convince him of anything else. He had left the temperature dropping as his anger grew. There was no point in pursuing him. Hitsugaya had already made up his mind.

The knock on her door shook her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the tattooed lieutenant.

"You requested me Captain Unohana?"

"Lieutenant Hisagi, I have a request to make of you."

"What can I do for you captain? I hope it doesn't take to long. I have to return to my division."

She hadn't forgotten that his division was in shambles. The betrayal had shaken everything but perhaps he could help her more the others could. Kira had been hesitatant when she had asked him.

"I raised my sword at her. I—"

Renji was preparing to go to the human world and Hisagi was the last person she knew that had some closeness with her patient.

"Please come with me."

Hisagi followed as she led him towards the back rooms of her division. He hated hospitals. Even when Isane who had been one of his closest friends from the academy was the one treating him, he didn't care to be here.

He saw Isane treating a patient and shot her a small smile. She smiled back at him before returning to her patient. Isane was a healer and for once Shuhei wished he wasn't a fighter. Fighters brought more misery to people. Fighters maimed and killed while healers put back together broken people.

But he couldn't deny his was fighter and anymore than he could make himself a healer. He didn't care to piece together people. He would rather protect.

The air in this part of the medical wing was stale. There was no smell but it tasted of disinfectant. It was so silent that it multiplied the emptiness.

He could hear the faint sound of the ventilator. It was pushing up and down and the bubbling sound of water. He glanced at the bed his eyes taking in the pale figure.

She had always been small but the bed made her smaller. She was paler than before and her eyes were tightly closed. He would have thought her dead if he couldn't feel the faintness of her spiritual pressure.

"You are the last person I know that can perhaps reach. Just talk to her."

Hisagi swallowed before nodding.

For once he realized that he wasn't the only one who had been betrayed.

To be continued…..