A one-shot about after the Winter War. Depending on readers' response, may become a series of short-stories.

Please enjoy! And review!

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship/Romance

Characters: Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya Toshirou

Lightly flitting.

Despite several wounds, Matsumoto shook off the Fourth Division members fussing over her. She quickly ran in the air, searching for that place, the place where he had fallen. The last place she had seen him. The truth stabbed her in the heart, yet she couldn't help but hope. Perhaps it hadn't been as bad as they had thought. She caught hold of that faint glimmer of hope and held it close to her heart.

Dancing shadows.

It wasn't hard to find him. Even from quite far above, she could see the ice which coated the trees like a delicate layer of glass. Ice shards were scattered all around the forest clearing, coating the ground like snow. Right in the middle, with ice crystals surrounding him as if to protect him, was the person she was looking for. The light passing through the ice reflected colour and shadows onto his face.

Pale darkness.

Reacting out a hand to touch his pale cheek, she felt only the cold. There was no trace of warmth, only the coldness of the ice around him. There was no trace of the colour that was present in a living person. He was all black and white, covered in shadows.

Torn wings without contours.

As she carefully lifted him into her arms, she looked at the remnants of his bankai. The beautiful ice wings had shattered. Ice crystals were everywhere- hanging from trees, breaking under her feet as she slowly walked towards the Senkaimon, frozen in his hair.

Accept beautiful death.

He was so young. Too young, still having that childish air about him, no matter how he denied it. His angry rants at anyone who treated him as a child only proved to show how young he was. His body, as she held him in her arms, was painfully light. She buried her face in his snowy hair, yet somehow couldn't cry. One as young as him shouldn't have to face this. Life was so unfair. There were so many who had done crimes, so why did it have to be him, one with such great determination, one who had done no great wrong?

She had always longed to hold him like this, but why did the reason to her finally able to do it, have to be that he couldn't do anything else? She tried to console herself that the war was finally over, that he had sacrificed himself to help win it. But it was all in vain. That truth did nothing to lessen the pain, did nothing to change the fact that she would never hear his voice again, that she would never see him open those emerald eyes again.

As she walked through the Senkaimon to be met with thunderous cheering, she couldn't bear it anymore. Ignoring everyone, she fled from the celebrations. But even as she shunpo'ed down the streets of Seireitei, passing everyone as a blur, she still couldn't cry.

Song: Jigoku Chou no Uta/ Song of the Hell Moth

Source: Rock Musical Bleach: Dark of the Bleeding Moon

Video: www . youtube . com /watch?vE1as6G5ZSqM (take out spaces)

Note: The song is originally in Japanese. The above lyrics are translations, and only extracts from the song. And although this song and the following ones are from Rock Musical Bleach, most don't have anything to do with our dear Hitsu, so please don't expect too much from the video.

Please Review! Arigatou Gozaimasu!