Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach
Chapter Three - Broken Heart
Ichigo was on his way back to the world of the living when he noticed that Captain Hitsugaya was once again making his way covertly toward the Senkaimon. It never failed to amuse him when he saw the normally law abiding captain breaking the rules. A grin appeared on the face of the orange haired Shinigami as he quickened his pace so that he could catch up with the white-haired prodigy. "Oi Toushirou!"
"Hitsugaya," the young captain automatically corrected as Ichigo fell into step beside him.
"Right," Ichigo said as he and the Squad Ten Captain traveled together in the direction of the Senkaimon. He didn't have to ask where Hitsugaya was going as it had became obvious over the past couple of weeks. Whenever Hitsugaya disappeared he could always be found in the world of the living with Shiori and Tenshi.
Hitsugaya had became increasingly thankful to Ichigo for keeping the knowledge of his family a secret from the rest of Soul Society and out of the feeling that he was indebted to the Squad Five Captain, Hitsugaya put up with his presense without a word of protest.
Together the two captains traveled through the Senkaimon and, as soon as they emerged in the world of the living, both cursed under their breath. Ichigo turned to face his fellow captain, an intense look in his amber eyes. "Do you feel that?"
Hitsugaya nodded, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of Hyourinmaru. The reiatsu that he sensed was massive and had to belong to one of the few Arrancar that managed to escape after the final battle with Aizen. "We should check it out."
Ichigo nodded and both captains used their flash-step to disappear.
Ichigo and Hitsugaya traveled quickly to the spot where they had felt the reiatsu radiating from however when they arrived the beast was no longer there. All they found was the traces of the Arrancar's massive reiatsu and the destruction that had been left in it's wake.
"Unreal," Ichigo muttered as he gazed at the trees that had been uprooted.
Hitsugaya took a step forward, intending to examine the damage, but he stopped short as a glimmer caught his eye. Leaning down he picked up a tiny circle of lightest and he gasped in horror as recognition hit him. Hearing the young captain's gasp Ichigo walked toward him and as he gazed at Hitsugaya's hand he saw that the Squad Ten captain held a ring in his hand, a ring that appeared to be made of ice.
An ice blue dragon curled into a circle.
"Is that. . ."
"It's Shiori's," Hitsugaya choked out. Then, without so much as another word to Ichigo, he used his flash-step and fled the scene.
"Wait!" Ichigo called out.
Hitsugaya quickly made his way to the house that Shiori shared with their daughter and when he arrived the white-haired Shinigami didn't even bother to knock on the door. Flinging it open he stepped inside and was immediately met with a woman's scream.
Followed shortly thereafter by the wail of a baby.
"Toushirou!" Yuzu snapped as she recovered from her fright enough to realize who the intruder was. She glared at the young captain in displeasure. "You scared me half to death."
"I'm sorry," Hitsugaya apologized, beginning to get a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Kurosaki-san, where's Shiori?"
"She said that she had to go to the market," Yuzu replied as she attempted to sooth Tenshi, who was still crying due to her father's abrupt entrance.
"No. . ." Hitsugaya murmured.
"Oi!" Ichigo said as he stepped through the still open doorway. "Toushirou, why did you. . ."
Ichigo stopped short as he realized that it was his sister that held Hitsugaya's baby and not the child's mother. "What's going on?"
"She's gone," Hitsugaya said, sinking to his knees and clutching the small ring in his closed fist. There were tears glistening in his teal eyes however none fell, a testament to his strength. "I felt lingering traces of her reiatsu there but I didn't want to believe it."
"Onii-chan," Yuzu said, still rocking the baby back and forth. There was concern evident in her eyes as she turned her attention toward her older brother. "What's he talking about?"
"There was an Arrancar here when Toushirou and I arrived in the world of the living," Ichigo explain, gazing sympathetically at Hitsugaya. "It was gone when we got there but Toushirou found Shiori's ring on the ground."
"So maybe she lost it while she was running away," Yuzu said, not wanting to believe that her friend had been killed by a Hollow.
Hitsugaya shook his head. "She was there, I could feel her reiatsu. And now I can't feel it anywhere."
"Then you should hurry to Soul Society," Yuzu said, her eyes widening. "If she died then that's where she'll go right?"
Yuzu turned pleading eyes toward her brother however all Ichigo could do was shake his head. "Not if the Hollow devoured her soul. If that's the case then she's lost until. . ."
"Until I find the damn thing," Hitsugaya growled, getting slowly to his feet. "And kill it."
Hitsugaya's teal eyes glowed with a malevolent light as he turned and left the house through the door that remained open. Shaking his head Ichigo turned to his sister. "Yuzu, will you please stay here with the baby? I have to keep Toushirou from doing something rash."
Yuzu nodded. "Of course. Be careful Onii-chan."
Ichigo nodded and then dashed off after Hitsugaya.
The young Captain of Squad Ten scoured the entirety of Karakura Town however he couldn't find any trace of the reiatsu that he had sensed at the location where he had found Shiori's ring. Hitsugaya seemed determined to keep searching however Ichigo finally forced him to stop and face reality.
"Toushirou. . ."
Hitsugaya ignored the orange haired captain as he continued to leap from roof top to roof top in search of the beast that had taken his baby's mother from her. He would track down the beast and he would free Shiori's soul. Failure simply wasn't an option.
"Captain Hitsugaya!"
Ichigo's use of his formal title served to get Hitsugaya's attention and he immediately slid to a halt and whirled to face his fellow captain.
"I know that you want to find it," Ichigo began cautiously. "But I can't feel even so much as a trace of Hollow reiatsu. I think we can safely assume that it's gone."
"I'm not going to stop," Hitsugaya growled.
"Think about your daughter," Ichigo snapped, forcing himself to resist the urge to slap some sense into the Squad Ten Captain.
Hitsugaya's eyes widened as his thoughts shifted back to his snowy-haired baby girl. Tenshi had lost her mother today and Hitsugaya didn't know what he was going to do. In order to stay with his daughter he'd have to give up his life as a Shinigami but in order to avenge her mother he would need those powers.
He felt completely torn.
"Come on," Ichigo said, gripping the sleeve of Hitsugaya's shihakusho. "Let's go back and check on your daughter. I promise you that we won't give up on the search but we aren't really accomplishing anything right now."
Hitsugaya was disturbed over the fact that Ichigo had been the voice of reason and, pushing his despair aside, he nodded. Together the two Shinigami made their way back to the small house where Yuzu and Tenshi were awaiting their return.
Yuzu's questioning eyes focused on her brother who shook his head ever so slightly.
Tears immediately appeared in Yuzu's eyes.
Hitsugaya immediately walked over to Yuzu and gently took his daughter from her. Cradling the child in his arms Hitsugaya left the room and made his way back outside, gently rocking his child to and fro as he thought about their future.
"I'm so sorry Tenshi-chan," he whispered as he walked around the yard with the baby. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I forgot that I bring bad luck to every life that I touch."
Completely unaware that her life had changed dramatically in the course of one day Tenshi merely smiled as she waved her fists in the air. She didn't know that she would never see her mother again nor did she know that her father would have to give up on everything, including vengeance, in order to be with her.
"I'll give up anything that I have to in order to protect you," Hitsugaya whispered.
A/N - Well that was depressing wasn't it?