A/N:

Gene: hey it's the new chapter! It got here faster than the other ones!

Naru: hey!......i don't care, maybe it's because this chapter was all you eats cookies

Gene: well here's the chapter! Hey where's my cookies!

Naru: this is a disclaimer we don't own kuroshitusji or bleach, there I just said it

Echo Chapter 4:

The door shut behind him, along with noises of feet running up and down the house. It was three in the afternoon. All the other boys were finding hiding places. Renji was the one stuck counting because he lost in rock, paper, scissors. I was always good at not being found because I'm usually the one trying to avoid them. Such trivial games did not accomplish anything. When you have been an orphan this long, you've learned that it's every man for themselves. If you thought you could make friends with anyone in this dump, you were naïve.

"Hey, move over!"

Then again…

"Hey, let's turn that frown upside down! I'm here with you aren't I?"

There was Ichigo.

I couldn't suppress the smile pulling at my lips. "Shh! They are going to find us."

"Not with you here they won't." Ichigo flashed him his smile that only an orange-haired goofball could pull off.

I almost forgot why I was mad at him in the first place. "Remind me again, why you made me agree to this stupid game?"

"To lighten up. You are always so tight like you got a stick up your ass and no one else was going to do anything about it."

On that note, my cheeks turned a bright pink. Why does he make me feel this way?

Ichigo's eyes shone with an intensity that struck me hard, like a bullet through the chest. Ok, not the best analogy, but still, how else can I describe it? Neither of us spoke, even as the doorknob turned. With the way his eyes grazed over me, I felt like he was going to make it his mission to thaw me, as though I were his project and his alone. At first, I thought I saw a yellowish tint creep into his eyes but it disappeared as soon as I noticed it.

As the door opened, Ichigo's lips crashed into mine, closing the distance. Although it was sudden and perhaps a little forceful, my lips accepted the invite and I proceeded to kiss him back.

"Found you!"

Just like that, Ichigo and I were apart; before anyone could witness the moment we shared

When I regained control of my body, I tried to latch onto Ichigo, hoping I could somehow prevent what would come soon after.

Renji had stormed down the staircase, screaming that he found them and that I had to count next. But that is not what would happen. No. By the time the other boys found him, he'd be unrecognizable.

Darkness greeted him then. By sheer force of will, Hitsugaya managed to prevent the nightmare from continuing. He couldn't bear to watch what would transpire. He had spent the last three months trying to forget.

Finally, he was returning to consciousness.

Squinting his eyes twice, Toshiro yawned as he sat up. The sun decided to rise the same time he did and illuminated the king sized bed. Wait…something's not right here. Is it the fact that he did not awake to another beating from Asoka? No, that bastard probably passed out drunk last night and wouldn't be up until at least three in the afternoon. It had to be the fact that for once, he did not wake up to a sore back. Usually the cots were like sleeping on a rock. Yes, he felt unusually comfortable and relaxed. Something was definitely up.

Five minutes later….

HOLY CRAP! This isn't the orphanage!

"Where the fuck am I?" Hitsugaya looked around his space of dwelling for the first time and really looked. Last time he checked, he didn't live in a fancy shmancy rich mansion. In fact, he had never really seen one up close before. Even though he did wander about frequently to avoid Asoka, never once had he seen one in the village before. Then again though, perhaps he wasn't even near the orphanage. At that thought, a chill went up his spine. Was he abducted?

Hitsugaya couldn't suppress the laughter bubbling up. "Like that would ever happen." He wasn't worth kidnapping and even if that did happen, why would someone who can afford the finer things in life bother with a nobody like him? He raised his hand from beneath the comforter and covered his face with it.

"Where am I…?" The sun only continued to rise, even without him. Maybe this had all been a dream and he was never really an orphan and that Ichigo was just a figment of his dreams. Maybe, in reality, Hitsugaya is someone of a higher status. "Then why do I still feel poor?" The groggy teenager mused to himself. The more he looked around the spacious room, the more irritated and restless he became. Hitsugaya certainly wouldn't find the answers to his questions by sitting there underneath the incredibly comfortable sheets on the biggest bed he had ever seen. There was only obstacle standing in his way of getting up immediately though. The dull headache that seemed to clog his sinus. Toshiro tried to press his memory, to recall what could have happened to him last night but that only made him feel more light-headed.

Then again, why did he feel the need to escape? After all, it's not like he had a home to go back to, much less anyone who would bother to perform a search party for. Maybe he could stay here for a few days and then find someplace else to live.

Stifling a yawn, Hitsugaya forced himself out of bed in spite of his headache's protest. He then bit back a string of curse words as his feet began to feel like pins and needles. Clearly, even though he had mentally woken up, his body hadn't. That's not all that hurt though. He was instantly reminded of Asoka's abuse when his foot began to pulse with pain. Even though it was days since Asoka last beat him in a drunken rage. The tortured lad's infected foot continues to give him trouble. Not that, that was anything new. He never had the proper materials and much less knowledge of how to care for himself. Steadying himself, Hitsugaya tried to put less weight on his left foot and proceeded to walk toward the door separating him from the rest of himself.

Surely in a house so grand as this, there would be bandages for him to use. It just then occurred to him that he may not be alone and that the owner of this mansion may be around. A sixth sense told him he did not want to be seen. As he walked down the staircase, his eyes fell on the paintings, the decor and the chandelier. He sucked in his breath, suddenly feeling two feet tall. Hitsugaya felt out of place. Envy gnawed at him, wondering who could live so lavishly like this.

The open wound throbbed with each step, but he wouldn't stop until he found a restroom, which seemed impossible to him since the size of the house alone made him feel like he was walking in a maze. Hitsugaya winced when his foot met a hard-tiled floor. The coldness only made it worse. When his eyes finally landed on what appeared to be a bathroom, Hitsugaya quickened his pace. He almost didn't see the lounge, which was placed, close to his destination. Something about this particular room filled him with warmth. He almost felt sense of someone sitting close by, looking at him with interest and confusion. No sooner did Hitsugaya sense someone's presence when he realized that he was indeed not alone. Sitting in the lounge was another boy, staring at him.