A/N: Yay! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait! I got kind of lazy after my blackbelt test. By the way, I'm now officially a blackbelt! Let's go beat up Aizen!! Okay, some changes. Due to some comments, I have decided to take out all in-story author's notes just because they distract the plot. I will only put them in the beginnings and endings. Unless there is a translation to be made of course, which is not often. Okay! This is the end of the depressing violence scene with the hollow and the poor little boy and the poor woman! I've discovered that I repeat myself too often in depressing scenes and I ask too many rhetoric questions. But deal with it for just this while, okay? I'm typing this at one in the morning while waiting for a Jigoku Shoujo episode to load. It's a really good anime by the way. I adore Enma Ai. She shall be my idol. XD

Disclaimer: ...etc.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: THERE ARE 361 DAYS UNTIL HITSUGAYA'S BIRTHDAY!!! XD

Now, on with the story! Also, please forgive any random weird attempts at metaphors. I'm trying to follow good advice!

Thanks to FireyFlames, NotSupposedToBeHere, Amelia Wilson, yuki-tenshee, InEspertaNinja, xaznloverx, Karia Ithilai, Yozora Nozomi, and xenocanaan for reviews! It means so much to me that you all reviewed! Welcome to the reviewers gang, newbies! (Y'all:...what the heck is wrong with her...) Also, special thanks to Karia Ithilai and RKInu241 for specially heeding my plees of help and reading my fanfiction and giving me good and helpful advice! Thank you so much! I'm heeding your advice right now! Thank you all! Also, thanks to pancakecows for a fav. (Awesome name! XD) Thanks to Karia Ithilai, NotSupposedToBeHere, Polyamide and xenocanaan for alerts! You all are awesome! To all who reviewed before, you know who you are! Give yourself a cookie for your awesome reviews!
Why? Why did it turn out like this? What had she done wrong? Maybe if she weren't so weak. Maybe if she'd defeated the hollow earlier on and had not been so stubborn and had released her full power. Maybe if she hadn't decided to get involved with Soul Society again, with shinigami again.

Her thoughts whirled endlessly around in her head, like misty entrails. Outside the whirling tempest inside her, her face was frozen from shock, the scene before her reflected upon her silver eyes, boring the memory into her, holding her tight. The drip drip dripping of blood into the endless pool of crimson and the small form of the little boy crying piteously to his mother, burning themselves into her like hot brands. Before her, the spreading of dark blood enabled her to see her reflection, her scared, frozen reflection. A drop of crimson fell, making the surface of the pool shudder. She saw herself waver and disappear under a wave of ripples.

The boy reached out a hand up to his mother.

"Okaa-san," he cried, plaintively. He was too young to see these things, but here he was, a young boy pushed into the world, alone.

As if his cry had awakened her from a dream, the girl lifted her head slightly to see the boy reach his hand up to touch his mother's face.

"Don't," she wanted to shout, but her voice wasn't obeying her. She could only move her lips silently, her face displaying the horror of what she knew would happen next.

The woman raised her head and looked down at the pale little hand, outstretched. In an effort, she lifted her arm, holding up her hand to meet her son's. Then, a white flash, a cry and nothing but redness. The little boy screamed.

Lifting his claw from the stained red concrete rubble, the hollow inspected the blood now covering his long claws and licked his foreclaw. Then he looked down at the indentation he had made in the earth and at the now unidentifiable (SP!) mass of blood, rags and crushed bone. It seemed to be in thought. Finally, it said,

"Hm, not bad. That one had some spiritual powers. Too bad I squished it. It would have been an appetizer for the main meal of shinigami."

It clacked its bloody claws together.

"How about it? Want to have dinner together?"

The last syllable dissolved into an otherworldly roar. It shook her back to her senses. Her main priority was to protect the boy, no matter what happened. Leaping forward, she grabbed the boy and rolled away from the target point of the hollow's attack, the tiny form clutched firmly to her body, protecting him from any flying debris. As soon as the hollow's attack hit the earth, she sat up, alert and ready, still holding the boy. Black forms appeared around the crater in the ground and the flash of metal was seen as the shinigami joined the fight at last. Ichigo managed to fire a Getsuga Tenshou, but the result didn't make much difference except to make the hollow even madder with the pain and sight of good souls to devour.

Sitting there, watching the battle, the girl kept her arms around the boy. They both looked on as the shinigami struggled with the hollow. Hitsugaya finally released his sword into shikai and a blast of cold air shot through the two figures on the side, making icicles begin to form on the ground around them. The giant ice dragon swooped triumphantly in the air, its very presence giving off a sense of power, and it swung around the struck down at the hollow, completely freezing its form. Hitsugaya drew back Hyourinmaru, panting slightly, watching the frozen gargantuam form of the hollow. Feeling Matsumoto's presence by his shoulder, he heard her say,

"Is it dead?"

He narrowed his eyes.

"Doubt it."

He proved to be correct as the ice swelled into a ball, growing bigger and bigger by the second until at last, it burst, spraying water and melting ice particles everywhere. A sharp piece of ice grazed the girl's already bleeding cheek, opening a new scratch. Turning back to see what was happening, she felt a soft presence at her back and she whirled around to find the ghostly, outlined figure of the boy's mother. She watched the battle just as intently as they had before. Upon noticing that she had been discovered, the woman smiled and said,

"Don't worry. I'm sure I'll pass on soon. Really, I'm fine," she said, trying to reassure both the young girl and her son. The little boy immediately began crying and protesting, trying to get to his mother. The girl held him tight. She knew there was no use because he'd only pass through her soul. Looking down at the woman's chest, she saw the trademark chain attacked to her body.

"I'm sorry," she whispered numbly, "I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough to help you. I wasn't strong enough to prevent this."

The woman said softly,

"No, it's not your fault. We wouldn't have lived this long even if not for you. Don't blame yourself. I chose for this to happen; I chose this fate for myself when I put myself in charge of my son. I knew that whatever happened, I would always protect him. Nothing could have changed that."

The girl's expression didn't change. The dark hair half-covered her eyes, tangled but free of their usual bonds.

"Promise me," said the woman suddenly, "Promise me that you'll take good care of my son. He was the only one I had. If I had lost him, I wouldn't be able to live my life. So please, protect him like always and make sure he's a good boy."

There was no answer from the girl except her silver eyes turned up in surprise at her request. The woman took hold of her hands and knelt.

"Please! I'm begging you!"

The girl finally nodded her consent. Her eyes were still filled with guilt of what she had caused. A sudden shout from the battleground aroused them.

"Where'd it go, damn it!? We can't just let it escape!," came the voice of Renji. A second later, a shout from Ichigo,

"Watch out!"

And Renji went flying into the air, thrown away like a rag doll by a giant. Rukia rushed over to his aid along with Ichigo. Renji groaned and picked himself up.

"Damn hollow caught me off guard," he muttered as he tried to stop the bleeding from a temple wound.

"Maybe you weren't using your head," remarked Rukia. Renji turned and glared at her.

"Oh yeah!? Let's see you try and get close up!" he replied testily. Ichigo sniggered and got a glare as well.

A shout from Hitsugaya brought them back to the matter at hand.

"Pay attention! The hollow is attacking!"

All three shinigami turned around to witness the hollow flying towards the three figures on the side. They leaped forward, joining the pursuit of the hollow.

With as much speed as she could muster, the girl picked up the still-protesting boy and tried to get away from the monster. That was when the dizziness kicked in. She'd lost too much blood and her extensive movement had exhausted her. Her legs refused to support her weight and she fell. Clenching her teeth against the pain, she swore under her breath. Feeling the fast-coming reitsu, she grabbed hold of the boy and scrambled back up onto her feet. In front of her, she saw the open cavern of the hollow skull. Then, her eyesight seemed to change into a whole new scope. Her view looked as if it were seen through a transparent, colored sheet. Looking up, she saw the soul of the boy's mother.

"Don't worry," she calmly whispered, "Promise to keep him safe for me."
HONTOUNI HONTOUNI HONTOUNI GOMENASAI!!!!!!! (kneels on floor and bows ten times) I'M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL I COULD GET IN!! I PROMISE I'LL POST A LONGER CHAPTER NEXT TIME!! SORRY SORRY SORRY!!!! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!!! I KNOW I'M A LAZY IDIOT AND I DESERVE TO DIE AND I STILL HAVEN'T POSTED MY STORY FOR HITSUGAYA FOR HIS BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!! (abuses herself and starts tearing out hair) I'M SO SORRY!!!!! I PROMISE I WILL POST ASAP!!!! SO PLEASE DEAL WITH MY STUPIDNESS!!!!!!!! HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!!!! IF YOU DON'T CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS, THEN THIS IS JUST A VERY SHORT CHAPTER!!! GOMENASAI!!!!!!!!!!

Tsuki-chan

There are 361 days until Hitsugaya's birthday