Yuuki stared at the orange-haired shinigami in confusion.
"Leave, Ichigo." Unohana commanded, her tone as cold as ice. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Ichigo cut in, stepping into the room.
"Don't do this, Ichigo." Unohana warned, an uncharacteristic stern look was on her face and it scared Yuuki.
"Yuuki." Ichigo called, reaching out for her.
Yuuki backed away on reflex, nearly cringing at the sudden movement towards her.
He pulled his hand back like he'd been burned. He glanced at Unohana who was eyeing him carefully, and murmured, "I'm just here to deliver a message. Captain Unohana, if you would step outside please."
Unohana obliged, quickly following him and shutting the door behind them as they stepped outside. She motioned for Ichigo to follow her a bit farther from the room.
"You could have seriously jeopardized her health." Unohana stated with a disapproving sigh. "What are you doing here, Ichigo?"
"I'm not stupid enough to start blabbing about how she's my baby sister." He replied. "It took me quite a few fights to make it here. I think I'm in trouble."
"Yuuki is no longer who she was. You didn't answer my question, Ichigo."
He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before answering, "I'm just here to make sure she's okay."
---
Yuuki crept out of the room and into the hallway. She couldn't help it, she was too curious about what they were talking about. She could tell as soon as that Ichigo person had called her name, he was not there to merely deliver a message. She peered around the doorway, disappointed that she couldn't see anyone. And then she heard it. The voices.
"I'm not stupid enough to start blabbing about how she's my baby sister..."
She froze, the rest of the words not entering her brain. Baby sister? Who? Her?
"Yuuki is no longer who she was…"
Who was she before? What was going on?
"I'm just here to make sure she's okay."
Yuuki could hear the distinct noise of footsteps nearing her. She couldn't think properly with all the activity going on in her brain. She heard the voices draw nearer, discussing probable consequences. She glanced around her to make sure nobody had seen her and did the only thing she could think of.
She ran.
---
Hitsugaya glanced at the window. It was dark already and he had just finished his paper work. Matsumoto was passed out on the couch, and for that he was thankful for. It was finally peaceful without her causing a ruckus. He hadn't been too surprised with the new of Ichigo, in fact, he had expected it to happen sooner or later. He had sensed the ongoing struggle, but had ignored it. He didn't want to get involved.
"Try it…"
He sighed audibly, peeved that his quiet thinking time was ruined by Matsumoto's habitual sleep talking. Why did she have to decide to fall asleep here, anyway? She had her own quarters with a comfortable bed to sleep in. Sometimes he suspected Matsumoto was doing it on purpose for the sole reason of annoying him.
"It has carrots and cheese… it's good… cake…"
It seemed she was having another dream about cooking. He drummed his fingers along the edge of his desk, thinking about cake. He was never a fan of it, too sweet for his liking. The only time he'd ever enjoyed cake was with Yuuki, although he hadn't actually eaten any of it himself. He glanced at the window for a moment.
That was strange. He thought to himself as he was sure he had just felt a flicker of reiatsu similar to that of a hollow. He settled back into his chair, persuading himself that he was just being paranoid. His thoughts drifted back to Yuuki for the millionth time of the day. What would she be doing right now?
He paused the drumming, his index finger hovering above the desk. There it was again. He was sure he had felt it and he was certain it was a hollow. He glanced at Matsumoto who hadn't moved an inch, and figured she was probably in too deep a sleep to recognize the reiatsu. He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking. Why would there be hollow in Seireitei? He was certain that nobody had noticed, otherwise a Hell butterfly would have come his way in seconds. Either something was wrong or he was just fast to notice. He assumed it was the latter, considering that from what he could tell the hollow was situated near him.
He cracked his neck, standing from his sitting position, being as careful as possible not to stir Matsumoto. He might as well take care of it.
---
Yuuki stumbled foreward, checking behind her every now and then. She didn't know where she was running. She had concluded that it was a stupid idea to have run in the first place. It was dark and she couldn't see properly. The streets of Seireitei were dull and barren with not a single person in sight. She expected as much as the hours were late. She sat down on the deserted pathway, trying to calm her breathing and kill the cramp in her side.
Yuuki is no longer who she was.
The words repeated in her head, a phrase she couldn't decipher. What had Unohana been talking about? Who exactly was she before? She thought about her life, and she was certain of her past. Her parents had abandoned her and she had come to live with another couple who had taken her in. They were killed in a fire and then after that she had been taken. She ran the events through her mind in chronological order. Everything was there, no unexplained gaps of confusion or fuzzy remnants of lost memories.
She shook her head, exhaling. She had definitely felt that strange atmosphere as soon as that shinigami had walked in, and she had most definitely felt they were hiding something. He had mentioned something about a sister, and if she had heard correctly, she was that very sister. If only she had someone to just talk to, someone to ask what the heck was going on.
"Hitsugaya." She breathed aloud, and then covered her mouth as if she'd just said something forbidden. He would know the answers, she was sure of it. She stood up, hoping that she would somehow find his division. She shut her eyes, trying to remember the pathways they took to get there.
"Think, Yuuki." She commanded herself, trying to mentally picture the streets of Seireitei. "Captain Hitsugaya. Captain Hitsugaya. Please bring me to Captain Hitsugaya."
She didn't know who she was talking to, really. It was more to herself in hopes that her brain would somehow trigger a reaction and automatically make her feet move in the correct direction. She felt the surrounding area considerably darken, and in confusion she opened her eyes.
A giant monster-like thing that she'd never seen before loomed over her, snapping its jaws. She let out a frightened yelp, turning in the other direction. One of its clawed paws launched out in front of her, blocking the path. She cursed under her breath, wondering how she hadn't noticed something as enormous as it was. Surely, it had to have made a noise, but it had crept up on her, an absolute silent predator. She stood there, terrified and certain of her impending doom.
Its paw lifted, a whirl of dirt and dust in its wake. She stumbled forwards, as it let out a horrifying roar that made her ears hurt and her body shake. It leapt back, its hind legs propelling a powerful jump. She could see it more clearly from the distance and recognized its exoskeleton immediately.
A hollow.
She wracked her brain for some kind of technique to delay it at the least so she could get away. With one leap it would be able to catch up with her. She was certain her limited kidou was not enough to do any damage to its massive size, nor did she have any weapon. She remembered Ikkaku sensei speaking about zanpakutou and she dearly wished she had one now. He had told the class that a zanpakutou was simply an extension of themselves, a part of them that would appear at the right time.
Yuuki exhaled. If this wasn't the right time there was no right time. She reached to her hip where it should be, praying that her hand would meet with something solid. She grasped for it, and felt nothing but air. The hollow snapped its jaws again, as if it couldn't wait to eat her. She froze, staring at the vacant spot by her hip, trying to make something appear from nothing.
She watched in silent horror as it lifted its paw to crush her. She concentrated hard; her kidou sensei had told her that the spells varied in power depending on one's own inner strength. If she could just compile everything together into one single attack, maybe she could cause some kind of damage.
"Hadou 4: Byakurai!" She recited, shooting her hand out as a weak sliver of lightning shot out from her fingertips and into the paw of the hollow. She inhaled, watching as it merely glanced at its uninjured paw for a moment before roaring in anger. She slammed her eyes shut, tears forming automatically. She thought of how her life had been wasted, of how her new parents had been killed, how she had been taken from her home and terrorized, and how she had been saved and brought here.
She was certain she was to die.
There was a cool breeze on her face that certainly didn't feel like the crushing weight of a hollow. She opened her eyes in genuine curiousity, instantly drawing to the white hair she recognized immediately. The tenth division symbol on his Captain's robe glared back at her, as if showing off its prestige.
"Run." Hitsugaya grimaced, struggling to keep it from crushing the both of them.
Yuuki stood there for a moment, incredibly relieved and joyful to see him Snapping back to her senses, she nodded, dashing to a safer spot, staying close but still keeping her distance. She watched in silence as the battle ensued, carefully observing.
Hitsugaya leapt backwards, retreating from the hollow. He sported a troubled frown, looking it up and down. He was certain it was weak, too weak to cross the spiritual border on its own… but it wasn't impossible for one to accidentally end up in Soul Society. He had been alarmed to see that Yuuki was its target, and it had tugged at his heartstrings in memory. He reminded himself that he had to keep cool, that he couldn't blow up the whole situation by losing control.
"Set upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyourinmaru!" He shouted, slashing his sword at the hollow. He would end it quickly.
Yuuki watched in awe as tendrils of ice began to curl around Captain Hitsugaya's sky darkened, as gloomy clouds drifted over the moon. She could feel his reiatsu increase considerably, and all she could do was watch. This must be the legendary ice zanpakutou everyone in her class had gushed about, and she was there to witness it firsthand. She observed his form, as he swung to the right, quickly stepping forward with his left foot to swipe the blade upwards. An impressive ice dragon emerged from his sword, snapping its jaws back at the hollow as it engulfed it whole. Streams of water from the dragon began to harden into ice immediately; the hollow became a frozen statue.
With a single strike, the hollow shattered, miniscule pieces of tiny ice rained down on her like diamonds in the sky. She could only gape at the scene before her, both beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
Hitsugaya let his shikai dissolve, still clutching his zanpakutou tightly until his knuckles turned white.
Yuuki ran over to him, at a loss for words. She had been saved by him; it was like he had known when to come. The situation was so mind-blowing that all she could do was stare as he stood there. As bizarre the encounter was, it all seemed so natural, like it was meant to be this way. She blinked a few times to make sure he was still there, and before she knew it, launched into his arms.
Hitsugaya stumbled back in surprise, dropping his sword and it landed on the ground with a clash.
Fate had a peculiar way of playing with him.
---
A/N: Yes, I'm evil. I had to leave a cliffy there because it was perfect for one. Finished this rather quickly, don't know if I'm happy with it. I don't think it flowed as nice as I thought it would in my head, but, oh well. I think my writing spirit is back because I just can't stop writing, haha. Thank you all for the reviews, I love reading them! erina destiny, I'll say that Unohana doesn't want Yuuki to remember because it would severely complicate issues between them. Now if she does remember is another matter entirely, which I cannot reveal for suspense purposes! FireWingedWolf, thank you for reading my story! I try to be as grammatically accurate as possible. Naishou, unfortunately I had to cut Ichigo's part short but there will be more of him. littleva, I actually planned on having a little showdown between Ichigo and Hitsugaya but I decided against it because I figured it would really complicate things. Great guess though! To everyone else that I didn't reply to (sorry) and thank you very much for your reviews! Don't feel bad if I didn't reply to you, I choose reviews that have some kind of question/idea/etc inside them so I can reply back properly, otherwise it would just be thanks over and over again. : ) Don't forget to review & if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to include them in your review!