hehe, before anyone decides to kill me by the end of this chapter, i would like to point out that this story is rated as a tragedy, so there will most likely be no happy endings...

disclaimer: i don't own bleach!

Treasure

A Green Ribbon

Everybody knew that Hitsugaya-taichou was able to control the weather. As the sky thundered heavily on that day, it most definitely seemed like he was. But despite what others thought, he wasn't. It was as if the sky understood his feelings, as thick rain clouds blanketed the heavens and heavy sheets of rain poured icily onto the ground.

Hitsugaya stared hatefully at the headstone that stood in front of him. It was a merciless monument of his failure, and every second that he took looking at its smooth surface cut at his soul and tore him apart. The headstone was totally bare, except for the few words that were deeply etched into the stone.

In loving memory of Hinamori Momo, former vice captain of the fifth division.

He couldn't stand another minute at this place. Any longer, and he would have suffocated under his own depression. Only a few people came to attend Hinamori's funeral. The vice captains of the third and sixth divisions were currently saying prayers to her as they stood before her grave.

The ceremony was short and quick, and after the first division captain said his regards to Hinamori, Hitsugaya immediately turned his heels and fled. He ignored the sympathetic looks he got from the other shinigami, and he ignored how numb and cold his body felt exposed in the rain. He quietly walked back to his room, and slid the door forcibly shut after him.

The small captain stood exhaustedly in the middle of the room. His whole body was tired and his mind was a mess. He just wanted to lie down and sleep. As he opened his closet for a change of clothes, a small hair ribbon fell to the ground, fluttering to a stop in front of his feet. Hitsugaya bent to pick it up, and paused as he stared at the ribbon.

It was a gift from Hinamori. A special present she gave to him the day he managed to get into the Gotei 13.

"Ne, Shiro-chan," HInamori said, "now that you're in the tenth division, and I'm in the fifth division, we won't be seeing much of each other anymore."

Hitsugaya scowled, "Who cares, I have no time to see you anyways. I have a lot of work to do."

Hinamori only smiled and she pulled at one of the green ribbons holding her hair in pigtails. "That's why I'm giving you this." She folded the ribbon and placed it in his hand.

Hitsugaya looked at her skeptically, "Your hair ties?"

"Yup," Hinamori grinned, "these are my favorite ribbons. Now you and I both have one!"

"Baka!" Hitsugaya glared. He pushed the ribbon back into her hands, "There's no point in giving me this."

"Demo, Shiro-chan…"

"I told you not to call me that!"

Hinamori pouted, "Aizen-taichou said that in the human world, people give each other matching necklaces or bracelets!"

"Well we aren't humans!"

"It's to show that they're best friends!" Hinamori said frustrated, then her voice quieted and she looked timidly at him, "It represents how important and how close they are to each other."

Hitsugaya felt his cheeks heat up and he diverted his eyes to the ground.

"Fine." he mumbled, and snatched the ribbon from her. "I'll – I'll, treasure it…"

Hinamori immediately brightened, "Arigato, Shiro-chan!" She nearly jumped on him as she gave him a big hug.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Hitsugaya stared at the green ribbon for a long time, his fingers curled against the material. This was a precious gift from Hinamori… his treasure… a treasure who he couldn't protect. He failed her, and he was miserable. Hinamori would never come back. He would never see her smile again, and he would never hear the name "Shiro-chan" again. Hinamori Momo was gone.

Gone…

Forever.

At that moment, Hitsugaya's mind broke down and his sanity snapped. Emotions raged out of their barrier, and all at once, they overwhelmed him, drowning his soul in a pool of anger. His body moved on its own. He wouldn't even try to stop it. Little by little, he destroyed everything, ripping his robes out of his closet, and tearing anything in sight.

He couldn't stop now; his mind was drugged with anger. Any restraint disappeared, and he screamed loudly as he overturned his desk and closet. He grabbed books, pens, pictures, and threw them all across the room. Drawers were knocked out of their place, and a mass of feathers flew into the air as he lashed out on his pillows.

Slowly, he felt his breathing calm down and he sank to his knees in the middle of the destruction. Anger turned into sadness, and sadness turned into grief. Large tears began to run down his face, dripping onto his clenched hands.

"Hinamori!"

He tried not to cry. He didn't want to admit it. But he failed, just like how he failed everything else. What good was it being a boy genius when he couldn't even keep her safe? Hitsugaya doubled over and sobbed loudly, holding tightly onto the hair ribbon, the one thing in the room that wasn't destroyed.

The tears wouldn't stop, and he laid there in the dark crying for hours.

I'm sorry, Hinamori… I couldn't protect you.

i really want to thanks all of the people who reviewed my last chapter! the next chapter will probably take longer for me to update... i haven't started to write it yet...XDD anyways, please review and comment on my story, i would love to hear your opinions!

special thanks to carzla, who informed me of my mistake with hinamori's division on the tombstone. its fixed now.

heheangel kisses