Chapter 21. Lost

I do not own Bleach.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warm blood trickled off of his body and into the hot sand scattered all around him.

Hitsugaya groaned in agony as he tried to lift his head up only to wind up having it fall back onto the ground again. His entire body was tense and aching, intense pain surged through his left arm and chest.

Eventually, he managed to push himself up, but as he sat up straight, it only caused him to cough up mouthfuls of sand. His tongue and throat were parched and screeching for water, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

Assembling all of the power that he could handle, Hitsugaya formed one small icicle on each of the fingers of his right hand. The small blades of ice quenched his great thirst for the moment.

He shook his head, letting countless grains of sand fall back down to the desert floor. As he lifted himself up, he almost fell back down when he realized how weak his legs were. But the pain in his left arm was searing throughout his entire body now, prickling like a thorn whenever he attempted to move. Finally, he overcame his pain and managed to stand up in a hunch and defenseless position.

He glanced at the darkening sky, finding out that it was almost nightfall.

He took a deep breath in and began to summon his Zanpakutou's powers once again. Small icicles formed on his hands and feet, and soon these tiny bits of ice transformed into deadly talons. Wings unfolded and a long, thick tail stretched out behind him.

Hitsugaya put a barrier of ice over his left arm, immobilizing it and numbing it of all pain. He pulled both of his mighty wings up into the air and brought them down again, disturbing the sand below him and causing it all to explode in a great wave. He continued to beat his wings and eventually, lifted himself into the hot air. He had no idea where he was, no surroundings seemed familiar, and he was quite aware of the fact that he might never make it out of this hellish place.

He was lost, she was lost.

But he was going to find Hinamori, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

He chose a direction, not knowing which one it was, and pounded his wings. As he soared over the endless lonely hills of sand, he cast a mighty shadow, and flying so openly in the air like that, he was an easy target. But at the moment he honestly did not care, he just wanted to find his friend.

His aqua eyes scoured the land, alert for any form or shape that seemed familiar, and not only landmarks.

Soon afterwards, the sky began to darken, and fear and uneasiness trickled throughout Hitsugaya' s veins. He needed to find her, but he was not even sure if he was going in the right direction. And as much as he despised the thought, he needed to stop and rest sometime if he even wanted to have the energy to look for her. Plus, his left arm was beginning to feel pain again, and this pain shot through his body, despite the icy cast he had enclosed it in.

He decided that he would continue to search for about half an hour more, and than settle down for the night.

Said half hour flew by in what seemed the blink of an eye. Hitsugaya saw no sign of his friend nor of anything familiar. He knew that they both would have to get out of there very soon if they wanted to live any longer.

Reluctantly, Hitsugaya lowered himself to the world below, and lay down in the sand, being careful to not injure his left arm any more than it already was. He did not want to fall asleep so freely, so far he had not seen any other Hollow, but one never knows, for they could be silently slinking around in the shadows, keeping out of sight and waiting for the perfect opportunity. When he least expected it, they could form out of absolutely nowhere and attack.

And he was not only worried for his own well-being. He was not even sure if Hinamori were still alive, or if he were even going the right way. Or if he were wise to even think that he could get out of this endless abyss.

Doubt and uncertainty floated about him like a think mist as he lay down and cured his wings and tail around him. However, the cold that emitted off of them re-assured him and hope soon began to drift around him.

This hope was a thin, bright ray of sunlight, slicing through the thick mist.

Giant, icy wings curled up and his tail wrapped around his body, his left arm still secured in the ice cast. He gazed up at the starry black sky, trying to find even the slightest bit of comfort so that he might fall asleep. He would need rest and strength for the tiring search ahead of him.

But no matter how hard he tried; Hitsugaya simply could not capture sleep. He fidgeted and shifted, uneasy prickling his flesh like a hedgehog.

Eventually, the aqua-eyed taichou fell into a restless slumber.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next morning, when Hitsugaya opened his eyes, he had forgotten where he was and all that he had been through.

Only when he attempted to lift himself up, did the searing pain of his broken arm remind him of past events. He uncurled his tail and flexed his claws, stretching as delicately as he could without straining his sore muscles.

Extreme hunger thrashed in his stomach for the first time since he had been there. All of his power had drained away long ago, but thankfully, Hyorinmaru still had life force of his own to share. But, Hitsugaya knew that Hinamori did not have her Zanpakutou to lend her strength, and again Hitsugaya forgot his weariness and roused his aching wings.

Slowly, they beat the sand around him in a whirlwind and he lifted from the den of sand that he had made the night prior. He was beginning to wonder why he had not yet run into any more Hollow, but he did not complain.

The scene before him was like a yellow water-colored painting, his eyes searched the emptiness of the vast and barren desert below him, but still not a single shape came to his view.

Something was amiss; he could feel it.

Why had so many Hollow attacked him on the way in, yet he had only encountered few others? Surely he had not killed them all?

He shook his head; it was impossible for even all of Soul Society to kill off all of the Hollow in Hueco Mundo, let alone one Shinigami alone.

Hitsugaya was snapped from his thoughts at the sound of a gurgled howling sound up ahead. He spotted an entire herd of them, clustered around each other in a circle, slowly advancing towards the center.

He did not want to get involved with them and waste his energy fighting, but something was drawing him there.

So despite his own feelings, Hitsugaya trusted his instincts and slowly made his way towards the black, shadowy group.