Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights go to Tite Kubo.

Author's Note: It's time for an update! Thank you Mariliisa, Pieps XD, ScienceAngel, MoonLightView, AznInvasionGirl, Samantha, KnowledgeandImagination, Neko-cheung, cool!!!!!!!!!!!!, Hyperpegasi, Amiru-chan for your reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Well, without any further delay, enjoy reading chapter four!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

The Greatest Treasure

Chapter Four: Disappearance

"General Aizen, we are sorry to say that after three days and nights of continuous search, Princess Hinamori has still not been found," one of the guards reported.

With a short nod of agreement, the tall brown haired man replied, "Alright then, you may retreat back to your dorm room. You deserve the rest."

"Yes sir!"

Once the guard left, Ichimaru, who has been at his side this whole time, said, "Well, things are going quite nicely even though her disappearance is a little unexpected."

Aizen smiled and poured some red wine into his glass. "I suppose so; I do have to thank Aisu no Ryu for doing such a kind deed for me. He volunteered himself to be my scapegoat."

"What should we do now?"

"Isn't that obvious? It's time for us to track him down and take back the young princess."

"Aisu no Ryu," Momo thought as she is sitting on the porch outside and stares into the clouds passing by. "The notorious thief that steals valuables from the rich, trades it for money, and gives it away to the poor people of Rukongai; that is the purpose for his existence."

The princess stood up from her seat and held up a fist in front of her. She nodded with agreement. "I need to find him."

Watching her from inside the living room, Hitsugaya said, "Yesterday, we were supposed to take her back to Seireitei, but no thanks to the same bodyguards we met two days before, the princess can not go home...again."

"Toshiro," Obaa-san replied. "You just have to be patient."

The white haired boy let out a sigh. "I know Obaa-san, but it's hard moving around as Aisu no Ryu when she's around. There's also the fact that something might have happened to Jidanbo. He's not guarding the gate like he usually does."

Even if she doesn't speak of it, the elder knew that her grandson intends to go back to Seireitei to uncover the mystery of Jidanbo's absence one of these days. Besides, he is the one who helps him enter and escape each time he steals an item. Obaa-san placed a hand on his head. Hitsugaya looked back to see the smiling face of his grandmother. "Be careful Toshiro."

He smiled back. "I will and please watch over her."

"Of course."

Hitsugaya left his seat and went outside to meet up with Momo. The raven haired girl noticed him approaching her. Hinamori happily turned her body towards him and greeted, "Ohayo Shiro-chan!"

The boy immediately winced at the sudden name calling. "Sh-Shiro-chan?"

"Yep, that is the name I'm going to call you from now on, isn't it cute?"

Hitsugaya crossed his arms over his chest. "I think it's a ridiculous nickname to call me by and don't be so familiar with me princess."

"Daijobou, you can drop the formalities with my name. You can call me Hinamori or Momo whenever we're in public. Besides, we're going to live together for a while. So, we might as well get to know each other better."

"Listen here, I allowed you to stay over for a little while because you were going back to Seireitei the next da--"

"I want to find Aisu no Ryu," Momo interrupted.

Hitsugaya was silenced for a brief moment. "The thief?"

"Obaa-san told me his motives for stealing."

"Oh..."

"To be honest, I think it's a noble thing he has done for you people. However, he is causing suffering to the people of Seireitei. Also, stealing is still wrong," Momo explained.

"Well, what are we supposed to do about it? It's not like he's going to show up in our presence all of a sudden," he said. "Those people are going to live. It's not like they're going to get poor anytime soon."

"I am going on a journey to find him!"

"There is no need for an adventure. I'm practically here standing in front of your face." Hitsugaya asked, "You're serious?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"You're a princess. This world is a dangerous place Princess Hina--"

"Drop the formalities Hitsugaya-kun."

"Okay fine, Hinamori...the world is a dangerous place. It is not safe for someone like you to be walking freely. There are thieves, assassins, and other bad people lurking in the streets, waiting to take you away, and who knows what they plan to do with you."

Momo smiled. "If you're that worried, then come with me and act as my bodyguard."

"W-What? Why should I do that?"

"Please?" Momo gave him a puppy dog look using her chocolate brown eyes.

Hitsugaya got nervous and slowly turned his head to the side, trying to ignore her. However, it doesn't seem to be working. Deep inside, he does feel the responsibility of taking care of her. Besides, he did steal her away from her home even if it's only an accident. "Okay fine, I'll come with you," he admitted.

"Yay! Arigato Shiro-chan!"

"On two conditions: one, you have to change those clothes," Hitsugaya explained. "You need to look and dress like a regular Rukongai citizen and two: stop calling me Shiro-chan!"

Hitsugaya's grandmother got the young princess dressed in an amaranth deep purple coloured yukata tied together by a burgundy coloured obi around her waist. Her soft raven coloured hair is tied up into a ponytail as she wore a pair of waraji. Momo happily hummed a tune as she and Toshiro are walking through the streets of Rukongai. "Hinamori, you know we're not only here to search for him," Hitsugaya said. "We're also here to buy some food for tonight's dinner."

"Okay!"

"I don't think she gets the point."

"Oh Toshiro-kun, I see that you're here again to shop for your grandmother," said one of the grocer sellers.

Hitsugaya gave her a short bow and replied, "Yes, I am."

She smiled and then noticed his companion beside him. "Oh, are you his girlfriend?"

The white haired teenager turned a few shades darker and quickly turned his head to the side, preventing the princess from seeing his face. "N-No, she is not my girlfriend. She's only a friend."

"Really now?" She turned to Hinamori. "I'm sorry for calling you that."

Momo shook her head. "Iie, it's alright. My name's Momo."

Hitsugaya let out a sigh of relief, thankful that no misunderstanding took place as the two females talk. Feeling a sudden tug on his sash, he looked down to see two children: a girl and a boy. He bent down to one knee and placed a hand on the girl's head. He smiled and whispered, "Do you need money?"

They slowly nodded with agreement. Looking back to see Momo still talking to the lady, Hitsugaya took out a small pouch from under the front part of his yukata and handed it to the boy.

"Give this to your folks. Be sure to use it wisely."

"Arigato Onii-chan," the girl said.

He gave them a short nod. "If it's okay with you, can you please refrain from addressing me by my other name? There is someone here who doesn't know about my identity and tell everyone else around here to promise the same thing."

Judging from the confused expression on their faces, Hitsugaya pointed a thumb at the raven haired girl for them to see. "So ka? Okay, we won't tell your girlfriend nor will the others either," the boy replied. "Ja ne Onii-chan."

"Oi, you two..." They already ran off. Hitsugaya frowned. He stood up again and folded his arms over his chest. "What is with these people thinking I'm currently dating her?"

"Hitsugaya-kun, look what she gave us!" Momo called out.

The boy turned around to see the princess holding up a net bag with a large watermelon fruit inside. "Watermelon. We should eat this later while it's still fresh and juicy."

Hitsugaya is tempted to eat it on the spot. It is his favourite fruit. He gulped and then resisted the urge. "Anyway Hinamori, help me get some vegetables."

"Hai!"

Hitsugaya opened his eyes and sat up. Looking over to the other side of the room, he quietly listened to the calm breathing of both his grandmother and the young princess. He let out a sigh, closed his eyes, and reopened them. "They're asleep."

He carefully got out of his futon and headed towards the door. After opening the slide door, he took one last look before stepping through and closing it behind him. He leaned against the door, thinking in deep thought. "It's time to get to work."

He walked to the other side of the living room and opened a secret compartment under the tatami flooring. Looking down at his dark thief clothes and long sword hidden inside, Hitsugaya removed the items and began changing his clothes. All dressed in his black kimono, he draped his hooded cape over it. Putting on his hood over his head and clipping together the sword sash over his chest and shoulder, Aisu no Ryu is ready for tonight's mission: sneak around Seireitei and find out about Jidanbo's whereabouts.

After leaving the house in silence, Hitsugaya decided he would go on a small detour before going to the Western Gate to Seireitei. He stopped in front of a certain home. He waited for a few moments before nonchalantly entering without permission. Walking through the living room, he examined its condition: messy and wrecks of the smell of sake in the air. "How come I'm not surprised?" he wondered.

All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed, sensing a nearby presence. Without warning, the thief placed his hand on the hilt of his blade and drew his long sword. He quickly turned around and pointed the blade at the object, ready to cut at any moment. "Eek! Hitsugaya, don't do that!"

Realizing the person is none other than Matsumoto Rangiku, Hitsugaya put his sword away back in its sheath. Folding his arms over his chest, he gave her a glare. "I wouldn't be doing that in the first place if you just clean up this room for once! Cheh, I couldn't find you in this pile of junk."

"They're not junk," Matsumoto said, yawning. "They're only a few bottles of sake, dirty plates, and other crumbled stuff I left on the floor."

"You call this a few?" Hitsugaya asked, revealing the whole mess.

The strawberry orange haired woman placed a finger on the bottom of her chin and thought for a moment. "Hn, now that you mention it, I suppose this room is a little messy."

The white haired teenager shot a glare. "Now you noticed?"

Matsumoto stretched her arms into the air and then stood up on her futon. "So, what brings you here in this late night?"

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Hitsugaya let out a sigh and then replied, "I need you to do me a favour."

She blinked. "A favour?"

"I want you to look after my house for a few hours."

"Your house?" Matsumoto asked. "Is your grandmother being targeted?"

The young thief slightly shook his head. "No, it's not her. It's someone else who is staying over at my place for a while."

The strawberry orange haired companion blinked again. "Someone else?"

"Before you start screaming from the top of your lungs, please wait until I finish explaining the whole story," Hitsugaya said. "The person who is staying over at my place is the Princess of Seireitei."

"Eh, you stole the princess?!"

"No, I didn't steal her away Matsumoto!" he snapped. "It was just a mere coincidence that she ended up in my getaway cart the other night when I went to the palace and stole the young maiden."

Matsumoto then crossed her arms over her chest. "In other words, it's only an accident."

"Yes, it is."

A grin formed on her face. Leaning towards the black dressed thief, the older teenager said, "Maybe the real reason you stole her is because you want her for yourself. You have suddenly fa--"

Hitsugaya immediately shot an icy glare, sending chills up her spine. "Shut up Matsumoto; that's not the reason at all. I already told you; it was an accident."

The older teenager put up both of her hands in mock stance. "Okay, I got the point. I was only teasing you. Can't you take a joke for once?"

"No, I can not; you know I hate jokes."

"Anyway, you want me to look after Princess Hinamori because you fear that someone might try to take her away, right?"

"That is more or less the reason."

A smile came across her face. "Alright then, I'll look after her."

"Thanks Matsumoto."

"Oh yeah, be sure to treat me to sake the next time we go out together!"

Hitsugaya then scowled and walked off towards the door. "Why do I even bother being acquaintances with her?"

"Oi Hitsugaya! You better keep that promise!"

"You're so noisy. You know it's only two o'clock in the morning. So, shush it so that the rest of the neighbourhood can sleep and don't forget what you need to do," Hitsugaya said before disappearing out the door.

"Daijobou, leave the babysitting to me!"

During this time around, sneaking into Seireitei is an easy task to carry out because most of the guards are looking sleepy. Whenever Jidanbo isn't present at the Western Gate, Hitsugaya would use the secret underground entrance to get across. Looking back and forth to ensure that no one is watching, Aisu no Ryu swiftly crossed the concrete road and hid behind a large bush. He moved aside a certain part of the bush to reveal a pre-made hole in the wall. With a small smirk, he crawled through.

On the other side of the gate, Hitsugaya took a peek through the bushes to see if anyone is around. Confirming that it is safe, the young thief quickly ran through the street and eventually jumped onto the rooftop. As he continued to travel in higher altitude, he stopped at one point and lowered his body close to the roof tiles as possible. Taking a short peek on the ground below, he noticed the presence of two familiar people he recognized. His eyes narrowed. "Captain Ichimaru and General Aizen of the Royal Guard," Hitsugaya thought. "What are they doing here away from the Hinamori palace?"

Ichimaru yawned. "General Aizen, why did you have to wake me up so early?" he asked.

The tall brown haired man merely smiled as he handed a bundle of paper to his subordinate. "Gomen nesai Gin, but I need your help put up these posters."

"What, that's all?" Ichimaru questioned before taking the papers. "I better get a raise for this."

"Don't worry so much, you'll get some action time in the near future, I promise. What better way to inform the whole world about the news than to put up a bounty and a reward."

As the two men continued to walk, a gust of wind blew away one of the paper stacks. "Yare yare, the winds sure are active," he said.

"I suppose so," Aizen replied. "I think this weather is most appropriate especially at crucial moments like these."

Once they were gone, Hitsugaya retrieved the blown sheet of paper and read its contents. His eyes widened. He grinds his teeth together with sudden frustration. "Things are going to be troublesome from now on."

References

Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon, Hitsugaya's codename as the notorious thief, Obaa-san - Grandmother, Ohayo - Good Morning, Daijobou - It's Alright, Yukata - a summer type of kimono usually worn by males and females, Waraji - sandals made by straw ropes, Obi - A type of sash, Iie - No, Arigato - Thank You, Onii-chan - Big Brother, Ja ne - Good Bye (casual/informal), Hai - Yes, Futon - A Japanese styled bed, Yare Yare - Well well

Author's Note: Oh yeah, things are going to get troublesome. Aizen and Ichimaru are up to no good as always. Hn, a bounty and a reward, huh? How much kan is on the line for Toshiro's capture? How much kan is on the line for Momo's return to the palace? Any guesses? Well, the answer will be revealed in the next chapter. In the meantime, please press the pretty green button below and review. Thanks!