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

Author's Note: Life is nothing, but getting me stressed out at the moment. Gah...Oh well, at least I have fan fiction writing to calm my spirits. Anyway, thank you everyone for taking the time to read the previous chapter. Special thanks goes to KnowledgeandImagination, Neko-cheung, WhitePrincessOfHope, AznInvasionGirl, Samantha, Amiru-chan, BLEACHISAWESOMEANDIMAWESOME XP, ScienceAngel, Pieps XD for your reviews. It's greatly appreciated. Now that Hitsugaya knows that problems in Seireitei are becoming more evident, his life is going to become even more complicated than ever. Wondering what I'm talking about? Well, don't just sit there and read this section all day! You just have to lower your eyes' focus and look down few sentences and start reading! Enjoy chapter nine of The Greatest Treasure!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

The Greatest Treasure

Chapter Nine: I Refuse

Hitsugaya leaned against the tree trunk as he watched the sunset go down on the horizon. Even though he is doing that, his thoughts are elsewhere. Things have become troublesome once more. Tax collectors have recently come to Rukongai more and more often, suddenly declaring that their taxes are raised...again. As a result, more people have lost their homes which mean that he has to go out and steal more valuable goods from Seireitei. However, that's not the end of it; there is also the promise he has to keep. He needs to protect Hinamori from any danger. He scratched the back of his head with great stress and let out a deep sigh. Balancing all the issues is hard to keep up with. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Shiro-chan, where are you?" called out a voice.

Recognizing the voice belongs to Hinamori, Hitsugaya quickly put on his mask and hood because he is currently wearing his thief clothes. When she finally arrived, her eyes immediately spotted the thief. He had his arms folded over his chest and his attention to the sunset.

"Shiro-cha--Oh, Aisu no Ryu...you're here."

He took one glance at the princess and resumed his attention towards the horizon. He replied in his usual camouflaged voice, "Yes, I am."

Momo placed her hands together on her front. She asked, "Are you getting ready to go to Seireitei again?"

"No, just I need to trade the items I have already stolen last night."

"I see." The thief and the princess were silent for a moment. "You must have been working hard lately. I heard from Hitsugaya-kun that the tax collectors have decided to raise the taxes again."

Hitsugaya let out a sigh and turned his attention to her. "Yes, they have made my life a lot more difficult to manage."

"Sorry..." she suddenly apologized.

"Don't beat yourself like that; it's not your fault."

"But still, I can't help it." Momo looked down and stared at the ground. "I feel responsible."

"I told you before not to beat yourself," Aisu no Ryu replied. "It's alright; doing a little extra work isn't going to kill me."

The princess looked up at the thief and gave him a faint smile. "You're so strong and brave Aisu no Ryu."

Hitsugaya turned his head to the side, trying not to think too deeply about the compliment. "Thanks...I suppose."

Momo slightly tilted her head to the side. Watching Aisu no Ryu up close, made her feel quite attracted. He had a warrior's bravery, a lamb's gentleness, and the mist's mysteriousness altogether in one package. This feeling of protection and safety felt very familiar. It felt so similar that it keeps reminding her of a certain friend in mind who is always watching her.

All of a sudden, she placed her hands on each side of her cheeks. She exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, I almost forgot! Aisu no Ryu, have you seen Hitsugaya-kun anywhere?"

The thief thought for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea; sorry about that."

"Iie, it's okay. I better get going then."

Just as she turned around and is about to leave, Momo heard a very quiet comment, "See you...Bed-Wetter."

The princess turned around to see him still there, facing towards her. She could have sworn that Aisu no Ryu just called her Bed-Wetter even if it was in a very low tone. There is only one person in the whole world who calls her that. "Did you say something?"

Realizing what he just blurted out, Hitsugaya replied as if nothing happened, "No, I didn't say anything."

Momo just stood there, staring at him. She knew it is not her imagination; she won't believe it. "I see. Well, I'll see you again some other time. Ja ne!"

"Ja ne Hinamori-hime."

Hinamori left the hill with that single lingering thought in her mind. If her guess is right, then the next question to ask is...why is he hiding his identity from her? There are many possibilities, but only one true conclusion. He doesn't want her to find out. But then again, why didn't she confront him about it right here and right now?

Hitsugaya placed a hand on his chest and let out a sigh. "I hope she didn't hear me say that."

Now that she has already met with his thief self, it is alright to tell her his identity. Besides, everyone else in Rukongai knows it; why can't she know too? But, for some reason, he didn't have the courage to tell her up front. He turned to the horizon and wondered, "Am I scared of finding out her reaction?"

Knowing that thinking about it is not going to get him anywhere. Hitsugaya decided to put the issue aside for a while. Right now, he needs to finish what he originally set out to do: go to the bar and trade his stolen valuables with the money dealer. "Hn, quite the large batch of valuables you have brought me today," he said, examining each item at a time.

"You better give me a lot of money in exchange," Hitsugaya demanded, folding his arms to himself. "A few of them are not easy to get."

"Yet you still managed to get out with barely any injury; you're one amazing and talented thief."

"Give me a break," he retorted. "You know very well that I'm only doing this to help the Rukongai people. Now, they're suffering more than ever no thanks to those tax collectors."

"Yes, I understand your sediments completely," the dealer replied, placing an item down and picking up another. "You know there are ways to stop all this nonsense."

"What would they be?"

"For one, get the people of Rukongai to turn you in. You now cost ten million kan."

"Even if I cost that much, they won't do that regardless," Hitsugaya said. "My efforts would have been in vain if they done such an act."

"Hn, you do have a point there."

"What is the other option?"

A grinned formed on his face under his hood. Placing the item on his fingertips on the table, he raised his head up to the notorious thief. He replied, "Find the Princess of Seireitei and hand her over."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at the comment. "No thanks, I'm not going to do that even if you're begging on your knees."

"Think about it Aisu no Ryu; your troubles would be all over if you trade her off for money. There would be enough to support everyone here in Rukongai even if the tax collectors have raised taxes."

"Enough with this conversation just give me the money now so that I can leave!" Hitsugaya snapped, extending a hand out to him.

The money dealer didn't say a word. He just gave the thief what he wanted: five bags of coins and bills. After packing his loot into the bag, Hitsugaya turned around and headed towards the exit. Just as he is about to open the door, Aisu no Ryu looked back and said one final comment, "This is the last time I'm going to say this; I refuse to trade a person's life for money."

He let out a chuckle and a wide grin after watching the boy leave the room. Placing his hands together and holding them up in front of him, he said, "Wrong choice you made there Hitsugaya; you still have a lot to learn about the hardships of reality."

There were so many homes to go through and so many lives to save. It is amazing he is still able to get the deliveries done before his ideal sleep time. He let out a sigh of relief. "I'm finally all done," he said, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

Suddenly, he felt his stomach growl. Hitsugaya has been so focused on giving out money that he totally forgotten about eating dinner. Placing a hand on his belly, he gave it a gentle rub. This is a good time to reward himself to a large bowl of ramen noodles he usually dines at. All he needs to do is walk past a few blocks and presto, he arrived at his destination.

Toshiro opened the slide door and immediately, people stopped and turned to see the additional customer joining them. "Why if it isn't our little hero?" one of the cooks asked. "You're here again to fill your hungry stomach?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Hitsugaya replied, entering the restaurant and passing by him. The people around him are excited and content to be in the presence of Aisu no Ryu. "I'll be right back; I need to change my clothes."

"Alright then, what do you want?"

"The usual."

"Coming right up!"

Once Hitsugaya changed to his normal attire, he returned and took a seat at a table close to the cooks. A few minutes later, a large bowl of ramen is placed in front of him. The white haired boy smiled with delight as he began licking his lips. Raising his head up to the chef, he said, "Thanks for the food."

He smiled back. "It's no problem Hitsugaya. It's on the house."

The thief boy picked up a pair of chopsticks from the rack and placed his hands together. "Itadakimatsu."

With no moment to waste, he began devouring his meal, enjoying every single bit of flavour in it. "Despite the tough times we've been going through, you still managed to steal a lot of valuables from Seireitei, trading them off for cash, and giving them away to us. You're one dedicated and kind soul Toshiro."

The customer beside him laughed. "You always seem to come back in perfect condition. I don't think there is anyone out there who is capable of stopping you!"

"You got that right! If Hitsugaya is able to slip by the Royal Guard easily, who else can match up to his skills?" another asked.

"Unless the person is as smart, crafty, and creative as the boy, I think he's more or less, invincible!"

The customers around him started clashing sake bottles with one another before drinking. Another person, sitting on the other side of the thief, turned to him and asked, "You know the next thing you do, Toshiro? You should go find the Princess of Seireitei and hand her over to the Royal Guard. That way, you get to have your five million kan reward!"

All of a sudden, Hitsugaya stopped eating his noodles midway. With silence, he continued listening to the engaged conversation. "Yeah, you should do that," another customer said. "Five million kan is enough to last all of us a life time!"

"I agree," the cook agreed. "You should do that. We'll do our best to help locate her."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Hitsugaya finally replied. "I'm not going to look for the princess."

The news shocked the present residents of Rukongai. "What do you mean that you're not going to look for her?" one of them asked the white haired boy. "What do you not understand? Finding and turning her in to the Royal Guard is a great benefit on both parties."

He placed his chopsticks on the side, picked up a tissue, and used it to clean his lips. After placing it down on the table, Hitsugaya stood up, grabbed his bag, and began leaving the restaurant and the questionable looks on people's faces. "Oi Hitsugaya!" the cook called out. "What's wrong?"

Just as he opened the slide door, the boy looked back and replied, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to reject your request. It is against my policy; I'm not going to sacrifice a life for another. Please try to understand how much I feel about this issue. Good night."

By the time he came back home, Hitsugaya is all exhausted especially after putting the extra effort to defend his beliefs to the Rukongai residents at the restaurant. Trading someone's life for money is like considering that person as an object. However, this object has feelings. He has no heart or desire to do such a thing. It's just...plain wrong.

After quietly putting away the extra clothes and long sword back in its usual hiding spot in the living room, the boy tip-toed his way to the bedroom. Silently opening the slide door, he found his grandmother and friend sleeping in their respective futons. From the looks of things, they are fast asleep.

Hitsugaya let out a soft sigh of relief and walked into the room. After closing the door behind him, he walked over to his already set up bed and began taking off his yukata leaving only his white nagajuban underneath to wear. Once hearing a stirring noise, he immediately froze. Looking over to the side, it is only Hinamori turning to the side away from him. If she wakes up and finds him at this very moment, things could have gotten very complicated. Good thing that scenario didn't actually happen.

Little did he know, the princess has been wide awake the whole time. "He really is Aisu no Ryu," Momo thought as she listened to the boy's movements nearby. He is probably getting ready to go to sleep. Her hand gripped tightly onto the blanket. Her speculation has been confirmed after long hours of deep reflection on his behaviour ever since they first met in this very household. There were days when he isn't in the house at all while others, he had to make up a logical excuse to get away from her. It all makes sense. It even made more sense whenever she sees the thief at his usual spot. Hitsugaya was never around during that time.

Despite all that, Momo has concluded to let the boy to do whatever he wants. Besides, he always had a valid reason for acting a certain way. Certainly, it is something that will benefit the people of Rukongai or herself. That is how he is. He is one amazing person capable of living two different lives at the same time. He loves his people similar to the way her parents love theirs. They all believe in their rights and fail to cower when things get tough. Maybe she can learn a thing or two from him and then, when she finally comes back home, the princess can set things right.

But for now, she will trust him and help keep his identity a secret. The peach girl snuggled against her pillow, closed her chocolate brown eyes. She had a faint smile on her lips. The mystery of the young white haired Rukongai boy has been solved. "Arigato Shiro-chan..."

References

Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon; Hitsugaya's codename as the notorious thief, Iie - No, Ja ne - Good Bye (informal/casual), Hime - Princess, Kan - The currency used in the Bleach anime/manga, Itadakimatsu - Let's eat, Yukata - a summer kimono which is usually worn by both genders, Nagajuban - a white robe which is usually worn under the kimono/yukata. It is also used to sleep in, Arigato - Thank You

Author's Note: O.o OMFG, Toshiro's bounty just doubled to ten million kan! However, that's the least of our worries. The secret's out; Momo knows Toshiro's identity! How will that affect the current situation? Who knows...you just have to wait patiently for the next chapter (which will contain quite a bit of action. Yes, some Hitsugaya kick butting action! So cool! xD). Thanks for reading and please press the pretty green button below to review. Arigato!