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

Author's Note: My personal record for receiving the highest number of reviews for a story has been broken! (The previous record holder is 141 reviews for Secrets Foretold.) Yay, this calls for a fresh batch of HitsuHina cookies for everyone to eat! Yum, delicious and thank you everyone for supporting me so far! Special thanks goes to my awesome reviewers: Pieps XD, Onineko Hikari-chan, AznInvasionGirl, Theanimegurl4ever, Samantha, BLEACHISAWESOMEANDIMAWESOME XP, KnowledgeandImagination, Amiru-chan, WhitePrincessOfHope, Neko-cheung, MoonLightView, The Sweet Peach, Mariliisa. Anyway, enough with all the delays, here's chapter fourteen. Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking." Flash Back.

The Greatest Treasure

Chapter Fourteen: I Can't Lie

Matsumoto Rangiku is whistling a catchy tune to herself as she walked through the streets of Rukongai with bags and bags of clothing in her arms. "Phew, what a long day it is! Good thing Hitsugaya forced me out of bed this morning or else I would have never gotten the chance to get the shampoo I always wanted in the store!" she said. "As a bonus, I also got myself a bunch of new outfits to wear! Ou, I can't wait to show them off to Hinamori and Hitsugaya when I get home!"

Just as she is taking a turn at the corner, the strawberry orange haired woman stumbled upon a large crowd of Rukongai citizens gathering together. She blinked. "I wonder what is going on over there."

Curious, Matsumoto joined the group of people to hear what is going on. It was when she saw him standing on a platform, calling out to them. "Today is the day where we shall be free of our suffering!"

"What? What is the money dealer doing out here in public?"

"He has betrayed us; Aisu no Ryu has betrayed us! Listen to my words; he knows where the Princess of Seireitei is and yet he won't hand her over to the Royal Guard! We could have been five million kan richer!" the dealer exclaimed.

"Toshiro has been acting very defensive whenever we ask him about her," one commented.

"He's just being greedy!" another shouted. "He wants her for himself!"

"We can't let that happen!"

"Well, there's only one way to deal with this situation," the dealer said with a grin under his cloak. "We have to hand him over to the Royal Guard and we'll get ten million kan!"

"But he's a tricky thief, how are we supposed to capture him?"

"Oh don't worry, it's not like he's going to strike back, isn't there? In other words, it's a win-win situation; he has already lost. What do you say everyone? Let's claim the money we rightfully deserve."

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

"Then, let's find him!"

Matsumoto slowly took a few steps back from the mob of people, hoping that no one has spotted her. Once she successfully disappeared from the crowd, began running away as fast as she could. "I have to warn them; Hitsugaya and Hinamori are in danger!"

They had their mouths pressed together. Trapped in each other's embrace, Toshiro and Momo are in the hallway of Matsumoto's home, in the middle of a hot make out session. Moments ago, the princess was supposed to go to the washroom and take a bath, but Hitsugaya got in the way. Grabbed both her wrists, he suddenly pinned her to the wall, not caring about the stuff she dropped on the floor, and began kissing her. "Mmm...T-Toshiro," Momo moaned.

"Oh gods, you're so beautiful Momo," he whispered before their lips joined once more.

They spent a few more minutes, engaged in their actions before Hinamori pulled him away. "Sorry, but I have to go now," she apologized.

Hitsugaya then folded his arms over his chest and turned his head to the side as if his favourite watermelon snack just got taken away. "You just had to ruin my fun," he said.

Momo was about to walk into the washroom when she looked back, showing a grin on her face. "Unless you want to continue what we were doing in the shower..."

Toshiro's cheeks suddenly turned a few shades darker and turned to her. Since when did the peach girl start acting so daring? "M-Momo!"

"Don't worry so much Toshiro; I was only teasing you," Hinamori replied while giggling with amusement. "Besides, until I change the law, we can't be doing stuff like that, right?"

"Um, yeah..."

She smiled and entered the washroom. Upon closing the door behind her, the princess added one final comment, "You just have to be patient."

Hitsugaya then snorted before heading over to the living room. "Now look who's the impatient one."

Thinking what she said, reminded him of her purpose here. He went to the living room to lay down on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. "Momo was initially here to meet with Aisu no Ryu. Now, she is only here to experience the Rukongai life," he thought. "I know she loves me a lot. This is why I have a feeling she's going to go back to Seireitei very soon."

"Until I change the law, we can't be doing stuff like that, right?"

He let out a sigh of defeat. "She intends to change the royal marriage law for us. However..."

"Ichimaru and Aizen are plotting to take the throne."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and turned his body to the side. "...there will be people there plotting something bad for Momo. I can't let her get in danger like that. Come to think of it, Abarai, Kira, and Hisagi should be there. They would help her, but...thinking logically, Kira and Hisagi probably got caught by Aizen and Ichimaru, thus throwing them in the dungeon tower like Abarai, who probably wasn't able to escape."

He sat up. "I have to get them out of there."

All of a sudden, the slide door opened, revealing the strawberry orange haired companion. "Hitsugaya, there's trouble!"

Turning his head to the side, Toshiro asked, "What is it Matsumoto?"

"You and Hinamori have to get out of here!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I overheard a group of people from the marketplace. They are planning to turn you in."

Shocked and surprised by the news, Hitsugaya got on his hands and knees. "Nani?"

Rangiku entered the house, dropped all her bags on the floor, walked across the living room, and stopped in front of a slide door. She opened it, revealing it to a place where she stores her sake bottles and jugs. Reaching her hand inside, the older teenager threw him his thief clothes and long sword. "It's only a matter of time before they find out I'm letting you stay here. Use this time to runaway with Hinamori."

Looking down at his outfit and sword in his arms, he slowly got on his feet. Walking towards his room, he opened the slide door. He said, "I'm not leaving."

"What?" Matsumoto is about to follow the teenager until he entered the room and closed the door behind him. She called out, "You do realize what you just said, right?"

There was no answer.

"Hitsugaya!"

Again, there is no reply from her friend.

"Listen to me, if you don't answer my question this instant, I'm going to have to force it out of you!"

Suddenly, the slide door opened, revealing the white haired teenager to be dressed in his thief clothes. He equipped his long sword on his back, walked past his tall companion and said in a low tone, "Matsumoto, take care of Momo."

It is when a thought came into mind. Since when did he start addressing the Princess of Seireitei as Momo? She turned around to see him headed towards the exit. "Hitsugaya..."

Aisu no Ryu stopped at the front door. He lowered his head and said, "If I don't end up coming back, please tell her to wait for me."

The strawberry orange haired woman took a step forward and asked, "Hey, by any chance, do you love Hinamori?"

Without her seeing, he put up a faint smile on his face. "I think you already know the answer to that without me telling you."

"So it is true," she thought. Matsumoto then placed a hand on her hip and smiled. "Cut with the sappy crap from before and promise you'll return back safe and sound."

Toshiro then let out a small snort. Glancing back to her, he replied, "If I do that, I'll only be giving her false hope idiot. That is the one thing I can't do to her; I have already lied to her one too many times."

"I see..."

"I'll see you later."

With that said, she watched Aisu no Ryu leave the house and shut the door behind him. "Take care of yourself Hitsugaya..."

"Hey Rangiku-san, oh...where's Shiro-chan?" asked a voice.

Matsumoto turned around to see the peach girl dressed in her pretty purple yukata. Because it is still wet, she allowed her raven coloured hair fall loose on her shoulders. The taller woman showed a faint smile. "He went out for a bit," she replied. "He'll be back soon."

Even though she said that, Momo knew better. "His usual thief business, huh?" she merely concluded. "I see."

As Toshiro is jumping from building to building, he kissed between his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "Those people have finally snapped; they have become greedy, but...what got them rowdy all of a sudden?"

"There he is! Hitsugaya has been located!" a voice called out.

Aisu no Ryu looked over to the side to see a large group of people, holding various weapons and chasing him down. The thief stopped and waited for them to catch up. Raising a hand up, he put his hood down on his shoulders. The other hand took off his mask and threw it aside, revealing his true identity. "I heard that you're planning to turn me in," he said. "Let me ask you this; why are you doing this?"

"Enough with your words Toshiro!" one of the people yelled. "We know you're hiding Princess Hinamori somewhere in Rukongai!"

His emerald-teal eyes narrowed. "I have no idea what you're all talking about. I have already told you before, I don't have the princess in my possession."

"Stop lying Hitsugaya," said a voice behind his ear.

The white haired thief quickly did a side step to create some distance between him and the person who crept up from behind. "It's you; I should have known it's your doing, money dealer."

"What are you talking about Aisu no Ryu? I didn't do a single thing to get these people to get mad at you," he replied.

"Say what you want." Toshiro placed his hand on the hilt of his blade and withdrew his four foot four long sword off to the side. "Either way, this is my opportunity to settle things once and for all. For the sake of my grandmother, I'll kill you."

"You're still insisting that I have done such a treacherous act? You're sadly mistaken Hitsugaya."

"Shut up and let's fight."

He lowered his stance and showed a grin on his face under the hood. "Very well then," he said. "May the best one win."

With a shout, Hitsugaya made the first move and charge at the money dealer. Taking a step to the side, he easily avoided his assault, but the thief won't let it end there. Using this opportunity, Aisu no Ryu changed his grip on his sword's hilt and swung horizontally. The dealer dash forward and attacked from below. He pulled out a hidden short knife from his cloak and struck it towards the boy's body. Luckily, he anticipated the move and took a step back.

"Sugoi, you really are one skilled thief," the money dealer said.

Toshiro narrowed his eyes and kept his eyes on him for any sudden movements. However, his focus caught his attention on the dry red crusty substance on his knife. "Killing me with a dirty knife, huh?"

A grin appeared on his face. "Yes, it's the perfect weapon to kill you with."

"Really? Now, why did you choose such a weapon to par against my sword?" the white haired thief asked. "You do understand that you're the one who is at a disadvantage."

"Advantages doesn't matter to me. The real reason I have chosen my short knife is because...I killed your grandmother with it."

It didn't take long before a burning passion of vengeance clouded his thoughts. Hitsugaya gave out a loud angry yell as he began to strike back. However, the dealer saw through every single one of his movements and dodged his every assault. Even though he continued to strike air, the young thief refused to give up. Know that he knows the truth about his grandmother's death, he will do whatever it takes to take him down. In order to do that, he must keep his cool.

Toshiro then stopped for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. By the time he reopened them, the money dealer is in his line of vision. Noticing that he is about to stab him, the thief then retaliated by elbowing his wrist with his free hand, breaking the dealer's grip on the weapon. Just as he is about to finish him off, objects of different shapes and sizes are thrown in his direction.

Hitsugaya sensed the danger and side stepped away from where it is coming from. Glancing below on ground level, the angry people of Rukongai are trying to distract the thief from concentrating on his one on one battle. He kissed between his teeth. If only they were still his allies, his job of defeating the money dealer would have been easier. He cursed, "Damn it..."

All of a sudden, a pair of shurikens is thrown from the front. Putting a hand behind his head and on the surface, Hitsugaya did a one handed back flip to dodge them. Once his feet are back on the ground, he pulled out a kunai with tag and threw it back. When it made contact with the tiles, an explosion occurred, clouding everyone's visions from seeing where Aisu no Ryu has gone.

On the other hand, Hitsugaya has no intention of running away; he went for his prize. Using the tip of his blade, Aisu no Ryu finally cut through a section of his cloak, enough to expose a bleeding injury on his shoulder. The dealer pulled back, making some distance between him and his opponent. Slowly breathing with slight exhaustion, he placed his free hand on his injury and stared into the dangerous eyes of the notorious thief. "So you can be heartless after all," he said.

Toshiro gripped onto the hilt of his sword and raised it up a bit. With flare burning in his eyes, the white haired thief replied, "You're finished; it is the end for you, money dealer."

A grin appeared on his face. "I think not, Hitsugaya."

He narrowed his emerald-teal eyes, trying to comprehend what he is talking about. Just then, he felt a sharp pain pierce through his lower right abdomen. His eyes widened and looked down to see a sword impale from behind into his clothes and skin. Slowly raising his head up, he only could see the money dealer standing from a distance. "Someone else is here...who is it that is helping him?"

Hitsugaya tried to retaliate back, but he soon felt several more sharp pains. One sting came from his chest while the other is coming from his left shoulder. A large flow of red liquid sprayed upwards into the air from his shoulder as the young teenager took an intake of breath and coughed out some blood. He slowly turned his head to the side to see what is going on. However, his efforts were in vain. His vision began to blur.

He kissed between his teeth and narrowed his eyes. Holding his ground, he turned his body to the side, gripping tightly onto his sword. He can't go down, not until he knows the identity of his second opponent. Hitsugaya charged and swung his sword in different directions, hoping that one of his shots make contact with his opponent's weapon or body part. "Where is he? He has to be here somewhere."

All of a sudden, Aisu no Ryu fell down on one knee. With a hand over his mouth, he started coughing out blood once more. "Now why don't you be a good boy and give up?" said a voice.

His eyes widened. He knows who has been attacking him. Following the direction where it came from, Hitsugaya is about to confront him when he felt a very strong force hit against his gut. With a gasp for air, the thief soon fell onto the cold roof tiles.

Around this time around, his vision has been so disoriented, he wouldn't be able to see and move properly for a while. All he can do is listen to their voices. "Well, now that was fun. He won't be able to stand up again."

"Thanks, he was a handful."

"Come on...move," Toshiro thought, struggling to get his hands and legs to listen to his command.

"What do you expect? He is the notorious thief after all. Now, it's time to take him back to Seireitei with me."

"Its game over for you, Aisu no Ryu. Have fun in prison."

"D-Damn it, I can't let Ichimaru...take me..."

He soon felt his strength failing him. His muscles turned numb and not too long after, he became blacked out.

References

Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon. Toshiro's codename as the notorious thief, Kan - the currency used in the Bleach universe, Nani - What, Yukata - a casual summer kimono that is worn by both boys and girls, Sugoi - Amazing

Author's Note: Gaspillage! (My made up word. xD) Hitsugaya has been captured! What is going to happen next? Gah! Well, you know the drill; please review! Thanks.