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

Author's Note: Special thanks goes to my reviewers: WhitePrincessOfHope, Mariliisa, Pieps XD, tlg, MoonLightView, Onineko Hikari-chan, AznInvasionGirl, Neko-cheung, Samantha, BLEACHISAWESOMEANDIMAWESOME XP, KnowledgeandImagination, Kaye. Shirogane, The Sweet Peach. Well, you must be eager to know what happened to Toshiro. Look no further, chapter fifteen is here for reading. Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

The Greatest Treasure

Chapter Fifteen: It's the Truth

He is sitting on his sofa, leisurely drinking from a glass of expensive red wine. Putting some distance between his lips and the cold glass surface, he formed a smile on his face. General Aizen Sosuke turned to his loyal subordinate and asked, "Really, is it true Gin?"

Ichimaru Gin, who has been standing at his side this whole time, merely smiled back. "Yes, the notorious thief, Aisu no Ryu has finally been caught as of yesterday afternoon."

The general of the Royal Guard took another sip of wine. He suddenly stood up from his seat and walked towards the exits. "How interesting..." Aizen said. "Where is he right now?"

The gray haired captain of the Royal Guard slightly tilted his head off to the side and thought for a moment. "If my memory serves me correctly, he's right now locked up in Senzaikyu (The Palace of Remorseful Sin). But don't worry, he won't die just yet; we made sure of that. The heavy injuries I gave him are already starting to heal up nicely thanks to our medical team."

"In that case, he should be regaining consciousness anytime soon," he replied. "Let's go pay him a visit, shall we?"

Gin smiled once more and began following right behind his superior. "Of course, General Aizen..."

He groaned for a bit. Slowly opening his eyes, he soon found himself in an unknown and isolated environment, chained on his ankles and wrists against the wall. "I see; I was arrested and locked up here," Toshiro thought.

The white haired looked down at himself. His fatal injuries from his previous battle are all bandaged up. He let out a small sigh of defeat. "The Royal Guard has something planned for me or else I wouldn't be alive right now."

"Hitsugaya! Hitsugaya, is that really you?" asked a voice.

Recognizing that voice from anywhere, the thief turned his head to the side to see Ikkanzaka Jidanbo also chained to the wall. "So you've been here this whole time Jidanbo," he replied. "I was wondering where you were."

The large man gave out a short laugh. "You've been finally caught, huh...Aisu no Ryu."

Hitsugaya lowered his head and didn't reply for a while. "Did you tell?"

He then shook his head back and forth. Jidanbo replied, "No...It seems that Aizen has figured it out on his own."

"I see." The young teenager then raised his head to see him. "My hunch turned out to be right after all."

Suddenly, the two prisoners heard the sound of unlocking and the creeks of an opening door. They glanced over to the side to see two people entering the room. It is none other than the two elite members of the Royal Guard. Ignoring the large man, they immediately turned their attention to the white haired teenager. Aizen leaned over to take a close look at him. "So you're Aisu no Ryu," he said.

"And you're Aizen Sosuke, General of the Royal Guard," Hitsugaya replied as eyes carefully watched his every move, "and the dork beside you is Captain Ichimaru Gin."

"Now that's mean to say," the gray haired man said.

A grin appeared on the shaggy brown haired man's face. "You've been well informed; I'm flattered."

"Well, sorry to tell you, but flattery doesn't get you anywhere," Toshiro said.

"Now tell me, where is the Princess of Seireitei?"

"I have no ide--"

"I know you don't especially since I've put up that bounty and reward throughout the land," Aizen interrupted, straightening his posture and turned his body to the side. He looked down at the thief. "However, that's what you want me to think. In reality, you left her in care of someone else. Yes, it is someone whom you trusted very much that you would probably place you life on."

Hitsugaya just narrowed his eyes dangerously. He has always believed Aizen to be an untrustworthy man, but to measure the level of his dark intentions, it's unreal.

"It seems like I'm correct."

"I heard from Abarai that you want to take the throne," Hitsugaya explained. "Let me tell you something; you're not going to get it. As long as she's alive, you're not eligible to become King."

"Now that's where you're wrong," Aizen said. "I will become king. In order to do that, I plan to retrieve the princess and marry her."

His emerald-teal eyes widened with astonishment. "M-Marry her?"

"That's right. However, it's just unfortunate you can't be there because you'll be dead by then," the General of the Royal Guard said with a smirk. "Enjoy your last days here in prison while my men will eventually start tearing down your precious hometown in West Rukongai."

"You evil bastard!" Hitsugaya yelled. He tired to attack the snickering being in front of him, but the shackles on his wrists and ankles are holding him back. He growled with frustration. "How dare you not give the Rukongai people their ten million kan!"

"I'm sorry, but that's how I am Aisu no Ryu," he said. "Or should I say Hitsugaya-kun?"

An eye twitched. "How do you know my name?"

He grinned. "Oh, a few birds told me after being beaten close to death by their captain."

With his hand gripped tightly into a fist, Hitsugaya growled as he stared at the amused Ichimaru and Aizen. "Abarai, Kira, Hisagi..."

"And also...working with a certain someone you also hate," he added.

"The money dealer..." Toshiro thought.

"You know, it's not really that hard to figure you out. All it takes is a little thinking."

"You won't get away with this Aizen."

Aizen turned around and began leaving the room with Ichimaru following behind. Just as he was about to leave the room, the general took one glance at the white haired thief and said, "I already have gotten away with it a long time ago. Now will you excuse me, I have some important business to take care of like...waiting for Princess Hinamori's return to the palace. This is the first and last time I will speak with you. Sayonara Hitsugaya-kun..."

"Bye bye!" Ichimaru cheerfully added his comment.

Once the doors shut closed, Hitsugaya furiously tried to break himself free. However, his efforts were in vain; the chains are too strong and his injuries are preventing him from using his full strength. When he finally stopped, the thief is panting with exhaustion. "Hitsugaya, I understand how much you feel," Jidanbo said.

Anger is flaring in his eyes as he looked directly at the gatekeeper. "No, you don't!" he yelled. "I have to get out of this dump or else Aizen will get his filthy hands on Momo! I won't let a sick, evil, and knifing bastard like him marry her!"

Suddenly, he began coughing. "Oi, you should settle down! If you keep struggling like that, your wounds are going to reopen."

Hitsugaya finally stopped, but continued to growl with frustration.

Jidanbo glanced at the troubled thief and then suggested, "If you stay mad like that, your thoughts will continue to be clouded. You just have to relax and think this through carefully even if you don't have much time left. According to what Aizen said, he has already decided that you're going to receive the death penalty."

Letting go of his anger, the young teenager let out a sigh of defeat. "If I don't think of some way to escape, I'll truly be killed."

He looked up to see a bright moon through the thin window. If only things haven't come to this, he would have still be in Rukongai, happy to be in the presence of his close friend and girlfriend.

"Momo..."

"He's still not back," Hinamori said. The princess is sitting in front of the opened slide door, looking out into the street and waiting for him to return. "Shiro-chan...Where are you?"

"Daijobou," Matsumoto replied as she entered the room with a tray of tea cups in her possession. Taking a seat next to her, the strawberry orange haired woman handed her a cup. "Hitsugaya can take care of himself. He'll be back soon enough, I promise!"

Accepting her offer, Momo took the cup and sipped some tea. After placing it on her lap, she turned to the older girl who is happily drinking her share. "Rangiku-san..."

She stopped and turned to the princess. She smiled. "Hn, what is it?"

Hinamori tilted her head forward and slightly gripped on her cup. "You don't have to lie to me anymore. He has been captured, hasn't he?"

Matsumoto blinked. "W-What are you talking about? I have no idea who you're talki--"

Momo raised her head and turned her body to her. Looking directly into her pale cool blue eyes, she said, "Toshiro is the notorious thief everyone around here has been praising about. He is your saviour from greater poverty. He is Aisu no Ryu, isn't he Rangiku-san?"

The woman fell silent. "H-How did you know?"

The princess lowered her head once more. "I had a feeling he is."

"Then, why didn't you say anything?"

Momo looked up and replied, "Because...I wanted to understand him. I wanted to know his motives of doing the things he has done. Whenever he steals, he does it with great confidence. He...felt that it is justice to protect and save his people. Before I knew it, I started to fall in love with him. I wanted to stay by his side all the time. I felt...safe with him."

"Hinamori..."

"You knew I am the Princess of Seireitei too, don't you Rangiku-san?"

"Momo...I mean H-Hinamori, I'm sorry for not telling you," she apologized.

The peach girl smiled. "It's alright; I understand completely. You were only helping Toshiro keep this a secret."

The two friends were silent. Matsumoto suddenly asked, "What are you planning to do now?"

"Isn't that obvious? I have to go out and search for him," Momo replied.

With a smile, Matsumoto stood up on her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "In that case, allow me to help you out Hinamori. Besides, Hitsugaya is an important person to me too!"

She nodded with agreement. "Hai!"

All of a sudden, something is thrown towards their direction. Sensing danger, Matsumoto instantly moved and grabbed Momo in her arms. They fell to the ground together on the side. Looking over to what was thrown at them, they saw a spear implanted into the wall. "What in the world?" the older teenager asked before they heard footsteps.

Turning their heads in the other direction, they are confronted by a group of Rukongai people. Amongst them, standing at the front is the dark hooded money dealer. "The jig is up. It's time to hand over the princess, Matsumoto Rangiku."

References

Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon; Hitsugaya's codename as the notorious thief, Kan - The currency used in the Bleach universe, Sayonara - Good Bye (formal), Daijobou - It's Alright, Hai - Yes

Author's Note: Just when things got bad, it got worse. Hitsugaya's countdown to death begins while the money dealer and the people of Rukongai have found the whereabouts of Princess Hinamori and Matsumoto. Will they be able to fend off against them and escape safely? Will Toshiro be able to break out of prison or will Aizen get what he wants? You just have to wait patiently for my next update! In the meantime, please review! Thanks.