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

Author's Note: It took a while, but I managed to finish chapter fourteen. Yay! Thank you for being so patient especially my wonderful reviewers: anime16, becomeafan, HyourinmaruIce, tlg, k a y - t h i, KnowledgeandImagination, sweet miracle 'michu 17', applestoapples, satomika, athfdrizzle, icyangel27, and superattackpea. Without any further delays, here is the next chapter. Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking." Flash Back.

The Next Greatest Treasure

Chapter Fourteen: Disguise

"Oi Matsumoto-san, are you sure this plan is going to work?" Izuru asked.

"What's wrong with you, Kira? Do you not have faith in your fellow peer?" Rangiku questioned in response.

"Yeah, it's just the disguises we're wearing are a bit...ridiculous."

"You think they're ridiculous?" Renji asked as he spread his arms out for everyone to see. "We're all wearing female clothes and make up, for Pete's sake!"

"Except me," Ichimaru corrected.

"Sorry Gin, but you don't look good dressed as a girl," the strawberry orange haired teenager pointed out. "It's hard to imagine you as one."

"Aw, how unfortunate..."

Kira and Abarai gave the Royal Guard Captain odd looks on their faces. In the meantime, Hisagi picked a piece of his clothing close to his nose and took a whiff. All of a sudden, he made a face. "When was the last time these things are washed?"

"Oh stop bellyaching and deal with it," Matsumoto said. "You can always take a shower after we rescue Hinamori."

"Alright you guys, it's time to start the act," Ichimaru interrupted. "Remember what we need to do."

"Yes sir," the Trio Knights replied in unison.

"Damn it, why Hitsugaya-taicho has to be the only one who doesn't get to play dress up?" Renji mumbled.

"As much as I would like him to, he already ran away," Rangiku replied. She folded her arms over her chest. "I had the perfect dress for him to wear!"

"I wish I was him right now."

"You're not the only one," Hisagi agreed.

Without any warning, Gin punched Renji in the face, knocking him down to the ground. "You bastard, what the hell was that for?" the red headed teenager asked.

"What are you talking about?" the Royal Guard Captain in disguise asked. "You're the one who is trying to get away with the goods that I'm going to pay the Queen with!"

Abarai quickly got back on his feet, marched up to the gray haired teenager, and exclaimed at his face, "You're the one who is lying!"

Just as Ichimaru is about to throw another fist at the Trio Knight, Renji evaded the attack by moving his body to the side. Unfortunately for Hisagi, he became involved. He covered his nose and mouth with a hand as his eyes are locked onto the culprit. "What did I ever do to you?"

As the three teenagers got engaged in the fight, Kira and Matsumoto joined in, trying to calm them down. "Oi, that's enough! There's no need to start a fight here."

"She's right," Kira agreed, "or else the guards are going to come."

"Hey, what the hell is going on here?" asked one of the castle guards, who came to the scene to investigate the happenings.

"I'll tell you what is happening here," Gin said before pointing a finger at the red headed teenager. "This idiot is trying to steal my goods for her Majesty!"

Without any warning, Renji drew a knife and began swinging it at Ichimaru. The people around them gasped and backed away. The gathered guards, on the other hand, decided to settle the matter right now. "Oi, stop it right now!"

As Kira, Renji, Hisagi, Matsumoto, and Captain Ichimaru are distracting all the surrounding guards, it is the perfect cue for the notorious thief of Rukongai to make his move. Blending in the crowd of people, who are running away from the violence, he sneaked past his allies and enemies without being seen. He glanced back to see if anyone is following. When it is safe, Hitsugaya ran with his hands raised above his head. Once he took hold of a thick tree branch, he was sent on a whirl before landing on it with his two feet. After feeling stable, he started climbing up.

When he is almost at the top, Aisu no Ryu unhooked his grappling hook from his sash and began twirling it at one end. Locked onto his target, he threw it. The grappling hook flew across and got caught onto the rooftop flag pole. After pulling on the rope a few times, he swung to the other side. Just as he was about to crash into the wall, he put his feet out so that it can take the impact instead. He took a look at what is going on at where his allies are before letting out a relieved sigh. "Good, they're still keeping the guards distracted."

Once Toshiro climbed onto the rooftop, he unhooked his handy weapon and put it away. He walked to the other side and stopped beside a rooftop window. Hitsugaya took a peek inside to find a group of chained up women, young and old, in ragged clothes occupying the room. The Royal Guard Captain's eyes narrowed, not liking the scene at all.

"How mean the Higashi Family can be?"

So, with a short knife, he put the blade in between the slit and cut the lock open.

Once the women noticed the thief open the window and break in, they cuddled against one another, frozen with fear. With a finger in between his lips, he whispered, "Do not panic, I'm not here to hurt you."

Then, he got to work, picking the locks open from their wrists and ankles. Once they were released, Hitsugaya took out his grappling hook and hooked it on the windowsill.

After throwing the rope out of the window, he turned to them and said, "This is your chance to escape while you still can."

However, none of them budged.

"There is nothing to be afraid of."

"Yes there is," one of them finally replied. "Even if we were able to get out of this hell, the Queen will only send out her daughter to capture us again."

"So, our guess is right after all," he thought. "You won't be captured again as long as you follow my instructions, I promise."

It is when Hitsugaya turned around and walked toward the window. Along the way, he took out three dark green spheres from the inside of his kimono and tossed it out. By the time he looked down, Toshiro saw people and the guards have fallen asleep, As for his friends, they avoided the sneak attack and are coming to his aid.

Once Matsumoto climbed up and got into the room, she asked in a soft tone, "Oi, what the hell is going on here?"

"The Queen has been a very bad ruler, that's what," Aisu no Ryu replied.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Man, if I see her, I'm going give her a piece of my mind."

"We're not here to deal with her personally we have other important matters to deal with."

"Yes sir."

"Good, now let's help these women get out of this place."

From down below, the Trio Knights and Ichimaru are about to climb up the rope. "Geez, why can't you be a little easier with the beatings?" Renji complained to the Royal Guard Captain.

"If that were to happen, it wouldn't be as believable as it is," Gin replied.

Abarai placed a hand on his cheek, numbing the pain. "Damn it, once I become promoted, I'll make sure to get him back."

A grin suddenly appeared on Ichimaru's face. "We'll see about that."

"Ichimaru-taicho, it seems like something's going on up there," Kira said.

The others looked up as well. "Hn, it seems like it."

"Isn't that Rangiku-san up there?" Hisagi asked.

"Yeah, but what is she doing?" Renji further questioned. "Did they rescue Hinamori already?"

All of a sudden, Matsumoto quickly took hold of the rope and slid down. Because the rope is a little short at the end, she ended up landing on one of the Trio Knights. Noticing her short haired peer on the ground, she got off of him and apologized, "Oops, sorry Shuhei."

"I-It's alright!" He croaked while raising a thumb up. "I-I'm okay!"

"So, what's going on up there?" Ichimaru asked.

"Apparently, there are women up there who are the Queen's servants," Rangiku explained. "You should have seen them! They look feeble and were chained to the wall!"

"That's horrible!" Kira said as Hisagi slowly got back on his feet.

She nodded with agreement. "No kidding, they don't deserve any of that treatment!"

"We can continue talking about this later," Gin interrupted. "It looks like the women are coming down right now."

Meanwhile, in a dungeon deep under the Higashi Castle, the Princess of Seireitei is locked up in a cell isolated from the other prisoners. Unlike them, she doesn't intend to stay here for long. "They will come and rescue me," she thought as she is picking on the handcuff with her hairpin. "In order to make things easier, I will do whatever it takes to get out of here on my own."

Once she heard a soft click, Momo closed her chocolate brown eyes and let out a relieved sigh. Somehow, she is able to break free out of handcuffs again.

"Thank you Rangiku-san."

When she reopened her eyes, she began looking around before spotting a small window. By the looks of it, the frame can only fit someone of her size at the most. She let out a gulp, unsure whether to do this.

Hinamori fell onto the ground on her bottom to catch her breath as her boyfriend stood beside her, doing the same. After a good two minutes of panting, he suddenly said, "Alright, break's over."

"Already?"

"In a middle of a real battle, there is no such thing as break time," Captain Hitsugaya replied upon raising his wooden sword up. "One wrong move and you end up paying your life for it."

"What? That's not fair!"

"It has always been that way, Momo. I know that well."

"Toshiro..."

The Royal Guard Captain lowered his head. "When you told me that you were learning swordsmanship from Matsumoto and Ichimaru, I became...very worried. Do you have the strength and mentality to fight against your opponents? Will you be able to deal with tough situations like taking someone as hostage? What if you ended up dying in battle? However, all those questions are not what a boyfriend should do."

He raised his head to look up at her.

"My job is to support you in every decision you make. That is why I'm being rough on you. If you really want to learn, then you must bear with all the things I'm going to beat into you. As a result, you'll be able to survive in the battlefield. Hinamori Momo, the Princess of Seireitei, are you ready to continue this harsh training?"

She let out a smile and nodded with agreement. "Hai!"

He smiled back. "Then, gather up your confidence and let's continue."

"I can do this; I know I can," Hinamori said. With Hitsugaya's echoing words of encouragement in her mind, the peach princess started working on a way to escape from this place. "What can I work with?"

Suddenly, an idea dawned to her. Stuffing her hand into her sash, she took out a small cylinder container from behind. Momo suddenly cracked a smile.

"Good, they haven't taken it away from me."

She removed the top cap and twisted it. Inside the container is some ruby coloured lipstick.

The Princess of Seireitei applied the makeup on her lips. Shortly after, she started smearing some on the corner of her lips, her clothes, her hands, and all over the floor. "I hope it works out."

She took a deep breath to calm down. All of a sudden, she heard footstep noises coming in her direction. She quickly lay down on her belly and quietly waited for them to arrive. "Let's get this over with," said a voice.

"Yeah," another voice agreed. "At least, we're not the ones who will get their heads sliced."

"No kidding."

"Oh shit, what happened here?" one of the guards exclaimed upon seeing the Princess of Seireitei on the cold floor. "There's blood all over her!"

"Is she dead?"

He took out a ring of keys from his pocket and used one to open her cell. "We have to confirm it first."

Once they were inside, they got down on their knees to take a closer look at the motionless body. They turned her over to the side to see the bloody-like substance on her body. It is when Momo opened her eyes. As they jumped with surprise, the peach girl used this opportunity to grab some sand and dirt from the floor and throw it into their faces.

While they were blinded and agonizing in pain, she used her handcuffs to trap them together by the wrists. Then, she knocked them out by hitting the back of their necks with her hand. After they were on the ground unconscious, she swiftly stripped them of their weapons and the keys. To finish things off, she out of the cell and locked them inside.

The peach princess let out a relieved sigh and took a look at her lipstick.

"Why do I have to carry this around, Rangiku-san?" Hinamori asked.

"Believe me, your best weapon will be your lipstick," the female swordsman said. "It got me out of many difficult situations."

"Um okay..."

She leaned over to the younger girl and began nudging her by the elbow. "Besides, you can use it to get the attention of a certain Royal Guard Captain of yours."

She turned a slightly pink at her response. "W-What?"

"You're so shy, Hinamori. Why can't you act a like a bad girl for once?"

"I-I..."

She suddenly slapped her on the back. "I'm just poking fun of you; don't worry about it too much."

"Mou..."

Hinamori cracked a smile. "You're right Rangiku-san; lipstick is a girl's best weapon."

After putting the makeup back in her sash on her back, she ran off to look for her rescuers.

"Knowing them, they should be already somewhere in the castle," she said in her thoughts. "I have to go find them quickly before my aunt discovers my whereabouts."

After most of the women have managed to climb down the rope, Toshiro called Rangiku to climb back up and come inside. "What is it, Hitsugaya?"

"Can I leave this matter to you and the others?" he asked. "I'm going deeper into the castle to find Momo."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Likewise, he did the same. "If there is any chance that I'm not able to get out of this safely, no matter what, find Momo and get her out of this place."

After a brief moment of silence, she slowly nodded with agreement. "Yes sir."

With that said, the white haired thief of Rukongai mouthed a silent thank you. Before long, he turned around, ran up to the door, and looked through the window to find some bodyguards. Taking out a dark sphere from the inside of his kimono, he threw it through the small frame.

Moments later, the area became clouded by a mysterious green gas. During this time, Hitsugaya picked the lock with a customized needle and unlocked the door. When he entered the hallway, Aisu no Ryu found the gas still lingering and the guards lying on the ground, sleeping. Because he is wearing his mouth mask, he was unaffected. "That should take care of them for a bit."

Then, he looked back and forth, trying to figure out which way to go. Knowing that there is no time to waste, he just picked a direction to take.

"Hang on tight; I'm coming to get you, Momo."

"Sir, the Princess of Seireitei has escaped from her cell!" one of the guards exclaimed to his senior.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" he asked. "We have to go look for her! Did you report this to the Queen yet?"

"Yes, someone is heading over to the throne room to report this issue right now."

All of a sudden, they heard a soft noise. After carefully listening to it, they looked down to see a few purple spheres rolling on the ground. Once they stopped, purple gas is emitted into the atmosphere. The guards began placing their hands over their mouths, coughing. "What the hell is this?"

Before his ally could answer his question, he along with a few other guards felt something hard hit against the back of their necks. As a result, they lost their consciousness and fell to the ground. Once the smoke cleared out, Hinamori stood in the middle of the bodies with her mouth and nose covered with a torn piece of her kimono sleeve.

Without a word, she continued running through the castle hallway in search of the whereabouts of her allies. Just as she was about to make a turn at the corner, she spotted a few guards coming in her direction. Momo retreated and looked around, trying to find a spot to hide. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a long window curtain.

"Hurry up or else they'll come deeper into the castle!" one of them said.

"Who would have thought that there would be intruders breaking into the castle," another commented.

"The Queen said that the only invaders who would do this are the ones from Seireitei. They have come here to rescue Princess Hinamori Momo."

"But didn't she escape from her cell? She could be anywhere!"

"That's why it's our job to make sure the two parties don't meet. Now, move it!"

Once they were gone, Hinamori slowly got out from behind the curtain, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh. "Thank goodness they didn't notice me."

She reopened her chocolate brown eyes.

"If what they said is true, then Toshiro and the others are somewhere in this place, looking for me." She continued running in another direction. "Please Kami-sama, let me find them before Aunt Kyoko and her minions does."

References

Taicho - Captain, Aisu no Ryu - Ice Dragon; Hitsugaya's codename as the notorious thief of Rukongai, Hai - Yes, Kami-sama - God, the deity from above

Author's Note: Momo escaped and Toshiro has broken into the Higashi Castle! Gah, it is getting intense! What is going to happen next? Find out in the next chapter of The Next Greatest Treasure! In the meantime, please review! Thanks.