Hello again! Sorry for not updating soon enough. I finally finished the second chapter! I worked through the second half of my exam yesterday since everyone was done with theirs, but I didn't get much done because some annoying girls decided to sing very loudly, completely oblivious to the fact that people, like me, need to concentrate on their work! So annoying. I appreciate chorus people, don't get me wrong, but those girls need to realize that people are concentrating, and their singing can be very distracting. Plus, the song sounded like 'cream-raisin-apple-pie'. Just sayin'.

I've managed to make this chapter about twice as long as the previous. Thanks CodenameOokami for the critique! I tried doing what you said.

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The Dreaded News

"Hehe, there's no way he'll win against Kenpachi." Ichigo said smugly, still in the uncomfortable position on his bed. Rukia smirked at him.

"Are you telling me you're interested, Ichigo?" Ichigo frowned at her.

"This story sucks! Why would I be interested?"

"This is only the beginning. Give it a chance!"

"Like I have a choice." Ichigo grumbled.

Rukia immediately started the next chapter, ignoring Ichigo's sigh of protest.

It had been several months since Hitsugaya's trip to the World of the Living. Momo hadn't heard any news from him since their last conversation. Of course, this made her very close to having a nervous breakdown. Then everything went worse when fukutaichō Abarai Renji gave her the worst possible news she could get...

Momo couldn't do anything, even if she wanted to. She remembered seeing him off, watching him step through the Senkaimon, the Hell Butterfly flapping ahead of him. He had looked back at her as the Senkaimon closed, silently telling her not to worry and that he will most definitely come back.

Ever since, she had been constantly worrying about about her little 'Shirō-chan'. She tried to distract herself by doing all the work she could do in her division. She had a lot to do ever since Aizen betrayed them and left. It was sort of depressing to now have two things to constantly worry about. She was already upset about the whole 'Aizen is evil' thing. To add 'Shiro-chan might die' to the list was probably more than she could handle. She wasn't really a strong enough person to successfully hold in all her emotions without breaking down.

The days of Hitsugaya's absence were increasing. Every passing day would make Momo even more anxious and distressed. She would sometimes get so depressed that she would spend half an hour crying in her office, saddened and frustrated that she couldn't do anything to protect Hitsugaya. All the other Shinigami didn't want to bother her, in fear of making her even more upset.

Hitsugaya was supposed to stay in contact with the Gotei 13, but so far they didn't hear anything from him. He was told that if no one heard from him in a week, shinigami would be sent to look for him. Soon Yamamoto sent a large team of shinigami to go to the Human World to look for the missing captain.

Weeks have passed, months. There was still no news of Hitsugaya. The other Shinigami were whispering about it. Momo had noticed how they fell silent every time she was near enough to hear them. Even though it's been too long, she still hoped that nothing had happened to Hitsugaya. Perhaps the other shinigami thought something did happen to him, and a very small part of Momo thought so too. Every time she wondered if something did indeed happen to Hitsugaya, she fiercely shook her head to get rid of the horrible thoughts, tears glittering on her eyelashes. She refused to give up hope.

Five months after Hitsugaya's departure, Momo was in her office sitting at a table with her head tucked in her arms. She was staring out the window. Because of her desperate need of a distraction, she had completed all of her paperwork and exhausted herself with helping other shinigami in her division with their tasks.

The sun was just starting to set, making the sky look slightly yellow. Momo had been sitting there for a while deep in thought.

I haven't heard from Shirō-chan for a long time. Momo thought to herself. But shouldn't he be back by now? Even if he had trouble, he would at least alert Sōtaichō.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Momo blinked and looked up, straightening herself as she did so.

"Come in." she said, loud enough for the person outside to hear. The door opened and Renji stepped inside. Momo started to smile when she saw her friend, but stopped when she saw his expression. Something was obviously troubling him. He awkwardly closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong, Abarai-kun?" A few seconds quietly ticked by. Momo tilted her head slightly to one side, confused about his silence.

"It's about Hitsugaya-taichō."

Momo drew in a quick breath. Could he be back? But no, he couldn't possibly be. Renji wouldn't be this way if Hitsugaya did come back. Could that mean that something bad happened to Hitsugaya?

"W-what is it?" she asked softly, stuttering slightly.

It looked like Renji was thinking hard about the right way to say something. Then a look of defeat took over as if he was just going to get to the point.

"Hitsugaya-taichō is dead."

Suddenly it became very hard for Momo to breathe. Her eyes widened in absolute terror and her hands shook as she took in what Renji said.

"N-nani?" she whispered. Renji went on, not looking too happy about what he was going to say.

"Multiple shinigami checked all over the Human World. They didn't catch his reiatsu anywhere. He was supposed to contact us every week, but we haven't heard from him in five months. Er, we were told that if he didn't contact us then it would be safe to say he is dead."

Momo was now taking in quick sharp breaths and shaking her head, stricken with grief.

"No," she gasped. "I won't believe it!"

"Hinamori-"

"How can you go by that alone? !"

Momo had snapped up from her seat and pushed the chair slightly away from below her. Her face was a mixture of pain and distress. Silence followed after this outburst, except for Momo's quick and uneven breathing. She didn't look like she was about to go on a large rampage, but rather like she was about to cry.

"What?" Renji asked, dumbfounded.

"How? How can you simply assume that he's dead? !" Tears started to bulge from her eyes. "For all we know he could just be in trouble or something!"

Renji thought about saying 'for five whole months?' but decided to keep quiet. He looked down at the ground, avoiding her gaze. Momo was sniffling and repeatedly wiping the tears now cascading down her face.

"Maybe Kenpachi captured him and is holding him hostage," she continued.

This was not possible, but Renji decided not to tell her that either. Kenpachi would rather challenge Hitsugaya to a fight, since he considers it weak to take people hostage.

"Or maybe he's in a place where his reiatsu is blocked!"

Where in the Human World will that be? Would there even be a place that can block reiatsu there? Renji thought.

"Or maybe he's still fighting Kenpachi, and so he doesn't have time to contact us!"

But then his reiatsu would be flaring, which will alert the shinigami in the Human World. Also, a fight with Kenpachi can't be five months long. One of them would have to be defeated long before five months pass by. Plus, it was likely that Hitsugaya would tire out first since Kenpachi could go on for days without fatigue.

Still, it was no use trying to tell Momo these. She would only try to find another reason as to why Hitsugaya can't be dead. She was unable to accept the truth, but that was because she simply refuses to believe what she doesn't want to hear. That will be her downfall one day, if it wasn't already. It was just like what happened when Aizen revealed his evil intentions of taking over Soul Society.

Momo was desperately clutching the sleeves of her shihakusho and trembling. By the look of her face, she didn't look like even she believed in what she was saying. She seemed to be on the verge of hysterics. She looked so helpless and pitiful that Renji suddenly felt like he was intruding on something. Momo stumbled over to the table and collapsed in the chair, putting her face in her arms. Renji reluctantly spoke.

"Uh, do you want me to leave?" Momo nodded her head in her arms. Renji slowly made his way to the door and, with a backwards glance at Momo, left the room.

With quivering hands she put her clenched fists over her shut eyes, struggling to believe what was true and what was not. Hitsugaya couldn't simply die on a mission. That was hard to believe. But Kenpachi did turn against Soul Society, so wouldn't that make him Hitsugaya's enemy? It was possible that Hitsugaya would be overpowered by Kenpachi- very possible- but Hitsugaya did have his wits. And he had a wider variety of attacks to use against Kenpachi. He knew shikai and bankai, he could use kidō, and he could use shunpo. But he didn't contact anyone in Soul Society, even though he was told to. Maybe he was still fighting? But five months of constant fighting would not be possible. One of them would get tired. It was all very confusing to Momo. Conflicting outcomes popped up in her head as she struggled to think of ways Hitsugaya could still be alive.

Why did he even go on the mission anyway? Couldn't Yamamoto just send someone else instead? That sounded selfish and unlike her, but she didn't care. She didn't care if another captain took Hitsugaya's place and died in his place. Hitsugaya was her best friend. He couldn't die and leave her alone here.

Yamamoto. His name repeatedly rang in her head. He was the one who chose Hitsugaya for the mission, so he was the one to blame. She felt such bitter hatred for the sōtaichō that it surprised even herself. He practically caused Hitsugaya's death, and for that, she hated him.

But alas, there was nothing she could do about it. Again. She knew better than to challenge Yamamoto. This was very frustrating for Momo because she knew if she ever did, she would instantly be burned into ashes.

However, she couldn't stay mad at Yamamoto for long. It wasn't like sōtaichō knew Hitsugaya would die. It was, after all, a shinigami's job to keep peace in Soul Society and the Human World. Hitsugaya wasn't any different.

There's nothing I can do.

She and Hitsugaya had promised to protect each other a long time ago. So much for that promise. Was she really that useless and unable to help him? Fresh tears streamed down her face like a rapid flowing river.

Grabbing a fistful of hair in each hand, she sobbed her heart out for her lost friend.

Blegh. I'm not good at things like grief over a dead person, so I'm not really too happy about how I wrote this. I had a freakishly hard time deciding how Momo would react to Hitsugaya's death. Plus, I was stuck for a while because of the reason mentioned before the chapter.

Oh well. On to the next chapter! Please tell me how I did!