Christmas Nightmare
~Heartache~

Rin's voice chimed out from the two hell butterflies, echoing as it did so. "Attention! Attention! Ichimaru Gin is escaping from the cell! All shingami assemble!"

Both of the two highest ranked members of the tenth division gave each other startled looks, their eyes showing the fact that they felt that their trust was yet again betrayed. Matsumoto narrowed her eyes at the small taicho, and nodded her head at him. "It is a matter of putting personal feelings aside, taicho… so don't worry about me. I figured, if he ever betrayed me again, I would personally kill him."

"Rangiku… with the fact that he has been hollowfied, you wouldn't stand a chance at all," came the small white haired taicho's frustrated response. "And you can't count on him not wishing to harm you, like what he did when he tried to kill Hinamori Fukutaicho. I know that you are at a captain's level, disincluding the fact of bankai, but still… I spoke to him… he doesn't care!"

"Taicho… that is even more of a reason that I need to take care of him, so please… let me do this," Rangiku glared at her small taicho as he stood in her way.

"I refuse to let you do this on your own, we don't need to lose you!" Toshiro's turquoise teal eyes had desperation to them.

Matsumoto gave him a weak smile. "Don't worry, I didn't plan on doing that…"

At that, Hitsugaya stepped aside, and allowed her to shunpoo away, allowing her to take the lead as he followed her to where they were in truth going to go. As the last place Gin had been was the jail cell, the best place to begin to look for him, or clues as to where he had gone, was to go to that place. That was the way the tenth division had always worked, even before Toshiro had become captains.

A soft snow was falling as they hurried along, and Matsumoto couldn't help but comment on this. "This isn't your rietsu causing this… does it have something to do with this mess?"

"Most likely, as I can tell when it is natural, and not natural, or so I would like to think. It was bothering me to a great extent of the matter," the boy muttered, suddenly shunpooing next to Matsumoto so that he could speak to her easier.

"So, there is the possibility that we are dealing with a hollow with ice powers. It spreads further than your storm, taicho… well you be fine?" the woman asked suddenly.

"It might be spread farther, but it is also softer. Nothing is icing over, and none of the snow is sticking, even though it has been going on for a few minutes," came his response. "Of course, I could be wrong… this is just a surmise. Matsumoto-san… please be prepared for something you might not want to know."

"I already know that," came the stern sigh. "I already told you, you don't need to worry about me, didn't I?"

It was at that point that they arrived at the jail area, and moved to where Gin's cell was, going from the outside, which confused Matsumoto. Toshiro glanced over, saw her confused face, and commented on why he had picked this route.

"From experience of my own powers, if the person were inside, the storm would have been contained inside that building. Yet it is outside, meaning that someone broke Ichimaru out from the outside. I assume that it wasn't him, as there is the fact that I see no point in assuming otherwise, as his powers were sealed by Yamamoto, and we wouldn't have this freak smelly storm if it weren't for someone showing up."

"Smart as always… though smelly isn't something I would expect you to use,"

"Fine, odorous…" the small taicho sighed, as they came to stand outside of the huge hole that was now a part of the building. Staring out at him was Byakuya and Renji, both with dark facial expressions, not to mention that their auras were filled with killing intent.

"Should the two of you be here, considering the relationship you two have with the criminal," the fifth division taicho commented, becoming stern with the two members of the tenth division.

"I never had any form of relationship with Ichimaru Gin, and I can guarantee, my lieutenant is setting her feelings aside. How to put it… she is not happy with him, and if he has truthfully betrayed her again, she plans on killing him, even if it means the help of others," Toshiro gave the man an icy glare.

"You say those words, almost as if there is a chance of the fact that he might not have betrayed us again," Renji stated, giving the small taicho a dirty look. "It seems Hitsugaya Taicho, that while your lieutenant's constitution is towards going against him, yours is not."

"Don't worry. I simply choose to go within the boundaries of logic. We know neither if he has betrayed again, nor if he has gone and … actually, I don't know what else it could be. But if it was anyone else, with the fact that we have had people who seem to have betrayed us, when they have not, it is safe to say that it is completely logical, Abarai."

"You made no sense at all… again," Renji sighed, suddenly scratching his head, and his eyes getting that funny, monkey like look on his face.

Toshiro on the other hand ignored him, and began to glance around, looking for details. He saw a few leftover strands of some sort of plant, attached to the window debris. As he reached down to touch the plant, he heard a tisking sound from nearby. "You should know, stupid child, not to touch things that you don't know anything about."

This caused the small taicho to glance up, glaring at the man. "Seriously…"

"Seriously… you should leave the gathering of specimens to me and my division. You are practically useless here," Mayuri laughed. "Nemu…."

"Hai," his assistant stated, stepping in, and scooping up the ivy and placing it into a container.

Byakuya felt the air, sensing for where the prisoner might have gone. "It is heavy, almost as if a person opened a portal to the real world here."

"But shingami can't do that, without it being tracked," Rangiku shook her head.

"I already told you, it was likely that someone else was involved," the small taicho folded his arms.

The shingami noble spoke again. "I would like to know what you were here earlier, to speak with the prisoner with."

"What… am I now a suspect yet again," the small taicho muttered. "You are so busy trying to find a scapegoat, that maybe you can't figure out why I was possibly here?"

"To take concern with the idea of feelings goes against your ideal, doesn't it?" Byakuya stated.

"As I said, I think the kid has some hesitation here," Renji stated, glaring at the small taicho with distaste. That was what happened when someone was as stubborn as him, and he happened to also graduate at the same time as the small taicho. To say the least, it might seem to someone with a lack of thinking, that Toshiro had gotten his position rather easily, or perhaps not.

"Be that as it may, I am sending Hitsugaya Taicho as the person to go to the living world to retrieve Gin," Yamamoto stated, coming out of nowhere with his lieutenant.

"But I even know that one can't go up alone against… he's turned into a monster," Matsumoto suddenly stated, letting it be known her disernation at sending the small taicho alone, especially going after a man that she didn't think she could trust anymore.

"I have my reasons for sending Hitsugaya… and there is the fact that there are allies in the living world," Yamamoto stated, his aura portraying that he didn't want to be argued with upon the subject matter.

"Hai… I'll prepare to leave at once," the small taicho stated, nodding his head at the commanding general.

M

Over Karakura town, a portal opened, and the female Arrancar stepped through, dragging with her, Gin by the ivy that bound his arms to his side. He glanced around, and not seeing her friend, he spoke up. "Your friends seems to be missing, and it isn't snowing… not to mention, I can feel your rietsu, which I really couldn't that well before."

"I sent her through the portal to a little bit of a different place that us, as that means that she will be able to come in and make a surprise attack, as for all anyone knows, it was just myself who had this plan going," the woman pushed on her glasses, glaring at the former shingami. "As for the snow, the portals and that snow is something that can only be done when the two of us are in the vicinity of each other. The snow is annoying, as it has no true effect that I can see."

"Why are you telling me this," Gin smirked, knowing full well the consequences of revealing too much of one's plans. "I've already told you, I don't want to help, so what is to stop me from telling them about that little plan of yours."

The woman than gave him a very Aizen like look of disgust. "You haven't figured out my powers yet, have you, fool…"

"And should I be worried," came the snarky reply.

Suddenly she held up her hand to his face, a vivid, not to mention creepy smile directed towards him. "Even though your powers are sealed, I can bring them out to their full potential."

"And what, pray, will stop me from killing you then and there?" Gin suddenly asked.

"To stop you from killing me… there are two results from what my powers can do, and either one would result in victory for myself," Holly waved her hand in front of his face. "I'll opt for the one where I make use of you against others…"

Gin frowned as a slight, reddish mist settled over his eyes. He opened his mouth, to say that this wasn't at all effecting him, however, that was until he found his fox mask forming over his face, the hollow mask he had gained due to Aizen's process of hollowfing his followers. This caused his smirk to leave, as he also felt his free will, and that of the other two that were part of his soul leaving. "Screw you… you have no right to do this…"

"When you became part of Aizen's alliance, not to mention an experiment, you lost all right to call yourself humane, or the rights that went along with that," the woman stated, as Gin found his vision covered in the veil, yet he could still see, as his body was forced from the viazards form, to the resurrected form. He was most defiantly losing control over his body. And if that was so, his greatest fear was that he would hurt those he cared most for, but even that seemed to be numb.

M

Isshin had been in his clinic, just getting ready to close down, when he suddenly found a familiar rietsu suddenly spiking out of control. Yuzu and Karin, who were helping him, seemed unphazed, that was until he got a look at the dark haired of the two girl's eyes. She too could sense that something was amiss. "Hey, Karin… since we aren't taking any more patients for the day, I leave the closing to you. It's a big responsibility, especially if this leaves time for Yuzu to go and work on the housework…"

"Ehh… sure dad…" the girl stated, watching him as he disappeared into what was known to be his sanctuary. There he popped a piece of soul candy into his mouth, and took off towards where he had sensed the disturbance. Something had been bothering him, as he knew that Gin had happened to be pardoned, and if his instinct had been correct, there was no way that young man would try betraying soul society again, not if it risked his life and freedom.

As he came close to his source, he tried to think about why he didn't sense his son or any of his friends responding to the change in spiritual pressure. However, it quickly occurred to him that the kids had gone into Tokyo, in order to buy some things for the Christmas party they were holding in a few days, which was their way of making it so that the pain that had happened earlier would have the chance of fading.

He arrived at the scene, far above the small town, up in the sky as he neared a female Arrancar, that was directing a beast of some sort. However, Isshin quickly realized from the dark aura that the kitsune like creature was releasing that this was Ichimaru Gin… as it couldn't be anyone else. His eyes went wide, with slight horror, as he saw the fox like creatures lips dripping with saliva. "Ichimaru… I thought with being out from his thumb, that you would be free…"

This caused the silver-lipped Arrancar to burst out in horrible laughing. "I'm sorry, but I have to say, he can't hear you old man… not in a way that he can respond to what you are talking about. And truth be told, all this talking… that is what led us to losing the war in the first place."

"What have you done to him," the former taicho of the tenth division growled. He felt bile coming up in his throat, thinking that Gin had, due to the fact he never had been able to run from the man's control once he got under it, was now stuck losing even more freedom than before.

"I basically forced him into his highest state, making it so that I can control him…" the woman laughed. "He's a pet once again, isn't that obvious. I mean, that is what Aizen thought of him, his little lap dog that would obey all his commands. Well, now he has to obey his commands again."

"You are sick," Isshin stated, however, talking stopped due to the fact that on a movement of her hand, the fox beast was directed at Isshin, attacking so that Isshin had to draw his zampaktuo, bringing it to clang against the canius creature's mouth, but also so that it simply blocked the bite. He noticed that a chain was still attached to his neck, some sort of locket attached to it. "Shit… Gin! Listen to me! Fight this! Find some way to break her control! Seriously, what about Ran-chan!"

"That woman! I saw her moping around Soul Society!" the Arrancar suddenly laughed. "She wants nothing to do with him, as his betrayal ran deep. That is his only tie in with all the goody-two-shoes!"

Isshin narrowed his eyes, continuing to parry the bites that came from Gin's hollowfied released form. Each step drew him backward, and he used his mind to come up with a way to get around the whole situation. As he was parrying the attacks, within all of their view, a gate to Soul Society opened up. Isshin cursed his luck, due to the fact that only a few, like Yamamoto knew that he was actually alive.

A voice came to his ears, extremely young, yet with a major amount of maturity to it. "Isshin-san Taicho?"

M

Hitsugaya Toshiro stepped through the gate, not at all expecting to have to instantly go into battle, however, he was at least prepared to reach for his sword, and lay his hand on it as the gate closed behind him. Hyorinmaru hummed in irritation, as they saw the scene in front of them, the only thing not familiar to him, the female that was dressed to full gaudiness, watching the fight between the two others on the scene.

Instantly, he recognized the two fighting, the full-blown hollow form of Ichimaru Gin, a monstrance fox that sent shivers down his spine, every time he thought of the twisting of Rangiku's feelings at seeing someone whom she had thought to be a good friend, becoming something completely different. In addition, to his utter surprise, causing him to freeze, was his former taicho, alive and well. "Isshin-san Taicho?"

"Shiro-chan! Move! Now is not the time to freeze up!" the former taicho called out, as he continued to defend off the attacks from the mind controlled fox.

However, before the small taicho could move, the female Arrancar moved behind him, and moved her hand in front of his eyes. "Shall I use my power on you too?"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Toshiro's two teal eyes narrowed.

"Hitsugaya-kun, get away from her!" Isshin called out, still having trouble fighting off his opponent. "She is controlling Gin! He didn't go through the change himself! He was forced too!"

"I have no use for a weak child, so I'll use my other aspect of my power on you," the woman cackled.

At that, the small boy felt a seethe of power flowing through his body, his heart misbeating due to the sudden change. To his utter shock, he glanced at his hand and saw that his Bankai was forming without him calling out to his zampaktuo. The woman moved to in front of him, a wicked grin on her face as the wings formed. "What the hell does taking me to my Bankai do?"

"Ehh… if I knew that you had that kind of power, I might have chosen to control you, but your abilities are also unstable, which makes the other ability much better for me to use," the woman laughed.

Suddenly, a shiver went through his body, as he felt his rietsu suddenly draining, and quickly, out of his control, and the snow began to fall down around him. "What the hell…"

"Ahh… so you're feeling what my abilities do… I either control the person, or I end up draining them, by sending them to their highest state…" the woman chuckled. "It is all a matter of power."

"I'll have to finish you off as soon as possible," the young boy hissed, suddenly taking his stance, to attack her.

"I think not… Ivy!" the woman called out.

Again, two teal eyes went wide, as he felt ivy wrapping around his arms and shoulders, and yanking back on his arms. The whole strain ended up causing him to let go of Hyorinmaru. He watched in shock as he saw the sword suddenly drop to the ground below, his horror growing. He attempted to get away, but the ivy wrapped around more of his body.

This caused him to glance up, seeing a girl with pale blond hair and icy blue eyes, staring at him from above, more emotionless than he had ever been. As he glanced up at her, a sudden pricking sensation came to his skin, and he felt some sort of thorns growing on the ivy, sticking into his skin.

Suddenly, he turned to look back in irritation at the woman who seemed to be in full control of the situation. The woman glared at him. "Now aren't you an annoyance. Gin-kun, kill the boy."

Author's note - Here is where some of the spoilers come into play. If one is reading the current Manga in Japan, one knows at least Tosen was hollowfied. The theory is, Gin also had that done to him, and that his form was that of a fox.