Disclaimer - I do not own D Gray Man or Bleach

Chapter Seventeen - Forgotten Past

"Hello there," a voice called out, startling the child who was lying on the ground. The little boy glanced up and saw a blond haired man, dressed in a strange black outfit with a white coat over it, gazing down at him with a curious expression in his eyes. He had no idea who this man was and he made a move to run but his legs gave out and he fell back to the ground. "Whoa," the man said, his voice kind. "You don't have to be scared of me. I have no plans to cause you harm."

The child gazed up into the man's eyes, finding it hard to believe the words that were being spoken to him. Everyone caused pain although he was unsure of how exactly it was that he knew this to be true. The knowledge was simply there, he had no idea where it had came from.

But that didn't detract from the fact that he believed it to be true.

"My name is Kisuke Urahara," the man said, still smiling down at the child in an effort to reassure him. "And I'm the Captain of Squad Twelve of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. So what's your name little one?"

The child held a thoughtful expression on his face for a few minutes before shrugging his small shoulders. If he had a name he couldn't remember what it was, not that it really seemed to matter.

"You don't know," the man named Urahara muttered, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. "Well no matter. I think you should come with me little one. You have too much power to just remain out here." As he spoke the man's gaze shifted to an object on the ground.

The little boy's eyes followed the man's gaze and he saw that there was a long katana lying on the ground beside him. He couldn't remember where it had came from but he instinctively knew that it was his and that he must hold onto it no matter what. As though fearing that the man was going to take it from him the child reached out and grasped the sword, feeling a warm and comforting feeling spreading through his body as his hand wrapped around the handle.

"Don't worry," Urahara said with a chuckle. "You can bring that with you. After all, I think that you'll probably need it later."

Urahara offered his hand to the child but the boy refused to take it. Still eyeing the man warily he forced himself to his feet, grasping the sword and using it to prop himself up. "You're an independent little thing aren't you? Well there's nothing wrong with that. Come with me and I'll take you to the Seireitei."

Allen watched, concern evident in his gray eyes, as Hitsugaya tossed and turned in a fevered sleep. The young Shinigami hadn't opened his eyes even once since the battle with the Noah named Lulubell and he was beginning to grow concerned for his friend. Hitsugaya hadn't suffered any wounds during that battle but he continued to clutch his head as though he were in great pain, even in sleep.

"How's he doing Allen?"

Allen glanced toward the door and watched as Lenalee stepped inside the room. There was concern in her eyes as well and Allen could tell that she already considered the irritable boy to be a member of her family and was concerned for him. Vaguely Allen wondered how Hitsugaya would feel to learn that he was now considered a member of Lenalee's family.

For some reason he thought that Hitsugaya wouldn't relish the idea.

"He still hasn't woken up," Allen told her, watching as she placed a bowl of water on the small night stand. Hitsugaya had collapsed in the floor upon entering their room however Lavi had moved the boy to one of the beds when it became obvious that he was ill.

None of them thought that a sick kid should be forced to sleep on the floor, even if he had already chosen to do so.

"I didn't even realize that souls could get sick," Lavi said from the spot where he was standing by the doorway. There was a strange expression in the boy's one visible green eye and Allen was certain that the Jr Bookman was completely analyzing the situation.

Allen hadn't given it much thought but. . . "It seems that we're susceptible to most of the ailments of living people. We aren't immune to injury or apparently illness. Actually it's not all that different from being alive as far as I can tell."

"That seems kinda unfair," Lavi observed, thinking privately to himself that you shouldn't have to suffer after death. After all, most people endured enough suffering in life to earn themselves peace in death.

Lenalee nodded as she placed a cloth in the bowl of water. Pulling it out she wrung out the excess water and then used the cloth to bathe Hitsugaya's sweat drenched forehead. The expression on the boy's face was one of pure pain and it was obvious that he was suffering even in sleep.

And as much as they wanted to help none of the Exorcists knew what to do for the boy.

"Head Captain Ukitake," Urahara called out as he and the child made their way to the Squad One barracks. The boy was following along behind him, several feet behind him as a matter of fact, and Urahara could tell that he hadn't gained the kid's trust. "Well, considering what you've been through who can really blame you."

"What is it Captain Urahara?" Ukitake asked as he stepped out of his office and came to meet his subordinate in the hallway.

The child stopped dead in his tracks and gazed up at the new comer. The wary look in his teal eyes only intensified as he studied the white haired man. It was as though he were sizing up how much of a threat the man was going to be.

"Who is this?" Ukitake asked as his gaze fell upon the child.

"I found him out in the Rukongai," Urahara said in a quiet voice. "He came here without the guidance of a Shinigami and he was already in possession of a sword."

Ukitake's eyes widened in shock and his gaze shifted back to the child. The little boy had snow white hair, which was sticking up at odd angles, and wary teal eyes. He seemed to be exhausted as was evident by the fact that he was leaning heavily on the oversized sword that he carried.

The Head Captain sank to his knees in front of the child and gazed at him with a kind expression in his eyes. "What is your name little one?"

As before with Urahara all the child could do was shrug. He vaguely remembered having a name but the knowledge of what it was seemed to have been lost to him. Now he was merely a nobody who was finding it extremely hard to trust people for some strange reason.

"It's okay," Ukitake said in a kind voice, noticing that the child was growing visibly upset. "You can stay here with me until you remember who you are. Okay?"

The child gazed at Ukitake, sizing up the threat, and then gave the man a barely perceptible nod.

"Great," Ukitake said, getting to his feet. "And until you can remember your real name I'm going to call you Toushirou."

Hitsugaya gasped as his eyes popped open and he immediately sat up, his gaze shifting frantically around the room. He was disturbed by his dreams and he couldn't remember where he was although he did remember a fight. Was the enemy still around? Gentle hands on his shoulders brought the young Shinigami back to complete awareness and he gazed into the kind eyes of Lenalee.

"You shouldn't move around so much," she said in a quiet voice, her hands still gently holding him down. "You've been ill for quite some time."

"Ill?" Hitsugaya repeated, his gaze once again sweeping the room and this time taking in the rest of it's inhabitants. Allen was seated at his bedside, looking concerned, and Lavi was leaning up against the wall near the door.

Had they all been here the whole time?

"We're glad to see that you're finally awake Toushirou," Allen said, offering him a smile. "You've been unconscious for two days."

Hitsugaya thought back to the scenes that had played out in his mind while he was unconscious and he realized, for perhaps the first time, that Toushirou Hitsugaya wasn't his real name. He had completely forgotten the fact that Ukitake had given it to him because he couldn't remember what his real name was.

This knowledge only added to the confusion that he already had and left him feeling somewhat hollow inside. "Who am I?" he thought to himself.

"Hey," Lavi called out, noticing the forlorn look in the boy's eyes. "Are you okay bean sprout?"

The sad expression instantly left the boy's eyes, replaced by anger, and he whirled around to face Lavi. "I swear if you call me that one more time. . ." Unfortunately Hitsugaya was unable to finish the threat because his head began to throb once again and he was forced to sink back down onto the bed.

"You shouldn't over exert yourself so soon," Allen reprimanded as Lenalee began to once again bathe the boy's forehead.

Hitsugaya was thoroughly horrified by the situation but he simply felt to awful to complain. Grinding his teeth together in an effort to cope with the throbbing pain in his head the boy clenched his eyes tightly closed. Maybe if he imagined that he was somewhere else it would make this easier to bear.

"Poor kid," Lavi said.

Okay, maybe not.

"I'm going to kill you later," Hitsugaya snarled, putting as much strength into the words as he possessed. Which, at this particular moment, wasn't a lot.

Lavi laughed at the threat, not sounding even the least bit concerned. "He must be feeling a little better at least. He has the strength to make death threats so he should recover in no time."

Ignoring Lavi's words, as well as the overwhelming desire to strangle the red haired Exorcist, Hitsugaya's thoughts shifted back to the dream of his past. How could he have forgotten the fact that Ukitake had been the one to give him the name Toushirou Hitsugaya? The kind old captain had taken him in when he had been found in the Rukongai and, when it had became apparent that he wasn't going to be able to remember his name, Ukitake had given him one.

So what was his real name?

Not that it mattered very much, after all he had been Toushirou Hitsugaya for so long, but the boy found that he was curious. His little chats with Head Captain Ukitake, along with this newest memory, were leading him to believe that something had happened during his life that had caused him to forget his very identity.

And it was somehow connected to the Millennium Earl and the Clan of Noah.

"Ugh," the boy groaned, irritated beyond all reason. They didn't really have time for this. He had been the one against stopping at the inn and yet he had caused them to be stranded there far longer than they should have been. "We don't have time for this. We have to find Cross."

"I don't think that you should move just yet," Allen said, concerned for his friend.

"We have to find Cross," Hitsugaya repeated, feeling a new determination form. He couldn't shake the feeling that this assignment was somehow connected to his forgotten past and he desperately wanted to know what had happened to him to make him forget his own name.

They had to find Cross and after that the Earl of Millennium.

The young Shinigami hadn't wanted any part of this assignment but now he was grateful to Urahara for insisting that he be the one to guard Allen Walker. This mission was awakening memories that he had long suppressed and perhaps he would be able to unlock the secrets of his past.

A/N - and there's another chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed. Please be kind and leave a review, telling me your thoughts. I would greatly like to hear them. The music has ended for now, stay tuned for more.

Allen: Hey Toushirou, are you okay?
Toushirou: Of course it's Urahara's fault. It's always Urahara's fault.
Allen: I think he's gone catatonic.
Lavi: 'Holds up a handful of pink bows' Well we may as well take advantage of this.
Toushirou: Do it and die.