Matsumoto cried a river that day, but how can she not?

She remembered Renji holding her while she screamed and cried out for her Taicho.

Her sweet, young Taicho…

She always thought she would go before him. She had intended to go before him, dying to protect him. Rangiku knew Seireitei was in need of their Taicho's. They were in need of him.

Hitsugaya-Taicho…

He was always such a cold person, chuckled Rangiku in the thought as she looked down at the paperwork. Paperwork wasn't something she was goot at. All she was good at was lounging on the green couch in front of her, but that had been a long time ago. Now, she was sitting on the desk on the desk doing paperwork. Honestly, Matsumoto never thought she'd end up on the same desk as her Taicho, being a Taicho.

Matsumoto-Taicho…

She remembered the day they asked her to step up as a Taicho. She instantly refused. Rangiku didn't belong as a Taicho in the Gotei 13. She was a Fukutaicho and she was Hitsugaya's Fukutaich, no one else's. But when Ukitake-Taicho told her that Hitsugaya would wanted her to take that position, she agreed with no discussion.

It was hard, being a Taicho. It was hard for him not to be here to act so cold around her. She terribly missed him. She wished she could see him right now.  Last time she had seen him was when the big battle began.

Sighing, she grabbed all of the paperwork and stacked them all on the left side of the desk. Rangiku was tired of doing this, and decided it was best if she sat down in thought.

Her thoughts quickly drifted Toshiro. How he had died in battle, protecting Seireitei. Rangiku didn't exactly see him die, but she had heard everything from the moment he charged into the fight, till the moment he screamed out of pain when Ichimaru Gin stabbed him.

Gin…

How could have he done such a thing? She tried to understand how he betrayed Seireitei to join the Arrancar. She tried to understand how could he leave her, how could he leave his childhood friend?

But now, he wasn't her childhood friend. He was her enemy.

The enemy that killed Hitsugaya Taicho.

Rubbing her face, she took a deep breath then ran her hands through her dirty blonde hair. She should forget about this. This happened years ago. But it was sure that she will, and she's going to make sure that she will kill Ichimaru Gin with her bare hands. She is going to avenge her Taicho.

Her thoughts were soon cut off when her 6^th seat, Sadaharu Tatsuo came in sweating, his eyes as wide as eggs.

"Taicho! Taicho!" he frantically called out, leaning against her door as he tried to take a few deep breathes.

Raising a brow at her 6^th seat, she sat up straight and intertwined her hands. "What is it Sadaharu?"

"You—you won't believe this, Taicho."

Now this was odd. Rangiku stood up and walked towards the man, her hands on her waist. "Well?"

"I just saw Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji running towards the 4^th division with…" Tatsu paused, hesitating with his what he was about to say.

Noticing his hesitation was frustrating her. "With whom, Sadaharu?! I have no ti—"

"Hitsugaya-Taicho," he weakly said, holding his breath.

Hitsugaya-Taicho…

"It can't be…" Matsumoto whispered. "He died. He died three years ago." Was that possible? For someone to come back from the dead?  No, no. She heard him, but she didn't see him.

Taicho…

"Get out of my way, Tatsuo."

"Unohana -Taicho, will Toshiro be okay?" Ichigo asked, his eyes on the small boy. He looked horrible. What have they done to him? His hair had grown, but it was messy and darker than it had been. His white clothes were ripped apart, showing all of the bruises and all of the cuts he had. It also showed the huge wound that Inoue managed to stop bleeding with the help of her faeries. But they didn't stop the bleeding and it had only lasted for a few hours, which was good enough for them. There were dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he hasn't slept for quite sometimes. Toshiro was also looked so thin and fragile.

Those bastards.

Looking up at the Shinigami substitute, she sighed. "His reiatsu is very low, it's almost none existent. And his injuries are very severe; they'll take a very long time to heal. But, I have a question, Ichigo." Unohana-san murmured, looking down at Hitsugaya.

"Yes?"

"When you picked up Hitsugaya-Taicho, did you see this?" And with that, she pulled back his right sleeve, showing off the tattoo on his wrist.

Surprised, he gently shook his head. "No, I haven't. I didn't have time to see anything, really. With all those bastards trying to attack us, I just made sure that we'd stop the bleeding and get the hell out of there," Ichigo angrily said, remembering how he found Toshiro.

Renji had told him that when he had fought one of the Hollows, they've managed to spill out something about a Shinigami prisoner before he killed them off. Both men went searching everywhere, and couldn't find this prisoner. Frustrated, the orange haired man decided to smash everything to find this prisoner as fast as they can and get the hell out of there.

When he had smashed that wall, he never excepted to see Hitsugaya Toshiro, lying on the ground, surrounded by his own pool of blood. Ichigo ran to him, and he seemed to smile. It wasn't much of a smile, but he seemed a bit happy to see Kurosaki. Frowning, Ichigo started to call out the young Taicho's name, but he didn't answer them. He even called him by the name he demanded to be called by and he didn't answer. Instead, he closed his eyes and stopped breathing.

Panicking, Ichigo called out for Renji so he can have a bit of help. Renji was just as shocked as he was as he saw the dead Taicho on the back of Ichigo. Quickly, the both headed to Inoue Orihime's direction so they can at least stop the bleeding and get some life back into him, even though it was little.

Finding Inoue, she called out her faeries and they only could do little for the Taicho. As soon as she was done, Ichigo carried Hitsugaya on his back and called everyone back so they could retreat and go back to Seireitei, where Hitsugaya could get immediate attention.

As soon as they made it to Seireitei, Ichigo and Renji ran as fast as they could towards the 4^th division. People who saw them run by either had their jaws dropped or their eyes as wide as potatoes.

Did they have Hitsugaya-Taicho with them?!

Some called them, but Ichigo was determined to got Toshiro as quick as possible to the 4^th division. He didn't know how long the young genius could last.

Now, they were surrounded around him as the healers tried their best to heal Toshiro.

"This is quite a strange marking…" whispered the 4^th division's Taicho. "I'd have to ask Kurosuchi-Taicho to check up on it, see if there's a meaning to this. Maybe even Ukitake-Taicho and Kyoraku-Taicho."

The only thing Ichigo could do at the moment was merely nod his head. Looking down again, he watched as Hitsugaya managed to breathe in an irregular and shallow manner. It was worrying, but it also meant that he was alive.

Thank God.

Suddenly, the door was pulled back, showing a big breasted woman. An angry, big breasted woman. "Where is he?! Where is Taicho?!"

"Please calm down, Matsumoto-Taicho." Unohana-san weakly said, her eyes on Hitsugaya. "He's here, resting. You should not worry. He's in safe hands now, Rangiku.'

Blinking, Matsumoto shifted her sight from Unohana-san and right to the figure that was lying down. Her eyes were watering as she saw what seemed to be her Taicho. "S—Shiro-chan," she whispered, a tear rolling down her pinkish cheek as she walked up to the group.

Sitting beside them, she took a closer look of what used to be Hitsugaya. He looked awful, lifeless and…

She was going to murder who did this to him. Her hands balled into fists, as more tears rolled down her cheek. "Taicho." Rangiku called, her voice shaky.

"Matsumoto."

Turning her head to see who had called her, she saw the orange haired boy, Ichigo. Looking into his eyes, she could tell he had the same thought as she did just now.

"We'll get them for this. Don't worry, Matsumoto." Ichigo calmly said, his eyes on Hitsugaya.

She just nodded her head, afraid she'd break into tears and sob if she spoke.  

She will avenge him.

Even if it costs her own life.

She will avenge him.

---


I am very satisfied with this chapter to be honest. For one, it's long.  Ahaha. The other thing that it's a bit more detailed, which I wanted to practice with. Usually, I'm horrible, but I seem to be getting the hang of it. =]

Comments? =D You kno they make me fluffy.