Diamond Treasure
Ones Sanity

Toshiro looked up at the ceiling, his cheeks continuing to have a heat to them that wouldn't go away. This did not help him ignore the fact a warm body was right next to him as he leaned up against the wall. His small hand tried twisting the hilt of his blade in his hand, but this didn't help the fact the situation was far from his liking."

"Actually... you are enjoying this."

"Shut up Hyorinmaru." The boy's eyes snapped down, the distance from which Hyorinmaru's voice came from causing him to feel even more agitated. He felt himself swallow, only to have one of his hands slide down to touch Karin's for a few seconds, only to pull away once he realized what he was doing. "Kurosaki is going to kill me for being this close to his sister."

"But you are enjoying her company."

Toshiro's hand slipped down. "I'll admit that I'm enjoying not being alone. I was prepared to die for this, but for some reason the thought of my own death agitates me."

"That's because you happen to know the person next to you would be sad if you died."

Toshiro swallowed again, closing his eyes as the exhaustion he felt got the better of him. How long he dozed off for, he honestly didn't know. He found himself jarred awake upon feeling the familiar reiatsu of two fukutaicho. He started to move to look out the window, only to realize that Karin was next to him, his eyes darting first to look at her then the window. "What have I done? I told her I didn't want to be dragged into this."

Toshiro gently lifted Karin up and off him as she was still sleeping and carefully got up. His feet were soft as he heard someone call out for him to exit the building. Karin began to stir. "I've got to get this over with before she wakes up."

He stepped out of the room, his hand on his blade. Hisagi and Kira were both watching him. Hisagi spoke up. "Hitsugaya Taicho, you have been charged with treason as well as the possible kidnapping of the sister of the substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo."

"They don't think she is an accomplice." The boy's bright teal eyes narrowed at the two of them. "Yes... I kidnapped her." He watched as Hisagi's eyes widened. "Sorry for lying Karin, but it is for your own good. Please, please stay put."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The ninth division fukutaicho had a disappointed sound in his voice. "So I take it you're not going to come quietly?"

"Of course not." Toshiro drew his blade, lunging at Hisagi. "I have to keep Karin safe, even if it means I never end up facing him."

Things seemed to be going his way, until Hisagi decided to use kido. "Bakudo number fifty two, Hyapporankan!"

The boy tried to dodge the attack as it came after him, only to find himself pierced by one of the kido rods. "I have to keep Karin safe." Toshiro reached up, pulling out the blade despite the pain. He turned to face them.

"Please... Hitsugaya Taicho..."

Toshiro shook his head, his teeth pushing together. "I have to protect her." The boy opened his mouth, not hearing the door he had come through opening. "Reign..." He found himself stopping short as someone grabbed him from behind, causing his small body to tense up even more. He could feel his hand shake. "No..."

"Toshiro! Stop it. " Karin's breath was hot on his ear and he could feel his cheeks heating up due to how close she was, his mind remembering when Gin had taken similar positions behind Rangiku, except he was partially turned around. Hisagi and Kira both now had looks of shock on their faces.

Toshiro felt Karin reach out and touch his hand and he remembered when he had briefly touched her hand while in the shrine. "Why does it feel nice, touching her hand?"

"Toshiro. Please." The boy's hand trembled a bit, but the grip on his blade loosened a bit. "Instead of trying to do things on your own, get help. Give me Hyorinmaru."

He felt the blade slip out of his hand and watched as Hyorinmaru slipped out of his hands into Karin's. "Sorry Hyorinmaru. I'm sorry for giving you to another person."

"Don't worry. You're doing the right thing." Toshiro felt his adrenaline levels suddenly drop. His knees collapsed out from underneath him and he felt his hands scrape against the ground. Karin of course was knocked off her feet as she was pulled down with him. His vision blurred slightly and his hands shook.

"How come it feels like I let everyone down." The boy's eyes fell shut.

M

Karin wasn't sure what caused her to start waking up. It could have been the strange rieatsu, or the fact she might have felt Toshiro move her while she slept. Her eyes though opened when she heard a sound from outside and she realized that the white haired boy was gone. She then pushed herself up to look out the window in time to see the fight outside and she felt her throat tighten. Her fingers twitched as she saw Toshiro pulling the light bar out of his body.

She then found herself pushing up and through the door as someone asked Toshiro to stop. The white haired boy was obviously going to do something stupid and she found herself reaching out to grab him, stopping him from releasing his zampaktuo. "Toshiro! Stop it!" She knew the boy was reluctant, but continued to plead with him. "Instead of trying to do things on your own, get help. Give me Hyorinmaru."

She could feel how tense the boy's body was, but he let the blade slip into her hand, and she then felt herself being pulled to the ground as Toshiro's body collapsed from exhaustion. One of her arms wrapped protectively around his chest area and she looked at the two male Shinigami with their fukutaicho badges, not at all sure what she needed to do now.

The one to put up his blade was the blonde haired Shinigami. He approached the two children with slow steps closely followed by the other Shinigami who had the fukutaicho badge. He knelt down and looked Karin in the eye. "We need to ask if Hitsugaya Toshiro actually kidnapped you or are you helping him to betray Soul Society?"

Karin frowned, thinking carefully of what the man had said. "Neither. It isn't possible to help him betray Soul Society if he is not trying to betray Soul Society."

Hisagi shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, only to be stopped by a phone ringing. He choose then to sheath his own sword. He picked up his phone and listened to the other side, only to speak up with a rather agitated tone. "That's not possibly. Hitsugaya Taicho is here with us. Before that he was with the Substitute Shinigami's sister. He couldn't have possibly have attacked Kyoraku Taicho. That..." There was a pause. "I understand."

Karin flinched, pulling Toshiro suddenly closer to her and away from Kira. "They aren't insisting that Toshiro did it are they?"

Kira looked up at the other Shinigami. "Are they Shuhei?"

"No..." The phone clicked shut. "They said to bring him back for questioning."

"Then what is bothering you."

"Kyoraku Taicho was definitely attacked using Hyorinmaru." Hisagi looked over at Karin as she swallowed and turned pale. "Do you know something about this?"

The preteen took a deep breath. "I don't think it is my place to say what I know."

The darker haired Shinigami's eyebrow's raised up. Kira however turned his focus to seeing to the small taicho. "Um... Kurosaki's little sister... would it be possible for me to look at Hitsugaya Taicho's injuries?"

Karin frowned, then loosened her grip on her friend. The blond haired Shinigami reached over and lowered the boy to the ground. He reached to pull the boy's clothing back, only to stop short. Hisagi noticed this. "All right. Now I need to ask what is bothering you."

"One of Hitsugaya's injuries..."

"We only hit him once."

"I know. The other injury... it was caused by Hyorinmaru."

Hisagi opened his mouth, turning his head to look at Karin. The girl however looked away. "The other order we have is to bring you back with us as well. They are arranging it so you will have safe passage through."

Karin looked up at him, frowning as she did so. Letting out a sigh she moved over to the wall and folded her legs up. She watched as Kira went to work. The blond frowned. "So... were you the one who did these stitches."

"Yes. He was hurt. I couldn't very well leave him be like that."

"I'm just surprised that he let you actually do this."

"You mean because he absolutely hates needles."

Hisagi suddenly snorted. "Needles? Does Hitsugaya Taicho really have a problem with needles."

Kira shook his head. "I don't know. I do know from Hinamori that he has problems with going to the forth division and getting treatment when he needs it as he dislikes being touched. How did you do it?"

Karin didn't speak for a few minutes then decided upon what she wanted to say. "You guys have met my brother, so you know how stubborn he is. We get it from both sides of the family." She paused for a few seconds. "Is Rangiku-san mad at him."

"Ran..." Hisagi paused. "You've met his fukutaicho? Actually... you call both of them by their first names?"

Karin fell silent, watching as the blond haired Shinigami began to provide aide to the small taicho, then closed her eyes and choose to relax. "I'm not sure if I did the right thing."