~ Light Of Hope ~ (A Toushiro Hitsugaya Fanfic)

1. " Things Lost in the Rain "

In a midst of a forest hidden from civilization, stands a large mansion where chaos brewed. Two men fight off against a swarm of monsters with masks known as Hollows.

Finishing off one of the Hollows a man hollered, "Run! Haru find your mother and sister and escape from here!"

"But dad, what about you!?", the younger man, Haru responded.

The man took out another Hollow with a grunt and replied, "Your mother is in her room with your sister! Get them out of here while I hold them off! I'll catch up with you later! Now go!"

Black mist has started to gather around them as they fight.

Haru nods albeit hesitantly. With a final glance at his father, he rushes off to his parents' bedroom. His priority right now was to take his mother and sister to safety.

When he reached the room, nothing has ever prepared him from the sight he was about to see. Haru slammed the door open and the sight that greeted him made his blood run cold. The sword dropped in his grip with a clang. There, lying on the floor in a pool of blood, was his mother. Underneath her lifeless body was his five-year-old sister, Yuuki. There were no signs of struggle in the room.

Despite his knees almost buckling underneath him, Haru approaches them. "N-No...this can't be... mom... Yuuki...", his voice trembled in utter devastation. This couldn't be real, could it? His legs finally gave out once he was at their side. With a trembling hand, he checks on his mother's pulse. She felt cold to the touch. Then a choked sob escaped his lips when he found none. Dread, thick and heavy, settled at the pit of his stomach. But then, a little bit of hope was ignited within him when he saw his sister twitch a finger. This snapped him out from his stupor and gingerly pulled her out from underneath their mother.

The young girl was just unconscious with no visible injuries but it's still too early to tell with all the blood covering her. It wasn't hard to put two-on-two together knowing parents will sacrifice themselves to protect their children. Even he would do the same for his family.

'Get a hold of yourself! Don't waste mother's sacrifice and take Yuuki to safety!', Haru thought to himself. The sheer determination to protect his sister and taking her to safety is what's keeping him together.

Wasting no more, time he lifted his sister into his arms and covered his mother's body with a sheet before leaving. It didn't feel right just leaving her exposed like that. With a final glance at his mother, he left the room.

Reaching outside, he saw black ominous mist covering all over the place. He kept on running until he gained some distance from the manor. They weren't followed ever since they got out and everything was deathly quiet.

It was what made Haru worry. 'Did dad defeat all of them?', he thought.

He believed in his father's strength but But they're not out of the woods just yet. It won't take long before the Abyss claims its prize.

Haru snapped out from his thoughts upon noticing Yuuki was awake staring at him with wide, confused eyes. Without a word, the young girl scans her surroundings.

Haru's shoulders sagged in relief. He settles her on the ground and bends down to her height. Placing his hands over her small shoulders made the young girl look up at him. "Yuuki, listen to me. I want you to stay here and wait for me, okay? I promise I'll come back for you as soon as I can.", his voice was firm and unwavering yet reassuring at the same time.

Yuuki nods tentatively in response, though her brows were furrowed in confusion. Haru rose to his feet and draws a circle on the ground using the tip of his sword then casts a barrier around it. Lastly, he wrote her name inside the circle.