Hitsugaya's brow furrowed lightly as he watched Sougo; he'd never seen the man lower his pride that much, which was incredibly telling on how the situation was affecting him. His sister... Hitsugaya didn't want to imagine how jarring it was to have accepted her death and be forced to face her once again.

With a soft sigh, he replied in a calm voice, "I've always been your weapon. Even if we run into troubles, my resolve isn't so easily broken. And I'm resolved to protect you, Okita, and by association your sister."

With that, he gave a long sip of his tea. He was nothing if not loyal, and it was clear to him now that his loyalty always lay with his meister. Somewhere along the line, he'd become convinced to stay by this man, and it wasn't something he'd turn away from now.