So this is a little fanfic I thought up a little while ago when I was wondering why Hinamori might still be calling Hitsugaya "Shiro-Chan".

Hope you like what I came up with!

It was late. In fact, it was far too late for the two of them to be up. If their grandmother found out the two of them had snuck out of their room, she would be furious. However, they both decided that it was worth the risk. Well, Hinamori thought it was worth the risk since the stars were so beautiful this evening. Hitsugaya, on the other hand, only snuck out because Hinamori practically dragged him outside in her excitement to watch the night sky.

Hinamori kept walking with Hitsugaya right behind her until she managed to find a nice clearing in the woods. While her childhood friend had urged her that there was no need to go all the way out into the woods since they had a perfectly fine view from their deck, she wouldn't have it. She wanted, no, needed to find the perfect spot to stargaze and their deck just wouldn't do! Plus, while she did say that going out was worth the risk of getting caught, she really didn't want to increase the chances of their grandmother finding out they had snuck out. In any event, after about ten minutes walking, she finally settled on a spot.

"Come on, Shiro-chan!" she said as she let go of Hitsugaya's hand so she could lay down on the grass. "Come lie down next to me!"

"No way" he retorted as he stood next to her with his arms crossed over his chest. "My clothes will get dirty if I lie down. Plus Oba-san will find out we went out if she notices that our clothes are covered in dirt."

His friend merely frowned at his reply. Then, she suddenly started to smirk. Without giving him enough time to react, she suddenly pulled him down next to her on the grass. Since he was still a good head shorter than her, he didn't possess the strength to fight her and immediately fell down next to her.

"There!" Hinamori said as she flashed a bright smile at her frowning friend. "Now that you're already dirty, you might as well lie down next to me and enjoy yourself!"

"Fine" he retorted as he lied down and stretched himself along the grass. Looking up at the night sky, he had to admit that it really was a beautiful sight. Of course, he'd never admit that to Hinamori.

Yet, he really didn't need to. Hinamori could easily tell that he was enjoying the view just by the look on his face. While it may seem indifferent to others, she could easily tell that he was enjoying himself. Smiling, she lied her head down on the grass herself so she could get a better view of the night sky.

So the two of them just stayed there staring at the sky while silently enjoying each other's company. After what seemed like forever, Hitsugaya finally broke the silence. "Say, Hinamori, there's something I've always been meaning to ask you…"

"Hmm? What is it, Shiro-chan?" she replied while lifting up her head to properly face him.

"Why do you keep calling me Shiro-Chan? I know that in the beginning, you just called me that because you didn't know my name. But you obviously know it by now, so..." he said as he started to straighten himself up as well so that he could face his friend. "...Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Well, that's because you have such pretty white hair!" she exclaimed as she ruffled one her hands through his hair.

"I'm being serious here, Hinamori!" Hitsugaya yelled as he pushed her hand away. "You say it's because you like my hair, but how can you?! It's the reason why no one wants to get near me…" He then lowered his head to avert her gaze and whispered "...I hate my hair."

Hinamori merely continued to stare blankly at her friend, unable to yet think of a reply. Then, it came to her. "Well, that settles it then. I'm going to keep calling you Shiro-Chan!" she exclaimed with a big smile on her face.

"Huh?" Hitsugaya replied as he lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Of Course, I did!" she retorted. "And that's exactly why I'm going to keep calling you Shiro-chan forever and ever! Even when we're old and gray, you will always be Shiro-chan!"

"But… Why?" he questioned as he tried to search her face for answers. "You know that I hate my hair for being so different, so why constantly reminded me of that!?"

Seeing that her friend was clearly upset, Hinamori pulled him into a tight embrace and whispered in his ear. "Because I want this name to serve as a reminder that someone else loves you for all the things that you hate about yourself. So that whenever you feel like you aren't good enough and that you have no redeeming qualities, all you have to do is remember that there is at least one other person who will always think otherwise." At this, Hinamori started to feel her shoulder get wet with what she knew to be her friend's tears. You must have been holding this in for so long, huh, Shiro-Chan? she thought as she tighten her embrace.

The two continued to hold each other until Hitsugaya felt confident enough that his tears had stopped and pulled away enough from his friend so that they could now look at each other face to face. Seeing that her friend was finally feeling better, Hinamori smiled and spoke once again. "So until you learn to truly love yourself, I'm going to keep calling you Shiro-chan, alright?"

"Like I have a choice…" he replied while trying to sound as indifferent as he could as he stood up. However, he knew it was useless since Hinamori could always see right through him. They both knew that he was secretly happy about her "reminder," but for the sake of his pride, they both pretended as though he was actually upset. "Anyway, we should head back before Oba-san notices that we left. We have been out for a while…"

"Ah! You're right!" Hinamori exclaimed as she jumped to her feet. "Come on, I'll race you back home! Last one home has to clean the house tomorrow!" Hinamori then took off running back home before even giving her friend a chance to reply.

Hitsugaya merely sighed as he watched her run off. Thank you, Momo he thought as he started to run after her in the hopes of not being stuck with extra chores the next morning. Fortunately for him, he was the stronger runner.