Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Hisagi Shuhei, or anything. I only own my character, my weird imagination, and a computer. Please do not flame. I haven't wrote anything in a while and I'm currently working on about ten other stories so I have no clue when I'll update. Italics' are thoughts. Bold letters are authors notes. It'll make sense later.

It was so long ago. Back when we were just kids. Did I know it then? Did I know that I would grow to love you? Did I know all this would happen? Shuhei, do you think we can make it last a bit longer?

The small boy sat on the ground crying. He watched blood trickle down from the cut on his leg. He knew he shouldn't be crying, but who could blame him? He was only six.

Shuhei had made the mistake of wondering too far away from his home. He thought it would be fun to play in the woods, acting like a shinigami on a mission. But now here he was, crying his eyes out, regretting it all.

A small voice, barely heard over his crying, spoke, "A-Are you okay?"

He looked up, wiping the tears from his eyes. A girl about his age stood near him with a worried look in her golden eyes.

She sat next to him and pushed her ebony bangs out of her face, "Are you hurt?"

He moved slightly so she could see the cut. She smiled kindly and took her ribbon out of her hair, wrapping it around his leg to stop the bleeding, but careful to not cut off the circulation.

She stood up and held out her hand to help him up. He took it shyly, but with a smile on his face.

"My grandmother can heal it. Our house isn't too far away." She said guiding him. "I'm Iriai Bishou. What's your name?"

"Sh-Shuhei Hisagi," He said, thankful for her kindness.

She smiled as they neared a small house. She opened the door and led him in, calling to her grandmother as she entered, "Grandmother! Please come! I found an injured person!"

An elderly woman with hair like Iriai but gray-blue eyes cam out from the back room, "An injury?"

Iriai nodded and looked at Shuhei. He stood there, paralyzed from fear, in the middle of the room. His cut started bleeding through the light green ribbon.

The woman smiled as kindly as her granddaughter, "A cut is it? No worries young one. I'll have it healed in just a moment. Iriai who is he?"

She smiled at her grandmother, "His name is Shuhei."

The woman removed the ribbon and began dabbing the cut with a wet cloth, "Well Shuhei, your lucky my little sunset found you. I'm Hinode. I'm a herbal healer, Iriai is my assistant."

He bit his lip, "I-I shouldn't have been in the woods anyway."

Hinode frowned at that, "Now I don't think that's good. If you hadn't then you wouldn't have met us. I think meeting new faces and making friends is one of the best things."

He smiled, "I-Iriai seems nice."

Hinode bandaged his leg properly and let out a weak laugh, "Iriai is very nice. She takes good care of the ones she meets. Now that she's met you, she's going to watch over you to make sure your safe."

Shuhei stood up, "I think I'll like that. I hope we'll be good friends."

Iriai, who had gone outside to watch the cherry blossoms fall, came in smiling, "Grandmother! The whole yard is covered in cherry blossoms! It's so beautiful!"

Hinode and Shuhei went out to see. It was true. The fallen petals had spread out over the grass and the still falling ones were covering the empty spaces. Hinode set a hand on either of the children's shoulders and smiled, "That's amazing. Oh, but isn't it time for you to go home?"

Shuhei nodded with a frown, "Yeah, uh Hinode-san c-could I come back sometime?"

She nodded, "Iriai, why don't you escort him home?"

Iriai smiled "Okay, but I have to get another ribbon for my hair first." She said going inside to her room.

While she was busy, Shuhei snuck in and took the ribbon she used to cover his cut as a souvenir of the day. He smiled, happy to have someone so kind to help him.