Toshiro Hitsugaya sat at his office desk finishing up his paperwork. Matsumoto had left him with a heap of paperwork that she had neglected to do. It always ended up he would pester her to finish it and he would end up doing it himself. Somewhere deep inside her sake-loving, lazy self she had the brains to finish the work she just didn't because she 'had better things to do.' Hitsugaya sighed as he signed the last paper in kanji. He pushed the papers aside and rubbed his eyes, he had been up since four in the morning doing paperwork. He removed his hands from his eyes when he heard an all too familiar voice,

"Oh, captain!" the voice said in a sing-song voice. The voice revealed itself to be none other than Matsumoto. She poked her head in the office with a cheeky grin,

"What is it now Rangiku?" Hitsugaya asked. Matsumoto waltzed it and her hands behind her back. Hitsugaya looked up irritated,

"I came across a little something, something and I just had to show you!" Matsumoto said with a sly grin and a cock of her eyebrow hinting at something.

"I'm not sure about what you're hinting at, but just show me already or leave." He said tiredly. This little conversation was keeping him from sleeping. Matsumoto pulled her hands from behind her back to reveal a small wooden picture frame.

"Take a look at the ones in the picture!" Matsumoto said with a squeal. Hitsugaya looked down at the frame Matsumoto had pushed into his hands. He looked closely and recognized the two people in the picture. He saw none other than himself in the frame. It was him when he was younger at the Shino Academy. He wore the traditional blue uniform, but the difference between him then and now is that he looked happy. Hitsugaya moved his eyes to the other person his arm was around. His eyes widened at the sight of her. The girl had pink hair which was tied in two buns with more hair flowing from each bun in a gentle curl. She even had pink eyes that sparkled and she wore the red uniform of the academy. She was smiling and his arm was wrapped around her shoulder like good friends. He knew that girl well, she was his best friend. "I just had to show you a picture of yourself when you were happy! Oh, and that girl you're with is such a cutie!" Matsumoto said with a giggle. Matsumoto shut his eyes and shoved the frame back to Matsumoto, "Captain, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, that picture just brings back some memoires is all. Take it away or do whatever you want with it." Hitsugaya said as he left his office for his room.

"Captain, have I done something wrong?" Matsumoto asked sadly. Hitsugaya stopped,

"No not at all. Just forget it." He said as he left without another word. Matsumoto frowned, why didn't her captain like that girl in the picture? She would have to solve this mystery on her own. She sat the picture up on his desk; he did say she could do whatever she wanted with it. She left the office thinking about the girl in the picture.

The next day Matsumoto went to the library, for once, to do some research on the girl in the picture. She went to the computer and electronic files to look at Shinigami and their pictures. She went through the files for almost an hour until she found the pink haired girl. She looked a bit older and she had the same hairstyle and smile. Matsumoto clicked on the picture and the girl's file opened. Matsumoto read closely,

Name: Kokoro Haruka

Eyes: Pink

Hair: Pink

Height: 4'2''

History: Attended Shino academy and ranked second in her class.

Advanced class 1

Precious Squad: 10

Former Seat: 5th

Status: Deceased

Matsumoto looked away from the screen. That little girl was dead? A friend of her captain was dead at such a young age. Matsumoto didn't want to believe it, wanting to find some sign it wasn't true she read on,

Kokoro Haruka was sent on a month long assignment in the world of the living to control the number of hollows entering Karakura Town. Her spiritual pressure went missing and she was pronounced dead when her blood and part of her kimono was found after a hollow attack. The soul society was unable locate her body anywhere and she was presumed dead.

Matsumoto looked up again. That was the end of the profile, there was only a possibility Kokoro was dead and Matsumoto was determined to find her again. Suddenly she heard a voice,

"Snooping around other people's business again, Matsumoto?" Rangiku shot up from the chair she was in.

"Captain, don't sneak up on me like that! You almost made me lose my kimono!" Matsumoto lectured. Hitsugaya huffed,

"You shouldn't be poking around in things that don't concern you, Rangiku." Hitsugaya said. Matsumoto pouted,

"Captain, I just wanted to-" her captain stopped her

"Don't try to. I've looked around Karakura town and I haven't found her. So just stop." Hitsugaya said tonelessly, but his eyes were distant.

"Captain…do you really want to just give up?" Matsumoto asked

"I've looked for her for a long time, the chances were against me and I quit because at the time I was still only a fourth seat at the time! She would've come back if she were alive." Hitsugaya turned and gave a cold yet somehow pleading look, "Just save yourself the grief." He walked away from the library. Matsumoto stared after her captain, dumbfounded.

"Save yourself the grief….what does that mean?" Matsumoto asked. She rolled her eyes at her captain's riddles. She was going to find this girl no matter what. If she meant something to her captain she meant something to her as well. She marched her way down to the first division barracks. She was on her way to Karakura Town to find the girl in the picture.