Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Author's Note: Well, a one-shot that's my first contribution to the Bleach section... hopefully you'll enjoy it. Also, the first Hiyori/Toshiro fic ever... in English! I shall dub the pairing... HitsuYori! -shot- Anyway, read, review, and enjoy.

WARNING: Spoilers for the fake Karakura arc.

Unorthodox

The blade slid smoothly though Aizen's back, piercing his heart and reappearing out of his chest. Hatred and triumph coursed through Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the Tenth Division.

He had done it! He had felled Aizen Sosuke, the bane of his existence, the one who had caused his dearest friend so much pain and agony... the one who had ruined everything. This man, currently skewered on Hitsugaya's sword had, in one night, destroyed the one person he held most dear without so much as batting an eyelash

And now he would die. Hitsugaya would make sure of it.

"Guh..." Aizen coughed. He gripped the blade protruding from his chest and attempted to pull it out, but to no avail. Red liquid dripped down the man's hands, clenched tightly around Hyorinmaru, so much so that the razor sharp edge drew blood from the man's long, almost delicate fingers.

All Hitsugaya felt was satisfaction.

"Damn... you..." Aizen managed to choke out. The two were standing atop a glacier formed from the power of Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto. Soifon and Kyoraku Shunsui floated several feet away from the two, wearing morose expressions and looking exhausted.

I've avenged you, Momo.

"Guys... guys! What the hell are you guys doing?" Kurosaki Ichigo shouted, abruptly starting Hitsugaya out of his reverie. As though the orange haired substitute's voice was a catalyst, the image of Aizen shattered and fell away to reveal...

Hinamori Momo, her dark eyes blank as blood spilled out of her mouth.

Hitsugaya stared stonily at the visage before him, eyes lost in the tragic past. He was kneeling in front of a tombstone in a small, secluded clearing, head resting on his elbows, enshrouded in the folds of his white haori. With the exception of his blue-green eyes, Hitsugaya seemed as though he was chiseled out of ice, unless one noticed that his hands were balled into fists. If he'd been in Seireitei, one wouldn't have noticed even these slight signs of emotion, as the young Captain was very careful to keep himself under control.

But when he was alone...

... That was another matter. Especially when he visited her.

Taking a deep breath, Hitsugaya let out a muffled groan. Sighing softly, the white crowned genius lifted his head out of his hands, aquamarine eyes fogged with melancholy. The full, round moon was high in the night sky, illuminating the short boy's angelic features and casting sharp shadows on his prominent cheek bones.

He would have been a beautiful child, if not for the undiluted, agonized pain that marred his expression.

"Damn you... Aizen..." Hitsugaya said softly, shifting his weight. He was beginning to lose feeling in his knees. His Zanpakuto, Hyorinmaru, clinked against his back at the disturbance. Dimly, Toshiro almost thought he heard a muted roar, but dismissed it. He hadn't spoken or dreamed of Hyorinmaru since Aizen's treachery... or more correctly, Hinamori's near fatal run through with him.

How ironic that I managed to succeed where Aizen failed, Hitsugaya thought cynically. Despite his grief, no tears sprang to his eyes; the Captain couldn't even remember the last time he'd cried, it had been so long ago. Sighing, he stood up and gave the tombstone one last look, simultaneously brushing dirt off his pants. An inscription etched on the grave read Hinamori Momo.

Dammit.

Hitsugaya closed his eyes. He could remember it all so vividly, even though months had passed since that day. The horrible realization as he stared into his childhood friend's lifeless eyes. The mind numbing rage and hate he immediately felt afterward toward Aizen. The awful helplessness of lying on the earth soaked in his own blood, mixed with Hinamori's, knowing that she was dead, knowing she had died almost instantaneously and there was nothing he could do about it.

Knowing that it was all his fault.

Knowing that he had killed Hinamori with his own two hands.

... Dammit.

Suddenly Hitsugaya sensed a presence; it was faintly familiar, but the reiatsu was strange- foreign. Hitsugaya instantly turned, sword in hand.

"Who's there?" he demanded, outraged that someone would dare disturb him while he mourned. He was also highly suspicious, considering it was the dead of night.

"Oi, no need to pitch a fit, Baldy," replied a familiar voice, and Hitsugaya relaxed. Slightly. A girl shorter then him (and that was saying something) sauntered into the clearing, hands stuffed into her pockets. She wore a red jogging suit, Zanpakuto strapped to her back in a fashion similar to Hitsugaya's. The girl's short, straw colored blonde hair was tied in two pig tails, a disgruntled expression on her pale, freckled face. Her eyes were fascinating to Hitsugaya; a light, amber-brown color that seemed to almost shimmer with a variety of ever changing emotion. In this way she reminded him of Ichigo; her emotions always on a sleeve, or in this case, her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Hitsugaya asked tersely, trying not to get irritated by the fact that she called him a 'Baldy'- he had no idea what it meant, and was rather proud of his full head of hair, thank you. It was obviously an insult, though, that much was clear.

"Why the hell should I tell you? I'm here 'cuz I want to be," she said snottily and Hitsugaya bit back a growl; Sarugaki Hiyori was as annoying as he remembered.

"I thought you and your friends wanted nothing to do with Soul Society- I'll ask again, why are you here?" Hitsugaya persisted, narrowing his teal colored eyes, mind momentarily diverted from his loss. Hiyori huffed and looked away.

"I already told you; ain't none of your damn business, Baldy!" she retorted irritably, eyes flashing. Hitsugaya scowled and took something akin to a fighting stance, sliding Hyorinmaru back into its sheath.

"I'm a Captain of the Gotei 13; it's my duty to find out what you're doing- and don't call me Baldy," Hitsugaya said firmly. Hiyori made an annoyed face.

"Blah blah blah- I could care less about your duty shit. If I remember correctly, you guys practically begged us to come back to Seireitei, what with all the help we gave during the battle against Aizen," Hiyori replied with an undignified snort. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, irritated by the way she so casually tossed Aizen's name out. Even in death, his presence was felt.

All the same, why did this girl annoy him so much?

"Yes, but you all refused. So why are you here now?" Hitsugaya demanded forcefully, taking a step forward. Hiyori glared, bravely holding her ground. She might have Hollowfication on her side, but Hitsugaya was still confident that he was stronger- he'd taken on the number three Espada alone and held his own, after all.

"You deaf or something, Baldy? I already said I ain't gunna tell you and asking a bunch more times ain't gunna change nothing," she said sharply. Hitsugaya responded with a cold glare.

"Don't call me that. It's Captain Hitsugaya to you," he growled, taking another step forward. The two were practically nose to nose at this point, glaring daggers. It was oddly comforting to be looking down on someone, for once.

"Ehh? You gunna stop me, shorty?" Hiyori mocked and a tick appeared above Hitsugaya's eye.

"Like you're one to talk," he said irately, unsure why he was so annoyed. The kid just seemed to have a knack for getting under people's skin.

"Hah. Think I care?" It was obvious she did, but Hitsugaya refrained from commenting. "Well I don't! But it's obvious you do, shorty!" Hitsugaya growled and grabbed Hiyori by the collar of her shirt, lifting her up so that she was eye level with him. She was so close that Hitsugaya could make out every individual freckle on her face, brown eyes wide with surprise.

"I don't care!" he shouted furiously, his voice breaking slightly at the end. He wasn't sure why he was so abruptly upset, and it bothered him. He was Hitsugaya Toshiro; he didn't lose his cool over anything. And yet this was the second time in a row that this girl, who he barely knew, caused Hitsugaya to lose his temper. Hiyori blinked, a stunned expression morphing her features as she craned her head over his shoulder.

Moments later she disappeared.

Startled, Hitsugaya turned, tracking her movements to find her kneeling down by Hinamori's grave, an unreadable expression on her face. Shunpo. Or was it Sonido, for someone who had Hollow powers? Hitsugaya resolved to think about it later.

"... I didn't know the girl was buried here," she said after a long, awkward pause, voice as strange as the expression on her face. Hitsugaya wasn't sure how to respond, his gut clenching with the familiar pain and guilt. "But that's no excuse for attacking me, dammit!" Hitsugaya didn't even know what hit him as Hiyori drilled feet first into his stomach. With a stunned 'oof' the white haired Captain hit the ground, Hiyori standing on top of him with a triumphant expression.

"Wh-what the hell was that?" Hitsugaya managed to wheeze, thoroughly winded, propping himself up on his elbows. Hiyori scowled.

"That pitiful expression on your face pissed me off- 'sides, no one lays a finger on me and gets away with it," she snapped and Hitsugaya blinked.

...

"Get off me!" he yelled, shoving Hiyori away as best as he could. She lightly jumped off his stomach, looking pleased with herself. Hitsugaya stood up, wincing and rubbing his stomach as he brushed dirt off his haori. That would leave a bruise- and probably cause Matsumoto to make annoying innuendoes and spread completely false rumors when she saw him. Hiyori glared.

"You're one of them, huh?" she said abruptly and Hitsugaya stared, feeling confused and not liking it. Hiyori was a baffling kid.

"Excuse me?" Hitsugaya replied. Hiyori sighed, obviously annoyed by his lack of understanding.

"One of those people who mope around for months over something that wasn't their fault, am I right? I can tell by that pathetic look you had on your face," she said, hands to her hips, a disgruntled expression plastered on her face. Hitsugaya stared at her for a moment, and then looked down, his expression turning into one of self-loathing. Now he understood; she must've realized why he was here. Hiyori might be obnoxious, but she was still pretty insightful.

"You're wrong. Her death was completely my fault-"

"You still have that fucking expression, Baldy!" Hiyori shouted suddenly, tackling him again. Hitsugaya yelped as he hit the ground for the second time, Hiyori kneeling on his stomach.

"I, you- stop that!" Hitsugaya shouted, using his strength to flip her over and pin Hiyori to the ground. Hiyori stared, slightly surprised by the crushed and defeated look in the boy's eye. "I... I killed my best friend, girl. I was so full of hatred and anger that I didn't even realize the person we were fighting couldn't possibly be Aizen. I was brash and stupid, and because of that Hinamori died. She-" Hitsugaya never got to finish, as Hiyori interrupted his monologue with a kick to the face. Pained and surprised he let go, rubbing his aching jaw. Hiyori sat up, scowling.

"Don't be an idiot, Baldy. How the hell were you supposed to know that it was that girl- Hinamuti or whatever? Aizen's Zanpakuto tricks all five of the senses- you couldn't possibly have known what was going on. And isn't it natural-"

"But..." Toshiro interrupted, only to get a punch to the stomach, shutting him up.

"I'm talking, dammit! Let me finish, then go ahead and spout some moronic crap that I really don't care about. Look, it's natural to feel hatred toward Aizen- hell, that bastard was hated by pretty much everyone, me especially. But even if you had been rational, I seriously doubt you could've seen through Aizen's guise. The guy in pink was really strong and even he didn't realize what had happened. It's one thing to grieve over what happened, but there's no point in beating yourself up over a situation you had no control over." Hiyori crossed her arms, looking pleased with her response. Hitsugaya gave her a flat stare, shifting into a comfortable sitting position.

"You're wrong. It's one thing to say something like that, but you didn't experience it. The… the horror of realizing that the one person you cared about most in the world is dead, and by your sword. Someone like you… could never understand," Hitsugaya responded morosely and Hiyori glared. She then stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the young Captain.

"See, this is why people like you piss me off. Because you're so selfish and utterly stupid." Hitsugaya stared at her, torn between being confused and being offended.

"Excuse me?" he finally asked, incredulous, and Hiyori jabbed her finger against Hitsugaya's chest.

"First off, you know next to nothing about me, dipshit. What right do you have to just go spouting crap about me like you know me? How do you know I haven't been in a situation similar to yours? I might understand better then you think. Not only that, but to put all the blame on yourself… it's disgusting. Take a moment to think about how your comrades' felt, what this girl, Hiner-what's-her-face, would've thought. Instead of going about bitching like some idiotic school girl, shoulder your pain together and bear through it. You're a man- hell, you're a Captain! We all have to suffer tragedies, and we all have to recognize them and then move on. You should know that, but you don't. Of all the baldies I've met, you're by far the baldest," Hiyori finished, spitting on the ground. Hitsugaya stared at her, slightly stunned by the extremely offensive speech. His chest also ached slightly, as she'd jabbed it each time she wanted to accentuate her point.

But…

As much as Hitsugaya hated to admit it, Hiyori posed several good points. He'd never once considered what people like Renji and Kira, who'd been good friends with her, would've felt at her death; or Soi Fon and Kyoraku, who'd been just as helpless to prevent her death. Not only that, but what would Hinamori herself have said? She'd have been mortified. No, she would've comforted him, and then helped him get over it. Hitsugaya didn't know, because she wasn't here right now. Another wave of depression threatened to overwhelm him, but Hitsugaya staved it off, determined. Hiyori was right! He was a Captain- he couldn't go on like this! But he couldn't just let go of his grief and guilt, either. But he could sure as hell try.

"Say something already, dammit!" Hitsugaya was roughly started out of his thoughts as an impatient Hiyori punched him in the jaw. Holding the throbbing area, Hitsugaya glared.

"Stop that! I was thinking over what you said!" he yelled and Hiyori glared.

"Well, think faster. I ain't got all day," she grumbled. Hitsugaya scowled.

"Why don't you just leave? It's not like you need to stay here," he said and Hiyori got a stubborn look on her face.

"I can do whatever the hell I want, Baldy," she retorted and Hitsugaya resisted the urge to groan. Why was this girl so difficult? He'd never met anyone so exasperating… at least Matsumoto was slightly respectful, albeit in a mocking fashion.

"Fine. I don't care," Hitsugaya replied, which seemed to annoy the girl; she'd obviously been expecting a more explosive reaction.

"Don't get me wrong; it's not 'cuz I feel sorry for you or nuthing. I hate Shinigami, they piss me off, and this is a chance to prove it, what with all your idiotic morals," she growled scathingly.

"But didn't you and your friends used to be Shinigami?" Hitsugaya asked innocently and she froze with surprise. "What, you didn't think I'd look you all up? I didn't get to be a Captain at such a young age for nothing." Hiyori glared and pointed her thumb at her chest.

"So? We're not anymore- Soul Society betrayed us. See what I'm in right now? It's a Gigai Urahara made 'specially for us. Let's us keep our powers, but makes us corporeol at the same time. We haven't been Shinigami in over fifty years," Hiyori said bluntly, a look of disdain in her eye. Hitsugaya simply cocked an eyebrow.

"Then why are you in Soul Society now?" he asked innocently.

"Th-that," Hiyori spluttered, turning red, "is none of your business!" Feeling the tide of the 'battle' shift, Hitsugaya smirked.

"I think, no matter what you say, you really missed Soul Society. Which is why you're here. And you say I have problems putting the past behind me…?" This hypothesis earned a punch to the gut.

"Shut up!" Hiyori snapped angrily. "You don't know anything! Actually, this is stupid, I'm so sick of this dumb place. I can't believe I stayed this long- I'm leaving!" She then did an about face and began marching theatrically away. Hitsugaya rubbed his stomach, watching her leave.

Sarugaki Hiyori was an enigma, along with all her friends. There had been very little on them in the records Hitsugaya looked up. Her past was enshrouded in mystery, and her manner was obnoxious, rude, and pretentious. And her way of comforting him (if one could call it that), was unorthodox, to put it in the most positive light available. So then… why did she make him feel better? Why did he want to know more about her?

Most importantly, why did he not want her to leave?

"Oi," Hitsugaya called after Hiyori, who paused. She looked over her shoulder, a disgruntled expression on her face.

"What now?" she asked irritably. Hitsugaya stood up, wincing slightly. He was going to feel like crap tomorrow.

"Why don't I walk you back to Seireitei?" Hitsugaya suggested cautiously, readying himself for an assault. Hiyori's expression morphed into that of comical surprise.

"Huh?" she said, clueless. Then; "The hell? What do you think I am? I'm not some dumbass damsel chick in need of protection- I can take care of myself just fine!" Hiyori seemed to literally swell with anger, taking a step toward him, fists raised. Hitsugaya held up his hands in an attempt to calm her down.

"Don't be stupid, I didn't mean it like that. As a Captain, it's my duty to make sure you don't cause trouble," Hitsugaya explained calmly and Hiyori paused, mollified. Then she snorted.

"Duty my ass. Whatever, Baldy. I could care less," she said, turning away. Hitsugaya smirked slightly before falling in step with her.

"I also have some questions."

"Of course you do, Baldy," she sighed, hands behind her head as the made their way back to the glowing lights of Seireitei. Hitsugaya briefly cast one last glance at Hinamori's grave, before returning his attention to Hiyori.

"What do you mean with this whole Baldy thing?" he asked and Hiyori blinked before grinning wickedly. Hitsugaya felt a faint tremor of foreboding.

"Well…" she began.

A little while later, a still blushing Hitsugaya said good bye to Hiyori, who was staying with the Shinigami of the Twelfth Division. Apparently all the Vizards were here, trying to negotiate some sort of terms of agreement with Kyoraku, the standing Captain-Commander at the moment as the newly formed Central 46 tried to decide one, along with a bunch of other Captains.

"Later, Baldy." Hiyori smirked, heading inside her sleeping quarters. Hitsugaya's blush intensified at this, but then he blinked as something occurred to him. Later? Did that mean they were going to see each other again? For some reason, that made Hitsugaya happy, although he couldn't figure out why.

"…Bye," Hitsugaya replied belatedly, for Hiyori was already gone. Sighing and stretching his pained muscles, Hitsugaya made his way back to his own home, where a pile of paperwork inevitably awaited. He was lost in his thoughts, all revolving around a certain blonde-haired, pig-tailed girl.

Yes, Hiyori was a very good definition of the term 'unorthodox'. Hitsugaya didn't understand her at all. And being with her seemed to bring a lot of pain and humiliation to the pale haired Captain. But for whatever weird, unknown reason, Hitsugaya didn't mind.

In fact, he rather liked it.

Author's Note: Done! Daww, that was so much fun to write! I know we don't know whether or not Hinamori or Yammamoto died, but in this fic they did, because it was a war and I'm trying to be realistic. Hinamori got stabbed in the heart, and Yammamoto blew his skin off. Even if you're stronger as a Shinigami, I have a hard time believing you could survive something like that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it (I know I did), and if you did, then please review! =D

~Dragoon