Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

Chapter Four - Moving On

Over the next couple of weeks Rukia went about her work as the Squad Thirteen vice-captain and as time progressed she found that the moments when she was overcome with grief were growing fewer. Every time that the young woman felt the familiar sadness descending upon her, bringing with it the crushing weight in her chest, Rukia found herself thinking back on that day in the cemetery.

Thinking back on that moment with HIM.

Ever since that day, when he'd sought to offer her comfort and a brief escape from her sadness, Rukia had felt a strange but no less strong bond with the Captain of Squad Ten. Both had suffered an indescribable loss at the hands of the traitorous former Captain Sousuke Aizen and as a result seemed uniquely suited to offer one another comfort. She knew that most of the inhabitants of the Seireitei had labeled Hitsugaya cold and unfeeling however Rukia was certain that there had to be another side to the young captain, a side that he kept guarded and well hidden from the world.

Hinamori had seen that side of him and Rukia had caught a glimpse of it herself, at the memorial service for all of those who had died at the hands of their enemies. She had seen his solitary tear as he placed his daffodil on the stone that bore the names of the lost so she knew that he had feelings just like everyone else. That knowledge made her determined to find that side of him for herself.

"I want to see the light of happiness in those mesmerizing teal eyes."

And yet even as she thought this Rukia felt a stab of guilt, piercing her heart like a white hot poker. In her heart she knew that Ichigo would want for her to find happiness for herself and yet a small part of her felt disloyal to him for even thinking of someone else. "I'm so sorry Ichigo," she murmured as her thoughts shifted back and forth between Ichigo and Hitsugaya. "I know that everything that happened to you was my fault. I'm the one who pulled you into this world that destroyed you. I was nothing but trouble for you and now I have the nerve to seek comfort."

Rukia's subconscious conjured up a vision of the one that she had lost and it was as though she could hear his words. And they were not happy. "You idiot! I made my own decisions, no one forced me to do anything. Especially not you, you got that?"

Rukia knew that this 'vision' was more than likely merely a product of her subconscious attempts to rid herself of the guilt that she was feeling and yet despite this knowledge she found that she did indeed feel somewhat better.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Unable to focus on the paperwork that he needed to complete, which was completely uncharacteristic for him and somewhat disturbing, Captain Hitsugaya finally gave it up as a lost cause. With one final, disgusted look at the papers he straightened them up and placed them in the center of his desk, his pen placed on top of the stack. Pushing back his chair the young man got to his feet.

Hearing the noise of his chair scraping against the floor Matsumoto looked up and turned questioning eyes toward her superior. "Captain?"

"I'm going out for awhile," Hitsugaya said in answer to her unasked question.

"Alright," Matsumoto said, watching as he walked across the office, slid the door open, and stepped out. She had noticed that her captain had seemed distracted as of late and she couldn't help but feel concerned. It had been nearly two months since Hinamori's death and yet Captain Hitsugaya still hadn't snapped back.

What he needed was something to take his mind off of the grief that was threatening to devour him but Matsumoto was at a loss as to what that something might be. And as much as she wanted to help him she didn't think that there was really anything that she could do. No matter what she said she couldn't seem to take that sadness out of his eyes.

Confused by his own tumultuous thoughts Captain Hitsugaya slowly walked away from the Squad Ten barracks. His thoughts kept moving from his lost friend Hinamori to the raven-haired Rukia from Squad Thirteen. The young captain was still touched that Rukia had put aside her own grief and had made an attempt to help him move past his.

There were so few people in the world capable of such a selfless act but Rukia had proven herself one of those rare souls who always thought of others before thinking of themselves.

Not sure what to do with himself but realizing that he didn't have the concentration necessary to go back and complete his paperwork Captain Hitsugaya made his way out to the river that was located in District One of the Rukongai. This had always been his favorite spot, ever since his arrival in Soul Society so long ago. Gazing at the peacefully flowing river had always helped to clear his mind.

The young captain wanted that peace now as he sought to unravel his tangled thoughts and sort through his twisted emotions. With a sigh Hitsugaya sat down beneath a cherry tree, pulling his knees up to his chin and wrapping his arms around them in a protective manner. This was the very site where Rukia's one act of kindness had set these thoughts in motion and although he was somewhat afraid to admit this fact, even to himself, Hitsugaya was developing feelings for the raven-haired girl. At first he'd thought that these feelings were merely the product of her kindness but now he wasn't so sure.

Whenever he was feeling sad and depressed all he had to do was think about Rukia and in no time he found that he was feeling better. This was strange and completely unfamiliar territory for Hitsugaya. The only emotion he'd ever been able to show easily was anger and yet now he found himself longing for something more. Something that he was sure he could never possess.

And at that very moment Hitsugaya heard movement in the underbrush, heard the sound of something coming toward him. His teal eyes darted toward the sound and a few seconds later, as though summoned there by his thoughts, Rukia stepped into the clearing. Her eyes widened as her violet gaze fell upon him and Hitsugaya noticed that she seemed apologetic.

"I'm sorry Captain Hitsugaya, I didn't know you were here." Rukia's voice was quiet and she kept her gaze downcast. "This place is so peaceful I just wanted to come back."

Hitsugaya shrugged off her apology. "You don't need my permission to be here."

"But if I'm bothering you. . ."

"You're not bothering me." Hitsugaya's words came out harsher than he'd intended and he made an effort to soften his voice as he added. "Join me. Please."

Rukia seemed to debate his words for a couple of minutes and then she sat down a few feet away from him.

Hitsugaya felt his pulse quicken as she sat down beside him and this reaction only served to further confuse him. Were his feelings for Rukia more than just gratitude for the kindness that she'd shown him? Was there something else there?

As the two of them sat in silence Rukia found that her eyes were drawn to Hitsugaya as though controlled by a magnet and ever so often she dared to steal a glance at him. The young captain seemed lost in thought and there was such an intense expression in his teal eyes. Rukia was transfixed by those eyes and felt that she could have stared into them forever if only she wasn't scared that he'd turn and notice that she was staring at him.

Rukia was so lost in these thoughts that she actually jumped when Hitsugaya spoke. "So how do you like being a vice-captain Kuchiki-san?"

Aside from that time at the river when he'd explained to her his need to attend the memorial service Hitsugaya had never spoken to her about anything not directly related to some mission that they were both involved with. And even those exchanges had been brief. The young woman was so shocked that it took her a moment to collect her thoughts enough to actually answer the question that had been posed to her. "I enjoy it most days although there is a lot more paperwork involved than I would have imagined."

"Only for some vice-captains," Hitsugaya muttered, thinking about his own second in command. Matsumoto had an aversion to paperwork that was legendary throughout the Seireitei and she used any and all excuses to get out of doing it.

Rukia couldn't help but laugh at this statement and when she again glanced over at Hitsugaya she saw that he actually had a small smile on his face. "Wow," she thought to herself as she gazed at this rare show of emotion from the normally stoic young captain. "He's really cute when he smiles like that."

Suddenly embarrassed Rukia looked away, glad that Hitsugaya couldn't hear her thoughts. She really hadn't meant to have that one. It had just kind of happened. "So how are things in the Tenth?" she asked in an attempt to keep the small talk going, hoping that Hitsugaya wouldn't notice her embarrassment.

"Things have almost returned to normal," Hitsugaya told her. "Although I'm still behind on my paperwork."

This last statement was made in a whisper, as though Hitsugaya was ashamed to admit it, and Rukia smiled. "Well don't feel bad about it. After all, you are doing paperwork for two."

In all honesty it was an incredibly corny joke but Hitsugaya smiled despite himself.

"REALLY cute when he smiles like that." A slight blush rose to color Rukia's face and she quickly got to her feet. "Well I should probably get back. I have work to do."

Hitsugaya nodded as he stood up as well. "I think I've neglected my responsibilities long enough as well." He hesitated and then said, "I'll walk you back, if that's okay?"

Rukia nodded. "I'd like that."

And so the two of them left the Rukongai side by side. The walk back to the Seireitei was quiet, with both lost in their own thoughts, and when they arrived at the Squad Thirteen barracks Hitsugaya bowed to Rukia. "Thanks for the company."

Rukia smiled as she watched him walk away, her gaze lingering on his retreating form. "Any time." And oh how she meant those words.

Captain of Squad Eight Shunsui Kyouraku was walking back toward the Squad Eight barracks after a 'mission' to a small shop that sold sake however he stopped short as his gaze fell upon Hitsugaya and Rukia, together. Eyes wide in disbelief he quickly turned to his vice-captain, Nanao Ise, who had accompanied him on his 'mission' in order to make sure that he returned to the office before dusk. "Did you see that Nanao-chan?"

"DON'T call me Nanao-chan!" she snapped, hating the nickname that he insisted upon using. "And yes I saw Captain Hitsugaya bowing to vice-captain Kuchiki." It was obvious by the tone of her voice that she didn't see any significance in this sight.

"But did you see the look in his eyes?" Kyouraku asked, wanting to know whether or not she'd seen the important part. The part that had caught his attention and successfully gotten his mind off the bottle of sake that he carried in his hand.

Looking at her captain as though he'd lost his mind Nanao shook her head.

"Interesting," Kyouraku said quietly as he continued on his way, a broad smile on his face.

A/N - and there's chapter four. Sorry if the characters seem OOC. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Please, I have major self confidense issues over this fic. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.