Author's Note: I found it a little unusual how I got almost no reviews recently for any of my fics at all…I s'pose my work isn't worth reviewing anymore or whatever. Anyway, same deal as last chapter, if anyone read it at all. The flashback scenes are written in italicized font. This chapter is a teensy bit shorter than the other ones, but not by too much. I also must warn you that this isn't one of my best chapters. A little bit of strong language as well. So try to enjoy, I guess.

"Promise me you'll never leave me, Kusaka."

"Why?" Kusaka replied curiously. "Why are you asking something like that right now?"

"I don't know," Hitsugaya confessed. "J-Just promise. Promise you'll always be Kusaka Sojiro and nothing else."

With a laugh, Kusaka took Hitsugaya's hands, feeling the smaller fingers curl tightly around his own as if afraid he was going to run away or something of the sort. As if he was afraid he was going to leave right then and there.

He knelt down and looked him straight in the eye.

"I promise, Toshiro."

At the current moment, Hitsugaya Toshiro was wondering whether or not he was dead.

Everything was dark because he couldn't bear to open his eyes. He felt warm, though. Warm, comfortable, and content. Maybe this was what being reincarnated was like.

He opened his eyes.

As he blinked to clear his vision, he noticed that his settings had not changed. The ceiling above him was still depressingly blank and the walls around him were still in a similar condition. He wasn't sure whether he was supposed to feel relieved to be alive or upset to not have been able to die and leave this life.

The child prodigy then realized why he had been feeling so warm and secure. A pair of arms was wrapped protectively around him, holding him tightly. He still felt a dull pain in his lower body, but nonetheless, he still felt safe.

"K…Kusaka?"

"Thank god," the older male breathed, his grip around Hitsugaya's body tightening slightly. "Thank god you pulled through alright. Don't you scare me like that ever again, you hear me, Toshiro?"

Hitsugaya nodded weakly, an enormous wave of guilt surging through him as he realized what he could have done upon seeing how much paler Kusaka had become.

It was selfish of him to have tried to take his own life like that. He would die, be reincarnated, and go somewhere better, leaving Kusaka behind all alone in this miserable hole. What a coward he felt like.

"I-I'm sorry," Hitsugaya murmured, sitting up and gently pulling himself from Kusaka's arms. "You must have been worried…"

"I know, I know, you're sorry," Kusaka muttered, "But 'worried' doesn't even start to cut it, you know. How would you feel if you turned around, just to see me lying there and bleeding to death on the ground? Why did you do that?"

"I don't know," Hitsugaya answered guiltily, "I don't know, Kusaka. I was just so confused and so frightened, and…and that whim just came over me…"

"A whim?" Kusaka repeated, "You tried to take your own life on a whim? I don't think you realize how serious this is, Toshiro. What if you really did die?"

"Kusaka, I…"

"Toshiro, honestly," the raven-haired youth interrupted, his voice both pained and angered, "If being with me really hurts you this much, then just tell me. I want you to be happy, Toshiro, and if I'm not good enough for you, tell me."

"N-No! I didn't mean it like that."

"Then what are you trying to say? What are you trying to say?"

"I don't know."

"And why don't you know?"

"Why are you asking me this?" Hitsugaya retorted, his voice rising as well. "Why do you have to make everything into an argument!? You know I hate it when you do this! You know I don't want to fight with you!"

"Maybe," Kusaka snarled, "Maybe I wouldn't have to if you don't act so damn childishly all the time!"

"Childishly!?" Hitsugaya repeated indignantly, "I am not a child anymore, Kusaka."

"Then stop acting like one, Toshiro! Grow up and use your fucking prodigy brain already!"

Hitsugaya's eyes widened, and he opened and closed his mouth, trying to think of something to say back, but no words came out of his lips. There was a pause, and then he completely lost it.

"What makes you think you have the right to talk to me like that!?" he shouted, his eyes burning with hate, glaring ice at Kusaka, "You think you can say whatever you want to me, is that it!? You've never been able to stand the fact that I've always had higher grades than you, have you!? You say you love me, but you've never been able to see past the fact that we're rivals! Am I right, Kusaka Sojiro!? What am I to you!?"

"Don't you fucking yell at me! Who do you think you are!? You think you can get away with anything because you're better than me!?"

Hitsugaya said nothing.

"Answer me, Toshiro."

"No."

There was a deathly silence that followed before Kusaka's eyes narrowed, his voice suddenly becoming eerily cold.

"You self-centered, egotistical little brat!"

He slapped Hitsugaya across the face, hard, forcefully enough to send the white-haired boy slamming into the ground before sending a vicious kick towards his stomach. The boy coughed harshly, his wounds from his previous suicide attempt far from healed as blood splattered across the floor, trickling from his lips.

It was when Kusaka's hand moved to his katana that he realized what he was doing.

Horrified, the older male froze, his eyes moving to his hand, which was resting on the hilt of his sword. What am I doing? he asked himself, What the hell am I doing? For god's sake, I was actually about to kill Toshiro…What am I turning into?

"T-Toshiro…" he whispered, kneeling down next to him. "Toshiro, I…"

Hitsugaya slowly turned his head to look at Kusaka, his eyes rigid with fear.

"I…I'm so sorry. I don't know what made me do this, I…Toshiro, please, forgive me."

Hitsugaya said nothing, merely looking away, his eyes full of doubt and pain.

Kusaka knew that he wouldn't be able to keep his sanity much longer. Here in Las Noches, every bad turn of events and every little word was driving him closer and closer to the edge. He had to get out of there; otherwise, everything would be over. Who knows what else he'd be compelled to do under these influences. He would lose everything. He could end up hurting his academy sweetheart, or worse. They had to leave before he completely lost it.

"Toshiro," he spoke, taking the frightened boy's hand in his own and pulling him to his feet. "Toshiro, we're getting out of here."

"What?" Hitsugaya whispered, pulling his hand away, "Why this all of a sudden?"

"Ichigo-kun was right," he murmured quietly, "You don't belong here, Toshiro, and I know that I can't last much longer, either."

"What do you mean?"

"Listen to me, Toshiro," Kusaka said firmly, placing his hands on Hitsugaya's shoulders and looking directly into his eyes. "I don't know what Aizen is planning, but if he doesn't hurt you, then as long as we're here, I know I will. I…I'm losing it, Toshiro, and I can't put you in danger because of it. We have to leave."

"Kusaka, I'm sorry…I-It was my fault, I shouldn't have said such things to you…"

"No, you did nothing wrong. Just trust me on this, alright? Promise me, Toshiro. Promise me you'll trust me. If…If something like this happens again, please, Toshiro, please fight back, run away, kill me if you have to. Promise me you won't let me hurt you like this again."

"Kusaka…"

"Toshiro, promise me."

"…I promise, Kusaka."