Hitsugaya's side again. A little passing in season and set up. I realize now that I'm a really slow writer. Not that I write slow but that I have little action. I don't know why I feel the need to drag you on. I'm weird like that.

A/N: I just finished chapter 18 and I felt giddy and excited so I'm awarding you with another chapter. Special thanks to those that have reviewed:

Guest all five reviews! I don't know if it's one person 5 times or 5 people with 1 each or some other combinations, but thanks!

Anahissa I want them to meet again too. And I'm one chapter away from them actually having a conversation with each other. (I'm fangirling over my own story right now.)

Alteas08 Thank you so much for the compliment! It really means a lot to me! And your English was just fine!

NaturalSam14 Yeah, Karin just isn't complete without Yuzu so Hana was a quick solution. I imagine her like a squirrel. Cute and fluffy. Thank you for the compliments!

silvershark1987 No, Toushirou wasn't Tabi-wearer. But I'm bringing Tabi-wearer back later. Just for funsies. ;) I will try to watch out for spelling but sometimes I'm thinking faster than I'm typing. Feel free to point out anything else I can improve on!

FlameHead Thank you! I love drama but I don't know how well I write about it. (I mean, I wrote a whole chapter about paperwork)

akeyama I was super depressed after writing that chapter. It made me want to cry too.

You guys are the best. I love you so much.

Disclaimer: I ate a cookie today. I was too poor to eat more than one. Obviously I own nothing of value.

Chapter Twelve: Just a Feeling

It was snowing. Not light flurries that inspired snowball fights and snow forts and snowmen. Not the kind that you read about in the stories as people curl up next to fires with cups of hot cocoa.

No, this was a full on snowstorm, the wimpier people calling it a blizzard. The kind that, if someone was forced to be in it for even a second, they would be frozen and soaking and miserable.

Hitsugaya Toushiro was sitting calmly at his desk, signing a few more papers acknowledging the treatment of some of his squad members by the fourth division. The last Invader exercise (as the Shinigami were now calling it) had been harder for the combined divisions than any of the previous ones. Almost all divisions now joined in on the exercise, a prize had been offered to anyone that could stop Hitsugaya (unofficially of course). Sometimes, he didn't fight the Shinigami, just snuck past or shunpoed past to see if they could spot him. They never did. Not only that, but it had been snowing then too. Nothing like today, but the cold had slowed and weakened everyone down while giving Hitsugaya energy and speed.

A few of the injuries had been the result of slipping on ice, absolutely nothing to do with Hitsugaya or the exercise at all.

He signed and stamped the last sheet, placing it in the out box before stretching. It was a slow day, no one really willing to go out in the weather just to deliver paperwork. Hitsugaya didn't mind. The weather was probably a little extreme, even for his tastes but something about blizzards calmed him. Not that he was feeling particularly stressed or anything. Just …restless.

Something deep within him had been making him more restless than he had been in over 5 years now. Hyourinmaru was feeling it to, a bubbling inside that made Hitsugaya antsy and anxious, unsure of the cause.

He felt… excited. Like something big was going to happen, really soon. Something good. Or bad. He was sure yet.

The door to his office opened and Matsumoto entered, wearing a thick winter coat with a fur lining.

"Taicho~!" She frowned as she rubbed her arms. "It's way too cold in here!"

He raised a brow. "Is it?" He honestly hadn't noticed. He hadn't felt the need for a jacket or anything. Not that he usually did, mind you.

"Yes!" She shouted, aggravated. "Look! You can see your breath!" She gave a huff and pointed to the visible white cloud that appeared. Now he was surprised. He was usually conscious enough of the weather to tell when he needed to raise the temperature for other's sakes. And it wasn't like he was immune to the cold. He usually was at least aware of it long before it got that cold.

"I hadn't noticed. The rest of the tenth division is sufficiently warmed?" It wouldn't do to have all his soldiers huddled in corners trying to get warm.

She nodded. "Everywhere else is mostly fine. It's just in here! Look! I had to get a coat just to open the door! I'm surprised there's not frost-" Her rant was cut off as she noticed that there was in fact frost creeping on the wall that led outside. She glared at her taicho, who had the decency to know that he should have realized how cold it was. She had been complaining about the temperature of his office for a while now and for the last few days refused to come inside, too cold.

"I know that you aren't as affected as the rest of us, but you're not immune!" She frowned reprovingly at him. "You'll get sick if you continue to work in this temperature." He would have rolled his eyes. He had honestly never gotten sick before in his life. At least, in living memory. It was odd because cold temperatures didn't actually make people sick so his resistance to the cold couldn't have been what caused his good health.

"The people don't get sick from the cold weather, even if it's called a 'cold.' That's just a myth." Matsumoto frowned at his argument.

"Regardless. You should be more aware next time." Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow.

"Obviously there's no need. It doesn't affect me apparently and it keeps the workload light. I would have thought that you of all people would appreciate that." He stood and piled some paperwork into a special case that was weather resistant for days such as this.

"You can't be planning on going out?" Her eyes widened in surprise. "The blizzard-"

"It's just a snowstorm, Matsumoto. We've travelled in worse. And I might as well. No one else can or will. Make sure that the Shinigami aren't just lying about. When I come back, I expect them all to be working or training. Or meditating with their Zanpakutou, at the very least." He added as an afterthought.

"Wait!" Matsumoto called out to him before he exited his own private exit. It went out into his private garden but was an effective exit. He turned back.

"At least take a coat if you are going outside." She rolled her own eyes, going to the closet and rummaging around for his usual coat. She pulled it out and handed it to him. He raised it up and probably would have put it on but noticed something.

"Matsumoto. It's too small now." She gasped as she took it from him and held it out to his torso to measure. It was indeed too small. It had probably stopped fitting him a good three years ago. Apparently it had been a while since he had felt the need to wear a coat. She looked up into his eyes, a strange expression of …something in her eyes. Nostalgia?

"I don't know if you have a bigger coat in your closet." She continued to look but it was evident that he was indeed lacking in any serious winter wear. She pouted, a hand on her hip. "How did we not notice before? We'll have to get you a coat when the weather lets up. You really should have a winter coat."

He headed for the exit again. "I don't see why." He said dryly. "If we haven't noticed I outgrew my last coat, it's a good indicator that I don't need one."

"You do need one! You're just stubborn!" Hitsugaya ignored her.

"I'll be at the 7th and then the 5th if you need me." Matsumoto braced herself against the sudden cold and wind that swept in the room when he opened the door. Then he was gone, the snow that had been blown in falling to the floor in gentle flurries.

She lifted up the outgrown coat that she was still holding. Her expression softened. He was a man now. Somewhere along the way, without her noticing, he had grown up. It had hit her when she realized just how much bigger than the coat he was. She had noticed his height before, but something about the jacket had hit her.

Perhaps it was because he had had it for so long. She could remember so many memories where he had been wearing that coat. So many birthdays she had forced him to celebrate. She remembered when he had first gotten it. It was back when he had first been made captain. She had gotten it because he was starting to outgrow his old one but she had gotten it way too big. He had continued to wear it, probably hoping to grow into it.

She sighed, her breath coming out in a white puff of crystalized air, before hanging it up and putting it back in the closet. She felt like her child had grown up. She needed a drink.

Hitsugaya quickly shunpoed through storm, moving so fast that he didn't even register the wind before he was off again. He arrived at the 7th division entrance and entered. The door was shut but it was most likely to keep the weather out rather than other Shinigami.

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" A shocked Iba-fukutaicho stopped on his way to stare at the slightly snow-covered captain, currently dripping on to the tatami mat.

"Iba-fukutaicho." Hitsugaya nodded, lifting the case containing paperwork. "I just had some forms to deliver."

"But- the weather-"

Hitsugaya shrugged. "Doesn't bother me." Iba took the case thoughtfully. "Wonderful! We have some forms for you as well." He paused, glancing at the stone-face captain. Hesitantly he spoke up, obviously nervous to be asking. "Are you- are you going to make deliveries to any other divisions?"

Hitsugaya blinked. He wasn't called a genius for nothing. "I was planning on going to the 5th division after this. Do you have any paperwork for any other division?"

Iba, relieved that he offered, promptly loaded Hitsugaya up with forms for not only the 5th division, but the 4th, 3rd, and 13th. In minutes, Hitsugaya was off. When he reached the 5th, the process was repeated, with Hirako-taicho asking him to make deliveries for them.

"I would send my own officers but they can't move through this weather like you can. Without even a coat." He added with a surprised tilt of his head.

Again, Hitsugaya shrugged and replied, "Doesn't bother me."

Hirako simply raised an eyebrow but refrained from saying anything.

Hitsugaya's delivery, which should have been over after a quick trip to two divisions became an all-day activity as he ended up visiting every single division, all of them utilizing the helpful captain who was apparently immune to the weather that left everyone else scurrying inside.

"Even I'm cold! And my bankai leaves me at below negative temperatures!" was Rukia's comment when he arrived at the 13th division.

At the end of the day, Hitsugaya was making his way back to his own division. The storm had let up a little, making it a little bit easier to see. As he landed on the roof of a building, he paused before shunpoing further.

He gazed through the wind-tossed snow towards the East, not feeling the weather at all.

He had felt something. He couldn't place it. But Hyourinmaru had perked up in his spiritual world, suddenly restless. There was an odd twinge in his chest, like someone had just prodded his heart.

Seeing and sensing nothing, Hitsugaya continued back to his office to lock it up for the day before heading home. Except he wouldn't head home. He suddenly had a lot of energy to burn even though he had spent the last few hours shunpoing all around Seireitei as fast as he could.

When Hitsugaya stood in the empty dojo, holding out Hyourinmaru in preparation of sword training, he was surprised to hear an almost purr-like growl coming from his Zanpakutou.

Something making you pleased? Hitsugaya mentally asked.

He could feel Hyourinmaru's smile.

Soon, he purred.

The weeks passed quickly. The winter was a cold one. Twice more, Hitsugaya had felt the strange heart-prodding. Once in while he was sitting at his desk, doing paperwork, and once in the middle of an Invader exercise. The last one had caused him to pause, distracted, leaving him open for an unseated Shinigami to tackle him.

Or at least to jump on him in an attempt to bring him down. He had been so shocked that he had managed to grab a hold of Hitsugaya that he had almost let go as if he had done something wrong.

A quick jab to the forehead had knocked him unconscious for several hours but he had been rewarded by having free sake at a celebration that night.

Currently, Hitsugaya was sitting at his desk (surprise, surprise) when he paused in his robotic signing and filing. The paper he was holding was a sign-up for the guest officer that would visit the graduating Academy class sometime during the Spring semester. It was still the winter semester but the Academy always sent out the request early to try to get a high-ranked officer to accept, so they wouldn't have the excuse of not having a free schedule.

Normally, the request was ignored until the soutaicho assigned a division to send someone (which usually ended up being some low seated officer who drew the short straw). The 10th division hadn't been assigned for years.

He wasn't sure why but he felt like he should sign up. He had never wanted to before. He actually hated going. He had always been the shortest in the room even though he was the strongest and the bratty and immature students always exclaimed at how 'cute' he was (they had assumed he was out of earshot) or worse, the scarily forward girls that asked him personal questions that he considered highly inappropriate but always left him blushing to his great shame.

Because of all this, he really had no idea why all of a sudden he saw his hand go down and sign up his name as the one that would personally be the special speaker. He blinked as he watched his other hand place the form in the out box, as if the matter was sealed.

For a minute, he almost snatched the form back out but then Hyourinmaru spoke up.

Leave it master. The deep growl reverberated in Hitsugaya's mind.

Why? Hitsugaya asked, confused.

The ancient dragon shrugged. I just feel like you should go. Don't you feel so?

Not being able to argue, Hitsugaya simply picked up another form.

Golly, I wonder why he could possibly feel like he needs to visit the Academy?

Review and you just might find out! (as if you couldn't guess)