I am done with another chapter. This little flashback arc is about to be all wrapped up in the next chapter or two. It's time to move on with the real plot and solve all this madness. Also my apologies for not posting at all for these couple of months. I was being lazy, studying, being lazy, school, being lazy, hanging out, being lazy, homework, being lazy, being caught up in other things, being lazy, and of course, being lazy.

Memories: Diamond and Dust

She placed another foot into the icy air as she maneuvered her way throughout the human world. Her zanpakuto was already clearly drawn as she twirled with it around within her hand. Now it was just a matter of using it. Her eyes widened once she spotted her target and she swooped down, clearly beheading the hollow wandering about there.

"Well…I think that's the last one spotted." Naori cheerfully reassured herself and she massaged the aching pain in her back. It sure sucked a lot for her to be waken up so early in the morning just to get rid of a bunch of little hollows.

"Fifth Seat Hibana-san! We've just disposed the last of those hollows. What do you suggest we do next?" One of the lower seats asked her.

"I don't know. I'm not the one giving out orders here." Naori replied and she leisurely sat down on a nearby bench.

"But sir, the seats higher than you were immediately called to the captain and lieutenant's side." He responded.

"Wow…that's weird. Then this top-secret thing that Hitsugaya-taicho is guarding must be super special. I mean he already got most of our division to go and assist him." Naori pondered for a moment before realizing her sudden duties. "Uh yeah! There's no reason to stay here any longer. Everyone go back to Soul Society."

"Yes sir." The lower seat bowed and quickly vanished.

"Ah!!" Naori loudly yawned as she tiredly stretched in her bench. It was so tiring for her to even put up a barrier in the world of the living. This was her morning for her. One moment she was happily sleeping in due to the notice that the captain left her and the next…she was blared right out of her sleep from loud yelling outside of her door. Stupid hollow warnings.

Unfortunately, as she was in the midst of her relaxation, the barrier slightly wavered and a flash of electricity zapped right out. Two very noticeable sounds of thuds rang through her ears and she quickly flipped around. She noticed two figures, that were standing around her, suddenly fell down like they fainted on the spot.

"Snap…I'm so dead…" Naori muttered and fished out her old Kikanshinki device. So this was another tedious thing to add to her agenda. Wipe out those knocked out people's memories, get the heck out of there before they receive any more of her spiritual pressure, go home and practice putting up barriers. Just how could this happen? Her lessons with Matsumoto really need to be reviewed again.

She quickly hurried up to one of the victims, which was some middle-aged man with disheveled hair. He was lying on his side with a notebook tightly gripped in his hand. She only partially lifted him up from the ground when he suddenly started screaming.

"Oh Miyuba-chan!!! I'm finally back you see!! I'm back where I promised I'd meet you! Now! Now we can be together for-"

Smack!

Poor guy couldn't finish his sentence before the panicking Naori knocked him out with a fist to the head. She sighed and shook herself out of the panicked state before pressing the button on the device.

"Excuse me miss?" A tiny voice asked and prodded her arm. A small tiny girl, the other victim, looked at her in pure curiosity. "Why did you hit him?"

"Huh?" Naori could only say that one syllable before she quickly pressed the button again right in front of the girl's face and the tiny one fell back into a slump. Her tiny little legs fell back against the hard concrete in a thud and her pink dress gracefully flowed along with her fall. Naori slightly bowed down toward her as an apology. A sincere apology to… what's her name on that nametag? Haruka Ayumishi, for not catching her when she fell.

She immediately stood up and flash stepped as far away as she could from those two. She really should be heading home by now. It was getting pretty late and the skies were turning dark. Suddenly, her cell rang from her side and she listened in on the message left to her. A few minutes later, she quickly disappeared and prepared to head right back home for a meeting with the entire 10th Division.

Naori frowned in complete discontent as she flash stepped some more. She wished she could have convinced Matsumoto to stay a bit longer in training her. If she did, then she can just pop a gate from her zanpakuto at any location instead of having to find a strong field of spiritual pressure for her to use.

But just as she was passing by a large hill, a strong wave of spiritual pressure suddenly pushed her right off her path. "What the heck was that?" Naori gasped as she struggled to regain herself from staggering any further.

Yet in that very same hill that she witnessed, an arrest with tons of shinigami and one sole rebel was taking place. Numerous shinigami were surrounding the area while three were fighting at the very top.

"You're under arrest." Izuru calmly said as he stood before the fallen shinigami.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!!" Hitsugaya yelled as he readied his sword for the attack. In a mere instance, a long dragon of ice and water flew out and wavered through the crowds. Its brilliant wings of blue and white shone brightly with the slim body of a current of turbulent water. It was just like a violent river floating in the air. It weaved through the crowds and successfully disabled them from doing anything else. It reared its head back and roared in victory while disappearing into the murky dark skies.

Hitsugaya could only stare out at all the shinigami he just took down in one blow. A blinding pain shot up from his stomach and he suddenly dropped to his knees, holding in on the pain. He coughed out some of the blood bubbling in his throat and he staggered up to his feet. His sash bandaged hand held tight to his zanpakuto as his free hand gripped onto the wound in his stomach.

Naori stood at the edge of the hill, looking into her reflection that was shining back on her at one of the numerous purple rods. She recognized this spell.

He suddenly jerked up once he felt that slight hint of spiritual pressure wavering at him. He thought he already disposed of all those shinigami that was sent after him. Should he quickly get rid of this stray one too? Yes…definitely…

"Hitsugaya-taicho…" Naori dazedly said, only able to move on inch towards him.

He couldn't say anything. Hitsugaya didn't reply back as he moved slightly away from her. Of all the people to bump into, it had to be her.

"Hitsugaya-taicho-Ah!" Naori gasped and jumped back a little the minute she witnessed her captain pulling his zanpakuto out. At that moment, she knew that he was definitely not playing any games. In a reflex, her hand flew back and reached for her zanpakuto handle as well, but she quickly pulled it back.

"What's going on captain?" Naori asked and she lightly stepped forward and a bit closer. "What happen to you? Your captain's cloak…your clothes…these people…"

Just as she was stepping closer, he was backing away as well. Just how was he going to deal with her? How? Just when he was thinking that, the pain shot up from his stomach again and he staggered a bit in his steps.

"Captain! You're hurt!" Naori said in surprise as she was stepping even more closely now. "Please, put your sword down and let me heal up those wounds."

In a panic, Hitsugaya quickly backed up as far as he could from her. He was heading back so far that he was already on the elevated floor of the shrine there with his back pressed against the wooden door. Yet in the process, he accidentally released a slight trace of his spiritual pressure. But it was clearly enough to push Naori further than necessary.

Naori gasped as she tried to steady herself from falling over completely. That guy! Was it really necessary to force her back almost five meters away? Was he really trying to knock her right off that hill?

"Hitsugaya-taicho! What's wrong with you?" Naori yelled at him in frustration, unable to hold those worried emotions back. "If you keep this up, then everyone's going to be so worried over you. How is Matsumoto-fukutaicho going to feel about this? Your division? Everyone in Gotei 13? Hinamori-fukutaicho? What's going to happen when she wakes up and you're gone?"

"Naori Hibana!" Hitsugaya barked out at her, enough to clearly shut her up. "Stay out of this."

"You… You're running away from Soul Society aren't you?" Naori confirmed in a shaky voice. "Why?"

As the winds rustled through the both of them, he could only do nothing but stare dumbfounded at his subordinate. She was glaring at him with her eyes almost brimming to tears and her hands steadily placed right were her sword handle was if she needed to attack or defend. Her dark bangs and beads were swaying off to the side just like his spiky white hair. Just as Hitsugaya only slightly moved, her hand already gripped onto her sword out of reflex.

"Hitsugaya-taicho…" Naori softly said. "Anyone would least suspect you of doing this. How could you be abandoning Soul Society like this? It makes no sense!"

Crap! Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at her and he quickly began his stance for a flash step towards her. He could already sense the breakdown happening before him. He didn't want to see another breakdown exactly like Hinamori's last one. It was horrible enough for him to even witness a girl crying in despair in front of him.

"Please…just why?" Naori cried out, loud enough for the trees to shudder in response. "Don't leave everyone in the dark here. Just tell us!"

Her golden eyes widened once he had disappeared. Vanished in a mere flash step. Like he just ignored everything she just said a second ago. Naori sighed and lifted her hand from her sword. She could only stare at the stone floor with her dark bangs covering her eyes. "I see…you're running away from me now…" She silently said to herself. "Fine…people like you…ARE BETTER OFF-"

Thump!

She slightly fell forward, feeling something small yet sturdy connecting with her stomach. Something unpleasant was already rising to her throat and she felt like she could lose her consciousness at that moment. She was already falling forward, but someone was already over at her and cradling her fall. Her eyes widened at the sight of a streak of silver white hair and a large tan cloak surrounding her completely. It was only after hearing a sword banging lightly against the stone grounds before her eyes closed completely and the darkness conquered her.

"Sorry…"

A sleeping figure lonely slept in her pristine white bed. Her dark blue hair was already undone with her golden beads and accessories properly removed. She slept in her white kimono with her bare arms exposed. The windows of the room were already open with winds blowing through the transparent curtains. In that time, she could only slightly stir and nudge her head around.

She heard a rustle next to her bedside and felt something light and fluffy land on her nose. Her golden eyes slowly and slightly opened and she rolled her head to the side, letting the soft petal fall off as well. It was a lavender petal falling from the bouquet of flowers on the bedside table.

"Hibana-san! You're finally awake!" A relieved voice said, one that she knew it belonged to Isane. "Somebody's here to see you. I'm going to leave so call me if you need me." Isane smiled and spoke to someone else before leaving.

"Naori. I see you're awake." Hitsugaya's faraway voice rang through her ears, prompting her to fully open her eyes.

"Hitsugaya-taicho! You're…" Naori asked, finding her captain to be standing far in front of her with his normal attire on and everything. His normal white captain's cloak and his sword strapped onto his back. There weren't even traces of blood or wounds. "Was I dreaming this whole time?" Naori muttered to herself and leaned back down into her propped up pillow.

"No." Hitsugaya simply answered as he stared out of the window, gazing on at the stony and icy remnants sitting out at a distance.

"Oh…" Naori softly answered with her mind trying to sort through the confusing mess. "Is everything okay? You're not going to leave?"

"No." He sighed and turned away from the window while heading his way back to the door. "If you don't mind, I'm going to leave. I have to go see a friend."

"Okay." Naori meekly answered and watch her captain disappear from the door. She sighed and turned her gaze towards her open window. The wind was blowing such a nice breeze on this somewhat cloudy day.

Hitsugaya was walking towards the gate when he spotted his lieutenant waiting for him by the gate. "Matsumoto." He acknowledged and she handed him the cloak and the broken sword. He gripped onto those two items and started his walk towards the outer edges of Seireitei. Matsumoto orderly followed behind him with a serious face placed on as well. He would not be in the mood for games. Maybe afterwards.

Naori dazedly stared out from her window and watched her captain and lieutenant leave the premises. She already abandoned sleeping in her bed and she was just perched up against her window. "Friend of Hitsugaya-taicho…you are lucky to be his friend." She softly said and a small smile crept up to her lips.

The lavender petal floated out as a gust of winds blew by and it floated in the direction of her captain. Naori's fingers were playing with that petal.

Uh…yeah…so that's the chapter. I've incorporated the movie in this one! Maybe I'll put in one of the filler arcs as the next one.

As always! Review!!