Hi there!! Welcome to chapter 2! I hope you enjoy! Please review!!

Chapter Two: Really Tired

Hitsugaya stood on the roof of the building near the park. He stood and looked down below at the trees and the wide expanse of green grass. He sighed.

It was afternoon and the colours here under the blue sky were almost too bright for him to comprehend. Compared to the dullness and starch white everywhere in the seireitei, just seeing the colours out here in the Real World was almost too much. He wanted to watch the sky, but found himself in pain just thinking about it.

He remembered a young human girl sitting beside him, asking him why he liked to watch the sky so much.

He recalled his reply.

"It brings back memories."

Yeah. Memories. It had always been memories of her. Of Hinamori Momo. But now… he didn't want to remember her!! He didn't need to think of her or suffer just by remembering her face anymore!! He didn't want to think of her ever again!! Because it would only bring him more suffering, as if he hadn't suffered enough already. What if… what if it got so much worse that he could never recover?

Hitsugaya sat down on the roof. His eyes stared blindly down at the area below him. He couldn't even go back to his spot, that other place- at the railing on the hill.

He felt the urge to reach into his pocket and check his phone for Hollows. But he knew that he was here supposedly to recover, and he could feel the reiatsu of the two other shinigami in Karakura who could take care of any problems.

Maybe he should get Tetris on his phone or something. Give him something to do.

Suddenly, there was noise from below him. He looked down from the roof to see the group of kids spilling into the park. He recognized the four boys and the one girl that were laughing and talking excitedly to each other, the girl with a soccer ball in a net slung over her shoulder.

Ichigo Kurosaki's little sister. His brain thought automatically as he gazed down at the girl under tired eyelids.

Hitsugaya had met Kurosaki Karin before. Only a few times the last time he was in the Living World. She was such an immature child she amused him. She scowled a lot but not as much as he frowned. She laughed and grinned too, which made him feel a little strange because she could smile so easily.

To Karin, he was probably just another one of Ichigo's weird acquaintances. But Hitsugaya hadn't visited the Real World in a long time. Things in Soul Society and within the Seireitei had been crazy, what with the whole incident with Aizen. She'd probably forgotten all about him.

---

Karin swept the soccer ball easily under her feet, expertly weaving her way past the two boys attempting to steal it. Then she passed it smoothly to another friend.

Karin stood there and watched as the others ran off further with the ball. She frowned to herself as she looked around. She thought she could feel spiritual pressure. A pretty big amount of it too.

She thought immediately of a shinigami captain she had met before. She knew he occasionally hung around in certain parts of Karakura, mainly on the hill at the railing, but also in the places around the park. But she couldn't see him right now.

Karin looked up at the blue sky stretching out endlessly in front of her. She smirked. He would be sky-watching, probably. Still, with her head raised looking upwards, she turned around slowly, looking around.

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Karin was doing, spinning around like that. Suddenly, he panicked, as she was turning towards him. The next thing he knew, his eyes were widened and staring straight into hers. Karin's dark eyes were also wide and surprised, meeting his icy cold ones.

They were speechless for a moment.

Crap!! She saw me!! Hitsugaya cursed under his breath.

Karin blinked, seemingly unsure for a moment. Then she brightened and called out to him, while running forward towards the building. "HEY!! Toushirou!!"

Hitsugaya scowled in annoyance as he got to his feet. Without glancing back at her again, he flash-stepped and sped away as fast as he could, so that when Karin looked up at the roof, there was nobody there.

---

The once bright sky was beginning to turn into a beautiful orange-lit sky. Red and purple lines streaked across it, but Hitsugaya told himself not to look up at it. He was tired. He'd run away from Karin and paused now, just at the road that led up to the hill.

Dammit!! He was so bloody exhausted. And not just from the running.

He was just so weary. He didn't understand it. Why… why was he even sent to Karakura to recover? How was he meant to recover? How did he even know he'd ever be okay again? He'd been put through hell and back already. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be anywhere.

He was so tired. He was so sick of everything. Of Aizen and all the crap that bastard had put him through. Of being in so much pain from Momo. He was so bloody sick of it all!!

So why?? Why am I even here? He looked up forlornly at the hill in front of him. He didn't want to see the beautiful sky and reminisce anymore.

His eyes hardened as he frowned. And why the heck was she so darn happy to see me?

Hitsugaya didn't want to see Karin. He didn't want to talk to her or answer any annoying questions. He didn't want to have to explain anything about what had happened to him or anything.

But… she wanted to see him.

Footsteps appeared behind him. He tensed.

Hitsugaya swore angrily in his mind, and ran harder up the hill. Damn, who even ran uphill like this? How stupid!! His eyes hardened in pain as the familiar railing ran alongside him, above it a beautiful view of the sky. He didn't even want to be here, up here in his place of memories.

But as he weakened and allowed himself a sideways glance of the sky, he faltered. Hitsugaya stopped and found himself in pain. Dammit, he was so, so tired. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white and were shivering.

What, Momo?? You're not satisfied? I came all the way here to Karakura to run away from you and the grip you have on me!! Why must you continue to follow me everywhere?? Why do you continue to torment my thoughts like this?!?

Hitsugaya stood there, his head bowed, suffering silently.

Suddenly, the footsteps he had heard before came back, louder and more urgent than ever. They stopped behind him.

Hitsugaya whirled around angrily and prepared to yell at Karin.

But he couldn't.

She was bent over, her hands rested on her knees as she breathed heavily. Her short black hair was messed up from the run and her face was a little flushed.

Hitsugaya just stared.

Finally, Karin straightened up and looked at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya frowned.

"Toushirou!" she grinned at him, even though she was tired and would've been angry at him for running from her. "I finally caught up to you!"

"Why did you even bother chasing after me?" Hitsugaya said dully, avoiding her gaze.

Karin shrugged. "Dunno. Felt like it, I guess."

Hitsugaya cringed. You just 'felt like it'??

"Besides," she continued, "I haven't seen you in a long time, so I wanted to catch up." Karin stepped closer and her eyes hardened as she took in the captain's appearance.

Hitsugaya didn't look at her. He hadn't wanted to meet her because he didn't want her to see. He was so sick of all the fake sympathy, all the attempts at compassion with him. He had had enough of Matsumoto and the other soul reapers trying to talk to him and comfort him. He didn't want any more sympathy.

He looked at her tiredly as she continued to look over at his weary appearance. She took in the dishevelled, limp white hair; and the slumped way he stood; the cold blue eyes that seemed somewhat distant and old; as well as the bags under his eyes, the dark purple-grey bruise-like colour under his eyes.

Karin smirked.

Hitsugaya stared at her wide-eyed.

"Dude, you look awful!!" she commented, now scowling at him. "What happened to you??"

Hitsugaya was confused as he stared at her scowling face. He hadn't expected her to react this way for his appearance like this, but actually… he kinda welcomed the change. His shoulders relaxed from the tensed-up position.

Karin grinned. It was an easygoing grin that Hitsugaya didn't understand. It was a… really happy smile. "Whatever. You're not gonna tell me anyway. I'm just glad I saw you again."

It was really hard to understand. For some reason, Karin didn't soften or offer any sympathy to what might've happened to him. Instead, she was smiling at him, seemingly relieved that he was okay. And her carefree nature, her smile seemed to thaw away at the ice encased around him.

It made him feel better. It took his mind off the things that bothered him; it seemed to take away the pain for a moment.

It… must be nice not having to worry about anything. He thought, Karin, you're just a kid. Even though in soul society terms, I'm considered a kid too, I've been through so much that you can't even try to understand. You're lucky, Karin…

But he still didn't get it. He'd been so tensed up before, suffering and not being able to bear it. Karin hadn't even said much. She'd simply told him he looked awful.

Yet somehow, Hitsugaya seemed like he'd released some of the tension within him. Like he'd been holding himself in, clenching his fists, tightening every part of his body, struggling to contain it; and then letting go and releasing himself. It felt good.

He was tired, still so bloody tired. But he'd been unable to rest before, and now it felt like he might be able to.

Hitsugaya looked at Karin. Karin blinked at him.

He felt like he was already sleep-walking. Damn, he was so tired!! But it was a different kind of weary to the kind of weariness from before. It was a more… relieved kind of tiredness.

"Toushirou?" Karin frowned now.

He muttered, "…I'm tired, Karin. I'm really… really… tired."

"Toushirou!!" Karin was alarmed, holding out her hands as he seemed to stumble towards her.

And then he collapsed.

End Chapter Two!! Well… I'm sad to say, that chappie didn't come very easily for me. I'm not really happy with how it turned out… sorry. I hope you'll like it better than me! Please review!