Hey y'all! I actually wrote this a while ago, but never posted it! . This one's longer than the others so far, but I hope you like it! R&R as usual!

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Hitsugaya remained in his shinigami form as he set Kumori gently down on the grass and kneeled beside her. He was grateful that regular humans couldn't see them in this form, or he'd get way too many questions. Hitsugaya was not at all in the mood for questions at the moment.

Kumori was still unconscious, but the blood had stopped flowing from her shoulder. It was now oozing instead, from a wound so deep and jagged that Hitsugaya was sure it would leave a life long scar. Her pale arms fell limply at her sides, palms upward and her hands relaxed. Her eyes were shut peacefully, as if there hadn't been any fight at all. Strands of her ebony hair were caked with blood, and it fell haphazardly across her face and the grass.

Hitsugaya sighed, looking down at her still form with worry. He placed his hand on her arm, right below the wound, cursing the fact that he couldn't help her in any way. She twitched in her unconsciousness, still aware of the pain even though she wasn't awake. Hitsugaya swiftly withdrew his hand, sighing and gazing up at the sky. It was getting dark now, and a slightly breeze wafted through his hair, causing it to blow softly in one direction. Should he take Kumori back to Soul Society? Or would she be okay to stay for another day while Hitsugaya himself talked to Ichigo's sister? What was her name again? Karin, or something like that.

"Toushirou?" as if she had been summoned, Ichigo's sister dashed up the road toward him, a smile on her face, "I knew you'd be here! I was wondering what caused you to run off-! Whoa, what happened to her?" She stopped beside Hitsugaya, wincing at the horrible wound oozing blood on Kumori's shoulder. Hitsugaya sighed again; he had forgotten she could see shinigami, how stupid of him…

"She got hurt from a hollow," he replied simply, not looking at her. His eyes were focused on Kumori's shoulder. The bleeding had stopped abnormally fast, but it had been oozing for a long time now. That was a little odd.

"Is that…one of those things" Karin asked, bending down over Hitsugaya's shoulder and peering curiously at Kumori, "who is she? She's wearing the same kind of outfit you are. Is she a captain too?"

Hitsugaya was getting a little peeved about answering so many questions. His nerves were too far on end from worrying about Kumori already, and he did not have patience for this, "she's a captain as well…a friend of mine."

Karin opened her mouth to ask something else when Kumori moaned and turned her head to the side, her eyes still closed. It was just about night now, for the sun had already set below the horizon.

Hitsugaya leaned forward a bit, "Ryuhana…are you alright?"

Kumori slowly creaked opened one eye, and then the other. She found she couldn't move anything on her left arm or hand at all, and the poison had spread, making it hard for her to breathe. Her shoulder throbbed with pain, and she winced, turning her head slowly back again so that she was looking straight at Hitsugaya. Despite her current situation, she still couldn't help but be captivated by him, everything about him. The wind was blowing through his hair, and his eyes met hers, hoping for her well being. Kumori felt her heart ache when she looked at him. She couldn't help it, she loved him, desired him…

"Hitsugaya…" she managed to whisper. Her vocal cords couldn't do much more than that, and she sounded hoarse, her chest barely moving as she struggled to breathe.

Hitsugaya's eyes softened with relief. At least she was alive, "do you think you could stay for another day or so in the human world, or do you want me to take you back to fourth division now?"

Kumori let out a soft groan of disappointment. She had just gotten out of the ward a couple days ago, and did not want to go back. She must've been the world's worst captain ever! Who'd ever heard of a captain making such frequent trips to the healing ward? She sighed, doubt in her skills weighing down her self-confidence. Her heart was heavy with all the things that had been happening. Her love for Hitsugaya, his love for Hinamori, her lack of faith in her own abilities…

"Ryuhana…?" she heard Hitsugaya ask.

"Oh um…" she cleared her throat weakly, "I can manage another day I think…don't bother with fourth division, I'll be fine."

Hitsugaya shook his head, his eyes closed, "your shoulder is torn apart, and your left arm is virtually useless. You need healing."

Kumori glared at him, her lavender eyes blazing, "no. I'll heal fine on my own. I don't need another trip to the healing ward after I just got out!" She said this in one breath, and was now gasping for air, sweating with the effort. It was like there was a ton of weight on her chest; it was so hard to breathe…

Hitsugaya was extremely concerned, something had definitely happened to Kumori during the fight other than having her shoulder torn open. Then it came to him! Night Wolf had poison in his jaws that made it extremely hard to breathe once it took effect, and it slowly drained your body of its strength. Night Wolf must've torn open Kumori's shoulder with his fangs and then the poison must've seeped in. It was the only possible explanation for the fact that she was so weak right now…

"You've been poisoned," he said, eyes widening in alarm, "I'm definitely taking you back to fourth division. Can you stand?" He stood up and looked down at Kumori, hoping desperately she would be alright. She needed immediate treatment if Night Wolf had poisoned her.

Kumori fixed Hitsugaya with a hard stare, "I don't need to go to fourth division just now. I can wait another day or so until you finish the mission." Hitsugaya was a little taken aback by Kumori's determination. She must've been in horrible pain from the injury and the poison, but she was adamant that the mission would be completed before she went back.

"Um…what's going on?" Karin had been silent all this time, but now piped up. She was tired of being ignored, and was tapping her foot on the ground, impatient.

Hitsugaya looked at Karin over his shoulder, "this is Ryuhana Kumori, captain of 3rd division. She was attacked by a hollow and poisoned, and she should get back to fourth division to be healed."

Karin blinked, "and what's this mission you guys keep talking about?"

Hitsugaya turned to face Karin, "you can see shinigami and hollows, and we wanted to ask you what you know about them."

Karin looked down and hesitated a bit, obviously thinking about her brother who had gone off to who knows where? "Can I get back to you on that? I need to head home, it's already really late. I'll find you tomorrow and tell you."

Hitsugaya faltered before nodding slowly. He was obviously worried about staying longer than needed, "we'll be here tomorrow. Ryuhana can't move very far."

Kumori shot him a look but didn't say anything. Watching Hitsugaya, she sighed. He must've thought her so weak; she wasn't fit to be a captain. She turned her head to the side again and got that faraway look in her amethyst eyes, lost in her turbulent thoughts and emotions.

After Karin's steps faded into the distance and could no longer he heard, Hitsugaya turned to Kumori with an unreadable expression on his face. Kumori felt her heart stop as she gazed at him, he looked so amazing…his emerald eyes glittering as he looked her gaping wound, his silver hair waving in the wind. Kumori almost forgot to breath.

"Ryuhana…are you able to move? I'd be more at ease if you were in a safer and more comfortable position than lying like that on the ground," Hitsugaya said. He turned his head to the side and crossed his arms, blushing just slightly, "find yourself a tree or something…"

Kumori looked at the tall trees surrounding them. From her position on her back, these trees looked like giants to her, skyscrapers. It made her a bit dizzy to be looking so high up, so with some difficulty, she morphed into her dragon form. Staggering onto her feet, she stood shakily, her small body quivering from the effort. The gash on her shoulder was still evident through her midnight colored scales. Once again, she blended in with the darkness of night around her. She looked to her wings and flapped them experimentally, and yelped with pain as her left wing stroke contorted the torn muscles in her shoulder.

Hitsugaya picked her up gently and held her in his hands. She was only the size of a small falcon after all, "here, I'll carry you over…" He started towards one of the trees, but halted midstep and looked down curiously when he felt Kumori moving. With much wincing and shoulder pain, she managed to curl herself into a small ball in Hitsugaya's arms, her leathery wings tucked against her sides and the tip of her tail draping over her snout. She looked innocently up at him and Hitsugaya sighed, turning his head to the right. He cheeks were a light pink as he averted her gaze.

"Well alright, I guess you could stay there too…" he muttered, his bright green eyes meeting Kumori's deep purple ones. The staring was broken when Kumori yawned, wincing, and curled tighter. Hitsugaya sighed and sat down, his back against the trunk of a tree. He held Kumori in his arms as he tilted his head back and gazed up at the night sky. How was it that the daytime sky reminded him of Hinamori, and yet the nighttime atmosphere seemed so much like Kumori? His eyes slowly closed, and he soon drifted off to sleep…

Kumori awoke the next morning, smiling sleepily. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked at the dawn light. It was after dawn though, probably late morning. They had slept that long? She glanced up at Hitsugaya and raised an eyebrow. He was still fast asleep; she would've expected him to be up already. Entranced, she watched him, so peaceful in his sleep. His hair breezed softly as a gentle gust wafted in, and his chest rose and fell with his breathing. Only in this form would Kumori ever be held by Hitsugaya. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of it. Just being so near to him, his fingers softly grazing her scales…she sighed, wishing it could go on forever.

But nothing lasted forever.

Soon Kumori felt the boy of her dreams shift, and she opened her eyes to see that he was awake. He was gazing off to his right, the back of his head resting on the trunk of tree, the look in his green eyes unreadable. Even so, Kumori found herself gazing fondly at him, her violet eyes sparkling with unrequited love, wishing, but knowing it would never happen, that Hitsugaya would like her back.

Finally he looked down at her, "are you feeling any better?" And his voice…so smooth, mellow…it was deep, but not too deep, just exactly right…for her anyway.

Kumori suddenly realized what he asked her and blushed her embarrassment, nodding. She didn't meet the calm, stoic look on his countenance, fearing that she would start staring again.

Hitsugaya smiled softly, relieved, and set her gently on the ground. He stood and straightened out the wrinkles in his shinigami shihakusho, glancing down at her. Kumori watched him longingly as he made his way over to the railing and leaned against it, his arms crossed on the metal, watching the path for any sign of Karin.

A few seconds later, Kumori joined him at the railing, back in human form. Some of the strength in her muscles was back again, enough that she could walk. However, her breathing was still labored, and her left arm continued to dangle uselessly at her side. "Hitsugaya…" she whispered, "How do you think Hinamori is doing?" Though Hitsugaya turned his head to look at her, Kumori didn't meet his gaze, but instead kept her eyes trained on the dirt path.

Hitsugaya went back to leaning on the railing, "I don't know. Why is it of concern to you?"

Kumori tried to shrug nonchalantly, but ended up biting her lip as tears of pain welled up in her eyes, "just wondering…I mean, you really seem to care for her…being her best friend and all." She tried her best to sound casual and keep the bitterness out of her voice as she said this, but how could she when Hitsugaya so obviously loved Hinamori? When Kumori so obviously pined for him…?

Hitsugaya blinked, "I'm your friend too, and I'd be worried if you were in the healing ward." He said this matter-of-factly, but his face gave away the rose color rising to his cheeks.

Kumori nodded stiffly, see? He's only your friend. He only considers you a friend, and nothing more, so stop being so lovey-dovey over him! He's never going to like you! That's what Kumori was thinking in her mind as she glanced at Hitsugaya next to her, her purple eyes reflecting only sadness, regret, and lost love. Luckily she looked away right when Hitsugaya looked at her. There was no way she could let him see the emotions in her eyes, so turbulent and chaotic she thought she'd go insane! I like him, I shouldn't like him. He likes Hinamori, but what if there's a chance he likes me…? No, that's not right. He doesn't consider me any more than a friend. It was all so confusing, the different feelings that swirled in her heart.

Hitsugaya watched Kumori with his peridot colored eyes, trying to sort through the torrent of mixed up spirit energy that was emanating from her. Kumori may not notice it, but she wore her emotions like second skin, and this was the second time this trip that Hitsugaya was left to wonder what was bothering her.

"There," Kumori said, and Hitsugaya straightened and peered out in front of her. Sure enough, Karin came rushing own the road, although it was a bit strange that she was running as fast as she could…and then they saw the hollow round the corner after her.

Hitsugaya instantly drew his zanpaku-to and leaped in front of the hollow, "Ryuhana, stay back!" He dashed forward and jumped up, swinging at the hollow's head. Seeing him, the hollow swung its arm and swatted Hitsugaya out of the air. He gasped, and then turned his sword around, tossing the chain. It wrapped around the hollow's arm several times and froze it. Hitsugaya landed on the ground and yanked his sword, breaking off the hollow's arm.

The hollow roared and powered up the familiar red orange orb in its mouth. Hitsugaya turned, his eyes wide, "Karin!" The cero was too fast for him to attack first, and his cry was the last thing before the hollow fired.

Kumori vaulted over the railing using her right hand and threw herself at the fear paralyzed Karin, bowling her over as the cero blasted a crater in the ground where she had been standing a second before, sending a whirlwind of dust into the air. In the few seconds the hollow took to recuperate after a cero, Hitsugaya jumped up and sliced right through the hollow's head. With a deafening roar, it dissolved into space. Hitsugaya landed on the ground again and whirled around in alarm to find Karin and Kumori.

Karin was bent down over Kumori, who was on one knee, gasping and wincing in horrible pain. Tears fell onto the ground from her tightly closed eyes, and she clutched her left arm with her right hand. The wound on her shoulder had been reopened when she had crashed and slid on it while shoving Karin out of the way. If anything, it had been torn even more, and blood once more flowed freely, dying the dirt below her rusty red.

Karin looked at her worriedly, "are you okay?" Kumori painfully opened one eye and looked at her, nodding. Her face was twisted into a grimace of sheer agony, and sweat dotted her forehead.

Hitsugaya rushed to her and bent down onto one knee in front of her, his emerald eyes gleaming with worry and terror. For her? Kumori tried to manage a weak smile, but a searing pain tore through her shoulder like a tongue of flame, and she doubled over, screaming. She was gripping her arm as it dripped blood steadily onto the ground, shivering and shaking with the pain, the agony of her throbbing wound. Hitsugaya put his hand to her forehead, and was surprised to find it very hot. Kumori was shivering, her hands and body were clammy, and her legs ached with weakness. She must've felt very cold, but her skin, it was burning up. It was as if she had a fever.

Hitsugaya cursed under his breath. They had waited too long, and now the poison was spreading though Kumori's body, draining her of strength, and leaving only pain and sickness. He couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Karin looked ashamed, "I was attacked by a hollow, but I ran here because I knew you'd be here to defeat it…"

Hitsugaya looked up at her and nodded, "we've got to leave for now. Ryuhana needs healing immediately. I'll ask you about what you know later, when I come back." Bending down, he picked Kumori up bridal style and opened a portal to the Soul Society. Kumori inhaled sharply as she was picked up, and looked into Hitsugaya's determined green eyes. She smiled weakly as she recognized the firm, stubborn look in those beautiful irises…and knew everything was going to be alright…She closed her eyes as he stepped into the portal.