Disclaimer- I do not own bleach, not even the kind designed to keep your whites, white.

Peaches and Snow

"Shirou-chan!"

I grind my teeth together in an attempt to keep myself from throwing something at her head. Seems like that's my first impulse every time that I see her as a matter of fact. She knows damn good and well that I absolutely despise this childish nickname that she's given me and yet despite this fact, or perhaps because of it, she insists on using it whenever she speaks to me. I was seeking solitude when I left the small hut that we call home this morning and made my way to the river however I've learned in the past two months that it's almost impossible to hide from her and I clench my fists together and watch through narrowed eyes as Momo walks toward me.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself Shirou-chan?" she asks as she sits down beside me on the bank of the river.

"I was looking for some peace and quiet," I mutter, knowing that neither my words nor the harsh tone in which they are spoken will affect her. Momo has the amazing ability to block out anything that she doesn't want to hear and it never ceases to amaze me how well she does it. She takes selective hearing to a whole new level. "But now you're here so it's not gonna happen."

Momo gazes down at me with her chocolate colored eyes and a slight pout forms on her lips. "You can be so mean sometimes Shirou-chan."

I decide not to even dignify that particular comment with a response so I merely gaze up at her with a slightly irritated look in my eyes. She thinks that I'm mean and I think that she's annoying so in a way it kind of evens out. "Is there some reason why you came out here?" I ask, curious to know why exactly she felt the need to invade my space.

"I just wanted to see you," she replies in a quiet voice and in spite of myself I feel guilty for being short with her. Damn it, why the hell does she affect me this way? It doesn't make any sense. All she does is annoy me, constantly calling me by that vile nickname that she thinks is cute, and yet when I make her sad it just. . . I shake my head in an attempt to get rid of those particular thoughts and turn my attention back to Momo, who's still staring down at me. "Well you saw me so now you can go away."

"Why do you like sitting by this river so much anyway Shirou-chan?"

My first impulse is to answer this question with some smart ass comeback however before the words form on my lips I pause to really think about this question that she has posed to me. In all honesty, considering the way in which I died, I should have an aversion to the water and yet coming to this place, this peaceful river surrounded by cherry trees, never ceases to offer me peace. I come to this river to forget about everything, to clear my mind and to just think. This isn't the reply that I'm going to give Momo however; it's too personal to put into words, so instead I reply, "I just like the water okay?"

"Okay." She stares out at the river for a few minutes and then her gaze once again shifts to me and she smiles broadly. She quickly jumps to her feet and offers me her hand. "Hey Shirou-chan let's go for a walk in the woods."

I shake my head and open my mouth to flat out tell her that there's no way in hell that I'm going to do that. I have absolutely no desire to go traipsing through the forests of the Rukongai with her and yet, when she looks down at me with that pleading look in her chocolate colored eyes I find myself unable to refuse her. Even though it's what I want to do more than anything I find myself unable to utter that one simple word; no. Growling low in my throat I reluctantly get to my feet and gaze up at her in irritation. "Fine, if it'll shut you up then I'll go for a walk with you."

Momo smiles and grasps my hand, pulling me to my feet. "Come on Shirou-chan!"

Shirou-chan. . . Shirou-chan. . . Ugh. One of these days I swear I'm going to. . . Momo leads the way down a small path that leads away from the river and into the dense forest, followed closely behind by me although it is with the utmost reluctance on my part. All I wanted to do was to sit on the riverbank and watch the water but no, we had to go on a stupid hike. Will I ever learn to tell her no? Somehow I think it's a lost cause. She's like the big sister that I never had (and never wanted for that matter) and in the short time that we've known one another she's kind of adopted me as her little brother, much to my dismay.

As the two of us walk down the trail, going deeper and deeper into the forest, I think about how we came to be this way. She was the first person that I met when I arrived here in Soul Society and she offered me kindness, which was something that I wasn't used to having come from an abusive home. Granted it was the annoying kind of kindness, the kind that was relentless, however it was kindness none the less. When I had awakened in this strange place, unsure of where I was and how I had came to be here, I had instinctively attempted to find my way back home however after following the path that led away from the hut in which I had awakened, I'd found myself on the banks of the very river where Momo had found me earlier. Confused and unsure of what was going on I had sat down on the riverbank, trying to think of what I should do, and as I thought back on what had happened to me I arrived at the conclusion that I had died when I'd plunged into the icy river that was located near my house. I was completely shocked by that fact, although for obvious reasons not the slightest bit saddened or upset, and it was then that she had appeared. Dressed in the same kind of yukata that I had found myself wearing when I had awakened she walked toward me with a kind smile on her face. "There you are," she had called out as she walked toward me. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

I remember being shocked that she had been searching for me. I mean, my own parents had never cared where I was at any given time and yet this girl whom I had never met in my life had been searching for me. That was strange beyond measure and something that I couldn't comprehend at the time. The strange girl had sat down beside me and I remember thinking at the time that she probably wasn't much of a threat owing to the fact that she was only a few inches taller than myself. Kind of sad that I judged people by how big of a threat they posed and yet coming from the background that I did there really wasn't any other way that I could have turned out. Violence had been an everyday occurrence during my mortal life and it was what I had come to expect from everyone. It's hard to trust anyone when the two people who should care about you above all others does nothing but cause you pain. "My name is Momo Hinamori," she'd told me with another smile. "What's your name?"

My eyes open wider as I realize that it was then that this unusual bond had formed between the two of us. She'd been the first one who had actually cared enough about me to ask me what my name was and I had been completely taken by surprise. Before her, no one had cared who I was; I was a nobody and was treated as such by everyone.

"What's the matter, can't you speak?" That question had served to snap me out of my thoughts and I remember staring up at her and noticing that her eyes held kindness and not the promise of more pain. It was in that moment that I had decided to answer her question. "Toushirou Hitsugaya."

Momo had smiled at that. "You have pretty eyes Shirou-chan."

And it was then that the annoying nickname had been born. She has never, not in the entire two months that I've known her, ever used my actual given name. It's infuriating and yet. . . at the same time when she uses that obnoxious name I know that she actually cares about me more than anyone else ever has and it's kind of nice. Of course I have absolutely no intentions of ever telling her that. I have difficulty even admitting this fact to myself and voicing it aloud is something that I simply cannot bring myself to do.

"See Shirou-chan isn't this fun?" Momo's voice serves to snap jar me from my reverie and bring me back to the present and as I look up at her I notice that she's once again wearing that infuriating, patronizing smile that's so frequently on her face.

"No!" I snap, angered that she would consider wandering aimlessly through the forests fun.

"You just like being difficult."

Maybe this is true but I spent twelve years doing everything that I was supposed to do and being the good little child and all it had ever gotten me was kicked around by everyone. I was determined that it would never happen to me again and had vowed to myself to stand up to anyone who had a problem with me and to always speak my mind, whether or not what I though was what people wanted to hear. I'm a different person now, be it for better or for worse.

"So," I said, as we continue to walk through the forest, not really having a set destination, merely following the trail that Momo had chosen. "How exactly did you know that I would be at the river?" I had been wanting to ask her this question ever since she had appeared in my special place and now seemed like the perfect time.

Momo pauses at this point and smiles down at me, a knowing look in her chocolate colored eyes. "It wasn't hard. You're so predictable Shirou-chan. Whenever I can't find you near home I know to look for you at the river because that's where you always go."

I shake my head upon learning this, not sure whether I should be flattered or appalled by the fact that this girl knows me better after only two months than my own parents had after twelve years. It's truly sad and yet Momo is the only one who's ever taken the time to learn about the real me, the me that I've strived for so long to hide from the world. Not that I didn't attempt to hide my true self from her as well but she was better at seeing through the wall than most.

A/N- And there we have chapter two of this new series of one-shots. I had no intentions of making anymore chapters however the idea came to me one day when I was trying to work on one of my other stories, Reincarnation, and would not go away. Therefore I gave in to the will of the muses and wrote this. It's not as good as the first chapter but it'll do.