This is my latest chapter. I've been busy the last few months, so I wasn't able to update. There was a lot of school work to deal with. I'm very sorry for the long wait. I hope you can bear with it.

XVIII. Beginning of a New Nightmare

The wind blew softly on the grassy outskirts of Seiretei. The green blades danced to the soft humming tune of the cool breeze that passed by. The caressing wind blew all over the place, and the flora of the place seemed to dance with it well. Hinamori let the wind blow her unconfined hair to one side, and closed her eyes. It was the only moment she could ever relax. It was one quiet time of peace, one she had always wanted – even though it was only a dream. The breeze ran past her face, the warmth of her skin escaping along with it. It was some ideal setting for what most people thought of as a perfect peace – no turbulences inside and outside of one's mental composure – and it was all worth it. Everything seemed perfect. It was, as most people would say, the perfect circle of peace.

But for her, something was still missing.

"Taking a break, uh, Hinamori?"

And with that awfully familiar, young but uncompromised, simple yet comforting voice, her circle of peace has just been completed.

She opened her eyes, turned around and gazed at him with her dark black-brown orbs. She smiled at him, as she always did, with her radiant aura of cheerfulness simply covering the relaxing atmosphere. His brows were furrowed, as usual. She knew him just that much, as the usual Hitsugaya Toushiro.

"It was just my luck that I've been given an errand that needs someone to go outside of Seiretei. It's not bad to take a break once in a while, right? And besides, everybody needs to take a break sometimes."

"Well, I wouldn't spend too much time relaxing if I were you…" replied the snow-haired captain, with his arms folded in a surly manner. "You know just how the others are watching our movements closely. I wouldn't want any issues coming out of these things."

"Well, let's just tell them that we dropped by our old house and met some old faces. That's good enough of an excuse, right, Shiro-chan?" She replied with her warm innocent smile.

The tenth division captain scoffed at her idea, like he usually does. "Baka bed-wetter Momo. Whatever you do, don't ever get in trouble."

She pouted at his relatively disparaging remark. "Mou, that's mean of you, Shiro-chan!"

"Baka bed-wetter Momo. You really are a big bed-wetter."

She smiled, knowing that in those few moments, she was secure. Every time that he was there was an insurance of security from the harsh realities of life – even if it cost him greatly to do so.

She closed her eyes in fervent reassurance. She let the cool breeze blow on her skin, the warmth escaping with the flight of the wind. She raised her hands slowly to shoulder level, enough for her arms to feel the passing of the breeze as well. Without opening her eyes, she raised her head, as if looking upward, to fully enjoy this brief period of time. She could hear the grass blades dancing to the soft hum all around her, and knowing that Hitsugaya was just there, she had nothing to fear.

But it was, after all, not a journey to peace. The nightmare has just begun.

Soon, she felt the temperature of the of the wind change, slowly getting warmer and warmer, until it came to a point that it felt as if it was already scorching her. She opened her eyes, and saw the omen in the skies.

The sky was burning. The vast blue sky turned to a bright shade of a reddish hue, and the white plum clouds were replaced by plumps of flames, congregations that seemed like clouds, yet they spewed forth blasts of fire that jumped from cloud to cloud. Everything seemed to be on fire. The air seemed to be bent, like what is usually seen in occurrences of extremely hot weather or over an open fire. The grassy field was reduced to smoldering ashes, and the few trees from a distance were up to flames. She quickly shifted her gaze to her companion, but was not prepared for what she was to witness.

"Shiro-chan, the sky is burning! There's – "

Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Her pupils dilated, and she covered her mouth in order to hold herself back from wailing. Hitsugaya was right there, with numerous blades plunged into him, as if he was a pincushion to those enlarged needles. Blood trickled down his eyes, his mouth, and from his stab wounds, and his eyes were all white. He slowly walked towards her, with every step covering the soft earth with crimson liquid. Just as he was a few steps before her, the numerous blades removed themselves from him, as if they had a mind of their own, and sprayed his surroundings with his blood, covering everything in red, with a few splotches making their way to Hinamori. He finally fell to the ground, still bleeding heavily with the undignified state he was in.

"Hello there, Hinamori-kun."

That voice, which seemed to come from the heavens, was too familiar not to recognize. She looked up the skies, and saw the flames up there converge at one spot, finally contorting into an image – the face of one man that no one could definitely miss.

"A-Aizen!"

"It is quite nice to be seeing you once again, Hinamori-kun. I'm sorry if I had to do that to your precious Hitsugaya. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him, seeing that he was a very good friend to you. After all, you've served me well as vice-captain and even beyond that. As a reward, I would have spared his life. However, his opposition to me was an act of grave treason against me as a god, as the ruler of the world. It would just not be right if I didn't punish him for his acts against me, would it? So, as my act of being the new god of this world, I had to punish him severely."

She took out her trusted zanpakutou, gripping it tightly like she did in her fazed skirmish with Hitsugaya. "Snap, Tobiume!"

A large ball of pink energy trailed of the edge of the blade, making its way towards the large portrait in the sky. However, this was soon turned into ashes, scorched by the smoldering flames just before it hit the image of Aizen's face in the sky. He smiled coldly, like the time before he left Soul Society.

"I would have left him just like that if you didn't do that, Hinamori. I will just have to punish you for your retaliation against me, your new god." He looked on the downed Hitsugaya before he continued. "Now, begone from my sight, foolish mortal."

Hinamori turned towards Hitsugaya and saw him clawing himself on different parts of his body, as if attempting to quell a burning sensation. His skin turned reddish, and he rolled over and over on the ground, as if he was dousing his body of a fire it caught. He was breathing deep breaths, and finally, giving up, looked at Hinamori with his light bluish-green orbs, before he was consumed in flames. She heard him scream in agony, as the flames consumed him even more, and he clutched his head in deep agony, rolling over in the deep fit of painful sensation, being burned alive.

"Burn, Hitsugaya Toushiro. Burn."

Hinamori could no longer hold herself back from all the things she is being put through. Her wail broke the silence of the burning field.

Hinamori woke up with a scream. Beads of sweat were on her forehead, her pupils were dilated, and she was breathing heavily. She clutched her head, trying to rid it of the horrifying images that were etched in her memories from her subconscious. The nightmare seemed too real that it inspired much terror in her. She saw a white butterfly flutter by and made its way outside through the small window-like opening leading outside her cell. Her hand was still shaking in fear when a familiar face peeped out from the corner of her cell's opening. The same red hair, white hakama, and innocent face came out. His auburn orbs looked at her with deep concern, and soon, his whole body came out of hiding, and entered her cell.

"Are you alright, Hinamori-kun? You look like you've seen a ghost."

After calming down, she spoke to him. "I'm alright. It was just a nightmare."

"I see. Well, you've got quite of a nightmare there up your sleeve." He sat beside her, and offered her a cup-like container with some hot steaming colored liquid in it. "It's tea. It'll help you calm down."

She sipped the warm liquid, emptying the container. She heaved a deep sigh after drinking it all, and restored her composure as if it was its relaxing effect. She gave the container back to him, and he smiled at her. She mustered to smile a little at him.

"Arigatou, uhm – Rodrigo-san?"

"Don't worry too much about those nightmares, Hinamori-kun. They'll all be gone soon enough." He brushed a bunch of stray hair on her face, and maintained his warm smile at her. He stood up and slowly made his way out of her cell. After reaching a considerable distance away from the opening of her cell, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing the snow-haired ex-captain, with his weight leaning against the wall, not bothering to turn toward the red-haired arrancar. His brows were furrowed deeply, in some sort of angry contortion. His light bluish-green orbs slowly turned to gaze at the arrancar. Rodrigo maintained his calm demeanor and spoke to Hitsugaya.

"If I'm not mistaken, you're Hitsugaya Toushiro, aren't you? By the way, I'm Rodrigo Damian. Nice to meet you." He extended his hand towards the boy, offering him a handshake. Hitsugaya moved from his spot, and walked towards the arrancar's direction, but just walked past him, not even acknowledging the offer of the former. He, however, stopped short just after he walked past the arrancar.

"What were you doing in Hinamori's cell?" his voice trailed quite indifferently, though Rodrigo felt some subliminal message lying underneath the boy's statements.

"I heard her scream, so I went there and I just found out she had a nightmare. I just gave her a cup of tea to calm her, and you could ask her yourself. Don't worry too much. She's alright now."

"Let me make myself clear to you, arrancar. If you make her shed even a drop of blood, I assure you that I will kill you without any hesitation. I don't trust the likes of you, but seeing our present situation I couldn't do much about it. But if you lay a finger on her, I'll rip your head off even if it's the last thing I do."

He continued to walk towards Hinamori's cell, leaving behind the intrigued figure of the arrancar still standing on his spot. With Hitsugaya out of the scene he bowed his head, hiding his eyes underneath the shadow of his hair, yet revealing a grin on his face.

The small familiar figure of the ex-captain made its way into Hinamori's dank cell. She was looking at the small window-like opening of her cell, into the eternally dark night of Hueco Mundo. She then turned her gaze at him, with her usual joyful mood up and going. She smiled at him as she usually did: warm and radiant.

"Shiro-chan…"

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