Well hello there fellow readers!! Thanks to all who reviewed, and a special thanks to the ones who gave me some great advice, and ideas as well! This story is for you! I'm sorry if it seems rushed...really...i'll do better on the next chapter. And for the ones who wondered if Hitsugaya appeared at the end of the scene from the previous chapter...well read on and see what happens ;D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach, or any of its characters. I do in fact own this story! No stealing! lol Seriosuly though...


In the Previous Chapter...

"Nooooooo!!" screeched Hinamori. She flash stepped, as fast as her abilities would allow her. She stopped right in front of Ryuu, and covered him protectively with her arms. The clawed hand came down, with incredible speed.

Then, a sharp cry filled the air.


The high-pitched cry rang through Ryuu's ears. It was a horrible sound. It was not a yell for help...more like a scream from a girl who knew she was going to die... His heart dropped when her voice filled the air with an unrecognizable screech, and then the sound of dripping blood soon followed. He held onto her arms, with his eyes shut, afraid to see what was in front of him, afraid to see her dea..he couldn't go on. And then he felt it. Her warmth. "H...h..Hinamori-fukutaichou?" No sound. He opened his eyes, to meet dark-chocolate brown ones. Her breath, was hard, and came out short, but she seemed unharmed. He could see the confusion in her eyes, and the fear as well. What happened? He looked over her shoulder, and was shocked at the sight he saw.

Hinamori had been prepared for the pain that she was to receive when the hollow attacked. She let out a loud scream when the hollow's arm came down, but then...nothing. She crouched there for a minute, wondering why the pain had not arrived. Then, the voice of Ryuu awoke her. She had opened her eyes, to see him, with his eyes closed. He was unscathed. When he opened his eyes, she could see that he was also confused. She felt his head move over her shoulder. The expression he had made her body shudder. She slowly turned her head, and...

Nothing.

The field was empty. And the hollow...gone. 'Impossible.' She slowly let go of Ryuu, to observe her surroundings. The hollow was definitely gone. No traces left of it. 'How could this have happened?' Before she could even get another thought, a strawberry-blond woman was making her way towards them.

"Hinamori! Are you alright!?" she asked worriedly. Hinamori nodded as her dear friend helped her up. 'I wonder..."

"Matsumoto, did you not see what happened?"

Said women faced her, with a blank expression. "See what?" Hinamori looked at the direction where the hollow was standing before it had 'mysteriously' disappeared. Then, another question popped into her head. "How did you find me Matsumoto?"

This time, the older woman looked at her with a perplexed look. "How? Your scream could be heard from the other side of Seiretei! As soon as it reached my ears, I followed the direction from where it came from, of course, with some help from some of fourth division's assistants. Once I arrived, all I saw was you holding that boy over there." She pointed towards Ryuu, who seemed to be busy staring off into the distance. Hinamori looked at the sky. Something inside her told her that there was more to the hollow than it appeared. The sounds of sirens brought her back to reality. "We better go." Hinamori nodded, with a serious expression. She then shook Ryuu out of his trance.

"Come on. We have to go."

As Ryuu was being dragged by his commanding officer, he couldn't help but look back at the field. His mind flashed back to the point where he was looking above Hinamori's shoulder. Although, when Hinamori had turned to see the field to find nothing, he still felt uneasy.

"Ryuu, please, keep up." said a very agitated Hinamori.

He could've sworn that he had seen a flash of white hair.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hinamori shuffled uncomfortably from her position. Who wouldn't, when none other than the the great CaptainYamamoto was present? Next to her, sat, a very pale Ryuu, looking straight ahead, listening intently to the commander's voice.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou."

Hinamori straightened at the sound of his voice.

"Please, tell me what happened."

Hinamori nodded hesitantly, and before she could think about it twice, the words started to flow from her mouth. She described everything in perfect detail. It was necessary, so that the elders could judge the situation with as much understanding as possible. As the words kept flowing from her mouth Ryuu became more tense.

"And then...it was gone." finished Hinamori with a long sigh.

Yamamoto stared off into the distance. Letting the information that Hinamori had just given him sink in.

"Ryuu."

The young recruit stiffened.

"You are to serve under Unohana's squad for 4 months during the night shifts. You are to clean and scrub each infirmary every single night. As punishment for your disobedience."

Ryuu's face went paler. All color was gone from his face. The night shifts were the most difficult and gruesome. He had heard many stories from various sources. Some of 4th squads assistants told of their own experiences and how they had nightmares for many nights afterwards. He shuddered.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou, please...night shifts may be too much...and for four months..."

"Hinamori-fukutaichou. This is a fair punishment for his disobedience."

"But..."

"No. I am sorry, Hinamori-fukutaichou. He must pay the price for his rash actions. Not only did he disobey his commanding officer, but he also risked both your lives."

Hinamori sat there quietly. There was nothing more she could do. She lacked the backbone and the power to go against CaptainYamamoto and his orders.

"And as for you Ryuu." The young recruit looked up at him, scared beyond words. "I hope this has taught you a valuable lesson." He nodded, not being able to do anything else. "Very well. You are dismissed."

Hinamori helped Ryuu rise. They both bowed, before leaving. As the made their way to the doors Hinamori could not help but ask if he was okay. Ryuu, still shaken from Yamamoto's words, only nodded in response.

Back in the grand room, Yamamoto sat in silence, contemplating the day's events. Everything was so strange. The attacks. The hollows. Even the recruits. He closed his eyes for a second before opening again when sensing a familiar reiatsu. "It's very rude to keep hiding there. Lieutenant Matsumoto."

The strawberry-blond woman made her way out of the shadows, she bowed her head slightly. "I am sorry Captain Yamamoto, I did not mean to intru..."

"I'm sure you didn't come here to apologize to me." he said sternly. Matsumoto straightened herself up.

"I know that hollow did not disappear just by 'accident'. I know that there is someone behind it."

Yamamoto stared at her intensely, and then relaxed a little when a young man appeared from behind. "I knew you would've noticed." Matsumoto gawked at the young man in front of her. Was he really standing before her? She didn't realize that she was staring at him until he once again, broke the silence. "Oi. Quit staring." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And here I thought you'd be happy to have me back." His eyes held a glint of mischief, and if it was anyone else, they wouldn't have noticed.

"Taichou!!!"

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hinamori scanned the area one last time. It was starting to get dark, but that was not what she was worrying about. She shuddered as another cold gust was thrown at her. The start of Winter was only a few days away, and she could already feel the changes in temperature. 'Unohana-taichou will surely scold me if she sees me out here.' She continued her patrolling. 'I only have a few more clearings to inspect' she though positively as she jumped from roof to roof. She was on her last stop when she noticed the small river which lead through 4th division's gardens. 'Maybe I can take a small break.' She quickly masked her reiatsu as she slowly made her way to one of the cherry blossoms nearby. She looked around, to see if anyone was hanging around, and to her luck, she found no one. 'Well, who would be out here at this time of night anyway?' she thought humorously. She made herself comfortable at the root of the tree. She was happy that it provided a lot of shade from the moon's light, so even if someone walked in, no one would notice she was there.

She looked at the small stream, and then at 4th division, which was a good distance away. She sighed. A few month's after she had awakened from her long coma, she was allowed to walk around. Naturally, she spend most of her time in the garden. Either to think, or simply just get away from Hitsugaya's constant presence. She let out a long sigh. Hitsugaya. His name constantly plagued her mind. So much at times, that she constantly found herself falling behind in most of her work.

She brought her knees closer to her chest. 'I wonder if he's okay' She buried her head into her knees. 'Of course he's okay. He's with Kuchiki-san, and Kurosaki-san. I'm the one who's not okay...' She looked up at the already darkened sky. The moon, who often comforted her during her restless-nights, was hidden beneath the clouds. 'Can he see the same moon that I look upon almost every night?' The wind howled, as if trying to respond to her unspoken question. She sat there, waiting for the moon to show itself, but the clouds forbid it. She sat in silence, until the sounds of people brought her back to reality.

She concealed herself, in the trees shadow, waiting for the people to pass by. They were two girls. She recognized one, as one of the recruits that she saved earlier that day. 'They must have been getting healed at the fourth division.' thought Hinamori.

"Yeah. I'm glad the 4th was able to stop the bleeding, I was scared to death I tell you!" yelled the young recruit. Her friend, as Hinamori assumed, seemed to nod in approval at most of the girl's comments. "Well, we better head back to our quarters. It's nearly 11:30!" Hinamori froze. She waited in the dark, until she could not hear the girls steps.

'Oh my gosh! I just wasted 45 minutes!' She quickly rose to her feet, and without even looking at her surroundings stepped out the tree's shadows. 'I will surely get in trouble if I don't finish my rounds and send that report!' she was about to speed off to her last destination when...

Snap.

Hinamori's head swiveled towards the direction of the sound. Her hand was on Tobiume's hilt, ready if anything was to come at her from the shadows. She looked around. The sight was bare, except for a few trees here and there. Her grip on Tobiume loosened. 'It was probably just the wind' She quickly turned on her heel, and was about to jump the small stream, when another snap was heard.

Hinamori had slipped from the rock she was standing on, and fell into the stream with a small splash. The water was freezing, but she found herself unable to move away. She then noticed, that her reiatsu had flared up. She rapidly masked it, and cursed herself for not being more careful. But it was already too late. She could see someone making their way towards her. As quietly as possible, she made her way towards the edge of the stream, where it was harder to spot her. Once the person came into view, Hinamori was able to recognize them. 'Oh no! It's Isane! If she finds me here, she'll turn me in to Unohana-taichou!' Hinamori leaned more towards the edge of the stream, her mind running at 1000 miles per hour. Unfortunately, she wasn't watching her hands, and accidentally scraped her wrist with a sharp rock. '"Ouch!" she swiftly brought her other hand to her mouth as she held her wrist closer to her chest. Isane, who had been scanning the area where she was recently standing turned and started walking directly in her direction. Hinamori shut her eyes. 'Just great.' Suddenly the sounds of frantic people was heard from the opposite direction.

"Isane-fukutaichou! We need your help! Where are you Isane-fukutaichou?!"

Isane turned her head towards the sound of the people. A young girl appeared from the shadows, and started yelling about some patients in 4th division. Isane quickly turned and headed back towards 4th division with great speed, leaving behind a very nervous Hinamori.

'Oh. Thank you! Thank you!' she silently prayed. As soon as Isane's reiatsu had faded into the distance, Hinamori made her way out of the shadows. Her uniform was drenched, and her arms were covered in dirt. She checked the hand she had scraped against the rock. 'It's not that bad' She was about to stand, when a small stinging-pain ascended from her foot. She looked down and realized that her left foot, was still inside the stream. She observed it closely, but without the moon's light to help her, she could not see a thing. She tried pulling it out, but that only made the pain worse. 'Oh no! I think it's stuck!'

She frantically tried to ease her foot out, but it would not budge. 'What am I going to do?!'

Call for help of course.

'Who?!'

Fourth division is only a few yards away...

Hinamori stared intensely at Tobiume. 'Why would I do that?! If Unohana-taichou finds me here, she'llsurely let me have it! I can't call for anyone in fourth division...'

What do you plan to do then?

Hinamori thought for a second. 'I don't know. Wait for someone else to pass by?'

Who will be out here at this time of night?

Hinamori stiffened. 'I'm sure someone would come around'

Surely you do not plan to do that. You're soaking wet, your wrist is in need of medical attention, and the temperature out here is unsuitable for the conditions you are in.

'If you're not going to help then leave me alone!'

As you wish child. I'll let you be.

Hinamori sat there, no longer hearing her zanpakuto. She put her hands on the side of her head, hoping as she usually did when desperate for answers. She searched for any other ideas that might be useful in her situation, when a small wind blew by. She shivered.

'It's cold.'

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hitsugaya released himself from Matsumoto's death hug. His face flustered. "Watch where you put those things" he yelled, pointing accusingly at Matsumoto...and her friends. She simply giggled at his embarrassed face.

"I couldn't help myself taichou! Seeing you there...I just wanted to hug you to see if it was really you!" she said while launching herself once again. He dodged easily.

"Cut it out Matsumoto!"

Matsumoto stopped, and simply smiled. "I'm just so happy to see you back! Can't you let you poor fukutaichou even give you a hug?" He crossed his arms over his chest once again. "I already did. And you suffocated me with those things of yours. One hug is enough." he stated coldly. Matsumoto pouted.

"You're as cold as ever taichou." She was about to launch herself again, when she suddenly remembered who was in the room. She laughed nervously. "Eh...sorry about that Yamamoto-soutaichou. I got a little carried away." Yamamoto simply stared.

"We'll be leaving now, Yamamoto-soutaichou" cut in Hitsugaya. He bowed his head, before turning and heading for the grand doors.

"Eh, yes. We'll be leaving now." followed Matsumoto, and with a quick bow, rushed to catch up with her superior.

"Taichou! Wait up! You can't have a party without me!"

Hitsugaya scowled. "Don't want one."

"Come on! Just a few people.."

"No."

"Okay. Then let's celebrate with some sake!"

"Definite no."

Matsumoto pouted. "Don't be such a stick in the mud!"

As their voices started to fade, Yamamoto let a small chuckle escape from his lips. "Youngsters."

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hinamori laid outside shivering. Her foot...stuck somewhere beneath the small stones in the stream. Her lips quivered lightly as another strong wind blew by. A small blue light radiated from her hands. She was using her reiatsu, to keep her body warm. It helped stop most of the shivering...but she was running out of reiatsu...

'How long have I've been out here?' Her small hands trembled. It was useless to try and cover them up inside her uniform, seeing as it was still soaking wet. Then, her body shook, with uncontrollable coughs.

Are you okay child?

'Y...y..ye..ess..just......c..ol..d'

She coughed again.

You are sick child! I can feel it! Your reiatsu levels are also running low. You need help!

'I don't...think...I have..the strength...to call...for someone...'

I will lend you some of my strength child. To keep you awake. Unmask you reiatsu.

'Thank you...Tobiume...' she said slowly before unmasking her reiatsu. It was lower than before. Only the people with great skill in detecting reiatsu will be able to find her...

Someone...please find my master soon.

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hitsugaya stared at his office. He walked towards his desk. Exactly the way he left it. He looked at Matsumoto.

"What? You didn't think I'd let nearly 3 years of paperwork pile up, now did you?"

Something about the way she said it made him doubt that she actually did her paperwork. Then again, he really didn't want to know how she got it done. He simply replied with a "Hmph"

"Sit down, sit down, taichou! You must be tired! I'll go get some..."

"No sake."

"I was going to say tea...but sake works good too!" she said with a cheeky smile. She went off to gather the required materials, and in less then 15 minutes, she was serving the hot steaming tea. Hitsugaya inhaled the relaxing aroma. It had been a while since he had a sip of his favorite drink.

"Sooo..." He didn't like the way she said that. "Tell me taichou. Why didn't you let Hinamori see you?" she asked, while pouring herself a cup of tea. Hitsugaya stared at his cup intensely. He blew the steam away before taking a small sip.

"It was for the best." Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. Hitsugaya knew she wouldn't understand. "I didn't want her going into state of shock or panic by seeing me." he simply stated. There was a moment of silence, before Matsumoto started speaking.

"You had no idea how she was going to react. You shouldn't make assumptions, taichou."

"It was exactly because I had no idea that I did it. I was being...cautious."

Matsumoto put her cup down on his desk and propped her head on her hand. "Just like you taichou. The ever so cautious one. But let me assure you that her reaction to seeing you will be a happy one." Hitsugaya gulped the last of his tea and poured himself another cup. He stared at her..well...more like glared at her as he once again, inhaled that delicious aroma of green tea.

"And how are you so sure of that?" he asked, while raising a delicate eyebrow.

Matsumoto didn't even have a chance to answer his question because Hitsugaya had suddenly dropped what he was holding onto the floor. The cup shattered into a thousand tiny fragments, the hot liquid flowing everywhere.

"What is it taichou?!"

Hitsugaya frowned. 'It can't be.' He concentrated, putting his reiatsu to work. And then he felt it. It was very small, and hard to pinpoint, but he felt it.

"Hinamori!"

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

She didn't know if her body could get any colder. The temperature aside was frigid, and the feeling was enhanced due to her damp clothes more so that he felt like she was frosting. 'Tobiume...'

Yes child?

'I'm cold.'

Do not worry child, you'll soon be relieved.

Hinamori shivered. The winds felt stronger and colder than they did when she was sitting under the cherry blossom tree. She took a moment to stare at her foot, which was still trapped in the stream. It felt...numb, like the rest of her body. Her body than began to shake more intensely, she was sure that the sound of her teeth clattering could be heard a good distance away.

Are you okay Hinamori?

It was the first throughout the night that Tobiume had called her by her name. Although this time, she did not respond.

Hinamori? Child are you there?

The only response she got, was the trembling of her body. Her reiatsu was almost completely used-up, and without consent from her wielder, Tobiume could not transfer any more of her strength.

Hold on Hinamori!

~o0o~o0o~o0o~

Hitsugaya ran blindly in the dark, but he did not care. He frantically searched for her reiatsu. "Dammit! It's really faint!"

Calm down boy. You will never find her like that.

Hitsugaya looked down at his zanpakuto. 'Lead me to her Hyourinmaru.'

In less then a second, Hitsugaya could feel Hinamori's reiatsu once again. 'Thank you Hyourinmaru'

Find her before it's too late, boy. Her zanpakuto. It grows frantic.

Hitsugaya flash stepped as fast as possible towards the direction in which her reiatsu came from. He could feel it growing as he got closer to a small clearing 'She's near' he thought He then stopped to survey his surroundings. It was a relatively large area. Trees and other plants were scattered about, and a stream going through the area. Though, he could not see all of it. "Dammit." he cursed under his breath. 'I can feel her. But where is...'

Suddenly, the clouds, who had been greedily hiding the moon before, had moved slightly, letting the moon shed some of it's euphoric light onto the scene. And there he saw her. Near the stream. Her body looked so small, and it was...shaking?

"HINAMORI?!"

With only one flash-step, he was by her side. "Hinamori!" He grabbed her shaking body, only to realize, it was practically freezing!Her clothes were soaking wet and her skin, was so pale. "Hinamori! Can you hear me!?" He lifted her face, her eyes were a dull brown. He was about to lift her when she let out a small groan in pain. "Are you hurt?" She couldn't respond. Instead she stared at her foot. He soon followed.

"Dammit."

He dipped his hands into the immensely cold water. It hardly affected him. He felt her foot. It seemed to be lodged in between stones and mud. He tied to dig deeper, but to no avail. If he tried to pull her foot, it will only hurt her more. He stared at her face. 'I need to get her to Unohana's!' He let out a grunt in frustration as he dipped his hands back into the water. Instead of pulling or pushing, he started to release some of his reiatsu, hoping that the rocks would collapse. It worked. Slowly, but surely, the rocks started to turn into rubble, and soon he was able to pull her foot out of the water.

It was bruised, and wrinkly for being in the water for so long. He laid it gently, careful to not hurt her. He then went back up and stared at her face. Her eyes were open, but her mind seemed to be somewhere else. He brushed a few strands of hair away from her face, before lifting her up in his arms

"H...h....ya-..kun?"

Hitsugaya looked at her with sad eyes. "Shh. Everything will be allright." She buried her face into his chest. "S..sh..iro...chan...it's...cold...." He could barely hear her voice now. Her breathing was shallow. He scowled.

With one step...they were gone.


I hope it was to your liking! I know many of you were expecting Hitsugaya to appear in the beginning of the chapter and be all cool-and-heroic but I decided it was too....well..too many people expected it, so I decided to give it a small twist. Any how, I want to apologize for not posting it sooner. As it says in my profile, my little brother fell ill and I had to tend to him. Please understand. I hope this chapter makes up for it. =D Please let me know what you think about the characters, including Ryuu. Well, that's it. Don't forget to drop a review! It makes me happy! Next chapter will be up soon! Check my profile for status on next chapter if you wish!