A/N: I am so sorry that I didn't post a chapter yesterday! Nothing super huge happens. The next chapter will be a bit of a winter special! So I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Thirteen

Moriko sat up, she heard an odd rumble in the sand as though it was alive. She looked around, the land was vacant. No one was in sight, and the Soul Society was a few miles away. Then the sand began to shake, Maraca stood up. The white cloak of her Taicho still tightly around her. She fumbled to her Taicho and sat down.

"Taicho! There's a weird rumbling in the sand. It's like its hungry or something." She whispered into his ear. Something warm tickled Toushirou's ear, he opened his eyes to see Moriko hanging over him. The ground began to shake, the two looked behind them. Something bugled out of the ground, bellowing. A white skull-like head came up, a black shadowy body following.

Moriko and Toushirou stared at the large hollowing, it staring back at them. Moriko set her hand on her zanpactou, ready to draw whenever. Toushirou grabbed her shoulder and her back. They backed away slowly, hoping the hollow wouldn't noticed. But it did. The hollow followed their every step, getting closer. Then it raised its arm, swinging it towards the two.

Moriko pulled out her zanpactou, blocking the arm. She closed her eyes, the hot air blew through her hair.

"Kashou Burrakukasai!" She said, her eyes turning from a creamy orange to a deathly red. Her zanpactou turned from a thick sword, into a thin red katana. The heat from her zanpactou burned into the flesh of the hollow. It bellowed in pain. Moriko turned her zanpactou to its side, slicing down the forearm of the hollow. Black, murky blood spewed out of the arm. Toushirou ran towards her, grabbing her hand and pulling her away.

The hollow snaked behind them, grabbing a hold of Moriko's leg. She fell into the sand, the hollow slowly dragging her closer to itself.

"Taicho!" Moriko screamed, Toushirou trying to take a grab of her hand but failed. The long thin claws dug into Moriko's calf, she cried out in pain. Her warm blood mixed in with the sand, leaving a trail while she was being dragged by the hollow. Moriko's fingers tried to get her zanpactou but were to far away.

Toushirou pulled his zanpactou out of its sheath, he ran towards the hollow. He sliced down the middle of the hollow, it roared in pain. The shadowy figure began to disintegrate, the skull falling to the ground. The sand grew thicker and changed in color. It went from a light tan to a deep maroon color. Moriko put her hand over the puncture holes, blood seeping through.

Toushirou hurried over to her, hold his captain's cloak. He wrapped it around her calf, the snowy white turning into a light red.

"Are you okay?" He asked, worry in his eyes. Moriko smiled, it said everything was fine.

"Don't worry Taicho! It's nothing, just a scratch!" Moriko lied, the holes in her leg hurt worse than when she broke her arm. Toushirou put his arms under her and lifted her slowly, an electric jolt went down both of their spines.

Toushirou strolled into the gates of the Soul Society, everyone looking at the two. Blood dripped from the stained cloak onto the concrete floors. They headed up the stairs, down a few halls and into Toushirou's office. Rangiku sat on the couch, the paper work finished.

"Taicho-sama!" She said gleefully, getting up from the couch. She looked down at Moriko's leg and gasped.

"Moriko-chan!! What happened?" She asked eyeing Toushirou, he rolled his eyes.

"Oh it's nothing, it's just a scratch!" Moriko said. A nurse from Squad four entered, bandages in her hands. Toushirou set Moriko onto the couch, the nurse following. She peeled the blood stained cloak away from Moriko's bare skin, cleaned the area and wrapped it in bandages. Moriko swung her legs around after the bandages were put on, the nurse left the room without speaking. She looked at Toushirou, who was looking at her.

"Taicho..?" Moriko began.

"Hmm?"

"Does this mean I don't have to bring Momo her dinner?"

"You still have to bring it."

"Why?! I'm hurt! I can't walk that far! I have to walk all the way to the kitchen, then all the way to the Squad five corri-"Moriko was cut off there by Toushirou.

"You're going." He said. Moriko pouted and crossed her arms. Toushirou sighed. He walked over to the couch and sat down.

"Rangiku?" Toushirou started leaning back a bit.

"Yes Taicho?"

"Can you get Moriko-chan and I a fresh new set of clothes?" He finished closing his eyes.

"Of course." Rangiku said walking out of the office. Moriko looked over her shoulder to see Toushirou smiling while his eyes were closed. She lifted her finger to poke his face. Her warm finger landed on his cold nose. She pressed down.

"Taicho? Are you really sleeping?" Moriko asked, Toushirou's eyes opened.

"I was trying to." He said putting on a smirk.

"If you're gonna sleep go sleep in your room." Moriko said.

"What if I want to sleep out here?"

"Then that's a waste of a room if you don't sleep in there."

"Then how about you sleep in there?"

"But it's not my room!"

"Then how about I sleep in there with you." He said leaning closer to her.

Moriko's face flushed red, while Toushirou chuckled.

"It's okay you can sleep in there if you want. I rather sleep out here." Toushirou said, his arms going behind his head. Moriko sighed, and frowned.

"What's wrong? You want me to sleep in there with you?" He asked a bit shock, a stroke of pink went across his face. Moriko didn't know how to put it. She really wanted him to sleep in there with her, but she didn't want him to think it was that way. She just felt that in such a cold room, it felt lonely. When she first slept in the room, she didn't get a wink of sleep because it was so cold and dark and so lonely. Yet she doubts that he would go in there with her. It would feel too awkward. Maybe if she just thinks that they're in two separate beds like at Urahara's, it wouldn't feel as awkward.

Toushirou didn't know how to respond to Moriko if she did want him in there with her. He loved having her there, for him. But then it would so awkward. He looked at her, she was a pinkish color. Did that mean she wanted him in there with her? Moriko looked at him, Toushirou was looking at her.

"Taicho.. I don't really know how to say it." She began with a whisper. He looked at her, a smile forming on his face. He stood up and set his hand under her warm body. Moriko looked at him puzzled. He grinned and went towards the last door in the room. He twisted the knob open, a gust cool air stroked Moriko's warm face. Toushirou strolled over to the circular bed, dropping Moriko onto it. The cool fabric kissed Moriko's warm skin. Toushirou grabbed an extra blanket, tossing it over to Moriko. He sat on the bed and laid back. He looked at her and winked at her. Moriko smiled a bit and laid her head down. The blanket wrapped over her shoulders, starting to warm up from her body heat.

Her arm came out of the blanket and pulled another blanket over Toushirou. He opened his eyes and looked at her. She winked at him, smiling a bit. He blushed a bit and closed his eyes.

Rangiku walked into the room and looked around. The two were nowhere in sight. She saw that her Taicho's room was opened so she decided to go in there. Rangiku saw the grandest sight. She saw Toushirou sleeping like a baby, Moriko an angel-like face on the other side. Rangiku, aw-struck, set the clothing on a small stool and left the room.

Play in the snow like the children you are.