Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights of this series goes to Tite Kubo.

Author's Note: Thank you everyone for being so patient with me especially my dear reviewers: monkeywinz, MoonLightView, KnowledgeandImagination, thepopo, BreathexFreely, ScienceAngel, AznInvasionGirl, icyangel27, yumi-2121331, tanithhh, cool!, zoelol, chococat450, becomeafan, applestoapples, lil'sayuri-chan, Mei-tan, athfdrizzle, HoneyFlower15, Neko-cheung, j cloud xD, Kaye. Shirogane, Peanutbutter Princess8, Rinka Tokmiya. Three years have passed by since the end of Part I and now, Momo's in second year high school. What will happen in the first chapter of Part II: Hardships and Love? Well, you just have to read and find out. Enjoy!

LEGEND

"Talking." "Thinking."

The Healing Heart

Part II - Hardships and Love

Chapter Eleven: Saviour

Everything is peaceful and silent until the alarm clock sounded. As the annoying ringing is continued to be heard, it caused her to stir from side to side in bed. She tried to ignore it, but it is soon short lived. Quickly extending a hand out, she silenced the clock and rolled onto her back. It is moments later, sixteen year old, Momo Hinamori opened her eyes to see the white ceiling above her. "That's right," she said. "It's the first day of the new semester. I have to go to school."

It is when the peach girl sat and got out of bed. Walking over to the curtains, she opened them so that the rays from the sun can shine through. She closed her eyes and took a moment to feel its warmth. When she reopened her chocolate brown eyes, she turned around and went deeper into her bedroom to collect her clothes before heading off to the washroom to take a shower.

When she is done, she got dressed in her dark navy and white high school sailor uniform. Once she walked back into her bedroom, she stood in front of the mirror to knot her loose red ribbon together into a tie. Then, she moved on to putting up her hair into a bun which is tied together in a light blue cloth. She smiled with delight. "Yes, it's perfect."

Momo then grabbed her school bag and ran downstairs to the living room where she found her grandmother has already set up the table for breakfast.

"Ohayo Obaa-san!"

"Good morning Momo, you're awake early," she replied, watching the raven haired girl to take her seat at the low table across from her. "It's only 7:30."

"I know." Hinamori picked up her bowl and chopsticks. "I need to go to my friend's place to wake her up. She told me to do that."

A smile crept on her lips. "I see."

With that said the elder and the granddaughter said their thanks and started eating their first meal of the day.

"I'll be back soon!" Momo called out before she closed the front door and went on her way to her friend's place which is located a few blocks away from her place. In the meantime, she glanced up at the sky to see the day to be quite a beautiful one. "I hope it goes on like this."

By the time she arrived at her destination, she walked up to the front doorstep and pressed the doorbell. After waiting for at least two minutes, she rang the bell again. Shortly, she let out a sigh of defeat.

"How come I'm not surprised?"

She put her hand into her skirt pocket, took out her thin pink cell phone, and started pressing a few buttons. Once she is finished, she held it up to her ear and waited for a response. "Mm, nani Hinamori? Why are you calling me this early in the day?"

"Rangiku-san, it's school today," she replied. "I'm here to pick you up so that you wouldn't be late."

"W-What, it's a school day today?"

Momo let out a sigh of defeat. "Yes, it is."

She then heard the strawberry orange haired woman grumble a bit and then reply, "Oh alright then, just wait for a bit. I'll be downstairs."

"Okay."

"See you then."

"Hai, ja ne."

Momo hung up the phone and put it back into her skirt pocket. A few minutes later, the front door opened to reveal the seventeen year old woman with large bosoms all dressed up and ready for school. "Good morning, Hinamori!"

"S-Sugoi, that was fast."

"What do you expect? I prepared everything before I slept last night."

The peach girl let out another sigh. "Did Ichimaru-san have something to do with your breakfast and lunch?"

There was a silent pause. "Anyway, let's go to school!"

"I knew it; he does have something to do with the food preparation."

Matsumoto placed her hands together and put them behind her head. "What am I supposed to do? That idiot likes to do whatever he likes without people knowing what he's up to."

"T-That's true..."

Ever since his departure, Rangiku and Momo have kept in contact with one another over the past three years. Now, they're very close friends who attend the same high school together. "Since he wasn't at home when I woke up, I'm assuming that Gin already left to go to school ahead of me. Argh, I hate that jerk!"

Hinamori let out a hesitant laugh. Before Matsumoto graduated from junior high, she had a problem trying to come up with a solution to commute to Seireitei High. It is when she decided to move out of her family home and live on her own. The only downside to her is Gin Ichimaru, her friend who has been living with her family over the past few years, decided to move in with her.

It is when she noticed a few familiar faces walking ahead of them. With a hand raised, Momo called out to them by their names. "Kira-kun! Hisagi-san! Renji-kun!"

Sixteen year old teenagers, Izuru Kira and Renji Abarai, and seventeen year old teenager, Shuhei Hisagi stopped and glanced over their shoulders to see Matsumoto and Hinamori nearby. They waited for the girls to catch up with them. "Ohayo," Kira greeted.

"Morning," Renji added.

"Good morning," Hisagi said. "It has been a while since we last saw each other."

Momo nodded with agreement as the five friends returned to making their way to school. "It's expected since we had two months of summer vacation. So, did you finish your homework?"

"Yeah, I finished it a few weeks back," Izuru replied.

"I finished mine last week," the red head said. "Rukia from class 2-3 has been nagging at me about it."

"Hn, are you sure it's only nagging?" Matsumoto asked, leaning towards him. "What if she wanted to hang out with you for other particular reasons?"

Immediately, he turned red. "Wh-What are you talking about Rangiku-san? Rukia and I aren't dating! Besides, we practically grew up together!"

"Who knows...the childhood relationship might blossom into a romantic one."

"Oi!"

"What about you, Hinamori-kun?" Kira asked.

"I finished it about three days ago," Hinamori replied.

"That's good to hear."

"What about you Hisagi-san? I heard that homework has been chaotic."

"You said it," Shuhei replied. "There was so much work to do, but I don't blame the teachers for doing that. Besides, we're graduating at the end of the year, right Rangiku?"

"Even though we're graduating this year, I still hate them for doing that," Matsumoto pouted as she folded her arms over her chest. "It gave him the opportunity to bully me like there's no tomorrow!"

"Let me guess; Ichimaru has been on your case."

"Gah, he's so annoying!"

"Maybe he's doing that because he has an interest in you," Renji said, teasing the strawberry orange haired woman.

"Gin has an interest in me? No way, he's an idiot."

"I figured you would say that..."

All of a sudden, they heard the school bell rung. "Oh shit, we're going to be late for class!" Hisagi exclaimed.

"Well don't just stand there, let's run!"

"Eh? Do we really have to?" Matsumoto complained, running after the other teenagers.

"Rangiku-san, you said it yourself that you don't want to be late," Momo replied. "So, let's get going!"

"Okay, okay! I got it!"

It is when Hinamori suddenly stopped and glanced over to the side. At first, she thought there was someone watching her, however nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. "Oi Hinamori, hurry up!" Hisagi called out.

Returning her attention to the rest of her companions, she yelled back, "I'm coming!"

With that said, she ran past the school gates and into the building, unknowingly that there is a pair of eyes locked onto the female sixteen year old teenager. "Hn, so this is where she goes to school..."

Later in the day when it is lunch time, the group of friends met up with one another on the school rooftop. "Yosh, it's finally time for us to eat!" Matsumoto exclaimed before she quickly unpacked her lunch. "Sugoi, he has really outdone it this time! He made all my favourites!"

After taking a brief moment to look at it, the others made a few disgusted faces. Renji asked, "Oi, are you even serious?"

"W-What did Ichimaru do to this food anyway?" Hisagi wondered as they watched the strawberry orange haired woman happily eating her lunch meal.

"I-I'm not sure," Kira replied.

"Iie, he doesn't do that normally," Hinamori replied. "It's just...he made it to suit Rangiku-san's tastes."

"I-I see..."

"In that case, I-I sort of feel sorry for him," Renji said. "How many times a week does he actually do this?"

"I-I think most of the time," Momo answered.

"Aww, now that's a nice comment to say about me," interrupted a voice. Heads turned toward the door to see a tall gray haired teenager, dressed in a male school uniform, with a fox-like face and a sly grin. "Isn't that right, Hinamori-chan?"

"I-Ichimaru-san, w-what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Renji further questioned. "Don't you have anything else better to do?"

"Now, why are you guys being so mean to me?" he wondered before turning to his housemate, Matsumoto. "Ran-chan, can you tell me the reason why they're acting this way?"

With one glance at the older teenager, Rangiku merely shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Hn, I really have no idea."

"Now that's cold..."

It is when the sky above them began to darken. They looked up into the sky and noticed that the once clear sky is now covered in a blanket of dark gray clouds. "Ara, it looks like it's going to rain soon," Ichimaru stated.

"Damn, you just had to bring your bad luck along with you," Renji muttered.

"Hn, now what is it that you were saying about me?"

Sensing a scary presence from the upperclassman, the red head gulped down his saliva and stuttered, "I-I-Iie, i-it's nothing."

"I see; so it was my imagination, after all."

"Y-Yeah, it was..." He quickly turned around and let out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was a close one..."

"We better pack our lunches and go inside," Hisagi suggested.

"Darn it, if I knew it was going to rain today, I should have brought my umbrella," Rangiku said.

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, let's hurry up and get back into the school building."

The others nodded with agreement and got to work. By the time they went back into Seireitei High, the rain has already started pouring onto the Earth's surface.

Momo let out a sigh of defeat after he took a look at the scenery through the window. She said, "It's still raining."

The school bell rung a few minutes ago, indicating that classes are over for today. Renji and Kira, who are in the same class as her, approached the girl at her desk. The red headed teenager replied, "Yeah, the weather just had to stink today. Now we have to go to soccer practice in the rain."

"On the bright side, it's good practice for us for the upcoming district tournament," Izuru said.

Abarai scratched the back of his head and let out a short growl of frustration. "Ergh, whatever..."

"Hinamori-kun, are you going to be alright walking home on your own today? I heard that Matsumoto-san has business to take care of while the rest of us have soccer practice."

"It's alright; I'll be fine," the peach girl replied. "You guys can go. Besides, Hisagi-san is going to get angry if you don't arrive on time."

"Oh, you got that right," Renji agreed. "Let's go, Kira."

With a nod of agreement, he resumed his attention to the raven haired girl. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Kira-kun, Abarai-kun," Hinamori greeted farewell.

"Later," Renji said.

"Ja ne," Izuru added before both boys left the homeroom class 2-1, leaving Momo to be the only student left inside.

"Well, it's time to get everything packed up," she said, "and prepare for the run back home in the rain."

She placed her bag on the desk, zipped it open, and put all her writing utensils, notebooks, and textbooks inside. Upon closing it once more, she stood up from her seat and carried it with her out of the classroom. After walking through the hallway, Momo went the shoe locker room to exchange her footwear. By the time she is done, the peach girl placed her bag on her head and started her fifteen minute journey home on foot.

"Note to self: be sure to always carry an umbrella on you. Who knows what kind of weather we're going to have during the day."

Hinamori ran along the riverbank, across the bridge, and through the narrow streets of Seireitei. She bit the bottom of her lip, frustrated over the fact that her socks have become wet from stepping on all the puddles. She could feel her toes wet and slowly become shriveled like a dried permission.

"Mou, I better hurry up or else I'm going to get sick."

Just as she turned at the corner, Momo soon met up with a group of men in their late teens and early twenties who confronted her. Suddenly, struck by fear, she began taking a few steps back. One of the men said, "Look what we have here, we found ourselves a girl."

"Not only that, but she's quite the cute and innocent one," another man added. "I like her."

"I have to agree with that one."

"Don't worry little Missy, we'll take you home. We'll protect you from anyone who is trying to harm you," a third man said as the guys began to surround the peach girl.

"D-Don't come any closer!" Momo exclaimed, fearing that they might actually do something bad to her. "I-I can take care of myself!"

"Nonsense, there is no need to be scared."

When she took a few more steps back, the back of her heel soon met with something. She glanced back to see another man standing behind her. She gasped and tried to flee in the other direction. However, she is prevented from doing so after he took hold of both of her arms which caused her to drop her school bag onto the wet ground. She struggled to break free, but it was no use. She is too weak to stand up against them. "Like we said before, we'll protect you. So, be thankful and give us the reward we deserve."

"Please…" she thought as she shut her eyes tightly. "Please, someone…help me."

"Reward, my ass…" interrupted a voice. "All you're going to get are a couple of bruises and if you're lucky, you'll get yourself a black eye."

The men half turned their bodies to the side to see a young teenager confront them in his wet hair and clothes. "Who the hell are you?"

"It's none of your business. Now, let the girl go or else…"

"...Or else what you're going to do, little shrimp?"

Without another word, a fist was thrown at his face. The first man flew back a few meters back from the teenager's assault, surprising the other members of the group. "You little bastard, how dare you do that to our boss?" the fourth man asked.

"Enough standing around," the second man commanded. "It's time to show him what we're really made of!"

Soon after, a battle of fists and kicks has begun. During this time, Hinamori opened her eyes to see scary scenery that is taking place in front of her. Her chocolate brown orbs soon widened with a sudden shock and surprise. It prevented her from running away or even call for help. Eventually, the person who is fighting against all of them caught her attention. She began wondering, "I-Is he trying to save me?"

Another fist is thrown at his opponent's face. It provided enough force on the bone to cause him a nose bleed. In the meantime, the young saviour kneel down to ground level and extended his leg out. From there, he tripped the third man to the ground before kicking him in the groin. The man yelped out in pain and covered crotch with his hands. He bit the bottom of his lip, trying to keep himself from yelling any further. "You little shit…"

Looking down at them, he stepped on the side of the man's shin and gave them an icy glare. "If you dare bother her again or call me a shrimp again, I will not hesitate to kill you."

It was more than enough to scare them off with their tails between their legs. Once they were gone, the teenager let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention to Momo.

By the time he approached the sixteen year old girl, he asked, "Are you hurt anywhere, Hinamori?"

However, she didn't respond. She is too busy trying to comprehend the whole situation. She was about to get attacked or even raped by a group of thugs when the snowy white haired teenager (who is drenched in rain) with emerald-teal eyes wearing a pair of dark blue jeans and black long sleeved shirt suddenly appeared out of nowhere and saved her. "Is this a dream?" she wondered. "It doesn't feel like it. Either way, wh-what is he doing here?"

The next thing she knew her body felt numb and were soon supported by his pair of arms. As her conscious is fading, she could hear the sound of his echoing and vanishing voice, "Oi, pull yourself together!"

Momo soon closed her eyes and blacked out.

"Oi Hinamori!"

Japanese Word Translations

Ohayo - Good Morning, Obaa-san - Grandmother, Nani - What, Hai - Yes, Ja ne - Good Bye (informal/casual), Sugoi - Amazing, Iie - No

Author's Note: Hn, there's nothing really much to say about this chapter except who is Momo's saviour? xD Hehe, if you get it right, you earned yourself a freshly baked HitsuHina cookie. Yum!

On a side note, for those of you who have read my other story, The Greatest Treasure, the first chapter to the sequel has already been posted on fanfiction. net. Please take the time to read it! You're going to love it.

Anyway, please review! Thanks.