Hinamori grabbed her heart and sighed. What a frightening experience.

"Hinamori?"

Hinamori looked up to see Medusa. Completely emotionally shattered by the event, she stood up and jabbed Medusa with her finger. "What did I do to you?"

Medusa looked shocked and then angry. "You want to know what you did! You embarrassed me! In front of Captain Aizen! Remember! Remember the day they chose vice-captains!"

"What?"

"Don't pretend you don't remember! We were battling against each other with kido, and you humiliated me with one attack."

Slowly, Hinamori's eyes began widening. "That wasn't me!"

Medusa smiled sweetly. "Of course it wasn't you. NO, IT WAS YOU! I REMEMBER YOU HAIR, AND YOUR BANGS!"

Hinamori slapped her forehead with her hand. "It wasn't me! How many times do I have to tell you? It was a girl named Hoshi. She was vice-captain before me!"

"It wasn't! Stop talking," Medusa screamed, bringing her hand up. "I don't want to hear it."

Slowly, Hinamori realized. "Was...was she your sister?"

"Shut up!"

Hinamori sighed softly. "It's okay Medusa. It's okay. You know this isn't the real reason you're angry. You just don't want to admit that she did better than you!"

"SHUT UP!"

Hinamori stubbornly continued. "Listen to me, Medusa! I used to be like that! When I was very very very young and obsessed with Aizen I attacked a very very dear friend of mine. It didn't make me feel better."

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"

Medusa brought down her hand but stopped at the last moment. Tears filled her eyes, and she started crying.

Hinamori silently left her alone.

THE NEXT DAY

"Are you sure?" Hinamori asked as she saw Medusa's resignation letter.

Medusa just nodded and left quickly.

Hinamori sighed and cradled her head in her hands. Then she remembered the voices. "What was that about?" she wondered. How she wished she had her soul slayer with her.

"I'll just take a dip in the lake," she murmured.

When she got to the lake (it was in a very secret, sheltered area), she did not take off her robes but just dove in.

Her eyes opened, and she marveled in the life under the lake.

Suddenly, a glimmer of silver caught her eye.

"What?" she asked, air bubbling out of her mouth.

Breaking to the surface, she took a long deep breath and then dived back under, kicking strongly.

She gasped when she saw what the silver thing was. It was her soul slayer. Drunk with joy, she grabbed at it and pulled it away.

A loud growl resonated. Hinamori flinched she should have known that the people who hid it wouldn't make it that easy to get back.

A scream bubbled out of her throat as a slimy leg grabbed her. She slashed at it with her soul slayer, and it recoiled.

"Tobiume burst!"

Light, and Hinamori was floating on the surface of the lake, breathing deeply in and out.

"HINAMORI!"

She was being picked up, and her hands were being grasped. She coughed.

"Hitsugaya-kun?"

"I told you not to go the lake," he said.

"but I found my soul slayer," Hinamori weakly said, lifting it up.

"What if you hadn't got out alive?" Hitsugaya asked fiercely, grabbing Hinamori into his arms.

"Hits...Hitsugaya," Hinamori whispered, leaving off the -kun-. She dropped her soul slayer and tentatively wrapped her arms around him.

They stayed like that for a long time.

sunsun128: -sob- -sob- I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was going through. It was the dark ages!

Hinamori: -pats back- It's okay. Hitsugaya and I didn't mind being locked up in a dark room together.

Hitusgaya: -blushes-

sunsun128: Really! Awesome! Reviews are appreciated.

Hitsugaya: and flames will be used to burn sunsun128's homework!