Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

Author's Notes: Senseless drivel, if you ask me. But I had to satisfy the sudden desire to write HitsuHina after so long. Just a look into the world outside Hueco Mundo, when life used to be much more interesting than killing off characters and introducing new Espada, hence the name Interlude. And yes, spoilers everywhere.

She lies under starched white sheets in one of the many 4th division wards, her face as pale as death. Rather ironic, actually, since they are dead after all. Her dark brown hair is fanned out on the pillow and makes her look a little younger than usual, because it's always tied back into a bun. The oxygen mask fogs up, then clears, then fogs up again, and clears. He is glad that she isn't just barely breathing anymore – she is much recovered, with Unohana-taichou's help.

It's doubtful that she'll ever heal completely, though. Wounds that run deep in the heart are difficult to nurse back to health – she still doesn't believe that her beloved ex-captain was the mastermind of the turmoil that Soul Society had been put through. His eyes are half-lidded as he gazes at her silent form, the ever-familiar frown creasing his eyebrows. It's no surprise, considering how much she adored – still adores – the traitor. Anger was a primary emotion a while back, but now it is merely acceptance, maybe some resignation. As a child prodigy, he can deal with many things; but he has never been able to figure her out. Her idle chatter, her ability to bring smiles to so many faces, her determination in every single thing that she does, her anger when her loved ones are hurt.

Sometimes, he feels like he's gasping for air when he recollects the recent events – she had chosen to believe Aizen, instead of him. He would've thought childhood friends would think better of each other, but apparently he was wrong. She shifts a little in her sleep, and his hand twitches, aching to push back a lock of hair that has fallen upon her cheek. But he remains still as ice, true to his zanpakutou's element. There are times when his head tells him that he hates her – hates her for being so damned nice to everyone, for trusting others so easily, for smiling so brilliantly. But his heart always tells him otherwise.

To be frank, as a boy he doesn't really care about the war between Arrancar and shinigami. As a captain, of course, it is his responsibility to be worried and to fight. But he has been a shinigami for so long, for too long. He might still be considered young for Gotei 13 standards, but he's getting quite sick of it all. Becoming strong and attaining captaincy had merely been steps to impress her, and he doubts that she'll really appreciate it if he aids in bringing down Aizen. Fighting is monotonous, now. Shawlong or Luppi or whatever their stupid names were, they are all Arrancar. Mindless Hollows who are very strong, but merely follow orders from a former-shinigami. Laughable, really.

And now Kurosaki Ichigo's gone over to Hueco Mundo to retrieve another comrade, rather reminiscent of the time he'd crashed into the realm of the dead to save Kuchiki Rukia from execution. Nothing may come out of it, considering the differences in strength between shinigami and the converted Hollows. Of course, he's also aware that the group of five won't go down without putting up some form of resistance, and that probably amounts to something. Maybe they'll even manage to kill off Aizen – he only wishes that he could be there to partake in the process. The girl lying before him will probably never speak to him again, but he can't help but want to rip apart anyone who so much as touches her, let alone someone who betrayed her trust and almost took her life.

When she awakes, he knows right away. The gentle pulsing reiatsu of hers bursts into life when she slips back into consciousness, entwining with his controlled spiritual energy in the small room. She turns towards him slowly.

"Shiro-chan," she murmurs through her oxygen mask, misting it up with her words. This is the only sound in the world that makes him want to kill someone and cry and yell at her and kiss her all at the same time. Needless to say, his stoic expression betrays nothing.

"I'm sorry," she continues after a period of silence.

And all is forgiven.