Diclaimer: I don't own Naruto or it's characters. Kishimoto does. I don't own Bleach or its characters, either.

Title: Between Two Worlds

Summary: Sakura finds herself in a different dimension after getting caught by Itachi's Mangekyou. She discovers that she has shinigami powers and feelings for two shinigami. When she is offered a chance to go home, will she take it? BleachNaruto crossover. Hitsugaya x Sakura x Shuuhei

Thanks for the squad information, especially whitedeathangel03 for giving me so much details about it.

Also, since the anime isn't that fast, and I don't read the manga, I'm making up what happens with the whole Orihime and Hueco Mundo thing. So yeah, this story won't really go according to the actual anime. A lot of changes have already been made, anyways. Eheh. I hope it doesn't deter you from the story or anything.

By the way- I am so sorry for not updating in forever. I just lack inspiration, and I've been too lazy to really do anything. Again, I apologize!

Rangiku and Yachiru watched as Sakura and Hisagi sparred against each other, quite impressed with the young girl's brute strength.

"She's really good, ne, Rangiku-chan?" Yachiru asked, looking up at the curvaceous woman. Rangiku nodded in agreement- they had never actually seen the girl fight until now. Needless to say, both were surprised with how much power lay within such a small woman. With an admiring tone in her voice, Yachiru exclaimed, "What does she say she was again? A ninja? Isn't that cool or what?"

Rangiku simply nodded again, engrossed with Hisagi and Sakura's spar. They had limited Sakura into using only three of her chakra techniques, no spirit energy. She had chosen her healing abilities, a fire-ball type of technique, and this cloning trick that baffled both Yachiru and Rangiku to no end. They were both faring well, considering Hisagi was allowed to use his spirit energy. Unfortunately, there were no zanpaktou used in this spar- only hand to hand combat and kido on Hisagi's part.

"Don't you think," Sakura panted, "that we should take a break, Hisagi-kun?" She asked, as she dodged a high kick from Hisagi. He nodded, jumping back a few meters. Sakura smiled wearily- she was exhausted already. It had been almost impossibly hard trying to dodge all of his kido spells- didn't they ever run out of spirit energy? Sakura took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling of her lungs being filled with the much needed oxygen.

"That was awesome, Sakura-chan!" Yachiru cheered, running up to the kunoichi with a water bottle in her hand. She offered it to Sakura, who immediately accepted, thanking her. She chugged nearly half the bottle before placing the cap back on. "Being a ninja seems like so much fun!" Yachiru exclaimed, grinning up at Sakura. She laughed, half-heartedly. Fun? That was a strange word to describe it.

"It's not all it's cut out to be." She replied, her tone slightly tinged with sadness. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke for a moment, and how his abandonment caused such an impact to her and Naruto, to everybody. It shifted over to Tsunade, and the losses of her brother and Dan. Both whose dreams were of becoming the most powerful ninja in the village- the Hokage. She thought about the past Hokages- Sarutobi-sama, and the Yondaime. They both sacrificed their lives just to save the village.

"Why would you say that, Sakura-chan?" Yachiru asked, sounding so innocent and naive. Sakura shook her head. She didn't want to explain to her of the losses, sacrifice, and the many other things one had to deal with as a ninja. She figured it would be something similar to shinigami, since they too were risking their own souls as they fought hollows. Yachiru was slightly confused at what had caused the sudden change in Sakura's mood and decided to drop the subject.

Hisagi, who had only been a couple feet away at the time, had heard the entire exchange between both women. He was curious, but he didn't want to press into it if she was too uncomfortable to speak about it.

"Want some?" Sakura suddenly asked, offering the half-empty bottle of water to Hisagi. He nodded his head and Sakura tossed it to him. He caught it effortlessly and took off the lid before bringing the bottle to his lips.

Yachiru giggled in glee at the sight. Hisagi finished the rest of the water, wiping his mouth dry before twisting the cap back on.

"What's so funny, Yachiru-san?" Sakura asked, her eyebrow raised. Hisagi had a similar expression on his face, causing Yachiru to giggle even more. Rangiku walked up to her, sighing. What was the young girl laughing about this time?

Instead of giving them a straight answer, Yachiru pointed to the water bottle and started singing, "Sakura and Hisagi sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" She laughed. Sakura and Hisagi turned to each other before immediately turning away with a heavy blush on their cheeks a millisecond later. "Did you see that Rangiku-san? They look so cute together!" Yachiru exclaimed, curling her fingers and bringing both hands together in front of her face to make it look as if there was a heart-shaped border around the two.

Sakura coughed, "That was not a- a kiss!" Sakura sputtered out, obviously embarassed. Yachiru laughed some more, this time she was making kissy faces at the awkward couple. "Hisagi-kun, tell her that wasn't a kiss!" She demanded, at wit's end. Rangiku simply gaped at the entire scene. This was not going the way she planned! If this continued any further, any chances of her captain Sakura getting together would be destroyed!

"Well," Hisagi exclaimed, sounding thoughtful. "She does have a point, you know." Hisagi replied, looking over at Sakura with a serious-looking expression. Sakura gaped at him before noticing the light blush across his face and his lips twitching into a small smirk. Realization dawned upon her. He was teasing her! She bit her lip to disguise her growing grin. "Do you have something to say to me? You were, after all, the one who offered me the bottle first, Sakura-chan."

Sakura couldn't stop the blush spreading across her face, but she did decide that two could play at this game.

"Well, I personally hadn't known about this little fact. An indirect kiss? In all honesty, I'm surprised." Sakura exclaimed. "Say, Hisagi-kun, you accepted the bottle, knowing it would technically be a kiss, did you not? Perhaps it's you who would like to say something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively. She tried to suppress the smile that was bubbling inside of her- it had been so long since she teased someone like this!

Everybody laughed at Hisagi's fully red face and his sputtering. "Don't worry, I was only teasing." Sakura said, poking him in the chest lightly. Hisagi's face remained red but he had finally stopped stuttering like an idiot. The two didn't notice as Yachiru grinned mischievously up at Rangiku, who merely stuck out her tongue in distaste.

"Sakura, didn't uh, Nanao say something about a couple of books earlier?" Rangiku asked, trying to separate Hisagi and Sakura. Her attempt was pathetic, and extremely obvious in Yachiru's eyes. Angrily, she acknowledged Rangiku's effort with a harsh glare of her own. If that's how things were going to be, then it was just fine with her.

"Oh yeah!" Sakura said. "It would be nice to read up on the things here. Everything's so... different."

Hisagi chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you're having a good time. I better get going, but would you like to spar again sometime?" Hisagi asked, inwardly crossing his fingers for good luck. Sakura bit her lip to suppress her grin. She had been doing this often lately, not that she was complaining or anything.

"I'd love to-"

"Let's get going, now!" Rangiku exclaimed loudly, as she grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her away from the bewildered-looking Hisagi. Sakura grinned to herself, a light blush staining her cheeks. "Don't tell me he's got you all flustered, now, Sakura-chan!" Rangiku teased.

"Me? Flustered?" Sakura asked incredulously. She mentally applauded herself for not stuttering that time. "Of course not!"

Of course, is what she really meant.

'Isn't this awesome? Shannaro! Score one for Sakura!' Rosas exclaimed in glee. 'Finally! Your love life is now not non-existant! Oh, I am so proud of you- of us!'

Sakura fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'Not now, Rosas. Please, I'm in the middle of a conversation with Rangi-'

"It really seems you are, Sakura-san." Rangiku stated, suspiciously. "Of course, I'm only assuming because of the blush on your cheeks."

"Wait, what? I am not blushing!" Sakura defended. It was a sad attempt, and to make it even worse, her face reddened. She glanced over at Yachiru, desperately hoping in some way that she would defend her.

"I think you're lying, Sakura-chan." Yachiru teased, sticking out her tongue.

"You two are impossible!" Sakura exclaimed, trying her hardest not to stutter. Fortunately for her, she succeeded.

"We know." Rangiku replied, chuckling. "Now, to Nanao!"

Slim fingers tapped against the chair as Aizen sat there, thinking to himself.

"What a strange girl." Aizen stated, thoughtfully.

News had traveled fast. The pink-haired girl falling from the sky was not only bizarre, but worth looking into- according to Aizen, that is. She couldn't have come from just anywhere. Unfortunately for him, he could not risk sending troops down into Seireitei at the moment, so capturing the girl was not an option.

"Where do you think she came from?" Gin asked, his grin a little wider than usual.

"From another dimension, of course. Different than Ichigo Kurosaki's." Aizen replied. She had to be from a different dimension. No shinigami, human, or hollow had her kind of powers. It wasn't the same as Orihime, whom Ulqiorra was currently guarding, nor was it the same as the quincy's, or any of the beings in the three dimensions he knew of.

Aizen closed his eyes in contemplation. If he were to find and capture other specimens similar to this girl, he would be able to research and maybe even find a way to use their powers. The energy she used, the one called 'chakra', it was quite a wonder. Aizen furrowed his brow. He had never seen anything like it. If only he could get his hands on the mysterious energy...

He knew they had the technology to spirit energy and particles. Why should this 'chakra' energy be any different? He only needed one specimen, a living one he could use to extract the energy from said being and experiment with it. Once the specialists have found a way to duplicate and create more of the chakra, he could infuse it with the newly formed arrancar in the future.

However, there was always the possibility that maybe one specimen was not enough. Power and abilities differed between zanpaktou and even the humans. Kurosaki and the rest of his dysfunctional group were an excellent example of this.

A smile found its way on his lips. He would just have to gather more than one, wouldn't he?

It couldn't be too hard. They had the element of surprise, after all. The unfortunate girl could not find her own way back to her home. As long as they found a way before she did, he would be able to start his experiments.

"Find the dimension she came from and open a portal connecting to Hueco Mundo."

"Your guys' history is so interesting! And all the different types of hollows- it's amazing. I've never heard of anything like this- I would've never guessed any of this existed." Sakura exclaimed, astounded. She had just skimmed over a couple of entries in 'Sereitei: History'.

Yachiru had told her a lot of things that Sakura had just recently read in the book, but the information was much more detailed. She thought a couple of articles were so unbelievable that she had to read them twice over before fully processing the ideas in her head.

"How are hollows amazing?" Yachiru queried. "They devour other souls!"

Panicking, Sakura tried to explain herself, "That's not what I meant! I was only sayi-"

Yachiru giggled, sticking her tongue out in a playful manner. "I know, I know, I was just joking!"

Sakura looked relieved- she did not want to offend one of her only friends here. Getting on the bad side of these people would definitely not be a smart move on her part. She skimmed through a couple more entries, trying to memorize all the information she could.

"Are you going to be reading all day or are you going to come train? I'm so bored!" Yachiru whined, pulling at her locks of pink hair. Rangiku nodded in agreement, looking at her nails with disinterest. Sakura sighed, she wanted to continue reading, but she didn't want the two women's boredom to increase any further.

"Sure, I'm up for anything. I can read these later on tonight." Sakura said, before placing the book down. The three headed back to the training field, where it was currently unoccupied.

"What are you three doing here?"

Or so they thought.

"Uh, hi taichou!" Rangiku exclaimed, laughing nervously. "We were going to start training, actually."

Yachiru glanced at Rangiku, wondering if she had known of his presence before they arrived. Rangiku subtly shrugged, both to her captain and to Yachiru, who had a difficult time believing her. After all, what were the chances that Toushirou would be at the same training field at the same time as when they decided to head over?

Toushirou sighed, sounding exasperated as usual. Could this woman be an more of a procrastinator? Irritatedly, he claimed, "You're supposed to be doing paperwork, Matsumoto."

"But Sakura here needed to-"

Toushirou fought the urge to roll his eyes. Excuses, excuses! Tonight, he refused to have any of it.

"I'll take care of her." He declared. He nodded at Yachiru in greeting, who stayed silent during the small exchange. It was obvious to her that Hitsugaya was extremely irritated, and she wondered if leaving Sakura alone with him was such a good idea. Before she could protest, however, Rangiku started talking.

"I guess I'll see you later, Sakura. Have fun sparring with taichou!" Rangiku exclaimed, as she grabbed Yachiru and jogged off. The small girl looked extremely annoyed at having to leave Sakura alone with Toushirou, but decided not to speak against it. They didn't want to cause any suspicion- Sakura was, at all costs, never to find out about the set-ups, that is, if you could even call it that.

"Hitsugaya-taichou." Sakura greeted him with a smile, albeit awkwardly. "How have you been today?"

"Fine." Toushirou replied, curtly. "And you?"

"Likewise."

An awkward, silent moment passed before Sakura decided to speak up again.

"So... What are you going to teach me?"

"What? Who said I was going to teach you anything?" Toushirou asked, raising a brow. He didn't want to deal with the girl who had been plaguing his thoughts lately, much to his chagrin. She was even more troublesome than Matsumoto!... Sometimes.

"Well, I was going to spar with the other two, but you sent them off and said you'd take care of me. I just assumed that you'd teach me something since we're already here in the training grounds." Sakura responded with a hopeful tone of voice. Although she wanted to read, she was also looking forward to sparring with Rangiku and Yachiru.

Toushirou sighed, "I ca-"

"You can't? I guess I'll go find Hisagi-ku-"

"No, no, that is not necessary." Toushirou replied, hastily. "Like I said before, it's my duty to take care of you starting now. And if you had not interrupted me, I would have been able to finish my statement."

Sakura's face reddened, obviously embarrassed by her actions. "Sorry, taichou."

Toushirou nodded in response. "As I was saying, I can teach you how to control your zanpaktou more efficiently."

"Seriously? Sweet!" Sakura exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air, excitedly. She had been wondering exactly how she was going to learn how to wield Rosas, and now was the perfect opportunity. She was being taught by a captain, no less. Grinning widely, she clapped her hands together in anticipation. When she realized how silly she probably looked, she mentally scolded herself.

'I'm starting to rub off on you, ne?' Rosas exclaimed.

'You're a part of me so it's only expected that we would have some similarities.' Sakura retorted.

Toushirou, unaware of the small conversation in Sakura's mind, unsheathed his sword. Sakura copied his actions, though less gracefully. Sure, she had trained with Tenten, but she only considered herself decent with throwing weapons like kunai and shuriken. She had less experience with sword-like weapons such as katanas. She knew the basics and a couple of neat tricks, but that was the extent of her knowledge on the particular subject.

"Can you call upon your zanpaktou's bankai form?" Toushirou asked. Sakura nodded, and did so. When Rosas appeared, Sakura grinned, running her fingers through the soft, white feathers. It still amazed her that inside her mind was another being, another creature. Not only that, but she was completely baffled by the fact she was capable of bringing her out so easily.

"What can it do?" Toushirou asked, curious. "I can't help you unless we know what we're dealing with."

Sakura nodded, and studied Rosas in a meticulous way. She felt pride swell up at how the majestic creature in front of her was a part of her. There was so much potential at what she could accomplish with just a little training. Sakura's ambitious smile widened at the thought of what she could achieve.

'Uh, I know how to fly.' Rosas suggested, sounding unsure of herself. She flapped wings, hovering a meter or so above the ground. 'I didn't realize how good it felt to be out of your mind, even if I'm in the form of a bird. There's so much more freedom out here! It's exhilarating, really.'

"Well? Do you know what it can do?" Toushirou repeated, impatiently. What was going on between the two? There were no words said, but it was obvious to him that they were communicating somehow.

"Well, she can fly." Sakura stated, dumbly.

"I see." Toushirou replied, nodding his head. He scrutinized the bird, trying to figure out what its possible ability could be. Sakura hopped on its back, her sword still in hand, and the giant bird started flapping its wings harder.

"Jeez, Rosas, is there anything else you can do besides fly?" Sakura asked, irritatedly. Rosas tried to squawk at her, but like earlier, no sound came out. Instead, a small sphere of fire materialized from within her beak, but it dispersed before it came too close to Sakura.

There was a moment of awe-stricken silence until Sakura spoke up, "Hey, cool, can you do that again?"

Rosas hesitated for a moment, 'Sure, I'll try. I feel strange, though.'

'Strange? How?'

'The closest I can compare this feeling to is when you're summoning elemental chakra.' Rosas took a deep breath, trying her hardest to concentrate on the power within her. If she did it once, she could definitely do it again!

"What was that?" Toushirou suddenly exclaimed from below. He had seen a slight spark head towards Sakura. When she didn't reply, he figured she was too high up to hear him. Materializing spirit particles beneath his feet was an easy feat for captains, so in less than a second he was at Sakura and Rosas' eye level. By reflex, Rosas immediately flew back a couple meters.

"Hi taichou. You really didn't need to come all the way up here." Sakura stated, scratching her head sheepishly. Toushirou shook his head, eying her warily. Sakura frowned, miffed by her captain's suspiciousness. She hadn't done anything to even suggest that she was going to hurt anybody. In fact, all she had done so far was prove that she wasn't.

Displeased, Sakura boldly demanded, "What are you giving me that look for?"

"What was that?" He repeated his earlier question, ignoring her question. He seemed to have to repeat things more often, lately. This time Sakura shrugged, but stated that Rosas had created a small flame to erupt from her beak.

Toushirou rose a brow. "Show me."

Rosas craned her neck to look back at Sakura, who nodded. Rosas then took a deep breath, gathered the energy inside of her, and let out a pressurized burst of water. Another silence ensued, until Sakura inwardly smacked her forehead in aggravation.

'Eheheheh...' Rosas sheepishly laughed.

"I swear, last time it was fire!" Sakura proclaimed, surprised. Rosas decided to try once more and spat out another energy ball, except this time it was made of earth. Sakura sighed, though she couldn't say that she wasn't pleased with the results. Three elements? That was pretty good. "Nice try, Rosas."

'Can you control which element you want to use?' Sakura thought. Rosas raised her head and spat three small spheres of fire, then inwardly nodded her head in confirmation. Sakura knew Rosas was probably smirking to herself for successfully surprising her like that. 'Which ones do you have?'

'Earth, fire, and water.'

'My elements? That makes sense, I guess. Did you use spirit energy or chakra?'

'I think it's spirit energy.'

'Oh, well tha-'

"Try shaping the spirit energy." Toushirou suggested, unknowingly interrupting Sakura's mental conversation. "Try a spike of some sort."

While Toushirou trained Rosas, Sakura took it upon herself to practice her kidou, as well as walking on air by using spirit particles. Hours flew by, and soon the two were exhausted. Rosas had returned into her former state and Sakura had collapsed onto the ground.

"So, did she make any progress, taichou?"

"Quite. Rosas is indeed... Talented. Strange for a zanpaktou, but nonetheless just as useful. She can control and shape things with ease, but she really must practice on the size and strength of each element." Toushirou stated, staring down at the sword in curiosity.

He had helped the sword to hone its skills, but he had also been analyzing the zanpaktou at the same time. He had come to a conclusion that Rosas can control nothing but spirit energy, whereas Sakura can control both. Rosas was Sakura's only connection to the spirit energy, it seemed.

"Thanks for training her, taichou." Sakura murmured all of a sudden. She looked down and stroked the hilt of her sword delicately. "I really appreciate your efforts."

"It's my job, Sakura-san." Toushirou replied, trying to brush it off, but Sakura only continued.

"Not just this." Sakura stated, looking back up to meet his eyes with newly found confidence. "For everything you and the others here in Soul Society have done for me." Sakura said softly, bowing low.

"I know it's strange that I ended up here of all places, and I know that I'm not exactly trusted yet, but if you give me a chance, I'll show you how loyal I can be." Sakura continued.

"Why does it matter to you if I trust you or not, Sakura-san?"

"If I never find a way back home, I was hoping that maybe I could stay here. I promise I'll train constantly, and I won't be a hindrance to anyone." Sakura replied, clutching her zanpaktou tighter. "If I become useful to you and the rest of Seireitei, you wouldn't try to get rid of me, right?"

"Correct."

That is, Toushirou thought to himself, if she could prove to Seireitei that she could be trustworthy and loyal.

"It is getting late, we must head back to our sleeping quarters." Toushirou suggested. Reluctantly, he added, "I'll accompany you."

"Alright." Sakura agreed, and the two started walking side by side. The silence was comfortable, though there were slight awkward moments when their fingers would brush accidentally.

"So, what do you usually do besides train, go on missions, and paperwork?" Sakura asked, trying to start up a conversation. She wasn't entirely sure her captain was comfortable or not. She didn't want him to feel awkward or unwanted.

When Toushirou didn't reply, Sakura's face reddened with embarrassment. "Nevermind then, it was just a stupid ques-"

"Nothing really." Toushirou interrupted her. Sakura smiled, glad he had decided to finally answer her question. Now that she knew he was willing to converse with her, she decided to comment.

"Seriously? That must be boring." She stated. "Then again, I was like that back home in Konoha."

"Oh, really? And what exactly was your job?" Toushirou asked, both out of curiosity and politeness.

"I was a medic-nin." Sakura said, proudly. "I loved my job. Sure, it was hard at first..."

Toushirou nodded his head, listening as she started to explain everything. Her voice had a wistful tone to it, and he knew that she still missed her home terribly.

"... The feeling you get when you successfully save someone's life- it's amazing, taichou. I can't explain it with words, it's too intense for that." Sakura continued on, obviously passionate about the subject. "Everybody would be so relieved and happy; the patients, their families. I was happy, being able to make a difference and actually help around the hospital. I wasn't a burden there-"

Toushirou chuckled lightly, and Sakura stopped her rambling to look at him confusedly. She wondered if she had said anything to make sound like an idiot, but couldn't think of any. There was nothing humiliating about her job. When Toushirou noticed her confused gaze, he decided to speak up.

"A burden? From what you have demonstrated to I and the other captains, I am surprised to hear that you feel as if you were weighing anyone down." He explained.

Sakura found herself at a loss for any words, and instead settled for laughing as well. Toushirou, who had noticed the sudden change in her demeanor, decided to apologize if he had said anything wrong.

"No, no, you don't need to apologize, taichou. Really. I was just thinking."

"Hm."

"Yeah. I mean, I've worked so hard, but I... Uh... Nevermind." Sakura finished, lamely. She inwardly smacked herself for nearly bringing up the Uchiha that was constantly disturbing her thoughts. She didn't want to bore her captain or make herself seem like a weak, sulking fool. In an attempt to change the subject, Sakura decided to ask a question about her captain. "So, uh, how was your day?"

Toushirou, who decided to ignore the question, continued with the previous topic and asked Sakura, "You do not wish to talk about it?"

"Well, I've talked too much about myself, whereas I know barely anything about you." Sakura replied with an embarrassed blush lightly staining her cheeks once she realized her attempt at switching topics failed miserably. Sticking her tongue out, she added, "I don't want you to think I'm self-centered or anything, now."

Toushirou chuckled again. "Don't worry, Sakura-san, I do not think you are self-centered in the slightest." He said, the corners of his mouth lifting upwards in a small smile. He really meant it, especially after she had revealed her thoughts about being a medic-nin. If what she said was true, then she would be one of the least selfish people he had the chance of meeting.

"Besides, I have to admit, I am quite interested in why you would ever think of yourself a nuisance, Sakura-san." Toushirou stated.

"Ah, well, it's nothing important. It's in the past, you know? As long as I've proven myself stronger now, I'm sure it's all okay." Sakura replied, smiling to herself.

"You know, the fourth squad is in charge of treating injuries. Have you met Kotetsu-san?"

"Yup." Sakura nodded with a smile. "She was really nice. I plan on visiting her more often in the future."

"Well, considering you seem to specialize in medicine and such, it would not be hard for me to transfer you to the fourth division, if you'd like." Toushirou offered, looking away. He didn't want to see her eager expression if she decided to leave his squad.

Inwardly, he scolded himself for acting like such a fool. 'Why would it matter if she switched divisions?' He thought, harshly. 'I certainly wouldn't care.'

Sakura stayed silent for a moment, surprised at the sudden offer. Sure, it would be nice being able to heal people again, but she really enjoyed being in the tenth squad. Rangiku-san and her taichou were the first people that really welcomed her. She felt as if it was her duty to help them out in turn for bringing her into their squad.

"Thank you, taichou, but it really isn't necessary. I'd like it more if I stayed in the tenth squad with you."

Toushirou relaxed, surprised he had been so tense only seconds before. What was going on with him? "If that is what you wish."

"Well, we're here. Thank you for walking me, taichou." Sakura exclaimed, bowing before she headed inside. "Good night, taichou!"

"Good night, Sakura."

Sakura yawned, rubbing her eyes as she swung her legs over the bed. Once she removed her hands from her eyes, she found both Yachiru and Matsumoto staring at her. "What the-?!" She yelped in surprise as she nearly fell back on her bed.

"Relax, relax. We just got here." Rangiku explained. "We're here to take you to meet the last lieutenant."

Sakura looked confusedly. "Uh, who was that again?" She could have sworn they had met all the lieutenants yesterday.

"Renji Abarai. They had come back just hours ago and are being treated for injuries." Rangiku answered, then proceeded to hand Sakura a bundle of clothes before ushering her into the bathroom. "Now hurry up and take a shower. We'll be waiting here."

"You know what? We should throw a party for the return of Orihime-chan!" Yachiru suggested enthusiastically. With a mischevious glint in her eyes, she continued on with her idea. "We'll invite your taichou and Hisagi-kun, of course. We should have a contest of some sort."

"A contest, eh?" Rangiku asked, slightly suspicious.

"Yeah. A contest. A sake-drinking contest." Yachiru beamed up at her, knowing very well Rangiku would not turn down the offer. "You can enter too, you know."

Rangiku excitedly exclaimed, "Count me in!"

Inwardly, however, she groaned in frustration. There was no way her taichou was ever going to agree to a drinking contest- realization dawned upon her as Yachiru's plan became clear. There was no way for Toushirou to join the contest, meaning Hisagi would most likely end up winning. Rangiku's eyes widened in horror. That devious girl!

"Alright! The one who wins gets-"

"Wait a second. Before I agree to this, there has to be one condition. I'm in for taichou." Rangiku interrupted, placing her hands on her hips.

"You can't do that!" Yachiru argued. "That's- that's cheating!"

"Just like how it's cheating that the contest is something taichou would never participate in." Rangiku shot back, smugly. Instead of answering back, Yachiru pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, disappointed her plan had been foiled so quickly.

"Okay fine." Yachiru muttered, still pouting.

Rangiku patted her head, grinning. "Now, what will the prize be? It has to be something g-"

Before she could finish her sentence, a click was heard and Sakura stepped out of the washroom, towel-drying her hair. "So, are we heading over to Kotetsu-san's division?"

"Mmhm! Come on, let's go!" Yachiru said, hurrying them out. Rangiku shot her a look that meant they would talk privately later. Yachiru subtly nodded in reply as she pulled Sakura in the direction of the hospital.

"Why are we in such a hurry?" Sakura asked, curious as to why Yachiru was pulling so hard.

"I want to see Orihime-chan and the others." Yachiru replied. Satisfied with her answer, Sakura stayed quiet until they finally made it to the hospital.

Once they reached their destination, Sakura felt a pang of homesickness as she watched everybody bustle about. Despite the different surroundings, the hospital here in Seireitei had the same atmosphere as the one in Konoha. She wistfully sighed as she remembered her workplace and the other doctors and nurses who she would work together with.

"We need someone over here!"

Sakura hesitated only for a moment and looked towards the direction the voice had come from, wishing she could head over there and assist them in some way. Instead, she allowed Yachiru to pull her along until they reached a large room. Inside were many people, most of them injured. One woman with ginger hair was bent over a man with similar hair color. A glowing shield surrounded the man, and to Sakura's amazement, the small remnants of scratches disappeared before her very eyes.

It seemed as if the woman had been working on her patient for quite a while now, and was looking exhausted. She was just about to move onto an injured, red-haired man lying down to the cot next to the ginger-haired one, but Yachiru suddenly ran up to her.

"Orihime-chan! I'm glad everybody's back."

"Sorry Yachiru-chan, I cannot speak with you at the moment. I still need to help-"

"I'll do it." Sakura volunteered. Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't even realized the girl was there and felt guilty for not noticing earlier. Sakura smiled in understanding."I'm Sakura, by the way."

"I'm Orihime. It's nice to meet you." Orihime replied, giving Sakura a smile of her own. Sakura bent over the red-haired man and carefully started healing the man. Instead of summoning her chakra, however, she tried using spirit energy and worked at fixing broken tissue. "Thank you for your help. I was getting tired."

"It's really no problem." Sakura stated, finishing up the job. She placed her hands on her hips and admired her handiwork, glad she was not losing her touch, even when she was using a different type of energy. However, she needed to continue training with her chakra, otherwise her reserves would shrink. She summoned some chakra to her fingertips, relishing the feel of the familiar energy.

Rangiku, Yachiru, and Orihime started to converse with one another and so Sakura headed towards the other patients in need of some care. The one closest to her had dark, navy hair, and reminded her of Sasuke. Sakura carefully moved glasses that were placed on the side of the cot to a table in the center of the room. She couldn't help but frown when she noticed how poor his condition was, even though he was bandaged. Major wounds had been taken care of, but other than that, not much had been done.

She gently placed her hands on his chest, though this time she decided to summon her chakra. The man suddenly grabbed her wrist, startling her. "What do you think you're doing?" He rasped. His hold on her wrist was quite firm for someone as wounded as he.

"Healing you." Sakura replied, blatantly. She raised a brow when he refused to loosen his hold on her, and was ready to knock him unconscious with a quick chakra-to-head trick she had picked up from Tsunade, until the man started to speak once again.

"What is that?... It's not spirit energy."

"It's called chakra. Now stop talking, you'll only strain yourself." Sakura orded, prying his hand off as gently as she could before placing them at his side. She watched as he gazed up at her with suspicious eyes. A couple of minutes passed, yet his suspicious expression was the exact same. When she finally had enough of it, she glared back. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay? Relax."

Unfortunately for Sakura, he only remained tense as he scrutinized her every moment. Slightly peeved off, Sakura summoned more chakra to speed up the healing, which only caused him to tense even more. She inwardly sighed, finally deciding to use spirit energy instead of chakra.

When she finished, she quickly made her way towards a petite, black-haired woman, but she was already completely healed. "Oh, I already helped Rukia and Chad over there." Orihime called out. Sakura nodded and started to walk towards them, but was stopped when she felt a small tug on her shirt.

She turned around to find that it was the man who reminded her of Sasuke. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice sounding so dry.

"I'm Sakura." She stated, deciding to head over to the nearest sink and pour some water into a clean, white cup. When she was back at the man's bedside, she asked, "Are you still too tired or can you sit up?"

When his attempt failed, Sakura gently eased him up before placing the cup to his lips to let him drink.

"Thanks." He muttered, looking away with an embarrassed expression. He felt ashamed, having to rely on such a fragile looking girl. However, he was willing to swallow his pride. He was curious about that strange healing energy she had been using. It most certainly was not spirit energy, nor was it Orihime's wound rejecting shield.

"It's nothing." She replied, smiling.

"I guess you two are already acquainted with each other?" Rangiku said as she and the other two women walked up from behind Sakura. "Anyhow, we're having a party later tonight in celebration for getting Orihime here back." Rangiku exclaimed, patting Orihime on the back. "With everybody here healed, I'm sure you'll all be able to attend."

"Actually, Rangiku-san, I was thinking of training toni-" Sakura started hastily. She really needed to brush up on her ninjutsu.

"Nonsense, nonsense! This is a time for celebration! It'll be a good opportunity for you to become acquainted with the people who have returned." Rangiku interrupted, persuading her to agree.

"Well, if you say so." Sakura said, changing her mind. It would be more advantageous if she befriended more people here in Soul Society. Besides, there would be plenty of other chances to train. If anything, she still needed to become stronger- and speaking of stronger, what had happened to her body? Now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen it last night or much of yesterday.

"Rangiku-san, what happened to my body?"

"We gave it to Kurotsuchi-taichou for testing."

"What?!" Sakura practically yelled. "I- He's- How could-"

"Joking!" Rangiku exclaimed, laughing. "Don't worry about it, Sakura. Your body is fine. I had some girls from the fourth squad tend to it. The clothes were all ripped up, so we replaced them. We were going to throw them away but we still have them if you'd like to kee-"

"I can fix them." Ishida suggested. When it looked as if Sakura was about to decline, he added, "As repayment for healing me, Sakura-san."

"Great! I'll be back in a second." Rangiku clapped her hands together before walking out of the room.

There was a moment of silence before Sakura grabbed the man's glasses from the table and returned it to him. "Thanks, uhm..."

"Uryuu Ishida."

"Nice to meet you."

"Same here."

"You really don't need to-"

"I'm back!" Rangiku exclaimed, stepping into the room with a pile of torn clothes a needle, and an armful of various threads. Handing them to Uryuu, she asked, "Do you need anything else?"

"Nope, this will do."

"Naruto! Calm down this instant!" Tsunade ordered sternly. "If Sakura managed to get held up somehow, she will be able to handle it."

"But what if something really bad happened to her? You have to let me go search for her!" Naruto slammed on the desk, emphasizing his desperation. Tsunade stood up, frustrated with the stubborn man in front of her.

"What are you trying to say?" She asked, slamming her hands on the desk as well. "Do you not believe in her abilities?" Tsunade accused, glaring heatedly at the blonde boy.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, incredulously. "Of course I do! It's just that-"

"I understand that you are worried, but we must wait at least three days before sending a team to search." Tsunade interrupted. Inside, she was anxious for Sakura to come back, too. Unlike Kakashi, Sakura was always punctual. It was highly unusual for her, who was strict when it came to schedules and time limits, to be this late, even if it was only a couple of hours.

"Fine! Fine! But when the third day comes and she's still not here, I'm leaving whether you allow me to or not!"

End of chapter! TBC.

Correct me if I'm wrong on the bleach character information- like names, and how they're normally called. I don't know much of nick-names, and those honorifics.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!