Hinamori paused, listening as he spoke. Her eyes were fixed in front of her, but her mind wasn't. She thought about what he said. It was the kind of thing one had to think about.

She stared at the floor, her brow wrinkled in... confusion, almost. There was a sadness to the way Captain Kuchiki spoke, but she didn't know where it came from. She felt it as she always felt others' pain, in a place deeper than words, than her own understanding. She wondered, for the first time since they'd been introduced years ago, what had happened to him. She looked down, trying to remember—had anyone ever told her about a tragedy in the Kuchiki family? Hinamori had never paid much attention to the news about the nobility. It had always been unimportant to her, a girl with no family from Rukongai.

She was broken out of her reverie when she looked around and realized he had moved on. A small squeak escaped her, then she shuffled to catch up with him. Hinamori looked curiously at the painting he had stopped in front of. "Ooh, this one's lovely. I've always loved cherry blossoms. Well, and all the other trees that blossom, too, I suppose! Spring is such a beautiful time of year, so much hope for the coming of sunshine, and promises of good things yet to come..."