Hinamori was aware of every muscle in her body. The placement of her feet. Her distance from the nearest wall, and from the end of Hitsugaya's blade. Her concentration was perfect.

It took only a flicker of Hitsugaya's spiritual energy to alert her where he would strike. Too little. Too fast. Not enough to predict. She knew that were he fighting at full strength, it would have taken mere seconds before she lay helpless on the ground, though that didn't matter. Couldn't matter. But her rapt attention meant that when that ripple of energy came, she felt it powerfully; her heart skipped a beat in fear at its familiarity.

She pushed it aside, continuing her thrust forward, when Hitsugaya spoke. She stared at him for a moment. Then, a silent nod as she pulled her sword away. "Alright." She would follow.