Welcome to To be With You!

I know I already have one other fanfic on the go, but I just really wanted to get a start on this one.

This story will basically be Hitsugaya remembering his life with Hinamori. I plan on covering all major developments in their relationship from his point of view. Also, just in case it isn't obvious enough, he's telling their life story to Hinamori as she sleeps.

Disclaimer:

When things are written in Italic, that is when Hitsugaya is making a comment from his present day self. When things are simply written normally, it's depicting an event that took place in the past.

Anyway, please enjoy!

Chapter 1: When we first met

It was late. In fact, it was really late. As I looked outside through my bedroom window, I could already make out the faint outline of the sunrise as it began to make its way over the Seireitei. Sighing, I shake my head. With only a few hours left before I have to get up and start my day, I really should try to get at least some sleep.

As I'm about to close my eyes once again, I hear the sound of someone stirring beside me. I gently smile to myself as I look over at the person beside me. There, sleeping peacefully next to me, is my childhood friend Hinamori Momo.

Looking back, we've gone through quite a lot to get to where we are today. Happy times, sad times… It seems as though we've been through it all. In fact, I can remember it all far too well, just as though we only just met for the first time the other day…

Flashback, the day I first saw you

It was a day that felt like just any other. We had just run out of rice, so my grandmother had asked me to go to town to go buy some. She was too feeble to make the journey to town and back with a bag of rice by herself, so I offered to do it in her place.

Although I was quick to offer to go in her place, deep down I hated going into town. It wasn't so much that I hated the town itself, it just that I hated the looks I would get whenever I was there. The people there, even the adults, wouldn't make any attempt to hide the contempt they felt for me as well as for my white hair and turquoise eyes.

Although it was bad enough dealing with the adults, it was even worst with the other children. While the adults would settle for simply giving me dirty looks, that wasn't enough for the kids. No, they felt the need to either run away from me or torment me and call me names. Fortunately, most kids simply choose to run away. However, there were still a few who felt like I should have to pay for being so different.

Because of how harsh I knew some of the kids could be, I decided to take a detour on my way to town. It wasn't really much of a detour, it was just a longer route into town, but it did go around the playground where I knew the other kids would be at this time of day, so I decided it was best to go this way rather than the shorter way.

As I walked into town, I noticed that there weren't very many people around. This was rather odd, since it was in the middle of the day, but I didn't ponder too much on it. After all, with less people around, there would be less gazes to endure.

Once I purchased the necessary rice, I noticed that there happen to be some peaches on sale. Ordinarily, they were way too expensive to buy, but since they were on sale that day, I figured I may as well buy a couple with some of the leftover money I had. Satisfied with my purchases, I decided to make my way back up the path that I had taken to get to town in the first place.

While I was on my way back up the hill home, I happened to notice someone staring off into space in one of the forest clearings. Half intrigued as to whom it may be, I stopped walking and turned my head around to get a better look at whoever this person could be.

And low and behold, that person was you.

There you were, just staring off into space as you took in the world around you. With your pigtails and your ragged brown clothes, you looked in awe as you stared at the space before you, almost as though it was your first time seeing it. Then it dawned on me that it probably was your first time seeing it.

She must have just gotten here I remembered thinking as I watched you. Then, almost as though you could hear my thoughts, you turned and looked my way.

As you looked at me, I noticed your eyes widen. It could have been because of my appearance, or maybe it was because I was the first actual person you had seen since your soul was transferred over from the world of the living. Either way, once your gaze met mine, it refused to look anywhere else. Then, almost as though you felt something calling out to you, you took a step towards me.

Seeing you make your way towards me caused me to panic. Usually, whenever people would see me for the first time, they would either run away and/or look at me with disgust. Yet, you looked at me with the same awe filled expression you had as you took in your surroundings earlier. Not knowing how to process this, I immediately turned away and began to run up the hill back home.

"Wait, don't go! Please don't go!" I heard you cry out from behind me. Surprised to hear you call out to me, I stopped running and turned around to look back at you. I saw you desperately trying to catch up to me as you ran as fast as you could behind me. Once you finally caught up to me, you took a moment to catch your breath. While you were doing this, I merely stared at you, shocked that not only had you not run away from me, but you even called after me when I ran away from you.

Having finally caught your breath, you lifted your head to face me. I remember you looking at me for a moment before speaking, as though you were trying to take in the entirety of my appearance. Then, you spoke. "Excuse me," you said as you looked me directly in the eye "but do you know where we are?"

"We're in Jurinan, the first district of Rokongai. If you go down that path, you'll reach the town" I told you as you nodded your head in response. However, it was clear by the look on your face that you had no idea what I was talking about. Sighing, I pointed back down the path towards town. "Go that way" I said with an annoyed tone.

"O-Oh, okay" you replied as you looked the way I was pointing. Satisfied that you had understood, I lowered my arm and turned back around as I began to walk home once again.

"W-Wait, where are you going?" you exclaimed shortly after I began to walk away.

"Home" I bluntly replied without even stopping or turning around to look you. "You should head back home, too" I added shortly afterwards as an afterthought.

"Home…" I heard you whisper to yourself. Then it dawned on me that you didn't yet have a home to return to. Slowing down, I eventually stopped and turned around to face you once more. "Look, um, you'll be able to find a home if you go that way, alright? Someone like you shouldn't have any trouble finding a family to take you in." I said as I looked back at you.

You simply nodded in response, with your mood still being as a sad as it was a moment before. "Okay, I guess I'll go that way then…" you muttered as you gazed sadly at the ground. However, despite what you said, you made no effort to head towards the town below. Instead, you merely stood planted in place as your gaze was focused on the ground at your feet.

Had it been anyone else, I probably would have just done nothing in response and went back home. Yet, for some reason, I just couldn't seem to do that to you. Even now, I'm not too sure why I did what I did. Maybe it was because of how sad you looked? Maybe it was because you didn't seem to be afraid of me? Or maybe, just maybe, it was because I sensed that there was something about you that made you different, special. In any event, I'm forever thankful for what I did that day, because it tied my fate to you.

"H-Here, take this" I stuttered as I handed you one of the peaches I had bought. "C-Cheer up, will you? It's not like it's the end of the world. You'll be able to find a family to take you in, I promise. So just don't cry, okay?"

"Y-You really mean it?" you muttered in response as you looked wide eyed at me. "You promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, I promise. So just take this and stop crying, okay?" I replied with my hand stretched out towards you. You then took the peach from my hand and took a bite out of it.

"Hmm, this is so good!" you exclaimed as you happily ate the peach. "Thank you so much for giving me one! You're so nice!" you added as you smiled brightly at me.

I remember feeling the temperature in my cheeks rise at your comment. No one, besides my grandmother, had ever thanked me before, let alone praise me for being kind. And yet, here you were, doing both of those things after only having known me for a few minutes. Truth be told, I didn't know how to process this. So, I did what I had always done when people talked to me: I tried to shrug it off.

"W-Whatever. Just head on to town already, alright?" I stuttered with my arms crossed over my chest as I tried to regain my infamous cold demeanor. I had made it a point to look off to the side since I didn't want you to see just how much your comment had affected me.

"Alright, if you say so!" you exclaimed in response before beginning to happily make your way to the town below. "See you around!" you added as you waved back at me before disappearing out of sight.

Yeah, see you around I remember thinking as you disappeared from my line of sight. Once you were gone, I finished making my way back home.

I remember that, at the time, I wasn't very hopeful that you would still want to see me after getting to know the other kids in town. I guess I just figured that you'd cast me aside once a better alternative was presented to you.

Boy, am I glad about how wrong I was.