Was it Destiny…
Chapter One – Our Precious Memory
"Momo…aishiteru," soft-spoken words came out of the tall, slender guy, as he gently hugged the girl with short, silky black hair tied up into an adorable bun. His silver spiky hair swayed along with the soft, evening cool breeze while his icy-cold emerald eyes reflected with grace.
"Eh? Shirou-chan…Hontoni desu ka?" she asked quietly with surprise. Her big brown eyes slowly fluttered as her mind blanked into a deep state of confusion thinking that it was all a dream.
She could feel his long, deep breaths on her neck while her heart beat rapidly. He simply nodded.
She leaned into his chest and murmured softly, "Me too." In the background, the sunset colored the sky with beautiful colors of red, orange, and pink, and the light winds carried her soft words, "Me too," delicately through the sky.
---
"Momo… Momo… Momo? Momo!" a familiar, deep voice called out impatiently.
"Hai! Nani?! Yes! No! The answer is four!" Hinamori shouted abruptly as she immediately lifted her head from her desk. She quickly glanced around her surroundings: desks arranged into neat rows and columns, the chalkboard with the day's homework assignment in the front of the classroom with the teacher's desk in the corner, and a couple of students heading out to go home or elsewhere. A shadow had been casted upon her desk; papers, books, and writing utensils were scattered everywhere. Hinamori then looked up curiously and found Hitsugaya standing beside her, ready to leave the school building.
"Ah! Ohayo Shirou-chan!" she greeted him dumbfoundedly. There were imprints of words smudged on her red cheeks beside her bright, cheerful smile.
Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow and stared at her pathetically. He raised his hand to wipe off the smudges and then shook his head. "Baka," he uttered and rolled his eyes.
"Eh? What did I do? Hidoi!" Hinamori pouted and swiftly turned around to gather her stuff together into her navy blue school bag.
"Nothing! Jodan, jodan!" he chuckled amusingly. Hinamori gazed at him. She knew that it really wasn't a dream. What had happened during the past two months wasn't a fantasy. "You're slow, hurry up! I don't have practice today, so let's go home together."
"Mm!" she nodded.
Before Hinamori and Hitsugaya could leave the classroom, loud trembling noises of footsteps dashed into the room. Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia burst into the room.
"Hey Midget, Momo-chan! Wanna go karaoke with us?" Ichigo invited enthusiastically. His wide, reckless grin suddenly ceased once he noticed Hitsugaya glaring daggers at him. "Nani…? Did something bad happen?"
"Who the hell are you calling a 'midget'? I'm tall as you, blindass," Hitsugaya growled.
"Well, you used to be a midget!" Ichigo pointed out.
"Two years ago, baka," he grumbled." Besides, why the hell would I want to go karaoke with you? You're repulsive singing will make everyone go deaf," he insulted with a small smirk on his face.
"So you're saying that you sing better?" Ichigo assumed as he leaned over Hinamori's desk, face to face with Hitsugaya. His fist slammed against the polished wood, and his eyes were filled with rage. Tension between the two students thickened.
"No, I hate singing – I'm just saying that you suck. Anyone could tell just by glancing at you," he bluntly replied. He began walking toward the doorway the minute he saw Hinamori finished with her packing.
"Wanna bet?" Ichigo challenged furiously.
"Does it matter? You're going to embarrass yourself either way," Hitsugaya responded, accepting the challenge.
"Eh? A bet between Hitsugaya and Ichigo…? I'm on Hitsugaya's side!" Rukia shouted randomly into their conversation after finishing her short conversation about the new karaoke club with Hinamori. Ichigo was speechless; his own girlfriend opposed him. Rukia caught him staring at her with his eyes that had grief and betrayal sparkling in them. His mouth was halfway opened and a dumbfounded look was stretched across his face.
"Nani? Just because you're my boyfriend, doesn't mean I have to always agree with you. And stop looking at me like that! You look stupid!" Rukia exclaimed disgustedly. She stuck her tongue out and continued to tease him. Ichigo sighed, but his depressed face soon lit up.
"Ne ne, what about you Momo-chan?" Ichigo asked with hope sprouting out in him.
"Gomen ne, Kurosaki-kun. I'm also on Shirou-chan's side," Hinamori responded cheerfully as the four students headed out of the school building toward the nearest karaoke club.
"…"
"Okay… I rented a room; it's upstairs room 17," Hitsugaya announced in the lobby. He held up a key with the number '17' imprinted on its body and tossed it at Ichigo.
"Just curious, what's the penalty of your bet? You know like, if one of you loses, cough-ICHIGO-cough, then what are you gonna do?" Rukia asked with bewilderment. Her face had an evil, sinister look as devious ideas had come across in her mind.
"Never thought about that," Hitsugaya shrugged and led the way up the nostalgic flight of stairs to the second floor.
"How about… if you lose, you have to go out on a date with the lovely Yumichika for one, whole day," Rukia laughed.
Hitsugaya stared at her, a stoic expression on his face. He knew he was going to win. Ichigo gawked at her. 'What the hell is she thinking?'
Once they found the room, Ichigo unlocked the door and opened it. It was huge and decorative. The violet lighting was dim, and it made the room look persuasive and glamorous. A white sofa leaned against an intricate wall full of designs of paintings. A large flat-screened TV was placed in front along with a couple of microphones, speakers, amplifiers, and a karaoke machine. The glass coffee table had a vase of beautiful lilies and a set of drinks. Ichigo, Rukia, and Hinamori stood at the doorway, flabbergasted at the amazing room while Hitsugaya waltzed right in, oblivious to their gawking.
"Eto, Shirou-chan? Exactly how much is this?" Hinamori spoke up, still amazed. Most of the karaoke clubs they had been were lackadaisical and dull.
"Uh… it was 4500 yen per hour? I guessed that we were going to stay here for about 4 hours so around 18000 yen," Hitsugaya replied.
"Eh?! Are you serious? That much?" Rukia and Ichigo exclaimed synchronized shockingly.
"You know, we could've helped! You didn't have to pay that much!" Ichigo continued.
"You're loud, besides, I doubt you have any money with you," Hitsugaya shrugged as they walked in. Hinamori and Rukia slid onto the sofa as Hitsugaya grabbed the remote and microphone and handed it to Ichigo. "Kurosaki, you go first. Pick a song."
He glared at him and then muttered, "Fine." He turned the TV on and skimmed through the long list of songs. "I'll go with this song." His thumb found the play button on the machine, and the music began playing.
"Ikenai Taiyou
Na na na…
Chotto
de ii kara misete kurenai ka
Omae no sekushii feromon de ore mero
mero
Ah furechaisou demo ikenai no!
Jojo ni kou naru kodou
tomerarenai wa
Kawasu kotoba no kioku tooku kuchimoto no ugoki
ni yureugoku
Nureta kami wo nadeta soshite
Ahhh
ABC
tsuzukanai sonna n ja dame ja nai
Datte kokoro no oku wa chigau n
ja nai?
Ore no seishun sonna mon ja nai atsuku oku de hatetai
yo
Kitto kimi ja nakya ya da yo
Ore wa ikenai taiyou
Na na na na na—"
"Ichigo! Would you stop singing?! Please! You're off-key!" Rukia exclaimed crossly. She quickly got up and jumped on Ichigo, pulling the microphone away from his hands and turned off the music.
"What the hell?! I was doing well!" he retorted.
"Well?! You were HORRIBLE!" she shouted. The couple began quarreling. A small dry-erase board and a marker stood out under the coffee table. Hinamori picked it up and drew a chart: Shirou-chan – 1 and Kurosaki-kun – 0. She then raised it up and announced the current result.
"I'm losing to him already?! It's not even 5 minutes yet!" he exclaimed. Hitsugaya stood up and got the microphone from Rukia.
"I told you that you're gonna lose. Besides, there is no way I'm going to go on a date with Yumichika," he stated. "Momo, pick a song for me."
"Mm," Hinamori pressed the random button and the music began to play. "Regret by Gazette." Hitsugaya cocked an eyebrow with displeasure and began to sing.
"Hodoke
kaketa ito ni kizuki
Zuuto tsunagi tometereba yokata
Afure
dashite nagareta mono wa
Ano hi no kimi to onaji iro darou
Kimi
ga suteta kotoba wo hiroi atsumeta
Nando mo mimi ni atete wa
unazuite miseta
Kimi wo sagasenu imi to tomoru pinku no neon
ni
Sakebi wa yagate kakikesarete kokei na jibun ni waraeta
Hodoke
kaketa ito ni kizuki
Zuuto tsunagi tometereba yokatta
Afure
dashite nagareta mono wa
Ano hi no kimi to onaji ki ga shiteta"
After the song finished, everyone was stunned how well Hitsugaya sang. The competitions between Ichigo and Hitsugaya continued over the night since Ichigo was still persistent. As they left the building, Rukia sighed. "I feel so contaminated."
"Eh?" Hinamori asked. "Doushite?"
She frowned. "My boyfriend's going on a date with Yumichika." She shuddered at the thought, but then the frown turned into an evil grin. "Hope that works out for you, Ichigo."
Ichigo growled, "Shut up. This is all your fault."
"What'd you say? It's not my fault you're such a horrible singer!"
"Are you saying it's my fault? It's probably because you're so short!"
"What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Ichigo started to walk a few meters ahead as he noticed the irritation in her voice. Rukia ran, caught up with him, and twisted his ear, glaring all the while. "You idiot. I'm going to make you regret saying that."
Hinamori giggled. She latched her arm onto Hitsugaya's. "Ne, you're a really good singer, Shirou-chan."
Hitsugaya shrugged and replied with a sigh, "Ma, it's only because Kurosaki sucks."
"What'd you say, you fucking midget?!" he heard Ichigo yell.
"I said you suck," Hitsugaya called out bluntly.
Those happy moments were all parts of precious memories that would remain forever in their minds.
The day swam by, and so the next day had arrived. A wealthy girl walked into classroom 2-B. Her luscious long, curled sea green hair flowed behind her as her eyes glimmered with pride.
"Ohayo gozaimasu. Kaoru Sayuki desu. Dozo yoroshiku," She introduced herself to the class and bowed. Uproars began among the students over the rumors they have recently heard about her.
"Ne, isn't she the spoiled, haughty daughter of our prime minister?" Matsumoto questioned. She had recently seen some girls harassed by Sayuki and her friends on the news for the past couple of months because they didn't want to be her servants. Sayuki wasn't arrested due to her father; instead, she was expelled from her previous private schools.
"Yeahh; it's her right? It's better to avoid her," Rukia whispered.
"Doushite? She'll be lonely," Hinamori protested. She glanced at Sayuki. There she stood firmly at the front of the classroom in the school's uniform which consisted of a white, button-down collared shirt, a beige polo vest with the school's logo on the left corner, a black tie, and black knee-length skirt.
"Hinamori, she could ruin your life. She'll take everything she wants away from you!" Rukia explained.
"But those are just rumors; they're not always true," Hinamori muttered quietly.
"Urusai!" the teacher, Yoruichi-san, snapped furiously, clutching her fist that threatened to punch the next person who decided to be disrespectful. She then turned over to Sayuki and instructed in a softer tone, "Okay, Sayuki-chan your seat is right next to Momo-chan."
"Who's that?" she asked curiously, skimming through the classroom.
A pair of stiff arms waved side to side like a metronome going at 120. "Ah! Over here!" Hinamori shouted ecstatically.
"Dang, I feel bad for Momo," loud whispers were started again as Sayuki walked past them toward her destination, a deserted desk right beside Hinamori. Once she had settled down in her seat, class had begun.
"Ohayo Kaoru-san! If you have any questions or trouble, then talk to me," Hinamori greeted politely; a cheerful grin that stood out in the heavy atmosphere.
"Arigatou…"
