Behind ever picture you'll find a memory, remembering is not a sin, it is a gift and despite the painful loss we feel even in death there is new life"
"Hinamori are you up yet?" The small girls hazel eyes flickered open as she glanced around the mostly empty room, her heart missed a beat as she noticed the bright sunlight pouring through the half open drapes, it was June the 3rd, today was her birthday, she jumped from her futon and ran down the stairs almost tripping on the last few steps
"Slow down, you'll hurt yourself, again" The clam female voice caused the small girl to look up and smile nervously
"Sorry Mom, I'm just excited!" she exclaimed as the light brown haired female placed her hand on her daughters shoulder and smiled softly
"Try to stay calm, you know how annoyed it makes your father" She smiled softly nodding towards the next room, where a proud and important looking man kneeled by a table chopsticks in hand he hesitantly looked up, his hazel eyes where smiling as Hinamori entered the room and bowed slightly
"Good morning father" she smiled but he cut her short with a deep laugh
"Momo, Its midday, I swear you'll carry that habit of waking up late to the grave" Hinamori simply giggled placing herself down by the table picking up a bowl of rice and poking it about with a chopstick.
"Are you going to eat that, or just play with it?" her father had asked her a few moments later causing her to jump and return from whatever daydream she had fallen into, she instantly shook her head and stood up bowing
"N-no I think I'll go get dressed now" she chimed her smile failing to disappear even under her father's stern expression, at that her mother instantly stood up brushing down her salmon pink kimono she took her daughters hand
"Come with me I have a present for you, after all it is your birthday" she smiled softly leading the small girl into her room, taking out a neatly wrapped parcel and handing it to the girl
"go on open it" she encouraged her voice gentle as it always was. Hinamori's eyes where bright with excitement as she carefully tore the paper away from the fabric underneath it, she notice the pretty patterns of peach blossom petals upon red fabric, her smile brightened
"M-Mom…its beautiful i love it" she hugged the fabric close to her before holding it out towards the older female
"Can you help me try it?" She asked, surprising the urge to jump up and down with joy.
Noon had come all too quickly for the small girl, wearing her new red kimono she skipped down to the local park with her parents and whilst they relaxed in the cooling sun, Hinamori had ran off to play with some of the other children by the waters collecting twigs and burying in the sand
"Hey Hinamori, that's a cute Kimono is it new?" a small sandy haired girl asked, she was about the same ages as Hinamori who grinned up at her
"Yes, I got it for my birthday, I'm happy you like it Emi" she beamed drawing a flower in the sand with a twig, Emi smile and nodded jumping to her feet calling
"Hey Elsa, Its Hinamori's birthday!" an older girl appeared with light brown hair she was smiling carrying a few pretty looking pebbles, Momo slowly looked up from the sands her cheeks bright red she stood up smiling as she bowed towards the older girl, Hinamori knew the sisters from the small school they attended together Elsa was the head girl, her gentle manner always soothed Hinamori it seemed.
"Happy Birthday Hinamori" the older girl smiled gently reaching into the pile of pebbles she was carrying she brought out a light turquoise one and handed it to Hinamori "here take this, as a present, it'll bring you good luck, I think the colour suits you too" she smiled and bowed "Th-Thank you Elsa, It's so pretty…" Hinamori smiled back at the girl.
That afternoon soon wore off, Hinamori and Emi continued to play in the waters with the other children of their small village, and it was sunset by the time both Emi and Hinamori's parents called them to go home. The two bid goodbyes and Hinamori held her mother's hand as they made their way home, her father, leading the two females down the deserted streets suddenly stopped and turned to his right
"Sounds like there's a fight down there" he stated as the sound of swords hitting against each other and the faint cheering of battle reached the families ears
"It getting late, perhaps we better go home, it's probably just some armatures anyway" the proud looking man's wife spoke up, tightening her grip on her daughters hand, she knew how barbaric samurai of this day could be, especially when egged on by a drunken crowd, but too late, Hinamori's father was always up for watching a fight and Hinamori herself was just as eager to see these magical samurai, as they turned the corner they came to a halt spying the large circle of townsfolk all gathered together and in the centre two middle aged samurai both wearing brightly coloured kimonos they twisted and turned ducking and dodging each other's sharp swords, they small family silently joined the crowd, in a bid to get closer Hinamori tugged her hand free and pushed herself past two young men to reach the front, ignoring the cries of
"be careful " and "not to close" that came from her mother , pushing past a final man, a tall grubby looking fellow, the smell of sake made Momo crunch up her nose
"hey watch it kid, you so eager to be in a fight?" the man slurred giving the small and innocent girl a harsh push, Hinamori staggered a little into the circle, her father angry cry brought tears to the girls eyes,
"Hinamori get away from there Now!" but she couldn't move she had frozen a sharp gleaming metal blade of a katana swung towards her tearing through her body, her mother's scream echoed in her ears all hell broke loose, she fell, slowly, to the ground her blood pooled around her, and she faded just as the sun had slipped down over the horizon.
Hinamori awoke with a sudden gasp, the sound of a chain rang in her ears, she glanced down noticing the sliver chain in her chest, she gasped and tugged at it
"I wouldn't do that if i where you" Hinamori slowly looked up , her eyes widened as they met with two pale grey eyes of a samurai, a female, Hinamori quickly stood up and soon backed away as the samurai reached for her sword then laughed gently "Don't worry i won't hurt you kid" she said taking a step closer, tears brewed up in the small girls eyes as she backed away from the woman
"You're Confused aren't you?" the woman asked pushing her dark hair behind her ears, slowly Hinamori nodded and through her sobs blurted out question after question
"Who are you? Why am I here? What's going on? Where are Mom and Dad?" The samurai laughed once causing Hinamori to sob harder, crouching down the woman took the small girls hands in hers
"I'm a Shinigami my names Harumi Hiramatsu, I'm in charge of this town, now you must go to soul society, or I'll actually have to fight, we don't want you being eaten up do we?" She said calmly a hint of amusement in her voice
"T-The soul society…is that heaven?…I'm dead?" The small girl asked innocently, causing the Shinigami to laugh again
"You're such a simple, cute, little thing, yes you're dead, but the soul society it's a place where souls, like you and myself live" she explained standing up her hand on the hilt of her katana
"w-wait" the small girl stuttered brushing the tears from her eyes
"will i get to see my mommy and daddy again?" she asked, her eyes filled with tears of a child, the Shinigami's expression changed slightly, she seemed almost sad, never the less she nodded once, her weak smile on her face as she hovered the hilt of her sword against the girls forehead
"of course" she said "I'll see you too?…" the small girl blurted as the hilt touched her fore head, the female Shinigami nodded and smiled as the present world faded from view.
"The pure black butterfly flew higher and higher its echoes of innocents spreading in the skies, the soul society awaited."
The sunset came into view, as a pair of small hazel eyes opened and glanced around the room before them, slowly a small dark haired girl sat up, she was dressed in a simple brown outfit, she looked around her, she felt empty, lonely, but hadn't she always been lonely? Hinamori shrugged away the thought and jumped as she voice from behind her echoed in her head
"Grandma I think it's awake!" the childish males voice was followed by its opposite, a clam elderly woman
"Don't be so rude, are you okay my dear?" Hinamori turned to the woman, her eyes was filled with the purest kindness she had ever seen
"I…Yeah I think so…" Hinamori replied, though she wasn't quite sure what was going on the sensation she got from these two strangers warmed her heart somehow, the old woman smiled softly and stood up walking over to a fireplace taking a pot off a makeshift stove pouring the contents into three cups, whilst she did this the small boy had taken to staring at Hinamori his index finger up his nose at the same time, causing Hinamori to giggle a little
"What's your name?" he suddenly asked,
"Um..Hinamori…Momo" she said nervously, the white haired boy nodded once brushing his finger in his clothes, he continued to stare at her, prompting Hinamori to ask him
"What's your name?" the small boy finally looked away from her as he replied
"Toushiro Hitsugaya" he stated proudly, puffing his chest out rather dramatically, causing the dark haired girl to giggle again, but before Hitsugaya could reply the elderly woman returned handing Hinamori a cup of tea
"here drink this, it'll help" she smiled softly , Hinamori thanked her and took the cup gently sipping from it the soothing liquid warmed her, as she looked at the two strangers in front of her she no longer felt so empty, maybe she wasn't lonely anymore, after all.
"And so the end of a story becomes beginning of another, and even if you forget, there will always be new, happy, memories to fill the space, you won't ever be lonely"