Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
A.N. Here I am with a new fic! :) Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Hinamori Momo
A small tattered hut is located at a peaceful district in the Northern part of Tokyo. The said hut is surrounded by trees and flowers, the sight is beautiful on a normal day but becomes breath taking every spring. A peach tree is also planted nearby, giving the girl and the old woman living inside the house delicious, succulent fruit from time to time.
"Let me get that for you Obaa-san" a raven haired girl took the basket of laundry from the hands of her Obaa-san. She gave her a bright smile.
"Do not worry Obaa-san, I can manage. You can rest for awhile, I will start cooking dinner afterwards" she shooed the old woman and motioned for her to sit at the wooden flooring outside their sliding doors, the eighteen year old knows that her grandmother loves this time of the day- the afternoons.
"Would you like me to get you a nice cup of tea?" she asked, determined to make her rest period more comfortable.
The old woman shook her head and smiled, it seems that she is content sitting outside admiring the beauty of nature.
"Just rest and relax then" she wringed the white blankets her grandmother washed, carefully hanging them and taking caution for it not to touch the ground or else the whole day's work will be gone to waste.
Hinamori Momo shook her head, her grandmother didn't listen to her advice. Before collecting twigs and branches at the forest that morning she told her to just rest, since her grandmother's bouts of cough caused for both of them to be awake for the whole night. Now, being up all night to assist the woman who treated her like her own relative doesn't matter to her, she is willing to be awake for days if it means making her feel better.
They've experienced this for months now; her grandmother's seemingly incessant coughing at night, hacking for hours as if it would never stop. There will come a point in where the older woman's face get's blue from lack of air together with the end of her fingers. Momo then would cram all of the pillows they have to elevated her head and facilitate better breathing. So far this method worked, though as the time goes by, the length of time for it to take effect is taking longer than the usual.
'We really need to go see a doctor' she thought. But how could that be? The small amount of money that she earns as an errand girl is just enough to cover their expenses for food and clothing. The last time she checked her savings, it is not even enough to cover a single check-up session. She sighed, 'Maybe I will just ask for my month's salary in advance from Matsumoto-san' she decided.
It doesn't take a doctor to figure out that her dear Obaa-san's illness, whatever it is, is getting worst real fast.
The pitter-patter of the rain can be heard outside their small hut, and as the rain continued to pour, Hinamori is forced to put small containers on the various parts of their hut to catch the rain that is intruding their floor through the holes of the roof. They both anticipated that this would happen since it is that time of the year where the sky would send buckets and buckets of rain to the people living in the whole of Japan. On the very rare occasions where they would have excess money, instead of spending it on fixing their tattered roof, Hinamori would choose to set it aside instead so that they would be able to consult a doctor to check at her grandmother's condition. Of course, Obaa-san doesn't know about that, if she did, she would insist that Hinamori should buy a new kimono, jade barette, or other things that she thinks she doesn't deserve.
The eighty five year old's head rests on the lap of her surrogate granddaughter, her hair being combed gently with Hinamori's slender fingers while humming a random tune.
"How are you feeling, obaa-san?"
The old lady just smiled, a clear response of 'I am fine'. Hinamori smiled in relief. This particular time of the night is when Obaa-san's coughing fits usually happen. Her coughing would continue until the early hours of sunrise, maybe Kami-sama finally granted her wish to make her Obaa-san's health be in its prime condition.
She continued her ministration of sending her Obaa-san into a peaceful sleep, her eyes having a far off look. It is during peaceful times like these that she feels really blessed and lucky despite their lack of material wealth.
Abandoned when she was three years old, she was taken under the care of Obaa-san when she found her sleeping under a nearby peach tree a few steps away from the hut. Shivering and drenched from head to toe, the old woman kneeled beside her and then carried her at her back, as if she found a pet cat that got lost. When she woke up, all she could remember is that she felt warm and safe; her clothing changed into a dry kimono about three times her size. In a tray beside her is a bowl full of steamed rice and bowl of miso soup. The old lady pushed the tray towards her, as if telling her to eat.
And she did.
That day, she ate the most delicious bowl of rice and miso soup in her entire life. It is the meal that made her realize that someone out there wants to be with her. From that day on she did everything she could to help and promised herself that whatever it takes, she would take good care of her Obaa-san.
A loud hacking sound awakened her senses; the poor old lady's body is shaking due her cough. Slowly sitting up, she cupped both of her hands to cover her mouth. Hinamori's heart raced 'Obaa-san's coughing fits are back' she thought with dread. Wasting no valuable second, she gathered all the pillows they have and placed one on top of the other and then placed her back on the small stack. For a few seconds she stopped and then continued to cough again.
They stayed like this for hours, Obaa-san coughing non-stop and Hinamori doing everything she could to stop it, she is afraid that she would turn blue again if this continued. She tried fanning her, stroking his back, loosening the knot of her kimono, even opening the doors and the windows so that more air could get inside. Hinamori touched her hands, and her heart dropped to the floor when she saw that they are blue; worst than before, and it felt as cold as ice. Before she knew it, Obaa-san vomited their dinner of steamed fish and rice chunks of it splattering all over the floor.
"Obaa-san!" she called out of shock.
'What is happening? This never happened before! What should I do now?' she rubbed her stinging eyes to keep the tears from falling, this is not the right time to cry. She should be strong, Obaa-san needs her now and she will not fail her.
'Think Momo, think!' she urged herself to think for other options to consider. There is nothing she could do on her own now, since she exhausted all options hours ago. She should now call for help.
'Matsumoto-san'
She is one of the people whom she works as an errand girl, and the only person who is willing enough to help people like them on a situation like this. The strawberry blonde woman in her late twenties lives a few meters away from them, and if she would run really fast she could reach their house in no time.
"Obaa-san wait for me here, I will call for help", she hastily said. Obaa-san did not even have the energy to reply, her whole body tired from hours of coughing.
Momo dashed as fast as the wind, not even bothering to wear her sandals. She ran barefoot towards the residence of Matsumoto-san where she could ask for help. Her tears mixing with the rain, she tried not to break down even if worry is eating her heart.
To be continued...
A.N. What do you guys think? Please leave a review. Thank you so much! Feel free to tell me your suggestions.