Disclaimer: What can I say? I obviously own Bleach. I have detergent too, in case you were wondering.
Love.
It can cause you to do the stupidest things you'd ever imagine.
Pain.
It can drive you insane; transform you into someone utterly unrecognizable.
Hate.
It can destroy the walls you so carefully erected around yourself, exposing the insecurities you so desperately wanted to hide. It can even incinerate the bridges you so painstakingly built.
And, life.
Don't even get me started.
The past while has really been something; I destroyed bridges I can never repair, did things that I can never undo, and, most of all, found people I'll never be able to look at the same way ever again. But during all this I realized a few truths about life.
The following is a set of rules – a guide to life, if you will – that will prevent history from ever repeating itself.
.
.
.
Sunday, June 5th
Blood trickled down her arm.
The sharp sting of metal penetrating the outermost layers of her delicate skin morphed instantly from a minor tingle into a throbbing pain.
Small incisions decorated her forearms.
She smiles.
The foreign tears cascading down her cheeks almost evaporated.
She hadn't cried in a long time, so she admits.
An unbearable pain had enveloped her petite body, closing off her lungs and compressing her beating heart.
Clasping it.
Clutching it.
Choking it.
The sensation that currently filled her, however, was…
Satisfying.
Gazing down at her knife, watching her blood trickle, examining her cuts…
She smiles.
The girl hears a small clicking noise. She turns. She looks. She stares. She frowns. She realizes a moment too late that she'd forgotten to lock the door.
"Momo? How did you…"
Looking up at her friend from the corner of a twin-sized bed, she couldn't find the words to continue.
The older girl simply stood at the door, looking down at the former with an unreadable expression, uttering two short syllables.
"Karin."
Her voice was thick; coarsened by a combination of shock and horror.
The younger girl simply looked up at her friend, dumbstruck, "How did you get in here?"
"Ichigo let me in," Momo replied quietly, "I knocked a few times… I thought you heard."
Karin's gaze softened, unable to meet her eyes. This can't be happening.
"Nope. I'm deaf, remember?" A forced laugh uncomfortably escaped her throat, as she tried to find humour in their inside joke.
There wasn't any.
"Karin."
This time, Momo's voice was stern; she wanted to show strength, to be strong when her friend needed her the most.
It didn't work.
Seconds afterwards, tears began to escape the girl's eyes as she pulled the girl into an embrace.
Karin's body tensed, eyes widening.
"I…" Momo began, choking back hiccups, her voice thick with tears, "I know what he did to you."
"What?" Karin's voice was only barely audible.
"I know what he did. He's horrible. A jerk. An asshole."
There was a pregnant pause; it was as if time stopped for a moment.
Why was this happening?
"I don't deserve this," The younger girl's voice broke the silence. She was on the verge of collapsing. "I don't. I really don't."
"I know you don't," Momo grimaced, speaking softly.
Suddenly, Karin jolted upwards, angry tears glistening at the corners of her eyes, "Why did this have to happen? Why to me? I never did shit to deserve this!" She was on the verge of screaming, her voice scratchy and broken. More tears rolled down her cheeks. She wanted to kick and scream and shout and laugh and cry all at the same time.
But she couldn't.
If she did, it would have been uncontrollable. She wouldn't have been able to stop. Her knife would have slipped out of her hands and who knows what would have happened.
So she just held onto the older girl – tightly, resolutely – as she settled her own nerves by revealing one last, devastating truth.
...
Ichigo Kurosaki stood silently at the end of the hallway, holding a plate full of cookies Yuzu had given to him to take to Karin. Now, he understood everything.
–––
Monday, June 6th
How this all started, Toushirou would never understand. There he was that morning – lazy turquoise eyes, messy silver hair, and all, as he walked to Shino Academy. It seemed as ordinary as can be.
Then, suddenly as he approached the school gates…
Bam.
…he was punched in the nose.
And, after that, it was all a blur. The next thing he knew, he was being pulled off of Ichigo Kurosaki, both covered in dirt and blood.
After being dragged down to the principal's office, the boy sighs in disbelief (partially because of how long it took for them to be dismissed, partially because how much Old Man Yamamoto was yelling at them, but mostly because of Ichigo).
Dozens of thoughts raced rapidly through his head as he approaches a girl whose hair fell into two short pigtails. Darkness circles surrounded her tired eyes as she ate lunch.
The boy's lips drew into a mischievous smirk as he advanced closer and closer towards her, "Hey, Bed Wetter Mo–"
"What do you want?" She replies uncharacteristically sharply, not even turning to meet his eyes; her voice, as cold as ice, pierced his chest like a million knives.
He stumbles backwards slightly, taken aback by her reaction.
She faces him, now. It felt as if daggers were flying towards him as she stared him down, "How can you even talk to me after doing what you did her?"
Silence. He couldn't understand what was happening, yet he knew too well what was about to go down.
"She's like a little sister to me. You know that! And for you to do something so stupid… so idiotic – especially with everything she's going through… What were you thinking?"
More silence. People's heads began turning their direction, but Momo's friends had the courtesy to look away.
The prolonged silence only made her angrier.
"You know what?" She spat, "Maybe everyone was right about you from the start. You are a cold-hearted jerk."
That struck a chord. How could she say that? They'd been best friends for four years; ever since grade five, when she transferred to Shino Academy! He had been her first friend, he had protected her from the neighbourhood bullies, he had always supported her, be it through thick or thin, he had…
Toushirou had wanted to protest – to defend himself – but he just stood there, dumbstruck, clueless of how to respond. Perhaps it was because he knew that he deserved everything Momo had said.
"Are you just going to stand there? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
He looks down, unable to pry his eyes from his shoes, as if they were the most interesting things on Earth. He spoke; his voice was barely a whisper, "No, I don't."
"Then fuck off, Hitsugaya."
The boy cursed inwardly. Could this day get any worse?
What is and what was are inevitably intertwined with unrivalled complexity, though, at times, we would hope to differ, aspiring to leave the past behind. However, this is easier said than done, as efforts in detangling the two will irrevocably end in vain.
Sixteen year old Momo Hinamori stood anxiously in front of a full-length mirror, fidgeting with her hair and smoothing out her outfit: a pair of black, form-fitting jeans, a loose off-the-shoulder top, and her favourite flats.
Today's really the day, isn't it?
My first day at Seireitei High… She thought to herself, a small smile gracing her features, finally satisfied with the mirror's reflection. I can't wait!
Picking up her backpack, she swings it onto a shoulder and begins to head out her bedroom door. Her binders and pencils were all tucked into the bag, her class schedule had been folded neatly inside her back pocket, she had her keys in hand, and… what else?
Somehow, she felt as if she was forgetting something; something important.
Dismissing the feeling, she continued down a short flight of stairs into a modest, sunny kitchen.
Despite looking so homely and inviting, her house was completely empty, as per usual.
The girl ate breakfast slowly, realizing that she finished preparing everything earlier than expected. Letting out a content sigh, she began to head out the door. As she peered past the door, an expression of shock was written across her face.
She didn't expect to see him standing there. On her front porch. Nope.
Her eyes widened, now knowing full heartedly what she had forgotten.
He was coming back from Japan today.
She didn't know whether to be glad or horrified.
The silver-haired boy suddenly snapped her out of her daze, as he took a quick step in front of her. He stood way too close for comfort. Although he had been looming over her at first, in a split second, their faces were perfectly leveled with one another. Then, as the boy cocked his head slightly so that his lips were almost grazing her ear, a handsome smirk overtook his face. And, before Momo knew it, he let out a loud, content…
"Boo."
Momo yelped, nearly falling over, house keys now lying on the floor.
He laughed out loud.
She smacked him.
–––
Later
–––
"So which school are you going to go to now, Toushirou?" Momo asked politely, as she walked alongside the aforementioned boy down a narrow sidewalk. It felt awkward talking to him again.
"Not sure," He replied, his turquoise eyes staring at her intently. "Since I just came back yesterday night, we still need to talk to the school board and stuff."
"I see," She says quietly; but, despite herself, more words seemed to fly out her mouth.
"Hey, maybe we'll end up at the same school!" Momo beamed at the thought. All awkwardness seemed to instantly disappear as words began rolling off her tongue excitedly, "You know, I'm going to Seireitei High this year. They have IB* there! You know what IB is, right? Anyway, guess what? I got in! Can you believe it? I'm so happy! Too bad you won't be in any of my classes if you come to Seireitei, too. Applications were back in May, where –"
"You're still as loud as ever, Hinamori." The boy groaned.
"And you're still as grumpy as ever, huh?" She chuckles, "Anyway, you came back last night, right? What time?"
"Around three or four."
"A.M.?"
He nods.
She pouts, "No wonder you look so tired… Did you get any sleep at all? I mean, you never end up falling asleep on planes."
"No, I slept," The boy stifled a yawn.
Momo only gazed at him with a knowing look, "Don't lie."
After a moment of silence, she sighs, "Why'd you come visit me, anyways? You should be sleeping right now. Kids who sleep more grow more, you know."
"I'm taller than you, stupid."
"But still! Get some rest."
He decided to ignore her protests, but that didn't stop her from going on and on and on about it.
"Is it really that hard to believe that I just wanted to see you?" Toushirou finally mumbled, his focus leaving his friend and redirecting onto the clear, blue morning sky.
"Really? All this just to see me?" Momo let a small smile escape her mouth.
"Yeah," He turned towards her again, a smirk tugging against his lips. For a moment he looked reminiscent. "I told you before, didn't I?"
Momo stared at the boy next to her intently, tilting her head in confusion. In a split-second his face turned stony and sedate; the stoic expression he had reserved for the most serious of situations overtook his features as a clear, crisp turquoise met a rich dark chocolate.
His eyes shone as he gazed unwaveringly into hers.
"I'd do anything for you."
A/N: Hey everybody thanks so much for reading! Anyways, I know what you're probably thinking; that was hella cheesy! But it was purposefully clichéd :) Why? You'll see. Also, if you've stuck around until now, kudos to you!
And also, big thank you to Lil'EyeCandy, who gave me the idea for this story!
Anyways, anyone who reviews gets a hug and a cookie! :) But, on a serious note, I would really appreciate feedback. (Especially if you noticed anything like grammar mistakes, awkward sentence structures, etc... it really helps me to narrow down what I need to involve in.)
Also, I'll try to update again before the end of the week (Saturday/Sunday), since I'll be going on vacation for about a week starting on Aug. 22nd (Monday).
Side note: In the first portion of the chapter, Momo and Toushirou are in grade 9, attending Shino Academy, a private school. In the second portion, they are in grade 11 and Momo is attending Seireitei High, a public high school.
* IB stands for International Baccalaureate: an enriched program for gifted students that is recognized in a variety of countries throughout the world. The Diploma Programme (what Momo is currently enrolled in) is a two year program for grades 11 and 12 that includes the typical high school courses, along with a couple others that are unique to IB.