This story is for my EPIC beta Desert(dot)Moon, who works tirelessly to beta my stories, and always inserts hilarious little comments into the margins that keep me laughing. I'm sorry I could write you a Gaara fic, Kit, but writing Gaara makes me depressed…. So I wrote you the next best thing. Shiro-chan, of course!!! I hope you like it!
Bleach does not belong to Toast.
Enjoy!!!
Hitsugaya stared in astonishment at the pile of candy that the white-haired Thirteenth Company captain had just dumped on him. Again. For the third time this month.
Whenever Ukitake saw Toshiro, he gave him massive amounts. It had gotten to the point where the unwanted gifts filled an entire closet, and the closet was maxing out. Hitsugaya, for all his strength and genius ability, hadn't a clue to what to do with it. Returning it would be harsh, throwing it away would be harsher, and he didn't want to lower his standards by asking Yachiru to eat it all; if she mentioned it on one of her trips to Ukitake's, the white-haired senior captain would be crushed. Hitsugaya was in a real pickle.
"Hey, captain," drawled Matsumoto lazily from the couch as Hitsugaya walked into the office, carrying the mountain of sweets. "Ukitake-taichou struck again?" Hitsugaya wordlessly nodded and set the sweets on the table.
"What am I going to do with them?" he wondered aloud, staring at the heap of sugar.
"Why don't you give them to Hinamori-chan?" Matsumoto asked, sitting up. "She's been looking so sad lately. I'm sure they would cheer her up."
"Hinamori?" Hitsugaya repeated. "Well, yes, I'm sure it would make her happier, but…"
"C'mon, taichou, I have just the plan!" Matsumoto grinned, getting up and whispering her plan in her short captain's ear.
Hitsugaya sighed and nodded. "Fine, let's do this."
Hinamori opened the door to the Fifth Company's main office, sighing at the prospect of the time she would be wasting doing the paperwork that should have been done by Aizen. Too bad he had defected. Hinamori swallowed and closed her eyes, willing the tears that had sprung up not to fall. She would not cry, she would not.
She shook the tears off and turned her attention to the massive pile of work. A.k.a., the bane of her existence. When Aizen had been captain, he had done all of the paperwork, and she now realized that it had kept the company running. She blinked away tears again and started on the towering stack.
The paperwork kept her busy until late afternoon. She finally set down her brush and stretched, deciding as she did to take a walk. As she wandered through the Fifth Company's garden, she let her thoughts drift, and they eventually landed on one person: Hitsugaya Tōshirō.
Hinamori wasn't surprised that her mind had shifted to Hitsugaya; it always did at some point, but she just hadn't seen him lately. She rounded the corner and sat down on a bench near the pond. Surrounded by a blessed tranquility, she was admiring the sakura trees when a messenger rounded the corner.
"Hinamori-fukutaichou!" he called out. "There's a parcel for you!"
Hinamori looked up, surprised. "From who?"
"It doesn't say," the messenger said, handing her the box. "I need to be going. Goodbye!" He saluted her, then ran off.
Hinamori looked at the package curiously. It was wrapped neatly in brown paper and the writing on it was clear and precise.
Hinamori Momo, 5th Company Vice Captain
5th Company Barracks
Seireitei
The neat writing looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. She carefully unwrapped the paper. Inside were several boxes of candy; attached to them was a note.
These are for you, so
Please accept them with a smile
From your closest friend.
Hinamori stared at the haiku in shock. It was written on snow-white piece of paper in the same precise handwriting. She carefully opened a box of lemon sweets and found another scrap of paper. The scrap rested under a metal snowflake. She delicately retrieved the white fragment and read it. It was another haiku.
You are the warm sun,
Exciting and bright; I am
The moon, cold as snow.
She pondered the meaning of the haiku as she inspected the snowflake. It was cold, almost too cold to touch. Something about it felt familiar. She opened the next box. A new haiku rested there.
We loved our young days.
We will be forever friends?
The peach and the ice.
Hinamori's eyes widened as she read the last line of the haiku. Surely the sender of the candy wasn't… it couldn't be…. She eagerly opened the last box, which was peach-flavored candy, and snapped up the last piece of paper. Trembling, she read:
Peach, instead of plum;
I know you favor it so.
Try and guess my name.
Hinamori stared at the last haiku in stunned silence. "Shiro-chan," she breathed.
"Took you long enough." Hinamori let out a startled shriek and whipped around, searching for the voice. "Hinamori, look up."
Hinamori's head shot up obediently; sitting in the branches of the tree above her was none other than Hitsugaya Toshiro. "S-Shiro-chan!" she exclaimed. "How long have you been there?"
"A while." Hitsugaya swung his legs over the side of the tree branch and dropped to the ground. "How'd you like the presents?"
"T-they're n-nice, but—"
"Why?" asked Hitsugaya. "Because I like you."
There was a pregnant silence.
"W-What?" Hinamori stuttered. "What did you say?"
"I like you," Hitsugaya said confidently. "Don't guys get the girls they like candy?"
"Well, yes, but—"
"But what?"
"Do you really like me like that?" Hinamori blushed as she said it.
The young captain nodded. "Yeah, for a while now. And now that the war is over. . . I thought we could. . . It's okay if you don't want to, y'know. "
"N-No!" Hinamori protested loudly. "I mean, yes. . . Shiro-chan, I have something to tell you."
"What?" Hitsugaya's eyes were suspicious and tinted with worry at the same time.
"I've loved you for a long time, Shiro-chan!" Hinamori launched herself at the white-haired captain, enveloping him in a hug.
"How many times have I told you, Bed Wetter Momo?" Hitsugaya asked. "It's Captain Hitsugaya!"
Hinamori giggled.
Owari.
OMAKE (of sorts)
MEANWHILE, BACK IN TENTH COMPANY
As soon as Hitsugaya was out of sight, Matsumoto dashed over to the closet where Hitsugaya stored all the candy. Snickering, she opened it, bent on getting all the good snacks for herself—or at least, some of the good snacks. Little did she know, Hitsugaya had booby-trapped the closet… Not to mention is was so full it couldn't hold any more! When she opened it, the trap was sprung, and the entire contents of the closet fell onto her.
Hitsugaya was not going to be pleased.
Owari (for real this time!)
So yeah, my story, all for Kit-san!!! She really liked it, and then promptly added all of these comments (not to mention edited it lots! -hearts to Kit-)to it which made me laugh and stuff so yeah....
I hope you liked it!
-Mistress ToastWeasel and her Myriad of Magical Muses