"I swear I'll never understand how they became seated officers." Hitsugaya Toshiro, the prodigy of the Seireitei, youngest to ever graduate from the academy, and wielder of the most powerful ice type Zanpakuto was left confused and annoyed because of today's events. He felt his one eye twitch as he stood in the middle of the shopping district, arms crossed and that ever-present frown on his face as he watched his captain and lieutenant run around like morons.
"Look at this Shiba-Taichou!" Rangiku cried out, beckoning the older man to come and join her at one of the stalls.
"Ooh, that's a good find. Great job!" Isshin exclaimed, rocking back and forth on his toes.
Hitsugaya all but growled in annoyance at the two supposed adults. Everyone always said he was the kid of the Tenth Division, but his two superiors were the childish ones in his mind.
"Toshiro, come over here. This stand has some great stuff." His captain called out to him, casually using his first name like he always did, but he refused to move from his spot. He was not going to participate in their mindless shopping spree when they should be doing work.
The day had started like any other. Matsumoto was running all around the barracks trying to find their captain and when she did finally track him down they two had argued about the workload. Neither one of them was very fond of doing paperwork and always tried to avoid it. He had been left inside the office, organizing the files that needed to be handled right away and cataloging the reports of recent Hollow sighting and attacks. He had gotten used to the two commanding officers bickering on a daily basis, so he quickly tuned them out to focus on his work. It was only when his captain came charging into the office, exclaiming that he and Matsumoto had to join him on an urgent mission that he finally lost focus on the paperwork. Hitsugaya had followed without question after his captain and lieutenant, but when they ended up in the shopping district, his apprehension began to surface. He saw no signs of a disturbance; instead, he saw many of their fellow Shinigami all out and about, acting as though they didn't have a care in the world. He had tried to speak up, to voice his thoughts and protests, but before he could even get a single word out the two took off. He was left there, standing in the dust and feeling baffled by what he just experienced.
"Taichou, these sales are amazing!" Rangiku exclaimed, her bags of items already starting to pile up by her feet.
"I know, right!" Isshin was as thrilled about the sales as she was. He had nowhere as near as many bags as she did but his was slowly growing. "When I heard about these great sales there was no way I could miss out on it."
He may have been bewildered before but that was at the start of this stupid shopping trip, and now he was just plain annoyed. They were spending their time shopping when they should be working. Hitsugaya did his best to keep his reitasu in check, although the temptation to freeze over the two was very strong. He couldn't believe this. His captain, the man who is supposed to be their leader, dragged them out to go shopping all because sales were going on. He was supposed to set an example for the squad. But all he was doing was proving that it was okay to slack off. Rangiku was no better. The only reason she worked so hard to drag their captain back to the office was so that he would do the work she didn't want to do. Most days they ended up fighting about who would stay late to finish up the work that they should have been doing all day. But right now they were acting like the best of friends who have never fought in their life. They had been jumping from stall to stall for the last hour, and Hitsugaya's had enough. He did not consider shopping during a once-in-a-lifetime sale a mission. "This is stupid," with a huff he turned around and headed back towards the office.
"Hold it!"
Or he tried to. His captain had appeared directly in front of him, cutting off his route to leave this dreaded place behind.
"And just where do you think you're going, young man?" Isshin crossed his arms over his chest in a mocking manner as he grinned down at the young boy.
Hitsugaya rolled his eyes at this. His captain was always trying to act "fatherly" towards him and their others in the division, but it was hard to take him seriously as an adult when he acts the way he does. "I'm going back. There's work that needs to be handed in by the end of the day."
Isshin scoffed at this, "Toshiro, you need to learn how to relax. You should be enjoying your youth and get out more." he patted the young boy on the head in a playful manner.
Hitsugaya felt his eye twitch as he kept his anger in check. He absolutely hated it when people would pat him on the head.
"Taichou, is right," Rangiku walked up next to him, multiple bags underneath her arms as she snacked on some dumpling she got from a nearby sweet store. "You're turning into an old man. Try having some fun once in a while."
Slapping the hand off his head, Hitsugaya rolled his eyes at the two. "Unlike, the two of you I don't have any interest in shopping for crap I don't need just because it's on sale."
Isshin staggered back, "So harsh," he whimpered, pouting slightly to try and get some sympathy from his third seat. All he got was a blank stare. "You may think that now but you may find something very special in this sale."
Hitsugaya had enough of this and slowly started to walk off. "I doubt it," he waved them off, not bothering to listening to what his captain was saying.
"You never know, you might be able to find a lovely present for Lieutenant Hinamori!" Isshin grinned, a knowing look on his face at the boy's reaction.
Hitsugaya staggered in his retreat. His face twisted into a deep frown as he slowly turned back around to face his captain. "What the hell are you going on about?" he all but growled out, gritting his teeth together.
The boy tried his best to suppress it, but Isshin still saw it. The faint dusting of pink that now coated his two cheeks. Usually, Hitsugaya wears the same blank expression on his face every day but when Isshin has learned that if you talk about specific topics, you can get some interesting reactions out of the boy. It hadn't taken him long to pick up on these subtle changes, but he always made sure to keep an eye out for them. "You know what I mean. Girls love it when you give them gifts, and I bet Lieutenant Hinamori will be so happy if you showed up at her doorstep with a present just for her." he waggled his eyebrows, his grin growing in size with each word he spoke. He looked at his Lieutenant, signaling her to assist him.
Rangiku didn't need to be told twice. "Taichou is right about Hinamori-chan being happy if you gave her a present but there is so much more to it than that. Getting the gift is only the first part, the rest is how you present yourself and it to her," Brushing her hands through her short strawberry locks she readjusted her hair until it resembled Hitsugaya's. From there she got down on her knees and held out her last stick of dumplings. "Hinamori, please accept this gift that I have chosen especially for you." she lowered her voice, trying to make it sound like Hitsugaya's. She had a blank expression on her face and attempted to keep her eyes sharp like his as well.
Isshin quickly joined her act. "Ooh, Shiro-chan, I'm so happy. It's so thoughtful of you to think of me." He couldn't fix his appearance to resemble that of Hinamori, but he did his best to act like the girl. Or the extreme version of her. He clasped his two hands together as he shook his hips side to side. An excited smile on his face as he happily squealed at the fake present being given to him.
Rangiku made a soft noise, one that Hitsugaya often makes when he's happy, and grinned exactly like the young boy. "Of course, my dear. I'm always thinking of you." She grabbed one of her captain's hands, interlocking their fingers and her teeth seemed to twinkle as she grinned.
"Oh, Shiro-chan," Isshin's voice if possible was even more high pitched than before. He was even blushing now. "How romantic."
Hitsugaya almost couldn't believe what he was watching. His captain and lieutenant were acting like complete and utter fools and in public no less. What made matters worse was that they were pretending to be him and Hinamori and they had attracted a crowd. He sucked in his lips; utterly embarrassed as he looked around the open area and saw the many spectators they two had caught. His cheeks were now pink for a whole other reason. He mentally cursed when he recognized a few faces of fellow Shinigami watching the two put on their act. Some of them were even in Hinamori's division. He could only hope that none of them reported this to her. If they did, he wasn't sure if he would be able to face the young peach girl any time soon.
He was torn now. He really wanted to tell the two to stop. They were still spouting nonsense and pretending to be the two childhood friends despite the many people who were watching them. He speculated that they were probably enjoying the attention. But there was a part of him that just wanted to get the hell out of there. If anyone did tell Hinamori about the two acting this way, then he could at least deny being there and say they had just gotten drunk after a day of shopping. That seemed less embarrassing than her finding out he was there while they acted this way.
Taking in a deep breath, he flash stepped away. He didn't look back to his captain or lieutenant and ran as far away as he could. He cringed when he saw how big the crowd had gotten and how they two seemed to lay the act on even harder now. They were really getting into their little performance. "Don't they have any shame?" Hitsugaya shook his head, ducking into an empty alley to catch his breath. He had used more energy then he intended too, and it had shocked his system. "At least things have quieted down." He was glad that he had managed to get far enough away that he could no longer hear the two. Running one hand through his white locks he mentally groaned, trying to think of how he would face Hinamori if their behavior did get back to her. Even if he did make up some lie about them being drunk, it would still be embarrassing for him to face her after that. He did not doubt that this would be the talk of the entire Seireitei. He could only hope they didn't publish the display in the paper. "Those idiots, don't they have any common sense." He grumbled to himself. The two were always teasing him about his relationship with Hinamori, and he's repeatedly told them not to get involved. What happened between him and the girl was nobody else's business. Besides, their way of helping was nothing more than meddling and it usually only made things worse for him.
Inhaling a deep breath through his nose and exhaling out his mouth he felt his nerves calm down. He was nowhere near where the crowd was, so that was a good thing. Leaving the empty alleyway, he saw that he was in a part of the shopping district that was less crowded than the main area. There weren't as many shops around and even fewer people. For that he was grateful. This meant he could get back to work sooner without any more distractions.
Crash
Or so he thought. Looking over to the side he frowned when he saw two Soul Reapers bump into a small stall. They were obviously inebriated by the way they were behaving. They didn't even seem to realize they had caused any damage to the store. A small elderly woman had appeared, trying to talk with the two men but they ignored her and continued to dance around drunkenly fashion. Hitsugaya didn't recognize the two men, they weren't in the same division as him, but that didn't mean he couldn't teach them some manners.
"Hey you two!" he called out to them, stopping them in their little dance. Crossing his arms and glared up at the two. Even from where he stood he could smell the booze on them. "You knocked into this woman's shop. Apologize and help clean up this mess."
Him ordering them around did not sit well with the two.
"What you say, shortie?"
"As if we're going to listen to a brat like you."
Them calling him those names did not sit well with Hitsugaya. He was already in a bad mood because of his captain's and lieutenant's embarrassing antics; these two were only adding to his temper. "What was that?" he glared at the two, unleashing a small portion of his powers so that a cold breeze blew past and surrounded them.
The two drunken Shinigami instantly sobered up. They squealed in fear as they took in the overwhelming reiatsu of the young boy. Both of them swore the spiritual essence around him formed a dragon that was growling at them both. "We're sorry!" they cried as they ran away.
"Hey, get back here!" Hitsugaya yelled out but it was too late, they had run too far to hear him. "Idiots," he shook his head and kneeled down to pick up the few trinkets that had fallen when the two men had bumped into the stall.
"Arigato," The older woman, bent down next to him, picking up the remaining pieces. "I appreciate you doing that."
Hitsugaya didn't say anything, only nodding his head as he continued to pick everything up. He looked at the woman, she was younger than his grandmother and seemed to shy away from him slightly. Her hands shook softly as she picked up the discarded items. Was it because of her age or because of him? He took notice that she was picking up the pieces that were furthest away from him. Even in the Soul Society others still seemed wary of him. Pushing the thought away he focused back on task. The stall the men had bumped into was now crooked, and he doubted it would be stable enough to use now. He would have to remember to look up the two in the database so he can send a bill to the correct squad so that they can pay for the damage. This store seemed to sell accessories; he was picking up mostly hairpins with a few earrings and bracelets here and there. They weren't anything glamorous; the designs were rather ordinary so he could understand why the shop wasn't as busy as the rest. Many of the girls he's encountered seemed to prefer things that were shiny.
He stopped when he picked up a single hair clip. The accessory was simple, a gold clip with a small turquoise ribbon that tied in the center of the clip. It matched perfectly with his Zanpakuto. He felt his heart skip a beat when he imaged this clip nestled in shiny raven locks and the beaming smile that would come with it.
"You can have it if you like," the older woman brought him out of his daydream. "Take it as a token of my appreciation."
He shook his head quickly. "No, please I couldn't do that." He tried handing the clip back, but the woman refused.
"Nonsense, I want you to have it. It's the least I can do for all your help," she stood up, the accessories they had picked up now resting in her arms. She smiled down kindly at the young boy. "Besides, I can tell that you have someone special in mind for that hair clip," she had stepped inside the shop.
Hitsugaya stood up on his two feet, looking down at the small clip in his hands. He gulped down the emotions he was feeling when he imagined how it would look on Hinamori. Shaking his head once more he cursed at the way his cheeks heated up. This is all because of his captain and lieutenant and the way they were acting before. They had put that pointless idea in his mind about surprising Hinamori with a present and how she would act. Although he didn't dislike the idea of giving her the gift. No doubt her reaction would be over the top. She'd probably smile at him wide enough to make her cheeks hurt. He felt his lips twitch at the thought of her doing that.
The shop woman stepped back out, a light blue cloth in her hands. "Here we go," taking the clip she wrapped it up, making it look presentable as a gift.
"Thank you," he held the small pouch in his hands. "Please, let me pay you for this."
"Nonsense," she waved him off once more. "Consider this my payment towards you helping me." She didn't give him a chance to argue and returned to her shop.
Hitsugaya was left standing out in the streets once more. The older woman was wary of him in the beginning, but it seemed like she warmed up to him. Enough to give him this hair clip for free. He had to admit that he was a little embarrassed about this whole thing but there was a small part of him that was glad about how things turned out. Looking down at the blue pouch he felt the tip of his lips twitch up into a small smile. "I wonder what Hinamori will say when I give this to her?" a jolt of excitement coursed through him as he thought of his childhood friend and the reaction that she would give when he presented her with this gift. It certainly would be a surprise. Her birthday wasn't coming up, and neither were any of the holidays. He would never admit it out loud, but maybe those two had a point. It might not be such a bad thing to give Hinamori a gift for no apparent reason. This could help him show her just how much she truly meant to him.
Safely tucking the gift inside his robes, he began his trek back to the barracks and headed for the Fifth Division. It didn't take him very long to reach his destination, he only ran into a handful of Shinigami, and many stayed to themselves. The usually bustling barrack was nearly deserted. It appeared that his captain and lieutenant were not the only ones spending the day shopping. But now was not the time to think about them. Pushing thoughts of what happened earlier today he took in a deep breath as he stood outside the Fifth Division office. The hair clip wrapped up in the light blue cloth was nestled in his robes, only the tips of the fabric sticking out. He gulped down the nerves that suddenly appeared and knocked softly. "Pardon the intrusion. It's third seat, Hitsugaya Toshiro, of the Tenth Division. May I enter?"
It took only a moment for him to receive a reply. "Please come in, Hitsugaya."
Opening the doors to the office, Hitsugaya gave a polite bow to the captain. "Kon'nichiwa Aizen-taichou."
Aizen looked up from his desk, a gentle smile on his face. "Kon'nichiwa, I hope you are having a good day so far," Placing his brush down he readjusted himself so that he was facing the young boy. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Hitsugaya did his best to keep his face neutral. A quick glance around the room showed him that it was only the two of them in the office. His lips twitched in a slight frown, but he stopped himself from pouting. "Is Lieutenant Hinamori in?" he did his best to hide his disappointment of her not being in the room at the moment. As well as his anxiety. The more time passed, the more he was starting to get nervous.
Aizen studied the young boy carefully. His eyes looking at the bits of light blue fabric that was sticking out in the middle of his robes. He offered the white-haired prodigy a kind smile. "I'm afraid Hinamori-kun just stepped out but she should be coming back shortly."
Hitsugaya nodded but didn't say anything. He was at a loss now. He had come here in hopes of seeing his old friend, but she wasn't there. It felt too awkward just to stay there and wait for her. "I see," his inwardly sighed. "Thank you for your time." He bowed to the man and moved towards the door. He would just track down the girl after hours.
"Aizen-taichou, I'm back." Almost as if fate was working in his favor Hinamori appeared just as he was about to open the door. She stood before him; her brown eyes widened slightly with confusion before gleaming with joy. "Hitsugaya-kun, it's so good to see you."
Take aback at her sudden appearance he stepped back and cleared his throat. "Hey," he looked away, trying his best to hide the light pink hue that dusted over his cheeks. He hadn't expected her to show up suddenly or to have her face so close to his.
Hinamori giggled at his reaction. Some things never change. "What are you doing here?" shutting the door behind her, she stepped into the office and offered a bow to her captain. She beamed when he smiled at her.
This didn't go unnoticed by Hitsugaya, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Although he would have preferred to give this to her alone, he had to get back to his division and do the work that his captain and lieutenant wouldn't do. "I just wanted to-!" he had been reaching for the gift. His hands barely brushed over the soft fabric of the cloth that held the hair clip when he finally took in her appearance. When she first showed up at the door he had been caught off guard, his focus on her face. Now as he stood there, taking her full appearance, he sucked in a harsh breath. "What happened to you?" he felt his heart squeeze at the sight of the bandaged wrapped around her head. Her shoulder-length raven hair was tied in a low ponytail, but with the bandages wrapped around her forehead it made the top part of her hair puff out, and a few locks were coming out of the hair tie that tied her hair together.
Hinamori smiled faintly, she had a feeling he would react this way. "I'm fine Shiro-chan. My last mission was just a little more intense than I originally thought it was going to be." She reassured him, hoping to put some of his worries to rest. Ever since they were children, he's always been such a worrywart when it came to her and getting injured.
Ignoring the nickname she continued to call him, despite promising to stop, he felt some relief in knowing that she was fine, but her getting hurt never sat well with him. He couldn't stop the thought from forming in his head that if he had been there then maybe he could have prevented her from getting hurt. He was happy in the Tenth Division, but there was a small part of him that wished the two of them could be in the same squad together. At least then he had a better chance of protecting her.
"Hinamori-kun, lead a team of new recruits into the forests in the Rukongai when a group of Hollows attacked them. She proved her capabilities as a Lieutenant by defeating a majority of them and helped everyone returned in one piece. Save for a few bumps and bruises." Aizen stood up, walking over to the two childhood friends and placed a gentle hand on his lieutenant's head. He flashed her a warm smile as he smoothed out her hair.
Hinamori beamed at the praise he gave her. Hearing his kind words, experiencing these gestures from him were the main reason why she worked so hard to become the Vice-Captain of the Fifth Division.
Hitsugaya had to look away. A dense hollow feeling began to build up in his chest as he watched the two. He felt like he had been pushed to the side and all it took was a few simple words. Frowning to himself he placed a hand over the gift in his clothes and cleared his throat quietly. "Hinam-"
"We are just lucky that Hinamori-kun wasn't wearing any hair accessories at the time or else this head injury might have been serious," Aizen added softly, removing his hand from the young girl's head.
The words the older man spoke were kind, but it felt as though they had slapped Hitsugaya in the face. His hand gripped the center of his clothes, right where he kept the hair clip hidden. If he had given this to Hinamori earlier and she had worn it, then it would have been his fault if that indeed had happened. She could have suffered a more severe injury because of his gift. The thought of it sent bile up in his throat, but he forced down the burning liquid. The last thing he wanted in this world was her hurt. He made a vow to protect her, and he never wanted to do anything that could cause her any harm.
"Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori calling to him brought him out of his thoughts. He pushed back the dark thoughts away as he focused on the girl in front of him. "Was there something you needed?"
He opened his mouth, his hand still gripping the center of his uniform to hide away the present. He couldn't give this to her now. Not after seeing her hurt like this and the fear he now felt. "I was just wondering if you wanted to go get lunch together." He mumbled, suddenly feeling rather small. Only this feeling had nothing to do with his height.
She smiled at him, pleased with the suggestion. "I would love too," she turned her full attention back to her captain and the smile she offered him was different from the one she gave to Hitsugaya. "I'll be taking my break now, Aizen-taichou."
He offered his nod of approval and smiled at the two childhood friends. "Have a good time you two." He waved to the two as they left his office.
Hitsugaya returned the gesture but with not nearly enough enthusiasm as his friend. His frown deepened when he saw the way she waved goodbye to her captain. He could slowly feel his mood worsening with every passing second.
"It's really rare for you to invite me out to eat. Usually, I'm the one dragging you away to get out of the office. I swear with how hard you work it's almost like you're the captain of the Tenth Division." She giggled, thinking of the happy-go-lucky pair that headed the division. Although she has only met the two officers on a few occasions, it was clear to see that they had more fun goofing off than working. It was a big contrast to her white-haired friend who was always very serious.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he crossed his arms, making sure to position his hand to keep blocking the light blue cloth that continued to stick out of his uniform. "We can't all have captains like Aizen." He grumbled.
Hinamori let out a dreamy sigh. "You're right; he is one of a kind."
Hearing how she spoke of him, seeing how she acted just by thinking of, witnessing the change in her demeanor because of the mere mention of the man sent an emotion through him that he had grown accustomed to over these last few years. He had to look away, his lips twitching to sink down into a deep frown but he bit down on them and did his best to keep his face neutral. Even when it was just the two of them, she was always thinking of her captain. It unnerved him more than he was willing to admit. He bitterly thought back to when he was still living with his Obaa-chan and she would return home from school and would only talk about the captain. Even then all her attention had been on the older man, and it would appear nothing has changed. She was still completely enamored with the man. There was a part of him that hoped she would be impressed with all of his accomplishes but everything he did seemed to pale in comparison to the oh-so-perfect Aizen.
"By the way, Hitsugaya-kun," the boy merely grunted, his gaze far away as he stared straight ahead. His focus was elsewhere. "What have you been trying to hide in your uniform this whole time?"
That caught his attention. "W-What?" he stopped in his tracks, unconsciously trying to cover up the blue fabric even more than before but that only made it more evident that he was hiding something.
"There," she pointed to the center of his chest where he gripped at the fabric of his clothes. "You've been trying to hide it since I entered the office. What is it?" she tried to pry his hand away, but he stepped away. "Shiro-chan!" she pouted, annoyed that he was being difficult.
"It's nothing. Just forget about it." He could feel himself blushing, but from what he wasn't quite sure. He didn't have time to focus on that though. He saw the look in Hinamori's eyes, and he knew she wasn't going to let this go until she found out what he was trying to hide. The two of them were in the middle of the road, her reaching out to try, and grab whatever it was he was hiding and he continued to step out of her reach.
Hinamori frowned, starting to get fed up with this little game. She didn't understand what the big deal was. Why was he putting up such a fight? She was really curious now what it was that he was hiding from her. He wasn't scolding her for using his nickname, so that meant it was something important enough for him to dismiss the name he claimed to hate. An idea popped into her head, and she grinned. Stopping in her assault, she looked over his shoulder and waved. "Kon'nichiwa, Shiba-taichou." Her grin widened in size when she saw him turn around to look. With quick reflects she reached out to grab the item.
She may have more experience than him, but he had raw talent. He mentally scolded himself for falling such a juvenile trick, and after he realized he didn't sense his captain's reiatsu, he quickly realized what her goal was. Reacting swiftly he grabbed hold of her wrist just as she pulled at the blue cloth in his robes. They stood there for a moment, both slightly panting from the speed they had been using in their little game. Hitsugaya felt his heart thud in his chest as his eyes landed on her hand, the tips of her fingers were grasping the thin ribbon that tied the blue cloth together. If he had been a second too late, it would have fallen out, and she would have seen it. Pushing her hand away he turned around so that all she could see was his back.
"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori pouted, her cheeks puffed out in annoyance.
Ignoring his dreaded nickname once more he looked at the small blue cloth in his hand. The band was just starting to come undone, and the tips of the gold hair clip shinned in the sun. He gulped at the sight, his heart beating faster than he would have liked. Before he had entered the office, this would have been the ideal situation for him. He wanted it just to be the two of them when he gave it to her but after seeing her injuries, hearing what Aizen said he wasn't sure if he should. Their line of work was dangerous, and as she developed in skills, she would be going out on much more dangerous missions. She would always be at risk of getting injured. Clenching the hand down at his side into a fist he made up his mind. Carefully he clipped the accessories to his white shitagi inside his black robes, making sure that it was out of sight and the outline couldn't be seen. Only then did he turn around to face the girl. Clearing his throat, he offered her the blue cloth. "Fine, but don't complain when I don't give you anything for your birthday."
"My birthday?" she tilted her head to the side, clearly confused. Her birthday was months away.
He frowned, his cheeks taking on a faint pink look. "Shiba-taichou dragged me to the shopping district because of the sales going on. I saw this haircloth being sold and figured I'd get it now since it's on sale." It was such a lie. A complete and total lie. He felt foolish for even saying it but what else could he say? He didn't feel like he could give her the original gift he wanted to, and she wouldn't leave him alone until he showed her what he was hiding. This was the only thing he could think of.
The confused look on her face was quickly replaced with a cheerful one. Letting out a delighted squeal she reached forward and clenched the blue cloth to her chest. "Arigato Hitsugaya-kun." She held it carefully to her chest, directly above her heart. To others, it may only be a simple haircloth, but to her, it was an important item because he had given it to her. She smiled at him, her full attention and joy directed at him and only him.
He felt his heart skip a beat at that smile. He hated how happy he felt from seeing that smile. He had lied to her; there wasn't any thought in that stupid piece of cloth because it hadn't been her intended gift. Bitterly he wondered how she would have smiled if he had given her the hair clip. "It's not a big deal. It's just a stupid piece of cloth."
She giggled at him. He always got so embarrassed so easily. "Well I love it," she held it above her head as if she was showing it off to the world. "The color is the same as your Hyōrinmaru, so that makes it extra special."
Her words sent a jolt through his heart and shudder down his spine. He hadn't even thought of that, but she was right. The cloth was the same ice blue as his Zanpakuto. He didn't know how this new knowledge made him feel.
"I'll be sure to wear it every day from now on," carefully tucking her new gift into her robes she grabbed his hand and guided him. "Now come on. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." She happily took the lead, and she pulled him along to one of her favorite restaurants.
For once Hitsugaya didn't care that she was dragging him along like some little kid. He let her do as she pleased. Looking down at their conjoined hands he fought back to keep the blush that was spreading across his cheeks maintained. Seeing her small delicate hand in his calloused one made him think and feel things he never allowed him to experience unless he was alone and didn't have to worry about others seeing him. Like right now all he wanted to do was tighten his grip on her hand and walk side by side with her. He wanted to interlock their fingers and hold her small, fragile hand tighter in his like the way he's seen others do when they go out for lunch together. But when the others went out for lunch, they were out as dates and not childhood friends. He treasured his years growing up with Hinamori, but sometimes he wonders if it put him at a disadvantage. Would she always see him as the little kid that used to spit watermelon seeds at her? He hadn't grown any taller, but his skills had developed and matured. He had graduated from the academy in only one year. He was prodigy when it came to intellect, fighting, and kido. He was the youngest recruit ever to enter the ranks of a Shinigami, and he was already starting his Bankai training. That had to mean something, didn't it? He had finally caught up with her; he had become a Shinigami like her and had become third seat officer of his division easily. So why did it feel like he still had a ways to go? Even with every accomplishment, he's achieved it still felt like she was so far away from him.
His free hand came up to hover over the spot where he kept the hair clip pinned inside his robes. While he was pleased to see how happy she was with the cloth he really wanted to see her reaction to the hair accessory. He felt his lips quiver into another frown but he wouldn't allow himself to sulk. This was just another bump in the road. If she still seemed so far away from his grasps, then he would just need to work harder. Eventually he would give the hair clip to her, but first, he needed to get stronger. He'll achieve his Bankai and have even better means to protect her. He'll get stronger so that his powers can match up with Aizen, maybe even more so. Once he's strong enough, he'll give it to her. Then perhaps he'll finally have the courage to tell her how he feels. But until that time he would keep the accessories with him.