Yes, I've uploaded Through the Years as a separate story because it's getting way too long to be a oneshot and ALOFAI is a collection of oneshots. So, please visit here for updates on Through the Years, but please continue to support ALOFAI too!
It's my first multi-chaptered AU fic, so comments are greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Peter Pan.
Warning: Mild swearing.
Note: -o-O-o- means transition between past and present, while –x-X-x- means transition between scenes (as per usual).
Enjoy!
Part I
Words: 7261
The turning of pages could be heard, as well as soft laughs and the ruffling of sheets. The room was enclosed within walls of navy blue. A beige-colored carpet encompassed the floor and at the back of the room was a king-sized bed, complete with fluffy pillows, cerulean comforters and an unused canopy. A couple was at the bed, flipping through pages of an old album. The young man, around mid-twenties, sported spiky white hair and possessed beautiful teal eyes. The lady of approximately the same age had jet black hair and captivating russet eyes. He was seated at the foot of the bed, while she laid at the edge, her head beside his ear.
"Aww, look at this one! You looked so cute!" Momo gushed, while pointing to a picture in the album she was flipping.
He scowled. Hitsugaya Toushirou did not like being called 'cute'. He was a man damn it, but that picture did bring out the cuteness in him, even he had to admit to that.
"What about you? You look so annoyingly cheery there," he retorted, smirking at her.
See, this was their usual banter. They would make fun of each other, which earned perceptions of a wrecked couple, or 'just friends' relationship, from distant people. However, what it truly meant was of course, much more than what people perceived. They liked doing this; it reminded them of how they fell in love with their best friends. Yup, that's the Hitsugaya family for you.
"What!" Momo huffed, "I was trying to be friendly to the cold, distant boy. Besides, you liked it, I know you did!"
He didn't reply her, but simply turned his head to kiss her on the nose. She blushed a visible shade of pink and Toushirou is reminded of how she does that so easily, especially during their intimate moments.
"Toushirou, do you remember how we first met?" Momo asked softly, and smiled while replaying the scene in her head.
He didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he played with a lock of her hair before saying, "Of course I do. How can I forget?"
-o-O-o-
Hitsugaya Toushirou was just like any other normal 5 year old kid. He had two eyes, two ears, one nose, one mouth and able limbs. Well, maybe he wasn't that normal, for he sported pure white hair and possessed teal eyes, a color not very prominent in anyone. And for that, he was shunned, outcast as the 'weird' kid. That, and because he was cold and kept his distance from everyone. It has been like that in the other kindergarten. The other kids wouldn't play with him, lest they be a victim of his icy glares, and left him alone most of the time. Hitsugaya, on the other hand, couldn't be bothered, and preferred to be left alone anyway. It was a vicious cycle.
But that cycle was broken in the very same year he moved into Karakura Town. Someone entered his life and changed things. She simply waltzed in like that, taking him by surprise, and made everything more beautiful. And she is none other than, Hinamori Momo.
The first time they met was simple. But it is exactly because it was simple, that allowed their relationship to grow and develop into one neither of them could ever have imagined.
It was a surprisingly sunny day, for it had been raining the past few days. The monsoon season had passed, and spring was brought along. As usual, Hitsugaya Toushirou was seated alone in the playroom, with the other kids in their own little worlds. He sat at a table in the corner, where all the books were. In front of him lay 'Peter Pan, The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up' and he was reading it intently, fascinated by the idea of a place where children never grew old.
Without warning, he felt someone pull a chair across from him. Startled because of a couple of reasons, he snapped his head up to find out who the unexpected companion was. Surprised teal eyes met gleeful brown ones for the first time.
Without so much as a preamble, she started, "It's a sad ending, you know. Peter Pan, I mean. Well at least in my opinion I think it's sad. The Darling family—"
"Don't reveal the ending!" he interrupted, half angry at her for spoiling the plot for him and half shocked to realize that she was about the first to actually start a conversation with him. Him, Hitsugaya Toushirou, the 'weird' kid that everyone avoided. He thought she must either be stupid or just really bold. Wrong. What he didn't know was that that's just the kind of person Hinamori was and still is. She didn't care about what other people said about him, he seemed lonely yet interesting; it would be harmless to approach him. What she didn't know was how her actions and innocence had led to the birth of something new.
She looked at him sheepishly and said, "Sorry...I promise I won't tell you anymore endings! Though my favorite would be Cinderella's."
Hitsugaya looked at her incredulously. He was in the middle of reading and here she was, apologizing and then rambling on about other endings he didn't care about. What was more incredulous was the fact she stuck a conversation and was even continuing it, albeit she was talking more to herself than to him as he wasn't really listening.
"...Hinamori Momo!"
"Huh...?" Hitsugaya asked dumbly.
"That's my name! I'm Hinamori Momo, what's yours?"
All of a sudden, he felt shy. He's never encountered such a situation before. What's more, it was a girl talking to him and he noticed, for the very first time, she had the warmest brown eyes he'd ever seen.
"...shirou," he mumbled, his first few syllables getting swallowed up by his embarrassment.
"Shirou?" Hinamori repeated curiously. "That's a funny name! Ah! Shirou-chan right?"
"No!" he blurted. "Hitsugaya Toushirou! My name is Hitsugaya Toushirou!"
"What's the difference?" she giggled. "I'll call you Shirou-chan from now on!"
Something like fear and horror filled his eyes as he hastily said, "Don't call me Shirou-chan!"
Before the both of them knew it, something had blossomed between them. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Time seemed to less solid than it usually was when they were together and it was soon dismissal. However, when the bell rang, signaling the end of school, it wasn't the end of Hitsugaya's surprises.
As Hinamori ran towards the pavement to get into her mother's car, she turned on her heel and faced him. The words that came out of her mouth took him aback.
"Shirou-chan! I'll see you tomorrow!" she said cheerfully, and bounded away.
It left Hitsugaya standing there, with a light blush tinting his cheeks. No one has ever said they'll see him tomorrow. And he never expected anyone to say that to him. He never expected anyone to want to continue being his friend. Others couldn't even hold a proper conversation with him, let alone see him tomorrow. So when this strange girl, Hinamori Momo, said she'll see him tomorrow, with such a happy expression, he couldn't believe it.
Hitsugaya Toushirou had just made his first friend.
And just like that, they started growing closer and became each other's best friend. It was also how their families got together, and began having frequent house dates and gatherings. Needless to say, it was how everything started to fall into place.
Throughout the time he spent with her, he noticed something very prominent about her.
She was too selfless.
She always put others before her, sometimes even at the expense of herself. Once, during their elementary school years, she took the blame for something she didn't do...willingly, allowing the true culprits to get off the hook.
In Hinamori's fifth year in elementary school, three idiots from her class decided it would be fun to snatch Hinamori's hair tie and play tag (with her having to chase them to get her hair tie back) in the classroom. They got too carried away and one of them inevitably knocked into the teacher's desk, causing the vase to shatter near his feet. He let out a cry when a shard pierced his foot and the pain seared. In no time, he was bawling.
Hinamori, having completely forgotten her stolen hair tie, rushed to him to sweep the broken shards away and carefully plucked out the shard in his foot. He cried in pain but at least there wasn't any glass sticking out of his foot anymore. Hinamori tried to calm him down as his friends stood there speechless, with no clue as to what they should do.
"Shhh...it's okay," she comforted. "It doesn't hurt that bad anymore right? You'll be fine."
She patted him and instructed the other boys to call a teacher. There was no need, as one had already arrived at the scene. Her eyes widened in shock when she laid eyes upon the broken glass and bleeding boy. She ordered the boys to get the nurse as bent down to the sniffling child. Mixed with her expression of sympathy was anger.
"Explain this!"
The boy looked like he was about to start bawling again so Hinamori spoke up, "Sensei, it's my fault. I suggested playing tag and accidentally hitting over the vase. Nichimirou-kun got hurt because of me. I'm sorry..."
"Hinamori-chan, you should have been more sensible! Because of your childishness, you got others hurt. Your mother will be hearing about this."
The boy had stopped his crying and was looking at Hinamori in surprise. It wasn't even her fault and she was taking the blame for it? What's more, they were the ones teasing her in the first place! What a strange girl...
As he was helped up by the teacher, Hinamori gave him a reassuring smile, which only made him blush and more confused.
Hitsugaya knew about it as Hinamori's mum came to school later that day to see the teacher. He asked her what happened and she told him everything, including the part where she had to write 'I will not play tag in the classroom.' fifty times for a week after school as punishment.
"Idiot. Serves you right for taking the blame," Hitsugaya said rather harshly.
"What else could I do? Nichimirou-kun was crying so badly and it's not like they meant for it to happen!" Hinamori replied heatedly. "I hope he can walk properly soon..."
Since then, she's always been like that: worrying only about others, hardly for herself. That was what made her special and, probably, was what made Hitsugaya like her even more.
Hinamori Momo walked into his life, and somehow, one way or another, melted her way through his cold heart.
-o-O-o-
"You practically walked up to me and into my life," Toushirou said.
"Yeah...I'm quite surprised at my boldness actually," Momo replied, looking down at the bed sheets.
"I'm glad for that," he said softly after a moment. "I'm glad you just walked into my life like that all of a sudden. And I'm glad you stayed."
She looked at him with a soft expression present in her features. "Me too," she replied with a smile and kissed him gently on his cheek.
Toushirou gave her a genuine smile and resumed flipping through the pages of their old photo album. He stopped at a page filled with pictures of their time as middle school students. Toushirou studied the picture of the both of them leaning their heads towards each other's. Momo had a big smile plastered on her face while Toushirou wore his usual scowl. He somehow still managed to look boyishly dashing. The picture was taken during the annual Karakura Middle School Festival and Momo had white cat's ears propped upon her head as a conjunction with her class's stall. Toushirou had to admit, she looked cute.
"Ah!" Momo exclaimed, noticing the picture that Toushirou was studying. "Our middle school days!"
"Yeah, quite eventful huh?" he asked, as he flipped through pages and pages of pictures taken during their middle school days.
"Mm! But I think it's only because you were there, it seems a lot of dramatic things happen when you're around."
"That's not true. Karakura has always been quite eventful. But anyway, aren't you glad that I skipped a grade then?" he asked, a small smile playing on the corners of his lips.
She laughed and said jokingly, "Yes, of course. I'm glad my best friend is a genius."
Toushirou had skipped the 7th grade when he took the aptitude test and discovered the child prodigy in himself. He never would've taken the test if it weren't for Momo. She was a year older than him and so, entered middle school earlier. School without Momo wasn't the same on multiple levels and he would never have admitted it, but he missed her. For some reason, he wanted to be with her. So, six months into that year, he stopped attending elementary school and was home- schooled for a period of time. At the end of the year, he took the aptitude test and chose to enroll into Karakura Middle School as a grade 8 student.
She was very surprised when she saw him in the hallway wearing the gakuran1 uniform and placing some books in his locker. She ran to him and almost exclaimed in surprise, turning some curious heads in the process. From that day on, they were more than inseparable.
He scowled at her and said, "You got yourself into a lot of trouble in those days."
"Yeah...I know."
-o-O-o-
Ahhh...I'm bushed!" Hinamori thought to herself as she made her way back home after a long day at the school festival.
She was walking along the deserted, dark street alone. She had stayed a little later than her friends because of clean-up duty, and they had already gone their separate ways, leaving her the only one to take this route. Hitsugaya had also left; in fact, he left earlier than the others, saying he was bored or something. She didn't mind that much though, as she was still basking in the joy of the festival. It had been a success; their class even received many customers. If they raise the most money, the school will subsidize a class trip to Kyoto. Hinamori had never been to Kyoto, so she was really hoping they'd win.
Hinamori's train of thoughts was interrupted by peals of laughter and the crushing of metal cans. She looked in the distance and caught a glimpse of a few students (most likely high school ones, judging from their uniform) attempting to kick cans into a bin but failing terribly. They seemed to be drunk, for their laughter was crazy and their uniform disheveled. Hinamori didn't realize she had been staring until their attempts to score stopped and they started looking back at her.
She quickly turned her head away and picked up her pace. "Maybe I should take the alleyway...I really don't want to walk past them..."
She abruptly turned her heel and walked briskly towards the alleyway, hoping they wouldn't follow her.
No such luck. One of them cocked his head towards Hinamori's direction, a mischievous grin on his face. The others nodded and they made their way towards her, glad to finally get some action tonight.
Hinamori could feel her heart thumping against her chest and it did so more rapidly when she heard footsteps behind her. Sweat beaded upon her forehead as she picked up speed. The footsteps followed more closely than ever and she knew they were catching up, so she broke into a run. The frightened girl couldn't even make it to a few feet before a tall figure blocked her path.
Hinamori stopped in her tracks and sensing someone walking up to her, she spun to the side, only to be pushed against the wall by brute force. A well-toned arm was pressed against the wall beside her head while the tall guy stood his ground on the other side. She was trapped. Hinamori could almost hear heart beat ringing in her ears as she clutched the hem of her skirt, praying they wouldn't do anything to her.
"Mind telling us why you were checking us out?" the guy in front of her asked. The others snickered.
She couldn't see his face, or she was afraid to, but she could smell the alcohol on his breath.
"I-I'm sorry..." she stammered. "I didn't mean to..."
"So you were checking us out!" he said, letting out the mad laughter Hinamori heard before. As if on cue, his other friends laughed along with him.
Hinamori snapped her head up in surprise. That was not what she meant at all. She got a glimpse of them and it seemed like they were delinquents with the piercings and attire. Just then, he stopped laughing and turn to face her again, his expression that of anticipation. He leaned in and whispered, his free hand travelling up in an attempt to trace her ear, "How about we—"
"Don't touch her."
A loud, boyish yet intimidating voice echoed throughout the alleyway.
Everyone turned their head in the direction of the voice and saw a short kid with snow white hair and teal eyes that gleamed in the night standing at the end, his body tensed. Hinamori's eyes widened at the sight of her childhood friend, relieved yet still afraid at the same time. She tried to run, but her feet were frozen in fear.
The leader (as it seemed), tilted his head in mockery and said, "Huh? Who the hell are you?"
A lanky guy with a nasal voice said, "Get lost kid. Can't you see we're busy?"
They didn't bother waiting for his reply and the leader proceeded in his attempt to touch her. Hinamori flinched and turned her head away in disgust and terror. She thought his rough fingers would graze her skin soon but it never came.
"I said 'don't touch her'!"
Hitsugaya strode towards to him and in a flash, he was knocked off his feet by a blow to his cheek. Upon seeing their leader get punched so hard, the rest of them shouted something obscene and charged towards Hitsugaya. The white-haired boy dodged a punch that would've hit his nose if he didn't, and swiftly sent a roundhouse kick towards the attacker. Another charged forward and sent a blow to Hitsugaya's cheek, causing him to stumble. Fortunately, he managed to regain his balance before he had the chance to fall. He felt a dulling pain at his left mouth and wiped at it, blood staining his hand. Following that, he never failed to dodge a blow or render the attackers unfit to continue.
Hinamori could only stare in awe as she watched Hitsugaya move expertly to defend or attack in an effort to protect her. When all of them were sprawled on the ground, he turned to her and grabbed her hand.
"Let's get out of here."
She nodded silently and was led out of the alleyway, leaving the delinquents groaning in pain. The moment they were safely on the familiar street that led to her house, Hitsugaya snapped at her.
"Idiot! Why were you walking through the alleyway alone!" he said angrily.
Hinamori felt a sense of guilt overwhelm her as she answered meekly, "Sorry...I was staring at them and...and I didn't want to walk past them so I just used the alleyway. I didn't know they would follow me!"
Hitsugaya let out an irritated sigh. "Why did you even stare at them? You know these people will—"
"I didn't realize!"
The look in her eyes and guilty expression she wore made him stop reprimanding her. She looked as if she was about to cry and Hitsugaya hated it when she cried.
"Just...avoid alleyways. And don't stay out too late. Please don't cry."
He gave her a look that told her he was sorry for scolding her. She nodded and wiped away the tears that were threatening to fall.
"You're hurt," she said, noticing the dried blood at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine. Worry about yourself. And don't apologize."
"Thank you..." she said softly but gratefully, and tried to smile.
Hitsugaya felt the heat rise to his cheeks. "Whatever," he replied gruffly, unwilling to admit he was actually worried. "Come on, I'll walk you home."
"Mm! Looks like those aikido2 lessons came in handy huh? Maybe I should go take them too," Hinamori said, attempting to make small talk.
"Honestly, I would rather not use it for that kind of purpose. And I think you should, I'm not always around to help you, you know."
"I know...speaking of which, why were you there anyway?"
Hitsugaya was caught by surprise. He didn't want to say it's because it was late and when he called Hinamori's house number, her mum said she wasn't back yet and that got him worried. So he went to look for her and finally found her cornered by some delinquents. He tried to think of some excuse but he had none.
"Hello? Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori called and broke his train of thoughts.
"What?"
"Never mind. Thanks again, I owe you one!"
"Yeah yeah," he replied nonchalantly. Hitsugaya was just relieved she was fine. For some reason, he didn't ever want to see her hurt and afraid like that again. So he made himself a promise: he would protect her.
Ever since his sorry excuse of a father left his mum when he was 4, he vowed to protect his mother. Hinamori held a special place in his heart and now, he will protect her too.
As they walked on, the two friends didn't realize that they were still holding hands.
-o-O-o-
"You protected me so many times," Momo stated suddenly.
"I made a promise," he simply answered.
"Yes you did. Thank you for keeping it," she smiled and kissed his nose. "Middle school was that eventful huh."
"If you think middle school was eventful, what about high school?"
Just then, he flipped to the page that held their high school photos, specifically their first few months in Karakura High School, in which they wore their high school uniforms for the first time. They stared at the pictures in from of them, both thinking the same things.
"Yeah, I remember. That's when everything changed."
-o-O-o-
Yes, high school was when everything changed: their friends, ups and downs, and most importantly, their relationship. It wasn't a quick progress; in fact, they needed many factors to change their relationship into what it should be.
Hitsugaya and Hinamori entered high school together and shared home class, as well as a few other classes together. They attracted a considerable amount of attention, mostly because of Hitsugaya's appearance, and also due to the fact no one has ever seen a guy and a girl that close as best friends before. However, they were both known for different reasons.
Hitsugaya was dubbed as the cold, distant (as usual) genius. It wasn't as bad as in kindergarten or elementary school though. He managed to make friends, a few of which were Kurosaki Ichigo, Abarai Renji and the infamous Matsumoto Rangiku, who became really close friends of his. Because he was a first-year student, no one paid much attention to him, so all they knew about the white-haired boy was his unapproachable personality, his intelligence and sports skills.
Hinamori, on the other hand, was known as the good-natured girl who was well-liked by her fellow first-years and seniors. She easily made friends, the close ones being Kuchiki Rukia, Kira Izuru and Matsumoto Rangiku (who seemed to know everyone and everything in the school). Students recognized her as the cheerful and friendly girl who sported a bun. How she was best friends with Hitsugaya Toushirou was beyond everybody.
It had been well into the first quarter of the semester and the both of them gained quite a bit of fame. Hitsugaya because he joined the ice hockey team and was given the role of a forward after only a month of training. People found out he was not only a genius in academic terms, but also on ice. Hinamori did so because she was acknowledged as someone with great potential on stage when she joined the dance club (along with Rukia). With their fame and strong friendship that seemed to be more than that, their friends would sometimes 'discuss' about their relationship. Rumors went around the first-years, who speculated that they weren't just friends and they both actually liked each other. Some of them even regarded claims/denials Hitsugaya or Hinamori made as a facade to hide their true relationship status. They were half-right.
"Look at them, they're at it again," Rukia said, watching her two friends who were outside the classroom from her seat. Hitsugaya and Hinamori were placing their books back in their lockers (which, coincidentally, were right next to each other's), preparing to go home, and having idle chit-chat.
"What? They're just putting their books in their lockers," Ichigo retorted.
"No, idiot," Rukia snapped, "Look closely at Hitsugaya."
He looked and squinted, as well as the others who were there.
"What the...is Hitsugaya...smiling?" It was Renji who asked. If Hitsugaya had an identifier, it would be the absence of any smiles on his face.
True to his word, Hitsugaya was indeed smiling. And it wasn't his smirk, it was a genuine smile. One that no one ever saw before. He looked at Hinamori, who was rambling away rather animatedly and all of a sudden, she stopped. Hitsugaya's smile disappeared and was replaced by a look of surprise in his eyes.
Before anyone knew it, he let out a laugh, a real, joyful laugh with a hint of amusement in his eyes. If Ichigo and the rest were surprised to see his smile, their mouths were agape now. Never in their lives had they seen him smile like that, let alone laugh so heartily.
Hinamori turned to him with her cheeks colored pink as she cried, "Hitsugaya-kun! That's not funny! I didn't mean for it to sound that way...stop laughing!"
She had said something that came out wrong they supposed, as Hinamori was still blushing and Hitsugaya tried to contain his laughter.
"Holy..." Renji started.
"So they are..." Ikkaku mused.
"I knew it!" Matsumoto declared.
That caught Hitsugaya's attention and he shot a glare in their direction, suspicious of their sudden turn of heads. Matsumoto simply waved at him with a...devious smile? He gave them one last look of suspicion and followed after Hinamori.
As soon as Matsumoto knew it, the cat was let out of the bag. Rumors about something fishy going on between the two childhood friends were 'confirmed'. Except they were only half-right. There was something going on between them, but (unfortunately), it was only on Hitsugaya's part.
The thing is, he only dared to admit it (to himself that is) sometime later. And Hinamori, much later.
-x-X-x-
Somewhere between the house dates, smiles, laughs, bickering, protection, promises and time spent together, Hitsugaya developed certain feelings for his brown-eyed best friend. He didn't know when it started or how his friendship changed into something more, he just knew he liked her. A lot.
And it wasn't the sibling or just-friends kind of 'like', it was more than that. He knew because a best friend doesn't blush when she sits close to him, or when her skin touches his. A best friend won't be having his heart beating fast when she holds his hand or simply when she smiles. A best friend doesn't have indescribable feelings of heartache and anger when he sees her crying. A best friend doesn't get so damn jealous of other guys who get to be with her or whom she has a crush on. A best friend doesn't threaten to kill people or send them to the hospital when they hurt her. And a best friend definitely wouldn't have such dreams about her.
Things took a sharp turn then, and he didn't even know how.
Hitsugaya knew he liked her, but he finally realized he was in love with his best friend. After much teasing, prompts, doubts, realizations, and different driving factors, he knew he fell for her, and he fell for her hard. But Hitsugaya, being the introvert he is, kept it to himself. If there was one secret he would keep with him to the grave, it would be this. It's too bad that Matsumoto was in the picture. She found out about it, heck, she even knew it before he did.
But Hitsugaya was a stubborn person; he refused to act upon his feelings. So he bottled it in and admired her from afar. He wouldn't tell her his true feelings, at least not yet.
But bottling his feelings up sometimes wasn't a good idea. It meant having to put up with the guys who were infatuated with her. It meant he couldn't make it obvious that he hated every one of them. (And it also meant his so-called 'suitors' wouldn't stop crushing on him, which irritated him to no end.) And since it was a well-known fact that Hitsugaya's love was an unrequited one, some brave souls continued wooing Hinamori.
Until one day when they realized that Hinamori Momo was strictly off- limits.
It was the unofficial year-end party for the first-years to celebrate their completion of the academic year and rising to second-years. Since it wasn't an official school tradition, it was held by different people. That year, Marechiyo Omaeda, a first-year student who was held back once, took the liberty of hosting the party at his very big and extravagant bungalow. Being one of the richest kids in Karakura High, everyone knew him and vice versa, so almost all the first-years were invited.
Hinamori was excited to attend the party, saying how it would be the first time going to such a big party. However, Hitsugaya decided to skip it, expressing his aversion towards parties and what-not, despite constant persuasion from Hinamori.
"Come on, Hitsugaya-kun! It'll be fun!" she pleaded.
"How would you know? You've never been to one," he simply stated.
"I just do! And you wouldn't know, since you've also been to one either. So why not go this time? You'll miss the opportunity if you don't!"
"I'll pass," he replied curtly, turning back to his book.
"Fine. You're missing the fun then!"
Giving up on trying to elicit any response from him, she let out an audible 'hmph!'. At least she'll have Rukia, Matsumoto and the others to accompany her.
An hour into the party and Hinamori Momo was already regretting it. The music was loud, the people were rowdy and the dance floor was getting 'dirty'. The party had morphed from one celebrating their rise to the second year to one where people hooked up and got wasted. Yes, Omaeda actually managed to bring in booze to a party for first-years.
Hinamori looked around and tried to find her friends but to no avail. Matsumoto was with her, but she seemed too drunk to stay as a decent companion.
She sighed dejectedly and thought, "I should've just stayed with Hitsugaya-kun..."
Meanwhile, in a house on another street, the said person was sitting at his laptop, browsing through Facebook. What he saw, he didn't quite like. Many pictures of the year-end party had been posted, and were still being posted. They were mostly about girls taking pictures of themselves and the cute guys that were there. It annoyed the hell out of him.
As he was scrolling down, one picture caught his eye. He clicked on it and his eyes immediately went wide. Was that Matsumoto wasted on the couch in the background? Isn't she supposed to be with Hinamori?
"Shit. I knew I couldn't let Matsumoto handle this."
And with that, he grabbed a jacket and left the house, a foreboding feeling settling in.
Hinamori made her way towards the back door to get some fresh air, or at least she tried to. She was currently in the living room and apparently, it was where people got drunk. However, she couldn't even make it a few steps without some random person offering her a drink or trying to get her to dance with them.
Before she could make it to the back door, she was stopped by a random blonde girl whom Hinamori didn't even recognize.
"You're a dancer aren't you?" asked the random girl.
Hinamori noticed she wore heavy make-up and was a tad bit drunk. "Umm...I'm a member of the dance club...if that's what you're asking..." Hinamori replied hesitantly, really wishing she could get away from the place asap.
"Good," she said and signaled for a few people to follow. Automatically, they followed her to the extremely spacious living room, dragging Hinamori with them.
"H-Hey...what's going...I don't—" Hinamori stammered before realizing she was thrown into the middle of a make-shift dance floor. Fancy lights were coloring the floor, people were crowding around her and with a 'Hit it!' from the random girl, the DJ, Hisagi Shuuhei (who was actually a second-year), put on really loud music, encompassing the whole room with cheers and the steady rhythm of the music.
Without given much time to register the current situation, the blonde girl started to dance, moving her body in a way that made the spectators cheer louder and whistle.
"Come on! Aren't you supposed to be a dancer?" she taunted, after seeing Hinamori stand there like a dumbstruck girl.
Well yes, she is dancer. But she's a contemporary dancer, not the whip-my-hair-and-grind-my-hips kind of dancer!
The blonde resumed her sensual dancing once again, this time moving closer to Hinamori in a deliberate attempt to show off her skills (and assets) and wipe the dance floor with her.
Hinamori felt almost stupid standing there not being able to retaliate in any way. She gulped as she heard the spectators start to jeer at her. With a smug look on the blonde's face, she ended her dance with a powerful stamp at Hinamori's feet and turning her head swiftly away, almost whipping Hinamori's face with it.
That was it. Hinamori Momo was a contemporary dancer, but that did not mean she didn't know any other dance forms. Her pride was hurt and she could feel the adrenaline and competitive streak in her act up. If it was a challenge she wanted, it's a challenge she'll get.
What happened next left people's jaw dropping and turned the jeers into loud cat-calls, whistles and cheering, for on the dance floor was Hinamori killing all sorts of dance moves as she let the music take control. She was different than her challenger. Her moves were powerful and exciting and she managed to show off her flexibility and the curves of her body without seeming raunchy, all the while maintaining elegance.
When she ended the dance-off, all she knew was people patting her back and cheering for her. Even the blonde girl wore a satisfied smirk. Hinamori was still pumped up from the adrenaline and exhilaration so she willingly let a bunch of people guide her to the bar, where Kurotsuchi Nemu was skillfully mixing drinks.
"Wow, that was awesome!" a guy by the name of Rikichi said.
"Thanks!" Hinamori replied, a grin plastered on her face.
"Didn't know you could dance like that," a deep voice called out.
Hinamori turned and saw it belonged to a tall guy with dark red hair. He didn't look like a first-year at all and she's never seen him before so Hinamori assumed he was a senior who invited himself to the party.
"Me too, actually," Hinamori said politely.
"Kenta," he introduced and handed a drink to her. "My treat."
"Sorry, I don't drink."
"What? You have to!" a brunette exclaimed. "It's a party!"
"Yeah, come on!"
"Don't worry, it doesn't bite," the tall guy said and gave her a smile that could melt the hearts of many.
"Ah, no—" she started, but was interrupted when he brought the glass to her lips. Hinamori could only swallow the contents to prevent them from spilling all over her.
When she finally managed to push the glass away, she choked a little and said, "What is that?"
"Tequila. You like it?"
To her surprise, Hinamori didn't hate it. It tasted...quite alright.
A few more shots later (mostly provided by Kenta), Hinamori was red in the face, her mind was dizzy and her words slurred. Needless to say, with her low tolerance for liquor, she was drunk.
The poor girl tried to pour herself another drink but it seemed her vision and hands failed her. The drink overflowed unto the table top and she didn't even realize. As if on cue, Kenta took the bottle away from her and promptly said, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere to rest."
No one seemed to notice the smirk playing on his lips as he guided Hinamori away. Making sure not to be too obvious, Kenta guided her up the stairs and into one of the empty rooms on the second floor.
Upon scanning a random room and affirming it empty and safe, he plopped Hinamori onto the king-size bed. She let out a moan and turned on the bed, assuming it to be her own and finding a comfortable position. Kenta gazed at her hungrily, his eyes full of anticipation. His hand travelled to her hair and stripped the cloth away, allowing her hair to fall onto the pillow. With his hand in her hair, he flipped himself over to straddle her body in one swift motion. She moved under him, her eyebrows furrowed as she became mildly aware of a presence over her. Kenta slowly moved his hand to place it over her chest, just above the buttons to her shirt...
The moment Hitsugaya stepped into the house, a wave of uneasiness washed over him. There were people dancing, drinking, making out and doing God-knows-what. He began to think it wasn't a celebrative party anymore. He maneuvered his way through the crowds, ignoring the drinks offered and curious stares. Hitsugaya scanned the room but couldn't find Hinamori at all. He was getting worried.
"Where could she be?"
Just when he was about to leave the house, he overhead a few of the first-years talking.
"Man! Hinamori-san was awesome, don't you think," a black-haired guy asked, obviously amazed by Hinamori's dancing skills a while ago.
"Yeah," a blue-eyed girl agreed. "If you're thinking of hooking up with her (at the word 'hooking', Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed), you're too late."
"Yup," another girl joined in. "I think I just saw Kenta-san, you know, the senior, take her upstairs."
Hitsugaya didn't bother to hear the rest of the conversation. He pushed his way to the stairs, disregarding the grunts and swears. As he stomped his way upstairs, he could hear his heartbeat ringing in his eyes, his mind clouded with worry and anger. Heads turned to see what the commotion was and the area grew quiet but he didn't care.
If that guy did anything to her...If he even touched her...
In one fluid movement, Hitsugaya kicked the door and it flew open to reveal what he dreaded most. Kenta was straddling Hinamori, his hand on the button of her shirt. He snapped his head towards Hitsugaya with a look of pure shock written across his face. Hinamori's eyebrows were still furrowed and it was clear she was making an attempt to move away from him, though futile and feeble it may be.
In that moment, fury consumed him. His eyes flashed menacingly and his hands were clutched ever so tightly. Hitsugaya strode over to him and before anyone could witness it, he was struck across the cheek and flung off the bed.
"What the fuck!" he swore, clutching the side of his face.
Gasps could be heard as people gathered at the door. Hitsugaya let his rage take control and he grabbed a fistful of his collar, the malevolent glare still residing in his eyes.
"You fucking bastard! How dare you touch her!"
He sent another punch to his face, this time getting blood on his knuckles. But he wasn't done. Not yet. Hitsugaya strode over to the bloodied Kenta sprawled on the floor, ready to strike him again, but was suddenly held back by two strong arms.
"Toushirou! Stop it!" Ichigo shouted.
"Calm down!" Renji urged.
He struggled and looked at the both of them, at the same time catching a glimpse of Hinamori lying on the bed looking queasy.
He roughly shook them off and seeing Hitsugaya calm down a bit, Ichigo and Renji let him go. Without a word, Hitsugaya went over to the bed and scooped Hinamori up into his arms. He walked over to Kenta who was still in the floor; too beat up and in pain to retaliate.
"Stay the hell away from her."
The party-goers who gathered immediately stood aside to let him pass. He made his way out of the now silent house, paying no attention to the whispers and stares. Hitsugaya carried her all the way back to her house, his anger seeping gradually.
Her parents were out of town, so he used the key hidden in the flower pot to access the house. Upon entering, he pushed the door closed with one foot and carried Hinamori up to her room. She shifted in his arms, mumbling something incoherently.
"She sure is knocked out."
Hitsugaya laid her gently on the bed and got up to fetch a glass of water for her. As he stood up, he caught a glimpse of one of the buttons on her shirt. It was undone and her clothes revealed more than necessary. Immediately, the anger returned. The scene of that bastard on top of Hinamori flashed in his mind and he let out a growl. He was going to regret even laying his eyes on her the moment school started.
It was Hinamori's tired moan that snapped Hitsugaya out of his vengeful state.
He entered her room with a glass of water and after much difficulty, managed to get her to drink.
"G'night...Shirou...chan," she said groggily, somehow unable to register what had happened, only aware of her best friend at that moment.
"Hinamori..."
Hitsugaya gently brushed a lock of her hair away, his gaze never leaving her peaceful face. Something stirred in his heart. It wasn't the anger returning. It wasn't worry. It was more like...resolution. Perhaps it was then that Hitsugaya knew...definitely...that he loved her. He was aware of his more-than-friendship emotions towards his best friend, but he finally came to terms with it. He finally admitted it to himself.
He was in love with his best friend.
And as he sat beside her bed making sure she's asleep comfortably, he made a silent promise. Not to her, but to himself.
"In time, I'll tell you."
He hated seeing other guys touch her, especially in that way. He didn't want them to be able to touch her, own her, or take her away from him. He liked her too much to let her belong with anyone else.
He didn't intend on keeping his feelings from her forever. So he promised to tell her how he truly feels. When the perfect time comes, when he's ready, he'll tell her.
For now, he's happy with the way they are.
-x-X-x-
That is, until Aizen Sousuke came into the picture and spoiled everything.
To be continued...
I hope you guys enjoyed that; I looked forward to writing it all the time!
I also hope the progress of their relationship is clear, so please don't hesitate to give me constructive criticism!
Please review anyways! Onegai! Don't forget to check out my other fic, A Love of Fire and Ice! Look forward to the next chapter!
1 It is the black uniform that most middle school boys wear.
2 Japanese martial arts