Our Love Will Always Last

written by: lunarprincess

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Chapter One

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There were a lot of tall buildings and extravagant houses where I came from. The cars always flooded the roads and the streets were never empty with people walking so hastily, as if someone is coming after them. The skies were tinted with gray, probably because of the pollution.

I lived in a huge mansion painted with white. There were green terraces and gardens surrounding the house. There was a large balcony at the back with picturesque scenery of the meadows and the fields. Perhaps, that's the only one thing I'd miss.

You see, I'm going to move to Karakura Town. My father recently bought a land there and was planning to build a resort and mall. And because he trusted me a lot, he sent me there to oversee the construction and to manage it after it's built.

At first, I declined his offer for me to stay there. I mean, I lived in the city. How else am I going to live in a town? Besides, I had a girlfriend. But we broke up, all her fault for cheating on me.

So I take this as an excuse to run away from everything, including her. In Karakura Town, I'd moved on and I'll begin to find myself again. She maybe caused me a lot of pain, but I'd soon forget it. I'd forget her, everything about her.

"Hitsugaya-sama, we're here."

The car stopped in front of a large house. The gates were made of wood and it looked like a dojo, no, it was dojo liked those in feudal times. I exited the car and the driver who drove me here unloaded my bags. I saw a nameplate on the wall and it read, 'Hinamori'.

"What are you doing in front of my house?"

I turned around and found myself facing a girl which is an inch or two taller than me. She had brown hair tied in a bun and her eyes were brown too. She had a shinai, the sword you used in kendo, resting on top of her shoulders. Behind her, there was a guy with fiery red hair and tattoos covering some parts of his skin. They were a weird duo, if you'd asked me.

"I'm going to stay here," I told her. "My name is Toushiro Hitsugaya."

She raised an eyebrow and closed her eyes. "Hmmm...So you're the kid who would stay with us for a while." She cracked one eye open. "Well, I supposed I should welcome you."

I snorted. "You're quite rude, aren't you?" I brushed some locks away from my eyes and folded my arms in front of my chest. "Let me tell you...I'm not a kid. I'm going to be a freshman in high school this coming semester."

"Hey...He's the same as us Hinamori," the guy said. He looked at me and grinned. "I'm sorry if she's rude. She's always like that. My name is Renji Abarai and this one..." He placed his hand on top of her head and patted it. "...her name is Momo Hinamori."

She shook off her hand and glared at him. "Stop treating me like I'm a damn kid. I've already grown up."

"I won't bet my house on that," he smirked. "Last time you really bawled your eyes out when Kira –" He stopped, seeing the look of melancholy that past on the girl's face. Who is this Kira, exactly?

There was a pregnant pause that ensued between the both of them. They were looking so sad.

I spoke up first. "W-Well...If this is your house, I think it's better if you could show me inside."

"Y-Yeah...Hinamori. You better do that," Abarai said. "Let's go inside."

Before coming in, I thanked the driver who brought me here and asked him to return home. He bowed and silently went to the car. He beeped twice before speeding away.

...

"Welcome to our humble house, Toushiro-kun."

A lady with long black hair in which she tied in a braid in front of her, stepped forward and welcomed me with a gentle smile. "My name is Retsu Hinamori. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's my pleasure too." I bowed politely. "You have such a – er, manly house."

She lifted her hand to her mouth and giggled. "My husband likes our house very much. He likes to fight ever since he was a kid so I knew he would build a house like this."

"Well...he sure is." I looked around. I really thought I was back in feudal area. It really looked like the house of Kaoru in Rurouni Kenshin. Am I in the anime world, or what?

"Where's dad by the way?"

I jumped a bit and turned around to see her behind me. I forgot that she was with me momentarily.

"I'm here!" A voice coming above shouted. Wha –? I looked up and a part of the ceiling slid aside and someone came down.

He was carrying a shinai with him. He's a big person, much bigger than I am that I think he could carry me in his shoulder like a kid. He had black spiky hair and on its tips were small bells. He had green eyes in which the right part was covered with eye patch and had a long thin scar running down the side of his face.

Anyways, he raised the shinai and begun attacking Hinamori.

"H-Hey...what's the big idea?" I hollered, mouth slightly dropping when Hinamori accepted the attack and begun her counterattack too. I looked at Mrs. Hinamori but she was smiling – fondly?

"Today is the day of your defeat, my daughter..." the man growled maniacally. Am I in a television show or what? Where's the damn camera?

"I would not back down, father. Prepare to lose," she shouted. Is that a battle cry?

"W-Wait..." I roared. "Can someone explain this to me?"

I'm seriously at lost here. What's wrong with this family? There was a diligent and kind mother who just smiled when the members of her family were fighting. Worst, she was like approving it. Then there was the daughter, who was like a tomboy, practically prancing around with a sword on hand and was ready for combat with her father. And now the man, who I suspected as the father, who would gladly attacked her daughter with a shinai. Is there really a father like him?

"Oh, they are at it again?" Abarai made his entrance from another room. Now I think about it, he disappeared after going inside the house. Where did he go off to? Anyway, he was carrying popcorn on his arms and plopped down on the ground. He begun to ate while watching the father and daughter fight.

"You're eating at a time like this?" I shouted. "Does this look like a movie to you?" I pointed to the people fighting on the background.

"They are fighting like in the movies..." Abarai answered loosely. "Ah...Hitsugaya-kun...Don't mind them. They are always like this."

"A-Always..." I stammered and looked at them one more time. The father was about to land a blow on her head. It's going to hurt her alright, with the build of her father like that, it'd surely hurt.

"Oi...Abarai...Let me borrow your shinai..." I said, grabbing the shinai from him and went towards the people fighting. I blocked the attack from the father effortlessly and pushed him backward.

Hinamori shrieked. "What the hell are you doing?"

"In case you're blind, I just saved you." I shrugged and returned the shinai to Abarai.

The father whistled. "That's some block you have there, kid." He motioned for his daughter. "I'm glad Hinamori. There's someone who is as great as Kira Izuru in kendo–"

"Dear..." Mrs. Hinamori interrupted her husband.

I saw the look of pain that crossed Hinamori's face. She turned her back on us and said, "I'm going to my room. I'm going to change my clothes."

"W-Wait...I'm coming too," Abarai mindlessly told her. She glared at him and punched him on the stomach, effectively sending him down to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori..." he murmured before passing out.

Damn. This house is really weird. And what's up with this Kira thing that looked like a taboo topic around here?

...

Even though the malls and shopping centres are an hour away from here, Karakura Town as I've seen it was an interesting town. There are a handful of meadows and forests. There was even a small pond surrounded by a variety of flowers in different shades and hues and trees that looked perfect with the scene. In which case, I've gotten a lot of pictures.

I smirked. I've never been in a place like this. It has such a great material. As a photographer, I felt blessed. Yes, I took a fancy of taking pictures and often called myself a full pledged photographer. I bought my first camera when I was seven and I'm still using it now.

"Taichou?"

I stiffened. I know that voice. Why? Why here? Why is she here?

"Taichou, is that you?"

I sighed and turned around. There in front of me was no other than Matsumoto Rangiku, a classmate I had in the city when I was in primary school. I never had a decent memory with her. All I remembered was I always get suffocated by her bone-crushing hugs. I tell you, it's frightening.

Anyways, I heard he moved to another place. I never thought she moved here.

"Y-Yo...Matsumoto..." I tried to smile, but I know I failed miserably.

She hoisted her arms and prepared to hug me. Uh-oh...It's coming. I should brace myself.

"Taichou...I missed you!" She enveloped me in her arms and squeezed me tightly. My breath hitched and I gasped.

"M-Matsumoto...You're going to kill me..." I murmured.

"Oopps..." She let go of me. "I'm sorry taichou. I was just so happy when I saw you."

It took me a moment to reply back. I was trying to catch my breath after all. She really never changed. "It's alright. How have you been?"

"I'm alright." She grinned at me. "Karakura Town is a really nice place after all. I also have a lot of great friends. How about you? How are the others? You know...Ichigo...your best friend and Karin, his sister. Oh wait...I should say, Karin, your future girl friend. Since ever since, she and you had something going on. Wait...why are you here anyways? Are you on vacation? Are you with Ichigo and others? Are you –"

"I appreciate it if you ask me one by one..."

"Oh sorry..." She smacked her head playfully. "I got a knack of talking too much."

"Well...You never changed."

"So...first things first...I want to know more about you and Karin."

I clenched my fist, wrinkling my eyebrows and looked away.

"I hate her..." I murmured.

Matsumoto must have not heard it because she asked me to repeat what I said.

"I hate her!" I shouted with conviction.

"T-Taichou..." she stuttered. "Why? She and you got along very well...We thought you and her would be together eventually –"

"Well...there's no such thing as happy ending like those sappy fairy tales." I scoffed. "She...cheated on me Matsumoto. I never knew she is dissatisfied by our relationship that she found comfort with another man. And as if mocking me...she dumped me for a tall man!"

"T-taichou...I'm sorry...to hear that..." she said and in a low breath muttered, "...you're so small."

"What the –"

"So what if you're small taichou. You should just forget about her and find a new love...very soon."

I looked at her straight to the eye and admitted, "I don't believe in love anymore Matsumoto. Love is tiresome and I had enough being tired. My heart had enough and couldn't take any more pain."

"In short...you don't believe in it anymore..." She paused for a while then a look of sadness washed her face for a moment. "You're like someone I knew. But her story is very different from yours. Hers is magical. Their love is something...destined to last for ages. But it's the one fate put a timer on. I used to envy their relationship. It always seems so pure. But he left her..."

"See...you've said it yourself...He left her. There's never a perfect love," I said triumphantly.

She looked at me with disdain. "It's not like that! You're wrong!" She closed her eyes and continued, "He left her because he had no choice. If he had, then he'd be in her side no matter what. But what took him away from her was a terminal disease. He's no longer in this world. Don't you know how much it hurt her?"

"I don't..."

She opened her eyes and snatched my hand. "Come with me..."

"Where are we going Matsumoto? Have you gone mad?" I asked. I've never seen her like this. It was so weird but I let her half-dragged me to some place. Maybe deep inside, I wanted to witness the love she just described.

We've arrived in a small hill and in the middle of it was a peach tree. There was someone in front of it. We've walked a little closer and to my surprise, I found Hinamori there. Her right hand was in her chest, as if saying a little player in her heart. Her left hand was touching the bark of the tree, as if tracing something there.

What surprised me more...were her tears...She's a strong willed woman. How come she's crying?

"She lost a loved one...three months ago. And she's still crying over it..."

"Hina...mori?"

...