A/N: Hello, hello! Well, this is my first attempt at a Bleach fanfic, much less a Hitsugaya/Hinamori one. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't any characters of Bleach. They all belong to Tite Kubo.
He would never forget the day he met her, when she first stumbled into the classroom, hair askew, stuttering with apologies. He'd never forget the smiles she gave him, the gentle way she laid her hand on his arm when he was angry, or the way she fit in his arms. He would always remember her voice, the smell of peaches that enveloped her and filled his senses when she was near. Her laughs echoed in his head and the way she pronounced his name did as well. Without photos he could clearly imagine her and all her facial features; he remembered the way she looked when she was angry, happy, sad, disappointed, and so many more. He recognized her favorite foods and all the television programs she'd tell him about. She haunted him in his dreams and even during the day.
"Hitsugaya-sama, the guests have arrived. They're already waiting in the fifth conference room on the 25th floor." He stirred from his thoughts, his eyes drifting up to his secretary who stood in the doorway.
"Thank you," he said. She gave a nod before leaving and returning to her desk outside his door. Toushirou sighed to himself, running a hand through his snow-white hair. He looked into a mirror, adjusting his tie before grabbing his black suit jacket. As usual, he'd spent the entire morning reminiscing. Luckily his body seemed to move automatically, and he'd done the needed paperwork.
He entered the elevator and wasn't the least bit surprised to find his vice-president Matsumoto Rangiku in there, wearing a dark blue skirt with white blouse and blue jacket. Toushirou entered, slipping on his jacket and buttoning it up as Rangiku began putting her hair up in a bun.
"You seem out of it as usual, Hitsugaya." Matsumoto commented, finishing up her hair style, the one she always wore when they were meeting people outside of the company. "You really need to be in here," she tapped his head, "when we talk with these people. They're important guests."
Toushirou swatted her hand away and replied, "I don't need you telling me that, Matsumoto-san. I know that already. I'm more worried that our guests will be too busy staring at you. You can be rather distracting during meetings." They stepped out of the elevator and walked down the long white hallway decorated with portraits of past presidents.
"I can't help it if I'm attractive. I don't ask for the attention. If men can't control themselves, then that's a disgrace to them. But they are men, so you can't expect much. You're the only exception because your heart has already been stolen. Even without that, you're hardly attracted to the opposite sex." Toushirou remained silent as Matsumoto continued, "You really think you'll find her? You haven't heard of or from her for five years or so, right? You should try to find someone else instead of keeping in the past. That's best for you and this company."
"Matsumoto," Toushirou said sharply, "what happens or has happened in my life is none of your concern."
"Hitsugaya, I'm saying this as a friend, not as one of your coworkers. You need to move forward in your life. I bet by now she probably already has a husband and even a child. If you should ever meet her again in the future, I don't want you to become a heart-broken drunk or anything of the sort." Matsumoto replied calmly as they stood outside the conference room. "That would, after all, be kind of creepy."
"Matsumoto, she's near me. I can feel it. Soon I'm going to find her, and nothing will have changed. Now, let's get this meeting over and done with." He opened the door and stepped in. "I hope we haven't kept you waiting too long."
"No, of course not. We only just arrived," a voice answered. Toushirou froze, his eyes drifting upwards. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. He'd heard it in his dreams every night; he'd heard it in every memory. How he'd ached and yearned to hear it again for real. His light green eyes rested on a petite woman with her dark hair pulled back in a bun, her amber brown eyes focused on him. The smile she gave him was almost too much.
"Momo…" he whispered, his throat tightening.
"Hitsugaya?" Matsumoto asked behind him. "Let's sit down and get this meeting started. You can talk with her once this is done." She'd peered around her superior and recognized the woman as Hinamori Momo, the one woman who had captured Hitsugaya Toushirou's heart.
"Hello, Hitsugaya-san." 'No,' Toushirou thought to himself, 'no. Call me Shirou-chan like always. Call me Shirou-chan.' He began moving automatically, his face instantly becoming an emotionless mask, something that his body seemed to have adjusted itself to do, especially when he was most emotional. "Hello, Matsumoto-san," she continued to greet.
"Now," he began, his tone business-like, "let us begin since we are all assembled."
"Actually," inserted Haru, the president of the other company, Mars, "we are not all assembled. We are still awaiting another one of our members to arrive. She has a tendency to be late, especially to important things such as these."
As if on cue, the door slammed open. All eyes turned to the figure that stood there, heaving and gasping, stuttering apologies. "I-I-I-I'm so-so sorry that-that I-I'm l-l-late. There-there really—there really was a lot-a lot of tra-traffic. And the-the elevator—the elevator was so slow. I-I-I'm sorry. Really, I am."
"There's no need to apologize, Momo. We've all gotten used to your tardiness."
Toushirou's eyes widened slightly. He was going to be working with Momo and…another person named Momo…? That would be strange to say the least. Shock almost crossed his face when the woman looked up and their eyes locked.
"Shirou-chan," escaped her lips. A dark blush crossed her face before she almost ran to the chair the other Momo had previously occupied. Toushirou and Matsumoto were confused. The two women looked exactly alike. Unless there was a projection of sorts or something, one Hinamori Momo had been occupying the chair. Was it some sort of joke or trick? If it was, it wasn't very funny; it was rather cruel, actually.
Toushirou watched the present Momo fidget under his gaze, her eyes trained on the hands folded in her lap. She allowed her hair to fall and cover her face. She'd overslept that morning and had been worrying too much about being late that she'd forgotten to grab something to put her hair up with. Her father had mentioned they'd be meeting the president and vice president of another company, but he'd failed to mention to her which one, and within good reason perhaps. If she'd known she'd be seeing Toushirou again, she wouldn't have bothered to come, making up some excuse not to attend the meeting.
"Hitsugaya-san, Matsumoto-san, you both seem confused. This, of course, is logical. The Hinamori Momo you saw when you came in was a mere clone of the real Hinamori Momo you see before you. As years of research has allowed us, we've been able to create a real living replica of Momo. However, the clone did not have the same reaction to Hitsugaya-san as the real Momo did." To this Momo's blush increased ten-fold. "That is one of the flaws that some of my scientists are working on."
"That is very interesting work, indeed," Toushirou replied. "Yet why you require our assistance in any matter is still quite a mystery to me." He got right to the matter, never being one to beat around the bush, one of his good and bad qualities.
"I'm surprised you have not yet figured it out, Hitsugaya-san. The fact of the matter is quite simple, actually. I bring out the proposal of a union between our two companies."
"Of course," Toushirou said. "That will be most important in the future for both of us."
"No, you misunderstand, Hitsugaya-san. I do not mean a mere contract of our cooperation together. I am speaking of the future. My daughter, Momo, is heiress to my line of companies. You, yourself, are an heir whom has already taken his rightful place as president despite your young age. Your companies, as well as mine, are the most prominent in the world. To sum it all up in a few words, a marriage between you and my daughter." Momo turned to her father in astonishment. He was not serious, was he? Yes, she and Toushirou had a history together, but it was just that—history, past, something over and done with. As for Toushirou, slight surprise flickered through his eyes.
Haru continued on. "With this merging of our companies, the heir would gain control over these and neither would fall. It would benefit us all in the end. Besides, you and my daughter are both unmarried. I'm sure with time you will begin to feel comfortable enough with each other that a marriage will not be so unbelievable." He waited a few moments before adding, "Now, I have some things at the lab I must attend to. Momo, you may stay here for a while longer. I will see you at home." Then he left, a few bodyguards as well as the clone Momo following after him.
"Bu-bu-but, father, wait!" Momo called. She was unanswered as the door shut behind the group, leaving Momo with her two bodyguards, Toushirou, and Matsumoto.