Disclaimer: Um, nothing.
Summery: A boy. A girl. A man. A woman. (We're passionate lovers who have been destined for each other since the beginning of time…) HitsuHina
Anything More
"Do you ever think about us?"
He looked down at her and flicked the lock of hair he had been idly playing with. "Us?" he repeated, an amused tone in his voice.
"Us… like, how we began. When we first became an us." She smiled up at him earnestly, and his lips quirked in response.
"Stupid." Hitsugaya grabbed Hinamori's hand. "There's always been an us."
"SHIRO-CHAN IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO CALL OBAA-CHAN AND THEN YOU'LL REALLY GET IT!"
A young Hinamori Momo stamped her foot, glaring best she could at the person sitting on a tree branch. Hitsugaya cast her a disgruntled look and took another large bite of the watermelon slice he held.
"Be quiet or I'll beat you up, baka Momo. And don't call me Shiro-chan." As if to reaffirm his statement, Hitsugaya spat a few watermelon seeds at her. Yelping, Hinamori raised an arm in defense, as she felt the little black seeds smack her. Wrinkling her nose, she stuck a tongue out at him.
"No you won't, Shiro-chan. You beat up everyone except me!" Giggling, the young brunette grabbed onto a low branch and hoisted herself up, working her way towards him.
He scowled. "That's cause they're all stupid," he said. "And besides," he added in a louder voice, "I'm the only allowed to beat you up!"
Hinamori laughed as she settled herself on the branch next to him. Swinging her legs, she reached out and broke off a piece of watermelon. Its sticky juice ran down her arm as she popped it into her mouth. She beamed at him.
"Well then, thank you for protecting me," she said, a mock formal voice giving way to giggles.
He turned away from her obstinately. "Wasn't protecting you," he mumbled. She regarded him fondly.
"Sure you weren't."
With that, she leaned forward and touched her lips to his cheek. When he sputtered and turned to her, she let out a fairly wicked cackle.
"Ar-i-ga-tou, Shi-ro-chan."
He snapped.
"See if I ever help you again! My watermelon – don't eat my watermelon! And get off – get off! – who said you could come up here? Stupid Bed Wetter Momo – THAT'S RIGHT! GO FAR AWAY NOW AND DON'T COME BACK!"
Breathless from laughing and running, Hinamori stopped by the porch, leaning against the railing. Coughing, she forced down another fit of giggles, before raising a hand and waving at her Shiro-chan. Teasingly, she stuck a tongue out at him before skipping inside their house.
"Don't be late for dinner!"
Her voice floated out, much too cheerful for his liking. Snorting, Hitsugaya took another large bite of watermelon.
"Stupid stupid stupid Momo…" he muttered, rubbing the spot she had kissed. Still, he made a mental note to himself to be inside before she came out yelling for him again.
The old lady inside the house glanced out a window and smiled as she watched little Momo peck (even littler, though he hated that) Shiro and then just as quickly escape.
"Obaa-chan!" Hinamori ran up to the old woman, and rolled her sleeves up. "I'll help with dinner!"
Smiling indulgently, she let Hinamori handle the vegetables. "You'll make a wonderful wife someday," she said, amused when the young girl wrinkled her nose in distaste at the idea of being a wife.
"Not if Shiro-chan has any say it in. He'll scare off all the boys!"
Laughing quietly to herself, the old woman gently took the knife from Hinamori's hand as she attempted to clumsily chop the carrots.
"Be good to him now, Momo. It may not look it, but our little Toushiro is going to grow up to be someone special."
"Well he's not going to go anywhere in life if he doesn't HURRY UP FOR DINNER!" Yelling the last part out the window, Hinamori crossed her arms and nodded resolutely.
As their obaa-chan finished cooking, Hitsugaya and Hinamori argued loudly, teased and mocked each other, pinched each other a few times, and set the table somewhere in between.
And from that small house in the West District of Rukongai, loud and soft and laughing voices rang out, mingled with the smell of dinner and the content chuckles of an old woman who had seen a lot of things but very few quite like this.
"Us…" She savored the word. After such a long time thinking it would never be possible, he managed to surprise her again and again.
"Then," Hinamori said, "Which part of us do you like best?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a legitimate question?"
She poked him in the side. "Just answer it, Shiro-chan."
Hitsugaya wrapped an arm tighter around her. "You," he said. "You've always been the better half of us. And don't call me Shiro-chan."
"Don't say that," she mumbled.
"Fine." He retracted his answer smoothly, as only a captain could. "Then, I like us best, just the way we are." He turned her face up towards him. "You and me, just like this."
She was so mad she could burst. She was so mad she could unleash Tobiume on someone. She was so mad she swore she could hurt the next person that spoke to her.
She was so mad right now that she couldn't tell that there were tears falling from her eyes.
It had been a fairly simple mission. As a new recruit for the Gotei 13, she hadn't expected to become a seated officer so quickly – but she was, and all of a sudden, Hinamori Momo found herself leading people who were both older and more experienced than her.
It had been a fairly simple mission – she was supposed to go to the real world and oversee a training exercise for potential graduates. There weren't supposed to be any Huge Hollows. There weren't supposed to be anything but the smallest and least dangerous of Hollows.
But there were – and the moment she had sensed the immense spiritual energy approaching them, she could have laughed at the familiarity of it all.
As a full-fledged Shinigami, she was certainly more than capable of taking them out. It hadn't even been her who had called for backup (it had been another new recruit, not nearly as fortunate as her to be called a seated officer, who had, in a panicked frenzy, dialed Soul Society for backup). But she was been handling them fairly well – in her opinion at least – when all of a sudden she was facing the carcass of a Hollow that had just been charging towards her.
It was Hitsugaya, come to the rescue (with remarkable speed, she noted), black Shinigami robes fluttering in the wind. Those Hollows stood no chance against the unleashed power of the genius Shinigami who wielded the most powerful water-ice type Zanpakuto.
Unfortunately for him, there was one person that stood a chance against him, and it was her sword that clanged against his harshly as he made to strike one of the Hollows.
"Hinamori?" His eyes widened before narrowing. "Get out of my way, stupid!" He applied more pressure against her Zanpakuto, not willing to use all his strength to shove her aside.
Relentlessly, she pressed forward and glared at him. "Hitsugaya – this is my fight! You have no right to just come in here and-"
"There was a call for backup and here I am," he said. "You should be grateful I came all the way from Soul Society to save your-" Cutting off abruptly, he took a step back, freeing Hyorinmaru from their power struggle and aiming the Zanpakuto towards a charging Hollow. Similarly, Hinamori made quick work of a Hollow that had been creeping towards Hitsugaya's undefended back.
"I don't need you to save me!" she said, a little shrilly, as she finished off another Hollow.
"Oi, just be grateful that someone wants to."
"I don't need to be grateful for conceited little shorties like you!"
"Don't call me that!"
"Shiro-chan!"
"Bed Wetter Momo!"
It was like this, that in their fury, they didn't notice that they had successfully taken out all of the Hollows and a few of the surrounding buildings as well. Uneasy applause from Hinamori's team and the Academy students that hadn't already fled drew their attention. One of them approached the two and bowed quickly.
"My apologies, Hinamori-san! It was I who alerted Soul Society of our predicament and-and- well, I fear I may have exaggerated the circumstances."
Well, that hadn't been the problem, Hinamori mused. It wasn't the actions of the recruit that bothered her – but the actions of Hitsugaya.
As soon as they returned to Soul Society, she had lashed out at him.
"Hey! What was all that about needing to protect me?"
When he ignored her, she fumed and grabbed his shoulder. "Hitsugaya-kun!" When he turned to her, face schooled in a calm, bored expression, she had frowned.
"I'm not that little girl anymore. Why can't you see that?"
Something strange flickered across his face, but he shook his head and walked away.
"Hitsugaya-kun! Hitsugaya! … Shiro- SHIRO-CHAN!"
And now she was back in her quarters, curled up with a cup of tea. Hinamori stared blankly at the clear green liquid, a perpetual frown on her face. It was surprising, when she thought about it. In all their years together, they rarely fought like this. Usually she could write off his comments easily, or they could patch things up immediately. This was their first fight that had gotten her so… so… furious.
She slammed her cup onto the table.
She was a Shinigami!
She was a seated officer!
She had a Zanpakuto and everything!
She was Hinamori Momo, someone people could respect.
But to him, it seemed, she was still Bed Wetter Momo (something she took great offense at, seeing as how it was very inaccurate and quite undignified).
And that thought unsettled her.
Drawing her yukata tighter, Hinamori stood and ventured towards the door, opening it slowly. Carefully, she stepped outside, and shut it behind her.
Hitsugaya glanced up from where he sat, hearing footsteps behind him. Hinamori stared down at him, surprise registering on her face, then something akin to pleasure.
"You were here the whole time," she said, marveling at how she never felt his reiatsu.
"Be quiet." He scowled at her, and she clammed up.
"Hmph. Don't think I'm forgiving you." She crossed her arms stubbornly and turned her nose up at him.
"Yeah. About that." He ran a hand through his disheveled white hair. There was a moment's pause, and then finally,
"Sorry."
Hinamori let out a silent breath. She considered his hunched form for a moment and then settled herself next to him. Smiling at his surprise, she shrugged.
"Apology accepted, Shiro-chan."
His lips twitched, but for once he said nothing. In silence, they both stared up at the moon, not caring that it was late and they had work tomorrow, and it simply wouldn't do if someone found them like this so late at night.
For her, it was enough that he had come back to her.
For him, it was enough that she was next to him.
"Then," she prodded, "What are we?"
"Shinigami," he answered promptly, not even flinching when she smacked his arm.
"Be serious." She pouted and her eyes widened, waiting for his response.
"We're passionate lovers," he said dryly, "who have been destined for each other since the beginning of time; who have endured hardship beyond all other and have finally found a meaning for life in each others' arms."
"Mmm…" Hinamori snuggled closer. "That's more like it. Now tell me more."
"Hitsugaya-kun…" Hinamori opened the door to the tenth division, holding a sheaf of papers. She approached him, setting them down.
"This is a response to your previous message… um, a discipline report, and some Hollow reports… oh!" Hinamori picked one of the papers up and set it in front of him triumphantly. "Taicho requires an immediate response to this."
He picked it up and scanned it briefly. His forehead twitched as he read the little message innocuously hidden at the bottom. Ever since the war had ended and Renji had been made captain of the fifth division, he had been fond of communicating this way.
Don't do anything bad to my fukutaicho! But now you get to spend time with her, aww… (insert badly drawn chibis) You owe me now, shortie.
His eye twitched, and he sighed heavily. Hinamori smiled at that. She was well aware of Renji's often insufferable attitude – what she was not aware of was how well he was able to read her, particularly the relationship between her and the white-haired captain.
She settled on the couch, letting out a similar sigh. "No wonder Matsumoto falls asleep here so often," she said. "Speaking of which – where is she?" Hitsugaya grimaced in response.
"Probably drunk," he said, to which Hinamori coughed. "Running some errands, but she likely won't be back for a while." With that, he set his pen to the paper prepared to finish the report he had been working on. Granted, he should be working on the one that Renji had sent him, seeing as how Hinamori was "not allowed to leave without a response" – but then again, what was a few more minutes spent in her company?
Suddenly the object of his thoughts was there, next to him, kneeling and looking up at him with a playful smile.
"Ne, Hitsugaya-kun, I heard Taicho and Matsumoto-chan talking a few days ago."
"About what?" He didn't bother looking up from his paperwork, sure that they had been gossiping about some of the more pointless rumors that floated around Soul Society. It was her next words that brought his head up.
"They were talking about us."
"What about us?" He was suddenly wary, suddenly prepared to murder Matsumoto in the cruelest way possible. If they said anything she wasn't supposed to hear…
"Us!" Hinamori sounded almost gleeful. "You should have heard some of the things they said! That you were overly protective of me, or that the reason you do some of the things you do wasn't just because we were childhood friends, and that…"
She continued rambling, listing off a number of the things that caused Toushiro's heart to gradually sink further and further. If he survived the careful shredding that his heart was being put through, he knew that both Renji and Matsumoto would not live to see the next day.
She eyed him, noting the subtle way his mask slipped. Carefully, she paused.
"And you want to know something?"
The fukutaicho nodded her head slowly, her face perfectly composed and serious.
"What's most ridiculous… is that they think we could be more than what we are."
Hitsugaya froze. There it was – something more. Something more than what they were – childhood friends, fellow Shinigami, best friends, Captain and Vice-Captain.
Friends.
It was ridiculous.
"Then, what are we?"
He asked the question calmly, as if he could care less what her answer was.
But she knew better.
Taking a deep breath, Hinamori spoke.
"We, are childhood friends that have been together since before we can remember."
Hitsugaya was still. That he expected. What he did not expect was that she would continue.
"We, are Shinigami that have trained and worked harder than anyone so we could protect those around us."
Hitsugaya nodded faintly. That was true, yes.
"We, are best friends that would never let the other down, not as long as we could still think, and breathe, and care."
Hitsugaya glanced at her. He knew that – but why was her voice continuously getting quieter?
"And…?" he asked, in an equally soft tone, as if they were whispering some intimate secret that was not to be heard by anyone else.
She stared at him a little longer, before her lips curved into the most delightful smile he had ever seen.
"We love each other."
With that, she carefully reached out a hand and laid it on his cheek. He blinked, and then her lips were on his, lightly pressed to his, softer than a butterfly perched atop a blossom. And she sighed, her breath ghosting over his face like the flutter of a butterfly's wings. Gently, she pulled away, enough so he could see her warm eyes stare up at him.
They were more beautiful than anything he had ever seen.
"Do you love me?" she whispered, eyes registering only momentary fear.
Instead of answering her question, Toushiro gathered her into his arms in a rare display of intimacy.
"You forgot something," he said, keeping his voice low, and his mouth poised near her ear. She mumbled something incoherent, and he laughed softly.
"We, will always be together."
He dropped a kiss to her hair, and she let out a long, content sigh.
"I think I've always loved you," she said abruptly, and looked up at him. "I decided that, all on my own." With a teasing smile, she pressed his hand to her cheek.
"I know I've always loved you." He smirked at her.
"And I figured that out all on my own."
She laughed, and he continued.
"Then, if we've always loved each other, how could anyone expect us to be more than what we already are?" He regarded her teasingly, and she reached up to tweak his nose playfully.
"Silly," she murmured, eyes lit up like they had been that day long ago.
"I already knew that."
Xue: Inspired by (A) one of the most gorgeous pieces of HitsuHina artwork I've ever seen (found it one day on Google and promptly saved it to my computer) and (B) a certain song that is subtly referenced at least four times. Kudos if you pick out either of them.