Itsumademo (For Eternal Love)
Enjoy-... a gift from Inayuki.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
________________________________________________________________________
"Oi... who are you?" said the boy with hair the color of winter. A young girl stood facing him, her long purple hair playing in the wind. She stared at the boy with piercing, grass green eyes. She carried a large watermelon in her arms, having picked it from a wild garden in the woods. The boy watched her coolly, not showing much of an interest in anything but the large fruit she had cradled to her chest.
After a bit of observing each other, the girl answered the boy's question.
"I'm Moriko. What are you called?" the purple-haired child inquired with a mellow voice. The boy furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, wanting to know more. Nonetheless, he answered her question.
"I am Hitsugaya Toshiro. What is your last name?"
"... I don't have one."
The boy seemed even more bemused than before.
"What do you mean?"
"I only have a first name. It means 'forest child.'"
"But why don't you have a last name?"
"I'm not sure... I guess because I don't need it?"
The girl seemed unsure of herself. This boy, who looked to be about her age, was asking her so many questions! Why had he taken such an interest in her?
"That doesn't make any sense," Toshiro stated bluntly. His white hair was being tussled around due to the strong breeze. It had yet to grow, but he was still young. It's not like in the past two years he'd grown at all. As a matter of fact, he had recently seen Hinamori Momo, whose hair had grown a few inches already.
"Well... why are you so serious? You look so young, but your expression makes you look mad."
Toshiro didn't reply, but turned his head away, narrowing his eyes more. He guessed what she would say next: 'Your eyes are cold. He hated being compared to the cold. Everyone said he was cold, without even knowing him. The only ones who didn't say that were Granny and Momo. He listened as Moriko continued.
"Is it because you're hungry? I have this watermelon here, if you want it. I can always get more anyway," she explained cheerfully. Toshiro looked back at the girl with a surprised look, not having expected that.
As if to answer her question, the boy's stomach made a loud, gurgling sound. He blushed and stared down, embarrassed that his stomach had decided to announce its presence now. The girl took the few steps to stand in front of him, and smiled widely. He stumbled back as he looked up to find her directly before him.
"Hey, wha-!?" he began in surprise.
"Here!" the girl slipped the heavy fruit into his arms, brushing her skin against his. The young boy blushed a deep red as her skin touched his, ice cold against his warm flesh. Moriko glanced down at his wrist and arm, a thoughtful look on her face.
"Your skin is really warm...." she murmured quietly, a hint of longing in her voice. Toshiro continued to blush, hating the heat he felt in his cheeks. He was never the type to react like this, especially to a girl. He glanced at her face again, seeing her cheeks tinted with a bright pink color. She was also blushing!
"Uh... um, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you! G'bye!" Moriko stuttered, obviously uncomfortable with the awkward situation. Toshiro's eyes widened, calling her back instinctively.
"W...WAIT!"
But the "forest child" had run into the woods, and it was much too dark to look for her now.
________________________________________________________________________
(Continued)
Toshiro waited at the same location where he had met the strange girl, wanting to talk to her again. He had a few things to ask her. Why had she run into the woods? Did she live there? She was alone, was she? Where had she found that watermelon? (He had eaten it the night before, after arriving home, and he had to admit- it was the most delicious watermelon he had ever tasted.)
Surely, after the sun had begun to set, he heard wheels and grunting coming in his direction. The bushed parted and he saw purple hair. Her back was facing him, and it appeared that she was pulling something. Toshiro stood from the rock where he had been sitting, and walked over to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, peeking over her shoulder. He saw her hands wrapped around the handle of a little red wagon, and in the wagon was....
Watermelons. Four huge, bright green watermelons. Toshiro's mouth watered at the sight, but he fell backwards, hitting the floor with a hard "thunk" as Moriko jumped back with a shrill scream. His voice had startled her, especially being that his lips had been close to her ear, which left her in complete shock. Unfortunately for Toshiro, she landed on top of him, her bottom on his stomach, and the wind had been knocked out of him.
"EH?!" Moriko stuttered as she jumped off of the boy rapidly. She was blushing, but nonetheless she reached her arm down to him, offering him a helping hand. He inhaled deeply, and glared at the sky. He noticed her hand and took it. Her hand's cold flesh shocked him, but he ignored it as he pulled himself up. Moriko hesitated to let go of him, but she did.
"Sorry... you scared me," Moriko apologized, looking at the ground. Toshiro watched her carefully, examining how her eyes narrowed in sorrow. She was being very sincere, and it made him feel a little guilty.
"It's okay, don't even worry about it," he said calmly. Her head turned up to look at him, and her eyes were wide, not in surprise though, just wide. Toshiro sucked in quickly, as he stared back into her eyes. A mellow silence engulfed them as they stared at each other, both watching the other like an old friend.
Moriko suddenly looked away, blushing slightly but smiling.
"Um... did you need something?" she asked him.
"... Yeah actually. Where did you get those watermelons?"
"Oh! Well, I can show you if you want. Is that okay?"
"Sure, I guess."
Moriko smiled and went to hide the wagon under a bush, and made a gesture for Toshiro to follow. He walked by her side, and she took his hand, his warm skin on hers, as she began to run along a path she seemed to know.
Along the way Toshiro was able to ask her his questions, while she had a few of her own. Moriko felt ecstatic, and without admitting it, Toshiro did too.
________________________________________________________________________
(Continued)
"Moriko!" Toshiro called out, pushing aside brush and bushes. He searched for his friend with the purple hair and the grass green eyes.
Three years had passed since they had met, and now it was time to part. After the things they had gone through together, Toshiro's heart felt like it was tearing in two. He had originally planned not to tell Moriko about his departure to the Seireitei, but he wanted to see her once more.
"Toshiro!" he heard, and braced himself as he realized he was directly under a tree branch. He found out that Moriko was an amazing tree climber, and could probably beat a monkey at tree hopping.
The girl landed on his shoulders, and quickly jumped off to stand in front of him. She was smiling, and Toshiro felt his sorrow deepen, because he knew that look would soon be gone from her precious face. He hated seeing her sad, and when he hung out with the strange girl, he tried with all his strength not to make her sad. But all that effort would shortly be ruined.
"What's up?" she asked in a worried tone, noticing the look on his face. He looked sad, regretful... but guilt dominated both those expressions.
"Hey... Wha-"
"I have to leave."
"...But you just got here!"
"That's not what I meant..."
"....Wait, what are you saying then?"
Toshiro had not met Moriko's eyes, trying to keep his emotions hidden. But he had to explain.
"I'm leaving to join the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I don't want to hurt Granny anymore, and I'm afraid I might hurt you too, so I'm leaving."
"..."
For what seemed like an eternity, none of them said anything. When Toshiro finally took a risk and glanced at his friend, he saw tears silently streaming down her face.
"Don't cry..." he pleaded. She gazed up at her beloved best friend. Her only friend. This boy had become close to her, particularly because she lived in the woods, alone. Without even thinking, she threw her arms around his neck. Toshiro was shocked, but he recovered quickly and awkwardly hugged her back.
"So then... this is where our paths end...?" she asked in a painfully sad voice.
Toshiro pulled back from the hug, the cold feeling from her skin lingering a few moments before being taken by the wind.
"Baka! We're friends, right?" Moriko nodded once, wiping away one of her many tears. Toshiro reached for her face, fingers extended as he wiped away more tears.
"Stop crying. Friends' paths never end. A true friend will stay on the same path in spirit with the other. We're friends. Forever."
Moriko sniffled, wiping away all her tears, and she managed a smile. Her eyes were glazed from all the wetness in her eyes.
"Friends... for eternity."
"Itsumademo."
Moriko smiled, agreeing, "Itsumademo!"
________________________________________________________________________
I was kinda hoping to get this story into one chapter for Eternal-chan, but I see now that that is not possible. This is going to be a three or four chapter story. =) Sorry, Eternal-chan...