Of Birthdays and Parties
In which Hinamori decides to hold a party for Shiro-chan's birthday.
Hinamori considers herself clumsy and forgetful, although she really hates to admit this. However, there is one day she could never allow herself to be neglectful of.
The aura that she emits is so bright and exciting it's almost as if she had pints of magic mushroom. She doesn't even realise the worried glances that Kira shoots her.
It's only when they meet up with Renji that she finds the control to stop skipping.
"Hinamori-kun?" Renji's concern is prominent in his worried brown eyes.
"It's nothing," she replies with a buoyant smile.
"You're not keeping us in the dark about something fun, are you?" Renji demands, raising his voice.
"Hey now, Abarai-kun, Hinamori-kun would never do that... would you?" He is engulfed in worry as he slowly turns to her.
"It's just something Hisagi-kun told me about the other day," she replies cheerfully. "Did you know that people can actually celebrate their birthdays?"
"Is it your birthday?" Kira's happy smile for her is sunshine on a summer's day.
She interrupts before the others can shower her in congratulations and well wishes.
"No, it's my childhood friend's birthday," she corrects eagerly. "And Hisagi-senpai said that I could hold a party to celebrate it!"
"He probably just wants to be invited and get drunk," Renji mutters, unimpressed. "But that doesn't sound that bad, actually."
"The party, or a drunk Hisagi-senpai?" Kira asks with a smirk, though Hinamori can't see how anyone can bring themselves not to cringe at the idea of an intoxicated Hisagi-kun.
It's sort of depressing when you see the guest of honour sulking in a corner at the party you've planned for him. But even worse when you seem to be the only other guest that seems to care.
Hinamori does realise in retrospect that inviting her friends from the academy, whom SHiro-chan does not know is probably a terrible idea. But it couldn't be helped considering how she has no idea who his other friends are.
However, she does wish her friends were at least a tiny bit more cooperative. As correctly predicted by Abarai-kun, Hisagi-senpai waltzed straight to the alcohol as soon as the party started, but what's worse was the addition of Abarai-kun himself shortly afterwards. Though even that wasn't really surprising.
She had, however, expected Kira-kun to be better behaved, but the blonde man lost all his confidence to approach the younger boy as soon as he saw Shiro-chan's unimpressed glare.
Renji's friend, Rukia-chan, was also invited at Renji's request. Hinamori had hoped she would be at least a little more sane, but that proved otherwise after a sip of god-knows-what that Abarai mixed for her. Though Hinamori couldn't help notice the pinkish tinge on her cheeks added much more vigour to her petite face.
Looking around at the damage made at Shiro-chan's house, she couldn't even bring herself to laugh it off as a joke. The walls were ripped and torn apart, with a large hole in the shape of a person. She frowns as she watches the light from the setting sun leak in from that hole to illuminate the tattered and broken chairs which have been through around and trampled on. The sight of the broken room weighs down Hinamori's heart, but not as much as the food table. All the delicate platters of food are flooded with alcohol of some kind, ruined and spoiled.
As she watches her party fall to pieces by drunks and crazies, she feels a burning fluid gather at her eyes. She only wants to bring a smile to Shiro-chan's face, and see him spoil himself just his one day of the year.
Just then, a painting on the ceiling was dragged down as Abarai-kun throws a cushion at Hisagi-senpai, both of them sporting crimson cheeks and unfocused eyes.
It's the last straw, and Hinamori rushes out, her tears finally letting loose as she leaves the room, slamming shut the door with a bang.
She is sobbing quietly on the veranda when a solemn Hitsugaya arrives. He doesn't utter a word as he sits down cross-legged beside her. After a while longer of desolate silence, save her heavy, uneven breathing, she looks up curiously to confirm Hitsugaya's prescence.
His is sitting with an ever present air of nonchalance as he stares out into the distance. She follows his gaze to look out towards the crimson sky.
"It's beautiful," she says under her breath. "Has the view always looked this great from here?"
"Only you wouldn't notice something like this," Histugaya retorts.
Hinamori has no reply as she blushes shamefully at her ignorance. However, she had no power to keep her head bowed as the setting sun illuminates the sky with its warm rays, changing the sky from its normal blue shade into something compellingly magnificent.
"Hinamori," Hitsugaya inhales a breath, and Hinamori drops back to reality as she remembers the chaos just meters and a few walls behind them.
"I really don't care for parities," Hitsugaya continues with a sigh. "And while I don't know what traditions the shinigami academy taught you, please don't forget I'm still just a spirit from Rukongai. Celebrating birthdays is just simply something I don't do.
Hinamori nods, her personality a stark contrast to earlier in the day back in the academy with Kira-kun and Abarai-kun.
"What's more, I really don't appreciate getting acquainted with crazy drunks on my birthday. I'd rather deal with them other times, or better yet, never."
Hinamori can feel tears gathering at the edges of her eyes once more. She bites her lips in hopes of holding them in.
Hitsugaya, perhaps for better or worse, ignores them as he continues to say, "However, I'm happy you have found some really interesting friends, and I'm glad you would think to introduce them to me." Hitsugaya's voice is much softer, though when Hinamori turns to look, his expression is still distant.
Hopefuly with what Hitsugaya said, Hinamori asked timidly, "So did you have fun?... maybe just a tiny bit?"
Her hopeful eyes were met with frustrated ones, "Of course not!"
Hinamori looked down at her lap. "Oh..."
Hitsugaya sighed once again. "Like I said, I really can't care less about birthday parties. I'd rather keep to my daily routine and crack open another watermelon."
Hinamori can feel another dose of tears incoming. "Oh I really did it, didn't I?! I ruined your birthday!"
"Hinamori!" Hitsugaya's voice was raised and exasperated, but then softened once more as he said, "The word birthday does not hold any significance at all. And you didn't ruin it. I could have done without the alcohol and your friends, but still, I got to spend the day with you, and that's enough. I got to see you, and that itself is enough to make me happy."
Hinamori, with her large hopeful eyes, turns just in time to watch Hitsugaya stand back up and rush inside. She giggles, her good humour back with her once more.
"Don't think I didn't notice, Shiro-chan," she smiles as she says quietly, "your face was definitely red when you said that!"
END
A/N: Thanks for reading this fic :) It's the first one I wrote in ages which included a pen and paper. This was written a few weeks ago during my trip interstate. It included a lot of driving, so I got bored and started thinking up ideas for fics. So when I did think of something, I wrote it down. I dunno how AU this is, because I still haven't reached Hitsugaya's past in the anime; however, this was inspired by that Hitsugaya's birthday scene from BuriMyu~ (But yet, I feel like this fic also kinda contradicts that scene a bit xD)
Sorry also for the inconsistency in character names. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to refer to them as Hinamori would (Shiro-chan, Abarai-kun, etc) or as the fandom prefers to call them (Hitsugaya, Renji, etc).
Reviews and constructive criticism would be appreciated!