The bud
"You… little girl with the yellow hair…." Called out a strange man from the distance. Riguka was out doing her own laundry when someone called her attention. She looked back and forth, behind her then in front of her. Who was that? She thought. A tall figure man with his cloak and his hood on stepped out in the shadows and greeted her. "Hello Miss Riguka."
The girl dropped her laundry basket with a shocked face. How does he know my name? She thought as she slightly back away.
"I won't hurt you. Just want to ask you something."
"W-what..?" she shuttered out of her mouth.
"I can see that you like Toushiro. Why is that?"
"Why would you want to know?"
"Because…" said the man. "I can get him to be with you forever if you want instead of him being with that assistant captain."
A smile crept across the girl's face. Then she became giggling. "You lie…"
"No. I won't. If you decide to do what I say that is…."
"And what is it that you ask?"
"Team up with me. I want to destroy that girl. Don't you want her out of his life so he could see you?"
Again, she giggled and her smile became a grin. Her face seemed to be devilish now. Easily trust worthy towards this man, she agrees.
"Sure. Just tell me when." She said to him.
Seeing her being avid, he laughed. Little did she know, that this deal the man made with her was just cajole. Or as you can say, charlatan.
The sun rise was set at six in the morning, and Hinamori was up. Just a minute before the sun rose. As she stares at the ceiling, lying at her own bed, she was in deep thoughts, about Aizen. As time passed, realizing that he wouldn't be back in Soul Society for a while, she wouldn't have thought that she would have a rancor against him.
A knock on a door was heard and she didn't expect any visitors. Wondering who the person was, she walked up to the door and open. It's Rangiku Matsumoto, now, captain of the tenth division.
"Good Morning, Hinamori fukutaichou." She greeted. "May I have sanction to come in?"
"Uh…" said Momo as she paused. She's was still in deep thoughts until she snapped out of it. "Sure! Sure… Come in."
The assistant captain from the fifth division stepped aside and let it be to have her in. As Matsumoto stepped in, she looked around.
"Is there something the matter?" she questioned the captain.
"No. Just came by to visit."
"Oh! In that case, have a seat." Spoke Momo in a cheery voice and smiled. She loves guests that are willing to just come by to visit and talk. As Matsumoto sat herself down, she began to have a conversation with her.
"How are you with Hitsugaya Taichou?" she asked. The fifth division assistant captain left a questionable look for Matsumoto and she decided to continue on the conversation, knowing that she knows Momo was speechless about that question. "Alright. Moving on… How is your wound?"
"What wound?" the girl stupidity asked.
"To the point where you almost reached death from Aizen's own sword." She explicit.
"Oh that…" Momo paused and stared at the wooden furnished cherry wood floor. She then look up and smiled, "Yea. It's alright."
"What's in that clouded mind of yours?" asked the captain. Hinamori is the easiest to know what's going on though emotions. But Matsumoto and Toushiro are the only people that knew her more than anyone; therefore they are the first to know.
As Momo grimace and sighed lightly she walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. Matsumoto didn't like the fact she was dolorous. But since the silence was killing the moment, she decided to change the subject again. And this time, it's about him and Hinamori.
"You do know why Hitsugaya Taichou decided to take the fifth division as a captain right?"
Momo's head jolted upward, looking at her. "It was by choice?" It seemed so shocking to her, but it wasn't for the tenth division captain.
"It was taichou's decision." I can't believe that she never knew that. Matsumoto thought.
"But why is that so?" asked the little innocence of her.
"Taichou wanted to protect you."
A sudden silence filled in the room but not with negative aura, but a neutral. Matsumoto just sat there with her arms crossed, gazing at Momo who is still staring at the floor.
"Shiro-chan would always try to. But why so?" she asked breaking the silence. The captain sighed and smiled at her, though little Momo didn't see her kind face.
"I don't know." She lied. She didn't technically want to lie, though she would have thought that Momo fukutaichou would find out sooner or later why with Hitsugaya taichou's own words. She hopes that would happen that is. "Changing the subject, let's go on with Yoruichi. I heard she was ill."
"Oh yes. She ate a bad fish according to her." Momo explained. A knock on the door came about and someone called out her name.
"Momo. It's me." Called out a familiar voice.
"Taichou is here." Said Matsumoto and smiled at Momo when her face was lifted up. She had herself stood up and escort herself towards the door. Once she slide the door frame open, Toushiro was in his former uniform.
He didn't expect Matsumoto to be the first person in the morning to see.
"Long time since I have seen you around Taichou."
"Same here."
"I'll see you around." She said as she walked down towards the court. Hitsugaya watched her disappear around the corner and wondered why she would be visiting. When he turned around to greet Momo, he noticed that she was staring at him with her plain ordinary brown eyes. Just to the point where Toushiro is annoyed, he broke the silence.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
Hinamori just shook her head and kept looking at him. Shiro find it awkward and weird that she was doing this. He couldn't figure out why. Just the fact that she isn't even talking, it just made the moment for him even worst.
"Then what is it?" he asked with a rude tone.
Momo wanted to ask him. She wanted to know everything what Matsumoto told her. She knows that it is unexpected for her to hear that certain news, but she was afraid to ask. Afraid to know the reason why.
Maybe I'm not ready to ask him… But she knew its better to know it from him. So confused now.
"Come on. I'll take you somewhere to eat." He spoke to break the silence again. He sighed and waited for her to hurry and leave. Once she was out, Hitsugaya closed the door for her and off they went. Although he knows that Momo's mind is troubled with something.
"Don't worry about it, ok?"
'Don't worry about it'. What a thing to say when Fukutaichou is worrying about 'it'. He wouldn't know what she was worrying or maybe, possibly wondering about. All he knows that her mind is full of dark clouds.
Speaking of dark clouds, it looks like a heavy rain storm for today's weather. As light drizzle rain fell, Hinamori inhaled the air and exhaled. The scent of the rain is just as calming as smelling flowers. Hitsugaya on the other hand, didn't admire the rain or the scent. He thought the rain just felt like an every day moment for him.
As he kept walking Momo towards the village, he wouldn't stop looking at her from behind her back. The silent treatment is just annoying him more. He wanted her to at least talk or say a one word comment.
"The rain feels lovely doesn't it?" Momo said at last. It looks like his wish just came true. Yay for him.
"With a touch of a light cool breeze, it would be even better."
"Yea. That would, wouldn't it…?"
As they kept walking, they reached the village. The rain got a little bit heavier but 'twas still a drizzle. The assistant captain felt like eating miso today, and miso it is. Shiro doesn't mind as long as she is eating. And it does seem like she is hungry. She is eating a bit faster.
"Did you not eat breakfast? Slow down." he told her with a bit of a wide eyed expression. But she didn't listen. He wouldn't want her to choke now would he? Hinamori would be the death of him actually.
It's not like your miso soup will run away from you…
As soon as she is done, which was less than five minutes, the white haired boy paid for lunch and they walked out of the restaurant.
"We have the rest of the day off. Where do you want to go?" he asked her as he continued walking. It's a good thing that Riguka isn't around either. He wouldn't want her to ruin the moment between him and Momo.
"I don't know. What is there to do?" she answered.
After a long thought through town, Hitsugaya sighed and blinked a couple of times.
"Yea… what is there to do?" Just as soon as he said that, he thought of some place to go. He stopped on his tracks and turned to her. "Want to go into the fields again?"
A childish smile crept across her face with her big eyes of wonders. He hands clasps together as if she was praying and as if she saw him as God. "Ok then! I'll race you!" she yelled out loud and started dashing towards the left where the hills and the fields are filled with spring flowers and green tall grass. He just shook his head and sighed, having his hand on his forehead. "Here we go again." He said before he dashes after her. Sooner or later, he out run her and made it under a plum tree. He sat there as he waits. Hinamori just came a minute later, tired and panting. She was breathing heavily.
"Hey not fair! You flash stepped!" she complained.
"You didn't apply rules."
She scowled and grimaced as she walked over to him. She sighed and her facial expression from before disappeared. Momo sat down as she still trying to catch her breath; she gazed out into the fields and spotted two red birds fighting over a worm as the light wind blew. Her eyes became heavy and she became sleepy. As she covered her moth to yawn, Toushiro had his eyes shift to her and saw that she was tired.
"When did you sleep last night…?" he said with a plain irritated face and sighed. Shifting closer to her, he pat his left shoulder indicating for her to rest and sleep for a while. Momo smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, drifting to sleep. And so did him as the rain started to drizzle with a light cool breeze that blew.
Next Chapter :: The Blooming
