Author's note: Hey hey! Happy 4th of July, well not yet but it's going to be a long weekend! It's been super hot here that it's causing FIRES. If you are having a 4th of July BBQ, be careful, seriously. That would suck if everything caught on fire...Honestly, I would probably be the one trying to save the food or running with a plate with BBQ ribs and eating. NO REGRET LOL. You guys have an awesome weekend and BE SAFE! Make sure to wear that sunscreen! Stay AWESOME!**Please NO FLAMES**
*HUGE shout outs for my readers who followed and added me to their favorites!:
Amanyaika, Animorphia, ApplesStrawberries, Blueboys, Giki-26 & gamma2015
Spotlight story: "We always Knew"
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach or any of its characters.
"Talking" 'Thinking' "Memories"
In love with a Death God! Part 2: REBORN
Hitsuhinax1
Chapter 2: Fresh Start
Inside the 5th division, the squad of shinigamis hurried to stand in their positions as they waited patiently for their captain's arrival. Yet, they were curious what happened in the morning in the first division headquarters and was anxious to know. Everyone saw it and thought they were under attack or the captain commander was in a terribly bad mood. The doors opened widely as the blond bob captain entered along with a brown haired girl following behind.
Standing in the front of the squad, Hinamori felt all eyes on her which was making her nervous.
The squad chattering was going back and forth loudly in the room as Hirako stood there with his arms crossed with an aggravated and annoyed face "All right…I got some news, do you want to hear it?" The group stood straight up "YES SIR!" they all replied.
"Yeah?...THEN SHUT THE HELL UP!" He snapped.
Soon, the room was in complete silence "That's better, I never thought I had such a gossiping squad. First off…Elephant in the room, Happy birthday to Takashi who obviously needs to stop sleeping." The squad laughed, Takashi was the tallest Shinigami in the squad and couldn't be missed.
He was like a mountain.
Hirako widely smirked "Next, I bet you're all wonderin' who this is next to me…Right?" He turned to see Hinamori as she took a step forward and bowed "Please to meet you…My name is Hinamori Momo."
"She'll be your vice-captain" Hirako simply stated.
A Shinigami raised his hand up "Not to be rude or disrespectful captain, but isn't it unfair for those who worked hard to try to get the vice-captain title? I have never seen her before in our squad…She still seems new and hasn't achieved her zangpakto yet either!"
"Yeah! That's unfair! There are some here who trained to get the position" a few Shinigamis agreed "How is someone like her going to protect our squad? That isn't fair to just hand them the title!"
The squad agreed as the chattering began again.
Hirako stood there as Hinamori looked down at her hands in embarrassment; she knew they had a point. She didn't know vice-captain title was so important yet she's still new to the new world. She couldn't be a vice-captain, she didn't have any training nor did she want to be a vice-captain in the first place.
Feeling out of place she lowered her head "I'm sorry-" Hinamori was about to forfeit her title and give up but she felt a hand placed on top of her head "…Hirako…Taicho…?"
"Are you guys that clueless about everything…?" Hirako said towards his squad as the started to quiet down. "If you're all going to judge your opponent just by their looks on the outside…You might as well be killed where you stand and you think you're all worthy enough to be a vice-captain?"
Silence fell upon the squad as the blond bob captain stepped forward towards them.
"Do you know who made that large hole in the captain commander's headquarters?" Hirako asked, no one replied. "No? No one knows? Heh…That's funny how much you guys like to talk" he chuckled "Let me tell you then…"
He pointed at Hinamori as the squad fell into complete shock with their mouths wide open.
"She is the one who blew up a large hole in the captain commander's headquarters…In FRONT of him and came out ALIVE" Hirako smirked widely as the squad began to chatter loudly, Hinamori was in complete embarrassment. Even though it was an accident…
"Now, I'm sure no one in this squad has bigger balls than she does to do that in front of the captain commander unless you want to become crispy bacon strips. Guess we all learned something very important…" Hirako walked back towards the front and stood in front of his squad.
"Do not underestimate your opponent."
"HAI!" The squad replied back firmly and loudly. Hirako smirked widely "Is there any rejections on Hinamori Momo becoming the new vice-captain of the 5th division, it's your chance to say somethin' now...Or you can shove that back up your ass where it belongs."
Not a single word was spoken in the room.
"Good, that's all for today. You're all dismissed!" the captain command, soon the squad disappeared. Hinamori's eyes widen, it was like magic how they disappeared so quickly. Hirako noticed and chuckled "Never seen that before eh?"
Hinamori shook her head "No...Where did they go?"
"Shit, you really are fresh meat…Looks like I have to train you from the start." Hirako rubbed the back of his neck "Don't mind where they went, we gotta get you started. Come, we're going to the training halls…You're probably going to be in there for a while until you're ready. Think of it as your second home."
"Taicho…Back there in front of the squad, I want to thank you for standing up for me…" Hinamori said.
"Huh?" He arched his eyebrow "Trust me, that was nothin' you're my vice-captain and the squad needed a good old yellin' anyways" Hinamori fiddled with her fingers but stopped in case she blew up something again "Taicho, shouldn't I practice my Kido?"
Hirako shook his head "Naw…Not yet. You should first know the basic skills and you still haven't obtained your zangpakto either." Hinamori looked at her captain's belt side under his captain's coat and saw a sword hidden under.
Hirako could sense some worry in her "A shinigami must have a weapon…To protect yourself or take another's life if you must." Hinamori let out a small nod, she didn't feel comfortable having a weapon but in time, she knew she'll have to have one with her.
"Don't worry about it, you got a long way to go" Hirako said as he headed out to the back "Let's go to the training halls." Both captain and vice-captain headed outside and to a large building that was similar to a dojo.
Hirako opened the large wooden doors widely "Here we are." his voice echoed in the dojo.
"Wow…" Hinamori's eyes widen, it was like a temple inside with wooden pillars and bamboo mats on the floor. She took off her sandals and entered, looking up she saw an opened roof in the center which the sunlight rays were shining down into the room.
Hirako took off his sandals as well and followed "Pretty sweet, eh? I remodeled it myself after Aizen left, it's not like he took care of the place..."
Hinamori nodded "It's amazing!" There's so much open space and was perfect for her to train in. "This is going to be where you'll be most of your time, probably every day. We have another training hall next door which will be for the squad. You'll be here training and be practicing, it's best to have a quiet place and safe place since you're Kido might hurt someone…For reals, this time" Hirako teased.
That was the last thing she wanted to do, this was the best for her to keep her away from the squad members until she was ready to control her Kido. Hirako crossed his arms and let out a yawn "Are you ready to train? I'm not easy and I train really hard so you better give it your best. If you're going to be my Vice-captain, I expect you to catch up quickly...You got it?"
"Hai!" Hinamori said proudly. "Good answer" Hirako grimed widely, soon he disappeared leaving Hinamori alone in the room. "Taicho…?" she called out but there was no answer.
Soon, she felt a tap on her shoulder as she turned around and saw no one.
"You need to be aware of your senses around you Momo, if you let your guard down like that…You would have been dead already" Hirako said as his voice echoed in the halls but Hinamori couldn't see him.
"Come on Momo, focus." he taunted "Show me what you got!"
Hinamori stood there trying to calm herself down, she closed her eyes and took deep breaths 'Focus…' She could feel her heartbeat slowing down; soon she could feel her energy and someone else in the training hall.
Soon, the energy was moving towards her from behind 'There's…Something coming!' She opened her eyes and quickly moved towards the side to dodge. Hirako's eyes widen seeing how quickly she reacted as he completely missed her shoulder he was about to tap on again.
"Whoa, not bad! On your first day too, you could already sense my Reiatsu…But, you shouldn't keep your guard down!" Hirako swiftly leg swept under Hinamori as she fell on her back.
"Ow…Taicho, that hurts!" Hinamori said laying on the floor. Hirako smirked and helped her stand "You had enough time to shunpo out of danger then." Hinamori rubbed her back "Shunpo…? What's that? And what is Reiatsu?"
"Reiatsu is your spiritual energy, it was the feeling you felt when you saw me coming towards you" Hirako said "Shunpo is exactly how you saw the squad disappeared right before your eyes; it's our main mobility skill, flash step. Helps us from avoiding attacks or even performing surprise attacks."
"But, you did very well sensing my reiatsu even with shunpo" Hirako said as he soon disappeared. Soon, Hinamori saw her captain demonstrating shunpo around the room; it was too hard for her eyes to catch up as she rubbed her eyes.
"Too fast, eh?" Hirako said sitting on top of the ceiling beams.
"Hai! Felt like my eyes were going to pop out!" Hinamori said as Hirako chuckled "heh. That's gross, anyways I need to check up on the squad, I'll leave you be here to practice sensing reiatsu and shunpo. By the time I come back, you better have mastered them!"
"Eh!?" Hinamori in shock "But..But…"
"No Butts!" Hirako snapped "You need to hurry up and get your basics mastered already; you're a vice-captain, for crying out loud!" Soon, Hirako waved and shunpo out of the training hall leaving Hinamori alone in the training hall.
"Mou…" She sighed looking around the empty training hall. She clapped her hands together "Come on Momo, you can do this!" She said out loud trying to build her confidence as she began to train by herself alone, but without her noticing there was someone sitting on the wooden beams in the ceiling watching her in silence under the shadows.
The sun was setting as the training room was glowing in a bright orange. The brown haired girl huffing and puffing as sweat dropped from her chin onto the floor. She wiped her forehead "Come on…You're almost there!"
She quickly shunpo only six feet away before losing her balance and falling on her back "Ouch…"She still wasn't use to stopping suddenly at such quick speed, looking behind to see how far she shunpo and let out a sigh.
Staring up at the ceiling, she soon got back up "I can do this…I can do this…" she said to herself as she prepared herself for another attempt. Taking a deep breath, she focused all the way across the room trying to reach her main goal.
'Come on, just need to get to the other side…Maybe I need to leap a little bit more' she said to herself, clenching her fist tightly. She quickly shunpo with a leap but, this was completely different as she appeared high in the air.
Hinamori blinked 'Oh…crap.'
'I jumped too high!' her body falling as she braced for impact but saw someone shunpo under her. Her eyes widen seeing someone appear with semi-spikey white hair and turquoise eyes looking up at her.
'H-H-Hitsugaya Taicho!?' before she could say anything, she had already fallen into right into his arms. Hinamori's eyes widen as she remembered something similar to this situation but the time was different like dejvu. He felt his arms and hand on her body and noticed her own arms around his too. They stood there in each other's arms tightly.
'Oh my god...Please, this is all a dream...' She turned her head slightly seeing hair white as snow and her face completely burning up, it wasn't a dream. "Uhm...!" awkwardly she slowly released him but, the 10th division captain continued to hold her. Her heart was racing and was embarrassed knowing he could feel her heartbeat beating against his chest.
"H-Hi-Hitsugaya Taicho...?" She called out as he slowly released her slowly as their cheeks brushed against each other.
Their lips were only a few inches apart as he endured himself from leaning in towards her to close the gap but he soon had to let her go. Hinamori's face still blushing red "…T-Thank you, Hitsugaya…Taicho…" she tried to hide it while looking down on the mat floor.
"…Don't push yourself too hard" he finally spoke.
She continued to try to know make eye contact with him and brushed her pants off like if there was something there "Hehe…I guess I kind of over did it…" Hitsugaya looked at her with worry. He had been watching the entire time while she was training alone, she was still high-spirited and always positive about everything.
Even when things didn't work out, she would get back up and try again.
"I still need lots of training and need to get my zangpakto, too" she said as Hitsugaya wrinkled his forehead hearing what she had said. "There is no rush for you to carry a weapon, Momo..." he said quietly.
Hinamori tilted her head "…But, Taicho said I need one to protect myself and-" before she could finish, she saw him take a step towards her. Hinamori looked and saw his turquoise eyes looking at her intensely.
"I'll be here to protect you…Momo" he said in a whisper.
Her eyes widen from hearing what the captain said, it was small but loud enough for her to hear 'But…Why…?' Hinamori was confused why he cared about her so much. She wasn't part of his division and barely knew him but deep inside, she felt she had known him for years. The first time they met, he embraced her without a warning or explanation.
She still wanted to know why...And who he was to her.
Hinamori stood there quietly; soon she let out a small smile "I think finally understand now why you care about me so much…" Hitsugaya stood there with his heart racing and eyes widen "…You do?" She nodded and giggled "Yes, I think it was because…We might have been… Childhood friends?"
He stood there as disappointment fell straight to his stomach. She stood there smiling but, he wasn't. Hinamori tilted her head "…Was I wrong? I'm sorry…I didn't mean to-"
"No" he said in a small voice "You're correct…We're childhood friends."
She smiled in relief "I'm glad! ...I'm so glad..." she bowed towards him slowly but with tears of happiness "Thank you Hitsugaya Taicho…For staying by my side even with my memories lost. That's why you've always cared so much..."
"Momo…" Hitsugaya said, he was dying to tell the real truth to her. She lifted her head up and looked at him as she wiped away her small tears from her eyes "Hai?" The words wouldn't come out, he continued to look into the brown eyes "…Hitsugaya Toshiro" he finally stated.
"My name is Hitsugaya Toshiro…You don't have to call me Captain when it's just us two alone."
"Oh erm…I'm not sure if I should..." Hinamori said as she fiddled with her fingers. "I'm allowing it" He said with a small smile "Besides…You used to call me by my first name." Her heart started to beat loudly in her chest hearing the young captain say that.
She nodded "…Hai…T…Toshiro."
Hearing his name once more by her helped him calm his nerves. Suddenly, a loud grumbling sound came from Hinamori's stomach as she blew up red and tried to quiet her empty stomach "Ah…! Erm...!"
It was so loud; of course, he heard her stomach cry out like a whale calling.
Hitsugaya let out a small chuckle and took a step back "Come on, you're probably hungry from all the training and you didn't really get anything to eat once you arrived here." Hinamori nodded as she followed him out the training halls.
On the roof, a blond bob captain and a strawberry blond vice-captain have been spying on the two through the open roof. "So it is true…She is the one who really tamed the ice dragon" Hirako said as he perched his elbow on the edge and resting his chin on the palm of his hand.
"All human memories gone…Yet, he still stays by her side" he let out a scoff "…Seems like Aizen got the last laugh after all."
"There has to be a way to remember!" Matsumoto wanted her best friend to remember who her captain was and was willing to do anything. Hirako shook his head "Nah…You know that's not possible, no one remembers their past lives once they arrive here."
"But, she didn't pass away in the human world…She passed away here in soul society" Matsumoto said.
Hirako thought about it for a moment, she had a good point about that 'Would it be possible to still carry your past memories…?' He scratched his head and let out a frustrated sigh "This shit is hurting my head…I need to go, gotta prepare a room for her."
Hirako stood up and looked at Matsumoto "…Maybe somethings are better off starting new. Fresh start, yeah?" Matsumoto sighed "I guess…Just wish Momo would just remember about Taicho."
"Then he shouldn't give up" Hirako smiled widely "If he loved her when she was human and still loves her now as a shinigami…He'll try again to be with her." Matsumoto looked at the 5th division captain and felt hope wasn't completely lost.
"You're right, Hirako Taicho!" Matsumoto stood up with both hands on her hips as Hirako chuckled "Of course I'm right" Soon, he shunpo away leaving the 5th division captain on the roof. "Don't worry Taicho, you have my full support! We'll get you two together again!" Matsumoto smiled as she looked up at the sky "You can count on me!"