~On Metal Wings We'll Fly~
Author's Note: Hello~ Everytime I write this I can't help that I'm saying 'hello' after who knows how long. Anywayz, I was actually writing this a long time ago but lost the memory _TT Recently I found it and I started typing because I really wanted to write the second chapter. Sorry updates are slow; summer school is not great at all. *sighs* Thnkx to all who reviewed and faved/followed; especially AznVKai, applestoapples, Mad Eclair, Reader-Favs, and deerlybeloved!
This chapter takes place the day before chapter 1.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Bleach! If I did, there would've been more Hitsuhina fluff in ep.326 :)
Classical music filled the air as it flowed through. The lights dimmed and it spotlighted onto the centre of the ballroom. Men and women dressed lavishly gathered around the light, their attention towards the dancer.
The girl's coat of raven hair glimmered in the light as she twirled around. Her plum, red dress flared around as she twirled. Her footsteps were as light as feathers and her moves intricate and delicate. The whole crowd could not take off their eyes from her; they were completely under her spell.
She could feel their attention on her but she didn't break away from the sonata. She could feel her heart a thousand beats a minute but...surprisingly, it was pleasant. It felt right to move along to the music. Each note strummed and played beckoned her to play along with every harmonizing beat. Nothing could separate her from the music.
The crowd murmured and shifted as a lone person came through. Momo couldn't make out his face but she could tell that he was handsome. He bowed before taking her hand. Momo could feel her cheeks flush and her heartbeat increase. They moved along to the music and by the near end, Momo grew accustomed to his gentle grip. He held her protectively against himself and made no sign of wanting to let go.
As the music ended and Momo started to retreat from the centre, he pulled her in towards himself. Taking her chin in his hands he inclined her head towards himself. She started to feel the world around her heat up as she could only see two shining emerald orbs never straying away from her. The space between gradually became smaller as he tilted his head down. Everything started to blur as she felt something...wet?
Momo hesitantly opened her eyes only to come face to face with her cat, Harmony. Momo shrieked in surprise before falling with a big thud into the floor, cat and all.
"Ow...that hurt," Momo sighed as she nursed her bruised head. "Harmony, why did you scare me like that? You don't lick people in their sleep." Harmony gazed intently at Momo before licking her paw. Momo pouted as she got back onto her bed. Taking Harmony into her arms she gently stroked the cat's brilliant red fur. "The things I do for a lazy cat like you. You know you woke me up right when it was getting good, again." She sighed, "Do you have a sixth sense or something?" Momo picked up the red cat and stared at it. "You always seem to know when he comes in." She stuck her tongue at Harmony. "Bad cat." Harmony just mewed in response.
It was true. For the past few nights, Momo had been constantly dreaming of her dancing in a big crowd. Sometimes the area would change but what was always the same was the handsome stranger that would pull her into his world while they danced. Momo covered her face in embarrassment as she thought of the way they moved along together.
Even though it was strange, she couldn't help but feel comfortable in his presence. The world ebbed away into nothing when she danced with him. It was only her and him. But, the most captivating part was his eyes. Last night's dream was the first time she could actually see and remember the deep colour of his eyes. It would lock her in and wouldn't let her escape.
Getting up, Momo made her bed before putting on simple brown dress along with an apron. Tying her hair with the usual blue ribbon she made her way down the stairs, Harmony following behind.
"Good morning Rangiku-san!" Momo cheerfully said. After no response the girl looked around the kitchen for her friend.
"Mou, where can she be?" Momo pouted. "Maybe she's not feeling well?" As in response, Harmony mewed loudly from the living room. Momo popped her head in through the door only to see a big swath of red lying on the kotatsu. Harmony was toying with her hair as if it was a ball of red yarn.
Suddenly, the red head groaned causing Harmony to jump off and run to Momo. "Rangiku-san, are you okay?" The younger girl kneeled down to help the red head sit up. Matsumoto groaned as she leaned against Momo.
"Oh, Hina-chan~ my head feels like it's going to split open!" she groaned. "I'm never going to drink again~" Momo sighed as she comforted her. "You know Rangiku-san, you say that every time. I believe you said that last night too before you opened a bottle of sake."
"Oh, because it calls to me Hina-chan. It's like your dashing prince in your dreams."
Momo quickly felt her face turn red before pushing Rangiku off.
"Ow, Hina-chan~" Momo went into the kitchen before coming back with a glass of green tea. Sitting down next to Matsumoto she gently pushed her up. "Here Rangiku-san, this will make you feel better." Taking the cup, she gulped down the drink before sighing in content. She pushed herself onto Momo into an embrace.
"Thank you Hina-chan! You just know what to do all the time."
"Uh...Rangiku-san...you're choking me."
Matsumoto quickly got off Momo. "Sorry Hina-chan. Sometimes I forget what my girls can do!"
"So, Harmony ruined it again?"
Momo and Rangiku were both in the kitchen making bread. They both owned the bakery shop in the village and delivered the bread to everyone in town. Each morning they had to get up early to make the bread. But, they didn't mind as they could both fill in each other on stuff that was bothering them. Momo had filled in Matsumoto on her latest dream as she did everyday.
"Yeah, I suppose she did," Momo sighed. "But I guess it was for the better."
The redhead raised a wary eyebrow. "And why would that be?"
"Well...I guess she stopped me from what choice I would have to make." Momo kept her eyes down as she rolled out the dough. "I was almost about to kiss him Rangiku-san! If-if I continued I don't know how I would feel!" Momo could feel her vision blur and her head hurt. "The dream always stops right before I kiss him. But w-what would happen if we did? Then the dream will end and it will be all gone. And-and I'll have nothing-" Momo felt her tears crawl down her cheeks on fall onto the dough. She didn't even realize that she stopped rolling before Rangiku turned her around and wiped her tears.
"Hey, hey, no crying. We wouldn't want any sour bread now, would we?" Momo nodded as she blew her nose.
"And, didn't you say that you actually saw him a bit clearer? What colour were his eyes now? Blue? Green?"
"They were emerald." Momo clutched the handkerchief as sighed peacefully. "A deep, perfect emerald. It was as if you could swim inside their depths and never come out." She remembered the way those eyes captivated her as she held them in her gaze. They spoke many things; strength, love and, to her surprise, loneliness. Momo wished she could have gazed a bit longer at them.
"I think someone is in love...with an emerald eyes stranger," Rangiku teased Momo as she snapped out of her reverie. Momo felt her face turn plum red as Rangiku nudged her, "Hey, wouldn't it great if you could actually meet him?" The red head turned as she looked past everything into some unknown world of dreams. "It would be like a fairytale. You, Momo the misunderstood dancer and the mysterious, handsome stranger will meet. And after, he'll sweep you off and take you into your happily ever after."
Momo sighed as she let it all sink in. What if he was real? What would I do? Dance? That's surely never going to happen...Emerald eyes, I wonder if you're real...
"I'm off now Rangiku-san!"
Momo waved goodbye to the redhead as she walked out the doors and onto the cobblestone road. Houses lined the road on either side; their tan stone walls and dark roofs giving of an old European town feel. It was afternoon now and it was Momo's job to deliver the bread to the people of the village. Each day she would walk along the gray and maroon road in tow with her bread basket. The road ran around the village in a circle and interconnected with itself by several roads crossing through the inside area. Even though the village itself was highly congested, the people still knew each other like family.
For as long as she could remember Momo has always been in this town. It's as if the horizon ends only at the edge of the town and starts on the other side. At the sun's highest point, it would beat down hot rays on the Crestilian palace.
Momo was an orphan; her parents only a distinct memory. When she arrived in the orphanage, she was always the one left out. All the other kids had seemed to form their groups already. So by herself Momo would watch everyone from a corner-until she met Rangiku.
Much like her, Rangiku lost her parents and didn't seem to know who she was. But, that didn't stop her from being her flamboyant, care free self. The red head pulled Momo out of her little corner and always talked to her. At first Momo was a shy timid girl around Rangiku, but later warmed up to the perky red head. The eventually grew into a great kinship, some of what could be called sisters.
And to Momo, Rangiku was like a big sister. She always listened to her and cheered her up. Especially when it came to dancing.
The memory was clear and fresh as if it was yesterday. Momo and Rangiku were playing outside making simple flower laurels to put on each other. The smell of lavender was strong that day and all the orphans were playing outside.
But it all stopped when they arrived.
A huge procession walked through on the cobblestone road outside the orphanage. There was a huge cart with two poles towering above the elaborately dressed people. Everyone was either wearing black or white attire ranging from umbrella-like skirts and tights to black vests and trousers. They all wore red masks similar to what you would see at a masquerade. There were various acts going on; a long haired man juggled different colours balls; a girl walked on a ball as big as a carriage; a pair of twin acrobats did several tricks that showed they were lithe. By now the all the orphans were peering over the stone walls surrounding the orphanage at the spectacle.
But, Momo wasn't looking at the people on the ground. Her chocolate eyes were transfixed on the sole person in the air. The woman was dressed in a red dress which was almost like a ribbon that wrapped around her form. But instead of the uniform red mask she wore a white mask that gleamed when the sun hit the little glass beads. She was attached to poles by two translucent strings. But what caught Momo's attention was the way she danced.
A violinist played a simple mirth tune as the women danced in the air. She spun in pirouettes and leapt from pole to pole. Her dress would unravel sending two huge ribbons out around her. The ribbons waved out like they were two trailing butterfly wings. In the middle she would bend her legs as she gracefully dropped down to the floor before leaping up towards the sky.
The little raven haired girl's mouth dropped as the sun seemed to cast a silhouette around the woman. Before she knew it, the woman tore of her white mask revealing two light brown eyes and tossed the mask towards the crowd. Momo unconsciously reached out her hands and caught the soft mask as the woman winked at her.
Momo fingered the soft felt inside; it was as soft as a swan's plumage. When she looked up the circus group was already making their way down the streets; the orphans eagerly applauded as the performers blew kisses and bowed. But Momo couldn't move her eyes from the lady. It was as if she was a swan.
After, the orphans all gathered around Momo's gift with eager eyes. To them it was a great souvenir but to Momo it was much more. From that day on Momo wanted to dance like the red swan.
She practised in secret in the early morning. Repeating everything that the woman did, Momo gradually taught herself the different twirls. The violist's song played every moment in her mind and Momo constently repeated it in her mind.
But when she preformed it to the other orphans, they only laughed at her. Momo felt crushed. They said that she could never become like the dancers. That all the performers were professionals and she wasn't.
It brutally scarred Momo but she picked herself up and kept on practising. Now that she was a baker and had to wake up early, she could only practise in the night time when the work was all done. Rangiku always encouraged her to perform again but Momo simply shook her head.
Right now, all she had to do was deliver bread; nothing more.
The sun was now setting and Momo had one more stop to make before she could head back.
"Good evening Ururu!" Momo cheerfully called as she pushed open the wooden gate. The pig tailed girl quickly dropped her broom and ran in excitement to Momo.
"Onee-san!"
Momo laughed as Ururu tackled her with a hug. This usually happened every day when Ururu was cleaning outside the shop. She worked for Urahara's Shop along with other employees. It was usually known that they would sell sweets but Momo found that hard to believe as the green cloaked man had some sense of mystery to him. None the less, she usually delivered sweet breads as her last delivery.
And played with Ururu.
"Onee-san will you teach me new dance steps? I've been practising," Ururu shyly asked.
"Of course Ururu!"
Momo put down her basket and followed Ururu into the front yard. Not being able to wait she stopped and started to twirl in little pirouettes. They were small little awkward turns that Momo couldn't help noticing. But, Ururu was always eager to improve and silently took in what Momo taught her.
"That was great Ururu! You're getting better." Momo smiled as the small girl blushed and looked down shyly as if she was not worthy of such praise.
"You have to be more open and free with your arms. Don't be afraid to stretch them out more, okay?" Momo demonstrated this by twirling on her own with her arms, sashaying freely around her. Suddenly, while she was twirling she lost her balance and landed with an ungraceful 'oomph.' Both Ururu and Momo laughed at Momo's blunder when a sharp voice pierced it.
"Ururu, what are you doing?"
Ururu's eyes widened as she stared at the woman behind Momo. Momo looked and saw Soi Fon's frowning face. She was still the same as when Momo knew her in the orphanage; a short girl trying to hard to be a serious woman with cropped black hair and cold eyes.
"Why are you dancing again instead of working?"
She was also one of the first to shoot hurtful remarks at Momo about dancing.
Momo hastily got up as she nervously stumbled on her words, "I-I'm sorry Soi Fon. It was my fault. I just wanted to show Ururu some new moves."
"It is your fault," Soi curtly stated. Momo could feel the short little girl cower as she hid behind her dress.
"All she's been doing is dancing and dancing. She hasn't been working hard enough and that is your entire fault." Soi Fon stepped closer and closer to Momo as a serious aura seemed to hover around her. "You've been filling her head with nonsense and getting her hopes too high. She is not a dancer." At the last sentence Soi Fon spat out with every word. By now she was right in front of Momo and even though she was shorter in stature, Momo couldn't help feel smaller in her presence.
"I-I'm-"
"When are you going to learn that all that you had was but just a dream?"
Momo's eyes widened and fell down as the words seemed to sink in. She stood motionless as Soi Fon gestured for Ururu to come inside with the basket. With the basket in her small arms Ururu looked up at Momo and mumbled a quick 'sorry' before quickly heading inside.
Momo didn't know how long the time passed but just that she seemed to snap out of her reverie right when dusk started to settle in. Sighing Momo started walking out of the shop's yard and onto the cobblestone road. Her mind wandered as it usually did when she was alone.
Momo knew that people didn't accept her dancing but still had to constantly remind herself that it was okay. But...in a way Soi Fon was right. It was all just a dream, much like the ones with her handsome stranger.
Momo blushed as she thought of it again and scolded herself for getting flustered over a simple figment of imagination. But, was it just imagination? The way the stranger made her feel safe and secure about dancing made Momo's stomach do little flips inside. That was real.
Maybe...just maybe this was a sign that it was right for her to dance. Maybe she could be open towards it instead of hiding it.
A glimmer caught her eyes as she looked up to see the evening light reflect of the glass tops of the Crestilian palace before dancing in her eyes. The soft colours melded into one behind the white castle and it seemed to fit all together in a perfect piece. It reminded her of how her dream was like a fantasy.
Momo smiled. Just maybe she was going to let herself out a bit and finally be who she was and dance.
Tomorrow, she was finally going to practise in the morning light. It had been too long since she had done that and she couldn't wait to feel the morning sun on her back.
And she knew just the perfect place.
A/N: Any guesses where the perfect place was? This story is half way done and next chapter is...Momo! Again! There should be more Hitsuhina fluff in it too. By the way, I have also been working TGZ:ABC chapter 2 so hopefully it should be up soon.
Plz review! ^_^