Chapter 2

"Wait! You haven't heard about the part where I... . Eh?" Still feeling hazy, Hinamori looked around and concluded this was the infirmary. Huh, Abarai must have carried her here. Honestly, she frequented this place all the time, this was pretty much her second bed. She sat up, and saw something white fell off her head. It was a scrap a paper.

Hey, you got knocked out during lunch. We'll tell the teacher you won't be able to return to class. Well, even if we didn't he'd be able to figure it out on his own. Anyway, take your time and rest, okay?

Ah, what good friends. Apart from school, she secretly considered herself lucky in this aspect too. Very secretly. She didn't want to jinx it.

"You're awake. Do you feel dizzy?" The nurse, Kotetsu Isane, sat on the chair next to the bed. "You've got a nasty bruise on your forehead. I've bandaged it, but please try to be more careful. The scratches from yesterday haven't healed completely too."

Please try to be more careful. How many times did the nurse say that to her? How many times did she give the same answer?

"I'm always careful." It was true, she was a careful girl. Being careful just wasn't enough when you were destined to get hurt. "Don't worry! This pain is nothing. I am fiiine."

Witnessing Hinamori swaying back and forth, Kotetsu grabbed her shoulders to steady her. That was it. This girl, who behaved like a drunk, was hopeless. "Yes, yes, you are obviously... not fine."

"Ah, what period is it?"

Somewhat caught off guard by her patient instant 'sobering' up, Kotetsu said, "Fifth period is about to end soon."

Fifth period? If she was brought her during lunch break, she should have been asleep for fifty minutes approximately. That was a new record! Ordinarily, she'd be out for two hours minimum. Then it dawned on her. "I can make it in time for sixth period?"

"You certainly can. Can't say I'd recommend it though, you're still acting quite... woozy." She still held Hinamori by her shoulders, slowly pushing her back to the mattress. "You stay here and I'll make us some tea, understand?"

Hinamori, severely disappointed at the moment, nodded. The nurse smiled approvingly, the girl may be a bit of a headache sometimes but she was still an obedient one.

"I should write this in my notebook." It was more of a diary than anything. Days that especially stuck out to her were marked with sticky notes. Not that others could read it. Every written page was full of weird scribbles accompanied with hastily drawn sketches to further explain what the weird scribbles described. She also made a comic here and there about a peach that was on a quest to end the evil reign of the plum lord. Why did she bother trying to show this her friends again?

Meanwhile.

"You're also making tea, Kotetsu-san?" Ah, if it wasn't the sickly teacher, Ukitake Juushirou. Despite him frequently passing out, he was very much loved by everyone. Between you and Kotetsu, she thinks her little sister got a crush on him. A heavily obsessive crush. Anyhow, it went without saying that besides Hinamori, he too was a regular patient of hers.

"Yes, for Hinamori and for me." How about black tea? She found green tea to be too bitter. Hmm, there was also a fruit flavored one. Choosing tea was a very difficult task.

"I've heard she's getting better." That was to say, he heard it from his colleague, who heard it from the janitor, who heard it from student 33, who heard it from his homeroom teacher, who heard it from the student who accidently kicked the ball at Hinamori. The culprit was student 5, the one who skipped class in the morning.

"Is that so?" Then did Hinamori really start to be more careful after all the visits to the infirmary? The nurse could barely contain her happiness. Her happiness didn't last for long sadly, she whipped her head to Ukitake when he started a coughing fit. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you than her."

"Ahaha *cough* haha *cough* ...ha...ha.. *cough*" He laughed (?) while hiding his mouth with his hand. "I appreciate your concern, but as you can see I'm *cough* doing just *cough, cough* fine."

"A-ah, please calm down, Ukitake-san! You're obviously not fine!" Wait, where did this déjà vu come from? And that hand which was covering his mouth... was that blood dripping from it?! "You're coming to the infirmary. Now!"

He chuckled softly before he passed out for the seventh time that day. Kotetsu caught him before he hit the ground. She groaned, so much for a relaxed break with a nice cup of tea. Fortunately, she was a strong person, carrying a grown man wasn't that difficult for her.

The teacher woke up after a couple of minutes at his permanent spot in the infirmary. Ooh~ The sudoku from last time was still here and the pen he thought he'd lost too. Maybe now he'll be able to finish it.

"Good afternoon, Ukitake-sensei." The upbeat greeting came from no one else but Hinamori, his infirmary buddy. They were separated by curtain partitions so they couldn't see each other. She guessed he wasn't asleep anymore by the clicking of his pen.

"Good afternoon, Hinamori-san. I've heard you're in high spirits today?"

"Yup! I believe I'm making progress in my research."

"That's good to know." Since they were infirmary buddies they talked a lot to each other about a variety of subjects. Mostly it was her rambling on and on about the contents of her notebook, including the comic. He didn't pay much attention to her when he saw an article in the school paper. "Hmm, the seven mysteries of the school? Doesn't sound very appropriate. 'The seven most popular rumors', that fits better."

"Can I read it?" After confirmation that she could, he passed her the paper between the curtains. She only heard about a ghost trudging through the hallways once, although that was more of a joke than anything. She instantly recognized the first one since it was, well, about her.

1. There is a magical force field outside every classroom to protect students from harm.

2. The school building is actually more than 200 years old, built on a special ground.

3. Following up on number 2, the headmaster is possessed by the a supernatural being who's been here for over 200 years.

4. There's a hidden shelter beneath the school where an ancient artifact is hidden.

5. Student 4 does in fact exist, no matter what the teachers tell you.

6. Despite the lock, the key of the door to the rooftop was never made. It can't be locked by any key, including the master key.

7. The last one is still a work in progress. If you have a suggestion, please contact us ;) For now we'll say there's a dark secret surrounding the school.

That got anticlimactic fast. The teacher was right. These weren't mysteries at all! Except maybe number seven, but that one was just placeholder and super vague. Hinamori complained about the list to the teacher who quietly listened to her. That was how the majority of their conversations went to be frank.

"Hinamori? And Ukitake too, huh." The patients stopped their chatter to look at the visitor. It was her childhood friend who came to pick her up. He glanced at the nurse. She looked as if her brain melted after listening to the two talk. This made him confirm that everything went normal here. "How are you feeling?"

Hinamori tilted her head with a smile. "Hmm? Oh, I am-"

"I'm asking you just out of curiosity. Not out of concern. I want that to be clear." He looked away from her while folding his arms. Ten years of friendship and he's still on the 'tsun' side.

"Of course." She didn't mind him being that way. In contrary, she found this attitude rather cute. "And I am feeling good, thanks to Kotetsu-sensei."

The nurse merely waved her hand dismissively, muttering words sounding akin to 'yeah yeah whatever do what you want' and the sorts. Sheesh, did she get tired of these patients. Hinamori waved Ukitake and Kotestsu goodbye and left the place with her friend. Hitsugaya saw her skipping as if she was a little girl who was in a very good mood. He sighed with relief, good thing she recovered fast.

He saw a flat, red item fall from her notebook and picked it up. It was an omamori, a good luck charm. Although the color was faded, it was still in good shape.

Hold on, this floral pattern on the silken brocade looked suspiciously familiar. "You kept this old thing?"

Hinamori spun around when he spoke, squinting at the charm. In a panic, she opened her notebook, browsed through pages, and ran to Hitsugaya. She didn't have to run as he was only three steps behind her. She nearly bumped into him if it weren't for him leaning backwards in response. She inspected the amulet. Thank goodness, it didn't get dirty or stepped on.

After he handed it back to her, she gingerly put it back in her notebook and then put the notebook inside her bag. She faced him sheepishly while she scratched her cheek. "Ehehehe... yeah. It's, um, my treasure."

He looked confused. "Treasure? In what way? Its luck wore off years ago. Why don't you replace it with a new one?"

For some reason she sensed unease within her. How odd. "I can't, it has sentimental value."

Still confused, he only nodded to her reply. Abarai was right, she did get weirder. Her actions just now went from gleefully skipping around to frantically searching, all in a short period of time. Was the amulet that significant to her? Didn't she forget the meaning behind this amulet? They were near her house when she stopped walking.

"Thank you… for walking me home." She sounded awfully monotone.

Once in a while, when she was lost in thought, certain memories kept playing back. Just happy memories from her childhood. Strangely enough, it only happened when she was with Hitsugaya and it always happened unexpectedly. Incidentally, those memories were also only about the two of them.

He saw it. She had that far off look in her eyes again and the next moment she was back to earth. "Yes well, see you tomorrow."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows. Something was wrong. 'It has sentimental value'... . The way how the words spilled out of her mouth left her bewildered. What value? She couldn't remember. On one hand, she agreed with him. A new amulet would be way more effective. On the other hand, that uneasy sensation gnawed so hard at her when it fell on the ground. How did she get this amulet in the first place? Where? Why?

She rolled from side to side on her bed. Her memories from before high school were fuzzy. There was this hunch she was a passionate fan of romantic anime and manga. The whole wall had wooden planks installed, functioning as bookshelves chock full of figurines and manga. Then there was this stack of otome games sitting in a corner on her desk near the laptop.

There was this image in her head that popped up from time to time. Mountains of merchandise that covered the entire floor. A lot of them were sold off online for a nice profit. She shivered at the thought of having had such an expensive hobby. She asked her friends how she ever got into it, but they would nervously brush it off.

"Kyaah!" She fell on the floor unceremoniously and continued to roll, pulling the blanket with her. The result ended her up in a burrito-like state. The notebook slipped from her bed during her fall, showing the section where she put the amulet. Now, you might think that she was losing it, but rest assured she knew she wasn't. There was nothing crazy about seeing this as a sign from destiny. A sign that told her it was time for her to change her destiny. But waiting for that to happen won't do, thus she made the resolve to change it herself. Starting with this amulet that is.

Her determination was not to be underestimated for she left extra early the next morning. Hinamori rapidly pressed the doorbell again and again impatiently. She stopped when she heard mumblings coming from of his house. Hitsugaya glared at the smiling girl, "What is it that you want so early in the morning?"

She rummaged in her bag, whipping the amulet in front of him in a flash, nearly punching him in the face. He reflexively dodged her incoming attack. She was way too enthusiastic for him to handle at this time.

"You recognize this, correct?" Her first step into the path destiny surely laid out for her was her childhood friend. If there was someone who knew her more than her, it was him. He should have clear memories of the time when her luck plummeted, whereas hers are all blurry. This lucky charm belonged somewhere in that blur. "I was wondering if you could tell me more about it."

"What?" He looked noticeably puzzled. "Why? You're acting as if you've never seen that thing before. That thing you proclaimed to have sentimental value just yesterday."

Shoot. She did say that, didn't she?

"Exactly!" If Hinamori admitted she did not in fact know why she treasured the amulet, he will undoubtedly play it off as something unimportant. "That's why your memories can add more to its value!"

Hitsugaya merely stared at the orange flower that seemed to grow out of her head. A flowerpot hit her today, huh. The way she tried to persuade him into telling her more about it screamed that she didn't remember. Hmm, play it off or humor her? Ah well, it shouldn't trigger any bad memories. Let's humor her.

"Fine." He began to walk ahead with her closely following behind him. "In summary, it was the beginning of January, just a few months before you started middle school. We went to the local shrine together and I bought you that amulet. It was supposed to help you with... passing your exams and school in general."

Ah, now that he mentioned it, that did ring a bell. The blur started to disappear until it became clear fragments of memories from that day. How strange, somewhere within those fragments Hinamori saw something he didn't mention. Actually, with the way he paused at the end she assumed he deliberately left some parts in the dark. If he won't bring it up, she certainly will. For now she will ask him about 'that'. "You bought one for yourself too, right? Was it also for school?"

Hitsugaya froze on the spot when she asked that. Of all the things she could recall from the past she chose to recall that. He shook his head and started to walk again in a quicker pace. "No, it was a different one. Look, it doesn't have anything to do with yours anyway so it's pointless to talk about it."

Silly boy, did he forget she was incredibly stubborn at times? Especially since he avoided the topic, she felt as if it was her duty to uncover the secret that was his amulet. Although, knowing him, it must be something like 'good health'. He probably returned it the next year to the shrine so they could properly dispose of it.

After bumping into a random woman at the Corner it struck her. This was the first time in years the two of them walked the whole way to school together. It couldn't be helped, she didn't want to burden him too with all the obstacles she had to go through every day. He didn't seem to mind going alone either. Hitsugaya turned back, remembering he forgot to take his lunchbox. He was a fast person though, so she wasn't worried about him getting late for class.

Hinamori sighed inaudibly. For now her life was fine the way it was considering her friends and her teachers were always understanding of her situation. University on the other hand? The prestigious, highly acclaimed university she wished to go to? They most likely won't deal with it the same way, you could count on that.

"I know you were kinda late yesterday, but don't you think you came too early today?" Hirako entered the classroom where only the two of them were present. The other students should come in about twenty minutes. "That said, you never did things with moderation. Always overdoing it."

Ugh, she couldn't refute that. It's true. She planned to arrive only ten minutes earlier than yesterday, but the excitement of interrogating Hitsugaya got to her. Hinamori sulked, it didn't turn out to be a real interrogation in the end. Perhaps after school she'll try again.

"Wanna tell me what's on your mind?" That question brought her out of her disappointment and instead brought her focus to the teacher. His gaze wandered to the window, looking as uninterested as ever. The only teacher who was seriously willing to hear her out was him. Compared to him, Ukitake and the others treated her as if she was a child with a fantastic imagination.

"I want to know where it went wrong with me... ." That sounded a lot more depressing when it came out of her mouth. Those raised eyebrows showed her he got the wrong idea too. "I mean I want to get to know myself better or at least who I used to be. I tried to ask, but... ."

"They change the subject, brush it off, tell you not to fret and such. At first you thought it truly wasn't a big deal, but now you're fed up with this unlucky lifestyle so you want to do something about it, yes?" The solemn nod confirmed he was on the right track. Ever the perceptive man. "However, you can't figure out what changed your life and that's why you're moping."

"I am not moping." Yup, not at all except, she was totally moping. "And I did figure something out. Almost figured it out. Am in progress of figuring it out."

Hirako faced Hinamori expectantly as if hinting her to tell him what it was. So she did, she opened her notebook and took the amulet out of it. He listened to her explanation with a thoughtful expression. When she finished there was a short silence, the wait of how he would react.

He walked towards the teacher's desk and leaned against it. "For now you should give up trying to pry information out of him. Knowing that boy, he won't budge no matter what. Checking your room for clues is your best guess, assuming it remained the same before you went to high school. For example, is there a diary? A photo? Something that feels out of place?"

Oh, he was helpful... . He was giving her advice. She was taken aback for a second seeing this was the most support someone had ever given Hinamori regarding her remembering the past. Ah, um right, something out of place. "I have a great collection of everything related to romantic manga and anime. I don't know when I bought them though or why, seeing that I'm not passionate about that kind of thing. Should... should I investigate that?"

Hirako smirked with those blocky teeth of his which made her grin back. Soon the other students entered the classroom followed by the ringing of the school bell. Hinamori felt this sensation of mirth the whole day. The knowledge of having someone who didn't baby her, thinking she couldn't handle the truth. No, he was different and that made her joyful.

Her friends, though not the skeptical Hitsugaya, thought that she was fantasizing the whole day, stuck in her own world. You know, Hinamori just being Hinamori. A hand landed on her shoulder as she was about to walk home. It was her best friend pointing at the gray sky.

"It's raining. Did you bring your umbrella with you?" Before she could reply Hitsugaya already opened his own above her. How gentlemanly of him.

"I did bring one!" Honestly, Hinamori wasn't the ditz as much as he believed her to be. However. "But it broke when I walked to your house this morning... and it can't open anymore."

"You're welcome." If it weren't for him mastering the art of the poker face he'd look smug for sure. So very smug indeed.

"Thank you." It was either embarrassment or her pride getting hurt. Perhaps both. Nonetheless, she still appreciated the gesture of him sharing his umbrella. "But won't your admirers get the wrong idea if they saw us like this?"

Hearing that made him trip and that caused her to giggle. She also liked teasing him about his position at school. The prettiest, smartest, and mature boy. Girls would fawn at just the mere sight of Hitsugaya. Magically enough, flower petals and glittering, diamond-shaped bubbles appeared too when that happened along with pastel colored backgrounds. Now that was a mystery worth submitting to the school paper!

As if it was a mask, the poker face fell off his face with an indignant look replacing it. And those rosy cheeks? Was he blushing? Was he abashed? Was she right on the mark? Where was his comeback? Was this a sensitive subject? Did she go too far?

"Hey now, it was a joke." Better apologize if the silent treatment kept continuing. "No one would ever get that idea. They all know we're more like siblings."

"Right... ." His impassive expression returned as he dryly replied back. The silent treatment did not stop, so Hinamori took that as a sign that he was still annoyed. It was perhaps for the best if she gave him some private time.

"I forgot! I have to go home early to do a very urgent task." It wasn't a complete lie, she did want to go home fast to investigate. She stepped out the protection the umbrella provided. Hinamori waved at him and then sprinted off.

It was raining fairly hard, but getting wet from the rain never made her catch a cold before. With this in mind, she should be fine. She should be fine, but it looked like it was pouring even harder where she walked than the other places. After several accidental stumbles over peddles and puddles later, she fished her keys out her coat which then of course first slipped from her fingers, she successfully entered her house without too much trouble.

One would ask where her parents were. Some say they were killed in a car crash. Others would say that they were working overseas. Then there was this thing where she lived alone in a relative's house. In the end none of it mattered as she managed well on her own. But enough of that. She brushed her wet hair from her face while dropping her bag.

Investigation. Start! Time to go through her collection, hopefully she didn't sell anything crucial. She did read the books out of curiosity from time to time, but no memories triggered from those. Since that's the case, she won't bother with those and marathon the others. After that she will play the games and inspect the merchandise. Will the weekend be enough to do all of this? No wait, schoolwork took priority. Gah, how frustrating.

Unlike Hinamori, Hitsugaya did have an adult watching over him. His grandmother greeted him which he returned and then he immediately went to his room. The boy closed the door, pondering what just happened. When the girl ran away he could only stand there dumbfounded. What was that all about?

Their houses were right next to each other. In fact, his balcony was only a little bit away from hers. He went to the balcony to see if Hinamori was in her room. N-not that he wanted to check up on her or anything, seeing if she was all right! It was just to make sure she wasn't making a huge ruckus with that 'urgent task' of hers, because that would bother her neighbors. Like him.

The sky cleared up. Beams of sunlight broke through the clouds and into her room, making it easier to peek inside. A small stack of books lay on the floor. Next to the stack lay a drenched, unconscious girl. Then there was her bag with her homework- And what!?

Stalls. Chatter. Shrine. Sunset. Candy apples. Cold air. Glee.

"You bought one for me?"

Boy. White hair. Turqoise eyes. Two red amulets. Best friend. School. Luck.

"Thanks! Ah, but what about yours?"

Dismissal. Running. Alone. Confusion. Amulet. Luck. School?

For school? He said that to her, but it contradicted with what she remembered. She never received an amulet for school from him. At first she saw the floral patterns, the back of the amulet. When she flipped it to the front, the characters read... . It read... . Huh?

"Hey! Wake up!"

Eh? Hitsugaya? Was she dreaming? When did she fall asleep?

"Getting a cold from the rain. Seriously?"

A cold. Well that explained why her body felt so chilly. Hmm actually, in those stories she read, the main characters also got sick from the rain. That or overworking themselves. Him shaking her didn't exactly help relieving the growing headache. Tired brown eyes fluttered open and her hand landed on his to stop him from shaking her.

The girl sat up, groggily blinking at him. "How did you get inside my house?"

He was not going to tell her he jumped from his balcony to hers, therefore kind of breaking in. "Never mind that. Can you get up?"

"I think so." She said that, but instead of demonstrating that she could, she crawled to her bag. There she took the amulet with the floral pattern facing her and flipped it to the front to read the characters. "It's blank? No, another piece of red cloth is stuck on top of it."

Should she rip it off? Why was it there in the first place? The amulet fell on the ground as she was about to pass out.

Then a cold hand gently touched her forehead, calming her down. It felt really... nice.

Author's Note

leafpool5: Thank you for your review! I'm glad Hinamori doesn't seem to be that much out of character, hopefully that also goes for the other chapters (I did play around with her personality here and there, although that applies to every character in this story). And umm... I'm not a 'sir', but thank you for commending me XD

gamma2015: Yup, I'm back for now. Thank you for reading the others stories too, hopefully you'll also like this one! :D