Author's Note:
I know they act like couple but it's actually not established yet. Ichigo likes Toshiro and trying his best but for now, Hitsugaya is just following Ichigo out of boredom…….and curiosity. (And the curiosity killed the cat, meow! …………………………..I'm just kidding)
Wagashi is a general term for traditional Japanese confectionary, made of mochi, red bean paste, and fruits. They are pretty small and I've seen a fair few that were decorated just too beautifully to eat although those were quite expensive.
Valentine's Day by Heuk Ya Ch.2
Hitsugaya couldn't tell just what the hell was wrong with his vice-captain. It was odd enough that Kuchiki Byakuya had visited her -he didn't see but sensed- but when she returned, she had a massive goofy smile on her face that told him something was planned and he had a part in it. Then suddenly a hell butterfly flew into the office, telling him the permission for two days break he didn't even ask for had been granted then Matsumoto came to his quarter this morning when he had planned for a rare lie-in with some clothes in her arms.
"Matsumoto, what is it?"
"Ah, don't worry about a thing, taichou. Leave the work with me, I promise I'll do them, just go to Urahara-san's shop, get your gigai, change into these, and then go and see Ichigo, OK?"
Feeling like a child getting instructions for mum, Hitsugaya scowled at the garments that the vice-captain had just shoved into his hands.
"What? Why do I need to see Kurosaki and why the HELL do I have to get changed???"
"Ah, taichou!! Too many questions and you are going to be late!!! Quick, quick, hurry up!!!"
And so pushed by Matsumoto and confused by her words, Hitsugaya had gone through Senkaimon and was now standing in the basement of Urahara shoten, still trying to figure out what all that was about.
"Ah, Hitsugaya taichou, you came. Your gigai is ready upstairs."
Urahara seemed as if he had only just woken up as he yawned behind his fan. Going to grab his gigai, Hitsugaya noticed it was 8.30am now. Well, since things came to this, he might as well go and see the orange-haired teen. They hadn't had a chance to see each other since that encounter two weeks ago which Hitsugaya still found amusing even now.
After he slipped into his gigai, he looked at the clothes Matsumoto had given him; surprisingly, they were pretty normal clothes. A pair of grey straight jeans, a black long-sleeved t-shirt and a pure white scarf with a pair of black canvas were something he could deal with. February was still quite chilly, especially around this time when the last frost bite of the bitter winter was in full swing, but Hitsugaya's zanpaktou was an ice type. The tenth division captain dealt with cold far better than anyone else, never having to wear an extra layer even in the middle of chilliest time of the year. He preferred those unforgiving frosts, and obviously, he hated the boiling summer.
After getting changed, the prodigy left the school uniforms in the store and took off to the Kurosaki clinic. The substitute shinigami's reiatsu could be felt even from here; that idiot would probably never learn how to control the overflowing reiatsu, Hitsugaya smirked.
'Well, then, Kurosaki Ichigo. Let's see what you've got up your sleeve this time.'
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Ichigo had woken up long before 9am. He had meticulously planned out the entire day but he couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach as he paced around his room. It was still hard to tell how the icy captain would react to the sudden day-off, moreover, spending it with him in the human realm. Kon was shouting at the teen to stop the circling since he was making him feel dizzy but it was another few minutes before Ichigo suddenly stopped. That frosty reiatsu, fast approaching his place, could not belong anyone else but one.
"Oi, Kurosaki."
Hitsugaya climbed through the opened window of the substitute shinigami's room to find Kurosaki standing in the middle, all ready to go out. The teen was in his usual tight fitting jeans and a t-shirt with an extra coat and a black scarf, which oddly reminded the prodigy of Kurosaki's bankai.
"Care to explain what's going on? I got kicked out of Soul Society by my own vice-captain."
Sensing the bite in the annoyed captain's words, Ichigo chuckled; as expected of Rangiku.
"We, Toshiro, are going to go out and enjoy the day."
"……….What? And it's Hitsugaya taichou."
Hitsugaya's eyebrows twitched. What the hell is going on? Ichigo went on, ignoring the prodigy's last words.
"Today is not just any day, but I'm not going to tell you what it is until the end. I'll just say it's my treat and we will have good time."
Hitsugaya crossed his arms, his usual scowl returning but not out of boredom. He was trying to work out what had transpired between Matsumoto and Kurosaki, not realizing that the teen was actually the one who planned the whole thing.
"C'mon, Toshiro."
The substitute shinigami was already walking out of his room, wrapping the black scarf around his neck. Hitsugaya stared at Kurosaki's back for awhile then after fixing his own scarf, followed him out of the room, his customary correction all but forgotten. Well, at least he wouldn't be bored.
The amused captain decided he would wait and see what just this weird strawberry had cooked up this time.
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The first stop was Starbucks. It was rather early start of a day for Ichigo today and he was pretty sure the boy genius had never been to the world-dominating coffee shop before. Trying to explain what each drink tastes like had been a challenge but in the end, they settled down with mocha for Ichigo and ice tea latte for the captain.
Ichigo couldn't call it a daring choice but the day had only just begun and the aloof captain was obviously still feeling a little uncomfortable with the situation. However Hitsugaya's sea-green eyes were already taking in every single detail of the shop carefully under his thick, black eyelashes and Ichigo couldn't help but smile.
"Toshiro, have you ever been to ice skating?"
"It's Hitsugaya taichou, and no, I haven't."
"You haven't? I was so sure you have."
"There was no need, I control water and ice. I innately know how to move around on ice."
Ichigo rolled his eyes at the deadpan tone and the business-like manner that the young prodigy spoke in.
"Well, it's not just about learning how to move around on ice. I'll take you to an ice rink after we finish the coffee. How's the tea latte by the way? I've never tried it before. Still can't believe you are having ice latte in February."
Hitsugaya eyed the drink in his hand before he shrugged.
"Nice. And I don't feel cold at this temperature, it's one of the effects from wielding Hyourinmaru. What are you planning anyway, why this sudden outing?"
"Told ya, today is not a normal day. But unless you figure out what it is, I'm not telling you until midnight tonight."
So he was supposed to stay with Kurosaki till midnight at least?? Hitsugaya blinked; no wonder the break was for two days. Ichigo caught the unsettled look on the prodigy and smiled.
"Relax, it's your leave."
Hitsugaya turned his gaze outside the window after glaring at the teen. The chilly winds were blowing through the trees and people were bustling around, each busy to get to their destinations. It felt weird but oddly calm to be out of all those commotions of life, to be just looking at them from here. A small smile appeared on the stoic captain's face unconsciously which Ichigo did not miss. So far so good, he thought to himself.
The prodigy had immersed himself in the noisy but calm atmosphere of the shop so much that the teen did not dare disrupt it. He could tell from Toshiro's face that the overworked captain was appreciating this rare tranquil moment to its full extent. By the time Hitsugaya pulled himself together back again and they reached the ice rink, it was already nearing the midday. And oh, how much Ichigo regretted taking Toshiro to the ice rink.
"…….You are the one who suggested to come here, and you don't know how to ice skate?"
"It was years ago last time I came! I hadn't been that good at that time either but I could move around fine……. I kinda forgot how since I haven't skated for so long."
Hitsugaya smirked as the teen let out another frustrated growl. An advantage that came with Hyourinmaru was that you just knew how to move around in an icy environment. After all, if he didn't, it would have been troublesome when his zanpaktou usually froze the 12km radius around him when released.
Ichigo wasn't bad, he didn't fall so much, it was just………….he looked hilarious; he was so stiff and tense that Hitsugaya thought Kurosaki would have muscle-aches for sure when tomorrow came. Just a little more rigid, and you could have mistaken him for a robot.
"You are too tense, Kurosaki. Relax, it should be easier than learning how to shunpo."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't trying to shunpo on two blades last time I tried."
"Baka."
"Oi!"
However Ichigo stopped himself from snapping when he saw that Hitsugaya was laughing at him. Laughing, not smirking. AT him was the part he wasn't too happy about but, hell, who cared if he could see Toshiro laughing like that. All the ice must have put the frosty captain in a good mood. Guess the ice really was the trick, Ichigo smirked.
"You wait and see, I'll soon be gliding across the rink and then let's see who's laughing."
"Don't forget, Kurosaki. For me, this is as natural as breathing."
Hitsugaya warned with his usual smirk. The cool temperature and the ice around him were making him feel comfortable and somewhat giddy actually. Must be the caffeine, he thought.
After an hour of skating (Ichigo never got to 'glide across the rink' and spent the hour enduring Hitsugaya's brilliant verbal taunts), the two decided it was time for lunch. Neither of them had eaten anything except the coffees and were now positively hungry.
"Got anything you wanna eat?"
"I don't know much, the last time I was sent to the human world, I stayed at Urahara shoten most of the time."
"Well…….. I know a good ramen restaurant, if you want."
Something flashed across the turquoise eyes for a split second although the captain's aloof demeanor did not change at all, but Ichigo smiled inwardly. There, another one of those subtle signs; his hard work was paying off. As a captain of a division, he knew Hitsugaya received a good treatment as a high social class, probably not like Kuchiki Byakuya but still with quality food and a few servants to help him with the chores. Something like a simple ramen would probably be something Hitsugaya had rarely come across for some time, let alone trying it, and the real world certainly held far more variety than Soul Society.
The ramen bar was filled, since it was lunch time for all the business people. It was a small, traditional bar that had a cozy feel to it and it was one of Ichigo's favorite eat-out places. They took their seats at a corner and Hitsugaya immediately started reading through the menu. Ichigo would have at least smirked at the eagerness but it wasn't actually that funny since the expression wasn't one of those childish, excited ones, but of a carefully scrutinizing one. Curiosity was curiosity but Toshiro was Toshiro too, Ichigo thought.
"So? Decided?"
"……………So many."
"Yeah…… Well, I'll order a different one, you can try both that way."
"…………….I'll try…………… this one."
Ichigo looked at where the small finger was pointing. A spicy ramen? Hmm, Toshiro has definitely relaxed then, daring to try something pretty exotic. (AN: Japanese food is usually smooth, bland and sweet) Ichigo smirked as he remembered what had happened the last time someone he knew tried the same ramen.
"You sure you'll be okay with that?? It IS spicy, you know."
"Hmph."
"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you."
Ichigo then placed the order, ordering a soy sauce and mayonnaise ramen for himself. It wasn't his usual choice but it probably was a good pick considering what would undoubtedly happen in due time.
The ramens came round soon enough and Ichigo pretended to drink water, taking his time to see how Toshiro would react to the spicy ramen. The small prodigy carefully lifted off a few strands then after some cooling, moved them into his mouth, all the while Ichigo's eyes locked on him.
Then the reaction came. Purely out of reflex, Hitsugaya frowned, poking his pink tongue out, trying to ease the stinging sensation that almost watered his eyes, and Ichigo couldn't hold his laughter back anymore.
"I told you it's spicy, Yuzu tried it last time and she practically cried."
"I'm not crying."
"But it's still spicy, isn't it."
Hitsugaya pulled his tongue back in, stubbornly refusing to drink water. Ichigo was smirking as if he had just come out of a battle victoriously then moved to swap their bowls when the icy captain stopped it.
"I'm fine."
The teen rolled his eyes and stopped his hands although they rested on the bowls.
"You can still have some, okay? But if you eat the whole bowl, the spice will give you painful stomachache, and I'm telling you, it hurts. We still have the whole afternoon, evening and night to spend."
Hitsugaya scowled; he felt like a child but didn't stop Kurosaki again when he swapped their bowls, and put a cup of water in front of him. What was that ramen made of, anyway? Then he looked down at the brown noodle in front of him.
"What's this?"
"Soy sauce and mayonnaise. Since it doesn't have soup, it's not as hot. You probably will like that one better."
It was a bit oily but the flavor was soothing across his still stinging tongue. It was a new taste and took a while to get used to it but Hitsugaya found that he rather liked it. Plus it wasn't as hot as the spicy ramen with all its steaming soup. Chewing the warm noodles in his mouth, Hitsugaya glanced at the teen across him for a second; Kurosaki was surprisingly quick at catching his preferences.
After lunch, they spent some time simply walking around the town, Ichigo explaining whatever Toshiro took time looking at, which was his way of saying he didn't know what it was.
"Why are there so many reds and hearts decors around? Is it usually like this?"
"No, I told you, today is not just any day. But you don't know what exactly it is yet, do you?"
Hitsugaya scowled at the teasing tone, at which Ichigo only grinned.
"Now, now. I know you aren't bored so don't go scowling on me. C'mon, I'll show you something interesting."
The next thing Ichigo had planned was the cinema. Toshiro understood the concept of watching something on screen but why people would watch some sort of a story irrelevant to their work or communication was beyond the prodigy.
The film they watched was the 'Transformer'. When Ichigo took his chance to glance sideways at the silent captain in the middle of the film, he had to clap his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out. Toshiro's huge emerald eyes were stuck on the large screen and his drink was hanging dangerously loose in the small hand. Ichigo made sure he printed that face in his brain; that rare look of pure awe from the usually scowling captain was just too priceless.
"Did you enjoy it?"
"…………Yeah but………."
"What?"
Hitsugaya frowned and looked at the cars passing by.
"Does that mean those things can change into robots?"
Ichigo laughed out loud even though he knew it was probably not a good move. What could he have done? His little Toshiro was looking so serious asking the question as if the captain was contemplating what impact this news would have on the safety of Soul Society if that endless number of cars really could change into huge, battle-fit robots.
"Fine. Laugh all you want."
"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to. No, it was just a science-fiction film, it's not a real story. They are just cars for transport, none of them changes into any huge robots."
Seeing that the small prodigy still kept his arms crossed, sending daggers at the cars as if they were Hollows, Ichigo smiled then put his arm around Toshiro's shoulder, tugging him to come with him.
"C'mon. It's probably a bit early but I'm sure it's already opened."
"What's opened?"
"The night market. Since the sun sets quite early in the winter, it usually opens early too. They got loads of bite foods and games and stuff."
"Hmmm…"
Ichigo rolled his eyes at the contemplative humming from the inquisitive captain and gave another tug.
"It's not far from here, we can get something for Rangiku-san too."
"I'm not getting her anything."
"Ah, don't be so harsh. I'm sure she really is working."
Yeah, right; even Ichigo doubted that. Hitsugaya snorted but nevertheless made to follow the substitute shinigami to the night market. Truth be spoken, he had never been to one before. The captain had heard about it from other shinigamis and all those excitement and fun sounded interesting. Now he had the chance to find out himself.
As Ichigo had predicted, the night market was already in full swing even though it was early evening. They walked around, trying different foods and snacks, and attempted a few of the games. When they came to the fishing game (AN: the one you have to fish using round, thin paper. It's supposed to be difficult because the paper rips very easily.), Ichigo had to drag the annoyed prodigy away before he could freeze the whole tank. It was when they were looking at masks that they came across familiar but unexpected faces.
"Hitsugaya taichou??!"
"Renji! Rukia!"
"Ichigo!"
"…………….."
Renji and Rukia, who quickly parted from their arm-in-arm, looked at their friend then the tenth division captain who had his usual scowl back on then back to Ichigo who grinned at them as he nudged the petite girl.
"I heard you left with Renji the day before yesterday……. You dare not tell me about it???? You should be glad I didn't bother you two when I found out."
"Hey, it's none of your business!!"
"Hmmm…."
As Ichigo looked at Rukia meaningfully, Rukia blushed and Renji stifled his coughs. Ichigo cracked up, patting the girl's head who quickly swatted his hands away. After a short conversation, Renji and Rukia left, saying they had only just arrived and still had rather a lot to see.
"I see you still get along very well with Kuchiki Rukia."
Ichigo shifted his gaze from the white dragon mask he was looking at to the white-haired boy next to him; the teal orbs had suddenly cooled and the scowl still marred the cherubic face. Somewhat bewildered at the sudden change, the teen shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, it was thanks to her I became a shinigami after all. It's like having a third sister, you know? And if I hadn't met her, I wouldn't have known about Soul Society and I wouldn't have met you."
Hitsugaya's eyes widened a little although the substitute shinigami didn't see it as he had his brown eyes back on the mask. Then Ichigo picked up the mask and a white cat mask, paid for them and passed the dragon one to the silent captain who simply scoffed.
"……..How original."
"You ARE the wielder of Hyourinmaru, after all."
Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow when he saw the other mask in the teen's hand.
"A cat??"
"Friends used to call me 'ginger' when I was kid, because of my hair. And I don't really wanna wear orange ones, they clash."
Hitsugaya snorted; that would definitely clash. With the mask on their head sideways, the two shinigamis walked around the market, grabbing more food like takoyakis. They decided to buy a beautifully hand-crafted mirror for Matsumoto although Hitsugaya bowed he would never give it to her unless she had finished the paperwork; Ichigo realized the vice-captain wouldn't have her hands on this mirror any time soon.
It was rather big night market and it took hours just to look around all the stalls. As time went on, the aloof captain became visibly inquisitive, now dragging the orange-haired teen to here and there. Although the seriousness hadn't completely left him, the sharp edge in the teal eyes had softened and the scowl was no more to be seen.
"Never realized it was this big. I'm quite tired now actually."
"Oh yeah, I heard the gigai is actually set at a normal human's physical level."
Hitsugaya frowned; it was one of the reasons why he had never liked being in a gigai much. This kind of stroll would have never worn him out if he had been in his shinigami form but his legs were pretty heavy now and all he wanted to do was to sit down at least for a minute.
"Yes, just so we don't do anything that would look out of place when people can see us."
Ichigo looked around them; they had reached the end of the night market at last and there were less people here than the main part.
"We did walk around a lot, I'm beat as well. Think it's pretty late too, actually."
"You still haven't told me what this whole day was about."
"It's not midnight yet, Toshiro. Let's go back to my place and take some rest."
"It's Hitsugaya taichou."
"Ah damn, thought you would have forgotten that remark."
Hitsugaya smirked at Ichigo's feigned disappointment and started walking back to the Kurosaki clinic ahead of the teen. If he cared to admit, it had been a rather enjoyable day today. The weather was pleasantly chilly for him, the ice tea latte was tasteful, the ice rink had filled him with tingling vibes, the trip to the cinema had definitely been interesting and the night market was better than he had expected.
Now the frosty wind blew through his white hair that seemed to glow in the darkness. As they got further away from the town and closer to the residential area, the noise died down until it became almost silent. Deep silence had settled down between the two but it was a comfortable, companionable one and Hitsugaya was enjoying the tranquility that he had not had chance to take pleasure in for quite some time. Now all he had to find out was just what on earth the whole day had been about.
When they reached the teen's place, they found that the whole Kurosaki family had already gone to bed and quietly entered Ichigo's room, carefully stepping around not to make any noise. Hitsugaya didn't realize that it was already 11.45pm; they had spent hours in the night market. Once he settled down on the window seal -Ichigo couldn't understand how that can be more comfortable than the chair or the bed-, the captain took the mask off his head and looked straight at the substitute shinigami as he ruffled his pressed spikes back up.
"It's only 15 minutes left till midnight, you might as well just tell me now what today is."
Ichigo, who was hanging his coat up, paused for a while.
"………Fine. Just close your eyes for a second."
"Huh?"
"Just do it, okay? I'll tell you what today is."
Hitsugaya eyes the orange-haired teen suspiciously for a bit then with a resigned sigh, closed his eyes, the white brows knitted. He could hear some rustling sound then sensed Kurosaki getting closer.
"Keep your eyes closed, okay?"
The prodigy would have rolled his eyes if he had had them opened.
"Fine, fine."
Ichigo's calloused hands soon found the dainty ones and then something was pressed into his hands. Dutifully keeping his eyes closed, Hitsugaya frowned in confusion; some kind of… wrapping paper…?
"Open."
Hitsugaya opened his eyes and stared at what was in his hands. One single white rose was accompanied with a square box wrapped in silvery gift-wrapping paper with white snowflakes. The perplexed captain looked at the orange-haired teen with questions in his eyes, but the said teen was looking anywhere but him.
After a few seconds of futile attempt to lock their gazes, Hitsugaya set the white rose on the bed gently, making sure the petals didn't fall off, and unwrapped the flat box. When he opened the lid, he found that it held the wagashis, all beautifully decorated. The prodigy was lost for words for once and continued to stare at the little cakes when Ichigo's rather quiet voice broke the silence.
"I didn't think you would like chocolates, so I got you those instead. I heard they were pretty nice."
"What's this all about???"
Ichigo smiled sheepishly at the bewildered question but thankfully, there were no scorns or disgust in the icy captain's eyes.
"It's Valentine's Day, Toshiro. It's the day when people give chocolates and presents to those they like."
"……………To those they like?????"
Hitsugaya forgot to remind Kurosaki about the proper calling.
"Yeah. I'm not really good at this kinda stuff, you know? So I thought I would treat you for the day. I asked Rangiku-sanwhat would be good and, well."
The wide teal orbs were simply rooted on him and Ichigo rubbed behind of his neck, feeling somewhat awkward under the firm gaze.
"It's like a confession day, you know. I mean, you already know so it wasn't really about confession but I thought it would be a good chance for you to get away from work."
Hitsugaya, finally taking his eyes off the teen, looked back at the wagashis in his hand and the white rose next to it. Feeling a little nervous now, Ichigo continued on.
"I'm not saying you gotta give me an answer now or anything. I just wanted some rest for you since you work way too hard for your own good."
With the snow-topped head lowered, it was hard to tell what the prodigy was thinking. When the silence grew longer, Ichigo cursed himself inwardly; had he screwed up? Then the small hands moved to hover above the small, graceful cakes before picking one up. Keeping his face hidden from the substitute shinigami's view, Hitsugaya popped it in his mouth while Ichigo remained completely still, staring at him.
The wagashi was delicious; it was not too sweet and had elegance in its taste. The frosty captain was sure that something like this would have cost Kurosaki quite a bit. Thoughtfully chewing the cake, Hitsugaya mumbled quietly.
"………….It's nice."
Ichigo let out breath that he didn't realize he had been holding back and grinned. He understood the meaning behind the two words. He wouldn't get the answer to his proposal tonight but he was fine with it.
He didn't get shouted at or scolded at. Toshiro didn't simply walk out of the room or release bankai on him. It hadn't been an acceptance but neither had it been a refusal.
His Toshiro had just said 'Thank you for the day and thank you for the presents. I appreciate it.'