I do not own Bleach

Chapter 2 : The Christmas Gift

'Damn, that dickhead! Making fun of me again!' said Hiyori inwardly as she quickened her pace to the house after beating Shinji mercilessly as much as she wanted. She was embarrassed at the fact that Shinji found out she was depressed just for a few days ever since she had discovered she had descendants and her family members were alive that they succeeded in passing down the great name 'Sarugaki'. Her prediction was right—none of her family died right away after she was killed. At this thought, she felt a surge of loneliness occupying her mind. Approximately 20 feet away from her, Shinji was picking up his pace to match that of Hiyori. She ignored the approaching reitsu and continued to walk.

* * *

She ascended upstairs to change her clothes, making a heavy thud sound each step she took. Before she could pass by Hacci's room, she caught a sound of the Vizards talking about something that she had absolutely never heard of. She immedately opened the door wide. All the Vizard were blinking at her, wide-eyed.

Lisa was holding her favorite erotic comic book; Mashiro was sitting with her legs folded against her chest; Rose was holding his newly-bought guitar; Love was wiping off his sunglasses with a patch of tissue; Hacchi was sewing his ripped clothes; Kensei was fumbling his dumbbell that he always used when working out. It seemed as if the continuous, peaceful scene was abruptly halted by a sudden, unwanted interruption.

"Hiyorin~what's up?" said Mashiro in a joyful tone.

"What are ya guys doin' without me?" Hiyori asked, clueless.

"We were discussing about what we should do when we go to the villa." Hacchi answered nicely.

"Our villa? For what?" asked Hiyori again.

"Yeah, we all are going there tomorrow for the Christmas and New Year vacation. We should have some break. We've been working hard to earn money. So why not have a nice vacation?" Rose answered this time.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" exclaimed Love as he put on his sunglasses.

Hiyori remembered the villa located in 30 minutes away from their house. 10 years ago, when Lisa got promoted at work, she took a loan and purchased a nice but not-too-luxury villa. She insisted this would be useful in many ways, considering that Vizards could live many years longer since they didn't age. However, this was not what Hiyori was thinking: she was wondering why she didn't know this when everyone else was discussing about this 'vacation'.

"Why did ya guys make a decision without me?" Hiyori inquired curiously.

"Because if we tell you, you will probably say you're not going." said Kensei bluntly.

Hiyori suddenly felt that she was excluded from the rest of the Vizards; years ago, when they came to the human world, they did everything together, such as cooking meals for holidays and shopping for everyday use(food, clothes, furniture, etc...). Perhaps the reason was everyone had jobs unlike Shinji and Hiyori: Hiyori was too young to work, and Shinji was very good at housework. But what Kensei said was not wrong either. Come to think of it, she was the one who rejected to go somewhere just because she was lazy. Somehow Hiyori realized that she got gradually distant from them over years. She suddenly felt lonely deep inside her heart.

"Well, if ya guys already decided, then I got no choice." her tone was somewhat sullen from disappointment, walking away from them quietly to pack her belongings for the short vacation. She didn't notice Shinji, who was standing right behind the opened door and listening the whole conversation.

* * *

"Everyone, we're here!" shouted Mashiro excitedly.

Hiyori could see the villa covered in a layer of frosty ice over the tall grass. There were 2 dried-up trees next to the villa on each side, providing a short shadow across the slippery floor that was covered in ice as well. She then looked at the sky; a crowd of clouds was floating in the sky like a balloon. Soon all the Vizards went inside,for they didn't want to catch a cold.

While Rose was kindling fire at the fireplace, Lisa, Mashiro, and Love were wiping dirt from the desks and cozy chair. Hacchi was carrying a new sofa to the big room while Shinji was cooking a meal. Hiyori was the only one who didn't do anything at all; all she did was walking around the house and tasting a sample of food that Shinji was making. She strode to the hallway that consisted of the rooms.

If Hiyori was remembering the structure of this building correctly, there was a medium-sized room for Lisa, Mashiro, and herself. Another medium one was for Kensei and Rose. The biggest room, which was equal to the size of 3 rooms, was for Hacchi and Love(Hacchi was supposed to use this room alone, but since he and Love had many things in common, such as reading mangas, they decided to share the room). Hiyori approached the smallest room that only Shinji used. She wondered why Shinji used the room alone—Hacchi should have used the big room by himself and Shinji should have shared his room with Love instead since Hacchi was biggest person . She was deep in thought that she didn't notice someone was standing behind her. Wincing, she whirled around. She could see a blond, short-haired guy. Shinji.

"What yer doing at my room?" Shinji was smirking a little.

"Wha...What? Dickhead? Yer picking fight with me? I ain't gonna hold back!" stammered Hiyori, apparently bewildered to found Shinji at this moment.

"I'm just asking what yer doin' in my room."

"No..nothing!" said Hiyori, stammering again.

For a moment, Shinji was pensive as if thinking something. Then, he opened his mouth.

"Isn't yer room a little bit small for 3 people?"

"Nope, why?" asked Hiyori, looking at him straight into his eyes.

"Ya can come to my room. It's a little big for me to use it by myself" said Shinji as he made an innocent face.

"Huh?" Hiyori was apparently befuddled.

"Come to my room at night. Ya can sleep on the bed while I sleep on the floor. I have extra blankets, ya know." Shinji was now grinning.

"Dickhead! I'm a girl and yer a boy!" Hiyori yelled at Shinji in astonishment.

"Yer biologically a girl, but yer more like a boy, ya know."

Hiyori was pretty sure that Shinji enjoyed making fun of her. The words echoed in her head constantly. 'Biologically a girl, but more like a boy.' She became irritated at the fact that she was recognized as a boy to him. But considering how she had acted in the past, she was acting more like a boy than a girl. Even so, she couldn't hold her anger. Shinji soon found her shaking. Before he could say something, Hiyori kicked him in the face, sending him flying to the end of the hallway.

"Dickhead!" was the only word Shinji heard before she vanished from his sight.

* * *

Hiyori didn't notice that all the Vizards except for her went out to the central markets located nearby their villa. She thought of going there, but decided not to since she knew what the markets sold. Instead, she went into the forest-like place, which had many herds of trees. As she walked, she began to feel isolated from the group. She couldn't help asking herself why they were gone without a word to her. Why? The more she brood over, the more she felt lonely. Under the beautiful moonlight, she let herself wonder in deep thoughts.

Ever since she was born in the spiritual world, she didn't feel loneliness at all; in fact, she was disturbed by the relationships with others. She knew very well that she wasn't the type of person who would feel loneliness. But why would she feel...lonely when the Vizard didn't seem to get along with her? She could find only one answer: it was her fault. She was the one who acted on her own without considering everyone's opinion. She was the one who always went outside by herself, for she didn't want any interruption when enjoying the scenery of the town where they lived in. She was the one who isolated herself from the group. At the thought of this, she felt she was foolish. She was stupid, which Shinji told her always: blockhead. She truly was silly. She was...

"Hey"

She turned around, literally jumping to her feet. She could see Shinji standing before her, looking somewhat concerned of something. She was surprised to find him since she thought he was gone along with the others.

"Yer didn't go to the market?"

"I went there and came back." replied Shinji shortly.

"What yer doin' here?"

"What yer doin' here?" asked Shinji the same question.

"I asked ya first" Hiyori insisted.

"I didn't have anythin' to do, so I was walkin' around. Ya?"

"...Me too."

Shinji recognized she was disturbed by 'something' again. This time, it wasn't her family for sure. It was about herself. Everyday Shinji hoped he could be her resting nest—that is, when a bird got tired, it could rest on its nest. But somehow Hiyori kept herself shunned from the Vizard group. She needed a person who could comfort her—treat her like a fragile glass that shattered badly. She had depressed expression, which Shinji loathed, on her face. He felt a sudden urge to hug her tightly, hold her in his arms, touch her cheek, and...

"Shinji." said Hiyori, faintly.

"What?"

"Where do ya think I belong to?"

He couldn't hide his surprise at the fact that she actually asked him in serious tone. There was only one answer to her question.

"Yer belong to Vizard, dummy" said Shinji as a matter-of-factly.

"Do ya really think so?

"Of course, ya belong to Vizard. Only Vizard."

Hiyori was speechless; she expected Shinji making fun of her like he always did. This time he was taking her question seriously; she was surprised to find another side of him. Shinji was fishing his hands into his pocket that was attached to his winter jacket. What he took out was a pair of...hairpins.

Shinji came down to his knees so his eyes were at the same level at her eyes. Then he held one hairpin in his right hand and pinned it on her sideswept-like bang. He pinned another. And another. And another at the opposite side. And another.

"Yeah, it's done. Ya look like a girl like that."

Without a word, Hiyori continued to stare him in the eyes. He was staring at her back; his eyes were full of comfort and warmth, which Hiyori apparently lacked and wished for. Hiyori felt agitated somehow.

"The hairpis are all red. Red suits ya. It kinda refers to passion, or impatience." said Shinji, making a light joke at the end. However, Hiyori didn't say anything. Her head was full of chaos—She didn't want to admit that her heart thumped fast whenever Shinji's hand brushed her cheek. For many years, Shinji was just her friend and a good companion although she kicked him everyday. It felt very awkward to get shy. She always thought that Shinji was just her companion, nothing more, nothing less. But why would she...get nervous when Shinji touched her, when he looked at her straight into her eyes. She had no idea at all(She wondered if she blushed, too). Then, she came across the straightforward question,

'Why would I get...blushed? Why does my heart beat so so fast? What is he to me?'

Shinji cupped her shoulders with his hands and got up to his feet. Then he patted her on the head.

"That's my Christmas gift. Don't ya have it for me?"

"Huh..? Ughh...sorry. I don't have it." murmured Hiyori, completely dazed.

Shinji smirked a little when he saw Hiyori, her body and face very stiff.

"By the way...aren't ya gonna sleep in my room? I'm no bad guy."

Hiyori punched him in his stomach. Was he under illusion? He didn't feel the punch painful at all. Rather, it felt like a soft cushion hitting him. He was proud of himself, bravely handing her the hairpins.

He found Hiyori walking ahead back to the hut. Smiling, he followed her blithely. There was one question flowing in his head,

'Would she think me as a resting nest from now on?'

The moonlight brightened the path for them as the winter breeze wafted through a group of trees.