Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. :) Just this story.
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Pictures
written by: anime16
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Chapter Three: The Rival Appears.
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"Shiro-otousan and Bed wetter ocaa-san!" Ichirou Hitsugaya, aged five, skipped a few steps towards his parents. He wrapped them in his feeble arms and cuddled closer to them.
Momo giggled and smelled the baby scent coming from her son before processing what he called her. She gasped and scowled at his husband. He was looking at her and was holding back a big laugh. She raised a hand, gently placing it to his ear and pinched it mercilessly.
"Aw...Stop it Momo! That really hurts!" Toushiro inched back from Momo and his son, giving her an innocent look. "What did I do?"
"You taught our son to call me bed wetter, aren't you?"
"Why would I do that?" Toushiro smirked. "I'm not like you who teach our children to call me weird names." He folded his arms around his chest and gave her a smug look.
"Why you..." Momo had put her child on the side and without any warning tackled Toushiro on the floor. "This is payback time."
They wrestled each other on the marble floor and accidentally pushed down a couple of boxes that they brought down from the attic.
Momo randomly picked a picture from the box.
"Hey...it was me chatting with our friends in the cafeteria..." Momo grinned, as she recalled distant memories when she was young. "When did you get this?"
"The day when we were reunited with our friend Kira Izuru..." Toushiro replied.
"Ah...that day..."
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"Hinamori-san, this is Kira Izuru-kun. Your parents told me that you're related to each other."
Soifon-sensei draped a hand on Kira's back and pushed him towards Momo. He stumbled awkwardly beside her and offered her a brief smile in which she returned half-heartedly. "I hope you guide him around school during your vacant hours. Make sure he could properly adjust to our system. He just came back from America after all." She gathered her teaching materials from her table and zoomed towards the exit, gesturing her students to follow her.
Once they were outside, Soifon-sensei looked at her wrist watch and said, "I guess it's time for homeroom. I would have to introduce Izuru-kun to everyone." She hastened her steps to the point that Momo had to take big strides to keep up.
"Are you alright?" Kira asked. "We can slow our pace, you know."
Momo shook her head in disagreement. "It's alright. I can keep up. Thanks for your concern." She huffed and decided it's probably wise to jog beside her homeroom teacher. She bit her lower lip and heaved a defeated sigh. She casted a sideway glance to Kira and took a moment to describe him in her mind.
He was tall, taller than her and definitely taller than her childhood best friend. He was lean but slightly muscular. He had blonde hair and she didn't bother to look at the color of his eyes. Again, she sighed and looked away. In her eyes, Toushiro is definitely better, more beautiful and cooler.
"It's been years since we've last seen each other," Kira told her. "I suppose you know that we're engaged."
"Yeah..." she trailed off. "But I haven't agreed on that arrangement yet." She looked at him and said, "We barely know each other. I know practically nothing about you."
"I know." Kira paused for a while before continuing, "That's why I am here right now. So we could get along and know each other."
They stopped in front of the classroom and Soifon-sensei asked Momo to get inside first. The latter nodded eagerly and entered the classroom without any argument. Soifon-sensei told Kira to wait for a while then she walked briskly inside. He heard countless greetings and her homeroom teacher's voice filled up the room.
He waited until he was being called inside. He took a deep breath before opening the door and stepped in. He looked at his classmates from the corner of his eyes. A few girls were giving him admiration looks but he wasn't interested, not a bit. He looked for Momo and found her sitting beside a white haired lad.
His lips twitched into a nervous smile. He could sense some anger and resentment from Toushiro. He raked his hair and heaved a sigh.
"His name is Kira Izuru." Soifon-sensei wrote his name in the blackboard. She faced her students and said, "I expect you to get to know him better. He's new and he's from America." She tossed the chalk aside and looked at Kira, "Izuru-kun. You can sit at the vacant seat beside Hinamori-san."
Kira nodded and skipped towards the empty seat beside his fiancée. He gave her a grin before sitting.
"Let's start our English class." Soifon-sensei opened her book and told her students, "Open your book to page 125."
On the other hand, Momo bit her lower lip. She was twisting some papers in her lap. Toushiro glanced at her and saw what she was doing. Suddenly, he stood up, surprising everyone in the class.
"Is there something wrong, Hitsugaya-kun?" Soifon-sensei asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction. "Why did you stand up all of the sudden?"
"I forgot my English book." He gave Soifon-sensei a cold smile. "I need to move my seat closer to Hinamori and share her book. Is that alright?"
"I guess..." Soifon-sensei hadn't finished what she was going to say because Toushiro had already slid his seat beside Momo. He sat comfortably and urged his teacher to get on the discussion.
Then the class started again.
Momo gave her childhood friend a questioning look. She leaned towards him and whispered, "You have your English book, aren't you? I saw it before class started."
Toushiro smirked at her and raised a finger between her lips. "Shhh...Be quiet." He stared at the bundles of papers in her laps. "You're nervous and worried, aren't you?"
"How did you know?" Momo bowed her head. "Kira-kun was serious about the engagement. I don't really know what to do now."
"You have a habit of twisting some papers in your lap and biting your lower lip when you're nervous or worried." Toushiro messed up his white hair and said, "I know because I'm always watching you."
Momo felt her heart squeeze with delight. She frowned and clamped a hand on her chest. "Eh?" She didn't know this feeling. It was not bad but it was so frustrating. It was probably the first time he felt this way towards her childhood friend.
"Is there something wrong Hinamori?" Toushiro asked worriedly. "Does your chest hurt?"
"N-No..." She offered him a reassuring smile.
"Don't scare me like that."
"I'm so sorry..." Momo placed her hands on her lap and began twisting some papers again.
Toushiro heaved a defeated sigh. He draped his hand over her hand and gently squeezed it. He said, "If you're nervous or worried, you can just take a hold of my hand. It's a lot better than the papers, isn't it? I'm always with you, no matter what. I will not leave you."
Momo grinned at him and returned the squeeze. "Thanks a lot Shiro-chan."
They held hands until the end of the English class.
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"...and this place is where we'll eat."
Momo hustled Toushiro and Kira over the cafeteria. "Oh come on! Let's continue the school tour some other day, Kira-kun. I'm starving."
They entered the cafeteria and the rich aroma of food reached them. Then Momo heard someone called her. She turned around and saw her friends waving at her. She waved back and made a sign for them to wait just a little bit longer for them.
"Shiro-chan, I've found them." Momo curled her fingers over the edge of Toushiro's shirt and pointed at the table where their friends are. He followed the direction she was pointing and saw their friends at their usual table in the cafeteria.
"Let's go and grab something to eat." He held her hand and half-dragged her to the counter with Kira tailing behind them. He reached for a tray set on the table beside the counter. Kira did the same. Both of them turned to look at Momo at the same time.
"What do you want to eat?" they asked her in chorus. It took a moment before Toushiro was able to scowl at Kira and said, "I'm the one who will get her food no matter what. I have been doing that for years."
Kira offered him a pretentious smile in which he returned with an equally shallow smile. Kira then draped a hand on Momo's arm and hauled her towards him. Toushiro who was still holding her hand, tugged her to his direction. "Let go...Izuru." His every word was like ice, so cold and menacing.
Momo blinked her eyes and stared at them. She had never seen Toushiro looking so angry and upset. And she had never seen Kira lost her cool before. He was always calm like an ocean during peaceful times. And now, there they were glaring at each other.
"Guys..." She yanked her arm from Kira and her hand from Toushiro. "I will just get my own food, ok? You don't have to fight over that petty thing." She reached for a tray and went to the counter with a smile. "One, Set A please."
She was oblivious to the fact that Toushiro and Kira were still giving each other murderous glances. She looked at them and told them, "Hurry up guys. Our friends were waiting for us."
The two lads broke off their intense staring contest and proceeded in getting their food. After a few minutes, they were already at the table, chatting merrily with the entire gang.
"Hello, Izuru-kun. My name is Orihime Inoue." She held Ichigo's arm and giggled. "And this guy over here is my boyfriend. His name is Ichigo Kurosaki." The latter blushed profusely and just gave Kira an awkward, "Nice to meet you."
"My name is Renji Abarai..." The red-haired lad trailed off and pointed at Rukia. "And I'm pursuing her."
Rukia's cheeks were tinted with red in no time and she smacked Renji's head. "Don't say unnecessary things." She looked over at Kira and uttered, "My name is Rukia Kuchiki."
"And I'm Rangiku Matsumoto." The orange head beauty gave Kira a warm smile. "I'm the source of information around here. If you want to know someone's weakness or secret, just feel free to ask me." She smirked at Toushiro's direction. The latter gave him an icy glare.
"It's nice to meet you everyone." Kira gave them a smile. "I'm Kira Izuru." He looked at Toushiro and said, "And I'm Momo Hinamori's fiancée."
"Eh?" Everyone hollered harmoniously. "Are you serious? But Hinamori is Hitsugaya's..."
They stopped when they felt a dangerous aura lurking beside them.
"Shut it Izuru..." Toushiro scoffed. "Hinamori said she's not interested in you a bit and she's not accepting you. So scram if you value your life."
He's threatening him already. And on his first day too...Everyone thought with a nervous smile.
"Shiro-chan, that's so mean. True, I already told him that I'm not accepting the arrangement but the way you put it is just so cruel." She held Toushiro and Kira's hand. She forced them to shake hands and smiled at each one of them. "Let's all get along, shall we?"
Toushiro pulled away his hand like he's having a beehive. "I'm not going to let you take her..." He hissed and grimaced at Kira. The latter guy smirked.
"I will take her with all I've got."
The glared at each other for a while then glanced away.
On the other hand, Momo was already talking with their friends, looking so content that she supposedly made Toushiro and Kira got along.
Toushiro sighed and get a camera from his pocket. He secretly focused it on Momo and snapped a picture of her. He smirked and hid the camera before anyone noticed it.
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Author's Notes: I've updated again. Thanks for reading my story. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts.
