Tite Kubo owns Bleach. Dwellin doesn't.

Updated: 9/20/12


Chapter 4

Wrapping Up the Loose Ends

Hinamori muttered incoherently. The morning light was streaming in through her window at an angle that was hitting her in the face, making it impossible to sleep.

"Stupid sun…" She muttered. Then eyes flew open, "Stupid sun?"

She glanced over at her alarm clock and groaned. No doubt about it, she had overslept by three hours. Hinamori Momo never overslept! Well, almost never.

"I can't spend the day…..' she stopped in the middle of trying to lift her head off the pillow with a gasp. Every muscle in her body felt like it was screaming in protest. Slowly, gently, she laid her head back on the pillow. Doing a quick inventory, the mahogany-haired girl knew it would be impossible to make assembly that morning even if she wasn't required to be there.

With a groan, Momo lifted a forearm to cover her eyes and muttered, "Moving bad, not moving good." Thinking it over she decided that perhaps a life of leisure had its upside. Still, it only served her right and she got what she deserved for not keeping up on her hakoda skills since graduating the Academy.

Then the activities of the night before flooded her mind and she groaned again. Momo the Black Cat almost got caught and to make matters worse, she was almost apprehended by Shiro-chan! Knowing him as well as she did, she knew that he was not going to take being bested in a conflict lying down, especially when bested by a girl and someone he knew wasn't a captain-rank class fighter! This was all she needed, a stubborn, unwavering, and cranky captain determined to bring her to justice even if he didn't know that it was Hinamori he was after.

The thing that irked was that this last break-in was just one of the Academy's ratty old equipment building! Yet she nearly got caught last night! Where was he when she broke into the Great Archive? That's when guards should have shown up.

Then a thought hit her. Wait a minute; didn't Shiro-chan say that they knew about the thefts? But how could they? She had disarmed every one that was marked on the maps. Then her mouth made a small 'oh' as it dawned on her. Maybe they put newer security measures in since the defection of the three captains.

"Drat and a half! That was stupid, stupid, and stupid, not to have thought of it beforehand! Of course they would have done that as a precaution."

The bright side, and there was a bright side, was that she didn't have to be traipsing about at night anymore breaking into places. That was fine with her since being a cat burglar obviously wasn't the life for her. Being a cat burglar amongst incredibly powerful and lethal captains was very nerve-racking, and now she knew that the captains were watching out for her! She shivered. It was a thought that could easily have her curled up in a fetal position and whimpering.

Feeling the rising need to attend certain morning ablutions, Momo threw her covers back and tried to swing her legs out of bed. All she ended up doing was rolling clumsily onto the floor with a loud thump and a cry of pain. Slowly and cautiously the Fifth's vice-captain pushed up into a sitting position. Wincing, she lifted her nightclothes to take a look at her skin and was dismayed to find huge black and blue bruises running the length of her body and her arms and legs. There was no way she could hide the fact that someone had used her for a punching bag. Shohakusho sleeves ended about mid-forearm so there was no way to hide the bruising that stretched down to her wrists.

This was not good. Also, unable to move about without wincing and moaning were telltale signs that she was in pain and then people would be asking her what she had been doing…. Oh hollow poop! Worse, her friends wouldn't stop pestering her until they got the reason why she was so stiff and sore and that just could not happen!

Putting the problem on hold to deal with after attending to the more urgent need to pee, Momo crawled to the bathroom. Once finished and while crawling back to her futon, Momo came up with an idea. The drawback was that it meant an excruciating crawl into the kitchen, and then hauling her stiff, rigid body upright to make a certain tea. Life was just full of little hurdles.

When she finally made it into the kitchen, the female shinigami forced a stiff arm up to grab the edge of the counter, and in slow motion, hauled herself up to lean against it, panting. There was no doubt about it, she would have to stay home and inside for a couple of days at least or carry a sign into Soi Fon's office saying: "It was me! I did it! Please arrest me and put me out of my misery!"

Thoughts like these haunted her as she added different leaves and tinctures, coming up with a special tea concoction Granny had taught her and only her. Holding it up to the light, dark hazel eyes evaluated the contents that swirled the glass jar until they were mixed and changed the color to a sickly green.

If she followed the directions correctly, the slight female would need to drink the equivalent of several spoonful's before the desired effect would kick in. There was more than enough in the jar to last a week. Some cat burglar she was turning out to be! Darn that Toshiro for ruining her carefully laid plans!

It took longer to return to the bedroom than it took to get to the kitchen, as it was awkward pushing the jar across the floor as she crawled. This is why one never sees an animal packing a lunch.

When she finally reached her futon, Momo placed the jar next to her bed and then leaned back to see if it could be spotted by any visitors. Part of the lid showed, but after arranging the covers, she was glad to note that it was hidden from sight by the nightstand and the blankets. At long last the bruised girl was able to crawl under her blankets, and with a grateful sigh pulled them up to her chin.

Hinamori tried out a fake cough to see how it sounded. Nope, too healthy-sounding. The shinigami tried out several different kinds of coughs, searching for the most authentic sounding before finding one that didn't sound like it was phony. Tired out, she wiggled deeper under her blankets. Who knew that feigning illness took so much work, energy, and creativity? However, it was a fine line she was walking. Momo wanted an excuse to be sick for days, but didn't want to be considered so sick that the Fourth Company's captain would be sent for.

She sighed. What a hassle it was trying to fool people.

Staring up at the ceiling, she remarked out loud, "This whole cat burglar business is inconvenient and unquestionably flushing my morals down the toilet!"

Not wanting to think about morals at the moment, she wiggled around trying to find a comfortable position so she could fall back asleep again. It would take a while for her heart to stop racing from her demanding crawl to and from the kitchen so she decided that a pep talk was just the thing, "Courage, Momo, take heart! Remember who this is for and what this is all about!"

On the heels of saying that, she recognized Kira's approaching spiritual pressure.

"What luck, I'll try this out on him first," she said, as she reached for the jar, unscrewed the lid, and took a healthy gulp and nearly spat it out. With enormous force of will and twisted features Momo forced it past the gag reflex and swallowed it; and not a moment too soon.

A light tap sounded at the bedroom door.

"Come in," she warbled hoarsely.

The door slid open and Kira's face appeared in the doorway. The slightly apologetic look that was a Kira's persistent expression was replaced with worry.

Again, reminding herself to act ill, she whispered, "What do you need Kira?" and hoped she wasn't laying it on too thick.

"I went to the Fifth's mess hall to have breakfast with you since I am off today, but you weren't there and I got worried."

Momo, playing the role of ailing friend to the hilt, smiled wanly and replied, "I have the flu." As Kira made a motion to enter the room, she added hastily, "No!" Realizing it was a bit too healthy a 'no' for a sick person, she raised her fist to cover a fake cough, and then said, "I don't want you to catch it Kira."

It took a great deal of effort, and not a bit of it was acting, but she managed to pull herself up into a sitting position. Once she was upright, she felt the tea begin to do its job. Clamping a hand over her mouth, with wide panic-stricken eyes she motioned toward the trashcan in the corner. Thankfully Kira caught on right away and bounded over, snatched it up and thrust it out in front of Momo, and not a moment too soon.

As soon as Momo was through retching and coughing, Kira set the can down and hurried to the bathroom. He found a cloth, held it under the cold water and wrung it out before rushing back to his sick friend.

The blonde shinigami made a motion like he was going to pat her face down with it but Momo held out her hand before he could get too close. Eying her anxiously, the Third's vice-captain reluctantly gave it over. After she wiped her face and mouth, Hinamori's attentive friend took it back to the bathroom and rinsed it out.

"I'm sorry, Kira," Momo said softly as he came back in, "I hope I don't give you my flu. Maybe you should go…'

"And leave you like this?" he replied indignantly.

Yes, yes, leave me like this, please! Of course, she didn't say that out loud. "Oh, I suppose I will be able to…"

"I will stay here by your side and take care of you for as long as you are sick!"

Momo caught the laughter before it erupted out her as he delivered this speech. He was trying so hard to look gallant and caring at the same time.

This is not my day! She considered while leaning back against the wall. Thankfully she was wearing the sleeping top with the long sleeves to cover up the bruises on her arm. Kira was naïve in some ways, but he had been trained and spent years in Fourth Company and obvious knew there was no "black and blue" skin disease. She wanted to grimace. Having such a perfect gentleman for a friend who wanted to help her with everything was just damned inconvenient! And everything meant just that, everything! If, he meant also helping her to bathroom, and she suspected he would insist on it, there was there was no way she could hide the bruises.

What do to, what to do, she thought with alarm. Nothing was coming to mind that would deter Kira from what he saw as a duty to a friend. Why oh why, did she have to be so blessed to have such good friends? Sometimes it really sucked to be so well thought of.

Again, using her close-to-death voice, "Kira, would you mind making me some beef broth?"

As if given the key to the city and the mayor's sash to the Seireitei, Kira whole demeanor perked right up. With a huge grin he said, "Sure, no problem, what kind of meat? Let's see, there's pork, chicken, beef, or duck? What is your preference, one, a combination of a couple, or all together?"

"Whatever, it doesn't matter to me if it moos, squeals, clucks, or quacks."

Kira grinned, and said, "You just sit tight Momo, and I'll get you that broth right away."

He turned to leave when he heard a soft, "Thank you Kira."

Looking back over his shoulder he said, unexpectedly, "I am not going to lose my friends too." With that remark, he was gone.

Momo closed her eyes, and leaned back on plumped up pillows, wondering exactly what kind of wounds Kira was walking around with that couldn't be seen from the outside. He was betrayed by and lost a captain he had so looked up to and admired; he tried to hurt, if not kill, one of his best drinking buddies; and he believed Ichimaru when the Third's captain said he wouldn't hurt Hinamori.

One tear escaped to roll down her cheek. With the back of a hand she wiped it away and sniffed loudly. Kira was one of the people she vowed to be a better friend to when all was said and done.

Weighed with an unexpected sadness, Momo only wanted to burrow deep under the covers, but she needed to be ready to drink another dose as soon as Kira's returning spirit pressure was noticeable.

This was the tricky part, getting the timing right of drinking a dose versus the time he could be expected to check up on her. The important thing was to vomit in as disgusting a manner as possible, hoping that it would gross out anyone with a weak stomach from wanting to play nursemaid.

Although, when it came to Kira, who was indeed softhearted and gentle but, unfortunately for Momo, was made of tempered steel when it came to those he considered friends. No, he wouldn't flinch no matter how disgustingly sick she became. Blast him, he was just that irritating type of self-sacrificing friend!

And so for the rest of the day, Kira brought broth and wet towels, and also emptied out the trashcan for her the couple of times after she used it. Lucky for her, she was able to talk him into sitting in the living room when he wasn't in her room taking care of her. The fervent hope was that he would get bored with nursing duties but no such luck.

Once people found out, a steady stream of visitors dropped by to see how she was doing. Her only entertainment to keep her from going insane with boredom was to track people's reiatsu. Doing that also meant she could tell when someone was coming for a visit. When they entered they were welcomed with the sight of a vomiting Momo. So visits quickly tapered off when the word got around of the amazing spewing Mount Momo-suivus.

After a few days, Kira was asked, or begged, to come in to the help in the Third Company's office. Feeling unusually resentful, she marked with irritation that the elders must have considered him of sound enough mind and let him go back on duty; obviously not a 'nutter' like Hinamori fukutaicho. Of course, Ichimaru was not one of those meticulous and diligent captains that saw keeping up with the paperwork as a near sacred duty. Instead, he left all but the most important matters to Kira to sort, sign, send on, or file.

For one brief period of time, Matsumoto agreed to take over Kira's nursemaid duties, mainly because she couldn't stand his big puppy-dog eyes when he pleaded with her to help out with taking care of Hinamori. An apologetic Kira came in early that morning to inform flu-struck girl of the change.

After he left, Momo drank some tea and waited. Sure enough, Matsumoto no sooner stuck her nose in the door to ask if Momo needed anything, when the Fifth's lieutenant gushed forth her answer into the garbage pail.

"Right," responded Matsumoto, "I'll get someone over here toot-sweet."

Without further ado, the curvaceous woman slid the door shut and set off to find Renji. It was too bad she couldn't see the expression on Hinamori's face at that moment. Momo gave herself an internal high-five. Did she know her friends or what? And Renji, he would be the easiest one of the lot to fool when it came to being sick. Since it didn't have to do with fighting or competing with his captain, he would be oblivious to her subterfuge.

Momo had decided that morning she should had been sick long enough and should start the healing mend so didn't vomit once the rest of the day. Was Renji lucky or what? Actually, she was getting tired of faking sick, it was too much work. And she was sure her friends would certainly appreciate it too, some more than others.

As it turned out, even though it was only for one day, Renji was a better caretaker than she would have expected. Underneath that macho guy exterior beat the heart of a gentle person. Rukia was a fortunate woman, decided Momo, if she decided Renji was the one for her.

When she let Renji know in no uncertain terms that she wasn't interested in a blow-by-blow detail of every drop of spilled blood from his past battles, Renji began telling her all about how the ryoka became the Soul Society's friends and his part in all the events. Surprisingly, Renji observed many relational messages even if he didn't understand what they all meant, but Momo could tell. Ishida was interested in Orihime, Orihime was interested in Kurosaki, who was interested in Rukia and no one knew for sure if she was interested in him the same way or if it was Renji. She was glad she wasn't involved in anything like that. It looked like a big mess.

Then, without realizing it, her thoughts drifted toward Hitsugaya.

Interlude

"Taicho?" The whine could only be one person; her voice drifting out to him from the small kitchen in the room off to the side.

"Do we have to patrol tomorrow night? Don't they know we just did it last night! It's like they have decided sleep is a hobby, and unnecessary one at that!"

Hitsugaya placed the last piece of paperwork in his outbox. Everything was caught up, orders for the next day's schedule were already posted, any new regulations issued at the last captain's meeting were circulated, new recruits were assigned to squads, requisitions were filled for the next quarter, efficiency reports were finished, and everything was in order. All, he might add, accomplished without the help of his fukutaicho.

A loud clatter came from the kitchenette. Doors were being opened and then slammed shut. When the muttered oaths started getting louder he took pity on his lieutenant and informed her, "I had someone come in and clean everything out."

There was a long pause and then a plaintive, "Everything?"

"You heard me."

"I heard you but I can't believe it!"

Matsumoto's voice could be heard muttering quietly to herself as she continued to search and Hitsugaya wondered how long she would keep rummaging around when it was obvious that all the sake bottles were gone from their hiding places.

"Taaaaiiiiichooooo," she whined, louder this time.

"Spare me Matsumoto. Oh, I forgot to mention it, but that Kurosaki kid brought something back from the human world to give you."

The ginger-haired woman was at his desk before the sentence finished leaving his mouth.

"What is it?" Her light blue-gray searched his desk avidly. "Where is it? Is it jewelry? Mani-pedi kit? Gift card?"

The silver-white haired captain snorted softly to himself and pulled out a piece of paper from his desk drawer and handed it to her. "Here."

"It's a piece of paper."

Dur, he thought to himself as he watched her scans flash back and forth across the brochure.

"Storm warning," warning, thought Hitsugaya to himself as he watched the thunderous expression settled over his lieutenant's face. Yes indeed, a dark cloud was on the horizon and a whale of a storm was in the forecast. He readied for the explosion.

"WHAT! He thinks that I'm an alcoholic!"

Angrily, Matsumoto crumpled up the paper and hurled it toward the garbage. "

When's he due back? I'll show him twelve steps! Twelve steps right up his ass! He comes barging into our home without so much as a 'by your leave', beats the snot out of law-abiding citizens, and then gets all high and mighty about my drinking problems! I don't have problems with drinking! People like him are my problem!"

Only she would edit the story of the ryoka's invasion just for her benefit thought Hitsugaya as he rested his chin in his palm and watched with a bored expression as his adjutant stomped around the office calling the orange-haired ryoka every name in the book and then some. It must be an off day for her since she was responding in such a low-key fashion. It only took several trips around the room ranting and raving about uppity humans before Matsumoto calmed down enough to return back to his desk.

Crossing her arms under her most impressive feature only tended to emphasize them, but instead of being impressed he just sighed resignedly.

Finally, as the silence stretched out, he asked, "Tired are we?" as he looked up at her out of the corner of his eye and noted the dark circles under her eyes. "It looks like these night missions are beginning to take their toll."

"I am not tired…. I am out of sorts, it is a different thing altogether," she asserted, "And if I can't drink now," she shot an accusing look at her captain who shook his head, "then I should at least be able to take a nap!"

"I don't have a problem with that." Hitsugaya stood up, picked up the personal report he wrote on the events of the night before and started for the door. Before sliding the door shut behind him, he looked over his shoulder and said, "You will need that nap. We are definitely scheduled again for tonight."

"NOT AGAIN! I KNEW IT!" Matsumoto wailed and threw herself down on the couch with a flounce and a pout. "We did it last night and the night before too! I swear taicho, they're picking on us!" When he slid the door open, it finally dawned on her that he was leaving and asked, "Hey, where are you going?"

With a long-suffering shake of his head he slid the door shut behind him. She really didn't need to ask. She already knew where he was going. He was going to have a chat with some of Hinamori's friends. Ever since Hinamori didn't want to see him, he kept tabs on her by asking (i.e. grilling mercilessly) her friends about her whereabouts, her activities but especially so this past week since she was laid up in bed with the stomach flu.

With a nose wrinkled in disgust, Matsumoto informed him earlier that morning how lucky it was that he was barred from Hinamori's life right now and how could she go about getting on that exclusive list too? Taking care of a sick fukutaicho while they tossed up their cookies every time someone stuck their nose in the room to check up on them, well that was not Matsumoto's idea of a dream job.

The fact that Rangiku turned on her heel right after the first experience didn't mean that she didn't care; she just wanted to care from afar, not up close and personal within vomiting range. There was a reason that the voluptuous shinigami was never recruited for the Fourth Company. Even thinking back over the morning was making her feel a little queasy to her stomach.

"I think I'll go visit Hisagi, or even Kyoraku. Neither one is a workaholic…, oh damn!" She lifted her hand and placed it next to her mouth to yell after Hitsugaya even though he was long gone and she knew it, "I should have made a comment about a twelve-step program for sadistic workaholic midgets who suck all the joy out of life!" Why do I think of these clever things when it's too late?

It was then that the couch cast an enticing magical spell over Matsumoto and she responded, "I love this couch, I want to be buried with this couch." She stretched out over the surface and was asleep before her head landed on the arm.

How To Settle a Dispute, Abarai-Style

Momo blocked the downward swing to her head. The blow rattled her teeth and reverberated all the way up her arms to her shoulders. It was becoming tiresome while at the same time getting harder to block with each successive attack since Renji was coming back with increasingly harder blows. She couldn't complain though as he agreed to train with her today.

"You are getting better at anticipating the attack Hinamori," Renji acknowledged even as he leaped back and blocked a sweep aimed at his legs. "Although you still need to build your upper body strength, I don't see any problems with your speed."

Momo had approached Renji that morning to ask if he would help her train. While it was that ever since he achieved bankai, he could act a little uppity at times but for the most part he was accommodating. However, he could have done without the pat on the head in that oh-so condescending way of 'isn't the little girl so cute, she wants to play with the big boys'. Fortunately for her, Hinamori was much faster than she used to be and stronger too, but she had been holding back so far. Maybe now was a good time to show Renji she was stronger than he realized.

Leaping up straight in the air the diminutive shinigami brought her blade back so it would look like she was going for an overhead strike when she suddenly twisted and brought the blade in quickly, swinging in a lightening sweep from low to high in an upward strike. It wasn't meant to be a power hit, what she was hoping to do was to create an opening for a precision thrust. If he didn't see it, then he would get a sharp poke in the stomach.

Renji barely leaped back in time as her blade whistled past him and Momo was satisfied to see his eyes widen in surprise. When he retaliated with a mid-level strike she not only blocked his blow but also twirled her blade around his and almost created an opening to go straight in. Not having the arm reach that Renji did, she couldn't quite make it work but still, her attack made him parry and retreat rather than attack.

Not pausing to gloat (like a certain someone with red hair would) the Fifth's lieutenant bent low to the ground and faked a side swing. Taking advantage of being low to the ground, she launched a blitz, coming at the tall lieutenant from underneath.

At his smirk and raised tattooed eyebrow, Momo frowned and sprang straight up and did a back flip over his head while shoving Tobiume straight at his face. Again reach that she didn't possess would have been the deciding factor in this move. Even though she wasn't close to marking him, the red-haired male dodged to the side to evade her attack. Once his foot hit ground he was already moving in a spin to face her, but he had landed slightly off balance and both knew he was lashing out from an unstable stance.

Despite that, Renji carried through with a responding attack even though his right shoulder was lower than it should be and he wobbled slightly as he launched. This gave a fierce-eyed female the opening she was looking for and lunged. Regardless of his off balance stance Renji perceived her intention and leaped back from the point of her zanpakutou while bringing up Zabimaru to block any reciprocal attack.

The red-haired shinigami was barely able to fend off her pressing attack and was forced back a step or two until he got his feet firmly set under him and began to unleash his own return attacks. It was more difficult than he anticipated for she pressed her advantage and charged in to keep him from regrouping and gaining the space needed to unleash Zabimaru.

The two blades whipped around in the air, and swinging so fast they were a blur to the eye. Finally, because of his superior height, strength, experience, not to mention a longer reach, the tattooed lieutenant of the Sixth was able to send Momo flying back with a powerful blow.

He had to work for it though thought Momo with satisfaction before she landed.

Renji admitted with a huge grin, "I see you have been practicing already, Hinamori. Should we take this to the next level?"

Actually, what she was hoping he would release his bankai. Even when she was pressing in close keeping him from unfurling Zabimaru in his shikai, Momo knew that an intense exchange would cause Renji to get caught up in a fighting boy hormonal response. Maybe it would cause him to release into a bankai. The she could practice evading and attacking until he won. The female shinigami knew she couldn't best him then, but only hoped to have the experience of fighting against someone with a bankai.

However, instead of releasing his bankai, Renji began to flash step back and forth, behind her, in front of her, to the side, up on a rock pile, and holding a position long enough for her to think that he was going to attack from that spot before moving again. Momo began to flash step as well. This too she had been working on.

Dodging, swinging, leaping and yelling, with metal dancing and clashing against metal so quickly that it looked more like blades of lightening were battling, until finally at one point the vice-captains rushed at each other at the same time and blocked each other's blade on their own. Pausing for a fraction of a second while catching their breath, the two sweating shinigami took a moment to stare into each other's eyes. Momo's toffee-colored eyes were aflame with determination while, again, Renji's were wide with surprise.

"Hey, when did you get…" he started when Hinamori suddenly pushed off of him and used a flesh step to jump back and off to the side.

Renji responded with a feral smirk and also began moving rapidly across the training ground toward her. Now this was his kind of training! No longer was it just helping out a weaker classmate but now it was closer to his level of fighting ability, as long he didn't release Zabimaru. Hinamori was giving him a good workout.

"Way to go Momo! Soon you will have the strength, expertise, and skill to back up that courage of yours."

"What courage?" Momo asked. She hopped off a rock pile and steadied her stance, ready for him to attack.

"Huh?" Renji actually stopped in his tracks, taken aback at her response.

"Renji I'm not brave but I want to be and I am working on it," she stated firmly while wondering at his reaction.

"Momo," he replied, "Don't you remember when those new kind of hollows attacked us on our student training? You were the only one who went back to help Hisagi. The rest of us ran in fear!"

"Oh," she said quietly, her mind harkening back to their Academy days.

Both shinigami faced each other while holding their zanpakutou with both hands in a low position as they breathed heavily.

"Oh that," she remarked again, a soft pink blush rising to her cheeks, "I had forgotten."

"Oh? She says 'oh'? How could you possibly forget?! I have never forgotten that time and I assure you, Kira hasn't either."

"Well," she protested, the light pink turning darker, "You know, you and Kira did come back to help Hisagi. I couldn't have stopped that hollow from killing Hisagi without your help."

Renji did his bored, 'you are so stupid' look that he usually reserved for Rukia, before saying, "You can be such an idiot sometimes Hinamori. We didn't just come back to help him, we came back to help you! The thing is, we wouldn't have come back at all if you hadn't raced back to Hisagi's side first. And you know what?"

She shook her head.

"He knows that you saved his life long enough…" this part was hard for Renji to admit, "Until those captains showed up and saved everyone. Hisagi won't ever let us forget it either."

Renji said in a sing-song voice, "Momo is braver than you will be at any given time!" Then the red-spiked shinigami snorted, "Top of his class, skipped a few levels, feh, thinks he's so tough! He doesn't think much of anyone who isn't a way better fighter than he is, except for you Momo." Here he stared at Momo as if seeing her for the first time.

Momo couldn't think of anything to say.

Renji studied his friend's face and went on, "He thinks you are the bravest shinigami he has ever seen," he stopped to watch her face now turning a beet red before continuing, "Even if you were insubordinate 'cause you didn't follow orders, and a bit of an idiot 'cause you certainly would have been killed. Neither of those things discounts that you were the only one who raced back to help even though it was your first trip out."

They stared at each other for a moment before he smiled and asked, "Hey Hinamori, why don't you transfer to my company?"

"What?"

"Sure, and then we could have more time to train and whip you into fighting shape."

Momo winced, she had no desire to be whipped into shape, by him or anyone else.

Renji went on enthusiastically, unaware of his friend's pained expression, "We might not be as hot-to-trot to fight as those nut jobs from the Eleventh, but we do get to fight just as much as they do while also priding ourselves on being first-rate shinigami," here he tilted his head thoughtfully and stroked his chin, "although it is a bit quieter than the mayhem over at their company. Captain Kuchiki likes things more orderly and calm."

Momo had no doubts about orderly or calm when it concerned Captain Kuchiki but she was skeptical that he would want someone with a besmirched reputation in his company.

Discerning her doubtful look, he gave her a cocky grin; "Ah he's different now that Kurosaki beat the shit out of him!"

With lowered head while doodling in the dirt with the tip of Tobiume, the chestnut-haired girl hesitated then took a deep breath before asking, "Uh Renji, is that all it takes?"

Now a quizzical Renji lowered the tip of his zanpakutou to the ground as Momo looked up and each regarded the other.

Finally Renji asked, "What in the world are you talking about?" His face scrunched as he tried to figure out if this was going to be one of those female questions that either took a mathematician or a magician to figure out, and with him being neither, he was sure not to be able get this one right. (If there was such a thing as a right answer.)

"Is this how men resolve conflict, by beating each other up until all that's left on the floor is a little pile of drool?"

He was right. It was like females communicated in an alien language. It was like there was a double-meaning that only other members of their gender could understand. And he was standing with his toes right on the brink of a towering cliff with the ground nowhere in sight.

"Well, yeah," He answered slowly but thinking furiously. "Uh, most things, er some things," he quickly amended, "can be worked out that way."

"Well that's just stupid!" Frowned Momo.

This was the problem with having friends who were girls. They always thought what guys liked was stupid but then, still wanted to spend hours with their friends discussing the opposite gender and trying to figure them out! Geez, it gave him a headache!

"Hey, it works for us." He grumbled, a deep frown pulling his tattoos down in a dark frown.

"Truly?"

"Yeah," he answered slowly, not sure where this was going. Not only was he on the brink but someone was sneaking up from behind.

"If I were to, oh say,…" she rolled her eyes upward trying to understand this very strange way that males dealt with relational issues, "trounce the pudding out of someone, would that help them come to terms with my point of view?"

Again, right at the brink but now that sneaky someone was shoving him!

"Er, not sure what you mean Hinamori, it depends on the type of…"

She interrupted, "Okay, if I got the upper hand in a scuffle, let's say, even though I was doing something they disagreed with…"

Renji's eyebrows and tattoos went climbing up his forehead, "Wait a minute, back up a sec here. You beat the snot out of someone? You? Whoa there!" He held up a hand and waved it back and forth for her to give him a minute to grasp the picture forming in his mind.

Momo frowned and grumbled, "Well, you don't have to say 'you' in that tone of voice! I can be a pretty mean opponent if I want to be!"

One of his eyebrows twitched, and he started chuckling. "Yeah, right, Momo the Fierce! Gotcha, what a laugh!"

"Hey it's not funny! I am a lean, mean shinigami machine!" Protested Momo clutching her sword hilt tightly. She was starting to get upset at his merriment at her expense.

"You've watched too many of those movies Ichigo loaned me!" said Renji laughing but at her glowering look, he tried to put on a more serious face. "Okay then, le'me get this straight. Yougot in a fight with someone, and it was a 'guy' someone, right?"

He waited until he saw her give a sharp nod of her brown head, before going on, "And you won?"

He waited until he saw another quick nod. "Would this someone not be very likely to accept defeat gracefully?"

She winced again before nodding.

Now he was curious, "Who is it?"

"Can't say."

"Won't say?"

"Lips are sealed!"

He eyed his friend questioningly before replying, "All I can tell you is that it depends on the guy. If he is someone who doesn't get defeated often, or has a great deal of pride in his talents and skill, then afterwards he is definitely not going to want to air-kiss, do mani-pedi's with you in an effort to make nice with you."

He rubbed his chin, eyes lifted to the horizon in thought before remarking, "Well, my guess is that he won't be satisfied until he has bested you in another fight." He then looked her up and down skeptically, "Although, it must have been someone pretty weak."

"Hey! I resent that!"

"What, you're not exactly competition for Zaraki are you?"

Momo frowned, looked down and off to the side and grumbled, "Well, no."

"So, if he's strong in any way whatsoever, and by some quirky miracle you managed to defeat him," he looked at her again, sizing her up with a doubtful expression, "Then be prepared for more challenges from…" he stretched it out hoping she would fall for it.

"Renji, I am not going to tell you who it is and that's all there is to it!"

"Okay then, looks like the conversation is over and nothing left to do but fight! " He grinned wickedly, while raising Zabimaru and waving at it her threateningly.

"Ack!" Momo cried at the fierce expression on her friend's face, "I'm not ready yet!" And she wasn't, she wanted to talk some more to try and understand the male mind; if that was at all possible.

For the moment though, the wisest course of action was to run, and she did.

Renji chased after her yelling, "Too bad Hinamori! Enemies don't wait until you are done powdering your nose!"

And then, just to really tick her off, he started yelling: "Girls make bad soul reapers! Hollows aren't afraid of pink! I bet your bankai's a curling iron! What if it's your time of the month? Think that'll scare them off?"

"You didn't!" Momo skidded to a stop, spun, leapt, and swung all in one smooth motion, smacking Renji's blade hard and moving it off point a bit. She would have followed through on the attack but he leaned back and twirled going low as her blade passed over him. Using his momentum, he would have tackled the female shinigami around the waist except she was already in the air. One petite foot planted and pushed lightly off from Renji's back.

"Hah!" She yelled as she spun in mid-air to bring Tobiume down but instead found herself wrapped up in the bony plated spine of Zabimaru. Hinamori struggled for a few more minutes but knew it was a futile cause. She was caught and caught but good.

"You win! Although you had to use bankai to do it!" She called to him and then noticed the change in his clothing upon releasing his bankai. "Renji! That outfit is so cool!"

If it were possible, she would have said that the red spikes of his ponytail stood up straighter as he glowed with pride over Zabimaru.

Then it occurred to her, "Hey! You did it without calling his name either! Wow Renji that's really great! You've become so much stronger and should be proud of yourself!"

Renji gently placed Momo on the ground before sealing Zabimaru to blade form, and then he walked toward Momo who was busy dusting herself off.

Momo smiled at the proud look of accomplishment on Renji's face and wanted to keep it there for just a little longer. She knew that Renji didn't get a lot of affirmation from his captain. In fact, none at all from what Momo could tell. She smiled at her friend and remarked, "How about I buy you some lunch? You beat me square and fair and without even calling out your bankai. Totally cool Renji!"

Now he scuffed the toe of a sandal in the dirt and she nearly giggled at his awkwardness at receiving a compliment. It was sad that he didn't often receive them.

"C'mon Renji, like I said, my treat." She slid Tobiume home and then linked an arm through Renji's and began pulling him with her. It didn't take much; he was quite willing to let her buy him lunch especially if she kept complimenting him like that.

Deep in the recesses of her heart, she could wish that that it was Renji that she was in love with instead of the wielder of Hyourinmaru. Too bad, she thought, that one can't choose whom to fall in love with.

It was later that night when Momo left her quarters and made her way across the Seireitei to her destination. She was in her normal shinigami outfit. A newly clean one, and she made sure everything was perfect.

She had come to an important decision and knew that she couldn't take on this whole quest of hers alone. A good shinigami should be able to assess the different aspects of a situation and know when one could take on a burden alone, or when it was time to bring in wiser heads.

Yes, this was an important private visit. There was someone she needed to consult with and only hoped the individual would agree to see her. For Momo Hinamori had come to the conclusion that it was time to consult a wiser head than hers.


Thanks for reading, input is always welcome because I'm fueled by compliments.

Oh, just a reminder, yes there will be Hitsu/Hina moments coming, but this is a story with a plot, I have many chapters to go so hang in there.

Dwellin