(A/N: Hey! That was a long wait, wasn't it? I want to thank my newest follower squirtlepokemon215 and my long-time reviewer yuki. I really do appreciate it all. This chapter would've been up sooner but I accidentally converted it into Korean, and it just got hard to translate, so I had to start all over. Life is so hard. I'm not revealing anything about the plot. It'll unfold as the story progresses. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.)
Bickering could be heard from inside. A familiar male and an unknown female voice were arguing. Yachiru grabbed Hinamori's arm and yanked her down under one of the many large windows. They peeked their colored heads up and glanced at the scene before them.
"I advise you to do your paperwork, Matsumoto."
"But taichou, I already did mine. See?" a strawberry blonde woman pouted. He hands came up and flailed to show her work.
"Signing your name on the first page of you work is not completion," he stated.
Yachiru laughed and Hinamori giggled. The strawberry blonde, known as Matsumoto, walked over to the window and grabbed the two girls from the floor.
"Ah, Yachiru. You scared me!"
"Gomen Ran-chan," Yachiru laughed.
By then, all three girls were sitting on the couch in the middle of the room. This was the captain's office; he did his paperwork and assignments in here.
"Right. My name is Matsumoto Rangiku. Please, call me Rangiku."
Hinamori nodded. She opened her mouth, "My name's-,"
"- Hinamori Momo. Everyone knows who you are here," Rangiku cut off.
Hinamori briefly looked at Toshiro and then back at Rangiku. "How?" Hinamori asked.
"You're the future bride of taichou!" Rangiku blurted out.
As soon as the words left her mouth, a pen was thrown at her head with so much force that it knocked her to the ground. Taichou? Hinamori gaped at Toshiro.
"How could you hit her Shiro-chan?" she gasped.
Yachiru and Rangiku were astonished. They hadn't thought the sweet girl in front of them would question his actions.
"Isn't it about time for your breath, Matsumoto?"
Rangiku quickly nodded, grabbed Yachiru's head, and hurried out the door. Hinamori got up from her spot on the couch and walked behind Toshiro's chair. She pulled his chair outwards and draped her arms over his shoulders. Her head came down and rested on the crook of his neck.
"H-Hinamori?" he stuttered.
"You're a taichou, right? You're wearing the same white haori like all the others where we first arrived."
His body tensed. He had to come clean sooner or later. "Hai," he sighed.
"Am I your bride?" she whispered.
Toshiro gulped. Now came the hard part. How am I gonna get out of this? "Do you have any objections?"
Hinamori picked her head up. "I only need you," she said.
He looked down. His eyes softened at her statement. "Do you want me to explain what happened?"
"Please. I want to know why and how this all came to be," Hinamori pleaded.
He nodded. Might as well get comfortable. He held her arms and turned her around to face him. He grabbed her legs and lifted her onto his lap. Her legs straddled him on either side of his waist. Her hands were gently placed on his chest while his were wrapped around her waist. They stared into each other's eyes. Both blushed a bit but tried not to give much thought to their situation.
Hinamori asked, "What am I here?"
"You're a shinigami. You're going to be placed as the main lieutenant of the Fifth Division as soon as you get your zanpakuto and reach shikai."
Hinamori was bewildered. "Wait. When I was little, Okka-san used to read me books that contained those terms. It's true?"
"Everything in those books was true. I wonder if she was trying to warn you or help you understand what your life would be like."
Hinamori nodded. "Are the captains the strongest?"
"Your mother and the Head-taichou are. But we're second in power."
Her hands came traveled themselves up into his hair. "Why am I here?"
"I- we wanted to keep you safe."
"From what?"
Toshiro hesitated before mumbling, "Death."
Her grip on his hair tightened.
"You know, you're taking this awfully well..."
"Can you take me to the bathroom?" she asked.
Instead of setting her feet on the ground, he carried her like a baby to a door in his large office. He gently set her down and opened the door for her.
"Leave," she muttered.
He nodded, but waited until the door slid shut. He backed up against the wall behind him and rested. There was so much to tell her. Toshiro sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. Just as he did, he snapped them open and looked at the shut door. His ears perked at the sound coming from inside.
"Hinamori?" he called.
"Don't come inside!" she sniffled.
The door flew open. Hinamori was on the floor hugging her knees to her chin. Toshiro stepped in and carefully tried to unfold her form. He caught a glimpse at her face though her bangs. She was crying. Why?
"What's wrong Hinamori?" he questioned.
"I just want to go back home. None of this is real; none of this can be real. Please take me back Shiro-chan," she cried.
He hugged her. He could feel the pain she was going through. She was born as a human, she was kept from her normal life, and she was an heir to a powerful cause. Her hands clutched his shirt while she wailed into his shoulder. Gomen ne Hinamori. His hand reached up and poked at the back of her neck. She immediately slumped against his body.
He sighed. I should've known she wouldn't believe any of this. He carried her out of his division and to the Fourth Division. He didn't knock, he went straight in to the captain's office. A woman with black braided hair in front of her throat sat behind a desk. She lifted her head at the sudden intrusion.
"Hitsugaya-taichou," she acknowledged.
Unlike his office, there wasn't a couch or any other form of sitting arrangements. He stood at the door, not moving. The woman glanced at the lady in his arms. She got up and made her way to his spot. She searched the girl's face for any signs of disease, but found none.
"I don't understand. She seems perfectly fine."
"I want her to gain her memories back, Unohana-taichou."
"I can't do that."
"You can, but you won't."
"Not unless I have direct orders to from the Queen or the Head."
He frowned, "It's crucial and you know it."
"She will learn by herself. It's not right of me to be of any assistance."
He left. There wasn't any use to hear what she had to say anymore. He wordlessly left back to his barracks. Sigh. I can't believe this. He walked to his room. He laid her down on his futon. He didn't feel her grip on his clothes until he tried to move. She was curled up on her left side with her right hand clutching his shirt. His eyes softened at her action. His hand reached to hers and tugged it to get loose.
Strange. She won't let go. He sighed and decided to stay until she let go. He silently lied down and tucked both of them in.
Mmhm. Hinamori squinted her eyes tight. She slightly moved her head up into something soft, and warm. She moved closer into the warmth she felt. Ah, it's so warm. Her legs curled upwards into something hard. Her eyebrows furrowed. What is that? She gripped her hands and felt a material run through them. Her nose moved forward into something hard too. Hinamori began to open her eyes slowly.
The first thing she saw was a white wonderland. She shifted her head back and looked up. She gasped. Shiro-chan. His eyes were closed and his face was peaceful. Her hand reached up and rested on his cheek. She stroked it a few times before sliding down to his bare neck. You're a handsome man, Shiro-chan. Her mind fogged with thoughts of him. Without realizing, her face inched closer to his.
Their lips were a few centimeters away. Her hand gripped his haori while her face tilted to the side. The skin of her lips touched his a tinsy, tiny bit. His eyes snapped open. Hinamori abruptly pushed his chest for leverage to move away. He jerked his body backwards. Hinamori lowered her eyes and clenched her hands.
"G-gomen. I didn't mean to-," Hinamori started.
He sprung towards her. Her back hit the futon and her arms were pinned to the side of her head. Toshiro brought his face towards her neck. He calmly breathed in her scent. His nose tickled the side of her neck while traveling north. Hinamori sucked her breath in when she felt his lips graze over hers. He didn't stop there, he went all the way up to her forehead. He planted a small kiss there and removed herself.
"Come on. We have to get dressed."
He stood and offered a hand to help her up. She nodded and slid her delicate hand into his. Both teens walked out to the office. A knock sounded on the door, a moment later, it opened. Yoruichi came in with a smirk on her face. Hinamori understood the unspoken visit and left Toshiro's side.
"Where're you taking her?" Toshiro asked.
"As far as I know, it's none of your concern," Yoruichi amused.
"Shall I remind you of what happened a few years ago?"
"You were born," Yoruichi snickered.
Toshiro scowled, "You know what I mean!"
"Well, if you must know, I'm taking her to train."
Toshiro nodded. Yoruichi took Hinamori's arm and led her out. Toshiro walked back to his room to wash up. He went to his personal washroom to freshen up. He slid the door shut and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He splashed water onto his face and touched his lips. His fingers lingered at the spot her skin had came over. It's only a matter of time.
"Swing with more force Peachy-chan! When someone wants to kill you, you have to put up a fight!"
"Wakatta."
Hinamori stepped back and blocked another one of Yachiru's attack. For a midget, you sure pack a punch. Hinamori pushed against Yachiru's kendo sword and swung her arm out in offense. Yachiru, being many levels ahead, jumped away. They had been practicing for more than an hour and Hinamori was the only one sweating. So far, Yachiru was trying to get Hinamori to follow one of the most basic forms of position: step back, defend, swing.
"Whew. I think that's enough for today," Yachiru stated.
Hinamori plopped to the floor in exhaustion. She heard the door open and shut. Hinamori lifted her head and saw no one. I should start now. She sat up and grabbed her wooden blade. She slowly stood and focused on calming herself. When her mind was blank, she trust her arm forwards and then to the side. She repeated the action faster and with different footwork.
A few minutes later, she stopped and dropped to her knees. Why is it so hot? Swear rolled down her forehead and dripped to the floor. She raised her hand to wipe it off but stopped midway. Her hand was glowing a bright red color. Her eyes widened when small bits of the glow flew to the floor. She hesitated to lift her hand but did so. Her fingers wiggled and she let out a scream.
"Hinamori!"
The glow shot at the wall her had faced. Instead of a full wall, there was a gigantic hole carved so precisely, not a piece of wood scattered on the floor. A weight pressed on Hinamori's shoulder, causing her to grip the person with her glowing hand. She turned around and saw Yoruichi cringing in pain. Hinamori immediately let go and rose to her feet.
(A/N: Phew. That took forever. I won't update for some time because I'm busy. Leave a review. Thanks for all the support. :3 )