Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Warning: vile language that usually comes from Momo's mouth.

A/N: Here's another installment of FYATTO. This is the fluffy chapter! :)

Legend: Talking, Cat's talking, Thinking


For You, A Thousand Times Over

by The Chrysanthemum

Chapter 7- Saving You


-Momo Hinamori

Something's not right, she thought.

Following her gut, she began to seek out the nagging feeling that's causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. Wheeling her IV drop, she turned to another hallway, only to find herself looking at a dog. The dog was just sitting there, its small, beady eyes glaring at her, and its bushy tail curling up as the tip was nearly touching it's back. It's double-coated fur has a red distinctive color to it, almost bordering to deep, fuchsia. It's triangular ears poised perfectly on it's bear-like head resembling to a full-adult Akita.

Hinamori could feel a menacing aura emanating from the dog. If it didn't have a grim appearance, she would have thought that it was adorable.

Where did this come from?!

"Hello? Is this someone's dog?" she asked, looking around the corridor and realizing that she was alone.

Furthermore, she didn't see an owner tag hanging from its neck and her unanswered question echoed through the desolate hallway. She looked at the canine when it's tail started to wag, dragging it across the surface of the floor while sniffing the air.

Oh. It's harmless.

She began to approach it when, all of a sudden, she heard an abysmal growl rising from its throat. It's fur flaring upwards as it's eyes glowed turning into bloodshot crimson.

"Good doggy?" Momo gulped, retreating back at the end of the hallway.

It advanced slowly towards her, it's nose crunching up. Only if she could have stayed in bed and just waited for morning to come before searching for food. The muscles of its front paws tensed up, ready to spring forward at her direction.

This is the time where I should start running.

As if sensing her plan, the dog sprang forward, baring his sharp fangs. Momo pivoted the balls of her feet and sprinted away from the canine, tearing her IV in the process. She grabbed her IV drop in mid-run and threw it behind her as the IV bag splattered onto the floor, praying that it will slow the dog down. The mongrel only jumped over it as Momo looked for an escape route, and she could sense the dog gaining speed behind her.

There!

Spotting the janitor's closet that was slightly open, she darted towards it with all her might while ignoring the spiking pain that was throbbing throughout her legs. Momo bolted inside, slamming the door and locking it just in time as its rigid claws pounded the painted wood. She backed up as far against the wall of the confined room, knocking over mops and buckets along the way.

Gasping for air, she grabbed the fallen mop off the floor and, with shaking hands, she held it up in front up her, acting as a weapon. The loud hammering outside the door only intensified and for a minute there, she thought that the thing, separating her and from the enraged beast, would break down. With a shred of rationalized logic that was left in her, she collapsed on the floor.

I'm not ready to die yet! I didn't celebrate my 17th birthday yet for crying out loud!

The growling gradually grew, roaring inside her ears, within passing second. Like a mantra, Momo repeated the same phrase of 'I'm not ready to die yet.'

"I didn't experience my first date or even have a boyfriend for that matter," she cried, out loud. "And what would Granny do without me?!"

While she was going through the things that she wasn't able to do in her bucket list, she failed to notice that the growling had stopped and so did the scratching. After a minute, realizing that her mind wasn't playing tricks on her, she stood up and with trembling fingers; she clasped the doorknob. The door creaked open as she peered outside, her 'weapon' ready at her side.

When she turned her head to inspect if the coast was clear, she met a pair of vivid, teal eyes staring right back at her. Surprised and caught off guard, she fell down on her butt, landing with a loud thud. She felt him went rigid and stretched out his hand towards her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"W-where's the d-dog?" she stuttered, wildly looking for any signs that the beast might come back.

"T-there was a d-dog chasing me," she added in attempt of making herself less stupid.

John Smith kneeled down at the same height level as she was.

"What dog?" he responded, gazing at her with a mystified look on his face.

Momo leaned against the wall, bringing her knees close to her chest.

"I-it was there... I saw it!" she whispered, aware that she was sounding like a complete idiot.

I'm not crazy!

"You must be hallucinating. Pets aren't allowed inside the hospital."

"But it was there. It's eyes glowed and stuff!" she said, her voice rising to a higher octave as she stood up suddenly, angry that he didn't believed her. On second thought, who would?

Putting one hand against the wall, supporting herself, she fought the dizziness that was overcoming her body.

"You should go back and rest," he whispered while lightly clutching her shoulders, preventing her from stumbling backwards.

"How did it disappeared?" she said, fighting the heaviness behind her eyes.

Her mind was in turmoil between either believing his claims or the event based on what she saw.

Millions of questions swirled inside her mind as she remembered John pulling her close to his chest while sleep conquered her slowly.

"You... smell nice," she murmured, "... reminds me of winter."

And with that statement, she fell unconscious.

.

.

.

She woke up, refreshed, and stretched her arms while yawning. For some odd reason, that was the best sleep she had in ages.

"Morning," came a baritone voice.

She whipped her head and found John sprawled over the brown couch besides the door. Her breath became stuck to the her throat when sunlight spilled into the room, highlighting all of his features. His turquoise eyes gleaming under the bright sunrise.

"Had a good sleep?" he asked, pulling himself into a sitting position.

Momo, having a sudden awareness of her appearance, frantically smoothed her mussy hair, getting rid of the hair that was standing up at the back of her head, and stealthily, as she could, wiped the dry saliva off on the corner of her mouth.

"I'll take that as a yes," he chuckled.

She turned onto a deep shade of red, averting eye contact, when her stomach growled. Flustered, she ducked under the covers, ashamed to show her face, and prayed that he didn't hear it. She heard him laughed and she froze. Something about that laugh made her smile in joy.

"You must be hungry," he said, mid-laugh. "I brought sliced peaches and hamburgers."

Hinamori perked up at the mention of her favorite fruit.

"Peaches?" she peeked out of her blankets.

John went over to the table that held the daisies, and brought out a large, carton box. Forgetting her embarrassing moment, Momo with quick reflex, grabbed the box from him despite the soreness of her arms. She opened it while he gave her a plastic fork. Deciding to save the peaches for last, Hinamori took out the hamburger, unwrapping the wrapper, and took a huge bite off it.

"~Hmm~" she mumbled, closing her eyes at the taste.

It's true, anything taste better when you're hungry, she thought.

When she opened her eyes, she found John staring at her with a strange expression in his teal eyes.

"Oh!"

Forgetting her manners, she gulped down the remaining piece of the hamburger and asked, "What about you?"

"I ate already," he smiled, the outer corners of his eyes crinkling.

God, he's good-looking

Momo blushed when she realized what she was thinking. She picked up the fork and started chewing the peaches while watching him under her bangs. Something about him seems familiar especially his bright eyes, and whenever she tried to wreck her brain to remember, she could feel a headache coming on. After she ate her food, smacking her lips, and licking her fingers; Momo got a brief look on the digital clock on the wall.

A frantic panic began to rise from her stomach to the base of her throat.

"Erm... What's the day today?" she asked, fearing for the worst.

Please, let it be monday. Please..

"It's friday morning," he replied.

"So you mean to say that I slept for 4 days!" she exclaimed, jumping off the bed and overlapping her IV drip.

Shit!

He jumped forward, tensed at her sudden action.

"Be careful," he said, pushing her gently on the edge of the bed.

"I have to go," she tried to push his hands away that held her from getting off the bed, "I can't stay here."

Her granny would be looking for her! And what's with this stranger!

"Don't worry," he said, "Your grandmother doesn't know that you're in the hospital."

Momo stopped struggling and looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"I called her and told her that you're on a school-related trip away from home."

"H-how'd you know?"

How'd you know about my granny?

"Dental records," he replied, avoiding her eyes.

Abruptly, Momo became aware of his close proximity to her, his arm almost touching her elbow. So close that she could smell the crisp aroma of aftershave and hear the distant beat of his heart. The tip of her fingers became sweaty and she resisted the urge to pull him closer. Silence befall between them and she could taste peppermints in the air. Their eyes locked, chocolate-brown meeting turquoise, and the air enveloped them, pulling them closer to each other.

She saw his eyes became dim as if a fog covered the royal teal of his gaze. Closing her eyes, she leaned in inhaling the fragrance that often resembled to winter. If winter had a scent, this would be it. Closer and closer, she could feel his cool breath against her face, sending a pleasant warmth across her body. Tilting her head, she yearned to taste...

"Hello, Hinamori."

Momo's eyes snapped open and bounced towards the wooden frame of the bed. The nurse came in, disrupting the atmosphere between them.

"Are you feeling much better today?" she asked, checking the heart monitor.

"Y-yes, much b-better," she mumbled as she could feel her face burned up and she didn't dare look at John.

"Hmm, that's weird. I see you're fine but your heart monitor is abnormally displaying high peaks right now. Maybe I should take your blood pressure."

"No, t-that's fine. I was surprised, that's all." she said, goosebumps raising on her forearms when she felt a biting chill settled on the room. The nurse must have felt it too when she walked towards the thermostat placed near Momo's door.

"It's a bit chilly in here," she remarked, rubbing her arms on her body.

"Well," she glanced at the chart on her hand, "look's like you can be discharge today after a final check up."

Hinamori just nodded, hiding her flushed face behind the bangs of her hair. When the nurse left, she couldn't bear to even glance at him. What was she thinking!

She had known this guy for about a week and she did the unthinkable.

.


-Toshiro Hitsugaya

He flashed stepped across the city, landing on multiple concrete rooftops with his sword in his hand. He glanced at the hollow detector and cursed. With the howling wind blasting through his face, he finally landed on roof of the hospital building. Toshirou darted inside through the emergency exit and ran towards Momo's room.

Please let her be there, sleeping.

Thousands of possibilities flashed in his mind as he dashed to her room.

Let her be safe!

He cursed at himself once again. How could have he been so careless! He could at least casted a protective barrier around her room! With a frustrated grunt, he found her room immediately, and slammed it open. His heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach as he saw her empty bed.

Where could that girl have gotten herself into!

His head snapped towards the source of a distant growling. Relying on the hollow detector, he rushed at the direction of the sound. When he turned around the corner, his eyes flashed in a deadly, killing intent when he saw the hollow pounding on the door. Sensing Hitsugaya approaching, the canine bared his fangs at him, and white foam dripping from his mouth.

"It can't be," he said in a low voice.

He immediately distinguished that the hollow was not a regular hollow. It was the type that haunts its prey based on the smell and he deduced that it's target was inside the janitor's closet. This hollow dog was used for hunting refuges who refused to cross over to Soul Society whenever they didn't have enough death gods to deploy to the Human world. It was banned after the souls that were pursued were not able to go back to the Human world after they had died in Soul Society thus disrupting the cycle.

What is it doing here!

With Hyourinmaru on his hand, he swinged his sword towards the hollow after it sprang forward towards him. He was cautious not to overextend his ice crystals in order to protect whomever that was inside the room. With a final backswing, his sword made contact with the hollow's skin as it burst into black flames. His howled vibrated against the hallway and he placed a kido spell to keep the humans from hearing it.

Hitsugaya sheathed his sword when the janitor's door creaked open. Promptly, he transformed back to his human form when he saw the familiar, raven head peeked through it. Thousands of unanswered question raced inside his mind. Whoever targeted Momo had knowledge that he was here; therefore, the hollow that was in the outskirts of town was just a distraction in order to get him away from her.

And it worked.

Putting aside his suspicions, Toshirou exhaled in relief that she was safe. When she opened the door, a bit wider, he nearly burst out laughing when he saw a mop clutched in her hands. He met her searching eyes as she fell down onto the floor. Worry flared up inside him and he offered his hand.

"Are you ok?" he asked while inspecting her body for any damage.

"W-where's the d-dog?" she stuttered and he observed that she was trembling.

She saw it?

He pushed down the rage that was threatening to possess him as he saw the vulnerable state she was in.

"T-there was a d-dog c-chasing me," she added when he didn't respond.

She can't take it. Her face was pale white and he noticed the growing, red marks on her legs peering out of her hospital gown. When she didn't accept his hand, he kneeled down, fighting the urge to brush her hair behind her ear.

"What dog?" he asked, deciding to feign as if nothing happened.

Ignorance is bliss, he thought. He can't let her know that someone intended to have her killed until he annihilated the threat.

She leaned onto the wall, bringing her body close.

"I-it was there... I saw it!" she insisted.

God, how he hated lying to her but it's for her own protection.

"You must be hallucinating." he replied. "Pets aren't allowed inside."

"But it was there. It's eyes glowed and stuff!"

Hitsugaya sighed inwardly.

She hasn't lost her stubbornness.

Without a warning, she stood up and he saw her staggered. Alarmed, he softly grasp her shoulders, and deciding that her body can't take the stress, he uttered a kido spell under his breath.

"You should go back and rest," he whispered while supporting her.

Hitsugaya could see that the spell was working when her body grew more relaxed.

"It just... disappeared," she whispered, her back leaning against him.

Putting a hand under her legs and shoulder blades, Hitsugaya pulled her into his chest. He took note on her light weight and began walking deliberately to her room.

The spell should erase her memory of what happened today.

"You... smell nice," he froze when he heard her mumbled. "... reminds me of winter."

Her last sentence greatly impacted him that he just stood there, holding her sleeping body close to his chest. Bewildered, he looked down and gazed at her, his eyes softening. The rise and fall of her chest and the rhythm of her heartbeat evoked such calmness inside him that he didn't know that she still had such firm hold over him. In retrospect, her hold over him was much more stronger than 16 years ago.

How long have he yearned for this? After years of suppressed emotions, the dam finally broke and tranquility that he didn't know even existed, washed over him. He didn't know how long he stood outside her hospital door, just embracing her close to his body, and refusing to let her down on her bed. However, after she stirred in her sleep, he realized that enough was enough. She needed a good rest and he's selfish needs were preventing her from having that.

Forcing his body to comply with his reason, he gently laid her down onto the mattress. Glancing at the clock, he decided to buy her favorite fruit in order to appease the guilt of deceiving her, and before he went outside, he casted a high, kido spell over her slumbering form. With a final glimpse, he left her inside the room.

.

.

.

Hitsugaya was in a pisssed-ass mood when he couldn't find any peaches. Since peaches wasn't in season, he scoured all of Karakura town until he found one from a tiny store outside of town. He, then, stopped by Burger King to buy hamburgers putting in on a 'to go' box. Looking at his watch, he still had time to stop by in a particular store just before sunrise. Holding on to his purchases, he opened the door of a jewelry shop as the chime rang out loud above his head.

"Hi! How may I help you?" asked a nice, looking woman in a black suit uniform.

"Show me your necklace collections," he replied.

He was thankful that he finally grew tall enough to be taken seriously as an adult instead of a child. The thousand of hours he spent sleeping paid off. The woman guided him to the corner of the store and he saw multiple necklaces in different shapes and forms.

"Is there anything that you particularly like?"

Scanning over the shelf, he settled over a silver necklace which had a single pearl on the middle signifying Momo's birthstone.

"Give me that one," he demanded, pointing at the pearl necklace.

Afterwards, went ahead towards the direction of the hospital.

.

.

.

With a smile on his face, he watched her wake up as she stretched her arms.

"Morning," he greeted, and smiled even bigger at her reaction.

When she didn't respond, he tried again. "Had a good sleep?"

He was grateful that the dark circles under her eyes vanished as she beamed at him. He chuckled when she wildly fixed her disheveled hair and wiped her mouth. To be honest, she still even more beautiful to him. Then, he heard the faint growling of her stomach.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He had to control his laughter when she ducked under her covers to prevent her from being embarrassed any further.

"You must be hungry," he said. "I brought sliced peaches and hamburgers."

He smiled broadly when her head popped outside of the blankets at the word 'peaches.'

"Peaches?"

Toshirou went over to the table and brought out the food. Handing her a plastic fork, he watched her scarfed down the entire hamburger.

"~Hmm.~"

What he would give to have this moment with her everyday.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "What about you?"

" I ate already," he lied.

He hadn't eaten since yesterday but after seeing her healthy face, it didn't matter to him anymore if he ate or not. All of the sudden, he saw pink blossomed on the apple of her cheeks and he wondered what she was thinking about. Even though her eyes was concealed behind her hair, Hitsugaya could feel the heat from her stare. After eating all of her food that he brought her, he could see worry present in her eyes.

"Erm... What's the day today?"

"It's friday morning."

"So you mean I slept for 4 days?!" she yelled, taking off her covers and jumping off the bed.

Hitsugaya prayed that she would calm down before he's forced to cast a kido spell on her again. Her body still recovering and can't she notice that!?

"Be careful," he said, holding her on the edge of the bed before she could even think of leaving this hospital without recovering fully.

"I can't stay here," she pushed his hands away. "I have to go."

Not without a fight.

Suspecting that she was thinking of her grandmother, he said, "Don't worry, your grandmother doesn't know that you're in a hospital."

Had he given too much away?

"What?"

"I called her and told her that you're in a school-related trip."

He can't possibly tell her that he knew where she lived and that he met her grandmother. It's all too soon.

"H-how'd you know?"

Avoiding her probing eyes, he replied, "Dental records."

Furthermore, he didn't remember who initiated it first but all he could think was how close she was, her soft, plush skin touching his. Thus the situation didn't help itself when she was looking at him like that, the look that brought out fire deep within his belly, coiling and uncoiling with desire. Hanging on a thin thread of control, he let her leaned closer, until he saw the same craving, he had for her, swirling in her brown eyes, turning them darker than usual. That was enough for him to fall, shattering his restraint, when she came even closer, eyes closed, and her lips...

He broke free of his trance when the door opened and he watched Hinamori leaped away from him. He winced at the loss her warmth as it was replaced by the open air.

"Hello, Hinamori," said the nurse.

Hitsugaya never felt so much revulsion and animosity towards a human before. If he could just sheath his sword and...

"Are you feeling better today?"

She must hated him now.

"Y-yes, much b-better," he heard her muttered.

How is he going to explain this to her? How!

"Hmm, that's weird. I see you're fine but your heart is abnormally displaying high peaks on this monitor. Maybe I should take your blood pressure."

She won't even glance at his way.

"No, t-that's fine. I was surprised, that's all."

This is all of the nurse's fault, putting them in an awkward position. Flaring a bit of his spiritual energy into the room, he watched with vengeful eyes as the she shivered, and running over to the thermostat. He knew he was acting like a brat but he couldn't help it.

"It's a bit chilly in here."

Hitsugaya smirked. Only if she wasn't human so that he could freeze like an icicle.

"Well, look's like you can be discharge today after a final check up." she said, before scurrying outside the room.

All that was left was Momo and himself.


A/N: Thank you for all of your support! Thank you for all the reviews, for the favorites, and for the follows. It's good to know that people I looking forward to my updates. :) And don't forget to check out at my other, hitsuhina fanfic called The Gem of the Dragon- (update weekly)

Comment:

1. What did you like/dislike about this chapter?