A/N: Ok, so I was at my grandma's till the 1st September and I didn't have any internet connection, so that should explain the delay. The song in this chapter is called Before You Love Me by Alsou and I suggest you listen to it instead of just reading the lyrics. Personally, I really like it, though it's not slow and touching as the 2 songs I suggested in previous chapters. Plus, I fixed my bad apostrophe habit. Ok, review please! And take care!
I don't belong here… Hitsugaya decided the moment he found himself inside the nightclub. An unwilling shiver ran down his spine as his eyes scanned the semi-dark hall, full with dozens and dozens of unfamiliar faces. Crowds had never been his thing - actually, during the years he had developed a very demanding tendency of avoiding those at all cost. At this moment, that same habit was practically tearing him from the inside, urging him to turn around and decamp as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, Matsumoto had obviously guessed that intention of his, for her hand held a firm grip on his slim shoulder, both for his and her reassurance.
Hitsugaya suppressed a weary sigh and let his eyes travel around the nightclub, scanning the quite alien atmosphere around him with a hint of apprehension in his teal orbs. There were just a few people sitting on the bar, he noticed and his lips twisted in a jeering manner. The rest were swaying their hips in the rhythm of the music on the dance floor, occasionally cheering and jumping. The small stage at the background was currently sinking into full darkness along with all the instruments and it as far as the boy could tell, hardly anyone noticed it.
A dull sense of worry crept inside the shorter student's body as a bothersome and very much unwanted thought popped inside his mind. Instantly, his head snapped up and he fixed his eyes on Matsumoto intently in what seemed to be a very decisive attempt to gauge her expression. Sensing his worry, the girl's own gaze moved from the dimmed stage and down at her companion, blue orbs brightening with understanding at the way he was contemplating her and she chuckled. His brows shot up at that but she quickly shook her head reassuringly and leaned down, so her mouth was next to his ear and he could hear her over the blasting techno music.
"Find yourself a place and pay attention. It's our turn to show you what we are made of."
With that she gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and started to make her way towards the small side staircase of the stage. The rest of the band were already standing there and waiting for her and as she approached, they all hurried to climb up and take their places beside their instruments. Seeing them take their positions, the DJ (who happened to be some bald dude, who was brandishing a weird wooden sword above his head) pressed a few buttons, making the sound of his music fade away, and turned to the crowd.
"HEY, DUDES AND CHICKS!" he shouted, earning an avalanche of cheers and catcalls "THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG AND OUR FRIENDS HERE CAME TO RRRROOOOCK THE STAGE! WHOAAA!"
With a small click of another button, the dark stage was illuminated and along with that another sound avalanche, this time louder, crashed down on the band and the quite not-so-used to it Toushiro who couldn't help it but wince. This was so endangering his hearing…
As the bald guy continued encouraging the crowd to be loud in honour of the band on the stage, Hitsugaya slowly started to make his way to the back of the hall and leaned against the wall there, effectively sinking into the shadows where he was hidden from curious eyes and yet could see everything perfectly fine.
On the stage, behind the all-too-energetic bald dude, who was STILL brandishing that wooden sword of his, Matsumoto and the rest of the band had gathered together, discussing something. After a few more moments they seemed to settle things up, nodded to themselves and took their places. Rukia and Orihime took a bit longer than the others, fixing the positions of two microphones in front of them.
The bald guy shouted one last "WELCOME THEM!" and amazingly quickly left, walking backwards and at the same time keenly applauding the band. It was quite amazing how he didn't trip down the small staircase in the process and Hitsugaya assumed the man had probably done it a great number of times by now.
Matsumoto stepped in front of the others with her own microphone in her hand, and bowed gracefully at the audience, a bright smile spreading across her face as she welcomed the people back. Hitsugaya noticed that despite the perfect composure she was demonstrating, her eyes were shifting nervously from one place to another all around the club as if she was searching for something. He raised a brow and his mouth twisting a bit to the left as his mind processed the information into an almost amusing conclusion. Really, Matsumoto? Was she that afraid he'd run off the moment she let go of his shoulder?
He didn't have time to think it over as the stage exploded, the blast of music making the crowd's shouts seem pathetically soft in comparison. Hitsugaya shifted a bit against the wall, the loudness getting to him more than he had imagined, but he tried to push it aside, focusing instead on the show.
The few short moments of intro music quickly faded away and the attention was fast drawn to Matsumoto, whose rich voice filled the hall, enthralling the audience and making it become unexpectedly quiet.
Give a little sign
Give a little something
My mind's only set
On one thing
I need you in my life
I want it so bad
Baby I can taste it
Got a chance
I don't wanna waste it
I wanna do it right
She was moving with exquisite lightness on the stage, her body seeming completely weightless as if she was born to do this, to never leave the spotlight. Her tranquility, her confidence, and that young, yet so well-cultivated voice were so astonishing that Hitsugaya couldn't do anything but stand there as the almost forgotten feeling of admiration took over him.
Before you love me
(Before you love me)
There's something that
Your heart should know
(Yeah, your heart
Should know)
If you want me
(Yeah if you want)
It's body, sex,
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
Possessed. Maybe that was the best word that could describe this strange state he was experiencing at that very moment. If he had had any doubts about Matsumoto's talent, they had been viciously murdered by now. Not only - what she did seemed to be contagious. It appeared to have some sort of an addicting effect on him and everybody that was listening to it.
She was not just good - bloody hell, no! - he smiled smugly as he realized that there was no justified adjective for what she was. She was colour, a whole whirl of colour, and life, oh, she was life, she was energy, nature, goodness, yes, and care...
When you're near,
My body starts shaking
No fears, only
Hearts breaking
I'm about to lose control,
Oh last night,
When I saw you leaving
My eyes couldn't
Stop believing
Do you have to go?
For the first time in so long, Hitsugaya found himself cheering (cheering, dammit!) along with the crowd as he unconsciously started to make his way towards the stage. He wasn't even thinking what he was doing - it was a subconscious, yet such a natural movement... this thirst to get more of her. More of what she did, more of what she could give.
Before you love me
(Before you love me)
There's something that
Your heart should know
(Yeah, your heart
Should know)
If you want me
(Yeah if you want)
It's body, sex,
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
Before you love me
(Before you love me)
There's something that
Your heart should know
(Yeah, your heart
Should know)
If you want me, baby
(Yeah, if you want)
It's body, sex,
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
(I want it all,
I want it all,
I want it all)
I want it so bad
Baby I can taste it
(I want it all)
And what would it be like, he wondered, stopping dead on his track and just watching, listening, feeling...
…What indeed…
To let go of all his prejudices and just sing with her, share the stage, and the moment, and the emotion with her.
I won't take nothing less
(Before you love me)
Yeah
(There's something
Your heart should know
Baby)
Yes if you want me baby
(Yeah baby, I want it all)
It's body, sex
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
Before you love me
(Before you love me)
There's something that
Your heart should know
(Yeah, your heart
Should know)
If you want me, baby
(Yeah if you want)
It's body, sex,
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
Before you love me
(Before you love me)
There's something that
Your heart should know
(Yeah, your heart
Should know)
If you want me
(Yeah if you want)
It's body, sex,
Mind and soul
Yeah, I want it all
When the last sound faded away and the crowd burst into cheers and applauds, Hitsugaya just stood there, looking up at Rangiku, his usually unpleasantly piercing gaze now softer somehow. Not many had done to him what this girl had. Not many had managed to evoke admiration is heart and none had managed to get to him in a mere instant, like she had. There was just something… so, so special about her… He couldn't put his finger on it just yet. But somehow, without a logical reason, he felt like he knew this person. And he knew he could trust her, despite the fact he had only spoken to her for the first time that same day.
Was that normal?
Rangiku bowed at the audience and her eyes glided along the unfamiliar faces until they locked on Toushiro's. Her eyebrows rose a bit as if she was asking for his opinion. Unwillingly, he felt his lips curving into a smile. It was a sincere, happy smile that showed his perfectly lined up white teeth. The reaction dragged with itself a familiar reaction as the girl grinned back at him and let out a soft giggle, pale blue orbs never leaving his.
Who cared if it was normal.
The next day/after school/nearest café
There was just no peace and quiet for him, was it…
"What's this?" Matsumoto shouted, brandishing the cap in front of his nose with that mommy-knows-best expression plastered on her face. Hitsugaya's eyebrow twitched and he had to suppress the sudden urge to bite that brandishing hand off.
"It's… a cap." He informed her patiently "I thought… or at least I was hoping you knew these kind of stuff…"
Matsumoto rolled her eyes and smacked his head with the cap.
"I know what cap is!"
Right. And now the like-duuuh expression. Oh, Gods, maybe he should bite her head off, that way she wouldn't have any way of annoying him with those faces she was making.
"Then why are you asking?"
"Because " the Disappointed Expression "You were wearing it today."
Pause.
"What's your point again?" Hitsugaya asked, giving her a sincerely quizzical look that made her groan and smash the cap into the coffee table. He didn't react for a few second, though from the inside he did flinch when she oh-so-boldly hurt his property. He couldn't really fathom the reason why she seemed to be so annoyed with him. If true, he should've been the annoyed one. After all, it was her who had stalked him and literally dragged him here after school so she could lecture him about his choice of accessories.
Which she had no right to do! Since she was obviously not his mum!
"I thought we had a deal!" she pointed out, her lips just slightly pursing.
"What deal?"
"That you should stop hiding."
Another pause.
Hitsugaya sighed and ran a hand through his snow-white locks, comprehension finally reaching his mind.
"It isn't very easy, you know." He said and her eyes softened "I mean, one thing is to show yourself to people you don't know and who you might never meet, and showing up at school, where you go every day…"
Matsumoto exhaled slowly and smiled a little at him.
"You shouldn't worry so much." She said, her teeth slowly coming to a view as her smile grew "You're not alone. Get used to that. Stop wandering all by yourself during the breaks, come to talk with us, we are your friends now."
Hitsugaya's gaze hardened a bit and he looked away.
"I agreed to sing with you, but that doesn't mean you're obligated to hang out with me…"
Matsumoto gave him a quizzical look for a moment, her eyebrows artistically raised, then burst into laugh. Laugh, so rich and colorful, that it was practically pouring around him like a waterfall of sounds.
"Oh, silly!" she shook her head at him, still smiling and before he knew it, she had reached across the table and placed her hand over his "But I want to!"
Hitsugaya's lips parted slightly and his eyes went wide. The touch caught him completely off guard along with the warm, sincere look which came with it. He felt the blush quickly spread across his face and he looked away, trying to hide it. Of course, without much success…
Matsumoto's grin only widened as she realized how this simple action had affected him and she couldn't help it but laugh yet again, causing Toushiro to blush harder and withdraw his hand with quite an amusing sense of urgency in his movements. The girl eyed him as he hid his palms under the table and opened her mouth to say something, when Renji's voice cut her off.
"Oi! Rangiku, Toushiro, are you guys coming with us?"
As the red-head came into a view, Matsumoto stood up and grabbed Hitsugaya's hand, preparing to drag him for a second time that day.
"Sure! Let's go, Toushiro!"
And with that, the hat was thrown into the nearest bin and the boy was once more being forced after his energetic female companion.
