Chapter 6


A month passed. With the turning months came the change from the warm autumn to the cold winter. October blew out with a cold front leading it.

"How can you stand it, 'Shiro-chan?" Hinamori whined as the two friends walked to school together. They had discovered that they lived only two short blocks from each other, and they now took the trips to and from school in each other's company.

"Stand what?" the young white-haired teenager asked, drawing the high collar of his fleece pullover over his mouth to protect it from the chilly wind.

"The cold, dummy!"

Hitsugaya sighed. "It's not that cold, Hinamori."

"Says you!" Hinamori yelped. "It's thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit! I don't care what you say; that's cold!" She paused and flapped a hand for added effect.

"With the way you're moving about, you think you'd be warm," Hitsugaya quipped. He waited for her to catch up then said, "You of all people should know by now that I like the cold."

Hinamori stuck her tongue out at the younger teen. "I can't help it if you're a freak of nature, 'Shiro-chan!"

"Watch who you're calling ''Shiro-chan!'" Hitsugaya growled, scowling heavily.

Hinamori laughed and skipped ahead.

"At least I get better grades in Aizen-sensei's class than his biggest fan does!" Hitsugaya called after her.

Hinamori spun around. "Sh-shut up!"

Hitsugaya ran up and pulled an eyelid down at her. "Make me!"

"What?!" Hinamori yelped as Hitsugaya ran up to the school building. "You're so mean, 'Shiro-chan!"


"Toshiro! Hey, wait up, Toshiro!"

Hitsugaya stopped and waited for Renji to catch up to him. "Hey, Abarai."

"I told you, it's 'Renji,'" the red-haired soccer captain sighed.

"Whatever you say." Hitsugaya rolled his eyes and picked up the nearest lunch tray with pizza on it.

"You eating outside?" Renji asked as he grabbed a piping hot meatball sub from the counter and following Hitsugaya to the end of the lunch line.

Hitsugaya shook his head as he picked out a chocolate milk carton and a container full of fries. "If I did, Hinamori would freak. She'd complain it was too cold. Besides, the teachers get on your case if you want to sit outside." He turned to the lunch lady and punched in his pin number.

Renji laughed. "You're right. Unohana-sensei's been sayin' for weeks that the soccer team's all gonna get influenza."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at Renji's remark. "But aren't Rikichi, Hanataro, and Rin all out because they have the flu?"

Renji hesitated. "Well. . . Good point." They headed towards the nearest empty table. "Once again, you've outsmarted me."

"You make it too easy," Hitsugaya replied, taking a bite out of his pizza.

"Shut up, Whitey."

"What was that, pineapple?" The two glared at each other, and you could almost see the electricity shoot between their eyes.

"Come on, you two, be nice!" Momo admonished, plopping herself between them. "Don't make me tell Unohana-sensei!"

Both boys paled visibly and turned to their food without another word.

"He started it," Renji mumbled.

"It doesn't matter who started it," Hinamori said calmly but firmly. She turned to eat her salad. "I really don't know why you two are so terrified of Unohana-sensei."

"You have no idea," Renji whispered dramatically before taking a big bite out of his sub. "Tha' woman ish a demon in dishguise."

Hitsugaya shrugged. "You know the reason as well as I do, Hinamori."

"What? That Unohana-sensei will rat you out to Ukitake-san if you aren't behaved?" Hinamori asked with a giggle.

Hitsugaya colored noticeably. "Be quiet." He turned back to his pizza, but Hinamori wasn't done teasing them yet.

"So, why are you scared of Unohana-sensei, Renji?"

Renji paled again. "You don't want to know. Trust me."

"Oh but I do." Hinamori smiled sweetly.

Renji shuddered. "Soccer practice was never the same again. It doesn't look like it, but tha' woman . . . She's a slave driver!"

"Was it that bad?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice a hushed whisper.

Renji nodded. "Never again have we asked Unohana-sensei to oversee soccer practice."

"Oh, hello, Unohana-sensei!" Hinamori chirped cheerfully.

Renji and Hitsugaya jumped, looking around wildly. The school nurse was across the lunch room, talking with the vice principal of the school, Sasakibe-sensei.

Hinamori giggled. "Wow, you two are jumpy!"

Renji said something rather rude under his breath while Hitsugaya turned his attention to his half-eaten pizza. The vice principal looked, no matter how he sliced it, scarily similar to his father. Hitsugaya shook the similarity from his head and picked up his slice to finish eating.

Hinamori had noticed the look and wasn't about to let it slide. "What's wrong, 'Shiro-chan?"

"Nothing!" Hitsugaya said a bit too fast. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" The concern in her voice was evident.

"I'm fine," Hitsugaya mumbled. "Seriously."

"You don't look fine," Hinamori muttered, but let the topic go.

Lunch passed without much incident after that, Hinamori switching topics to the safer subject of homework.

"I mean, who does Ise-sensei think she's kidding?!" Hinamori asked. "Giving us that much homework right before a big test!"

"The teachers conspire against us," Renji growled, checking Unohana's position in the lunchroom. She was still on the opposite side of the cafeteria.

"I mean, Kurotsuchi-sensei did it to us, too!" Hinamori groaned. "We had to do all that periodic table stuff, plus the evaluation of the lab and everything else!"

"I noticed you haven't complained about Aizen-sensei's pile of homework," Hitsugaya commented. "The one he gave us last night and the one he dumped on us this morning."

Hinamori pinked. "Well that's . . . different."

"Why, because you're in love with him?" teased Toshiro.

"Shut up, Toshiro!"

"Guys!" Renji hissed, breaking across their argument. "Unohana's heading this way!"

"Good job, Toshiro," Hinamori muttered, eyes dropping to her salad. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?" Hitsugaya hissed, "How is it my fault?!"

"Guys!" Renji shushed, "Be quiet!"

Unohana swept over to their table. "Enjoying ourselves, are we?"

Hitsugaya, Renji, and Hinamori all nodded simultaneously.

The nurse smiled. "Good. Be sure to keep you noise level at a minimum. It would be a shame if you were unable to participate in an activity due to a small case of being too loud, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am," Hinamori, Renji, and Hitsugaya said in perfect unison.

Unohana smiled and proceeded to another table.

Once she was gone, the color drained from Renji's face. "Dammit, I hate it when she does that," he moaned.

Hinamori laughed nervously. "I guess you were right, Abarai-kun."

"Damn straight I was right," Renji growled.

Hitsugaya shuddered. "Should a teacher be able to say stuff like that?" he asked quietly.

"She's not threatening anyone," Hinamori muttered.

"But she implies it," Renji said. "That's the worst part; she never says exactly what she's gonna do to you."

"Note to self," Hitsugaya said. "Don't make Unohana-sensei mad." Renji and Hinamori laughed.

"Remember the time last year when Kyoraku-taichou came to work hammered," Renji asked excitedly, "and Unohana found out? God, that was scary. The only time I've ever heard her raise her voice. She pulled him out of class and even Ukitake-san couldn't calm her down."

"I remember she left early that day," Hinamori said quietly. "And Kyoraku-sensei has never come into school drunk again. Hung-over? Yes. Drunk? No."

"How do they know each other so well?" Hitsguaya asked. "Kyoraku-sensei, Unohana-sensei, and Ukitake-san."

"They went to college together," Renji replied. "At least, Kyoraku-sensei and Ukitake-san did. Unohana-sensei was still studying at the college, 'cause she was studying medicine. Apparently, Kyoraku-sensei introduced Ukitake-san and Unohana-sensei, and they hit it off."

"How do you know that?" Hinamori asked.

"I heard it from Rukia, who heard it from Kaien Shiba, one of Ukitake's teaching assistants." Renji took a final bite of his meatball and sipped at his soda.

"Why do I have the feeling I'm missing something?" Hitsugaya inquired. "Who's Rukia?"

"A friend of mine," Renji drawled. "It's better off if you don't know her. For your own safety. She's a wild card, that one."

"You're talking about Kuchiki-chan, right?" Hinamori asked. "Sister of Byakuya Kuchiki?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki?" Hitsugaya's mouth dropped open. "The Byakuya Kuchiki?! The millionaire?"

"That's the one!" Renji grinned. "Adopted sister, actually. She's become a right pain ever since she got adopted, though."

"Brother and sister, huh?" Toshiro muttered, "Wonder what its like to have those?"

"Hey!" Hinamori exclaimed. "What about us? We're practically brother and sister!"

"True," Hitsugaya admitted, "but it's not the same, y'know?"

"Hey, Toshiro," Renji said suddenly, "mind if I ask you something?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Ask away."

"How come Ukitake-san takes care of you? What happened to your parents?"

The table was silent. Hitsugaya could feel the emotions he'd kept in a check for a while start to shift under his cool façade.

"Abarai-kun!" Hinamori gasped. "Do you have any tact?!"

"What?" Renji whined. "I'm just askin'!"

"It's alright, Hinamori," Hitsugaya said softly. "You've been wondering for a while too, right?"

"Well, I, uh. . ." Hinamori spluttered before mumbling, "Kinda."

"Do you two really wanna know?"

Renji and Momo nodded in unison.

"They died in a car crash almost two months ago." Hitsugaya's voice was so quiet that his two friends had to strain to hear.

Hinamori gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Oh my gosh, Toshiro, I'm so sorry!"

Renji crunched his soda can in his hand. "That bites, man."

Hitsugaya nodded, feeling tears spring to his sea-green eyes. "It's fine." He discreetly wiped his cheeks with the back of his hand. "I'm fine."

Renji nodded, but Hinamori didn't look too convinced. If Hitsugaya looked close enough, he could see the worry in Renji's crimson eyes.

"I'm fine, guys," Hitsugaya repeated, "really." He stood. "Let's go. We've got a test in Kurotsuchi's class today, remember?" He picked up his empty tray and headed towards the trashcan. Renji and Hinamori followed, exchanging worried glances.


"You coming to practice today?" Renji asked as he, Hitsugaya, and Hinamori left Kyoraku-sensei's classroom after the final bell.

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Not today. I've got . . . stuff to do at home."

"You sure?" Renji asked. "Nothing I can say to change your mind?" Hitsugaya shook his head. "Have it your way then."

Renji headed towards the locker room and Hinamori grabbed Hitsugaya's arm. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Isn't that what were doing right now?"

"Haha, very funny. Come with me." Hinamori pulled Hitsugaya into a side hallway.

"Where are we going, Momo?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Out of earshot from prying ears," Hinamori said, pulling Hitsugaya along by the arm until they came to a dead end.

Once Hitsugaya had put down his bag Hinamori put her hands on her hips and asked, "Mind telling me why you've gone so emo all of a sudden?"

Hitsugaya boggled at her. "What?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know!" Hinamori snapped. "A few days ago you were smiling and happy and stuff like that! Now Renji pulls up the subject of your parents and you look like you're one-hundred-years-old! I know you're depressed, but if you're having problems, you can come and talk to me instead of bottling it up!"

"I'm not bottling it—"

"The hell you're not!" Hinamori glared at him. "I've known you longer than probably anyone in this school building, so don't give me that crap! I know you can snap out of it!"

"Hinamori, you don't get it!" Hitsugaya snapped. "You don't know what it feels like!"

"I don't get what it feels like?!" Momo asked incredulously. "I don't?! You forgot what happened to me in fourth grade, didn't you?!"

"How am I supposed to remember?!" Hitsugaya retorted.

"My parents were shot to death by the Hollow branch-off gang, the Espadas! Or had you forgotten how miserable and depressed I was?!" Hinamori's voice had risen so she was also yelling at Hitsugaya. "I know the exact thing you're going through!"

"It's not the same!"

SLAP! Hinamori's hand connected with Toshiro's cheek. After a few seconds, the dazed Hitsugaya reached up and gingerly touched the place she had hit him.

"You hit me!" he said incredulously.

Hinamori rolled her brown eyes, which were brimming with tears. "No, I tapped you on the shoulder! Of course I slapped you, you idiot! You've got friends here! Renji, Rin, Rikichi, Hanataro, me, we're all your friends! We're here for you! So instead of getting all depressed and withdrawn maybe you could actually talk with us and we could help you!"

Then, before Hitsugaya could say anything, Hinamori was hugging him.

"Momo," Toshiro said quietly. "I. . . I'm sorry."

Hinamori wiped her eyes. "Just don't forget about us again, okay?"

Hitsugaya sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he said quietly, "I won't."

Hinamori nodded. "Good. I'm sorry I slapped you."

"Nah, I had it coming," Hitsugaya said. "C'mon, or Ukitake'll send out a search party."

Hinamori gave a watery chuckle. "Yeah, he might."

The two hugged and stopped briefly at their lockers before leaving the school together.


Hitsugaya tested the door to the house. Open, as usual. He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, making sure to take his shoes off as he entered.

"Hey, 'Shiro-chan," called Ukitake from the living room where Toshiro could here the XM satellite radio playing soft classical. "How was school?"

"Okay." Hitsugaya wandered into the living room where he found Ukitake in his favorite place on the sofa, feet propped up on the coffee table, typing on his computer.

Ukitake ran a searching look over his charge and stopped at Hitsugaya's red check. "What happened there?" he asked, inclining his head at the red spot.

"Hinamori and I had an, erm, disagreement." Hitsugaya sat down next to Ukitake on the couch.

"I see." The older man raised an eyebrow and closed the lid to his laptop. "Care to tell me about it?"

Hitsugaya took a deep breath and said softly, "I told Abarai-kun and Hinamori about my parents."

Ukitake raised his eyebrow again. "Did you now?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah, and I kinda got depressed afterwards. So Hinamori dragged me down a hallway and told me in no uncertain terms to 'stop be depressed because you've got friends and we're here for you,' or something along the lines."

Ukitake nodded. "Why'd she slap you?"

"Because I told her she didn't know what I'm going through."

"And does she?"

Hitsugaya looked into Ukitake's kind hazel eyes and shrugged his shoulder helplessly. "I wish I knew. Her parents were killed when we were in grade school but. . ." He trailed off.

"Sometimes it takes longer for some people to have time to heal their wounds than others," Ukitake said wisely.

"So, you're saying it might take Hinamori longer to get over a death, than say, me?" Hitsugaya looked relatively skeptical.

Ukitake nodded sharply. "Precisely. Now, got get some ice on your cheek and get a start on your homework, okay? I'll call you for dinner."

Hitsugaya got up and nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

Ukitake sighed. "Go."

The man listened to his charge rummage around the freezer in the other room for some ice and heard the crinkling of a plastic bag. He heard Toshiro head up the stairs, and only after Ukitake heard the creaking of the floorboards over his head did the writer open his laptop and start typing.

He smiled slightly as he remembered what Retsu had told him earlier about his charge being too loud at lunch. 'At least he has friends to help him through these troubled times,' he thought as he opened his Word document and began work again.


Some people would call this chapter filler, but I BEG TO DIFFER! So does my beta. Did you noticing my foreshadowing?

And Hitsugaya got SLAPPED by Hinamori. :) You go girl!!!

And Ukitake has connections. Never forget it. lolz Fear the Unohana, FEAR!!!

. . . Yeah, yeah, I'm shutting up now. But before I forgot, next chapter I'm enforcing the Reader Proof Box. With the bomb shelter. It you do not know what the RPB is, that's fine and dandy for you. If you do, that's fine and dandy for you as well. I'm enforcing it for everyone's safety, not just my own. Thank you.

Much thanks to Desert(dot)Moon who bet'd this for me, and for all her hilarious little comments. Much love to you, sweetheart!

Hope you enjoyed the 6th Chapter of Life is a Ball!!! I'm posting a double chapter this week for a reason!!!! Check out my note after chapter 7 for details!

Reviews are like crack!! Review so I can support my addiction!

-Love, Toasty