Special thanks to my reviewers! Without you, I probably would have stopped writing. This one is for you guys! :D
Chapter 8
Inhaling deeply, Hinamori stood in front of the Tenth Division office. A couple of weeks had passed since Hitsugaya came back and they had neither seen nor talked to one another since she had stormed away from him. She felt terrible after what she said to him and she was afraid he was mad at her for it. Now she was in front of his office door very late at night to drop off one last thing that her captain had forgotten. There was a strong possibility that no one would be inside, then she could slip in and slip out without any trouble.
Hinamori took a hold of the door handle and slowly pulled the door open. Poking her head inside first, she glanced around for anyone in the room. She was in luck, the room was empty. She rushed over to Hitsugaya's desk and was just about to place the file on it when she stifled a gasp. Hidden behind stacks of paperwork was a pool of white hair belonging to a sleeping figure. Hitsugaya was snoring softly, pen still in hand. Hinamori gently put the file on his desk and took a step back to leave when he stirred in his sleep, his pen rolling from his fingers and falling to the floor with a surprising sound. His eyes flickered open and he pealed his face from the paper it was resting on. Letting out a huge yawn, he glanced up and his eyes did a double take on Hinamori.
"Hinamori," he said while slowly rising.
"Um, I…I had to drop something off," she stammered, unable to meet his eyes. "I'll go now." She turned to leave but Hitsugaya suddenly appeared before her.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" His expression showed no signs of anger but she could feel herself shrinking under his steady gaze.
"I can't give you a good enough answer," she said, shuffling on her feet nervously.
"Try me."
Hinamori took a steady breath before fumbling over her words. "You…you were dead for fifteen years and then…and then you show up here as if nothing had happened. I was so confused at first, and then I was angry at you for leaving." She finally met Hitsugaya's gaze. There was pain in those blue-green eyes that she had dreamt of so many times. "I thought you would always be there…and just like that you were gone." The tears were pouring freely down her cheeks now and her chin trembled. "It hurt so bad knowing that I would never see you again," her voice cracked and she felt Hitsguaya come closer. "Why did you leave me?" Then she buried her face in her hands and sank to the floor. Hitsugaya caught her and she flung her arms around his neck, sobbing on his shoulder.
"I never meant to hurt you, Hinamori," he whispered against her hair. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, holding her against him. After a long moment and when Hinamori's sobs had quieted, he whispered, "I was always there with you."
They were so close that Hinamori could feel Hitsugaya's heart beat against her own chest. Just feeling his presence so near filled the empty spaces inside of her that she didn't know were missing. Fresh tears clouded her eyes but she managed to keep them under control. She held tighter to him, nuzzling her head against his shoulder. "This isn't a dream, is it?" she asked, her voice muffled.
"No, this isn't a dream. I'm really here," he said while keeping a firm grip on her.
Hinamori remembered something then and gently pulled away from him, her arms still around his neck. They were on the wooden floor near his desk, and she was sitting a little awkwardly on his lap. His eyes reflected back to her what she was feeling at that moment: happiness that they were finally together again and sadness for ever leaving. "I'm sorry that I said you were just like…him. All I cared about was hurting you. I shouldn't have…" One of Hitsugaya's hands rose to cover her mouth.
"It's not a big deal. I'm not mad at you," he said, as if it was so obvious that she should have known.
"I'm still sorry I said it," she mumbled against his hand. The tiniest flicker of a smile escaped his lips and he moved his hand to wipe her tear stained face. Then he stifled a huge yawn.
"I should go," Hinamori said, making a move to get up but Hitsugaya caught her wrist.
"Stay."
"But you're exhausted!"
"Stay," he repeated almost pleading. Hinamori smiled sweetly and surrendered, taking a spot beside him this time. "I'll walk you to your room later," he added.
"Alright." The echoing silence thereafter pounded against Hinamori's ears as she raked her brain for something to say. Hitsugaya's eyes were quickly drooping as he leaned back against the desk. "A part of me died with you that day," she blurted out, surprising her own self. Hitsugaya's eyes sprang open and looked at her in bewilderment. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. "Um…Tobiume helped get me back on my feet," she added with a smile. His face relaxed a bit.
"I'm sorry," he said. Hinamori placed a tender hand on his cheek.
"Stop blaming yourself for everything. It was a mission, you had to do it." Turquoise eyes searched her face and Hitsugaya slowly nodded. Her hand slid from his cheek and she wrapped her arms around his torso, nestling against him. "I missed you, Hitsugaya," she whispered, closing her eyes.
Without a word, his hand rested on the top of her head. And just before Hinamori succumbed to sleep, she heard him say: "I missed you too." Then he quickly followed after her into dreamland.
It had rained the night before leaving the training area wet and muddy. Rain still dripped from the roofs and the ominous April clouds threatened even more. Everyone was seeking shelter inside from the upcoming downpour except a certain dark haired young woman. She was practicing in the training area; thick black mud covered her robe and speckled her cheeks. Hinamori swung at the target dummy in front of her with her zanpacto but only left a shallow cut. Frustrated that she was doing so poorly, she lifted Tobiume high in the air and brought it down hard only to have it blocked by another zanpacto. She instantly recognized the hilt of Hyorinmaru.
"Hitsugaya," Hinamori gasped in surprise and jumped backwards.
"Why are you practicing alone?" He asked, dropping his zanpacto to his side.
"I had some free time but everyone else was busy so I'm training by myself."
"You're only practicing swordsmanship then?" Hitsugaya asked, standing next to the dummy and examining one of the marks she had made. "I can help you with that."
"Really?" she asked, "You don't have anything you should be doing?"
He shrugged and said coolly, "I always have things I should be doing." His eyes glinted as he went to stand in front of her. "Swing at me."
Hinamori opened her mouth to protest, his zanpacto was still limp at his side, but she swung Tobiume anyway. His arm lazily went up to block it and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"You can do better than that Bed-Wetter."
Hinamori scowled. It had been so long since she heard that nickname and now Hitsugaya was using it all of the time. It irritated her more than she thought it would. She was a grown woman and definitely did not wet the bed. She swung harder at him and he blocked it a little less sluggishly. They continued fighting for several minutes until Hitsugaya stopped her. Sweat dripped down her face and her breathing was hard. Hitsugaya had only gotten a little muddier.
"You're not very strong," he said bluntly and Hinamori gave him a dumbfounded look. "Other than that you are pretty good. You're an expert at kido, so play up your strengths."
"Is that the advice you give to all of your division members?" she teased.
"No. I would say it to Matsumoto if she had any strengths." Hinamori giggled but the look on his face almost convinced her that maybe Matsumoto really didn't have any strengths. "Come at me again," he said.
She came at him again and taking his advice, summoned a kido spell that rushed past his head and exploded behind him. He took his eyes off of her to glance behind and she seized the opportunity to grip tightly to Hyorinmaru's hilt and point Tobiume's blade at his throat. "I missed you on purpose," she breathed near his face. Hitsugaya almost smiled then and she realized he had planned the whole thing out.
The next thing she knew, Tobiume was out of her grasp and Hitsugaya had her back pinned against him. Both zanpactos were in his hands but neither was pointing at her. "In a real fight," he said in her ear that sent a shiver up her spine, "never hesitate." He released her, handing back Tobiume. Hinamori let out a sigh of discouragement.
"This is why I only train with vice captains." A raindrop hit her cheek and she looked up at the dark sky. "It's finally starting to rain," she said mostly to herself.
"Do you mind if I release Hyorinmaru? I've gotten a little rusty," Hitsugaya said.
Hinamori highly doubted that but she said, "I don't mind," and stood back as he shouted out to his zanpacto. There was a massive flare up of his spiritual pressure as ice formed into wings and a tail on his back. His spiritual pressure was immensely cold and powerful but somehow it had a soothing effect on Hinamori. She closed her eyes as it rolled over her. It was as if remembering something dear to her that she had long since forgotten.
Hitsguaya stood there silently a moment. He's probably talking to Hyorinmaru, she thought. Then she found herself walking over to him, admiring his ice wings. It was as if seeing them through new eyes. There was a light tinkling sound as rain hit the blue ice and it flared like a cold flame even under a cloudy sky. She gingerly trailed her fingers along a frozen wing. "It's so beautiful," she whispered awestruck.
From the corner of her eye she could see Hitsugaya watching her and finally looked up at him. The look in his eyes brought back floods of memories. That day fifteen years ago when they found the pond together; when they sat on the roof to watch the sunset; and when she had kissed him on the cheek. She took an instinctive step closer. As she looked up at him, she realized that Hitsugaya was no longer that white haired boy but a man, a very attractive man at that. And the more she looked at him, the more she realized that this was exactly where she wanted to be: close to Hitsugaya, to always be with him. Just as she did on a similar rainy day so many years ago, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. But this time, he didn't leave.
Later that evening when Hinamori had taken a bath and changed into clean robes, she sat with a book in her hand and a cup of tea on the table. She had read the same sentence ten times, her mind kept drifting back to earlier that day.
The rain had sent her into a bad mood that morning, so she didn't except the day to turn out so wonderful. After she and Hitsugaya were done training, he walked her back to her division all the while holding her hand. She had gone back to work in a daze that she was sure her captain noticed, and although she didn't see Hitsugaya for the rest of the day, that didn't stop her from thinking about him.
Hinamori placed the book on the table with a brilliant smile. It was time she faced the truth; she was in love and not with just anyone. She was in love with Toshiro Hitsugaya, her best friend that she had grown up with. She never dreamed that she would fall for that tough, white haired kid in Rugakgai or for the youngest captain in the Gotei 13. After being fooled by Aizen's façade for so long, she had completely pushed Hitsugaya away and it took his "death" to realize just how much he meant to her. She was given a second chance to make things right and in the process, fell in love with her Little Shiro.
Sorry it's been taking me so long to post chapters, I've just been crazy busy. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Thanks for reading! :D
