Lol, way to many lines...my computer is spazzing out on me...xD


Anywho... WHOOO! NEW CHAPTER! Major Hitsuhina fluff in this one :D Get ready!!


The day of the soccer game was agonizingly slow. I was excited for it, since it was the first one of the school year, and the first time I could actually cheer outside of practice. The soccer team was hyped up, too- they had posters plastered randomly around the school, claiming that they would 'cage the tigers' in the match. Karakura High School, home of the Shinigamis, will vanquish the tigers for sure.

But after looking at the team every day, I wasn't so sure.

Their main strength was Toshiro, with Ichigo, Shuuhei, and another boy named Kira. But everyone else...well, they weren't bad, but they weren't anything to bet on. Maybe it was just because they were overshadowed by Toshiro- either way I was nervous.

I was in Chemistry, taking notes over some element-or-other. The teacher, Professor Kurotsutchi, and his daughter Nemu –who was the student teacher- couldn't have been more different. The Professor was maniacal, creepy, and more than a little obsessed with dissecting things. His daughter was quiet, not showing much emotion, and didn't speak much. I frequently wondered what woman could stand living with the Professor- whoever it was, I felt sorry for them.

We moved on from notes to a lab, and I was paired up with two boys- one of them was on the basketball team, and the other was Ishida Uryuu, who I only briefly remembered as a friend of Orihime. I left most of the lab work to him.

There was an explosion from a few tables over, and a red-haired boy named Renji laughed out loud. "Dude! That was awesome!" He cried, high-fiving his table partner.

"Mr. Abarai, would you so kindly step outside for a second?" The teacher asked, and Renji gave everyone a cheeky grin and followed him out. We were silent, listening to the teacher ranting from the hallway. Ten minuets later Renji walked back in, smirking. Apparently he hadn't taken the lecture seriously.

"Yo, Renji, what did he yell at you about?" My other partner asked, and the red head walked over. "Somethin' or other about respecting school property. It's not like the container thingamajig shattered, or somethin. You going to practice tonight?"

"Course, dude. You?"

"I dunno. I may go to the soccer game instead." Renji focused his attention on me. "Hey, you're the new cheerleader, aren't you? What's your name again?"

"Hinamori." I said, bowing slightly. Beside me, Uryuu rolled his eyes and said, "You could at least pretend to help me with this experiment."

Sheepishly, I returned to the task at hand. Renji and his friend continued chatting, and I almost spilled the contents of the liquid I was measuring when Renji asked me, "Hey, are you dating Hitsugaya?"

"What?" I squeaked, and Uryuu barely managed to grab the vial before I dropped it. Turning bright red, I said, "No! I'm not! We're just friends!"

"That's what she said." His friend muttered. I blushed even more. "I'm serious!" I exclaimed.

"Relax, I believe you." Renji said, frowning at his friend. I almost fainted when relief when Uryuu called Nemu over to check to see if we- or rather, he- did it right. She nodded at us and wrote our group down on her clipboard, walking off to go inspect another group's lab.

"I don't think I've heard her speak once in all the years she's been here." Renji muttered.

We cleaned the table and returned to our seats, filling out a post-lab worksheet. I only knew the first answer, and then Uryuu helped me with all the rest. Mumbling an embarrassed 'thank you', I waited until the bell rang and I escaped to my Spanish class.

I sat down by Toshiro, digging out my homework from my backpack. Languages were the only things I actually excelled in, besides cheerleading- they came easily to me, and I didn't have to study as hard as most kids. Getting the paper out of my folder, I turned it in to the teacher, who nodded absently at me.

"Ready for the game tonight?" I asked Toshiro when I returned, and he nodded, looking me over. "You look nice in the uniform." He said nonchalantly.

I blushed. It was the school policy for the cheerleaders to wear their uniform on the day of a game, and today was no exception- though I felt comfortable in the short, tight black-and-white cheerleading outfit, I was embarrassed at the stares I got from some of the boys. Luckily, Toshiro wasn't one of the said ogglers, and for that I was grateful.

We had partner work, and Toshiro and I attempted to translate a paragraph from our books into Japanese. For extra credit, we could also do it in English- no surprise, we did both, me in charge of the English paragraph, Toshiro in charge of the Japanese.

We finished second, and then went on to quiz each other in vocabulary. The teacher interrupted us halfway through, producing the next assignment- a two page paper over our hometown. In Spanish, of course. Since every person in the class was from Karakura town except me, I had difficulty trying to find the right words to explain my small town in Rhode Island.

The paper was homework, so I didn't finish it in class, deciding to finish it that night after the game. I waved goodbye to Toshiro after class, going to Lit, and finally, Geography. The last class was the worst- the time seemed to drag on forever, making one second seem like on hour. I had to frequently kick Orihime out of her daydreams as well, and it didn't help.

I felt like crying with relief when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher yelled out our assignment, and I scribbled it down before sprinting out of class. Dashing to the locker room, I shoved my backpack into my locker, pulling out my duffel bag that I had squeezed in there. Pulling out my pom-poms, hair ribbons, and makeup, I went over to the already crowded sink to freshen up.

Sasha giggled at me, her red hair in disarray. "Oops, I knew I should have straitened my hair this morning."

"No worries." Mishi called out, holding up hers. "I have one."

"You're a life saver!" Sasha called, hugging the small girl. Mishi blushed, but said, "My brother was wondering if you could meet you after the game. Seems that me talking about you so much got him interested."

"I would love too." She said, happily. Nearby, Amu yelled, "Hisagi! Takahashi! Stop chatting and get ready!"

"Sorry!" Sasha called, than proceed to get her hair under control.

I squeezed into a gap for the mirror, adding eyeliner and mascara, trying to not get bumped in less I smeared it. After I did it successfully, I let my hair fall, brushing it again before putting it up once again in the bun, covering it with a white cloth and tying it with sparkly black and silver ribbons.

I examined myself in the mirror. The makeup did little to change my pale complexion and chocolate eyes, but the uniform did bring out my slim form more. It was a plain thing, mostly black, with a thick silver band across the chest and proclaimed 'Karakura' in bold white lettering. White ribbon was at the bottom and around the collar, and white socks went with our sandals.

Done with my examination, I left the area to let another girl use it, going over to help Sasha with her hair. Giggling, I said, "Of all the times for it to get frizzy."

Sasha grimaced. "I know."

We were ready an hour later, and after Amu gave us the routine, we met up with the male members of our group and rushed to the field, seeing the team already waiting. I smiled at Toshiro and mouthed 'Good luck.' He only nodded.

We went in front of them, getting into formation. The visiting team were already out, warming up, and we soon left, waiting by the home section as our team did their warm-ups. Finally, the announcer introduced the visiting team- the Sakura High Tigers- and after their cheerleaders died down, we were announced.

We jumped up and screamed, pom-poms waving, as the team lined up. The crowd roared, popcorn flying in the air. Behind me, in the front row, I heard Karin yell, "Get a goal for me, Ichigo!"

After the coaches shook hands, a coin was flipped to see who would go first- we won, and Toshiro juggled the ball to his position. The referee stepped up, and with the blast of the whistle, the game started.

Though it was no World Championship, it kept me at the edge, with both teams alternating with the lead. Toshiro scored goal after goal, but when he was off the field the other team caught up, slamming the poor ball into the goal again and again. Our goalie saved most of them, but even he wasn't perfect- by the time the mid-way came about, the score was 9-8, with the tigers leading.

The band became playing, and we launched into our routine, smiling and cheering with the crowd. As I was hoisted up, I turned my head to grin at Karin. She returned the smile.

I flipped off, then tumbled off to clear the space for Mishi and Sasha. They did two handsprings before back flipping, and joined me in a high-kick. Seconds later we were done, then began jumping up and down as the school song came on. Yelling at the crowd to sing louder, I could feel my voice beginning to get hoarse.

The game resumed soon after, and the score soon rose to 14-12, with the tigers still leading. On the field, Ichigo was hard put to get the ball, and I truly felt sorry for him. He was the only good player currently out there, and his passes were frequently intersected as the person he was passing to missed it.

Finally, the coach sent in Toshiro to relieve him, with Shuuhei and Kira joining him. Mishi hollered when her brother ran onto the field, and he gave her thumbs-up sign. She flashed one back.

Toshiro, number ten, Shuuhei, number eight, and Kira, number three, dominated the field. The score finally turned to our favor, with it being 18-16 during the second to last inning.

Then, with only a minuet left in the inning, the tigers scored five times in a row.

A groan of disappoint rang over the crowd, and nervously I scanned the players. They were exhausted- even Toshiro looked visibly worn out. Biting my lip, I turned to Sasha. "We're going to be hard put to win. Look at them- they're exhausted."

She nodded. "Yes, but that's what we're here for- if we can still be positive and cheer them on, they can find that last resort of strength and continue to the win."

I nodded, my eyes drifting to the crowd. I went to the railing, and Karin hung over it, looking disappointed. "The coach is making stupid mistakes. Leaving Ichigo alone out there with no one to support him! That idiot, no wonder we're losing."

"Maybe you should take his job." I joked, and she smiled slightly. "Hey, I'm going to go badger my brother. Want me to relay any messages?"

"Yeah- tell Toshiro that I still have strength to yell, so he should have strength to play."

She looked a little puzzled, but left. I returned to the sidelines, watching her tell my message to Toshiro. He turned to look at me, and I grinned and waved my pom-poms. He gave a small smile back, nodding, then began talking to his coach. Seconds later, he, Kira, Ichigo, and Shuuhei were all on the field.

The dominated the ball, passing only to each other, and the other team never had it- if they did, it was never for long. Like lightning, the four darted across the field, lobbing ball after ball at the goalie.

Ichigo managed to get a goal, and so did Kira, but with the game tied the goalie refused to let another one it. The seconds ticked by, and the crowd grew frustrated, booing whenever it was blocked.

The visiting section was ecstatic, cheering the tigers on and literally jumping up and down on the bleachers. Toshiro's face was cold with determination, and as he raced down the field with only ten seconds left in the game, my heart seemed to stop. I was yelling louder than anyone there- I discarded my pom-poms, I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Get a goal, Toshiro! If you don't, I won't ever forgive you!"

Though I doubted he heard me, a switch of hidden energy seemed to come on inside of him- with massive strength, he kicked the ball from halfway across the field, and it flew as a white blur the remaining way.

With only six seconds left, the winning score was shot.

The roar that erupted was huge- now all they had to do was keep the ball, the easiest part yet. Ichigo stole it, lazily passing it to Kira, who passed it to Shuuhei, and then finally back to Toshiro. He weaved it in and out of the players, dribbling it down the field. He joined up with Ichigo, who gave him a high-five, and the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the game and our team's first win.

I scooped up my pom-poms and jumped madly, waving them above my head. The rest of the team poured onto the field, hollering- but Toshiro ran the opposite way, heading toward us as we ran to the center field for the victory dance. I waved at him, and to my utter embarrassment, astonishment, thrill and pleasure, he grabbed me, spun me around, and kissed me square on the lips- in front of everyone there.

Amu was silent, her eyes as round as the moon, but my friends squealed and surrounded us. Seemingly oblivious to them, Toshiro said when we disconnected, "Want to go out with me?"

My smile rivaled the brightness of the sun. "Of course!"

Sasha screamed louder, and blushing, I asked Toshiro, "Do you really want to go to that after-game party now?" His reply: "Heck no."

"Me either. She'll probably slip something in my drink that suffocates me or something." I giggled. Then we realized at the same time that we were still hugging each other. Though I didn't really mind, Toshiro seemed embarrassed when the soccer team surrounded us. He pulled away, but kept a firm hold on my hand.

"Geez, Toshiro, took you long enough!" Ichigo said, laughing. "But I'm happy it's Hinamori."

Kira nodded in confirmation. "Better than that pink-haired snake Chiyo."

"Dude, don't mention her name here." Ichigo shuddered. "Speak of the devil, and he- or rather she- will come."

There were more wolf whistles and shouted congratulations, and I turned a quizzical look to him. "Just how many girls did you deny a date?"

"Too many to count." He said, and I smiled, glad that I was the one he had chosen.

"Momo! Hey, Momo!" I heard Karin call my name, and turned just as she managed to squeeze through. She gave me a huge grin. "Thank goodness you two are together! I was about to pummel Toshiro since it took him so long to ask you!"

"What?" I asked, confused, and Toshiro glared at her. "Karin…" He said warningly. She continued, undaunted. "I could tell Toshiro was just crazy about you after you met. Seriously, he's never even asked to meet a girl, let alone let one join us for soccer. And the fact that he watches you while practicing was a big giveaway."

"He did?" I asked, surprised, and several of the onlookers busted out laughing. Apparently they had noticed it as well.

"Thank you for your insight, Karin, but we have to go." Toshiro said dryly, then began shoving his way through the crowd, me right behind him. Finally breaking free, I let go of his hand to go get in the routine, feeling as though I was flying, and that nothing could make me fall. Even Amu's basilisk glare didn't faze me. I was in a dream, blissfully unaware of the plotting going on in her head, and in the mind of a pink-haired girl, sitting on the back row of the bleachers, who watched the entire thing.


YAY! THEY'RE DATING!! -does a victory dance- Lol, Karin knew that shiro liked her! Yup, she's definitely a match-maker.

Anyway, please review! You know you want to! Because more reviews makes me happier, which makes me want to write, which makes me want to post new chapters! 3