Chapter 10

In the warmth of each other and their blanket, together they laid twined intimately. Hinamori's hair extended partially covering her companion's chest as she sighed and happily cuddled closer to him as he left a tingling pattern down her back, stroking her spine over and over. A thin coating of sweat sparkled off their skin.

"Looks like winter has found us." Hitsugaya said, staring though the curtains at the slate-coloured sky.

The sleepy, satisfied feeling disappeared as Hinamori slowly sat up, twisting herself to see Hitsugaya watching her with a slight smile curving his lips. His smile spread and he planted a sweet, soft kiss on her fingers. Sitting, so his arms snaked around Hinamori's slim body as she let him tail kisses down her naked throat before their lips met. His touch was warm against her skin as his hands began to move down her body, Hinamori moaned and turned in his arms, pressing against him.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips, she smiled. Giving her hair a fast flick, Hinamori ran her fingers through his hair before staring him squarely in the eyes.

"Love you more."

Their arms tightened around each other, before Hitsugaya gave her a hard, long possessive kiss. Their lips parted and Hitsugaya lifted her from his lap but Hinamori rolled to the left before standing up by the side of the bed. Quickly slipping into a silk robe, she grabbed her partner's hand and dragged him towards the bathroom.

For being late, they pushed through the heavy front doors of the dorms and walked out into a different world. It was snowing steadily, and must have been for the entire night. The campus was completely blanketed by a downy of white. By the time they made it to the session buildings it was heavily snowing quarter flakes forming a magic blanket on Kyoto College.

Several students were already in class but Hitsugaya and Hinamori's laughter and shaking off snow made everyone stop their chatting or doodles to pull back the blinds.

Someone shouted the obvious. "Yeah! It snowed harder!"

"It's striking, isn't it?"

The students standing by the window answered Hinamori with nods and agreements. After all the oohs and ahhs, the colleagues turned to give the couple still standing at the entryway, huge grins.

"What?" Hitsugaya said sounding like a teenager. "Something wrong?"

Some people giggled and then others starting nudging each other before someone blurted out. "See Yukki! I told you they were dating!"

The couple sighed, before Hitsugaya began dragging Hinamori down the steps to his desk. "Class has begun; now get back to your sits."

Through the whole session, students were trying to consistently ask them about their love life. Hinamori rolled her eyes as they began to call her sensei. The class fell silent into their assignments only to get distracted when Hinamori's phone interrupted their thoughts. She plucked it out of her pocket before excusing herself.

"Sis, I am kind of in the middle of class."

"Sorry but something happening and…"

The signal on her phone went fuzzy. "What? Sorry, I can't really hear you?"

Hinamori began walking, "What?" she stopped by the doors.

"It's serious- static- we thought it was just a flu but until it got worse-static- said that it was something else and we just don't know what's wrong. We haven't gotten the results."

Hinamori looked up at a sign by the doors. No electronic devices passed in this building.

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

The phone died, with shaking hands she closed her fully charged cell. Through the foggy windows, she could tell through the rapidly falling snowflakes that the snow was probably what cut off her signal. Without thinking, she pushed through the double doors and went into the storm, hoping it'd turn her tears to ice.

Ignoring the pain that the snow sent to her face, she walked slowly first, not feeling the cold. It was 9:30 when Hinamori reached her room still feeling shaky, confused and more than a little sick to her stomach of the feeling she was having. The fact that the first hour wasn't over yet, it gave her a chance to over think what she had to do or more what was going on back home. Suddenly feeling overwhelmingly weary, she glanced at her alarm clock. It was about an hour she'd been sitting here, it was still snowing in the innocent and dreamy world of white. She leaned her head against the cold window despite her desire to lie down and fall asleep.

Hitsugaya will search for me soon. The thought gave her equal pangs of pleasure and guilt which of course he'd found out soon enough about what was bothering her.

I shouldn't be here, he'll find me. Would it really be so difficult just to tell him that she wanted to go home, that she was worried about her family? Yes.

Closing her eyes and telling herself to relax until slowly, exhaustion took over and she finally fell into a deep sleep.

Someone banging on the door pulled her awake from her dreams.

"Momo, are you in there?!" Mai's voice sounded like an alarm clock.

"Coming!" Hinamori called as she struggled to walk on her pin and needled legs.

Ow, ow. See you should never sleep sitting on the couch.

Cracking the door opened, Mai was frowning at her.

"Enough with sleeping in all day! You've missed lunch; Toushiro's been worrying about you and…" Mai looked Hinamori over again. "And you look like shit."

Hinamori rubbed her eyes, "I am just tired, that's all."

"Something happened last night, I know it."

Hinamori rolled her eyes. "Nothing bad happened last night."

"But then why are you so dead?"

"Long story."

Of course a snowball war was on as Mai and Hinamori came from the dorms. Kids squealed and ran for cover scooping up handfuls of new snow and took aim at anyone in sight. Hinamori stepped back only to bump into Mai.

"Come on, Momo the snow's great."

"Let's just hope a blizzard last through the night!" Hisagi yelled, taking aim at Mai who was already taking cover. Letting it fly, she jumped for cover in time to miss being hit right in the head. Hinamori struggled to close the double doors in time to slam them shut to hear the mushy snow colliding against the wooden doors.

Hinamori crept out the side doors will an umbrella clutching her cell in one hand; it was her only reason to skip the snowball war. She had to know why her sister sounded so urgent on the phone.

Coming to a stop right under the snow covered Sakura tree, she laid her umbrella against its bark. Shifting till the trunk shielded her away from the view of anyone who walked past the hill. Kai picked up on the fifth ring sounding angry and annoyed maybe even sad.

"Nii-san."

The tone of Hinamori's voice on his nickname made him less grouchy.

"Momo?"

Hinamori was already crying and shaking. "I need you to tell me what's going on."

She couldn't think straight even when ten minutes passed after the phone call and a chill ran up her spine from the uneasiness she was getting from being by the tree. Suddenly the vision from yesterday crept up into her head, she began hyperventilating. Falling into a crouch against the tree, she closed her eyes and fought against the pounding in her veins. She gasped and jumped when a hand touched her shoulder. Hinamori looked up at Hitsugaya and caught the surprise in his eyes.

"Hinamori…"

She turned her head away and wiped her face. "I am just home sick."

He sighed deeply and brushed the snow off her hair. "Anything I can do to help?"

"No."

He slid down by her throwing his arm over her shoulder as they leaned against the trunk. "If you're home sick, why are you crying so hard?"

Hinamori felt his lips against her hair, "Just a feeling."

Hitsugaya sighed, he hated when she had these feelings. "If you don't want to talk about it," he stood up brushing himself off. "Then at least let me walk you back." He extended a hand down to her.

Hinamori grabbed his hand but didn't pull herself up even when he tugged.

"I need to be alone, right now." The words sounded harsher than she meant them.

"I need time to think, it's something I have to do myself."

This time she stood up from the look in his sad eyes despite his smile. Stroking his cheek, she apologized. Hoping he'd understand.

He turned her hand over to kiss each of her fingers before pulling her into a hug. Their embrace only lasted a moment, "Take as long as you need but I'll come up when my second session's over."

"Thank you, Hitsugaya."

His smile didn't touch his eyes. "Talk to you later." He walked away and disappeared into the snow. Good, I need to be alone. Time to think, to clear my mind.

At five to nine, Hinamori finally granted her own freedom to get off campus when Hitsugaya hadn't contacted her in the last three hours. Instead of feeling relaxed or festive, she found herself fighting down a lump in her throat. She made her way through the icy fields and walked out of bounds. Hinamori stood by herself on Fifth Avenue, breathing in wintry air. As she drew her collar up, she lifted her eyes to a giant twinkling snowflake, which in the shadows suddenly seemed very lonely.

She turned and began wandering down the empty avenue, passing tall, glamorous holiday display windows. A taxicab shot past startling her and a song blasted out into the night.

"But I am lost in the crowd…Oh why can't I remember the reason I'm so down..."

The song capped everything off; Hinamori stopped in the middle of Fifth Avenue, buried her face in her mittened hands to surrender to the tears that had been building ever since she learned the truth about her mother that afternoon. Breast Cancer, your mother has breast cancer. She paused in front of a small café at the corner of Fifth and Pender Street. It reminded her of the old days back in Karakura, she would have smiled if it wasn't for Mai and Hitsugaya sitting in a far corner.

They were laughing and clearly engrossed in their own conversation until Hitsugaya's gaze slid to where Hinamori was across the street, he almost smiled at her if it wasn't for the expression on her face, pain. His girlfriend was upset about something; he stood causing Mai to stop her animated speech. Hinamori's expression turned serious- intense. Through the steady snow fall, she watched him study and her heart tapped against her ribs. Then she turned and ran.

Hinamori cursed for wearing two inched boots, turning the corner she ran smack into someone who caught her wrist.

"Sorry…I didn't meant to-"

"Momo?" Hisagi sounded confused. "Huh? What happened?"

She ignored him whipping her head back to see Hitsugaya's faint figure quickly advancing on them, Hisagi's cell was ringing. He picked up half ring.

"Hisagi, don't let go of her!"

She heard Hitsugaya's yell through the phone, only to smack Hisagi's arm and then she was on the run again, ignoring the police officer's yell. Reaching the far side of a parking lot, she tripped catching herself on her gloved hands. Hinamori sat there for a few minutes to catch her breath, it was snowing harder now. Looking back, Hitsugaya was leaning under a streetlight not too far, watching her. Hinamori struggled against the pain in her foot as she limped away from him as he walked the distance between them.

Her yell of pain caused him to run the rest of the distance, catching her by the elbow. The glow from the streetlights turned each snowflake into a flickering beacon as they stood there in silence. Hinamori's breathing was deep as puffs of white clouds disappeared from her lips. She heard her boyfriend's call to the other's verifying her safety.

Hitsugaya squeezed her arm, when she didn't answer his questions and then once he confirmed they were alone, he grabbed her waist and pulled her down to the snow with him, the two tumbled to the ground. For once Hinamori wasn't worried about her hair or clothes.

"Get off!" she yelled, feeling the weight of him on her body, keeping her warm. The sound of anger and sadness surprised him as she continued to constantly push against him.

"No way." His tone was firm as he shook his head. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Go away!" she gasped as her tears caught up with her. "It doesn't concern you."

The last part was a lie but it hit home. Hitsugaya stared back at her wet, red-rimmed eyes. Hinamori couldn't stop the tears as he rolled off of her; he sat there leaning his head back into the night.

"Does this have to do with Mai?" he whispered, she cried harder. "Does it?!"

"I don't know, you tell me!" they were both startled by their own outbursts.

In answer, Hitsugaya leaned over her again so that their faces were so close to each other that she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Don't you trust me?" he whispered, his eyelashes fluttering on her forehead, his fingers twining with hers, and his legs straddling her own.

"Yes…" She lifted her lips up to him for a kiss, and their mouths met, open and wet and she could taste the snowflakes on his tongue. Hinamori felt the smooth wetness of his lips against her throat, his hands on her body, the feel of his hair between her fingers but why couldn't she appreciate this romantic moment? It made no sense. And just like that, she knew everything was just beginning, if not ending or at least in the heart of a breaking point.

Authors Note: Hm…sometimes don't you just hate cold weather? Extreme special thanks to those who've reviewed, CallMeNicole, unformidable trust, Kazeek, Momo21, freakaga1n, himiko areess, sma4ever and thanks to Jazzmin92 & Sasu-Shinigami for the favs/alerts.

P.S – The last line of this chapter is very important to the continuing plot of the story. Anywho I'll update once I reach 83+reviews! Here's a preview:

Where are you? We need to talk, I know what you did. How could you? Is that why you were being such a bitch at the mall? Think about what you're doing. Not trying to sound mean but I am just really pissed and confused at why you'd do that. Again we need to talk.

For a moment, no one moved.

They all just stared at one another, as if rooted to the ground beneath their feet.

"Oh, my god," Hinamori gasped, horrified, when she could finally speak.

Suddenly a sound caught everyone's attention; it was just Hisagi.

"Why Mai?" he said.