A/N: Wow, we're almost finished with this story. Only 5 more chapters to go... TT.TT I know. Sad huh. But never fear! There's TWO more volumes after this. So there's PLENTY more to come. XDD Now, ENJOY!

Track Nine:

One Choice

/Humans pick and choose. They always want their way. But there is only one. And one this time will stay\\

We emerged on the other side, and I recongnized the place to be Seireitei. I was in Soul Society once more. I would have smiled if not for the fact that Hitsugaya was still running fiercely, as if his life depended on it. Matsumoto was close behind him and they both looked pissed off. I pursed my lips to prevent the flow of questions dying to get out. It wasn't a good time to start pouring questions, especially when Hitsugaya looked under pressure. They kept running, until they were outside the place I remembered as the 10th Division grounds. Hitsugaya finally slowed down, and let me on my feet. I sighed as I stood there, wobbling a bit, as if I'd forgotten how to use my legs.

"Takamori, follow me, and don't say a single thing, got it?" Hitsugaya asked. I nodded. For him to revert back to my last name, this must be really serious. I just followed him until we walked all the way passed the 10th Division grounds and to the 13th Division grounds. I almost grinned again at the thought of seeing Ukitake-taichou-sama again. Almost. But the current situation didn't seem to be fit for smiling, so I just kept a confused, curious frown on my face.

We soon reached the Captain's Quarters and Hitsugaya knocked loudly on the door.

"10th Division Taichou, Hitsugaya Toushirou, Fukutaichou Matsumoto Rangiku, and-" but the door slid opened before he could finish. Ukitake's face was worried as he ushered us inside and closed the door.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, thank goodness you're here..." Ukitake said, breathing a sigh of relief. He grinned over at me once he spotted me.

"Oh, hello, Takamori-san. Good to see you again," he said. I grinned back.

"Good to see you too, Ukitake-taichou-sama," I grinned widely. I couldn't help myself. The man reminded me so much of my own father.

"Ukitake-taichou, what's the current situation?" Hitsugaya asked, directing our conversation away from mundane greetings. Ukitake looked back at him with a worried expression on his face.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou is commanding all the squads to go into emergency training mode. All Taichous and Fukutaichous are allowed to carry their Zanpaktou and use it full-force if need be. Training and mock fighting sessions are beginning immediately, and Takamori-san is required for an emergency Taichou-Fukutaichou meeting. They said they will need to question her there," at this, he gave me a half sorry, half worried glance before turning his attention back to Hitsugaya.

"Since the Central 46 is no longer functional, Yamamoto-soutaichou and all the Taichous and Fukutaichous are going to decided what's going to happen to her. They're becoming suspicious of her powers, after the recent betrayal of Inoue Orihime-" I cut him off. My eyes went wide.

"What?! Orihime-chan?! Betray us?! No! That's not possible! They must have forced her into it! She would never ever betray us! She wouldn't! I know her! She's my friend and I know her! I swear...!" But Hitsugaya snapped.

"Urusai! Things are bad enough without you shouting at us! You forget your place, Takamori! We're of Taichou class. Do not, under any circumstances even think that you can tell us what to do!" he shouted, glaring coldly at me. He had slammed his fist into the table, upsetting 2 teacups and a tray of biscuits. I gasped as the hot tea burned my hands, and quickly snatched them away from the liquid flowing freely on the table.

He'd never yelled at me like that before. Not even when he was angry in the real world, or that time with my Onii-chan. He'd never glared so coldly at me before. I stared at him, and felt my eyes begin to sting. Hot tears brimmed them but I fought them back, keeping them from falling. I looked down so he could not see the hurt on my face.

"Sumimasen, Hitsugaya-taichou. I forget my place. I'm sorry," I apologized, biting my lip to keep my voice steady. I stood up quietly, keeping my head down and walked calmly to the door, sliding it open and closing it quietly behind me. I could hear them talking.

"Taichou... I think you went too far this time... she looked really hurt," it was Matsumoto. And I distinctively heard Hitsugaya sigh and the clink of someone straightening the upturned cups and saucers.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, I think maybe you did a lot of damage to Takamori-san's pride by yelling at her like that,in front of other people no less," this time, it was Ukitake.

My lip was quivering, and the tears finally dripped down my face. I bit my lip hard and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my sobs as silent as possible. The image of the look Hitsugaya gave me as he smashed his hand into the table to imprinted clear as anything behind my eyes. I shook my head violently to get rid of the image, but it didn't work.

Why did he affect me so? Why did I care so much about what he thought or did or said to me? What was he to me? And the answer came, without much prompting.

He was almost everything to me.

I'd fallen in love with Hitsugaya Toushirou, and there was no way around that fact. And that was why it hurt so much. That was why I couldn't stand him being angry with me. That was why I felt like dying every time he glared at me, or yelled at me. That was why I took every word he'd ever said, good or bad, completely to the heart.

I'd fallen for him. And I was in much too deep to dig myself back out. I'd fallen into a trench, a trap, a ditch, that was so deep I couldn't see the sky. And there was no way out.

As soon as I realized that, I ran. I ran all the way back to the 10th Division grounds, and without even needing to consciously think about it, my feet led me to the Captain's Quarters. I burst through the door into the empty room and I ran all the way to the farthest corner, behind the bookshelves where I'd first discovered Hitsugaya's hidden comics. I ran to the wall and pressed my warm forehead against the cool wood. Uncontrollable sobs racking my body. I pressed by back to the wall and slid down till I was sitting. Hugged my burnt hands to my chest and cried.

I cried until I had no more tears to cry and then I just sat there, breathing in uneven breaths and hiccupping once in a while, cradling my smarting hands. I didn't even hear the door open and close and the footsteps that came in, stopped, and then resuming, heading my way. It wasn't until I felt someone standing over me that I looked up, squinting in the dark lighting to make out who it was. But the height and the hair were unmistakable. It was Hitsugaya. I tried to move out of the way, but he crouched down and put his hands on my shoulders, pinning me to my spot. I couldn't move either way, so I just sat there, looking down, gasping and hiccupping.

"Hey..." he said quietly. He was so close. I could feel his breath on my hair and forehead. I held my breath, afraid that if I took in any more of his enticing scent, I would break, much worse than before.

"Daijoubu ka?" he asked, letting go of one of my shoulders. I felt his hand beneath my chin as he lifted my face. I bit my lip and looked to the side, avoiding his hypnotizing gaze. He studied me for a few moments before his eyes flicked down towards my hands, cradled to my chest. I didn't answer, just sat there, trying to calm my breath.

He gently took my hands away from my chest and rubbed them in his own. His skin was cool and smooth, and felt unbelievably nice against my hurt hands. I held in the sigh of relief and bit my lip even harder. I turned my eyes onto our hands and I felt my heart begin pounding. It was pounding so loud that I was sure that Hitsugaya could hear it just as clearly as I did.

From his pocket, he pulled out a long string of bandage and began to wordlessly wrap my hands. I watched him, not daring to say anything, afraid that if I did, my voice would break and I'd start crying again. His movements were slow, gentle, firm, and sure. He knew exactly what he was doing, and knew exactly how to do it. He was completely focused on my hands. When he was finished, he tied the last knot and set my hands gently onto my lap. He stood up, and silently offered me his hand. I eyed it for a second before grasping it and letting him pull me to my feet. A sudden rush of blood drained from my head and I wobbled for a moment. Luckily, Hitsugaya's strong grip on my hand prevented me from falling.

He led me to the couch and gestured me to sit down. I did, and he let go of my hands. I was disappointed. I was getting accustom to the feeling of his hand around mine and it felt nice. It felt... right. I felt cold the moment he let them go and I watched as he turned, sat down at his desk and started working.

He hadn't said a word since he asked if I was ok and I didn't reply. But we understood. We understood that we were good now. We didn't need to talk. No. We didn't need words. No. We just understood. He had apologized and I had forgiven him. We had both come to that silent conclusion.

I stared down at my bandaged hands, remembering how nice it felt to have his cool palms press against my burnt hands. It was better than any ice-pack I'd ever used in my life, and it soothed me better than any painkiller. I smiled gently and looked up at Hitsugaya, bent over his work, that same lovable frown of concentration on his face.

He looked up and I quickly averted my eyes.

"What?" he asked, breaking the silence that had begun around 1/2 hours before. I shook my head and smiled even wider. My eyes were still red and puffy, but my breathing had calmed down entirely.

"Really, what were you just thinking about? I know it's not anything sad or depressing..." he urged. I gave him a sideways smirk kinda thing.

"It's nothing. I guess I was just smiling at the fact that we really don't need to talk to communicate, ya know?" I asked, eyes shinning. He scoffed but I could see the faintest trace of a smile on his face, and like before, I could also tell that he agreed with me. Even if he didn't say anything about it. I knew.

"Well, it's almost dinner time, so let's get going," he said, putting down his pen and stretching. He was tired, but he refused to show it... to everyone else I guess, because it was quite obvious to me.

That month I'd spent with him maybe didn't yield any information that the Soul Society had wanted, but I sure learned a lot. I learned about all of Hitsugaya's habits and his expressions, and, most importantly, what everything he did meant. Sometimes they're out in the open for everyone to see, like big things. But most of the time, it's just his posture or a little movement that reveals everything he's feeling and thinking about. And in turn, I think, he learned a lot more about me. He could tell. That's all there was to it. He just knew. But I'm not sure if the month really did to him what it did to me, I mean, he could read me after only 3 days... he's a strange boy.

And I liked him like that.

"Oi, where's Ran-chan?" I asked curiously as we both walked towards the Taichou/Fukutaichou dinning commons. He shrugged, but wrinkled his nose. I nodded. Matsumoto was once again out drinking Sake, and she would come back filthy drunk tonight, probably whining about how this one guy in the bar hurt one of her 'babies'. At this thought I rolled my eyes and laughed. Hitsugaya glanced at me and grinned as well.

"Probably..." he said.

"Oi! Shirou-chan!"

I turned around. 'Shirou-chan'? Who in the name of heavens and earths can have enough guts to give him a pet name like that?! He'd have my head if I called him that!

"Hey Momo," he replied, turning and greeting a girl that was taller than the both of us, with black hair in a bun. She smiled and patted Hitsugaya's head. He looked pissed off, but didn't say anything against it. This must be Hinamori Momo, I decided. It was the only logical possibility.

I'd never seen anyone treat Hitsugaya the way Hinamori treated him. They were just like sister and brother, teasing, laughing, and reminiscing. It seemed like I wasn't even there. I smiled, even though it hurt. I'd never seen him so happy and carefree.

Together, we made our way to the dinning commons. Or rather, they made their way to the dinning commons while I followed behind them in the shadows. Hinamori was a Fukutaichou, if I remember correctly from what Hitsugaya told me about her. So, they had known eachother for quite a while now. And from their talk, it seems like they knew eachother even before the Academy.

I was lost in my train of thoughts when someone glomped me from behind. I could feel 2 soft 'somethings' on either of my shoulders.

"Kya!" I yelled as I almost fell over.

"Mina-chan! Daijoubu desu ka? Are your hands better now? Did Taichou apologize?" she asked cheerily as she let go of me. Surprisingly, I couldn't smell any alcohol on her.

"Anou... daijoubu desu... and... yeah. He apologized," I cast a quick glance over at Hitsugaya. He just smirked at me, as if teasing me, saying 'Nice save...'. I narrowed my eyes playfully at him and wrinkled my nose. He raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes, that smirk still playing on his lips. I gave him a mock annoyed look and a fake glare. He pursed his lips and shrugged. I was about to shake my head when Matsumoto's laughing voice interrupted.

"Wow... newly developed code? Maybe you should inform the Research and Developments Department and they'll make it International. Then Soul Society would be so much... quieter," she commented, still chuckling. I blushed and looked over at Hitsugaya. He was blushing too, but he was frowning that same'ol frown that I'd grown to love so much.

"It's nothing... just...nevermind..." I said, slightly flustered. I heard a funny 'tch'ing sound from behind me and whipped around, pouting.

"Damare!" I said, face about as red as a ripe apple.

He gave me a look of shock, but it was slightly marred by the fact that he was trying not to laugh.

"What? I haven't even said anything! Geez woman..." he said, rolling his eyes again. I curled my hands into fists.

"Oh, would you quit teasing me?!" I yelled. My face was hot and I could hear the blood rushing behind my ears. I wasn't angry... just annoyed.

"I wasn't saying anything! You ask Momo and Matsumoto! Was I making a sound?" he asked, blinked pensively at Hinamori and Matsumoto. Matsumoto looked like she was about to burst, and Hinamori just looked amused.

"Nope, but you were making some very strange faces, Shirou-chan," Hinamori giggled and patted his head again. He irked but didn't say anything.

"I'm sure you were saying a lot of things, just that we couldn't understand it. After all, it is yours and Mina-chan's language, right?" she asked. My eyes widened.

"Since when has it been our language? We were just making faces!" I said, though I was fighting down another blush.

Matsumoto nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't believe me.

"Right... c'mon then, I bet dinner's started already," she said, leading the way into the dinning commons. Hinamori followed close behind her, but not before grinning sweetly at Hitsugaya, at which he flashed a small smile back. I was going to follow Hinamori when he stuck out his foot and tripped me, but before I hit the ground, he caught me again. I looked up and glared at him, though rather playfully.

"Watch where you're stepping, Gikochinai-chan," he said, setting me back onto my feet again.

"Urusai! You're the one who tripped me in the first place, Mijikai-kun," I snapped, folding my arms across my chest and biting my lip.

"Oi! Hitsugaya-taichou, stop flirting with Mina-chan and come eat! Your food's going cold!" Matsumoto shouted across the hall for all of the Taichous and Fukutaichous to hear. Hitsugaya's face went red as he glared at Matsumoto before sniffing and stomping off to their seats. I just followed behind him, an amused and carefree look on my face.

'Maybe there is a chance that he... but we'll wait and see...' I thought comfortably as I sat down to eat. About halfway through the meal, Hitsugaya turned to me.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Minako-chan, you're supposed to attend a meeting tomorrow, with me and the rest of the Taichous and Fukutaichous. They're going to tell us their... decision then," he phrased it carefully, I could tell. What he really wanted to say was something along the lines of 'They're going to tell you if you're sentenced to death or not tomorrow'.

"Hai... do I go with you? Or do you have to go there first to... you know..." I asked. I felt a bit sad at the thought. What if they decided to send me away? Then I'd never see...him again, and I don't think I can stand that.

"No, you're coming with me-"

"They asked him to come first, but he refused is what he's trying to say," Matsumoto 'kindly' finished for him. Hitsugaya glared at her but nodded nonetheless. I smiled.

"It's okay, you can go first if you want to, I don't mind," I said, trying to be courteous. But he shook his head firmly.

"You're coming with me," he stated, as if it was set in stone. Then again, he was a Taichou, so his word technically is set in stone...

A/N: Ok... that wasn't the best chapter, I know. But tell me what you thought anyway! It's a bit more... carefree than all the others ones, don'tcha think?? XD kay REVIEW!!