Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights of this series goes to Tite Kubo. The only character I own is Miyuki Hitsugaya.
Author's Note: There are quite a few reviewers I have to thank. (takes a deep breath) Anyway, special thanks goes to becomeafan, Rinka Tomiya, Epoch095, Neko-cheung, cool!, AznInvasionGirl, yumi-2121331, HoneyFlower15, KnowledgeandImagination, j cloud xD, Kaye. Shirogane, athfdrizzle, Samantha, icyangel27, applestoapples, chococat450, WhitePrincessOfHope, HiMeChAaAn, Pieps XD. You all are great supporters!
Message to cool!: I really have good timing with things like this. xD Anyway, Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you enjoyed it and don't worry, the first chapter to The Next Greatest Treasure will be uploaded sometime next week or the week after at the latest (hint hint). Thanks for your review!
Message to applestoapples: Sorry to break the news to you, but you have guessed right. I'll tell you this much; they're involvement in the story will play a major role in Part II. Anyway, thanks for your review!
With Toshiro finding out that he's going to be adopted, how is he going to react? Well, there's no other choice, but to read and find out in chapter nine. Enjoy!
LEGEND
"Talking." "Thinking." Voice Message from Toshiro's Older Sister, Miyuki Hitsugaya. Flash Back or Dreaming.
The Healing Heart
Part I - Hope and Friendship
Chapter Nine: Fears and Worries
All there was in the dark blue Honda Civic are the sounds of laughter. "I totally had a blast there!" the brown haired thirteen year old girl exclaimed out loud. "Okaa-san! Oto-san! We will go to amusement park again soon, right?"
"We'll see how things go," her mother replied.
"Aw, but I enjoyed being there!" Miyuki asked before turning to her little brother, who is sitting on the other end of the back seat. "Toshiro had fun too, don't you agree?"
He slowly nodded with agreement and turned to his parents. "We want to go back there."
Their father merely chuckled. "Alright then, if you two manage to do well in your studies, then I'll make sure to plan another exciting trip to the amusement park."
The siblings' faces suddenly lite up. The older one asked, "Really?"
"Yes, Miyuki."
"Yay! Arigato Oto-san!"
Their mother placed a fist over her mouth and let out a small giggle. "Sometimes I wonder why you were born first Miyuki-chan," she asid. "You're thirteen years old already and you still act like a child."
"If I became a person who studies all the time, Toshiro would never view me to be a fun and loving sister."
Hitsugaya merely smiled over the comment. Taking out her light pink cell phone from her back pants pocket, she held it up in front of her and said, "Now, it's time to commemorate this moment with a picture."
"Again?" her little brother asked. "If you keep taking and storing pictures into your cell phone, one way or another, you're going to run out of storage space."
"I'll worry about that when it happens." The eleven year old let out a sigh of defeat and noticed her camera phone lens is pointing at him. "Come on Itoto-chan, smile for me!"
Without any other option to decide upon, he did a casual pose and smiled as he was told. Once she has taken his picture, Miyuki took a look at it and then showed it to Toshiro.
"Aw, you're so cute!"
All of a sudden, Hitsugaya's cheeks turned a little pink. He turned his head to the side, trying to hide the expression from his sister. "I-I'm not cute, Onee-chan. I'm already eleven years old and I don't want to hear fluffy comments like that anymore."
The green-blue eyed girl smiled. She turned her head to the front and watched the upcoming scenery come and go. All of a sudden, Miyuki noticed something coming from the side of the road and then shouted, "Oto-san, stop!"
Just as the other family members, turned to the daughter, wondering what she is yelling about, the father finally noticed the fast speeding car heading towards them. Instinctively, he hit his foot on the brakes, forcing the car to stop while letting out screeching noises from the tires. However, it was already too late. Their vehicle of the speeding car met with the body of the other. From the inside, screams and yells as loud as the broken glass and bent metal were heard.
By the time he regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was the body of his older sister holding onto him in a deep embrace. Her seat belt was taken off. He couldn't register what is going on or what has happened to him. He felt trapped. Everything around him seems like those scenes from disaster movies. Toshiro then slowly lowered his head and begun noticing the various parts of his and his sister's bodies are covered in nothing, but a splattered red liquid substance. He barely lifted his right hand up to observe it for a moment. The next thing he knew, his eyes widened upon realization. "B-Blood? Am...I bleeding?"
He could feel his conscious fading fast. He wanted to say up and find out the truth. What happened to them and what is going on around him? However, he is fighting against a losing battle.
"Onee-chan, what...is going...on?"
He soon closed his eyes and blacked out.
When Hitsugaya finally opened his emerald-teal eyes, he found himself staring at the white ceiling above him. He began wondering to himself, "W-Where am I? How...long was I out?"
"You're in Seireitei Hospital right now, Hitsugaya," replied a voice. "You've been unconscious for almost a week."
He slowly turned his head to the side and soon met with a black braided haired woman and a tall gray haired woman, standing at his bedside. "Wh-Who are...you?"
"My name is Doctor Retsu Unohana and the person behind me is Nurse Isane Kotetsu."
"Wh-What...am I doing here?" Toshiro asked as he tried to sit up. However, a strike of pain immobilized his body from moving any further. He soon lay back down in bed again. "It-t-te...why do I feel so numb?"
"It's amazing that you managed to survive," Isane commented. "However, it is not certain that you're able to function normally again once you recover from all your injuries."
All of a sudden, he remembered the events before he lost his conscious. He asked, "W-Where's my family? Where are my Oto-san, Okaa-san...and...Onee-chan?"
Then, a deep silence filled the room. Both Unohana and Kotetsu looked at one another which soon followed by a sigh. He watched the doctor place her hand into her right pocket and take out a silver cell phone. She held it out and placed it on Toshiro's open right hand. Slowly, he lifted it up to his face to examine it. The once clean and new electronic is now suddenly scratched up on the surface. "I'm sorry Hitsugaya," she apologized. "Th-They're all pronounced...dead at the scene."
It took a moment before the realization happened. All of a sudden, Hitsugaya wrapped his arms around himself and began laughing. "Y-You...have to be kidding me."
He looked up at Unohana and Isane.
"You're pulling some sort of...joke. I hate jokes like that..."
"Hitsugaya," Isane said. "It's all tru-"
"No, it can't be true!" Hitsugaya suddenly yelled as he forced himself to sit up. "They're alright! They're somewhere in this hospital, fighting to stay alive! Don't lie to me like this! Stop it!"
"S-Settle down! You shouldn't be forcing yourself to move your body!"
"I'm sorry Hitsugaya, but we're not lying," Unohana replied. "The doctor who was at the scene of the accident confirmed their deaths. Your father, mother, and sister all died from the impact of the crash. The whole incident is terrible and that's why it's a miracle that you're still alive. Your survived it and it's probably because...Miyuki protected you."
Upon hearing his older sister's name, images of his sister hugging him amidst the car crash filled his thoughts. He loosened the grip on himself. After placing his hands on his lap, he lowered his head. Miyuki Hitsugaya saved his life in exchange for her own. He is the only survivor. He is the only family member left. He is left all alone to fend for himself.
All of a sudden, he clenched his fists together, fighting against tears that quickly filled his eyes. Before long, it dripped down his cheeks as he shrugged his shoulders a few times, forcing himself from crying out loud. With a flick of his finger, he opened the cell phone cap and began pressing a few buttons. Soon, he stopped to look at a picture of his three family members, smiling back at him. One of his tears fell down from his cheek and landed on the LCD screen. "Oto-san...Okaa-san...Onee-chan..." he whispered. "Why? Why does this have to happen?"
The next thing Toshiro knew, he yelled out loud in tears, "Don't leave me; I don't want to be left alone!"
His eyes shot open, forcing the white haired boy to gasp in bed. After calming himself down, he then placed a hand over one side of his forehead, eye, and part of his cheek. He whispered, "A dream...it's only a dream."
All of a sudden, he realized his cheek is wet. Toshiro held his hand out to analyzed it.
"It's not just any dream after all...It was a nightmare."
He closed his eyes. With the use of his sleeve, he wiped the tears away. Once he recovered, he laid down in bed again. He turned his head to the night table to check the clock to see that it is 5:30 in the morning. Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat and tried to get back to sleep. However, the new worries filled his thoughts.
"Two days...There are only two days left until I leave this place with my new...family and my new life."
He turned his body to the side and held out his right palm in front of him. After a few seconds, he formed a light gripped fist with it and placed it over the center of his chest.
Hitsugaya quietly said, "I-I don't want any of this..."
Hinamori stood in front of the kitchen sink, washing dishes. Next to her is her grandmother, who is cleaning them with a dry cloth. "How is Toshiro doing these days?" she asked.
"Oh, he's doing great!" Momo happily replied. "Hitsugaya-kun's got his leg cast off yesterday and went through some rehab. It's only a matter of time before he's able to walk properly again."
The elderly woman smiled. "That's good to hear."
The peach girl nodded with agreement. "I can't wait for the day he finally gets discharged from the hospital."
"But Momo, even if he's able to leave, where will he stay after that?"
It is when the thirteen year old stopped and lowered her head. "You're right; he's an orphan now. So, does that mean he's going to an orphanage after?"
"Most likely, he is unless a family has already decided to adopt him."
"I see..." There is a brief moment of silence. "Obaa-san, is it possible for you to adopt him?"
"Are you sure about having a little brother in the family, Momo?"
She nodded with agreement. "I don't mind. Besides, the both of us already have a pretty close relationship. You like him too, right Obaa-san?"
The elderly grandmother smiled. "Why don't you go upstairs and change your clothes in your room? In the meantime, I'll finish washing the dishes."
"Eh, are we going somewhere?"
"Once you're done, we're going to the hospital to visit Toshiro."
Suddenly, a happy expression appeared on the girl's face. She quickly and happily nodded with agreement. "Hai!"
By the time Hinamori and her grandmother arrived at Seireitei Hospital and entered the lobby, they saw Nurse Kotetsu running past them. "Isane-san, is there something wrong?" the raven haired girl asked.
"Oh Hinamori, you're just in time," the nurse replied after she stopped to talk with them. "Come with me quickly."
"W-What do you mean?" Momo asked before a thought came into mind. "D-Does it have something to do with Hitsugaya-kun?"
The older female let out a small sigh and slowly nodded with agreement. "Hitsugaya locked himself in the boy's public washroom, refusing to come out. It has been like that since this morning."
"Eh, why would he do such a thing?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out. He won't tell us the reason."
Momo looked at her grandmother for a brief moment before resuming her attention to Isane. "Maybe...he'll open up to me if I try to talk to him."
"I hope so."
By the time the peach girl, her grandmother, and the nurse arrived at their destination, Doctor Unohana and a few male patients were outside the washroom door. The doctor knocked on the door with a soft fist. "Hitsugaya, you have to get out sooner or later," Retsu said, "or else you're going to starve in there."
"I don't want any food!" replied a voice from the other side of the door, "Stop pestering me already and just leave me alone!"
"I can't do that; it's my job to look after you."
There is no response after that, leaving the braided haired woman to let out a sigh of defeat. "Unohana-sensei."
She turned around to see Isane, Momo, and her elderly grandmother approaching her. "Hinamori..."
The peach girl placed her hands up in front of her and said, "If it's alright with you, I want to talk to him when there's not so many people watching us."
With a faint smile, Unohana stepped aside and asked all the male patients to temporary make their leave. Momo's grandmother let out a faint smile and left the area with Isane so that her granddaughter can do her job.
Once everyone's gone, Hinamori approached the washroom door and gently knocked. "Hitsugaya-kun, can you hear me?"
On the other side, Toshiro is leaning against the door with his knees placed close to his chest while his arms are resting on top of the other, being used as his face cushion. In response to hearing the girl's voice, he quickly raised his head and glanced back.
"I know you're in there."
He hissed between his teeth and yelled out, "Go away! I don't want to talk to you either, Hinamori!"
With that said, he buried his face in his arms once more.
"What's wrong? Why are you acting like this?"
After hearing no response from him, Momo let out a sigh and turned around to lean against the wall. She slid down until her bottom made contact with the cold floor.
"Everyone's worried about you. They do that because you're not telling them the reason you're upset."
"..."
"Whenever you're ready, you can always talk to me. I'll be here to listen."
Silence filled the atmosphere for a few minutes to the point it got Hitsugaya a little worried. Is Hinamori still waiting for him outside? Toshiro raised his head once more to stuff his hand into his pants pocket. Taking out his cell phone, he flipped it open and began pressing a few buttons. Soon, the LCD screen displayed a picture of his family at their last trip together: the amusement park. He then rested the phone on his lap and began staring at the florescent lights above him.
He never wanted it; he's pretty content the way things are now. So, why the change? "I...I'm going to be adopted," he finally said.
Upon hearing his comment, Hinamori let out a surprised expression on her face. Someone else has decided to take him into their family. She slightly lowered her head and said, "Oh..."
There is a brief moment of silence where no words are exchanged from either side.
"Sin-Since when did you know?"
Toshiro closed his eyes. "I...I overheard Unohana-sensei and Kotetsu talk about it not long after you left yesterday."
"I see..."
There is another short quiet moment before the conversation resumed. "I-I don't want to go..."
"He does not want to go to be with his new family," she thought. However, she knew the decision is probably for the best. "You have to go live with them, Hitsugaya-kun. They-They're your new family."
"I don't want a new famil-"
"They're not meant to replace your old one; they're meant to give you the love and care you need right now. Besides, you're...still young. You still have a bit of learning to do before you're truly able to be on your own. In the meantime, we...we just have to believe that you're going to be alright. You just need to be brave."
"Brave, huh?" he thought.
"Daijobou, I'll be there at your side when they come."
He opened his emerald-teal eyes and slowly stood up from his seat. On the other side of the door, Hinamori heard the sound of an unlocking door. She stood up from her seat and turned around. Once the door opened, it revealed the white haired boy. At first, he slowly raised his head to see Momo, but soon turned it away. He doesn't know what to do or even say.
Noticing his moment of hesitation, the thirteen year old just smiled and suddenly pulled him into a warm embrace. As he is wrapped in her arms, he was surprised by her actions. However, it didn't stop him from pushing her away. Instead, Toshiro just stood there, letting her do whatever she wants.
"I-I..." He spoke. "...I'm sorry for causing trouble."
"It's alright as long as you stop doing that, okay?" she asked after letting go of him.
He slowly nodded with agreement. "Will...you be able to see me off on Monday?"
"So that's when he's going to leave," she thought. She smiled at him. "Like I said before, of course I'll be there."
Hitsugaya returned the sentiment with a faint one.
"You must be hungry right now," Hinamori said. "Shall we go to the cafeteria to get something to eat?"
"I guess..."
Just as he began walking, Toshiro suddenly lost his balance and began tipping to one side. Sensing danger, Momo quickly ran to his aid and took hold of his left arm and placed it over her shoulder. When he regained his composure, he glanced to see her helping. "Erhm, thanks..."
She smiled in response. "It's no problem. Let's go, okay?"
With a short nod, the two friends slowly began walking to the cafeteria together.
Japanese Word Translations
Okaa-san - Mother, Oto-san - Father, Arigato - Thank You, Itoto-chan - Younger Brother, Onee-chan - Older Sister, Itte - Ouch, Obaa-san - Grandmother, Hai - Yes, Sensei - Teacher/Doctor, Daijobou - It's Alright
Author's Note: There's only one chapter left until the end of Part I of The Healing Heart. So, stay tuned to the next update! In the meantime, thanks for reading, please review, and answer the new poll question I posted on my profile! Thanks.