A/N: Just so everyone here knows I am 100% in love with the Bleach Musical… I am a huge music nerd myself and I practically flipped when I found out they had a musical. I'm listening to the soundtrack right now. Yay inspiration, though its also kind of distracting… :P Now without further ado…
…………
Momo angrily reared back, kicking the rubber soccer ball into the net with a dramatic swish. Breathing hard the girl wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead before starting forward to untangle the ball from the netting, her mind not really on the task. It was Wednesday evening and, having a few moments of free time, she had decided to head down to the soccer fields and kick the ball she had bought around a bit on her own. Try outs were the following day and every second that ticked by brought her closer and closer to the moment when she would have to prove to everyone on the Death God's that she knew what she was doing. Despite the determination coursing through her veins, the butterflies her stomach absolutely refused to settle down. She supposed it was understandable considering everything that was going on at the moment, yet it frustrated her all the same.
She and Hitsugaya hadn't spoken much since Monday's incident, as she had begun to call it. He wasn't ignoring her or anything, but he didn't go out of his way to speak to her either and it was frustrating her more than she'd thought it would. Oh well, she would see him at try outs and he would be forced to talk to her whether he wanted to or not. Scowling she punted the ball forward again, watching in satisfaction as it sailed forward and into the goal, rolling to a stop in the back corner of the net. If she could shoot like this tomorrow it would be all the better for her.
……………
Toshiro stared blankly at his history notes, his mind nowhere near as focused as it usually was. Despite what he'd told himself about acting normal around Hinamori he was finding it harder and harder to do so. He couldn't get his roommate's many quirks off his mind and until he figured out what in the world the kid was trying so hard to hide, he was not going to be able to concentrate. Sighing in defeat he shoved the book away from him and ran a hand through his unruly white hair, his mouth set in a fixed scowl. A sudden jingling in his pocket jerked him out of his thoughts and he frowned, pulling his cell phone out and checking the caller I.D. His spirits dropping even farther the boy flipped the device open, knowing he wouldn't be able to ignore this call no matter how much he might want to.
"Hello," he mumbled.
"Toshiro?" the man on the other line asked. "How many times have I told you to speak up when you're talking to me?"
"…Sorry dad," he responded. The man clucked his tongue but let the matter slide.
"I have a very important client coming over for dinner tomorrow and I need your attendance," he said to him, his voice brisk and matter of fact. Toshiro frowned, his mind flying to the soccer tryouts.
"What time tomorrow?" he asked. There was a disgruntled sigh from the other end before the man responded:
"Really what time do you think? It's not like meal times have changed since you left or school," he responded shortly. Toshiro sighed, already sick of his father's short attitude.
"I'll be late," he said to him, bracing himself for the answer that was sure to follow.
"You can't be late. It is essential that I make an impression on these people so that I can get this case. They know about your soccer prowess and have been wanting to meet you; apparently they have a younger son who likes to play," he said to him. When Toshiro didn't say anything the man continued. "Stop being so selfish! It's about time you gave back to your family after all we've done for you-…"
"Okay!" Hitsugaya burst out before quieting, frustrated with himself for losing his calm. "…Okay, I'll be there. I have soccer tryouts that day but I'll leave early, Hisagi should be able to handle it without me." He could picture his father's satisfied face in his mind and had to stop himself from hitting the end call button then and there.
"That's good to hear. We'll be seeing you tomorrow then," he said silkily. Toshiro nodded once.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," he muttered before flipping his phone shut and chucking it onto the bed. Sighing in frustration he slammed his palms to his head and flopped backwards, crashing into the mattress and swearing loudly as his head made connection with the phone he had just thrown there. Naturally the one thing he'd been looking forward to this week would be ruined by that man. Grinding his teeth he sat up and slammed his fist into the wall, wishing that for once in his life his father could just leave him alone.
"Hitsugaya…?" The boy jumped, his gaze rocketing up to where Hinamori was standing in the doorway, hand frozen on the knob, a concerned expression on his face. Toshiro inwardly winced having not wanted anyone to see him like this, much less his roommate.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked quietly.
"Not long," was the quiet response. "Is everything alright?" Hitsugaya nearly snorted but stopped himself just in time. His father was his problem and he wasn't about to get anyone else involved, not to mention he didn't want Hinamori worried about him.
"Yeah everything's fine," he responded before picking up his textbook and placing it on his lap, pretending to be completely wrapped up in the words typed across the page. Fortunately for him Hinamori didn't press the matter, though he could tell his roommate wasn't completely satisfied. Sighing he got to his feet and shoved the large book aside for the second time that evening.
"Are you going somewhere?" Hinamori asked as he stood up. Hitsugaya nodded briefly.
"I have to talk to Hisagi," he responded shortly before walking the few feet to the door and vanishing down the hallway.
Hinamori watched him leave and had to fight the natural urge to go after him. Truth be told she had been there for practically the entire conversation but hadn't spoken up, not sure it was something she should be witnessing but unable to pull herself away. The conversation she had had with Hitsugaya at Urahara's popped back into her mind and she recalled how reluctant he had been to talk about his family. Clearly he didn't get along very well with his father which was evident in the way he had spoken to the man on the phone and it was even more obvious that he didn't want to talk about it in any way. Sighing the girl face-planted her bed, knowing that even if Hitsugaya was going to talk to someone about his familial issues it most definitely was not going to be her.
……………
Thursday came much quicker than Momo would have liked and the next thing she knew she was sitting in seventh period English class, her heart pounding in her chest, notebook page blank while everyone else's was covered in notes. Right now she wanted nothing more than to grab onto the hands of time and desperately keep them from moving forward. What in the world was she thinking trying out for a boy's soccer team, and a good boy's soccer team at that. The Death Gods were known for their ability to tear up any field they set foot on and already had two league championships under their belt. This year they were hoping to make it three. Swallowing Momo groaned out loud and buried her head in her hands.
"Hinamori, are you alright?" The girl felt her face heat up as she recognized Aizen's voice and with a start of mortification she remembered that she was sitting at her desk in the middle of class, surrounded by her classmates, probably receiving several odd looks at this point. Hoping her cheeks weren't too bright red she slowly lifted her head from her hands and met her teacher's chocolate gaze.
"Um, yes I'm fine," she squeaked, wishing the floor would hurry up and swallow her already. Aizen smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Well that's good to hear. It would be a shame if you were ill on the day of tryouts," he said to her. Momo just nodded mutely. At this point she was scared that if she opened her mouth even a little, she would throw up. The bell rang and her heart gave a horrible lurch, her limbs feeling heavy and unwilling to move from their place in her seat. Hitsugaya was the first one out the door and she couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment. Even knowing how unlikely it was, just a few words of encouragement from him would have been helpful.
"Hinamori, it's time to go." Aizen's voice shook her from her reverie and she glanced up at him for the second time that day.
"Oh right," she murmured. "Sorry about that." The teacher shook his head, his eyes warm and amused.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe it's not my place to ask but are you sure you're alright?" he asked her. Momo opened her mouth, hesitated, and promptly let her head fall onto her desk.
"Soccer tryouts," she mumbled, her words barely audible to him. The man shook his head, gently placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her into a sitting position.
"Don't worry about it so much, I know you'll be fine. From what I hear of you, you're a definite shoo in for the team. Just go out there and show them what you've got," he said to her, his words full of cheer and encouragement. Momo stared up at him and, to her horror, felt a warm blush begin to creep across her cheeks.
"R-right, I'll do that! Thank you sir," she stuttered before jumping to her feet and racing from the room. Aizen watched her leave, his smile melting from his face as soon as the girl was out of sight.
"Interesting kid, eh Aizen?" The brown haired man looked over to where Gin was standing, his arms folded across his chest, his usual smirk decorating his face.
"Yes," Aizen responded, his lips folding into a smile of their own, "very interesting indeed."
……………
Momo took a deep breath, trying her best to calm her racing heart as she sat along the sideline; pulling her cleats over her socks and watching the other boys warm up on the field. She recognized several of them from the night at the bar though there were more than a few surprises. Yumichika for one was someone she would not have expected to see on the field and neither was Hanataro for that matter. Hisagi and Hitsugaya were standing on the opposite sideline conversing with Shinsui Kyoraku and another woman who Momo didn't recognize. She was tall and slender with hair pulled back in a loose bun, a couple strands falling loose on the right side of her face, a pair of glasses perched precariously on the bridge of her nose, a clipboard in her hand.
"Hinamori, hey!" Momo glanced up to see Kira making his way towards her, a bright smile on his face, one hand raised in greeting. She smiled back before returning her attention to the field as he sat down beside her. "How are you doing?" he asked. She snorted, shaking her head and staring at the ground.
"I've been better," she responded truthfully. Kira chuckled quietly and she frowned defensively at him. "It's not funny! I don't think I've ever been this nervous in my life!" At this the blonde stopped laughing though she could still detect the amusement sparkling in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," he said to her. "But really you have nothing to worry about." Momo's frown deepened.
"Why's that?" she asked.
"Because I heard Hitsugaya talking to Hisagi about you. Trust me from what he says you're practically a shoo in for the team," he said to her. Momo shook her head, sighing dejectedly.
"He's barely seen me play so I don't know how he can be so sure," she replied stubbornly. Kira shrugged.
"Well either way we'll see right? Seriously though don't worry so much. You'll be fine; I promise," he said getting to his feet and offering her a hand. Smiling up at him Momo took it, allowing the other boy to pull her to her feet.
"Thanks Kira," she said to him, flashing a brilliant smile his way. The boy immediately flushed and looked away.
"D-don't mention it," he muttered before scampering off to join Renji, Ichigo, and Ikkaku. Momo watched him take his leave, more than a little confused at his abrupt departure. Shrugging she let it go, figuring that was just Kira being his usual slightly awkward self. Glancing around she located a crate filled with soccer balls placed in the middle of the field and deciding she should at least warm up a little, the girl headed over to them. She wasted no time picking one from the multitude available before dropping it at her feet and giving it a few sample dribbles.
Momo turned to head to an open part of the field and nearly crashed into a brown haired guy making his way over to the soccer crate.
"Sorry!" she exclaimed, glancing apologetically up at the kid. With a start she recognized him as the boy from the mall who had been working in the sporting goods store.
"Yeah watch where you're going buddy. You almost ran into Keigo, the Death God's biggest stud!" he said to her and Momo got the distinct impression that he'd just flexed his muscles at her.
"Um sorry; I'll be more careful next time," she said to him, doing her best to slip away. Unfortunately she wasn't so lucky as Keigo sidestepped, blocking off her escape route.
"Hey, do I know you from somewhere? You look awfully familiar," he said, squinting his eyes at her and scrunching up his face, clearly in deep concentration.
"I don't think so, I just transferred here," Momo replied truthfully, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere but under his piercing gaze.
"Are you sure? I swear I've met you somewhere bef- ack!" Momo glanced up in time to see a soccer ball roll to the ground at her feet, clearly having just made connection with the back of Keigo's head. Peering around him she saw Ichigo making his way over to her, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Hey you want to punt that this way Hinamori? My kick went a little too far right," he said to her.
"Yeah no problem," she answered, slipping past Keigo and kicking the ball in the orange head's direction.
"You want to come warm up with us?" Ichigo asked her, letting the ball rest comfortably under his foot. Momo's face lit up and she nodded her head, only too happy to fall into step alongside the strawberry and put as much distance between herself and Keigo as possible. She immediately felt at ease within the group as they all welcomed her good naturedly, though Ikkaku did make a comment or two. She chose to take the mature path and ignore him though she did kick the ball a little harder than necessary in his direction, and her aim might have been a little higher than it needed to be, missing her target by centimeters. Ikkaku paled at the close call and he glared at her while the others laughed out loud.
Right at that moment there was the sound of a whistle blowing and Momo glanced up to see the woman she hadn't recognized earlier with the whistle in her lips and gesturing for them all to circle up.
"Who's that?" she asked Renji as they made their way towards her.
"Nanao Ise, Kyoraku's girlfriend," he replied.
"Really!?" Momo asked, caught a bit off guard. This Nanao woman had a very no nonsense aura about her and Kyoraku was…well…Kyoraku. Renji snorted.
"Yeah, but most of the time you won't be able to tell," he responded. Momo frowned.
"Why's that?" she inquired. The redhead shrugged.
"If you watch long enough you'll see," he replied. Hinamori nodded, still a little confused but she figured his comment would make sense soon enough. Once everyone had gathered around, Kyoraku cleared his throat and lazily spoke up.
"Alright so… my lovely lovely Nanao, ouch-!" Momo raised her eyebrows as Nanao had just smacked the man over the head with her palm, her eyes flashing dangerously at him. "Um I mean my cute, adorable-ouch! - violent Nanao -ow! - will tell you what you're supposed to be doing," he finished, grinning meekly at the woman glaring pointedly up at him. Shaking her head she turned to the group of snickering boys though at one sharp glare their sneers faded and their posture straightened. Momo couldn't help but feel more than a little bit impressed at this woman's obvious authority and her ability to whip teenage boys into shape without saying a word.
"Alright so you'll start off with the various drills that Shuuhei and Toshiro have prepared for you. After that we'll work with shooting and then finally end with a scrimmage. Do your best as this is your one shot to show us what you've got," she said to them. Momo nodded along with everyone else, her nerves slowly dissipating in the excitement that was rapidly taking over.
Before the drills themselves actually started Hisagi had them all circle up and stretch and Momo found herself between Renji and Kira for which she was grateful. As much as she supported gaining new friends, here at least it was nice to be surrounded by familiar faces. Renji smirked at her, shaking his head at the nervous expression on her face.
"Would you relax? Geez you're even making me uneasy with that expression on your face," he muttered, giving her a light smack to the head. Momo blinked and shook herself, forcing what she hoped was a determined smile onto her lips.
"Right, sorry," she mumbled. Renji merely snorted and went back to his stretches while Kira gave her a sympathetic look.
"You'll be fine, I promise," he said to her. The girl felt a rush of gratitude for the blonde, knowing he was only saying that to try and make her feel better but she appreciated it nonetheless. Ikkaku, who was on Kira's other side, scowled and gave the blonde a hard whack to the head.
"Wh-what was that for?" Kira protested, rubbing the abused spot and giving Ikkaku a confused look.
"You're too soft!" baldy exclaimed. "If he wants to be on this team he's got to man up! You being so sympathetic all the time is just going to turn him into even more of a wimp!" Momo scowled, deciding it was about time she spoke up for herself. Backbone, she reminded herself, I've got to have backbone!
"We'll see how much of a wimp I am on the soccer field!" she retorted, glowering at Ikkaku and causing him to start with surprise. There was a pause as no one said anything and Momo felt her face begin to heat up though she refused to look away. Finally Ikkaku's mouth quirked into a small smirk and he snorted, breaking their gaze.
"Well we'll just have to see won't we?" he responded smoothly. Momo set her mouth into a determined frown and nodded once, knowing if she didn't have to prove herself before she definitely did now.
"Is it just me or did the tension levels out here just skyrocket?" Kira asked meekly. Right at that moment the shrill cry of a whistle broke through all conversation and they all jumped to their feet, looking over to where Nanao was standing beside Kyoraku, whistle in hand, staring at Hisagi expectantly.
"Uh right, warm up jog!" he called, starting the steady pace around the field while the other players filed in behind him. Hinamori took a deep breath and followed the other's example, wasting no time running after Kira and Renji, determined to keep up with them the entire time.
It was a ridiculously hot day out and Momo found herself already sweating despite having only been out for a few minutes. Fortunately there was a slight breeze blowing which cooled them off a little, yet most of the boys still resembled sweat monsters by the time the jog was over. While they had been running, Hitsugaya had set up cones in varying places around the field, clearly setting up for whatever drill would be thrown at them next. Momo listened as Hitsugaya explained it, telling them they would have to dribble the ball between the cones in a certain order, doing their best to maintain control of it at all times and wait on the other side once their turn was up. Momo took a deep breath, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation. She was one of the last in line and therefore had time to watch the others take their turns.
Almost right away it was obvious who knew what they were doing and who didn't just in the way the individual players took care of the ball. Those with confidence in their abilities breezed through the exercise while those who didn't were much choppier, stumbling over their movements and allowing the ball to get just a touch too far ahead. Finally it was Momo's turn and as soon as the soccer ball was kicked her way she took control. Letting the ball snake around her ankles she dribbled forward, spinning around the first cone and heading off towards the next. She let her feet guide her, completely losing herself to muscle memory as she guided the ball this way and that, around the cones, through her ankles, a touch to one side and then the other… She was so caught up in the field beneath her feet and the rubber sphere rolling around her legs that she almost didn't realize when the obstacle course was complete. Catching herself just in time she set one foot on top of the ball before hopping nimbly over it and then kicking it back towards the next player. Hiding a grin she headed over to where Kira, Renji, Ichigo, and Ikkaku were staring at her, their mouths hanging open, eyebrows arched in disbelief.
"Th-that was incredible!" Kira stammered. "I had no idea you had such good ball control!" Momo bit back a smile and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Thanks, I do my best," she responded.
"Trying to play it off cool are we?" Ikkaku asked snidely, though he appeared just as impressed as everyone else.
"Nice job kid!" Momo immediately felt a hand on her head and the next thing she knew Renji had her in a headlock and was giving her the biggest noogie of her life. "Why didn't you tell us you could play so well!?" Momo winced and grabbed at his arm, trying to detangle herself from his hold.
"Er, you never asked…Ow! Renji that hurts, stop it!" she exclaimed, finally tugging herself loose. The red head laughed and shook his head.
"Well, we'll see how you do with everything else but if you do half as well as you did just now, you'll make it for sure," he said to her. Momo felt her face heat up with pride and she quickly dropped her gaze, not wanting the red head to know how happy she was to hear that.
The rest of tryouts flew past and before Momo knew it, Hisagi was telling them all to circle up. They did so; Hinamori squeezed herself between Ichigo and Renji, and listened to their Captain as he opened his mouth to speak.
"So good job today everyone, way to stick out the heat," he told them. There were several grunts of agreement and a couple of the players pulled their shirts off. Momo blinked and looked away, feeling her face heat up again as she remembered what Hitsugaya had looked like without that certain article of clothing…maybe if he got hot enough he would take it off again…? Immediately pushing such thoughts from her mind, Momo tuned back in to what Hisagi was saying.
"So all that's left is the scrimmage. We're going to go shirts and skins, shirts on the right, skins on the left…" and with that he made his way around the circle, calling off every other. Momo felt herself break into a cold sweat, not sure what in the world she was going to do if she got named a skin… She couldn't just leave, she couldn't refuse as that would require explaining, and she definitely could NOT take her shirt off. Her breath caught in her throat as Hisagi drew closer, assigning her friends to various sides.
"Kurosaki skins, Abarai shirts, Madarame skins, Kira shirts, Hinamori skins…" Momo felt her heart drop and she looked around desperately, trying to find some way, any way out of this. Desperation caused her to reach out and grab Kira's arm before he made his way over to the right, her eyes wide with panic.
"Kira switch with me!" she hissed. The blonde raised his eyebrows at her.
"Why?" he asked. Momo bit her lip, spitting out the first thing that came to her mind.
"I got really bad sunburn on my chest the other day and being out in the sun like this really bothers it. It's not a huge deal but if you wouldn't mind switching with me I'd really appreciate it," she said to him. Kira shrugged.
"Uh yeah sure, no problem. I doubt Hisagi would care and I guess I'll be cooler this way anyway." He grinned at her before yanking his shirt over his head and heading over to join Ichigo, Ikkaku, and the others. Momo breathed a sigh of relief before heading over to the right side of the field and joining up with the others.
"What was that all about bed-wetter?" The quiet murmur in her ear made her jump a foot and she whirled around to see Hitsugaya standing there, his eyebrows raised inquiringly.
"H-Hitsugaya! You're playing?" she stuttered. He nodded.
"Yeah, the captains always play in the scrimmage," he told her as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh, okay. I guess we're teammates then?" she commented. The boy shrugged.
"Guess so." Momo nodded before turning away, though his next words stopped her in her tracks. "Make sure that burn of yours doesn't get in the way of your playing." Her breath caught in her throat and she turned to stare at him. He had overheard that? Their eyes met and Momo couldn't help but notice the spark of amusement in his teal orbs and the sense of knowing that radiated off him. It was in that moment that she truly wondered just how much Hitsugaya suspected about who she really was, that is, if he didn't know already. Swallowing she gave him a shaky smile before dropping her gaze and hurrying over to where Renji was standing next to Chad.
"What's wrong with you? You look like you saw a ghost or something," Renji commented helpfully. Hinamori shook her head.
"Don't worry about it," she mumbled, stubbornly keeping her eyes from shifting over to where Hitsugaya was standing.
"Well whatever it is you'd better drop it now. We've got a game to win," the red head said to her, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Ikkaku who was sending rude hand gestures their way. Momo nodded.
"Right," she responded, shaking her head and clearing any thoughts of her roommate from her mind.
"Let's go little guy," Chad said to her as they took the field, dropping her a small smile before heading into the goal. It made sense that he was the goalie, Momo thought as she took in his large appearance. With a build like that it would be amazing if he let anything through.
"Hinamori, play right wing!" Momo glanced up as Hitsugaya's voice caught her ears, his eyes unusually intense as he pointed her to the position. Nodding she jogged to his right side as Renji took the place on his left. Clearly they had thought up these positions ahead of time. Momo didn't have any longer to dwell on this fact however as the next thing she knew, Kyoraku was dropping a ball into the middle of the field and the game began.
………………
So I thought I'd get an update out quicker this time around, no trips to Alabama this week… I'm super looking forward to the next chapter and I can't wait for you all to find out why so stay tuned, I should have another update out soon! Thanks so much for all the support, you all rock!
~Phoenix