Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights of this series goes to Tite Kubo.
Author's Note: Yay, another update! Special thanks goes to my magnificent reviewers: sweet miracle 'michu 17, j cloud xD, icyangel27, HoneyFlower15, Mei-tan, lil'sayuri-chan, monkeywinz, Epoch95, Ryu Eiyuu (x3), yumi-2121331, KnowledgeandImagination, k a y - t h i, Samantha, Neko-cheung, Kaye. Shirogane, athfdrizzle, applestoapples, becomeafan, fayfan, Ai Angel, michi. hishiro, HyourinmaruIce. Thank you everyone for your support! xD
Message to applestoapples: Well, I have included two other flowers that says something like that. One of them means I love you while the other means I love you always. You'll find out what they are in the next two chapters. Thanks for your review!
Anyway, here is chapter twenty-eight. Enjoy!
LEGEND
"Talking.""Thinking."
The Healing Heart
Part II - Hardships and Love
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Remembrance
The school bell rang, telling the students of Seireitei High that it's time for lunch. Kira and the others met each other at the usual spot: the roof. "Hey everyone!" Matsumoto greeted.
"Konnichiwa," Izuru replied back.
"Yo," Renji said.
"Ara, where's the little guy?" Ichimaru asked.
"Did he have something to do?" Hisagi questioned.
Kira and Abarai both shook their heads. "Actually, he wasn't at school at all today."
"Really?" Gin asked. "Now that's a first; he's never absent at school even when he was younger."
During this time, Rangiku had a hand placed on her opposite elbow while the other is on her chin. She was thinking of the possibilities of where the white haired teenager could be right now. She mumbled, "He's probably there..."
"There?" Kira asked as the others turned their heads to her.
"What do you mean, Rangiku?" Hisagi questioned.
"...At the grave site where his family has been buried," she answered. "If my memory serves my right, today is probably their death anniversary."
From that point on, no one had anything to say or comment about it.
Hitsugaya, who is dressed in formal attire consisting of black pants, jacket, long tie, and a white dress shirt, came out of the bus after he arrived at his intended destination. Ignoring his mode of transportation leaving him, he turned his head to the side to see the grave site is only a short distance away. With a large bouquet of white lilies (1) in his hand, he started walking there.
After walking up the long flight of stairs, picked up a pail filled with water and a cup spoon, he walked past a few dozen of tombstones until he finally stopped. In front of him is a tombstone that has his family name written on it.
After several years since their death, he has finally taken the time off to go and visit them. "Oto-san, Okaa-san, and...Onee-chan."
Without another word, he walked up to the large stone and got down on his knees. Placing the flowers down for a moment, he began cleansing the area, getting rid of the years of dust, dirt, mold that have gathered and grown. Once he is done, Toshiro placed the lily bouquet in front of the gravestone and backed away. Standing in front of it, he placed his hands together, closed his eyes, and tilted his head forward. With that done, he began to pray for his deceased loved ones.
After a long moment of silence, he opened his eyes. The first words he said to them after so long were I'm sorry. "A lot of things happened to me over the years which prevented me coming to this place."
He let out a short laugh, remembering all of the troubles, joys, and miseries that happened to him.
"Three years ago, I was at Seireitei Hospital in care of Doctor Retsu Unohana and Nurse Isane Kotetsu. At the time, I was a selfish kid who didn't know how to deal with his problems. It is when, I met a girl named Momo Hinamori. She came to the hospital with an ankle injury and became my roommate. At first, I thought she was just a...nobody, but...she turned out to be someone more. She's a little clumsy and absent minded, but she's caring and...Sweet. Over time, we became friends and started spending a lot of time with one another," he explained. "When she recovered, she promised me that she would visit whenever she can until I recover from my injuries. As more time passed, she held her side of the bargain while I held mine. Eventually, I recovered which soon lead me to my next test: living with a new family. I was against the idea, but Hinamori convinced me to go with them. I was happy before, but even good moments don't last long. My new family eventually fell apart with Megumi becoming an alcoholic and a gambler while Touya became a workaholic. Soon, he died due to drug overdose. In the meantime, I became Hashibara's personal moneymaker and punching bag. From that moment on, I decided to run away. I didn't have any other place to go. She knew where I lived before. So I knew I can't hide here in West Rukon. The other option I had is to go to the place where my friends live. Eventually, I ended up rebuilding my life in Seireitei. Living with them right now has its moments: the good, the bad, the plain annoying, and other things I don't really want to mention, but overall, I guess it's alright."
Hitsugaya took a moment to sit down and cross his legs.
"Daijobou, I'm still attending school; I'm a second year student in Seireitei High School."
He cracked an amusing smile on his face.
"If you were still alive, you all would've been proud of me. Your teachings finally have been put to good use, Miyuki. I'm in the same grade as you would have been. Over there, Matsumoto has physically changed dramatically over the years as Ichimaru has done a lot of growing up. Either way, they're both the same people as they were back then when we were children. She's still the gossip girl like you and I know while he appears as sneaky as ever."
There was a short pause before Toshiro continued explaining his story.
"I also met Hinamori there. She...has definitely done some growing up while I was away. She looks...more womanly than before, but she's still the same girl I knew when I first met her."
Realizing what he just said the white haired teenager's cheeks heat up a bit and lowered his head. Shortly, he raised his head up again and quickly changed topics.
"Anyway, it was fun being with them again until my second car accident happened. Megumi was involved and passed away as a result of it. Hinamori was also involved, but...she's still alive at least for now. However, she has fallen into a coma and has been asleep since."
He tilted his head forward.
Hitsugaya whispered, "Right now, she's in Seireitei Hospital resting while I'm here, completely recovered from my injuries and talking to you."
Silence filled the area once more. The next thing he knew, he felt his eyes becoming watery. Quickly, he closed his emerald-teal eyes and bit the bottom of his lip, resisting the waterworks from running down his cheeks. After successfully preventing the tears from calling, the fourteen year old teenager placed his arm down and turned his head to the side.
"What the hell am I doing? I'm supposed to be talking to you about my life, but the only thing you've been hearing lately is the type of girl Hinamori is and how much she's important to me."
Toshiro then let out a defeated sigh. After so long, he finally stood up from the floor and stood on his two feet. If he doesn't do this today, he won't be able to forgive himself. "I'm sorry...Oto-san, Okaa-san, Onee-chan; I need to leave now. Hinamori is waiting for me to visit. I-I'll come back again soon to talk to you. Please...continue to look after me."
With a short bow, he turned his body to the side and began leaving the grave site. However, he stopped for a moment. Looking over his shoulder, he took one last look at the tombstone where his family's bodies were buried.
"I love you all for all the things you've done for me. If it's alright with you, I want to share some of that love for the girl I have grown to care for so much: my special one."
After a few moments of silence, he left the cemetery to quickly catch the bus which will take him to his needed destination.
When he arrived at Seireitei Hospital, Hitsugaya came out of the bus with his suit jacket draped over his shoulder. It took him a while to get here, but he finally made it to the hospital. Right now is three-thirty in the afternoon. When he walked through the doors, the first person to notice him is Isane Kotetsu. "Hitsugaya, I thought you were going to see your family for the day."
He nodded with agreement. "Yeah, I went to see them."
"Your grandmother told me that you were not going to come here."
"I know, but after visiting her consistently, I suppose it has become a habit."
"I see; well, you know where to find her."
"Arigato Kotetsu."
With that said, the white haired teenager left the nurse to her duties while he went to see Momo. He opened the door to see the elder Hinamori sitting next to her granddaughter. "Toshiro, you came back already?"
He walked to her side, pulled up a chair, and sat next to her. "Hai Obaa-san."
Hitsugaya then turned his attention to the sleeping raven haired girl. "Hey Hinamori."
There was a moment of silence.
"Today is the death anniversary of my family. I went to their grave for the first time to give my regards. I talked to them about a lot of things until...I sort of decided to come here and visit you. Yeah, I shouldn't really be cutting my plans short at the last minute, but seeing you...everyday here has become a habit. I-It just feels weird not seeing you."
The elder Hinamori let out a faint smile. Placing a hand on his head, she gently gave his hair a few brushes. Eventually, she let go and said, "I'll be right back Toshiro."
He silently nodded with agreement and watched her leave the room. He resumed his attention to Momo and took hold of her hand with his own.
"Hinamori...don't give up."
Japanese Word Translations and References
Konnichiwa - Good Afternoon, Oto-san - Father, Okaa-san - Mother, Onee-chan - Older Sister, Daijobou - It's Alright, Arigato - Thank You, Hai - Yes, Obaa-san - Grandmother
(1) White lilies' flower meaning is purity and virginity. For funerals, its meaning is to restore innocence to the souls that have departed.
Author's Note: After years of absence, he finally got the chance to visit his family's grave only to find out that he should be looking after Momo in case anything happens. Poor guy...Well, there's two chapters left and the epilogue to post. So, stay tuned and please review! Thanks.
