THREE

"I'm sorry…"

It was this scene that welcomed Abarai Renji as he ventured on his solitary march on the stone path leading to the Eighth Division complex. There was no moon, but even in the dim light, he could make out the figure of Hinamori Momo. In a kimono, even.

"Yeah, yeah. I said forget it. Stop apologizing, it wasn't your fault."

Judging from the voice, her shorter companion could be no other than the Tenth Division captain, Hitsugaya Toushirou.

"Oi, Hinamori," he called his colleague. She was visibly upset and looking down at her feet. What's happening here?

Hitsugaya saw him approach. He thought he saw the makings of a scowl, which transformed into a sullen expression. "Abarai."

Hinamori's head went up. "Abarai-kun!" she greeted him, her pale face brightening.

He drew closer. "You're going to the party too?" He looked critically at her clothing before giving her a look of approval. "All dressed up, I see."

She blushed but her smile was geniune. "Oh, it's nothing." She gestured to her frowning escort. "Hitsugaya-kun - Hitsugaya-taichou is accompanying me there."

The object of their conversation had his arms folded across his chest, waiting for the chitchat to finish. Renji gave him a fleeting glance. He's escorting her, huh…

"And Matsumoto?" he asked, careful to keep his tone even.

"She's at the party already." It was Hitsugaya who answered. "Where's your captain, Abarai? Isn't he coming?"

"Ah, Kuchiki-taichou?" You think he has time to go to parties? Does Kuchiki Byakuya look like the sort who even goes to parties? Renji almost laughed at the thought. "He's not going."

"Aizen-taichou can't make it either; he has a lot of things to finish." Hinamori chirped in. "It's just too bad…"

Hitsugaya's face took on a frown. He gazed at their surroundings, not meeting any of their eyes. "Knowing the others, I'm probably the only captain who's even going. Apart from the host, that is."

"Well, Hitsugaya-kun did finish all of his work, didn't he?" Hinamori reassured him.

"They must think it's not in their character…blast it!" He suddenly cursed aloud, making both Renji and Hinamori look at him strangely. "I KNEW I forgot something!"

"What - what's wrong?"

"There's some memo I need to answer as soon as possible. I left it at the office before the meeting and forgot all about it. I knew it!" The white-haired young man paced around the walkway. He stopped, staring at Renji. "I have to return to my office. Escort her to the party," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Renji answered respectfully.

"If a Hollow attacks you, don't let her fight. Her movements are limited by that kimono and she might just trip or something."

Hinamori gasped and turned to Hitsugaya crossly. "Now wait a minute…"

"Don't let her run around. Keep her always in sight."

"There is NO WAY a Hollow can enter this world, and I'm not that helpless, you know!"

Renji and Hitsugaya exchanged looks. "Just do it. I'm off," the captain said, and disappeared in a flash.

Hinamori's lips were still in a pout. "Hmph!" She turned on her heel, huffing. "Let's go, Abarai-kun!"

Renji could have sworn there was something more in that discussion, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

All in all, it was turning out to be a fairly pleasant evening. She was going to a party (not having to worry about late reports and nonmatching tallies), Captain Aizen had complimented her earlier (the memory she had fixed in her mind still sent her stomach into flip-flops, and her cheeks glowing), and she was now accompanied by two of her longtime friends.

Though Hitsugaya left in a hurry just a while ago, leaving her with Abarai. He even threw in a few nasty comments before he took off, successfully bristling her. But she told herself to relax, thinking: Shirou-chan will always be Shirou-chan.

Then Renji started asking questions.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…you two know each other, right? Like way back, even before we became shinigami?"

Hinamori was rather surprised at her red-headed friend's choice of subject, but there was no harm in replying. Perhaps he was just curious. "Oh, yes. We lived in the same area, and used to play with each other a lot." She smiled at the memory.

"Then you knew he was a genius, huh?"

She shook her head immediately. "Oh, no! I'm just as surprised as anyone else. He was just this scrawny little kid when I knew him then."

She recalled a serious little boy who, upon arriving at Soul Society, spurned everyone else, preferring to keep company by himself. But Hinamori saw through that coldness, and discovered a lonely soul which she sought to embrace and cherish, until the ice melted. Sure enough, with perseverance, Hitsugaya Toushirou began to open up and she was delighted to find a true friend inside.

"But Shirou-chan was also very rude," she added, frowning. "He never listened, he talked back at his elders, he played a lot of pranks - most on me - and he - he called me-" She flushed at the thought, and decided 'Bedwetter Momo' was just too embarrassing.

"Yeah? He called you what?" Renji prodded.

"Never mind," Hinamori grumbled, "just that it wasn't a very nice name to call someone."

They fell silent, crossing the courtyard leading to a new group of buildings in a leisurely pace.

"Hard to believe that a kid like him, if you described him right, would actually be one of the captains of Gotei 13 now," Renji murmured with a hint of irony. He stuck his hands into the pockets of his roomy uniform.

She couldn't think of an answer.

Renji didn't wait for it. He chuckled. "Well, it's not like I wasn't a rowdy sonofabitch myself when I was a kid," he confessed ruefully. "Still, Hitsugaya-taichou…I'm not a genius like him. Did he show you any of his spiritual powers then? Used to do some tricks to my gang. Blew them away." A chuckle rose out of him again.

Hinamori's mouth twisted in a frown. "He…didn't have any spiritual powers before…before I left for the Academy." And it was a good thing too, the notion suddenly occurred to her. If they had gone to the Academy together, who knows how she would have fared in her education, knowing that this smart aleck would best him in everything she worked hard for?

It wasn't a particularly nice thought, and Hinamori hurriedly tucked it away.

"Wow. That must've been freaky, you know? Imagine waking up one morning, and finding out, 'Holy shit? I've got all this power within me!' And you get to breeze through the rest of your academy years. Never having to cram for all those exams, like we did." Renji shook his head, an unbelieving expression on his tattooed face.

"Ye-yes. I'm…proud of Shirou-chan."

Yes. Yes, I am.

It was the first time Renji looked at her since Hitsugaya left them alone.

"Shirou-chan, huh?"

"Huh?"

"You call him that?"

"Yes…no…I mean, I used to, but I can't call him that now." She smiled, but her insides felt empty. "I once promised him that if her got into the Academy, I'd call him by his surname."

"Oh?"

She took a deep breath, and continued. "I never thought I'd have to add 'taichou' to it, though." She laughed, but didn't really feel like laughing.

Renji was looking at her curiously.

Her breath caught in her throat. Had she said too much? She felt embarrassed again, and tried to look away at once. Renji's eyebrows raised, and Hinamori thought it was time to end that topic. "Abarai-kun, if Hitsugaya-taichou overhears us gossiping about him, he'll have our heads for sure," she said in a light tone.

He looked chagrined. "We were not gossiping. I was just curious why you two were together."

"Eh?" For some odd reason, her heart started pounding.

"Then I remembered, you two knew each other from Rokungai."

"Ah…" Slow down. "Yes, of course we did."

Renji's eyebrows met in confusion. "But then he…" He paused, then clamped his mouth shut.

What! What about him!

She tried to quell her own curiosity, and kept her voice measured. "He? You mean Hitsugaya-kun? What about him?" Slow down.

He turned to her. The strange look on his face returned. His eyes searched hers.

Then they crinkled. "Hinamori, if Hitsugaya-taichou overhears you gossiping about him, he'll have your head for sure." He flashed her a sly grin, and when relief flowed through her, it was only then that she realized how tense she had become.

And for what reason?

"Anyway, we're here."

"What? Really?" For a moment she thought he was still joking. The building in front of them was too quiet; the darkness not helping to erase her doubts.

Renji gently pulled her aside and grasped the handle of the door, sliding it open with a powerful yank.

He gasped. "Holy shit."

Hinamori thought the exact same thing.

Sorry it got delayed. Thanks for all the reviews, everyone