PART EIGHT – BIRTHDAY

Thanks for everyone who reviewed again, I love you guys!

A Note: I didn't really enjoy writing about the living world (except for the bits with HitsuHina of course) so this fic won't be having any more living world chapters. Besides, it was way too off track and I missed HitsuHina so much when I was writing them. So I'm making up for it here. Beware: I am in a very romantic mood, and also happy so this would be a happy, fluffy, silly, soppy chapter.

Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, don't own any part of Bleach, anime or manga.


PART EIGHT


It was late afternoon when Hitsugaya finalised his training with his division. He headed towards his office grudgingly where there was most definitely a mountain of paper work waiting for him on his desk. So he walked into his office expectantly, only to be completely surprised. Not only was there not a single piece of paper waiting for him, there was a mountain of presents awaiting him.

Rangiku and Hinamori walked in behind him. "Happy birthday, taichou" said Matsumoto, heading towards her beloved couch. Hinamori hugged him from the back and gave him a light peck on the cheek, "happy birthday, Shiro-chan." She then moved to join Matsumoto at the couch.

Hitsugaya was bewildered. Today's my birthday? I completely forgot. He recollected himself and walked to his desk to inspect his presents. In the middle of the desk surrounded by a heap of other presents was a dozen of roses in a glass vase. What had caught his eye wasn't particularly the dozen roses, it was the single white rose in the middle. With it came a note, written undeniably in Hinamori's handwriting.

"In every bunch there is one that stands out" he read out loud, looking at Hinamori. "Is this some sort of reference to my hair, or my height?" Hinamori and Matsumoto giggled. Quite dense indeed, this prodigal captain of mine, thought Rangiku.

A few moments later, Renji, Ichigo, Izuru, Nanao, Shunsui and a few others burst through the doors.

"It's a party! Bring out the sake!" shouted Shunsui, who was immediately hit on the head with a fan by Nanao.

"You shouldn't drink so much, it's bad for your health." She said, pushing her glasses up.

"My Nanao-chan needs not to worry about me so much." He said, looking at her adoringly and extremely touched by her concern. Nanao ignored him and turned to Hitsugaya.

"Happy birthday, Hitsugaya taichou"

"Thank you, Nanao-san"

The others moved to greet him. After a moment, when everybody had finished saying happy birthday to a quite bored taichou, Renji suddenly came up with an idea.

"Let's play a birthday game!" Hitsugaya groaned.

"Now, now, don't be like that Hitsugaya taichou. Since Ichigo is here, we should play a game from his world." At this Ichigo thought for a minute.

"Ah, time honoured classic, truth or dare." Everyone looked at him.

"Truth or dare? How do you play such a game?"

"Well, a person has to choose between being asked a personal question and answering it truthfully or carry out a usually embarrassing action. Let's start by sitting in a circle." After everyone was sitting in a circle, Ichigo continued. "Let's start with Renji as an example. Renji, truth or dare?"

"Dare" he replied hesitantly after a moment of thought. "By the way, what's the penalty for not doing neither." Ichigo thought for a moment, "You'll be stripped down naked and forced to walk a full circle around Seireitai." Everyone gasped at that, Hitsugaya gave a snort.

"Okay, Renji, you chose dare. I dare you to … go to Byakuya's rooftop, pound on your chest with your fist and scream out "I am Byakuya's butt-monkey." Everybody roared out in laughter, even Hitsugaya, except for Renji who sat with his arms crossed and shaking his head like a mad man, his face was completely flushed.

"Do it, you have to do it or else you'll have to walk around naked!" ordered Shunsui.


This is the last moment of my life before I get murdered by taichou thought Renji as he stood on the rooftop of sixth division headquarters looking down on the rather large crowd gathered below him.

"Go on!" they shouted at him.

"Easy for you to say!" He screamed back at them. He took a deep, deep breath, brought his fist up and started to beat his chest.

"I AM BYAKUYA'S BUTT-MONKEY!" He screamed out. Everyone watching him roared in laughter, some of them were wiping away tears while others were rolling around the floor. Hitsugaya had never been so amused in his life.

"ABARAI RENJI, MY OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!" yelled Byakuya, who happened to come out when he heard the noises coming from outside his headquarters. He had exited just in time to look up and see his vice-captain pounding on his own chest like some gorilla and scream out that he was his, Kuchiki Byakuya's, butt-monkey. The absurdity! He was about to turn around and stomp, albeit gracefully, back into his office when he caught sight of Ichigo. "Ichigo, you will join him as well."

Thus the game of truth or dare ended like so.


The game ended but the party did not. They returned to the tenth division headquarters and resumed the party. After a long while, Ichigo and Renji returned. Both had red hand marks on one side of their faces. Apparently Byakuya had ordered them to slap each other as hard as they could as punishment. However, by the time it was eight, majority of them were drunk and were ushered back to their rooms. Eventually everybody left, leaving Hitsugaya alone with Hinamori.

"Wait a second, I have to get some things." Said Hinamori. She quickly rushed out the door and returned a few minutes later carrying two boxes.

"Let's go up to rooftop and watch the fireworks." She said, grabbing his hand.

Once they were seated comfortably on the rooftop, Hinamori handed him the first box. It was in the shape of a book.

"Guess what it is first."

"Hmm, a book with 101 reasons why Hitsugaya Toshiro is the greatest?" She laughed and he basked in it.

""No, okay open it!" He did and let out a gasp of surprise. It was really just chocolates but each piece had been made into the shape of his head. The hair was made of white chocolate while the rest was made of plain chocolate. Should I eat these or should I frame these? He thought to himself.

"You made these, how long did it take you." She smiled at the look on his face.

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out."

"That's only because I'd tell you off for depriving yourself of sleep."

She handed him the second box and he opened it. It was a cake, also in the shape of his head.

"It's beautiful." He said, then after a moment's thought, "But then again it's of me so you can hardly go wrong." He said jokingly, though his tone was dead serious. Hinamori smiled proudly then produced two forks and a candle. She gave one to him who looked quizzically at it for a moment then shrugged.

"Wait, you have to make a wish!" She said after she lit the candle.

"Huh?"

"Apparently, if you make a wish in your head before blowing out the candle then it will come true. Make a wish then blow the candles out."

Hitsugaya looked at the flame consuming the wax. That's easy, I wish I could be with Hinamori forever. He was about to blow out the candle when he gave his wish a second thought. Of course he wanted to be with her forever. But there was another wish that seemed more … worthy. I wish that Hinamori will live a long fulfilled life filled with happiness. He would try his hardest to give her that happiness but if anything happened to him, or them, he didn't want her to suffer for it. He thought the wish was sufficiently efficient - the long secured her safety, fulfilled encompassed no regrets and happiness was self-explanatory. He blew out the candle.

He then proceeded to take a large junk out his head-shaped cake and ate it. "I hope there is no metaphorical connotations behind the eating of my head." He said as he forked another piece.

The fire works had started and the young couple sat on the rooftop. Hinamori snuggled against Hitsugaya, her head on his shoulder.

"Hey Shiro-chan, what did you wish for?" She asked, not moving her head from his shoulder.

"Silly, I thought you weren't suppose to tell anyone or else the wish won't come true." He said, looking at her.

"Mou, I want to know." She pouted. Great, I can never win against that. Thought Hitsugaya. He sighed in defeat.

"I was going to wish for you to be with me forever but then after a second thought, I wished for your safety and happiness instead." They looked at each other for a moment then Hinamori broke eye contact as she reached for his hand. She proceeded to draw a circle on his palm with her finger and then prompted him to do the same.

"What does that mean?" He asked, baffled.

"It's a custom, drawing a circle on each others palms will mean that the couple will be together in their next life as well as this life." She said, leaning in and gently rubbing her nose with his, then placing a kiss on top of it before she moved away.

He stopped her. "I think we can do better then that." He said as he moved in towards her. Her heart beat faster as she closed her eyes in anticipation. It was a slight brush on the lips at first, Hinamori tingled from the sensation. They looked at each other for a second then closed their eyes again for a second kiss. This time it was deeper as their tongues touched. Hinamori subconsciously placed the back of her hand on his head to bring him closer. The couple was oblivious to everything around them, all they knew of the moment was each other.

The fireworks continued in the background as the couple kissed.


When the fireworks finally finished, Hinamori and Hitsugaya returned to Hitsugaya's room to sleep. Somehow the sorting of the blankets became a full fledged pillow fight. By the end of it, they were exhausted. Hinamori then laid down and curled up next to Hitsugaya.

"Goodnight Shiro-chan" she said.

"Goodnight, bed wetter Momo" he replied. His thoughts wondered to the events throughout the day. This was by far the best and most memorable birthday he has ever had. Of course, today was the day I had my very first kiss, with Hinamori nonetheless. He smiled happily, looking at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Momo."

"For what?" She replied sleepily.

"Everything." He replied.

They slowly drifted to sleep together.


Morning dawned on them. Hinamori slowly woke up and put a hand out to where Hitsugaya was laying…only to find an empty spot. She sat up and looked around. The room was empty and Hitsugaya's captain cloak was missing. She looked at the time and yelped. I missed the vice-captain meeting! She cried inwardly, why didn't Hitsugaya wake me up?" She got up and walked over to where her neatly folded black shinigami uniform was placed and saw a note on it.

The note had a picture of chibi Hitsugaya on it with thought bubbles coming out of his head. In the thought bubbles was chibi Hinamori. Along with her picture was his writing which said "didn't have time to wake you up." That's his other way of saying "I couldn't bring myself to wake you up". She smiled happily, got changed then headed towards her division headquarters.

When she arrived, she was surprised to see a large bouquet of roses on her desk. There was a note next to the glass vase which she picked up and read. In every bunch there is one who stands out. And sure enough there was a single white rose in the bundle. She counted the roses, there was a hundred. Shiro-chan isn't so dense after all.


END OF PART EIGHT


Hope you guys liked it, even though it may be too over romantic for some. Hehehe, I wonder what I'd be like if I write about valentines day...

Please review and thanks so much for those who have.