Title: Past Midnight
Series: Bleach
Characters: Hitsugaya x Hinamori
Spoilers: Soul-Society Arc
Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.
Notes: Dedicated to kaeru chan at Livejournal

She was not Cinderella in any way – she was not a housemaid, she had no evil stepmother or stepsisters (unless you count the manipulative Matsumoto, but she's not really evil) and no handsome prince who would come to her door with a glass slipper and whisk her away to a beautiful castle and where they would live happily ever after.

She did, however, have a fairy god mother of sorts (but he would never admit that himself – he was not a fairy god-mother to anyone… except maybe to her.) He'd watch over her, protect her, and even once granted her wish of seeing snow for the first time. But the spell would break at midnight.

It was before midnight – and she was so beautiful even with her face wet and her eyes red with tears. She held her sword out – pointing it towards him, telling him that he killed her prince, and that her prince would not lie to her.

It was before midnight when she told him that she didn't know what to do, when she looked at him with eyes full of confusion and a face twisted with anger. He didn't know what to do. What was he to say? Does he deny her revenge by disagreeing with her, and watch her heart break? Or does he not deny it?

It would seem that either of the decisions he was to make would lead her to further destruction – he believed in their friendship, their relationship, and he believed that it was strong enough that seeing him hurt would hurt her too.

-This- hurt her enough. He would not lose himself to hurt her.

Midnight – the spell breaks, her prince is not what he seems, and her fairy god-mother cannot protect her as they lay dying.

Midnight – she was no longer the princess in the beautiful dress but the girl who cleans the cinders from the floor.

Her dreams die at midnight.

It will be past midnight when she wakes up and finds that she is alone in a dark room, and she starts to cry. She isn't alone – she never is. He walks out from the shadows, and is soon crushing her between his arms – partly because he's so relieved to see her awake and partly because he never wants to let her go.

It's past midnight. She's not Cinderella, because they have nothing but one thing in common. No evil stepmother, stepsisters, or fairy god-mothers.

Instead, she has a prince in shinigami clothing, and a division to lead instead of a kingdom.

And they will live happily ever after.