Chapter 2: A Bad Start
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! This chapter is longer (just barely five pages on Word excluding the author's notes), I can't guarantee that all my chapters will be longer. I'm also going to put a 'Japanese dictionary' at the end for those who don't know a certain word/phrase. And lastly, a word to those who reviewed…
CSENTIMENTAL VALYOU: Thanks for the review, although one chapter might be as short as chapter one. I promise the others won't be, though!
Sasusaku4eva101: Thanks for telling me, and no, I didn't discontinue this fanfic. I changed the status, so thanks.
Jane H.A.S. Doe: Thanks for the compliments! I really appreciate them!
Cryptic Innocence: How about I update every two three days? If you want to know, this whole story's been written out from start to end and been edited about a million times…XD
Sometime: Yeah, I guess. A lot sooner than some other fanfics I've written, I suppose… Thanks for the review!
And back to the story…
Hitsugaya Toushirou ran, panting. Where could that girl have gotten to? Soft sobbing suddenly caught his attention, and the boy rounded the corner to see Hinamori not far ahead of him. Reaching out, Hitsugaya caught his classmate's wrist and watched as she turned, eyes blazing with hatred.
"Go away!"
"No, we've got to get back to class. We might be missing important things."
"As if I care! Missing important stuff is better than having to go back and face the humiliation you put me through!"
"Look, Momo-"
"Don't call me that!"
"Hinamori-chan, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. In any case, you know your classmates well. Before long, they'll forget-"
Hinamori glared at Hitsugaya coldly. "You're just doing this so you'll get paid more for my piano lessons, right? Well, you won't!"
What little patience and regret Hitsugaya once had was gone.
"Think what you want," the teen said quietly, his bangs covering his eyes. "But in the end, you're just a rich, spoilt little girl."
There was a silence, filled only by the occasional talking of a teacher. Then, without a word, Hinamori ran the rest of the way to the toilets, fresh tears of anger streaming down her cheeks. It took all of Hitsugaya's will power to not go after the girl. Even as he returned to his now silent homeroom the teen could not help feeling a keen sense of loss. He had made one enemy and no friends. Great.
Lunchtime, with the girls
"Hinamori, cheer up! That jerk has no feelings whatsoever, so his words are meaningless! Don't mind him!" Rukia's voice was gentle yet encouraging. "Right?"
"Definitely!" Isane's strong voice filled Hinamori with envy. Ever since they were young, Hinamori had always wished she could be confident like Isane. "That spiky-headed shrimp has no idea what he's talking about." There were giggles concerning Isane's nickname for Toushirou, and Hinamori smiled weakly. She shoved some chips into her mouth.
"Thanks, guys," Hinamori said. "I needed that."
"Anytime. If that…spiky headed shrimp gives you any more trouble, tell us, and we'll beat him for you!" Tatsuki grinned, and Rukia began punching the air to emphasize her friend's words.
"What's our next class?" Hinamori asked, changing the subject.
"Inoue checked her timetable, frowning slightly. "English," she said at last. "I wonder what we'll be doing…?"
With the boys
"That Kuchiki Rukia is hot!" Ichigo yelled, grinning at the group of boys gathered around him. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. How immature could these guys get?
Roars of agreement followed Ichigo's words, but suddenly all eyes were fixed on Hitsugaya. Unaccustomed to the stares everyone was giving him, the new boy shifted uncomfortably and tried to look back, but failed miserably.
"What about you, eh? Do you think Rukia's hot?" Keigo, who had recently introduced himself to be Ichigo's friend, asked. "You know, the one with black hair and a long bit coming down the middle-?"
"I-Iie," Hitsugaya replied flatly. He could feel himself blushing.
"No? Do you like Hinamori then?" I heard you stood her up. Hate is the first step to love, you know-"
"Urusei! I don't like that spoilt brat, and I never will!" Hitsugaya stormed off, leaving the others 'ooh'ing and 'ah'ing after him. So much for trying to make friends out of those guys.
After Lunch
"Welcome to English class! I am Unohana-sensei, and I will be your English teacher. Let's introduce ourselves in English first…I have yet to know your names…"
Hinamori closed her eyes as the introductions began, letting her mind wander. Although her friends had done a good job consoling her, she could not stop thinking about Hitsugaya Toushirou. He had accused her of being a rich, spoilt brat. But Seireitei High was a high-class, expensive school. Did that meant that Hitsugaya had had to save up and study hard all his life just to get in…?
A tap from behind brought Hinamori back to the present. Whipping around, she saw a pair of blue-green eyes gazing steadily at her. "It's your turn to introduce yourself," Hitsugaya whispered.
Hinamori's eyes darted back to the front in time to see Unohana-sensei's eyes look at her.
"Hinamori Momo," she said quickly. "Pleased to meet you."
"Add an 'I am' before your name next time; it sounds more polite. I'm pleased to meet you too," Unohana-sensei smiled before continuing down the row.
Reluctantly, Momo turned back to the boy behind her.
"Arigatou," she whispered.
"No problem," the boy said, expressionless. "Bed wetter Momo."
Hinamori turned to face the front again, clearly angry. "Make sure I never talk to you again," she hissed fiercely, and Hitsugaya smirked. Annoying Hinamori was getting to be quite entertaining.
In the meantime Tatsuki stared at Hitsugaya, making sure that he wasn't provoking Hinamori in any way. She then turned to find Keigo gaping at her.
"You like-?" he mouthed, and she knew who he was referring to. Tatsuki swore to beat him up later. But as she couldn't do anything now, the girl focused her attention on Unohana-sensei.
"Today we will be studying auto-biographies and how to use one. As an introduction, we will take turns standing in front of the class and talking about ourselves-in English-for five minutes. Since you should have done this in Junior High, this can be counted as review work." The teacher smiled. "How about we have Hitsugaya Toushirou up first?"
Everyone clapped politely as the new student walked to the front, but all Hinamori could feel was disgust. Let's see what kind of a life he's had, if he thinks I'm a rich, spoilt brat, she thought spitefully.
Hitsugaya felt reluctant to go up to the front and tell his life story. How many times did he have to feel the pain? How many times did he have to endure the sorrow? He shouldn't have to go through this.
"A-ano, Unohana-sensei…please excuse me, I don't want to do this," Hitsugaya mumbled, feeling like a five year old again.
"It's alright, Hitsugaya-kun, everyone feels nervous when they go to the front. Take a deep breath and let it go."
Why is he hesitating? As far as I'm concerned, he has no shame whatsoever, Hinamori thought, confused. Unless he has something he doesn't want to tell us about…
A wave of kindness suddenly swept over her. Getting up, the girl walked across to the room and put her hand on the boy's shoulder. Hitsugaya looked back at her in surprise.
"We won't laugh, just tell us. We might forget sooner or later, right?" Hinamori said encouragingly, then pretended to look sad. "But if you don't trust us…well…"
"Get off me," pushing the girl away, Hitsugaya took a deep breath and prepared to witness everything all over again. His English was perfect.
"I'll make things short. I was born in Osaka, but we moved to Kyoto when I was two. At the age of five I began to learn the piano, and since we were rich I could afford a teacher. I progressed well and by the age of ten I was already playing in concerts, therefore making lots of money. I thought that nothing bad would happen, but in the end, I was wrong."
Hitsugaya paused. Tears threatened to spill, but he blinked them away. Sensing a potential breakdown, Unohana-sensei said, "You can stop now, if you like."
"No, I'm already too far gone," the boy smiled weakly before continuing. "On my eleventh birthday my parents took me out for dinner. Lots of people came, and my parents got drunk. I had no idea, so when we were driving home, we had an accident. I was the only survivor, and so I've had to become a piano teacher and I've supported myself like that ever since. I only moved to Tokyo this year." With that Hitsugaya fell on his knees, shaking. The classroom was silent, save for the girls who were sniffing. Kneeling by the boy's side, Unohana-sensei apologized.
Hinamori couldn't believe her ears. This cold, arrogant baka was actually an orphan? He's had to become like this so that he won't have to suffer the loss of those closest to him again, she realised sadly.
At that moment, the bell rang, signalling for everyone to go to their next classes.
"For homework, please write a biography about yourself. In English," Unohana-sensei then bent down to her student. "Since you're so busy, I'll let you rest today, ok?"
"Iie, I'm fine, thank you," Hitsugaya had regained his composure. "I'll do the homework, like everyone else."
At that moment the boy felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry. Don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Hinamori whispered into his ear before hurrying after her friends. Hitsugaya watched them leave, then exited the classroom, shaking his head. He would never understand girls.
A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!
Japanese Dictionary:
-chan,-san-kun: -chan is used for females around the same age as each other, and –kun is the same, but for boys. –san is a polite form for both genders.
Iie: No
Urusei: Shut up
Sensei: Teacher (e.g Kominara-sensei: literally, 'teacher Kominara')
Baka: Idiot
Arigatou: Thank you
Ano: Um
