Chapter 10: Complications
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Also, for Rukia's, Isane's, Orihime's and Tatsuki's dates, the names are just randomly picked out, and I don't support all of them. Enjoy the chapter!
Spring went by, and Hitsugaya was still in his sleeping coma. Hinamori was getting desperate; several guys had asked her to the prom, but she had turned each and every one of them down, hoping that Hitsugaya would wake up soon.
On the other hand, Aizen-sensei made school durable for her, laughing, joking, and treating her as if she were his little sister. Hinamori persevered by putting more effort into her history assignments and participating more in class. At lunch the girls would gather under their favourite tree and talk about school and prom dates, the latter being a subject Hinamori disliked. All her friends already had dates: Rukia was going with Ichigo, Orihime with Ishida, and Isane with Hisagi. Even Tatsuki had been talked into going with Keigo. Hinamori, however, voted to wait for Hitsugaya to recover from his coma. Her friends thought otherwise.
"Come on, Hinamori-chan, get a date already," Isane begged. "Who knows when Hitsugaya-kun will come back?"
Hinamori shook her head, stubborn as ever. "Iie, I can't give up on Shirou-chan just like that. What if he wakes up tomorrow?"
"What if he wakes up next year?" Tatsuki retorted. "Just do what Isane said, you can't wait for him forever."
"Well, I will," Hinamori folded her arms. "I'll even skip this prom if I have to."
"You'll be missing out on a lot of stuff, then," Inoue warned. "Are you sure you want to wait for Hitsugaya-kun?"
"Yes!"
"You want to change your mind anytime soon?"
"No!"
"Just leave Hinamori alone-it's her life," Rukia said at last.
"Gomen ne, Hinamori-chan, can I speak with you for a moment?" the speaker was Daisuke.
Seeing her 'number one fan', Hinamori quickly put on her fake smile. "Sure," she replied. Brushing grass of the seat of her skirt, Hinamori followed Daisuke to a quiet spot far away from eavesdroppers.
"Hinamori, what do you see in Hitsugaya?" Daisuke asked exasperatedly, shaking the girl. "Is there something special about him?"
Hinamori was taken back by this question. "Well, um…no, but…I'm just not very familiar with anyone else, so I want to wait for Hitsugaya-kun."
"What if he isn't the one for you? What if he never wakes up?"
"Don't say that!" the girl hissed.
"Well, you can't run away from possibilities forever!" Daisuke softened. "I'm sorry, but I'll ask you one more time…will you go with me to the prom? We can get to know each other better then. If you decline, I'll take the hint."
Hinamori thought for a moment. Daisuke was right-when would Hitsugaya really wake up? But at the same time, she didn't want to give up on Shirou-chan…
"Daisuke-kun, I can't really decide now…can I tell you later?" Hinamori asked nervously.
"Sure," the boy smiled, and the bell rang. "We better get going or we'll be late for class!" Saying goodbye, Daisuke ran off, leaving Hinamori in a daze. He was finally getting to her.
In class period
"These are all the letters for your parents today," Kominara-sensei announced. "Oh, and there's one more thing. Before the end-of-year-exams prom, we will also hold a Summer Talent Show. All you have to do is sign up on the sheet outside on the bulletin board and turn up for the auditions. Any questions?"
The class murmured, and Rukia raised her hand. "Kominara-sensei, what time are the auditions, and when are they held?" Hinamori looked at her friend in surprise-Rukia had never had a thing for talent shows before.
"They're held a month from now, on a Friday from 2:30-5:30pm." Kominara-sensei smiled. "Who is planning on signing up for this talent show? Remember, anyone who wins will get tickets for two to Osaka. Acting, dancing, singing, instruments, we accept them all!"
Hinamori's eyes flickered with interest. A trip to Osaka? If she won that, she could treat Hitsugaya…
Stop daydreaming, the girl told herself. I can't go for the auditions, and even if I did, I probably wouldn't win…
At the end of the lesson Hinamori joined her giggling friends in deep thought. She came back to the present as she heard Tatsuki calling her…
Flashback
"Hey Hinamori-chan, come here!" Everyone was crowded around the bulletin board. Seeing her friends beckoning to her, the girl joined the group.
"You know that Summer Talent Show? We all think you should join," Inoue said, and Hinamori broke out into a sweat. This did not bode well for her.
"And do what? Kill myself with the splits?"
"No, play piano! What else?"
"But this clashes with my history lesson!"
"You keep telling us that Aizen-sensei is nice! Well, if he is, he'll let you off just this once!"
"Fine!"
End of Flashback
Hinamori grumbled as she remembered how her friends had forced her into signing up for the talent show. Her friends were such buggers at times…oh yes, today was 'cleaning Shirou-chan's house' day. Grabbing her cleaning supplies, Hinamori entered the house. Upon seeing the piano, the girl had an idea of what she could play…maybe Shirou-chan could listen to her practice…forgetting about house-cleaning, Hinamori used Shunpo to get to the Red Cross Hospital.
At the Hospital
"Nurse Kobayashi, can I speak to you privately for a moment, please?"
"Sure, Hinamori-chan." Rising from the receptionist's desk, the nurse guided the girl into a room and bade her sit.
"Can I help you?" Yumi asked politely.
"First of all, I want to know how long Sh-Hitsugaya-kun can be unhooked from the machines for."
The nurse was taken aback. "What a strange question to ask! Maybe for about two, three hours…why? Have you found a way to wake him up?"
"I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it'll work," Hinamori said. "Do you have a piano here?"
"You mean a normal one? Yes, in the dining room for sick patients," Kobayashi Yumi scratched her chin. "I can see what you're getting at."
"So can you unhook Hitsugaya-kun from the machines tomorrow at three pm and put him in the dining room please? I want to practice my piano for him."
"Of course, anything for our patients," Nurse Kobayashi smiled. "See you tomorrow!"
"Thanks for everything! Ja ne!" Hinamori waved goodbye and exited the hospital, coming face to face with…Daisuke.
"I knew you would be here," the boy said angrily. "So are you coming with me to the prom or not?"
"Iie, I-" Hinamori screamed as her hair was yanked. Blood flowed from a wave-shaped wound in her wrist.
"Say yes," Daisuke hissed. "Or I'll beat you up and kill Hitsugaya."
"Y-yes, I'll go to the prom with you," Hinamori sobbed. She couldn't let anything happen to Hitsugaya.
The friendly Daisuke was back. "Good, I'll see you there," giving a mock wave, the boy ran around the corner and disappeared.
Hinamori sobbed, letting the blood flow freely. When she had regained her senses, the girl trudged home sadly.
I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-kun," she thought. I won't be able to go with you to the prom anymore."
A/N: Thanks for reading! And just so that you know, the class Hinamori was having with Kominara-sensei and the notes, letters and everything is something known in my school as 'class period'. It's when your class teacher gives you notices for your parents and you talk about events, organising charity events, etc. I think of it as the free period class. In any case…please review!
Japanese Dictionary:
Sensei: Teacher (e.g. Aizen-sensei literally 'Teacher Aizen').
-chan, -san, -kun: -chan is addressed towards girls (or kids) around the same age as each other. –kun is the same, but for boys (or kids). –san is a polite term for both genders of all ages.
Iie: No
Gomen ne: Sorry
Shirou-chan: Hinamori's nickname for Hitsugaya. Although 'shirou' means 'white', 'Whitey-chan' would be more accurate in this case.
Shunpo: In this story, it means 'flash attack'. In Bleach, however, 'Shunpo' means 'flash steps'.
Ja ne: Goodbye
