Hey guys! Managed to write another chapter!!
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach…
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So many questions were running through her head at this moment. Where had Toushiro been all this time? Why hadn't he tried to contact her after he vanished from the runkongai district...and was he ever going to come back!!!!
These questions kept spinning themselves around in Momo's head until she began to get a headache.
Looking at her surroundings she realized the sun was setting.
Sighing she picked herself up from off the ground and decided to try and find Toushiro so they could talk it out. It had been almost an hour since he left and she prayed with every bone in her body that he hadn't run away.
Ever since Aizen betrayed her she always had a fear that everyone she was close too would end up leaving her one day as well...you could say she suffered from separation anxiety just a bit. At least that's what Captain Unohona had diagnosed her with.
Willing herself to stay calm she stopped walking and tried to think about where Toushiro would go when he needed to think about something...
She concluded that he went to the river a lot, so that would be the first place she would look.
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Toushiro hid among the top of the trees. He knew Momo would probably come looking for him and he wanted to be alone right now. He needed to get his thoughts straight because right now they were all in one big jumble. He blamed most of that problem on the previous encounter with Hinamori's lips.
Words couldn't describe what he had felt in that moment. It was like an electric shock shuffled it's way through his body towards his brain and cut off any logical thinking from there.
And now he was paying the price for it. He had a monstrous headache and was just as confused as ever. Sighing he put his hands to his temples and massaged them thoroughly. Could life be anymore difficult?
Now that he knew who Hinamori was, did that mean his feelings for her were that of friendship? Or did he really think he might be in love?
Did she feel the same now that she knew who he was?
Should he confront her about this now or should he just stay away for a couple days?
His conscious screamed that, that was a bad idea.
Hinamori had been abandoned by too many people, people that she was close too and trusted. Including him...in fact, now that he thought about it, he had abandoned her twice.
Though he will admit that the first time it happened he was just a confused little kid that didn't know what to do or where to go. He didn't know where the hell he was and was injured pretty badly.
And the second time he left, he was hit in the head with rocks until dizzy...and almost burned alive by Momo's kido blasts.
He let a small chuckle escape from his lips when he thought back on that day. He wondered if that was the changing point on when his feelings became deeper and he started seeing Momo as more than an annoying, plain jane soul reaper that was leading him to his doom...and more of a beautiful, classy, mysterious lieutenant with an intriguing past and an interesting way of listening to the rain.
A smile spread it's way onto his face as he realized what he was thinking. He guessed that cleared up his little dispute with his feelings...
But as the light-heartiness of it all started to fade away, so did the smile. In it's place was a torn-like frown.
Despite his feelings for her, deep down inside himself Toushiro knew that Momo deserved better. Afterall, he wasa criminal, and if by some chance Momo returned his feelings then they would probably end up having to run away from Stealth Force for the rest of their lives. Either that or go into hiding...
Not to mention that Momo would have to fight against old friends...friends that would soon come to see her as a foe.
Sighing once again Toushiro shook his head, he wouldn't put Momo through that. She'd just end up hating him.
Deciding that he would let Hinamori decide on whether he stayed or whether he had to leave, he laid back in the tree and closed his eyes. Part of him hoped he could still accompany her back to the gate, even if she didn't feel the same way. He still wanted to be near her. To protect her and make sure she'd be alright. He knew it'd be damn near impossible to get her off his mind...but the other part of him wouldn't be surprised if Momo wanted him to leave and stay as far away from her as possible, afterall he would just ruin her life.
Getting into a comfortable position Toushiro took a deep breath and released it, he knew he would have to go find her soon. But not before he was sure he could keep his emotions under control.
'Tch.... yeah, she deserves so much better than a criminal...'
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The Captain of squad six took a moment from writing and glanced at the clock.
It was 2:04 p.m.
Ichigo was four minutes late. This slightly irked Byakua for he did not like it when people were late. He thought it showed disrespect towards the person awaiting. That's why he always made an important note to arrive at the exacttime he was suppose to be there, and not a moment too soon or too late. Ichigo, however, had different ideas. Byakua would have to talk to him about being more punctual. Not to mention he had a very busy schedule and needed to get this conversation over with. Preferably before lunch.
*Knock* *knock*
Byakua's eyes cut to the door.
"Come in." He said with the up most authority.
Ichigo opened the door and quietly stepped in. Walking over to the chair that was positioned infront of the captain's desk, Ichgio sat down.
"So what made you want to see me of all people?" He asked. To say that Ichigo was more than a little surprised would be an understatement. Then again, he heard that Byakua had been acting strange since yesterday. Ikakku had told him that the stoic captain had been the one to approve of Ichigo's relationship with Rukia.
At first Ichigo just thought Ikakku was full of it, but then when he got a message stating that Byakua had wanted to talk to him over tea made him think that someone had either kidnapped the real Byakua or he had finally lost his marbles.
"Would you like anything to drink?" Asked Byakua. Completely ignoring the orange-haired captain's question.
Ichigo shrugged, "Sure. But what's with the sudden change of heart? Last time I checked you thought I was an annoying and disrespectful little pest and now you're wanting to have tea and make small talk?"
Sitting down behind his desk Byakua handed Ichigo his cup of tea while making himself a cup.
"Actually Kurosaki, I didn't invite you into my office for tea and small talk. I still think you're an annoying and disrespectful pest and as of now, not very punctual either. The only reason why I even let you set foot in my office is to discuss your relationship with--"
"Rukia, right?"
Byakua glared slightly, "My little sister. And the repercussions of you're actions should you ever hurt her."
Ichigo smiled, as much as he didn't like Byakua...he had to give him credit. He had the protective brother thing dead on. It really showed just how much he cared for Rukia. Even if he never showed it.
"You don't have to worry Byakua. I have no intentions of hurting Rukia at all."
Confident in Ichigo's answer, Byakua nodded in satisfacotry, "Good. But keep in mind that if you do ever hurt her, or cause one single tear to slide down her face, or even make her look sad...I'll senbonzakura your ass so quick that they won't even recognize the pieces of you, once I'm finished. Am I clear?"
Ichigo gulped as he started to notice the dangerous aura that surrounded Byakua and his office. He nodded quickly, "Crystal."
Byakua controlled his spiritual pressure once again and smirked, "Excellent. Then in that case I'm sure we won't have a problem...well, at least in that area...You'll still be annoying."
Ichigo rolled his eyes, "And you'll still be too uptight and self righteous, but I'll live."
Chuckling to himself Byakua made another cup of tea, "We should have tea more often Ichigo. How about for the next month...maybe then you'll learn to be more punctual."
Ichigo's eyes widened considerably, did Byakua really just invite him for a months worth of tea after he had just insulted him?!!
And besides that, what exactly would he say to him. Him of all people! The man who never talked unless he really needed too!!
"Um, No thanks, I'll pass."
Ichigo suddenly felt the dangerous spiritual pressure again as Byakua cut him a look, "Really?"
Ichigo gulped yet again, he didn't really feel like having a fight-to-the-death match with Byakua today, "Uh, N-Nevermind. It's only a month right? Sure why not. I gotta go now, see ya!"
As soon as Ichigo was out of his office, Byakua felt himself smirk, Oh yes, this would be very interesting. He loved making Ichigo nervous and uncomfortable. Now Ichigo would spend that next few hours wondering what to talk about tomorrow...Byakua slightly wondered when Ichigo would figure out that the whole point behind the tea idea was to teach him a lesson.
For the next month Byakua would show up late every single day and make Ichigo extrememly pissed. Then maybe he'd learn to be more on time.
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"Ichigo!" Yelled Orihime. The said boy stopped running and turned around, "What's up?"
The girl sighed, "Have you seen Uryu? He told me we'd meet up for lunch and he's running late..."
Ichigo shrugged, "Yeah, he was talking to Renji about a half hour ago."
Orihime smiled, "Okay, thanks!!" She yelled as she ran off.
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Orihime ran over to Renji's division and knocked quietly on Renji's door.
"Whadd'ya want now--oh, Orihime...uh what's up?"
Said girl smiled politely, "Hey Renji, I was just wondering if you knew where Uryu went?"
Renji nodded, "Yeah, he just left to go meet you for lunch."
Orihime chuckled, she knew she should have just waited. "Thank you!" She yelled and once again sped off.
Renji just rolled his eyes.
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Uryu was now at the little place where he and Orihime had come so used to eating to. Orihime loved this place and named it their official eating place.
Since he had arrived there first he decided to get a table and order some rolls. Uryu was just about to eat one when two hands covered his eyes,
"Guess who!"
Uryu smiled, "I missed you. Orihime."
Orihime smiled and bent down to kiss him, "Likewise."
After a quick kiss Orihime took a seat across the table and started eating a roll. "So why were you at Renji's?"
Uryu looked up and grinned, "Well, I was talking with Rukia earlier on today and I remembered that she had a birthday coming up. But I couldn't remember the exact date. I thought it would be rude to ask her directly, so I tried asking Ichigo but he was in a hurry to go somewhere and told me to ask Renji. And so I did. Her Birthday is January 14, which is in three days. Renji told me that he was throwing a surprise party for her and asked if we could join in. I told him sure and he said for us to tell Ichigo."
Orihime lit up as she pounced over the table and gave him a hug, "Oh this is gonna be great! Quick, lets go get the balloons and confetti and presents and cake and the streamers and fire works and--"
"Woah, woah, slow down Orihime. Her birthday is in three days. We don't really have to start getting prepared until later."
Orihime grinned sheepishly, "Oh yeah...I guess I got a little carried away...I just love birthday parties!"
Uryu just smiled.
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"Dammit! He's not here!" Momo grumbled to herself as she stood alongside the river.
"Who's not here?" Said a distant voice from behind her.
Momo perked up and turned around, "Toushiro!"
Toushiro didn't respond, nor did he smile. Instead, he just just stared at her with weary eyes. Like he was trying to protect himself from something.
The smile that had so gracefully welcomed itself onto Momo's face was starting to disappear as she took note of her friend's strange behavior. It was like the day they first met all over again. He had turned back into the guarded and stoic 'ice cube'.
Momo averted her eyes to the ground, "Are you ready talk about this...now...or do you want to wait until later?"
Toushiro sighed, "Now would probably be better."
Nodding Momo sat down and motioned for Toushiro to sit beside her. He did so reluctantly.
Avoiding each others gaze they sat in silence. They were so tense it wasn't even funny, everything around them screamed awkwardness.
Finally swallowing his nerves Toushrio looked towards Momo, "Where do you want to begin?"
Momo's gaze drifted into Toushrio's, "How about we start...the day you disappeared. The day I thought you had....died..."
Toushiro sighed, "It was just after you had finished visiting us and gone back to the academy. Everything seemed fine but I kept getting these weird feelings that something was in the city. I remembered what you had said about hollows, that sometimes they can mask their presence and sneak around undetected, as it had happened to you in you're first year..."
Toushiro took a moment before continuing, "At first I just ignored those feelings...until some of the souls miraculously started disappearing. Then I started watching out for any unusual signs. It was after the first hour that I noticed a hollow was right at the edge of the forest. The forest that sheltered and secluded our home.
"I told Grandma to run into the house and not come out. But as I tried to run the hollow grabbed my leg and dragged me out of the door way and into the woods. Not knowing what to do, I grabbed a rock and chucked it at the Hollow's mouth. Lucky for me it broke a tooth and the hollow let go, I didn't waste anytime trying to get away but the hollow was much faster than me...and it caught up easily.
"Grabbing my shoulder this time it opened a portal and took me to this God forsaken desert...I soon came to find out that it was Hueco Mundo. Not long after that I lost consciousness."
Momo's eyes widened and Toushiro kept his gaze on the river as he let the memories of that day run through his mind. They were so vivid and detailed that it almost scared him at how real they were. Like it all happened yesterday.
"When I woke up, I noticed that the hollow that dragged me there was gone. I couldn't understand why it would just leave like that so I figured something bigger must have eaten it. I was lucky that the sand had somewhat buried me and kept me hidden. Deciding to try and find a way out I looked around and found a small cave. I stayed there and tried to treat my wounds but I wasn't exactly a doctor and only made them worse.
"I don't really know how long I was there because it was always night. But if I had to guess...I'd say maybe five to ten days. On the tenth day a hollow had found out where I was and tried to attack me. By then I had figured out how to kill them and so with one swing of a broken hollow mask that I had found, it was toast. But as I did so, a portal opened up from Rukongai. Thinking that the portal would automatically lead back district 1, I hastily jumped in. Turns out I landed in district 75.
"I wandered around there for a couple days before trying to make it back home. Unfortunately I was lost and had no idea on how to get back. That's when I ran into Shunsui. At first I didn't trust him, he kept telling me that he was one of the soul reapers investigating the mysterious hollow attacks around the lower part of the districts and his friend, who I soon came to find out was Ukitake, was investigating the upper part of the districts. But the only things I could really say about him at that time, were that he was extremely lazy and he drank alot."
Momo let a small smile show on her face, Toushiro never liked anyone who was lazy, especially if they drank a lot. That was probably why he never hit if off right away with Matsumoto.
Toushiro continued, "He treated my wounds and I decided to stick with him until we started to get closer to district 1. We spent about another week going through the lower districts and asking questions. But all we got from the people there were dirty looks and one word answers. After that, Shunsui said he was finished and that we were going home. He had dropped me off near the outskirts of my district and was just about to leave when a hollow attacked. He had killed it within a matter of seconds. As I was about to depart for the second time, Shunsui stopped me and told me that I had enormous spiritual pressure.
"He had told me that I needed to learn how to control it and decided to put me into the Shinigami academy. I only agreed because I thought it would have been the easiest way to find you. Turns out that when I got there, you had already graduated.
"As soon as I became a soul reaper, I tried to find you again, but it seemed no one knew who you were. I asked Shunsui about you but he said that he didn't know half of the newbie soul reapers. I looked all around town and even asked some of the higher ranks but like Shunsui, they had no clue who I was talking about. I tried going to Captain Yamamoto and ask for you're file but he said that the files were stationed in central 46 and were off-limits to any soul reaper under Captain level.
"I promised myself that when I became Captain I would find you again, but I didn't exactly get the chance. From day one I had a mountain of paperwork and a lazy lieutenant that didn't help. And of course it wasn't long after that, that I was framed and had to leave."
Momo felt like kicking herself, all this time she thought he had died, he was actually living in the same place right under her nose.
As tears filled her eyes she pulled Hitsugaya over to her without any warning and gave him the tightest hug she could muster.
"Oh my god I can't believe it's really you! Why didn't you ask the fifth division about me you idiot!!" She yelled hysterically as she clung even tighter to him. No answer came from said boy. But she didn't really pay no mind, all she cared about was finally being able to hug him again.
She had missed her white haired friend on more than one occasion, and now he was here. Sitting in front of her, turning blue.
Blue?
Quickly letting go and apologizing repeatedly she moved back and brought her excitement down a notch.
As the silence once again started kicking in so did the awkwardness. It seemed as though in their time apart they had lost the ability to sit together in comfortable silence. Then again, any situation was bound to get awkward after you had just laid a big one on you're best friend.
Biting her lip Momo took a deep breath, "So...I guess this brings us to issue number two."
Both felt their faces heated up immensely.
Hitsugaya sighed, "Yes, I guess it does..."
Looking towards the ground Momo started playing with her shinigami sleeve.
A few more moments of awkward silence passed until finally both decided to break it.
"Listen," They said simultaneously. Both gestured for the other to go first. They laughed it off but when they tried to speak again they ended up doing the same mistake.
Finally Momo decided to stop it once and for all, before she spoke she put her hands over Toushiro's mouth so she could say what she needed to say.
"Toushiro, I know that a long time ago we were once friends but now I want to be more than that. I-I think I love you!" She blurted out, not the best way to say it but he needed to know.
Toushiro's eyes widened in surprise, he had been expecting she never wanted to see him again. Or maybe she just wasn't thinking clearly.
He sighed, "Momo, do you really want that? Please keep in mind that I'm a criminal and I'm on the run. You'll never be able to go home, you won't be happy with me."
Momo shook her head, "Toushiro, I don't care about what happened in the past. I don't care that you're a criminal or that you're on the run because the fact is I am happy with you. I'll always be."
Toushiro shook his head, "You might think you're happy now...but...in the end...You'll hate me. You'll resent me for everything you had to give up. I'm not good enough--"
Momo put her finger to his lips to silence him, "I know what it feels like to happy, to think that everything in the world is perfect. I also know how it feels to have everything you ever loved ripped from you're entire being. Life changes Toushiro, happiness is just one of the rare gifts that you can find in it. That's why I want to stay with you. Because I want to be happy for as long as I can...I know it's a little selfish...but...please....let me stay with you."
Toushiro was speechless, what could he say after that? Momo was hellbent on staying with him...
He sighed yet again. But it was more of a giving up sigh, "And you really don't care that I'm a prisoner?"
Momo smiled, "I don't care....because you are my prisoner. How many times do I have to keep telling you that?"
Toushrio made a small smile before pulling her into a hug, "I want you to always tell me that. Because I don't want to be anybody elses but yours."
And with that said he kissed her cheek but she turned her head and captured his lips.
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Hello everybody! *Cue Crickets chirping* Aw man they all left!
So yeah...Sorry for extremely long update....Been really busy...(I know, I know...there she goes again with the damn excuses.....)
But seriously I had a lot of stuff to do....after we put in the floors I had my black belt testing in tkd!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry but I had to put that in there, I'm so excited!!!
I'll try to update faster from now on....tootles!
Please R&R
XOXOXO
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