((So my 5th chapter is finally up. I'll post the next one when I finish it. Thanks, and please R&R as usual! This one's not as long as I would've liked, but I hope you like it anyway.))
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Kumori was in so much pain, she was a little delirious. The poison had spread so far in her body that she was completely numb; there was only a slightly tingling sensation in her fingertips. The only thing she could feel was the ripping agony from her shoulder. Normally, Kumori would've been obsessing about being held like so in Hitsugaya's arms, but for now, all she could do was lie there and hope her arm wouldn't have to be amputated.
"Hold on Ryuhana…" Hitsugaya muttered through gritted teeth as the fourth division buildings came into view, "we're almost there." He sprinted up the steps and shouldered the door open with such force hat it slammed against the inside wall.
Unohana Retsu turned around, a surprised look in her eyes. Hitsugaya stood before her, breathing hard from his rush, sweat dotting his forehead. In his arms he held an unconscious Kumori, the blood from her wound staining the sleeve of his shihakusho, "what happened here?" Unohana walked towards them, examining Kumori's injuries with an expert eye. After a moment, she sighed and swept her arm towards one of the beds, "put her down over there, if you will."
Hitsugaya did as Unohana said, and set Kumori down gently, stepping back as Unohana pulled the covers over her. He gazed down at her, and his emerald eyes shimmered with worry as her blood seeped into the sheets. Hitsugaya turned to leave, but then noticed something was different about the room, a lack of reiatsu…Looking around, his expression lit up with happiness when he noticed what was missing. Hinamori was gone.
Kumori woke several hours later and then instinctively shut her eyes again from the bright glare of the sunlight pouring through the window. Her first reaction was to roll her eyes and sigh inwardly; she was back in the healing ward again. It seemed very empty in here though; there wasn't even the weak pulse of Hinamori's reiatsu that had been here last time. Kumori tilted her head to the right, creaked open an eye, and saw that, indeed, Hinamori's bed was empty. She had been let out of the ward…she was healed. Kumori would've groaned with disappointment if she hadn't been wounded. As it was, she settled with sighing and sinking deeper into the mattress. This probably meant Hitsugaya was busy talking to Hinamori right now. He'd probably forgotten all about Kumori…well, no more missions for just the two of them. In fact, Kumori wasn't even going to count on ever being noticed again by the 10th division captain, now that he had Hinamori. So…she was the only one in the healing ward, Hinamori and Hitsugaya were probably catching up on old times or something, and she was officially jealous of the 5th division fukutaichou.
Kumori's life had hit an all time low.
You're my friend too…I'd be worried if you were in the healing ward. That's what Hitsugaya had said back in the human world. Kumori sighed and returned to staring at the ceiling, her amethyst eyes glittering with a faint ember of hope.
But maybe…maybe he does like me…? He could've brought Matsumoto along with him, but he chose me… She brightened up a bit, there's a bit of hope…maybe Hitsugaya really does like me? Her heart leaped at the thought, and instantly she began daydreaming. Her and Hitsugaya, just the two of them. She tried to imagine his eyes sparkling with love as he looked at her. Kumori's eyelids drooped in fantasy as her mouth twitched up in a wistful smile. Her head was so far in the clouds that she didn't even notice when Unohana walked in.
"You're awake," she said, making her way toward Kumori, "that wound you got is poisoned, no doubt by Night Wolf, yes?"
Kumori nodded once, stiffly, "yes, I ran into him in the human world…I suppose I was being careless. How long will it take to heal?"
The 4th division captain sat down on the bed next to her, "with a lot of effort, I managed to get all the poison out. However, the physical wound will take a while to heal. Maybe several days, or weeks, it's hard to say. Until the torn ligaments and muscle in your shoulder reconnect, you won't be able to move your left arm much, if at all." She smiled a bit, her eyes gentle and kind, "luckily Night Wolf didn't damage your nerves, or you would've permanently lost all use of your arm."
Kumori let out a small sigh of relief, "do I have to stay here for weeks?" Kumori detested being confined to a bed for days on end. She started to get really nervous and jittery if she stayed motionless for too long.
Unohana laughed softly, "no…the poison has been removed and the wound is nearly scabbed over. I just want you to stay here for another couple of days so that it can heal a bit more, then I'll let you go and your arm can heal the rest on its own. Don't be reckless and reopen the wound after I let you go."
Kumori sighed and closed her eyes, turning her head back to face to ceiling, "don't worry, I don't intend to end up back here again."
Unohana smiled, though Kumori couldn't see it, "oh, it's not that bad." She glanced at the young shinigami's torn shoulder, "that will definitely leave a scar for the rest of your life." Kumori simply sighed again, and was still. After a while, Unohana rose and quietly walked out of the room.
A couple days later Kumori was let out of the ward, much to her relief. She held her head high and pride shone in her eyes as she walked down the streets of Seiritei. In the dimly lit healing room, she had had plenty of time to herself for contemplating, and had concluded that maybe, MAYBE Hitsugaya liked her. Kumori didn't want to seem over confident though, so she tried not to think about it. Her left arm was still hanging at her side, but her shoulder had scabbed over, leaving a grotesque scar as a plain reminder of her ordeal. She gasped as she saw Hitsugaya rounding the corner and coming towards her, and her heart suddenly sped up to about twice its normal rate.
"Ryuhana!" he called to her, and when they reached each other, Kumori could clearly see relief mixed with worry in his eyes, "how's your shoulder?"
Kumori smiled, "I-It's fine…" She looked away fro him, finding herself blushing a bit, "it'll be a while before I can move my arm though." Hitsugaya nodded once and glanced away as if he'd found something intriguing on the wall, his arms folded across his chest. A silence descended between them, until Kumori said, "So…is anything new?"
"Hinamori's still really devastated about Aizen," Hitsugaya replied, still not meeting her gaze.
Kumori resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "yeah, I guess the whole of Soul Society is still pretty shocked." Serves her right…that no good, Hitsugaya stealing-
"I'm planning to tell the girl I like that I like her…today," Hitsugaya suddenly broke through her bitter thoughts, and it took a second before Kumori fully comprehended what he was saying. Hitsugaya closed his eyes and blushed, and suddenly Kumori felt her face getting hot as well.
"Um…w-well, that's great, Hitsugaya…taichou," she remembered at the last moment to add in the "taichou" and didn't dare say anymore, for fear of sounding like an idiot.
Hitsugaya still refused to look at her, and quickly muttered, "right well…see you later." Without waiting for a response, he swiftly brushed past her and headed on his way.
Kumori turned and gazed after him dreamily. In the back of her mind Kumori hoped he would confront her later in the day and say it to her, those magic words that would turn her life upside down. Her heart was pounding with the anticipation, but Kumori silently reprimanded herself for the hopes. You silly fool, what are you hoping for? Of course it'll be Hinamori Kumori frowned at the thought of Hinamori, and her heart sank as she sighed. Hinamori…she would forever be an obstacle to Hitsugaya's love, a rather large obstacle.
When Hitsugaya rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, Kumori turned and started back again to her office, feeling a little light headed from the excitement, and from the nervousness.
Several hours later, Kumori finally put her pen down. Her paperwork was finished at last, piled into a neat stack on the corner of her desk. Leaning back into her chair and slumping down, she shook out her cramped right hand. It was right on time too, because exactly at the moment Kumori heard an announcement outdoors calling for a captain's meeting.
Sighing with exasperation, Kumori stood and grabbed Mayonaka, "as if a captain can't get any relaxation around here." Her spirits lifted though when she stepped outside. Surely Hitsugaya would confess now! If it is you, you idiot, she reminded herself sharply. Practically shaking as the approached the meeting hall, her heart was thumping so hard in her chest she thought it would burst. However, when she rounded the corner to the hall, she saw Hitsugaya speaking with Hinamori. Quickly Kumori ducked back around the bend and eavesdropped on the conversation, lowering her reiatsu so she wouldn't be sensed. Eavesdropping: a special talent of hers, developed when she had first had a crush on the young 10th division captain. She prayed that neither of them had noticed her, but apparently they hadn't because Hitsugaya continued speaking.
Slowly but surely Kumori sunk into dread as she heard what he was saying. She had been telling herself all day that he didn't like her, but, curse it, the ember of hope she had been harboring was her downfall. It was the reason his words still hit as hard as they did.
"Hinamori…" Hitsugaya began shyly, "I uh…well, I've wanted to tell you this for some time…" His beautiful voice drifted off at the end of the sentence, and Kumori could just see him glancing away from Hinamori, blushing. If possible, her heart sank even more, and try as she might, the young girl could not keep the tears from collecting in her eyes, hot and stinging, blurring her vision.
"Hmm?" it was no doubt Hinamori, her all too innocent voice sounding like such a façade, "what is it, Hitsugaya-taichou?"
The silver haired captain sighed, and after a moment's hesitation, replied, "Hinamori…I like you."
Kumori's heart and soul shattered instantly into a million fractured pieces.