Ichigo picked up his cup of coffee, blowing softy to cool down the hot beverage. He held the cup to his mouth when both he and Momo felt the rise of spiritual pressure and the anger that was flowing with it. He whistled in shock, his gazelooking out the window for a moment. "Feels like Toshiro is in a really bad mood." He said, taking a sip of his drink. "I wonder what Rangiku did this time."
Momo sat across from him, a melon soda and a slice of strawberry cake in front of her. "She probably snuck out to do some shopping." She giggled, already thinking of the yelling fit her old friend would have and the excuse Rangiku would use to try and escape his anger.
"That woman really needs to learn not to piss the little guy off so much." He noticed that the young Captain's spirit pressure was slowly heading their way. Strangely he didn't sense Rangiku's reiatsu at all. Although it was entirely possible that she was masking it to avoid being found. They were in the shopping district so they might see her if they walk around enough. Maybe they should warn her to go back before a sudden snow storm hit their town.
"I'd be careful saying that if I was you," Momo sent him a playful smile. "Shiro-Chan really hates it when people mention his height. He doesn't even let me say anything."
Ichigo took note of that. "I guess he's more sensitive about the subject than I thought."
"He hates to be viewed as a child and wants everyone to respect him as Captain." She told him, taking a bite of her cake and beamed at the wonderful taste. They didn't have sweets like this in the Seireitei. She made a mental note to come to the human world more often.
"So is that why he's always so serious? Because he wants everyone to treat him as an adult instead of a kid?" he asked, interested in learning more about the young Captain. Maybe if he knew more about him he'd avoid setting off the boy's temper.
"He's been that way ever since we were little," she got a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered her past and the one she spent it with. All the happy times they spent together and the wonderful life they had before she went to the academy. At the time she didn't view as anything to special, she knew it would change her future but it did so much more than that. It was there that she meant the man who would slowly destroy her mind and nearly ruined her friendship with the person she cared for the most.
Ichigo looked at the girl, seeing the glazed over look in her eyes and smiled. "I take it you guys are really close." He doesn't know much about the girl or even about the white-haired Captain but he can already tell that they have a strong bond. Just from the ways he keeps referring to the young Captain by that nickname that he found absolutely hilarious.
She nodded. "Yes, we've been together from the start." She looked down at her reflection in her drink, a forlorn look on her face as she remembered the events of the past. "Even though we've always been together I still doubted him and even drew my sword at him. I accused him of a terrible crime when I knew deep down that he would never do such a thing," Just as he still felt guilty for hurting her in the war she still felt ashamed for drawing her sword at him. His actions were unintentional, he had been tricked into hurting her while she had been fully conscious of what she was doing. In her eyes her actions were far more worse than his was. "I doubted him and blindly followed after the words of a man that was never there. They were all just empty words but I still listened to every one he said and followed his commands without so much as a second thought. And because of my of stupidity Toshiro got hurt and now he can't even look at me properly without turning away in regret. He probably wishes he had never met me." She was crying by this point, tears streaming from her eyes as she placed her hands over her face to try and block out her cries. It seemed like she was always doing this. She couldn't do anything but stand on the sidelines and cry.
Ichigo watched the girl, his own anger boiling when he thought of Aizen and what he had put this girl through. But it hadn't just been her who had fallen for his spell and everyone had been affected the same way. He had seen it the day of the battle, the anger and hate that was in everyone's eyes as they battled Aizen. The man who betrayed their trust and made them all look like fools when they attacked a member of their own. "You know for someone who says she grew up with Toshiro she's pretty stupid." He told her straight out, leaning back against the soft cushion of the booth he was in and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the girl from across the table. Momo gasped in shock and stared at him with wide eyes that were still filled with tears but at least she had stopped crying. "You keep saying he must hate you when it's obvious that he doesn't hold any ill feeling against you. In fact I would say that he really likes you. I'd even go as far as saying that he loves you."
She nearly fell out of her seat. Her face glowing like a cherry, hands gripping her skirt with such a force she was sure it would rip but she couldn't even begin to focus on such a trivial thing. "Toshiro loves me?!" Her mind was spinning, so many thoughts and emotions were flowing through her that it felt like she would overload and crash. For a moment she lost control of her power and her strawberry cake was set on fire. Ichigo cried out in shock, dumping his coffee on the cake but all that did was make the flame worse. Momo finally snapped out of her daze and quickly put out the fire that she caused. Now everyone in the cafe was looking at them, staring at them like they were crazy. Some of the workers were starting to head their way and none of them looked pleased. "Run." Ichigo whispered, grabbing her hand and pulled her out of the cafe. She struggled for a moment to keep up, her eyes looking up at his running figure as they raced down the street. His eyes wide with worry that someone would chase after them but she didn't feel any of that. In fact she felt so light and happy that she couldn't help but laugh at the situation they were in. Ichigo looked down at her, a little confused at why she suddenly started laughing but he found her laughter contagious and began to laugh just as loud. The two of them ran down the street, running together and laughing their heads off.
~X~
The two laughing Shinigamis ran down the street laughing and were completely unaware of the menacing teal eyes that were watching their every move. Hitsugaya had finally tracked them down in the cafe and bitterly watched everything they did in the small store. Not that he had much of a choice. Just as he had found them he was ambushed by Urahara and Yoruichi, the latter typing him up and forced him to watch as the woman he loved interacted with another man. Rangiku stayed in the back, not wanting to be anywhere near her enraged Captain or have him turn his anger on her.
He had been furious with the two and vowed to freeze them over and leave them like that for the next hundred years but his anger was once more directed to Ichigo when he saw Hinamori start to cry. The white sash wrapped around his small body, only his feet and top half of his head were visible, everything from his mouth to his ankles were covered and tied up. He struggled to break free from his bindings, the sash that held him was slowly freezing over and he almost broke free when he saw Ichigo drag her out of the store and the two went running down the street and laughing in utter joy. Now he just laid there, in a daze and trying to gain his bearing. Was he doing the right thing but chasing after them when it was obvious that Hinamori was so happy? Didn't he vow to do all he could to make sure that she was always smiling? But it wasn't fair to him if he was forced to just stand on the sidelines and watch her be happy with another man, again. No, he promised himself after Aizen that once she was well again and their relationship was back to what it had been he would confess. He wanted, needed, her to know how much she meant to him
"Wow, who knew Ichigo had such a way with the ladies." Urahara whistled in shock and amusement.
"I know. He's really showing the girl a good time," Yoruichi added in, an amused grin on her face as she and her old friend watched everything from the alley they were hiding in. "So when do you think they'll kiss?" she asked, her grin growing twice the size it was before.
Urahara held the same amused grin on his face but his was hidden behind his fan. "I'd say by the end of the day, just as the sun is about to set." He chuckled, enjoying the events that were taking place.
Rangiku sighed, running one hand through her wavy hair. "I knew calling them was a mistake." She had started to get worried when they were getting closer to Ichigo and Hinamori so she called them to help her out but it seems like they came for their own amusement instead. She shivered when she felt the wind pick up, rubbing her hands up and down to generate heat. The sun was still out but she could it was just starting to set and night would soon come. She sent a quick glance to her Captain, she wanted to make sure that he could still breathe, but froze in terror at the murderous aura he was producing. She took a step back, trying to call for the two but all that was coming from her were small squeaks of fear.
"Kiss..." Hitsugaya's stopped his struggles the moment he heard that word. He knew what it mean and who they were talking about. He was unnaturally still, his power leaking out to cause a menacing aura to form around his body. His whole body was tense and his anger growing by the second as that one little word continued to bounce around inside his head, repeating itself over and over again until he felt himself going slowly insane. "Kiss...Ichigo kissing Momo...kiss...kiss...kissing sunset...kiss..." he didn't know why his mind did this but he had picture the two of them, standing closely together as their bodies were pressed together. Ichigo holding her face in his hands as he leaned down to kiss the sweet lips of Momo Hinamori. The same lips that would call him that dreaded nickname. The same lips that always were upright in that perfect smile of hers. The same lips that would call out his name whenever she was lonely or sad or just wanted to spend with. The very same lips he's been dreaming about kissing ever since he fell in love with her. With a cry that sounded very close to the roar of a dragon he ripped out of his bindings and stood tall on his own two feet, deep breathes escaping his frowning lips. His hands at his side were balled into tight fists and the area around him began to freeze over in ice and snow. Without so much as a word he stalked off, growling softly and leaving behind a thin layer of ice as he walked.
Rangiku just stood there, she was motionless and completely shocked. And somewhat fearful. "The Captain's finally lost it!" she wanted to cry. She loved teasing the young boy the most out of everyone in the Soul Society but she knew he had limits and she never went over the boundaries that he had set for himself. But now those limits were broken and he was a mad man who was on the hunt for the one he deemed to be his enemy by trying to take away the person he loved the most.
"Oh my," Urahara fanned himself, his eyes hidden in the shadows from his hat as he watched the young man go. "It would appear that Captain Hitsugaya had quite the temper." He held his fan over his face but everyone could tell he was grinning behind the white paper.
Yoruichi just chuckled and leaned against the alley wall. "I hope Ichigo can handle the fury of a jealous man in love."
The two old friends just laughed, following after the white-haired man and hoping for a good show. Rangiku went with them. Now she was really wishing she hadn't called them for help. "Is it too late to go back to division and start doing work?" she'd rather do a whole month supply of paperwork than to be in the situation she was in now. While it was indeed amusing she knew with how angry her Captain was things wouldn't end well when he finally reached Ichigo and Hinamori.
~X~
Momo panted as she and Ichigo had finally stopped running and were now catching their breathe. They were both grinning and a few short chuckles would escape them every now and then. "I never got the chance to thank you."
Ichigo just waved her off. "No worries. It was my fault for distracting you like that. Besides I couldn't just leave you there."
She shook her head. "No, I mean what you said to me. I needed to hear it," she leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky with wide and cheerful eyes. "Ever since the war everyone has been careful around me. They don't want to say anything that could upset me or make me remember the pain that Aizen caused me. They're all hoping if they avoid the subject enough I'll forget all about it and go back to how I used to be before," she placed a hand over her chest, where she had been stabbed not once but twice. Once by the man she had worshipped and once by the person she considered to be her closest friend. "But I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget about the pain because then I'll be the same girl who blindly follows others without ever thinking for myself. I want to be my own person and to do that I need to remember the mistakes I made so I don't make them again." That was what she wanted most in this world. She never wanted to repeat the same mistake she did when she still believed that Aizen was a good man. She wanted to change and become and even better Shinigami, but more than that she wanted to become and even better person.
Ichigo smiled down at the girl, a proud glint in his eyes as she told him this. "I'm sure you'll be able too. " he held no doubt in his mind that she would accomplish her goal. She would become the person she wanted to be and he was sure everyone would proudly stand by her side as she changed into her new self.
She smiled up at him, happy to hear that he believed in her and didn't think her idea was silly. "Thanks, but I'm not even sure where to begin." That was the main reason she was in such a slump. She's been trying for weeks now how to figure out how to change herself or at least start it off but so far she's hasn't been able to come up with a single idea. She sighed, causing some hair to fall in her eyes. With ease she was able to push the few hairs back into place.
Ichigo saw this and he beamed as an idea hit him. "A haircut," he grinned when he saw her look up at him in confusion. "I don't know about you guys in the Soul Society but around here when someone wants a fresh start they usually get a haircut. It's to like show themselves off as a new person."
"A hair cut?" she fiddled with the soft raven locks that made up her bangs. She hasn't had a haircut in years, the most she ever does is trim the ends to keep her hair healthy. She's been wearing her hair in the same style for years but she wanted to change and she rather liked the idea of supporting a new image for herself. "Sounds good." She agreed and Ichigo led her to the local salon that his two sisters go too. From there Momo told the woman that she wanted a change and to let her go wild with her hair. Now she was sitting in the chair, a cloth wrapped around her body as she watched the woman pick up a pair of scissor. They had already took her hair out of the bun and washed it with a shampoo that smelled a lot like kiwis and lemon. She gulped and watched as the first piece of hair was cut off and fell to the ground. She had to admit that she was a little nervous. She hadn't really given the woman a proper look to do, instead she just told her she wanted something different and sat in the chair. But she wouldn't back down. This was what she wanted and this is what she would do to become the person she wanted to be. She sent a sideways glance to Ichigo who was sitting in front of the store, reading a magazine. As if sensing her eyes on him he looked up and smiled and waved at her. She returned his smile with one of her own and went back to looking around the salon. The woman had made sure that she wouldn't be able to look in a mirror until she was finished. So she closed her eyes and waited for the woman to finish. Her mind slowly taking her back to when she first decided to change.
~X~
Her body felt like it was made of lead, it was nearly impossible for her to move anything without some kind of struggle or wave of pain to go through her. It was even painful to breath. Her eyes were closed but she used her ears to listen and focus on her surroundings. The beeping of machines was one she was all to familiar with and knew that she was in the Squad Four Barracks. With the little energy that she had she opened her heavy eyes and looked around the darken room. The only light in the room was the light of the full moon that shined down onto her from the open window. She could feel the cool night breeze brush against her face, the only part of her body that wasn't wrapped in bandages or covered by wires or blankets. She sighed, wondering how long she had been asleep this time. Looking away from the window she closed her eyes to go back to sleep but they shot right back open she heard it. The soft sound of a snore right beside her. Even over the beeping machines she could hear the sound clear as day. She tried moving her head to see who else was in the room with her but found it hurt too much to even do that. So she settled for moving her gaze to look and see who was sleeping.
She was surprised to see the sleeping form to her childhood friend, Toshiro Hitsugaya. His head was resting in his arms, his face was facing her but his usual fierce and always serious teal eyes were hidden behind his closed lids. His mouth slightly open to let out the soft snores and let her know that despite sitting in a small chair he was content in sleep. She smiled, seeing him like this remembered her so much of their time together and she wanted to laugh. Only when she tried to a shot of pain erupted through her body and made her let out a pained cough instead of a cheerful laugh.
That was all it took for Hitsugaya to wake up. His eyes flew open and he was on his feet in no time, doing a quick scan of the room before settling down to look at the girl on the bed. He was frozen in shock as he stared into her brown eyes. He just stood there, watching her and hoping that this was not yet another dream of her waking up. He's had theme every night ever since she was first put in this place and the disappointment he had whenever he woke up to find that it was not true made his already heavy heart even heavier. He continued to stare, he wanted to do more but he was frozen. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her how happy he was that she had woken up but he was afraid. He was the one who put her in here. It was because of his sword that she almost died. What if she looked at him like he was some kind of monster? What if she never wanted to speak to him again? What if she hated him? He stopped the tears that wanted to form when he thought of her hating him but it was entirely possible and he would just accept it if it were true. He would do whatever she wanted. Even if she wanted nothing more to do with him he would listen to her without any complaint. He would do anything to make her happy, even if it meant he couldn't be part of her life anymore.
So he waited for her to make the first move but instead of hate filled words or eyes full of fear she offered him up a smile. It was weak and tired smile but it was all he needed to know that she cared for him. That she still wanted him to be part of her life.
Momo was shocked when he fell on top of her. His arms wrapping around his fragile body in a strong yet gentle hold. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but before she could even open her mouth she was stopped by the soft whimpers that were coming from the boy. His entire body was shaking as he cried into her shoulder. The whimpers were soft, barely audible but she heard them clear as day and it broke her heart. The boy has only ever cried once in front of her and that was the day he found his Zanpakuto and told her the terrible details of what happened to his friend that he made in the academy. She wanted to cry tears of her own when she heard her best friend crying over her. She could already tell that he blamed himself for hurting her and while she didn't know all the details as to why he and the other Captains attacked her she felt no anger or hate towards him. She didn't place any blame on him because she knew he would never hurt her. She knows of his vow, the one he made to always protect her. She's known about it since day one but has kept quiet to not embarrass the boy.
She held back her own tears, no matter how badly she wanted to cry she wouldn't let herself. Ignoring the pain she felt she rested on hand in his soft white locks and ran her fingers through his hair. "Shiro-chan." She called to him, saying that nickname she knew he hated but she could see there was a part of him that liked it. After all it was what she first called him when the two met. He continued to cry into her shoulder but the tears began to lessen and his whimpers were starting to die out. He was calming himself down and while she was glad she was also worried. For someone like him to break down crying made her heart break in shame. This was all her fault. If she had been stronger or faster or if she hadn't been fooled by Aizen then maybe her best friend wouldn't be like this.
"I want to change." She thought to herself when he pulled away from her, his tears no longer falling but his eyes were red and so were his cheeks. She continued to smile at the boy and this time she was the one to make a vow. She vowed to change so that she would never have to see him looking so sad ever again.
~X~
"Ok, sweetie. We're all finished." The woman took off the cloth and spun her around so that she could see her new hair.
Her hair that was once shoulder length now hung in a bob, the tips just reaching her cheeks. She got up from her seat to look at herself better in the mirror. It was a drastic change from her style before but that's exactly what she wanted. "I like it." She truly did. With a bright smile she paid for her haircut and walked out of the salon with Ichigo and looked up at the sky with hopeful eyes. This was just the start of her change and she was excited. She was finally on her way to fulfilling her promise.
"Kurosaki!"
The two stopped in their tracks when they heard the roaring calls and turned around to see a fuming Toshiro Hitsugaya coming their way.
