Softly Snowing
~ Bentos ~
Hana sat in the classroom with the other young students watching the teacher as she spoke to them, lecturing about history and other such things. After a bit of time, it came time to take a break for lunch, or what ever the children put their hearts and minds too, as not all of them brought meals. Hana sat with her friend Ren and watched as the boys played a game.
Of course, off to the side, Hitsugaya Toshiro simply leaned against a tree, glaring at the other children. Some might say that he didn't make an effort to join in, but truth of the matter was, he had no choice but to stand on the outside, looking in. No one ever let him be a part of the community and it was simply something he accepted.
"What does it mean to be competitive?" Ren suddenly asked, glaring at the white haired child.
"Competitive?" Hana thought about this for a few seconds. "It means you like to compete I guess."
"My older brother says that the Hitsugaya brat is competitive." The other female spoke up.
"That isn't a very nice thing to say." The brown haired girl found herself glaring at Ren.
"But he is competitive. My brother says so." Ren protested.
"The other part. Actually, my mother says we shouldn't use that word..." Hana folded her arms, her colored kimono blowing softly in the wind.
"Competitive means that someone likes competing. But it also means they like to win." Shirezu stated, suddenly sitting down between the two girls.
"Then that's the reason why nobody wants to play with him, right?" Ren pipped up.
"Something like that. There are other reasons." The male reached out and patted his small sisters head. "Nashini is going to likely be leaving school soon to join the work force."
"Is he going to become a shinigami?" Hana's friend suddenly piped up. "Becoming a shinigami..."
"No. He doesn't have spiritual pressure." The boy closed his eyes.
Another small girl walked up. "Do you know what the other girls are talking about?"
"What!" Both of the small girls became excited and Shirezu let out a groan, getting up and walking away.
"When girls talk, it is best for males to leave." The grumbling reply came and the older child slipped away.
"There is a tradition in the living world... of making someone you like a bento. In other words a lunch." The girl smiled. "I'm going to make one tomorrow."
Ren let out a sigh. "I wish my family could afford that. I would love to make one for the boy I like. It isn't fair."
"What isn't fair?" Hana became confused slightly.
"Inaba-kun!" both of the other girls chorused. "You haven't noticed him? He's around our age, maybe a year older equivalently at most!"
"Ehh..." At that, the small female turned to look at the male they were talking about. "Shouldn't we be calling him Terunori-san?"
"It isn't fair Mitsuyo that you get to have the chance to give him a bento." The other female snapped. "I'm not speaking to you."
Hana though glanced over at a certain boy, her cheeks flushing a bit. She then turned back to her friends. "I think I'll try making a bento too."
"No fair!" Ren pouted. She then turned to Hana. "You had better give him yours first! Mitsuyo is so mean!"
"But..." Hana blinked a couple of times, confusion setting in. "Do I really want to make one? Why do girls make a bento for guys?"
M
Getting home, Hana found her mother most open to the idea of making a bento. The older of the twins teased her about making it for a guy she liked, to which Hana shook her head. "I am going to make it for my nii-san." Nashini instantly said that he didn't want it, but Hita got a rather distant look on his face. However, she had one ready to go when she headed off to class.
As they walked along, Shirezu took Hana's small hand in his own. Nashini glared back at him. "Aren't you going to carry her on your shoulders like you always do?"
"I..." There was a pause in the males voice and then the older of the male twins turned towards his small sister. "Do you want to ride on my shoulders, Hana-chan, or hold my hand?"
"I am happy this way, nii-san." Hana beamed up at her brother, excited to be going to school, the bento clutched in her one hand along with her books.
"What the hell is wrong with you Shirezu? You're acting like you have some sort of romantic interest in our little sister today. That wouldn't happen to be because she offered you a bento she made herself is it?" Nashini's voice filled with irritation.
At that, the older twin suddenly pulled on the sides of Hana's mouth, causing her grin to grow better. "But isn't our little sister kawaii?"
"I am going to ignore you today." The other male simply narrowed his eyes, they stormed away.
"Same in regard here." Shirezu smiled, taking Hana's hand again.
"Why can't you and aniki get along?" Hana asked, only to have he question go unanswered. They arrived at school and she glanced back a few times to see Hitsugaya Toshiro with his desk pulled off into the corner, ignoring the entire class. She noticed Shirezu glancing backwards a few times, but thought nothing of it.
Around the break time, Momo got up and walked over to the small white haired child. "The other girls were bringing bentos to share with guys. I thought I'd share mine with you. Do you want to eat lunch with me, Shiro-chan?"
"Baka..." Toshiro glared at her big time, then stood up. "I always eat meals with you and granny. How is this any different."
"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori narrowed her mouth, irritation written all over it. She then glanced around the room, the hurt rather evident still. Her eyes fell on Shirezu, who was watching the situation. Momo's voice changed a bit as she walked over to him. "Shirezu-kun... will you eat bento with me. Please..."
"I..." The older twin blinked a couple of times, only to find himself grabbed forcablly by the female and pulled him out of the room. Hana followed her mouth forming a pout. She quickly followed them out and watched as Momo dragged Shirezu over to a nice place to sit.
Hinamori glanced up at the roof, glaring as if someone was up there. "I found someone else to eat with, Shiro-chan."
"Don't care." At that, Hana turned and stepped backwards, falling as she did. She quickly stood back up and noticed that Toshiro had somehow ended up on the roof of the small school building.
"Fine." Momo used her chopsticks and ate something, then stuck something into Shirezu's mouth. Hana blinked a couple of times as her brother's cheeks turned slightly red. She held her bento close. However, her mind was taken away from that due to Ren grabbing her arm. "Mitsuyo's already giving her bento to Inaba-kun!"
They walked over to where Hana's other friend was standing, speaking to the young male. "I would like to eat with you Inaba-kun, please."
"Inaba-kun. Hana-chan wants you to eat bento with her." Ren smiled.
Said boy glanced between both girls. "Sorry, Wakizaka-san..." He then took Hana's bento from her and then spoke up further. "I would rather eat Kamoku-sans."
At that, Mitsuyo's cheeks flared out. "I asked you first. That isn't fair."
Hana though, glanced at the bento, then at the roof where Toshiro was, and then at her brother Shirezu. She felt an ache in her heart, then burst into tears. "Nii-san!"
At that, her brother, who had been paying a great deal of mind towards a Hinamori Momo, who was paying him mind out of irritation from Toshiro's actions suddenly sprung into action and hurried over. "Hana-chan, what ever is the matter."
"That bento wasn't for Terunori-san! It was for..." The tears continued to fall down her cheeks.
"I am sorry Hana... I forgot. I got... a little bit distracted." The male glanced over at where Hinamori was, his cheeks flushing a bit of pink. However, another male had a look of irritation on his face, the boy who had taken the bento. "Just keep it." At that, the male scooped up Hana, rather awkwardly. "Come on, we're heading home."
At that, Hana felt herself lifted away. About half way home, her brother set her down on her own two feet. "I am sorry Hana... about the bento and... I can't carry you. You're going to have to walk on your own." He took her hand and led her the rest of the way.
Hiya was sitting in the door way and suddenly glared at the two. "What happened?"
"I wanted to give my bento to Shirezu nii-san and if I couldn't, Toshiro-kun. But... he got mad at Momo-chan, so she she gave her bento to Shirezu nii-san!" Hana cried.
"What? Are you an idiot!" Hita suddenly stood up.
"Well... Hinamori Momo is... she is rather nice." Shirezu stated, glancing at the ground, scratching his head.
"Hita-chan, you baka!" Said the brother who stayed home. "I switched places with you because you were jealous that you couldn't share a bento with our little sister."
"I..." The real Hita glared at the ground, his cheeks flushing red. Realization dawned on Hana and she began to laugh out loud.
"You two switched places! You did it again!" Her face brightened up greatly.