Happy Belated Birthday, Tōshirō!

I couldn't upload the chapter yesterday because I had no internet. Sorry guys. I loved the reviews.

This isn't the last chapter. The next one is. XD

-- M

Fuyu no Hanabi

.o.

Chapter Five

I…Can't believe I said that.

Hyōrinmaru…

Can you imagine the pain it caused.

I didn't know what to say. I wasn't thinking! Momo was right there! What would she think?! We've been friends since we were little! Gin doesn't really love me. The person…The person who gave me those letters does.

I know I don't know who it is.

Of course it could be anyone, Hyōrinmaru.

I don't know how it excludes Gin! It just isn't him!!

I can here Momo calling. Probably trying to ask me out or see if I'm gay.

Am…I? Even if I was I wouldn't be with Gin. It just isn't right!

I don't know why, Hyōrinmaru. He's older! A-And he's a man. A-And he's killed so many people!

I just can't love him! I--

Did Momo just fall? I swear if Gin lays one finger on her I'll --

---

"Captain!"

The door slid open with a bang as Rangiku entered. Tōshirō was cradling Hinamori in his arms. She looked as if she had fainted.

"What happened?"

Tōshirō looked up at her, anger and sadness in his eyes. "I don't know. Ichimaru did something to her."

"Gin?" Rangiku knelt beside him. "That's impossible. He would never hurt Momo physically."

"And how would you know?!" Tōshirō yelled. "He kills just for the hell of it! He was probably going to kill Momo too!"

That did it. Rangiku's expression changed immediately as she stomped over to Tōshirō, pulling him up by his hakama. "You may be my captain, but I will not stand here and let you bad mouth my closest friend. Would you want me to do that to Hinamori? Do you want me to tell you what I really think of her?" Tōshirō stared at her like she had two heads. "You do not know Gin like I do. You and no one else has bothered to get know him like Captain Aizen, Captain Byakuya and me have."

"Ran--"

"No!" Rangiku screeched, cutting in. "You need to understand! It's only you! No one else!" Rangiku was panicking. What if Gin hurt himself? Why was her captain so stupid even for a prodigy? "Gin has a heart, Captain Tōshirō! You hold it! Gin fell in love with you!"

"Release me Matsumoto!" Tōshirō yelled. "You seem to forget that I am your superior and you have no right to interfere."

Rangiku bit her lip as she watched him pick Hinamori. She knew she had went to far but he needed to understand. And she guessed he didn't. What was she going to do. What was Gin going to do?

"I'm going to the medical district." Tōshirō walked passed her, without even looking at her. "I will deal with you later, but you're suspended, on hollow duty for two weeks."

Tōshirō walked through the west wing of the medical quarters, looking for Unohana. And he found her, gracefully walking down a hall, anger in her eyes.

"C-Captain Unohana!" Tōshirō called out. "Momo needs help!"

Unohana turned, looking at him coldly. "Hitsugaya, I have other patients to check on and I am not the only one here with medical capabilities. There are other soul reapers around."

Tōshirō blinked. What the hell was wrong with her? He had never seen this side of her. He was cut off before he could answer.

"Place her in one of the vacant rooms down the hall and I'll make sure someone will see to her shortly. May the rest of your day find you well." Unohana nodded at him and left Tōshirō in awe. Didn't Gin say that to him? He turned, a few moments later, and did what was told. He found a free room and laid the girl on the bed. Tōshirō sat in one of the chairs beside the bed sighing and putting his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry Momo."

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to Gin?"

Tōshirō's head shot up at the weak and timid voice. "Momo! Are you okay?"

Hinamori nodded and sat up a bit, still dazed from before. "I'm alright. I just fainted."

Tōshirō's face hardened. "Because of Gin."

"No," Hinamori said at once. "Because of his eyes." She looked away from the disbelieving look on Tōshirō 's face. Afterall, no one they knew had seen Gin's eyes. And the funny thing is, Momo couldn't remember how Gin's eyes actually looked. But she remember the pained and lost look in them. Tōshirō had to fix things. "When you yelled at him, you hurt him, Shiro-chan."

"It was his fault!" Tōshirō yelled, standing. "He was groping me and acting like he was in love with me!"

"But he is in love with you, Tōshirō," Hinamori said, pleadingly. "And I didn't want him to have you. But now I see, Gin needs you. And you need him."

Tōshirō was lost on what to say to that. Didn't Momo hate Gin?

"Everyone in the seireitei noticed how Gin was changing. Even I realized it when Izuru told me. Gin had actually asked Izuru about love and relationships. Izuru said that his face takes on a gentle and forlorn look. The sneer and the smirk is gone."

Tōshirō glared at the floor. He doubted that. He could never picture Gin gentle.

Hinamori sighed. "He loves you. And I can accept that. But you can't. Somehow, he knows more about you than me."

Tōshirō looked up at her with shock. Impossible. "Momo, that's not--"

"Yes. He does." Hinamori said, cutting in. "Like when we're in the food hall, I thought I knew your favorite foods, but I realize you don't have any. You like certain things added."

Tōshirō nodded. "And you brought them to me."

Hinamori looked at her hands. "No. Gin did. He knew how you hated when he sat next to you so he would fix up the food and tell Izuru to give it to me so I could give it to you. I didn't get at first, but when you smiled at your plate, I caught on. You never smile at what I give you."

Tōshirō scoffed. "He doesn't know how I take my food."

Hinamori sighed. "He knows what types of herbs you like in your rice. He knows that you hate leeks in your miso. He knows what meat you like in your oden. He knows that you like more pork and less fish cakes in you ramen. He even knows which fruit and how much sugar you like in your tea."

Tōshirō sat in the chair. Stunned. He hadn't told that to anyone. Not even Momo. Yet that fox faced bastard knew?!

"Even though we can't see his eyes, Gin is always watching. Especially you, Shiro-chan." Hinamori sighed. "I remember when Rangiku was going to give you a hollow extermination area assignment from Yamamoto-sama. I saw Gin stop her and take the pass and leave."

Tōshirō gripped the arms of the chair. He remembered when Yamamoto made a toast for him at dinner. He made it sound like a big assignment and Tōshirō didn't even know what he was talking about. And then Gin had patted his shoulder, smiling and congratulating him. Tōshirō wasn't even looking at him, he was looking at the blood seeping through on the side of Gins hakama.

"You saw the blood right? Izuru had to take Gin to Captain Unohana's residence." Hinamori stared at him. "I heard there were a lot of hollows in that area. He did it for you, Tōshirō. Gin didn't want you to get hurt. He loves you, Tōshirō."

Tōshirō's head was starting to hurt. He just couldn't accept this. "Momo. Stop." He stood. "I need to take a walk. I'll be back." As Tōshirō shut the door behind him, he saw Renji's flaming red hair down the hall. "Renji? What are you dong here?"

As the redhead turned to face him, Tōshirō immediately regretted asking. Renji was sporting a black eye and a busted lip. Apparently, as Tōshirō walked towards him, Renji was trying to stop up a nosebleed. Did he get into a fight with Ichigo or something?

Renji blinked and winced when hi tried to smile at Tōshirō. "Hey. And before you say it, no, I did not fight Ichigo. Taichou beat the crap out of me for eavesdropping. I would prefer his zanpakutou to his fists anyday."

"Where is Captain Kuchiki anyway?"

Renji stared at Tōshirō for a while until he pointed to the door he was standing right in front of. Duh. "Captain Aizen is with him too. We don't know how long Gin has left."

Tōshirō felt himself pale at Renji's words. Gin?! The door slid open loudly as Tōshirō stormed in the room, ready to yell. He found Gin unconscious in a bed, monitors eerily beeping, Byakuya sitting down in the chair, holding Gin's hand while glaring at Tōshirō, and Sōsuke standing on the opposite side of Gin's bed glaring at Tōshirō also.

"May we help you, Captain Hitsugaya?" Byakuya asked coldly.

Tōshirō's eyes never left Gin abnormally pale face. Did he lose blood? "W-What happened?"

"Attempted suicide on your behalf Hitsugaya," Sōsuke said, malice in his eyes. "Didn't you want him dead? I'm sure you were aware that he would do anything to make you happy."

"So are you happy now?" Byakuya asked.

"I'm…I'm.." Tōshirō started shaking suddenly, tears filling his eyes. He didn't what was going on. He didn't understand these feelings. All he knew was that--

Gin

Could not

Die.

"No!" Tōshirō stumbled towards Gin's bed. "H-HE can't die. He just can't!"

"Does it matter?" Sōsuke interrupts. "You wanted him too."

"No! I-I was afraid!"

"Afraid of Gin?" Byakuya asked. "Or afraid of him loving you?"

Tōshirō said nothing as the tears fell. He fell to his knees as he gripped Gin's bed covers. Sosuke smirked and lifted his zanpakutoua fraction up from its hilt. Tōshirō's heart stopped just as the monitor stopped beeping. Darkness overtook him as he screamed the first thing that came to his mind.

" I love you."