"Captain Hitsugaya!" Matsumoto bounced in carrying her cherished crystal ball.

Hitsugaya's nerve tightened. "What now, Matsumoto?" She's back with that retarded crystal ball again.

"This crystal ball is real, I tell you." Matsumoto said excitedly. "It's real, and you can't deny it!" And so Matsumoto explained the whole thing to him. Recap for those who don't remember: Ichigo claimed that that crystal ball is telling lies because there's no way he could be gay, but it is true because Hitsugaya's past also stated that Ichigo is gay. Anyway because of all these Matsumoto happily claimed that the crystal ball is telling the truth.

Hitsugaya stared rather doubtfully at the crystal ball.

"...So you see, Captain, you can't deny the fact that you're in love with me!" Matsumoto said the last five words extremely joyously, as she broke into a delighted laughter. "Ho ho ho ho ho!"

"Shut up!" Hitsugaya grabbed the crystal ball and stared at it. "Are you serious? Ichigo, a gay? I thought he liked Rukia?"

"I don't know, maybe he's bisexual, you know, like Adam Lambert. Anyway, Captain, you want to continue seeing your life? I don't mind. Let's see how you reconcile with me..."

Matsumoto's voice sounded distant as Hitsugaya was concentrating on the crstal ball. "I want to know how I died.' He thought. "On that wide plain of ice..."

- - -

Hitsugaya was kicking the snow on the path. He need to reconcile with Matsumoto again.

He turned his head and saw the patch of snow in which he made the ice dragon, Hyourinmaru. That's also the incident when he first talked to Matsumoto. He remembered the times at class, when he gazed at Matsumoto from his seat, where he stared jealously at his classmates chatting happily with Matsumoto. Matsumoto was quite a popular girl, with good looks and all. She was even well-liked by the hot and popular guy, Ichimaru Gin.

But last year, when Matsumoto kissed him, he thought he could develop a relationship with her. Hitsugaya bit his lip. Because of that stupid incident, everything was destroyed!

He clenched his fists, and release them again. Then he resumed kicking the snow.

"Shiro-chan!" Hinamori poped in from behind. "Eh, your hair is not white! A rare sight indeed..."

Hinamori stared at Hitsugaya, who did not seem to look angry at Hinamori for calling him shiro-chan. "What's wrong, onii-chan?"

"Nothing." Hitsugaya looks betrayed him though. Hinamori, as his experienced sister, was able to tell what was the problem.

"Hehe..." Hinamori smiled. "You know, you can always ask me for help in relationship problem! I'm an expert on that."

Hitsugaya frowned in disbelief.

"Just hear this out..."

Hitsugaya suddenly got enlightened. "Hinamori, this idea is totally..." Hitsugaya grabbed Hinamori and hugged her. "...Awesome! How did you think of that!" Hitsugaya ruffled Hinamori's hair and kissed her forehead.

Hinamori laughed, elated. It's been a while since her brother was so happy like this. "Ne, Onii-chan! Tell you a good news. Remember I said that Aizen wanted to find a scholarship for me? he found one! He's sending me to America! Isn't that cool?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah, it's good."

Hitsugaya's mind drifted away, still thinking of the idea Hinamori thought about, while Hinamori rambled on about her scolarship to the school.

- - -

Matsumoto had been crying for quite a long time already. "It's time to be strong and face the fact." She thought.

"Isn't that Rangiku-san?"

Matsumoto turned around to see her ex-classmates Renji and Ikkaku.

"Eh, no long no see, Rangiku-san." "When did you come back? Why didn't you tell me?" "Of course she won't tell you." "Eh? What made you say that, Ikkaku?" "Common sense isn't it?"

Matsumoto smiled friendly at them (which kinda made Renji blush).

Matsumoto walked silently next to her two friends who were busily chatting away. She would not admit it, but in her mind, she was still thinking of Hitsugaya.

After bidding farewell to Ikkaku and Renji, she walked in her font porch. This was where she had her first kiss, with Hitsugaya.

Suddenly, she felt someone grabbing her from the back. Without any time to react, that someone hugged her around her waist, one hand securing her head, and kissed her.

After that short, sweet kiss, the someone embraced Matsumoto very tightly, as if afraid that she will go away. Matsumoto could feel some kisses on her hair, and heard the person whisper, "Please forgive me, I love you." It was then Matsumoto realise that he was Hitsugaya.

"What are you doing in my house?" Matsumoto asked unfeelingly. Hitsugaya cuddled Matsumoto even harder.

Matsumoto's coldness made Hitsugaya changed his plans. Slowly withdrawing his arm, he grabbed Matsumoto's head with both his hands. "Because, I. Love. You." He said, kissing Matsumoto's strawberry-like lips between every full stop.

Matsumoto finally broke into a smile. She was intentionally trying to sound heartless, but who can withstand what Hitsugaya's doing?

"Alright. I forgive you." She smiled shyly.

- - -

Poof! The crystal ball went blank.

"Why did you do that for? Captain Hitsugaya?" said Matsumoto.

Hitsugaya kept his eyes shut. "Giving my past life some privacy..."

"Why? It's just me and you!" Matsumoto pouted. "I want to see more! I'm not going to miss the scene!"

Matsumoto, for the sake of seeing the love scene, struggled with her captain on the ownership of the crystal ball. Well, Matsumoto being bigger, obviously won. So not let's continue seeing Hitsugaya's life...

- - -

"Hitsugaya-kun, you're late for dinner!" The kind mother stood in font of the house, waiting for her son.

"Sorry..." Hitsugaya went in the house. ("Oh, we missed the scene of us together!" Matsumoto groaned.)

Hinamori winked at him as he entered the house. "Did it went well?" She whispered.

"It didn't go as you said, but..." Hinamori giggled when she saw her brother blush.

"What are you guys talking about?" Their mother walked in between them. "The food is cold already you know."

The three ate dinner while listening to Hinamori talking about the scholarship she received. "Aizen-sensei said that they will start school next month and told me to hurry up in my decision, or next year they might not have the scholarship and I will miss the golden opportunity." Seeing her mother with a hesitant look, she quickly added, "It's free, it's absolutely free! It even include my food expenses!"

"...I don't know..." Hinamori's mother said worriedly.

"What do you mean?" Hinamori asked sadly.

"I don't think Aizen is that type of person that would care about his student's talents or anything like that..."

Hinamori was appalled. "No, Mother, Aizen-sensei is a very caring and fatherly sensei! He recognises me because of my efforts and hardwork of all these years!"

Hinamori's mother raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Hn..."

After dinner, Hitsugaya was washing the dishes with his mother.

"Ne, Hitsugaya, can you do me a favour?"

Hitsugaya lift his head and stared curiously at his mother. "What?"

The next day…

Hitsugaya leaned at the back of the wall. Beside him was the door to the staircase where he had his second kiss. "Oh gosh, don't remind me of it..." Hitsugaya turned his head away. He felt a sadness in his heart. Maybe he should not just break up with Ichigo like that. After all they were still best friends all these years. Hitsugaya shook his head. "Anyway, back to the mission mother assigned me."

He felt weird having to spy on Aizen-sensei. It's weird why would mother even be suspicious of him, he don't look like any bad guy or anything like that.

"...This is the photo of Hinamori." Aizen-sensei said.

"Oh, that's the one?" Hitsugaya could not recognise the other person.

"Yup. Cute, isn't she?"

Hitsugaya sighed. He wrote on his notepad: 9:45am, Aizen-sensei is exchanging Hinamori's photo with someone else. Probably the person who's approving for her scholarship...

Hitsugaya stopped dead on his writings. What was that he just heard? He stared at the notepad as Aizen-sensei started speaking more and more, revealing more about his motives.

"...Kill."

Hitsugaya dropped his pencil upon that word as the truth hits him. Aizen-sensei was actually such a sadistic and heartless person. Mother was right!

"Who's that?"

Hitsugaya freezed and held his breathe. He could feel the person coming closer and closer.

"Gosh, what should I do?" He thought anxiously.

"Come out now, before I kill you!" Through the shadow, Hitsugaya saw with shock that the person was holding a knife!

Sweat slowly dripped down of Hitsugaya's face. He covered his chest for fear they could hear his heart beating.

- - -

"Eh?" Matsumoto and Hitsugaya blinked at the blank crystal ball. Both of them were close to the crystal ball due to the tension.

"Oi, Matsumoto, why is it blank?" Hitsugaya chortled.

Matsumoto turned the crystal ball over and checked. Hitsugaya grabbed it away from her and double-checked it.

"It must have run out of battery." Hitsugaya stated.

"Dang! It was at the climax!" Matsumoto cursed.