Starry Night

Unsuspected Intentions

A plan was needed. Not just any plan, but one that would work. What else could she do besides design a way to fix her problem? No one else apparently knew of the matter at hand, so she had self-appointed herself as the person to fix it. Resolving an issue like this had to take precise planning, so that she didn't do things messily. Placing a thoughtful finger on her chin, her mind swirled around the bulk of the issue: Rukia Kuchiki. She saw no reason for Rukia to be spending private time with her Shiro. So, a plan was needed.

Plan A

The objective of this plan was to somehow find a way to separate Rukia and Hitsugaya without creating too much drama or involvement from other shinigami. In fact, no one was to know of her plan. She wanted to devise a way to split the two's nights up without anyone knowing she was the one who was doing it. Hopefully she would be able to knock out the problem in one attempt, but that was unlikely given her plans usually did fail.

First, she would need to gain Hitsugaya's attention, but in a way that he felt concerned for her well being and was by her side more than needed (much like he was with Rukia Kuchiki, she thought). She'd known Hitsugaya for a long time, and it wouldn't take much to peak his concern for her, but she needed to balance her acts out. They needed to be enough so that Hitsugaya felt the need to check up on her, but not so much that it attracted other people worrying over her.

This was Plan A, and it was by far the easiest for the reason that she wasn't required to have any interaction with Rukia Kuchiki. In fact, Plan A really had no relation to the adoptive noblewoman except for being the reason Plan A was needed in the first place. Some might have said she was overreacting, because where Momo saw someone trying to steal Hitsugaya from her, others saw nothing out of the ordinary (for the most part). But they just didn't understand. I've already lost Captain Aizen; I refuse to lose him, too!

She had nothing against Rukia prior to this issue, but anyone trying to steal Hitsugaya from her was on her bad list. And being on Momo Hinamori's bad list was--well, bad. As the petite shinigami contemplated her actions regarding her plan, there were others who were currently putting their minds to good use. Namely Ichigo Kurosaki and Renji Abarai.

"Who're you callin' an idiot?!"

"You, ya idiot!"

Maybe not to good use. But to use nonetheless.

"Don't think that just because now you're a Captain means you're some sort of mightier being than I am!" Renji spat out, his hands gripped the edge of a wooden table as he used it to lean almost all of his weight. He was leaning over the table, nearly crawling to the other side as Ichigo mirrored him from the other end. Their heads were pressed together, and for the life of them both, they couldn't remember what had started the feud.

Rukia was sitting down at the round table, poking gingerly at her food until she couldn't take the relentless arguing anymore. "Will you two shut up?! We hardly ever have time off at the same time, and now that Ichigo's a Captain, it probably will be even less that we see each other! So both of you just sit the Hell down and eat your food!" She was fuming, no doubt, and above all other times she yapped at the two, this was different somehow.

Renji and Ichigo immediately sat down, cringing in fright. "Uhm...Hey Rukia, something bothering you?" Ichigo was the bold one to speak up.

Of course there was something wrong. This was probably the last time all three of them could hang out together in a very long time, and the two hot-heads would rather spend it arguing over some trivial matter. "No," she replied, because as always, to let someone in meant letting someone in. And no one got in. "So Ichigo, what squad did ya get? Did you get to pick?" Rukia asked, breaking the tension that she unknowingly put there.

"Got 5th," Ichigo replied with his mouth full of food, making his cheeks stick out in resemblance to a squirrel. He swallowed and continued. "I didn't really care, so they just placed me there," added the orange-haired soul reaper.

"Oh, you have Momo as your Lieutenant then," Renji chimed in. He wondered how Momo would react to her having a new Captain. Hopefully she would accept Ichigo and not give him too much of a hassle, but all the same, he knew she'd feel like Ichigo was replacing Aizen. Which he was, but not in the sense Momo would think of it. Though, he didn't think anymore on the subject as Ichigo seemed to just give a slight shrug anyway.

"Well, I have some more work to do, so I'll catch you both some other time," Rukia spoke, plastering a fake smile on her face. "See ya later Renji," the petite girl added, and then turned to Ichigo. "You, too." She knew she wouldn't, though. Ichigo would be so busy, all of her free time would be spent with Renji if he was off. And she knew Renji would down the road become Captain, too. He was already so close, she felt it wouldn't be much longer before all of her friends surpassed her. Rukia most definitely wouldn't be reaching Captain for a while; she was no where near reaching Bankai, mostly due to the fact she hardly trained for it. With one last sigh, she walked off and made her way down to her office.

Renji and Ichigo glanced at each other, both of them seeing straight through her facade. They knew why she was unusually gloomy, and even if she tried to hide it, they'd known her long enough to tell when she was bull shitting them. "I should probably head out, too." Ichigo cleared his throat and stood up, now knowing what Rukia had just felt a moment ago. It was hard to say goodbye knowing that it'd be a long time until you saw your friends outside of work, but Ichigo wasn't one for sappy moments and therefore simply wore his usual scowl. After Renji nodded, he too stood up, gathering his things and making his way back to work.

Step One: Gain Attention from Hitsugaya

Momo tried to think of something that would trigger some tears. She knew what would do it, and felt terrible for using such a thought for her personal gain, but it was necessary. Captain Aizen. That name alone caused enough emotions to fuel an army. Tears started clustering in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She blinked down hard, causing them to tread down her cheeks. Once she was satisfied with how she looked, she knocked on Hitsugaya's office door. When she heard a grumbling "Enter," she did so.

Hitsugaya looked up from his mountains of paperwork to see a tearful shinigami. "M-Momo, what is it? What's wrong?"

Momo started sobbing and fell to her knees, her hands covering her face. "I just...I don't know what to do anymore," she replied in a squeaky voice due to the tears. "I'm just so confused."

Hitsugaya's fist subconsciously clenched tightly. Damn that Aizen for messing with Momo's head! He had thought she was starting to come around, but apparently she had just been bottling things up inside. At a loss for words, all he could really do was stand up and walk over to her. "There's nothing to be confused about."

Step Two: Reel Hitsugaya in

"I turned my hatred toward you because I believed those lies!" Momo yelled, a fire burning in her eyes, her tears now evolving from anger instead of sorrow. "How can you say that I shouldn't be confused?" Her breathing became irregular and she glared into Hitsugaya's icy eyes. "Never mind. I'm fine." and with that, she stood up and headed toward the door.

"M-Momo, wait!"

A small smirk appeared on the lieutenant's lips, but she quickly erased it before she turned around. "Really, I'll be fine. I just need to clear my thoughts is all," she replied with a genuine smile. Perfect, now she had him drawn in and concerned for her. Now all she had to do was attract that concern during the nightly hours so that he'd spend them with her instead of with Rukia. Step Three, the final step would commence when it started getting dark out and she knew Hitsugaya would be done working for the day. Suddenly, a new thought hit her. I can't keep him in a concerned state forever. He'll eventually think I really am fine. But that was a bump far down the road, and she refused to worry about it now when she wasn't even finished with her plan. No, map out the road first, fix the kinks in it later.

Rukia peered over at her office window, noticing the Sun was setting already. Her head turned back toward her work as her willpower to finish it was slowly diminishing. With a long, drawn out sigh, she finished filling out the last of her forms before allowing her head to collapse on the desk. Finally, she was finished. What to do now? She sat up and straightened her back, earning a few cracks from her spine. Taking in a deep breath once again, she stood up and headed out. Now that the thought of all her friends surpassing her had entered her mind, she couldn't get it out. Maybe it was time to step up the game and maybe start training to reach Bankai. Maybe.

Once out into the now-dark night, she hopped up onto the roofs and started making her way toward her usual resting place. Rukia stretched out her limbs and laid back as her eyes wearily gazed up at the stars.

Step Three: Distract Hitsugaya from Rukia to Momo

Hitsugaya made his way down the pavement, a bored expression staining his features. His thoughts, however, greatly contrasted his appearance. What had gotten into Momo? Why was she suddenly so...emotional? Maybe the months without Aizen really had started piling on. But Ichigo was going to be her new Captain, and he wasn't quite sure how she would handle that. Maybe she had already heard and that's what triggered such an outburst from her. He paused his walk and looked up, and in one fluid motion was on top of the roof Rukia was. This was the type of night that strengthened the benefits of being there. When he actually had something to think about, there was no better place to do it than where he was now.

A sudden flare of reiatsu caught him off-guard, pulling him from his thoughts. It wasn't too much of a flare, more like a flicker. But the source of the spiritual pressure was what concerned him. "Momo!" He quickly stood up and headed in that direction.

Rukia, too, felt the small change and after she heard Hitsugaya, she jumped up and followed him. With all that had happened to Momo, she wouldn't be surprised if something was wrong with her now. She had to check to make sure.

The two shinigami bounced from rooftop to rooftop, the only sound being made was fabric rushing against wind, flapping violently behind them. Hitsugaya was the first to appear, and he rushed over. Momo seemed to be intact, and in fact nothing seemed to be wrong with her at all. "Momo-"

He was cut off by her tears and sobbing. "I-I can't--" Her words stopped as yet another figure appeared in the small clearing they were in. Damn, she must've released too much and it attracted more than one. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw the silhouette approach closer, the moonlight revealing its face. No! No, no, no, no, no! Her plan failed and Rukia had followed. Quickly erasing the sour expression from her face, she smiled to Rukia. "I'm fine, really. You didn't have to come."

Hitsugaya nodded, feeling a tad over-dramatic about reacting in such a manner to a mere rise in reiatsu. Rukia nodded and then quickly left toward her usual building. Hitsugaya, after a moment, left as well.

Momo's hands balled into fists, her arms pinned to her sides in frustration. A new plan was needed. She didn't want to resort to such a drastic measure, but it would appear as though she would have to have a nice chat with Rukia Kuchiki. She sighed and headed back to her barracks, where she could then rest her conniving mind. Tomorrow was a new day. Tomorrow was the day when someone replaced Captain Aizen - she wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

Hands stuffed in pockets, a casual countenance on, Ichigo Kurosaki walked down the halls of the 5th Division. He wasn't used to being so overly respected, and quite frankly it annoyed him. Even when he was lieutenant, it was hard to put up with all the sucking up and bull crap. "Stand up, you don't need to bow," he told a young soul reaper nonchalantly. He headed into his new office and sat down. It was much bigger than what he was used to, but it was nice. He could get used to it, but he'd still need time adjusting to the actual people who'd be coming in and out of the office.

As he began writing down on unfinished work, he heard a small knock on the door. "Come in," he answered, not glancing up whatsoever.

Momo entered the room and bowed deeply. "Good morning Captain--"

"Stop."

Momo let out a small "Mm?" in confusion, looking up toward her new superior. "S-Stop what?"

"I'm tired of everyone treating me as if I'm some God. So stop bowing and just tell me what you need." He then realized how harsh that may have come out, and given the recent history of the one he was talking to, he smiled slightly. "Lieutenant Hinamori Momo, correct?"

Momo had been a bit thrown back by his sudden anger at how she was only showing him respect. Her tension eased slightly at his comforting smile, and she nodded in response. "Uhm, I needed to know what work I have today."

Ichigo nodded and took about half the stack of his paperwork and dropped it in front of the halved stack, creating a loud thud. "You can do this half, and I'll do this half," he pointed between the stacks as if it were easy as one-two-three.

The young girl let out an uneasy laugh, knowing she'd have to show him the ropes of how things went around here. But she'd cut him some slack for the day. Surprisingly, she didn't hate Ichigo for taking her beloved Captain Aizen's spot. Momo walked over and heaved the stack of work up, her arms dropping slightly at its massive weight. She bowed her head slightly, forgetting he had told her not to, and turned to walk out of the room. She stopped suddenly as she reached the exit. "Uhm, Captain, pardon me for asking--a-and I know it's not my place, but you're friends with Lieutenant Rukia aren't you?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason." Momo smiled and quickly scurried toward her own office where she could busily go to work. What if her new Captain found out she was plotting against Rukia? What if Hitsugaya found out? What if Renji found out? She knew for a fact Renji and Rukia were close, and Renji would surely side with the noblewoman instead of herself. This was why she couldn't let anyone find out. If they did-- It was safe to say, there'd be Hell to pay. She couldn't risk any screw ups like the night before.

Plan B

This plan was a little less strategic, and had more doing than planning. In fact, the only step to this plan was to scare Rukia out of seeing Hitsugaya. As long as Rukia felt intimidated, this plan was foolproof. Sadly, she didn't know Rukia very well. For if she did, she would know Rukia was not intimidated by anyone, with the possible exception of her elder brother. But that was for Plan C if this plan failed, which she hoped would not.

Momo was a fast worker, and she had been used to taking over the Captain's work due to Aizen being gone, so she finished her load relatively quick. With a steady walk along the grounds, she made her way toward the 13th Division. Her eyes scanned the ground to make sure no one seemed awkward or out-of-place about her being there. Why would they? It was normal to sometimes see Lieutenants from other divisions around, but she was on edge, and therefore was filled with anxiety. Her feet daintily slapped against the floor as she walked down the long hallway, coming to a dead stop in front of the door that read Rukia's name. Momo balled her hand into a fist and knocked softly.

"Come in," Rukia projected, curious to see as to who was paying her a visit. When she saw Momo walk in, she was a bit thrown back. "Lieutenant, what can I do for you?"

You could back the Hell off from Lil' Shiro. Though, she wasn't that blunt. A small smile spread across her face as she feigned a weak and depressed little girl. "I just wanted to talk to you...about..." Rukia's eyes hadn't strayed from hers, but Momo tried to start off sounding nice. If she could succeed without resorting to anything dramatic, that would be best. "About Captain Hitsugaya."

Rukia's eyebrows rose slightly and she nodded for the girl to continue.

"You see...I saw you guys the other night...together."

"Huh? What do you mean you saw us 'together'?" Rukia nearly jerked from her seat. She made it seem as if we were doing something we shouldn't have.

"You know...together. And I know you may have feelings for him, but I don't think he feels--"

Rukia refrained from bursting out into laughter as small giggles escaped her clenched lips. "You think...You think me and Captain Hitsugaya...are...Oh, you couldn't be more wrong! If you're talking about seeing us on the roofs at night, don't think much on it. The guy hardly says a word, same with me. I don't even think I'd consider him a friend or comrade." Rukia spoke honestly and truthfully. Hitsugaya wasn't her friend, and even though that sounded a little cold, it was the truth. He was simply her superior who happened to enjoy a peaceful night like her.

"Oh, you don't know how relieved I feel!" Momo let out a fake breath of air that she was supposedly holding in. What a liar. She could see straight through Rukia's lies. "Just, try not to be by each other."

Rukia was lost. Didn't she just explain to the girl she held no romantic, or even friendly, feelings toward Hitsugaya? Didn't she tell her that the relationship between the two was a superior and a subordinate? "I don't think you understand--"

"No, you don't understand Rukia Kuchiki." She enunciated her last name, as if being a Kuchiki made her know better. "I don't want you near my Shiro. Anything that doesn't physically require you to be around him should be forgotten. If you can live without seeing him, then don't."

"Or else what?" Rukia leaned forward, standing from her chair and using her hands to prop herself up. Her tone was slightly dangerous, and she was curious to see what Momo was planning to do. Because Rukia Kuchiki did not take orders that were outside of business.

"Or else you'll have me to deal with." Momo's voice was laced with venom, a scowl etched across her facial features.

"Is that a threat...Or perhaps a challenge?" Rukia asked, leaning closer as her knuckled turned white from gripping the desk too hard.

"You have a good day, Lieutenant." And with that, Momo Hinamori left the office with a frown on her face, making her way back down to her own division to see how her Captain was faring.

Rukia brushed off imaginary dust from her uniform and sat back down in her seat. That was...Odd, to say the least. She still couldn't fathom the fact that Momo had mistaken her less-than-friendly relationship with Captain Hitsugaya for a significantly more-than-friendly relationship.

Night had fallen, and there was a Momo on the prowl. The young girl moved stealthily among the shadows created by moonlight, making sure no one saw her this far away from her division. Even if it didn't seem that odd, she was overcautious and couldn't risk any questioning. Her eyes peered up at the building and saw Hitsugaya sitting atop the roof. She smiled; no one was beside him.

This meant Rukia was a smart girl, and heeded her warning. From her times of spying on the two, Rukia usually was the one to appear first, which meant that if Hitsugaya was already--

A small, lithe form could be seen jumping to the roof and laying down casually. Damn it! This called for something drastic. Something that would involve others, but it was the only thing left she could do. This called for:

Plan C

A/N: Ah, yes. I've realized that the vast majority of HitsuRuki fans absolutely hate Momo. I actually have no problem with her, but it was just easiest to make her the bitch of the story (which obviously will make her OOC in my opinion, sorry for that). So yaay for Momo-haters, haha.

Also, a big thanks to my beta, Saint Sky, for helping me with the story :D

Thanks in advance to those who read and review (: -Ami