Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bleach in any way! All copyrights of this series goes to Tite Kubo.
Author's Note: Special thanks goes to my awesome reviewers: applestoapples, MoonLightView, Epoch95, icyangel27, AznInvasionGirl, Neko-cheung, serenity095, cool!, KnowledgeandImagination, athfdrizzle, chococat450, The Sweet Peach, Pieps XD, Samantha, Kat, becomeafan, i-is-animefreak, j cloud xD. Thank you so much for your support. Now that we're half way of Part I, it's time to concentrate on the events that eventually lead to Toshiro's recovery. It all starts here in chapter six. Enjoy the long chapter and Happy Early Birthday Momo Hinamori! (Hope you get lots of hugs and kisses from your boyfriend. Hehe...xD)
LEGEND
"Talking." "Thinking." Voice Message from Toshiro's Older Sister, Miyuki Hitsugaya. Flash Back.
The Healing Heart
Part I - Hope and Friendship
Chapter Six: Waiting for You
Toshiro is sitting on his wheelchair, looking at what is going on in the outside world from the window. Today is a sunny and bright; a perfect day to be doing outdoor activities. However, he is in no mood for that at the moment. Hitsugaya is waiting for Hinamori to come and visit. It has been that way for about five days. Placing his right elbow on the window sill, he placed his chin on the palm of his hand. He sighed with defeat. "She's taking too long," he mumbled.
Then, without any warning, something bumped into his wheelchair. As a result, it caused the boy to lose his balance and fall off his seat. He crashed onto the hard flooring below. While he struggled to sit up, Toshiro heard the sound of laughter. Glancing over to the side, he saw a group of three tall teenagers walk past him as if he doesn't exist. One of his eyes twitched. He suddenly reached his hand out and grabbed the back of one of their heels, stopping the teenager from moving any further. In response, he stopped and looked down to see the white haired boy there. He asked, "What do you want?"
"You're the one who bumped into me," Hitsugaya said. "Now, help me get back on my chair."
"No way! That's the doctor's and nurse's jobs to do that. Besides, I'm injured too." He pointed a finger at the brace cast on his forehead. "See?"
"I don't care about your stupid injury. It is nothing compared to the injuries I sustained!"
"Yo, what's holding you up?" one of his friends asked.
"Don't tell me that kid is causing you trouble?" the other further questioned.
"Not at all; it's not like he can fight back. Besides, he's crippled," the injured teenager replied.
Hitsugaya immediately growled with frustration at the fact they called him that. If it weren't for his injuries, he would have charged and beaten the bully until he has a valid reason to stay at the hospital longer. "Oh shit, Doctor Unohana is coming!" one of them said after he took a peak at what is going on at the hallway corner.
"Alright then, let's scramble." The bully then turned to the younger boy on the floor. "You got off lucky this time, shrimp. The next time we meet, you might not be so fortunate."
As a result, the three teenagers ran away in the other direction. By the time the doctor and nurse came around, they both saw Toshiro on the floor, trying to get back on his wheelchair.
"Hitsugaya!" Kotetsu exclaimed, running up to his aid. She got down on her knees to check his condition. Seeing that there's no additional injury, she took his uninjured right arm and draped it over the back of her neck. With her other hand, she gently placed it on his side. She asked, "What are you doing on the floor?"
Toshiro used his left leg for support as the two of them slowly stood up. He turned his head to the side and mumbled, "It's nothing; I accidentally fell off my chair after I lost control of it and ran into the wall."
Unohana could tell from the irritated expression on his face; he's not going to say the truth of what really happened a few minutes ago. He sat back down on his wheelchair. "Alright then," she replied.
Isane gave her superior a look. Noticing her nurse's face, Retsu merely smiled and resumed her attention to her patient.
"If you need anything, be sure to call us."
Hitsugaya nodded with agreement. "Arigato."
"Let's go Isane."
As she is walking off, the taller woman took a glance at the white haired boy and then back to the doctor. After giving him a short bow of apology, she began to catch up with Doctor Unohana. "Unohana-sensei, is it really alright to leave Hitsugaya on his own to deal with the issue?"
"He is the type of person who likes to do things his own way; a skill he has been developing lately."
"A skill? What do you mean by that?"
"He's becoming independent, that's all."
"W-What do you mean?"
She gave the taller woman a content smile. "In other words, he's growing up."
For another few minutes, Toshiro has forgotten about the bullies and returned to what he was doing; waiting for his friend's arrival. Feeling a bit bored, the white haired boy stuffed a hand into his pants pocket and took out his cell phone. After flipping it open, he pressed a few buttons. Soon, a voice message is played back.
Guess what Toshiro? This morning as I was going to school, I passed by a grocery store and noticed that their watermelons are on sale. Oh man, it looked so juicy! I bet Oto-san and Okaa-san are going to buy a few along the way home. Ou, just thinking about it makes me want to eat a slice right now, don't you? Oh shit, I'm going to be late for my afternoon class! Sorry, I have to go now. Bye!
By the time it finished, the eleven year old boy closed his cell phone and raised his head. Upon looking through the glass window, he saw a familiar face running into the building. Hitsugaya let out a faint smirk on the corner of his lips. After waiting for so long, Momo Hinamori has finally gotten some time to visit him. He placed his cell phone on his lap, put his hands on the wheelchair handles, and turned himself around. At some point later in the near future, she will run into him. It's guaranteed to happen. Finally, from the end of the hallway, he noticed her coming in his direction. Leaving nothing else better to do, he waited.
Just as she is about to run past him, Hitsugaya suddenly commented, "What's with the rush, Hinamori? I'm right here, you know."
She stopped, glanced at him, and suddenly jumped. "Hi-Hitsugaya-kun! I didn't notice you were waiting here!"
He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a look. "What are you talking about? I wasn't waiting for you; I was here by coincidence."
Upon hearing no response from the raven haired girl, he turned his head to see her close to his face. He could feel his cheeks heat up a bit. He quickly shook the feeling away. "Wh-Why are you looking at me like that?"
She merely smiled. "Oh nothing; Let's go back to your room, okay?"
Slowly, with his head turned a bit to the side and mumbled, "Yeah, alright then..."
With that said, the peach girl walked behind him, took hold of his wheelchair handles and began pushing him.
"Oi, I can push myself!"
"There is no need to get all tense up, Shiro-chan," Hinamori replied. "Relax for once and let me do all the work."
"Hn, so you voluntary have become my person slave? How nice of you to do that for me, Bed-Wetter Momo."
"Mou, don't call me Bed-Wetter and no, I'm not your slave."
He muttered, "Whatever..."
"You're so mean, Shiro-chan."
All of a sudden, he glanced back at her. "Stop calling me that! It's Hitsugaya!"
Momo smiled at him, leaving the white haired boy to lean back against his chair and let out a sigh of defeat.
"Why do I even bother to remind her all the time?"
Suddenly, he felt his wheelchair stop moving. Taking another glance over his shoulder, he asked, "Why did you stop?"
After a moment of thinking, a smile crept up on the peach girl's face. Then, she turned the wheelchair around and began walking in the other direction without saying a word.
"Where are you taking me?"
"On second thought, let's go outside instead," she said. "It's a nice day out there. Besides, it's better than staying in here all day long, right?"
"I suppose..."
"Great! We can also eat the snack I brought for you."
"Snack? Sorry Hinamori, but I'm not eating your baked goods. Besides, it might taste bad."
The thirteen year old girl suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about not eating what I brought for you?"
"Yes, I'm sure about it."
"Fine, you're not going to get the fresh and juicy watermelon slices I've brought from home."
Upon hearing her say that, Toshiro quickly replied, "About what I said before, there are a few exceptions."
Momo let out a small giggle. It's really easy to get the eleven year old boy to change his mind when it comes to his favourite fruit. "You're funny, Shiro-chan."
"It's not Shiro-chan; it's Hitsugaya!"
"So, how do you like it?" Momo asked as she watched her white haired friend eat away all the watermelon slices in the container with a single fork. He didn't answer right away. "Hitsugaya-kun, are you even listening?"
"Can't you see I'm a little busy right now?" Toshiro asked before taking another bite off of his favourite food. He chewed on it for a few moments before swallowing it down. "We can talk about it a little later after I'm finished eating."
Hinamori let out a short sigh before resting he back against the bench board. She glanced up into the sky and contently watched they clouds go by. During this time, Hitsugaya finished eating and turned his attention to the peach girl. Watching her sit there happily and carefree brought an image of a familiar person in his mind: the loving green-blue eyed and brown haired big sister, Miyuki. His eyes softened as he felt nostalgic.
"Onee-chan..."
"You're finished eating already? It's great to see that you have an appetite," Hinamori said.
Suddenly snapping back into reality, Toshiro found the thirteen year old smiling at him. He gave her a stern look in response. "I'm not going to break my side of the promise. So, you better keep yours."
"No, I was a little worried that you're still...depressed."
After placing the empty container on the side of the bench, he folded his arms over his chest. "Of course, I'm still depressed. I-I just don't want to act like that right now. You do know it is tiring to be like that after a long period of time?"
She slowly nodded with agreement. "Ah yeah..."
The two friends were silent for a minute. "So, what took so long to come and visit me?"
"Well, I had quite a bit of homework to finish because I missed a whole week's worth of lessons. I would have gotten a chance to visit you yesterday, but I had a mathematics test to write that day."
"Hn, so you suck at it," he suddenly commented.
Momo's cheeks turned a little red. "D-Don't put it that way! It's not like I...suck at it. It's just...I'm doing okay on the subject."
The white haired boy raised an eyebrow at her. "And what is your definition of okay?"
"Around...the sixty percent range."
Hitsugaya just made a face. "Yeah, you suck."
"Mou, you have to consider that I'm about two grades ahead of you. It's not that easy, I'll tell you that much."
"Let me tell you something, Hinamori. Even though I'm younger than you, I can do your level homework without any problems at all."
"Are you telling me that just to show off?"
"No."
"Y-You're just bluffing!"
A smirk suddenly appeared on his lips. "Oh really? I'll be happy to prove it to you. One of these days, you should bring your homework here so that I can rub it in your face."
"Are you trying to pick on me?"
"No, at least be happy that I'm offering my help," Hitsugaya replied. "Besides, at least it will keep me busy. After staying here for about a month an a half, I would like to do something else for a change. At the same time, I can learn a thing or two along the way."
Momo didn't reply.
"Be thankful Bed-Wetter."
"Mou, stop calling me that, Shiro-chan."
"It's Hitsugaya, for Pete's sake! Stop calling me by that stupid nickname."
"So, this is where you are," interrupted a voice.
Toshiro and Momo turned their heads to see Doctor Unohana and Nurse Kotetsu walking up to them. The young teenager turned to face them and greeted, "Konnichiwa Unohana-sensei, Isane-san."
"It's nice to see that you're looking well," Retsu said.
"Yes, thank you."
"...and keeping Hitsugaya company."
"It's the least I could do."
She closed her eyes and smiled. In the meantime, Toshiro took a glance at the woman and let out a small sigh. Resuming his attention to his companion, he said, "Let's go back inside."
"Eh, why?" Momo asked.
"The only reason that Unohana-sensei and Kotetsu are here is because it's time for my check up."
With one look at the eleven year old boy, the peach girl smiled and began packing up her belongings. Upon leaving her seat, she approached him from behind. Holding onto the wheelchair handles, she began pushing him. As they watched the two friends coming towards them, both Isane and Retsu took a step aside so that they can pass. At that moment, Unohana let out a small smile. Kotetsu noticed the changed expression on her face. Turning to the doctor, she asked, "What's wrong Unohana-sensei?"
"It's nothing really," the woman replied. "I'm just happy to see that Hinamori has managed to melt some of that icy shield of his."
She gave the braided female a questioning look. "What do you mean?"
"Don't worry, Isane; you'll understand what I mean if you take a better look at Hitsugaya's behaviour."
"I see..."
As Toshiro and Momo are making their way back to his room, they passed by a drink machine. The peach girl noticed and stopped. After letting go of the wheelchair handles, she walked up to it to observe the available drinks she could purchase. Wondering what she's doing, Hitsugaya took a short glance behind his shoulder before resuming his attention to the front. He let out a small exhale and leaned back against his chair. Waiting for her to finish may take a while. "I'll head back first," he said.
"Okay then, I'll be there once I finish deciding what to buy," Hinamori replied.
With that said Toshiro placed his hands on the wheel handles and began moving himself back to his room. Along the way, he noticed a group of familiar faces: the three older boys he had an argument with earlier in the day. Luckily, they didn't notice him because they were too busy talking amongst one another. Just as they passed by the white haired boy, Hitsugaya looked over his shoulder. As he carefully watched their movements, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. He eventually went back to his room despite having an uneasy feeling in his gut.
Meanwhile, Momo is still deciding on the drink she's having from the drink machine. "What should I get?" she pondered. "I better make the decision fast or else Hitsugaya-kun is going to start complaining again."
Deciding that she's not going to contemplate any longer, Hinamori inserted some coins into the machine and pressed a button with her pointer finger. Moments later, a can of pop is ejected. The raven haired girl leaned over and claimed her drink. Just as she began walking away, she immediately bumped into someone. Forgetting about her dropped drink, which fell on the floor, she quickly bowed down with sincere apology.
"I'm sorry for bumping into you," she said. "It was an accident."
"Hn, I suppose I could forgive you if you'll be my girlfriend," the person suddenly said.
Hinamori blinked a few times before raising her head to see that she is confronted by three older boys. "Um, I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in a relationship. Besides, we just met for the first time."
"Huh, is that what you say to someone who is willing to let you be his girlfriend?" the second boy asked upon leaning towards the girl. "You should be honoured for getting such a privilege."
"Yeah," the third boy agreed. "A pretty and attractive girl like you should be dating an amazing guy like him."
As they took a step closer, Momo took a step back. She has a bad feeling that if she stays any longer, she could find herself caught in a very difficult situation. She continued to keep her distance from the boys until her back made contact with something hard. She glanced back and realized she is now against the drink machine. She has nowhere else to flee.
She never experienced it before: the feeling of fear and helplessness. It's scary. Momo wanted to cry for help, but her words wouldn't come out of her throat. Just as one of the boys took hold of her wrist, he immediately let out a yelp and let go of her.
The three boys turned their bodies around in response to the rubber bands that are shot at their faces. They shield themselves with their arms, enduring the assault. By the time the shots ceased, they slowly put down their guards and saw attacker who confronted them. Momo let out a small gasp of surprise. "Hi-Hitsugaya-kun..."
"You little brat, what was that for?" one of them complained.
"Don't tell me you're here for revenge after what we did to you a while ago," the second boy said.
Toshiro who has been listening to their complaints the whole time finally replied, "Taking revenge over something as insignificant as that is pointless. Leave Hinamori alone and I'll spare you the trouble of staying in this hospital for a while."
"Hinamori?" The boys took a glance over their shoulder to see the raven haired girl. They resumed their attention to the white haired boy. They smirked at him. "Oh, you mean that female friend of yours."
Just as he is about to reply back, they burst out with laughter. The leader of the boys asked, "Are you sure about that? What can you do, little crippled one stuck on his wheelchair?"
Hitsugaya's right eye twitched. He didn't like the way he is being name called, but managed to keep his cool. His job right now is to make sure his friend is safe. Instead, he picked up another rubber band from his lap. Using a thumb to keep it in place, he stretched the other end with his other thumb and pointer finger. With great accuracy in his aim, Toshiro launched another attack on the group of boys.
"Ouch!"
"Stop that!"
"It hurts!"
He shot a few more of that stretchy material causing them slowly step back. Just as they were ready to give up and run away, the rubber band shots stopped. They raised their heads to see Hitsugaya let out a short hiss. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath.
"What's wrong, kid? Ran out of ammo to scare us away with?" the bully asked as he and his companions began surrounding the eleven year old boy.
Having a bad feeling that things are going to get ugly; Hinamori used the opportunity to run off and get help. "This is what happens when you try to be a hero," the third boy said. "Now, it's time for you to learn your place."
With that said two of them began pushing the wheelchair off to one side, tipping it over so that Hitsugaya would fall off and crash onto the cold floor. He bit the bottom of his lip, holding back the pain that suddenly urged him to scream out loud. When he took a glance at the boys, he immediately placed his arms over his face, defending against their kicks. "Let's see what happens if I kick this particular area."
Toshiro knew which body part they are referring to: his leg that is currently wrapped in a white cast. He cursed at his luck. If he was in better condition, he would have no trouble dealing with them.
They began kicking that area. Even though it hurts so much, Hitsugaya refused to give in and yell. During this time, he began wondering why he feels so strongly about protecting his thirteen year old friend. Is it because it is wrong for boys to pick on girls? Is it because she is important to him? Either way, he does not fully comprehend the true reason behind his actions. All he could describe it, it is because he just wants to even if it cost him to stay in the hospital a little longer. He closed his eyes, hoping the pain and the scenery before him would just go away.
"Give me your money!"
"No!" the six year old white haired boy exclaimed, holding his ground and standing up to the group of five bullies. "It's my money! It doesn't belong to you!"
"Fine then, if that is the way you're going to act, then you're going to have to pay the price. Let's go boys!"
With that said, one of the boys began charging at him. The youngest child gasped, turned around, and tried to flee from the battle. However, they were too fast. The attacker lowered himself and extended a leg out, tripping the five year old to the ground. "Itte!"
Surrounding the poor boy, one of the boys grabbed the back of his cyan coloured T-shirt and lifted him up into the air. He struggled to break free, but he wasn't strong enough. He is helpless against them. The boys began beating the child with their fists and kicks. "Are you ready to give up?"
"No way!" he yelled back.
"Quite the stubborn one is he?" one of them commented.
"Who cares? He's going to give up in the end."
Just as they were about to throw another fist at the child, they heard a shout from nearby. "You boys! What are you trying to do to my little brother?"
Recognizing the voice, the white haired boy slowly opened his eyes to see his eight year old sister standing up to the boys. "Onee-chan..."
"Shit, let's get out of here!" one of them said.
"Alright, let's go."
Without any warning, the boy quickly let go of the six year old and began running away from the scene. Unable to catch up to them, the girl raised a fist into the air and yelled out, "If you guys dare to touch my little brother again, I'm going to pummel you to death! You got that?"
Letting out a growl of frustration, the eight year old turned to her sitting brother and got down to her knees. Taking out a handkerchief from her dress pocket, she began wiping some dirt from his right cheek. "Geez, those boys...they really have nothing better to do than to pick on helpless little kids. As for you Toshiro, why didn't you just give them the money so that you wouldn't have become like this in the first place?"
"Gomen nesai, Onee-chan..." the boy apologized as tears started to form in his eyes. As he continued speaking, he whipped the waterworks away by using his wrists. "I only...wanted to surprise you by buying some...ice cream for you to eat."
Miyuki Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat and wrapped her arms around him. "There is no need to cry, Itoto-chan. I'm not mad at you."
The younger child sniffled a bit and looked up at her smiling face.
"Now, dry off the rest of your tears and let's go get that ice cream I wanted, okay?"
Toshiro let out a smile in return and nodded with agreement. "Hai!"
Upon letting go of him, she put her handkerchief pack into her pocket, got back on her feet and extended a hand out. Accepting her offer, he grabbed onto it and was pulled up by her. Together with their hands united, they walked to the nearest ice cream truck.
"When I'm older, I'm going to be strong enough to beat all the bullies that try to pick on me, my friends, and most of all, you!" Hitsugaya declared.
Miyuki giggled. "Really now? I look forward to the day, my little shining knight in armour."
By the time Hitsugaya opened his eyes, he soon met with the familiar face. He mumbled, "O-Onee...chan?"
"Hitsugaya-kun, you're alright!"
Taking a closer look, the image of his sister changed to his friend with raven coloured hair and chocolate brown eyes. "H-Hinamori..."
Remembering what has happened a while ago; he slowly sat up and began looking around. He is not in the hallway anymore. Instead, he is somewhere else. "We're in your room."
All of a sudden, he felt a sudden surge of pain. He placed a hand on his cheek to numb it and soon realized it is covered with a Band-Aid. He soon began looking at his uninjured arm to see it too is covered with a small number of Band-Aids. Resuming his attention to the pigtailed girl, he asked, "What happened to me and those boys?"
"Don't worry about them," Momo replied. "Unohana-sensei is dealing with them right now. Luckily, your injuries are not that serious and that includes your cast leg. Aside from the minor bruise, no further complications are going to arise."
He lowered his head and began staring down at his folded hands. "I see..."
The peach girl smiled. "Thank you for protecting me."
With one short glimpse of her, Hitsugaya made a face and turned his head to the side. "Protect, my ass. I didn't do a good job at it; I still got hurt."
"But I'm not hurt at all...So, I think you did pretty well."
He took another look at her and replied, "I suppose so..."
"When you get better and get out of this hospital, I'm sure you'll be able to protect whoever you want whenever you want, isn't that right?"
Toshiro slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah..."
It is when Momo sit up from her seat. "It's getting late now; I have to go home."
"Oh..."
"But don't worry too much; I'll be back again soon. In the meantime, stay out of trouble and concentrate on recovering, okay?"
"Stop repeating those things," Hitsugaya said upon folding his arms over his chest. "You're starting to sound like a broken record."
The peach girl giggled. "Alright, see you soon Shiro-chan!"
As the thirteen year old girl is leaving the room, the eleven year old yelled out, "And stop calling me by that ridiculous nickname; it's Hitsugaya, Bed-Wetter!"
Once she is gone, he let out a sigh of defeat and laid his head back onto the comfy pillow. Upon staring up at the white ceiling above him, he began thinking about the events of what happened a while ago. Compared to the other days, this one made him feel livelier despite getting into a little mix up with the bullies. He let out a smile and closed his eyes. With Hinamori at his side, today turned out to be quite an interesting day.
Japanese Word Translations
Arigato - Thank You, Sensei - Teacher/Doctor, Oto-san - Father, Okaa-san - Mother, Onee-chan - Older Sister, Konnichiwa - Good Afternoon, Itte - Ouch
Author's Note: Phew, writing and typing out this chapter took a lot of effort. Gah, I'm exhausted. Anyway, please review! Thanks. In the meantime, it's time for me to wait patiently for the release of this week's Bleach episode... Laterz!