I am soooo sorry for the wait as usual.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, Tite Kubo-sama does.
Chapter 5. Goodbye
It was only about half an hour after sunrise and Hinamori was already out of bed.
The new Autumn sky outside blazed with the colors of the changing leaves, the golden sun shown above the tops of the trees. The winds blew wildly and the shadows cast by the branches danced on the earth's grasses below.
Today, Hinamori was the first one awake, for she had gone to bed so early the night prior. She had taken her favorite tan kimono and changed, folding her sleeping clothes neatly and packing them into a small bag that her 'grandmother' had given her along with her robe.
She brushed her silky, dark brown hair and made certain that she looked very presentable.
When she emerged from the bathroom, Hitsugaya and his Obaa-san were awake and dressed as well.
When Hitsugaya's eyes met Hinamori's, he smiled, silently wishing her good luck. The elderly woman carried a small bag that contained only Hinamori's favorite clothes, for she did not want to take much with her, in case she was not accepted. If she did not make it, Hinamori would have to wait until the next year to try again. Souls were only allowed into the Academy at different times if they had exponential reiatsu or were in dire need of becoming a Shinigami.
Hinamori accepted her bag from the woman she considered to be her own grandmother. She had already eaten a small meal, but did not want to be late so she did not eat much.
Now, she stood outside of the small place that she had called her own home for the entire time that she had lived in Rukongai. Behind her, stood the woman she called grandma, and her best friend in the whole entire world.
"You know where to go, right dear?"
"Hai, Obaa-san." She replied, embracing her in a way that a grand daughter would embrace her grandmother after being apart for several years.
When Hinamori pulled back, she glanced at the white-haired boy, he looked like he was on the verge of tears, but she had only seen him cry less than 5 times in her life, and she lived with him.
She did not think that her departure was enough to make him cry.
She made her way over to him, and both managed to smile at the other, and she leaned down a little so that she was at his level.
"I-I'll miss y-you, S-Shiro-chan." She whispered between gasps as she started to weep.
An un-noticed tear slipped down his face as well, and then she reached forward and hugged him. It was not the hug of a best friend, nor a brother or sister, not even the hug of a twin, but it was a hug that can only be shared by two people who are closer then all of those combined and more.
They were like a key and a lock, they fit each other perfectly, and no one else would ever be right for either of them.
They were the kind of people who only came around every billion eons or so, they were Hinamori Momo and Hitsugaya Toshiro.
"No matter where I go or how far away we are, I promise I'll always be with you." She whispered.
"Me too." He told her softly. "I'm going to keep that promise so you just better keep it too!"
"I will."
As Hinamori tried to slow down her crying, she pulled away from him and gazed into his eyes, and he gazed into hers. They were so young, and they each thought that what they felt towards one another was only a bond, but what they truly felt, was something much more powerful, that could never be broken.
"Sayonara, Shiro-chan. I-" She was about to say something, but she stopped herself, and pushed the words to the back of her mind, saving them for another day. "I'll see you soon, neh?" She asked, hoping that he would say 'yes' and that he was going to join the Academy too. But he just smirked, and responded.
"Sure, you're gonna visit on holidays, right?" That seemed to cheer her up the slightest bit and her eyes twinkled.
"That's right! I'll see you whenever I get a day off!" She swore, wiping some tears away.
"Good." Their Obaa-san said. "Now, get a move on Momo-chan, you don't want to be late for your first day of school!" She spoke loudly and encouragingly.
"Yeah!" Hitsugaya agreed. "Get out of here you Bed-Wetter!" He smiled playfully, wanting to cheer her up and let her leave with some cherishable memories.
"Alright, alright!" She beamed. "I'm going! I'll see you soon." She told them.
"Good luck dear." Her grandmother wished her, and Hitsugaya nodded.
Her bag in her hand, Hinamori then turned around and began to walk down the small path of their house that led to the rest of Rukongai, Seireitei, and beyond.
"You'd better pass those exams you Bed-Wetter! Because if you don't you'll have to come back here and I'll have to live another year with you!" He teased her childishly.
She turned around to them and gave a small wave of acknowledgement before she turned away once again, and eventually, her shape disappeared into the distance, and left Hitsugaya and his grandmother looking at nothing. Then the old woman glanced down at her grandson with a caring smile.
"You know, you're going to miss her a lot more than you think you are." But the impudent boy just crossed him arms with a sort of 'ppft' sound.
"Yeah right. As if I'm gonna miss her." He desperately tried to hide the fact of just how much he would miss her though.
Once he was sure that his friend had completely vanished into the distance, he turned his back and walked towards the small house behind him. Although it was much earlier than he usually awoke, Hitsugaya could not fall back asleep, and so he just sat in his room; alone.
Only a few hours before, she would have been in that room alongside him, it used to be their room, but now it was just his.
For the remainder of that day, he was in a very gloomy mood, he walked slowly, and his eyes were often lowered to the ground to stare blankly back into the memories he missed; and this was only the first day.
His Obba-san had told him that it would only be that way for a little while, for eventually, he would get used to her absence.
The dawn of that day had seemed to promise a warm, peaceful day, but the sky betrayed them as noon drew near. The dark clouds clumped together and blocked out the majority of the sun's light.
Hitsugaya kept to his room for most of the day, just staring out the window, and then staring at the few folded clothes that she had left behind, a light pink kimono and a dark green one.
He delicately picked them up, as though if he were not careful he would damage their flawless folded materials. These were the only two things, besides memories that he had left of her now; she had even taken her pillow.
He placed the kimonos next to his bed, and just stared at them, once again loosing his senses to thinking. He wondered how she was, what she was doing, if the exams were easy and if she would pass. Half of him was glad for her for being able to join the Academy, that half of him wished her luck and prayed that she passed.
Yet the other half of himself was being what he would call selfish. That part wanted her to fail the exams, so that she could return home.
He knew that thinking this was wrong, and that she would be very upset if she did not make it. But Hitsugaya did not want to loose her, even if she was only a few miles away like she was, he still felt concerned for her.
Who knew when another on of those Hollow things would show up again?
He shook the thought away, and snapped back into reality.
It was later in the day now, coming on evening, and the sky was even darker than it had been. He declined dinner that night, something he rarely ever did unless he was sick and lay himself under the sheets.
The kimonos near the bed still gave off her scent and he inhaled deeply, allowing a small smile to come to his face. He rolled over, something he never could have done so freely before, for he would have rolled on top of her. The sheets where she had laid just the night before were cold and wrinkled, but they too smelt of her peachy aura.
Hitsugaya closed his eyes and attempted to sleep, but he found that he could not fall asleep for a few hours. He was not used to sleeping alone, he was uncomfortable without Hinamori beside him and he truly missed her presence.
A low blast of thunder sounded outside, and the rain began to patter the world outside.
The rain.
The one thing that he hated the most, signaling unfortunate and evil happenings yet to occur. He was not cold, but still, a shiver ran down his spine and he squeezed the blankets tighter to his body.
He was all alone, and he knew that Hinamori was as well. For he knew that she had passed the exams and that she was now staying in her own dorm room, somewhere miles away.
But to him, it felt universes away. A second before he fell asleep, Hitsugaya whispered.
"Oyasuminasai, Hinamori." He knew that she was not there, and he wished that his words somehow reached her.
And for the first time in his life, he called her by her family name, showing that she deserved respect and showing maturity in himself.
Then, he swore that he heard a reply.
"Oyasuminasai, Shiro…chan…"
He did not know if it was a dream, but he had heard her voice, and even though she had used his pet name, he did not care.
She was all right, he could feel it, and that was all that he needed to know.
A/N: SOOO sorry it takes so long to update! The later chapters are really difficult to write! Please stay with me and keep reading!!
Please review!!