#TSHCB

[pinkhairedlily]

Into the Wonderful Unknown

Chapter 11 of The Spring He Came Back | 11 of 12

Momo: I told him don’t go and his response was to hold my hand. What does that even mean?

Rukia: He thought you were cold, didn’t he?

Momo: How come you know this?

Rukia: I have an idiot too, just so you know. (^,^)

“Why are you still up?” A yawning Hitsugaya appeared behind her. Hinamori hurriedly shut off her phone and turned to him.

“Why aren’t you still sleeping?” she asked. She closed the door to the patio and lightly walked towards Baba’s room. The heaters were still broken when she asked her again this morning. She might have to call utilities to do a home visit soon. Weirdly enough, Baba adamantly refused the home service when Hinamori proposed it to her over dinner.

“You weren’t sleeping yet.” His nonchalant behavior was what was confusing her. Her trauma made it hard for her to read actions and connect these with words. She was often taken advantage of in her ignorance in the past, and she knew deep down that Hitsugaya was not that kind of person. But will it do her any good if she wears her heart on her sleeve again?

He mumbled a soft good night as he pulled the blanket over his head, some of the strands still stood out. “Like a broomstick,” Hinamori noted.

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you cold again?”

“Not really.” Why? Will you hold my hand?

“Hmm. That’s unfortunate.” He turned his back on her and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The following morning, Hinamori inspected her room again while Hitsugaya helped Baba prepare breakfast and bento lunches. She tried to find the heater but to no avail. Baba might have placed it in the storage in the backyard? Following her hunch, she went to the small detachment at the back of the main house. True enough, she found the heaters from their rooms.

“Okay, let’s do quick repairs before I go to work.” She rolled her sleeves and started to look at each nook and crevice of the device. They were both in pristine conditions. Baba, like all their friends and all her acquaintances, was doing wingman duties. She mulled her next decision for the next few minutes – whether she should be angry at her grandmother for forcing her to be literally closer to Hitsugaya or just go along with it.

Ride this one out. Do or die. Wear my heart on my sleeve.

Hitsugaya was setting the table when she returned. “Did you check the heaters? Can they still be repaired?” Baba had an apologetic smile on her face, knowing that Hinamori figured out her scheme.

“Ah, they’re really destroyed. I called the repair shop too but unfortunately, they’re backed up for at least a week.” She really lied through her teeth, and Baba chuckled at the progress. Grunting to herself, Hinamori just occupied herself with a bowl of miso soup and hoped Hitsugaya won’t check them himself.

“Ah well, you and Baba will have to put up with me for the remaining days.”

Hinamori heard another thing entirely. He still intended to leave, and she only has two nights left to convince him to stay.

--------------------------

Hinamori visited the café after she closed shop. She was quite fulfilled with herself today – her antidote spray worked on the peonies and gerbera, she found a supplier for dried flowers, the impulsive arrangement she made this morning sold well, and she didn’t think of Hitsugaya the whole day. Well, not until she realized he didn’t come visit her at all today. He also wasn’t in the café, talking with Yuki. So where was he?

“Here’s your brew, Momo.” Yuki handed her drink to her. He might have noticed her curious expression because he asked next, “Are you looking for Dr. Hitsugaya?”

Hinamori shook her head rather strongly that there were neck cracks. “No, not really. He might just be busy today. Not like I minded it.” I apparently minded it enough to wonder.

“Oh, you’re right. He was in a hurry earlier when he ordered an americano to-go. He’s probably tying up loose ends because he’s leaving tomorrow,” Yuki surmised. This information caught Hinamori in surprise. Tomorrow. She thought she had two more nights with him. “That means, it’s his last night in your family house?”

“The town’s rumor mill sure works hard, huh? What are they saying?” There was a slight tremble in her hands.

“Rumors were so bad in his first days. Sleeping in your house instead of a hotel? That was a scandal waiting to happen, and then when people saw that he was still leaving, the rumors died down to you two being sibling-like. Of course, he would sleep in your family house. That was his second home, and you were his second family.” Yuki was looking at her intently, possibly gauging her response. She didn’t know herself – she didn’t know whether she should be offended or saddened. Hitsugaya might have confessed to her when they were teenagers, but ten years have passed. Could it be that this was all she was gonna be to him?

The doors to the café opened, interrupting Yuki and Hinamori’s conversation. Rukia and Renji were holding hands but remained unflustered when they saw their friend.

“Nice timing. I was just about to message you,” Rukia said. “We’re holding a farewell dinner for Urahara’s team.”

“It’s only a small crowd. Us and the three professors. Well, four now because Hitsugaya’s one already,” Renji further supplied. Both of them saw apprehension flickered across Hinamori’s face which soon got covered by a smile. They knew her for far too long that they recognized this was her immediate façade.

It was the academy, after all. There was a long history and probably some bad blood. She wasn’t sure if she was entirely welcome. Then again, this was an opportunity to spend more time with Hitsugaya and talk about his decision. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know about it. He clearly told her he’ll only be here for a week. And it wasn’t as if she bottled up her feelings; she told him “don’t go”, didn’t she? She just wanted to know if this was for good, if he won’t come back again, if there was another life waiting for him on the other side, if she was a thing of his past, or if he just came here for closure. “I’ll freshen up first. Where do I meet you?” Ride this one out. Do or die. Wear my heart on my sleeve.

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Hinamori couldn’t remember the last time she went to a party. Rangiku forced her to join a mixer last year, but no one really interested her. She was far too engrossed in mapping out the business in her head while everyone in their table exchanged information. Then Hitsugaya came, and she was reduced to a blushing mess.

She let her shoulder-length hair down, finally making her strands experience the curling iron. Rangiku’s impromptu and overly enthusiastic make-up sessions proved to be useful despite her and Rukia rarely using cosmetics. She also took out from her closet the olive green blazer and short coordinates which she bought when her revenues finally went beyond breakeven. A comfortable pair of loafers completed the look. Just what was she thinking this would convince him to stay?

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“Working girl, Hinamori,” Rukia quipped. This earned her a glaring look from Hinamori. “Are you changing tactics? Is this ~seduction~?” she jokingly whispered. This time, it was Renji who elbowed her.

“I’m pretty sure Hitsugaya will get a neck strain from staring too much at you.” Renji’s assurance served to fuel the fire stronger. Her two friends were so amused.

“Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m not trying to seduce him!” Hinamori fumed. There were still a few minutes to spare; she could go home and change into her more normal clothes.

“Hinamori! You look good!” Rangiku’s voice rang through the alley. She wore a strawberry midi dress in blocked heels, and her long curls were made up in a loose bun. It wasn’t hard to see the source of her flushed happiness as she was walking with a silver-haired guy who they presumed to be Ichimaru Gin.

Thank God Rangiku dressed up, Hinamori thought. However, she was still wary with how she looked. She immediately turned on her heels to make her way back to the house despite the rising protests from the 3Rs, but she hit someone soon enough. She got a sudden cramp in her foot and almost fell on her back but strong arms steadied her shoulders.

“Momo, are you okay?” It was Hitsugaya. Just her luck.

“Hello, Hinamori.” The professors beside him greeted in unison. Unohana, Byakuya, and Urahara waved hello, dispelling any negative scenarios Hinamori made up in her mind. Suddenly conscious of Hitsugaya’s arms on her shoulders, she moved away from him and bowed to the other professors in greeting.

“Barbecue, barbecue, barbecue,” Urahara led the small group into the restaurant. Hinamori failed to see Hitsugaya’s reaction as she quickly moved towards the safety of her friends’ exchanges and out of his sphere. So much for wearing her heart on her sleeve.

It was so typical of the academy regulars to reserve the whole restaurant for a small dinner. A long table was laid out in the center of the room, and lots of meat were ordered. Bottles of wine and beer were also prepared.

Maybe drinks will give me courage. Dejected, she sat beside Rukia and Renji and across the lovey-dovey Rangiku and Gin. While the former couple was subtle in their affections (because Byakuya was in the room), the latter was nonstop flirting. Never in her life has Hinamori felt so single. At the other end of the table was Hitsugaya and his mentors, debating over something else. Unohana, now the head of the academic board, claimed the seat beside her.

The dinner started out smoothly, and Hinamori enjoyed grilling meat for everyone, particularly for Unohana who apparently wanted a certain cooked appearance. She also got to relax for a bit since Ichimaru Gin took the hot seat.

“It’s your time to eat, Hinamori,” Unohana gently stopped her arm from cooking another batch of pork belly and urged her to sit down.

Taking a bite of a grilled asparagus, Hinamori’s eyes strayed to Hitsugaya’s seat at the other end of the table. He was downing a bottle of beer which he almost choked on when Urahara said something funny. She quickly peeled her gaze away when he noticed her staring. Her seatmate chuckled at the silent exchange.

“It’s a wonderful thing. I’m sure you knew the things Hitsugaya did for you,” she said. The professor placed a few strips of bulgogi beef on the grill. “He really hunted down all the affiliates of Aizen in five years, presented all evidence in the international teaching board and revoked Aizen’s and his accomplices’ teaching licenses. They also got blacklisted in the research field. The items you mailed to the academy – they were also part of that repository.”

The things Hitsugaya did for you.

He really looks out for you.

Even from afar, he was protecting her. “It took me quite long though.” There was a tinge of regret in her voice which Unohana picked up.

“At least you arrived where you wanted to be.” The professor took a sip of her tea. “Although, isn’t it time for you to go back and study in the academy?”

Hinamori’s eyes lit up at the possibility. Yes, she was contented with self-studying, but a focused curriculum would greatly improve her skills. “Wouldn’t there be a conflict of interest based on my past record?”

“I believe that record was already expunged. You didn’t have any knowledge of his operations, after all.” Unohana took from the grill the burnt strips of bulgogi beef. She smiled at Hinamori and ate them in one mouthful. “The academy isn’t the academy you knew before. There are no more Soul members and no networking involved. Just regular admissions and equal access to resources.”

Hinamori sighed. She briefly forgot about her business. “I’m not sure if I can. I have a flower shop.”

“And we have night classes for working students, parents, breadwinners, you name it. The academy tries its best to accommodate everyone and be flexible if need be. We also heard what you were doing in the flower farms. It’s a talent difficult to miss, Hinamori.”

“Am I not too old to pursue a bachelor’s degree?”

“Is there an age limit in the pursuit of knowledge?”

“Five already,” Gin said aloud. Rangiku laughed when Unohana and Hinamori finally steered their attention to them.

“I’m telling you it’s six.” Renji almost slammed his beer mug on the table. He might love drinking, but his tolerance was so high. Rukia, though, was another matter.

“What are they counting?” Hinamori asked Rangiku who was rather tipsy at this point.

“The number of times he looked at you.” Rangiku pushed six shot glasses to Hinamori. “Drink them all, baby.”

I didn’t even notice. Again, a blushing mess when it came to him.

“You just wasted your night cooking for us. You need a break.” Gin supported his girlfriend. “Drink your share, Hinamori.”

Slightly affected by the new opportunities coming her way and the enthusiasm of her friends, she downed three shot glasses in full. She cupped her fourth when her eyes strayed to where he was seated. She was supposed to make use of this time to talk to him, but he seemed intent to put some distance between them. In that moment, his eyes flitted to where she was. If it was possible to swallow the shot glass, she would have.

“This is so entertaining,” Unohana quipped.

“I don’t have any patience for this stealing-glances-game,” the intoxicated Rukia said. “You, Momo, are to confess tonight!”

“Ooooh I heard confession!” Urahara yelled from across the table. He stood enthusiastically and went over to Hitsugaya’s side. “I’ve got a story to tell!”

“Shut up, Kisuke.” Byakuya tried to pull him away from his mentee.

“What story?” Hitsugaya asked. He also finished his bottle in one long drink. Finally remembering what story it was, he reddened in embarrassment. “Urahara no!”

“That time when someone confessed to you in the middle of an open forum!” Urahara let them in on the secret. “The girl started with, Dr. Hitsugaya, your presentation was very nice and it answered big knowledge gaps in the field of Physics. Now I was wondering if you would fill in the gap in my life. It was so hilarious. The auditorium broke out in cheers.”

Laughter erupted around the table and more so when Hitsugaya just continued pouring himself a drink.

“We had to screen attendees at that point onwards because she might ask the same question again.” Byakuya also found the memory funny. “You maintained contact with her, right?”

“What is it to you?” Hitsugaya pouted in his defense. The laughter shifted into yells and whistles. This light atmosphere turned quite heavy for Hinamori.

So there really was someone else.

His phone rang amid the cheers, and he excused himself from the table. Hinamori’s heart sank further. The decision was made; she should just go home. “I need some air.”

When Hinamori was out of earshot, the people around the table sighed collectively.

“I can’t believe I’ll say this, but we have two idiots in company,” Unohana said, breaking the silence.

“After Rukia and Renji, of course,” Byakuya added, teasing the two lovebirds at the other end.

“Let’s hope those idiots realize it soonest huh?” Urahara went back to his seat and opened a new bottle of wine.

“It’s literally your fault.” Byakuya and Unohana were both clearly exasperated.

--------------------------

“I should say goodbye,” Hinamori muttered to herself. She saw Hitsugaya walked to the alley beside the restaurant. She tried to follow him, but a group of local drunks blocked her way. She sidestepped, but they also matched her move. She was feeling a little light on her feet. It was a bad call to finish the shot glasses Rangiku gave her.

“Hey cutie, where are you going?”

“Are you striding towards my pants? I mean, my heart?”

“Hey fuck off, I saw her first. Finders keepers.” Someone’s hand grabbed her wrist, pain shooting throughout her body.

Fingers wrapped around that someone’s arm, the grip was so tight one could see veins popping on his hand. “Don’t fucking touch her.” Silver hair in her periphery. An air of intimidation. Eyes like icy daggers. The strong arms holding her steady. “Stop hitting on my girlfriend.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have let her out of your sight? Fuck off dude.”

Hinamori was trembling more because of anger and less because of fear. Alcohol was truly a source of courage. “Why don’t you fuck off yourself?” She kicked the one in front in the balls, and elbowed the one grabbing her wrist. It happened so fast that Hitsugaya forgot he was holding someone hostage.

The local drunks scurried away, leaving the two unharmed. Hitsugaya pulled Hinamori gently into the abandoned alley, usually reserved for dumpster area, the dark acting as refuge for their recent encounter. She was still trembling, her hands cold and sweaty. Hitsugaya hesitated to come close within her personal space. A few minutes passed and she reached out for his hand, her pinky barely holding on to his other pinky.

“I’m sorry I lied,” Hitsugaya asked. “I drank so much I’m not sure I could fight them all off. So I thought the boyfriend card would be enough.” He hovered his fingers above hers in a quiet question of consent. She closed the space within their hands, their fingers finally intertwining, the cold dissipating in the warmth of his skin. “You were so badass there.”

“Thank you,” Hinamori chuckled. “But I guess you shouldn’t be holding hands with me when you have a girlfriend abroad.” But her fingers stayed where they were.

“What girlfriend? I don’t have a girlfriend, Momo.” HItsugaya protested. He faced her this time, the closeness of him backing Hinamori against the wall. “Urahara was spouting nonsense earlier. I rejected her. I don’t have any form of contact with her.”

“Why are you so adamant in proving it?”

“Then why did you rile me up with it?”

Hinamori couldn’t answer. Maybe she should have drunk two more shots.

“Are you okay?” Hitsugaya was clearly worried. He was red on the face, but Hinamori didn’t know if it was because of the drinks or because it was cold outside.

“Why should it be a pretense?” she asked, letting go of his hand. She turned her gaze away from his striking eyes.

“What? Momo, look at me.” He cupped her face, securing any form of escape. “Are you drunk? Because I’m kinda tipsy too. Byakuya made me finish one bottle of wine and some bottles of beer. I think my stomach is riding a pirate ship. So what pretense?”

“I like you.” Her stomach was a pirate ship suspended at the highest point, a roller coaster stuck upside down, and a basket at the peak of a ferris wheel.

“I know what you mean. You said it before already.” Her words were not getting through to him.

“I like you, Shirou. I meant it back then when I said I liked you too.”

“Of course, you like me as a friend.”

“How can I prove it to you, you broomstick idiot?” She felt like crying. What was running through his mind? How can she get her feelings across in actions if words were not enough?

Ah, there was one thing she could do, and she had the advantage. Ride this one out. Do or die. Wear my heart on my sleeve.

Hinamori’s hands strayed to his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. Her stomach lurched into a journey, the wide deep swing that came after the high, and then an expanse of space. This was probably why they associated butterflies with it. It seemed as if she was fluttering herself, her heels flying on to space, and the only thing grounding her was his hands on her face and his soft lips on hers.

Thank you, courage. She pulled back, content with her declaration, no matter the result.

“You look so beautiful tonight, Momo.” Hitsugaya spoke as if someone took his breath away momentarily, but his hands were still cupping her face. “Didn’t know you were so fashion-forward.”

“I’m glad you think so. It’s my alternate persona.” She joked back. She gathered what was remaining of her courage and truly looked at him.

“Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. You can be angry at me tomorrow.” He pulled her face closer and kissed her again, full on the mouth, a little longer, and a little deeper. Over and over again, they would pull each other in with small rests for breathing, like how the world was rushing to bloom again in spring.

NEXT CHAPTER | 12 OF 12 | ENDLESS SEASONS WITH YOU

[pinkhairedlily]

Endless Seasons With You

Chapter 12 of The Spring He Came Back | 12 of 12

Hinamori’s eyes fluttered open at the arresting sound of her alarm clock. Her phone was also simultaneously ringing. How she came home she’ll never know, but she was still in her coordinated outfit and she was lying down in her room with the heater perfectly functioning. Her mouth was so dry and coarse like felt paper; it was as if the alcohol evaporated inside. Her last memory before she blacked out was….Hitsugaya, his hooded gaze, and his lips on her.

She reddened immediately at the recall. Her hands slapped her cheeks several times to get out of the trance. She was fairly certain it was a dream. Sharp pain shot through her temples, indicating the coming and going of migraines from an alcohol-induced night. Her eyes found the medicine bottle and the note under it on her side table.

For your hangover. Sorry I wasn’t able to say goodbye. – Shirou

What? Hinamori grabbed her still ringing phone and saw the caller ID.

“Finally you picked up!” Rukia’s voice greeted her a bit cheerier than last night.

“How come you don’t have a hangover?” Hinamori asked, still massaging her temples. “I feel like puking.”

“Oh but you were truly a sight last night, you know. We need you to spill all the details later,” Renji said over Rukia’s laughter.

“Don’t be late. We need to see them off on the train platform at 12 noon.” The two quickly hang up, saying they had some errands to do.

“12 noon?”

Hinamori rushed out from her room, towards Baba’s, and and to the guest room. He wasn’t here. His things weren’t here anymore.

“Momo? Are you looking for Toushirou?” Baba called out from the kitchen. “He slept at Dr. Byakuya’s house last night, but he went here this morning and delivered some medicine.”

Hinamori slumped to the floor in a puddle of hopelessness she last felt a decade ago. Did she misread everything again? Did she wear her heart on her sleeve so naively that it came back to bite her for the second time around?

Whatever happened last night wasn’t enough to warrant a reason for him to stay. This encounter on the platform was her last chance, and if it won’t work out, at least she’ll be able to let go of him with the knowledge that she told him her true feelings. She looked at the time on her phone and saw that she only had one hour left.

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The train’s whistle sounded twice, indicating that it was nearing the departure time. Hinamori jumped off her bike, her farewell gift in her arms. Then again, just like ten years ago, the doors started closing when she was running towards the platform.

“Wait! Shirou!” She quickened her run, the flowers losing some of their petals in the process. She tried to look for silver hair at every cab, even just for a split second. Surely, she might still have this last chance. She wasn’t able to say her last proper goodbye. Why was fate so harsh on her?

Tears started to blur her vision, but in the last cab she finally caught glimpse of Urahara and Byakuya. She pounded on the train’s doors, hoping they would somehow pry open, but the train started to move. She still hasn’t found him. “No, no, no, no.”

It was the last whistle, the moment to leave. She ran just before the train rode the momentum, she ran like her life was on the line, she ran with the hope that maybe she could catch the rail and be swept away in its journey. But the wheels were so much faster than her legs, and she was just one step away from the end of the platform.

Maybe I should jump.

Before her feet could lunge at the space between the platform and the last cab, someone grabbed her waist and pulled her to safety, the bouquet of daffodils loosening from her grip and flying with the strong wind.

He was gone. The train has left the station. She stared at the open blue sky, dotted with the swirling petals of her yellow daffodils and the pink cherry blossoms. How dare you be a beautiful day when I just lost him.

She cried openly, like how she did when she lost her parents. What a pathetic life she has led so far. She got manipulated by a man she truly admired, she thought she lost her grandmother due to her negligence, she drove her best friend away from his hometown, and she lost the chance to make him stay. “I haven’t told you yet I like you, Toushirou. It’s so unfair.”

“You already told me last night, Momo.”

His scent wafted around her, arresting her senses in a sudden burst of realization. She turned around and saw that he supported her fall on the platform. There was a hitch in her throat when it dawned on her that he didn’t leave. She succumbed in his embrace on the ground, afraid that he would suddenly leave or take the next train. She hugged him a little bit more – never mind that people were looking, never mind that traffic patrol was calling them out on the radio, never mind that their friends were breaking out to cheers and yells.

He held her hand as they walked towards a quiet spot on the side of the station. “I wasn’t on that train. Why were you getting on there?”

“Are you gonna be on the next one?” Hinamori asked. She wasn’t in the clear yet.

“Of course not.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you were drunk and you passed out. In the middle of drinking, no less.”

“You could have told me this the day you arrived.”

“Because I wasn’t sure if you would have me.” That pout seldom came on Hitsugaya’s face, but it did now in a random moment of insecurity.

Hinamori was suddenly pissed. She didn’t run across a train platform like a crazy lady for her sincerity to take jabs. “How much more should I prove to you that I would have you?”

“I know, I know. That’s why I stayed,” he reassured her. “You kissed me.”

It wasn’t a dream. They really did kiss last night. “And you kissed back.”

“Are you regretting it now?” He reached out to her other hand like a second nature. This hand holding was fast becoming a routine for both of them.

“Silly, don’t you dare regret staying behind too.” Hinamori sighed at the sight of yellow petals in the wind. “I brought you a bouquet as a farewell gift. They’re frost-resistant and they bloom all year round. I grew them myself.”

“See, I told you you’ll come up with that idea.” Hitsugaya let go of her hands and wrapped them around her waist. He pulled her closer so the wall can cover them from the prying eyes of the crowd. “I think I need to reward you with a kiss.”

His head lowered down on hers, and their lips found each other in a sweet, lingering way. “Would it be too fast if I asked you to go out with me?”

The whistle resounded again, this time signaling an arrival.

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Five years later

The spring season was ending, but the daffodils in Hitsugaya’s arms were as fresh as the first bloom. In front of him was Baba in a wheelchair, still spritely as ever but her legs have given way to old age.

“Congratulations, Momo!”

The academy’s robes fit Hinamori like a second skin. Hers were maroon instead of the traditional blue for the undergraduates; she finished her bachelors and graduate studies in five years in a feat only she could have done by grit and hard work. Her thesis built upon her work on floral ecology and climate-resilient flowers which earned her several distinctions and publications. She has done all of these and still managed to keep her florist job afloat. Proud was an understatement.

She went to Hitsugaya and Baba after the pictorial, her arms enveloping them in a large, warm hug. The three Rs plus Gin also gave her bouquets and gift baskets.

“So where are we eating?” Urahara, Byakuya, and Unohana blended in the crowd in disguise, careful not to catch the attention of other faculty and students. The three became members of the academy board with Unohana passing the crown of chairpersonship to Byakuya.

“There’s a grand luncheon in our house,” Baba said. “It’s not my cooking, but they’re all my recipes.”

Hitsugaya hailed their service, a large van that can accommodate all of them. Long tables were set on the family grounds under the shade of the old camphor tree. Just like any other big day, announcements were bound to be made.

When Byakuya offered a wine glass to his sister, Rukia declined. “Isn’t it too early to be drinking?”

“I’m pretty sure you drank wine when it was still nine in the morning,” Byakuya said. Then he looked over to Renji and saw the nervous expression.

“Oh Byakuya, you’re gonna be an uncle!” Urahara patted him on the back, the latter choking on a morsel of food.

The couple got married last year during fall. It was Rukia’s wish to have a rustic-themed wedding in a barnyard, and Renji encouraged this. Hinamori was happy enough to curate the floral arrangements in warm muted red, orange, and yellow tones. Now they were bringing a baby into the world.

“Congratulations Rukia and Renji!”

“You should one-up me, Rangiku.” Rukia smiled at her friend, knowing what was up. The blonde took up Rukia’s offer. Rangiku’s hand showed her ring finger adorned with a silver band with a small turquoise in the middle. Having been engaged a few months ago, her wedding announcement with Gin was overdue.

“So we settled on a winter schedule,” Gin announced, kissing Rangiku on the cheek. Unamused expressions looked back at them, slightly disoriented at the date.

“It’s the busiest school season what with the orientations and the trainings and the school openings,” Byakuya protested.

“Oh come on, make time for me,” Rangiku whined.

“You’re not my sister,” Byakuya retorted.

“Fine. Rukia will still go anyway, and I doubt you’d leave your pregnant sister unattended.”

“Sly, Rangiku. No problems for me.” Urahara opened a new bottle of wine. “Any news from you two, Hitsugaya and Hinamori?”

Hinamori quizzically looked at her boyfriend of five years and wondered if she missed anything major. “Um, I graduated?” Hitsugaya weirdly avoided her eyes.

“That merits a cheer.” Unohana held up her wine glass and proudly beamed at Hinamori. “To Momo!”

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Their guests left just before dusk settled down, ending the celebration with an exhilarating high. It was a tiring day, but it was mostly fulfilling. Just a series of accomplishments that have accumulated over the years; a series of interactions, of hellos and goodbyes, of hugs and quarrels, a series which made relationships, lasting memories, and great achievements.

After securing Baba’s bed and her medicine, Hinamori and Hitsugaya went to the back of the family compound for a quick reprieve from house chores. The rumors were quick to lash out with their living-in arrangement, but they honestly didn’t mind them, neither did Baba. The compound was too large, and they could easily sleep in different rooms and in different sections. Obviously, they didn’t because they spent a long time too far apart and any more distance would keep the other awake throughout the night. Cuddling was also a much more effective way to fall asleep.

The foothills and the vacant lot behind the compound were now filled with plots of different floral varieties. The dusk had a magical feel to it, the way the sun would transition into the soft glow of the moonlight, and the play of lights across the petals of the blooms. Half of the area was dedicated to daffodils, Hinamori’s memorial to their meadow of childhood and adolescent memories. Hitsugaya, having been granted by Baba’s blessing to own part of the compound, converted some rooms into his laboratory and office. More or less, they have started leaving imprints on this ancestral land.

HItsugaya had a plan – become the youngest tenured faculty, have watermelon contests during summer, and live out the rest of his days with the only family he knew – and his plan succeeded. He initially thought he strayed from that path and entertained the idea that maybe, perhaps, in some foreign countries, there was some other face he could come home to.

But Momo was home. He knew that before he left some fifteen years ago, when they left things unsaid and dealt with the repercussions of it within that decade. He knew that when he came back one spring season and saw how she built herself back up, when he realized he had a chance to turn his dream into a possibility. He knew that when he slept beside her and soft sighs escaped her lips as she snuggled closer. Momo was home.

They were indeed two separate journeys merging at the end of their respective successful conclusions, and he couldn’t be any happier.

“What are you smiling about?” Her hair was undone; it grew to a length reaching her waist, and he wanted nothing more than to slip his fingers in between those strands.

“Your hair and the moonlight,” Hitsugaya said. “I don’t want to one-up our friends earlier.”

“We’ve had conversations about this, but I’m not sure if I’d ever be ready.” She slid some straying locks behind her ear, blushing at the implication of his words.

Hitsugaya observed a little more. She said she wasn’t ready, but anxiety wasn’t in her body language. Maybe his timing was just right. “Looking back, it was quite a feat that I made you fell in love with me in one week.”

A light punch landed on his arm. “There’s that usual saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I’d like to believe it was planted there before long.”

“The trysts in the secret room really did their job, huh?” He had an inkling about that too, and he was glad he did those little things because those little things soon became bigger pictures and the pictures became dreams.

Hinamori laughed at the memories, the sneaking in the early mornings, and the pitiful self she was before. “The most we did was sleep on each other’s laps.”

“Well, don’t you want to sit on my lap right now?” Hitsugaya asked.

“We did this before Shirou and I only got allergies,” she complained, but she slid closer to him and he enveloped her in a back hug.

“Here’s a crown for my pretty girl.” The daffodils were beautiful on her hair, and the stars slowly ascended on the night sky. “And here’s a ring for the love of my life.”

Hinamori didn’t say anything and for a second, he was afraid she would say no. His plan B was to hole up in his laboratory for a few weeks and then ask for an explanation from her, but he soon heard muffled sobs from her.

“I told you I’ll never be ready for this. I’m tearing up so much.”

“Momo, we talked about communication so I need a definite yes or no,” he said as he was wiping away her tears.

She turned to him and nodded happily. “I’ve had five spring seasons with you, and you might think I’m greedy but I want them all.”

Hitsugaya mouthed a silent yes and matched it with a fist pump before he could slide the ring on Hinamori’s finger, both of their hands trembling in happiness.

“I’m quite nervous,” he said to her. He wiped a stray tear from his eyes, not noticing that he started tearing up as well. “I guess I’ll be like weepy Renji on his wedding day, but I’ll be happy to spend endless seasons with you for the rest of my life.”

It was Hinamori’s turn to cup his face. “That makes the two of us.”

The two kissed under the moonlight, the yellow daffodils swaying to the gentle caress of the wind, their meadow of happiness never wilting.

A/N: Everyone, thank you for reading my work. It was a joy writing HitsuHina. I hope you found some bit of comfort in their stories, and I hope you are all safe and well. On to our next journey! :)

[pinkhairedlily]

Yellow Meadows of Happiness

Hi! I made this one-shot into a 12-part series to flesh out the plot and of course, to feed my HitsuHina scenarios.

Original Tumblr post here | AO3 Prologue | This chapter | 2 of 12 

Summary: Childhood memories and the shift that changes it all.

“He looks like I could send him back to the oblivion where he came from with one flick of my finger,” Momo said to her grandmother.

Baba, as she fondly called her, just continued washing the scrawny, beat-up kid in front of her. He had a bulging left eye from where another street kid punched him, and he seemed to miss some of his teeth. His silver hair stood out, but it was littered with dirt she dared not go near. Despite his measly state, the kid glared at her through his swollen eyes. “Momo, a child cannot go back on the streets.”

“I know you have a big heart Baba, but you cannot just pluck a scrawny spiky broomstick from the road and bring him home.” Momo grimaced. She felt sorry for him, but she did not enjoy the fact that she will have to share her only relative to this stranger and a troublemaker, she bet.

The kid was trying to spat back at her, but his mouth was too wounded his words came out incomprehensible. Baba chuckled at this ‘little’ argument, and her soft, gentle hands started applying medical ointment on his face. “My dear Momo. He helped me bring home your favorite fruit. The other kids wanted it and tried to grab it, but he fought them off. See, he respects elders.” Baba gave her a fond smile.

Oh my god, my grandmother is smitten. Momo glanced at the kid again, and he flashed an attempt of a grin. But then she felt suddenly apologetic. The watermelon Baba brought home has a crack, and some of its juices already flowed out. The net bag that was supposed to carry it was tattered and split. She didn’t ask for one, but it was summer, and Baba knew it was her favorite fruit so she traveled to the farm on the opposite of town to get a piece.

“His name is Hitsugaya Toushirou, and he’s two years younger than you.”

And she came back home with a scrawny kid. “A whole dumbass eight years old.”

After several days, Momo learned that he was not only scrawny, he was also snarky. Every time she instructed him to do house chores, he would stick out his (healing) tongue at her and make monkey noises, and she would proceed to hit him with a broomstick that looked like his hair. Baba treated these interactions as her daily form of entertainment. After all, it was a good noise that enveloped a rather lonely house.

Momo lost her parents to a fire accident when she was three. Since then, she started living with her grandmother and treated her as her whole world. She would learn later on that the Hitsugaya kid was an orphan abandoned when he was the same age. She had Baba, he had no one. But she didn’t feel particularly sympathetic when he would just randomly yell, “Bed-wetter Momo!”

They started to notice it when Momo devoured books from the town library. Hitsugaya or Shirou-chan as he hated to be called prodded her open book with a stick while she was reading under the large camphor tree. “Hey bed-wetter Momo, what are you doing?”

She swatted away his stick and kicked his shin. “Reading, broomstick Shirou.”

“You know I hate that name. Stop using it. What is it about?”

“Then stop calling me bed-wetter. I never wet my bed you schmuck. It’s about the evolution of forests, how they bounce back to normal after a fire or a drought. You’ll never understand so go away.”

“Hey.” He continued prodding with the stick. “Teach me how to read.”

It was probably the first time she felt a semblance of pity because reading was close to her heart. She was adept at learning, but they didn’t have the money for formal schooling so she took what she could from the public library, almost religiously worshipping its grounds. Books transported her to worlds, far from the sadness that was always creeping in from her periphery. It was a productive distraction and her safe space she could access anywhere and anytime. Books were her friends and her teachers.

Grumbling, she went inside the house and grabbed some papers. He may not also know how to write. This was the starting point of everything, and the petty fights and aggressive name-calling scaled down to kind banter resembling childhood friendship. The most evident change however was Hitsugaya’s quick capacity to learn. He started accompanying her in libraries, reading more books than she did. Soon, he abandoned fairy tales and fiction and went straight to scientific journals in the reserve section.

Momo joked that he was only pretending to understand so he could one-up her, but he just dismissed her with a scowl. When she joined him in the archives, she saw his brows furrowed over a big book with many numbers and equations. Nature fascinated Momo but never math. That kind of focus Hitsugaya only occurred when he was cutting firewood or catching fish in the nearby riverbank for their dinner.

“Hey Momo, can you lend me your pencil?” he asked without looking up.

“You’re not supposed to write anything on the pages,” Momo refused. She also didn’t have a pencil on her that day. “Whatever is it for, Shirou-chan?” He grew tired of scolding her for calling that nickname some many months ago.

“Well, I think the results for this equation is wrong.” That was when Momo knew he was bound for something greater.

“Why don’t you borrow that book and we’ll solve it on our way home?”

They spent hours hidden among the stalks of yellow daffodils with Momo listening to Hitsugaya’s explanation about the equation’s mistakes. She noticed that he never failed committing to memory what he read even for just a second. The books called it photographic memory. For some time and in this yellow field, she was his student, and she eagerly learned from him. They started on a rough patch and such prejudiced footing, but there they were, lying in the middle of the daffodil meadow no one really owns, giving and taking about the secrets of the world under the glowing halo of the dipping sun.

His small but already rugged hands suddenly reached out towards her, and she inadvertently gasped. He was just brushing the petals from her hair. “Ah Momo, we might get allergies from too much pollen. Let’s go home to Baba.”

And when the afternoons on the yellow meadows weren’t enough, their conversations extended to night escapades atop the hill behind the house where the stars were almost near enough to touch. Momo never expected this kind of happiness, especially from the scrawny kid with an irritable disposition. Well, he was still irritable but not to her, not anymore. She wished this would go on forever.

But of course, that wasn’t possible. Because the world has plans of its own.

Baba was accompanied by a black-haired guy one day. Momo was sure he wasn’t an orphan or a street kid her grandmother took pity on. He was dressed in coordinated tan blazer and khaki pants and had glasses on. He looked like the typical professor she would see in the library and would frequent the reserve section and archives that Hitsugaya loved the most.

“Hitsugaya, this man is Dr. Kuchiki. He wants you to go to the academy.”

Notes: So I’m diverting away from Bleach canon as if it wasn’t obvious already. Just a small, itty bitty change – Hitsugaya’s grandma became Hinamori’s grandma. This is for plot friends, please trust me on this! >.<

NEXT CHAPTER | 3 OF 12 | LAST SUMMER INTO THE BEGINNING

[pinkhairedlily]

Grab It Before It Passes

Chapter 10 of  The Spring He Came Back | 10 of 12

What was she thinking? She was late to work because she slept in. And why did she sleep in? Because she and Hitsugaya talked until morning. Nice sabotaging your business, Hinamori. She arrived in front of her shop, breathless from her fast cycling, and she was greeted by a small line of her constant customers. When the morning storm died down, she started to prepare reserved bouquets despite feeling lightheaded. It was already lunch time when she finished all her orders and walk-ins.

The bell on the door rang again, and she stood up from the counter to meet her next customer. Maybe I’ll skip lunch today.

“Don’t skip lunch today.” Hitsugaya was yawning as he entered the shop. Hinamori was thankful he got rid of the glasses and kept his old hairstyle. He waved her closer and indicated the bento in his hands. “Sorry for keeping you up until morning.”

If there were other customers right now, I’m pretty sure his words will be taken out of context. Well, we were kind of intimate last night. Hinamori soothed the forming ache on her temples. He rushed to her side and cupped her face anxiously. “Are you okay Momo?”

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” a supplier came in at that inopportune moment, a crate of azaleas in their hands.

Before Hinamori could go to them, Hitsugaya bridged the distance in quick strides and took the crate. “No, is this all? Hinamori has a headache so please let me get this.”

“Ah, Dr. Hitsugaya.” The supplier recognized him and instantly became awed at meeting one of Soul Society’s prodigies. “Of course, of course. Uh, wait, Hinamori, you’re still set for farm visit?”

Trying to control her blush, Hinamori smiled at her supplier. “Yes. I’ll see you at 4. Thank you.” She followed them to the door and placed a lunch break sign. “Please don’t do that again when I’m at work.”

“I’m sorry. I acted on instinct.” Hitsugaya placed the bento boxes on a nearby table and the aroma escaping from the box ushered her closer.

It didn’t occur to her that she should dwell on his statement. She was hungry, and she needed caffeine. She devoured her food and answered Hitsugaya’s questions on flowers in between bites. “Aren’t you eating?” she asked while she took a large bite from a tempura.

“I also woke up late so I just went straight to my lunch meeting at the academy. Too bad I wasn’t able to buy you tea on the way here.” He stifled a yawn again.

Hinamori finished the last of her meal, and set aside the box. She checked the counter once more before she gestured him to stand and follow her. “Let’s drop by quickly at my favorite café.”

--------------------------

“Black tea with an extra shot of black tea for Momo,” the owner, Yuki, called out. “And uh, iced americano for Hitsu-“

A visibly irked Hitsugaya took both cups from his hand. “Thank you. Now, Momo can we go?”

“Hey Yuki. Thanks again. You always have my back on tiring days.” Hinamori flashed him an apologetic smile which he shrugged off. He has a knowing gleam in his eyes, and he was obviously trying to send a message.

“What do you mean? You’re my favorite customer. Come again tomorrow?”

“You bet. I gotta go. It’s a busy day.” Hinamori was slowly getting annoyed by Hitsugaya’s impatient tapping on the counter. She didn’t know what set him off, but they rushed off from the café. “What’s wrong with you, Shirou?”

He walked along with her until they reached the flower shop. “I gotta go for another set of meetings. What time do you close?”

“I have to go by four. Now, please tell me what irritated you in that café because I needed my favorite drink and you’re making my headache worse.”

“He knows your favorite brew.” And with that, he shuffled away like his feet was on fire.

And now she too was pissed and exasperated by his childish behavior. Very Hitsugaya of him. “He is a barista. Isn’t he supposed to know what my preferred brew is?”

--------------------------

She was mounting her bicycle when he came around. Surprisingly, he bought a bicycle of his own. “Sorry Shirou. I need to go to the flower farm.”

“Can I go with you? I’m also done with the meetings for today.” Recalling that he was not able to reserve a hotel and would most likely go back with her to the compound, she finally agreed.

They arrived at her supplier’s flower farm after a 30-minute ride. Hitsugaya seemed to give her space as he stayed behind with the welcoming staff and answered their questions about his life abroad. She went with her supplier and surveyed the next batch of flowers she would pick for the next batch of delivery. The Peruvian lilies were not ripe for picking as it was still very early in the spring as well as the dahlias. She eventually settled on tulips, gardenias, and daisies.

“Hinamori, can you check on my peonies and gerbera? We have a bad outbreak of thrips this time.”

“No problem. I’ll look around a little bit more.” It was a good thing she bought her sampling kit. She constructed a makeshift laboratory in her room a year after she became a florist where she studied common plant pests. She would provide her personal concoctions from natural ingredients to deter continued onset. Inorganic pesticides have more lasting side-effects on the flowers’ blooming time which would inevitably affect her sales.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way.” They were shifting their feet nervously on the ground. “But are you and the professor together?”

Hinamori squatted down to the level of the flowers, checking the underside of the leaves for signs of the culprit. “No, we’re just friends.”

“He’s a really in-demand person with his recent re-appearance here in town, but he finds time for you.”

She proceeded to the next plot. There was a lot from her naked eye. “Maybe he’s just good at scheduling his tasks and it so happened that he’s relatively free today.” It was bad but not unmanageable.

“I heard he turned down speeches in museums and luncheons. Town gossip.”

Could they have been gossiping about their past? If he gets associated again with her and it backfires, what would she do? “It’s gossip so it’s not reliable either.”

The supplier was trying their best to get their point across. “I’m saying, he really looks out for you. It couldn’t be any more obvious, and it would do you good if you allow yourself to accept it.” Contented with what they said, the supplier retreated from her space and returned to the staff house.

She had a bad habit of repressing these discussions when she was occupied with something else, and would only recall them just as she was falling asleep. She pushed it at the back of her mind until she wrapped up with sampling. Finally done, she saw Hitsugaya in the middle of the azalea field. She quickly made a flower crown from the discarded flowers and went to him.

Quietly sneaking behind him, she successfully landed the crown of yellow, orange, and red daisies on his immaculate silver hair. She chuckled at the bright contrast. “Pretty boy.”

“Come here then.” He grabbed her hand and slid a bracelet of white azaleas on her wrist. He also added a small circle of twine with a lone flower on her ring finger. “Pretty girl.”

It couldn’t be any more obvious. Again, she pushed this memory at the back of her mind.

--------------------------

She was losing sleep for two days in a row. Baba accidentally destroyed the heater in Hinamori’s room, and in Hitsugaya’s room so they huddled together in her room. Baba was quite happy with the arrangement, but Hinamori was not. Not when her futon was beside Hitsugaya instead of Baba being in the middle. It also didn’t help that he would always turn in his sleep and reach out for her hand. She would be there lying, her hand warm in his, his sleeping face in front of hers, and her heart beating out of control.

Trying to have some semblance of normality in her life, she stopped seeing him for lunch, making up excuses that she was busy with accounting and meeting suppliers. But he dropped her off those two mornings, earning interested glances from her customers and showed up a few minutes before she closed shop. Hitsugaya showed up again, bringing cookies this time and her favorite brew in ice. He was spending an awful lot of time in her favorite café. “Yuki makes the best americano and the best oat cookies,” he said as he munched on one.

“Thanks, I need a sugar rush.” Hinamori was tired, she didn’t think much of it when she leaned in and took a bite directly from a cookie still in his hand. As any other moments recently, it was also the exact time when Rukia, Renji, and Rangiku entered the shop.

“Looks like you didn’t need our help at all, Professor,” Rangiku jeered.

And like any other moments recently, both of them would burst into intense redness. The 3Rs bought cakes for sharing and some wine. Rukia and Renji were full-time faculty in the academy and were officially together. They were set to be wed this year, but the two were still finalizing how they would break the news of wedding bells to Byakuya. Rangiku, on the other hand, became a freelance educator for the poor and disadvantaged in nearby towns. She was also recognized as an affiliate professor of the academy. Her work allowed her to reconnect again with her childhood friend, Gin. Hinamori was yet to meet the guy, but she guessed they were probably in the dating stage already. They were lucky – to have found friendship and love and have these requited.

Stop thinking about IT, Momo, she told herself.

“Hey, Momo, you’re up for a beach trip?” Renji asked. “It’s your day-off tomorrow, right?”

“I really can’t. I have to take care of Baba.” She hoped to sit out this one because these rumbling emotions were becoming too much for her to bear in silence.

“This one’s on you, Hitsugaya. Good luck.” Their friends snickered on the bet that he can persuade Hinamori to go.

--------------------------

For some reason, she cannot say no to him. Nor Baba. Her grandmother was left in care of two of the best medical staff and a neighbor who will send text messages to Hinamori and Hitsugaya every hour. Since she traveled an hour by train and was already here, she might as well enjoy it.

It somehow escaped her mind that she couldn’t swim so she stayed on the beach, perfectly fine in a summer dress and a slice of watermelon to cool off the heat. When she saw Hitsugaya running headfirst towards the water with his abs on full display, she almost choked on her fruit.

He really grew up. He’s not shorter than me anymore, and he has muscles. Why does he have abs? Hinamori was at the end of her wits, and the watermelon was not helping cool her down. She retreated to their space and laid down under the shade of the large umbrella. Maybe I should sleep my time away.

After a few minutes, she heard him calling her name. Acting asleep, she actively ignored him. “Momo, are you okay?” His figure loomed before her, the abs directly in her view. She fluttered her eyes open and gave the most annoyed look she could at the dripping Hitsugaya. “Sunblock please, Momo?”

“I’m trying to sleep here!” She huffed indignantly and pulled out her reef-safe sunblock, squeezed out a rather large amount and slapped it on his cheeks.

“You weren’t sleeping. You were pretending.”

“Shut up, I’m applying some protection on your face. Also you’re an idiot because why would you run to the waters first?” She held his chin on her hands and gently lathered the rest of the sunblock on his face. “Okay, you’re good to go.”

“I can stay for a few seconds. Doesn’t this take a minute to set?” His eyes were never left her face. What was this atmosphere?!

“Go get a room,” Rangiku shouted from the water. “I’m getting lonely in here.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea!” Hitsugaya shouted back to Rangiku. “Sorry about that Momo. I’ll leave you alone.”

What did just happen? Is this what they call flirting? Hinamori was truly exasperated so she set out on a walk by the beach. After a few minutes, Rukia joined her pace. Like her, Rukia didn’t know how to swim.

“It’s pretty confusing, huh?” was her first statement.

“Why is everyone talking as if they have the same topic in mind and I’m out of the loop. Am I missing something here?”

“Momo, you’re dissociating again.” She patted her back and smelled in the breeze. “It’s all out in the open and you just have to step forward and grab it.”

“Can you all stop talking in abstract?” Hinamori pleaded, tired from discerning and reading between the lines.

“From someone who noticed it only later in life, notice it now. We’ve seen it coming, but it’s different if you finally realize it. Grab it now before it passes.”

It was a fairly normal beach trip with lots of card games and a watermelon eating contest between Hitsugaya and Renji. By landslide, the watermelon master Hitsugaya Toushirou won. They ended the trip with sparklers, and Rangiku said they have to make a wish before they ran out. In her mind, she only wished for one thing. It was the one thing she should have said aloud when they were kids and when he left ten years ago. On the trip back home, they sat beside each other.

“What did you wish for?” Hitsugaya asked. His cheeks were flushed red from the sun.

She looked at him straight in the eye and said her wish aloud. “For you to stay.”

It has become a habit, him reaching out to touch her hand and her allowing his fingers to wound through hers. “You’re trembling.”

“Don’t go.”

He kept their wound hands inside his jacket’s pocket in an effort to keep her warm, mistaking her confrontation with her feelings with the remnants of winter. “Thank you, Momo.”

NEXT CHAPTER | 11 OF 12 | INTO THE WONDERFUL UNKNOWN

[pinkhairedlily]

Great Expectations

Chapter 4 of The Spring He Came Back | 4 of 12

Hinamori found herself spacing out in the middle of chores for about a month now. She would be cooking miso soup, and her mind would trail to their conversation on the hill. She would halt in front of the daffodil meadow on the way back from the market and reminisce in the midst of stalks yet to flower, counting down to the third month. She also stopped going to the library because of a growing resentment. If she didn’t bring Hitsugaya there, he wouldn’t have found the book, and he wouldn’t have left. She wondered if she had the right to feel this way, to feel like she lost a friend or a family.

The money from Hitsugaya’s generous allowance came in every end of the month through an academy representative. Baba’s refusals fell on deaf ears, but Hinamori knew she was grateful for the financial support.

True to his promise, Hitsugaya sneaked out of the academy on his third month and met Hinamori on the meadow. He saw her black tendrils flowing with the yellow petals. “Oy, Hinamori.” For a time, it would seem that the gears were running in normal shifts.

This went on for the next three years. Hinamori was given glimpses of his newfound life – of an increasing circle of friends that consisted of a noisy Rangiku, stubborn Rukia, and glutton on steroids Renji. For every encounter, their childhood memories and laidback banter on the yellow field were being replaced by tales of his experiments and model construction with Dr. Kuchiki, the culture shock to the life of the brightest, and the cutthroat competition in academia. For every encounter, he seemed more and more different, but he never let these get the best of him. After all, his silver hair was still shaped like a broomstick, and he still challenged her to watermelon eating contests.

Their meetings stopped when he had to participate in an overseas internship in Karakura. Monthly letters replaced his physical presence until there were none. Exasperated because of her growing loneliness, Baba assured her it was the natural course of things.

“As we grow older Momo, we form a lot of bonds. Some becomes the foundation of our nature and identity while others are circles at certain phases of our lives.” Baba gave her a cup of black tea with a dash of honey, her favorite brew. “There comes a point we grow out of those circles and seek the next set of bonds. The rarest of all, those bonds that accompany you forever.”

“I thought we were his family, Baba.” There was a burning feeling behind Hinamori’s eyes, and she felt a headache forming.

Baba stared at her wistfully and tucked a loose tendril behind her grandchild’s ear. “If you’re so adamant to keep those bonds, why won’t you walk beside him?”

Hinamori shook her head vehemently and slapped her palms on the table. “Baba! I will never leave you. Please stop saying that!” Some of her black tea spilled. “Besides, the academy is invitation-only, remember?”

“Momo my dearest and only, I’m almost 70. I’ve lived a good, full life so far, and I want you to live like that as well. I don’t want you shackled by your past or be burdened by taking care of me. The world is bigger than this town,” Baba chuckled to herself as she took a sip of her tea. “Besides, I have reliable neighbors who will take care of me. We have a telephone now so we can always communicate. Wondrous technology. Oh but you have to teach me.”

“Baba, stop it. The academy is not accepting low-tier students like me.”

“Oh Momo. Just throw it out there and the world will right itself.”

Baba’s wisdom never failed. When Hinamori became 15 years old, the academy opened its gates to the common folk. The complaints about accessibility and inequality probably got to the administration. Investments in the town kept pouring in, demand for residential space was increasing, the clamor to enter the academy regardless of social status eventually gained traction. While the invitation and referral arrangements still existed, the opportunities leveled through general admissions. Well, not quite. The examinations were grueling, and the interviews were tricky to answer. They asked outright for research proposals and the field of specialization one was interested in. On top of her head, Hinamori stated her concentration on terrestrial ecology. Actually, she just wanted to create perennial daffodils so their meadow would be yellow all year round, no matter the season.

Hinamori passed the screening. General admission passers were granted wider freedom but lesser privilege. They were not restricted to stay in the dorms and had normal class schedules that didn’t involve laboratory and experiments on weekends. On the downside, they were provided lesser amount of allowance (good for family of three) which Hinamori was still thankful for. They weren’t also allowed to venture into the buildings of the core members. From her initial grant, she bought a bicycle to make her trips faster and quicker across opposite end of the town. It was an unstable feeling, landing on shifting grounds, but soon enough, she found her balance.

I’m in. I’m inside the academy’s gates. It was an exhilarating feeling of great expectations and humble beginnings.

Only 100 students were admitted in the winter. Amid the flurry of post-inauguration activities, Hinamori saw the familiar silver hair sticking out like sore thumb in the middle of the crowd.

He’s not supposed to be here. He was accompanied by three people trailing behind at a safe distance. She presumed they were the three Rs – Rangiku, Rukia, Renji. On Hitsugaya’s arms was a bouquet. “Oy, Momo.”

Her cheeks were flushed red. She wished she wore her hair loose instead of a bun because it had started to snow. “Broomstick Shirou-chan.” Was he taller when she last saw him? Silly, he was gone for two years.

“I just got back from my internship in time for your inauguration.” He handed her the bouquet of bright yellow daffodils, fully blooming in winter. “Congratulations.”

“Oh, I’m still taller than you,” Hinamori blurted out. “Oops. It was supposed to be a personal observation.”

“You know what, give me back the bouquet.”

“But it’s true! You probably still have the same height!”

“Momo, give me the bouquet back.”

“Won’t.” They both laughed it off, unaware of stealing glances from his company.

“Oooh is she the one you’re always writing letters to, Hitsugaya?” the blond-haired girl asked. “How sweet! Childhood sweethearts!”

“Shut up, Rangiku!”

“Oh no, we’re truly not-“ Hinamori started, but she was immediately cut off.

“Childhood sweethearts?!” the red-haired one yelled. “You mean to tell me this was fate? Wow, I’m so jealous.”

“I’m literally right here, Abarai.” The black-haired kid who was almost the same height as Hitsugaya was probably the least intense of the group. “I’m Kuchiki Rukia, by the way.”

Well, her surname certainly is, Hinamori thought. “I’m Hinamori Momo, Shirou-chan’s childhood friend.”

“Shirou-chan?!” They collectively egged him on, laughing at his clear embarrassment.

“Momo, stop using that nickname!”

Hinamori inhaled the clear scent of pine and camphor trees, reminding her of Baba cozy with her stacked fireplace and of stored jams in their pantry. She can’t wait to tell her Hitsugaya’s back. With the mended symbol of their bond on the crook of her arm, she entered the new phase of her life. Shifting grounds and great expectations.

-------

“Please greet Dr. Sousuke Aizen. He’s one of the foremost molecular biologists outside of Soul, and we are privileged to have him teach here. He will be your professor for biology. Keep in mind that you are arranged by your specialization, and he will be your mentor until you graduate in the academy,” Dr. Unohana, the academy director, announced to a class of fifteen.

Hinamori already outlined ten distinct thesis proposals in her first week. She made headstart on her readings too, already halfway on their given references for the year. If she was going to reunite fully with her friend, she needed to be a core member, and she will work hard for it.

Then, the name finally registered in her mind. Sousuke Aizen. The author of the most recent book she borrowed from the library which was also her inspiration for her thesis topics. She was engrossed with his theories, his writing style, and argumentations that she borrowed all his related books. If she was a radiologist, he was her Marie Curie. Sousuke Aizen was her teacher.

He had a magnetic presence, demanding all eyes on him. It was difficult not to notice him with his broad figure and soft tussle of dark brown hair. If eyes could smile, then he had those, albeit hidden behind square-shaped spectacles. His authoritative stance and the emanating kind disposition were confusing and difficult to compromise.

What an interesting person. Hinamori thought herself perceptive of people’s personalities based on her first impressions with them. That wasn’t successful with Hitsugaya though.

“So, should we start, or would you like me to immediately dismiss?”

It also perked up her interest that he was comfortable enough to teach without a lesson plan in hand or books. He would just talk conversationally with his students and still cover a multitude of topics. He wasn’t the stiff professor that Dr. Kuchiki was. Her classmates would seek him out after classes, asking him to join their group dinners. When she attended once, he noticed she wasn’t talking.

“Hinamori, are you still uncomfortable with your new learning setting?” Dr. Aizen asked. He gestured to refill her now empty teacup, and she obliged him with a nod. “I’ve heard you mostly got your knowledge from reading. Impressive.”

She blushed at the compliment. “I try to do my best, Dr. Aizen.”

He placed his cheek on his hand and stared at her. “You know, I also came from a rural area. Made it hard for me to mingle with the central town brats.”

Brats. She laughed at this sudden connection. “I’m also trying on that area, Sir. I made friends, but they’re on the other side of building.” Was it safe to share that?

“Oh, you have friends from the core Soul group? Fascinating. That means you’re really interesting Hinamori.” He smiled at her, tapping the empty tea pot. “You can talk to me anytime. My office is open for any concerns, academic or otherwise. I want you to know I can be on your friend list.”

The fact that he related to her situation made her happy. A renowned professor with the same roots as her still managed to get to the top. She felt seen. By the end of the semester, Hinamori volunteered to be his research assistant.

NEXT CHAPTER | 5 OF 12 | WANTING VALIDATIONS

[pinkhairedlily]

Breathing is a foreign task

Chapter 8 of The Spring He Came Back | 8 of 12

“Shirou!” Her voice was drowned out by the squeal of racing wheels against the rail and the loud whistle of its departure. Catching her breath, she hesitated for a few seconds but regained her composure and sprinted to the end of the platform, her bun coming undone with the icy wind. He was just standing at the door. He could still see her. “Shirou!”

He looked up at that moment, his eyes immediately locking with hers, and both mirrored confusing expressions of guilt, desperation, and relief. What a million words longing to be said. What a million thoughts needed to be shared. What a million things. She finally reached the end of the station where she could no longer run after him. She stared at the receding figure of the dreams that would take him away again.

Hinamori was grief-stricken. Apart from being kicked out of the academy, her grandmother suffered an infection which she thought Baba would never recover from. But she gained consciousness and her immune system ramped up – a miracle of miracles. For days, she never left Baba’s side, and for days, she didn’t think of anything else but Baba and Baba only. Because ever since she was orphaned, she only had Baba and herself and that was all that mattered.

A week after Baba’s discharge, Hinamori went to the academy. It was nothing short of public shunning. She told a guard to give her letter to Dr. Aizen, but the professor was no longer there.

“Who are you sad for?” Baba asked one afternoon, her frail hands cupping a warm cup of oolong tea. “I think so much had happened while I was asleep, but I only saw that face during your parents’ funeral.”

“I’m sorry Baba.” She still couldn’t forgive herself for doing this to Baba. She was irresponsible, insensitive, uncaring.

Baba reached out to softly pat her head. “My dear, you’re tired.”

She was. She was tired of denying, deconstructing, and reconstructing Dr. Aizen in her head. She was tired of making up excuses for his unreasonable workload, for his weird request to avoid seeing friends so she could be more productive, for seeing through her admiration and taking advantage of it, for using her naivete in the academic field. It was true, after all, that she was not like them. She was a peasant. She didn’t know better. She only had herself to blame.

She was tired. She was tired of pretending she was angry at Hitsugaya, of pretending not to see his pained looks from across the room during the trial, of the defeat on his face when it was decided she would be expelled. She was not angry, but she was confused. She was confused – ever since that afternoon in the yellow daffodil meadow.

Baba pulled her in for a hug, Hinamori’s arms still scared to hold the fragile vessel of her dearest person. But she allowed herself to sob, to let go of all these feelings at once.

“So have you found which bonds to treasure?”

Hinamori never got around to answer Baba’s question as urgent knocks suddenly interrupted their conversation. From the window, she saw that it was Rangiku, Renji, and Rukia, but she didn’t open her door, partly because she was angry for being un-like them and partly because she was afraid of what they thought of her.

“We’re your friends too, Momo.” Rangiku’s voice drifted across the door.

Hinamori was afraid because they were, first and foremost, Hitsugaya’s friends, and they would inevitably take his side. She didn’t think of them as her own.

“We’re your friends, no matter what.” Renji echoed. His voice was still full of energy but also full of indignation. “I don’t care what the academy thinks.”

“You must know,” Rukia started. Out of all three, she may be the most level-headed, so similar with her brother, but Hinamori knew her long enough that Rukia also treasured people close to her. “we know you didn’t do any of the things you confessed to.”

“Hitsugaya wasn’t the informant.” Renji’s voice was cracking. “But you should have already known by now, haven’t you?”

She thought she dried up all her tears. Of course, she knew. Hitsugaya would never do that to her, but she projected all of her fears to him, the fear that it was Dr. Aizen’s doing.

“But you must know he’s leaving.” Rangiku said. “We’re not privy to the details, but he’s leaving tomorrow morning. If you want to clear up all misunderstandings and say your goodbyes, you should come meet him.”

“We’re here for you, Momo. Come and meet us whenever you’re ready.” Rukia never used her nickname until now. “We’ll just have to revise that stupid hierarchy rule of course.”

When she heard the incoming rumble of the train, she dashed out of the compound on her bike and raced to reach Hitsugaya. She was tired of pretending she didn’t care. In fact, she was angry, afraid, and confused. Angry of being left in the dark, afraid of what he thought of her after the trial, confused on his departure. What will she say? Does he hate her? Why was he leaving? When will he come back? She needed answers. She needed to hear his voice. To feel that warm hug one last time.

She heard their collective sighs and their receding footsteps. At the very last minute, she opened her door but were only left with departing shadows. On the ground was a box full of her favorite tea packets. It was pathetic, the way she cried again, the fact that she was still indecisive.

The next morning, she was still unsure of what to do.

But in the middle of winter, Hitsugaya Toushirou disappeared from her life.

----------------------------

It was difficult starting over. Baba regained some of her strength but never returned to its full normality. So Hinamori found a reason to move, to get up in the morning and make breakfast, clean the compound, gather firewood. The routine was a safe space.

But the nights were not. She was sleepless, haunted by vivid nightmares of always giving a hundred percent of herself and getting none of them back. She was floating, untethered, and uncertain.

The trips downtown didn’t help at all, even after months of isolation. While the academy was bounded by a non-disclosure agreement of what went down in the trial, gossip was still bound to leak. After all, they were the Soul Society. So she went in, went out, enduring the stares and the snickers behind her back. The worst that happened was when someone on the second floor of a building threw a box of ripe tomatoes on her head. When she returned the following week, she learned that a red-haired guy, a short girl, and a booby one threatened the streets. For a short while, Hinamori allowed herself to smile.

Seasons came and went. She never heard from Hitsugaya, and there was sparse information from the erratic closed door visits she had with the three Rs. On the fifth spring season, large developments occurred. A science museum was to be built on the meadow of daffodils. Full bloom and shining in their yellow glory, the daffodils gave way to the large wheels of trucks and mechanized backhoe. She stood there, tears lodged on her throat, helpless to see memories being taken away.

It was learning how to breathe again. Like how Baba adjusted to her new set of lungs, Hinamori coped with her new life. Breathing has become a foreign task, like any other else – sleeping, eating watermelon, drinking coffee. And when she had them all down, she progressed to contacting friends. She prepared bouquets for the three Rs during their graduation. For some reason, her excommunication with the academy got lifted, and she was allowed to see them. She never made it past the gate, however, and thought it best to leave them with the guard, but they saw her anyway. They smothered her in a flurry of robes and sniffles, her carefully wrapped bouquets in danger of deforming but all for a good reason.

Then, she made even bigger steps. She mailed all the remaining files of her projects with Aizen to Unohana with a self-written testimony of her true experience. It may not hold weight, but she spoke her truth at the very least. It was time to let go of him, or rather the idea of him.

Baba sat her down one day and gave her a bank passbook.

“Baba?” A familiar feeling clutched at her heart. How come she didn’t see it coming again? “Let’s go to the hospital right now!”

“You silly girl. I am fine.” Baba calmed her down and offered her a cup of tea, her favorite brew. “It’s Hitsugaya’s.”

“What?” She was openly dumbstruck. He didn’t send any form of communication, but he continued sending money?

“He probably thought I needed some for maintenance.” Baba’s eyes were twinkling. She was so fond of the measly boy she took from the streets. She didn’t mind his unruly behavior and would have accepted him if he stayed that way. But her genuine act of acceptance returned a lifetime of favor which Hinamori was grateful for. Hitsugaya never broke his promises.

“I still have some extra. He must be a millionaire or something!” Chuckling, Baba held her hands. “But this, you need to have.”

“What do you mean, Baba? I’m not leaving you.”

“Of course, you won’t. But you need to pursue something that you want, for yourself.”

And that was how she managed to acquire the rundown building near her favorite café. Building on Baba’s connections with farmers and a couple of lessons with senior florists, she opened her flower shop. It was expected that revenues would be down initially, given her prior reputation, but this was a shot she needed to take.

Eventually, sales picked up because of her unique arrangements and how they were preserved longer than most flowers. It was thanks to the spray she concocted from her basic knowledge when she was at the academy. She set aside some of her sales – returning what she owed to Hitsugaya who by then became popular in the academic world.

Unreachable by the day, Hinamori thought to herself. But she still found herself waiting. Each time the winter came, she waited patiently for the snow to melt and give way to the budding blossoms of spring. During summer, she and Baba would prepare lots of watermelons, stocking up on jams for the next cycle of winter. And again, and again, and again. And while she was comfortable in her routine, she found herself still waiting.

----------------------------

This was the spring he came back. He. The youngest postdoctorate professor of the town. The most sought-after scientist in major journals and magazines. The prodigy of the physics world. Nobel Prize just might do a piece on his work on physics. And yet to her he was still her childhood best friend who disappeared during winter ten years ago.

“Toushirou.”

Hitsugaya gave a small smile and took a few steps closer to the counter. “Rangiku said this place is the best flower shop. I didn’t know you’re the owner.”

Probably because you went off the deep end? “I..didn’t know you’re back.”

“You….cut your hair.” Ah, the first thing he noticed.

“It was heavy.” Hinamori’s hands tried to grab scissors and some ribbons, trying to act as if she was busy, but they all fumbled from her grasp. “So what flowers do you need?”

He stood there awkwardly with this strange silence that hang over the both of them. He was a few inches taller than her, his silver hair growing into a mullet, and his face more angled than what she remembered He also wore glasses….which was weird because she knew he had a 20/20 eyesight. But more than that, he was harder to reach than before and yet he was already in front of her.

There was nothing she wanted more than to rush into his arms and welcome her best friend home. Welcome back.

NEXT CHAPTER | 9 OF 12 | THE SPRING HE CAME BACK

[pinkhairedlily]

Wanting Validations

Chapter 5 of The Spring He Came Back | 5 of 12

“Momo, don’t forget your bento,” Baba called out just before Hinamori dashed towards her bicycle. She grabbed the two packed bento from her grandmother and pecked her cheek.

“I’ll try my best to give this to Hitsugaya today.” She was having trouble finding Hitsugaya without being caught by professors and other supervisors. “He’s gonna miss out on the fresh watermelon slices you packed in otherwise.”

Despite their staggered meetings, she found herself in high spirits. Dr. Aizen has continued to depend on her more, even letting her write a draft for a book section. She wasn’t sure if she had the qualifications to write such. She was only finishing her first semester, but the professor tempered her self-doubts with assurances.

“I don’t know if you ever noticed this, Hinamori. You’re a fast learner. You have the highest grades in your section, even above the upper middle-class folk,” Dr. Aizen handed her a large bulk of papers. “These are some designs I’m planning to use for my large-scale project next year. Go through them and annotate for me, would you?”

She was continuously yawning until she reached the academy. She glanced at the clock tower in the middle of the campus grounds and figured she can slip in a quick nap before her morning classes. She was busy deciphering the documents in the past few weeks to the point that she would sometimes go without sleep.

“I think I have a migraine,” Momo grumbled to herself. “Dr. Aizen should be consistent with his handwriting. The varying strokes in each document are like sending me on an acid trip.”

“What sends you into an acid trip?” Hitsugaya popped in behind her, dressed in the flashy, identifying grabs of a Soul member. He reached out to grab her arm and led her through a narrow alley between the buildings.

“Hey, good morning Shirou,” Momo said sarcastically while trying to match his steps. They arrived in front of a small almost-dilapidated room. “Are you gonna murder me?”

“Maybe, do you want me to shower you with yellow petals?” he joked. The room inside was definitely not worn down. The three Rs were there but were all asleep in bunk beds. Rukia and Renji sleeping together in the lower bunk with backs behind each other. That made Hinamori blush until she remembered Hitsugaya saying they were also childhood friends. Rangiku was passed out in the upper bunk with a subtle smell of alcohol.

“I see your nostrils twitching. Rangiku needs alcohol sometimes to power through her exams,” he gestured for me to sit on a day bed on the corner of the room.

“What is this?” Hinamori asked, feeling a little slow because she was only able to get two hours of sleep. She sat beside him and controlled the urge to close her eyes.

“It’s an escape dungeon. They think this is the sleeping quarters of the custodians, which of course is, but they rented it out to us.” Seeing Momo settled, he started to fill the nearby kettle to boil some water. “Did you get converted into a coffee addict or are you still my tea-loving friend Momo?”

“Black tea please.” Momo smiled at him. “How erratic are your schedules? Our class is about to start in one hour.”

He glanced at her, smirking. “How erratic is your schedule? Your eyebags are heavier than mine. Oh, is that a bento?”

“Baba made this. It has watermelon inside.” At such an opportune moment, Hitsugaya’s stomach grumbled. “Come on, let’s eat together like the good old days.”

She thought he was about to grab his bento box, but he reached out across her, their faces looming closer to each other. “Why don’t you sneak in some snoozes while I eat?” He was arranging the pillows behind her.

Hinamori woke up to the school bells ringing, a flurry of robes, and cacophony of curses. Slightly disoriented, she found herself waking up from Hitsugaya’s lap who was frozen red in his place, the empty bento box on the table beside him and a gray flask. How she got to that position she will never know because panic started to set in.

“Good morning, Hinamori!” Renji and Rukia both yelled before running through the door.

“Gotta go, childhood friends. Gotta thank you Histugaya. Renting this place primarily to see Hinamori and secondarily for us to rest is genius,” Rangiku said as she traipsed outside.

“Fuck,” Hitsugaya muttered under his breath, truly embarrassed. “Here’s your black tea Momo. Tell Baba her bento gave me the energy I needed.” He handed her the gray flask without meeting her eyes. “You gotta go, although your classroom’s much nearer.”

Still disoriented, she started towards the exit. Remembering a nagging question in her mind, she halted and glanced back at him, “Shirou-chan.”

“Hmm?” He still wasn’t meeting her gaze.

“How did you preserve the daffodils? It was below zero temperatures that week. Frost would have already killed them.”

This time he looked at her. “I just sprayed them with a solution I made, Momo. But I know you would have found a way to alter them naturally.”

Hitsugaya always has this weird way of validating her. His trust in her abilities has grown so much despite the time that they were apart. She wanted to honor that. “Thank you.”

-------------------------------------- 

It has soon become their morning routine – Hinamori with her bento boxes that soon included the rest of the group, Hitsugaya with the black tea for her and coffee for the rest, and few minutes of snooze on the sofa slash day bed. It wasn’t as if they haven’t slept beside each other since they were kids, but the slight reprieve was something to look forward to. They would be able to slip in mundane conversations in between, but almost often Hinamori would doze off in the middle of Hitsugaya’s rants. She has fully exchanged her nights with sleepless annotations for the experiment designs. She knew Dr. Aizen was ambidextrous, but it bothered her that the blueprints and guides frequently changed handwriting styles, and the discussion structures varied. Well, it couldn’t be helped that the professor’s thoughts ran too wildly that his hands were barely able to keep up. By the end of the semester, she was able to finish the book section, submit the annotations with her own suggestions for recalibration, and top her class.

“I think it was only a matter of time, Hinamori.” Rangiku quickly stole Hitsugaya’s sandwich from his hands and sat across them in their (open) secret hideout.

“What is?” Hinamori resisted the urge to clean the room. Printouts were sprawled everywhere, coffee stains on beds and tables, and a lot of instant ramen packs. While general admission students have the benefit of semestral break, the core Soul group tended to be occupied with competitions, conferences, and exhibits abroad. Hitsugaya’s group will be traveling to Karakura next week to compete against the infamous Ishida Uryuu, a prodigy of optics in physics.

“Why don’t you make your own sandwich Rangiku?” Hitsugaya grunted as he downed the last bit of his coffee and decided to lie down on the day bed behind his childhood friend’s sitting figure. After a minute or two, he started to snore.

“Your membership to the core group, of course. Hard to miss your superb accomplishments,” Rangiku replied. “Your radiant personality is also a plus. That would make it easier to hang out with us.”

Hinamori blushed at the compliment. “Thanks, Rangiku, but I really doubt I’ll get in.” The gap in expertise and intellect between core and general admission students was assumed to be wide enough to hinder friendships between the two groups, but she never felt that way with them. Granted that she was Hitsugaya’s friend, they never reacted strongly to her addition. It was true however that there was a gap. What inherent genius they have been born with, she compensated with hard work.

“Wish us luck though. I hate to see the bastard Ichigo smirking if we fail in the exhibit.” She’d be exaggerating, but veins really started to pulse around Renji’s temples.

“Stupid, there’s no if. We won’t fail. As if I’d let Ishida rub his win over my dead body,” Rukia interjected with the intensity of her competitiveness. She turned to Hinamori with an embarrassed smile. “Well, the deliberation will probably happen over the break. With us out in Karakura, they’d probably not look much into your relationship with Hitsugaya or with us.”

“Apparently, according to the academy’s standards, friendships are not meritorious. Such a stupid rule,” Renji added. This was the reason why they avoided letting both students and professors see them together. Only Dr. Aizen knew of their friendship. He made her feel like she could trust him with her secrets.

As if Rangiku read her mind, she quipped, “You’ve been meeting Dr. Aizen lately, right Hinamori?”

“I volunteered as his research assistant. The professor has a lot of projects with the academy so I do my best to ease the load.”

“How many projects is he handling?”

“He has five large-scale projects programmed for this year.”

“And he’s doing it solo? Wow, that’s a lot of work and a lot of funding.”

“Thank God for the investors, I guess.”

“If you get accepted as a core member, he would lose a great RA,” Renji assured her. A big question mark was probably on her face because he immediately expounded his statement. “Core members are expected to complete projects on their specialization. If you’re as genius as the midget sleeping over there or Rukia’s brother, you can complete as many as you like. But most of the time, we work in groups like how professors work together too.”

Rukia aided him, “What Renji is trying to say, you won’t have the time to help Dr. Aizen anymore.”

A foreign feeling crept along her insides. Over the years, she has mastered the act of hiding her emotions with a nonchalant smile, and she did this now to brush off three pairs of probing eyes. Confusing emotions from the conversation accompanied her to the semestral break party organized by her section. Balloons and streamers decorated the interior of their go-to ramen house. The owner, enamored with the boisterous students, provided free-flowing broth and discounted noodles refill. Several of her classmates tapped her on the shoulder and congratulated her for landing on the top.

In the midst of jovial cacophony, she felt untethered. Needing the space to rationalize her thoughts, she quietly slipped out of the party and traced her steps back to the academy. She was floating in-between circles, trying to walk beside her friend and at the same time, trying to make sense of who she was and what she wanted to be. Her memories brought her back to her first conversation with Dr. Aizen where she truly felt seen and needed.

But she was spending her days playing catch up to someone who doesn’t need her. Did she really want to join the core group to realize her dreams or did she want to join simply because of Toshirou? She found herself in front of Dr. Aizen’s office. “Professor.”

The door opened, revealing a disheveled glass-less Aizen. His furrowed brows immediately softened when he saw her. “Hinamori, come in.”

Hinamori hesitated because she didn’t know why she went to his office in the first place and what she wanted to talk about. But she stepped in anyway without further prodding, afraid to disappoint him. “Professor, I-“

“I saw your annotations, and I appreciated the suggestions for calibrations. You made my job much easier, Hinamori. You brought these projects closer to completion at a much earlier date.” He brushed his fingers through his brown hair and sighed contentedly. “But I need you to do one more thing for me. It’s very urgent, and only you can do it.”

Warmth coursed through her body. He trusted her well enough to do this. “Anything for you, Dr. Aizen.”

He quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to her. It was a description of a notebook– plain black cover, velvet finish, coffee-stained surfaces, and the first few pages ripped out. “It’s my long-lost notebook. I’ve searched everywhere, but I cannot find it. Maybe you can look through the libraries.”

“It will be difficult, Professor, given the broad description, but I will not let you down.”

“Of course, Hinamori. I know you too well already. You exceed my expectations. Do find it quickly for our funders. They are expecting me to complete the study over the break.”

“Over the break! That’s short notice, Dr. Aizen. You need to rest!” she complained. Embarrassed of her outburst, she covered her face with her small hands, flushing red at her visible concern towards her mentor. “I mean, please think of your health Sir.”

The brown-haired doctor looked at her incredulously and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I really lucked out with you, Hinamori. Why are you here again? Do you need to tell me something?”

She peeked at him through her fingers but found she can’t return his steady gaze. Straying her eyes to the floor, she requested, “Please deny my membership to the core group, Sir. I want to stay by your side more.” All of her senses were overwhelming her because of his close proximity and the comfortable weight of his large hands on her shoulders. Her emotions may have gone into override when he pulled her into a hug.

“Of course, Hinamori. You’re my one and only precious research assistant.”

She found the notebook the following day in the same library where she and Hitsugaya used to go, conveniently so as it was positioned beside her most borrowed ecology book. It was a tattered piece of document, but the experiment design and the parameters set were the first of their kind. She brought it immediately to Dr. Aizen and suggested to patent it. “You could name the methodology after you, Professor. Or better if it’s a theory – Aizen Laws on Ecological Succession or something.”

“Aren’t you a doll? You always say the most interesting things.”

With the set deadline for this particular study, Hinamori agreed to accompany the professor in a fieldwork on a mountain outside of town for a week. She would be back in time for Baba’s birthday.

--------------------------------------

She didn’t make it back in time. She got stuck with Dr. Aizen for two weeks in the mountain because he needed to repeat his sampling, not that she regretted it. Baba will understand. I expect she’ll be angry for a few days, but I’ll make it up to her. I just missed one birthday after all.

What she didn’t expect was Hitsugaya standing guard under the camphor tree, worried, angry, and defiant at the same time.

“Where the fuck did you go, Momo?”

NEXT CHAPTER | 6 OF 12 | IN RETROSPECT

[pinkhairedlily]

Last Summer Into the Beginning

Chapter 3 of The Spring He Came Back | 3 of 12

“What does he want me for?” Hitsugaya’s arms were on his hips, and he huffed indignantly at the man in front of him. The professor’s height was like two Hitsugayas stacked on top of each other or two and a half.

Hinamori knew of him. Dr. Byakuya Kuchiki. He secured sequential federal funding for the development of the town, allowing the rise of laboratories, science museums, and research centers on the south hinterlands. He was responsible for the libraries with extensive catalogues in every major district. He was the reason why outsiders gave a moniker to their locality – Soul Society. A-lister faculty and a select roster of students who routinely undergo rigorous training and internships were called soul, figuratively referring to them as “souls of knowledge.”

Members of the core circle of the Soul Society were not selected through the usual entrance exams in regular schools. Present faculty personally chose them or through trusted referrals within their networks. While it was not their intention, this fostered rift across social factions. The rich, the elite, those with well-known family names, and those who have entered competitions were the ones mostly invited. Not the homeless. Not those in the remote, rural parts of the town. Not their kind. So why did he want to bring Hitsugaya to the academy?

“Did you do something wrong, Toushirou?” Hinamori almost yelled. For some reason, her voice was quaking. The implication of the professor’s visit gave her tremendous uncertainty. Hitsugaya defiantly shook his head at her.

Baba placed reassuring hands on Hitsugaya’s shoulders. “Well, you did something that caught Dr. Kuchiki’s interest. Do you want tea, Professor?”

“No thanks, Ma’am. I would like to go straight to the point of my visit.” The professor stepped into the shade of the large camphor tree and ushered Hitsugaya closer. “Now then, would you like to tell me why my thesis calculations were wrong?”

“Shirou!” Hinamori yelled at him. He wrote on the pages despite her warning.

“I cannot ignore it!” He yelled back.

Apparently, the book was the only copy of Dr. Kuchiki’s graduate thesis. The head librarian called the academy to relay the news when they returned the book. How they found their residence must have took a lot of asking on the ground. Hitsugaya explained why he thought the results were wrong. Hinamori felt she was unable to follow him into uncharted territory. The two continued to exchange theories with the professor trying to resolve that, indeed, there were two answers to his research experiment, and no one determined the other one until Hitsugaya. With a hint of satisfaction on his face, Dr. Kuchiki turned to Baba and started to explain his offer to take the kid to the academy.

“His intellect is one of a kind, but his manners and attitude need further honing. He will be a good candidate in the academy,” the professor said. “You need not provide for him. The academy will shoulder everything – his accommodations, food and book allowance, research grants, and a monthly allowance that will be comfortable for a family of ten. This is usually the incentive amount demanded by the other students.”

Hitsugaya’s eyes widened at the figures. Money enough for a family of ten. “That’s….a lot.”

“Well, I believe the decision is up to Hitsugaya himself.” Baba’s eyes twinkled at the newfound genius.

“We will be expecting you at the academy in the coming winter. If you don’t show up, we will take that as your refusal and will cease contact with you or your family members.” Dr. Kuchiki gave a small bow to Baba before leaving.

Baba squealed in delight and ruffled the kid’s silver hair. “I’m gonna prepare fancy meals for us. Who would ever thought Momo’s watermelon would help me pick up a genius kid?” Her laughter rang in the compound.

“But Baba- I’m not even sure if I will accept,” Hitsugaya pouted. “I don’t want to leave you alone with bed-wetter Momo.” That earned him a slap to the back of his head.

“Your attitude really needs honing!” Hinamori echoed Kuchiki’s words, but she didn’t feel the need to celebrate.

That evening after Baba settled down for an early sleep, they escaped to the hill. The moon and stars were fully out in the clear, night sky. Fireflies were illuminating the foothills, green specks of summer dancing in the dark.

Hinamori was resting on the grass, her eyes immediately identifying all the constellations in an effort to not hear Hitsugaya’s words.

“I think I will take up the offer of that grumpy doctor,” he said with a grass tip between his lips. “You’ll probably be happy without me around, huh? No annoying presence at all. You can go to the library anytime without tagging me! No additional laundry or extra food! Hah, think about that Momo!”

His laugh irritated her. “Of course, I’ll be happy! If you can go away soonest, why not?” She wasn’t entirely sure if she was truly relieved.

“Besides, I’ll have enough to give Baba money. She won’t have to work in farms anymore. You can buy everything you need in the market. You can even move closer to the town complex!” Hitsugaya smiled wistfully. “Baba’s life would be much easier. I won’t be your additional burden anymore.”

“You know Baba, Shirou. She’ll never relocate, and she’ll never accept your money.” When clouds started to appear and covered the moon, she stole a glance at his face. The glow from the fireflies accentuated the hard lines. She realized he has been through so much, being thrown out at a young age with his survival threatened daily. He deserved to have the security that the academy offered, but he wasn’t smiling anymore. “She never treated you as a burden. She took you in because she wanted to.”

So that was what he was thinking all along. Hinamori sighed. She never thought Hitsugaya would hide those kinds of emotions behind his strong and sometimes irritated façade. She presumed he was more of a wear-your-heart-on-your-sleep kind of kid.

“Well, should I leave, Momo?” Sometimes, he was exactly this kind of kid. “There’s a part of me that wants to stay and continue living with you and Baba. We’ll always have the library anyway.”

“Why do you need my approval?” Hinamori chuckled at his question. “Aren’t I the most annoying person in your life?”

She got silence on his end. The fireflies were trailing upwards, as if reaching for the stars and sharing their velvet canvas.

“Because you’re my family, and I care for you. So my question is, do you care for me too?”

She was thankful for the darkness because she didn’t want him to see her smile. She never truly answered his question that night despite his nagging. The summer passed by quickly with the finale culminating with a watermelon eating contest. Hitsugaya won, having finished five whole fruits. That also earned him several trips to the toilet.

Autumn followed suit. With the day of his leaving becoming imminent, Hitsugaya rushed to gather the most number of firewood he can to keep the cold at bay in the compound. They spent the remaining days making jam and stocking up their pantry for times they cannot harvest from nearby farms. On his last day, Hitsugaya requested all three of them to sleep together in Baba’s room.

Baba was the fastest to get knocked out. She was also a heavy sleeper so it was easy to always slip out for their nightly conversations, but Hinamori and Hitsugaya preferred to stay with her tonight.

“I’m happy Baba took me in.” Hitsugaya was on the other side of Baba so she really cannot see the display of expressions on his face. “This was a happy home.”

“Silly. You only stayed less than a year here.” It was true. He arrived just short of spring and will be leaving soon. A full cycle of seasons. It was that short.

“And it was more than enough,” he replied. For all the years he was alone. “You know I’ll always sneak out and still go here, right?”

“You dumbass. They might revoke your scholarship. The academy is strict.”

“Well, won’t you come and follow me?”

“I’m not born genius.”

“You taught me how to read, Momo. That’s more than genius.”

“Well, my brain isn’t exactly wired the same way as yours, you know.”

“I’ll sneak out. Wait for me in the daffodil meadow at the end of every three months.”

“Won’t.”

“I’ll bring you watermelon.”

“Won’t.” A beat and a two. Maybe.”

“I’ll still see you and Baba, Momo. Nothing will ever change.”

But everything will change. “Hmm.”

“So, aren’t you going to answer my question? You still have until dawn.”

Hinamori was barely a teen, but her sad history of being orphaned and facing uncertainties daily made her learn that if anything was a constant in this world, it will be change. No matter how they fight against the hands of time and fate, the gears will continue turning. It will only benefit those who move with it. She will not be responsible for stopping his gears from turning.

She reached out her arm, wanting to snuggle against Baba, the only familiar comfort she knew will stay for a long time. Her fingers lightly landed on top his hand. She waited a bit, wondering if he’ll stir or remark on how she was intruding his space.

“Don’t go,” she whispered, but he was already fast asleep. The next day, on the first day of winter, Hitsugaya left the compound.

NEXT CHAPTER | 4 OF 12 | GREAT EXPECTATIONS

[pinkhairedlily]

The Spring He Came Back

Chapter 9 of The Spring He Came Back | 9 of 12

Hitsugaya did not reply to her question about which flowers he needed. Hinamori took the hint that he wasn’t there to buy so what was he here for?

“Are you busy? Can you show me around?”

She wanted to shout in response, Why should I have to?

“I don’t think it’s rational that you can waltz right in here and then ask me to give up a day’s business to be your tour guide,” she replied, trying to be nonchalant. He could have asked Rangiku or any of the three Rs to accompany him so why her? Did he have a score to settle with her? Was this an added punishment? Or was this his way of reconciliation? Was she reading into his actions too much? She eventually sighed. “I guess the youngest Physics prodigy could be an exemption.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he quipped, adjusting his glasses on his nose, a new quirk Hinamori quickly caught on. She was crazy to think everything will remain the same. It will never be.

--------------------

They walked together in fragile, awkward silence, held together by the noise of the crowds. She showed him the recent sights in town, reacquainting the stranger with the streets he once frequented before. Eventually, they arrived in front of the library. It was the library where Hitsugaya first discovered his dreams, and it was also the library which was part of Hinamori’s downfall.

“It’s still here, huh?” Hitsugaya shifted his stance ever so slightly.

She overcame her shame and her fear and walked through the library’s doors again three years ago. She was reinstated as its most dedicated visitor and reader but not for reasons in the past. Shunned by the gates of formal education, she relied on herself to learn. That was the only way. Though the haunting feelings lingered, she no longer felt guilt and pain, only regret for her younger, naïve self who did not know better. Teenage shrieks broke through her reverie.

“Dr. Hitsugaya!” “He’s here! He’s the real deal!” “I can’t believe you came back to your hometown. Will you do consultations here?” “Can you sign my copy of your book, Professor?”

Hinamori took a few steps back, wavering from the physical manifestation of Hitsugaya’s newfound popularity. He calmly provided their requests with a charm she never thought he had. It was like he put on a persona so far from the glaring, moody Hitsugaya. When the little commotion died down, they found themselves again in company of the fragile, awkward silence. She was wondering if he wanted to go here to spite her.

“Can we go somewhere else?” he asked. She wondered if he noticed her discomfort.

“Which place do you have in mind?”

They rented bicycles, and she followed his lead. He stopped in front of the science museum which was crowded with onlookers, tourists, and students on field trips. The foot traffic was so bad they stayed on the side walk. “It’s not here anymore.”

He was talking about the daffodil meadow, their yellow meadow of happiness. But she wasn’t ready to talk yet. “Are you back for good?”

Hitsugaya kept adjusting his glasses. “I’m not sure, but I’ll be here for a week. Do you want to go inside?”

It was evident they were tiptoeing and dancing at the brink of each other’s thoughts. It was nearing six in the evening when the two of them stepped out of the museum.

“Um, I’m gonna have dinner with the Byakuya and Unohana. Is it okay if we part here?” She expected too much from this reunion. Of course, their friendship will never survive a decade of disconnection and distrust. Well, at the very least, he was apologetic.

--------------------

Hinamori was washing dishes when she heard spaced out knocks on their door. “Baba, please let me get that for you.” She hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron and rushed out the kitchen, only to find her grandmother chuckling with tears with their evening visitor. “Shirou?”

He covered his face with his hands, blushing in embarrassment. “I forgot to book a hotel.” He wrapped his arms around Baba and hugged her again, the older woman sniffling in return. “I missed you Baba. I hope I’m not an inconvenience.”

“You silly, silly kid. This was your second home, remember? Help me to my room please.” Baba leaned on him for support. Hitsugaya and Hinamori caught each other’s glances, the former asking a silent request for understanding and the latter smiling in response.

When Baba was finally asleep, they opened the sliding door to the patio and watched the spring sky burst into sprinkles of tiny lights. Hinamori offered him a cup of coffee, wondering if it was still the same brew he liked. Their fingers touched on contact, and Hinamori almost flinched as she quickly moved away her hand.

“The hill,” Hitsugaya started. “It’s not there anymore too. I’m sorry we cannot sneak out like before.”

Hinamori almost blushed, but there probably wasn’t any meaning to those words. “It’s all right. I can’t leave Baba anyway.”

That last sentence probably took Hitsugaya back to that night when he got angry and disappointed with Hinamori. It was a matter still unresolved, and she was unsure when was the right time to stop skirting about their past so they hanged around until the coffee ran out.

“I should sleep.” Hitsugaya was standing up when Hinamori caught his sleeve. She didn’t meet his eyes, but she gestured towards the sky now lit up with a meteor shower.

Hoping he was still distracted by the array of lights, she mustered up what little courage she had. “Do you despise me?” She kept her gaze on the night sky, its velvet darkness replacing the fading race of the stars. Her peripheral vision registered pain flickering on his face. He left in the middle of winter, when nightmares were the strongest and ghosts were the loudest. She drowned in guilt and self-pity for a long time until she decided to take back her spring.

Hitsugaya sighed in exasperation and ruffled his long hair. “Momo, I-“ He sighed again, probably phrasing the words in his head on how to deliver this to her in the best way possible. It was the academia’s training, so far from the younger version of him when he used to say anything. “I’m sorry for leaving that way. I needed to.”

“Do I disgust you?” This dull pain was the friend that always followed her at a safe distance, but now it stared her right in the face.

He knelt beside her and gently touched the locks of her short hair. When she turned to look at him, he cupped her face and held her gaze. “You’ll never disgust me, Momo. The me that time will never be the one you would have needed. You were angry at me as well, and I thought you needed to heal on your own terms without me trying to break through your walls.”

“Our friends told me everything. I knew it wasn’t you who ratted me out.” Her hands went to his hands and reacquainted herself with his warmth. Ten winters’ worth of tears and worry brimmed to the surface. “But it’s true. I hated you, the academy, and then, myself. It was a long struggle for me to realize that all the blame stemmed from Aizen, and we all got played. It was him that was the root of all my anger and all my sadness. I was riddled with guilt and fear because I have never truly explained myself to you.”

“You should know I have never thought of you that way. Because you are a good person, and Aizen took advantage of that.”

Hinamori allowed herself to sob in Hitsugaya’s arms. The gates of relief opened and for the first time in ten years, she allowed herself to say Aizen’s name without getting the strong urge to end her life. Probably because she moved on, probably because Hitsugaya came back, probably because it was all in the past. “I just wish you wrote a letter or two, you know. I was worried what you thought of me.”

“I was worried you might not have me.” Understanding what he implied, Hinamori removed herself from his embrace and took off his glasses. They were not graded lenses. She also combed her fingers through his hair, arranging the strands to look more like the younger Hitsugaya she knew and less than the other person.

“I ran like crazy on the train platform.”

“And I almost got off when I saw your face.” He laughed. “But the ticket was so expensive.”

Hinamori hit his arm lightly. “I’m not joking, Shirou-chan. Was it because we were friends? Did they think you also plagiarized your works?”

He sat cross-legged across her and took her hands in his. She was familiar with the rugged terrain of his palms, but hers had become smaller in size and his fingers engulfed her fists in their space. All of a sudden, she felt shy. “The board also found out about our secret room so my mentors advised me to cease all communications. I cannot put you through all that pain again. You did not deserve it. It was better for us that way, wasn’t it?”

“You left for me?”

“If I stayed, the trials would have been endless. Rangiku, Renji, and Rukia would have also been put under the spotlight. Your communication was also tracked by the board so I didn’t write to add to your burden. Besides, it was not hard to find universities outside Soul Society. I’m sorry I was not able to tell you all that.”

She surmised he also had something to do with Aizen’s complete exodus from the academe, the reason why her ban got lifted, and why she was able to remain close friends with three Rs. Even from afar, he was protecting her. She wondered whether the current him would have the present her. She became conscious of her hands still held by his, but she did not remove them despite the intense warmth flooding her cheeks.

“So um…why were you looking for flowers earlier?” Wow, nice change of topic, Momo.

His fingers were mindlessly drifting over her fists, gently tracing the lines, as if he was memorizing them again. He must not have been aware of it. “You know how Rangiku is always at a bar so I guessed and found her there. She gave me the address of a flower shop and told me to get flowers. As if she could read the question on my face. I was looking for you, Momo.”

Realizing what he was doing, he carefully let go of her hands and turned to the side to hide the flush that crept to his cheeks.

“Wow, straightforward Shirou.” Hinamori tried to laugh it off. “Why don’t you tell me your stories?”

“Eh? You might sleep on me.”

“I can always brew coffee and tea. And what do you mean sleep? You were always the sleepyhead between us!”

“Says the one who always slept in the secret room. Was my lap that soft?”

“That was different! Well, it was comfortable.”

“Oh, are you insinuating something else? Hinamori, you bad girl.” He teased her. ”On the other hand, were you insulting me? My lap is not that soft anymore. I exercised to get strong thighs.”

“You are the one insinuating something. My God, you must have a lot of girls fallen in love with you.”

“It sucked having to reject them though. I felt so conflicted.”

“You’re really bragging right now? Insufferable.” Would it be weird to ask him if he has anyone? Not that it mattered to her, she was just curious.

Hitsugaya relented to her request, and they spent the night exchanging stories of their personal journeys. It didn’t escape Hinamori’s notice that he purposely avoided talking about these girls and went on and on about his experiments and his encounters with boomers. Her stories didn’t obviously hold a candle to his achievements, but he listened just as intently when she shared how she built her flower shop business from the ground. She promised he would have his share at the year-end since he was her first major investor, but he waved the proposal away.

Baba found them huddled together outside at the break of dawn, a large fleece blanket covering the both of them, Hinamori’s head comfortably resting on Hitsugaya’s shoulder. She smiled, finally smelling the arrival of spring after a harsh winter.

NEXT CHAPTER | 10 OF 12 | GRAB IT BEFORE IT PASSES

[pinkhairedlily]

Getting inspiration from this song for the next two chapters of The Spring He Came Back. Hoping the Gods of fanfiction will possess me.