#hitsuhina week 2020

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

For the fan fic asks, 30. How many fics have you written where Hitsugaya's uses his adult form, and can you list them? Or maybe you can recommend fics you've read that have his adult form? Considering how crazy the fandom went when it happened, I feel like there isn't enough fic out there where he uses it 😂

Fanfic asks

You know, I could've sworn I wrote more with the Completed Form! Turns out it's only 10 fics! XD But here they are anon (note: these are all hitsuhina):

Amongst the Ruins: After the abrupt conclusion of the battle with Gerard, Toshiro searches for Momo amongst the ruins. Rated K+ for mild violence

Familiar: In which Gerard was defeated in chapter 671, and instead of Byakuya, a certain someone else was there to catch Toshiro. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

Give me a Hand?: Momo knows there’s only one way to be sure he was Toshiro. Written for 2019 Blog Anniversary fanfic requests.

I’ll Always Come for You: Written for the Hitsuhina Exchange 2020. After Gerard is defeated, Momo searches for Toshiro and her worst fears are confirmed.

In the Shadow of the Ice: After witnessing Toshiro’s new powers, Momo experiences an emotion she never expected to feel towards her childhood friend.

Petrichor: Toshiro is forced to transform into the Hyourinmaru’s Completed Form when a battle to protect a town in the World of Living from Huge Hollows turns dire, and Momo comes to understand the magnitude of her friend’s powers. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2022.

Reflections on the Ice: Toshiro reflects on his new-found powers and the motivation behind them.

Stand Behind Me: In which Momo protects Toshiro in childhood, and he repays the favour decades later. Rated K+ with mild violence.

Unwavering Light - I & II: a reunion after all the battles have been won and the dust has settled. First part is from Hinamori’s perspective, second part from Hitsugaya’s.

I tend to rewrite the same situation - Momo sees the Completed Form after Gerard's defeat and reacts. And you know what the sad thing is? I can still think of ways to reqrite that scenario! XD

In terms of fics I can recommend:

it was all a dream by @canariie: a little biased here seeing as she wrote this for me ;D Even so, this is a fic I still come and read again and again. It takes place after the TYBW arc and features Momo seeing the Completed Form after Toshiro stumbles into the division's garden. It's a scenario I wouldn't have thought of but it works really well and has some very fluffy and sweet moments :3

The Cave by @roguedarthskywalker: this is part of their untitied Hitsuhina oneshot collection, which I can also recommend! This fic takes place before the TYBW arc, when Toshiro is training in the caves. I liked how this is a fic where the two of them both react to the form (you'll understand what I mean once you've read it).

a cacophny in stillness by @visionen-im-spiegel : Although I've linked the Ao3 version, you can also find this one Tumblr here. There's just something about these three chapters/oneshots, and I think the title sums it up. There's a stillness to this fic, moments where the characters take a moment to think and reflect, but there's also a lot happening, whether it's the battle or the emotions racing through them. Love this one!

Thanks for sending this in! :D

[xxhanabifireworksxx]

Hitsuhina Week Day 1: Holiday 

I pictured them having a nice date time on New Year’s Eve 😍❤️

[lemonadethefifthart]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 Day 2: Reveal/AU (Toilet-bound Hanako-kun)

I know this one is really late 😰 but I’m very happy with how the final piece turned out. Happy new year, Hitsuhina fam! May 2021 be kind to all of us. Thank you for being one of the best online communities I’ve ever been in.

[canariie]

it was just a dream

Rating: K+

Synopsis: On one of Momo’s darkest days, she meets a stranger at night that comes crashing through to her garden.

Word Count: 3705 words

Setting: Post-chapter 686

Prompt: Hitsuhina Week 2020 Gift Exchange

Authour’s Note: This is for @rays-of-fire-and-ice as part of the @hitsuhina-week 2020 Gift Exchange! Just in time for the end of Hitsugaya’s birthday :) 

[I know the themes were Red String (which I absolutely love and would write something separate for that) or Birthday, but I had this idea for a while and felt this was a perfect moment to explore :) ] 

Ray’s requested a take on Momo meeting the “Mature Hitsugaya”! I think the premise is so promising in the Battle with Gerard but I’ve always entertained the idea of what if Momo never knew that Hitsugaya had a matured form? ;)

I hope you enjoy!

—

The white moon hung high and alone in the sky, its light reflecting off the grey stones of Momo’s garden. The mist still hung in the air from the earlier storm leaving the plants glistening with dew.

If it had been any other night, Momo would have loved to settle down on the porch with a steaming cup of tea and watch the stars. However, the thunderstorm earlier had only rattled her nerves from an emotionally draining day, leaving her exhausted with a shawl wrapped around herself.

Momo sighed. I wish today would just end.

Today was the anniversary of the day Aizen had tried to murder her. Though it had been many years since the former captain had defected from Soul Society, whenever the day crept around, she could feel her body shut down. Like a dark foreboding cloud, it occupied her mind, and drained her strength.

It had rained all day, which had shut Momo in alone with her anxiety on edge. She couldn’t muster the will to go to the dining hall and pick up a proper meal for herself so she nibbled on morsels of food from her kitchen. However, she had promptly thrown it up, her stomach in knots and with an empty desire that food couldn’t satisfy. So the brunette remained in bed, drifting in between consciousness and restless bouts of sleep. Now that it was the middle of the night and the rain had passed, Momo forced herself out of bed and in the shower to wash the nerves away before changing into her sleep wear. Though she had not left her room, she still wanted some semblance of routine before going to bed.

She had taken the day off without any complaint from her captain; they both had an unspoken agreement on reminders of the past when it concerned Aizen. It was their way of giving each other space to fight their own battles. However, she knew Hirako-taicho still cared when he had sent some tea for her earlier in the day.

No matter how much she told herself that she had moved on, this day left an indelible mark on her heart as a reminder of the foolish person she was in the past. Everyone had carried some scar from the wars past but had worked to move on; however, for Momo, this day always pulled her back in the dark place of confusion, betrayal and self-loathing.

Momo wrapped the shawl tight around her shoulders before taking a brush through her wet hair. Her hair had now grown past her shoulders, almost halfway down her back. It has grown quite long, she mused. Maybe it’s time for a change.

Hirako-taicho had offered to cut her hair again and she was more open to the idea than the first time he had offered. But there was something that held her back, as she hadn’t had this length since Aizen was her captain—and she didn’t quite know what to make of that.

He was the one that had offered the blue hair cloth to her, as a way to keep her hair safe from battle. At that time, Momo had been over the moon to accept such a gift, believing that she had lucked out with the best captain in the Gotei 13.

But now as she inspected a lock of her hair, Momo could only be reminded of the naivety of a girl that was too star-struck to see the evil lurking within.

Both of Rangiku-san and Rukia-san’s hair have already grown so long since they last cut it. It suits them both and they still manage to fight in battle well. They have both moved on and made something for themselves.

Momo sighed and continued to brush her hair Maybe I should cut it short again…I don’t even know if this long hair would suit me.

All of sudden, a crash erupted from the corner of her garden, startling her to drop the hair brush. It sounded too loud to be an animal, but it was past midnight, and far too late for anyone to wander. The brunette stood up, her shoulders tense as she mentally switched into battle mode. She heard a noise rustle from the bush at the edge of her garden and what sounded like unintelligible muttering.

“Who’s there?” she called out, preparing to summon Tobiume to her side.

What emerged out of the bushes, knocked Momo off her feet and back onto the porch, her night robe slipping of her shoulder. A grown man with shockingly familiar white hair stepped out, albeit less than gracefully, removing the leaves from his hair. His stature was long and thin and she could hear him panting for breaths. White plumes of frost floated all around him, and pools of ice bloomed at his feet. All the wet dew that remained from the rain turned to ice, as if Winter were following this man.

This man wore the shinigami uniform but there was no marking of a division insignia anywhere. Instead, pieces of ice covered his arms and legs with a collar resting on his shoulders, like frozen armor. She could hear the crackle of it as he stepped forward and it fell to the ground. He looked up and Momo could feel the breath escape from her lungs: his eyes were the same deep emerald of her childhood friend. “Hitsugaya-kun?” she called out softly. “Is that you…?”

The man stopped what he was doing and froze, as if realizing that she was there for the first time. “Hinamori?”

Oh my. The timber of this man’s voice was much deeper and it raised goosebumps on her skin.

No, this can’t be Hitsugaya-kun. His eyes seemed far brighter and the look of fear on his face was a foreign one she had never seen on her childhood friend. It felt like someone took the most comfortable parts of her childhood friend and distorted it into this strange older man.

“What’s going on…?”

“Wait, Hinamori—” he doubled over, his body crumpling to lean against his sword. The man struggled to push himself up before collapsing with a thud on the ground.

Momo stood still, in shock at this somewhat strange apparition that appeared in her gardens.

I have to be dreaming. That’s the only possible explanation.

If this were real or not, the man on the ground was not moving, and as time passed on, a pool of worry quelled in the bottom of her stomach. Momo wasn’t sure who this man was, but she also knew she couldn’t leave him alone when he clearly needed help.

With trepidation, she slowly approached the shinigami. Frost surrounded all of him, as if the area around him had already frozen over for winter. Closer up, she could study his face, which truly looked like an older version of her childhood friend. But the traces of childhood were gone, leaving a defined jaw and striking cheekbones. However, Momo noted under his eyes there were deep shadows and even in sleep, there was a weariness to his face. As she bent down next to him, the ice that was surrounding his body had now finally cracked, settling into piles of snow dust.

When Momo reached out her hand to touch his arm, she almost pulled back at the feeling of ice. Like frostbite, her skin burned with the extreme cold and she could feel it race through her arm. She had held hands with her childhood friend before, but he had never been this cold. This man was so cold it was like he was dead. Instinctively, Momo raised her reiatsu higher than normal and a warm glow emanated from her body. No one else should be awake so this shouldn’t hurt anyone else. Slowly, the snow began to melt, and the green grass emerged again, as if spring had returned.

Momo quickly attempted to pull him up but was almost knocked over by his size. This white-haired man towered over her and she could feel the weight pulling her down. But she had practice from when she would train with Renjii so she quickly repositioned his weight so that he was draped over her shoulders. Momo tried to ignore his breaths against her neck as she pulled him along with her before dropping him, quite unceremoniously, on her veranda.

Though it was cold outside, she was still wary to bring him in her bedroom so she settled for rummaging inside for as many blankets as she could find to cover the shinigami.

Momo collapsed with a sigh of defeat, feeling more exhausted than the beginning of the night. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t leave him alone. She glanced over, trying to see if there were any apparent injuries she had missed in her early inspection. Momo moved to sit next the sleeping man, and looked closer at his hands.

They’re so large…one could cover all of my hand.

Before she knew it, she lifted one of his hands, studying it. His temperature was still low, but not as deadly as before. As Momo increased her reiatsu, she found herself rubbing her fingers over his knuckles, noting the calluses on his palms.

“If this is you Hitsugaya-kun…what have you been doing?” He had never mentioned anything like this to her before and it arose deep insecurities of deception from within. Momo could feel the anxiety begin to grow inside her as her mind raced of all the possibilities why her childhood friend would keep secrets from her. Stop Hinamori, Hitsugaya isn’t like that. He’s proved that to you before. But, she couldn’t ignore the seed of doubt inside.

A muffled groan brought Momo out of her daze and towards the white-haired man who was slowly waking up. His emerald eyes blinked out of focus, taking a moment to register where he was until they settled on Momo. Immediately, he pulled his hand away causing Momo to jump as he bolted up and pushed himself away from her.

“Don’t touch me! You’ll hurt yourself!” There was a fear in his voice and she could feel his anxious eyes on her, as if he were checking her for any injuries. Momo couldn’t find the words to say anything, too arrested by his deep voice and the open panic on his face—things that she had not associated with her childhood friend at all, leaving her confused.  

The man sighed in frustration, clearly out of his element. It took him a second before he looked down, finally registering the multiple blankets that covered him. “Did you put these on me?” he asked incredously.

“Well, you were cold,” she replied indignantly, “And even if I’m not sure what’s not going on, I’m not going to leave you to freeze to death.”

A moment passed and he chuckled softly in disbelief. “Only you would clothe a stranger in a blanket.”

“Well, that’s what I would like to know…” Momo eyed him measuredly. “Are you Hitsugaya-kun?” she asked in an even voice.

He matched her gaze but Momo could see something beneath the emerald colour, almost like wariness. “If I said yes, what would you think?”

“I would say this is a dream because I know that my childhood friend did not grow overnight,” Momo responded. “Unless, there’s something that he’s not telling me…”

He remained silent for a moment. “Are you not afraid of me?” he whispered.

Momo narrowed her eyes. “I’m more afraid of the fact that you would be hiding something for me.”

The white-haired man looked down, a flash of shame passing his features. “I would not hide anything from you deliberately, Hinamori.”

“Then what is this? How does my childhood friend turn into someone I don’t know and crash in my garden in the middle of the night? Why are you so deadly cold to touch? Why is your reiatsu out of control?” She could feel tears began to prick at the corner of her eyes. “Please tell me what’s going on, Hitsugaya-kun,” Momo pleaded, her voice cracking.

When he looked up, Momo felt like her heart break inside at the sorrow in his eyes. “I can’t control my reiatsu when I’m in this form…I might end up hurting you.”

“You would never intentionally hurt me.”

“Don’t say that Hinamori,” his tone cold, like the sharpness of a blade. “I have hurt you in the past.”

“And it was not your fault,” she asserted adamantly. “Also, I have been counteracting your reiatsu.” She took hold of his hands and his body stiffened. He tried to pull away but it only encouraged Momo to hold on tighter and increase her own reiatsu, sending warmth from her palms into his body.

She could see his body slowly relax. “See, you could never hurt me.” Momo smiled.

He started to say something, but stopped and sighed. “You never cease to amaze me, Hinamori.” They were quiet for a moment, basking in the warmth of her reiatsu. However, she felt her breath hitch when he placed his other hand on top of hers, encasing them fully. “You’ve always been like this…thank you.” He let out a small smile that set a flush racing against her cheeks.

Momo cleared her throat. “Will you let me know now why you’re suddenly…older?”

She could see the inner argument behind his eyes—at least that part was still the same of Hitsugaya. “I have been training my bankai...but to develop it to its full potential, I have to age a bit.”

“A bit?” Momo said dubiously.

“It doesn’t last long, it’s only temporary,” he alleviated. “Between you and me, I’m hanging on by a thread now.”

They fell again in silence and Momo took the time to study him—this older Toushiro. Yes, it was as if he jumped 50 years to the future. But behind the broad shoulders and tall stature, Momo could begin to see her childhood friend. From the stubborn fringe that covered his eye, the troubled furrow of his brow, to the protruding bottom lip as if he were perpetually frowning—her Toushiro was still there.

That’s Hitsugaya-kun for you, always working on getting stronger…and moving on. Momo could feel the anxiety return at the bottom of her stomach, freezing her whole body. Everyone is moving on…

“You’re amazing Hitsugaya-kun…” she said weakly. “I really could never compare…” She couldn’t stop her voice from trembling.

“What are you talking about?” he said apprehensively, noting the change in her tone. He gripped her hands tighter but it only served to release the tears she was trying to hold back.

“You and everyone else have been training so hard, while I’m still stuck in the same place…And every year this day comes, it just takes me back to what I was before,” she wallowed. “I’m still the same naive girl.”

“That’s not true, Hinamori…” His emerald eyes searched hers, trying to convey the truth but she wouldn’t hold his gaze.

“Yes it is! If I truly would have become stronger, this day wouldn’t hurt me anymore,” Momo wept. She pulled her hands away from his and swiped away at her tears. “It just reminds me of all the things that I’ve done to hurt you.” She covered her face, too ashamed to look at him as her body shook with sobs.

Momo didn’t realize how much frustration and anxiety she had been holding in until it all had released. It had hurt so much to keep it inside that she couldn’t help the tears that poured out. She also couldn’t remember the last time when she actively cried out loud this much.

Too caught up in the moment, Momo didn’t even register the presence of him moving closer to her as he wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Slowly, two cool hands pulled hers away from her face and squeezed them tight. Momo looked up and was surprised to see the open concern on his face.

“Shiro-chan?”

His eyes didn’t leave hers, almost as if he were trying to communicate with them. “I’m sorry that I didn’t see you today and left you alone. I’m sorry that I crashed down into your garden and scared you. I’m sorry that I have failed you when I couldn’t save you.

“I’m sorry for many things in my life Hinamori.” He gripped her hands tighter. “But I have never been sorry that you are a part of my life.

“In the academy, we are taught to lay down our lives for our family and friends,” he leaned forward and Momo felt like she looking at the ocean, his emerald eyes drawing her in. Though his voice had grown deeper, it was the gravitas of the tone that held her attention. “If it came down to it, I would lay my life down for you regardless.”

“But why?” Momo protested. “I’m naïve, believe in others too easily and hurt those around me. I only hold you back!”

He shook his head softly and continued undeterred.

“You don’t realize how important you are to others. Your strength is in your faith in others and the kindness you radiate to everyone—including me.” At this point, he was so close that Momo could see the silver strands shining in the moon light as he bent his head down to be eye level with her. “Without you, I would not be where I am today. You have never held me back.”

“But you don’t need me to become stronger,” Momo whispered.

“You are the reason I have this power. Hinamori, you are my reason to be stronger. Without you, there is no purpose for all of this.” He pulled her closer to him. “I need you.”

A that point, Momo couldn’t cry anymore as she was too busy blushing furiously and processing his poignant words. Her Toushiro had never spoken to her with such intensity! Any self-doubts that were there, slowly vanished and Momo couldn’t ignore the lightness inside her chest. Coupled with the fact that these proclamations came from an older (more handsome) version of her childhood friend, Momo felt like she could implode from a fast beating heart.

She chuckled to herself, wiping the tears away from her cheeks. “Now, I really know I’m dreaming! You would never tell me things like that in reality!”

Momo wiped her face with her blanket as he continued to watch her solemnly with dark jade eyes.

Well, if she thinks it’s a dream…

Momo’s heart jumped as this Toushiro moved far closer than before to tug the slipped collar of her robe over her shoulder. “This has been bothering me all night,” he murmured. Her breath hitched as his long fingers then moved up her skin before pulling a lock of hair that rested on her collarbone. Turning it over, he inspected it as if it were precious silk. When he looked up at her through his dark eyelashes, she could hear her heart thumping erratically in her ears. “You should wear your hair down,” he smiled, leaving her breathless. “It suits you.”

Oh my goodness, Momo thought.

Now, she felt like she was going to implode.

--

“And then he covered my shoulder with my robe!” she exclaimed, cheeks flush and eyes wide. “And-and held my hair!”

The next thing she knew, Momo had woken up in bed, alone and with a still fast-beating heart. Too red-faced and preoccupied with thoughts of her dream to go to work, she had quickly rushed over to Rangiku’s quarters to discuss and inspect these new-found feelings.

Which is how she found herself settled on the blonde’s couch, with a warm cup of tea in her hands and the older girl quietly listening as Momo recalled her whole dream.

Rangiku raised a delicate eyebrow. “Did you enjoy it or not?”

“W-well, he was all grown up so it was so new!” she covered her red face with her hands. “But yes,” Momo mumbled.

The older girl took a sip of her tea before placing a warm hand on her shoulder. “Maybe Hinamori, this is a sign that you’re developing new feelings toward Taicho…”

Momo looked at her startled with wide brown eyes. “I have never thought of Hitsugaya-kun that way…He’s always been such a good friend to me. I couldn’t imagine anything else…”

At that point a knock came at Rangiku’s door and Momo felt like she jumped out of her skin.

A voice called out from the entrance, “Matsumoto, here are the reports that need to be sent out.” Momo whipped her head behind the couch just as the white-haired boy walked into the living room, a puzzled look on his face. “Hinamori? What are you doing here?”

“Hitsugaya-kun!” She shook her head viciously. “N-no, I mean Hitsugaya-taicho!”

He raised an eyebrow. “I’m glad you got my title right, but is there something you need?”

Flashes of the dream passed through Momo’s mind of hand-holding, a deep voice and intense emerald eyes, setting her heart racing.

“I-uh I…have to go back to my office!” She ran out quickly before Toushiro could utter another word.

Oh my goodness I can’t look at him the same way after that dream, Momo thought as she flash stepped to her division.

---

Rangiku watched the whole awkward scene unfold and she had to bite her lips from releasing the laughter she was holding in. Her captain looked so puzzled as the petite lieutenant had past him so fast, it would rival Yourichi’s flash-step.

“Hmm Taicho,” Rangiku said, finally breaking the silence, “Have you been training your bankai near the 5th division at night?”

He looked straight ahead and dropped the papers on her table. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Matsumoto.”

She smirked. “Well, you should be careful of appearing in women’s garden in your adult form. It can really cause them restless dreams and…intense heart palpitations.”

He pointedly ignored her. “I’ll see you soon in the office, Matsumoto.” Toushiro turned briskly around before the blonde could say anything, not wanting to continue the conversation.

He was inwardly happy, however, to see Hinamori with her hair down—glad that she had taken his words to heart.

-----

Authour’s Note: I hope you enjoyed it ;--; I haven’t written that much in so long! It was definitely a difficult one to write and I struggled a lot with their dialogue. 

I also think the “Mature Hitsugaya” has such Shoujo-manga material potential!! If Bleach were a shoujo-manga, I would have loved to see all the situations where Momo didn’t know about the older form xD (kind of like MeruPuri)

Also apologies if the characters were OOC but I felt Momo needed to hear those words.

I also always headcanon that the day Aizen tried to murder Momo would always be a dark one for her every year. And no matter how much she’s moved forward, it would still haunt her. I think it would take her many many years, after she’s gained her own footing and strength as an individual, to be able to move one from that day. So who better to console her than Toushiro? I didn’t reflect as much on him, but I also believe that day would be one marked for him as one of shame...it could probably merit a companion piece (if I ever have the energy haha)

I really hope you enjoyed my take on this, Rays!! Happy Hitsuhina Week 2020!!

[hitsuhina-week]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Planning

Hi everyone!

It’s that time of the year again: planning Hitsuhina Week!

At this stage it will be the same as last year: one week with a choice of two themes each day, a question each day, and a gift exchange on the last day. If you have any suggestions for how the week could be run this year, feel free to send your suggestions to the either this blog or mine @rays-of-fire-and-ice.

In terms of dates, the best dates are likely either 7th-13th December or 14th-20th December. You can vote for your preferred date by either commenting on or reblogging this post with your preferred date range. Voting closes Tuesday next week 17th November

For themes, please send your suggestions to either this blog or mine via asks also by Tuesday 17th November.

Sign ups for the gift exchange will happen after I finalise the themes and dates, so stay tuned if you want to be part of the exchange. As always (and especially after the strange year we’ve all had) let’s make this Hitsuhina Week a fantastic one!

- Admin Rays ❄️

[recurring-polynya]

Fanfic Semi-Weekly Roundup 10/11/2020:

 Less than a month since the last one!! I’m doing better!

This is not literature class, I am allowed to enjoy a somewhat meandering real-world AU about Ikkaku and Yumichika being sweet boyfriends. If you would also enjoy such a thing, may I suggest Yonder Heart (and Somber Lover) by @whiteduck6​ (I am pretty sure this is the correct person), where Ikkaku tries to support Yumichika through the cruelties of high school? Or if, that, perhaps, is too stressful, I also enjoyed The Beating of Our Hearts (Is the Only Sound), where they plan their wedding, featuring Yumichika and Uryuu collaborating on men’s tailoring.

Or maybe you want to read one where Yumichika is a merman? Legs by KnightoftheCrow is very cute and features ~ mood boards ~.

Forecast, by @hajike​ is an extremely cute HitsuHina story that takes place at the boozy aftermath of Rukia and Renji’s wedding. If someone is going to write about Renji drunkenly gushing about his love for his beautiful wife, you know I was there ten minutes ago, but the true hero of this fanfic is Kira, who spends the entire time passed out under a table.

There was a companion pair of nice stories about Rukia and Renji slowly getting together after the war by @peguimaraes​ : The Dog that howled at the star and The Star for which the dog howls.

While we’re on the subject of dogs, you did go read "Dogs are stupid" - Soi Fon (with her fingers crossed behind her back) right? It’s by @shamelessllamapeanutthing  and it is very cute and features a responsible view of pet ownership and also I did an art for it.

Before the devil knows you're dead , by rotten_panda has a pretty grim name, but it’s really just a story about Yumichika, Ikkaku, and Hisagi having a rough time making sense of their lives after the Quincy War. Do I love a fic about dude friends helping each other navigate difficult times? I do. Also features a scene where Renji and Rukia are cute at a bar, I am an easy woman to please.

If you enjoyed the time I wrote a drabble about all the lieutenants working in a mall, do not miss He was a Punk, She did Ballet by @rangikulovesyou . In general, I would put Kira at a 5 on the Kinsey Scale, but I do ship Kira/Hinamori, primarily in a “Kira crushed on her as a teen/that ship has sailed” way. This is adorable though-- Izuru works at a Hot Topic and Momo works next door at a Claire’s. It is very early aughts nostalgic, which you know I love. Izuru keeps doing idiotic things for Momo, like letting her pierce his ears, and adopting a kitten and I am here for it. Also, Kira drives a Honda Civic and for some reason Byakuya is the manager of the Hot Topic???? Anyway, I love this fic, just, like, an unreasonable amount.

I will read any crack fic that features people group chatting, and Dead People in MY Group Chat?! by femisis is very, very funny. The latest chapter featured the lieutenants freaking out because they don’t know what happens to dogs when they die and all the captains dodging the question. I am easily amused.

I like a locked-room mystery, and I am intrigued by Princess of Rejection by KatInnRotato. A bunch of Bleach characters harboring secrets board a ship and sail off into cursed waters.

I have been reading a lot of GinRan lately, even though I don’t really like GinRan (sitting through 1st grade distance learning is really boring) but I am enjoying The Best Mistake by @1nerdylibrarian. The description is slightly misleading, I think-- it’s a what-if where Rangiku gets pregnant, so she and Gin get married, and Toshiro is their child. Between that and the title, it sounds like it might be fluffy or mushy, but Gin is absolutely a goblin with his own agenda and now a very, very powerful child. I have no idea where this is going, but it’s an intriguing story and it updates frequently, what a blessing!

Gosh I like a story about Byakuya and Rukia and their koi! Tightened Ties by @stephanericherthanyou brought peace to my troubled soul for a brief and wonderful moment.

Now, for your ff.net throwback... I spent, like, half this week reading The Other Side of the Door by Raconfleur. It’s a ByaHisa roleswap where Hisana is the Kuchiki and Byakuya is from Rukongai. The galaxy brain of this??? Anyway, most of it is just Academy shenanigans, and it is the sort of low-stakes, mac-n-cheese of fanfiction I enjoy reading, not for its literary merit, but just for comfort. The last two chapters go off-the-rails intense, just like the last long-form ByaHisa story I read on ff.net. The author never finished it, but at least did the kind thing of summarizing how the last chapter was supposed to go (although how they were going to fit all that into one chapter is still boggling my mind). You could also stop reading at Ch 18, and assume they eventually find Rukia and live happily every after. That would probably be for the best.

[nono6thebleachfan]

Bleach X Disney 2020 ✨🧙

Hello everyone ✨💗

I have decided that I will be hosting the 2nd Bleach X Disney event for this year. The event will start on March 16th and will end on March 29th of 2020.

You can join in with fanarts, edits, fanfics, or just a quote, anything you’d like 🌟🌈!!

🔴 RULES & CONDITIONS 🔴

Q1: What are the ships for this event?

A1: I am hosting this crossover event for the lovely IchiHime and RenRuki pairings first and foremost ❤️❤️

Q2: Can I participate for my ships HitsuHina, HitsuKarin, GinRan, UraYori, IkkaYumi, ShunUki, KiraHina, KiraShuhui, IsshiMasa? 

A2: YES YES YES 💜💜!! Last year we had some amazing HitsuHina stuff, I will not take the opportunity from this year’s event 🤍🤍.

 ** Other bleach ships are fine 😍❤️ as long as they don’t contraindicate IH and RR !!

Q3: what do you mean by that last sentence? Can GrimmIchi/KaiRuki etc etc participate? A3: Unfortunately no ☹️🤧 You can participate with other ships than ones similar to these, this event is mainly to spread love towards IH and RR 🥰🥳 ~ The only acceptable Ichigo ship is IchiHime ~ ~ The only acceptable Orihime ship is IchiHime ~ ~ The only acceptable Rukia ship is RenRuki ~ ~ The only acceptable Renji ship is RenRuki ~ - this is an IH/RR event mainly 😉✨ - it’s not a disinvite to the fandom itself, you can participate for other ships as long as the ships don’t invalidate IH or RR 🙈💫

Q4: ok so can I draw something for XY ship but show Rukia as a single lady? 

A4:Sure!! you can show Ichigo/Renji/Rukia/Orihime not in a relationship, but you cannot place them with other people 🙅 ~ Again, this is an IH/RR event mainly ~

Q5: When will this event start?

A5: This time it will be over 2 WEEKS!! Starting from March 16th till March 29th

Q6: Which movies will this event be centered around?

~ Day 1: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves ~ ~ Day 2: Cinderella ~ ~ Day 3: Sleeping Beauty ~ ~ Day 4: The Little Mermaid ~ ~ Day 5: Beauty and the Beast ~ ~ Day 6: Aladdin ~ ~ Day 7: Pocahontas ~ ~ Day 8: Mulan ~ ~ Day 9: The Princess and the Frog ~ ~ Day 10: Tangled ~ ~ Day 11: Brave ~ ~ Day 12: Frozen ~ ~ Day 13: Moana ~ ~ Day 14: All Else ~

A few extra notes ✨📜 

⁃ On the last day of the event, I put All Else; this refers to other Disney movies like Peter Pan, Bambi, The Lady and the Tramp, etc etc. these are the non Princess movies 🧚🧟🧛🧝🧙🦸

⁃ You can include/use the sequels or spinoffs of each of these films 🎥 ⁃ Last year I chose the most popular Disney Princess movies. This year I included all Disney Princess movies 🥰🥰

⁃ You can switch the roles between the characters, for example you can make Renji the Merman and Rukia the beautiful dark haired human… You can make Ichigo as the Sleeping Beauty and Orihime as his Prince Philip… You can make anything and everything you want😼💪🏻 ⁃ You don’t have to be a professional artist or editor (( my edits suck, but I have a few ideas 😚)) you can draw a sketch and share it, you can share your thoughts about how a certain scene that reminds you of these ships, this event is all about positivity and sharing 😊💕✊🏻💫 

⁃ If you have a question regarding this event or you don’t understand a certain point above or wanna make a suggestion, just send me a message and I will be more than happy to answer 📝  

⁃ The main purpose of this event and this blog as a whole, is to spread love for IH and RR. Splease no negativity ❌ any hate mail will be blocked 🙅

PLEASE SHARE THIS SO EVERYONE HAS THE CHANCE TO SEE IT 😉🤩🙏

[hitsuhinalover]

Hitsuhina day 2020

A/N: A word ‘challenge’ was mentioned so I had to write a fic where I used all of the prompts ‘:D Actually it wasn’t using all of the prompts that was difficult (just my perfectionism) but I don’t know how it seems to a reader. I especially want to note that I didn’t write both angels and shrines in the same story out of disrespect to any existing religion. Also, the ending was supposed to be happier (I got bad news and then didn’t feel like writing something very happy), sorry about it. I hope you’re all well and able to be where you want to be.

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

“Matsumoto will be up and about in no time and then you’ll be transferred back to the healing wards,” Hitsugaya announced, marching along empty streets without even looking if his partner was following him or not – which, judging by the echo of rapid steps and slightly labored breathing behind him, she was doing. Streets lights were far and few between, coloring his hair and wings with warm yellow hue only for moments before he dived back into darkness, yet she knew where he was going. Whether he wanted or not, they had a bond – a bond that made them too good a battle pair for higher-ups to pass the opportunity to put them on patrol together. And maybe there was also a fact that he wouldn’t leave her alone, not in proximity of a possible enemy, no matter how pissed off he was.

“Hey, don’t make it sound like I should be on a hospital bed right now,” Hinamori huffed. “First of all, I didn’t get so hurt as badly as you two because I arrived later. Second, I’m a field healer, which means I work more outside of the healing wards than there, as you already know.”

As Hinamori said that, she had almost reached him, for which she had to stumble a step backward when he suddenly twirled around, a frown furrowing his eyebrows. Automatically, Hinamori’s wings fluttered to balance her, the fact that certainly didn’t pass by Hitsugaya’s sharp gaze, like neither did a deep blush that her cheeks acquired.

Why was it nowadays so difficult to be around him? It wasn’t his fault, she knew it, for he continued being the same person as always, worried about her well-being. If there was someone at fault, it was her. His proximity had begun to produce physical reactions in her she didn’t know how to interpret, how to deal with. Was it fine her cheeks flushed red when he looked at her, or was there a medical condition involved that had nothing do with him? Why would she stumble when he walked too close if there was nothing else than plain ground? Deep down, she feared she knew why. But if a realization were a person, she was continuously turning around when they came from the opposite direction, taking stairs instead of lift, blocking their number.

Because their bond was worth fostering, and not only because they fought well together. Despite difficult moments, for most of time their friendship was so easy. A wave of warmth washed over her when her mind transported her back to a moment a week ago, to the night neither of them had had to patrol, their laugh still ringing in her ears. In her company his usual frown disappeared (or at least very often), substituted by a slight smile, a teasing smirk or a small chuckle.

They had walked through the part of the town that was almost void of demonic and thus angelic activity too, hardly passing by any patrols, talking or just enjoying a silence they wasn’t used to associating with nights, stars usually witnessing a clash of blades instead of their casual hanging out. In outskirts of the town, moments before they had been about to turn and return, they had stumbled upon a shrine. In contrast to other shrines that worked as outposts to angels and helped to keep demons at bay, the shrine’s once bright colors had been dimmed, the same way its magical protection. When demonic activity had reduced in that part of the town and soared in others, there hadn’t been time or resources to take care of that particular shrine. Once it had served well, then discharged and forgotten.

Up until the moment Hinamori and Hitsugaya had found it.

Since it was a beginning of the spring, they hadn’t had fresh lavender, the flower that worked against devil, to recreate the protection the shrine had had, but they had planted seeds in the soil around the shrine and decorated it with dry lavender as a temporary protection until the plants would have grown. If Matsumoto had been there, she would have scolded them for using their night off for doing something that they could do in working hours without no one being able to say anything, instead of – well, it was better ignore Matsumoto’s suggestions what to do in their free time, she sometimes had funny ideas about Hitsugaya and Hinamori’s friendship.

Yet in their opinion – Hinamori voicing her thought aloud and a corner of Hitsugaya’s lip rising in agreement –, it had been the best use of their time because the company had changed everything. Though Hinamori had somehow managed to bang her head, scratching the same area on her forehead that a demon would injury the following day, they had had fun.

His fingers brushing the injury, almost faded into a sole memory, brought her out of her thoughts, sadness in his gaze trapping her and crushing her heart. Then he dropped his hand and turned to look at the same shrine they had visited a week ago, when it still had been in an area ignored both by angels and demons, before they had noticed a great amount of demonic activity there and sent Hitsuagya’s patrol into trap. Some parts of the shrine were burnt, tips of lavenders black, still reflecting the aftermath of the battle.

It could have been worse. Still, Hinamori didn’t like the tightness in Hitsugaya’s shoulders, the way he suddenly seemed to dodge her gaze.

When Hitsugaya finally talked, she almost felt a need to pinch herself to make sure she was dreaming – or having a nightmare, to be precise. “Do you ever feel that everything you do is in vain?”

No, Hinamori wouldn’t have given Hitsugaya the prize of the most optimist person, but asking questions like that, sounding like he was giving up, it wasn’t something he used to do. No matter how many times he fell, the Hitsugaya she knew stood up time after time. But everyone had moments of weakness sometimes, like when Hinamori had run to help wounded Hitsugaya ignoring a high presence of demonic activity near, in contrast to all the training she had had.

“Hitsugaya,” Hinamori said carefully, her eyes fixed on him to observe the tiniest change in his posture, “it wasn’t your fault.”

If possible, his posture tightened even more. “No? I couldn’t protect you.” His voice was composed by shards that tore Hinamori’s heart, shards of self-loathing, anger, sadness. She took a step forward, reaching out with her hand, almost dropping it but finally taking hold of his sleeve and leaning her head against his shoulder, feelings his tense muscles. “You’ve protected me many times in past,” she comforted him, “and I can protect myself, too. But sometimes we commit errors and luck isn’t on our side,” her lips tried to form a smile even though his desperate gaze were still on the half-destroyed shrine.

“I know,” Hitsugaya whispered. “Matsumoto and I would have died if you hadn’t come, but...I just...when I saw you...”

“I know,” said Hinamori this time, a tremble cursing through her body as an imagine of Hitsugaya on the ground flashed in her mind, his blood bright red on his wings and hair, his grip of his sword’s halt loosened. The anger and fear – love – that moved her before her mind had time to evaluate the situation. The understanding of their feelings for each other as she listened to his words and wrapped her arms around his waist, supporting him the way he always supported her. “I know.”

[lemonadethefifthart]

Hitsuhina week 2020 Day 6: Halcyon

Ok but what if Toshiro makes some ice butterflies for Hinamori one peaceful winter day?

Quite a lot has been going on so this one is late and really rushed, but I’m glad to be able to contribute something to hitsuhina week 2020 (though I wish I could do more. All the prompts look great 🥺).

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[canariie]

“Do you want to have ramen?”

Rating: T for Rangiku’s implications ;)

Synopsis: Toushiro invites Momo over to his place for ramen, not quite understanding the full social implications he has brought upon himself.

Word Count: 2276 words

Setting: College AU

Prompts: Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Day 2 Reveal / AU

Author’s Note: My first submission for @hitsuhina-week ever! I always love writing AUs since Hitsuhina mainly suffer in canon :’( 

This was inspired by the ramen scene in the K-drama Crash Landing Onto You! Also, I have been thinking about a College AU for Hitsuhina recently so this would be one scene of it! I hope you enjoy!

— 

Toushiro looked at the clock again for what seemed like the fifth time. Where is she? He busied himself his apartment, fiddling with the sparse furniture, but everything was already orderly and in place. Toushiro had already spent all day cleaning up to have his childhood friend, Momo, over. The two had just finished their first-year final exams yesterday and had not had the time to properly catch up yet.

He had offered to have her over for dinner—just instant ramen, Toushiro by no means was a chef. He also knew that since he lived alone they could have more freedom than if they hung out than at her 2-bedroom apartment with Momo’s roommate around. Not that they were going to be loud or rowdy—unlike Toushiro’s neighbor, Rangiku Matsumoto.

Earlier that evening. the second year had brought it upon herself earlier to loudly knock on his door, demanding to borrow a broom for herself.

“Oh, someone’s cleaning up?” Rangiku smiled cheekily. “Are you having anyone over?”

“It’s just Hinamori.” He thrusted the broom into her hands and responded curtly, “Now take this and go before she gets here.”

“Really? I want to see Hinamori-chan too!” The blonde girl stepped inside. “Maybe I should stay too!”

“No!” The word left Hitsugaya’s mouth before he could stop himself and he could feel his ears go hot. He was eager to see Momo but didn’t want his neighbor to know that. “We’re just eating ramen, so there won’t be enough…” he said as he attempted to compose himself.

Rangiku smiled knowingly, “Relax Captain, I wasn’t planning on it…especially if you’re going to have ramen. There’s no room for more than 2 people in that,” she replied cheekily, her voice dripping with implications.

Toushiro narrowed his eyes in skepticism, not liking the tone of her voice. “What are you talking about Matsumoto?”

Her blue eyes filled mirth, happy to see the confusion on his face. “Do you not know what ‘having ramen’ means Captain? And I thought you were a genius!”

Toushiro scowled at the comment, clearly not happy to be ignorant—even if it was something Rangiku knew. “What do you mean?”

And so, she explained, laughing as the white-haired boys face turn redder and redder. All this new information left Toushiro flustered and he hastily pushed Matsumoto out of the apartment, still undeterred in her laughter at his embarrassment.

Since then, Toushiro had occupied himself with cleaning up the living room and setting up the kotatsu as a way to firmly forget that conversation. It annoyed him that he had no idea of such a concept—and if he didn’t know, Momo definitely didn’t know.

It wasn’t that he didn’t have feelings for his childhood friend—he had realized for several years how he felt about the sweet brown eyed girl. But Momo didn’t know and he valued their friendship too much to jeopardize it by letting her know. Toushiro knew how much Momo relied on his presence in her life, especially after what happened to her in high school, and he couldn’t risk being anything more the friend that she needed.

A knock erupted his thoughts (though much softer) and Toushiro opened the door to a pair of arms and paper bag in his face. “Ahh Hitsugaya-kun!” came the muffled voice of his childhood friend, “it’s going to fall!” He quickly grabbed the bag right as it tipped into forward towards him. “Hinamori! Did you buy the whole grocery store?” He inspected its contents and saw she had brought vegetables, meat, and tofu—basically everything but the ramen noodles which he had offered.

Momo laughed as she took off her shoes. “Well, we just finished finals and I know you wouldn’t have much groceries inside so I decided to stop by and pick up some ingredients as well as,” she held up a plastic bag that was hanging on the crook of her elbow, “some celebratory drinks!”

Toushiro raised his eyebrow. “Isn’t this a bit much Hinamori? I thought we were just eating ramen?”

He followed her into his kitchenette and set down the ingredients as she scrummaged through the drawers for a bottle opener. “Hitsugaya-kun, we just finished our exams of our first semester of college! We must celebrate it fully!” For further emphasis, she poured two shots and held one out to him. Toushiro took it with a skeptical glance at his childhood friend. “Hinamori, you don’t even drink that much…” Her tolerance was abysmally low and any full drink would knock her out completely.

“I know, I know! But I wanted to really celebrate tonight!” She leaned herself against the kitchen counter. “I also wanted to thank you for helping me study for my exam, even when you had your own exams to study for.” Momo looked at him through her eyelashes, her brown eyes gleaming. “Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun. I really appreciated it.”

Toushiro could feel his ears go red and he looked away. “It was no problem.” He could never turn away that look of her hers: her soft smile and warm eyes. For years, though she may know it or not, whenever Momo gazed at him like that, Toushiro could feel his will breaking.

That’s how he helped her study: with her knocking on his door with a pleading look in her eyes and her textbooks clutched to her chest, there was no way he could say no. Not that he would have; Hinamori had helped him in countless ways, though she may have not realized it, just by simply being her cheerful self. She was selfless, kind and always put others, like him, above herself—a trait he initially found annoying but later on an endearing quality that made him want to protect her more.  

That’s why he took the shot still extended out towards him, though hesitant he could see the anticipated gleam in her eyes. “To the end of finals…” Toushiro said weakly though it didn’t stop Momo from cheering loudly before taking her own. He eyed her as he drank his, albeit not as quick since he was fully aware of his tolerance to alcohol, not as low as Hinamori but definitely not high.

Momo let out a sigh of content. “Let’s get started shall we!”

---

Though the two were tired from just finishing a week of finals, all the fatigue seemed to wear away as they moved around the kitchen. Toushiro was by far not a great cook and only ate what required the minimal cooking. He could only shrug his shoulders as Momo threw a disapproving look over her shoulder at his empty fridge before placing some of the ingredients inside. She moved around with an ease, taking out the pots and pans to prepare the ingredients for ramen without hesitation—almost as if she lived there, which Toushiro rather liked.

They fell in a comfortable rhythm of light conversation in between the chops of vegetable and the pan sizzle of meat. From plans for the holiday to news about classmates, all the conversation fell neatly in between light jokes and the appetizing aroma of a long-awaited home cooked meal. Toushiro made sure to keep an eye on Momo as she was intermittently taking shots in while adding the chopped cabbage and beef to the pot. He debated moving the knives away as she started to accidently spill things, almost knocking the whole bottle of soy sauce into the pan. While Momo wasn’t looking, he moved the sake bottle out of her sight, hoping she’d think she had misplaced it.

“Ahh it looks so delicious!” Momo squealed as Toushiro cracked the last ingredients of eggs to the pot. “I can’t wait to eat it!” She moved closer to catch a whiff, almost moving in front of the pot but Toushiro caught her shoulders and pulled her back. “Be careful Hinamori! It’s still boiling!”

She furrowed her eyebrows and craned her neck up at him, “Hitsugaya-kun, I wasn’t going to actually put my face in. You know I am older than you, right?”

Toushiro didn’t want to take chances as he could see the glazed look starting to form over her brown eyes. “Yes, I know Hinamori,” he acquiesced, “and as the older one you can go set up the table to eat. I’ll bring the food over.” He could hear her mumbling to himself “now he’s kicking me out” but she obliged anyway, taking the plates and turning on the TV to a random late-night movie.

Toushiro brought out the pot of instant ramen—though it could hardly just be called instant anymore. The childhood friends had elevated it to a new level, at Momo’s insistence, with semi-boiled eggs, spinach, rice cakes, beef slices and thinly shredded green onions. Though Toushiro was displeased to see that Momo had found the sake bottle and had generously poured herself some more shots for two of them, he was happy to see her taking in a whole serving of food into her bowl.

The two fell quiet as they ate with gusto, now realizing how hungry they were. With the warmth of the kotatsu table, the white light of the TV and the filtered moonlight through the blinds, the tranquility of the moment allowed them to truly relish their food..

“Thank you for having me over, Hitsugaya-kun,” Momo said as she put her chopsticks over bowl. “I really enjoyed cooking with you today.” She smiled appreciatively, though Toushiro could still see a hint of fatigue in her face.  

“I should thank you for going shopping for more ingredients. I was only planning to follow the instructions on the back of the packet.” He took a drink from his glass of water but stopped as he remembered. “Which by the way, let me know how much the bill was so I can pay you back for half.”

Momo waved her hand dismissively as she took another sip of the sake. “Don’t worry about that! You do so much for be, it’s the least I can do.”

He held her gaze. “Well, at least next time we do this, let me pay for the ingredients. It’s the least I can do since you cooked most of it.”

Momo laughed. “Shiro-chan, you really don’t give yourself enough credit. But, if you insist, then it’s fine.” She rested her chin on her hand as she yawned sleepily. “Guys just don’t think about this stuff normally. Like when I had ramen with Abarai-kun and Kira-kun—they didn’t even think about buying eggs!” she giggled.

At the back of Toushiro’s mind, he could hear Rangiku’s words from earlier on, and he felt a twinge of envy.

He cleared his throat. “Hinamori...you should be careful not to ask anyone else to have ramen with you.”

Momo’s bottom lip stuck out as she pouted in confusion, “But why Shiro-chan?”

Toushiro ignored the nickname, not wanting to derail from the point he was trying to make. “Because it has implications..”

“What kind of implications?”

Toushiro could feel his ears heat up. “Of more than just eating ramen.”

The brunette tilted her head in confusion. “I don’t understand…what else does ‘eating ramen’ mean besides eating ramen?”

He sighed in exasperation. “It’s more of the activity that follows after…”

“Like what?” Honestly, this girl was too clueless for her own good.

“When one finishes the ramen…they usually stay the night…” He left out the last part hoping she would understand.

“And sleep?”

Toushiro wanted to bang his head on the table. Now, he wished Rangiku was hear to explain. “But not of the sleeping kind.”

There was a pregnant pause before Momo erupted in sleepy giggles. “Shiro-chan, I don’t think that’s always the case. Friends can have ramen together! I think Rangiku-san has been giving you too many ideas.”

He made a sound of protest, almost knocking over his bowl of ramen. “She does not give me ideas!”

“Like you and I! Aren’t we just friends having ramen?” A few moments ticked by where they stared at each other until her voice turned somber. “Unless, is there something else going on, Shiro-chan?”

At that point he didn’t know what to do. The TV noise fell to a background static and thoughts raced through his mind. He didn’t want her to have any ramen with anyone else, well, because he wanted her.

“Hinamori I—”

Her head fell against the side of the couch, eyes already closed in sleep. Toushiro almost had to stop himself from slamming his head on the table and settled in heaving a huge sigh of disbelief. Of all the times she had to pass out. After gathering his wits together, he cleared the table and turned down the volume of the TV, not wanting to disturb her. Toushiro quietly stood up and moved over to Hinamori’s side, placing one arm behind her back and another under knees. Her head lolled to one side against his shoulder and he could feel soft puffs of air against his neck, sending heat up the back of his neck.

Toushiro carefully moved to his bedroom and placed her down, making sure to prop her head up on the pillow and cover her with a blanket. Knowing Momo, she was going to be knocked out the rest of the night and in no shape to go home; Toushiro just hoped that she would sleep through and forget the last part of their conversation.

For now, he’ll blame Matsumoto for putting these ideas in his head and hope that in the meantime, Momo wouldn’t have ramen with anyone else but him.

—–

Authors Note: I did a little research and it seems the “having someone over for ramen” is prevalent in South Korean culture. However! When I watched Naruto: The Last, the girls would always giggle whenever Naruto would ask Hinata over for ramen so I assume in Japanese culture, there is probably similar implications! If anyone knows, please let me know! I mainly enjoy putting Toushiro in a difficult position as secretly-in-love-with-their-childhood-friend and never able to do anything about it haha

Hope you enjoyed! :)

[hitsuhina-week]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Day 2

Todays themes: Reveal / AU

Today’s question:

What are you top 5 hitsuhina fanfics and your top 5 hitsuhina fanarts you recommend people read/see?

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Gift Exchange

Revelations

Rating: T (just in case)

Gift for: @tinaillustrations​

Setting: After episode 326 and before Toshiro confronts his reigai counterpart.

Synopsis: As the original Shinigami struggle to reclaim the Seireitei from the reigai, Momo awakens in the twelfth division and meets reigai Toshiro.

AN: Hi Tina! I sincerely apologize that this is late. As you didn’t mind what your gift was, I went searching through your fanarts to see if I could create a piece based one of them. In the end, this piece and seeing this ask from @alexiethymia pop up on my dash earlier this month ended up inspiring this fic.

I must admit it’s been a while since I last saw the Reigai arc in full, but I will be altering one thing about it. I’m getting the subordinates in each division more involved; essentially, they are going be part of the fight against the reigai just before the Shinigami arrive in episode 337 – I always found it weird that lower ranked officers from all divisions didn’t try to group up and fight against the reigai counterparts, by the time the Shinigami took on Kageroza the first time it would have been noticed by their subordinates surely; so I’m including distant battles in this fic. Also, the reigai Toshiro in this fic is the same one that faces against the original Toshiro in episode 337. There’s also a dash of Rangiku and Momo friendship in this fic too!

Alright enough rambling, I hope you and everyone else enjoys this!

_____________________________________

Momo stirs from her sleep when Tobiume pulses at the edge of her mind. What’s wrong?

You need to wake up, her Zanpakuto warns. Something’s happening.

She opens her eyes to her dimly lit room in the twelfth division. When the sounds of muffled yells reach her ears, she throws herself up to sit. She winces, hand coming to her chest. She still hasn’t fully healed, small pricks of pain striking where Hyourinmaru had cut through. She shakes the memory off the wounds elicits when an explosion booms through the soundscape.

“What’s going on?”

I’m not sure, Tobiume responds. But I can only sense a few reiatsu in the twelfth division.

Sure enough, she senses the reiatsu of three officers who are helping her in her recovery – two lower ranked Shinigami just down the hallway outside her door, one higher ranked one on the level above with another unconscious patient.  Whatever’s happening must be serious enough that most officers needed to be called on, she thinks. They only left behind a few to protect those who can’t fight.

She looks to her blade, lying sheathed on a short table at her bedside.  Before she can even reach for Tobiume, the Zanpakuto says, You haven’t fully recovered. You’re not supposed to be standing yet.

The lieutenant shakes her head. “I can’t just sit here, I need to find out what’s happening.” In the far distance, she senses most of her friends and subordinates’ reiatsu, fluctuating and flickering. They must all be in intense battles.

She pauses when a yelp comes from the hallway. With a wince, she hastily pulls the bed covers aside and reaches out for her weapon. Worry thrums through her blade.

“I won’t engage in battle if I can help it,” she assures shakily.

She turns to the door and slowly creeps towards it. She dampens her reiatsu until it’s barely perceptible. After another cry of pain, everything falls silent. She freezes, waiting, sensing. The two reiatsu she’d sensed before are still there, flickering in and out. Not dead, but severely wounded. No other reiatsu; this enemy must be able to conceal theirs. An Arrancar? But last she heard they’d agreed to -

Quick footsteps come down the hallway. She inwardly curses; with few options to hide, she’ll likely have to fight. Her free hand comes over Tobiume’s hilt, but her grip is unsteady. She’s truly in no condition to engage in battle, but she’ll be damned if she dies without trying to protect herself.

The footsteps stop outside her room. The door jangles. It’s locked. Only a small relief, but it gives her time to look around for anything she could use. She doesn’t have enough strength to cast a powerful protection barrier. Her bedside table only has a built in lamp and no draws, and the metal chair at her bedside it too heavy to lift.

So caught up in finding other things to use as a weapon she only catches the end of an incantation. Whipping back around, she gasps when the handle is blown to smithereens and the door flies open. Mist obstructs her view of the intruder. She tightens her grip on Tobiume and pulls the blade out from the sheath. However, as the mist clears, her heart skips a beat at who stands a few meters away. “Hit…Hitsugaya-kun?”

Her childhood friend stares back at with wide eyes. His hair is slightly dishevelled and his breathing is shallow. Around him and along the door frame are patches of ice. His shock gives way to relief. “Hinamori.”

Confusion swells within her as he moves towards her. At the clinking of a chain, her gaze darts to Hyourinmaru in his shikai state. The sight of blade makes her tense up.

In a flash, Toshiro releases his weapon to his sealed form and sheathes it across his back. “It’s all right, Hinamori. See?” He holds his hands out in a placating gesture as he slowly walks into the room. “I won’t hurt you, not ever.”

She stares at his open palms. Perhaps it’s her imagination, but she swears there’s a slight tremble in them. “I-I know, they told me…” She swallows and remembers to breathe, trying to calm herself enough to speak without a quiver in her voice. “They told me you were tricked, that you thought I was…him.” She’d barely gotten the words out.

“It’s all right now,” he reassures. “He’s locked up in the lowest levels of the Seireitei. He can’t hurt anyone ever again.”

She nods, also already aware of this. She can’t be completely at ease; in part because this is the first time she has seen Toshiro since the Winter War, but also because of what is happening around them. Something about all of this isn’t right. “W-Why did you break the door?”

He barely spares the broken door a glance. “I’m sorry, I let my frustration get the better of me.” His gaze becomes urgent. “We’re under attack.”

“Who’s attacking us?”

“I’ll tell you later. In the meantime I’ll-”

“What? I need to know who-”

“You need to rest, and I’ll need to rejoin the battle in a moment. I came by because I thought the enemy had gotten to you, I had to be sure you were safe. I can put up a barrier to ensure the enemy doesn’t get into this room.” His hands wrap around her shoulders. “I wasn’t sure you would be awake, but I’m glad you are.”

She sighs unsteadily. Despite her slight unease, it is truly good to see him. She wasn’t allowed visitors until she’s moved to the fourth division, so finally seeing her closest friend is enough to make her smile.

His touch is cold but comforting; but somehow not…familiar. Her smile falters. His body temperature has always been lower than the average Soul, but his hands now, despite having just had Hyourinmaru in his grasp, are warmer than normal. She’d also chalked up his behaviour – more frantic than usual – to this being the first time they have seen each other in a while. He’d just come from a battle no less…but from where?

She swallows against the tightness building up in her throat before she speaks, trying to appear calm. “Did you contact the fourth division for the others?” She looks past him to the hallway beyond the broken door. “Just before, two Shinigami were outside my room, and they were attacked. I didn’t sense your reiatsu at all. Did you get rid of their attacker?”

She feels stupid for not asking about them sooner; she’s more fatigued than she realised. She’d also been so caught up in seeing him again that all logic went to the back of her mind. But it all clicks into place. Despite his appearance and zanpakuto, this Soul couldn’t be Toshiro.

“If not, then we need to go check on them,” she says in a rush, making a move towards the door.

She’s stopped when his grip tightens. It’s only then she notices the bracelet on his left wrist, a pale gold with a tiny gem dangling from it. Toshiro – no, the imposter – lowers his head. Adrenaline begins to flutter through her. Before she can shrug away his grasp, he says, “What my original did to you is unforgivable.”

She blinks. “What?”

“It’s no use hiding it from you now. Everyone else is aware of our existence, it was only a matter of time before you realised who I was.” When he raises his eyes to meet her gaze, Momo gasps. Gone are his turquoise irises, replaced by a glowing bright blue. She rips herself from his grasp, wincing when her lower back hits the bedside table behind her.

The imposter’s brow pinches in concern and makes to reach out to her, but with a firmer grip she raises Tobiume up to his chest. Her heart pounds against her chest, needles of pain pricking beneath her skin. A sickening sense of déjà vu makes her shake her head. “Wh…What are you?”

“Hinamori, please-”

“What have you done with Shiro-chan?” The nickname makes the imposter halt, eyes wide and lips parting. Panic takes over; her breathing elevates and her legs might just give out from under her. Is this an illusion? Did Aizen break free from his imprisonment. “Are you even real?”

The implication is enough to make his eyes widen further. “I told you, he’s locked away. He can never break free from the restraints down there.” His reach towards her becomes imploring. “I’m a reigai created by Kageroza, former seventh seat of the Twelfth division.”

Momo is still not convinced. “Reigai? What?”

“You’re in no condition to be standing like this. If you sit down, I’ll tell you what’s happened.”

Still holding Tobiume’s sheath, she presses her hand into the bedside table behind her. “I’ll stand.”

“Please.” The imposter’s expression softens in a way that’s achingly familiar, and combined with the strains in her legs and extended arm, it’s enough to make her comply with his wish. She eases herself back on to the edge of the bed, but keeps Tobiume pointed at him. The frown returns to his brow as he recounts to her what has happened. How Kageroza had cloned an army of the lieutenants and captains of all the divisions, how they’d infiltrated the Seireitei and attacked the originals, how they were able to fool the original’s subordinates for a while but now all around them they were battling against their superiors’ reigai counterparts, and how he feared the Shinigami guarding her would expose her to the truth when she woke up.

Her mind is spinning. It all made sense. Two weeks ago, she’d heard a commotion upstairs. When she’d asked what had happened, apparently someone had knocked out Hiyosu and escaped, but the investigation was inexplicably on hold. Her recovery routine continued as per usual, but she found it strange that Unohana hadn’t come to visit her like she was scheduled to every two days. She’d chalked it up to her being too busy, but surely Isane or a high seated officer would have come in her place if this was the case. Then this week she thought everyone in the twelfth division had been acting strange, as if they were hiding something from her. At night she would wake to the quiet murmurs of division members outside her room, but she could never make out what they were saying. They must have discovered the reigais had replaced the originals and planned to take them down. Why hadn’t they told her?

“I am not the first clone Kageroza has created of the original Hitsugaya Toshiro,” the reigai explains, jerking her out of her thoughts. “The first incarnation never visited you. In order keep the original Shinigami that remained in the Seireitei unaware of Kageroza’s plan, he couldn’t risk attempting to visit you and exposing the truth.” He takes a step towards her, only an inch from Tobiume’s blade; it takes everything for her to not waver her grip on her weapon. “But now everyone knows about our existence, so I don’t have to prevent myself from seeing you. In truth, I’d hoped you’d still be resting long enough that you’d only wake up after we defeated our originals.”

“Every captain and lieutenant were cloned?” Her eyes widen as another realisation dawns on her. “Including me?” Horror fills her at the idea of a reigai version of herself being out there. What was it doing to her friends and subordinates? Would they realise too late it wasn’t her? Would their last thought be that their friend or lieutenant had slaughtered them?

“It’s all right,” the reigai reassures. “I convinced Kageroza not to replace you. When he’s won, he’ll explain to the other reigai why you haven’t been replaced.”

She shakes her head at his misunderstanding. “That’s not…” Looking into his eyes – so familiar despite the bright blue glowing from them – a slow anger begins bubbling to the surface. “You still haven’t answered me. What have you done with my friends? With Hitsugaya-kun?”

The reigai’s expression hardens. “He and the others escaped, but now they’ve returned. I feared the original had come to steal you away, so I rushed over here to check you were all right.”

Momo barely has a moment to be relieved. They’d have to fight themselves, knowing all their weaknesses and strengths. “And what of my clone? If I won’t be replaced, what becomes of her if you reigai win?”

He shakes his head, his fist clenching. “Kageroza created two reigai versions of you.”

Her world sways. Her grip becomes shaky again, the blade slipping to aim at his abdomen. “W-What? Why?”

“A cruel trick,” the reigai explains, “but a necessary one. I didn’t understand Kageroza’s thinking at first. I disagreed with him making clones of you. However, Kageroza knew my original couldn’t kill anything in your image, so he would use them to kill him. They were his enemies and weren’t truly you, but they looked and acted like you. He wouldn’t dare to harm them, not after what he did to you. My original was injured by the time he confronted Kageroza, so it almost worked.” He glares at the floor. “However, we found their remains after the originals escaped. He didn’t kill them, I know he couldn’t have, but someone else did.” His clenched fist shakes. “He allowed them to be killed. How could he?”

There’s something in his tone that believes she would be just as horrified and angry about this, but all she can think about is that her clones had attacked Toshiro with the intention to kill him. They had wounded him, but surely he must have defended himself against them, drawn his blade and fought them.

“If anything, this has shown me what I have always known.” The reigai steps forward and pushes Tobiume aside. Momo tries to push against him, but when he applies more pressure he sword falls to the floor. She goes to dive for her weapon, but is stopped by the strong hold of the reigai. He pushes her back to a seat. She thrashes and tries to loosen his hold, until one of his hands brushes over her cheek. She freezes, utterly taken aback by the gentleness of the gesture.

“I had no attachment to your reigai, they were not you and I do not share my original’s guilt over his actions against you. He allowed them to be killed, but I wouldn’t. Please believe me when I say I’d never hurt you, I only want to keep you safe.”

The softness in his familiar eyes, his vulnerability and closeness, makes her anger ebb away and pity take its place. He’s a clone, programmed to be identical to Toshiro in appearance and manner, he had no choice in who he is. Can she convince him to not go after the Shinigami? What then? If the Shinigami won this fight, what would become of this reigai and the others that survived? Even if the reigai didn’t wish to fight their original counterparts, she knows deep down they can’t be allowed to live.

It’s obvious to her the only reason Toshiro’s reigai exists is to aid in Kageroza’s mission, but to him he believes he exists to protect her and claim Toshiro’s place as captain of the tenth division. If he really is like Toshiro, when had her protection become such a priority? Was it since the Winter War or even before then? Was it just unique to this reigai? Against her will, tears blur her vision. She bows her head, trying to hide them from the reigai.

“Don’t cry,” he whispers, drawing her closer. “This will be all over soon. I won’t let him, my original, or anyone else hurt you again.”

The last time she saw Toshiro flashes before her eyes. She’d been in agony, fading in and out of consciousness. Without thinking she had asked him “Shiro…chan…why?” His expression morphed from shock to utter horror, a whimper trembled from his lips, making her hazily realise that he’d never intended for this to happen to her. He doesn’t hate her, doesn’t want her dead. How could she have ever thought that? Then just before her senses faded to black, she heard him scream. It was raw, so agonised and broken she would never forget it for as long as she lived and never wanted to hear him make such a sound ever again.

The memory is enough to evaporate her pity for this imposter. Regardless of whether he could choose his identity or not, this reigai was intending to kill Toshiro and her friends. All of the reigai and Kageroza were. She takes in a shuddering, deep breath.

“Get away from me!” She uses all of her physical strength to push him away. She doesn’t focus on the hurt that flashes across the reigai’s face, instead thrusting her hands out and concentrating all of her reiatsu into her pointer fingers as she yells, “Hado one, Sho!”

The reigai doubles over and stumbles out the broken doorway into the hall. Momo pants as she grabs Tobiume. The reigai straightens, a bolt flashing across his glowing eyes. Gone is the wounded expression, now replaced by a steadfast resolve. Momo hurriedly stumbles forward, a kido chant rising from her lips as the reigai casts a kido of his own. A flash momentarily blinds her, and her arms slam into a barrier.

“When this is all over, I will make you understand.” The reigai steps right up to the barrier. “For now though, I will not make the same mistake as my original. He cast a kyomon, believing you wouldn’t follow and that you would be safe from your enemies. He thought he knew you, but he didn’t.”

“No,” Momo groans, smacking a fist on the orange surface, and then another, and then another. She recognises the barrier the reigai cast; it doesn’t allow anyone to get in or get out. She’s trapped. “Don’t do this! Leave them alone!” Desperately, she keeps hitting, even as her voice cracks and a tear spills down her cheek. “Please.”

The reigai puts a hand on the surface, millimeters from touching her. “Hinamori, I understand they’re your friends, but so long as they exist, we reigai cannot. You’ve always been so open and easily able to make close bonds with those around you. You deserve to be happy and protected from anything that dares to hurt you. You made my original who he is…and therefore you’ve made me who I am.”

She’s dumbfounded by his words, stopping her barrage. Her emotions are in a state of flux, anger and pity and confusion all swirling within her, making her dizzy. She half leans on the barrier.

The reigai raises his bracelet arm. “As I said, we reigai are copies of the originals, but better, stronger. This lowers my reiatsu, but the moment I take it off you’d see how much stronger I am than the original. I will become better than I am now, and even better than him.” His voice drops an octave. “He hurt you, and I never have. He’s training to become strong enough to protect you, but I am already stronger than him. He was too much of a coward to try to visit you while you recovered, but I am here. He doesn’t deserve to be by your side, he’s pathetic and weak. He almost killed you.” He presses his forehead to the barrier, shutting his eyes as he vows, “Until this battle is over, please rest. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, to make sure you’re always safe and happy. No one will ever hurt you again.”

She watches speechless as the reigai steps away, activates his bankai. He blasts a hole in the wall and leaps into the air with a flap of his wings before the last of the debris hits the barrier.

All of the adrenaline rushes out of her, leaving her more fatigued and pained then she was before. With wincing groan, she collapses on to her knees, almost dropping Tobiume again.

Master! Her zanpakuto cries out. You over did it.

She grimaces while plunging her blade into the floorboards and uses it to draw herself up to a quivering hunch. She concentrates her reiatsu into an outstretched hand.

Don’t, Tobiume warns, you’ll only weaken yourself further. The barrier he cast covers all the walls, floor and ceiling. Save your strength, Master.

Sweat beads on her temple. The reigai thought he’d protected her here, but when it was her allies who were his enemy, he had really trapped her here. “How can I? Everyone is out there fighting, and those who were looking after me are injured. I need to check on them.”

They’re okay, their reiatsu is stable. He didn’t kill them.

“Even so…” She flattens her hand against the barrier, using the reiatsu gathered in her palm to break through it. Pain bursts in her hand, but with a cry, she lurches forward, forcing more reiatsu into the barrier. It might have been her imagination or her fatigue getting the better of her, but she swears for a second it distorts. It doesn’t matter, because agony rips up her arm and she’s sent falling back. The force of her failed attempt is enough to dislodge Tobiume from the floor and turn Momo’s determined cry into a howl of pain.

She lies on the floor for a moment, letting go of her weapon to clutch her arm, trying to work past the pain. After what felt like an hour she’s able to come to a seat.

Master!

She finally registers that Tobiume is calling out to her. She shakes and bows her head. She’s never felt so alone, so helpless. “Why am I so useless again?”

You’re not useless! Recovering isn’t weakness. Right now you don’t have the strength to break this barrier. Even if you somehow succeeded, you know what would happen if we tried to join the fight. You always have faith in the others to succeed, so have faith now in your friends and subordinates now. They will be okay, you will see them again.

Tobiume’s words bring some comfort, enough to make her consider not risking another try at breaking the barrier and causing her mended wounds to reopen. She doesn’t remember crawling over to the bed, nor trying to pull herself up to it and giving up, but next thing she knows she’s resting her head on the side of mattress. She has a loose grip on Tobiume, who’s voice is getting weaker as she tries to call out to her. With her eyes barely open, all she sees is the orange tint of the barrier in her doorway, and the hazy image of the hole the reigai had blown away to escape.

Consciousness is gradually fading. The pain pulses through her chest and flows into her limbs. It hurts too much, even to breathe. She really has overdone it this time. She wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for the threat that her friends had to face; or maybe it was because the appearance one of the enemies took on.

Her face crumbles in sorrow. Upon initially awaking the in the twelfth division, she didn’t know if she really wanted to see him right away. She knew it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t shake the memory of Hyourinmaru piercing through her chest, even when she remembered how agonised he was. She knew in time she would have to face him, and all she hoped for was that they could move on from this, just as they had been trying to move on from Aizen’s betrayal.

Now she wishes she had seen him sooner.

Toshiro’s reigai had tried to get her to turn against the original by pointing out his weaknesses, but all he succeeded in doing was making her realise just how tormented her childhood friend was. He wants to protect her, was trying to become stronger to accomplish this. Maybe the very fact the reigai lamented on the original’s failures shows where Toshiro’s mind is at. He kept saying he wouldn’t hurt her; was the real Toshiro that afraid of hurting her again?

It’s on this thought she loses the inner battle to keep her eyes open. The last thing Momo sees before everything turns to black is a silhouette outside of her doorway.

______________________________________

She wakes to the sound of a kido barrier breaking from far away. Rushing footsteps echo all around her, voices too muffled to make out what they were saying or who they belonged to. They sound far away, like she’s hearing them through the other end of a tunnel. She’s faintly aware of someone gently shaking her shoulder. She tries to open her eyes but gives up, it still hurts too much to move. The voices grow quieter but more frantic.

She sinks back into the dark, only awakening again when she feels herself being hauled up from the ground. She recognises the stiffness of the mattress as she’s laid down on it. The aches in her limbs have lessen since she was last conscious. Warmth glides over her collarbone, comforting and lessening the pains in her chest. Many different reiatsu emanate through the air, but she doesn’t have enough of her senses to distinguish them yet. The voices phase in and out of her awareness, but after a moment they become clearer.

“I’ve asked for a stretcher to take her to our intensive ward.” Isane. She sounds hoarse, as though she’d been yelling too much. “They should be here in twenty minutes,” she continues. “All we can do in the meantime is monitor her. I assume she was unconscious by the time you got to her?”

“Yes.” Rangiku. “We tried to wake her but no luck.”

“Well, thankfully that kido protected her from all the battles,” Isane says. “She must have put it up herself when the twelfth division came under attack.”

“It would have been a lot of strain on her.”

“I only assume it’s her because the two officers that were attacked five rooms down from hers wouldn’t be able to cast a kido that powerful.”

“The officer who found her says he tried to diffuse it but it was too powerful him,” Rangiku says. “It took me and the Captain to break it.”

Momo wills her eyes to open, a groan escaping as she tries. Isane and Rangiku say her name as she blinks, clearing her vision. Her friends are at her bedside, Isane sitting and Rangiku standing next to her. In her peripheral one one side is Tobiume, propped up against the wall next to the head of the bed, and below is the teal glow of healing kido, coming from Isane’s palms that hover over her collar bone. Said lieutenant diffuses the spell and draws her hands back.

“Isane-san…Rangiku-san,” Momo croaks.

“Hinamori-san,” Isane says, smiling widely. “It’s good you’re awake.”

“How’re you feeling?” Rangiku adds.

Momo can’t find the will to smile back despite her happiness at seeing them. “My chest hurts.”

Isane winces in sympathy. “I’ve done all I can to lessen the pain. I had to replace your bandages after I inspected your chest wound, but thankfully it hasn’t reopened. Once we get you back to the fourth division, we’ll be able to do more.”

She nods and looks past her friends to the doorway. Through it she sees one other building is damaged, it’s walls crumbled and its veranda roof slanted to the ground, and beyond that is the setting sun. With a frown she attempts to sit up. “What’s going on?”

Isane gingerly puts a hand around her shoulders and nods her head towards the pillow. Rangiku quickly arranges it so Momo can sit back against it. “We can’t tell you everything now,” Isane says, “but the twelfth division came under attack. What do you last remember?”

It only takes several seconds for all of it come back to her. Her lull of confusion flies away, and in its place is dread. “The reigai…” She whips her head back to them. Blood starts to drain from her face as she stares at their concerned expression. “Are you…?” She’s too afraid to finish. She might be in the presence of reigai, and if she shows her awareness she has no idea what they’ll do with her.

Both are too stunned to answer at first. However, when it dawns on them, they’re quick to raise their arms. “Neither of us are reigai, see.”

No bracelets. Momo doesn’t allow her guard to drop immediately, half expecting their eyes to flash blue.  

Seeing this, Isane explains. “The reigai and their leader have been defeated. It seems all of our subordinates had figured out we’d been replaced and planned a coordinated attack on the reigai. It’s incredible they managed to keep the whole thing under the radar for as long as they did. Right now we’re treating everyone who was injured in the battles.

Momo practically sags with relief. “Thank goodness.” Her rationality was only half with her. If they were reigai, why would they heal her? And the reiatsu emanating from the lieutenants were familiar, the ones she knew. Her friends were here, they’re safe. But what about…? “My subordinates,” she gasps. “Do you know if they’re all right?”

Isane shakes her head. “We have many wounded from the battles, and I don’t know the numbers yet for your division. Last I heard for your division was a few have critical injuries, but nothing fatal.”

“I see.” There was nothing she could have done, but Momo still can’t help but feel responsible for not being there to lead and look out for them.

“How did you know about the reigai?” Isane asks. “Did one them attack you? Or did one of the twelfth division officers tell you about them before they went to battle?”

Rangiku’s brows pinch in concern. “You did put up the barrier, didn’t you?”

Momo shakes her head. “N-No, I didn’t. It was the reigai, he did it before he left. I tried to break it down but…I couldn’t.”

Isane eyes widen in surprise. “A reigai did that? Why would he-”

“It was my Captain’s reigai, wasn’t it?”

Isane’s brows shoot up to her hairline when Momo nods at Rangiku. “How did you know?”

Rangiku’s lips thin into a straight line. “We were worried this might happen. Captain Kuchiki confronted one of the Captain’s reigai. He said he kept proclaiming he was going to protect someone.” Her small smile is knowing. “It didn’t take too many guesses to figure out who the reigai meant.”

Isane gives a pensive grunt. “He didn’t harm you from what I can see.”

“No, we just talked.” Momo didn’t know how to feel about Rangiku’s words. Maybe once upon a time she would have been embarrassed or surprised, but given what she learned from Toshiro’s reigai, her stomach churns in worry.

She glances past her friends. “Where’s Shiro? I can sense him nearby.” She doesn’t even realise she’s used his nickname, and neither of her friends comment on it.

“He’s just outside,” Rangiku reassures.  “A few of our subordinates were injured near here, he’s with them.”

“Oh, I see.” She won’t take him away from that, he needs to be with them.

“Speaking of which, I should go check on them.” Isane stands from the chair and bows. “I’m glad you’re all right and awake. We’ll be transporting you to the fourth division soon. Please just rest here for now and don’t move too much.”

Momo bows her head. “Thank you, Kotetsu-san. I’m really grateful for your help.”

The fourth division lieutenant leaves and Rangiku takes her place closer to Momo. “It’s been a long day,” she bemoans after collapsing in the chair. “I’m exhausted.”

Her exaggerated manner gets a small smile out of Momo. “You’ll sleep well then, I guess.”

The older lieutenant chuckles. “Yeah, I will.”

For a moment they sit in silence. Momo feels the heaviness in her limbs, the dulled pain radiating from her chest. She’s barely done anything since waking and she’s just as exhausted as Rangiku. She lolls her head to the side, gaze on the doorway.

Rangiku tips her head to her. “About the reigai who came here…”

She senses a lot of questions at the end of that sentence. She waits for several heartbeats, but when she doesn’t continue, she recounts what happened in the two weeks before today and her confrontation with the reigai Toshiro. She left out what the reigai exactly said about the original Toshiro, just what he told her about the Kageroza and the reigai army.

“Then he put up the barrier and left,” Momo concludes. “I tried to break the kido but I didn’t have enough reiatsu. While I was waking up just now, I heard you and Captain Hitsugaya broke it.”

Rangiku straightens, leaning her elbows on her knees. Her hair tumbles over her shoulders, and she has to hook it behind her ear. “Yeah, it wasn’t easy. We got word from a twelfth division officer who came to find help.”

“Do you know who it was? I have to thank them. The only other person I sensed here aside from Rin-san and Touka-san was Kagura-kun.”

“I think that’s who it was. Anyway, we were near the twelfth because of our wounded subordinates. We’d already ask for someone from the fourth to come. Kagura found us and we followed him to you. You were unconscious when we found you, tried to wake you. Isane came a few minutes later.” Her brows furrow, considering her next words for a beat. “The barrier the reigai put up, he did it to protect you, didn’t it?”

Her look says she already knows the answer, but she wants to hear it from Momo. In doing so, she may have to reveal how he spoke about his original counterpart. Rangiku would likely know Toshiro’s mental state better than Momo did – she spent more time with, especially since Momo became a lieutenant. “He wanted to protect me everyone else. He said Hitsugaya-kun has been training to become stronger to protect me. Is that…is that true?”

Rangiku’s gaze flits down to the floorboards. “He has been training a lot more lately, though I can’t say for what reason.”

Momo nods solemnly, deciding to drop the subject. “Well, regardless of his reasons, I just hope he isn’t pushing himself too hard, especially after this. It must have been worse for Hitsugaya-kun when confronting the reigai. Kageroza created two clones of me to kill him. They were defeated, but he was hurt by them. It was a cruel tactic to use.”

“No one ever said Kageroza would play fair. The Captain is okay now. He was a bit shaken but he kept going to confront Kageroza.”

“He’s amazing, he always has been.”

“He is, but you’re not too bad yourself, you know? Confronting a reigai version of him wouldn’t be easy, to say the least. I can’t imagine what it was like to wake up and see him, thinking it the real Hitsugaya until you realise it’s not. I’m glad he didn’t hurt you.”

She remembers her sense of powerlessness, how she was so exhausted he was able to push Tobiume out of her grasp and hold her in place. “I couldn’t stop him though.”

“No one expected you to.”

“Well, maybe they should have.” She didn’t mean to snap and take her feelings fo frustration out on Rangiku. She gives her an apologetic look, but Rangiku waits, folding her arms and sitting back.

Momo presses her lips together in a thin line. “Before today and more so now, I was scared. It seemed everyone was moving on, and I was still stuck in the past. After I recover, I don’t know if I’ll be a worthy lieutenant anymore. I don’t know who the new captain will be, or if they’ll want to have me around.”

Rangiku blinks in disbelief. “Of course they will! Where did this come from?” She calms with a sigh. “It didn’t help that twelfth division didn’t let me see you when I or the others tried to visit, but you should know everyone is moving on at their own pace. We won’t leave you behind, not ever. We’re here for…”

Momo stops listening when she notices someone in the doorway.

Rangiku halts and also turns to look. “Oh, Captain. How long have you been there?”

He looks almost identical to how the reigai reacted to seeing her – wide eyes, hair dishevelled, shocked. Despite knowing the reigai were defeated, seeing him like this only feeds into the small insecurity that maybe, just maybe, it’s not the real Toshiro. He enters the room, but doesn’t go much further then a few steps. “Hinamori.”

She doesn’t respond immediately. “Hello, Hitsug – I mean, Captain Hitsugaya.”

How much did he hear? The air is thick with nerves. Neither breaks their stare at the other, not even when Rangiku stands. “I’ll watch over our officers.”

On her way out she stops to put a hand her captain’s shoulder. “Take your time.” She nods at Momo with a smile. “We’ll talk more about that later, okay?”

Momo glances at her friend and nods back in return.

Even after Rangiku disappears from sight, Toshiro doesn’t move. “Kotetsu said you were awake. Are you all right?”

Her smile is wobbly, and without thinking she rests a loose fist over her chest. “Yes, for the most part.”

Toshiro’s brow lifts in a concerned frown. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m okay, just need some treatment at the fourth division. They’ll be here soon to take me.”

“They should get here quicker.”

Another silence. He opens his mouth to say something, only to close it. She’s never seen him so unsure, and she’s never been this nervous around him before. She’s knows deep down it’s really him, but she needs to quell this doubt. He can’t stay there, and she can’t keep her worry at bay. Whether he chooses to stay or go is up to him.

She leans forward just enough to tap the chair. “Can you come over here? Unless of course you…you don’t want to.” Her voice involuntarily cracks on the last few words. She winces and clutches the front of her robe when her heart starts to race; the dulled pain becomes sharp for an instant.

It’s enough to make him rush to her bedside. “Lie back!”

She does, breathing as evenly as she can to ease the pain. He goes to help ease her back, but stops himself. “Just rest, you don’t have to talk.”

When the pain is manageable, she holds her free hand out to him. She lets the implication sink in before she implores, “Please? For just a moment.”

After a moment’s hesitation he complies. He sits in the chair and holds her hand. His fingers barely graze hers, but it’s all she needs. His hand is cold, at the temperature she knows. She could weep with relief but manages to hold herself together enough to just sigh. “Thank goodness.”

He looks at their joined hands in bewilderment. “Why?”

“Your reigai found me. I already told Rangiku-san what happened, she’ll explain later. I knew he wasn’t you because his body temperature was higher than yours.”

He shakes his head, terror shooting through his eyes. “How would you…did he hurt you?”

“No, no of course didn’t hurt me.”

“What mean ‘of course’?”

“Because I know you’d never hurt me.”

“I already have!”

He rarely shouts at her, and never like this. So pained, so scared. Something in her expression makes him choke. He half turns away from her. “I shouldn’t have come. I had to though. When the twelfth division officer found us and told us you were injured, I had to come. After everything that’s happened, I had to.”

Some part of her had hoped the words the reigai spoke weren’t true. Now knowing they were, she can’t hold back anymore. “You never meant to hurt me in the first place, and I know you’d never hurt me intentionally. I know what happened, and it wasn’t your fault.”

She leans away from the pillow again, and brings him into a hug before he can say anything. He goes stiff, but she’s patient and her hold is loose enough for him if he chooses to pull away. “You had to fight against my reigai. I wish I could have been there to fight alongside you and my subordinates.”

He tips his head, his chin brushing her shoulder. “I’m glad you weren’t out there. I didn’t want you to get involved in anything of it. Not after…” He lets out a shuddering breath, on the verge of a sob. His arms wind around her. “I’m sorry.”

She tightens her hold and buries her face in his shoulder. “I know.”

“I won’t hurt you ever again.” Despite having the same voice as the reigai, hearing a similar sorrowful proclaimation is different coming from Toshiro.

“I was sorry for everything I did against you, and you forgave me, said it wasn’t my fault. It’s the same now with you.” She could tell him everything his reigai had told her. She could reassure him that he doesn’t need to become stronger for her sake. She could tell him he wasn’t a coward for not coming to see her sooner. None of these would touch on the core problem.

The hatred his reigai had for him was really be hatred for himself. But to also know he wants to protect her, to ensure her safety and happiness, even when she is the way she is now, and perhaps even before all of this…

She pulls away to look into his eyes, wanting her voice to be clear for him to hear. “You’ve had to carry so much on your shoulders, even when we were kids. I didn’t always show it, but for as long as I’ve known you, I’ve always admired your strength to press forward. You’re always able to move forward far quicker than anyone else I know. You’re also there for everyone, even if it’s from afar, whether it’s me, Rangiku-san, your subordinates, or Souls you guide to the Rukongai. Now I want to be there for you. I want us to stay together.”

He shakes his head, not in denial, but in disbelief. “Why are you saying this?”

“I regret so many things now, both in recent times and in the past, but not once have I regret having you be a part of my life. Whether you’re weak or strong, I want you to stay in my life. I know you’d do the same for me. You already have.” She can’t repress the sobs anymore. She tightens her hold, willing him to see and feel the truth in her words.

Unshed tears make his eyes glassy. “I should have come to see you sooner.”

“It’s okay, you’re here now.” She holds gently grabs and holds his hands in the small space between them. “The twelfth division wouldn’t have allowed you in anyway. I knew we’d have to see each other again at some point. I’m just glad we’re both alive and can see each other.”

He leans forward, resting his forehead against hers. “Me too,” he whispers.

They sit in silence until the fourth division medics arrive with a stretcher. They reluctantly let go of each other when the officers enter the room. She wipes her tears while Toshiro stands aside. After one of the medics questions her about her condition, Toshiro speaks.

“When you recover, I know you’ll still be a lieutenant.”

Momo tilts her head. “You overheard me and Rangiku-san then?”

“I just heard your doubts about being a lieutenant again.”

“And what makes you think I will be?”

His gaze turns fierce. “Because you earned your position through hard work and determination. They’re the qualities of a good lieutenant, one any captain would be proud to have working for them. If somehow your next captain is a fool, I know many people will vouch for you.”

In the minute they have left, she takes his hand again. “Thank you. It will take a while for me to fully recover. When I do though, we should visit the Junrinan together.”

“Yeah, sure.” He watches the medics setting up the stretcher. “Before then though, I’ll visit you.”

She smiles and for the first time in a while, it’s a wide, steady one. She’s not alone anymore. She has her friends, and she has him. She can finally start to move forward with them into an uncertain future. “I’ll look forward to it.”

[hitsuhina-week]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Themes & Dates

Hi all,

After drawing the themes using a random number generator, I’ve finalised the date and themes for this Years Hitsuhina Week:

Dates: Monday 14th December - Sunday 20th December

Themes

[14th December] Day 1- Our Days in the Junrinan / Holiday

[15th December] Day 2- Reveal / AU

[16th December] Day 3 - Summer / Winter

[17th December] Day 4 - Fury / Hug

[18th December] Day 5 - Petrichor / Bonfire

[19th December] Day 6 - Halcyon / Paperwork

[20th December] Day 7 & Gift Exchange* - Birthday / Red Strings

*Registration for the Gift Exchange is closed.

You can read more about this year’s themes here to get you started on thinking about what you want to create. Also please take the time to read the rules and guidelines here.

Like with last year, you will have a choice of two themes per date. This is so you if you feel that one particular theme doesn’t inspire any ideas for you. However, if you’re feeling up to it, you can create a submission for each theme if both inspire you, or somehow incorporate both themes together into a submission.

Reblog this post to spread the word, and if you have any questions, feel free to message this blog or my one. Again, let’s make this year’s Hitsuhina Week another fantastic one!

- Admin Rays ❄️

[rays-of-fire-and-ice]

Hitsuhina Day 2021 - Planning

Hi everyone,

I’m going to start planning Hitsuhina Day. Like previous it will be held over two days (to allow for timezones) and will have several themes to inspire anyone who wishes to participate. I am open to suggestions for how it should be run this year? Should I mix things up and change the structure of the day somehow?

I’m thinking the day will be held either on 20th-21st Feb, 27th-28th Feb, or 6th-7th March. Do any of these dates work better for you?

How many themes do you think we should have? I was also thinking of just using some of the themes that didn’t get picked for Hitsuhina Week 2020 (divisions, first day on the job, worst day on the job, paperwork, training, technique, kido, 4th division, recruitment, starburst, aftermath, cynosure, epiphany, first date, flowers, festival, spinning-stops, smoke, fog, everlasting, nickname, hair, zombie, seasons,  "If you make Momo bleed I'll kill you", hot and cold, fire and ice, smile, nightmare, and family ), what do you all think about this?

Please reblog or comment with any ideas or suggestions!

[hitsuhina-week]

Thanks for participating!! + Update

Hitsuhina Week 2020 has now come to a close, but considering the year it’s been and how busy December can be, any late submissions/pieces for the week will be accepted throughout all of January. So if you didn’t get a chance to make something for the week, you still have some time in January to do so.

Thank you to @canariie, @xxhanabifireworksxx, @lemonadethefifthart, and @tinaillustrations for participating this year, all of your submissions were fantastic! Thank you also to everyone who liked and reblogged the pieces these creators made :D

As always, I’ll see you around the same time next year to do this all over again. IN the meantime, keep an eye out for Hitsuhina Day and the Hitsuhina Exchange in the new year.

- Admin Rays ❄️

[hitsuhina-week]

Hitsuhina Week 2020 has begun!!

Start posting your pieces for day 1 and don’t forget to tag it with either ‘Hitsuhina week’ or ‘hitsuhina week 2020′! As with other years, we’ll begin each day with a question to answer (either by reblogging or commenting on the post).

For today’s question:

For newcomers to Hitsuhina Week, when and how did you start shipping Hitsuhina? For those who have participated before, what’s your favorite piece you have done for a previous Hitsuhina Week?