Log; Complete

[backwards.livejournal.com]

When; Today
Rating; PG at most?
Characters; Hinamori Momo [hajikemomo] and Kira Izuru [backwards]
Summary; Kira and Hinamori attempt to come to terms with the recent events at Soul Society and get stuck together in the process.
[Note! Pretty major spoilers for the end of the Soul Society arc of Bleach are mentioned here, just fyi :3]
Log;

Kira stood before the large window in the common area of the apartment he shared with Hinamori, gazing into the streets below. It was just dawn, and even he had to admit that the way the sunlight coloured the city in the early hours of the morning was something worth seeing. Wabisuke was balanced carefully against the wall beside him, also taking in the view. This time of day seemed to be the quietest for the city, and it was a pleasant change from the norm. Absently, he took note of Hinamori's reiatsu; she had woken up. As much as he could appreciate solitude, it was nice to always have someone nearby.

Hinamori groaned when she realized what time it was. Too early. She glanced over to the window, double checking that Tobiume was still there. She almost wished it wouldn't be, but quickly shoved those thoughts aside as she slipped out of bed. It wouldn't be worth trying to fall back asleep, and the small shinigami didn't even think about trying as she grabbed her robes and started changing. Hinamori glanced again at the window when she was done and padded over, kneeling in front of her zanpakuto before whispering, "morning. I'm sorry I've been such a grouch recently."

Her sword ignored her and Hinamori sighed, grabbing it roughly and throwing it across the room. "Fine. Be mean in return," she grumbled, moving to fix her hair into its normal bun. "See if I ever try talking to you again. You're as horrid as Shiroi-chan." She turned her back on the zanpakuto, pulling open the curtains and letting the early light spill into the room. But Hinamori couldn't resist a glancing back at the discarded sword and she inhaled sharply, feeling very silly. "Forgive me. I just... There's lots of things. We'll talk about it after breakfast, okay?" She smiled warmly, picking up the slightly unsheathed zanpakuto. But it wasn't as quick to forgive as she wished and she dropped it, grabbing her hand. "Ouch...” She glared at the blade for a moment before checking the wound. "Shallow. Next time, slice my finger off, stupid." Hinamori sighed, holding a tissue to the cut before angrily sheathing the blade. She opened the door as she mumbled to the sword, "you'd better behave today."

Kira looked to the door of Hinamori's room as it opened and smiled. "Good morning. It's pretty early... did I wake you up?" He asked apologetically, noting the frustrated look on her face as she crossed the threshold. He turned away from the window to face her. Wabisuke murmured something about stubborn swords and Kira frowned, stopping himself from chiding his soul slayer for being rude. "Is... Tobiume giving you trouble?"

"A-ah, Kira-kun!" She hadn't even realized he was up too. Some kidou master she was - even if she were distracted with Tobiume that didn't mean she shouldn't have been able to sense Kira's reiatsu. She smiled nervously, shaking her head. "N-no, it's nothing. Tobiume's fine. And, you didn't. Really, don't worry about it." She played with her sheath, standing in the doorway feeling exceptionally awkward as she struggled to come up with something else to say to the other shinigami.

"Umm... would you like something for breakfast?" She managed to get out at last, glancing over at him.

"I'm sorry, did I surprise you?" If her behaviour was any indication, it was pretty clear that it was more than "nothing," but she seemed to be trying her best to avoid the subject, so he dropped it easily, pretending not to notice. "Ah, alright. Breakfast sounds good. I'll help." He made his way over to the once-small kitchen of the apartment which had become significantly larger since the "higher-up" deity had visited to the city and began browsing through their cabinets, taking stock of what they had. "What should we make?"

Hinamori followed behind slowly, giving Tobiume a reproachful glare as she set it down by the sofa on her way. "Ah, Kira-kun, it's fine! You don't have to!" She shook her head, stray hair already falling out of the rushed attempt of a bun she'd managed to force this morning. "Really, please, don't worry yourself. I'll take care of it!"

"It's no problem." He smiled over his shoulder at her, "You always cook, and there's nothing else to do. I'll feel bad if you don't let me help at least once." He took in her progressively more and more disheveled state and sighed. It was pretty obvious something was wrong, but he didn’t want to be nosy. "Actually, why don’t you let me do all of it today? You look like you could use a break."

The smaller shinigami frowned, pondering over the situation. Kira could be pretty stubborn at times, and she could do with a quick trip to the bathroom to get a plaster. "Okay, Kira-kun," she managed at last, forcing a small smile. "I'll be back in a second. Thank you." She turned, glancing at Tobiume as he headed for the bathroom. Hinamori really, really hoped that it would forget its grudge and soon.

"No problem." He went back to trying to figure out what to make, shaking his head. For such a small, sweet looking girl, Hinamori often strived to hide her problems and deal with them on her own. It was admirable, but at the same time worrisome. He looked over the labels and different ingredients on things, trying to remember what he was decent at making and what he had no hope of pulling off. He ran his fingers through his hair and reached for one box, hesitated, and let his hand drop back to his side, deciding to wait for Hinamori to come back out and ask her what she would like.

She sighed, wiping off the blood before sticking the plaster over the small cut. She didn't even feel hungry, so quite why she'd suggested breakfast was beyond her. But things hadn't really been going smoothly between the two so the normality that came with breakfast should help. Hinamori nodded to herself, determined to make sure that Kira didn't feel like anything was wrong, and headed back to the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, she held back a giggle before saying, "it smells really good, Kira-kun."

"Eh?" Kira turned around, confused, before seeing the look on her face. He took note of the bandage on her hand as well, but looked away from it quickly. If she wanted him to know, she’d tell him. "Jeez…" He gave her a small smile, "I wasn’t sure what to make, so… Does anything sound good to you?"

"Ahh, honestly, Kira-kun." She shooed him, pulling out some bread and putting it in the toaster. "I'm not really hungry, so it's fine." She glanced over at him, trying her best not to laugh. But it was good to see that he could still smile at such a silly joke and she couldn't help but smile in return.

"Oh...” Kira looked a little disappointed for a second that he wouldn't get to cook, but he shrugged and peered over her shoulder at the toaster before sitting down. "Not hungry? Are you sure you’re feeling alright?"

"Yeah... I'm more tired than anything. It's nothing though, really." She hated it, hated herself for saying it over and over to him, but she just couldn't bring herself to tell him what had happened between her and Tobiume. The dark haired shinigami busied herself, rummaging about in the cupboards for butter, two plates and knives without glancing over at Kira. Hinamori really didn't know what to say to him - hadn't at all since the day he'd gone to the underground. The whole thing was a touchy subject that kept threatening to spill over. And Tobiume wasn't helping much either.

But for Kira's sake, if nothing else, she wasn't going to let the stubborn zanpakuto ruin anything.

Kira frowned, feeling a little frustrated. He let his fingers run over the smooth surface of the table, tracing random lines and casting worried glances at her every once in awhile. What more could he do? Maybe she had found out about Ichimaru-taichou. He watched the way she moved methodically; it almost seemed like she was avoiding looking at him. He considered saying something, but decided against it -- even if that were the case, talking about it would probably only make it worse, and if not, he'd add a whole new problem on top of whatever it was that was bothering her. "You didn't have to wake up so early..." He murmured half-heartedly, knowing that wasn't her real problem.

She held her breath, a pained look crossing her face before she forced a smile, turning to look at the other shinigami while she waited for the toaster to ping. "I know. I just... did. I've been exhausted recently for no reason anyway... I figured there was no point going back to bed." She turned her gaze to the ground, still struggling to find the right words for Kira. Hinamori still didn't want to tell him about the bankai attempt - she hadn't even really wanted Rangiku to know, if it could have been helped. And with Gin hanging around she found it even harder to talk to her two friends, aware that almost anything she said could be taken the wrong way. But Kira looked downcast and - from the look she snuck - worried. Hinamori racked her brain desperately for something, anything to say to him that would be both reassuring and put a smile back on his face.

"Aah... Maybe you've been worrying about too many things." He gave her a sincere smile. "You're the kind to do that, Hinamori. You have to remember there's only so much you can do here... If you exhaust yourself worrying about everything, you won't be able to do anything. Taking care of yourself should come before anything else." He paused, unable to shake the feeling that it was hypocritical of him to say something like that. "If you have something to say, please... say it. It's hard to see you like this." His voice was quiet and he couldn't quite look her in the eye as he spoke.

"...Maybe." She smiled in return, choosing to ignore his inability to look at her. She was sort of used to it by now, as bad as that may be. The toaster called attention, however, and she gave it, placing Kira's plate down first before seating herself across from the blonde. "It's going to take time, Kira-kun. We've all been hurt by the things that happened in Seireitei and it doesn't help that we've wound up here. I know we need to talk... both of us. But it's going to take time." Hinamori took a deep breath, waiting for his reaction patiently.

Kira watched her quietly for a long moment, nudging the plate before him but not moving to eat. "Are you angry at me?" He asked, quietly. He didn't need to find out what about, just a yes or no answer would do. The more he thought about it, the more he realized she had hundreds of reasons to be unhappy with him. She probably didn't trust him to keep away from his captain, either, and it pained him to realize that the mistrust was entirely called for. He looked up into her eyes, an apology in his own for all the things he had done and anything he might do in the future.

If she was somewhat disappointed by his reply she didn't show it. She shook her head, eyeing her own plate warily. She really didn't feel like eating, the more she thought about it. "No, Kira. Why would you think that? ...Should I be?" Just thinking about saying it took all her strength and courage, and so she was somewhat surprised when the words slipped out, even quieter than his question. Hinamori almost wanted to take them back but at the same time... she really wanted to know why Kira would think her frustrations were directed at him.

"How am I supposed to know?" He asked, unable to hold back the slight tone of irritation in his voice. "How do I know what you'd be angry at? You don't tell me anything. I don't know what you're thinking at all." He paused for a moment and carefully continued, voice calmer than before. "You say 'the things that happened' and 'we need to talk' but that's all. I don't know what that means. I can't read minds." He said with a humorless laugh, "If anything, I'm the last person in Soul Society who would be able to." He looked at her evenly. "Wabisuke says there's something wrong between you and Tobiume. It's not my business, but when you act this way... As a friend, I... have to say something."

She cringed at his tone of voice, glancing off to the side. "I... I'm sorry, Kira-fukutaicho. I just wanted to give you space, give me time to think about it." Her voice quavered and she gritted her teeth, determined to see this through. "My zanpakuto may be grumpy, but I'd rather be left in a room with her right now, over Gin. I'd rather deal with a hundred annoyed Tobiume's then ever have to hear that name again. But every time I see you... every time I talk to you... It hurts because I remember wanting to kill him. And you stopping me." Hinamori sighed, fists tightly clenched and nails biting into her palms in an attempt to restrain herself.

"I don't understand you sometimes, Kira-fukutaicho. And that scares me." Tears were once again threatening to spill past her eyes and she couldn't stand the conversation any more. "I'm sorry. Truly, I am. As your friend, and as a fellow vice-captain." She stood, giving him once last small, sad glance as she left the kitchen, trying her hardest to calm herself down.

Kira stayed where he was for a moment, chest tightening. And you stopping me. He stared at the place she had been sitting. He was the worst, wasn't he? The worst, because the first thought through his head had been 'I would stop you again if I had to.' Shakily, he stood and followed her out the kitchen. "Hinamori..." He watched her where she stood, face buried in her hands. "I..." He feebly searched for the right words, torn again between the value of orders and of his own personal feelings. "I did as my post commanded me to, as vice captain of the third division. I can't apologize for that. I won't. Raising my blade against you... I regret it every time it comes to mind, but my position left me no choice." The cool, impersonal way of talking came almost too easily back to him. "Understand that, at the very least..."

She snarled as she turned to face him, anger in her teary eyes. "You were being used, Kira." Hinamori practically spat the words out before she even realized she had been thinking them. She hated him in that instant, hated everything about him and everything he did as she sought to control the whirlwind of feelings. For probably the only time she was glad Tobiume wasn't cooperating - she probably would have unsheathed by now. She knew, in so many ways, that the two of them were alike. She'd acted tough for Rangiku but if she were honestly faced by Aizen again she had no idea who her sword or her heart would belong to. And it was that - that one thought that made her realize what she'd said, and how it had come out. She calmed instantly, regretting never saying these things before. "We were both used. Aizen-taichou wanted you to kill me. You probably should've. I'll never understand why you fought me so willingly. Never, Kira. Your blind loyalty be damned."

It was almost a whisper, but she'd finally managed to say a large part of everything she'd kept bottled up. And it stung her to hear it as much as it would him. She sniffled, following it with a small, apologetic smile and a shake of her head. "I'm sorry," she added, even quieter than before as she turned to leave, not wanting to leave it there but still wanting to give Kira space. Tobiume, however, had other plans. The zanpakuto had shifted from where she'd left it, as if it wanted to be in Hinamori's way and she stumbled over the sheathed blade, not expecting it to have been this mad at her.

There were a thousand responses he had for her, then and there. He wanted to tell her how disgraceful her actions had been as a vice captain, to tell her how foolish she had been for so willingly raising her blade first against a captain, and then again against not only another captain but a longtime friend over her personal feelings. Used? Maybe. The full meaning of the word hardly registered with him. As a subordinate, he had done as he was told, and it was as simple as that. -- It wasn't simple at all, really, but in his mind right now it was cut and dry. It was the difference between Kira and Hinamori, it was the reason Wabisuke would cooperate with him while Tobiume ignored her.

The sudden anger left him feeling empty and off balance, so that when Hinamori stumbled, his reflexes took over for him, and he rushed to grab her hand and steady her so she wouldn't fall.

Her first instinct was to yell at the blade but it was overshadowed by the sudden realization that despite her words Kira had moved to aid her. She felt sick to the bottom of her stomach for what she'd said and stared at the ground, at the discarded blade, out the window. Anything but the blonde shinigami holding her hand. Something clicked as she did so and all of a sudden she was crying, tears stinging down her cheeks and she sunk to her knees, free hand reaching out for Tobiume. She held the zanpakuto out towards Kira, her gaze averted.

"If you stop me again I won't quit. Hitsugaya isn't here to stop the fight." She managed to sob out, pushing the sword towards him. "So stop it now. Take it and..." She couldn't finish the sentence, tears falling heavy as she knelt there. There was only one other thing that came to mind and so she said it, hoping he'd understand. "I'm sorry for everything that's ever been made worse by me. Including this. Here. The City. Everything. So here's your chance. I will fight Gin, Aizen, and anyone who tries to stop me otherwise. And I won't lose."

"Don't say something so foolish." He said, though his words were gentle. Any anger that had been there had dissipated – he couldn’t be angry at her at a time like this. He knelt down with her and reached out carefully, pulling the soul slayer from her hand and setting it aside before moving to pull his hand away from hers—

And then trying again, to no avail. Tug, pull, nothing. With a frown he gave it one more try. Then, a realization.

"You've… Got to be kidding me." Of all the worst times..

She glanced up at him, eyes still tearful. Confused on more than one aspect of his behaviour Hinamori tried to pull away too, only to fail as he'd already done so.

"...I really hate this place." She tugged again, hoping that it wasn't what it seemed like, but their hands held fast. She wasn't sure who to be mad at anymore - Tobiume, Kira, or the City. But given the circumstances she really hoped it wouldn't be the blonde shinigami she was currently stuck to.

"...Aah. Well..." He looked at their hands. Really, what timing. "We... do have a lot to talk about." He offered lamely, the previous argument forgotten for the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.

"I'd hit you, if I wasn't sure this isn't the end of it." She frowned, trying her best to think. But it was morning, early morning at that too. Which meant they had a whole day ahead of them. And she was already exhausted. Defeated she sighed, hanging her head. "You can go first," she offered, attempting to stand back up again, Tobiume in her unstuck hand.

He stood with her, resigned. "Let's sit down?" He suggested, already making his way towards the sofa.

"Like I have a choice," Hinamori muttered in response, being pulled along by the taller shinigami. But she let him, doing her best to not focus on how awkward the whole thing was.

He sank down on the chair along with her and gave her a long look before averting his gaze to the floor. "Hinamori... I'm sorry, but orders are orders. I don't know what else I can say. Even if you had killed Ichimaru-tai -- Ichimaru, how much would that really have changed? Aizen was the one..." He trailed off, not sure finishing his thought was the wisest choice, given their situation.

She shifted, thinking about the best way to put it. But with this topic there really wasn't an easy way around it and that was exactly what had gotten them into this stalemate anyway. "I know. He probably would have killed me anyway. It was what Aizen wanted, after all. So much so..." She shook her head, tightening her grip on his hand. "They both turned us against each other. They both need to be taken care of, along with Tousen. I won't argue against that. I know... that when the time comes I will face him again. I don't know what I'll do when it happens. But I do know I'll do my best not to let him fool me again." She took a deep breath, concentrating her gaze on the zanpakuto in her hand, unsure of what he wanted to hear beyond that.

Kira hesitated at her words. Taken care of? The ever-grinning face of his captain trickled through his mind like a small but relentless flow of water. Was he to be viewed as an enemy? Of course, part of him said. Of course he was. It was simple. But something greater tugged at him, at all of his being, and he frowned, unable to look at Hinamori. Blind loyalty be damned, was it? "I... miss the way things were." He said, quietly. It was such a worthless thing to say, but memories came to him now more than ever of Hisagi-san and Abarai-kun, Ichimaru-taichou appearing out of nowhere and finding clever ways to leave him with most of the paperwork. It was all so lighthearted and easy, and he had taken it so seriously. He missed feeling so eager to please, so ambitious. He missed being afraid. Even that, because he wasn't afraid anymore. He was just miserable. He shook his head. "Of course, everyone does. Hinamori... I won't let them hurt you ever again." If nothing else, he could promise her that, as much as he could promise he wouldn't let her harm his captain.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head once more. "Don't tell me that. Don't even think about promising that if you can't also promise to never see Gin again." She knew what was expected of her, knew what she had wanted from her life in Seireitei. Hinamori had known her place, her friends, her subordinates. She also knew it had all been taken away when Aizen had tried to kill her, if not before that. Her grip on Tobiume loosened and her free hand wandered to her stomach, covering the invisible wound she still carried as she thought about all the things she'd done - including raising her sword against Kira and Hitsugaya. "I miss everyone too, and it hurts to say it, but things will never be the same. We aren't the same, Kira-kun. I will risk losing your friendship, no matter how important it is to me, if that is what it takes for you to realize that Aizen isn't the only one behind what happened. Things are larger than us and them." She wished with all her heart she could make him see exactly what she meant but knew he probably wouldn't. And that hurt Hinamori more than any wound she'd ever received in battle.

"Hinamori." He said, quietly. He had been thinking these thoughts for a long time, but had never spoken them for fear of upsetting her. If there was any time to speak them, though, it was now. "Consider Aizen’s power. He defeated Hitsugaya-taichou so easily. If his intent had been to kill you... Don't you think you would be dead right now?" As for the rest, he would say nothing. Had he been offered a position standing beside his captain as they ascended to Hueco Mundo, he could not answer with certainty that he would not have accepted. He had been an accomplice in treason and so much more, and for all the regret it had caused him, his ties to his captain had not been completely severed. He was, in his own way, a traitor.

"Unohana-taichou was barely in time to save me. I should have died." It had taken some time and lots of not-so-figuratively-speaking bashing of her head against the wall to come to terms with the fact that Aizen had willingly attacked her, that she wasn't the one he had wanted for his vice-captain. She snuck a glance at the blonde, wiping away the last few tears. "I wanted to die... If Hitsugaya-kun hadn't... He tried so hard to make me see the truth. When Aizen turned on me, I wanted to die. Because I was foolish. Because he was all I'd ever believed in, the reason I joined the Gotei 13." Hinamori fell silent, not too sure that Kira was the person to be telling her true thoughts of Aizen to. Not that she could hurt him any further - she was already trying to prove that his former captain was less than respectable.

He looked at the smaller shinigami sadly before returning his gaze to the floor. Hinamori was strong. Far stronger than he was; it made him feel ashamed. "I… Understand what you mean." He said quietly, "And I..." He trailed off, looking out the window. He wanted to apologize again, but the words seemed empty. Words weren't enough, and he hated it. To bow before her as though all the weight brought by Wabisuke's powers fell on his shoulders and beg her forgiveness wasn't enough, because the single thought still rested easily in his mind, unable to be overthrown. He would stop her again if he had to. He remained quiet for a moment before speaking, completing his started words with a different thought. "I'm... so glad you're still alive, Hinamori."

She wanted to continue staring at the ground but his last few words had surprised her and Hinamori couldn't tear her eye off him. Not that she thought Kira would wish her dead but rather... That he had chosen to say it, and still look so unhappy. "I... Know," she responded at last, mind still whirling with conflictive thoughts. She was lying through her teeth to him in an effort to make him realize his error and it was so damn hypocritical, thinking that she could just shake off Aizen's place in her heart. There was nearly nothing that could fill that void, the emptiness she'd been left with. "Kira... what are you going to do? About what Rangiku said, the City... Do you want to go back?" It seemed like a subject change but to her the answers were as important as knowing what Aizen's next move was, and she waited as patiently as she could.

"Of course I want to go back." He said almost too quickly, without giving a thought to what he might actually want. "I'll fight beside Matsumoto-san if that's what it takes. I don't know yet. No one knows enough yet. That's why I went to the underground, to see if I could find out more..." He sighed, running his free hand through his hair. "It's hard to make a move in a situation where so little is known. I have to think about it. "

"You too, huh? I don’t know what to tell her... If I can help it, I never want to wield a sword again. Not like that." Her gaze fell on the stubborn zanpakuto at her side as it murmured in response to her - the first real thing it had said in a while. A small smile crept over Hinamori's face and she bowed her head, running her hand over the sheath. "We aren't a pair that's suited for real battle. We get along not because we want to fight, but because of the reasons and ideals for which we fight." She glanced back at Kira, wondering what his relationship with Wabisuke was based on.

Kira smiled at his friend upon hearing her explanation. How like her. He wasn't surprised at all. It was, perhaps, not the best mindset for a vice captain of Soul Society to possess, but for a person, it was admirable. His own reasons for hesitation were more for the general rule that it was unwise to charge headfirst into a battle without knowing the opposition, but he didn't bother saying so. "I take it you two are getting along again?"

"Ah, well I, umm.." She frowned, fingering the guard as she sought to explain it without giving him any details. "It wasn't really that we weren't..." Hinamori smiled again, warmly, as she continued, "Tobiume's just smarter than me sometimes." It was a stupid way of putting it but it was how she felt. The zanpakuto lying beneath her hand had sensed the anger and bitterness fueling the small shinigami during her bankai attempt and had done what was needed to make its wielder realize as much. She was glad, endlessly so, of having Tobiume as her sword, if for that reason alone.

"I'm happy for you." He said, and he was. Having issues with one's soul slayer was one of the most stressful things that could happen to a shinigami, something none of them needed right now. To see Hinamori at peace with Tobiume and Matsumoto-san managing bankai with Haineko made him glad. Fortunately, Wabisuke hadn't given him any trouble since entering the city. In fact, the sword had helped dull the ticking whenever he was alone. It wasn't a surprise, though. Even when he had been so conflicted with the events at Soul Society, Wabisuke had still answered him.

Kira glanced down at their hands, still stuck together thanks to the city's curse. He had almost forgotten about it entirely, but was, in a way, glad for it. Even if nothing had really been resolved, at the very least the two had been able to talk.

"You're happy that my zanpakuto is smarter than me? Mou, Kira-kun..." Hinamori pouted, shaking her head before giggling, completely ruining her attempt to be serious. Her anger with the blonde shinigami had faded away and she was slowly getting used to the idea that she couldn't change his mind so easily on those matters. Not that she'd stop trying. Kira was one of the few Tobiume knew to protect by name, and Hinamori would never let the zanpakuto forget that. Even if that same zanpakuto was the reason they were currently stuck together. Her gaze fell on their hands at that thought and she couldn't resist smiling. Even when they were mad at each other, Tobiume did its best to help its wielder, and a good thing too. The stress of worrying over Kira had gotten to her though and she yawned, eyes feeling heavy. Hinamori still hadn't fully recovered from her bankai attempt and while it didn't show so much physically she still felt tired.

"You know what I meant." He said good-naturedly, a laugh in his voice. Things at the very least seemed back to normal for now, and the rest could be dealt with at a later date. He heard Hinamori's yawn and looked over to her, noticing the tired look in her eyes. "Get some sleep." He suggested, "I don't have anywhere to go, and it's not like we can do much like this." He nodded his head towards their hands.

Hinamori nodded, placing Tobiume on the floor beside her before lying down, getting as comfortable as she could given the situation. "You'd better not need to move any time soon, Kira-kun. I can be grumpy when woken up." She smiled to herself, eyes already shutting as she yawned again, brushing hair out of her face. It didn't take that long for her to fall asleep once more, exhaustion setting in.

Kira laughed quietly to himself as his friend drifted off. He looked down at her, taking note of the way her face looked so different when relaxed with sleep. A blush spread across his face as he nervously laughed and looked away, searching for something else to pay attention to, clearing his throat. Hinamori was just an old friend, really, that was silly. Just like Abarai-kun and Hisagi-san. In this position with one of them, it would be -- Well. Not that he would ever hold hands with either of the two while they slept. Or while they were awake, for that matter. No, that just wasn't... He sighed and gave up on trying to think. The day had only just begun, but already he could tell it was going to be a long one.