tampered | (no subject)

(no subject)

When; Yesterday night? ... I dunno! XO
Rating; for later
Characters; Hinamori Momo & Hitsugaya Toushirou
Summary; for later
Log;

Getting used to how this realm and its ‘city’ worked was one thing, having to find Aizen living in the exact same space and learning that both Hinamori and his vice-captain dealt with him on a daily basis was another. It was all starting to give him one big, annoying headache and that was probably a big reason why he assigned paperwork on Matsumoto by the month load. He had heard from the blonde that Hinamori had stepped in between them during the fight and Toushirou hoped that, whatever Hinamori wanted to show him now wasn’t a big scar or how Aizen had almost sliced her into a million pieces. He shook his head, why did he think such morbid thoughts?

Windows seemed to be his preferred method of entering buildings (not because he was small but because they led him directly into whichever room he wanted into). So now there he was, Captain Hitsugaya Toushirou, perched on the window sill of Hinamori’s room and looking expectantly at her. "I’m here."

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She practically fell off the bed where she'd been nervously perched, staring wide-eyed at Hitsugaya for several moments before managing to squeak out a hello. Why did captains always have to sneak up on you like that?

She clambered to her feet slowly, half expecting to find him behind her already. Hinamori Momo, clumsy? Like no other. She glanced over at the window to make sure he hadn't moved as she reclaimed her seat, exhaling heavily. "You scared me." It was silly, of course. She'd asked him to come, so his appearance really shouldn't have bothered her. But it would have been nice if he'd used the door. Like a normal person. Instead of the window. Like he normally did.

He scared her? Whoops! The girl should’ve been used to him entering like that after so many years, of course, he did it less around other captains and vice captains (reputation to protect!) but if it was just them, windows were just easier. "I’m sorry. Just this way means I wouldn’t have to go past the crew outside." He jerked his thumb towards the door and all the other shinigami who were outside. From the noise, it was obvious that someone wasn’t asleep yet and he hated answering unnecessary questions.

He relaxed from his perch and leaned his back against the wall adjacent to the window instead. The snowstorm was no more and a warm breeze wafted through the window. It was nice. "So? What is this you have to show me?" And in her room no less. He glanced at her bedsheets, were they wet?

Hinamori glanced at the door, brain faintly registering that some of the shinigami were still active. She was even slower in realizing he'd stepped down from the window, and she blinked, making sure he didn't move again.

Down to business it was. "Sorry for the mess. Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou was recovering here," she murmured, heading over the to the door - to Tobiume. She grasped the zanpakuto lightly in her hands, fingers nervously working their way over the hilt as she freed the blade and discarded the sheath. The dark haired shinigami shot a nervous glance in the younger boys direction, hoping he didn't think she was drawing on him. Everything was making Hinamori nervous tonight.

Hitsugaya would be a very bad captain if his every movement was so easily detected, granted, he wasn't trying to be discreet here.

He did however, tense for a brief second when Hinamori drew Tobiume, though he didn't think she was trying to attack in any way. The last time that happened Hinamori hadn't been herself and she had been very vocal about it. At least this time around those two elements weren't present. And, she looked too nervous for that.

"Tobiume?" He questioned the sword's presence. Was she...?

"It's not much, I know, but..." She took a deep breath, focusing all of her energy on willing the zanpakuto to behave, to be nice to her, to do what she wanted just this once.

And the sword in her hands responded kindly, materializing into the familiar form Hinamori had known for so long - the small flower-haired girl floating in mid air. Tobiume grinned, settling herself in Hinamori's hands, watching the young captain carefully.

Hinamori let out the breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding, glancing down at her hands as if she wasn't sure it would work. She hadn't, to be fair. Tobiume had been rather awkward to deal with recently. But her assistance in the fight had given Hinamori something to hope for, and while it wasn't like she'd attained bankai in record time, it was comforting to the girl to know that other people could now see what she saw in the zanpakuto.

Which was why she had wanted to show Hitsugaya.

He blinked. And then blinked again. Did what he just thought happened, really happen? Momo the bed-wetter finally released her bankai? "You did it." He had to be a little impressed, he honestly hadn’t figured Hinamori would be getting it so soon and even more with what had happened with Aizen recently, Hitsugaya had honestly thought it wouldn’t be for another few years until she could finally forget and concentrate on her training again.

Wait, that was her bankai? He took a few steps closer to her to take a closer look at it. "This is... Tobiume?"

Now he was worried all over again. While it was nice that she finally got her bankai out, the little sprite in her hands looked well, harmless. In a way, it reminded him of Inoue’s power, though less corporeal. Against all the fierce looking bankais, sword forms and spirits the other Shinigami’s had, not to mention the arrancars, how would Tobiume fare? "I’m asking this in a completely curious manner, what exactly... can she do?"

She practically hit the floor at the amount of enthusiasm Hitsugaya was showing. Not that she was overly surprised - he'd never been good at showing how he felt. But still... he actually looked sort of disappointed.

And Hinamori's heart sunk at that.

Everything she'd been preparing to say melted away into a jumble of words and she gazed at the floor as she finally managed to mumble "I don't know. This is as far as I've gotten. She... We haven't had time. She only manifested the other day. In the fight..." She glanced up, unsure if she should continue, unsure of exactly what Rangiku had told her captain. The sentence was left hanging as she waited, trying to find something to say that wouldn't make the whole thing feel even stupider.

He poked her side with a finger. "Hey, look up! Don’t make it seem like I just kicked your kitten or something, it’s awesome you can bankai now. More front line work for you. It’s just.... she looked a bit small." When you were vertically challenged, size starts to become a big deal, though hey, he was taller than Tobiume at least.

A sharp look was given to her when she mentioned the word ‘fight.’ Of course, the fight that Hitsugaya had forbidden Matsumoto to go to and the one that led to him being stood up for two days. Aizen was a real pain in his side, literally.

"Try something." He still couldn’t really see Tobiume operated as something offensive, perhaps it was meant to be defensive then? Or a wildcare power type like healing or illusionary? There were so many possibilities.

She couldn't suppress a giggle as Tobiume glared at the short captain, irritated over the size comment. But it was short lived and Hinamori was soon frowning, continuing to stare at the plum blossom haired creature in her hands.

"She stopped his sword. I... I lost my grip, skidded, and... She went flying out of my reach." The frown deepened, gaze concentrated on Tobiume as the small girl started to fidget in her hands.

"The next thing I knew she was holding his sword. Stopping it. It would have-" Hinamori couldn't continue. Didn't want to. It was bad enough the fight had happened, but for it to be the reason Tobiume had manifested herself? She would have hit herself if her hands weren't occupied. The next few words were like a whisper she didn't want to hear herself.

"I don't want to know what she can do."

Well, at least Tobiume knew how irritating it was to be called small. Perhaps they would eventually develop a kinship over that at least. The sprite was cute though, he had to resist an urge to tap her head. Just in case she developed fangs or something, Hitsugaya liked all his limbs in tact.

"She... stopped Aizen’s sword, you say?" Now, it was finally his turn to stare at Hinamori wide-eyed with shock. Just the idea that something could stop Aizen’s sword was amazing, doubly so if it came in a compact size. "Okay, you," he returned his attention to Tobiume, "that was pretty impressive."

Hinamori’s next set of words made him frown slightly, so he took her by the elbow and moved to whisper in her ear, just out of Tobiume’s hearing range. That is, unless she had super hearing as her ability also. "Don’t be afraid of her or what she can or cannot do. Tobiume’s your ultimate partner, there has to be mutual trust and complete knowledge of each other in order to go anywhere. Try talking to her at the very least. Ask her what she can do for you."

"It's not her I'm afraid of." The words hung there for a moment, Hinamori continuing to avoid Hitsugaya's gaze. But she knew she had to finish, had to say it. Tobiume moved restlessly, shifted, gazed up at her. Smiled. Hinamori knew that smile. She'd felt that smile. It was the smile that the zanpakuto had given every time she'd been released, every time she'd been used. Every time Hinamori had followed an order from Aizen.

"Everything we did was for him. Even saving Rangiku that night... It didn't feel right. It was like he was pushing me, like he knew..." It was the hardest thing to admit and she could already feel tears threatening to overwhelm her. She'd been so frustrated that every swing of his sword had avoided her, so annoyed that he'd barely glanced at her the entire time that she'd been on the verge of sinking into a deep depression over it, tracing every move they'd made over and over again in her mind until she could have acted it out by herself. The more she thought about it the more the fight had seemed planned, forced, like he was just testing them.

Which was silly, if she was to believe what Aizen had told her. But then his actions hadn't been quite so clear since he'd spoken to her privately, and willingly fighting Rangiku really didn't seem like something he'd need to do. The whole thing was so confusing!

Hitsugaya really hated Aizen. That man was beyond redemption for all that he had done; murder, the tricks and lies, betraying Hinamori and leading them all into their present state of mind. Even if he were to say at the end that he was truly sorry, Hitsugaya highly doubted he could ever forgive him. No, he wouldn’t.

"I don’t know what to say when your devotion to him was so great." He said quietly, he really didn’t. He had never been particularly skilled with his words when it came to such topics. "You might have fought for Aizen, but Tobiume only fights for you. Where you take her, and who you put her against is, completely up to you." Hinamori had to break free from Aizen’s hold on her, she had to or else he would just take her down with him, willingly or not.

He didn’t doubt the fact that Aizen could’ve possibly been playing with them. The fact that Matsumoto had still been in one piece and not too badly damaged had proven that fact. If that were the case, Hitsugaya was going to have his mind full trying to decipher what plot Aizen had up his sleeves and to put a stop to it before it got anywhere, before it was too late again.

She finally looked at him, surprised slightly. It had been ages since they'd spoken, made worse by her time spent under the fourth divisions care. But it was the same as it had always been. Whatever he said, whatever stupid problem she took to him, Hinamori would always be comforted by his words. More than likely annoyed too, but it would always be familiar.

His words never carried the warmth that Aizen's had, and he'd always look like it took far too much effort to even think about talking. But that was the part of Hitsugaya that Hinamori knew. No matter how many times she'd hear other shinigami complain about his cold nature, Hinamori could still smile. It was just the way he was and would probably always be.

"Thank you, Shirou-chan," was her mumbled response as she practically tackled him to the ground with a hug she knew he'd complain about.

[ooc; awwh~♥ that’s so cute!]

Tackled and fell to the ground in a pile together. "Hi-Hinamori!" He wasn’t sure where to put his arms or if trying to sit up would be a good thing. Hitsugaya also had to push his voice a little to sound somewhat annoyed; though honestly, he was more than pleased if the way his ears pinked was any indication. As sudden as it was, it had been a long time since Hinamori had acted like she did when they were kids and it was comforting to know that the old Hinamori was still there.

After another minute of some intense, internal debating, Hitsugaya finally decided that it was okay to give her a pat on the head. It wasn’t like he was going to encourage her to continue calling him Shirou-chan with it. Maybe another minute.

"I’m glad you’re not looking so glum anymore." He mumbled awkwardly into her shoulder, then, cleared his throat and returned to his normal, teasing tone, "I think you might’ve gotten a bit more heavier since I last saw you."

"Ah! Did not! You probably just got smaller, Shirou-chan!" Hinamori pouted as she reluctantly released him, sitting up slowly. She glanced over at Tobiume, a little saddened to find that the zanpakuto had reverted to its katana form but not surprised.

She smiled then, turning her attention back to the younger shinigami, looking for all the world like she was going to tackle him again. "I mean it though. Thank you," she added hesitantly, aware that Hitsugaya was just waiting to get his revenge on her for the hug. And for once, Hinamori wouldn't mind.

[ooc; ♥♥♥]

What?! "I grew at least two inches since you last saw me!" Or at the very least an inch and a half. He pushed himself off from the ground with his elbows once she released him, "she’s still there, unreleased."

It was a very good thing they were along in her room right now, else if she really did tackle him again, he wouldn’t have a very good excuse available for not being too ruffled about it. Where would his tough reputation go then? He had a hard enough time getting people to realise he was a captain now. Revenge for the hug? Maybe. He put his hand out in front of her face and then flicked the space between her eyes. "You can thank me by becoming stronger. You’re still bed-wetter, Momo to me."

"And you'll always be Shirou-chan," she added with a small grin, none too bothered by the flick. It was just enough that things were normal, familiar.

And that he was looking increasingly uncomfortable as Hinamori flung her arms around him once more. It wouldn't have mattered it the whole of Seireitei had been present, it was enough to know he was there. Like things had always been. "I'll do my best, captain."

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