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canariie · 4 years

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A Babysitting Misadventure

Rating: K+ for all the fluff

Synopsis: Momo Hinamori didn’t quite know what she was in for when she was tasked to take care of Ichika.

Characters/Pairings: Hitsuhina (of course!), a little Renruki and our favourite squad 10 vice captain Rangiku Matsumoto

Word Count: 2.5k

Author’s Notes: This is for @tinaillustrations as part of the Hitsuhina 2020 Exchange! I really was in between this and another fic but I love domestic fluff so this won out haha. It has been years since I have written fanfiction so I hope you enjoy it! I know I’m a little rusty but I cannot wait to share more with the Hitsuhina community! :)

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Momo Hinamori was having a good day. She had finished the work that Hirako-taicho had left her before he went to visit Hiyori-san in the Living World. She was almost done reading the book that Nanao had let her borrow. And it wasn’t even past noon.

She stretched her arms in front of her. “I can’t wait to take a break!” She was just about to get started on another pile of documents when all of a sudden the door crashed open—Renjii stood panting, with a crazed expression and a baby carrier in his hand.

“Hinamori!” His eyes filled with relief. “I am so glad you’re here!”

The brown-haired girl walked up to him. “Abarai-kun, what’s wrong? Why are you out of breath?” She bent down to look at baby Ichika who was sound asleep, in deep contrast to her father.

“Rukia—emergency— mission—,” he huffed, “distress call—I need to go!” He only had the strength to force out short phrases as he seemed at the point of collapsing.

Momo looked at him with great sympathy. “You must go then!” She looked down at Ichika. “But why do you need me…?”

He grabbed her shoulders. “You’re a girl— you can take care of her!”

“What!” Momo exclaimed. “Abarai-kun!” But it was too late, the red headed vice-captain had already shunpoed away. Only baby Ichika fast asleep in her carrier remained as proof that the last 2 minutes really occurred.

The petite vice-captain sighed in exasperation, her side bangs fluttering away from her face.

“Mou…what am I going to do now?”

---

Momo wasn’t worried—yet. She had spent some time with playing with Ichika when both Renjii and Rukia were around. However, she had never taken care of the baby by herself. Glancing down at the carrier she placed on a seat next to her desk, Momo felt an apprehension in the pit of her stomach.

Well, Ichika-chan is still sleeping, so I should take advantage of the opportunity to work.

Momo busied herself and was in the midst of starting the third pile when a high pitch wail spooked her out of her chair.

“Oh no, Ichika!” Momo picked up the crying baby, immediately trying to console her. She hopped from side to side, in attempt to soothe her but Ichika did not quiet. She quickly looked around in the back of the carrier for anything that would help but couldn’t find anything. Ichika continued to wail and Momo felt her heart break.

“Mou, I need help!” At her wits end, Momo grabbed the carrier in one hand and ran out of the office. She was sure that she looked like a comical sight with a crying baby in tow, but she was determined to find someone to help.

However, as she made it through the divisions, she kept on hitting dead ends. At the first division, Nanao was out on errands, delivering paperwork for the upcoming meeting. At the third division, Captain Rose answered the door with a wary glance at the crying baby, but informed her that Kira was out on a mission. Momo had then stopped by the fourth division but Isane was out in the fields doing healing training.

And even though Momo was slowing down, Ichika continued to cry loudly, inciting shinigami to look at the two with pity. How could one small baby have so much energy to cry? She was so tired that she felt like she could collapse right then and there from all the running.

“Hinamori?”

Momo turned. “Rangiku-san!” The blonde was coming out of her quarters, hair unkempt and rubbing her eyes from sleep. Momo had never seen Matsumoto so not put together—but she was the only person so far who seemed to be available to help. “I am so glad to see you!” Momo exclaimed.

“Well, I can’t say I’m glad to hear you!” Matsumoto covered her ears. “Why’s Ichika-chan crying?”

“I don’t know!” Momo cried. “I’ve been trying to calm her down but nothing is working! Abarai-kun left me with just her carrier so I can’t even do anything!” To add to the point, Ichika seemed to cry even louder.

“Well that won’t do,” Rangiku muttered. “Hmm…I think I have something that might help.” She disappeared and Momo could hear some noises coming from inside. Shortly after Matsumoto appeared with a baby bottle full of milk. “Here, I found some milk in the fridge inside.”

Momo took the bottle gratefully but stopped. “Why do you have a baby bottle?” she asked dubiously.

“It was for a drinking game,” Matsumoto responded dismissively. Momo raised her eyebrow but thought better to ask further. She gestured the bottle to Ichika who eagerly latched on and drank, closing her eyes to sleep again.

Momo sighed in relief. “Ahh, it worked! Thank you so much Rangiku-san!” But Momo looked up and the blonde was already gone. Momo would have been insulted if she weren’t so relieved that Ichika had finally quieted down.

Knowing that there was only one more person she could ask for help, she quickly set out with the sleeping baby in tow.

---

Toushiro Hitsugaya was having a decent day. He slept well the night before and had woken up early to train. He had already completed his stacks of paperwork and was reviewing the report for his meeting with Captain Commander later in the day. It was also far more productive than he could say for his vice-captain who was conveniently late to work though it was far past noon.

He was just skimming the report when he heard the door slide open quickly.

“Hitsugaya-kun! Would it be alright if I stayed here?” Momo asked.

“I have to work,” he responded, not missing a beat and continued reading.

“But Hitsugaya-kun, I need your help!” At this, Toushiro looked up and was surprised to see how frazzled his childhood friend looked. Her hair stuck out in a disarray and she had an urgent look in her eyes. Then he noticed the sleeping baby in her arms.

“Why do you have Ichika?”

“Abarai-kun had to go help Rukia-san on her mission! He left Ichika-chan to me but didn’t give me any of her toys or baby bottles! She started to cry and I tried to soothe her but she wouldn’t stop—only until she drank something! Now she’s asleep but I don’t know when she’ll wake up next!” she exclaimed, clearly at her limit. “I’ve been holding her for so long that I haven’t been able to use the restroom!”

“You couldn’t have asked anyone else to help?” He raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing her so out of sorts.

“I tried! I really did!” Momo cried out. “Hirako-taicho went to the living world, Kira’s on a mission, Nanao-san was busy with paperwork and I asked Rangiku-san.” She sighed dejectedly. “But she left me.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Toushiro responded dryly. Momo looked at him pleadingly, to which he sighed. “Fine, you can stay here.”

She felt an immense wave of relief wash over her. “Yes! Thank you so much Shiro-chan!”

“Hinamori! Enough with that nick name!” he grumbled, crossing his arms, looking off to the side.

“I’m sorry Hitsugaya-kun,” she looked up at him through her eye lashes, with the full intention of softening his annoyance. “Thank you for letting me stay here.” She smiled sweetly for extra effort knowing that her childhood friend could never stay mad at her for too long.

Toushiro’s cheeks warmed up. “Whatever, you’re welcome” he muttered.

Then it hit her. “Ah, Hitsugaya-kun! Can you hold her for a second? I’m going to go use the restroom!”

“Me?” he sputtered. “Hinamori, I have never held an infant in my life.”

She was already handing the sleeping Ichika to the white-haired captain’s reluctant open arms. “Don’t worry! You’ll get the hang of it! Just make sure to support her neck and let her head rest on our shoulder…and hold your arm underneath.” Momo adjusted his arms and hands. “There! You’re good to go!”

Toushiro was most certainly not comfortable at all. He looked like he was staring at a tiny hollow on his shoulder, his turquoise eyes filled with apprehension.

“Hinamori, I don’t think this is a good idea…” He looked up and realized she was already gone. He sighed and sat down on the couch, making sure to watch baby Ichika who was fast asleep despite a seemingly uncomfortable position.

It really was the first time that he had seen a baby so close. He adjusted his arms so he could see her face clearly. She really does look like Kuchiki...

Toushiro remembered how enamored Hinamori and Matsumoto had been with the baby when she was just born. They had all visited the squad 13 vice-captain after she had given birth and was resting at home. Abarai had sat behind her the whole time, supporting her up on the futon. Toushiro couldn’t believe how wrinkled the baby looked, but both Abarai and the young Kuchiki’s gazes down were nothing short of full of love. He glanced to the side to see Momo staring at the trio affectionately, and Toushiro couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking.

“Hitsugaya-kun?”

He turned to see Hinamori’s face looking down at Ichika with the same look as before. She had settled herself nicely next to him and was smiling to herself. “You got it!” she whispered gently. Momo smiled up at him. “See, I told you, you could do it!”

Toushiro felt his ears go hot. “H-Here you take her!” He lifted the baby off of him and onto Momo who quickly opened her arms. “Ahh, be careful Hitsugaya-kun!” Momo adjusted her position, but it was no use as Ichika started to stir. A look of confusion and fear passed by her face as she didn’t recognize the unfamiliar surroundings. Ichika’s bottom lip trembled and Momo felt the baby’s reiatsu hitch before she proceeded to wail again—and if possible, louder than before.

“Shiro-chan, I don’t know what to do!” Momo cradled Ichika in her arms, turning from side to side quickly in hopes to calm the baby down. But it was futile as the small baby howled, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks.

“Ichika,” he spoke with quiet authority.

The baby opened its violet eyes as Toushiro leaned over her and started moving his index finger, almost as if he were writing in the air. A blue light started to glow around his hand and suddenly dancing figures of ice emerged. Ichika’s wailing quieted to a coo as she watched the ice figures dance through the air and flutter down in front of her.

Momo stared in awe at Toushiro sitting next to her. Though they were shoulder to shoulder and he was releasing his reiatsu, she couldn’t feel the bite of the cold. She knew it had to do with him controlling his power so it wouldn’t harm her or the baby—that thought warmed her inside.

The ice sprites moved closer to settle on her arms, walking up to move closer to Ichika before disappearing in snow sparkles. The baby gurgled in excitement and reached a little fist to touch the snow.

She then pushed herself forward suddenly and Momo had to tighten her hold so she wouldn’t slip out of her arms. Toushiro sensed this and draped an arm on the couch behind the petite vice-captain so that she and Ichika were supported by his chest. At the back of her mind she registered she was so close to her childhood friend that she could feel the tickle of his hair on her cheek.

The show continued with Toushiro conjuring new characters and figures that enchanted baby Ichika with wonder. The exhaustion from her crying soon slowly overcame her as her eyelids fluttered close again.

“How did you do that Shiro-chan?” Momo whispered softly, as to not disturb the quietness of the moment.

Toushiro shrugged his shoulders, eyes still focused on the now drowsy baby. “I figured that Kuchiki-fuukutaicho would have created something out of ice for Ichika whenever they played together—knowing her penchant for Chappy.” He let out a smile. “She probably just misses her mom.”

“You’re amazing Shiro-chan.”

He turned to retort at her, but stopped at the look of admiration in her eyes.

“Hinamori…”

The two friends both looked down when Ichika started mumbling “Kaa-chan” before settling into a deep snooze. They both unconsciously smiled together.

Momo don’t know how long she and Toushiro sat there watching in quiet fascination at the sleeping baby in her arms. They both didn’t say anything, too wary of disturbing this rare peaceful moment. And though the neither of them had ever dealt with a newborn baby like this, it just felt right.

Momo was so focused on holding Ichika she didn’t notice Toushiro curl his arm around her to tuck her closer to him and that he moved his face towards her’s.

“Captain?”

The two broke apart to see Matsumoto staring at them, which made Momo wonder how long she had been standing there. There was a knowing look in her grey-blue eyes and a soft smile on her face.

“We have to leave in a couple minutes for the meeting with Captain General Kyoraku.”

Toushiro cleared his throat and removed his arm from Momo, which she realized that she missed right away.

“Right, Matsumoto.” He looked away trying to regain his composure. “We’ll leave soon.”

“I should go as well,” Momo said softly, as to not wake baby Ichika and to avoid Toushiro and Matsumoto’s stares. “Thank you for your help Hitsugaya-kun.” She placed the sleeping child in the carrier before hurrying herself off the couch. “I’ll see you both later,” she quickly said as she dashed out leaving the 10th division officers behind.

Once the fifth vice-captain left, Matsumoto turned around slowly with a smirk on her face and raised eyebrow. “Did you enjoy your time with Hinamori-chan?” her voice dripping with implications.

Toushiro straightened his captain’s robe before pushing himself up and brushed past Matsumoto into the hallway. “Let’s not be late Matsumoto,” he said ignoring her previous statement.

“Don’t think this is over Captain! We must discuss this afterwards! I want to hear all the details!”

“There’ll be no such thing,” he replied shortly.

“Well, I think you might want to considering what I have…”

He turned to her as she dropped her soul pager in his hand, walking past with a confident gait. She winked as she looked over her shoulder. “I think you’ll want to save that photo.”

In confusion, he looked down at the photo on the small screen and his turquoise eyes widened. For on the screen was an image of a smiling Momo, gazing adoringly at baby Ichika, tucked in Toushiro’s arms. What shocked him was the soft look on his face directed at Momo. Though there was plenty of room for them on the tiny couch, they were so close together that it looked like a young couple and their child—he could feel his ears heat up.

“Don’t worry Captain, I’ll send it to you later,” Matsumoto called sweetly.

Toushiro huffed. Not that he cared.

But she had better send that picture to him later.

----

Author’s Notes: I hope you enjoyed! I had the end part in my head for days but it took my some time to start it and flesh out the middle.

There’ll be more in the future :)

#hitsuhina #Hitsugaya Toushiro #toshiro hitsugaya #hinamori momo #momo hinamori #hitsuhina exchange #canariie: my fics #hitsugaya x hinamori #bleach fanfiction #also excuse any typos or misspellings as i tried to wrap this up in time!#hitsuhina exchange 2020

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alexiethymia · 4 years

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Summary:

People often made assumptions about Hitsugaya Toshiro. There were only a few who didn't, and one of them happened to be his childhood friend, Hinamori Momo.

Like who could imagine cool and mature Hitsugaya could have such a sweet tooth? It was a good thing then that his Grandmother happened to own a cafe and his childhood friend happened to be such a great baker and could brew the best milk tea in town.

A high school story about young love, and though there are supposed to be less complications this time around, it doesn't mean they're completely gone. {cafe au/modern au}

gift for @canariie for the hitsuhina gift exchange!

#hitsuhina #hitsugaya toshiro #hinamori momo #hitsugaya x hinamori #hitsuhina gift exchange #hitsuhina gift exchange 2020 #fanfic #fic #fanfiction #fics #writing #my writing #my fanfic #ramblings about hitsuhina #this was so much fun to do!

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hitsuhina-week · 4 years

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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 ❄️

#hitsuhina #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsumomo #toshiro x momo #hitsugaya x hinamori #bleach #hitsuhina week #updates

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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 3 years

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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 #hitsuhina week #hitsuhina gift exchange #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #reigai #bleach #fanfiction #angst #a whole lot of it #sorry for any typos #and out of characterness #title is subject to change

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canariie · 3 years

Text

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 #Toshiro Hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsugaya x hinamori #hitsugaya toshiro #hinamori momo #hitsuhina week #hitsuhina week 2020 #apologies for any typos #i wanted to get this out quickly #i have never struggled writing as much as i have with this one shot #but i hope people like it :))#canariie: my fics

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hitsuhina-week · 4 years

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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 ❄️

#hitsuhina #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #hitsumomo #Hitsugaya x Hinamori #Toshiro x Momo #bleach #hitsuhina week #hitsuhina week 2020

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hitsuhina-week · 3 years

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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 #hitsuhina week #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #updates

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hitsuhina-week · 4 years

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Hitsuhina Gift Exchange 2020

Hi everyone,

As with the last few years there will be a gift exchange. for those who haven’t participated in the Hitsuhina Week Gift Exchange, here’s what you need to know

1) If you are interested in participating, please either comment on/reblog (a ‘like’ doesn’t count) this post letting me know, or send a message to either this blog or mine (@rays-of-fire-and-ice). I will then message you about any sort of theme preferences for the gift (the default will be the themes of the last day of the week). Let me know by no later than Monday November 23rd if you want to participate.

(2) After the 23rd, everyone who agreed to participate will be randomly assigned a partner. They’ll have any theme preferences that their partner put down in their submission, and it’s encouraged that everyone to try and incorporate them into the gift in some way (so long as it’s within the rules and & guidelines set out here and the additional rules down below). Keep in mind that all the partners will be randomly assigned, so just because you have someone doesn’t automatically mean that they also have you!

(3) On the last day of Hitsuhina week, everyone who participated will send their partner their gift. This can be done through either a private message, or submitting a post to their blog. When you’ve gotten your gift, make sure to post it and tag the person who gifted it to you. However, if there’s an issue with trying to do either of these things, please post your gift to your partner on your blog and tag them.

Here are some additional rules to keep in mind:

a) anything counts as a gift (it can be a fanfic, fanart, misc, edit, gif set, etc.). As long as it’s an original work, anything goes.

b) We ask that no gifts be NSFW. Since not everyone is into that, best make sure we keep it light and fun so everyone can enjoy it!

c) Any gift that you receive should be posted and tagged giving the original creator credit. Even though the gift was meant for you, I’m sure we’d all love to see how amazing it is!

(d) If you put your name down to be included in the event, please actually do participate. People put a lot of time and effort into their gifts, and really work do look forward to receiving one in return. So if you suddenly end up not being able to participate for whatever reason, let me know so I can work something out and make sure that the person that was supposed to receive a gift from you still gets something.

You can read about day 7′s default theme and the other themes here. If you have any questions send them either to this blog or mine.

- Admin Rays ❄️

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina gift exchange #hitsuhina week #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #updates #hitsumomo #toshiro x momo #hitsugaya x hinamori

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hitsuhina-week · 3 years

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Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Day 7 & Gift Exchange

Today’s themes: Birthday / Red Strings

For today’s question:

What keeps you interested in Hitsuhina?

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina week #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #bleach

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hitsuhina-week · 3 years

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Hitsuhina Week 2020 - Deadline Extended

Hi everyone!

Like last year, I’m waiting on a few entries for Hitsuhina Week and it’s of course a very busy time of the year. Because of this, I’ve decided to extend the deadline for both the Gift Exchange and Hitsuhina Week 2020 Submissions until December 30th. So you now have until December 30th to submit your pieces for Hitsuhina Week :D

- Admin Rays ❄️

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina week #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #updates #bleach

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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 4 years

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A Distant Memory

Hitsuhina Day 2020 - Laughter

Setting: Sometime after chapter 423

Synopsis: Momo reflects on what didn’t make Toshiro laugh, and the one thing that did.

AN: Writing this made me realise that we never heard either Toshiro or Momo laugh in any canon moments…but then again, BLEACH was a pretty grim story for both of them. Anyhow, enjoy!

________________________________________

About five years ago, Rangiku had once asked her what the captain’s laughter sounded like. That’d stopped her in her tracks, initially because the questions was so strange to her. She’d done her best to describe it – unintentionally becoming as poetic as the books she read, which made Rangiku laugh.

Later, the exchange troubled her conscience. How could Rangiku not know his laugh? The thought worried her afterwards, because it meant he mustn’t have laughed in years. Perhaps she was being silly, but the boy had come to trust Rangiku enough, to the point where he would surely feel comfortable with laughing in front of her.

Had he really not laughed in such a long time? It was impossible, surely.

From that day on, Momo made it her secret mission to find out what made him laugh. She remembered what used to make him laugh – her falling on her back side due to clumsiness, their arguments about who shot the furthest watermelon seed, and a few of their adventures into the woods behind his house – but none of those would likely apply to him now.

At first, she decided to test the waters by bringing up funny memories from their childhood, but that only served to embarrass him and make her laugh. Whenever she went on missions to the World of the Living, she’d try to make her missions sound more light-hearted, but that only made him raise a brow and lecture her to take her objectives more seriously. She knew he had no ticklish spots, so it was no use trying that. Sometimes she’d quote a witty scene or line from one of the books she read, and at most he’d chuckle – a step in the right direction, but not what she was hoping for.

It was in the winter two years ago when she thought of giving up on her little mission. They’d both just come out of meetings, and decided to have a slow walk back to their respective barracks’. She hadn’t seen him in months, had only heard how he was doing through Rangiku. He’d really come into his own as the new captain for the tenth division, showing the same level-headedness as most captains and no sign of immaturity. Part of her missed the old Toshiro, but she could come to like the new one that had taken his place.

While they talked, she’d readjust the stack of paperwork she carried under her arm. It was while trying to shift it to her other arm that several of the papers flew from her grasp and got carried away by the wind. She’d almost dropped the rest when she sprinted for them. Toshiro yelled for her, having caught one of the papers. All but one were tumbling along the balcony’s floorboards, and it was only when she saw the final report about fly over the railing that she realized it was getting away.

She practically leapt at the railing, stretching her hand out to the escaping paper. Another yell from Toshiro, just as her hips met the top of the railing. She was tipping over its edge when she caught the paper between her fingers. She was practically hanging over the railing, her backside sticking in the air, her arms and legs outstretched. She looked back to see Toshiro had his arms around her, stopping her from falling.

Their shallow breaths clouded in the air, staying frozen in that position for a half a minute. He slowly lowered her down. Then, the moment their eyes met, he began to laugh. Her widened eyes watch him as she stepped back, folding his arms into his sleeve and bending over a fraction.

It was a strange sound coming from him. It was just as boyish and breathless as from their childhood. It hardly matched the stoic image he crafted for himself. She was too stunned by it respond in kind, but she managed a smile. He teased that she’d go that far for her paperwork, to which she said her captain would be expecting all of the papers on his desk by tonight.

When he’d calmed down, he returned to his usual stoic self. He proceeded to lectured her about how ‘pulling a stunt like that’ was dangerous as he handed her the paper he’d caught. He acted as if he hadn’t just laughed, but perhaps it was her imagination, she thought there was a hint of a smile on his lips when they parted ways.

Since then, she hadn’t managed to wring a laugh out him, but at least she knew it wasn’t impossible - but hopefully she wouldn’t have to almost fall off a balcony just to hear it again.

She’s brought out of her revere when her wardroom door opens and a fourth division member goes to one of the other curtained-off beds in the room.

She looks away from the winterscape outside her window to the bandages strapped across her chest. With the memories gone, her heart loses its buoyancy.

It will be a long time until she gets to hear his laughter again.

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina day #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #bleach #fanfiction

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hitsuhina-week · 4 years

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1 day left to sign up!

This is a reminder that sign ups for the Hitsuhina Gift Exchange 2020 will be closed tomorrow. If you’re interested, read this post. And don’t forget to check out this year’s Hitsuhina Week themes!

#hitsuhina #hitsuhina gift exchange #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #updates

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rays-of-fire-and-ice · 7 years

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Fanfiction Masterlist

Fluff & sappiness - Angst - Ask meme answers

Notes: unless otherwise stated in their descriptions, most of these are rated ‘K/General’. I’ll reblog this list whenever I update it with new fanfics (probably for every five or so new fics). Also, most of these are Hitsuhina fics, but they also include BROTPs and other characters.

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns BLEACH and it’s characters.

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Above the Tides: “This air, the smell, the sounds, they’re amazing!” When she turns enough to see him, she grins at his small smile. “I told you this was a great place to be at.” An extension on my three sentence fic of the same name.

It’s All in the Name: Momo discovers how cold Toshiro’s hands are, while Toshiro discovers what a friend is. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021

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

Amongst the Tree Roots and Snow: While on a walk together, Granny shows Toshiro a place she recently rediscovered. Written for the BLEACH Anime Celebration

Anew: During the spring, Momo is finally discharged from the fourth division, but she has one final visitor before she leaves. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020

Before the Dawn of War: Unable to sleep with the impending war on her mind, Momo decides to take a walk around the Seireitei, only to discover she isn’t the only one who can’t sleep. For Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021 Gift Exchange.

Berry Much: Based on @tinaillustrations gift exchange piece. Momo and Toshiro decide to go a strawberry farm.

The Best View: Written for Hitsuhina OTP Month 2018. Toshiro takes Momo to the place with the best view of the sky.

Bitter and Sweet: There’s a first time for everything, even for hot chocolate. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018.

By his Side: Set in the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc. While Toshiro recovers in the Fourth Division, Momo gets the rare chance to speak with Hyourinmaru.

Candle Smoke: A few centuries into the future, Toshiro and Momo’s final hours together have come. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018.

A Deal with the Devil: A very enthusiastic Momo and a reluctant Toshiro get ready to go to a Halloween party in the World of the Living. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020.

Distance: Set immediately after chapter 392. Consider it a prequel to Forward. Rated T for violence.

Distant Echoes: They knew each other right from the very beginning; not even Muramasa could stop them from forgetting each other completely. A series of moments between Hyourinmaru and Tobiume throughout the Zanpakuto Rebellion and Beast Swords arcs.

A Distant Memory: Momo reflects on what doesn’t make Toshiro laugh, and the one thing that did. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020.

The Downpour: Is this how things are now? She clutches the umbrella tighter. How long is she going to keep her distance from him? Until he comes to her? Until she plucks up the courage to speak with him? Written for Hitsuhina Week 2023.

Every Step Forward: Moving on takes time.

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.

Firsts: Done for Hitsuhina Week 2017. In which Momo gives Valentine’s chocolates to Toshiro for the first time, and Toshiro give his first White Day gift to Momo.

Flames: After a mission to eradicate some dangerous Hollows goes badly, Momo protects a badly injured Toshiro.

For All That Was Lost: While on a visit to the World of the Living, Shinji and Momo reflect on what was lost and what was saved. Shinji and Momo BROTP fic written for the BLEACH Anime Celebration.

For Good Health and Happiness: Toshiro ends up at an unexpected place to clear his head after the events of the Winter War. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020.

Forward: Over five months after Aizen’s defeat, Toshiro finally goes to see Momo. Rated T to be safe.

For What the Future Holds: Momo notices Toshiro is acting out of sorts ever since the war against the Quincy ended. Meanwhile, Toshiro tries to look to the future.

For You: Sequel to The True Will Reprised. While recovering after his fight with Gerard, Toshiro has to confront Momo about their battle when he was a zombie. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018

From Afar: In which Toshiro and Momo start texting.

From me to you: When Toshiro receives the next stack of reports for the fifth division, he gets something unexpected from Momo. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2019.

Frost in the Blood: Set when they are adults. Momo wakes Toshiro from a nightmare and helps him recover. First fanfic I wrote for Tumblr. Rated T to be safe.

A Gift from the Sea: While swimming in the sea, Toshiro finds something to give Momo. Based on the Bleach Bankai Battle game cards and written for Hitsuhina Month 2018.

To Give You Shelter: During the reconstruction of the Soul Society, Momo finds the time to visit the grave of a subordinate. Written for the BLEACH Anime Celebration.

Horizons: During the first days of reconstruction, Hitsugaya and Hinamori decide to visit the Junrinan. Along the way, Hitsugaya comes to a realisation. Written for the Hitsuhina Gift Exchange 2022

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.

It’s Been a While: Focused on rebuilding the Soul Society since the war against the Quincy ended, Momo and Toshiro haven’t seen each other for several months. That changes when Momo finds out Toshiro is sick and starts visiting him for over the course of a week while he recovers. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021′s gift exchange.

It Suits You: Momo and Toshiro react to each others new hairstyles. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2020.

Just Between You, Me and the Whole Seireitei: Toshiro has a secret that no one can find out, not even Momo…but is it really a secret anymore? BrOTP fic for Toshiro and Rangiku. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018.

Late Night Paperwork: Inspired by this OTP prompt.

A Life Without Her: Before being discharged out of the Fourth Division, Toshiro contemplates on his new limbs and what he did in the Winter War. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2020

A Lost Soul: After Isshin is declared dead and the search for a new captain begins, Momo goes to Toshiro. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021.

A Mark that Slowly Fades: “…and I know you didn’t mean it.”

A Moment of Quiet: He’ll take this moment of quiet before the sounds of today’s battle and pain of his comrades come rushing back to him. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020

As Months Go By, As Seasons Change I & II: Momo resumes her duties as lieutenant, Shinji returns to a role he was forced out of long ago. Both of them are not who they used to be, and neither is the division they must work together to rebuild. Shinji and Momo BROTP fic with hints of Hitsuhina.

More than Enough: Set when Toshiro and Momo are a newlywed couple. After Toshiro sustains some severe injuries, Momo reflects on how fleeting happiness can be and Toshiro reminds her of the joy she has brought him. Rated T to be safe.

Natural: Written for Hitsuhina OTP Month. With Toshiro going on a two-month mission the next day, Momo decides they each need a little something to ease the longing they’ll feel from being apart.

No Limits: Set when Toshiro is a third seat. After a mission didn’t go as planned, Toshiro ruminates on what he couldn’t do for Momo. Written for the Hitsuhina Week 2016 prompt “Protecting you”. Rated K+ with mild violence.

A Matter of the Heart: After reporting the death of Aizen to the First Division, Toshiro goes to the fifth division to investigate, and discovers the only piece of evidence that could explain what happened. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021.

On a Field of Ice: 48 years ago, just after the Academy days. A sequel to this fic but you don’t need to read it to understand what’s going on here. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021.

On the Shoreline: Upon Momo’s suggestion, Toshiro joins her and a group for a break at a seaside town. However, with his mind is heavy with recent revelations, he wonders why they are all there.Written for Hitsuhina Week 2023

On a Summer’s Day: One of the many sceanrios I’ve imagined for how Toshiro and Momo first met.

On a Winter’s Night: Toshiro and Momo visit Granny on the former’s birthday. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

Our Days in the Junrinan: After being asked for years, Toshiro finally agrees for an article to be published about himself – including an interview with Momo. What can he expect from a trip down memory lane? Written for Hitsuhina Week 2020.

Over the Years: Momo notices Toshiro’s growth across the years.

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

A Rare Thing: Momo reflects on the rarity of Toshiro’s smile.

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

Revelations: As the original Shinigami struggle to reclaim the Seireitei from the reigai, Momo awakens in the twelfth division and meets reigai Toshiro. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2020 Gift Exchange.

Secrets of the Ice Room: On a particularly hot summer’s day, Momo decides to escape the heat in the one place that’s almost as cold as winter. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

The Seireitei’s Best Kept Secret: Shinji starts to suspect something is going on between his lieutenant and the captain of the tenth division; what he doesn’t know is it may be the Seireitei’s best kept secret. Written for Two Weeks of Hitsuhina 2021.

A Silent Thing: ‘It’s a silent thing, dripping out of the corner of her eyes and slowly rolling down her cheek.... He stares at it with a growing vice in his chest and the weight Hyourinmaru on his back.’

In Sketched Lines: Toshiro helps Momo move on, but discovers he needs to do the same.

Something New: Momo decides to make an unconventional ikebana. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2020.

The Snow at Dusk: Set a few months after Aizen’s defeat. One dusk morning, Momo leaves her hospital bed to confront the fears she feels towards her childhood friend.

The Storm: Toshiro discovers Momo’s fear of storms.

The Sun: The Gotei 13 go to the beach for some time off to relax, but Toshiro struggles under the heat. Wanting to help him relax, Momo suggets an adventure to the rock-pools, where Tohiro comes to realise what she is to him.

A Time to Dance: Momo invites Toshiro to do paperwork with her, but when he arrives she’s doing anything but work. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2020.

To Shine Brightly: Toshiro has an epiphany. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2023

To the Sky and Back: What happened to Toshiro and Momo after they were sent flying in episode 355? Rated K+ for mild violence.

A Touch of the Cold: Set after the TTYBW arc. Toshiro visits a sick and bedridden Momo.

Touches of Cold: Two times Momo touched Toshiro without hesitation, despite how cold he is. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

The True Will Reprised: Set in chapter 592. As Momo heals Omaeda and Soi Fon, the battle between Giselle and the Shinigami gets too close. What will she do when discovers her most trusted friend has become an unwilling enemy? Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018.

Twelve Visits - I , II, & III: In which Toshiro recalls the twelve times Momo came to visit him in the Junrinan on her breaks from the Shinigam Academy. Part 1 was written for Hitsuhina Week 2016 prompt “Growing up together”. Part 3 was written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

Under the Rain: Set in the future. On a rainy day, they share a quiet moment. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2018.

Under the Snowfall: Sequel to Frost in the Blood. The morning after his nightmare, Toshiro is surprised to find Momo on his veranda. Incredible artwork/short comic by @tinaillustrations

Until the Day Comes When it Won’t: Momo remembers the day that changed her life forever, and wonders when it won’t affect her anymore. Written for Hitsuhina Weekend 2022.

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.

Warm and Cold: Done for Hitsuhina Weeks 2017. A melancholic piece involving the rain and healing.

What he Fears Most: After defeating Cang Du, Toshiro and Rangiku run into As Nodt. Set in a canon-divergent AU set after chapter 554, in which Toshiro and Rangiku managed to defeat Cang Du. Written for the BLEACH Anime Celebration.

Within the Lines: Set in the 10-year timeskip. Momo finally gets back into drawing, and her first subject is...?

The Worlds Apart Trilogy: Based on this AU by @tinaillustrations. You can read about the world in the notes section of Worlds Apart.

Worlds Apart: When Toshiro, a powerful ice guardian, falls from the Frozen Heavens to the earth below, the last person he expected any help from was a small fire sprite…a very friendly, cute one at that . Written for the Hitsuhina Gift Exchange during Hitsuhina Week 2018.

Reunions: Sequel to Worlds Apart. Months after Toshiro returned to the Frozen Heavens, Momo decides to reunite him with the friend who helped him get up there in the first place.

Crossing the Gap: Three years after they met, Momo finally visit’s Toshiro world, the Frozen Heavens, but not everything goes according to plan. Written for Hitsuhina Week 2019.

You Are the Reason: As Toshiro goes through the horrific treatment to be de-zombified, he clings to the few people who can keep him sane. Written for Hitsuhina Day 2021

You are the Snow: ‘It’s almost impossible to not be reminded of Toshiro when the first snow comes.’ Written for Hitsuhina Week 2022

Requests & ask meme stories:

Anchored: In which Toshiro compares the emotions he gets when he sees Momo to the first time he flew.

Baby on Board: In the last few months of pregnancy, Rukia and Renji start preparing for the birth of their daughter. Renruki fic written for 2019 Blog Anniversary fanfic requests.

Changes: Momo surprises Toshiro after he finishes training at the caves with lunch and an announcement.

Closer: Written for the prompt ‘upside down’.

A Friend: As Momo starts to get to know Toshiro, she discovers how others see her newfound friend.

A Girls Night In: What was supposed to be a girl’s night out turns into a girl’s night in after Momo has a particularly bad fight with Toshiro. Matsumomo BrOTP fic written for 2019 Blog Anniversary fanfic requests.

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

In Fragments: For a moment in time, his senses are in fragments. Hitsuhina.

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.

In Times of Peace: While on a mission in Karakura Town, Toshiro gets a call from Momo.

It’s Him: ‘Momo twists back to Toshiro, who is frozen midway through raising Hyourinmaru. “It’s you, right? Shiro-chan?”’

The Momo Hinamori: Isshin meet the Momo Hinamori. Hints of Hitsuhina.

A New Change: Momo decides to get a haircut and consults with the one person best suited to help her.

Our House: over the course of a year, Toshiro and Momo create their home.

Pillow Talk: Based on the prompts “pregnancy & extreme over-protection”.

A Sea Change: When Momo thought they needed a sea change, this isn’t what she meant.

Slowly Fading: Momo has been acting strange lately. When she comes over to visit, Toshiro finally confronts her about it.

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

Sunset Over the Ruins: After thinking him dead and only able to see him from afar in his fight against Gerard, Momo reunites with Toshiro after the war against the Quincy in the fourth division.

The Threads Between You and Me: Momo contemplates on the false memories she has of Aizen and the true ones she has with Toshiro.

An Unknowable Man: While Momo is getting ready to take on her new role as lieutenant, she gets some help from Gin.

Until the Storm Passes: The storm that couldn’t have come at a worse time for Toshiro and Momo.

Upon his Shoulders: Toshiro struggles to move on after Isshin’s disappearance; but a fierce confrontation in the forests of the 79th district may force him to take next step forward not just for his sake, but Momo’s as well.

Welcome Home: Toshiro comes back to one person who always welcomes him home.

What if it Was?: Toshiro and Momo go on their first date, but Toshiro isn’t sure how first dates are supposed to go, or if this even a date at all.

When the Souls Sleep and the World is Our Own: Toshiro doesn’t understand why he keeps coming out to watch the silhouette of the Seireitei with her at sunrise, and Momo doesn’t know why they can’t meet during the daytime.

You Can’t Go Yet: Most children in their district are attacked or forever changed when they first arrive, but Rangiku had been lucky…until now. Ginran

Three and five sentence fanfics:

Above the Tides - Dress, bridal-carry, and kiss. Beautiful artwork by @xxhanabifireworksxx

According to Plan - Cuddling

Are you There? (Ginran) - Angst

Before we Go (Hyourinmaru x Tobiume) - hands

First Snow - the first snow

Instinctive (Hyourinmaru x Tobiume) - protective

To Keep you Warm (Ginran) - Fluff

Shelter - Rain. Another beautiful artwork by @xxhanabifireworksxx

Sweet - Peaches

Snow Soft - Fluff

Something Cold - Freezing

To Soothe Trembling Hands - stricken

Your Hand in Mine - Holding hands

Random inspiration:

Dreams of Black Water - Hands gif

Icy Waters - Fanart piece

#hitsuhina #hitsumomo #hitsugaya x hinamori #toshiro x momo #toshiro hitsugaya #momo hinamori #bleach #fanfiction #three sentence fics #fanfiction masterlist #my posts #I can't believe I have written this much #hitsuhina really inspires me #I love them #some of these were hard to make summaries for

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