Daisies and Roses

Hitsugaya x Hinamori

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo. This fanfiction is purely for fun.

A/N:This was written for the HHFM Valentines Day challenge. I hope you enjoy my super awful attempt at fluff. Mainly written listening to Ayreon – The Human Equation and The Final Experiment.

Sorry if you see any spelling/grammar mistakes; I'm not used to writing for a deadline

Setting: Seireitei, 50 years after anime/manga.

One had to be meticulous about things such as giving gifts. Hitsugaya Toushirou was a verymeticulous person.

One also had to be very cautious about things such as receiving gifts. Hinamori Momo was hardly cautious even after her years of torment as a result of her trauma.

It didn't help that her zanpakuto was a kidou based fire bird. It certainly made receiving flammable things from her new, admiring recruits difficult. It was embarrassing, to say the least, when the large, and probably expensive, bouquet of colourful flowers burst into flames before their eyes. She would put on an utterly surprised look and try to comfort them, all the while ignoring Abarai-taichou roaring with laughter in the background.

It was a lot harder to ignore when he pulled Kira-fukutaichou and Matsumoto-fukutaichou over, explained the situation and soon had them laughing along with him. It was impossible to ignore them when they dragged a scowling Hitsugaya-taichou off the path and quickly had him smirking in satisfaction.

Such was the story of her life.

Hinamori sighed in frustration, her head in her hands. She frowned as she brushed the last report aside. It was barely midday and already she was finished with her paperwork. She pushed her seat away from her desk and skipped out of the office. She waved to her recruits as she passed, knowing they enjoyed being acknowledged by someone of high ranking, without it being for a mistake they had made. She shielded her eyes from the bright glare of the sun that reflected off the light coloured ground. Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness she merrily continued on her way. She'd been planning to visit Kurotsuchi-fukutaichou for the past week, she seemed so down lately, but she'd never had the chance to until today.

Her eyes widened as she saw Hitsugaya and Abarai training together in the arena between Ninth and Tenth Division, several other shinigami from Fifth and Tenth surrounding them. Everyone had their swords drawn and were striking their opponents sword in a slow rhythm, to her horror, in what appeared to be an exercise that they had been instructed to complete. 'Ack! Training day! That's why there wasn't much paperwork!' She watched aghast as Abarai noticed her and beckoned her over in annoyance. 'Gack! What do I do? Think Momo! Think!' Her face paled as her mind worked hurriedly to find an excuse for her tardiness. Her feet felt like they had been moulded into cement blocks as she made her way over, head bowed.

"Where the hell've you been, Hinamori?" Abarai yelled over the clang of swords. Hitsugaya rolled his eyes behind her taichou and strolled over to them.

"You're late, Hinamori." He told her nonchalantly. She nodded her head nervously.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was doing paperwork and lost track of time!" she squeezed her eyes shut tightly in fear of the reprimanding she was bound to get.

"Pfft…Do you know how difficult it is to get this lot to listen to you?" Abarai continued to yell. She nodded again; of course she knew! She was the one who had to give the division their instructions everyday!

"Yes, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" she squeaked.

"Mmmm…I guess it doesn't really matter, Matsumoto's not here either, so…" She breathed a sigh of relief as he began to calm down. He turned away and nodded at Hitsugaya. They resumed their mock battle while she headed off to the crowd of shinigami awaiting further instruction.

Hitsugaya watched Hinamori from the corner of his eye as she directed her division in that gentle manner the other vice captains were never able to attain. Abarai noticed his fellow taichou spying on the small fukutaichou. A sly grin slid across his face as he thrust Zabimaru forwards. Hitsugaya parried it easily with Hyourinmaru and countered with a swipe to the head.

"So…Toushirou..." He began, knowing the name would get the tensei riled up, perhaps creating an opening.

"It Hitsugaya-taichou…" Hitsugaya muttered not even faltering. The grin on Abarai's face wavered. 'Crap…He's too used to correcting people…'

"Yeah, yeah," he waved it off flippantly. "So…Valentines day's tomorrow. You doin' anything?" Hitsugaya's brow rose curiously.

"Why? Are you going to ask me out?" he smirked at the disgusted and horrified look that appeared on Abarai's features. The red head hesitated at the words, his sword dropping slightly. Hitsugaya drove his own sword forward forcing Abarai to hit the ground or be impaled in a practise match.

"Gawd No! Hell, where'd ya get that?" he roared in annoyance, looking up at the smug young man. "Aw…man…I meant have you organised anything with Hinamori-chan?" The smirk on Hitsugaya's face dropped and Abarai saw the opening he'd been looking for. Zabimaru rose from the ground in fractured pieces and surrounded them. The bone sword was suddenly sucked into the centre of the floating circle it had created, each piece colliding loudly with the others. It was finally Abarai's turn to smirk but he knew not to count his chickens before they hatched. He waited impatiently for the dust to settle. His eyes widened when nothing but a deep indentation in the sand lay before him; no blood, no corpses, no mortally wounded, annoying Hitsugayas. He barely pulled his zanpakuto up in time to prevent himself from being sliced in two as Hyourinmaru came crashing down from directly above his head. The cold, angry fire that burned in Hitsugaya's eyes told him everything.

"That's none of your business." He hissed. Abarai grinned and pushed all his weight into his swing which sent the Tenth division taichou skidding across the arena.

"No it's not, but I care about Hinamori-chan and I know that she feels lonely on Valentines Day. She always used to spend it with Aizen so…you know. It probably has painful memories connected with it even if it has been decades since he high tailed it off to Hueco Mundo." His smile broadened as a thoughtful look crossed Hitsugaya's face. 'My work here is done! You better thank me Hinamori!'

Abarai raised his hand to signal the end of the drills. Hinamori was at his side in a moment, ready for further instruction. Hitsugaya did the same but no fukutaichou arrived behind him. He noticed the wooden window panes of his office were wide open to let in a cool breeze for any occupants which caused a slight twitch in his brow. His regiment noticed the air become thicker and took a hasty step back. He stepped over to Abarai and Hinamori who was smiling shyly at him.

"You wanna come back to Fifth and have lunch with us?" the red head asked casually, turning away with his hands behind his head. Hitsugaya groaned but nodded, though only Hinamori could see.

"You're not cooking are you, Abarai?" He asked worriedly. Hinamori giggled at the genuine concern in his voice.

"Don't worry, Hitsugaya-kun. It'll only be sandwiches and tea. And Renji-kun won't have anything to do with it. They should already be made in fact." She laughed, hooking her arm onto his. She paused and frowned as she thought she heard her name called out. A rather green recruit approached her nervously. She knew instantly that the lad was from fourth by the almost frightened way he carried himself around the other men.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou!" he called out again. She grimaced at the bouquet of roses in his arms. Hitsugaya glared at the shinigami who dared intrude on their time together. But being the sweet soul she was, Hinamori forced a bright smile onto her face as she faced him.

"Hello, um, can I help you?" she asked, trying to stay away from the nasty roses that were being thrown all over the place. Roses were her least favourite flower. She wasn't sure why everyone loved them so much or why they were associated with love and romance. The deep crimson of the soft petals looked too similar to the blood that she'd felt flowing between her fingers as her own taichou's zanpakuto was wrenched from her body and the thorns beneath the head were too alike his deceitful and manipulating nature. She flinched backwards.

"Uh-um-ah-ah-uh…Hinamori-fukutaichou-I-really-think-you're-a-sweet-person-and-I-really-like-you!" He gushed. She couldn't make out what he'd said but she'd heard something similar before. They all seemed to think she was weak, thus an easy target.

"Pfft…They'll learn…" Tobiume cooed to her. She could feel her face and the zanpakuto's sheath heating up.

"Hush, Tobiume! Please don't burn them. He must have worked hard to get away from Unohana-taichou to go and get them fresh!"

"No. He got someone else to get them. And you weren't really convincing when you said not to burn them…You don't like them. I don't like them. Toushirou hates them-" She looked up at the taichou to see a look of absolute disgust."Mm-hmm! See. I'm gonna burn them. I will and you can't stop me!" Hinamori mentally sighed at the stubborn extension of her soul.

"Don't burn me. Give me a sec to work up my surprised face."

"Hinamori-fukutaichou?" the healer called, not sure why she wasn't responding. Hitsugaya glanced down to see the distant look in her eyes and knew immediately she was talking to her zanpakuto. Reality hit her like a tonne of bricks as she ended her conversation.

"Um…th-thankyou…I'm surprised that someone from fourth division would…um…feel anything for me other than annoyance with all the trouble I cause over there…it's just…ah…I'm not…" She said softly, preparing for the assassination of the flowers. The boy, for that was what he was, too young to be a man, practically threw the flowers at her in his nervousness. A fleeting feeling of disdain passed through her, not because the roses would be burnt, but because she still had to hold the ugly things.

"Hurry up Tobiume!" she hissed, pretending to breathe the scent of the roses in deeply. Hitsugaya raised a hand to his mouth to cover the smile and laughter that threatened to spill out and ruin his reputation as the cold and stoic taichou at her poor acting. Hinamori pulled her head away from the bouquet and as if on cue, which it was, a single ember floated on a small current of air and landed neatly on a dark green leaf. Instantly the hated flowers burst into flames. Her eyes widened as she dropped the flaming mess. Her face reddened slightly with guilt. She and the recruit shared astonished looks.

"H-How did…How did that happen?" she squeaked, shooting a quick look at Hitsugaya beside her. The healer smiled instead of taking the hint.

"Damn, he's a thick one. I've told you not to even look at anyone else twice, I willbe with Hyourinmaru by the end of this century." Tobiume seethed. "This fool is trying to mess things up…Or…maybe not…"

"What? What do you mean?" Hinamori asked suddenly afraid of what her zanpakuto and Hitsugaya's were planning.

"Hinamori-fukutaichou, would you like to go to lunch with me tomorrow, since its Valentines Day. I can buy more flowers for you then." The fourth division shinigami offered. Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed and fired an icy glare at the boy.

"Um…I…I don't…" Hinamori stumbled to find the kindest words to reject him with. She really didn't want to go out with him. He was too young and weedy. His mousey brown hair was in need of a good scrub and his face was far too pale for anyone, even someone from fourth. She shuddered at the almost pasty colour of it. His voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and not because it was a handsome voice. It was high pitched, nasally and gave her the sensation of nails being grated against a chalk board.

Seeing her troubles before even she did, Hitsugaya did the first thing that popped into his head. His arm wrapped around Hinamori's waist, much to her surprise, and he pulled her closer, causing her to let out a tiny squeak. She placed a hand on his chest and looked at him for some indication as to what he was planning. Seeing a mischievous spark in his jade eyes she relaxed and rested her head next to her hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, Hinamori-fukutaichou is spending tomorrow with me." He spoke evenly despite his heart skipping a beat every now and then at how right it felt to have her in his arms as a lover even if it was pretend. It did the job though. The recruit gave Hinamori a disheartened look before smiling again at her.

"Yes…they said I'd never be able to make a date with Hinamori-fukutaichou. She was already sort of but sort of not involved with the taichou of tenth division." He said, putting a finger to his chin. Hinamori jumped away from the taichou at his words.

"W-What!" she exclaimed. "Who? Who said that?!" Hitsugaya snorted.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard any of the rumours…" he muttered as she shook her head.

"No! I haven't! What rumours?"

The recruit grinned at her confusion. "I'll see you around then sometime fukutaichou, taichou." He bowed his head respectfully and then headed off.

"He took your rejection pretty well. I wonder if it was dare…?" Hitsugaya mused. She smacked his arm before noticing his other was still around her waist. He seemed to notice it at the same time but was hesitant to remove it. "Well…come on then. What about lunch at fifth?" he asked, embarrassed. Hinamori flushed brightly.

"Y-yeah, let's go." She walked next him back to her division but noticed that they were defiantly walking with a much small gap between them. A tiny smile spread across her face as the feel of his arm around her lingered like a ghost. She looked down at the ground to hide her bright pink cheeks. Hitsugaya watched the strands of loose hair and ends of her ribbon flutter around her face.

"I meant it when I said you were going to spend tomorrow with me." He said, his eyes swivelling to the path as her head shot up to stare at him. "Mm…that is, if you want." He quickly added. Her smile broadened and she hooked her arm with his again.

"You sure? Don't you have work to do?" she asked shyly, her amber eyes bright with surprise and delight. He nodded, offering her an equally shy smile.

"Don't worry about that. I might get my third seat, Takuya to help Matsumoto" he muttered thoughtfully. Hinamori jumped slightly when they heard Abarai scoff from the kitchen.

"Took you two lovebirds long enough" Abarai scathed grumpily, shoving a sandwich triangle into his mouth whole. He looked at his fukutaichou closely, knowing that he'd get nothing from analysing Hitsugaya. She blushed at the term 'Lovebirds' but moved to the cupboards the collect cups and saucers for their tea.

"So…are you doing anything tomorrow Hinamori-chan?" he asked slyly, hoping for the same sort of reaction that he had received from Hitsugaya. His eyes widened when she smiled brightly and nodded her head. "Oh…tough luck, Toushirou…" he muttered, patting the tensei on the shoulder. Hitsugaya growled and slapped his hand away.

"Idiot…" he grumbled. Abarai looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Hinamori placed the teapot on the table between them.

"Oh, no, Renji-kun, you have it all wrong. I'm spending tomorrow with Hitsugaya-kun!" she chirruped. Hitsugaya looked up into her dazzling eyes and quickly ducked his head to hide his embarrassment as Abarai's devious look appeared again.

"Eh heh heh-"

"Shut it, Abarai!" he glared as Hinamori poured tea for the three of them.

"Alright, alright. What are you gonna do tomorrow then?" he chuckled quietly, not wanting to incur the wrath of his comrade for something so trivial. Hinamori looked up, not sure what to say. She shared a look with Hitsugaya and came to the realisation that neither knew what they were going to do. Abarai began chuckling again. "Ok, don't worry. Leave it up to me. I'll make sure this is a date you'll never forget!"

Hitsugaya's face flushed hotly as he protested. "You've still got it all wrong! It's not- It's not a date!" Hinamori was flapping her hands in agreement.

"We're not like that Renji-kun…" she gave up on trying to explain the situation, knowing full well he wasn't listening. He picked up another sandwich before heading out the door, grinning as manically as the defector taichou, Ichimaru

"You do realise this could totally backfire on us and we may well end up with mini-Hitsugaya-taichous running around?" The nervous blonde stated. The other two nodded solemnly. "Mini-Hinamori-kun's wouldn't be too bad, but you'd constantly be saving them from tripping off the second storey pathways…"

"I know, but maybe it'll make our lives a little less painful for the meantime. They'll stop being so secretive, Arrgh-ish and shy" The strawberry blonde moaned as she flopped onto the couch. "And I imagine Taichou would be there to rescue mini-Hinamori-chan in a flash."

Abarai's brow twitched. "Can we stop thinking about the spawn of the devil?! Seriously! I do not want to think about Hitsugaya-kun becoming a father. It sends chills down my spine."

Matsumoto turned to lie on her stomach and pouted up at him. "But don't you think it'd be cute seeing him dote on Hinamori-chan and mini-Hinamori-chan?" She squealed with glee. "Aww! It's too cute to imagine!" Kira shifted slightly away from her.

"It's all very well imagining how they'll act with kids but that'll never happen if we don't make this date successful!" Abarai rose his fist at the challenge dramatically.

The three put their heads together and planned the following day well into the night. Matsumoto yawned as she stood and wandered off to Hinamori's quarters at fifth division. She knocked loudly so the girl would hear her; she really didn't feel like waiting out in the cold for very long. The fifth division fukutaichou appeared at the doorway quickly, a brush caught in a knot in her hair. Matsumoto grabbed the brush and gave it a gentle tug for her. She then placed a small package in the girl's hands and left with a casual wave of the hand.

Hinamori watched her leave in bewilderment. She looked down at the brush in her right hand then to the small gift bag in her left.

"Wh-what?! Matsumoto-san!" she called out when she'd pulled herself together. But by then the voluptuous shinigami was gone. She closed the door softly and looked into the bag. A letter was inside addressed to her in Abarai's handwriting. She pulled the short piece of paper out of the oversized envelope and recognised Kira's and Matsumoto's handwriting scribbled all over it. Her face paled as she realised what else was in the bag and what they wanted her to do with it.

Hinamori sat at her vanity, running the same brush from last night through her hair. Her eyes were unfocused and she stared blankly at her hands gripping the handle of the brush tightly. Her knuckles were almost white and she imagined the brush was her dear red headed taichou. She slammed it down on the table and picked up her light blue hair cloth. She deftly wrapped it around her hair and secured it in place with the darker ribbon. She sighed as she picked the gift bag up and pulled out a slightly smaller present from the bag along with the note. She read it again to confirm what it wanted her to do.

She picked up another much larger bag with several presents and hooked it over her arm. She headed of to her office and placed the gift wrapped chocolates on Abarai's desk. She frowned as she found another note on his desk with her name on it. She picked it up and flipped it over to read the message.

You better do it. We'll be watching.

Love

Renji, Izuru and Rangiku

'Who puts 'love' at the end of a threatening note like that?' she wondered as she placed the bag on his seat. She found a blank piece of paper and wrote her own note to him.

Dear Abarai-taichou,

It would be much appreciated if you didn't spy on Hitsugaya-kun and I today.

I am the only one with a key to your filing cabinet and I am in charge of how much paper work you receive each day.

On a lighter note, would you be able to deliver these chocolates to everyone? They have name tags on them so it shouldn't be too hard.

Please don't eat them all yourself or you'll have Kusajishi-fukutaichou hunting you down. In fact, you should visit 11th Division first.

Thank you very much,

Momo

She smiled in satisfaction as she placed it on top of the bag where he couldn't miss it.

"Are you coming?" an irritated voice asked from behind her. She twirled around to find Hitsugaya leaning indifferently against the door frame with his arms crossed. His ever present scowl was in place and his deep jade eyes were cold.

"Oh! You're here!" she gasped, nervousness creeping up and threatening to make a fool of her. She stuffed the present into her pocket along with the instructions.

"No…I'm not here…I'm currently in the North Pole." He said sarcastically and rolled his eyes. Hinamori frowned.

"Why so cold Hitsugaya-kun?" she asked, puzzled as they left Fifth Division. He shook his head.

"You would be too if Matsumoto woke you up at 4.30 this morning to give you a note…I didn't think she even knew 4.30 existed…" He held up the slip of paper with several instructions written on it in Abarai's, Kira's and Matsumoto's handwriting. Hinamori smiled as she took the paper from him.

Dear Taichou,

We are very pleased to inform you that your date with Hinamori has been thoroughly planned out. You have you three most favourite people in the world to thank for this. If you don't do everything on this list then who knows what dangers will threaten you relationship!

Go for a –slow– walk through the fourth division gardens.

Go to the Café that Ukitake-taichou is always raving about and shout Hinamori. As in pay for her, not shout at her :)

Do something outside of the Seireitei (Try visiting the district of Rukongai that you guys came from!)

Watch the sunset together.

Don't bully Hinamori, Taichou! (:D)

Lotsa Love,

Renji, Izuru and Rangiku

"So this is what we have to do today?" Hinamori asked, reading and re-reading the schedule. She received a grunt from Hitsugaya in reply. She looked over the top of the paper to see his arms crossed and his head turned to the side. "Don't be such a sourpuss." She scolded. "It seems pretty easy. The way you were acting I thought they must have been telling you to do something horrible!" He shook his head in dismay.

"You have no idea…"

Hitsugaya and Hinamori stood outside the gardens of Fourth Division like stunned mullets. A vein in his forehead ticked at the sight. Hinamori looked away from the gardens quickly.

"I feel like something caffeinated. Do you want to move on?" she asked quickly.

"Curse you Matsumoto…" he hissed as they left the brightly coloured gardens. He took a fleeting look back over his shoulder at the dozens of couples that had swarmed to the areas Unohana-taichou had sectioned off specifically for the day. The woman was a huge supporter of Valentines Day and had the peaceful gardens, meant for aiding recuperating shinigami, turned into a hit destination for young couples. She even had poor Kotetsu –fukutaichou and seventh seat Yamada Hanataro selling chocolates at the entrance of the gardens when they weren't needed inside.

Hitsugaya glared disgustedly at a couple that looked to be the same age as Hinamori and himself as they searched for a secluded area for some privacy. He knew they wouldn't find any today, not here any way. A flash of blonde and red darted amongst the pruned trees.

"Hitsugaya-kun?" Hinamori called out and he realised he'd lagged behind. He watched the spot where he'd seen the two vibrant colours before dismissing it. 'You're being paranoid Toushirou.' Hyourinmaru told him.

"What?" he snapped before realising that it wasn't Matsumoto he was talking to. "Sorry…I'm a little on edge today. I'm…I'm worried about how Matsumoto's going with the paperwork." He lied, knowing full well how she was going. His third seat would be stuck with enough paperwork for three perhaps four people with Matsumoto darting around after the two. Thankfully Hinamori believed him and if she didn't, well, she didn't let on that she knew the truth.

"Well…I don't know where Ukitake-taichou's favourite café is. Do you?" he nodded, taking her hand in his own, hoping it would get the damn trio of his back. He mentally scolded himself when he realised how warm and soft her hand was. 'When did her hand get so small?' he wondered. He led her down the path ways past her division and his own. His eyes narrowed as he saw the window panes all boarded up. He was pulled back to reality by Hinamori's clapping and sounds of delight.

"You found it without even thinking about it!" she cried, thrilled.

"It's not that hard to find. What do you want to order?" he asked as she dived for the seat next to a window. He would have preferred a seat at the back, where his fellow taichous couldn't see him.

"Hmm…" Hinamori sat deep in thought as she stared at the menu. A shinigami from thirteenth took their order while Hitsugaya leaned over the table, casually flipping through the pamphlet on varieties of coffee and tea and their beneficial qualities. The two chattered about various oddities in their division while they waited for their tea to come. He noticed his hand was edging a little bit closer to Hinamori's every now and then but he couldn't bring himself to pull it back. A genuine smile graced his features as he listened to her dramatic adventures with Kusajishi and her "guardians" Ayasegawa and Madarame. It wasn't his trade mark smirk or even a scornful twist of the lips but a soft, smile. Albeit it was very small, hardly visible, it was there. And she could see it. The taichou was drawn in by her musical voice and his surrounding seemed to disappear, lulling him into letting his guard down.

He almost fell off his chair when he turned to look at the window to see Kyouraku's face pressed right up against the glass. Ukitake was eagerly skipping into the café. Once he had gotten Hitsugaya's attention, Kyouraku joined his friend, Ise-fukutaichou following disdainfully behind them and keeping her distance.

"Other Shirou-chan!" Ukitake exclaimed. "Hinamori-kun!" He beamed at her and took the nasty glare Hitsugaya shot at him and his companion in his stride.

"Fancy seeing you here Ukitake-taichou!" Hinamori grinned. "I'd heard this was your favourite café but I didn't realise you'd be coming here today!" Hitsugaya remained silent as he pulled himself back into the centre of his chair. Dread filled him when he realised that sickly taichou had his hands behind his back.

"Oh yes, Abarai-kun told us you two were going on a date today! What a pleasant change. Will you continue going out after this?" Seeing the doubtful look on the girls face he held up a hand full of chocolate to silence her. "And thankyou very much for the chocolates! It was very thoughtful of you to remember two old men like us, eh, Shun?" The flamboyant taichou bowed and offered her a charming smile before chasing after Ise who had left the shop very hurriedly. Ukitake turned back to Hitsugaya before producing several large heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and dumping them in the younger taichous unwilling hands. Hinamori giggled at the horrified look on his face. When Ukitake finally left, after emptying all the pockets his senior taichou haori had, Hitsugaya had a hefty amount of sweets in his arms.

"He's a popular man!" Hyourinmaru laughed.

"Shut up!" He yelled at the ice dragon.

"I wonder how much more he's going to get before the day's over which he'll then unload onto you?" Hyourinmaru teased. Being an extension of the young man's soul, he knew exactly what would get his fur ruffled.

"Shut up!" Hitsugaya yelled again.

"You'll share it with Hinamori-chan won't you?" The dragon snuffled, trying to keep the amusement out of his aura.

"Shu-…maybe."he calmed slightly, realising the dragon did in fact have good idea. He was well aware of Hinamori's sweet tooth. She even gave Kusajishi a run for her money

Hinamori waved her hand on front of his face, doing her best not to knock the fancy teapot off the table. She smiled warmly when a dumbfounded expression filled his eyes. "You were talking to Hyourinmaru again, weren't you?"

"Y-yeah. How do you know?" It was a silly question. He knew when she was talking to her songbird so it was natural she would be able to tell when he was talking to the pompous dragon.

"You…you looked sort of distant…and not as angry. Is that how you're able to master your sword so well? By having a close relationship?" Her brow creased in a frown and he would have given anything at the very moment to wipe it from her face and replace it with her kind smile.

"It helps. Stop worrying about whether you're good enough or not. No one would mind if you were way behind but you not. Hinamori, you are one of the strongest women I know. Aizen tricked you and held you back, that doesn't mean you're any weaker. It means you're stronger than the rest of us. Stronger, even, than me." He added sternly. In his head this conversation would have happened at a more convenient time but now that the ball was rolling there was no point in stopping it. One way or another, he'd prove to the gentle fukutaichou that she was worth waiting for, whether it took a few minutes or several centuries.

Her amber eyes were wide with surprise. She'd heard this speech before from all of the other fukutaichous and taichous. However, coming from Hitsugaya it meant something more. It was honest; he was the only person she could rely on not to lie to her.

"I'm not stronger than you…I fell for his façade and look what happened…I almost got you killed." She whispered, staring down at her hands resting carefully in her lap.

"No, Hinamori. Aizen's betrayal had more of an impact on you than the rest of us…I…I know you loved him…and that's okay. But he tried several times to kill you; he put you in a comma for god's sake! But you healed. You became stronger and jumped that hurdle from the ground when the rest of us had to use a step up. We used our anger and swords to get over it. You used nothing but yourself…"He noticed glistening tears under her eyelashes and panicked. 'Maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt about it.' He thought with remorse.

"Thank you…Hitsugaya-kun…But I couldn't have gotten better if I hadn't had your support…and everyone else's-" she began as she brushed her tears away.

"But that's just it Hinamori! We could only provide support and watch over you! We couldn't actually do anything for you! That's why you're a stronger person today. We relied heavily on each other and if one person wasn't there we'd all fall over." She looked up sharply at his words.

"Hitsugaya, you've done so much for me. Please don't say that! I'm…just grateful that everyone has come out of this in one piece…Even if it's taking a while to realise it." She briskly rubbed at her eyes with her sleeve. Her eyes widened as she felt her calloused fingers brush the tears that she'd missed away. "…sorry." She muttered looking away.

"Don't be. I don't think you quite realise just how important you are to m-everyone." He quickly amended himself, not ready to tell her everything yet. She smiled weakly up at him. He pulled away abruptly as he noticed his hand was still on her smooth cheek and he was inclining his head towards her. His heart almost skipped a beat when Hinamori pulled her head back a little too.

He crossed his arms across his chest and stared sullenly out the window. His jade eyes narrowed at the streak of strawberry blonde disappearing below a wall. 'Heh…I'm not imagining it then. They really are stalking us.'

Hinamori placed her cup back on the saucer before suddenly being pulled away from the table. She was tugged out of the café by Hitsugaya. "Wha-"

"Shhhh," he whispered. "They're following us. I plan on ditching them, at least for an hour." Hinamori grimaced at how cryptic her child hood friend tended to be.

"Who's following us?" she sighed. She wasn't expecting him to turn around with an eyebrow raised. "What?!" she yelled, hating being on the end of his 'You-are-rather-thick' look.

"You honestly haven't noticed Matsumoto, Kira and Abarai following us around all day? You don't see flashes of bright coloured hair that could belong to only them out of the corner of your eye?" he asked sceptically. She sighed again.

"Mmm…Renji-kun said they'd be watching…" she told him. His icy scowl took it's usually place. "I asked them not to but I guess…"

"Stupid! Of course they wouldn't listen! Not if it means they can get out of doing paperwork!" He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and took several deep breaths. Hinamori waited nervously for him to collect himself, leaning around him to see his face. She reached into his pocket and pulled out the schedule. He glanced down in confusion at her.

"Okie-dokie! Let's see what we should do next!" she said as enthusiastically as she could, though she was still feeling insecure and vulnerable. "Hmm…We have to go to Rukongai. Oh, let's go see Obaa-san." she suggested, her eyes darkening at the thought. Sensing her tension, Hitsugaya took her hand again and led her through an alley way to escape the rebellious trios watchful eyes.

"Are you sure you want to? I mean, think you can keep your wits about you?" he asked gruffly, trying to hide his concern. After a few moments hesitation she nodded and pulled him over to one of the many flower carts that had set up shop in the Seireitei and made him buy the biggest arrangement the vendor was selling.

"Do you think she'll like these?" Hinamori asked after half an hour of silence and walking. They were already on the outskirts of the first district.

"She'd like anything you gave her. Remember when you gave her those hideous weeds when you were little and she still put them in a vase? If I remember correctly they were also quite toxic." He replied earning himself a chuckle.

"How very nostalgic of you Shirou-chan." She laughed. He pushed her head away at her nickname for him from their childhood.

"I can be nostalgic when it's called for, Bed-wetter." She pouted and tapped his arm.

"I did that once! Why won't you let me live that down?" her voice rose as they argued about nicknames and the amount of respect they each deserved. A flock of birds took to the cloudy afternoon sky. Hitsugaya looked up sharply.

"Keep you voice down, Hinamori. They know where we used to live. I wouldn't put it past them to come all the way out here just to spy on us." He hissed.

"All the way out here…?" she asked doubtfully.

"Yes, all the way out here. And they're hardly the most respectful people around…" he pushed open a rickety gate carefully. He didn't the whole fence to be pulled out of the ground; it was already at a 20 degree angle with the dirt in some spots. Hinamori stepped tenderly on the damp ground, barely leaving a footprint. She walked around the small dilapidated house that they had grown up in.

"I think the only thing that's different is that it's not really as homely…" she muttered, running a delicate hand over the flaking wood of the veranda.

"And that just about every plank of wood is thoroughly rotted." Hitsugaya grabbed her around the waist to direct her away from the suspiciously untouched step. He lightly poked it with his zanpakuto once before it completely disintegrated. "That's what forty years of disuse does to an old house." They approached the backyard slowly, fond memories running through their minds. Hinamori's form slumped as they came across the gravestone they had erected four decades ago.

"It feels like only yesterday that we were playing in the mud out here with Obaa-san ready with a bucket of clean water…" She knelt and grazed her fingers against the carvings of the stone. Hitsugaya knelt beside her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah…At least she doesn't have anything to worry about any more." He rubbed his hand up and down her arm. She leaned into his chest, seeking the warmth and support that only he could offer.

"True. I'm sure you caused quite a few of her grey hairs." She placed the bouquet on the dirt in front of the grey stone. "I hope you like these Obaa-san…We picked them out especially for you…" Hitsugaya felt a slight shudder run through her body as she tried and failed to suppress her grief. She let out a choked sob as she remembered the elderly lady's soft voice, the gentle smile that even put Unohana-taichou to shame, and how she shared her unconditional love with everyone, even the two orphan children off the street that she'd adopted. "N-…Why'd you have to go?" she asked shakily

Her sorrow hit a chord in his heart and Hitsugaya found himself blinking back tears as he held her, asking himself the same question. They heard a slight crunching and crackling sound which pulled them out of their reverie. Hinamori moved slightly back to pull the small present from her pocket in surprise, as though unsure how it had gotten there.

"Oh…" she murmured.

"What is that?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice husky with emotion. She turned the slightly split paper over in her hands.

"Matsumoto-san gave it to me last night and said I had to give it to you…but…I really don't think you'd like it." She told him, sniffling every now and then. He plucked it from her palm and looked at it.

"Why'd she do that? And whatis it?" He asked again. Hinamori looked up in confusion at his puzzled face.

"It's Valentines chocolates. It's tradition for a girl to give chocolates to a boy she likes. And then on White's day the boy gives her something in return. How do you not know about this when you obviously receive ridiculous amount of chocolate every year?" She glowered, already feeling embarrassed enough without having to explain whyshe was giving him the chocolates. Her glare once again became one of confusion when he placed the ripped package inside his robes.

"Alright, I accept you gift. What sort of things do girls like to get for White's Day?" he asked her casually. Hinamori's face burnt a bright red as she ducked her head.

"I don't think you realise that you're supposed to be crafty about asking a girl what she wants…" she tried to pull away but found his arms tightened to restrain her. "Hitsu…gaya-kun?"

"But then how can I be sure I'm getting you something that you'd want or that it would mean something to you?" He pressed his nose against her hair.

"Oh." was all she could squeak out.

"I've never received chocolates from anyone for Valentines day." He told her, pulling them both to their feet and wandering over to a tree where the ground was relatively dry, compared to the rest of the secluded forest garden.

"Yes you have! I give them to you every year, well, I give them to Matsumoto-san to give to you…oh" she mumbled again.

"Exactly. I've never received any because Matsumoto eats them all first." He sighed. "I'm not a big fan of chocolate and sweets anyway."

"Then why do you want those chocolates?" she asked, baffled. Hitsugaya sat with his back against the tree trunk and tugged her down to sit between his knees.

"Because you gave them to me. You gave them to me yourself." He amended. He pulled the blue ribbon from her bun, sending her aqua hair cloth and dark, silky tresses cascading down her back. She looked up into his jade eyes shyly, too nervous to look up and find out what was or wasn't in his eyes. "You're much prettier with your hair down."

"Hitsugaya-kun?" she whispered softly.

"Mm?" he mumbled as he leaned back against the bark, staring intently down at her, his arms circled around her waist. She shook her head and turned away to look at the house. His eyes narrowed. She lent her head against his chest as a few droplets of water hit the ground beyond the thickly covered tree. "Hinamori, what is it?"

"No…Don't worry. It's nothing." She replied quickly. He noticed a small piece of white paper poking out of her pocket. Before she could react he reached across her and yanked it from the black fabric. "Wait! Don't!" She cried, realising what he'd found.

Dear Hinamori-chan!

I have devised a wonderful plan specially for you! You can give these chocolates to Taichou. But the price is a kiss! You must get him to kiss you before letting him eat them.

If you don't do it and I find the chocolates in your room I will tell Yachiru-chan all your secrets, effectively informing the entire Gotei 13. Got it?

I know you said you don't really want to be kissed, but you don't know what you want and I do.

Love

Rangiku.

A smirk crossed Hitsugaya's face as he read the short note. Hinamori's face was bright red as she darted away to face him but refusing to look at him, 'anything other than those laughing, annoying, beautiful eyes!' she screamed to herself.

"You were supposed to bargain them?" he asked. She nodded her head curtly.

"That's what the note says." She tightly replied. She could virtually feel one of his eyebrows rising and his lips tilting upwards.

"For a kiss?" She nodded again. "From me?"

"Who else?! You're the one the note's about!" she cried in exasperation. She was about to say something else when she felt his hand on the small of her back pulling her closer. Her gasp was cut off by his soft lips brushing against her own. She tried to keep her eyes open but they instinctively closed.

'Pull away! Don't let him kiss you again!' her logical side screeched. She found her hand rise to caress his smooth cheek, pulling him closer. This time he pressed his lips against hers more firmly, now that he had the desired result.

'Stop it! You're going to ruin everything! You'll just crash and burn again! Nothing lasts forever!' she wavered, pulling back slightly, but only to have him follow her. She could feel her legs turn to mush as his other arm pulled her as close to him as possible.

Hinamori's other hand came to rest on his chest. His lips were soft and insistent; she couldn't help but reply to his request.

'Hitsugaya will leave too! It's only a matter of time before you go back to the way you once were! It will take only the slightest thing to trigger the endless days of rain and staring out the window, waiting for someone to rescue you! Turn back now! Before it's too late! Before the darkness consumes your soul entirely!' At the vicious words her mind was throwing at her, she threw herself backwards, out of his strong arms. Her tears returned as well as her insecurities.

'No! Hitsugaya-kun won't leave me! He'll stay with me!' She retaliated, holding her hands to her head as though in pain.

"Hinamori?!" Hitsugaya gripped her arms, trying to see her bowed head.

'Has he said that to you in so many words? Even if he does, words are empty promises that are never kept. Look at what happened with Aizen-taichou. You believed in him, trusted him with all your being and he left you to die. How do you know that Hitsugaya won't do the same?'

"Please, Hinamori! What's wrong?" he asked frantically when he received no response other than the shake of her head. Tears dripped down her face faster.

"You'll…You'll leave me too…" she whimpered.

"Oh, Hinamori…" he breathed, wrapping his strong arms around her. "How could you think that? I'll never leave you." She shook her head again, trying to cover her mouth to prevent the racking sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.

"Empty promises…"

He looked down at her dark head, the rain falling around them harder. "What? What empty promises?"

"Your words…I don't know that you're telling me the truth." She pressed her face against his shoulder, hoping to hide her tears from his watchful and concerned eyes.

"Than hear these words. They are not empty. They are me entire being…" he paused for a moment trying to push back the doubt and fear. "Hinamori Momo…I love you. I truly love you. If you ceased to exist I would have nothing to live for because you are my life." He told her simply. She was silenced for a moment.

Emotion was something Hitsugaya rarely displayed, even to her. But in his words she could hear every ounce of his love and fear and rather than by sobs she was overwhelmed by his sincerity.

"I promise you…Momo…" he murmured her first name hesitantly. "There is nothing I wouldn't give to be with you every minute of every day." She looked up at his bright eyes.

"Hitsu…gaya?" she whispered, her croaky voice barely audible above the rain that drenched them both. "Why?" was all she could ask.

"I've been asking myself that for years but you've woven some strong incantation over my heart and I'm never leaving." An extremely weak smile crossed her lips at his cheesy line. Her tears mingled with the raindrops that landed on her face.

"Thank you…Hitsugaya-kun…I…I…" she struggled for the words he had uttered so softly to her. She was silenced with a deep kiss.

"I know…Say it in your own time, Hinamori." He breathed into her ear. "Don't rush into something you don't think you're ready for. I'll wait" She nuzzled her nose into his neck.

"No, I want to be able to tell you." She stood in his arms in silence for several long minutes. Neither bothered to move out of the rain as they were already as drenched as they were going to get. She could practically feel the bruises forming on her back from the pelting rain. Hitsugaya protected the tender flesh of her stomach and face from the onslaught of the elements. She took a shaky breath and smiled.

"I love…you. I love you, Hitsugaya. Thank you." She felt faint as he pressed his face into her hair, against her wet cheek. As if only just realising they were still in the rain, Hitsugaya pulled her under the tree again, pressing a soft kiss against her collar bone. They sat underneath the tree that had so many memories attached to it: The day when they had first met, the morning she decided to become a shinigami and even the evening they lost their beloved Obaa-san. And they waited for the rain to pass, all the while hoping it would never stop.

"I hope you're happy now, Rangiku-san…" Kira hissed in her ear. She grinned broadly

"I sure am! It's a complete success! Now taichou shouldn't be such a grouch all the time!" she whispered back. She turned back to watch the two sitting only just out of the rain. She was worried that Hitsugaya might hear the drumming of the rain on her umbrella but he seemed too wrapped in what he was doing at the moment. Abarai sat a way off with his back to them.

"Do you realise now he'll want more time off to go out with Hinamori-chan?" She looked back over her shoulder.

"Yeah, isn't that sweet! He'll probably ask me to go buy flowers every day for her, since I know everything from her favourite colour to her least favourite song…I think" She pondered the fact for a moment.

"But when he goes out for lunch and there's still paper work left. What do you think he'll expect then, hmm?" He could feel Matsumoto's grin sliding off her face.

"WHAT?!" She screamed. Kira flew to her and cover her mouth with his hands.

"SHHHH! He'd have heard that!" The three looked awkwardly back to the garden to see Hitsugaya shooting death glares at them and Hinamori burying her embarrassed face deeper into his shoulder.

"Crap!" the three flash stepped as fast as they could away from the garden, leaving an obvious path and making enough noise to wake the dead.

Hitsugaya just smirked and kissed the back of Hinamori's neck before leaning closer to watch the rain clear with her. He reached away from the trunk, trying not to disturb her. She looked up to see what he was doing. When he brought his hand back into her line of sight she found a single white daisy in his hand, tiny water droplets sliding along the thin white petals. He took her hand and pressed in into her palm.

"Unlike young, green recruits from fourth division, I know your favourite flower." He pressed another kiss to her forehead. She smiled warmly and tucked it into her hair, behind her ear.

"You know me better than I know myself." She replied and kissed his lips when they were close enough. "This is one flower I knowTobiume won't burn." They watched in awe as the clouds parted, letting rays of bright orange light brush against the wet grass. "I don't know about you but I would like to stay here, just a little longer." She told him softly. Hitsugaya stroked her cheek as he gave her his small smile.

"Of course. We'll stay like this…for as long as you want."