The Final Rest
The howling winds beat against the closed homes of Rukongai. Snow had reached a significant level as it flooded the empty streets. Life did not bring itself out in the cold deathbed that the present climate offered. Not a single person was ever tempted to go outside and bask in the insane cold winter blast the freezing blizzard had to give. The frozen rain beat down anyone who had dared to step out of the comfort and safety of their warm homes.
Yet one person was out there walking through the evacuated streets, though it was not of his choice. He willed to go somewhere, this lonely traveler, as he walked towards the direction where all the four winds meet: Soul Society's center, Seiretei.
The freak blizzard prevented anyone to see who he was, though one could tell from a safe distance that this poor creature stuck outside is no more but a mere boy caught in a harsh winter cold. His silhouette moved slowly as if some impediment had been placed on one or both of his legs. And if anyone was close enough to him, they would see who he really was.
Walking through the harsh blizzard, this boy, clothed in torn and blood-soaked shinigami robes, leaving a soft trail of footprints behind him, slowly proceeded one step at a time. His white hair blended perfectly against the freezing white snow background, but his deep, yet dull bluish-green eyes stood against the complete whiteness of his surroundings. Blood and black made a deep contrast against snow, allowing one to see him albeit the continuous rain of frozen water somewhat blurred the image.
It was Hitsugaya Toshiro, tenth division captain, beaten by battle and continuously being beaten by winter's rage.
He was walking at snail gait, one hand clutching his side that was bleeding profusely while his other hand held on for support on Hyourinmaru, using the sword more like a walking cane. Each step left a trail of crimson on the snow-filled ground, draining him more of his precious life river. The snow resting on his head harmonized with his crowning glory, the boundary between them greatly blurred.
Damn Aizen… he thought. Images and sounds of a harsh battle flashed through his mind. A picture of him getting wounded a number of times and afterwards killing the traitor stuck to him. At least this war's over. We have ended it with victory in our hands. I'll doubt it that Yamamoto-soutaichou would care less how many of ours got killed in there, anyway…
He winced in pain as he coughed up some blood. His brows furrowed even deeper in thought. An image of a brown-haired girl interrupted his thoughts, forcing back his evaluations and stuck its picture on his head. Memories throughout his life flooded his head.
……
"Shiro-chan, I'll be going to the shinigami academy next year."
He scoffed. "As if I care about that, bed-wetter Momo…"
"I told you I stopped wetting the bed already!"
"Yeah right…"
……
"Shiro-chan, I saw a captain visit the academy today." She gestured her hand and spread them wide, as if motioning the large gap between them. "Their reiatsu's really huge! This captain was Aizen-taichou of the fifth division, and he came with his lieutenant to inspect the academy."
"Beats me. Captain or no captain, it's not like I'm interested in there anyway."
"Awww…you're so mean, Shiro-chan!"
……
"Shiro-chan, Aizen-taichou just did such a great thing today! We saw him beat up those huge hollows that came to attack us! And he was so kind to us! Aizen-taichou-"
A barrage of watermelon seeds found itself bouncing away from her face one after the other.
"Kyaaaahhh!!!!!"
After firing the 'deadly bullets of hell' at her, young Hitsugaya resumed devouring the next slice of watermelon he grabbed.
"Shiro-chan!!"
……
"Shiro-chan! Why're you here? I thought you didn't intend on being a shinigami!"
"It was boring back there. At least I can do something here. And stop calling me Shiro-chan! Baka bed-wetter Momo!"
She let out a soft giggle. "I won't stop calling you Shiro-chan until you become a captain. So let's just say I'll never stop calling you Shiro-chan."
……
"Shiro-chan!" she squealed, giving him a tight hug. "You're a captain now! I'm so proud of you!"
He scowled under his breath. "Stop doing that, baka bed-wetter Momo. You're treating me like a kid. And besides, I thought you said you wouldn't call me Shiro-chan anymore if I became a captain."
"Okay, fine, but you'll still be my Shiro-chan!"
……
"It was you, Hitsugaya Toshiro!"
"Think, Hinamori! Do you really think that Aizen would let his subordinates clean up his mess? He's not the kind of captain that would leave a mess for others to clean up."
Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "But… it was in Aizen-taichou's writing… I'm so confused, Hitsugaya-kun… I don't know what to do anymore…"
"Hinamori…"
She let out a scream as she tried to assault him. He knocked her out before any more should be done.
"Wasn't Aizen enough for you, Ichimaru? Did you really have to involve her in this? She bled in gripping her sword too tightly." His reiatsu began to rise. "I thought I told you that if you make Hinamori spill one drop of blood, I will kill you."
……
"Hitsugaya-kun… please forgive me for pointing my zanpakuto at you… for not believing you…"
"It's alright, Hinamori. It wasn't your fault…"
"Aizen-taichou must somehow manipulated by Ichimaru into doing this… he couldn't do this to us…" she began crying.
"Hitsugaya-kun…please…save Aizen-taichou…"
……
"Hitsugaya-kun, I just want this war to end… I don't want to see anyone suffering anymore…"
"...Hinamori…"
……
"Hitsugaya-kun… when the battle's over, let's come back to Junrinan and eat watermelons like we used to. It's out of season, but there may be some good fruit patches out there we can find…"
He scoffed.
"Hitsugaya-kun…just…come back when it's done, okay?" she mustered a smile for him.
"Hmmph." He grunted. "Easy for you to say."
"Neh, I know it's not going to be easy, but…" her voice grew silent. She was already teary-eyed before she spoke again.
"…promise me you'll come back, okay?"
……
The harsh conditions Hitsugaya was subjected to started taking their toll on his body. Seiretei, however, was already in his sight, already near his grasp.
…feel…so tired…just want to rest…
He fell down on the soft snowy ground, his blood making a crimson mess of where he lay, his face almost kissing it. Once again, the image of a brown-haired shinigami kicked into his head.
"Hitsugaya-kun…"
Hinamori…
"…promise me you'll come back, okay?"
Hinamori…
"…we'll eat watermelons together like we used to when we were in Junrinan…"
Baka bed-wetter Momo.
"Shiro-chan…"
No. Not yet…
"…just…come back when it's done, okay?"
Hinamori…
She's waiting for me.
He slowly crawled his way through the snow, his body leaving a bloody mess of a trail on the ground he crawled upon. He was slightly buried under the weight of the accumulating snow on his body, but it didn't stop him from moving his way forward. Each movement, each breath counted as he drew closer and closer towards Seiretei.
Towards Hinamori.
The cold beat him continually, his breath forming a mist in the air, with eyes that had grown dull by each moment. He was barely covered by his robes against the weather. But he strived forward.
Hinamori… I'm coming…
He looked forward. In his bloodied state, he could make out of the silhouette that stood a few steps before him. Despite the loud howl filling the air, he heard the distinct footsteps in the snow coming toward him, the gait all-too-familiar to miss. The silhouette moved closer, and slowly forming an image, first the trace of curves of a young woman's body, and finally the creamy-white face with hair and brown eyes. Finally, the steps had come to a halt.
A sad, broken voice cracked through the loud howl of the wind. "Hitsugaya-kun, you're back…"
He scoffed at her statement. "Of course I'm back, baka. It'll take a lot more than that to kill me."
"You're injured! I'm going to call for Unohana-taichou to-"
"I'm fine... just... stay here with me..."
She sat down beside him, and rested his head on her lap. His bluish-green orbs regained their luster as they looked into those deep brown orbs that looked back at him. He felt tears fall on his face, much to his surprise.
"Oi! What are you crying about now?"
She answered in her teary yet happy voice. "…n-nothing, it's just that I thought you'd never come back…"
He scowled at her. "Baka bed-wetter Momo. Didn't I tell you I'll be back?"
"Yes, but…"
"…then it means that I'll be back. No questions asked. Sheesh, you seriously doubted me?"
Tears continued to run down her cheeks. He raised his hand toward her face, wiped away her tears and caressed her cheek. "Stop crying, Momo. I'm here now."
She revealed a sweet smile and stopped her tears from flowing. "Hai."
He heaved a sigh and smirked. He responded dryly. "You're such a nuisance sometimes."
"Awww…that's mean, Shiro-chan."
His brows furrowed and he gave a careless scowl. He then quirked his lips and let his brows calm down, and formed a smile. He whispered to her. "Hinamori…"
"Hmmm?"
"I feel so tired... can I rest here for a while?"
"It's alright, Hitsugaya-kun. I'll just wake you up after a while."
"…arigatou…"
He slowly closed his eyes, drifting slowly to dreamland, though the soft smile on his lips never left them. His grip on Hyourinmaru had loosened, letting it roll off from his grip. She brushed his hair with one hand and held on to his hand with the other, watching his chest slowly moving to the rhythm of his breathing, that its movement was so slight it seemed to have stopped. She hummed a soft tune as the strong howl of the weather died down, reduced to a soft blow, snowfall reduced to a few of it every now and then, as if lulling the tired warrior to sleep. Her hand on his hair moved down to caress his cheek; and she found them cold.
"It's really cold out here, eh, Hitsugaya-kun? Come on, now, let's get you wrapped up in nice warm clothes. I bet you got caught in the blizzard when you came back here…"
She tapped his cheek lightly. "Wake up, sleepyhead. You can get some more sleep after you fix yourself up…"
No response.
She tapped him again on his cheek. "Quit fooling around, Shiro-chan… it's really cold out here and you'll get sick if we stay around here too long."
She started to shake him awake. She was already starting to cry. "Wake up, Shiro-chan… it's not funny anymore…"
No response.
Her tears fell on his cheek. She grabbed his wrist and pressed a finger over the visible vein, checking for any sign of life. There wasn't even a flick of it.
Once again, no response.
She hugged his head close to her chest, the tears finding themselves falling on Hitsugaya's hair. She called out to him, to come back to her, but her pleas fell on ears that belonged to someone she could no longer reach.
Another fic accomplished. Please review. Your comments mean a lot to me.
Thanks again for reading!