The purple hair fell gently in two sweet braids - one on the right and one on the left - on her narrow shoulder. The wide sleeves of the uniform red hakama, the Shinigami academy, fluttered slightly up and down for a moment because of the turbulent wind.
There was an indefinable twinkle in her dark brown eyes and she shielded the rays of the sun, which had been banned through the thick canopy of leaves of the large oak, with her right hand. A low sigh escaped her. Her head was far back and she pouted up at the thickest branch of the tree.
"Shirô-chan!", Hinamori Momo, prospective Shinigami, shouted, slightly offended, up to the little boy who was lying lazily in the treetops and who then only uttered a derogatory sound - probably because of his nickname. She put her hands on her hips, grumbling. This stubborn head! She just wanted to say goodbye to him before she had to go back to Shinigami Academy. But no! Immediately after breakfast, the gentleman had retired to one of the many trees behind the house, ... WITHOUT a word of farewell.
"Now come down there at last. I want to say goodbye to you," she tried further and lowered her head in resignation. It was the same with him every time.
"Don't get nervous, Baka! And go at last," he shot back unfriendly. Hitsugaya Tôshirô sat up sullenly and did not necessarily look down at her with the nicest looks. Hinamori puffed her cheeks furiously and gestured wildly with her left arm.
"Don't keep calling me Baka," she moaned angrily. "And anyway, basically, you don't mean it that way."
She paused and looked up at her friend again. In his otherwise terrifying blue-green eyes - because of these he was avoided by the other residents - there was something defiant.
"I'll say Baka to you until you finally stop calling me Shirô-chan," the dwarf grumbled and crossed his thin arms in front of his chest.“How often should I tell you?” Hinamori sighed. "I won't call you by your name until you, like me, register yourself in the Shinigami Academy."
Hitsugaya turned his head stubbornly to the left and took a deep breath.
"And how often should I tell you", he mimicked the girl perfectly and closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Why should I do that?"
The Shinigami student gave a quiet snort. Two stubborn heads collided with each other.
"Fine. I give it up. But and still, goodbye Shirô-chan," she called up to him with an innocent smile and waved. She saw that Hitsugaya started to speak, but not a word left his lips, instead he stared past her somewhat hostile.
"Huh?"
Momo whirled around and the smile on her lips widened.
"Kira-kun!"
The surprise was written on her face. However, at the moment, the joy of his coming outweighed it. What was he doing here? Was he going to pick her up?
"Hi-Hinamori-kun," came back from him a little uncertainly and he hastily brushed a short strand of blonde pony from his forehead. Strangely enough, he always got very nervous around her.
In contrast to hers, his hakama was white and blue. Girls: white-red and boys: white-blue.
"What are you doing here anyway?", She wanted to know and tilted her head to the right.
Kira stopped in front of her. A bag of provisions dangled on his back.
"Well, the old lady in front of the house told me you were here and-"
"Granny. Her name is Granny", Hitsugaya interrupted the older man a little impudently and now hung upside down from the tree. Kira took a step backwards, startled.
"That's rude Shirô-chan. You can't just interrupt Kira-kun. Go on."
Hinamori paid no attention to the boy, whose head was now upside down right next to hers, and smiled invitingly at the other.However, thanks to the small poisonous dwarf, he was easily thrown off the mark and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Hitsugaya eyed the blonde critically, reared a little and grabbed a branch with both hands. He let himself fall carefully and landed skillfully on his feet.
"Who is that anyway?" He demanded of her and now he didn't let Kira out of his sight.
"A friend from the Shinigami Academy", Momo replied and patted his head - briefly ran a hand through his extraordinary white hair. He immediately pushed her hand gruffly from his head.
"I see", was all the little one replied, stood behind Hinamori and pushed her a little forward.
"Then go with me."
She almost stumbled into the insecure Kira.
"It's okay, it's okay. I'll visit you again next time."
She raised her hand briefly in goodbye and then grabbed the blond's arm, who let himself be pulled along without resistance.

~~~

Momo's steps automatically accelerated a little and she finally ran up the last few meters of the high hill. She could hear Kira's voice behind her, who had difficulty following her. She laughed and raised her arm - waved.
"Abarai-kun!"
The person named, who was standing at the top of the hill and just had his back to her, turned around in surprise. His red mane, which he wore in a strict braid, swirled around briefly because of the stormy wind that was meanwhile.
"Ah, Hinamori," he greeted the girl, grinning weakly, who came to stand next to him gasping for air and resting her hands on her thighs.
"So Kira picked you up after all."
She nodded vigorously and looked back over her shoulder to Kira.
Renji started to crack his right index finger in his ear and looked down, shaking his head, at the blonde something, which now came to a standstill next to Hinamori and dropped to his knees for a moment."What a lovesick fool. Make such a grueling detour. No wonder he's so out of breath," the redhead mumbled to himself and would have loved to kick Kira in the ass. Because of him, he had to wait here for over an hour.
"You know that Hisagi-Senpei will pester us if we should be late again," he urged the two of them and pointed to a large building directly in front of them, the Shinigami Academy. The hill on which they stood fell gently on the other side and bordered the walls of the building.
“I'm sorry if I have to correct you, Abarai.” Kira straightened up and patted some blades of grass off the hakama. "Butyouget in trouble ifyouare late again."
Hinamori giggled softly behind her hand and agreed with Kira with a tentative nod. Renji growled. Oh yes, he had completely forgotten that. Kira and Hinamori were mostly on time and probably got bonus points even before that. What could he do that he overslept? Rukia just woke him way too late.
"Okay, okay. But this time I'm not late ALONE."
Hinamori nodded one more time, looked briefly to the right, to Renji, up and then briefly to the left, to Kira and her lips formed into a beaming smile when their eyes were directed towards the gray building. Exactly! They got through everything together. Because it was also their common dream,… the dream of becoming a Shinigami.

[Prologue is perhaps a bit short and bland. But everything is yet to come: P]