AN: Hello everyone! Second story, first Histu/Momo. I hope you enjoy it.
It was unusually warm for Seretei in February, and though it was about the right temperature, no one had taken their straw sandals out of storage. Everyone was skipping about their oh-so merry business in close toed shoes. Keeping the mud off their feet, but not off the sleek bamboo flooring. Toshirou, who hated warm weather and slippery bamboo flooring was looking surlier by the hour. All and all, it was a pretty mucky day for Hitsugaya.
"Taaaaiiiiiiiichoooooooo! Happy Birthdaaaaaayyy!" Matsumoto was greeted by silence as usual when she entered the office she shared with her captain. Completely ignoring the giant stack of paper work on her desk, the fact that it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, and that she was improperly dressed in shinigami robes riddled in little hearts, she plopped down on the couch.
"Taicho, I said happy birthday." Again, no response. Couldn't he just be personable this one day out of the year? She munched on the candy hearts she brought with her and wondered what he was thinking.
Oh why wouldn't she just leave him alone? Why was it so fun to pick on her little taicho?
"Shirou-chan! I said Hap-" Matsumoto closed her mouth taking the drastic change in temperature as a sign that he had finally noticed what she said. Hiding her grin behind her hand, she twisted around on the couch to look her captain in the face.
"Since when have a let you call me Shiro-chan, Matsumoto?"
"Since never, taicho! I just figured that if I called you Shiro-chan, then maybe you'd mistake me for Momo and talk back. " There were now icicles growing from the wooden rafters in the roof.
"And what would make you think that I would mistake an old cow like you for Momo?"
"Taicho!! Old cow?!" Fake tears welled up in Matsumoto's eyes and Toshirou turned away. How did he get into this conversation again? He never would have taken the bait if the day wasn't going so horribly. The fact was it was funny that his fuku-taicho had mentioned Momo. Matsumoto didn't know it, but he had…plans involving Momo tonight. Hell, Momo didn't even know he had plans with her tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise. Ignoring the fake tears and laments of his Fuku T., he noticed that it was now approaching four o' clock in the afternoon, and that he needed to leave and get ready.
'This better be worth it, bed wetter Momo.'
"Taicho? Taicho? Where are you going?"
"Go home Matsumoto. I'm leaving early." Was this a joke? Matsumoto decided she wouldn't stay long enough to find out. Shunpoing out the office after a hurried goodbye, she didn't give him the chance to say that he was just kidding.
"Hinamori-san! Hey Hinamori!" Momo turned around to see Rukia walking towards her through the throngs of people in Rukogonai. Though Momo was curious as to why she was here, she was very happy to see her good friend Rukia. Maybe she wasn't going to be so lonely today after all.
"Hey Rukia! Watsup?"
"Well you know, same old. Same old. Fighting hollows…hitting Ichigo…drinking juice. How about you? Oh! Isn't today your day off? Any plans?" Momo shifted uncomfortably. Of course she didn't have any plans! It was just another day off in a muddy Rukogonai. This snowy mud stuff was really killing her shoes.
"If you count shopping alone as a plan, sure! Unless you want to accompany me?" Rukia smiled and took Hinamori's arm in hers.
"Sure I'll stay with you! I'm here to get a kimono myself! Ichigo asked me to a festival tonight, and the kimonos on earth are just so drab."
"Ichigo? You mean the same one that I know right?" Rukia couldn't hide her blush.
"It's not that un-expected! How could anyone resist my feminine charms?" Momo couldn't stop laughing for a whole minute after that one. However, when she did, it was her turn to be embarrassed.
"How's it going with Hitsugaya Taicho then? Any progress?"
"What are you talking about Rukia-san? Me and Shirou-chan are just friends…"
"Still? Momo. Get to work! Or else by time you do get anywhere you'll be too old to kiss him!" Momo threw the fan she was looking over at Rukia's head. Maybe she was over reacting, but today just wasn't the day.
"Ow, Momo! Talk about sensitive." Since it didn't really hurt her, Rukia thought that the punishment was minimal compared to the joy she was getting out of seeing Momo's eye twitch like that. They both walked through the shops in Rukogonai and talked for hours. By time Momo got back to her rooms in Seretei, she was tired but happy. That afternoon turned out really well. She even picked out a great Kimono for the next holiday or festival she went to! What a way to end the day!
She went straight into the bathroom and took a wonderfully lavish bubble bath. Stewing the her steamy bath of Momo soup, she couldn't stop thinking about what Rukia said. Her and Shirou-chan anything more than friends? Impossible. She was still nothing but bed wetter Momo and she didn't think she could be anything else. Sinking her head into the water, bubbles rose to the surface of her bath tub…Momo Hitsugaya. Hmmm…Didn't sound that bad after all…When she got out of the bath and into her pajamas, it was only 8 o' clock and she was out of things to distract her from the fact that she was alone. No matter how much she told herself she didn't care, she did. Even though she spent the afternoon laughing and chatting with Rukia, she couldn't help but envy her friend and the stroll she would be taking with Ichigo through the happy little festival in Karakura town. When was she gonna get her chance? Just then, she heard the little tinkling of the bell outside her door telling her someone was here. 'Maybe its Matsumoto… I don't remember her having any plans tonight.'
But it wasn't Matsumoto, it was Toshirou. Toshirou in a light cream suit. Toshirou in a light cream suit with a white button up shirt. Oh boy, she did not feel prepared for someone as sex- er…as handsome as Toshirou looked tonight. "Momo. Uh Hinamori-san. Will you come outside for a while with me?" Momo was still staring at him with very wide eyes. Didn't he look okay? Renji said he looked great. Finally, Momo spoke.
"Of course Shirou-chan, just let me get some clothes on. Either it's gotten cooler, or your angry about something." A quick giggle and she was gone into her room again. Toshirou waited on the porch fidgeting and smoothing over his tie. It was a skinny white tie made out of silk. Patterned with tiny teal fleur de lis, the lady said they bought out his eyes in a nicely subtle way. Thinking about how he looked, he stopped fidgeting so much and remembered all the looks he got from the female shinigami on his way here. He was hot. Somewhere deep on the inside, he knew it.
AN: What are you doing here? Get to the next chapter!