Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach in anyway. Nope. Not at all. Besides, last I checked, I'm not Tite Kubo. So yeah…
Momo stared wide-eyed around her at the strange surroundings. Yamamoto had given the Gotei 13 a free day to do whatever they wanted as a well deserved treat. A group of shinigami were going to the real world, Momo included. She had decided she wanted to meet all of Shiro-chan's friends that she heard so much about. Included in the group visiting the real world were Rukia, Renji, Matsumoto, and, of course, Hitsugaya. She glanced at the white haired boy silently walking beside her. She really really really really wanted to ask some questions about them, but felt now was not the right time. Just before they had left, Ukitake had showered Hitsugaya in candy and junk food, carelessly messed up his hair, and said in a sing-song voice, "Haha, Shiro-chan hasn't grown at all, has he?"
This, of course, had not put Hitsugaya in a good mood. He was currently glaring at the ground in front of him, hands balled into fists in the pockets of his jeans as he walked along behind the others. Momo had felt bad for him, and was now in the back of the group as well in order to keep him company. Rukia, Renji, and Matsumoto were talking loudly and laughing about the mysterious people she had yet to meet.
"I can't wait to have some of Orihime's delicious cooking!" Matsumoto yelled excitedly.
"You have really weird taste in food, Matsumoto." Rukia laughed.
"Yeah, really. God I can't wait I to kick Ichigo's ass." Renji said.
"Be nice! We're here to visit, not pick fights. Besides, knowing him, his stomach is probably sliced open or something." Rukia warned, scowling up at Renji.
"His fault for not keeping up on his training." Renji retorted.
"I can't wait to see them again!" Matsumoto squealed, excitedly hopping around in anticipation to be seeing her friends again.
And so the conversation went until they reached their destination: the park.
There, two people were standing around, chatting and watching some kids play soccer.
"ICHIGO! ORIHIME! HI!!!" Matsumoto screamed, waving her arms around and almost hitting Rukia and Renji in the face.
The pair turned and waved. Once introductions and greetings were exchanged, they began discussing the important thing: where the hell they were going.
"Let's just go to the movies." Ichigo sighed, as if this was a pain.
"The movies? But it's so boring! It's all bull, right?" Rukia said scornfully.
"Well, you have a better idea, midget?" Ichigo asked. Momo saw not only Rukia twitch angrily, but Hitsugaya as well. She had to intervene, and fast.
"Hitsugaya-kun, what's a movie?" she whispered. She saw a ghost of a smile.
"A movie is a moving picture that tells a story." He replied. "It can be funny or sad… it depends."
"Oh, ok, thanks." Momo said, thinking to herself that movies didn't sound all that boring, but it seemed as if movies had already been discarded as an idea.
"The mall?" Orihime asked tentatively. Renji shuddered.
"No way! That place is creepy! All those stores packed into one, and the trees growing in the building, and those freaky people who attack you just so you'll buy something from them! No thanks."
Momo had to agree, it did sound creepy. Who had ever heard of trees growing indoors?
"Oh! There's a carnival just down the road from here!" Orihime said.
Rukia grinned. "Now that's a good idea."
"Sounds good! I'll kick your ass at all the games, Ichigo!" Renji yelled.
"In your dreams moron!" Ichigo retaliated. Momo couldn't help thinking they were exactly alike as she watched them start to fight.
"Is that ok with you, Momo? Matsumoto? Hitsugaya?" Orihime asked politely, ignoring the flying kicks and punches as Rukia shouted strings of obscene words at them, causing the mothers of the soccer playing children to turn around and glare at her.
"Um, yes, that's perfectly fine!" Momo said hurriedly, wanting to get out of there before it got too ugly. Hitsugaya nodded his approval. "Let's do it!" Matsumoto shouted, waving her arms around again.
"Oi. Idiots. Quit acting like buffoons and get up already." Hitsugaya coldly stated, turning around and starting to walk away. Ichigo and Renji stopped and glared at the back of Hitsugaya's head. Then, reluctantly, they got up and began to follow after Hitsugaya.
"Strawberry."
"Idiot."
They reached the carnival without further incident except for some arguments between Rukia, Renji, and Ichigo for who knows what reasons. Momo looked around, amazed by all the sights and sounds and smells. Almost immediately, Renji and Ichigo had run off to compete against each other in a game of "Pop the Balloon with a Dart and Win Something Big and Worthless!" As the wall holding the balloons trembled, Orihime bought tickets for the rides while the others watched the contest get more and more heated. Momo turned to Rukia.
"Do they always act like this when they're together?" Momo asked nervously as the wall shuddered again as another dart was tossed violently at it.
"Yeah, for the most part. In fact, this would be getting along for those two." Rukia replied, a bored expression on her face.
"Win me the Pikachu, you two!" Matsumoto shouted happily. At this point people were beginning to stop and stare curiously.
"What's going on?"
"A lover's quarrel?"
"Why is all their hair such strange colors?"
"More importantly, why does all their hair defy gravity?"
"Hair gel?"
"I bet its drugs. Stupid kids today."
And so these comments swirled around them as the crowd got more and more thick until, finally…
"Look out! It's falling over!" yelled the owner of the booth as the wall full of balloons collapsed into the crowd.
In the confusion that ensued, the group made their escape. Rukia then spent the next 10 minutes yelling at Renji and Ichigo at the top of her voice while the others tried to figure out where to go next that they couldn't cause too much damage.
They all finally agreed the Haunted Mansion was the safest bet. They had to go in in groups of three though.
"It's ok, I'm afraid of haunted houses anyway, they're way too scary for me!" Orihime laughed. "I'll wait for you guys out here!"
Momo couldn't help silently agreeing with her, but didn't want to give Hitsugaya the pleasure of knowing she was scared. So, putting on a brave face, Momo got into the cart, as Hitsugaya and Matsumoto slid in after her. In the cart in front of them, Rukia sat inbetween the silently steaming Ichigo and Renji, both pissed at getting yelled at by Rukia. Slowly, they began rolling forward into the dark tunnel…
They weren't even a quarter of the way in when Momo decided that haunted houses were definitely not her thing. Every time they turned a corner, she felt herself involuntarily flinch, expecting the worst. This gave Hitsugaya a lot to tease her with, who was extremely bored with it.
"You do realize Hollows are ten times scarier than all this put together, and they're real, right?" he asked with that infuriating smirk on his face.
"Sh-shut up Shiro-chan! This is really scary!" Momo whispered, as she apprehensively watched a fake spider slowly being lowered down on a string, not noticing the decaying bone hand reaching out of the shadows.
"EEK!" The hand was on her shoulder. Matsumoto, who had also been busy watching the spider, wondering if it was going to land on them, caught sight of the hand as well.
"HOLLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT THING?!" she shrieked, as the sound of evil laughter echoed around them. Hitsugaya just rolled his eyes.
"FOOLISH MORTALS, YOU DARE ENTER MY HOUSE?! YOU SHALL HAVE TO PAY THE CONSEQUENCES… WITH YOUR LIVES!!!" the voice cackled.
"Too bad we already did that at the beginning of the ride." Hitsugaya muttered under his breath as his vice-captain frantically looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. Momo gripped onto Hitsugaya's arm and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Where do you think he is?" Matsumoto whispered to Momo, knowing she wasn't going to get any sympathy out of Hitsugaya.
"I-I don't know." Momo whispered back, as the cart slowly shuddered its way along the tracks. She just hoped they'd be out of this thing soon.
No sooner had she thought that when…
"Oi, Momo, it's over now." Hitsugaya said with a slight gentle undertone that only Momo could ever pick up on.
"Thank God!" Matsumoto sighed, "That thing scared me so badly they almost popped out!"
Choosing to ignore that last comment, Hitsugaya and Momo hopped out of the cart.
"Wasn't that hilarious?! I've never laughed so hard in my life!" Rukia said, tears of mirth in her eyes.
"When that hand popped out, I shook hands with it! It was so cheesy!" Renji laughed, holding onto his sides because he was laughing so hard.
"Yeah, it was a real laugh…" Momo murmured, embarrassed by how terrified she had been. A blush crept over her face until it was bright red.
"So, what shall we do next?" Orihime asked cheerfully as she handed out funnel cakes she had bought at the food stand nearby while waiting for them.
"I dunno." Ichigo replied, eating his funnel cake.
"Can we do that?" Renji said, pointing at the bumper cars.
"Err…" Orihime and Rukia exchanged a worried glance. Rukia sighed.
"Ok, but you have to promise to behave!"
This went on deaf ears, as Renji and Ichigo were already fighting for a spot in line. The others followed behind.
The bumper cars were interesting, to say the least. Renji and Ichigo, of course, had went at it as soon as the ride had started. Rukia slammed into the two of them with a vicious smile on her lips. Hitsugaya had simply knocked into whoever was closest, not really caring who he hit (with one notable exception). Matsumoto cheerfully drove around, not really looking where she was going and frequently running into the walls. Orihime had been surprisingly good at it. Momo had been stuck the entire ride in one of those cars that just spins around and around in circles at full speed. By the time it was over, she was feeling more than a little sick.
"Hey, Momo, your face looks a little green there!" Ichigo stated the obvious.
"Haha, yeah…" Momo said weakly with a little smile, clutching her stomach and willing herself not to vomit.
"Do you need something to drink?" Orihime asked with genuine concern.
"No, no, I should be ok in a little while." Momo replied.
"Ok, if you're sure." Orihime said.
"Let's go in the fun house next!" Rukia shouted, leading the way without waiting for them to the looming building full of flashing lights and bright colors.
15 minutes of screaming and laughing later, they slid one by one down the slide.
"Renji looked really fat in that one mirror!" Ichigo laughed along with the others as Renji scowled.
"Your one to talk. You looked like some kind of freak mutant midget strawberry in the other mirror." Renji smirked as Rukia bopped him over the head.
"Shut it with the midget jokes already you freaking skyscraper!" she retorted as they walked along.
"I'll make whatever jokes that I want!" Renji shouted back. Rukia was about to yell something when a collective scream caught their attention.
A drop tower loomed before them. It easily reached 110 meters high. It was a given what ride they were going to go on next. As they waited in line, however, Momo couldn't help noticing something. Thinking fast, she came up with a plan.
"Shiro-chan, I'm still not feeling so good, and this ride looks scary. Will you wait with me please?" she asked in a small voice, making her eyes go extra wide and pleading.
"Fine, Bed-wetter Momo." Hitsugaya sighed. Honestly, he hadn't been looking forward to going on this ride anyway. It looked like it would fall to pieces in 2 seconds if given the chance, and he didn't feel like dying in a freak carnival ride accident today, thank you very much.
And so Hitsugaya and Momo sat on a bench by the exit to the ride watching their friends slowly creep up to the top of the tower. Momo couldn't help noting how pale Orihime's face was, and Matsumoto excitedly shrieking incoherent words and waving her arms over her head in excited anticipation. There was a moment of suspended silence as they waited for the drop, where you could hear Matsumoto clearly yell, "WOO! DROP BABY DROP!!!" And so it did. Fast.
Momo smiled as she watched them dizzily scramble off the ride. Renji and Ichigo, of course, were trying to look as if the ride hadn't concerned them in anyway at all, whereas Orihime was trying to catch her breath and Rukia looked paler than usual. The only one who seemed truly unaffected was Matsumoto as she happily bounced up to her captain and shrieked, "Didja see that, taicho?! That was amazing! You should've been there!"
"Yeah, yeah, I saw it Matsumoto, now quite yelling in my ear." Hitsugaya grumbled.
The day continued where they rode several other rides, including the swing ride, Spinning Teacups, and carousel. Whenever they came to a particularly large and scary ride, Momo would feign an upset stomach and sit it out with Hitsugaya. Soon, their ride tickets were limited to one more ride. And what better way to end a day at the carnival then to ride the Ferris wheel? They piled into the gondola and were soon soaring above the other rides, with a breathtaking view of Karakura Town.
Ichigo and Renji were soon swinging the gondola dangerously back and forth, with Rukia repeatedly yelling at them to, "Shut up and sit down!"
Orihime was watching the ensuing fight with a gentle smile on her face, as Matsumoto leaned precariously over the edge of the gondola and shouted at the bemused people down below. Hitsugaya looked out at the slowly setting sun while Momo gazed dreamily at the picturesque town.
"I don't want any of this to ever change."
Hitsugaya looked over at Momo, unsure if he had heard her or if he was imagining things.
She smiled at him in that way that made his stomach flop. "Y'know, Shiro-chan? All this; I don't want it to change, no matter what. I want us to stay this way forever, laughing together as the sun sets."
Hitsugaya just stared at her for a moment. And then…
"Jeez, Bed-wetter Momo, feeling poetic today or something?" he asked as he yawned, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back into his seat, closing his eyes and appearing to all the world to have fallen asleep as they gently descended back to the ground. But Momo knew better.
"Today was SO much fun!" Matsumoto laminated as they all walked back to the park.
"Sure was." Rukia agreed, "Although I do wish some idiots had stayed home."
"What the hell are you saying?!" Ichigo and Renji yelled at the same time.
"Nothing, nothing." Rukia drawled lazily.
"We should definitely do this again when you all get a free day!" Orihime said happily.
"Yes, I'd love that!" Momo replied with a smile.
"So long is that we don't have to bring dumb and dumber along with us." Hitsugaya stated. Two sets of eyes glared at the young captain as they finally reached the park.
Goodbyes were light-hearted and easy, with promises of coming to visit again as soon as they got another day off.
"Shiro-chan, want some of this 'cotton candy'? It's really sweet and yummy!" Momo asked cheerfully as she ate the little pink tufts of sugar out of the gigantic bag Orihime had bought for her. This time, on the way back, Momo and Hitsugaya were leading the group, walking up front with Matsumoto, Rukia, and Renji following behind.
"Sure, whatever." Hitsugaya said as Momo passed him a sizable amount.
"Psst! Matsumoto!" Rukia whispered.
"Yeah, Rukia?" Matsumoto asked nonchalantly, scratching the side of her nose and thinking about drinking some sake with Kira and Hisagi to end her perfect day.
"Did you notice how Momo didn't go on any of the really big rides, but had no problem with the swings or the carousel or the Spinning Teacups?"
"Yeah, now that you mention it, I noticed that too!" Renji whispered, watching Momo and Hitsugaya sharing cotton candy in front of them.
"You mean you two didn't notice?" Matsumoto asked, surprise written across her face.
"No." Renji and Rukia replied in unison.
Matsumoto sighed exasperatedly. "All those huge rides had a height limit. Hitsugaya-taicho wouldn't have been able to go on any of them!"
End!
Haha, I did my best! I'm really sorry if it's super OOC, I kinda did most of this off of memory. It's been a while since I last read or watched Bleach (I need to though, I know, so please forgive me!). I was inspired to write this out of the blue. I was originally going to have it where somewhere in there they went on a rock climbing wall and only Momo could do the hardest part, but it seemed too awkward… Maybe I'll add that in as a side chapter in here, or maybe a completely different story! Review and let me know!
By the way, I heard somewhere Momo finally made a reappearance? Is this true? Tell me! (please? ^^;) It's cuz she's my favorite in the series, even if she is kinda crazy! (stupid Aizen…)
So, um, please review and such! Thanks for reading this either way!
-Feronia