Monday morning rolled around to find Momo in an irritable mood. She hated feeling like this. She had no right to have thought that Toshiro had been at all interested in her. He worked with her. They worked together. He had been nice to her, but frankly he would have been a straight up asshole if he had been mean to her after she obediently listened to his every instruction. His kindness wasn't a sign that he liked her. It was a sign that he appreciated her contribution to his research.

Besides, at the end of the day Momo could not get the image of him shopping for engagement rings out of her mind.

It didn't help that Toshiro came in on Monday with an unusually cheerful smile.

The source of the smile was Toshiro's anticipation of getting to spend another day with Momo. Now that she had returned to her previously happy self, he was truly beginning to look forward to every day in the lab with her. Especially now that they conversed as friends instead of business associates.

If only he knew that Momo misinterpreted his excitement.

She believed that his happiness was because he had had a good weekend, a very good weekend.

"Morning Momo!" He said with a smile. "How was your weekend?"

"It was alright, Doctor Hitsugaya."

At the use of this name, the grin on Toshiro's face vanished. "I already said call me Toshiro."

"I just..." Momo didn't know how to explain that she would prefer to keep things professional now that he was engaged. It would hurt less. "I just think we should really go back to the proper title."

Toshiro's brows furrowed at her answer. "I don't see why not."

"It just... It just shows more respect if I call you in this way. Please let me, sir," Momo asked. She looked up at her work and over at him for the first time that morning. "Please Doctor?"

He sighed, inwardly confused and saddened by this request. "Sure, I guess." If it was what she wanted, it would be allowed.

The rest of the morning was uncomfortable. It reminded Toshiro of the early days of their partnership when he had simply given Momo a task and walked away. There was no conversation and no laughter between them.

Toshiro reasoned that whatever was going on in her personal life that had caused her to have such a rough week last week must have carried on throughout the weekend. He could not think of any other reason why Momo would be so cold.

The week went on in such a manner. Momo would come and go with little conversation. After a few days, Toshiro stopped questioning the silence. It broke his heart to think that Momo's personal life was so messed up that it would cause her to internally retreat into herself.

At this rate, the only positive thing all week was Ichigo's successful proposal to Rukia. Even then, that took Toshiro's mind off Momo for a mere ten minutes maximum.

To Momo, it broke her heart knowing that Toshiro had someone else. She did not even have the courage to ask about it. His reply would be too much to hear. Truth be told, she had only realized how much she liked the professor after he was no longer an option. Before, Momo had simply thought he was kind, intelligent and good looking. Now that he was never to be hers, Momo realized she had, after all her denials, wanted more.

By the end of the week, Toshiro had almost given up on ever seeing Momo's smile return. He knew that he could not ask just ask her about the issue. She had not wanted to discuss it back when they were on good terms. Now, he thought the question would have her in a frenzy.

Despite being a relative loner, Toshiro had never had problem attracting women. With his sharp intellect, great physique and gorgeous teal eyes, he was by all means a catch. He had dated a bit here and there, but had never truly committed to settling down with one particular woman. Ichigo had spent hours upon hours convincing Toshiro to just try having a semi-serious relationship. Toshiro would always shrug him off and state that it just wasn't in his cards.

Momo Hinamori and her sudden refusal to have any personal relationship, even one of strictly friendship, was perhaps the first problem he had ever had involving a woman. He want more. If he couldn't have her for himself, he at least wanted her as a companion or acquaintance. At this point, they were well on there way to becoming strangers.


On the first Sunday of every month, Toshiro drove out to the countryside to spend the day with his grandmother. She would cook him a delicious meal of all his favorite foods and always made sure there was a big bowl of watermelon sliced and ready to eat. Watermelon had always been his favorite.

On this Sunday, Toshiro sat at the dining room table picking at his food.

"Toshiro, darling, what's wrong?" His grandmother asked.

"Nothing," Toshiro said, looking up from his untouched plate.

"Don't lie to me boy. I see right through you."

Toshiro sighed. "Momo won't talk to me." He finally said honestly.

"Momo? If I remember correctly, she's your lab assistant."

"Yup. That's her," Toshiro said. The last time he had visited his grandmother, Momo had been working in his lab for only two weeks. Back then, he had been in deep denial that he had any attraction to her at all.

"What did you do?" His grandmother asked rather accusingly.

"Nothing! I did nothing!" Toshiro said. "It's the truth."

"Then why won't she talk to you?"

"Hell if I know. I know she has things going on in her personal life. I haven't asked about them and she hadn't given me any more detail. I just don't see why we went from getting along so well to barely talking."

"How well were you getting along?" His grandmother asked, unable to hide the curiosity- and implications- in her voice.

"No like that!" He said defensively. "We were just friends. But good friends."

"You want it to be like that, don't try to lie to me Toshiro."

"I wasn't planning on it," Toshiro looked at his grandmother. "How do you get a woman to know that no matter what problems she's facing, she can count on you?"

"You be there for her. You don't push her to tell you something if she doesn't want too."

"I already am." Toshiro looked down in defeat.

"Then maybe it's time you tell her what you feel," his grandmother suggested.

"But she works with me!"

"Please, Toshiro this would not be the first relationship ever among the staff of that university."

"I know grandmother," he said. He paused for a few moments before finding the courage to mutter a few words. "I like her. I don't think I've ever felt like this towards something."

"I've never seen you blush so much when talking about someone," his grandmother said with a smile. "If she's worth it, fight for it."

"She's worth it," Toshiro said. His voice was definite and had little doubt. "Thank you grandmother."

"That's why I'm here Toshiro," she said. "Now eat. I didn't cook all morning for you to pick at your meal."

The two spent the rest of the day watching a movie. After their pep talk, Toshiro felt a new confidence in his situation towards Momo. His grandmother was right. If he wanted Momo he would have to do something about it. She was obviously not in a mental state to take such matters in her own hands. He would have to do so.

He bid his grandmother goodnight as the sun was beginning to set. When he arrived home, his spirits had been restored. Tomorrow he was going to demand she call him Toshiro and they go back to how they were. Perhaps, they would go to be more.

He was fast asleep when the phone rang and the voice on the other end of the line gave him news that made the world stop spinning.