Momo laid in her bed and stared at her stars for what seemed like forever.
It had been quite some time since Byakuya left; if she had to guess, at least a couple hours. Yet, she still couldn't get their conversation out of her head. It only kept playing over and over like a broken record.
XXXXXXX
"I'm sorry, but could you please repeat that?" Shinji asked, breaking the silence.
Byakuya turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "It's as I said. Mio is requesting that Momo plays in his place during the time of his treatment and recovery."
"Right. Well, here's the thing. Momo is on 'break' right now." Shinji said, making air quotes. "In other words, the higher-ups pretty much ordered her to refrain from performing until all this court business has been handled."
"I am aware of that."
"Okay. If you are, then why would you be asking her to step in for Mio? I'm pretty sure it still wouldn't be allowed, regardless of the reason."
"She wouldn't be stepping in for him, nor would she be performing as herself. She would be taking her brother's place and playing as Mio himself."
Both Momo and Shinji stared at him with the most flabbergasted looks on their faces. Neither could believe what they were hearing. For a moment, they both thought he was joking, but seeing how this was Byakuya Kuchiki and the word 'humor' wasn't exactly in his vocabulary, they knew he was being serious.
"H-Hold on." Shinji was trying his best to keep his composure, but his patience was thinning at an alarming rate. "Let me see if I got this. You want Momo to dress up like her twin brother and perform onstage in his place, even though both of our bosses have told her not to or she'll suffer the consequences until Mio can come back. Is that right?"
"That's about the gist of it, yes."
"I see. Okay." Shinji was able to silence himself for a good four seconds. Right before he stood up suddenly in a huff. "Are you crazy? Do you have any idea the kind of trouble Momo could get into if she goes through with this? Not only would her court case be in jeopardy, but her career as well!"
Byakuya's scowled at the blonde man, but he still kept his head. "I understand the risks and I'm sure because of your loud outburst, I'm sure Hinamori is aware of them as well. I'm not here to force her into something she's not comfortable with. I'm simply here to request on Mio's behalf. She is free to reject this if that's what she wants."
By then, both men turned their heads to the said girl. One of whom has been quiet for a good amount of time now. She seemed to be deep in thought about everything she's heard so far, but also looked quite distressed.
Shinji placed a hand on her shoulder. "Momo?"
She sighed. "I need some time to think about it. Could you please give me a couple of days?"
"What?" Her manager gasped.
"Very well then." Byakuya stood from his seat and started heading to the front door. "I'll be in contact."
With one last glance at Momo, he made his exit. Clicking the door shut behind him.
Afterward, Shinji pretty much screamed her ear off. Asking why she didn't just say no or how she could even consider going through with something like this.
The truth was, Momo didn't know the answer herself. She acted on impulse when she asked for more time. A huge part of her wanted to say no as soon as Byakuya asked, but another part, the one that was worried about her brother, couldn't bear the thought of letting Mio down.
Not knowing about to explain this, Momo just asked Shinji if she could be alone for a while. He didn't object. When he saw how conflicted she seemed to be over this decision, he decided to let his anger go for the time being.
So here she was. Thinking about this favor, finding no solution no matter how many times she went through the pros and the cons. Her head feels like it's going to explode at this point and more than anything, she just wishes she could get a hold of her brother.
'What should I do?'
"Momo?"
Shinji's voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. She spotted him standing at the top her stairs with his coat hanging over his arm.
"Hey, Hirako-san. You headed home?" She sat up and tried to brighten her expression a bit. She didn't think it worked.
"Yeah. I figured I wouldn't get a straight answer from you today." He said, walking closer and taking a seat at the edge of her bed "You okay, kid?"
Momo wanted to say yes. She hoped that she could trick her manager into thinking that he had nothing to worry about. However, she knew that was a lost cause. Even if they've only known each other for a short time, they've grown close. She even caught herself thinking of him as family sometimes.
She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to admit how on edge she is.
"I honestly don't know." It was all she could answer with. "Everything feels so overwhelming and I have all these thoughts going through my head, and I just don't know what to do."
Shinji sighed; he hated seeing her stressed. "Look, kid. What Byakuya said, about this being your choice, was right. I know you're in a tough spot right now, and I wish I could lighten the load, but I can't. What I can do though, is have your back. So whether you decide to go through with this or not, I'm in your corner. Alright?"
Momo's eyes started tearing up. She felt truly lucky to have him as a friend.
Sitting up, she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you Hirako-san."
He chuckled and patted her head. "Hey now. Don't start getting soft on me."
They stayed like that for a few more seconds before he pulled away. He promised that he would be back in the morning to check up on her and ruffled her head one more time before saying goodbye.
After hearing him close and lock her front door, Momo decided that she wanted to take a shower. When she opened her closet to retrieve a clean towel though, she was completely buried under all the things she and Shinji had stuffed in there. She was lucky that it was mainly clothing. All the trash had been thrown out, the dishes were all piled up in the kitchen sink, and the heavier things, like her books and notepads, were all stuffed under her bed.
When Momo poked her head from on top of the pile and pried herself out of the mess, she decided that enough was enough. Tying her hair back up and changing into an old short and pair of sweatpants, she commenced with finally cleaning up her home.
She first started with the clothes. Sorting them into two piles took longer than she thought, but she was able to get the clean clothes put away and the dirty ones into the laundry room. Next, she started in her kitchen; quickly making a mental note to never wait on doing the dishes ever again. All the dried up and crusty stains took forever for her to get out.
Tidying up the living room didn't take as long; Shinji had already dusted and vacuumed everything while she was getting ready for the visit. And the bathroom was surprisingly the easiest thing to clean. So Momo moved on to cleaning under her bed.
Organizing the many bookcases that were scattered all over her loft had been on her favorite things to do since she was a kid. Aside from actually reading the books, of course. She was sure that if she hadn't pursued her passion for music, she would most likely go into a career that surrounded books. Whether it was being an author or an editor, or maybe both.
A feeling of pride swelled up in her when she saw all her books were once again where they needed to be. In perfect color coordination.
As she reached under her bed for her music journals and sketch pads, her hand brushed against something firm. Curiosity getting the better of her, she grabbed on to it and slid it out. Her heart sinking when she saw what it was.
In front of her, laid a brown leather guitar case. Though, that's not what made her shake. It was what was inside of it.
Momo almost slid it back under the bed had it not been from her seeing what was inscribed next to the handle of the case.
Tobiume
It was her father's personal touch. In addition to giving Momo her very own guitar at the age of ten, he named it for her too. He had the same for Mio with his guitar as well. Naming his 'Haruki'.
Momo was almost scared to open it. It had been so long since she had seen Tobiume. She remembers when she was first told about how her career had to be put on hold; she was livid. So much so that she shoved the most important thing her father gave her into its case and hid it under the bed so she didn't have to look at it. After a couple of weeks, she forgot it was there.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Momo unlocked the case and slowly opened it. It looked as beautiful as the day she got it. Not surprising since she took great care of it.
It was a Les Paul that was colored dark orchid. It had the most gorgeous floral pattern covering the body consisting of pink lilies, teal daffodils, and red lotus. Up the neck, was a design of a curvy vine covered in plum blossoms. It was by far the most precious thing Momo owned.
Which only made her feel even more guilty for hiding it away for so long.
"I'm so sorry." She said as she picked it up and held it in position.
Even if it had been a while, holding her instrument still felt as natural as breathing It helped replace all the racing thoughts in her head with warm memories of her father teaching her how to plat and all the ties she and Mio wrote songs together. The guitar was not only precious, but it was also a part of her and the life she once had.
Just as she was about to play a few notes, her phone suddenly pinged. Alerting her of a text.
She already knew who it was without having to see. Momo knew because he would always message her after sunset.
'I must have lost track of time again.' She thought, taking her phone out of her pocket.
If it hadn't been for her friend, Momo wouldn't know whether it was day or night. She had navy curtains covering almost every one of her windows and hadn't thought about opening them for weeks.
The message was the same as the many others fro before.
'The sunset looked nice today.'
-T.H.
Momo felt awful after reading those words.
Other than Shinji, there was only one person in her life that still tried to remain in contact with her. Toshiro Hitsugaya. The back-up guitarist and lead singer of Shinigami, but she knew him better and hers and Mio's childhood friend.
His messages started long before Momo went on hiatus. A little after her father's passing, Toshiro would reach out to her like this in an attempt to make sure she was okay. In the beginning, she would always reply. Not wanting to feel alone or abandoned since Mio wasn't answering her calls or texts. Then after the whole case with Aizen, she completely shut down.
Momo would answer less and less. Then just all together. Toshiro never stopped messaging her though. Which she was selfishly relieved for. At least some part of her old life was still there.
She almost ignored his message once again but then paused. After talking to Byakuya and finding out what happened to her brother, she wondered. Why didn't Toshiro tell her anything?
Indeed, Mio wasn't always the topic of past conversations, with Momo feeling a bit resentful towards him for ignoring her, but she knew this was different. It concerned her brother's well-being.
Taking the chance, Momo began typing a reply with shaky hands.
'I wouldn't know. My curtains are still shut.'
-M.H.
She decided to start with small talk. Afraid that if she tried getting straight to the point, he would feel cornered and wouldn't answer.
Almost immediately, she saw that Toshiro had read the message and was typing.
'Maybe you should open them once in a while. Baka Bedwetter.'
-T.H.
Momo could help but smile at his nickname for her. It brought back memories of a white-haired, teal-eyed brat that always picked on her but would beat up anyone if they tried to do the same.
'No one gets to bully you but me, bedwetter.' Is what he would always tell her.
Before she could type a reply, she got another message.
'It's nice to hear from you again, Momo.'
-T.H.
Momo couldn't ignore the warmth spreading through her cheeks or hold in the smile that crossed her face. He rarely calls her by her first name.
'Sorry, it's been a while, Shiro.'
-M.H.
He answered back quickly.
'Don't apologize. I know you've been going through a lot. I just wish I could do more to help.'
-T.H.
Momo started feeling guilty again but that was quickly overshadowed by other occurring thoughts.
'Why didn't you tell me Mio was hurt?'
-M.H.
This time, Toshiro's response took a few minutes. Momo's heart would beat faster every time she saw him go back and forth between typing and stopping. Then, he finally just stopped completely.
She waited. Five more minutes. Then ten. She got the hint by twenty.
Momo let out a long sigh as her eyes started tearing up. She locked her phone and put it down on the floor next to her. She never thought Toshiro would end up ignoring her, but then again she had thought the same about Mio.
Learning from the first time this happened, Momo knew better than to stay waiting by the phone. So she carefully put Tobiume back in the case and placed it on her bed. Grabbing a clean towel, she headed for the bathroom.
There still was no reply by the time she got out of the shower. Or when she got into her pajamas. Or even when she finished her nightly routine.
It was way past sunset and well into the evening when Momo finally tucked into bed. Just as she started dozing off, her phone started ringing.
On the screen, it read:
Incoming Call:
"Shiro-Chan"
Momo thought about leaving it to ring, but she knew that was only her nerves talking. If she wanted to get anymore more information about Mio, she couldn't let herself be scared off.
Taking a deep breath, she accepted the call and hesitantly brought the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" She really wished her voice didn't sound so squeamish.
Hearing the familiar voice on the other end made her heart pound. It's been so long since she's talked to him.
"Hey, Bedwetter."