The swings creaked and groaned under her weight as she sat on the worn seat. Momo kept her feet on the sand, gently pushing herself back and forth as she waited. Toshiro had said he'd meet her here sometime in the afternoon but hadn't given her a specific time. She came early and had lunch at a little café across the street, her eyes watching through the window in case she saw him. After waiting about an hour in the café, she moved to the swings. The park wasn't nearly as popular as it had been when they had been kids. There were a handful of teenagers hanging out on the benches, and three kids running around the jungle gym. Momo watched the kids play their games for awhile, smiling as she recalled similar games from when she had been their ages.
Toshiro had never been too active with games when they played with the other kids in the neighborhood but when it was just the two of them, he could be as playful as any other kid. They would race up the jungle gym after she stole a bag of his favorite candied beans, then go down the slide, piling on top of one another as they laughed. Momo would dream of flying, and he would push her on the swings as hard as he could so she could feel the breeze in her hair. Sometimes they'd just relax under the shade of old tree, talking about nothing in particular.
A shadow loomed over her and she leaned back, looking up to see Toshiro's upside-down face staring down at her. He scratched the back of his neck, and said, "Sorry I'm late." He moved around the swings and rested his bag against the support pole as he sat in the swing next to her. The metal chains groaned loudly under his weight, causing him to look up to make sure it wouldn't break.
Momo laughed, then to assure him of their stability, twisted the chains of her swing twice then let go, letting her spin around before settling with the chains partly turned towards him. She caught the small twitch in his lips and her own smile broadened "Where were you?" She asked, looking him over. His hair was a bit messy today, a few sections sticking out from the sides as if he'd just rolled out of bed. The collar of his black polo was popped but the crease was still prominent with the left side leaning into the fold. His jeans were a faded gray showing signs of wear and tear over the years. The hem of the right leg had a tear in it while the left leg had a poorly sewn patch just below the knee.
He sighed, "My professor asked me to see him this morning," He said, "Waste of time."
"You're not in trouble, are you?"
Toshiro shrugged, "Nah, the old fool just seems to think I have nothing better to do. Speaking of," He leans forward and grabs his bag, pulling out a large bag of assorted candy and holds it out toward her. "He's always giving me this stuff and I just end up throwing it all away."
The packaging was a little out of season, featuring the pastel colors typical in the spring time and the treats had a little bit of everything from chocolates and lollipops to taffy. Momo giggled, taking the bag, and sifting until she pulled out a melon flavored piece of hard candy and popping it in her mouth. "Your professor sounds nicer than some of the ones I had," She said, cringing as she recalled the one professor she never wanted to see again. The woman had five full pages of insane rules that she upheld like a drill sergeant.
He rolled his eyes, "Trust me, It's not as good a thing as you think. I'd rather he was more like the others and just ignore me."
Her brow knit as she looked closely at him. When they had been in school together, all of the faculty had known about him and his genius and frequently showered him in praise and encouragement. For him to not receive the same treatment as before was surprising to her. True, Toshrio had never liked the attention but there was no way he wasn't leaving some kind of impact on his professors. He was too smart not to. What exactly was going on with him?
His eyes closed and he took a deep breath, opening his eyes as he exhaled slowly before speaking. "How do you want to do this?"
"Huh?"
"Your questions, dummy."
Momo pursed her lips at the insult but he'd always been like that. Instead, she hummed thoughtfully, thinking about where to start. In the six years since they had parted, she had come up with at least a million questions to ask him if she ever had the chance. Now, with all the answers sitting right next to her, she wasn't even sure how to ask any of them. "Maybe… start at the beginning," She said quietly. "Why… did you leave?"
Toshiro looked up as the clouds slowly moved across the sky. His hair blew in the light breeze as she watched his profile closely, waiting for him to speak. "It… it was all just… too much," He said. "School, football, all the expectations, responsibilities;" He sighed heavily. "I just… couldn't do it all. I… We moved across town. And I finished school there without any of the bother."
"But what about football?" She asked. "You loved playing. And you were good. You dreamed of playing for your favorite team!"
He shrugged, "I wasn't going to be good enough for Premier League football."
"Yes you were," Momo argued. "Sojiro did it… is… is that what you two fought about?" The fight between the two former friends had been the last time she saw him before he disappeared. The cause of the scuffle had eluded her and while she had never been particularly close to Sojiro, she had thought they were at least on friendly terms. But after the fight, he couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge she existed.
Toshiro visibly stiffened, his eyes narrowing slightly before scoffing. "No," He said simply. "And he's just a sub for a club in America which is a far cry away from the European leagues."
"That doesn't—"
"—You don't even like football. Why are you asking?"
She pursed her lips at his edged response. Clearly the topics were still uncomfortable for him to discuss but she wasn't sure what part hurt him more; the fight from six years ago, Sojiro's career, or his own. While she did want those answers, she knew that now was not the time to press the subject.
Momo looked across the park toward the small children running around and smiled. "Remember when we were like that?" She asked, using the shift in conversation to lighten the mood.
He relaxed a bit as he watched the kids with her. "Yeah," He said, though his expression was more sorrowful than she had expected.
"Do you remember that time you put that snake in my bag?" She asked. Her hands folded in her lap as she recalled the distant childhood memory.
"I remember you dragging me around trying to convince the other kids I wasn't that bad to hang out with," He said. "So annoying."
"Hey! I was just trying to help out my new best friend."
"I recall not wanting a best friend."
"You still shouldn't have put it in my bag."
Toshiro rolled his eyes, "It wasn't in your bag. Just on it. Besides, it was harmless."
"You didn't know that."
He had the nerve to smirk as he turned to face her, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "I remember you jumped a good three feet when you saw it slithering around."
"I remember nearly dying," She said, narrowing her eyes.
"So dramatic, Hinamori."
"I hated you so much for it," Momo crossed her arms and returned to watching the children play. One of them had taken a little fall getting off the slide and looked a bit upset. One of their friends ran around the jungle gym and held out a hand to help them up and gave them a big hug before they both returned to playing. She smiled at the small scene before her. "I remember you made it up to me the next day," She started. "You gave me those flowers as an apology."
His eyebrow arched, "That's all you remember? Because I remember both of us getting a horrible rash from that bunch of weeds."
"Well, it's the thought that counts, right?" They both laughed. Horribly uncomfortable as the rash was, it was still a memory she held close to her heart. That one day was the first time he was willing to spend time with her and began acting like her friend. Momo went on to recall several other fond memories they had shared in their younger years. They had come to this park so often that almost every inch of the place had a memory associated with it. The jungle gym had been where he had begrudgingly played silly games with her, the tree under which they did homework together; both of them smiled remembering all the small moments of their childhood that this place held for them.
"Granny certainly thought so," Toshiro said. "Though, she still made fun of me for years because of it."
"How is she by the way?" Momo asked. She squeezed her fingers in her lap as she hoped that the sweet woman was still around. Her own grandparents had passed while she was very young but Toshiro's grandmother filled that void and showed her what it would have probably been like to have a grandmother.
"She… she's fine," He said. "Has an apartment in one of those elderly community places."
Momo smiled, "I never thought she'd want to live in that kind of place," She said. "She always valued her independence."
"Yeah…"
"…She happy though?"
Toshiro shrugged, "She has some friends. They play bridge or whatever it is old people play," He said.
"That sounds great," She said, smiling, "How often do you see her?"
He dropped his focus to the ground, his foot tapping on the sand, making a small hole, "When I can," He answered. "She… isn't always there. Busy, you know."
"Oh… well, maybe if you let her know I'm in town, she might make some time to see us both," She suggested. "I'd love to see her again."
He was quiet as he avoided her eyes. "…maybe."
Momo stared at him, wondering what was going through his mind. She could only imagine how hard it must be for him to be away from his grandmother so much. She could understand the necessity of work and college but he must be pushing himself too hard if he isn't able to see his grandmother as often as he liked. And while it was nice to know the woman was thriving, she knows Toshiro is probably missing the days when it was just the two of them in that house. He was probably lonely. Reserved as he was, he never had many friends growing up and she wondered if he still had the same problem with making friends. Based on their brief encounters, she'd guess that he did still struggle with it.
Momo focused on his posture as the two of them just sat on the swings. His shoulders were low with his hands resting on his knees and his head was bowed. He didn't look like the same Toshiro who breezed through life like it was nothing; this was a man who was just trying to make it through the day only to face the same struggles tomorrow. He reminded her of herself during her last semester in Kyoto. Going through the motions like everyone else, but finding joy in short supply even for things and people that she loved; it was no real way to live.
She sighed deeply. Momo hated how quickly he could go from joking with her like old times one moment to being frustrated and closed off. True, he was answering her questions but she knew he was still keeping some details close to his chest. Momo still didn't want to pry too much just yet, trusting that he'd tell her more later. She smiled, likening him to a stay dog. It takes time to rebuild trust after so long apart.
Tilting her head back, she looked up at the clouds that were partly obscured by the small buildings around them. "Do you think it's still there?" She asked, deciding to lighten the mood by bringing them back to happier times.
Toshiro followed her line of sight, knowing exactly what she was talking about. It was a place that only they knew about. A secret place he had found one day with his newfound adolescent freedom. There was an old stream that cut through the brush behind the school. Twisting and turning, it led nowhere special but it did cut through a barely noticeable dirt path. Toshiro had followed the path through the foliage until it came to the edge of one of the small hills that were scattered around the town. Most of them were popular picnic areas good for watching fireworks or festivals during the holidays but this one looked untouched. "I don't know," He said.
Momo remembered the day he first showed her the place. It was the sixth anniversary of her parent's death and for some reason that year, it hit her harder than usual. Renji, Rukia and Izuru spent the day tiptoeing around her and trying to distract her, but their odd behavior only made things worse. All she had wanted to do was get through the day and go home. But when the bell let them out, Toshiro had dragged her away from the others, and led her through two feet of powdered snow into the brush. Momo had complained the whole walk, trying to pull away from him but he had kept a firm grip on her hand as he led her down an unmarked path until the hill and the shack came into view.
She didn't think much of the place at first. The roof had a large gaping hole in it that let the snow pile inside, the front door was holding on by only the top hinges and the back door was missing entirely. The old wood floors were covered in snow and hardened mud and she swore there had to be a family of some kind of vermin living in the place from the small piles of pellets in the corners. On the back porch, there were two lawn chairs and a large wooden box with waterproof radio set atop it; the only things that looked new in the whole place.
Momo had glared at Toshiro as he entered the dilapidated place and moved around like he owned the place. He pulled out a large thermos from his bag and set it on the wood box as he sat in one of the chairs, and motioned for her to take the other. She sat down with her arms crossed while he unscrewed the two sections of the thermos and handed her one of them along with some chopsticks. The scent of his grandmother's udon noodle soup easily recognizable to her as she lifted the thermos to her nose to smell. They had sat quietly together, eating before he answered her unspoken question. "Granny likes to say that when you're alone, that's when the people who love you most are going to be there for you," He'd said. "But I think sometimes we don't want the ones who are still here, but rather the ones who aren't anymore." He had kept his gaze focused straight ahead over the expanse of the horizon. She'd smiled for the first time that day. She'd understood exactly what he meant both with the words he'd said and the ones he'd left out.
"We should go see how it's doing," Momo suggested, gently pushing her legs into the sand to sway a little on the swing.
"Probably looks worse than when I found it," He sighed. "Bet the roof is completely gone by now."
Momo giggled, "Do you remember when we tried to patch the hole?"
"I nearly broke my neck because you're stubborn and clumsy," He said shaking his head. "Do you remember why I even agreed to let you pick me up to place that tarp?"
"Nope."
They laughed at the ridiculous memory of the two of them standing in the shack arguing over the best way to nail up a tarp to keep the weather out. Toshiro had pointed out several places where they could anchor the tarp and had offered to pick her up so that she could reach the points. But Momo knew that he'd nitpick if the nails were not exactly where he said to put them and if they were crooked, so instead argued that she should pick him up so that he could place it exactly where and how he wanted. They argued for a good half hour over it; Toshiro was stronger and could bear her weight better, Momo was taller and if she put him on her shoulders, he'd reach the ceiling better. He would never sit on her shoulders, while she didn't want him to drop her. The whole thing had been stupid and resulting crash had kept them from fully attaching the tarp to the ceiling. For the most part it kept the elements out, save for one small corner that constantly leaked.
Toshiro sighed, "We shouldn't have even bothered with the stupid thing," He said. "It was better with the hole. Made it perfect for stargazing."
"I miss doing that," Momo smiled, humming thoughtfully and losing herself in another memory. "We'd sneak out at night just to stargaze."
"You could see them so clearly out there," He added.
"You'd make up constellations and I'd have to look them up later because I never knew if you were telling the truth or not."
He smiled, "Dionysus and Polyphemus are both from Greek mythology. From there it's easy to just make up shapes in the stars."
Momo rolled her eyes, "You know, if it wasn't for the football thing, people probably would have just labeled you a nerd with creepy white hair." She reached over and ruffled it while he slapped her hand away.
"Creepy?" He laughed.
"That or someone trying too hard to look like he's in a boy band."
Momo laughed as he gagged at the mental image. "That has to be the dumbest thing you've ever said," He shook his head. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Green."
"Hm?"
Toshiro chuckled, "Your tongue is green from the candy," He explained. "Kinda makes it hard to take you seriously."
She stuck her tongue out again, "Don't care," She said, pushing herself on the swing a little. The chains groaned from her movements but she didn't pay it any mind. Pumping her legs, she let herself get a bit of air as she swung. "You working at the bar tonight?" She asked.
Toshiro groaned and leaned back on the swing, "Yeah. It's going to suck."
"Late shift?" She asked, lowering her legs so that the swing would come to a stop. "Is that the worst one to get?"
He shook his head, "It's actually the best time to work. More guests, means more frivolous purchases, which means larger tips. But that's not why."
"Then…"
His sharp intake of breath, was an indicator of how frustrating whatever the problem was, "It's the person I have to share the bar with," He said. "She's lazy, flirtatious, prefers to drink with customers, and she always attracts a crowd she can't be bothered to work. I swear she'll be the death of me if I don't end up killing her first. She's such an airhead."
"How does she still work there then?"
He sighed, "Who knows."
Momo thought for a moment, taking in his apparent frustration with his upcoming shift. It wasn't like she had any plans, nor did she have anything to do tomorrow. She leaned closer to him, "I could come by the bar tonight," She said. "Keep you company?"
He scoffed, "Nah, you'd just make her more insufferable."
"Then I'll sit at one of the tables."
Toshiro arched an eyebrow, "Alone? Wouldn't that be weird?"
"It's only weird if you make it weird," She said with a roll of her eyes.
"You really don't have to."
"I don't mind."
His eye twitched slightly, "Is this your way of trying to get free drinks? Because that isn't going to happen."
"No, I just want to keep you from committing murder," She said. "Come on, do you really not want me there so much you're willing to argue about it?"
He thought for a moment, glaring at her with narrowed eyes before sighing, "Fine," He said, glancing down and checking his watch. "I need to finish some things up at home before I head over there."
"That's fine. I need to change anyway." They both stood from the swings, Momo smiling brightly his lips quirked into a small smile, before he bent to retrieve his bag. It was then that she remembered something very important. "Wait," She grabbed his wrist, holding it until he stood back up, his bag dangling from his other hand. "I… Did you change your phone number after you left?"
He didn't reply, simply stared at her and blinked twice before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. From her angle, she couldn't see what he was doing, but a moment later, he returned his phone to his pocket and her phone buzzed in her purse. A text from an unfamiliar number that simply read "Hey Bedwetter". She had his number. A way to contact him again. Her joy could not be contained as she pulled him in for a hug. Her arms pulled down on his neck, and he was very tense and reluctant to return it at first, but that was typical for him. Still, she held on until he did wrap his arms around her, his hands resting lightly on her back and patting it twice before letting go, signaling that he wanted the hug to end.
Momo complied, grinning. "I'll see you there, Shiro!"
"I told you not to call me that, Bedwetter!" He shouted after she turned and began walking in the direction of home.