A/N: Hello everyone! :D Here's chapter 4 of His Best Friend's Crush!

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I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

oOOOo

Seconds, minutes, hours.

Days, weeks, months.

Seasons, years.

Leaves fell, snow came, cherry blossoms bloomed, the hot summer passed by.

And now, we're nearly at the end of our senior year.

Seniors

Kira happily slapped my shoulder, watching the girls chat happily. "Is it possible for such a pretty girl to turn even more pretty?"

I rolled my eyes, without bothering to look over the noisy group "Just go out with her, already." I didn't even need to look at him to know that he was blushing in embarrassment.

"No! No, no, no… I already confessed, but she rejected me, remember?"

My brain flashed the memory of Kira becoming a zombie before my very eyes when Momo rejected him.

"Twice." He added.

Of course, he nearly turned into a full-fledged zombie twice. "Third time's a charm."

Kira nearly jumped "You think so?!"

Sighing, I just shook my head. "Why don't you just go and find another girl?"

"Oh don't be like that, Toushirou… maybe she changed her mind," He gazed at the brunette sitting in the middle of the group of girls "It's common, right? That girls often change their minds…"

'Momo's not like the other girls…'

"But Momo-chan's not like the other girls…"

I blinked in surprise and looked at my best friend. Did I say my thoughts out loud?

Kira sighed like some sick guy in love. Oh okay, so he said it. "I just can't get her out of my head!" He dramatically threw his arms in the air "Like… There's a reason why I've fallen for her, right?"

Turning my gaze back to the book on my desk, I explained "Of course, she's your ideal type, why wouldn't you fall for her?"

"No! I don't mean it that way… like… there's a reason why I just can't give up on her, right? Right?"

I quickly side glanced at him "You'll get nothing by asking confirmation to me. Just go and ask her out again. Tell her to let you have a shot and try out to see if things might actually work out."

I know that urging him to make a move, after two rejections, was probably useless. But seeing him still so crazy about her makes me want to just push him to her, to get his dreamy and disgustingly romantic speeches about her to stop.

When Momo first got here in Karakura, I was willing to help Kira to make his moves on her. But when he told me that my closeness with her bothered him, I immediately distanced myself from Momo, although she was someone who would have probably turned out to be a great friend for me.

But that's in the past. Now, Momo and I can barely be called friends. We're both part of the same circle of friends, but we rarely talk to each other unlike before.

…At least, I rarely talk to her. She's her usual happy self who talks to everyone; hence her big popularity in our small village and here at school.

Anyway, now I can't really help Kira since I have no idea what Momo would like to receive or would expect from her ideal guy.

So it's all up to Kira now. And the rest of the gang, since pretty much everyone knows that he still has feelings for her.

Everyone except for her, apparently.

I tried to imagine Momo and Kira in a romantic relationship. What would it be like? Would Kira take the lead? He's too lenient, too passive to take the lead. So was Momo going to be the man in the relationship? Was she going to be the type of girlfriend who just ordered her boyfriend around because she's just too lazy?

I held back a laughter behind a smile. That image is too funny.

Thank goodness Kira didn't notice, since he's too busy ranting on about ways to capture Momo's heart.

In the couple of years that passed by, I didn't get the chance to know Momo too well. I knew some things about her, things that I learned back when we got along, and things that I learned in the past few years through the days spent together with the group.

And she didn't change one bit since she first stepped here in Karakura.

Momo is part of the Archery Club, she's part of the Top 5 students and she's often called by the Student Council, asking for her help. She's pretty active.

As for her parents, they opened their own Patisserie, and she helps out in their shop every weekend.

"… So, what do you think?"

My train of thoughts came to a halt when Kira brought me back down to earth. "About what?"

He shrugged "Should I confess one last time on her birthday? Or on our graduation day?"

"Don't you think that's too cliché?" Okay, so I might not know Momo as well as the others do, but I know at the very least that she's not very fond of cliché things.

Her birthday… When was it, again?

"It's on June 3rd." Said Kira, as if reading my mind. "Just a couple of months away."

I shrugged "I think you should go for something more… er… original?" I tried to find the right words. "But this is just my opinion. In the end, the choice is still yours."

Right on cue, our teacher walked in and everyone scurried back to their seats.

oOOOo

The group buzzed about this weekend's (which is tomorrow) slumber party at Rangiku's house. Her parents are going to another village for an onsen trip, explaining how stressed they were from work.

So Rangiku, being Rangiku, immediately organized this slumber party of hers.

Everyone took up a task for their own, like bringing snacks, food, sweets, drinks and all of that stuff.

I didn't particularly care, I just ate my sandwich and looked at the clear sky in the horizon.

"Hey, Momo-chan's birthday is coming up!"

How did the conversation go from the slumber party to Momo's birthday?

Momo laughed and waved her hands dismissively. "It's still a couple of months away."

"Yeah, but remember that this is your 18th birthday!" Rukia said excitedly. "Are you going to throw a big party?"

"Maybe one of those super glam classy and elegant parties?" Added Rangiku.

"With lots and lots of food?" Orihime tuned in.

The guys laughed at the girls' enthusiasm along with Momo. "I don't know, yet. Are you implying that I should celebrate my 18th birthday following Karakura's customs?"

The other three nodded excitedly, and Yumichika quickly joined them too.

"I'm not sure if I can plan such a grand party in just two months." Momo twirled a lock of her hair around her finger.

"We'll help! So first, you'll need a very big venue to accommodate all of your guests!" Rukia and Rangiku immediately began the list of things that they will need to organize Momo's birthday party.

Rolling my eyes, I finished off my sandwich and opened my can of green tea, not bothering to listen to their heated discussions.

But their voices were too loud to be ignored "Then you'll need an escort!"

"Escort?" Momo echoed with a confused tone.

"Yes! A guy who will accompany you throughout the whole party! A knight in shining armor!" Rukia sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together dramatically.

"And he will be your last dance, of course," Rangiku's lips stretched into a sly grin "Oh the look on your face tells me that you already have someone in mind for this role."

I curiously glanced at Kira, who turned to look at Momo, then I looked at the said person, who was blushing madly while slapping Rangiku on her arm all the while laughing and trying to cover her face.

Girls are just so weird.

"Oooh, is it that Sousuke guy?" Rukia asked, clearly intrigued to hear news about Momo's love life.

I could literally see Kira's hopes slowly crumble. Hearing this conversation about Aizen Sousuke was probably not good for him.

Thank goodness the bell rang on time.

oOOOo

The next day I lazily took my time to enjoy my solitude at home.

Mom and Dad also left for a leisure trip, they'll be back tomorrow night. They tried to drag me along with them, but I just didn't feel like going.

So I quickly cleaned up the house (which, thankfully, didn't need much fixing up), did my homework and re-read the notes I took in class in the past week, then lazed around in the living room.

After my short movie marathon of Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, I headed out to my backyard to get some fresh air, when I suddenly noticed Momo sitting at the tire they hung on their tree and turned into a swing.

She smiled when she saw me and walked towards the fence that divided my backyard from hers. "Howdy, neighbor!"

I just nodded and sat on the grass, just near the door that lead back in my house, opening the book I brought with me.

Momo was still there. "What time are you going to go at Ran's?"

Shrugging, I continued to look down at my book "I don't know. Later, maybe."

"Oh." She said, suddenly sounding like she was taken aback "Shall we go together?" Her voice turned back to her cheerful self.

"No." I immediately replied "I'm going over there very late."

"Why?"

"Because I still have lots of things to do." I preparedly answered.

"I can help you out, so you can finish early?" She offered, but I didn't budge.

"No, it's okay." I closed my book and got up, heading back in the house. "I'll see you later."

Without waiting for a reply from her, I shut the door behind me.

Making my way in the living room, I decided to just watch more movies and laze around the house.

Before I could even notice it, my head kept turning back towards the backyard, my mind wondering if Momo was still there.

Was I too harsh on her? Should I have just complied to her offer?

The truth is that I'm pretty much done with all the things I had to do at home. I just wanted to avoid on going together at Rangiku's house, because I don't want Kira to have strange ideas about me and Momo.

I sighed and stared up at the ceiling as I laid down on the couch. In the past couple of years, since Momo came along and since Kira admitted the uncomfortable feelings he felt when he saw us being close, I've been keeping a safe distance between me and Momo.

A distance so safe that kept me so far from her, no matter how hard she tried to strike a friendly conversation with me (as she usually did with everyone else).

So far that we can barely be called friends anymore.

Is this even right? I used to ask myself, and I still do it sometimes.

Of course it's right. I then usually answer to my stupid question.

Because friendship comes first.

Though, I have to admit that, sometimes I wonder what it would be like if Momo and I could have become friends. It's that little thing that always bugs me in the back of my mind, because she and I got along so well. We hit it off right off the bat.

And that has never happened to me with anyone else but her.

Well, I don't really care now.

What matters, now that Kira has found someone he truly wants, is for him to have his chance and get paid back for all of the kindness he's shown everyone.

oOOOo

I woke up with a startle, hearing loud knocks on my door.

Glancing at my wrist watch, I groaned and quickly slid off the couch. It was 7 pm, I still had to get ready to go to Rangiku's house.

I strode towards the door and found Momo standing there, with a big shoulder bag and a bright grin on her face. "Hullo!"

"What?" I grumbled while rubbing my sleepy eyes.

"I came to help you with your house chores so that we can go to Ran's together!"

"I thought I told you to go there first…" I yawned "I still need to take a shower and pack a change of clothes. I'll see you later."

Momo quickly slipped her feet between the door and the doorway. "I'll wait for you!"

Okay, so I might not know her well enough, but her insistence tonight is very suspicious. "What do you need?"

She nervously laughed, smacking my arm. "I need a tip from your expert brain."

Rolling my eyes, I let her get in my house. "Make yourself at home, I'll just go up and prepare."

Momo visibly shone in happiness and nodded eagerly, running off in the kitchen. On my way to the bathroom, I could hear the fridge door opening in the kitchen. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Making myself at home!"

After a quick shower, I packed my toothbrush, clothes and some snacks in my bag.

I then found Momo in the kitchen, eating a slice of cake. "Where did you get that?" I asked.

She guiltily smiled and held up a box which clearly came from her parents' patisserie "I wanted to bring cakes at Ran's, but uh…" I snorted. "It smelt so good, it was literally screaming and pleading me to eat some- Stop laughing!"

I was holding my sides, which hurt from too much laughter. This girl, seriously. "What the hell are you? A dog who can't resist food?"

That was another thing I've learned in these years. She was an incredible food lover. "HEY!" She said indignantly but smiled in defeat. "Come on, let's get going. They're already waiting for us."

oOOOo

On our way to Rangiku's house, which was a ten minute walk from our houses, Momo hesitantly started up the argument she needed a tip for. "So… I'm organizing my birthday party… And uh—I need an escort."

I nodded for her to continue.

"But I have no idea how to ask Sousuke-kun – remember him? Aizen Sousuke! – because I'm too shy to ask him!"

I raised my eyebrow and looked down at her. "So… you're asking me how to ask a guy to become your escort?"

She nodded bashfully.

I shrugged "Just ask him."

Momo gasped dramatically and smacked my arm "No no no no no no! No! There is no such thing as 'Just ask him' with him! I can't do it!" She screamed while hiding her face in her hands. "When it comes to him, I get so shy!"

"So out of character." I mumbled loud enough for her to hear me and smack me in the arm.

"Oh come on, there has to be a – uh, special way to ask him!" She tried to find the right words "Like… a way to ask him so that he can say nothing but yes!"

I chuckled "I don't know. You're asking the wrong guy."

"No, I'm not! You're the right guy, you're brilliant! That's why I'm asking you!" Momo desperately turned to look at me. "Come on, Toushirou—what should I do?"

Rolling my eyes at her drama scene, I repeated. "I think that you should just simply ask him 'Hey, do you want to be my escort?' That will do the magic."

She pouted like a little kid. "You really think so?"

I shrugged "I don't know—OW! Your smacks are getting worse every year."

Momo blankly looked at me for a moment, then gave in. "Fine. I'll do it that way."

"Good." I said.

"But if it won't work, then it's your fault."

"What?" She strode and walked ahead of me. "That's bullshit." I said, catching up to her.

Momo just laughed, and silence fell.

Until I broke it. "Why don't you ask Kira to become your escort?" I may not be able to directly help him, but this might be a little push to let them be together.

A smile broke on Momo's face. "Because I don't like him."

Ouch. Sorry, Kira. I tried. "Why not? I mean, he's kind, he's smart."

Momo vaguely waved her hand in the air "Yeah, then what?"

My lips thinned into a line. "He's fun?"

She laughed "That sounded more like a question!" She gave me a quick side-glance, then looked up at the sky "I don't think he likes me."

It was my turn to laugh. "Trust me, he does. He loves you."

Momo just pursed her lips into a small smile. "I'll tell you what I really think about this… so maybe he can fully understand why I've rejected him in the past, if a time ever comes when he should think about it." He thinks about it. All the time. I held back my thoughts while she continued "Kira-kun is, no doubt, a very kind and smart person. And he's a hopeless romantic too…"

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she kept on walking "Kira-kun isn't really in love with me. He's just in love with the idea of being in love."

She twirled to a stop and looked up at the house in front of her. "Here we are."

I watched her walk in Rangiku's house, while I stayed back before deciding to follow her in.

oOOOo

A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter )

Please do leave a review and tell me err your favorite part, I guess? Or what you think is going to happen in the next chapter, at the slumber party :D Or if you noticed the small changes in Toushirou's attitude when he's around Momo? Or is it too soon for that to be noticed? Oh well ahah!

Toodles!