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Shirahime/Momo Is A OTP But Not a Yuri

18 Apr 2010 Leave a Comment

by Eugena in Bleach Tags: Aizen, Bleach Cross, Daichi, Momo, Shirahime

Just thought I’d clear up a little confusion here.

Terminology:
OTP: One True Pairing
Yuri: f/f sexual pairing (compare with Yaoi: m/m of same)

Momo was totally abused by Aizen.  She loved him and furthermore loves him now the way a kidnapping victim loves their captor.  Yeah, there’s a name for that, but I don’t remember what it is.  In Bleach, she’s growing out of it.

Enter the Bleach: Across the Dimensions (Bleach: Cross) Universe

Momo can relate to Shirahime.  In all of her past lives, in different ways, Shirahime has been abused.  Several past lives she has been literally the property of the Royal Family and bound to them in duty.  In her current human life (pre-shinigami awakening) she had an abusive family and her remaining extended family only wanted her for money (tried many times to take her paycheck).

Just before Shirahime faced Aizen for the first time and died, she used her Yukihime/Royal Family Powers to temporarily awaken Momo.  Momo was in a state of turmoil.  After all, she had to deal with the truth of Aizen.  After Shirahime died, she learned more about Shirahime through a grieving Shiro.  She told him, “What did you expect, Shiro, a happy ending?”  This showed her disgust with life, as she did not get a happy ending with Aizen.  It also shows her betrayal: Shiro has someone else who was important to him, and Momo thinks he is sadder at losing her than the long time Momo had been unconscious.

Shirahime’s power eventually wears off, and Momo loses consciousness again until she can recover on her own.

After a resurrected Shirahime returns to Soul Society and claims her position as Fifth Squad Taicho, her talks with the unconscious Momo aid in Momo’s recovery (Story: After DiamondDust).

Momo recovers sometime after Daichi (Shirahime’s adopted son) becomes the Third Seat of Squad Five. Momo refuses to acknowledge Shirahime as her Taicho, since she believes Aizen will always be the one in her heart.  Shirahime saves Momo from a fatal blow from a hollow.  When Momo asks why, Shirahime answers, “I may not be your Taicho, but you are my Fukutaicho.”

Many times, Shirahime has taught Momo to love herself as she is without changing and eventually Momo gets over most of her feelings for Aizen.  Of course, she does that by giving her unfailing loyalty she had for Aizen to Shirahime, so in her heart, one Taicho replaced another.

Momo has become fiercely loyal to her new Taicho and even shows jealousy towards Daichi, believing that she could never be as important to her Taicho as her own son (Story: Valentine’s Day Off).

The AU Story, Within Your Heart, shows that Momo still has lingering feelings towards Aizen, especially as she learns that Aizen loved Yukihime (Shirahime’s life before her current one, shown in Nokori Kaze (under development)).  She faces off Aizen with Shirahime’s reiatsu, telling him that now he will feel what it is like to lose someone he loves.  Momo does love Shirahime, but as a mentor and possibly as a mother figure.