Bleach 1. Ch 1: Sun Sets on the Past

Chapter I

The sky was a soothing shade of purple, light in color, with thin tendrils of pink and orange reaching towards the sunset. Soon the dominant color would match the scarf she wore around her neck.

Rangiku sighed, resting her bottle of sake on her knee. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to get smashed. Before she had gone to see her childhood home two nights previously she had spent the majority of her time immersed in work, training, or getting completely and utterly piss drunk. Mostly the latter. Before, she would have done anything, given anything, to know that he was alive and safe. Now, with the knowledge that he was indeed alive, was indeed safe, came the feelings he had left her with. The abandonment, the loneliness, the feeling that no matter how deeply she breathed the air couldn't reach her lungs. The feeling that when he left he ripped out her heart and took it with him.

And she still didn't know why. She didn't know what she had done to make him unsatisfied with his life with her. They had been happy, she thought. They had always been happy, even in the beginning, but it was never enough for him. They had lived together in a small house, sparse, but it had had what they needed. They were poor but together and Rangiku was content. But Gin had always though she needed more; more pretty clothes, more ornaments to put in her hair, more shiny shoes to keep her out of the mud. Rangiku couldn't understand why he insisted on giving her these things. She suspected most if not all of these gifts where stolen but on the only occasion she dared bring it up, he was so worried she didn't like her presents she dropped it.

Then Gin decided to become a Shinigami, and, naturally, Rangiku followed. The home, the pretty things, even the money Gin sent back meant nothing without him to share it with. The academy was hard and lonely, as Gin had already been elevated far beyond her by the time she arrived, and no one was inclined to befriend a child whose talents didn't reach genius yet far exceeded their own. When it was discovered that she was friends with Ichimaru Gin, she was pushed to do as well as he had done, but she just couldn't. Many times she wanted to quit, to simply go home, but then she would remember that her home was empty and everything she had was inside the walls of Sereitei.

After awhile Rangiku started purposefully isolating herself from the other students because no matter how much time she spent with them, she only became lonelier. The only person whom she truly wanted to talk to was Gin, and he was nowhere to be seen. Then one night he was suddenly there. After she had been at the academy for nearly eight months, he woke her up one night near midnight wearing a full Shinigami uniform rather than a student one. He explained that he couldn't have come to see her earlier because he was working extremely hard on graduating early, but that he was here now. Then he took her outside to the forest to play.

That was the beginning of her current life, as she saw it. Gin would visit, always at night, always in secret. Sometimes they played, sometimes they trained, or maybe they would just talk. Rangiku was happy again. She wished time would stay still. She was so very, very

The smash of the bottle jerked her out of her reverie. Rangiku had fallen asleep still holding her bottle of sake, which was now shattered and seeping across the floor. She didn't know how long she had been out, but the sun had nearly completely set, leaving the sky a rich purplish blue. Staring out at the last remnants of light as they dwindled past the horizon, Rangiku knew she wouldn't be able to find peace until she talked to him, understood why he left, why he left **her**. She stood up and looked in the mirror, her face set. She would return to their old house, were she had accidentally found him last time, and confront him, talk to him, ask him directly all of the questions that had burned their way through her love of him and buried themselves into her soul.


	2. Ch 2: Ghost of Lives Past

Chapter II

Rangiku straightened her uniform. The moment she had made the decision her heart started to flutter and her mouth became extraordinarily dry. Unfortunately, her drink was spreading across the floor, slowly pooling towards the door. She immediately ran to clean it up, since Captain Hitsugaya would give her hell if she left such a mess behind, no matter how long she was gone.

After cleaning up the alcohol, she realized her uniform had gotten dirty. She refused to let Gin see her soiled like that, so she promptly changed. After the floor had been cleaned and she wore a fresh uniform, she gazed around the room, running a quick list in her head. After she had determined that she had indeed run out of ways to procrastinate seeing Gin,-Yes, she told herself, that is definitely what I'm doing,- she steeled her resolve and left.

The click of the barracks door behind her had a sort of uncomfortable echoing fatality to it, she thought. Then she shook her head because she knew she was being paranoid. She was just scared, nervous, anxious, excited, giddy, questioning, and a whole slew of other adjectives, too many to count. If anyone knew where Rangiku was going, she would surely be executed for treachery, but she had to see Gin.

By now it had become full-on night, and Rangiku knew if she didn't leave soon she would probably end up getting lost, it had been so long since she had lived there. She quickly flash-stepped to the gate, passing quietly through without anyone glancing twice, and continued on. When she neared the area, within one mile, she slowed down to walk the rest of the way.

All the way out here, where there were so few lights, the sky looked like an ocean of blue, the shades varying from the inkiest of blacks to rich, royal blues. The stars looked like masses of dust had been thrown unceremoniously on top of a blanket, grouping randomly in piles, creating light and dark spots. The image was beautiful. One could just stand there looking at it forever, which is precisely what Rangiku wanted to do. However, she was not the type of person capable of keeping her own company, so she continued on.

After perhaps another 20 minutes of walking, she reached the little old house. The sight was nearly exactly what it had been when she had come here two nights previously.

_The sky was blanketed over with clouds, covering the moon and the stars. The only light came from the windows of the house, were it could be seen that a fire burned inside. Rangiku's first thought was that the house had new inhabitants, a new family living there. Then she got her wits about her and felt the incredibly strong and familiar spirit pressure. She almost panicked. She nearly ran. Until a cool finger ran lightly along her wrist. She spun instantly, backing away from he who she knew couldn't be real but oh so very much wanted to be._

_ Standing directly behind her, towering over her already not-so-small frame, was Ichimaru Gin, the man she had watched die, who she had mourned, missed, loved. Rangiku froze, matching the already immobile man. Seconds passed in silence, turning into minutes, the entire world motionless around them, no owls, or night critters, or flowers, or insects. All still._

_ Slowly, so very slowly, Rangiku raised her hand to his face, letting it hover there for a few seconds. Then, still hesitant, she moved her hand forward an inch, letting her fingers brush his nose._

_ "Rangiku," he whispered softly. And just like that, like the crack of a whip, the spell was broken. It was like all the wounds created by his disappearance and supposed death where ripped open and all the hurt, anger, sadness, and every other imaginable emotion came pouring out. This time, she truly did panic. She really did run._

_ She ran as far as she could before collapsing. Every tear she had blinked away, every sob she had suppressed, came back with a vengeance, tearing her throat and chest apart in near physical pain. She couldn't remember most of the night, but she knew Gin hadn't shown up. All night she sat curled up under a tree crying, completely alone. He hadn't come to comfort her, tell her it will be all right, he's fine, nothing. So she continued crying._

There was the little house, and there was definitely light coming from inside, though it was well past midnight by now, and if she looked extremely closely, she thought she could see smoke.

Rangiku took a deep breath and approached the house. By now Gin had to know she was there, so there was no point in backing out now. She put her hand on the door, hesitating one last time, then slid it open. And there, directly opposite the door, stood the man she loved more than anything else in the world, who she hated with a burning passion, and was irresistibly drawn to, leaning against the wall like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Hello Rangiku."


	3. Ch 3: Fearless Love

Chapter III

Neither of them moved, waiting for the other to say something. The tension was stifling. Rangiku couldn't take it anymore; she turned to go without one word.

"Rangiku wait." Gin said as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside. In one quick movement he slid the door closed and lightly moved her up against it. "I know why ya came, Rangiku. Ya want me ta say somethin', anythin' really, explainin' why I left. But I really can' say nothin' but, no, wait, lemme say it this way," He laid his forehead against her collarbone as he struggled for the right words. "I can' explain nothin' any better way than 'I love you'."

Rangiku's eyes were stony, her face set. She felt like if she let any emotions through, she would be overwhelmed by them. She had spent her whole life waiting to hear those words from Gin, but their final arrival only confused her more than she ever had been before. Gin drooped his shoulders, loosely wrapping his arms around her waist, very much as if he was draping over her body, yet in such an innocent way he seemed like a different person. All of his defenses were gone, leaving him utterly vulnerable in more ways than one. The sight of it made him look like the little boy he used to be, playful, sly, and tricky, but always devoted to her. She couldn't stand the sight of it; couldn't **fathom** the sight. She closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself.

And in that moment, that one instant, all the confusion and clouded thoughts and feelings vanished, her mind becoming as smooth and clear as glass, and, for the first time since Gin left for the Academy, she felt, she truly felt, him. His body around hers, radiating heat, yet his skin felt cold. His hair on her neck, so silky and fine, just as it was when he was a boy. His breath on her shoulder, steady and warm, but she could feel his heart racing.

Rangiku gently leaned her forehead against his shoulder, mirroring his position. Their faces were less than an inch apart, their noses nearly touching. That was when they paused, savoring the moment, the feeling of Gin's arm around Rangiku's waist, the other resting on her back. She had wrapped her right arm around Gin's neck, her left hand resting directly over his heart, feeling it beat. They stood there, memorizing everything about the other, though they kept their eyes closed.

Then, in one synchronized motion, with neither signal nor any kind of prior warning, they simultaneously moved together. Their foreheads, chests, hips, thighs, noses, lips, met in unison. Rangiku had kissed men before, Shuuhei, Renji, even Kira once, but it had never felt right, like two opposing magnetic energies being forced together. No matter what, they would end up pushing away from each other, always Rangiku's fault. But kissing Gin was a whole different world. A world she belong in with him and only him. Nothing outside the little wooden house mattered as long as he held him in her arms.

Suddenly the room was stifling. Rangiku couldn't breathe; it felt like a sauna, the air was hot and damp. The kiss broke, their mouths going to explore the others necks, shoulders, faces, while their hands roamed. Rangiku was panting by the time Gin's hand went down and slid underneath the back of her shirt. His ever-cold hand chilled her heated flesh, making her shiver and leaving goose-bumps in its wake as she held tighter to him.

"Rangiku," Gin breathed into her ear, so softly it couldn't even be called a whisper, but in the one word was a multitude of questions. She, rather than try to answer him with words, pulled him down for another kiss. Now wasn't the time for speaking. While one of Gin's hands continued exploring the contours of Rangiku's lower back, the other made quick work of her uniforms belt. In a moment her shirt was open, revealing the valley of perfect ivory skin between her breasts all the way to her waist. Gin put on finger under her chin and slowly traced down towards her navel, her stomach flexing under the cold touch, until he stopped at her pants line, sliding the tips of two fingers under the waistband, where he paused.

Now it was Rangiku's turn. She grabbed the hems of Gin's shirt, pulling it open. His luscious muscles were too inviting; she ran her hands over them before pushing the rest of his shirt off. She had to take a minute to examine his delicious body, trying to figure out when he had gone from the cute gangly boy she knew to the fully grown man in front of her.

She trailed her fingers over Gin's skin, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again. She could feel the muscles of his back twist and writhe like snakes made of steel as he circled his arms around her hips and back. In one swift movement he picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist. This new and sudden action disrupted her remaining shirt, throwing it wide, exposing her full chest. Even though there were still several pieces of clothing between them, she could feel his arousal pressing against her. With one last deep kiss, Rangiku flicked her eyes towards the sleeping mat. In hardly more than a second she was lying on her back with Gin over her. She tilted her chin up, expecting another kiss, but instead his mouth went everywhere else, kissing, licking, sucking, biting, devouring, every bit of exposed skin. She couldn't help but emit a low, almost feral moan as he nipped at the sensitive parts of her neck, trailed the outside of her ear with his tongue, swirled her nipple in his mouth.

Rangiku couldn't stand it anymore. She had to **be **with him. She could feel Gin's hesitation, not sure how far they would go that night. She released her tight hold around his shoulders and moved her hands to the front of his pants. With one hand she started untying his last layer, while the other moved a bit farther south, gently and sensually rubbing his manhood. His smooth breathing immediately became ragged and barely controlled; his body shuddered once in surprise as he rested his forehead on her collarbone. His hand went down and laid over both of hers, stilling them.

"Rangiku," Gin Said again with just as many questions hidden in the name as the last time he spoke. She softly removed his hand and pulled it to her face, where she teasingly kissed his rough, callused palm, then returned to her earlier work of unclothing her friend and lover. Gin, following Rangiku, slid down her pants and discarded them somewhere behind him. Rangiku quickly finished with his belt, removing the last layer between them.

Once again they paused, holding each other, memorizing the way their bodies fit so perfectly together, how Gin's erection pressed against Rangiku's stomach, her breasts on his chest, their arms wrapped around each other. Then Rangiku nodded once, and Gin slid in.


End file.
