Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach. This was written for The Fiction Award's challenge for August 2016 where the theme was Ex-Lovers and the genre Chick Lit, 1,500 words.
Bittersweet
Gin left her nothing.
There was no real goodbye between the two, no apologies for what he did, no explanation as to why he felt the need to betray her. Nobody spoke to her about Gin either. Some people did so out of pity, but others likely didn't wish to believe there was more to her relationship with the silver-haired man than just a friendship. Others like Nanao didn't know how to deal with romantic baggage.
However, Rangiku made the decision to let go, to not let Gin hold her back from being happy.
That moment was when she saw what he had left her, that inkling feeling which sat at the back of her head when she first met her young taicho, the instinct the silver-haired child was hers. Hitsugaya Taicho was a miniature version of Gin, but also shared many of the man's personality traits. She watched from the cave entrance as the young taicho forced himself through the mastering of his Bankai, putting a strain on his small body.
Rangiku decided to take a backseat and not interfere unless she felt the young taicho was in danger. Toshiro was after all a very smart, very independent young man, something the strawberry-blonde found herself proud of. Plus, there was the risk of telling Toshiro if she got too close, and she didn't wish to make the boy's persecution complex worse.
Toshiro, though, was hers to worry about, so she became concerned when a nasty purple bruise appeared on the pale skin of his forehead one day, making her think the training was getting out of hand. Thus Rangiku found herself heading to the cave the next evening to put a stop to the training before Toshiro hurt himself again through pure stubbornness.
She wasn't, however, expecting to find herself facing the back of her ex-lover, causing her stomach to lurch, displeased that the injury was likely caused by the man she wanted to move on from.
"Gin!"
Whoever it was turned, their bright teal eyes wide with fright before disappearing into the icy mist. Rangiku took a deep breath, stepping in to find her ex-lover. The mist cleared, leaving a clear view, and only one place behind some very large icicles to hide. She slipped over, her mouth pushed together, preparing to pounce on the man and take back her little one.
"Gin..."
Hunched over behind the ice cropping was a young man with silver hair, his head buried in his arms and knees. His head pulled up slightly, revealing one teal eye which was brighter, and more vibrant than those of her ex-lover. "Matsumoto..."
Rangiku's eyes widened, realizing exactly who was in front of her, hearing the fear of rejection in his voice. "What..."
"I'm not..."
"I know you're not Gin, taicho." The woman carefully lowered herself down onto the ice, ignoring the biting feeling at the palm of her hands. She carefully pulled her knees up to her chest, watching Toshiro bury his head into his arms, his entire body having shifted from the size of a child to an adult. "Please tell me you didn't use something from twelfth division?"
"No." The words choked out of Toshiro's mouth, his head lifting up slightly too. "It's my Bankai. This is what happens when the last petal falls."
The woman felt her breath tighten, her lip pushing together as a hand reached out to rub his shoulder. "Taicho, is this reversible? You aren't stuck like this?"
A groan escaped Toshiro's mouth, his eyes narrowing as an adult hand touched his forehead. "It's reversible. I've found I'm able to revert back when my reiatsu runs out."
A smile flickered across Rangiku's face, her fingers reaching out to brush away a lock of Toshiro's white hair. "Oh, that means you should revert back soon. I mean, your reiatsu tanks right before the last petal falls, so..."
"My reiatsu increases in this form." The young taicho continued to rest his chin in his arms, ignoring the fact Rangiku had started to touch him. "The only other way is to knock me out."
The eyes of the strawberry-blonde blinked a couple of times, realizing where the bruise came from. "Taicho is that why you came home with a bruise on your forehead last night. Did you actually knock yourself out cold?"
"I didn't want to..." Toshiro took a deep breath. "If I wasn't back in time to get a good nights sleep, you'd have come out here and find me like this. I don't like my adult self."
Rangiku's eyes blinked a couple of times, remembering these words came from the child who desperately wanted everyone to not treat him like a child.
"I didn't want you to see me like this either."
"Because you look like your father." The woman took a deep breath, watching the young man's eyes widened. "Are you worried seeing you like this would upset me? I don't miss him."
"I do!" Toshiro's head darted up, his lips pushing together while his bright teal eyes looked away, realizing what he'd said. "I know I shouldn't." The young taicho's eyes blinked a couple of times, his head turning to look at Rangiku. "Wait? How did you know? How long have you known?"
The strawberry-blonde leaned into her arms, letting out a deep sigh. "A mother knows their own child, even if they can't remember the exact details." Rangiku could hear Toshiro shuffling beside her, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see what she said upset him. "It clicked seeing you train, and Gin being gone. I should have said something, but I didn't know how you would take it."
Toshiro continued to worry his bottom lip, his head pulled up. Rangiku lets a smirk appear on her face, her arms quickly pulling the young man into her arms, pressing his head against her chest. "Stop hugging me! This isn't comfortable!" Toshiro stammered out.
The woman's bright blue eyes blinked, a smile spreading across her face. "Why don't you hug me from behind then? Will that be more comfortable? I'll stay with you until you return to your correct age."
She let him go, watching him sit up, leaning forward. "Are you sure? I mean..."
"You aren't upset about the fact I look like him?" The young man looked up at her, the pain evident in his eyes.
"Why should I be upset that you inherited some of his positive traits." She felt Toshiro move behind her, his arms wrapping around her shoulders while his chin rested on her shoulder. One hand touched his face gently, as his hot breath was felt on her cheek. "Your hugs are like his as well."
"This really doesn't make you feel sad?"
"You're very precious to me Toshiro, and I'll do everything to protect you. You do know that, right?"
She could feel Toshiro's body relaxing, his body starting to go limp. "I know I've always felt safe around you. Why didn't you tell me?"
Rangiku could feel the mist surround the boy, his body shrinking back to normal size. The woman could feel the exhaustion wracking his entire body, and stood up, letting him ride on her back. "I'm not a good mother. You should know that."
Toshiro's face nestled into her neck as he snuggled closer as she carried him back to their division. After a few minutes, he muttered something strange. "Maybe you're not a good mother because you're a good father?"
Rangiku's mouth twisted in amusement, knowing this was meant as a compliment. "How so?"
"You're a better father than Gin." In Toshiro's mind, this made sense, and nothing else was said until she had him back in the captain's quarters tucked into bed. His eyes opened up, his mouth twisting up. "No. You're a good mother Matsumoto."
Toshiro's voice was soft, his eyes slowly shutting. Rangiku reached out to brush away a strand of hair. "Why's that?"
The boy's eyes blinked a couple of times. "I think you're thinking too hard about it really. Does a mother really need to act like a mother?"
"How people expect a mother to act?"
"Yes." Toshiro snuggled down under the covers. turning over, letting out a deep breath of contentment.
"So, why then am I a good mother?"
"You kick butt. You're pretty, but there's more to you than that. You may be lazy at times, but I'm always able to depend on you."
Rangiku felt a smile flicker across her lips. She leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on the now sleeping young taicho. "Hmm, well, you're pretty amazing yourself as well. There's a lot people don't see. Maybe, though, I'm a bit biased, as you are after all my precious child."