Title: Just a Kiss
Pairing: Rangiku and Byakuya
Authors Note: Be patient with me. I am a full time preschool teacher with very bad grammar and spelling. I am open to suggestions and would love to hear your opinions as well as constructive criticism.
Rangiku Matsumoto woke up with a killer headache to the sound of someone snoring besides her. She sat up with a groan and looked over at the random loser. He was a tall man with wavy black hair and he was lying on his stomach with his face looking away from her. From what she could see he wasn't very attractive. "What the hell Rangiku?" she asked herself. "Another one." With that said she began to slowly get up so that she didn't wake her sleeping partner.
Not only did she reek of booze and was completely naked, according to the clock on the bedside table she was a half hour late for work. So once she was up and dressed she had to flash step back to her barracks so she could shower and change into her military robes. "Captains going to kill me this time," she said to herself as she stepped into the shower. She sighed as she let the warm water and soap wash away the smell of sweat, booze, and god only knows what else. As she washed her long strawberry blonde locks she thought of how much her life had changed in the last couple years. Rangiku had always been a little crazy when it came to parties but lately she had been taking it over board. It all started when Gin Ichimaru took off and decided to betray the Soul Society. She just didn't understand at the time why he would do that to her. When Aizen killed him, her whole world came crumbling down and everything went downhill from there. It was like every weekend she would black out and end up with a random man and or woman.
Once she was finally showered and appropriately dressed (for her at least) she headed out the door on her way to work where she would probably hear an ear full from her little captain. Boy was she right about that. To say that Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya was pissed was a major understatement. When she arrived she could practically see the icicles forming around the office building.
"Where the hell have you been Rangiku?" The little Captain demanded while getting up from his desk as she stepped into the office. Rangiku was hit with a very sobering blast of icy cold air which instantly made her shiver. "Sorry Captain, I lost track of time." She replied in a very sweet, innocent, and obviously rehearsed voice. "I find that very hard to believe when our third seat said he saw you coming out of the third division barracks over an hour ago. I have had enough Rangiku! You have always been lazy and inconsiderate, but lately it's been getting worse. You have arrived late to work every day for the past two months. You sleep most of the day, and never finish your paper work. I am tired of picking up your slack Rangiku. If you don't start acting responsible I am going to have to replace you." Captain Hitsugaya could always give a good tongue lashing but on this day his words cut right through her. He had never threatened to replace her before. "But Captain, you can't really mean that. Right?" "Yes, Rangiku. I mean it," he sighed and then continued, "This behavior is unacceptable. This is your last chance. I already have your replacement ready if necessary."
Rangiku was dumbfounded. She had seen him mad before, but never like this. Captain Hitsugaya was one of her closest friends and almost like a younger but more mature brother. It hit her hard. She wanted to cry. Her baby blue eyes looked into his turquoises ones and she saw in them just how tired of her he was. "Toshiro, what do you want me to do?" As she asked the questions a single tear slipped down her cheek. Toshiro took pity on her and said, "Look. I don't really want to replace you, but you have me in a tight spot. I am getting a lot of pressure from the higher ups about your missing and incomplete reports. First things first, if you want to remain the lieutenant of this squad you are going to have to stop all the drinking and partying."
As he said it he moved over to the couch that sat in his office and motioned for her to sit down. Once both were seated he continued, "I don't know how you can function with all the alcohol you have running through your system at any given time. You can't possibly expect to get anywhere in life if you drown out your sorrows in a bottle. I know losing Ichimaru hit you hard but I doubt he would want you to torture yourself the way you do. It's not healthy for a person to drink till they black out and then jump into bed with whomever is sitting closest to them. You need to start thinking of settling down and working on achieving Bankai." There were a million different arguments that she could have come up with but she knew in her heart that he was telling her what she needed to hear.
So instead of arguing or lashing out at her commanding officer she just dried her tears and said, "Okay." He then gave her a small smile and said, "I know it's going to be hard and you are going to be pretty miserable for a while but I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't think it would benefit you in the long run. You are a Lieutenant for a reason. I have complete confidence in you and your abilities. You can do this Rangiku." Rangiku gave a sad little smile and said, "Thank you Captain. I will do my best." She then gave him a gentle hug, which was very different from her usual suffocating embrace. As they parted ways, him to his desk and her to her own, he said, "You have paperwork to complete. Be sure to finish it and file it away in a timely manner, and as punishment for being late you will need to work through your break today.
She then headed over to her own desk and instantly regretted showing up late when she saw the giant stack of paperwork she was expected to complete. "It's going to be a very long day," she said to herself. Then she surprised her superior when she got straight to work with no more complaints. He was so pleased with her that when he returned from his lunch break he had brought her a sack lunch from the mess hall.
She stayed busy all day and did not even once try and slack off. "Maybe she just needed a wakeup call," Toshiro thought to himself as he watched her complete and correctly file every sheet of paper work on her desk. When everything was finished he told her, "Great job today Rangiku! You did well. If you keep it up and do this every day maybe our squad will actually accomplish something for once." Rangiku just laughed and said, "Alright Captain! I get it. More work less play. I promise I won't let you down." To which he replied, "I know you won't. You may leave now. Go enjoy the rest of your evening, but not too much. I still expect you to be here on time tomorrow." "Yes sir!" She smiled and headed out the door with a sense of accomplishment.
After work she headed down to one of her favorite places to eat where she met up with Ise Nanao and Nemu Kurotsuchi who she then filled in on the happenings of the day. Ise was the one to speak up first, "Well I for one am glad that Captain Hitsugaya had that talk with you. It is time you settled down." To which Nemu said, "Yes. You are not getting any younger Rangiku. Most women your age are married with children by now." Rangiku then turned a very pretty shade of scarlet and said, "What the hell Nemu! Are you trying to say I'm old?" Nemu was always very honest and scientific, so of course she was the one to then say, "I did not mean to offend you Rangiku. I merely stated a fact." Hearing this made Ise bust into a fit of laughter which did not make Rangiku feel any better. Then Nanao asked, "Why don't you start dating? I mean actually dating." Rangiku was fixing to interrupt when Ise silenced her with her hand and continued, "Getting drunk and sleeping with random men is not dating." "I guess so," replied Rangiku defeated.
Rangiku had never actually been on a date. She grew up with Ichimaru and naturally they started sleeping together when they became crazy hormone filled teens but they never went on dates. They were just simply together. When he left and then eventually died she was asked out but couldn't find it in her to accept. She didn't want anyone to try and take Gin Ichimaru's place. "Guys I don't even know how to date!" She said sounding defeated. "All I know is sex." "You are very social Rangiku. I am sure if anyone will excel at dating it will be you." Nemu said very innocently. "I've had plenty of offers but I just don't know where to begin," replied Rangiku. Then Nanao spoke up and said, "Leave it to us! We will use our combined knowledge and good taste to find you a great first date." She said it very matter of fact. Which made everyone including herself laugh. "As long as the two of you don't set me up with men like Captain Kyoraku or Captain Kurotsuchi." Rangiku said still laughing. "Deal." Replied Ise and Nemu who was very confused because she was just thinking to herself that her dad would be the perfect candidate for Rangiku.
After dinner they all said their goodbyes and headed for their own personal barracks. When Rangiku finally laid down in her own bed she sighed a sleepy sigh and said to herself, "Maybe dating won't be so bad. I am sure Gin would want me to move on and be happy." She then drifted off to sleep thinking of his infamous grin. She didn't know it just then but things were about to change.
A/N: Alright guys! You are probably wondering why I took down chapter 7 and updated chapter 1. Well, I decided that I wanted to give y'all the best reading experience possible even though I am only a beginner. I took down chapter 7 so I could fix some major issues and am going to start editing my previous chapters while I work on chapter 7 & 8. I received some really amazing reviews from you all along with some fantastic constructive criticism from Its-perfectly-reckless. I want to really fix my over explanatory ramblings and some OCness. When you have a chance go check out her stories. She is awesome. Also it may be a while for me to update. I just started back at college. I will try to update the edited chapters weekly. Y'all stay awesome!