DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT PROFIT FROM THIS SOTRY NOR AM I AFFILIATED WITH THE CREATORS OF BLEACH.
She didn't know that it wouldn't be peaceful, throughout her entire life Rangiku had been told that death was peaceful and that it was just like falling asleep. When she had been growing up Rangiku had seen many people drop to the ground as they succumbed to their hunger and let the dirt plane below be their metaphorical deathbed. Rangiku once thought that she would join those people, but that was before she had met Ichimaru Gin. He had saved her from that dirt plane and had taken her to the Shinigami academy.
Rangiku supposed that over time she forgot about those people and how cruel that world could be. During her time at the academy Rangiku had never come across any terribly hard hollows so she hadn't been exposed too much death on the battle field. It seemed she had let herself fall into being naïve about the world and its cruelty. She had huddled into a dark corner where she could surround her self with only the more pleasurable parts of life. She was seeing the world through rose tinted glasses.
Today however, she was thrust into the world in its entirety, with good and the bad. She was pulled from her corner and the glasses covering her eyes were torn from her face and shattered on the ground.
Rangiku now knew that death was anything but peaceful, it was brutal and violent. It was not quick, as she witnessed today, the seconds and minutes dragged on until their last breath was taken. Rangiku sighed as she ran her hand though her blood matted hair, not caring that he hand was no covered in the sticky red substance. It didn't matted though, she was coated in blood, to the point were it felt as though it had been permanently bleached into her skin.
It had been a standard mission to the world of the living, Rangiku and her Taicho had been sent to check on a disturbance affecting the balance of reitsu. Toshiro had appointed several division members to accompany them as he felt it prudent to take some back up if their was any trouble. Both division heads were not too worried, it was probably a couple of hollows causing havoc as they liked to do.
As they reached the designated area there was no sign of the cause of the disturbance, Toshiro had split them into two teams. Rangiku had been given the charge of their third sea, Arata, and an unseated member, Ai. While Toshiro would take the other two unseated members. If they were to encounter the cause they were send out a burst of reitsu to alert the other team.
Things had gone according to plan from the start, however when Rangiku, Arata and Ai had encountered the hollow it had proven difficult to defeat the hollow. By the time Toshiro and his team members arrived Ai was seriously injured and Arata was fading in and out of consciousness. Toshiro had instructed his team members to look over Arata and keep him out of the battle field, Rangiku was to stay with Ai. With a quick succession of attacks from Toshiro with his Shikai the hollow was defeated, after sending Arata away with the other two squad members Toshiro made his way over to Rangiku.
Ai was shaking as she held Rangikus' hand in her own. Blood was seeping out of the corners of her mouth and her free hand was clutching her stomach where the hollow had impaled her on his nail.
Rngiku shook her head as Toshiro knelt down beside her. "She's not going to make it, her injuries are too servere." Toshiro nodded his head as he reached forward the brushed the hair from the young girls face. Ai opened her eyes and Rangiku could see the tears welling up behind them.
"Taicho, I tried to help but it was too strong. I'm sorry. I let you down." Toshiro sighed as he placed his hand on top of her head.
"You didn't let me down, you have served the thirteen court guard squads with dignity and valour. You will always be remembered in the tenth division." Ai nodded a small grimace on her face as her body started to shut down from the loss of blood. She gurgled a bit as her body convulsed and her back arched off the ground before it slowly lowered and Ais' eyes closed for the last time.
Toshiro sighed as he stood up, offering his hand to the clearly shaken Rangiku. "Go back to the division Rangiku and get your self cleaned up. I'll take Ai to the fourth division before informing her family."
All Rangiku could do was nod before she went through the Senkaimon.
Rangiku sighed again as she sat on the couch in the tenth division office, she had not washed as her Taicho had instructed, to shaken by the days events to even think about washing.
"What are you doing here?" Rangiku jumped as she was startled by the sudden appearance of Toshiro. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear him come in. Toshiro stood in the door way as he studied her for a moment before he sighed. "I thought I told you clean your self up."
When Rangiku didn't answer Toshiro strode forward before taking her hand in his and hauling her up off the couch. The red head remembered fondly of a time where Toshiro wouldn't have been able to pull her up like that, before he had hit his growth spurt and surpassed her own height. Neither said a word as he lead her to his private quarters. Once there he pointed her in the direction of the bathroom before handing her a towel and spare pair of pants and a large T-Shirt.
After washing her hair enough times for her to feel clean again Rangiku turned off the water before drying her self and dressing, not bothering to dry her hair. when she existed the bathroom she saw that Toshiro was waiting for her, having already changed into more comfortable clothes. She motioned her to sit on the couch and sat in front of her on the coffee table. He gently took the towel from her hands as he set to work on drying her hair.
"Today was a tough day Rangiku."
"It was."
"Why did you go back to the office instead of getting washed up?" Rangiku looked up at him and saw a concerned look in his eyes.
"I don't know really, I just had to sit down and I guess I lost track of time." She felt Toshiros' hands stop drying her hair. She closed her eyes as Toshiro gently cup her check. After a few minutes she broke eye contact in favour of looking at the floor. Rangiku had long accepted that she had feelings for Toshiro, even before his growth spurt. It had developed over the many decades that the two had worked together, but the realization had been so sudden that she felt over whelmed and had not come into the office for a few days, claiming that she was unwell. She was able to deal with her feelings when she knew that there was no chance of something happening between them, but after his height had surpassed hers he began to look at her in different way. She had fleetingly hoped that it was love but she squashed those feelings and had gone out and gotten drunk with the guys.
Rangiku knew that she would savour this moment and remember it for the rest of her life. This moment where Toshiro was focused on her and nothing else, a moment where she feel as though she was his world.
"I don't know what I would have done if it was you who died today Rangiku." Shocked Rangiku looked up at Toshiro. He was looking at shyly and he let the towel fall from around her head. "You've been a part of my life for so long Rangiku that I wouldn't know how to function without you. You have done so much for me Rangiku that I have come to rely on you for so many things. I rely on you to make me happy everyday, to keep me on my toes when I start to get to relaxed and to keep me on the right path for the both of us." He grabbed both of her hands in his right hand as his left came up to gently cup and stroke her cheek.
Tears were running down her face as she listened to his words. He smiled as he wiped away her tears. "You're the most beautiful person I have ever known, even when you're covered in blood." She couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "I love you Rangiku."
Toshiro bent his head forward until his lips brushed hers. Leaning into the kiss Rangiku slowly bought her arms up to encircle Toshiros' neck. The white haired man pulled Rangiku closer to him until she was sitting in his lap, as his arms wrapped themselves around her waist. A few minutes later they parted due to lack of air but kept their foreheads together.
Rangiku smiled. "I love you too Toshiro."
Hey guys
This story has been bugging me for a while now, and since I'm sick I decided to write it out. Not sure how it turned out but I'm putting it out there for judging.
Anyway
R and R
DragonShenron