This, we are, a bleach fanfic

I encourage you to read this story twice through, omitting the italics the first time round.

1) "I've had a rough day-- don't start."

He thinks her selfish, unable to expand her scope of awareness to anybody else's feelings apart from her own. A subtle tut escapes his mouth. A forced look.

Come here and tell me all about it.

2) "See? I brought something back for you this time."

Fuck "this" time, Gin. Who gives a damn what you bring back for me, if I know you're going to be gone again for certain?

Thank you, I love you.

3) She purses her lips, brings her torso forwards, and leans closely onto his desk.

Female guile at its worse, Rangiku. In simple terms: go away, I'm working.

Hey you.

4) "Shh, Tousen, don't let her know I'm here. She thinks I won't be back until later this evening." he smirks, waiting outside her chambers with a bottle of Shigasaki sake in his hands.

"Shuuhei, you shouldn't have!" Rangiku squeals from the other side of the screen entrance. "It's the expensive brand that I usually buy and everything!"

You're early? You make me miss you so desperately.

5) The two look at each other and nod in acknowledgement.

Captain Aizen is around, he will barely look at me now.

Rangiku, do not distance yourself from me.

6) "Growl, Haineko!"

He remembers the time he saved her from starving.

Growl, Haineko, for me, for him, for us, forever!

7) He pushes in once more, and once more, and once more.

There are so many ways to stop this, but it feels like my heart is broken in the right place.

You consume me, torment me, burn me, we are alight, your flame will swallow me. Don't let go.

8) "Don't give me that look!"

So he listens, and Gin stops smiling. But he wasn't smiling to begin with.

You have something on your mind?

9) No drinking for Rangiku tonight-- division report in the morning, and some things had to of course be prioritized.

"No drinks for me tonight, gentlemen-- division report in the morning, but I'm sure Rangiku here would be up for a good time."

Want to retreat together tonight?

10) "Was that it? You got worked up over something like that? He probably didn't notice anything, don't worry about it."

Such disdain, and he'd tried so hard. He closed his haori, with the patchwork blue. Gins smiles at her, before leaning in for the night.

Come here, my melancholy lover. This too shall pass.

OWARI / END

I wrote this as a release for my current emotion, the overwhelming intake of something I am not familiar with is painful, is wrapped in sorrow. How easily the human emotion can be damaged, misinterpreted, denounced and disfigured, to the point that we are strangers in the mist, a collective of broken souls and broken bones. If only we could reach out to one another like we know how to. What are we afraid of? What are these two afraid of?

Gin and Rangiku take turns hurting each other in the ficlet above. It is up to the reader how they are read. The italics symbolise the soul speaking, and is an idealistic take amidst harsher realities. Despite its fabricated nature however, it was never, and will never be, a flaw to believe in the power of dreaming.