Author's note: I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is AU.

Golden Flower

Gin Ichimaru had lived a long time, and there had been very few things that had could really get and keep his attention. But Rangiku Matsumoto could. His golden chrysanthemum had captivated him from the first moment he'd seen her. Fittingly enough, they had first met at Fushimi Inari shrine. For Rangiku was a kitsune just as he was even if she didn't know it at the time.

He still remembered his first sight of her. She had been standing beneath the tori gates in a dark blue yukata pattern with bright yellow chrysanthemums. She had been all of eight years old, and even then she had been beautiful. But what had really caught Gin's attention was the spark of life and mischief in her eyes. He hadn't even really thought about it before transforming into the shape of a boy her age.

Gin was a nine tailed kitsune. Shape shifting was as easy as breathing for him. Rangiku had started when he appeared beside her, but she had smiled at him and accepted the onigiri he offered her. They had traded names as they climbed up the mountain together under the tori gates. Gin ended up spending the entire day with her, and when Rangiku had finally left the shrine at sunset. She carried with her an omamori that Gin had cast a very effective tracking spell on it. He had already decided that there was no way he was going to trust running across her again to fate.

After that, Gin had made sure he saw her at least once a year. It was harder than it sounded. Their meeting in Kyoto had been pure coincidence. Gin himself lived in Ise while Rangiku moved around on a regular basis as far as he could tell. When she was twelve, he finally got an explanation for that. Her mother was constantly being transferred from office to office of the company she worked for. But it wasn't really until Rangiku was in college that they had anything close to regular contact.

To tell the truth, Gin wasn't entirely sure what kept drawing him back to Rangiku. She was beautiful yes, but beauty alone didn't tend to attract kitsune. She was a fellow kitsune though. Rangiku was a three tail kitsune. Well, technically, she was half human, but she matched any full blood kitsune with her magic and skill. He had been the one to teach her how to shift forms. As a fox, Ran was a beautiful reddish gold color, and she was one of the few foxes that could keep up with him.

She was also his mate. Gin had known that for years. What had surprised him was the fact that Rangiku had known it instinctively as well. There had been no question in her mind or in her heart that he was the one for her. To tell the truth, their romance was probably the smoothest relationship either of them of had.

He had been there when she became a shinigami as well. Quite honestly, Gin hadn't been entirely thrilled with the idea of his Rangiku joining the ranks of the shinigami, but a sword had called to her, and it did give her an added measure of protection. Before becoming shinigami, the only thing that had protected her from the world that lived in the shadows was his reputation and her own cunning.

She settled into the community easily. Rangiku did make a good shinigami, and Gin liked the fact that he now had a legitimate excuse to drop in on her frequently. She wasn't assigned to his division, but Gin could live with that. And as Rangiku did not end up assigned to any specific division, they managed to live together most of the time. He enjoyed hunting with her, and he didn't even really mind the icy half dragon half brother of hers that they had stumbled across by accident.

Rangiku stirred slightly in his arms, and Gin's attention was drawn back to the woman in his arms. She snuggled closer to him.

"Are you still awake for a reason, Gin?"

He nuzzled her neck. "I'm just thinking, Ran-chan."

"Well, stop. You're keeping me awake."

Gin laughed and kissed her. "How about I give you a different reason to be awake?"

Rangiku laughed and kissed him back. "I think I could be persuaded.

He had not expected to find Rangiku, but there was no way that he would give her up now.