DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles, despite how much I really wish I did.

A/N: Okay, so I got really bored the other day, and was watching the BLEACH musical: Dark of the Bleeding Musical, and realized that I really liked Gin and I really liked the fact that he and Rangiku were like, madly in love with each other, so I decided that I'd make a GinxRan oneshot. It's kinda angsty, but I love this pairing now (and I advise anyone to watch the musical, even though it's in Japanese. You can find it on YouTube.) Gin is a really hard character to write as, so I apologize ahead of time for any OOC-Ness. I know, I hate it, but he's so complicated. Anyways, please enjoy.

Trust Me...

The wings of a black butterfly fluttered silently past the officer's quarters, the moonlight reflecting off the intricate patterns. The colors that danced across the darkened path were watched by a pair of pale burgundy eyes.

As the butterfly passed, Matsumoto Rangiku moved from her hiding spot. Her delicate sandals softly shuffled along the stones that lined her way. Her regally beautiful head curved like an arc as she carefully watched her feet. The frown that donned her face was shadowed by the wave of goldenrod hair that flowed past her shoulders.

The frown was not for the wounded friends that lay near death in the arms of healers, nor was it for her own sacrifices that had been made throughout their endeavor. She was not ill, nor did she fear what was to come next. Instead, she felt quite confident about it all. She was certain that, in the end, they would prove to be triumphant. Her frown was not for the perils that Ichigo had to face, nor the fate that had befallen Rukia. It was not for Aizen, whom she had grown to trust, or Hinamori, who had trusted him even more so.

No, Rangiku was frowning for another reason. The reason happened to be a dear friend of hers; the closest if she had to be honest. Someone she would have trusted entirely with her life, had she truly had one to lose. Someone who'd made her feel welcome, and didn't take advantage of her more...appealing characteristics.
Someone she loved more than anyone else in the entire Soul Society.

And he'd betrayed her...

He had apologized, but this was not something one could easily forgive. He hadn't forgotten her birthday, or something along those lines. That was something she'd easily brush off, (though if he had, she would have been most upset, for it happened to be the day they'd met) and would not have as much of an affect.

No, this, this was unforgivable. She was certain she would never see him again, but if she did, she would hardly be able to look him in the eye. She would also have to strongly resist the urge to attack him.

He would deserve it. If she had the chance, she would make him feel as much pain as she did at that very moment. That point in time where he turned to her, making it quite obvious he had no intention of ever returning. That moment he apologized.

The moment when he'd broken her heart.

If she had the opportunity, she would make him suffer.

Rangiku bowed her head, if possible, even deeper, for she knew she was fooling no one, especially herself. She would never be able to cause him pain. She knew that.

She'd always known that.

"What's wrong, Rangiku?"

Rangiku's head shot upward as a voice came from what had been moments before, an empty walkway. A voice she was certain had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination. A voice she hoped was nothing more than that.

She held her breath, waiting for her intruder to speak again. She feared turning around, for if it this was more than a hallucination, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to control herself. She would be held responsible for her actions.

"Rangiku?" the voice spoke again. "Are you ignoring me?"

Rangiku refused to answer, her breathing becoming quite shallow. Her eyes fluttered shut as she listened to the wind blowing between them. If she focused on something other than the voice, perhaps it would go away. Perhaps it would turn out to be nothing at all.

"Rangiku..." The voice spoke her name softly. Her eyes popped open, realizing that what she was hearing was very real. It wasn't her mind after all.

"Gin..." she said slowly, turning her head. She couldn't see him, but could feel his presence. His spiritual energy was so strong. She wondered why she hadn't felt it before.

Perhaps she'd been ignoring it.

With a satisfied sigh, the voice continued. "I was worried..." he said. "I thought for a moment you didn't recognize me."

Rangiku breathed deeply, trying to calm her thundering heart. His voice, to her dismay, was quite relaxing in itself. The slow mystical drawl echoed in her mind, surfacing nothing but memory after painful memory of their past. Of everything they'd been through.

"Rangiku..." he said, sounding apprehensive. She wondered why he continued to say her name. She knew he was talking to her. She wasn't about to forget it.

There was a strange tone in his voice as he said it though, she noticed. It was not at all like he used to say it. It was almost as if he were trying to reassure himself. As if he weren't sure he was actually talking to her. As if he were trying to convince himself he wasn't in a dream.

"Ran-"

"I hear you..." she said sharply, much sharper than she'd intended.

"I know..." he replied. "But you still had me worried."

Gin, worry? She'd never heard of such a thing. His smile had always been so reassuring. It was as if he always knew what was going to happen. That everything was going to be okay.

She felt like she could always trust that smile.

Turning to face him, she noticed that the smile was gone. The man before her no longer looked like Ichimaru Gin. At least, not the one she'd known for so many years. There had been a time in her life that she'd once seen him in this state, but she had forced that to the back of her mind. She was certain he'd tried to forget about it too.

Gin's face had grown worn, and paler than usual. His silver hair no longer swept gracefully across his forehead, but instead hung limply beside his ears. If it were possible, Rangiku could have sworn he looked thinner.

"Gin..." she said softly, feeling all thoughts of hatred toward him flee from her mind. The instinct to immediately run toward him and embrace him was smothered instantly, causing her to remain where she stood.

"I'm sorry, Rangiku." he said shortly.

Rangiku shook her head. "Don't say that..."

"But I am..." he insisted. His foot shifted slightly as though he wanted to move closer to her. "You know you want me to apologize..."

"I don't want to hear it," she said sternly, finally collecting herself for the most part. "You know that I don't."

"Why do you think I came back, Rangiku?" Gin asked, his eyes still squinted in their usual fashion, though she could tell he was looking at her intensely. He wanted to know if she was correct. He wanted to know if she still cared about him.

Rangiku shook her head, her hair gently moving across her shoulders. She noticed that Gin was watching her movements carefully, as to not miss one.

"I don't know..." she answered honestly.

"I think you do..." he continued. "I think you do, Rangiku." He stepped forward, crossing his arms in front of him, hiding his hands inside his sleeves. "And you're glad that I'm back..."

Rangiku felt herself move backward. "N-No," she answered. "No, I'm not."

Gin would have looked surprised, that is, if he hadn't already known that she was lying to him.

"Rangiku, you can't lie to-"

"Would you stop saying my name?" Rangiku said fiercely, her eyes flashing in the moonlight. "I know it, Gin. I'm not about to forget it. You need not say it in every sentence."

Gin paused briefly, unsure of how to respond to her outburst. His mouth closed slowly and his eyes finally were no longer focused on her. Instead, he looked at a point by her feet.

"I've missed saying it, Ra..." he stopped shortly, catching himself. "I've missed saying it."

Tears pricked her eyelashes, though she fought back the release. She wouldn't allow herself to cry in front of him. He still had her. She was wrapped tightly around the bony little pinky finger of his, and he knew it. She knew he knew it. She just hoped he wasn't going to use this against her.

"Please..." he stepped forward again. Rangiku stayed put. "Please don't cry Rangiku. Not because of me..."

"How could you?" she asked, nearly gasping for breath. The fight to stop the tears from coming was taking everything out of her. "How could you do this to me? To all of them? To your friends and family? How could you hurt us like that?"

Gin avoided her gaze. "It's complicated..." She could tell he was trying his best not to say her name again, though he was clearly having difficulty. "I'm not sure you would understand..."

"I understand enough!" She retorted. "I just want to know why!"

"It's not easy to explain..." he continued, his voice edging on the side of teasing. Part of her believed that he was only doing this to mess with her, to make fun of her, to make her believe that he was still on her side.

How could he be so heartless?

"I don't care if it's hard to explain," Rangiku said, her eyes focusing on his. "You promised me that you'd be honest with me. After everything you've done, I'm not sure what to believe, or whether what you say is true, but I want to hear it. I want you be honest with me, Gin, even if it is only this one time."

"You want the truth, Rangiku?" he asked, glancing back up at her. She noticed the flicker of his old smirk dancing at the edges of his mouth. It was remarkable how much his disposition could change in a matter of minutes. He almost appeared to be the old Gin again. A very, very tired looking Gin.

"Yes," she answered, though she was hardly sure if this were true. The truth might have been something she wasn't ready to face at the moment. What if everything she'd ever known about Gin had been a lie? What if everything between them had been set up? Could she live with herself after realizing she'd fallen in-

"I had no choice," he said seriously. "It was a stupid decision, but then again, everyone makes those. Do you think Ichigo coming to save Rukia-chan was a smart idea? One mediocre Soul Reaper against the rest?" Gin shook his head. "No. But he did anyway. And why is that, Rangiku?"

She didn't answer him. It took her a moment to realize he'd taken several steps closer to her, and if she wanted to, she could probably reach out and touch him.

But only if she wanted to.

And by God, she wanted to.

"Love, Rangiku..." Gin answered, as though this were an obvious response. The smile had returned and Rangiku was doing her best to avoid looking at it. If she looked, she would fall again. She would have no choice but to trust it as she had so many years before. "He loves her. It's cute, really, when it comes down to it. Don't you think so?" His voice dropped as he took another step. "Rangiku, Love?"

Rangiku froze. She wasn't sure if she'd heard him correctly. Had he truly said what she'd heard him say.

"Rangiku..." he whispered softly into her ear.

She felt a chill run up her spine as her eyes closed once more. He was standing right before her. She could feel the heat from his body against hers. His lips dangled dangerously close to her ear.

"I came back because of you..." he said.

Rangiku didn't say anything, but she could hear her heart growing louder with every word. She could feel his warm breath on her neck, causing the little hairs to stand on end. His fingers grazed the side of her face, sliding under her hair to hold the base of her neck, bringing her closer to him.

"Gin..." Rangiku murmured, her voice border lining a whimper. "I hate you..."

"I know..." he replied, his cheek resting next to hers. "You should hate me. I hurt you. I don't deserve you." He breathed deeply. "But I've caught you now..." he wrapped his slender arms around her waist. "And I want this time to last longer than before..."

Rangiku found herself pressed firmly against his chest, her hands silently tracing the lines. She had managed to stop him before, even if it were momentarily, just by taking his arm. She wondered what could happen if she gave herself to him. Would she be able to bring him back? Would he be the Gin she met so many years ago?

"Gin..." she said again, finding that it was her this time who could not say anything but his name.

This was enough for him. He pressed his pale lips to her cheek, slowly bringing them to her mouth. He paused, lingering just above her lips for a brief moment as they thought over what they were doing. Rangiku nodded shortly and Gin closed the gap between them.

Rangiku was certain that her decision was not wrong. As her arms locked around his neck and she pulled him closer to her, she knew that he had always been the one for her. From the day they met, there'd been something about him. Something different. Something she'd never seen in anyone else.

Gin pulled away momentarily, taking one of Rangiku's hands in his own, leading her back to the room in which she took refuge every night. He closed the door gently behind him and took her back into his arms, this time kissing her more ferociously.

As he nipped at her neck, Rangiku gasped, her fingers running through his soft hair.

"G-Gin..." she said. "G-Gin, don't leave me..."

Gin shook his head, bringing his mouth to hers once again. They knew it would never be so, but it was nice to believe at the moment. In the morning, she knew he'd be gone, once again, to Aizen's side.

But for now, he was hers.

"Gin..." Rangiku said, pulling her face in front of his to look him in the eye. "I want you to be honest with me..."

"Always..." he whispered.

"Do you want me?" she asked.

Gin stared at her, his eyes filled with longing. He was positive that she was the only one who'd ever truly seen his eyes, for she was the only one who'd ever taken the time to look. In that moment, Rangiku knew that he did. It was no longer his deceiving smile she could trust, but his eyes. His eyes told her everything.

"Yes..." he answered. "More than anything, Rangiku..."

The smiles that laced the faces of the two lovers had quickly become mirror images of each other. Rangiku reached for his hand once again, slowly tracing it across her chest stopping short, allowing him to explore as he pleased.

"Do you trust me, Rangiku?" he asked, not daring to take anything further without her consent.

Rangiku nodded. "Yes..."

Pleased, Gin continued, slowly sliding his hand down her shoulder, kissing her deeply. As Gin touched her, Rangiku felt herself become whole. Since she'd been a child, there had always been something missing in her life. Something that was there, but not entirely. Or rather, a someone.

A someone that loved her in return.

Later that night, as Rangiku lay her head against Gin's chest, Gin thought over everything that had happened. He was finally with the woman he'd loved for so long, and it pained him that it could not last. Their love would remain a secret until the war waging between the Soul Reapers was over, or possibly even longer. No one would accept it after they knew what he'd done. Who he was, truly.

He didn't understand why Rangiku returned to him. Why she still cared about him after all that he'd done, all that he'd caused her. He didn't understand how she could forgive him, love him, give him her entire being when he'd never done anything in return to deserve that. There were a thousand others he knew who deserved it more than he did. Others who would treat her better, provide a better life, be able to give her the world...

But she chose him.

He didn't understand.

Rangiku sighed in her sleep, snuggling closer to him. His hand absently stroked her hair, the other holding her bare body tightly to his. A faint smile still lingered across her lips as she dreamed, hopefully, about him.

"Rangiku..." he said softly, staring down at her, finding it difficult to look away. "I'll never leave you, Rangiku. I promise." He pressed his lips to her pale forehead. "I'll never leave you."

Though she was asleep, Rangiku heard every word, though later, she couldn't determine whether everything had been reality, or some wonderful dream. Her eyes remained shut, as to not ruin the moment.

With a final sigh, Gin nodded, deciding that he would do something. What that something was, Rangiku would never know. However, she'd been right. Rangiku had shown Gin how to love, she had shown him that there was more to life and death than what he'd already known. There was so much more than what he'd been taught.

In those moments of pure passion, something deep within him had awakened. Something that had been asleep for many years. Something that could only be awakened by an act such as this.

He'd given her his word now. He would have to stick to it, no matter what position that put him in. Aizen would never approve, nor would he truly ever have to know. If word got out, he'd have no choice but to admit the truth. He was certain of his feelings now, and was going to follow them, even if it meant being killed. It sounded stupid, especially when he thought it over, but that no longer seemed to bother him.

After all, people often do stupid things...

"I love you, Rangiku..."

...When they're in love.

A/N: Aww. Sorry. This pairing really makes me happy, and I really think they need to be together, because it makes me sad when people who love each other can't be together. Stupid writers. Lol. I'm kidding. -hugs Tite Kubo- But anyways! Please review and perhaps, maybe just maybe, I'll continue with this. Or try another, and figure out how to make writing as Gin easier. Thanks for everything, my oh-so-loyal and amazing readers!