Old stuff again

Exams finished yesterday, so in a couple of days I'll get back into writing again. However, Symphony comes before Bleach, I'm afraid...

Not sure about this one. It demanded writing... But I'm not actually sure if it's all that good.

Thoughts?

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be.

Harmony

She is walking through the room. It is decorated in a techinicolour display of streamers, ribbons, white clothes adorning tables, a red rug on the white carpet, the perfect set-up for a party. Which is, in effect, what is taking place here soon.

But Rangiku is not happy, despite this.

The room is full of people who are waiting for the arrival of the main guests. Rangiku isn't. She had nearly not been invited. People hadn't expected her to want to come, but she has, because Shuhei and Momo are her friends, and that is important.

Isn't it?

The outfits people are wearing are another bright rainbow of colour assaulting her vision. They are beautiful, yes, but she has no need for beauty. Not any more.

She hasn't even noticed the background music until now. That is good, she supposes. It means the musician is doing his job well, providing a soft, soothing undertone that will only be noticed if it isn't there. Yes, everything is perfect. Beautiful. Wonderful.

But not for her.

"Here they come!" Someone calls, and there is cheering as Shuhei walks in, Momo in his arms and a smile on both of their faces. Rangiku attempts to smile weakly for them – friends, after all – but that is all she can do. She can't join in with the merriment.

Not when it had all gone so horribly wrong.

"Hey, Rangiku," he started, his grin plastered on his face as usual. "You mind if I ask you a question?" She dangled her feet over the edge of the balcony they were sat on, enjoying the feeling of the wind between her toes.

"Sure," she agreed, leaning against him. It was for moments like these that she lived. Just her, and him, alone and together, feeling his warmth against her and truth in his voice.

"You gotta promise me you won't blow your top," he warned. She rolled her eyes.

"Just ask, already," she insisted. He sighed.

"Okay, okay… Would it fuss you awfully to marry me?" He asked. She blinked, the sentence taking a rather long time to register in her mind.

"Did… Did you just propose to me?" She asked, her mind saying 'no, this is wrong, Gin does not do things like that.' He laughed.

"I guess so," he agreed. "I got a ring an' everythin', you want it?" She made a few incoherent noises, attempting to form a sentence when her mind had effectively gone into meltdown.

"I… Gin… You… We… I… You… Yes! Yes, of course! Of course!" She grabbed hold of his sleeve, as though afraid he would leave, vanish and laugh; say it was just a trick.

"Really?" He replied, sounding surprised. "'Kay." He dug around in the pockets of his hakama, eventually producing a box and handing it over. She opened it, and gasped aloud at the sight of the engagement ring – white gold, a set of diamonds on the top in the shape of a tiny, yet unmistakeable, chrysanthemum. "I thought it fit you," he remarked. "You always call me silver, after all." Rangiku shook her head.

"Oh, Gin…" She whispered. "I don't know what to say…" She felt his arm around her, pulling her close to him.

"You already said th' only word I needed," he mumbled in her ear, gently taking her hand and sliding the ring onto her finger.

"What's that?" Her Captain remarked when she walked into the office the next day. "A ring?" Rangiku smiled slightly to herself.

"It's from Gin," she replied. He made an unhappy noise.

"I'll bet," he muttered. "He'll let you down. Don't go tailing after him." Rangiku held her hand up, looking at the ring, at the tiny flower.

"Not this time," she disagreed. "I believe in him this time. He won't run away again."

"Pssh, whatever," Hitsugaya replied, clearly sceptical.

"Raaanny," he called, waving at her. She smiled at him, made her excuses to Shuhei and ran over.

"Hey Gin," she greeted. "Heya, Izu." Izuru smiled weakly at her – he was rarely at ease around his captain, especially when Rangiku was there, too.

"I got a proposal for ya," Gin told her, and she chuckled. He paused, only seeming to realise the joke in his words then, and laughed. "Heh. Trust you. Anyhow, I got some free time, since Izuru offered to do th' paperwork." Izuru looked surprised at that – clearly he hadn't been aware that he had offered – but nodded anyway. "So, d'you want t' come an' have a chat wi' me about… Things?" He continued.

"I'll be in the office, Captain," Izuru murmured, disappearing, presumably to do the paperwork he had 'offered' to do. Rangiku smiled.

"You mean to plan?" She asked. Gin nodded. "Sure thing. My Captain's out, we can borrow his office." This seemed to make Gin happier than the prospect of everything else, so they went.

"Oh, no, not Lily of the Valley," Rangiku protested as Gin read out a list of possible flowers. "Try something nicer. How about Spiranthes?" Gin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, tha' works," he agreed, writing it down on a pad that was full of pages of his half-legible scribblings and Ragiku's more neatly penned notes.

"Excuse me," a voice demanded. "What on earth is going on in my office?"

"Oh, hi Captain," Rangiku greeted in a bored voice. "You were out, so we were just borrowing the space." Her Captain glared.

"What are you doing in my chair, Ichimaru?" He spat. Gin considered this.

"Sittin', I reckon," he replied. "Why, you want it back, Toshi?" Hitsugaya twitched.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya, Ichimaru," he growled. Gin looked hurt.

"Well you never call me 'Captain'," he pointed out. Hitsugaya glared.

"You should be thankful I don't call you a lot of other things I want to," he spat. "Out. Now. And give me back my Lieutenant."

"But, Captain!" Rangiku protested.

"You should be working," he told her as Gin shrugged and got off the chair.

"You're pretty pushy, kid," he remarked. "Maybe if you stopped stressin' so much you'd get a little taller, ne?" Hitsugaya's glare was icy.

"Get out," he spat, and Gin chuckled.

"I'll talk t' you this evenin', 'kay, Ran?" He told her, and she nodded, giving her Captain an irritated look.

"He'll let you down," Hitsugaya huffed, pushing the collection of catalogues off his desk and grabbing a brush, ready to do some paperwork.

She and Gin had many light-hearted arguments over what to decorate with, what colours to have, and where to host the wedding, and eventually came to a mutual conclusion. With this in mind, they went to the various places and collected some dates, trying to find one that matched.

"I'm afraid we're all booked up for large groups for at least another three months," the receptionist of where they had hoped to host the party told them apologetically. Gin grimaced.

"There ain't any dates sooner?" He asked, sounding irked. Rangiku chuckled.

"Eager, aren't you?" She remarked, looping one arm in his. He rolled his eyes.

"Heh, you know me," he replied, although his face still wore that slightly troubled expression. "Eh, I guess it'll have t' do. We'll do th' soonest date we c'n manage. Can you book us in, like, provisionally, an' I'll come an' finalise thing later?" The Receptionist nodded.

"You've got one week before we let someone else take the date," she informed him, and he nodded.

"Sure thin'," he agreed. "C'mon, Ran, let's go finish plans off."

"Sure thing," she replied, mimicking him, and he chuckled and led her away.

"I'm not going," Hitsugaya told her as she held out an envelope. "There is no possible way that you will make me go. If you want to give yourself away to that snake, feel free, but that doesn't mean I have to be there to watch it."

"Oh, but Captain!" Rangiku protested. "Please? It means a lot to me. I want you to be there. Please?" Hitsugaya made a long-suffering noise.

"Oh, whatever," he muttered, swiping the invite from her hand. "I'll keep the date free. But that doesn't mean I'm going!" Rangiku smiled.

"Thanks, Captain," she replied, making him huff and turn back to his paperwork.

She was concerned when the Ryoka decided to invade just two weeks before her wedding.

"Oh, I'm sure things will be just fine!" Momo reassured her, smiling slightly. "He'll be there even if the Ryoka are battering down the doors!" Rangiku smiled back at her.

"Thanks, Momo," she murmured. "I'd hate it for my Captain to actually be right about him… Again."

"Ah, who'd let you down?" Shuhei remarked. "You've nothing to worry about. Izuru will drag him there if there's fighting, right, Izu?"

"H-huh? Oh, uh… I guess…" Izuru agreed, in a manner that implied he would most certainly not be doing such a thing. "A lot of people are going. If the Ryoka are still trying, they'll have an easy time of it…"

"I wanted Rukia to come," Renji murmured sadly. "This is a joke! Why are they executing her?" He looked around, as if suddenly realising what he'd said. "Not that I'm disagreeing with the ruling or anything, I just… Was playing devil's advocate. That's it. No traitors here!" Rangiku laughed at that, glad that she could always count on her comrades to cheer her up.

She was sitting in the office of Squad ten on her own, feeling stunned, when Gin appeared.

"Hey Ran," he greeted. "Why the long face?" She looked up.

"Tell me you didn't do it," she whispered. "Tell me you didn't kill Captain Aizen." He looked put out.

"Wan' me," he replied. "I'd swear on my life, bu' tha's you, an' it's a tad mean o' me t' swear on you, doncha think?" Rangiku looked away.

"Thank you," she murmured. "That was all I wanted to know." Gin walked over and embraced her from behind.

"No matter wha' happens, I'll be there," he whispered in her ear. "I won' let you down. I'm done wi' lettin' you down, 'kay? Even if I walk away, I'll be back f' you, an' I'll stay wi' you." She closed her eyes, putting one hand on top of his.

"Thank you," she whispered again. "That means… So much to me." She heard him sigh sadly, felt his breath tickle the back of neck, and wished that they could forget everything that had happened and stay, frozen, in that moment forever, just the two of them, together, alone, and away from reality.

As she held him on the Sokyoku hill, a twisted mockery of their occasional embrace, she felt like she was breaking inside. She could feel him shaking, and wondered if he was breaking, too, or if all of it had just been a joke, a twisted, sick joke designed to screw with her.

"I'll still be there," he told her, his voice quiet. "Ah…" She jumped back as the light engulfed her. "It's a shame. I wouldn't've minded bein' your prisoner a while longer." He looked down at her, somehow managing to make his smile regretful, his normal face sad. "Goodbye, Rangiku." He looked away. "I'm sorry." She held back her tears. Strength, she had to have strength, be strong in the face of the crushing, absolute betrayal of everything she had ever believed in about him.

All those who she had ever counted as her friends rushed to comfort her after they had gone.

When she returned to her Headquarters – without her Captain, he was half-dead at Aizen's hand and recovering in the Infirmary – she found a note, pinned to her Captain's chair with a pin tack that would likely leave a permanent mark.

I'm still coming.

She gasped and shook her head, moving back. How could he? A traitor, in the midst of so many, he would be arrested if not killed on the spot.

She tore the note from the chair and went to the people she knew she could trust.

"If he doesn't come, when I find him I'll ram my sword through his chest for you," Shuhei offered for her as she waited. She'd wanted Momo to be her bridesmaid, but she was unable, injured as she was by Captain Aizen's betrayal both physically and mentally. It was hurting Shuhei to be away from her, too, and Rangiku felt selfish for it, but she was glad, so glad to have a friend like Shuhei who would stay at her side. Nanao was there too, doing her hair, she had promised to keep quiet and her Captain was absent. Izuru had come, too, as had a few others – but too many were absent. Momo, Renji, Rukia, Aizen, her captain, even Captain Kuchiki had been planning to come.

And Gin. He was the most important one.

She felt so strange, stood in a place too large for the small number of people she trusted now, waiting for a man who probably wouldn't come anyway, breaking her heart into pieces all over again. She'd walked down the aisle to emptiness, with no music, only a hushed quiet, and the feeling of a comforting hand on her shoulder – Nanao and Kiyone – and Shuhei giving her an encouraging smile from where he was stood next to Izuru. All of them were in uniform except her, not wanting to draw attention should they have to leave in a hurry, and all of them carried swords, wary of something going horribly wrong in face of the unexpected betrayal. Paranoia had set in, but she didn't begrudge them it. That they cared enough to be there with her at all was enough.

"Hey," a voice greeted. "It's pretty quiet in here, ain't it?"

"Gin!" She exclaimed, Nanao and Kiyone instantly hushing her in case of people watching. He'd already discarded his Captain's haori, wearing a plain white garmet over his Hakama instead, also not dressed up. He walked down to her, took her hand, and kissed it, down on one knee.

"I don' deserve any o' this," he whispered. "An' I especially don' deserve you. But I don' wanna break your heart any more than it's already broken, Ran." She clenched her fists, then changed her mind and slapped him square across the face. He winced.

"That's for leaving," she whispered. "Now get up and marry me." He got up as ordered, rubbing his stinging cheek, steadfastly ignoring Izuru's look of betrayal, Shuhei's hate-filled gaze, all of it. The latter two exchanged glances and Izuru nudged Shuhei forwards, they had a brief, quiet but heated argument, and eventually Shuhei went forwards and cleared his throat.

"Ahem… We're gathered here today, very quietly and secretly, to try and get you two hitched without attracting the punishment force," he started. "Uh… Now I've been nominated to be the presiding holy dude, but, uh, I don't actually own a bible or any sort of funky speech, so can we skip to the bits everyone knows?"

"Get on with it," Rangiku hissed, and Shuhei swallowed nervously and nodded.

"Right, right… Does anyone here have any reasons that they want to say in front of Rangiku for why these two shouldn't be married?" He asked. Rangiku glared down the lot of them, and silence reigned. "Right, er, good for you lot and your limbs… Uh, do you, Rangiku Matsumoto, take this man, Gin Ichimaru, to be your mostly lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," she replied. Gin smiled weakly.

"And do you, Gin Ichimaru, take this woman, Rangiku Matsumoto, to be your mostly lawfully wedded wife?" Shuhei asked.

"Yep," he replied, and Shuhei sighed and shook his head.

"Right, right… So, uh, you're married and stuff… Oh, right, put the ring on her finger and things…" Shuhei floundered, and the pair of them exchanged rings. "So, um, you can now kiss the bride, then sneak off back to Hueco Mundo like the filthy, evil traitor you are," Shuhei finished, yelping as Rangiku kicked him hard in the shin. Gin kissed her, a brief but lingering kiss.

"I'm sorry," he told her softly. "I'll be back for you. I promise. But I've gotta act out this charade a little longer, 'kay?"

"Will you come back?" She asked. Gin nodded instantly.

"I'm yours," he replied. "Always yours, never his, 'kay? Believe me. It's you I'm livin' for." She smiled at him. "Izu… Sorry. Cap'n Aizen honestly told me he wasn't gonna hurt her. I guess that goes for you, too, Shu, since you're close wi' the girl. An', uh, I'm sorry for usin' you all." He ran a hand back through his hair. "'S hard, but I made my choice. I'll be back." He smiled weakly. "You can beat me up then, 'kay?"

"There will be a queue," Shuhei responded levelly, and Gin nodded in understanding, turning away, one hand still on Rangiku's.

It was then that the door opened.

"C-captain!" Rangiku exclaimed, taking a step back.

"Did I miss the opportunity to point out all the reasons why you shouldn't marry?" He asked.

"Sorry, Toshi, looks like it," Gin agreed with a shrug. Hitsugaya glared.

"Then I'll have to settle for having you dragged off in chains," he replied.

"You're only jus' out o' hospital," Gin pointed out dubiously, although his grip had tightened on Rangiku's hand. He clearly wasn't expecting to get out so free any more.

"I am, but the Special Force aren't," Hitsugaya growled.

"No!" Rangiku exclaimed, Gin taking a step back as members of Squad 2's special force appeared from the shadows. He looked at Rangiku, then at Hitsugaya, then slowly raised his hands.

"'Kay," he murmured. "Guess you got me." Rangiku's fists clenched.

"I'll never forgive you for this," she hissed at her Captain. Hitsugaya crossed his arms.

"One down, two to go," he responded, turning on his heel and walking out.

Rangiku sank to her knees and cried.

"Rangiku?" Shuhei tried nervously, he and Izuru sticking their heads around the door to her room. "Can we come in without being maimed, mauled, or generally caused grievous harm?"

"S-sure," she replied, her eyes red from crying and excessive drinking. This was not the way that things were supposed to be – but then, what else should she have expected? It was Gin. Nothing was ever going to be the right way where Gin was concerned.

"Hey," Izuru murmured, the two of them sitting on the sofa next to her. "You holding up alright?" She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Hungover?" Shuhei asked sympathetically. She nodded once more. "I won't turn the lights on, then." He looked uncertain. "Um… Gin. They're holding him in this special cell place that I didn't even know existed…"

"They say it's called the Maggot's Nest," Izuru added helpfully.

"Yeah, and they're trying to get information from him," Shuhei finished. "I may have told him that he'll have more time if he doesn't answer. Um, they didn't take too kindly to that, so I got kicked out." He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. "He keeps insisting that Aizen won't be doing anything, and for some reason I think he's telling the truth… They've been told not to let you in to see him. I'm sorry." Rangiku sniffed.

"Not your fault," she replied. "It's his." She buried her head in her hands. "All his, damn him!" She threw an empty bottle that had held sake against the wall, where it smashed. "I hate him! Pig!" Izuru rubbed her shoulder soothingly as she broke down into sobs again. "Th-thank you," she choked out. "F-for coming, e-even though Momo's been hurt a-and he betrayed us all. Th-thank you." Shuhei and Izuru both looked unhappy.

"You're our friend," Shuhei replied. "Of course we're here for you."

"We'd never do anything differently," Izuru agreed. "We'll always be here. Ok?" Rangiku nodded, still sobbing.

She had never appreciated their friendship enough.

Eventually, after she lingered, argued, bitched, threatened and had to be dragged away by force several times, they allowed her in to see Gin, if only to save the lives and dignity of the people guarding him.

"Gin," she whispered, running over to his cell. He looked up at her with weary, bloodshot eyes – he did not have the energy to maintain his usual grin.

"Ran," he croaked. "This is a nice surprise. Am I dead?" She shook her head.

"No," she replied, trying to reach for him but not quite managing the distance. "What have they done to you?"

"'S normally called torture," Gin replied. "Nasty people." He coughed viciously, and when he stopped, his hand was red with his own blood. He regarded this despondently.

"Tell them the truth," she begged. Gin managed to roll his eyes.

"I did," he replied. "Cap'n Aizen ain't doin' a thin', an' he won' be f' a while."

"Why…?" Rangiku whispered, her hands gripping the bars, wishing she could be in there with him, holding him, comforting him, despite everything he had ever done to her.

"'Cause he tried t' stop me goin' t' my weddin'," Gin replied dangerously. "An' you are more important t' me than anythin' else." He started to cough again, and Rangiku moved back.

"Don't die," she whispered. "Please." He looked up at her.

"I ain't plannin' on it," he replied softly.

She fled.

When Momo was better, she and Shuhei had a long talk that Rangiku could guess the gist of. She herself stayed in her office, waiting, twisting the ring on her finger and wishing it would stop.

"Ah, Rangiku. I was wondering when I'd catch you," her Captain remarked. She didn't speak to him. She hadn't said a word to him since that day. "Rangiku?" He waved a hand in front of her face. "Now you listen to me, Rangiku Matsumoto-"

"Ichimaru!" She spat at him. "I am married. My name is Rangiku Ichimaru!" Hitsugaya looked decidedly unhappy.

"It was for the best…" He started.

"It was not!" Rangiku screamed. "He loved me! He was on my side! You didn't hear him – you never trusted him like I do! You ruined it! Argh, maybe it was already destroyed, but you stamped on the pieces, because you just couldn't bear it, could you? Anything that makes him happy has to go! You don't even care about how I feel, what it did to me!" Her Captain took a step back, uncertain.

"I'm sorry…" He murmured, but Rangiku got to her feet.

"Sorry. Will never. Be enough," she growled, storming past him and away. He watched her go, stunned and ashamed.

"Rangiku! Rangiku!" Shuhei called, running up with Renji and Rukia behind him. "You'll never guess what!"

"What?" She replied despondently. He winced.

"They've led a mission to Hueco Mundo… Ah, screw it, tell her, Renji."

"We found Aizen," Renji told her excitedly. "Injured, by Cap- uh, former Captain Ichimaru's Bankai by the looks of it! They – he and his Hollow Arrancar thingies – they fought back, but we caught him and he's in prison!"

"You know what this means?" Shuhei enthused. "Gin was telling the truth! And he helped us!" Rangiku shrugged.

"Won't get him out of prison, will it?" She replied. "It won't un-ruin my wedding, will it?" Shuhei flinched.

"…It might," he replied. "We'll campaign. We'll do everything we can. That's what friends are for, right?"

It was because of that friendship that Rangiku would go to his wedding despite the shambles of her own, and put on a brave face, because nothing she could do would pay them back for that.

"Hey, Rangiku?" Momo starts, startling her out of her memories.

"Hey Momo," she replies sadly. "You look beautiful today." Momo flushes, embarrassed.

"Um… Me and Shuhei invited a special guest," she starts. "Um, and Toshiro really wants to talk to you." Rangiku folds her arms.

"No," she replies, but Hitsugaya forces his way over to her anyway.

"Rangiku," he starts, bowing his head, "I'm sorry. So sorry. And I know it's not enough… but I want you to know that I will never forgive myself for what I did to you. I'm sorry." She looks away determinedly, telling herself she will not feel compassion, not now.

"Hey now, what's this?" A voice remarks, one she knows well but cannot believe she is hearing. "Ain't this s'posed to be a party? I wa' lied to, that I was!"

"Gin?" She whispers, unable to believe it. He smiles at her, leaning on crutches but otherwise unharmed.

"Now I don' want one o' your normal hugs, I ain't in the best o' conditions," he warns, but she hugs him anyway, elated beyond belief.

"Gin," she whispers, repeating his name again and again. "Gin…"

"I said I'd come back," he reminds her softly. "I said I wa' done runnin' from you." She closes her eyes, unable to stop the tears, this time tears of joy at his return. "And I ain't ever gonna be a Soul Reaper again, but I c'n still be yours, if you'll have me," he adds, and she nods.

"Always and forever," she replies, looking over at Momo and Shuhei, who smile at her encouragingly. "Thank you," she tells them. "Thank you… For everything?"

"What else are friends for?" Shuhei replies with a shrug, and Rangiku smiles, happy once more.

A/n - Maybe a touch implausible, but I don't care *Stubborn* Reviews are appreciated.