Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach. This was written for Wattpad's forth Loveshot contest. The goal was to write a story between 100 and 2,500 words. The inspiration for the story must be Ed Sheeran's song "Thinking Out Loud" and this os the piece I was inspired to write.
Mysterious Ways
"Tell Rangiku not to bother coming around anymore."
The rather tall fukutaicho of the first blinked a couple of times as she stared at the silver haired man in the medical bed. She tilted her head slightly as her lips pushed together. "Why would you want me to tell her that? Actually – why aren't you telling her this when she comes by today?"
"She's more likely to listen to reason when she hears it from you."
Isane felt her lips push together to form a tighter line. "You still haven't explained why you want me to tell her that."
"As a person of the Gotei Thirteen's medical division you should know better then anyone else why I ask this of you."
The fukutaicho let out a sigh. With her medical expertise she knew how much of a broken person the man in front of her was physically. She slipped out of the room as her duties involving him were finished. Outside of the room she saw a well figured female with strawberry blond hair. She slid the door closed behind her and spoke in a low manner so the man couldn't over hear what she had to say. "He doesn't want to see you. To be specific he doesn't want you coming by anymore."
A frown spread across Rangiku's face as she crossed her arms. "Why ever would he want me not to come by?"
"I think..." Isane began to worry her bottom lip as she looked at the ground. "I believe you are fully aware of his condition, and how he is unable to walk and has minimal movement in his entire right harm."
"He's receiving therapy to rectify those issues is he not?"
Isane let out a deep sigh, and looked at the ground still worrying. "There is a chance he won't recover."
"I know that, and I honestly don't care."
The taller woman suddenly blinked before looking up at her companion. "Do you understand though how the patient is feeling? He doesn't want to be a burden to you Rangiku."
"Even more of a reason for me not to leave him alone."
Isane breathed a sigh of relief and felt her shoulders relax. "If he asks I did explain things to you."
"I think he'll understand when I go into the room."
A smile hadn't appeared on Ichimaru Gin's face since the end of the war. The strawberry blonde would sit by his side watching him sleep his days away knowing the man she'd known since a very young age was falling deeper and deeper into a depression she couldn't even begin to comprehend. "I don't like how he keeps to himself like this."
Every so often she would brush her hand lightly against his cheek, or ruffle his silver hair. Sometimes he would remain asleep, but other times his eyes would snap open and he would watch the rest of her movements. Never did a smile appear on his face. "Strange to see him without a smile – though I guess I rarely saw him give anybody a real smile."
Rangiku moved into the room and sat on the chair near his bed. Today the man was staring at the ceiling so she couldn't reach out to touch his cheek or his soft hair. She could see his long arms stretched out. The woman took note of his bone thin fingers. "I don't like how thin he is. He really hasn't been taking care of himself. How could I not have noticed."
A smile crept across her face only to fall when Gin spoke. "I thought I told her to tell you not to come by anymore."
The female leaned back and looked at the ceiling. A sigh left her lips. "I can't give up on you that easily."
"Why not?"
"Why ever for?"
"I've not been good to you Ran-chan."
Rangiku leaned forward and Gin's eyes were closed. "You do your best."
"My best wasn't good enough, nor will it ever be. You deserve better."
"Better?" One strawberry blond eyebrow went up. "You think I can do better?"
"Hisagi Shuhei."
Rangiku felt her chest suddenly tighten. "What makes him better then you?"
"Everyone else wonders why you've not gotten with him yet. I'd say I've overheard them speaking, but in reality they speak about it right in front of me." Gin looked away as his hands clenched the sheets.
"They're talking about that in front of you? No wonder you've been so down on yourself. Just... don't listen to them."
"Can't help it."
A soft hand reached out to gently touch the silver haired man's cheek. Gin for once didn't respond to her touch, and Rangiku felt the corners of her mouth twist up with worry. "Hey... you and I have known each other since we were... I don't know. Children."
"You really don't remember when we first met do you. I can't see why you like me."
"You saved my life. You found me lying on the ground starving to death and gave me food."
"That's a lie."
Rangiku flinched. "Lie?"
"That wasn't the first time we met."
"That..." The woman closed her eyes as her arms crossed her chest. She carefully thought about what Gin meant, but couldn't place her finger on what he meant. "To me it isn't a lie. That is the first time we met."
"It still doesn't answer why you like me. Yes... I saved you that day, but it isn't as if you owe me your life."
Rangiku's eyes snapped open as a sigh left her lips. She felt the corner of her mouth twitch as her worry about Gin's mood grew. "It's mysterious. I honestly don't know why I'm in love with you. There. I said it." She watched as the silver haired man turned to look at her, and she saw the look of shock in his pale teal eyes. His mouth twisted up into a frown. "What? I do love you."
"You could have better."
"I don't want better."
"You don't even remember what you're missing." Gin let out a sigh this time and tried moving a bit. The man turned his head to the side so he looked out the window at the setting son.
"Missing? I know I'm missing you right now because you're so distant."
"You're not smiling Ran-chan." Gin's pale teal eyes closed again. Rangiku swallowed as she thought about how frail the man looked, and how he could break any minute.
"I'm not smiling because I'm worried about you."
"That's not the real reason you're not smiling. You've forgotten what the thing that makes you smile is."
Two pale blue eyes blinked a couple of times. Rangiku shook her head. "Why do you always have to speak so cryptically? What don't you understand about I don't care? I don't care about the mistakes you made"
"I'll just make the same mistakes again."
"Again. I don't care. I want you with all those flaws Gin."
A soft voice came from the doorway. "Matsumoto?"
Rangiku tilted her head to see her small taicho standing in the doorway. The boy leaned against the doorway looking in with his bright teal eyes. The child's mouth twisted up, and his small body was tense. Silver strands of hair hung down into the boy's eyes, and the child's bones stuck out more then normal making Rangiku worry the boy was eating enough much in the same manner she worried about Gin eating enough.
The woman started to twist around only to see a change in Gin's facial features. She watched as the corners of the man's mouth twisted up slightly, only to fall just as quickly. "Shiro-chan? What are you doing here?"
Rangiku blinked a couple of times as she contemplated his reaction. She turned quickly and waved the boy into the room. "Taicho? Come here?"
Two bright teal eyes widened as the boy's body tensed up even more. "Wha..."
"Come here. Gin wants to see you."
"No..." Gin's voice tightened up as he attempted to sit up only to fall back down to the bed.
The child taicho's mouth twisted up into a deep frown before hobbling due to his own injuries. He headed over to the opposite side of the man's bed from where Rangiku was standing. "How are you doing Ichimaru?"
"I'm not exactly wanting to see you." The man leaned on one side so he couldn't see the boy.
Toshiro let out a deep sigh as he crossed his arms across his chest. "What exactly do you want Ichimaru?"
A silence fell over the room. One of Rangiku's hands reached out to touch Gin's shoulder. "Let me help you to sit up." The silver haired man didn't respond, but didn't fight her when she helped him to sit up. "I'm quite sure you were happy to see taicho when he came in. Why is that?"
Gin's fingers tapped against the sheets covering his leg. His head twisted around to look at the boy. "Shiro-chan..."
"What... and don't call me that."
"Are you all right?"
The two teal eyes widened as Toshiro looked at the man. "All right. Yes. Rather so. Particularly compared to you." The boy sighed. "What do you need?"
The man's pale teal eyes narrowed as his frown deepened. "I need you two not to worry about me. Tell her Shiro-chan that I'm not worth his time."
The young boy turned to look at Rangiku and saw her lips push together. "I don't think that's going to happen. I think the you should know it's not in either Matsumoto or my personality to turn our backs on someone." Toshiro heard an audible swallow from Gin. "So... what do you need?"
The man's bone thin hands twisted the sheets as Gin remained silent for awhile before Gin audibly swallowed again. "I want to see Ran-chan smile."
Rangiku blinked a couple of times. "I'll smile once you get out of this funk of yours."
"No." Gin's pale teal eyes darted over to look at Toshiro. "That's not what I'm talking about. You don't remember the thing that makes you smile." The man looked away from the boy as he said this. "It's like how you don't remember the first time we met."
The woman reached out to take one of his hands into her own. "Gin... I wish you wouldn't... what is it called."
"Talk in an abstract manner?" Toshiro suddenly fidgeted while one hand reached up to mess with a strand of his hair in a nervous manner. "You looked at me just then. Why?"
A frustrated sound escaped Gin's lips. "It's nothing."
Rangiku's pale blue eyes blinked a couple of times. "Nothing. No... I've known you for a long time and this isn't nothing."
"The thing that makes you smile..." Gin tried closing his eyes as he choose not to finish his sentence.
"The thing that makes me smile is you. Why can't you see that?"
Gin's eyes snapped open and he twisted slightly again. "Shiro-chan... are you sure you're all right?"
Toshiro's leaned forward, and his hands gripped the sheets as he supported himself. "Seriously... I told you I'm all right."
"You walked in here with a limp."
"Am I the thing which makes Rangiku smile?"
The silver haired man's jaw dropped before he snapped his pale blue eyes shut. Rangiku blinked a couple of times. She looked carefully between the silver haired man and the silver haired boy. She leaned back as a frown spread across her face. Eventually the long silence caused Gin to open up his eyes. "See Rangiku? Do you understand why you shouldn't bother with me? I'll just keep making the same mistakes over and over again."
The woman swallowed as Toshiro looked away. The boy began to fidget some more. "Perhaps I should leave."
The boy moved towards the door, only to find his sleeve grabbed by the woman. Rangiku took a deep breath. "Gin... I need to ask you something. Is taicho... no. Is Toshiro a mistake?"
Rangiku watched as the silver haired boy turned his head to look at the silver haired man as Gin's Adam's apple bobbed down. "No. Shiro-chan isn't a mistake." The man swallowed again before looking away. "Even though you can't remember Ran-chan... he is your smile."
The woman let go of the boy's sleeve. Toshiro continued to move in a manner indicating the situation made him uncomfortable. The young taicho leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Her pale blue eyes blinked a couple of times before her lips briefly went into a smile. "That's all right." Rangiku watched as the boy slipped out of the room before she turned to Gin. "Why? Why when I lost my memories didn't you tell me we had a son? That's far more important then when we first met isn't it?"
"I have no heart, don't ya know?"
She leaned forward and reached one hand and placed it over where Gin's heart was. "I don't know. I feel a heart beating right here." Rangiku leaned forward and placed a kiss on the man's lips before touching her forehead to his. "Seriously though... why?"
"Why would you believe me if you can't remember our first meeting?" Gin's eyes snapped shut. "You should just give up on my Ran. I've done a lot of bad things. You deserve better."
"I honestly don't care. Nothing will make me stop loving you. I wish you could see that." Rangiku pulled away then. "Taicho should be back soon."
Gin's frown changed to one of confusion. "Wait? I thought he left? I mean... finding out..."
The child in question came then into the room with a wheelchair, and the corners of his mouth twisted down. Toshiro's bright teal eyes looked at the floor, and he continued to fidget nervously. In the chair seat were a few blankets. "I..."
The silver haired man sighed at the child's hesitation. "What is it?"
"I was hoping we... the three of us... could go see the sunset together." The boy looked at the ground. "I was hoping we could watch the stars come out."
A laugh left Rangiku's mouth. "See. If our son has no reason to give up on you then I certainly don't."
"That makes no sense."
"I know it doesn't." Rangiku leaned forward to kiss him again and Toshiro's cheeks turned red at the site.