Title: Betrayal
Characters: Matsumoto, Hitsugaya
Summary: Betrayal is like a fire's burn. Matsumoto centric.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own it, despite what you may think.
A/N: I blame this all on Stand Alone Origin. She was commenting on the rain and how it dragged you down into a depressed mood, and made you want to write angst. Thus this is all her fault. Also, I know the subject of "Rain" has been done to death, no point intended, but this is my own take on it.
Betrayal is like a fire's burn.
Matsumoto sat on the roof, watching the storm clouds darken the sky.
The Living World, she reflected, was a saddening place.
The rain, which was so commonplace here, was a rarity in the Seireitei.
She had never really cared for it.
It depressed her a great deal. It made everything look gray, and sad, and Matsumoto preferred it bright and happy.
Besides, the rain tended to remind her of things she would rather had stayed buried.
Burns often have to do with stupidity. When you stick your hand in a fire, you aren't thinking. Sometimes when you are too loyal, you become blind, and careless, and then the betrayal is all the worse.
His betrayal really hurt. She had tried to stop thinking about it after a while, but sometimes it was hard.
Especially when the results are so apparent everywhere you go.
Everyone looked at her as if she was going to break. It annoyed her. She was tougher than they gave her credit for. Why couldn't they see that?
The tiptoed around the subject when speaking to her. Why couldn't they realize that she wasn't about to shatter?
Like betrayal, burns sting for a long time after they occur.
Sometimes, all Matsumoto wanted to do was let the ground swallow her up.
But it wouldn't.
Why wouldn't it listen?
Why couldn't it recognize her frame of mind, and obey her wishes just once?
The pain can last, and the marks can too.
The thunder boomed in the distance.
A drip of water landed on her forehead and trailed down her nose.
The sky gave way, and the water fell, as though from a bucket.
Someone stood behind her. "You best get inside," her Captain told her, "you don't want to catch a cold."
She turned and smiled softly. "I'll be in, in a moment, Taichou."
Hitsugaya put a hand on her shoulder for a moment before he walked a way.
She turned back to staring into the distance, and let the rain mingle with her tears as they cascaded down he cheeks.
But even a burn will fade with time, and with a little help from ice and some cold water.