A Friendly Face

"Eat up… if you can collapse due to hunger you must have spiritual powers."

"You too?..."

"Yup! Me too. Ichimaru Gin! Nice to meet you."

"Gin… that's a weird name."

She had awoken to find that friendly face hovering above her, holding out a welcoming piece of food beckoning her hungry stomach. Using the little strength she had, she accepted the offering and chewed slowly.

Her mind dizzy from lack of food, she had accepted his hand and felt herself being pulled to her feet just managing to remain upright…

The joyful smile, the cheerful demeanor, the boyish face... He still had those things now as an adult and a shinigami captain, but being around him no longer made Matsumoto feel secure and content. Instead, looking at his face trying to find what she had seen in him as a child sent shivers down her spine.

He had always disappeared never telling her where to or how long he'd be gone. She had been alone and starving until he just took her in, taking care of her. One she woke up to find his smiling face missing

"Gin… gin!"

A young Matsumoto scurried to and fro, searching under foliage and behind rocks, going as far as she could without worrying that he'd return and think she had also left.

"Rangiku?"

Matsumoto turned her head upon hearing her first name and spotted a familiar face, smiling at her from between evergreen leaves. "What's the matter?"

"Oh… nothing… I was just wondering where you went. I was worried maybe someone took you or something."

More like worried about you'd left me alone again…

Ichimaru smiled. "I just went… off for a walk," he replied.

The days passed by… each the same as the first. Eventually, she stopped asking for every time the answer was the same. But one day, she just had to ask.

"ICHIMARU! What happened!"

"I went out for a walk," came the same reply.

"Oh? Did you trip and fall off a cliff?" Matsumoto retorted.

His smile, if anything, got bigger. "Something like that. I'm going to go wash off."

So off he went again, blood dripping behind him.

The weeks passed and Matsumoto outgrew her dependence on her mysterious companion. She wandered around, going for walks and exploring the forest as far as she could without having to worry of getting lost. Leaving at the same time as Ichimaru, she always returned much earlier than him, which allowed her to sit and wait for her companion to return from wherever he went.

But one day his arrival was much later than usual.