1:59 A.M. 47 miles from Kagaku Town.
Toshiro and Rangiku are on a night patrol at a forest known for experiencing a recent spike in hollow activity. When suddenly, a bright orb zigzagged across the forest.
"It doesn't appear on our Hollow detector." Said Rangiku.
"Stupid thing is malfunctioning again." Replied Toshiro.
"Let's pursue it, but be extremely cautious. We still don't know if it's a Hollow." He continued, as both of them quickly followed the orb.
"It's really fast!" Remarked Rangiku.
"Stay on it, but be careful!" Shouted Toshiro as they tried to keep up with its speed.
They lost sight of it.
"Where did it go?" Asked Toshiro, frustrated that they weren't able to capture it to determine what exactly it was.
"I don't know, I-" She replied, before she was interrupted as the orb zoomed in front of them at an even faster rate than before.
The orb zoomed by them a second time, and this time, Rangiku tried to strike it with her sword, but missed.
"After it!" Shouted Rangiku, as she and her captain regain the pursuit.
She was almost catching up to the orb, when it made a hard right and disappear behind some bushes. She was cautiously approaching the bushes, as her captain was arriving. She noticed there were other bright lights coming out behind the trees out in the distance.
"What is that?" She asked Toshiro.
"I don't know, but let's be careful. It could be a trap." He replied, as they made their way towards the lights.
The orb appeared again, and Rangiku quickly followed pursuit. She was just 20 feet into the pursuit, when she was struck by a red light. It knocked her to the ground. She wasn't moving, but she was still breathing.
"MATSUMOTO!" Shouted Toshiro, as he ran towards her, but was struck by a bright white light that knocked him to the ground.
"MATSUMOTO!" He continue shouting, as he covered his eyes from the blinding light.
The light disappeared and he saw a bright light shine above Rangiku. Her body was suspended above the ground. He could see she had her eyes opened, but couldn't move her body. He didn't know if she had been paralyzed, or if she was petrified with fear.
"MATSUMOTO!" He shouted, as he made his way towards her, but each time he tried, he was struck by the intense white light.
He was crawling on the ground trying to reach Rangiku, when he saw the orbs that were in the distance were no longer there. They were above Rangiku, and they were pulling her towards them. But they weren't orbs. They look like lighting for a large object. He could barely make out what it was because of the intense light, but he could see a silhouette of it. It looked almost like a triangle, but you could see through it the night sky. He lay on the ground impotent, as he saw this bright object pulling her lieutenant towards it. Then, everything went black.
10:47 A.M. Unknown location
Both Rangiku and Toshiro woke up in the middle of the forest, with last night's incident a foggy memory for them. They made their way out of the forest, only to realize this had not been the forest they were out on patrol last night. They were able to find a small road, when they realized they were lost. They followed the road to see if it could lead to a main road or village where they could call their friends. Fortunately, they found a public phone on the side of the road and called Ichigo.
"Pick up, Kurosaki-kun." He said mumbling, as he heard the call make its way into Ichigo's cellphone.
"Hello." Said Ichigo.
"Kurosaki-kun, It Hitsugaya and Matsumoto!" He replied.
"HITSUGAYA?! WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN?!" He shouted.
"We were out on patrol last night when we encountered a Hollow, or something. We really don't know what it was exactly. We're kind of lost." He said.
"LOST?! YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN MISSING FOR THREE DAYS! Ichigo shouted.
Toshiro's jaw dropped. He could believe what he was hearing. Rangiku had a concern look on her face when she saw her captain's reaction.
"Toshiro, what's wrong?" She said.
"Kurosaki-kun, are you kidding me?" He asked.
"No, I am not joking with you, dude! You guys have been missing for three days. Soul Society sent out a search party when we couldn't find you after 8 hours. They called your device, but you never answered." Ichigo said.
Toshiro looked more perplexed now. He didn't know what was going on and what exactly he and Rangiku had experienced last night. He checked his pockets for his device, but it wasn't there. He asked Rangiku for the device, and she didn't have it either, as well.
"Kurosaki-kun, I don't know where we are exactly." He said.
"Describe the place. Look at phone number on the telephone booth." Ichigo said.
"Everything is a forest. We're in a telephone booth near a country road." He said, as he told him the telephone number on the booth. Ichigo took a moment to look up where the booth was located.
"YOU GUYS ARE IN SAPPORO! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING OVER THERE?!" He screamed.
Toshiro was in shock. He didn't know what to say.
"Hello? Yo, Toshiro answer me!" Said Ichigo.
"Oh, sorry Kurosaki-kun. Can you pick us up?" Toshiro said.
"Yeah, I can, but it's going to take a couple of hours to reach you guys. In the meantime, follow the road a mile down, and you'll find a small town. At least, that's what Google maps is showing. We'll meet you there, so don't go wondering anywhere else." Said Ichigo.
"Ok, we'll see you then. And thanks Kurosaki-kun, I really appreciate this." Said Toshiro.
"Yeah, no problem, dude." Said Ichigo.
Toshiro turned around and faced Rangiku and told her the situation. She couldn't believe they had been missing for three days.
"But it was only last night that we were out on patrol! How can that turn into three whole days?" She asked.
"I don't know. It must have something to do with that orb we were chasing last night." He said.
"I remember that, but I don't remember anything afterwards." She said, with a concern look.
"I don't remember, as well." Toshiro said.
"Let's just go find this town Ichigo told us, and we'll later discuss with the officials at Soul Society what happened to us. Maybe, this thing is a new breed of Hollow with memory-erasing powers, or something." He said.
"You're right, Toshiro. Let's just make it to… " Said Rangiku before her stomach ferociously growled.
Toshiro's stomach followed suit, as well.
"Well, we better get to the town and find some food before we start eating each other." He said.
So, they made their way to town. When they finally arrived, they found a convenient store and went inside. They weren't noticed because they were in their Soul Reaper forms. They found a couple of bento meals they could purchase.
"Hold on, let me check if we have enough." Said Toshiro, as he search his pocket for money. He only found the currency used in Soul Society, but he knew it was still valuable in this world.
"We only have enough for one." He said.
"I don't have any money. Let's just take two. It's not like the store will miss them." Replied Rangiku, as she was grabbing the bento meals.
"No!" He said, as he grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. "Shinigamis don't steal! We'll only take one."
"But, captain! We…" She pleaded.
"We'll only take one! That's an order, Matsumoto. Obey it." He said, with a stern face.
"Yes, captain." She said with a pout.
Toshiro went to the cashier's counter and left the equivalent of what the bento meal was worth, and they quickly left. The cashier was startled when he saw the meal floating away and leaving the store. He was just as startled when he saw the money on the counter.
"I have stop watching Don Kanonji before I go to sleep!" He said to himself.
They found an empty park, away from prying eyes, were they could eat their meal in peace. They sat on an empty bench under a shady tree.
"We'll split it in half, captain." Rangiku said as she was handing him some chopsticks.
"No, you eat the entire meal. You've been through enough." He said.
"No, we'll share the meal, otherwise what are you going to eat? And what do you mean I have been through enough?" She asked.
"I remember a little bit of what happened when we were out on patrol in the forest. You were suspended above ground, surrounded by a bright light. You weren't moving, but you looked terrified." He said, with sad look on his face.
Rangiku felt goosebumps, and felt afraid. Toshiro hugged her to comfort her.
"It's all my fault. I should have done more to prevent that. I'm sorry, Matsumoto. I failed you as a captain." He said.
"Toshiro, it's not your fault. You did everything a captain should do, and we still don't know what exactly happened. Please eat, Toshiro." She said with a sweet voice.
"No, you eat it. That's an order." He said sternly.
"Yes, captain." She said, as she began eating her bento meal. It was delicious.
When she finished her meal, she leaned over to kiss Toshiro on the cheek. He blushed with embarrassment. He wasn't expecting to be thanked in this way for doing his duty as a captain, let alone when he felt he had failed to protect Rangiku.
12 hours later, Ichigo, along with Chad, Orihime, and Uryū, arrived at the town with Rangiku's and Toshiro's respective gigais. They told their friends all that had happened that night. Their fiends couldn't believe the story.
"I don't know, sounds like something out of the History Channel's Ancient Aliens." Said Ichigo, skeptically.
"Matsumoto-nee san, Hitsugaya-kun, we're here for you. Whatever happened, we'll support you." Said Orihime.
The group boarded a ferry that would take them to the mainland, and later they boarded a train that would take them back home. It was an exhaustive 12 hour journey, but they finally made it home.
The next day, they returned to Soul Society to give a statement as to what happened to them that night, and to undergo a medical examination. Soul Society opened an investigation into the matter. After, two weeks, they were cleared to resume their Soul Reaper duties. They still couldn't offer a logical explanation of the incident. Nor did they find any medical problems with any of them. They happily resumed their duties, grateful to finally put the ordeal behind them for once and for all.
A week later it happened.
Toshiro was sleeping in his apartment, when he woke up to go to school. He had let Rangiku spend the night at his place, after some genius burned down her entire apartment complex while live streaming. Kids shouldn't play with fire, and that includes adults.
He was getting out of bed when Rangiku pop into his room wearing nothing but a towel.
"Do you ever knock?!" He shouted, angrily.
"Sorry, captain!" She said. "I just used your shower. Is that okay?" She asked.
"That's fine. Just put some clothes on and get ready, otherwise we'll be late for school!" He said, while trying to look away.
She left him with a smile on her face. He hoped her stay would be temporary- one day only-but he knew it could take longer for her to find another place. He began to change his clothes, when the door opened again. It was Rangiku again, but this time she was wearing a T-shirt and panties. She caught him while he had his boxers on and was about to put on his pants.
"Good Morning, captain." She said, as she scratch her messy hair.
"KNOCK ON THE DOOR, YOU FOOL!" He screamed at her. He was blushing with deep embarrassment.
"My mistake. Nice pair of Calvin Klein you got there, captain." She said, while winking at him. She closed the door and left him alone.
He hoped she wouldn't be spending too much time at his place. He suddenly realized that a few minutes ago, she had just come from taking a shower. This time, she looked as she had recently had gotten out of bed.
"Matsumoto!" He shouted, as he opened the door and went to find her.
"Yes, captain." She said as she came out of the kitchen and from the bathroom.
Toshiro rubbed his eyes. It couldn't be real? It had to be a dream. In front of him were standing, two Rangikus.
The two Rangikus turned around to face each other, and both of them and Toshiro screamed in shock.
"You're…" Rangiku said, as she struggled to make sense of the situation.
"And you're me!" Said the other Rangiku in shock.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Shouted Toshiro.
"What are you? Who are you?" Asked Rangiku.
"I'm Rangiku Matsumoto. And who are you, imposter?" Demanded Rangiku.
"I AM THE REAL RANGIKU MATSUMOTO! YOU'RE THE IMPOSTER!" The other Rangiku responded.
Both started to walk closer to each other, as if they were about to wrestle each other to the ground.
"Wait, stop!" Said Toshiro. "If both of you are Rangiku, how did this happen?"
"Who knows?" Both Rangikus replied, as they faced him.
"Look, this is bad. We have to return to Soul Society. I don't know if this is a negative side effect from that night we were on patrol, or I'm dreaming." Said Toshiro, as he slapped himself to wake up. It didn't work. It wasn't a dream.
All of them agreed to contact Soul Society. Toshiro explained the problem, and they were able to immediately return. Once they arrived, they were put on quarantine. The doctors ran tests on them to determine the cause, but were unable to reach a conclusion as to what was causing the problem. The entire case was kept secret. Not even their friends back in the World of the Living knew what had happened. The good news, though, was Rangiku's twin was not a Hollow or anything else. At best, she was a clone. She even had the same powers and knowledge as the original Rangiku. She even had the same alcoholic tolerance. After a month of quarantine and testing, they were released. Their friends had been told they had come down with a serious, contagious illness. That was the cover story. So it was up to Toshiro and Rangiku to explain to them the clone Rangiku. They decided to go to school with her and explained them the whole situation.
Phil Collins' Easy Lover plays in background.
Both Rangikus and Toshiro walked down the hallways to their class. The students were amazed. Some had their mouths wide opened in shock at the two beauties walking pass by them. Toshiro opened the door and walked in the classroom, along with the two Rangikus, to much of the shock of their friends and classmates.
"I must be having another lucid dream." Said Ichigo, with a grin on his face, as he went up to Ikkaku.
"Your father was a cue ball and your mother was a glorified Tijuana whore!" He said.
"NIGGA, WHY U TALKIN' TRASH 'BOUT MUH PARENTS?! Ikkaku shouted hysterically, as he delivered a punch to Ichigo.
The punch knock Ichigo to the ground.
"WORLDSTAR!" Shouted Renji, as everybody began to crowd around Ikkaku and Ichigo.
"Nobody is starting any fights, and no one is ending up on WorldStar!" Shouted Toshiro as he tried to defuse the situation.
"DDDAYYUM, MAHN! Why you gotta be that type of Nigga that ruins all the fun?" Complained Renji, as he put away his smartphone.
"This is serious, ok! Besides I have an important announcement." Toshiro said, in a serious voice.
"Say why did Rangiku bring her gigai? Is it "Bring your gigai to school week", already?" Ikkaku scoffed.
"That's not her gigai, that's her clone." Said Toshiro.
"Sure, and Ichigo here is a MENSA member!" Replied Renji, as he pointed to Ichigo's unconscious body.
"No, she really is her clone." Said Toshiro.
"Sure, bro, whatever you say." Replied Renji.
"I'm serious!" Said Toshiro, now looking annoyed by the whole situation.
"Prove it!" Said Renji.
"One time, Ichigo got really drunk he said Yoko Ono was a hot babe and he wouldn't mind going all the way with her." Said the clone Rangiku.
"Ohhh, Ichigo!" Shouted Orihime, in complete shock.
Everyone else burst out laughing.
"Renji, while you were drunk, you said you wished Topo Gigio would come over and read you a bedtime story to help you with your insomnia." The Rangiku clone continued.
Everyone continue to roll on the floor laughing.
"That's not true! I got that stuff under control! My doctor said so!" He shouted, while looking embarrassed
"So, if that's her clone, how did it happened?" Asked Chad.
"It had to do with that night we were out on patrol and went missing for three days. Somehow, the light that hit Matsumoto had a negative side effect on her body. And this is the negative side effect." Toshiro said, as he pointed to the clone Rangiku.
"I'M IN HEAVEN!" Replied Keigo, as he threw himself to the clone, but she punched him out cold.
Mizuiro laughed at Keigo's misfortune. He snapped a picture of him and posted it on his twitter account:
LMFAO! Muh Nigga just got rolled by the hottest babe school!
WEIZPLAYAZ
Two weeks had passed, and both Rangikus were adjusting to their new lives. Authorities allowed the clone to serve as a temporary lieutenant under Toshiro' command, until it would be decided if she would be transferred to another squad. However, some differences in behavior and skill in the clone started to pop out.
"Good morning, captain." Said the clone Rangiku, with a smile.
"Good morning, Matsumoto." Replied Toshiro, with a smile on his face as well.
"Here is the completed paperwork you asked for, and these two forms require your signature." She said, as she handed him all the forms.
"I also finished organizing the files. They were much disorganized. It's as if someone organized them while intoxicated." She continued.
"Here they are." Replied Toshiro, as he handed them out to her with a smile.
"Thank you, captain. Is it okay if I take an hour off today? I need to find another uniform that fits me. This one exposes too much of certain areas, and I don't think that's befitting of a Shinigami." She said, as she tried to cover up her well-endowed bust.
"No, no, there's no need for that. Your uniform fits you well. It makes you look confident and elegant- that's very befitting of a Shinigami, you know." Toshiro said.
"Oh, captain!" She said, in a flirtatious voice. "You're just lying."
"No, I really mean it. A woman as beautiful as yourself, shouldn't be afraid of showing off her figure." Toshiro said.
"You really mean it?" She asked, in flirtatious voice.
"Yes, I sincerely mean." He said.
"Well, if you say so, I suppose I won't need to purchase a new uniform." She said with a smile.
"Oh, you'll have to excuse, but I have to go now. I need to pick up the some office supplies. Will you need anything else, captain?" She asked.
"Only you." He said with a smile.
"Oh, captain! Stop that, you're making me blush!" She said smiling.
She turned around and left. As she was leaving, her hips were swinging in a hypnotic way as she left his office. Toshiro leaned forward on his desk, put his elbows on the table, and put his hands on his cheeks. He had a wide smile. He closed his eyes, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"SHIRO!" The voice shouted.
He turned around, almost falling off his chair, and saw Rangiku standing near the window of the office. She was boiling mad.
"Shiro, why were you looking at her like that?" She demanded.
"What are you talking about?" He said, flustered.
"Don't act like you don't know! I saw you two!" She scolded.
"Oh, captain!'' She mocked the clone. "A woman as beautiful as yourself, shouldn't be afraid of showing off her figure." She said, mocking her captain's respond.
"You're out of line Matsumoto!" He said, sternly.
"Oh, I am out of line?" She asked, incredulously. "I see, that all it takes is for some 5 Yen whore to come showing off her bust and swing her hips at you, and you start making googly eyes at her and smiling like a moron." She said.
"Don't call her a whore!" Lashed out Toshiro. "You're just envious that she can do your job better!" He said.
"I am not!" She replied.
"You're pathetic, Matsumoto! Being envious at your own clone. That has to be truly pathetic. Even for your standards." He said mockingly.
"HOW DARE YOU!" She slapped him savagely that it knocked him to the ground.
"Don't you ever compare me to her! I have been at your side for many years, and not once did you ever smile at me or complemented me! I have defended you all these years from retards that spread rumors and from the other captains! And do I get a thanks? NO!" She said furiously.
"Don't you ever forget it, Toshiro. I have been with you since the beginning, and that whore hasn't!" She said, as she stormed out of the room with tears on her eyes.
Nanao was walking on the hallway when she saw Rangiku run pass by her, with tears on her eyes.
"Rangiku!" She said as she followed her to the Women's restrooms.
"Rangiku, what's wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." Said Rangiku, as she was sobbing.
"Please tell me, Rangiku." Nanao said in a concern voice.
"It's just him. He's such an idiot." She said, as she sobbed.
"Who? Who's an idiot?" Nanao asked her, as she handed her a paper towel.
"Toshiro. He's such an idiot." She said, as she wiped her tears and blew her nose.
"Captain Hitsugaya? What did he do?" Said Nanao.
"Oh nothing. Just ignore me for the past few years and be a complete inconsiderate jerk." Rangiku said.
"Why do you say that?" Asked Nanao.
"Because he's always complementing my clone. He's even flirting with it. It's disgusting. Why, today he was making googly eyes at it, and I called him out on it, and he refuse to admit he was doing that!" She said in a frustrated tone.
"Rangiku, that sounds like your envious?" Nanao said.
"I am not envious of that Shibuya Slut!" Rangiku said angrily.
"I just want him to notice me for once. Just once. And have him smile at me like he does with her." She said with tears in her eyes.
"Rangiku, are you in love with Captain Hitsugaya?" Asked Nanao.
"Why no. What makes you say that, Nanao." Replied Rangiku nervously.
"Rangiku." Said Nanao, as she gave her a stern look that meant she wanted to hear the truth.
"Yes, I do." She said with face that was turning red with embarrassment.
"Rangiku, while it's not forbidden that Shinigamis date each other, this isn't something you want to treat lightly." Said Nanao.
"Having said that, I think the captain likes you in his own special way. But whether he likes you in a romantic or platonic way, you'll just have to ask him." Nanao said.
"You really think so." Said Rangiku with wide eyes, as she wiped her tears.
"I don't want you to get your hopes up high, but if you really want to know if he really likes you, you'll just have to ask him. But please, be careful, Rangiku. I don't want your heart to be broken." Said Nanao.
"Thanks, Nanao! You're a great friend!" Said Rangiku with a smile, as she hugged Nanao.
They left the restroom and went their respective ways.
Two days later, Rangiku came early to work. She had a smile on her face and was ready to begin the morning filling out her paperwork and running errands for her captain. She had apologized for slapping him and insulting the other Rangiku. He had accepted the apology, but he seem like he didn't really care at all.
She opened the door to his office.
"Good Morning, Captain!" Rangiku said with a wide smile.
"SHIRO!" She said, as her smile turned into a frown with boiling anger spilling from it.
She was shocked to find her captain, on the couch, passionately making out with the clone.