NOTE:~ Hey guys! So..another fic, eh? But I will be updating some of my others! Unfortunately I will be dropping some that aren't that popular...so sorry if you like that one but keep an eye out to see what will be discontinued! Anyway, this is going to be a GinOC fic so I hope you enjoy it. It will have lots of drama and tragedy just so you all know! The starting is going to be a flash back of when they were kids! Anyways, enjoy!

Bittersweet Reflections

Chapter 1: Reflect The Past

Rukongai District; 110 Years Ago

"Gin!", the strawberry blonde shouted as she chased after the silver haired boy, "Where are you going in such a hurry? HEY! GIN!". No response came from the silver haired boy, Gin. He simply continued to run with the jug of water him and Rangiku shared tucked tightly under his arm. He was heading towards the old district that had been deserted and destroyed. "I swear, he's going to kill us both if he drops that water...", the girl murmured, trying to catch up with the boy but finding it hard due to the crowds of people they were going through.

"Eh, I gotcha. Just give me a minute", Gin shouted down into a rather deep looking pit. But he heard no response coming from it. He quickly set down the jug of water and pulled out the rope he had tucked into his tattered kimono and unraveled it, throwing it into the pit. "Grab onta it. I'll pull ya up", he stated, but felt nothing on the rope. Nothing but slack. "There you are!", exclaimed the strawberry blonde girl, "What do you think you're doing?". "She ain't answerin' Ran-chan...", Gin stated, looking back at Rangiku in worry. The girl, Rangiku, was confused before noticing the rope in Gin's hands. She quickly moved to the edge of the hole and peered inside. It was too dark at the bottom to see anyone down there.

"Are you sure someone's down there...?", Rangiku looked up at Gin. "I was talkin' to'er before", Gin stated with a nod. Rangiku looked back into the hole. "Hey!", she shouted into it, "Are you ok?". Meanwhile, while Rangiku shouted into the hole, Gin moved and tied the end of the rope to one of the old ruined buildings beside the hole. He then grabbed the rope and suddenly slid down it and into the hole. "GIN!", Rangiku called after him as he disappeared into the darkness.

Gin hit the bottom and had to wait a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before he saw the female. She was a girl about his and Rangiku's age. She looked pretty beaten up and malnourished. She had light brown hair that fell into her face. Her body almost looked lifeless. Gin stepped over and reached out to check if she was still alive. He quickly looked up, "Ran-chan! She's alive!", he called up before grabbing the end of the rope and tying it around the girls waist. He then climbed back up the rope to the top of the hole before climbing out. "Help meh pull", he told Rangiku as he grabbed the rope, Rangiku grabbing it behind him and beginning to pull the girls body from the hole. When her body was close to the top, Gin quickly moved to pull the girl out of the hole and laid her body down, untying her waist. He grabbed the jug of water and opened it, pouring a little onto the girls lips.

Rangiku stood there and watched him. 'His intension's are always good...but I wish he would tell me what's going on before he acts. He always leaves me in the dark...', Rangiku thought to herself. The girl suddenly began coughing and a smile finally came back onto Gin's features as the girls green orbs opened up to look around. "Mornin'. How ya feelin'?", he questioned her. She opened her mouth to speak and her voice came out dry and raspy, "Am I dead...?". Gin shook his head, "Nah. Ya ain't dead. Ya ain't eva gunna die with me and Ran-chan to be around". The girl glanced over at Rangiku and smiled before her eyes closed, "Thank you...". She passed out once more.

Central 46; 80 Years Ago

"But I don't understand!", the girl stood before the council. The very girl Gin and Rangiku had saved. She was dressed in shinigami robes, a vice-captain badge on her shoulder. "What did I do wrong..?", she looked around at the entire council and then back at the head. "You're not supposed to be here. You were never meant to be a shinigami", stated the male. "But...But I went through the academy...I have a zanpakuto...what do you mean I'm not meant to be a shinigami?", she stepped back, shaking her head in confusion, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?". "The council of Central 46 has decided that Mizuki Shinsei, Vice-Captain of the Third Division, will have her memory wiped and be cast out of Seireitei forever", one of the female council members spoke. "But...You can't do this! Why? I didn't do anything wrong!", Mizuki looked around as she was surrounded by the second division's special op's members.

"You can't take my memory! I won't let you! I have a right to know who I am!", Mizuki exclaimed, drawing her zanpakuto. She didn't understand why this was suddenly happening. Why Central 46 wanted her erased from history. She quickly blocked an attack by one and kicked at another. "You'll regret this!", she exclaimed, "Reflect, Itazuki Kagami!". However, before her zanpakuto could do anything, her blade was suddenly knocked from her hand and she was stabbed in the stomach. Mizuki raised a hand to her stomach, feeling the blood trickle from the wound before beginning to gush as the blade was drawn from her stomach. "Why...?", she coughed, getting stabbed again in the back, "Why...? WHY?".

Hueco Mundo; Present Day

"MIZUCHI!", exclaimed a small figure, "MIZUCHI! COME ON! LET'S PLAY!". The green haired child suddenly jumped onto a brown haired female. "Ouch...! Nel-chan! That hurt!", the female frowned, looking at the girl. "Come on Mizuchi! We wanna play!", Nel giggled, bouncing up and down on the females stomach. "Ok ok! Please get off, Nel-chan", she smiled at the girl, "I'll come play!". "YAH!", Nel cheered before jumping to her feet and allowing the female to stand. Slowly the women stood up, brushing the sand from her tattered black robes. "Mizuki! You're finally awake!", commented a skinny looking arrancar. "Yes, Pesche, but it isn't like I had a choice", Mizuki stated, looking exhausted however she put a smile on her features. "Let's play! TAG! I'M IT!", Mizuki laughed as she quickly chased after the group, who screamed and ran as they played.

"Mizuchi! Ya can't catch me!", laughed Nel, who couldn't pronounce Mizuki's name properly. "Oh yes I can!", laughed Mizuki as she suddenly appeared in front of Nel and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground and into the air, "Gotcha!". Nel laughed at this, smiling now. "Now you're it, Nel", giggle Mizuki as she put the girl down and began running with the others. "Hehehe! Nel, you're slow!", laughed Mizuki. "That's not fair! You's got longer legs!", Nel complained before she suddenly tripped and fell into the sand, "Owwy...". Nel sat up, beginning to cry now. Mizuki turned in worry, quickly hurrying over to her. "Are you alright Nel?", she questioned in worry. "I fell and hurt my knee...", Nel stated, hiding her face in her hands. "Well...let me have a look...", as Mizuki leaned down, Nel pulled her hands away from her face and no tears were there. A smile was as she touched Mizuki's arm. "You're it Mizuchi!", Nel exclaimed, quickly getting up and moving away. "He-Hey! That's cheating!", Mizuki laughed, getting to her feet and once again, beginning to chase the group. This was fun. Mizuki was glad she met them. Without them, she would be dead.

Hueco Mundo; 60 Years Ago

"How long have I been here...? How long have I been in this place? Am I the only one alive beyond these creatures...?", Mizuki sat up as she heard some noises nearby. Her gaze shifted to a cliff as she saw someone, a man, at the top of the cliff, dropping something off of it. It looked like...people? Mizuki ignored her hunger and exhaustion as she quickly jumped to her feet and ran towards the falling figures. "How could someone do that..?", she murmured, her gaze going to the top of the cliff and she noted what the figure looked like. Long black hair and an eye patch. Those were his most notable features.

It took her a moment to actual reach the group of three that had been thrown off of the cliff, and one of them even looked like a small child. "Hey...!", she called out as loud as her dry and cracked voice would let her. She suddenly collapsed to her hands and knees a few feet away from the group. Her body was too exhausted and hungry to run. So, she tried crawling. "Are you..alright..?", she questioned, feeling herself slipping slowly slipping from consciousness. Then everything went black.

"Lady...", a voice called, "Are you alright?". A groan came from the female which caused the child and her group to jump back in fear. Mizuki lifted her head and looked around, in a daze at the moment. But as she stared at them, she recognized them as the people from the cliff. "Are you guys alright...?", Mizuki questioned. "Mhm", the child nodded, "Are you alright lady?". "Just...hungry and exhausted...", Mizuki replied. "We got food!", the child announced and snatched some funny looking item that the big guy was about to eat. "B-But...I was gunna eat that Nel...", the big guy frowned as the child, Nel, gave the item to Mizuki. Mizuki took it and began eating it. The taste of the item didn't matter, nor did it matter even what it was. She was hungry and her taste buds were non-existent at this point in time.

"What is your name?", Nel questioned as Mizuki finished eating. "Mizuki...", she replied, looking at Nel before smiling, "How about you? All of you?". "I'm Nel! This is Pesche! And this is Dondachakka!", as she said all their names, she pointed at eat of them, "Do you want to play with us?". "Play...?", Mizuki sounded almost confused at that word. As if she didn't know what it meant. "Ya, chase us Mizuchi! CHASE US!", Nel cheered, jumping up and down. Mizuki slowly got to her feet, wondering if she should or not. But a smile came forward and she nodded, "Ok!".

When play time was over, the group had settled down to rest. They tried to get to know each other, but nobody seemed to know much about who they were. "Well then, how about we make our own family? Just us!", Pesche announced. Nel cheered, "YAH! Family! Family!". "Family...?", another word that seemed to confuse Mizuki, yet she had heard it somewhere before. Or had she? She couldn't remember. "Family means we stick together!", Pesche stated. "Never apart!", Dondachakka chimed in. "Together forever!", Nel exclaimed, jumping onto Mizuki. Mizuki smiled at this and laughed. "I like that word. Family. We're family...forever..", Mizuki wrapped her arms around Nel and held her close. This had to be the happiest she had ever been in this place of nothingness. She didn't know how long she had been there or even why she was there. But maybe this was why she was there. For family.

Hueco Mundo; Present Time

"I'm hungry...", Nel frowned now as she suddenly stopped running. Mizuki paused just behind her and then looked at the other two, "Do we have any left overs?". Pesche and Dondachakka shook their heads no. Mizuki looked back down at Nel, "We'll have to find something then! Let's split up and meet back here!". Mizuki picked up Nel, placing the girl onto her shoulders before heading in the opposite direction of Pesche and Dondachakka.

All was silent as they walked. No hollow ever really bothered them and they never bothered the hollow. It would only cause problems. But food on the top was hard to find. Down in the menos forest there was a variety of food. But also more danger. So, they always tried to scrounge up something on the surface. They didn't go into the Menos Forest unless absolutely necessary.

"Mizuchi...", Nel spoke up, resting her head on top of Mizuki's. "Hm...?", Mizuki glanced back up at Nel, wondering what she wanted. "Do you ever wonder where your memory went...?", Nel asked, curious now. Mizuki looked ahead, "Sometimes. But I have family now. My memory is not so important anymore...". "I wonder...", Nel murmured, "Where my memory is...I got this feeling that I'm supposed to be somewhere else...". "We'd miss you if you were somewhere else...", Mizuki stated, "Family always misses family...". Nel smiled at this and held onto Mizuki tighter. "Ok! I won't be anywhere else but with family!", Nel nodded as she said this. Mizuki was glad to hear that. It was good to know Nel didn't want to leave them. That their family wouldn't be broken up. If they ever did break up, Mizuki would most likely be lost. She didn't know how she had made it before without them, but if they disappeared now. She would surely die.

"Hey look!", Nel pointed towards some dead looking vegetation that had some odd fruit growing on them, which also looked dead. Mizuki set Nel down as she began to squirm and followed her towards the plant. "It's that hueco mundo fruit...Can't remember the name. Pesche will know though but we've had it before!", Mizuki stated as her and Nel began to pick some of the strange fruit. "We found the food first! Dondachakka and Pesche are going to be mad they lost", giggled Nel. "It wasn't a game", laughed Mizuki, "Besides, they might have found some food too. You never know".

After picking as much as they could carry, the two began heading back to their meeting spot. Their stomachs were growling but they didn't eat. They always waited until they were together as a family to eat. It was just the way they were.

As they arrived, Pesche and Dondachakka were waiting for them with a supply of their own strange fruit. "Wow! Looks like we all got lucky! We'll surely have left overs!", Mizuki announced as they took a seat in a circle and began to eat while enjoying some small talk about fun things they could do or fun times they had, had. This was a normal day in the life of their family. Play, eat, and then sleep. It never got old either. But little did they know what surprises were around the corner that would tear their little family apart...

END:~ I know, first chapter sucks and is confusing! But I can't reveal EVERYTHING in the beginning. It's no fun that way xP. But please review and thanks for reading!