Notesh:

Time Setting: Way, way back when they were still kids

Oh yeah, I'm using a first name basis coz If I use their last names, It makes 'em sound so much older. And bustier.

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His grip was rather firm.

"You shouldn't even be drinkin' at, y'know" He was clutching her wrist.

They sat in a dilapidated old hut, with only a single candle serving as their light.

Rangiku swatted his hand. "Oh?"

She chugged down yet another cup of sake and wiped her chin with the sleeve of her katana.

"It's unhealthy" He said, his silver hair gleaming as the small light they had would hit it.

"Yeah, yeah" she yawned. her thick, red hair sitting atop her shoulders. "Where do you get those bits, anyway?"

"It's common knowledge" he shrugged. "That stuff rots ya away. It's shit"

"Well this is some good shit" Rangiku chuckled.

The wind outside was still howling as the rain fell on the Earth like sharp stones. (Ah, figuratives)

"Geez" Rangiku yawned. "If it's that noisy outside, sleeping would be impossible"

"Yeah" Gin yawned, stroking his silver hair. "And ta' think 'at I was lookin' fo'ward to it" He patted his bandaged arm, which Rangiku had put on earlier that morning.

"Yeah" Rangiku snickered. "The vertically - challenged need some help"

She prided herself on the fact that she was taller than him. She liked rubbing it in since he was a boy and she was a girl. It was all the more embarrassing for him.

"Ne, Ran-chan" he chuckled. "Maybe I do need ta' grow taller, but shouldn' ya' be growin' the way tha' I know other girls are?"

Rangiku turned several shades of red and placed her hand on her flat chest, as if hiding it. "Shut up" she muttered.

Gin snickered.

(Ah, the rhyming!)

"I'm still too young for that! I will, someday!"

"Yo' too young fo' that, but you aint too young fo' sake?"

"Sake is an exception"

Thunder suddenly cackled. (I love my figuratives)

Rangiku cringed.

She sighed, absorbed in her own thoughts.

It was a rather stormy night.

"Ya'll regret this later"

Rangiku looked up to see that he was pouring more sake into her cup, snickering all the while.

She gave a faint smile. "How would you know?"

He shrugged. "People tend ta' regret things when they're about ta' die b'cause o' it"

"Mhm" she chuckled. "Riiiiight"

Gin began fidgeting with the bttle.

Rangiku gripped the cup, staring at the lit candle that was almost reduced to being just a big pool of melted, hot wax.

"Don't we have any mo' candles?" Gin asked, watching it burn away.

"Gomenassai"

"Ne?" Gin looked up.

"I forgot to buy some. I was going to go this morning. The last on is almost out. i'll go tomorrow"

"It might still rain" Gin shrugged, pressing the flame with his two fingers, reducing it to smoke. (ow)

"Let's jus' save tis fo' tomorrow"

(Moments of Silence)

"GIN NO BAKA" came the screech.

"What?" he asked.

"It's DARK"

"Yeah. SO?"

"How do you expect us to SEE?"

"Ne, Ran - chan, it's only the dark"

"HOW do YOU expect US to SEE?!"

"Awww, stop freakin out.We was' jus' about ta' go to sleep, 'nyway"

His snickering was very much audible.

"But, I... didn't wanna go to sleep yet!"

"Ha"

"What was THAT for?!"

"Ha...ahahahahahaha!"

His boisterous laughter kind of made him sound like a maniac.

"HeeEEeey! I just wasn't sleepy yet!"

"Since when were ya' ever not sleepy?"

"How would YOU know? YOU sleep before I do!"

"Tha' explains why yo' haven't grown... In some aspecsts" He snickered.

She couldn't see him because it was dark, but she was more than willing to take a chance and throw the first thing she clutches towards a random direction, hoping that the first thing would be something sharp and that random direction would be where he was.

"Shuddup" Rangiku hissed, clutching her very much flat chest. (Ah, the age of beginnings). "And you sleeping early doesn't explain you're extreme lack of height"

"At least I'm growing"

"Yeah right"

"I'm almost as tall as yo' now"

"No you're not"

"Yeah, I am"

"Even if you were, I still taller" Rangiku taunted.

THUNDER.

"Damn" Rangiku muttered under her breath, reaching for her sake cup.

She heard footsteps and felt someone gently take the full sake cup out of her hand.

"What are you doing?" She muttered. "I need that". Still, she made no effort to grab the thing back. Mainly because it was pitch black in that hut. They could still hear some dripping in some parts of it.

"Ne, Ran-chan" came the whisper.

"What?" she hissed, feeling a hand on her shoulder.

"You don' need this. It's only rain 'nd noise. Yo' still bigger than'em"

Rangiku heaved a sigh. "Yeah".

She lay down on the futon, closing her eyes, making her surroundings dimmer than they already were.

She heard footsteps towards the door.

'You're going again?' she murmured. 'But you just came back'.

It was a subconcious statement. She was half asleep already. She put herself to rest, hearing the door close.

She knew he'd be back.

He always came back.

And maybe when he did, they'd have more candles.

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OWARI