Authors Note: Tite Kubo really loves killing off the best characters, doesn't he? Gin, oh Gin. I feel bad for the poor guy. I'm just gonna say that this story will NOT be depressing. They both deserve each other after all. - Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its character.
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[Chapter One]
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Gin adjusts his tripod, pulling out the legs a few centimeters longer. Although protected by a glove, his fingers are rigid and numb. He cups his palm over his mouth, blowing warm air through the fabric. A shiver runs across his arms, around his bare neck and ripples on his scalp. He sniffs when the dry air blows through his grey hair. His ears, nose and cheeks tint pink from the biting wind. He snaps the tripod clips tight around the legs, securing them in place.
The tall boy must admit, winter has lived up to its expectation this year. It really loves to tease him with its freezing temperature and short days. Oh well, c'est la vie.
He adjusts his camcorder, twisting it on the top of his tripod.
His fingers feel so cold they could pop off. He shouldn't be outside right now. He really shouldn't, especially since he isn't wearing proper boots or gloves. But it hasn't been sunny in the last two weeks. He needs to take advantage of this weather for his film project. It is exactly what he's been waiting for. Sun. That glorious ball of energy blazing in the sky, the heaps of snow gleaming on the earth and the leafless trees shining in a sea of white. Ah, if only every day were like today. Even though Gin despises the winter season, he can't deny that it is quite beautiful at times.
"Gin, I'm freezing my butt off," Rangiku barks, shivering a few feet away. She has her hands shoved in the pockets of her red coat. She is glaring at him, waiting in the middle of the snow-covered field of Karakura College, dying to get back inside the heated building. Her legs tremble as she tries to squeeze her arms closer to her body, desperate to stay warm. "Hurry up."
He peeks through the view hole of his camcorder, making sure the focus is aimed at the background.
"Ok, 'm all set," Gin calls out, hunched over and ready to go. He presses his feet into the ground and slides them further apart for a more comfortable stance. "Now do't like I told'ya."
Rangiku nods and Gin presses the record button.
She looks out into the distance, only her profile visible through Gin's lens. Her lips are set in a mild frown, her shoulders relax. The sun hits the back of her head, creating a shadow over her visage. She removes her hands from her pockets, slow and careful as her hair bristles around her face. Gin adjusts the focus, gradually sharpening the woman's figure and actions. Rangiku holds her breath, seizing any puffs of air that could be seen. She doesn't say anything, nor does she make any sudden movement. She just stares, searching for something far away, something she will never find.
Gin ponders whether he should zoom in or not, but quickly decides against it. The distance gives the scene a nostalgic feeling, so he keeps the frame where it is.
Rangiku raises her chin, glancing up at the cloudless sky, her eyes now visible as her hair blows away from her face. The sun reflects on her left cheek and jaw, her brows are furrowed in despair and her lips part, wanting to speak something she cannot voice out. She lets out one breath, a cloud escaping into the air. It drifts through her strawberry-blond locks before vanishing. She lingers in her position for a few moments more before turning to Gin.
He stops recording.
"Perfect!" he says, giving her a thumbs up.
She lets out a sigh of relief.
"Thank God," she exclaims, sauntering over through the snow. "My toes are gonna fall off. Do you know hold cold it is? Twenty bellow zero!" She kicks herself a path towards the end of the field and stops beside him, watching as he places his camcorder in his bag. "How much more filming do you have to do before you're done?"
"This was th'last scene," he answers, lifting the tripod into his arms. "All I gotta do now is edit everything."
Rangiku beams.
"I'm so excited!" She helps him shorten the legs of his tripod, holding open his bag as he squishes the large object into what little room there is left. He zips it shut and they head down the snow shoveled path towards the main building. "I can't wait to see it when it's done. You've been working on this thing for a while now, right?"
"Yup, over a month."
"Gosh, Gin. When is it due?"
"Two weeks."
"Well, when you're done all the editing and jazz I want to be the first to see it!" Gin chuckles, his gaze drifting to the girl beside him. He takes in the lovely pink of her face, painted from the cold. She is smiling her wonderful smile; the one where her lips sparkle and her cheeks push up against the corner of her eyes. She glances at him, her eyes sharpening and smile fading. "But if I find out you showed your film to Aizen before me, I'll dig your eyes out, and his."
Gin snorts.
"I'm being serious."
"I know, I know," he says, almost tripping when she shoves into his shoulder. "Swear you'll be th'first to watch it." She raises a brow. "Pinky promise." He lifts his hand, presenting his bony finger. She glares at it, contemplates his words, then sighs, curling her pinky around his.
"I'll be interrogating Aizen every once in a while, just to be sure."
"I'm hurt, Ran." Gin places a hand to his chest. "Ya don'trust me?" She gives him a look, the one that makes his stomach swirl and shoots bolts of lightning through his veins. But he keeps his signature grin plastered on his face, like a mask, hiding any trace of whatever he's feeling locked behind bars. "Anyway," he says, turning his head to the approaching building. Several brave students run out the entrance doors, scurrying to the Las Noches facility next door. Gin lets out a soft breath. "Thanks a bunch," he can feel her eyes on his face, "for bein'an actress in my film."
Her smile returns.
"No problem," she says, a bounce to her step. "What can I say? I am a born star, and I do like the attention."
OoOoOoOoOoO
Gin rolls his shoulders back as he awakens his laptop. The screen flickers on, brightening the boy's face. He lifts his backpack on his lap, pulling out his camcorder and connection cable. As he sets up the connection, he double taps the track pad, opening the iMovie software. He searches for his camcorder file and pauses when an enormous list of scenes pop on the screen. He hums, wondering if he should upload them all right now. He taps his chin. No. That would take too long. Might as well download half of it, edit the beginning and then download the rest later. He nods. Yeah, that sounds good.
He selects half the content, and clicks the upload button. He leans back, staring at the 'time remaining' label. Two hours. He sighs. He should start working on that essay due tomorrow.
He slides the cursor to Microsoft Word.
Let the writing commence.
Sitting across from him in the library's silent section, Sousuke Aizen pulls out a fat textbook from his Michael Kors briefcase. Its weight tests the legs of the table, big enough to be a thirty-pound child. However, the brown-haired student doesn't make a move to read it. Instead, he pulls off his glasses, folding them into his shirt pocket, slicks his hair away from his face and slips out an R-rated magazine, hiding it within the mammoth of a textbook.
Gin raises a brow as his friend pretends to study. He doesn't question him though, he knows he won't get the answers he's looking for.
The grey-haired boy checks the progress of the upload. Rangiku's face shimmers on the sample screen. Her blue eyes vibrant and alive, head tilted back, laughing. He knows exactly which scene this is. He can remember the way her hair pooled off her shoulders like autumn's leaves, or how she complained that her cheeks her hurting from laughing so much and when she would yell at everyone who walked into the shot.
He should slow down the pace of that clip. It's quite a good one. He can already hear the soundtrack playing in the back of his mind. Light, sweet and carefree, yet romantic, soothing and low.
"I can see you blushing," Aizen speaks up, eyes never leaving his 'textbook'.
Gin gives the boy a confused look, his cherish smile ever present on his face.
"Wha'do ya mean? Aren't you be th'one who shoul'be blushing?"
"On the contrary." Aizen calmly turns a page, Gin barely notices the image of a nude woman flash by, but decides to shove that out of his mind.
He clicks away from the upload browser and goes back to writing his essay. He has still yet to start. His fingers hover over the keyboard, unable to type a single work except for his name at the top of the page. He pops his knuckles, forcing himself to focus on his paper and leave his film alone, not that he can work on it, but he's thinking about it.
"I know you think you're hiding it well," Aizen speaks up, voice casual, "but to someone like me, it's painfully obvious."
Gin can't help it. He checks the upload time. He holds back a grunt. There's a painfully long way to go. He looks to Rangiku who is still on the sample screen. It's a different shot though, her face is larger and her eyes stare past the camera, almost seeming to peer out of the screen.
"I'm not certain how much longer you can keep up this nonchalant act of yours," Aizen looks at the grey-haired boy, "but eventually the truth will be written all over your face. Although," he pauses, glancing back down at his book, "in my opinion, it already has."
"I'm not sure what yer talkn'bout," Gin says, finally typing the first sentence of his essay.
Aizen keeps a soft smile on his face.
"Oh you will," he assures, turning to another page, "sooner than you think."
OoOoOoOoOoO
Ah, it's snowing. Again.
It has been snowing for the past three days now. What happened to that beautiful sun? Gin wonders if winter will ever end, not that he dislikes it, he just hates the cold. He never seems to be warm enough at night. No matter how many blankets he steals from Rangiku's stash, he can't seem to calm his shivering. Maybe he has a strange biological problem he inherited from his parents. Or maybe he is related to lizards, which explains his cold blood. It makes sense, kind of.
Gin turns his head away from the window when his teacher announces the end of class. He grabs his bag, along with the rest of the students, and heads for the door. The hallway is packed with people. It's so crowded he can barely walk three inches without stepping on someone's shoe. Maybe he should slip outside and take the long way around? Nah. It's freezing and all the paths are covered in snow and ice. He's not wearing proper shoes anyway, going outside would be a bad idea.
Gin's muscles tense when he almost collides into someone, but he pivots out of the way, muttering a small "pardon me" in the nick of time. The guy is so short, is he even a college student? Oh well, Gin doesn't care, so he stalks away after the boy shoots him a small nod of apology.
He turns the corner, grasping the stair railing and hosting himself up the steps. Better navigate on the second floor, there are much less people. As he marches up, he notices Orihime laughing at Ulquiorra as they make their way down. The girl catches his eye, and waves, as Ulquiorra sends him a nod before glaring at the orange-haired girl again. Gin shoves his hands into his pockets. Rangiku wasn't kidding. They really are the perfect pair.
He slows his pace, eyeing the floor as he treks past the few students lingering about.
He's been a bit distracted lately. He can't seem to focus as much in class. His mind has been preoccupied with his short film. He can't stop pondering over it. Ideas pop into his mind like firecrackers, spontaneous, out-of-the-blue. He itches to snatch out his laptop and crop a scene, fade it to another, change the soundtrack and slow its pace.
It's strange. He's never felt so passionate about a project before. Sure, he does enjoy creating films, that's why he's in Film Studies, but this time it's different.
A buzz startles him.
He pulls out his phone from his pocket, Rangiku's name flashes across the screen.
COME TO THE CAFETERIA ASAP! is what she's sent.
Gin raises a brow, amused by the alarm in her message. This must be important. Rangiku never sends him messages in all caps.
On m'way, he texts her, picking up his pace.
When he reaches the cafeteria, he scans the vicinity, annoyed by the amount of people. Why are there so many students? They're like a swarm of flies buzzing around with no other purpose but to block his way. He hears his name above the ruckus and snaps his head to the center of the room. Rangiku is waving at him, teeth showing and eyes bright. His chest swells, but he doesn't show it on his face. With his signature grin, he sends her a salute, shuffling through the crowds of people. She looks happy, more happy than usual. He wonders what this is all about. Did she ace an assignment? No. The only thing Rangiku gets exited about is booze.
The maze of people clear as he approaches, he is relieved when he can finally see her properly. She is sitting at their usual lunch table. The one by the pink garbage can Nnoitra had spray painted last semester. She isn't alone though.
His jaw stiffens.
"Gin!" Rangiku calls, waving him down.
He keeps his grin on, approaching at a calculated pace. There is a boy sitting beside her. Why does he look so familiar? He's never spoken to this guy before— oh wait, he was that short kid from the hall. The one he almost bumped into a few minutes ago. Right.
"Hey," Gin says, slipping in the seat opposite Rangiku. "I see that ya brought a friend."
Rangiku beams as the white-haired boy rolls his eyes.
"This is Shiro," Rangiku says. "We have humanities together and I convinced him to meet up outside of class! I've wanted to introduce you two a while ago, but this little guy is just so stubborn."
"For the millionth time, my name is Toshiro," the kid mutters, crossing his arms, "and don't call me little." She sticks out her tongue. He sends her a glare but sighs, turning to Gin with a serious expression. "My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya," he says. "Pleased to meet you."
"Gin Ichimaru," the taller returns.
He didn't expect Rangiku's urgent text to be about meeting someone, and this kid no less, not that it should matter. A strange feeling agitates his gut. He's disappointed. He shouldn't be disappointed though. He's never disappointed about anything. Especially anything concerning Rangiku, except for her drinking habits, she can be over-the-top sometimes.
"Hey, later tonight Ikkaku and I are going drinking at the bar a couple blocks down," Rangiku says, eyeing the short boy. She rests her elbow on the table, turning her entire body towards the kid. "It's called Hueco Mundo. I'm pretty sure you've heard of it. It's super popular! Everyone at Karakura College goes there. You should come and join us. We're in the process of rounding people up, what do you say?"
"I'd rather not," Toshiro says, looking away from her with slight annoyance. "Midterms are coming up and I have—"
"I knew you'd come!" she exclaims, cutting him off. She throws her arms around him, squeezing the breath of out his lungs. The kid's eyes widen when she suffocates him against her chest, his cheeks turn a bit pink at the contact, appalled by her actions. Gin watches, with a tick, as Toshiro shoves her away, gasping for air. Anger spills out of the kid's clenched teeth. "Awe don't be mad," Rangiku coos.
"I said that I'm not going," he snaps, fixing his shirt.
"Oh please, of course you're gonna go, it's Friday! You have plenty of time to have fun before midterms roll around. And Gin is going too." When she says this, she sends him a smile. Gin catches her gaze as quickly as it comes, her eyes almost prying his open, almost. "If you don't wanna drink a lot, you can always hang around this guy. He never drinks, ever. He's Mr. Sober."
"Is tha'whatcha call me?"
Rangiku snorts.
"No," she says, chuckling. "Don't be ridiculous, Ikkaku gave you that name." She grins in a way that makes Gin's stomach flutter. "I call you something else." He grips his bag tighter on his lap. "Anyway, you're coming whether you like it or not." She gives Toshiro a pointed look. He sighs, aggravated, and stands from his seat. "Hey, where are you going?" Rangiku pouts.
"I have homework to do," he says, frowning. "If I get started on it now…I suppose I may be able to go to Hueco Mundo tonight."
The strawberry-blonde cheers, clapping her hands together.
"Woo!" She giggles. "See you there, Shiro!" He groans and rolls his eyes, stalking away while muttering 'Toshiro' under his breath. "Isn't he adorable?" she asks, turning back to Gin, joy seeping out of her pours like perfume. "He's barely four feet tall, can you believe it? And his hair, my, he's just like you and your weird hair genetics. Like white? That certainly is a mystery. By the way, Ikkaku and I were planning on heading over to the bar at ten. I'm expecting you to be dressed by nine fifty so we can meet up and go together, kapeesh?"
Gin chuckles.
"Kapeesh."
OoOoOoOoOoO
Gin glances to the time on his laptop, has a mini heart attack, closes the screen and stands from his desk. He pulls off his white shirt, tosses into the laundry bin and opens the top drawer of his dresser. He didn't realize it was already nine forty. He searches through his folded sweatshirts, decides to go for the navy blue one and yanks it over his head. He better keep on the warmer side tonight, since it's late, dark and absolutely freezing. Maybe he should wear an extra pair of socks too. He kneels down, grabs a thick pair of socks from the bottom left drawer, and sits on the edge of his bed. He tugs them on, thankful for the comfort.
"Oh, hey Gin," Izuru says, shuffling into their dorm room. "Are you going to Hueco Mundo?"
"Yup, gotta meet up wit'Ran in five. You goin'?"
"I don't know," the blond says, dropping his school bag on his desk. "Renji told me about it this morning, but I said I wasn't sure if I'd go."
"Why not?" Gin reaches for his boots, slipping them on.
"He said Momo was going to be there."
"Hm." Gin ties his laces into bows, glancing to his friend. "Things still ain't good between the two o'ya?"
"No, everything's fine I guess. We broke up a year ago, but it's still a bit weird." He slumps down on his desk chair. He turns around to face Gin as the guy grabs his jacket, scarf and gloves, putting them on without an inch of skin showing, except for his face off course. "Have fun."
"Thanks." Gin sends the boy a salute. "Try not t'be too gloomy when'm gone."
Rangiku is waiting by the main doors when he gets there. She's wearing her red coat, golden heels and earrings, her black party dress that barely encompasses her chest and stockings. He eyes her, amazed that she is able to wear such clothing in weather like this.
"I see ya ain't holdn'back," Gin comments, stopping beside her. When she turns to face him he almost stutters.
"I can't show up to a bar looking like a slob," she says, zipping up her coat. "I gotta look like a queen, and I get free drinks that way too." She grabs his arm, leading him out the door. "Now help me get there, these heels are a pain to walk in."
"Why not jus'wear boots?" He keeps his body stiff, allowing her to lean against him if ever she staggers. "It's cold, yer toes are gonna freeze."
She waves her hand, dismissing his concern.
"Do you have any idea how immune I am to the cold? I'm like a boiling rock of lava compared to this weather." The point of her heel dips into a pile of snow while her other slips on a patch of ice. She squeaks, almost colliding on her back. She grabs on to Gin for dear life, regaining her balance. He brings his arm closer to his body, tightening her hold. She peeks up, a smile on her face. "Thanks."
His grin softens.
The bar is a mess of people, it's loud, chaotic and there is a lot of laughing. All the tables and booths are loaded with college students, celebrating the end of the week and the beginning of the weekend. He can see Ikkaku and his crowd of friends laughing together with a pyramid of alcohol on their table, and yes, Momo is there. Gin makes a mental note to inform his roommate once he gets back.
Rangiku tugs his arm, bouncing. She points to the bar like a child eager for candy.
"Let's go!" she exclaims, strutting over to the counter with Gin at her side. She tugs off her scarf, shoving it into her large pocket, zips open her coat and lets it fall off her shoulders to the bend of her elbow. Her hair falls down her back, hiding the curve of her neck as it keeps her chin high like a pedestal. It teases the view of her spine as its arch kisses the material of her dress like a snake, hissing for attention. "Hey Zommari," Rangiku sings, sending the bartender a smile.
He nods at her.
"The usual?"
"You know it!" Rangiku looks to Gin who takes the seat beside her.
"And you?" Zommari asks, filling up a pint of beer.
"Water."
The tall man raises a brow, but doesn't question Gin's decision. With a calm, "coming right up", Zommari slides Rangiku her drink and fills a glass of water for Gin. The strawberry-blond gulps half of her beer the moment she gets hold of it, breathing out in satisfaction when the liquid runs down her throat like fresh water after a long run.
"I can already tell this is gonna be one hell of a night!"
Gin doesn't usually enjoy watching college students get drunk, making fools of themselves for the sake of having a good time, and this is no exception. The night is like he had predicted: Rangiku inhales another ten liters of beer (he's exaggerating of course, he thinks), swings several bottles of vodka with Ikkaku and Yumichika, teases Nnoitra and Nelliel about their relationship, woos and jokes around with a whole bunch of people Gin has no interest in acknowledging, except for that Toshiro kid, and somehow gets her hands on a pair of lace stockings, hiding them in the pocket of her coat.
He would rather leave and work on his short film, but Rangiku won't be able to make it back on her own. He has to stay, to help Rangiku, like he always does. At least, that's what he keeps telling himself. He doesn't necessarily have to stay, does he? She knows everyone in the entire bar. Any kind soul could walk her back to campus. There are many trustworthy faces in the room, there's no doubt about that, but… Gin stares at his glass of water.
Why is he feeling this way? He shouldn't be worrying about anything. There's nothing to worry about. He can't drink his water though. If he tries, he knows the liquid will upset his stomach. But he isn't sick, he thinks. Maybe he's catching a cold? No. He's already suffered through the yearly flu. There's something else going on that he doesn't know about, something inside of him that he can't explain.
Someone sits on the stool beside him.
"Seems like you're troubled," Aizen says, his back leaning against the counter. "Do you want to confide in your dear friend?"
Troubled? Gin's tenses, a strange annoyance rumbling in his gut.
"I didn't know ya came to these sorta things," Gin answers, his change in subject rather obvious. Aizen inspects him for a moment before tearing his gaze away to the numerous people chatting around the bar.
"You're right," he says, "I don't. But today was a special occasion." Gin turns his head a bit, interested to know about this 'special occasion'. "I'm not going to tell you the reason." Aizen keeps a calm smile on his face, his line of sight shifting around. "Now concerning my comment, which you had blatantly ignored—you shouldn't be so rude by the way, you do know I have feelings—it seems like you are starting to question your intentions."
Gin keeps his gaze on his glass.
"I'm not sure which intentions yer referring to."
"I think you do."
"Nope, I don't."
Aizen closes his eyes for a moment, a look of amusement washing over his face. Gin can see Rangiku in the reflection of his glass. She is enjoying a bottle of beer, sitting in the middle of a booth with Grimmjow and Szayel. Grimmjow is barking with laughter as Szayel smacks his hand on the table barely able to contain himself. The blue-haired student puts his arm over the back of the seat in a good-natured way, but it causes Gin distress. It doesn't mean anything, it doesn't, not to Grimmjow or Rangiku anyway. So it shouldn't mean anything to Gin either.
"Just so you know," Aizen speaks up, opening his eyes, "a boy named Toshiro asked me which dorm Izuru stayed in."
"Why?"
"I hadn't been apart of the whole conversation so I'm not sure, he just explained that he had urgent business to attend to. I would assume he's there now." Gin stands from his stool. "What's the sudden rush?" Aizen asks, eyeing the boy with interest. He doesn't reply right away, his attention focused on the strawberry-blond as she wobbles to-and-fro, her face flushed from alcohol.
"I gotta leave," Gin says, stalking to the girl.
He shoves Grimmjow out of the way, the guy hiccups, not understanding what's going on, and pulls Rangiku out of the booth and to her feet. She groans, slurring out nonsense as the tall boy leads her to the exit. He can feel Aizen's calculating stare boring into his flesh, but keeps his grin nailed to his face, no matter how much it wants to fall off.
Once outside and away from unwanted attention, Gin secures the girl's coat on her shoulders and twists her scarf around her neck. He slips her hands into his gloves and grabs her heels, tugging them off. She complains, the snow cold against her bare feet, but he motions her to get on his back, she complies, passing out the moment her feet leave the ground. With her shoes in hand, he marches down the sidewalk.
He is slightly alarmed by his sudden actions but decides not to dwell on them. He should focus on getting Rangiku to her dorm, that's the only thing that should matter right now.
Gin lets out a breath, satisfied, when Rangiku is lying underneath her blankets, a glass of water and Advil on her nightstand. He stares at her for a moment, amazed by her gentle expression, her crazy party girl persona invisible to the naked eye. She is beautiful. He leaves soon after that thought, pressing the door closed behind him.
Now, to his room.
He tiptoes to the male's dormitory, climbing the steps to the fourth floor and peeks his head down the hallway. He freezes, hiding within the shadows of the corner. Toshiro is speaking to Izuru just outside their room. Gin shuffles out of their line of sight, not wanting to be seen. He waits, straining his ears to make out what they are discussing, but he has no idea what they're talking about. He keeps as still as possible. Izuru's tone seems worried, anxious even. He wonders what Toshiro could possibly be telling him.
The white-haired boy doesn't stay for long, he leaves three minutes later. Gin hears Izuru close their door. He sighs, peeking down the empty hallway.
He leans back against the wall and falls to a crouching position. He runs a hand through his hair. His fingers aren't cold anymore, nor does he need to keep his jacket on. So why can he feel a shiver run down his spine? He sighs, shaking the nerves out of his system. He should relax. It's late. He's tired. Whatever Toshiro went to talk to Izuru about is none of his business and Rangiku is safe and sound, he shouldn't be fretting. He just needs some rest. He's drained. It has been a long week. Tomorrow will be a better day.