A young girl was lying on the soft, green grass, her eyes closed and her face peaceful, as though she had fallen asleep. Her long, black hair reached her waist, and her arms were lying across her stomach. She wore a red sash around her shihakusho, looping over her right shoulder and tying at her left hip. Her zanpakuto was cradled in the crook of her arm, a white ribbon that faded to red wrapped tightly around the hilt.
A man with silver hair and a fox-like grin was approaching her, his eyes narrowed into slits.
"Does your Captain know you're out here?" He asked, and a small smile appeared on the girls lips as she looked up at the man with her shocking, silver eyes. Her pupils were only a few shades darker than her irises.
"Perhaps." She said quietly, sitting up. He sat down next to her, "I hope ya didn't just ditch poor Captain Hitsugaya on paperwork day, sis."
She chuckled lightly, "I'm just taking a break, half of its already done."
The man's grin widened as he ruffled her black hair, "Ah, Murasaki..." She swatted his hand away, though his smile didn't shrink. "Well," He began, standing up, "I've gotta go check on some things, promise you'll behave?"
She rolled her eyes, "Of course, I always do, Gin."
"Where'd you get off to?" And angry Toushiro asked as Murasaki stepped into the office, "It's paperwork day. I've already got a missing lieutenant, I don't need my third seat doing the same!"
"Relax, Toushiro," She said, sitting down on the couch that faced him, "I just took a short break, besides, I've already finished half."
"How many times do I have to tell you?" He asked in annoyance, "It's Captain Hitsugaya!"
She sighed, "Okay, Toushiro." He growled at her, and the corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smile as she grabbed a stack of paperwork from the coffee table sitting in front of her.
"Hey, Captain!" An excited voice yelled just as Murasaki got started on the paperwork. The small girl turned around, seeing a woman with strawberry blond hair, light blue eyes, and very large...assets...running towards them.
"Rangiku, you're back." Murasaki said, and Toushiro glared at his lieutenant, "Where've you been?" He asked, "It's paperwork day."
Rangiku hesitated, "W-well...I was...you see there was this...thing that...Renji needed my help with!" She stuttered, and Murasaki sighed, "Rangiku, we all know that you're lying. You went out to drink, didn't you?"
The woman sweatdropped, "Well...I...You're hair is just adorable, Murasaki! Did you do something with it?"
"No, I wore it down like I do every day, now get over here and help with the paperwork." Rangiku immediately ran out of the room, "Rangiku!" Toushiro yelled, then sighed, realizing that the woman had ran off once more.
Once again, Murasaki's lips twitched into a smile, "Why don't you ever chase her down?" She asked, beginning to start on the paperwork again.
"I've tried, she always manages to get away though." The Captain replied, and Murasaki looked up at him, her silver eyes curious, "So you just give up?"
He stiffened, "N-No!" His cheeks were beginning to get red, and the small girl allowed a small smile to creep onto her face, "You're embarrassed."
"No, I'm now! Get to work!" He snapped. She set aside a small stack of paperwork, "I've been working. You were just too angry to notice."
He growled at he once more, and this time, she laughed. He sighed, his eyes softening, "Murasaki, you haven't changed one bit."
She smiled at him, "Is that a good thing?" He nodded after a moment's hesitation as she set aside another stack of paperwork.
"You're much more mature than when we were children." She giggled, "Though you still enjoy bothering poor Momo." He glared at her, "Please, if she'd stop calling me Lil' Shiro, then I'd stop calling her bed wetter."
Murasaki sighed, setting aside another stack of paperwork, "You two always seem to fight." She murmured, taking the finished stacks over to his desk, "You also need to relax more," She said, moving behind him to look out at the retreating sun from the window, "I've told you that I could give you a massage some time."
If she'd been looking at him, she would have seen him blush, but she wasn't, so the small reaction went by unnoticed.
"I don't need to relax!" He snapped, "I'm not stressed!"
She sighed, moving back to the couch, "Don't try to lie to me, Toushiro. I know very well how truly stressed out you are. If your hair weren't white already, it would be so by now."
He frowned at her, continuing on his paperwork.
Murasaki retired to her room later that evening. She closed the door, then leaned heavily on it with a sigh. Then she felt it. It grabbed at her chest, squeezing it to the point that she thought that she was going to collapse. Her vision was going blurry, and she took a few staggering steps towards a considerably large refrigerator sitting in a dark corner of the room. She yanked it open, grabbing a bottle and twisting off the cap. She brought it to her lips, but she struggled to tilt it. A hand grabbed the end of the bottle, tipping it so that she could drink. After a few moments, she pushed the empty bottle away, a thick, red substance dripping down her lips.
She looked up at Gin, who was holding the empty bottle, his smile gone.
"That was a close one, ya don't wanna wait that long, Murasaki."
She nodded, slumping down against the wall as she rubbed her eyes, "I know, the urges are getting more powerful by the day, I don't know if I'll be able to sustain myself for the whole day like I used to."
"You know how to fix it." The tall man stated, his eyebrows creased in worry, "You just have to drink from a living source, and you'll be fine for a few weeks."
She rubbed her temples, "No, I can't do that. I might take too much...and then..." He nodded, sitting down next to her, "I know, you've only done it a few times in your life. One of them ended badly."
She nodded, staring down at the wooden floor. Her pupils had darkened considerably, "I drained the bottle, didn't I?"
He nodded, staring at the bottle in his hands, "Yeah, you wanna be careful, and make sure to sleep in so that your pupils have a chance to fade."
She nodded, feeling exhaustion hit her full blast, "I'm tired..." She murmured, standing up shakily and making her way over to the futon. Gin nodded, "I'll let ya sleep," He stood up, opening the refrigerator and putting the bottle in one of the compartments, "See ya, Murasaki."
She nodded weakly, allowing her eyes to close as he left the room.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!
A/N: So, what do ya think? I've put a bit more thought into this fic, and like I say, no flames, I don't wanna hear it unless its constructive criticism or good reviews.
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