Matsumoto Rangiku & Ichimaru Gin, Hitsugaya Toushiro & Matsumoto Rangiku.

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Summary: After Aizen's defeat, Soul Society is left to deal with the impact the former Captain's actions had. Toushiro notices Matsumoto in particular is left to deal after the passing of someone close to her.

Gin's grave it's not left bare, and his memory is not left to be forgotten— Matsumoto makes sure of it.

THE FLOWER OF YOUR MEMORY

The piles of papers staked over his lieutenant's desk foretold of her complete disregard about work and deadlines. The mountains of paper expertly balanced were due for this Sunday morning. Which meant there were two days left to do them, and by the looks of it, Matsumoto hadn't even begun to work on them. He sighed and folded his arms over his chest, tipping down his chin and closing his eyes, the vague idea of resting wandering in his thoughts.

His sleep pattern these past months had been fickle, to say the least. Although all damage done on the real Karakura town had been fixed, there had been more frequent sightings of Hollows and rumored Arrancars both in the world of the living and the dead. Nothing too serious yet. Some enhanced Hollows that felt more like a bad attempt of Arrancar more than anything else. One or other mission that had these jokes of Arrancar working alongside and feeding off of unlucky souls. But that was all after Aizen's defeat.

What was more of a pain in the ass were the endless reports that needed to be done. They weren't that necessary, per se, but after some discussion it had been deemed it was for Soul Society's best to keep track of everything that could stick as odd or unconventional in any way. Just a way to keep the events on record where they ever to be linked to a growing problem on the future. Something that could alight the path to enemies' weakness or an insight to the root of things.

Whatever the motive, it was a pain in the ass. More so with the careless lieutenant he had under his orders. He supposed he could offer a helping hand. Maybe, if he found time, he could stay with her and keep her on track, besides helping her fill or check the necessary documents.

The distant sound of a door sliding tipped him off of someone's arrival, although he simply grunted as acknowledgment instead of looking up to see who it was— a task that, at the current moment, seemed to take a lot of effort.

Something warm seemed to cover him, and Toushiro frowned as best as he could, but said nothing as he kept waiting for his lieutenant.

A soft breeze came behind him, surely from the window. His nose scrunched up when he felt it tickle, and he groaned as his eyes got used to the dim light. His eyelashes fluttered as he blinked.

Once it registered that he had fallen asleep and that it was now night, he startled.

"Uh...?" Looking down to the weight on his lap, he noticed the blanket, and somewhat faintly he linked it to the previous warm he had felt.

He stood once he had come to his senses, looking around to see that it was indeed night, the dark shadows cast on the room making it look eerie. Groaning, he shook his head, mentally rebuked himself for the unscheduled sleep.

Once he folded the blanket, he left it in the seat he had previously occupied, and walked around the desk, his eye catching on the still figure on the sofa in front of him.

His eyebrow twitched as he recognized who it was that was lying on the sofa. Matsumoto. He wanted to yell at her, but refrained from doing so due to the late hour. He disregarded it completely when he saw the small heap of papersheets on the coffee table next to the sofa. So she did work, after all.

Smiling as he felt pride flood in, he walked back and picked up the blanket, using it to cover the sleeping lieutenant. He left the room and walked towards his own, ready to catch up to whatever work he had fallen behind.

"Matsumoto—" Toushiro called up, entering Matsumoto's office.

As soon as he had stepped inside, his cheeks heated up, and he felt his heart flutter in his ribcage as he recognized the softness his face was pressed against.

"Ohh, Captain." Matsumoto said, a smile growing in her face as she wrapped an arm around him, pressing him more against her bosom, ignoring the muffled sound that came from him. After a brief hug, she let go of him. "Good morning, Captain."

"Mnh. I came to see if you had done all the work." Hitsugaya said, rubbing one hand around his face, willing the heat to go away. It wasn't like it was the first time he walked straight to his lieutenant's chest. Or that said lieutenant put her arms around him before crushing him with her—

"Oh, I was wondering if you'd give me some free hours."

All heat drained from his face as Toushiro's blue eyes glared daggers at Matsumoto, his mouth already taking in air to fill his lungs, ready to yell at her until she begged for extra hours of works if it got him to stop yelling.

But his eyes caught on the blue petals that laid discarded on the desk behind her, shining with a unique beauty in the sunlight that filtered through the window in the opposite end of the office. So today it was a bouquet of bluebells. His anger left him as he understood why she wanted free hours. He struggled between duty and emotions, and ultimately decided that he himself could find some spare hours to help with his lieutenant's paperwork.

Crossing his arms over his chest, his blue eyes looked up to Matsumoto's face. "All right. I'll give you an hour. Anything past that and I'll go search for you, got that?"

There was a soft smile on Matsumoto's lips. Far softer and brittle than ever. It was a silent thank you, left unspoken, reinforced only by the lone flower Matsumoto forced into his hands before leaving. Toushiro didn't care, didn't care that she might get behind her work. He understood now how important was the person to whom the flowers were for. He could never understand the why, though. He was unaware of the woman's past, and how much it tangled to that of his. How much had they shared, for Matsumoto to mourn him like none other could? How many emotions were put on line as he risked his life for a greater good, in spite of the image he put of himself?

Ichimaru Gin had passed off as a traitor, all the while he waited for the perfect opportunity to strike and turn the scales towards Soul Society's side. But Hitsugaya hadn't been there when Ichimaru had dropped off the act and shown his true intentions. He hadn't been there when he went against Aizen himself. All he knew of the man's final acts where due to Matsumoto's words as well as those of the other few witnesses. But even Matsumoto's words held some impartiality to them, as if someone else was speaking for her. Even then, he could see how it had affected her to see the Shinigami die.

At the beginning the woman had been aloof, still acting cheerful. But whenever Toushiro caught her alone in a room, she'd find her with a sad smile and eyes brimmed with tears. And then she would have the habit of slipping away from her work, in a different pattern than what Toushiro was used to, which pushed him to one day follow her and see where she disappeared to. When she had stopped to buy some flowers, the he had been puzzled, wondering for what or who did she need those. Wanting his curiosity sated, he had kept a close eye to her, finally reaching an open space, with few trees scattered around. One in particular seemingly out of the way, far from the others. Toushiro had been left with the option of waiting until Matsumoto returned to go check what kept his lieutenant occupied.

Finding a small grave with the bouquet of flowers Matsumoto had previously bought was not what he expected. And seeing the name Ichimaru Gin scratched alongside the trunk of the lonely tree, which provided shadow to the lonely grave, made Toushiro's stomach twist. He hadn't thought that the fallen Shinigami was close to Rangiku. Sure, they had had their moments every now and then, but they were barely some conversations, a hug from Matsumoto to Gin, and a few whispered things that never made it to anyone else's ears. But that had been rare, and Matsumoto had never acknowledged Gin that much, rarely bringing him up to the conversation.

It had been quite a shock to find out that apparently, they had crossed path in various points in their lives, points that even now stood unknown to most. Whatever relationship Matsumoto had had with Ichimaru Gin, was only for them to know. And Toushiro could respect that. He wouldn't trespass the secrecy of that relationship.

So eventually he had let go of some pressure and told his lieutenant to take some time to herself, maybe buy some flowers. Maybe give them to a memory she was fond of, so to not mention the object of her thoughts. A small hint at Ichimaru Gin, but no real words that pointed to that especifically. Rangiku had been taken aback at first, but didn't comment on the matter and went on to accept her free time, leaving Toushiro with a soft thank you that hung in the air like a gentle breeze.

Maybe Hitsugaya would never get the why's or how's to their relationship, regardless of having little, no, or all the information of how their relationship had worked. But he had friends, too. He had people he cared about, people who he would take his time to mourn if there was no more urgent matter at hand (he wondered if Matsumoto had kept at bay her mourning and emotions in the aftermath of the Fake Karakura).

So he allowed her to take some time off, whenever he knew she was going to Gin's grave. Toushiro had soon learnt that Matsumoto would say her thanks by finishing the leftover work she had to do within the timeframe given.

"Captain."

Toushiro cracked one eye open and looked at Matsumoto from across the room. He had been laying down in the sofa that was nearest to the door for a few hours now, not quite asleep but definitely not paying attention to anything in particular, just making guard so his lieutenant wouldn't run away to drink instead of doing her work.

"What?"

"Could you come tomorrow with me, Captain?"

"Where to?"

What followed as an answer left the captain of the Tenth Division faltering, unsure of what to say. "To visit Gin's grave."

He wanted to ask her why. Hitsugaya and Ichimaru had never been on equal ground, not even as captains, and they had fallen more at odds in the events before Aizen's betrayal. Instead of asking why, he only gave her a short nod in agreement.

The forget-me-not bouquet laid at the base of the tree, having been laid with the gentleness and care only Rangiku could muster towards the person to whom the flowers where for. Toushiro blinked and looked around, noticing the number of flowers that were now blooming around the space. They hadn't been there the last time he was here, and he knew Matsumoto had to be the one to place them, the one who probably took care of them and made sure they grew without any problem.

He sighed when he realized this space was more than a place to mourn Gin. It also was a place where the vice-captain could pour her emotions in the shape of flowers. Whatever she never had the chance to say to the once Captain of the Third Division, she was doing now. That much was clear to him.

"He wasn't a bad man." Rangiku spoke, and Toushiro's turquoise eyes darted to the ground.

He didn't feel like denying or agreeing with the statement. Obviously, he was missing part of the whole story, one that perhaps was only for the deceased Shinigami to know, not even the closest to him, Matsumoto, knew the ins and outs of it.

Matsumoto smiled, in that melancholic way that only Ichimaru Gin's memory could summon, "But he wasn't a good man, either. He left, constantly." A soft chuckle called Hitsugaya's attention, and he peeked at the woman's open expression. "He always left me behind," she said, not in anger or sadness, but rather with a fondness that comes with remembering good times that where long gone. "Always tried to do things by his own. Always tried to be the one to protect me, even in his last moments."

Hot tears rolled down Matsumoto's cheeks, and the back of her hand pushed them away; she didn't want to cry in front of Gin's grave. She exhaled slowly, and shook her head, smile on her lips.

"You're unbelievable, Gin." The captain barely heard her say, and once again his eyes moved towards the ground. He had accepted that his lieutenant harbored emotions and thoughts for Gin that no one else could either have or understand.

He briefly thought about Hinamori, and how badly injured she had been after the whole ordeal with the Fake Karakura Town, one of the injuries inflicted by his own blade. When desperation hit, he had felt so distraught at the thought of losing her. When Momo had seemingly sided with Aizen, believing in his innocence, Toushiro had felt lost and deeply conflicted. He didn't know how to react to the lieutenant of the Fifth Division when he was faced with her wrong doings in her attempts to help Aizen. He could only guess how Marsumoto felt, because Toushiro and Momo's close friendship didn't mirror that of Rangiku and Gin. He assumed it was the distance put between them that kept them close, a bond that, even if he couldn't sympathize with, he could respect.

"I want to make a small garden here." Rangiku said, turning to look at Toushiro. She noticed his crossed arms and lowered gaze, that known frown resting on his face. She smiled, "So if you could give me the rest of the month free to—"

"Absolutely not!" Toushiro barked, glaring at her. Matsumoto simply laughed, happy with the reaction.

"Then I will have to free my schedule by doing my work then, huh?"

The young captain huffed and flushed upon realizing Matsumoto had purposely teased him, probably wanting to get him to loosen up and get over his stoic posture.

"I guess it's time to go. Let's go, Captain." She bent down, and spoke to Gin's grave, "Next time, I will bring persimmons."

After that time, Matsumoto never asked Hitsugaya to accompany her again. He noticed her work was neatly done and finished before she disappeared for the rest of the day. She didn't ask for more permissions to get free time, and Toushiro would sometimes get a glimpse of her with flowers in hand, a smile that didn't hint at sorrow.

He thought that maybe he could ask her to show him the garden once she had finished it.

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FINALLY! Funnily enough, even if it took me over a year to finish this (started on December 9th, 2017), I managed to finish it in February 14th lol. Happy Valentine Day, guys!

If any grammar went over my head (or the end seems kind of abrupt/rushed/lacking, I apologize, it's early morning and I'm just so excited that I finally finished a workpiece ❤.