Star light, star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.
--Mother Goose
.
There was once a day in Hueco Mundo when Gin, having escaped the infinite blue skies of Las Noches, finds himself on a balcony, looking up at the dark night sky of the Hueco Mundo desert. His thoughts are drawn to one memory…
.
Rangiku is lost in thought, head on her knees, perched on the rooftop of the 8th division headquarters.
The star festival is tonight, and all the divisions of the Sereitei are off work. The thrum of the festival rages below, the festival music and the smell of fried food wafting up towards her. The merry sound of laughter only seems to drive her deeper into melancholy contemplation. There are still years to go before she takes up alcohol.
All her attention is focused on the sky. It's an unusually clear night, not a cloud to be seen. The stars twinkle gaily in the sky as though they know the festival is in their honor. Suddenly, Rangiku sees a falling star, gliding through the sky effortlessly, sparkling for a mere second before disappearing just as quickly and suddenly as it had appeared.
She is so enchanted she barely notices that Gin has flash stepped right next to her. He comes up behind her in a flash of silver hair, like starlight falling towards her, munching on a takoyaki stick.
"Boo," he hisses playfully.
"Gin!" she says, pushing him away in mock anger but unable to conceal the delighted surprise in her voice. She is still so young.
He laughs, plopping down next to her, holding out the rest of the takoyaki stick for her to take.
"What's a pretty girl like Ran-chan doin' al alone on a rooftop in the middle of star festival?" he teases.
Her mouth is too full of food for her to respond, so she settles for making a face at him.
Finally she whines, "You're late!"
"Ya know ya didn't have ta wait, Ran-chan."
She ignores him. "What took you so long?"
He shrugs, his smile becoming fixed, "Had some work ta' finish up."
"It's a holiday, Gin. Everyone knows that!"
"Try tellin' that ta' the hollows, Ran-chan," he says, laughing darkly, "I tried, but they jus' wouldn' listen! Kept on runnin at me, holiday or not, ya see—"
"Gin, I'm not a child anymore," she snaps sharply, interrupting him, "You don't have to lie to me!"
His smile fades rapidly and they look at each other for a second. Her eyes, wide, still innocent, are looking at him for some kind of answer. He has none to offer, but something tells him being flippant is the wrong thing to do. She sits there, looking at him expectantly, her frown quickly turning into a pout.
Gin reaches out to ruffle her hair, letting his hand rest on her head.
"Yer hair's getting' long, Rangiku. It really suits ya," he says quietly.
"That's not an answer," she says irritably, but she leans into his hand despite her words.
He doesn't respond, looking at her thoughtfully as he strokes her hair, so she continues quietly.
"Ever since you became vice-captain… it's like you're always busy doing work. And I know, I mean, obviously, you got a promotion, but it feels like more than that. There's no way Aizen would make you work on a holiday. What have you been doing for the last three hours?!"
His voice, normally detached and apathetic, comes out a bit strangled, "I already said ya didn't have ta wait!"
"Gin, that's not even the point!" she looks at him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course I have to wait."
He looks at her thoughtfully as though seeing her for the first time.
She repeats herself when he doesn't respond, "You don't have to lie to me!"
Gin pauses before answering, and when he replies, it is carefully thought out. " 'Course I hafta lie to ya', Ran-chan."
That's not the answer she was expecting at all. She tilts her head and looks at him, confused, "Why?"
His voice is almost a whisper, "Maybe I lie ta ya 'cuz ya wouldn' like me if ya knew tha truth."
Without taking even a second to think about it, Rangiku brushes the silvery hair out of his unsmiling eyes and gulps shyly, "There's nothing you could tell me that would make me stop liking you, Gin."
He feels a sudden lump form in his throat and a warmth wells up in his chest that he didn't know he was capable of.
He says, almost inaudibly, "Rangiku, thas' even worse."
He kisses her before she has any chance to respond, drawing her close and pressing his lips to hers with a combination of utmost gentleness and a sense of urgency, the sense of detachment and flippancy and some underlying sadness that is the essence of Gin.
Rangiku melts into him, warm where he is cold, but he pulls away just as she begins to deepen the kiss.
"Gomen na, Rangiku," he says, smiling ruefully and looking sadder than she's ever seen him before.
He leaves her surprised, sitting on the rooftop, smiling contently to herself as she looks up at the stars, with the memory of a kiss still on her lips.
She won't fully understand why he's sorry until a century later, with the same apology and the same sad smile, the same lump in his throat and emotion in the soft crinkle of his eyes as he walks into the light of Negación.