Author's rambling:
Yosh! This is one of my first attempts at Bleach ff, so… have fun!
It's gonna be sort of a one-shot series centered around the lives of Gin and Matsumoto in Rokungai. Probably pretty tragic at times or so some people have told me XD If there are any mistakes concerning charas, please tell me!
Now go and r&r!
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Slowly, heavy lids slid open, revealing a thin line of glassy blue. A bang of golden-red hair fell across her eyes, blocking her sight of the long smoke column rising above her head and ascending towards the peaceful blue sky.
Cracked lips parted slightly as their owner inhaled a shallow breath, tasting burned wood. Carefully, she wet her lips, her nose crinkling up slightly as she recognized the sweet scent of rotting corpses and flowers.
A growl erupted within her, echoing through her mind, reverberating within her skull and finally ceasing into nothingness.
It wasn't the growling protest of her stomach for the lack of food. It had been far too long for her body to be still longing for such profound things as food or water.
The deep growl seemed to come from within her head, like a part of her soul unable to express itself with human words, instead merely producing those guttural sounds. Like a panther, waiting in the dark underbrush of her mind, ready to strike, ready to fight.
Her head lolled to the side as her tired orbs opened further, the slightly blurred vision of her scorched surroundings finding their way into her consciousness. She could make out two shadows lying some ten meters away from her, motionlessly.
Two black silhouettes moved erratically across the bulk of one corpse and her empty stomach churned as she realized that the first crows had paid their visit to the dead souls, before their spirit would finally disintegrate into blissful nothingness, leaving behind the living dead to wander the dirty streets in aimless disorder.
Rokungai was no place for the living.
Death, despair, darkness. An abyss void of any warmth and security.
No. No place for the living, especially not for the youngest. Children were far less worth than any street dog roaming the alleys. Running away, stealing, searching the trash for anything to eat. The fate of a child could end with a merciful blow to the head or with a long, painful life in a cage or brothel.
Focusing her gaze on her outstretched hand, the young girl bent her fingers experimentally. The bony joints protruding out from underneath white skin cracked loudly in the near silence of the early dawn.
Another low growl rumbled through her mind, but it seemed even that strange voice had given up as the sound ebbed away into silence.
Would she finally reach the end of this fateful life? Would it end here on the dirty ground of a backyard, her stomach empty, soul crumpled and crippled like the burning buildings surrounding her like the pillars of a prison?
There was no remorse within her, no fear, no anger. Only the wish for oblivion and peace. She was longing for the feeling of darkness to claim her consciousness, her eyes never being forced to open again. She had seen and felt enough destruction for one person to bear.
In the back of her head, the girl noticed the sound of feet drawing closer across the charcoaled remains of the field and houses, the reiatsu of a stranger accompanying their owner. But her mind was already wandering again. To a far away place. With a meadow and uncountable flowers and the scent of fresh water. To a place of light and warmth.
The crunching of feet stopped and a hand appeared suddenly in front of her unfocused eyes, holding something wrinkled and brown in their small grasp.
"Here, eat up."
Too tired to be startled, the girl with the striking blue eyes only stared at the proffered fruit, her consciousness unable to understand what was happening, unable to grasp the impact of what was dangling in front of her dirty face.
"If you collapsed due to hunger, you must have spiritual power."
The voice sounded pleasant. Almost dreamlike, considering there hadn't been one word spoken to her with a calm voice for months. Only yelling and roaring. Threats, abuses. Moans of pain and despair. And crying.
Sobbing children everywhere.
With a supreme effort, her half opened eyes moved up the long skinny arm, finding the most peculiar smile she had ever seen. A boy her age was standing slightly bent above her, pressing half a dozen wrinkled fruits protectively to his chest, eyes crinkled up as he grinned warmly down on her.
"You… too…?" She asked the lean figure in a raspy voice, far too tired to even feel any gleam of gratitude or suspicion.
"Yup. Me, too." Came the cheerful reply, sounding so off in the scorched, oppressive landscape surrounding the couple.
A ray of light flittered through the leafless branches of the dead magnolia behind the boy, illuminating his mop of hair and for the first time, she recognized the unique silvery color.
Again his cracked lips parted and as his words reached her ears and the droning nothingness that had accompanied her for so long ceased to exist for the first time. "Ichimaru Gin. Nice to meet you."
The warmth of his smile felt alien to her soul, silencing even the dangerous growling of the black cat.
"Gin…" She allowed the syllable to roll across her tongue, tasting the name as she listened to the sound of her voice slowly fading away.
"What a strange name."
The smile vanished abruptly, a bewildered frown appearing instead as he cocked his head slightly to the side. Looking quizzically down at where she was lying, he looked like he had yet to decide whether to be offended or plainly surprised.
That boy looked almost comical and a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth as she devoured the warmth that spread out through her body, toes tingling pleasantly.
The brown fruit was still dangling invitingly in front of her face.
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FINIS!?
