The fox and the fairy
He was cursed. He had known for years.
No one could ever love him. He could never commit.
He would forever be alone.
But then he met her.
She was the most beautiful creature he'd ever seen.
Her strawberry blond hair shone brightly in the moonlight.
Her bright blue eyes made the brightest stars look pale and dull.
She was singing a soft tune while bathing in the moonlit lake.
Her soft silhouette sent shivers down his spine, the kind he hadn't felt in years.
But he knew he shouldn't get close to her. So he let her be.
Days passed.
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.
Memories of his fairy goddess were still edged in his mind.
He could not forget.
He had to see her again.
He found her again lying on the desert sand. Her wings, lifeless next to her, were torn in several places.
Her ones bright eyes were misty and her once beautiful hair was tangled with dirt.
Yet somewhere beneath the dirt he could still see the beauty she held the last time.
He saw her eyes flutter and close.
Despite his better judgement he walked towards her.
He must have stared at her weak body for hours before he found the courage.
He picked her up in his snout and took her back to his lair.
And so she'd end up meeting him.
Her body felt like lead weights.
Her head hurt and her wings felt like they'd been pierced.
She couldn't remember where she was. All she could remember were the hands of filthy men harrassing her and gropping her.
She'd fled but the men had followed her.
Next thing she knew everything was dark.
She felt strange, something was caressing her hair. She could smell the soft scent of food, but she couldn't place what it was.
With the last of her strenght she opened her eyes, only to meet the face of fox.
Startled she sat up and wanted to run away. But as she begin to flutter her wings to fly away, a pang went through her entire body and she fell to the ground again.
The fox had watched her and despretely tried to catch the weak fairy.
"Be careful. Y'a still too weak."
A voice brought her back.
As she opened her eyes again, she was face to face with the fox.
"What's ya name?" The voice seemed to belong to him. M'name is Ichimaru Gin."
"Matsumoto... Matsumoto Rangiku."
"Nice t'a meet ya, Ran-chan."
"Where am I?"
Her head was still spinning.
Yet the fox's voice, Gin apparently, seemed to soothe her headache.
"Y're at my place. I found ya on the road and I took ya home. Ya want something t' eat? I've got some dried persimmons if ya want?"
"Thank you."
She didn't know what else to say. She'd never been treated this nice.
With her frail hands she picked up a persimmon and took a small bite. As the sweet taste filled her she couldn't help smile.
He didn't know what to say. He'd never been treated like this. Most people ran away when he'd come near them. No one had ever thanked him, much less smiled at him.
As both of them enjoyed each others company they let silence wash over them, both with a smile on their face.
Days seemed to pass much quicker now.
Even though Rangiku had fully healed she wouldn't leave Gin's lair.
They would spend their days gathering fruit and berries.
They would go on long walks or just talk about random things.
Slowly, a strong friendship had grown between the two.
Rangiku had quickly grown accustomed to the many odd quirks of Gin.
His ever grinning face was no longer scary and even though his eyes were in splits she could perfectly describe his eyes.
She could no longer imagine what life was without gin.
Rangiku felt reborn after she had met Gin.
She had felt the subtly shift in feelings long ago.
She no longer wanted to leave. Gin's place felt like home to her.
She couldn't quite describe what he was to her now. She only knew what he wasn't.
He was no longer a stranger.
He was no longer just a friend
He was more.
Gin on the other had was surprised at how easy he found it to live with Rangiku.
He had expected to be sick of her after a week but he found that the more he got to know her, the more he was intrigued by her. His fascination with her seemed to know no boundries.
Her eyes
Her voice
Her laugh sent shivers down his spine, the same he felt the first time he saw her.
But it was not meant to last.
Gin became well aware of the dark clouds that threatened their friendship.
He was never one to stay close to one person.
He needed to wander, be free.
Gin needed the sense of absolute control, not be tied to anything or anybody.
He became scared, scared of the power Rangiku held over him.
So he had tried to loosen her hold on him.
Sometimes he would leave his lair without telling Rangiku, sometimes he would be gone for hours, sometimes for days.
He hoped it would push her away.
But to no avail. She wouldn't leave.
Everytime he'd leave, hoping she'd be gone by the time he'd return.
But she'd stay.
No matter how poorly he treated her, she always stayed by his side.
And no matter how hard he fought against it, it made him love her even more.
"Gin, where are you?"
He'd been gone for weeks. Winter was on it's way, yet there was no sign of him.
Rangiku had never shown concern for Gin's absence, but now she was starting to worry.
With her eyes firmly fixed on the horizon she kept on waiting for him.
She fought bitterly against the cold and sleep, yet her determination never faltered.
"Gomen ne, Rangiku."
He'd been gone for weeks. Deep down he knew she'd be worried but he couldn't find it in himsfairy to return. Ever moving forward he headed out to place he didn't know yet.
He fought bitterly against the cold and sleep, yet his determination never faltered.
He'd been walking in the blistering snow for hours.
His vision was starting to blur. All he could see was the endless white snow around him.
Suddenly Gin noticed a small light in the distance. Fire?
Whatever it was, it was probably warm.
Invigorated he headed towards the light.
But the storm would not give down. The icy wind and thick snow grew too heavy for Gin. Drained of his last energy he fell to the ground.
The last thing he could see was the glowing light coming closer and a black creature next to it.
"Welcome back. Looks like you're finally recovering."
As Gin opened his eyes a heavy light made his head hurt. He had expected to soon feel Rangiku soft hand on his face again.
But there were no hands, no soft voice, no gentle eyes that made eveything better.
Instead he stared right at a black raven.
Sensing Gin's distress the stranger stood up and flew over to him.
"My name is Aizen. I tended to your wounds. Please, you still need rest."
The raven landed next to Gin and looked him in the eye. Looking at his piercing brown eyes, Gin felt his body drift back in a deep slumber.
Right before he fell asleep he whispered her name.
"... Rangiku."
Rangiku awoke with a jolt. A sudden sense of insecurity and fear crept over her body. Gin's bed was still empty with no sign of him returning soon.
The snow outside was still not letting down.
Deep down she knew it was dangerous for her to go outside now, alone, but she couldn't stay behind any longer.
She'd find him.
She'd bring him home.
Back in her arms.