Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach. However, this piece of fanfiction belongs to me.
"Lotus Kiss" - A Bleach Fanfiction
She was fascinated by him. It wasn't a simple form of admiration. Feelings far beyond the norm were hiding beneath the surface. Matsumoto Rangiku was a strong ,vibrant soul. Taller than most girls her age and graced with a face many begrudged. Even if poverty had stricken her adoptive family and she orphaned and miserable decided to roam the streets alone -deprived of comfort and love, she still had the possibility to marry into a rich family due to her beauty.
"Oi. Rangiku."
Shifting beneath a mountain of dirty blankets and stolen garments, her thin form protruded from it, head tilting to inspect the source of noise.
"What d'ya want Gin?"
Serried lashes shifted to gauge the other's expression. It was usual for the lanky boy to disappear for a couple of days, leaving her on her own. His face revealed content for his hands were stacked with small round objects. All of a sudden one of them collided with the female's face resulting in her hand slipping and Rangiku finding herself face down on the floor, a vein threatening to pop on her forehead.
"Persimmons. Again."
His liking towards that kind of fruit was truly turning into an obsession. The hut they'd use as a form of shelter when they'd decide to hide from the streets just enough for the other souls to forget they exist – for they'd became known for nothing more but a pair of common thieves, would always be full of those delicacies he so cherished ; although he was the only one to adore them between the two.
"Persimmons start with a P – because they're perfect."
A blonde eyebrow quirked in reply to the other youngster's odd statement. The male's footsteps echoed through the room while the first rays of sunshine would fill it.
"E is for exquisite."
His thin lips stretched across his features as he continued on.
"R is for...raw?
Lips curved slightly before a persimmon was brought closer to them. She could barely see his hues hidden beneath the two sets of eyelashes. The bright cerulean would rarely appear and even when it did it would only discern what he was willing to show. It hadn't been long since she met him ; however life itself started when she had.
She pouted her lips.
"S is for strange. Why do you even like them? They leave a weird aftertaste."
She rolled on the floor and extended a half-covered arm to point up at him. She lifted her head slightly, a tiny straight nose revealing a thin line between her nostrils. It had been there since birth ; a shade darker than her natural skintone making her perfection all the more sublime. She did not possess any physical flaws – the beauty mark at the right side of her lips and that line being the only features to hold her a step away from absolutely divine.
As for him, his beauty was completely inward. A tall and bony figure, carrying a face belonging to someone older ; someone who had experienced greater misfortune that any other child should ever feel.
Much akin to the sun, Rangiku was nothing but a flower who'd wither in the midst of a snowstorm. She'd wilt ever so slowly, only to be left cold and naked. Gin was different. Different than everyone else. His traits were erratic ; fighting again one another daily without any rest. A mind that was as tangled as any spider web swept away by yet another blizzard. Nonetheless, both the flower and the web would be decimated – but a web consists of lifeless strings. The web kills, the web sucks the life out of its victims or to be more precise holds them hostage until Death finds them. A flower is a flower and nothing more ; it is Beauty itself but delicate and vulnerable to everything surrounding it.
So it was with Matsumoto Rangiku. She transposed her body and rolled once, finding herself bumping against his feet.
"I is for I demand something edible."
He crouched and agilely tucked his legs under him, swallowing his inanimate prey quickly. The girl trundled once again until she comfortably situated herself before the other's legs. Her golden strands were disheveled. Dirt was blemishing her otherwise angelic visage.
"Persimmons are interesting an' edible. Why would ya car' about somethin' boring like…cherries? Strawberries? I've seen you ogle at them before like they're handsome noble men – though ya never fail to do that too."
She puffed her cheeks but soon her expression was replaced by a quizzical look.
"How can food be interesting? As for persimmons they aren't that bad. Especially when they're dry. But some diversity would be nice." Rangiku said and arched her neck to stare at him. Sunlight was hitting his pale skin, Gin's hair appearing to be almost white.
"Why should food be perfectly sweet? Sour? Bitter?" His voice was hiding something. He was not talking only about fruit ; he was silently contemplating their own existence. Layers and layers of different attributes constructed everyone and so he could not accept something as plain as strawberries as his main source of nutrition.
He tapped her nose once.
"Persimmons provide excitement, don't they?"
"Gin?"
"Yes?"
"You're weird."
Rangiku's expression revealed nothing but discontent. She was famished and she was hungry for meat, fish or anything different than those fruits.
Before she had time to react a second persimmon was shoved against her lips, silencing her. He bestirred himself and rested his silver mop of hair atop her narrow waist while she was struggling to spit the fruit out of her mouth.
"Double M is for Matsumoto who happens to be extremely mean today."
She could feel the weight of his cranium on top of the back of her body as she drew her arms and a small blanket closer to her head, creating a makeshift pillow. Her baby blue eyes were gazing upwards, at the east wall of the hut. A humble window was located there, the bright yellow globe which encompassed everything bringing a smile on her face.
His own eyes were nearly always concealed by his lids. If they were open they'd only meet the old roof above Rangiku and him, since the only thing he did was to remain stationary while she'd tip her fingers on the cold wooden floor.
She furrowed her brows, following a yellow bug with her eyes.
"O is for Oh. I need. Food. N is for proper nutrient – something that persimmons aren't."
Stretching both arms, her torso was displaced away from the ground. Gin made a displeased sound.
"I want meat."
She sat cross legged beside him, careful to cover her thighs with her short yukata. The voice she made seconds before clearly belonged to someone of a younger age. It was not rare for her to complain about things like food. She had starved a lot in her life but so did he.
He sighed and stood up, pulling her with him.
"Meat is expensive. We can't even afford bread right now, let alone stuff only snobbish nobles are able to eat."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Well. S is for shit."
He chuckled while picking some persimmons up. She'd never fail to amuse him ; witty or not her remarks always brought a spark of childish playfulness inside that drab shed.
"You'll have t' wait till I become rich."
"Not happening. You're too lazy for that. And I'm pretty sure you wouldn't enjoy the company of snobbish nobles."
"No need to be so negative, Rangiku-chan."
The suffix only brought her great displeasure. They were equals and accentuating her name like it belonged to a silly child would only make her glare at him. She took several strides towards the exit of the hut and kicked the door open. Smelling the morning air, she filled her lungs with the chilly wind that'd come from the north side of Rukongai.
"Can't cha kill a rabbit?"
His face appeared next to her own, his back crouching to meet her height. He rested his chin on her shoulder and grinned.
"These must be slowing you down a little, neh?"
Both looking down at the object(s) in question, he could not help but chuckle with her antics since he could feel her starting to shake in front of him. Fuming, she veered ready to punch the boy.
He had already disappeared.
"Gin? Gin!"
Rangiku pursed her lips, trying to trace his reiatsu. Her spiritual abilities were below amateur but she had grown accustomed to his aura. An immense light blue flare was emerging from the woods surrounding her.
"I'll find you."
Murmuring to herself, she dashed through the forest as fast as she could manage. She was never exceptionally good at running ; tracking him would prove to be a difficult task even if she knew his exact location.
The first snow was near. She could sense it. Winter would come and so he'd leave her again. His presence meant more than mere company would. When he was there, life would continue. When he'd depart everything would transform into a dream that would miserably try to stop the ache she would feel.
"Boo."
Four swallows who were brave enough to withstand the cold of that particular area of the woods flew away from the tree they were resting on. Rangiku's screech was high-pitched but lasted only two seconds. Pivoting to direct her tantrum at him she was stopped by something strangely sweet.
A piece of persimmon.
"These are tasty, ain't they?"
Being caught off-guard she wasn't able to take her eyes away from him, while her mouth stayed immovable.
"Persimmons can be sweet. Delicious an' leaving only a lovely aftertaste."
Leaning downwards, algid lips caught the visible part of the fruit between them. A blush begun to spread across her plump cheeks as her heart rate quickened. It was barely there ; soft and gentle like a butterfly's touch. She could taste something else than the balminess of the fruit – there was an oddly intoxicating flavor hidden inside the persimmon or maybe a few inches behind it.
The fine hair on the back of her neck rose. Soon the utter silence enveloping them, barring the faint rustling of leaves, was violated by an almost inaudible sound between the two sets of lips.
"Yummy."
Swallowing half the piece, Gin returned to standing perfectly straight. His eyes were half open, looking deep into her own hues. Her cheeks were still rosy, while his were perfectly pale.
"Close yer mouth. A persimmon there can onl' crash my iron will."
She choked.
A/N: It's been a while since I last attempted to write a fic. Hope you enjoyed it - constructive criticism is always welcome. GinRan is one of my favorite pairings and will probably always be. I'd like to thank rgaijin for her help. Be sure to visit her page here, she's an amazing writer and Rangiku roleplayer - happens to be the reason my love for GinRan came back. I'm slowly becoming used to writing fanfics again, so expect to see more of my work in the near future.