The Curve Of A Smile
Disclaimer:
I do not own BLEACH. It is the property of Kubo Tite. There are some spoilers here, but I do not know which chapters/episodes they are from. There is some Gin/Rangiku in here too. Any OOC-ness is regretted, as well as mistakes in the timeline. Title thought up by a friend of mine; story by yours truly here. Thank you.
Full Summary:
One Shot They called him different names behind his back. He knew that very well. When he betrayed them, it got worse. It was said out in the open this time. But he never seemed to mind, that deluding smile forever on his features. To them, he was unfeeling... But were they right?
They called him different names behind his back.
That he knew – well.
All too often had he seen his vice-captain, Kira, being given sympathetic glances, hearing some words of condolence to be so unfortunate to be under him, of all captains. Kira never reported this to him, but he had ears to hear the words.
Eccentric. His face was a constant topic for discussion, he knew. They wondered whether he was normal; to always carry that eternal smile. Well, he wondered if Captain Kuchiki was normal; to always be so expressionless. But he knew none of the underlings, or even those with some form of position, dared to discuss that.
Suspicious. His eyes rarely opened wide enough for one to glimpse his irises, and he knew many thought it odd. They said that eyes were the windows to one's soul, and therefore, unable to see his eyes, they thought he had something to hide. He thought that if he showed his eyes, everybody would be mortified.
Not that he would mind.
Traitor.
This was what those weak underlings called him now. But this time, it was no longer in whispers, but out loud and some were even adorned with colorful curses. He heard all their words clearly, even when he was in hiding.
"I knew it! He had to be the bad one among us!"
"His smiling face put us off guard! We should have suspected him all along!"
"Power-hungry, devious traitor!"
"Evil schemer! He was like that from the start, I'll bet!"
So, those useless low-ranking Death Gods finally learnt that his eternal smile was a well-practiced illusion of cheer and it was now considered a smirk instead. That he had always been a black spot, or at least one of them, in the Gotei 13. It was a little too late, wasn't it?
However, there was one malicious comment which he disagreed with.
Ichimaru still remembered a young and homeless silver-haired boy wandering Rukongai. This boy had the same everlasting smile, but this was one of true joy. This boy was carefree and innocent. This boy felt emotions and cared for others, particularly one beautiful young girl he had met. But as time passed, and the life in Rukongai roughened and hardened him, the young boy grew to learn that without power, he would get nowhere.
His smile became a shield, a façade meant to hide him as well as to disarm others into believing his intentions were true. He turned selfish, caring only for his well-being… The innocent boy morphed, slowly but surely, into an evil, power-hungry and traitorous man. He took the insults and misconceptions in stride, none of them making any real impact to his conscience.
But the Third Division captain knew that if he looked deep into his soul, he would see the little boy residing there…
And the young Gin ached with every blow… and pined to be loved again.
Ouch. The last line is so sad... Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it.
carzla