NAME: Ink Stained Hands and Hearts.
CHAPTER ONE: Red Dress.
PAIRING: Coyote Starrk x Rangiku Matsumoto.
DISCLAIMER: Tite Kubo owns Bleach.
AN: I'm really excited for this story. Hope you all like it. Please read and review!
He never though the scent of newly opened wine bottles and burning cigarettes could ever been so refreshing. Famous writer, Coyote Starrk, stood in the winter cold watching the bar, named "Flower Heaven" that he practically lived in as drunken men and women stumbled out. Starrk had just returned from his book tour in Europe, the press has been great and the fans had been lovely. But the never ending exhaustion hit him hard and all he wanted was to be back at his beloved bar. The attractive man took a deep breath and pushed the wooden door to the bar open. Starrk brushed past small crowds of random strangers in the tavern and his stone river eyes locked with a pack of characters he knows more than family. He caught the eyes of Shunsui Kyoraku and saw the man grin widely.
"The famous Coyote Starrk!" Shunsui exclaimed loudly, his weary grey eyes lit up with a spark of excitement and the slightly buzzed man stumbled to his old friend. Starrk wrapped his strong arms around Shunsui's shoulders and pulled him in tight. Not many men would hug each other because it would seem "unmanly" but Starrk and Shunsui could care less if anyone dared to think the two were unmanly.
"Thought I wasn't gonna see ya' again, Starrky!" Shunsui said as the two let go of each others hold. Starrk took in his friend's appearance, dressed in black, buttons down that exposed his built chest, wavy brown hair tied in a loose ponytail with small pink flowers tucked in, and his famous intoxicated grin plastered on his face.
"You thought wrong, and don't call me that." Starrk said with a slight grunt that made Shunsui laugh. Kyoraku wrapped an arm around his friends shoulder and started pulling him towards their group of friends in the bar. Starrk could see faces and smiles his grown to miss over the time he left Karakura Town. He missed being home. Starrk missed sitting in the bar stools that held him high when he was drunk, the late nights with his friends, and the feeling of being welcome no matter where he went. On his book tour, he felt incredibly awkward and tried to find some salvation in the cities he visited.
Starrk caught a glimpse of long white hair, sickly pale skin and a cheery bright smile that only could belong to Ukitake Juushiro. Last time Starrk saw Ukitake was when the pale man was recovering from an episode with his illness and still in the hospital. He couldn't help but feel like a bad friend for leaving while one of his best mates was hospitalized.
"Oh, Starrk! You're back in town?" Ukitake almost jumped out of his seat when he saw Starrk. The sick man pulled him into a tight hug and nearly didn't want to let go. The writer smile and let out a chuckle as Shunsui almost had to pry of the white haired man.
"Come, sit down! Tell us all about the book tour!" Starrk slid in an empty booth with his two friends and began talking of his long awaited press trip of his novel. Shunsui caught one of the waitress's attention and ordered two beers and an herbal tea (for Ukitake, of course).
"It was amazing. The fans were sweet, as always. Visiting through most of Europe was spectacular. Almost perfect." Starrk said, taking a large sip on his cold beer. Shunsui and Ukitake glanced at each other with side grins and returned their gaze at writer before them.
"Almost perfect, Starrk?" Shunsui asked. How could a trip around beautiful Europe and meeting people who adore you be almost perfect?
"Not many good bars." He said with a smile as he jugged his beer, making Shunsui grin happily.
"I knew you would never betray my beautiful tavern! Now excuse me!" Shunsui gave Starrk a sloppy kiss on the cheek and scooted himself out of the booth the three were sitting in, he caught sight of his favorite waitress and Starrk's old friend, Nanao. Starrk watched Shunsui's grey eyes light up with a love laced stare directed at the thin, black haired woman. He noticed how although Nanao acts like she doesn't like the pure affection her boss shows her, her pale face glows with a bright pink that is undeniable.
"Shunsui is still trying to win over Nanao-chan?" Starrk glanced over at Ukitake and saw him nod.
"He never stops, and even if she gives in, he will never stop over showering her with warmth." Ukitake said with a grin as they watched Nanao smack Shunsui's wandering hands with the tray in her hands.
"Nothing changed while I was gone, did it?" Starrk asked, rhetorically, and finished his cold beer. He let out a relaxed sigh and slumped back into the booth sit that his back was used to after intoxicated nights. He hadn't been able to drink a cold one in months and missed that fresh buzz from the somewhat bitter taste.
"Karakura stays the same…but there is one new thing though," Ukitake said, jerking his head to direction Starrk's line of vision. The writer followed the path to see something he hadn't seen a long time.
The first thing Starrk's eyes were attracted to was a long pair of a woman legs. He followed up the curvy of this woman's legs up to round bottom and busty chest concealed by a short red dress. Then his stone gravel colored eyes went to the face of this female and his breath was caught in his throat. Long strawberry blonde hair surrounded a heart shaped face of beauty. This woman had icy blue eyes and pouty red lips with a dot, clearly a beauty mark, right beneath her mouth. Starrk never seen a woman of that caliber in ages, or ever at all! A woman stood a couple tables away from Starrk and Ukitake, serving the table beer bottles and wine glasses.
"That is Matsumoto Rangiku. Newest waitress. Apparently she and Nanao-chan haven been friends for a long time and Nanao got her a job here." Ukitake said, holding in a laugh as he saw drool gather around the corner of Starrk's mouth.
"She's…she's …wow." Were the only words Starrk could say, he felt the wind knocked out of him as he watched Rangiku gracefully sway her way from the bar to the tables she was serving and heard her contagious laughter.
"Yes, Ran-chan is a beauty. After she came to Flower Heaven, more costumers have come in. She has brought back some life into our beloved bar."
"And a hell of a lot of leg, too!" An old man in the booth next to them, eavesdropping on the two, cried out while having a shaking hold on his alcohol. Starrk and Ukitake glanced over at the drunken man and both held in a big laugh.
Rangiku was walking the direction pass them and Starrk felt Ukitake lightly kicking his leg as some sort of motivation. The novelist had no clue what went over him. Usually he was very calm and relaxed around woman. This Rangiku was making him lose his touch.
Starrk took a deep breath and gently slide out of the booth, catching a glimpse of Ukitake's pale grin. He also got sight of Rangiku's sparkly black hell tripped forward and his natural instincts kicked in. Starrk carefully swooped in and caught the falling waitress in his arms, feeling her careless body land perfectly around him. The sound of cracking glasses meant nothing to him as he cautiously held onto the woman. He felt two arms wrapped around his shoulders and looked down to see slightly startled icy blues peering back at him.
"Oh, damn it! I'm so sorry…sir…" Rangiku began apologizing to Starrk but stopped as he lifted her back to her clumsily feet. Starrk reached down to grab the black trap with shards of broken glass on it and handed it to the dazed Rangiku.
"Not a problem, miss." He said, holding in a smirk at her enchanted expression. Starrk was going to introduce himself to the alluring waitress but a pair of hands on his shoulders brought him to a halt.
"Oh, Starrk, still have the ladies falling over you? Haven't lost your touch!" Shunsui giggled with an intoxicated quality over Starrk's shoulder and pointed his eyes towards Rangiku. The strawberry blonde blushed lightly but it quickly faded away.
"Well Starrk, this is our lovely Rangiku. And Ran-chan, this is my dear friend, Coyote Starrk." The bar owner introduced the two. Shunsui saw Rangiku trip and Starrk carefully catch her; he saw the spark between their eyes. A grin spread across his face and felt like playing matchmaker.
"So, you're the famous Coyote Starrk, huh?" Rangiku's naturally playful voice ticked Starrk's eyes and made him almost blush a shade. He awkwardly scratched his head and nodded bashfully.
"Indeed I am. I hope Shunsui hasn't filled your mind with false stories." Starrk said, glancing back at his old friend, knowing how Shunsui has set Starrk on dates and filled the girl with false hopes and exceptions. Rangiku lightly giggled, using a delicate pale hand to cover her mouth.
"I've only heard of childhood tales and your best selling books, so don't worry," Rangiku said while picking up the black tray with glass rubble. "By the way, that photo does you no justice." The strawberry blonde waitress gave Starrk a wink and swayed her legs back to the bar.
The talented writer watched the newest addition to his favorite bar gracefully walk from him and felt Shunsui pull him back into the booth.
"A lovely one, isn't she?" Shunsui said into Starrk's ear, chuckling as the author swatted him away from his ear.
"Please don't play matchmaker on this one, I can get a girl by myself." He said, glancing at Rangiku as she sat herself at the bar and talked to the bartender and seeing her peek over once or twice.
"Yeah, Starrky, keep tellin' yourself that!" Shunsui and Ukitake laughed behind Starrk.
The trio of old friends sat back in the comfy booth and watched the locals and the newcomers in "Flower Heaven". The aroma of whiskey lightly brushed under Starrk's nose, bringing back a nostalgic feeling that warmed his heart. After months of being torn away from his home, all he could ever ask for is time at the bar and even a peer at the beautiful new waitress.
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