Once upon a time, he was there. He was there with her and he was real. He was a mirage. A once upon a time, a fairy tale ended. And she would never have her happy ending. She would never know that happily ever after. She was alone.
A fake apology would leave her lips over and over. "I'm sorry." Sorry for what? She didn't know. She only said it because that's what was expected of her. Was she truly repenting this? Did she truly hold remorse? Probably not. She hated this feeling.
Beaten.
Broken.
Jaded.
Bleeding.
All synonyms for Matsumoto Rangiku. Others looked at her so differently. Everyone looked at her as they always did. As a drunkard who lazed around. But they didn't know the pain behind those sky blue irises. She was lost. She was broken. She was scared. But she would never say it aloud. "Gin..." She would call. There was never an answer. "Gin." His name would slip past her lips yet again. "Gin!" She would call out with more passion. Still no answer. "GIN!" She would scream. An answer.
Small arms wrapped around her waist. A head rested against her chest. Soft silky hair tickled her skin. Gin hadn't answered her, but Toushiro damn well did. His cool skin against her cleavage made a shiver run down her back. Deep oceans of blue met with intricate cuts of turquiose. "Tai... chou...?" She would whisper in confusion.
"Matsumoto." He called back softly. He didn't have to say anything else. She understood. She knew why he was there. He was there to love her. To hold her through the good and the bad. Not as her lover. Not as her son. But as her best friend. As he always had been to her. Her best friend. He was always there. He was the constant in her life.
"Taichou... Taichou... Taichou!" She whispered as she held on to his haori. She was lost. She needed to find a light to guide her way. She needed something to grasp onto. And he was offering up himself to her. To be her light. To be her only. To be her guide.
"... Keep shining." He murmured quietly, staying in her grasp. No other words were passed between them as sorrow filled sobs filled the cold air. As tears splashed down onto his hair and his face.
Gin's face flashed behind her eyelids. The crimson liquid dripping from his lip to his chin. Blood pouring from his stomach. Her tears falling onto his face as he whispered his final words to her. Her screams filled her ears once again. He wasn't coming back. He wasn't coming back. He wasn't coming back. He wasn't coming back to her. And she wept.
"Keep shining, Rangiku." She could almost hear him whisper to her.
