A/N-SO…I AM A LIAR. THIS ISN'T A ONE-SHOT IS IT? LOL. UMMM…Kohryu CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF THE STORY BEING TOLD FROM HITSUGAYA'S POV. IT WAS A VERY GOOD IDEA. WISH I HAD THOUGHT OF IT. I WAS JUST GOING TO CONTINUE THE STORY. IT WAS A BIT OF A CHALLENGE FOR ME BECAUSE EVERYTHING I WRITE IS USUALLY FROM RANGIKU'S POV...BUT I NEVER BACK DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE. ANYWAY…I DON'T OWN THE CHARACTERS…JUST THE STORIES WITHIN…LIKE YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW.

: )

The party ended when the food was gone and the music had died down. We had such a wonderful hostess. She is kind and considerate of her guests. She made sure their cups were full and offered endless conversation. Sure she mingled and laughed but her heart was not there. The usual twinkle in her eyes was not to be found. She tried hard to cover up the turmoil she was feeling. But I knew it must have been a hard day for her. The reminiscing was too much to bear for all of us but she still holds herself partly responsible. A fact I hoped to remedy. I wanted to make every ounce of her pain disappear just as the man who caused it.

I watched her from the doorway as she pinned her hair up and began to disassemble the decorations from the conference room. I had so much to tell her and no better time to tell her in. It doesn't matter whether she is in the heat of battle, primping herself or cleaning up after a party. She is always beautiful. "Yeah, right." I heard her say as she removed some streamers from the window sill. Then she laughed. It wasn't her usual happy laugh, though. It was a laugh filled with anger, bitterness and regret. She was crying.

"You sure do know how to throw a party." I said as I walked up behind her and she jumped. She hadn't realized I had been there. Slowly she stood up holding the trash at her feet. "But you forgot one minor detail."

"Oh, yeah. What's that?" She asked as she tried to push past me. I refused to allow her by. I took a hold of her arm and she looked at me surprised. Her face was red and puffy. Her eyes were swollen and wet. Yet in her sadness her beauty never faltered. It's angelic the way her hair is like a waterfall of red and blonde as the waves trickle down her back. Sure the curves of her body are delicious but the curves of her heart are what draw me to her.

"You forgot to enjoy yourself." I insisted. Her eyes searched my face as I searched hers. I don't understand why more people can't see what a treasure she is. Why can't some one make her happy the way that she tries to make everyone else happy? I had grown to love her. Why couldn't she see that? He is long gone and still he holds on to her heart with unwavering fervor. I looked over her with confusion. Why can't she let him go?

"Rangiku? What's the matter? What happened?" I pulled her in for a hug and she let her composure go. It was painful for me to watch her be in so much pain. "There, there." I tried my best to comfort her and I ran my fingers through her hair; avoiding the pins. Her breaths became ragged and I pulled her closer to me in an attempt to absorb her suffering. I nestled her under my chin. I held her there until she stopped crying. She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and took a deep breath. I could smell the fragrance of her shampoo. It was intoxicating. I felt me knees go weak. "Why do you still let him get to you?" I whispered in her ear. She let out a sharp sigh. "Let him go. A flower should not weep for the bad seed. You are free now to blossom on your own accord. You don't need him to care for you. You are the strongest woman I know. It breaks my heart to see you this way, Rangiku. Let-him-go."

I took her face in my hands and contemplated what I could say to her to make her understand that she was wasting her tears. The aching in my heart grew to a size that I could no longer contain. I loved her. Had she always loved me?

"Surely, you are hurting too." She explained. It's just like her to bypass my efforts to cheer her up in order to make light of her own feelings. Why was she so terrified of letting her true feelings be known?

I shook her one time to snap her out of her selfless state. "Don't change the subject. This is about you!" I shouted. My next move was involuntary and more irrational than I intended to be. I pressed my lips to hers. Her lips were smooth like velvet and she melted into me. I didn't want that feeling to end. Now that I had her undivided attention I let my lips travel down her neck. Much to my delight she wrapped a leg around my hip. I wasted no time admiring the feel of her skin. I had to tell her. "I love you. Everything in my life has led me back to you."

With my words she pulled away from me and rested herself against the wall on the other side of the room. She looked at me pensively.

"Rangiku? Are you mad?" I asked as the fear built up in my stomach. She chucked at my question.

"No. I am not mad. I am overjoyed." She began but stopped short of her explanation.

"But?..." I insisted.

"But…What are we going to do now that we have fallen in love?" I couldn't believe that she just said that she loved me! I was the happiest man in the world. "People are going to think we are ridiculous. They will say that I am some hussy that is out to seduce every man in Seireitei, even my own Captain. Then they will congratulate you behind closed doors for being associated with the court seductress. Are you willing to damage your reputation?"



I walked to her in wide steps and still getting to her took way too long. I placed an arm on the wall and curled another arm around her waist. She would not escape me. I spoke loudly and vigorously. "Fuck 'em. You do not damage my reputation. They are just jealous. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're beautiful inside and out. You deserve to be indulged. Let me indulge you. Let me taste you. Let me…love you the way he never could."