Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Bleach characters mentioned in this series. All characters belong to the original author Tite Kubo.

However: I do own Haruka Kaenbyo and Umeko Fujiwara.

Warning: Spoilers may be present.

Sake was considered the cure for all your troubles. At least that's what Rangiku believed. Hitsugaya had scolded her for showing up halfway through the day and slacking off for the rest. It was days like those when Rangiku needed a drink to forget how harsh her captain was towards her. But Rangiku rarely paid for her own drinks, instead dragging alone whoever she could find to treat her. That night Gin had been her lucky partner.

"Come on Gin, top us off," Rangiku said, resting her head on her hand.

Gin did as she requested and poured some more sake into each of their glasses. They were sitting outside at that point. In the persimmon grove Gin had planted behind the third squad's barracks back when he had first became captain. He had loved dried persimmons his whole life and had planted the trees to dry the persimmons himself to give to the other shinigami.

He remembered the first time he gave Haruka a bag of the dried fruit. The smile that spread across her face was genuine. She told him that persimmons were her favorite fruit but she loved them all the more when they were dried because then they were sweeter. A love for persimmons was one of the few things they had in common. When he actually thought about it, they weren't very similar at all. Not at all. It was almost a wonder how they were best friends.

Gin was tall, standing at about 6'1". Haruka was very short on the other hand, just passing the four foot mark. When she was standing straight up she was barely 4'2". His favorite drink was warm green tea, while she preferred a cup of chilled chrysanthemum or melon oolong. His favorite color was black, hers was white. Gin loved the summer. Haruka enjoyed the winter. Haruka loved the scent of winter-blooming narcissus and sweat pea. While Gin, on the other hand, liked someone more along the lines of crisp pine. She loved missions to the human world. Gin preferred his office much more. She loved music. He liked silence. She was trusted, even though she shouldn't have been. He wasn't, at least not by many.

Gin had few friends in the soul society other than Haruka. Kira and Rangiku made up almost the entire group. People found Gin hard to trust with his wicked sense of sarcasm and unsettling smile. But neither bothered Haruka. She was friends with nearly everyone. Gin doubted he could find a single person in the entire Soul Society that hated Haruka. She was just sweet, genuinely good. On the outside at least.

Her smile was a mask she wore without a second thought. Behind it was a girl who truly didn't care about anyone other than herself, and maybe her closest friends. She had learned to give people a sense of trust, but never truly trust them. Be loved, but don't love back, for emotions only get you hurt.

It was a side of her that even Gin had only seen a handful of times. He doubted anyone else knew about who she really was.

Gin sighed. His smile fading slightly.

"You okay?" Rangiku asked, noticing his slight change in expression.

Gin smiled. "Yeah, just getting a little tired. Maybe we should get going to bed now."

Rangiku pouted. "You're such a party pooper, Gin. The night is still young, we have plenty of time. Sit back and relax. And pour be another glass, will you?"

Gin opened a new bottle of Sake, not even checking to see how many they had already finished off. Two or three, maybe four, he thought to himself. He filled each of their cups to the brim and set the bottle down beside him.

He took a sip of his sake, suddenly feeling his throat run dry. He stared up at the night sky, watching the clouds slowly dance along the stars. Even though it was early spring the night was still warm. Not too cool, but not too hot like summer nights often were. There was a crisp scent of flowers in the air for the persimmon trees had just began to bloom.

Gin finished off his glass, for the hundredth time that night, and lost himself in his thoughts once again.

He remembered earlier that day, when he was on his way to Haruka's lab to bring her dinner. He had run into Hitsugaya in the hall, a look of pain was plastered across his face. Gin began to wonder what Haruka had done to upset him so much. It wasn't like Hitsugaya to be easily hurt by things. Gin was curious but he wouldn't ask about it. He could probably guess anyway. It wasn't much of a secret that Hitsugaya liked her, especially after what he had told Gin.

You're so lucky she likes you. Those words had been stuck in his head all night, repeated over and over again in Hitsugaya's sullen voice. The anger in his eyes and the sadness in his voice had clashed, almost frightening Gin. If only Hitsugaya knew. If only he knew.

He hoped with this glass he would finally be able to get them out, and if not, the next. Sake was considered the cure to all your troubles. And Gin was starting to believe that.

You're so lucky she likes you.

Oh, how he wished she did. How he wished she did.

Arigato. Reviews welcome.

I realize this is an extremely short chapter but it's really hard to write in Gin's pov. Sorry.

- Haruka Shinigami