Hey everyone,

Here's the next chapter everyone!

Enjoy!

Thank you for reviewing, protovy, Denidene, Mary Akataki, Kigaroo, crazyfreakazoid and Mungetsu!

Rangiku was running through the forest. Trees went by in just one big blur. She just couldn't believe it that Shūhei really slammed her. She only wanted to help that boy, he was so lonely and sad... Was it really bad to help him? Was he really that dangerous?

But he saved her. Then he couldn't be dangerous, could he? Maybe he was just jealous, but still... His eyes were just so sad, you couldn't fake something like that.

Blinded by her tears, she only saw one big blur of colours. She didn't see anything, just her own sadness, fear and pain.

Then she tripped over a tree root. She fell down on the ground, crying, and just couldn't move any more.

She lay there crying until the sky went dark.

Then soft hands were put around her and lifted her up in the air.

"I'm sorry, ma Ran-chan," a voice said.

It was Gin.

"Where are you sorry for? You have to blame me for not stopping Shūhei, for him hurting you, while you're innocent..."

Gin grinned softly while carrying her home.

"I'm sorry because I let Shūhei hurt ya, and because I let you live with someone that dangerous..."

"Don't mind me, Shūhei won't hurt me any more. When he hurts me, he also hurts himself. He was just so.. blind of anger..."

Gin pushed Rangiku some tighter to his chest.

"I know. That's why I'm bringing ya home now," he said. "He saved you, so he deserves you. After we fought, Shūhei's eyes opened and he saw what he did. I just could stop him before he committed suicide right on the spot".

Rangiku was so shocked from hearing this, she moved so suddenly Gin nearly dropped her.

"He wanted to commit suicide only because he slapped me?" she screamed, her voice higher than normal.

"Shh," Gin said, gripping her firmly. "If I drop you now, Shūhei kills me".

Rangiku immediately calmed down and put her head back on Gin's chest. "Sorry... Is Shūhei also looking for me?"

Gin absently started stroking her hair. "Yes, and he's all upset because he thinks you've been eaten by a bear or something... I think you really need to calm him down..."

Then he grinned.

"But I don't think a bear would eat you, there a lot nicer things to eat..." he said teasingly while softly pulling her hair.

"You!" Rangiku laughed, and she sat up to slam him.

Gin wasn't prepared for this, so he lost his balance, and they both fell on the ground.

Laughing, Rangiku opened her eyes, and saw Gin close to her.

Very close.

He seemed to drawing nearer with the second.

Then a voice sounded through the woods.

"Rangiku!" it screamed, hoarse and drenched with the sound of crying and panic.

"That's Shūhei," Gin said, looking up. "Let's go to him so he doesn't need to worry any more".

Rangiku nodded, and Gin lifted her up again.

"I can walk myself..." Rangiku said while putting her head against Gin's chest again.

"Yeah, but you aren't really enthusiastic to do it," Gin said, grinning.

Then the clouds shove away and the place was lit with moonlight. In the middle of one of the moonbeams, stood Shūhei. His eyes were red and swollen of crying, and they seemed darker than Rangiku remembered. But when he saw Rangiku, his face cleared. The hard expression disappeared, and the light in his eyes was lit again.

"Rangiku!" he yelled.

He ran to her, and embraced her still crying.

"I've been so stupid Rangiku, I shouldn't have slammed you... I mean, you could've been eaten by a bear, or robbed, abused and killed by some drunks..."

Rangiku stroked his hair.

"It's okay, Shūhei, I'm still alive..."

"No, it's not okay! You're so cold, you must've caught a cold. Please, Rangiku, don't forgive me, scold me, leave me, punish me, hate me! I deserve it!"

Gin put Rangiku on the ground again, so she could embrace Shūhei too.

Rangiku folded her arms around him, and patted him on the back.

"No, I won't Shūhei. Don't you remember all those days we lived happily together? There was also one day I hit you because you said I couldn't do anything myself. You didn't went angry at me, you didn't scold me, you didn't abandon me. Maybe it's hard to live with my kindness, but it's harder to live fully without me. So no, Shūhei, I forgive you..."

Shūhei hugged her some tighter. "Thank you, Rangiku," he whispered. "Slamming a girl is much more worse than slamming me, but still... Thank you..."

Rangiku couldn't suppress a shiver when a cold wind swept through the woods. Her kimono was torn all over because of her wild run through the forest, so it didn't gave that much warmth.

"We really need to go home now," Shūhei said. "Gin, are you also coming? I owe you one. Or two. Or just a lot..."

He turned around.

"Gin?"

But he wasn't there. When Rangiku was distracted by Shūhei, he vanished in the dark.

Rangiku just couldn't stand it any more. She fell down on her knees, crying.

"Gin? Where are you going?"

Hey everyone,

This was the next chapter already, hope you liked it...

I just couldn't stay Shūhei this cruel, and Gin also has to keep his typical and maybe worst habit: leaving without a word.

But of course Gin is also there in the next chapter, when Rangiku has her first day at the academy.

Thank you so very much for reading and maybe even reviewing!

See ya next chapter!

SeireiteiFantasy