With you
"Stop fussing, Rangiku." Nanao ordered, as she tried arranging the flowers into her friend's hair, and groaned when the said flowers spilled out when she shook her head. "What has gotten into you?! Can't you stand still for five seconds so that I can make you pretty?"
"I can't help it! The scent is driving me insane!" Matsumoto sneezed to emphasize "I just can't handle it! Too strong!"
"They're just freesias, Rangiku…Besides, you're the one who insisted on marrying just after you were discharged from the hospital." Nanao huffed, wrapping the flowers in a tiny bouquet "You can't have a speedy wedding and be eight weeks pregnant and look like a movie star at the same time."
"First of, it was Toushiro who brought up the wedding talk, and second, I don't want my baby to be bullied by kids who can count better than him in school. Being conceived out of the wedlock was a huge issue for my mother and me."
"He'll figure this out either way." Nanao said, helping her friend on her feet.
"Though it's not fair, Nee-san." Orihime said as she helped her sister fix the soft shawl around her shoulders. Rangiku had decided to don a white dress that hugged her bust, but fell in wonderful, soft waves down to her knees, and even with her face as white as death thanks to the pregnancy, she still managed to look lovely. "I mean, you went through so much so that I can have a beautiful wedding, and here you are not spending a dime for yours."
"Yeah, I just gave Grimmjaw enough to be livid about for the next few decades." Rangiku grinned "But now at least know why I did it."
"Why?"
"Because you shouldn't go through that wedding hoopla, it's too stressing. But after going through it once myself for you, I don't think I want the same for me. Besides…if Toushiro and I go through it all, I'll have to go into labor the day after. Have you seen a nine-months pregnant woman? I can assure you, they don't stand around too much, it's exhausting."
"Oi!" A loud knock resonated on the door, accompanied by Grimmjaw whining "Hime, tell your sister to get out here at once, before that idiot from the Town Hall bores us to death."
"We still have five minutes before the ceremony." Hitsugaya was trying to reason with him, but one could tell from his voice that he was on the edge too.
"Bah! If you listened to anything I said, you would elope before that baka onna reconsidered."
"Oh? That's what you and Hime would've done, wouldn't you?" Rangiku cried indignantly, but she shot Nanao a sweet smile. While staying in the hospital, she asked Nanao if she wanted to make a triple wedding, with her, and Orihime, but her friend had kindly declined. In her dubious defense, she pointed out that from the two of them, Shunsui was the one pressed by time, not her.
"And…" Nanao had added "I don't want to marry someone just because of obligation. He'll come to it sooner or later."
"Or steal you away at night." Rangiku had suggested.
But still…all was well that ends well, wasn't it? Matsumoto glanced at herself in the mirror. She was wan, tired, face ashen with dark circles underneath her eyes. A year ago, hell, a few months ago, the thought of her looking like this would've made her sick. Now, she felt it was natural. That's how things are supposed to be, Rangiku thought as she opened the door, and that's the man she wanted to be with. Toushiro looked at her and a small, relieved smile spread across his features, as if, though he'd tried to resist them, Grimmjaw's words had somehow echoed his own thoughts and fears. That supposition confirmed when he took her wrist gently, kissed her hand and said:
"You're beautiful."
For a split second, something flashed in her, and then she crushed him in one of her favorite bear hugs, a little residue from the Matsumoto Rangiku he'd first met. Only this time, there were no sputtering protests and no blushing. He actually leaned into it and wrapped his arms (gently!) around her.
"Silly boy." She laughed "I wasn't planning on walking out on you before the ceremony."
"Well, then…" Hitsugaya took her by the arm and led her to the hall of ceremonies "We better get this show on the row then, before you changed your mind…"
Rangiku giggled when Orihime and Grimmjaw and Nanao stuttered past her to take their places before the couple entered. Her sister and her fiancé went to sit in the front row while Nanao joined Shunsui in front of the master of ceremonies, who, at the time, was explaining something to the latter. He looked slightly bored, but Nanao's showing up immediately brightened him up.
To her surprise, the entire room seemed full of that gentle emotion that was so well written all over Shunsui and Nanao's faces. Kiyone was there, along with a great number of Rangiku's colleagues from work. Her sister Isane was talking to Hisagi-san about something, which would've seemed perfectly innocent and inoffencive if the young man didn't have his arm around her waist, pulling her in until she was all but molded against him. So possessive, Rangiku thought, as she turned around to smile at Captain Komamura and the boys, who Kiyone had roped in to come and fill the vacant places.
But the biggest surprise of all was the flash of white hair on the first row. Rangiku all but squealed when she made out Ukitake-san standing there, smiling at the two of them fondly, with a tall, black-haired girl leaning on his arm gently.
"At least he didn't need your help to find somebody." Toushiro teased her as they stood in front of the master of ceremonies. Rangiku laughed gently as the two faced the master of ceremonies, but didn't omit to turn around to look at his face, and sure enough, the same mixture of happiness, possessiveness, and even a bit of ridiculous pride at something she couldn't quite make out. Still…she couldn't help but feel the same. She didn't remember when the master of ceremonies announced them husband and wife, but she did feel the immense joy that overcame her. Turning to him, she couldn't help but feel her eyes water when he leaned down and ever so gently kissed her, first softly, and then deeply. Every time was like the first time, only better, she thought, leaning into it.
"I love you." Rangiku said, pulling away slightly. She couldn't hear her own voice due to the mixture of the roar of her heart and everyone's cheers, but she didn't need to see him or hear him to know that he'd just replied: "I love you too."
The end? More like the beginning.
A/N-Ok, this was cheesy, short and every other good fluffy thing. I hope you enjoyed. I seriously don't see a serious way to end this fic, so I decided to make it light and pink and fluffy. I hope that I can have some constructive feedback from you now. Some pointers:
What was your favorite couple/character/character development?
What was your favorite moment?
Did you enjoy the prequel (now available as the fic "Feel", a GrimHime romance), and the spinoff ("Stages of love" is also updated, I believe)?
Did this fic live up to your expectations?
Was my humor too painfully dry/nonexistent?
Did the fluff bode well with the drama?
Oh, yeah, and I fixed the little measurement problem from chapter 2. Tee hee, silly me...made Hitsugaya too short when I was aiming to make him higher than in the anime.
Rate and review people! This is the last time in this fic I'm asking you to anyway.
