This one is inspired by the song "No one would listen" from The Phantom of The opera. And thus, it is not mine. It belongs to the genius that is Andrew Lloyd Webber. Just as bleach belongs to the genius that is Kubo-san.

Cherry-chan is mine, even though I am no genius. So ask before you use her please. Because I despise theft of her with every fiber of my being.

But how Webber could delete that song from Phantom I'll never know. Its beautiful! How could they cut it? How?! Why did they cut it?!

Ugh, long update is long. And do review if ya like this folks. I mean, faves are nice but reviews are loved too. X3

Comfort

We all know that Ichimaru Gin was happy. He smiled, he laughed, he made crude jokes and he played many pranks – many of which were on Tousen. But, indeed, there was a time, long ago, when he wasn't.

When he was younger, going back into his very early days in the Gotei Thirteen, nobody seemed to want to accept him as one of their own. Always they talked down at him, like he was a little kid. But he wasn't a little kid, at least, Gin thought he wasn't. He was mature enough to be here and took his work very seriously. And as it was his abilities far surpassed theirs. And maybe because it was either jealously or just general dislike of him, they avoided him. Made him an outcast. This didn't bother him much at first, for Gin had developed a thick skin to insults and the like back when he was living in the Rukongai. And this was just like it was then. The way they were acting around him was just like back then, with all of their nastiness directed towards him.

No one would listen
No one but her
Heard as the outcast hears.

It's not like he wasn't used to this, but the fact was that he did try to talk to them. He did try to fit in with them. Trying to get past the fact that he was different in appearance, and the fact that he was just 'some creepy little kid' to them, but he did want to talk to them in attempts to at least make some friends. Because that was something he didn't really have. He hadn't really ever had any friends to call his own. He was always pushed aside. And now these people, the people he had to work with every single day, were doing the same thing. Just ignoring him when he tried to talk to them. Making him have to fight for their attention when it came to giving orders. And it was simply because they didn't respect him. And the only ones that did respect him did so only out of fear. Because they found him to be unnerving, smiling all the time.

But that was the mask that he had to wear. He had to put it on to appear that he was strong and coping with being an outcast again. He had been used to this in the Rukongai, but not here. So it was like re-adjusting to the process of becoming one all over again. And it was a very painful process.

Because in effect, he didn't really have anyone he could talk to on a personal level. Now Aizen was there, being the acting fukutaichou. But there was just something about him that Gin couldn't trust. Sure he was open, and Aizen had been nothing but supportive of the boy in the workplace. But there was just something in Gin that he couldn't bring himself to open up to him yet. Not about his own problem of being an outcast. It wasn't like Aizen could do anything about something that seemed so natural. So Gin shut himself off, he gave up with trying to fit in; something that didn't go unnoticed by Aizen. Who could tell from Gin's subtle change in behaviour that he just didn't care any more.

But that all changed when he found a friend there in the dark. When he'd found a little white fox cub in the dark and the cold, after its whole family had been killed by a hollow and decided to bring her home with him. He was made happier. He smiled a lot more now, his mood changed. It was like she became his little light in the darkness. And so Aizen allowed him to keep her. He turned a blind eye to the infraction of the rules because it would make Gin happier. Being sort of like an older brother figure to the young Gin.

Shamed into solitude
Shunned by the multitude
I learned to listen
In my dark, my heart heard music.

But that didn't change the way they all thought about him. They all thought that Gin looked kind of creepy with the way that he smiled all the time, even though that was the only protection that he had against the world. And somewhere deep inside him he still wanted to be a part of them, be one of them and not be left to stand on the outside only able to watch. Wanting to be a part of their group. But things still did not change, no matter how much he wanted them to. No matter how much he tried, it was no use. But he had his little fox, something that they could never have. How he loved her. He named her Cherry and raised and cared for her. Fed her in the middle of the night, and kept her safe and warm. He even nursed her back to health when she got sick. She was his little angel, his angel of music in a world of silence and dark. She listened to him when nobody else would.

And life carried on like this, with Cherry growing into a fine young vixen, until one day came when they were particularly nasty to little Gin. They had seen him come into the room carrying her, and as such, they grew jealous. Or at least, that is the most likely explanation. Either that or they hated foxes just as much as him.

Now pets were against the rules. They reprimanded him and told him so. They called him every name under the sun when he replied that he didn't care.

"How could a little runt like you deserve a pet?" they spat at him. Obviously showing they despised him. Then suggesting that they try to take her away from him, which he just wouldn't allow. He clutched her to his chest and wouldn't let go. He told them he wouldn't.

"No! No I aint never gonna let her go!"

They then told him with disdain that they would inform his superiors and she would get taken away, effectively scaring him. He couldn't bear the thought of a life without his little Cherry-chan, and so he believed their lies and the fact that he was unworthy to have her. He didn't want to have her taken away.

I longed to teach the world
Rise up and reach the world
No one would listen
I alone could hear the music

After running off away from their insults and harshness, he made his way into the empty office, the fox leaping from his arms as he walked into the room, softly closing the door behind him. With them being the only ones in there.

He softly padded over to the spare wooden chair, sighing angrily as he plonked himself onto the chair and sat down, exhaling quietly. Sitting there in silence with his breath shaking, unable to take this any more and finally just breaking down and crying, burying his face in his hands. His smile vanishing completely. All he wanted was to be accepted by them, but all they did was torment and shun him. Hurt him over and over.

He only looked up when a little bark passed through his ears. The little white fox was looking up at him, her eyes were wide and her bushy tail was wagging slowly from side to side. Looking up at her master with confused eyes, as if asking 'why are you crying?'

Then at last, a voice in the gloom
Seemed to cry "I hear you;
I hear your fears,
Your torment and your tears."

He sniffed and looked down at her, with water still pouring from his eyes. Opening them for only her to see their emerald green colour. He looked at her for a long quiet moment, staring into her bright blue eyes that had the ability to look deep into his soul as she put her paw on his leg. She flattened her ears and whined softly before he leaned over to pick her up. He held her up to him and she whined quietly, not wanting him to be upset. He knew that she didn't like it when he cried, but there were times like this one when he just couldn't help it.

He just couldn't help crying after some of the nasty things they said to him, and the hurtful things they said about him behind his back. But she... she was the only one that understood him completely. Seeing him through his loneliness, and knowing the emptiness of being made to be alone in the world.

She saw my loneliness
Shared in my emptiness
No one would listen
No one but her
Heard as the outcast hears

He whimpered as he held her close, hugging her tightly to his chest. With her burying herself into him, nuzzling into his neck affectionately as he cried into her soft fur. Cherry whining softly as she licked the tears from one of his cheeks. Making him stop and look at her, with her brightened eyes and happy expression. Watching her tail gently wagging again as she looked at him with her puppy like expression. She really did not like to see him upset, she only really wanted him to be happy.

He smiled softly as she nuzzled him; she was comforting him, just as he had comforted her on that night when the thunderstorm came. And he thought to himself that even if he was otherwise alone in the world, he was glad to have her to listen to him.

Even if she was the only one that ever did.

No one would listen
No one but her
Heard as the outcast hears...