A/N: Saying I'm sorry after updating only after two months will probably not cut it, so I'll put up chapter five tomorrow. For now, enjoy!
Chapter Four
The sound the anchor hitting the water entered Rangiku's ears as she stood at the railings of the Ashen Spear. She watched the heavy piece of metal sink and quietly disappear into the deep blue water. Shouts of the men calling out to each other resounded around her as they confirmed that the ropes and riggings were securely tied. Rangiku's eyes swept across the deck. Normally she would be helping out the sailors but today she had something else planned.
It wasn't actually something that she herself had planned but rather that someone else planned and just told her about it and it didn't only happen once but twice in succession.
Sitting on their beds and facing each other were Rangiku and Momo.
"Rangiku," Momo whispered, "I found a lead to Shiro."
"Prince Hyorinmaru, really?" Rangiku was surprised.
"Yes," Momo nodded and leaned against the wall, "Apparently there is a certain inn in Rukongai that the Ice Ring tends to frequent."
She had not expected her friend to get any further on this ship by the way the situation looked. The new piece of information was very timely.
"That's good t' hear. We're also docking at the next port town, right? Did the Cap's say we could leave?"
Momo nodded, "Yes, we can leave."
"Tis great!"
However, Momo's face did not show the happiness and excitement Rangiku was expecting, so she decided to ask, "What's wrong?"
Momo's eyes drifted around the room, occasionally settling on Rangiku and wandering on. She parted her lips but didn't speak immediately. She frowned as the words did not come out. Then she glanced at her dear friend with faltering eyes. Her voice was somewhat weak, "I… I am not sure how to say this."
Rangiku furrowed her brows at the girl's indecisiveness.
"I think saw Captain Ichimaru's eye color when I asked a rather sensitive question."
Rangiku's eyes widened at Momo's answer, "You what…?"
Momo averted her eyes as she continued, "You once said that with his eye colors you would be certain of his identity… They were sky blue."
"Sky blue…" Rangiku echoed, "My god…"
Rangiku eyes dilated in shock and her head lowered, unfocused eyes faced directed at the ground. Slowly the silence wrapped around them.
[The way it is, Momo will have to continue her journey alone. This is probably the only chance I'll get.] Rangiku thought to herself as she waited for her dark haired friend.
A sense of guilt filled her as she stood in silence with the thought of breaking her promise to help out plaguing her.
"Scarlet," the voice broke Rangiku out of her daze.
The strawberry-blonde turned to face Momo with a smile. The black haired girl had a small bag pack with her.
"You're here! Let's go?" Rangiku said and Momo nodded.
Momo's lips shifted into a small smile once she saw that Rangiku was trying to be upbeat about the situation. The girls left the harbour and went into the city to sightsee a little and maybe buy a thing or two. When they entered the plaza, they found themselves surrounded by many different kinds of stalls. Apparently there was a monthly special market day and they happened upon it by chance.
"Are those apples dipped in molten sugar?" Momo asked as she saw the items displayed in a sweets stall.
"Hm?" Rangiku followed Momo's line of sight.
"Yes, they are," Rangiku confirmed and glanced at her friend.
Momo had a rather longing face as she gazed at the sugar coated apples.
[She wants one, eh?] Rangiku thought and smirked as an idea popped in to her head.
"Let's go Momo," Rangiku nonchalantly said and started moving forward.
"Eh?" Momo replied and looked at her best friend in surprise, "but–"
"But what?" Rangiku stopped and turned around, "Those are for children, ye know?"
Momo's postured straightened and mumbled out an, "I-I see."
"Why don't ye go and get one of those sweet potatoes instead?" Rangiku pointed over to another stand.
"That's right…" Momo replied weakly and marched towards the indicated place.
She bought two baked sweet potatoes, one for herself and one for Rangiku. She turned around to give one to Rangiku but her friend had suddenly disappeared.
"Rangiku…?"
With nothing better to do, Momo went to the middle of the plaza, where a fountain was placed. She sat down on the edge and laid the food on her lap. She took one of them and started peeling it. She was about to take a bite when something bumped her head, creating an unpleasant thud. Frowning from the pain, Momo looked up only to see Rangiku dangling something in front of her face. Momo pushed Rangiku's hand away to get a better look and her eyes widened in delight. However, it turned quickly into an accusing one.
"You bought a sugar coated apple for yourself?!" Momo pouted.
Rangiku shook her head and grinned, "Nope, tis for you."
Momo almost didn't believe her ears, "Really?"
"Uh-huh," Rangiku smiled and handed over the candy while taking the sweet potato on Momo's hand.
"You did a good job, thank you," Momo praised Rangiku who shook her head.
She snickered, "Really, saying 'good job' that way. What am I – your pet?"
Rangiku took a seat beside Momo and began eating. They both ate in silence as if to drag out the actual conversation they had to confront. After they finished eating, Rangiku also got some juice for them to drink. After a while Rangiku finally decided that it was time.
"Momo…" she started.
The black haired girl had an inkling on what Rangiku was about to tell her and she had made her decision about the moment she had revealed she would leave.
"I'm so sorry t' break my promise after saying all that stuff but… I don't think I can come with you… I… I need to know the truth. Why he is here and what he is doing here… and why he seems so different," Rangiku said, trying to convey her feelings and thoughts.
She did not dare look at Momo for fear of rejection. When she didn't hear an answer, Rangiku grew more nervous. She almost jumped when she felt a pat on her back. Rangiku turned her head to Momo and saw a warm smile on her friend's face. Relief washed over her as she saw that Momo wasn't angry or disappointed at all.
"I understand and I knew by your reaction that time that you would definitely want to stay. There's no way I could separate you from him as you could separate me from Shiro – not after having no word of them for years," Momo gently answered and ended with a soft chuckle.
Tears began to form on the edges of Rangiku's eyes and started sobbing, "Thank you!"
She pulled Momo into a bear hug, squishing her into her chest until Momo had to repeatedly pat Rangiku to signal that she was suffocating.
When Rangiku finally let go, Momo added, "In a couple of months I will have to return to the castle. Therefore, should you be nearby, leave a letter or something. However, should I already be back, come and visit me. You will always be welcome."
"I'll definitely do that," Rangiku nodded and smiled.
Momo stood up from the water fountain's edge and dusted off the crumbs of food on her and Rangiku followed suit.
"I believe it is time for me to go," Momo finally said and gathered up her belongings, "You also have another appointed, don't you?"
"A-another appointment… Ahaha, I don't know what you are talking about," Rangiku stuttered and rubbed her neck as her eyes wandered away from Momo's.
"Oh, come on, don't be shy," Momo teased, "I saw how Captain Ichimaru asked you out for lunch and most of the crew saw it too."
"'Asked out'? More like forced me to accept it," Rangiku grumbled.
"I thought I saw him smile happily when he heard your answer though," Momo stated playfully.
"Eh? How would ye know when he smiles all the time?" Rangiku retorted and shook her head.
"It seemed rather different from his usual ones. He had this sparkly aura around him, such as a child who knows that he will receive a present."
"Tis a weird comparison," Rangiku replied and raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, you must have not seen it as he was returning to his quarters already," Momo pointed out as she remembered, "And during the raid, he also went to specifically save you. I saw it from a distance."
"There's no way, girl. Twas coincidence, coincidence I tell ya!" Rangiku denied.
"If you say so~" Momo relented, "Though I am sure he is trying to court you…"
Seeing the direction the conversation was taking, Rangiku didn't know how to respond anymore and took a radical approach.
"Anyways, I'm so sad t' see ye go!" Rangiku wailed and hugged Momo once more, changing topics.
It was a short hug, so Momo only felt squashed for a moment.
She rubbed the pain in her arms away while smiling at Rangiku and said, "Yes, thank you for everything Rangiku – don't be late to your date – and until we meet again."
Momo couldn't help but add something else in and started to turn away.
"Fair winds, Milady," Rangiku answered in return while ignoring the side comment.
Momo left the plaza and Rangiku waited until her friend was out of sight. With a sad sigh and a small hint of irritation, Rangiku returned to the ship.
#####
A certain pair was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch. To other it may have seemed like a couple on a date, but to the two sitting there, it was something else – at least for one of them it was.
Rangiku couldn't help but keep remembering what Momo said to her before she left. The words 'date' and 'hitting on you' kept swirling around in her mind, making her somewhat dizzy.
"Is somethin' wrong?"
Rangiku broke out of her thoughts at Gin's question.
"A-ah, no, I was just thinking 'bout M-Ruby," Rangiku quickly answered.
[Phew, I almost said Momo's name out loud. Damn it, what's wrong with me?] Rangiku scolded herself for being careless.
"Ya shouldn't worry so much. She'll be fine," Gin assured her.
Rangiku blinked her eyes. She thought to have seen a slight change in the usual grin Gin wore. She thought that he was actually smiling for a moment but immediately dismissed her musings and replied, "Yeah…"
She understood that Gin was trying to lighten her guilty feelings but actually felt guiltier because she had lied.
[Well, I didn't exactly lie. I was thinking about Momo… and what she said.] Rangiku excused herself and waved any further thoughts on the topic away.
After they finished their food, Rangiku took out her money to pay, but Gin shook his head and did not let her pay. Instead he paid for both of them while saying, "My treat."
Together they left the restaurant and stepped onto the busy street where merchant sold their wares at their stands. A nearby ice cream stall caught Gin's eye and he pointed towards it while saying, "Let's get some."
Without waiting for an answer, he steered towards the stall. Not commenting on Gin deciding by himself, Rangiku silently followed the young man who seemed to be in high spirits.
"What would you like, sir?" the vendor asked Gin who arrived first.
Gin gave a quick look over list of flavours until his gaze fell upon a name that piqued his interest.
"Ya have persimmon flavour?" Gin asked surprised.
"Yes, it's the 'Special flavour of the day'," the vendor answered and took an ice cream cone, "Would you like some?"
"Just a sec'," Gin replied and turned to Rangiku, "What d'ya want?"
Rangiku was equally surprised at the 'Special flavour of the day' and immediately replied, "I want persimmon flavour."
"Persimmon? So we got the same taste, eh?" Gin chuckled, "I haven't met many who like it, but I especially like 'em dried."
The last sentence caught Rangiku's attention as she recalled how her childhood friend and she herself shared the same love for dried persimmon. She chose to not reply to Gin's comment.
Gin turned back to the ice cream seller, "Two persimmon flavoured ice creams, please."
The vendor scooped out the ice cream onto two cones and handed them over. Gin swiftly took out the money and paid again before Rangiku could even reach for her purse. After giving their thanks, the pair left and walked down along the street while eating their dessert.
"Ye know, I ain't poor," Rangiku stated after a while.
"I know," was all Gin answered.
Internally Rangiku sighed. She didn't understand why Gin had asked her out to lunch or why he was treating her.
[I don't get what he's planning.] Rangiku gave up trying to figure it out. [If he wants to spend money, that's fine. Better for me anyways.]
She continued to contently eat her persimmon flavoured ice cream.
[It's pretty good. Not bad, not bad at all] Rangiku smiled as she thought about the taste.
"Want to go shopping?" Gin suddenly asked and snapped Rangiku's attention back to him, "I need to buy a new shirt since Byakuya sliced up mine."
Rangiku replied with a simple, "Sure."
She smiled at the thought of shopping. She did like to buy clothes but did not dare to since she would splurge her money without thought. During the years of being poor, it was a very dangerous habit that she had to beware of. Gin led to a nearby clothing shop and entered with Rangiku.
Upon seeing the rows of clothing, Rangiku immediately dived into the search for better outfits after giving Gin a simple, "I'll be going ahead!"
Seeing Rangiku's enthusiasm for hunting clothes, he couldn't help but smile wryly. He felt that some things never changed for his childhood friend and target of his affection. Without further ado, he also went through the stack of clothes for men to search out some suitable shirts for himself. A while later he had found everything he needed and went over to Rangiku to check up on her situation. A very unsurprising sight entered his eyes. Rangiku had heaped the chosen outfits on her arm and did not seem to have finished yet.
"Scarlet," Gin called out, "Why don't cha first try out tha clothes ya already chose?"
Rangiku stopped for a moment for think and then nodded, "M'kay but…"
[…I don't have anyone to judge my attire.]
Gin immediately knew what Rangiku was thinking about. When they were younger, he often accompanied her during her shopping trips at her request and also judged her compatibility with the outfits she chose. It had influenced him enough that he kept up his fashion sense even afterwards, so he had confidence.
"Go on," he said and gave her a light push into the direction of the changing rooms, "I'll see if they fit ya."
A flash of remembrance flickered through her eyes, delaying her answer by a second.
"Sure," Rangiku answered with a smile and headed for the changing rooms while Gin sat down on the chairs in front of them.
Once Rangiku finished putting on the first outfit, she pushed the curtain aside and stepped in front of Gin. The silver haired man made a sweep of Rangiku's attire and shook his head.
"The pants are fine but the top's no good," he answered with a smile.
Inwardly Gin was cursing himself for being selfish. The top Rangiku wore had a very low-cut neckline. He did not know how Rangiku came to not mind showing her cleavage area but he could not stand it if she would wear something that was more revealing than her usual clothes which were already revealing enough. However, the clothes had fit her perfectly. When his eyes wandered to her neck, he saw the necklace Rangiku was wearing and nostalgia befell him, but he also noticed that the chain seemed somewhat different from his memory.
Rangiku frowned a bit but gave an "okay" and turned around to go and try out the next one but Gin stopped her.
"What happened to ya chain? It looks rather worn out," Gin asked.
Rangiku faced Gin again.
"Me chain? Some time ago it broke during one of the raids and Ruby was so kind t' give me one of her spares to use. Then there was also a small accident with it. The old chain can't be fixed an'more, so I was going t' have an identical one made but ne'er got to it–an' why am I telling ye this?" Rangiku said the last part in an annoyed tone and promptly turned around, entering the cabin.
Rangiku didn't see it, but there were traces of thoughtfulness on Gin face after her answer.
She tried out the next one and when she showed Gin, he shook his head again, so she tried once more only for Gin to shake his head the third time. A feeling of wanting him to approve her choices arose. Upon the fifth time Rangiku started to become apprehensive.
[Now the skirt's not working with me? What am I doing wrong?]
Rangiku felt something was off when she saw him and realized a moment later – Gin wasn't smiling anymore.
[He must be pretty serious about choosing my clothes.]
Rangiku was somewhat taken aback but a feeling of wanting his approval grew stronger combined with a competitive spirit. She went through the rack of clothes she brought with her and tried on several but was dissatisfied until she found a certain piece. Upon wearing it and checking herself in the mirror, she got a good feeling and decided that it was good enough to show Gin but there was still something missing. Rangiku looked around and found a pair of heels she had grabbed earlier to go with her clothes. A smile lit up Rangiku's face as she put them on. She looked at herself once more from top to bottom in the mirror before turning around and pushing the curtain aside to exit the changing room.
Gin, who had become a little bored as Rangiku was taking longer than usual, had his head leaning on his hand and his arm propped up on the chair's armrest while waiting. At the sound of the curtain swishing he looked up and his usually slit eyes widened and light fell onto the usually concealed clear sky blue irises. His breath hitched at the sight in front of him.
It was a beautiful midnight blue evening dress that highlighted her eye colour. The dress flowed in slight waves until they covered her ankles while perfectly accentuating her curves. The cloth split from her mid-thigh on the left, letting her soft white leg peek through the gap. Her cleavage area was not too revealing but enough so that her ring could be seen on her chest hanging on its chain. The dress was sleeveless, showing off Rangiku's beautiful arms and the halter went around her neck leaving her back open which Gin could see from the mirror behind her.
Gin gulped slightly at the scene. Rangiku had outdone herself this time and he was in shock. His mind had gone blank.
Similarly Rangiku was also shocked but not because of herself – it was Gin's eyes that shocked her. It was her first time seeing him open his eyes more than usual and also her first time witnessing the sky blue irises for herself. She froze in her movements as she remembered other facts and observations she had made about Gin which pointed towards her childhood friend.
After silence kept the pair company for a while, Rangiku was the first to regain her senses. She remembered why she was there and started frowning.
[Why isn't he saying anything?]
"Gin…how is it?" Rangiku hesitantly called out to the silent young man in front of her.
Gin still in daze thoughtlessly whispered an answer, "Like a beautiful goddess…"
There was a short pause before Rangiku reacted.
[…Huh? D-did he just say what I thought he said?!]
Rangiku tried to confirm but barely managed to ask, "…Eh, w-what did you just say?"
This time Gin snapped out of his trance and immediately realized what just happened, tried to correct himself which made him stutter as he had not properly recovered yet, "I-I meant you, uh, r-right! It looks great on ya, um, very pretty, t-there's nothin' ta complain…"
In the end Gin only complimented her instead of sounding more neutral which made him drift off into an awkward laugh while rubbing his neck. Rangiku seeing Gin's flustered state and the slight redness on his cheeks, plus hearing his praise, started blushing herself. She gave a small "t-thank you" and also ended up joining the awkward laugh.
#####
The sun had set and the evening arrived which the whole crew of the Ashen Spear was anticipating for. They had all assembled in an inn to do one thing – drink! It was a tradition of theirs to get together and celebrate after each big successful raid. This time it was one of those and thus the sailors gathered once more.
Within the partly lit bar of the inn, the crew spread out to the tables nearby, clustering around the centre where the captain would sit. They had not reserved the inn, but when they enquired, nobody else had reserved it either. The waitress had started giving out the mugs of beer and glasses of alcohol to the crew, but none of them touched it. They were still waiting.
"Pray tell, where's the Cap'n, Scarlet? Ain't he with ye?" a gruff voice resound from behind Rangiku who had chosen a seat next to the centre table.
"Oh Kenpachi, it's you," Rangiku realized when she turned around, "The Cap'n? I haven't seen 'im since I've returned."
"Issat so?" the giant said and turned back to is group again while grumbling with a loud voice, "That guy's late."
"Well, sorry for bein' late, I had some business ta finish up, mate."
Everyone turned towards the owner of the voice who just walked into the bar.
"Took ye long 'nough!" Kenpachi hollered with a grin.
It was Captain Ichimaru who finally arrived and walked towards the centre table rather leisurely. Shouts of people telling him to hurry up resounded through the room and with an "alright, alright" Gin sped up a little.
Once at the centre, the waitress came and gave him a mug of beer. He took it with a simple nod as thanks and immediately got up onto the chair and put his right foot on the table. His grin was ever present and he lifted up his mug.
Meanwhile Rangiku just hazily watched the whole scene and hardly paid attention. Usually she would be rather excited to have drinking buddies while someone else was paying for her, but today she was feeling rather unmotivated. There was a lot on her mind about the things that happened today and she wasn't sure on how to handle them.
[Ugh, I should be enjoying myself right now but every time I see that silver haired guy, I keep getting reminded of this afternoon. The persimmons and the store where he – oh fuck it all. I'm supposed to be drinking and not messing up my mind!]
Rangiku grabbed the glass of wine and drowned it in one go.
"Lass, one more!" Rangiku called out to the waitress who immediately refilled her glass but she drowned it again.
Seeing Rangiku finished her second glass, she refilled it, but Rangiku kept going and in the end the girl left the bottle of wine with Rangiku. The blonde haired female slowed down her drinking but kept an almost constant pace and she didn't seem to be getting drunk any time soon. After a while, Rangiku stood up and joined the table behind her where Kenpachi Grimmjow and Ulquiorra sat.
"Joining us Miss?" Kenpachi greeted Rangiku.
"Ye feeling lonely over there?" Grimmjow snickered.
"Yeah, I need some drinking buddies for the alcohol," Rangiku went along with it.
"Good, good," Kenpachi agreed.
They started talking about various things such as–
"This guy's been ogling the waitress for a while," Grimmjow said while he put his arm around Ulquiorra and pulled him towards the other two.
"I'm not!" Ulquiorra protested but was ignored.
"Eh, issat so?" Rangiku grinned and looked over to the waitress.
She had long burnt orange hair and a pretty face. She seemed to be around 18 years in age.
"Hmm, I see," Rangiku snickered, "she is pretty. So that's your type, eh?"
"Leave me alone, would you?" Ulquiorra grumbled with a very slight tinge of red on his face."
"Mate, ye can't hide it," Kenpachi bellowed with a hearty laugh.
The group aside from the victim started laughing loudly.
"So what's her name?" Rangiku inquired.
"Don't know yet," Grimmjow answered.
"Eh~? Let's call her over then," Rangiku gave an evil grin, "Hey, lass! Would you come here please!"
Ulquiorra who was drinking choked on the liquid and started coughing.
Being called the waitress walked over to the table of four.
"Yes? What would you like me to get?" she asked.
"Would it be fine for you to join us for a bit?" Rangiku asked.
"Eh? Uh–but I can't do that Miss, my chef would fire me if I slacked off," the girl nervously said.
She had men ask her to join them before, but this was the first time that a woman asked her, so she wasn't quite sure on how to respond.
"Nah, don't be shy girl," Rangiku lightly said replied, "Just for a bit stay here with us. You don't need to sit, so your boss won't notice."
"Um… alright," Orihime finally agreed.
Rangiku gave a pleasant smile to the girl.
"So what's your name lass?" Rangiku started.
She could see Ulquiorra start to squirm in his seat and so did the other two men with her.
"My name is Orihime Inoue, Miss," the girl answered.
"'Orihime', it's a good name and it fits you," Rangiku told her.
"Ah, thank you," Orihime smiled.
"My name's Scarlet and this is Kenpachi. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra," Rangiku introduced herself and the others.
Ulquiorra jumped a little at having his name mentioned.
"Nice to meet ye," Kenpachi nodded.
"Tis a pleasure," Grimmjow greeted.
At Ulquiorra's turn, he barely managed to get out, "H-hello."
Kenpachi, Grimmjow and Rangiku started laughing at Ulquiorra's unusually timid display.
Orihime on the other hand felt rather confused at the outburst of the three. Once they calmed down, they got the conversation going again.
Rangiku asked, "If you were only allowed to go out with one of the three men, who would you choose?"
Orihime was startled for Rangiku had given her a rather difficult question to answer.
"Um, uh, that kind of question…" she trailed off.
"It's fine," Rangiku shook her head slightly, "It doesn't matter who you choose. It more like a bet for us and your answer's going to decide it."
Relieved that it didn't seem to be because they were hitting on her, Orihime answered seriously, "Um, if I were to choose, I think I would say…hmm… him."
Orihime gestured at the chosen person and the others also followed with their eyes.
"Eh~, ain't that good for ye, Ulquiorra," Kenpachi vigorously laughed.
"Yeah, yeah," Grimmjow agreed.
"Ain't that sweet?" Rangiku teased.
"Umm…" Orihime didn't know what to say.
"Orihime! What are you doing?! Get back to work!" a voice shouted over to them from behind the bar.
Startled, Orihime quickly said "sorry" to the group and gave a bow before returning to the bar side. There the man who shouted told her various things.
Rangiku barely heard him going, "just 'cause you're a newbie doesn't mean I will go easy on your or that you can slack off!"
[I'll need to have a good word with that man later.] Rangiku thought with a frown.
She turned her attention back to Ulquiorra.
"Well, Mr. Lucky. How do you feel?" Rangiku messed around.
"Ugh…" was all she got from him as he started drowning his beer.
As for what happened after that is for another time.
After several discussions and chattering, it finally got to the point on why Rangiku had joined the table in the first place. Her motive wasn't the drinking buddies. Her table had the other female member of the crew, so she wasn't alone, but she needed to hear the opinion of one of the males.
"Say Kenpachi, what do you think of the Cap'n?" Rangiku asked.
"The Cap'n? Well, he's a great man I must say!" Kenpachi responded.
Rangiku shook her head, "That's not what I mean. I mean–was he always like that?"
"Ye mean his current personality? You mean 'cause of the raid?" Kenpachi verified and Rangiku gave a nod.
There was a short silence as Kenpachi thought about it.
"He," Kenpachi finally started, "was already mostly like this when he arrived 'ere but actually I came together with him from the previous ship. Twas a coincidence. I'd 'eard of this ship that valued strength before and tried getting 'ere. On the previous ship he was a lot more 'proper'– almost seems like some nobleman's son, but the years on sea hardened him an' now he's like this.
"The Captain's cruel, sly and dangerous, but he's got 'at habit of protecting everythin he sees as precious to him all alone. He's got guts. Anyon' else he would mercilessly use and slaughter without a secon thought. He ain't got no stopper, ye know?"
After Kenpachi finished Rangiku was thoughtful but she didn't forget to give her thanks.
[So it's like that. Arg, this just brings more mysteries to my mind!] Rangiku complained inwardly.
"Orihime another drink!" Rangiku called out to the orange haired girl.
"Yes, coming!" Orihime quickly came over with a mug of beer.
"Enjoying yourselves?" a voice came from behind her.
Orihime jumped with surprise and almost spilled the content of the mug she was holding onto Rangiku, but was saved by a helping hand.
"Oops, I shouldn't have frightened ya, sorry 'bout that," the owner of the hand said.
It was Gin who had come to see the state of his crew members.
"No, it's fine," Orihime quickly told him and handed over the mug to Rangiku before leaving.
"Don't scare the lass like that," Grimmjow grinned, "or else ye'll be having Ulquiorra at yer throat soon."
Understanding the nuances, Gin looked to Ulquiorra and asked him, "Ya finally got interested in someone?"
Ulqiuorra's head dropped as he responded with a weakly, "Not you too Cap'n…"
Gin laughed and pulled a chair from nearby and joined the group.
"So, whatcha talkin' 'bout?" Gin asked.
"Nothin' much, except for this and that and Ulquiorra's first love," Rangiku sneakily replied.
"I see, I see," he nodded as if he were a wise old man stroking his beard.
"Ugh, stop it," Ulquiorra complained, "I can't take it any more…"
"Gotcha, we'll stop, right?" Gin responded with his usual grin.
The rest nodded enthusiastically.
"Ah, before I forget," Gin started, "I've got something fer ya Scarlet."
He put his hand inside his jacket and pulled out a small box.
"Yer not proposing to her, are you?" Kenpachi joked, saying exactly what the people in the round thought.
"Nah, that's not it," Gin answered.
"Too bad," Grimmjow chuckled and leaned back on his chair.
Gin opened the small box and took out a golden chain.
"This…" Rangiku's eyes went wide.
She was shocked.
"H-how did you–Where did you get this from?" she asked and quickly searched her clothes and pulled out the exact same chain that was broken and bent in various areas.
Gin did not answer her question but instead said, "It's fer you."
"How did you get the exact same chain as mine?" Rangiku was astounded, "I never showed you."
[There's only one way he can know that it's this chain.]
"The ring and chain you have are a pair of a set that was sold several years ago. I recognized the ring, so I got you the correct chain for it," Gin explained.
"But why–?"
"It's the welcome present fer ya," Gin cut her off and motioned for her to turn around, so that he could put it on her.
Timidly Rangiku faced the other way and brushed her hair aside. Gin unfastened the old chain and transferred the ring to the chain and put it around her before clasping it shut. What he didn't tell her was that the set was specially ordered by him and made for him and her when they were young. There wasn't another set like that in the world. It was his chain that he gave her. He had always kept his chain and ring safely tucked away. To him, Rangiku didn't need to know that.
After Gin finished, Rangiku turned towards him and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you," she said, "I really appreciate it. It may be a replacement, but it is a very dear memento of mine, especially the ring and seeing the chain together with it again makes me happy. I won't throw away the old chain though. I'll keep it."
Gin's explanation had given Rangiku doubts but for now she would put them away. Gin on the other hand was surprised at Rangiku's actions and became somewhat unsure on how to react.
"Uh, why don't cha give it to me?" Gin carefully asked, "I could try to get it fixed."
"I once asked and they said that it ain't possible," Rangiku shook her head.
"Don't cha worry about it. I know where I can get it fixed fer ya," Gin reassured her and held out his hand.
After some slight hesitation, Rangiku handed the old chain over.
"You must get it back to me, alright?" Rangiku reminded him and Gin nodded and put it away.
A sudden whistling entered their ears and they turned back to the table.
"I think Imma gonna get sick from the atmosphere," Grimmjow made a puking gesture.
"Dun be like that," Ulquiorra chipped in," Leave 'em lovebirds t' get their business done and then spread the news over t'em mates."
"Are ya gettin' ya revenge now, Ulquiorra?" Gin lightly laughed.
"Ye could've jus' proposed an' gettin' it done with," Ulquiorra scoffed.
"Why don't ye do it then to Orihime?" Rangiku taunted him.
"Alright!" Ulquiorra abruptly stood up and walked over to the orange haired waitress.
[He's drunk.] Rangiku thought with certainty.
"He's drunk," Kenpachi voice their thoughts aloud.
On the other side of the room, they could see Ulquiorra saying something to Orihime and the girl getting considerably flustered.
"Pah!" Rangiku let out, "Looks like the lad's gonna get what he wants."
And they went on drinking until very late.