The Proposal
Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. Bleach and The Proposal belong to their rightful owners.
xx
Rangiku dropped her cinnamon roll as if it burned her skin, and gaped outwardly at both ladies. Toushiro responded first, "Wh-what? What?"
"Well, you guys are getting married soon anyways, might as well be married here, where we'll all be together with friends and family! In that way, your Gammy will also be a part of it." Yumi reasoned with excitement.
"N-no. That'll uh, be rude. Stealing Gammy's spotlight when it's her birthday and all..." Rangiku gave a weak retort after collecting herself. "It's her big day."
"Nonsense! I already had 89 birthdays. I don't need another one." Gammy protested. "And it would be a dream come true to see my only grandchild's marriage!" Gammy chuckled, very much elated. "We can have a big party, and invite all our friends and family!"
Rangiku and Toushiro both shook their heads vigorously, "N-no. I ah, w-we still don't think that's a good idea." Toushiro motioned at Rangiku and himself. Rangiku nodded emphatically beside him for support.
"Do it before I'm dead?" Gammy asked sweetly, her voice sounding anything but. She'd even had a suspicious glint in her eyes.
"Okay, okay, okay." Rangiku nodded hastily, silently thinking Gammy really could be scary if she wanted to be.
"Perfect! We'll take care of everything. And you guys can get married like me and Toushiro's dad did, in the barn." Yumi piqued happily. Her mind already busy thinking about the selection of flowers and cakes. "It's a tradition in our family." She informed with a final nod.
"Oh, oh. Wow, fun. Yes, I've always wanted to get married in a… a barn." Rangiku inhaled sharply. "All brown, homey, and... everything!"
Gammy excitedly moved towards the bed and clasped her hands around Rangiku's. "It's a sign! A sign from the universe that you and Toushiro are meant to be together. We must give thanks, I tell you." The older woman said to Rangiku solemnly.
Rangiku, who didn't really understand what Gammy meant, frowned briefly, but shrugged nonchalantly at last.
"Alright, I know we should leave you guys now, but I'm just so excited!" Yumi squealed and opened her arms to give both Rangiku and Toushiro a hug.
"Oof. Yeah, Okaa-san. Just- you can go now." Toushiro got off the bed, nudged Yumi, and ushered both women out the door.
Once Toushiro closed and locked the door, Rangiku flung the heavy duvet sheets away and pulled Toushiro's sleeve urgently. "Oh, my God. Once your mother finds out this whole wedding is a scam, she'll be devastated. And gammy w-will… she'll die!" Rangiku bawled and paced across the room restlessly.
"I- my mother won't find out." Hitsugaya assured a distressed Rangiku rather unconvincingly. "She won't, I promise." He added, hoping the statement would calm Rangiku down.
"But what if, Shiro!" Rangiku objected hopelessly, raking both hands through her tousled hair.
"Listen, listen." Toushiro said slowly but surely, as he pulled Rangiku's hands away from her hair and put them to her side firmly. He then turned the blonde to face him. "They won't find out, okay? Just relax. And it's not like we're going to be married forever. We'll be happily divorced before you know it." He added as he pulled the smaller frame closer for a brief hug. For a reason he couldn't quite out his finger on, Toushiro felt a pang of sadness when the last sentence left his lips.
"Right, right." Rangiku assured herself. She convinced herself to stay composed and collected. "Everything'll be fine."
Toushiro looked worriedly at Rangiku, "You okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Rangiku nodded and mumbled in reply.
"I'll go grab us some lattes, okay? It'll calm your nerves."
"Okay. And you're right, you know? We'll go back to our lives in no time. You'll-you'll get your visa, I'll get my promotion, and… It's all going to turn out just fine. A quick divorce and then everything will be taken care of. " Rangiku managed a tiny hint of a smile.
And then there it was again, that weird and queasy feeling in his gut Toushiro felt just now.
"But this missus needs to learn how to cook, so she can keep her husband happy." Toushiro teased, promptly cheering Rangiku up.
"Mm. I sure as hell don't want him leaving me for another woman, right?" Rangiku asked playfully, playing along to Toushiro's attempt.
"Come on, I'm not going to do that, Rangiku. Besides, I haven't left you yet, right?" Toushiro said, voice suddenly turning all too serious.
Rangiku stared at Toushiro, mesmerized. Why did that change in his tone made her insides feel funny? And how did her boss get all sparkly all of a sudden?
Instead of feeling uncomfortable from Rangiku's stare, he found himself staring deeply back at Rangiku''s blur orbs. Realizing she'd stared too long, and the air surrounding them suddenly felt too warm, Rangiku cleared her throat loudly and turned her back to Toushiro. "Um, right. I'm just uh, just gonna go make myself presentable." She was about to start walking when a thought came to her, "Oh, and you know what, Shiro? I think I'm going out later, so no need getting me that latte anymore."
"Where?" Toushiro asked with a look of surprise in his features.
"I don't know. I just feel like going outside." Rangiku replied with a shrug.
Toushiro looked at Rangiku momentarily, and after a pause, he said. "Right. See you then."
"Right. See you."
An hour later, woods nearby
Rangiku trudged up the rocky and woody path carefully, all the while mumbling to herself, "Focus. You just have to focus, Rangiku. Everything's gonna be fine. No one's finding out anything… OOF!"
The busty woman tripped over a wayward rock and fell down, scraping her knee. She glanced down to examine the damage done and cursed under her breath. A pinkish gash had formed in her knee and red liquid was already threatening to flow down. Rangiku tissued the scar hastily and then continued on her way.
Rangiku stopped once she reached a clear landing, and breathed in and out the air. Although she greatly disliked doing anything dirty, she really needed the fresh air to clear her mind. Rangiku brushed aside a few big leaves standing in her way and then something caught her interest. Rangiku peeked from behind one of the leaves and saw a woman dressed in some sort of tunic like clothing, walking around a fire in circles doing some sort of ritual, seemingly.
"The hell?" She asked herself curiously. She squinted and when her eyes focused, she found the woman was actually Gammy. She was about to step forward and peek closer when her foot stepped on a weak branch, causing it to crack with a loud sound. Whoops.
Gammy who apparently heard the sound stopped her ritual, turned her head sharply toward the source and said in a deep voice, "Matsumoto Rangiku. You've came. Come to me." She motioned her hand for Rangiku to join her.
Rangiku stood at the spot unable to move, half-surprised and half-awed at the sight before her. At last, she opened her mouth, "Uh, actually, I think I'll just uh, watch from here."
Gammy whipped her oversized tunic and bellowed, "JOIN ME!"
Rangiku jumped in shock and then walked to Gammy obediently. "Y-yes?" She squeaked, once she was face to face with Gammy.
Gammy smiled condescendingly, "Just follow what I do." She flung a spare red tunic to Rangiku's head and began chanting again. All the while, her arms flinging wildly around her. 'Ayiyaeo. Samsukapi. Ahyapi'
Rangiku looked at Gammy's state bewilderedly and hurried to join her before she got all spiritual and scary again, 'Um, a-ayioeo. Api, kapapi.' Rangiku flung her tanned arms around, trying to mimic Gammy, all the while thinking this could be on YouTube and have maybe about a trillion views.
After four complete circles or so, Gammy stopped and bellowed out again. "Enough! We are done here. We have given thanks to the woods, to the air, and to the ground. Now, let's go. We will come back some time soon."
"Go? Go where?" Rangiku asked, her eyes wide.
Gammy just kept quiet and turned to depart, leaving a very much confused Rangiku with no choice but to follow.
To be Continued..
A/N: Wow, so I feel I need to tell you guys this story's wrapping up in say, about 2 more chapters. 3 max. I won't say my thanks and goodbyes just yet, but it'll come soon, so just be prepared, yeah?