Epic Four: Thoughts Of Confession
Shunsui stretched loudly, reaching towards the clouds far above the office roof. He stood up slowly, bringing his arms back down to adjust his hat from being askew. Looking back towards the workstation he had previously occupied, he couldn't help but be proud of his rather large accomplishment for the day. Who said he never got any work done? The neat stack of papers sitting in the middle of the workspace disproved it.
He almost couldn't believe that he had actually done the papers left for him by Nanao. Then again, she was the only viable reason that he ever found to do any paperwork in the first place. Only for his Nanao-chan.
A part of him that he would never admit to felt bad for flustering Nanao so badly earlier. She had been gone a rather long time, and he thought that maybe this time he had pushed the metaphoric envelope a little too far. As compensation, he told himself that he would finish the work that she set out for him. He knew that she would end up finishing it even if he didn't, but he didn't want her to overwork herself any more than she already did. It was always a battle of tooth and nail when he attempted to get her to take part of the day off.
Maybe this new strategy of chasing her out suggestively would help her take breaks.
He frowned at that, dismissing the idea. He wouldn't do well to use tactics like that when they would only work negatively against him. It might get her out of the office for a while, but it would reflect badly on him. He figured that his reputation by her wasn't that well off anyway. There was really no need to add black spots further. Besides, he wanted her to open up to him, not shy away.
He couldn't scare her off before the real chase began, now could he?
He thought that a chase was a bad thing to parallel their little game to, but he couldn't find a much better analogy to use. It wasn't even much of a game. Still, he had to keep trying. Something told him that it was the right thing to do.
It only seemed like a chase to him because she always seemed so out of reach. She was the light just beyond the darkness, but no matter how far he stretched, she was always one step ahead, knowing just how to avoid him. He followed her shadow, hoping to catch up, but not making much progress. Every advancement he made, he took two steps back the next moment. For the life of him, he couldn't get her to slow down enough for him to step beside her.
It was safe to say that he had become attached to Nanao over the course of their acquaintance. He wasn't afraid to admit such a thing either. He had known her since she was young, so it only made sense that she would grow on him eventually. Some may look down upon that, sneering at the fact that he had known her at such an age and pursued her now, but he didn't care much for them. After a few centuries, age was no longer is an issue to most.
Eventually one of his strategies would work, he hoped. One of these times she would see how sincere he was with her. He also hoped that she would be accepting of that. Once she got over the fact that he wasn't indeed toying with her, it would only be a matter of time before she took a liking to his affections. At least that's what he wanted to happen. Somehow though, all he saw in the immediate future was a few bashings with her fan.
He scrunched his face a little at the uncomfortable thought and flexed his aching hand, shaking the cramps out of it. Stifling a yawn with the other, he shuffled over to the corner once again. Paperwork to that extent takes a lot out of a man, especially one not so used to doing it. He figured he had time to take a quick nap before Nanao came back to the office.
That was if she came back.
He paled a little at the thought. It was true that it wouldn't be like her to skip out on work that still needed to be done, but she may just avoid the office for the day if he was still occupying it. He didn't think he mortified her that bad, just a few loose comments, but judging from the speed in which she departed and the slight tinge on her face, he had struck some sort of chord.
Should he leave then? That wouldn't make much sense though, because she would have to interact with him sooner or later, being the two heads of the Division and all. He had no doubt that she would eventually show up.
Maybe she just needed her space then. If she cooled off she might feel better. He had to admit though, seeing his Nanao-chan disheveled was a little fun. It was part of her spark that she always tried to keep hidden from everyone. He faintly wondered what else she was keeping from the world.
He drifted off into slumber soon after, hoping to dream of his lovely lieutenant.
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
"Rangiku!"
The bun-wearing girl's cheeks flamed even further as the strawberry-blonde burst out into a merry laughter that Momo hadn't heard in a very long time. Even though it was at her expense, she was glad that Rangiku was more relaxed around her. She was glad that it meant she could also relax. She was tired of all the distance that she had put between them over the whole ordeal.
Momo made an effort to hide her personal flames with her hands, only to have Rangiku laugh harder. She glanced around and noticed that some people had begun to stare at their display. To try and play down the situation, she tried to speak to the near-hysterical woman.
"Umm, Rangiku…?"
Momo was going to go on, but the older woman held up her hand to stop her and used the other to cover her own mouth. She was attempting to get her giggles under control, and after a few minutes she was able to control herself.
"Sorry, M-momo." The remnants of laughter clung to her first words before her voice was back to normal. "It's just so much fun to tease you, especially when you make it so obvious."
The smaller girl scratched at the back of her head for a minute, looking puzzled. Now Rangiku was speaking in riddles. "Making what so obvious?"
"Your crush on Shiro-chan, of course!" She hoped that usage of the old nickname would drive things home further. She supposed that it had disappeared somewhere down the bottomless pit that still separated them.
"It's not obvious!" She didn't think much before trying to defend herself. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realize the context of her response until much too late. It took the mischievous smile to adorn Rangiku's face for her to realize her error. Immediately, with a look of horror, she sought to quickly correct her mistake. "I mean I don't have a crush on him!"
It was close enough to the truth, she supposed. Due to the length of time spent together, if they ever got out of this rut she had created, and if she would ever acknowledge there was something there, she knew it would be far deeper felt than just a crush.
"Of course it's not a simple crush, Momo. Even I can see that." The taller woman promptly ignored the sputtering of the shorter girl, paying no mind to how she waved her arms about, making a small scene of her own.
It didn't matter if Rangiku was right for the most part. It was more of the principle of the matter. It just wasn't fair.
"My Captain would never fall for one of those 'childish'-", she did quotes in the air. "-schemes, as he would put it. No, if he decided to play the game, I have no doubt that he would play for keeps!" Her excitement was growing by the instant. It wasn't everyday that she got to meddle around in other people's love lives, or 'pointing them in the right direction' as she liked to call it.
She never meddled. Really, she didn't.
She noticed that Momo had turned cherry again, but she didn't pay attention to that either. From her point of view, it would be so much better for her if she came out and admitted it already. Another dark haired woman came to mind also, but she supposed that she could only work her magic one person at a time.
A part of her was still a little hesitant of Momo, but she thought that the feeling would pass in time. If there was one way to reconnect, this was definitely an option. Helping out, in Rangiku's words anyway, would surely help bridge the gap between them. Besides, if her captain was in a better mood she might receive less paperwork or more breaks. Preferably both. It didn't matter what route she needed to take to get there, as long as she reached the destination.
If he spent more time with Momo and enjoyed it, then all the better for her. And them too, of course.
"But you have nothing to fear, as you'll be playing for keeps too! Now, how to plan…" She trailed off, putting her chin her palm, deep in thought.
"But-"
"Ah, ah. No buts, Momo." She shook her pointer finger in emphasis. There would be no protesting today. "This will be easier for everyone if you'd just come out and admit it. After all, the first step to recovery is admitting that there is a problem!" She said it in a sing-song voice, and Momo couldn't remember where she thought she heard that before.
"What am I recovering from?" She had to ask. As far as she knew, despite her obvious previous internal problem, there was nothing wrong with her.
"Why the anguish of a one-sided love! At least, for all we now at the moment." Besides, Rangiku thought that her captain kept a special place in his soul just for Momo. She was willing to bet a year's supply of sake on it.
Momo thought that the strawberry-blonde was moving a little fast. She wasn't even on decent terms with him and already the woman was pretty much trying to marry her off like some matchmaker. She held her tongue as this comment tried to surface though. It wouldn't do her well to give Rangiku any further ideas. There was enough at stake here anyway.
True, Momo thought that maybe her feelings for Toshiro went deeper than she realized, but lately she just hadn't had the time to think much on it. It was already time-consuming and brain-boggling enough trying to straighten out her mess of a division and trying to get over her previous incapacities. Rangiku was now adding a new seasoning to the pot, and already she was becoming overwhelmed.
Then again, maybe a change of pace would be good for her. If it let her spend more time with her friends, then she didn't really mind.
Rangiku was partially amused as she saw the bright light of indignation flare and die out in the smaller girl, leaving behind a resigned but still pure look in her eyes. What surprised her the most was the almost immediate compliance from her.
"…You're right." Rangiku almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, so she asked for a repeat.
"I said that I think you might be right. There might be something there. I don't know what exactly, but I'm sure with your help, we can figure it out!" The bun-wearing girl had a smile on her face now, resolved to make something work. She might not get a fairy tale ending with fireworks and knights and damsels in distress, but she would have something, and that was good enough for her.
"That's the spirit!"
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
He was woken a few hours later by a soft rapping at the door. He started to sit up groggily when he realized that he was the only one in the room and that he would eventually have to let the knocker in. It was almost strange not having Nanao there to beat him to it.
He tilted his hat back so he could get a better look and sent his reiatsu out to check the presence, not wanting to call out for verification. He felt the familiar reiatsu and smiled, wondering what his fellow captain was doing here in the middle of the day. It was quite odd indeed.
"Come in." He used his friendly tone, like he did when greeting everyone. Even upon just waking he was still he usual self.
A few seconds later, Captain Hitsugaya slid open the office door and stepped through. He looked a little surprised at seeing Nanao's empty desk, he noticed, and he didn't like how the younger man tensed in response, like it was some crime. The snowy captain turned his attention to the corner, to Shunsui's presence. All the visible signs of stress were gone from his face by now, but Shunsui had already noticed them. They always said he was able to read people well.
"Yare, what can I do for you, my snowy-haired friend?"
Toshiro moved towards him slowly, taking another glance at the empty space and replied, although somewhat hesitantly. "Forgive me for my nosiness, Captain Kyouraku, but where is Lieutenant Ise?"
Toshiro hadn't planned on visiting the Eighth offices on the way to the mess hall, but it was something that just appeared in the back of his mind, nagging him until he checked. It was much like Hyourinmaru some days, when the old dragon had an opinion about something and wouldn't leave him alone about it.
He hadn't been particularly concerned that Rangiku had not returned yet. He did tell her that he didn't want to see her before noon. However, if Nanao had been the reason for her upset at the beginning of the day, he might as well see if all was well with her.
"Making rounds."
He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world, making a large gesture with his arms as he did so. Shunsui supposed that in any other division, it would be a commonplace thing. To any member of his division though, they would know that something was amiss with the Lieutenant if she was making the rounds herself. Toshiro didn't need to know this though.
In the time of Toshiro's entrance, he had lain back down. The younger man would understand his lack of proper behavior. He was much like Nanao in that way, although Toshiro never chased him around with fans or massive stacks of paperwork.
"Of course, my apologies."
It made perfect sense now that he thought about it. Just because she wasn't in the office when he got there, didn't mean that she had disappeared from Soul Society or some other crazy idea like that. He didn't know why Rangiku was so adamant on seeing her, but he supposed that now he knew she was here that he really shouldn't pry into it anymore than he had.
"Has Matsumoto been here today?" Despite himself, he couldn't help but ask anyway.
Shunsui took a minute to observe him before answering. He did notice that the icy captain seemed a bit on edge, like he was expecting something to go wrong at any second. He thought that maybe the younger man just had a lot on his mind, like he did often. He was like Nanao in that way too, always thinking on what needs to be done and how they can improve.
Was there a reason everything was reminding him of his Nanao-chan today?
He knew that they weren't that similar though. They may have the same style of work ethic, but Toshiro was bogged down by much bigger problems than Nanao had to deal with. Mainly having to do with the whole Aizen fiasco. He knew he was especially troubled with that childhood friend of his. Aizen's old lieutenant.
"Not that I know of. She may have earlier this morning though. I only got in a few hours ago. Were you trying to track her down?" It wasn't unlikely that Rangiku had skipped out on doing her paperwork again.
"No, not really."
Well, Shunsui would admit that that was a little odd. It wasn't often that he went out of the office when there was work to be done. The relaxed man watched him rub at his temples, something he found Nanao to do when she was stressed or had a lot of work to do. Maybe Toshiro had caught up with all the paperwork for the day.
"Caught up on work today?"
He received a dry chuckle in response, and Shunsui lifted an eyebrow at his answer. "No, actually there's a ton of it. Surprising, isn't it? That I'm out here instead of in there." He sighed deeply soon after, and Shunsui sat up, deeming that his fellow captain definitely had something bothering him. Like the good-natured person he is, he had also resolved to help him out.
"Something bothering you, Toshiro?"
The younger man had made his way over to him, and with a heavy sigh, he sunk down to sit on the couch near the corner. Coincidently, Shunsui was laying on the floor.
"I don't know." He put his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands. There really wasn't a good way to word it, and he didn't want to bother someone else with his own problems anyway. He really wasn't acting much like himself, he realized.
Shunsui analyzed again for a moment until a loose smile came to his face. He knew exactly what was bothering him now. It was good to see that the icy-powered captain was a bit human after all. It wasn't exactly normal that he worked so much. Then again, he couldn't say much because of Nanao either. Fortunately for both of them, this sort of advice was right up his alley.
"I know that sound. There's only one thing that ever generates that kind of hopeless sound. You, my friend, must be having woman troubles."
He said it so matter-of-factly that Toshiro wondered why he even came here in the first place. He really didn't feel like talking about it. That and he wondered why all of a sudden he was letting everything bother him so much. He shouldn't be this easy to read, but somehow the lazy captain, on the floor no less, had figured it out effortlessly. Either that or he was a good guesser. Still, he supposed that he could hear what the older man had to say. He had more experience in the area at least.
"I guess you could say that." He ran a hand over the back of his head, ruffling his hair. "They might just be more trouble than they're worth."
He didn't know what woman was driving him so up the wall, but he would place bets that it was the younger of the two most prominent women in his life. Nevertheless, he just might need to be pointed in the right direction. He was still young, but he wasn't too young. He had seen his fair share in life.
"Yare, yare. Now that's not the attitude to take on it. If you want, I can give you some pointers." From friend to friend, it seemed like the right thing to do.
"Yes, and we've all seen how far that's got you." Shunsui crinkled his brow in response until he saw the small smirk on Toshiro's face. It was good to see that the kid could joke a bit. It didn't take a genius to figure out who the implied person was either.
"Nonsense." He returned with a smile of his own. "Any moment now my lovely Nanao-chan will come back to the office, dance into my arms, and profess her undying love for me. Just watch."
The white-haired man snorted. "I believe you mean to say dancing circles around you. It seems she's always done that quite well." He followed up with a light chuckle. If anything else, it was taking some of his prior stress away.
Shunsui waved his arms about, laughing a little himself. "Around, into, it doesn't matter so long as she's dancing and I'm involved. The rest of it will come soon after, and then she'll-"
"And then who will what, sir?"
Both captains abruptly halted in their merriment upon the entrance of a third party into their conversation. Between their exchanges, neither one had noticed the door sliding open or the lieutenant that entered after.
Shunsui paled a little at the sight of his vice, hoping that she didn't hear as much as he thought she did. He attempted to shrug it off, having no visible signs of distress on him. He sat up in response, preparing to cover his tracks the best way he knew how.
"Nanao-chan! How wonderful of you to join us. We were just discussing Toshiro's woman troubles here. Maybe you could offer-"
He was cut off this time by a heavy book landing on his head.
"Captain Hitsugaya." He gave a nod to her greeting and briefly looked over to his fellow captain who was now back on the ground, clutching his head.
Shunsui peeked one of his clenched eyes open, hoping that his pitiful look would earn some pity points with Nanao, only to find her briskly walking past him. She continued to her desk like nothing was the matter and set the heavy tome back on the corner of her desk.
That was another thing, where had that come from? He knew that Nanao had left the office book-less and returned in much the same state, for the whole few seconds he got to look at her. Did she really move that fast without him noticing? He looked over towards her desk again, noticing that it was indeed the same book that had been perched there all morning that had struck him so forcefully.
Perhaps Nanao was putting extra training time in. Either that or he was just out of it.
"Nanao-chan," he whined. "No greeting for your dear Shunsui?" His comment caused Toshiro's brow to raise slightly, wondering about how he was so personal with her.
"You are not my anything, Captain." She looked at him pointedly, making extra sure that it didn't resemble a glare in any way shape or form. She wasn't giving in today, so she woudl ignore him if she had to. "Now if you'll excuse me, sir, I have work to finish. I've wasted enough of the day already."
Toshiro almost found himself laughing again at her comments. If only his lieutenant was so work-oriented. If she was even half as inclined to work as he was, he had no doubt that there would rarely ever be extra work in the Tenth. The thought itself brought up why he had been here in the first place. Thinking after a few moments that he should really finish his errand while the day was still young, he made to ask Nanao the same thing he had asked the older captain. As soon as he was going to open his mouth to speak up, he found that Shunsui had beat him to it.
"Was everything well on your rounds?"
He was being careful about it, she noticed, and she didn't miss the underlying meaning behind his words. They both knew that she never did rounds, and that she had just used it as an excuse to get out of the office. He was really asking about her. Touched a bit by his care, she responded.
"As well as expected. I suppose any issues that arise will mull themselves over shortly after."
She hoped that he got the message hidden between the words. Things would be fine. Now that she had time to think, she felt much better about the whole thing. It was just one more slightly embarrassing situation that she would forget in time. She doubted he would remember it past today.
She looked over towards the haori-wearing man, seeing that he had gotten up from the floor halfway. She met his amber gaze and held it for the shortest time. In that small span, an understanding was made, and he smiled a little at her. The sight calmed her a little. She always knew he was smart, even when he didn't act like it.
She glanced at Captain Hitsugaya then, seeing him staring at her own captain. He had the look on his face like he thought that something wasn't quite right, no doubt analyzing the situation. The didn't call him a prodigy for nothing. From the crease of his face, she knew that her captain had told him nothing. In her mental book, that scored him another point.
There was no question that anything her captain might've said could have turned out sounding very bad.
The wrinkle disappeared seconds later, and she found herself gazing into a pair of aquamarine orbs. Apparently he had given up looking into the situation any further, placing no worth for the possible information to be gained. She supposed that was a good thing, but it wasn't like he was much for gossip anyway. Now Rangiku, on the other hand, would've eaten anything even resembling a good story right up, saving it to regurgitate like a mother bird later.
She was about to unlock their gaze when Toshiro did it for her. He stood, making motions like he wanted to leave. Looking back at her, he spoke up.
"Lieutenant Ise," He frowned for a moment and looked away for a second before continuing. "Has Matsumoto been here today?"
She was going to assume that he was tracking her down for paperwork until she saw the peculiar look in his eye. She saw it sometimes when Lieutenant Hinamori was being discussed. She couldn't really put a name to whatever it was, but it was something different, something that made her want to tell him what she knew. She knew that he worried for Rangiku almost as much as she did.
Nanao nodded, and she watched as a heavy weight seemed to physically slide off of him. He slightly tensed at her next comment, however. "She wasn't exactly herself though. I don't know what was wrong with her…"
She trailed off and stared out the window, looking like she hoped the fading trees would give her the explanation she wanted. The creak of the wooden floorboard brought her back to reality when she realized that she probably owed a little larger explanation than what she gave.
"It looked like she was…like she was almost…crying, or something. I don't really know. She didn't answer any of my questions."
She noticed that her captain had gotten up as well when she answered. It didn't surprise her any, for they were good friends too, even though it was mostly related through the bottle and herself. Still, Rangiku losing face in front of others wasn't something that happened often.
"She seemed really happy to see me, like we hadn't seen each other a mere nine or ten hours prior. Was something wrong?" She directed the last bit at the frosty captain, thinking that if anyone knew anything, it would be him.
"…no." He looked pensive, like he was absorbing the information much like a sponge does to water. Nanao didn't know if he knew anything, but she thought that if it was important he would let them know. Since he kept silent, she assumed that nothing was out of the ordinary.
Toshiro came out of his reverie before the rest and decided that he really should finish up the round he had started on a while ago. The days didn't get any younger, only older, and he knew that time would not wait for him to figure things out. He would just have to dwell on it a little longer. When he got to the bottom of this things would be all the better.
"Thank you." He gave a short bow before going on. "I apologize if I've kept you from anything. I'll be on my way now."
He turned to depart but was halted when Captain Kyouraku spoke. "Hold on a minute, Toshiro." He stopped in his footfalls and turned towards the older man, a questioning look upon his face.
"I'll accompany you for a bit. I'm meeting with Juu anyway, and I bet that Nanao-chan wants me out of her hair so she can actually get some work done without me bothering her."
The shorter captain just raised a brow. Everyone knew that he didn't do anything around the office anyway. It shouldn't matter in any way, shape, or form if he was there or not. Still, it wasn't really any of his business to inquire his motives. He was about to agree, but Nanao beat him to it, coming back to life from her musings.
"But-"
"Ah, ah, Nanao-chan." She was cut off by her captain, and he just smiled at her confused look. She had gotten up from her desk and made her way towards them. "I know you're going to work yourself to the bone anyway, so I might as well let you do it in piece. If you're not out of here by five though, I'll bring you home myself."
He smiled mischievously, and before Nanao could pull out her fan for the suggestive way he said it, he had already flashed over towards the door and was opening it, motioning for Toshiro to join him.
The white-haired captain stepped forward hesitantly, wondering what was going on between them. He had heard that the interactions between the Eighth heads were strange, but as he watched the exchanges between them he really had to wonder. He mentally shook his head.
At least Rangiku didn't try to flirt with him all the time.
"Captain Kyouraku-"
"Bye, Nanao-chan!" Her would-be protests were drowned out by his much louder voice as he slid the office door shut behind them. Anything she was just about to say died on her tongue and she felt their presence drift farther away.
She wasn't sure whether to be grateful that her afternoon was going to be free of any more embarrassing situations or frustrated that now she would have to do the work that he didn't. She supposed that the first option was better, seeing as she usually did his share of the work anyway.
What puzzled her was that he said he was meeting Captain Ukitake this afternoon. She knew for a fact that this wasn't the case because she had spoken to him the day before when she made the sake arrangement so her captain couldn't get out of doing his work. Captain Ukitake also had an appointment with the Fourth today to check up on his somewhat stable health.
Did he just opt for the easiest possible excuse to get out of doing work? Perhaps, and this was a small part of her that really hoped, he wanted to make her feel easier from what happened earlier. She knew that he didn't mean anything by it, but maybe he felt bad for it anyway. She could hope.
She smiled briefly at the thought. It was nice to know that he cared. Still, the smile disappeared and retracted into a frown when she thought about the stack of forms she left on his desk. With a sigh she turned from the door, meandering over to the desk that he hardly ever used. She might as well get a good start on it while she had the chance.
After all, even if it was said in a joking manner, Captain Kyouraku always came through with his promises. She had no doubts that he would come to collect her whether she protested or not.
She let out a small gasp of surprise as she saw what was left on her desk. A fading cherry blossom sat upon a stack of completed forms. She picked the first sheet up, almost not believing what her eyes showed to her. Sure enough, everything was completed exactly as it should be. She could even tell it was her captain's messy handwriting. He hadn't even gotten someone else to do it for him.
She glanced back at the door, the soft smile returning to her face.
--Secrets Of The Scorned--
"So, we've established that, for lack of a better word, you have a crush on-"
"Shh, Rangiku! Not so loud!"
The younger girl had clamped a hand over the louder strawberry-blonde, effectively pulling her closer and attempting to silence her. She knew it wouldn't last long with her ability to gossip as much as Yumichika of the Eleventh, but she could try.
"Okay, okay." Rangiku was using a loud whisper now, heeding Momo's wishes for now. She supposed that she had many days to come where she could let the rest of the world know. "Like I was saying," she continued in a soft voice. "You have a crush on my captain. This much we know."
Rangiku leaned back from where they were crowded near the center of the table, like they were hiding a secret. In a way they were, only it was Momo's.
She continued in a louder voice now that there wasn't a chance of revealing a name to any of the wandering listeners. They could be talking about anything technically. "So, is there a reason behind all of this? Why do you like him? I want you to explain this to me."
She laced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table, putting her chin on the prop she made for it. She looked at the slightly pink lieutenant, taking a small joy in seeing her a little flustered.
Momo took a deep breath and blew upwards, ruffling her hair a bit. She didn't take notice of how Rangiku smiled at her display, too caught up in her thoughts to care about how she looked at the moment. How should she explain this? It was relatively new to her as well, so she didn't really know how to word it. Still, she thought it would make her feel better if she actually said it out loud.
"Well," Rangiku watched as she started off hesitantly then blended into a trance that seemed fitting for the occasion. It sounded right in her ears. "If I had to put it into words, I guess I could say that he might be the one person that knows me the best, even through everything."
She deflated a bit at this, no doubt still struggling a little with her own mental battle, but she shook it off literally and continued. "I've known him for what seems like forever, but yet I still only know so much about him. It's a little sad in a way, but also a little exciting, as if I have time to figure the rest out."
She realized that she had a dreamy look to her, and snapped out of it when Rangiku laughed lightly. She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head with a free hand. "Or at least that's what I'm hoping. It just…seems right, I guess. I always enjoyed being around him."
"And that's changed?" She rose a brow as she asked. She knew their meetings were strained, but she hoped that the other lieutenant still liked spending time with him. If she had her way, they would be doing a lot of that sooner than they thought.
"It's not the same anymore. I guess it's just how things turned out since…the betrayal." It was hard for her to say it out loud, she realized, no matter how many times she repeated it in her mind. She thought that maybe it would always be, just because it hit home so hard. "But I want to fix what I can. I think I owe him that much."
Rangiku nodded in agreement and then they were both silent for a few moments. It was times like these that Rangiku really didn't know what to say. She didn't want to make anything worse, knowing that Momo needed to find her own peace her way. Anything she said might rekindle the fires, and she didn't want that to burn down any bridges that were mending themselves.
She was liking the return of the old Momo, thank you very much.
Well, she supposed that it wasn't the return of the old Momo who was awestruck by her captain. This one was newer than the broken one, and it seemed like this one might be here to stay after all. Briefly, she wondered if her captain had noticed any changes in his childhood friend. They hadn't been blaringly obvious to her until she spoke up today, but it was true that he was more observant than she was.
"What's the best physical part of my…him?" She really had to watch herself. She almost slipped again. "So far you've gone into all the other stuff, but what about that?"
Momo took on a flustered look once again, and Rangiku marveled on how easy that task was. It was good that she was getting some amusement out of this though. It dulled the after effects of last night at any rate. She could barely feel her pounding head now. Soon it would wear off.
"Well…if I had to pick something, I would say his eyes. It's like looking at the sea. Ever since I saw it once on a trip to the real world I've wanted to go there again. His eyes remind me of that place. It's so…"
She trailed off, and Rangiku watched her eyes go wide at something behind her. She wondered why the enamored one didn't continue and was about to question her on it until Momo suddenly stood up from the table, bowing slightly.
"Good afternoon, Captain Hitsugaya."
Oh.
Rangiku turned around and looked at the approaching figure. Sure enough, there was her captain. He stopped before their table, frowning slightly as he looked at Momo. His looked melted back into his usual when she stood up though, revealing nothing of the inner thoughts he was swimming in.
"Momo. Matsumoto." He nodded at them collectively, looking between the two.
Rangiku found it odd that he still used her first name when he didn't use hers. Granted that he more often than not needed to get her attention, it didn't surprise her much on that front. The other, however, intrigued her. Perhaps he was just trying to be as normal as they were before the attempted execution, but perhaps there was hope for them. The inner matchmaker in her squealed at the thought.
The still slightly suffering woman looked to Momo next, noticing how she had become rigid and formal all in the manner of a few seconds. It was totally different from the Momo she had interacted with a few minutes ago. Well, in her opinion, that wasn't the way to melt the thick ice around her captain's heart at all. She would need to have a chat with her later.
"I'll let you two get back to work now." Momo bowed again and moved like she wanted to be anywhere other than right there at that moment. She only took a few steps, unfortunately, until Toshiro had called out to her.
"Momo." Strange, it was almost like déjà vu.
She stopped, knowing that this conversation was one she probably wasn't going to like much. Judging by the look on his face as she turned towards him, he was mustering up something to say to her.
"Yes, Captain?"
He sighed deeply, trying to think how to word this without sounding stupid or offending her. "What's the matter with you?" He supposed it came out a little rougher than what he intended. He just hoped she got what he was trying to say.
"What do you mean?"
Rangiku could almost see the tension misting through the air. She wanted to make herself scarce for two reasons, but between the fierce glare her captain had sent her when she budged and the pleading look in Momo's eyes, she stayed put. She didn't really want to be present when they did this, if anything did come out of this, but she thought that maybe things would be smoother if they could just talk things out.
If Momo repeated what she had told her today then she was sure that things would be fine.
"I mean, why are you like this around me? Not two minutes ago I watched you talk with Matsumoto lively. What's going on?"
Rangiku wanted to hit herself in the forehead. She refrained though, both from the image she would get from it and how worse it could make her head pound. Anyhow, it wasn't the correct direction to be taking at this point, she thought. She knew that her captain was probably concerned about it, but this was no way to confront it really.
Momo was hesitant to answer, not really knowing what to say. She looked to Rangiku for help, but found her looking at Captain Hitsugaya instead.
"There isn't-"
"If this is about…him, I just-" She noticed the way it was strained, as if it were painful to say. She could totally relate to that, although for slightly different reasons.
"It's not!" She had to interrupt him before it got out of hand. That was part of the reason, true, but it was a small indirect part. It was more about what she had done than anything else.
She watched his eyes widen at her forceful outburst, feeling a little pride in the fact that she could accomplish that and get her point across. He seemed to lose some of his tension after that, seeing that she seemed very sure of her answer, and in response Momo did as well. It reminded him of times back in Rukongai when she used to put her hands akimbo and give him that look that made her look funny when she was so serious. At least this was one thing that wasn't related back to him.
Rangiku seemed to notice the fog thinning and burst out into a wide grin. It wasn't he fireworks she thought it would be, but it was a start.
"There! Now it's time to kiss and make up!"
Trust Rangiku to have something to say on every occasion.
Both parties involved were noted to turn a scarlet color, turning away to stare at something else. Captain Hitsugaya began muttering to Rangiku about something, but she didn't pay that much mind. She heard glimpses of papers and work, so that could only spell trouble for work-avoiding woman.
Then, while neither of them noticed her, she whispered so no one could hear, smiling slightly. No, this was a whole new reason for acting strange around him.
"…not anymore."
-Part Four Complete
There, it's even longer than all the rest of them both by words and pages. It came out way sooner than the last part did too. I guess that's what no having the internet will do to you. For those of you that don't already know, I'm currently sitting at a coffee shop because I no longer have internet at home. However, this shouldn't affect my updates too much unless I have a million day shifts for work. If not, I'll find time to come here in the mornings to post.
Anyway, I just realized that I have four long chapters and I'm still on the first day of the story. Kinda strange. Things should start picking up now though, so if it's been boring so far, I apologize. I realize that I have lost some readers for this one, and if I had to take a jab at what it was, it just might be my Momo stuff. I'm not taking it out though, because she has a role that only she can fill. So..without futher ado.
Good, not good? Let me know.
-KG