DISCLAIMER: As much as I really wish I did...I don't own Bleach or any of the related titles.
A/N: Okay, so, I had a few more ideas for this story, therefore I've decided to keep it going, at least for a little while, and if you guys like it, then maybe it'll get even longer. The rating might go up at some time. I mean, things get a little...tense, I suppose, in these chapters, but it's nothing explicit, therefore nothing quite worth an M-rating quite yet. But I dunno, I haven't decided if I want more or not. Anyways, please let me know if you think I should continue, or should just drop it now...Thanks! Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Rumors
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Matsumoto-san?" a voice called through the door.
Gin awoke abruptly, lifting his head. He wasn't sure where he was exactly, nor how he'd gotten there. It took him a moment to realize that the hair in which his fingers were entwined, belonged to a very beautiful woman.
A very familiar, beautiful woman.
"Rangiku?" he said quietly.
She moaned lightly in her sleep, her delicate fingers clenching against his chest, forming a tiny fist. A sweet smile appeared across her face as he spoke.
The knocking continued, and her eyes finally opened. Suddenly, Gin remembered the events of the night before, and couldn't help but smile at their actions. Rangiku blinked a few times before moving, but was held back down by a strong arm.
"Mmm..." he mumbled, his lips against her forehead. "Don't go..."
"I have to..." she muttered back at him. "I'll come back. I promise."
She struggled against his grip, though failed miserably, as he succeeded in keeping her in her place. In an act of persuasion, she turned and pressed her lips firmly to his, caressing his bare chest. Instead of letting her go, his arms moved to her waist, pulling her closer. Rangiku sighed, at a loss.
"You're a pain, you know that..." she told him.
He nodded, his eyes closed in relaxation, thoroughly satisfied with where he was. Unfortunately, relaxing allowed Rangiku to easily slip from his arms, standing to find her discarded robes. Gin peeked his eyes open, watching as her bare body bent over, creating small lines in her smooth skin. He wanted her to come back to him, to let him touch her again, to feel her next to him. Instead, she moved even further away, tossing her clothes back on and stepping toward the door. Her hand paused above the knob as she turned back to look at Gin, who immediately closed his eyes once again, pretending not to have noticed anything.
Having caught him, she laughed. "You're terrible..." she shook her head. "But you need to hide. We can't have anyone see you..."
He nodded and pulled the blankets over his head quickly. Rangiku had to resist the urge to laugh out loud. "No!" she hissed. "Get in the closet or something!"
Peeking out from underneath the covers, he sighed and crawled out of bed. When the closet door was securely shut, she cleared her throat and opened the door.
"Matsumoto-sa-"
Rangiku smiled as she recognized the Division Three Vice-Captain, Izuru Kira, standing just outside her door. He looked surprised at her sudden appearance.
"Good morning," he said pleasantly. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I-I thought that you'd be interested in some new information."
Rangiku stared at him, suddenly serious. "Was there a meeting? Did I sleep through it?"
He shook his head, "N-No. This is just being passed around in secret." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Ichimaru Taichou is on the loose..." A pained expression donned his face as he continued. "They want us to be on alert, and report any sign of him. The orders are that he's killed immediately..."
Rangiku felt herself tense up. She wondered if Gin could hear them from the closet. She didn't appear to be the only one disturbed by this information.
"I-I thought you'd like to know," he finished.
Rangiku nodded, unsure of if she'd be able to find her voice or not. Kira nodded as well, frowning.
"Thank you, Kira..." she said softly, stunned that it still existed.
Before she could shut the door, he placed his hand against the wood. "If you see him..." he started slowly. "You'll tell me, right?"
Rangiku knew that neither of them would be able to go through with the orders, though she also knew that Kira would never be able to keep Gin a secret. He cracked too easily under pressure. Hesitantly, she nodded.
"Thank you..." he muttered, allowing the door to close.
Hesitantly, Rangiku turned back to the room, leaning her back against the door. She couldn't say she was surprised by the news, word always seemed to travel quickly. Nor was she surprised by the response of the authorities. As much as they pretended it wasn't true, they both knew they'd have to face this sooner or later. Once Aizen was found, he and all his followers would be killed. Gin included.
She couldn't let that happen.
Composing herself, she crossed to the closet, sliding the door open. She could see him in the corner, peering at her through a pair of robes.
"Come on..." she ordered. "Get out..."
Gin shook his head. "You get in..."
"I'm not getting in there, Gin..." she said, trying to be serious. Apparently he hadn't overheard the conversation.
"Come on..." he said playfully, reaching his hand out to her. "Come here..."
He captured her hand, tugging her toward him. Finding it impossible to find the strength needed to resist him, she was pulled into the closet, the door quickly shut behind her.
"Mm mm...look what I found..." he said teasingly into her ear.
"Gin, please..." she said, still thinking about what Kira had told her.
"Begging, eh?" Gin nibbled her earlobe. "That's a good sign..."
"Gin, I mean it..." she continued.
His lips traveled up and down her neck, dancing close to the edge of her mouth. "I do too..."
"No, Gin..." she said forcefully. "Please. Not now..."
He pulled away, the unusual frown crossing his pale face. "I don't like that..." he said. "I don't like that at all. What's going on? Who was that?"
Rangiku didn't want to answer him, but this wasn't information she could keep from him for long. He'd get it out of her somehow.
"Nobody," she answered. "It's not important."
"Something's wrong," he said knowingly. "You're tense. Something happened."
"It's nothing," she insisted. "Forget it. Just..."
Gin nuzzled her neck, his soft lips grazing the sensitive skin. She gasped lightly, her fingers gripping his shoulder. Suddenly, everything that had just happened quickly slipped from her mind.
As she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, holding him as close to her as possible, a strange emotion washed over her, nearly bringing her to tears. Gin was caught off guard as her chest became racked with sobs only moments later.
"They know you're here, Gin..." she whispered.
He pulled away slightly, just enough to peer into her face. "What do you mean?"
"Maybe not here exactly, b-but they know you're n-not with A-Aizen..." she explained, trying her best to control herself. "T-That was K-Kira..."
"Kira?" Gin's eyes were strangely wide. She'd never seen him look nervous before, and this certainly didn't help her feel anybody.
She nodded. "He wanted to tell me that they're looking for you-"
"Even Kira?"
"Yes..." she said. "But not in the same way..." She drew a staggering breath. "They want to kill you, Gin..."
He wasn't surprised either. It only made sense that they would feel that way, and frankly, he'd be surprised if they didn't. However, he found it bothersome that Kira was trying to help them.
Idiot...he thought bitterly.
Kira was only going to get himself hurt. If anyone found out he was trying to help them, he'd only be putting his life on the line. Gin didn't want anymore people getting hurt for his sake. It wasn't worth it anymore.
"Tell me you'll be careful, Gin..." Rangiku said, pulling him to her once again. "Tell me you won't go off and-"
"I won't," he said, cutting her off.
"But, Gin if they ever-"
"They won't..." he continued, his eyes focusing on hers. "Rangiku, have I ever lied to you before?"
She opened her mouth to retort, but fell silent as she thought about it for a moment. Certainly he'd done things to hurt her before, even betray her entirely, but she could not recall a single moment in which he directly lied to her.
"I didn't think so..." he said softly. "You can trust me, Rangiku."
She believed him. Though her mind screamed at her to run the other direction, she drew herself closer. Her head rest in the crook of his neck as he stroked her hair.
"You can trust me..."
GINXRANGIKU
Rangiku slipped down the nearest hall, keeping Gin locked tightly in her room. She had made him promise that he wouldn't go anywhere without telling her. He'd never been able to keep that promise before, but he'd be risking an awful lot trying to sneak out this time.
There seemed to be a strange buzz around the quarters. The usually talkative Captains were chatting with each other in corners, as though exchanging secrets. As Rangiku passed, she received several odd gazes she'd never experienced before. It was as though those she passed were speaking of her.
"Ah, Matsumoto," a familiar voice called from a doorway.
She turned abruptly to see her short Captain staring back at her. Beneath his white hair, his piercing green eyes were focused on her.
"I've been looking for you..."
"Taichou," Rangiku said, facing him and bowing slightly. "What is it?"
He stood and shuffled past her, his arms crossed as he looked straight ahead. "Follow me," he ordered.
Rangiku knew what the following conversation would consist of, but she followed anyway. She had no reason to disobey her Captain, no matter his size or age.
"In," he indicated an empty room with a short jerk of his chin.
Rangiku entered and Hitsugaya closed the door behind them. Though he was speaking to her, he failed to turn around and face her.
"I'm sure you've heard the news," he said slowly. When Rangiku didn't respond, he continued. "Ichimaru Taichou was reported missing this morning. It is quite likely that he'll return to this area."
"What makes you think that?" Rangiku asked coolly, trying to remain humble, while getting her point across.
He continued to stare at the door. "It's a widespread belief he has many ties to this place. A man of his...unstable mentality, might seek refuge in places he once trusted." He glanced over his shoulder. "Perhaps Ichimaru Taichou is finally realizing what he's done wrong."
Anger began to swell inside Rangiku, though she kept her head. If she lost her temper, it would only mean trouble for her and Gin, and even quite possibly, Kira. She nodded shortly, refusing to speak.
"You haven't heard anything, have you, Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya finally turned to face her.
She didn't answer him, still not daring to open her mouth. His eyes narrowed dangerously, as though inspecting her for revealing signs.
"Matsumoto?" he repeated.
"No, Taichou." She lied. "I haven't heard anything."
He nodded shortly. "Very well, then. If you do, please inform me immediately."
Before she could respond, the door had swung open again and he'd disappeared outside. She was certain that he'd be off to warn someone else, most likely Hinamori. She couldn't blame him for being so protective, especially after what had happened to the poor girl.
Sighing deeply, she left the room, trying to find a place where she wouldn't have to hear the murmuring sounds of the rumors flying around the place. As a hell butterfly passed by, she felt a strange chill run up her spine. She only hoped there wouldn't be a meeting held about all this. If she heard someone mention it one more time, she might snap.
"Matsumoto-san!" that familiar voice sounded for the second time that day.
"Kira," Rangiku said, feeling slightly annoyed.
"Have you seen anything yet?" he asked, sounding quite interested.
"No," she answered bluntly, moving along the nearest path. Perhaps she would sit in the garden for a while. No one would bother her there.
"Has anyone said anything new?" he continued, following her.
"No," she repeated.
Kira frowned. "Oh," he said. "Well, I heard someone say that they saw him this morning, but they weren't sure if it was him or one of the guards. Do you think it was him?"
"No," she said a third time.
"You sound as though you know something, Matsumoto-san," he said, his eyes narrowing as he stopped shortly. "Do you know something?"
Rangiku sighed, turning around to face him, her face contorted with annoyance. "No!"
Kira stared at her, backing down. "V-Very well," he replied quietly. She noticed that his knees had begun to shake a little. "I was only wondering. You will keep your promise, won't you?"
"Of course, Kira..." she said, only hoping that he would leave, and soon.
"O-Okay then," he said, nodding. "Bye-bye."
He started off in the other direction, his knees buckling only after a few short steps, bringing him to the ground. He laughed nervously as he returned to his feet and brushed off his hakama. Without another word, he hurried off toward the other Captains.
Finally feeling at ease, Rangiku found herself a small bench in the garden, just enough for her to relax and think over everything she'd learned. There were so many sides to everything, and she wasn't entirely sure which side she wanted to be on.
She could be with the other Captains, and continue to go against the evil that had been trying to do her in since the beginning of time.
Or she could be with Kira, secretly backstabbing the entire Soul Society, while not entirely intentionally helping a "convicted" criminal escape capture.
Or, she could be with Gin, where they would be kept in hiding for quite a long time. She would also be going against her people, her beliefs, and everything she'd ever been taught.
But she'd be following her heart.
She wished these decisions were easier to make, or that someone else could make them for her. But then, she'd never know if it were the right choice to make, or if it would have been the best choice in the long run.
Feelings were too much of a hassle to deal with, she decided, closing her eyes and breathing in the smell of the surrounding flowers. Her mind went blank for a few moments, allowing her the only moments of peace she would receive in the next couple of days. Weeks even, perhaps.
Breathing in...
Breathing out...
Breathing in...
She loved how this was all she had to focus on at the moment. The soft smooth motion of her breathing as it entered and flowed out of her body.
In...out...In...out...In-
"Attention all Captains! A mandatory search will be made of all quarters at this time! Would all Captains report to their quarters immediately? A mandatory search will be made of all quarters at this time!"
Rangiku felt her breath become caught in her chest as the announcement was made loud and clear. Rising to her feet, she panicked, noticing the cloaked guards swarming toward the Captains' and Vice Captains' quarters.
Her quarters were on the other side of the grounds, where the man they were searching for was happily cooped up, snuggling beneath layers of blankets.
Rangiku would have to get there before the guards did, to warn him, to get him somewhere else. Where exactly, she wasn't sure, but anywhere would be better than there.
The only problem was, she was certain she'd never beat the guards to it...
A/N: So there it is. Yep, it's a cliffhanger, which means there will definitely be a next chapter, because that would be mean if I was like: "Yeah, no. I'm just gonna stop there and make you folks suffer." Anyways, please review and tell me what you think. I apologize for any OOC-Ness. I haven't quite figured out which versions of the characters I want to follow most (Anime/Manga/Musical...oh yeah, totally a Bleach musical for those who don't know. It's pretty much the most amazing thing ever.) and some characters are hard to work with (cough, Kira, cough). I don't know too much about Kira, which makes it even harder for me, but, hey, gimme a break, I'm trying. Thank you so much to all my reviewers! I love you all!
