Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the related titles!
A/N: Hey guys! I'm aliiiiive! Okay, so I'll make this as quick as possible, because I know you've been waiting so patiently for ever so long for this update. I apologize for taking so long. As I said on my other updates, I've been struggling with balancing college, homework, work, life, and dealing with a bad break up lately, so writing hasn't exactly been my top priority. I'm taking advantage now, though, of my free time to get back to my fanfics and finish them as quickly as I possibly can for you guys! So, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!
Chapter 11: A Change of Plans
Rangiku couldn't protest. She knew it'd be pointless to resist arrest, though she couldn't be certain they wouldn't search the premises afterward and discover the wanted man, naked in her closet. They didn't even provide her with time to cover herself with a proper robe before pulling her away from her room, an officer holding each of her arms.
They hadn't gotten far when the officers were stopped by Hitsugaya standing in the middle of the road. Rangiku wasn't entirely surprised to see her Captain before her; in fact she'd been expecting them to be bringing her to him. He'd be demanding some answers soon, she was sure of it. This time, however, she felt she couldn't lie to him. Maybe having Hitsugaya on their side would help Gin's situation and he wouldn't have to hide anymore. Perhaps all this would be a blessing in disguise.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou!" the officers stopped in their tracks, looking quite stunned to find the Captain before them. One of them immediately let go of Rangiku's arm as if he feared the wrath of Hitsugaya seeing his Vice-Captain manhandled.
"What are you doing with my Vice-Captain?" he asked coolly, his blue eyes shining brighter than normal.
The bigger officer stood his ground. "We've been instructed to take her in to the high council," he explained. "She's being brought in for questioning. They suspect her of being part of the Aizen-Ichimaru alliance…"
Hitsugaya took two large steps toward them (which was equivalent to a normal sized step) and drew in a deep breath. "Are you trying to tell me, you think my own Vice-Captain is going against me and my orders?"
The officers exchanged nervous glances. It was obvious Hitsugaya wasn't very pleased with the situation at hand and was bound to take matters into his own hands if they didn't hand her over in a matter of seconds.
"You're going to have to bring that up with the higher ups, there, Captain…" one of the officers spoke up. "I mean, we've got direct orders and if we show up empty handed, it'll be our nec-"
"I'll bring her there," he said shortly.
They stared back at him. This was certainly unexpected, but it wasn't exactly out of the question. If he wanted to accompany his Vice-Captain to the hearing, he would be more than welcome to. After all, he deserved to know what his Vice-Captain was up to when he wasn't around.
"Give her to me," he instructed. "You can tell those who sent you that I will bring her to them as soon as possible."
"But sir-" the larger officer started.
Hitsugaya held up a hand to hush him. The officer shut up immediately and watched as the Captain moved closer to them, holding his hand out toward Rangiku. The others had no choice but to let the woman go and nudge her toward her Captain.
Rangiku allowed Hitsugaya to take her by the arm. With a short nod to the other officers, he led her from the scene as professionally as possible. When they were out of earshot, Rangiku decided to speak.
"Hitsugaya-Taichou, you know this is absolutely ridiculous right? You know I'm not involved in all that!" she told him. "You can't let them do this to me…"
Hitsugaya didn't respond. Instead, he led her back toward her room. She looked confused, as this was the complete opposite direction of the high council. When it became clear he wasn't bringing her to her hearing, she starting to feel relieved.
"Thank you so much for believing me…" she breathed. "I don't know how they got such a thought…"
The door to her room banged open and Hitsugaya surveyed the area. Noticing her ruffled sheets and the discarded robe that belonged to the Captain of Division 3 (something the other officers thankfully hadn't noticed), he cleared his throat loudly.
"Gin, it would do you well to come out of hiding…" he announced to the room, closing the door behind him. "I know you're in here."
There was no response and for a second Rangiku thought Gin had had the nerve to make a run for it. Hitsugaya, however, was not so quickly convinced of his departure. Letting go of Rangiku's arm, he gestured toward the closet.
"Very well," he said. "Go get yourself into some clothes."
Rangiku glanced at him nervously before moving toward the closet. Her hand shook as she slid the door open, revealing a very curled up, and very naked, Gin who waved at the Captain innocently after making eye contact.
"Haha…" he laughed nervously. "Well, hiya there Cap'n Hitsugaya…"
Hitsugaya didn't look pleased, as both of them had expected. Rangiku turned away from the closet quickly, blushing furiously and still holding her bed sheets to herself. Gin started to make his way from the cramped space.
"I knew I'd find you here," Hitsugaya finally said. "I had my suspicions all along. And after all those times I warned you, you never listened to me…"
Rangiku's eyes lifted from the ground and locked onto her Captain. What was he saying? Had he been in contact with Gin all along as well? Something wasn't making very much sense.
Gin pulled on his robes quickly and stared at the man before him curiously. "You warned me, Cap'n? Of what?"
"Red-heads are nothing but trouble…" he said calmly, sliding his hands into his sleeves as he crossed them in front of his chest.
Gin's eyes grew wide as things suddenly clicked for him. Rangiku, however, was even more confused than she'd been before. The two before her sounded like they were suddenly speaking a different language.
"No…" Gin circled the Captain, eyeing him cautiously. "Naw…it can't be." He shook his head and laughed loudly. "This is a rather nifty thing ya got here, Cap'n!"
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Rangiku finally broke her silence, looking back and forth between the two of them.
Hitsugaya should have cut Gin's head off. That was how things would have worked if they had been anywhere else. Gin was wanted dead, not alive and Hitsugaya, she thought, had been one of the people heading the group in hunt for him. Gin should have been dead the minute she opened the door to the closet, not still standing here conversing with him as if they were old pals.
"There's been a change of plans, Gin…" Hitsugaya continued, completely brushing off his Vice-Captain as his eyes focused on Gin and Gin only. "And this time, we're going to use the girl…"
"Whaddya mean?" Gin froze, resisting the urge to look over at the frightened Rangiku. "Whaddya mean we're goin' to use her? What are we goin' to use her for?"
"They know," Hitsugaya explained. "They know we've infiltrated, and they know who's involved now. If they're already going after her, she's a danger to us. Do you really think she's going to stay loyal to you when they threaten her life like they would in front of the high council?"
Gin opened his mouth to speak, but Hitsugaya cut him off again.
"As much as you would think so, Gin, she wouldn't. And so now, we must use her to our advantage. After all, she's got some great loyalties here." Hitsugaya grinned evilly, a look that was completely unnatural for him, and started toward Rangiku. "I don't know about you, but I think there are several here who would immediately come to her rescue if word got out she was in danger."
"Not if they thought she was in league with us, Cap'n," Gin pointed out. "If they think she's on our side, they're not goin' to come after her."
Hitsugaya nodded. "You've got a point, but if someone lets it slip that she's not involved with us, and that we're holding her hostage…well," he laughed shortly. "I can imagine we'd have four or five dead shinigamis by morning."
Gin wasn't sure. He didn't want to put Rangiku in danger, and there were so many ways this plan could fall through. Looking over at the confused woman, he couldn't help but feel sorry for not being able to explain everything to her.
"It's worth a try…" Hitsugaya decided, taking Rangiku once again by the arm. This time, a strange amount of more strength seemed to be holding her than before. "I'll meet you later to discuss and work out the thorny details…" he instructed.
And before Gin could speak, the two of them were gone. Sighing heavily, he ran a bony hand down his face. This wasn't going to end well, and he knew that soon he was going to have to prove his loyalty to one side, and one side only. Someone was going to get hurt.
Grabbing a robe for Rangiku from the closet, he started toward the doorway knowing that he'd been in even deeper trouble if he didn't follow the Captain's orders. He would deal with his loyalty to the Soul Society later. For now, he'd have to heed Aizen and his warnings.
GINXRANGIKU
"Yo! Yo, Hitsugaya-Taichou!"
Hitsugaya turned around suddenly, spotting a very large officer making his way toward him. The man seemed quite flustered and out of breath and Hitusgaya could only assume that something bad had happened.
"What's wrong?" he asked immediately.
The officer panted, stopping suddenly to catch his breath. "W-Where's Matsumoto Rangiku?"
Hitsugaya stared back at him, looking quite confused. He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know. I didn't know I was supposed to be keep tabs on my Vice-Captain at all times. Did you try her room?"
The officer stared back at him, blinking slowly, his breathing finally mostly back to normal. "Are you trying to be funny, Captain?"
Hitsugaya looked taken aback. Of course he wasn't trying to be funny. He didn't make jokes, and everyone knew well to remember that.
"Is she needed somewhere?" he asked calmly.
"You said…" the officer pointed at him weakly. "Well, earlier, we were bringing her to the high council and you stopped us…don't you remember? You said you were going to…to bring her there yourself…don't you remember?"
Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows and shook his head once again. "I'm afraid I don't remember that. Why would my Vice-Captain be taken to the high council, and why would I offer to bring her there? You must have me mistaken with someone else. Good day."
Hitsugaya turned away from the man, thinking bitterly to himself about the men that the Soul Society hired as their guards. Morons. All of them. They couldn't tell the difference between a shinigami and a dog if they wanted to.
"No, sir!" the officer leapt forward, catching Hitsugaya by the arm. "The high council is very angry she didn't show up for her hearing today. You told us to tell them you were going to bring her, and you never showed up. They're going to come after you next! You do know that, don't you?"
Hitsugaya stared back at him, his brow furrowing in confusion. He hadn't seen this officer today, or within the last year or so, let alone have a conversation with him over Rangiku and some hearing he didn't know a thing about.
"Are you sure it was me?" he asked quietly, staring into the man's eyes, as though trying to detect some kind of fallacy behind his words. "Are you sure I was the one who spoke to you today?"
The officer nodded. "I'm one hundred percent sure, sir. There were others there too. They swear it was you. That's why I was sent here to find you."
"And Matsumoto," he continued slowly. "She left with me?"
"Yes, Captain…" the man agreed. "Are you starting to remember this now?" he looked hopeful.
Hitsugaya shook his head, his eyes suddenly focusing off on something other than the officer as he thought over the different possibilities. He had thought it strange, honestly, when Rangiku hadn't shown up for work, but had thought she had merely fallen asleep again. He was going to talk to her about it in the morning.
But now, this…
"What does this mean, Captain?" the officer's voice shook as he spoke. "Does this mean someone's done something to you? Has your memory been erased?"
"No…" Hitusugaya responded, his eyes growing dark and stony as he clenched his fists tightly. "It means that someone is going around disguising himself as a Captain…"
A/N: Dun, dun, daaaah! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter very much. As I said before, I'm going to try my best to update this as soon as possible. I promise. I thank you all for your love, support and patience. It really means the most to me!
