Fireworks

Chapter 3: Surprise

Her birthday finally came and when she woke up, she did not feel like celebrating at all. The cleaning immediately began as soon as the clock struck 9:00 in the morning and the only individuals who greeted her first were her Captain's other subordinates and other members of the Tenth Squad. She continued to help and give directions to the other Tenth Squad members without realizing that her Captain was missing. She only discovered that Hitsugaya was not around when she overheard two Tenth Squad members talking about Vice-Captain Momo Hinamori being sick with the flu and their Captain was the one who volunteered to take care of her and even brought her to their barracks so he could personally attend to her.

"What?" Rangiku asked.

The two men looked at her curiously.

"Is that true?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. Vice-Captain Hinamori is currently staying in one of the guest quarters. She was taken here only last night."

"She said she did not want to bother Captain Aizen so she decided to come here instead and recuperate under Captain Hitsugaya's care. Anyway, he agreed."

Rangiku took a deep breath and turned away. "Okay." she said simply as she examined the pile of junk inside the storage room that had not been cleared or sorted out yet. "And looks like this is going to be a long day and a long night." she mumbled.

The members of the Tenth Squad continued to work throughout the day and they only stopped for their lunch break. Rangiku felt bothered when the sun started to set and she has not even seen any one of her closest friends so they could greet her and maybe celebrate with them even for a bit. However, only half of the junk inside the storage room has been cleared and sorted. She realized it would take three more days to complete the task of cleaning that oversized storage room. It did not help that even the things of the previous Captains and Vice-Captains of the Tenth Squad were dumped there.

When it was time for dinner, Rangiku immediately stepped out of the storage room and annoyingly made her way to the washroom. She thoroughly cleaned her hands and washed her face as she thought of trying to escape or maybe climb up the roof when nobody is looking so she could see the fireworks. However, the threat of Hitsugaya finding out about her sudden absence made her feel restless. She did not want to let go of her remaining leave credits. She felt so annoyed and helpless at the circumstances that she wanted to cry. Tears began to sting her eyes but she tried her best not to let them fall. On her way out of the washroom, she wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her shihakusho, which obstructed her vision.

And she bumped against someone again when she turned to the corner. "Ah!" she cried out in surprise as she lost her balance, but before she could fall backward, a familiar strong grip caught her by her arms and held her firmly in place. She gazed in awe at the man who held her. "Captain Aizen!" she exclaimed.

He chuckled. "Oh, it's you again." he told her.

She felt embarrassed because it happened again. "Great. He must think I'm stupid and that I'm a klutz." she thought in annoyance, but all she could do is smile sheepishly at him as she laughed awkwardly, "I'm... yeah. It's me again! Ha, ha."

Aizen gazed curiously into her eyes. "You've been crying?" he asked.

She wondered why sometimes, she wanted to cry more each time somebody would ask if she had been crying or if she was okay whenever she felt really, really miserable. She sniffed and faked a cheerful smile. "No. It's just the dust from all the cleaning. But I'm okay now. I just washed my face." but he clearly heard her voice shake as she spoke. Still, she pretended to be okay and maintained a cheerful façade. "And what brings you here, Captain Aizen? Visiting Momo?" she asked.

He smiled awkwardly at her. "Actually, I came here to greet you a happy birthday," he began.

She froze as she felt her heart jump when she heard that. "Am I hearing things?" she wondered quietly as she stared at him in awe.

"And that I'd like to invite you to watch the fireworks with me." He told her.

She thought that all her blood rushed to her head because her ears suddenly felt very hot and the sensation spread throughout her entire face and neck until she realized that she had been blushing already. She saw the amused expression on the Captain's face as he watched her turn red. "Are you okay? Don't tell me you have a fever now," he said playfully.

She laughed awkwardly as she shook her head quickly. "No, no. I'm okay, Captain Aizen. I'm... just..." she trailed off as she suddenly felt happy. She squealed in delight as she jumped up and down, which made her breasts bounce and made him stare. He quickly looked away when he realized what he had been doing before she could catch him. "Hush, Rangiku. You don't want Captain Hitsugaya to hear you." he told her uncomfortably.

She stopped jumping and tried to compose herself. "Huh?" she asked. And then she remembered the mandatory task of cleaning the storage warehouses and rooms. "Oh, I see," she looked at him devilishly and winked as she moved closer to nudge him. "You're bailing out of the cleaning?"

"No, but Fifth Squad is finished for the day." he told her.

She looked at him unbelievably and pouted. "You know, I wish I worked for you because you're so lenient. But I wouldn't fit in because the others think that it's a Squad for intelligent people." she said. Aizen was not sure if she was being sarcastic or not, but he just smiled and said, "You could be my Vice-Captain tonight. Now, let's go." and he reached out his hand to her. She stared at his hand which gripped her arm earlier to prevent her from falling, and she realized how big his hands were and how slender his fingers looked. She shyly placed her hand on his and he grasped it gently but firmly. With that, the two of them walked hand-in-hand, but he led most of the way. "Do you treat your Vice-Captain this way? Because if you do, I'd be really, really jealous and I might request for a transfer to your squad." she said in a half-teasing manner.

"No. This is actually the first time I treated my Vice-Captain this way." he replied. What he said made her blush, but she did not really know how to react to what he said. She just let him lead the way out of Squad Ten's barracks but she became hesitant when they passed by a three of the squad's low-ranking members who were chatting casually by the gate while eating Onigiri. The three men stared unbelievably at the two.

Rangiku awkwardly tried to break free from Aizen's grasp, but before she could do or say anything, he spoke to the three men confidently, "Since my Vice-Captain is with your Captain, tell him that I'm borrowing his Vice-Captain for a while. Do you understand?"

The three men awkwardly smiled and looked at the way he held their Vice-Captain's hand. "Yes, Captain Aizen." they replied, although not in unison.

"Good." Aizen said gruffly before he pulled Rangiku with him so they could finally exit Squad Ten's barracks.

Rangiku could not believe the things happening to her at that moment, but she knew she was not dreaming. She just kept quiet as he led the way to the Fifth Squad's barracks.

"...Wait. Fifth Squad?" she thought. "Captain Aizen," she began.

"Yes?" he asked as he continued to drag her with him inside his barracks.

"Why are we here?" she asked.

Aizen led the way to the roof and when they got there, he finally explained with a charming grin which made her stare at him in discreet admiration. "You see, I don't really have passes because they were too expensive for me to afford right now, so I thought we could just watch the fireworks from here."

There was something about his words which made her want to go, "Aaww," because it triggered a tender emotion in her. Sympathy, perhaps? Or she just found him to be simply adorable-like a cute puppy with nothing to give its owner but its love and devotion.

Rangiku felt her cheeks get warmer again despite presence of a cool evening breeze. Somehow, she felt content. "It's okay." she replied. She knew deep inside that all she wanted was someone to be with her on her birthday. She expected her friends to be with her, but when they were not available, the most unexpected individual decided to be with her instead.

He let out a sigh of relief, "Alright, then make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back." he said before suddenly disappearing, leaving Rangiku alone on the cold rooftop. She gazed up at the sky and realized that there were plenty of stars that night but no visible moon. She carefully sat down and continued to observe the night sky until Aizen returned with a pair of red scarves. "Here," he handed one to her. "It's a cold night." he told her.

She thanked him as she took the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Aizen sat down some 5 inches away from her and once he got settled, there was the awkward silence again.

"So, how old are you?" he asked. The question was meant to be serious but she took it as a joke. She laughed and replied, "I won't tell you."

"Well, sorry if I offended you." he said with a guilty tone.

"No, no, it's nothing." she said reassuringly. She felt a little silly for misinterpreting his question but she immediately dismissed it when the first spark from a firework distracted them. Soon, the night sky was filled with colorful fireworks. He sneaked a few discreet glances at her so he could observe the amused expression on her face and the happiness in her eyes.

Some 20 minutes later, while the fireworks show continued, she was finally able to contain her excitement and relaxed a little. She breathed in the cool evening air and exhaled carefully. "Just when I thought this would be the worst birthday ever, you just made it better so," she looked at him, "thank you."

Aizen easily detected the sincerity in her tone and he smiled back at her. "You're welcome." he said.

They shifted their attention back to the fireworks and after a few moments of silence, she spoke up again without looking at him, "Captain Aizen,"

"Hmm?" he responded mindlessly.

Rangiku did not know how to phrase her question properly without sounding awkward. She wanted to ask why he did that for her, but she felt embarrassed and nervous so she just decided against it. She shook her head and just tossed a lock of her hair off her left shoulder. "Nothing. I forgot." she fibbed.

He knew that was a lie but he could not find the right words to probe her further. The two of them just sat in silence throughout the rest of the show.