Partial to a Grin Chapter 2, a bleach fanfic

-Partial to a Grin-

Part 2

a/n: Yay! Chapter two is finally here. Thank you for the feedback everyone! In this chapter you will see a different side of Rangiku that isn't 'as' submissive. That spark is what will eventually grow, transforming her into the Rangiku we know and love.

Does anyone remember the scene where Gin goes 'Bai bai'. Well I just watched this video where he says that over and over and over…GAH…I can't get enough Gin!!!

Extended Summary: Au. GinXRangiku. After being orphaned, the Hitsugaya family adopted and raised Matsumoto Rangiku. Now she finally has a chance to return the favor when a marriage with the heir of the enemy must unite the two lands of 3rd and 10th territories. What she doesn't know is that the marriage is ploy to gain the 10th territories trust. Ratings WILL Rise.

Chapter rating: PG-13

Standard disclaimer applies.

It was official. Matsumoto Rangiku was engaged. The Excited chatter of an upcoming wedding rang through the halls. Everyone was so excited. The 10th territory would not have to go into a war with the 3rd territory. A treaty had been made valid.

The initial excitement of her success had by now worn off. Rangiku now realized the severity of her actions. She was betrothed to a man…no a boy that she had just met. It wasn't even a formal meeting towards him alone. It was to the entire council. He was heir to one of the most violent territories, so he had to have some sort of edge to him. A shudder made its way down her spine as she that grin of grin of his. She was unable to come to an understanding when it came to his mannerisms.

She wasn't offended that he had completely ignored her. Everybody seemed to that. She was very used to that at this point in time. It was just that his seemingly permanent facial express left her a bit unnerved. And whatever parts of her that weren't unnerved were blatantly curious.

Overall, she just didn't feel too good about this whole situation.

Rangiku felt guilty about her new found doubts. Her aunt would think that she was a selfish girl. 'It's the least I could do,' Rangiku found herself whispering to herself as a mantra. Everybody else seemed to be ecstatic about the deal, with the exception of Toshirou, who kept passing her skeptical glances during meals. Besides that, everyone was fine…so why couldn't she be happy about this too? The more she told herself this, of course, the less she felt assured.

Once she had even gained the nerve to approach her aunt with the issue. Just as she was about to reveal her thoughts, her aunt had abruptly pulled her into an embrace, granting Rangiku praise that she had never before received. In the end Rangiku had ended up keeping it all to herself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It had been two days since her marriage arrangement had been announced. It had been decided that Rangiku was to leave the 10th estate very early the next day. Those thoughts had done nothing to soothe the unease she was feeling. Everything was moving so fast! Already, she would be forced to leave the only place she had ever considered a home. It was almost too much to bear.

Her uncle and aunt were celebrating the treaty tonight with a dinner party. Many important faces had shown up. Rangiku instead of being able to attend the party as a guest was told that she was to serve the tea. Talk of her little tea trick had spread around like a wild fire, apparently. Rangiku found it to be degrading. There wouldn't be a treaty if in the first lace if it hadn't been for her. They were celebrating as if it had been the fruit of their own labor.

She of course, chose to grin and bear it. She feared what would happen if she voiced such thoughts. Surely people wouldn't approve of such behavior. Her brief rush of anger dissipated. Rangiku instead stared at the crowd before her from her very forgettable corner, longing to be able to participate in their laughter filled conversation.

Rangiku's envious gaze was interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. Rangiku jumped in surprise. She glanced at who had disturbed her. It was the man with the green striped hat. Knowing what he had come here for, Rangiku looked down as she poured him some tea.

She slid his cup along the table so it was within his reach. Before she could let go, he swiftly placed his hands over hers, not allowing her hands free. Confusedly she pulled her gaze up from the cup and met his eyes. They held this mischievous look within them. Rangiku's brow furrowed as she watched the side of his lip curl upwards.

"So you must be the lucky bride to be," he spoke. Rangiku stupidly nodded, not knowing what to say. He was the first person to address her since the whole dinner party had begun. Nobody had strayed to her corner unless asking for a refill of tea. He released his grip and allowed her fingers to slip free. "Yeah, I'd be pretty peeved too if my family was about to ship me out to wed the heir of a territory known for its wickedness. He reached behind his head to scratch itch."No! I'm not angry about it at all," Rangiku attempted to argue, "It's an honor to be able to…," Rangiku trailed off with a sigh, giving up on her point as he began laughing at her. "Urahara Kisuke's the name," he said to her. "Uh," was the only response Rangiku was able to get out before he interrupted again, this time appearing to be in a rush.

"I'll see you around…don't forget to bring that fiery little spirit of yours too," chuckled, "You're going to need it." With that, he walked back into the throng of people, disappearing from her sight. For the rest of the night Rangiku found herself roaming the crowd, searching for a striped hat. For underneath it was the only person who seemed to realize what she was going through.

0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0

Exhausted from the festivities, as soon as she was able to, Rangiku headed for bed. The next morning would prove to be very stressful, and Rangiku wished to receive all the sleep that she could get.

She had been lying on her back and staring at her ceiling when she dozed off. A few hours passed by, and Rangiku had unconsciously rolled on her side. Something was beginning to lure her away of the escape of slumber. The incessant whispering of her name eventually caused her to wake with a start. Rangiku groaned tiredly.

It had been surprised to meet the intense gaze of her little cousin.

"Toshirou," Rangiku mumbled in her sleepy haze. "Rangiku, you have to wake up," he whispered sharply. At this, Rangiku rubbed her eyes. With it, the sleep faded. "What do you want, squirt," she said in an annoyed fashion. Toshirou growled in frustration at the mention of that dreaded nick name that she could only ever use in private.

"I'm serious, Rangiku," he bit out, suppressing his anger. Rangiku nodded, now wide awake and curious as to why her little cousin had snuck into her room. He parted his lips as if about to say something, but then averted his eyes. He fingered her futon nervously, as if he didn't want to say it.

"Well?" Rangiku intoned, becoming impatient with him. She jabbed at his sleeved arm with her finger. Finally, he grumbled something that she couldn't really hear. Rangiku leaned in closer, "What?" she asked. "I said that," he began, "I…I'm going to miss you, okay!" he shouted. Rangiku winced at his tone at first, but then his words sank in.

So she did the thing that he had least expected her to do…she began to giggle madly. "Hey, what are you laughing at!" he said, a tint of red beginning to rise to his cheeks. Rangiku shook her head as her laughter came to a halt.

"Thank you Toshirou, I was beginning to think that no one really cared," Rangiku answered honestly. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments before Toshirou spoke once more. "Rangiku," about this whole treaty thing, I'm still skeptical," he started. "Just…be careful and take care of your self okay?" he finished. Rangiku hummed a positive note, so he stood to leave.

They exchanged their final good nights and Toshirou left to return to his own room. She wasn't the only one who was in for a busy day in a few hours. Rangiku plopped back down on her futon and made herself comfortable. She was able to go sleep with a smile on her face.

At least now she had two people on her side, and that was a whole lot more than what she used to having.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o00o0

Just as Rangiku had predicted, the next morning had indeed been quite frantic. The servants had woken her up earlier than expected, which was quite early, considering Rangiku usually awoke before even the maids. This morning there would be no time for that morning walk that she oh so needed.

Much to her chagrin, they had dressed in layer upon layer of silk. She felt thick and heavy. With each step she took, she feared that she would collapse. She had talked the maid into allowing her hair to hang down, instead of pulling it up into some sort elaborate shape that resembled a fruit.

After fussing over her makeup, the maids had finally left her alone. Rangiku took this as a good time, to remove some of the layers and hide them where they couldn't be found. No one seemed to notice.

The carriage had arrived soon after she was prepared. It was elaborate vehicle, filled with posh and pulled by two thick muscled steeds.

A nervous looking blonde haired man stepped out and made his way to the group. He bowed respectfully before her uncle. He was addressed. "You're Izuru Kira I presume." The blonde man nodded curtly as he stiffly rose from his bow. "I apologize but there is no time for pleasantries at the moment. We must be on our way," he spoke softly. Her uncle grunted in response, and gestured Rangiku forward.

Rangiku walked forward after receiving a quick but assuring hug from her aunt, and small wave good bye from her cousin. Kira fidgeted a moment unsure of how to react to her. To help calm his nerves, she gave him a smile, but it only seemed to fluster him all the more.

"Please follow me."

Awkwardly she was led to and then helped into the carriage. Before taking his place next to the man with reigns, he spoke to her once more. "Please inform me if you require anything," he said with a stammer. "Yes, Izuru-san," Rangiku answered. With that said and done Izuru Kira let out a loud resolute sigh and took his place next to driver.

Their journey had just begun. Little did Kira realize just what he was in for.

"Ne… Kira," Rangiku's voice piped up once again as it had been doing a lot for the past few hours. "Yes," he said warily, not wishing to continue the conversation he was holding. Rangiku had been quick to drop all formalities of speech with him…it was completely unexpected. From what he'd heard this girl was reportedly all mellowed out. "What's it like," Rangiku asked. He craned his neck around to give her confused glanced. Not only did she seem to enjoy talking very much, but he could barely make sense of anything she said.

"What's what like?" he finally responded.

Rangiku found that she quite liked talking to Kira. It was completely unlike how she would talk to anyone else. Back at home, she would have never had the gull to speak to someone this much! It was invigorating. She didn't feel that she had to filter anything that she said…nobody was judging her.

That's what drove her curiosity. She wished to know if all people from 3rd territory were like this. This…was something she could get used to.

"What's the 3rd territory like?" she asked once again, this time being more specific. Kira had turned his back to face front and released yet another sigh.

For the rest of the ride, the two remained locked in there discussion.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0oo0o0o

Upon arrival, Rangiku had been quickly and quietly led through the castle. She wished to ask Kira why he was in such a rush, but the distressed look within his eyes begged her not to. She abided to his wishes in discontent. The blonde man had seemed so much more open on the carriage. He had become tense and distant, unwilling to go along with her many antics. He had led her through a series of twisted halls and doors.

"Well," Kira said. The noise had startled Rangiku. Everything was just so…silent. "This is where I was instructed to leave you." Kira continued, "My apologies that there was no one to greet you. At the moment everyone is…out…handling serious business." Rangiku shuddered at his tone. With an exchange of bows, he slid the door shut.

Rangiku immediately spun around to observe her surroundings. The only lighting was coming from a single candle. It made the room glow warmly. She accepted the invitation of the candle, and began to assess it.

Though the walls looked to be made of shouji screens, Rangiku guessed that it was merely the design. She poked at one cautiously to test this theory. Her finger met cold stone wall. It was a very sound proof room. She eventually discovered that there had only been one wall not aligned with stone. The other side must have been 'outside'.

The walls were aligned with wooden chests and low shelving. Her gaze brushed past another set of shoji doors, which she assumed led to a closet. Nothing particular caught her eye. It was just a bunch of knick knacks littered across the room neatly, as if they had been organized in a certain pattern.

Rangiku eventually grew tired of standing awkwardly in the middle of this room and made way towards a futon located in the corner. It was large enough to fit a multitude of people, Rangiku noticed. She knelt down cautiously and reached out towards the sleek fabrics, marveling at it's softness.

She pulled it to her face and caressed it against her cheek. A smell that she quite enjoyed intruded her senses, she inhaled it with much vigor.

Rangiku stripped down to her last layer, and crawled on top. It wasn't long until she dozed off.

Rangiku's eyes fluttered open softly as she awakened. The candle had gone out, leaving the room shrouded in darkness. It took a few moments until her eyes could adjust. The body pressed against her side was comfortingly warm. And it smelled so good! That scent from earlier had somehow increased. With a mewl of appreciation, Rangiku arched into the solid body like a kitten. Her drowsy mind was just about to allow her to fall back into her slumbers…when….

Finally Rangiku came to her senses, and tensed. There was somebody lying next to her! She rolled over to see who would He was turned away from her, but she instantly recognized who it was. Revealed to her was a slim, but masculine nape, topped with silvery locks, tussled around from sleep. Slow intakes of breath told her that he was still sleeping. With that knowledge in mind, she tried to relax a little.

Warily she sat up, supported by her arms. Her now fully adjusted eyes caught sight of a bright fabric sprawled across her own clothing. It's light color gave way to the dark stains and splotches that covered it. Realizing the stain to be blood, Rangiku's pulse began to race. Whatever 'business' he had attended to that night defiantly involved violence…possibly even death.

Rangiku inwardly scolded herself for her fear. She was to be his wife! It was quite unlikely that her blood would be spilled over his garments as well. With that thought in mind, she shakily lied down once again-this time with space between them-.

At first it was difficult to give in to sleep, with the solid figure next to her. Rangiku was unable to hold out on her sleep for long though, and she drifted off.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/n: So did you take notice of Rangiku's slight change in personality? Good. Now expect that to continue to grow throughout the chapters. I don't intend for there to be an Urahara Matsumoto romance, but there alliance WILL be important in future chapters. I just wanted to clear that up.

Sorry if this is going at an unusually slow pace everyone! Next chapter…I finally get to the Gin/Ran stuff! I'm just trying to work the plot around it.

Also, please don't forget that this is an AU.

Reviews?