A/N: This is part of Livejournal's 500themes Challenge. The prompt is 500. Useful Phrases. I got to choose my own prompt and felt that this was suitable.

Chapter 3

Upon arriving in Belfast, Rangiku quickly learned that her greatest problem was the language barrier. Her English was rudimentary at best. When she had stopped to ask for directions—displaying her best 'lost look' and angling her cleavage—the people had merely shaken their heads and shrugged their shoulders, giving her a kind of pitying smile.

I should have brought that Customer Service worker, Rangiku mused rather unhappily. Once again, the encroaching feelings of defeat began to permeate her formerly hopeful spirits.

After some hours wandering around rather aimlessly, the lost Shinigami decided to at least enjoy her time in the city. After all, this was a part of the world she had never seen before.

She slowed her steps and began to pay more attention to her surroundings, taking in the stylistically different architecture, the range of different looking people, and the way that the city seemed to combine a relatively interesting mixture of the old and the new.

It was quite fascinating really. Japan was modern in almost every aspect—with buildings that gripped the sky, automobiles, and technologically savvy everyday items—but Soul Society had remained relatively primitive by comparison. And this—the ever so foreign western world—was even more than she had imagined. She felt almost a pang of envy for Gin. He was getting a chance to experience the world—to see it through the eyes of a human. Though Rangiku was happy with her life in Soul Society, she had to admit—though she did it a bit begrudgingly—that this was kind of fun.

And maybe that's why he's doing this after all.

She rounded a corner, using her map as a faithful guide in hopes of finding the bus station, and barely managed to stop herself from running into the back of a broad-shouldered, loud-mouthed Irishman. Though she couldn't understand the words bellowing from his lips, she could see that they were gathering a large amount of spectators.

Rangiku quickly flipped through the pocket dictionary that she had bought in a small bookshop a few hours earlier—after the seventh hopeless shrug and hastily retreating Irishman had dashed her hopes into the ground—examining the "useful phrases" section, and then turned to one of the spectators on her right.

"Hello."

He looked at her, sizing her up, and smiled brightly, "Ah hello! What kin I do for ya missy?"

The majority of these words were lost on Rangiku and she felt herself shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"I look for a—" Oh damn. What was that word again? She felt her face grow hot as she flipped once more through the dictionary, stumbling through the pages as she imagined he must be growing impatient. Lighthouse. That's right. Now how the hell do I say that? Rangiku inhaled deeply, repeating herself, "I look for a litu-hose."

She hazarded a glance at the man, waiting to see if she would once again receive the same pitying smile. However, he surprised her and burst into laughter instead—a jolly, rolling sound that spilled from his lips in unconcealed mirth. "I'm 'fraid there are a bunch of those."

The man paused, winking slyly, "Where are you from, miss?"

Rangiku heaved a sigh of relief upon finally understanding something, "Japan."

"Japan!" He cried aloud, "You don't say?"

She gave a small smile, shaking her head.

"So why are ya lookin' for a lighthouse?"

Rangiku frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration, "Pardon?"

"Why-are-you-lookin'-for-a-lighthouse?"

She wasn't sure that she had understood him correctly, or at all for that matter, but Rangiku didn't want to miss her chance to find the answer to the riddle. She wasn't banking much hope on this particular man to solve it, but at the very least, maybe he could point her towards someone who could. Holding up a finger to ask him to wait, she began to dig through her bag, pulling out her copy of Cache-Cache. She knew he wouldn't be capable of reading it—it was in Japanese after all—but maybe he would recognize it.

Her hopes were answered as a light of recognition twinkled in the blue of his eyes—like a star on a dark night that could guide the way.

"Ah, that story," he said with a gentle smile, pulling an English version from his own bag, "my wife loves it. I just bought her the copy today!"

Rangiku didn't know what he had said, but at the very least, he had heard of it.

"Clue," she said after finding the word in her dictionary. Now how to make it plural… It was a crying shame that she hadn't studied some English grammar on the plane. After two flight changes and several hours of layover time, she had had ample time to learn a bit of English. "There…are… clue-s."

This time the man seemed a bit confused, "Clues? In the story?"

Rangiku nodded.

"For what?"

She blushed, "Clues for me." She pointed to the author's note. "Writes in Belfast. I come to Belfast."

"You know the writer?"

"Writer?"

The man pointed at the name "Snake" in the magazine. "You know him?"

Rangiku gave a small smile and nodded again. "Good friend."

"Oho!" He gave a loud laugh that nearly sounded like a roar, "So you have an admirer! Well, I won't stand in the way of love!" Before she could back away, he put his arm around her shoulder and began steering her through the crowd. "Come on miss, I know a place that might have someone who can help you."

"We go where?" Rangiku asked, pretending not to notice his arm.

"Queen's University."

"Daigaku?"

"If that means university, then yes."

A university? But why a— And then it dawned on her. At a university, someone was bound to speak Japanese. What a great idea!

"By the way," the man began again, "what's your name miss?"

Rangiku caught the word 'name' and looked at him quizzically, then repeated for clarification, "My name?"

He gave her an encouraging nod and she couldn't help but smile, "Rangiku."

"Rangiku. A very lovely name indeed," he winked. "Call me Ben."

"Ben." She repeated, committing it to memory. Hajimemashite. What was that again? She thought about one of the first phrases in her dictionary. Ah, right. "Nice—nice to meet you."

It was amazing how much that little dictionary had done for her. A few simple words and a little bit of grammar went a long way. Before she had been like a lost sheep wandering the streets without a shepherd. Now she had found her shepherd—even if he was a bit loud and a bit strange.

For the first time all day, Rangiku felt like she was a little closer to Gin.

Well, she thought, her heart strangely light, that about sums up learning experience number one:

Learn some useful phrases!

I feel particularly akin to Rangiku in this chapter. I most certainly feel her pain. You should have seen me trying to buy minutes for my phone here in Estonia when I first arrived. It was like playing charades.

To answer Twinklefeather's question: I reread that chapter to see if I could remember. Put simply, I don't really. But I have a hunch it was going to be something like: you have 'this much time' before I expect you back to do the paperwork!

The next chapter will be out soon (I've already written it). Reviews are read with the utmost gratitude. I am a hungry author. Please feed the hungry author with kind words and constructive criticism!