Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I am making no money from this. Tite Kubo owns all, I'm just playing with them for a while. I also do not own any of the quotes I use at the start of each chapter. They were all found on the internet, and if they have an author I say who it is.

See all author's notes in part one. Also, if this gets confusing let me know, but I think that the way I refer to characters is going to vary chapter to chapter. Since Histugaya always refers to his fukutaicho as "Matsumoto" that's what I was calling her last chapter, but since everyone she's drinking with calls her "Rangiku" that's what I'm going to refer to her as here. Again, if this is confusing let me know and I'll edit it, but I think it will actually be easier than everyone calling her by her given name and me referring to her by her family name.

Apparently my muse loves me right now. Two chapters in two days. Don't expect the rest of the story to come this fast though…

No Warm Memories

By Lady Callista

Chapter 2: Sake and Sunsets

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words.

-William Shakespeare

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Rangiku, you're late!" Renji called out as she entered one of their usual hangouts a few minutes later.

"Just had to take care of a few things," The strawberry blond replied as she took the vacant seat next to him, pulling out her glass and filling it from one of the bottles on the table.

"The child prodigy making you work too hard again?" Shunsui asked as he reached across the table to refill his glass, cursing when the sleeve of his pink kimono almost knocked one of the bottles over.

Rangiku forced a laugh, knowing half of Seireitei would be covered with ice if she let slip what she and Hitsugaya had actually been talking about. "Nah, he's almost given up on even trying anymore," She said in a careless voice. "It's not like he's got anything else to do with his time anyway."

Izuru groaned at that, downing his glass and pouring another. "Wish I had someone who would do all my paperwork for me. We really need to work on replacing the three taicho that…"

Renji reached over and smacked him on the arm. "No talking about work and traitors tonight. I'm sick to death of everyone talking about the war and it's aftermath. I just wanna forget about it for one night and have fun."

"That's hard when most of our normal Friday night drinking group are still having wounds tended," Rangiku replied, looking at the three men she sat with. Their group was usually about three times as big.

"Only a few of them," Shunsui replied with a grin. "Most are just still hung-over from the past days of non-stop parties."

Rangiku and Renji both laughed, while Izuru sighed. "This is the first time I've gotten out since the war ended. Even though I've been running the Sanbantai for a while now…"

Renji hit him again. "No talking about work."

"You're the one who dragged me out tonight! So tell me then, what do you want to talk about?" Izuru shot back. "Half of what we always do when we're drinking is complain about work, and the other half is usually telling stupid stories. And I don't think I'm drunk enough yet to find a stupid story funny."

Rangiku laughed. "What if we play a game that'll help us get drunk faster? When I was in the human world I saw a movie where they played this game…"

OoOo About an hour later oOoO

"Never have I ever actually wanted to be a taicho," Shunsui said with a grin as he signaled the waitress to bring more bottles of sake to the table that was already overflowing with empty ones.

Rangiku and Izuru laughed in agreement even as Renji sighed and took a drink of sake.

"Never eve…never have I ever kissed a girl." Rangiku tripped over the phrase before getting it out. Then laughed her head off when only Shunsui took a drink.

"Seriously?" Shunsui said as he turned to the two other men.

"I've only ever liked one girl, and she's always been in love with someone else," Izuru replied with a sigh.

"Whereas I don't think the one I like has ever been in love with anyone," Renji replied caustically.

"Who ever said anything about love?" Shunsui asked with a laugh. "Kissing is fun."

"But it's gotta be better if you love someone, right?" Rangiku replied as she refilled everyone's glasses.

"What about you, Ran-chan?" Renji asked as he heard the wistfulness in her voice. "Who's the guy you love that you can't have?"

"No one," Rangiku replied with a laugh, refusing to allow herself be depressed by the thought of the one person she might have fallen in love with if he'd been a better man. "As if any guy would say no to me if I asked."

The guys laughed with her, then went quiet as her voice turned more thoughtful. "I guess it's just something I was thinking about when I was in the real world. I mean, how long have each of you been in love with the women you love without telling them? Cause we know we'll have forever. Baring wars like the one we just went through, there's not much that can kill us. So we can just put everything off till tomorrow, or the next day, or the next. We don't have to give up on our dreams cause we can always tell ourselves that we have plenty of time to obtain them."

Izuru looked at her thoughtfully. "You're really drunk if you're getting this sentimental and introspective."

Rangiku flipped him off. "It's just something I was thinking about when I was watching the humans. It wasn't like we had much else to do down there."

"I know what you mean," Renji surprised everyone by speaking up. "If I knew she or I could die at anytime, I might have told her. If I knew we'd age, and only have 60 or 70 years to live, I'd want to spend that time with her. As it is, I've been in love with her for over 50 years, but I keep putting off telling her."

"I keep thinking that she's my friend, and someone I have to work with," Izuru joined the pity party. "Living forever also means that if you mess things up, you have to live with it forever. I know I'm a coward, but I'd rather have her friendship for decades than risk telling her, because if she doesn't feel the same way about me I may lose that friendship."

"Wow, you three got depressing fast," Shunsui drawled as he had more sake. He could tell the game they'd been playing was over, his friends having passed into the sentimental, sit-and-moan-about-my-life stage of drunkenness.

"Humans just have such a vitality to them, Shunsui, this energy I can't define, " Rangiku said as she offered her glass for him to refill. "Not like we do obviously, not reiatsu, but there's just something about them. They know their time is limited, so they reach for their goals. They work so hard for what they want. In many ways, they just amaze me."

Renji laughed then. "Did you go and fall in love with a human, Ran?"

Rangiku forced a laugh. "Of course not. But would it be so bad?"

"Well, other than the fact that you'd be kicked out of the Gotei Juusantai you mean."

"It might be worth it for the right person." Rangiku replied, trying to ignore her worry that her taicho might make the same choice Kurosaki Isshin had.

Renji laughed. "You did, you fell in love with a human!"

Rangiku knew at this point that any more denials on her part would only convince them more that she had done so. Or if she actually managed to convince them, they would assume she was talking about someone else and start to wonder. And as so few of the Shinigami had spent enough time in the real world to have fallen in love…

Not particularly wanting to end her life as a pillar of ice, Rangiku sighed and started making up a non-existent guy she'd fallen for. She did know how to tell a great story, after all.

OoOo A few days later, in the real world oOoO

"Oi, Karin-chan, what are you doing up here?" Ichigo called out as he approached his sister, who was leaning against a guard rail and staring at the setting sun.

She looked over at him, sighing as she took in the shihakusho and zanpakuto. "You do realize that if anyone drives by they'll think I'm this crazy girl talking to herself, right?"

Ichigo laughed as he leaned against the rail next to her. "If you'd been home on time that wouldn't be a problem. Yuzu was all stressed out that dinner was almost ready and you weren't home. I said I'd try to find you, and I move a lot faster as a Shinigami."

Karin sighed and turned back to the sunset. "I'm not hungry. Just go on home without me, I'll be there in a bit."

"Is everything okay, Karin?" Ichigo asked in a gruff voice. "Ever since the war ended, you've been…different. Quiet."

Karin glanced over at her brother in shock. Was he actually initiating a conversation about her feelings? "Are you feeling alright?"

He swatted her upside the head. "I'm allowed to worry about my little sister if I want to."

Karin spoke part of what was on her mind, also trying to subtly get information from him. "I just wonder if we'll ever see her again. Rukia-chan I mean. It was kinda nice having a sister a few years older than me."

Ichigo laughed. "She's more than a few years older than you, sis."

Karin looked at him curiously. "But she was in your class. She was 15 or 16, wasn't she?"

Ichigo shook his head. "The way I gained power so fast is very rare. It takes most Shinigami decades to get to the level I'm at." He said it without pride, simply stating the truth.

"Decades?" Karin looked at him in horror.

Not understanding why it bothered her so much, he replied. "Yeah, well, they age differently in Soul Society, so it's okay. I don't know exactly how old Rukia is, but I know she's been a Shinigami for about 40 years."

"40 years? And she looks like she's 16?" Karin stared at him. "Then To…" She rapidly cut herself off as she realized who she was talking to and recovered quickly. "So you're totally in love with an older woman."

Ichigo glared at her. "Rukia and I are just friends."

"But the way she picks on you, and the way you fight, that's what boys and girls do when they like each other as more than friends," Karin said as she turned to face him fully, not caring if anyone drove by and saw her talking to the air.

Ichigo laughed. "That may be something boys and girls do when they're your age, and some even still do it at my age, but Rukia doesn't think that way. She thinks like an adult, Karin. She may not act like one all the time, but she is one."

"And I thought he didn't like me because he never teased me or…" Karin trailed off in horror when she realized she'd just spoken her thoughts out loud. She'd been standing there for over half an hour before he arrived, thinking of Toshiro. Wondering if she would ever get to see him again. Wondering if the time they'd spent together had meant as much to him as it had to her. She'd assumed it hadn't, because of the way he'd treated her, but knowing he thought like an adult changed things. Although it gave her a whole different thing to worry about.

"Karin!" He looked at her sharply. "Is that what you've been obsessing over? A boy?"

"Have you ever liked someone, Ichi-nii? I mean, as more than friends?" Karin turned the tables to stop him from having a meltdown over the thought of his little sister liking a boy.

Ichigo turned bright red, and looked out at the sunset.

"I'm serious," Karin pushed.

"You're 12!" Ichigo snapped at her. "Way to young to be having this conversation."

"You're only four years older than me!" She snapped back. "Surely you can remember when you were 12! Are you telling me you didn't like anyone?"

"No, I never did." Ichigo was serious for once. "Everyone thought I was strange. No one liked me. I was too different. So of course I didn't like any of them."

"It's always been like that for me too. But there might be someone who…"

Ichigo gave her a curious look. "You've said you could never like a guy weaker than you. Or one who couldn't understand you or your life. Karin, you can see Hollows. You can see Shinigami. How could anyone understand…"

Karin glanced over in time to see a look of utter horror on his face before he choked on air. "I told Rukia not to keep bringing Renji around!" He said when he could speak again.

Karin burst out laughing. "No, no, not that oaf."

"Then who? What other Shinigami did you ever meet…" Ichigo couldn't think of any other than the people at the Urahara Shoten, and there was no way she'd… "Ishida?!?"

Karin could only laugh harder. "Ichi-nii, do you really want to know?"

Ichigo stopped babbling and looked his sister in the eye. "I know most of them better than you do. And I at least need to know who to kill if you get hurt."

Karin stopped laughing and measured her brother's face before replying, "No matter what happens, you have to promise not to kill him."

"I promise not to kill him," Ichigo repeated, envisioning the tortures he could inflict on him instead.

Karin sighed, knowing that if she didn't tell him he'd just follow her everywhere until he saw her with the guy, and replied in a soft voice, "Toshiro."

"Toshi…" Ichigo choked on the air again. "How did you run into him?"

"He helped me and my friends win a soccer game," Karin replied with a smile. "And then he saved us from a huge Hollow."

"He…" Ichigo trailed off. Although he certainly wasn't happy about it, she had at least in his opinion chosen the best of the captains as far as personality went. Not that he'd ever admit that to Hitsugaya. "I don't want to hear about this. I really…" Ichigo trailed off, and decided he just needed to be alone to think. "Look, I'll tell dad and Yuzu that you're at a friends. Get home before eight though, or I'll be out after you again. And as much as I don't want to hear about this, you can always tell me anything. But right now I just need time for it to settle so I don't go bankai on his ass."

Karin watched his rant in awe, and he was gone before she could even try to formulate a response. If she hadn't known better she would have sworn that was someone else in her brother's body; he'd been so uncharacteristically talkative. But she knew it was him.

Nearly a minute later, she spoke, although there was no one to hear her. "Bankai?'

TBC…

Omake - Radio Kon

Kon: So tonight our guest is Matsumoto Rangiku. The woman with the finest valley of bliss that I have ever seen. Let's hope she will be more accommodating than her taicho was. So, Rangiku, the first question from our fans is, "Who's your favorite drinking buddy?"

Rangiku: Wow, everybody, that's such a hard question. I suppose it depends on what mood I'm in when I'm drinking. When I wanna reminisce about fighting, no one is better than Renji. But if I just wanna chill out and get drunk, it's Shunsui all the way!

Kon: Makes sense to me. Next question: "Matsumoto-fukutaicho, what are your feelings on love? After all, you must be one of the most sought after women in Soul Society, yet you're not connected to anyone romantically."

Rangiku: Well, thank you so much for that assumption. Unfortunately, I'm one of those girls that guys see as another guy, or as a night of fun, so I can't speak much on love. Maybe if I ever care about someone who doesn't turn out to be a traitorous son of a…

Kon: Well, thanks for talking to us, Rangiku, but that's all the time we have tonight. Stay tuned for another episode of Radio Kon!

Glossary:

First off, for those who have never heard of the game "Never have I ever," (also called simply "I never") it's really easy. Each person takes turns saying something they've never done, and if the people they are playing with have done that thing they have to take a drink. If they haven't done them, they don't take one. It's a wonderful way to learn more about your friends, as long as they are being honest about it. (And the required disclaimer: Please only play this game with alcohol if you are legally old enough to do so.)

Sanbantai: Third Division. Formerly led by Ichimaru Gin, now under the temporary command of fukutaicho Kira Izuru until a new taicho can be found.

Gotei Juusantai: I've heard Gotei translated various ways, but "Thirteen Division Imperial Guards" is the most common. I believe the official dub uses "Thirteen Court Guard Squads." I've also heard of people using "Thirteen Court Protection Squads," as the first kanji used to write "Gotei" is one that means protection.

-nii: The shortened form of oniisan/oniichan, the suffix used for an older brother. The shortening of Ichigo's name combined with this suffix would be considered insanely cute.

Bankai: The most powerful released form of a zanpakuto, it's an externalizing of the spirit of the zanpakuto itself. Mastering Bankai is considered a requirement for being a taicho, Kenpachi being an exception. Some of the fukutaicho have bankai, as do a couple of lower seats, as does Ichigo. It takes most Shinigami at least a decade to master.