A/N: Yep, I am definitely on an inspration roll here! 3 updates in a row! This doesn't usually happen, sorry, but I do have some very nice reviews/favourites already, which makes me v. v. happy! Thank you very very much to:
the anonymous reviewer who warmed my heart
the fantabulous chesxca
splitheart1120
and cumbersmerch! I am veryyy gratefull to all of you for reviewing/favouriting so quickly, and well done to all of you! *beams insanely and hands out jumbo sized cyber cookies*
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. All credit goes to Kubo Tite and his awesome manga! I don't own Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson or the movie Valentine's Day! Both of which are also awesome, btw...
Breakaway
"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky..."
The morning after they arrived at their new accommodation, Rangiku and Gin were sitting at the small, shabby table in the kitchenette, munching on dry, stale cereal. Despite this, for Rangiku, it was one of the happiest meals of her life; she was well-slept, with Gin and free. Rangiku smiled into her bowl.
"Why d'ya look so happy, now? Could it be the wonders of this delicious gourmet cereal we're chokin' down?" Gin asked sarcastically, finishing off his own breakfast.
"Do I need a reason to smile? And anyway, the cereal isn't that bad." Rangiku chucked a handful at his head, just to make a point.
"Nah. Just wonderin'. Smiles suit ya, Ran-chan." said Gin, giving her an excellent example of his own.
Rangiku leaned back slightly. "Well, they don't suit you. You look...really creepy, Gin."
"Thanks." They sat in companionable silence as Rangiku finished her cereal, chasing it down with a swig of water. Gin rested his elbows on the table. "Hey, Ran-chan, d'ya think we should enrol at the local school? It ain't too far away."
"What? Are you serious? Wait, don't even answer that. No, Gin, I don't think we should. Why are you even asking?"
"Well, I thought maybe ya'd like to..." Gin trailed off. "Why don't ya wanna go? Just curious, I'm not forcin' ya or nothin'."
Rangiku started counting on her fingers. "Well, for a start, I could never be bothered with school anyway. And the teacher's would keep asking whether everything was OK at home because we'd come to school with gross clothes 'cos we don't know how to use the washing machine yet and Parents' Evening would be hella complicated 'cos neither of us could possibly pose as the other's parent and-"
"OK, OK, Ran-chan, I get it. 'S just, if ya wanted to go, we could think of somethin'."
"Well, I don't want to go. Do you?"
"Hell no! I can't sit still and listen to save my life. You know that, Ran-chan." Gin emphatically refused.
Rangiku frowned in confusion. "So why were you asking, then?"
"I didn't want ta make ya feel like ya couldn't have an education an' all that." Gin admitted, looking away.
"Awwww! Gin, That's so cute! I didn't know you cared that much! Well, I did, but I didn't expect you to go to all this trouble!"
"Yeah, yeah. But, ya know, if we don't go to school, we'll have ta fill our free time with jobs anyway. We have ta pay the rent for this dump, remember." he said, patting the table.
"Right, I know...but how are we going to get jobs? We've never worked before in our lives, and we're only thirteen. No guy in his right mind would hire us!"
"Nah, there are some jobs we can legally get. Like, I could do a paper-round, and you could babysit." Gin shrugged.
"Who's gonna hire me to babysit their spawn?" Rangiku asked sceptically.
"That's exactly what yer gonna find out, Ran-chan! Here, you write an advert for the corner shop notice board, an' I'll find out how the hell I'm supposed to get a paper-round."
"What do I write?"
"Figure it out with that pretty head o' yers." Gin smirked over his shoulder, exiting the room.
"Where are you going?"
"Ta find my clean shirt. Gotta look presentable if I'm gonna try an' get hired."
"Gin...you look fine." Rangiku reassured him, exasperated. "Now, I'll write this stupid thing, then we can go to the corner shop and you can sign up. Just make sure it's not too early, or I'll murder you."
"That's very consolin'. Are ya done yet?"
Rangiku's eyebrow twitched. "I haven't even started yet! Give me some breathing space, God!"
Gin chuckled and walked out of the room. Rangiku stuck two fingers up at his back, scowling. They were very much like brother and sister, she supposed. They loved each other a lot and stuck up for each other, but they fought a lot too. But never anything too serious. Gin just liked irritating her a bit too much.
Rangiku scrawled down an ad on a small bit of scrap paper, making sure to add her phone number and fake surname. Didn't want the orphanage after them so quickly. Just as she put her pen down, Gin came back through the doorway, wearing a clean shirt and his trademark creepy smile.
"Don't grin like that when they're giving you the once-over, it's enough to make a full-grown man start bawling." Rangiku ribbed him, knowing it would do nothing to make him cut it out. "Come on, Gin, let's go!" She was quite excited about this after all. She loved children.
It wasn't a very long walk to the shop, and when she got there, it only took a few minutes for Rangiku to ask the assistant if she could stick up a notice and pin it to the board. She had to wait outside the manager's door for about ten minutes while Gin got briefed about the round, so she leaned back against the wall and stared up at the ceiling.
"I like that ceiling too. Very minimalistic an' all." came a voice right next to her ear. Rangiku jumped before turning round and grabbing her 'attacker's' ear.
"Gin! What the hell, you terrified me!" she said, tears of fright in her eyes. There was no way in hell she was telling him she'd thought for a second he was an orphanage official. But, because it was Gin, he didn't have to tell her. He put a hand on her arm, rubbing soothing circles into her tense shoulder.
"Sorry, sorry, Ran-chan. Couldn't resist, you know me." he said, offering her the timid smile that only she knew.
"Too right I do. Just don't do that again, at least not for a while. I need to calm down from the whole orphanage escape thing first." she said, taking deep breaths and releasing his ear. He pulled her into a hug for a few seconds, then stepped back, saying, "We should probably get goin'. There's another idea I had that I want ya ta hear."
"OK." said Rangiku, allowing him to guide her to the door by her hand. When they were outside, she turned to him. "What's your idea?"
"Well, my paper round's only for two days a week and yer not goin' ta get babysitting every night, so there's no way we're gonna get enough ta pay the rent with those."
"I was thinking that. So?" she prodded, knowing Gin liked an audience for his 'amazing brain waves'.
"So, I thought, you have a good voice, I ain't half bad at the guitar, we could busk down in the square!" It was obvious to Rangiku he was proud of his idea.
"Uh, Gin, don't you have to get a licence for those kind of things? And how would that earn us enough to live on, even with the jobs?"
"Pfft. Who cares about the police? We see an officer comin', we'll scarper, an' no one gets those crappy licences, anyway. And I think yer'll be surprised ta see how much we can get. We just need the right place, the right audience and the right time." He made it sound so simple. Well, he was nothing if not an excellent salesperson-of-ideas.
"OK, I'll bite. We are you going to get a guitar?"
"I'll ask the nice ol' lady who runs the music shop round the corner to give me a crappy one that no one wants or somethin'."
"And she'll give it to you?" Rangiku was sceptical again.
"Unlike what ya seem ta think, Ran-chan, I can do quite a charmin' smile."
"Sure...just don't give her a heart-attack." She rolled her eyes, grinning in excitement. She'd always loved singing, and an audience made things even better, let alone the money! This was definitely one of Gin's better ideas.
"See ya at the square in a quarter of an hour. Don't get lost." he reminded her. Bastard. He knew she had a crap sense of direction.
...
"Ran-chan! Over here!" Gin yelled, waving at her from the other side of the square. While Gin had gone to beg a guitar off the 'nice ol' lady', Rangiku had skipped back to their apartment to grab two bottles of water, a stool for Gin, and his old cap for tips.
"Well? Did you manage to get one?" she asked, beaming at him from under her strawberry-blonde locks.
"Yep. Took a while, though. The 'nice ol' lady' ain't so nice after all. But she did give me one in the end. Had a coupl'a strings missin', though, so I had ta buy some."
"...This is getting really expensive." Rangiku visibly deflated.
"Hey, hey, we'll earn it back, yer'll see! Don' worry yer pretty little head!"
"Gin! You sound like a perverted old man!" she laughed, slapping him upside the head. "Where do we put all this stuff?"
"Here'll do. Rush hour's in a coupl'a minutes, so we'll haf'ta hurry." Gin stooped down to arrange the stool.
"'Kay!" Rangiku was excited about singing to the audience. But—"Aah! Gin! What are we gonna play?" she panicked.
"Ah. Hadn't thought about that." he straightened up, his face blank.
"Gin!" Rangiku was getting pissed off.
"Meh. We may as well do yer favourite. It's our first time an' all, and it's a song full o' hope, not meanin' ta sound poetic or anythin'."
"My favourite? Really?" Rangiku's beam almost threatened to crack her face in two.
"Uh. Yeah, sure. No need ta look so happy..." Gin faked a nervous look, edging away from her.
"When can we start?"
"I'm ready. Have ya been warmin' yer voice up?" he smirked.
"Wha—no! Crap, this is a disaster, what are we gonna—Gin, are you pulling my leg?" she broke off from her panicking to give him a look.
"Why would I do that? I'm sure it'll be fine, just sing as loud as ya can, 'K?"
"OK. Wait, do you even know the chords for my favourite song?"
"There are a lot of things I can do Ran-chan."
"Right. That was creepy too, Gin."
"Hm. OK, here they come, let's start!" Gin alerted her to the mass of people coming towards them on their lunch break.
"I'm ready." Rangiku took a deep breath while Gin started playing the familiar chords. When it was her cue, she straightened her back, and started singing.
"Grew up in a small town,
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window.
Dreaming of what could be,
And if I'd end up happy,
I would pray.
Trying hard to reach out,
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no-one could hear me.
Wanted to belong here,
Something felt so wrong here.
So I prayed I could break away.
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly,
I'll do what it takes 'till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance, make a change.
And break away."
Rangiku sang as loud as she could, filling up the square with her voice. After the first chorus, people started noticing them. By the time she got to the bridge, there was a large crowd of people around them, all elbowing each other and whispering about 'incredibly talented kids'. When she finished singing and Gin played the last chord, the square erupted in applause, coins flying into Gin's cap from all directions. Gin bowed and smiled, helping Rangiku scrape up the money and store it in a plastic bag he'd brought along. When they'd done that, they quickly discussed what other songs to do next, and started performing a new song.
...
"Whew...that was insane! Unbelievable! Can we do this again tomorrow?" Rangiku burbled happily, dragging the heavy bag full of coins towards the door of their apartment.
"Sure, Ran-chan, after my paper round. But who knows, maybe yer'll have a call from some anxious clients whose regular babysitter has abandoned and are desperate for someone to take care of their offspring for 'em."
"Uh huh, sure." Rangiku rolled her eyes. She tipped out the bag onto the floor, and both their eyes widened when they saw how much money they'd managed to make.
"Holy crap! How much d'ya think that is, Rangiku? Yer better at countin' than I am." Gin breathed.
"I have no idea!" Rangiku squeaked, before beginning to sort out the money into countable heaps. Soon enough, she had a result.
"Jesus Christ, Gin, we have nearly forty pounds here!" she gasped in amazement.
"Well, that calls for a celebration! You relax here for a bit while I go down ta the shop an' get us somethin' special for supper!" Gin ruffled her hair as he walked past. When he reached the doorway, he turned around and addressed her again. "Oh, an' while yer at it, ya may as well find a good film fer us ta watch on that ancient telly over there. We can make a real occasion out of it." He offered her a wide grin before heading out.
Rangiku waved at his retreating back before flicking on the television and scrolling down the menu. She wondered for a minute how Gin had managed to get an apartment with this many luxuries for the small amount he had. However, all sane thoughts were banished from her head as she found a movie she had seen adverts for on the walls of the cinema down the road from the orphanage. She'd wanted to watch this for ages! Eagerly, she took note of the time and channel. Then, she switched off the TV and started preparing plates, glasses and cutlery for their celebratory meal.
About twenty minutes later, Gin came back with their supper. It was cold chicken, crispy bread and salad, with pomegranate juice to have with it. Rangiku's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Yay! This is going to be brill! I'll get some persimmons out of the cupboard as well!" she said, rushing off.
Gin chuckled, setting down the food. "So, Ran-chan, what have ya chosen fer us ta watch tonight?"
"Valentine's Day. It looks brilliant!"
"...Romance? Really? Ah, who cares? I don't mind what we watch." Gin said, squatting down on the floor and dividing the food onto the two plates.
"Cool! Well, it should be starting right about now. Let's eat!" she said enthusiastically, tucking in.
They watched the film until it was dark outside, Rangiku laughing pretty much non-stop, and Gin rolling his eyes and snacking on persimmons. When the credits were rolling up the screen, he shuffled over to behind Rangiku and looped his arm loosely around her waist.
"Are ya tired now? I'm goin' ta bed; gotta get up at the crack o' dawn tomorrow." he said into her ear, his head resting on her shoulder.
"OK! I am quite tired actually. I think I'll hit the sack too. You sure are feeling cuddly today, aren't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Mm hm. Ran-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Do ya ever feel lonely? Now it's just us?"
"What? No, of course not! I have you! You're my best friend!" she laughed, a little bit confused at his question.
"Hmm...do ya ever wish ya had more friends? Other than me, I mean." he asked, his face still buried in the crook of her neck.
"Huh? Why are you asking all of these questions anyway? Ah, well. Other friends would be nice, I guess, but as long as I have you, I don't really care either way. Happy? Now stop talking about such depressing stuff, or I'll tickle you 'til you cry!" she threatened jokingly. He backed away from her so quickly he fell over.
"No. No ticklin'. At all." he demanded, still crawling away backwards.
"Calm down! I was joking! You are way too ticklish for your own good." she laughed.
"I know." he admitted, returning to his position hugging her.
"Uh...Gin? Why are you hugging me so much tonight? Do you feel lonely?" she asked, slightly concerned.
"No, not really. Just a lil' bit anxious, is all. Nothin' ta worry about, I'm just bein' silly." he reassured her, patting her head.
"What are you worried about?"
"Nothin' much. Just that yer'll get bored of me one day and move out or somethin'. Dumb, I know."
"Yeah, Gin, really dumb! I'm never going to get bored of you! Now, stop worrying."
"Thanks, Ran-chan..." he mumbled into her hair, making her shiver slightly. She cleared her throat. "Uh, Gin, are you going to let go of me any time soon?"
"No."
"..."
They spent the rest of the night curled up on the floor together, slightly chilly from the lack of blankets, but neither of them caring enough to move.
A/N: Well, there you have it! Very, very long for me, this was going to be two separate chapters, but I got confused and couldn't be bothered to redo it all. Oh, and I also couldn't be bothered to check for any typos, so v. v. sorry for grammatical errors etc. I'm very lazy, which is why I usually do quite small chapters, but oh well! I hope you don't mind!
I always imagined that Gin and Rangiku were the cuddling type when they were younger; I don't know why! Also, I think that Gin wasn't always such a heartbreaker with his disappearing acts and so forth, so in this fic, he's going to be ever so slightly more faithful. Sorry for anyone who doesn't think of him in that way, but I guess you could try to ignore that aspect of this...please? Oh, and don't worry, he won't always be as pathetic as he was in the last bit of this chapter, he was just feeling slightly insecure for reasons that will come to light in following chapters! *mooahahaha!* If ya'll have any requests for songs in this fic, feel free to ask, and I'll try my hardest to fit them in somehow! Hope you enjoyed! See you next time!