This one is almost twice as long as the other drabbles, eek. Hopefully they won't grow too much longer. So long as they're fairly short, I'll definitely be able to continue doing one a day. I had to cheat a little though, and I put the theme I was supposed to use today later in the list; it just didn't work for me at all at this age for them. So I didn't get to think about the theme all day like I have for the others. Hopefully it's still all right.
Also, my first day of training was odd; my trainer was horrible, and I went to high school with her. She taught me almost nothing. So Friday my sister is going to train me. I hope it goes all right!
Thanks to: MissTeak, Solar Kitty (your comment will definitely be used, so long as I can, y'know, remember. Hurry up and start your Bleach fics that I inspired you to do with my overflow of inspiration!), and Sensei7
4. Unbreakable
Sometimes, Gin was able to work odd jobs for a day or two, and he could earn a few coins. On these days, he would leave Rangiku alone in the shack, he never let her work. He also insisted that she stay home.
Rangiku tried to do what little he asked of her, especially when he looked at her so seriously, smile falling away somewhat. She would stay at home, cleaning and preparing for dinner as best she could, but she never knew if Gin would bring home a fish or some other treat. There was also only so much cleaning and watching the wind blow through the grass she could handle. She would switch to drawing in the dirt with a stick, but the wind or someone's footsteps or the rain would take her masterpieces away, almost always before she could should Gin.
So one day, Rangiku crept after Gin, pretending she was a sneaky thief trying to follow a rich man home so that she could take away a feast—a real feast with a million delicacies she did not know the names of , things she could hardly dream up. Or maybe she was after a pile of golden coins, and then Gin would never have to go off to work. She could wear kimonos like the rich lady she once saw riding in a procession, only Rangiku's would be lavender and shine with silver thread instead of gold.
Rangiku watched Gin talk to a farmer, then follow him towards a field; Rangiku crept after them, hiding behind a tree so Gin would not see her. She climbed up the tree and sat in a branch, hidden from view, and watched Gin pull up potato after potato until he filled a basket. Then he'd heft the basket, struggling under the weight for a moment, but he trudged to the farmer without spilling a single potato. When he started to work on a patch of carrots, Rangiku decided she had better climb down and slip back home before Gin left. He would be furious she had followed him, though she did not see what was so bad about working in a field; she was strong, she could do just as good a job as Gin.
She jumped down the last few feet of the tree.
"Oi, what do I have here? A thief?" Rangiku was hauled up into the air by a large, furry-looking man, younger than the farmer, but quite a bit older than Rangiku.
"N-no, sir! I was just watching, I promise."
"That's what they all say," he said. "Huh, you're a girl. A pretty one at that. Y'know, maybe I'll believe you if you help me out some."
"Tha's my sister, put 'er down," Gin commanded, out of breath from running through the field. "She ain't done nothin' wrong, just got lonely, I bet. Tol' her not ta come, but she ain't good at listenin', are ya Ran-chan?"
As soon as Rangiku's feet touched the ground, Gin pulled her behind him. "S-sorry, Gin."
"You okay, Ran-chan?"
She nodded, and the farmer joined them. "What's going on here?"
"My sister got lonely an' followed me," Gin said. "I don' want her goin' home alone. Why don't Ran-chan help me finish up, an' you can pay me jus' the same? Two fer the price o' one."
"All right," the farmer said, then looked at the other man. "Son, why don't you check on the orchard, make sure all the nets are secure."
Rangiku worked alongside Gin, amazed at how hard it was to pull up the vegetables, but she did not slow down, because Gin had worked all day, and still worked steadily. He was also quiet, and Rangiku could tell by the set of the jaw and how his eyebrows knit together he was not happy.
Finally, the farmer called them over. "All right, that's enough. You two did a good job." He handed Gin a few coins which disappeared almost as soon as they touched his hand. Then the farmer handed Gin and Rangiku several carrots and potatoes. "That's for such hard work, and for having to put up with such an adventurous sister."
"Hey!" But a look from Gin made Rangiku fall silent.
"Thank ya kindly." Gin led Rangiku away from the farm.
He did not speak again until they were inside the little shack. "Don't ya ever do that again. Ya could've gotten in a lotta trouble."
"Huh? But we got extra food 'cause I was there," Rangiku said.
"An' the farmer's son wasn' a good person. He wanted ta do bad things to ya, Ran-chan. Yer too pretty a girl ta jus' wander around."
After a moment, it fell into place for her. She had heard the stories. "…Oh."
"I don' want anything ta happen to ya, Ran-chan."
"But nothing bad will happen if you're there, Gin," she said.
"Tha's what I'm hoping," he said. "But don' do that again, please?"
"…Okay, I promise."
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