Weeee day off. This one needed manga referencing too, so it took foreeevvverrr to write up. The next bunch do not, thank goodness! I also have another day off tomorrow, more yay ^____^
Thanks to: Blueberry Absinth, blackteaplease, Solar Kitty, Falln4DarkAngel, gaasrasracoon, Beautiful Nightmare07, PunkRockHolly, Care Bear on Fire, and Sonozaki-sama
73. Shattered
There was a stupid vase on her coffee table. It had a single chrysanthemum in it. A gift from Gin just before the ryoka arrived. She could not stand to look at it, but her eyes kept wandering back. Her windows were shuttered and had been for a week; she did not want to see any light. She simply sat against the wall, arms crossed.
Her mind went over those words over and over again. It would've been nice if my capture lasted a little longer… Sorry. That's what she hated most about him.
"What an idiot…"
"Who?" Hitsugaya said.
"Wow!" Rangiku shrieked, jumping up hard. It hurt her chest. "You scared me so much that my boobs almost fell off."
"As if that's even possible," Hitsugaya said, his eyebrows quirking in an annoyed frown. "You have a visitor, Matsumoto."
Rangiku looked to the door, her eyes widened. She said, "Kira…"
"Um, Matsumoto-san, I…"
Rangiku smiled faintly. She knew what Kira was trying to say, and why he had done what he did. She understood what he was feeling all too well. She forced a grin onto her face; she might not believe it, but it might make everyone in the room feel a tiny bit better. She would be the Rangiku everyone knew. "Let's eat! I have soba buns!"
Soon, Rangiku opened her stash of sake. She poured big cups for both herself and Kira. The two downed the stuff carelessly, or perhaps with more care than they cared to admit. After all, the aim was to drown their sorrows.
"Gin! You pig head! Pig head!" Rangiku shouted somewhere between too much sake and way too much sake. "And what's with those weird eyes?"
"Yeah! Yeah!" Izuru chimed in, farther gone than Rangiku. "I could care less if he dies!"
Movement caught Rangiku's eye. "Eh? Where're you going, captain?" She had forgotten he was even there, quiet as he was.
"Bathroom."
"Matsumoto-san, Matsumoto-san," Izuru said. "Today, I'm going to drink until I throw up!"
She watched Hitsugaya walk out, for a moment, she felt like crying. He was in pain too today. Rangiku pushed the thought back and took a deep gulp of sake. "Take care!"
Hitsugaya never came back, but Rangiku did not expect him to. She and Izuru worked on getting themselves beyond drunk. The world became too small in her dark room, so Rangiku threw the windows open, letting fresh air inside. Then she saw Shuhei. She thrust her chest over the windowsill and waved a bottle of sake. "Hey Shuhei! Come join us!"
"Huh?" He said.
"You look free, so come have a drink with us," Rangiku said. She ignored Komamura walking beside him. Shuuhei had also lost his captain whom he had greatly respected.
Shuuhei looked below Rangiku's eyes; she knew where, and she encouraged it. "Sure. Thanks for the invitation," he said.
"Captain Komamura, would you like to join us too?" Rangiku called out, more to be polite than anything, but the more the merrier.
"No, but thank you," he said.
"He's uptight as always," Rangiku said once Shuuhei was inside. "And I noticed that he's not wearing the helmet anymore." She took a long swig from her bottle.
"Seems that way," Shuuhei said. "I've gotten used to his face anyway."
"Me too," Izuru said from the floor, slurring slightly. "Isn't it better? I never liked the helmet anyway, with the feeling of hiding something.
"What the?" Shuuhei said. "What happened to you, Kira? Why are you so drunk?"
"Oh!" Rangiku said, looking out the window. "Ichigo, Orihime! Want to come join us? We have some good sake!"
"Maybe later." Ichigo said as Orihime said, "We're underage!"
"I have tea, too," Rangiku mumbled. "They're so cold…"
"Tea? Please give me that instead, Rangiku-san. Ah, Kira is foaming…" Shuuhei said. Rangiku made a note to dump the tea. "Kira, hang in there, Kira. Also, Why are you only wearing your underwear?"
Rangiku blinked. What was going on behind her?
"Oh my, sounds like you guys are having fun," Kyouraku said. "Can I join too?"
"No, if captain joins, Nanao will just end up scolding me afterward," Rangiku said. Kyouraku could smell a party a mile away, and Nanao could find her captain anywhere. "By the way, Nanao was looking for you." That would be enough to chase Kyouraku off; if Nanao was looking for him, it meant there was work to be done. She said no more as Izuru and Shuuhei pulled her back inside. There were just too many pieces of her heart to pick up; she let sake sink her into oblivion.
Love you all!
