Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

Note: In the anime, Ichimaru and Matsumoto were friends. I didn't follow along that line.

Bittersweet Reminiscence

The wind was howling, carrying with it a thousand wailing voices. Snow and hail pounded upon the earth, unrelenting in their torture, freezing all and every surface and being they touch. One lone figure braved this maelstrom whose tracks in the snow are immediately covered.

There was nothing to see except for the vast blanket of white and emaciated trees every now and then.

Occasional snow bunnies that came across this figure seemed to be mocking. "If you truly are a Shinigami, why don't you use your Shunpo to reach your destination? Or are you merely a damned soul pretending to be one?"

But the person chose to ignore the seeming jeers that came from the skittering creatures. If one could see this person now, the word insane would come to one's mind and immediately agree with the creatures' opinion.

After a little more while, a dilapidated shack came to sight. It was the traveler's destination. The long was has finally come to an end.

The person went inside the sorry shack. It was cold, barren. Like the way it was when they first met…

A small figure lay curled on the barren floor of the little shack. The howling of the winds is all that can be heard. And the sobs emanating from the almost skeletal body of the young Matsumoto Rangiku.

Cold, hunger, despair. Those were all that she was capable of feeling at that moment. She hadn't eaten a single scrap of food since the awful blizzard started days ago, leaving her stranded virtually in the middle of nowhere.

I want to die completely, she thought. Why has death not come to claim me yet?

A cold draft suddenly struck her small, rugged being. Her dirty orange hair was blown from her face, revealing dirty tear-stained cheeks. The force of the wind must have knocked the door off its frame. She huddled her knees closer to her body to preserve as much heat as she could.

Something caught her attention. What great reiatsu. No normal soul could possess that. Where does it come from? She raised her head and got the answer to her question.

Shinigami. A Shinigami was standing inside the door. His black robe was covered in snow and was obviously wet. He looked tired, in need of rest.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Have you come to kill me?"

The Shinigami studied her for a moment. Then he spoke. "No, little one. I didn't come here to end your precious life. You see, I had been walking for quite some time now, looking for shelter, when I came upon this place by chance."

"And you," he added as if it was an afterthought.

He smiled. How she liked his smile. It was real, genuine, warm. Her mouth lifted into a smile of its own accord. How surprising.

"May I rest here with you?" he asked for permission as though the place belonged solely to her.

Eagerly, she nodded her head.

He closed the door and sat beside her. Delicious smells assailed her senses. Smelt like food. She sniffed. Her nose led her to the bag the man was carrying.

Smiling, he took out his bento and offered it to the starving girl.

She gladly accepted the offer. Tossing off the cover, she attacked the food with gusto.

"My name's Ichimaru Gin. What's yours?" he introduced himself.

"I'm Matsumoto Rangiku," she answered between mouthfuls of sushi and riceballs.

"Well, Rangiku. The blizzard seems to be easing up a bit. Do you have somewhere to go to? Perhaps I could take you there."

Now that she listened carefully, the wined seemed to have somewhat quieted down.

The condition of the weather flew out her mind just as soon as it came.

The way he said her name; it was like a caress.

She blushed at her thought. She shouldn't be thinking things like that. It was not as if she was somebody special. Maybe she just hadn't talked to a soul for a long time

But he said my life is precious, a part of her insisted.

Of course. He is a Shinigami. A Shinigami's got to do what a Shinigami should do. His job is to protect lives, a voice answered.

"Ah – I – Uhm… I have nowhere to go, Ichimaru-san."

"Nah. Call me Gin, Rangiku," he insisted that she call him by his given name. "Even if you have no place you can call home, you still should go to peopled areas. It is dangerous for a little girl like you to be here all alone.

"I still have a mission to complete. I won't be able to help you find a home but I could take you to the edge of town. That way, you will be far from danger. It's better than letting you go by yourself. Would that be fine with you?"

"Hai," Rangiku timidly answered.

Ichimaru stood up. He opened the door to check on the weather.

"The storm has cleared up. Yet there is still no light. We best take this chance. We never know. It might start storming again if we dally here."

Rangiku stood up and straightened her ragged clothing. Holding the now empty bento box in her hand, she took from the floor the Shinigami's bag, strode to him and said:

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Ichi –" she hurried to correct her mistake with a look from him. "I mean, Gin-san. I'm sorry too. In my hunger I had not paused to think that you must have been famished yourself. I'll carry your stuff. It is the least I could do to thank you."

Gin simply smiled, amused by the young girl's eagerness and speech. He held out his hand to her in invitation. Shyly, she took the 'proffered hand.

"Ah, I forgot something." Gin took off his cloak with one hand and draped it over her shoulders. Seeing that it was too long for her, he just laughed. "It is better than nothing. It's still cold out there."

"But – but – how about you?"

"Nah. Don't mind me. Worry about yourself, Ran-chan."

Startled, Rangiku abruptly raised her head. He had called her Ran-chan. Heat suffused her face. She was sure that she was as red as a tomato. Fortunately, his attention was not on her but on the white wilderness.

"Let's go. Ran-chan."

They travelled long and hard. Along the way, the sun finally came out of hiding and blest the land with its beams, slowly melting the thick snow.

Exchange of words was rare. Each of them too engrossed in their own thoughts.

Finally, they reached the outskirts of a town. Letting go of her hand, Gin dropped on one knee, laid his hands on Rangiku's shoulders and said, "This is where we part, Ran-chan. As I have told you, I have a mission to complete. I must go along. And you, too."

He took his bag from Rangiku. A small pouch replaced it which he enclosed in her hand. Without having to look at it, she knew that it was full of coins.

"Be safe, Ran-chan. I hope we meet again."

With those words he turned around and left her to stare at his retreating back.

Unbeknownst to Gin, they had passed each other by numerous times. Sometimes Rangiku caught glimpses of him from afar. Never once had Gin's look strayed to her.

She had potential, she knew it. She could become a Shinigami. Mayhap, one day, she would be close enough to him. In her young heart, she nursed the love that bloomed the moment her eyes met his.

Please tell me what you think.

Btw, sorry for the way I write if you're not used to it.

Been reading too much James Patterson. Hahaha...