Author's Note: Wow, the peace was nice while it lasted. Two hours from now I'm gonna be stuck in a home with a PMS-prone mother, the next Asian Hitler (aka my sister), her sidekick (my brother), and Satan's spawn (my youngest brother). Thank God for my father.

Theme #6
Chrysanthemum

The first time Gin met Rangiku, she was dying from starvation. Her body could barely move, and even the rise and fall of her chest seemed to be weary. What struck him most, however, was the lifelessness of her eyes.

A little over a decade had passed since he and Rangiku met. Over that time, both of them grew, but in his eyes, she was the one who grew the most. And it wasn't just in body (and boy did she grow in body), either.

She always had a bounce in her step, her eyes always sparkled when she spoke, and whenever she did something she did it with passion. She had a true vigor for life that he didn't see in very many people, especially in this section of Rukongai.

Her favorite hobby was probably tending and picking flowers in their small, makeshift garden. He always enjoyed watching her; even if there was nothing but silence, the way her face glowed was true bliss.

He was sitting on a bench one day, just watching as she picked her flowers. His eyes focused on her slim body, then traveled to the flowers around her, then the dry environment surrounding them. He couldn't help but be taken aback when she suddenly walked up to him, giving him a good view of her... ahem.

He jerked his head upwards, hiding his flush expertly, and grinned at her. "Here." She handed him a large, raspberry-colored flower and offered a smile.

Gin took the flower and twirled the stem between his fingers. "Wha's this?"

"It's a flower, you moron."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "I know that... Just... what is it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, to be honest." Without another word, she turned her back to him and walked back into the shack.

Gin didn't find out what the flower was until he had walked into town and inquired an old woman. After finding its type, he wandered back to the garden to search for more, only to find none. He retreated to his small room that night without having dinner, despite Rangiku's protests ("You're getting too skinny!" she scolded).

He put the flower in a small vase with water and placed it by his beside. He laid down that night and glanced over at the flower. Chrysanthemum's were truly one of a kind.

Word Count: 392

In case you didn't get that, Rangiku means chrysanthemum.