Rangiku Matsumoto
Vice-captain of the tenth division
Rangiku Matsumoto's puzzle was complete again, but for how long really?
"Ran?"
"Hmm?"
"It had always been you ... Always."
She looked up at him. He trapped her face in his big hands. She knew these were hands that had hurt so many people before but somehow, she fought to lean even more as he brought his lips closer to hers in maddeningly slow motion. Translucid pearls of sadness, her tears, covered her cheeks. Their kisses tasted different. There was undoubtedly a taste of truth for once. Then she tasted the salt of her tears on his lips. No, was it his? Her eyes widened at the realization and with a hesitant hand brushed Gin Ichimaru's single black tears.
" Gin?"
He kissed her again.
"Take me with you."
byDarthShizuka
She whispered under her breath. He brought their foreheads together with a mischievous smile contrasting totally with the emotion in his crystalline blue eyes.
"I can't do that. It would be too selfish, Ran. I just want to do what's right for once ... That way, Ran won't have to be ashamed of having loved a monster. Like that, when you have kids, when you are a grandmother, when you have gray hair and you spend your time rambling around, you will tell them about me, eh? You tell your family how much we loved each other, okay? That I'm the only one who ever put stars in your eyes? That kind of good feeling ... Most of all, you tell them how cool I was today. Anyway, this is not the end. This is just a passing moment. We will be together again I promise. I will be waiting for you at that place where we always meet. "
He placed another kiss on her lips, which besides having a taste of truth, had an aftertaste of finality. She didn't feel the caress of his lips for the simple reason that his last words had plunged her into a certain catatonia, a paradox of doubts again. Time had stood still for Rangiku. She could clearly see the chaotic ruins of what was left of Soul Society in front of her. She could also feel the captains moving closer and the members of the Second Division circling them. She could feel the icy aura of her own captain behind her. It was like the world she's forgotten about earlier came crashing down again around her. She could feel it all. Her brain understood what was going on. But her heart was numb.
Gin.
He loosened his grip. She felt Shinso's cold metal slide against her chest again. Gin's necklace found its place against her heart once again.
He looked down at her.
"Please don't cry, Ran. I deserve better than that. All I ever wanted was for Ran to spend her dayswith a smile on her face. I may have gone about it the wrong way. But I did all this so I could make this world perfect for you…"
The sun was setting in the distance. The mauve and the orange had driven the gray from the clouds. She realized that it was no longer raining. She stared dazedly at the sky and realized that it was no longer raining. The air was dry and cold. There was a smell of ashes in the air. She was suddenly cold. It wasn't because she had found herself like an inanimate doll in her captain's arms. Nor was it because Hitsugaya's aura had frozen the invisible crystals of rain the air in front of them to form a semi-transparent wall of ice. No, Rangiku Matsumoto was frozen to death because she was no longer in Gin Ichimaru's arms. She was frozen inside. She brushed the layer of ice between her and Gin with her fingertips, her eyes wide open, her long lashes trapping her tears.
Gin's lips were silently moving. Her heart had decoded in a last stammer "I love you".
This snake.
This horrible unrepented Serpent. Her snake.
She gathered her strength and forced a smile on her lips. She was Rangiku Matsumoto and Rangiku Matsumoto would survive anything even if her universe imploded. She turned her head towards her captain with that resigned smile. He was so grown up now. Had she slept that long? She looked down at their intertwined hands. She played with a strand of white hair.
Tōshirō held her hands but he kept staring the ground, unable to meet her eyes. She lowered her head in turn slowly. Time went so .Maybe she wasn't wide awake? it was all a nightmare? Gin had already been dead a long time lying on a pile of rubble at the hands of Aizen Sousuke?Four. Maybe her mind had been playing tricks on him? Or maybe...Five.
White and black lightning sheared across the sky and struck Sōkyoku Hill with a deadly brutality. Behind her, a tornado of sizzling black reiatsu swept everything left standing in its path. A curtain of dust and smoke obscured Rangiku's thoughts and enveloped her body. The shadow of Haineko came out to play in the dust for a second. She lowered the hand that had protected her face from the dust.
" Matsumoto?"
Rangiku took a deep breath. A hoarse sound escaped her throat instead of a sigh. Her soul. It hurt. She suddenly couldn't do anything… This…
"Matsumoto?"
She didn't dare make a single movement for fear of falling apart, right there in front of her captain. Her eyes went wide as she tried to adjust to the sharpest pain. She blinked. She shivered. She stumbled and fell on her knees, tears of blood streaming down her face. She vomited.
Toshiro was trying to hold her and calm her down. But she fought away and struggled, crawled again.
" Matsumoto. It's ... over ... Matsumoto ... I'm sorry."
She felt the pendant mechanically. It was so cold between her fingers. But she couldn't feel him. It was nothing like when he left for Hueco Mundo. She still felt haunted with residuals of his energy. But this silence… This echoing silence.
"Gin ..."
Suddenly, she no longer had the strength to move forward or hold the pieces of Rangiku Matsumoto's puzzle together. She opened her mouth again, trying to get accustomed to the emptiness. She moaned like a wounded beast too tired to cry already. She completely collapsed then. It fucking hurt her soul worse than her meeting with Enzo. Because her brain couldn't comprehend the magnitude of her loss. Her brain couldn't comprehend the void, period. He was... gone. He left. Where she couldn't follow.
Tōshirō watched the last rays of the sun disappear behind the wall of Seireitei, bringing the longest day of his life to an end. He listened to her soft cries.
"He left me behind."
His eyes blurred with unshed tears. He didn't why he said it, maybe because at the end of this, he finally came to understand Gin Ichimaru and what he stood for. Thz thing Ichimaru wanted to protect is the thing he, Hitsugaya wanted to protect.
"He left so you could smile again. Please Rangiku, just smile. "
Gin Ichimaru
Former captain of the third division
Former commander of Aizen's arrancars
Former prisoner of Senzaikyū
Former President of the Haiku club
Former Child Prodigy
Former member of the Advanced Class
Sentenced to death, Gin was aware that he had strayed from the little yellow brick road at times, had lost his way very often, and had taken gruesome shortcuts at every opportunity. At least he had always been able to find his way back to her.
"Ran?"
"Hmm?"
"It had always been you."
She looked up at him. He trapped her face in his large hands and brought her lips closer to his. Who would have thought that a man was hiding under his monster's skin, a man with a few scruples? Their kisses tasted different. He didn't realize until they separated that he spiced it up with his own tears. That was a bit pansy. Him getting emotional. This wasn't even a goodbye. This was an "I'm going to the coffee shop… Let's meet later!"
He kissed her one last time.
Who would have believed that he still had enough heart left to want to do the right thing? Not just right in her eyes ... But just for the rest of the world ... Who would have thought this woman had truly made an honest man out of him at last?
He lied.
He killed.
He maimed.
He betrayed.
He did all those things and wouldn't have regretted any of them, if it wasn't for the knowledge that he brought her pain.
Ran-chan's blue eyes widened in surprise. She must have been as surprised as he was. She brushed his jaw with trembling fingers.
"Gin?"
He kissed her again, this time, with a little more passion.
"Take me with you."
What would happen after he is gone? Would he keep all his memories of her with him? He sure knew he will try. Would he find his way to the factory? Maybe he will have to fight for that right alone. Yet, he decided he'd rather wait for her than destroy her life being on the run with him.
She whispered under her breath. She was reading his mind. It was perfectly irrational. Foolish. Dangerous. If only she knew how tempted, he was nonetheless. He had tasted power again and he was just tempted to put his mask back on, hoist her over his shoulder, break through the midst of the captains gathering around them. He wanted to run away with her, build a new life, somewhere. Far. He opened his eyes.
He wouldn't have hesitated before. He would have tainted every bit of Rangiku's soul just so that it remained his. But, he couldn't afford to be the cause of her tears anymore. He stealthily lifted his head and exchanged a look with Hitsugaya. Rangiku was loved. She had friends, a family all on her own. More than anything, his girl craved a family and he couldn't give her that. She was already the key part of her own universe. She was his most precious possession. But she also stood on her own. He understood. If he wanted to keep her forever if he wanted her to respect what they had, not taint it with hate and doubts. He had to take himself off the equation. He had to relieve her of a dead weight. He hugged her tightly. Being a good guy was so much work. But dying once, twice, a thousand times, meant nothing if it was for her happiness. Worst case scenario. He joined the wheel, and they met in their next life. It was time he waited for her for a change.
At the thought, he brought their foreheads together with a mischievous smile contrasting totally with the emotion in her blue eyes.
" I can't do that. It would be too selfish, Ran. I just want to do what's right for once ... That way, Ran won't have to be ashamed of loving a monster. Like that, when you have kids, when you are a grandmother when you have gray hair and you spend your time rambling around, you will tell them about me, eh? You tell your family how much we loved each other, okay? That I'm the only one who ever put stars in your eyes? That kind of good feeling ... Most of all, you tell them how cool I was today. Anyway, this is not the end. This is just a passing moment. We will be together again I promise. I will be waiting for you at that place where we always meet."
Another greedy kiss. Sensing movement behind him, as the old man gathered his band of mercenaries around him. Yamamoto said nothing. He just leaned on his cane with one hand and waited. Jūshirō had lowered his gaze to offer the couple some privacy. Unohana was twisting the sleeve ofher captain's haori and staring down. Shunsui had hidden his face behind his straw hat. Nanao was a little behind him. Soi Fon had her arms crossed against his chest and a brooding expression. She lost a lot on the field already. Komamura stared at the sky remembering no doubt that Tozen's last moments on earth had not been so marred with emotion.
Gin deepened their kiss. He didn't want to forget. He's always been the memory keeper for the both of them. When Rangiku lost her memory after the incident, he vowed to always remember for two. Today he was about to forget it all. Maybe. A throbbing pain twisted his chest. What was he doing, really?
He raised her chin toward him again. Blue eyes met blue eyes.
"Don't cry, Ran-chan. All I ever wanted was for Ran to spend her days with a smile on her face. So smile."
Never Meant to Belong - Bleach OST
That's it. He smiled back at her mischievously like that kid deity he pretended to be.
The sun was setting in the distance, mauve and orange mixed like on a watercolor canvas. He finally let go and took a deep breath. He clenched his jaw so as not to lose his resolve and pushed her back into Hitsugaya's awaiting arms. Unprepared as she was, she staggered back, faltered and Hitsugaya had to put an arm around her waist to stabilize her.
Gin walked away then only slowing his pace so Yamamoto and his dogs of war could follow him. The cold seized him then. He didn't have to turn. Hitsugaya took over, stabbing the ground with Hyourinmaru. The earth froze spontaneously for several meters. Hyourinmaru crystallized the atmosphere and erected a wall of ice between them. He couldn't help but smile. Thank you again. He owed this kid one.
The circle finally closed around Gin again. Rangiku stared blankly at the wall of ice. He whispered like a prayer. He had never been very brave.
" Kimi ga ashita Hebi tonari, Hito o kurai Hajimerutoshite, Hito o kuratta Sonokuchi de, Boku o aisuto Hoetatoshite, Boku wa hatashite, Kyou to Onaji, Kimi o aisuto Ieru darouu ka. [1]"
These verses he got from Kira, the horrible tortured poet. He didn't know who they were originally intended for. But he had always found them to be totally adequate in his situation. Of all the horrible verses his former vice-captain had spawned in a century, these had always been his favorite. He stepped back again and spread his arms in peace when he saw all the captains reach out for their zanpakutō.
"Ichimaru Gin ..." Yamamoto said solemnly.
He lifted his head and waited.
"By a jury of your peers, you have been convicted of High Treason, Conspiracy, Premeditated murder and Multiple Attempted Murders. No mitigating circumstances had been retained at the time of the deliberations. Yet, we are now aware and grateful of the help you provided in stalling Aizen Sousuke and taking out Enzo Weavorpine, subsequently ending this war. But a sentence of this severity cannot be cancelled by one or two good deeds. Blood asked for blood. The Gotei 13 therefore sentenced you to death by Kido destruction. You can try to run… *
"I won't. I think that much is clear."
"Your sentence will be executed immediately. You have the choice of which spell will be used against you."
Nice!He felt Shinso vibrate in the sleeve of his coat. He kept his hands in sight. Manatsu Dengeki pulled away from Sasakibe and limped closer to Yamamoto.
"Sotaicho, give me this honor."
Yamamoto looked down at the young woman whose face still bore the traces of the battle. He frowned.
"Leave me that honor, please. For the third division."
Gin smirked. This chick was born with balls. His face returned to its mischievous mask. Seeing as there was no protest among the other captains, the captain-general agreed with a nod.
She limped toward her victim again.
" Do you have something of mine, Captain Ichimaru?"
It took a few seconds for him to figure out what she was referring to. But Gin ended up nodding in turn as he slowly removed the haori from the Third Division. He handed it to her. She limped up toward him deliberate in each steps. She stretched out her arms, expecting him to catch up with her. His eyes sparked anew at the surprise, letting the mauve sky reflect in his piercing gaze. Finally, he glanced around them. None of the captains seemed to want to intervene. So, he unfolded the coat and helped Captain Dengeki put it on.
"I'm not going to say thank you. I have not appreciated one bit what you did to my lieutenant. I certainly won't forgive… or forget." She whispered when he was close enough so only, he could hear. "Yet, I, Manatsu Dengeki, do not keep debts, Ichimaru-taicho."
He stared at her with eyes that said they didn't give a fuck anymore. Those eyes kept searching for Rangiku in the crowd. He nodded absently.
Rangiku's face appeared grotesquely distorted behind the wall of ice. To him, it seemed like she was smiling, and his twisted mind wanted to believe this was all worth it. Dengeki followed his gaze before resuming in an extremely calm tone.
"Hitsugaya will take care of her. I'll take care of Kira. He's a very good soldier. There are some very good officers in this division."
She did not add well-trained members, but Gin saw the compliment behind the words. He nodded patiently
"I want Kirohitsugi. Like the finest you got. I wanna see stars, darling. Is it grandiose enough for an exit, sweetheart? Sorry, sorry, Captain Fuschia."
He chastised himself. She insisted on calling him Taicho. He should extend the courtesy. Her turn to smirk.
" Dengeki. Thank your red gift earlier. I am confident you're going to enjoy this."
He met the young woman's bold fuchsia gaze. He grinned. He liked her.
She backed up with a limp.
" Do you have a last will, Ichimaru Taicho?"
"What I want, you cannot give me, Dengeki Taicho."
"Never make the mistake of underestimating me, Ichimaru Taicho."
He grinned wider. She didn't. He sobered up quickly.
"Nope, I'm good to go. I have no last will."
Manatsu nodded. She got into position. Crossing her fingers quickly, she clasped her hands before pointing her index and middle fingers.
"Crest of corruption! Escape the evil one ..."
Gin frowned. The incantation didn't start exactly like this in his memory. Did Kira's Captain really know what she was doing? He took one last look in Rangiku's direction. Who cared really?
She finally pointed to the sky.
"In the arrogant ship of madness! Deny the oppressive, stunning and vacillating need! Troublesome Sleep! Split the sky in two! Divide the soul into four! The scary creeping iron queen! Ask for justice! The Eternal Self-Destructing Mud Doll! Banish the star! Unite! Push back! Vomit your resentment and move the rebellious. Fill the earth, and realize your own helplessness ..."
All the energy the spell gave off nailed him to the ground. Gin exhaled sharply, feeling his muscles stiffening against his will. The irony of it all… He just gave her all that power. The power was rooted from the ground to the unbearable pressure over his head. The fuck was this pressure?
There Manatsu caught her breath. Gin opened his eyes in shock. He wanted to see her one last time. Ran. He had one last will. He wasn't done yet. He wanted to see her. But the pressure… He couldn't talk. Ran.
Manatsu Dengeki smiled, breathing hard. She raised her fingers toward the sky and shouted the sentence with venom.
" Hado no kyujû, Kirohitsugi! Farewell, Ichimaru Gin."
She conjured two dark purple spirit energy lassos, which swirled with formidable gravity, enclosing Gin in a cylindrical barrier. Gradually, black energy panels covered the coffin, and sharp spears of the same energy pierced his chest from all angles. Gin experienced piercing sensations all around, his throat burning, and he absently noted that the black coffin allowed him to glimpse the sky and the setting sun.
CRZYSND ft. Carl Hausman - Never Ending Memories
As the ground seemed to shift beneath him, he lost track of whether he was standing or lying down. In this disorienting moment, he allowed himself to drift through various levels of consciousness, reminiscing about the first time he had seen Ran-chan smile, a memory that had taken his breath away with equal force. It had been an accidental occurrence, almost more memorable than the day they first met, despite only having known each other for two days. He had attempted to impress her by catching a rainbow trout in the stream for dinner, while she sat on a boulder, her face worn and gaunt.
With a sudden display of pride, he presented not a rainbow trout or a wriggling carp, but instead a monstrous toad. Startled, she screamed and tumbled from her perch, clutching her sore behind. Surprisingly, she pushed him back into the water with unexpected strength, causing a big splash, and the toad lazily hopped onto his head with a croak.
A smile spread across Ran's face, followed by laughter. It seemed unreal how much he enjoyed her laughter… Her. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was made for him…
Everything turned to white though. Everything got stained with blood. It was the end of everything.
Thoughts of Ran-chan, of their first kiss of chosen verses from Kira's poems, of his love for persimmons, of his hate of cold, of his fight with Hitsugaya…. Of them facing each other in the snow… Of him fighting Ichigo, of him waving Ichigo goodbye mischievously, him crashing in Soul Society… All the thoughts circled back to her in an infinite loop. Gin's last memory of home dissolved in front of his eyes.
" Kimi ga ashita Hebi tonari, Hito o kurai Hajimerutoshite, Hito o kuratta Sonokuchi de, Boku o aisuto Hoetatoshite, Boku wa hatashite, Kyou to Onaji, Kimi o aisuto Ieru darouu ka. [1]"
Nothing was left in the destructive path of the spell, except a shredded piece of Arrancar Coat, flying in the dust.
Manatsu Dengeki struggled to catch her breath and stared at the place Gin Ichimaru once stood. Amazement had twitched the faces of the other captains. Jūshirō watched the piece of cloth on the ground, stunned. They all seemed to be asking one question. Was Gin dead? It seemed suddenly too unreal.
A hoarse cry rose in the air. They all turned around. The wall of ice had dissolved too and with it the resolutions of a certain vice-captain. When Matsumoto Rangiku's cries filled the air, Third Division captain Manatsu Dengeki understood she would have to live with the choice she made.
She smirked with white sharp canines. Her fuchsia eyes had the distinct color of blood in the setting sun. She eyed the blonde curled up on the floor with a predatory smile, which she seemed to have inherited from her predecessor. Yes, Magnificent Kirohitsugi! She congratulated herself.
[1] English Translation: If you were to turn into a snake and start devouring humans. And with the mouth that you use to devour humans. You tell me that you love me. Could I tell you? I love you the same way I do today? "
I'd rather insert this magnificent quote in its original language. I am completely a fan of the Seiyuu of Gin. His voice is just * o *. This is one of my favorite quotes from the manga. All rights reserved to Tite Kubo.
Next chapter = The last day of Spring