Midnight Sunshine (Bleach Fanfic)

Romace 12. Songspiration

A pair of pale blue eyes stared out at the dark ocean as the waves splashed up against the railing the woman leaned over. Her strawberry blond hair curled more then usual due to the salty sea mist clinging to the vibrant locks. Her mouth pushed together as she tried forgetting, and her eyes finally snapped shut from frustration as he throat tightened.

"I can't forget I saw him again. I thought after a year I was ready to move on." A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes snapped open. Everything started with a mission to the living world with her young taicho to the seaside. Rangiku pushed her lips together as her hands gripped the railing as she remembered seeing a familiar silver haired figure from a distance while she was browsing the seaside shops.

The strawberry blond heard an annoying voice in the back of her mind nagging her. "You were able to move on after a year because you thought Gin was dead. Obviously that man's not dead, otherwise you wouldn't have seen him there."

"Maybe it wasn't really him." Rangiku closed her pale blue eyes as the corners of her mouth pressed down into a frown as a sickening feeling settled down into the pit of her stomach as she went over the memory again.

She stood in front of a window shop looking at the summer dresses, and her reflection. Her pale eyes particularly liked the warm colored sundress which matched her beige purse hanging from her left shoulder. Rangiku's eyes caught sight of a flash of silver in the reflection of the window, and she turned her head to see if her small taicho was behind her.

Her heart skipped a beat, and her pale blue eyes widened as she caught sight of a man with silver locks, and instinctively followed after the man. "It can't be who I think it is." Her breath stopped for a few seconds as she crossed the street. The hot sun beat down on her bare shoulders until she came to the corner she saw the man turn. "He's dead, so it's a different person."

"But how many people have that color of hair, that same lack of a wave, and that same length."

Rangiku froze upon seeing the silver haired man sit down at a cafe table across from another female, and another pain hit the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath as she sneaked closer, and found a spot to hide. "It has to be..."

Any thought of the silver haired man being a different person shot out of her head when she saw the man's face. Rangiku swallowed as the urge to burst into tears hit her, but she brushed back any thought of crying by remembering telling her small taicho to be a man, and not cry. Rangiku felt herself swallowed as she remembered how Toshiro looked prior to entering the academy. "Talking about people with the same color, wave and length of hair."

Rangiku shook her head as she watched Gin speak to the female in a rather candid manner. A pain hit her chest again as the idea popped into her head of storming over and demanding an answer from Gin about why, but instead she turned on her heals and headed back to the beach. She stopped walking a couple blocks away, and ducked into an alley way as the tears finally came down her cheeks.

Everything until she found herself looking out at the sea was a blur. Her mouth pushed together as she tried once again to forget, and her eyes finally snapped shut from frustration as her throat tightened. A A few tears threatened to fall from her pale blue eyes, and she tried to force a smile upon her face as she sensed a familiar presense appraoch her from behind.

"Matsumoto?"

Rangiku turned quickly so she now sat on the railing, and her mouth twisted up into a fake smile. "Fake smiles were something Gin was always good at." She pushed back the aching feeling in her chest, and spoke in what she thought was her usual manner to the young Shinigami in front of her. "What is it Taicho?"

The young taicho's bright teal eyes normally narrowed into a stern, and reprimanding manner. The eyes looking at her now were wide, and the boy's facial features were softened revealing how much of a child her young taicho still was. Two pale blue eyes looked right into the bright teal eyes causing them to narrow, and look away. The facial features also stiffened as the boy crossed his arms across his chest.

"Something's bothering you."

The female took a deep breath as her dainty thin fingers brushed through her vibrant strawberry blond locks. "What makes you think that?"

One of the young taicho's arms dropped to his side, while the other reached up to rub the back of his head. His reaction said everything his lack of words said.

"He doesn't know why he knows something is bothering me. I really didn't want to tell him that I saw Gin of all people." Rangiku turned her head to look up at the stars, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the white haired child taicho approach the railing and silently join her.

Why they'd ever come to this place Rangiku honestly didn't know, but the sooner they left for home the better. Toshiro let out a deep sigh before stepping forward, and handing her an envelope. "I was told I was to give this to you."

Rangiku's pale blue eyes blinked a couple of times as she took the envelope from a set of thin boned hands. The child's slight frame honestly bothered her much in the same way Gin's slight frame bothered her, but she brushed the thought aside as she opened up the envelope. A pendant containing her birthstone slipped out along with a letter.

Her eyes blinked a couple of times as she opened the letter. "Take care of chibi-taicho. Shiro-chan doesn't know his own limits. Sorry for the belated birthday gift."

The letter contained no signature, but Rangiku knew who it was. She looked up, and stared at her small taicho. "Where did you get this?"

"Where?" Toshiro's hand reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I got the envelope from the source I was supposed to meet up with when I got the information I'm to deliver to the head captain."

"Who was the source?" Rangiku's eyes blinked a couple of times as the streetlights lining the street next to the seaside railing hissed in the night air.

"Some female. Don't know any more then that. Not even how reliable the information was. Except someone's spying for us on something. I don't get why I wasn't told more."

"Perhaps that has something to do with the fact you're likely to try and dig into things yourself if you knew more?" Rangiku breathed a sigh of relief.

"I guess so."

"Can we go home now Taicho?" The female felt herself relax.

"We'd be wasting time if we just stayed here." Toshiro stopped short, and then tilted his head up to look at his female fukutaicho. "That's odd."

"What is?"

"Normally you'd be complaining about the fact you wanted time to go shopping, or time to spend at the beach."

Rangiku shrugged her shoulders. "Not that big of a deal." A smile broke across her face. "I know I'm the only one for Gin. I also know he's alive."