The Promise (Bleach: Gin x Rangiku)

Part Nine

Rangiku

I jumped as Isshin scared the living hell out of me.

"Isshin! What do you think you're doing?!" I snapped at him.

Isshin had been a member of Squad 10 for many years now and had upheld his position as fourth seat. He has been a soul reaper as long as Captain Kyoraku had, one of the oldest that had maintained their position as Captain besides Captain Yamamoto. Naomi told me herself that Isshin had already mastered bankai long before she did, and that he was definitely stronger than her. But since Isshin had so much respect for Naomi, even though he was older than all of us, he chose not to surpass her in the ranking, or to become a captain or a lieutenant without her complete and utter permission.

Or partly because he didn't want to become a part of the slaughtering of the Squad 10 Captains for the past eleven consistent years.

"Rangiku!" Isshin said, his eyes widening. And then he saw Gin behind me, his eyes widening even more.

"Lieutenant Ichimaru! How surprising to see you both here." He bowed his head.

"Isshin. What's wrong?"

"I'm being promoted to Captain!"

My jaw dropped.

"What?!"

"Captain, ya say?" Even Gin behind me sounded surprised.

"Well.. Head Captain wants to see me in a few minutes to see if I qualify for Captain or not." Isshin said.

I grinned. "That's amazing! And of course you will!" I ran up to him and hugged him, but Isshin just pushed me away.

"No. You don't understand. Naomi will kill me." There was fear in his voice as tears started to well up in his eyes.

"I'm sure she'll understand, since it is, after all, orders of the Head Captain."

"But Rangiku." He gripped me shoulders, looking me in the eye, pouting.

"You can't become a Captain unless you've mastered bankai." He said.

My eyes widened. "You mastered bankai! That's amazing!" I pretended to sound surprised, even though I already knew it.

"No. The only person I ever told was Captain Naomi. She's the only one that knows about my bankai. And I know she would never tell the Captain because she enjoys bossing me around." Isshin was now crying a river, as he made loud crying noises. For an old man, he was such a child.

I patted his arms, before pulling his hands from his hard grip on my shoulders.

I looked to my left, completely forgetting about Gin, but he wasn't there.

He had disappeared.

I sighed, as I patted a crying Isshin on the head.

"Isshin, you're getting old. Its time you start taking up a position that recognizes who you truly are before you get too old." I said.

"But Naomi-

-screw Naomi. Its time for you to take up an incredible position that has been waiting for you for years."