1000 Years: One Shots (Part 1)

25. Death

Title: Death

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Toshiro and Rangiku

Summary: Toshiro and Rangiku talk after being dragged into the room.

Rating: T

Date Posted: 10/11/12

Death

Toshiro sat on the bed, his knees folded up to his chest. He stared at the floor while Rangiku paced back and forth. "Yamamoto is dead. How many other people are going to die?"

"Taicho..." The woman paused and spoke up again. The small taicho said nothing and simply sat there, the sadness causing his mind to go numb. After a few minutes she spoke up again. "Taicho... I'm sorry."

The boy glanced up, looking at her with wide, bright teal eyes. "About forcing me to surrender? You didn't want me to die, so you did what you had to do."

Rangiku looked him straight in the eye, frowning as she did so. "Taicho... I'm not sorry about making sure you are still alive. I'm sorry I can't for the life of me remember when you were little."

"That's what you were thinking about?" Toshiro frowned back at her. "That isn't the only thing you're worried about."

"You're as upset as I am that the head taicho has passed away, right?" The busty female's arms crossed her chest.

"Are you worried about me not being able to show my emotions? It kind of needs to sink in."

"I... that isn't what I meant. I mean..." Rangiku let out a deep sigh. "I want to do something to make that pain go away, or at least be less then it is. But I don't feel that I deserve such a role. I mean..."

Toshiro blinked a couple of times. "That's funny. Even without knowing I was your child you have always acted like my mother."

"Somehow, I had a feeling when I met you."

"It's not your fault you can't remember." The boy patted the bed for her to sit down. The woman came and sat down, watching as he glanced back at the ground. "So, he really is dead?"

"Probably. He's not... he's not someone who can easily be taken out."

"Which means everyone else is going to die. I'm never going to be seeing them again." Toshiro glanced at his feet. "How come I don't want to believe that is true?"

"Because when you have to admit that someone is dead and gone, that is when the tears come. You can tell people your feelings all you want, but the pain doesn't go away until you let the emotions out." Rangiku suddenly reached up and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

Toshiro suddenly glanced up, something else clicking in his head. "Ichimaru... he isn't coming back, is he?"

The woman let out a deep sigh. "He... I don't feel like he is still alive."

Something wet crept down the boy's cheek. "Why? Why am I crying? I don't even know him or like him. And yet I'm not crying for someone else I know who I knew far better and liked far better."

"Because you still don't want to believe he's dead." Rangiku wrapped her arms around him tighter, pulling the child close. The tears then came hard. "And despite the fact you never got close to Gin, finding out you could have gotten close to him. You hurt because you missed out on something important by him dying."