[Log] Gin Ichimaru, Rangiku Matsumoto, Shuuhei Hisagi

Nov 16, 2008 04:40

Title: Two's Company; Three's a Crowd. [Part 2]
Characters: Gin Ichimaru (lcpdragonslayer), Rangiku Matsumoto (some_scribbles), Shuuhei Hisagi (calm_isolation)
Timeline: March 9 1950
Rating: PG-13
Summary: It seems like a visit to the Double Dip to sort through what had happened last in the pool hall, but when Shuuhei Hisagi walks through those doors, the underground world collides with the facades they put on masquerading through life. The reality of this duality becomes apparent to both Gin and Shuuhei, and Rangiku may have realised that there are some things that have either been kept from her, or are beyond her control and understanding.

Gin was staying. That was certainly… interesting. Ran wasn’t sure if she should be gratified or insulted. But then he brushed past her and sat down at his usual spot, all but ordering Shuuhei to join him, and she couldn’t help the way her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Gin had a way about him, a knack for taking command of a situation that brought everyone’s focus to rest completely on him. She admired and appreciated that trait, and occasionally found to be really annoying. By inviting Shuuhei to sit by him and saying that they would talk and catch up, he had effectively cut her out of their conversation.

What did Gin want to say to Shuuhei that she couldn’t hear? Why was he so confident that Shuuhei would obey him? It wasn’t as if Shuuhei looked like the type to jump at anyone’s ‘suggestions,’ so why…

Rangiku cast a sidelong glance at Shuuhei. She barely resisted the urge to grab him, pull him into her office, and demand that he talk. But that could wait for when Gin wasn’t looking quite so… friendly.

“All the better for me to visit with both of you after I get your orders,” she smiled, not really wanting to miss whatever would take place between them, but at the same time not wanting to get anyone into trouble. If they really did know each other, maybe they could work out whatever was causing the tension in the air.

And maybe the skies would open up and start raining down rubies and pearls. Hey, it could happen.

She stepped away from Shuuhei and towards the ice cream, deliberately not pausing in front of Gin or speeding up. But she couldn’t help the way her eyes were drawn to him, or the concern and assessment hidden in that glance.

It wasn’t until Rangiku stepped away to start making their orders that Shuuhei snapped out of his frozen funk to go settle on a stool next to the enemy. Their legs bumped when he settled in but he was quick to pull them back, keep his ill-mannered limbs to himself. He looked straight ahead his eyes locked on the wall behind the counter, swallowed loudly, and turned to Gin.

“I didn’t know you liked malt’s…Ran makes the best ones in town. Or so I have heard…I always get the pie…I like pie…She makes it special for me…” He was babbling, and with a snap of his teeth he decided to keep his ill-mannered tongue to himself as well. A soft sigh whispered past his mouth, gray eyes shifted to watch his friend work. “She is like my sister.” No point hiding that, considering the welcome he had just received, and the confessions his tongue had already shared.

As much as Shuu wanted to get down to ‘business’, and as much as he knew he and Gin had limited time to talk without Ran over hearing, he couldn’t quite make himself broach the subject any further then that. After all, he knew that she obviously had some trust in the silver-haired mobster, or else she wouldn’t have been undressing him behind her counter in plain sight. And as far as he knew Gin meant her no harm, he never listened to gossip so he didn’t know the Capo’s history with woman, not that it would have mattered unknown women were an entirely different thing then Rangiku Matsumoto. All Shuuhei knew was that She was important to him, and his presence here, now, could have very possibly endangered her.

Gin was on the verge of fidgeting in his seat. It was not from the discomfort - of having this person sit next to him, of being faced with this situation - rather, Gin was growing restless. He was struggling to think of even one reason why he should let Shuuhei live past the night.

And if Ran wasn't within earshot, he would have told Shuuhei to shut up. He wasn't interested in the pies or anything else on the menu.

And then, the boy said it.

'She is like my sister.'

"Listen 'ere, kid," Gin said, making sure Ran was busy making things or at least hanging around far enough to not be able to hear him. He kept his gaze straight ahead at the wall and his voice low, but his smile had faded a little.

"I've known Ran since when yer still wearin' yer diapers. I don' care what ye' are ta her, or what ya think ye' are to her - if ya get her caught up in any of our business, I'll make damn sure ya regret ever settin' foot through that door. If she doesn't know what yer' doin', ya better tell her. Else I don't see a point in keepin' that tongue of yers in yer mouth if ya ain't gon' use it."

He turned to look at Shuuhei, and his smile widened into something quite possibly malicious.

"Savvy?"

A small jolt shot through Shuuhei when he heard Gin give such a long timeline to his friendship with someone he had thought he knew. Gray eyes shot to Rangiku, her back still to them, scooping ice cream. He had no reason to assume Gin was lying but he hoped the Capo was. If Ran had known the mobster all that time…what had she gotten herself into? Did Shuuhei really know her at all or had it all been a lie. No he refused to accept that, she wouldn’t be so cozy with some many coppers if she were in league with the Concavos…unless…He shook his head then, forcing himself to relax. He had faith in Ran, and where did he come off questioning her when he had been lying to her face for almost two years now.

Besides as he listened to the rest of what Mr. Ichimaru said, his forced relaxation was easier and easier. If he got her caught up in any of our business…if only Gin knew how careful Shuuhei was to ensure that nothing like that ever happened. He suddenly felt a strange fear tinged connection to the man next to him. Of course he had threatened to cut out his tongue and that smile threatened a lot more, but really they both wanted to keep Ran safe and not get her involved. Now he only had to navigate the delicate path of letting Gin knew he would never get Rangiku involved, without babbling again. Damn if he wasn’t going to need that pie when it came, he hoped Ran remembered that he always took his pie with ice cream and coffee, but he was sure she would. She was always so good at things like that, so thoughtful, so not at all what anyone would expect a mobster’s girlfriend to be.

“Of course Sir. I would never want to get her involved in anything.” Direct, and to the point. The brunet, met the other mans hooded eyes to show his sincerity, hoping it was enough, hoping Gin would see the truth, feel the strange connection.

Rangiku’s movements were automatic as she prepared the orders for her boys-no, for Gin and Shuuhei, because Gin wasn’t one of her boys he was-

Damn confusing was what he was. Here he had walked into her shop, stared right through her, and then gotten all intense about something-she still couldn’t figure out what those questions were all about-then insisted he was just there for the malt. No, it had nothing to do with her, of course not, why would he come to see her? Just because he’d asked her out for Valentine’s Day and met her twice after that-oh no, he was just there for the malt. Ass.

She twirled the knife she had grabbed to cut Shuuhei a slice of pie in an absentminded, aggravated gesture. And then that was another thing. How on earth did Gin know Shuuhei?

Ran slanted a glance down her bar to see the two of them sitting side by side, thick as thieves and-oh no. No. Bad thought, Ran. But something about the way her stomach dropped at the thought told her that there was more merit in the idea than not.

It had never sat right with her, the way Shuuhei had left the Force, the way he’d tried to drop out of her life. He’d claimed to be doing ‘odd jobs,’ and she never asked for the details-why had she never asked for details?

Oh, God, Shuu… What had he gotten himself into? How could he have kept it from her? What if he-

She needed to stop. She needed to stop thinking. Right. Now. Ran took a deep breath and cut Shuuhei a full quarter of the pie. She had to deal with what was in front of her, no more, no less. He was getting far too thin, and he was the only reason she made the pies, anyway. And if I’m going to kill him, he may as well have a good last meal…

Gin’s malt was done, and she poured extra, extra fudge and whipped cream on top in hopes of making up for the one that had ended up on his suit. She was tempted to throw on some sprinkles, but recognized the impulse as coming from the part of her that was still screaming in panic, so she ignored it. Shuuhei’s pie was still warm, and she scooped some vanilla ice cream on the side for him. Carrying the picture perfect orders over to Gin and Shuuhei, Ran bent down to slide the malt in front of Gin without a drip, noting that he was still appearing ‘friendly,’ and
placed the pie in front of Shuu with a slight clink.

“I’ll be right back with your coffee,” she said to Shuu with a smile before disappearing into the kitchen to pour him a cup. Shit. She still had no idea what to say. But she wasn’t going away without-without something.

Ran decided to play it close to the chest. She had no idea what they’d talked about while she was getting their orders. It would be better to test the waters before rushing in. “There you go,” she put the coffee on the bar and backed away to lean on the counter across from them, crossing her arms under her breasts her eyes went from Gin to Shuuhei and back to Gin again, just trying to take in the fact that they were both really there, sitting next to each other, trying to figure out every nuance of their interaction and coming up frustratingly short.

Keep it light. Friendly. Work with their cues. “So, what’d I miss?”

Gin somehow managed a small chuckle, his gaze shifting to where Ran had still been busy fixing up their orders to make sure she was still out of earshot.

"Tha's good, 'cause I can guarantee you'll be losin' more than just yer eyes n' tongue if anythin' happens."

And then Ran came towards them with Shuuhei's pie and Gin's chocolate malt - his second one, technically, even though the first never made it into his stomach - and though the tension in the atmosphere did not drop, the heaviness in the air lifted a bit as he was his amicable self around Ran. It was definitely a side of Gin he didn't show to his subordinates in the mob, but Shuuhei would be kidding himself if he wanted to see this side of Gin again.

He pulled his chocolate malt closer towards him and poked around and kneaded into the mixture with the long spoon. He wasn't talking to Shuuhei anymore even though Ran had gone off to get coffee - hell, the young mobster might as well have been invisible - and scooped up some malt on the spoon, sticking it into his mouth.

"Ya din't miss anythin'. We were jus' talkin' 'bout... work. Shuuhei here works fer a contractor the company subcontracts to frem time ta time."

He slurped at his malt through the straw contentedly.

"In fact," the Capo Bastone added, swallowing and pushing his chocolate malt away a little. "We were gonna meet each other later anyway, to... discuss the latest development."

He turned to look at Shuuhei, his smile widening.

"Right, bo?"

That pie couldn’t get there fast enough in Shuuhei’s opinion. The moment it clinked on the counter a large bite had already been forked into his mouth. Gin had thrown one last wrench before Ran approached and if nothing else Shuuhei had decided he needed to keep his mouth occupied. He was usually so much better at this. He had been undercover a while now and he had learned the rules, both spoken and unspoken. He handled himself accordingly, how else had he risen to his current place in those ranks if he didn’t play this game and play it well.

There was something about the man next to him, the cruel twist of his smile that was always disheartening to the tattooed cop. He could never get his mind around what Gin expected of him, or what he was thinking behind that smile. And the Capo’s presence here at the Double Dip, where Shuu had always come to let go, was making his usual uncertainty stronger.

He was not at his best here; he was at his most real. This was supposed to be the one place he could come and be himself. His home wasn’t even his own anymore, he was a mobster everywhere he went but here. To run into the one man he always had trouble playing with, in the one place he never wanted to play, in front of one of the few people he had charged himself to protect, was messing with something deep in his soul. Something that made the normally stoic man, into a babbling mess. So of course when he ran out of pie he just forked in another bite, not sure what he would do when the food ran out.

When Rangiku slide that cup of coffee in front of him, Shuuhei did what he always did and dropped a spoonful of his ice cream into the inky depths to melt, trying to keep some sense of normalcy for at least her. Thankful that his mouth was full so he could hear what Gin had to say. That gratitude for a mouth full of pie shifted to horror when Shuuhei started to choke at the Capo’s response. He forced himself to nod in answer to the question, and take a large swallow cooled sweet vanilla coffee, before smiling at the chef.

“Good Pie Ran.”

Rangiku’s throat tightened and she swallowed compulsively at Gin’s words and Shuuhei’s nod. Work. Was Gin saying what she thought he was saying? Was Shuuhei really… really working for Gin?

How was this possible? The Shuuhei she knew was a tireless pursuer of justice-she still called him her knight, for pity’s sake. The last thing she could imagine him doing was working for a crime family.

She swallowed again, shifting wide eyes between the two. She didn’t know a lot of things, but she did know that the last thing she should do would be to give any indication of her doubt that Shuuhei would join the mafia. And the second to last thing she should do would be to try and imply that she knew it all along, if Gin thought she’d been knowingly hanging around with someone who would drag her into trouble…

And, hell, if Shuuhei knew who Gin was and he saw the way he was interacting her and thought that she knew… oh, explaining this would be so much fun. How do you tell your friend, “Yes, I know he’s bad news, but he’s just too important for me to give up?”

There was too much uncertainty about what everyone knew to be safe, and while Ran knew she really shouldn’t press, she couldn’t just say nothing. It was important that Gin and Shuuhei walk away with the right impression-which was whatever impression would let them both be able to keep coming back, whatever impression would make Gin stop smiling at Shuuhei like he was already imagining the blood spilling out of him.

Because if anyone is going to be hurting Shuuhei for being a damned idiot, it is going to be me.

“So… Shuuhei… works for you?” Her voice was too quiet to be normal, and Rangiku cleared her throat to try to and get her voice back. “Isn’t that funny. You were asking me about my boys and it turns out you knew one all along.”

She turned her gaze towards Shuuhei and addressed him, “And I didn’t know that you’d found steady work. Congratulations.” The word felt bitter on her tongue, but Ran thought she pulled off a good approximation of friendly enthusiasm.

Reaching up, Ran tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Gin had gotten so mad that she’d ‘protected’ that idiot the other night, but this wasn’t anything like that and he needed to understand that. She’d turned big, softly pleading eyes onto Gin and gave him what she hoped was a teasing smile, “I guess I’d better look out. Shuu’ll tell you all my secrets if you feed him pie and treat him right.”

Please, treat him right, Gin.

He slurped noisily at his chocolate malt, as if blissfully unaware of everything that was going on around him. Did it bother him? Only slightly. It was a situation that bothered him a lot just moments ago, but now he seemed contented with his chocolate malt.

Gin was originally just going to finish his chocolate malt and then leave, but now it was a better idea to leave when Shuuhei left - just so they could have that little chat and talk through what they needed to say; what Gin needed to make sure Shuuhei understand.

He didn't like having to shoot people in the head straight after enjoying one of Ran's chocolate malt, after all.

"Really? He one 'er ya boys?" Gin asked, swinging his legs a little on the stool he was sitting on. He continued shoving at his chocolate malt with the long spoon.

"He doesn't work fer me," the Capo Bastone added. And that much was actually true - no one worked for Gin. Everyone worked for Mister Aizen. Even if Gin had a choice, he would either choose someone he thought he could work, or he worked alone.

"I said, he works fer sum' other contractor guy the company sometimes subcontracts ta. I don't see 'im much. Might not see 'im 'round much anymore either."

His smile widened.

"Small world can get pretty big sometimes, ya know."

Shuu saw a small flash in Ran’s eyes and his stomach clenched tight around the pie sitting like a lump in his belly. He had just agreed with Gin because he had too, and by agreeing he realized too late he had confirmed something to her as well. He calmly set his fork down and pushed the plate a few centimeters away, not hungry anymore. This was stupid. He was not like this. What the hell was wrong with him? He was in the middle of a tiny room with all the walls caving in on him, and he didn’t know what direction to turn to. Which way was safest for him, and more important which way was safest for Rangiku?

He knew that something more was going on, Ran knew Gin. Maybe she had known him all along like he said. Maybe she had never needed Shuuhei to protect her as much as he had needed to be needed. If that was true the brunet would face it later, for now he just had to believe that she was who he had always thought she was. He had to keep one thing constant, one thing that stood still while the rest of his world was spinning out of control, or he was going to get dizzy and fall.

He picked up his coffee and took a long deep swallow, his eyes slitting in pleasure, then he straightened his shoulders and nodded toward Gin again, but his eyes stayed on his friend across the counter, smiling at her for calling him one of her boys, trying to ignore the twist inside him that he had just been explained to Gin, but Gin was not being explained to him. “Thanks Ran. I was going to tell you today I got steady work finally. You don’t need to worry about me anymore” His voice softened at the end though he still kept his worked light and airy.

Another swig of coffee to swallow the bitter pill of the not so empty threats from the man next to him eating his malt like a little kid, with that evil smile on his face. It was actually a shame that he and Gin had met like this; they had a lot in common it seemed. They both loved sweets, they both ate with a careful abandon, and they both loved Rangiku. Although Shuu’s love for Ran had never included being undress in her kitchen.

Rangiku was starting to get a headache. Between Gin’s ‘Small world can get pretty big sometimes’ and Shuuhei sliding his pie away with the vague hurt she could detect in his tone, she didn’t know what to address first. Well, not true. If Gin was really threatening to cap Shuuhei right in front of her, obviously keeping that from happening was her top priority.

If she even could. She wasn’t sure what she could say or do that would make Gin realize that hurting Shuu would be hurting her and killing Shuuhei would mean… God, if he killed Shuu-

Her heart clenched at the thought and she dropped her gaze to the floor, frowning. Well, he just couldn’t, that’s all. She’d miss Shuuhei too much. And she’d never be able to forgive him.

Setting a smile on her face, Rangiku looked up with a determined glint in her eye. She reached out to ruffle Shuuhei’s perpetually messy hair. “Who worries about you? A girl’d go grey with the effort.”

Dropping her hand, she shoved the pie back towards him and turned to give Gin a wink. “And a big world can get pretty small sometimes too, neh?”

Small enough to let me see you again… small enough to make this as awkward as it is.

“Business is business, but I hope the world never gets big enough that I miss out on seeing two of my favorite boys.” There was a faint warning in her tone that Ran didn’t bother to hide. And even though a small part of her heart protested at throwing Gin in with Shuuhei like that, it was quickly hushed out of expediency. Besides, despite the parts of it she had been ignoring, Gin was male, and technically therefore a boy. Right.

And that was enough of that. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she regarded them with a thinly stretched smile. It only took a split second to decide that it was time to change the subject. And she knew just the thing. "So boys, did I tell you? I have a new love in my life."

Gin didn't need to be reminded of how complicated the situation was. He'd foreseen that things might get a little difficult if he ever got caught - but he was anticipating getting caught by the police or something. At least he could explain away the fact that he liked chocolate malts and that he could eat anywhere he fucking wanted to so long as he could afford it.

Getting caught by one of his own men was a different story - might have been easier if it was a name and a face no one really knew. He could have just put a bullet in the back of his skull and no one would even wonder why that face mysteriously disappeared. Someone like Shuuhei though - that was different. He had spent time with Mister Aizen - Ulquiorra knew him, even though Ulquiorra knew a hell of a lot of things. He wasn't some no-name face junkie at the bottom of the foodchain.

And then, of course, Ran. Ran, who was the reason this whole thing started.

This was why he had come here for the malt, and nothing more.

The Capo Bastone continued slurping away at his malt. The sooner he finished it, the sooner he could cut the chit-chat short, grab Shuuhei and go.

"A new love? What might that be?"

Shuuhei gave Rangiku a look when she obviously tried to warn Gin against killing him, after ruffling his hair like he was a kid. This was all one huge cluster, and he wanted out as soon as humanly possible. With a bite of pie forced down, the tattooed man tries to ignore he implications of Ran trying to warn Gin off. It confirmed that she knew who Gin was and what he was capable of, not good.

But the change of topic and distraction from the twisting of his innards was more then welcome, especially if the shop owner was going to talk about love. That was a serious word, a word no one used lightly.

"Who's the lucky Guy?"

She’d wrinkled her nose at Gin when he asked ‘what.’ Why did he assume it was a ‘what?’ Couldn’t it be a ‘who?’ Oh well, at least Shuuhei was still fun to play with.

She’d tell them the story and ignore the still-present tension, the surreality of the fact that Shuuhei was sitting next to Gin, that they knew each other, the fact that they had both obviously been keeping things from her-whereas she all she hadn’t intentionally been keeping anything from either of them. She just… didn’t talk about Gin. And why would she talk about anyone else when she was with him?

She never would have imagined that Gin would have any cause to be smiling at Shuuhei like that. He wasn’t even a cop anymore! More than that… she wasn’t sure of the exact circumstances of how they knew each other any more… but she never would have imagined Shuuhei joining up with Gin either, which was the most obvious solution… And she didn’t know what exactly the problem between them was, and she didn't know how to fix it, so until she figured out what to do, Rangiku was set on ignoring it.

“She’s beautiful,” Rangiku smiled, pausing slightly and brining one hand up to her lip in mock thought. “Adorable, really. She’s about this big,” she motioned with her hands, “and she has these big blue eyes. I’m just having the hardest time figuring what to name her. I can’t keep calling her ‘Cat’ her whole life, can I?”

Gin wrinkled his nose. He hated cats. He'd been fighting with them as long as he could remember - over scraps from the garbage, over warm places to sleep; for much of his life on the streets, if it was anything he truly hated, it was cats.

Incidentally it also happened to be the first thing he had ever killed. More than an annoyance, cats introduced him to the world he lived in now. And it wasn't that he didn't like it - but if he had to put the blame on something, it would have to be goddamn cats.

"It's yer pet. You should have the honour of namin' it."

He thought he was having a brain freeze or headache or something from drinking the malt too fast, but he didn't think he was doing it fast enough. Slurping constantly through the straw, Gin found himself getting too full too fast and he would probably get a little sick after this.

But when he had almost finished his malt, he shifted, sliding off his chair.

"I gotta go. Ya done, Shuuhei? I'll walk ya to yer office."

Listening to his friend a real smile lit his face. "Wow Ran a cat! That's great. You should name her though, makes a creature feel loved when it has a name. Where did you get it though? I don't see you going to a pet store..." He eyed her for a second feeling at home again, and completely forgetting the man next to him.

Forgetting Gin Ichimaru is a mistake. And the moment he stood and offered to walk Shuuhei to his office, the brunet was back in reality.

Before Ranigku could answer he gave a resigned nod and stood, this was it.

"Yeah I should probably go too Ran. Nice seeing you again. Thanks for the pie and coffee it was delicious as always."

She didn’t have a chance to respond to Shuuhei’s outpouring of enthusiasm before Gin had stood and summoned him. Shuuhei immediately nodded and stood-he hadn’t even finished his pie. That sense of coiling dread she’d been pushing away returned with added weight.

“Aaa, so soon?” Rangiku pouted out of habit. “Well, wait a minute and let me get your jacket. It should be dry by now.”

Stepping into the kitchen, Rangiku quickly retrieved the jacket which had been spread out onto the counter. Mind whirling, she ran an absent hand along the shoulders and collar to find it was only slightly damp, and not at all on the inside. He should be fine, then. After all, they’d both been through worse. She walked outside and came around the counter to stand behind Gin.

This was her chance. So close to him, she could whisper something, anything to try to find out what’s going on, to change his mind from whatever course he’d set it on to one she’d like better, to do something, anything-but she didn’t know what. She didn’t know what he was thinking, what had upset him so much when he came in and what he was planning on doing now-or even if she’d ever see him again.

What could she do, what could she say to change his mind?

Rangiku helped him slip into his jacket, her throat tight, and rested her hands on his shoulders for a moment, keeping him there with her light touch. Heart full, still at a loss of what to say, Ran decided she would simply trust him. There, standing behind him where Shuuhei couldn’t see, she let her head fall forward and rested her forehead between his shoulders for a too-short moment. She breathed out his name. “Gin.”

She dropped her hands and straightened up, all smiles despite the tightness around her eyes when she came around to say goodbye to Shuuhei. She’d trust him. And she’d trust Shuuhei too. He couldn’t be involved with Gin the way she thought he was. He just couldn’t be that stupid.

“This,” Rangiku poked him in the chest, “does not count. It was far too short. You’ll have to come over later and meet Cat. Maybe you’ll be able to help me pick out a name for her.”

Gin was rather focused on wanting to leave as early as possible that he forgot about his jacket. It was about time to send it to the drycleaner place anyway. Perhaps he could go home after this and take a shower, change out of these clothes, drop the suit off at the drycleaner's and then head back to work.

There was hardly anything pressing to do if he was to return to the office anyway.

His smile faltered for a moment when he felt Ran against him. Other than that, there was no reaction. No flinching, no nothing.

Today had been when his two worlds collided, and he knew that he couldn't keep them apart anymore. The reality of what he was doing hammered home when that familiar face - any familiar face, really - walked through that door.

He would have to take care of it - ensure that he had taken care of it - and then perhaps he could sort everything else out with Ran later.

Gin wandered over to the door wordlessly, without an assurance that he would return, without saying goodbye, and waited outside for Shuuhei. They could talk while walking back to the house.

The cop stood shuffling his feet while Gin got his coat on and walked out without a backward glance. This was all so surreal. Gin, Ran, Him, The Double Dip, the whole situation, was just so weird. For a man used to thinking on his feet the whole experience was like walking into the ocean fully clothed to feet the current tugging your clothes one way while the waves shove you another.

The feel of Ranigku jabbing his sternum while she told him this was not a proper visit made him grin. Even when his world was crumbling around him and he couldn't count on living to see tomorrow, he could always count on her. So despite his concerns over his future he took her hand to stop that painful poke and squeezed it in farewell.

"Of course I will come by again soon. I can't wait to see this 'Cat' that has you under it's spell. But for now Mr. Ichimaru is waiting for me, I should go."

And with a heartening deep breath the taste of apple pie and ice cream on his tongue, Shuuhei straightened his shoulders and walked out to meet his uncertain future.

gin, log, lcpdragonslayer, shuuhei, calm_isolation, rangiku, some_scribbles

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