Rangiku Matsumoto still remembered the wind and snow that day.
The cold wind lifted the straw curtain, bringing in icy snow and waking her from sleep.
Still just a child, she sat up on the straw mat and found no sign of Gin Ichimaru.
He had left again.
They had fallen asleep together, yet when she woke up, he was nowhere to be found.
For some reason, Gin Ichimaru always slipped out alone at night, and she never knew where he went.
Where exactly are you trying to go...
The question surged in her heart, yet she could never bring herself to say it.
Meeting him at all was already a stroke of luck. Rangiku Matsumoto guarded that bit of fortune carefully, not daring to ask for anything more.
She told herself that when he wanted to talk, he would tell her.
Even after deciding that, she still could not stop the unease in her heart.
She wanted to know more about what he was thinking, yet she was afraid of hearing something she did not want to hear.
And so the days passed, one after another, until on that day, Rangiku Matsumoto finally gathered her courage and stepped out into the wind and snow.
Following the faint footprints left behind, she found the boy standing in the endless white snowfield.
["Gin!"] Rangiku Matsumoto felt a stronger sense of unease than ever before. This time, it felt different from all the others. ["Where are you going, Gin?"]
She ran toward him in a panic and saw the Shihakushō in his hands.
["Isn't that a Shinigami's uniform?"] Rangiku Matsumoto noticed the blood on Gin Ichimaru's face. ["You... where did you get that..."]
["I've decided."] The boy draped the Shihakushō over himself. ["I... am going to become a Shinigami."]
The bitter wind whipped the black hem of his robe.
["I'll become a Shinigami, and then change things."] Gin Ichimaru whispered softly. ["So that Rangiku... won't cry anymore."]
When they met again, it was already in Seireitei.
Where had he gone after they parted, who had he met, what had he been through... Those questions churned in her heart, yet she could never bring herself to ask them.
Being reunited with him was already a blessing. Rangiku Matsumoto held on to that blessing with care, not daring to ask for anything more.
And then...
["You should've held on a little tighter just now... Goodbye, Rangiku. I'm sorry."]
Gin Ichimaru left once again.
Remembering the warmth of his wrist, Rangiku Matsumoto finally realized it.
If she had not wanted more, she never would have told herself not to ask for too much.
I'm such an idiot.
"You're such an idiot..." Rangiku Matsumoto gently rubbed the spot where Orihime Inoue had bumped herself. "You should have... held on a little tighter."
"Rangiku-san?"
"The closeness of a relationship isn't measured by time. Even if you were only together for a little while, it can still stay with you for a hundred years." Rangiku Matsumoto lowered her eyes slightly, and traces of attachment rose from the curve of her lips to the corners of her brows. "If you don't want to let go, then hold on tight."
"But..."
"But you're afraid he'll leave... afraid he'll pull away." Rangiku Matsumoto seemed to have seen straight through her. "But if you do nothing, he'll still leave. Are you really going to wait until that happens and only then regret not holding on to him?"
Orihime Inoue froze. "But... wouldn't that be annoying? Refusing to let go and all that..."
"Whether he finds it annoying or not isn't decided by what you think." Rangiku Matsumoto yanked Orihime Inoue up from the bed. "It's decided by what he thinks."
Before Orihime Inoue could make sense of it, Rangiku Matsumoto had already pushed her out of the room. "Rangiku-san?"
"Just like I said." Rangiku Matsumoto gave her a wink. "I don't want to sleep beside someone who's carrying a head full of worries. If you're still like this, then I can only kick you out."
Bang.
…
Orihime Inoue was shut outside Rangiku Matsumoto's room.
Sliding down the door until she was sitting on the floor, Rangiku Matsumoto covered her face with her hands.
Ah...
No wonder she had felt such a sense of familiarity when she saw Orihime Inoue.
So that was it.
Sorry, Orihime.
Rangiku Matsumoto looked at the glistening tears pooled in her palm.
I don't want you to see me like this right now.
Orihime Inoue tried pushing the door, but it would not open.
After glancing at the tightly shut door to Rukia Kuchiki's room, Orihime Inoue hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked toward Muten Natsu's room.
Her raised hand stopped on the doorknob. Orihime Inoue pressed down lightly and opened the door.
Just as I thought, Orihime Inoue thought. Muten still doesn't lock his door.
In the dark room, Muten Natsu sat cross-legged on the floor, with two Zanpakutō laid across his legs.
Orihime Inoue could sense the surrounding Reishi being absorbed by Myōki and flowing into Muten Natsu's body.
Muten Natsu was doing everything he could to grow stronger.
The moment she realized that, Orihime Inoue felt her own troubles were almost too small to mention.
Compared to a crisis that threatened the world, her own messy thoughts really amounted to nothing.
To bother Muten Natsu over her tiny personal worries...
Orihime Inoue drew back the step she had taken and started to close the door again.
"Orihime?"
"Ah?" Orihime Inoue jumped so hard it showed plainly on her face, then turned around. "Rukia..."
"What are you doing standing here?" Rukia Kuchiki looked at Orihime Inoue oddly. "Did you need something from Muten?"
"I... um... actually..." Orihime Inoue parted her lips, but had no idea where to begin. "Well... it's not really anything..."
Rukia Kuchiki stared at Orihime Inoue suspiciously for quite a while, then nodded with her hands on her hips. "I get it."
"Huh?" Orihime Inoue was baffled. She had not explained anything at all, so how had Rukia Kuchiki understood?
Then she saw Rukia Kuchiki take two quick steps into Muten Natsu's room and reach out to pat him twice.
"Wake up!"
"Rukia!" Orihime Inoue tried to stop her, but she was too late.
Muten Natsu opened his eyes. A trace of crimson flashed through them, then vanished back into that dark, lazy calm. "Huh?"
He looked blankly at Rukia Kuchiki in the room, then at Orihime Inoue standing in the doorway.
"Orihime's in a bad mood. Keep her company and talk to her." Rukia Kuchiki dragged Orihime Inoue into the room, then walked out and casually pulled the door shut behind her.
Orihime Inoue: "..."
Muten Natsu: "...?"
Looking at the closed door, Rukia Kuchiki lifted her fair little chin with obvious satisfaction and gave a smug hum.
She really was far too considerate.
Just as Rukia Kuchiki was about to head back to her own room, Ririn finally could not hold it in anymore.
"Wait... you're just going back like that?"
"I can't exactly eavesdrop." Rukia Kuchiki gave Ririn a strange look and reminded her seriously, "Eavesdropping is bad."
Ririn: "... You're right."