Standard disclaimers apply

Notes: Yeah, another weird pairing from yours truly. Actually, not really, ne? Rangiku/Ichimaru is pretty obvious in the manga. I'm just exploiting the clues to fit my whimsical writing needs. (giggles) Anyway, this is my very first ever het fic in my entire one plus career as a fanfic writer so please bear with me.

- : Lingering Warmth : -

They were just talking. It was a norm among the captains to stop and engage in a little chat when their paths crossed. The same applied to the vice-captains, of course. Truth be told, topics touched on were nothing more than polite inquisitions on missions and team members. She would know, since besides being a vice-captain herself, she was often faithful by her captain's side.

They were still talking. Their conversations, she observed, were often longer than the customary. Smiles flowed freely between them, with an occasional laughter or two trickling through as well. But it was hardly surprising, considering he never seemed to stop smiling and the other was known for his pleasant and gentle nature.

To others, Ichimaru Gin and Aizen Sousuke were just two captains talking, engaged in a light-hearted exchange tinged with amicability. But she sensed something else, a deeper link that those two shared. A woman's instinct is rarely wrong after all. It made her heart heavy seeing those two, the flame of hope she kept alive all these years flickering precariously yet again in the raging wind. And as always, she would not let it die. Only he could personally snuffed the light out.

Often when her heart was troubled, she would think back on those times when it was only the two of them. Those memories she held dear indeed, keeping them close and reveling in their warmth. She supposed it was easy for a man to forget. Perhaps because men are creatures fitted with a higher instinct to survive, they often overlook the value of emotions that women are fashioned to treasure.

She still remembered clearly the day they had first met. She remembered how the blue the sky was, fluffy white clouds hiding the sun from view, as she laid on the hard ground drilled by hunger. Her stomach hurt badly and her throat was so dry. She decided she might as well go to sleep, so that even if she died, she would hardly feel a thing. The blue sky was no more, replaced instead by magenta-rimmed darkness.

But she awoken, to a voice tender like an angel's. A small boy, perhaps slightly older than she was, smiled at her as he offered something. "Eat up," he was saying. She learnt then that he had spiritual power too, and when he told her his name, it seemed as if the real hunger she had been suppressing was finally appeased.

Gin. A weird name it had been back then but it was now a name embedded deep within her, its familiarity coursing through every vein. Gin had brought her back to his little hut and she lived with him since. They had fun, looking for food and playing games, and when night fell, they would cuddle next to each other and she would wait for him to fall asleep first. She liked looking at his sleeping face. He was an angel, her guardian angel. And when she could not longer keep her eyes open, she would slip then into a beautiful world where she and Gin were always together.

But in the end, he left her. Slipped away when she was deep in her sleep. She told herself that Gin was out looking for food and that he would be back. He would always be back. It was just an annoying habit of his, to leave without saying a word. But she was wrong.

The pain from that time never really healed, though she had successfully followed him here to seireitei and worked hard to be among the top folds. She did it all just to get closer to him. Yet no matter how she chased, he was still miles ahead. All she could do was to watch him smile from a distance, a smile bereft of the special warmth she was used to seeing when they were together. She was but a stranger to him now, subjected to that habitual friendliness like everyone else.

No, Aizen-taichou was the only exception. And that was why it pained her to see them together, seeing how blatantly honest Gin was with the other man despite the casual surface he was blinding others with. No doubt Aizen-taichou was a well-respected man, and it was only natural that many looked up to the mild-mannered captain – she herself enjoyed being in his company. He was like a father to her. But it just pained her nonetheless, because Gin was hers in the beginning.

Have you really forgotten about those times back when we were in Rukongai? Is my devotion to you inane then? Really, Gin, do I mean nothing to you at all?

She had learnt not to cry. She had learnt to steel her heart. She had learnt to keep her expressions careful, especially around him. Yet the one thing she had not managed to learn was to forget him. And perhaps she never would.

"What are you staring at, Matsumoto?"

Caught by surprise, she turned to face her captain who was wearing the usual crinkle in his brow. This was the tensai who had the admiration of many, perhaps because he was the youngest ever to have attained the position of a captain. "Taichou…"

The silver-haired captain peeked his head out of the office window, his gaze settling immediately at the two whom she had been watching. Understanding flashed across the youth's face as he looked back at her. "Idiot. If you have time to people-watch, why don't you finish your work?" he chided, but there was no real anger in his voice. He was offering her a means to walk away, to break free from sinking further into the pit of despair she had unconsciously dug once again.

"Yes, I'm sorry, taichou."

Returning to her desk, she set to task immediately, starting on the weekly report first. She had barely leafed through a couple of pages when her captain appeared beside her with a green mug in one hand. Wordlessly he extended it to her, to which she graciously accepted it. Wisps of steam rose faintly, the aroma of the hot, oolong tea enlivening her senses. Her grip on the mug tightened slightly, letting the warmth seeped through her skin.

"You're my vice-captain, Matsumoto. As long as you are, and even if you are not in the future, I will not leave you alone."

She looked up with a start, but the tensai had already walked away, exiting the room without a backward glance. She allowed a smile to touch her lips then, settling the mug carefully on the desk.

Letting yourself be caught up with the past, you lose sight of the present. You're indeed an idiot, Matsumoto Rangiku.

She returned back to her report, the new warmth that lingered keeping her smile in place.

- owari -

Thanks for reading... oh, and by the way, there is NO Hitsugaya/Rangiku here. Those two just have a really sweet bro-sis relationship going on. (smiles)

p/s: Is it just me or is the Bleach fandom on ffnet more inclined towards het pairings? I feel sorta like an outcast here. Hehe...