Title: Gifts

Author: AriesRaccoonRebi

Rating: T

Paring: GinRan / GinRangiku / IchimaruMatsumoto /However the hell you feel like saying it.

Warnings: Umm, hints of adult behavior between adults? Death? Not really much if you think about it… Other than this is a lot of speculation and I might miss some minor stuff in the canonverse. Sorry about that…

Spoilers: Up to Chapter 416 (OMFG DUDE! [/flaaaaiiiils])

Summery: He gave her so many things… She gave him love.

Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, Gin wouldn't have been beaten by a freakin' butterfly… Oh, and there'd be more GinRan moments. Srsly.

Author's Notes: Oh wow, something that's not Naruto! Considering this pairing has been my OTP for over a year now, you'd think I would've written something for them by now, but strangely I haven't… But with the latest chapters… Dude, I was flailing when I read 416. Seriously.

Anyway, yeah, first Bleach fic, be nice. And review! 8DDDD

… And I honestly am beginning to wonder if I can write a happy ending at all… [/sweatdrop]

A dried persimmon

It was just a simple fruit, and yet it meant so much. In a life where food was scarce, the fact that he offered her some of what he had was what had really drawn her to him. Sure, he looked a little strange, what with the constant grin and his eyes always closed. But he had food, and was willing to share it with her. Which was more than anyone had ever done for her before.

A home

She followed him to the shack he had been staying at. At first, she only meant to stay a few days at most, but whenever she decided to leave, he'd ask her where she was going, and tell her that she didn't have to go. Eventually she got up the courage to ask him why he always said that. "Feels more like a home with ya here," was his easy response, said with his usual grin that always made her feel better. So she stayed, thankful that he wanted her around just as much as she wanted to stay.

A birthday

It started with a question. "Hey, Ran-chan, when's yer birthday?" They had been sitting on the porch, just watching the sunset, when he had broken the silence. She stared at him, wondering where that question had come from, before trying to think. "I… don't know…" she confessed, looking down at her lap. "I… never really counted days until I met you…" It was true, after what had happened, her mind had blocked out all of the pain she had suffered so that she couldn't really remember anything well before seeing that persimmon in his hand, let alone when she came into this world. "Well then, why don't we just make the day we met yer birthday Ran-chan?" Her head snapped up to stare at him, a smile coming to her lips before she nodded. "That sounds good Gin…"

A scarf

He had disappeared again. She hated it when he did that, leaving her to wake up alone in the shack they shared. Sure, he always returned, but the fear that one day he wouldn't always lurked in the back of her mind, to show up again in full force the next time she was left watching his back grow smaller. Finally she worked up the courage to give him a piece of her mind when he showed up again, wandering up the path without a care in the world. She stomped up to him, eyes narrowed and muttering about "Stupid fox-faced boys…" When she got there and opened her mouth she could yell at him, he just smiled at her. "Gotcha a present Ran-chan," he said, pulling a short pink scarf out of his sleeve and offering it to her. Needless to say, she forgot what she was about to yell at him for.

Strength to stand by her own

Eventually, she got to the point where she could survive when he was gone. She learned where to find the food, how to keep herself safe when he wasn't there to be her protecter, when was the best time to be outside and avoid those that would prey on a pretty girl like herself. She never did find out where he was going, and after the time he gave her the scarf she always kept with her, she never tried. Deep down inside, however, she knew that she would always feel better with him by her side. No matter how much she moved towards being able to stand on her own, it was all because of him.

A goal

Then they both went to become shingami. It was then that she swore never to let him see her cry again, which later on changed to include everyone. When he managed to graduate in only one year, she was happy for him, and jealous that she was still at the same level as everyone else, as well as worried that this would change their relationship. And it did, eventually... At first, he still came by to see her every now and then, when he wasn't busy, but as time passed, he became more distant, more involved with things his taichou was planning. This scared her, so she decided something herself. That she was going to catch up to him, and that someday she would be able to look him in the eye, his equal… She promised herself that she would become a fukutaichou herself.

A necklace

It had just been announced that the new fukutaichou of the Tenth Division would be her, and she was smiling brightly as the others congratulated her on her promotion. She didn't know her new taichou well, but she was sure that it would be fine. After all, she had risen this far due to her own work, even if she had a tendency already to drink all night with her friends. Her eyes fell on the smiling face of the Fifth Division fukutaichou as he approached her, her own smile widening. She had told him that she would do this, and she had kept her promise. "Well well Ran-chan, this is somethin' ta celebrate, don'cha think?" Before she knew it the two had made their way to the walls of Seireitei, and he pulled out three things. Sake, which she grinned at, knowing that he had heard of her ability to drink most guys under the table, some dried persimmons, the favorite food of the both of them, and a box. As he handed the last item over to her, she shot him a questioning look before opening it to see a chain necklace. With a gasp, she pulled it out, and looked at him in amazement. "Congrats Ran-chan," he said with a grin, a real one for once instead of the fake smile he gave many people. "Ya did well." With a bright smile, she wrapped her arms around him happily. "Thanks Gin… This means a lot to me…" She could feel him stroking her hair, just like he had done when they were kids, and it comforted her. Maybe things would go back to normal now… Maybe they could actually be together now… As they drank to her promotion, an idea came into her head. Taking courage from the sake, she leaned in and kissed him, just so she could say she tried. Afterwards she looked at him, terrified that he would reject her. But instead of leaving her, he smirked and pulled her closer.

A pleasure and thrill beyond anything else she knew

He had said that it was better to keep their relationship a secret, and frankly, that added to the thrill to her so she agreed to it. They'd sneak around, meeting in dark alleys for a quick kiss, slipping into her bed after he "helped her get home" after she had been out drinking some nights, going off to check for more Hollows on those rare joint missions between their divisions. She lived for those moments, loving every second she spent near him. After he was promoted to taichou, they often snuck off to the gardens of the Third Division, enjoying the persimmon trees he had planted there. Their birthdays were days when no one would be able to find either of them, something that frustrated his fukutaichou and her young taichou, but nothing could tear them apart, or so she thought.

A reason to drink until she passed out

And then, then she found out what he had been up to with his former taichou. He was betraying them all, betraying her. Her own taichou, the boy she respected and loved like a brother, fought him, and if she hadn't shown up then, she would've lost a friend. She didn't understand why he was doing this, even as she held her blade to his throat. Her training as a soldier was overpowering her love for him, but that didn't mean that she wasn't hurting. After he left, she was often found drinking with two of the other betrayed fukutaichou, insisting that she didn't care if he died. Deep down, though, she missed him. But he had hurt her, and she wasn't sure if she could deal with that. Sake helped dull the pain, but no matter how drunk she got, nothing could completely make her forget everything he gave her.

A reason to get up off the ground

She opened her eyes, gazing up at the sky above her. The sounds of battle were faint, but she could sense the reitsu of the Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo. So he had arrived, she realized, something that soothed her. In the back of her mind she wondered who had taken care of the monster that had ripped out her side and incapacitated her, but then she realized who Ichigo was fighting. Not Aizen, but him… Somehow, she found the strength to stand up, and run off in the direction of the battle. Ignoring Kira's call for her to stop, she kept moving, opening a gate to follow the one who had saved her, saved her only to destroy her. She needed answers, and he was the only one who could give them to her.

The greatest love she would ever know

Once more, she was on the ground. He had made a shallow cut on her flesh, then placed a kidou on her before leaving to join Aizen once more. As she realized that she was not, in fact, dead, her thoughts flew right to him. Taking all of the strength she had left, she tried to follow him again. Once she made it to where his reitsu was fading, her eyes widened. "Gin!" she screamed, falling more than jumping down to him. Her enemy did nothing as she leaned over his body, searching for signs of life. "No Gin, you can't do this… You can't die… No…" Tears fell down her cheeks as she sobbed, begging him to live. Without him, she didn't know if she could live. Even when he had left her, she had known that he was still in this world, so it wasn't so bad. But if he died… She didn't know if she could make it. "Ran… chan…" Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice. "Shh, don't speak, save your strength," she told him, praying for help to come soon. "Ran… I'm… sorry…"