With any form of death comes any form of life. But his death triggered hers as well. His physical death was the manifestation of a bullet that pierced through her soul and killed her at the very instant. That day, she died along with him.

And yet she's still alive. So maybe, that's it. His physical death gave rise to the birth of his memories, for that would be the only thing that would symbolize him, his memories forever engraved in her broken heart. And her 'death' had created another being, someone who had these newly-found goals. Someone with the undying will to protect, in respect with his memories.

"Had I held on tighter, had I not let you go, would you have stayed?"

It is wishful thinking, for what is done can never be undone, not by divine providence, not by some miracle, not by time intervention. There would only be one scene, and it can always be relived or forgotten, but not undone. Memories are a painful reminder of has been, but also a very important thing that should be treasured for the rest of people's lives.

Rangiku is trying to move on; everyone knows that, except her. She thought that if she just kept on doing things like she normally did, no one would notice. But everyone did, because the pain would always surface through her smiling face. Everyone would cringe, because they know that it will never be the same like the old times. This time, Gin is gone forever. She can't go on like in the past, because in the past, she always had his return to look forward to.

"I've always wondered how it is that she is still fond of him even after his supposed betrayal, how she would just choose to not be included into a fight against him." Hitsugaya-taichou confessed to his friend, Hinamori.

"But then, I never really understood their relationship, only the fact that they both grew up together, and that he cares for her, really, and their bond is something we will never understand unless we go through the exact same thing that they had experienced."

No one exactly knew what kind of bond these two have shared, but when the time came when it had to be severed, it left Matsumoto broken. Hisagi Shuuhei tried and tried to become a source of her new reason for living, and still, no progress.

"I think we should let her mourn. She cried a lot, you know. The time he died. But there was a battle going on, and she knows that she can't afford losing her composure for too long. After that incident, I never witnessed her mourn."

Tears. She needs to cry for him, she needs to curse fate, be angry with everyone, be angry with herself, and be angry at the whole world. She needs to heal. After that comes another fate as hard as the first one, but it's a second phase nonetheless.

"They say," Unohana-taichou butted in, as she already arrived at their post and is now preparing for Hitsugaya's first-aid, "that time heals all wounds, and that the deeper the wound, the longer the time it requires. But…"

The two looked at her.

"Pain worth a thousand lifetimes is also time of healing worth a thousand lifetimes. Even time can never hold a candle against that kind of pain. You do know what causes pain to become as deep as that? Love that transcends time and space."

She looked up at the crimson sunset as if willing herself not to shed tears.

"And when you have that kind of love, life will become easier. My say is that to let Matsumoto-fukutaicho be the way that she wants to be. The pain will be replaced by the love. She will be healed. Because we do not feel pain if we do not feel love, and vice versa."

A/N: I am nuts! Officially. I didn't even know where on Earth I gathered the stupidity to make my thoughts ~ this! A freakin' story. But- I always cry for those two, see? T_T.

And it's more like an essay, a piece for these two. And they're just fictional! Why do I cry so hard for fictional characters? Maybe because somewhere, someone is suffering like Rangiku.