shawty w/big personality

"Ah… you’ve probably heard about it, but we’re getting a new captain…"

The small group consisting of Izuru, Shūhei, and Rangiku had gotten together at Izakaya for some drinks and entertainment—the entertainment was them getting wasted out of their minds… at least that was the plan. Especially after what he had just revealed.

"Yeah… Shit, I heard."

“Shūhei!” Rangiku elbows him in the arm, shooting him a pointed look . "Chin up Izuru, it might not be all bad." Out of herself and Shūhei, she knows she needs to be the one to keep things light-hearted. 

Izuru nods glumly and proceeds to down the remaining half cup of sake, he's only one drink down. Everyone was thinking the same thing: It was too soon. Things had almost started to look up with Captain Amagai's rise to captaincy, but it had been short-lived. Izuru had felt foolish afterwards, having gotten his hopes up, that Amagai was going to be someone that could be trusted, depended on, and looked up to. Not just Izuru, but the rest of the squad too. Just when the division begins returning to normalcy, said normalcy gets ripped out from under their feet. It wasn't going to matter if their next captain was perfect, their entire division had trust issues that weren't going to disappear over a few days, weeks, or even months. He hopes the new captain was patient.

"You know anything about them?"

"The head captain referred to them as 'Captain Marufuji’.” I don't know anything else about them except that they'll be starting next week."

“You know what you should do?”

“What?” Izuru can’t say he has much faith in Rangiku’s ideas.

“You should–”

“No.” Izuru knows what she’s about to suggest just by looking at her, if the goofy grin is anything to go off of. He doesn’t even need to consider it. Hosting a party for Amagai and having drinks in the middle of the day no less, had been a mistake. A huge mistake. 

This time around, he was going to treat it as a normal day. Nothing special, no party and no big group welcome. If the captain wanted to address everyone, it would be their decision. He couldn’t—wouldn’t get his hopes up, not again.

“Oh come on–”

“No.”

Rangiku sighs. There would be no convincing him this time, she returns to ponder about the new captain. "Do you guys think it's a man or woman?"

Shūhei’s input is that it sounds masculine. To which Izuru points out, "It doesn't matter; it's a surname." 

Rangiku's eyes light up and Izuru can once again predict what she's about to suggest. "A masculine and rather attractive sounding name, I'm guessing it's a handsome man."

"It could be a sexy woman." Shūhei counters with equal interest.

None of this is helping Izuru feel any better about the situation, he hangs his head in misery as his friends continue to discuss the physical qualities of his new captain.

"Hey." Rangiku notices his mood and touches his shoulder reassuringly. "Whoever it is, good or bad, you have us."

Shūhei gives him a friendly punch in the arm, echoing his agreement and raises his glass alongside Rangiku who proposes a toast, "To the new captain of the Third Division! May he or she be compassionate, trustworthy, competent, and hot!” Izuru can't help but chuckle. He feels better, but not by much. Even so, he knows that he’s lucky to have good friends like them. 

Your heartbeat thrums steadily as Head Captain Yamamoto highlights your expectations and duties as a new captain of the Gotei Thirteen. You're aware of the powerful souls that are in a room with you at this moment, but you're not letting the intimidation take over, this is your moment. Almost like a wedding, he asks the currently instated captains if they have any objections. There is silence.

"Then..."

The head captain pounds his cane on the wooden floor, the sound echoing throughout the room. The meeting has concluded. You step to the side, allowing all senior captains to proceed before you. Suì-Fēng offers you a small nod of approval before making her exit. Blink and you'd miss it. The grand doors of the captain's hall close behind you, this was the beginning of your captaincy.

You appreciate how the meeting was conducted in a short and sweet manner. You barely had to introduce yourself; the head captain had done it for you. The only thing you spoke on was to express your thanks and gratitude in being accepted into such an honorable position. As you make your way to the barracks of your new division, you begin thinking up a short and sweet introduction of your own to say when you meet your division for the first time. You aren't sure how much they’ve been told, if they were, or if they knew they were supposed to be getting a new captain. 

Stepping rooftop to rooftop, third division barracks are in sight. The first thing that you notice is the lone persimmon tree in the yard. It strikes you as odd, but there must have been a meaning behind it. The division insignia looms above you at the entrance. A deep breath is all you need before you walk inside. There’s a floorplan on the wall to your right and you make sure to have a glimpse at it before navigating your way to your office—your shared office with the lieutenant. The division members that you happen to pass by in the hallway all give you the same spooked and weary looks, you can't blame them, the third was quite messy as of late, you knew that much, but it was your mess now too.

You recall what Suì-Fēng had advised you on earlier about being a new captain. She thought it wise to show a strong arm in the beginning, to make a powerful impression of your command and leadership, then ease up later on if that's what you wanted to do. (It's a shame she never followed through on her own guidance. That woman didn't know what “easing up” meant.) You think it's a smart approach, at the same time, you don't know if that would suit the style of the third division.

Your own approach would depend on the atmosphere of the division; you'd simply adapt to whatever that was. If they were no nonsense, you could do no nonsense. If they were laid back, you would try your best to be laid back. Though, coming from the second division, that might pose more of a challenge considering the very atmosphere of the second was no nonsense. 

There's a room coming up on the left, the door has been left open and rays of sunlight are filtering out into the hallway. It looked like you'd be getting some warmth at least, since the office was positioned facing the rising sun. There's someone else in the room already, you can feel their reiatsu; jittery and nervous. It's your lieutenant surely, because according to the floor map, this was where you were supposed to be.

When you step through the doorway you're greeted by the sight of your new lieutenant who is seated at his desk going through, what looks to be, stacks of paperwork. He looks at you and for a split second you can see the surprise written across his face, though he quickly schools himself back to composure. You have no time to wonder what that's about before he jumps up from his desk with such haste that it causes his paperwork to slide off the desk. He snatches the ones closest to him out of the air and scurries to pick up the rest.

"Captain! I apologize, please excuse my clumsiness!" He bows deeply. Once, twice, thrice before raising his head and formally introducing himself, "I'm lieutenant of the third division, Izuru Kira. It's nice to meet you, Captain Marufuji."

Your blond, blue-eyed lieutenant gives you a weak smile, it’s like looking at a kicked puppy. He's clearly humiliated that this will be your first impression of him, if you were him, you'd be humiliated too. Still, you're impressed at the lack of stuttering. He's average height, only a couple inches or so taller than you. The complexion of his skin is borderline concerning; pale, appearing almost sickly. He's got a bang that covers his left eye... what was the word they used in the world of the living? Emo?

If underwhelming were a person, they would be standing in front of you right now.

No, you shake yourself mentally. It wasn't really his fault. This went to show how much Suì-Fēng had influenced you, always being so critical of everyone.

You give your name and offer a polite bow of your own, "It's good to meet your acquaintance, lieutenant. I hope we can work well together." 

“Me too.” Izuru replies, rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "Make yourself comfortable, The empty desk is yours."

"Thank you."

The office is shaped like a large rectangle; the length of the room is shorter than its width. Upon walking in, you would be confronted with the captain's desk which is backed against the window and facing the center of the room, while Izuru’s was to the immediate left also facing the center of the room. The rightmost side of the room has a small lounge area; a couch, a love seat, and a coffee table. Other than a few There aren’t even any bookshelves along the walls, the office was essentially bare, but it is at least tidy.

There's a thin layer of dust covering the desktop, you wipe it off with the sleeve of your captain's haori not nearly as concerned as other captains would be about dirtying it. Contrary to being empty, there are three piles of paperwork sitting at the corner of the desk, each varying in height. You pick up the smallest pile and begin to skim through it. Looks like they're reports that need to be reviewed and signed off on. You sigh, noting that some of them were more than ten pages long.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I forgot." Izuru has popped up from his seat again and is standing at the foot of your desk. "The stack you're holding just needs to be signed; I already reviewed them. The same goes for the others." He gestures to the two piles remaining, and adds, "You don't have to do it all today."

It's a pleasant surprise for you. Underwhelming perhaps, but a diligent worker, nonetheless. That's right, with no captain here, he must be doing at least three times the work he normally did. You feel a pang of sympathy for him. "What are you working on right now?

"Oh, um. I'm assigning missions for this week. You'll need to approve when I'm done."

"I can help with that if you'd like."

Izuru shakes his head apologetically, "I appreciate your offering, but I think it would be best for me to complete it since I'm familiar with our members' strengths and weaknesses."

That's... interesting. It definitely wasn't how the second went about assigning missions and tasks. In the second, you were assigned what you were assigned and if you failed then that was on you. It was also your own responsibility to find and utilize the resources that would help you get stronger because only the strongest were considered for more complex missions.

"I see, that makes sense." It did and it didn't, but you recognize his dedication. Taking the liberty to consider the personal aspects of each member before making assignments? He was going the extra mile, even if completely unnecessary. This revealed a lot to you about the type of person your lieutenant was: A thoughtful person who cared about his fellow division members. At the same time, you can't help but think that such a strategy is for the soft... You have zero doubts that Suì-Fēng would have made a comment about it, alas you are not her, and that was a conversation for another time.

"You should introduce yourself to all of us. I'm sure our members are looking forward to knowing more about you." (It’s an implication Izuru feels that he needs to make considering the squad had no special welcoming activity planned.)

That’s right, you needed to take a walk around the barracks and start learning the names of your subordinates. Other than your name, you hadn't even shared anything else about yourself with your lieutenant. "I’ll plan on that later today." You reassure him. "Is there anything else I can help with?"

Izuru paces back to his desk and rearranges a few papers on his desk. "Well, I was going to get started on a patrol schedule for next week—"

"Of course. Allow me." You realize it would have been more beneficial for you to just ask him everything the previous captain had done and let you take care of that. But it's not like you knew, you've never been a captain before. You'd save that discussion for tomorrow; you were supposed to be getting to know the division members today anyway.

Izuru hands you the patrol schedule template and a laminated list of all your division members; full names, ages, seated position if applicable, and any other significant identifiers. You murmur your thanks and he returns to his desk, quiet as a mouse. 

You do a one-over and scan through the list of names for recognition's sake before setting it aside. You'd first much rather get some of these documents signed and off of your desk, they were an eyesore. It was morning at least, you had time.

You flip to the end of the reports, sign, then go back to read them; a little backwards, but it works. You should probably be reading more thoroughly to familiarize yourself with what's been going on, but you imagine that you'd be seeing hundreds of these in the future. After skimming through at least three reports, you come to the conclusion that it's fine to skip the reading entirely and just start signing. These were basic reports on missions and their outcomes; there wasn't anything outstanding that you would have needed to know from them.

Unbeknownst to your comrades at the second, you did have a bit of a lazy streak in you. But if given the opportunity, you'd choose to work smarter over harder any day, unlike your lieutenant who had to have been antsy just waiting to get the extra workload off his shoulders.

Roughly an hour later, all reports have been signed and have been placed neatly in two piles on the groundside of your desk. (You're assuming that someone would be taking them away to be filed away somewhere.) Bringing a hand to the back of your head, you grimace. The sun had been beating on your back for the past hour, and it was starting to become unbearable. You may need to move your desk elsewhere in the room, but in the meantime, you could at least close the blind.

"Do you mind if I close this?"

Your lieutenant looks up from his work to see that you're referring to the blinds. "Go ahead."

Your hand rests on the handle of the blind but you don't close it right away. It was a beautiful day out, even if the sun had been burning you up minutes ago. Your office sits on the opposite side of the courtyard, instead of looking out at the cement you get a pleasant view of the small green yard below. The persimmon tree is down there, the one you saw when you got here. It looks a little lonely, you'd consider planting two or three more for the sake of aesthetics and balance, but you didn't like persimmons much.

"Captain... is something wrong?" Izuru is watching you curiously.

You close the blind shaking your head, "It's nothing."

When you sit back down, you have full intentions of filling the patrol schedule, but you end up just staring at it in all of its emptiness. You don’t feel like doing it now, which meant it was time to do a meet and greet with your new subordinates. 

“I’m going to take a walk.” You tell your lieutenant as you make for the doorway. “I’ll talk to everyone when I’m back.” 

“Ah… Alright…” 

His tone is uncertain, you wait for a second because you think he has more to say, but it never comes. You slide the door shut behind yourself.

The longer you wander the barracks the more confident you are in concluding that the third division was at least ninety-five percent male. The Gotei Thirteen was male dominated, you know that already, but even the second division had at least a large handful of women. And while it is of no consequence to you, it is still a disappointing observation. It's no wonder Suì-Fēng had such a harsh disposition, having to prove herself to men time and time again. You hope that it doesn't have to be that way here.

You still get the same unimpressed looks from those around you, but this time you're not passing by. Since you'll be addressing everyone later on, you keep things brief. You ask for names, positions, and years of service. In return, you reveal the equivalent: name, the squads you've been a part of, and years of service.

Most of the division members are quiet and aren't looking for anything else outside of a quick introduction, which is fine with you, it makes things easier. A few members actually recognize you, having been seen alongside Suì-Fēng on several occasions. Just knowing this fact appears to make them more inclined to friendliness. Looking at it from their perspective, having heard of a person was better than not, it was the perceived sense of familiarity.

All things considered, you think that your little self-led tour of the barracks and introducing yourself to your new subordinates was worthwhile, you don't think it's enough to have assuaged any doubts, but it's a start. You let them know that you're going to officially address everyone in the courtyard later; attendance was optional, you weren't going to force anyone, besides it was an address mostly for the people who you didn't get to meet.

Izuru hasn't budged at all since you left, still assigning the weeks missions you assume. He lifts his head to greet you, and you return a curt nod before taking a seat at your desk. Might as well get started with the patrol schedule. You revisit the list of division members, only this time, you are able to put a name to a face having just met them, though some are a lot less memorable than others. You'd definitely need to put in the work on learning names.

Not much thought is put into the schedule. Per each group, you assign one or two seated officers along with three or four unseated members. You make these assignments under the assumption that the more experienced or stronger seated officers would guide the less experienced and unseated members. At least that's how it worked in the second division.

"Do you join these patrols?" You ask out of curiosity, was it standard for the captain and lieutenant to join in?

"I would sometimes, if I had the free time to, but these days I just can't afford the time..." 

You nod. "And your previous captains?"

“Captain Amagai did since he was from a patrol unit; he enjoyed it. Captain Ichimaru... he would only join if he was bored…”

"I see..." You understand your lieutenant's hesitation in revealing the second bit. “Only if he was bored,” is comedy.

Having finished the mission assignments, Izuru places them on your desk to be approved. You take this opportunity to study the assignments he made; which members were placed on which mission. You make it through about half of them before you just start skimming and signing. Unfortunately, the assignments themselves aren't really indicative of what the members skills are, although they could very well be based on the combination of skill and personality.

When afternoon comes to pass, Izuru sends someone to alert everyone of the meeting. "Are we ready to go lieutenant?" You ask, hovering near the doorway.

"Yes, captain!" He's at your heels in an instant, and you can't help but be endeared by it. Were all lieutenants like this? Omeada, the fatass that he is, sure wasn’t. 

Together you and Izuru head to the courtyard.

There are a number of soul reapers already there. You recognize those who you had spoken with earlier, but there are many who you're seeing for the first time. Izuru greets a few of the members individually, while you continue to look out at the crowd; it's not entirely full of suspicious and scornful faces, you do catch some hopeful gazes. You're glad to know that not everyone viewed you with distrust, and you begin to feel some hopefulness of your own about your future with the squad, that is, until you hear someone say, "Oh great it's a woman."

The kicker is that the comment is spoken in a volume that could hardly be considered a whisper. It's clear that whoever said it, doesn't care whether they are heard or not, perhaps they even wanted to be heard.

Juvenile words and juvenile behavior, you don’t bat an eye; worse has been said. Though, it is still wildly inappropriate. You have full intentions of letting the comment go ignored and move on, as you expect from everyone else too, but it's Izuru who speaks up. "Whoever just made that comment, I want you to identify yourself." 

These actions and words are unlike those of the lieutenant whom you spent the morning cooped up in your office with; at this moment, your lieutenant is livid—his eyes are narrowed dangerously, it’s ice cold. When he speaks, it is with all the confidence and strength of a captain... Even so, he is met with silence.

Izuru does a once over of everyone in the crowd, "That was an order."

Seconds pass before the perpetrator finally steps forward, though it's only after getting the side eye from his peers. The man standing before you does not at all look sorry. He is a large-bodied man, a little young to be considered middle aged but close to it, he wears a disdainful sneer and gives the appearance of someone who starts conflict for the fun of it. Suffice to say, you aren't expecting an apology from him—less so a genuine one, nor do you want one. But Izuru is going to ask for one anyway, and you're going to let him.

The soul reaper is known as Jellial Otaro, your fifth seat. He stands several inches taller than Izuru, who holds his head high and stares the other man down, unyielding. "You owe our captain an apology." It is both a statement and a demand.

Jellial looks like he's considering just getting an apology out and done with, but at the last minute chooses against it. "You don't say anything when people talk shit about the fourth, but you step in now? I never knew the lieutenant was one to think with his cock."

Izuru despairs internally. Why did he always get stuck in the middle? Even without a party to ruin things, things still found a way to be ruined. Jellial had acted out back when Amagai had first been named their captain, Izuru should have known that he was going to act up again. His hands were clammy, and his nerves were frayed, but he couldn't stand by and allow anyone to disrespect their captain in such a vile manner.

"This has nothing to do with the fourth," He says with an emphatic sweeping gesture of his arm, "the problem is that you made things personal. It’s entirely inexcusable to say such things about our captain—in front of our captain and it will not be tolerated."

Jellial's jaw clenches as he wrestles with his lieutenant's command internally. After a moment, he scoffs and utters a half-assed apology. Not a surprise, everyone knows he's only sorry about being called out. In response, you thank him for his apology, but you don't mention anything about accepting it.

He has more to say, but when Jellial opens his mouth, Izuru interrupts, "I suggest you remain silent, before I relieve you of your duties for the rest of the week." Your fifth seat mutters under his breath and retreats back into the crowd, fists clenched at his sides.

You glance towards Izuru with gratitude, he really didn't have to do that, but you nonethelass appreciated it. Of course, you could have addressed the issue yourself, but you felt that it was just a waste of time and energy. People like that weren't going to change just because they got called out, they would need to realize their own flawed beliefs and remedy it. Besides that, this gave you the opportunity to witness how your lieutenant handled things.

It's not hard to see that Izuru is a good person. You can see it through his actions and through his mannerisms. Seeing him take charge with an unruly subordinate; it demonstrated that he was definitely capable of being more than underwhelming. As for the rest of the division... it was looking more and more likely that you would need to strong arm things around here, at least in the beginning. It's a risk you have to take knowing you'll likely be labeled a bitch or Suì-Fēng 2.0, but you weren't going to be respected just by being the captain alone. Nor were you going to gain respect simply by being nice…

When everyone settles down, you begin by introducing yourself and your background just as you had earlier. You're unwilling to take more time from everyone than you need to so it's nearly word for word. You mention that some may have seen you alongside captain Suì-Fēng, as you've occasionally attended to duties with her. You've offered no friendly smiles or fluffy pleasantries, choosing to be as straightforward as you can, however, you try to end things on a more positive note.

"I don't plan on changing anything here, carry on the way you are, it's on me to learn to adapt to your way of life and your needs. That being said, I'll do my best to protect the integrity of this squad and it’s members. Thank you, and I hope we can all work well together in the future." You bow your head to the crowd, "Feel free to leave for the day if you don't have anything else to attend to."

You hear a few quiet thanks from the division as you turn to make your way back to the office.

Izuru is right behind you when you step foot into your shared office. You only came back to lock things up, he should go home, "When I told the squad they could go home, that included you."

"I know..." He wrings his hands at his sides nervously, he can't imagine what his captain thought of them now, after that cluster.

"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to hear that, ever. I promise that the rest of the squad doesn't think like that or support sexism." Well, the rest of the squad minus Jellial and associates.

"You needn't apologize on his behalf." You tell him with a shake of your head, it is what it is, people are free to think what they want to think, even if it is flawed."

"'.. I guess so." He replies, eyes downcast.

"Kira."

"Captain?"

"Don't blame yourself, alright?" Somehow, you know that he's going to go home and agonize himself over what happened even though there was nothing he or anyone could have done to prevent that. People were unpredictable, you could try, but their thoughts and actions could not be controlled. Something like that wasn’t worth dwelling on.

"I’Il... try not to."

You offer him a gentle smile, "Then I'll see you tomorrow."

Sometime before the defection…

It's Valentine's Day once again, and once again Rangiku receives an assortment of nearly one-hundred chocolates, gifts, candies, you name it. She indulged in maybe two or three of the more expensive chocolates, the rest she shared with the SWA and her less romantically inclined friends who received three gifts combined (poor dears). 

The first few times of being bombarded with Valentines; she had been overjoyed by the attention and oh so flattered by the confessions of admiration and love. It doesn’t take long for her to grow bored of it and therefore realize the meaninglessness of it all. That and the fact that the majority of the letters were creepy and highly inappropriate.

This Valentines, both the women and men's association had competed to see which of them could amass the most Valentines chocolates, she doesn't know why; everyone already knew who would win, but they did it anyway. It turns out that it's just an excuse to get together, eat candies, drink, and have fun. Really, who cared? Nobody was going to deny the chance at a good time, least of all Rangiku. 

As evening passes and night approaches, the party begins to dwindle down. Rangiku isn't blackout drunk this time, so she's able to make it to her quarters for the night without any assistance. Shūhei is at her side offering to assist with getting all her gifts back to her place. Rangiku chooses not to turn him down. She’s surprised he's not out cold like the rest of the gang. When she brings it up, he (respectfully) returns the question to her to which Rangiku responds in honest, telling him that she's feeling strangely introspective tonight. Introspective or just depressed? Maybe both, but he didn’t need to know that much.

The two of them end up laying back on the floor at her quarters, a myriad of Valentine's gifts displaced around them. It turns out that Shūhei is feeling quite introspective tonight too as they recall the events that led them to the Gotei Thirteen, though Rangiku's recollection is far less detailed than Shūhei, whose hero worship was going as strong as ever. She has questions about it, but decides against it the longer he talks about it. Another time maybe, preferably when Izuru was with them so they could tease him together. 

Rangiku picks at one of the chocolates and removes the attachment from it. As Shūhei drones on, she reads: Rangiku, I know that this gift is one amongst hundreds. But perchance that you read this, I want you to know that you're the most beautiful woman ever. Your smile lights up the room and your personality is to match. I hope that one day I'll muster up the courage to ask you out. Although it might not be in the cards for us, I think that any man would be lucky to be yours. - Passionately, Mitsurugi

It's very cookie cutter, straight to the point, and thank God not some weird script for a roleplay fantasy. It’s nice, that’s all she can say about it considering she doesn't even know who this Mitsurugi person is. He talks a great deal about her looks and personality but nothing about her abilities as a Soul Reaper. Well, at least he acknowledged her personality at all. She’s read far worse, far more shallow. 

For some reason, Rangiku finds herself rereading the last part of the sentence, any man would be lucky to be yours. That much was true, as she knew her own self-worth, but she didn't want just any man to be hers. Really, what were the odds that the one man she wanted had nothing to do with her and was despised by almost everyone in the Soul Society?

Shūhei has gone silent now, he's still on his back staring a hole into the ceiling. Rangiku doesn't comment on what he was saying, having only heard fragments of his story.

Valentines… Maybe it was never the big thrill that she thought it was. They didn’t have the luxury for it when they were kids—didn’t even know what it was really, but Gin would always find a way to surprise her. One of her favorites was when he had come home with a giant basket of her favorite fruits ripe for the eating. No, it definitely wasn’t the big thrill she thought it was, but it was the small things. 

When Rangiku had finally made it into the Gotei Thirteen, Gin was the first person to have gifted her anything. “A proper Valentine's gift,” he said. The love note, if you could even call it that, was just him bragging about being the first to woo her. From then on, Gin never gave anything particularly creative or extraordinary, just a small simple box of chocolates. He never wrote any kind of dramatic love letter either, he'd just write telling her to have a nice day and that he'd meet up with her later. Somehow, this never bothered her; Rangiku had never even thought twice about it. It was Gin afterall, that was his style of doing things and she didn’t mind one bit. 

How could one person make something so... special?

Shūhei is looking at her and Rangiku realizes she had been “reading” the tiny letter for far too long. She puts it aside and begins to rummage around for the one Shūhei had given. If she remembered correctly, it was shaped like that instrument he had from the world of the living. When she finds it she asks, "No letter this time?"

“Have you ever read them?”

Touché. She thinks that it’s a little uncharacteristic of him, but then again, that probably wasn’t the kindest thing she’s ever said to him. 

“I did the first time.” Shūhei doesn’t reply so Rangiku continues, “I’m sorry. I should have. You’re a friend, not a stranger.”

“It’s fine. It must be tiring for you. Same people, same shit every year.”

Rangiku won’t argue with him on that. “Yeah.”

She should probably tell him to leave. Rangiku doesn’t know why he’s still here, except she does… And it’s her fault for leading him on. She didn’t know what exactly it was that they had—what they were. Two people who felt safe with each other? Two people who were more than friends but some days less than? Two people scared to ask or say what they were to each other and having no intentions of doing it anytime soon? That was them. It’s how it was for Rangiku at least, since she already knows how Shūhei feels—she knows he won’t be brave enough to bring it up. (She would later find out that in the world of the living, they called it a “situationship”.)

“Hey…” Shūhei turns to Rangiku, surprising her when she feels him take her hand into his. “I’m here for you, but I can leave if you want.”

“Shūhei…” Rangiku appreciates the gesture—intimate and comforting, “Thank you.” She squeezes his hand back and shifts onto her side, laying her head to his shoulder. A soft exhale escapes her as she closes her eyes, she might just fall asleep like this.

There’s a subtle disturbance in the air before both are startled upright. “Do your captains know ‘bout this?”

Rangiku and Shūhei practically jump away from each other, it’s instinctive more than anything considering they’re both adults in the privacy of Rangiku’s quarters and not doing anything wrong. 

She’s met with the smile that haunts her in her dreams. “What the hell—Gin…?!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell—“

“What are you doing here?” Shūhei is on his feet now, his stance is aggressive and he’s got a deep scowl on his face. Rangiku can hear the disgust in his voice clear as day. If she weren’t so shocked by Gin’s appearance, she would have reacted the same. But Shūhei… she just knows he’s not in the mood for bullshit tonight, especially not from Gin. 

“Jus’ came by to see an old classmate is all.” 

Shūhei mutters under his breath, “Yeah right.” He takes one look at Rangiku, then to Gin. “I’m out.” No bullshit was right.

Rangiku should have stopped him, but she knows that Shūhei knew she wasn’t going to. It went both ways; she knew him, but he also knew her. Perhaps he also knew that he couldn’t compete with the creepy, once-prodigy, Squad Three Captain. 

“Shoulda’ kicked me out. He was waitin’ for you to.”

Rangiku sighs, that much was obvious. “The damage is already done.” It’s been done even before now.

“You two looked cute, holdin' hands an’ all.” 

It’s meant to sound casual and he hasn’t dropped the smile yet, but she’s known him long enough to pinpoint the faint strain in his voice as he says it. Besides that, just how long had he been watching them for?

“It’s not like that.”

“Oh?”

“No Gin. It's not. Do you remember when we were kids? We held each other's hands, we held each other. It's just nice to be present with someone, to be comforted by someone.” What Rangiku is trying to say is that there’s nothing between them, but she’s not about to explain to him the messiness of it all. But maybe she’s just bullshitting, because what she had with Gin was just as much of a mess, even more so. 

"Ah." Gin appears to ponder her words for a moment, and thankfully doesn’t press. "I got somethin’ for you to add to your collection.” He pulls a small black box from the inside of his robe and offers it to her.

Rangiku can make a smart assumption on what it is. "It's been years… Why now?"

Gin waves her off, "Just open it." 

Strange. The box is heavy as she receives it, very heavy. Flipping the lid she’s met with… a heart. A soft “oh” escapes her, as it takes her a second to realize that what she’s looking at is a glass paperweight. It fits perfectly in the palm of her hand as she inspects it with a newfound fondness. Warm pinks, reds, and everything in between dance inside the polished glass. 

"Gin... This is gorgeous. Where did you find such a thing?" She asks, though she suspects it’s something from the world of the living. 

"Rangiku, you know I can't go sharin’ all my secrets." 

A small smile fights itself across Rangiku’s face, but the question of why is still plastered at the forefront of her mind. As happy as she should be—as she's trying to be, she feels skeptical. Rangiku wants to demand that he tell her what his angle is. She wants to embrace him and tell him that she’s missed him so much. She wants to slap him and tell him that he’s hurt her. She wants to ask him if he even cares. All of those things and more Rangiku wants to do and say, but she doesn't even know where they stand. It's been years upon years and they've barely spoken to each other much less interacted. Were they still friends? If he would just answer one of these things…

“You've shared nothing with me, let alone a secret.” Rangiku replies quietly. And it’s just like that, that her mood does a complete flip-flop. (Of course, it’s because of a man.) She knows he’s joking but it only serves to fuel the bitterness inside her.

It’s then that the smile finally drops. Rangiku can tell he doesn’t know what to say. She’s sure that he’ll try to change the subject and deflect things somehow, so she just throws it at him. “Gin… What do you want from me? I want to understand you. I’ve tried to, but I don't know... You’ve been pushing me away for years now, but you find ways to come back to me only to walk away again. It confuses the hell out of me and I’m so tired. Just what do you want?” 

Gin, who had been lurking near the entrance of her quarters, approaches her; she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to. There is no hesitation whatsoever when he tells her, “I want you to be safe.” 

What could he possibly mean by that? For their entire childhood he had done that—kept her safe, why did need to put so much distance between them now? Rangiku can think of no duty imposed on a captain or its squad that should keep them apart. “What do you mean?” It doesn’t make sense.  “Just tell me if I've done something—“

“You haven’t.” Once again, zero hesitation, but still no answers. She’s sure that Gin is going to regret coming over the longer this drags on, because she’s going to get an answer from him one way or the other tonight. She was deserving of it, of something.

“Are we friends still?”

He looks a little hurt that he has to answer that. “You shouldn’t have to ever doubt that.” Gin reaches out to her, long pale fingers finding a stray lock of hair and tucking it behind her ear with a gentleness she yearned for.

“Things around here… ain’t what they seem.” Gin lets his hand fall from her side, but Rangiku catches him, not letting go. 

“What do you mean by that? You’re not making sense.”

“One of these days it will, but that’s just somethin’ you need to let me worry about.”

Trust me.

This was the closest thing to an answer she was going to get from him wasn’t it? He practically admitted that he was up to something… Was he really though? Maybe it was someone else, maybe it was something not directly involving him. There are so many possibilities to such an ambiguous response. Whatever it is, Gin clearly didn’t want her to be a part of it. Whatever it was, Rangiku doesn’t know if she’ll be able to just go along with it and let him handle this unknown danger, but tonight… Tonight she could.

Rangiku pulls Gin forward whilst lacing their fingers together. She’s had enough thinking for the time being and lets Gin know by pressing herself against him and angling her mouth up to his for a kiss. 

He is a familiar stranger to her. It’s been a long time since they’ve been together like this. The kiss starts out unsure on her part, because he doesn’t reciprocate at first. It’s up to her to coax a response from him, and she tries her damn best. Seriously, he was being a little bitch. But, if that’s what he wanted, Rangiku wouldn’t be opposed to pushing him around a bit and having her way with him. (What did a girl have to do to get dicked around here?) 

Rangiku wraps her arms around Gin’s neck and deepens the kiss. He grasps at her hips and ass as she backs him up against the wall; Rangiku nearly on her tiptoes, her breasts pressed up firmly against his pectorals. A subdued grunt comes from Gin as she pulls back from him, she loves what she sees looking back at her: dazed icy blues, disheveled silver hair, and glistening lips that are just waiting to be kissed by her again. And they would be, but the robes would need to come off first.

She steals another quick kiss from him, then begins working off his shihakusho. Gin appears content to continue letting Rangiku do her thing as she starts from the top down; spreading the collar of both the kosode and shitagi open and pushing it down to his waist. She doesn’t even realize that she’s biting her lip until Gin calls her out, “You look like you’re gonna eat me right up. I’ll let ya.”

God, she had forgotten what a nice body he was hiding under there. Sleek yet toned, visible muscle in all the right places, entirely to her taste. “You’ll let me huh?”

Gin takes her chin into his hand, his thumb caressing over her birthmark, “Consider me your Valentine.” Talk about cheesy. Rangiku makes a sour face at his choice of words and Gin grins back and smacks her ass lightly.

Rangiku’s hand rests over his sash, she’s tempted to pull it loose and get him naked already, but she’s really wanting to enjoy the image of him shirtless for a while longer. 

Her hand falls away from his waist and she instead comes up for more kisses; starting from his lips, then inching slowly downward skimming his right pectoral over the nipple and down his well defined abdomen until she’s on her knees. She’s looking up at him, and Gin is staring right back, his focus intent on her. Rangiku runs her nails across his abs—one, twice, thrice. She likes the way that he shivers slightly upon each swipe. 

The bulge under his robes has become quite obvious now. Rangiku is glad to know that he wants her as badly as she does him, but the sash still isn't going to come off yet. 

Gin helpfully pushes her hair back from her face as she dedicates more time to kissing, licking, and sucking the area around his abdomen; Rangiku doesn’t know what's got her in such an appreciative mood for them but here she was. She pushes the material of the shihakusho as far down as it will go without undoing the sash, this gives her a generous view of his v-line. 

“So handsome…” Rangiku murmurs, taking one last moment to admire the view from down up. 

Gin, who hasn’t been nearly as vocal as she wants him to, hums in response as Rangiku makes her way back up to him; peppering kisses along his neck and jaw until she connects with his lips again. She's a little annoyed he hasn't truly touched her yet, so she brings his hand up and places it inside the opening of her uniform. 

This is something that Gin needs no further guidance on as he proceeds to feel her up, bringing his unoccupied hand up to fondle her other breast. It doesn't take long for her nipples to harden as he begins to massage her breasts in earnest. She releases a breathy moan and his name, telling him to keep going and not to stop. 

It's time for the sash to come off, Rangiku reaches down and pulls the tie. A dull thud resonates through the once silent room as his clothing falls to the wood floor in bulk. Oh Rangiku is just dying to get her hands and mouth on his cock already. And Gin, he must be thinking something along the same lines, as he none too gently rips the material of her uniform open as she had done to him some time ago and stoops down to take a nipple into his mouth—warm, wet, and greedy. 

While Gin entertains himself with her tits, Rangiku’s hand finds his dick; hot and hard in her grasp and she begins to pump it with languid strokes. Though it’s a shame that she can't give her full attention to him like this, not while he's still suckling at her like a starved man. 

Once he seems to have satisfied himself enough, Gin takes her by surprise—both hands snatch up her wrists as he spins her around, swapping their positions.

Rangiku finds it to be such a turn on when he leans down, his nose practically touching hers, and says, “Gonna let me eat ya’?”

Although he had the courtesy to ask, Rangiku knows that he's seconds away from dropping on his knees to give head. Normally, she would never turn down such an offer, but right now… Right now, Rangiku just wants him to get inside her already, so she shakes her head. “No… I just need you.” 

“That works too.”

Gin releases his hold from her and quickly rids her of the rest of her clothes. Rangiku lowers herself down onto the bed pulling Gin overtop of her. As she settles onto her back, Gin kneeling over her, she can make out the outline of his dick—he’s big. And fuck, she was biting her lip again. 

Legs open, Rangiku invites him closer, to be inside her. Gin is smirking and chiding her for her impatience, but she couldn’t care less at the moment. His fingers find her clit and rub strong circles over her, the way she liked best. “You ready?” He asks as if he can’t feel her dripping onto his palm, still, she appreciates the sentiment. 

“Yeah.” She breathes. Indeed, she was ready for him to have his way with her. Anything Gin wanted Rangiku didn't care. Except anal, that was off the table. They sure as hell weren't going to jump in with that. 

It’s annoying how pent up she’s been lately, she fears that she’ll be quick to come. But she trusted Gin, he was good and always gave her a good time, he would make her finish more than once. 

Gin pulls Rangiku closer to him, moves forward and is inside her within seconds. The motion is swift and Rangiku moans at the sensation of being filled—heavenly, she’s missed it, she hungered for it. Gin isn’t starting off with anything crazy but she demands that he go faster.

“Fuck, you’re horny tonight.” 

“It’s your fault.” Rangiku whines back, her hands grappling at his back to find something—anything to clutch onto. 

It doesn't take long before Rangiku is a sweaty mess underneath him. She told him to get to it and he did, his pace is unwavering leaving Rangiku breathless and sputtering. She can’t tell him to go harder or faster because he already is.

Not only is he fucking her brains out, he’s not forgotten to stay attentive to her clit. He plays with her on and off, stopping just shy when she’s on the edge of orgasm. He knows. “Ah, ah, not without me.”

Rangiku groans at him, well if he wasn’t going to let her finish before him, he should make his hand(s) useful elsewhere. She pulls his hand up to her neck, letting him grip her by the collarbone. It’s something that she liked once in a while, tonight was that while. Gin grins down at her, blue eyes visible and always breathtaking. Rangiku missed this, he was so good to her—she missed him.

She can tell when Gin is close; shortened strokes, tightened grip, laboured breathing. “Gin…” Rangiku whimpers out his name and pulls him closer to her between her thighs. 

“…Rangiku—“ His grip on her hip has become iron, but he grabs her hand with his free hand and laces their fingers together like she had done earlier with Shūhei, though this time is different. It’s both comforting and intimate, but there is also need.

They finish together and he stills atop of her. Rangiku looks up at him, a stupid smile on her face. She pushes the dampened hair away from his forehead and takes his chin in her hand guiding him down to her mouth. 

He’s soft when he finally pulls out from her, his spend pooling at the inside of her thighs. It’s then that he eats her. Rangiku yips in surprise when he scoots down and parts her thighs, it’s almost enough to make her blush the image of him slurping his own come out of her cunt. He clearly didn’t care so why should she? 

They go for three more rounds after that. For the second, Gin takes her from behind. He roughs her up a bit, his hand upon her scalp, the other across her shoulderblades. Rangiku all but eats it up from him; begging him for more, and calling his name until he covers her mouth with his hand. We’re gonna keep everyone up. Gin shushes her. (He smartly says “we”.) 

The third after that, Rangiku insists on riding him. You takin’ pity on me? Well, I guess I was gettin’ a little tired. She tells him to shut it and lay down, which he does with no complaints. When he’s close, she hops off and lets him finish in her mouth. Normally she wouldn’t have been so eager to eat a man's jizz, but she’s found that her standards are all but thrown out the window when it comes to Gin. For him, she would do it happily. 

The fourth and last round, they go vanilla like the first. The sex plays out almost exactly as it had when they first started out, but it’s slightly more tender. Gin is more mindful of her body this time, his every action appearing almost loving; every touch, every caress, every kiss. It doesn’t go unnoticed by Rangiku who chooses not to comment, she loves the attention regardless—she doesn’t want tonight to end either.

Rangiku rolls over, propping herself onto her elbows so that she’s looking down at Gin. 

“I still love you.” 

Maybe it’s because of the post-sex bliss, maybe it’s just something she wanted to say all along, but she says it. Rangiku stares soulfully into his blue eyes, half holding her breath awaiting his response. 

“I love you too.” Gin admits.

She deflates. Rangiku knows that he does, but whether or not he’ll say it back is another thing. The last time she said it, he told her that he knew… Sufficient to say, it was enough to spoil her mood for the rest of the day. Still, it’s something that she could go back and forth about, she knew how Gin was a man who revealed his feelings through his actions over his words. How much did it matter what he said? 

Vulnerability and openness was something she could tell he struggled with as they grew up. But then, maybe that wasn’t just a Gin problem but a men problem. They always wanted to take on the world’s problems by themselves, keeping things to themselves and never sharing the burden. And Gin… Rangiku felt bad, she knew that he had nobody else, no other friends. Although he’s always with Captain Aizen, Rangiku gets the feeling they aren’t as close as people would like to think. (Not once had he mentioned the other man's name in her presence.)

How tiring it must be to keep all your thoughts bottled up in your head all day everyday with nobody to share it with. She’s told him time and time again, if he wanted to talk about anything, she would be there always and unconditionally. Even as he would continue to keep to himself, Rangiku hoped that he could trust her in the same way she did him. 

“The world of the living has something they call ‘soulmates’...” 

Rangiku knows how cliche it is to bring it up now, of all times. Seriously, a man—the love of your life gives you a good dicking and now all the sudden you’re soulmates? She needed to get her shit together… Well, she would, but after she had her little moment. (They were soulmates long before this.)

“That’s us.”

“You know about it?” 

“Nah, but I know it’s us.”

Rangiku swats at his shoulder and laughs. “Me too.” 

He agrees!

A comfortable silence instills, though Rangiku worries her lip with uncertainty. She had more to say on the subject, but it’s very raw, for the both of them. She’s shared a lot with him and is mostly confident that Gin isn’t going to be bothered that she’s gone all emotional on him. An internal debate wages in her head, but the longer it goes on, the more she thinks, fuck it. She’d lay all these feminine emotions on him thick. 

“You know what I think?”

“What’s that Ran?”

“…We’ve loved each other before we even knew what love meant, before we knew what it was to love as man and woman. When we were kids—the first day I met you, I knew I wanted to be with you, go anywhere you went. As the days went on, something just clicked, suddenly my life had meaning. We share a deep connection, emotional and spiritual. You know me better than anyone. And I think I still know you better than anyone. You have always been my safety, the most important person in my life, and my trust in you has always been unwavering. I believe that soulmates are a thing, and… I believe that because of you.”

Rangiku stares at Gin, who’s staring back with raised brows. It’s almost comical. 

“Hey, I just bore my soul to you.” She knows she got a little long winded with that, but she wanted him to know. 

“Didn’t know you were in that typa’ mood tonight.”

Yes, she was horny and sentimental. A girl couldn’t be both?

“I was before you got here, actually.”

“You were thinkin’ about me?”

“Don’t change the topic!”

“You’re sayin’ we were always meant to be together?” Gin reiterates, having found some loose strands of her hair to fiddle with. 

Rangiku fights the urge to cover her face. “Something like that.” Her face has become flushed in embarrassment. It really did feel cliche now. All she needed to do now was ask Gin to run away with her together so they could live happily ever after. (It would be more romantic if he did.)

“Well, that sounds pretty spot on to me. I don’t think I coulda’ put into words what you said any better. If soulmates is what you wanna call it, so be it. The moment I saw you, I knew that I was goin’ to protect you. And then, everythin’ else that came after that, it just felt right.”

Rangiku’s heart just about soars. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.”

“Soulmates… Ironic isn’t it?”

Rangiku is awoken early in the morning by Gin’s shuffling. She can tell he was trying not to make noise, “Don’t know how you sleep with everythin’ goin’ bump in the night.” 

He’s putting on his Captains Haori and fixing his hair, or at least making an attempt… The attempt is him mussing up his hair. 

“Reminds me of when you’d always tried to sneak out on me. I’d catch you everytime.” Rangiku sits up and gestures him near, “Come here.” So hopeless.

When he squats down in front of her, Rangiku pushes his hair back a few times then pats down the weird edges sticking out. There’s not much to work with, short hair and all. Rangiku finds Gin gazing at her intently even when she’s finishing touching up his hair. What can she say? She really is happy that he chose to spend the night with her, it felt like the old days… Ideally they’d part on good terms, but then he starts apologizing. 

“I’m sorry,” Was he having regrets? “I didn't know you were lonely.”

“I think we're all a little lonely.” 

“I’m sorry.” He repeats, this time soft, like a whisper. Rangiku knows that he means it. 

What can I say? “...I know.” 

Rangiku joined the Academy the exact same time Gin did. They were classmates, but all she had to do was blink and he would be gone. Gin was a prodigy, Rangiku was not.

Gin was in and out of the Academy within a year. It was disappointing, of course, her best friend leaving her behind once again. But Rangiku always knew that Gin was special, he would be doing big things with or without her, and she admired him for that—she was happy for him, never bitter. 

Rangiku was quick to accept the fact that she was just an average soul amongst several hundred other average souls. She didn’t mind that though, she knew that everyone went at their own pace, thus there was nobody except herself whom she could rely on to become strong. She promised herself that the next time Gin saw her, she would impress him with her growth and strength. 

It’s a promise that turns out to be empty. Gin visits her no more than he did living at the academy. 

He’s let her down, again.

Rangiku had thought that when she finally joined the The Court Guard Squads, things could go back to how they were before when they were younger. Gin couldn’t possibly leave her behind now. Rangiku had made many friends at the academy, grew into herself, and became a woman that so many others wanted to be. She’d wonder constantly what she was missing in her life, because none of those people and no amount of personal growth made her feel the same happiness or self fulfillment she felt the way she was with Gin. She craved closeness, companionship, and affections that only he could give her. 

Was it love?

She knew the answer already. 

Mizael rarely attended riding duel events in the first place. He preferred standing duels, specifically ones centered around XYZ summoning. Or rather, it was just that riding duels didn’t interest him enough to make him participate. Truth be told, Mizael didn’t even know how to ride a D-wheel. That was another thing that never particularly compelled him. One day maybe he’d learn, but not anytime soon.

He’s about to open his phone when he spots an expensive looking SUV pull up on the other side of the parking lot. Shiny charcoal and heavily tinted windows, someone famous is what he assumes. A woman gets out from the driver's side, nobody else, and she begins heading toward the duel stadium. He can’t make out her person very well given the distance, however, he can clearly make out a large sunhat in her hand and long black hair that cascades down her back, almost past the hip, nearly as long as Chris Arclights. 

She doesn't enter through the main entrance but instead heads towards the western one. It appears that she’s trying to get to the other side of the stadium. He concludes that she isn’t from the area, that or it was her first time attending the weekly tournament, either way she must not have gotten the memo that north side seating was closed off during weeklies. Reason being, the turnout was much smaller than the monthly tournaments, especially since the stadium itself was gigantic. 

Mizael watches as she disappears around the corner of the stadium. Though he wasn't really the type of person to go out of his way to help someone, he contemplates on whether he should get out and tell her. His phone tells him that he’s nearly a half an hour early and it's not like he had anything better to do, Mizael doesn't even remember why he was even opening his phone in the first place. But the more he thinks about it, the more he feels like he should, so he does. 

Durbe is still in the washroom so Mizael shoots him a quick text saying that he’d be back, offering no explanation as to why. He proceeds to follow in the direction the woman went until he finds himself climbing the final step leading to the stadium's middle-most seating. 

As it turns out she’s sitting at the top row, on her phone with shades on. Mizael pauses thinking that he could shout to her, but ultimately decides against it and climbs the rest of the stairs leisurely, so as to not appear out of breath. 

She’s wearing a turquoise sundress splashed with pastel colors of a floral pattern. It’s an off the shoulder fit and exposes her large bust along with a generous amount of cleavage. Because he does in fact, have self control and self respect, he refuses to let his eyes stray from her face. Mizael is a couple steps away when she finally looks over at him from above her sunglasses, which have simultaneously slid down the bridge of her nose. Stunning blue ocean eyes capture his gaze. 

“Yes?”

Although the woman before him is the paragon of beauty, and any man would likely die at the chance to chat her up, Mizael doesn’t share the sentiment. He was here to watch a duel that was all. That being said, he doesn’t feel that talk is necessary and jumps straight to the point, “are you here for the riding duel tournament?” 

“Yes.” 

“This area is going to be closed off once more people start to arrive.” Mizael informs and gestures towards the opposite side of the stadium, “everyone has to sit on that side.”

“Oh, I see… And you followed me all the way here just to tell me that?” Her tone isn’t truly accusatory, but Mizael automatically becomes defensive, a scowl beginning to form on his face. “A ‘thank you’ would have been-“

He isn’t able to finish his sentence before she cuts him off. “You misunderstood.” The woman removes her sunglasses fully and peers at him with sincerity. “I was going to say, if you did, then it was very sweet of you.” 

Mizael had always been hot headed, he’s self aware of the fact, but when in the heat of the moment, he has a hard time controlling his emotions. A lot of times he ends up with his foot in his mouth and now happens to be one of those times. 

“I…” between her calling him ‘sweet’ and trying to find the right words to say after the apology, Mizael finds himself at a momentary loss of words. “Sorry. I thought you were going to accuse me of stalking or something.” It’s an honest response and he can only hope that this complete stranger isn’t totally pissed at him for jumping to conclusions.

“It’s alright.” The woman replies lightly, then moves to stand up, “lead the way?” She’s taller than Mizael, by… more than a couple inches, and he finds himself looking down at her feet wondering if she was wearing heels. 

She’s not.

“No heels today, too many steps.” 

Mizael scoffs softly, ignoring the fact that he was just caught looking, “not like you need them anyway.” 

She just laughs at him. 

Mizael leads the way to the other side of the stadium as the woman who introduces herself as ‘Misty’ attempts a conversation with him. “I’m from Neo Domino, I’ve been to Heartland a few times but never to any of the tournaments.”

A Domino resident? They may have something in common after all. “I was born in Domino but moved to Heartland when I was young. And I’m Mizael.”

The recognition on her face is evident when he mentions Domino, the were neighboring cities after all. “What made you move to Heartland?” 

Mizael doesn’t particularly want to engage in a discussion behind the reasoning of his move. It’s much too private to be shared with a stranger and he says as much. “Personal reasons.” He finds no reason to further explain himself.

Thankfully Misty gets the hint and changes the subject swiftly, and to a much more favorable topic, dueling. 

“Are you a duelist?”

“Yeah, what gave it away?” Mizael asks, full snark. 

“I don’t know, just a feeling.” 

His sarcasm is ignored. “Are you good?” She asks. 

Mizael doesn’t miss a beat with this question, his answer is immediate. “Yes.”

The lack of hesitation from him amuses Misty who grins at him. But Mizael looks away, suddenly feeling flustered at her for looking at him <i>that way</i>. Like he was a child who just said that they wanted to be the world's best duelist… and that he was cute.

“Have you been in any tournaments?” 

Mizael clears his throat, composing himself. “Yes a few, only XYZ tournaments though. I won two in the standards and in the tag teams I won five. Well, I guess I should say, ‘we’ since I partnered with my cousin. We both use galaxy decks.” 

Stating that he uses a galaxy deck is pretty vague so he decides to show his ace monster. In the baggy pocket of his shorts, he retrieves his deck and his most prized possession which is placed topdeck facedown, Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. When he reveals it to Misty, she comments on its beauty and how it was fitting to be his ace to which Mizael wholeheartedly agrees.  

“I haven’t entered a tournament recently, it’s only when I have the time. I’m a university student, I’ll be graduating in less than two months.”

Misty nods in understanding, surely she could remember her younger days as a hardworking student. (Assuming she was a student, and was hardworking.) 

“I see, well, I’ll have to watch a replay of your dueling later, since you’re so good.”

Either Misty was making fun of him for boasting about his victories or she just knew how to play up to a man’s ego. He couldn’t tell so he chooses not to comment on it.

“Oh and early congratulations, on your graduation.” Misty adds, “It’s a big achievement no matter what you’re studying.” 

Mizael thanks her then returns the question to her. It was something he had wondered as soon as they began conversing. “What about you? Are you a duelist too?” 

She’s momentarily silent, it’s not that thought provoking of a question but Mizael can imagine there’s a story behind her silence. “No… I wouldn't consider myself a duelist, these days I don’t really have a reason to duel anyway.”

Her response isn't what he was expecting. Reading between the lines and by the wistful tone, he surmises that she was a duelist in the past but something happened causing her to quit.

If Mizael was the optimistic type like Yuma, that tomato haired kid, even Haruto, he would have gone off the deep end about dueling. How dueling unites people, how fun it should be for both parties no matter winning or losing, and how every duel should put a smile on its audience's face… If dueling had the potential to cure world hunger, he knows those three would find a way. 

“You don’t always need a reason to duel. Unless it’s your career, obviously.”

Misty doesn’t argue with, even though it’s clear she doesn’t agree with him. 

“I guess you’re right.”

The conversation ends there.

Soon the pair are looking back at where they stood minutes ago. Mizael steps aside and lets her go ahead, expecting her to climb to the top row again, but she ends up choosing the first seat next to the entrance hall. Probably didn’t want to go up the stairs again. 

A text ringtone chimes from the phone she’d been carrying. Misty apologizes to him before opening her phone, scanning the message, and typing out a response. 

He notices that she doesn’t type quickly. It’s clear that she’s not within his own age range, if not based on how she texted, then on her looks and sound of her voice. If Mizael had to guess, she couldn’t have been older than thirty two. The style of her clothing was mature. Her voice too had a deeper tone to it, mature and womanly. 

Her message is sent and her attention quickly falls back on Mizael who has full intentions of saying goodbye and returning to Durbe. However, the way she’s looking at him tells him that she had more to say. The woman is now regarding him with an intense curiosity whilst playing with the ends of her hair, was she wanting to continue a conversation with him? 

He supposes he wouldn’t mind if she did. 

And she does.

“What are you studying?” Misty pats the seat next to herself, urging Mizael to sit next to her.

“Astronomy.” He answers, accepting the seat. 

“Studying astronomy and dueling with a galaxy deck, is it a coincidence?” 

Mizael shrugs, he never thought too much into that. “No. It’s always been an interest of mine-“

He’s unable to finish the rest of his sentence, suddenly interrupted by a third party. A third party who he immediately recognizes as, ‘The King’, and second best riding duelist in the world, Jack Atlas. 

Mizael has seen a number of duels starring Jack Atlas and he had to admit, the man was an outstanding duelist. But Jack Atlas? Here? At a standard riding duel tournament in Heartland? 

Mizael can only stare in disbelief. 

He’s much taller in person...

‘The King’ upon his sudden arrival doesn’t even say hello, but it’s clear that he was there for Misty. 

He looks back and forth between Misty and Mizael, “who’s the chump?” 

What the hell? This prick was insulting him and didn’t even know who he was. It takes all of his self restraint not to jump up and get confrontational, a well deserved, ‘excuse me?’ is at the tip of his tongue. Even with his elevating anger, Mizael bites it back for Misty’s sake and opts to direct a poisonous glare at Jack instead. He was hot headed, but he wasn’t a caveman. 

Thankfully Misty speaks up. 

“He’s not a chump Jack, he was actually nice enough to tell me that I wasn’t supposed to sit on the other side of the stadium. You should have told me.”

“Looks like a chump to me,” Jack replies, crossing his arms in a judgmental manner. “Whatever, also I did tell you.” 

“Did you?” 

“Yes I did!” Voice rising with insistence, Jack clenches his fist at his side.

And people thought Mizael got mad easily, this guy was giving him a run for their money. 

“No, you didn’t.” Misty says, and she’s downright challenging him now.

There’s no place for Mizael in this interaction so he sits back and observes the two as they sort things out. Getting back to Durbe is all but forgotten, he finds himself curious of the relationship between Misty and this prick. 

Jack takes a calming breath in, then, “I have proof.” Ever so aggressively, and so much for the calming breather, the riding duelist whips out his phone and proceeds to scroll through his messages. Up, down, up, then down again. 

There was no proof. 

“…Hmph. Well, I could have sworn I did.” 

Though he is ignorant of it, Misty rolls her eyes at him, then shoots Mizael a discreet look of pure exasperation. 

“Anyway, Carly should be here soon, so tell her where you’re at. I have to go get ready.”

He says this as if he didn’t just have his phone in his hand seconds ago, it gives Mizael an overwhelming urge to call him out, but he once again stops himself. Misty doesn’t appear to be mad though, rather she is the epitome of peacefulness, mixed with mild amusement. 

“Alright.” Is all she answers.

Before leaving, Jack gives Mizael a second look over which is just as judgemental as the first. “You look familiar, I’ve definitely seen you somewhere.” It’s an almost comical moment as Mizael and Misty remain quiet as Jack ponders where he recognizes Mizael from. He’s got the, ‘hand under the chin’ thinking pose and all. 

“Are you a duelist?” He finally inquires.

“I’m-”

Mizael is once again interrupted, but this time he isn’t even able to get two words out. “Asshole.” Mizael mutters under his breath. It’s loud enough for Misty to hear, and she nudges him gently. 

Jack’s eyes light up suddenly, “I’ve got it, you’re whats-his-face, the Galaxy eyes one. Kaito. Kaito Tenjo.”

Mizael is the one with his fists clenched now. Was he being serious right now? Or was he trying to provoke him? One thing Mizael hated was being belittled, even if the person was doing so unintentionally. He’s a breath away from going off, and actually doing it this time, but Jack is already walking away. 

“Let’s have a duel sometime, yeah?” He calls over his shoulder.

Once Jack is away from hearing range, Mizael lets out a growl. “What a dick. How are people like that famous? It makes no damn sense.”

Misty ends up apologizing on Jack’s behalf, not that Mizael thinks it’s necessary. “That’s just how he is.” And that part, he thinks, is the truth. 

“I’ve seen a lot of his duels, I always thought his skill was admirable but it looks like the ‘King‘ persona is his true self.” He shakes his head disapprovingly. 

“He’s not all bad, it’s more that he just doesn’t like me much.” 

This is something he’s genuinely intrigued by. He asks, “why’s that?” 

Misty sighs deeply, she’s still fiddling with her hair, but this time it looks like it’s out of nervousness. It was obviously a sore topic for her, and he’s about to change the subject as Misty had done for him previously, but she begins speaking before he can. 

“It’s a long story. A while back Jack’s girlfriend, a reporter, as well as a friend of mine, was investigating something dangerous. She asked me what I knew, since my brother was involved and I told her.” It doesn’t go unnoticed by Mizael, the way her expression hardens when she mentions her brother. The story probably didn’t have a happy ending.

“I never thought she would put herself into danger willingly, alone no less. But she’s a reporter, it’s her job to be nosy. To push and push until she gets what she wants.” There’s a brief pause, she no longer is looking at Mizael, but straight ahead with a glassy eyed stare. 

“She was missing for six months, abducted.”

The statement is painful for her to utter, and she releases a soft breath once it’s out. She continues, her attention fixed back to Mizael. “She’s safe now, but Jack blames me for what happened. I was the last person she saw before she went missing. Even so, I’m not mad about it, I understand why.” 

Distant voices and echoed footsteps can be heard from afar, people were starting to arrive for the tournament. Misty takes it as a sign to make her final point. “It was hard for him during that time and he’s still dealing with things. they both are. I know you won’t believe me, after your experience with him just now, but in all, he’s really not a horrible person.” 

Mizael had expected something petty between them. Maybe she had beaten him in a duel in the past, or that she thought his ace monster was ugly. Something harmless like that, not an abduction and missing person. But Jack’s attitude based on his personal disposition, it makes sense. And if he were being completely honest, he’s not sure if he’d feel any differently than Jack when it came to his grudge against Misty. He wasn’t in love, didn’t know what it felt like to love either, not since his parents. But he thinks that if Durbe, or even Kaito suddenly went missing, he’d be upset. Well, upset was an understatement, he surely wouldn’t be in his right mind and would likely be looking for someone to blame, other than himself. 

“You probably agree with him.”

Mizael shakes his head. He was putting more thought into her story than he should have, but thinks it best to keep a neutral standpoint. “I… Yes, I’d be mad too, but there’s probably more to the story than that.”

A quiet laugh comes from Misty. “Well, you’re definitely right about that. Oh, and by the way, you didn’t hear that story from me.” She makes a cheeky shushing gesture at him and Mizael proceeds to swear secrecy. 

The somber atmosphere is gone and Misty is back to smiles and warmth.

“I forgot to ask, were you here with someone? If you were, I’m sorry for keeping you.”

“Yes—I mean, it's fine.” And Mizael truly means it. He didn’t mind one bit. “I was with a friend, we were waiting on more people. Whether I wait here or in the lot, it won’t matter, they’ll eventually make their way up here.”

“Okay, well if you have to go, then feel free to.”

“I will.”

Misty is staring at him again. Her intensity is the same as when she asked what he was studying. 

Mizael was attractive, he knew it. He prioritized self care and was quite fashionable, if he did say so himself. Apparently he was an anomaly among men because of it. That being said, he was no stranger to ogling and compliments, most being about how pretty he was, especially for a man. (Whatever the fuck that meant.) Such praise was part of the reason why his confidence flourished. 

On the other hand, he was also told that he was arrogant, temperamental, and vain. Among other things… 

But right now, what was this woman thinking as she studied him? What were her intentions? 

“I like fortune telling, will you allow me to tell your fortune?”

Her question is completely out of the blue. Fortune telling, right here and now just when the tournament is about to begin? It’s quite random.

Mizael checks the time on his phone, Durbe and the gang would be here any minute, but he supposes a quick fortune telling couldn’t hurt, even if it was a fake. 

“How are you going to do it?”

Misty gives a pleased smile, then tells him, “I look at faces. Your face, it interests me.”

Mizael isn’t sure how to respond to that, so he doesn’t. 

She scoots closer to him and reaches out, her fingertips a hair’s breadth away from his cheek, before stopping to ask, “may I touch you?”

He nods, appreciative of her consideration and a moment later he can feel her hand on his cheek. She is delicate upon him, and her fingertips trace down to his chin, the motion borderline sensual, where she then takes him in a gentle hold, so as to tilt his head to her desired angle.

Misty observes him thoroughly, all the while his mind is a blank slate. He’s not thinking about anything, but he feels. He can’t quite pinpoint what the feeling is though, he’s not uncomfortable, nor is he embarrassed or nervous by their closeness. But his heart rate has increased and he feels a sort of… fluttering excitement in his chest. He also feels anticipation. She’s supposedly telling his fortune, but with their proximity and the tender way that she strokes his face, Mizael is almost expecting her to lean in for a kiss. 

A small breeze pushes past them, causing a few strands of hair to fall over his face unceremoniously. Misty is quick to attend to it, she pushes his hair back and away from his face using such delicacy to do so, that he additionally feels as if he’s a vintage artifact that's being assessed for its worth. 

Her hand returns to Mizael, to cup his cheek. Her gaze is no longer exploring his features, and they now look deep into each other eyes, ocean blues meeting icy blues. Misty’s words are nearly a whisper when she tells him that he’s beautiful. 

Mizael’s fortune is naught until she speaks again. “You have been burdened by something at a young age, but that burden will soon be lifted.” The woman then releases her hold on him and leans back to her seat, expectant of his response.

A rasped ‘what?’, is all he can manage as he effortfully snaps himself out of the daze that Misty has inadvertently put him in. 

Burden? What burden? The only burdens he had were from his studies. It would make the most sense, he recalls that he had told her about his soon approaching graduation. Surely that's what she was foretelling, but with more cryptic wording. 

Once again, he was reading too much into her words. Fortune tellers were never right, they just wanted people to think something good was going to happen to them. And if it ever did,  they would say that their fortune came true. It was a self fulfilling prophecy. That or they just wanted to get a rise out of people, say something completely outrageous and be entertained by their reaction.

With that thought in mind, Mizael raises a brow at her. “Is that it?”

Misty nods and proceeds to answer the question he was going to ask next. (It’s all coincidental, of course.) 

“I read your face. That’s what it told me.”

“I see…” Mizael says slowly, and it finally clicks. The reason she had been staring at him like that earlier was because she had wanted to read his fortune all along. Truth be told, he is a little let down knowing that, but it is what it is. 

People had begun to trickle in slowly but surely during the impromptu fortune telling session, and familiar voices can be heard from above, one Mizael recognizes as Ryouga, who sounds annoyed at something. He definitely didn’t see them enter, they must have come in through the east entrance.  

His name is being called now. 

Mizael spins around and Durbe waves at him. A quick scan over everyone tells him that most of the gang and their friends were there, looking like they just got seated. A double take is needed when he catches Ryouga’s girlfriend looking at him and whispering into his ear, causing him to look at Mizael too. It’s obviously something to do with him and he has a good idea what it’s about. Seriously though, whispering about people who were in the immediate vicinity as you and making eye contact? It pissed him off. Mizael scowls at them both, simultaneously thanking the gods that Vector is not among them.

“Your friends are here, you should go.” 

“Yeah.” 

“Maybe I’ll see you at another tournament?” 

“Uh huh.” He says, his mind still half preoccupied about the whispering. 

Misty reaches out and places her hand over his which rests on his thigh. “Will I get to see you duel?” She has his complete and utter attention now. Heat begins to crawl under and above his neckline again. This woman had him blushing like a damn teenager again. 

“I don’t know.” Mizael answers, he doesn’t offer any other possibilities of them seeing each other again, and the conversation dies once again. 

Misty’s hand is still touching his, though she removes it as they bid each other goodbye, “It was nice meeting you, Mizael.” 

Mizael climbs up to where his friend is at. A couple rows behind them he can see Shun, Pinkie, the nerd, and the lunalight girl. Shun is glaring at him. Mizael knows it's because of the face he had made at his sister a few minutes ago. Not that he cares much. Squeezing past the others Mizael settles himself beside Durbe, Ryouga and Ruri are still looking at him, like he’s grown a third eye, they receive the privilege of being ignored too.

His friend, and roommate, is on his phone doing some complex looking crossword type puzzle game. He’s very engrossed in it and doesn’t even lift his head to greet Mizael. It leaves him feeling… ignored.

“Hello?”

Durbe is responsive, but still won’t take his eyes off the screen, “who was that?” 

“She went to the wrong side of the stadium. I told her it was going to be closed off. She just started talking to me after. I didn’t want to be rude.” The last bit is more of an afterthought, to which Durbe doesn't miss the opportunity to call him out for. “That would be a first for you.” Is the comment Mizael gets. 

“Give me that.” The blond snatches his friend’s phone away. 

“I was about to finish it.” Durbe protests, but sounds almost bored. 

Mizael glances at the phone in his hand, indeed the puzzle was about to be finished, in fact he only needed to fill in two more words. Too bad for him. “You know I hate being ignored.” 

Durbe feigns offense at him, “ignored? I was talking to you.”

“Yeah but you're not looking at me.” 

“We can have a conversation without looking at each other.”

“I thought you're supposed to be the polite one. Why are you arguing against basic common decency?” Durbe chuckles, a mischievous smile playing across his face. How telling. Mizael groans out loud. Of course, Durbe found humor in offending him and being obstinate towards him. Now he was just milking it for shits and giggles. 

Durbe sits up in his seat appearing more proper and turns to Mizael, addressing him seriously this time, “so what did you talk about?” 

The way the word comes out of his mouth is confirmation that he had seen. “She told my fortune. She claimed to read faces.”

Durbe nods along at the explanation, “that makes sense. What’s her name?” He’s looking in her direction, at the back of her head, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Misty.”

“You know she looks familiar, I just can't quite figure out where I’ve seen her…”

Mizael shakes his head, “no, I thought so too. Maybe she’s a model—“

“Search her name and let’s see.”

“—she is very beautiful after all.”

Durbe turns quizzical, “so you say.” 

“Shut up.”

His friend does his best to hide a laugh. “What did your fortune say? You still have my phone by the way.”

“It will be mine a while longer.” Mizael says, and continues on, “she said… A burden that I have will be lifted.” Shrugging, he attempts to make light of it, “I don’t know what the hell it means, but I’m sure whatever it is, it won't happen.” 

Durbe seems to feel the exact opposite as Mizael. He comments on how interesting he thinks fortune telling is and somehow believes that his fortune may come true. 

Mizael openly scoffs at the notion. “It’s not that interesting. Fortune telling is a scam.” 

“Maybe not fortune telling in itself, but the different methods of fortune telling are interesting. ” 

Upon Durbe's suggestion, Mizael did have his phone out and had typed in the first three letters of Misty’s name, however, the fortune telling discussion was preventing him from finishing the search. He ends up deleting it and looking up information on fortune telling instead. 

“According to science, no method of fortune telling is more accurate than another. And, considering most methods are, ‘interpretations of random phenomena’, there is little to no evidence to support any claims that fortune telling is reliable. Therefore fortune telling is highly unreliable.”

Durbe doesn’t look impressed. 

“I just said it was interesting and that your fortune could come true. Not that it would or that it’s scientifically correct. But, as Rio would say, go off I guess.”

Mizael rolls his eyes. 

Whoever Misty was waiting for arrives late. Her friend, he assumes, is a girl about Kaito’s size. She has long black hair, but not nearly as long as Misty’s, that’s clearly unbrushed. It’s bad enough that Mizael can see the frizz from where he’s at. She’s wearing a blue and white striped romper that looks a size too big for her, and the nerdy looking glasses certainly aren’t helping things. 

Not only is she late, but she’s a total klutz. The girl nearly falls on top of Misty after she trips on a step, letting out a loud ‘eep’. She makes sure to let everyone know that she’s okay and sits down hastily, proceeding to slump all the way down in her seat until only the top of her head is visible. The scene earns a fair number of giggles but is soon forgotten about when the MC comes on to introduce the event.

Mizael doesn’t see Misty again for the rest of the event, even when it’s time to leave.