Creative Works

[renjifan22]

Exactly!

Ooh! Can't wait to read it! Byakuya deserves every bit of it

I have been watching it. But i actually don't think it's too bad. It's not canon, but i can tolerate it

[Ranlsa]

I'll try to finish it in a few weeks, in leu of the fact that it isn;t gonna be shown on Feb 4th. But I can garentee the fact that SoiFon is gonna be really tyelling that **noel** in the worst way possible.

[renjifan22]

Oh good! He deserves every bit of it!

[Ranlsa]

Yeah, I promise I;'ll try to have it ready in two wqeeks so you'll have something to enjoy even if we can;t have our anime night.

[renjifan22]

Ok! Sounds good

[Ranlsa]

Yeah, I'll try. So, will you be here tomorrow night?

[renjifan22]

Probably not. I have to work another double shift tomorrow =/

[Ranlsa]

Oh man, that bites. I hope that ypou can get a decent schedule really soon.

[renjifan22]

Me too!

[Ranlsa]

Yeah, we do miss ya a lot here.

[renjifan22]

Thanks. I'll try to make it soon, but right now, i'm just swamped with stuff

[Ranlsa]

Nice avatar! Is that part of an episode?

[renjifan22]

Thanks! I'm not sure where its from. I just saw it and thought it was fun

[Ranlsa]

That new avatar is Keigo, right?

[Ranlsa]

Well, as I promiseed, to make up for no anime tonight (which bites) I got not one, bot TWO anime stories for you anime lovers. here's the first one, the newest chapter of Journey Home.:

Session 36- For What It's Worth

SioFon and Omeada were on the subway platform in New York, posting Kiskue;'s missing posters up on the walls. "Hurry it up, Omeada," she snorted. "The sooner we get these posted up, the sooner someone might call in." As though she were psychic her cell phone rang. They both looked at one another surprised.

"Wow, did it work that quick, Ma'am?"

"Don't be a nutjob, Omeada," she snapped before she answered. "Hello?"

"Captain SoiFon?" She groaned inwardly. But even if she hadn't Omeada could tell just from her expression that one of their

least favorite people just happened to be on the line.

"What do you want, Bayakuya?"

"I would like to know why neither you nor your Lieutenant were in your office when I came to give you some files."

"That is none of your business in the first place, unless Captain Yamamoto specifically asked."

"Does Captain Yamamoto know that you both are not here?"

"Why don't you ask him and leave US be?"

"Because I have seniority among the Captains.."

"Senority? If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut, cause you are SERIOUSLY pushing it in every conceivable way!"

"You DARE to speak that way to me.."

"Yeah, I dare. I dare because I'm a fellow Captain too, and I for one don't give a #### about you or your heritage, or your background!"

"If you and that Lieutenant of yours are down in the World Of The Living foolishly searching for Lieutenant Matsimoto, I am telling you right now to stop it and return up here. Like I have told everyone she has violated the rules of our Society. She know she was forbidden to have a relationship with her own captain but she went ahead and started one.."

"Excuse me? From what I heard she didn't intend to have any relationship at all with him, this was something that happened that niether one could have helped, and how do you KNOW she was forbidden? Is there a bunch of unwritten rules that I was not made aware of?"

"It is highly irregular to become involved with a person of higher authority!"

"Irreagular? YOU talk of being irregular? It seems to me that the pot is calling the kettle black! Besides, if I remember correctly YOU yourself married a common woman from Rakongai, did you NOT?" Omeada gave his Captain a 'way to go' sign.

"SHE was not a Soul Reaper or a Lieutenant of the 6th Squad! There were no rules broken during my marriage, unlike the rule she so willingly broke.."

"Where is this rule written DOWN, Byakuya?"

"It does not need to be, it was one of the most important unwritten rules.."

"People can't help how they FEEL, Byaykuya!"

"Feelings should have no influence in the way a Captain behaves toward his subordinate of his own SQUAD!"

SioFon then grabbed the phone so tightly her fingers grew red. "Ya wanna know something, Byakuya? NOW HEAR THIS! YOU ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT THE STUPIDEST, MOST HEARTLESS, MOST INHUMAN SON OF A…" just then a large subway train came barreling down the tracks so loudly SoiFon's words were drowned out. But by the gestures she was making and the words she was clearly forming Omeada could guess exactly what she was saying…

And it was not pretty.

"MAN I HAVE EVER MET IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!" SioFon concluded as soon as the subway car had finished passing. Without another word she hung up the phone and turned to her Lieutenant. "Omeada?"

"Y…y…yes, Ma'am?" He asked hesitantly.

"Get the rest of these posters up on the walls on the double, then we're headed to Yurorichi-Sama's to find out if she knows anything, then we go to Ichigo's house and report. IMMIDIATELY."

"Yes, Ma'am," Omeada said quickly, grabbing the posters and hurrying toward the walls knowing better than to say anything else.

On The Bebop…

Rangiku was playing with Ed in the corridor of the Bebop. She was holding on to her underarms and swinging her in a circle while singing aloud. "Ring around the rosey, a pocket full of posey. Ashes, ashes, and you go down!' she then plopped Ed on the floor and knelt down beside her tickling her ribs, while Ed giggled and kicked her feet in the air. She sat up then and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Aunt Rangiku."

"I love you too, Ed."

"Having fun?" Spike asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Ed sat up. "Ed's having a lot of fun with Aunt Rangiku! She's been playing with Ed."

"Well, hope you're not too tired for some martial arts training."

Ed jumped up happily. "Yay!" She began to run toward Spike. Rangiku stood up.

'I think I'll come too, I've been meaning to practice with Heinako."

"The more the merrier," Spike said, leading the way.

As they three of them were practicing in the main room, Spike was teaching Ed how to do a round house kick from the air. "Just relax and concentrate on the moves for now. Remember, don't be tense. Be like water. Like I told you, if you're nice and relaxed you can catch the enemy off guard, and he'll never see ya coming."

"Water, like water, yes, Sir!" Ed crotched down and bared her teeth like a tiger, causing Rangiku to giggle off to the side.

"Now, focus on your target," Spike pointed to a balloon he had hanging on the wall. Ed concentrated. "Try not to make a sound, just relax…make sure it doesn't see ya coming…pounce when you think it doesn't suspect. Remember, if you relax, you can move in the blink of an eye," Ed nodded.

Finally she managed to pounce and with a cry of "Hi….yaaah!" She managed to kick and pop the balloon. Rangiku clapped and Spike grinned.

"That's very good!" He turned to Rangiku. "Hey? What's the matter?"

Rangiku looked at her sword questioningly. "Strange…lately Heinako's been acting differently.."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…it's been kind of easier to move..and easier to control than usual."

"Maybe cause you've been giving it quite a bit of practice lately," Spike grinned slyly.

"Hmm.." she said, looking at it.

"You might be getting in quite a bit more," Jet said, sticking his head in. "Guys, there's a special report on the news, I think another bounty shipment just came in!"

"Bounty, bounty!" Ed cried, skipping into the room with Spike and Rangiku coming in behind her, with Faye running in from the kitchen slurping on a milkshake.

"What's up?" Spike asked.

Jet turned up the volume on the television. There was a picture of an ugly red haired guy with spiked hair and covered in tattoos on the screen. "This here is Micheal Brown, he's wanted for several cases of armed robbery and destruction of property, and now he was caught trying to rob an undercover police officer, just after he broke into several mansions."

"What;'s the bounty on this guy?" Spike asked.

Jet looked it up. "900 woolongs!"

"Renji," Rangiku then said quietly staring at the picture.

"Uh?" Spike asked.

Rangiku quickly turned around. "Him," she pointed to the screen. "He looks like Renji. He was another military Lieutenant, a really good friend of mine."

"Were you on the same Squad?" Faye asked.

"No," Rangiku answered. "He was in the 6th Squad, I was in the 10th. He looked quite a lot like that…but he wasn't a criminal. Not by any means at all. In fact he was one of the nicest people you could meet."

"He was?" Jet said. "Bet he could definitely help us track down this jerk."

"You bet he could! He had such high goals, to be a Captain himself someday. He worked and trained so hard, but he always had time to talk…he was a lot like my own Captain…such beautiful men.." she looked down. "I sure miss them…" she said quietly.

Faye touched Rangiku's hand. "You OK?"

"Oh yeah, yeah," she said quickly. "It's just that..sometimes things just remind me of my friends…and then I get to thinking about Toshiro…and I just start to miss him all over again.." she touched her locket and sighed. "I know I can't ever see him again..and I feel like I left a part of myself when I left him…but I know he's safe..and that's what's important."

"Doesn't mean you can't still miss him, though," Jet assured her.

"I know.." she sighed. She looked up quickly. "But there's no time for that now..we have a bounty to find!"

"You sure you're up for it?" Spike asked.

"Definitely!" Rangiku said. "Toshiro," Rangiku thought sadly, "I know I'll have plenty of time to miss you when we get back. Right now, we have a bounty to catch, and like the 10th Squad never let each other down, I won't let my new friends down either. I know you're all right, and that's what matters. I love you."

"Ed, get all the info you can on this guy,"

"Right!" she set about typing on her computer.

In The Soul Society…

Momo was carrying her drums to the protestors near Captain Yamamoto's office when she nearly bumped into Ikkaku, also carrying a sign. "Hey, Momo," he greeted.

"Hi, Ikkaku!" Momo said surprised. "You're coming to join the protest?"

"Yeah, I got permission from Captain Hitsugaya."

Momo raised her eyebrow. 'How is he, Ikkaku?"

"Just like usual. He said that there wasn't much to be done today and if I wanted to I could join you guys. But I think he wanted to be alone right now."

Momo looked like she was about to burst into tears. Looking up she saw Ikkaku kick a tree angrily on the way to the office. "Ikkaku?"

"Momo, I just feel so helpless. One of the best Captains we got is depressed beyond belief, there are two Squads protesting, the Society's a mess, God is mad at us, and I can't do anything about it. Can't even do my Lucky dance to cheer him up."

"It's not your fault, Ikkaku!"

"Somehow I have a feeling it might be. Maybe if I was nicer to Rangiku she could have come to me or Yamamoto and we could have helped her…or at least try to talk her out of leaving us!"

"I don't know if you could have, Ikkaku. Usually when she sets her mind out to do something she finds some way to do it. That's just what makes her her."

"Yeah, that's true," Ikkaku smiled a bit. "I remember when we were in the World of the Living trying to help this kid Shota. Before we met him Rangiku wanted to go shopping. The Captain tried to talk her out of it, but Rangiku, as usual managed to weasel her way into it by telling him she was going to scope out the town and make sure things were all right."

Momo smiled, that sounded like something Rangiku would do. "But she went shopping anyway."

"You got it," his face turned serious. "I even told Yumichaka that whatever anyone said went in one ear and out the other…" he sighed. "Wish now I didn't say that."

"Oh, she probably knew you didn't mean it, Ikkaku."

"Yeah, but all those times I started arguments with her, or called her names like 'fruitcake', I wish I could just take em all back. I didn't mean to do it…maybe she wouldn't have felt all alone no thanks to that inhuman stuck up miserable excuse for a Captain in Office 6, " he looked up. "I tell ya, Momo…if she comes back, I won't ever do that again. Really…I won't be a pain in the butt to her, if she just comes back. It's too quiet here without her…it's not the same."

"I know," Momo said sadly. "Come on, Ikkaku, let's go to the protestors so we can pray."

On Mars..…

The Bebop landed right outside the bar that Ed's hacked information stated was a likely place for their bounty to be. One by one they got out and stood in front of the door. "How do ya wanna go in?" Spike asked.

"We'll let the girls go in first and check him out, while the two of us sneak around the back. "

"First things first," Spike said, taking out his special glasses and adjusting them to the right setting. He put them on and stood just outside the door, using them to scan the place. "Come on…" he mumbled. The bounty finally came into focus.

"Bingo.." he said. He stood back. "He's in there all right."

Faye turned to Rangiku. "Do you wanna get this or should I?"

"He looks too much like Renji. It would be too weird for me. You get this, I'll back you up."

"OK," Faye smiled flirtatiously. She and Rangiku winked at each other happily as Faye strutted into the bar and walked right to where their target was followed by Rangiku. Faye slid into the bar right next to him. "Hi," she said happily.

The guy turned around and looked at her, a huge smile lighting u his face. "Hey there," he greeted. "What's a good looking lady like you doing in a place like this?"

"Well, just stopping for a drink…and maybe hoping to get lucky," she leaned in a bit closer to him.

"Well, if that's what you're looking for wonder no more, Babe," he turned to the bartender. "Hey, Vic, some red wine for the little lady if ya please," As soon as Faye had her glass the guy raised up his. "Here's to you, beautiful."

"You flatter me waaay too much," Faye grinned, sexually taking a sip and licking her lips."

"So, tell me, where are ya from?"

"Oh…downtown. But to tell you the truth I just moved here. I'm hoping to score a new job."

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh huh. Know of anyone who's…hiring?"

"Well, it just so happens I could use a lovely assistant myself."

'Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, to help kick start my business. Help get it off the ground if ya will."

"Really? Hmm…so what do you do?"

"Swell, you might say I'm in the buy and sell business myself."

"Oh? Well, what do you sell?"

"Oh, some very special merchandise. This stuff is really rare, can't find them in ANY stores."

"Oh? So this must be pretty valuable then?"

"Oh you have NO idea how many people are lining up for this stuff. I tell ya, this is a real win-win job. Why don't ya step into my van and I can show you the merchandise..and you can..heh..show me how you can sell this?"

"Well, do you have any with you?" She pretended not to notice his admiring gaze as she crossed her legs and ran her fingers through her hair. "I've been in the black market a bit myself."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, that's why I had to leave. My last boss got busted. So tell me, what is this stuff? Coke? Marjuanna? Or maybe some stolen watches or furs?"

"Oh, no, we don't go as far as furs or watches. Just the usual stuff.." he looked around the bar and took out a small bag. "I'll show ya mine if ya… heh..show me yours.."

Faye sat down closer to him. "I've got a better idea.." she pulled out her gun and held it up to his chin. "put your hands

behind your head and kneel down on the ground my friend!"

"Oh #### it, it's a bust!" he grabbed the bag and tried to throw it out the window…only for Spike to climb in through it holding it casually in his hand.

"Yo," he strolled over to the guy and dangled the bag in front of him. "Ya dropped this!"

"Uh…wha…the...that's not mine…I…I never saw that before!"

"Oh yeah? Heh, funny, from where I was looking it came right out of your pocket and just happened to land in my hand."

The guy gulped out loud once he realized who was talking to him. "Look, I…I don't have to explain anything to you…not to you, not to anyone, I got my rights.."

"What you "got" is a nice trip coming your way, to a group of friends that we know, who are gonna make you nice and comfy, and take real good care of you."

"Like hell you are!" The guy broke away from Faye, pulled out his gun, and made for the door, only to have Rangiku block him in.

 "Going so soon? We wouldn't hear of it, the fun's just getting started!"

"Look, I usually don't make it a point to shoot women, but I'm warning you now, you better get the hell out of my way or I'm gonna give you some emergency breast reduction surgery and I mean it!"

Rangiku pulled out her sword. "You even try to aim that at ME and you're not gonna have a hand to shoot with!"

The guy then laughed out loud. "Oh man get a load of YOU! We back in the 18th century again with the Samurai's and what

not? Look Samurai Champloo, you better get the hell out of my way and I mean NOW. I'm pretty good with a shot and that piece of metal isn't gonna do…" suddenly he was cut off in mid-sentence by Rangiku slicing her sword and the gun suddenly falling apart in his hands.

Rangiku then smiled sweetly at him. "Now…what was that you were saying about my sword?" The guy gulped then and began to back off…only to bump right into Spike.

"We gotta stop meeting like this!" Spike snapped before he delivered a huge punch that set the guy flying. Picking himself up he ran to Spike and tried to deliver his own blow of punches..only to be blocked time and time again by Spike, who then countered with his own punches and blows. The guy staggered over to the counter and grabbed a half-filled wiskey bottle, breaking it in half and preparing to use it as a weapon. He tried to grab Faye, only for her to elbow him in the stomach. When he doubled over she grabbed the bottle and conked HIS back with it, causing him to shoot straight up in pain. He swung at Faye, and connected with her own fist first. Spike then delivered a huge roundhouse kick, and Rangiku delivered a swift punch of her own in his stomach. The guy dove behind the counter, pushing the bartender out of the way, and grabbing a butcher knife. He leaped back out and aimed squarely at Rangiku.

"Ok, toots, ya wanna play with sharp things? Then en garde!" he lunged at Rangiku, only for her to block with her own sword. He parried, thrusted, tried to jab, but she kept blocking him each time and fighting back again and again. He tried to jump on top of the table. Rangiku quickly jumped up too…soon enough the guy was knocked clean off. She followed that up by more examples of her expert swordsmanship until the guy literally had the knife knocked clear out of his hand. Finally when he couldn't even more and Faye gave him one more kick for good measure, Spike grabbed him by the collar and lead him right outside, where Jet was waiting in the Hammerhead.

"Here ya go, Jet. Once nice bounty delivered to the police," he took the bag out of his pocket and threw it to him. "And here's the evidence."

"Heh, woolongs, here we come," he nodded to Rangiku and Faye as they came out to join him. "Nice work, ladies."

"Ladies!" the guy snorted from the Hammerhead. "Yeah, Ladies my ass. Bunch of whores is more like it. They come waltzing in here like prostiutes, almost make me bug my eyes out…and look at them, look at both! You call thise laides…"

"Aw, SHUT UP!" Spike called from inside. Rangiku held up one finger, crawled inside the Hammerhead..and proceeded to punch him right out. Spike smiled as she came out. "In our books, there two are 100% Ladies, than you very much!"

That night on the Bebop…

Ed was laying on her bed as Rangiku stood over her, putting her to bed. Ed snuggled into the blankets happily. "Aunt Rangiku? Will you please tell Ed a story?"

Rangiku smiled and tucked the blanket around Ed's shoulders. "What story do you want to hear?"

"Any story, Aunt Rangiku. Will you tell one? Please?"

Rangiku leaned against the wall and drew her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "Once a long time ago,' she began, "There was a very little girl. She was very poor and had no place to live, because she lost her family in a fire. She found herself in a desolate land with no food in sight. She managed to find some water in a nearby brook but she was very hungry. She was sure she would die of hunger, when she met a young boy about her age. This boy had some parsimmons in his hand and gladly gave her one. He introduced himself to her and when she told him she had nowhere to live, he let her live with him. They spent many hours playing in the land and hunting for food."

Ed rested her head on her arm. "Tell more, Aunt Rangiku," she begged.

"Well, when the boy and girl grew up into a man and a woman, they decided they wanted to better themselves so they entered into the army together. They trained as hard as they could. He soon became a Captain of the 3rd Division and she became a Leiutenant of the 10th division, where she became very close friends with her own captain. They made a lot of new friends and managed to buy themselves fine houses for themselves, lots of good food, and comfortable places to sleep. But unfortunately it couldn't last."

"What happened, Aunt Rangiku?"

"Well, one day a war broke out in the once peaceful land. It turned out that one of the most respectful captains in the army decided that just being a captain wasn't good enough for him. He succumbed to greed and power and decided he wanted a lot more than what he had. He wanted to be the Ultimate Captain of the Army and all the power and priviledge that went with it, so he declared war on the entire army and tried to attempt to take it over. To the woman's shock and heartbreak, the man who saved her life- her oldest and dearest friend- had succumbed to temptation and had joined up with the enemy's side. It absolutely pained her to have to fight against the very same boy who had saved her life so many years ago and had showed her where to find food and how to stay alive. This same playmate was now her enemy. It killed her inside whenever they had to fight, but she knew she had to do it. She could never turn her back on the army, and especially not her own captain who she had vowed to stay with come what may."

Ed by this time was half asleep. "Tell more, Aunt Rangiku," she said.

"Well, the battle grew stronger and fiercer, with each side trying to get at the other, but both sides determined to win at any cost. Finally the woman managed to catch her one-time friend. She tried to get him to tell her why he had done what he did. She felt if she could only get him to open up, she might find her long-ago friend again. She never gave up hope that he was still there. But unfortunately, just as he was about to tell her, the traitor killed him. She watched her dear friend die right in front of her, and with his dieing breath he apologized for hurting her all this time, and finally told her the truth."

"What was the truth?" Ed asked.

"He had turned to the bad side mainly so he could find out the trator's plan so he could avenge the woman. See, when she was still very young the traitor attacked her and stole some things from her, and her friend only pretended to turn to the bad side so he could try to get revenge…but he never got it."

"Was the woman sad?"

"She was so sad. She was sad, puzzled, confused, and distraught over all that had happened. She was so sad she even wanted to leave the army forever. For the longest time she stayed in her house. She didn't want to talk to anyone, she didn't want to see anyone…she just wanted to leave the whole world behind."

"But she didn't?"

"She almost did, if it wasn't for her own captain. After she didn't show up for work for weeks and weeks he grew worried about her. He went to see her at her house and talked to her. He told her how worried he was for her, and he said that if she needed to talk he was there for her and always would be. He told her that it wasn't good to shut herself away from the world. He would be there, he would talk to her. Even though her friend had died, she was not entirely alone. She would never be alone as long as he was there. She took him up on his offer and for the next year they were always seen together. She did start coming to work again and during lunch…or during breaks…or even in the middle of the day when she didn't think she could go on, her captain would take her to the couch and sit with her. They would just hold hands and talk. They started out just talking about the war, and how she was hurting. But soon they began to talk about personal things…and she realized she was enjoying her Captain's company more and more. Soon their friendship grew and grew. They started having dinner at each other's homes and spending as much time together as they could. And soon a wonderful thing happened between them."

"What Aunt Rangiku?"

"She realized she had fallen in love! She has fallen tenderly in love with her Captain. Her own dear sweet Captain had pulled her from the brink of sadness and had shown her how to love again!"

"And did they get married?"

Rangiku looked down. "Well, no," she admitted. "They wanted to..they did so much. But it turns out that Captains and Lieutenants from the same Squad were forbidden to fall in love with each other."

'You mean like Romeo and Juliet?"

"In a way. Only one of the Captains who discovered their love sent the woman far far away, with the threat of telling the Ultimate Captain of their affair and having them both kicked out. The woman loved her Captain so much she couldn't bear to have that happen to him. So she left him a goodbye note of love and left. She went down to another land and was thinking of a way to start over."

"What happened?"

"Well then something really nice happened. She met a very nice woman and helped her to defeat a horrid thief. The woman

immediately asked her to join her group."

"Then what happened?"

"Then she ended up starting her life anew. She found a brand new home..and four of the best friends anyone could ever hope to ask for!"

"And she lived happily ever after?" Ed asked sleepily.

"Well…the story is far from over…"Rangiku said softly. "I do admit, she still misses her own home and her old friends terribly. She enjoys her new home…and she couldn't ask for better friends…but a part of her is always gone..and it belongs to the Captain, and the love she left behind. She'll always love her Captain, and she knows that he's OK, even though she'll never see him again. But she knew leaving him was the best. Her new friends truly make her feel needed and wanted and every day is a new adventure. She'll never know what she's doing next. But a part of her will always want to be with him." There was a small snore, and Rangiku turned to see that Ed had fallen asleep. Smiling, Rangiku adjusted her blankets and kissed her gentily on the cheek before carefully standing up and walking out of the room. Slowly she walked down the hallway, thinking of the story she had just told Ed. She stood in front of the window, Toshiro's face still freshly etched in her mind. She knew that that image would never go away from her mind...or from her heart. She knew that Toshiro was a permanent part of her, and a portion of her heart would forever remain empty. She touched the silver locket that was dangling around her neck, staring at the small blue star glowing above her head. Blinking back tears she stared at the small glow. "Good night, Toshiro.." she whispered. She closed her eyes, seeing his handsome face reflected behind her eyelids. In the wind she heared his gentile tender voice, whispering right to her.

"Good night, Rangiku."

Hop[e this makes up for the fac that we don;t have either Bebop or Bleach tonight. Hope you like it.

[MegaNaraku]

Very very good chapter. I LOVE the ending. so emotional :3

[Ranlsa]

Thank you so much. hey, if we can't have Bebop tonight, a Bebop fanfic is the next best thing.

What did you think of the fight in the bar and Ikkaku's scenes?

[Jingai]

Go Soi Fon. (Never thought I'd be posting that. )

Renji as a petty thief, say it ain't so. (It ain't which is good.)

If Ikkaku's lucky dance won't work, that must be some serious funk.

That petty thief never stood a chance. Smallest of the small fry, they could have dealt with

him anytime. I get the feeling Rangiku was just showing off.

That's a sad story at the end.

Well written chapter, I really enjoyed reading it.

[Ranlsa]

Yeah, Toshiro and Rangiku are missing each other very much. it;'s like her life story that she told to Ed, even though she likes her new home and she now has 4 of the best friends she could everr hope to ask for, a part of her still feels empty without her Toshiro, and Toshiro is miserable without her.

yeah, you can just picture SioFon doing just that. I had to throw in the old gag in which you can TELL the character is cursing but something really loud is happening that blocks it all out (such as the train coming in this case)

Half showing off and half thre case of 'you do NOT want to insult her OR her sword at all in front of her face!' (and you DON'T!)

So glad you liked it!

[MegaNaraku]

I think you got Ikkaku's personality down pretty well

[Ranlsa]

Hey, thanks. So who's your avatar today?

[renjifan22]

That chapter was sooo good! I really loved the bar fight. It was very realistic. I could actually see something like that happening in Bebop

The ending was very sad, but well written.

Overall, another great chapter. Good job!

[Ranlsa]

I'm so glad you liked it. Like I said I wanted to make this as close to a real Bebop ep as I couldn. After all we were deprived of Bebop this weekend, so this was a way to make up for it...just a little bit.

Yeah, I wanted to make it clear that even though Rangiku loves it there on the Bebop and thinks of them as the best friends she ever had, a part of her still misses Toshiro and will always be in love with him. It;'s the old case of wishing you could be in two places at once.

But I'm so glad you liked it.

[Ranlsa]

Just a short note to saty that I'm sorry the next chapter is taking so long. with Lent and the Easter season it was kinda crazy around here. But I am working on the new part and hopefully will have it ready soon.

[Ranlsa]

Hi there. Sorry this topok so long, but I finally have it ready. Becasue I won;t be here for Jupitor Jazz tonight, hopefully I can make it up by posting the next part of my Bebop fanfic. In honor of the two parter that IS Jupitor Jazz, this is also a two=parter. This is part one...for now..

Session 37- The End Of The Innocence- Part 1

In Soul Society…

"NO Rangiku, No 10th Squad! She goes, we go!" the sounds of the protestors came through the entire society, each one even louder than the one before. Yamamoto groaned and held his head in his hands. This was just great! They had just gotten over the Winter War, had managed to capture Aizen AND gotten through the whole escapde with the Quincys…and now THIS! He was almost tempted to ask how things could get any worse if he didn't know that was tentamount to a death sentence.

SioFon was walking past the protestors with Momo. "How's your brother doing?" she asked.

Momo sighed. "Not too well, Captain SioFon. In fact, I think he's even worse then he was the day before. Nana comes over as much as she can to try to cheer her up and make him happy.."

"Well, I don't know how much longer she can. According to her records, it's almost gonna be time for her to go."

Momo looked eat her. "Ya mean..""

"Yes, her soul is almost completely clean. She's going to be able to ascend to Ultimate Heaven very soon."

'Oh, that would be so wonderful…oh, but I don't know if she'll want to go right now..and leave Toshiro in the state he's in?"

"Well, I can talk to the head Angels and see if she can't stay down here just a little while longer."

"That's good. "

"Yeah..what with the Soul Society out at least 2 Squads…it's bad enough that Captain Yamamoto has to deal with getting a brand new 12th Squad captain now that Myori was finally excommunicated and cast down to hell.."

"What took them so long to do that?"

"I think that's what God Himself asked Captain Yamamoto! Good riddance I say! I never liked him from the very moment he set FOOT in this Society!"

"You and me both, Ma'am!"

"Actually I heard that Captain Yamamoto is gonna call a special meeting of the Soul Reaper Captains soon, but he's not asking Captain Hitsugaya to join us."

"I wonder why?"

"Guess he's figured he's been through enough. Can't say I blame him for thinking that."

Meanwhile in Squad 7, Captain Komamura came into his office, holding his ears and wincing with pain at the noise.

"Louder than usual, Captain?" Iba asked him.

"You have no idea," he sighed. "Do we have any more aspirin?"

Iba reached for the bottle on his own desk and held it up to look at it. "Sorry, Captain, I guess I used the last ones a few minutes ago."

Komamura sighed and took the cotton ball that was still in the bottle. "That's all right," he tore it in two and stuffed each half in his ears. "Who needs aspirin?" He nodded and went to the back of the office for some tea.

ON THE BEBOP…

"Bounty! Bounty!" Ed crowed as the bright red light flashed brilliantly from her computer. Immidiately Spike, Faye, Jet, and Rangiku ran out to into the front hall.

"Bounty? What is it, Ed?" Jet asked. Glancing at the computer he gave a long low whistle. "Oh boy…"

"What, Jet?" Spike asked.

"Turns out that some bigwigs stole the blueprints to a top secret computer system developed by the government. Bounty here looks to be along the lines of some…50,000 woolongs, plus some extra 30,000 if the plans are safelty recovered…"

"80,000 Woolongs?" Faye cried out.

"What are WE waiting for? An engraved invitation? " Spike said eagerly. "Let's get at it!"

"Hold on there, Spike-O," Jet warned. "We're dealing with international espionage. These fellows could be potentially armed and dangerous, especially if they're planning to sell it to the enemies of the U.S.A. We better proceed with extreme caution."

"Yeah, I'M not the one you should be warning about that, Jet," Spike reminded him, with a subtle glance at Faye.

"Whaaaaat?" Faye said, pouting. "I swear, Spike, you're just so suspicious of people! Need I remind you that I haven't behaved like that in the past few months?"

"Only cause Rangiku here's a walking miracle worker.." Spike cracked. 'Speaking of which, Rangiku, you got that sword of yours all ready to go?"

"I do," Rangiku said, taking out Heinako. "It's all ready and raring to go."

"Ok," Jet said. "Now I think the first thing we should do is figure out the last places these goons were seen. The leader is a guy who calls himself Lantern 7. Ed, see if you can get a make on them."

"Right!" She began to type away. "Searching….searching…where aaaaaaaare you….found it, Papa!"

Jet checked the coordinates. "Ok…according to this the men were last seen spotted near San Antonio…"

"One of the Southernmost states, right near Mexico…how quaint," Spike said.

"Yeah? Too quaint if ya ask me," Jet said. "Let's go check it out, but don't all rush in at once. Just walk in nonchalantly, take a seat, order some drinks.."

"Ya hear that, Faye? Make sure your partner doesn't order too many drinks," Spike teased, jerking his thumb at Rangiku.

"Never on the job," Rangiku said.

LATER IN THE BAR…

The front door closed with a huge crash, causing the members of the gang to jump in their seats. The leader of the group stopped drinking his mug of beer long enough to stare cold eyed, at the skinny young man in the wrinkled shirt and jeans who trudged over to the table and flopped in the nearest seat. "What's the matter with YOU?" he asked.

"I got caught sneaking outta the movies," he answered.

"Sneaking OUT? What did ya do a stupid thing like THAT for?"

"Cause I sneaked in!"

His friend near him slammed down his own mug. 'We got an important meeting in about a half hour, and he goes to the movies?"

Another man got up from the table and started pacing. 'Where ARE they? Are we having a meeting tonight or aren't we?"

"Ah cool it, they'll be here," the leader said, picking up his beer again. "With all the stuff we got," he put his leg on a large black briefcase near his feet,

"They wouldn't DARE miss this."

"Yeah, guess you're right, Lantern 7. But man, this waiting is making me as nervous as all get out. Wish they'd just get here already."

"They will, they will," Lantern 7 pointed out. "Don't worry. You know how much these little babies are worth? Close to 500,000 woolings! I tell ya no one would pass up an opportunity to pass this up!"

"Yeah, but boss…what if they already know that these things are taken? I mean…what if they try to put out bounties on us…what if…"

"What if ya button your fat lip?" Lantern 7 asked, annoyed. "I tell you we got no reason to worry. No reason at all. They're gonna come in about a half an hour, we're gonna make the deal, they take the plans to their own country, we split up the money and head for California. I tell ya in a half an hour we got it made. "

"Well, I wish they would just get here already! This half an hour deal is giving me the willies.."

"Will ya just stop? Just sit down, you're making everyone here nervous." His head snapped up again. "Hey, look, I think one of the guys is here already!"

As the rest of them looked a tall lanky young man who's face was partially covered by his wide-brimmed hat came into the bar and over to the table.

"Lybia?" Lantern 7 asked. The man nodded. Lantern 7 nodded back and pulled out the nearest chair. "Sit." The man did so. "So, we gonna get down to business?"

"Sure," the man replyed. "But first, let me see what you got?"

Lantern 7 picked up the briefcase and plopped it on the table. "But first things first, pal. Let's see some ID."

"Well, like you said, first things first. I'll show ya my ID, but first I wanna know how you got these things out of the Government Building. "

"Why should I trust you?"

"Ha, why should I trust YOU?"

Lantern 7 smiled. "Fair enough. You know your stuff, don't ya?"

"I have experience with this kinda stuff. In fact I think I was a Negotiator in a past life. So…"

Lantern 7 grinned. "Real simple. It's easy when you work from inside the job."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Actually I been working in the building for months…as a cafeteria worker. I made sure I was there, listening to the workers as they talked. It's easy to find out important things when they think you're not paying attention and just doing your job."

"Is that right?"

"Hell yeah! By working in the cafeteria and paying close attention when they thought I was just heating up the lunch, I was able to find out everything," he laughed. "Ain't it ironic? These cell phones have been around for 400 years, and they STILL can't make them evesdrop-proof! Ya can get everything just from them alone!" He turned serious. "Now, nothing in the world ain't free, bud. You got the check and the ID?"

"No check on me yet…but I definitely got the ID.." and with that Spike removed his hat, causing them all to gasp.

"Oh GEEZ, it's Spike Spegal."

"In person. Lantern 7, I believe?"

The rest of the gang stood up, knocking their chairs over. Lantern 7 couldn't help but notice they were hesitating. "Come on! What are you #### doing?"

"Well, Boss…this is.."

"I KNOW who this is!"

"Well, what do ya know! I'm famous!"

"Not for long you ain't! Get him, you idiots! We got him outnumbered 5 to 1!"

"Correction," Faye said, jumping out from behind the wall where she was hidden. "It's 5 against 4!"

"Four?"

Rangiku then jumped out. "Can't you count? He said four!"

One of the men stared, clearly thunderstruck. "Well, well, well, lookie what WE got here! Hey, gorgeous…what's a model like you doing in a place like…OOOF!" he flinched when Rangiku responded to that by shoving her elbow in his ribcage.

"They're for LOOKING, not TOUCHING!"

"Hey, you're the one who's practically letting those puppies hang all out there, toots!"

"You better watch it, or your eyes are gonna end up in the palm of MY hand, buster!"

"Oh yeah? HA! How much of that silicone I gotta dig into to actually touch SKIN?"

From out of nowhere Jet came up behind him, got him in a choke hold, and pressed his gun into his neck. "Naughty, naughty, naughty, making passes like that to a lady. Oh, what have we here? Scotch?" he picked up the half empty glass that was right in front of the thief. "Don't mind if I do," he downed the rest and slammed the glass on the table. "Now…you gonna be a good boy and come quietly with your friends?"

"I'd like to answer on his behaf," Lantern 7 cried out, pulling his gun and shooting Jet in the arm. To his surprise Jet didn't even flinch, just grabbed the arm slightly. That moment was enough for the goon, who raced over to join the boss. But just before they could crow about the turn of events, Jet casually rolled up the arm they shot, to reveal his steel artificial one. "Holy Smoke, the guy's a cyborg!"

"Naw…just extremely lucky," Jet answered.

"Don't just stand there, idiots!" Lantern 7 cried out, pushing the guy ahead of him. "Get the guns! Move it, go go…" he was interrupted by Spike's fist to his face. The guy stood up. "Oh, you're gonna PAY for that, man!" Immidiately he jumped on the table and attempted to give Spike a roundhouse kick…which Spike expertly blocked with ease. Spike then grabbed the guy around the neck and expertly flipped him up and over his shoulder. Quickly Lantern 7 jumped up and began to inflict punch after kick to Spike, who managed to block each one. He then delivered some of his own, which Lantern 7 sometimes blocked…but not all the time to his great misfortune.

Meanwhile his group grabbed their guns and flipped over tables, hiding behind them as they began to take shots. Faye and Jet did the same, while Rangiku grabbed a man from behind the table and held her sword to his neck. "No sudden moves, understand?" she asked in a deep serious voice.

"Or you'll do what?" the guy asked, "Hold me down and do your own brand of punishing to me?"

"What do you mean by that?" she asked menacingly.

"You know #### well what I mean, toots…or should I call you T I T S!"

In a flash, Rangiku kicked him as hard as he could, causing him to sail up and overhead in to the bathroom. "My name is Rangiku Matsumoto, and you better not forget it!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," came another guy. "Look, babe, you wanna be known BY your name..here's a bit of advice, straight from me to you…LAY OFF THE SURGERY! Of course, I can easily help ya there," he took aim at his gun. "Bartender, make like a mallard and duck the silicone that's gonna come flying out!" But Rangiku blocked the incoming bullets with her sword, to his great shock. She then ran to him and with a single swish of her sword, cut his gun in two, causing the powder to casually spill out. The guy immediately put his hands in the air. "Don't cut me, babe…don't...don't cut me.." In answer Rangiku knocked him out cold with a fist to the face. Spike, who had just done the same to another goon lifted up his gun as a salute to her. She smiled and raised her sword in answer. Quickly Lantern 7 jumped on Spike's back from behind, but Spike was able to elbow him in the ribs and flip him over. Lantern 7 jumped up just then, and he and Spike began to trade blows.

Meanwhile Rangiku glanced backward, and to her horro she saw one of the goons slipping up on Faye with the back of his gun raised, about to deliver a crushing blow to her head while she was distracted. "Oh no," she said to herself before screaming, "FAYE!" Unfortunately by that time the barroom was so full of kicking, punching, throwing, and guns going off that Faye was unable to hear her. Rangiku cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed, "FAYE!" But again she was unable to be heard. Knowing she couldn't run over there in time and the gun bottom was already on the way down, she thought quickly, Rolling up her sleeve and glancing quickly around to make sure no one was watching, she pointed toward the good and cried out, "Hado 4. Byakuyai!" Immidiately a burst of blue lightening flew out of her index finger and rammed right through the guy, who screamed, dropped his gun, and grabbed his injured arm.

"ARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH, #### it, what the hell did ya DO to me? What are ya, some sort of witch?" THAT was all it took for Faye to turn sharply around, realize what he was about to do, and sock him right in the jaw. She then turned to Rangiku to give her a grateful smile, which Rangiku returned. However, what Rangiku didn't know was that Spike had seen everything out of the corner of his eye and his mouth dropped open.

"What the…" he mumbled, and quickly turned to Jet, who also was looking at her. "Jet, did ya see.."

"Yeah, I saw.." just then another gunshot came close to him, causing him to turn around and shoot the guy in him arm. "For a mobster, you gotta work on your aim, buddy! You could take out someone's ear!"

Spike and Rangiku both turned at the same time to see Lantern 7 running quickly toward the door with the bag slung over his shoulder. "Hey, hey, HEY!" He cried out. "Jet, I'm going after Lantern!"

"I'll go with you!" Rangiku said, running out the door after Spike. Shielding her eyes, she saw where Lantern was, and knowing that neither she nor Spike could successfully catch him at the rate he was going by running normally, she allowed herself to flash-step until she was directly in front of him.

"HA, they think they got me..forget it," Lantern 7 mumbled to himself, "Just gotta get a safe distance, then I can call.." he then looked in front of him...only to see Rangiku standing there! "Wha…but…wha…how'd you...with the...you were in there, but here now, you are...for me to see...how'd ya do?"

"I happen to be an excellent runner," Rangiku said. "And just to be SURE you can't get away from me before Spike gets here, BAKUTO NUMBER ONE...SAI!" She made a slicing motion in the air with her hands and the guy went down with his arms behind his back, paralysed.

"####, what the hell…what did ya do to me ya #### ####? You some sort of sorceress? What…how…I can't..how.."

Rangiku spotted Spike coming toward her, so she waved her hand over the guy to free him. As soon as Spike came Lantern 7 glared at him. "What the hell did you get in your group, some sorceress? This lady..and I use that term loosely… she performed some sort of black magic on me here!"

Spike looked at Rangiku. "Hey, how'd ya get here so fast?"

"I'm a very quick runner."

"####, she didn't just run! She appeared in a huge burst of light, and then she waved her hand and said some chat and paralyzed me, I couldn't move my arms! Man, she's a #### witch I tell ya! She;'s a ####.."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Spike mumbled. "Sure she did. Yeah, I suppose the next thing you're gonna tell me is that she flew here, right?"

"I tell ya she appeared in a flash of light! She DID, and she did some chant, I tell ya I couldn't move! She's a #### witch! I.."

BAM!

Spike knocked him out on the ground. "Now you should know that's not how we talk to a lady!" With Rangiku's help he managed to drag the unconscious Lantern 7 back into the bar where Jet and Faye had tied everyone up. "And by the way, in case you guys are wondering, your friends aren't coming. We took the liberty of imforming the Mexican police of their antics, and they're being apprehended right now!"

IN THE SOUL SOCIETY…

One of Captain Yamamoto's Squad was on the phone in his office talking to Byakuya, while Yamamoto himself sat upon his chair listening to every word. "Yes, that's right. Captaim Yamamoto strictly requests to see you in his office this afternoon."

"Without fail," Yamamoto coached him.

"Without fail," there was a pause as Byakuya spoke from the other end. "Yes…yes this IS of the utmost importance."

"We regret this course of action," Yamamoto recited.

'We regret this course of action.."

"After all you have served this society for a great many years.."

"After all you have served this society for a great many years.."

"As did your father and grandfather before you."

"As did your father and grandfather before you."

Byakuya's face turned a bit pale at these words but he cleared his throat. "Of course, captain. I shall be there at once." Later on that day, he came on the familiar path toward the First Squad Office. The protestors who were outside stopped and made way for him, giving him filthy glances as he made his way up the stairs. When he went into the main hall he was met by two of the First Squad officers, who lead him to the Meeting Room. As soon as the doors were open the familiar sight of the Captains lined up in two straight lines with Yamamoto directly in the middle greeted him. He had time to notice that Captain Hitsugaya was not with them, although the three newer Captains were.

"Come Forward, Captain Kuchiki," Yamamoto ordered. Byakuya marched forward until he was right in front of the two lines. There was an uncomfortable pause for a few moments until Yamamoto pointed his cane at Captain Urahara. "Well, what are you waiting for, get on with it."

"Yes, Sir," she said stepping forward and clearing her throat. "In the year 33AD the Son of God Himself, the Lord J e s u s C h r i s t was betrayed by his own Apostle, Judas Iscarot to the Sanhedrin for 30 pieces of silver. He was then put through a mockery of a Kangaroo Court and given over to Pilate. Do you know what happened then, Byakuya?"

"Yes, Captain Urahana, I do. Pilate, ever the coward that he was, did not want to get involved. So he brought J e s u s  and the murderer Barabbus to the people asking which one he should set free. The people behaved very rudely, and stirred on by the Sanhedrin and their lies they demanded Barabbus be released to them. J e s u s  was than handed over to be crucified. This was a horrid and cowardly act…even for Pilate."

"Precisely. But in the frenzy that these acts stirred, one of the Angels in Heaven neglected to inform the Soul Society of these preceedings. Panic insued within these walls. There was protesting in the Soul Society."

"From that day to this," Yamamoto continued, "There has never been protesting in this office…" he stopped and leaned in close. "UNTIL THIS YEAR!

Protesting, Sir, that was caused by the horrid behavior of you yourself and your deciding to make yourself Head Captain around here without informing me! Protesting caused by your disgraceful treatment of Lieutenant Matsumoto! Do you deny this?"

"No, sir. But I do not regret my actions. The rules have always been set, Sir, and I did not think you would have made any exceptions. Captains and Lieutenants should not be in a relationship with one another. It is too risky to the Squad itself and too unhealthy for the both of them… "

"Am I the Head Captain here or are you?" Yamamoto asked with anger. "If I say they may be together, then they may be together! The last time I checked, Sir, this is NOT your office, nor are you taking over for me…nor for anyone for that matter. I have spared Captain Hitsugaya of this meeting. I figured that this reminder of what you have done is the last thing he needs right now. I think I can honestly speak for everyone here when I say that your disgraceful behavior would have put your dear father and grandfather to SHAME!" There was a big pause after that. "Well, don't dawdle, get on with it," Yamamoto urged Urahana.

"Yes, Sir," she said quickly. She marched right over to Byakuya and ripped off his armband, tore it in half, and lifted up his hand, slapping the ripped armband into it. She then quickly pulled off the sash holding Byakuya's Captain Robe and unceremoniously threw it down. She then removed the Captain's Robe from Byakuya, folded it up, and gave it to Captain Yamamoto.

"As I'm sure you have figured out…Byakuya Kuchiki, you have hereby been stripped of your rank. As of now you are no longer the Captain of the 6th Squad. I suggest you clean out your desk at once and retire to your home until we decide what to do with you. You are dismissed. Right now. Leave my office at once!Your father and grandfather would be ashamed. Be gone from my sight!" Without another word, Byakuya slowly turned and left. When he reached the stairs, he was greeted by the protestors who booed and hissed at him, yelling all kinds of things and throwing rolled up papers at him.

Fighting his way off he bumped into Soi Fon.

"Hello, Byakuya," was all she said before punching him in the face and sending him right into the 6th Squad office. "That felt good," she smiled.

"You've just been waiting to do that all day, weren't ya?" Kempachi asked.

"What can HE do to me? He's not a fellow Captain anymore!"

"That was really good, Captain!" Her Lieutenant cried out. 'You sent him right into his office. JUST what he deserved!"

She turned to her own office. "Omeada?"

"Yes, ma'am?" he said from the window of the 2nd Squad Office.

"Go home. You can have the rest of the day off."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm feeling like celebrating today. I'll be down at Yurorichi-Sama's all day should anyone need me."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

ON THE BEBOP…

Later that night, Spike and Jet were lounging around on the couch, smoking cigarettes and chatting. Spike looked in the direction of the girl's room. "I dunno, Jet," Spike said. "There's something kinda weird going on with Rangiku."

"Yeah…ya noticed that too, huh?"

"I mean, did ya see that bolt of lightening that came out of her finger? I swear..big blue bolt..and it fried that guy's shoulder!"

"Hmm…maybe she's a magician! That's part of her bag of tricks?"

"They have maguic in the Military?"

"Hey, they gotta do something to keep from going crazy. Maybe that's just one of the thing they do!"

"I dunno…then when Rangiku and I were chasing that guy…I know she was in back of me, cause I ran put first..but by the time I got there she was standing right over him and he was yelling something about witches and flashes of light!"

"Flashes of light? Now I KNOW that guy probably taste tested some drugs before he was probably gonna sell them too as extra!"

"Yeah, well that still doesn't explain how she DID get there so fast without either one of us seeing her or how she made that bolt of lightening come out of her hand…" he took a long drag of his cigarette. "I don't think we're dealing with an ordinary woman here…"

Jet put out his cigarette before Spike followed suit. "I think you're right…"

Meanwhile in Faye's room, Faye had gathered some potato chips and salsa to celebrate their capture (and bounty reward) and was waiting for Rangiku to get out of the shower. She quickly set everything up and heard the water turn off. Turning around, she saw the dainty silver locket Rangiku always wore resting upon her nightstand. Trying to be thoughtful Faye picked it up and held it out, intending to give it to Rangiku when she came into the room. Unfortunately it slipped from her hands and landed on the floor, opening in the process. Faye stared at the picture in the open locket as she picked it up. The picture was of a rather handsome but youthful looking young man in a black robe and white kimono. He had silvery-white hair and big turquoise eyes. He had a rather handsome but serious expression on his face.

"Faye!"

Faye jumped up quickly and looked toward the doorway to see Rangiku standing there. Temporarily speechless Faye held out the silver locket toward her. Rangiku stared at it horrified, then quickly grabbed it and shoved it into the drawer. Faye stood up just them. "Rangiku?"

"Faye…please…just forget you ever saw that.." Rangiku said with her back to Faye.

"Rangiku? Who was that in the locket?"

'I…I don't want anyone to know…just…forget you saw him..please…"

"Why not? He looks nice. Really handsome.."

"He is…he's so nice..the sweetest, kindest man you could ever meet…"

"So…who is it?" Rangiku didn't move from the dressor. Faye slowly walked up to her and put her hand on her shoulder. "Rangiku? Who is that? You can tell me."

After a few moments she whispered, "That's Toshiro…my Captain.."

"Oh? THAT'S him, huh?" Rangiku nodded. "Oooohhh, you bad bad girl…carrying a picture of your CAPTAIN in your locket? Naughty naughty.." she teased…until she realized there were tears forming in Rangiku's eyes. "Oh…Rangiku…are you OK..I mean, you know I was only kidding when I said you were…," her eyes grew wide as the thought came to her. "oh boy…open mouth, insert foot."

"Please…don't tell…"

"Rangiku…are you…" Rangiku nodded.

"I…I love him, Faye…" after a pause she took the locket out and showed it to Faye. "If it weren;t for him..I know I wouldn't be here today talking to you..I owe my life to him..I owe everything to him.."

"Is THAT why you left this military place?" Rangiku slowly put the locket back on. "Is it? You can tell me, Rangiku. You're my best friend. I love you…if something happened, I want to know. I won't tell the boys if I don't have to."

Rangiku slowly climbed upon her bed. "All right..I'll tell you." She took a deep breath. "See, the truth is. Our Military Organization is really called the Soul Society, and I've been a part of it all my life," she looked down. "Actually, truth be known..Toshiro wasn't my fuirst love."

"Oh yeah, that ghuy you mentioned before..Gin, right/"

"Yes..in fact what happened with Gin lead to Toshiro and I getting together. See…I first came to the Soul Society when I was a little girl and I had just lost my parents."

"How old were you?"

"Very young..I think I was only about 5 or 6. I had lost my parents in a big fire…and I found myself in this place called Rakungai. That was the poor side of town. I wandered around the place looking for something to eat…but I had no luck finding anything. I nearly starved to death when Gin found me. He gave me a parsimmon and we started talking."

"And those became your favorite food?"

Rangiku gave a sad smile. "Yes…and we became the best of friends. When he learned that I couldn't remember my birthday he told me the day we met could be my birthday, September 29. We were together ever since then and he got me into the Soul Reaper Academy. We both registered because we knew that we could better our lives."

"And you both did."

"Mmm-hmm. In fact due to my training on how to detect auras and how to recognize potential soldiers I was able to get Toshiro into the Society."

"You were?"

"Yeah. See, I ran into Toshiro when a lot of older and bigger bullies were making fun of him. I helped him chase them away, but then we got into a small

argument. But during that argument I was able to sense his aura grow bigger and bigger."

"His aura?"

"Yeah. His aura..or his spirit energy. Your spirit energy determines how powerful you are and how much potential you have in being a fighter."

"You can...you can sense SPIRIT energy?"

"Oh yes...it's kind of something you're born with," she smiled. "I can tell that you ALL have a LOT of spirit energy within you. It's how you're able to catch bounties so well."

"So...go on."

"Toshiro had so much spirit energy I knew he could be a great fighter. I was able to track down his energy and tell him all about the Soul Society and how he had potential to be a great soldier," she had a quiver in her voice and she looked down, touching her locket. "It's funny…I think I started to sense something happening between us even then. So I got Toshiro into the Soul Society as well. In fact, He became the Captain of the 10th Squad, and I became his Lieutenant. Gin became the Captain of the 3rd Squad. Everything seemed to be all right…or so I thought. Until we found out the Captain of the 5th Squad- Aizen- he turned traitor to our Society," Faye's head quickly lifted up. "He wanted to be the Head of the Society…and use the power from that to gain control over the Universe…and nothing was going to stop him. He turned me against my own dear friend Orihime by making me and my friends believed she had turned traitor to our Society and joining him. It was only much later that I found out it was a lie and she had actually been held hostage by him..and I wasn;t down there to help her because of those lies. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that…"

"That was devastating enough…but when I heard that Gin was his second-in-command…I mean…my own best friend…my first friend ever…my first boyfriend..a traitor..a traitor to my own Captain…to my Society…"

"Yeah, you told us about that. It turned out that dummy was actually trying to get revenge for him attacking you as a kid but the genius didn't think to tell you about it. Leaving you devastated and confused."

"Yeah. If it weren;t for Toshiro..I don't know what I would HAVE done! Toshiro…my own captain…the one I used to drive crazy for shirking the paperwork or going shopping..he managed to put all that aside when I needed him. He was just…always there for me. When I needed someone to talk to about how I was feeling..or just some support..he was there. "

"He must have been a hell of a guy.."

"He was…and when I finally was able to confront Gin..Gin ened up getting stabbed by Aizen..that cold hearted bastard found out what Gin was really up too. Only I didn't find out until after Gin was stabbed and dieing…he confessed how he was doing that to get revenge for me. He wanted to gain Aizen;s truth so he could infiltrate his plans and get rid of him from the inside out…but he missed…and it couldn't..and he died right in front of me…"

"That dumbbell," Faye said. "Did it ever occur to him to tell you this? No."

"I know…and I felt so confused…I felt depressed…upset..confused…I didn't know what to do…where to turn…" her eyes filled with tears again. "If it weren;t for Toshiro…oh, Toshiro…he saved my life..he saved me..I would have died if not for him! I swear I would have. I…I would have killed myself…just to end it..and these feelings…end them all. I went so crazy and confused I even cut my hair off…"

"You did?" Faye said, staring at her locks.

"Oh it grew back."

By this time Faye was hanging on her every word. "What did he do?" she asked. "Please don't stop."

"Well…you know I love drinking.."

"Yeah, it's kinda hard not to see that."

"Well…I gathered all the wine and liquor I could find..and I was just gonna use them to drink myself to death. I just wanted the pain to go away…I wanted it all to end…I wanted it all to go away…I had just drunk half the bottle when I heard a sound. Toshiro somehow…to this day I have no idea how he heard about what I planned to do…or how he got there so fast. But he did. He managed to break down the door to my house, and before I knew what was happening he was wrestling the bottle from me hand! He just took it out of my hands. I wrestled with him for it…but I have no idea how he managed to get it out of my hands. I just collapsed in tears. But Toshiro held me. He….he just held me…he told me that I shouldn't even think about killing myself…about ending it all. He said that he knows that I'm hurting now…but if I were to go through with it there would be so many more people that would get hurt. My entire Squad, who would be without a Lieutenant…and my friends in the Soul Society who would miss me if anything were to happen…and then he said that I would hurt HIM more than anyone. He considered me such a close friend…he would be hurt more than anyone. He would miss me so much. Just…just the fact that….he would say those words to me…and he said then with sincereity too. He said he never forgot how I had helped him become a member of Soul Society and how he became a Captain because of me. He would never have forgiven himself if anything happened to me. Just the fact that he cared so much…the fact that he was there and stayed with me, and told me I could always talk to him and he would be there for me…it gave me the courage to go on. And…well…I'm not gonna lie, it took about a year for me to get over the hurt. But Toshiro was there…he was always there. He would tell me to stop working if he could see I couldn't go through with it, and he would take my hand and lead me to the couch and talk to me. He would hold my hand if I needed him to. He would also escort me home…and he would cook for me if he saw I couldn't…he would go with me to Gin;s grave so I could get closure. Soon I began to feel better. So I invited him to my house for dinner to thank him for being there. I realized how much I enjoyed his company and having him over at my house for dinner. I began inviting him more and more. He kept inviting me as well. Then we'd go to different places for dinner as well. Then we began going to places like movies and picnics together. I enjoyed him more and more and I had such fun around him. And soon I realized something…something that I never thought would ever happen. I…I was in love with him!" She looked down again. "I…I was in love..with my own Captain!"

"So..what's wrong with that? That's great!"

"No…no it wasn't. he's my Captain..and I was his Lieutenant! We can't get close to each other, it's against the rules. Which makes it rather ironic. He and I are some of the biggest rule sticklers..and here we were breaking one of the oldest rules!"

"But..it wasn't your fault! You couldn't help how you felt! Besides…what's wrong with what happened? You found a new love!"

"What's wrong is that it wasn't allowed to happen! But, we let it. I tried to keep my feelings in check around him, because I know how dedicated to the rules he was. But then..last year for my birthday, he gave me a special gift.." she touched her necklace. "He gave me this locket. He said that he wanted to give me something so I'll know how special he thought I was. This necklace became my prized possession. It's...the most important thing to me..I've never taken this off..ever. I was so moved I leaned in to kiss him…I swear I thought I was only kissing him on the cheek. But I guess a noise startled him..and next thing I knew…we were kissing right on our lips! And…I didn't want to stop! His kisses…were unlike anything I ever felt! It was even more wonderful then when Gin kissed me. The minute I kissed him..I could never, ever kiss another…ever.." she swallowed as tears formed in her throat. "It turns out that Toshiro…he left the same way I did…and he knew like I did we had to hide these feelings…but once they were unleashed…"

"You guys couldn't stop your feelings.." Faye finished.

"Yes…exactly. In a way I know how Spike and Julia felt. It might be going against the back of our Head Captain…but we also know we couldn't stop how we felt. We started meeting secretly…for picnics, for movies…we would go everywhere thinking we were safe…until.."

Faye leaned in close. "Until?"

"We were betrayed. Betrayed by one of Toshiro's own fellow Captains…"

"That Byakuya guy?"

"Yes…it was the dead of night..and Toshiro and I were having a picnic in a special place in the park we had gone before. It was a small little grotto no one hardly went, so he figured we were safe. It was soo romanric…the stars were shining…the moon was out..and me with Toshiro…with the man I love…right near me…holding me…before I knew it we were kissing..it was soo lovely…but then a voice…that horrible stupid voice…broke through…saying 'What on Earth are you both doing?' That's when I knew…we were caught."

"What happened then?"

"Then…I knew we broke the rules. Byakuya even said that we would both be reported to Head Captain Yamamoto..and more than likely stripped of our ranks and kicked back to Rakongai…"

"What?" Faye asked. 'Over one kiss?"

"More than that, Faye. Toshiro and I violated one of the more important rules. Not to get personally involved with each other…"

"But..you just lost your first love. I would have thought they would be happy to see that you picked yup the pieces and you found someone else to love again!"

"He didn't care..he said that Toshiro was my Captain, and I crossed the line..and I would no longer be a Lieutenant..and he could no longer be my Captain!"

"Over a KISS? Over finding love again?" Rangiku nodded. "That is the most unfair thing I ever heard of!"

"Well, lucky thing I didn't let it happen to Toshiro. He worked so hard to get where he was today…I couldn't live with myself if I caused him to lose everything! I...I love him too much to ever put him through that! It's bad enough to gain another love only to lose HIM too…but at least I know I would leave him alive and with his captain position."

"Is THAT why you left that Society?"

"Yes..of my own free will…" she finally burst into tears. 'I…I know I did the right thing…but…I miss Toshiro so much…my heart aches every night, knowing I can;'t be with him. I mean..I know I did the right thing…and it doesn't hurt as much as it did when I lost Gin..cause I know Toshiro is alive..and he;s the Captain..and me leaving was the right thing for both of us…"

Faye crawled up next to her…but couldn't do much besides pat her shoulder and give her some more tissues. "But, Rangiku..don't you like it here?"

"Oh of course.." Rangiku said. "I love it here. You're all some of the best friends I've ever hgad…but…the pain of missing Toshiro is still in my heart…it's like there's a huge hole in it and I can't fill it up…"the tears quietly came again and spilled into the tissues until Rangiku finally said she wanted to sleep and curled up in a ball on her bed. Faye quietly got up from the bed, thinking over everything Rangiku had told her. She stared at this sleeping woman in her bed as various thoughts rolled around in her mind. This woman was the first best friend she had had in years, but deep down inside she was truly heartbroken. Part of her wanted to dismiss what she was thinking. She would risk losing her friend forever…but another part wanted her to be happy all the time, not just fighting bounties. She stared quietly at her, thinking about what to do…wondering if she should. She glanced at the calander on the wall and her eyebrows raised when she saw what day it was. Finally she made up her mind. Putting the covers over Rangiku, she made her way into the hallway.

"Ed?" she called out. "Ed? Are you here?"

"Yes, Aunt Faye-Faye?" Ed said, bounding in with Ein right next to her.

"Ed? I want you to do something for me," Ed nodded. 'I want you to find out everything you can about a place called the Soul Society…and in particular about a man named Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

Whew. I hope you like it. Leaves ya hanging, huh?