Decision (Bleach Oneshots)

Death V - Father

Matsumoto was rather in a stupor, due to the fact that Gin was gone. She did even less work, if that was at all possible. Everyone was worried about her, but they didn't know what to say to her. Gin died a hero, but truth was, the man had always had few people who liked him.

To everyone's surprise, whenever her small taicho saw her moping and staring out a window, he would go and hug her around the neck. Some passed it off as him trying to bolster her, in the way most effective. Others though, felt his hugs were on the clingy side. Then again, he was also still a child, and it was good to see some of that having remained.

A couple of weeks after Gin's death, Hitsugaya received an ample hug from behind. His head popped up from his paperwork. "Are you ready to get back to work? I am tired of the paper piling up."

"Toshiro?" Rangiku continued to hold onto him.

"I thought you weren't going to use my first name, unless we weren't at work, and we were alone," the boy stated.

"Please…" the woman mumbled into his ear. Toshiro gave her one of his smiles, though she couldn't see. He wrapped his small hands around her arms.

"You know I love you oka-san?" the boy murmured himself.

"I know… I am so thankful, you weren't angry at me, Toshiro, when I told you the truth," Matsumoto closed her eyes, and ran her fingers through his white hair.

"Why, when you've looked after me my whole life, even though it's been from a distance. I mean, you're the reason granny always had money for food. You came to my rescue too, and convinced me to join the academy."

"There is… something else I need to tell you, Shiro-chan," Rangiku buried her face in the child's hair. "Can you tell me what you think of Gin."

"Don't worry. He turned sides. He died a hero," Toshiro gave another smile.

"No little one… I don't want you to regurgitate what you've heard others say. What you actually think."

"He scared me. I never could trust him. Yet I knew you did. I have an idea what you're trying to tell me, so just do."

"You… already know… Gin's your father?" Her hug suddenly tightened. I thought when you referred to us as classmates, that I had deferred your attention away from him as a possibility.

"I said that, because that was the easiest relationship to put you to into. He is… was unreadable. Plus, so many people compared us two…" Toshiro gave a weak smile. "I couldn't help but put things together."

"You are a lot like him. It scares me a bit, that your handling this so well…"

"Because…" Toshiro paused. "Oka-san. What was he really like. You're the only one who really knew him. I never got that chance."

"Let's start with, there are two reasons you wouldn't exist, if it weren't for him."