I Want to See Him

Matsumoto Rangiku's home.

As Ise Nanao pushed open the familiar door, a pungent stench of alcohol, thick enough to be almost tangible, assaulted her nose. It carried a rotten, indulgent sweetness that instantly made her elegant brows knit tight.

The brilliant afternoon light should've filled the room, but heavy curtains blocked most of it, leaving only a few stubborn rays to sneak through, casting mottled shadows across the disheveled floor. Empty sake bottles lay scattered like discarded soldiers around the tatami and low table. The air was saturated with alcohol, fine dust, and a kind of intangible despair.

Nanao's gaze swept quickly through the chaos, settling at last on the curled-up figure in the center of the floor.

Matsumoto Rangiku lay flat on her back, unmoving. Her long golden hair fanned out beneath her like dull silk, and the eyes that normally danced with mirth now stared blankly at the ceiling, glazed and hollow. She looked as if her soul had been drained out, leaving only a husk soaked in liquor.

"How much did you drink?" Nanao's voice was tight with barely contained tension. She strode to the window and yanked it open.

A fresh breeze rushed in, scattering the stifling booze-stink and lifting strands of Rangiku's hair.

She didn't react. Not even her eyes moved.

"You have the day off?" Nanao tried again, voice tinged with concern.

She had only gone to First Division to handle routine paperwork and returned to find a squad member telling her that Tenth Division's Vice-Captain Matsumoto had come by in a daze, left without saying a word when she wasn't found.

The squad member had added, "Vice-Captain Matsumoto looked... off, Vice-Captain Ise."

Alarmed, Nanao had immediately rushed here.

Seeing her friend like this, she sighed quietly. She started tidying the room—gathering up the bottles, righting the cushions, retrieving a fallen sake cup from under the table—each movement laced with suppressed irritation.

Only after cleaning up did she walk to Rangiku and look down at her, voice sharp with helpless exasperation: "Are you dead or something?"

The jab finally stirred Rangiku. She groaned faintly, shifted, and slowly propped herself up on her elbows. Her head throbbed, her face twisted with pain as she slapped her forehead a few times, dull smacks echoing in the room.

"Awake now?" Nanao crouched beside her, eyes scanning her pallid face and bloodshot eyes. "You're not even on leave today, right? Just came home and got plastered? What if your Captain catches wind of this?"

Rangiku flinched, then let out a bitter laugh. It was short and dry, slicing through the silence.

Nanao frowned. "Did you two fight?"

In her impression, Captain Tachikawa Shin was a decent man—young, yes, but steady. Matsumoto, on the other hand, as a vice-captain, had plenty of... "quirks."

Rangiku often ranted about Captain Tachikawa, but Nanao wasn't the type to blindly agree. She suspected Rangiku had done something inappropriate again, and Tachikawa had reprimanded or even penalized her—leading to this fallout.

But looking at Rangiku's broken, drunken state, the situation clearly ran deeper. Nanao held off on lecturing and simply waited.

After a moment of silence, Rangiku said abruptly, "Nanao, let me join your squad."

Nanao blinked, pretending not to understand. "What for? Did your Captain come up with another ridiculous plan?"

"I mean transfer me to your Division."

"…"

Was it really that bad? Or was this just anger talking?

Nanao sat beside her. "You're a vice-captain. What position would you even take? We don't have any openings. Should I give up my own seat?"

"Third Seat is fine," Rangiku muttered. "Yours isn't that great, right?"

Nanao shook her head. "Can't do. I already promised it to someone."

"Who?"

"Kaniezawa. She's Ninth Seat now. Hardworking, meticulous. I want her to be our next Third in a few years."

Rangiku fell silent again. "Then Fourth… or Fifth… anything's fine."

Nanao sighed, exasperated. "What the hell happened? You want to transfer squads out of nowhere. You're a vice-captain, not some foot soldier. You need First Division's approval. At least tell me what's going on."

Rangiku didn't answer. Just sat there, silent, dazed.

Something's wrong. Seriously wrong. If it were just a scolding, Rangiku would be venting non-stop. But now she's clamming up? That wasn't like her.

Nanao hesitated, then asked gently, "Is it about Captain Tachikawa? What did he do?"

Rangiku let out another cold, brittle laugh. "He's a piece of shit."

Piece of shit?

That term landed heavy.

Nanao's expression darkened. "Did he… do something to you?"

Rangiku turned away, saying nothing.

Nanao's voice trembled. "Say something!"

Rangiku curled up, arms hugging her knees.

Nanao's heart dropped. "He did something?!"

That couldn't be… Could Tachikawa Shin really be that kind of man?

Her face twisted with disbelief and fury. "He… really did it?"

"…"

"I can't believe he's that kind of person! Rangiku, I'll make sure he pays!"

She stood up, but Rangiku grabbed her arm. "Where are you going?"

Nanao's voice was firm and furious. "To our Captain. Then to Central 46. That bastard won't get away with this."

Rangiku exhaled heavily and pulled her back. "Are you crazy or am I? It's not what you think."

Nanao got even angrier. "Then what the hell is it? If he didn't hurt you, then why this?"

Rangiku looked down. "I can't explain… I just don't want to stay in Tenth anymore."

Nanao snapped, "If he really did something horrible, why should you be the one to leave? Either he assaulted you, molested you, or—what? What did he do?!"

Silence again.

Nanao's foot itched to kick her, but seeing Rangiku's crushed expression, she restrained herself.

"Then why?" she asked. "No reason at all? Or did he just act on impulse?"

"…"

Rangiku sank back onto the floor, exhaling in pain. "Don't ask. I don't want to think about it anymore."

Nanao could only sit there, helpless and aching.

It couldn't be that simple. Tachikawa Shin wasn't that kind of man.

As her own rage cooled, Nanao began to think more clearly. The man her Captain admired, the man with such a bright future—he wouldn't throw it all away so recklessly.

She would wait until Rangiku's head cleared. Or… ask Tachikawa directly.

But that was delicate. He was a Captain. She had no right to interrogate him.

The room went quiet for a long time before Rangiku spoke again. "I want to see him."

Nanao responded instinctively, "See him? Who?"

And then it hit her—she didn't mean Tachikawa.

Who else could it be?

A silver-haired face flashed in her mind.

Gin Ichimaru!

Rangiku whispered, "He probably won't come."

Nanao stood. "I'll go get him."

"…"

Rangiku turned to her, a flicker of hope in her wrecked gaze. It stabbed Nanao right in the chest.

"Wait here. I'll bring him to you."

"…"

Nanao left the house and headed straight for the Fifth Division barracks.

She knew, at least vaguely, about the veiled past between Rangiku and Ichimaru Gin. That guarded, unreadable look Rangiku wore when his name was mentioned—she had noticed. But any attempts to pry were always brushed aside.

She knew only this: they had a hidden history.

Nanao found him in the Fifth Division Vice-Captain's office.

"Vice-Captain Ise?"

That fox-like face wore its usual inscrutable, narrow-eyed grin, polite and distantly cordial. "What brings you here?"

There wasn't much routine interaction between the Eighth and Fifth Divisions.

"Rangiku wants to see you," Nanao said bluntly.

Gin blinked, mildly surprised, but kept smiling. "Did something happen?"

Nanao hesitated, knowing she couldn't reveal too much—especially not with another Captain involved. She chose her words carefully. "Something happened. She's in a really bad state. She… needs you."

She put weight on the word needs.

"I see." Gin's tone was tinged with regret, but it didn't touch his eyes. He tilted his head, smile unfaltering. "Unfortunately, I've got an assignment coming up."

Nanao's voice rose. "But Rangiku, she—"

Assignment? The Fifth was Rescue Division. If it were urgent, he'd be rushing out, not lounging here. Lies.

"Vice-Captain Matsumoto's been drinking, hasn't she?" Gin smiled. "Drunken words aren't always worth taking seriously. You being with her should be enough."

"You knew she was drinking?" Nanao's voice cracked with disbelief. Her fists clenched so hard her nails bit into her palms. "If you understand her that well, then you should also know she—"

A warm, serene voice suddenly interrupted from the doorway:

"No need."

Nanao turned. Aizen Sōsuke stood there.

"Captain Aizen." She bowed at once.

Aizen smiled kindly. "No need, Gin. If Vice-Captain Matsumoto wishes to see you, she must need you. This assignment can go to someone else."

Gin's grin turned wry. "Captain, encouraging your subordinates to slack off isn't very good leadership."

Aizen chuckled. "Special circumstances require special handling. I'm only thinking of your best interest. Are you really not going?"

Gin didn't reply, but his smile no longer changed.

Nanao stared, cold seeping into her chest.

"Vice-Captain Ichimaru, you…"

"Sorry for the wasted trip, Vice-Captain Ise."

Nanao had no choice but to leave. She couldn't say more in front of Aizen.

After she left, Aizen turned his gaze from her back.

"Gin, do you know what I admire most about you?"

Gin smiled slyly. "My loyalty to you, Captain?"

Aizen chuckled softly. "No, it's that you never fear my suspicion. If you'd chosen to see her, I might've been even more pleased. After all, her current commanding officer is Tachikawa."

Gin sighed. "What a shame, then. I failed to guess that part."