Drowning (Bleach Fanfic)

Disclaimer – I don't own Bleach. This works with the theory that Gin+Ran=Toshiro.

Drowning

If I were to describe that child's eyes, I would describe them as mirrors images of mine, doppelgangers that have a completely different personality. Unlike my own eyes that lost their innocence at a young age, they've remained clean and innocent all these years, no matter what bad things were thrown that child's way. To keep those eyes pure, I would do anything.

M

A figure sat up in the tree watching the yard in which a small child played. The child hadn't been in the yard in front of the house when the stranger had arrived. Of course, the man wasn't a stranger but more of a forgotten memory floating on the breeze, something that he would wish that the child would let fly away to never return. Suddenly the sound of small feet running came to his ears.

A few minutes later the child came hurtling down the path, only to trip and fly forward so that the small figure went flying, their pale hair flying even more askew as the child crashed into the ground. The fall was so forceful that the child let out a deep breath of air that could be heard from where the stranger was up in the tree, watching all that went on.

An old lady stepped out of the house, a frown upon her face. The sound of the breath being forced out of the boy's lungs wasn't what had attracted her to the child's plight, but the sudden crying from the pain said child felt. The normally bright teal eyes were clamped shut so no one could see the beautiful, precious color.

"Toshiro?"

The sound of his name being called caused the child to stop crying and the precious eyes to open up, revealing the bright teal in all their glory. The frown that had been on the child's face suddenly left and was replaced quickly with a smile. As the eyes sparkled, the child pushed his dirty self up from the ground and ran yet again.

The child crashed yet again, but this time it was into the soft body of his grandmother, whose arms wrapped around his shoulders as his arms wrapped around her waste, a rather pleased smile on his face. Granny was the place the child felt most safe, and that place didn't include the stranger in his life. All was best for said child.

M

There were times I wished I could brush the tears away from those precious eyes so that it was the eyes that sparkled instead of those watery drips falling down his cheeks. Those eyes are reflective of all the hope I have for said child, since hope for myself has long disappeared. There is no redemption for someone whose eyes have lost their soul.

M

Toshiro took a deep breath, looking at the pair of sandals his granny had bought him. They had shown up one day, so he knew that they had to be from her. Momo had been jealous to find out that he had gotten a brand new pair, but the truth was he had never had a pair of sandals before. He was so used to running bare foot. He heard his granny stepping closer to him as he stared at the shoes. He half expected her to say something like it was part of growing up, something his mind didn't want to contemplate yet. He wanted to always be with granny.

"Those are for when it gets cold, so your feet won't hurt and can stay warm.

The boy startled and looked up, his bright teal eyes staring her right in the eye. "Granny..."

"There are tabi socks to go with it." The woman pointed to the pair of socks. "You put those on first to keep your feet warm, and then the sandals are put on to keep the socks as dry as possible."

"It's never cold enough." The boy frowned, only to feel a hand placed on his shoulder.

"There have been times. You don't have to wear them today. They're there for if you need them."