Decision (Bleach Oneshots)

Death IV - Father

The small taicho was dead fast asleep. Matsumoto had done this routine many times. However, this time, she was a bit more anxious. He had been asleep a couple of days longer than anyone else. More than ever too, she wanted to hold him in her arms.

Suddenly, two bright eyes opened weakly. "Matsumoto… your all right. Hinamori?"

"We both woke up before you did, when it should have been the other way around," the woman smiled, relief coming to her, but only slightly.

"Momo… she's mad at me. I mean, she's not here too." There was a sad look in his eyes. No. She's not visiting because, whenever she sees you, or hears your name, she has a mental break down." Ran brushed some of his white, silverish hair away from his eyes.

"Then she is mad," came the sigh.

"No. More like she is physically making herself sick," the woman gave Toshiro a weak smile.

"You're sad. Gin didn't make it, did he? He abandoned you Rangiku," the small boy stated, his eyes still filled with a kind of sadness, someone his age shouldn't have.

"Taicho… I think we need to talk."

"About what? The boy stated, as she got on her knees, so her face was close to his.

"Then he abandoned you too," Matsumoto ran fingers through his hair. The boy gave her a confused look. Glancing away, she explained.

"When Gin and I were young, we messed around. I became pregnant. I thought I'd miscarried a baby girl. Truth of the matter was, Gin went and hid you… not from me, but Aizen."

"Rangiku… he tried killing me. He left with Aizen." Hitsugaya's voice had a panic to it, as if he felt that Gin had found one last way to have a hold on Rangiku.

"Taicho… Gin pulled a fast one on Aizen. Aizen calculated all of Ichigo-kun's battles. Except, he didn't calculate Ichigo defeating Gin. He knew it would give Ichigo the push he needed to beat Aizen," Matsumoto was desperately trying to hold her tears in.

"Gin couldn't have know about Kurosaki though," the small boy closed his eyes.

"Just as Aizen's known about Ichigo since birth, so did he. He knew he was going to die for some time," Rangiku felt a few tears creep down her cheeks.

A weak, shaking hand reached up, to brush them away. "Don't cry. I'm still here M… oka-san."