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Chapter 48: Sip Of Happiness
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The skies above the First District of Rukongai were tinged with soft lavender, streaks of golden sunlight slipping between scattered clouds like lazy brushstrokes on silk.
Akashi found the weather agreeable, if not too cheerful for what he was used to in the world of the living where he didn't feel the least bit safehe didn't feel the least bit ; but then again, he wasn't alone today.
Rangiku Matsumoto led the way, all laughter and sway, guiding him down the bustling streets as if she owned them.
"Come on, Akashi! Don't look so gloomy. You promised me a drink, and I intend to collect ten... Maybe twenty!"
Akashi walked beside her with his usual upright posture, eyes flicking from passing stalls to glowing lanterns without much interest.
His long black hair caught the breeze slightly, flowing with the wind, 'I look gloomy? No, she's just teasing me again, definitely.'
"Yes, I promised you a drink," He said, voice calm and sarcastic, "I never promised to enjoy it."
Rangiku's eyes sparkled like sake poured in moonlight, "You're so dramatic, Akashi. That's why I like you!"
She nudged him with her elbow, then added with a sly grin, "Well, that and the fact that you're paying tonight."
"That's why it's difficult to enjoy," Akashi shook his head, "It's tough to enjoy being treated like a purse."
"Hm, really? Everyone else seems to enjoy it," Rangiku cutely pointed out, "Plus, this is a date, so don't be hard on your cute senior."
He gave her a sidelong glance, "Date? I believe the correct term is 'financial exploitation.'"
She laughed; a bubbly, flirtatious sound that turned a few heads on the street, "Oh come on. Don't be such a wet towel."
Then, with a mock-pout and a dramatic gasp, she pointed ahead, "There it is! My favorite little hole-in-the-wall. Come on, don't chicken out now!"
The establishment was quaint, tucked between two larger taverns like a secret only known to locals.
A worn wooden sign hung above the doorway, painted with a faded cherry blossom motif.
It smelled of warmth and sake, of charcoal grills and laughter, of people trying to forget their burdens.
Inside, the lighting was low and golden, casting everything in a soft amber hue.
They slipped into a booth near the back, where privacy lived and shadows leaned in.
When the waitress approached, Rangiku leaned back in her seat, already lounging like a lazy queen," One bottle of your strongest sake, please. And some grilled squid."
She looked to Akashi, who had yet to sit comfortably, "And you, darling?"
"Water," He replied without hesitation.
The waitress blinked, "Just water?"
"Yes."
Rangiku gawked at him as if he'd sprouted horns, "Water? At a bar? I drag you out to treat you and you ask for water? You are dramatic."
"I don't drink," Akashi shrugged, resting his elbow on the table, "I don't want to mess with my mind. And I still have work to do this afternoon."
Rangiku leaned forward, her chin resting in her palm, looking at him with sparkling mischief, "But your mind's already all twisted up, isn't it? What's a little sake gonna do? Straighten it out?"
He raised an eyebrow, "How about, I don't wanna miss it up further?"
She giggled, "Come on~ Just a sip. For me? Please?" She made her voice rise in a flirtatious sing-song, tilting her head slightly.
"You promised me drinks. What kind of date are you if you don't even pretend to have fun?" She continued.
Akashi studied her with the precision of Aizen when dissecting Hollows.
Rangiku Matsumoto; bold, beautiful, playful. She radiated femininity like a weapon, and used it like one too.
He didn't believe she had any romantic interest in him; she enjoyed his company, and he, in a way, had grown used to hers.
Her laughter numbed the whispers in his head, if only a little. That was good enough.
But he still didn't like alcohol.
No, maybe it was worse than that, and she wasn't good enough. The Voices are messing with his sanity even while sober, what would happen if he's drunk? He didn't dare take the risk.
"Hmm...No. Yeah, No. That doesn't sound fun," He said, imagining all the catastrophic scenarios that may happen if he loses his mind, so he stressed once more, "No."
"You didn't have to stress it so many times," Her sake arrived just as she rolled her eyes and purred, "One sip... Please?"
Akashi stared at the filled cup for a long time. It shimmered slightly under the light; soft, golden, alluring in a way he didn't appreciate.
The Voices whispered temptation in his mind, or perhaps laughter. He wasn't sure anymore.
"…Fine," He said, at last.
"Yay~!" Rangiku clapped, her expression childlike.
He held the cup like it was a venomous serpent and took a slow, precise sip; nothing more. Then he let out a sigh of relief as if he had just ventured the depths of hell.
Then his Inky eyes narrowed at her, "You are the devil."
Her laughter rang out like wind chimes in spring, "And you love me for it."
"I wouldn't go that far."
"Oh? Then why agree to come drinking with me all the time, hmm? Isn't that what this means?" She teased, swaying toward him with a mock-seductive voice.
"Do you want to become drinking buddies? Are you falling for your beautiful senior?"
Akashi stared at her long and hard, expression inscrutable. Then he tilted his head slightly.
"Love… you?" he said slowly, as if trying out the idea for the first time. Then, he gave a small shake of his head. "No."
She gasped dramatically, clutching her chest, "You hate me?! Or; gasp!; is it because I'm not beautiful?"
He gave her a flat look.
"You're gorgeous," He said simply. "But honestly, if I were to fall in love with someone… it would be with someone like Captain Unohana."
Silence.
It took a moment for the arrows of his words to pierce her metaphorical heart. And when they did...
"You little brat!" She barked, pointing at him, "How dare you say that with a straight face! Do you even have taste?!"
Akashi finally allowed a small, sly smile to appear at the corner of his lips. "Are you saying Captain Unohana is not pretty?"
"Shush!! You're a bad junior! A very bad naughty junior!"
"Possibly."
"Don't 'possibly' me!"
She went on grumbling for the next several minutes while continuing to drink, cursing him affectionately under her breath.
Akashi listened to her with amused detachment, his eyes half-lidded. His body, tired and overworked, felt at ease here.
Rangiku's energy wore on him, but in a strangely pleasant way.
The work he's been doing for the past several months... It was hard, tirelessly writing stories, hunting hollows, and studying in the labs.
He had no rest for he knew that there better not be rest for the weak, else their life would wither away like the withering of a candle under Ryūjin Jakka.
"I heard you're good friends with Captain Kyōraku," He said casually.
She blinked, caught mid-rant. "Oh, Shunsui? Yeah, we drink together all the time. Why?"
"Introduce me some time."
She leaned in, narrowing her eyes, "Oh~? Don't tell me you have a thing for older men."
He nodded, "He's old, so he must know a lot, and he's a Captain. There's much I could learn from him."
Her lips curled into a grin, "Sure, sure. You just want sword lessons, huh?"
Akashi nodded, "Swordsmanship, leadership, political instincts… I want everything."
Rangiku watched him, suddenly thoughtful. He didn't say things casually.
His ambitions didn't make him cold to her; they made him curious. Deeply, endlessly curious.
He seemingly worked harder than any else, very much in contrast to her nature, so she often wonders why.
"Why do you work so hard?" She asked.
"Are you sure you want to know? Your world may flip upside down, and your workload will triple," Said Akashi jokily.
However, for some reason, she felt as if his words were true, "Never mind then... That bastard Isshin is already killing me with all the tenth division's work, don't need more suffering."
She downed another cup of sake and winked, "But fine. I'll drag you along next time. But you better be fun, or he'll think you're boring."
"I doubt that. I'm very amusing."
"Unintentional amusing." She corrected.
"That hurts..."
Eventually, Akashi stood, brushing a few stray crumbs from his robes, "It's time I visited the Eleventh Division. It's been a while."
She tilted her head, "Oho~ Back to the blood and brawls already?"
"They've probably missed me."
She rolled her eyes but smiled, "Go then, Bad Junior. But next time, you're really buying me something nice."
Without another word, Akashi offered her a small, respectful nod before disappearing into the Rukongai night, the shadows swallowing him like an old friend.
"Really bad bad guy, trying to make this beauty fall in love," Rangiku muttered under her breath as she watched him disappear, only to say sarcastically, "Too bad I'm not destined for love... Another drink!!"
Akashi went on his way, and just as he'd predicted, the Eleventh Division welcomed him back with open arms; and open swords.
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