Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Minutes to Midnight ❯ No Longer Lacking ( Chapter 10 )

Title: No Longer Lacking

Characters: Gin, Ichigo

Rating: K+

Warning: None

Words: 403

Description: Handmade and colorful, Gin's gift could definitely give Rukia's drawings a run for the money.

 

 

Ichigo blinked.

 

Turned it sideways. Tried to make sense of the many lines and symbols and marks and bright colors. Turned it upside-down. Or at least what he thought was upside-down. And then, tilted his head to the side.

 

He blinked again. “What is it?”

 

“A map,” Gin explained cheerily.

 

Ichigo checked, just to make sure.

 

Ah, it made sense now. The face with orange hair... that must be his room. The stacks of books were the library. The knife and fork was the dining room. The sword must be the training grounds. It was actually rather good and colorful, way better than Rukia's in any case.

 

He looked up at his new friend, who had an almost expectant look on his face.

 

“Why?”

 

“So Ichigo-kun doesn't get lost,” Gin chirped as if that should have been obvious. He folded his arms in his sleeves, watching for Ichigo's reaction.

 

The teenager supposed that made sense. He had a habit of doing so, after all. It was hard to find his bearings in Las Noches. Nel had even taken to riding on his shoulder like Yachiru, though she was thousand times better at giving directions.

 

“...Thanks,” he said, glancing down at the map again. “This is way better than relying on Nel. I was beginning to feel like Kenpachi.”

 

Gin grinned broader, looking exceedingly proud of himself.

 

Ichigo folded up the map and tucked it into the folds of his robes where he wouldn't lose it. “Did you make this yourself?”

 

“Yep.”

 

The younger man was suitably impressed, one hand brushing the back of his head. “Guess I should repay you or something, hmm?”

 

“Ya don't have to,” Gin replied. “Ichigo-kun's my friend.”

 

Ichigo nodded. “Yeah, I am.” He paused, looking around where they stood just outside of his room, Gin having met him just a few moments after leaving. “We could... practice that reiatsu hiding thing?”

 

Gin tipped his head to the side. “The training grounds then?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He turned and started down the hall. It only took him a second to realize that Gin wasn't following. Ichigo hesitated and looked over his shoulder.

 

“Ichigo-kun, it's this way.”

 

The teenager sighed and patted the map tucked into his shirt. He turned and headed back towards Gin, the man smiling at him with something like amusement quirking his lips.

 

“Right. Thanks again for the map.”

 

*****