This piece is for The Seireitei Discord Server's April Writing Challenge 2020. The prompt picture selected was the beach image.

…

Karakura Beach was nice, as far as university towns went.

It was a small town, nestled between endless turquoise coastline and deep green rolling hills, the perfect little township with a close and tight knit community. When the big Karakura University was closed for the breaks and it was off tourist season, Karakura Beach's population was a cute five thousand, but during semester, when all the college kids came rolling back into town, the population went up by over five times. The town would be flooded with late teens and early twenty-somethings. Kids on skateboards, kids on surfboards and kids that were just bored; it was a small town after all.

Apparently the locals didn't mind the young hooligan student body that rushed in, made a mess of the town for eight months of the year and left again. They kept their businesses afloat after all, even if they partied into the ungodly hours of the night.

It was a gorgeous little town, very picturesque, though it was certainly a slower and more relaxed way of life than Rangiku was used to. With the wide sandy beaches and wild surf, it was as the name suggested, a beach town. It was popular for tourists in the summer too, another market group that kept this town's economy going. Every day Rangiku walked along the beach to get to work, and every day it was packed with people.

It wasn't hard to tell the tourists from the locals.

Today, as she walked along Karakura Beach's most popular beach, almost every person was a tourist. Sunburned, their skin was tomato red or – possibly worse – so pale it caused Rangiku to squint from the glare, despite the UV-rated sunglasses she was wearing. Tourists hung out in their holiday groups, screaming at their children not to wander, and desperately trying to stop their beach umbrellas from blowing away in the wind.

Rangiku wondered briefly if that was how she looked the first time coming to the beach, when she had felt the need to pack every useful item she could think of, when she hadn't built up her tan. She probably had looked like that, and she probably still did.

Wherever she went, Rangiku stood out like a sore thumb – a very good looking sore thumb, mind you, but that was why she was so noticeable. Everywhere she went, people stared at her. She was tall, with wide hips, a big chest, a tiny waist, two incredibly toned thighs and long, strawberry blonde hair. All the things girls thought they wanted until they realised it meant constantly being stared at wherever she went. Men drooled, women glared; there was rarely any winning, especially for Rangiku.

As far as this town was concerned, she was a tourist, and tourists just looked different. You could spot them a mile away.

Locals were easy to spot too, but only because they looked far more carefree. Well that, and they were all beautifully tanned. It was almost unfair.

They were the ones furthest out in the roaring surf, many of them on boards, even the older citizens. They were the ones that brought nothing but themselves and maybe a surfboard or their dog when they visited the beach. They were the ones whose kids ran wild, without the sounds of their distressed parents' squawks.

This was their home, and they felt so at ease.

Rangiku didn't feel at home in Karakura Beach. Not yet anyway. It wouldn't have been a bad place to call home, if she wanted to lead the slow life. She wasn't sure what she wanted yet, if she was being honest.

In the meantime, she just wanted to get a tan and get her degree. Short term goals.

Rangiku had lived in Karakura Beach a total of twenty days. One day for every year she had been alive.

It was late summer, the university wasn't due to reopen for classes for another two weeks, but Rangiku had moved early to get settled in, and – more importantly – to get a part time job that would fund her (thankfully pretty minor) living expenses. Rangiku had managed to land a job after two weeks – at a cute beachside café that was always bustling with tourists and locals alike. The owner's name was Isshin Kurosaki; he seemed pretty nice, though a little flirty for someone her father's age but Rangiku was used to that. He was an old surfer type, still wearing his beach clothes every day like it was appropriate business wear.

Isshin wasn't in much, since he also owned the local pub, the general store, the bakery and, oddly enough, the medical centre at which he was also the main doctor (nothing said professional doctor like Jesus-sandals, swimming shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with a white coat thrown over the top, right?). He was a busy man that was for sure, and left his other businesses to the capable managers. The beachside café, simply called 'The Beach Café', was run by a woman named Yoruichi. Now she was trendy; Purple hair, naturally olive skin, cat tattoos littered across her skin. She was truly the cool aunt type.

Rangiku got on well with Yoruichi, and was happy to have found such a nice job before the start of semester. The walk to work along the beach wasn't half bad either.

It was such a lovely morning, Rangiku decided to slip off her shoes and wander further down the sand. She had the time to spare before her shift at The Beach Café started, and instantly she found herself gravitating towards the sparkling water. The sand was hot on the soles of her bare feet so she walked briskly, almost hopping, and probably looking like the rest of the tourists whose feet had not hardened to feel of scorching sand and likely never would.

The water was beautiful – crystal clear and the most refreshing temperature. Relief hit her feet as soon as she stepped onto the recently wetted sand and her pace was able to slow then. Casually, she ambled past the moving water line, pushed by gentle waves. When the water pulled back, her feet and the wet sand was all that was there, but within seconds the ocean flooded back, water gushing past her ankles as she strolled further along the beach.

Despite not spending much time at one over her life, Rangiku did love the beach; the warming sun, the salty water, the overtly comforting sound of crashing waves. She loved the whole beach vibe and the associated fashion, and as a budding designer, it was certainly a field she could see herself going into.

As she got further up, she crossed paths with a beautiful golden Labrador. It was a playful thing, fully grown and fit, jumping back and forth on the gushing water. He was having the time of his life.

"Hi puppy," Rangiku couldn't help but coo at the dog that was most definitely not a puppy anymore.

The Labrador heard the pitch that could only be associated with a woman calling a dog – or a baby – and bounded over to her excitedly. Thankfully, the dog didn't jump up on her with his wet, sand-mattered paws, but he did run up to her expecting an ear scratch, that much was clear.

Chuckling, Rangiku swapped the hand she was holding her shoes in to the other so she could reach down to pet the dog rubbing its head all over her knee.

"Are you having fun?" she giggled to the dog, "You're such a good boy."

Or girl, she supposed, but there was a real masculine energy about this dog.

The dog seemed happy with her assessment and barked quickly in appreciation. Rangiku laughed, and bent down to find the tag on the canine's collar. Without needing to check it, she knew this was a local's dog because otherwise it would have been on a leash, tied to a picnic chair that its' owner was too scared to get out of in case their dog ran after another dog, or some birds or whatever else, and dragged half of their beach set up along with it.

Locals didn't keep such a close eye on their dogs and they didn't have to.

"Hello... Hyorinmaru," Rangiku read the name off the tag, her eyebrows lifting. "That's an unusual name."

"He came with the name," a deep male voice pointed out. Surprised, Rangiku glanced up to see the man, presumably Hyorinmaru's owner, approaching. "Mostly I just call him 'Good Boy'."

The man was young, younger than his voice suggested. Maybe around Rangiku's age, maybe even a student at the university, but he was definitely a local. No doubt about it.

His hair was white, but wet so it almost looked translucent against his scalp, except for the golden speckles of sand that had washed in. She would have assumed his hair was bleached that colour, except that his eyebrows were also that same white. The surfer wasn't tall but he was certainly fit, with a well-toned and well-tanned body, albeit he was lean. He was wearing dark green swimming shorts and had clearly just emerged from the surf. His body was covered in water droplets that glistened in the sun, many of which raced down his muscle lines to return to the sand. Over his eyes sat a trendy pair of incredibly dark shades, the lenses of which also had water drops all over them as if he had been in the water with them, but he seemed to pay them no mind.

"Is he a rescue dog?" Rangiku asked, voice caught in her throat for a moment.

The locals, being such seasoned beach people, were generally very gorgeous to look at. They had sun-kissed skin and naturally lightened hair, and they had that outdoorsy style, salt water in their blood type look. This guy was certainly no exception – he was beautiful to look at.

"In a way," the man shrugged casually, pulling the surfboard out from under his arm, turning it upright and plunging it into the wet sand so it could stand on its own.

The board was taller that he was, and on the underside, a design of a huge roaring dragon erupting from waves stood out. The dragon was designed to look like it was made of waves, formed by turquoise blue water, not unlike the colour of Karakura Beach's stretching coastline. At the bottom, three fins shaped like a dolphin's dorsal stuck out of the board. The design was unlike any surfboard she had ever seen and it was really rather cool.

"How many ways are there?" Rangiku asked, frowning slightly at the surfer's vagueness.

Rangiku found herself wanting to continue the conversation with the stranger. She found herself wanting to see what coloured eyes a tanned man with white hair had. She wanted to know if he smiled, would she see teeth that were also as white as his hair, and would a cute dimple pop in his cheek?

"Plenty if you think about it," the surfer answered, this time with the hint of a grin that confirmed both suspicions Rangiku had about the man's smile and that made her knees feel a little bit weaker.

"Well he's very cute," she murmured, reaching to pet the dog's head again. Like his owner.

"Student or tourist?" the surfer asked, tilting his head curiously at her while his hand ran up and down the wax marks on his surfboard, either unconsciously or not.

His expression was curious, but without seeing his eyes, she couldn't tell exactly where he was looking. If he was like most other straight men, then he was blatantly staring at her chest, but Rangiku got the distinct feeling that wasn't where his covered eyes had strayed.

She hated when strangers stared at her cleavage, but now that a cute one wasn't (that she was aware of), it made her almost insecure. Shifting slightly under a gaze she couldn't quite see, Rangiku fiddled with the shoes in her hand. She reminded herself that she too was wearing sunglasses and he likely was in the same boat as her.

"Student," Rangiku answered.

Of course, being one of the few locals in the small community, the surfer would probably know everyone in town. Spotting an outsider wasn't hard.

"A bit early, aren't you? Semester doesn't start for another fortnight yet."

"Wanted to settle in," Rangiku shrugged this time, straightening as the dog returned to playfully trying to bite the mini waves that rolled in around their ankles. "Get a job, all that."

"Did you get one?"

Rangiku laughed and simply gestured to the shirt she was wearing that should have been obvious enough. A bright pink and yellow Hawaiian shirt, with 'The Beach Café' printed across the back in large blue lettering. It was an eyesore of a shirt but it was clearly recognisable around town. Surely a local, whether he frequented the place or not, knew it, especially if he was coming to the beach every day?

He threw her a blank look that she couldn't read. Was he confused, or was the initial question sarcastic? Rangiku didn't know.

"I've got to go," she said quickly. "Thanks for letting me pet your dog."

The surfer's lips curled a little, as if a funny thought had crossed his mind. It was kind of unnerving that she couldn't see his eyes. In fact, all she could see through those dark shades was her own reflection. It was hard to focus on talking to him when it felt like she was talking to herself.

"Have a nice day, Beach Girl," the man smirked.

"You too," Rangiku smiled back at him.

He was a bit strange, but he was very attractive.

The surfer waved her off as she began to walk away, and Rangiku's sharp eyes didn't miss the muscles that moved in his arm as he did so. She almost tripped over herself to keep looking over her shoulder when that same arm came up to run through his wet white hair and tussle it. He was fit. The surfer's attention had returned to the dog, calling his name ('Good Boy') as he picked up the surfboard and began trotting back up the beach.

Now that was a local Rangiku hoped to see more of around town.

…

Working at the Beach Café was nice.

It was casual, fast paced and time generally went by quick enough that her shifts didn't drag on. Rangiku liked to have chats to the customers, and even after a week, she was becoming familiar with the regulars. Yoruichi knew them all though and always welcomed the locals and regulars with open arms, making sure they got their favourite tables and always being sure to add a little extra in their service. They loved her and she loved them. It was a real community spirit.

It was a physically demanding job though. Rangiku was on her feet eight hours a day, running back and forth, usually outside where most of the tables were set up for the beach view. She got free meals and drinks on shift, so she really couldn't complain.

"You've almost finished your first week," Yoruichi teased her once the lunch rush was over. "Think you'll be back on Wednesday?"

At the moment, weekends were the busiest days at the café, so Rangiku was working Wednesday through to Sunday, with Monday and Tuesday off. She didn't mind working weekends – the pay was better and she didn't have anywhere else to be at the moment anyway. She would work less when her classes started.

"Of course," Rangiku laughed. "You haven't scared me off yet."

"'Yet' being the key word," Yoruichi smirked.

Rangiku rolled her eyes and turned back to the service window. She was going to tidy up the area that had gotten a little disheveled during the lunch rush but two approaching customers caught her eye. It was the surfer she had spoken to at the beach, his dog Hyorinmaru loyally by his side despite not being held on a leash, and a young woman with dark hair whose arm was linked tightly around the surfer's.

Hm. She hadn't been at the beach.

"Momo, Shiro," Yoruichi greeted them with a big grin. "How are you?"

"Toshiro," the surfer corrected quickly, his bored tone suggesting this was something he had to do all the time. So that was his name.

"We're good," the girl, Momo apparently, answered with a pretty smile. "We've been out enjoying the sun."

"Yeah, how was the swell out there today, Tosh?" Yoruichi asked Toshiro.

"Sensational," Toshiro smacked his lips in appreciation. Rangiku noticed that this time the man did not correct the nickname.

Rangiku felt a little miffed that he hadn't recognised her from that morning as he seemed to completely ignore her presence – he hadn't even glanced her way yet. Maybe his girlfriend Momo was the jealous type, and he didn't want to set her off by talking to a strange woman?

"I'll just go check your regular table is ready," Yoruichi smiled. "The usual?"

"We're just going to have coffees," Momo answered. "We've got dinner at Granny's tonight."

"Oh, of course," Yoruichi smiled. "Tell her I said hello. We'll have to get her down for lunch one day."

"She would love that," Momo agreed with a pretty smile.

Yoruichi nodded happily before disappearing, leaving Rangiku to introduce herself and apparently get coffees for the two of them.

"So coffees?" Rangiku asked, moving directly in front of the cash register.

Toshiro glanced up at her in recognition then, like he had only just noticed her. He had noticed her when he walked in, she was sure of it. Rangiku was just too noticeable; it was like her one main trait.

"Hey Beach Girl," he grinned. "You did get that job then?"

Rangiku threw him an exhausted look, to which he just grinned cheekily back. He was sarcastic then, or maybe just a blind idiot.

"Yes well," Rangiku huffed, "I don't wear this shirt to the beach for fun."

She wasn't annoyed at all, really. He was stirring her up, and to be frank, she was enjoying every minute of it.

"Oh sorry, I didn't even see it," Toshiro chuckled. "These shades you know, they're so dark I can't see much through them."

It was blatant flirting, and it earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs from his girlfriend.

"Leave her alone," Momo hissed, but Toshiro only replied with a toothy, unapologetic grin.

He was cheeky then, though apparently not loyal.

"Coffees?" Rangiku reminded them, happy to steer away from what could very well become a lovers spat. It was hardly her fault though, Toshiro was the one with the girlfriend and still he flirted with the pretty waitress.

To be fair, maybe the flirting was all in Rangiku's head, and Toshiro was just friendly?

"Extra hot soy latte," Momo answered before Toshiro could, and Rangiku internalised the groan at having to make an extra hot soy-anything, "and a regular flat white for Shiro."

"Please," Toshiro added with another wide smile.

Momo shot him an annoyed look, but he pretended not to see it.

Rangiku nodded and added the prices up on the register. There was a quick PayPass card tap and the happy couple moved away to their 'regular table'.

Turning towards the coffee machine, Rangiku moved through the coffee-making motions. It was automatic now, deeply embedded in her muscle memory from years of café work. It also allowed her to keep one eye on the couple through the wide service window.

They sat at the small table that was a little bit out of the way and closest to the entrance and exit. It was generally a bit quieter, and it was in the shade. The two of them sat there together and Rangiku noted how comfortable they were. Momo poured water for them both while she chatted, and Toshiro nodded every other moment to show he was listening. He seemed to have eyes for only the ocean though, as he stared out to the waves crashing down at the beach below, like mentally he was back in the swell on his dragon board. Hyorinmaru, the gorgeous golden Labrador laid at Toshiro's feet, loyal and calm.

Rangiku was curious about them, keeping one eye on them and the other on the soy milk she was trying to steam 'extra hot' but not so hot it curdled. Damn soy, it really was a pain.

In her peripheral vision, Yoruichi approached the couple's table with a water bowl for the dog, and she chatted amicably with them while patting Hyorinmaru's head.

Locals; they were all friends.

Rangiku, finally happy with her soy milk, quickly placed the coffees on saucers. She added little biscuits and sugar sachets on the side and carried both out to the table.

"Extra hot soy latte," she announced, putting the coffee down in front of Momo, before putting the second coffee down in front of Toshiro, "and a flat white."

"Thanks Beach Girl," Toshiro smiled at her through his dark sunglasses.

"It's Rangiku," she told him; if he was going to persist with flirting with her in front of his girlfriend, he should at least know her name.

"Rangiku," Toshiro clicked his tongue as he digested the information. "A beautiful name and a beautiful voice."

Rangiku blinked. She didn't know how to respond to that. She had somewhat prepared herself for another weird interaction, for some heavy sarcasm and potentially some inappropriately flirty remarks from an unavailable man, but that comment was strange. Rangiku had been told she was beautiful many times in her life, but never had she been told her voice specifically was beautiful. Most men never looked past her chest and ass, and yet Toshiro never seemed to even pay them a glance.

"Um thanks?" Rangiku chuckled nervously.

Yoruichi sniggered, rather unhelpfully, and even Momo only rolled her eyes in response. Thankfully, new customers had just walked in and they were clearly tourists visiting for the first time, so Rangiku took it as her opportunity to escape the awkward and frankly weird situation she had found herself in.

The tourists she sorted out quickly, finding them a clean table and taking their orders. They were after fish and chips, Rangiku gave their orders to the chef. They only wanted soft drinks, so that saved Rangiku coffee making time and when she returned from giving the tourists their Cokes, Yoruichi was back in the shop, writing up an order list for their next shop.

"So Toshiro and Momo?" Rangiku asked, voice low. "They're, um… was that weird?"

Yoruichi snorted.

"Not at all," she laughed. "The boy's got no game, but he's a sweetheart really."

"Game?"

"He's flirting with you," Yoruichi told her, with a bit of a sly grin as she continued writing up her list. She shrugged then. "Not well, obviously."

"I'm confused," Rangiku frowned. "Isn't that Momo girl he's with his girlfriend?"

That time Yoruichi laughed loudly, and Rangiku instantly felt her face heat up. She didn't dare turn around to see if Momo and Toshiro had looked over at the noise.

"Goodness no," Yoruichi laughed. "They're cousins."

"Cousins?" Rangiku asked doubtfully. Cousins that linked arms as they walked and had coffee dates together, apparently on a regular basis?

"By blood," Yoruichi confirmed. "They're very close and they're also business partners. They run the boutique surfboard shop on the main road. She designs the artwork, he crafts the board, they're quite the team. They've sold surfboards to world champion surfers, you know?"

Lifting a surprised eyebrow, Rangiku remembered back to the surfboard she had seen him with at the beach. She wondered if he had made it himself, and if Momo had been the one to design the roaring dragon on the underside. It had been a beautiful board, though Rangiku could admit she knew very little about them.

Glancing over at the cousins, Rangiku caught a glimpse of Momo sketching something on a napkin, talking as she did so. Toshiro was grinning that stupidly attractive smile, cheek dimple popping. They didn't look very similar for close relatives, other than maybe a lack of height.

"So they're not dating?" Rangiku asked again, voice even quieter as she feared being overheard.

"Is that all you took away from that?" Yoruichi chuckled, this time looking up from her notepad to flash Rangiku a ridiculously evil and knowing smirk.

Rangiku flushed and stammered.

"No, of course not," she tried to back pedal quickly. "I was just worried Momo would be angry at him for being so openly flirty."

"Well she won't be," Yoruichi reminded her pointedly. "Are you interested in him?"

Rangiku's blush brightened tenfold. She shifted her weight onto her other leg.

"I'm not not interested," Rangiku admitted quietly. "He's very good looking."

"He is," Yoruichi agreed, straightening now and leaving her order list forgotten on the bench. "He's also a sweetheart. You can ask any of the Kurosakis and they'll vouch for him."

"Isshin's family?"

"Yeah, Isshin looked after Toshiro a lot when he was growing up," Yoruichi shrugged. "He and Ichigo live together now, they're like brothers."

Rangiku knew Ichigo – he was Isshin's son who was around her age. He seemed like a nice guy with his head screwed on right. He went to Karakura University too; he was doing a medical degree, clearly following his father's lead at the medical centre.

Rangiku glanced over at the table to see Momo getting up and wandering towards the bathrooms, and Toshiro sitting back in his chair, nursing the last of his coffee and continuing to stare out to the ocean.

He was very good looking, and he was sarcastic, albeit a bit weird in his humour. His white hair had dried now and stood up in all directions, probably the result of a rough towel dry and the salty water. His jaw was strong, ready to cut through glass. He had since thrown a casual surf brand tee on, but Rangiku knew the body beneath it was fine. So he was single, attractive, funny and an apparent 'sweetheart'? That seemed a little too perfect – there had to be something wrong with him.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" Yoruichi suggested lightly. "If you don't fancy him enough to want to go on a date with him, just come back. He's usually a good judge of when a girl isn't interested and he'll leave you alone the next time he comes in."

Rangiku sighed. She supposed it couldn't hurt to go over there and have a quick chat while she cleared the empty coffee cups. It might be less awkward without Momo and Yoruichi present.

Picking up a service tray and a clean cloth, Rangiku took a deep breath and headed back out onto the floor, casually making her way towards Toshiro's table.

The surfer didn't glance her way when she approached, still hypnotised by the call of the ocean.

"All done?" Rangiku asked when he didn't acknowledge her arrival.

He must have been really out it because he flinched a little in surprise, sunglasses snapping towards her.

"Sneaking up on me, Beach Girl?" Toshiro chuckled.

"You should pay more attention to me then," Rangiku smirked, going ahead and picking up Momo's empty cup and saucer. "And it's Rangiku."

"So I should... Rangiku," Toshiro smirked back as he handed her his cup too, head tilting.

Rangiku took the cup from him, making sure to purposely graze her fingers against his as she did. His hands were rough, skin toughened from the sea and sun, and also likely from building surfboards all day.

"So student Rangiku," Toshiro leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "What course are you taking at the university?"

"Fashion design," Rangiku told him, "but I'm not sure which direction I want to take with it yet."

"Maybe you could redesign the Beach Café shirts?" Toshiro suggested playfully.

"Oh it's the first thing I'm going to suggest to Isshin when I see him next," Rangiku chuckled.

"He'll want them low cut and tight," Toshiro smirked.

"Is that what he wants or what you want?" Rangiku raised a suggestive eyebrow at the surfer.

So far, Toshiro hadn't spared her body a glance, at least not that she was aware of. Rangiku was used to having men stare unabashedly at her breasts or her butt, often to the point of drooling – it was both refreshing and discomforting that Toshiro wasn't doing that.

"I want you to feel comfortable enough to walk down the beach in it," Toshiro shrugged, gesturing vaguely in the direction of said beach. "You should be able to go for a surf or a swim, then chuck your shirt on and go straight to work."

He was a strange guy, Rangiku would say that. Maybe he just wasn't a breast man?

"I don't know how to surf," Rangiku informed him.

The gasp that followed was nothing short of dramatic.

"How have you lived?" Toshiro asked, mock horror etched on his face. "Well I guess I'll have to teach you, how about a private lesson?"

Smooth.

"Apparently you make surfboards," Rangiku steered the topic away, not totally ready to commit to a bikini date with a stranger just yet.

"Surfboards, skateboards, water skis, wakeboards, knee boards, you name it," Toshiro grinned. "If it's a board you can use at or near the ocean, I've got you covered, though surfboards are the main seller."

"You're very accomplished," Rangiku gave a low, impressed whistle.

Toshiro shrugged. "We're a small business, but we're hoping to expand once Momo graduates art school and I'm done with my degree."

"You're studying?"

"Business," Toshiro confirmed with a nod, a sly smirk reappearing on his lips. "I guess you'll see me around campus."

"I look forward to it," Rangiku smiled, tone shamelessly flirty.

In all honesty, it was nice to know that she would see a familiar face around, and if he was close with Ichigo too, they could become a little group, which might be nice.

Toshiro seemed to like that answer and Rangiku noted with surprise as his cheeks because dusted with a light blush, just visible over the suntanned skin. Maybe he really was a sweetheart? Rangiku was certainly interested in getting to know him more now, even if it only resulted in a friendship.

Toshiro looked ready to say something else but before he could, Momo returned to the table, seemingly oblivious to the moment her cousin was having with their new waitress.

"We better head off," Momo murmured, collecting her purse off the table. "You know how Granny likes to serve dinner early."

"Have a nice night," Rangiku smiled at them, preparing to make her quick exit. "I'll see you around, no doubt."

"You will," Toshiro grinned again, and Rangiku spared the cheek dimple another quick glance before she hurried away.

Back in the kitchen, Yoruichi was busy serving new customers so Rangiku quietly took the opportunity to roll some cutlery for the next day. As much as she wanted to sneak glances at Toshiro has he got up to leave, Rangiku forced herself to keep her eyes on the cutlery she was wrapping. She could still hear his and Momo's voices outside as they got stuck talking to another local customer. The last thing she needed was to be caught staring, especially by Yoruichi who was undoubtedly about to pounce on her once the new customers left with their take away order.

It gave Rangiku a moment of peace to reflect on her conversation with Toshiro. Though he didn't once give her body the up and down gaze, which generally signified someone was attracted to her, he did seem to be flirting with her. He was definitely a bit of a weird one, but Rangiku couldn't deny that she was attracted to him and his odd humour.

Unfortunately her peaceful moment of reflection didn't last long, because Yoruichi was on her the moment the new customers were out of the shop.

"How did it go?" She asked excitedly.

"He's cute," Rangiku shrugged, playing it off as a casual encounter.

"If he asked you on a date, would you go out with him?"

Rangiku couldn't stop the heat returning to her face.

"Maybe," she smirked, not giving anything away.

"Alright then you keep your secrets," Yoruichi chuckled. "I see you, Ran."

Rangiku rolled her eyes. "I've only just met him, you know?"

"So?" Yoruichi sassed back. "He's cute and-"

"Bye guys!" Momo called, thankfully oblivious to the conversation going on inside the shop, as she and Toshiro walked past the kitchen door to leave.

"See ya," Yoruichi turned and waved them off.

"Catch you around, Beach Girl," Toshiro's cheeky voice called as he passed the door.

Rangiku whipped around to remind him that her name was in fact 'Rangiku' and not 'Beach Girl', happy to play into him winding her up, but her voice died in her throat. Instead of the gorgeous man she wanted to look at, her eyes were instantly drawn to the long stick item in his hand.

It glared white in the sun. It was painfully obvious.

It was a white cane.

Toshiro was blind.

…

Rangiku walked along Karakura's main beach. It was another hot summer evening, but the gentle breeze was enough to keep her from sweating. Her long maxi dressed flowed around her ankles, and her sandals hung limply in her hand. The golden sand had cooled for the day, and the grains exfoliated her soles gently as she walked.

The sun was setting, and the sky was vividly magenta and bright orange. Further up the beach, Rangiku could see a few dark bodies walking along the sand, even a couple of insane surfers out in the waves, determined to catch the last of daylight. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scanning the waves for a certain white haired surfer.

Two weeks had passed since Rangiku had first met Toshiro, and she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him.

Blind Toshiro – not that she knew any other Toshiros but it was certainly a feature she was having trouble overlooking.

The white cane image haunted her day in, day out. How had she not noticed that the man was blind during her multiple interactions with him that first day?

It explained why he had never seemed to look at her body, why he barely seemed to look directly at her at all. She had blamed the sunglasses he wore for why she couldn't really tell if he was looking into her eyes or not, but in reality, he couldn't have. He was blind. 'Vision impaired' as he probably preferred it.

Rangiku had choked on her goodbye instantly after seeing the cane.

"B-bye," she had only barely managed, stuttering out a weak farewell, but thankfully Toshiro had been well out of earshot, gone from the café.

"Now look who's getting all nervous," Yoruichi had teased, oblivious that all Rangiku could hear was the sound of her heart dropping into her stomach.

"He's… he's blind?" Rangiku had exhaled, despite the tightening in her chest.

The look Yoruichi shot her was nothing short of confused, disbelieving and maybe even a little offended.

"Did you not know?"

"No!" Rangiku had all but shrieked. "That's the first time I've seen the cane!"

Yoruichi had sighed so hard, the top layers of Rangiku's stacked napkins had blown off their pile. Obviously, this new information left the café manager feeling very unsettled.

Yoruichi couldn't believe Rangiku hadn't noticed, and Rangiku couldn't believe she was supposed to have noticed when there were zero signs to indicate that Toshiro couldn't actually see.

At the beach, he had clearly just been in the surf. Blind people can't surf… right?

"He can surf," Yoruichi had told her. "He can hear the waves and the people around him. He's pretty fearless out there."

Okay he could surf, but how had he found her playing with his dog? Could have been anyone's dog, other than the fact she had read the collar tag out loud as he approached.

"Hyorinmaru was his old guide dog," Yoruichi made it sound like it should have been obvious. "He's retired now but Toshiro wanted to keep him as a pet. Old habits die hard though, Hyorinmaru always waits for him by the water to greet him when he comes out of the surf. They're rarely apart."

Seeing Eye dogs always wore vests and harnesses to clearly identify themselves to people around them. They weren't to be petted and played with. Hyorinmaru was retired which meant he was now just an ordinary pet dog, and when Rangiku had seen him, he had looked like exactly that. How was she to know he had once been more than just a pet? How was she to know that Hyorinmaru had been anyone's guide dog, let alone Toshiro's guide dog?

The sunglasses were justified, Yoruichi gave her that. They were a very popular accessory in summer beach towns. Hell, Rangiku had been wearing sunglasses at the beach when she had first laid eyes on him. She hadn't questioned him still wearing them at the café because he was sitting outside in the bright daylight and he certainly wasn't the only customer doing it.

Rangiku's real question was how he got around so well without the cane, because up until he left the café, she had definitely not seen him use it.

"He hates the thing," Yoruichi had informed her with a casual shrug. "He's also lived in this town his whole life, he knows his way around. If he can avoid using a cane, he will."

"Can he see anything?" Rangiku had asked, curious though she doubted any answer could refute the fact that the man needed a cane to navigate, whether he wanted it or not.

"Not really," was the short, slightly huffy response that explained very little.

It did explain though, why Toshiro and Momo, despite being cousins and not lovers, had been linking arms when they walked into the café. She had been guiding him and Toshiro trusted her not to walk him into anything.

Rangiku felt awful, if she was being honest. The man was blind, it wasn't his fault. She just hadn't noticed. Not to be painfully ironic, but she had been totally blindsided by the whole thing.

She had gotten to mull over it for a fortnight now, and still she was unsettled.

Rangiku had been too scared to ask why Toshiro was blind, and whether he had been born that way or if he had lost his sight later in life. She could feel Yoruichi's tension and knew it was because Rangiku had seemed interested in a guy Yoruichi had likely known his whole life – solidarity amongst the locals and all that – and now Rangiku appeared to be questioning whether she was still attracted to him.

That wasn't true though, Toshiro was just as attractive, just as funny, and Rangiku wanted so badly to get to know him better. She was just scared.

She was so ignorant about blind people – about what you could and couldn't ask, about how they were limited and how they weren't. At the end of the day, it was a disability, whether that was the correct term nowadays or not.

"Work out what you want," Yoruichi had said, voice low and calm but Rangiku could tell she was still angry. "And don't hurt him."

Rangiku had been avoiding the whole thing, like a coward. The few times he had returned to the café since, Rangiku had been very quiet, no longer engaging in flirty banter, or any banter at all. She saw the moment Toshiro realised what was going on, when the smile had slipped off his face.

"I didn't know you were blind when we met," Rangiku had admitted one day at the café when he'd been trying to wind her up about her needing a surfing lesson from him. His grin had died, and Rangiku could only swallow gently as she fiddled with a dirty cloth.

"Oh," he had replied, and that was it. Rangiku had run back to the kitchen like the coward she was.

As far as Toshiro had been aware, they'd had a few fun and flirty conversations. Toshiro, like Yoruichi, had also thought she had known he was blind. Toshiro had probably assumed that despite knowing it, Rangiku had still flirted with him, indicating her interest in spending more time with him.

It wasn't that she wasn't interested anymore, but her walls had come up. She was an independent, free spirited girl herself, and she was attracted to men who were that as well. How independent was a man who needed a cane and a guide dog to get around his home? She didn't want to hurt him or get hurt herself, but she had to be realistic.

The awful thing was that she was making all these snap judgements and she knew it, but couldn't stop herself.

Rangiku sighed heavily and kicked the sand as she walked.

Today had been the worst. It had been their first day of classes at the university and she had seen Toshiro in the campus courtyard, running his finger over a braille text book.

Rangiku had decided to speak to him and had marched right up to him. He had glanced up as her footsteps approached and that was the first time she had seen him without his sunglasses. It was the first time she had seen his irises.

They were teal, almost turquoise like the ocean. They were cloudy though – it was painfully obvious now that this man couldn't see.

"Rangiku?" Toshiro had asked, but how he had known it was her, she didn't know.

Again, the fashion student had hightailed it out of there, words lost in her throat. What would she even say to him?

Rangiku walked further along the beach, her arms crossed over her chest as she mulled over her thoughts.

It didn't surprise her in the slightest when, another quarter mile up the beach, she spied a white haired man and his loyal dog sitting together on the sand, a surfboard lying flat beside them.

He was wearing a wetsuit this time, and was dripping wet. He didn't have a towel with him, nor did he seem to care for one. Rangiku sighed – she had to speak to him. She couldn't go through another day of university or a shift at the café without having cleared the air.

He is a human being, Rangiku reminded herself. He is a sweetheart. Don't be scared.

Slowly, Rangiku approached the man.

"Hey," she said when she was close enough.

Toshiro didn't glance her way, but his head tilted. He'd heard her.

"Hey yourself," Toshiro responded. There was no anger or attitude in his voice, he was just calm. He certainly wasn't thrilled to hear her, though.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," Rangiku spoke gently, stopping beside Toshiro. Hyorinmaru glanced up at her but returned his head to rest on Toshiro's leg. Maybe he knew what an asshole she had been. "I've been awful to you."

There was a sliver of a smirk then on the surfer's lips and he patted the sand beside him to say 'come sit, I don't bite'. Rangiku hesitated just a moment before she nodded and sat down on the sand beside Toshiro, curling her legs under herself.

"This isn't my first rodeo," Toshiro chuckled lightly. "People always want to tiptoe around me. It's okay, I'm used to it."

He really was a sweetheart, but it wasn't okay that he was used to it. Rangiku felt truly awful.

"Can we start again?" Rangiku asked hopefully. It was the only way she could think of to even try erase the past.

Toshiro didn't miss a beat, turning to her with a polite smile.

Forgiving.

"Hi, I'm Toshiro," he reached out a hand for her to shake. "I'm blind."

"Hi Toshiro, I'm Rangiku," Rangiku responded, shaking the hand, a small smile gracing her lips. "I'm not blind."

"Oh really?" Toshiro pretended to query. "I've heard seeing is overrated."

"Is that so?" Rangiku raised an eyebrow at him, and threw him a pointed look that he would never see.

Toshiro grinned and shrugged.

"I can still surf," Toshiro pointed out. "I can still talk to pretty ladies."

He elbowed Rangiku gently.

"The two most important things in life," he grinned, and thankfully Rangiku's blush that followed would never be seen.

"What makes you think I'm pretty?" Rangiku asked, somewhat teasingly since apparently Toshiro had a very dark sense of humour about his condition.

"You have a voice like sunshine," Toshiro murmured, and Rangiku only heard truth in his voice. "It's very pretty."

Rangiku stared at him, feeling her chest tighten. It was so easy to speak to him, why had she been avoiding it?

"But I've been so ugly to you," Rangiku admitted sadly.

"Never ugly," Toshiro replied quickly. "Ignorant maybe, you've obviously never met a blind dude before. I'm rolling my eyes at you, by the way."

That made Rangiku chuckle.

"You can ask me things, you know?" Toshiro added seriously after a moment. "I don't get offended, you don't need to walk on eggshells."

Rangiku thought for moment about what she really wanted to know. She had so many questions in her head, but the more she spoke to him, the less important they all seemed. He was a lovely man, and that was all that mattered.

He also wasn't fragile.

"Can you see anything at all?" Rangiku asked. She had done a bit of research now, and she knew that many people who were legally blind actually did have some vision.

"Colours," Toshiro smiled so genuinely at that. "When they're bright enough and close enough."

"Really?" Rangiku asked, a bit surprised by that.

It was so fortunate that he knew what colours were – imagine trying to explain a colour to someone who had never seen one?

"Bring me your head," Toshiro ordered with a grin, hand gesturing for her to come closer.

Frowning slightly but participating, Rangiku moved closer, her face so close to Toshiro's that if she was any closer, she could have kissed him. He removed his sunglasses, and those cloudy irises flickered over her. Gently, he caught some of her long, wavy hair in his fingers and brought them right up to his eyes.

"Your hair is… sort of a strawberry kind of blonde," he seemed to decide. "Not as light as Yuzu's but far less orange than Ichigo's."

That was very true, Rangiku would give him that. She had met the Kurosaki children enough to know what they looked like, and as far as his analysis of her hair went, he was bang on the money.

"I can't see your eye colour though," Toshiro murmured, his voice almost sad at that. "They must be quite light?"

"They're a light blue," Rangiku confirmed. "They're not very bright."

"Blue is my favourite colour," Toshiro grinned then.

"Like the waves you surf?" Rangiku guessed.

"Precisely," Toshiro laughed.

For a moment, they were friends and Rangiku suddenly felt so at ease with the man. It felt ridiculous that she had been so scared of his condition.

Moving her head away, Rangiku and Toshiro sat peacefully for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. It felt completely comfortable now, and Rangiku watched the sunset peacefully, while Toshiro described it through his own eyes.

Apparently, it was all blur. Colours mashed into each other, but they were there. When things were close enough, he could kind of make them out. It surprised Rangiku then to hear that sometimes he could read text, but only if it was big enough and he was close enough to it. He described a pair of super magnified glasses he owned that helped him read smaller text if he needed, but that they gave him headaches after too long so he generally just stuck to braille if he could.

"I wasn't born blind," Toshiro explained. "I got an infection in both eyes when I was a kid and I lost a lot of my sight then. I think I'm lucky that I can remember what things look like. I can still see them in my dreams."

Rangiku had never considered how blind people dreamed. It must have been awful to dream of things you had once seen, only to wake up and be so harshly reminded that in reality, you couldn't see anymore.

"That's upsetting though, isn't it?" Rangiku asked softly.

Toshiro shrugged.

"You know, I never actually cared that much," Toshiro admitted. "I had a wonderful support system from my family and friends. Isshin taught me to surf and that gave me so much passion."

Rangiku wasn't clear on the relationship Toshiro had with her boss, other than the few words that Yoruichi had said on the matter. She would ask another day though.

"Plus I got this cutie here," Toshiro chuckled, ruffling Hyorinmaru's fur. "He helped me through high school and my first year of university. I never felt like I was missing out on anything… Not until I met you, anyway."

"Me?" Rangiku choked. "What so special about me?"

He barely knew her.

"We have chemistry I've never felt before with anyone else," Toshiro admitted with a sigh. "You've got this beautiful voice and fun personality, you're scent is so… I don't know, feminine and sensual? Momo tells me you're the prettiest girl she's ever seen. I haven't wished to see anything in a long time, but I wish I could see you."

Rangiku stared at Toshiro. His voice was so earnest. She honestly didn't know why he thought her personality was so great after she had been so awful to him in avoiding him. She supposed where people like her normally depended so heavily on physical appearance to determine whether they found someone attractive or not, Toshiro had to rely on other things. Chemistry, apparently, and the more Rangiku thought about that side of things, the more she knew Toshiro was right about that.

Their banter, their flirting – it had all been so natural. The chemistry was so easy and comfortable, yet it was exciting and playful. It was addictive.

Reaching forward, Rangiku hooked a finger underneath Toshiro's chin and guided his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered closed, feeling a warmth spread over her at the chaste kiss. She moved her lips against his to encourage him, and soon he joined her in the slow but measured movements. His hands found her waist and he brought her closer.

It was beautiful. It was warm. It was so perfect.

Pulling back, Rangiku smiled at the stunned fish expression Toshiro had on his face, his cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

"I'm sick of men staring at me," Rangiku murmured, "but I'm so used to it. I've never known it any other way."

"I'm never going to appreciate your looks, Ran," Toshiro swallowed, looking pained as he spoke, like he was saying goodbye to ever kissing her again. "I'll never care what size jeans you wear, if you wear makeup or not, I won't notice if you do something different with your hair. If you're looking for a man to call you pretty, I'm not the guy for you."

"What would you call me then?" Rangiku tested, realising she wasn't as upset by his words as she thought she would have been.

"Gorgeous, for the way you laugh at my dumb jokes," Toshiro's soft smile was back and Rangiku felt her heart quicken. "Beautiful, for the way your voice hits my ears. Delicious, for the sweet taste of your kisses."

Rangiku found herself starting to smile again too.

"I can only comment on what I can hear and feel," Toshiro continued. "I know that you have the softest hands I have ever felt, and your hair is knotted from the wind because you like to walk across the beach instead of sitting inside on your phone."

"I'm liking the beach more and more each day," Rangiku commented, but it was a metaphor. She liked Toshiro more and more each day. She liked him more with each minute, if she was being truly honest.

"I won't be able to tell you if I like your fashion designs," Toshiro pointed out. "I can tell you if I like the way they feel, but I'm not sure how relevant that is."

"It's very relevant," Rangiku informed him.

Toshiro sighed and another silence passed over them, this one lasting several minutes. The only real sounds now was the relentless roar of the waves crashing onto the beach, the seagull squawks as they swarmed on whatever food they could find on the sand, and the last of the low voices making their way off the beach. The sun had now fully set, but a light twilight hue hung over the sky, leaving it light enough to see. Still, insane surfers pushed the limits out in the swell, apparently not concerned that soon they would not be able to see the beach at all.

"How about we start as friends?" Toshiro offered eventually.

Rangiku pursed her lips and fought back the smile.

"How about we start with a date?" she counter-offered, grin tugging at her lips. "We can drop back to friends if it doesn't work out. No harm, no foul."

Toshiro's cheeks were pink again and he was clearly fighting off a smile too.

"Only if our first date starts with me teaching you to surf," Toshiro smirked.

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Rangiku laughed.

She had a few years here with her degree anyway, she should probably learn to surf.

"Okay," Toshiro clapped his hands with motivation and stood quickly. "Let's get started then."

He picked up his surfboard while Rangiku blinked.

"It's dark now?" she exclaimed, pointing out to the waves she could barely see and Toshiro definitely couldn't see.

Toshiro scoffed, "What do I care? I can't see anyway."

"Well neither can I now!" Rangiku squawked to which Toshiro only laughed.

He smirked and held out a hand to her.

"Come on, Beach Girl," Toshiro grinned. "I'll look after you, I promise."

That Rangiku wholeheartedly believed, and without another thought she reached up and grabbed his hand, allowing him to pull her up off the sand. That free arm moved quickly around her waist and held her for a moment, as he pressed a quick kiss to her lips. It was shorter than the first, but just as lovely, and when he pulled back, Rangiku's lips were left tingling, wanting more.

Slipping out of her dress, Rangiku was bikini-clad and nervous, but she followed Toshiro into the shallow waves. She could see them better than she thought, largely because of the bright moon overhead.

Rangiku found that Toshiro really could hear the waves beyond what she could. She laid flat on the surfboard and he held her in place until it was time for her to paddle like mad to meet the wave in just the right spot. Her skin had goosebumps all over it, but not from being cold – just from the touch of Toshiro's hands on her skin as he held and maneuvered her into the right spots.

That night, Toshiro taught Rangiku to surf. Sure, it was just in the shallows, and she had only managed to stand up once, for all of four seconds, but she was so excited to have managed that. Toshiro too was beyond ecstatic, claiming she was a natural and would be out in the swell with him in no time.

It was celebrated with the most passionate kiss as Rangiku jumped into Toshiro's arms when they reunited, water splashing everywhere.

He was right, they did have a chemistry that just couldn't be explained, and neither of them needed their sight to see that.