Thank You [Erica, Ranma]

In the wake of everything, where would she be? In these trying times, where would she be?

Ranma knew his girlfriend well by now – obviously, they shared everything with each other now. And he intended it to be that way. May no dissolution nor chaos or tragic event break them apart. His connection to her couldn’t be stronger… and yet, it grew day by day.

She’d still be at the 2nd. At the hospital, working tirelessly to restore and recover. To keep the brave Shinigami who’d fended off the invading Hollow forces and kept them safe. Nothing called to Erica’s heart harder than that… he almost didn’t want to interrupt her work. But after talking to Noharu, he wanted to meet his love again…

At least, this time, Ranma wasn’t injured when he spotted her, deciding to wait for her work to be done. He’d simply wait nearby, watching more of the 8th’s members be treated of injuries caused by the fallen debris of what used to be their barracks before.

It had been another crazy shift but Erica didn’t want to be anywhere else, her bright smile and skill with Kaido helping out as many people as she could. Yeah, she’d heard all the news about the Gotei being brought to an end but the healer hadn’t let that stop her from her work. In fact, she’d only started working harder still since the information had broken out. The Captain of Squad 2 had been paramount that those in the squad should continue as normal and Erica saw no reason to not follow through with that request.

By the end of it all though, she was rather weary and the pink haired woman was definitely ready for a break by the time her shift came to an end. She’d healed more people than she could remember and while happy with her output, Erica couldn’t help but think that maybe she was pushing herself too hard. Yeah, she was becoming more skilled all the time but she had her limits and every day was becoming more challenging than the last.

Still, all of that seemed to burn away when her eyes fell upon her boyfriend, who was waiting for her patiently at the end of the corridor. With a big smile, she’d approach and wrap her arms around him. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Been a long day.” She commented with a chuckle.

Taking a look around… they were all working hard as usual. It was like the Gotei really hadn’t disappeared, after all – just like Masamune believed in. But, at the end of the day, money would run out, and it’d likely be a shift at that time… he had to figure out how to help Erica out when that time came. Her mum’s apothecary was one thing, but he could try and find another source – simply, he wasn’t ready to quit. Not when seeing his girlfriend go on like this. Tenacious as ever.

In spite of her exhaustion, her warmth was overwhelming. His arms immediately locked around her waist, drawing her closer into a deep kiss. “No need to apologize,” he reassured her – his pseudo-selfish desire to see her wasn’t heavier than the need of fellow Shinigamis for her aid. That’d be bigoted.

Gently, he strolled his hand across her front bangs, taking in the detailed look of exhaustion creeping up on her eyes. “… I completely forgot what I wanted to say. Gimme a minute,” he admitted at first, simply enamored and too distracted by the still burning glow in her eyes to think about anything else. Especially in rough times, Erica’s presence was almost drowning him. “How’re the rest of your Squad? And Captain Kuchiki? After the announcement… I thought shit would get a little more chaotic, but y’all got things under control here.”

*Mraw*

Oh, Snuggles was here too. He'd decided to hide in Ranma's sleeve of all places, constantly watching the guy after his recovery from his prior battle.

If Erica were the sheepish type, she might have felt embarrassed by him suddenly kissing her but they’d been together long enough that most people knew that they were a couple. Not one person had ever spoken badly about their relationship either, at least not to her face and her squadmates had been completely supportive. It meant so much to her that they were so pleased and the healer honestly couldn’t have been happier with her life, despite the recent issues with the invasion. She was where she wanted to be, working with those she enjoyed being around and with a partner who she knew would always have her back. How could she not be happy?

“They’re all shattered but that’s just the way it is at the moment.” She’d reply with another smile. “I don’t think a single one of the squad has gone since the Gotei closed and I still see the same faces every morning, ready for another day at work. We do our best to help keep people from panicking and it’s been pretty normal here in truth. It’s just like we know what we’re doing and regardless of what happens, we know what we have to do.”

Smiling as their fluffy friend appeared, Erica would gently scratch his fur, knowing that Snuggles might cause an issue in the hospital. It didn’t seem though as if anything, those who walked past just wanted to pet him. “Figures he’d be popular.” She’d joke with her boyfriend.

She really looked happy… Erica was way stronger than people gave her credit for. Ranma had panicked, worried, been told not to worry, only to worry a bit more, panic, sob, worry more… but she was a great inspiration. And she was soft and warm as well.

Snuggles went to become the star of his own show, enjoying the attention from other people working here. “Damn, what a player…” Ranma joked, “Oh, I met Masamune earlier. Holy crap. She’s not having a wink of sleep… a penny for your thoughts? Have you heard about those Kuchiki guys before? The current head’s aiming for Captain-Commander. Now, I have my opinions about the noble clans, but I’m also pretty sure Tolvan isn’t a noble clan, so… unless they are, and I just dissed your entire family- I didn’t mean that!”

Snuggles rose his head up at the random end of that comment, as if on alert.

“Mum doesn’t think an awful lot of the nobility in general.” Erica replied after listening to him. “She says that they only ever care about their reputations rather than other people but I’ve never felt that from Captain Kuchiki. I think she’s different from the others and I think that if the rest of the nobility were as humble as she is then it’d be a much nicer place. They just kind of act like they have a broom shoved up their backside if you get my meaning and they kind of rub me wrong too. It’s not often that we hear great stuff about them, is it?”

Snuggles was beginning to attract more attention and it seemed that one young Shinigami was particularly attached, almost petting him raw. The ginger giant seemed to be alright with it though and did his best to help ease the woman’s stress. It was quite interesting to see and after some thought, she’d pose a question to Ranma. “Maybe we should let Snuggles accompany me on my rounds one day. He sure is popular by the looks of it and we could all use a little cheering up.”

Guess… he shouldn’t have expected otherwise. Wow, those nobles just weren’t shit, were they? To think that even Erica’s blessed family would think so little of them – but by her explanation, it was well-deserved. A broom shoved up their buttholes, indeed.

“Yeah, well… I mean… they sure got fancy names,” Ranma admitted, the only good thing he could say about the noble clans at the moment, “Must be a headache to deal with. Actually, I don’t even wanna think about if I was a noble – too much brain damage, even for me. Fuck this. I barely even wanna think about the dissolved G.U. – I’m still an 8th Squad Shinigami. I still work under Captain Rose. All this time, I’ve tried to… freaking… think about the future. Our future… but right now, I don’t want shit to change. Am I devolving or something? This is exactly what Captain Hisakawa warned me about! Fuck… all of this…”

Ranma’s face darkened sadly. Even while Snuggles was receiving plenty of attention, Ranma was trying to gather his stormy thoughts. Why is it… whenever I try to think about the damn future, it looks bleak, confusing, or dead as hell? I’ll… I’ll never unlock Hōkamaru’s full power like this! I’ll never… move on like this… What is his future? What is it?

All he saw, wanted to see… was Erica. Erica, Snuggles, Erica’s mum, and the Tolvan’s house. Snuggling, hugging, kissing, doing all sorts of things. Him, her pink braids, Snuggles’ fur sticking to his hakama pants… it was almost too much to bear.

Ranma didn’t want to think. He… he wanted to love. “Erica… I… I don’t know why,” he tried his best to explain exactly what had troubled him for… years, “I’ve really come a long way. I can say that with my whole chest, you’ll hear me brag about my shit all day long if my voice could handle it! But… every time… every goddamn fuckin’ time I think to myself [“Oh? I wonder what’ll happen tomorrow?”], I start shaking. I can’t be a coward, can I? Even now, with everything happening… I promised you, didn’t I?”

He still remembered. “My problems are yours… and yours, mine. I feel like you’re the only one I can tell about this. Sometimes, I can’t make head-or-tails of my thoughts, and for a while… I honestly thought it was burdening you, too. But you’re still here… I can’t thank you enough.”

It was apparent that he’d been holding it all in for some time and as Erica looked up at him, the smile briefly faded from her face. It pained her to see him in such distress and the healer had to take some time to figure out what to say in return. Yeah, she could have spoken like a psychiatrist, something that she’d been trained to do but that wasn’t going to help, was it? He needed her now as his beloved partner, not as simply a doctor. He’d certainly picked the perfect time for that, as she was quite thankful to be able to take a break from healing for the day.

Taking his hand, Erica would lead Ranma out of the corridors and outside a pair of double doors that led into the hospital gardens. The healer didn’t utter a word as to where she was leading to but after a few minutes, it would become quite apparent. She led him to the beautiful gardens that were tended to by some of the more long term patients as a form of therapy. It was a lovely place and where the pink haired woman travelled to herself when she needed a minute.

She’d finally come to a stop beside a delightful tree that was covered in pink blossoms, before taking a seat and offering her lap for him to rest upon.

“It’s not cowardice to be afraid of the future, you know? A lot of people worry about what’s to come and I guess after what we’ve been through, it makes a lot of sense. Yet, you can’t let yourself be affected by it like this. All that matters is that we’ll be together, no matter what tomorrow will bring and we’ll face it, hand in hand. You’ve come so far since we first met and you’re barely even the same guy now. You’re strong, dependable and willing to do whatever is necessary to protect those in need. Focus on the present, the future will come when it’s ready.” She finally said, a smile breaking through at that point.

He wasn’t sure where they were going, at first, but he had ideas popping up in his mind. Since she wasn’t saying anything… oh shit, she wanted to do it here? Rather brazenly naughty of her… he likd it! His cheeks even reddened with the anticipation – I mean, he didn’t feel that down about himself, but if she wanted to take his mind off of things, he’d be game-

Oh… hey, this place looked a bit like Hinamori-sensei’s garden! Maybe he shouldn’t throw his brain down to the dick as quickly as he did, but at the same time, passion was his middle name. The place already managed to calm his nerves, reminding him of Hinamori-sensei’s training… and that he was constantly moving forward. And he could! All because of…

Cherry tree. Its crown reminded him of Erica’s hair, especially since many of the normal leaves gave it a slight, green tone- lap pillow. Ranma claimed the spot in an instant, before he even had the thought to accept her offer. He blinked a few times before registering the comfortable softness, the view above of Erica’s reassuring face and the cherry blossoms saturated by the evening rays.

And she told him to remember what mattered. He and her. Everything in this world could come rushing down on them, but they’d tackle it head-on, hand in hand. It was very idealistic, very chivalric… but it was exactly what Ranma liked to hear. What he always dreamed of. No matter how complicated the damn world became, he had someone to face it alongside with. He had her.

Focus on the… present. He’d usually done that by being carefree and enjoying his spare time, but he thought it was some sort of bad trait. Then again… it was that Ranma who met her, fell in love, and came to this point. That was when his muscles eased up, and he melted into her lap. “… Even if Soul Society crumbles down around me…” he mumbled, low though clear enough to be heard, “I still see our house, your mum and Snuggles, and us living our lives… I feel like I can do things I couldn’t do before. Even when I’m about to shit my pants… mhmm… I can’t think. I don’t wanna think too much about it… your lap is warm…”

Yeah… right now, what was on his mind? Her lap. Her warmth. Her presence. “Fuck, you feel good…”

Pleased that her idea had seemed to do the trick, Erica would simply smile down at him while Snuggles would scurry about chasing after a falling blossom. It was all so quaint and frankly what the healer thought they all deserved. There’d been too much pain, too much torment and even just a few moments of peace helped ease the tension. In truth though, there was never much of that between herself and Ranma anymore, having become as close as they had. She was so relaxed in his presence and he’d brought so much light to her life in the time they’d spent together. She didn’t care about what anyone else said about him. He was hers and that was all that mattered.

“Maybe now that the Gotei has concluded we can focus more upon what we want to do with our lives.” Erica eventually answered. “I adore my work here but if the time came where you wished for us to move somewhere else, I’d go with you in a heartbeat. Everything is different now and I have to admit that in a way it feels kind of refreshing. The invasion was horrible and those Arrancar did so much damage but perhaps we should try and find the positives of it all.”

She’d lean down at that point and kiss him in return, not caring too much if they were seen or not. If her words weren’t enough then maybe her actions would be.