Chapter 18: Meanwhile IX
Aizen, Gin, and Tousen halted before the hotel reception desk line that afternoon, waiting their turn to check out. Aizen smoothed his hair back over one ear where a lop was missing, courtesy of Gin removing Momo's gum wad.
"You're sure it's not too noticeable?" he asked, self-consciously trying to push hair over the obvious hair faux pas.
"Naw, can't even see it," Gin said, grinning as they moved up in line. "Oh, I'll catch up with ya later."
Tousen frowned in his direction. "Where are you going?"
"Gotta see a man about somethin'. You got this, right, boss?" Gin asked Aizen.
He nodded. "But those cable movies are coming out of your per diem," he said, reaching into the back pocket of his dress pants.
Gin moved toward the lobby doors. "Okay, okay." Then he left.
Not finding his wallet, Aizen stuck his hand in the other back pocket. He frowned, checking his sports jacket. He and Tousen moved up in line, taking their turn before the desk.
He looked to Tousen. "Have you seen my wallet?"
Tousen gave him a dark look. "No. I haven't seen your wallet."
Aizen glanced at the door. Gin was gone. The woman behind the desk looked to them, expectant smile on her face.
"Just a minute," Aizen said to her, checking his inside jacket pocket. "How much you got on you, Tousen?"
The subordinate frowned. "You want me to pay?"
"Just until we get back to Las Noches. I'll pay you back," Aizen grumbled. "Can't find my wallet ..."
Gin made his way quickly down the back alley of The Next Top Model studio, grinning as he spotted a man lurking in a darkened corner.
"You the guy with the photos?" he asked, wary despite the thick file under the man's arm.
The man nodded, shifting nervous looks up and down the alley. "I got them."
"Let's see." Gin edged closer.
"Who you looking for?" the man asked.
Gin reached for the folder.
The man held it out of reach.
Gin sighed. "Rangiku Matsumoto."
"Oh." The man opened the holder, flipping through photos of contestants from the last few weeks, pausing on one. "Her?"
Gin frowned at the photo of Orihime in her Sailor Moon outfit. "No. Bigger on top."
"Oh, her." The man flipped through more photos. He grinned, displaying Rangiku's Lolita photo. "Her."
"Yep." Gin reached for the photo. The man snapped the folder shut. "Hey, I want that!"
"Pay up."
"How much?"
"How much you got?"
Gin frowned at the folder. "How many photos ya got?"
The man opened the folder again, sifting through more photos.
Rangiku in her cheongsam, as a giraffe, in her French maid negligee, fighting with Momo.
Gin leaned closer, his grin increasing, chuckling, nodding. Until his face dropped. "Gaa!" He snatched the photo of Rangiku straddling Hisagi in the snow, her hand tight on his jacket, lips pressed to his. Gin ripped the picture away, gawking at it. "What's this?!"
The man nodded, leering at the photo. "She's kissing him."
"I can see that, you moron!"
The man shrugged. "How many you want?"
Gin's eyes were wide now, mouth slightly agape. "What? All of 'em... Not this one ...No, yes this one, too... No..." His fingers clutched the photo as the man found a few more photos in the folder.
"How about her?"
Gin made himself look away from Rangiku and Hisagi to the photo the man held. "Agh! No, not her."
The man looked back down at the photo of Halibel's audition still. "You sure?"
"Yep." Gin shuffled through the other photos in the folder. More stills of Rangiku and Hisagi, more of her with the Chapstick, more of the snowball fight. The photos moved quicker through his fingers as his frustration grew. "No!"
"Which ones do you want?" the man said with rising irritation. "Come on, I got other people to show."
Gin picked out all the ones including Rangiku. "All of 'em with her."
"Money."
Gin held the photos to his chest and found a wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open, pulled out a wad of bills, scowling at the photos.
The man got a glimpse of Aizen's license photo in the wallet flap. "That don't look like you, man."
"Bad hair day," Gin grouched, stuffing the money at the man. "I'm taking 'em all."
The man glanced at the cash. "You got it." He repositioned the photos in the folder, grinning at Gin's shattered dignity as he looked through his photos. "A pleasure doing -"
"Get lost," Gin growled, scowl increasing as he glanced over the photos again, focusing on the snow scene ones as the man left down the alley.
It was all Aizen's fault.
He threw his head back and howled. "No, Rangiku!"