smile of a fox

nobody knows his heart

Gin Ichimaru is not a quite-so-loved character in HitsuHina universe. To be sure, he was one of the most responsible for bringing the tension between Hitsugaya and Hinamori to its peak. (Kira and Rangiku were also placed in danger because of him) Nevertheless, I've always had a soft spot for Gin in spite of what he did: he is got to be one of the most complex and mysterious characters in Bleach, to whom both Hitsugaya and Hinamori are reminded of in strange ways.

In my opinion, Gin is a victim of plot in some way. Compared to Aizen the "final boss", whose true colors were well-hidden until the very last moment, Gin was trusted with all the dirty tasks a.k.a. those involving highly emotional moments. There's no doubt that Gin is Aizen's most faithful follower, maybe even more so than Tousen, thus giving him every reason there is to do whatever Aizen asks him to. However, he is not unreasonable even if he appears ruthless most of the time: there's still a string of mercy in him which made him hold back his sword in front of his old-time family, even if it meant a slight backstab at Aizen's original order of eliminating Hinamori. In other words, although Gin is not exactly a supporter of Hitsugaya and Hinamori's relationship (thanks to Aizen), he wouldn't go as far as to pull them apart completely when not absolutely necessary.

A lot of you might have been shocked or puzzled by my last statement in the first paragraph. Well, I was hardly talking about anything appearance or personality-wise: it was more of a comparison between the two most famous Seireitei pairings, HitsuHina and GinRan. To the contrary of Hinamori, who doesn't seem to realize Hitsugaya's feelings toward her in the least, Gin looks as if he's been aware of Rangiku's anxiety all along but kept silent. Was it Gin's unique form of kindness, considering that he can only choose one option out of the two - either to follow Aizen and his ideals, or to stay by Rangiku's side and lead a peaceful but not as eventful life?

HitsuHina is now facing a situation with the same nature as GinRan: is Hinamori going to throw herself at Aizen with a blind trust until the end, or should she step back and fight the true evil alongside her childhood friend? At the most significant crossroad of life, Gin has taken the steeper but more exciting route which left Rangiku behind. What about Hitsugaya and Hinamori? Is Gin's action in Bleach meant to be a foreshadowing of HitsuHina's future, or a stepping stone for a better ending?

While I don't quite understand Gin's character, I do see him as a key influence to Hitsugaya and Hinamori's relationship. If you're interested in reading a bit more about Gin and Rangiku, please visit Venus in the Dark.