Chapter One

It took a lot to get Gin Ichimaru's attention, the fox faced captain was not known for his attention for detail, that was why he had Izuru, but this child that had just stolen his kill now had his complete attention. Shock was clear in his mind even as he noted that the hallow he had just attempted to swing at was disappearing and the seemingly four year old girl in front of him was already sheathing her sword, which was twice her height. He could feel the power of her retsiue, still weak due to her age but very strong, strong enough to feel her potential, how could the soul society had missed this child in their sweeps of the ends of Rokangai to find people just like this he didn't truly know.

"Who are you?" Gin finally spoke, keeping his smile in place though under the wonder the child had inspired in him during the beginning was now fading to aggravation at the fact that she had in-fact stolen his kill.

The girl spun quickly to face the man behind her, not picking up on his power in the slightest, her wide eyes focusing on his own, hand on the hilt of her sword. Gin's eyes opened slightly to take in the more of the child, getting the first good look at her. The first thing he noticed was the spirit ribbons, they were not white or red like the normal ones should have been, they were yellow...not normal in the slightest. Her wide brown eyes, shocked but the slightest hint of resentment that he couldn't understand but he didn't take time to think about it either, he had moved on to the many cuts and bruises on her pale, lily white skin. Her brown hair was down to the middle of her back, tangled, nappy and the color was almost black, only showing the mud stains all over her cream, probably used to be white, kimono. Her bare feet where cut, bruised, and black with filth, her face, everything hurt, it was like someone had held her down and beat her, even her lips were busted and a black eye was healing.

"Who are you?" he asked again, his voice growing kinder as he bent down to one knee on the muddy earth.

"Y-y-you don't n-need to k-k-know," she stuttered, her stutter he had a feeling, was not because of fear of him.

He chuckled lightly, causing the child to quickly blush and look down at the ground, hands clamped tightly into fists. "You have no name, huh?" he laughed, "So, stutters, where did you get your katana?"

"Why do you want to know!?" she shouted looking up quickly, the emotions in her face clearly mixed with anger and embarrassment.

"So where did the stutter go?" he asked feigning disappointment.

"It comes and g-g-goes," her mouth snapped shut and the blush returned.

"And as for your question, I am just curious," Gin smiled again, placing a hand on her head, "It's not very nice to be so mean to someone you just met."

"Her name is Yamihana, I call her Yami, and she has always been here, t-t-through e-e-everything," she finished in a whisper, a new hint of pain entering her eyes.

"So she has a name," Gin smiled wider, if that was possible, his voice cheery, trying to make the child happy or even angry again so that he could take away her pain. "How old are you?"

"S-s-s-six," she whispered, trying to hold in the stutter unsuccessfully. Gin, felt his metaphorical jaw drop, he had expected her to look six, not be six, usually children that looked this age were at least fifty, maybe older. Six years old was a baby! She already knew her zompacto's name! This child was truly a genius... she was aging too quickly in her power, how was this possible?

"Where did you come from?" he asked quietly, though mentally he had added what.

"I am from the U.S. originally," she smiled softly remembering, then the smile dropped to a frown, "But my father moved after my mother died to a small town in Japan called Karakura, where I was attacked."

"Attacked?"

"I was practicing and was attacked by several things," she answered vaguely, Gin could sense her mental chaos, her reitsue was not very well controlled, "I d-d-d-don't want t-t-t-to talk about i-i-it."

"How long have you been here?" Gin asked, finally reaching his limit in his comfort zone. This child was too weird, too abnormal, but it wasn't for his own safety that he felt this stress of emotion in, he was worried that this special child would be killed without having a chance at life.

"Three months," she smiled proudly, for the first time in this conversation seeming to be perfectly at ease, "I m-m-m-made myself a home and e-e-everything."

"How odd," Gin muttered, opening his eyes suddenly, and striking the child with the sudden flash of blue as he bent until their foreheads touched. "Why do you try to take care of yourself? You are just a baby and there are too many mean and rough men that could hurt you."

"I can deal with it," she whispered, diverting her eyes from his own, "I d-d-did for an l-l-l-l-long time."

He looked down as she suddenly moved her arms, her hand vigorously over her wrist, the scar there was long and jagged, small dots, burns traveling over it and up her arms, he felt his eyes widen which was shocking for him, this child... He looked her over, her shoulders were slumped into her body, her teeth were biting into her bottom lip, she looked as if she was about to curl in on herself. The lights started to click more, the more they clicked the more Gin began to feel...angry.

"How often were you hit?" Gin hissed, suddenly running his hand up and down the long brown hair.

"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped again, looking up at him suddenly her very emotional face changing once again back to anger to cover up the sudden hurt.

"Okay," Gin smiled, enjoying the fact that she didn't want to stick with the sadness, though the smile once again made her uncomfortable.

"I am not a puzzle," she whispered, looking at him sternly, "You cannot just fix me."

"How odd for you to say," Gin laughed, his eyes shutting once again, "I am not a good enough person to want to fix anyone, not even a pretty girl like you."

The child stiffened at his words, the look on his face was one of pure terror for a moment, as she tried to pull away from Gin, jumping away quickly. He looked up, eyes opening again, taking in the child's face and then the trembling in her body, what had he said? "I am not going to do anything to you child," he whispered, clearly this child was more damaged then he had first thought.

"If y-y-you don't w-w-want a-a-anything from me t-then why a-a-are you..." she stopped, her shaking slowed, but still did not stop and she did not move any closer to him.

"I am only talking to you because you killed my hallow and I want to know how," he answered.

"So I confuse you..."

"You are an odd child is that so surprising that you confuses me?" he asked, smirking.

She smiled softly at him and for once he felt like he was seeing the real child underneath the strange power. "I thank you for trying to gain my trust but I do not trust any men in those white coats."

"What?" Gin's smile dropped, this child didn't trust...captains? Why is this?

"I do not trust any of you men in black with white jackets," she whispered.

"Why do you not trust captains?"

"One of you attacked me," she answered, backing away a step from him, "I do not trust ones like that man or anyone else in this world."

"What a lonely way to live," he whispered, what kind of captain would have attacked an innocent child and what kind of child would have already turned her back on the world?

"As if you don't live the same way soul reaper captain," she whispered in her own harsh tone, "Your smile is a fake as your faith in the world, you are living a life without any trust in people either."

"You cannot read people that are so much older then you child, it's rude," Gin whispered, shocked at how close she was to being right about him.

"I have never truly cared about being rude in my life, people sure haven't cared about being rude to me why should I care about them?"

"Such a way for a child to think," Gin scoffed, "That has the world done for you to hate it so?"

"It took away my mother and then dropped me here where horrible things happen to me every day," she whispered, "I trust that no one will stay with me or tell me the truth no matter what people may think of me."

"Come with me to see the head captain," Gin proposed suddenly, flash-stepping in front of the girl, startling her but she didn't move.

"Did you not hear what I said about not trusting you captains?" she hissed at him, he had to be making fun of her right now.

"Then we will take off our jackets," he chuckled, "You're telling me you would never trust one of us makes me want to make you trust me and I want you to reach your full potential, the one that I can sense under your anger."

"You want me to trust you?"

"Of course, I want you to trust me, when you become an adult I wouldn't be surprised if you made it to head captain and having you trust me would be very much in my benefit," he joked with the child, placing his hand once again on her head.

"You are certainly a man without any control over his tongue," she whispered, running her own hand through her hair, "You only think of what might come, do you not think of what will come?"

"I think what might come is the ideas and the things that will come," Gin smiled, almost laughing at the thought that he was having such a deep conversation with such a young child. "So what do you say about comin' with me to the head captain?"

"Why do you insist on me coming with you?" the child asked again, looking intently up at the man that seemed to be so interested in this life of her's.

"Why do you insist on fighting me so much?" Gin questioned in turn.

"Why do you think that I should trust the very people that attacked me?"

"What is your name?" Gin changed the line of speech quickly noting that he had yet to ask her this.

"Wait...What?" the child looked at him with those eyes again, he had noticed this look before several times when she had been caught off guard. It was a look of pure innocence, a look one might think that a puppy would have and the largeness, and color for that matter, didn't help the matter. It was too cute of a look for someone to look at him with.

"I asked what your name was again," Gin smiled, placing his free hand on her forehead, "I keep thinking of you as kid or child so I would like to have a name to go with that look you keep giving me."

"I am not giving you any look," she stuck out her tongue at him, "I don't know what you are talking about..."

"You don't think that you giving any look," he asked slowly, smile wavering for a moment as her look of confusion concluding that thought, "You really don't know..."

"My name is Kari Aka... I mean Kari Akida," she muttered, shaking her head, "and I don't give anyone any looks or whatever you are talking about."

"You do too, you give some kind-of puppy dog face!" Gin disagreed and then he was serious for a moment, "and you are lying to me, what is your name?"

"I told you Kari Akida," she repeated, looking away.

"Once again a lie," Gin repeated, moving his hand from her forehead to force her chin up, "What is your name?"

"I can't tell you," she shook her head quickly, "I was ordered not to tell you..."

"Why?" Gin raised his eyebrows, "I mean really who would tell you not to tell anyone your name?"

"My father," her posture went back to her defensive stance once more, she was backing away from him, "I c-c-c-c-can't t-t-t-talk about t-t-t-this."

"Your father isn't here right now, little one," Gin stopped the child, grabbing her upper arms quickly to stop her from fleeing. "Why would you listen to him, he wasn't a nice man, so why listen to him still."

"SHHHH!" she winced, "He w-w-w-will hear y-y-you."

"He isn't here little one," Gin smiled, attempting for the first time in his life attempting to soften that smile scared so many people, "I'm the only one here right now, you are safe."

"You d-d-d-don't know t-t-t-that," she disagreed, "anyway that is part of my name, that was my mother's maiden name and the name that I want."

"Is that so," Gin stated, holding back his laughter, "so are you going to come with me to the head captain?"

"What?"

"So is that a yes?" Gin asked again, smiling wildly.

"No!" Kari snapped, trying to turn away from him, blushing with anger he was guessing, "I didn't say anything of the sort!"

"Come 'er," Gin laughed finally pulling the child into his arms and standing to his full height, cradling her against his chest.

"What are you doing!?" she struggled against him, shoving at him roughly and twisting around.

"We are going to talk to the old man and see what we can do with you," Gin answered, not putting down the child but tightening his grip as he began to walk away.

"I don't want to go with you!" she screamed, kicking at his chest, "Put me down!"

"Why don't you want to go?" he asked, genuinely confused for the first time during their encounter.

"I know what to expect here," she whispered, finally calming down though Gin still hadn't stopped walking, "I have dealt with people like these for years, ever since I remember, but people that could...I don't know...people that are so strong and ones that actually can think everything through, that is dangerous."

"At least you have a valid reason," Gin nodded slightly, before scaring the child by going quickly into a flash-step, "but you don't have to worry, with me holdin' ya you don't have nothing that would dare touch you. I'm going to protect you.'

"Where will I live?" she continued to grasp for reasons while she kept a tight grip on his captain's robe so that she wouldn't move with each of the steps.

"With me of course!" Gin shouted this as if the idea she would live anywhere else was just foolish, "Where else would ya live, they wouldn't let a child live on their own and you don't know anyone else."

"I don't really know you either, you haven't even told me your name, yet," she noted, burying her face into his chest.

"It is Captain Gin Ichimaru," he smiled, "call me Gin."

She smiled softly, but then she felt something off, she felt him jump on the building in front of him losing her grip on his clothes and his grip on her. "GIN!" she screamed. She felt herself in the air for a moment, floating, but she knew that even in the moment she was just flying that she would ultimately fall to the harsh ground under her. As soon as the thought of the ground hit her she felt herself falling, she could see it drawing closer and closer until suddenly it stopped, a warm hand wrapped around one of the legs holding her face only inches from the ground.

"Who is this, Gin?" another voice asked, slightly slurred voice was warm.

"That's my little birdy," Gin laughed, appearing in front of the pair, though the girl could not see him, facing the man that held her. "She thought she could fly for a little bit."

"You dropped me!" she shouted, wiggling frantically trying to get away from the lanky man in the pink haori that stood in front of her, the stink of alcohol seeping from his very pores. "Who are you?!"

"My name is Shunsi Kyoraku, just call me Shunsi, I think that Kyoraku might be a mouthful for an American child to say," the man said in a cheerful voice, "I suppose you want to stand on your feet now, ne?"

"Please," Kari agreed, feeling the pair turn her upright to stand on her feet and get a good look at the man in front of her.

His hair was pulled back into a low pony-tail and his hat...she shook her head in disgust, this man looked like he was about to do some gardening not fight the hollows that he was meant to. "So, Gin," the older man asked, looking up at him, "what in the world are you doing with such a small girl?"

"She was all alone in the corner of Rokangi, with a zompacto," Gin shrugged, "I couldn't just leave her there..."

"What happened to your face?" Shunsi asked suddenly, staring intently at the child, making her reitsue spike.

"Th-h-h-hat's none of y-y-y-your b-b-business," Kari snapped, backing away from the man quickly, running into Gin's legs.

"She is a firecracker," Gin laughed softly, placing a hand on her head, much to her displeasure.

"So it seems," Shunsi chuckled as well, looking at the child with softened eyes, "I didn't mean to frighten you, little one, just wanted to make sure that you were in good hands."

"I'm fine," she mumbled, hoping she wouldn't stutter again, "he's just annoying me to death..."

Gin laughed loudly, his entire limber frame shaking, "Isn't she so cute," he gasped out between bouts of laughter.

"Of course," Shunsi smiled, enjoying the fact that the captain that had seemed so distant from everyone in the Soul Society except for his lieutenant and his former captain, really seemed to have some sort of care for this child. "So what are you going to tell the head captain when he sees a little girl in your home?"

"I was just about to head there now and talk to him about her," Gin supplied, shrugging lightly, "I thought that it might be something that he wants to know, you know, her being ridiculously powerful and all."

"What do you mean?" Shunsi asked, slightly amused, he could see she had a fair deal of reitsue and a zompacto but so did several other people.

"She knows the name of the zompacto and she stole a hollow that I was after," Gin smiled at the skepticism in the elder captain's voice, "You did know I was after that hallow that had killed over thirteen of our trained soul reapers."

"Quite impressive," Shunsi smiled, placing a finger under his lower lip and adding a contemplative look on his face, "She is really going to be something when she when she gets to be my age, huh?" he laughed.

"Oh she will be," Gin agreed seriously, patting her head simply, making the girl growl a little under her breath, of course they were going to keep talking about her in front of her.

"Come on," Shunsi laughed, standing up, groaning as his back cracked, "If we wanna get to old man Yama before he takes to doing his job all night we better start heading over."

"Who said he could come!?" Kari spoke up, turning on Gin and glaring, knocking his hand off of her head.

"He could be helpful, little bird," he smiled, placing his hand on her head again and ruffling her hair, only now noticing that she was still a mess. "If we have an elder captain to say that you need to stay with me then he will be more likely to listen then he would be to one of the youngest."

"Wait..." she paused, Gin could see the fear cross her face as she stiffened, "he is a captain..."

"Of course little one," Shunsi laughed, then noticing her extreme discomfort paused, looking up at Gin, "Is that a problem?"

"Keep him away from me," Kari whispered, suddenly hiding behind the legs of Gin Ichimaru, shocking both men. "Please make him go away," her voice was quivering, they could feel the fear in her reitsue, she wrapped her arms tightly around his legs.

"I can go on ahead and tell old man Yama what's going on," Shunsi raised his eyebrows as Gin flinched as the little girl dug her nails into his legs, though his eyes said that he would have questions later.

"I would appreciate it, Captain Kyoraku," Gin smiled, reaching behind him and placing a comforting hand on the little girl's shoulder.

"See ya later," Shunsi waved slightly, before disappearing using his flash-step.

"He's gone now," Gin whispered, glancing around, making sure another wasn't around, "You can stop panicking."

"I told you," she whispered, slowly loosening her shaking arms from his legs, "I just don't like you people very much."

"You people," Gin spat the comment back, wrinkling his nose, "not all of us are the same you know."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, placing her head against the back of his legs, dropping her shaking arms to her sides, fear was eating at her, "I just... I'm sorry."

"It's okay lil bird," he laughed again. Amused that she was actually taking him so seriously, it was certainly something it would take him a while to get used to, though he had to admit in the last ten minutes he had been completely serious in his hurt. He had to teach this child that not all of these captains were going to kill her, that he was nothing like the creature, the captain, which he was trying to protect her from. "So are we going to head up to that old captain's office or we going to stand out here all day?" he smiled at her again.

"Well I'd prefer to sit here all day, I'd rather not meet the man that appointed the person that killed me," I smiled sweetly at him, bouncing slightly on her toes.

"Awww but I have my heart set on having a little girl," Gin whined, bending down onto his knees, so he was face to face with her, "but I can't have a little girl, I'm not exactly a person that could get both parts of what it takes to make a baby, unless you go to the head captain with me."

"All you need to do is find a woman," Kari shrugged, "then you won't need me and I can go hide in my little house."

"Ahhh I don't think so," Gin smiled widely, "but the reason is a little beyond someone of your years would understand. I think that you're the only chance I got, lil bird."

"Are you gay?" the question slipped from Kari's lips as casually as if she were asking about the weather. "I think that's the only reason you wouldn't have a chance of having a little girl…" she continued thoughtfully.

"How did you even learn about something like that?" Gin asked, his face completely colored with shock. "You're just a little kid, you ain't at the age were you would know something like that."

"We had cable," she shrugged lightly, smiling as she was sure that she was right by his reaction, "So I am right then? You like guys and not girls?"

"Well, yea, but I still don't understand how you know this…What is cay-bell?" Gin asked, making her smile again as he agreed with her and laugh as he said cable.

"It's something that we watch when we get bored, it shows us a bunch of stuff and I turned it on this one channel…yea mama got mad, so I won't keep talking about it," Kari giggled even more as she remembered one of the only good memories she could think of. "So do you got a boyfriend?" she giggled as she continued onto this new line of thought.

"We will talk about this later, but since you know that you are the only chance I have at having such a bright and pretty girl will you go with me to the head captain?" Gin asked pouting slightly, making his usually smiling face look off to even the child.

"Why are you so mean to me?" Kari whined, placing a hand on each of his cheeks and pinching them tightly, "I don't think I can tell you no anymore you, poop head."

"I thought I could say that to you," Gin laughed, pulling her hands away and holding them in his, noting the huge size difference, "And that's kind of worrisome isn't it? That I have already made my way under your skin so quickly?"

"I don't like it at all," Kari stuck out her tongue and shook her head, "You are such a jerk."

"Awww," Gin laughed, pulling her into his chest, hugging her tightly, "don't worry baby bird, 'cause you have worked your way under my skin too."

"Let's go to that man before I change my mind," she mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck in a rare display of affection from the girl.

"Thought so," he laughed, tightening his hold on the girl in another rare gesture of protectiveness, "Let's go!"

He heard the little girl yelp as he began flash-stepping without warning, not exactly his brightest idea since he had already dropped her once today, but he still did it though he kept a much better hold. It only took him moments to get the first squad barracks, the girl clinging to him for dear life as he finally stopped in front of the doors. The large doors were looming over them, seeming so much more ominous then they had been in past days.

"Are you ready?" Gin questioned, taking a deep breath himself, before allowing himself to let the girl slide from his arms.

"I don't like this…" the girl whispered, suddenly moving to clutch onto his leg, "I don't want to…"

"You can do it," Gin flashed the little girl a half smile, before offering her his hand instead of his leg, "We just got to talk to one man, that's it."

"One man that could kill me, one man that could do a heck of a lot of things to someone like me," she whispered in turn.

"Trust me?" Gin asked, smiling down at her, something about the smile was so much warmer than that fake smile she had seen a few moments ago.

"I'll try," Kari whispered, he could feel her hand tightening around his own, fear evident, "…Don't leave me?"

He barely heard the last part, her whisper was so soft that it was almost lost in the wind, but it made him sigh, "I won't leave you alone," Gin answered, tightening his own grip in a comforting manner.

"There you are Captain Ichimaru!" one of the many nameless men in the Court Guard squads sighed in relief as he rushed around the corner, "Captain Koryaku said you would be coming in soon behind him to see the…" the man trailed off, his eyes going to the child with Gin, his face shifting suddenly from his relieved smile to a lopsided, goofy smile that Gin hadn't seen on any grown man.

"You were saying?" Gin asked urging him to continue, though the man still didn't look up at him, not that Gin wasn't used to people shying away from his foxlike gaze, but this man was smiling, something he hadn't ever seen before.

"Who is this?" the man asked, looking down at Kari, "Is she your kid captain?"

"No," Gin gave a false laugh moving his free hand to Kari's shoulder in a mildly possessive manner, "I found her today, I was planning on talking to the head captain about her."

"She's adorable," the man smiled, reaching out to the girl slightly, before pulling back when he caught Gin's sudden harsh stare. "What's your name?"

"My name is Kari," she whispered back at him, looking up at Gin slightly, looking for some sort of direction.

"That's a pretty name," the man smiled slightly, opening his mouth to ask another question when Gin coughed loudly.

"You were saying something about the head captain weren't you?" Gin asked the man in a harsh tone, making the man flinch back slightly.

"Right,'' the man straightened quickly, sensing the sudden change in the captain, "he is waiting in the captain's hall for you sir!"

"Good," Gin snapped, "we will be going then," Gin turned suddenly; steading Kari as she almost fell with his swift movements and then moving past the slowly opening doors.

"Did you not like him?" Kari questioned, trying to distract herself from the awful jumping feeling in her gut as she looked down the long, dark, candle lit corridor.

"He was getting to friendly," Gin answered darkly, "he needs to remember his place."

"You're silly," Kari whispered, running to keep up with Gin's quick steps.

"Yea," Gin smiled at the child again as they stopped before the second door, "So the Head Captain is in there with that captain you saw before and one other man. The other man is a captain too, but I wouldn't worry, he's probably just going to offer you some candy."

"But…" Kari bit her lip, conflict showing in her bright eyes, "why would he give me candy?"

Gin laughed, shocking himself a little at how easily the sound came now when usually only his lover could draw that rare sound from him. "He's like a grandpa of sorts, at least I think that's what you guys call it. He just really likes kids, when they smile it makes him happy…he's a good man," the last part he added in a whisper as if he didn't want the man to hear him.

Kari looked at the man with a bewildered look, confusion masking over the marvel of the thought of a man that took pleasure in a child being happy. She sighed happily, wondering what it was like to meet another adult besides Gin that took pleasure in a smile from a child, all the adults besides her mother had only wanted to hear her cries. "What should I do if he gives me candy?" her question was asked meekly as she clutched onto his sleeve with tight fingers as she watched the floor, trying to hide the new type of fear from Gin.

"I don't really know," Gin paused, taken aback by the question, "I guess you take it and say thanks? I've never really had anyone but 'Zuru to give me something before."

"You're no help," she mumbled, looking up just to stick her tongue out at him.

"Shouldn't you know what to do?" Gin asked, sticking his tongue back out at her, "I mean you're the kid someone's gave you candy or something before."

"No…no one has been nice to me before…not for a long time," Kari looked down again, shuffling her feet, "my mom was nice."

"Well," Gin sighed, getting on his knees and placing a finger under her chin so that she would look up at him, he mentally winced as he caught the sadness in her eyes, "you are just going to have to find a way to change that, won't we?"

"Really?" she asked, the hope in her voice making Gin's heart ache when days ago he had almost sworn he had none.

"Really," he answered, standing quickly and taking her hand again, "So are you ready?"

He heard her shaky breath and her grip tightening before she nodded, "Don't leave me alone," she whispered again.

"I promise," Gin agreed, finally pushing open the door.