Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or the characters. It would be nice if I did though.


Rangiku was already suspicious when Gin told her he had something he needed help with, but, as the buxom woman walked into his house, she was flabbergasted, to say the least. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" The three children in the living room quickly turned their attention to the door for the second time, with curiosity instead of wariness this time. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, Rangiku paid little attention to the children. "Look, I don't know where or want to know why you got them, but you have to take them back."

"But they're orphans." Gin cocked his head sideways as he finished his sentence, implying that he didn't understand what was wrong.

Sighing, Rangiku looked at Gin seriously, which immediately worried him internally. "Gin, that means they need to be at an orphanage. I don't think you're really parent material, even if you wanted to officially adopt."

"That's why yer here, see? I can't be here all the time to train them, so I figure you could help. " Gin's finger pointing in the air only made Rangiku look all the more baffled. "Plus I have no idea if they're weaned or not so I figured you could-"

Rangiku then smacked him, looking cross. "They're naturally big, not pregnant big you dolt. Keep trying to explain yourself."

Gin looked at her, holding his face and pretending to be hurt for a couple seconds before continuing. "Aaaanyway, I already asked Yamamoto if I could keep 'em, an' he didn't seem to mind."


"Heya Head Captain!" the old man turned and looked at the young, cheery individual skeptically as he continued walking.

"What is it you want?" Gin noticed how Yamamoto didn't call him by name or title, but didn't care and continued pestering nonchalantly.

"See, I found some kids in that raid the other day and-"

"That reminds me, Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru. Tell me, why were you there, and not taking care of the paperwork you were sent?" Gin's smile faded as he realized that being called by his name didn't feel anything like he figured it would.

Rubbing his neck, Gin, in one sentence, lied and admitted, "I let Aizen handle it. He doesn't seem to mind me taking breaks every now and then. Sooo I decided to go a-strolling." Gin's typical smile, now restored, gave off its typical nonchalant and disturbing feelings that were appropriate for what he said, as picking up raiders for Aizen's experiments in the way he did would've seemed exactly those things to any witnesses. "An' while I was strolling I found some kids being attacked and orphaned, and since they had spiritual pressure I was thinking I could could keep 'em an' prepare 'em for the Academy. So? Can I keep 'em? Preeeeeeeeeeeety please?"

The Head Captain glared, wondering why Aizen had chosen this teen for his lieutenant. "Do as you please Lieutenant, but if there are any problems with them while they're under your care, you will be held responsible." Gin left with a smile and a chuckle, leaving Yamamoto wondering if the lieutenant heard the last part, and if the kids would be alright.


"Not to say he wasn't grumpy, but he didn't mind." Rangiku began to question the Head Captain's sanity as Gin spoke, but realized there were more important questions.

"Wait, Gin, d'you even know how to take care of kids, let alone-"

Kaito promptly interrupted, pointing at Rangiku's chest, and said "Are those real?" Gin already knew that Kaito was prone to insults and interruptions, but even he couldn't have prepared himself for the statement, or for Rangiku to kick Kaito halfway across the room. "Ow, bitch."

"Fucking little brat!" she screamed out as Gin held her around her waist.

Gin spoke up easily, as holding Rangiku didn't take much for him. "Wooow, I'm amazed yer still conscious Kaito. Good job!" Akari and Takeshi had already ran over to him to check on him, as he got up and glared at Rangiku.

"Good job, my ass. I'll take that kick as a no, then." Kaito was then bitchslapped into the wall, breaking it.

"Ignorant little bastard!"

Gin only just then estimated how much keeping these kids would cost him, not that he looked worried. "Tut tut, should'a said it before I let her go." Takeshi and Akari hesitated to check on Kaito, worried that he might start talking again, or that Rangiku might continue. "So, Ran-Ran, I need to get to work, so can you help them with their zanjutsu? Thanks!" Gin spoke quickly, as he knew he'd need to start running.

"What?! No, I-" Gin used shunpo to get away before she could say much. She slowly turned around and looked at the children, with her eyes suddenly looking exhausted.

Kaito was the first to speak, pretending his face didn't still hurt. "Aw, shit."


The training and the care began and continued with relatively few incidents. Rangiku disliked Kaito, even after their initial confrontation cleared up. She made friends with Akari, feeling she needed to as the only other female around, and found Takeshi's plentiful compliments adorable. Gin creeped Akari out most of the time, but Takeshi seemingly took to everybody and Kaito found Gin's stories of brutality fascinating. Gin also found Kaito's general attitude endearing… or amusing. He changed up his adjectives fairly often. Takeshi was unable to release Kurosawa again, unable to recall it's name, leaving it as a plain, single-edged tanto. After a few days he found that he had a katana-shaped zanpakuto alongside Kurosawa. Gin confirmed that it had his reiatsu, and told him that it was hardly fit to be used as a weapon, considering how his reiryoku is split between two blades, and already wasn't much to speak of. Gin decided it was best to not ask how Takeshi's father got an asauchi, or to mention how amazing it was that the boy had developed the blade so quickly. Takeshi's ego, he noticed, didn't need stroking.


"Gin!" Rangiku exclaimed, noticing the masked man on his way in the window. "Good thing you're here. I'm leaving 'cause we need more pork. Takeshi went on a bacon binge again, so we need something to eat for dinner." She pulled him back through the window as he tried to inch himself backward, and continued talking rapidly. "Akari's working on some kido and Takeshi's trying jinzen, so they might need some help, but Kaito's out back just practicing hakuda. Be back soon!"

Taking off his mask and wondering why the Onmitsukido wore their uniforms if people could recognize them, Gin whimpered slightly. "Aw crap, I just wanted a drink. Meh, now's as good a time as any." Pouring out some tea in a pot on the counter, he questioned why she had the tea going if she was going to be leaving, and called out for the kids musically. "Hey, hey, hey, get the fuck in hereeeee!"

Takeshi got up from his stance, having not heard anything from his zanpakuto and spent all forty minutes thinking up and memorizing compliments. "Damn, he can carry a note." He picked his two blades off his lap and went to the kitchen.

Kaito had been punching a boulder, and had just finished boring a hole straight through. "If I wanted to hear shit, I'd go to the restroom." He continued griping as he walked and wiped blood off his hands.

Akari simply walked into the room, having been practicing the first hado, Sho, and noticed Gin pouring the tea. "Hey, what're you doing?! That was my tea! Rangiku wanted me to start learning how to cook!" She swiped the teapot away from him and put it back over the fire, glaring now.

Gin sipped at his tea as the boys walked in. "Huh. That'd explain the flavor and temperature of it." He took another sip, contemplating why it took two months to get started on something so trivial. "Y'know, I dunno if making tea really counts as cooking."

"So, Gin, what'd you call us for?" Takeshi couldn't help fantasizing about Akari making him bacon as he spoke. His thoughts were divided between what was going on and his fantasy, something he'd always done when his imagination took over. Not that he was adept at it, as he was unaware of his drooling.

Gin put his tea down, wondering how long Rangiku would be gone, how much time he would have to explain. "Hoo, boy. This is complicated. See, kids, I'ma tell you a story, it's a long one, and it's about an asshat." Takeshi immediately took note of the word Gin used, deciding he would use it often. "This asshat, he's the captain of my squad, Sosuke Aizen. He's evil."

All of the kids looked at Gin with renewed interest, their eyes lighting up. Kaito was the first to speak up, mostly because he liked the thought of being evil. "So, if you're working with this guy, are you evil too?"

Gin's eyes opened up at that statement, not sure if he was offended or not by the assumption. "Eh? No, I-"

"Holy shit, I think that's the first time I've seen your eyes open!" Kaito had been waiting for this moment the whole time he'd been here.

Akari spoke up next, turning her head to the side as she thought about the implications behind what Gin was saying. "So why is he a captain if he's evil? Your eyes are pretty. Shouldn't the other captains punish him?"

Not used to compliments about his appearance, or to Akari voicing her insights to him, Gin was shocked again. "Well, no, most of Soul Society doesn't know he's evil, so-"

"Then why don't you tell them, or get a group of other heroes and beat him up yourselves?" Takeshi liked to fantasize about being a hero, so Gin wasn't shocked, and resolved to keep talking so they couldn't interrupt more.

"Cause this's about revenge, and I'm helping him be evil so that I can gain his trust and learn his weaknesses for when I defeat him myself. Now could'ya guys let me finish telling you about how I want you guys to grow strong so you can help fight Aizen, pretty please?" The rushed nature of Gin's voice silenced Takeshi, Kaito, and Akari, if their respective ambition, admiration and curiosity didn't. Gin went on to tell the kids of Tosen, of the Hogyoku, of arrancarification and hollowfication, of Las Noches, and of Aizen and his zanpakuto, all without a word from the kids, who were awestruck.

"I still dunno if there's a way past its illusions, but-" Gin stopped as he heard the door open. Turning back to the kids, he rushed out a final sentence. "Look, nobody else can know what you know, or that you know. Don't talk to anybody about it but me, or each other. Got it?"

Rangiku snuck up behind Gin, yelling in his ear. "Dammit Gin! What are you doing?! You're not teaching them sexy stuff are you?! We said that'd be my thing!"

Gin jumped away quickly, cupping his ears. "Yeesh, don't worry, I know! You getta teach 'em 'bout how to be sexy, I getta teach 'em 'bout sex, I know!"

"What?!" Rangiku immediately focused on that "misunderstanding" as Gin figured she would, and immediately forgot that he had been talking to them about anything, as he hoped she would. The kids left to train together, and whisper about what Gin told them.


Decades after Gin's grand(?) reveal, they all passed the entrance exam for the Spiritual Arts Academy, with flying colors. Takeshi scored lower than Kaito and Akari, who scored into the first class. Kaito gave him hell because of it, but Takeshi had held back, not that he said so. He was worried about his dreams, in which he could hardly see or move, and always ended with a black-armored samurai cutting him down. He had fantasized about sitting in class with them in the days leading up to the exam, but found himself hardly devastated at all.

"Ready to go, brats?" Rangiku had a tinge of sadness in her eyes, looking down at the teenagers in front of her, ready to leave. She even found herself thinking that she would miss Kaito.

Gin was eating some ramen at the table, and barely looked up from his food. "See ya!" He slurped as Rangiku eye's threatened to bore a hole in his head. Takeshi hugged his face into the woman's chest, eliciting an eye roll from Akari, and raised eyebrows from Gin and Rangiku.

Takeshi spoke as the blonde pushed him off of her. "We'll miss you guys." The three of them began walking off, with Rangiku sighing as she closed the door. Takeshi looked back when he thought he heard her crying, or maybe whining. "Alright, so what'll we do once we're there?"

Kaito scoffed at him. "I don't know what you're gonna be doing, but we're gonna be taking advanced classes, for people who score higher than others."

"Screw you! I mean, like, what do we need to do? Do we head to dorms, or what?" He couldn't stand the fake condescension in the word others, even though he knew it was fake.

Akari spoke before Kaito could insult Takeshi again, ever the group's mediator. "We'll find out when we get there. Don't worry. We can probably just go with the flow when we get there." She pulled Takeshi away as Kaito became focused on making a card trick work. He often whiled away his time by practicing different tricks, talents and games, not seeming partial to any. "Hey, what happened with your exam? You already have a zanpakuto, after all. Shouldn't you have scored higher?"

"I just didn't do my best." He smiled awkwardly, held out his hands palms up, and shrugged his shoulders. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, I guess. Sitting on the beach, holding ha-" She hit him on the back of his head, and stared him down. "Geez, alright," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I just, held back. I didn't want to let out too much. I mean, I still don't know what happened with my zanpakuto. Gin said that the body of the guy I killed, back then, it… I'm just not sure of my power." She slapped him, and looked into his eyes, her crimson red to his ice blue. "Alright, I'll try harder, okay?"

With that, Kaito butt in, having gotten the card to mix with the deck just right, and having only heard Takeshi's last sentence. "Why bother, you suck anyways?" They continued walking towards the academy, laughing and yelling all the way. Completely unaware of Aizen passing them by on his way to visit his lieutenant at his "new" house.