Nozomi ran. She ran unlike she had ever run before. Sokyoku Hill was too far away, she could never get there in time. She would never make it, she would never reach Rukia in time. This was one of those moments when she wished she was as fast as Byakuya, whom had left her in the dust long ago. She wished she had gone to the execution now that reiatsu's were clashing like the crash of angry blades above her.

She had been too torn by the fact that one of her good friends was about to be put to death for a reason that didn't qualify in Nozomi's mind. It was as if the Seireitei was falling to ruins without so much as warning.

Her eyes cast up to the familiar sakura petals flowing like an ocean upon the cliff, and she knew Byakuya was fighting now. She could only pray he was okay…


100 years ago…

She crashed through the doors of the third division doors, tears staining her face as she gazed around the nearly empty room until she spotted a familiar figure standing next to her Captain's desk. Small, childlike, with a skinny frame and slightly longer hair than normal.

Slowly, Gin turned his head and grinned at her, just like usual.

"Gin!" Nozomi cried. "Gin! Have you heard? Where is Captain Otoribashi? Where is he, Gin?"

"He's dead." Gin told her, the edge of his grin wavering slightly.

Nozomi was taken aback, frozen in her torn state. "You say that so coldly, Gin…"

"I'm sorry…" Gin finally turned to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.

She finally gave in, bawling into the clothed shoulder of his kimono. "Gin! What will I do? Iba-fukitaichou will surely transfer for sure! She refuses to be Captain…how will we ever find another Captain we can trust?"

"I know, I know…" Gin muttered, resting his hand on the back of her head as his face set in a more solemn expression, even though she couldn't see. "I'm sure there'll be someone…"

"No…" She shook her head. "I'll be 3rd seat of a Division without a Captain or a Lieutenant…I don't know what I'd do with all that power, Gin…I just don't."

"I promise I'll fix it." Gin stated, his face set in stone. "I promise."

"How?" She continued to cry.

He was silent for a moment, unsure of the answer himself.

"I'll fix it."

She closed her eyes to his strong voice, filled with that same grace and determination. The tears eventually slowed and she fell tiredly against him, resulting in him carrying her back to her barracks and tucking her in bed.

"Oyasumi…Nono-chan." Gin whispered against her forehead, brushing her hair away. "Gomen."


50 years later…

Nozomi turned away from the funeral of Hisana Kuchiki, to many tears in her eyes to make sense anymore. She swallowed hard, eyes cast towards the darkening sky as she tried and tried to remember why she had come here in the first place.

Oh…that's right. Byakuya was her friend. Lame in the sense of the word, but naturally Nozomi had become good friends with Hisana upon her arrival at the Seireitei, thus leading to her "friendship," if that's what you call it, with Byakuya as well. As the noble had grown older, he'd gotten colder, bossier, but he was always brighter when Hisana around. Now she hardly looked forward to his blizzard of a personality up ahead.

Slowly, Nozomi leaned against the wall of whatever Division she was in, running a hand through her long hair and closed her eyes. The cool night air washed over her and she willed herself not to cry for the loss of yet another close friend in her life. First her Captain, and now Hisana. If she lost anyone else she would surely go crazy.

"Yo."

Nozomi could sense him coming, but she was so lost in her thoughts that she opened her eyes with a start.

His nonchalant grin really took her off guard, like it did a lot of times these days. She sighed, shaking her head and placing a hand over her heart.

"Gin- I mean, Ichimaru-taichou." She muttered. "You scared me."

"What are you doing out so late?" Gin asked and Nozomi raised an eyebrow at him before she looked down to the very lowest seam of his all-too-new 3rd Division's Captain haori.

"Hisana's funeral was today." She answered in a quiet voice.

He frowned, then, at the chilling sadness in her words before instantly regretting his automatic teasing manner.

"I'm sorry 'bout that." He said.

She breathed a laugh. "It's not your fault, sir."

"Would you stop with the formalities?" He cast his crescent eyes to the Heaven's, trying to lighten the mood. "I think you can call me by my name, considerin' we've known each other for forever."

She laughed again, this time a little more than a breathy sigh. "You never change, Gin. From the time we raced each other around the forest until now, when you're a Captain of the Gotei 13 and I'm a meager little 3rd seat."

"Hey, I offered you Lieutenant position." He pointed out quickly.

"Of which I denied." She told him before he could go on. "You know I don't do well with power. It makes me nervous."

"But you are powerful, Nono-chan." He said, reaching out to touch her arm. "You could be so much better if you would just forget about the danger and take a chance."

"Gin…" She whispered, looking down. "I saw you when you first achieved Bankai. Three innocent Shinigami were lost that day. I don't wish to take that chance with Tomeineko. I know what she's capable of."

Gin sighed, and ran a hand down the side of her face, holding her chin between his thumb and index finger.

"You're hopelessly innocent." He told her. "How you ever became a Shinigami, I'll never know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "The point of being a Shinigami is to protect and defend. I'm only doing my job."

"But the more powerful you are, the more you can protect." He said.

"That hardly matters here, Gin!" She cried. "Why is it always about power with you? You come to the Soul Society and within twenty years, you're a Lieutenant. Then hardly ten years after that, you're a Captain. How does that work, Gin? What's next? Do you want to take over Sou-taichou's place?"

"That'd be treason, Nono-chan-"

"And you're perfectly capable of it!" She finally burst, pushing him away. "When we were kids, we joked about being all-powerful Soul Reapers, about being the best of the best. I never knew you'd take that so seriously…I just...I just want to know if you're still the same friend that knocked me down and helped me up off the street two hundred years ago."

Gin's ever-present grin was long-gone and was replaced by the unsure shock he felt thriving through his being as he looked down at her. She could see the faintest hint of his rightly colored silver eyes just behind his eyelids before she looked away from them, down at the cobblestone pathway.

"Just as I thought." She muttered. "You've changed, haven't you?"

Gin grabbed her wrist before she could turn away, but she refused to look back at him.

"No matter how much I change…no matter what I do, where I go." He said, in a softer tone than she should've expected. "I will always be yours. And I will always be your friend."

A washing relief fell over her and she pursed her lips as she closed her eyes, letting the words soak in. Without warning, she turned and enveloped him in a crushing hug. With her face buried in his shoulder, she cried again.


Present…

Feet pounding against the rock, the crest of the hill was in sight. Clouds of dust and the pounding pressure of too much reiatsu surrounded Nozomi as she raced forward, only to halt in her step as she saw them.

It couldn't be true. It couldn't. She had only thought the message before sent by Isane-san was a mistake. Surely Aizen and Ichimaru wouldn't do something like this. She knew them well and they were both good people. And Tosen too…no.

But now, as she saw Aizen hold Rukia by the collar that was attached around her neck, half-looking back at a grinning Gin who's hand rested on the hilt of his Zanpakutou, she couldn't deny it.

"No!"

"Shoot to kill, Shinso…"

The words echoed in her ears, but she just wasn't fast enough. She couldn't make it, she never could…

A quick wind passed her along with an all-too-familiar reiatsu. She could feel the relief wash over her as she quickly realized Rukia was safe.

"Byakuya…" Nozomi smiled a little, but it instantly faded when she saw the incredibly weakened state her lover was in. "Byakuya!"

Her voice wasn't heard by a soul, considering Byakuya was in dire pain and Gin was irked that he didn't kill Rukia. She wanted to scream out, she wanted to rip Gin to shreads, as well as Aizen. She wanted her vengeance for what happened here in front of her.

How could this happen? How could he?

"Gin…" She whispered, slowly drawing her sword out of its sheath.

Jindanbou's large spiritual pressure rained down from above, as well as the strong aura of a former noble known as Kukakku. Nozomi took a hesitant step back until she saw Yoruichi and Soifon on Aizen and felt Rangiku nearby.

She knew that, together, she and Rangiku could stop Gin.

So she advanced.

Nozomi got a quick nod from Rangiku before the other girls blade was at Gin's throat, and her own poised just a few inches away, right above his artery.

"Don't move." Rangiku spat.

Gin's expression flashed to one of semi-shock before it fell back into its laid-back nature. Nozomi glared at him intently and she knew he could feel it, even as she heard him spout off some ridiculous statement to Aizen.

She narrowed her eyes and earned his gaze, his silver eyes peeking out to stare into hers.

"Why?" She whispered, so quietly she was sure even Aizen couldn't hear it.

He looked away and simply answered. "Just know I have my reasons."

Before Nozomi knew it, the sky ripped open, Menos Grande peeking their ugly faces just outside of it. A blinding yellow light rained down from above, enveloping Aizen and almost the two women who had a hold of him.

Before Nozomi could so much as think, Rangiku had jumped away from Gin, screaming for Nozomi to do the same.

"Don't go!" Nozomi screamed over the loud cries of the Menos and confused calls of the Shinigami. "Please, please, don't go."

"Girl, I'd let go if ya don't wanna go with me." He said coolly, even though a frown graced his features.

"No…" She whispered.

"Nozomi!"

She could hardly hear Rangiku behind her, could hardly feel the girls desperate hands trying to pull her away from the best friend she ever had. Nozomi's eyes meant Gin's and her heart broke inside her chest.

"Gomen…" Was all either of them heard as Rangiku finally jerked Nozomi back a mere second before the light came for him.

"Gin!" Nozomi screamed, trying her best to get away from Rangiku, but failing miserably. "Gin! Get back here! I'll never forgive you for this! Gin!"

He looked down at her screams, only meeting her eyes for a second before he looked away.

Nozomi choked on her tears, crying out desperate sobs as the three defectors were locked away in the sky.

"Gin…Gin…please…" She sobbed.

Rangiku held her, trying to calm her in her state of unrest as the girl continued to cry endlessly. She felt empty, and she felt alone. This was the third loved one she had lost in her life and she completely got why everyone always said "the third time's the charm." Because this…this reopened wounds and beat her down to the mere edge of her reason.

Her crying wouldn't stop, even as she half came to her senses and ran to Byakuya as the 4th squad was preparing to heal him.