"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring! Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm! The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle! Hadō Number Sixty-Three: Raikōhō!"
Upon completing the incantation, a powerful bolt of electrical kidō erupted from Hinamori's hand and utterly destroyed the large rock designated as her target.
"Good job, Hinamori-kun," Kira complimented upon observing the handiwork of his training partner.
"Thank you, Kira-kun!" Hinamori chirped, glad that she was finally able to master the higher-level hadō spell.
"Now try it without the incantation."
Hinamori nodded and looked around for another boulder as a target. Finding a suitable target, she gathered her energy. While she was skilled at kidō, Hinamori did not have the raw spiritual strength necessary to pull off higher level spells without incantation as effortlessly as others. Of course, that was the point of these training sessions; to build up her spiritual muscle so that her spells could pack a bigger punch, even if she skipped the incantation. While she was quite knowledgeable about the mechanics behind the higher level kidō spells, the true challenge was summoning enough reiatsu to cast it with sufficient power
She inhaled, held her breath, and exhaled.
"Hadō Number Sixty-Three: Raikōhō!"
This time, the destructive spell only blackened and charred the rock, instead of destroying it outright, as had the previous attempt had.
"Hadō Number Sixty-Three: Raikōhō!"
The second try was filled with more power, and the rock shattered in a much more satisfactory fashion.
"Let's switch for a moment," Kira suggested. "You watch, I'll practice."
Hinamori nodded in agreement.
"Did you call us here to give us more training?" Hinamori hesitantly asked.
"Actually, yer gonna have to teach yerselves fer a while," Ichimaru answered
"Why?" she blinked in surprise.
"I'm leadin' a team out to the world o' the livin', so I can't be the one to train ya fer now," he explained.
"I'll come with you!" Hinamori declared, and she looked at Kira and asked, "What about you, Kira-kun?"
Before he could answer, Ichimaru did for him, "He ain't comin'. An' neither are ya, Hinamori-chan."
"But why not?" the elfin girl demanded.
"'Cause I've already got Rangiku, Rukia-chan, Abarai-kun, Ikkaku an' Yumichika goin'. I can't really take any more."
Hinamori crossed her arms and gave a mild pout.
"So before I head out, I wanna give ya a lil' homework assignment," Ichimaru told them. "Talk with yer zanpakutō. Make sure that ya know yer first release as well as ya think ya do. If yer good 'nough by the time I get back, I'll help ya out on materialization."
Hinamori shook herself from the memory, and focused her attention on her friend's practice session. Upon observing how Kira cast his spells, she was reminded once more how much stronger he was than her. While she had to concentrate and focus her power in order to make a decent Raikōhō, he seemed to make one even bigger than hers without too much effort.
Finally, Kira let out a concluding sigh which signaled the end of his practice for now. He turned to her and offered, "Do you want to go to the river to wash up?"
"No, you can go ahead first," Hinamori smiled. "I think you need it more."
A quick smirk graced his lips before he nodded.
"I'll be right back," he told her, and walked away.
Once she was alone, Hinamori pulled out the slip of paper from her shihakusho. She had written down the incantation for this spell she wanted to attempt. She wanted to wait until Kira was gone to try this spell, as he would most certainly try to stop her if he knew she was planning this. But on the other hand, she did want him in the immediate vicinity in case things went… wrong.
She inhaled once, and began to chant the spell.
Gin meandered aimlessly through the streets of Karakura Town. There was nothing he could do while Tessai finished healing Rangiku, so he would take his mind off things by seeing if there were any Hollows he could unleash his pain out on.
Instead, he came across a whole soul, a little girl to be more exact. She was sitting with her back against an alley wall, and she had her arms across her knees, her head sheltered between them. He suspected she was crying with the intent of keeping her tears silent. With nothing better to do, he decided to jump down and see what her story was before performing konsō.
Upon closer examination, he saw that she didn't look much older than Rangiku had when he had first found her. The image made his smile turn friendlier, and he announced his presence with, "Hey there."
The girl yelped and jumped to her feet like a spooked cat.
"How are ya?" Gin asked conversationally.
She declined to answer, and her eyes darted to the sides, obviously seeking an escape route.
"Don't worry, I ain't gonna hurt ya," he assured her.
The girl did not appear convinced by his words.
"What's yer name?"
Hesitantly, she answered, "Ayame."
"So, Ayame-chan," Gin squatted down to her eye-level, "Why are ya here by yerself?"
This time, she kept mum.
"Since ya don't feel like talkin', I ask yes or no questions, an' ya can just nod or shake yer head," he suggested. "That okay?"
She nodded once.
"Okay, first off, ya know yer dead now, right?"
Nod.
"Next question: have ya seen Hollows? Big scary monster with a hole in its chest?"
Nod.
"Ya got family? Family ya love, an' they love ya right back?"
Nod.
"Do ya know where Hollows come from?"
Shake.
His grin became more pronounced as he told her, "From ghosts just like ya."
Ayame's eyes widened.
"Ya see, more time yer a ghost here, the sadder or madder ya get. Ya get jealous o' all those livin' people who are still happy an' carefree. Slowly, it changes ya, an' before ya know it, yer a monster."
The girl seemed frozen with horror.
"Oh, an' the first people a Hollow wants to eat? Their family."
Ayame's jaw dropped, and her breath started to come at a faster rate. Her chain of fate jingled slightly at the rapid movement of her chest.
"I take it ya don't want that to happen."
The comment seemed to make her reign in her fear and deliver a "no duh" look at him. That was good; it meant the girl had a fighting spirit in her.
"The other option is to let me send ya on to the next life, where I'm from. It's called Soul Society; ya won't be hungry, but there are gonna be a lot of bullies around who might wanna hurt ya. But if yer smart an' quick, you'll get by."
She seemed to think about his words for a moment, and then gave a consenting nod. Gin drew his zanpakutō and quickly tapped her forehead, making her jump in surprise again.
"Good luck, Ayame-chan," he bid her farewell as the girl disappeared, and a small black butterfly danced away on the wind.
He watched the departing insect for a few moments longer before calling out, "Ya can come down now, Rukia-chan."
A moment later the petite spy jumped from off the roof nearby and bowed to him. "I apologize for my rudeness, Ichimaru-taichō," Rukia said, "I-!"
"Oh, hush an' stand up," Gin cut her off. "Ya were curious, an' ya didn't think you'd get caught."
The girl winced as she straightened up and said, "I'm very sorry-!"
"I said, 'hush.' I ain't finished yet."
Rukia flinched again and closed her mouth.
"If yer gonna spy on someone, ya need to remember to rein in yer reiatsu," Gin chastised her.
"I thought I did…"
"Whatever ya did, it wasn't good 'nough. Ya need to work on controlling yer reiatsu."
Rukia's left eye twitched at his instruction, and Gin knew quite well why; she had given that same admonishment to Ichigo numerous times.
"Got what I said?"
She nodded.
"Good. Jus' remember that not everyone's gonna be as nice as me when they catch you spyin' on them."
"I don't make a habit out of eavesdropping!" Rukia protested.
Gin turned his smile to his Skeptical setting, but he did not comment further. Instead, he changed the subject by asking, "Wanna hear a secret?"
She looked at him cautiously. He beckoned her with a single finger encouragingly, and she stepped closer to him with a measure of reluctance. Then he leaned over and whispered into her ear, "That was my first konsō."
He stood up straight again to observe Rukia's reaction. It was milder than he had hoped for; only a blink of surprise, followed by a furrowed eyebrow of contemplation, and then returned her focus on him in the hopes of elaboration.
"Work in the human world is mostly done by unseated shinigami," Gin indulged her. "Right after I completed the Academy, I joined the Eighth an' became a Fifth Seat."
Rukia's eyes widened in amazement, but he acted like he hadn't noticed.
"Kyōraku-taichō had this idea that I wasn't very good with helpin' people move on to the next life." The expression on the noble's face told him that she could very much believe that. He ignored it and continued, "So I didn't go to the world o' the livin' unless it was to deal with a more difficult Hollow, like a Menos."
Rukia thought over his words, and then cautiously ventured, "In hindsight, I suppose it's not surprising. You didn't act anything like the teachers taught us to at the Academy."
"What, ya mean tellin' 'em that they're goin' to a better place?" Gin replied with an atypical snort. "That's a lie, an' we both know it. If we really do want to help these whole souls, then we should give it to 'em straight."
"Maybe," she said uncertainly. "But maybe they should also enjoy a few moments of peace before they move on. Most of these humans have worked hard in their lives, so they deserve to be in a state of serenity before they have to face the Rukongai."
"Is that what you'd want?" Gin questioned.
"I was just a baby when I came to Soul Society," Rukia protested.
"I know that, but that ain't what I'm askin'."
The former vagabond bit her lip as she thought about it, but finally she shook her head slightly.
"Uh-huh," Gin nodded at her response.
"So what do you suggest I do then?" Rukia asked softly. "Be brutally honest?"
"Up to ya," he shrugged lightly. "Yer a big girl… sorta." She narrowed her eyes at the jibe, but did not react further. "I'm sure ya can decide what's best."
Deciding that he had spent enough time meandering about, Gin patted Rukia on the head affectionately as he passed her and returned to Urahara's Shop to check on Rangiku. He ignored the puzzled look the diminutive brunette gave him as he departed.
"Unohana-taichō!"
The leader of the Fourth Division looked at the caller. It was Lieutenant Kira, and held gingerly in his arms was an unconscious Hinamori.
"What happened?" she asked without hesitation as she led them to a room where the patient could be treated.
"Hinamori-kun and I were practicing kidō," Kira started to explain. "We were taking a break, and I left to freshen up in the river. I felt her reiatsu spike, and I came back in time to hear her yell out a high-level spell."
"Which one?"
He told her.
"What was she thinking?" Unohana remarked, only mildly surprised. While she had plenty of experience with people practicing with spells they were not ready for, even this case was a bit extreme. "Place her gently on the bed."
"I apologize, Unohana-taichō," Kira said as he followed the captain's instructions. "I should not have left her."
"It's not your fault she tried to tackle a spell she was not ready to cast," the healer told him. "I am going to have a frank talk with her when she wakes up."
"So she'll be all right?" Kira asked hopefully.
"Yes, it just looks like she used too much of her spiritual power at once," she reassured him. "She'll be asleep for the rest of the day and through tonight, but should wake up and be fine tomorrow. Still, I would advise against any strenuous activity for another couple of days."
"That's good," he sighed in relief.
Unohana took another look over Hinamori's reiatsu levels.
"Kira-fukutaichō," she said to him. "Out of academic curiosity, did she manage to succeed in completing the spell?"
"I've never seen it personally, but from what I've read about it, it looked like she did," Kira answered.
"How is she?" Gin asked without preamble as he saw Urahara's faithful employee waiting in the shop.
"She'll be just fine," Tessai answered confidently. "Right now, she's in one of the rooms resting."
"I figured that, since yer here an' not in there working on her."
The larger man nodded, and continued, "However, I was not able to heal all the scars… and well…"
"She's not takin' it well."
"I'm afraid not."
"I'll talk to her," and he started to walk past the healer.
Tessai blocked his path. "She insisted on having no visitors, Ichimaru-taichō!"
Gin gave the ex-Kidō Corps Commander a look. The larger man sighed and stood aside to let him pass. "First door on the left."
The captain nodded to the hulking giant and walked further into the building. He approached the door and knocked lightly.
"Go away!"
"It's me, Rangiku," Gin told her, an eyebrow cocked at her snappish tone.
"I want to be alone right now," she said in a slightly softer voice.
For most men, that would have been enough. The rule of thumb for dealing with women, in the eyes of anyone with a Y-chromosome, was if they said they needed to be alone, they were to be left alone.
Gin was not like most men, and so engaged in the questionable action of sliding the door open and entering the room, closing it shut behind him. He saw his wife sitting on the ground, and approached her from behind.
"I said, go away," she growled before he got too close.
"Relax, I'm jus' here to check up on ya," he replied.
"I'm fine," she informed him unconvincingly.
"Good," Gin said cheerfully with a mild seasoning of mocking in his voice. "Then that means we can go ahead an' have some Glad-To-Be-Alive kisses, and some Glad-To-Be-Alive sex later when we have more privacy."
"I'm not in the mood."
"Didn't ya jus' say you were fine?"
"Go away!"
"No."
Rangiku's body froze with ire and disbelief, and he knew she really wanted to give him one of her best death glares. But she still sat resolutely with her face concealed from him.
Gin waited patiently; he knew that the walls were slowly crumbling down, and she would soon confess to him her insecurities.
There it was. Her body seemed to sag, and she let out a sigh as she softly admitted, "I don't want you to see me like this."
"Why not?"
"Why not? Why not?!" her voice took a new aggressive, hurt tone. "Because I'm disfigured! I'm as hideous now as Haineko always said I was! I, I…"
She lost the passion in her voice, and tripped over the last sentence. She was near tears, Gin could tell. But he knew that even something like this wouldn't make them fall from her eyes.
"Rangiku, there ain't nothin' in the world that can convince me that yer ugly," he assured her in a gentle voice he never used with anyone except her, and took a couple steps closer. "So whatever the Espada did to ya, it can't be that bad."
"Yes it can," she replied a little hoarsely.
"Lemme be the judge o' that," he said.
"I'll have Orihime-chan take care of the scars," Rangiku retorted. "So there's no reason for you to ever see me like this."
"Two problems," Gin countered. "Yer my wife, an' I love ya, so yer beautiful no matter what ya look like."
She let out a skeptical snort.
"Two, Orihime-chan's in Soul Society, so who knows how long it'll be 'fore she can heal ya."
She kept her back to him, but there was thoughtfulness to her silence, and Gin knew he was breaking through to her.
"I know it's shallow of me," Rangiku said softly. "But I don't want you to see me as an ugly hag."
He was now close enough that he could touch her. And he did so, by squatting down to her level and placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. Contact established, he then repeated, "You'll always be beautiful in my eyes."
She sat there quietly for a few moments more, before she finally whispered, "…Okay."
Slowly, she shifted her body so that she was facing him. The last part she turned towards him was her face, shielded until the last moment by her jaw-length hair, and when she finally looked into his eyes, she studied his face to discern the slightest bit of reaction from him.
While she was looking at his face, Gin was gazing intently at hers. He was right; it wasn't that bad. Despite the pack of spikes that had been on the end of the Espada's tentacle, it seemed that only three would leave permanent marks on Rangiku's face, thanks to Tessai's healing skills. There were other white lines which told him of the potential damage which thankfully did not occur. The three scars which would take permanent residence on her face were in the center. Two began on either side of the bridge of her nose, creating a notch in both of her nostrils, and continued upward, just missing the eyes, and ended near her hairline. The third one was a bit longer, starting at the right corner of her mouth, and traveled upward over cheek and eye, and then ended at the same latitude as the other two scars. All three red lines were thickest on her cheekbones, and her eyebrows suffered at the respective spots.
"I was right; ya look as beautiful as ever." Gin smiled flirtatiously
"No, I don't," Rangiku immediately contradicted.
"I'm yer captain an' yer husband, an' I say yer still the most beautiful woman who ever lived."
"Gin, that's very sweet, but- mmph!"
Actions spoke louder than words, and Gin decided to put that into practice by cutting her off with a kiss right on the mouth. Her resistance disappeared instantly, and she accepted his physical declaration that said, "You are beautiful." Compared to other kisses they had shared, this one was rather chaste, but it was what she needed now.
Reluctantly, they separated again, and she whispered, "A good argument, but I'm not completely convinced."
"We'll fight 'bout yer loveliness later," he murmured back to her softly. "Right now, we need to go to Orihime-chan's place an' talk to Yama-jii."
Instantly, Rangiku was alert and protesting. "I can't go out looking like this!"
"If ya don't, I'll tell everyone yer a scaredy-cat."
"…fine, but I won't like it!"
So a short while later, Gin and Rangiku entered Orihime's apartment, where the Karakura strike team had set up a telecommunications center. Upon realizing that Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Rukia were already here, Rangiku hesitated. But she steeled herself, and followed her husband into the meeting room.
The three other members of the team turned and looked at the couple, their gazes lingering on her face in an uncomfortable stare.
Rukia recovered first by standing at attention for Gin and reporting, "Renji has gone to bring Ichigo here. It shouldn't be too long."
"'Kay," the captain acknowledged her words.
Ikkaku gave an indifferent shrug and averted his gaze, but Yumichika did not. He kept up his examination of Rangiku's new look, tilting his head to one side as he did so. He raised a hand to his chin and cupped it thoughtfully. Then he smiled.
"I'm glad, Rangiku-san," the narcissist said at last. "I was afraid that hideous creature might have marred your beauty, but it seems that the scars he inflicted on you only seem to bring out your perfection better. The nose almost ruined the image, but you are gifted; damage to anyone else would have been an ugly appearance, but on you it seems to accentuate your pulchritude instead of detracting from it."
The Third's lieutenant blinked in surprise. She knew that Yumichika, Soul Society's leading authority on beauty, was never afraid to point out the ugly features in other people, so she knew this frank, critical assessment must be completely honest. Still, she had trouble believing that even with her scars, she retained any semblance of physical attractiveness (from the chin up, anyway).
"Told ya," Gin remarked smugly.
Renji and Ichigo entered the room and did a double-take at Rangiku's new scars, but before they could react, the television turned on to reveal Ukitake's serious expression.
"Gin, you better explain why you didn't think to offer to rescue Orihime-chan," Rangiku growled to her husband in a whisper as they marched through the Dangai.
"It'd be too much o' a ruckus made, fightin' Kenpachi an' Kuchiki-taichō," Gin answered softly. "'Sides, dontcha worry; we'll get our shot at rescuin' Orihime-chan."
"What do you mean? We'll sneak away later?"
"Won't need to. Yama-jii ordered Ichigo to stay put, right?"
"Yeah, but there's no way he'll obey; you know how he is."
"'That's the point; Ichigo will find some way to break into Hueco Mundo, an' that's when I'll volunteer to be part of the rescue team to go in and save him before he gets himself killed."
"There are several problems with that," Rangiku pointed out. "First, how will Ichigo get into Hueco Mundo in the first place?"
"Same way he got into Soul Society: Urahara-san."
"Okay, next problem: what makes you so sure that Yamamoto would organize or even permit a team to rescue Ichigo?"
"'Cause the kid is a nonexpendable military asset," Gin answered. "Orihime-chan ain't."
"But I still don't get how Yamamoto would think he's so valuable that he would risk more people to save him."
"Think 'bout it, Rangiku; what is the one real advantage he has over anyone in the Gotei 13 in this war?"
Rangiku paused as she mentally listed all of Ichigo's capabilities and talents. He had Bankai, was strong and fast enough to defeat both Kenpachi and Kuchiki in one-on-one fights, his reiatsu grew at exponential levels, but none of those reasons seemed enough to be deemed such a powerful weapon against Aizen…
"He's never seen Aizen's Complete Hypnosis!" she blurted out.
"So, ya can rest assured that sooner or later, Yama-jii is gonna send a rescue team to Hueco Mundo," Gin concluded.
It was not long after this conversation was finished that the Karakura response team and their escort exited the Dangai and stepped into the grounds of the Seireitei once again. Waiting for them were four figures, and after Rangiku's eyes had adapted to the sudden light, she recognized them as Hinamori, Yachiru, Kira, and Hisagi. The three older ones were standing side by side, and the pink-haired girl was perched on top of Hinamori's shoulders.
Rangiku flinched upon seeing her friends, and her previously allayed insecurities raised their ugly heads again. She knew they would not comment on her new look, but that made it worse; she was not sure if she could stand the uncomfortable silence or pitying looks.
"Wow, Aunty, you got scars just like Ken-chan!" Yachiru pointed out in excitement, and the other lieutenants gaped at her in mortification. "Now you look pretty and strong!"
Everyone else who did not wear a haori sweatdropped at her statement. Kenpachi and Kuchiki Byakuya, who both had kept silent during the trip through the Dangai, continued to ignore the antics of their subordinates. Gin sniggered.
"You know, she's right, Rangiku-san," Hinamori spoke up first with some hesitation. "You still look pretty."
"And scars are quite fashionable these days," Hisagi chuckled nervously.
"You look great," Kira concurred in a rather lame but sincere manner. "And we are very glad that you are still in healthy shape."
More awkward silence followed, and Kira, Hisagi, and Hinamori all looked at Rangiku nervously. The woman in question twitched in annoyance.
"Okay! Okay!" Rangiku finally burst out in frustration. "I get it! I'm pretty! I'm beautiful! I'm drop-dead gorgeous! And the next person to compliment my looks will end up with their face shoved through a mirror!"
While Gin was in the meeting, Rangiku decided that she might as well take his suggestion and try to communicate with Haineko again. She sat down cross-legged beneath a tree in the Third Division's persimmon orchard, and entered her inner world.
The realm in which her zanpakutō resided was an endless forest of evergreens, occasionally conceding space to small clearings. The only other significant landmark was a mountain looming in the distance with a small cloud of smoke emerging from its peak.
Rangiku touched down onto the one of the meadows, and waited for the spirit of her weapon to show herself. It was never a long wait, as Haineko usually loved to initiate verbal matches.
True to form, the zanpakutō stalked from one of the shadows of the trees from behind Rangiku. Most of the time, Haineko succeeded in startling her wielder, but not this time; the lieutenant was intent on not backing down from this meeting in any form.
The spirit of the Ash Cat took the form of, naturally, a large gray cat. Actually, "large" was a bit of an understatement. If she went by size alone, Rangiku would have assumed she was looking at a small tiger, but the shape and build were definitely that of a domesticated cat. Most of her fur was a light gray, except for some darker stripes along her sides and back, another reason to mistake the lazy feline for the largest carnivore in this part of the world. The cat queen looked at the lieutenant with deep forest-green eyes filled with jeering and utter lack of respect.
"Back so soon?" Haineko crooned. "After your temper tantrum yesterday, I didn't expect you to return for at least a week."
Rangiku did not rise to the bait this time. Instead, she simply said, "We have problems."
The cat narrowed her eyes into a glare that would make any feline proud, the intensity of her look very much relaying her response.
"Don't look at me in that tone of voice," the lieutenant growled, urging herself to keep her temper under control. "Why are you so against helping me attain Bankai?"
"You misunderstand, you stupid old hag," Haineko replied, and paused to drink in the irritated expression on her wielder's face. "I do want you to attain the second release. But I also want to make sure you have earned that right."
"Well, then go ahead!" Rangiku pressed. "I'll leave right now and bring you out with me, and I'll beat the stuffing out of you!"
"If that was all that was required, we would have had Bankai years ago," the feline zanpakutō sniffed disdainfully. "Before you can do that, you need to recognize who you are; who we are."
"Then enlighten me," the wielder replied with more than a little impatience.
"I cannot simply tell you," Haineko said, and then as an afterthought, she added, "It's more fun to let you figure it out for yourself."
"Fun? We are in the middle of a war! Orihime-chan's been kidnapped! We don't have time for fun!"
"Yes, you do," the cat said with what sounded like honest puzzlement in her voice. "Gin's training."
Rangiku blinked, and then yelled incredulously, "That's your idea of fun?!"
"Of course. He forces us to be stronger and faster; is that not the point of 'play,' to prepare us for reality?"
"That's training, and it's not something most people consider enjoyable. Especially the way Gin does it."
"Oh, but I simply adore his challenges!" Haineko purred. "They're so thrilling!"
"I would've thought that you, being a cat and a hunter, would despise being the hunted," Rangiku frowned.
"If it were anyone else pursuing us, yes, I would," the gray predator agreed. "But I think you and I can both agree that neither of us truly mind being hunted by a certain fox."
The beautiful woman coughed uncomfortably and said, "That is completely different."
"How so? There's the thrill of the hunt which sends the blood burning, the pursuit which excites the senses, and it all leads up to that exquisite climax-!"
"Okay, I get it!" Rangiku cut the cat off, annoyed at how red her face was. Especially since she was the one who usually teased the younger girls about such things, her normal targets being Nanao and Hinamori, but few of the younger women were safe from such embarrassing topics.
On that note, it was both depressing and heartwarming to realize that she was one of the oldest women currently in the Gotei 13. Unohana and Soifon were definitely her elders, and Rangiku was fairly certain she had seniority over Isane or Nemu, in personality if not actual age. Despite having the body of a young healthy woman, the fact of the matter was that compared to most of her coworkers, she was a rather matronly lady, and it made her feel older than she would like. But on the other hand, it was rather nice to know that so many people looked up to her and sought her advice. While Unohana would always be the mother figure to the Gotei 13, Rangiku had become a sort of elder sister. When a shinigami wanted wisdom and reassurance, they asked Unohana. But when they wanted a drinking buddy or dating advice, Rangiku was the one they sought. She was not sure when she had grown into the role, but it was one she accepted happily.
But she was digressing. Back to the present, Rangiku asked her zanpakutō, "So, what you're saying is that all I need is to treat training like fun?"
"Of course not," Haineko sniffed with typical housecat arrogance. "While I would heavily advise it that is not our main point of conflict."
"Then what is it?!"
"Let me ask you this: why do we argue so much? Why is it we can never get along?" the tigress inquired.
"Because you're a lazy, uncooperative, unhelpful flea bag?"
"Not any more than you're a stupid old hag," Haineko riposted with a sneer.
"You forgot 'ugly.'" Rangiku jeered.
"It's not the scars that make you hideous, Rangiku," the zanpakutō said in a quieter tone.
The golden-haired woman blinked at the shockingly gentle tone, backhanded as it was.
Taking advantage of the surprised silence, Haineko continued, "Now concentrate on my first question, if you can."
With the motivation to prove the cat wrong, Rangiku contemplated her relationship with her zanpakutō. It had always been a difficult one, since Haineko seemed determined to make Rangiku fight for every inch of strength. It had taken her several years to get her name, and another few months before surrendering her Shikai.
Haineko was lazy, vain, and self-centered: your standard-issue cat. It had always driven Rangiku bonkers that her zanpakutō never seemed to take their duties seriously, especially since Gin had actually managed to drill a bona fide work ethic into her. She was no workaholic, but no one could accuse her of being a slacker, either.
But for the first time, Rangiku decided to review her zanpakutō as she actually was: a part of herself. While Rangiku had been trained to work without someone holding a whip over her, her innate desire to slack off still made itself known by finding ways to complete the least amount of paperwork as possible. Her vanity was certainly shared in that they both took pride in their beautiful appearance.
It only made sense that Haineko would share similar traits with her, since she was her zanpakutō…
The epiphany slammed into Rangiku with all the speed of her husband's Bankai.
"You are a part of me," she whispered out loud. While she had always known this, since Gin had taught her this lesson over and over, it had never truly sunk in until now. Haineko did not share similar traits; they were the same traits. She wanted to smack herself for being so dense for so long.
"About time you realized that," Haineko goaded. "Perhaps now you'll want to see if you can actually materialize me. But I doubt it."
Rangiku glared at the Ash Cat, and exited her inner world. She opened her eyes and immediately leapt to her feet. She concentrated on the being she knew to be living inside her, and pulled.
The explosion and small spike in her reiatsu created a small cloud of smoke, which forced Rangiku to shut her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she saw that standing in front of her was Haineko. She seemed a little larger now, and there were wisps of ash drifting off some places of her fur. But most noticeable was the smirk on the cat's face as if she had just eaten the proverbial canary.
"Not bad," the zanpakutō conceded, and then added disparagingly, "Perhaps eventually you'll be strong enough to keep me out here long enough to fight."
"You can bet your life on it," Rangiku grinned ferociously, panting and sweating through the drain of spiritual power.
"Don't forget to have fun," Haineko advised before she faded away.
Exhausted from the energy expenditure, a nigh-fanatical grin her husband would be proud of managed to claw its way onto Rangiku's face. Finally, there was progress.
"… and last order of business," Yamamoto concluded. "Soifon-taichō, order your best spies to keep an observation detail on Karakura Town while it is in Soul Society."
"Of course, sir," she acknowledged.
"Before you are dismissed, are there any other matters that should be brought to my attention?" the general asked.
"I got one," Gin called out, raising his hand as if he were in a classroom. "I've been thinkin' 'bout what happened with Orihime-chan, an' I just wanna say that I don't think she would've joined Aizen unless she were forced to."
"You are so certain about your evaluation of Inoue Orihime?" Yamamoto asked dangerously.
"Yep."
"So if you are so adept at discerning a person's loyalty, Ichimaru-taichō, then why did you not predict Aizen's betrayal?"
Some of the other captains grimaced at that statement. Yamamoto had a point; Aizen had seemed to be the role model for shinigami for decades, and his true nature had been a shock to them all. In comparison, they had only known Inoue Orihime a few months, and the first encounter with her was as a helper to an invader of Soul Society. Little wonder that Yamamoto was not hesitant in his judgment of the girl's status.
The captain of the Third could definitely tell where the old man was coming from, but he did not let that faze him.
"I always knew there was somethin' off 'bout him, but I didn't think much 'bout it," he admitted, "I figured since we let Kurotsuchi become captain, Aizen couldn't be hidin' anythin' that bad."
The captain in question just rolled his eyes and ignored the insult.
"Are you still so certain that Inoue Orihime did not go of her free will?" Yamamoto asked.
"Yep," Gin answered without any hesitation.
"I believe I must also concur with Ichimaru-taichō's assessment of the girl," Unohana joined in. "Although it is true I only met her briefly, I was left with the impression that Inoue-san is a good soul, and very loyal to her friends."
"Very well; then for argument's sake, let us assume that Inoue Orihime is a prisoner of Aizen," Yamamoto allowed, "Do you suggest that we rescue her? We cannot afford to send in a force to storm Hueco Mundo to save the life of one human. Do not forget, Aizen is planning an assault on Soul Society and Karakura, and we need to keep our forces consolidated if we are to survive."
"Why don't we just head out and take the fight to them?" Kenpachi asked. "I'm sick of just sitting around and waiting for 'em to attack us."
"As much as I hate to agree with Zaraki," Soifon spoke up, "he does have a point; the best defense is a good offense."
"Because we do not have the means to open a passage into Hueco Mundo yet," Yamamoto explained. "Which is another reason why a rescue mission would be fruitless."
Gin's smile was still present on his face, but it was empty. It just didn't sit right with him to leave poor Orihime in the hands of Aizen. He could understand the old man's reasons, and to put it in cold, analytical terms, it was the best tactical and strategic decision. Lives of the many outweighed the life of the one and all that.
Then Yamamoto's lieutenant burst into the room, and the captains looked in surprise at this unexpected interruption.
"I apologize," Sasakibe said, dropping to one knee. "But I have urgent news from the world of the living: Kurosaki Ichigo has departed for Hueco Mundo with his human friends Ishida Uryū and Sado Yasutora. We also know that Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai-fukutaichō have gone missing, presumably to join Kurosaki Ichigo."
Gin sent a genuine, knowing grin at the captain of the Sixth. It went unacknowledged by its target.
Yamamoto was silent for a moment.
"I need volunteers for a mission to help Kurosaki Ichigo complete his task," the captain-commander finally said.
Gin smiled in excitement. He had always wanted to see what the world of Hollows looked like.
"Rangiku! There ya are!"
The woman turned and saw her husband approaching, and despite the ache she felt, she was so excited over her accomplishment that she still managed to summon up the energy to glomp him.
Not expecting such an enthusiastic greeting, Gin very nearly fell over, but managed to gain sure footing just in time. As he returned her powerful embrace, she chanted over and over again, "I did it! I did it! I did it!"
"Calm down there, Rangiku," he interrupted her. "What happened?"
"I materialized Haineko!" she squealed joyously, and Gin winced slightly, as she was not too far away from his ear when she declared that.
Harmed hearing notwithstanding, he was happy at her achievement. "'Bout time."
"Hey, some of us aren't prodigies," Rangiku snapped back, pushing away from her husband and glaring at him.
"I know," he reassured her. "I was jus' teasin' ya."
"Not funny," she scolded him.
"Sorry."
"So you should be," she smirked.
"Seriously, good job," Gin congratulated her. "You'll get Bankai before you know it."
"I think I still have a year or two to go," Rangiku told him.
"Before today, I thought ya still had another five," he admitted. "I think yer guess is closer now. So, what changed?"
She filled him in on what had occurred during the chat with Haineko.
"So, does this mean we'll be trainin' more often?" Gin turned the knob on his smile to Mischievous.
"Yes," Rangiku rolled her eyes. "I suppose you want to start now?"
"Can't."
She blinked. "Why not?"
"Well, I jus' got back from the meetin'…" he began to explain, and his expression told her, "Yer not gonna to like what I'm 'bout to say."
"And?" she prodded impatiently with a suspicious frown.
"I've got good news… an' some bad news, too, but mostly good news," he answered.
"Spit it out."
"Well, I was right, an' Yama-jii called fer a team to go to Hueco Mundo."
"That's great!"
"The bad news is that we ain't on it."
"Oh. At least people are being sent," Rangiku shrugged. "Why didn't we get picked? Didn't you volunteer?"
"Yeah," Gin nodded. "But unfortunately, so did Unohana, Kuchiki, Kurotsuchi, an' Kenpachi. An' all at the same time."
"Wow. But why didn't he let us go, too?"
"Yama-jii wanted to cap the limit o' captains in Hueco Mundo at four, an' I was the fifth guy to step forward."
"Okay, but I still don't understand why you think I won't like the news."
"Did I say that?" Gin asked innocently.
"Your face did," Rangiku deadpanned.
"Ya got me," he admitted. "Yama-jii's got a plan…"
As Hinamori approached the crowd of shinigami gathered by the Senkaimon, she could tell that there was tension in the atmosphere. She had been briefed on the general plan: all captains would enter the world of the living to defend the decoy Karakura Town, and then Urahara would open a Garganta and allow four captains to enter Hueco Mundo to retrieve Kurosaki Ichigo.
The pre-battle jitters were felt by all the fighters, though some managed to conceal it better than others.
Hinamori knew she should be with Rangiku, but she wanted to say a few words to someone before doing so.
"Hisagi-san!" she called as she walked up to him.
"What is it, Hinamori-kun?" he replied.
"I just want to say 'good luck'," she said. "I hope that Tōsen listens to you and Komamura-taichō."
Hisagi gave a wan smile. "Thank you. I hope that Hitsugaya listens to you."
"So do I."
Then they heard the captain-commander order, "Move out!"
Upon this declaration, the Senkaimon opened, and the best of the Gotei 13 stepped through.
The first thing Rangiku noticed when she entered the mortal world once more was that she actually could notice a difference in the town beneath her. She knew that the Twelfth had worked very hard to create a replica, but for all their effort, the copy still lacked the vitality and noise of the living Karakura Town.
She glanced to the side to make sure Hinamori was still with her. Aside from the four shinigami who had been assigned to guard the pillars keeping the fake Karakura Town in the living world, everyone had been ordered to always stay in groups of at least two.
"Stay close, Hinamori," Rangiku called to her friend.
"Okay," the willowy girl nodded, and then looked around curiously. "Where's Ichimaru-taichō?"
The older woman was about to answer the question when she detected the unmistakable sound of a Garganta being formed. From somewhere not too far away, she heard Kyōraku remark, "Here they come."
The battle had begun.
Author's Note: I've got a question: when was the last time we saw a konsō performed?
Yes, I did have Haineko look different here than she did in the Zanpakutō Arc because it has been all but established that most zanpakutō spirits change appearances after they were summoned into the real world by Muramasa. The most glaring example is Renji's Zabimaru, but another one is Hyōrinmaru.
Yamamoto's command to Soifon to keep spies in the real Karakura Town is a reference to one of my one-shots, "Witness."
Thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter: Juliedoo, TykkiMikk, The Lord of War, Nnix Ame, TakaSasuke, xXxLKxXx,and anonymous guests.
Omake: Shinigami Illustrated Guide
"Ichimaru-taichō."
Gin turned around to see Sasakibe approaching him with a sack in hand.
"Whatcha need?" the captain inquired.
"I heard that your birthday is coming soon," the lieutenant said. "I happened to come across this disk while I was visiting the world of the living, and I finally managed to get the Twelfth Division to convert it into spiritual particles. It's a human comedy, and I do believe you'll enjoy it."
"Thanks," Gin replied gratefully as he took the case containing the disk in his hand.
"Now if you'll please excuse me," Sasakibe bowed. "I must return to my duties."
"Go 'head," the silver fox nodded.
After the elder man had left, Gin took a look at the label on his gift: "Monty Python's Flying Circus."