Edward sat at his desk uncomfortably, slowly completing his maths homework. His mind was on other things, however, and he sloppily wrote down blatantly wrong answers and lazy working out. He couldn't shift the knot in his stomach, and he found himself checking his phone every chance he had. Something was seriously wrong, but he couldn't put a finger to what it could be. He sat tapping his pencil against the wood when there was the loud crash of shattered glass disturbed him. He spun around quickly, almost falling off his chair. In a pile of smashed glass and tattered robes was Rangiku Matsumoto, or a shell of the former strong woman she was.

Her long orange hair was messed up and her made-up eyes messy and leaking. She was distraught, and her speech broken and hard to understand.

"Edward… the captain… they're coming!" she blurted out quickly, Edward only picking out some of the words.

"Matsumoto, calm down, what's happened?!" Edward said, kneeling down next to her. She began to speak, but slammed her back against the wall to hide from the window.

"They're here!" she whispered, sweat beading off her forehead.

"Who's here!? Who is it, what's happened?!" Edward repeated, trying to make some sense of her. She continued shaking, and Edward sighed as he shouted to Shujinku.

"Shujinku!" he said simply, standing up

"I'm on it…" he said with a sigh, coughing up the Soul Candy. Edward quickly swallowed it, consciously blocking out the implications of cat-born pills, and then jumped out the window.

Edward stood in the middle of the street with his sword ready, analysing the battle ahead. Several members of the Omnitsukido were littered around the road, roofs and sky. They stood calmly, until one stepped forward and spoke:

"We're here for the arrest of 10th Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto. Present her, and we will leave immediately." He said officially and bored, probably uninterested in the circumstances.

"She's not here, so leave." Edward said firmly

"We have seen her enter your residence. If you do not cooperate we will use force." He said with a sigh, obviously wanting to avoid a fight.

"This is my house. You cannot burst in and make demands, not while I'm here." Edward sat, doing his best to act threatening.

"This is an official arrest; you can't deny our demands."

"Try me!" Edward said, readying himself for the battle. The squad members were about to attack, when a voice stopped them. The group stood to attention, parting to reveal their captain: Soi Fon.

Soi Fon was small in stature, but her reputation and prowess preceded her. Even now Edward feared her, more so than his own captain.

"Captain, it's nice to see you." Edward said, slowly sheathing his sword.

"Cut the crap, Smith. You know why we're here." She said no nonsense-ly, her face remaining blank.

"That's the thing: I don't. You're subordinates here told me nothing!" Edward replied, glaring at the one who spoke to him.

"You've been told nothing? Nothing at all?" Soi Fon asked, looking genuinely shocked.

"No! What's happened!? What's so important?!" Soi Fon looked around at her subordinates and then at Edward's window, where Rangiku was peeking out.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto is wanted for…" she began, hesitating to look at Edward "…for the attempted murder of 10th Division Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya."

Edward went limp, his arms falling to his side. He looked at the ground in horror, his eyes wide in horror. He stayed silent for a long while, before staring up at his window. Matsumoto stared back with guilt, shaking her head slowly. Edward didn't know what to do, or who to believe, and looked back a Soi Fon.

"I… I feel sick…" he said meekly, looking at the vastly mature captain for help.

"We're taking Matsumoto in for arrest, now." Edward stared at the captain, looked back at his window, and then made a proposition.

"What evidence is there?"

"She was found at the scene with the body, and ash from her weapon was in the wound and her released Zanpakuto present." Edward mulled it over for a while, before continuing his plan.

"Let me prove her innocent, let me find out what happened. Matsumoto adores Tosh, and you all know that. Let me figure out how he was hurt, OK?" Soi Fon hesitated for a moment, before nodding uncertainly.

"You have two weeks. Two weeks and it's out of my hands."

Edward bowed, thanked the captain and began to walk away, before quickly spinning around:

"We're still on for tomorrow, aren't we?" he asked with a quick grin, earning a scoff from the captain.

"Of course, my squad are on hand."

"Remember what I said, it has to be believable!"

"It will be! I will see to it." She said with a smile, Flash Stepping away with her squad. Edward stared up at his window, at Matsumoto's tear covered face. She mouthed a 'thank you' and disappeared from view. Edward looked back at the ground, and quickly burst into tears over his captain.

Matsumoto looked on as the third seat fell down in his grief, guiltily falling back against the wall. She opened her fist, in which was clasped a tear of the captain's coat. She looked at it forlornly, and then shoved it down her kimono for safekeeping. She reluctantly recalled the events of her captain's attack, and the fact she was totally aware of it. She could feel the presence in her body, feel it controlling her, but could do nothing to stop the events that followed. She was forced to watch as her captain was almost murdered with her own weapon; her own Haineko. She found herself checking parts of her body to see that she was still in control, breathing a sigh of relief when she was.

"You can sleep on the floor. There's a mat and blanket in the wardrobe; stay out of your Gigai so my family won't notice…" Matsumoto looked up, not having noticed Edward walk in. He refused to look her in the eye, and quickly changed into his real body and went to sleep. Rangiku slowly grabbed the sleeping supplies, and lay down. She rolled over, her eyes tear filled, and slowly passed out.