It snowed on New Years Eve. Gin said it was thanks to Toshiro, but he just rolled his eyes and ignored his father as usual. Seireitei was beautiful in the snow, and Toshiro's specially crafted decorations, crystalline sculptures and enormous snowflakes and icicles that hung with the festival lanterns transformed the entire city into a winter wonderland.

Rangiku got her way, dressing both her boys and herself in adorable outfits from the World of the Living. Toshiro refused a coat, but gave in to a blue fair isle sweater decorated with reindeer and snowflakes and fur trimmed boots that went halfway to his knees over woolen pants that were both too hot and too tight. Humans wore absurdly tight fitting clothes in his opinion, but his mother grinned and clapped her hands and hugged him and told him how adorable he looked, and he guessed making her that happy was worth being a little uncomfortable once a year. At least he wasn't like Kinta, dressed in a fur trimmed snowsuit that was so thick and fluffy he could barely move at all.

Rangiku, herself, had a woolen Christmas sweater, patterned with holly and ivy and reindeer and snowflakes, all in green and red and white and a full skirt of dark brown wool that stood out with a petticoat that she thought was the most marvelous invention ever and kept swooshing and laughing at with Kinta. As they left, she pulled on knee high, fur trimmed, brown leather boots and a long, flared blue-grey coat that was just the color of her eyes and trimmed with the most wonderfully soft white fur.

She spun around once more letting the skirt swoosh around her legs and demanded, "How do I look?"

Gin, still stubbornly and really boring, in Rangiku's opinion, dressed in his normal captain's uniform, did at least answer her nicely. "You look just like the pictures, Ran, just like a winter princess."

"Really?" she exclaimed happily. "Do you think so? I love dressing up!'

Toshiro picked up a box he had left just beside the door and help it out to her. "I made you a present," he said, looking a little embarrassed. "It was Lieutenant Ise's idea."

"Thank you, Shiro-chan," Rangiku said and took the box. She pulled open the lid and gasped. "Oh, Shiro-chan! Did you really make this? It's beautiful. Gin, look!" She passed the package to her husband. "Can you believe it? Did you know he could make something so perfect?"

"It'll only last for today," Toshiro said, blushing at all his mother's gushing compliments.

Gin stared at Toshiro's creation. It was a crown of glittering snowflakes, a crystalline ring of sparkling ice. It was absolutely stunning, more beautiful than anything that could have been made by any skilled craftsman, even with diamonds. He knew Aizen had spent years with Toshiro, playing 'games' with his power over snow and ice and cold, but he'd had no idea the boy had learned anything like this level of control.

"It is perfect," he said, passing it back to Rangiku. "You should put it on."

"You're right," she said, carefully lifting the crown and setting it on her head, where it caught the light and glittered, more exquisitely perfect than any queen's crown. "Now I feel like a real princess-oh, I hope it won't fall off! It looks so delicate. It'd probably shatter into a million pieces!"

She turned her head back and forth but the ornament seemed firmly in place. "Thank you, Shiro-chan! Thank you so much! It's beautiful!" she declared, bending over to hug him. "I'm so lucky to have such a sweet little boy!"

Over her shoulder, Toshiro caught sight of his father watching them and for once the mocking smile was gone. In its place for just a second was something that looked like it might have been fear.

They went out to the frozen lake where dozens, if not hundreds, of shinigami were strapping on skates and taking to the ice. Toshiro crossed the ice easily, watching the others in amusement. For many this was their first attempt at ice skating, and there were many tumbles and collisions.

The redhead, Renji, he had once met with Kira, was struggling to get back up after falling, while his fellow Division Eleven member, Ikkaku, watched him, laughing loudly. But Ikkaku, himself, wasn't paying enough attention, and Yumichika and Yachiru came up behind him, skating hand in hand, and gave him a shove that sent him sliding face first across the ice.

"Strike!" Yachiru declared, when the Third Seat slid into a group of Division Four who all went tumbling onto the ice.

Rangiku zipped past them, pirouetting with Kinta in her arms, and Toshiro rolled his eyes. Of course his mother could skate. She wouldn't have suggested the frozen lake otherwise.

She wasn't the only person in western clothes. It looked like most of the people who knew what they were doing had opted for the tighter fitting western clothing. Toshiro passed Captain Kyoraku in western clothing, for once without hat or haori, demonstrating a double axle for Nanao and telling her that it was really very simple, while she stood on the ice, glaring at him. Then there was Captain Ukitake, almost as bundled up as Kinta in a heavy coat and a knit hat and scarf Rangiku would have admired, as he slowly skated backwards, holding onto both of Nemu's hands and encouraging her to move one foot and then the other. The lieutenant looked very serious with her eyes focused on the ice as she inched forward. She was explaining the scientific reason why ice was so slippery, but that did not seem to be helping her balance.

Toshiro noticed that Captain Ukitake and Nemu were not the only ones using the ice as an excuse for more than usual PDA. Kaien and Miyako were skating around the outer edge of the lake, arm in arm, as were a few other couples Toshiro didn't know, and Toshiro found himself wondering if his mother would manage to get his father out onto the ice with her, just so she could hold his hand in public.

As he was thinking, he was hit from behind and actually slid forward a couple feet before he managed to stop and turn to face his attacker.

Hinamori Momo was wobbling awkwardly, trying to maintain her balance after colliding with him. "Sorry, Shiro-kun!" she said, as he moved forward and caught hold of her arm, steadying her instantly.

"Sorry," she repeated. "I didn't think ice skating would be so hard."

"You just have to get used to it," Toshiro told her. "But maybe I should help you get closer to the outside."

Behind them, Lieutenant Kotetsu and her little sister zipped by and leapt up into side by side spins before landing gracefully back onto the ice, as if to point out just how risky the center of the lake was.

A little ways away, Captain Kyoraku clapped and declared, "See, Nanao-chan, nothing to it!"

Hinamori flinched. "Maybe you're right."

Toshiro helped her back into the traffic of casual skaters slowly circling the wide lake. "This is probably safer for you," he told her, as he glanced back at the experts in the center. Was that Captains Unohana and Kamamura skating together to a waltz?

"You're not having any trouble though," she pointed out, refusing to release his hand, now that they'd reached the more comfortable skating.

"It's ice," Toshiro said. "I never have trouble with ice."

"I heard you helped with the decorating; is that true?" she asked.

He nodded. "Lieutenant Ise asked me to."

"You're really, really talented," Hinamori told him, and he realized she was leading him off the ice, and there, on the bank, was Captain Aizen standing with his father. "We should tell Captain Aizen. He will be really impressed."

"I don't think-" Toshiro stopped arguing. They had already reached the two captains. "Good morning, Captain Aizen," he said, bowing politely.

"Are you two having fun?" Aizen asked, smiling at the way Hinamori looked up at him so admiringly, while Toshiro just looked annoyed.

"Captain Aizen, did you know Shiro-kun did a lot of the decorating for New Years?" Hinamori asked.

"I did," Aizen answered. "You did very well Toshiro-kun. Your skills have grown very impressive. The lake must have taken a lot of energy. I noticed you froze it through."

Toshiro's eyes dropped. He'd gotten out Hyorinmaru when no one was around to manage that. It had seemed important to get it right. "I didn't want anyone to fall through thin ice," he said softly.

"Of course not," Aizen agreed. "I am simply amazed by the power it must have taken. I had not realized how much you'd advanced in the past year."

"He's learned the first five bakudo," Hinamori added. "Toshiro's just as good as any First Year at the Academy. We've been practicing together, and he learns very quickly."

"Are you enjoying learning kido, Toshiro-kun?" Aizen asked.

Toshiro raised his head. He'd always wanted to trust Aizen with his secret, but his father wouldn't let him-tell no one was the first and only rule. He almost expected Gin to look angry as he stood beside Aizen listening to Hinamori tell him that Toshiro had been learning kido, but of course his father gave nothing away. He was smiling that same empty smile he always did, like nothing Toshiro said could possibly matter.

"I love it," Toshiro said. He, too, could act like there was nothing to hide. "I think kido's awesome. I want to learn more every day."

Aizen laughed lightly. "There's no reason to hurry. You will learn it all in time. I think I may come work with you and Hinamori-kun, from time to time. You both show a great deal of promise. I would like to see you excel."

"Probably better you than me," Gin said, speaking for the first time. "There's only so much I could teach him before he passes me altogether. I'm afraid kido's never going to be one of my areas of expertise."

Toshiro looked at his father in surprise. Did he just get permission to learn kido from Captain Aizen? What about kido being a secret? He hadn't been sure how his father would react to the fact that he was doing kido with Hinamori, but this had not been anywhere close.

Gin smiled like he knew exactly what Toshiro was thinking. "If you work very hard you may learn a couple dozen kido by the time you get to the Academy," he said. "If I were you though, I'd see if you can get Captain Aizen to teach you chantless casting instead of seeing how many you can learn. He's a kido master. He can help you perfect each and every kido you learn so even just knowing a few bottom level kido could make you strong."

Toshiro's eyes shifted to Aizen. It was true; Gin was not a kido expert. They had only been able to accomplish so much working together. Maybe if he didn't let Aizen know how much he had already learned, he could learn each in greater depth, without risking attracting any dangerous attention. "Could you, sir?" he said, enthusiastically.

"We'll see," Aizen answered with a smile.

"Thank you," Toshiro said, bowing like he almost never did. "Thank you. I'd love to learn from you."

"Me too," Hinamori agreed, bowing lower and more carefully than Toshiro had. "Thank you for including me."

"Of course, now you two go have fun on the ice. It probably won't last more than a day or two."

They both bowed once more before heading back to the ice.

Gin smiled, and he couldn't resist saying, "Young Hinamori is very cute, isn't she?"

"Your son seems to think so," Aizen answered, nearly forcing the smile from Gin's face.