"I should have worn my uniform," Renji grumbled, adjusting the neckline of his new kimono. It was a deep blue, with a subtle, lighter blue fletching pattern. It wasn't a particularly fancy kimono, but at least he'd never spilled anything or bled on it, which was more than he could say for every other kimono he currently owned.

"You look very handsome," Momo informed him, smacking his hand away. She had helped him shop, in the sense that she insisted he get a new kimono and then rejected all the ones he liked in favor of this one. She had said the fletching pattern symbolized good luck and determination, an arrow loosed from the bow, never to return. Also, she said the blue made his eyes look nice.

"We shouldn't have brought Izuru," Renji replied grimly. "How am I supposed to look handsome next to him?"

Izuru, who had endured decades of looking pathetically short, pale, and scrawny standing next to Renji in group photos, shot him an absolutely withering glare. Izuru's kimono was a lighter, slate blue. It was an old one that he had already owned, but there was a lot to be said for quality of materials and tailoring.

"You both look very handsome," Momo replied, much to Izuru's discomfiture.

"You, ah, also look, very nice," Izuru managed, but Momo wasn't paying any attention.

"And the goal," she continued on blithely, "is to look like the sort of person who owns clothes that aren't uniforms. Look around- how many shihakushou do you see?"

"Not enough," Renji grunted. Squad Six was supposed to be on security detail, and even though he had personally handled the volunteer wrangling, he had delegated the actual management of this dog-and-pony show to Fifth Seat Kuchiki Takehiko. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. The event was both high-profile and unimportant, and Takehiko was both eminent and a half-asser. Renji was definitely regretting not taking on the responsibility personally.

"This is fun," Hinamori declared, admiring a table full of ikebana up for judging. "We should do things like this more often. Oooh, this one is so pretty! Izuru, it's Captain Unohana's, did you know she did flower arranging? Hers will win for sure."

"She teaches a class," Izuru pointed out.

"Really?" Momo chirped. "Gosh, I would love to learn ikebana."

Renji squinted at the paper map of the Botanical Garden he had picked up at the entrance. "Stop messin' around. The Kuchiki got a whole booth around here somewhere. Ugh, I hate maps. I'm just gonna try to feel out Captain's reiatsu."

Izuru snatched the map out of his hand. "You made us come to this stupid orchid show with you in the interest of appearing to be a person who would just casually go to an orchid show. Cool your jets. You can't just barrel through this place like you're searching for ryouka."

Momo was examining the map over Izuru's shoulder. "Here's their kamon! It looks like we just need to go down this main aisle and turn left after the fountain."

"Don't try to pretend you know things about orchids," Izuru warned Renji. "Just say they're pretty or you like the color. Lord and Lady Kuchiki are both regular contributors to the Royal Botanical Digest, you will only embarrass yourself if you try to fake it."

"Do you… do you read the Royal Botanical Digest?" Renji asked, half-horrified.

"The Fourth keeps it in the waiting areas," Izuru excused. "Sometimes, shifts were slow."

Renji set his jaw. "We should leave. I do not know any of this stuff. I didn't even know there was a Royal Botanical Digest."

Momo looped her elbow through his cheerfully. "We are absolutely not leaving. There is no kinder thing you can do for a person with a hobby than to show interest in it. I thought it was very sweet of you to come."

"And we're here to cover for you," Izuru added. "So if you get stuck, just keep your mouth shut, and Momo or I will jump in."

"Okay," Renji agreed, as they rounded the fountain, which was much larger than it appeared on the map, and fed several little artificial rivers that branched off to various other parts of the Gardens. They crossed a little bridge into a double row of long tables, most of which were empty but for one or two pots of tall, elegant orchids. A number of tall, beautiful people conversed in quiet voices.

"I should probably know who most of these people are, right?" Renji hissed to Izuru. Suddenly, he perked up and gave a quick nod to a bored looking young man who was clearly assisting an elderly relative. "That was Taniguchi, he's in my squad."

Taniguchi waved back hopefully. Renji had never seen anyone who looked more like they wanted to be assigned 30 laps, but he wasn't sure Captain Kuchiki would appreciate that.

"You're doing fine, you'll pick it up," Izuru assured him.

"That's Lady Makino," Momo subtly tipped her head toward a woman in a very ostentatious kimono. "She's a famous actress. The man she's talking to is Lord Miyawaki. He is very rich and recently a widower."

"Don't overwhelm him!" Izuru scolded.

"Right, sorry!" Momo apologized eagerly.

"There it is!" Renji exclaimed as he caught sight of the Kuchiki booth. He pointed wildly, only narrowly avoiding whacking Kira in the head.

"Casual!" Izuru scolded him again, swatting at his hand.

It was too late, though, because Lady Kuchiki had spotted them, and was pointing back at Renji and waving frantically.

"She can do that, she's the noble," Izuru hissed at him. "That doesn't mean you should!"

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"You're fine!" Momo patted his arm. "Do you remember the introduction order?"

"Her, you, you, her," Renji recited, as though he were trying to commit the steps of a drill to memory. "And then Kira, you, because it's squad numerical order."

"Perfect! Don't forget to smile!"

Lady Kuchiki had turned around and was talking to someone behind her. "-look who's here! It's Lieutenant Abarai!"

As they drew closer, Renji spotted Rukia sitting in the back of the booth, her nose stuffed in a paperback novel. Her big, violet eyes slowly appeared over the top of it, wide as saucers. Renji dipped into a low bow. "Good afternoon, Lady Kuchiki, Lady Rukia!"

Byakuya was deep in a quiet, intense conversation with a spectacled gentleman at the other end of the table, but his eyes flickered over at Renji's approach, and he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. Renji had gotten used to honing in on his captain's voice, and he distinctly caught the words, "-my second, dependable fellow-" before he went back to talking about root tip pigmentation.

Renji had absolutely no capacity at the moment for interrogating the warm feeling those four words sent bubbling in his chest, so he was grateful when Lady Kuchiki proclaimed, "Imagine seeing you here! What a delightful surprise, wouldn't you say, Rukia?"

Slowly, Rukia lowered her book. Renji steeled himself for a Full Rukia Scowl, How Dare He Disturb Her in Her Place of… of whatever it was she did here. Instead, her mouth was twisted into the awkward, involuntary half-smile of someone who had no idea what their face was doing. "Uh, yeah," she replied, and then, miraculously, the other half of her mouth drew up into an actual smile. It was a small one, to be sure, but between that and the "dependable fellow" comment, Renji would have fallen down on the ground and died, if Izuru hadn't had the presence of mind to kick him in the ankle.

"Lady Kuchiki Hisana," he barked out, "may I introduce my friends, Lieutenants Kira Izuru and Hinamori Momo, Acting Captains of the 3rd and 5th Divisions, respectively."

"It is a great honor to meet you both, Acting Captains," Hisana replied, her voice warm and friendly.

"It is an honor to meet you, too!" Momo replied brightly.

"'Lieutenant' will do nicely, though," Kira corrected demurely, "as hopefully our current positions will be quite temporary."

"As you like," Hisana agreed, "Although even temporary authority deserves the appropriate respects. Are you one of the Asamoya Kira? I had the opportunity to work on a charity project with Lady Manami recently, and I was very impressed with her- a very strong-willed and capable woman."

"Yes," Kira agreed stiltedly. Renji had met Lady Manami, and knew she had the supernatural ability to materialize out of nowhere and twist Kira's ear if he were to say something unbecoming of her. "My sister."

Hisana seemed surprised. "You must be the family head, then? I believe she said she only had one brother."

"Er, yes," Kira replied.

Kira's family was much reduced from the height of its power, and Izuru had occasionally expressed the opinion that the name was likely to die out with him. Renji wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he suspected that Lady Kuchiki was giving him a significantly higher amount of respect than he was due.

"I've never been up to Asamoya before, but I hear it's very lovely," Hisana went on. "A bit up in the mountains, isn't it?"

"I've summered with the Kira," Renji broke in grandiosely, meaning that he had spent a few school vacations with Izuru at his overgrown estate in North Rukongai. Those were some of the most peaceful memories of Renji's life, tromping through cold mountain streams with Kira, building campfires to the delight of the younger Kira sisters, sitting out on the engawa when he couldn't sleep, staring at the stars and hoping that Rukia was half as happy as he was. "Excellent place, well worth the side trip if you're ever in the neighborhood."

"I shall have to drop by sometime," Hisana replied, a laugh in her voice, and Renji wondered what he had said that was so funny.

Kira looked downright mortified.

"Sister, come chat with us," Hisana exhorted. "Have you met Lieutenant Kira? He's very charming and I hear he has a house in the country!"

Kira's ears were practically on fire.

"We've met," Rukia assured her sister, packing away her paperback. "He's very nice. Not stupidly tall like some people. But you and I had a deal, remember, Sister?"

"Ah, yes," Hisana sighed, without actually looking very disappointed. "We did."

Izuru shot Renji a questioning look, but Renji just shook his head slightly. He had no clue, either.

"So, what brings you three to the Orchid Show?" Hisana asked. "My husband was pleased to see some of his men had 'volunteered' their time to stand gate duty, but you don't appear to be in uniform, Lieutenant."

"Yes, well, Fifth Seat Kuchiki is handling things," Renji excused, keeping in mind how close Takehiko was to the main branch. "Very competent man, our Fifth Seat."

Hisana raised an eyebrow. "Byakuya was very surprised at the number of volunteers Cousin Takehiko seems to have mustered.

"I may have helped with that," Renji admitted modestly. Squad Six was pretty easy to strong arm into things, generally, but he'd found that if you spread a few rumors about a "special duty" relating to "the captain's personal interests", there'd be a line out the door.

"Let's just say your efforts were… appreciated," Hisana noted. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"The weather is so gorgeous today," Hinamori explained, "and Lieutenant Kira and I have been so cooped up with our paperwork that this sounded like a lovely excuse to get out of doors when Lieutenant Abarai suggested it."

"Ah, all our talk of orchids piqued your interests, eh?" Hisana teased.

"Actually, I wanted to hear Rukia play her shamisen," Renji blurted out stupidly.

Hisana's face froze momentarily, and Renji knew, in his soul, that he had Blown It. Then, suddenly, a big grin spread over her Ladyship's face, the same grin Rukia got when she had come up with some absolutely diabolical scheme. Hisana opened her mouth to say something, but Rukia cut her off. She had stood up and was hefting a large, kiri-wood box, inlaid with a beautiful plum blossom design. It was practically bigger than she was. "Speaking of which, I should really head over."

"We could walk you there," Renji offered, a bit too eagerly.

"Oh, I have to be pretty early," Rukia excused. "I won't be playing for another thirty minutes. It would be pretty boring."

"I don't mind," Renji replied.

"Your friends might," Rukia pointed out.

"Maybe we could meet up with you later," Hinamori offered brightly. "If Lady Kuchiki isn't too busy, I would love to hear more about these orchids. Their color is extraordinary!"

Renji shot an extremely grateful look at Izuru, who returned a look that said listening to two beautiful women ramble about flowers for half an hour was hardly the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

"Perfect idea, Lieutenant!" Hisana cheered. "Believe it or not, these orchids are descended from a deep black orchid with unusually large chromoplasts- that's how I was able to breed such a rich shade of red. Ah, what a beauty that was- Byakuya and I found her ourselves, out in the Wilds- that's how we met, you know."

Renji was making a horrified face. The Wilds bordered Rukongai to the South- it demarcated the very boundaries of Soul Society, where the order of the Afterlife began to bleed into wild magic. It was said to be a place of incredible beauty, but also, massive, strange monsters and twisted plantlife. Renji had found that up here, in civilization, people tended to regard it as some sort of made-up fairytale land, the place where a mysterious wizard might maintain an ambulatory castle. It was close enough to Inuzuri, though, that he knew better- you didn't drink or bathe downstream of the Wilds and you wore a bandana tied over your face when the wind blew from the south. Once, a great boar-like thing with rolling yellow eyes and far too many tusks had come rampaging up through town, and it had taken thirty men to take it down. Renji had been very newly dead when that happened, it was before he even met Rukia. Later, he took her to go see its great skull, shiny and brown, displayed in the town square as a monument to the only thing thirty men in Inuzuri had ever worked together on.

"You coming or not?" Rukia asked bluntly, shaking him from his reverie.

"Uh, yeah," Renji managed, coming back to himself. "Can I carry that for you?" he offered, gesturing towards Rukia's instrument case. "I mean, I know you can carry it perfectly well yourself, but people will think I'm a clod, so, really, you'd be doing me a favor."

"I don't know," Rukia drawled, hoisting it experimentally. "It's pretty heavy."

"Just don't throw it at me," Renji assured her. "I'm not great at catching stuff, but I'm pretty good at hauling precious things around without dropping 'em."

"I've seen you carry Touma," Rukia reminded him as she dumped the shamisen case into his outstretched arms. "Try to keep it right side up."