Nanao walked down the wandering path to the Third Division captain's residence with Aiko on her hip. The girl had wanted to walk but eventually given in to her mother's iron will and glared, sulkily, at the world in general. Nanao told herself she was going to check on Rangiku because her friend had been through so much and probably needed help dealing with the shock of everything that had happened.

What she wasn't willing to admit to herself was that she was having very much the same problem. Was it not enough that they had to work through everything that had come from Shuhei's choice not to follow her and her captain and instead to obey orders? She already felt betrayed. She didn't need to hear her husband was the last person to have seen Yoruichi before the woman vanished!

She knew absolutely that he hadn't had a thing to do with the woman's disappearance, but there was a part of her, that was weak and self-doubting, that kept asking why Shuhei had been alone with Yoruichi. It kept her thinking about herself and feeling sorry for herself when there was no reason for it. She knew she could trust her husband; it was herself she really had problems with.

And all this time Shuhei had been miserable and depressed and feeling just as betrayed and for far better reasons. She needed to be there for him, but she couldn't seem to get over herself.

She knew that was why her captain had sent her here. He had an uncanny knack of knowing exactly what she needed, and right now she needed to be reminded that no matter how big she thought her problems were with Shuhei they were nothing compared to those Rangiku had to face with Gin.

Rangiku had not even been allowed to see her husband. She had been 'under guard' from practically the moment Aizen had left Soul Society. She had insisted on returning to the Third; her 'protectors' had allowed that much, but no amount of begging and pleading had granted her the chance to visit the Fourth. She was as much under house arrest as Nanao had been when they suspected her of helping to hide Rukia, only Rangiku hadn't done anything. It was because she was Gin's wife. That was it. Apparently no other reason was needed.

Nanao could not imagine how her ever-social friend was handling it. She must be half out of her mind with worry and just about the entire rest of the way from being stuck at home with nobody but her children to talk to.

She should have come to check on Rangiku sooner, Nanao realized. She'd been selfish and far too worried about her own problems. Toshiro was a wonderful child, and he'd probably done absolutely everything he could to help his mother, and he'd probably done his best to explain everything to her, but, at a time like this, the poor thing really needed a friend to lean on.

Nanao had just stepped into the clearing around the Third Division Captain's Residence when she was struck, directly in the center of the forehead, by something small and hard and sticky.

"Nice one!" she heard Rangiku exclaim, and she raised her head just in time for a second projectile to fly past her face.

That's when she spotted them. Rangiku and Kinta were sitting on the sloped tile roof with a pile of half-eaten watermelon, spitting seeds across the muddy remains of a once elegant garden. Yukiko was presumably in the sling strapped across Rangiku's chest. Nanao could see no other signs of the baby.

Nanao could not believe it. She lifted one hand from the squirming child on her hip and picked the sticky watermelon seed off her forehead.

"Watermelon!" Aiko demanded loudly as her mother glared at the seed.

Before Nanao could answer, Kinta appeared in front of them, holding out two slices of watermelon. "Have you come to join our picnic, Ai-chan?" he asked the toddler. "We're having a picnic on the roof 'cause everything tastes better if you eat it on the roof."

"Ai-chan is not allowed on the roof," Nanao answered firmly.

"You never were any fun," Rangiku said, hopping down gracefully and smiling at Nanao. "But even you have to like watermelon."

"Not when people spit the seeds at me," Nanao answered icily.

"It couldn't be helped," Rangiku answered. "Hitting a lieutenant's a hundred points. Even hitting the bamboo's only worth twenty."

Nanao's eyes shifted to Rangiku's kimono, realizing the other woman was liberally peppered with seeds. "Ah," she said slowly. "That explains it."

Rangiku followed her gaze. "Damn it, Kin-chan! I told you I'm on leave. I don't count," she said, but she was smiling hugely, so she clearly didn't mind.

"I got you twenty-seven times," Kinta told her. "Is that as many as a captain?"

"Twenty-seven?" Rangiku repeated. "And you had a hundred and twenty five points already so that's two thousand eight hundred and twenty-five? I'm afraid you're still twelve thousand one hundred and seventy-five short."

"Did Nii-chan really get Daddy one time?" Kinta demanded.

"Yeah, but Daddy was only a lieutenant at the time and he spat the seed right in Daddy's face after he asked what a lieutenant was worth-it was a surprise attack. Nobody's ever gotten a real captain," Rangiku assured Kinta.

Kinta cocked his head to one side, thinking that over. Then he asked, "Can we go visit Ai-chan's Ji-ji?"

Even Nanao couldn't help smiling at the idea of Captain Kyoraku being pelted with watermelon seeds by Kinta and Aiko. The idiot would probably let them hit him all they wanted. He was terrible about spoiling children. "I'm afraid my captain's busy," Nanao told him. Then she added, "How about you go wash up, and you and Ai-chan can play with Ai-chan's animals?"

She hefted a large canvas bag off her shoulder. It was filled to the brim with small, colorful plastic animals from the World of the Living. With no zoo and no television, the animals filling the bag were more exotic to Kinta than even mythical beasts, and he had been fascinated by Aiko's collection when they had stayed at her house. Nanao figured they were her best bet at keeping her child both busy and clean while playing at Rangiku's.

Kinta tossed the watermelon for the bag and took off with Aiko to build Africa on the porch.

"That was nice of you," Rangiku said, smiling as her son dumped the entire bag on the wooden floor.

"It was the safest game I could think of," Nanao answered. "How are you doing?"

"Shiro-chan said Gin should be able to come home in just a couple more days so that's good."

"But how are you?"

Rangiku turned and smiled, yet another huge smile, but to Nanao it seemed off. Rangiku was usually so open, and her smiles practically glowed with joy, but not now. Now, she was hiding behind her smile. "Everything's turned out good, don't you think?"

"I suppose so." Nanao nodded and looked away, watching the two children playing on the porch for a moment. They were arguing over whether the lion would eat the elephant or the other way around. If Rangiku didn't want to talk about herself maybe she would be willing to talk about her child.

"How is young Captain Ichimaru?" she asked finally.

"Why do people insist on calling him that?" Rangiku groaned. "You're talking to me, you know. You can just call him Shiro-chan."

"He is a captain," Nanao answered. "I prefer to be as respectful as I can toward all captains."

"Excluding your own?" Rangiku couldn't help asking.

"As respectful as I can be, Rangiku, as I can. Some men insist on being treated like five year olds no matter how old they get."

"Ain't that the truth," Rangiku agreed.

"I did see Captain-Toshiro yesterday, and he appeared to be completely healed. I hate to say it, but of everyone who was injured he was the one who was in the greatest danger. My captain said as much, that no one could expect to survive a direct attack from the General, and that Captain-Toshiro was able to recover so quickly goes to show how strong he really is and how incredible his potential may be. I don't think you're going to have to worry too much about him, Rangiku. Even among the captains he is something special."

"As long as he doesn't do something stupid," Rangiku answered, looking worried. "I'm afraid he's already got too many of those male instincts that make them try to get themselves killed. He could have run from the General. Anyone with half a brain would have, but he was trying to send me a message instead. Aizen showed him an illusion of Yamamoto threatening Kin-chan and Yuki as well, and he decided telling me to run was more important than trying to stay alive. He could have run, but instead he was a noble idiot."

Nanao nodded. It had been horrible, those hours before Toshiro had finally come to see his mother, to prove he really had made it through alright. He had acted like it had been nothing, and everyone had told Rangiku he was never badly hurt, but they'd both known it was a lie. He'd been hurt by General Yamamoto; not only had he been completely outmatched, but fire had to be his greatest weakness. He was very lucky to be alive, but if that was the reason he hadn't run, Rangiku had even more reason to be proud of him. "You should be very proud of him."

Rangiku's arms went around the baby asleep in her sling, and she looked down at her sadly, like she was thinking of another baby she could no longer keep within the shelter of her arms. "Of course I am, but I'm also worried. He's too much like his father. When's he going to step between someone and a fatal blow? We got really lucky this time. I could have lost them both, and I don't think any amount of pride in the noble nature of their deaths would make any difference to me."

Nanao could only imagine how Rangiku must feel, to have come so close to losing both her son and her husband in a single day. Death was a daily risk for a shinigami. You just had to put it out of your mind when those you loved were in danger. Nanao'd never allowed herself to think about it, no matter how many missions Shuhei lead out into deep Rukongai, no matter how much more danger he put himself in because he was always trying to capture the hollows for Kurotsuchi rather than killing them outright. She just didn't think about it. Not until yesterday when she'd abruptly realized that Shuhei had lost his fight with Ayasegawa Yumichika, and it was only because Ayasegawa had chosen to be merciful that he was still alive. Then she'd sobbed for an hour at her desk and hadn't stopped until her captain had forced a couple of sips of sake down her throat and listened to her blather on about how much she loved her damned fool of a husband.

Maybe what Rangiku really needed was a good, hard cry of her own, and while Nanao couldn't give her that she could at least let her know that she understood. "It probably wouldn't, not for a long time, but, hopefully, eventually, it would help. I'm certain it must better to lose those you love in a way that will allow you to remember them fondly. Shuhei has lost his captain, and I know Tosen is not dead, but it's just as bad-worse than if he had died a noble death. Shuhei is questioning everything he thought he knew because the one who taught him was a traitor. It hurts just to watch, and I feel completely helpless.

"But if you had lost Captain Ichimaru, if he had died to save Shiro, you would know that, despite all the lies and deceptions, he loved you all; his heart, at least, wasn't fake, and you would treasure every memory you had of him."

"Nanao, do you realize you said something nice about Gin?" Rangiku said, looking both surprised and confused.

Nanao frowned. "I don't like Captain Ichimaru, and I'm quite sure he enjoyed playing the part of a villain even if he was not one in actuality, and he made a great many people miserable when he didn't have to. But from what I understand he did do it all for you. That is quite an impressive display of selfless love, a hundred years by Aizen's side, knowing one little slip is all it would take to end his life, most likely very unpleasantly. Even if he has no other redeeming characteristics, I still must admit I was wrong about him. You are very fortunate to have a man who loves you like that."

Rangiku choked back a sudden sob. "Sorry," she said, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. "Sorry, you know how it is with a new baby and all. I'm a little over-emotional, but it really is nice to hear someone else say that Gin, he really was trying to stop Aizen. It was a crazy plan. Crazy and stupid and suicidal, but it wasn't evil. He really isn't evil; I'm right about that, aren't I, Nanao, he isn't a monster?"

Nanao smiled at her friend. This was why she had come, to put her own problems in perspective. Shuhei might not have done what she wanted him to, but he had done his best, and he'd never done anything and never would do anything that would make anyone doubt he was a good man. He might occasionally be distracted by a large set of boobs, but he always came home to her, and he always would. He might not love her with the same level of obsessive passion Ichimaru Gin felt for Rangiku-there were definitely lines he would not cross even if her life was on the line-but it was probably healthier this way, less painful and frightening, too. No, considering all Rangiku had gone through because of Gin, Nanao really had absolutely no need to ever be loved like that.

"No, Rangiku," Nanao said. "He's not evil. He's probably gotten close a few times, but-I suppose it was like being a spy; there are things you have to do to keep your cover, some of them are really awful, but you have to stay focused on your goal. It's the only way to succeed. I'm sure he will be able to give the captains very valuable information about Aizen because of what he was willing to do."

Rangiku smiled, though her eyes were still swimming with tears, and she nodded. "And it's over, isn't it? He doesn't have to lie to me anymore or disappear or-it's all going to be good now, isn't it? He can help fight Aizen, and be a part of things, and he won't have to be always alone and making everyone hate him all the time. He can be happy now."

Nanao was surprised by the intensity with which Rangiku spoke. She'd always known Rangiku loved Gin, though how was beyond her, but she realized, listening to her, that she must have been worrying a great deal about him all this time. Until now, she would have told Rangiku he wasn't worth it. "I'm afraid it's going to be hard, Rangiku. It's going to take awhile for people to accept what he's done, and to really forgive him, and trust is going to take even longer. I think that's going to be hard for you, but, honestly, I don't think you should worry about him. I think as long as he has you he doesn't really care what the rest of us think."

Rangiku nodded again, but she still looked worried.

"Anyway, I'm sure it will all be alright in the end," Nanao said, not even really knowing what she meant by that. As long as Aizen was free things were going to be especially hard for Rangiku, but, maybe, after everything was settled, it would be better. Maybe Rangiku was right, and Gin could be more of a part of things. Who knew? Maybe he could even make friends with people. It seemed very strange to Nanao, even to consider, but she supposed the truth was she'd never known the real Ichimaru Gin. All anyone but Rangiku had ever known was the image he had presented to them. Maybe he could be a likable person-

And maybe pigs could fly. Kinta and Aiko seemed to think they did. They were hurling the pink plastic animals out into the muddy remains of the garden pond.

"Stop that right now!" Nanao shouted, as she ran toward the porch.