Ohno Isao's eye twitched. He swallowed. He set his jaw. "Vice-Captain! You… you made it. I didn't expect… er… are you going to be alright? Sir?"

"Yeah, I feel great!" Renji announced. He frowned, and leaned forward. "Do I look bad?" He'd honestly worked pretty hard on trying to get his hair and make-up as respectable as possible. He was pretty sure he'd looked okay when he left his quarters, but it had been kind of a long walk over here and his blood sugar was feeling a little whoopsy. Noble life was tough. No one at the Eleventh would judge you for showing up at the bar looking a little cadaver-ish.

"You don't look bad, but you lost a lot of blood today, you really could have taken it easy."

"Y'know, if I'd been in shikai at the time," Renji wagged a finger, "it probably wouldn't have been such a big deal. It's hard to get any reiatsu pumping when half your blood is already lying on the ground, though, amiright? That was an oversight on my part. Hey, is there food at this thing?"

"Yessss," Ohno drew out. "How about… I introduce you to my parents, very quickly, and then you can go… eat things? Please don't pass out at my family's party."

"I'm telling you, I could bench a horse right now. Two horses."

"Please don't," Ohno mumbled.

Renji regularly dealt with Kuchiki Byakuya, the Noblest Guy Around, and the hierarchy of snobs at Squad Six, so he felt that he had a handle on dealing with nobility. Suddenly, though, he was wondering if maybe that was a bad assumption.

Ohno Manor was in the eastern part of town, a tony area filled with a lot of similarly fancy houses and other high class amenities. Kuchiki Manor was in the southern sector, with all the Gotei complexes, and was fairly secluded. It was Renji's understanding that this was because it was extremely old, and that a lot of the Gotei property had, in fact, originally been donated by the Kuchiki family. There were a lot of people here already, people Renji didn't know, in clothes that were not casual by anyone's definition. Renji hadn't felt like waiting around for Choei (who swore that he was not going to arrive any less than an hour late), but Renji was regretting not finding some other Hanami buddy to show up with.

It turned out that Ohno didn't take after his parents very much. Lord Ohno was tall, with long, jet black hair, shot through with a single, dramatic streak of grey. Renji would bet his favorite bandana that the guy got his brows threaded. Lady Ohno was also very tall and slender and had stunningly green eyes. She had the same sharp chin and pointy nose as her son, but they looked elegant on her, whereas they just looked ratty on him. They wore coordinated outfits of green and gold, and Lady Ohno's hair bristled with jade combs the exact color of her eyes. They could have stepped off of the cover of one of Renji's favorite fantasy adventure novels. Currently, they were looking at Renji like he was a clod of dirt that had gotten stuck to their shoe.

"Mother, Father," Ohno said, "may I present my commanding officer, Lieutenant Abarai Renji. Lieutenant, my parents, Lord and Lady Ohno."

"It is an honor," Renji replied, with a bow. "Thank you for inviting me. Your garden is very beautiful."

"The honor is ours, Lieutenant," Ohno's dad replied in a voice that prickled at the back of Renji's neck. The guy reminded Renji of the rich jerks at the Academy who would act nice in order to trick you into saying or doing something stupid so they could laugh at you. "It is rare to meet a man of your accomplishments."

"It is so good to finally meet you!" Lady Ohno added. "Isao is so restrained when he speaks of the Gotei. I honestly had no idea what to expect!"

Renji did not particularly like Ohno Isao, but he instantly decided that he hated Lord and Lady Ohno about a thousand times worse. "Aw, that's probably for the best, I'm always givin' him a hard time! Ohno's a great soldier, though, good man with a sword, really talented. I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, Third Seat, but I thought you really distinguished yourself today. People do not appreciate how hard it is to fight Lady Rukia, she is a real force of nature."

"You… fought Lady Rukia?" Lord Ohno echoed.

The color drained out of Ohno's face. "It was a demonstration match," he stammered. "It was her idea."

"Takes a man of real guts to cross swords with the Kuchiki main line, in my opinion," Renji declared. "But that's our Third Seat!"

"I was not aware that women in the Gotei were permitted to duel." Lady Ohno had produced a fan from somewhere and was fanning herself with it.

"Oh, yeah, we're very egalitarian!" Renji announced. "Ohno, you never said if your sisters sword fight or not. You got sisters, right?"

"Speaking of fighting the main line," Ohno squeaked, "Vice-Captain was very grievously stabbed today, so he's probably missing a lot of blood and should probably have something to eat!"

"Oh, did you also fight Lady Rukia?" Lord Ohno asked, as though this were the simply drollest thing he had ever heard.

"Ah, no, it was…" Renji trailed off as he felt a familiar reiatsu prick the edge of his senses. "Oh. Captain's here."

Precisely on cue, a tide of crimson silk and flowing hair poured through the Ohno's garden gate. Renji considered himself a bit of a hot shot himself when it came to dramatic entrances, but he was the first to admit that he had a long way to go if he was ever going to get on his captain's level.

The Ohno family's entire demeanor changed, and all three of them abruptly dipped into deep, obsequious bows. Renji had a sudden moment of panic, because he'd just seen his boss two hours ago, it seemed weird to be so formal. He compromised by dipping into the standard officer's bow.

"Greetings, Lord Kuchiki, to you and your family," Lord Ohno murmured. "Welcome to our home."

Byakuya responded with a slight nod. He had a look on his face like the Ohno had two seconds to do something interesting before he retreated into his own brain to contemplate Byakuya-things.

Fortunately for them, Renji supposed, Ginrei was here to pick up the small talk slack. "Itsurou! Maiwa!" he thundered. "It's been an age! The house looks great! Is that west wing new? I want you to meet my granddaughter, Shizue!" Renji's eyes darted over Byakuya's party as Ginrei presented Shizue (dressed in another extremely eye-catching kimono, this one pale blue and decorated with colorful butterflies) to the Ohno. Ginrei's assistant was with them, which seemed a little odd, and so was the tennis instructor, which seemed very odd, but on the other hand, Renji wasn't entirely sure what he, himself was doing here. Rukia was supporting Aunt Tsukasa on her arm. The old woman was dressed to the nines, and also appeared to be sleepwalking. Rukia somehow still looked like the portrait of elegance. Renji started rolling possible compliments around in his head. He had some advance warning, he was going to get it right this time. Renji decided that he liked her in red. Maybe he could work with that. He always blew it when he tried to compliment her general person, maybe it would be easier to focus on something she was wearing.

Ginrei seemed perfectly prepared to talk the Ohno's ears off indefinitely, but there were other guests backing up behind them. "We will speak later," Byakuya cut into the conversation, then turned on his heel and began to walk into the party. Renji was somewhat awed at the way he could do things like that and not even really come across as rude. Ginrei's half of the entourage seemed slightly confused, and had to scramble to get moving again, but Rukia fell in step behind him without missing a beat, even with Aunt Tsukasa in tow. "Abarai, with us," Byakuya added, and Renji's feet started moving before his brain had even really processed the words.

"Catch you 'round," he bid Ohno the Younger farewell.

"Don't forget to eat something!" Ohno replied through gritted teeth.


It was unfair, in Rukia's opinion. After suffering through these boring parties for forty years, she had finally managed to get her best friend invited to one, and she'd barely even managed to say hello to him. The food table looked amazing and the weather was beautiful and she was ready to go give Renji some lessons in hobnobbing, but she couldn't seem to shake herself loose from this gossipy knot of women.

She'd meant to just drop off Shizue with Cousin Takako, who had volunteered to act as chaperone for the evening. Cousin Takako had Cousin Miho with her, and also Miho's sister Mahomi, who had married a Taniguchi a year or two ago, and the three of them were very interested in giving Shizue the scuttlebutt on every eligible man at this party. Every time Rukia tried to extricate herself, they would either ask her opinion on someone or come up with a tidbit so juicy that Rukia would forget what she was doing. She could only assume that by now, Renji had either pissed off and subsequently murdered an Ohno in a duel or died of boredom from listening to Grandfather's stories.

"-I don't think it's true. I mean, I've heard it, too, but I think it's just wishful thinking. Rukia, you would know for sure, wouldn't you?"

"Hmm?" Rukia blinked. "I'm sorry, my mind drifted."

"Your brother," Mahomi pressed. "He's not considering remarriage, is he?"

"Oh, no," Rukia shook her head. "Goodness. No."

"Well, I heard it from my mother-in-law, but you know what she's like," Takako waved a hand dismissively.

Rukia frowned. If Aunt Etsu had gotten it into her head that Byakuya was eligible, that wasn't good news for anyone. "What did-?" she started to ask.

"Phew! I thought we were never going to make it here!"

"Naoko!" Takako and Miho exclaimed as their sister-in-law pulled up to their little group. Mahomi gave a little wave.

"Do you need snacks?" Miho asked. "I will fetch you snacks. You look like you need a drink. Sake or plum wine?"

"Oh, goodness, just water, please, but some snacks would be lovely," Lady Gotou Naoko heaved a huge sigh. "Shizue, you're here! Welcome to the Seireitei!"

"Thank you, Cousin," Shizue bobbed her head.

"I wish we could have come to dinner last night, but I guess that's what marrying out of the family means," Naoko lamented. "Rukia! Your dress! That color is stunning on you!"

Rukia felt her cheeks warm. She hadn't known Cousin Naoko very well until earlier in the year, when, in an attempt to prove what a good Lady she was, she had hosted a baby shower for the Lady of the Gotou. Cousin Naoko was beautiful and elegant and well-mannered… and she was also incredibly kind and funny. Rukia deeply regretted not getting to know her better earlier and looked up to the woman quite a bit. "Thank you, Cousin," she replied, her heart feeling warm and squishy.

Rukia glanced at Naoko's own outfit, preparing to return the compliment, when she heard a little squawking noise from the vicinity of Lady Gotou's midsection. Blinking, Rukia looked down and realized that there was a very small soul tied to Lady Gotou through a clever wrapping of her obi.

"Ah! You brought her!" Rukia gasped, unable to contain her delight. For as much as they seemed to care about making them, nobles preferred to keep babies out of sight. Rukia had met Baby Harue at the baby's first shrine visit, and was absolutely enamored with her.

"I have been carrying her around with me wherever I go," Naoko explained, already in the process of loosening the wrap. "Cousin Izanami says it's healthy to keep the baby close for the first few months. Takebe isn't very fond of that, he'd rather I pawned her off on the nurse. But she's a good girl and I really wanted to show her off to Grandfather."

"You should!" Rukia declared. "Harue is perfect! If she were my baby, I would make everyone look at her!"

Naoko chuckled. "I believe it! Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes! Of course!" Rukia held out her arms, and received a soft, warm, vaguely milky smelling bundle.

"Congratulations on your promotion," Naoko added, as she accepted a cup of water and a sweet bun from Miho. "Making vice-captain, that's really amazing! And for such a well-regarded captain, no less!"

Rukia felt her cheeks flush pink, and she tried to focus on balancing the baby's weight in her arms correctly. It seemed like ever since she'd been adopted, all anyone had wanted of her was to be married off in some way that was convenient for the family and to start making babies. Now, someone who'd done that very thing was congratulating her on her own accomplishments. "Thank you," she retreated into formalities. "I shall try to bring honor to our family." She wrinkled her nose playfully at Baby Harue, who was squinting crossly at her, trying to figure out who she was, and why the answer wasn't "mama".

Rukia wasn't actually sure how Grandfather would react to being presented with an infant, no matter how charming. She had certainly seen him act very standoffish to various family members in the past, herself included. Rukia was suddenly determined to make sure that her very favorite cousin Naoko got a warm reception for her most excellent baby. "Can I help you present her to Grandfather?"

Naoko looked surprised. "Oh! That would be wonderful, actually!"

Rukia looked around. "I'm sorry- does anyone else want to hold Harue before I steal her away? Shizue?"

"Maybe later," Miho replied politely, and Mahomi nodded in agreement.

Shizue had been studying Rukia with a perplexed look on her face, but at the offer, she went slightly pale. "Er, ah, no, um, thank you."

"Shizue and I have our own business to attend to," Takako came to her rescue. "But if you get tired of carrying that baby around later, Naoko, look me up! Oh, I do miss when Akihide was that size!"

"Will do!" Naoko agreed.

As Rukia marched across the Ohno gardens, proudly holding the greatest baby in Soul Society, it occurred to her that she had conveniently managed to free herself without even trying. Even more conveniently, when Rukia located Grandfather, he appeared to be expounding on something to Renji, probably military-related, while Byakuya glowered. Renji asked Grandfather something, spurring a laugh and earning him a hearty, Grandfatherly slap on the back. Byakuya looked like he wished he could sink into the earth.

"-never would have guessed it was porridge!" Ginrei chuckled.

Rukia couldn't even begin to guess what they had been talking about, but this was working out perfectly. "Honored Grandfather!" she interrupted, and shot Byakuya a very intense glare that she hoped imparted that she needed his cooperation on this. Byakuya was a little uncomfortable around children, she knew, but he approved of them in principle. He had even held Harue briefly at her blessing and recited a well-practiced statement on her pleasing disposition and offered his best wishes for a life full of accomplishments.

For extra insurance, Rukia gave Renji the little head-tilt-plus-hair-toss that meant "play along no matter what". He idly rubbed his chin to indicate that he was with her all the way. Goodness, it was nice to have someone to depend on at these stupid events.

"Just look who is here to see you!" Rukia trilled.

Ginrei glanced over at Naoko at Rukia's elbow and then at the bundle in her arms and to her surprise- brightened. "Is that my newest great-grandniece?"

Renji almost spit out his drink, and it occurred to Rukia that he hadn't realized what she was holding. So much for dependable backup.

"Yes, Grandfather," Naoko replied, bowing proudly, "Gotou Harue." Her husband, Lord Gotou, who had presumably been socializing elsewhere, materialized immediately at her side, standing very straight. Rukia had sort of forgotten that he existed.

"Well, hand her over, Rukia, dear, so I can declare which lovely Kuchiki lady she most closely resembles."

Naoko beamed like the sun.

Rukia proudly presented the baby to Ginrei, who accepted her like a man used to holding babies. "Ah, what a beauty!" he announced. "Look at those grey eyes, just like her mother. Looks like she's avoided the nose- just as well, no woman wants the Kuchiki nose." He hefted the baby thoughtfully. "Bit of weight to her, too. That'll be the Gotou side. You do like to grow 'em big, don't you, Takebe?"

"It bodes well for the strength of the son that shall surely follow, Grandfather," Lord Gotou replied, almost apologetically.

"Indeed," Ginrei agreed. "She's got a fair bit of reiatsu, too, another good sign." Ginrei turned to Byakuya. "A smart marriage, eh, Grandson? The company could use a few lads with the Gotou bulk and the Kuchiki spiritual energy, wouldn't you say? Here, take this."

"I am always pleased to see a family member lending their strength to the Sixth," Byakuya replied awkwardly, horrified to find himself holding an infant after absolutely no opportunity for mental or spiritual preparation.

"We do take girls, too," Renji pointed out rather loudly. "Cripes, I think she's got more reiatsu than some of our unseated folks."

Oh, no, Rukia blinked. Oh, this well-meaning buffoon!

Cousin Naoko looked absolutely delighted.

"Pardon, Lieutenant Abarai," Lord Gotou sneered. "The First Daughter of the Gotou will not be serving in the Gotei."

"Oh, that's a shame," Renji frowned. "Your sister's an excellent officer, I was hopin' for another one in the same mold." He cocked his head. "I got that right, eh? Twelfth Seat Gotou Akane is your sister, right?"

"I have several sisters," Gotou countered. Was this a comeback? Rukia wasn't sure. The men of the Gotou weren't exactly renowned for their intelligence.

"That reminds me, Gotou, I wanted to ask you about that textiles project you and your brother were starting up the last time I was here," Ginrei carried on, clearly not caring about whatever beef Lord Gotou was trying to cultivate with Renji. "I saw Gakurou earlier- oh, there he is! Come along, Byakuya, I want your opinion, as well."

Up until this moment, Byakuya had been staring perplexedly at the infant he had been laden with, but at this command from his grandfather, some captainly reflex took over, and he did what he always did with something he had tired of dealing with: he handed the baby to his lieutenant.

Renji stared at the small person who had just been deposited in his arms and then over at the group of departing men, and then back at the baby again. This was hardly the worst thing Byakuya had ever handed to him. He looked up at Rukia. "I have no idea what we were going for, there. Did that go the way you hoped? I hope?"

"Oh, give her to me!" Rukia demanded, trying to retrieve the baby from him. "I was worried Grandfather was going to be...Grandfather."

"You had your turn!" Renji shooed her away as he bounced Harue a little in his arms.

"That was very kind of you, Rukia," Naoko noted. "I feared that a little, myself, but I think it went well! Takebe will be pleased for days that Grandfather took an interest in those automatic looms he's been investing in."

A warm feeling came over Rukia as she realized she had actually done something right for once, immediately followed by the realization that she had, as usual, forgotten her propriety. "Oh I am so sorry! I forgot to introduce you. Lady Gotou Naoko, this baby-stealer over here is the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division-"

"Abarai Renji," Naoko finished slyly. "I know who he is."

Renji looked absolutely floored at being recognized, and Rukia racked her brain, trying to come up with where they might have met before. "I suppose your brother Choei must talk about him…?" she guessed, trying to push a hint at Renji.

"Well, he does," Naoko replied, "You are the one that broke my brother-in-law's nose, correct?"

Renji's attempt to look harmless was utterly ruined by his mumble of "I break a lot of noses."

"Oh, don't worry," Naoko waved a hand. "Everyone agrees it's the best thing that ever happened to Eiichi. But actually, we were at the Academy together, I was a few years behind you." She regarded Renji as he let her baby play with one of his fingers. "I happened to take Ounabara-sensei's advanced zanjutsu class the year you assistant-taught it. You probably don't remember any of the silly first-years you tutored, but I certainly remember getting hit on the head with a bokken and called a 'featherbrain.'"

Rukia stifled a giggle as Renji went whey-colored.

"I am very sorry, my Lady," he croaked. "Would you like your baby back?"

"No," Naoko dismissed. "I do enjoy watching a handsome man hold a baby, and my own husband gives me very little satisfaction in that regard."

"I didn't know you were an assistant-teacher!" Rukia exclaimed. "Or did you get fired for abusing your students?"

"Oh, no, my friends and I were quite taken with him," Naoko corrected. "It was very charming, after a lifetime of being told we could only go to the Academy for the purposes of finding a husband, to be lambasted with graphic descriptions of what the Hollows were going to do to us if we didn't take our exercises seriously." Naoko tapped her finger on her chin. "Also, he was dreamy," she added as an aside to Rukia.

"I… did know him around that time," Rukia pointed out gingerly. Dreamy? Dreamy?

"Oh, then you know!" Naoko grinned. "I assumed you met when Lieutenant Abarai joined the Sixth, but Choei said you two were close, so I suppose that makes sense. You'll have to tell me the whole story sometime."

"It's terrible," Rukia replied dryly.

"That certainly doesn't make me want to hear it any less," Naoko pointed out. "Oh, dear, my mother is coming."

"I suppose you'll be wanting this back," Renji said, pulling a face at Harue and making no move to return her.

Rukia did a double take at him. "Have you ever even held a baby before?" she scoffed.

"No," he replied. "Had you?"

"I've held this one before. Uh, once."

"Well, you're both naturals," Naoko proclaimed, accepting her offspring. "Perhaps I should prevail on you two to come babysit. You've kept Choei out of trouble for this long, how difficult could an infant be?"

"NAOKO!" echoed shrilly across the lawn.

"Coming, Mother!" Naoko sighed. "Congratulations, again, Rukia, in case I don't manage to catch you at the ball on Friday. It was lovely to meet again, Lieutenant."

"I didn't know you had cousins you liked," Renji observed as Naoko made her way over to her mother.

"I liked her until I found out that she's younger than me," Rukia groaned. "I was sure she had a century or so on me, and it turns out she was behind us in school."

"She's not that much younger," Renji shrugged.

"She is married and has a baby," Rukia pointed out.

"Who's older, her or Choei? Choei hasn't accomplished anything. We're accomplished, you and me! We've been to the World of the Living and Hueco Mundo. We went to human high school."

"You went to high school for one day, Abarai!"

Renji scratched his head. "How old d'you think your brother was when he married Lady Hisana? About our age, I'd reckon?"

"You," Rukia informed him. "Can go straight to Hell."

Renji's mouth cracked into a smirk. "It's nice to see you too, by the way." He cleared his throat a little and stood up straighter. "I really like your kimono. That color-"

"Oh, stop it, you don't have to do that!" Rukia scolded him. She was almost positive that Kira had told him that nobles complimented each other by way of greeting. Renji tried, bless his meaty heart, but how was a guy like him supposed to look at her and see anything other than the scrawny kid he met forever and a day ago? It was just embarrassing for both of them.

"No, Rukia, really, I-"

Curse this stubborn oaf! She was just going to have to beat him at his own game. "We both look fabulous, if I do say so myself, Abarai," Rukia blustered. "I'm very proud of myself for making you buy that kimono." It wasn't even remotely a lie. The silk of his outfit was a beautiful, dark red, rich and glossy. The way it draped over his powerful shoulders and chest was downright swoonworthy.

"Ah, ah!" Renji stammered.

"What do you think of my eye makeup?" Rukia asked, squinting at him and pointing at the corners of her eyes.

"Your… eye makeup?" Renji managed stupidly, before realizing he had been asked a question. "Stop squinting so I can get a look."

Rukia blinked a few times and stared up at him. This was a trick, of course, a distraction. She knew how good her eye makeup looked. It was a classic wing, but in a bold red with just a hint of metallic shimmer. It made her eyes look huge and purple. It was entirely Mikan's doing.

Unfortunately, Rukia had made one miscalculation. A normal guy would just glance at her eyes for half a microsecond and say they were fine. Renji, however, was very serious about his makeup opinions. He dropped his knees into the half-squat that really only halved the distance between them, and looked down at her for a long time, his eyes searching her own, probably second-guessing Mikan's mascara choice or something.

Even putting aside how intimidating he could be when he wanted to, Renji was tall, and had a tendency to keep his eyes coolly half-lidded most of the time. Rukia wondered how many people appreciated what a nice color they were- a deep, rich brown with undertones of red, framed with long, thick lashes. It was funny how much it changed the entire look of his face when he widened his eyes even a little, it made him look so young and friendly and...cute.

"It looks incredible," Renji finally declared. There was a note of wistfulness in his voice that made Rukia's chest tighten.

"Perfect!" she replied, a little too loud. "Mikan got the idea from a magazine. I told her it looked amazing, but she knows what a buffoon I am at makeup. "

Renji's mouth quirked into a crooked smile. "And she trusts me?"

"She says your eyeliner is always very crisp. I offered to send a picture to Yumichika, but she is very intimidated by him, so you'll have to do."

Renji snorted. "Well, I'll try my best to give honest feedback, but I'm a little biased, y'know?"

Rukia's cheeks went hot. Wh-what did he mean by that?

Renji seemed to also very suddenly realize what he had said. "Er. What I mean is." He didn't finish the sentence.

"Hey! Hey, Lady Rukia!" Rukia blinked as Coach Jukou skidded up next to her. "Hey, I need a favor!"

"A...favor?" Rukia echoed stupidly.

"Yeah, so, Ms. Fukuda asked me to keep an eye on Aunt Tsukasa, but I just saw Hashizume Ruisei come in and I really want to go talk to him."

"You mean Lord Hashizume?" Rukia corrected dryly.

"Yeah, he's the chairman of the Seireitei Professional Tennis League and I'm dying to meet him! Thanks, Rukia! Tsukasa's asleep on the bench over next to that big tree with the pink flowers, I'm sure she's not going anywhere! You're the best!" He disappeared again in a small puff of dust.

"I like that guy," Renji commented. "He makes me feel like I have some leeway for screwing up this etiquette stuff."

"No kidding." Rukia sighed. "I, uh, guess I have to go check on my aunt." She offered Renji a hopeful smile. "I don't 'spose you want to tag along? It'll just be real quick, and then we can go rank the appetizers."

Renji glanced around, as though he was trying to make sure that Byakuya didn't suddenly need him to loom over his shoulder. "Uh, sure. Why not?"


The Ohno's garden contained about six benches fit Coach Jukou's description, but Aunt Tsukasa wasn't on any of them.

She was not at the shrimp table.

She was not among the cluster of little old ladies whom Renji was absolutely certain had been telling salacious tales of their past conquests before Rukia interrupted them.

"How did she get so far?" Rukia groused. "She sleeps for 20 hours a day!"

"Maybe she stores up her energy that way," Renji suggested helplessly. "Can't you feel out her reiatsu?"

"I don't know her well enough to distinguish her from all the other Kuchiki-type people at this party. I'm going to ask Shizue."

Shizue was much easier to find- she was holding court among a number of gentlemen and a trio of young women who bore a strong resemblance to Third Seat Ohno. His sisters, probably. Renji was actually a little surprised not to see Isao among them. Usually, when there were rings to be kissed, he was elbowing his way to the front of the line.

Rukia managed to gain her cousin's attention for a few moments and they conferred briefly. Renji hung back, resting his hands in his kimono sleeves and trying not to look as awkward as he felt. He felt like everyone was staring at him. We're looking for an old lady! he wanted to shout. I know I'm not supposed to be taking up Kuchiki Rukia's attention like this!

There was a slightly older woman standing next to Shizue, whom Renji recognized as Kuchiki Takako, whom he had eaten dinner with the night before. She offered him a friendly smile. Renji smiled back. He didn't feel any better.

Rukia returned, her mouth set in a grim line. "Shizue says she likes to 'take in the scenery.' She suggested we look for a koi pond. Apparently, Aunt Tsukasa loves a koi pond."

"I saw a little stream when I first came in," Renji recalled. "That might flow down into a pond, right?"

"You're a genius," Rukia declared, jabbing a finger at him.

"I'm… not," Renji echoed, but she had already set off.

The Ohno gardens were much larger than Renji would have guessed, based on the front face of the house. The property was narrow but very long. A winding path ran next to the stream as it twisted past a tidy rock garden and a large planting of hydrangea bushes. Most of the party-goers lingered near the house, where the food and drink were, as well as the bulk of conversation, but there were people enjoying the gardens, too, mostly in smaller groups or couples. Fortunately, with the way Rukia was striding determinedly down the path, fists swinging, himself trotting behind her, Renji was pretty sure that no one was going to mistake them for a couple, no matter how coordinated their outfits were.

The koi pond was very beautiful, as it turned out, ringed with stately irises and rich, scarlet weeping maples. There was a nice little stone bench for sitting on and admiring the fish. Aunt Tsukasa was not sitting on the bench. Instead, she was sitting in the grass, her legs twisted into the same weird position Renji had seen Rukia contort herself into when she was balancing a sketchbook on her knee. A pair of tall, sturdy-looking geta sat in the grass next to her. Surprisingly enough, she was very much awake.

A huge sigh blew out of Rukia. "Aunt Tsukasa! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

The old woman looked up at Rukia with eyes of perfect Kuchiki slate grey. "Well, I'm right here, dear, what do you need?"

Rukia sputtered for a moment like a landed fish. Renji couldn't help it, he let out a soft snort through his nose, and earned a pointy elbow in the ribs for his trouble.

"Coa- Mr. Sugita asked me to make sure you had everything you needed, but you… weren't where he said he left you," Rukia managed.

"I see," Aunt Tsukasa said, a hint of amusement in her rusty voice. "I wonder what kind of trouble Ginrei expects me to start, that he assigned me a babysitter."

Renji was starting to get the feeling that Aunt Tsukasa was a different breed from the other Kuchiki Aunts he'd met so far.

"Oh, Aunt, it's not that at all!" Rukia lied. "I'm sure he just wanted to make sure you were having a good time!"

Aunt Tsukasa turned back to the pond. "He knows full well I don't like this stuff. A bunch of loud, nosy people. You are very sweet, Rukia, dear. Go have fun with your friends. I am perfectly happy right here."

Rukia looked torn. "Are you sure you don't want some company?

"Rukia doesn't like parties, either," Renji declared. "She is also a sneaker-outer."

"Renji!" Rukia scolded.

Aunt Tsukasa turned to look at them again. Renji hadn't known Kuchiki eyes could sparkle like that. "I didn't realize! In that case, you're welcome to sit for a bit and appreciate these fine fish with me."

Rukia shot a questioning glance at Renji. He shrugged back. Given the choice between hanging out with Rukia's funny aunt in an out-of-the-way corner and trying not to stick his foot in his mouth in front of one of the Ohno, the choice was easy. It's not like anyone could accuse him of untoward behavior with the old lady here.

They carefully picked their way down to the edge of the pond. Rukia considered her kimono situation briefly, then slipped her own sandals off and carefully sat down with her feet tucked delicately to one side. Renji knew there was no chance of pulling this off gracefully, so he just hunkered down beside her.

"Seems you have a babysitter, too," Aunt Tsukasa cocked an eyebrow at Rukia.

"Hmm?" Rukia glanced over at Renji as though she'd forgotten he was there. "Oh, him?"

"Other way 'round, maybe," Renji corrected.

Rukia snorted, and smacked his knee with the back of her hand. "Brother has recently decided that Renji needs to start attending social occasions," she explained. "We're old friends, so I'm showing him the ropes."

Aunt Tsukasa looked over and studied him for a long moment. "That's good. We are a difficult family. We don't even get along with each other very well. Outsiders don't always make it."

Rukia snorted. "I know it."

Tsukasa blinked, then laughed. "Forgive me, dear, I got mixed up. You're so like Byakuya, I forgot you weren't born a Kuchiki."

Rukia's face brightened. "Really?"

"Mmm," Aunt Tsukasa hummed. "Or at least as he was as a boy. Clan Head is a hard life. It chews you raw." She was quiet for a long moment. "I think I'm going to try to paint this pond tomorrow. Rukia, you're an artist yourself, aren't you?"

"Er, sort of," Rukia sputtered. "I'm not very good."

Renji looked at her curiously. Usually she was very confident about her art. Some would say too confident, although Renji would be obligated to punch those people in the face.

"What's something you notice?" Aunt Tsukasa asked, sweeping her arm toward the pond. "I'm trying to store this scene in my brain."

"We have a beautiful koi pond back at the Manor," Rukia pointed out. "You could paint that one instead and then you could just look at it."

"I have painted that one before," Aunt Tsukasa replied. "I like this one. And I like this moment, right now, with the sun coming down low through the trees and the dragonflies zipping around. Sometimes I like to paint places as they are, but sometimes I'd rather paint them the way they feel in my heart."

Rukia chewed her bottom lip for a moment. "I like the irises. I like the purple and yellow together and I like how pointy they are, the vertical lines of their stems."

"Oh, that's very good!" Tsukasa nodded. "Lieutenant Abarai, are you a creative soul, as well?"

"'Fraid I don't got anywhere near Rukia or the captain's talents, but I am a great enjoyer of other people's art," Renji excused.

"You're creative!" Rukia ribbed him. "I've heard your poetry. You do calligraphy. And flower arranging. And you're very good at drawing, as long as what you're drawing is Zabimarus."

Aunt Tsukasa raised her eyebrows. "What a talented fellow!"

Renji groaned. "Stop it! I, uh, I… I'm trying to think!" He squinted out at the koi pond. He wished Rukia hadn't mentioned poetry. He couldn't stop thinking about something Kira had said to him about poetry once, when they were both very drunk.

"You always want to write everything down and put it in a binder, Renji. All the steps, all the important details and none of the extraneous ones. That's why your stupid instructional sword fighting column is so good. I bet your mission reports are immaculate. You can't fit it all in your brain, so you write it down, and that's good. But poetry is different. Poetry is taking everything you see and feel and distilling it down into a single thought that you can keep in your brain. Sometimes you focus on the most unimportant detail, because it's the key, the treasure map that leads to the whole memory."

Renji thought about the koi pond, and what secret detail could cement the entire scene into his memory. All he could think about was Rukia's eyeshadow, gold dusted over red. The way it framed her beautiful eyes. The way it matched her kimono perfectly. He felt like he could think about that eyeshadow and he would remember the scent of cherry blossoms in his nose, his heart pounding in his chest, the taste of dango on his tongue, a warm spring breeze on his skin.

He had to stop making friends with artists.

"I like the way you can see the fish, but you can't see the fish," he said, instead. "There's too much sun glinting off the surface, so all you see is blurs of red and black and white, but what else could they be, but fish, right?"

"Oh, that's true!" Rukia exclaimed. "I love the red and white ones, I wish we had some at home. Brother prefers this big, gold variety. He says ours are the biggest and most beautiful in Soul Society," she lowered her voice conspiratorially, "but Captain Ukitake has some in Ugendou Pond that look nearly the same."

"You know," said Aunt Tsukasa, "I have a painting at home of a koi. Byakuya did it when he and his grandmother spent the summer with me once. It is a lovely painting, but it is rather blurry. I had always thought it was due to the fact that he was only about 4 years old at the time, but perhaps I had just never thought about it in the right way."

Rukia shot Renji a fond look out of the corner of her eye.

"You should come up to the lake district sometime," Aunt Tsukasa declared. "I'll show it to you and maybe we can do some painting together."

Rukia laughed. "I'd like that. I'll have to convince Brother, though."

"He can be a hard sell, but if anyone can talk him into something, it's you," Renji pointed out. He, personally, would require exactly zero convincing to take a trip to the scenic part of North Rukongai with Rukia, even if it meant he had to play Ginrei at tennis first thing every morning.

"Brother is simply… firm," Rukia corrected. "It's an important quality in a clan head, you know. You should hear some of the things people try to talk him into."


"Not everyone appreciates the true value of an older woman, you know," Lady Yumeno mused.

"Hmm," replied Byakuya.

"Men are always fawning over a young pretty face, but once the shine of innocence is gone, what's left? The wise man pursues a known quantity! A woman experienced in household management, who brings her own social connections, and who is knowledgeable in… the arts."

Lady Yumeno was a classically attractive woman, there was no arguing there, even if she was easily twice Byakuya's age. She was also off-puttingly aggressive. She was currently regarding him with half-lidded eyes. Was she… was she smoldering at him? Surely not. Smoldering was a thing that was only appropriate to do with one's spouse, in Byakuya's opinion.

"Hmm!" Byakuya repeated, his eyes frantically scanning for people nearby that he could claim he desperately needed to talk to.

"You seem like a very… wise man, yourself, Lord Kuchiki," Lady Yumeno breathed. "I hear you are a very accomplished military strategist and tactician. Personally, I have a great deal of respect for a man in a uniform."

If he owned one of those accursed Soul Pager things, he could pretend that someone was calling him. Captain Kurotsuchi did that frequently. Byakuya would at least be polite enough to pretend that there was someone on the other end of the line.

"My second husband was a shinigami," Lady Yumeno sighed. "Eaten by a Hollow, unfortunately. He was an excellent lover. I miss him desperately."

Suddenly, Byakuya caught sight of his grandfather. Ginrei was standing on the other side of the garden, beneath the Ohno's most majestic sakura. His eyes were trained directly on Byakuya, but the second he realized he'd been spotted, he whipped his head back around and pretended to be deep in conversation with that infernal tennis instructor.

"Lady Yumeno, forgive me," Byakuya said slowly, "but you seem to be under the impression that I am… in search of companionship."

"Well," Lady Yumeno tipped her head to one side, "I did hear a little rumor to that effect."

"I am not," Byakuya quickly corrected, although it was very quickly becoming less of a mystery why he had been garnering so much attention from a very particular demographic this evening.

"Oh, dear, are you sure?" Lady Yumeno frowned.

"I am quite sure," Byakuya replied. "But I do wish you the best of luck in your search for a fourth husband."

"Oh, thank you, darling!" Lady Yumeno waved. "If you change your mind, do look me up! One never knows when one is going to be single!"

Ginrei was pretending to be very interested in a particular tree branch when Byakuya stalked up behind him.

"Grandfather…" Byakuya growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh, hello, there!" Ginrei played the innocent. "You know, there's no need to follow me around, just because I've been out of the city for a few years doesn't mean I've forgotten how to socialize. You should be off mingling!"

Byakuya ignored this foolishness. "Mingling with unmarried women over a certain age, perhaps? Because I seem to be receiving a great deal of attention from them!"

"Oh? Hmm! Interesting! Weren't you just saying how you'd prefer a more mature partner?"

"What?" Byakuya gasped. "When did I say that?"

"Yesterday. Before dinner. When you were telling me why you didn't want to marry Shizue."

Byakuya closed his eyes painfully and tried to remember anything he had said during that conversation. "So, because I did not use the exact phrase 'I do not wish to get married,' you assumed...some sort of opening?"

"You have to get married eventually, whether you wish to or not."

"I know that, and I intend to, as I tell you constantly! But not yet! I am not ready!" Byakuya took a deep, calming breath. He was not going to raise his voice at his grandfather at someone else's flower-viewing party.

Ginrei regarded him curiously. "You've seemed different this trip," he drawled. "Usually, you shut me down immediately when I bring up the topic. I thought that perhaps something had changed."

"You were mistaken. Nothing has changed." Even as he said it, Byakuya knew this was wrong. He was different than he had been a few months ago. "With regards to remarriage," he quickly amended. "Also, I am perfectly capable of finding myself a partner," he grumbled. "I do not need your assistance."

"I just thought you might need a little nudge," Ginrei excused.

"'A little nudge' is not the same thing as telling perfect strangers that I am open to romantic solicitations!"

"I didn't tell any strangers! I just told Azami and Etsu."

Byakuya groaned. This was worse than he thought, although this certainly wasn't the first time this had happened.

Sugita had been watching this play out, his eyes darting from grandfather to grandson as though he were watching a tennis match. "To be honest, Ginrei, I think you might have overstepped on this one. You probably owe Byakuya an apology."

Two sets of slate grey eyes swiveled over to pin Sugita where he stood. Impossibly, the man seemed impervious to a double dose of Kuchiki Judgment. Byakuya was so overcome by the use of given names and directness that it took him a moment to realize that Sugita had taken his side.

"Mr. Sugita!" Suddenly, Sugita's shoulders hunched guiltily as Ms. Fukuda stomped up to him. "Where is Lady Tsukasa?"

Byakuya felt a momentary pang of irritation that Sugita seemed to find a middle-aged personal assistant more intimidating than the 28th Head of the Kuchiki and Captain of the Sixth Division.

"I thought you were supposed to be watching Aunt Tsukasa," Ginrei jerked his chin at Ms. Fukuda.

"Yes, and I needed to speak with Lord Ohno's secretary, so I asked Mr. Sugita to do it!"

"And, uh, Lady Rukia took over for me?" Sugita hemmed.

"Rukia is supposed to be enjoying herself, do not foist your responsibilities off onto her," Byakuya warned, as if he, himself, hadn't made her chaperone a squad tour that had ended in copious amounts of bloodshed earlier that day.

"And don't foist your responsibilities off onto Jukou, either, he's also supposed to be enjoying himself," Ginrei frowned at Fukuda, who looked positively scandalized.

"Goodness, what's everyone fighting over?" a creaky voice to Byakuya's left asked. He looked down to see his itinerant aunt at his side, nibbling on a skewer of dango.

"Ah, we were just speaking of you, Aunt Tsukasa."

Everyone else abruptly shut up.

"I don't suppose you've seen Rukia lately?" Byakuya asked airily.

"Oh, yes, we looked at the fish for a bit," Tsukasa nodded. "But then I got hungry and I sent her off on a stroll with your young man."

"My 'young man'?," Byakuya's brow furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"The handsome one," Tsukasa pressed.

"That does not narrow it down."

"I'm sure she means Abarai, Grandson," Ginrei said, exasperated. "The redhead, eh, Tsukasa?"

"Yes, with the good shoulders," Tsukasa nodded.

Byakuya let out a breath. "Ah. My adjutant. Of course. What a clever idea of my sister's, to spend this lovely evening enjoying these beautiful gardens with a friend. Far more pleasant than having one's marital state constantly second-guessed by strangers and relations alike."

Ginrei's mustache twitched irritably.

"I'm going to go watch the fish some more," Aunt Tsukasa declared. "Do you want to come with me, Byakuya? They have some really darling tricolors, like the ones your grandmother liked so much." She leaned close to his side and added in a loud whisper, "Maybe if you sit next to me, we can scare off each other's unwanted suitors."

"Thank you, Aunt," Byakuya replied. "That sounds delightful."


The sun was dipping below the horizon, bathing the garden in shadows. The night was warm and the colorful lanterns in the trees felt like promises of fireflies in the summer to come. It was, Rukia had to admit, more than a little bit romantic. It would be very easy to sneak off the path for a little kissy-face amongst the trees, if one happened to have an agreeable companion and were inclined toward that sort of thing.

"Rukia," Renji said softly, "this is real nice, don't get me wrong, but are you sure you want to be walkin' together like this?"

Rukia looked up at his handsome, worried face. His hair really was getting long; the tips draped over his shoulders, just a few shades brighter than his kimono. "Yes," Rukia replied. "I am absolutely sure that I want to be walking around with you."

Renji blew a breath out through his nose. "People are gonna talk. I don't want to cause you trouble."

"You don't want to get yelled at by my brother."

"I mean, I don't, but I also don't want him havin' any, y'know, regrets, as far as inviting his lieutenant to fancy stuff. I'm 'sposed to be on my best behavior."

"Renji," Rukia pointed out, "you aren't doing anything wrong. We're friends and colleagues. We can walk around and enjoy each other's company. It's allowed."

Renji frowned. "I'm sure there are a lot better people you could be hanging out with."

"There are not," Rukia replied loftily.

Renji gave an exasperated sigh. "You know what I mean. You're the First Daughter of the Kuchiki. I'm just some guy who only got invited because my boss bullied Ohno's dad."

"That's right," Rukia reminded him. "You're just some guy that the Head of the Kuchiki personally bullied someone into inviting."

Renji rubbed the back of his neck and made a face like he had a stomach cramp.

"Renji, believe me, I know, maybe better than anyone, how weird you must feel right now. But it's just like Brother was saying the other day: you're important now, and it's important that you act like it. You're doing really well, actually. I knew you would, with your dumb sparkling personality and rugged jawline."

"Shut up," Renji grumbled.

"I'm not joking! I mean, yeah, you've made Lord Ohno's black list, you and me both, pal. But on the other hand, I've got cousins who are already angling to get you married into the family. The old war axes think you're great, Grandfather included-"

"No, back up," Renji cut her off. "The thing about the cousins. You made that up, right?"

"I absolutely did not."

Renji leaned forward, his eyes wild and desperate. "Y'know the time your brother made me take tea with Aunt Azami? She said she wanted to introduce me to her nieces. You don't think she meant-"

"That is exactly what she meant," Rukia assured him.

The blood drained from Renji's face. "What do I do?" he whispered.

Rukia snorted. "I don't know. Based on the way you pretend to be oblivious when people hit on you at the bar, I assume you're not on the market. You aren't, are you?" She tried to make it sound casual, but cold terror rushed through Rukia's veins the moment the words were out of her mouth. Why the Hell would she ask him that? She wished she could take it back, but that would only make things worse.

"I do not want to interrogate any of what you just said, but-" Renji made a face like the stomach cramp was turning into appendicitis and lowered his voice. "-you know I'm not. On- on the market."

Rukia was not sure how she was supposed to know this, but she was so relieved that she decided to just take it at face value. "Then just don't accept any proposals? I don't know! Brother turns down most of my proposals for me, you could ask him for advice."

"I absolutely will not."

"Anyway, this all goes back to what we were talking about originally. What you should do, is hang out with me. I can introduce you to people and make scary faces at people who want to get in your pants and we can have a good time at these things for once."

"Your face isn't that scary, I'm sorry to tell you."

"You really have no idea what goes on when we go to the bar, do you?"

"I guess not." He frowned. "I still think people are gonna talk."

"People already talk, Renji. To be honest, the worst possible thing we can do is to avoid each other at parties- people will assume we're hiding something. It's much better to do exactly what we're doing-walking around, publicly, on our best behavior, being incredibly dull and un-gossip-worthy."

"I...guess," Renji reluctantly agreed.

"It's not so different from Inuzuri, you know." Rukia clenched her fist and held it high. "You have to be bold. You have to act like you belong here, even if you don't feel it. You think people are going to go squawk to Brother that his adjutant had the audacity to have a conversation with his little sister? Fine! Let them! You know as well as I do the face Byakuya is going to make!"

Renji snorted and finally smiled.

Rukia wagged a finger at him. "And then… a year from now, when we go off the good behavior, he's gonna be too tired of hearing complaints to even notice."

Renji abruptly tripped and nearly did a header into the crushed gravel path. Fortunately, Rukia was faster, and conveniently closer to the ground, and caught his arm before he went down entirely.

"You okay?" she gasped.

"Uh, yeah," he managed. "There was… a rock."

Rukia glanced behind them. She certainly didn't see any rocks.

"I probably kicked it and it's gone forever, stop looking."

Rukia cocked an eyebrow at him. "If you say so. That was close. If you fell and busted your poor arm open again, Hanatarou would have my head."

Renji set his jaw. "I would protect you."

"You would be passed out from blood loss," Rukia reminded him. "Also, bleeding out at someone's hanami definitely falls under 'bad behavior.'"

"Oh, that's what you meant."

Rukia waggled her head. "Very specifically, I have always dreamed of stealing an entire dessert tray of some sort and eating it in secret somewhere, except that I need an accomplice to provide a distraction. A large accomplice with bright red hair and a loud voice would do very nicely."

"Okay. Okay, that makes sense. I refuse, but at least that makes sense."

"A year of going to these awful shindigs and the idea will grow on you, I promise." Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you think I meant?"

"Ah, er, nothing! I had no idea!"

"Oh, tell me! Everyone thinks you're a respectable, Squad Six rule-enjoyer now, but I know it means your brain has been cranking out increasingly rowdy ideas to balance things out and I want to hear them!"

"It's not like that!" Renji protested. "It's not…" He was looking down at something.

Rukia followed his eyes, and realized that she was still holding onto his elbow.

"It… wasn't anything bad," Renji said quietly, his eyes downcast. "Just something… not allowed."

"Oh," Rukia echoed.

Suddenly, there was a loud rustling in the foliage. Rukia sprang back, pulling her hands into the sleeves of her kimono. Renji stepped in front of her, groping helplessly for a sword he wasn't carrying.

Fortunately, the figure who pushed her way past the peony bush wasn't some gossipy aunt, nor did she appear to have any interest in attacking them. It was, in fact, a striking woman in a gorgeous, hand-painted kimono. She didn't actually seem to register Rukia and Renji at all as she stomped up the garden path. Her face was pinched and pale, with two bright spots on her cheeks and her mouth set in a firm frown. Rukia recognized that facial expression. It was the face of a person who had spent many years learning to perfectly control their facial muscles, trying very, very hard not to cry.

That's Ishibashi Ayaru, Rukia's brain dredged out of its catalog of Important Personages, First Daughter of the Ishibashi. The Ishibashi were a rich and well-respected noble family, a clan of engineers and architects who had designed many of the most famous buildings in the Seireitei. Ayaru's father had recently been named one of the six judges that presided over the Central 46. Furthermore, she was a renowned artist herself and heavily active in the city theater scene.

"Do you think she's okay?" Renji asked. "Should we go after her?"

"I… know who she is, but I don't know her," Rukia admitted. "She doesn't exactly look like she wants company."

"She looks like she just got dumped," Renji observed, and Rukia realized that was exactly what she looked like. "She's probably going to a restroom. Can you go in after her? That's what Matsumoto would do."

"Renji, this isn't the bar."

"Well, I know, but she just looked really…" Renji trailed off, as there was a softer rustle from the peony bush, "...sad."

Rukia peered around Renji at the second figure who had just emerged from the dark sakura grove.

Third Seat Ohno wasn't in great shape, either. His shoulders sagged and his eyes looked hollow. He froze mid-step, his mouth hanging open a little.

There was a long silence.

"Yo," Renji finally said, waving one big, bluff hand.

"Of course," Ohno sighed. "It had to be you two."