"I grew up in the First District of North Rukongai. Like many others, I didn't know either of my birth parents. The woman who raised me was the only parent I needed though. She was an older woman and she had the biggest heart. The thought of knowing who my birth parents were never crossed my mind because I had everything I needed and more.

"But the day came when my parent started getting sick. It was just her old age that was starting to get to her. I didn't know what I would do. I didn't know how much time I had left with her. And I had no idea what I would do once she was gone. She was all I had. She was my only family. The thought of living the rest of my life all alone terrified me. So I asked my mom if she knew anything about my birth parents. I instantly regretted it. I had never seen that look on her face before. She wasn't mad at me for asking. Or offended. She was sad. I didn't mean to make her feel that way, and I explained to her why it was that I was asking. But she didn't understand.

"The weeks went by. Mom was getting worse everyday. I asked her two more times, but her response was the same each time. I wasn't mad at her though. I couldn't be. In all my years of living, this had been the one and only thing she denied me.

"It wasn't until she was dying that she finally told me. She told me that she did know for a fact that I had a mother. She said that one night, when she was all alone in her home, she heard someone outside her door. Mom was too scared to look because she thought it was someone trying to steal from her. When nothing happened, she peeked outside and saw a basket. When she went to check what was in it, she found me. She looked around and saw a woman walking away. She called out for the woman. Maybe she didn't hear my mom calling for her. Or maybe she didn't want to. Either way, mom never saw her again.

"But that was all. She didn't know anything else. Not the woman's name or even where she was from. I was heartbroken. There was no way I could find my birth mom with just that information. But then my mom told me to look in the basket from that night. She had hidden it along with everything that was with me the night she found me. I thought there was no way whatever was in the box could help me.

"A week after my mom died, I finally built up the courage to look through the basket. I found a bunch of useless thing like a few bottles and a stupid stuffed rabbit. But there was also a black robe. I thought the box was a dead end until I took a closer look at that black robe. On the inside, 'Shiba, 13th Division' was embroidered on the tag as well as a Snowdrop flower. That's when I figured my mother was most likely a shinigami, that her last name was Shiba, and that she was in the 13th Division of the Gotei 13.

"That's why I became a shinigami. That's why I chose the 13th Division. I'm searching for clues that I don't even know for sure are here…" Aiko half smiled. "And now we've found that photo."

Ran gasped. "Kuchiki-dono said that the woman's name was Miyako Shiba!"

Aiko nodded. "So if that woman was in fact my birth mother, and all the evidence I have says she was, I guess I've found her. And she's dead."

Haru felt bad when he saw the look on Aiko's face. He put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm really sorry, Aiko."

She shook her head. "I'm getting ahead of myself. There's nothing to be sorry about yet. Yes, I've obsessed over finding my birth mom for years. And, no, this wasn't the outcome I was hoping for. But I know more than I did before. I need a clear and definite answer and that photo isn't it. It's just another clue. There are still a bunch of things I don't know. Maybe this Miyako Shiba is my mother. Maybe she's not. Who's my father? And why didn't either of them want me?"

Aiko saw the look on her two friends' faces. "Stop that! Don't look at me like I'm a wounded puppy. I had an amazing parent who probably - no, definitely - raised me better than my real parents would have. As far as I see it, it's my birth parents' loss, not mine."

"Wait a moment. The man in the picture. Kuchiki-dono said that the man's name was Kaien Shiba. Do you think that was Miyako Shiba's husband?" Haru asked.

"No way!" Ran cried. "I told you! That man and Rukia were involved one way or another. I saw them with my own two eyes. They were in love! Kuchiki-dono said so herself; Kaien Shiba was someone very dear to her heart. I'm thinking maybe this Miyako was his sister or a relative."

"That makes sense," Haru agreed. "That photo belonged to Kaien. It was folded to only show him and Kuchiki-dono."

Aiko nodded. "Yeah. Kuchiki-dono said she was close to both Kaien and Miyako. That means she must have known them well. Or, at least, I'm hoping well enough to know who Miyako had a child with."

Haru shook his head. "No. No way. I'm sorry, Aiko. I know you need your answers, but you can't just go up to Kuchiki-dono to ask her incredibly personal questions about her two dead friends. You saw her reaction to just seeing a photo of them and a few of Kaien's belongings. Making her dig through the past like that... It just wouldn't be right."

Aiko groaned. "I know, Haru! I might be a bitch, but I'm not cruel. I need answers though! I need to know about Miyako and Kaien and my father or anyone for all I care! I just need to know!"

Aiko's mind was spinning at 100 miles per hour. She had never been so close to finding out about her birth parents. While that was true, why did she feel like she was even further than before? What was she going to do? What could she do? She knew Rukia would have the answers to what she was looking for. But she couldn't go to that poor woman. Rukia didn't deserve to be put through an interrogation for Aiko's sake. What would be her next step? She didn't even know where to start!

Ran grabbed Aiko's hand. The young girl's mind stopped spinning and she could finally breathe again. Ran gave her a reassuring smile. "I know this is some pretty heavy stuff. I can't even begin to understand how you're feeling right now. But if you'll let me, I can help. I'm sure Haru would love to help you, too."

Haru nodded. "If you want me to, I'd gladly help you in any way that I could."

Aiko looked at the two. She nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. Aiko took another second to breathe. "But where do we start if not with Kuchiki-dono?"

Haru put his finger on his chin. "Well, Kuchik-dono said that this Miyako was the third seat. So, I'm thinking everyone who was in Division 13 back then must have known Miyako to some extent. If we ask the right questions, I know eventually we'll stumble upon someone who will know more about Miyako. It's a gamble and it'll probably take some time. And we definitely have to be careful. I don't want to end up upsetting or offending anyone. It's a start though."

"Haru's right. I think that's the best plan. And we can start tonight," Ran said. "We're going on our first patrol. There's going to be a couple older shinigami there tonight to show us the ropes. With any luck, at least one of them will have known Miyako Shiba."

Aiko exhaled loudly. She was so anxious. "Ok. Then I guess we should hurry up and clean up this place. I want to get there as soon as possible. Maybe that'll help get us on our instructors' good sides. You know, so that when we start asking about the dead, they don't completely shut us down."


It was late at night when the three got back to the barracks after their patrol. They had only been patrolling for a couple of hours, but it felt like they had been out there all day.

Ran plopped down on a bench outside of the barracks. She put her head between her hands and stared at the ground.

She felt Haru's hand on her shoulder. "Don't tear yourself up so much. Maybe you just remembered wrong-"

Ran slapped Haru's hand off of her shoulder and looked up at him. "No! I didn't remember wrong! I remember it like it was yesterday! Rukia Kuchiki-dono and that Kaien Shiba were in my village during my village's festival that we hold once every decade! I ran into them and that man told me that he was trying to get Kuchik-dono to love him like he loved her. And I remember seeing them again the next day at the festival! They were together! They were so in love and so happy and so sure of themselves. And I remember thinking to myself that that was what I wanted in life and I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't settle for anything less!"

"Ok! Ok, Ran! Quiet down, there are people inside," Haru said.

Aiko looked at Ran. "I know you remember correctly. There are things that just stay with us like that." When Aiko said that, she swore she could feel the fabric from the sweater her adoptive mother was wearing on the night she passed. Aiko's hand gripped shut and she could feel the worn fabric in her hands like she had when she clung to the disappearing body of her mother. She could hear her own cries of desperation in the distance.

Haru huffed. "Alright. So if we try to make sense of what we know and what Fujihara-san said…"

"Sir, if you don't mind my asking, we keep hearing about a Kaien and Miyako Shiba all around the barracks. Just out of curiosity, who are they?" Haru had asked.

The man looked up to the sky almost nostalgically. "Were. Who were they," Fujihara corrected. "Kaien Shiba and Miyako Shiba were the Lieutenant and Third Seat here a long, long time ago. Probably way before you three were out of diapers. They were married-"

"Married?" Ran blurted.

Aiko's heart skipped a beat. Kaien Shiba and Miyako Shiba were married, she repeated to herself.

"Yes," the older shinigami continued, "they were married since I knew them. And they were the kindest people you ever met. They treated everyone fairly. It was a sad day when we found out we had lost them both."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sir. I'm sorry for asking," Haru said.

"No, no, that alright. It's nice to talk about the good old days."

"Yes, of course. And speaking of the good old days, did you know Kuchiki-dono back then, too? You see, we just met her and we hear she was recently promoted. She's been such a huge help transitioning into this division, so we're just curious to see what she was like back then."

"Rukia Kuchiki you say?" The man smiled. "That girl finally caught a break. I'm sure you all heard about the incident from six months ago?"

The three nodded.

"Bad luck has the tendency to cling to that poor girl. She's suffered greatly, mostly at the hands of her own comrades. Yet she's never once stopped being such a kind soul. She was there for me when my wife passed. That girl," he mused. "She knew just what to say. She's always been so wise despite her age. I think she got some of that wisdom from Shiba-dono."

The three looked at the man.

"From Kaien Shiba?" Aiko asked.

He nodded. "He always said he had no favorites, but everyone knew Rukia was his favorite subordinate. Those two spent just about every second of every day together. He even trained her on his own time. I think Rukia saw him as an older brother."

The three trainees had no idea what to say. They had just been given so many puzzle pieces and they were frantically trying to put them together.

The man smiled at them. "Look at me, such a chatty old man I've become."

Haru smiled. "No, not at all. Thank you for sharing with us, Sir. It's very inspiring actually."

"No, thank you, kids. You've reminded me to go check up on Rukia. It's been too long. I should stop by her new office and bring her a gift. What do you think she'd like? Flowers, candy? I do recall that she really likes those silly plushie rabbits…"

"The fact is that Miyako and Kaien were husband and wife," Haru stated. "We know that for sure."

"And Ran remembers that Kaien and Kuchiki-dono were somehow romantically involved," Aiko added.

"I was thinking maybe Kaien got with Kuchiki-dono after Miyako died. But the man said Miyako and Kaien died on the same day," Ran said.

Haru gulped. "The only way that all of this would make sense was if…" Haru did not want to finish that thought. For crying out loud! Rukia had been his role model. The fact that she survived the same streets he grew up on and made it to the Academy and even into a noble family... It was a reminder that anything was possible, even for him. And now that he met her in person, he loved her even more. She was everything he wanted to be. But to finish that sentence would mean destroying the pedestal Haru had placed Rukia on.

"It would only make sense if Kaien had cheated on his wife, Miyako. W-With Kuchiki-dono," Ran spit out reluctantly. Once the truth came out of her mouth, Ran felt her heart break. Her idea of a perfect life and a perfect love were all lies. She had wanted the life that Rukia had. To be so strong and powerful and to be loved by someone just as strong and powerful. That was her dream. And it was just that. A dream.

"And if we're right, that means that Miyako and Kaien were Aiko's birth parents," Haru said. He looked over to Aiko, waiting to see some sort of relief. He knew that this wasn't exactly the way anyone would want to find out about their birth parents. But nevertheless, at least now she knew.

Haru felt uneasy when he saw Aiko. She looked even more baffled than before.

She looked at her two friends in horror. "Or it could mean that Kaien Shiba and Kuchiki-dono are my birth parents."


"Ah-choo!"

"Bless you, Rukia-chan! Geez, that's like the tenth time you've sneezed," Rangiku noted. She put her hand on Rukia's forehead. "Are you sure you aren't getting sick?"

"Please don't say that," Rukia groaned. "I can't afford to get sick. I have too much to do!"

Rangiku rolled her eyes. "If you keep worrying yourself like that, you will get sick! Relax for once. I know you're worried about proving yourself and being the best damn fourth seat the Gotei 13 has ever seen. But slow down! You've always handled a full plate, even before your promotion. You probably used to do just as much work when you would help Ukitake and his two third seats do their work. Just because all this work is officially yours now doesn't make it any more impossible. You can do it, Rukia-chan! You're trying your best and that's all you can ask of yourself."

Rukia took a deep breath. "You're right. Thank you, Rangiku."

The two continued their conversation over the food they had just ordered. They were having such an amazing time. But that was normal. Rukia and Rangiku, whenever together, were always smiling, laughing, and joking around. Those two were like "sake and a shot glass" according to Rangiku.

Rukia took a sip of her drink. "So do you want to talk about it?"

Rangiku sighed. "I guess. You obviously know why I was wearing those sunglasses. But you want to know about why I was crying."

Rukia nodded.

"Today is Gin's birthday."

The image of the snake-like man creeped into Rukia's mind. Her heart started racing. She felt her body become cold as a shiver when down her spine. Even though she was cold, she still felt sweat forming on her brow. She gripped the fabric of her pants.

"O-Oh," she finally said. "I'm so sorry…"

Rangiku shook her head. "No, Rukia-chan, don't be. I can see how scared you are. Don't feel bad for being scared of the man who harmed you." A sigh. "Gin deserves to be hated. And I wish I could hate him enough to forget about the years we spent together. I loved him so much, Rukia-chan. He was my closest and dearest friend. I know very well what he has done. And I will never forgive him for any of it. Especially for what he did to you. I know he's evil. I know he's betrayed the Soul Society. I know he's betrayed me. But I can't stop caring about him. All I could think about last night was how this was the first year he wouldn't have me there to force cake down his throat." She laughed a sad laugh. "He hated celebrating his birthday. But even though he did, I knew that deep down he looked forward to me showing up with his cake. Or at least I thought he did…"

Rukia put her hand over her friend's and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry that you had to be alone last night. I wish I had known. If I had, I would have been right there, next to you all night. And I'm not upset that you still care for Gin. I know what it's like to love and care for someone you shouldn't. You feel wrong for loving them, but you feel even worse when you try to stop. I'm sorry, Rangiku. You don't deserve to feel like this."

Rangiku offered Rukia a small smile. "Thank you for listening. And thank you for being such a good friend."

Right before Rangiku could ask what Rukia meant about loving someone she shouldn't, Momo Hinamori popped up at their table.

"Rangiku! What are you doing here?" Momo asked.

Rangiku smiled. "Momo? I'm having some dinner. What about you?"

"Shiro-chan finally agreed to spend some time with me! I have no idea what made him change his mind. I guess some of the ice around his heart finally cracked," she joked.

"Maybe. Oh, Momo, this is Rukia-chan. She's the girl I was visiting that day you found me and Renji at the hospital."

Momo turned to greet Rangiku's friend. When Momo saw Rukia, the world around her stopped.

I-It's that girl. How had I not recognized her at the hospital? She's the girl that Captain Aizen…

Rukia noticed how the lieutenant was looking at her and became worried. "Nice to meet you, Lieutenant Hinamori." It sounded more like a question.

Momo snapped out of it. "Yes! Hi!" she said abruptly. "It's nice to meet you, too."

Rangiku looked at Momo. "Momo, why don't you sit down while you wait on Captain?"

She blinked. "Um, ok. I'll sit until he gets here."

"So why do you think Captain all of a sudden had a change of heart? Last time I checked, he was still pretty heated over the argument."

The young girl shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe he realized he was overreacting," she offered.

Rangiku suddenly remembered the conversation she had had with her captain a few weeks ago. He was going to be meeting with Captain Unohana to talk about Momo. Could that explain Toshiro's change of heart? Probably, she thought.

Rangiku looked at the young girl before her. Momo was pouting in her usual playful manner as she went on and on about how Toshiro was a 'big meanie.' Rangiku felt relieved. Her friend still looked tired and weak from the tragedy she had gone through a few short months ago. But Momo was acting like she normally had before everything had happened.

It was a good thing. Right?

For Momo, it was certainly progress. But what did this mean for Rangiku's captain? The fact that he had chosen to have dinner with Momo after such a huge argument was good. It must be. But the pit in Rangiku's stomach made her wonder. She was worried about her captain. She knew that. But why? If Toshiro was trying to fix his relationship with Momo, that meant things were going back to the way they were. That was good, Rangiku repeated to herself. But the feeling in her gut told her otherwise.

"Rangiku!" the young girl whined. "Are you even listening to me?"

She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, Momo. I guess I got a little distracted."

"You're becoming more and more like Shiro-chan! He's always lost in his head, even when someone's trying to talk to him!"

Another laugh. "Momo, don't say that. If he hears you, he may just get mad with you again."

Rukia listened to the two in front of her. She was curious to know what argument they had been talking about. She knew better than to ask though. That would just be rude.

The three made small talk. Rukia hadn't expected to have such a nice conversation with Momo Hinamori that night. But she wasn't complaining. She was actually having a rather good time.

The three were in the middle of a little gossip when Toshiro arrived.

"Shiro-chan!" Momo cried happily. She got up and went to hug him.

His eyes twitched as he stepped to the side so that she wouldn't be able to hug him. "I told you not to call me that."

Momo pouted. "Stop being such a big meanie!"

Toshiro rolled his eyes. He was in the middle of telling himself to calm down when he noticed Rukia. "Kuchiki? Excuse me for being rude; I hadn't seen you there. How are you?"

Rukia smiled. "I'm doing great, Captain Hitsugaya. And yourself? You seem pretty exhausted. Long day?"

"Yes, you could say that."

"Well, at least you're able to relax a little now."

"Not quite, unfortunately. I'm just taking a small break from work to have dinner with Momo."

"Hi. I'm here too, Captain. I'm good too, don't worry," Rangiku said sarcastically.

Rukia looked at her friend and giggled. Toshiro, on the other hand, looked rather annoyed.

"We were sitting in the same room all day long. I think I know how your day went. Especially considering I was so kind as to let you leave early."

Rangiku took an awkward sip from her cup. "Sorry, sorry. I was just kidding!"

Toshiro shook his head. "It wasn't a very funny joke."

"Captain, you're always so serious!" Rangiku complained. "I can't blame you though. These new recruits are really giving us a run for our money. Geez, sit down. I'll buy you a drink."

Momo looked at Toshiro as he took a seat next to Rukia. "Shiro-chan, don't be rude. Let's go sit over there and let these two finish their dinner."

"Don't be silly, Momo," Rangiku said. "Sit down. I'll buy you a drink, too."

Momo was about to protest. But she saw how comfortable Toshiro was already and decided to stay seated.

"So you guys are having a tough time with the new recruits?" Rukia asked.

"That's a nice way of putting it," Toshiro muttered.

"A really, really nice way," Rangiku added. "I don't know what we're going to do with them."

Rukia laughed. "They can't be that bad."

The captain and lieutenant raised their eyebrows at her.

"Really? How bad could they be?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Rukia-chan," Rangiku said all too sarcastically. "Where do I even start? Oh, how about with…"

And like that, the four of them went on and on about anything and everything. They hadn't realized how long they had been sitting in the restaurant, but they wouldn't have cared. They were too busy laughing and telling funny stories about this and that.

Rukia took a moment to appreciate this scene. She looked at Rangiku, who had been in the middle of telling a funny story when she started laughing uncontrollably. The older woman was laughing so hard that she was turning red and no one could understand a word that was coming out of her mouth. Toshiro was trying to get Rangiku to quiet down, but he wasn't doing a very good job. He too began to laugh.

Rukia smiled. She would have never thought life could be like this after what had happened six months ago - not to mention, everything that's been happening since. And she was so thankful for that truth.

Momo had been the first to leave. After such a long day, she couldn't wait to get home, take a bath, and go to sleep.

After a while, the three had gotten back on the topic of the new recruits.

"Thankfully, everything has gone pretty well with the trainees. So far anyway," Rukia laughed. "They haven't destroyed the barracks yet or gotten into serious trouble. Most of them are incredibly hardworking. And there are these three who have really caught my attention. I don't know what it is about them, but I have a feeling that they're going to do big things."

Rangiku rolled her eyes jokingly. "You don't have to rub it in."

Toshiro sighed. "I really don't know what else I can do for them. We run through drills, help them train, and more. And they still can't tell the front end from the back end of their own damn swords."

The lieutenant took a long swig of her drink. "Rukia-chan, if these trainees don't start getting it together, I might just dump them onto you. You guys over at the 13th must be doing something right."

"I am not a babysitter," Rukia joked. "But I could try giving you a hand. You two, as a captain and lieutenant, are always so busy. Especially with all that's going on right now. I want to do whatever I can to help. If there's anything I could do, I'd be more than happy to."

"That's very nice of you to offer, Kuchiki," Toshiro said. "But we couldn't just take you away from Ukitake like that. Besides, you have your own responsibilities now."

Rangiku pouted. "Aw! But, Captain!"

"Matsumoto! We can't just dump our problems onto your friend!"

"But she offered!"

Rukia looked at the partners before her as they bickered back and forth with one another. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but laugh.

Toshiro and Rangiku turned to look at her.

"What is it, Rukia-chan?" Rangiku asked.

She smiled. "It's nothing. But there wouldn't be any problem if you needed my help. I actually have less work now that I'm the fourth seat. I'm so used to helping Captain Ukitake and Kiyone and Sentaro with their work. I guess I'm just used to it."

Rangiku grinned. "See, Captain! Rukia-chan can help! It wouldn't be so bad having an extra set of hands to help with those trainees."

Toshiro was reluctant at first. But finally, he agreed. "Matsumoto's right. It wouldn't be so bad to have some extra help. Having a fresh set of eyes could prove to be beneficial. But only when you have the chance. Don't wear yourself so thin, Kuchiki. Your responsibilities to your own division come first."

Rukia happily nodded. "Of course, Captain."

Rangiku squealed with joy. "Perfect! This is going to be great. I just know it!"


A man stood across the road from the restaurant. He watched as three shinigami came out of the restaurant and said goodbye to one another.

He grinned.

"'This is going to be great'? Really, Rangiku?" He chuckled. "I think so, too."