Rangiku grinned as she surveyed her assembled guests. Young people were such fun and Gin appointing her a new lieutenant had given her the perfect opportunity to invite all his lieutenant's young friends. She was especially proud of herself for figuring out she needed to invite Kuchiki Rukia as well, even if it had been Miyako who'd pointed out that Rukia had been at the Academy with the others.
"I am so glad you all could come!" she declared as she sat down at the end of the table.
"It was very kind of you to invite us, Ichimaru-san," Hinamori Momo said, bowing politely yet again.
Rangiku smiled. "I told you, it's Rangiku," she said with a laugh. "Ichimaru-san makes me feel so old!"
"We are old to them, Ran-chan," Gin said from the opposite end of the table.
His wife glared at him for a second. He was still sulking about having to be at her party at all. He'd offered to take Toshiro and Kinta out while she had all the kids over, but she thought it was important he be there. They would expect him to be there. "We're younger than Captain Kuchiki, and he's Rukia-chan's big brother so we can't be that old, can we?"
The red-head, Renji, spoke up at that. "Did you know Captain Kuchiki when he was a kid?"
Everyone suddenly looked at her with interest, even Toshiro who was almost as annoyed as his dad about having to be there. She didn't see why since he'd been visiting the Fifth Division at least weekly since he'd met Hinamori, but she supposed it was because he didn't want to share the girl's attention.
Rangiku shook her head. "Oh, no," she said, quickly. "We grew up in Rukongai."
"But we lived between the Kuchiki estate and the Sixth Division for quite a few years," Gin said. "And Rangiku tried to pick a fight with the captain the first month we lived there."
"You got in a fight with nii-sama?" Rukia said, her voice equal parts horrified and impressed.
"No, I just bumped into him," Rangiku said, giving Gin a look.
"You called him spoiled, arrogant, and inbred," Gin said.
"You said that?" Renji said. The other three looked horrified.
"And he said you should get your loud-mouthed wife off the street!" Rangiku snapped back, before breaking off and turning to the others, forcing a smile. "It all worked out just fine. I was a little out of sorts is all. We'd just gotten married and moved into a new house, and I was cold all the time-that was because of Toshiro, but I didn't know that then. I thought the house had to be absolutely full of holes, and there was a hole in the roof Gin was trying to fix. I was just terribly upset about how poor we were, and Kuchiki Byakuya walks right into me like I wasn't even worth seeing, and then says it's my fault! Well, he shouldn't be surprised when a hugely pregnant woman loses her temper and says something a little bit rude!"
The four young people just stared at her, not knowing quite what to say.
"Well, I am a loud-mouth and I know it, but it was ridiculous of him to expect Gin to do anything about it," Rangiku added.
"Too true," Gin agreed. "And you weren't even drunk that time."
"But I get along just fine with Captain Kuchiki now. That was all in the distant past; we've worked it out years ago," Rangiku told her captive audience. "I was very good friends with his wife, Hisana-you must be related to her somehow, Rukia. You do look exactly like her."
Rukia smiled bashfully and bobbed her head, "Thank you, but I don't know how I could have been related. I never knew her."
"Miya-chan says you're not much like her though. You're a fighter. Poor Hisana was always so nervous about everything. She'd do just about anything to avoid a fight. It's a wonder she survived in Rukongai as long as she did. People like you and me are more usual for Rukongai. We had to be tough. At least I had Gin to watch out for me-what about you, Renji? Did you look out for Rukia when you were kids?"
Renji and Rukia exchanged glances. Renji blushed and quickly turned away stuttering, and Rukia answered instead. "We were a team," she told Rangiku. "There were a lot of us for a while, but not everyone made it."
Rangiku nodded sadly. "Sometimes I almost forget how hard it was, but then sometimes I look at Shiro-chan and I remember, and I think how hard it would have been for him if we weren't shinigami. He doesn't know how lucky he is, but I think that's good because it means we've been able to protect him."
Toshiro was frowning and trying to ignore the way everyone was looking at him like he was just some sheltered little kid.
"I grew up in Seireitei too," Kira said abruptly. "I guess I was lucky too. I didn't think so though. I had a seriously scary grandmother."
"Rumiko-ba-chan wasn't scary!" Rangiku protested.
"That's because you were a young mother," Gin said, siding with Kira. "She felt sorry for you. She was absolutely terrifying to the rest of us. She was always hitting me on the head with that cane!"
Everyone else laughed as Gin rubbed his head. Only Hinamori looked a bit shocked.
"But weren't you an officer of the Gotei 13?"
"I was a lieutenant back then," Gin told her. "Aizen was the only captain I ever served and the Fifth was my only division."
"You must miss it," Hinamori said with sudden enthusiasm. "I love being in the Fifth, and I'm sure Captain Aizen must be the best captain-oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sure you're also a very good captain."
"I don't think so, but it is kind of you to say," Gin answered, grinning. "Kira has probably told you just how awful I am."
"Sir, I would never-"
Kira was thankfully saved from having to defend himself by the sudden appearance of Kinta. The small child pulled open the sliding door behind his mother, calmly surveyed the group of strangers, turned to his mother and started wailing.
Rangiku tucked Kinta into the bottom bunk. Now that Toshiro was going to bed he had agreed to stay put. Moving the two boys out of their parents' room had been a long process, mostly because Rangiku still wasn't completely sure how she felt about it, but Kinta loved the idea of sharing a room with Nii-chan, even if he was a bit uncooperative in actual fact. He was currently grinning happily, knowing Toshiro was on the upper bunk.
"Good night, baby," Rangiku said, kissing him on the head.
Then she stood up and smiled at Toshiro, who had pointedly turned his back. He had recently decided he wasn't going to put up with good night kisses anymore. "Good night, Shiro-chan," she said, brushing her hand over his white hair.
"Good night," he mumbled back at her.
She smiled and whispered, "I love you, my darlings," as she left the room.
Gin slid his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. "I've got to say, your Miya-chan has the best ideas. First having the division doing the cleaning and now the boys in their own room; the woman is brilliant."
Rangiku turned around, grinning hugely. "Oh, but making Kira your lieutenant was even better! I am going to have so much fun! He's so sweet."
Gin sighed as she pulled away, still talking about Kira. "And he's in love with Momo-chan; you could tell, couldn't you? And poor Renji-kun, he could barely say a word to Rukia, but the way he looked at her! I feel sorry for both of them; those girls are so clueless!"
Rangiku went quickly into their room and pulled their futons from the closet. "How can they miss how those boys feel about them? I just don't understand. I don't think I ever missed a single crush. Boys are just so obvious. I wonder if I should tell them? Maybe Momo-chan might give up her crush on Aizen if she knew there was someone who liked her who isn't completely unattainable."
She had pulled out the blankets and pillows and was setting out the bedding just like she did every night, not even noticing how Gin watched her from the doorway. "Not that Captain Aizen isn't good man and worthy of admiration, but even I can tell he's simply not interested in women. I could walk right past him, stark naked, and he wouldn't even turn his head."
"Maybe you should try it," Gin answered. "Add a little excitement to the Gotei. Aizen might not be interested, but I promise you my reaction would make up for it."
"Don't be silly. You know I'd never do anything like that, not even drunk. I'm just saying Momo-chan is wasting her time, and Kira is a very sweet boy, and she ought to give him a chance," Rangiku said, as she began to remove her shihakusho.
"Do you need some help with that?" Gin interrupted.
"I suppose you could talk to him, but knowing you, you'd only make things worse," Rangiku said as she dropped her kosode on the floor.
"I wasn't offering to help with Kira," Gin answered.
"Then what were you offering to help with?" Rangiku demanded, finally raising her head.
"Looked like you might be having trouble with a knot," he said.
"What?" Rangiku's eyes dropped to her hands on her hakama ties. "Oh-don't you have to work?"
"What do you think I got a lieutenant for?"
A smile spread across Rangiku's face. "I knew you were brilliant!"