Rangiku watched Yuki rock back and forth in the strange baby swing from the the World of the Living. The baby's pale blue eyes were focused intently on the flashing colored lights that seemed to only vaguely follow the same rhythm as the music that flowed from the speaker. Rangiku had thought the thing was an atrocity until Yuki fell asleep in it only minutes after she turned it on for the first time. Now she loved it more than any other thing that had ever come from the World of the Living.
"Do you ever get an awful feeling that something is terribly wrong, but you can't begin to figure out what it is?" she asked Miyako.
"I feel pretty certain I know what's wrong at the moment," Miyako answered.
Rangiku's frown grew at that. "That's not all that's wrong," she said. "Poor Rukia, it's hard to believe her own brother brought her in, but I'm sure he'll work it all out for her, don't you think?"
Miyako nodded. "I'm sure he will, for Hisana's sake," she said and if there was something uncertain in her tone Rangiku didn't notice.
"But Shiro-chan suddenly making captain? I didn't know he had a zanpakuto six months ago and all of a sudden he's my captain? I knew there were things he wasn't telling me, but isn't that going a bit too far? And he hasn't explained why, not really, why he kept it all so secret while he was training and then just decided to become a captain with no warning at all."
"He's like his dad," Miyako offered. "He likes to keep things to himself and make his own decisions. It's how he's always been. He didn't hurt you, did he, Rangiku-chan? You know he didn't hide it from you because he didn't trust you or anything like that, don't you?"
"I know," Rangiku agreed. "And it was Gin's decision to keep me in the dark all this time. I just get the feeling that Shiro-chan may know why. And he knows what's happening or maybe he's just like me and just feels like something is wrong. Maybe that's why he decided to make captain all the sudden."
"Are you sure you're not just imagining things?" Miyako asked.
Rangiku bit her lip. She wasn't entirely sure what she should share. She was afraid for Gin. Something was wrong; she was sure of it, but she wasn't even quite sure what was bothering her. It was more than anything a feeling.
"Gin's having nightmares," she said, locking onto one concrete fact that was worrying her.
"Lots of shinigami have nightmares," Miyako answered, smiling a little at Rangiku's concern. "Sometimes we see some pretty awful things. It's really not surprising when our minds get focused on the worst. Unohana has some very effective remedies."
Rangiku shook her head. "He's never had nightmares before. He's always slept better than me. Something's wrong. I think he's in trouble. He's worried, no, he's afraid of something, and I can't figure out what it is."
Miyako frowned. She knew that Gin had been in trouble for a very long time, but telling Rangiku that now wouldn't help anything. They had agreed telling Rangiku would be a bad idea after Kaien had spoken to Gin. There was no way Rangiku could hear something like that and not do something about it. Patience was not a skill even having children had managed to teach her. She would want to fight, but that, according to Gin, at least, would be suicide.
"Don't you think you're making a lot out of a few bad dreams?" Miyako said, although she had already decided to tell Kaien about Rangiku's fears. Maybe whatever it was that Gin had only vaguely warned them about was finally going to happen. That might even explain the arrest of Rukia and the strangeness surrounding it. Rangiku was at least right that something was wrong somewhere.
Rangiku's eyes went to the baby, now asleep in her swing. "It's not just that," she said. She didn't know how to explain what exactly had changed. He looked at the children differently, not much, but just a little, like he was paying more attention. He actually listened when Kin-chan spoke to him, and with Yuki- "He holds Yuki all the time," she said. "Whenever she's awake, he has her with him. He doesn't say anything; he just picks her up. I thought he was just trying to be helpful because she's so fussy, but I don't-something's wrong."
"Maybe it's just because she's a girl," Miyako said, despite the chill Rangiku's description sent down her spine. If Gin was actually going to an effort to be with his daughter, was it because he didn't think he'd have much longer with her? "I've heard some daddies are like that."
Rangiku shook her head. She didn't know how to explain what she was feeling. It was awful. Gin was terrified of something, and he wouldn't explain what it was. He wasn't even willing to admit something was wrong.
"He's always had things going on," she said softly, as one hot tear after another escaped her eyes. "Always, as long as I've known him. He never tells me where he's going or what he's doing. In Rukongai, he would go and do whatever it took to get food and money. Most of it was illegal, I guess, and sometimes he got hurt, but he didn't want me to know, so I didn't ask. I thought here, we have food, money, everything we need, so it should be better. He shouldn't have to, but he still leaves; he's just gone, and I know-I know-he's doing things that aren't right, and sometimes it's dangerous, and he comes back hurt-he tries to hide it from me but-and now he's afraid. He's so afraid. Every time he leaves he's thinking, is this the last time? I can see it in his eyes." Rangiku brought her hands to her face and wiped away her tears. "He doesn't want me to know what's wrong. He'd rather die than let me get involved, because it is-it is something awful that he's been doing, and he wants me safe, but I can't-I can't lose him, Miyako. He thinks I'm going to be be ok without him, but I'm not-I can't-not without him."
Miyako drew a deep breath. She'd often wondered how much Rangiku noticed of her husband's strange habits. She'd thought perhaps it was some sort of willful ignorance, but Rangiku did know; she'd always known. She had simply loved him anyway. "I'll try to get Kaien to talk to him," Miyako offered. "Maybe he'll listen to another man. Kaien is probably the closest thing he's got to a real friend anyway. Who knows, Gin might even let Kaien help him. He wouldn't worry about Kaien getting hurt if he were to get involved."
"I don't want to put Kaien in danger," Rangiku said softly.
Miyako forced a smile to her face. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself."
"Thank you," Rangiku whispered.
"Have you found what Urahara sent Kyoraku?" Aizen asked as he walked quickly along a path in the dark forest of southern Rukongai.
Gin glanced at Tosen, walking at his side. The question was clearly meant for him. He was the one who had connections to the Eighth and its captain. Even if Gin had been the one to hear about the package sent from Urahara Soten to Kyoraku the day after Kuchiki Rukia was dragged home in chains, he really had no means of discovering the package's contents. His early attempts at spying on the Eighth Division captain had always led to immediate discovery and invitations to drinks, and Gin had eventually given up trying.
"A bottle of Russian Vodka," Tosen said shortly. "Hisagi-kun was there when he opened it." That was also thanks to Gin, whose quick thinking had led him to let Tosen know about the package in time for him to give his lieutenant the rest of the day off-which the ever-predictable lieutenant had spent with his daughter and her doting jii-chan. Kyoraku just as predictably decided to open his package with an audience to make envious.
"Just a bottle?" Gin said. "No note? How odd."
Tosen was silent for a moment. "I believe there was a message of some kind. Hisagi-kun was evasive, and he is never evasive. Kyoraku may have sworn him to secrecy. I did not press him further about the package because I did not wish to appear unusually interested. I think we must find another way to learn what it was Urahara thought necessary to tell Kyoraku."
"Well," Gin said, smiling. "Isn't it obvious? He must have told Old Kyoraku to save Rukia-chan."
"Kyoraku has taken no actions at all according to you," Tosen pointed out.
" 'Course he hasn't. He's a careful one, Kyoraku is, and he doesn't trust Urahara any more than he trusts the rest of us. He's going to wait and see, careful like, but I wouldn't be surprised if Nanao-chan starts paying social visits to all her best friends. It's too bad Rangiku's out of the loop. They won't want to worry her with the new baby and all, otherwise I'd be able to tell you what Urahara wrote by the end of the week. I will try to get Kira to find out what going on if you'd like, but everyone knows how fond he is of me; that keeps them a little close-lipped around him, poor kid."
Aizen continued to walk a few minutes longer. He finally came to a stop as Seireitei came into view. The lights of the city twinkled brightly, in a glittering circle, surrounded by spidery suburbs of light reaching into the dark frontiers of Rukongai. "I think we must assume Urahara's message was about Rukia," he said slowly. "For many years now Kyoraku has been in the habit of visiting Urahara, and we assumed that, given the fact the Kyoraku, himself, was the one to show Urahara's accusations against me were lie, Urahara would not attempt to share any further knowledge or suspicions with the captain of the Eighth. We can no longer afford any such assumptions. Anything Urahara knows may have been shared with Kyoraku, and through him to Ukitake, answering all of his questions about the arrancar, and then even as far as Kurotsuchi, who may even now be devising ways to counter us.
"Ukitake has been neutralized, however Kurotsuchi, and Kyoraku must also be dealt with, along with Lieutenants Shiba, Hisagi and Ise-"
"And Shiro," Gin interrupted, abruptly. "I can't be sure, but he's been close to Ukitake and Shiba for years. He could be a problem."
"You think your own son could turn on you?" Tosen asked, looking surprised.
"WIthout a second thought," Gin said, smiling proudly. "Little bastard's never trusted me."
"He has always seemed unusually bright," Tosen said.
Aizen was frowning. "Unohana is, perhaps, a concern as well. Ukitake and Kyoraku may turn to her if they feel it's necessary. Gin, see to it that they don't succeed if they do try. We cannot have the Good Healer alerted prematurely."
"Yes, sir," Gin said.
Aizen turned away, looking down at the city once more. "I did not expect Urahara to reach out to anyone in the Gotei," he said, and his frown deepened. "I do not like it. He has played the role of comical storekeeper too long, keeping his own council separate from the Gotei. Something has changed, and we missed it"