Gin straightened slowly, contemplating the orange haired boy who'd beaten Jidanbo so easily. So that was Isshin's son, he really could not understand Aizen's fascination. Of course the kid had decent reiatsu, and it looked like Urahara had taught him a few tricks, but all in all, really, Shiro was much more impressive.

Just as he was turning away from the gate, Kaien appeared beside him. "There was a ryoka at the gate?" He demanded. Then he added, "Sir?"

Gin continued to smile. He wondered if Urahara's note had mentioned the boy. "Yep."

Distress shown for an instant in the lieutenant's eyes before he managed to hide it. "Did you kill him?"

Gin shrugged. He'd felt Shinso glance off the boy's zanpakuto, but there was no need to tell Kaien that. "Probably. Wonder why a human would go to all the trouble to get to Soul Society just to die?"

Kaien flinched. It really was a wonder Aizen hadn't realized Gin had told him everything. He was awful at hiding his reactions.

"You don't think he could have followed Rukia-chan home, do you?" Gin asked, with his very favorite smiling innocence.

Kaien's eyes widened which only pleased Gin further. It was such an obvious confirmation. They note must have mentioned the ryoka. He'd have to let Aizen know. If so many of the senior staff already knew the purpose of the ryoka's visit it might be necessary to adjust their plans.

"Why would a ryoka have followed Rukia here?" Kaien finally managed to ask.

"Why not?" Gin asked, turning away from Kaien and starting back toward the city.

"Have you told Rangiku that Rukia is being moved to the Senzaikyu?" Kaien called after him.

Gin paused and looked back over his shoulder. "Why?" he asked. "Are you volunteering?"

"You're not going to, are you?"

Gin turned back with a smile. "Shiro will eventually, thinking I just wouldn't go home till then, but if you will that'd save me quite a bit of trouble."

Kaien stepped closer and lowered his voice. "Captain, you're a first class asshole."

Gin's smile grew. "Then you are? Thanks for that. She'll take it so much better coming from you-after all, she knows you really will try to save poor Rukia-chan."

He turned and walked away, waving cheerfully.

Toshiro had watched his mother carefully as Kaien and Miyako explained Rukia's fate. He sat at the kotatsu with an enormous stack of division paperwork that he had no intention of touching. He knew his mother would not be happy when she heard about this latest development and had expected to have to spend the entire evening talking her down from one insane plan after another.

Rangiku looked from one of her friends to the other with an expression Toshiro knew all too well. This was how she had looked when she'd been told Isshin had gone missing. She was helpless and she knew it.

"Captain Ukitake has sent another formal protest to Central 46 and a request for a new trial," Kaien said. "He would go himself if he could. Our division is doing all we can, Rangiku. You have to trust us. She is one of ours. We will do everything we can."

Rangiku blinked back her tears. "Gin said there's nothing anyone can do. Central 46 is not going to change their ruling. There's nothing anyone can do for Rukia."

"They're not going to let her die," Miyako said, suddenly.

Toshiro's eyes went to Miyako's face. She wasn't just saying that to make his mother feel better. She meant it. She knew the rulings of Central 46 were absolute, but she meant it. Did she knew for a fact that Kaien and Captain Ukitake had no intention of allowing Rukia to be executed? Surely none of them would consider intervening illegally?

He opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but at that moment Gin burst into the room with Kinta on his shoulders.

"Oh, you should have seen him, Kin-chan," Gin said, speaking intensely. "He had hair like fire and a zanpakuto as big as a man! He attacked Jidanbo without fear and destroyed his mighty axes-oh, hello, everyone! We brought you some dinner, Ran-chan."

He set Kinta on the floor and the boy held out a bento box wrapped in blue-patterned cloth.

"Daddy fought a ryoka," Kinta informed his mother as he shoved the bento into her arms.

"A ryoka?" Rangiku demanded, looking up at Gin in surprise.

"Some kid pretending to be a shinigami," Gin said, lightly. "Weird, huh?"

Toshiro could not help noticing the glance the two Shibas exchanged at Gin's words. He didn't like this, not any of it.