Go Rangiku! I hate Hinamori; I think she'd an evil beast. I'm going to change the summary because it makes it sound as though this will be a HitsuHina, and I promise you that's not going to happen on my watch.

I didn't want to take the letter to Momo. I confess I was afraid: afraid of what it's contents might hold for Soul Society. Afraid that there was indeed a killer amongst our ranks. Afraid that Aizen's murderer was someone I knew; someone I trusted.

I was afraid that it was Gin.

The very thought struck me cold. Gin. My childhood friend. My saviour, for indeed that's what he was. If it hadn't been for him then I would not have survived that day. He saved me. And he was so kind to me, as he always has been ever since. I have always found his sense of humour a little strange, but indeed he himself was strange. It's what made me like him so.

Deep in my heart, I suspected that Gin Ichimaru was capable of murder. The thought that he could kill another man, though shocking, was not although unfeasible. But a fellow captain? And why? What could possibly be his motives in this, if he was in fact involved?

These thoughts occupied my mind as I made my way over to Hinamori's holding cell.

The Squad Five detention unit was bleak; I have scarcely seen a more cheerless place in all my days. Hinamori-san looked terrible, and I felt my heart soften immeasurably. The poor girl! Not only had she lost a most beloved captain, but she was now herself detained for acting out in revenge. It really was a most awful state of affairs.

She looked up and spotted me, tears streaming down her cheeks.

'Rangiku!' she cried, wiping her tears with her sleeve.

'Hinamori,' I nodded at her.

It may be unkind to say this, despite everything the poor girl had been through, but I have always felt distinctly cool towards Miss Momo Hinamori. I have no reasons behind this, only that I have long disliked her favour of Captain Aizen over her childhood friend, Hitsugaya-taichou. Although I sympathised with her, I found I was still not able to get over my disdain towards her as she spoke.

She ran to the bars of her cell and reached for my hand through the iron slats.

'Rangiku-san,' she begged, 'Rangiku-san, I need your help!'

'Indeed?' I raised an eyebrow, 'how so?'

'We must apprehend Ichimaru-taichou! He is guilty of Aizen-taichou's murder, Rangiku, I know it! He-'

'Hinamori-san!' I cut her off sharply, 'you have no right to make such accusations!'

'But-'

'But nothing!' I snapped, choosing to ignore the fact that making accusations against Ichimaru was precisely what my captain and myself were doing, 'you have no evidence against him whatsoever, and yet you choose to make rash decisions based on your own instincts! And at such a time! Your first priority, I should have thought, would have been to remove Aizen-taichou's body from suffering any more indignity, do you not think?'

Her eyes widened and she looked horrified. Clearly this thought had not occurred to her.

'This is a terrible set of events,' I went on, more gently given how miserable she looked, 'the murder of a captain… there has never been anything like it in the history of the Seireitei!'

Hinamori nodded at me, then sank to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. I had rarely seen such a pitiful sight. It was then that I remembered my business there.

'Here,' I spoke to her, reaching into my robes and removing the letter, 'this is for you.'

She stared at it open mouthed, before taking it from me with trembling fingers.

'This is… from Aizen-taichou?' she whispered, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

'It is. And might I say, Hinamori-san, that you are very lucky it was my captain who found this. Anyone else would have confiscated it immediately as evidence.'

'Oh, yes! Thank him for me, wont you, Rangiku-san?' she smiled, jumping to her feet.

'If you wish,' I said, before taking my leave.

I intended to tell Hitsugaya-taichou nothing of the sort.