Hinamori and Hanatarou sat together. The canteen was packed with 4th Division shinigami, most of which recognised and greeted Hinamori respectfully when they saw her. There was little separation among the ranks; seated officers rubbed shoulders with their subordinates and queued with them to receive their evening meal. Apparently, only Captain Unohana dined in private. At the other end of their table, Isane nibbled meditatively on a chunk of sweet potato and watched them out of the corner of her eye. Hinamori's invitation to dinner was not just an act of hospitality; it also gave the keen-eyed vice-captain a chance to observe Hinamori and reflect on her current emotional state. Hanatarou patted his zanpakutou to reassure himself of its continued presence as he chatted with Hinamori.

At first, their conversation had been awkward. Hanatarou was still shy after the incident earlier in the day. Hinamori desperately wanted to avoid talking about Aizen. While the healer understood that Hinamori would have to confront these issues during counselling, it simply did not seem appropriate to discuss the former captain during a casual dinner conversation. They fumbled at first, before Hinamori turned the subject to Hanatarou's strange collection of items. He blushed and smiled wistfully.

"I find a lot of things while cleaning the place. Some of it can be recycled or resold. It saves money." He didn't mention that he kept some of the odds and ends simply because they looked pretty on his shelves; not wanting to sound like a packrat.

"That's very practical of you Hana-chan."

"For example, the 4th Division cleans old bottles and uses them to store medication…," Hanatarou's voice trailed off in surprise, "wait…Hana-chan?" He couldn't believe she had just called him that. Isane swallowed quickly, her eyes wide. But Hinamori simply grinned broadly at Hanatarou.

"Mm-hmm. And stop calling me 'fukoutaicho' all the time. It's so formal! Just call me Hinamori." She giggled at Hanatarou's stunned expression.

"But…"

"No 'buts', Hana-chan. You're the first person that's made me laugh for a very, very long time," Hinamori replied, lowering her voice so Isane could not hear, "and in a way, I really look up to you. You deal with hard, thankless work all the time in the 4th, yet you still remain truly content, cheerful and kind to everyone. I wish I could be so forgiving."

"Thank you, fu-…Hinamori." Hanatarou simply didn't know how to respond. He glanced helplessly at Isane, who gave him a barely perceptible shrug. He was on his own now. His heart fluttered with both pride at her compliment, and apprehension at her casual demeanour. Whoever knew that the vice-captain could be so warm and friendly with someone of his rank? Granted, it was well known that Hinamori was good-natured and gentle, but Hanatarou was so used to being treated with condescension or open disdain by women that her attitude completely disarmed him. He decided to take a small, brave step forward.

"I, uh…keep some of the trinkets I find. Want to see my collection?" As soon as he had spoken, Hanatarou wondered if he should regret it. He had just proudly offered to show his huge pile of discarded junk to a visiting vice-captain.

"Of course!"

Delighted, Hanatarou stood up. He raised his hand above the chatter and din of the dining hall, and all the shinigami present fell silent. Speaking loudly, his shrill voice addressed the crowd.

"7th Seat Yamada Hanatarou, 14th Paramedic Squad Leader… 14th Squad is rostered to supply eight members for tonight's shift at nursing sections 2a and 2b; as well as a further three members to remain on standby at the maternity ward. Two representatives are needed to carry and store the incoming shipment of IV units at Sereitei East Gate. Three members are to be present at the Shinigami Academy's outdoor sports complex for the 11th Division's rugby challenge event…" The latter was followed by an audible groan from Hanatarou's squad. "I need four of you to report to Captain Soifon and accompany the 2nd Division's hollow-slaying sortie at an hour before midnight. The remainder who are on active duty will carry out cleaning duties at the headquarters of the 7th Division. I will now announce the names of those assigned to each task…"

Hinamori gazed at Hanatarou quizzically. Of course, she should have guessed that being the 7th Seat, Hanatarou would be in a position of command. But his mild-mannered and unassuming appearance apparently concealed a capable and respected leader; at least among the downtrodden shinigami of the 4th Division. Hanatarou seemed to know every member of his squad by name. When he had finished, the man sat down again and addressed her.

"I've made the announcements for this evening. Now let's go see my collection…" Hanatarou was smiling slightly. Hinamori was even more stunned. A lesser man would have tried to see if she was impressed by his tone of command, but Hanatarou's innocent face displayed no sign of arrogance whatsoever. Nope, he was simply making the announcements early so he could take off and show her the collection!

However, as Hanatarou started to get up again, he felt a tug on the side of his hakama. He turned and saw Hinamori smirking cheekily at him.

"Not so fast, Hana-chan. I haven't finished eating yet!"

Later that night, Hanatarou and Hinamori sat in the former's bedroom, gazing at the shelves that lined the opposite wall. The shelves themselves were salvaged planks of wood that the former had attached to the wall and adorned with his treasures. Entranced, Hinamori's eyes drifted from one item to the next. Surprisingly, most of them were useful or at least attractive – Hanatarou had taken the time to mend and clean many of them. They literally gleamed. Taking a small, blue bottle shaped like a carp from a shelf, Hanatarou explained its history.

"I found this one near the lake at the 13th Division. It smelled a bit like perfume, but of course that's all washed off now. It's too pretty to use just for storing pills. So I've put some small hairclips in it; which I gathered from everywhere." He tipped the contents of the bottle into his hand. Hinamori's eyes alighted on half of a bright, white ceramic headpiece. She exclaimed, "That's Kuchiki-taicho's kenseiken! Well, part of it at least…"

Hanatarou grinned sheepishly. "I found it when we were taking him away after Aizen stabbed him; I offered it to return it afterward but he didn't want it back. I would have glued it back together, but I couldn't find all the pieces…" Then he realised that he had just mentioned Aizen, and his voice trailed off, "…I'm sorry." But now, Hinamori's face bore a dark expression. She had learnt soon after she recovered that she wasn't Aizen's only casualty.

"Never mind. It's unfair for me to blame anyone for mentioning him. But it's like he's still everywhere in the 5th, and I can't escape the constant reminders of his former presence. I really hate it. There's that monstrous desk in the head office, the documents and letters I receive that still have his name on it, and all of his personal trash in his room which no-one wants to clean out…" Hinamori growled under her breath.

Hanatarou just listened sympathetically. But when Hinamori mentioned Aizen's personal effects, an idea began to form in his head.

"Hey…Hinamori, if you and the 5th don't need the stuff anymore, I've got an idea." He bent over to speak to her; and when he was finished, both were smirking. It was time to call Kira and Shuuhei.