A/N: Well, I'm kinda bummed that I can't stay up super late because I have to work in the morning. Oh well, I'll just let my imagination run wild while I'm there. Thanks to all who have read/reviewed/alerted/favorited so far, you guys rock! And see? I told you I would work on the length thing, this one's longer. So much for the 3-5 chapters I had planned on...Oh well, at least it keeps me busy. Good, not good? Let me know. -KG

Chapter Four: A Friend's Insight

It was almost the end of the day at the office for Izuru. Because of their new babysitting job, the workload for them had lessened slightly, leaving them with more time to tend to other things. His captain had just stepped out for a moment, needed to help the fifth seat with something. He really wanted to get away from his new charge, finding that he desperately wanted a drink.

He had taken Yukio back to the division on Ivy's request. That was the only real reason why he did it. Whatever she wanted to talk to them about must have been important because she already knew of his deep dislike for the man sitting across the room from him.

When they got back, he busied himself by showing Yukio around the division some. He showed him the barracks, the mess hall, and the offices, lightly explaining what duties they did on a regular basis. He didn't particularly want him to join their division, but the world didn't happen how he liked it, so he figured it would save them time later if he did stay there. Captain Giahara complimented on his thoughtfulness, so he didn't really mind. He wanted to do a good job, if nothing else.

A voice brought him out of his thoughts and into the present. Apparently, Yukio was going to try and start a meaningful conversation with him. They had been here for the last half of the day, Yukio just watching Ivy and Izuru work.

"So, that Lieutenant of Captain Kyouraku's, Nanao I think, she's got the most interesting eyes. They hold a look of deep intelligence, like she could tell you everything about your soul from one glance."

All of a sudden, Izuru didn't like where this was going.

"She's quite the catch, I think. Beautiful."

Izuru definitely didn't like this. Yukio had that adoring look in his eyes, like he was having a daydream. The sight of it sickened him for some reason.

"You might want to hold your tongue if you want to keep it." Yukio looked up from his daze. "She is with Captain Kyouraku. I suggest that you remember it."

Suddenly, whether or not he knew this information didn't matter much to him. With a scowl on his face, he swept towards the door, sliding past a puzzled Ivy Giahara, who had just returned.

"Izuru, what's the matter?"

She watched him move past, not stopping to acknowledge her. That was odd. She turned back to Yukio, giving him a questioning glance. He only shrugged his shoulders at her, then looked out the window. She would have to question him later.

XoXoXoX

Nanao found herself staring up at her ceiling again later that night. She had tried to go to sleep hours ago, but her mind just wouldn't leave her alone. She was thinking about all sorts of things, none of them very pleasant.

The dream she had the night before had sparked her mind into thinking deeper on the subject. As much as she didn't want to, she couldn't ignore it.

She knew hatred was a bit immature, even for good reasons, but she couldn't help but feel like that after everything that happened. Sure, Leiko had done many terrible things, but there was one event that stuck out vividly in her mind. It was the kind of thing that made her internally cringe every time she thought about it. It was a scar that gave her reason to scold herself.

It was true that Shunsui knew that Leiko had poisoned the dreams she had at night. He even knew that some of them were of her killing him off. That was the thing though, only some of them were that way. It was the other ones she used to have that she didn't tell anyone about.

They always started out in the same way as the ones where Shunsui was slain. There was always a startled awakening form her, always the smell of smoke and flame. Seireitei would still be on fire, and she would always find herself traversing towards their office.

It was now that those other dreams changed up. Instead of going in to find her captain bloody on the ground, there would be no one. A part of her had always reminded herself that someone had been there in all the other ones. She would walk to the center of the room and stop, sensing for anything. There would only be the crackling of flame on wood.

Then, she would hear it.

Like it stepped out of a nightmare, a sinister voice would start speaking. At the time, she didn't know who the voice belonged to. This was before she had spoken to Leiko. To her horror, she would hear things that she had written in her book. Things that nobody but her were meant to hear.

A famous quote would be one of the poems he made for her.

You are the moon, and I am the sun.
Complete is the day we're together as one.

It would be said in a sneering way, and then she would proceed to be ridiculed. The snake-like voice would laugh at her and tell her what a fool she was. It would speak of how Shunsui probably told that to anyone he had ever chased, not really meaning it. It would say she was just another woman to check off the list.

As much as she didn't want to, a small part of her believed it at the time. It was very possible for this to be true. She knew he had the reputation to prove it. Still, she knew that his honesty and the trust she placed in him couldn't be written off as worthless. This is why she hated Leiko, but then again, maybe it was more directed towards herself.

She hated that she ever once doubted him.

It was like a wound, and every thought poured more salt onto it. After seeing how earnest and caring he had been towards her, like he always was, drove every negative thought from her mind. The fact that she ever thought him to be as shallow as others said sent pain through her. She didn't know how anyone so thoughtful and gentle could be like that. Setting it aside for now, she slid a little closer to him, reassuring herself that it didn't need to be thought of anymore.

That led her to the other thing on her mind.

On a different note, she also thought about the new supposed addition to the Third. Neither Izuru or Captain Giahara seemed to be very pleased about it. She understood Ivy's arguments enough to know why she would be upset, but Izuru puzzled her. For usually being able to figure people out, she was totally at a loss.

She didn't think there was much wrong with him. He had lasted her five minute first impression, and she was happy to find that she didn't have to set him on fire for being an idiot. She couldn't count how many others she'd done that to, all of which she'd been introduced to on Rangiku's insistence. Maybe she was actually right about this one, even though it was no longer for romantic purposes.

He seemed respectable for the most part. He had answered questions with intelligence, if not a little pride mixed in with his responses. Surely he must have worked hard to get this far so fast. He was polite, which earned points with her, and judging from what she took in from him, he seemed to be responsible enough to fit in with the rest of them.

She did not, however, think he should be promoted to a seated officer so fast. In order to be any sort of important officer, Nanao believed that there had to be trust. It wasn't the same sort of trust that others thought though. It was a different kind, one that could only exist between a captain and a lieutenant or any other officer. It was kind of like knowing exactly what was expected from each other, never doubting decisions either made.

It took a long time to build up this trust. She could vouch for that one personally. It had taken her a while to fully trust her captain as she did. She supposed it had worked both ways. At first she didn't know what to think about his flirtatious behavior. She learned though, that he was honest in everything that he did, and that she would find no better place to declare her loyalty to. It would take more than just being a prodigy to understand that kind of bond.

That was something that had to be earned through merit, not prestige.

Well, she guess they would see what he was worth very soon. Later this week he would be joining them for a day or two. They would see then if he could keep up. Deciding that she had had enough thinking for the night, she turned over to her side so she could lay on Shunsui's chest. She smiled as his arm came instinctively around her, closing her eyes and forcing her mind to slow.

XoXoXoX

Rangiku twisted the bottle she held in her hand, looking over to her companions. They had joined together for a friendly drink. Shuuhei and Renji were having their own conversation on the other side of the table, while Izuru sat to her right. He didn't look too well, now that she thought about it. It seemed that he was brooding over something.

That reminded her of a conversation she had earlier. About an hour and a half ago, she had stopped by the Third to see if Izuru wanted to join her and the other two. She only met Captain Giahara at the office though, and when she offered her the same invitation, she politely refused.

When she found her, she had been sitting alone in the office, looking pensive. The lights were dim, and she didn't seem to be paying much attention. Rangiku's greeting had awoken her from the daze. When she asked what was wrong, Ivy just smiled and said nothing. On further prodding, she finally admitted that she was worried about Izuru. Then, she told her the unraveling of events.

With a promise to find out what was the matter with him, she set out to find him. She did, and now here they sat.

Izuru was fully aware that Rangiku was looking at him. He'd felt so out of it lately, ever since Yukio Otori had come to the Seireitei. Alright, he was going to find out what it was.

"Yes, Rangiku?"

She laughed a bit uneasily and rubbed the back of her head, a little embarrassed for getting caught while staring.

"Oh, you looked sort of dazed, that's all. Just making sure you're okay." He raised his eyebrow at her.

"I thought that was the whole point of drinking in the first place?"

"Oh, so it is." She thought for a moment, before going slightly serious. "But really, are you okay? I'm not the only one that's noticed. Ivy's a bit concerned too. She's worried."

Captain Giahara was on a first name basis with a lot of people, not being one for all the formalities. Although it wasn't to everyone, she insisted that all the captains and vice-captains call her by her first name. It was nice that she felt comfortable enough with all of them to do so, but he still personally liked showing his respect in as many ways as he could. Then again, she was working on that.

He sighed a bit. It was hard to keep anything from Rangiku when she looked at people like that.

"It's nothing. I'm just thinking about that new guy, Yukio. It's been nothing but a pain."

She had an understanding look. That's what she figured. "I thought so. I don't really get why you don't like him so much. He seemed okay. I mean, Nanao didn't barbeque him, and that's a first. I could've gotten something right this time."

She laughed a bit after he shrugged his shoulders, both returning to their drinks. There were many reasons why he didn't like the guy, but one he wasn't about to share with her. In general, he didn't like Yukio's attitude. He was just too nice for his own good. He could feel something out of place.

Secondly, he didn't like the way that he flirted with his captain. It was the same when he mentioned Nanao. He held that same glint in his eye, the one that seemed he looked at them like pieces of meat or something. That unnerved him more than anything. In all his years, he never felt women deserving to be treated that way, let alone one of his friends. Yukio never mentioned this sort of thinking, but Izuru was positive that the look in his eye meant exactly that.

He wasn't too concerned about being replaced as lieutenant, but he was still slightly nervous about his demonstration coming up. If anything, he was prepared to use Wabisuke to defend his position that he rightfully earned.

The real reason he would never tell Rangiku. It was why he felt uneasy, and it was why he instantly didn't like him. If his captain asked, he might tell her, but it didn't know how Rangiku would take to it. As far as he was concerned, she didn't need the thought to be planted in her head again. Now that he thought about it, he didn't really want to tell his captain either. She had enough on her mind too.

No, Rangiku had already gotten over all the negative thoughts and feelings they all went through. He watched her break down from it on days she couldn't hold up that face of stone. He watched it eat part of her soul. He decided that she had been through enough.

That's why Izuru couldn't bring himself to tell her that the main reason he didn't like Yukio, was because he reminded him of Gin Ichimaru.

-End of part four