Foreword: Six years after I last updated story, I have returned with more content on Bleach's twenty-second anniversary (wow, I feel old…). Stay tuned at the end for a special announcement!


"This will suffice for now. We continue this time tomorrow. Thank you for your work."

Hitsugaya Tōshirō let out a sigh of relief at the announcement from his overseer as he leaned back in his seat and rubbed his temples in a vain attempt to fend off a migraine.

The first task assigned to him as the reinstated captain of the Tenth Division was to assist in auditing the paperwork of the Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth Divisions to correct anything that might have been altered because of Aizen's interference: covering up unauthorized trips away from the Seireitei, embezzling money to fund experiments, and other white-collar crimes done to facilitate more heinous schemes.

So every day for two hours after his standard duties were complete, a pair of auditors from the First Division would arrive and supervise Tōshirō as he reviewed the paperwork from the past two decades and notified them of any discrepancies that required correction.

And if that wasn't enough, once the auditors were satisfied that the Tenth's records for the past twenty years had been reviewed sufficiently, Tōshirō was also tasked with performing that same review in for the Fifth and Ninth during the decades Aizen and Tōsen served in those divisions.

Needless to say, it was going to be a good long while before he got off work on time.

As the First Division officers packed their materials up and departed, Kira Izuru stood up from the desk adjacent to him and stretched. "We covered a lot of ground today."

"That we did," Tōshirō agreed. "You know you are not required to assist me in this audit, right?"

"Perhaps not, but as I have told you before each time you mention that, as lieutenant of the Tenth Division, it's only practical that I have a hand in reviewing our records," the blonde replied as he gathered up the paperwork to file away.

Moving to assist with the cleanup, the probationary captain quietly replied, "In any case, I do appreciate your aid."


Per the specifications of his probation, Kira had arrived at Tōshirō's quarters that morning to escort him to the Tenth's main office, where he would resume his duties as captain.

That first walk was certainly an awkward one, where neither quite knew what to say. In their previous interaction at the Fourth right after the captain's trial, Hinamori had been present to drive the conversation. Without her lively participation, the atmosphere felt stilted as they struggled to find the right words to say.

For his part, Tōshirō had grown to respect his lieutenant during their years together in the Gotei 13. Kira was dutiful, hard-working, and obedient. That last quality did concern Tōshirō, given how rigidly the blond adhered to commands from his superiors; it would be all too easy for the wrong officer to take advantage of that kind of unswerving loyalty. While Tōshirō himself was not innocent of using Kira's diligence to his advantage during the years he worked under Aizen, he did try to avoid abusing that asset, utilizing it only when it was necessary.

Awkward silence followed the pair all the way to the main office, broken only after they had entered. Kira cleared his throat. "I will retrieve the first batch of paperwork to review."

"Thank you." Tōshirō approached his desk, taking a moment to let it fully sink in that this space was once again his.

"You're welcome," the lieutenant mumbled as he set the stack on his captain's desk. There was a moment's hesitation before he continued, "It is good to have you back, Hitsugaya-taichō."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Tōshirō gave a rueful frown as he glanced over the first page in his inbox. "I would have thought you would have been more bitter about this development, since…"

The events of the past few months hung unspoken between them. Nevertheless, as he took his own seat Kira spoke with quiet assurance. "Your betrayal hurt me, yes. While we were never close, I did respect you, and you always treated us fairly."

"I kept you all at arm's length, that is true," the white-haired prodigy acknowledged as he gave his Second Seat his undivided attention. "It was my hope that by forming as few close bonds as possible, it would decrease the number of people I had to hurt when my betrayal would be revealed."

"Well, I'm afraid that plan failed miserably on more accounts than you think," his assistant replied sardonically.

"I'm aware of that now," Hitsugaya conceded with a grimace.

"Are you?" Kira returned archly. "As much as your betrayal hurt me, it was nothing compared to how it hurt Hinamori-kun. I lost a respected commanding officer that day; she lost her best friend."

Tōshirō looked away, unable to meet his eye. "I'm sorry. If you find it too uncomfortable to continue as my lieutenant, I will understand." His gaze drifted around the office, and he sighed. "Ukitake still has not taken anyone on as his Second, and I would be more than glad to recommend you to him."

"A recommendation from a notorious traitor? You're too kind, Hitsugaya-taichō."

The young spirit looked up quickly. "I simply meant…"

"Please don't misunderstand me," Kira chuckled at his captain's obvious confusion. "Despite everything I said, one thing cannot be denied: seeing you back alive and with the Gotei 13 has made Hinamori-kun the happiest I have seen her in years. She had more cause to hate you than I did, but she didn't hold it against you; she forgave you. Therefore, I shall follow her example.

Rising to his full height, the melancholy shinigami cracked a faint smile. "Kira Izuru-fukutaichō, reporting for duty, Hitsugaya-taichō."

With that, he bowed to the newly reinstated captain.

Tōshirō blinked at the show of respect before standing to return the gesture. "I am honored by your decision, Kira-fukutaichō. I promise not to break your trust again."


Shortly afterwards, Tōshirō made a similar apology and promise to the Tenth Division at large. As he predicted, some shinigami still requested transfers to other divisions (which he approved), but not as many as expected. For the soldiers who were willing to give him a second chance, Tōshirō did his best to stand by his vow.

One of the ways he did so was by changing how he interacted with people. For much of his time as a shinigami, he had been a cold and calculating individual. Encasing his personality in ice was the only way Tōshirō had been able to withstand working for Aizen as long as he had, to stop himself from acting rashly and performing a reckless and premature assault at the target of his wrath.

But with the defeat of his most hated enemy, and his reinstatement as captain of the Tenth Division (albeit on probation) he was granted the freedom to discard that persona. No longer required to put up a front for Aizen, the white-haired prodigy was free to express the emotions he truly felt.

This meant interacting with his subordinates on a more personal level. He talked with them, got to know them and their lives as shinigami could be made better through his own actions. Slowly but surely, as the months passed, Tōshirō could see respect and admiration returning to his officers' eyes as they addressed him.

Once Tōshirō and Kira had finished cleaning up for the evening, they exited the office and locked the door behind them.

"Headin' home, Hitsugaya-taichō?"

Kira started violently and rounded on the sneak who had been waiting for them. For his part, Tōshirō did not even blink. "I would not be out here if I wasn't."

Emerging into the light, Ichimaru Gin grinned and drawled impishly, "I dunno, ya could be plannin' on loiterin' about here, lookin' at the stars while keepin' yer guests waitin'."

The Tenth's captain rolled his eyes as he started the trek back to his quarters, Kira at his side. "You're the one making them wait by wasting time with snappy comments."

As much as their banter might imply otherwise, Tōshirō did value Ichimaru's company. During his time as captain before the reveal of Aizen's true intentions, the foxlike captain was one of the few individuals who was not put off by his cold demeanor. And after the war Ichimaru had also been one of the first to welcome him back into the Gotei 13.

A couple quick steps brought the perpetual smiler to his younger peer's side. "Makin' snappy comments ain't ever a waste o' time."

"We shall have to agree to disagree on that," Tōshirō returned.

"I think I'm gonna disagree to agree to disagree," Gin smirked. "My question is whether ya can agree that I'm gonna disagree on yer agreein' to disagree."

While Kira went cross-eyed trying to figure out what exactly all that meant, Tōshirō riposted flatly, "If I wanted to decipher redundant questions like that, I would have stayed in the office to do more work on the audit."

"Comparin' me to the bureaucracy has gotta be the meanest thing you've ever said to me," the captain of the Third pouted.

"Then I suggest you do not act in a way that such a comparison can be made," Tōshirō rebutted without remorse. Changing the subject, he continued, "So, who will be joining us tonight?"

"Aside from the usual suspects? Kyōraku-taichō, Ukitake-taichō and their retinue are gonna make it tonight," Gin reported. "So's Hirako-taichō."

Given the rules of his probation, it was obvious that if Tōshirō wanted to spend time with friends, it had to be confined to his residence. So at least once a week he hosted a dinner at his home, with Momo and Kira being guaranteed guests, and the Ichimarus almost always in attendance as well. But sometimes he had the privilege of entertaining other visitors.

"Abarai sent me a message earlier letting me know that he could not make it tonight, but passed on his regards," Kira added.

While Renji's semi-regular attendance was more for the sake of his Academy friends than Tōshirō himself, the rough and rowdy fighter was still a welcome addition whenever he happened to come by. And there were a couple other acquaintances who were less frequent attendees but could never be quite discounted…


"Hitsugaya-taichō, Komamura-taichō and Hisagi-fukutaichō are here!" Seventh Seat Takezoe Kokichiro announced outside the office door.

Tōshirō's pen stilled over the reports he had been writing. This meeting was one he had been expecting for some time. He was grateful they had waited a few weeks to schedule this conversation, but now there was no turning back.

"Enter," he called out, pushing the paperwork aside.

"Hitsugaya-taichō, thank you for taking time to see us," Komamura Saijin nodded respectfully as they entered, while Hisagi Shūhei simply gave a quiet nod to both Hitsugaya and Kira.

"It's no trouble," the shortest captain replied to the largest. To his subordinate he said, "Thank you for escorting them in, Takezoe. You may resume your duties."

"Yes, sir!" The Seventh Seat departed with all due haste.

Once it was just the four of them, Tōshirō gestured to a sitting area where some chairs and a couch had been placed. "Please make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taichō," Hisagi replied as he took a seat in a chair, and allowed the massive superior to occupy the couch, the furniture creaking under his weight as he did so. While Kira bustled about to offer them refreshments, Saijin gave Tōshirō a canny look. "I assume you know why we came."

"You want to ask about Tōsen," the white-haired youth inhaled slowly and let it out. "What do you want to know?"

"Since our time to speak with Tōsen was… cut short," Komamura growled briefly at the memory before calming down, "we were hoping you could provide additional insights on his decisions. Did you know him well during the time you both spent serving Aizen?"

Tōshirō chose his next words carefully. "I'm not going to lie; I had mixed feelings about him. Initially, I just viewed him as another pawn of Aizen's, an enemy to deceive and possibly kill if it meant attaining my goal."

"But that opinion changed?" Hisagi inferred from the wording.

"Eventually," the former renegade nodded. "While I would always find it hypocritical that he preached about the path of least bloodshed even as he had no hesitation spilling it, I could not help but sympathize with him after he told me the full story of how he came to join Aizen."

"Because of how his friend's murderer went free due to his political connections," Komamura's face darkened at the recollection.

"That was just the cause of his grudge against the Seireitei, but not how he was recruited by Aizen," Tōshirō corrected the assumption. "Apparently the man responsible is a compulsive sadist, because after the trial, he approached Tōsen to taunt him about the whole situation. And once he had his fun, he ordered his guards to beat him. Imagine Tōsen's surprise when the thugs ignored him and started assaulting empty air."

All present understood what this meant. Observing their reactions, the younger shinigami nodded solemnly. "Before you ask, I did some research, and as far as I can tell, the murder and its aftermath were not a convoluted scheme concocted by Aizen; the Seireitei's own societal flaws just handed Tōsen to him on a silver platter."

"Do you believe there is some cause to oppose Soul Society?" Komamura questioned cautiously.

"Not as much as I used to." Rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort, Tōshirō forced himself to face some pretty harsh truths. "While I never wavered from my goal to kill Aizen and take the Hōgyoku, I sometimes wondered if I should have tried to convince Tōsen that Aizen was not the change needed for our world, and that we should kill Aizen and lead the revolt ourselves. It never got beyond idle considerations for multiple reasons, chief of them being that I doubt even together we would stand a serious chance against the Gotei 13 without Aizen."

"You said 'used to,'" Kira noted softly. "What changed your mind?"

Hitsugaya spread his arms, presenting himself as Exhibit A. "I am here as a captain instead of imprisoned or executed. Hirako and Muguruma were also restored to their former ranks despite them being Hollow hybrids. I also heard that nobody prevented Inoue from healing Starrk and Gingerbuck and letting them return to Hueco Mundo. These gestures of mercy are clear indicators that the Seireitei is a better place to live in than the era that drove Tōsen to join Aizen." He paused, and a ghost of a smile tugged at his lips as he concluded, "I… am actually optimistic about our future."

A brooding Komamura leaned forward to rest one hand on his knee. "If Tōsen survived," he asked without looking at any of them, "do you think he would agree?"

Tōshirō could only shrug helplessly. "I'm not sure. If he had been sentenced to prison with it being permitted that you two could visit, perhaps he eventually might have, but I'm afraid I won't be able to give you a conclusive answer on that."

"Well, we appreciate what you have been able to provide," Hisagi said.

"You're welcome." He looked between the two of them, feeling nervous once again. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"Not right now, no," Komamura rose to his feet wearing a grave expression. It was hard to say whether this meeting had done him any good. "We will not take any more of your time."

"It's no trouble," the host captain assured them. "If you need anything else, feel free to stop by again."

The canine shinigami nodded and stood up, Hisagi with him.

Before the pair departed from the office fully, the inscrutable man who had been the second to vote in favor of Hitsugaya's reinstatement paused and glanced over his shoulder. "The world does not give second chances often. I look forward to seeing you prove worthy of yours."


"Have you heard anything from Komamura and Hisagi?" Tōshirō asked.

"They said they couldn't make it, but are gonna try next week," Gin reported, and threw out in an offhand manner, "Fair warnin', Rangiku volunteered to assist with the cookin' tonight."

After the Winter War and the revelation of his true motives and loyalties, Ichimaru Rangiku had overcome her prior uneasiness around him and had taken it upon herself to reach out to him. With friends in short supply (and a little push from Momo), he had little alternative but to accept the offer of friendship. And to his surprise, he found he enjoyed the boisterous woman's company, even if her extraverted demeanor could get overbearing at times. And if consenting to being a guinea pig for Rangiku's unique kitchen concoctions was the price he had to pay, then in the grand scheme of things it was a small one.

Nevertheless, Tōshirō grimaced at the news that he would soon undergo the most hazardous aspect of his life nowadays. "I trust Hinamori to rein in her more… adventurous experiments."

And that was true; while the strawberry-blonde liked her unique cooking, she did occasionally create something that others found to be both delectable and bizarre. Following Gin's advice to provide honest critiques on her meals had actually helped decrease the chances of her providing something he didn't like.

"Well, in that case, you'll be relieved to hear that Hinamori-chan brought those candied beans ya like so much fer dessert," Gin smirked.

Tōshirō flushed. Vow to be more open or not, he still felt self-conscious whenever someone noticed his not-so-secret sweet tooth. Still, he barely managed to affect a casual demeanor as he replied, "I'll be sure to thank her for that."


"Hey, Hitsugaya-taichō, how ya doin'?" Gin strolled into the Tenth's office with a cheerful wave.

"Ichimaru," Tōshirō glanced up from his paperwork. "I have been doing fine, thank you for asking. And you?"

"Doin' great!" the trickster chimed back.

"Good, good," Tōshirō nodded, then paused and glanced around. With Kira out of the office on an errand, he had the rare opportunity to ask Ichimaru something in private. He spoke, "As long as you're here, I… would like some advice."

"Really, what 'bout?" Gin tilted his head in curiosity.

"I have noticed that you have a good relationship with your wife…"

The older man smirked. "Ya askin' for love advice?"

"No!" Tōshirō blushed and cleared his throat. "I meant that… in addition to the romantic aspect, you have a good relationship with her. You work well together, there's trust, happiness… I'm not explaining myself well, but what I'm trying to get at is that I want to achieve a similar camaraderie with Hinamori."

"Well, fer starters," Gin replied glibly, "ya gotta be childhood friends an' have an unwaverin' and single-minded devotion to her well-bein'."

"I've already got that covered," Tōshirō returned flatly. "Anything else?"

"Bein' a light-haired prodigy with blue eyes helped." Gin's head tilted to one side as a thought seemed to occur to him. "Ya know, if it weren't fer the fact Rangiku's never given birth, I'd swear ya were our long-lost son."

"My eyes are turquoise," he corrected, not wanting to touch the second part with a fifty-meter icicle.

"Which is a shade of blue!" Gin countered.

"It's a mix of blue and green." Feeling rather squirmy at this topic, he strove to right the conversational ship. "And we're digressing; is there any useful advice you can offer me?"

The elder prodigy tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hm, there is this lil' trick that's worked well fer us o'er the years."

Half-suspecting another jibe, the youth sighed but nevertheless asked, "And what is that?"

"Talkin'."

Tōshirō blinked. "But I already talk with her."

"What 'bout?"

"Nothing important," he shrugged. "Usually we just chat about our days, other casual topics."

"Now see, that's yer problem," Gin pointed a meaningful finger at him.

"First you say I should talk to Hinamori, then you say talking with her is the problem?" Conversing with Ichimaru was fast leaving him exasperated, as usual.

"It ain't the talkin' part, it's the part where the only thin' y'all are talkin' 'bout is unimportant stuff." Taking a seat on the desk, Gin crossed his arms and leveled a somewhat more serious look on the young man. "Sure, that kinda chattin' is good fer day to day stuff, but if ya really want a closer relationship with Hinamori, start to go over deeper topics. Share secrets ya don't disclose to anyone else. Confide in her problems yer havin'. That kinda thing."

The younger captain paused as he absorbed the counsel given. Then he admitted quietly, "That… will be difficult."

A rare smile of sympathy lifted Gin's lips. "Yeah, it is. But after the way ya broke her trust, it's on ya to put yerself out there, show her yer serious about makin' up with her."

The youth winced at the reminder, even if it was one lacking in derision. Still, he grasped onto one last excuse. "I don't want to burden her…"

"Do ya think Hinamori-chan's weak?"

"Of course not!"

"Do ya trust her?"

"Absolutely!"

"Then trust her to be strong 'nough to listen to whatever ya need to say," Gin got up and made a show of stretching. "In fact, I'd wager that in the long run, she'll be happier with ya 'cause ya showed how much ya trust her."

"You really think so?" Tōshirō asked hesitantly.

"Swap the roles in yer head a moment: if Hinamori-chan started confidin' in ya 'bout her problems, would it be a burden?"

"No, of course not." Despite admitting this, he strove to put his doubts into words. "But however logically you put it, I still feel like it's presumptuous of me, that I don't deserve the privilege about being so open with Hinamori."

"She overruled that the moment she decided she'd accept ya back as her bestie," Gin countered. "The real question is if these thoughts holdin' ya back are really outta concern for Hinamori-chan, or jus' excuses to cover up how scared ya are 'bout the idea of barin' yer soul to the person who means the most to ya."

Tōshirō came to his feet initially bristling at the pointed question but seeing the softer smile on that normally smirking face, his rage quickly cooled.

"It was a lesson I needed time to learn properly, too," the vulpine officer confessed as he rubbed the back of his head. "But I promise ya that no matter how scary it is, if ya manage to find that one person ya can spill it all to, you'll never regret it. I certainly haven't."

After absorbing this counsel, Tōshirō quietly replied, "I'll think about what you said. Thank you for your advice, Ichimaru."

"Anytime!" Gin smiled happily, easily settling back into his normal expression. Then those upturned lips twisted into a smirk as he continued, "Ya know, if ya ever do need some love advice, I can pass on this book Lisa-san gave me when I was yer age…"

"ICHIMARU!"


Upon entering his home, the first person to greet them inside was Hirako Shinji. He waved with a lackadaisical grin not dissimilar to Ichimaru Gin's. "Evening, Hitsugaya-taichō."

"Hirako," Tōshirō nodded back to his best friend's captain.

"What, no 'hello' for me?" Gin complained lightly.

"You first," the blond returned with a smirk.

His foxy comrade immediately waved with over-the-top cheer, "Howdy!"

In return, Hirako immediately obliged with a chipper, "Yo!"

"I can't believe I have to deal with two of them," Tōshirō sighed on his way past the pair of eternally smiling men.

Of the people who had drifted into his social circle over the past year, the Fifth's new CO was the one with whom he was the least familiar with. Tōshirō had been briefed by Aizen the circumstances of the Visored's Hollowfication and exile from Soul Society, but had little knowledge otherwise until their appearance at the Battle of Fake Karakura Town. There he and Hirako had dueled, but that was an event of little note; neither of them had gone all out, as both were conserving their energy for their true nemesis.

But after the Winter War and the shocking invitation for Hirako Shinji and Muguruma Kensei to be reinstated as captains of the Gotei 13, Tōshirō had grown closer to the former for no other reason than he was Momo's captain. Since then, the eccentric clotheshorse seemed to insist to invite himself along so he might spend more quality time with his Second Seat.


One of the last orders Yamamoto issued before lifting martial law and returning power to the civilian government was to officially cancel the sentence of purification that had been declared on the Visoreds a century prior, when it was thought those eight shinigami were beyond hope of recovery. Given the aid said fugitives had provided during the war against Aizen, the newly appointed Central Forty-Six made no motion to overrule this measure.

This implicit permission for Yamamoto to revoke a prior decision of the Central Forty-Six was enough to raise brows across the Seireitei. But that was nothing compared to the shock that two shinigami-Hollow hybrids were permitted to become captains of the Gotei 13. While it was only seeking out Hollow powers that was illegal and not merely possession of them, there remained a serious social stigma against the idea of such a hybrid in the Seireitei. This decision was likely prompted by the new Central Forty-Six's willingness to change and perhaps the pragmatic desire to bring the Gotei 13 back to full strength as soon as possible.

As one of the allowances of Tōshirō's probation, he was permitted to leave the Tenth Division's grounds for the purpose of attending a captain's meeting, albeit with an escort. And in this one, it was to welcome back the two prodigal First Seats.

The ceremony itself is surprisingly mundane despite the uniqueness of the situation, though the atmosphere is generally welcoming of the two returning captains (with the exceptions of Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who just plain didn't care, and Soifon, who bizarrely eyed the Visoreds with more disdain than she ever did at him).

After the meeting, Tōshirō approached the reappointed division heads. "Hirako, Muguruma, may I have a moment of your time?" he inquired politely.

The pair glanced over at him with distrust and suspicion.

"Whaddya want, Hitsugaya-taichō?" the blond Visored questioned in a casual, mocking tone, not unlike the other captain with a Kansai accent.

The younger officer shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny but pressed forward with his objective. "I… wanted to offer my apologies."

Muguruma crossed his arms and kept a terse, skeptical expression, while Hirako tilted his head and questioned, "Really? What is it you're apologizing to us for?"

"In general, for assisting Aizen in his schemes," Tōshirō answered. "But the specific incident I feel most guilty about related to you is stabbing your friend."

Apology delivered, he bowed to the two Visoreds.

"Oh for… enough with the bowing, kid!" Muguruma barked in exasperation.

Blinking in confusion, Tōshirō nevertheless heeded the instruction as he looked up at them.

"Look, the Hollowfication incident was way before your time, so it wouldn't be fair to blame you for that," Hirako pointed out.

"And since you're already serving out your sentence without complaint for working with Aizen, it's a waste of time to want payback for that," the Ninth's captain joined in.

"As for stabbing Hiyori, that one was definitely personal and harder for us to let go of," the other Visored stated grimly. "But while the other Visoreds got the option of wanting nothing to do with you, I don't."

"What do you mean? I have no intentions of forcing you to do anything."

"I'm talking about Hinamori-chan," Hirako looked down his nose at the child captain, sucking his teeth idly. "Since my new lieutenant is the same girl you were willing to go to Hell for, it'd be dumb to pretend we ain't ever gonna to run into each other. And rather than shrinking in guilt every time you see me and me making passive-aggressive comments at your expense, I think it'd be much easier on Hinamori-chan if we got along."

Tōshirō swallowed. "Are you sure? You are under no obligation…"

"No, but maybe the fact I'm wearing a captain's haori despite never expecting to do so again has made me partial to new beginnings," the blond captain shrugged. He then smirked, "But if you really want to make it up to us…"

"Of course."

"I know Hiyori's itching for some payback and is more than capable of carrying it out herself, how 'bout we'll call it square after you suffer her wrath?"

"Okay, now that would be entertaining," Kensei mused, a nasty smile causing his eyes to blaze madly.

"Uh, okay…" Looking between these two grinning maniacs Tōshirō sighed. "I'll prepare myself for that."

From what he remembered, Sarugaki Hiyori was about his height and fairly scrawny; he should be able to endure her very justified retribution if it came to that.


A phantom sting on his cheek reminded Tōshirō that while he had endured her sandal-heavy fusillade, it hit surprisingly hard, both physically and verbally. He doubted Sarugaki had forgiven him, but it seemed like she had vented enough that they could consider the matter settled.

But the topic did bring something else to the forefront of Tōshirō's mind.

The freedom to express his emotions again also allowed his conscience to reemerge. During the time Tōshirō had worked under Aizen, he had been forced to bury his sense of morality, to avoid completely breaking down at the acts he committed to keep his cover.

But the return of his conscience also came hand in hand with guilt. He had killed a lot of people on Aizen's orders, and been an accomplice to many more. And after so long of ignoring his sins, he now was paying for it with interest. It made him wonder if maybe it would have been better for him to have died that day in Karakura, using his life to save Momo's.

Not for the first time, he wondered if he deserved this second chance.

"All right, come on in and make yourselves comfortable, take a load off," Hirako beckoned them in.

"You do realize that this is my home you're inviting us into, right?" Tōshirō asked rhetorically as he followed him into the living room.

"All the more reason for you to relax," the Fifth's captain waved a magnanimous hand.

"He's right, you know, Tōshirō-kun," came the agreement from Ukitake Jūshirō, captain of the Thirteenth Division. The venerable legend was surpassed only by Momo as the person to treat him with the most guileless warmth and affection since Tōshirō's return to the Gotei 13.


"Good afternoon, Tōshirō-kun!" Ukitake greeted cheerfully as he entered the Tenth's administrative center.

"Ukitake," Hitsugaya looked up from his work at his visitor. While he was fairly certain he knew the answer, he nevertheless inquired, "What brings you here?"

Sure enough, from the seemingly infinite storage space that was his sleeves, the elder captain whipped out a variety batch of treats. Unnecessarily, Ukitake happily replied, "I've brought a little gift for you!"

"'Little?'" Tōshirō deadpanned as he eyed the receptacle, which surely weighed as much as he did.

"Well, little compared to my goodwill towards you!" the senior "shiro" chuckled.

"As much as I appreciate your… generosity," the young prodigy replied, "you should know that contributions of this size or frequency are not necessary."

That was a polite understatement. While Tōshirō invited and encouraged anyone and everyone who came into his office to treat themselves to the candies Ukitake inundated him with on a regular basis, the only reason the whole Tenth Division was not completely covered in confections was due to frequent visits from Kusajishi Yachiru.

When Tōshirō had asked Gin how old he was when Ukitake stopped giving him candy, the fox only smirked, "I'll let ya know when he does."

So unless his illness cropped up, Ukitake could be relied upon to make a visit to the Tenth's office once a week to make sure the young captain's candy supply would be nothing less than well-stocked.

In response, Ukitake just smiled, "Perhaps not necessary, but goodies like these are simple pleasures that make life worthwhile, and I'm all too eager to share them with you."

Abandoning subtlety, Tōshirō struck the heart of the matter that bothered him the most about his elder's repeated gifts. "Why? You never did this for me before, and we have had no interactions that should incur this kind of generosity. Why are you making so much effort to reach out to me?"

"I just want to be sure that your return to the Gotei 13 is facilitated smoothly," the old warrior answered.

Tōshirō stared flatly, nonverbally expressing his skepticism of the gesture.

Ukitake's face dimmed, and he sighed, "You're very perceptive, Tōshirō-kun. I do want you to know that giving you a warm welcome back is the main reason why I'm doing this, but you are right in that it's not the only one."

Ah, suspicions confirmed. "And what other reasons do you have?"

"I wanted to ask how you were coping," the captain of the Thirteenth inquired gently.

The prodigy blinked. "Coping with what?"

"The guilt over what you were ordered to do while in Aizen's service," Ukitake elucidated somberly.

Tōshirō stilled for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

Observing his reaction, Ukitake bowed his head. "If you are not comfortable answering me, you do not have to. Personal feelings are called 'personal' for a reason. But if you are ever willing to talk to me, I will listen. If there is someone else you would rather confide in, I'm sure your trust in them will be well placed."

Grateful for how his boundaries were respected, Tōshirō could only nod mutely.

"If you are not ready to speak, then would you be willing to listen to me?" the elder requested.

The younger captain looked at him curiously. "About what?"

"I have been a shinigami for a very long time, Tōshirō-kun." Ukitake now appeared to have the weight of those centuries on his shoulders. "The mandate of a shinigami is to preserve the balance of the world at all costs. But once upon a time, we shinigami did not care about the cost… or doing anything to mitigate them."

Tōshirō swallowed at the implications. As gentle and warm-hearted as Ukitake might be, it was a chilling reminder he was old enough to live in times when the Hollow execution pits were in active use. It did not take much imagination to infer the kind of actions he likely partook in to maintain the balance of the worlds.

"You know your crimes better than I do; you know what lives were lost because of you," the ancient shinigami continued his melancholic lecture. "I don't know if it's possible to commit enough good deeds to outweigh our sins, but I estimate that you have a much shorter route to that goal than I do, Tōshirō-kun."

The revelation that Hitsugaya Tōshirō was not the worst criminal to escape the full consequences of their actions due to being worth more as a captain of the Gotei 13 did little to comfort him. But paradoxically, the fact that Ukitake Jūshirō could be so benevolent today despite having committed heinous acts in the past did give the probationary captain hope for his own future.

Death may be what he deserved. But if the living were not done with him yet, then Tōshirō was determined to provide the best he could in their service.


Of course, there was no Ukitake without Kyōraku Shunsui, captain of the Eighth Division, and Ichimaru's former commanding officer.

With those two inseparable captains came their lieutenants, Ise Nanao and Kuchiki Rukia of the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions, respectively. The new arrivals were greeted by their fellow officers, and already the house seemed warmer than it had in all the time he lived here.

Tōshirō hung back and observed the lieutenants chat amiably. Particularly odd was how close Kuchiki had become to the vulpine Ichimaru, since Tōshirō seemed to recall the girl being rather frightened of him before the Winter War. Now, there was nothing but warmth and friendship between the two. Tōshirō did not know the story behind this, and briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the similarly warmed relationship Kuchiki had with her brother.

"Where are yer stalkers?" Gin inquired as he noticed the two Third Seats' conspicuous absence from their captain's side.

"Sentarō and Kiyone are assisting Rangiku-kun in the kitchen," the old nobleman beamed. "And Kuchiki-kun is there as well to direct their efforts towards whipping up dinner and not each other."

"Thank you all for doing this," Tōshirō spoke up suddenly, fidgeting a bit when all their attention turned on him.

"Given that we're always using your place to meet, it's only fair we do our part to help," Ukitake smiled.

"Mind you, some of us have not been as helpful as others," Nanao glared at her captain.

"I helped!" Kyōraku protested.

"You put the sake jars on the table," she flatly summarized his "help."

The Eighth's captain tilted his head in earnest confusion. "Is that not the greatest contribution to dinner?"

Nanao pinched her brow in exasperation.

"Hey, depending on how Rangiku-chan's cooking turns out, a stiff drink will be welcome," Hirako snarked.

"I heard that!" the woman in question hollered from the other room, causing the blond captain's pale as he realized his comment had not gone unnoticed.

"Anyone wanna start a bettin' pool on whether Hirako-taichō's dinner will be poisoned?" Gin immediately capitalized on the threat to his comrade's life.

"I'll bet that she doesn't," Hirako immediately took him up on the offer. "If I lose, I won't have to pay you."

"What if the poisonin' ain't fatal?" the kitsune smirked.

"What a lovely topic to discuss right before dinner," Tōshirō interjected dryly.

"Ain't it though?" Gin agreed cheerfully, feigning ignorance of the sarcastic tone.


It was the day after Tōshirō had regained consciousness, cuffed and held in a cell in the Fourth Division. His first visitor had been Unohana checking on his condition and doing him the courtesy of delivering the welcome news that that Hinamori had indeed survived, while Kurosaki successfully vanquished Aizen.

His second "visitor" proved to be Soifon, a much less pleasant encounter as she interrogated him on his crimes and motivations. Though the fact that she did not use any "enhanced techniques" to question him indicated she was being comparatively lenient with him. That, or Unohana had forbidden her from doing any physical harm to him.

His next guest was one of the last people he expected would come to visit him, someone he had not seen since that memorable day on the top of Sōkyoku Hill. Speaking of which…

"Kuchiki Rukia," Tōshirō sat up as the petite woman entered. His wounds prevented him from standing, but he still made the effort to get into a position he could bow as best he could in his current condition. "Before the chance passes, I want to apologize for trying to kill you."

She raised an eyebrow at his initiative, then asked pointedly, "So, if you had a chance to do it over, you would refuse Aizen's command?"

"I don't think I would have openly defied him, no, as I feared that would result in immediate reprisal to Hinamori," he confessed. "But I would have at least protested the order and questioned its pragmatism, and tried to get Aizen to agree that there was no need to kill you. Failing that, I would try some other means to avoid an actual killing blow while making it look like I was intending to obey him."

The youth's head sunk low. "But… I did none of that. I didn't even try to spare your life. For which I'm truly sorry."

Her face did not reveal how she received this explanation, but she did remark, "Well, I appreciate your honesty at the very least."

"It's actually refreshing, to no longer have to live a lie," the prisoner exhaled as he settled back onto his sickbed. "But more importantly, it's what you deserve."

Rukia regarded him for a moment with a scrutinizing gaze, and he resisted the urge to squirm. Then she nodded. "Very well, I accept your apology."

Tōshirō's head snapped around, not quite believing what she just said. "What?"

"I forgive you," she reiterated calmly.

He continued to stare at her. "…That easily?"

"This would not be the first time I've forgiven someone who apologized for trying to kill me," Rukia shrugged. "And since that decision bore good fruit, I see no reason not to repeat it in a similar scenario."

While knowing it was not in his best interest to question, Tōshirō still felt he had to remark on this. "Pardon me for saying this, but I think you are too forgiving."

"On the contrary, I am simply trying to live up the ideal I believe all shinigami should adhere to."

The captive patient frowned. "What do you mean? The purpose of shinigami is to maintain balance of the worlds."

"And what are the two primary methods shinigami use in accomplishing that goal?" Rukia pressed him.

"Performing konsō on whole souls and killing Hollows." Was there really a need to state something so obvious?

"Incorrect on the second account," she replied.

Upon further consideration, he chose to amend his statement. "Fine, technically it's purifying Hollows, but I still don't see how that relates to this ideal you mentioned."

"When a shinigami cleanses a Hollow, they are basically pardoning them for every action they committed since their corruption," Rukia elucidated. "Every soul devoured, every cruelty performed, every abuse carried out… when we use our zanpakutō to break their masks, we are expunging all those sins and granting them permission to enter Soul Society freely, as if they had never become a Hollow in the first place. Only the souls who had committed unforgiveable sins in life are beyond our authority to pardon."

She paused to regard him as she let her words sink in. "Since our mandate has us forgive the sins of those who have harmed others, would it not be hypocritical to fail to extend that grace to those who wronged us?"

This unique perspective left him staring at her speechless. Finally, he managed to reply, "I don't believe many shinigami think that way."

"Not the majority, certainly." Her lavender eyes softened as she spoke. "But I've noticed more adherents than you'd expect, even if they don't express the sentiment in so many words. Regardless, it is my intention to act in a way I believe shinigami should. Perhaps then my example will inspire others to follow suit."

"Well, I certainly wish you luck in that endeavor, as it would certainly lead to a better world," Tōshirō turned his attention to the wall, biting his lip in an uncharacteristic display of anxiety. "I'd consider emulating you, but I know I'm not going to be part of that world."

"What do you mean?" the noble actually sounded confused.

Tōshirō held up his cuffed hands. "If I'm lucky I'll be imprisoned for the next few millennia instead of executed, and if I'm really lucky I'll be allowed visitors during my sentence."

"Which would be a waste of your talents," Rukia opined with a frown.

"I made my choices and I'll accept the consequences," Tōshirō replied solemnly.

"I respect that," she hummed in approval, and then got to her feet. "Pardon me, but I must be going. Thank you for your time."

"You owe me nothing, Kuchiki," Tōshirō lowered his gaze. "But I do want to thank you for visiting, and your kindness. And if it is not too presumptuous, please pass along my gratitude to Kurosaki, for being able to complete the task I failed."

Rukia spared him a gentle smile and then exited the room. Tōshirō was quite sure it would be the last time he would ever see her.

It was an assumption that would shortly be definitively disproven.

In hindsight, Tōshirō realized this discussion with Rukia most likely resulted in her convincing Byakuya to call in favors with the Central Forty-Six to influence their decision and then advocate for his reinstatement as captain. He didn't know if she was just that persuasive, or she just pulled the "you tried to get me executed and you owe me big time" card, but the influence of the Kuchiki was the only reason Tōshirō could fathom for the present situation.


"Whaddya know, I'm halfway through my meal and I'm still alive," Hirako chortled.

"Not for long if you keep up that talk." Rangiku's honeyed tone contained all the poison the Fifth Captain's food did not.

"Since you keep complaining about dinner, then I assume you have no interest in dessert," Momo concluded primly.

"I would like to offer my compliments about the meal you all obviously worked very hard on," Tōshirō spoke up quickly.

Hirako coughed in a manner that sounded suspiciously like "Whipped." After the blond captain had "cleared his throat," he relented, "Fine, fine, everything's tasty, good job."

"That's better," Rangiku smirked.

Gin chortled at the exchange and then changed the subject. "By the way, Rukia-chan, I heard that you've been goin' to Hitsugaya-taichō fer lessons."

"Yes, he has been gracious enough to set aside some time to guide me on using my zanpakutō, since we both have ice-types," the Thirteenth's lieutenant answered.

"It's the least I can do for you," her new mentor spoke up modestly.

"Ukitake not feelin' jealous yer lookin' fer 'nother captain, is he?" the fox jabbed.

Unfortunately for the trickster, the elder captain did not rise to the bait, and cheerfully replied, "Of course not! In fact, I encouraged her to seek out Tōshirō-kun for advice on the grounds of their common type."

"So, how has it been going?" Momo inquired.

"It was harder than anticipated at first," Tōshirō admitted. "While we both have ice-type zanpakutō, they operate differently. Hyōrinmaru is more powerful and versatile, so my main challenge in learning how to use him was control. Kuchiki has good control over Sode no Shirayuki's abilities, but needs time to increase her power and see if there are more than three 'Dances' she can use."

"Your advice has been helpful, and it does feel like I'm making progress." Rukia then spoke in a more introspective tone as she absent-mindedly fingered her arm badge, she continued, "It almost feels too fast at times; just two years ago I was an unseated officer, and now I'm a vice-captain."

"It was my original plan to ease you into the position over a longer period of time," Ukitake admitted. "But after the glowing recommendations from your teammates on the Task Force in the world of the living and your accomplishments in Hueco Mundo, I decided that you were more than ready to assume the responsibilities that came with being a lieutenant."

"You are the only person in this room who has killed an Espada," Nanao reminded her.

"Hey, I beat an Espada," Gin pointed out.

"But you didn't kill him," the Eighth's lieutenant countered.

"We never saw that Ferris Wheel Arrancar again, so I'd say that still counts as good as a kill," the fox returned.

"That's because he was killed by Jaegerjaquez shortly after your battle with him to regain his place in the Espada," Tōshirō interjected.

Spearing a dumpling on his chopsticks, Gin popped it into his mouth and spoke around it. "So basically just finishing the job I'd done most o' the work on."

"Keep telling yourself that," the younger prodigy replied in feigned skepticism, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

It had been after such a dinner as this that he decided to follow the advice he had been given.


Kira, Gin, Rangiku and Hinamori stayed long into the night, but as they were finally calling it quits, Hitsugaya saw his chance. "Hinamori."

"Hm?" she looked back questioningly.

"Would you mind staying for a moment?" he asked. "I'd like to talk to you."

Ironically, it was Rangiku who had the more mischievous smile (which Tōshirō studiously ignored), while Gin's grin was more of knowing approval.

"Of course," Hinamori nodded easily. To the others, she waved, "Have a good night!"

A chorus of replies answered her, and then the two lifelong friends were alone.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Hinamori asked.

Tōshirō swallowed as he tried to find the words. He initially had little success, his hands fidgeting as he had a few false starts to sentences. Fortunately, Hinamori sensed his difficulty, and merely waited patiently for him to say his piece.

At last, he settled on a sufficient opening salvo. "I guess the best place for me to start is to say that you are the most important person in my life, Momo."

The girl's cheeks pinked at the direct admission, but he continued on before he lost his momentum.

"You were the only person other than Granny who cared for me in the Rukongai. Even when I acted like a rude, ungrateful brat, you still took time to visit me while you were at the Academy. And even now, after everything I had done in pursuit of my goal to kill Aizen and get the Hōgyoku, you still didn't forsake me. So I want you to know how much I appreciate the good you've done me."

Hand unconsciously raised to her chest, Momo was undeniably touched by this declaration. Now as flustered as he was, she replied, "W-well, you are my best friend, Tōshirō. And while you were a bit of a brat when you were younger, you grew out of it!" Her expression turned more solemn. "As for everything with Aizen… you know now what you did was wrong, but you're making better choices now, so that's enough for me." Her curious gaze returned to him. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"

"Because I know I hurt you when it was revealed that I was a traitor to Soul Society, and that my path was not one you would have wanted me to follow for your sake," he replied morosely. "While I initially had little choice but to play along so Aizen wouldn't kill you or me, I could have searched for ways to escape being under his influence. But instead, I stuck to the road in front of me without making any effort to deviate, no matter what.

"So based on advice from some of my new friends, I want to open up more with you, to make sure you know how much I do appreciate you, and that I promise whatever happens in the future, there will be no more secrets between us."

The brunette stared at him for a moment, and then wrapped her arms around him a tight hug.

"Thank you, Tōshirō," Momo whispered in his ear. "While I would have stayed by your side regardless, hearing you say all that means a lot to me."

Flustered at the close contact, the white-haired youth slowly returned the embrace. "You're welcome, Momo. I was reluctant to talk to you like this, both because I didn't want to burden you… and because I feared how you would react."

She pulled back enough to give him an expression of fond exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you that you're not getting rid of me? To make things even, I promise that anytime I need to talk about things, I'll come to you, too."

Now that his gambit had proven successful, Tōshirō suddenly realized why Momo was so overjoyed by him opening up. His lips twitched up slightly.

"Deal."


Cleanup was handled by the ones who took no part in the cooking. Even Kyōraku stepped in, albeit after a verbal crack of the whip from Nanao.

But after those chores were completed, it had grown late into the evening, and so the guests started to trickle out. Hirako, Ise, Kyōraku, Ukitake, Kotsubaki and Kotetsu, Kuchiki, Ichimaru and Ichimaru, and Kira…

Then, Momo was the only one remaining. Unlike the rest, she made no motion to depart, and instead made a round of the residence to ensure doors were locked and barriers were in place.

While she did so, Tōshirō grabbed a book and reclined onto his couch, opening it up to where he had last left off. Moments later, Momo returned with a blanket and a book of her own in hand. She snuggled into his side and wrapped the comforter over their laps, briefly sharing a smile with him before getting started on her own reading.

Normally, the ice wizard had a low tolerance for heat, often finding it oppressive and stifling. But the warmth generated by his proximity to the fiery woman was comforting and soothing, one he relished with every opportunity to share private time together. Any remnants of the headache from his workday that managed to survive dinner with his friends were utterly obliterated as he basked in his closest confidant's presence.

It admittedly was not very long before Tōshirō started to feel drowsy and lost focus of the words on the page. He settled the book in his lap and let himself lean back against the couch, his head tilting to the side where he saw Momo still engrossed in her story.

His gaze lingering, he could not help but once again appreciate the good fortune he had in being here with her. He had once wondered aloud within earshot of his lieutenant how Momo could still love him despite being undeserving of it. In response, Kira told him, "In my experience, people aren't loved because they deserve to be."

Tōshirō had failed in his long-running objective to kill Aizen and retrieve the Hōgyoku. Furthermore, his actions and choices had caused more distress to Momo than good. Despite all this, she had still forgiven him, accepted him back into her life. Not for the first time, Tōshirō noted how perfectly Momo matched the symbolism of her division's flower, the lily of the valley: self-sacrifice, sweetness, and humility.

There was no doubt that he would carry the burden of his sins for the rest of his life, but thanks to the input from several people he now called friends, he had been taught that he did not need to bear it alone. Furthermore, he had the chance to correct his life so he would do good in the world instead of harm; rather than weighing him down, the past now pushed him forward.

Just drifting off to sleep with these thoughts in mind, Tōshirō was sure of one thing. Whatever challenges and obstacles the future held, he vowed he would face them at Momo's side, as he should have all along.

Fin


Author's note: Good news and bad news, readers. The bad news is that this chapter is the final segment of the story that I published all the way back in 2013.

The good news is that I will soon be publishing what is essentially a reboot of "A Grudge Not Held." It has always been my goal to continue on and cover both the Zanpakutō Rebellion and the Thousand Year Blood War arcs. However, as time passed and I reflected on my writing and what I planned for the future, I increasingly found that what I envisioned no longer fit in with what I had already published. So in this upcoming story, which I will entitle "A Grudge Not Held, 2nd. Ed.," I will be exploring more characterizations, making some changes to the plot, delving deeper into worldbuilding, and just overall creating what I hope to be a new and improved product.

The bones of this final chapter were actually originally intended to be part of the first chapter of the TYBW arc, back before I decided to go the reboot route. Originally my plan for the final chapter of AGNH 1.0 was going to be excerpts from the Zanpakutō Rebellion, but I decided to do a Tōshirō-centric chapter because I felt that how I handled his character to be the weakest aspect of this story, and I wanted to do something to make up for that.

Gin teasing Hitsugaya about being his son refers to a crack theory I've loved for a long time, and also to "The Best Mistake" by 1nerdylibrarian on ArchiveOfOurOwn who wrote a great AU based on that premise. The line from Kira about how people are not loved because they deserve to be is also from that story.

Once again, my thanks to Tomas the Betrayer for being a beta-reader to this story, and I definitely recommend you check out his story "Hammered Down."

FFN Readers: Thank you all who have left reviews in the years since I last uploaded a chapter: X59, ACSkywalker, Sebine, soul puker, ChunkyFunkyMunky, Twilight Dusk, ChopSuzi, almostNEET, sarista wow, shubhendu dutta, copiyan, blades, a7152966, Naliyu, dartboi, Koorax, Iridescent Moonflower, Kronus96, animeloverforever1127, recline, phenjaws, LionLordEscanor, ElnaKernor, skellydun, linkjames34, Homcomru, Arienna Natalitha, anonymous guests, and those that will leave reviews on this story in the future.

In the very first drafts of my original TYBW arc, not long after I finished AGNH 1.0, I originally thought about devoting an entire chapter to the climax of the Fullbringer arc, and that was what would have served as the "trailer." However, I eventually realized that there were not enough differences from canon to make this an acceptable option, since it was just Gin replacing Hitsugaya, and scrapped the idea.

But I did like how Gin's "battle" with Yukio turned out, so I decided to save it as an omake…


Omake: Xcution Dictionary

Despite how quickly the captain of the Gotei 13 had found him in this labyrinth, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna did not seem too concerned about his chances.

"What do you think you can do to me in here?" the teenage Fullbringer demanded confidently. "This is my dimension; in here, I'm a god."

"How scary," Ichimaru Gin's predatory, amused grin clashed with his words. He very much doubted the child could live up to his self-proclaimed title, but on the remote chance he did, the serpent would eagerly introduce him to his Bankai. Kamishini no Yari needed a good test of her ultimate technique. "Guess that means I won't feel bad 'bout killin' a lil' kid."

"I don't think you truly understand your position," the mortal gamer sneered. "Since I'm a god, I can create anything. Like this…"

A few presses of the buttons on his gauntlet later, and a large creature suddenly loomed over its creator.

Gin bit back a laugh. The thing which was obviously supposed to be intimidating reminded him more of the basest Hollows, which had failed to frighten him even fresh out of the Academy.

"Well, ain't he cute," the fox cooed. "Can I pet him?"

Yukio smug smile disappeared instantly. Looks like Gin hit a nerve.

"Don't make fun of me, creep!" the Fullbringer barked, and let his pet monster throw a slow, easily avoided punch. At the sight of his nimble opponent, he yelled, "Don't dodge it! What are you, scared?"

"Sorry," the slippery captain apologized insincerely. "I jus' saw somethin' moseyin' towards me, an' I thought it only polite to step outta the way so it could move by."

"I'm going easy on you! Let me show you what happens when I stop holding back!"

More button mashing commenced, and Gin realized he was all but surrounded by an assortment of monsters boasting various grotesque shapes. Even still, the fox knew that he wouldn't even need his first release to evade their attacks and defeat all the monsters Yukio could send after him.

An assessment proven accurate with a single swipe of his zanpakutō. Even at twenty percent strength, the spiritual force from the swing was more than enough to carve through the swarm of Hollows and leave none in its path standing.

"Ya like to play games?" Gin hissed, and allowed his smile to curve more menacingly as Yukio's arrogance was quickly overwritten by terror. "Good, so do I. My sensei taught me quite a few we could play together…"

Minutes later, Gin and his opponent reappeared in the forest of the world of the living.

"Welcome back, Ichimaru-taichō," Abarai Renji greeted him. Then he glanced behind the captain and idly asked, "What's with him?"

"Who, the puny god?" the serpentine officer gestured to his uninjured but quite defeated opponent, now a twitching wreck curled up on the ground. "He's jus' a sore loser."

To be honest, the shifty captain found himself a little disappointed his opponent wasn't even able to challenge him enough to release Shikai. Ah, well, no doubt there would be other aspiring divines to knock down a peg somewhere down the road.