A reminder: I wrote "Best I Am," this story's prequel, before the vizards came into play, so it was an unknown quantity who would replace Aizen, Kaname, and Ichimaru. I came up with my own answers to that question; so, when I talk about Ikkaku Madarame being the Fifth Division Captain, don't worry; you aren't having a fever dream.

It's just something I came up with all on my own.

.

Hitsugaya made his way around the grounds of his division without a destination in mind; it was less a patrol, or a walk, and more of a stroll. He watched people pass, he watched leaves fall from the trees, he watched clouds drift by. He had no specific notion of what he was doing. He didn't care; it didn't matter. Not today.

The children followed him dutifully, watching the soul reapers go about their business, pointing and whispering to each other whenever they saw something interesting. Sometimes, one or the other would tug at Hitsugaya's sleeve and ask a question.

Sometimes, the question would be relevant to the running of Soul Society, like: "Where's that person going with all those papers?"

Sometimes, the question would be something more mundane, like: "How comes everybody wears the same clothes? Is it so's they can hide?"

Sometimes, the question would be utterly baffling, like: "Can frogs be captains? What about squirrels?"

Hitsugaya did his best to answer each question as it came his way. Other reapers would eye him strangely, surely wondering what he thought he was doing. Surely, he wasn't expecting children to be proper soldiers; he wasn't Captain Zaraki, and neither of those two were Vice-Captain Kusajishi. So far, though, nobody had bothered to approach Hitsugaya for any kind of clarification.

"Oi." Hitsugaya didn't react when Ikkaku Madarame fell into step beside him. "Got a couple of runts chasing your shadow. Hope them are intentional, or I've got concerns about court security."

"I assure you, Madarame," Hitsugaya said, "they are intentional."

"Heard you and the little lady had some trouble with a body from my old division."

"You could call it that." It was hard to think of Ikkaku as belonging to any division except the Eleventh; even though he'd been the captain of the Fifth for so long now, he still had the aura of his old stomping grounds. "So far, Matsumoto has been managing him well enough."

Ikkaku laughed quietly, certain he knew what that meant. "You know," he said, "sometimes I think Cap'n Zaraki sends some of his problem children out to get their noses thumped, just so he don't have to bother with them himself."

Hitsugaya stopped walking. "That . . . would not surprise me nearly as much as it likely should."

They walked in silence for a time.

Every so often, Ikkaku would toss a glance over his shoulder at the twins, possibly remembering his time minding Kenpachi Zaraki's wayward adjutant; not unkindly, given that he kept smiling privately to himself. He didn't say anything, though, neither to them nor Hitsugaya.

When the children waved, Ikkaku touched two fingers to his temple in a little salute.

"Madarame," Hitsugaya said eventually, "have you heard of anyone going by the name Mister West?"

It was Ikkaku's turn to stop in his tracks. "Where'd you hear that?"

Hitsugaya eyed his fellow captain with narrow eyes. "You have."

Ikkaku's eyes flared. "Is he here?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "We have one of his . . . enforcers, I guess you might call it, in Kurotsuchi's custody right now," he said. "I've requested that he be kept alive, but you know how well that tends to work. Who knows if it'll end up that way in the end?"

Ikkaku's eyes flashed to Izumi and Hibiki. "He got his hooks in these two?" he asked.

"Apparently."

"What's he got them up to?"

"Petty theft," Hitsugaya said. "You know more than I expected. What's this about? How much do you know about this man?"

Ikkaku growled low in his throat. "I gotta talk to Yumi about this," he said. "Lemme know what the mad scientist figures out, yeah? Keep an eye on those two." He pointed behind him. "I got shit to handle." He eyed the children. "Don't repeat that."

Hitsugaya smirked, but it didn't stay on his face long.

Ikkaku disappeared.