Author's Notes: Hello to all of my readers. First, I want to thank everyone who has made this my most favorite and followed story of all the stories, seriously the numbers humble me and I thank you for the support.

I wish I could say that the update pace will get better but I can't as the personal problems I am dealing with at home are complicated. I get how some people can think when we say 'personal problems' is just an excuse some people give to justify the delay in updates to their favorite stories, and as I experienced with the posting of my last chapter some people made their thoughts about my delays very clear to me. Honestly, all authors want to put out their work as fast as we want so people can enjoy it, but we are also human and we all can have our issues and lives that can affect when we can post it. I'll admit that I'm envious of people on this site who manage to post weekly chapters for our consumption and enjoyment. All I can promise to do that when I do post, what I present is something I think is worth your time and hope to surprise you.

Moving away from that serious business and something a bit light-hearted, 2020 didn't start well with FGO for me, my New Year's Ticket ended up boosting Caster Nero to NP3 rather than getting a new servant for my Chaldea. I did manage to snag Semiramis from this year's Valentine's Day Banner, completing my collection of all of the Fate/Apocrypha Servants currently available in-game. Now I need to try and save every single ticket and quartz possible for Skadi in a few months, try being the operative word.

Bleach Brave Souls, however, continues to be a source of inspiration for me and also the only source of continued Bleach work as they adapt the Can't Fear Your Own World novels. It's helped me come to this critical point, as this chapter will be another major moment where I deviate from canon. I can only hope I surprised you all. Feel free to review, I really want to know what you all think of this chapter.

Please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

The Awful Truth

Chapter 9: The Ash Covered Fox

The Rukongai was a chaotic place, depending on how far you went from the Seireitei or in which direction often determined what kind of things you would encounter. But nothing was set in stone, chaos was not linear or stagnant, it changed rapidly and without control. Things can change in a district within a few years, maybe even a few months or days, circumstances in the Rukongai could never truly be understood or handled.

Especially in the Thirtieth.

Just far enough away from the Seireitei that criminal elements weren't scared of reprisal, but not stupid enough to do anything drastic to draw the ire of the Gotei 13. This place had a nice balance as being relatively safe and outside of the Gotei's sights, that along with Central 46.

"This is where you have been hiding him," Toshiro muttered, looking at the small house.

It needed some repair but the signs of recent restoration could be noticed, but it was obvious this house was being used by someone who wanted to be kept out of sight. It was on the edge of the District and situated amongst a few other houses, secluded amongst a few trees and bushes, it was well hidden and uninteresting. A perfect place to hide away in.

Stepping out of the building was a buxom blonde woman, the opening of her Shihakushō revealed her ample chest. She was a beauty and someone that would turn heads of any man that saw her, and Toshiro could see the coy smile on her lips.

A smile that died instantly the moment she saw him ten feet away from her. Her entire body became rigid and he could see this horrified look in her eyes.

"C-Captain," Rangiku Matsumoto inelegantly stuttered after minutes of awkward silence and staring, it was as if she had hoped not saying anything would make him go away.

Toshiro didn't respond to her reply. He simply began moving, stepping onto the porch and then entering the building, catching his lieutenant out of the corner of his eye making futile and halfhearted attempts to stop him.

Matsumoto couldn't stop him, not with her power or authority, not even the mutual respect they held for one another was able to bar him from entering. "Please… don't…" she pleaded before going after him.

He went to the farthest room from the door, forcing it open he found the sole inhabitant sitting on a raised bed. Covered in bandages and loose robes, he was not in the best of shapes, even his spiritual pressure felt wounded and broken. What had happened to him had been so torturous that he had never healed from it, even after a year and a half he had not recovered from the wounds he had suffered against Aizen.

"Matsumoto, remain outside," Toshiro said firmly, never taking his eyes off the man.

"No. No Captain I won't," Matsumoto responded. "I know what you think of him. I won't let you—"

"If I wanted to murder him as you imagine, I would have done it the moment I discovered this place six months ago," Toshiro said cutting her off, his tone calm yet Rangiku could feel the underlying anger and disappointment there. "It's shocking you managed to keep anyone from finding out for nearly a year but were you that naïve to think you could have gotten away with it forever? Did you think I wouldn't learn about your unscheduled trips out of the Seireitei, or procuring medicine from the Fourth Division?"

He had heard from Unohana in a Captains summit some time ago that they were going through more of their resources as of late and there was an issue with their supply. Something clicked with him there because he distinctly remembered some weeks before that his Lieutenant was getting comfortable with some officer in the Fourth. On one occasion he brought her several gifts.

Investigating he had discovered on one occasion that the officer had been the one sneaking medicine and supplies from the Fourth Division. He had been stealing from his Division to give to Rangiku, but the investigation became more compounded when he learned of her multiple trips outside of the Seireitei. Something he only discovered because he noticed some irregularities in the Division's budget.

Nothing out of the ordinary when it came to Matsumoto, he remembered many times when she would take money from their budget and spend it on sake and partying. Wild and morbid amounts of money would be spent in a night, it was something that would drive him crazy.

However, he had noticed that he didn't smell the booze and the members of his Division regularly complaining about not having any booze anymore. But there was still money being taken from their budget, but it was always a consistent amount rather than random amounts, and it was always taken from the budget at the same time every week.

Later he realized she was paying off Kaiwan, giving him money to allow her through the gates at night and not report it to anyone. She was making unsanctioned and nightly trips into the Rukongai, how could he not be suspicious of her actions.

He had pursued her, following her trail to this district and discovering her secret and the person she was keeping hidden from all eyes. After making the discovery he had a choice, several in fact, but in the end, he held his tongue and put it on the back burner until he could confront this issue without leaving Matsumoto likely facing treason charges.

In a way he was good he held off because now he had use of this man.

"It's alright Rangiku," the man in question finally spoke, his voice exactly the same as Toshiro remembered it. "He's not going to hurt me. Just give me the same disapproving stare he always does."

The Captain of the Tenth Division narrowed his eyes at him in response. "You should thankful I am not here to end your life. Gin. "

Ichimaru Gin, former Captain of the Third Division, traitor who aided Sosuke Aizen in his rebellion against the Soul Society. He was suspected to have died eighteen months ago in Karakura Town, killed by Aizen shortly after they arrived in the Soul Society. There was no question about it, no body was found, but Lieutenant Matsumoto had reported he had been killed, with Ichigo confirming he had seen the mortally wounded Gin when he arrived to confront Aizen.

But it had been false.

"Matsumoto, go outside, now," Toshiro ordered, this was more for her safety rather than Gin's. He couldn't talk with her about this; he had plans for Gin and they involved some dangerous things, the less she knew the better.

Culpability was something he couldn't allow to get out, especially when in involved Central 46.

"Don't worry Rangiku, just wait outside, it's not like we have a choice anymore," Gin said, his smile vanishing and he looked serious. "It's all up to the Captain now. So let me hear what he has to say."

Matsumoto was slow to comply, but she did, casting furtive looked behind her as she left, her steps slow. As soon as she was gone and he heard the door close behind him, Toshiro looked at Gin, examining the damage to his body.

The traitor was truly in terrible shape. His arm was missing, likely he was still recovering from serious trauma that was concealed beneath those bandages. More than that he could sense the damage on his spiritual energy and pressure, the way it moved and shifted was all wrong like it wasn't able to maintain itself. Without any medical aid, he was slow to recover from his wounds; it is possible without true medical treatment he would never recover.

"I was surprised to discover you were alive, compared to now when I last saw you I did not think it possible you could have survived. If this is what a year of recovery amounts to, I find it hard to imagine what kind of shape you were in when Aizen tried to kill you." Toshiro stated. He hadn't been lying when he said he was surprised, to survive against that monster, considering how powerful he was and what he could do even before he was mutated by the Hogyoku.

But something he found interesting was when Gin looked at him just a moment ago he saw that his right eye was not blue. It was a pale pinkish color. He paid it only the briefest of glances before he waited for Gin's response.

"Living in the Rukongai has not been easy, not enough supplies to keep me going, along with being on death's door more times than not. You caught me on a good day, lucky you," Gin said, his smile returning.

"How did you survive?" Toshiro inquired. "I can tell you are in bad shape, but this is levels above the state you were in when I last saw you, and there was no telling how bad you were when you received these wounds. How is it that you stayed alive this long?"

Gin looked ready to make another comment, but Toshiro knew he would make some sort of quip or try to dodge the question. "Don't try to brush this off; I heard from Ichigo how bad of a shape you were in, along with Urahara. I want to know how you survived. I heard a few things as well from some of Ichigo's human friends you tried to assassinate Aizen."

He recalled the report, saying that Aizen and Gin had come across some of Ichigo's human friends in Karakura Town and tried to kill them. But in an act that boggled the mind, it seems that Gin had turned on Aizen and tried to kill him, failing to do so and only being successful in stealing the Hogyoku for a short time.

"I want your reasons for doing that, why turn on the man? What did he do to make your turn on him like that?" Toshiro questioned, putting one hand on Hyōrinmaru's hilt. "I want to know the reasons you sided with him in the first place as well. You will give me an answer because it is the only thing that will determine whether or not you get to live."

Gin's smile did not falter in the slightest. "Scary. No need to be so threatening, not like I am a danger to you."

Toshiro despite seeing and sensing the kind of condition this man was in had his doubts that he was truly as vulnerable as he made himself out to be. Gin was not only as slippery as a snake but also as cunning as a fox. For those reasons alone, Toshiro had his reservations on lowering his guard around this man. "Start talking."

"Well… it sort of went like this…"

Seventeen Months Ago…

Gin had not felt pain like this before; truthfully he had never been on the verge of death up until this very moment. Yet a part of him never thought he would be in such agony, down an arm and his own spiritual power going berserk as something attempted to erase him from existence.

Guess that was Aizen's new monstrous spiritual pressure, so strong that it literally was erasing him from existence. So much as get touched and you are on the road to oblivion, it was a scary thing to consider, oblivion and ceasing to exist. Although a part of him couldn't help but feel relieved, even in the face of death he could rest comfortably knowing that the man he wanted dead was going to get his due.

'Those eyes are strong… it's all up to you now Ichigo…'

Gin could see the strength that radiated from the young substitute's gaze, he was ready and able to finish this. To avenge the wrongs inflicted upon Rangiku, to make sure that the crimes Aizen committed were paid for in full. Yet, he could die now knowing that everything would work out in the end.

He looked up, into the eyes of the woman he wanted to protect.

'Please don't cry like that… it will all be better soon… so smile…'

He closed his eyes, for the final time.

Darkness consumed him, consciousness faded, and within moments there was nothing. For a moment that is, for what he saw next was a crimson light, pale it might be but it was still there. Perhaps he wasn't facing oblivion then, maybe he was on the path to hell. Although this didn't seem so foreboding if he said so himself.

Well… not like he had the right to complain.

Although he did feel the need to curse when something slammed into his stomach and sent him reeling back. He resisted the urge to blink, but he had to look around because that shouldn't have happened. How could he have been knocked on his ass if he was already on his back bleeding out? He certainly didn't have the strength to stand up and survive what he went through.

"You really can be an idiot sometimes."

The childish voice drew his attention forward, he had a witty remark already prepared and on the tip of his tongue, but he choked on those words as he saw the speaker. He should have recognized the voice, but it had been so many years since he heard that cute little squeaking tone that he had forgotten about it.

It was Rangiku, but at the same time, it was not. But she was not the voluptuous Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, no, now she was the small child he had met all those years ago in the Rukongai. The girl had the same strawberry blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. The girl he had befriended and used all his power to protect and keep safe.

"Doing all that and getting yourself killed, for what? A memory." She said, despite being in the form of a child her tongue was as sharp and rough as her adult self. Just like he remembers her.

"What I did, I did for you. It was all so you could be whole again, so you wouldn't suffer…" Gin said, only to lurch forward as a fist connected with his stomach.

"Stupid! How can you be so stupid?" the child snapped, the calm she showed before was now gone. Instead, Gin felt her piercing stare. "Did you forget what I said to you? How much you meant to me, how important you were to me? I cared for only the days where I had met you! There was nothing for me before then!"

He remembered those words, they sounded so childish in his memories but looking back on it now. Maybe it wasn't so, maybe they were the truest thing he could call love, the love she felt for him for giving her back her life. He cared for her as well, just as much as she did him, it was why he had done what he did.

"You hurt me, more than they did. The path you took drove you away from me, Gin," 'Rangiku' somberly told him. "You were the only thing that mattered to me anymore. The only person I remembered that I loved. "

Gin didn't say anything, he couldn't, what was the point anymore. It was over, he was dying right now, it was only a matter of time before everything crumbled away and he was gone from the world. Maybe he had hurt her, maybe, in the end, it did amount to nothing but more heartache, but there was nothing he could do to change it.

He had set foot on the path, walked its length to the very end, and now he waited for the climax. The end of his existence.

"I made the choice I thought was right, for you. But now…" he hesitated, hanging his head down. "But now I have to face the consequences of that choice. I am sorry, but I can't apologize to you."

'Rangiku' stared angrily at him. "You are so stupid. Dying is easy, it is the coward's way out. It is simply there so people can escape when they give up. Life is hard, and I know that you regret that you are going to die. So why not keep living? Isn't what you wanted most of all was for me to be whole again?"

Gin looked up and saw that she raised a hand and presented to him a small glowing sphere. He looked at it in wonder, a flash of memories passing through his mind. Aizen standing before a group of kneeling Shinigami, a premature Hogyoku in his hands glowing with energy recently harvested from Rukongai residents.

"That… was what they took…" Gin said, reaching for the sphere, taking it from her and holding it in his hands. "How? How do you… how is this here?"

"I am what he took away, that small piece from Rangiku that he stole to make the Hogyoku." 'Rangiku' said as she looked at him. "As for how I am here? You should know already."

Gin wracked his brain trying to figure out this conundrum, how was it possible for her to be here right now? What had he done that had allowed this fragment to suddenly manifest, he looked down at the orb in his hands and the answer came to him.

"The Hogyoku… when I held it… it recognized my desire and manifested itself…" Gin said, looking at what he realized now was a soul fragment of Rangiku, who nodded her head with a smile.

"And I came to you. You brought me back so that you could give me back to her so she could be whole," the soul fragment replied. "This is your chance."

She pointed away to something, a small white light in the distance, overshadowed by the aurora of dark red that was encompassing the sky. It was small, like a lone star in the vast night sky, it beckoned him forward, calling for him to come back.

"Death is easy. Are you going to take the easy way out? Or are you going to keep yourself alive so you can give that back to her?" She asked, scrutinizing him and waiting for his answer.

"Give up? No. Not when I still have to do something." Gin said, turning to the light, ready to fight tooth and nail to reach it.

For a moment he wondered about something.

"Hey, how can you know all about how she felt when you are the fragment of her that was taken all those years ago? How come you know about that?"

"You are so stupid," 'Rangiku' said, but there was a smile on her face. "I don't have her memories, but I have yours… I saw her through your eyes, heard her through your ears, and felt her with your heart. How could I not know how she felt?"

Gin smiled, shaking his head. "Yeah… I really am stupid, aren't I?" he said, turning and moving for the light.

The heart was the source of all spiritual power, so long as it beat within your breast you lived and had power. For it to cease to beat, for that power to vanish, death had claimed you in its entirety. Sometimes one can be saved, through special measures and a great deal of effort anyone can be brought back from the brink.

But there were many factors that determined if it could be done, and in this should be done. Rangiku was no healer, not a master of the craft like Isane or Unohana, nor did she have the power to carry out such a delicate operation.

She was trapped, unable to do anything, unable to save him.

"Gin, you bastard, you can't die!"

Rangiku cursed as she poured her spiritual energy into the only Healing Kido that she knew, her hands pressed against the open wound where Aizen had pierced Gin in the chest. As much as she knew it was futile, that her odds were slim to none, she carried on regardless of the risk. Because this was her only chance, her only hope of seeing him survive.

When she had first seen him, beaten and bloody, she had charged in without hesitation. The thought of Aizen being nearby, ready and able to end her with a single sword stroke, did not register to her at that moment. It was only Gin that concerned her, and she was not going to leave him like that. But a part of her knew, deep down, that Gin was going to die regardless of what she could do and with whom had left him in such a state still being within earshot.

Aizen would simply kill all of them on a whim, but she didn't care, she just wanted to be by her childhood friends side one last time. There was no way she could stop the madman, he was so far out of her liege that she doubted anyone short of the Captain-Commander could hope to defeat such a beast.

But luck was on their side.

It was only because of Ichigo that any of them were alive. He had appeared with a crash of stone and concrete, different from before, stronger and just as unseen by one's spiritual senses as Aizen. Rangiku knew he had changed, become like Aizen, for he was able to physically overpower the insanely powerful traitor. Literally having him in the palm of his hand and dragging him away from the town and the rest of them. She could feel the very fluctuations in the air and the tremors in the earth, signaling that their battle was still underway, raging who knows how many miles away.

Realizing that they were not going to die and that the humans weren't even paying attention to her, Rangiku felt actual hope. Not only in defeating Aizen, in ending this war, but maybe also saving someone she thought was lost. It was a foolish hope, for she did not care for the consequences. Not for herself, he was so precious to her, and she would be damned if she let him die.

Traitor or not, enemy or not, she was going to save his life.

Her skills with healing Kido were subpar, but her other areas were better, so she had to improvise. With a low-level flame-based Kido, she burned the stump of Gin's arm until it had been properly cauterized. With that wound sealed she needed to focus on the other, the more blood he lost the less likely he was to be resuscitated. The more blood she kept inside his body the better, which was hard to do since that damn hole in his chest just wouldn't close.

It was taking too long, sometimes she thought that the skin and muscle that was being mended looked like just blobs of blood rather than healing tissue. She knew it was working, but if it would be enough to save him was something she couldn't hope to know.

After what seemed to be an eternity, it was sealed, no more blood gushing out from the cavity in his chest.

But she felt no elation because this was only just the halfway mark.

He was technically dead, having been killed, all she did was repair a broken corpse. So long as his heart did beat, he would not be returning.

Again she tried several methods to revive him, some Kido meant to help restart a heart and even a few that were more accustomed to stopping it. But she was desperate at this point, she had to try anything and everything to get him to breathe again.

"Damn you Gin," Rangiku hissed, throwing all manner of Kido and healing aside.

She performed CPR to try to restart his heart, at this point anything would work for her if it meant bringing him back.

"You don't get to do this to me, do you hear me! You told me you did all of this for me, I believe you! You knocked me out save me from Aizen! You don't get to die without giving me an explanation!"

Her lips came to his and she breathed into his lungs, she saw the rise of his chest, but it did nothing.

"I have so many questions! So many frustrating questions and only you can tell me the answers! You with that annoying, infuriating face of yours! You're going to come back to life even if I have to drag you back from hell myself!"

But it proved to be a failing endeavor if Kido would not work then why would some inefficient resuscitation method succeed? It wouldn't. She was deluding herself, trying desperately to try and bring him back, ignoring all logic and reason just to try and save him. She didn't have any other choice, letting him die was something she could not allow.

Her compressions turned to her balled fist smashing into his chest, bruising his flesh as she tried to force his heart to beat once more. Weeping she tried to make him wake up, calling his name, breathing into his lungs, slamming with all her might into his chest. But he would not wake up, he would not return to her.

"Wake up!"

The gasp of air came in response, her weeping and wailing silenced by a sudden greedy intake of air. Eyes wide and in shock that her brutal beating of the dead man had revived him, her tears stopped, her begging ceased, and she looked with a mixture of relief and frustration at the panting Gin.

"Sorry... for making you worry... Rangiku," Gin wheezed, his eyes open looking at her as if to assure her.

She briefly noticed his right eye had changed color, from blue to pink. The same shade of pink as her own reiatsu, the brief observation passed through her mind before she discarded it for what was important.

"Thank god, I thought I had lost you." She said, smiling slightly as her eyes roamed over his broken and beaten form.

Even with the healing she had administered, along with ignoring the purple bruise that covered most of his center mass, he was in bad shape. This was well beyond her ability to heal, he needed professional help, from someone like Unohana if he hoped to even survive.

"I need to get you to a doctor, I cannot do anymore for you. Your injuries..." She stopped as Gin grabbed her arm with his only hand.

"No," Gin said firmly, holding on to her as best as he could. "Whether I live or die, I want to give you what you asked for. The answers you deserve. I want to be at peace. That won't happen if you take me to the Fourth to be healed and you know it."

Rangiku didn't know what to say, as much as she wanted to yell at him for being such an idiot, she couldn't deny the truth. If she took him to the Fourth he would be dead, even if they healed his wounds they would cart him off to the Nest of Maggots to wait for his inevitable execution.

A part of her wanted answers, but another wanted to see him live. Even if she went without those answers, she would protect him with her life to make sure he would stay with her. With that thought she nodded her head, scooping Gin up in her arms and retreating from the battlefield. Heading towards the Rukongai outside of the Town.

She knew of only one place where he would be safe.

"Everyone's attention was so focused on Ichigo's fight with Aizen miles away, that they didn't pay much mind to a dead man and a weeping woman. Their fight gave Rangiku the time needed to revive me and take me away. She brought me here, to this place from our childhood that only we knew about." Gin said, looking around at the dilapidated shack they now occupied. "She did what she could to help me heal, but I am very much a cripple now. Even if I could leave this hut, I'd surely die even at the hands of a simple Rukongai thug. But for the last year and a half, it has been peaceful. More than I ever thought I could ever enjoy. I had the time to tell her everything, why I did what I did for Aizen and the reasons behind it. Come what may be ahead of me now, I am prepared. I have no more regrets."

He didn't show any emotion, not even when he recounted the tale, stating it almost like a fact. The way he hid it was impressive, not many could put aside their personal feelings to recount such a heartfelt event.

"And that's it. The end." Gin said, his usual smile on his face as he finished up his tale.

While Gin had expressed little to no emotion throughout the retelling, Toshiro on the other hand, his face betrayed his shock and disbelief. He knew of Matsumoto's past with the man, even the barest of details, but she had not expected this man to have similar sentimentality.

"… all of that... everything you did, it was all for Matsumoto?"

Gin looked at the younger Captain, betraying no emotion. It would appear that he did not like broaching the subject of his relationship with Matsumoto, especially with others. That much was obvious, he was guarded, he had to be really. If you had someone like Aizen hovering over your shoulder for a century you had to know how to hide your true feelings so he didn't pick up on them. He did well in that regard, for even Aizen never suspected Gin as a traitor.

"That I did. But there is more to it than that." Gin replied.

"How so?"

"I came into this world and the first thing I witnessed was murder, thievery, and deception. It was the only way to survive. To live, no one was off-limits; the young or the old. Lying is second nature and something like innocence is a fairy tale. It was a fact that I believed for as long as I lived in the Rukongai, scrounging up a living and trying to survive on a day to day basis. Innocence, I never knew what that was. There was only the weak and vulnerable, the strong and vicious, the victors and the dead. That is all I knew." He looked pointedly then. "But when I found Rangiku, near-death on a dirt road just outside Rukongai I saw something I never thought I would ever see. I saw Innocence for the first time. Despite the clear signs I saw that she had been violated, her eyes still held onto that innocence that only a child could. I latched on to her like a man in danger of drowning hangs onto a preserver at all cost, because she was something so unique in the Soul Society that I lived in. When I saw Aizen and what he had taken from her, I swore I would do anything to end him. Anything."

The following silence would be uncomfortable to say the very least, yet it was needed, if only for the younger Captain to digest and accept what had been told. That the man he had come to think of as irredeemable scum had depth to his soul. His motives were simple if not naïve, created by a child that knew not the true meaning of the world and its happenings, but he stuck to them.

A part of Toshiro had to admit that he almost respected Gin for that, being able to hold onto your obligations for so long and go to these lengths to see them through. It was a small part, but it was there, however…

The chaos and destruction he instigated along the way and the evil he helped perpetrate did not seem to amount to the promise he tried to keep. For over a century the man was involved in Aizen's plans, who knows how many suffered because of him, and Gin stood by and allowed it to happen. For no other reason than to wait for the right moment to strike, a moment that could have seen the end of the Soul Society.

Toshiro did not trust him, as much as he came here for the man, he still couldn't convince himself fully to put his faith in him. It made Toshiro feel sick, that he had to rely on him now, put aside his grievances just to ensure the safety of the Soul Society. But that was the point of the Gotei wasn't it? To put aside all other concerns and personal feelings to do what must be done to ensure the safety of the Balance.

He had done it many times before, why not now?

"The Soul Society is under threat."

"When is it not?" Gin said offhandedly.

"Not like this," Toshiro stated. "Ichigo Kurosaki has found proof that there is an army of Quincy preparing to invade the Soul Society. Led by a man the Captain Commander thought to have killed a thousand years ago."

Yet instead of scoffing or making light of this news as Toshiro expected, Gin opened his eyes, the miscolored orbs looking back to him seriously. "So, Yhwach is still alive."

"You know who he is?" Toshiro asked, surprised that the man knew the man.

"We can say what we want about Aizen, but he was always thorough in anything he ever did," Gin said. simply. "After we eliminated Central 46 and worked out of their building, we had access to all of their records. Even the 'forbidden texts'. The ones they make sure to either edit or bury so many of their dirty little secrets, like Yhwach and the War of Blood, they made sure it faded away from memory." He looked up to Toshiro. "I have done many wicked things in pursuit of my vengeance but helping to kill those corrupt pieces of shit was something I never regretted."

"Sadly, I can't have you killing them this time."

Gin blinked. "'This time'?"

"Central 46 has been restored and sadly, they are even more corrupt, more incompetent than the men you, Aizen and Tosen killed," Toshiro explained. "They have turned members of our own squads to their side, get them to plant surveillance devices in all of our squads' barracks. It is because of those devices they have learned of Kurosaki's Quincy status and thus have banned him from entering Soul Society until his life has ended."

"Well, what do you know?" Gin asked before letting out a whistle. "That is a surprise to hear. Given he has Hollow powers it is to be expected that they wouldn't mix well with Quincy power. Guess he is an exception."

But then what jovialness Gin had changed, his expression turning sour. "Of course, Central 46's decisions are laughably predictable and asinine. Most of what they do is not up to the Wise Men, instead, it is up to the Nobility that lines their pockets and also gives them influence. You would be surprised how quickly they sell their morals and obligations down the road for a few coins."

"That corruption is precisely the problem we need to deal with, we need to know who they are working for. But we cannot investigate while we are being monitored… but, if we had an agent that no one thought was alive or affiliated with the Gotei to do so…"

Gin looked up to Toshiro as if he were out of his mind. "I took you for many things. A fool was never one of them." He held up the stump of his right arm. "Rangiku cauterized my right arm to stop the bleeding but it also made it impossible for a prosthetic replacement to work properly. And even if I had two good arms, Aizen did his damage. He may have narrowly missed my heart when he tried to kill me, but I haven't fully recovered from my injuries and it has been over a year now. If there were some kido to heal me, Unohana would be my only option but to do so would attract the very attention you wish to avoid."

Yet to the man's surprise, Toshiro simply smirked. "I'm surprised you haven't already figured out the solution to your problem. You did after all arrange for her kidnapping to Hueco Mundo."

At first, he wasn't sure what the Captain was going on about but his eyes did widen once he figured it out. The little Princess that Aizen had Ulquorria take in order to divide the Gotei's forces.

And her power.

"You should be fortunate that Matsumoto is friends with Orihime Inoue. It makes approaching her seem innocuous," Toshiro elaborated. "If you agree, I'll have Matsumoto bring Orihime here and she'll use her power to undo what has been done. You'll be back to your prime Gin and we need you to be at your prime."

The Captain saw he had Gin's full attention. "You were Aizen's knife in the dark. I want you to be ours in regard to Central 46. They are worse than they have ever been and even the Captain Commander has said that something is very wrong. He will not act against them due to his adherence to the law. But if something were to be found and brought to light of actions they should not be taking..."

"Then the old man would swiftly take their heads, using 'the law' as his pretext," Gin finished.

"If you are ever caught, you will be executed, by either Central or by the Gotei. We will not help you. You will be at their mercy, sentenced how they wish." Toshiro informed him. "But if you manage to survive all odds, that you manage to bring proof of Central's dirty dealings, I will do my part to grant you a pardon for your past crimes." He looked at the ex-captain, wondering if the promise of freedom would be enough for him or if he would need other methods.

Instead, Gin wore a mask of indifference as he slowly, painfully, got out of the bed and limped towards him until they were only a few feet apart. "Fix my body, swear to me Rangiku will face nothing for her part in saving me and I'll do whatever you ask. Anything after that, we will simply see." He held his left hand out in gesture. "Do we have an accord?"

Toshiro took the hand and shook it. "We have an accord."

Rangiku was cracking under the pressure.

Thoughts moved in and out of her mind rapidly that she could barely keep her head on straight. Looking to the doorway once again, for the possibly hundredth time, she wondered what was happening. She felt no spike in spiritual pressure, nor did she hear anything aside from hushed words, by all accounts they were having a calm discussion.

But a part of her couldn't help but think about what could go wrong. Her Captain may allow her to slide in her duties but she knew he wouldn't turn a blind eye to her activities. Not after the lengths, she has gone in order to help and hide Gin, imprisonment was a given. Likely when Toshiro was finished talking, Gin would be dead and she would be on her way to the Nest of Maggots.

All that time and effort wasted, trying to save him, protect him and it ends with both of their lives ending without a bang but a whimper.

"Matsumoto."

The sudden call took her by surprise, almost made her jump out of her own skin, she turned and Toshiro was standing there on the porch looking at her. Expression neutral, arms crossed and with a frown of concentration, he wanted to say something, but was holding himself back.

"You need to come back with me to the Seireitei, I need your help with something," Toshiro said, jumping off the porch and already moving off.

"Eh?" Rangiku looked at him, perplexed that he didn't say anything else, not even a scolding or firm reprimand for her actions. No, all he did was tell her to come back home and help with something you had to understand why she thought it was strange. "You're not going to ask about him?"

"I spoke with him and know the details, I am satisfied – for the moment – with his intentions. But that doesn't matter right now," Toshiro replied.

"But… isn't something like this kind of bad?" Rangiku asked, perplexed that even her Captain was being so quiet about it. "I mean, I did break the law and all that, while this isn't skipping out on paperwork I would think you would have scolded me. In fact, I have been bracing myself for it this entire…"

"Matsumoto, I know," Toshiro said, he came to a halt ahead of her, not turning to look at her. She didn't see his face, but she heard some apprehension in his words, noticed the tension in his shoulder, he was anxious. "Gin told me."

He looked at her, it was subtle, but she could see a look not often seen on her Captain's face, empathy. It took only a moment for her to realize what it could have been that Gin told him, a swath of emotions passed through her as she realized the horrible secret that had been revealed.

They warred in her and fought, to think that he would know about it. It was such a closely guarded secret that she didn't want to think on it a second longer, it was a memory she did not wish to share with anyone.

But now her Captain knew, she could see the look on his face. Something she hated more than anything.

"Don't…" She whispered harshly.

"Matsumoto," Toshiro said, turning to face her fully. "It may not…"

"Don't look at me like that. I don't want you to look at me like that," Rangiku hissed, her fists clenched. "I don't want your pity. I don't want that, Captain. I don't need it."

"Matsumoto, what was done to you…" Toshiro started, struggling to find the words

"I don't remember it!" Rangiku shouted, tears falling from her eyes, even as they held a fierce fiery glare.

Toshiro was taken aback, surprised by her response, they shone with shame, anger, and pain, all expressed in that angry gaze of hers. Her fists were clenched, her entire body shaking, emotions leaked from her like a pressure that suffocated you, it was impossible to not feel it.

"I don't remember what Aizen did to me that day. I can't even remember anything in my life from before that day," Rangiku breathed, shaking her head and wiping away her tears. "But it doesn't matter. Whatever was taken is gone now and nothing can be done about that. There is only one thing that is important to me, more important than what they did to me or what Aizen took. It is Gin."

He had been everything to her. The life she had led up until now is because of him and the motivation he has given her to take hold of it. She was who she was now because she followed him. She had become a Shinigami because of him, rose to the rank of Lieutenant to be closer to him, risked her life just to save him.

"Gin is the one thing in my life that gave it meaning, he was the one person that gave me the will and drive to live on in this world. I felt like nothing in that moment, the short time he was not there, not there to guide me and raise me back up." Rangiku said.

As much as she says she didn't care, the truth was she didn't want to be seen differently, to be seen as weak and vulnerable. Because that was what she was back then, a scared little girl who could do nothing as something was ripped away from her. She had no idea what it was, the importance of it, or even if it would have made a difference in her life.

But she knew how it left her, listless, unable to truly feel anything in this world anymore. To be so worthless that nothing could drag you out of the dark despair that had consumed you, that was what she felt. Lost and alone, unable to do anything but exist, to wallow in the pain of feeling so empty on the inside that you cannot begin to decipher what has been lost.

"I can't lose him... I just can't." Rangiku muttered, looking to her Captain, silently begging him not to end it here.

"…Nothing will change Rangiku, I promise you that," Toshiro said after a long pause. "Not how I see you, not your rank or affiliation with the Gotei, and not with Gin."

"You mean…" Rangiku asked, hoping against all hope that maybe there was a chance he could be saved.

"I need you to come back to me if you want to help Gin you need to get Orihime Inoue here to heal him," Toshiro said, he turned around and started to walk.

Matsumoto blinked, surprised at the order, he was asking her to bring Orihime here? That could only mean one thing, he planned to have him healed and all back to full health. And from the way he was talking, the Captain wasn't going to report this. But why?! "What is going on? Why do you want to help him?"

A part of her couldn't fathom why her Captain would want to help Gin, she knew there was no love lost between them, so why?

"Do you want to save him? Not healed or restored, but saved from future persecution?" Toshiro asked, looking at her over the shoulder. "Help him now, and I will help clear his name."

Rangiku stopped dead in her tracks, was he serious.

"There are threats you don't know about Matsumoto. A war is coming and we need every advantage we can get." Toshiro said grimly. "Because we can sure our enemies will not rest on their own laurels. Gin has already agreed, so from this point onwards he will be fighting to save the Soul Society, and maybe, he can earn redemption down the road."

There was more to this than she could have known, but she did not bother to question it. She only took off after him and felt determination well in her, if this meant a way to pardon Gin she was all for it.

Things were going smoothly, his latest experiments have gone well. In fact, he was in the process of a new one. He smirked, Ichigo Kurosaki has always been an enigma to him, his potential and power are what made him one of the Five War Powers.

Yhwach knew that the young hybrid had so much untapped and unknown potential within him, that to look into the future and all its possibilities could even begin to touch upon his capabilities and their true heights. No, Ichigo was something that could not be fully defined and categorized, only contended with and fought with utmost seriousness.

Hence why he needed to resort to a new method, one he learned from the very boy who had been able to free himself from the connection all Quincy share with him. From catastrophe and setbacks one can still find a morsel of victory, and what he had attained from that act of defiance was nothing short of momentous.

Yhwach sat on his throne, waiting patiently for the doors to open to his throne room. Striding inside was Haschwalth and beside him was the newest addition to his ranks.

"I take it the test has concluded. Did he meet our expectations?"

"He performed as well as we anticipated. As instructed I have returned with him, intact." Haschwalth replied, bowing his head and stepping aside so the young Quincy could stand on his own.

The boy looked at him with clear disdain, one that was not even hidden, there was no point in really hiding such an expression. Yhwach knew of the young man's hatred for him, likely he had been informed of what happened to his mother. But it did not matter, the boy would soon bend the knee to him.

"Welcome, Uryu Ishida, to Silburn. Welcome home, my son borne in the light."

Final Author's Note: I know. Many of you were expecting Uryu's fight with Ebern this chapter, and I tried to put it here, but this was really Gin's chapter, to reintroduce him to the story and explain his survival. Putting that fight in front or at the end just didn't fit so I settled this ending for a stinger. Uryu's circumstances will be revealed next chapter, which may or may not conclude this Arc of the story. I may have to break the next chapter in half, depending on how long it gets.