Heeeeey. I REALLY, really shouldn't be doing this…but I've wanted to for a while. Heh, I just HAVE to write a Bleach fic.

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, don't ask.

Trial Run

Ice Cream?

Nanao Ise was troubled. She walked along the streets of the seireitei, carefully in thought; not that this was unusual or anything. In fact it was quite common for the Lieutenant to be in thought while walking to whatever meeting or location she was going to; but usually she had a sense of what was going on around her, as well. No, today was different. She was concerned. The object of her concern: Momo Hinamori.

Nanao and Momo had, at one time, been decently good friends; hanging out the library, talking about books usually. Of course, than that whole Aizen thing happened, and it put a damper on things. Not just 'things', Nanao thought morosely. It was more like "everything concerning Momo." Noted, the Soul Society hadn't exactly been in tip-top shape when Aizen had decided to jump ship, but that was beside the point in Ise's mind at the moment.

In all honesty, she felt a little guilty.

Momo had been injured—which is bound to happen when you are a shinigami, especially a lieutenant—but it wasn't just physical. She had been a little psychologically damaged. At least, that had been Nanao's initial impression. What hadn't crossed her mind since—and she was beating herself up BIG TIME right now for it, because she had known—was that Momo's heart and world had just been brutally and ruthlessly shattered and then burned. And then what was left had been thrown in dog crap.

And then buried 50 feet underground.

'…I am such an IDIOT.'

And the worst part was that she had basically had next to no friends with her during her recovery time.

At that moment Nanao slammed into a Shinigami.

"HEY! Watch—"

Nanao glared. He shut up. She kept walking.

It had just happened that she had swung by the library today…Picking up documents for the Shinigami Women's Society. She had spotted Momo over at a table they used to meet up at. Now, Nanao wasn't really a go-getter per say; don't get her wrong, she was driven, almost to a fault. But she wasn't the type to strike up a conversation out of the blue unless it was necessary.

But for whatever reason, today she felt compelled to approach her old reading buddy.

Mustering up some kind of confidence, Nanao had waltzed over to Momo.

"Hello there."

Momo looked up.

"You seem to be feeling a lot better." Nanao's face was about as much of a smile as she would muster for a casual situation like this.

Momo smiled weakly. "Yeah…Physically anyway."

Nanao frowned.

Momo read it immediately and started to back-peddle. "Uh, yeah, I'm completely fine! Haha…I guess I'm just a little sad that…that I haven't seen hardly any of my friends in the months that I was recuperating!"

"Well, you can't blame us. We were busy…and we could've used your help."

"Oh, yes! Yes, of course!" Momo laughed nervously.

"What are you reading?" Nanao glanced over at the cover. It looked like a medical journal.

"Oh…this?" Momo started at the book for a moment. "Well…Unohana-Taichou I talked quite a lot while I was in the hospital…And sometimes she'd talk about medicine…I guess I just became interested." She seemed a little flustered.

"That's interesting. Tell me more." Nanao took a seat across from her.

They ended up talking for quite some time, before Nanao had to leave. During the conversation Nanao became increasingly uncomfortable; Momo kept steering the conversation back to the former Captian Aizen. Not only that, she began to realize just how severed Momo's ties had become with her friends. She repeatedly talked about Unohana-Taichou, and occasionally the seventh seat, Yamada, and some of the nurses. She had made new friends because her old ones had been too busy for her.

As their time drew to an end, Nanao finally rose up from her chair and asked, "Hinamori…I think its best you not think about Aizen. He's evil and you should be aware of that." Her eyes narrowed.

Momo's insecure demeanor suddenly disappeared; replaced by a somber one. "I know," she replied. "I know that he's evil, and if he hurt who was important to me, I wouldn't stand for it but…It still hurts, y'know? It's going to be a while before I can not think about him."

Nanao was surprised. She nodded and they said their goodbyes, and she headed towards the Shinigami Women's Society meeting room.

Nanao knew she should have been there for her friend. She had been busy, but what she had said to Momo had been off-kilter; she had basically told Momo that her job was more important than Momo's situation, and that wasn't true. Even if it's a pain, when friends really need one another, they go out of their way to help their friends. Momo probably would have gotten better faster had she, or Renji, or Izuru had gone to visit her more. Instead, Momo had had to support herself and make new friends—and that said something about the level of her inner strength. It was something Nanao admired.

Come to think of it…Had Captain Hitsugaya visited her? Nanao knew he had originally been angry by her double betrayal of him, but she wondered if he had gotten past that visited her still?

"Well, I'll ask Matsumoto, I guess…"

And what a coincidence. She was right at the room now.

Then it occurred to her: Momo wasn't a part of the Shinigami Women's Society. Nanao began to wonder…What if Momo was? She would definitely make more female friends, and be more connected within the Seireitei. She decided to ask the President about it.

She opened the door…

…Only to find half the members half-naked.

"…What the HELL are you DOING?"

Everyone turned around.

"…Busted." Soifon muttered.

"Uh…! Vice Prez Nanao! We were just…cooling off…" Rangiku's fake smile was cracking.

"IT'S SEXY TIME!" Yachiru punched the air.

"…Do you find this appealing, Vice President?" Nemu cocked her head to the side…and her clothes just about slid off.

Nanao just about yelled in frustration.

The Kotetsu sisters were staying the HELL away from this crap.

----

Doing her best to ignore the previous…incident, Vice President Nanao Ise went about bringing up the thought of allowing Momo Hinamori to join the Women's society.

Isane Kotetsu liked the idea, having grown to know her a little, and Rangiku thought it would also be healthy for her.

President Kusajishi and Captian Soifon were less enthusiastic.

"It was partially her fault that Aizen got away, you know." Soifon's eyes were narrowed. Not open to the idea at all. Nanao mentally noted how she disregarded her own past when Yoruichi left the Soul Society.

"Ewww…if she's a stinky fighter, I don't want her here!" Yachiru's nose scrunched up in a child-like way.

That part where Nanao seemed to get concerned began to rear its worrisome head again. If the President didn't go for it, it wasn't going. And there would be nothing they could do about it; not even the Advising chair, Unohana, would be able to change that. Nanao quickly began trying to think of something that could change her mind.

"President…" Matsumoto began. "Remember that young lady who babysat you occasionally?" She smiled warmly.

"Mpphm?" Yachiru looked at her with big eyes, her mouth full of candy.

"Y'know…the one with all the candy?"

Silence.

Now Nanao was pretty sure Momo had been too injured to babysit for the past few months, but hell, it looked like she had another ally.

"Let's welcome our new member!" Yachiru pointed skyward with enthusiasm. There were a few "yays" of approval from the Kotetsu sisters, and mild clapping all around, while Soifon sulked.

'Well that was easy,' Nanao adjusted her glasses with satisfaction.

"Now…" There was a mischievous gleam in Yachiru's eyes. "What should Peachy's initiation be?"

Nanao froze. Eating five cartons of chocolate sherbet. She shivered. Hey, she liked chocolate as much as the next girl, but that brought back some painful memories. She was NOT going to make Hinamori go through THAT.

There were some worried looks cast around the room.

"Make her go through the obstacle course. And have her fight me." Yeah. Yeah, Soifon was not up for this at all.

"Yaaay!" The President seemed to like it.

Ise had to think fast!

But it was Rangiku to the rescue! "Actually, I had an idea about that…"

Everyone turned to her.

"Well, we know—or most of us do—that Momo's having a bit of a rough time because of Mr. Aizen's cold betrayal."

"We're ALL having a rough time," Soifon hissed.

Rangiku ignored her. "And hey! Just out of curiosity, how many Shinigami do you guys see dating or in relationships?"

Silence. No hands raised.

Kiyone's hand slowly raised. "Um…Lieutenant Shiba and his wife?"

Silence.

"Um, sure…but they're kinda…y'know, dead. Dead people don't count."

Kiyone pouted.

"So…I was thinking…" Nanao saw where she was taking this, and she didn't like it. "What if we have Momo date a certain amount of officers and Shinigami?"

It was quiet…and then Soifon smiled in a strangely evil way. "I like it."

---

Nanao dragged Momo along to the meeting. A week ago the Shinigami Women's Society had decided on a system. Along, with the "candidates", they decided on rules, and such. Nanao had tried to veto the idea, but Yachiru was so into it, she doubted she could convince the President otherwise; and lying was below her, unlike the big-boobed Shinigami that got Momo into this mess.

"Are you sure they…um, want me here Ise?"

"Yes…but," Nanao stopped walking and paused, "I-I have to warn you…there will be initiation…" She turned around abruptly, and took Momo's shoulders. "I don't know what they're capable of, and I'm just warning you, BE CAREFUL!" Her eyes were urgent.

"…Um…okay?"

Nanao adjusted her glasses and continued walking like nothing had ever happened.

Momo was a little freaked out, but, hey, it couldn't be that bad right?

They entered the room, and were greated by smiling girls/women and Momo was asked to sit down.

Momo gingerly took a seat and looked around. The faces around her were all familiar—some more so than others. She waved to Rangiku and Isane, who returned it. Well, Isane did; Rangiku just smiled pleasantly. Soifon-Taichou punched her fists. That couldn't be good.

"Alright!" everyone turned to the small-of-stature president before them on her podium. "Peachy-Q! We've decided that for initiation you are going to have to…"

Momo waited patiently, if not a little nervously.

"Date everyone in the Seireitei!"

Silence.

"Um, excuse me?"

Rangiku coughed. "Well not everyone…"

Momo turned to her. "W-What?"

"Tell her, Nemu!" Rangiku waved her hand.

"We have decided as an organization that you are to date certain officers and shinigami of the Soul Society. This is to help with your current condition involving Captain Aizen and to be beneficial to the community as whole, as dating is scarce."

Momo was silent. She stood up and bowed. "I appreciate the offer…but, I really don't think I'm ready—"

"You have to, you have to!" Yachiru whined. "Otherwise, you can't be a part of the club!"

"Well…then I apologize. Excuse me."

She turned to leave and opened the door.

Nanao mouthed the word 'Sorry'.

Momo nodded. She took a step forward—only to be pulled by her collar back into the room.

"Now, wait a sec missy!" Rangiku still seemed reasonably cheerful. "How do you know you're not ready?" Momo blinked. "How do you know you don't like any other guy the Soul Society has to offer? You don't like just one flavor of ice cream do you?"

"…"

Actually, Momo secretly had an ice cream parlor stashed in her apartment, but she wasn't about to let anyone know it.

"You gotta try all different flavors to know which ones you like the best! Otherwise you'll never know if you like it right?"

Momo was continually silent. What Rangiku said made sense, but…

"And it's not like we picked all the dates for you exactly…" Isane started from her chair.

"Well, no, we sorta did."

Isane kicked her sister under the table.

"We wrote down a bunch of names and tossed them in Kyōraku-Taichou's hat."

Momo glanced at Nanao.

"…What? It was an ugly hat. It bugged me."

"…Okay, then."

"Oh! And there are no Captain names in there!" Rangiku added. "Captains and relationships don't work well."

"So…they're all Lieutenants?"

"And a few others," Isane said winking.

Momo thought for a second before taking a deep breath, and saying, "Okay…I'll do it—"

Consecutive 'yays' went around.

"Well, come on then!" Rangiku was practically bouncing with giddiness. "Pick the first lucky guy!" She winked and held the hat out for Momo.

Taking another deep breath, Momo reached in, and searched before conjuring up a slip of paper.

Isane and Kiyone got behind her to look. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Next up! You'll find out! Heh, I based this off an old Naruto fic I read a while ago, and always wanted to do one…but never really got the chance. R&R!