Toushirou Hitsugaya wandered around with his usual annoyed scowl, despising having to take his childish lieutenant shopping. She would stop everywhere.

"Captain! Oh Captain I want that one too!" She mused, pointing to a tiny green necklace, poorly sewn together and heavily overpriced.

"Matsumoto, it's not worth half as much as they're selling it for. Why are we shopping in Rukongai? They're just cheating you out of your money. Let's go back." The irritated Captain was now too annoyed to continue, turning on his heel and strolling directly out of the market, followed by his whining Vice-Captain.

"But Captain! They don't have anything good in the real wor—"

"Rangiku!" He snapped, "Enough already. Please."

The woman behind him stared worriedly at the short man before her, furrowing her eyebrows. Why had her Captain been to impatient today? All day he had constantly been shouting at her or telling her no. There was only one way to find out…

"Captain? What's eating you?"

The man stiffened slightly, glaring back at her, "You're telling me you don't feel that?"

"Feel what Captain?" She tilted her head and pursed her lips, feeling pretty stupid.

"That reiastu," he glanced up at the now setting sun, just barely brushing against the peak of the horizion, "it's just like Ichimaru Gin's."

Suddenly, Rangiku felt it too. Or maybe she had been feeling it all day, but hadn't realized it. She froze, eyes widening slightly. "C-Captain… We have to report it. If I didn't realize it until now, maybe other people didn't! He could be here.."

"Hush, Rangiku."

Matsumoto Rangiku furrowed her eyebrows and muttered, "But Captain—"

He lifted a hand, signaling her to be silent. A small black butterfly flitted by, stopping to land on Toushirou's shoulder. He listened in utter silence, ignoring his confused Lieutenant entirely.

"I have to go to a meeting. Return to the quarters and tell everyone to be on their guard, okay?" He turned around and offered a stern frown to his Vice-Captain before flash stepping away.

He was the third Captain there; right behind Ukitake and Kyoraku. The nodded to him as he arrived, followed instantly by Soifon. Soon, all the captains were filed into the small room, greeted by the Captain-Commander.

Histugaya furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Izuru Kira walk into the room, escorted by the Captain-Commander himself. Kira nodded a hello to Toushirou, and even offered a little smile.

Before Toushirou had the chance to ask the lieutenant what he was doing at a Captain's meeting, the door closed behind them and the Captain-Commander spoke.

"Attention, please," He slammed the end of his cane against the ground, "I have somewhere to be, so we are going to make this hasty." He motioned a hand to Izuru Kira, "Izuru Kira has now been promoted to Captain of the Third Division, and he has also gained a new Lieutenant. Toushirou Hitsugaya will accompany him to pick her up from the Rukongai district, and is expected to be back before the sun sets. Her name is Yukirum Akamaru, and she resides at the home on the furthest end to the east of the district."

Everyone stayed silent as the Captain-Commander waited for any comment.

"Meeting dismissed."

All but two Captains flocked out of the room, leaving just Kira and Toushirou.

"Why did he ask you to accompany me?" Kira muttered, assuming Hitsugaya knew.

"Who knows, but he is the Captain-Commander and we mustn't question him." Hitsugaya muttered, motioning for the door. "Let's hurry."

"Of course." Kira nodded, motioning for Hitsugaya to go before him. Toushirou instantly flash stepped away, followed soon after by Kira, both of them winding up in front of a small, grey house. They were there.

Inside, Yukirum Akamaru prepared herself. She fastened her lieutenant badge tightly on her arm, fixing her hair in the mirror before sensing the reiastus of two Captains. That was fast.

She hurried to the door, opening it and greeting the two men, "Afternoon, Captains!"

The two immediately froze. It couldn't be.

Her eyes were shut tightly, and her mouth was curled up into a cat-like smile. Her white hair had a purple hue to it, and her bangs hung carelessly over her eyebrows, just like his had. She had the same teasing, lingering voice that seemed so bright it was menacing. Her lips hardly moved when she spoke, and her face was exactly like his. She was a replica of Ichimaru Gin. The only difference was her height and the length of her hair; her hair reached her lower back, and she was about a foot shorter than Gin.

"Y-You…" Hitsugaya snarled, drawing his sword on the frail girl before him.

Her smile only faded slightly, and that just made him even more furious. He leaped at her immediately, drawing his sword and aiming for her chest.

He scowled as she blocked him with her own zanpaktou, only being wielded with her right hand. She held there with that same smile, tilting her head, "Permission to ask why you attacked me, Captain."

"Permission denied." Toushirou spat, sheathing his sword once more and muttering to Kira, "She's all yours," before flash stepping away.

Kira was utterly dumbfounded. How could one person look so much like his former Captain; the man that had betrayed him? He took a sharp breath and stepped forward, "Lieutenant Akamaru, welcome to the third squad."

"Aw, Cap'n," She hopped down the steps and threw herself at Kira, pulling him into a tight embrace, "Call me Rum, please. I don't like all the formal stuff."

"O-Okay," Kira stammered, offering a brief smile. He lifted his hand to pat her back, freezing once more as he came to a sudden, dark realization.

Rum and Gin. How ironic.