Holy cow, cue the dramatic music. Well, I know I told some people next week when I mentioned coming out with my epic, but I had some strange periods where I got work done and had some ideas to work with. Besides, I just felt like sharing. This one is going to be epic, seriously. I don't know what you all perfer though, either long chapters or just a lot of chapters, or maybe both. This one is decent length. I wanted to make it longer, but if I would've gone into what I wanted to, it would've been at least like five more pages of writing on my part. I wanted to get it out there.

This fic is going to be mostly Shunsui x Nanao, but I'm also going to include some other pairings too, like possibly some HitsuHina and others that I think will work into my storyline well. If anyone's got any suggestions for anything, I'm all ears for comments or anything.

Is my chapter length good? I'd like to see what you guys think of it. :)

Good, not good? Let me know, if you please.

Disclaimer: In the other eleven fics that I've written, it was clear that I, in no way, could take claim for anything other than what I come up with. As we can all see (or at least I can), I still have rent to pay and a very large tuition to cover. If I did own anything so marvelous, none of that would be a problem.

--KG--

Epic One: In The Beginning

The rain pelted down on her face as Rangiku looked up towards the sky. The drops ran in rivulets down the sides of her face. The wind blew in gusts, making her strawberry blonde hair whirl around her. She had to keep pulling it out of her face in order to see what she was doing. Her uniform flapped against her, chilling her slightly.

Pulling the fabric closer to her, she couldn't help the forlorn feeling that suddenly came over her.

It was dark, and the quick flashes of lightning lit up the sky in bursts, stretching their bolts across the sky. It was one of those nights where you would look outside and ask why anyone would want to be out in such weather. It caused Rangiku to realize why she was out here in the first place.

She knew she was in one of the divisions, but she didn't know what one. The lightning showed the collected puddles of water on the pathway, and she heard the wind rattling the sliding door to the building behind her.

When the static stretched again, she could make out the looming shadow of the overhang. She closed her eyes and looked upwards again, hoping that the pounding of the rain would wash away what was happening.

Slowly bringing her head down, she caught sight of the dark figure in front of her.

Another flash appeared in the sky, almost to help Rangiku out, she thought dryly. It illuminated the scene for just a fleeting instant, but in that moment she could easily define the woman before her. She was poised and proud, despite the weather. Her hair too, mainly kept to the pulled back style it was always in. She saw the light reflect off the glass on her face, and it almost looked like their was some unknown emotion in the violet eyes that were directed towards the taller woman. Her head was turned slightly, just enough for them to look at each other.

Nanao Ise.

She was Lieutenant of the Eighth, an expert at Kido, and Rangiku's best friend for who knows how long. Rangiku now understood was she was feeling so miserable all of a sudden. Nanao was currently occupying a place that so many others before her had. It was at that point that Rangiku understood that something was terribly wrong. This couldn't be happening. She was leaving.

When they left her, they had a tendency to not come back.

She took a hesitant step forward, still clutching her uniform close to her. If she could only know why. If she could only convince her not to go. A million questions were swirling around in her head, and she couldn't think straight. Why was this all happening now? Why was it Nanao?

The wind picked up and the nearing thunder grew louder after another streak of lightning went through the sky. The departing woman took a step towards the division gates. They were open, swaying and creaking slightly under the torrent. That one step snapped Rangiku out of whatever reverie she was in. The said woman ran forward a few steps, casting her voice to the wind, praying for something to fix this.

"Nanao!"

The called stopped for a moment, turning around fully to face her pursuer. Rangiku noticed that her face was blank. It wasn't the stone mask she had kept for so long, or the softened look that only appeared when no one was around. It was just empty, and Rangiku found that she didn't understand at all.

"Where are you going!?"

Rangiku knew she was leaving, and when she said leaving, she knew it meant Seireitei. At this point, it was probably safe to say that she was departing all of Soul Society. She could see it in her eyes. Unlike Gin, who had much practice at leaving like this, she never could tell his actions by his eyes. With Nanao though, not even the clear glass could hide everything. They were dull, not vibrant like the indigo they should be. Whatever was going on, it wasn't good.

"…I don't know."

Rangiku didn't really expect her to answer, but as it was, the result shocked her all the same.

"What do you mean you don't know!? Then why are you leaving! Don't go!"

She was aware that she sounded much like the fools that begged their lives from the hollows. They thought that if they showed enough compassion, enough emotion, that they would be spared in the end. Like a hollow was even capable of such feelings. Somehow, Rangiku knew that she was going to have the same effect.

Pointless.

"I have to. This is something…I have to do alone."

Her voice was distant, much like everything else about her, and Rangiku felt her heart cracking just a little bit more with every word spoken. She felt a warm tear slide down her cheek, despite how hard it was raining out. The feeling wasn't rinsed away.

"But…why…"

The dampened blonde trailed off as Nanao took a step backwards, not wanting to come to terms. This couldn't be happening. In a last attempt to still the moving figure that was beginning to blur from her tears, she called out again.

"What about all of us?" She yelled it, but not as loud as she did her next question. "What about Shunsui!"

It was more like a statement. She knew this topic was almost taboo, but she couldn't imagine how torn the unperturbed man would be should she go. Rangiku thought that she owed him at least this much, a last effort to keep her within their walls. She didn't want to see anyone else fall apart, especially not her good friends. Since the treachery, they had all lost so much. Momo, Izuru, Shuuhei, Captain Komamura…There were too many to list, and they were still suffering. She wasn't about to add anyone else to it.

A sad smile adorned Nanao's face at this. It was a bit better to see, for the lightning increased in frequency. What could she be thinking? Why wouldn't she stay?

"You can't come with me this time." Rangiku bit her lip to suppress either the bitter laugh or heart wrenching scream she wanted to let out. It was too much like him. "Goodbye…Rangiku." At least she had the decency to say farewell.

In the next instant, the woman was gone. There was nothing but the empty silhouette as the light caught up with her flash step. At that moment, Rangiku felt the hole in her heart widen. She closed her eyes tightly. Maybe that would balance out the pressure on her lip between her teeth.

Why did they always leave her behind?

She fell to her knees in the mud, not even trying to stop the tears that were falling from her eyes. She wanted to curl up into a ball and pretend that it was just one of the nightmares that she always had. This always happened, and she couldn't help but feel utterly alone. If she had to compare, this was even worse than Gin.

At least he always had a reason for going. It was just in his nature. She had become accustomed to his character, so in the end, it didn't hurt as much as it could have. Granted it did hurt, she had the remnants of the sake bottles to prove it, but he had been a little easier to accept. No matter how much she cared for him, a part of her knew that one day he would leave her and not come back. It had come close to happening so many times that maybe she was already training herself.

Not really paying attention, she thought she heard a voice in the air, nothing more than a murmur on the breeze.

Curling tighter, she tried to will it away. She just wished everything would go away.

"Matsumoto…..Matsumoto." She thought she felt a light pressure on her shoulder, so she just curled tighter, clenching her eyes shut. She wanted to will it away. Couldn't they let her wallow this once? She was tired of putting on the façade when she was hurt. Why didn't they understand?

She just wished everything would go away.

"Matsu-, Rangiku!"

She shot up, senses a bit foggy. When she peaked an eye open, she met worried aquamarine. Leaning back a bit, she saw the rest of her captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya. He took the hand away from her shoulder that was trying to wake her from the nightmare, replacing it at his side. She wondered for a minute why he wasn't backing away from her, but his eyes glanced down, and she followed them, finding her answer.

She let go of his captain's robe immediately, turning a bit red and murmuring an apology. She had clutched onto it apparently. There were some wrinkles in it, like she had been holding it for dear life. Absently, she wondered when that happened. If that wasn't an embarrassing way to wake up, she didn't know what was. In an attempt to focus on anything other than the man in front of her, she looked elsewhere.

A soft light shone through the window, indicating that it was still early morning. On further inspection, she found that she was in the office, sprawled out on the couch once again. The jugs of sake that she drank last night were still sitting on the table in front of her, and if she had to guess, that uncomfortable spot in the couch was probably due to some nagging paperwork she had stored there.

"You were calling out in your sleep." His voice was soft, as if trying to keep the calm atmosphere from breaking. It wasn't gruff or annoyed like usual. It was almost…caring. She must have really worried him.

Then, the realization hit her. It was all a dream.

She stifled a gasp behind the hand she brought up to her mouth, trying to stop the fresh tears that she wanted to let fall. It was only an artificial image, but it seemed real enough to her at the time. She brought her other appendage up to brush at the corners of her eyes, finding that they were already wet. Had they leaked out during her dream as well?

Toshiro noticed that she was starting to shake a little, so he turned away slightly, giving her as much privacy as they could allow for being in the same room. Whatever it was had shaken her deeply, and it caused his brow to furrow as he dwelled on it. About to dive deeper into his thoughts, he was pulled out suddenly by her voice.

"Where's Nanao?"

He didn't like the edge to her voice. It wasn't abrasive, but it was close. He knew that she wasn't doing it on purpose, but the fact that she had to resort to such a thing unconsciously made him frown. He had turned back around after she had stopped sniveling, but his critical eyes still noticed the slight shake in her hands. There was worry in her tone also, but he knew that she wasn't going to share unless she wanted to. It wasn't his place to badger her for information either. He knew that she was sensitive when it came to her friends, so the fact that Nanao was involved didn't sit well with him. He wondered why she would ask such a strange question, even though he knew she wasn't asking him outright. It was more like a reprimand to herself. Still, there wasn't much he could do about it.

If she wanted to let it out, he would listen, not prod.

Deciding to make it easier for everyone, he attempted to diffuse the situation a little. He put a bit of his usual tone back into his words, hoping that the familiarity would bring her back down from whatever daze she was currently in.

"I suppose that Lieutenant Ise is working in the office currently. I heard that she arrives to the office early, so she has probably already began her paperwork for the day, Matsumoto. I was just going to start myself."

He saw the look in her eyes as she went into thought, seeming to digest the information. He was sure that she was coming back to her usual self, and he was glad for that. He didn't really know how to deal with an emotional Rangiku. As much as he didn't want her to hide what she felt, he didn't want her to fall apart either. She was still touchy about the treachery, so it was a subject they subconsciously avoided. He knew she was still wounded from that, and he wondered if that might have anything to do with her current state.

She didn't know why a sense of anxiety was washing over her now. She figured that it must be an after effect from the dream she had, as chilling as it was. It made sense that Nanao would be in the office. She knew that the hard-working woman got up fairly early in an attempt to get ahead on the mountains of papers she went through a day. Still, what if she wasn't at the office?

What if she wasn't anywhere?

She couldn't help the shiver that shot through her at the thought. As ridiculous as it sounded, she wanted to go check badly. She needed proof that she wasn't all of a sudden losing her mind. She thought that the sake probably had something to do with her hazy memories this morning and that they would probably come back to her some time around noon, but what if she had dreamt was a memory and not some twisted version of her nightmares?

Toshiro noticed this rising panic in her too, and in a preemptive move, he chose to stop the problem before it really got a chance to start. He wanted her to do her work too, but he placed her health and well-being before that, as strange as it sounded coming from him. They had been through a lot since he had been promoted to Captaincy, and she had been there for him as much as he was there for her. He wasn't about to forget that.

"Rangiku," She looked up at him hearing her name, which was only slightly odd. He sighed shortly. This was so not like him. It bothered him a little bit. "It's still pretty early. Why don't you take a few hours and go over to the Eighth."

He turned on her then, treading quietly, much like everything he did, towards his desk. She watched him sit down and arrange some of the papers on his desk before he looked over at her. What was he doing? Usually, she wouldn't have to be told twice about leaving, but this…

He noticed her still motionless form, and with a scoff, he commented. "Still here? Go. I don't want to see you in the office before noon." He then turned his head down and proceeded to ignore her by picking up his pen and scribbling on a few documents.

She blinked a few times before what he said registered in her mind. She never got a break when she asked. Now he was freely giving it, no questions asked. He was practically shoving her out. Perhaps if he wasn't so mature for his age, he would have, but this was the Toshiro Hitsugaya she was talking about. If it was any other day, she might question why he wanted her out so badly, but this was different.

She stood up slowly, trying to find her balance as fast as she possibly could. She bowed slightly in thanks, even if he wasn't looking at her to see it. She then made her way over to the office door and slid it open, taking a deep, refreshing breath before stepping out and sliding the panel shut behind her.

Toshiro put his pen down with a large sigh, looking over towards the door. He got up and stretched his arms upward. It was early, even for him. Still, he couldn't sleep, so he thought he might as well do something productive instead of tossing and turning until the last possible minute, deciding to just start the day sooner than usual. He was glad he did.

He knew that Rangiku was going to be in the office when he got here. That had become a bit of a custom these days. She was still drinking when he left late last night, so he just left after bidding her goodnight. Some days she ended up hauling herself home somehow, but it started to happen less and less. He wondered if that was a part of her that was just giving up. He knew she had a lot on her mind. He could see through the intrepid face she put on for the world, hiding behind her sake and fake smiles.

His mood darkened as he moved from the workspace, intent on making himself tea. His face creased as he thought, paying no attention to the warnings Rangiku gave him about his face staying like that.

This wasn't the first time that he had witnessed her nightmares.

Granted, it was the first time that she was aware he saw her, but that was besides the point. Usually, it was just some murmuring on her part, heard from her location on the couch as he worked away. It never happened for very long, just moments of a turbid mood. She never cried out either. She was always soft spoken if she ever did say anything. More often than not, it was the smiling traitor's name rolling off her tongue, whether she was aware of it or not.

This morning was completely different.

He felt the fluxing in her reiatsu as soon as he stepped out of his home. He hurried a little quicker to the office then, knowing that something was wrong. Unfortunately, she didn't disappoint.

She had been writhing around on her spot on the couch, face contorted in pain. He hadn't seen her do that before. Once in a while she would get that look, but it would pass too quickly for him to do anything about it. She wasn't quiet as usual either. She began to call out for Nanao, raising his suspicions a bit. She usually settled before he could do anything about it.

She had gone quiet a moment later, and he was about to leave her be until he saw the moisture running down her face. Whatever she was seeing was making her cry, her, the tough vice-captain he depended on, and that was unacceptable.

He drew nearer to her, shaking her shoulder a bit. Getting no response from her, he tried calling her to wake up. The only thing that resulted in was the claiming of his captain's robe for her fists. Getting worried, he practically shouted to get her attention. As a result, she did finally snap awake, relieving him a bit.

She had looked a little surprised to see him, as well as embarrassed. He didn't really blame her. After all, she wasn't conscious that he knew she did this often.

He did notice though, he just chose not to say anything. There wasn't really anything to say anyway. What was done was done. No amount of explanations or tears were going to make him come back to her. The thought puzzled him a bit. What did she see in him? He supposed it doesn't really matter. When he thought about it, her relationship with Gin was a lot like he and Momo's. Of course, their story was less dark.

"Bring him back…"

He frowned more as he retrieved his cup. Maybe their relationship wasn't any better. It was still filled with the same amount of pain and torture, no matter how much time they had spent together. They were still on opposite sides of the coin. They were in the same world, but they had two different viewpoints.

"Please…save Captain Aizen!"

How could he? How could he explain to her what was really going on? She still didn't get it after all this time. Gin wasn't the mastermind behind the whole thing, but her refusal to believe that caused a rift to wedge itself between them. Not only him though, it also strained her relationships with others. Rangiku and her were not as close as they used to be, and she visited less. Rangiku accepted that Gin was responsible for his own misdeeds, but Toshiro thought that she probably didn't like the fact that Momo tried to blame everything on him.

He sighed again. He would never really understand it, would he? For now, all he could do is try to keep the peace. Sometimes it felt like everything was falling apart around him. He wanted to keep both Momo and Rangiku on their feet, but he also wanted his own revenge. What Aizen did was unforgivable, and until he made the traitor pay for what he did to Momo and all of Soul Society, he figured he would never really be at peace.

He returned to his desk in a sullen mood. He was more than likely going to end up thinking about this all day. Those types of things always seemed to haunt him. It wasn't like he didn't have anything better to do either. Everyone was still on edge when it came to the topic of Aizen, and soul reapers everywhere were still preparing for the fight they knew would come. For now they had some time, but it never seemed like it was enough. He didn't even want to think about possible losses they would have. He sighed once more.

Maybe tomorrow would be better.

--Secrets Of The Scorned--

The sun was glowing slightly above the horizon, setting off Nanao's internal clock.

She smiled softly, getting up and straightening her bedroll. She would never understand why her captain detested the mornings so much. He claimed they were much to early for people to be up and about, but she loved them. It was peaceful, nothing like any other part of the day. Everything looked different in the morning light, and for a moment she could be completely at ease.

She sat on the window sill in her front room as she watched the sun rise higher in the sky, coming over the roofs of the division buildings. If anything was certain, it was that the sun would rise every day. She was grateful for at least one thing constant in life. At the rate they were going, it was hard to tell what was coming next, and it all found its way back to the traitors.

There had been increased hollow attacks lately, and they weren't just in Karakura. All over the world soul reapers were being deployed. Sometimes it seemed that they couldn't get there fast enough. Some hollows were even getting into Rukongai. Those occurrences were supposed to be few and far between, but the activity there had increased in the past couple of months.

There used to be a collaborate investigation on the matter between the Eighth and Thirteenth Divisions. That's how Nanao had come to know some of these facts. While on the project, she was privy to information that others didn't get to see. She felt that they were getting closer to the root of the problem too. As basic as it sounded, there was something not quite right. Just when they were almost to the breakthrough, it was announced that the project was disbanded immediately. When Nanao had asked her captain a few days later, he stated that the Second Division had taken over.

She knew it was a serious issue because there were too many souls in Rukongai for hollows to move about unchecked, especially when they shouldn't be there in the first place. She didn't understand why the Corp had to get involved though. There were soul reapers especially for investigations like that, and the fact that they now dubbed all information regarding the project as classified made her suspicions rise. As far as she knew, they were still working on it. Usually when the Second got involved, the matter would be solved within the week. They were going on four weeks now.

Nanao squinted as the sun rose higher and glared of the glass of the window. Getting up, she made her way to the kitchen for a cup of tea and the book she had left on the counter. It was no use thinking on the matter any longer. It was out of her control now, even if she was curious about it. Perhaps when the whole thing was over she could look at the documentation.

She returned back to the sill with both objects in hand, setting her cup down on a strategically placed table by her side. This was tradition for her every morning. She would probably have around twenty minutes to sit and relax before she got ready to head into the office. She wanted to groan thinking about all the work that was waiting for her. There was always so much to do.

She supposed it wouldn't be so bad if someone, namely Captain Shunsui Kyouraku, would help out once in a while.

She couldn't figure out why there was so much work in the first place. It didn't seem like the other Divisions had that much work to do, except for maybe Captain Hitsugaya. Then again, he had the same problem she did with lack of help around the office. At least Rangiku did paperwork sometimes, as rare as it was. If bribed right, she would actually do it. Nanao supposed that was probably because she was only a Lieutenant. It's not like she could actually make her captain do something if he didn't want to, despite how much practice as she had.

That was all routine too. How many years upon years had she gone through the same thing daily? Her morning rituals never changed, and the day's work as generally the same as the day before. She didn't really know if that was a good thing or bad thing. Granted, routines were good, but they did get old sometimes. Still, she was happy with what she had right now. She was lucky to have it. There wasn't any place she would rather be.

She closed her book with a soft snap. She wasn't getting any reading done with all these flyaway thoughts flapping about in her mind. Getting up slowly and returning her cup to the kitchen, she set her book down in the same spot she retrieved it from and started to get ready for the day.

Maybe if she got a head start, she could be out of the office at a decent time.

Her slightly damp hair was pulled back into her clip, and her glasses were straightened. The sleep was totally gone from her eyes as she looked herself over in her mirror. Deeming herself presentable, she fixed the Eighth insignia on her arm, picked up a different tome by the entrance, and slid her front door open.

It was quiet out, as most people weren't up and about yet. The sky was a bit orange, and the light made everything appear in different tones than usual. Nanao noticed that there was a slight chill in the air. The temperature had been dropping over the last week or so, and she dreaded what it signified. Every day spent drew them once step closer to the day that Aizen would make his move.

Would they be ready in time? That was always a question on many soul reapers' minds lately. Most had thrown themselves headfirst into a grueling training schedule, hoping that when the moment of their defense came, they wouldn't be useless on the field. She knew that at the days grew shorter and colder, the atmosphere became more and more tense. She could feel it. She just hoped that they wouldn't crack before the real fight began.

Pushing her glasses farther up her nose, she began to tread the path to the office, indulging in her thoughts as she went.

Half of any fight is really psychological. If someone believed that they wouldn't make it or that they couldn't continue on, then they were already beaten. It wasn't good to have too much confidence because that brought down as many soldiers as being inadequate did, but they needed to know where they stood. She figured that Aizen probably knew this, and was relishing the fact that half of the soul reapers available wouldn't be able to raise a finger against him when the time came. He knew exactly what was happening. The thought made her bristle. Well, it wasn't going to be the Eighth's that fell. No, not if she had anything to say about it.

That brought her back to the main question at hand. They were putting a lot of effort into making sure that the lower seated and unseated officers were going to be able to defend themselves against Aizen and the arrancar. They were making good progress, but what about the other officers?

Would she be ready for the coming onslaught?

Sure, taking down a hollow or ten, even a few Gillians, was no real problem for someone as experienced as her. She didn't have a doubt that all the Captains and Lieutenants could handle this without any trouble. Most had been in the business of hollow slaying long enough to be able to do this. Still, there were even stronger things lurking in the dark depths of Hueco Mundo. That thought made her skin crawl.

She knew that the captains were captain class for a reason, but she still couldn't help to be a little worried, especially for her own captain. She knew he was strong, being one of them that had been around the longest, but how would she know he didn't do anything reckless unless she was watching his back?

They fought together always, but what if he somehow barred her from going with him? There was no doubt that she was no where near her level. She frowned at this. They might choose to order her back and send him to the front lines because she wouldn't be able to keep up with him. She didn't want to be in the way, but a part of her knew she needed to be out there with him, if only to keep her eye on him.

They might not have the choice to do that though. They were still two captains short, and even if Shuuhei was promoted in time, it still might not be enough. They probably wouldn't have the luxury of keeping Lieutenants and even some of the higher seats from taking on arrancar. It would be a risk they would have to take.

Unless Aizen came into the Soul Society directly, she doubted that Captain Yamamoto would join the fray unless absolutely necessary. He might, but as far as she knew, he hadn't participated in those kinds of tasks for a long time, having other important things to do. Captain Unohana would probably stay back at a makeshift base too, treating the wounded. It was unlikely that she would be fighting, although they could probably use her help. She would have her hands full with all the casualties though, so it wasn't probable.

That was only seven captains if Shuuhei managed to get the position, six if he didn't. There were at least ten Espada, from what information they gathered, and they had a much greater power than that of any Gillian. She was also willing to bet that countless other arrancar were going to be more than formidable.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a minute, rubbing her temples with her free hand. They would deal with that when the time came. For now she would just content herself with formation plans and battle tactics that might be useful to them.

She opened her eyes to come face to face with a barrage of sakura petals floating towards here. The breeze had picked up, chasing them from their branches. It was just another reminder of the looming season before them. She allowed herself a small smile at the sight though, reminding her of a certain pink haori-wearing captain. The sakuras were one of his favorite resting places, among other places he used to hide from her and her paperwork.

She had found him there many times before, napping underneath the sun, hat over his eyes. Other times he was enjoying his sake, some of his own stash that must have come from somewhere other than the office because she hid all of that. Those times he usually tried to get her to sit with him for a while so he could read her ridiculous love poetry. She wrinkled her nose thinking about those times.

It might not be so bad if he actually meant it. Everyone knew he flirted with anything with a skirt though, so she was inclined to ignore his antics. What she wouldn't give to have him really mean what he said.

That was another subject though, one she only ventured in very carefully. Now was not the time.

Continuing her onward journey, she readjusted her large book and took one step after step. Rounding the corner, she was still a little lost in her thoughts. If she would've been paying more attention, maybe she could've avoided the blur that came around the corner.

As soon as they connected, Nanao stumbled backwards, wondering what just happened. She hit the wall slightly, using on hand to steady herself from falling. A fluttering was heard, as well as a loud 'thunk', and Nanao knew instantly what the problem was. Count on her to be able to detect paperwork in any form, whether it be in the office or not.

Sure enough, large chunks of white were floating through the air, dispersing in every direction. Looking down at the paper's former keeper, she glanced upon the familiar figure on the ground.

Momo Hinamori.

The said girl rubbed her head before looking up. With a startled gasp, she scrambled up.

"Oh, Nanao, I'm so sorry! I was in a hurry and-"

"No problem, Momo. No harm done." Nanao glanced around, smiling understandingly at the bun-wearing girl. "Your papers seem to be on the loose though."

"Oh no!"

Momo's eyes went wide before she sprung into action. She hastily started collecting everything she dropped. Muttering short things that sounded like 'stupid' and 'clumsy' to Nanao. Taking pity on the girl, definitely knowing what this was like, she started gathering the missing documents too, putting them in a neat stack on top of her book.

When all the papers had been neatly stacked and returned to their owner, Momo gave a grateful smile.

"Thank you so much, Nanao. I wasn't watching where I was going." She gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of her head.

Nanao nodded in response. "Where are you off to so early this morning?"

Momo's face brightened a bit as she gave her explanation. "Oh! I couldn't sleep well this morning, so I decided to get to work on a lot of this paperwork that's been building up since…you know." She became quieter at the end of her statement, and Nanao knew exactly what she was talking about. There had been a lot of mess to clear up in the Divisions since Aizen, Tousen, and Gin left.

"Anyway, some of this has to go to the Tenth, so I was going to drop it off for Captain Hitsugaya. I know he gets an early start most days too." She nodded again.

Well that was weird. According to Rangiku, Momo had called him nothing but Shiro-chan for the longest time. When had she stopped? She understood why he corrected her every time it was used, having an annoying nickname for herself, but wondered what kind of change happened in Momo. She didn't comment on it, not knowing if the conversation would turn bad if she did.

"He does. I was just heading into the office as well. Have you been able to keep up with your work lately?"

There, a neutral topic. Hopefully she was doing okay. Nanao knew that she was still shaken up since the incident, and the last time she checked, she still believed Aizen to be innocent. She wasn't about to ask that though. That was taboo. Not to mention that Captain Hitsugaya's icy wrath would probably not be enjoyable in the slightest. Still, she wondered what other changes came about her.

"I've been trying really hard. There's just so much! But I have to do my best because Inspections are coming up so soon. It's still a mess, but we're working on it. I don't want to lose my position just because I can't keep up."

Nanao let out a short, quiet gasp. "That's right. I almost forgot that those are this month." She brought a hand up to her forehead. "And there's still so much to be done…" She closed her eyes, making a mental list of the multiple things she was going to have to accomplish within the week.

Momo took notice, and excused herself.

"Well, I'll let you get back to work then, Nanao. I'll see you later!"

Nanao watched her wander off in the direction she herself had come from, towards the Tenth Division. There seemed to be a slight spring in her step. That caused Nanao to smile a bit. It was good to see her have some energy, and even better to see her trying to keep up with all the work in her Division.

The first few weeks after she woke up had been tough. She moved about in a daze, not really comprehending that everyone else was preparing for war against her former captain. She knew that it must have been hard for the girl, but that didn't really excuse her from some of her behavior.

Still, Nanao wondered what she would've done if it was her captain instead.

She knew it was practically impossible, but Aizen had also taken them all by surprise. She supposed that she would've been just as broken, maybe more considering she had been serving under Captain Kyouraku for much longer.

She didn't like to think of those things though, so instead she continued on her way, ready for another day. Maybe she could convince her captain to do some of his paperwork today.

-Part One Complete