Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

A/N: This sucks. May contain spoilers for Bleach 535.

…

The hardest part for her was, she could not have saved him. He had been unsalvageable, just way too deep. On top of that she was angry at herself for having failed to recognize how big was the space she had always occupied in Gin's mind, and because of that she likewise had failed to understand him thoroughly, if not as a man then as a person on the whole. Because Gin had more than once likened himself to a snake whose skin was stone cold and whose heart was nonexistent, she had been left guessing as to the level of truth in that claim. As it was, it would be a hundred years before she could grasp what had kept him going back to her side all those dreary years in their childhood. If he had been truly cold-blooded, there would've been no reason for him to trace his steps back to her—to risk death for her. But he died nevertheless, for her if not for any other reason.

Even in death you remain a mystery. Like always, I know nothing.

All she knew was, he had loved her for nearly all his life.

…

"Urahara-san wishes to speak to you, Matsumoto-san, Kira." Kurosaki Ichigo announced, barreling into Inoue's apartment through the window.

Four lieutenants, Renji, Shuhei, Rangiku and Kira had been dispatched to the human world on a mission, with Hitsugaya as their captain. Presently Kira and Rangiku were taking temporary residence under Inoue's roof while the captain and the other two had chosen to seek hospitality somewhere else.

"Now?"

"Yeah. ASAP."

The two excused themselves to their lovely host, whereby Ichigo decided to tarry a few more minutes in Inoue's flat, allowing the two lieutenants to find their own way to Urahara's place. Upon reaching the shop, Rangiku froze just before the entrance as if she had suddenly lost some mobility upon the sight of the door. Unbeknownst to her, Kira Izuru was demonstrating the same peculiarity. Before they could determine what was making them act thus the door flew open to accommodate Tessai who subsequently led them down into the basement. Down there, they were greeted by Kisuke Urahara.

"Welcome, you two." This was the customary remark Urahara had always used to receive guests, but at the moment something in the way he had stationed himself in front of them was portending a serious matter. Moment by moment another formidable presence was introducing itself to their senses. How, they could not have said. With that, Kira made it a point to speak first, albeit shakily,

"What is the meaning of this, Urahara-san? Is he here, of all people?"

"So you can sense it? I can't explain it myself, but I'm about 99% sure it is him."

With hardly any prelude Rangiku flitted across the room and onto the space by the pram idling at the far corner of the room. Before they had half realized what was happening her fingers closed around the hem of the linen that was covering the vessel, to yank it away. Not a second later did they hear her gasp. Whatever the sight might have been offering, it was clear now that self-restraint had to be exercised in the succeeding minutes. And this was made plainer still by the way she was covering her mouth with her palm.

"My god…" Kira could not help but gasp too.

"It was Captain Hirako who brought him here. I'm not sure, however, if he was also the one who stumbled upon this in the first place. He said the little fellow was found on the sandy plains of the East Rukongai. I forgot which district. At any rate, Hirako-san apparently thought it fit to, er, bring the child here rather than to report the incident to the Gotei."

Too soon her emotions had become too much for her to hold back so that tears were streaming down her cheeks now, unbridled. Kira Izuru, for his part, approached his fellow lieutenant and together they stared down, where an infant slept peacefully. He was about the size of a year-old human infant, and he looked a good deal like one too, except that a faint trace of spiritual pressure was present in him. Furthermore, his silver hair wasn't sparse, as opposed to infants whose scalps could be easily discerned between the strands. The eyes on the other hand were slightly slanting down from the temples, giving the face a fox-like appearance. It was as if this child had had his share of mischief far too early in his life. Above all, those who had had the honor of laying eyes on the deceased Third Division Captain would not have mistaken this infant for someone else.

"How is this even possible?" Kira was almost too bewildered to phrase anything longer than this remark.

"No idea, really. Never have I encountered this sort of phenomenon in all the years of my so-called practice. All I know is, I've taken soul particle samples from the kid and they…"

"What?"

Urahara did not answer right away, giving way to a silence that was almost oppressive. Gradually, the lack of sound was becoming hard to interpret as it was beginning to be everything a silence was not. Understanding this as a signal to break the repose, Urahara went all blunt,

"Well, we have to accept that this is Ichimaru Gin—infant version."

Again, silence intervened. Away from the two men, Matsumoto was running her fingers over the dozing infant's hair, looking like someone so detached and who was at the same time having an experience so different from the others. But this was easy enough to understand. The impact of what she was looking at was enough to drive anyone off her wits. And to think Gin to her had meant a lot, possibly the world, she could be absolved of any judgment as far as her current behavior was concerned.

"I see. If he's going to stay in the human world he will need a permanent Gigai, won't he, Urahara-san?"

"Like the one you used on Captain Ishiin Kurosaki—my former captain." Matsumoto spoke for the first time, as if suddenly broken from a deep spell.

"You're right; exactly that one."

The two men scrutinized her face, and by and by the whole of this was starting to slide down to rest. The fact was, Ichimaru Gin, in his adult form, had done evil on a giant scale, the sort which people running short on the imagination department could not have dreamed of. Throughout his youth he had mercilessly slaughtered innocent souls under Aizen's orders. Although in the end he had purposed to bring down the most evil entity known to Soul Society, he had been responsible for any number of serious crimes which ultimately had overridden whatever good he might have intended to do. But to penalize this reborn creature on account of the Ichimaru Gin's crimes would be out of the question, outrageous even. At least everyone present had the sense of justice to admit this much.

"And what would be your course of action once he matures? Ichimaru Gin was strong beyond reckoning. I would assume the same is bound to be true for this kid." Said a voice that did not belong to any of the three of them.

Urahara, Kira and Rangiku swiveled their heads toward the stairs to find Hitsugaya Toshiro standing there. At a casual glance no one would mistake his expression for anything besides disinterest, but a closer inspection would've revealed he was as alert as a predator stalking his prey. At length, Urahara answered,

"You are correct, Captain Hitsugaya. He will need someone to regulate him as he grows older. Even if I seal his powers there is no guarantee he won't break out of it in the future. I mean, I would be the last to deny the extents of his potentials. But this doesn't, by any account, mean he does not deserve a chance. We are talking about a baby here."

"I never said he has to be put down." Hitsugaya clarified and approached his lieutenant. Obviously his reasoning tended away from casting a single glance at the infant, simply because he had had profound hatred for Gin. Nevertheless, he stared at the child. Heaving a sigh, he asked Rangiku, "Is this your choice, Matsumoto?"

At first, the other occupants of the room save them both failed to understand. But when Rangiku took her time to answer things started to get clearer, bit by bit. Indeed, the enormity of the question could only be expressed through a repose, whereas words would simply be ancillary to her expected response. But she answered nonetheless,

"Yes, captain."

"Deserted again, huh? First it's Captain Kurosaki, and now it's you." Hitsugaya drew a disappointed breath just then.

Everyone knew what he meant. Not so long ago, Ishiin Kurosaki had relinquished his shinigami powers, had voluntarily exiled himself from Soul Society, all to save the woman with whom he had eventually fallen in love. Right now, the same process was to be repeated. At length, Matsumoto declared,

"If it hadn't been for me, Gin would've had a normal life. Instead, he had to run around with Aizen, taking pains and obeying evil biddings, risking his life to discover what had the power to kill that bastard. If I don't take the responsibility of looking after him from here on out I will not be able to look at myself in the mirror tomorrow morning. Forgive me, captain."

"I understand, Matsumoto." This time, Hitsugaya was smiling gravely, but to appreciate that smile would then require a more sophisticated sense of humor, otherwise callousness. His sadness, now made even more apparent by the dim light, was threatening to infect each and everyone of them. For the first time in his life, the young captain wondered if he deserved so heavy an emotional burden.

"Is there really a need to raise him here, in the human world? Doesn't he belong with us, with the shinigami?" Kira piped up, sounding hopeful.

Rangiku shook her head calmly, explaining, "This little man, although he has no memory of it, has encountered countless hardships, has chased numerous dangers—in his past life. His fate is enough testament to how harsh life can be for individuals who possess immense power. More importantly, nothing awaits him in Soul Society but judgment in the eyes of the law and condemnation. I cannot allow myself to put him through that."

At this point, Urahara deduced now was the time for him to start elaborating, and so he did,

"Here is what's going to happen; I will seal his innate spiritual pressure and compress it right at the core of his being, where it will be well secured. No one would have access to it. With that accomplished, his shinigami powers will be concealed, from himself and from anyone. At least that's the general idea. But because we are talking about a particularly strong entity here, I will require a back-up plan in the form of Reishi layers that will help hold the compressed power in place and intact, just in case. This means that whoever will provide these Reishi layers will be sentenced to stay by this child's side for the most of his life. Because he shall live under the guise of a human, so shall his protector be. Let me point out that it's pretty much the same as giving up your own powers in exchange for a babysitting job—child fostering even." With a deliberate gaze at the woman, Urahara paused before asking a question so simplified it perhaps would not require any form of thinking at all, "Any regrets, Rangiku Matsumoto?"

At that question, it dawned on her that her responsibility now was something she had to carry for life. It might preclude the worst of things or the noblest of sacrifices, and yet this, for her, was the only road she had to take, and no other. Because Gin would not have the least of hesitations had he been in her situation now. Looking at her captain, whom she also loved, she could not help but feel a surge of sadness. At the same instant, Hitsugaya perceived a flash of pain in her eyes so briefly executed he was sure he was imagining it. Before she came to gather herself, she was forced to spread her arms and to wrap them around her young captain. His face pressed against the skin just above her bulging chest, Hitsugaya felt her tears pouring down over his head. Just then, he heard Rangiku answer Urahara's question, without letting go of him,

"Lots of them, just like Captain Kurosaki before me. If I do this now I'll regret losing my abilities for quite a time. 'll cry over it for days, rest-assured. On the other hand, if I don't do this for him at all I will regret it forever. Again and again."

To give Ichimaru Gin a human life, free of harm and peril, was her resolve. To be his protector, his mother, his home, were the best things she could ever hope to do for him, her only way to give him back all that he had lost.

END