2/2

There was a strange pulse in the air as if an invisible taut rubber band had been released and suddenly the pressure in the room lifted. As it did so the weight that had been crushing into Kokoro on all sides swiftly pulled back, the heat now replaced with a sharp shock of colder air instead.

"Shiraki!" Hitsugaya called from where he had fallen to his knees beside the desk, as Kokoro gasped, her legs wobbling dangerously as air flooded back into her lungs.

"Woah, easy there Kokoro-chan. Easy" Kyoraku's voice muttered gently in her ear as she felt a pair of hands gently hold her steady and help her stand up again. "Was that really necessary Yama-Ji?"

"I needed to see how the situation has changed. It seems that my suspicions have indeed been proven correct. There is something greater at work here, though whether it is good or bad we shall have to wait and see" The old man rumbled tilting his head curiously at Kokoro as she steadied herself on her feet.

Behind her, she could hear a shaky Captain Shiba carefully helping a trembling and sweating Matsumoto back to her feet as well, but Yamamoto paid them no attention. Indeed, he was most calm and composed as he stroked his beard.

"Hmm…interesting. You withstood that level of spiritual pressure far longer than I thought you would. Though that temper of yours still needs work. Now if you are ready Shiraki, wipe those tears from your face and place your Zanpakuto on the desk so I may examine it."

Or else His eyes said, even though the words never left his mouth.

Kokoro nodded silently still panting for breath as she gingerly unsheathed her two blades from her hip, ignoring the angry growling that had restarted in her head. They really did not want to obey her right now, but what else could she do? She did not think she could take another blast of Reiatsu like that again.

She sucked in air through her teeth as she shakily placed swords on the desk, her body trembling all over once more from exhaustion.

She held her breath, leaning into Kyoraku's large hand as it rubbed soothing circles on her back. Her legs were so weak that they felt like jelly even as she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"Well done. You did so well Kokoro-chan. Just hold on a bit more" he whispered in her ear as they watched Yamamoto calmly walk over towards the three swords that now lay on the desk.

"Hyorinmaru." He murmured as he ran a hand over the pale silver blade of Hitsugaya's Zanpakuto which steamed lightly under the effect of the Head Captain's fiery spiritual pressure "The Heavenly Ice Dragon. A powerful Zanpakuto to be sure, and very loyal to its master. You have already progressed quite far with your Shikai I take it?"

"Only in training sir. I still need more experience in the field." Hitsugaya nodded wearily as he made to stand up straight and composed, the only sign of his previous discomfort being his slightly sweaty brow.

"Which I am sure will come soon, isn't that right Captain Shiba?" Yamamoto turned an imperious eye on Captain Shiba who nodded dutifully.

"Absolutely. I plan on sending Toushiro to lead the Tenth squad Shinigami on our next joint patrol in the World of the Living with Squads Nine and Five"

"Just so. The boy's got potential, it should not be squandered pushing papers behind a desk." Yamamoto growled nodding with approval at Hitsugaya who straightened up and bowed his head in a respectful nod to his elder.

Kokoro shivered as the old man then turned to face the desk again, his brow furrowing as he made to reach out toward her twin Zanpakuto.

"W-wait!" she winced as she heard the beastly growls echo once more in her head and felt something sharp crackle in the air.

But too late. Yamamoto withdrew his hand as a spark of electricity sharply zapped his fingertips.

"Hmm… So, this one is powerful as well. Yes…enormously powerful…yet wild and temperamental like your master, that makes things complicated." he narrowed his eyes as he looked between Kokoro and the blades. "have you discovered its name yet young one?"

"No, not yet, and I'm not its master" Kokoro blurted out before she could stop herself.

"And what do you mean by that child?" Yamamoto clipped irritably.

Well done Kokoro, you've once again put yourself in the line of fire…literally.

She rolled her eyes at herself as she forced herself to cough.

"W-well sir…t-the way I understand it the Zanpakuto and the Shinigami both work together to fight and maintain the b-balance. T-they cannot work in harmony together if one thinks they own the other or treats the other like a master would a slave. Then there is no balance. It's just one overpowering the other and dominating for the sake of domination. That's why my Zanpakuto…that's why I don't see myself as…uh…I uh…"

"That's why you don't see yourself as their master. Because you see them as your partner."

Kokoro blinked at Hitsugaya. He had folded his arms and was looking at her, again with that searching, penetrating stare he had first given her when he had stared at her scar earlier on the patio. Those turquoise eyes, they really did feel like shards of ice piercing straight through her.

"A charming sentiment to be sure," Yamamoto grunted. "Yet a Zanpakuto like yours will require far more training discipline than it currently is receiving if it is to be controlled properly"

"I don't know if that's even possible sir" Captain Shiba spoke up with a smirk "Shiraki has been training non-stop since her Zanpakuto transformed. I'm not sure you could get more disciplined than that"

"I would expect nothing less from the daughter of a Captain; however, quantity is not the same as quality." Yamamoto glared between both Hitsugaya and Kokoro once more.

"Your powers have both been running unchecked and unwatched for too long as such you will each receive special training. Hitsugaya-san you will personally train with Captain Shiba, as he is your captain and is fully aware of your situation. Shiraki-san, seeing as your Zanpakuto is more – hmph – unique you will train with Shunsui. Since you both have similar types of Zanpakuto and already have a personal connection I expect you to learn as much as you can from him if he is willing to finally take some responsibility and not shirk off" the old man added shooting a small glower at Kyoraku who nervously chuckled.

"But of course, sir. I will do everything in my power to make sure Kokoro-chan has the best training."

"I should hope so Shunsui, however, remember you volunteered to take this one under your wing. If any trouble should come from this arrangement, I shall be holding you personally responsible. Also, I know Captain Shiraki is a friend of yours, but make sure he does not interfere. Too much mollycoddling will stunt her progress and only make your task more difficult. Am I clear?"

"Transparently" Kyoraku nodded, and though he kept smiling, his eyes became cold and hard as he held his old teacher's gaze.

If Head Captain Yamamoto noticed the change in his old pupil's expression he did not comment. Instead, he nodded gruffly with a stern nod as he made his way to the door of the office.

"Good. I shall leave the scheduling of your training up to you. I will expect regular reports from both you and Captain Shiba about these two's progress. Be sure they are delivered promptly once a month, starting next month."

"Yes, Head Captain" Captain Shiba saluted dutifully, while Captain Kyoraku just nodded.

There was silence as everyone watched the old man leave, his grey-haired and moustached lieutenant suddenly appearing by the doorway to open and close it behind his back.

As soon as the sounds of his footsteps and the thudding of his cane on the floor disappeared from hearing, everyone in the room seemed to sag with relief.

"Well, that went better than I thought" Captain Shiba sighed turning to his still rather shaken lieutenant. "Rangiku I must say…your breasts really look quite lovely with all that sweat. Truly magnificent like a pair of glowing suns-ah!"

He cried out in pain as Matsumoto promptly smacked him with a rolled-up scroll of papers that had been on the desk.

"Captain you pervert! I almost boiled alive and all you can do is stare at my breasts?! Take that and that!"

"OW! Rangiku! I was trying to pay you a compliment-ow-ow-ow!" He winced as he received three more slaps to the back of the head. "Shunsui! Help!"

"Wait for just a second Kokoro-chan. I'll be back in a moment" Captain Kyoraku patted quickly turned towards Matsumoto with placating hands "Now, now Rangiku, there's no need for that level of violence. Isshin was just stating facts, even I think your breasts do look quite lovely like-ow!"

Now it was his turn to wince as the scroll smacked his hand away.

As all this ruckus carried on behind, Kokoro, still shaking, rushed over to Captain Shiba's desk and quickly snatched her twin swords from it.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to come out but I couldn't go through that hell again. Please you have to understand.

She pleaded in her head as she sheathed the blades quickly. The growling had subsided however, she could still feel an angry aura flickering on the edges of her mind.

Great, the Head Captain is pissed at me and so is my Zanpakuto.

A shuddering sigh escaped Kokoro as she leaned on her palms against the wooden surface of the desk, her head hanging down to the ground so that her half loose blonde locks hid her scarred sweaty face.

She did not even look up as she felt someone with a cold aura sidle in beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Hitsugaya asked, his voice quiet as he took his own Zanpakuto back and slid it into its holster.

"Like I could drop at any moment" Kokoro mumbled softly, a bitter edge to her voice "I-I really made a mess of things huh?"

"Maybe. But all in all, you could have done a lot worse." Hitsugaya muttered, his cheeks and ears reddening slightly as he turned his back on her to walk over to where Lieutenant Matsumoto was swatting angrily at Captain Shiba and Captain Kyoraku as they tried to both flirt and apologise to her in unison.

As the young shinigami did his best to diffuse the amusing situation, Kokoro pulled herself up shakily.

When father hears how disrespectful I was to the head captain he's going to do his nut in.

She thought glumly, biting her lip.

All these years he's trained me to be a model warrior and now I'm embarrassing him by talking back to my superiors. God, I'm such an idiot, I can't believe I called the Head Captain a stupid old man!

She was so lost in her depressing thoughts that she barely noticed the fight break up, nor Captain Shiba give permission to Captain Kyoraku to take her away for a private chat until she was being steered out the entrance to the division.

"Ooh, that woman does have a hard hit." Captain Kyoraku whined as he rubbed his bearded cheek, which was slightly red from where it had received a hard slap from Matsumoto's bare hand. However, his brown eyes brightened as he caught sight of a small ramen street cart set up nearby.

"Ah, that looks promising. Ne, Kokoro-chan, what do you think? How about a quick bite while we talk about your lessons? Come on my treat."

When he did not receive an answer, Kyoraku looked down eyebrows raised.

"Hey, hey. Don't be so blue Kokoro-chan." he wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulder bracingly. "Yama-Ji might act like a grumpy old fart but he's not so bad once you get used to him. He just likes to make an intimidating first impression is all, to keep everyone in line."

"I know," Kokoro grumbled, shivering as she remembered the look in his eye as she struggled against his reiatsu. Even now as she sat down at the ramen cart and waited for her food, she could still feel the burning heat pierce through her.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" she mumbled, as the cook bustled off to prepare their order.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Kyoraku looked down at her in surprise.

"Yamamoto," Kokoro muttered shoulders hunched "he doesn't like me at all. He likes Hitsugaya because he's so a composed and perfect prodigy-" she didn't want to sound so bitter, but the words were tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them "-but-but Yamamoto…he doesn't like me…he think's I'm a threat because of my powers...because I can't control them yet, even though my father trained me."

Kyoraku sighed, and his face softened instantly at the morose look of shame splashed across the young girl's face.

"Look, Kokoro-chan it's not that the Old Man doesn't like you, he just doesn't understand you. Don't get me wrong, he is wise and powerful. You would be hard-pressed to find a better leader anywhere, but he's never liked change or new things. He has a hard time accepting that there are some things outside of his control that he can be rash when dealing with them sometimes. Do you think what you saw today was bad? You should have seen him whenever Jushiro and I got into trouble at the Academy. One time he got so mad he nearly set the roof ablaze. Good thing Unohana managed to calm him down before any damage could be done."

Despite herself, Kokoro could not help but chuckle along with him softly. She had heard many stories about her Godfather's antics in his youth, and they never failed to make her laugh.

Still, there was something rattling in her head that she could not quite shake off that had nothing to do with her anxiety.

"Uncle?" she asked as she separated her chopsticks and swirled the ramen noodles in the hot broth.

"Hmm?" Kyoraku hummed through a mouthful of noodles.

"What did Yamamoto mean when he said that his suspicions were proven correct?"

"Honestly Kokoro-chan I'm not sure what Yama-Ji meant by that. Above all else, he has always considered the training of future generations to be of utmost importance. My best guess is that he's just worried that there are a pair of powerful Zanpakutos in the hands of two very young Shinigami. Speaking of which," and now the old captain's brown eyes sparkled mischievously "it's nice to see you making some friends in your new squad."

"Huh? What? Friends with who?" Kokoro blinked in surprise halfway through shovelling a mass of noodles into her mouth.

"Why that Hitsugaya-kun of course," Kyoraku's smirk widened slightly as he oh-so-casually turned back to his bowl of food. "When Yama-ji forced his reiatsu upon you, he was really worried for you. He even tried standing up to the old man."

"O-oh. Hitsugaya…uh… well…I-I don't know about friends." Kokoro felt her cheeks burn bright hot once more and cursed herself as she did her best to avoid the older captain's playful smirk "It's-we're…well he's more like an acquaintance. I mean yeah sure he's polite when we pass each other in the hallway and we train together on some squad drills, but we don't really talk much."

Well unless you count that argument, we had a few nights ago. She added in her head.

"Really?" Captain Kyoraku raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "So you don't actually know one another?"

Kokoro shook her head, still blushing to the roots of her pale hair.

"And he still stood up for you?"

"Look I'm just as confused as you are uncle" Kokoro gulped her chest tightening slightly as she remembered the curious frown the white-haired boy had given her on the patio.

She knew how to deal with people that looked at her with disgust and pity, but she had no clue what to do with Hitsugaya's strangely penetrating stare.

It was as if he were trying desperately to read her like a book, only to realise she was written in a foreign language that he did not understand, one which she had no dictionary to give him to look through.

She was distracted from her thoughts by the sight of the small sly smile spreading across Kyoraku's face.

"Interesting…Still, he seems a nice boy. He'll definitely be quite handsome when he grows into his looks ne?"

"Nice try Uncle, but that trick won't work a second time." Kokoro rolled her eyes and Kyoraku chuckled softly.

"Nothing gets past you eh? Smart girl," He reached out to pet her pale blonde hair affectionately. "Hmm…don't worry Kokoro-chan. Everything will turn out alright in the end, you'll see. And look on the plus side, now you get to visit Nanao-chan and me more often!"

"I suppose that's true." Kokoro allowed herself a small smile as she leaned lightly into the hand on her head.

She had missed her uncle's presence these past few months, and it was soothing to think that she would be training with him on a more regular basis. Even if it did mean she would have to travel across half the Sereitei at least once a week.

I can't wait till I have fully learned Shunpo, at least then I can cut my travel time in half.

She rolled her eyes to herself as she turned her attention back to her noodles.

Meanwhile, a little way down the street, Head Captain Yamamoto quietly watched the young girl and her uncle at the ramen stand, stroking a wrinkled hand over his long beard.

Hmm…Kokoro Shiraki, you are a strange one. Shunsui, by the Spirit King, I hope you know what you're doing.

"So Yamamoto wishes for Kokoro Shiraki to be personally trained by another Captain?"

Captain Sosuke Aizen's gaze hardened behind his glasses as he looked out over the edge of the balcony. It was approaching sunset. The sun was dipping low in the sky but not quite yet touching the horizon line.

It was a beautiful sight. Too bad his colleague behind him could not appreciate the beauty of the sight before them.

"Yes," Captain Kaname Tousen clipped, his dark-skinned face twisted into a frown as his milky white blind eyes narrowed behind his clear goggles. "from what I have heard he has assigned Captain Kyoraku to teach the brat."

"I see" Aizen sighed. Old and hateful of change though he was, the Head Captain was no fool. Of course, he'd set one of his own protégés to keep an eye on the girl now that she was beginning to come into her own power. The last thing the old man wanted was a powerful untrained being running amok amongst his divisions.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Tousen asked, and though his voice was polite, there was an urgent edge to his voice.

"Do about it?" Aizen smirked amusedly.

Though he tried to hide behind the façade of an honourable soldier Tousen always was hasty and trigger happy. It was one of the many things that made him an easily controllable asset to his cause, and a great source of personal spiteful amusement for Aizen.

And sure enough, the blind Captain did not disappoint with his response:

"Surely we cannot let Yamamoto or his pets take control over her training. The more her powers become realised the more likely they will figure out what she is. And when they do that they'll start digging for answers about where she came from. Kenji Shiraki already has tried mounting his own investigations-"

"Calm yourself Tousen." Aizen clipped, and Tousen shut his mouth quickly "You need not worry about such a thing. You forget I already have measures in place to cover all our tracks if need be. And besides, Kokoro Shiraki is already well on her way to discovering her Shikai and when she does there won't be much that her new mentor can teach her about her powers. That will be a journey she will have no choice but to make for herself just as you or I have done with our own Zanpakuto. As for the brat's father, I can deal with him if necessary, or Gin can, there's no reason to worry."

"Yes, and speaking of which where is your subordinate? I thought he'd be meeting here with us?" Tousen folded his arms, nose scrunching with distaste at the name of his colleague as he tilted his head side to side to sense where he was.

"Gin won't be joining us this evening; he has a previous engagement that he is most anxious to attend." Aizen shrugged nonchalantly as he pulled his glasses off to clean them on the sleeve of his white Captain's Haori.

"You mean he's spending time with the brat again?" Tousen scoffed into his orange scarf around his neck. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that snake is going soft-"

"Now, now Tousen, you know how important Gin's task is." Aizen's smile was soft but his brown eyes were sharp even as he made to put his glasses back on his face. "and you forget again, he is a talented actor. When he plays a part he really likes to commit himself to the role. And even if he does feel some connection with the girl it won't hurt his overall performance. After all, the more genuine the connection he can make the easier it will be to keep her under close observation and manipulate her moving forward. Now come, time is pressing, and I want to get that experiment done with before tomorrow morning."

Tousen's lips pursed but he said nothing as he followed Aizen down the length of the balcony and out of sight.

Kokoro sighed as she sat upon the rooftop of a bakery in the Sereitei looking out at the sunset, munching on a roll of soft sweet spongy bread. The sky was ablaze with shades of gold, orange, and blood-red, by the sun which was now three quarters dipped below the silhouetted horizon.

It was all in all a beautiful sight, and yet Kokoro could not help but feel worried.

After returning from lunch with her godfather she had been given the rest of the day off to recuperate and rest off her shaken nerves.

Captain Shiba had been adamant that she and Hitsugaya both rest and recuperate fully before returning to work the next day.

Normally Kokoro would have felt guilty about being given yet another free pass, but secretly she was glad for the break. After all, dealing with the Head Captain's reiatsu crushing your body was not something you could walk off in two minutes.

It also gave her the time to wrap her head around all the new changes that had hit her within the past two weeks. After calming down over two bowls of Ramen each, she and her uncle had agreed that she should train with him at least one morning a week, which suited Kokoro fine.

Most Shinigami in all the divisions worked six-day work weeks with an allotted one day off for a break. Since Kokoro almost always used her one day off to train it would not make much of a difference to her schedule.

And yet…and yet…

"Now isn't this a strange sight. Hmm, what would a little Tiger be doing on a rooftop like this?"

Kokoro nearly leapt out of her skin at the sound of the soft sly voice that had spoken up from somewhere in her blind left side.

"Gin!" she smiled as she stood up to run over to the tall thin Shinigami with short silver hair and a pointed grinning fox-like face, and a lieutenants' armband with the symbol of the Fifth Division on his left arm which was wrapped all the way up to the elbow in bandages.

"Hiya Hime-chan" Lieutenant Gin Ichimaru's smirk softened as he returned the young girl's tight embrace with a warm one of his own. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, I missed you," Kokoro mumbled, pressing her cheek into his black Shihakuso as he gently patted the top of her pale blonde locks.

"I missed you too Kiddo. Sorry I haven't been around much. There have been so many missions and so much paperwork recently. Now step back and let me have a look at ya!" he pulled her back by the shoulders to look down at her.

Though his smirk remained on his face, Kokoro could see his slit-like eyes looked slightly sad as he ran a long pale spider-like hand over her black-clad shoulder.

"Look at ya. I almost didn't recognise you in that uniform. You look like a real Shinigami"

"Gin I am a Shinigami" Kokoro huffed with an indignant pout as he chuckled.

"I know Hime-chan. I know. Forgive me, it's just…It seems only yesterday you were four years old and riding on my shoulders is I flash stepped you around the Sereitei to sneak you to the sweet store behind your fathers back."

"Yeah, Otou-san used to get so mad dealing with the sugar highs I used to get afterwards." Kokoro giggled fondly at the memory, only to sigh deeply as her heavy heart sank in her chest.

"Oh no, I know that look." Gin's smirk widened as she flushed with embarrassment.

"What look?"

"That look, as if something's eating at ya from the inside out." Gin tilted his head as he made to sit down on the roof, gesturing to Kokoro to do the same. "So come on what happened? You can tell your old friend Gin, ne?"

She sighed again as she followed his lead and sat down beside him. She did not even know why she bothered trying to hide anything from the fox faced lieutenant anymore. He was always able to read her like an open book.

And so she told him everything. About how difficult it had been adjusting to life in the new division. How her fellow Squadmates teased her about being so young and so small. She told him about the incident with Sabu and his friends, about how her Zanpakuto transformed and her disastrous meeting with the Head Captain about training her up.

Gin let her ramble, listening intently without interruption until she reached the end of her recount.

"So there you have it. That's all that's happened to me so far these past few months…so far."

"Wow, you have been busy haven't ya? Pickin' fights with your Squadmates and the Head Captain. I'm kidding Kokoro-chan, I'm just kidding" Gin put up a placating hand as the young girl glowered glumly at him. "Honestly though, I've gotta say I'm impressed you stood up to the Old Man. He ain't an easy person to deal with."

"Have you ever talked with him?" Kokoro tilted her head curiously at him and Gin shrugged.

"Eh, not really. Unless you count having to give a verbal report at a Captain's meeting. He is quite powerful though so none of us lieutenants would dare mess with him." Gin added in a mutter, glancing at her curiously "Ya said he forced his reiatsu down upon you. How bad was it?"

"Really bad" Kokoro shuddered, folding her arms about herself as she remembered the searing pressure bearing down upon her. "I felt like I was being cooked alive. I could barely move; I was just stood there like a stunned mullet. It took me forever to straighten my spine to look him in the eye."

"But you could stand?" Gin frowned his usual sly playfulness nearly all but gone now from his voice "You didn't drop like the others?"

"Yeah, I could stand," Kokoro nodded looking at her friend with a small worried frown. "Why? I-Is there something wrong? Did I-"

"No-no-no Hime-chan you did nothing wrong!" Gin chuckled, his grinning façade quickly slipping back into place as he patted her consolingly on the shoulder "Sorry, I was just surprised is all. You really have grown quite a lot since you graduated huh? From the looks of things you'll soon be a lieutenant like me."

"I doubt it" Kokoro grumbled darkly. "I mean yeah sure my powers are progressing, but Yamamoto only wants me to train with my uncle because he wants to keep me on a leash."

"And you figure this out because?" Gin asked quietly.

"Because the way he looked at me today was the same as when I graduated" Kokoro sighed. "He doesn't trust me. He thinks if I'm left on my own I'll become a danger."

"A danger eh? Well, I guess you do have quite the temper-" Gin smirked cheekily as she swatted his arm hard.

"Meanie."

"Ow, not so hard Hime-chan I gotta use this arm for paperwork tomorrow" Gin whined, still grinning.

"Liar, I know it's your day off tomorrow" Kokoro snorted and Gin groaned.

"Ah, caught again!"

"Of course I caught you, you taught me how to lie."

"Yes, I did Kokoro-chan, but remember our promise" Gin quirked a brow down at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yes-yes I remember our promise." the corners of her mouth twitching upwards despite herself as she leaned her forehead sideways into his shoulder.

The sun was nearly completely set now, only a thin sliver of gold was visible over the horizon. The golden light in the sky had all but faded into the greys, blues, blacks and lavenders of twilight, bathing the world in a sea of dim light.

She looked down at the bandaged hand which he had kept lax by his side throughout their conversation.

"You got hurt on your mission." She mumbled quietly.

"It's just a scratch. It'll heal in a few days." Gin muttered gently as he leaned into her touch. "You'll be going on your own missions soon."

"Ugh, please don't remind me." Kokoro moaned into his sleeve. Living in the Third Division, she had heard a fair few horrific tales about missions that had turned into massacres. She had even seen a few bloodied broken bodies waiting to be healed in the Fourth Squad, though never a dead body, if only because they had been covered by a sheet in their medical bed.

"Hey now, no need to be scared. Missions and patrols are not so bad once you get used to them." Gin pulled his uninjured arm around her tiny shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "I mean yeah sure the hollows are nasty but as long as you hold your ground and remember what ya learned you'll be okay."

"You really think so?" Kokoro gulped as she peeked up at him nervously.

"I know so" Gin patted her head again "You're tougher than you think Kokoro, and you won't be alone. You have got your Zanpakuto. Trust it and trust your training and I promise you, you'll be fine."

"Do you really mean what you just said, or are you just telling me what I want to hear just to make me feel better?" Kokoro pouted and Gin put a thoughtful finger to his chin.

"I guess it could be one or the other, or maybe it could be both I'm not sure-"

"Hmph! Gin!"

"What? You asked so I answered." Gin shrugged pulling his arm back as she made to hit it again.

"Maybe but do you always have to be so cryptic?"

"What can I say, it's part of my charm" he chuckled wickedly much to her annoyance.

However, despite her irritation, her heart felt lighter than before as she leaned once more into his side and shut her eyes happily.

"Gin."

"Yes?"

"I'm really glad we're friends"

"So am I Hime-chan." Gin murmured, his slit-like eyes opening a fraction as the dark settled over them, the pale orbs within wells of guilt as he looked up at the darkening skies above.

"So am I."

And there we have it Chapter 3. Yeah so I've managed to get three chapters out nearly one day after the other, but that was only because I was on such a roll when I started writing.

So I hope you enjoyed the little bit of drama and the fluff at the end. I personally had a lot of fun writing the end bit, but I do hope that I have not OOC'd Gin too much. After all how much of it is what he says is real and how much of it is an act? and who is it an act for is the even bigger question? ;)

Anyways please review if you enjoyed and i hope to see you all next time.

Cheers

Fuzzybeta