Here and There

Greenroom XIV

1862

Outside the shinigami academy, I met up with a beautiful blonde student.

Well.

She wasn't a student anymore.

"Congratulations on graduating!" I praised Rangiku.

Rangiku smiled brightly. The lovely blonde had worked hard, blossoming under my tutelage. She had even already awoken her shikai for her zanpakutō. I was so dang proud of her. While Yoruichi could not share in that moment, I'd be sure to tell her all about it when I visited them.

"Thank you, Teacher," Rangiku chirped as a gentle spring breeze blew by us.

"Now, now," I said. "I'm no longer your teacher. We're both shinigami."

"Then... Captain Rirī?"

"Aww. Can't I just be Rirī?"

Rangiku's smile was warm. "Okay. Rirī."

I kissed her forehead—she had leaned down to allow me to do so since she had already grown taller than me. "Thank you, dear. Ah, have you thought about which squad to join?"

Rangiku hesitated. "Squad 10."

"Ah."

That didn't come as a surprise.

Rangiku clearly wanted to reconcile with Gin, but as long as Gin was on the warpath for vengeance, he would rebuff her. She was still hurting from his deliberate distance at the academy, and was afraid how cruel he would be to her if she forced herself on the same squad as him—my squad.

"Well," I said, "Isshin will make a good captain."

And he would.

Since the departure of so many captains, a lot of the squads had been in limbo. I recommended Sōsuke and Sajin as captains, and both would be undergoing evaluation in the coming months. Gin was progressing well in his training, but until he had achieved his bankai I could not put forward with his recommendation.

It would still be some years before Sōsuke and Sajin could take up position as captains. Given the massive loss in powerful Shinigami, Genryūsai decided to re-evaluate the squads as a whole. Nearly every shinigami was forced to undergo re-evaluation, and those that could not pass Genryūsai's standards were sent back to the academy for remedial training.

I wagered it'd take several years until Genryūsai felt ready to assign captain positions again. It'd be nice if Gin was ready by then, but the baby boy needed a lot more time to build up his reiatsu. I figured it'd be closer to a few more decades rather than years until he became captain.

Probably for the best. Once Sōsuke and Sajin became captains, Gin could be my new lieutenant and he'd have more experience handling a higher position before becoming a captain.

For the moment, I'd cherish what time I had left with my squad.

Rangiku let out a soft snort. "Lowsy cook, but nice man."

I giggled at that. "You know you can always come to me whenever you want good food."

Rangiku hugged me. "Yes. Thank you T—Rirī."

"Any time, dear."

Rangiku pulled back and clapped her hands together, eyes glistening. "Since I scored well, that means I get a treat, right?"

"Yes?"

"So you'll take me shopping, right?"

"Yes?"