With the Captains suffering casualties and heavy injuries on their side, all hope seemed to be lost... until Shinji Hirako appeared, along with the rest of the former Shinigami. Though the aid of the Vizards certainly helped to draw the battle in their favor, it seemed Aizen's power alone proved too much for them.
"It's only because he is a bum," Aina said rolling her eyes, not letting the marriage talk get to her as she reached into her robes and pulled out a bag of dried persimmons and handed them to Gin. A true mystery was how many bags she kept just in case they crossed paths. Aina wouldn't tell, after all it would just give Shinji another thing for him to tease her about. "Tsk, I doubt marriage is anything in the near future, plenty of time for accident you know?" she winked at Gin before giving Shinji a sly look. Gin had pretty much hit it on the head though, Shinji would be too lazy to propose, and Aina liked that just fine, last thing she wanted was to be in a marriage that was filled with worry and fret with Captain, and to be overshadowed by her husband.
"Oh hey Gin-san, head over to the glass shop. I made a present for you, I couldn't sleep last night, I figured a glass persimmon tree would look pretty neat in your room, or you could give it to Matsumoto-san, whichever," Aina said putting and hand on her cheek for a moment. She then looked at Shinji and smiled again, "You know the offer to use a bowl and cut your hair still stands."
"Cap'n wants to be a bum?" Ichimaru raised an eyebrow, "That's too bad."
Whether or not Gin had noticed the incredibly obvious look of contempt that Shinji had thrown in his direction was known by him only, as his face showed no sign of it. The only real thing that showed on his face was that every wry smile that seemed to be plastered there.
One had to wonder if grinning so much hurt or not.
"Awww... den' ah' guess ah'll lose mah' money." Gin smiled and shook his head, it's not like he had placed any money on the pair in the first place.
Shrugging, he simply took the offered bag from her hand and began to munch away at the persimmons. Where did she get all of these, anyways? Perhaps she grew her own?
But naw... she wouldn't go to those lengths for him, right? After all, he had never seen the woman eat any on her own.
Brushing those thoughts aside, the boy raised his eyebrow at the girl. "A glass persimmon treh?" Now that had got his interest. "Yeh' made it... last night?"
One had to wonder why Aina was always so nice to the boy, he had never really done anything that nice for her so... why? Still, Gin's facade hardly wavered as he smiled an bowed lightly. "Arigato, Aina-dono." "You know the offer to use a bowl and cut your hair still stands."
He blinked, before letting out a chuckle. "Ah' can't imagine it. Cap'n probebleh' look silleh'."
Something like that would probably just extenuate his odd-looking mouth.
"No way," Shinji said, his eyes wide with fear, throwing his arms in front of him. "Nobody cuts the hair, I'd have ta be good n' dead. Someone'd have ta kill me good for me to get my hair cut."
Regardless of the rather dark statement, Shinji grinned at his own comment, combined with Gin's input. Even if the kid was creepy, it was hard not to get along well enough with someone who spent all day every day smiling. Even if that was also what threw Shinji off about him. On the subject of marriage, however, Shinji wasn't going to add anything. He knew that was a bad idea. Being a captain and a husband at the same time would mean constant sacrifice, and no free time. Ever. That wasn't really the best thing right now. Besides, he had only just kissed her.
Shinji, though, looked down towards Gin. A question had burned itself into his mind, that wasn't immediately apparent. They weren't in the office... They were in the middle of the forest. He hadn't shown up during the slight spar, but after. "What is it that takes ya out ta the forest, Gin?" He asked, fully expecting a non-serious answer. He would get one, almost certainly. Or something about the fight, maybe. But what was important, was the way Gin would answer it. Shinji wanted the chance to catch a glimpse of anything on that face. Even if it gave away that Shinji didn't think he was as great as everyone else did. He wanted some movement out of that fox-like mask.
Aina smiled pulling Shinji's arms from his hair, she kissed his nose, "There, there, you're a Captian, no one's going to make you do what you don't want to," she cooed just to get on his nerves as she held his hands. "Though, now I'm going to hold you to that. If Shinji Hikaro dies he has to cut his hair.....it's almost tempting, ne?" she said with a glint in her green eyes as she thumbed the hilt of her Zanpaktou. Shen then looked at Shinji and then to Gin and then to Shinji again, she noted the grin each of them bore, and thought it rather amusing. Both seemed to smile, just to smile and throw other people off.
"Shinji," Aina sighed, she knew that tone he was using, even if other people didn't most of the time. He suspected that Gin was up to something, after all why would Gin be out in the middle of nowhere. Not that Aina would ever suggest it because she liked Gin too much. But she semi-suspected that Aizen often sent Gin out to spy on Shinji. She had never experienced him following after her unless Shinji was nearby, it was her only guess. Then again he did have the habit of popping up when she was around the Gotei 13, though mostly in the glass shop, and he just watched her. She had always assumed that it had been because of persimmons. She also wondered when Gin would ask where she got the Persimmons, her secret tree in the tiny courtyard of the shop she had grown one.
"He could ask the same thing of us," she told him crossing her arms over her chest, "He probably was just taking a walk and felt our Reiatsu. No big deal," she said waving a hand and giving him a warning look. "You're getting paranoid at your old age."
"Hai, quite temptin'." Gin turned his smile towards the girl and thumbed the hilt of his own Zanpakutou. It was a joke, of course, he knew better to attack the captain of his squad, even if it was just to cut his hair. "What is it that takes ya out ta the forest, Gin?"
Turning his gaze towards his captain, the young boy simply raised an eyebrow. "Cap'n don't trust meh'?"
Mock hurt passed his features as he pouted playfully for a moment before his smile returned to his face. With a shrug, he simply shook his head. "Aizen-fukataichou said that Yoshi-san wanted to see meh' out here for somethin'."
To be completely honest, Gin had no idea what the squad's fifth seat wanted to see him for. He always had a slight feeling that the man didn't like him that much... but that was besides the point.
"Ah've yet ta' find 'im." Ichimaru cocked his head to the side before turning towards Aina, who had spoke up in his defense. Some unknown, odd expression flashed across his face again before it disappeared into his smile again.
"It's okay, Aina-dono. Ah' should beh' goin' anyways." Gin pointed out, somehow, it felt odd to be defended... and the silver-haired boy didn't like it at all. With a curt bow to each individual, the small boy turned and walked away.
"Agh!" Shinji said as Gin left, "I didn't want ya ta say anythin'..." He stared off after Gin as he walked away. "Got tha feelin' he doesn' like me anymore, Aina."
Shinji grimaced slightly at that. At least they were getting along, but Gin took off just moments after getting here, this time. "An', if Aizen's out here, tha' means I can get some sleep uninterrupted!"
Shinji immediately grinned to Aina, "So, I'm gonna get some friggin' sleep, since ya had to wake me up just to show me your bankai. Who does that?" He laughed as he began walking slowly towards the treeline.
"Ya comin', er not?" He grinned, walking backwards, and rather slowly. He was making it quite obvious he didn't want to leave without her following. That meant nothing though, she so often did the opposite of what Shinji would enjoy, anyways.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
"I don't think he ever really liked you. He likes Aizen-sama though, so maybe it is a lazy bum thing," Aina spoke after Gin had disappeared into the woods and she felt his Reiatsu disappear. She put her arms behind her head and looked rather thoughtful. "I don't think he likes me that much either, you know, sort of how you were around his age to your mother," she then sighed looking rather defeated, "I just don't want his only influence to be you and Aizen-sama."
A nap now that did sound good, though she never let it show, the constant contact with the ground did strain on her human senses. Which was probably one of the reasons she secretly enjoyed sleeping in next to Shinji, that and his bed was quite a ways off the floor giving her some relief from all the vibrations and senses she felt. "Well geez, I know how much you love being in my business and knowing my secrets, I guess I could have told someone else," she said a little snooty, trying to make Shinji jealous even though it would be impossible. He knew and she did as well that she told him almost everything or he managed to find out. And she really didn't want to teel anyone else about her Bankai, only him.
She smiled a little shyly at Shinji, knowing he wanted her to come with him, and that they both knew that she would do the exact opposite. Instead, she would take him off gaurd, "I call the pillow!" she said simply before shunpoing through the woods laughing.
"Ah, shit," Shinji said, he had earnestly expected her to say no, and he could just get a nice restful walk back, and go to sleep. Wrong. He knew she had to do it on purpose. It was so ridiculous... Yet, it was why he enjoyed her company so much. She wasn't afraid to say no to him. At all, really.
He took off after her, knowing he was going way too slow to catch her, but he was tired, and she was fast. No real point, as she had already called the pillow. He couldn't even have Aizen get him a second one, because he was out in the forest with Gin. Speaking of which, he thought for a split second that he had felt Gin's reiatsu pick up, but just as quickly it was gone. He didn't stop or turn around, and just figured Aizen had said something about how strong Gin was. Everyone knew, though, that Gin was destined for Captaincy, the kid was too talented.
If Shinji weren't so bent on keeping such a close eye on Aizen, he might have had Gin replace him when he got a bit older... But, sacrifices had to be made to not slip up with Aizen. He had to be ready for whatever it was Aizen was plotting for. Shinji appeared just outside of his office, and sighed. She had beaten him, of course. And she'd have the pillow. He'd just have to be clever enough to get comfortable without it.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!
"You're so slow, a woman would grow old and grey just waiting for you," Aina said yawning a little as she looked at Shinji. She was curled up, looking rather feminine, and delicate on Shinji's bed wrapped in his Captain Haori, which she had never given back. Much to her glee to have people who were goofing off suddenly perk up and start working as she ran by.
"I had enough time to run back to my living quarters and grab my pillow, then get back here and strip down," she said fluttering her eyelashes seductivly as she opened the Haori, just to reveal she had been just playing Shinji, her black robes were still in place, he could rest easy, "Well not the stripping part, but you get my point Jee-chan," she said before shrugging off the Haori and tossing it onto a nearby chair and burrowing under the blankets. "Let's nap," she murmured snuggling up to her pillow.
Shinji sighed as she fooled him into thinking she was naked. How foolish was he? Quite, apparently. He shrugged, and slid into bed next to her, quickly stealing away as much of the blanket as possible, and laying his head onto the bed, taking her arm and gripping it in his hand, slowly stroking it, as if trying to bond the two limbs forever, so she couldn't stray free.
"A nap sounds great," He yawned, closing his eyes and grinning. It was the most comfortable he'd ever been. And that was saying something, she had possession of most of the blankets.
Our bed becomes a grave before we blow ourselves away!