Returning Home

The wine stall in Bamboo Creek Plain was set up by the stream, with a shed made of a few thick bamboo poles covered with old vines, the leaves of which cast dappled shadows in the midday sun. The owner was an old man with gray hair, who nodded when he saw Hu walking over with two people.

"The same old spot?"

"Yes, the usual spot."

The three sat down at a bamboo table by the stream. The owner brought over a pot of bamboo wine, three rough earthenware wine cups, and several small dishes to accompany the wine—salted dried bamboo shoots, grilled small fish, and pickled plums.

Rangiku picked up the sake bottle and filled the cups for all three of them. "Come on, let's drink to that first."

She raised her glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Huh!?" Kou glanced at Rangiku's drinking style and then looked at the sake on the table. The bamboo sake was clear and refreshing. He himself had a low alcohol tolerance and dared not drink like that. When he drank with Gin, they usually just took small sips from two small cups. He thought that Gin probably wouldn't drink like that.

As a result, when he looked at Gin, Gin seemed to sense what Kou was thinking and downed his drink in one gulp as well. While drinking, Gin's eyes, hidden in the slits of his eyes, clearly glanced at Kou.

"Eh--"

Seeing the two of them, Hu had no choice but to bite the bullet and drink it too. The bamboo wine was refreshing and cool, with the aroma of bamboo leaves, but it had a long-lasting aftertaste, and a warm feeling slowly spread after swallowing.

Rangiku put down her sake cup and looked at Kou. "Ye Xing, those things I didn't have time to ask yesterday, today is a good day to talk about them properly?"

"What does Rangiku- nee want to ask?" Amber poured more wine into all three glasses.

"Well first..." Rangiku rested her chin on her hand, "What's your relationship with Captain Soi Fon? She personally escorted you here yesterday; the way she acted wasn't like a typical captain and trainee."

Hu's hand trembled slightly as she poured the wine. "No, is it really that direct?"

"This... it's nothing special... haha... Rangiku, you're being paranoid." Kou tried to brush it off for now, while Gin sat beside him, sipping the wine Kou had poured for him, ignoring the fact that it didn't concern him.

"Really? The people from the Tenth Division saw it when they went to the Second Division's training ground yesterday." Rangiku swirled her wine glass and took a sip.

"When Captain Soi Fon came to find you, you called her 'Shaoling,' not 'Captain Soi Fon,' nor 'Lady Soi Fon,' but 'Shaoling.' I only just found out that Captain Soi Fon's True Name is Shaoling, but I've never heard anyone else call Captain Soi Fon that before."

Hu's ears began to heat up. "This..."

Silver let out a very soft laugh from the side.

Hu glanced at Yin: Don't just stare.

Yin held her wine glass, took a sip, and looked away: You brought her here, I'm not responsible for that.

"What kind of secret signal are those two giving? Tell me!" Rangiku tapped the table, and only then did Kou realize that the wine in Rangiku's cup had disappeared.

Amber had no choice but to refill Rangiku: "It all started when I first Soul Society..."

As he poured the wine, Hu recounted the events that had occurred since his arrival, up to the eve of the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle, omitting some information that Shaoling had marked as classified.

"So how long have you been pursuing her?"

"It hasn't been long... The Bamboo Creek Plain Battle came right after the confession, so it's only been two or three months..." Hu's throat was dry from telling the story, and he took a sip of wine.

"The Bamboo Creek Plain Battle?" Rangiku raised an eyebrow, Rangiku remembering the battle, and slammed her hand on the table, startling Ko.

"That just ended not long ago, right? And it was a joint operation involving multiple divisions, a rare event in a century. That means you've only been in Soul Society for four or five months at most?"

"Mmm."

Hu slurped up all the spilled wine from his hands. "What's the big deal?"

"What's the big deal?" Rangiku exclaimed in surprise, calculating the growth records of her captain and Amber. "Isn't that even more talented than my captain?"

Hu then chimed in, "That's right, if it weren't for my abilities, Brother Yin wouldn't know me."

Yin, who was sipping his drink, suddenly stopped. "We were having a good chat, why did you suddenly start talking about me?"

"Yes, how did you get to know Gin in such a short time?" Rangiku sat down and pushed her empty wine glass towards Kou.

"That was before the Bamboo Creek Plain Battle..." Hu poured the wine and recounted the story of encountering Xu by the river, then talked about how Gin comforted her during their argument with Fon Shaoling, and how she eventually poached someone else's partner at the party.

"So you can comfort people when you meet someone you like," Rangiku teased Gin, who just kept drinking and didn't respond.

"That's because, when Brother Yin was still trying to comfort me, he used his own... hiss..." Hu wanted to continue, but Yin had already stomped hard on Hu's foot from under the table.

"Your own what?" Rangiku then asked.

"N-nothing... it's nothing..." Amber said, enduring the pain. Silver, on the other hand, continued drinking his wine as if nothing was wrong.

"Gin, really, don't bully the newbie." Rangiku sensed that Gin had put an end to this, so she didn't ask any more questions.

She held her wine glass, the rim touching her lower lip, her voice softer than before. "Ye Xing, Yin isn't actually very close to anyone in the Gotei 13, so I'm really grateful that you get along with Yin so well."

He's not good at expressing his emotions, and many in the team are intimidated by him because of his personality and skill.

Hu listened attentively.

"I heard," Rangiku put down her glass, her finger slowly tracing the rim, "That someone calls him Viper. And he's from the Third Division, it's unbelievable."

Silver's smile remained unchanged, but the fingertip of the hand that had been holding the wine glass gently rubbed against the glass.

"They say his smile is creepy, and he's unfathomable. The soldiers gossip among themselves, saying that someone like him might bite at any moment."

"Rangiku," Gin said.

Rangiku grew angrier as she spoke, as if she were venting a long-suppressed resentment. "But I've known him for so many years, from Rukongai until now, and he's never harmed me!"

Silver! You too, why can you tolerate them saying those things about you?!

Gin's fingers stopped. "Rangiku... are you angry with me...?"

"Gin isn't Viper." Rangiku looked up at Kou with unwavering conviction. "Although he's incredibly cunning and keeps everything to himself, he's not Viper would harm others indiscriminately!"

He is not...

A tear glistened in Rangiku's eyes.

Amber glanced at Silver. Silver seemed somewhat bewildered by Rangiku's words. He picked up his wine glass and drank one glass after another.

"Exactly! I think Rangiku- nee is right." Kou raised his glass and clinked it against Rangiku's:

"Brother Yin is a fox. A cunning old fox with a sharp tongue but a soft heart. When my surveillance went wrong and I felt uneasy, it was Brother Yin who came to my rescue. He helped a lot in dealing with the Parasitic Hollow and the subsequent enemies."

Even if my brother doesn't tell, we can't forget. Even in the most dangerous battles later on, my brother went with us! Those guys who only look at the surface, what do they know?!

Pooh!

Shallow!

I'll cut down any of these guys I see!

Silver finally moved. He reached out and patted Amber on the back of the head.

Watch your words.

Rangiku laughed when she saw this.

"A fox? That's a more apt description."

Yin withdrew his hand and raised his wine glass to cover his face. But Hu noticed the faint blush on the back of his ear.

The wine continued to be drunk. The afternoon in Bamboo Creek Plain was very quiet, with only the sound of the stream, the rustling of bamboo leaves, and the occasional laughter from Rangiku.

Amber was forced to drink cup after cup. His alcohol tolerance was only average to begin with, and the bamboo wine had a strong aftereffect, so his cheeks were already flushed, and he started to slur his words. Rangiku's cheeks were also tinged with a faint blush, but her eyes remained clear, and she spoke fluently. Gin had also drunk quite a bit, but he wasn't drunk yet. Holding his wine cup, he looked at the two of them, and the smile on his lips became much more genuine.

"That's about enough." Yin glanced at the sky. "If she drinks any more, Xiao Hu might not be able to make it back."

Rangiku nodded as well. Koko stood up, leaning on the table, but swayed and was caught by Gin.

"Let's take him home together," Rangiku said.

"No need, I'll take him." Gin draped Koko's arm over his shoulder and nodded to Rangiku. "You go back to Seireitei first."

Rangiku looked at him and didn't insist any further.

Supported by Yin, Hu stumbled towards the Fon Clan. The afternoon sun shone through the bamboo forest, falling on the two of them. He drowsily turned his head and looked at Yin's profile.

"Brother Yin..."

"Um?"

"Rangiku- nee also agrees that you're not Viper... but a fox..."

Silver did not answer.

"I also think you're a fox..." Amber's voice grew increasingly muffled, "So... stop thinking of yourself as Viper..."

Yin paused for a moment.

"... I don't."

"You just have... Rangiku- nee has been waiting for you for too long... I can feel it... Don't let her wait in vain..."

Yin didn't speak again. He simply pulled Hu's arm closer to his shoulder and walked steadily on the stone path. The bamboo leaves rustled above their heads.

After Gin escorted Amber back to the Fon Clan, he saw Rangiku waiting for him at the entrance of Bamboo Creek Plain, carrying not only the clothes he had wrapped earlier but also a small paper bag.

After returning to Seireitei

The two walked side by side on the stone-paved streets of Seireitei, carrying clothes wrapped by Qinghui Clothing Shop. The afternoon sun shone through the walls, casting their shadows on the ground. Rangiku walked on the left, and Gin on the right, their pace unhurried, just like many years ago in Rukongai.

When they reached the fork in the road between the Third Division and the Tenth Division, the two stopped at the same time.

"Then today..." Yin Gang began.

"Oh, right, this is for you." Rangiku handed Gin a small paper bag. "I saw it at the Clothing Atelier just now, thought it would suit you, so I bought it."

Yin took it. The box wasn't big, it was dark blue velvet, and there were no extra decorations.

"I have something for you too," Silver said.

Rangiku blinked.

Gin pulled a small box from his pocket. The box was light gold in color, with fine, subtle ripple patterns on its surface. He handed it to Rangiku, his movements a little slower than usual.

Gin bought the bracelet at Ko's urging. At the time Rangiku was trying on her second outfit in the back room. Ko nudged his arm and pointed to the bracelet on the shelf. "This one suits Rangiku- nee." Gin picked up the bracelet, looked at it, and then put it down.

"Buy it," Hu said.

"... Even if you buy it, there's no guarantee you'll get a chance to receive it as a gift."

"If you don't buy, you'll never have a chance."

After a moment of silence, Yin picked up the bracelet and walked towards the counter.

He thought the bracelet would stay in his pocket for a long time, perhaps never to be taken out. But now...

But now, it's in Rangiku's palm.

Rangiku took the box and eagerly opened it. Inside lay a thin, grayish-blue leather cord. Though described as grayish-blue, it was actually a deeper shade of gray, with subtle hints of blue showing through at the edges and folds. The cord was very fine-grained, with a thin, matte sheen on its surface. The cord was narrow, tapering to a point at the end, gradually thinning like a cat's tail.

The pendant is a piece of amber. Not the kind that's been polished into a regular shape; the edges have slightly irregular rounded edges, as if it had naturally peeled off from a larger piece of amber. The amber is transparent, golden-brown, and so clean it's almost free of impurities. Inside is a small petal—a very small one, with all four petal tips clearly visible; it's Osmanthus. The petal retains the posture of having just fallen within the amber, its edges slightly curled. At the end is a very small silver clasp, with an extremely fine arc engraved on the clasp, curving slightly upwards.

Rangiku looked at the amber, at the Osmanthus petal encased within, and her eyes lit up. "It's so beautiful," she said, then eagerly untied the cord. "Gin, help me put it on."

Yin took the bracelet and looped the leather cord around her wrist. The clasp was small, and it took him two tries to fasten it. The amber pendant rested against her wrist bone, its Osmanthus petals resting quietly in the sunlight.

Rangiku lowered her head, looking at the amber on her wrist, and gently touched it with her finger. "Is it pretty?"

Silver looked at her. Blonde hair, a light blue kimono, and a golden-brown amber pendant on her wrist. "Beautiful," he said.

Rangiku suddenly remembered something. "You should open it too and see if you like it."

Yin lowered her head and opened the dark blue velvet box in her hand.

Inside was a persimmon-colored bracelet. Not a bright, vibrant orange, but a ripe persimmon color, slightly darkened by the autumn sun.

The rope is hand-woven, with a slightly loose and soft feel. If you look closely, you can see several strands of thin rope twisted together, with two strands being slightly darker in color, as if they have been repeatedly rubbed.

The pendant is made of silver and is very small. It is not a complete firework, but rather a falling object—several silver strands spread outwards, with the ends slightly upturned, like a spark that is being extinguished, or like a flower blooming in reverse.

The silver surface is not polished too brightly, but is a little matte, and it looks soft when the light shines on it. On the back of the pendant is engraved a very small character: "". The strokes are very thin, and you have to get close to see it.

At the end of the bracelet, there is an adjustable knot, with two small tassels left at the end of the rope.

Yin lowered her head, her thumb gently tracing the persimmon-colored cord. Sunlight fell on the bracelet, and Gin Hanabi flickered gently on her wrist.

Rangiku's gaze suddenly stopped.

A persimmon-colored cord, gray-blue leather. The Gin Hanabi fall downwards, the flower in the amber hangs suspended in mid-air. The persimmon-colored cord has a tassel at the end, the gray-blue cord has a pointed end. Two bracelets, one warm, one cool, one dangling, one still.

Rangiku picked up the silver bracelet and turned it over to the back of the pendant. She then turned over the silver clasp of her own bracelet—the clasp had a thin upward curve. The silver clasp of the silver bracelet had a thin downward curve.

She joined the clasps of the two bracelets together. The two arcs, one above the other, formed a small, complete circle.

"This is..." Rangiku murmured.

Yin remained silent.

They both looked up at the same time. Gin's eyes were slightly wide open, his pupils reflecting Rangiku. Rangiku's cheeks were flushed with a faint blush, whether from the alcohol or something else, it was hard to tell.

"Silver," Rangiku suddenly spoke, "I had the shopkeeper engrave something on the back of your bracelet."

"The '' coming home."

Rangiku lowered her head and wrapped the persimmon-colored bracelet around Gin's left wrist. Her hand was steady; the clasp was small, and she fastened it carefully, head down. Gin Hanabi clung to his wrist, the persimmon-colored cord gleaming warmly in the sunlight. She didn't let go; her fingertips still rested on his wrist. Gin's wrist was thin, and the bluish veins beneath the skin were faintly visible.

"It looks good," she said.

Yin looked down at the fallen Gin Hanabi on her wrist. Then she looked up at the amber pendant with a petal resting on it. The clasps on the two bracelets had two arcs, one above the other.

"... Hmm," he said.