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Chapter Text

"Ichi-nii-chan! Where are you? It's time for bed!" a young, light-brown haired girl named Yuzu called out quietly into the darkness of her home's backyard as she stood in the open door frame. She only had to wait a moment before a menacing creature easily three times her size landed in the yard with a soft thump and slunk over to her.

Its large, white form was covered in blood red markings,and intimidating spikes adorned both broad shoulders. Wickedly clawed hands and feet big enough to crush a hapless little Human girl moved across the lawn without a sound. Gold and black eyes glowed behind a toothed red-striped mask and a thick reptilian tail snaked lazily through he air. The creature was an overall daunting and fearsome presence that oozed strength. It's appearance alone should have given the young human girl a rightful fright. Would have, if this creature named Kurosaki Ichigo hadn't been Yuzu's deceased older brother.

The small brunette giggled when her older sibling let out an echoing purr and carefully nuzzled her cheek with the teeth on his mask before he began audibly sniffing over her, searching for any injuries she might have acquired while he had been briefly away to kill a Hollow that had come too close to their home for his liking. He gave a concerned rumble when he came across a tiny, shiny burn on her left thumb. The Hollow tilted his head up at her in question, crouched low in front of her. The only reason why he had to was because she stood on the doorstep.

"I'm okay, Onii-chan! It doesn't even hurt!" Yuzu reassured her brother with a cheerful smile, loosely clasping her hands in front of her.

Ichigo's eyes shone with humored exasperation and the supernatural creature held out a hand to her, palm up and fingers inviting.

"But it's okay, Onii-chan!" the eleven year old girl persisted, hiding her injured hand with her other, not wanting to be a bother when the burn could just as easily heal in its own time.

The white hand held out to her flexed, insisting that she'd place her own hand within it. Yuzu sighed fondly at her brother's protective nature and placed her hand in Ichigo's. He gently turned it over so the palm was facing up and the Hollow meticulously inspected the petite, vastly different hand more closely, searching for any other burns. Once satisfied there were none, Ichigo turned his attention to the small welt on Yuzu's thumb. His mask's teeth separated and his long, cat-like tongue gently licked over the burn once. The wound fizzled painlessly for a short moment before healing completely, not even the tiniest scar remaining on the restored skin.

Despite her protests that it hadn't hurt, Yuzu still looked relieved to be no longer hindered by the minor injury. Ichigo's dark eyes flashed knowingly at her and he briefly pressed his mask against her cheek again, mimicking a familial kiss. With a smile the eleven year old placed her own kiss on the aggressive red stripes of his mask's left cheekbone before she stepped back inside their house, confident her brother would follow. Ichigo did just that, claws clicking quietly on the linoleum floor and his long, thick tail trailing slowly behind him in an effort to keep from knocking anything over; something that had happened quite a lot during his first weeks as a Hollow. Yuzu closed and locked the door behind him, flicking off the light switches before following him further inside.

Inside the ceiling was too low for him to stand up straight, so instead Ichigo moved on all fours through the house, his large frame doing him no favors indoors. There were several walls in the house where slightly off-color patches of paint marked the places where he had accidentally scratched the plaster with the sharp spikes on his shoulder. Fortunately, practice made perfec, and Ichigo had become quite adept at maneuvering his large body in confined spaces without damaging anything.

"Will you carry me, Ichi-nii-chan?" Yuzu asked hopefully. It was one of the many, many things that could only be done within the safety of their home. Other people couldn't see Ichigo, so him carrying her anywhere else was out of the question, but she often missed the closeness other siblings took for granted.

Ichigo chuckled at the familiar request, wrapping his tail gently around Yuzu's slight waist before lifting her onto his back, moving towards the stairs. The bedroom Yuzu shared with her sister was on the next floor. The brunette giggled, seating herself comfortably on his broad back and giving him an impulsive hug. An rumbling huff of contentment drifted back to her ears when she played with his long mane of unruly orange hair.

Ichigo climbed the stairs with fluid ease, slinking down the short hallway and nosing the half-closed bedroom door fully open. Yuzu's dark haired twin Karin, was already inside, sitting up on her own bed and reading a manga. She looked up briefly when her Hollow brother came in with Yuzu atop of him. The raven haired girl rolled her eyes at the common sight and put her book on the bedside table before laying down and getting settled for the night.

Ichigo's tail lifted Yuzu off his back and gently lowered the small girl in her bed. As soon as she lay down, he snagged the edge of her blanket with the tips of his claws and draped the comforter over her, gingerly tucking his baby sister with another loving nuzzle to her forehead. Once he had assured himself that his youngest sister was comfortable, he turned and inspected his other sibling.

Karin rolled her eyes again as Ichigo also sniffed her over for possible injuries. She was confident that he would find nothing wrong when one clawed finger suddenly tapped her knee. The eleven year old twitched in pain, cursing when she realized she had revealed herself. Her brother hummed knowingly and gestured for her to let him see her knees.

She grudgingly did as he'd requested, knowing he wouldn't leave her alone until he had healed her. Once she had pulled down her blanket and bent her legs, Ichigo sniffed critically over her scraped knees before running his blue tongue across the wounds soothingly. Like Yuzu's small burn, the raw wounds instantly healed with an odd fuzzy sensation that Karin could never decide was tickling or not, and faded away to become nothing but a memory thanks to her brother's ability.

Karin held in a sigh of relief as the mild pain no longer assaulted her but then failed to keep in a embarrassed squeak when Ichigo unexpectedly hooked her right arm into the air and inspected her elbow, checking to see if she had acquired any scrapes there as well. Once confirming another wound's presence he healed it, as well as the one on her left elbow and on the palms of both her hands. She'd practiced skating when he'd been gone and, much to her chagrin, it hadn't gone as well as she'd liked. Ignoring her disgruntled looks Ichigo checked her over one last time.

Once the Hollow deemed her injury free he tucked her in comfortably too. Ichigo chuckled throatily when Karin swatted at him for nuzzling her.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin protested when the Hollow persisted in nuzzling her until she pushed at his red striped mask with both her small hands and scowled at him. "Quit it," she demanded, fighting to keep a smile off her face when her older brother purred at her like a playful kitten. She suspected she failed, but then again, this was her brother, so it didn't matter that much anyway. He already knew she wasn't really angry.

Ichigo withdrew obediently, going back across the room to nuzzle Yuzu once more in his own version of a good night kiss. Then he turned to flick off the light, before retreating back to the center of the room and curling up on the carpet between Yuzu's and Karin's beds.

He began to purr, a rumbling, soothing lullaby that, true to its purpose, encouraged the girls to sleep. Yuzu rolled over onto her stomach and dangled her hand off the bed to tangle her fingers in Ichigo's mane. She fell asleep that way, comforted by the fact that her older brother was close by. Karin curled up on her side, facing her siblings before she too fell into a peaceful slumber.

Ichigo continued to purr, knowing the sound helped his sisters sleep, but didn't sleep himself. He wouldn't rest because of the other Hollow he had devoured earlier might attempt to take over, and he would never allow that to happen. He also needed to stay awake just in case any other Hollow showed up too near their house and he would have to kill it to protect his beloved baby sisters.

As a spirit he didn't need sleep anyway.

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Karin grumbled when she was coaxed awake by something smooth nudging her. Without opening her eyes she swatted at it and the nudging stopped. Believing she had solved the problem she let her hand drop. However, it soon came back with renewed vigor and huffed loudly right into her ear. Karin growled in annoyance and pushed weakly at the offender. Her eye cracked open into aggravated slits a few seconds later to see Ichigo's black-and-gold eyes looking mischievously down at her from behind his grinning mask.

The girl groaned and rolled over, attempting to return to sleep, but her brother was having none of it. She felt a clawed hand wrap around her ankle and before she could sit up and protest, she was pulled up into the air and hung upside down above her bed. "Ichi-nii!" Karin bellowed, arms and free leg flailing, trying to hit the Hollow holding her upside down. "Alright, alright, I'm up! Let me down now!" she demanded, voice croaky from sleep.

Ichigo snickered triumphantly and set her back down on the bed with stressed gentleness, ducking to avoid a socked foot to the face. It irked her how her brother's mask made him look like he was grinning insanely at her. Though Karin suspected the face underneath mirrored the expression right now. She grumbled at him as she got out of bed. Pleased, Ichigo left the room, closing the door behind him with his tail and creeping stealthily downstairs and into the kitchen where Yuzu was already up and making breakfast.

The brunette squealed when she was suddenly scooped up into a pair of strong white-and-red arms and cradled like a baby with Ichigo humming softly at her. "Ichi-nii-chan!" Yuzu cried, giggling at the nuzzling she received – her brother's affectionate 'good morning' routine. Ichigo set her back down on her feet before the stove, before calling up the stairs.

"Karin! Get up!" His rough, double toned voice sounded like he was speaking from some air bubble underwater. He often avoided talking because of how unnatural it sounded, preferring to use actions to express himself rather than words, but that didn't keep him from speaking when he wanted or needed to.

"I am up!" Karin groused as she stomped down the stairs and plopped in a dining room chair. She swatted at Ichigo when he nuzzled her good morning and swore when she saw that her shoelaces were tangled in knots.

Ichigo laughed quietly and gently guided her sleep-clumsy fingers away from her red tennis shoes and deftly unknotted the laces. Claws might be awkward most of the time, but they were quite useful undoing tangles like this one. Soon he was done, leaving Karin to put them on and tie them up. The black haired girl mumbled thanks to both Ichigo and Yuzu, who had just placed breakfast on the table for the two of them to eat. Ichigo didn't eat with them – it would only be a waste because it did nothing to lessen his hunger – but he stayed at the table anyways, softly asking in his echoing voice what they would be doing today in school.

Karin mumbled something unintelligible but Yuzu replied whole-heatedly. "We're reading poetry today, Onii-chan," she announced cheerfully. Ichigo leaned towards her, interested and silently urging her to continue. Yuzu nodded while eating, pausing to chew. "I was thinking about asking my teacher if I could borrow a book so we can read it together!" the brunette chirped pleasantly.

Her Hollow brother hummed his consent, gently ruffling her hair to convey how much he liked that idea.

Yuzu beamed at him and finished eating, taking her and Karin's plates to the sink once they were done and washed them quickly before she rushed to put on her shoes. Ichigo handed them their schoolbags, fussing over them for a minute to make sure they looked perfectly presentable. After checking whether they both had their house keys and all materials for the day he ushered them out, locking and closing the door behind him. Together the twins set out towards their school, Ichigo following along beside them, walking on all fours to bring himself on their level. With the way his body was shaped it was easier than walking like a Human anyway.

Yuzu suddenly remembered that she had a quiz today and so Ichigo began quizzing her about the things he had learned from helping her with her homework. She answered each of his questions flawlessly, even going so far as to correct him when he got something wrong himself because his education on the subject was haphazard at best, and beamed when he confidently assured her that she'd ace the quiz. Karin rolled her eyes fondly but otherwise didn't comment.

They made it to school without any interruptions and Ichigo bid them an affectionate goodbye, wishing them a good day. The Hollow watched them walk inside the school building before he turned and opened a garganta to head into Hueco Mundo.

Moving through the darkness of the no man's land between the Worlds, Ichigo felt a surge of anxiety. He was only one or two Hollows away from becoming a Gillian but that in and on itself proved problematic. If he became a Gillian right away it would mean that he'd have to leave Karin and Yuzu alone for longer than a day, as there was no way he'd be able to hide in Karakura in such an enormous form. He needed to become stronger to more easily defeat any Hollow, to protect his remaining family, but at the same time he also needed to be inconspicuous enough that he could still reside in the Human World without any Shinigami noticing.

To circumvent the problem Ichigo had made plans to evolve to Gillian and then immediately afterwards to Adjuchas. Preferably before his sisters got out of school, though he had warned them he might run late. Still, so far he had always picked them up and he had no intention to break his tradition today.

The plan in itself was rather simple. If a Gillian needed to eat a lot of other Gillian to evolve, then why couldn't he just eat one or two Adjuchas to speed up the process? But it was the execution that was likely to prove very challenging. Ichigo knew his chances of catching an Adjuchas in the huge lumbering form of a Gillian were as good as nonexistent, so he had to prepare in his current form. Which meant he would have to render one or more Adjuchas unconscious long enough for him to evolve and eat them. Right now there was a huge power difference between him and his future victims. It had taken a lot of preparation to work around that problem – studying and scouting the Menos Forest for the weakest Adjuchas, among other things – but he believed he was now ready to execute his plan.

A small hour later he was poised high up in a tree in the Menos Forest above an unconscious and rather powerful unevolved Hollow that was only slightly below him when it came to strength. This one Hollow would be enough to initiate Ichigo's transformation when the time came. Ichigo had placed his ambush at the edge of several weak Adjuchas' territories, waiting and hoping for one to show up soon to devour the helpless bait. Ichigo wasn't stupid. Ichigo was well aware that despite the fact that he was incredibly strong for an ordinary Hollow, there was no way he could win against an Adjuchas in a head-on battle, no matter how weak it was compared to others. Instead Ichigo was playing it safe with a carefully prepared ambush. Whatever Adjuchas fell for his trap, it would still contain the number of souls he needed, so it wasn't as if he would be impeding his growth by going for lesser prey.

He didn't have to wait too long until a birdlike Adjuchas appeared in the distance, obviously having caught the leaking reiatsu from the unconscious lure. It circled above Ichigo's victim a few times, looking around suspiciously for a trap, but Ichigo had concealed himself well and it couldn't even sense him – Ichigo had mastered the ability to hide his reiatsu a long time ago in order to stay hidden from Shinigami. He waited patiently until the Adjuchas decided it was safe enough and spiral down to eat it's scavenger meal. Ichigo's muscles tensed in preparation when the birdlike Hollow dropped its guard just enough to drop its head and expose its vulnerable neck to devour the bait.

Ichigo launched himself off of the branch he'd been perching on, his powerful leg muscles adding to his speed as he hurtled down towards the more powerful Hollow as fast as he could move, still completely unnoticed. He twisted almost soundlessly above the Hollow so that his tail was whipped into a blur of barely visible speed. The thick muscle viciously cracked against the back of the Adjuchas' neck, Ichigo hadn't dared to hold back an ounce of strength because of the differences between him and his prey. It paid off, as the Adjuchas immediately slumped onto the ground, its spinal cord snapped and its whole body paralyzed and silent, but still alive for the next part of Ichigo's plan.

Ichigo grinned triumphantly beneath his mask. He quickly made sure that neither Hollow would move anytime soon, before swiftly jumping back up the tree branches, traveling up onto his high perch to wait for another target. This time the wait was considerably shorter, as more reiatsu was leaked out into the open air. Another Adjuchas soon appeared, dog-like and considerably weaker than the first, lumbering carelessly up to what he deemed a free meal.

Ichigo realized with a jolt that the dumb brute wasn't nearly as cautious as the first had been and he had to use sonido to race down the tree with breakneck speed in order to reach the Adjuchas before it bit into one of the Hollows and completely ruined Ichigo's plan. The smaller Hollow yelped when the larger, red-patterned Hollow slammed into its back just as its teeth had been about to bite into the birdlike Adjuchas.

The sheer force of Ichigo's accelerated fall broke the Adjuchas' spine right in the middle, and a dust cloud erupted when the two collided in the sand. Ichigo himself was stunned briefly at the impact, but he was quick to clear the disorientation from his head and dig his claws into the back of the whimpering Adjuchas' neck, growling threateningly whenever the canine Hollow attempted to move its forelegs, its back end rendered completely useless from the collision.

Very pleased at how well his plan had worked, Ichigo quickly made sure the surrounding area was clear so he wouldn't be interrupted or attacked in the next stage of his plan. A sharp jab to the back of the struggling Hollow's' head rendered that one unconscious like the others, and Ichigo was now tasked to drag the two Adjuchas up into the tree so he could easily reach them after he had transformed. Their dead weight belied their small forms, but Ichigo was strong, young, and determined, and he managed the load with only a slight struggle.

Once he had securely lodged the two Adjuchas into the tree branches, the orange haired Hollow dropped back down to the ground and finally consumed the regular Hollow's mask, knowing that this was the last boost he needed to evolve. Power instantly surged through him as he evolved into a Gillian, the regular Hollow being drawn into his body as he changed.

For a moment Ichigo had to battle his sudden disorientation and the exited thrum of power within his veins, making him feel feverish and alive. Blood pounded in his ears as for a few heartbeats the world disappeared in a maelstrom of heady power. Then the world rushed back in, louder and clearer and more vibrant than before.

Ichigo shook his head and scowled beneath his mask. Now the initial rush was over his body felt painfully stretched, lumbering and near pathetic in maneuverability even if his new gargantuan size made his surroundings suddenly so much smaller and insignificant. Everything was dim and Ichigo immediately hated how sluggish his movements were. Luckily he would only have to suffer this form for a minute. Stepping closer to the tree, distantly glad that he had dragged the Adjuchas high enough to easily reach, Ichigo unfurled his long tongue to draw the Adjuchas into his mouth, devouring both of his victims in one massive gulp.

The effect was instantaneous. He evolved again, shrinking down to an even smaller size than his first Hollow form, looking much like his old self. The only differences were that he was slighter; more lithe and deadly, the spikes on his shoulder gone, a sickle-shaped barb on his tail tip, and red plated armor covering his entire body, excluding joints and other areas where he needed to bend, the palms of his hand, and his tail. His mask had also changed. The red stripes were a darker, deeper red, and the stripes angled more upwards to the top of his mask, which now formed a little more over his head like a skull rather than just a plate over his face. His long mane of thick orange hair was still as untamed as before and red tattoos could still be seen between the armor, giving the impression of linking the protective plates together.

With a shiver he curled up in the sands, fighting the vertigo that followed the rapid changes. Inside him he could feel the souls of the Hollows he had devoured riot and rage, just as affected by the rush of power and simultaneously attempting to break free of his hold and take over. Ichigo gritted his teeth and fought them back down, reestablishing his iron control through sheer stubbornness and bull-headed determination.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the souls within him accepted that they weren't going to win and subsided. Shaking his head, Ichigo re-orientated himself, trying to get an idea how long the mental struggle had lasted.

As luck would have it, it hadn't been too long, and he still had approximately an hour before he had to pick up Karin and Yuzu. Deciding to use his time wisely Ichigo began testing his new strengths and powers so he wouldn't accidentally harm either of his sisters, simultaneously familiarizing himself with his new size.

Vigorous experiments on trees and other Hollows resulted in concluding that an increase in power and speed aside, his Adjuchas powers were very similar to his previous abilities, which seemed to be significantly amplified to be more effective. It had not been a too big adjustment to learn how to pull his strengthened movements just enough to trust he wouldn't make a mistake and gentle enough to not even hurt a baby. Extremely pleased with himself, the oldest Kurosaki opened a garganta and traveled back to the Human World, only pausing a short moment to ensure his increased reiatsu remained at near-undetectable levels.

Ichigo crouched comfortably outside the school gate, his new, smaller-barbed tail lazily swinging through the air behind him as he waited, subconsciously careful not to hit any passerby who couldn't see him. He only had to wait a few minutes until the dismissing bell rang and the students were released.

Yuzu was soon walking towards him amidst the other children with a book hugged to her chest as Karin walked half a step behind her, the dark haired sister's small hands folded behind her red baseball capped head. Yuzu was the first to reach him and notice his transformation.

"Onii-chan, what happened? You've changed," she whispered so that no one would see or hear her apparently talking to nothing. She knew no one else but Karin could see their older brother and didn't want to be thought of as crazy as Ichigo and Karin had cautioned her of.

Ichigo purred at her. "I'm fine Yuzu. I just evolved and got stronger to better protect you both," he explained in the gentlest terms possible, not wanting to burden his more innocent sister with the details of how he had accomplished this transformation. It seemed to satisfy her and soon he ushered them alongside the sidewalk towards home.

Yuzu was happily chattering about her day to Ichigo, who was walking along on all fours to be her height. The short brunette was seemingly talking back to Karin, who remained silent as if listening. The dark-haired sister was actually observing her brother's new form. As usual, he looked perilously deadly, if not even more so now, but she had unwavering confidence that Ichigo would only do this to protect them better and she had no fears whatsoever that he would ever hurt them, even accidentally. He had always been very careful with his great strength and she knew he would never forgive himself if he ever would cause them pain.

"Karin?"

Karin jumped at her name having been called and looked up, not having realized that she had stopped walking while she had been musing over her brother's transformation reasons. "Uh, sorry. Was thinking," she offered as explanation, walking quickly again to join her siblings and walk beside Yuzu on the opposite side of Ichigo.

Yuzu began happily chattering again and Ichigo listened to her but kept shooting anxious looks towards Karin in concern for her momentary lapse. The trio reached home without any further incident and Yuzu immediately went into the kitchen to make an after-school snack for them before they started on their homework.

Ichigo lightly touched Karin's hand to gesture for her to follow him into the living room for a quick word. "Is something wrong?" he inquired quietly, his concern clearly heard even through his distorted voice. "I know I look rather... but you know I would never hurt either of you," he assured her, unable to come up with an appropriate term to suitably describe his fearsome appearance.

Karin nodded with a tiny, reassuring smile. "I know Ichi-nii. Sorry for worrying you. I really was just thinking how overprotective you are," she teased him with an eye roll and a faux-irritated crossing of her arms.

Ichigo scoffed, but the sound was saturated with relief so the effect was ruined. Karin customarily swatted at him when he nuzzled her, the motion oozing stressed gentleness and grateful affection. They were about to go join Yuzu in the kitchen when Ichigo suddenly stiffened and his head whipped around towards the door. He looked back around to Karin after a moment of silence.

"I'll be right back," the Hollow said quickly before he rushed off, completely ignoring the wall in his haste. It was easy to forget because of the way he usually acted, but Ichigo was a spirit and therefore could pass through solid objects without any effort if he wanted to.

Karin nodded even though her older brother was already gone, knowing the reason behind his abrupt exit was that another Hollow had showed up too near the house and he had gone to kill it before it could get any closer to them. She walked into the kitchen to tell Yuzu that Ichigo would be right back and to eat her snack.

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A raven-haired Shinigami blocked an attack from the Hollow that she was fighting and swung her Zanpakutou up to force it away from her, shunpoing back a few steps to gain more room to swing her blade. She was just about to release her Zanpakutou to end the drawn-out fight when a brilliant red Cero suddenly slammed into the Hollow before her. The dark clothed, seemingly young woman had to dive and roll to the side to avoid getting hit as well.

Since her opponent was a rather powerful Hollow – hence the reason why she was still fighting and had been about to release her Shikai – it survived the attack, but just barely. Astonished, Kuchiki Rukia looked in the direction from where the powerful attack had originated from and was shocked to see a relatively small, lizard-like humanoid Hollow nearly completely covered in red armor shooting towards the weakened Hollow and herself.

The Shinigami had learned that Hollows ate other Hollows to evolve but she had thought they only did so in Hueco Mundo. Disregarding the currently useless thought, Rukia prepared herself for another fight, but was startled when the humanoid Hollow swiftly passed her without even a glance in her direction and pounced on the one that had previously been attacking her. She was surprised but fully prepared to see the new Hollow bite into the other and was shocked when it did not. Instead, the newcomer merely tore the other Hollow's head clean off and blankly watched it dissipate without so much as even opening its jaws. Rukia had never seen a Hollow merely killing another and was immediately put on guard. Her Nii-sama had informed her that those rare few that did were often intelligent and therefore exceedingly dangerous.

When the reptilian Hollow straightened to its full height of six-feet-something – which added to her worry, since its almost Human shape and size increased the odds of this creature indeed being intelligent – she noticed something odd. She couldn't detect any spiritual pressure. Her violet eyes widened. But that was impossible! With how easily this Hollow had killed the previous one it had to be powerful. Had this Hollow learned to hide it? The other option was that it did it subconsciously, or had a special cloaking ability. But why had it revealed itself? What would be the purpose of hiding its reiatsu when it was standing right in front of her?

Rukia prepared herself for an attack when it turned and faced her. She knew this one had to be powerful, even if she couldn't check its reiatsu levels. She'd have to jump to Shikai straight away, otherwise she would get killed for sure-

But the armored Hollow surprised her again. Instead of attacking, the strange Hollow slowly blinked gold-on-black eyes at her and swiftly jumped away, back in the direction it had come from. Baffled, she stared after it before her training kicked in and she gave chase. It was her job to purify all Hollows she came across and this was a Hollow, weird or not.

It suddenly changed its course, almost making a full turn when it realized she was following it. It led her to a park and landed silently before turning around and facing her, waiting for her to catch up. Rukia was perplexed. When the Shinigami touched down a safe distance away it spoke before she could.

"I don't have time for this. Why are you following me?" Its voice had the usual Hollow echo but it was also definitely masculine with a curious tone tinged with irritation. The fact that it used actual proper grammar when speaking and was astonishingly polite compared to most others of his kind – which was still pretty rude, but at least not as terribly aggravating – confirmed that this Hollow was indeed unusually intelligent and Rukia was right to be wary of it.

Hands still clasped tight around her sealed Zanpakutou, ready to unleash her Shikai any moment, Rukia narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the red-plated Hollow. "Why did you kill your brethren, Hollow?" she demanded, readying her stance for a possible attack.

"They're not my brethren," the Hollow snapped roughly, making Rukia tense in preparation, but still no attack was forthcoming. The Hollow's sickle-shaped tail swished irritably behind the tall, humanoid Hollow. "It just got too close." The Hollow seemed distracted when he said those words, masked face tilted slightly to his right as if seeing something she could not.

Rukia's eyebrow's rose. She hadn't been expecting that for an answer. "Too close to what?" she inquired, not daring to relax from her wary stance but willing to hold her attack in favor of getting some answers to this sudden mystery.

The Hollow's eyes slid back towards her and he was more guarded with his next answer. "You don't need to know that. Just be aware that if any enter my territory I will kill them," he stated, clearly avoiding giving her a direct location.

Rukia frowned at his answer. "Why? What's in this area that you would kill his own kind for?" The raven-haired Shinigami tried to tamper down her individual curiosity, instead trying to remain administrative in her questioning of this Hollow's motives.

"I won't tell you. I don't want them to be brought into this," the reptilian Hollow spat, obvious distaste in his voice – undoubtedly form her prodding – and before Rukia could say or do anything more he disappeared in a buzz of sonido so swift that she couldn't follow where he went, and without any reiatsu to follow she couldn't track him.

Rukia remained frozen stiff in her stance for a solid four minutes, every trained sense that she had on high alert just in case the Hollow tried to stage a surprise attack. By the fifth minute she felt safe to assume that the Hollow had just left and she exhaled silently as she finally allowed her tense muscles to unwind. He'd gotten away, but there was nothing more she could do about that when he was decidedly more powerful than she. But what kind of Hollow was he? And who or what did he mean by 'them'? The thought of more Hollows like him worried her. That had been no ordinary Hollow. If there were more with his power and abilities in this area she might be into far more danger than had been expected from this mission.

With one last wary look at her surroundings she sheathed her Zanpakutou and headed towards Urahara Kisuke's shop. Maybe he could possibly give her some answers to this strange Hollow's behavior and possibly the reasons behind them. With a being this powerful and clearly drawn to something in this area, she was quite sure the shopkeeper was at least aware of its existence.

Chapter Text

“’Waves of pain and anguish, Washing across the sand. Like shards of broken glass, Having already cut the hand. Love traded for comp-comp…’” Yuzu faltered in her reading, struggling to pronounce the unfamiliar English word.

“’Compassion,’” Ichigo supplied gently, nudging his petite sister softly with his newly spike-less shoulder to encourage her.

Yuzu nodded gratefully and reread the line correctly before continuing. “Such a fine line between… Only good intentions meant. Heart bl-blinded, sight left unseen. Until there is realization, The hand that bleeds is yours… Heart goes on breaking as the shards cut more and more,” she finished triumphantly, closing the poetry book with an accomplished snap.

“That was meaningful, if a bit depressing,” Ichigo noted amusedly, curling tighter around Yuzu from where he was lying on his side in their backyard. The petite girl was sitting cross-legged, leaning back against Ichigo’s stomach and fenced in by her brother’s tail with the Hollow’s head resting just off her right elbow on his folded arms.

Yuzu nodded enthusiastically. “It has a lot of hidden meaning and people could learn something from it if they knew what it meant. Oh!” she suddenly exclaimed, opening the book again and rifling through the pages hurriedly. “There’s a little song in here that I thought was just like you!”

Ichigo leaned in curiously as she proudly displayed the correct page before him. It was a mere four lines but they had great impact. He read them aloud in his warbled voice. “'For every man there is a cause which he would gladly die for. Defend the right to have a place for which he can belong to. And every man will fight with his bare hands in desperation. And shed his blood to stem the flood to barricade invasion',” he finished with a smile behind his mask. Yuzu was right. He could definitely agree with these lyrics.

The cook of the family of three nodded with a smile, pleased that her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the approval in his voice near the end.

“Yuzu, that show of yours is about to start!” Karin called from inside the house, her voice drifting out to them from the living room and through the screen door.

Ichigo uncurled and stood on all fours as the little brunette resting against him jumped up excitedly. “Come on, Ichi-nii-chan!” she cried enthusiastically, hugging her book to her chest as she ran to see her favorite TV show.

The Hollow chuckled and followed more slowly. “Coming, coming.” With his new, slightly smaller form he could move through the house a lot easier. He curled up beside the couch as his sisters watched happily from the piece of furniture. Well, one was. Karin appeared only tolerant of the show.

In the hall the mail flap clicked. Since he wasn’t that far away Ichigo just reached back with his tail, curling the barbed end around the newly arrived mail and sliding it around to the front of him. Casting a disinterested look at several white envelopes (credit card offers, the stupid things) and advertising brochures, he brightened when he spotted a thick orange letter envelop in the small pile. He gave it to Karin, knowing that with his claws he was more likely to shred it than open it.

The tomboyish twin opened it quickly, a little relief showing on her face. The insurance money that their relatives sent every three months was a little late this time and it had made them all worried that they wouldn’t be able to pay their bills that month.

Their closest relative lived a good six hours away and that was where the letter came from after it had gathered up all the money form all-other-willing-to-pay-for-the-twins’-necessities relatives. Their aunt that lived there was their official – meaning: on paper – caretaker after Ichigo had died, but she just sent them the money from all other relatives as her ‘care’, along with the letters from all family relatives.

The government had no issues with this arrangement since the twins were always healthy, well fed, were properly attending school, behaved themselves, and paid their bills on time, so the officials allowed the junior high girls to live by themselves without an older guardian with them. As far as they were aware.

Karin stood and left the room to go into the dining room where she kept the checking book and other bills. Ichigo followed to help her, leaving Yuzu alone to watch her show. She barely noticed their departure, so absorbed she was by the program about ghosts.

“The usual three thousand?” Ichigo inquired as he crouched beside the table next to his sister.

The black haired girl nodded and spread out several checks, all with their own certain amount, across the small table to see them all, placing the letters to the side for now. Once she, with Ichigo’s help and a calculator, had made sure that it was enough to cover everything, she put the checks to the side as well to be cashed after school tomorrow. Then she pulled their blank, three-fourths empty checkbook towards her and started writing separate checks for separate bills; electricity, heating, water, etc.

She had done this for two years and didn’t make a single mistake anymore, saving herself time and effort. After all the necessity bills had been taken care of, she looked how much they had left, adding it to what was left over from the previous months. That would be used for buying food and other necessities like new clothes and repairs in case something broke.

They currently had several thousand dollars saved up in the bank that weren’t being used for any bills or other necessities. That was used for rare fun times and then later to get into college. Ichigo had not-so-subtly pushed them into taking care of their future early on and it had paid off. The spare money kept stacking into the thousands.

By the time Karin and Yuzu had finished high school, they probably would have enough cash to get them both into an university even without scholarships. The twins had been shocked that their brother’s persistence of squirreling away any spare cash was paying off so extremely well. At this rate Karin and Yuzu wouldn’t need any insurance checks from relatives anymore by the time they were in their second year of college.

But despite the fact that their future was as secure as it could ever be, the black haired Kurosaki couldn't help but worry. Karin was sure that Yuzu had never thought of it, but the question lurked in the back of her mind whenever she thought of having a life: What about Ichi-nii?

Their brother was dead, tied down by the desire to care for them until they no longer needed him. But what would he do after that? He couldn’t live his own life anymore and others couldn’t see him, so where would he go?

The painful questions had no answers and Karin held in her sobs at night in case she worried Ichigo, always telling him it were just bad dreams about losing him whenever he noticed her distress. It just wasn’t fair that their kind, devoted, protective older brother had no reason to live after the twins were grown and had their own lives.

If there was one thing that Karin would wish for, it would be that Ichi-nii had never died in that car crash, protecting them from that stupid drunk driver that had swerved onto the sidewalk.

“Karin?”

The small raven-haired twin looked up to see her Hollow brother peer closely at her, unaware of her brief, depressed space-out. His golden irises shone with affection and it made the secret knot of guilt in her stomach twist tighter. “Yeah?” she responded after swallowing to cure the tremble in her voice.

“Let’s take Yuzu to the ice cream parlor, ne? You guys go on ahead and I’ll catch up with you; I got a Hollow to see to first,” Ichigo suggested, nuzzling his sister’s arm.

Karin nodded and smiled faintly, running a hand over her elder sibling’s unruly hair. Ice cream would be a perfect cure for these depressing thoughts, she agreed silently as she stood to retrieve her twin sister while Ichigo disappeared through the back door for another quick Hollow-disposal run.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia drummed her fingers on the round wooden table she was sitting at, patience running thin and with the minute thinner. It had been more than an hour already. When was that crazy, hat-wearing shop keeper going to get his ass back here and answer her questions?

It were only a few simple inquiries about what appeared to be a resident Hollow in this town! As the Shinigami now stationed in Karakura, it would help her immensely to know all the available details in case it turned out to be a serious danger for the citizens of Karakura. The Hollow was powerful. She knew she wouldn’t be able to defeat it without at least some collateral damage! Honestly, maybe she should just inform her Captain, he surely would know how to handle this...

She pursed her lips, reluctant to take that step. This was supposed to be a simple solo-mission meant to cull the number of new Hollows and take care of lingering souls. Calling in help right at the very beginning would be… humiliating. Especially because she had only met the Hollow once and hadn’t even tried fighting it yet.

She strengthened her resolve. First she would try to solve the situation herself. And for that she needed the crazy shop keeper!

She tried to wait another ten minutes as patiently as she could but when still no one appeared after fifteen minutes, the raven-haired Shinigami slammed her hands on the table and stood abruptly, turning on her heel and stalking out of the room. Scanning the rooms while simultaneously searching for any reiatsu, she scowled when she failed to detect anyone in the shop. Not even the two kids that worked here. Of course they could simply be out, but after years of living among people that preferred her gone, she could easily recognize so-called ‘coincidences’ –this being a particularly pathetic one; what kind of shopkeeper would close his shop on a normal day without leaving even a note at the door for his customers – and caught the sleight just fine.

These people were avoiding her!

“If that's how it is then I’ll just come back when I can’t be ignored or avoided,” she muttered to herself before stomping out of the shop angrily. The nerve of those people!

As soon as she was gone a white and green striped hat on top of a blond head peeked out of the shop doors. Soon after came the rest of the green-wearing, wooden-sandaled body to sit comfortably on the porch, waving itself with a plain white fan even though it wasn’t that warm.

A large, muscled man wearing a green apron and glasses stepped out of the shop behind the owner. “How long are we going to keep avoiding her, Urahara-dono?” the large man questioned in a low voice, looking in the direction the Kuchiki had left. The sun gleamed off his glasses as he looked down at his employer.

“As long as we are able to,” Urahara replied with a grin, and then added with a touch of seriousness, “It is the least we can do for Kurosaki-san.”

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia was sitting sullenly on a rooftop overlooking most of the city, her thoughts plagued by the unusual Hollow she had met earlier that morning. By now it was late afternoon and she hadn't gotten any further unraveling the mystery surrounding the odd creature.

Never had she met or even heard of a Hollow that was semi-polite and had spoken with that level of intelligence, without the characteristic bloodlust behind it. It definitely was not a normal Hollow, that was for certain. But what repeated itself the most in Rukia’s head was the fact that it – he – had said he didn’t want ‘them’ to be involved in their business. Who were ‘they’? Other Hollows? What was he protecting? And why had he not attacked her?

Her train of thought was derailed when she heard the distant voices of two young girls approaching. Looking up and then down along the road she sat above, she saw a pair of young teens walking slowly in her direction. One was a pale-haired brunette wearing a pretty pastel-pink flowery dress, while the other was black haired and was dressed in a t-shirt and jean shorts with a red baseball cap on her head. The brunette was the one leading the conversation with energetic hand motions and a cheerful voice while the other mostly nodded and only replied with a few words here or there in a deadpan voice, but seemingly interested in what the brunette was talking about.

The raven-haired Shinigami watched them come closer with little interest. That is, until she saw the same Hollow from before rushing towards the two girls. Immediately she shunpoed to intercept the red-plated Hollow before it could get to the two young teens, grabbing the girls around the waist to get them away from the monster, relocating them to a nearby rooftop. Right now she couldn't worry about frightening the Humans, not with such a dangerous adversary as her opponent.

A low snarl escaped the beast as he shook itself out of his startled stupor, clearly not having expected any interference during his hunt. Quickly, Rukia drew her blade, rotating it in front of her to call upon her Zanpakutou's abilities. She pushed as much reiatsu as she could into her blade, hoping it would be enough to wound the aggressive creature.

“Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!”

Before Sode no Shirayuki's white ribbon had even finished forming the Hollow was upon her, claws poised to rip her to pieces. Her reflexes were the only thing that saved her from critical wounds, blocking the heavy strike that almost knocked her off her feet. Her blade flickered like silver beneath the bright noon sun, her spirit energy dancing over the edge like cold damp rising from ice in warm air. It was more luck than skill that allowed her to slip her Zanpakutou between two crimson arm plates, her blade’s sharp edge cutting through the Hollow's hardened skin into the flesh beneath.

The Hollow howled, more from rage than pain, the sound surprisingly human. Blood fell and the Hollow hissed loudly, holding the wounded appendage close to his chest while the stream of blood dried up quickly, the wound healing at an extraordinary rate.

Rukia glared at the Hollow and moved forward to attack again when her blade was almost yanked out of her grip with an amount of violence that implied a serious grudge. Caught off guard, she stumbled and then cursed when she fell hard on her butt. Looking up, startled, she was shocked to see the black-haired girl glaring right at her, Sode no Shirayuki's ribbon slipping out of her hand onto the ground while the little brunette rushed past them towards the Hollow with a concerned cry.

What the-?

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

“Onii-chan!” Yuzu cried, concern raising her voice to an almost panicked pitch as she reached out for her brother’s arm. Ichigo tried to reassure her that it was already healed, but Yuzu still ran her fingers over the rapidly disappearing scar to confirm that the injury hadn't been too bad.

The Hollow rumbled reassuringly in his chest and coiled a strong arm around her middle, drawing her further into his protection as his tail gently did the same for Karin. Pulling both sisters against his chest, he directed a searing glare at the shocked Shinigami. “I told you to leave us alone,” he hissed menacingly, the venom in his words promising retribution.

Before the raven-haired Shinigami could even hope to reply, the three siblings vanished from her disbelieving sight in a static buzz of sonido, leaving her in a state of dumbfounded shock on the empty roof.

In a park a small distance away, Ichigo came to a halt and steadied his siblings, who were dizzy from the sheer speed they had just been exposed to. Apologizing softly, the Hollow flicked his tongue over their wrists, the small transfer of reiatsu washing away the lingering nausea. Not one to be deterred by any lasting discomfort, Yuzu resumed her fretful inspection of her brother's injury. Ichigo left her to it, knowing it was the quickest way to assure her that he was okay. Instead, he and Karin exchanged grim looks.

Seemed like the Shinigami refused to let matters lie. She would have to go. And it would probably be a good idea to call on some reinforcements.

But first things first; he had a promise to keep. Hopefully the ice cream would be enough to take his sisters’ minds off of the upcoming trial.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Ishida Uryuu ignored the gossamer whisper of well-concealed Hollow reiatsu in the vicinity, so light he could easily convince himself he had imagined it despite his knowledge of the contrary. Instead he choose to focus on the far clearer source of reiatsu, this one as blatant as a festival's grand firework show compared to the brush of spider’s silk that was the almost nonexistent touch of the Hollow.

He paused for a moment, pushing his rectangular glasses back up further on his nose, waiting. A few seconds later, as expected, the tiny whisper of Hollow reiatsu dimmed even further into obscurity, as invisible as a wisp of mist on a bright day even for one who knew how to look for it. Shifting his bag of new handicraft supplies, and he diverged from his previous path, a new destination in mind.

Given the close proximity of the Hollow's reiatsu to the foreign source just a few moments ago, he had no doubt his unusual friend would wish to have something done about it, especially given the other sources of reiatsu involved.

Uryuu shook his head. Honestly, those Shinigami. They screwed up so often it was a wonder they got anything done.

He sighed, running a finger over one of the temples of his glasses, remembering a time when the barely-there touch of Hollow reiatsu would have alarmed him instead of comforted him. If anyone had told him back then that there would be a day the presence of a Hollow wouldn't concern him he would have called the asylum for that person, because obviously he had ran into their missing patient.

It was more than a year ago, a dreary day on which he had taken one of his more unusual beats, one that included the neighborhoods surrounding the river. It was when he was about halfway done that the sensation of muted reiatsu had alerted him of the presence of a Hollow. It had taken mere minutes to find the location, and the sight that had greeted him had made his heart skip a few beats with worry.

Two little girls within easy grabbing distance of a Hollow. A situation straight out of nightmares, even when the Hollow had been smaller than usual. A Hollow who had been pacing restlessly as if sensing its imminent demise, circling the girls like a shark from a bad Hollywood movie, close enough to brush their shoulders with each pass.

Uryuu had been unable to figure out why the beast had not killed the girls yet, but he had not looked a gift horse in the mouth and had covertly summoned his bow, taking aim before the monster could change its mind-

And then reishi had fallen apart in his hands, his bow losing cohesion like the very first time he had tried to summon it when his grandfather had just started teaching him.

Losing control over the reishi was in the best of circumstances reason for mortification for any Quincy worth his salt. With a Hollow as nearby as then, complete with young girls as soon-to-be prey, it had been terrifying.

Someone chuckling softly behind him hadn't helped matters in the slightest. Fearing the appearance of another Hollow, Uryuu had whirled around only to come face to face with a grinning man wearing predominantly green, traditional clothes and wooden geta, with a bucket hat with green and white stripes upon his head and a plain brown cane in his left hand. The man had had blond hair that fell in messy locks from the shadows underneath his hat’s rim, distracting one from the piercing eyes glinting within the same shadows. The man had held a small, smoothly humming black device in his right hand, which Uryuu had suspected was what kept him from shaping reishi into weapons.

And as if being stripped of his most important defense hadn’t been bad enough, Uryuu had been able to sense the strength of the man’s reiatsu, massive and tightly constrained so it reached no further than a few meters, tinged with the otherworldly sensation that was characteristic for the black-clad spirits he detested. Given how flawlessly the Shinigami had controlled the distance, it had been easy to deduce that the only reason why he could feel the reiatsu was because the man allowed him to. A deduction that had been swiftly confirmed mere seconds later when the man had pulled his reiatsu back into himself, leaving not even the faintest trace for Uryuu to track the man with should he decide to vanish.

Nonchalantly, the man had turned his little device off and tucked it away, confirming Uryuu’s suspicions when the ambient reishi suddenly responded to his call once more.

Cautiously, Uryuu had gathered reishi for his bow but hadn’t actually summoned it. It would have been utterly ineffective against this Shinigami anyway. It had been unnerving to be at the questionable mercy of an unknown adversary. His pride had balked at the position he had found himself in, but his self-preservation had won out. His cross had remained just that, warm and glowing with reishi but without the shape that would make it dangerous.

“Ara, what a surprise. Ishida Uryuu, son of the last Quincy and inheritor of said title, I presume?” The green-clad Shinigami had had an odd look in his eye, one that had been difficult to interpret because most of his expression had been hidden beneath a white paper fan that probably had been pulled out when the man had put his odd device away. Uryuu hadn’t seen him do that, which could either say something about his awareness or the man’s skill. Probably both.

Uneasy and very aware that the Hollow was aiming curious looks in their direction, Uryuu had demanded, “and what if I am? Who are you?”

The Shinigami had waved his fan placatingly, an amused smile curving his lips. “Hmm, nothing really.” The smile had stretched into a grin when Uryuu had responded to that non-answer with an aggravated glare. Before he had been able to say something however, the Shinigami had blithely continued. “My name is Urahara Kisuke, poor and humble owner of the Urahara Shoten, a small candy shop a few blocks down.”

Then the self-introduced shop owner had sidled up to Uryuu with startling speed, pushing a scrap of colorful paper into Uryuu’s surprised hands. “Here, have a coupon! It expires tomorrow so come by soon!~”

Uryuu had sweat-dropped at the lunacy of the sudden offer and had politely declined. Well, as politely as he could when not only dealing with a Shinigami, but with an insane Shinigami.

An echoing snort behind him had made Uryuu whirl around, only to nearly jump out of his skin when he had come face-to-face with the toothy mask of the Hollow. The Hollow, who had been as tall as Uryuu when standing on all fours. Small, for a Hollow, but it had still been damn daunting  this close to his face.

For a moment, he had honestly thought he was dead.

“Honestly, Urahara-san, must you always do that?” the orange haired Hollow had chuckled, surprising Uryuu by sounding very much amiable and non-violent. Sane even. When in the presence of a Shinigami and a Quincy. It had been mind-boggling. “Why do you always try to con people?”

Urahara whined as though he had been kicked in a very sensitive place. “I do not! You are so mean, Kurosaki-san! I’m an entrepreneur! Trying to get new customers is my job!” The man chidingly tapped his white fan on the Hollow’s mask, only to yelp and yank it back protectively when the Hollow snapped his teeth at it.

Uryuu had only been able to blink numbly. Kurosaki? He knew that name… 

Not that he had known Kurosaki that well. They had only been in the same class for a few months, during which Uryuu had gotten the impression that Kurosaki was just an obnoxious, small-time delinquent with a penchant for brawling and otherwise getting into trouble.

And then, two months ago, the school had held a memorial in the assembly hall, and Uryuu had learned Kurosaki had died a hero’s death, giving his life to save his little sisters. His world had flipped, and the teenage Quincy had discovered he regretted the times he had callously called Kurosaki a good-for-nothing, out-of-control idiot whenever one of his classmate’s escapades had come up. Clearly he had completely misjudged the sullen teen.

He had come home to a surprisingly not-empty house and had received another world-shaking shock, delivered by a cream envelope containing a funeral card with the name Kurosaki Ichigo spelled in elegant, somber letters, along with an invitation.

He had demanded an explanation from his father and to his surprise Ryuuken had complied, face blank but at the same time looking uncharacteristically sad when he had recounted events of years past.

Uryuu and Ichigo were related. Through the adoptive sister of his father. Who had died together with her husband in an accident when he had been nine. When Ichigo had been nine.

No wonder Kurosaki’s behavior had been so... off-putting. Without parents to correct it…

Yeah, it had explained a lot.

Cousins.

He had wanted to attend the funeral. He really had; an inadequate, guilty wish to make amends urging him to at least honor the memory of the brave cousin he had never gotten to know. Maybe even offer his condolences to Kurosaki’s sisters, who had now lost the last close family they’d had. Uryuu’s only family outside his father since Souken.

Who had been just kids, not even in their teens yet, four years younger than their brother had been.

Kids, who probably would have been just as curious about him as he had been about them, if only to take their minds of the hole their brother's death had left in their lives.

He still remembered the fear of what they might ask if he were to tell them who he was. What if they had wanted to know about the relationship he hadn’t had with his classmate? How could he have explained to his little cousins that he had openly badmouthed their hero brother when he had still been alive?

Shamefaced, he hadn’t been able to work up the nerve to go. His father hadn’t said anything, which had been more than comment enough.

When his father had returned home after the funeral his usual mask of disinterested aloofness had been replaced with deep contemplation. He hadn’t divulged what had gotten him in such a mood, but he had told Uryuu to avoid Kurosaki’s house and neighborhood for a while, and not to try seek out his cousin’s spirit.

Uryuu hadn’t dared ask why and had simply nodded his consent, only requesting to know whether the girls would come to live with them now. His father had shaken his head. Without official proof of relation they had not been eligible guardians when there were real blood relatives to take care of them.

But for that name to crop up like that a mere two months later…

“Kurosaki...?” He had repeated in astonishment. He hadn’t believed it. It took several months, if not years, for a soul to become a Hollow. It had been only two…

Yet the Hollow had swung its head around to face him in response to the name, its orange hair falling around its broad, spiked shoulders.

That hair color…

“Hey Ishida,” the Hollow had greeted in a slightly saddened tone. “Never thought that we would meet this way. I never knew you were able to see spirits too.”

Uryuu had blinked, dumbfounded. Had taken a better look at the girls half hidden behind the Hollow’s hind legs, looking upset but not scared  despite that the Hollow's tail was curled around them almost possessively, and honestly, what was the world coming to when he could stand in the presence of a Shinigami and a Hollow with two little girls without any of them actively trying to kill one of the other parties?

And then he had recognized them.

Kurosaki Karin and Kurosaki Yuzu. Their pictures had burned where they had been hidden within his wallet, because damn it, they were the only family he had besides his father, and his father didn't count. Ryuuken had never behaved like a parent, and honestly, Uryuu had liked the idea of having more family than just his cold fish of a father. Even if he hadn't interacted with them yet.

His little cousins. Who had been hugging the Hollow's legs as if he was their oversized security blanket.

What had the world been coming to? Really, he had wanted to know.

Realizing he was supposed to respond to the Hollow's – Kurosaki's – greeting, Uryuu had uttered the only thing he could come up with. “How?...”

The Hollow had chuckled lowly without any real mirth. “I died. And then...,” Kurosaki had trailed off, sounding guilty beneath the Hollow echo and at the same time suddenly so much like his old - living - self that Uryuu had promptly decided to refrain from pointing out that he was stating the obvious.

The Hollow had shrugged, oddly awkward despite that, if the world had had any sense of propriety – which it apparently had not – the menacing spikes on his shoulders should have made the gesture threatening. “I couldn't leave my sisters alone. Not after we already lost mom and dad.”

Wordlessly, the two girls had responded to his misery, Yuzu with tears in her eyes and Karin looking like she just wanted the world to go away for a long, long time. Their Hollow brother had crouched low, almost curling up on the sidewalk in a disconcertingly cat-like fashion, so his little sisters could burrow between the spikes on his shoulders and his neck, hiding their faces in his wild mane as they hugged him.

Ichigo had turned to Shinigami and the Quincy, and his golden eyes had glowed behind his mask as if he had dared them to make a fuss about his little sisters not fearing him. “I just told them what happened to mom and dad here,” the Hollow had explained somberly in a voice that had been hoarse as if he had been trying hard not to cry as well. Uryuu had assumed that the accident that had killed their parents had happened here, and he had bitten his lip at the sudden burst of sympathy that had coursed through his chest. “This was the only way I could stay with them and protect them.”

Uryuu had struggled to compose himself and had pushed up his glasses habitually, the fading light reflecting off their square surfaces. “I... understand,” he had said quietly, accepting his deceased cousin’s words and silently pledging his support and, daresay, friendship. From what he had seen he had been quite sure that Kurosaki wouldn't be a threat, and as much as he loathed Shinigami he hadn't thought that this Urahara-guy would let Ichigo stay with his two spiritually powerful sisters if he didn't believe the same.

That was as much reassurance he had needed to decide to leave his cousin be.

Ichigo’s eyes had become slightly glassy and two intensely grateful words had been whispered that had left Uryuu feeling guiltily embarrassed. Turning his shaggy head towards the quiet Urahara - and Uryuu had suspected the man of being bipolar, what with the cheerfully insane behavior before - Ichigo had nodded in an unspoken understanding with the shopkeeper before he had picked up his two sisters and had walked away silently, undoubtedly taking the two mentally exhausted twins home.

Uryuu and Urahara had watched them go in silence before facing each other once more. The shopkeeper had lifted his hat a little so the other could see his eyes better and had cracked what Uryuu had believed to be the first genuine smile of the evening. “Come, it is becoming chilly out. I have tea at my shop.” The man had turned and had led the way back to the main street and, without a word, Uryuu had followed.

It had been the oddest evening of his life, what with meeting a Shinigami-shopkeeper and his cousin-turned-Hollow, but most of all he remembered afterwards, when he had arrived back home and all he had learned had really sunk in.

Hours after he had left the Shinigami’s shop, Uryuu’s head had still been reeling. Seeing Kurosaki like that had really punched home the fact that Hollows, for all their sadism and plain monstrous behavior, were still human souls. Broken and maddened by longing and lack of closure, but human.

He had known this already back then of course. His grandfather had explained the motives behind the Quincy Genocide quite thoroughly. But, well, there was a world of difference between knowing something and acknowledging that same thing as an unshakable truth. It had been a very painful thing to acknowledge, but the Quincy pride had demanded he’d face the truth. And he had.

He was of course ashamed to admit that before meeting the dead Kurosaki he had pushed said truth away. Mainly because when he had finally acknowledged it, he'd also had to accept that for all their pride, Quincy were even more throughout killers than Hollows. If the souls he destroyed were just monsters their eradication did not matter, but if they were human… Well, there was a reason why his grandfather had insisted that the Shinigami might have had a point.

Which was why he had swallowed his own pride - not the Quincy's though; he'd be dead before he did that - a few days later and had sought out the weird, hat-wearing Shinigami with gritted teeth and a reluctant proposal.

The man had been more than happy to agree with his plan, exited to have another unusual and semi-willing test subject.

Uryuu had often regretted his choice to make the eccentric Shinigami - very, very, very eccentric; there were no words to adequately describe Urahara’s eccentricity - an acquaintance, but overall he was satisfied with what it had earned him.

It had been vexing to discover that the Quincy arts were closely related to a Shinigami art called kidou, though he probably shouldn't resent the fact so much since it had allowed Urahara to help him convert the techniques with a lot less complications than initially expected. Still, pique aside, the results had been what he had hoped for.

Nowadays, if he had time to mentally prepare himself, he could kill the Hollows without destroying the souls they contained. It was worth all the aggravation the shopkeeper had heaped on him during their collaboration. Though Uryuu had sworn to himself he was never going to agree with working in the shop to pay off his ‘debt’ ever again. His back still hurt at the memory of scrubbing floors and carrying heavy boxes.

Uryuu sighed, shaking off the reminiscent mood that had suddenly overcome him, instead opting to grab his phone and shoot a few texts off to people he was sure would be wiling to help deal with their unwanted Shinigami visitor.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

A few miles away, a phone beeped. Tatsuki fished it out of her bag and glanced at the message.

S. patrol ran into I. We need to discuss damage control.

Tatsuki swore.

“Tatsuki-chan?”

She waved a hand at Orihime. “Hold on a sec. Apparently the new Shinigami is after Ichigo.”

Ignoring her friend's shocked gasp, Tatsuki sent off a text herself. Can be there in an hour. Have lunch with Hime.

God damn it, she had hoped they could avoid this kind of situation but she should have known it wouldn't last. At least it hadn't happened right at the beginning. That would have been bad.

Oh fuck, the beginning. She still had nightmares about it. It had been two years, and still her memories of that moment were as vivid as the day it happened. Worst of all, it had been such a normal day. The weather, hanging out with Orihime, complaining about the idiots in class and how weak her opponents had been at the last competition-

But nothing was normal when your childhood friend dies within just a few meters of you.

She should have seen the accident coming the moment that car had almost swerved onto the sidewalk and had come too close to the two of them. She had yelled and been annoyed and Orihime had been her sweet, forgiving self, assuring her friend that the police would not let such a moron go free.

And then there had been that god-awful screeeech.

That, and the screams of children.

Tatsuki and Orihime had frozen, and looked ahead a number of blocks to see the same car that had almost hit them trying to back up off the sidewalk, revealing a downed figure just before people had swarmed in with loud, fearful voices and had blocked the view. Someone had stopped the would-be hit-and-run car and had dragged the man from his vehicle, restraining him on the ground as people had yelled to call an ambulance, cell phones popping up through the crowd.

Shaken, Orihime had stepped closer to her friend. “Tatsuki-chan,” the bustier girl had murmured shakily. “Someone... someone was just...” She had trailed off, unable to continue.

“Don’t worry 'Hime,” Tatsuki had tried to tell her friend, even though her own voice had been shaking too. “They’ve already caught the guy and an ambulance is on its way. It's gonna be okay.”

And she had believed that. Believed that, while walking towards the site of the incident with the first sounds of a siren rising in the distance. Believed that, while trying to see if she could offer help.

Believed that, until she had caught a look at the victim.

It had felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head and a frozen knife had buried itself in her gut.

There had been so much blood, splattered across the pavement along with little bits of more substantial red she really hadn't wished to investigate. But worst of all had been the sight of her friend, lying broken and bloody and awfully still on the ground, limbs at entirely the wrong angles and scraped raw.

So much red...

Tatsuki had rushed forwards, only dimly hearing Orihime’s cry of concern, a mantra of three words repeating like a frantic prayer within her head. It can’t be, it can’t be, it can’t be- She had dashed u p the sidewalk towards where the police had just arrived and were managing the crowd, only paying attention to other people long enough to tell them to get the fuck out off the way! Her dash had come to a stop by an officer’s restraining arm around her midriff, but she’d gotten close enough to confirm her fears.

Ichigo’s dulling brown eyes had stared lifelessly back up at her from where he’d been positioned by the medical crew who had been desperately trying to revive his prone form. Two of his limbs, his left leg and arm, were bent entirely out of shape, blood had stained his clothes crimson in several areas, and a horrid raw scrape had covered the whole left side of his face. It had been obvious from which side he’d been hit by the car.

Choking, Tatsuki had turned her face away, squeezing her eyes shut as almost foreign tears had blurred her vision and had threatened to spill over as her stomach had churned with nausea and raw grief. She had turned away, unable to see her friend like that. Not that it had helped. The image had been burned into her brain anyway.

Soft sobs and shaky words of comfort had drawn her attention and desperate as she had been for anything able to distract her from the image of Ichigo's injuries, Tatsuki had raised her head towards where the sound was coming from.

She still didn't know whether that sight had been worse than seeing Ichigo like that or not.

Ichigo’s younger twin sisters had been huddling against the wall of the nearest building, facing away from where their brother had been lying motionless while an ambulance crew member had been frantically giving him CPR while the other crew members had been busy preparing a defibrillator. The girls had been clinging to each other, heads down and avoiding the sight of where their older sibling had been struggling for his life.

They'd had barely a scrape on them.

“Yuzu! Karin!” she had called out desperately, elbowing the officer in the ribs to free herself from his grip and rush to them. She had dimly heard Orihime also call to her but had ignored her best friend for the first time in her life to fall next to the two sobbing girls and catch them when they had thrown themselves into her arms. “Shh, shh, i-it’s okay...,” she had soothed shakily, not even believing her own words as she comforted her old friend’s distraught sisters.

“H-he pushed us away, Tatsuki!” Karin had sobbed into Tatsuki's shoulder, breathing in ragged breaths through her grief. “He s-saw the car coming and he pushed us out of the way j-just as it-it h-hit him!” she had choked out through her tears while Yuzu had just sobbed beside her, crying her eyes out while nodding along with her sister’s words.

Tatsuki had immediately believed every word with a heavy heart. Of course Ichigo would have sacrificed himself without a second thought to protect his sisters. He had always been overprotective.

And then to her horror the frantic activity behind her had slowed, stilled with five barely audible words.

“It's no use. He’s gone.”

Four days later the funeral had been held.

“You’re missing it, you bastard,” she had told Ichigo's headstone; a pretty, elegant thing made out of deep blue granite, fresh flowers sitting in the stone vases on both sides. “I am, for once in my life, wearing a damn dress, and you’re not even here to tease me about it.” She had spoken harshly, softly so people wouldn't hear how badly she was affected by seeing the solid proof of her friend's demise.

Here lies Kurosaki Ichigo; a loving, protective older brother and beloved son. July 15, 1995, to July 7, 2008.

Tatsuki had almost snorted at the dates. Ichigo had been 8 days away from his birthday; had been 12 years old when he had died. He'd had so much more to live for... But some drunken idiot already on trial for driving under influence and manslaughter had ended it all.

The black haired girl had sighed, dejectedly plucking at the edge of her formal black dress, a flowery umbrella that she’d borrowed from Orihime clenched in one hand. The forecast had predicted rain, and thick storm clouds rolled by overhead. It had been another stupidly ironic thing; Ichigo had hated the rain because it reminded him of the night he’d lost both his parents.

Orihime had left with most of the other mourners, having not known Ichigo at all except through stories Tatsuki had told her, and thus not feeling she'd had the right to stay while the family and closest friends had paid their last respects to Ichigo. Only Karin, Yuzu, Tatsuki, and Ichigo’s closest friend, Sado Yasutora – or Chad, as Ichigo had used to call him – and a distant aunt of the Kurosaki family who was now officially Yuzu’s and Karin’s benefactor and who didn't look pleased about it at all, had stayed.

The aunt had given Tatsuki an affronted look for her cursing but had said nothing and instead had allowed both Yuzu and Karin to walk to Tatsuki, who had given her watery smiles as they came and had wrapped their arms around her waist. The karate fanatic had hugged the two nine year olds tightly to her. They had been too young to have suffered the loss of both their parents three years before, and now had also lost their brother. It just wasn’t fair.

Sniffling, the twins had then knelt before their family grave, and Tatsuki and Chad had shared a quiet look before turning and leaving. They had both silently agreed that now was the time to leave the two siblings to their final goodbyes. Looking back once, she had seen the aunt and a white-haired man watching silently from a distance while Yuzu and Karin had been looking upwards and slightly to the side as if they had been listening to someone taller than them kneeling beside them. There had been nothing there but air and the next grave.

Then again, Tatsuki had known her friend had often seen things she hadn't been able to, so to see his sisters talking to empty space hadn't been that surprising. She'd just hoped they were able to say their goodbyes to their brother before he'd pass on.

Brushing it off, Tatsuki had caught and squeezed Chad’s large hand, silently offering her friendship to the silent giant. Chad had squeezed back, agreeing without words. They had stopped at the bottom of the hill, where Orihime had instantly caught Tatsuki in a hug, murmuring her condolences once more.

That had been two years ago. Yuzu and Karin were both eleven now, and while Ichigo is technically still thirteen, his sisters still counted his birthdays so he was now fifteen. Tatsuki smirked when she remembered how flustered Hollow’s actions had been the first time he’d come home from another Hollow hunt to find banners and balloons scattered amongst the house. She had never thought she'd see someone who looked as terrifying as her friend embarrassed and she could never resist smiling whenever she had thought about that birthday party.

It had been less than a year after Ichigo had died when Tatsuki had begun seeing spirits like Ichigo had, as well as the Hollows that hunted them. She’d even been saved from one by Ichigo himself; the first time she’d seen him as a Hollow. The moment he had realized she could see him he had told her everything and had apologized for the grief he'd caused her. Tatsuki had been in shock, not believing that a monster like that was actually him, until had teasingly remarked that she had actually looked like a girl in the dress she had worn to his funeral.

The dark-haired girl was still mildly embarrassed with how quickly she had snapped out of her daze and had sniped back in retaliation, quickly falling into a playfully heated argument right there in the park despite Ichigo’s new fearsome appearance, ignoring how many passer-byes had given Tatsuki the strangest looks for shouting curses at thin air.

Soon after, Chad and Orihime had come to her, confessing to also having seeing spirits and Hollows and she in turn had confided in Ichigo, asking if he would allow her to tell their other friends about him. He’d been eager to agree, having missed interacting with other people and very happy he could talk to Chad again. Chad had been surprised but nonetheless had been similarly glad to have his best friend back, no matter how menacing Ichigo's new appearance was.

Orihime had been another thing. She had been quite ashamed to admit that Ichigo’s appearance scared her but had quickly claimed she didn’t mind being near him as long as she didn’t look at him directly too often. Tatsuki had been mildly affronted and upset with her friend, but Ichigo had assured her that he understood and didn’t blame her, especially because the first time Orihime had seen him had been when he had stopped Orihime’s own older brother-turned-Hollow from killing her. Tatsuki had grudgingly agreed that that hadn't been the best way to make a first impression.

Not that long after that the three of them had discovered they had supernatural abilities which were, as the weird shopkeeper-cum-scientist Ichigo had become acquainted with after his death had speculated, the result of being exposed to Ichigo’s presence and his massive reiatsu. Chad had developed the ability to transform his right arm into a red and black, Hollow-like appendage that could fire off blasts of pure energy. Orihime had a group of six fairy-like spirits called Shun Shun Rikka that worked in set teams and could do amazing things. Tatsuki herself had the ability to focus her reiryoku around her body to make her kicks and punches more powerful. Urahara had described it as a technique similar to shunkou, but weaker and less likely to destroy clothes. Suffice to say, Tatsuki hadn't been happy to learn she might just destroy her own clothes if she put to much power behind her ability, and had quickly borrowed a few shirts from one of Urahara's acquaintances that left her back free and would hopefully keep her dignity intact if she slipped up.

She had kicked the shopkeeper when he had dared to act disappointed by that. Urahara's friend had laughed and gleefully approved.

Together, Chad, Orihime, and Tatsuki had chosen to help Ichigo protect his sisters from other Hollows whenever they had the chance. Ichigo had reassured them that Urahara and his people already helped out during school hours so Ichigo could hunt during that time and they didn't have to devote their time to it. Tatsuki had hit him over the head and told him they could keep watch after school from time to time so he could hunt a bit longer when he needed to.

They had soon learned that Ishida Uryuu from their class could also see spirits and was friends with Ichigo. He had already been helping out at least once a week so Ichigo could focus on his evolution. Tatsuki and the others had swiftly decided to join him, hanging out at Ichigo's house and doing homework. The house had soon become their favorite haunt, a place to relax and talk and enjoy Yuzu's cooking. The twins had been happy with the additional company too.

But now a Shinigami threatened the normalcy they had managed to win for themselves and there was no way in hell Tatsuki would allow that.

Shoving the last bite of her bento in her mouth, Tatsuki packed up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Orihime followed suit. The orange-haired girl might not like the idea of hurting people but she had come to care greatly about Ichigo's sisters. Tatsuki was sure Orihime would be able to shove her distaste aside in favor of making sure the twins would keep their brother. Orihime knew the pain of losing a dear sibling intimately.

Tatsuki gave her friend an encouraging smile. “Lets go.”

No one was allowed to disrupt the peace Ichigo had won for himself and his family. Not even a so called Death God.

Chapter Text

"She attacked Ichigo?!"

"She is a Shinigami. What did you expect?" Uryuu replied derisively.

They had gathered in the Kurosaki home. Once Tatsuki, Orihime and Chad had been filled in on the current situation, saying that Tatsuki was displeased would be an understatement. Chad was quiet mountain of grim resolve while Orihime wavered between angry on the siblings' behalf and feeling sorry for the Shinigami girl.

The twins themselves were conflicted. Yuzu was making dinner, not wanting to be part of the discussion and wishing the Shinigami had been like her predecessor and would have never noticed Ichigo, while Karin was stubbornly remaining among the group, refusing to budge even when Ichigo had gently tried to explain that they might end up having to kill the Shinigami.

"You're my brother, Ichi-nii! If you think, for one moment, that I'll let her get away with hurting you, you're dead wrong!" Karin had yelled, still shaken from the shock of getting abducted by one of her brother's worst enemies, and then being unable to do anything while Ichigo got hurt. It was lucky the Shinigami had such a ridiculously long sword ornament, otherwise there was no way Karin would have been able to do anything. And while she trusted her brother's strength, she had hated how helpless she had felt.

The ice cream had only helped to calm her down a little. Even Yuzu hadn't really been able to enjoy the treat, too worried that the Shinigami would attack again.

Which was why Yuzu was soothing her nerves by cooking Ichigo's favorite meal. Normal food did nothing to still Ichigo's hunger – which was why he rarely ate anything, even when Yuzu cooked – but he could still taste it, so sometimes, whenever Yuzu had made something new or special, Ichigo would get a small bowl for himself so he could enjoy the treat.

But cooking didn't calm Karin. So instead of doing something calming but useless like soccer, she was listening to her brother and his friends as they made plans to curb the Shinigami-threat, so she could tell Yuzu what had been discussed later if her sister decided she wanted to know after all. It was the only thing she could do since Ichigo would never allow her to go with them when they carried out the plan. Without any power of her own she would only be a target. She wasn't as fast as Uryuu or Tatsuki, or as strong as Chad, or able to heal and protect like Orihime.

She hated how little she could do to protect her brother. Really, usually she wasn't this envious of his friends' abilities, but now the jealousy burned.

Tatsuki heaved an aggravated sigh and forced herself to calm down. "Okay. So. Shinigami saw Ichigo, saw him again with Yuzu and Karin, kidnapped Yuzu and Karin, and then tried to kill Ichigo. What are the chances that she'll continue to focus on him?"

"If she got anything like a working brain, it is almost guaranteed," Uryuu judged.

Ichigo agreed. "She looked very surprised the first time I spoke to her, and again when Karin stepped in to help me. She also asked a lot of questions." He sighed. "I don't think that she will let it rest."

"How did she find you the first time around anyway?" Tatsuki asked. "Normally you are way too careful to be spotted."

Karin was sure that beneath his mask, her brother was blushing.

"Ah, well… She was fighting a Hollow less than a block away, and cero can travel very far. Their fight was drawing out for too long and I couldn't risk an attack landing on the house. So I killed the Hollow."

Tatsuki face palmed. "You killed it right in front of her? And you didn't attack her?"

Ichigo avoided her gaze.

"You idiot! No wonder she is chasing you! Any ordinary Hollow would have just tried to eat her! Now she knows you're not normal!"

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? You know I don't kill people," Ichigo said mulishly.

"Eat the Hollow, fight her a little while, and then run through a garganta," Uryuu stated bluntly. Tatsuki nodded her agreement. "You should have pretended to be an ordinary Hollow. She would have still gone after you, but she wouldn't be focused on you so much."

Ichigo's shoulders drooped. "Sorry," he muttered contritely. "I didn't think it through."

Karin, despite knowing the heap of trouble her brother had landed himself in, felt oddly comforted by that admission. If there was one character flaw her brother possessed, it was his temper. It was kinda nice to know that becoming a Hollow had affected him so little that he didn't even think of persecution when jumping in front of a Shinigami, even though he wasn't that naïve.

Hell, if Ichigo had feared being seen they'd be short four people right now. Situations like these made Karin wonder whether her brother sometimes forgot what he looked like. It certainly appeared that way.

Honestly, Karin was happy Ichigo apparently felt so comfortable despite his appearance, but on the other hand, a bit more apprehension would have saved them a lot of trouble today. In a way, his contentment was a double-edged sword. At least when you added Shinigami into the equation.

"At least tell me the second time was an accident?" Tatsuki sighed.

Ichigo nodded. "It was. I just came back from hunting a Hollow and wasn't paying attention. It was fairly powerful, so I was still feeling the rush." Absorbing Hollows always led to some measure of disorientation from the new, rioting souls, no matter how many times he did it. Ichigo was never at his best after he had just eaten, and they all knew it. By his own admission, his evolution had done almost nothing to lessen the impact. "I didn't notice her until she came running at Yuzu and Karin, and by then it was already too late. She is far more alert than the previous Shinigami."

"I see," Tatsuki said grudgingly.

Given that Ichigo had been able to run circles around the previous Shinigami without the Shinigami ever being confident enough to try to chase him, it wasn't that surprising that Ichigo had slipped up. Not that it made the situation any better, but they could understand. One memorable time, when the previous Shinigami had been lazing in the grass of the Kurosaki siblings' own garden, Ichigo had literally sneaked behind the Shinigami's back with less than ten feet between them, gotten inside the house and out without being spotted, and when Ichigo had finally gotten fed up with the guy loitering around their house and had taken a swipe at the Shinigami, the guy had screamed and fled. They had all been torn between laughing themselves sick and feeling revolted at the ridiculous incompetence of the guy who was supposed to protect the people of Karakura. But while his replacement being more competent was good news for Karakura, in the light of Ichigo's situation it was rapidly becoming problematic that the new girl wasn't as inept as her predecessor.

"Okay. No changing the past. So what are we gonna do about her?" Tatsuki continued pragmatically.

"Does Urahara-san know what happened?" Chad inquired, steady and seemingly unperturbed as always.

Uryuu pushed up his glasses. "We tried to give him a call, but no one picked up. I left a voicemail."

"So we can't count on him to help out. Anyone ideas?" Tatsuki asked.

"She can't stay here," Ichigo said, deadly certain. "But I'd rather not kill her. That would just bring more Shinigami here, and we don't need the attention. Any ideas?" Ichigo asked quietly, specifically looking at Uryuu because, admittedly, the Quincy almost always had a plan.

The dark hared teen shifted a little in his seat and remained silent for a few seconds, before answering.

"Are you certain we can't kill her?" Ishida inquired coldly. Orihime winced at the blunt question. Tatsuki soothed her quietly with words of reason while Chad remained as still as a stone statue.

Karin knew Ichigo silently agreed with his friend's frigidity and the ruthlessness. Even when her brother had been alive he had never shied away from violence. After he had learned what he'd have to do to survive as a Hollow, he had only become more willing to lash out with lethal intent. Though whether or not he would kill someone who looked that human was anyone's guess. Karin knew he wouldn't want to, he'd told them that often enough. But Karin suspected that when push came to shove, Ichigo would do anything to remain with them.

It probably said a lot about her own mentality that all she felt at that was warm affection.

Ichigo chuckled, the sound turning gravelly as it filtered through his mask, and flicked his sickle-shaped tail tip in mild amusement. "Unfortunately, no. Got a plan B?"

Uryuu sighed, feigning annoyance. The Quincy didn't like killing, but he did detest Shinigami, so his suggestion had been at least somewhat genuine. "In that case I think the best chance we have is to disable her Shinigami powers and take her to Urahara-san's. He would know better how to deal with the situation."

Orihime piped up, apprehensive and concerned. "Won't that hurt her, Ishida-kun?" she inquired quietly, looking beseechingly at the Quincy. Karin mentally sniggered as she spotted a faint blush blooming to life on Uryuu's face. Poor guy still wasn't used to dealing with someone as sweet as Orihime, especially not when she unknowingly activated the hurt-puppy eyes.

Coughing into his fist, Uryuu regained his previous poise. "Unfortunately, yes, Inoue-san. But remember,-" he fixed the gentle girl with an unwavering look, "-It must be done to keep Ichigo's sisters safe."

Karin snorted, but kept quiet. Orihime was more likely to help Yuzu and her than her brother, so if that was how Uryuu wanted to bring it, she was fine with that. The healer was still afraid of Ichigo, even though the girl knew, intellectually, that she shouldn't be. No matter how much it annoyed her, Karin knew she shouldn't blame the older girl for what was – admittedly – a very understandable reaction.

Orihime looked saddened for a minute, but she gave no sign of faltering in her support. Karin was glad. She liked the older girl, and Tatsuki had revealed a while ago that Orihime saw Yuzu and her as precious younger sisters. Regardless of her reluctance, Orihime was someone Karin knew she could count on. Beneath her timidity the healer had a protective streak almost as wide as Ichigo's, and would use everything in her power to ensure the safety and happiness of the people she cared about.

Bringing the conversation back around to the subject at hand, Ichigo spoke. "So it's decided? We block her Shinigami powers and dump her on Hat'n Clogs?" Orihime smiled at Ichigo's nickname for the crazy shopkeeper while Tatsuki and Chad merely nodded in agreement. Ichigo looked at Uryuu. "Do you know how to do it?"

"Of course I do," Ishida sniffed superiorly, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose with one finger. "I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise. Don't underestimate me."

"Do we need to hold her still when you do that?" Tatsuki inquired.

Uryuu shrugged. "Not really. It will probably hurt her less if I can take my time aiming, but that's hardly important. The Shinigami would need Orihime's ability to recover no matter how gentle we are. There's no need to risk yourself."

Orihime's turned pleading eyes towards her friend. Unlike Uryuu, Orihime was too emphatic to be that dismissive about another being's pain.

Tatsuki took one look at her friend's face and sighed. "Well, we'll see if we can get her to hold still for you anyway. We don't want her to die before we reach the shop," she said, addressing Uryuu.

The Quincy nodded. "Alright, but I will shoot when it seems you won't succeed. We don't know how violent the Shinigami will react to being attacked, and I hope you don't mind that I place our wellbeing above that of a Shinigami."

Tatsuki nodded, and looked at Orihime. "Sorry, but that's the best you're gonna get. You okay with that?"

The healer nodded, clearly not happy but sensible enough to know that asking for more would put everyone at risk. She made the effort to smile. "I'll be okay, Tatsuki. Thank you."

Ichigo's golden eyes seemed to glow behind his mask. "Then it's decided," he declared, and everyone expressed their agreement.

Karin dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling worried, anxious, and above all impatient. The night couldn't be over fast enough.

She always hated waiting the most.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

By the time the friends left to carry out their plan, dusk had come and gone. As most Hollows were nocturnal hunters, preferring to chase their prey when it was tired and handicapped by the dark and their own fears, they assumed that the Shinigami would patrol mostly at night as well.

The Humans had all prepared in their own way. Uryuu was wearing his self-made Quincy uniform, cross already in hand. Tatsuki had chosen the outfit she'd assembled together with Urahara's friend, wanting to have as much freedom to move as possible. It was a good thing it was a warm night, otherwise she would have been cold in her thin top and baggy karate pants. Orihime and Chad had chosen to wear their gym clothes, consisting of loose shirts and soft sweatpants, so they could run without being hindered.

Ichigo was grim and silent. His heart felt like carved ice. The Shinigami had come too close, way too close to his little sisters. And she had attacked him right in front of them. He had not mentioned it to anyone, but during their discussion he'd had to fight to keep an enraged snarl silent. If he died his sisters and his friends would be defenseless. Sure, some of them, like Uryuu, Chad, and Tatsuki were skilled enough to deal with mundane Hollows, but what if something stronger came along, or a Hollow with trickster abilities like that Fisher creature a few months back? They simply didn't have the defenses he had. He couldn't die, couldn't bear even the thought of his family's grief if he was forced to leave them once more.

So Ichigo sealed his heart, letting the cold focus of the hunt enter his blood. Letting his Hollow instincts loose was risky, but if the Shinigami tried something he would not allow himself to hesitate. His resolve to never harm a human-like being meant nothing if it meant he could not protect his loved ones.

Ichigo didn't want to kill her. He really didn't. But gods, he would not let that stop him!

He inhaled deeply, drawing on instincts he'd only ever used to locate his friends one time when he was in a tearing hurry to save them from hordes of hungry Hollows one of Uryuu's grandfather's tokens had accidentally summoned. This time, he didn't have any trouble locating spiritually powerful beings, as this time around there were not nearly enough Hollows in the area to cloud the trails.

Pinpointing the Shinigami's location was laughably easy, and would have been even with the handicap he'd faced in the past. Her reiatsu signature blazed like a beacon on a moonless night. She might as well have set a skyscraper on fire to mark her location.

"This way," he said, his words falling in sync with Uryuu's. Ichigo smiled beneath his mask. Trust the Quincy to be as quick as him.

The others smiled as well. "Lead the way then," Tatsuki replied, smirking.

Uryuu nodded acquiescently. In formation, they started walking towards the river.

Always the river, Ichigo mused. Why do so many important things happen there? You'd almost stop believing in coincidences.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia was slowly making her way across one of the bridges that spanned the river of the town, staring down at the dark waters. She was still contemplating the mystery that was the elusive, orange-haired Hollow. She was more tempted than ever to ask her Captain for advice.

She called him Onii-chan. What kind of mind control is that Hollow capable of, to get a Human girl to do that? the Kuchiki wondered. Unless, of course, those girls weren't Human at all…

She didn't know which option was more frightening. On one hand, mind control was a terrifying ability, especially if it was powerful. On the other hand, a Hollow with a humanoid-looking lure had killed many, many Shinigami in this city and nearby areas, until it had suddenly dropped off the radar almost a year ago.

Frankly, she hoped that the girls were Humans acting of their free will, as improbable as that was. The Hollow was intelligent. Surely he was capable of sweet-talking a couple of young spiritually-powerful girls into believing he was harmless?

Now she was thinking about it, that option was pretty upsetting too.

Tomorrow. If I haven't found anything out by tomorrow, I'll give the Captain a call, she decided resolutely. If only to hear his thoughts on the situation. Right now she was scaring herself with phantoms. First she had to figure out whether the Hollow had a special ability in the first place. Just in case he had one, and the Hollow proved too powerful, she had already left a message in the room at the shop – even though she really hadn't wanted to, with how rude the shopkeeper had been – detailing her experiences with the creature and her theories. If she fell… well, she didn't want to think about it, but at least her Captain and her Nii-sama would be aware what had happened.

But that was tomorrow. Tonight she was patrolling the city in the hopes that she'd run into the creature again. Hollows hunted at night so her best chance was now. If things went right, she would solve the problem before sunrise, and there would be no need to concern her superior.

So far she hadn't had much luck, but the night was still young. Maybe the Hollow would come to her.

She rested her hand on the hilt of her Zanpakutou to reassure herself. Her resolve hardened. A tight smile curled her lips. If he did, she would be ready.

When she reached the end of the bridge se stood a moment in indecision. Not that directions really mattered all that much….

She decided to go right. At least that way she would be getting closer to the place she had met the Hollow the second time. She had decided to start wide and slowly circle closer to the places where she had encountered the creature.

Ahead of her, she saw two people coming from the other direction. She froze, for one moment shocked beyond reason. One tall and broad, the other short and lithe, and both carrying the silent air of threat, without having to do anything.

Rukia burst out laughing. Oh, she really was seeing phantoms tonight! It were just two Humans, who had, for a moment, strongly reminded her of the Captain and Lieutenant of the Second. Why, she couldn't even understand herself. Sure, the female was clearly a fighter and was wearing an outfit that vaguely resembled that of Soi Fon-taichou, if you left out the Captain's haori and changed the shoes, but the male was nothing like Omaeda-fukutaichou, no matter how he walked one step behind the female the way the Lieutenant always did. This guy was broad because he was impressively muscular, without an ounce of excess fat, where Lieutenant Omaeda was broad because he was he never seemed to be able to stop snacking.

Still giggling at her own jumpiness even though her muscles were still tense as a bowstring, she wasn't paying much attention to the Humans that were walking past.

Her jittery nerves where all that saved her.

Startled by swift movement in the corner of her eye, Rukia made a clumsy hop backwards, just as a large fist sailed past her abdomen with a whoosh of displaced air. Stumbling, she barely managed to evade the worst of an unexpected barrage of fists and feet coming from the black-haired female.

Why in the Worlds are Humans attacking me?! A fleeting thought she barely had the time for amidst the sudden fight for her life. She'd expected a Hollow, not this!

The female was particularly vicious. Rukia was forced to use shunpo to escape the violent swipes and kicks.

"Why are you doing this?! Cease this foolishness at once!" the Shinigami yelled, hoping the Humans would hear her words. Her entire being urged her to draw her blade, but she didn't want to risk hurting them. They had some spiritual presence and were clearly using their abilities to strengthen their attacks, but who knew what they could withstand? Living bodies were so fragile…

Then an energy blast nearly hit her in the face. An energy blast coming from… the large Human?

She scowled. She had the sneaking suspicion this had to do with the Hollow she'd been looking for. What other creature used blasts like that?

A mind-control ability seemed more and more probable. And it seemed to be a strong ability as well, if the Hollow could indeed control several people, and was likely to be the one responsible for the Human using such a Hollow-like ability. Gods, what a nasty piece of work. The moment she got out of this, she was definitely calling Seireitei. Even if she could exterminate the Hollow on her own, her Captain would want to know about this creature. If only so they could attempt to find all Humans that had been affected and wipe their memories.

Quickly, she drew her Zanpakutou. If this was indeed the mysterious Hollow's doing, she would need her sword. Against the Humans she would only use the back of her blade, but the moment she could she would end this Hollow. Who knew how much damage he had already done to his unwilling allies?

However, fighting with only the back of her blade was quite a bit harder than it sounded. The balance and grip were a small but very significant bit different from what she was used to, and it showed. She yelped as the Human female ducked beneath her swing with inhuman speed, and managed to land a glancing blow. The Kuchiki immediately launched into another shunpo, ignoring the pain in her shoulder. She barely felt something white-hot grazing her cheek.

Rukia landed, blood dripping down her face. She backed up to put more distance between her and her attackers as she stared wide-eyed in the direction the glowing blue arrow had come from. In distance stood a white-clad Human with a bow made of solidified spirit energy in hand, glasses ominously reflecting the lamplight and a scornful scowl on his face.

… Exactly how many Humans can this Hollow control? the Kuchiki wondered, dumbfounded and more than a little unnerved. She ran just before another energy blast blew an impressive crater in the pavement, right in the place where she had been standing.

The situation was quickly going from bad to worse, she realized grimly, while arrows whizzed around her head and the female Human was coming at her again with startling speed. Rukia knew she couldn't hope to keep up with three different opponents at once for long. Bruises and cuts already decorated her body.

I need to get away. Screw Kuchiki pride, she wasn't stupid. It was obvious that she was in over her head, and the Hollow hadn't even showed up yet!

Just one way to escape without hurting the Humans. "Bakudou number one, Sai!"

With the large Human with the energy blasts down, the fight became a little easier, especially because his fall distracted the others. The Shinigami felt relieved. The Hollow's control couldn't be all that strong if the Humans were still capable of showing concern for one another. Though Rukia would have preferred to get the fast female. Out of the two close-combat fighters, she was definitely the more dangerous one.

Regardless, now was her chance to run and call her Captain. She turned, feet leaving the ground at her fastest shunpo-

-And ran face-first into a transparent orange barrier.

She bounced back and was forced to let her back slam against a nearby building as her head reeled from the heavy impact. She was too disoriented to avoid the glowing arrows that pierced her uniform a hair-width shy of breaking skin, pinning her against the wall like an insect on display. She just barely managed to hang on to Sode no Shirayuki.

"Good job, Orihime!" the female Human called.

Orihime? Blinking the stars out of her eyes, Rukia managed to spot the fourth Human that had entered the fray while she had been distracted by the other fighters. A generously-endowed girl with long hair that looked orange under the streetlight, three little… things that hummed with reiatsu circling around her.

The girl – Orihime? – looked nervous and hesitant. Clearly the Hollow's control wavered when dealing with four people.

Rukia readied herself to rip through the fabric of her uniform. If she waited for the Hollow to show up, she'd be dead. So she had to act quickly and decisively.

The archer lifted his bow, taking careful aim. Rukia tensed. Was the Hollow really going to kill her this indirectly? But no, the arrow wasn't aimed at her heart, and the archer had already displayed more than enough skill for her to deduce it wasn't by accident. It was aimed somewhere else…

Her eyes widened with fear. Oh gods, he can't seriously be planning to-!

Terror fueled her panicked struggle as she ripped herself off the arrows. To have her hakusui pierced would mean the end of all she had worked for. If that happened she would lose everything. It would be the final straw for her proud brother, who was already so disappointed in her.

She got free just in time. The arrow pierced her side, but missed the origin of her spiritual power. Bleeding, she ran for her life.

A shouted command sounded behind her, followed by three small points that shot past her and formed a triangular barrier right in her path. But this time Rukia was ready. With a quick twist of her reiryoku she slipped past the outer edge.

Please let me get away. I have to call Ukitake-taichou!

There was an odd static buzz and she only spotted something pale in the corner of her eye for a fraction of a second, before something with the same density of a sekkiseki boulder slammed into her. She hit the ground with a teeth-rattling thud.

She looked up and froze in terror. The red-plated Hollow had arrived.

He loomed over her, his gold-on-black eyes pinning her down more effectively than those arrows ever could. None of the four Humans that joined him in front of her looked scared or even uneasy, with the exception of the second Human female. That was as good as an outright confirmation of her suspicions. His control truly was frightening.

The Hollow leaned closer, his jaws opening within a few inches of her face, eyes never leaving her widened violet.

"Hello again, Shinigami."

Chapter Text

Uryuu breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

That, he admitted to himself, didn't go according to plan. The Shinigami had proved herself to be a far more slippery opponent than he had expected.

But this was the end of the line for her. The moment Ichigo had knocked her down, Tatsuki had rushed forward to kick the sword away and had put the Shinigami in a chokehold.

With a sigh, Uryuu paused to help Sado free himself. For a Quincy it was child's play to find the restraining Shinigami energy where it was wrapped around the larger boy's arms, and remove the offending reiryoku. Sado bowed his head in a silent 'thank you', and together they joined their friends at the Shinigami's struggling form.

Uryuu kept his bow ready, an arrow nocked and trained on the dark-haired Shinigami. This time, he wouldn't allow her to run, even if it meant potentially fatally injuring her. They could not allow her to inform the other Shinigami about Ichigo's presence.

If only she didn't look so human…

There was, after all, a big difference between killing a monster and killing a person. And yet, if she would not sit still long enough to allow him proper aim, he would have to choose between risking her life and letting the life of his friend be put in jeopardy.

Uryuu steeled himself. For many years he had destroyed countless souls for the sake of a few. This was the same principle.

If she does not yield… I will not hesitate!

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia would freely admit she was panicking, her breath coming in gasping, wheezy whimpers, like a dying animal. Here she was, pinned down quite effectively right in front of a very dangerous Hollow. The fact that it had not killed her yet did not bode well for her. A normal Hollow might have gloated before eating her, but this one was eerily quiet.

And there was only one reason she could think of that would make this Hollow wait.

He was trying to gain control over her.

Rukia shivered and struggled against the Human female's frighteningly strong hold, trying to fight her way free. She didn't have much luck. The Human – a teenage girl and a lot younger than she'd first assumed, Rukia had realized once she'd gotten a good, close look at the female's face – was using a move that could have been pulled straight out of a hakuda class. If Rukia tried to move her limbs too far in the wrong direction they would get dislocated without the girl having to move a single muscle. The Kuchiki would have been impressed if she hadn't been so scared.

The only way to get out now would be kidou, and even that might not work. But she had to try. She would never forgive herself if she died the same way as her beloved mentor. She couldn't do that to her Captain. Ukitake-taichou had always been good to her, so she didn't want to cause him grief by reminding him of his Lieutenant's death. Her brother probably would merely be disappointed, so despite how shameful it was, she didn't care all that much about his reaction; in her bleaker moments, she had often wondered whether he had ever cared about her in the first place.

She picked the moment he Hollow was slightly distracted by the archer and the large Human joining them. Closing her eyes to gather her calm, she whispered the words that would either mean her death or her salvation. The archer cried out a warning as her reiatsu fluctuated on the cadence of her words, but by then she had already finished charging the spell.

Moving quickly, Rukia aimed the low level hadou at the Human hakuda specialist to incapacitate her. The young woman holding her cried out as she was sent flying. Rukia breathed a sigh of relief and tried to get up-

Her plan turned out to be a mistake. The moment the short chant knocked the Human several yards away, the Hollow snarled, low and threatening in a way she'd never heard before. Not just anger. The protective rage of a mother bear that saw one of her cubs under attack.

The Hollow's retribution was swift and ruthless.

The Hollow grabbed her and slammed her into the ground, and Rukia let out a short scream before she found herself bereft of air. She felt the bones in her chest give out in several places . Oh gods, she whimpered mentally. That hurts! She could feel the sharp edges of her own ribs dig into her flesh and threatening to puncture her lungs. Messy breaks that made breathing almost impossible. If she survived, she would have one hell of a hard time reaching a healer.

But she had bigger problems than a nearly caved in chest.

The Hollow raised his other hand, claws out and aiming to tear and shred. Closing her eyes in terror, she braced for the worst-

A heavy thunk made her flinch violently, but the expected pain didn't come.

"Now, now, Kurosaki-kun," a disturbingly cheery voice said in the unexpected hush, "there's no need to be cruel."

Snapping her eyes open again in shock, Rukia looked up to see the shopkeeper standing over her almost protectively, blocking the Hollow's clawed hand with a mere cane.

She could have hugged him. Unfortunately, with her ribs broken this badly and the Hollow's hand still pressing her down, she couldn't even sit up. But she would definitely forgive the man his insults earlier that day.

The Hollow – Kurosaki? What a weird name for a Hollow – remained still for a moment, giving the green-and-white bucket-hat wearing male a calculating stare before withdrawing, seemingly unperturbed that his attack had been stopped. He even let go of Rukia, who could now breathe a little deeper, now the worst pressure was off her ribs. She would have tried to sit up, but a previous training incident had taught her what a spectacularly bad idea that would be. Though a fairly large part of her was convinced getting away from the Hollow was worth aggravating her injuries.

"Urahara-san," Kurosaki acknowledged, tail twitching in irritation at the interruption. But he didn't attack any further even though it was clear that he wanted to.

Strange Hollow, Rukia gibbered mentally, starting to feel lightheaded due to the damage done to her torso. Even though the battle rush was still going strong, its numbing effect wasn't enough to hide the cringe-worthy sensation of the edges of her ribs grinding against one another with every breath. She was pretty sure she was only moments away from losing consciousness entirely. Which would be an even worse idea than trying to sit up. She did not want to lose consciousness with the Hollow this nearby. Weirdest Hollow ever.What kind of Hollow talks instead of continuing to attack? And what the hell does Urahara think he's doing, talking back?!

She saw Urahara give Kurosaki a knowing look before he turned towards her.

No, you moron! Don't turn your back-!

Something went poof right in her face. Her world went mercifully black.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Yasutora watched quietly while Urahara kneeled before the injured Shinigami, who had been watching the proceedings with wide eyes until the shopkeeper had popped some kind of device in her face, rendering her unconscious. Tucking the toy-like thing back in his pocket, Kisuke turned to the Hollow and his friends. Ichigo had just finished checking Tatsuki over and helping her back on her feet after her tumble. "That will keep her unconscious for now," Urahara told them, mainly focusing on Ichigo, whose anger still saturated the faint aura of reiatsu he radiated. "At least long enough to take her to the shop and get her wounds healed."

Ichigo nodded grudgingly. "What's your plan Hat'n Clogs? Why did you stop me from killing her when she was trying to hurt Tatsuki?" They could hear the enraged growl rumble just beneath the surface, a clear indication that Ichigo was having trouble reining in his protective anger.

Urahara's cool gray eyes glittered under the shadows of his hat, giving the five gathered friends a calm look. "Striking her down would only bring you trouble. You know that Kurosaki-kun. Or would, if you took the time to think instead of letting your affront rule your actions," Urahara gently rebuked. He waved his ever-present fan at the slightly scolded looking Ichigo. "I understand your plight, Kurosaki-kun, and do not criticize your actions. But if you will be so kind as to bring Kuchiki-san to my shop, I will explain everything there."

Ichigo grumbled, but then shifted his balance so he would have his hands free, his tail stretching behind him as he wavered on his feet. Yasutora knew that Ichigo almost never tried to walk on two legs, since his Hollow form was too animalistic for him to keep his balance easily. Ichigo placed the battered Shinigami on his back with quite a bit more care than Yasutora had expected after the damage his friend had doled out to the slender female, even going as far as to ensure she was at no risk of falling and her weight would not rest on her ribs. Only after he was sure the Shinigami's position was as secure as it was going to get, Ichigo dropped back on all fours.

Yasutora would freely admit to heaving a silent sigh of relief at seeing his friend move past his anger enough to not give in to the temptation to injure the Shinigami further. It was always a tossup whether his friend was in a forgiving mood or not. Even as a Human Ichigo had been able to hold a grudge like nobody's business when he wanted to. Fortunately, his friend had rarely decided that such a grudge was warranted. However, Yasutora hadn't been sure if Ichigo was still be that forgiving after becoming a Hollow, so it was nice to see that not much had changed in Ichigo's temperament.

Though the level of viciousness had definitely gone up. When Ichigo had been alive it had often been Yasutora who convinced his more violent friend to keep the level of serious damage to a minimum and let bygones be bygones. It hadn't always worked, but most of the time the worst their attackers got were sprains and deep-tissue contusions. The sounds of snapping bones when Ichigo had slammed the Shinigami against the ground had been loud enough to make Yasutora wince. As a Human Ichigo had never done worse than broken a limb, but this time he had definitely snapped a few ribs. Maybe even damaged the Shinigami's spine, given the large cracks in the paving stones beneath her.

Yasutora hadn't been the violent type since his beloved grandfather had convinced him to shackle his strength and ruthlessness back when he had been a boy, and had made him promise to never use his fists for himself. Ichigo had given him a reason to use them for good; first when he had been alive, and again when they had been reunited after his dear friend's death. But it was always eased his mind when it turned out he didn't need to use it for more than just a little roughing up. This level of damage… well, he didn't like it, even though he himself would have done just as much to protect his friend. The Shinigami lady had attacked first, so she had been fair game, no matter how his morals flinched at roughing up a girl only a tiny bit taller than Ichigo's sisters. She was a Death God. He knew she was a lot sturdier than she looked, which was proven when she had still been awake after Ichigo's retaliation. Still, that did not mean he was happy with how the situation had turned out.

"You received our message?" he inquired, scooping up the Shinigami's sword when he spotted it a few feet away. So that is where it ended up, he thought absently. He was a little impressed that Tatsuki hadn't hurt her foot when she had kicked it. A real katana was nothing to fool around with. The group set out towards the Shoten, Ichigo walking at the front with Inoue next to him to steady the Shinigami should she start to slip.

Amused grey eyes met his from their shelter of shadows. "Mm, I did," Urahara replied. "Though not until a little while ago. Unfortunately. I would have advised a different approach."

"Yeah?" Tatsuki replied. "What would you have had us do then?"

Urahara chuckled behind his trusty fan. "Ah, I know it is easy to overlook, but have you ever wondered where the Shinigami officers stay, when they're not patrolling?"

Five pairs of eyes zeroed in on him, some more intensely than others. "With you," Uryuu guessed, looking annoyed that he hadn't considered that before.

Urahara gave him a cheeky smile, half hidden by his fan. "Don't look so accusing, I made sure it would be completely safe for Kurosaki-kun to visit. The Shinigami assigned to Karakura makes use of a well warded set of rooms at the back of my shop, almost completely separate from the rest of the house. They receive strict instructions not to bother me without an appointment, and that if they want to speak with me on the fly they can come to the shop itself or ring a bell and hope I'll drop by."

The Quincy narrowed his eyes. "You would have set up a meeting."

"Or at least arranged a way to confront her more discreetly," the shopkeeper agreed. "It would have allowed us to avoid most of the unfortunate collateral damage of this night."

Yasutora recalled the few craters he'd made in various places of the road and sidewalk, and the holes Uryuu had added to a certain wall, and acknowledged with some regret that the blond did have a point. They could have planned that better. They'd probably see the traces of their fight back in the local morning news. Mysterious holes tended to do that.

"Luckily for you, I took care of the security cameras," Urahara continued musing idly. Given that this was Urahara, that remark was anything but idle.

They all flinched, and even Ichigo, who didn't have to worry about being recognized, twitched guiltily. Oh. Yeah. They really could have planned that better. Yasutora huffed ruefully. It was so easy to forget the mundane in favor of the supernatural, but given that they were alive, forgetting something as common as security cameras was a grave oversight on their part, especially since there were quite a few businesses located in close vicinity of the river which all employed technology to keep their wares safe.

Yasutora noticed the tightness in Uryuu's jaw and knew that the indirect rebuke had been a solid blow to the Quincy's pride. Uryuu took a great deal of stock in his ability to plan, so that oversight was something he would probably beat himself up over for a while. Tatsuki and Orihime displayed various flavors of deep, painful embarrassment, and Ichigo's tail curl around the Hollow's ankles in guilty shame. Yasutora was fully aware that he spoke for all of them when he addressed the eccentric shopkeeper with a very sincere, "Thank you, Urahara-san."

Urahara responded with a sly smile. "It was no trouble, Sado-kun."

Tatsuki was the first to compose herself. "What was it that you used to knock that woman out anyway?"

It was one of the most obvious attempts to change the topic Yasutora had ever heard. He suppressed a smile.

"Hmm?" the shopkeeper said innocently. "Oh, just a little trinket. It is usually used to make sure that Humans who accidentally fall victim to a Hollow and survive do not remember their encounter with the spiritual world."

"Really?" Uryuu blinked, surprised and just a bit suspicious. "Can't we use that 'trinket' of yours to make her forget Ichigo?"

Yasutora, Tatsuki, Orihime and Ichigo cast somewhat hopeful looks the Shinigami inventor's way. Especially Orihime seemed to prefer the idea, which was in no way a surprise.

Urahara, however, shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The kikanshinki uses reishi to influence the mind, but the stronger the soul the more reishi is needed. With spiritually powerful beings like yourself or Kuchiki-san here the effects simply do not stick because the spell will get overpowered by your own natural ability. It would be a very temporary solution at best. The fact that Kuchiki-san is unconscious proves that her soul is already working on driving the intruding energies out. When she wakes up she'll remember everything."

Tatsuki looked dubious, while Orihime looked disappointed. "And no one ever designed a more powerful version?" the martial artist asked.

"Of course not." Urahara waved his fan in a dismissive manner, but his words belied the flippancy of the gesture. "The kikanshinki is to keep Humans from bothering officers and to keep them from trying to solve 'disappearances' caused by Shinigami whenever they need to use a gigai somewhere during their mission. Imagine what would happen if someone could make Shinigami forget. It would only take one immoral person to corrupt the entire system of Seireitei. It is bad enough as it is."

"Bad, huh?" Tatsuki frowned, always curious about the afterlife whenever it came up. It rarely did and almost never in Urahara's vicinity, so it was not surprising she pounced on the absentminded remark. Every single one of them showed various levels of intrigue regarding the place that would be their home once their time in the living world came to an end, whether they wished it to be or not. Yasutora couldn't speak for the others, but he certainly wasn't as averse to the idea as Uryuu seemed to be, though he certainly wasn't eager either.

But no matter their questions, Yasutora thought it was quite clear that Urahara didn't want to speak about the place that should have been his home. Yasutora wondered what had caused the man to leave. From the way the shopkeeper kept his silence, it probably wasn't anything good.

Urahara shrugged. "Ishida-kun's people would have never suffered the losses they did if it wasn't," he deflected. It was exactly the kind of cryptic answer Yasutora had expected from the blond, and the others expressions told him they shared his opinion, if Ichigo's roll of his eyes was any indication. Uryuu snorted at the nonsensical answer, but didn't comment. Tatsuki took Urahara's hint for what it was and didn't push.

A few minutes later they arrived at Urahara's shop. They were greeted by Tsukabishi, Urahara's giant employee, who had been waiting for their arrival with his arms crossed and an air of immovable patience about him. Yasutora liked the man. Their temperaments were fairly similar, and from what Yasutora had seen, Tsukabishi's mellow calm was a good counter to Urahara's more impulsive and unpredictable behavior. The two made a good team, for the same reasons that Ichigo and Yasutora did. They balanced each other.

"Tessai!" Urahara hollered cheerfully, waving his fan. "I've got a job for you! Poor Kuchiki-chan had a bit of an accident and needs patching up!"

Tsukabishi took one look at the bloodied, shallowly breathing Shinigami, and sighed almost unnoticeably at the shopkeeper's antics with an air of longsuffering exasperation. Yasutora would have felt more sympathy for the man if he hadn't known that Tsukabishi was more than just a simple employee. From what he'd managed to discern, the large Shinigami had been one of Urahara's best friends for a very long time.

Still, Yasutora felt bad for the work the man had to do to 'patch Kuchiki up', as Urahara put it. Especially given how late it was already.

"I'll help you, Tsukabishi-san," Orihime offered, obviously sharing Yasutora's thoughts.

"That would be much appreciated, Inoue-san," Tsukabishi replied graciously. The man opened the door for them, making sure there would be enough room for Ichigo to enter.

"Let me take that burden off of you, Kurosaki-san," the man semi-ordered, already reaching for the injured Shinigami. Ichigo let him lift her off his back without complaint. He even looked a little relieved to have her gone. Yasutora reckoned it was a lot more difficult to keep an unconscious person on your back than Ichigo had made it appear, even with Orihime helping him.

Careful not to aggravate the Shinigami's injuries further, Tsukabishi swiftly carried his delicate cargo deep into the shop to one of the spare rooms near the back, Orihime hot on his heels. The rest of the group followed at a more sedate pace, moving towards the sitting room behind the business area of Urahara's establishment.

Urahara opened the sliding door and ushered everyone inside, smiling softly when Ichigo gave his leg an apologetic nudge for his earlier hostility when he passed. Giving one last searching glance over the buildings surrounding his shop through the windows, the blond slid the door closed.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Groaning in discomfort, Rukia shifted under the blanket she was settled under. Sitting up with a huff, she pushed a few stray strands out of her face. Still half asleep, she stared uncomprehending at the unfamiliar room she found herself in. Shaking her head to dispel some of the grogginess, Rukia pushed herself to her feet unsteadily, yawning and stretching, uncaring that she was supposed to be acting like a Kuchiki noble all the time. It was not as if there was anyone to see her behave like the Rukongai kid she used to be.

She scratched her head. Now, where was she, and how had she gotten here?

The previous night's events suddenly slammed into her brain, making her stumble at the force of them. She froze, before looking at the room with new eyes. Now she recognized the interior of the shopkeeper's store. Well, that was good news. Seemed that despite his odd behavior he had managed to get her away from the Hollow and his accomplices.

Gingerly and preparing for the worst, she felt for her broken ribs. Soft bandages circled around her chest and she felt only a mild ache. She was surprised. The shopkeeper was apparently more capable than he appeared. Or maybe his assistant was. Regardless of who was responsible, she was grateful to find herself healed.

Glancing around, Rukia frowned when she didn't spot Sode no Shirayuki. Most of her feelings of goodwill towards Urahara evaporated. What kind of Shinigami would take away another's Zanpakutou?

Then again, Urahara had already proven that he wasn't an ordinary Shinigami. What kind of Shinigami would have anything resembling a friendly conversation with a Hollow of all things? And why in the Worlds had he been so familiar with the Hollow? It had sounded as if they knew each other personally, but that would be absolutely insane. At least, that is what she would have thought before she had met the crazy shopkeeper. After last night she wasn't so sure. 'Insane' had been a fair description of what had happened.

And now that she was thinking about it, there was something wrong with this whole situation. First she had found out that a Hollow had been haunting this town for far longer than was acceptable. Then, when she went to ask for information, the shopkeeper hadn't been there. She had thought he was just slighting her because she was the Kuchiki Clan's Rukongai embarrassment, but she was starting to suspect that it had at least partially to do with the weird Hollow. Then there were the girls that the Hollow had kidnapped, and then last night had happened.

She swore, if Urahara had had any hand in this she would freeze his balls off. And maybe some other important bits as well.

She ignored the fact that she would first have to find Sode no Shirayuki for that.

Gritting her teeth, Rukia straightened her plain white yukata and threw on the purple, knee-length women's haori that she found neatly folded next to her bed. She wanted answers, and she wanted them damn well now. This time she wouldn't allow the shopkeeper to avoid her.

Without further ado she slammed open the door to the room and stomped down the hall, the main room in mind where she had been kept waiting fruitlessly the last time she'd been here. She could feel there was someone there that possessed reiatsu. And it'd better be that flaky shopkeeper. Coming upon the door, she yanked it open and froze.

Sitting around the large round table that was covered in breakfast food and drinks, were the four humans from last night, along with the Hollow sitting in the corner opposite of her. The two young girls she's seen earlier yesterday were sitting next to him, the brown-haired one actually in his lap and playing with his long orange hair while the black-haired one leaned on his leg with a yawn.

And Urahara was serving them tea, a wide, insufferable smile on his face as he tried to push a steaming cup into the Hollow's hand.

What. The. Hell?

Okay. Looked like insane was the new normal. One thing was clear: Urahara was definitely in league with the Hollow.

A Shinigami in league with a Hollow. What in the name of the Soul King was wrong with this man?!

And she had stayed under his roof. Gods, she had been in mortal peril every moment she had spent here! The moment she would have the chance she would report him to her Captain. This situation couldn't be allowed to continue. The entire town was in danger because of the shopkeeper's treacherousness.

In reaction to her anger-fueled entrance, all eyes had immediately focused on her. Rukia refused to be cowed by the unwelcoming stares, and resolutely ignored the heat that she could feel crawling up her neck in response to the shopkeeper's chidingly raised eyebrow.

Crossing her arms over her chest protectively, Rukia coolly returned the unfriendly looks of her previous attackers. Discreetly she scanned the room for other threats, but didn't find any new hostiles.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san!" Kisuke simpered as if her entry had been perfectly normal and polite, waving his white fan at her from over his own cup of tea. "Please sit and join us for breakfast!" Then in a much more serious tone that sent shivers down Rukia's back, he continued. "We have much to talk about."

Rukia nervously yanked her haori tighter around her petite frame, eyes flickering around the room mistrustfully. However, considering how vulnerable she was without her Zanpakutou, she could do nothing more than hope that Urahara had some measure of control over these Humans and the Hollow, and was at least well disposed enough towards her to offer her protection against the dangerous group.

Gathering her remaining dignity about herself and calling out her training as a Kuchiki, the raven-haired Shinigami sat calmly and gracefully at a space in the round table, looking about herself coolly and returning each stare given to her. The food before her was tempting, but her pride wouldn't allow her to show any kind of weakness in front of a room of potential threats. Sating her appetite would have to wait.

"First, let me introduce everyone," Urahara decided. He snapped his fan shut and poked it in Rukia's direction. Rukia glared at the rude gesture. "This here is Kuchiki Rukia, of the Great Noble Clan Kuchiki. This here-" he pointed at the bespectacled Human that had tried to pierce her saketsu and hakusui the night before, "-is Ishida Uryuu." Next the fan pointed at the Human hakuda specialist. "This is Arisawa Tatsuki, and the girl next to her is Inoue Orihime." The fan moved to the largest Human of the group, who responded with a quiet greeting. "This is Sado Yasutora, also known as Chad."

Urahara smiled as he gestured at the remaining three occupants. "And last but not least, from left to right, these are Kurosaki Yuzu, Ichigo, and Karin."

Rukia took care to memorize the Humans' names. Briefly she wondered why the two young girls had a name similar to the Hollow, but she was distracted when Urahara continued to talk.

"Well, now that Kuchiki-san has joined us, I can explain things," Urahara said cheerfully, fanning himself with his ever-present plain white, yet overly obnoxious fan.

Rukia scoffed, her anger making her forget her caution. "Oh, pray tell," she said snidely, "what in the Worlds makes you believe you can explain this? You are entertaining Humans and a Hollow at your table! Humans are not supposed to be involved in Shinigami business. Why have you not yet freed them from this Hollow's thrall? He's right here! Why haven't you slayed him yet? Have you truly forgotten your old oaths to the point that you would stay your hand against a monster?" Contempt colored her voice. "It seems Ukitake-taichou was wrong about you-"

A chilling look from shadowed eyes killed any other words she had intended to speak before they even left her throat. Kurosaki's low growl and the Humans' outraged outcries didn't help either. Urahara silenced them with a raised hand before he smiled at her, as innocuous as the exuberant idiot he pretended to be, but with the same shadow of lethal intent that Captain Unohana used to threaten any wayward patients into obedience. Captain Unohana's smile was scarier, but Urahara pulled it off well enough that Rukia felt cold sweat drip down her back.

"My, my," Urahara said softly, as if lost in thoughts, fan tapping against his lower lip. "Such a temper from one of such a noble Clan. It seems we need to correct a few faulty assumptions of yours, Kuchiki-san."

Rukia narrowed her eyes at the thinly veiled jibe. With great effort she kept her peace, even though she really wanted to slap the insane shopkeeper. How dare he speak as if she was in the wrong?

"Your first and most important misconception," Urahara continued blithely, "is that Kurosaki-kun is an ordinary Hollow. He is not. Unlike other Hollows, he has retained his Human mind and morals even after he took this form." Urahara gave her a hard look. "He is not, as you so pithily put it, a monster."

"He is a Hollow," Rukia replied, disgusted by the man's pitiful attempt to lie. "All Hollows are monsters!"

Urahara shook his head. "And that is where you are wrong, Kuchiki-san. Through circumstance, Hollows are generally violent and insane, even in the rare cases that they retain their Human memories. Kurosaki-kun is a truly exceptional individual with a strength of character that is simply amazing. He is an innately good person, whose loyalty to his family allowed him to avoid the madness other Hollows succumb to."

Rukia glared, anger fanned by the shopkeeper's ridiculous claim. "A good person? A Hollow?" She pointed at the increasingly displeased looking creature, too furious to care about her personal safety. "He feeds on souls, for gods' sake! How in the Worlds can something like that be 'a good person'?"

"So you believe," Urahara replied, unperturbed. "But the world isn't that black and white. Answer me this, Kuchiki-san," the shopkeeper said, gray eyes holding violet with a piercing challenge. "Who is a better person: someone who lived a peaceful life and never did anything wrong, or someone who had ample opportunity and more than enough reason to do evil, but who refused to even consider it?"

He paused, but Rukia refused to rise to the bait. Kurosaki was a Hollow. There was no way he wasn't guilty of evil.

Reading her defiance in her expression, Urahara sighed. "Let me explain it differently then, to appease your strict convictions."

Despite herself, Rukia felt an angry flush rise to her cheeks. She fought it down. She was used to people having a dig at her to make her bend to their wishes. She was perfectly capable of recognize that the shopkeeper was attempting the same. Did he think she was stupid?

Urahara blithely continued as if he hadn't just subtly insulted her. Rukia wanted to strangle him. "For Shinigami and Humans, the choice to cause harm is entirely theirs. But for Hollows, their very existence requires the suffering of others. Yet despite that, Ichigo has never harmed a Human soul. I dare say you are the first being with a Human appearance to suffer at his hand. And given what you planned to do to him and his, I must point out that his actions were entirely justified even by Human and Shinigami standards."

Rukia refused to back down. Put like that it did sound reasonable. But only if you assumed that he was indeed telling the truth. And she was not so foolish to assume that. "What proof do you have of your claim?" the Kuchiki demanded.

Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Beside the proof you can see before you?" the shopkeeper inquired mildly.

Rukia felt another involuntary blush crawl up her face. "If he can manipulate them into siding with him-"

"Let me assure you," Urahara interrupted, quite rudely in Rukia's opinion, "that Kurosaki-kun has absolutely no capabilities in that area. No matter how difficult it may be for you to believe, these people are here out of their own free will, driven by their concern for a friend whose only crime is being part of a group of souls of which almost every other individual can be rightfully called insane."

Rukia frowned, stubbornly refusing to believe. Clearly she wouldn't win the shopkeeper over anytime soon. And given the glares she was receiving from the other occupants of the room, it might be in her best interests to switch to a different topic. She knew her duty. She had to survive this ordeal to inform her Captain. For that, she would swallow her pride and allow Urahara the victory in this exchange.

She scoffed and looked away, directing a glare at the Hollow instead. Gods, the amount of trouble he was giving her! She dearly wished she could be rid of him right now. "What class level is he anyway?" she asked. Her Captain would want to know that once she informed him of the situation. "He is not an ordinary Hollow, now is he?"

Urahara smirked. Rukia was immediately on guard. That smirk contained far too much amusement to spell any good for her. "Oh, he's a Menos Grande, actually," he answered flippantly. "An Adjuchas, to be exact."

It was as if he had dunked her in ice water so cold it froze even the marrow in her bones. Rukia shivered and could only stare at the orange-haired Hollow. A… Menos Grande? One of the Great Hollows? And… wasn't Adjuchas the second class level?!

She swallowed thickly, feeling faint. "A… an Adjuchas?" …Oh my gods. What do I do? All Menos Grande are the jurisdiction of the elite. I can't even hope to beat one of the first level, and I've been facing off with one of the second?!

She had to tell her Captain. No matter what it cost her. This was way out of her league-

"Ah, it seems that you have realized the position you're in. Good!"

Slowly, she dragged her gaze to the shopkeeper, who was smiling with a truly inappropriate amount of glee.

His eyes were sharp as finely honed steel when he met hers. "Maybe now you'll believe me when I say that Kurosaki-kun isn't a mindless monster. He has no desire to kill anyone." He smiled, like sunshine on razor edges. "Do you really think you would have survived otherwise?"

Rukia had no choice but to believe him. She would have been dead if the Hollow had wanted her to be. It would have taken no effort on his part.

And… now she was thinking about it, a Hollow that powerful wouldn't have gone unnoticed unless it was really trying not to cause trouble.

Why? I don't get it! Hollows are supposed to be insane devourers of souls without exception! How can this Hollow be different?

Her eyes fell on the Humans. Urahara claimed them to be the Hollow's friends. Which was another ridiculous thing. Hollows didn't have friends.

… Maybe they will provide the answer.

All she knew was that right now, she really didn't want to meet those hostile golden eyes.

"You haven't told me the Humans' roles in all this yet," the Kuchiki remarked. She ignored Ishida's derisive scoff and the Arisawa's contemptuous snort, preferring to focus on the insane shopkeeper. She wasn't sure yet whether she believed Urahara's claim that Kurosaki did not have the ability to influence minds.

"They are his friends, Kuchiki-san," the shopkeeper replied, as if she was stupid for asking. "Even you must know about the faithfulness of friends."

Stopped cold, Rukia's memory flashed with her supposedly best friend's enthusiasm for her being accepted into the Kuchiki clan, before they suddenly drifted apart to different sides of the universe. Mentally shaking her head to rid herself of such heavy thoughts, Rukia scolded herself for being deterred and cast a frigid look at the still smirking blond. "Do not mock me, Urahara Kisuke."

"I haven't mocked you at all, Kuchiki-san. I am merely answering your questions," the green clad-shopkeeper replied cheerily, offering her a muffin when the Shinigami's stomach grumbled loudly in protest to her earlier decision to ignore the food displayed before her.

Embarrassed and reluctant, she accepted the pastry despite her reservations, munching on it as she tried to recover her equilibrium before she made a fool of herself. The revelation of the Hollow's class level had shaken her more than she was willing to admit. She took the opportunity to check on the other occupants of the room, who had remained exceptionally quiet so far, apparently content to let Urahara handle the bulk of the conversation.

Inoue was enjoying the large variety of breakfast foods, while Sado was sedately consuming a piece of toast. Both seemed to pay little attention to the conversation, though Rukia suspected they were following every word with care. In contrast, Ishida and Arisawa were following the conversation intensely, apparently having decided to wait until the conversation was done with before they continued to eat. Lastly, she glanced at the Hollow and the two little girls. Both girls were eating freely, but were keeping a sharp look on Rukia at the same time. The Kuchiki was perturbed that such young girls could look so at ease while sitting so close to such a monstrous being.

"Even those two?" she asked, raising a disbelieving brow at the blond as she gestured at the two girls. The Hollow let out a low, threatening rumble. Apparently he didn't like it that Rukia was paying attention to them. Well, tough luck.

Urahara smiled. "Hmm, no, they are a bit different. You see, they are his sisters. His Human sisters."

Rukia frowned. Surely he couldn't mean…"Are you claiming they are his sisters from when he was alive?" she asked incredulously. "That is preposterous! A Hollow's first victims are the people he was close to during his life!"

Urahara shrugged. "That is indeed what I claim. Like I explained before, Kurosaki-kun is an exception to everything you believe true about his kind."

Rukia narrowed her eyes. Everything? He had to be joking. "Then would you mind explaining how these Humans gained the abilities they used against me?" she inquired sharply.

The shopkeeper tilted his head, unfazed by her question. "Well, that is pretty simple. Sado-kun, Inoue-chan, and Arisawa-kun have all grown into their abilities," Urahara explained. "They were affected by Kurosaki-kun's abnormally high reiatsu. They have always possessed the potential to develop their powers, and thanks to Kurosaki-kun's influence they awakened them. I've helped them develop their techniques after that. At first only because they needed to learn control, and later because they insisted learning more so they could help Kurosaki-kun keep his sisters and this town safe."

"And him?" Rukia asked, casting a pointed look at the only teenager Urahara hadn't mentioned. Ishida glared at her, but she dismissed his ire as unimportant. Though she did keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't pull out that weird reishi bow of his in retaliation.

"Ah, him. Well, his story is a bit more complicated-"

Five minutes later Rukia had the solid beginnings of a headache. She had heard about the eradication of the Quincy in history class, but never any details, so to meet one… Well, now she could understand the group's blatant hostility. When two out of five were on the Shinigami's execution list it was no wonder that niceties ended up at the very bottom of the agenda.

"For those that need a bit more in-depth background information," Urahara explained, giving a nod towards Sado, Arisawa and Inoue, who had apparently never heard the full story and were looking increasingly confused and annoyed, "the core of the problem lies in the fact that the Quincy Arts destroy Hollows. Destroy. Not Purify. To be honest, I doubt the first Quincy truly realized the significance of their way of eliminating Hollows when they first developed their techniques. Without extensive knowledge about the migration of souls they simply couldn't know there was a difference between their way and the way of the Shinigami. And even if they realized they destroyed its soul, instead of purifying it… Boom. Hollow gone. It's a monster. What, something happens to its soul? Who cares?" Urahara said, waving a dismissive hand. "It is a hard world. You can't survive if you value the lives of strangers more than the lives of your own people."

Rukia's eyebrow ticked a little at Urahara's casual air when discussing the destruction of souls, but with great effort, she managed to hold her peace. Even though she wanted to throttle him for being so flippant about it.

Really, what kind of Shinigami is he?

"And for a long time, the Gotei 13 wasn't aware something was amiss either," Urahara continued, suddenly almost sad. Rukia was seriously starting to believe the man was bipolar. No one could be that cheerful and then that serious without whiplashing a few screws loose. "The Gotei 13 is a mere two-thousand years old – which isn't that old considering the generation time among the more influential Shinigami – and only after the first thousand years our techniques and technology became advanced enough to track Hollows in both Soul Society and the Living World. The technology to track souls followed about five centuries later. To discover the problem in the first place, both were needed. So by the time the Gotei 13 found out that the Quincy destroyed souls instead of sending them on, and that this endangered the balance of the Worlds because the souls were destroyed faster than new ones came into being, the Quincy had been active for many, many generations, and had already spread far and wide. They had large branches on every continent. When the Gotei 13 told the Quincy their techniques were wrong, the Arts were already well-established and heavily tied to their pride and traditions. And old, proud groups don't like being told their traditions are wrong."

The shopkeeper sighed. "By that time I can imagine they didn't even believe the Shinigami's claims about the danger they posed to the world. The Quincy came into being not too long after the Gotei 13 was founded. To be told that there is a problem after nearly fifteen centuries... Well, I wouldn't be willing to overhaul all my inventions either. The worst is, had the Shinigami had enough knowledge to know they had to interfere when the Quincy were still a small group, they probably could have easily convinced the Quincy to adapt their techniques. But it was too late, and by the time the Gotei 13 understood the threat, the Quincy were as big as the Gotei 13 itself. Bigger even, despite their shorter lifespans.

"And therein lies the tragedy," Urahara concluded. "Because the Quincy refused to change, Central 46 decided that for the wellbeing of the Worlds, the Quincy had to be exterminated. Later, when the Quincy had been reduced to a mere handful of families, some of the Quincy requested to be allowed to work alongside the Shinigami. No longer killing Hollows, but holding them off until the Shinigami could arrive. But Central 46 is as prideful as the Quincy ever were. They refused to revisit their judgment."

Urahara snapped his fan open and grinned, though the familiar expression lacked its usual cheer. "And that is the summary of chapter seven of the Shin'ou Academy Second Year History Book. With the addition of bits the author forgot to mention, formulated by yours truly.~ Ah, I did make such wonderful notes back then."

"… That's disgusting," Arisawa proclaimed, breaking her previous silence with revulsion thick in her voice. "Uryuu, if you ever need a hand kicking those Central guys asses, just ask. I'll gladly help." From the expressions of the others, the whole group was willing to back the Quincy up should he decide to seek out revenge.

Rukia didn't say anything. The Quincy extermination had only been mentioned briefly in history class as one of the many, many large scale operations the Gotei 13 had carried out for Central 46. To suddenly be forced to face the darker side of Shinigami history was very difficult. Urahara was right in calling it a tragedy.

No wonder their eyes are so cold. They know of one of the most terrible things the Shinigami have done.

And she, in all her ignorance and pride, had tried to slay their Hollow friend, for no other crime than for what he was. She hid a wince. Talk about raising the ghosts of past wrongs over the confrontation. Because Hollow or not, these Humans seemed to believe, down to their core, that this Hollow was a person whom they could trust.

Why? How could a Hollow ever be considered trustworthy? A Quincy should know that the only thing you can trust about them is that they hunger for souls!

Yet even Urahara seemed to trust the Hollow. And her own Captain had assured her that though Urahara was eccentric at best and might just unwittingly guide the Worlds into mortal peril with his scientific curiosity, the flaky shopkeeper was a true Shinigami, who would not hesitate to step in to fulfill the most important duties of the Shinigami should the one assigned to Karakura fail to do so.

So what did they see in the creature, that she could not?

Was he really that humane?

She tried to ignore ingrained instincts and looked very closely, as objectively as she could manage, disregarding the way the Hollow shifted warily beneath her gaze. She tried to discern the things that eluded her like evasive mist, but were clear as day to the others in the room.

Ignore appearance. Ignore what you know. Just look, and see…

It took some time, but then it was like a cobwebs being swept aside. What had been frightening when looked at through the haze, changed in an inexplicable but fundamental way once she put her prejudices aside. No longer did she see a monster with two potential victims in his lap. Instead she saw two little girls with someone they explicitly trusted.

Rukia took a shuddering breath and couldn't help but stare. It was somehow painfully familiar, reminiscent of the friends she'd lost in Rukongai. Like the countless others she'd envied since then. Once she disregarded Ichigo's appearance she could see the bonds binding him and his sisters as clear as if someone had drawn thick chains to link their hearts together.

Family.

An older sibling's tolerant amusement for his little sisters' antics, despite being on the receiving end of their mischief. The carefree joy of the young girls, knowing their brother would protect them, no matter what they put in his hair.

Pink flowers, she thought numbly. No one at home will believe this without pictures.

Her Nii-sama had never been that accepting. Never that warm. The Kuchiki Clan Head preferred to speak to her with a cold aloofness Rukia was sure was his own quiet version of disdain. Disdain for the adopted failure, who looked so much like his late wife that it must particularly rankle that she hadn't amounted to anything in all the decades she had been a Shinigami.

What did it say about Kuchiki Byakuya when a Hollow was a kinder brother than he?

Her heart ached. How could she rip apart what she herself so desperately wished for?

For a moment she hung her head in defeat. Then she looked back up, right into the knowing gaze of the shopkeeper. She would have scowled irritably, but honestly, she just couldn't find the energy. She had been wrong. She had been wrong the entire time, and it had taken her way too long to realize.

"No more questions, Kuchiki-san?" Urahara asked, and this time he wasn't mocking her. It was a genuine question.

Looking around the room slowly, Rukia saw each and every member of the room in a new light. Kurosaki Ichigo had somehow managed to find a way to protect his siblings, despite being dead, and it wasn't his fault that his friends had awakened their own powers as a consequence. She was curious how he had won the loyalty of the Quincy, but she did not think they would be willing to explain something so personal so soon.

Heaving a slow and heavy sigh, Rukia placed her half eaten muffin on the tabletop. "Just two. How did this happen? And where are all your families?" Silence instantly met her final question.

Urahara remained quiet, apparently content to let the others do the talking now. Rukia turned to the others.

Finally, Kurosaki Ichigo spoke. "I died," he started. "About two years ago. Car accident. Our parents had already died in a previous accident, and I couldn't leave Yuzu and Karin to fend for themselves. I would be damned if I left my sisters alone to that. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but next thing I know, I was like this. It may not be ideal, but this is my life now and I've stuck by it, and I will really die and stay dead before I let anything separate us."

Rukia hid her wince at the venomous warning in those last words. Not that she could blame him...

"My parents moved to America after I entered high school. They send money occasionally and I live with Orihime," Arisawa said, following Kurosaki's lead, eyes hard as she met Rukia's without fear. "Ichigo and I have been friends since we were kids. I was there when he died. When I finally met him again it was mainly by accident, but since then I've stuck with him. I don't care what he is. He's my friend, and if you dare try to hurt Ichigo again I swear you won't live long enough to regret it."

And she meant it, Rukia saw. Oh, yes, she'd really screwed up with this group. Well, if nothing else, she could respect the Human's loyalty and dedication. She gave an acquiescent nod to the Human girl, accepting the warning.

"Tatsuki-chan, that's not nice," Inoue scolded her friend, before addressing the Kuchiki. "My parents separated when I was very young. My parents... weren't good parents. My older brother took me away and took care of me as soon as he could. He died a couple years ago in a car accident," Orihime told her, smiling brightly at the raven-haired woman as if recounting her misfortune didn't impact her at all. "Tatsuki-chan takes care of me now. I met Kurosaki-kun because of her." The girl grinned. "I think we've got really bad luck with cars."

Rukia blinked at the odd remark, but had to admit she could see what the girl meant. Kurosaki's parents, Kurosaki himself, and now her brother, all dead in car accidents. She had seen the way the Human traffic worked, and though the cars moved fast, she hadn't thought they were that dangerous. But apparently they were.

"My parents died when I was young." Sado's deep, timber voice swelled around the room, bringing a sense of warmth with it. "After their deaths I was raised by my abuelo, my grandfather, to use my strength to protect. He lived in Mexico. After he passed away as well I moved back to Japan. I became friends with Ichigo back when he was still alive. He helped me out of a bad situation."

Ishida sniffed superiorly and pushed up his glasses so the reflection of light hid his eyes. "I don't see why I have to tell you anything, but considering all I have is my no-good father I suppose saying so will do no harm. And Ichigo is my cousin." He didn't say anything else, but his message was clear enough to Rukia.

Rukia nodded, blinking rapidly to keep her emotions contained. They're all linked together by their own tragedies... How have they all survived... No... Of course they've survived through these years. They've done it together. Who the hell am I to try and come here to take that away from them? Chuckling mirthlessly, Rukia knew she should be ashamed of her previous actions.

Never let it be said she was too proud to admit she'd made mistakes though. Her Nii-sama had taught her better than that. If she did not correct her mistakes as soon as she could it would only lead to more problems later on. Given how dangerous this group was, she really didn't need more problems.

"Well," she said, addressing the whole group. "It seems I owe you an apology. I did not know something like this was possible." Rukia forced herself to meet Kurosaki's unsettling gold-and-black eyes. She would not be a coward with this. "Please allow me to express my deepest regrets. I did not realize you were so different from your brethren."

"They're not my brethren,"the Hollow corrected. Rukia was relieved to see he looked more thoughtful than insulted. "Just don't try to come after me or mine again."

Rukia nodded acquiescently, glad the Hollow didn't seem to be holding a grudge. She really didn't need the Adjuchas mad at her.

"Does that mean you'll leave Ichi-nii-chan alone?" the brown-haired Kurosaki, Yuzu, inquired hopefully.

Rukia took a breath and smiled at the young girl. "Yes, it does. I promise that I will never hurt your brother, or any one of your friends, ever again." Yuzu gave her a bright, beaming smile, and as the rest of the group heaved relieved sighs, Rukia knew she would keep this promise.

… Now here's to hoping that Ukitake-taichou will never find out.

Chapter Text

Yuzu was humming when they came home. "You know, I kinda like her," she stated cheerfully as she stepped into the house.

Karin scowled. "She tried to kill Ichi-nii."

Yuzu nodded, smile turning woeful. "I know, but she said sorry, and she really wasn't that bad once Urahara-san talked her around."

Karin rolled her eyes as she followed her sister. "Saying sorry is easy. Doesn't mean she meant it."

The black-haired twin paused when she realized Ichigo wasn't following her inside. She stepped back out, wondering where he had gone.

"Up here," Ichigo called from above. Karin looked up, finding her brother squatted down on the roof like a particularly colorful gargoyle. "Go on ahead, I'm going to spend some time here."

Karin blinked, but obediently went inside after shooting him a look that told him he'd better be there for dinner, or else. Ichigo chuckled, but his amusement was short-lived. He sighed, the Shinigami's accusations heavy on his mind.

"All Hollows are monsters!"

"He feeds on souls, for gods' sake! How in the Worlds can something like that be 'a good person'?"

And wasn't that the truth? Even though he only ate other Hollows, hadn't they once been Human souls themselves? Didn't they still contain the souls of the Human's they'd devoured? Ichigo wasn't killing Humans directly, no, but he was still profiting from their suffering. Didn't that make him just as much of a monster as the beasts he hunted?

It did. His reasons may seem noble, but in the end they were based on pure selfishness.

He didn't want to lose his family. He didn't want to say goodbye to his friends. He didn't want to abandon the Living World for a world he didn't know just because people believed he wassupposed to.

He didn't want to give up what he had, even if it might be better for the ones he loved that he left. He had already changed their lives so much that they had one foot in the world of the dead, just to keep him company. Surely they would have been happier if they had remained ignorant of that cruel aspect of the world a while longer. Surely Karin and Yuzu would have been happier had they been taken in by a normal family, instead of remaining with a dead brother whose appearance was only fit for nightmares. Surely they would have been better off if he had passed on.

Whispers reached him, seeming to come from all around him. But covering his ears wouldn't shut them out. He knew that. The voices of the Hollows he had devoured were never blocked out so easily. They slowly lost their individuality and faded as time passed, but with every meal new ones were added to the crowd in his head. His mind was never quiet.

:Precious Yuzu and Karin,: they crooned. :You died for them. Gave your life for them. Of course you deserve to keep them.:

:Good guy, Chad,: one whispered. :If you hadn't saved him from that gang he might've died. Surely you deserve some compensation? It would be the least he could do.:

:Bold Tatsuki and sweet Orihime,: another sneered, spite coloring it's voice. :There were there, and they didn't even save you. If only they had acted quicker this wouldn't have been necessary. If they had paid attention to you instead of your little sisters you wouldn't have become a monster.:

:Uryuu, your cousin,: an almost feminine voice said sweetly. :So lonely in his big house. His father doesn't even want him. He won't mind if you make him stay with you forever.:

:Don't let them go. They belong to you,: a small group goaded, kindling his darkest desires. :They owe you, they miss you, they want to be at your side. You know they'd quite gladly give themselves over to you after all you've already done for them.:

:They trust you so much; it would be so easy just to make them stay with you forever. For ever and ever, so they will never be able to leave like your parents did-:

Ichigo snarled, fed up with the lies and toxic promises. He shook his head savagely and reached up to press the tips of his claws harshly against his mask. A little harder and it would break. It hurt, like dull daggers digging into his forehead, just shy of breaking skin, but the warning was clear.

Back off, or I'll take you all with me in death.

The Hollows in his head screeched in fear and anger, panicked at the sheer insanity of his threat. But they were held captive within his soul. They could feel his ruthless determination, as clear as Ichigo himself felt the tiles of the roof beneath his hands and feet. As clear as the sharp edge of a knife, pressed against their throats. No matter how absurd it was to them, it was no empty threat.

The Hollows retreated, snarling and spitting insults, their voices gradually fading into the depths of his mind until they were back to being the low, constant murmurs Ichigo had long ago learned to ignore.

Ichigo sighed tiredly, rubbing the sore spots on his mask. He hadn't damaged it, but the places where he claws had been pressed against throbbed like fresh bruises. It was odd, how something that seemed to be nothing but senseless bone could hurt, but Ichigo had gotten used to his Hollow form long ago. The mask was the most important part of him, so it wasn't as if he couldn't somewhat understand why it made an odd sort of sense that it was as sensitive as it was.

He tilted his head back, looking up to the sky. Aah, he'd really let himself go, now hadn't he? He knew that dwelling on his situation too long would be considered an invitation by the Hollows inside him, but the Shinigami's accusations had left him in a dejected mood. Resolutely, he shook it off.

He really had to figure out what to do with her. She had sworn not to tell anything about them to Soul Society after she had finished asking all her questions but Ichigo was still wary. The memory of their dispute was too fresh to just dismiss.

Shifting his weight into a more comfortable crouch, Ichigo's tail swung lazily off the edge of the roof, flicking occasionally much like a cat's would. A gust of wind pulled at the stands of his hair, making them flutter and dance. Brushing his wild mane out of his eyes, Ichigo started contemplating ways to put Kuchiki Rukia's word to the test.

He was startled out of his reverie by Yuzu's voice."Ichi-nii-chan! Onii-chan, where are you? Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, so please come inside!" his little sister called through the kitchen window.

"Coming," he called back, abandoning his musings for now. He hadn't come up with more than that he needed to keep a really close eye on her in case she tried to send a message to Soul Society. Oh well. He would come up with something better soon. Maybe the others would help. Jumping from the roof into the back yard to land with practiced ease in front of his little sister. She gave an exaggerated yelp of surprise.

"Onii-chan!" Yuzu laughed. "Don't startle me like that!"

"Sorry, sorry," he said playfully. "Didn't know you were such a scaredy-cat."

"Careful, Ichi-nii-chan," she said sternly, waving her wooden spoon threateningly. "Or you won't get dessert." The threat was ruined by the smile pulling at her lips.

Ichigo gasped and whined pitifully, letting himself flop onto the ground as if she had struck a mortal blow. "That would be too cruel," he complained.

Yuzu couldn't hold it anymore and burst out in giggles. It was a sound that never failed to make Ichigo smile.

This is what I'm living for, he thought. This is what I'll never be able to give up. I don't care what Shinigami think, as long as I can still make them laugh.

Bad mood lifted, Ichigo phased through the wall. It was better not to open the door without one of the twins there. The neighbors might get weird ideas if they saw doors opening on their own.

"Oh! Onii-chan, can you put this on the altar please?" Yuzu asked, handing him a small bowl with rice and pickled vegetables. A pair of chopsticks was stuck into it, standing upright like sotoba for a grave.

Ichigo accepted it carefully. "Sure."

Walking on all fours with one hand occupied wasn't easy, but Ichigo had gotten used to it a long time ago. He was still too large to stand upright indoors, not to mention that the shape of his body was ill-suited for walking on two legs anyway. He had learned to adapt without looking back.

Ichigo turned towards the small shrine in the corner of the living room. It held three picture frames, but Ichigo only paid attention to two. "Hey mom, dad," he greeted quietly as he carefully placed the bowl on the designated spot. The Kurosaki family had never been religious, but the siblings liked the idea of sharing their meals with their parents like this. If they had lingered like spirits like Ichigo had, then they probably would have been here right at this moment, sharing it in truth. As it was, the siblings could only hope that their parents had passed on properly, and had not been eaten by a passing Hollow.

I wonder what you would think of this, mom, dad, Ichigo thought sadly. I wonder if you would've approved of what we did.

From what he remembered of his parents they probably would have scolded them for attacking someone and causing property damage. But surely mom and dad would have understood why they had done it? They had always encouraged him to defend himself.

He could only pray they wouldn't have minded him defending himself this way. He had been pretty brutal with Kuchiki after all.

"I miss you,"he told his absent parents. "And Yuzu and Karin do too."

With a sigh he turned away from the pictures, joining his sisters at the dinner table.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia couldn't help but sigh in relief. Fully healed after two days of resting and having her patched-up shihakushou returned, Rukia was glad she could finally get out of that tiny shop. She took a moment to relish in the brisk morning air, before she set out to do her duty. While the shopkeeper and his employees had left her mostly alone, she hadn't been at ease with remaining under their roof while weakened. She had promised she wouldn't harm the eldest Kurosaki, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with sharing living space with people who were on the Hollow's side.

I still can't believe it, she thought to herself as she used shunpo to leap across the rooftops. A Shinigami in league with a Hollow. And not just any Hollow, but an Adjuchas. Only one tier below the greatest Hollows of all. The mere idea that such a creature inhabits this town makes my skin crawl.

The decision to keep an eye on the creature was axiomatic. Her duty as a Shinigami demanded that she did a proper threat assessment. Not that she thought Urahara had deceived her when he convinced her that Kurosaki wasn't a threat, and she would not be able to win from Kurosaki should he choose to forgo his humanity anyway, but in case Urahara had misjudged the situation she could at least warn the right people. She didn't know how Kurosaki had retained his sanity, but she wasn't just going to assume the status quo would last forever.

However, if it did last, then this remarkable group had the potential to become great allies. For her, and for Soul Society as well, if her superiors would allow them the chance. She manfully ignored her own unbridled curiosity, which was constantly nudging her to check up on the Humans of group even when they were not doing anything unusual for Humans. She was determined to handle this case professionally.

So instead of spying on the remarkable Humans going to school, she spied on the remarkable Hollow. She was in luck and managed to catch up to him and his sisters when they passed through the area where she had first encountered the three of them together. She followed them as quietly and as stealthily as she could. To no avail. She was pretty sure she caught a glimpse of golden eyes looking straight at her the moment she landed on the roof were they had fought before, but she couldn't be certain.

Tracking a Hollow that powerful, knowing that he was likely perfectly aware she was doing so and she would never be able to find him back until he wanted to if he slipped out of her sight, was nerve wracking. She firmly told her anxiety to take a hike, because she wasn't doing anything she had promised not to do. So far she wasn't having much luck convincing herself. So to reassure herself, she carefully hid on roofs of high buildings, where she would be more difficult to see from the Hollow's low vantage point. She was still highly strung as she watched the Hollow drop his sisters off at their school before he disappeared through a garganta.

Despite herself, she let out a relieved breath. With Kurosaki back in Hueco Mundo she was no longer obligated to follow him. She stood up and stretched a little, for the first time that morning finally noticing the fine weather. Maybe she could now study the Humans a bit better. She was curious what their education was about-

"What do you think you're doing?"

Rukia very nearly jumped out of her skin; with a shriek of surprise she toppled over the edge of the roof. Fortunately, something thick, nimble, and strong wrapped around her wrist before she could fall very far. Looking up she came face to face with Kurosaki's distinctive red and white mask, golden eyes glowing with guarded amusement as he peered over the ledge she had previously occupied. She scowled at him, knowing her cheeks were stained red with embarrassment, but she didn't protest when he lifted her back onto the roof. Much to her relief, he unwound his tail from her wrist the moment she got her feet back under her. After a moment of thought she decided against drawing her Zanpakutou, no matter how much she desired to beat him around the head with it right now. She already knew she was likely to lose if she resorted to violence.

Rubbing the red marks his tight grip had left on her skin, Rukia stated icily, "That was uncalled for."

Kurosaki snorted and shrugged. "Not my fault you are easily startled."

"You can't blame me for being surprised when you don't have any reiatsu to warn me you're coming," she shot back defensively.

She was sure Kurosaki was smirking beneath his mask when he replied, "Maybe your senses just suck."

"My senses are excellent, thank you very much," the Kuchiki huffed, exasperated amusement slowly starting to replace the worst of her wariness. She was having a civil argument with a Hollow. Alone. The world had officially gone round the bend and had taken her with it. "You're the one who is faulty. You're invisible!"

He managed to give her a deadpan look despite his mask. "I'm not."

"You are. And you cheated by using a garganta. I thought you went to Hueco Mundo!"

"Garganta aren't cheating. You can sense them coming if you pay attention. And I was planning to go, but then you went and stalked us. So now I'm keeping an eye on you, to make sure you won't bother my sisters or friends."

Rukia made a face, unsurprised by Kurosaki's mistrust but annoyed at being placed under his supervision. It should be him on parole, not her! Then again, it did make it a lot easier for her to keep an eye on him in return. "Alright," she accepted reluctantly. "But you better stay within my line of sight. I don't want you creeping up on me anymore."

Kurosaki huffed. "Then be more alert. I'm not going to go out of my way to appease you just because you're-"

Rukia never found out what she was according to the Hollow, because at that moment he cut himself off and suddenly raised his head as if smelling the air, startling her greatly. A heartbeat later her denreishinki started beeping, and a spot in the air rippled and parted a few blocks away, revealing the telltale darkness of a garganta. With a snarl and a few fast leaps, Kurosaki was beside it the moment a Hollow stuck his head out. In a flash Kurosaki had it by the scruff of its neck, making the lower level Hollow squeal. With an openhanded thrust that looked far more routine than Rukia was comfortable with, the Adjuchas slammed his claws into the new Hollow's head, killing it instantly.

Stunned, Rukia watched with a good deal of morbid fascination as Kurosaki clamped his teeth around the neck of the dead Hollow. Was he going to feed on it? After a second the corpse dissolved with a disturbing slurping sound and disappeared in Kurosaki's maw like an extremely weird and disfigured noodle.

"What?" Kurosaki challenged when he caught her staring after he was done. "I need to eat something."

"… I… suppose so…" Rukia said weakly. Kami, she had not expected that. One thing to know that he fed on other Hollows. Quite another to actually see it. And he had killed it so swiftly too. Kurosaki was scarily efficient, she admitted silently to herself. She hadn't even had time to draw her blade! She had no illusions that it could just as easily be her in the dead Hollow's place if Kurosaki decided she was too much trouble alive.

So maybe I should prove myself useful, she thought to herself as her denreishinki went off a second time. And Kurosaki highly values his sisters' safety.

Decision made, she raced towards the spot where the next Hollow would appear. Kurosaki easily kept up with her, watching her warily. Seemed he meant it when he said he would keep an eye on her. Rukia did her best to ignore him. One turn, another, there!

Drawing her blade she charged the Hollow. It was a low level one, and hardly a challenge. A rush of shunpo and a quick slash through the mask later, the Hollow was dead. Kurosaki was eyeing the corpse contemplatively. Rukia quickly turned away before the Adjuchas decided he wanted to eat that one too.

"You know, if you want to keep me in your line of sight then you shouldn't turn your back on me."

Rukia stiffened, but was determined not to show how badly he had startled her this time. "Don't sneak up on me!"

"I didn't sneak. You're just oblivious."

Rukia's retort died in her throat when she spotted the corpse of the Hollow she'd just killed. "… You didn't eat it."

Kurosaki shrugged. "No need. One as weak as that one won't do much for me anyway, especially after you slashed it with your Zanpakutou."

Rukia blinked. "A strike with a Zanpakutou reduces the… nutritious value?" she asked, mentally cringing as she said it.

Kurosaki let out an amused snort at her wording. "Yeah. Urahara figured that out. It's not really surprising when you think about it. You're purifying the souls after all, so most escape even if I do eat the corpse afterwards."

"… You don't care about that?"

Rukia suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a sharp, assessing stare. She tried not to make her shiver of unease too visible.

"Contrary to your beliefs," Kurosaki said slowly, his tone measured and edged with a hint of warning. "I do not enjoy eating souls. I only eat them because I need to. At least by targeting Hollows and only Hollows, my hunger is put to the best use possible. They're corrupted already, so being eaten again will hardly matter to them."

Rukia said nothing. There was not a thing she could think of that wasn't likely to get interpreted the wrong way. Kurosaki stared at her for a few moments longer, before he seemed to accept her silence as agreement.

Her denreishinki beeped. Without a word both Shinigami and Hollow turned to intercept the intruder. For now the uneasy truce held.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Somehow, somewhere along the way the Hollow slaying had turned into a competition. Ichigo had no idea how, but for some reason he found himself racing the Shinigami to reach a next Hollow first. His own kills he always ate – with some minor goading in the direction of Kuchiki's back – along with a fair few of the Shinigami's kills. Kuchiki's suspicious behavior had kept him from going to Hueco Mundo to hunt, and now he was starting to feel the consequences. The small fry they encountered weren't enough to still the hunger stirring in his gut.

Ichigo ignored his body's needs with the ease of experience. He had suffered far worse back when he hadn't learned yet what would fill his stomach and what wouldn't. The few pangs of hunger were hardly a challenge. After Urahara's experiments, he hardly ever noticed them even. The shopkeeper had been sadistically throughout when he tested Ichigo's limits.

During one of the calm moments between Hollow appearances Kuchiki asked the question that had been on Ichigo's mind as well. "Why are there so many?" she grouched. "Are things usually this bad?"

Ichigo tilted his head. "Usually it's a lot quieter, especially during day time. Though my friends agreed yesterday was pretty hectic. The Hollows might have been drawn by our fight. An attentive Hollow would have been able to sense that it was a fight between its enemies. Or Urahara-san could be working on an experiment again," he speculated.

The Shinigami stared at him, aghast. "Urahara-san attracts Hollows for his experiments? But that endangers the entire town!"

"Ah, no, that's not how it is," Ichigo corrected. "Urahara-san and his employees help keep the number of Hollows in check. But if Urahara-san is working on an experiment they might have taken a few days off for that."

"Oh." Kuchiki frowned. "But really, this is a ridiculous number of Hollows."

Ichigo nodded. He was concerned as well. He wasn't too worried about his friends, they were strong enough to defend themselves as long as they stayed in groups of two, but his sisters were in grave danger with this many interlopers. If this kept up then he would have to ask Urahara if Yuzu and Karin could sleep at his place while he went to hunt in Hueco Mundo.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

The number of Hollows decreased only minimally over the next days. On the positive side, their shared goal to keep Karakura safe had built a tentative camaraderie between Shinigami and Adjuchas. Their squabbling had turned into teasing, and Rukia was no longer easily startled whenever Kurosaki sneaked up on her. It helped that, eating habits aside, Kurosaki behaved more like fellow Shinigami than a Hollow. He despised other Hollows and hunted them as fanatically as she did.

Rukia had also discovered that he abhorred anything that threatened his sisters. She had personally seen him terrify a group of callous teenagers into leaving his sisters alone by roughly pushing them into the bushes along the sidewalk. It hadn't given the bullies worse than scrapes and bruises, but it had effectively made them flee when they realized they couldn't see, hear, or touch the one who pushed them. While the method certainly wasn't kind, it was a far more gentle solution than she had expected from the menacing Hollow. Especially because Rukia herself had been tempted to give those nasty kids a few good whacks around the head after listening to the comments they'd made about the twins having no family.

On the negative side, the unnatural number of Hollows really was becoming alarming. Especially because while the number of them went down a little, their average power level went up. One of them had even been a Hollow that had eluded Shinigami for more than fifty years and was notorious for having killed several Shinigami and preying on Humans with high spiritual power. There had even been speculation among the Shinigami that Grand Fisher had already been an Adjuchas. Despite having met the creature, Rukia couldn't confirm or deny those suspicions. It didn't matter anymore anyway. Grand Fisher had enjoyed playing around with his prey and had underestimated her companion simply because his lack of reiatsu signature. Kurosaki had been unusually violent when killing that one before he ate it. Apparently it had once attempted to eat Yuzu and Karin before the oldest Kurosaki sibling had chased it away. His evolution into Adjuchas had rendered him unrecognizable to the cruel Hollow, which made killing it easier. Rukia hadn't bothered to try and stop him from butchering the malevolent creature. Instead she had gone ahead and hunted down the next interloper.

They had already asked Urahara whether he knew something about the odd phenomenon, but he hadn't been able to identify the cause either. The whimsical shopkeeper hadn't looked happy when he admitted that. They could relate. The lack of information was irritating to say the least.

Standing over the corpse of the latest intruder, Rukia heaved an aggravated sigh. She had taken some of her frustration out on the low level Hollow, but it hadn't really been satisfying.

She twitched as her denreishinki started beeping again a heartbeat later. Yanking it out of her pocket she yelled at it. "Why won't you stay quiet?!" It didn't stop the beeping, but it was somewhat cathartic to yell at something that wouldn't retaliate.

"Oi, Kuchiki-!"

Out of nowhere massive reiatsu slammed into her, feeling like biting acid upon her skin. At the same time she was yanked away by large, clawed hands.

Shaking from the sudden rush of adrenaline, she could only stare at the sizable crater that had appeared where she had been only a moment ago. In the middle stood a insectoid Hollow with thin, spindly limbs, who radiated enough toxic energy to make breathing difficult. It snarled, high pitched and grating, flinging itself forward almost faster than she could follow. Kurosaki reacted just in time, one arm pressing Rukia tight against his chest while using his own speed to escape the long, grasping fingers of the other Hollow. He rolled and Rukia automatically made herself as small as possible to give him the most maneuverability she could. She heard Kurosaki grunt and a sickening, tearing sound. She hoped the latter didn't come from Kurosaki.

Suddenly, she was unceremoniously dropped onto the ground, boxed in by Kurosaki's large limbs as he crouched over her. A feral, vicious growl rumbled from the broad chest mere inches from her face. She felt her bones and the ground beneath her vibrate from the strength of it. For a moment she could only blink, confused, as she digested the events of the last minute. Kurosaki… had saved her. And was now snarling down another Hollow that had apparently been going after her. Even after getting used to Kurosaki the last couple of days, that was a tough surprise to take in.

And… she didn't have time to waste on it.

Regaining her equilibrium with considerable effort, she rolled over so she could face their attacker. She was shocked to see the somewhat human shaped Hollow clacking its mandible-like jaws at her, spindly bloody fingers twitching from stick thin arms. Kurosaki was an Adjuchas, another Hollow shouldn't have been able to injure him bad enough to draw that much blood!

She froze. Unless… scared of what she might find, she gauged the intensity of the new Hollow's reiatsu. Another Adjuchas… she concluded with horror. Did something like this happen with his friends and sisters as well? Rukia wondered, looking up at her protector with worry. No wonder he had been so swift with attacking me with extensive force. If they've been threatened this badly before…

Kurosaki didn't spare her a glance. His attention was fully focused on the other Hollow. The unknown Adjuchas had paused, staring at them with what might be puzzlement. Kurosaki rumbled another warning. "There's no prey for you here," he spat threateningly, his long orange mane bristling with hostility. "Go back to Hueco Mundo."

The other Adjuchas hissed loudly, inching closer as it weaved its large head from side to side to keep its eyes trained Rukia despite Kurosaki's bulk blocking its view. Its mask was crowned with two antennae-like horns that aggressively pointed forward and its fingers clenched restlessly at the thin air as if wishing it had a body between them to mangle and tear. "Yoouuuu… Why'd yoouu proootect the Sshhhiiinigami?"it demanded menacingly. The slurred, long drawn out words and hisses reminded Rukia more of a snake than the insect it looked like. "Yooouu'd betraaay your brethren? Fooor a mangy Sssshhhhiiinigami?"

Kurosaki snapped at it when it came within his range, making it jump back. "I'm not one of you! So leave before I kill you, bug-face!" he snarled. From this close Rukia could feel how every muscle in his body was tense like a coiled spring, ready to snap into action to tear his opponent apart. But he wasn't attacking. Yet.

"Buuug-faace?! Buuug-faace?! How daaare yoouu!" the Adjuchas shrieked affronted, green-hued reiatsu coalescing around its skeletal body, bright, sickly green eyes glaring hatefully at Kurosaki from behind its white, insect-like mask. "I will devour both your ssssouls and be one step clooosser to becoming a Vasssste Lordeee!" it declared and aimed with its hand at them, the wickedly pointed digits crooked like claws as a deep green Cero formed in its palm.

Rukia caught a glimpse of the green energy shooting like a beam of light towards them before Kurosaki picked her up as if she weighted nothing. A rush of sonido later and they were on the other side of one of the buildings in a small, deserted car park. He quickly herded her into the shelter of a small thicket that sat on the edge of the car park to liven up the place. She didn't have time to protest before he shoved her between two dense bushes, making it probably impossible for an outside observer to see her from a distance, but at the same time getting a lot of dead leaves and little twigs into her hair.

"Stay here. Don't you dare come out, he's too powerful for you," Kurosaki commanded.

For a moment anger tried to take hold of her. A Hollow, commanding a Shinigami? The knee-jerk reaction to that was scorn. But she had gotten to know Kurosaki, and was aware that he was dead serious. She quickly stomped on her irrational anger until it returned to where it came from. It wasn't as if what Kurosaki said wasn't true. She nodded in conformation.

The orange-haired Adjuchas gave her a last, considering look before he rushed away to confront the Hollow that had just appeared on the other end of the small expanse of asphalt. It looked very annoyed with Kurosaki's relocation. Their clash was loud and accompanied by harsh snarls and shrieks, most of which lacked Kurosaki's deeper timbre. Rukia scooted to the edge of her hiding place, peeking out of the foliage just in time to see Kurosaki knock clawed fingers aiming for his heart aside. Silent and deadly focused, Kurosaki returned the blow, claws spread to rend and tear as he aimed for the invading Adjuchas' mask. She winched a little when the loud thud echoed between the buildings and the invading Hollow shrieked more ear-splittingly loud than ever. Unfortunately, it managed to throw itself back, which robbed the impact of Kurosaki's blow of most of its strength. A few scratches aside, its mask was undamaged.

Rukia hastily stifled a cry of concern when the bony, spindly Hollow kicked out with one spurred foot and caught her ally right on his shoulder, managing to dig between the armor plates with its clawed heel. The blow was followed by a spray of blood. To her surprise, the dark liquid was immediately followed by a hiss like escaping steam and wisps of white smoke. When Kurosaki retaliated she could see no sign of the wound.

He didn't heal that fast before!

A distant, quickly forgotten thought that flashed through the back of her head. She ignored it, eyes riveted on the fight before her. If the situation had been different she might have considered it poetic. One Hollow hungry for souls and power, only fighting for its own greedy desires. The other still bound by his humanity, fighting so his friends and family could be safe.

Instead she could only stare in muted horror as they lunged at each other, fast as striking cobras, colliding with the cringe-worthy sounds of claws ripping through flesh and grating against bone. Mandibles clacked loudly as the interloper snapped at Kurosaki's mask. Kurosaki's right hand wrapped around one horn of the other Hollow's head in response and yanked it away to keep those jaws from closing around the most vital part of his anatomy. Simultaneously, Kurosaki charged a cero in the palm of his free hand, the light an eerie red glow that spilled like fresh blood through his fingers.

Rukia clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp when the insect Hollow shoved a thin hand through Kurosaki's bicep to make the ball of energy go awry when Kurosaki fired it. Kurosaki's resulting snarl of pain made the Shinigami cringe. It was torturous to sit and hide like a coward while someone she had tentatively started to appreciate as a semi-trustworthy ally fought and bled. The fact that the hole in her ally's arm closed swiftly with another rush of white didn't help the agony of being unable to offer her ally aid.

But she didn't have a choice, blast it all. Jumping in would just make the fight more difficult for Kurosaki.

The foes separated, circling each other warily, trying to find the other's weaknesses. The invading Hollow went on the offensive first, sonidoing forward with its spindly, spear-like fingers aimed for the gaps between Kurosaki's armor plates. Kurosaki anticipated the attack and sidestepped the other Hollow's lunge while simultaneously slamming his armored elbow into the other masked creature's back with a nasty crunch. However, as he did so the interloper managed to dig one of his sharp-fingered hands into the orange-haired Hollow's thigh, tearing a gaping gash in the white flesh that bled heavily. The wound closed without problem, but the exchange had ended unfavourably for Kurosaki. It was odd, given how strong Rukia suspected her ally was.

After a moment of thought Rukia realized what caused the problem. Kurosaki wasn't fighting at full power! He barely had any of his reiatsu released and was still but a spark of a dying candle flame compared to the storm of reiatsu the other Hollow kicked up.

If he releases his power, then Soul Society will detect two Adjuchas level Hollows battling right in the middle of Karakura and send reinforcements. But if he doesn't he'll get killed! she thought in horror as she watched Kurosaki gain another injury as the two exchanged blows. With a snarl and a heavy punch he batted the insect away. What do I do, What do I do, What do I do? There had been only one time that she had felt more useless than now. There had to be some way for her to help!

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Ichigo was getting seriously worried. This fight wasn't going well for him but he didn't dare release his power. There was no way it would go unnoticed by the Shinigami, and the clash of reiatsu would be so severe the people of Karakura might notice as well. But if he didn't, he was prolonging the danger this fight brought to those he cared for. Much longer and his friends would show up, and against a Hollow of this level they would get badly injured. Ichigo knew he was taking quite a lot of damage, and since he had managed to keep the other Hollow from winning he knew it was only a matter of time before the other would try to escape. When that happened it might go on a rampage.

He released a loud snarl when bony fingers caught under one of his arm's plates and yanked it off in a bloody show of flesh and torn muscle. Whipping around, his tail crashed straight into the insect's middle with a crack, his sickle tail tip slicing into the other Hollow's side as it was flung away, crashing into a light pole, which fell over like it was a stalk of corn. The other hollow shook of the tangle of steel and readied itself for another exchange.

The momentary pause was long enough that the wound on Ichigo's arm healed over, but the armor would need a bit more time to fully regenerate. Until then, he felt like there was a bull's eye target on the exposed skin. He spared a split second to shoot a glance over at where he could see the Kuchiki girl peeking out at him in concern from where he had hidden her. That concern was enough of a surprise that Ichigo stilled for a moment. Time slowed, a heartbeat of silence in which the heat of the fight became distant as a passing cloud. The expression on her face reminded him of his friends and his family. The ones he had sworn to protect. The ones who had made him promise he would never let another Hollow win, and would always return to their side. No matter what.

It was like turning a key. Staying under the radar suddenly wasn't important anymore. His restraint fell away as if a lock had been undone.

Time sped up again. Ichigo spun to avoid another wound, lashing out harshly with his elbow to the side of the Hollow's neck, following up with knee to the shoulder before the insectoid Adjuchas could move away. His reiatsu was steadily leaking out faster and faster, as if the sluices of a dam were rapidly opening. It gushed out, dense and wild, like a raging flood finally released. His movements became faster and move fluid, his blows stronger and more crushing. His reiatsu surrounded him like a cloak made of shadows, night-black tinged with boiling swirls of incarnadine red. His aura spread out and reached Kuchiki's hiding place, but his iron will made it curl around her own frost wisps of reiatsu without harming her.

Ichigo caught the stick-bug's hand within his own larger one, ignoring the sharp pain as the thin fingers immediately curled to dig into his palm. Ichigo squeezed, actually forcing the claws in deeper as he crushed the interloper's hand, darkly relishing in the screech of pain that his action wrought. He grunted as a spurred leg kicked and hooked into his side, but now he was properly fueling his hierro the limb slid off his armored skin, like water from a duck's back.

He grinned, dark and feral. "Tables have turned, asshole."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Rukia shuddered as Kurosaki threw caution to the wind and released his power. His reiatsu was heavy and intense and solid as the walls of Seireitei, yet at the same time it was light and intangible like a cover of shadows. It felt hot, but didn't burn. Compared to the acid bite of the other Adjuchas' reiatsu, Kurosaki's reiatsu was incredibly gentle.

Watching the clash between the Hollow energies she realized another startling thing. She was not feeling his reiatsu nearly as heavily as she should. He's actively keeping the pressure away from me!

That covert gentleness was belied by the way the orange-haired Hollow fought now. Kurosaki was brutal and ruthless as he ripped into the other Hollow. A shiver of dread ran down her spine. Kurosaki was an opponent worth fearing. His power could crush her and those bloody claws could tear her to shreds in a heartbeat. But her fear was soothed by the looks he kept sending her between blows, as if he was making sure his reiatsu wasn't affecting her too badly.

"Fiiilthy traaaiitor!" the stick-like Adjuchas snarled as it shied away from Kurosaki. It was barely standing, hunched over as its broken hand hung limply at its side. The undamaged hand was balled into a tight fist. The invading Hollow's regeneration rate was incredibly slow compared to Kurosaki's. Its side still bled black from the wound Kurosaki dealt with the bladed edge of his sickle barbed tail. There were several more raw looking scrapes and gashes covering its skeletal body, the majority of its limbs looking crooked and out of place from various bone breaks."Youuu betray your kiiiind for filth! Yooouu are noo Hollooow!"

"I told you I wasn't," Kurosaki replied dispassionately as he confidently walked up to his injured opponent. Contrary to his opponent, Kurosaki appeared almost completely untouched. His breathing was a bit more heavy than usual, and he looked a little roughened up, but there were no visible wounds, and most of the blood that coated his skin blended in with his red armor. He definitely looked like the stronger one of the two masked creatures, which was in stark contrast with how much he had struggled at the beginning of the fight. Free from its confines, his reiatsu rumbled and coiled through the reishi of the area, making the air of the car park thick and ominous. Rukia was having trouble to keep her breathing light and even.

The other Adjuchas spat unintelligibly, clacking its jaws viciously but no longer having the courage to attack rashly. Its eyes suddenly flicked left and Rukia's breath halted in her lungs as piercing yellow-green orbs locked onto her wide violet. Without a second hesitation, the other Hollow dived for her, vanishing midway into a sonido. She distantly heard Kurosaki roar in fury right before the interloper appeared right over her, it's still healthy hand shooting like a spear towards her heart.

Abruptly, there was a solid red and white mass blocking her view of the attacking Hollow. Blood splattered across her face as she watched with wide eyes as spindly fingers pierced through thick armor and hide. She was shaking like a leaf as the insectoid Hollow writhed in Kurosaki's grasp.

"Alright. That's it. You're food," Kurosaki snarled angrily. His deep, distorted voice rumbling from his chest and was laden with threat, which made he captured Hollow cringe and increase its desperate struggle to escape. Rukia could see the Hollow's hand twist and wriggle where it pierced in the flesh of her ally's back, tearing open the regenerating tissue and releasing more and more thick, richly scented blood. The sight was enough to make her lose her lunch.

Behind her the sounds of struggle cut off abruptly with the loud crack of breaking bone. She looked back just in time to see Kurosaki absorb the other Adjuchas. The hand that was still stuck inside his body dissolved into a thick, viscous mass that disappeared into Kurosaki's maw.

With a heavy sigh, he kneeled into a shaky crouch, placing one hand on the ground before him for support. The deep wound in his abdomen started to close, releasing hissing bursts of steam, as if the flesh was boiling as it reformed. Rising from her seated position, Rukia staggered towards him, timidly laying a trembling hand against the edges of the wound. Kurosaki flinched at her touch, but after a wary glance backwards didn't stop her from channeling some healing kidou into the wound to speed up the healing process. She was silently grateful.

As she worked, she couldn't help but marvel at his strength. She knew a Shinigami's life force and thus the level of injuries they could suffer was determined by his reiryoku reserves, but even the strongest Captains would have balked at the amount of damage Kurosaki had taken. Yet Kurosaki had fought on despite his wounds, and had even absorbed a very damaging blow to protect her. And he didn't even care about her! No Shinigami would have gone this far for someone who might still be an enemy. It was mindboggling.

Once the wound had been reduced to vivid, painful looking scars, Kurosaki tried to pull away. Rukia stubbornly followed, still channeling kidou into the healing flesh. Kurosaki let out an annoyed huff. "You realize this isn't necessary, right? I'll be fine in a couple of minutes."

Rukia ignored him. Kurosaki huffed again, flicking his bloodied tail like an annoyed cat, but didn't protest again. Only when a layer of red armor started to creep over the exposed skin did Rukia release her kidou and pulled back. Kurosaki immediately moved away, twisting around to inspect his injuries from both sides. He was remarkably flexible despite the red armor plates hindering his movements. Satisfied with what he found, he turned his unsettling gaze to Rukia.

"Thanks," he said gruffly. "There was no need for it, but thanks for trying to help."

Under different circumstances Rukia would have been insulted with his casual dismissal of her efforts. But after the blow he had taken for her, her guilt drowned out any anger. "Why did you protect me?" she asked quietly.

He gave her a look and shrugged. "I may hate what you tried to do to me, but that doesn't mean I want you to get eaten." He tilted his head. "And you've made my job more easy the last couple of days. You may be a Shinigami, but you're not as bad as I first though, Kuchiki."

"Call me Rukia," she corrected before she could censor her own words. Ignoring the embarrassed blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks as Kurosaki gave her a confused look, she added, "You're not that bad either. And you saved my life."

Slowly, Kurosaki nodded. "Then call me Ichigo. It will be confusing if you keep calling me Kurosaki anyway."

Rukia frowned. "How so?"

Kurosaki looked away with a shrug. "Yuzu wants me to invite you for dinner. She wants to get to know you better."

A thin eyebrow rose. "Any reason you didn't ask me earlier?" she asked curiously.

Kurosaki – no, Ichigo – shrugged again. "I wasn't sure yet whether I trusted you enough to show you our house."

Rukia nodded to herself. Yes, she could understand that sentiment. Rukia hesitated. On one hand she wanted to get to know the enigma that was the eldest Kurosaki and his family better, if only because she was burning with curiosity about him and his abilities, but on the other hand he still made her nervous. But his actions today had made her a bit more confident that he didn't carry any ill will towards her. She smiled hesitantly. "I would be honored to join you."

Ichigo snorted. "Well, come on then."

Such an odd Hollow, she thought as she followed the eldest Kurosaki. But despite her reservations she was starting to like him.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

A world away, things were far less peaceful. "Sir!" A brown haired, mousy boy cried out, spinning his chair so suddenly that he almost fell off. The bright glow of the screen cast his features in shadow as he faced the shadows swallowing the rest of the room.

"What is it?" A deeper voice called out from his left. The underling turned towards the source of the voice, squinting into the blackness that was only slightly illuminated by the light of other monitors.

"There was huge Hollow activity in an area under the Thirteenth jurisdiction not long ago," he reported. "The sensors almost shorted out, so the data was delayed. By the calculations… it were two Adjuchas!" the brown haired boy announced loudly, eyes wide as he analyzed the complex data files on the screen with skilled efficiency.

"Oh?" the boy's superior murmured. As he moved closer, the glow of the screens revealed a sallow faced man, with horn-like protrusions coming out of his forehead under a thatch of dark colored hair. "What is the status now?"

The underling quickly punched several buttons, scouring through the information. "The fluctuations continued for several minutes. At first it looked as if there was only one Adjuchas, but then a stronger reiatsu signature developed and spiked. After a short clash both plummeted and vanished. There's no sign of them anywhere in Karakura anymore," he reported, his voice wavering occasionally from nerves.

"Hmm…," The higher officer hummed thoughtfully before turning away. "Monitor the area more closely and be on the lookout for more unusual fluctuations," he ordered. "I'll inform the Captain."

"Yessir!"

Chapter Text

Ichigo was giving her a puzzled look. Rukia shifted uncomfortably, but held her ground under the unsettling gaze. It took a lot of willpower not to nervously fidget with the dress she was wearing. She silently cursed Urahara for giving her a Human summer dress. She felt way to exposed with her bare legs and arms and the flimsy fabric didn't feel like it would offer her any protection at all.

"I don't get it. Why did you have to go and get a gigai?" Ichigo asked after a long silence.

Rukia relaxed. Oh. So that was the problem. "I need one because otherwise I can't digest Human food. Given that you were so kind to invite me to dinner, it would be disrespectful if I did not actually absorb what I eat."

"Huh," Ichigo said, surprised. "I didn't know it was the same for Shinigami. Too bad I can't get a gigai too."

Rukia frowned, confused. "What will you do while we are eating then?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I eat a little bit of what Yuzu made. I can still taste it after all, and I love Yuzu's cooking."

A small smile involuntarily curved her lips. That was… surprisingly sweet. "That good? I look forward to sampling it myself."

Ichigo nodded, pride of his sister's accomplishments seeping through. "You'll love it. Mom was the best cook there was and Yuzu inherited her talent."

"That sounds wonderful," Rukia remarked. Wistfully she wondered what she herself had inherited from her mother. She was from the Rukongai, and didn't remember her Human family from before her death. She though it would have been nice to know what kind of people her parents had been.

Unfortunately, there was no way to know. Not for the first time she envied those who'd had their families right from the start. In particularly, she envied the Kurosaki siblings. Despite that their parents were dead and the older brother was a Hollow, there was still so much love and devotion between them that she had no doubt that these three would continue to love each other forever. It made her own relationship with her Clan feel empty and cold, barren of the warmth that should have existed between family.

She shook her head. She would not dwell on it.

Instead she contemplated the wisdom of asking the question that had been on her mind since she saw Ichigo feed for the first time. Finally she decided to just go for it. "My apologies, Ichigo-san. I do not want to be rude, but can I ask you something about being a Hollow?"

Ichigo nodded. "Just Ichigo is okay, you know? Go ahead. Hat'n Clogs asked about any question there is, so I doubt you've come up with something he hasn't interrogated me about yet."

Rukia nodded, making a mental note that Urahara was apparently researching Hollows through Ichigo. That explained how the shopkeeper had ended up supporting the oldest Kurosaki. Knowing that the flaky Shinigami actually had a good reason to be acquainted with Ichigo was reassuring. It explained how their relation had come to be. "What do souls taste like?"

Ichigo tilted his head. "Depends. Single souls have a single flavor. The stronger the soul, the more intense and complex the flavor. I once caught a newly turned Hollow who tasted like cinnamon," he clarified when he caught her dark frown. "But most Hollows have eaten so many souls that they don't have a single flavors anymore. It's like mixing all the different flavors together. If the Hollow doesn't feed often then most of the souls within will have lost their individuality – and thus their flavor – which can make them quite tasty as long as the remaining flavors match well. If the Hollow feeds a lot or the flavors of the souls within don't match well, then you can get the effect of mixing everything from sweets to the contents of a large spice rack into a soup. Those Hollows are downright revolting to eat."

Rukia blinked. She hadn't anticipated t such a detailed answer, but it certainly explained why so many Hollows went after Shinigami and spiritually strong Humans. If they tasted better, then she could kind of understand why they were such a favored target.

"I see. I am amazed that you eat them at all then," she reflected. "I know Urahara-san could probably give you something else to feed on that would taste better."

Ichigo shook his head. "He could, but I don't want that. Not only do I need to feed on souls to maintain my strength, I don't plan to stay a Hollow forever. I need to feed and evolve to reach my goal, and foul tasting Hollows aren't going to stop me."

Rukia was startled by the adamant resolve with which Ichigo said that. "What do you mean?" she inquired. "As far as I know, a Hollow will remain a Hollow until they are purified."

"It is pretty obscure, even in the Hollow community," Ichigo allowed. "But Hat'n Clogs has done a lot of research on Hollow evolution and made me help. He discovered that if he Hollow takes off his mask and is strong enough to survive the change that follows, a Hollow can become an Arrancar. Arrancar are basically hybrids. They're not normal souls, but they're not Hollows either. In a way, they have a lot in common with Shinigami, even though their powers are still very Hollow-like."

Rukia stared. How… what… How was that possible? She had never heard of something like that before! "But what good would being an Arrancar do? You still wouldn't be normal."

"But I won't have to keep eating souls," Ichigo replied. "And if I'm powerful enough when I evolve into one I may even get a human shape. Did you think I like the reactions everyone has to my appearance? I hate how I look like a monster. My sisters and friends have gotten used to it, but I refuse to remain a Hollow. I became one because I had to, but I'm not going to be one for the rest of my life," Ichigo declared vehemently.

Rukia was taken aback. She had not expected this. Not only had Ichigo retained his mind and morals, he was actively working to regain his humanity as well. The willpower he needed for that, the sheer conviction and determination… it was staggering. She could not imagine what it was like to be in his place, could not imagine what it was like to look like a monster, having to fight for the right to remain with those she cared about simply because of what she was, but she could recognize how heavy the path was he had chosen for himself. He refused to bow to what she had believed to be inescapable for her entire life.

The respect she felt ever since Urahara had convinced her and Ichigo had saved her deepened. How could she not admire his fierce resolution? If she possessed even just one tenth of his strength her Nii-sama would never have to be disappointed in her.

"Now come on. We're already late. Yuzu will probably scold us for making them wait."

Rukia nodded. "I can't use shunpo in a gigai, but I have fairly good stamina. I shall run the entire way."

If his mask hadn't been in the way Rukia was pretty sure she would have seen him grin when he replied with, "Sounds good. Race you."

Despite that she didn't have any chance to win in a gigai, Rukia accepted the challenge. As a proud officer of the Gotei 13 she couldn't just let a Hollow win without a fight, no matter how much she was starting to respect him. "No sonido!" she told him sharply.

"Deal!" Ichigo agreed before running off.

"Ichigo, you cheater! We're supposed to start at the same time!"

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Dinner with the Kurosaki siblings was surprisingly nice. While they clearly didn't trust her fully yet since Ichigo's friends had come over too, she couldn't help but notice that not a single threat had been uttered or comment made when she had joined them at the table. So far, it seemed that when this group agreed to a truce they took it seriously.

Ichigo's sisters were a little peculiar. Karin was understandably cold towards her, but Yuzu had greeted her cheerfully. Though Ichigo's prediction did come true. The little girl had scolded them both for almost letting the food go cold. Rukia hadn't really known how to react, but apparently her reason was considered acceptable after Ichigo had explained the need for a gigai.

"Oh. Then it's alright," Yuzu had replied, and that was that. It struck the adopted noble as very odd. The Kuchiki Clan would have never let such a transgression slide. Then again, the Kurosaki clearly weren't nobles. Rukia would freely admit that it was a relief not to have to worry about the Clan's stringent rules.

She was, of course, nervous when she sat down at the table, but Yuzu and Inoue were very friendly and open, eagerly including Rukia in their conversations. The others were more reserved, but approachable enough once most of the awkwardness had passed. Yuzu and Inoue were obviously close. Inoue seemed to act as an older sister for the young girl. Ichigo went above and beyond being an unbelievably great big brother, but Rukia knew from experience that sometimes a girl just needs another girl. Orihime and Yuzu seemed very alike, and Rukia suspected that Tatsuki might be the older sister role model for Karin. It reminded Rukia a bit of the relationship she used to have with Shiba Miyako, whom she had greatly admired. It was very nostalgic to see similar relations between these Humans.

Thanks to the disarming kindness of Yuzu, who proved to be a splendid cook, and Inoue, who apparently wasn't, Rukia was able to relax near the end of the meal. Such a thing rarely happened when she dined with her adopted family, and Rukia had been used to her Nii-sama a lot longer. It was simultaneously amazing and slightly depressing.

After the meal had ended the unusual group surprised her yet again. Instead of sending her off they invited her to join them in the living room to watch television. Rukia had no idea what that was but it sounded intriguing.

For a moment she hesitated while the Humans picked their seats. Ishida, Arisawa, and Sado took one of the couches, while Inoue and the Kurosaki twins took the other. Rukia bit her lip and chose a cushioned chair that stood a bit to the side. Ichigo himself curled up next to the all-girls couch, the end of his tail curling around Karin's ankle when Yuzu pulled his large head into her lap so she could play with his mane. The twins smiled fondly at their brother. Yuzu was short enough that she could comfortably rest her chin on top of Ichigo's head. It looked oddly like a little girl with her favorite pet. For the Shinigami it was an incredibly surreal sight, and it took Rukia a while before she was able to look away and focus on the noisy device the Humans were staring at.

The television was apparently an odd machine that was remarkably similar to some of the monitors she had seen the few times she had visited the Science Division. Only instead of research, the television was used for entertainment. The 'programs' it showed were incredibly captivating. Imagine, events from all over the world, appearing on the very same day on the 'News'. A program about the life of wild foxes, somehow even displaying scenes from within the fox's lair. And finally something the Humans called a 'movie' about a man becoming a warrior by building his own weapons and armor so he ended up looking more machine than man. The fictional character's struggle for justice and freedom touched something deep within the Shinigami.

Humans truly created amazing stuff. Absently Rukia wondered what her comrades in Seireitei would think of it. She liked to think that they would be just as impressed as her.

During what the others called the commercials some of the Humans went to get drinks and snacks. Dazed by the amount of information she had taken in in the last few hours and having seen all the commercials a few times by now, Rukia was letting her eyes wander around. For the first time she noticed a small shrine in one of the corners of the room. There were three picture frames on top of it. Curious, she stood up and slowly approached it, fully prepared to stop if one of the group called her back. When that didn't happen she leant forward to study the pictures.

One was a picture of a man with black hair, whose face tickled her memory as vaguely familiar. Their father? Yes, probably their father, otherwise his picture wouldn't be displayed like this. The one in the middle was of a beautiful woman who reminded her of Yuzu. Definitely their mother. She looked like a wonderful lady. But it was the last picture that landed like a punch in her gut and robbed her of air.

Orange hair that definitely jostled her memory. Brown eyes that were surprisingly guarded, despite the small smirk pulling at one corner of the boy's mouth. But those few differences aside, it was like a childhood picture of her deceased mentor, Kaien. A very young, teenage Kaien.

"W-who is this?" she muttered.

Karin heard her. She walked over and glanced at the picture Rukia was staring at. "Hm? Oh, that's Ichi-nii. Before he died, obviously."

Ichi-nii? This was Kurosaki Ichigo?

Never look at the face beneath a Hollow's mask, she remembered from the handful Academy lessons she had followed, before her Nii-sama had made her leave. You may not be able to bring yourself to kill it otherwise.

There may have been some truth in that, Rukia realized, chilled, as she looked at the picture and Ichigo himself, and the bright orange hair that was proof of the connection between the two. To think that the face of a boy was hidden beneath that monstrous mask…

It was a good thing she had already promised not to harm him. Now she knew what he had looked like in life, she really wouldn't be able to kill him. Her own heart would keep her from following through if she tried.

But why did they look alike? Kaien had been a Shinigami. If there was one thing Ichigo wasn't, it was a Shinigami. Not to mention Kaien-dono had died more than twenty years ago, and Ichigo hadn't even reached the end of his second decade yet-

She froze. Then very, very carefully considered that thought. There was no way. It couldn't be. And yet, with so many similarities…

No, she told herself firmly. Not necessarily similar. She hadn't known Ichigo all that long after all.

No one had ever found another person's reincarnation. At least, no one had been able to prove they had.

Doesn't mean it never happened at all, a small voice in her head argued. Rukia stomped on it to make it shut it up.

Because even if she had somehow stumbled across Kaien's reincarnation, her mentor was dead, had died in her own arms, at her own hands. That couldn't be undone. The man she still cherished in her memories was gone forever. And she refused to think of Ichigo as anything but his own person. Anything less would be a grave insult to the Hollow she was starting to see as someone well worth respecting. She didn't fully trust him yet, simply because of the past animosity between them, but she had no right to decide who he used to be. She couldn't prove her suspicions anyway.

But… if he really was Kaien's reincarnation… then she may be safer than she had previously thought. If there was one thing she refused to believe it would be her mentor being anything less than honorable even in a new life.

Rukia was startled out of her reverie when Karin tapped her on her shoulder. "Hey," the dark haired girl said, pointing with her thumb over her shoulder. "You're coming or what? The movie's continuing."

"I… Yes. Of course I'll come," Rukia agreed, casting one last look at Ichigo's picture before retaking her seat.

Ichigo crouched beside Rukia's recliner and shouldered her playfully. She barely kept herself from flinching. "What's that face for? Quit looking like you're expecting us to attack you," he teased, flicking his tail.

Rukia crossed her arms and huffed, hiding her insecurities deep within herself. "I am not."

"You kind of were," Arisawa interjected. The Human hakuda specialist gave her a playful grin. Next to her, Sado nodded sagely and Ishida smirked as he pushed his glasses a bit higher up his nose.

Rukia felt a light dusting of red creep up her cheeks and purposefully averted her eyes in an overly proud manner. The Humans and Ichigo laughed. Rukia discovered that she didn't mind. It was nice to partake in lighthearted teasing once more. It had been very long since the last time she could freely engage in that. Silently she hoped that she would be allowed to do this more often in the upcoming weeks. She missed having friends she could laugh and make fun with.

Maybe, one day she could have such bonds again. And she hoped they could be a lot like the bonds she witnessed between these people. Their warmth and loyalty to each other was something Rukia had coveted for a very long time.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

The next day arrived with a surprise. Ichigo was waiting for her at the door to her room in the Urahara Shoten. Rukia blinked at him, dumbfounded. She knew that she was a bit later than yesterday, but she hadn't expected for the Hollow to come to her after he had dropped his sisters off at school. Briefly she wondered whether he was still keeping an eye on her. That thought stung more than she expected.

However, Ichigo quickly corrected her assumption, looking uncomfortable as he did so. "Don't look so surprised. You didn't sense that thing coming yesterday, did you? I'm going to teach you how to sense incoming Hollows. Yuzu and Orihime were worried after they heard what happened yesterday."

"Oh." Rukia considered that idea a bit more thoroughly. "That would be very kind of you."

Ichigo sighed at her. "Great. Now can you quit the polite crap? I'm not one for formalities."

Rukia gave him a bemused look. "If you wish…"

Ichigo muttered something under his breath. Then he put a clawed hand on her head and used his grip to maneuver her head so she looked him straight in the eye. "Oi, I mean it. Just 'okay' is enough."

For one breathtaking moment Rukia was back in the past, her mentor's hand on her head as he ordered her to greet him properly. "... Okay," she parroted obediently.

"Good. Now come on. I think today will be calmer after the fight from yesterday, so we should have enough time to start you on the basics."

Rukia's hands were shaking a little as she straightened her hair. It wasn't the same, but it was similar enough that she had to bite back tears.

Who are you Ichigo? Are you really Kaien-dono?

She didn't know. Probably never would for sure. But she swore she would do her best to learn what Ichigo would try to teach her.

Quietly she followed the oldest Kurosaki to an empty park. The short grass waved in the morning breeze and the leaves of the trees sparkled as they danced and reflected the sun's light. It was a wonderful, peaceful area where the sounds of the bustling town were muted.

"Okay, so this is how we're going to do this: I will hide and you will try to find me by sensing my reiatsu. To begin, I'm going to tell you where I hide, so that you can know where to focus and get a feel for my reiatsu signature. Clear so far?"

Rukia nodded hesitantly. It went against her pride to need instruction on something so simple, but the truth remained that she couldn't pinpoint him unless he was within her sight. She didn't like it, but she did need help with this.

"Close your eyes. I'll be right in front of you."

Rukia bit her lip and obeyed. After a few seconds she relaxed a little. If she concentrated she could feel the barest hint of his presence like a faint haze before her. It was fuzzy and unclear, but she was pretty sure it was him.

A heartbeat later and suddenly even that faint trace disappeared.

Alarmed, Rukia's violet eyes shot open. She couldn't entirely suppress her small squawk of surprise when Ichigo blinked at her, his face a mere three feet from her. He had not moved from his spot at all. She felt her cheeks flush in mortification, internally scolding herself. Stupid! He told you what he was going to do! Determined to impress her self-appointed sensei, she stubbornly closed her eyes again and calmed her heart and breathing as she focused fully on exploring her surroundings with her reiatsu sense.

Her eyebrows unconsciously furrowed when she found nothing out of the ordinary in front of her. Ichigo might as well have been a passing breeze for all the presence that he had. But her eyes had shown her that Ichigo was there, and he wouldn't move until she found his reiatsu. Focusing harder, she threw her senses wide open. To no avail. It was as if she was trying to see through complete darkness.

Many minutes later, she admitted defeat, giving Ichigo a helpless look. "I can't find you," she whispered apologetically, unable to keep her disappointment out of her voice.

Ichigo tilted his head. "Did you try to identify everything else?"

Rukia gave him a confused look and shook her head. Ichigo nodded.

"Right, then start with focusing on your surroundings. Try to identify everything and tell me. What do you sense?"

Rukia closed her eyes again. Concentrating, she examined her surroundings. "I sense… several Humans… A Plus…"

"Where are the Humans and the Plus?" Ichigo interrupted.

Rukia frowned. "The Humans… I think they're outside the park. Mostly inside the buildings? The Plus is… on the rooftop at our right?"

Ichigo nodded. "Okay. Go on. Try for smaller things now. Animals and plants for example."

Rukia concentrated harder. Sweat started to bead on her forehead. This was even harder than she had expected. "… There are some animals… underground? I think it's a group… let's see… some are in the trees… birds?"

"Can you sense the trees?"

Rukia tried. She tried really hard. Theoretically, she should be able to. All living beings had their own reiryoku, so in theory it should be possible to distinguish even trees from their surroundings by finding the differences between the trees' reiryoku and the ambient reishi. Finally, after what felt like hours, she said, "… I think so."

"Good. Now try to find me again."

Rukia obediently returned her focus to the space in front of her where Ichigo's reiatsu should be. For a long moment she thought she wouldn't find anything again, but then… there! His presence was so out of focus that it was no wonder that she'd had such trouble finding him! He had hidden his reiatsu in the reishi around him, camouflaging himself with the natural energy of his surroundings!

Ichigo was truly a master at reiatsu control, she realized with startling clarity. She had never heard of someone suppressing their reiatsu to such a degree. The only ones she could think of who might be capable of such a feat were the Onmitsukidou, and they were the uncontested masters of concealing themselves. Ichigo was doing her an incredible favour by teaching her how to find someone as well hidden as him. If this wasn't a peace offering then nothing was.

Her throat closed up and her eyes stung. This… this was more than she had ever expected after their fight. She bowed her head to hide her reaction from Ichigo. It had been such a long time since someone had trusted her with something like this that she didn't know how to act.

Apparently she wasn't fooling Ichigo. "Oi, what's with the long face? If you failed to find me just say so."

Rukia shook her head. "No, that's not it. I found you. It's just… why are you teaching me this?"

Ichigo gave her a quizzical look. "Like I said, people were worried. If I hadn't been there you would have been squashed."

Rukia made a face. "Do you have to put it like that?"

A teasing glint entered gold and black eyes. "What? It's true."

"Yes, but it sounds so… ugh."

Ichigo snickered.

"Don't laugh," she reproved, slapping him on his arm. "It's not funny."

"But your face is," Ichigo shot back. "Now pay attention. I'm going to make it more difficult for you."

Rukia nodded her consent. She wasn't sure, but she had the feeling Inoue and Yuzu hadn't been the only ones worried. She still remembered how ferociously Ichigo had protected her from the other Adjuchas. She smiled. No, the oldest Kurosaki wasn't nearly as ruthless as he pretended to be.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

They played this unusual version of hide-and-seek for hours. It was an exhausting mental exercise for the Shinigami, as Ichigo only allowed her breaks to hunt down intruding Hollows and to walk his sisters back home. But no matter how demanding he was, Rukia had to admit that Ichigo was a good coach, the way he goaded her into giving her all by prodding her and making disparaging remarks. His provocation gave her the drive she needed to continue every time she was ready to just give up and accept failure. Thanks to that she was improving at an astonishing rate.

He really was a lot like her deceased mentor, she mused between the exercises. It was both an uplifting and depressing thought. Oh, there were differences, sure. Kaien had favored yelling and passionate speeches to motivate her, while Ichigo employed insults and his ability to sneak up on her. But they were similar in that they challenged her, dared her to get better. And she couldn't help but respond.

Yes. It would certainly be fair to say that she had a lot of mixed feelings about this day.

When night neared Rukia finally found the opportunity to collapse. They were in the middle of a children's playground in one of Karakura's parks. She groaned with approval as her sore muscles relaxed and her aching brain was given a rest. The dark haired Shinigami sighed happily as the cool breeze that cooled her heated skin. She felt clammy, the combined result of sweating in the heat of the day and the beginning humidity of the oncoming night. She couldn't wait to get back to Urahara's Shop to wash and get some sleep.

Ichigo was curled up next to her like a large, armored reptilian cat. He too seemed perfectly content to enjoy the quiet for a while, though there was a contemplative edge to his silence. Rukia wondered what he was thinking about. If she hadn't been so tired she probably would have asked, but for now she didn't mind leaving him to his thoughts. Instead she closed her eyes and let her mind come to rest.

"You sure have gotten comfortable around me," Ichigo remarked after a few minutes. His double-toned voice was jarring in the quietness of the evening.

Rukia opened her eyes to look at him, a bit puzzled at the seemingly random observation. She had the feeling Ichigo wanted something with it. Given that her instincts had been honed by years of tutelage with the Kuchiki Clan, she was inclined to trust that feeling. "You 're not an enemy," she answered. "Not anymore."

"But you're not even scared of me anymore. You don't even reach for your sword when I sneak up on you," Ichigo argued. He sounded quite confused about that.

"… I guess I've just gotten used to you," Rukia replied, sitting up so she could look at him properly. Then – because Ichigo didn't seem to find that answer satisfactory – she added softly, "Your appearance is still frightening me from time to time, but I have seen enough of you to know that you're not a monster."

Ichigo tilted his head. "But why?" he persisted. "My sisters and friends are the same, but I don't get how you can be so comfortable!"

Rukia shrugged awkwardly. She didn't really know either. Appearance-wise he was indistinguishable from the monsters she had sworn to fight, but it was as if her instincts and ingrained reflexes had turned off one by one over the last couple of days when it came to him. Maybe it was because of his resemblance to Kaien, or how he had saved her life, or maybe it was because she had seen how he acted around his friends and sisters, but she just couldn't see him as a threat anymore.

How could she explain? It was clear that Ichigo had some insecurities about his appearance and wanted an answer. She bit her lips as she sought for words.

"I can't speak for your family and friends," she started slowly, "but over the last few days, I have come to think of you as someone I would love to call a comrade. Your strength and your dedication to the people you care about… if not for your appearance, I would have believed you to be a Shinigami. I guess it's just…," she trailed off, uncertain. "I guess it's quite odd, isn't it?"

She averted her gaze at the look Ichigo gave her for that. Hastily she continued, though she had no idea where she was going with her explanation. "It's like when someone has been injured in battle. The blood and wounds make them frightening to look at, but beneath their injuries they are still themselves. Still normal people. And with time, you get used to their appearance to the point that you won't even notice it anymore…"

She scratched her head, flushing with embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm not making much sense, now am I?"

Ichigo stared at her for a while, making her fidget nervously. "I think I see what you mean," he finally said, turning his gaze to an undefined point in the distance.

After a few moments, Rukia nervously shifted closer, not sure if she should offer him comfort or not. In the end she settled on telling him, "I just think that your looks don't matter because you're still a normal person beneath it."

Ichigo hummed noncommittally. His silence hung between them like an invisible wall.

Rukia had almost given up on any kind of conversation when he spoke again. "My sisters once said something similar. When I first appeared before them after my death… well, I guess I didn't really think things through before doing that. I had died somewhere around in the middle of the day, and when I had woken up as a spirit it was already late in the evening. I didn't know what to do so I just went home. But on my way there was this Hollow. He tried to eat me. I didn't know what to do but I wasn't just going to let him do that. I had to make sure my sisters were fine. I hadn't seen what had happened to them after the car hit me, you see?

"So I ran, and when I failed to lose him, I fought. At first it wasn't going well, and I really didn't want to leave my sisters without being sure they were safe, so… I still don't know what happened exactly and I honestly don't care, but something changed, and when the fight was over I was a Hollow. It's all a big blur to be honest. Maybe I transformed in the middle of the battle because I wanted to live so badly, or maybe I was eaten and took over from the inside out. Urahara has some theories, but nothing has been proven."

"Anyway. The point is, when I finally came home I knew I looked different. I knew I didn't look like any of the spirits we were used to. But when I looked through the windows I found them sitting in my room, and they were crying. I couldn't stand that. So I went inside."

Ichigo let out a harsh laugh. Rukia listened with wide eyes, captivated by the story.

"Not the brightest idea I've ever had," Ichigo admitted. "But I couldn't help it. I can't stand seeing them sad, and this had been my fault. I was the one who'd died."

He ruefully shook his head. "Damn, did I frighten them. I still remember how they screamed when they saw me. It took a hell lot of talking before they believed who I was, but then they were crying again. Only this time they were clinging to me. Well," Ichigo amended, "Yuzu was doing most of the clinging. Karin was hitting me, and cussing, and calling me an idiot. I had to hold her because otherwise she might have hurt herself. But they weren't scared of me, not anymore…"

Rukia reached out and placed her tiny hand over Ichigo's. Her hand looked like a child's against Ichigo's large, clawed appendage. Ichigo gave her a warm look and Rukia felt herself smiling back almost as warmly. It was odd, but she felt she understood Ichigo much better now. To know he had insecurities like any other, to hear more about how he had ended up in this situation… It offered a lot of insight in the person that was Kurosaki Ichigo. Maybe this would be the start of the most unconventional of friendships.

Her thoughts were confirmed when Ichigo stood and curled up around her, offering her the chance to rest more comfortably. Leaning back against the smooth armor plates that covered his side, Rukia smiled happily. Deciding to do something she had wanted to try ever since she had watched the youngest Kurosaki do it, she reached out and slowly ran her fingers through Ichigo's mane. Instead of being offended, Ichigo shifted his head closer and started to purr.

She couldn't have stopped her delighted laugh if her life depended on it. This was so surreal! Contrary to its appearance, Ichigo's hair was quite soft and she could easily comb it with her fingers. It was like petting a large, long haired cat.

Briefly she tried to imagine how the other Shinigami's might react to this development. The whole of the Gotei 13 would likely have a collective heart attack if they could see one of their Shinigami sitting so companionably with a ferocious looking Hollow. From the reaction of the Adjuchas yesterday the other Hollows would feel similarly if they saw this scene.

All the more reason to never let them find out, Rukia decided. Ichigo was a friend now. Maybe not a close friend yet, but she would be damned if she turned him away. She wanted a friend like him too much to care about what he was. If Ichigo's ambition was realized, he wouldn't remain a Hollow anyway.

And if she ever had to reveal this friendship, she fervently prayed Seireitei would prove itself more tolerant towards a hybrid. Because if their relationship continued to progress like this then she would give Ichigo the same loyalty he would give her, and forfeit her own life to keep him and those he cared about safe.

It was the least she would do for someone so much like Kaien.

Chapter Text

Rukia was, as ever, feeling as if she just entered the twilight zone. She had been visiting the Kurosaki household for a while now, but each time she came by she was astounded how… domestic it was, given that it was made up of Humans who weren't even adults yet and an Adjuchas. It was difficult to get used to, no matter how she welcomed the change.

Not to forget the Quincy and the three other powerful Humans who were semi-permanent members of the household – apparently, in the eyes of the Kurosaki siblings friends were family and were treated as such. By now she started to rethink her the assumption she had made about their trust in her back when she first came over. So far as she had seen, there had barely been a day that Ichigo's friends didn't dine at his home.

Though when she thought about it, she couldn't say it surprised her. She remembered what the Humans had said about their families and smiled as she realized the Kurosaki's sentiments were wholly returned.

Her smile turned wistful. A family of children. How nostalgic.

A family she was quickly becoming part of, though whether she was being taken in as an older or younger sister was not entirely clear. Not that she minded. When it came to anything to do with the Spirit World they looked to her for her knowledge and guidance – something that was incredibly flattering, even if the Quincy made snide remarks about Shinigami most of the time – but they had taken to looking after her when it came to anything to do with the Human World, which she realized she was incredibly clueless about. Not to mention what living with a Hollow entailed.

She was getting used to it. But it was a slow going process, no matter how much she welcomed the change. Being welcomed by such a close family warmed her heart.

Though the thing she walked into today was something she hadn't witnessed before. She had returned from her patrols and was surprised to see everyone sitting around the dinner table with books and notepads full of what had to be the results of many hours at school before them.

Now this wasn't something unusual for the Humans of their group. What was unusual however was Ichigo who was sitting at the same table in the cushioned chair he had probably dragged over from the living room because the normal wooden ones would be too fragile to stand his size and strength. Rukia thought she had gotten used to Ichigo's humanity, but apparently not. The sight of a Hollow sitting at a table, reading a book that was barely larger than his hands, and making notes with a pencil as thick as two normal fingers was utterly bizarre.

Absently she wished for a camera. Though she knew she would never use it given the danger to Ichigo, she kind of wanted a picture she could show to her fellow Shinigami. Their expressions would be priceless.

"What are you doing?" Rukia inquired tentatively.

Arisawa shot her a look and smirked, pointing her own pencil at the grumbling Hollow. "Nothing special. Ichi over here is just catching up on some homework."

Ichigo have her a long-suffering look for that, which Arisawa blithely ignored. Inoue giggled while Ishida smirked and Sado let out an amused huff.

"… Why?" Rukia asked confused. As far as she knew Ichigo had no use for Human knowledge beyond the basics. He was dead after all.

"Ichigo told you his goal, didn't he?"

Rukia nodded, curiously watching as Ichigo shifted almost embarrassedly.

"Well, what use would he be in a gigai if he doesn't know what everyone our age knows?"

Rukia turned to look at Ichigo. "You intend to get a gigai?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I know Hat'n Clogs can make them. And…," He glanced at Yuzu and Karin, who were looking at him as if they hadn't heard this before. "I want to be able to do more than just fight Hollows. I don't want to remain a secret forever."

Seeing the look on the young girls' faces, Rukia realized they really hadn't heard that part of his goals before. They were looking so amazingly happy, as if they had worried and agonized over it and now finally had their solution.

"You think Urahara can do that?" Karin asked almost desperately. "This isn't just the temporary stuff he fixes for Shinigami. you're gonna need an ID, a bank account – there's a ton of legal stuff we don't even know about! You really think he can do that?"

Ichigo huffed, putting down his pencil in favor of hugging his sisters close.

"I think so," he confirmed. "Hat'n Clogs is flaky as hell, but he's also a genius, and I think I can ask Ryuuken-san to help him with the legal stuff. Urahara-san is smart enough to figure out how to fake everything as long as he knows what exactly needs to be faked, otherwise he wouldn't have a shop ordinary Humans can visit."

"Why didn't you say so?" Karin scolded, looking happier than Rukia could remember seeing her at any point during their short acquaintance, a bright, fierce joy pulling her lips into a grin that bared her teeth for the world to see. Yuzu looked just as happy, though a lot gentler in her delight.

Ichigo looked away. "I… haven't really asked him yet," he admitted. "I was planning to become an Arrancar first."

Just in case I won't make it, hung in the air, unspoken but all the more heavy because of it.

Karin growled and punched her brother. Rukia winched at the crack of Human knuckles against Hollow armor plates. Luckily Karin didn't seem hurt.

"You will make it," Karin told her brother menacingly. "You're planning to visit him this weekend, don't you? You can ask him then. That way he'll have plenty time to get everything done."

Rukia nodded approvingly. From what she had seen from Ichigo so far she had no doubt that he had the power and determination to reach his goal. His uncertainty was entirely unwarranted.

Oh well. She was sure Ichigo's sisters were perfectly capable of getting that point though his skull.

Dismissing the minor arguing among the siblings, she curiously picked up Ichigo's overly large pencil. "Where did you find this?" she asked Arisawa, who was watching Karin's lecture with a smirk.

Arisawa grinned. "Those things are usually sold as a gag gift so you can get them in most of the gift shops. It's quite useful. His hands used to be too large to grip a smaller one. They're still a bit too large now."

Rukia nodded, curiosity flaring once more as her eyes glided over the books full of knowledge she would never have access to otherwise. "… Can I join too?"

In response Arisawa kicked out an empty chair and Inoue helpfully emptied the corresponding spot of books. "Be our guest. Don't complain if you get bored out of your skull though."

Rukia smiled. She rather doubted that would happen. At least, she thought, glancing at the bickering siblings and Inoue who was enthusiastically shoving a book in her direction, not with such a lively bunch to keep her company.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

"You guys will be able to handle it?" Ichigo asked.

It was past dinnertime and Ichigo wanted to go hunting in Hueco Mundo tonight. He loved spending time with his friends and family, but at this rate he would not reach Vasto Lorde any time soon. And he wanted to. So bad.

But given the unusual Hollow activity lately he didn't dare leave anyone on their own, so he had asked everyone to sleep over, including Rukia, and had informed Urahara of his plans. The flaky shopkeeper had promised to keep an extra attentive eye out tonight, so that was at least some of his worry from his mind.

His friends gave off an air of long-suffering exasperation.

"Must you ask that every time?" the Quincy said pointedly. "I assumed we had proven ourselves capable by now."

Ichigo huffed. "I'm just checking."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes and gave him a shove. "You've checked enough. Now shoo. We'll be fine."

Rukia nodded. "Indeed, Ichigo. You mustn't worry. I will watch over them tonight. I can afford to catch my rest later."

Ichigo sighed. He supposed it was time to leave then. "Okay, okay, I'm going."

With one last look over his shoulder he opened a garganta and set out for Hueco Mundo. A narrow path formed beneath his feet as easy as breathing. He smiled to himself. It had been a long time since he had any problems with maintaining a path. Unlike back when he just started out. Back then it was a miracle if he could even keep a cero steady, and that was just basically throwing a wad of reiryoku at someone.

He truly owed Urahara. He hadn't been able to predict that back when he had first run into the crazy scientist. That encounter had been downright terrifying, and he had half expected Urahara to become his personal boogeyman.

Nowadays Urahara often acted the idiot whenever they interacted. He had acted nothing like that back then. More like the whimsical scientist-assassin he was than the wily cheerful shopkeeper he pretended to be.

No, his first meeting with Urahara Kisuke had been something he had cursed in the beginning. He had only been a Hollow for a couple of weeks and had still been dubious about the edibility of other Hollows, despite his stomach's insistent desire for sustenance. He had found a scent of reiryoku that his instincts told him was neither Human nor Hollow, but was tantalizingly delicious and carried a faint sense of danger.

He hadn't been too fazed by the danger. He had tangled with a Hollow that had been after his sisters already, which had been how he had discovered he could eat them in the first place. His hunger had been building steadily over the weeks, and the bite he had taken from his enemy back then had almost been reflex.

But the new scent hadn't led him to a different kind of Hollow. Instead it had led to a small candy shop and two children doing chores at the front. The moment Ichigo had seen they were just people he had given up on any hope for food and had turned to leave.

But then the kids had noticed him. And Urahara had trained them thoroughly in the art of Hollow slaying.

With how weak he had been at that time, Ururu and Jinta in Killing Mode had been absolutely terrifying.

Ichigo had still been so new to his Hollow form that he hadn't been able fight well, since the karate moves he was so used to just didn't work when he had a body that was more animal than human, and sonido had been something he had only recently discovered as something he might be able to do with some practice. Two little kids-turned-lethal-fighting-machines had not been something he had been even close to able to handle, and that wasn't even counting their appearance making him very reluctant to retaliate.

Luckily, Urahara had interfered before they could kill him, and Ichigo had gradually recovered from his injuries during the conversation that had followed. Unluckily, Urahara had not played the fool at that time. Instead he had played his true nature to the hilt, presenting himself as a powerful, intelligent, merciless Shinigami who promised death with a smile, voice cheery like a wild winter gale and eyes like daggers in the night beneath the shadows of his hat.

Ichigo hadn't stood a chance. All he had been able to do was surrender immediately and give Urahara everything he wanted in the hope that the man would let him return home alive.

Urahara had been very clear about his opinion on loose Hollows without having to verbalize any threats. Saying no to the scientist's desire to study him would have been very unwise, and the offer to help Ichigo in return had been made for no other reason than the Shinigami's near-nonexistent goodwill. It was only later that Ichigo discovered that the only reason why Urahara had made the offer at all had been because the shopkeeper had been a friend of his father and had thus been willing to give Ichigo a chance to prove he was safe for his sisters to be around.

The day he discovered that was the day he realized his dad had had a very weird taste in friends. He could only be glad for it.

Not back then though. Ichigo had not accepted Urahara's unwanted attention and demands graciously. He had detested that the Shinigami had the power to separate him from Yuzu and Karin without Ichigo being able to do anything to stop him, and Urahara made no secret of the fact that he was willing to kill him if Ichigo so much as twitched wrong. Ichigo hadn't been able to allow that when his sisters had already experienced that once, and still had not gotten over the trauma of having seen him dead.

He had mostly held his peace because of that, no matter how he had hated Urahara at that time. And it had paid off.

Nowadays he felt fond regard for the manipulative bastard, instead of the intense dislike of the beginning. Though he still wouldn't mind shoving the shopkeeper off a skyscraper from time to time whenever he was being too annoying. It wasn't as if it would kill the moron.

Ichigo sighed and dismissed his reminiscent thoughts as he arrived at his destination, instead lifting his head and spreading his senses to search any form of threat as the darkness split apart before him.

Quiet, and the lingering scent of a multitude of Hollows. One of the places at the edge of the Menos Forest that Ichigo had scoped out before his evolution into an Adjuchas, and had dismissed because there had been too much risk that a powerful Adjuchas would wander by. Now he was an Adjuchas himself however, it was a good spot to start hunting.

Stepping out of the inky chasm between the Worlds, Ichigo started to track the nearest Hollow, eager to still the hunger gnawing at him. Over the last couple of days it had become clear to him that ordinary Hollows were no longer enough to sate the demands of his new form – at least not at the rate he was currently catching them – which was why he had needed to visit the Hollow World tonight. He had already stretched his tolerance when he had eaten the invading Adjuchas, but that one was digested entirely by now, even its voice having gone quiet. Waiting any longer might have consequences for his reiatsu control and make him more irrational. Not much, but Ichigo didn't want to risk alerting the Shinigami any more of his presence than he already had when he had defended Rukia.

He soon found a trail to follow. An Adjuchas almost certainly older and more experienced than he, but not the strongest one around. Now he was in Hueco Mundo he had no reason to hold back during a fight, so Ichigo was confident he could kill the other Adjuchas with ease.

A feral grin curved his lips behind his mask. Suppressing his reiatsu entirely, he stalked his unsuspecting prey, using a tiny amount of reiryoku to stand above the sandy surface of Hueco Mundo's great desert so his footsteps wouldn't make a sound.

It was almost too easy. The other Adjuchas was completely oblivious to his presence right until Ichigo landed on his back like a boulder, his teeth finding his prey's mask before its shriek of surprise had even ended.

As its flesh slid down Ichigo's throat Ichigo felt a pulse of power rush through him. For a moment the dead Adjuchas' voice drowned out the other voices in his head, but Ichigo suppressed it ruthlessly, forcing it to the same level as all his previous meals.

That dealt with, Ichigo sniffed the air and sought out his next prey.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

A couple of dozen kills later – all Adjuchas, much to his satisfaction – Ichigo was picking some partially dried blood from between the armor on his arms when he noticed a disturbance in the air he recognized. He turned and wandered into the Menos Forest, jumping to perch on a large bough that stretched above a small clearing where a pair of oddly humanoid Hollows was sitting. Hollows whose reiatsu was tinged with Shinigami reiatsu and who had swords hanging from their belts.

Ichigo tilted his head. Arrancar. Their numbers had really been going up lately. This is the third time in his hunt that he came across the hybrids.

He soundlessly curled up on the stony wood, listening in on the conversation between the two. The two weren't very alert and thus didn't detect his presence at all even when he was practically on top of them, but the newly arrived Hollow voices in his head were quite loud, so he was experiencing some difficulties hearing them despite being just a couple of meters away.

Huh. Something about a place called Las Noches and a Shinigami who was constantly looking for new Hollows to turn into Arrancar. Only they apparently were having trouble finding new Hollows after who-knew-how-many the Shinigami had already tried to turn.

Well, that explained why their numbers had increased then. Ichigo had known Arrancar were being created, but not that it was happening so often that 'worthy' – he snorted when he heard that term – Hollows were getting hard to find.

Not that he had ever encountered one of the Shinigami's Arrancar for real. The closest he had ever come was when he had been scouting for vulnerable Adjuchas. He had come across a newly created Arrancar, the bloody shards of its mask still lying around him. It had been a weak, trembling thing, far too pathetic to have become an Arrancar on its own. It had probably been forcefully turned into one when it had been a mere Gillian, given how monstrous it had still looked. The creature had been terrified of him despite that Ichigo had been an ordinary Hollow at that time. Ichigo had put it out of its misery, only slightly discomfited by the few human features it had.

The ones below him were far more Human looking than the one he had killed, Ichigo noticed absently.

But despite rumors having heard about this business being connected to a place called Las Noches, none of the other Hollows he had ever encountered had known any real details about this. This was the first time he got some real info on it. Then again, it had only been a few weeks since his evolution into an Adjuchas, so it wasn't as if he'd had a lot of contact with the stronger Hollows of Hueco Mundo before. Hell, he hadn't visited Hueco Mundo that much in the first place, as vulnerable as he had been as a normal Hollow.

How interesting. Urahara would probably want to know.

And talking about things Urahara wanted to know… Ichigo mentally cursed as he felt two powerful reiatsu signatures approach in the distance. Shinigami. Probably the ones the Arrancar were talking about. He had sensed them once before, but he still hadn't figured out how they even got here. Urahara had been irritatingly secretive about it. The flaky shopkeeper had just looked grim when Ichigo had told him the first time he had sensed them and had ordered Ichigo to never come near those Shinigami.

Ichigo had taken that as a bad sign and had resolved to interrogate Urahara about it should it ever become an issue.

Quietly, Ichigo stood up. Realistically speaking, Ichigo knew that it was unlikely that the Shinigami could sense him. Most Shinigami couldn't even when he was in touching distance after all. But these Shinigami were already in Hueco Mundo and were artificially turning Hollows into Arrancar by the droves. He wasn't just going to assume they could not track him. He wasn't going to risk being brought to the Shinigami's attention. The chances that would end well if that happened were astronomically small.

There was a startled shout from below when he ripped open an garganta and fled into the darkness. Hm, maybe he should have been more discreet, he mused as he swiftly moved through the empty space between the Worlds.

Ah well, no helping it now. Even if the Arrancar went and tattled on him to the Shinigami, they wouldn't know where to find him.

For now he would be safe enough.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Several miles away, two powerful souls slowed to a stop.

"Oya, now that's a pity. It got away," one of them remarked, running a hand through his hair. "Again," he added.

His companion hummed. "So it seems." An elegant, casual shrug. "It is of no consequence. There will be plenty of others."

"But this one's interesting. Sneaky bugger. Seems ta have gotten stronger too."

"That might be true, but its strength is still hardly impressive. We can spend our time better elsewhere."

"Whatever ya say, Taichou." A cruel, foxlike grin curled beneath the light of the ever present moon as a slender finger pointed in the direction of a far stronger reiatsu signature. "Say, think that one'll scream as nicely as the previous one?"

That earned him an indulgent smirk from his companion. "Feel free to find out."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Slipping back into the Living World under the cover of a slightly lightening night sky, Ichigo quickly set out towards the Urahara Shoten. The Shinigami was waiting for him at the door, grey eyes regarding him with sharp speculation even as the shopkeeper moved out of the way to allow Ichigo entrance.

"You're back early, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara observed mildly as he followed the Hollow towards the large bathroom Urahara had given him free access to.

Ichigo nodded and turned the tap, wanting to get clean before he went back to his family. It wouldn't do for them to see him covered in blood.

"Yeah, I know. I would have liked to get a few more kills, but the Shinigami were back again."

For a second, grey eyes turned to razor steel. "I see," Urahara said lightly. "Fair enough, I suppose. When will you visit this weekend?"

Ichigo shrugged, scrubbing hard to get the dried blood from between the gaps of his armor. It was annoying as ever. "Don't know. Depends on when the others are going to be busy."

Urahara nodded. "Well, I'll be home the entire weekend. Feel free to drop by any time."

Ichigo gave him a short look and shook his head fondly. Urahara had gotten a lot more subtle and lenient with his demands, but Ichigo knew the shopkeeper would be disappointed if he didn't visit."Will do," he agreed.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

In the cold light of dawn, Ichigo and Rukia sat side by side, finishing the last of her vigil together. It was surprising, given how used both were to solitude in moments like this, how comfortable they were in each other's presence.

"Hey Ichigo," came Rukia's quiet voice as the sun finally acknowledged that it really couldn't keep dawdling behind the horizon anymore. "Can I ask you something?"

Ichigo made a soft assenting noise.

"I was wondering," she said, plucking at a loose thread of her shihakushou. "All your friends can fight Hollows, but Yuzu and Karin can't. Why have your sisters not awakened abilities of their own? Do they not have the potential?"

Ichigo regarded her for a moment before he shrugged, looking unconcerned.

Probably because this way the twins won't try to enter dangerous fights, the overprotective idiot, Rukia thought fondly.

"Don't know. They should have the potential but so far it hasn't showed yet beyond their ability to see spirits. Urahara said something about it being likely that they take after our father, and that their abilities probably won't awaken until they've died. If they would have taken after our mother their powers should have manifested already, apparently."

Rukia blinked. "Really? What powers did your parents have then?"

Ichigo looked away into the distance. Towards the river area, if Rukia was not mistaken. "Well, our mom was a Quincy," Ichigo told her softly. "That's how Uryuu is our cousin, sort of. She was taken in by Uryuu's grandfather after her own parents had died. She grew up there and was supposed to become Ryuuken-san's wife once she was of age." A blink, and a short apologetic look cast in her direction. "Ah, Ryuuken-san is Uryuu's dad by the way. "

A sigh. "But obviously things didn't go the way they had planned. I don't know how they ended up married, but dad was a Shinigami. Hat'n Clogs knows more about the circumstances but doesn't want to tell us yet. Gets that stupid teasing grin on his face every time we ask."

Rukia stared, stunned. A Shinigami for a father? How had that happened? She dearly would like to know, but clearly Ichigo couldn't tell her. Though there was no doubt in her mind that their father had broken the law even worse than she was doing now. It was quite possible Urahara had helped with that and therefore knew more.

How odd. But then again, the shopkeeper was the definition of odd. Trust him to have his fingers in every weird situation she came across.

She sat back and considered the tidbits of information Ichigo had given her. The combination of Quincy and Shinigami heritage probably explained why the Kurosaki siblings were so spiritually sensitive.

"But do you have no family at all?" she murmured without thinking. Paused and reddened when she realized how insensitive her question was, but forged on under Ichigo's curious gaze. "Who is taking care of you? Your sisters need money to live, do they not?"

Ichigo tilted his head. "We've never heard of anyone from dad's side. Not surprising, really. We've got some family on mom's side, but we don't really get along. Even though they aren't Quincy themselves – branch family members I believe; according to Ryuuken-san mom was of the pureblooded main line – they still work as influential priests and such. What they don't have in power they make up with attitude, and from what I understand they used to have high hopes for mom. They wanted her to bring back the prestige of the Kurosaki line or something, which was why they had given her to Uryuu's granddad to raise. Uryuu's granddad was a very powerful Quincy, so he could teach her far better than the family could."

He chuckled a bit bitterly. "You can imagine that mom's family didn't approve of her marrying dad. Probably thought she was polluting the bloodline or something. She was immediately disinherited. I don't know if they knew dad was a Shinigami or thought he was just a random guy she had picked off the street, but they were still hopping mad years later. After our parents died mom's family didn't really want to take care of what they considered worthless riffraff, so they left us mostly on our own, only doing the absolute minimum to avoid problems with the state. For some reason they refused to take the easy way out by giving up authority over us, so we couldn't be taken in by a foster home. Probably just in case we would come into our powers later or something, or maybe because they didn't want to lose face."

Rukia nodded with understanding. The Kuchiki Clan was quite similar. After her Nii-sama had adopted her, the rest of the Clan had demanded she would become someone who would be useful to the family to honor her Nii-sama's generosity and make up for the inconvenience she caused them. Complete with thinly veiled threats and disdainful glares.

So far she had failed to comply to their demands to their satisfaction.

Rukia smiled wryly to herself. Their situations were honestly quite similar. She didn't know whether to be glad or sad about that. .

"Anyway," Ichigo continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "After the funeral our aunt warned us not to make any trouble for the rest of the family, and so far, we've just ignored each other. We were lucky Ryuuken-san overheard our talk with our aunt and involved himself. Helped out with some financial stuff and gave a few tips on how to maintain the house and such. He can't interfere too much because the rest of the family wouldn't like it and he's too busy with work anyway, but he's responsible enough that he didn't leave us floundering completely. He even paid our bills for us one time when the money was really late. He didn't want us to starve or get in trouble or something."

"But you were just a child," Rukia protested. "Surely he could have done more?"

Ichigo shook his head, his mane swishing with the motion. "Nah, that's just the way he is. He barely pays attention to Uryuu either. He makes sure everything is running smoothly and we take care of ourselves, but other than that he leaves us alone."

Rukia hugged her knees, feeling bad for her friend but not wanting to show it, because really, what could she do about it? She felt bad for Ishida too. It all sounded so lonely. It was no wonder that he and his friends acted as family. She was silently glad that the world had had at least enough mercy to bring them all together. It was remarkably similar to the Rukongai in that aspect. Your family were not those of your blood, but those who would stand with you no matter what.

Guess Renji and I weren't really family.

A distant, absentminded thought, and one that was firmly dismissed the moment she found it loitering at the back of her head. Maybe they had grown apart, but she still cherished the memories they shared.

She quickly turned her thoughts away from the subject, instead latching on to another. "Say, Ichigo, can we continue practicing later?" she asked. After all the practice she'd had over the last couple of weeks Rukia was a lot better at reiatsu sensing. She could now being capable of sensing incoming Hollows on her own as long as they weren't too far away, but she could still only reliably sense Ichigo as long as he was less than 500 meters from her. He had even less of a presence than a Plus soul. She would not have believed it possible, but then again, that went for a lot of things that had to do with the eldest Kurosaki.

She wanted to be able to do more. What if she ever came across a Hollow that was as good at hiding as Ichigo was? Right now she would still be in trouble if that happened. She simply would not notice it fast enough.

Ichigo shrugged. "Sure. But I think my friends got plans this weekend, so you might end up getting dragged along at one point or another."

Rukia smiled, surprised that they would go out of their way to include her, but very pleased. "I think I will survive such an ordeal," she replied teasingly, already looking forward to whatever the Humans had planned.

Ichigo snickered at her. "It'd be kinda pathetic if you didn't."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

As it turned out, the group's plans came to fruition a bit sooner than Ichigo had predicted. On Friday the entire group skipped school to go to a grand fair that had been in town since last week. Apparently it would be too busy if they went in the weekend.

"Won't this get you in trouble though?" Rukia questioned as she slipped into her gigai. She couldn't imagine what the teachers at the Shin'ou Academy would have said if she had skipped for something so frivolous.

No, actually she could, but it would have been nothing complementary.

Arisawa waved a dismissive hand. "Nah. Our attendance record is really good, even for the Saturday classes, so the school won't care too much about one missed day. I've got a couple of friends from the karate club take notes for me just in case, but I doubt there will be anything truly important we shouldn't miss."

Rukia nodded, absently wondering about what was so special about the Saturday classes, but refrained from asking in favor of giving the Kurosaki siblings a confused look. They were bickering over something. Curious, Rukia stepped closer.

"– don't care. You're going to the fair, and you're all going to have fun. I'm going to be at Hat'n Clogs' place, and you know how he is. I won't be bored so neither will you guys. Got that?"

"But Onii-chan," Yuzu protested. Ichigo swiftly cut her off.

"No. You know I can't go. It'll be so crowed I'll definitely bump into someone, and I don't fit into the rides anyway. I'll just be in the way."

"You'll never be in the way," Yuzu said stubbornly. "And you can make yourself intangible, can't you? You can still go."

Ichigo snorted. "And do what? I love watching you guys have fun, but I can't really do anything else and Urahara asked me to drop by. You know how he gets. He'll whine if I don't go and it'll be annoying."

The twins still looked slightly rebellious.

Ichigo's gaze softened. "Listen, once I've become an Arrancar and have a gigai I promise I'll visit as many fairs with you as you want. But until then it's simply more useful for me to visit Urahara."

Yuzu's lip trembled and Karin looked displeased, but in the end they caved to their brother's arguments. Happy with their assent, Ichigo hugged them and nuzzled their hair. The twins allowed it with a faint air of exasperation.

Rukia smiled. It was sweet how the siblings fussed over each other.

Just before they would part ways she saw Sado pull Ichigo to the side. Her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't help but listening in.

"Will you be alright?" Sado asked quietly. Rukia frowned. There was an odd undertone to that question, but she couldn't put her finger on it. What was that about?

The Hollow rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. Quit worrying."

With that the odd conversation seemed to have ended. Whatever it was, Ichigo didn't seem concerned so she decided not to worry about it too much. Which was just as well. The others were getting impatient.

"Come on, come on, let's go!" Inoue cheered, dragging Arisawa and Yuzu with her as she skipped away.

"Bye Ichi-nii!" Karin yelled, holding what looked like a denreishinki to her ear, probably to fool any unsuspecting bystanders. "Don't let Hat'n Clogs do anything weird to you!"

"Damnit, Karin! You know he won't!" Ichigo hollered back just before he disappeared over the rooftops.

Rukia had to muffle a laugh with her hand. Yes, their fussing was adorable, in a weird, overly loud way.

"So…," she started as she, Ishida and Sado caught up with the girls. "What is a fair, exactly?"

"Hm? Oh, it's fun!" Inoue gushed, clapping her hands eagerly. "It's a bit like a festival and there are all kinds of rides and games and such! I think I'm going to try to win a stuffed animal at one of the booths."

"Oooh," Yuzu exclaimed. "That's a good idea! Will you help me win one too?"

"Of course!"

Rukia tilted her head as she watched the two girls dissolve into a discussion about what kind of toy they would go for, and what kind of activities they would try. Somehow they ended up on a tangent about princesses and cyborgs and the merits of sparkling exploding bubbles, at which point Rukia no longer understood anything they were saying.

Still. A festival, huh? she thought to herself. That certainly sounded interesting.

When they arrived at the fair a couple of minutes later, Rukia knew it would be more than interesting. She looked her eyes out at the dozens of machines and stalls that seemed to have no other function than to entertain people. She was amazed by all the staggering devices that provided children, teenagers, and adults with seemingly endless screaming enjoyment. Strong smells soaked the air, originating from vending booths were people leaned out the windows shouting prices of their specialties. Oden, dango, takoyaki, yakitori, nikuman – too many dishes to name, and quite a few she had never seen before. Everywhere Rukia looked people were smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves. The atmosphere was enthralling.

A sudden thought struck her, and she frowned in dismay. "Um, Arisawa-san?" she inquired. "Won't I need Human money for this?"

Arisawa waved her question away. "Yeah, but you can pay us back later. I'm sure that idiot shopkeeper can rig something up." Arisawa frowned at her. "And you do realize you can call us by our first names, right?"

Rukia blinked, giving her a surprised look. "You won't mind?" she asked, not sure whether the question applied to the matter of payment or the use of names.

"Nah. You've been hanging around us for a while now and you're already Ichigo's friend. Just know that we'll be doing the same."

Rukia was still for a moment before she bowed her head, touched. It wasn't an outright declaration of friendship, but it was more than she had ever expected to get from them. "I would be most honored, Tatsuki-san."

"Geez, quit being so formal already," Tatsuki said with a grin as she slung an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. "Just Tatsuki is fine."

"You can call me Orihime or Orihime-chan, Rukia-chan!" Orihime declared cheerfully, not one to be outdone with something like this. "And you can call Ishida-kun Ishida-kun!"

"Orihime-chan then," Rukia agreed, stumbling a little over the endearment. It had been a very long time since she had been that familiar with someone. She didn't know why Orihime was less familiar with Ishida than with the others, but then again, the Quincy had an air about him that suggested he wasn't that fond of informality. But despite that it was less familiar, Rukia wasn't sure she wanted to address the prickly Quincy the way the enthusiastic girl proposed. He might not be happy with her if she did, so she silently looked at Ishida for permission.

The Quincy wrinkled his nose but seemed mollified by her request for his consent. "… I suppose I can live with that, if you must," he allowed grudgingly.

Still not fond of Shinigami then, Rukia realized. She decided not to take his tone personally. She turned to the last one in their group.

"You can call me Chad," Sado informed her.

She offered a grateful bow with a smile. "… I see. Thank you. Please call me Rukia."

She received a playful punch in the shoulder from Tatsuki for that. "No formality. Friends don't go formal on each other, so cut the crap," the hakuda specialist reprimanded sternly, but her grin ruined her tone of voice. "And you, Uryuu! Get that stick out of your ass. Your name won't wear out if it's used!"

Rukia's eyes widened, and widened even more when none of the others denied Tatsuki's claim of friendship, though Ishida did glare at Tatsuki for her crude remark. Rukia felt blindsided. Friend. She hadn't been called a friend that casually in years. She had known that the group accepted her growing friendship with Ichigo and had therefore accepted her presence in their midst, but she hadn't thought they would so freely include her into their group. She smiled tremulously, feeling happier than she could ever remember being since her mentor had died.

"Now come on! The fair won't wait for us!" Tatsuki yelled, pumping a fist in the air as she approached one the booths to get tickets for the rides.

The twins cheered as they followed the older girl and Rukia couldn't help but get caught in the festive atmosphere as she was dragged along.

Friends don't go formal on each other. It wasn't a promise. Not really. Tatsuki had no idea of what had happened between her and Renji. But after Renji had done just that, Rukia prayed that Tatsuki would keep her word regardless.

"You're slow, Rukia!" Karin called teasingly. Rukia blinked and realized that she was indeed lagging behind. The Humans had already obtained the necessary tickets and where now moving towards the cluster of machines further away. "Don't tell me you're scared of a few rides?" the black-haired Kurosaki added with a smirk.

Despite her tumultuous feelings, Rukia felt her lips stretch into a grin.

"Scared? Me? You wish!" she yelled back, pouring on speed in an attempt to get to the closest of the odd contraptions before the young Human girl could.

She didn't have a clue what all the machines did, or if the screaming of the Humans within them was truly a good sign, but she would not be bested in bravery by a couple of Humans. Even if they were her friends.

Friends. I have friends again.

Humans, who were all so much younger than she. People she should not even be interacting with, according to Shinigami regulations. But in this moment she could not care what the consequences would be if she was ever discovered.

She was simply too overjoyed to think of the future.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Ichigo released a heavy sigh, wishing he could skip today. His arrangement with Urahara had been in place for as long as Ichigo had been a Hollow, but despite the shopkeeper's attitude change over the years, Ichigo still did not like that he was part of one of Urahara's long-term experiments. Nowadays it was a minor part in his acquaintance with the shopkeeper, but it was by far the most unpleasant.

Fortunately, only his friends were aware of this part of his arrangement with Urahara. They had learned about it when he had brought them to the shop so Urahara could help them train their newfound abilities. His sisters knew that there was an arrangement, but didn't know the more unpleasant details, and Ichigo wanted to keep it that way. Back when it all started that had been because he hadn't wanted them to become involved with the dangerous Shinigami, and later Ichigo had continued to keep it quiet because had come to appreciate the help Urahara offered.

His friend's reactions had been a good indication on how his sisters would react should they hear how Ichigo's involvement with the Shinigami's experiments hadn't been voluntary. Ichigo wanted his sisters to trust the shopkeeper enough to go to him if something bad happened, not to reject his aid just because the Shinigami hadn't been all that gentle in the beginning of their acquaintance.

When Ichigo had first told Tatsuki, Uryuu and Chad what the arrangement entailed they had been ready to march up to the shopkeeper and give him a piece of their mind. Only Ichigo's frantic insistence that it was fine had stopped them from going. By then the arrangement had been in place for a while and Ichigo had gotten used to the shopkeeper and his people. They had been the only ones besides Yuzu and Karin who had been able to see Ichigo for quite a while, and they had been a tremendous help in avoiding Soul Society's attention. They didn't deserve getting his friends' anger turned on them, no matter how much of an asshole Urahara had been.

At least, not in the degrees that his friends would have unleashed back then. Urahara wouldn't have been any help if they had destroyed his shop.

To his surprise, even Orihime had been offended on his behalf when she had discovered the details of the experiment herself. Ichigo really hadn't expected that. Back when he had first encountered Orihime, he had not realized that her brother's active reiatsu clashing with his own had forcefully awakened her ability to see spirits. She had seen him kill her Hollow brother and had – understandably – never been able to leave the memory behind even after she realized that he had saved her life.

To have her come to his defense mere weeks after being introduced by Tatsuki had been entirely unexpected. Orihime truly had a kind heart.

With a sigh he pushed his thoughts aside and approached the shop. The door opened before he reached it.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun. Glad you could come today," Urahara commented with a smile. With an overly dramatic sweep of his hands he ushered Ichigo inside.

"I'm sorry about this, but I'll need some samples," the Shinigami said apologetically as they arrived in his labs. "By now your transformation should have settled enough."

Ichigo sighed. Yeah, he had been expecting that.

"Yeah, okay. Just get it over with," he grumbled.

The first set of samples weren't that bad. Hair, saliva, and a few pieces of his armor. The latter were carefully cut off so it wouldn't cause him pain.

It were the last two samples that were the real issue.

"Brace yourself and don't bite your tongue," Urahara instructed as Ichigo put his hand on a sloping metal plate with raised edges, fingers curled into a fist except his little finger. Ichigo hated this part with a passion.

Steel flashed and Ichigo had to bite back a snarl of pain. For some reason, getting injured this way was far more agonizing than getting wounded in battle. Possibly because of the lack of adrenaline and distractions. Blood ran thick across the shiny surface and into a glass bottle Urahara had placed below the plate just for that purpose. Ichigo's severed finger was quickly snatched away and stored in its own glass container.

With a grimace Ichigo forced himself to keep still so the camera would have a clear view of the regeneration process. Since his regenerative ability could focus entirely on the wound without reiryoku being drawn away for battle, the finger reformed in a handful of seconds.

When Urahara nodded that he was finished Ichigo quickly pulled his hand back and flexed it, glad that he would suffer no permanent damage from this. The Shinigami drew a bit more blood so he would have enough for his experiments and then the harvesting was over. Thank gods.

"There, there. My apologies for the unpleasantness," Urahara said sincerely, doing a quick inspection of Ichigo's hand to ensure he was fine before he swiftly moved on to the next part. Urahara dug his fingers deep into Ichigo's mane to reach the base of his skull where Urahara had attached a small device that constantly monitored Ichigo's condition and reiatsu. Experiments with other Hollows and Gillian had ensured that the device had not hindered Ichigo during his transformation.

Urahara swiftly downloaded the new data from the device before he put it back.

"Aaand we're done~" Urahara chirped with satisfaction. "Think you're ready for a bit of interrogation?"

Ichigo sighed but obediently moved back to the shop, walking into the sitting room and curling up on a couple of pillows there. Urahara sat down next to him, notepad held ready.

This part, at least, was just as beneficial for him as it was for the scientist. By interrogating the Hollows trapped within him, they had learned far more about Hueco Mundo and Hollows in general than Ichigo could have ever figured out on his own. It had been how he had learned about the Arrancar transformation, among other things.

It was difficult to wring answers out of the souls within him since Hollows weren't big on sharing information unless it benefitted them, but after all this time it had gotten easier. It helped that Ichigo was ambitious and had proven himself capable of realizing that ambition. Unlike the devoured Hollows, Ichigo could boast that he had become an Adjuchas within just two years. The Hollows within could respect that. Thanks to that, it only took a few hours to get the most important information out of them.

Which was still too goddamn long to listen to Hollows, in Ichigo's opinion. Not to mention that talking with the inner Hollows was always exhausting, and not just because allowing them to speak to him gave them openings to try to claim dominance. He really detested their insane homicidal blather, and trying to get information out of them was like trying to wring water from a stone. Most just didn't have anything useful to say.

"So, basically it comes down to this," Ichigo said tiredly at the end of the session. "The Shinigami has been very busy. A lot of Hollows have disappeared the last couple of months, of which the majority were Adjuchas. Apparently the self-proclaimed God King of Hueco Mundo, a Vasto Lorde by the name of Baraggan Louisenbairn, has allied himself with the Shinigami. Which is weird as fuck, given that Hollow's infamous pride. Rumors are that the Shinigami won him over by beating Baraggan's minions with ease and then offering to make all of them a lot stronger. Las Noches is located at the heart of Baraggan's territory, right where he used to hold court. Baraggan's horde of minions consisted almost entirely out of Adjuchas and has now merged with the Shinigami's army. I don't know their numbers, but from what I've been told I think Baraggan's group is at least several dozen Adjuchas large."

"Also, the Long-tailed Shark, a Vasto Lorde of whom no one knows what it calls itself, has recently disappeared together with the three Adjuchas that followed it. Poison Miasma, a Hollow that is said to have such an powerful aura that it creates a death zone, has not been detected in its regular haunts for a while now either. I'd bet that both are either dead or at Las Noches."

"I see," Urahara muttered as he wrote it down. "He's collecting quite an army then."

"Yeah. That's gonna be trouble sooner or later, especially if he keeps turning them into Arrancar," Ichigo agreed, frowning behind his mask. "Vasto Lorde are incredibly strong, but Arrancar are supposed to be even stronger."

Urahara regarded him with shrewd eyes. "What do the other Hollows think of it?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Most of them don't like it, which is one of the reasons that the ones I caught haven't joined. The majority is simply suspicious, but some firmly believe that no true Hollow should ever allow itself to become a Shinigami's subordinate. I had a hell of a hard time convincing the more hard-headed ones that I do not serve you. They almost didn't answer me."

The scientist hummed. "Not entirely unexpected, I suppose."

Ichigo snorted. "Yeah. It's bloody annoying, but better them than the ones that insist that following the Shinigami's lead is a good idea. At least the former have some pride, even though it's pride in being a monster."

Urahara smiled. "That is one way of looking at it." He glanced at his notepad. "You wouldn't happen to come across more details on exactly how the Shinigami creates Arrancar?" he asked hopefully.

The Hollow shrugged. "No. All he seems to do is tear off their masks and watch them transform. The ones that don't die that is. I'm not sure, but so far it seems pretty gruesome to me. Also stupid and pointless. I mean, doesn't he know they have to take their masks off themselves to transform properly? So far every Hollow that knew anything about it believed that. None of them wanted to transform until they were stronger."

"Either he doesn't or merely doesn't care," Urahara speculated. "Though if I had to take a gamble I would say it is the latter. I doubt the Hollows are anything but tools to him." A sharp considering look. "You've learned quite a lot about the transformation. I assumed natural transformations are very rare?"

Ichigo grumbled at the roundabout question. "You know that most of it is just instinct and speculation. No one really knows. It's just – Whenever I consider it… I don't know. The Shinigami's way just feels wrong. It's like, how can your soul change properly when you don't really want to change? Everything just… balks. You have to do it yourself."

Urahara nodded slowly. "That sounds reasonable," he agreed. "You can't force a Shinigami to manifest a Zanpakutou either. Not if their soul isn't ready. I suppose it is slightly similar, since Arrancar do gain a Zanpakutou. But if it feels wrong, why do the Hollows agree to be turned at all?"

Ichigo made a disinterested noise. "Beats me. Maybe they're just too greedy to listen to their own instincts." An amused snort. "My friends' biology teacher claims that the mind gets in the way of instincts, which is why humans would utterly fail as a species should they have to start over from scratch."

Urahara chuckled at that. "I doubt it would be like that. Humans can be quite resilient. But then again, maybe in the long term too few would survive, if they truly had no tools to start with." He tapped his pencil against his cheek. "But your view on the transformation is quite interesting. Maybe it can be applied to other situations as well…."

Ichigo only listened half as the Shinigami's words became unintelligible mutters as Urahara got lost in theories and speculation. He had a bit of a headache after wrestling with the Hollows inside him, twisted assholes that they were. They had been constantly clawing for control, and while Ichigo wasn't likely to lose, that didn't mean it wasn't a goddamn pain in the ass.

He sighed, feeling tired. At moments like these he wished he could trust his control over the inner Hollows enough to sleep.

"Hey Urahara…," Ichigo started hesitantly after several minutes of silence. "I was thinking, do you think you can make me a gigai once I'm an Arrancar?"

Urahara looked up, a mysterious little smile playing across his face. He didn't answer Ichigo's question, but instead said distractedly, "Go seek out Tessai. He has something to show you."

Mystified but realizing Urahara wasn't going to say anything else when he was in this mood, Ichigo did as he was told.

He found Tsukabishi in the basement, where he was directing Ururu and Jinta as they took out supplies to bring up to the shop above. The two children always happily greeted Ichigo, having become fond of him after Ichigo had weathered several barrages of questions and had started to treat them like surrogate siblings, looking after them and caring for them whenever Urahara got too caught up in one of his schemes and dragged Tsukabishi along with him. By now the two children held him in the same regard as his sisters did, which never failed to warm Ichigo to his bones.

Just to mess with them, Ichigo suppressed his reiatsu completely and sneaked up on them. Tsukabishi noticed him the moment he slunk into the room and gave him an amused smile, but otherwise remained silent.

The two kids, on the other hand, didn't notice him until he was right behind them.

"Boo," Ichigo said before they could turn. They jumped a little, but laughed when they saw who it was.

"Ichigo-san!" Ururu giggled as she abandoned her job for a moment to hug Ichigo. "Welcome back!"

"Ichigo, ya ass!" Jinta yelled enthusiastically as he playfully punched Ichigo's arm. "Don't think that scared me! Ya gotta do better than that if ya wanna catch me off guard."

Ichigo chuckled and returned her hug, reaching out to ruffle Jinta's hair. "Hey Ururu, Jinta. Having fun?"

"Bah, no," Jinta complained as he swatted Ichigo's hand away from his head. "Tessai only has us do boring stuff."

"It's not that bad though," Ururu added timidly in an attempt to soften Jinta's words. "It's just dusty."

"Humph. If you worked harder, Jinta-kun, then it wouldn't take so long," Tsukabishi said from behind them. He offered Ichigo a friendly smile. "Greetings, Kurosaki-san. I assume tenchou is lost in thoughts again?"

Ichigo snorted. "Isn't he always?" He gave the large Shinigami a hesitant look. "Hey, Tsukabishi-san? Urahara-san said you have something to show me?"

Tsukabishi stilled, before a wide, warm smile broke through. "Well, well, so he decided to let you know. Very well. Follow me."

Jinta's eyes widened eagerly. "Wait, are ya gonna show him that?"

"So it seems," Tsukabishi agreed as he led Ichigo to a different part of the basement.

"Oh yeah!" Jinta cheered. "You'll like it. The old man said it turned out really well!" he told Ichigo as he rushed after the large Shinigami.

Confused but curious, Ichigo followed them into one of the back rooms, where Tsukabishi hauled a huge box off one of the shelves and started to remove the lid.

Ururu grabbed Ichigo's hand with a small mischievous smile on her face, while Jinta kept on talking. "Urahara-san didn't know when you would become an Arrancar, so he made ya look twenty-one so that ya can already legally do all kinds of stuff when you're ready to get ya body back," the boy enthused eagerly, but Ichigo barely heard him.

Lying in the box was him. Orange hair, tan skin, and long limbs. He'd been almost thirteen when he'd died, but the resemblance between the gigai and his old self was unmistakable. His baby fat was gone, leaving only lean muscle. His jaw was strong and mature, and his chest and shoulders were broader than they had been when he'd been a scrawny twelve year old.

"I-it's me…" Ichigo croaked, the amazement and appreciation so obvious in his voice that Ururu clapped her hands with a giggle and Jinta grinned so hard he looked like he was about to strain something. "I look…"

"Ya look thin," Jinta laughed. "I wanted to make ya ripped but Urahara-san said you'd be 'lean' or whatever."

"All that's required now is your final transformation, so that tenchou can set the reiatsu barrier that is incorporated in it to match your reiatsu. It will even age, so you won't have to worry about standing out too much," Tessai explained.

Ichigo stared at the large Shinigami. Looked down at the two children who were grinning up at him, both pleased as punch with his reaction.

He couldn't help himself. The Hollow snatched them up and hugged them, squeezing just a bit harder than he normally would to emphasize his joy. Jinta began complaining immediately but he still wore a grin, while Ururu giggled as she eagerly responded to the embrace. Ichigo jumped towards Tsukabishi too, including him in the group hug.

Tsukabishi chuckled and patted him on his head. "I take it you like it then?"

Ichigo finally managed to force words past the lump in his throat. "I – Yes! Thank you, Tsukabishi-san! Thank you so much!" A blink. "And Urahara-san! I need to thank him too!"

Tessai was quick to catch Jinta and Ururu as Ichigo drew back and darted down the hallway in search for the shopkeeper. The Shinigami's soft laughter followed Ichigo out of the door.

Without thinking, Ichigo pounced on the shopkeeper, who was still scribbling notes. "Urahara-san!"

The blond shopkeeper yelped when he suddenly had his breath squeezed out of him by red plated arms. Normally it would be a worst case scenario for a Shinigami, but Kisuke wasn't in any danger because Ichigo was too busy trying to express his utter glee and gratitude through the hug. The worst he would get was a mild case of asphyxiation.

"Urahara-san, thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Aww, Kurosaki-kun," Urahara whined as he was being swung around like a life sized plushy from the arms of a Hollow. "I can't work like this!" The man smiled at him, wriggling around till he could look Ichigo in the eye. "I take it you like it then?"

Wordlessly, Ichigo nodded.

Urahara chuckled, ruffling his long orange hair. "You'll need to come in every few weeks for me to make sure the body is aging correctly with you inside," he warned. "But you're very welcome, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo pressed what could be called the cheek of his mask to the top of Kisuke's hat, unable to express how much it meant to him that the man apparently had so much faith that Ichigo would become an Arrancar that he already had the gigai prepared before Ichigo even asked.

"Thank you so much…," Ichigo whispered, feeling like he could cry of joy right now.

There was no other future possible now. Ichigo would become an Arrancar. He would accept no other outcome.

He wouldn't let his friends down.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Later, when he arrived home and told everyone the good news, they all supported his resolve. That night they celebrated their plans for the future. It was a small celebration, with nothing really special, but it was fun and it was theirs, and at that point no one could have been happier.

They could only hope that it would last.

Chapter Text

"Whaaat?!" Yoruichi yelled. "You showed him? Kisuke, you moron! You know I wanted to see his reaction!"

"I've got it on video?" Urahara offered.

Yoruichi frowned. "That's not as good as actually being there," she complained.

Urahara shrugged. "He asked. It was too good an opportunity to waste."

Ichigo, Tatsuki, Karin, Yuzu, and Orihime were watching the exchange with hidden and not-so-hidden grins, though Ichigo's was a bit annoyed with how much the woman wanted to see him act silly. When they had heard that Urahara's friend was visiting the shop again, they had gone to meet her. It had been a while since they'd last seen the cat-like woman. She had been Tatsuki's, Orihime's and Chad's teacher for a while, and had helped them to develop and control their powers after they had gained them. She had at first introduced herself as a cat named Yoruichi, and by the time she had revealed she was actually a woman, they had gotten used to using her first name. She was a fun person, even though she took unholy delight in teasing people. Ichigo in particular, but that was probably because she was a Shinigami and would therefore never get tired of seeing a Hollow flustered.

Uryuu, Chad, and Rukia weren't there to watch the show with them. Rukia because she was patrolling, Chad because he was busy with his band, and Uryuu because he didn't feel like socializing with the eccentric Shinigami of the Shoten.

The fair had been a great success. Rukia had proven surprisingly adept at knocking down stacks of cups and was now the proud owner of a three foot tall bunny plushy, and Uryuu had easily conquered all shooting games. He had divided his prizes over the girls. Tatsuki had dumped most of hers on the other four as well, much to their delight.

Yuzu and Orihime had picked a cat plushy from their large pile of winnings to give to the cat lady. The plushy was black, fluffy, and as large as a dog. Tatsuki had laughed when she had seen the thing at the booths and had insisted on winning it because it resembled their mentor. She had given it to the other girls as a joke, but hadn't expected the girls to pick it as a gift for Yoruichi instead.

Naturally, she had laughed at that too. And she wasn't the only one. Yoruichi had spent the first couple of minutes of the meeting snickering over it, claiming that it was perfect, and had promptly decided it therefore needed a central position in the sitting room.

Urahara had sighed at her antics.

After that Yuzu had happily given Urahara a plushy too – a fox with pale yellow fur wearing a kimono and a fan, much to the cat woman's amusement – as a thank you for making Ichigo's gigai, at which Shihouin had made her displeasure about being excluded from the event known.

"Don't worry," Tatsuki told the pouting woman. "We didn't get to see it either."

Yoruichi got a sharp look in her eyes at that. "Really now?" she purred, a devious smile curling her lips. "In that case, he owes both of us. I vote for a feast. With treats before and after. And sake. Lots of sake."

Tatsuki and the others snickered at the hunted look that crossed Urahara's face when Yoruichi started to approach him, the threat of mayhem ringing with every step she took.

"I'll see what I can arrange," he promised hastily.

He was such a pushover sometimes.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Kisuke sighed and took a moment of to enjoy the quiet of the evening outside. Kurosaki and his friends had just left – after almost eating him out of house and home, he might add, thanks to his lovely, treacherous friend, who had decided to leave with them so she could tease them further – when the young Kuchiki came in. Kisuke watched her curiously from his place on the porch as she approached him. The number of times he had talked to her could be counted on one hand, so he had to wonder about her reasons.

Only he really didn't, because he could almost see the uncounted questions swirl around in her head. Probably all to do with Kurosaki, and thus likely questions Kurosaki couldn't answer himself.

Kisuke was aware of the rapidly developing friendship between those two. Approved even. Heavens knew that that boy could use more friends. The kid was isolated enough already.

Kisuke truly felt terrible about having to use that. But needs must. To hide his slightly gloomy mood, Kisuke plastered on a fake smile and greeted the little Kuchiki with unnecessary enthusiasm.

He would never get tired of the borderline uncomfortable looks he got for that. Messing with people was just too much fun. It cheered him right up.

Unfortunately, that it did not deter the little Kuchiki. Pity. He would have liked to have the remainder of the evening to himself, after the mess his friend and his young acquaintances had made. Yoruichi was a dear friend, but good grief, was the woman exhausting when she put her mind to it.

Or maybe it was just him. After everything that had happened, he had gotten used to quiet and solitude. Yoruichi could be calm on her own, but with Ichigo and the other kids present she had the habit to be loud and energetic, if only to constantly needle the kids into focusing on other things than Kurosaki-kun's sad situation. The children fretted a lot about that even though Kurosaki-kun's prospects had improved tremendously, and even if it wasn't out loud, it was obvious as the light of day to Yoruichi and himself. It was depressing and made them feel very old, so neither Yoruichi or Kisuke liked the children in that mood.

Kisuke just wished Yoruichi used more quiet methods to cheer them up. Today had been tiring.

Yes, he would have liked some peace and quiet. Alas, Kuchiki-chan had decided that it was not to be.

"Um, Urahara-san?" the small female asked uncertainly, fiddling with the edge of her sleeve. "Could I maybe ask you a few things?"

"I will not necessarily give you an answer, but of course you can," he replied teasingly, waving an inviting hand at some nearby seats.

Kuchiki nodded, gingerly taking place before giving him a hesitant look.

He smiled, letting a smidgen of his annoyance with her late visit seep through. "Ask away, Kuchiki-san."

A glimmer of determination entered her eyes. There was also a cunning edge to it, but Kisuke decided not to comment and simply see what she was planning. He was sure he could handle whatever the little Kuchiki could come up with.

"I was wondering," she said. "You mentioned that Ichigo's friends awakened their abilities because of Ichigo, but if that's what happened, why did no other Humans awaken spiritual abilities? Surely Ichigo has been close enough to others while he fought to influence them?" She ducked her head, abashed. "I wanted to ask Ichigo, but it seemed insensitive."

Kisuke nodded, amused with her acting. Though it wasn't all an act. She did speak the truth, mostly. It was quite thoughtful of the little Kuchiki to be so mindful of Kurosaki's feelings, though Kisuke didn't think Kurosaki-kun would have minded telling her.

Her question was even a good one. Kisuke had been curious whether she would be observant and clever enough to ask it. Kurosaki and his friends surely had. It was nice to see that the younger Shinigami had picked up on the oddity as well. The kid would need friends with their heads screwed on straight.

Especially if said friend was going to return to Soul Society and the eye of one of the oldest and shrewdest Captains Seireitei had to offer. Ukitake was a gentle soul, most of the time, but Kisuke rather doubted he would approve of Kuchiki's new friends. Especially Kurosaki-kun.

"Very astute of you," Kisuke complimented her. He held up two fingers. "The reason is twofold. First, there are not that many Humans who have any potential to awaken in the first place. So even if Ichigo goes all out right in front of them, they will not gain abilities from it simply because they have no abilities to gain. Second, after Sado-san and Arisawa-san accidentally awakened their abilities because of him, I told Ichigo to be careful to not attack Hollows when there are Humans in the vicinity if he could avoid it. He has tried to do that since then. Out of the handful of Humans that were near him during a fight after that, only Inoue-san suffered consequences for it."

Kuchiki nodded thoughtfully. "I see. It is rather fortunate that they could become friends then. They're even the same age."

Kisuke chuckled. "Yes, that was very interesting. Those were quite improbable odds, I can assure you. I have been speculating since then whether abilities are easier to awaken when you are of a certain age group. I know youth can slow it down since abilities are underdeveloped within children, but it is possible that aging causes the flexibility of the soul to be lost. Or maybe the flexibility of the body to adapt to a rise in spiritual energy. It is true that bodies can act as inhibitors – hence the fact that a Shinigami is weaker in a gigai – but until then, I had not sincerely considered the possibility that old age might play a significant role as well. Truly intriguing."

Kisuke had to suppress a laugh at the emotion he could see in the girl's eyes when he explained his theory. Not that fond of scientific speculation, was she?

"I suppose so…," Kuchiki agreed, graciously pretending to be interested in the theory, even though she clearly was not. At least she had some manners. Though she did quickly change topics. Humph. No appreciation.

"Since you clearly have kept a close eye on the people of Karakura, would you also happen to know what became of Ichigo's parents? Ichigo told me they died and about what they used to be, but he didn't say what happened to their souls, and I didn't want to ask such a painful question of him."

Ah yes. That mess. Oh dear. She just had to ask that, didn't she?

"But you're willing to ask that question of me?" Kisuke said lightly, hiding his face behind his fan with fake coyness. He was truly not in the mood for this.

Would he tell the truth? He had told Ichigo and his sisters pieces of it, but they were entitled to it. Kuchiki-chan had no business knowing about that.

Then again, if Kuchiki-chan brought up the wrong details somewhere during an unlucky future conversation, both Kuchiki and Ichigo would be quite upset with him.

Kisuke heaved a mental sigh. So, the truth then. As little as he could get away with.

"It is a simple yet sad story," he told her. "You know about the car accident? And the fact that Kurosaki-kun's parents weren't ordinary humans?"

Kuchiki nodded cautiously. Heh. So she knew enough to know that she wouldn't like it.

"Well, what Kurosaki-kun probably didn't tell you is that it was no normal accident. There was a Hollow involved. You see, a couple of years before Kurosaki-kun was born, his parents were in a bit of a… bind so to say. Through some events I will not delve further into tonight, they had suffered injuries that had shattered their abilities. And yes, before you ask, even his father. I suppose that your Clan has provided you with knowledge on which injuries you must absolutely avoid?"

Kuchiki nodded, pale this time, clearly remembering what Ishida had almost done to her. Kisuke ruefully sympathised. The hakusui wasn't the easiest target to reach, and had to be hit very precisely if one wanted to seal a Shinigami's power. It required just the right amount of reiatsu to sear the wound far enough to destroy any hope of recovery, but not so far that the location of the injury would kill them. But the mere fact that it was possible was enough to make any Shinigami who possessed any sense of self-preservation cringe.

"Well, the injury his parents suffered wasn't as decisive as it could have been, and with my help they had been slowly recovering for years. Unfortunately, that made them a tempting target for Hollows. Not enough reiryoku to defend themselves, but enough to be interesting prey. And, well… I hate to admit it, but the bow cannot always stand bent, nor can anyone stay sane without some form of entertainment. There were moments that I was… less attentive than I should have been."

He sighed, sad and regretful. "I suppose you can guess what happened after that. A Hollow attacked them when they were in the car, and made them crash. They were dead quite quickly, and in their soul forms they were roughly on par with fourth year Academy students, so they had just enough strength to hold it off long enough for me to arrive. At least, long enough not to get eaten. At that point their mother was mortally injured – Quincy souls need time to adapt to their lack of body, and she hadn't had that, so she had been incapacitated very quickly – and their father was dying as well. All I could do was ensure that they passed on safely."

Though he had no idea where their souls would pass on to. Masaki was probably headed for Soul Society, but Isshin? Who knew? Kisuke hoped to find out some day. It would be so interesting.

Across from him, Kuchiki looked slightly upset. Sad for her friends' loss, obviously, but there was something else as well.

Hmm. Well, he would give her a moment to collect herself then. Instead he busied himself with getting them both a cup of tea. He would have liked sake, but Yoruichi had polished off every bottle he had. Sometimes he wondered if his friend shouldn't have been a fish, what with how much she drank given the chance.

Not entirely to his surprise, Kuchiki recovered fairly swiftly, instead taking the time he had given her to contemplate something.

When she met his eyes again, hers were sharp and tinged with anger.

Ah. So she had finally worked up the courage to ask the real question. Judging from the barely-veiled anger in her eyes, it must be quite a whopper.

"You know, Urahara-san," she said almost conversationally, "I find it curious how active you are in the area. You even have a history of directly involving yourself in the lives of spiritually powerful Humans." Her eyes narrowed. "Which begs the question, why in the Worlds did you allow Ichigo to turn into a Hollow?"

Kisuke sighed into his cup, letting the soft fragrance soothe the edge off his disgruntlement. Yes. He had been expecting that question at one point or another. But it wasn't pleasant, no matter how much the barely-veiled accusation was warranted.

He heaved a mental sigh. Nothing to do but deal with it. At least she had first checked the facts before she brought it up. Seemed that her meetings Kurosaki-kun had taught her to be more careful with her assumptions. A good lesson, which every Shinigami should learn.

Aah, but how to explain?

Kisuke still remembered the utter chaos of that first, frantic night. He and Tessai had sensed Kurosaki-kun's death – pretty hard not to, given the explosion of reiatsu that had followed Kurosaki's soul's release from his body – and had planned to offer him the chance to become a Shinigami if his soul did not pass on on its own, to honour their friendship with Isshin. They had liked the man enough to wish to spare his kid the hardships of Rukongai and Aizen's plots in Seireitei.

Once it had become clear that the kid had become a Plus – unsurprising, given the fact that his sisters still lived; he probably would have ended up as a Tsukirei if he had been left on his own – they had started to prepare the things they needed to turn a soul into a Shinigami so they wouldn't have to send Kurosaki-kun on an inconvenient trip to Soul Society.

Kisuke had thrown a barrier around the area Kurosaki-kun had been in to prevent Hollows from finding the kid, and his young assistants had been tasked with monitoring the area near Kurosaki-kun for Hollows in case some managed to find him anyway. Kurosaki-kun had been too tempting a target not to attract some. However, Kisuke hadn't counted on a Hollow arriving through a garganta and running into Kurosaki-kun by pure chance within less than a minute.

Looking back, that had been a terrible mistake.

Tessai and Kisuke being at work in the underground training area instead of his lab where the surveillance gear was installed hadn't helped. It had taken Ururu crucial seconds to reach them once she had noticed what was going on. Jinta had been punished for distracting her.

Frantic, Kisuke and Tessai had tried to reach the young Kurosaki before he was eaten, but before they were even halfway to his location, his soul was already gone, and only a Hollow remained that bore a reiatsu signature that was very, very close to Kurosaki's.

When they had realized what the young man had become they had rushed towards his home, knowing from experience and the direction the reiatsu signature was moving in that that would be his next stop. Their worry had amplified when they had realized the oldest Kurosaki had already been close to reaching it.

Imagine their surprise when they had arrived at the scene fully expecting to face carnage, but instead had only found two sobbing little girls clinging to a ferocious looking Hollow that held them as if they were the most precious things in the world.

It had been an utterly odd thing to bear witness to. As if the world had suddenly turned sideways.

They hadn't trusted it, but Kisuke's burning curiosity had kept them from taking the Hollow down straight away. Kisuke didn't regret that decision one bit. Long weeks of supervision by both the staff of the shop and, later on, the Visored when they had become suspicious about the new Hollow that had taken permanent residence in the area, had brought evidence of the impossible.

Kurosaki Ichigo had retained his Human mind. He was sane.

It had been mindboggling. And terribly exciting, but his old friend Hirako had hit him over the head when he had called it that. The oldest Visored had apparently been under the faulty impression that Kisuke had been taking the situation too lightly. Kisuke hadn't been, but there had been no arguing with Hirako when he got like that. People could be so very single-minded in their opinions. Unlike Kisuke, who had never had problems looking at a situation from multiple perspectives. Hirako was certainly not the worst, but that didn't change that he disapproved of Hollows, humanoid or other. Violently so.

Then again, Hirako's opinion was without a doubt biased. Kisuke couldn't blame him. After all, an Inner Hollow was a trial at the best of times, and had been difficult to control even for powerful, experienced Shinigami. What chance stood a Human child in the face of such an overwhelming part of himself?

As it turned out, a surprisingly good one. At least when they were as inhumanly stubborn and determined as Kurosaki Ichigo.

Yes. He truly could not say he regretted letting Kurosaki-kun live. His presence had made Kisuke's life so interesting.

But Kuchiki Rukia required an answer. And from the look of her, if he remained silent any longer, she would either throw her cup of tea at him, or attempt to stab him. Not that she would succeed in landing a hit on him, but Kisuke rather preferred not to have his house dirtied or damaged in the scuffle.

He waved a nonchalant hand, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his appropriately contrite expression.

"A fair question," he acknowledged. "Though 'allow' isn't the right word. After his parents' deaths he wasn't about to leave his sisters to fend for themselves, dead or not. So I planned to offer him the chance to become a Shinigami, without putting him through the hassle that is a soul's journey to Soul Society and the Shin'ou Academy. Which isn't an easy thing, I can assure you. So there was some time between his death and me being able to offer him that opportunity. I had put a kidou ward up that should have kept Hollows from finding him while I worked on it, but obviously that turned out not to be enough."

Kisuke spread his hands. "To put it simply, I had assumed I would have the time to set things up before I would have to confront the distraught boy, and therefore arrived too late to save Kurosaki-kun from becoming a Hollow."

"Are you saying that you failed because you were too busy to do your job right?" The little Kuchiki sounded outraged by that. "Your so-called 'ward' didn't even work!"

Well, he couldn't let that stand. Letting a hint of lethal pique slip into his countenance, Kisuke regarded her with piercing cold eyes. "Unfortunately, Kuchiki-san, I am as vulnerable to the unexpected twists of fate as any other. However I might wish differently, I am not infallible and can misjudge a situation. I had thrown a ward over the town to make reiatsu signatures almost impossible to trace without the right equipment. It effectively confuses Hollows and makes them incapable of locating souls. I just had not expected Kurosaki-kun to physically walk into one."

Kuchiki shrunk back a little from the rebuke, but her anger remained on her face. When she tried to continue to argue, Kisuke gave her a chilling mockery of a smile, cheery yet humourless, and as quietly hostile as a bared blade.

That was warning enough. Good. He was fed up with the topic. Past mistakes always left a bitter flavour in his mouth.

Kuchiki didn't say anything more, only giving him a stiff 'good night' before retreating to her room. She hadn't even sipped her tea. How rude.

But that was alright. Kisuke knew he had given her enough to think about.

And he himself had plenty to think about as well. If he hadn't lost his touch for predicting things, then everything would get hectic soon.

Right. A good moment to get a good night's rest, then.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

If he had looked outside right now he would have seen nothing that would have forewarned the shock he had just received.

Not that the world ever gave advance notice like that. And he knew that, suspected or not, the shock still would have been unpleasant to weather.

The white haired Captain looked between the rapport and the Twelfth Division member who had delivered it. It was damning. "You are sure this is accurate?" he asked without much hope.

"Yes, sir. Kurotsuchi-taichou himself checked it," Akon confirmed as he stood dispassionately before The Thirteenth Division Captain's desk, looking unmoved by the news he had just delivered. "My Captain asked me to tell you that he is willing to solve this issue for you, if you wish."

Juushirou carefully kept a grimace of distaste from forming on his face and shook his head. "No, that will not be necessary. Tell him that I appreciate the offer, but that I will handle it."

Akon nodded and left with a respectful bow.

Juushirou barely noticed. All he could focus on was the report and its incriminating evidence, and the name stamped at the top of it.

His eyes traced the red line of the graph that displayed the level of Hollow reiatsu thorough her mission. It rose just a little above normal baseline levels a couple of days before the uncomfortably large spike that indicated the reported Adjuchas battle, and resided on that level disturbingly often over the duration of her mission after that.

So often that it made them seriously consider the possibility that she was regularly in the company of a Hollow with weak reiatsu. According to Akon that was the only logical explanation, since they had monitored the baseline levels of Karakura closely after the Adjuchas had visited.

Juushirou had been concerned when he had received the report about that battle, but apparently, he hadn't been concerned enough.

Kuchiki Rukia. What in the Worlds happened to you?

One thing was certain. Kuchiki Byakuya was not going to be pleased when Juushirou informed him about the contents of this report on his sister.

Chapter Text

Green eyes took in the sight of the city at dusk. Though he wished to, he couldn't even enjoy being away from the endless bustle and responsibilities in Seireitei. Not with the reason for their visit weighing so heavily on his mind.

On days like these Juushirou truly felt the weight of his years.

"You didn't need to come," he told his companion. "I am perfectly capable of handling this."

"She is my sister, and rumour has that you are not feeling well. It would be remiss not to offer my assistance," was the monotone reply.

Juushirou hummed noncommittally. Though he was feeling a little feverish, he doubted that it was Byakuya's motivation for coming. Byakuya was good at feigning polite courteousness, but after so many years of having young Rukia in his Division, Juushirou knew that Byakuya's main reason for coming along was to supervise his adopted sister. Juushirou was never certain whether it was honest concern or the pressure of the Kuchiki Clan elders that made the Kuchiki Clan Head keep such a careful eye on his sibling and usually, he did not care. But given the cause of their visit… well, there was a reason why Juushirou had not protested when another Captain interfered with a mission regarding one of the Thirteenth Division.

Be it through stealth or trickery, fact was that it was highly likely that a Hollow was stalking one of his subordinates. Either way, an extra pair of eyes would be welcome. If Byakuya hadn't volunteered Juushirou would have asked Shunsui if he could borrow Nanao. With a Hollow that sly it wouldn't do to go alone.

But those were thoughts for a later time. First things first. Before they would try to hunt that Hollow down they would need information, and they needed to obtain it without warning Rukia or, by extension, the Hollow. Given that his young subordinate should be on patrol right now, it should be relatively easy to avoid her and her unwanted stalker.

Which led to the situation he found himself in now. He had a scheming exile to barter with and at the same time had to keep his younger colleague from reporting the man to Central 46. Somehow. Juushirou was already feeling the headache. It was a well-kept secret among a handful of the upper echelon of the Gotei Thirteen that a certain former Captain wasn't quite as gone as Central 46 thought. Juushirou was one of the very few who was aware exactly who happened to be hiding in this part of the Living World that was under his jurisdiction. Shunsui was another, and neither of them would ever tell because the circumstances of Kisuke's exile had been so suspicious.

They didn't have proof, but something was just not right about the way things had gone back then. Half of Seireitei's highest officers gone within a day, just like that. It had all happened so unbelievably fast. Since when did Central 46 not need days of deliberation before sentencing someone?

But all they had were their suspicions and speculation, and without proof their hands were tied. It was all Juushirou could do just to give his former colleagues a relatively safe place to stay. To make it a tiny bit safer Juushirou only send unseated Shinigami to this area. It was but a small mercy, but at least unseated Shinigami should not be able to identify any of the fugitives even if they ever happened to run into them.

Looking at things in that light, it was possible that taking Byakuya along had been a bad idea. But on the other hand, out of everyone he could have asked to accompany him, only Shunsui would have been safe to take. Unfortunately, Shunsui didn't have Byakuya's convenient excuse for why he should come with another Captain on a simple mission like this. Juushirou's illness had not been a sufficient excuse in the eye of their sensei for a very long time.

Though that had mostly to do with that one occasion where Shunsui had turned their mission together into a vacation just so he could put off his paperwork longer, and then had claimed the mission had been unfortunately delayed while in reality, the only reason why they hadn't finished yet was because Shunsui had been so lazy. He should have realized back then that sooner or later, they would come to regret that stunt.

Surprisingly, Byakuya did not appear to be bothered by whom they were visiting, even after Juushirou had told him. It could be that Byakuya just didn't care, but given how much the younger man valued the laws of Seireitei, Juushirou thought that unlikely. Juushirou supposed it was possible that Byakuya did not recognize Kisuke's name, since Byakuya had rarely been allowed – nor had desired – to interact with people who weren't of noble descent back when Kisuke had still been a member of the Gotei Thirteen. Due to Ginrei's protectiveness it was even possible that Byakuya did not link the name Urahara to the Captain he had only heard about and seen from a distance.

And, well… Kisuke hadn't been a Captain for a very long time. That might play a role too. It was even possible that Byakuya did not know about the events a century ago, though Juushirou wouldn't bet a single kan on it.

The only thing Juushirou could say with certainty was that Byakuya was aware that they would be meeting one of the shadier characters among the Shinigami. Even if Juushirou had not told him that straight away, Byakuya still would have figured it out after just a few moments of interacting with Kisuke. The Kuchiki Clan Head might be young, but he wasn't a fool. Kisuke's outlandishness and the fact that he had a shop in the Living World would immediately identify Kisuke as one of the few Shinigami who, for some reason or other, did not live quite on the right side of the law.

Juushirou wasn't sure about Byakuya's motives behind his uncharacteristic laxity, but Juushirou suspected that it had to do with their fellow Captain Kurotsuchi. It probably said a lot about Kurotsuchi that Byakuya might be willing to set his strict adherence to Seireitei's laws aside to let a known outlaw walk unopposed. Even if it was only to ensure that his sister and his subordinates would have someone else to turn to than that mad scientist.

Though after today Byakuya might not feel that tolerant. Juushirou himself felt disquieted as well. He couldn't imagine that Kisuke hadn't noticed anything amiss if there truly had been a Hollow involved.

Yet the Twelfth's monitoring systems didn't lie. And Kurotsuchi Mayuri was, for all his faults, a true scientist. Allowing errors to remain within his data? That was what committing heinous murder was to ordinary people. Unthinkable.

Was it possible that there was a Hollow capable of tampering with a Shinigami's perception so it's presence could only be detected by machines? Juushirou hoped not. But even if that was the case, Kisuke had been the founder of the Shinigami Research Institute. If the former Captain didn't have his place rigged with all kinds of sensors Juushirou would be very surprised. So how had that Hollow escaped this long?

Juushirou sighed soundlessly, banishing his rambling musings from his mind. Unfounded speculation was almost always upsetting and very rarely useful. He would have his answers soon enough.

Casting out his senses like a fisher might his net, Juushirou felt the masses of reiatsu signatures that filled the city. No Hollow reiatsu stood out, but that hardly said anything. It was only thanks to the sensitivity of Kurotsuchi's instruments that they had been able to detect the Hollow's reiatsu at all. To actually trace the creature's location with it… well, actually, that should have worked once the scientist had tweaked his systems a little, but for some reason it didn't. Juushirou suspected that the other sensors in the area were too old for that kind of accuracy. Kurotsuchi was incredibly vexed about that.

Not that Kurotsuchi showed it that much. He knew better than to think Yamamoto-soutaichou would put up with that kind of attitude for long. But the way all the Twelfth Division Shinigami seemed to be walking on eggshells was telling enough.

He hummed to himself as he scanned his surroundings. Just as he'd thought. Rukia wasn't anywhere nearby. They would have time then.

Pausing before their destination, Juushirou couldn't help but smile a little at the shop's front.

"Here?" Byakuya asked dubiously.

Juushirou supressed a grin. The small shop didn't look like much, true. But, like many things to do with Urahara Kisuke, it wasn't nearly as humble and innocuous as it seemed.

"Let's see if anyone is home," Juushirou suggested in lieu of an answer.

The door wasn't locked, but no one was inside the shop itself. Juushirou had to hide a chuckle upon seeing Byakuya's face. After this long he was well versed in reading the nobles' stoicism, even a Kuchiki's. Byakuya's expression was definitely set on 'incredulous' at the sight of shelves full of candy and other miscellaneous wares.

A door opened at the back. It was followed by a short silence. Then, a drawling, cheerful voice said, "My, my. This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure of visitors of such exalted rank?"

Juushirou turned towards the door and smiled at the blond standing there. He hadn't seen Kisuke in person since his exile, and it was good to see for himself that the younger Shinigami was well. "Good evening, Urahara-san. Our apologies for dropping by so rudely, but we would like to speak with you, if you have time."

Kisuke looked between him and Byakuya for a moment before giving an exaggerated shrug, his hat shadowing his eyes in a way that gave the nonchalant gesture an almost sinister tint. "Well, if the honourable Captains wish so, who am I to deny them?"

Juushirou hid a wince. Kisuke sounded perfectly genial, but it did not take effort to catch the bite in those words. He didn't think it was aimed at him specifically, but…well, he knew fully well that Kisuke had all reason to be displeased with him. Byakuya was a risk to Kisuke's safety, and while Juushirou thought the risk wasn't that big, it wasn't as if he was the one in danger of execution or imprisonment either.

He sighed to himself. Nothing he could do about it now. Instead he was as polite as he could as he removed his waraji and followed their host into the back of the building to a small sitting room. Juushirou spotted a large cat plushy in the corner of the room and had to suppress a laugh at the unexpected sight despite the seriousness of the situation. Somehow, he had the feeling that the young Shihouin princess had something to do with its presence.

He noticed Byakuya giving the fluffy toy a rather dark look, and allowed himself a small grin. So he wasn't the only one who was reminded.

"Please take a seat," Kisuke said with a negligent wave towards the low table as he disappeared to what Juushirou assumed to be the kitchen.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed almost unnoticeably at Kisuke's rudeness. Quietly, he asked, "Are you sure this is a good idea, Ukitake-taichou?"

Juushirou shrugged as he took two zabuton from a stack in the corner and sat down. "It may not be the best, but it is the most expedient. Urahara-san knows this neighbourhood well and your sister was staying here. It is possible he may have noticed something."

Byakuya didn't comment further but it was clear he didn't approve of Kisuke. Juushirou wasn't too concerned. He would have been more surprised if Byakuya had. Kisuke had always been a bit too odd for most nobles, and his years in the Human World had only worsened that.

Shortly after they had been seated, Kisuke came back in with a tray of small treats. To Juushirou's surprise he was followed by a young, black-haired girl who didn't look older than ten. she was carrying a tray with teapot and cups on it.

"Hello there. I don't believe we've met before," Juushirou greeted the girl with a kind smile. "I am Ukitake Juushirou, and this here is Kuchiki Byakuya."

The girl blushed. "Tsumugiya Ururu. Pleased to meet you," she mumbled shyly. She bowed politely, before setting the tray down and serving the tea.

Byakuya thawed a little. Not that anyone who did not know him well would notice a change, but Juushirou knew Byakuya always tried to be kind to young children. Especially if they weren't too loud and showed some manners. Juushirou suspected that Kisuke had brought Tsumugiya along with a purpose.

"Pleasure," the younger Captain said with a regal nod of his head. "I must say I am surprised to see one so young here."

The 'here' had a definite edge to it. Clearly Byakuya had already formed an opinion about Kisuke, and it wasn't flattering. Juushirou resisted the urge to sigh.

Tsumugiya didn't seem to have noticed. She fidgeted. "I work here," she said softly. "Tenchou and Tessai-san take care of Jinta and me."

"Ururu-chan and Jinta-kun are my wards," Kisuke said cheerfully, as if he was sharing an unimportant everyday fact. So Juushirou had been right. He was emotionally blackmailing them. Byakuya didn't seem to have noticed the ploy behind Tsumugiya's presence and just looked mildly concerned, though whether that was at the thought of someone like Kisuke raising a child, or just concern for the child in general Juushirou couldn't tell. Goal accomplished, Kisuke turned to Tsumugiya. "Ururu-chan, why don't you go and help Tessai, hm?"

"Okay tenchou," Tsumugiya agreed with a small smile. With a final curtsy she left the room.

Deciding to be accommodating, Juushirou helped Kisuke's scheme along a little and watched her go with a frown on his face. "She doesn't have parents?" he asked.

"Nope," Kisuke said with a casual shrug. He took a sip of his tea, flashing a small grin at Juushirou from behind the rim of his cup. "Now what did you wish to talk about?"

"It's about Kuchiki Rukia," Juushirou explained before Byakuya could say something. He had the feeling that if he let Kisuke and Byakuya talk too much things were unlikely to go smoothly. Plus, as Rukia's commanding officer it was only proper that he was the one who made the inquiries. "She should have been staying here since the start of her assignment."

"She does indeed," Kisuke confirmed. "Why, did something happen?"

"We think so. It is probably easiest if we just show you." Fishing out the data file the Twelfth had given him with their report, he handed the papers over to Kisuke. He ignored Byakuya's narrowed eyes at his actions. He would explain why he expected that Kisuke could read them easily later.

Kisuke scanned the pages and raised a brow. "Huh. Now this is interesting."

"I would go for a slightly different adjective, but yes," Juushirou agreed wryly. "Interesting is one way to describe the situation. You didn't notice anything?"

"No. Though that has mostly to do with the calibration of my equipment. These are very faint signals. In another place it would definitely say a lot, but this is a spiritually charged area and Hollows are common enough here that there's always some background noise, so signals like these are automatically filtered out. I would never get any rest otherwise. How did you get this data?"

"Kuchiki-san's denreishinki. Hers is the Twelfth's latest design. Its reiatsu detecting functions are a lot more precise than in the old models." Juushirou didn't add that she only had it because of Byakuya's insistence that one of his Clan should have the best equipment possible. It wasn't Kisuke's business to know how demanding the Kuchiki Clan Head could be.

"I see. They've really improved," Kisuke muttered absently as he continued to study the readouts. For some reason he did seem a bit put out about that, though Juushirou supposed he shouldn't find that surprising. The Twelfth used to be Kisuke's after all.

"Well!" the shopkeeper declared and snapped the file closed. "I can see why you're worried. What do you need from me?"

"Mostly we wanted to know whether you knew something about this," Juushirou admitted. "But clearly you don't."

Kisuke hummed and shot him a thoughtful look. "To be fair, I did not watch her very closely. She and I keep different schedules, and she seemed fine the few times I've seen her. I had no reason to suspect foul play."

"Even so, we would like to inspected her room." Byakuya stated. Juushirou raised both brows at this, wordlessly asking, really? Since when? Byakuya continued talking as if he hadn't seen a thing. "If she noticed something herself she might have made notes."

Juushirou wanted to roll his eyes. As far as he knew, Rukia was not in the habit to write things down. Byakuya should know this, so what he asked for was unnecessarily.

At times, Juushirou really felt that he should say something about Byakuya's behaviour towards Rukia. He understood that the younger man had difficulty connecting to her because she looked so much like his deceased beloved, but going behind her back was not the way to handle that. It was a pity that it just wasn't his place to do so. Byakuya was the Kuchiki Clan Head so only the Kuchiki Elders could criticize him on his treatment of his family, and obviously they didn't feel the need to do it.

Kisuke raised a brow at Byakuya as if he had similar thoughts. Took a fan from somewhere and snapped it open in front of his face. "Intrude on a young lady's privacy? Regulations must have changed lately, if Captains are allowed to do that nowadays," he exclaimed as if scandalized, eying Byakuya suspiciously. His expression was amplified by the shadows cast by his hat.

Juushirou very nearly grinned. Kisuke might not have said a word of censure, but the scolding was implicit. It was very faint, but from the subtle shifts in Byakuya's expressions, Kisuke's unvoiced critique did hit home. And was that a bit more colour on his cheeks?

"She is my sister," Byakuya replied blandly. Juushirou almost sighed. Pity Byakuya was good at ignoring things he didn't wish to acknowledge.

"Hm. Well, I suppose if her brother says it's okay, I suppose a lowly cretin like me can't protest, can I?" Kisuke said with an exaggerated dubious look. "Why, I'd only be allowing two men access to a young noble lady's bedroom. Nothing inappropriate about that at all."

Juushirou dearly wanted to laugh. It wouldn't help the situation at all, but he truly wanted to. He had to cough a little from the strain of keeping it in. Oh, Byakuya's face. It was hardly noticeable, but he was sure Byakuya had pinked a little there. He had even abandoned his usual blank mask to glare at Kisuke.

"Urahara-san, please stop antagonizing Kuchiki-taichou," Juushirou requested once his coughing subsided, waving away Byakuya's concerned look and Kisuke's worried frown. "You know he wouldn't ask this if there isn't a chance that Kuchiki-san is compromised."

Kisuke grinned, unrepentant. "I know. I just wanted to pull his leg a little," he reassured, as if that was any kind of excuse. "Now, if you will follow me?"

He stood with a flourish and walked out of the door without waiting for them to rise as well. Byakuya tried to remain expressionless, but Juushirou could tell that he felt insulted from the tiny crease between his brows. "And you trust this man?" his fellow Captain asked under his breath as they hurried to catch up.

Juushirou chuckled at the ill-veiled disbelief. "I admit he's odd, but he is more reliable than he appears," he responded just as quietly.

Byakuya looked unconvinced but continued to follow Juushirou's lead. Juushirou supposed that was the best he was going to get. It was good enough for now. Byakuya didn't need to like Kisuke. All he had to do was not report him to the Captain Commander or Central 46.

They followed Kisuke to a small room at the back, right next to the backdoor of the shop. It was simple and sparsely furnished, but clean and well-tended to. A futon was laid out on the ground and was neatly made. Rukia probably didn't spend a lot of time here and hadn't felt the need to put it away. A small writing desk sat in a corner, along with a basic writing set and some papers. A closet stood to the side, one door slightly open, allowing a glimpse of a few plain yukata and the place to put the futon when it wasn't in use. Another corner was occupied by a tiny kitchenette, where the dishes of what he suspected was breakfast rested on a draining board.

Juushirou nodded approvingly at the simple accommodation. They were the perfect lodgings for a Shinigami on patrol duty.

Byakuya seemed a bit less pleased about the room his sister stayed in, but he kept quiet and moved to inspect the desk. Juushirou heaved a mental sigh. If anyone should do check the closet it was Byakuya since he was the close family member, but Juushirou knew an evasive manoeuvre when he saw one. The flexibility of Byakuya's sense of propriety apparently didn't stretch far enough for him to check the shelves that held his sister's clothes.

Well. Good thing he had all those formative years with Shunsui to learn how to deal with embarrassing situations like these.

Step one: acting embarrassed about it only made it worse.

He went quick and business-like over the shelves, only touching or moving clothes to check if there was nothing hidden behind or underneath. He carefully didn't come near the small pile of underwear. If she had hidden any kind of diary or documents there then obviously they were way too important and personal for him to go through them. There was a limit to how many lines he was willing to cross.

Nothing. Byakuya had finished with the desk and was going through the cupboards in the kitchenette. What he expected to find there Juushirou didn't know, but who knew? Maybe Rukia was just odd. Surely Byakuya knew his sister's habits better than he, and Juushirou had more than enough experience with young Shinigami to know Byakuya could be on to something there.

In the meantime, he checked the more logical hiding places. Nothing near the bed or beneath the pillow. Nothing beneath the futon either. Litter basket… ah. Obviously Rukia didn't make much waste. Which was good, because otherwise Juushirou would have been quite a bit more reluctant to stick his hand in there to take out a crumpled envelope.

He carefully avoided a red stain left by some kind of sticky sauce as he checked it for any kind of contents. He gave a pleased hum as he found a neatly folded piece of paper inside.

It wasn't really his business to read personal correspondence of one of his Shinigami, but since they were being invasive anyway they might as well be thorough in checking for clues for what was going on with Rukia and the Hollow.

Huh. It was a letter. Addressed to Kisuke, with the immediate request to pass it on to either Byakuya or him. And from the date at the top… "She wrote this not long after the start of her assignment here," he realized.

Byakuya hastily joined him and Kisuke wandered over with a frown. "Really?"

Unlike Byakuya, Kisuke didn't have qualms about leaning into someone's personal space to get a look at the letter in his hands. Kisuke's eyes flew over first few lines of Rukia's neat calligraphy. He scratched his head beneath his hat. "Not to draw hasty conclusions, but since it's that old and there's no follow up, she has probably dealt with that Hollow already." He eyed Juushirou. "There wasn't a follow up, was there?"

"She didn't call me," Juushirou acknowledged. But with the abilities Rukia speculated the Hollow had, that wasn't reassuring. Especially because she hadn't reported anything about defeating this creature either. And given what it might be capable of, that was definitely cause for concern.

It being able to successfully conceal itself from Shinigami would have been bad enough. But now it looked like either the creature was manipulative, capable of mind control, or had lures that looked like young Human girls designed to draw in Shinigami who desired to protect the innocent from being preyed on. Frankly, with this list in front of him, Juushirou hoped it had just been manipulative and Rukia had successfully dealt with it. It would explain why the letter was in the litter basket.

But if it was capable of mind control… Suddenly, the Hollow reiatsu that had been detected around her made an awful, chilling amount of sense.

Either the reiatsu the Twelfth detected is from its presence… or from whatever ability it uses to warp minds.

Kami, what a mess.

"Well," Juushirou said quietly. "No matter what the situation is, we'll have to check on Kuchiki-san and see if we need to bring her home."

"Tonight, preferably," Byakuya agreed once he'd skimmed through the letter.

Kisuke hummed thoughtfully. "If you want, I can give you a good reiatsu sensor so you can find her faster," he offered.

Byakuya looked insulted at the suggestion, and Juushirou quickly responded with a smile. "Thank you for the offer, Urahara-san, but that won't be necessary. I'm sure Kuchiki-taichou and I will be able to find her without problems."

Kisuke shrugged. "If that's how you want it. Please do let me know how this turns out? It would be terrible remiss of me not to recalibrate my systems if that creature is still alive and somehow snuck past my notice." An exited glint entered his eyes. "If you could take the Hollow alive it would be even better. I haven't had the chance to do a thorough research on such an ability before."

Juushirou shook his head, amused despite himself. He should have expected this, really. "If it is possible without too much risks, I promise we will take the creature alive and bring it to you. But you know we won't risk lives for it."

Kisuke waved his fan with an placating smile. "Best I can hope for, I know. I take what I can get, Ukitake-taichou."

As they prepared to leave, Juushirou hung back a little while Byakuya put his waraji back on. Gently grabbed Kisuke's arm to pull him aside. "I really am very sorry about this," he told the shopkeeper quietly. "I didn't mean to bring anyone, but with the report…."

Kisuke's gaze softened a little. "I know Ukitake-senpai. I may not be happy about it, but I understand." He grinned, wide and unrepentant. "Not to mention, it was quite entertaining to rile him up a little. Now I know why Yoruichi liked doing it so much."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

"Can you believe that man!? He was infuriating!"

"Hat'n Clogs tends to be that, yes," Ichigo agreed dryly. "It's what makes him Hat'n Clogs."

"All I wanted was some straight answers! But it was like pulling teeth! I just know he was mocking me the entire time!" Rukia seethed. "That insensitive bastard of a scheming weasel."

Ichigo snickered. He put up his hands when Rukia glared at him. "Sorry, sorry. But really. You sound just like Tatsuki after the first time she tried to have a serious discussion with Urahara-san."

Rukia deflated. "He failed you, Ichigo," she said miserably. "Because he was being stupid. And he wasn't even sorry."

"Actually, he really is," Ichigo told her. "Once we got past the whole Shinigami-vs-Hollows stage and he realized that gee, I really am sane and not about to eat my sisters, anyway. Took off his hat and got on his knees and everything. Is how we discovered he used to be friends with my dad." He rolled his eyes as if he thought the whole apologizing thing had been over the top, but in Rukia's opinion, getting on his knees was the least Urahara could have done.

"You have to understand, Hat'n Clogs is a control freak. You're right about the scheming. Seriously. He doesn't act like it most of the time, but he is. So when this happened–" Ichigo gestured at himself, "– he took that as a personal failure. And never mind that is was just rotten luck, the idiot," Ichigo said exasperatedly.

"Well, he could have done more," Rukia replied mulishly.

"Yeah, and if I had watched the street better, I probably could have avoided that car. And if mom and dad hadn't had that weird accident I bet they could have kicked that Hollow's ass. Sometimes shitty things just happen and all you can do is deal with it the best you can."

Rukia fidgeted with her sleeve. Okay, Ichigo had a point there, but still….

And Ichigo was definitely laughing at her. "You really don't like Urahara-san, do you?"

"You're not convincing me you liked him after you learned he could have prevented you from becoming a Hollow."

Ichigo shrugged. "I didn't, but I got over it once I realized exactly how much he was helping us out. I wouldn't have made it this far without him."

Rukia softened. "I suppose…."

They looked up as they heard the harsh sounds of sandals slapping against the pavement at a dead run. Jinta was racing towards them at top speed, a little wild-eyed and entirely out of breath. Rukia and Ichigo rushed to meet him, worried something had happened at the shop.

"Ichigo," he panted the moment they were in hearing distance. "Ichigo, you gotta run!" He took a deep gulp of air, waving away their helping hands. "You gotta go to Hueco Mundo and lie low. There're Shinigami at the shop."

Ichigo and Rukia froze. "Shinigami?" she muttered, shocked, at the same time that Ichigo asked incredulously, "Why would Shinigami be here?"

Rukia raked her brain for any kind of reason. "I don´t know," she told him worriedly. "They shouldn't be here. My assignment hasn't ended yet and I've not reported anything out of the ordinary either."

"I don't know either," Jinta added. "Just passing the message. They'd just arrived when the old man told me to go warn you. Said he probably couldn't keep them long."

"Do you know who?" Rukia demanded. "If they are just unseated Shinigami they shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Jinta shook his head. "I think they're Captains. They're both wearing a white haori with a number on the back." He grimaced. "Tenchou thinks they're here for you."

Rukia went deadly pale.

Ichigo stared blankly at the redhead. "You've got to be kidding," he said faintly. "Two Captains? Have they never heard of overkill?"

"Ichigo, you've got to run," Rukia told him earnestly.

"Yeah," he agreed, snapping out of his stunned stupor. He paused, torn. "I've got to tell my sisters I won't be around for a while…."

"I'll do that," Jinta told him. "You just go and hide!"

The boy took off before they could stop him. Rukia shook her head and crossed her arms. "Right. You've heard him. Get going. We'll take care of things here."

Ichigo shot her a grateful look. "I know. Thanks." He brushed the edge of his mask over the crown of her head in gratitude. Rukia blushed a little and waved him off.

It was only by accident that she was looking in the right direction to see them coming. She knew Ichigo had sensed them because the look of horror in his eyes matched her feelings.

She couldn't be more thankful for Ichigo's excellent instincts. He dodged without even turning around, narrowly avoiding the sword that almost ran him through.

Rukia's own reaction was far less astute. She was too caught up in the feeling of dread the appearance of the Captains evoked within her. White and black. Stark monochrome compared to the more colourful Humans she had gotten used to.

"N-Nii-sama," she stuttered. "Ukitake-taichou…."

"Are you alright, Kuchiki-san?" her Captain demanded. He didn't approach as fast as her brother, and with rising unease, Rukia realized it wasn't just because her Nii-sama was fast even by Captain standards. She had been part of the Thirteenth long enough to know Ukitake's skin looked a bit too pale and clammy to be normal.

He came looking for me, even though his illness is flaring up again, Rukia thought guiltily.

"It didn't do anything to you?" Ukitake continued to question, worry knotting his brow as he put a hand on her head and send a pulse of reiatsu though her that she recognized as a diagnostic kidou. "I'm so sorry, we've only just found your letter."

"I'm fine, sir," she hastily reassured him. She yelped as she saw Ichigo barely avoid another attack from her brother. "Nii-sama, please stop! Don't kill him, he's not evil!"

She got disbelieving looks from both Captains for that, which, okay, she knew that was only to be expected. Byakuya's eyes narrowed a fraction, and she knew him well enough to know he was displeased. He returned his attention to Ichigo, who had to scramble back to avoid her brother's increasingly vicious strikes.

"Nii-sama, stop it!" she begged. Cursing, she reached for Sode no Shirayuki. If they'd only allow her a moment to explain-!

A strong hand clamped around her wrist, stopping her from drawing her Zanpakutou and forcing her blade back into her sheath. Immediately after that a white-clad arm wrapped around her torso, trapping her arms against her sides and pressing her back against the larger body behind her.

"I'm terribly sorry, Kuchiki-san," her Captain said soothingly as he restrained her wriggling form. "But it seems that you're not thinking clearly at the moment. I cannot allow you to interfere."

She fought to escape his uncomfortably warm hold. Oh yes. That was a sign of fever setting in. Definitely. Her Division was going to kill her. "Taichou, please, listen to me!" she begged as she tried to free herself. "Ichigo isn't like other Hollows! He doesn't eat Human souls and he's been helping me. He really acts like a Shinigami, sir! I swear he isn't dangerous!"

Her Captain looked disturbed. "I'm sure that's what it likes you to believe," he said, not unkindly. "Please stop fighting, Kuchiki-san. I understand that he's using his ability to confuse you, but calm yourself. This will be over soon enough, and then we will take you home. I'm sure Unohana-taichou will be able to help you."

Rukia nearly saw red. "With all due respect, sir," she spat, "kindly refrain from implying I'm insane, thank you. I don't need help, I need Nii-sama to stop trying to kill my friend!" The last part came out near hysterical because her brother chose that moment to carve deeply into Ichigo's shoulder, narrowly missing his mask. Ichigo's snarl of pain was like a knife to her heart.

Her Captain sighed and tightened his hold on her. "I'm sorry, but you know I can't do that," he said with true regret.

Rukia was nearly sobbing now, struggling against her Captain's greater strength. Ichigo was fighting hard, but Byakuya had an overwhelming upper hand against her friend, never offering a second of reprieve. And Ichigo would need more than just a second to create a garganta to disappear through. Blood already stained the pavement, and it wasn't her brother's. Thanks to his incredible healing ability the injuries didn't slow Ichigo down, but Byakuya was quickly figuring that out.

Rukia had the feeling that the only reason why her brother hadn't succeeded in killing him yet was because Ichigo kept surprising him. With as weak as he felt to their senses he really shouldn't have been able to dodge a Captain's blade, even if the Captain was wearing a limiter. But the speed of her brother's attacks was steadily increasing, and it was only a matter of time before Ichigo could no longer keep up.

Come on, Ichigo. Quit holding back and fight seriously already! she prayed. If Ichigo released his full power he might have a chance to create the opening he needed to make his escape, but she had the feeling he wouldn't do it. Without thinking about the consequences she had identified Byakuya as her brother, and she knew Ichigo valued family more than anything. He was probably trying not to hurt him.

Idiot! Worry about yourself first!

Well, if the idiot was too stupid to figure that out for himself she just had to help him.

Dropping her head so Ukitake couldn't see her face, she started to mutter as fast and quietly as she could. "Carrion crows circle and the dogs howl. The demon vulture cackles! A smith crafts a leash of jewels to subdue the monstrous beasts! Bakudou number sixty-three, Sajou Sabaku!"

Halfway through her spell she felt her Captain pull back as he realized what she was up to. She reached back and grabbed the loose fabric of his uniform, buying herself a precious second to finish her incantation.

His uncharacteristic yelp of surprise when her kidou bound him almost made her let out an unhinged laugh. Sorry Captain. I'm afraid you're going to have to write me up.

Kami, she was going to be in so much trouble after this.

No time to think about that now. She needed all her concentration for the next chant. She would only get one shot at this, and she needed to be fast. Nijuu Eishou it was then.

"One hundred eyes has the Hyakume," she muttered, fingers glowing with power as she rushed towards the fight. "The bloodied spears of the soldiers lust to penetrate the flesh. The pranking creatures laugh as men trip and fall. The glare of the sun blinds them all and makes them weep! Hear the howls! Fear the pale white rains as they punish the land!"

Jumping between her brother and her friend, her hand slapped harder against the pavement than she'd intended. "Bakudou number twenty-one, Sekienton!" she yelled, ignoring the pain in her hand. Crimson smoke burst from the red circle before her feet, obscuring the entire street.

She stepped back and bumped into a stunned Ichigo. "Rukia? What are you doing?" he asked incredulously.

Rukia didn't reply. Just grabbed his arm as she finished her second spell. "Bakudou number sixty-two, Hyapporankan!"

A glowing rod of energy appeared in her hand. She flung it with all her strength at the spot where her senses told her Byakuya was located. Without waiting to find out whether she'd hit her mark, she dragged Ichigo a few yards back and said in a deadly serious voice, "If you don't make a garganta, right goddamn now, I swear I'm going to kick your ass to Hueco Mundo myself."

Right after that she launched into another incantation, just in case her brother had managed to avoid her attack.

"Will you be fine?" he asked as he hurriedly ripped the air open. He immediately stepped inside, which was good. Now all he needed to do was close the damn thing. But knowing him, he probably wouldn't because he thought he might have to yank her in after him.

Which. Well. Might not be a completely terrible idea. But kidnapping a member of the Kuchiki Clan would only worsen the manhunt she knew they were going to start for him, so she just couldn't let him do that. No matter how much she wanted to let him when her thoughts strayed towards the trouble she had landed herself in.

Honestly, the less she tried to think about what the repercussions might be for what she'd just done, the better for her mental wellbeing.

Finishing the incantation, Rukia was relieved when her cubic barrier closed around them without any Captain stopping her. "I'll be fine," she told him with far more confidence than she really felt as she tried to shoo him further into the garganta. "They think you're controlling me, so their target is you. The worst they'll give me is a mental check-up." Which, knowing Captain Unohana, could be bad enough. She truly prayed she wasn't lying right now. "Now get the hell out of here, you stone-skulled idiot!"

For a long moment, Ichigo stared at her as if he could see her future just by looking long enough. Then he nodded slowly. "Alright. But… keep safe, okay? And try to let us know what happened later?"

"Sure, sure. Now go! I swear, you don't have any sense of self-preservation!"

With a last lingering glance, Ichigo let the tear in the fabric of the world close. She was left staring at an empty patch of air with a lump in her throat and her heart somewhere in the vicinity of her toes.

Slowly she let her barrier go. Swallowed thickly, and turned.

Her stomach made a valiant attempt to thoroughly tie itself in unsolvable knots while she waited for the smoke of her spell to dissipate. Then the clouds of red parted enough to reveal her brother's severe countenance. Behind him she could see her Captain struggling against her binding spell. She didn't know how he did it, but as he muttered a handful of words the glowing chains slid off him as if they were suddenly too loose to hold their grip. His expression was as grim as her brother's.

She mentally whimpered.

Oh Kami. What had she brought onto herself?

Chapter Text

Brushing off the last of the clingy kidou ropes as he eyed the holes in Byakuya's clothes from the Hyapporankan rods, Juushirou had to admit he was impressed. Three kidou spells in less than that number of minutes, all of decent level, of which two had been carried out with Nijuu Eishou. He was also fairly sure he had sensed the younger Kuchiki cast a barrier, but if she had, she had already released it again by the time the smoke cleared completely. Rukia had been practicing quite religiously, it seemed. Under different circumstances, he would have expressed his pride at his subordinate's skill.

Given the circumstances, praise would have to wait.

Scanning the area for the reiatsu of the Hollow, he had to hold back a few expletives. Gone. Just as he'd expected.

"Kuchiki-san, would you care to explain your actions just now?" Juushirou asked sternly, brushing the last sparks of reiryoku from his clothes.

Rukia swallowed, even paler than was normal for Kuchiki, but she straightened resolutely. "Sir, I would like to report a case of a Hollow who retained his human mind." She met his eyes with firm resolve, despite the trembling of her hands. "I merely acted to keep you from harming an innocent soul."

That… was so outlandish that Juushirou had to pinch the bridge of his nose to suppress the faint throbbing that started to rear its head behind his eyes. He tried to remain reasonable. "Kuchiki-san, while I would otherwise would be willing to trust your judgement, no such case has ever been recorded in our history, indicating that such a thing is not possible. I'm afraid you've been badly misled."

Anger flashed through her eyes, a similar spitfire-attitude her brother was once known for. Juushirou felt his headache grow from mere possibility to certainty.

That, and a bout of fever was simmering beneath his skin, but that hardly mattered in the face of Kuchiki's compromised mental state.

And how badly compromised she showed in her very behaviour. This was not mere mind control. Hollows with that kind of ability were rare, but he had seen a few cases during his long tenure. She didn't act like someone under a Hollow's thrall. She wasn't emotionless like a puppet nor did she move like one who wasn't in command of her body. And she also did not behave erratically in a reflection of the Hollow's character. She was too much like herself and was too visibly aware of the deep pit she was digging for herself.

"Ichigo isn't a monster," she said vehemently, hands clenching into fists at her sides.

Ah yes, that was the name for the Gotei Thirteen's newest headache. She had mentioned it before. And… Ichigo? Juushirou just knew that name was going to cause problems and he resolved to head off any attempts to have that name spelled as 'strawberry' as early as possible. Even though the armour was red enough to justify such a moniker. This creature was too dangerous not to be taken seriously. Giving it a mockery of a name would blind the more naïve Shinigami to the true danger it posed. The creature's lack of a significant reiatsu signature was already deceptive enough. There was no need to borrow trouble.

"As much as I would like to believe you, there's only evidence of the contrary-"

"What evidence?! He wasn't doing anything!" Frustration and defiance screamed from every line of her body, and Juushirou had the feeling that if they weren't Captains Rukia wouldn't even try to restrain her volume. "We were talking just now! You know, like normal people. We walked right past dozens of Humans, and he didn't even so much as twitch his claws. And just now Nii-sama was the one who attacked, not him! I have been watching him for days and he never-"

"That's enough, Rukia," Byakuya snapped. Rukia flinched, and her brother visibly reigned in his temper. "You will accompany Ukitake-taichou and me back to Seireitei, where you will submit to a mental evaluation from Unohana-taichou," he said sternly. "She will make sure to put an end to this nonsense."

"It isn't nonsense-"

With a sigh Juushirou stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. She twitched, but a wary look aside she didn't shy away. How convenient. "Forgive me, Kuchiki-san," he murmured, carefully shaping energy so it would remain invisible and unnoticeable, lest he would startle her into doing something foolish. Well, something else foolish.

She dropped like a stone.

He caught her suddenly limp body, controlling her fall. Laid a hand on her forehead to see if he could find some trace of the Hollow's thrall. He answered Byakuya's startled look with an apologetic smile. "In these cases I've always found it is better not to argue too much. It never seems to help."

"I was not aware you were this skilled in kaidou," Byakuya remarked.

"Out of necessity, mostly," Juushirou admitted. "But sometimes it comes in handy."

Byakuya nodded, acknowledging that point. A tiny frown creased the skin between his eyebrows as he regarded his sister. "I shall carry her," he declared.

Juushirou allowed him without complaint. He had to admit he was starting to feel quite awful, and he did not wish to risk accidentally dropping Rukia. Dizzy spells were all too common when his illness was flaring up like this.

With a sigh he rose and drew his Zanpakutou. Better to get all of them home quickly. He would have to fill in Kisuke on what happened at a later point. Right now he was not feeling up to making a detour.

With a chime, the senkaimon opened. Seconds later, all that remained of their presence were a few monochrome fibres of shredded fabric and wild patterns painted in cherry-red on the pavement.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

"How curious," Retsu said softly, glowing hand resting on Rukia's forehead.

"Would you care to explain that remark, Unohana-taichou?" Byakuya asked stiffly from where he was standing near the door. Juushirou himself was seated in a comfortable chair with a cup of soup and his usual medicine, which he was taking with a faint grimace. It tasted unpleasant even after the many centuries he'd had to get used to it.

Retsu folded her hands, looking endlessly serene in spite of their current dilemma. "I can find no trace of the ability you spoke of," she explained. "No Hollow energy is twisting her mind. No energy at all, in fact. There is only her own. If you had not told me how she behaved before, I would not be able to guess there is anything wrong with her."

"Nothing at all?" Juushirou questioned with a frown.

"Not a single thing. She seemed to have suffered some injuries recently, but those are expertly healed and would not explain her behaviour in any case." Retsu herself seemed as puzzled by this as they were, though it might be hard to tell if you didn't know her.

Juushirou hated mysteries like these. They never seemed to end well. "I have the feeling we are going to regret reporting this," he sighed.

Byakuya looked scandalized. "It is our duty to report creatures like that Hollow," he pointed out. "If we do not eliminate that Hollow soon all Shinigami will be in danger."

"I am aware. Still, it might have been better if we waited with our report until we could determine more about the methods it used to influence your sister, Kuchiki-taichou," Juushirou said placatingly. "Since our original assumptions seem to be incorrect. Faulty information is just as dangerous as ignorance."

Byakuya's mouth tightened into a thin line but he inclined his head, conceding that point. He directed an inquiring look at Retsu.

Retsu sighed. "Unfortunately, I can offer you no solution. I do not know how a Hollow managed to twist Kuchiki-san's beliefs to such a degree. She was convinced the Hollow was innocent?"

"She stated so rather explicitly," Juushirou confirmed, just slightly wry. Under different circumstances he would have found her fervent defence endearing, reminding him a bit too much of several other spirited youngsters he'd had the misfortune to have to argue with. It was chilling, the kind of thing this Hollow had achieved in the time Kuchiki had been away from home.

"Curious," Retsu said again. Thought for a while, a small frown creasing her brow. "Kuchiki-taichou, Ukitake-taichou, how likely do you think it is that the Hollow convinced her solely with words and actions?"

"Highly unlikely," Juushirou answered promptly.

"My sister knows her duty. She would not betray the Gotei Thirteen," Byakuya added disapprovingly.

Retsu nodded slowly, in a way that made dread sink in Juushirou's chest.

"I see," was all she said.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

So Ichi-nii won't be home for a while?" Karin questioned.

Jinta nodded vigorously. "Yeah. He was gonna make a run for it. Can't blame him. Not with Captains on his tail."

Yuzu nodded to herself. "So we just need to pretend to be normal," she mused as she stirred the miso she was preparing for dinner. She paused for a moment, anxiously biting her lip. "Do you think Onii-chan will be okay?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, 'course he will," Jinta said confidently. "Ichigo is badass and Shinigami can't make garganta. Bet he slipped right through their fingers. He's sneaky like that."

Yuzu smiled tremulously, but nodded in agreement. "He is, isn't he?"

"You bet he is," Karin assured her comfortingly as she slung an arm around her sister's shoulders, though she herself was just as worried. "Hey, you think we should let the others know? Maybe one of them can stay over. You know how Ichi-nii gets when we're alone at home."

"Sure! I'll give them a call!" Yuzu agreed with forced cheer. "Can you watch the food for a moment?"

"Leave it to me," Karin replied. After checking the pans for a moment, she leaned against the kitchen counter and sighed. "Wish we weren't so dependent," she grumbled, mostly to herself.

"What?" Jinta asked.

"When it comes to Hollows," Karin elaborated. "Ichi-nii's always worrying about us. Sometimes I wish we could handle them ourselves."

"Then ya should learn. Shouldn't be too hard for ya," Jinta pointed out. "Me and Ururu managed just fine."

Karin scoffed. "Yeah, but according to Hat'n Clogs we won't be able to do anything until we're dead."

Jinta scratched his head. "Why not? Ya seem powerful enough, for a girl."

Karin punched him in the shoulder with a scowl, before crossing her arms. "Because our powers lean too strongly towards Shinigami, and we will have to sever our Chain of Fate before we can use them."

Jinta scowled back, rubbing his arm. "Why don't ya then? Can't be too hard to get rid of that chain. The old man could come up with something for sure to get ya your power! Prob'ly wouldn't even hurt that much, if ya give him a bit of time. Tis not like ya can't get a gigai after."

"Because Ichi-nii would flip," Karin said, defeated and just a little angry. "You have no idea how badly. He already doesn't like the idea of the others putting themselves in danger, and he isn't half as protective of them as he is of us. He'd drive himself crazy with worry."

She glared darkly at nothing in particular. It wasn't that she did not understand where her brother was coming from. She did. They had already lost too much and come too close to losing each other, to ever be comfortable with their siblings putting themselves into danger. It was worse for their brother because Yuzu and her were only eleven, but if Ichigo wouldn't starve otherwise, Karin and Yuzu would have long ago banded together to make him quit going after other Hollows. They would have made him listen.

Ichigo might have been the one who died, but if he had been anyone else, anyone else at all, the loss would have been as real for him as it would have been for the twins. If they hadn't been able to see ghosts he would have been doomed to the kind of loneliness that could drive even the mildest person into insanity. If Ichigo hadn't somehow managed to keep himself from tipping over the edge of sanity into the madness that claimed all other Hollows….

Karin couldn't bear thinking about what could have happened if things had just been a little bit different.

She bowed her head, letting her hair hide her expression, nails digging into her arms. "… I hate that I can't do anything," she hissed.

Jinta looked incredibly uncomfortable. He awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, floundering for something to say that wouldn't get his face kicked in. "Well… maybe ya can ask the old man for some kind of weapon? He's good at those. He made a really cool bat for me, bet he could rig something up for ya two," he offered tentatively. Then he pulled a more serious face, for once proving that he was actually older than he looked. "But really, ya shouldn't worry about Ichigo. Ya know he'll come out just fine. He's way too strong and sneaky not to."

The corners of Karin's lips lifted a little. "Yeah, you're probably right."

When Yuzu returned with a smile that was no longer entirely fake and the message that the others were coming over, Karin managed to give a similar smile in return.

Maybe they would ask Urahara for a weapon, she thought to herself, and damn their brother's objections. Maybe now they were a bit older Ichigo would see it was only sensible that they could defend themselves.

Though maybe she shouldn't tell him they wanted to protect him too. Ichigo had a thing about being their defender, not the other way around. Better to leave that as a surprise.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

"What?" hissed Juushirou. "Sir, please tell me you're joking."

"We do not joke about these things, Captain Ukitake. Surely you remember our laws. Siding with Hollows, no matter the reason, is treason," the primary spokesperson of the Central 46 stated firmly. "No exceptions. Only one punishment. She will submit to Seireitei's laws."

No. It was a cold, chilling thought. He was sure everyone in the room felt his spike of reiatsu. The sudden tension cramped up his lungs, his illness provoked by the slightest things as always when he was already running a fever, but it was a distant, unimportant thing in the face of this… this atrocity. He had seen and reluctantly carried out many a foolish judgement, but this one, this one he wouldn't allow.

"Kuchiki was brainwashed and manipulated," he argued, forcing down a handful of coughs that threatened to climb up his throat. "Surely the law allows an exemption for circumstances beyond her control?"

"Do not speak nonsense, Captain Ukitake," one of the hidden elders said, shuffling what sounded like a small stack of papers. "There is no proof of such. Captain Unohana herself declared that she could not find any trace of tampering. There are no loopholes. No excuses. Our judgement stands. Tomorrow she will be brought to the Senzaikyuu to await her execution."

"But sir-!" Juushirou didn't manage to finish his sentence because his lungs decided to rebel at that moment. Central 46 ruthlessly used his momentary weakness.

"Defending a treacherous criminal disgraces your station. You will desist now, Captain Ukitake. We will not be swayed. Meeting dismissed!"

"Sir," Shunsui tried to protest, stepping forward from his position as spectator. "Surely you will not condemn an innocent-"

The judges of the Central 46 gave him no room. The voice of their spokesperson was laced with steel and impatience as he said, "The same goes for you, Captain Kyouraku. Continue to obstruct Seireitei's justice and we will have to judge you as complicit in Kuchiki Rukia's crime. Now leave us. We of the Central 46 have more important things to discuss than a petty criminal."

For a moment, Juushirou felt the overwhelming urge to unleash Shikai on a few deserving old heads. He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from inching towards his Zanpakutou.

A sympathetic sigh rumbled next to him. "Come on, Ukitake, let's get you back in bed, huh?" his friend said placatingly, gently leading him out when he tried to stay and argue further. Juushirou went with ill grace. Byakuya followed them out, face a blank mask that did nothing to conceal how shock had leached what little colour he had from his skin.

Juushirou allowed Shunsui to guide him to a bench just outside where he could ride out the worst of his coughs. Neither man joined him. Shunsui instead chose to occupy the wall, while Byakuya stared out on the rest of Seireitei without really seeing anything.

"One does wonder," Shunsui said conversationally, "why you did not help just now."

Beneath the emotionless charade, Byakuya looked painfully conflicted and indecisive. "… The Central 46 have made their decision," he answered quietly. "I do not have the right to question it."

Juushirou scoffed, and promptly let out another string of coughs. "Who… else will… if not us?"

"… It is not my place," Byakuya insisted, aimless as if trying to convince himself more than them. "Their wisdom has led Seireitei well, all these centuries."

"Hm, one can argue that both the Gotei Thirteen and the Noble Clans are partly responsible for that," Shunsui said, for all appearances completely at ease. But the way he used his hat to disguise his expression a bit more than usual betrayed him. "As we have the position and power to question them the duty to call them out on their errors falls to us, and Juushirou and I have always tried our best to fulfil that duty. No matter how much it displeases them to hear that they are not infallible."

Not that it always worked, Juushirou thought fuzzily. Like today. Like that cursed day a hundred years ago. But even knowing the chance of success was low, they had to try.

Byakuya did not deign to give that a response. Maybe he didn't have one. Though both Captains could see that the conflict beneath his false calm had grown.

Shunsui sighed. "… At least think about it, will you? You won't be able to take your choice back once you have allowed the sentence to be carried out."

Byakuya's head dipped almost unnoticeably, not so much as in a polite show of gratitude as in resignation. "… I will keep that in mind."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Predictably, Unohana was not pleased with him once she caught hold of him. Juushirou had not expected her to be. Sneaking out when she was trying to provide him with the best care she could was hardly the polite thing to do. But Juushirou had not dared to miss Central's judgement when he had been summoned to testify so unexpectedly soon, fearing what conclusions they might draw when they called him to court barely a day after he and Byakuya had retrieved Kuchiki Rukia. The speed at which they had started her trial had been alarming all on its own.

Not that it had done any good. The only positive this day had been that Central had denied Captain Kurotsuchi's request to 'examine' his young subordinate. Juushirou had rejected that request before, but he supposed he should not be surprised that Kurotsuchi would try to pursue the subject any way he could. That man's curiosity was relentless.

At least Byakuya had backed him up on that.

Why in the Worlds Byakuya had not supported him when he tried to head off Rukia's execution, Juushirou could not fantom. He suspected Clan politics were at fault, but he could not imagine something that would make the boy who had fought his elders for his wife refrain from facing them for his sister. The whole thing was giving him a headache.

He blinked when his personal denreishinki rang, and buried the urge to groan. Only Shinigami out on assignment in the Human World should have that number, and were strictly informed only to call it in dire emergencies. He did not think he was up for one of those now.

But despite his misgivings, he couldn't in good conscience leave one of his own people hanging just because he was not feeling his best. With a quiet sigh he answered the call.

"Hello?"

His lips twitched when he heard the cheerful and utterly unapologetic greeting on the other side.

"Kisuke-kun, you do realize this is supposed to be an emergency number?" he asked dryly.

"Of course I do! But you never called, you didn't even write… what if you were lying in the gutter somewhere?"

"I am confident that if that was actually the case, calling me would not be your first reaction. You have too many sensors not to notice whatever event would have landed me there," he replied.

"Fair enough…. But anyway, don't tell me you forgot your promise!"

Promise? Oh. "I'm afraid I did," he admitted honestly. "We encountered a bit more trouble than we expected."

Kisuke made an inquiring noise.

With a sigh Juushirou recount the tale, from the Hollow's escape and Rukia's damning behaviour, up to and including Central's unreasonable decision. At least he could be sure Kisuke and he shared a similar view on this.

"My, that isn't good," was Kisuke's opinion. From his tone of voice Juushirou suspected he was grimacing. "Sounds like a real mess."

"It is," Juushirou admitted with a sigh, recognizing the very real hint of worry in Kisuke's voice with fondness. It was kind of Kisuke to still be concerned about other Shinigami in spite of his many misgivings with Seireitei. It was a shame the Gotei 13 lost him. "Not in the least because I just can't understand Kuchiki Byakuya."

"The worst kind of delusions are the ones you can't just gather proof against to shove into someone's face to prove them wrong. Nobles are good at being stubborn about stupid things. It's a pride thing."

Despite everything, Juushirou chuckled. "Don't let Yoruichi-chan hear that one."

"Wouldn't matter, she came up with it herself," Kisuke replied cheerfully. "She was definitely talking from experience."

"Hm, I do have to wonder under what circumstances she said that."

"Please," Kisuke said dismissively. "She was only a little tipsy. She has admitted to worse when sober."

Juushirou smiled. "I'm sure she did," he said noncommittally. He coughed softly, feeling the aching itch of worse rising in his chest. "Was there anything else you needed to know?"

"Nah, nothing that can't wait. You go get better, Juushirou-san. Let me know when the noble brat sees sense."

"I will," he promised as he pressed a handkerchief over his mouth to smother the worst of his coughing. "Goodbye, Kisuke-kun."

"Bye senpai! Say hi to your pet drunk for me!"

Juushirou chuckled despite the pain. "I will tell him," he promised. "Please give my regards to Yoruichi-chan and Tessai-kun."

"Will do!" was the last cheerful promise before the line went dead.

Juushirou smiled to himself as he dropped his denreishinki on his nightstand. Thank the Kami that had not been an actual emergency.

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

When Kisuke ended the call he took the liberty to swear long and heartfelt.

He had so hoped it wouldn't come to this. Hoped that some unknown event would turn the tide in their favour, even though he knew better than to count on good fortune. But even when having taken the possibility into account, it was still disheartening to learn how quickly their opponents had pounced on the young Kuchiki, like wolves on a baby deer.

"Okay, that sounds bad. Don't tell me we have an unpleasant emergency to deal with."

"Might as well be," he admitted. He sighed deeply. "Let's just say it seems several people drew some very faulty conclusions, and we will likely have to deal with the fallout."

"Tell me about it," Yoruichi ordered calmly.

"The wise and honoured Central 46 have judged Kuchiki Rukia's case," Kisuke stated in a dull monotone, imitating a formal Inner Court Troup member. His attempt to mock the government of Seireitei fell flat in the face of the quiet anger that permeated his voice.

"You know I do not like it when you start like that?" Yoruichi remarked absently. "You never seem to have something pleasant to tell when you do."

Kisuke gave her a wan smile, trying for cheerful and failing rather spectacularly.

"I don't really like that smile either. Just give me the bad news already."

"They have ordered her execution," he stated bluntly. "With the Sokyouku."

"… Do you plan on telling Ichigo?" Yoruichi asked with the kind of ponderous calm that for her passed as trepidation.

"I'm not sure I wish to know what his reaction will be when I don't and he discovers what's going on anyway."

Yoruichi shot him a knowing look. "U-huh. And he's still an Adjuchas. Better to let him get it out of his system before he gets another power-upgrade, is it not?" she added dryly.

This time Kisuke's smile was a bit more real. "Well, of course. I prefer to stay in one piece when I tell him he can't go save her."

XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX(xxxx)XXX

Ichigo would freely admit he was worried sick as he waited in Hueco Mundo for news from Rukia. He had left her in an awful situation.

Should have just dragged her along, he thought glumly as he munched on the remains of a lone Adjuchas unfortunate enough to cross his path. She would be safe then. Safer, at least, than she was with a couple of Shinigami who had seen her help a Hollow.

Swallowing the last bite, he quickly moved on. If he sat still for too long he would think too much on the whole damn situation, and he had already done that more than enough. Any more and he would abandon all common sense and return to Karakura without waiting for the all-clear from Hat'n Clogs. His friends would be mad at him if he did that when he had no idea where the Shinigami Captains were at the moment. He expected them to have gone back to Soul Society when they could not find him, but he could not be sure.

Now if only Hat'n Clogs hurried up and let him know he could go home….

Impatient, he prowled the sands of Hueco Mundo, looking for another victim to devour. He needed to take his mind off of things and catching up with his hunting was a good way to do that. It was slightly risky, venturing into an area of Hueco Mundo that he hadn't explored all that much yet when he was so distracted, but at the moment the risk seemed inconsequential compared to the risks Rukia had taken to help him escape.

Hunt and kill, hunt and kill. After a time it became a bit monotonous. Most Adjuchas just did not expect anyone to conceal their reiatsu as effectively as Ichigo could. And they did not expect his level of stealth either. Most Hollows did not have the patience to learn how to move unseen in a world as empty as Hueco Mundo. The fights were short, dirty, and frantic. Ichigo had gotten very good at dominating the short-lived scuffles.

Another whiff of reiatsu, and Ichigo crouched low as he silently made his way to the top of the dune, taking care to let the sandy crest hide him from the Hollows he could sense on the other side. For a moment he paused to narrow down on their exact position. Odd, they almost seemed to be standing guard for something. Maybe an entrance to a lair? That would be fortunate…

"-really? Aizen-sama won't be here for such a long time?" a barely audible voice asked.

"No. But after this the Shinigami business should be settled. About time too. The older Numeros have become real menaces, and the Espada aren't much better."

Ichigo stilled, listening carefully. In his worry for Rukia he had mistaken the reiatsu signatures for normal Hollows, but now he was paying attention he could feel that they were instead Arrancar. Kisuke always was curious about what the Arrancar were up to. Especially those who worked for the mysterious Shinigami.

"-will happen after that?"

"Apparently he's going to move to Hueco Mundo."

"What, permanently?" was the almost dismayed cry.

"Yeah-"

Ichigo stepped back, needing some time to process this new information. If the Shinigami were going to stay here… well damn, that would have consequences all right. Ichigo's hunting would get a lot more difficult. He had felt each of the three of them try to approach him a couple of times already. There was a good chance they would continue to do so once they were living here permanently. Could it be that he soon would no longer be able to hunt freely anymore?

A silent buzzing rattled against his spine, a sign that Urahara was finally trying to contact him. Quickly, Ichigo relocated to a more private patch of sand, out of earshot from the group of gossiping Arrancar.

Somewhat distracted, he answered the call he had been waiting for, claws digging through his mane to press the only button on Urahara's little device. "Hey Hat'n Clogs," he greeted softly, "fun bit of news: I just overheard a group of Arrancar saying something is going to happen on the side of the Shinigami that come here. Something big. Once it's over they expect him to come and stay here. Do you know anything about that?"

There was a moment of silence from the other side. "… Hello Kurosaki-kun. That is very interesting. Let's just say, we too have received some signals that things are starting to move."

"Oh?" Ichigo inquired, absently scanning his surroundings. Urahara would never let him live it down if he allowed something to sneak up on him.

"Hm, yes. You better return to the Shop so we can discuss everything. For just this once Tessai has given you permission to make a garganta in the hallway."

Beneath his mask, Ichigo's eyebrow jumped for his hairline. "Honestly? Okay, I'm really getting worried now, Urahara-san. Tsukabishi-san hates it when I make garganta indoors. Are the Shinigami still around or something?"

A soft chuckle echoed over the line. "I am well aware, Kurosaki-kun, and no, the Captains have left. With young lady Kuchiki, I might add. Unfortunately we cannot be sure they are not still closely monitoring the area, hence Tessai's unusual generosity." A short pause."I assume I can tell him to put on the tea then?"

Ichigo snorted. "Yeah, yeah, you cagey bastard. Go ahead. I'll come over. Go make sure no one's standing in the hallway when I'm coming through."

"Rest assured, Kurosaki-kun, you won't trample anyone if you come through in the next ten minutes."

"Okay, see you in a moment then."

"Indeed."

With an almost inaudible click the little device ended the transmission. For a moment, Ichigo stared into the distance with a sinking feeling in his chest. Then he turned and opened a garganta.