Jeez, talk about lengthy oneshots. WELL, lengthy for me. And I like this font I found-- Andalus. I've been changing fonts more than socks lately. AND I WEAR A LOT OF SOCKS. That was irrelevant. ANYWAY. I don't own the OC in this story, Reiya; she belongs to the person who requested this oneshot and my previous one...and my next two XD. Enjoy~

"I think it was around here...somewhere." A sigh and a gloved hand lowered from previously sun-shielded eyes. Framed, black eyes peered around the semi-foreign land and the teenager's forehead creased slightly. "I think." Ishida wasn't one to get lost, usually, but every time he had entered Seireitei, he had ended up almost exactly where he needed to be. While that was convenient at the time, it proved less that useless now, when he was very far from his destination. Honestly, why did Urahara have to send him?

Okay, so Ichigo had missed so much school and fallen so behind that he absolutely had to stay after class to make up enough work to keep his grade from slipping. Orihime needed the same assistance-- apparently being captured by Aizen and his espada and being held captive in Las Noches wasn't a decent enough (or logical enough) excuse. Sado and Ishida hadn't needed the catch-up classes due to (surprisingly, on Sado's behalf) their high test scores re-entering the classroom. Ichigo had scored poorly on the grammar section and Orihime had failed miserably in the face of equations and pretty much just the word 'math'.

So, Urahara had to choose between either the Quincy or Sado to carry out what was pretty much a messenger mission. Of course, delving into the depths of Soul Society always proved to be extremely unnerving and dangerous, no matter who went. Even Ichigo had admitted his palms sweated against Zangetsu's hilt once or twice. The decision had been nearly instantaneous on Kisuke's part, though the convincing matter took a bit longer. Finally, Orihime had pled Ishida to go, saying that it would help them all very much. Succumbing to the sweet girl's innocent face, Ishida begrudgingly agreed to go through with it.

So, here he was, lost in the middle (or maybe the outskirts) of Seireitei. From the looks of his surroundings, he knew he was inside the high walls that separated the Gotei's society from the lesser soul's Rukongai, but the maze of passages leading to various divisions and locations left him baffled. He tried to recall his former adventures in the shinigami world, but they had mostly been comprised of urgent races down many streets, some of which backtracked to an earlier position in their travels. To put it simply, his mental map of the area was a jumble of nameless streets and monotonous buildings.

Wandering what some might define as aimlessly, Ishida paced himself through the streets of Seireitei. He continued that way for quite some time and the endless run towards Las Noches began to seem like a short jog. What seemed even stranger was the absence of the shinigami-- shouldn't they at least have lookouts or patrols to keep out people just like him? Well, not just like him; he would think, after everything he, Ichigo, and the rest had done for Soul Society, that he'd be allowed inside their walls. Especially when he had a delivery from Urahara Kisuke, who, despite his reputation, was still a respectable man in at least Yamamoto's eyes.

Peering over a wall, Ishida's eyes lit up at the black-clad back of a shinigami casually strolling away from his location. It was female (at least he hoped) with long, black hair falling down her back and a laid-back, gentle air about her. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Quincy called out to her.

Pausing in her travels, the female glanced over her shoulder, staring inquisitively at the strange boy half-hanging over the wall, perched a bit awkwardly as if trying not to fall. After giving him a moment's consideration, she turned around and headed towards him, arms crossed over her abdomen.

"You're not from here," she commented. "A Ryoka."

Ishida sighed-- as if that wasn't obvious-- and hoisted himself the rest of the way over to land a few feet away from the shinigami. Black eyes took a few moments to study the shinigami, starting with her fair-featured face and silky-smooth, raven hair. His eyes then traveled down and immediately fixated on her chest, which rivaled Orihime's in bust and spilled from her kosode in much the same fashion as that one lieutenant he had met before-- Matsumoto, was it? A firm, annoyed clearing of the girl's throat and Ishida's eyes snapped back up to meet her narrowed ones. He adjusted his glasses before brushing off a thin layer of dust and straightening up. "I'm looking for someone."

"So, tell me," the girl said, her clear blue eyes misted over with just the faintest hint of playfulness, "why would I lead a Ryoka anywhere but away from here?"

The male stared, a bit dumbfounded-- could this girl not know of their adventures in Seireitei? "I may very well be from a different world, but that doesn't mean I'm not welcome here."

"Actually," she said, taking a step closer to him and moving one of her hands to her zanpakutou's hilt, "that's exactly what it means."

"W-wait a minute!" Ishida held out his hands in a defensive gesture, backing up. "I'm not here to do anything but deliver a message!"

"A message?" she asked skeptically, her eyes shifting just the slightest to a colder, icier blue. "Not likely."

"It's true," he insisted. "From Urahara Kisuke."

At the mention of the ex-captain, the shinigami paused and surveyed the intruder once more. "That's a name you don't hear too often around here anymore. How do you know him?"

"I'm friends with him," and after a moment of thought, "kind of. I'm...allies with Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Ichigo, Ichigo...where have I heard that name before..." The fingers that were gripping her zanpakutou's deep blue hilt came to rest against her cheek lightly as she looked up to the afternoon sky. "Oh!" she gave Ishida yet another look. "Oh. So you're with them."

"Yes," another adjust of the glasses, "but I seem to be a bit lost."

"Well, that much is obvious." She spun on her heel and started to traverse her original path, motioning with a hand for Ishida to follow. "Well, come on, the bulk of the division offices are this way. Who were you looking for again?"

"One of the captains," the boy said, going to follow, "Kurotsu-ah!"

The female turned around just in time to see the intruder trip over a rock, stumble a few times, and crash into her. The pair tumbled to the ground. "H-hey! Watch where you're going!"

Ishida shook his head clear of the daze and looked up to her. His head had landed against her stomach and as he raised it, his nose came face-to-face with the same assets that had distracted him earlier. This time, though, instead of a warning, the Quincy received a firm smack to his already-pink cheek.

"Ow!" He was promptly pushed off and left on the ground, rubbing his sore face as the black-haired girl stood up. "It was an accident!"

"Accident or not," she said, pointing a finger accusingly at him, "I saw those thoughts!"

Ishida blinked once, twice, three times. "You can read minds?"

"I don't need to to tell what's going through yours," she replied hotly, crossing her arms over her stomach again, pronouncing her chest even more, if that were possible.

The male immediately looked away and adjusted his glasses again in a nervous manner. "I-I don't know what you mean."

"What's your name?" she asked suddenly, once again slowly approaching him.

"Ishida Uryuu," he said in a clear voice, though his mind was beginning to muddle with curiosity. Just what did this girl have planned now?

"Ishida-kun, ne?" The female smiled mischievously and stopped in front of him. "Kuredo Reiya," she bent down, the top of her uniform slipping open just a tad as she extended her hand, "nice to meet you."

The Quincy's face burned bright red as he grasped her hand firmly and kept his sights trained anywhere but directly in front of him. "S-same to you, Kuredo-san." She didn't look older than him, but her status alone as one of the dead souls of Seireitei suggested she far surpassed him in years.

Smirking to herself, finding this strange boy immense fun to toy with-- most of the other men around Seireitei just tried to cop a feel or drooled as she walked past--Reiya brought the other's hand and held it against her chest. If it was possible, the usually-cool Ishida turned a deeper shade of red. "So," she spoke again, "who did you say you were here to see again?"

Ishida swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Kurotsuchi-taichou." He squirmed slightly in place, wishing that his hand could be suddenly dislocated from his body, if only to chase away the lecherous thoughts and suppress intensified desires.

Reiya, instead of backing off, kneeled down closer to the male's body. Her knee planted itself between Ishida's legs, the cloth of her hakama's leg just brushing against the inside of his thigh. Though it was only a mere grazing of fabric, the female could tell her new acquaintance was becoming more frustrated by the minute.

"I-if you don't mind," Ishida gasped out, eyes shut tight in an attempt to block out the shinigami's presence, "perhaps you c-could lead me to...him?"

"Are you sure?" Reiya asked, one of her hands finding his shoulder as she leaned in closer to him. "Wouldn't you rather stay here," her fingernails toyed with the collar of his shirt, "with me?"

"Th-that's inappropriate!" Ishida said a bit too loudly. Frustrated, fighting overwhelming desires, he quickly stood up and away from Reiya's intoxicating touch.

Laughing lightly, a twinkle in her eye, the shinigami stood as well. "You really are strange," she decided, turning away from him once again. "Come, then, I'll show you the way."

Still blushing madly, Ishida smoothed out his clothing several times before following after her at a safe distance. As he was led through the maze of streets deeper into Seireitei, he wondered if some odd, twisted version of the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger' was appropriate here.

Poor, awkward Ishida. But so much fun. I wish this hot chocolate was giving me energy, but it just seems to be putting me to sleep. My next two submissions will have to be posted on dA, so I'll be back after they're done. Hope you enjoyed~