"Ichigo-kun," Urahara said with a sigh, his weariness palpable," calm down already. They're both healed and simply resting up their spirits."

"How can I just 'calm down'," Ichigo mocked, making yet another turn in his worried pacing. "I can't just 'calm down', I won't just 'calm down'!" Ichigo growled, his fingers tugging at the root of his hair. He made another turn in his pacing, ignoring Chad's worried stare and Orihime's protests. Urahara tipped his head back and sighed, not wanting to have come to his last resort.

"Kurosaki, if you don't stop you worried pacing and relax, your reiatsu will stop them from recovering and then I'll have Yoruichi-san take you home and personally keep you there until they are fully healed, understood?" Urahara threatened. Ichigo paused and sighed, walking forward to lean back against the wall with Orihime and Chad beside him.

"Trust in my powers, Kurosaki-kun, and trust in their strength." Orihime smiled, an unshakable conviction in her voice. "They'll be fine." Ichigo's lips quirked into a slight smile, awkward and forced.

If only he could believe her.

.

.

.

"I could have sworn I sensed the power right here!" Ichigo growled, slamming his fist against a nearby wall. He knew he was shit when it came to sensing reiatsu, but still, at least he wasn't deaf to them! But now that he actually tried to follow the deafening screech that reached his ears time and time again, Ichigo came at a loss. There seemed to be some kind of strong feeling deep in his gut, like being watched and hunted.

It unnerved him to no end.

Turning a left Ichigo suddenly collapsed to his knees, his heart racing and palpitating erratically. HIs breath came and went in short bursts, chest tight and vision swirling.

"Ichigo, you must hurry." Zangetsu forewarned, causing a shiver to crawl up the Shinigami's spine. 'Just what the hell is going on?' He asked the Zanpakuto. "It's your friend, the Quincy...and your sister."

"...my...my sister?" Ichigo gasped, turning his head towards the alleyway. "She said she was going to go play at the park!" Ichigo growled and charged forward, only to rebound off a wall of pure power. "What the-" Ichigo cursed, thrown off guard. His hands felt at the air, noting the sudden change in both temperature and density. Closing his eyes and focusing hard, Ichigo summoned all the possible energies, intent on getting a hold on Uryuu and Karen.

He Opened his eyes and nearly gawked at the flimsy ribbons he held in his hand, torn and frayed and almost intangible. "No" Zangetsu whispered, almost unheard. "It's too late..."Zangetsu's heavy presence began to dot Ichigo's visage and the Shinigami almost blacked out, had it not been for his sheer will and fear of the Zanpakuto's words. 'What the hell...' Ichigo paused, feeling the energy's hasty retreat, '...just what do you mean?' Ichigo asked the Zanpakuto. He still heald the faint but visible threads, still white and human.

Zangetsu remained silent, though his presence never faded.

Ichigo charged, and at the intersection of another alley caught up to Chad and Orihime. They ran with speed unparalleled, breath coming and leaving in hot spurts as each-shinigami and human, ran towards the site of boisterous plight and fading energies.

All it took was a hard stare and the words "It's Uryuu and Karen" to make them push forward with full force, slowed only by the slowly retreating, swirling energy that was like scalding hot water when touched or passed. The burns and marks on Ichigo's arm were testament to that.

By the time they had gotten there Uryuu was ghastly pale, a pool of blood growing around his body, and Karen only three feet away, hand outstreched towards the fallen Quincy, their fingers barely touching Ichigo quikly went about replacing Karen into her human form, thanking every god he could think of when he noted the unbroken chain. Orihime surpressed her sobs as slow tears spilled out of her large eyes, the Sotten-Kisshun shield alighting the gruesome seen before them. "Yaezakura*!" Orihime called out, and Shun'o and Ayame both nodded, closed their eyes and waved their arms once, twice and at the third time passed over the two, awaiting her final call. "Hanafubuki genzoku*!" The two flowers nodded, each one taking their place across from each other but above the two victims.

In a flurry of quick movements a flurry of sakura petals erupted in the air, a beautiful and majestic sight to those present. Every place they landed seemed to revert back to it's best shape, and once the beauty had cleared, there was no sign of a fight. Both Uryuu and Karen looked completely spotless, Uyu's skin a healthy hade and Karen breathig no longer labored.

Ichigo almost stopped to marvel at Orihime's power but instead found himself kneeling before Uryuu, a hand tentatively reaching out to touch him.

"Baku." Zangetsu growled, and Ichigo could almost feel the Zanpakuto's arms pulling him back. Ichigo shuddered at the word, the single name, and retracted his arm. Orihime andChad looked at him a bit strange, but when Ichigo picked up Karen they had no qualms.

"Let's go to Urahara's." Ichigo suggested, not turning. He could feel it, the scalding energy. "He'll know what to do."

The problem was the energy.

Why was it radiating off of Uryuu?

.

.

.

"Baku" Ichigo muttered, breaking the silence of the room. Orihime and Chad both turned towards him, but Urahara visibly flinched. "What the hell is that?" Ichigo asked, sending Urahara a wary but heated Orihime and Chad exchanged worried glances before Ichigo spoke up once more. "When I tried to touch Ishida Old man Zangetsu held me back. All he said was 'Baku' and held me back. Ishida was also giving off some kind of weird energy." Here Ichigo stood up and walked towards the shopkeeper, hand clenched in a fist. "Tell me, what the hell is that?"

"Are you sure Zangetsu said Baku?" Urahara asked slowly, unsure.

"Damn Sure." Ichigo retorted heatedly.

"Because if he did we must worry for our dear little Quincy there." Urahara nodded his head towards the room next door. "Tell me. What did Zangetsu say?"

"All he...he only said that. 'Baku'."

Urahara sighed and tipped his head back, an odd sense of foreboding.

"Before I explain, how sharp are you on your local mythology?"


NOTES: Yes, I did some research for this fic ;D Haha well... it'll be revealed soon what is happening but don't worry, when the cat is out of the bag the fic won't be close to finished :P

Translations:

*Yaezakura: double flowered cherry tree; Hanafubuki genzoku: generally means fallen cherry petals, return to secular life

Yes, I gave Orihime more powers. Since they're older I figured they'd get stronger and honestly I felt a bit bad for making Orihime a bad character most of the time so she'll be a bad-ass in this story :P