Chapter Two.
Fairies?

Ichigo sits at the edge of his bed, running his fingers through his messy orange hair. "Ichigoooo!!" The orange haired teen slaps his father to the ground.

"Nice one, Son." Isshin Kurosaki promptly attempts to grab his son in a headlock without much success, landing against the wall. "Are you going to a girls house? A cute girls house?" Isshin twitches, curiosity driving him.

"None of your business!" Ichigo kicks him out of his room and slams his door shut and locks it. He settles himself at his desk, waiting.

"Geez Ichigo, what's wrong with you?" Kon promptly jumps onto the bed, pointing his plush claw in emphasis at Ichigo. "When's Rukia coming back?"

He glances towards the now virtually empty closet, but doesn't bother to answer either question. "Ichigo!!" Kon lunges towards him, only to get slapped down to the floor.

"Shut it, Kon. I'm thinking!"

"That's a first.." Kon mumbles as he forces his plush body off the floor.

Thirty minutes. Thirty minutes until Ichigo would hopefully have some answered questions. If she's staying with Urahara, she can't be a threat. He trusts his unofficial mentor that much.

Thirty minutes doesn't seem to go fast enough. By fifteen, Ichigo decides to head out for Urahara's shop anyway, keeping his substitute Shinigami badge within quick and easy reach. Kon tries to run after him. "Ichigo! Ichigo wait up!"

Ichigo doesn't listen and just keeps walking.

Finally Kon manages to grab onto the teens jeans and hold on. "Kon, I didn't want you to come."

Kon goes into a bitchy rant about how Ichigo's being an ass and how Rukia would have treated him nicely. Ichigo sighs and grabs the stuffed lion toy and stares at him with a blank glare but his scowl obvious. "Kon, shut up. You've done nothing but bitch and moan since I got back."

Kon finally goes silent and crosses his arms, tears streaming quietly, his sniffling obvious.

By the time they reach Urahara's shop, it looks dark inside. Despite the closed sign, Ichigo makes his way inside and into the farther rooms where everything's lit up. "Hi there, Ichigo." Ichigo looks to the side just in time to see Urahara slide his fan open to hide most of his face.

"Ichigo's here?"

The sound of feet running down the hallway echo and just a second later, the girl that's at least a foot shorter than Ichigo stands there. "You're early." Aki whispers.

"Oh my.." within an instant, Kon is attached to Aki's chest.

For the first time, a girl giggled at it. "Is this the mod-soul you talked about, Kisuke?"

"Yes it is, my lady." Urahara fans his face, and disappears down the hall.

Aki pries Kon away and holds him at an angle. "Awe, aren't you adorable?"

Kon reaches forward, "If that's what you want to he--"

Ichigo takes Kon away and throws him on the floor.

Aki's eyebrows crease, "You didn't have to be so mean to him."

"Do you want him permanently attached?"

Ichigo is taken aback when she growls slightly and picks Kon up. "Are you okay?"

"Fine, my love.." Kon forces himself to tear up, only for Aki to hand him over to Ichigo.

"Be nicer, Kurosaki."

"Aki, I think you better come look at what you're cooking…" It's Tessai.

"Oh damn. Coming!" she runs back down the hall, leaving Ichigo alone.

Ichigo walks down the hall and reaches the table where bowls that are filled stream heat up towards the ceiling. "Thanks for calling me, Tessai."

The bulky mans smiles at the smaller girl and then Jinta and Ururu come in and take their seats along side Urahara.

Once Tessai takes his seat as well, Aki plops down, leaving an empty space beside her for Ichigo. "Come on, sit down. I won't bite or anything."

So once all commentary is done on the cooking and for the most part, tension is gone. Ichigo asks, "So do I get some answers?"

Aki looks at him with bright turquoise eyes that reminded Ichigo of Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. She's in the middle of a bite, so Urahara decides to answer for her, "What is it you want to know, Ichigo?"

"She seems different, why?"

"Oh, so you're saying you actually noticed?" Jinta pokes in.

"Hey, shut up!" Ichigo barks.

"Hey now.. But you're right, Aki is different." Urahara interrupts.

"How?"

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. I'll probably end up having to show you." Aki doesn't even look up.

"What are you already?" Ichigo's voice starts to raise with his irritation.

She smiles, a rather devilish smirk, "Remember the question I asked you?"

"Yeah.""Name a few creatures you've heard about, but heard they don't exist."

"I don't know, fairies?"

"Wrong answer."

"What is wrong with you? Why can't you get to the point!?" Ichigo was beyond irritated.

"You know the different things Zanpakuto can be right? Some look somewhat humane, while others take the form of different animals. Dragons, for a great example."

The people around the table seemed to smirk and hold back giggles.

"What. Is. Your. Point!!" Ichigo fumes.

Aki gulps down her drink and sighs, "I'm a dragon."

"Pch. Yeah, right."

Aki smiles devilishly, "I knew you'd say that, Ichigo." Aki takes her hand from the cup she's holding only for a loud banging to be heard from the shop entrance.

"I'll get it." she says and jumps up and runs.

"Hey! Open up!" Ichigo's ears perk up, he knows that voice. It's Renji.