Bleach and all of the things it incorporates are not mine. THEY ARE NOT MINE! So, nobody sue me.

The important thing is this: to at any moment be able to sacrifice what we are for what we could become. – Charles Dubois

I got scared when Rukia was gone.

Not gone as in she left. I could have dealt with that. Rukia had never been to Karakura High at all. People looked at me funny when I asked where she was. None of our Girls-Only circle had ever spoken to her. Ochi-sensei couldn't find her name on the register. Her gym locker had been cleaned out and her nametag was blank.

No one knew Rukia.

No one had ever heard of a Kuchiki Rukia.

She was ghost who had faded from our minds. I found myself questioning, just a little, if she had ever really existed. It was like a disease that ate away at my mind. Was I going insane? Shinigami, Hollows, super powers, and girls that disappeared in the night. How could it have been real? I believed in it all, but how?

The Shinigami had erased Rukia as effectively as a student erases a wrong answer.

Poof, she was gone. No friends to chase her, to teachers to worry about her absence, no police looking up on a missing person's report.

Every bit of evidence that she lived was gone.

It wasn't something I could fight. It wasn't something I could hit. The Shinigami had invaded the minds of dozens of people and wiped out the presence of one of our friends.

That was the power of the Soul Society and it scared me.

…And, for those of you are wondering, yes, I kind of did my Tatsuki-is-an-obsessive-bitch thing again.

I woke up and walked to school.

No Rukia.

I attended my morning classes.

No Rukia.

I spent my whole break combing the school grounds.

No Rukia.

Orihime didn't know where she was. Neither did Yasutora, Mizuiro, or Keigo. I'd promised Orihime that I wouldn't bother Ichigo, and boy was I regretting it now. I was freaking out by the time the break ended – no one remembered Rukia! – so I swiped a stink bomb from one of the school's jokers (I am on the Student Disciplinary Committee after all. Did you think I wouldn't remember the idiots who like to break into the girls' locker rooms and steal our panties?), tossed it into the administration office, and waited until all the workers had darted out, covering their noses and gagging.

Then I broke the lock off a filing cabinet labeled 'F-Me' and dug around the K's until I was certain that Rukia's file wasn't in it. I wasn't looking in the wrong place, either. As much as it gives me the shivers to say, I know my way around the paper pushers' domain. Part of my status as a member of the Committee means I have to write up weekly reports, and that isn't even counting the crap I have to deal with if I really do wind having to stop some one from messing around. I still have nightmares about the paper cuts.

Shiver, shiver….

I didn't really feel like going back to class. I snuck up onto the roof and hung around watching the clouds for a while. I started thinking that Rukia really had gone for good. She'd just appeared like cat one day out the blue. Was it really so wrong to think that that wasn't how she would leave us? She was a Shinigami after all. Who knew how they operated?

…Scratch that. Someone knew.

I couldn't talk to Ichigo and I wasn't going to break my promise to Orihime.

That only really left one person.

Wondering if this wasn't a huge fucking mistake on my part, I left the school and headed towards Urahara's shop.

I got lost three times, got chased by a pissed off beast of a dog once, and snagged my skirt hopping a fence. When I finally arrived on the dirt lot in front of The Urahara Shop, I was not the fairest in the land. The two brats were sweeping the dirt around and they both gave me their own versions of a greeting when I came up.

"Welcome to The Urahara Shop," the little girl said as she bowed. I think her name was Ruri, or Ruruko, or something like that.

"Hey, you're messing up our sweeping!" Shouted the little boy. I didn't have a damn clue what his name was and I frankly didn't care after that greeting. Little pig.

"Hey, is your boss around?" I asked the little girl. She didn't make me feel like kicking something.

"Kisuke-san is in the back. Can we help you?" Rui (Ran? Rei? Damn it, there was an R in the somewhere….) asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Do you guys know where Kuchiki Rukia is lately? She never showed up for school and everyone's acting weird, like they've never met her before…." I said.

The boy, who was in the middle of a screwed up broom swing, yelped and fell flat on his face. The girl looked faintly surprised.

"You mean you remember Kuch- …Oh! You're one of the ones Tessai-san and Kisuke-san brought here the day before!" Ume (I'm pretty sure there is a U in her name too) said.

"Yeah, I'm Tatsuki. …Who're you again?" I asked.

She gave the cutest little bow.

"I am Tsumugiya Ururu, and he –" Ururu indicated towards the boy who had yet to move off the ground "- is Hanakari Jinta. We work for Kisuke-san."

U-r-u-r-u. Well, I was sort of on the right track.

"Nice to meet you, Ururu. Now, do you know what happened to Rukia?"

"Um, I do, but…." Ururu looked over at the doors to the shop.

"…I think Kisuke-san should explain this to you. He's the one doing all the planning."

Huh? What planning? I smell a conspiracy!

"Come with me, please," Ururu requested. What could I do, but obey? The little brat was hideously cute.

I hopped over Jinta, who was moaning something about a broken hip, and followed Ururu to the darkened interior of The Urahara Shop. I hadn't actually noticed what the place sold the last time I was there. There were magazine racks, candy racks, a refrigerator filled with soda bottles, those tacky bobble-head things, and a bunch of other things I didn't recognize. Ururu led me past all that to a set of screen doors that opened up as we approached them. That huge Tessai guy stared down at me from a tall height. Not that there is anything that doesn't appear huge when you're only 5"1. Damn my shortness!

"Tessai-san, Tatsuki-san needs to speak with Kisuke-san," Ururu said.

"Mmmm…." Tessai rumbled. Have you ever noticed how the people who are large enough to qualify as their own postal district rumble whenever they talk? Even when they don't mean to? Talk to Yasutora, and you'll get my point.

"Who needs my help?" Urahara shoved his stubble-covered face between the door and Tessai's ribs to lock eyes with me. Against my wishes, he had not managed to become normal in the twenty-four hours since I'd last seen him. The fan he carried hid his grin, but it was there in his eyes.

"Ah, Arisawa-san! What brings you to my humble shop?" Urahara grinned.

Humble indeed. The place smelled like dust and if anyone had purchased anything in the last five years, I'd be impressed.

"I wanna know about Rukia. I can't find her, and no one remembers her at school, and you're the only one left who might know where she went," I said. I was being completely honest; the guy really was my last hope. Darn Orihime and her kicked puppy eyes! I wanted to interrogate Ichigo, but nooooo! I couldn't because that fucking promise! ARGH!

Urahara gave me another one of those creepy eyed looks. "Oh? And what makes you think I know anything about that?"

Actually, I'd been operating on nothing more than hope. However, since I'd talked to dear, sweet Ururu-chan….

"It's 'cause of her," I said, pointing at Ururu. "I mentioned that I remembered Rukia and what she said in response implies that I wasn't supposed to. If she knows that, then I'm willing to bet she knows why I'm not supposed to remember. And I'm betting you do, too."

Take that, smart ass!

Urahara watched me for a moment with a weird look in his eyes, and then snapped his fan shut. "Fair enough," Urahara said. He backed out of his cramped space between Tessai and the door to straighten up.

"I was going to ask Yoruichi-san to explain this all to you and the others later, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. Come in and make yourself comfortable, Arisawa-san."

Tessai left, to go make tea or something, I don't know, and Ururu followed after him. She still had her broom in her hands and it made her look adorable. I kicked off my shoes, entered the sitting room, and plopped down on one of the cushions. A big black cat had claimed another one and was drinking cream out of bowl, while keeping a golden eye on me. Urahara made sure I was comfortable before sitting down himself.

"So, I take it you are not the only one among your peers to notice Kuchiki-san's mysterious absence?" Urahara asked.

"No, it's not just me. Orihime, Sado, Asano, and Kojima all noticed her missing, too. Given the way Ichigo's been moping, I'd say him, as well," I said.

"Well then, why don't you ask him?"

"…I… can't…." Shame. Shame. Shame.

"Eh? Why ever not?"

"I just can't, all right?! Now, where did Rukia go?"

Urahara sighed and rolled his neck. I heard little popping sounds come from the motion. "Last night, Kuchiki-san was forcibly taken back to the Soul Society. She will be put on trial for illegal activities within the human realm and sentenced to death. The execution date is usually one month after the sentence. I have little doubt that she has already been convicted by the 46 Chambers, so that leaves 30 days until she dies."

I blinked.

Urahara looked at me. "I'm sorry. Was that confusing?"

…I blinked again. I wasn't waking up. Damn.

"…No, I got it. Rukia is in Shinigami central and she's gonna get killed in one month because of what she did in this world, which is really the only part I don't get. Aren't Shinigami supposed to help people?" I asked.

"Technically, yes. They are not supposed to share their powers with mortals though, much less spend months telling them intimate Soul Society secrets," Urahara explained.

Eh? Intimate secrets?

"…And the memory wipe thing is Soul Society's way of covering their tracks?" I asked.

"Precisely."

'…Hey… Waitaminute!'

"Do Shinigami always do that? Erase the memories of people who have seen them?" I asked.

"Yes," Urahara said, looking faintly surprised. "It's standard operating procedure."

"Is it possible for someone to remember what happened, like in a dream?" I asked.

"I'm… not sure what you mean, Arisawa-san. You yourself should know that the memory erasing procedure is not fool proof, since you remember Kuchiki-san," Urahara said.

"I mean, if someone had their memories erased, but it… didn't take, or something, would that person be able to remember what had happened? Would they dream about it?"

"Oh! Oh, yes. That's very possible," Urahara said and, with those words, sealed Ichigo's fate.

'You tried to erase my memories of Orihime's brother, Kurosaki. You played with my head. But don't worry, I'm not heartless. If you beg very nicely, I won't start dismembering you until after you've stopped breathing.'

In a classroom miles away, Kurosaki Ichigo wondered why he suddenly felt so utterly doomed.
Going back to Rukia's situation….

….

….

Well, shit.

I'd only known Rukia for a few months and it was, at best, a school-only relationship. I didn't see that much of her outside of class time. We hadn't exchanged secrets or anything. In fact, she'd probably lied about the stuff she had told us. Shinigami secrecy and all that….

…Still….

She wasn't lying when she laughed at Mahana's jokes. She wasn't lying when she smiled at Orihime's Ichigo faces. She could have opted to avoid us all entirely, but she didn't. Why would she have used us a cover? She could have just been another one of the emo-crowd and stayed alone. She would have had Ichigo for company. I couldn't figure out a reason for a Shinigami to hang around a bunch of teenage girls. I could figure out a good reason as to why Kuchiki Rukia would.

She was my friend.

She wasn't my best friend, not by a long shot. I didn't know jack about her, not really. What I did know was enough for me to make my decision.

She had saved Ichigo, my friend.

She had saved Orihime, my best friend.

She had saved me.

Shortening this whole thing up, I kind of liked her and I really owed her. It might not have been enough for some people, but it was enough for me.

Now, how to get to the Soul Society….

"So, when's Ichigo going after her?" I asked Urahara.

Beneath his beach bunny hat, Urahara's eyebrow raised up.

I frowned. "You can't tell me he doesn't want to go save her," I said. "When is he leaving, 'cause I'm going with him."

And then, Urahara did something that will haunt me until my dying day. Even after that, actually.

He smiled.

It wasn't the quirky shop owner smile. His eyes were open and piercing, and his lips were like a bladed edge, and he was so focused, and oh God, I never wanted to run away as much as I did right then.

"You never even considered the possibility of just leaving her there, did you?" Urahara asked with something in his voice. Was he proud?!

"Of course not," I snarled. What the fuck did he take me for?!

"Nice spirit kid, but it won't get you far with that strength," someone else said. "You'll need some serious training before you'll be of any use to Rukia."

I blinked and turned around. There wasn't anyone else in the room. Just the cat, which was still watching me with that golden gaze. Come to think of it, the cat was kind of pretty. I petted its ears and looked around.

I stopped when I noticed Urahara's shoulders were shaking. His mouth was squashed together so tightly his lips had turned white, and he was rocking back and forth with suppressed laughter.

"What?" I asked.

"Hand. Off."

The voice was pure, concentrated Doom™ and it was coming from beneath my left hand. It was like a train wreck. I knew what I would see, I knew I would not like it, and yet I just couldn't help but look. I turned my head left and down. The cat was glaring at me, my frozen stiff hand still holding its ears slightly away from its skull.

I had a sudden, awful feeling of certainty.

Urahara smiled like a little kid and clapped his hands together. "How rude of me! I never introduced you two! Arisawa-san, this is Yoruichi-san! My good friend, and your new trainer," Urahara said happily.

"The cat talked," I said stupidly.

"Smart, aren't you?" The cat said back to me.

I jerkily pulled my hand off the cat's head. "You're the one who is going to train me with this reiatsu stuff?"

"Yes," Yoruichi said, still giving me the 'I am going to KILL you, you idiot' look. "And if you ever pet me again, I will bite off your fingers."

'Hehe, nice kitty.'

"Um… Yeah," I said. I turned back towards Urahara. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but don't you think there's someone else more qualified to teach this? Someone with hands?"

Urahara grinned. "I assure you Arisawa-san, I have full faith in Yoruichi-san's abilities as a warrior."

"Urahara-san," I said his name for the first time, "I get that you're not the typical guy, but seriously – having your cat train me to storm the Soul Society? That's just-"

There was a yowl of sheer outrage to the left and the next thing I knew, I was rolling on the floor with the world's most angry feline mauling my face.

Three minutes and a first aid kit later, Urahara cheerfully explained that Yoruichi was not his cat in any way, shape, or form. Yoruichi was his friend, and nothing less.

Incidentally, if Yoruichi ever attacks you, do not do the following, because it won't do a damn thing to get him off your face:

1 - Jump up and scream. It only makes you swallow cat fur.

2 – Bang your head against the wall. Yoruichi will just jump off and laugh at you. Then he will attack your bare feet.

3 – Expect Urahara to help. He will be busy having a great big laugh at your expense, the fucking sadist.

4 – Think that you will escape with any dignity whatsoever intact, because after twenty seconds you will be on your face and begging for the pain to stop.

And when it is all over and done with, that fuzzy black ball of Hell will curl up on his cushion once more and pretend like nothing ever happened.

However, I no longer felt like saying (out loud) that Yoruichi wasn't going to be a good trainer.

"So, you're going to ask the others if they want to help out?" I asked. I was sitting in a corner, away from Yoruichi. Far, far away from Yoruichi.

"Indeed," Yoruichi said. "They have awakened spiritual powers as well, and we will need all the help we can get."

Made sense. Yasutora was Yasutora; you should never pass up an opportunity to have a giant alongside you. Mizuiro was telepathic; that could definitely come in handy. Keigo was…. Well, I reserve judgment on him. Orihime had the Groovy Fairy Squad, offense-defense-recovery all in one. And me? Hey, I'm me. 'Nuff said.

"So, you got anything going on right now? School's just about over, and we could meet up with them all while they leave," I ventured cautiously. I wasn't going to forget the claws and teeth ripping into my face anytime soon.

"Good enough," Yoruichi yawned. "Kisuke-san, I'll be taking leave of you now. Good luck with the Kurosaki boy."

'Eh?'

I wanted to ask questions, but Tessai magically appeared from nowhere and ushered me out alongside Yoruichi. With my new sensei, who didn't even reach my knees, I started back towards Karakura High School.

Next time – Keigo has a heart attack and Tatsuki begins training with her powers. Armor is nice when you have super speed, because tripping means eating dirt at 50 mph.

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