A/N: Before I begin this chapter I would like to apologize for the late update. I was supposed to have updated this fanfic last week but then stuff came up so I was forced to adjust my schedule a little. Not to worry though, I promise this chapter will definitely be worth your time and that you definitely won't regret it. So, here goes!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters=.They are the sole property of Tite Kubo.
Journey
The trio of Ichigo, Ishida and Tatsuki walked on the path leading to Urahara's place in an eerie silence. Tatsuki grew more and more aware of the silence and started feeling a bit uneasy in it. She and Ichigo had been childhood friends, so it wasn't exactly a natural thing for the two of them to hardly say anything to each other. She and Ishida was another thing altogether though. The two of them hardly ever said anything to each other, but Tatsuki was well aware of Inoue's friendship around the blue-haired guy. He was normally as stiff as a rod when it came to things like talking to other people, but Inoue's cheerfulness even set Ishida off his usual rhythm, because he often caught himself worrying about the girl's safety whenever she was almost jumping into a dangerous situation. Of course, Inoue had told her all about the time that she was in Hueco Mundo, and how Ishida had helped her to reach Ichigo at the roof of the dome when he was engaged in his battle with the 4th Espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer. How he had charged in to protect her when she was rushing to save Ichigo's falling body from the pinnacle of one of the towers, where Ulquiorra had shot a Cero Oscuras through her love's chest, effectively finishing him off.
At first glance, Tatsuki thought that Ishida had some sort of feelings for Inoue, which seemed to border more on romantic rather than friendly. She had even asked Inoue herself once what Ishida felt for her, to which Inoue just let out a hearty laugh. She then proceeded to explain that she and Ishida were just platonic friends, with nothing more than friendship being their relationship. However, Inoue soon started turning red on her cheeks, and Tatsuki thought that maybe she had lied just then, but then she said, "Tatsuki-chan, you know that I've only had eyes for Kurosaki-kun for a long time now, so I didn't expect you to come out and ask me something so random like that. Besides, Ishida-kun doesn't really have much interest in girls, I just tend to think that he has more of a soft spot for me since we've known each other since he and Kurosaki-kun became friends. That's all." Tatsuki was slightly surprised by this revelation from her friend, because she didn't like talking about her feelings regarding Ichigo to anyone. It wasn't because she thought that it was none of their business, as most people would put it, but more of the fact that she was too shy regarding matters of love. Tatsuki was a bit amused at this, but she knew how much of a good-natured person Inoue was, so she couldn't put something like this past her. However, she was a bit happy for her best friend, since she knew that Ichigo was a good guy, even though he got into a lot of fights with delinquents from other schools, and she knew that it wasn't exactly his fault most of the times.
Looking at the apple of Inoue's eye, she spoke up, "Ichigo, why don't we just use that high speed movement thingy that you guys use when moving? I think that we will reach our destination faster, since that Aizen guy from a while ago used it and found us within mere seconds." Ichigo looked at her for a moment, and Ishida had an amused look on his face. He didn't expect Tatsuki to remember something as trivial as that, since he knew that it was one of the things that Ichigo didn't tell her when he was explaining about shinigami, pluses and hollows. Still, he had to hand it to her for remembering such a trivial thing. He knew that she and Inoue studied together, so she may have picked up some of her remembering skills.
"Well, it's not that I can't, but it won't be as fast when I'm carrying someone. Plus there's the risk that you may get really dizzy or fall of due to the speed at which I'm moving at, so it's not really a safe method for transporting normal humans," Ichigo calmly explained to her. In his mind, he remembered the time that he had gone to rescue Inoue in Hueco Mundo, and a certain green-haired Arrancar had tagged along with him. He had used shunpo when carrying her under his arm, but she had gotten dizzy after a few flash steps, so he decided to carry her on his head (at her request), while running. She seemed to enjoy this, so he was sure that it was probably safer going on this way. He looked at Ishida, looking if there was an alternative solution, but Ishida just shook his head sideways, confirming what had just popped up in his mind. He wondered whether there was a chance that Ishida would be able to carry Tatsuki using his Hirenkyaku, but the man's gesture proved otherwise. He then surmised that since Shunpo and Hirenkyaku weren't really that different except in the user, the same risk probably lay with the speed technique. Running was also out of the question, since, unlike him and Ishida; Tatsuki probably didn't have a lot of stamina to cover the entire distance. True she did engage in martial arts and was declared the Strongest Woman in Japan, but the current predicament wasn't a matter as simple as pinning a few people to the ground. They needed each ounce of their strength, which certainly wasn't going to be conserved through running and using all of their stamina.
It was then that Ichigo wondered, and so he asked Tatsuki, "By the way Tatsuki, how are you going to fight anyway? You're pretty strong when it comes to human standards, but according to supernatural standards you may not really stand a chance of survival. And it would really suck if you snuffed it if we were there, since Inoue would be devastated beyond belief." Ichigo expressed his concerns, and suddenly he felt his heart fill his worry and fear. He realized that he was putting Inoue's best friend in the face of danger, and there was no telling if she would escape unscathed. In a worst case scenario, she would probably get killed by their enemies, who were unknown, and her death would weigh on his shoulders forever. He would probably lose the chance to talk to Inoue forever, blaming himself for Tatsuki's death, and knew that he would probably lose her forever by the end of this ordeal. Resolve grasping him once again, he was about to turn to Tatsuki and tell her that he was going to take her home by force, since he didn't want to lose Orihime on account of her selfish request.
To his surprise, however, she had held up a finger to him, shaking it when he turned his head to face her. Ichigo realized that she had probably realized what she was thinking, but that did little to change his mind. About to voice his concerns again to her, he stopped momentarily when he saw the smirk on her face. He recognized that smirk from anywhere. Whenever Arisawa was about to face a boy bigger than her, or a group of bullies where she was outmatched, she always smirked like that. Ichigo had seen that smirk a lot of times in the past when she had come to save him from when he was being bullied by the delinquents in his neighborhood. She had the confidence to face the danger that lay before her, and this always proved in the victories she had under her belt. Therefore, he waited to hear what she had to prepare herself this time. Nothing could probably prepare him for what she said next though.
"Heeh, so you're more worried about Hime's wellbeing than mine then? You probably realized how devastated she would be if I kicked the bucket where we were headed right?" Tatsuki teased him. Ichigo got a bit flustered at this, and a faint tinge of red stained his cheek for a few minutes. It did not go unnoticed by Tatsuki and also Ishida, and immediately the same thought went through the minds of the two. However, it was quickly vanquished as Ichigo began stuttering, "No, that-s not what I mean-t. I was worried about you too, you know that, right?" Slightly taking offense that Tatsuki thought that Ichigo was not the least bit worried about her, he was about to open his mouth again to call her off in a louder, angrier voice, when her voice cut him off again, "Don't get so worked up Ichigo, I was just teasing you a little. I know that you're worried about me too, and I'm touched by your concern." Ichigo's anger dissipated, and he suddenly felt a surge of affection for his childhood friend. "Don't worry about me though. Do you really think I would go to such a place unprepared? Don't think so lightly of me Ichigo. What do you think me; Keigo, Honsho, Chizuru, Kon and Kanonji-san have been doing when you guys had gone to rescue Inoue in Hueco Mundo? We had formed a team lead by Kisuke-san to fight off the hollows that were invading this place. We were fighting the hollows using specially made suits that had abilities which were extremely helpful in combat. I was Karakura-Riser Beast." Tatsuki looks at Ichigo to see if he was following with all she had said, and saw that Ichigo had an amused expression on his face.
Getting a little angry since she thought that he was going to laugh at her story, which he surely thought was a tall tale, she clenched her fist and was about to sock him, when he said, "Wow, Tatsuki, that's….I have no words. I didn't think you guys would dedicate yourself to protecting this town that much. I'm honestly amazed. Okay, now I have a general idea of how you're planning to fight, but one problem though." Tatsuki was surprised by the words coming out of Ichigo's mouth. A few months ago, he would have probably called her out for doing something so dangerous, but this time, he expressed words of pride in her. Words that she thought she would never hear from him, knowing how much he treasured the wellbeing of his friends. This meant that he had come to acknowledge her strength, and this realization made her beam at him in joy. "Where's the suit at the moment?" It was Ishida who spoke up, speaking for the first time since the three had started their journey.
She had expected this question to pop up when she had started explaining about the Raizers to the duo, so she confidently replied, "It's at Kisuke's place. He said that it was probably better if the suits stayed there, since there were still some modifications he could do to them, and there was the chance that we could be tempted to use them in other ways other than fighting hollows. So I'll get the suit when we arrive there." She finished with a tone of pride in her voice. Ichigo could not help but chuckle a little. She had grown so strong, and Ichigo had a nagging feeling that part of it had to do with the desire to protect her best friend. She was the same as him, and Ichigo's desire to bring Inoue back strengthened even farther. However, what truly amused him was hearing that Keigo had been part of this small group of heroes to protect Karakura town. Wanting to hear more, he asked Tatsuki, "What hero was Keigo, Tatsuki?" Tatsuki could not suppress a small laugh, so she replied, "He was Karakura Raizer Delicate." Ichigo and Ishida both sweat dropped, and Ichigo asked, "Delicate? Why delicate?" "Well, to call a spade a spade, he was a coward. He wasn't even able to fight, so his skill was running away. He could run so fast that even the hollows wouldn't have a chance of catching up with him." At this point, Ichigo broke out in laughter. He couldn't hold it in anymore, and Ishida himself had a smile on his face, to show his complete bewilderment at what they had just been told, and Tatsuki found herself joining in the laughter. It was a good chance to lighten up the mood before them, and certainly it helped, since they found themselves feeling more rejuvenated than they were a few minutes before.
"So do you think that Keigo will be interested in coming on this rescue mission?" Ichigo asked Tatsuki. "Naah, I don't think so. I reckon he'll probably just stay here and say that he'll hold down the fort or something cheesy like that, you know how the guy is. Ichigo nodded at her and knew it, but still, he was glad that the guy was one of his best friends.
Somewhere, several blocks away from where the trio was, a brown haired guy sneezed in the vicinity of his apartment. He rubbed his nose a little, and then wondered where the sneeze had popped out from. Remembering how he had heard about how people normally sneeze when other people were talking about them, he immediately thought that it was the girls from his class who were talking about how he was such a great guy. This thought made an evil smirk break out on his face, and he immediately let out a loud laugh, which reverberated on the walls of his house and escaped to the outside through his open windows. This made the blue haired guy who was currently approaching his house and was texting a girl on his phone sweat drop a little, wondering what on earth had happened to his companion.
The story about the Karakura Rizers had certainly made the journey shorter, since Ichigo heard Ishida say to him, "Kurosaki, we're here." Immediately, he shifted his gaze away from Tatsuki, with whom he was currently engaged in conversation about the exploits of her and her friends while Ichigo, Ishida and Sado were away. He recognized the familiar sign of the candy shop, and the wooden structure that lay beneath it made him realize that they had reached their destination. Tatsuki made to move forward and enter the shop, but her arm was suddenly grabbed from behind. Puzzled, she looked at Ichigo, and asked him," Why are you stopping me? Shouldn't we be heading in there and getting help from Urahara-san?" Ichigo looked at her then said, "Of course, Tatsuki. But first there's something I want to do." He turned to Ishida, who was standing next to him, and told him, "Ishida, I don't have my cell phone on me. Call Sado and tell him to come to Urahara's place. Don't bother explaining what happened to him, it will take too much time. We'll explain it to him when he gets here." "Don't give me orders Kurosaki; I was just about to call him. We need his help too, I'm fully aware of that." He drew his phone from his pocket, and Ichigo smirked at him, saying under his breath," Bastard." Tatsuki realized what Ichigo meant to do, and smiled a little, realizing that he was putting every ounce of his effort into rescuing Inoue. "Thanks, Ichigo," She told him. "Don't mention it," he replied, and after the phone call, the trio entered the shop of the former 12th Squad Captain, Urahara Kisuke.
Said man was currently in the living room of his abode with Tsukabishi Tessai, and they were currently engaged in a heated game of poker. Jinta was on Urahara's side, having had a bad record of being on the receiving end of Tessai's wrath many times in the store due to mishandling of equipment. Ururu was on Tessai's side, and by the sad look on her face, Urahara was winning by a long streak. Jinta had his hands clasped in a pose of excitement, and suddenly the stack of cards that was on the table was blown away when a bag containing red-bean paste was dropped on the table. There was a gasp of anger, and a soft sound of, "My, my," coming from both Jinta and Ururu respectively. Urahara simply smiled under his hat, and Tessai retained the same impassive expression on his face. The gazes of the four who were on the table shifted to their new visitor, and they were mildly surprised to see it was Tatsuki, who had her hand held out over the table. She was not smiling.
Ichigo appeared moments later with Ishida beside him, and said, "Urahara-san, we need to talk."
"Really now, Kurosaki-san, is that any way to start a conversation?" the pale-haired man spoke up. He shifted his position in the cushion he was currently seated on to face the group of three, while beside him the two kids in the store picked up the stack of cards that had been strewn all over the floor.
"Inoue has been kidnapped, and we need your help in knowing where she was taken. There are residual traces of an odd reiatsu on her shopping bag, so we were hoping that it would provide a clue as to who the assailants are," Tatsuki blurted out as soon as Urahara had faced them. He wasn't really surprised at this, since he had a feeling that she would have this reaction when she found out that her best friend had been kidnapped. "I did feel a strange reiatsu this afternoon, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, so I didn't have a chance to send out Yoruichi-san to investigate. However, from the slight trace of reaitsu I could sense, I could confirm one thing. The entity that snatched away Inoue-san was from The Siphoned World, " Urahara told the group.
End
A/N: Well, there's chapter 4 written and completed. I hope it isn't too boring since I wanted to focus more on the interactions between Ichigo, Tatsuki and Ishida as they went to Urahara's place, since it would even be more unrealistic for them to say nothing to each other. Being friends and all, after all ;) And I did reveal where Inoue was taken by our antagonists, so I hope I managed to root your interest in the next chapter, which will be hopefully out soon. Either way, make sure to read and review. Thanks for all the support guys;) IchiHime is love, IchiHime is Life.
