A/N: Back so soon? LOL Well, as usual, I don't have anything new to say, so I'll just clamp my lips shut and let you read!

Disclaimer: Bleach still is not mine. The characters who got their butts kicked last chapter are.

Soul Mates

Chapter 9: Answers and Questions

"This box is what they were after, huh?" Shunsui Kyouraku asked thoughtfully as he turned the object in question around in his hands.

The box was fairly small, fitting entirely within the double-handed grip of the older Captain. It was mostly a faded silver color, but the top of the box held a darkened embedded ruby that took up the majority of the lid. There were no other distinguishing marks.

"Yes," Mayuri Kurotsuchi declared as he reached out and snatched the box back from his colleague. "Though I can't imagine why; the thing's been empty for decades."

"Then why did you keep it in a barred enclosure?" Toushirou asked pointedly, one slim white eyebrow arched over his forehead.

"Because it wasn't worth keeping in my secured storage facility," Mayuri replied absently.

Directing her question to the strange Captain, Unohana asked, "Do you know what used to be kept in that box?"

Shrugging now, Mayuri said, "If I recall correctly there were a few useless papers and some sort of broach. I don't think I even have them anymore."

The doors to the Meeting Hall opened before anyone could comment further, and Juushirou Ukitake swept into the room with an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry I'm late!" he called with a soft, awkward laugh.

Everyone's attention shifted immediately to the older Captain and Rukia quickly moved toward him, taking up her position beside him as he settled into line.

"And what did you discover, Juushirou?" Head Captain Yamamoto asked patiently as the doors swung closed once more.

"Ah," Juushirou began. "Well, according to the records I found, it would seem that Sayuri Komine is the younger sister of one of Squad Five's former Fourth Seats, a man by the name of Riku Komine."

"Squad Five?" Ichigo repeated thoughtlessly when Juushirou paused.

Juushirou nodded somberly, his eyes dimming as he continued. "Yes; he was promoted and transferred to Squad Five at Aizen's request. Before that, he was a member of Squad Seven. He served as Aizen's Fourth Seat for nearly fifteen years, and then, not quite thirty years ago, he was sent out on a mission and never returned."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Toushirou asked, "Was there any mention of Captain Kurotsuchi's box in the reports you found?"

"Box?" Juushirou repeated even as he turned his gaze toward the Captain of Squad Twelve. When Mayuri held the box up for inspection the older man's eyes widened with recognition and he said, "Ah, yes, I believe there was! One of the reports I found mentioned that Riku Komine's possessions were supposed to be returned to his surviving family – his sister – and the list did include something about a jeweled heirloom in the shape of a box."

Cutting his eyes toward Mayuri, Shunsui asked, "Do you remember how you came into possession of that box?"

Mayuri shrugged, turning the box idly in his hand. "I didn't at first, but I referenced my notes earlier and apparently I found this box waiting in my laboratory one morning. It came with no note, but at the time it was locked, so I must have assumed it was holding something of interest."

"But why would Aizen bother handing off his subordinate's heirloom?" Soi Fon asked, thinking aloud, as she glared at the floor.

"Why did Aizen do any of the things he did?" Shunsui asked rhetorically with a shake of his head.

Silence settled over the gathered group for a long minute as they reflected on the things Sousuke Aizen had done.

At length Juushirou gently broke the silence, his gaze turned toward the Head Captain as he asked, "Perhaps it would be alright for someone to petition Central 46 for the return of the jeweled box to its rightful owner, after she and her comrades have served their sentence for the damage they caused."

Multiple pairs of eyes shifted between the Captains as Yamamoto mulled over the suggestion silently.

"I suppose that would be fair," Yamamoto finally declared.

Few more words were spoken before the elder Captain dismissed them.

"Ichigo," Rukia called after having bid her Captain good night.

Ichigo and Renji turned, watching silently as she jogged up to them.

"Are you planning on heading straight back to Karakura Town?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo said easily. "The fighting's done; that was all she asked me to wait for."

"Have you talked to Captain Kuchiki yet?" Renji asked curiously.

"I've been kinda busy today," Ichigo pointed out as he cut his eyes to the slightly-taller man.

Without missing a beat, Renji said, "You should at least tell him you won't be finishing your training!"

"Or you could tell him," Ichigo returned, narrowing his eyes. "You are his Lieutenant."

"You have a responsibility, as a student, to inform your instructor when you're unable to complete a lesson," Renji declared, sounding almost like he was repeating a well-memorized speech.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his friend, saying, "Give me a break. He already went home for the night and I'm not waiting around until morning just to have a five-second conversation!"

Renji opened his mouth to argue, but Rukia interrupted, saying, "Forget about that. I'll talk to my brother and explain it to him."

Turning his attention to the petite Soul Reaper, Ichigo released a breath and said, "Thanks, Rukia. I appreciate it."

Rukia inclined her head, smiling for a beat, before she continued, "You're welcome. However, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go back tonight."

For a second both men simply stared at her with wide eyes.

And then Ichigo snapped, "What the hell's that supposed to mean? You just said I could go!"

"No," Rukia said with a frown, "I said I'd talk to my brother for you."

"You're not making sense!" Ichigo declared, fists curling at his sides in frustration. "If I don't have to wait around to talk to Byakuya, then why can't I go back to Karakura Town tonight?"

"Think about it," Rukia insisted, keeping her voice level even as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's late, and we've all been up since pretty early this morning, running around and dealing with the disaster that today turned into. Even you must be tired by now, and I don't think you should go around pushing yourself right now."

Ichigo took a deep breath, fists uncurling, as he accepted Rukia's point. His voice was calm once more when he said, "That all makes sense. But you're forgetting that one day of fighting isn't enough to drain me like that. I think I'll be fine for the time it takes to get back."

"Are you willing to risk it?" Rukia asked, one eyebrow arched pointedly. Before he could actually reply, she added, "What if you're just a little too slow when the Cleaner chases after you? Or what if having an outside presence inside you somehow drains on you while you're in the dangai? And of course anything could be going on in Karakura Town right now. Do you really want to risk getting dragged in to another long battle?"

"Rukia has a point," Renji declared calmly. "It's entirely possible that there is something going on in Karakura Town, and that that has something to do with Orihime's situation right now."

Ichigo cut another sidelong glance at Renji and said, "Yoruichi would've told me about that."

"Only if she and Kisuke were aware of it before she crossed over," Renji challenged.

"And since when is Urahara not aware of everything going on in that town?" Ichigo returned pointedly.

Rukia cut in again, repeating, "Is that a risk you're willing to take?"

Ichigo paused as his friends fell silent. On the one hand, he really didn't believe that something could have been going on that Urahara wasn't aware of. But, otherwise, Rukia's points were valid. And if anything ended up happening simply because he hadn't gotten enough sleep…forgiveness wouldn't even be an option.

Releasing a heavy breath, Ichigo allowed, "Fine, you win. I'll leave first thing in the morning."

"Great," Renji exclaimed, his hands landing on his hips. "Now there's just one catch; the room you've been staying in kinda blew up this morning."

Ichigo sighed as he crossed his arms beneath his head a couple of hours later. He had ended up being given a room in the Kuchiki manor, where both Rukia and Renji were also staying for the night. And now, after taking a quick bath, he was attempting to relax enough for sleep. But the longer he lay there, staring at the ceiling, the more he felt like he was doing the wrong thing.

I shouldn't be sleeping, dammit, he reflected angrily. I should be back in Karakura and doing whatever I can to help.

"Dare I point out that you're not sleeping?" his hollow suggested, the grin obvious in his voice.

"Shut up," Ichigo returned.

Orihime's voice greeted him next, slightly hesitant as she said, "But…he's kind of right, Ichigo."

"Ha!"

Ichigo blinked up at his ceiling, temporarily speechless. "…'right' how?"

"Eh, well, you're not sleeping…even though you probably should be." She paused, clearly realized that that hadn't come out the way she'd wanted it to, and quickly added, "Not because of me, but just because it's late and you should rest! I mean, you really did work pretty hard today, and I know if it had been me that I'd be tired, so…um, you should try to sleep."

His lips lifted faintly at her rambled words. "I know," he assured her. "I'm just not always very good at sleeping when there's something on my mind."

"Is that your excuse now?" his hollow teased, laughter lining his voice. "I was thinking you're just not very good at most things."

Orihime made a startled sound before Ichigo could respond, and though he heard her words clearly, they weren't directed at him. "Don't say things like that! You know it's not true!"

Ichigo could almost-perfectly visualize the look of astonishment that he knew his hollow was most likely giving her. It probably wasn't much more blatant than the look that he knew had overtaken his own face for a moment.

But he didn't want to concern her, and he certainly didn't want to risk any trouble popping up between his hollow and Orihime, so Ichigo offered, "It's alright, Orihime. That's kind of how we communicate." The explanation felt awkward, as he didn't like admitting that he actually communicated with the fiend unnecessarily, but he saw no use in denying it when she was witnessing the truth for herself.

"King," the hollow called after a short stretch of silence. "That was weird. Never say that again."

"Deal," Ichigo replied easily.

Orihime giggled, though she was clearly attempting to muffle the sound. "I think the two of you have more in common than you'd like to admit to."

"No-"

"-we don't."

Silence stretched again for a beat, and again it was interrupted by poorly-muffled laughter.

In an obvious attempt to change the subject, Ichigo asked, "Anyway, shouldn't you be trying to get a little sleep, too?"

"You really are an idiot," his hollow declared.

Ignoring the hollow's words, Orihime replied, "Ah, but I'm not tired at all!"

"You're not?" Ichigo asked, genuinely surprised by her response. He could feel the truth of her words for himself, but that made no sense to him. She'd been up as long as he had, and she wasn't even in her own body, so if anything he had expected her to be more tired.

"Do you think we get tired?" the hollow asked. "I mean, it's not like we've got any comfy places to sleep in this dump."

"It's not like you pay rent, either," Ichigo returned shortly. But he hesitated anyway as he reflected on the hollow's actual point. He'd never given a thought to whether or not Zangetsu (or the hollow) actually got tired.

Zangetsu joined the conversation, then, declaring, "We draw our strength – and energy – from you, Ichigo. When you are tired, we are slower and weaker. We rest when you rest, though we do not sleep."

Ichigo almost nodded in understanding before he realized that the gesture was pointless. Instead, he replied, "Alright, then."

"See," Orihime said with an obvious smile, "you should be sleeping!"

He chuckled then and finally relented, saying, "Okay, Orihime, I'll try to sleep. But don't be afraid to wake me if you need me." He let his eyes fall shut as he spoke, his muscles slowly relaxing.

In an attempt to ease his guilt over letting himself sleep, Orihime chirped, "Oh, don't worry about me! I've got Hollow and Mr. Zangetsu to keep me company!"

Ichigo's eyes snapped open in shock and he choked on air before he managed, "Don't tell me you actually named him!"

Orihime's tell-tale self-conscious laughter echoed back at him. "W-well, everyone needs a name, and I needed something to call him…."

"Trust me, 'Hollow' is better than the shit she was coming up with," the hollow added grumpily.

It was a long minute before Ichigo had his breathing back under control and he said, "…Alright."

Orihime's voice was hesitant again as she quietly asked, "Are you angry?"

Squeezing his eyes shut and wishing he could kick himself, Ichigo replied, "No, of course not. I just wasn't expecting it, that's all." With a smirk, he added, "Although I think 'Horse' would've worked just fine."

"Funny," the hollow interrupted, "I was thinking you could go for a name-change."

Ignoring his hollow's predictable jibe, Ichigo allowed his muscles to relax again and, as his eyes fell shut, he called, "Now that all that's settled, I guess I'll try to get a little sleep. Goodnight, Orihime."

Voice soft and sweet, Orihime replied, "Goodnight, Ichigo."

Orihime was lying on her back, staring up at the sky of Ichigo's inner world, when she realized that the view had changed a bit from the last time she had actually looked at it. Where once there had been a handful of fluffy, pure white clouds floating along on the continuous breeze, now there were many more, thicker, gray clouds. They were still floating on the breeze, but the increased number caused them to float closer together than the white ones had.

Humming thoughtfully, Orihime asked, "Do the clouds change when he sleeps?"

Both the hollow and Zangetsu turned their eyes back to the sky, and the hollow scoffed irritably. "Tch. No, the weather changes with his mood."

Rolling her head enough to blink awkwardly up at the hollow, Orihime couldn't help but ask, "He has mood-weather?"

The hollow laughed openly at her question.

It was Zangetsu who actually answered her, saying, "The weather in this world responds to his frame of mind. When he is frightened, worried, or sad, the clouds darken and gather, bringing with them heavy rains. The sky is changing now as his mind becomes increasingly consumed with worry."

Orihime's eyes returned to the sky and she frowned. "Then those dark clouds…are my fault?"

"No more than you being here is," the hollow said pointedly.

Orihime pulled her lip between her teeth as her eyes followed the slow path of a large, gray cloud. "He never cries," she murmured, not even realizing that she was thinking aloud.

Zangetsu and the hollow both turned their attention back to her silently.

"But it rains in his heart…when he's overwhelmed by emotions…that might make other people cry…." Her words trailed off and she swallowed heavily, still watching that same cloud. A single tear slipped from the corner of one eye, sliding down the side of her face and dripping off of the end of her earlobe to disappear into her hair. "Please don't cry for me, Ichigo."

The hollow looked away from her, finding himself scowling into a darkened window as his hands slipped into the pocket-like sides of his hakama.

Zangetsu watched her for a moment longer before returning his gaze up toward the sky. The clouds were certainly darker than usual, but it wouldn't rain that night.

The following morning couldn't have come fast enough in Ichigo's opinion, as he had woken up well before sunrise and only been able to toss and turn for the remainder of the night. By the time he was finally able to pass through the senkaimon he felt like he had been waiting for weeks. And, of course, he felt like he couldn't run fast enough. Never had he cursed his inability to use flash-step within the dangai more than he did that morning.

And then, quite suddenly, he was running through the waiting door on the other side.

Rukia and Renji, who had insisted on returning with him, were hot on his heels when Ichigo crossed into Kisuke Urahara's underground training area.

Ichigo came to a stop several feet from the already-fading doorway and lifted his head, taking a deep breath of the familiar air. "Orihime," he called after a moment, "you still okay?"

"Yes," Orihime replied easily. Smiling reassuringly, she added, "That was the easiest run through the dangai I've ever had!"

He grinned, barely stopping himself from nodding, and said, "Good."

"Is everything okay?" Rukia asked carefully as she came to stand beside Ichigo.

This time he did nod, his grin already gone, and he replied, "Yeah; she made the trip just fine."

"You mean other than that she's still stuck inside you?" Renji asked rhetorically.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at his friend. "Obviously," he grunted. He turned his attention toward the distant ladder and added, "C'mon, let's see what's going on upstairs."

The trio covered the vast, barren distance quickly and leapt easily up the ladder. The hatch was unlocked, and Ichigo pushed it open with minimal effort before climbing into the shop.

Even as Renji – who had graciously allowed Rukia to go first – was still climbing up from the basement, Ichigo turned toward the hall and hollered, "Urahara! Where the hell are you?"

"Manners never were your forte, were they?" Rukia asked rhetorically.

Tessai appeared in front of them before Ichigo could comment and said, "Good morning, everyone. Mr. Urahara is waiting for you; please follow me." He turned without waiting for their response and retraced his steps down the hall.

Ichigo fell in line behind him immediately, and Rukia and Renji quietly followed suit.

Tessai led them to one of the shop's 'recovery rooms,' where Ichigo's body was usually stored when he had to be away for extended periods of time.

The larger man paused, hand resting on the door, and called, "They're here, boss."

"Oh, good," Kisuke Urahara began from the other side, "let them in, please."

Nodding, Tessai slid the door open and stepped aside silently.

Ichigo led the way into the room, his eyes lingering on Urahara only long enough to ascertain his position against the wall. And then his eyes were drawn to the figures in the center of the floor.

Orihime's unoccupied body was lying less than a foot from Ichigo's own.

"Okay," Orihime said quietly, "that is sort of weird."

Ichigo swallowed. 'Weird' didn't even come close to describing it. But he had no trouble deciding that he absolutely detested the sight of her lifeless body, even if he knew that she wasn't gone. The bigger problem was that his eyes seemed to be transfixed on it.

"She looks dead," Renji declared as the door slid shut behind them.

Rukia shoved her elbow into his side sharply, hissing, "That's not helping!"

"In some respects," Urahara replied casually, "I suppose she is."

Ichigo's eyes widened and he snapped his head back in the shopkeeper's direction. "What?" Panic that may or may not have been his own began building inside of him, but his were the only thoughts he heard.

Covering the lower half of his face with his fan, Urahara said, "Relax, relax! Orihime's no more 'dead' than you yourself at this very moment!"

Before he could stop himself, Ichigo's foot was flying forward and connecting with Urahara's face – and subsequently tearing through the fan. "Don't joke about this, dammit!"

"Ichigo, that's hardly helping," Rukia scolded calmly.

"It sure helped me," the hollow offered grumpily.

Urahara reached up with his free hand as soon as Ichigo pulled his foot back, smoothing his nose as if it had crumpled and saying, "Duly noted." He paused, lifting his ruined fan, and frowned dramatically as he asked, "But was it necessary to destroy the fan, too?"

"Urahara," Ichigo growled, his fists clenched at his sides. He wanted to throttle the man at the moment, but he knew that would be incredibly counter-productive. "Tell me you've figured something out."

Sighing, Urahara tucked the broken fan into a pocket and declared, "Well, no, not technically. You see, I haven't had much to go on. I can tell you what we already know: Orihime was not attacked in any way, nor was she struck by any sort of sickness. Her body shows no signs of stress."

One tattooed eyebrow arched high, Renji asked, "And just how closely did you inspect her body?"

Rukia closed her eyes, biting back a sigh. But she really wanted to punch him.

Ichigo blanched, briefly torn between wanting to punch Renji for suggesting something like that and wanting to know the answer – so that he could decide how painfully Urahara would have to die. He settled on locking his jaw and waiting for the answer as his eyes dragged back to Orihime's nightgown-clad body.

"Come now, Renji, I would never-" Urahara began.

Ichigo registered the building embarrassment within him – Orihime's, he was sure – at the same time as he registered what his eyes had been telling him from the start. He hadn't even heard Urahara's barely-begun answer as he suddenly cried, "What the hell's the matter with you people? You can't leave her lying around in that!"

All eyes shifted to Ichigo when he began yelling, and then all eyes promptly shifted past him, to Orihime's body.

"What're you yelling about?" Yoruichi asked from the doorway with a grin. "That nightgown's incredibly flattering on her."

"Somebody get her a damned blanket!" Ichigo demanded, his voice still louder than was strictly necessary, as he moved to plant himself between Orihime's body and their audience. He turned his back to her, attempting to respect her privacy, and leveled a glare at Urahara.

Pushing to his feet, Urahara waved his hands dismissively and said, "Alright, alright, I'll have Tessai get her a blanket. And why don't we re-convene in the sitting room? Would that suit you better?"

"After you," Ichigo growled pointedly.

"Such a prude," Yoruichi teased as she turned and led the way out of the room.

Urahara followed her after offering Ichigo a knowing smirk, and Renji fell in behind him quietly.

Ichigo didn't move until Rukia was half-way through the door, and he was careful to slide the door shut behind him.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Heehee, I just couldn't resist throwing a little humor into the end of this one! Hopefully it amused you, and, more importantly, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter as a whole! In fact, maybe you'd be so kind as to let me know how it's working for you while you wait for the next installment? Pretty please?