Technical Difficulties

It was an overpowering, ominous feeling that made Ichigo freeze and turn slowly. He had not heard her approaching but he had most certainly felt her fury from several feet away. "Where is Renji?" Her words were slow, careful and frightening. Ichigo looked to Rukia who simply looked back at him.

"No idea." They shrugged in unison – actually they had a pretty clear idea of where the red-head would be but they felt that this was one of the few times when the sixth division lieutenant needed to be protected.

"Fine." She said after a moment of contemplative silence that managed to put Ichigo on edge, "but if I find out that you're lying, you're a dead man Ichigo."

"What do you need Renji for?" Ichigo, after gathering the courage to, finally asked the question that had been sitting on the tip of his tongue for what felt like ages.

"Oh nothing," Tatsuki waved off the question, "just to kill him."

"What did he do this time?"

"That is between him and me." Tatsuki replied a rather sharply. Ichigo was about to press on when he noticed the very topic of their discussion walking towards them, wearing the very same uniform as him. He resisted the urge to let Renji walk to his doom, and instead settled with trying to discreetly warn Renji of the danger – and most likely pain – that awaited him should he make himself known to the short, rage filled girl standing with her back towards him.

"So you're going to kill Renji when you find him?" Ichigo asked so carefully he instantly gave himself, and Renji, away.

"Wow Ichigo, you're pathetic." Tatsuki shook her head in mild disgust, "and there is not use trying to escape, I know you're there Renji." The red-head lieutenant, who was trying to sneak away, froze.

"She's right – you are pathetic." Rukia elbowed Ichigo painfully in the side.

Maybe it was from being dragged outside the class by his hair, or maybe it was her yelling, or the sudden, inexplicable fear he was feeling, either way Renji could feel the beginning of a headache pressing against his temples.

"What did you promise me before I call Senbonzakura?" Tatsuki bristled; she did not give him a chance to respond; she quickly followed her question with a response, "that nothing bad will happen. Right?"

"Not entirely."

She ignored his words and continued as though he had never spoken, "so tell my why I wake up to find my parents gone."

"They're being protected. Weren't you told?"

"Yes, I was told by your captain but how do I know that it is true? I want to kill you so badly right now."

"Listen to me," Renji grabbed her shoulders, he was too fond of this for Tatsuki's liking, he was generally too touchy-feely for her liking but she let it slide . "they are fine. I promise."

"What good is your promise; you throw that word around so much that it's meaningless."

"That was harsh and uncalled for; if I were anyone else I might have taken offense." His eyes were pleading for her to calm down and just listen to reason, "If I could I would personally take you to go and see them but I can't. I literally cannot; if I'm to try to sneak you into soul society we will both be executed, no joke."

"Get away from me." She pried his finger off her shoulders coldly, "I don't know who the hell you shinigami think you are, barging into people's lives and messing it up just because you can."

"I'm sorry." He let his hands fall to his sides hopelessly, "I can't exactly say you're being a bitch because I understand why you are upset, but I can't do anything about it; I'm not the superhero who comes in and makes every bad thing go away; I'm not Ichigo, and I'm sorry for that but I know you trust me so deep down you know your parents are fine."

Perhaps it was because she was scared: scared that she might never see her parents again, that she had put them in danger, that she had no idea what was going on but was stuck in the middle of it all, or was as a result of her anger at herself for being scared, or at him for not telling her everything in the beginning. It could have been his arrogance, or his insecurity - she did not know what caused her to hit him and would probably never know, but what she did know was that when she punched him every fiber of her being knew she was both wrong and justified.

Renji staggered backwards after her fist collided painfully with his face - now he was definitely going to have a headache. "I don't need you to be Ichigo, I need you to tell me the truth!" her words almost cut out the pain that exploded between his eyes and that blood that trickled down from his nose. He wiped away the blood with the back of his hand and steadied himself,

"I understand that you're angry, so I'm going to let you go off and calm down." he blinked hard in an attempt to steady his swaying vision, he still did not understand how someone so tiny could pack such a punch. "When you do, you can come and complain to me about life with Captain Kuchiki as if this never happened. Ok?"

The scathing reply on the tip of her tongue died the moment she processed his last words, "What do you mean 'life with Byakuya'?"

"Didn't he tell you?" Renji blinked hard again, "That's the main reason I came to your school, to see how you would cope."

"Cope with what?"

"He's going to be living with you because he's been assigned to protect you; if anything happens to you, for instance you die, Senbonzakura could disappear. He has to make sure that does not happen."

"You're lying." Her anger was quickly giving way to panic, she refused to believe that she would be sharing her house with someone she did not even know "it's not true. You're just saying this so I'll forget I'm angry with you."

"Are you mad? What kind of stupid joke will that be?"

"Renji, just stop talking." She snapped before her mind actually processed the sentence.

"You need to calm down." he said coolly. He really was trying to be the understanding friend but it was getting tiring. Tatsuki folded her arms across her chest and looked down. "You'll be fine. Sure he's not the greatest guy on earth – or even a great guy for that matter, but you'll survive." She kept her lips tightly sealed because she knew if she opened her mouth it would only let out the most scathing abuse she could think off, and if she did that they might end up quarreling and she would be forced to throw him out a window because right now she did not have the patience to deal with him, or anyone else for that matter.

Byakuya truly did not want to be in Urahara's shop but whom else could he go to? Urahara had been in the living world for years and with the way the shop-keeper's mind worked, he would have most certainly found out if there was anything strange about Tatsuki and he, Byakuya, did not want to be caught off guard at any moment which meant he would have to sit on his irritation in order to get as much information out of the shopkeeper as possible.

"So you're telling me she significantly weakened a level 30 kido?" Urahara asked, his interest clearly piqued, "I knew there was something odd about her, but with no reiatsu I could not conduct any experiments."

"Her reiatsu is there – and significant, it is simply undetectable." The sixth division captain hid his frown behind a façade of indifference. For what could be the first time, Urahara was proving himself to be utterly useless and unhelpful.

"Undetectable huh? Well wouldn't that be useful in the second division. Imagine what you could get up to if no one in Seretei could detect your presence."

"Out of curiosity," a black cat said, in a voice that continually managed to irritate Byakuya, as it leapt onto one of the cushions nearby, "why would you use a level 30 kido on a living person?"

He had to be honest; he had been a bit rash in his actions, "because she broke out of the level 9 kido."

"And you used a kido spell on her because?"

"She's annoying and arrogant." Byakuya clipped,

"Ah, I guess when people are too alike they will not get along." Yoruichi said as she curled up comfortably,

"I simply came to inform you of this." He rose swiftly to his feet. The visit had already been too irritating and useless for his liking and then there was the fact that he did not want to be around Yoruichi – he could not wait to leave.

"Wait." He turned his eyes to the cat who had just spoken, "bring her here, maybe Urahara and I can try to find out if she has any abilities that may be of use. Just because Aizen disappeared does not mean he is gone."

"That is her decision to make, and it may be best for you to relay your messages yourself; I am not a messenger."

"What's got you so worked up?" Yoruichi leapt in front of the shinigami captain who for a moment strongly considered kicking her out of the way but settled for simply stepping over the cat and heading his way. If he knew the tornado of fury that was waiting for him when he returned he probably would have chosen to humor Urahara and Yoruichi a bit longer.

He opened the front door of the house unsuspectingly only to be faced by a furious, determined Tatsuki. "You are not staying here." Her voice was stern and clear.

"And how do you propose I ensure your safety if I do not?" he stated calmly, trying to point out her stupidity.

"I don't care." She stomped her foot in a manner that struck Byakuya as utterly childish, "I don't want you anywhere near me talk less of under the same roof!"

"My sincerest apologies," he said sarcastically as he brushed past her, "feel free to fill out a formal complaint." Tatsuki grabbed his sleeve. She wanted to hit him so badly.

"I am serious."

"This is not up for discussion so I suggest you find a way of adjusting." He pried her fingers off his sleeve – thanks to her penchant for grabbing onto him and his clothing, it had become so natural that he almost did not notice his fingers slowly uncurling hers. "I am not here to ensure your safety but the safety of my zanpaktou, just because the two happen to overlap does not mean you have a say in the matter."

"This is my house."

"Understood." He said so clearly there was no mistaking it for sarcasm. Tatsuki, whose mind was already working through ways she could make him leave, tilted her head in confusion.

"Seriously?"

Byakuya stared at her silently as he contemplated where to answer her or not, "You're really going?" she asked, her disbelief still evident.

"That is what you wished is it not? There is no use in either one of us inconveniencing the other more than is absolutely necessary. Yes, it would have been easier if I were living with you, but easier does not mean necessary." He turned his back to her in a manner that could only be described as cold, "Just as I try to lighten our burden whenever I can, I expect you would at least have the sense to extend the same courtesy to me and do as I tell you."

As she watched him leave she felt a respect for him develop amidst her dislike of him. Yes, she still was not fond of him and would have liked to see him out of her life forever, but she respected him. It was then she realized two things: one, what Renji had described as bastardly cold-heartedness was most likely a stoic dignity, and two: respect did not always mean trust. "Where are my parents?" she asked. Byakuya looked at her with thinly veiled irritation, he really wanted to tell her they were 'where dead people go'

"They are in Seretei."

"What's that?"

"None of your business."

A/N: Well, that was pleasant.