Concerns
"Now," Mana said after she saw her cousin had left her sight. "what are you going to do for Byakuya-sama's birthday?" She asked with a grin.
"Well, I was kinda thinking dinner but…" He trailed off since he didn't have another idea.
Mana nodded in approval to the dinner but there was something else that he would need to do. "Hai, but you need something… more."
Renji gazed at her with a questioning expression. "Any suggestions?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest and tilting his head to the side.
"Well, no not really." She admitted.
"That's not helping Mana-san…"
She crossed her arms and tapped her chin, thinking. "Well…"
"Hey, I have to get to work sometime today, y'know."
"Do not rush me!" Mana hissed as she glared at the redhead with her golden-grey eyes glowing a brighter gold.
He chuckled nervously and put his hands up in surrender. "S-sorry…"
They heard a flash step then and Kameko stood next to Mana. "Good morning Mana-san," She said to the purple haired girl then turned her gaze to the redhead and smiled softly. "Good morning Abarai-san,"
"G'mornin' Kameko-san…" Renji replied wide-eyed.
Mana turned her head from the redhead to her cousin. "Did you need something?"She asked. "I wasn't expecting you until later."
"Ah, yes." She nodded. "I wanted to talk to Byakuya-sama but I see he has already left for the sixth."
"You can come with me if you want. I have to head out now anyway. I'm sure Taichou isn't having much fun with all of the paperwork by himself."
Mana snapped her face back to the redhead and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I do not believe so."
"Mana-san, Byakuya's birthday isn't until next week. Can't we talk about this later?" He asked. "I have to get to work. I'm already late."
She sighed and let her arms drop down to her sides. "Very well." She supposed they could talk about it later after their duties were seen to.
"Are you coming?" Renji asked the head elder as he turned to her.
She shook her head. "I would not want to intrude upon your work. I'll wait for you two to return."
"You wouldn't be intruding. If ya really need to talk to Byakuya you are welcome to."
"No, that is fine. It's not urgent. I wanted to speak with Mana-san anyway."
"O-kay." Renji shrugged slightly and started walking out of the garden.
"Hey, Renji-san!" Mana called to the retreating redhead.
He turned his head to the girl. "Yeah?"
"Don't do anything fun without these." She said and threw two protection bangles at Renji.
He narrowed his eyes as he caught them. "Mana-san!" He huffed and stormed out gardens and down the street with Mana snickering back in the garden with Kameko just standing there shaking her head. He stuffed the bangles in his pocket and walked down the street until he got to the division.
Walking in, he saw that the noble was not at his desk like usual. He raised a brow. Must have been a Taichou's meeting… He thought and sat down at his desk and began working on the never ending paperwork.
"Ichigo…" Uryu whispered to his still sleeping lover.
"Hmm?" The orange head moved to snuggle closer to the warm body lying next to his.
"It's time to get up." The raven haired boy murmured into orange locks
"No…" Ichigo moaned.
Uryu chuckled. "Yes. We have to get up. We have an appointment with Unohana today."
The substitute cracked a brown eye open to look at the Quincy in askance. "I thought you didn't want any Shinigami touching you."
"Believe me, I don't." The Quincy said while looking out the window before looking into Ichigo's opened eye again. "But I don't have much choice since Urahara-san said it is best we go to Soul Society and have her take a look."
Ichigo nodded his understanding. "When is the appointment?" He asked while closing his eye.
"It's in a couple of hours. If you get up now then we can shower and have breakfast then leave."
Ichigo yawned and pulled the Quincy close while nuzzling in his neck. "When do you want to tell Yuzu and Karin?"
"W-well…"
"Uryu," The orange haired boy opened his eyes and looked up to the blue eyes of his lover. "are you completely sure you are ready to tell anyone besides who we have told?"
"The only people who know are Urahara-san and Unohana… other than that I'm not sure if I'm ready at all."
"Alright, then we aren't telling anyone else until you are." Ichigo declared while sitting up and bringing his lover with him.
The raven head's brows furrowed and his eyes widened slightly. "B-but Ichigo, you wanted to tell your sisters and your father."
"Yeah well seeing as you aren't sure that you're ready for it, I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do."
Uryu smiled gratefully at his lover. "Thank you Ichi…" He said and kissed the orange head.
"Mmm…" Ichigo moaned into the kiss. "You're welcome. Now let's go, I'm starving."
"Grimmie, let's go somewhere." Nel called from bathroom where she was brushing her hair.
After their discussion with Urahara the night before they had to do some talking of their own, this led to other activities. Then when they woke up they had done more discussing about their situation in Heuco Mundo.
Grimmjow scowled as he lay on the bed. "Why?"
"Because it is not often that we get to come to the living world. I want to see things here."
"Nel," He said sitting up and draping his legs over the bed. "there really isn't much to see."
Nel walked out of the bathroom with only a towel on with a raised brow. "We are not going to just sit here and take up space." She spoke firmly to the bluenette. Grimmjow opened his mouth to retaliate but his lover spoke again. "And we are not going to nothing but spar. Therefore, we are going to go out and do something, even if it is just to take a walk around town."
Grimmjow watched as his lover walked to the closet and turned her back to him. Shedding the towel and slipping into her gigai before opening the closet to pull out a pair of jeans, shirt, and sweater to wear for their outing. He couldn't help but stare in awe at her beautiful body the only thing absent was her mask that sat on top of her head while she was in her artificial body. He hadn't realized that he was smiling when she turned around fully clothed and smiling at him while clearing her throat. The bluenette shook his head and couldn't fend off a slight blush that had crept onto his face. He averted his blue eyes from her hazel ones and chuckled nervously.
Chuckling at her lover's embarrassment Nel walked over to the bed and sat down. "Grimmie, you're blushing." She teased.
"It's not funny." He grumbled.
She chuckles a bit more and grasped his chin lightly to turn his face to hers. "You don't need to be embarrassed." She ghosted her lips against his while running her long fingers through his short blue hair. This was the softer more flustered side of her lover that didn't come out too often unless they were alone and Nel was teasing him.
Nipping at her lips a bit before he denied her statement, he reached one hand over to cradle her head in his hand while softly tangling his fingers in her green locks. "I'm not embarrassed." He mumbled.
A small smile settled upon her face as she pulled away from Grimmjow slightly to look into his sky blue eyes and only nodded. "Come on. Orihime-chan said there were some nice shops around, let's go have a look."
The bluenette nodded and sighed. He didn't want to go, but he would for Nel. Standing and slipping into his gigai then dressing quickly, he followed his lover out of the room and then out of the shop to the street.
Rukia was awake long before her lover was as she lay next to the auburn haired girl. A smile playing over face as she saw Inoue's long hair flowed on the bed around them, her face relaxed as she rested on her side, naked, with her body entangled with the raven head's smaller figure. Nothing was more beautiful to Rukia than the perky healer. She reached her petite hand out and pushed some of the hair out of her lover's face and placed it behind her ear.
Inoue stirred softly until her eyes fluttered open. "Rukia-chan?" She mumbled sleepily.
"Did I wake you?" The noble asked. "Gomen."
"It's fine. What time is it?" She asked.
"It's nine." Rukia replied, kissing her lover's pink lips softly in greeting.
"Oh, I'm glad I don't have to work today. I'd be late." Her grey eyes fastened onto Rukia's violet ones as she returned the kiss. Rukia smiled and nuzzled under her chin, breathing in her sweet scent and the remains of their love making. Inoue's stomach then growled loudly and her face flushed as she chuckled nervously. "Hehe… gomen…"
The noble lifted her gaze again and smiled softly at the embarrassment of her lover. "I suppose we should get up." Rukia suggested while placing her hand on Inoue's thin abdomen.
The healer nodded. "Okay, do you want to go out or do you want me to make something?" Rukia tried to hide the grimace from hearing of her lover cooking but she saw it and frowned. "Do you think I make weird things Rukia-chan?"
The noble gave her a sympathetic smile. "Well," she said. "I'll just be honest and say yes. You do make some odd things but there are times where you can make some good things too."
Orihime smiled brightly at hearing her lover's honesty and reassurance. "Really?"
The noble nodded. "Hai," She said sitting up along with the healer. "Come, we need to eat."
"Okay,"
Renji was in the office doing the last report on his desk as Byakuya walked in with a serious expression upon his face.
Renji looked up and saw the noble going over to his desk. His red-brown eyes followed the noble. "Hey Tai…" He trailed off as the noble sat down and was still wearing the serious expression. Renji raised a brow. "What's wrong Taichou?"
Byakuya looked over to the redhead. "We are going on a mission and are to be stationed in the living world tomorrow."
Renji tilted his head to the side with his brow still raised. "What are the specifics?"
Byakuya looked down to his work and began writing as he spoke. "There have been odd occurrences of people missing with high reiatsu. We are to go to the living world and see what the cause is then report back for further instructions."
"Hai Taichou, but isn't it a bit much for our squad to be going?"
"It will be just you and I going. Soutaichou ordered that we, specifically, go and see to this. The amount of people that have been missing is growing at an alarming rate." Byakuya explained.
"Oh? How many people have gone missing?" The redhead asked as he finished the last report.
The noble looked up at the redhead. "I believe he said well over a few dozen humans have gone missing in just a week's time."
Renji's hand stopped and his eyes grew slightly wide as he looked up. "How the hell can that many people go missin' so fast?"
The noble shook his head. "I'm not sure, but we shall see."