Chapter 10: Watching the show for once

A/N: For some weird reason, all my scene break markings are gone! I'm serious. From each and every fic I wrote, they are gone.

A/N: I don't know about this chapter. It left a 'bad taste' in my mouth. Something's not right here. I hope you like it.

Remember to review!

CHAPTER BEGING

"I've been thinking, I want to try and have a relationship with Ran-chan."

Vizards blinked in chorus. It was a poker night or day because the school was just out. Well, they played long tournaments.

"Really?" Love asked. "What brought this up?"

Naruto shrugged. "I've been thinking this and that. I'm practically a single now, right. I have dated Nao-chan and had a brief experience with Ryo-chan yet the one person who I have not even made out with (minus times we practiced) is her."

"You practiced making out?" Lisa asked raising an eyebrow.

Naruto blushed. "We were kids. She had seen couple teenagers doing it and told me about it and… then we just… did it." He laughed sheepishly.

"How much? Or… how far?"

"We never got past the closed-mouth kissing stage. We were so young at the time that we didn't know what else there was. And I started coughing blood in a middle of the kiss. Nothing turns a girls off like a mouth full of blood. Well, most of them at least."

"So, now that you've dumped your human girlfriend, you think that you can just waltz back Soul Society and have your way with her?" Love snorted. "Boy, I know women, I and I know if you ever show your face back there again, you will be murdered. First by your old girlfriend, and then by this hope-to-be girlfriend."

"Well, I should get back there first." He thought carefully. "It was just a thought anyway. It's not like I got any chances with love." He folded his hand and sighed. "It's the Urahara curse."

"Where are those two?" Kensei muttered angrily and glared at the entrance. They had send Hiyori and Mashiro to get some snack for the poker night but they hadn't returned yet.

"That's odd." Hacchi muttered and also looked up.

"Wad is it, Hacchi?" Hirako asked.

"It feels like several hollows had just appeared outside."

Everyone looked at the entrance. "Anything big?"

"No, no." He shook his head. "Just small gillians but the amount. It just keeps increasing."

"I wonder what's going on outside." Lisa whispered.

They all exited the factory together just in time to witness how another hollow appeared out of Hueco Mundo and started searching for a prey. It must've been its animal instinct that told it to avoid the group that was standing right next to it.

((A))

"GET AWAY YOU WEAK-ASS LOOSER!" Hiyori kicked a hollow onto the ground, and destroyed it in the process. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded panting hard. She was carrying shopping bags in her hands. "All of a sudden all these hollows popped out. I wonder what's causing this."

"Maybe it's a game?" Mashiro suggested.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Just then, they saw a gigantic dark-skinned human running past them, leading one of the hollows away from the shops. "Did I see things, or did that human just try and lead that one hollow away? Can humans do something like that? Have we been underground too long?" Then she shook her head.

Mashiro only tilted her head. "Do you think I should buy that red dress or… the yellow one?"

Hiyori sighed. This was getting her nowhere.

((A))

"What the hell are you doing!" Ichigo demanded from Ishida Uryu when he had just realized the effects of the bet he had agreed on. Now each and every friend he had was in trouble. He was so going to beat that smug bastard to a bloody pulp.

"I simply wanted to prove my superiority over Shinigami and if it means this, I'm willing to go through with it." Ishida answered simply, satisfied with himself. "And besides, do you really have time to deal with me?"

"Suzu! Karin!" Ichigo yelled and sprinted off. "Kon! Let's go!"

Two Ichigos disappeared leaving battle ready Ishida behind. "Fool. If he paid a little more attention to his surroundings, he would realize that his family isn't the only one with high spiritual powers." He turned around. "Just watch me, Sensei. I will avenge you."

((A))

"I think…that centipede." Kensei answered and reached out, taking some chips into his hands.

"No way! It's obviously an earthworm." Naruto argued.

"Wat's de difference?" Hirako asked.

"You can't tell a difference between a centipede and an earthworm?" Naruto asked. "Pass that bowl to me."

Vizards were sitting on top of the factory roof, enjoying the day and a view of hollows running wildly.

"Anyway, watch this!" Kensei picked up a brick into his hand and backed away few steps. "This is how men do it!" He screamed and slammed the brick on some passing hollow, destroying it. "And that's how you beat a centipede."

"That was an earthworm!" Naruto argued and picked up another prick. "That… pig over there." He pointed at another hollow.

"Ten says he can't do it." Hiyori snickered, she had Mashiro had finally got back.

"Twenty." Rose added.

Lisa closed her eyes and thought. "I'll take that bet."

"What?" Both looked at her in surprise.

"I will prove a point." She corrected her glasses and walked up to Naruto and leaned into his ear. "If you miss this, I will make you do that with me. Got that?"

Naruto paled considerably.

"No pressure." She smirked and walked away.

"HOME RUN!" Naruto threw the prick fast had hard into pig hollow destroying it in the process.

When the hollow disappeared and cheers and curses flew around him, Naruto turned around. "We really are the most boring group there is."

Everyone shrugged. "You get used to it after time."

"And that's scary."

"By the way…" Lisa said suddenly. "Shouldn't you be out there, doing something?"

"What?"

"Well… there is lot of people in this town with high reiatsu levels. Shouldn't you be protecting them or something?"

"Nah." Naruto waved his hand. "It's not like anyone close to me is who couldn't protect themselves. And Ichigo can deal with these ones himself."

"So… you're not worried about your girlfriend… for example?"

"Of course not!" Naruto snapped so quickly that it could actually be heard. Then laughed nervously. "I think we need more drinks. I'll go get some!" He jumped off the roof and sprinted away.

"Ten says he completely forgot about her just a minute ago." Hiyori said plainly.

((A))

While Orihime was fighting in the school yard for Tatsuki, Sado in the playground for Karin, Ishida shooting hollows down somewhere between, Ichigo running around randomly, not knowing what to do while Rukia run around trying to find him, Ryo and Michiru were walking home together as always. After the break-up, Michiru tried her best to cheer up her best friend.

"You want to go that new cake shop?" She asked happily.

"I can't eat anything too heavy. You know that." Ryo answered quietly. "I need to be on my top form for my race next week."

"Yes…" Michiru sighed.

"I appreciate the gesture, Michiru, but I just don't feel like doing anything now…" She sighed.

Just then, a hollow landed behind them, breaking the ground underneath it. Girls jumped back shocked. "What's going on?" Michiru asked quietly.

"I don't… know." Ryo answered and took a step back instinctively. The air was… moving. Or something was moving. Something big. And it was getting closer. "Run… Michiru… run!"

"What-?" The other girl asked confused when hollow prepared to smack her hard into the ground.

"Michiru!" Ryo screamed when suddenly a figure rushed past her, past Michiru and smashed with that thing… that she couldn't see but knew it was there.

"Are you two okay?" She raised her eyes to see familiar blond hair flowing in the wind.

"Naruto?" Ryo whispered. "What just happened?"

Suddenly, Naruto jumped again and with almost inhuman speed, kicked something that hit the wall so hard that it broke into rubble. "I need you two to go. It's not safe here for the time being."

"Let's go, Ryo-chan!" Michiru took her friends hand and pulled. "We must go!"

Ryo didn't move. Naruto jumped again incredibly high and took a hold of something before throwing it over his shoulder and slamming it into the ground. The something seemed to hit Naruto onto the back so his shirt was ripped and a red line appeared in his back. "Naruto!"

"It's okay." Narutos voice whispered as he stood up, ignoring the wound. "I had worse." Then he noticed a metal pipe in the ground and picked it up like a sword. "Go now!" He charged forward.

Ryo watched as Naruto disappeared into distance, fighting with someone obviously. Michiru wanted to go. But she didn't. She wanted to follow Naruto. To follow him! To be with him!

She took a step forward and was about to run after him when something landed on top of them again.

Michiru hit her head into concrete and lost consciousness. "MICHIRU!" Ryo screamed and stood up quickly. Then, like a curtain had just been pulled away, some big monster with a white carnival mask looked down to them. "What are you?" She whispered.

"Dinner!" Hollow screamed and opened its mouth ready to eat it's pray.

Ryo took hold of Michiru. She needed to get her to safety. No matter what. Michiru was her friend. She needed to save her… she took hold of her body and carried her away. For some reason, she was very light. She took couple steps and she was already at the end of the road. She looked over her shoulder to see that hollow was at the other end looking equally dumbfounded.

"What happened…?" She asked herself when she glanced at her feet. Her shoes… no, her feet… they were on fire! She instinctively jumped like they were burning before she realized that they were not. Golden flames around her feet didn't seem to hurt at all. In fact, she felt better than ever.

Meanwhile hollow seemed to have recovered and charged after her. And then, three more appeared over the walls. Four all together.

Ryo gently left Michiru lie on the street before she faced the hollow and narrowed her eyes. "Don't screw with me, or my friends." The flames changed color to dark blue. She charged forward with her newly found powers.

The speed was uncanny! She felt like a feather in a wind. She easily passed all hollows to their backside and to the other end of the street where she turned around. She would beat those things to a bloody pulp for messing with her friend like this. She charged forward and kicked the first one to its back, slamming it to a nearby wall, breaking its mask and destroying it in the process.

"Let's go!" She jumped on couple meters high, to hollows eyelevel and smirked. "Take this!" She turned in the middle of the air, kicking another hollow to its head. Two down, two to go.

She landed between the two. These… things seemed have some intelligence because they put up their guard, blocking almost the whole street both ends. She needed to think how to beat these things with her newly found powers. She checked her flames. They seemed to have reverted back to a goldish flame.

Hollows inched closer. She didn't have many options.

"Kick the ground twice before leaping backwards and then go around!" A voice told her.

Hollows jumped on top of her, smashing her between them and the ground. Expect that she wasn't there anymore. She was standing on top of them. Then she raised her knee up and then stumped with all her might on to those hollows, smashing right through them.

After they had disappeared, the street was ruined and she was exhausted but Michiru was safe and was even starting move. So everything was good.

"Excellent work." Ryo turned around ready to fight even when she had no more strength to raise her feet. "You have a great power, concerning that you're a human." A black cat was sitting on the street and… talking.

"Cat… talking?" Ryo whispered before she collapsed.

Yoruichi sighed. "Humans have so limited capacity to believe things when they see them. Tessai!" She looked over her shoulder. "How's that child?"

"Nothing too serious, Yoruichi-dono. Shall I take her back to her home?"

"Sure. Ururu! I need you to carry this girl back to the shop with us." She nodded at lying Ryo. "Can you do that?"

"Y-yes!" Ururu nodded and easily picked up Ryos unconscious body. "I-I'll do my best."

Yoruichi looked up. "Now, where is that Naruto?" She asked.

((A))

"Move! Move! Move!" Naruto made his way through the playground, hitting every hollow out of his way. Even armed with just a metal pipe, he was dangerous opponent, now that he knew his limits, he knew what to do.

"Wow there, son. There's lots of more where those come from." Urahara slashed the pipe away with his cane.

"Dad?" Naruto panted. "What's going on here?"

"Little bet between your classmates. Nothing serious." A huge hollow almost landed on top of them. Kisuke simply pointed his fingers at it and said: "Hado # 15 Kiritorirai (A/N: Cutting lightning)." Flash of light and the hollow was slashed in half vertically.

"You call this 'nothing'? It's like a frontier out here!" Naruto yelled. Then he noticed Chad lying on his feet.

"Good timing. I need you to give me a hand. There are few… interesting people living in this town, your friend included. Could you carry him to our home? There's still one more left that I need to go check on. And do me another favor. Don't fight against anymore hollows than you absolutely have to."

"Why?"

"There's something I to need try." Kisuke smirked. "Don't worry. I won't allow anyone to get hurt… to badly."

And before Naruto had a chance to refuse or to say anything, Kisuke disappeared. "How can he do that and I can't!" He yelled frustrated and picked his friend up. "Damn your heavy! Maybe you should start dieting. Damn, this will take forever."

((A))

Orihime cracked her eyes open. A weird ceiling greeted her. Confused of what was going on or where she was, she sat up slowly. It was empty room expect a familiar person sitting on the other side. "Huh? Sado-kun?" She asked.

"You're wake? Morning." Chad muttered.

"M-morning." Then Orihime noticed another person slowly sitting up behind Chad. "Kunieda-san?"

"Inou-san? Sado-san?" Ryo looked around. "Where are we?"

"Beats me." Chad answered.

"So, you're finally awake?" Everyone turned around to watch Urahara Kisuke smiling to them arms folded in his sleeves. "Welcome."

"W-who?" Orihime asked.

"Urahara-san?" Ryo asked. "What's going on here?"

"You know him?" Chad asked.

"He is Nar… Urahara-sans father." She answered slightly bitterly. Then she remembered today's events. "Urahara-san! Your son! He's-"

"All right." Kisuke assured her. "I met him few minutes ago. I don't think he even realizes his wound. I give him worse injuries when in training. I was sad to hear that you broke up with him. I always thought you were good to him."

Orihime and Chad watched when Ryo quickly nodded to this.

"Did you bring us here?" Ryo continued to be the one to talk.

"Indeed I did." Kisuke smiled again. "Now wherever shall I begin…" He tilted his head slightly.

"Before you do… could you tell me…" Ryo gulped. "Is this related to that… what Naruto couldn't tell me?"

"Very much so." Kisuke nodded and smiled cunningly. "Well, then. Shall I reveal what's behind the curtain of mysteries?"

((A))

"Ow ow ow!" Naruto cursed when Hiyori and Mashiro tightened bandages around his body. After he had gently thrown Chads body to his father's shop, he had decided to go back to Vizard hideout. Then some huge hollow had attacked him on his way. The hollow itself wasn't a problem but it spit acid-like liquid and it hurt like hell when it touched the skin. He had gotten few burns. When he looked over at doll that was set lying next to him, he started thinking. "I might need a new gigai after this. This one is getting seriously banged up."

Hirako quietly kicked the doll and it arm fell off. "I'll say." He snorted. They were on the roof again.

"So, did you save your girlfriend yet?" Lisa asked boredly. Hollows had started to gather around the one area over the park.

Naruto blinked. "CRAP!" He cursed and stood up. "I need to go find her… again!"

"No need." Hirako interrupted. "Tessai picked 'er up."

"What? How you know?" Naruto asked.

"I followed ya'." Hirako answered smartly. "I was bored and decided to keep an eye on you. You really need to learn to stay more alert of your surroundings. I could've attacked you any time I wanted."

Naruto sat down pouting. "I knew you were there." He muttered like a five year old.

"Hate to interrupt your discussion but it appears that something big is coming out of Garganta." Rose said quickly and everyone turned around to see how a huge rip was about to appear in a middle of the air.

"A menos?" Hiyori asked.

"Just a gillian." Rose confirmed. "And it appears that Naruto-kuns friends are right next to it."

"What?" Naruto stood up and looked into the direction hollows were gathering. "I see… Rukia-chan, Ichigo… twice… some spectacle guy… Ishida Uryu… a quincy."

"Quincy?" Lisa asked and glanced at him. "How do you know?"

"He's my classmate also. Sticks to himself. Good at home-economics."

"Friends with you?"

"I don't think I've changed any words with him after I came to his class." Naruto explained. "It's just that I used to be a vice-captain. And before that, I helped at 4th squad's hospital. In both cases, sometimes you needed to pay attention to everyone around you without paying attention to anyone and figuring who everyone was and what they thought without asking."

"Just like from Jiraiya-sans mouth." Rose laughed quickly. "He said those things to me when I became his second."

"Well, he always ranted on and on about how to do his job." He kept a brief break and sighed. "Anyway, when I got bored in class, I spent time, trying to figure out things like that. What Keigo had eaten? Or how many girls Mizuiro had talked to past week. Most of them were pretty straight forward. But this guy, he was the hardest. So that's why I was so interested about him."

"And you found out that he was a quincy?" Lisa ended. "That's a dusty topic."

"Yeah." Hacchi whispered. "I remember. I was a seated officer by the time when they became a… problem."

Hiyori huffed. "Those bastards in 46 just decided that those humans were dicking around their territory and killing hollows on their own accord."

"A girl shouldn't use such language, Hiyori." Love smacked her into back of her head. "But I have to agree with 46 somewhat. They were humans. They should've just let us do what we were trained to do."

"Let's not get high and mighty over there!" Kensei pointed out. "You often judged our actions during those times."

"Why don' we just agree tad' every human an' Shinigami sucks."

Everyone was quiet for awhile. "Hai!" They said in chorus. Even Naruto who shook his head suddenly. "I need more friends." He muttered when his phone rang. "Naruto."

"This is Tessai." Crude man voice exclaimed. "I'm just to inform you that Owner wishes all of you to stay out of this."

"What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"He will explain when you personally get here, Naruto-dono."

Naruto sighed and nodded. "Okay." He closed the phone and turned around. "I need to go now. Dad wants all of you to just watch." He shrugged.

"I wonder how we can do that." Hiyori muttered. "Yeah, disposing few worms really is something we want to do."

"I thought so." Naruto sighed and jumped back into his gigai. "Hacchi… could you… reattach my arm?"

((A))

"Hollows are gathering." Ishida said with angry voice. Ichigo had just caught up with Rukia, Kon and himself and ranted how he had gotten everyone in the town into danger just because of this. Then they noticed the huge rip in the air and that hollows were gathering around it. Ishida didn't bother to wait but ran straight towards it.

"Hold on!" Ichigo yelled.

"Are you scared, Kurosaki?" Ishida asked mockingly. "If you are, then just stay there and watch when I win this match." He shot a bunch of arrows into the flock of hollows, destroying a bunch of them. "This way, hollows! The last Quincy, Ishida Uryuu will be your opponent!"

"You still care about this stupid match! Why is it so important to win? Ichigo yelled. "And what's with the last Quincy stuff!"

"The Quincy became extinct over two hundred years ago." Rukia began her explanation. "Or rather…they were terminated by Shinigami."

"It was an extremely hard decision for the Shinigami to make." New voice entered the conversation and everyone turned to face Naruto who was sitting on the edge over them. "They had to terminate the Quincy."

"Naruto!"

"Urahara."

Naruto landed between them. "Yo." He raised his hand to his common greeting.

"What are you doing here?"

"My dad told me to." He answered and looked up to Ishida who kept killing hollows.

"What you mean 'they had to terminate'?" Ichigo yelled.

Naruto sighed and explained what he knew which left Ichigo stunned and determined to talk Ishida some sense. That naivety was Ichigos greatest strength, charm point and weakness. And currently he was about to get himself killed when jumping in the middle of all those hollows.

"Idiot." Naruto sighed and leaned to the railing on top of the stairs with Kon and Rukia. "On his current level, Ichigo is no match for all those hollows."

Rukia glanced at him quickly. "How you know-"

"Stay sharp!" Naruto, Senju Naruto, the vice-captain snapped to the surface suddenly. "Don't loose your concentration."

Rukia didn't know if it was his tone or what but she snapped back to the place so naturally that she even reached out for her sword.

"Did you hide your zanpakuto into your dress?" Naruto asked smugly and Rukia blushed embarrassed.

"S-shut up!"

Naruto grinned when the rip started to open up and a huge masked face pushed itself through.

"It's here."

"Naruto! What's that huge thing!" Ichigo yelled from the further away.

"Idiot!" Naruto yelled when a hollow jumped on his back. "Don't loose your focus!"

Ichigo was about to turn around when bullets came through the air, destroying the hollow. "G-good evening." Ururu bowed shyly.

"Jinta home run!" Red haired brat smacked another hollow into pieces and Tessai crashed another one with a strong palm strike.

"Kurosaki-san, we came to give you a hand." Kisuke appeared out of smoke and waved his fan.

"Slipper-hat!" Ichigo gasped.

While Urahara shops slav-minimum paid workers disposed the hollows, the Owner just fanned himself like it was just another day in the park. "We will deal with the trash. You two should concentrate yourself on the big one. And by the way, I'm sorry but we're running out of time."

Ichigo and Ishida turned their attention towards the menos that was about to step out of the Garganta.

Meanwhile, Kisuke stepped next to Naruto. "You better go and help them!" He yelled loudly and then he added with a low voice. "You know what to do?"

His son nodded back. "Little as possible."

"That's my boy." Kisuke patted his head and handed him a wooden sword. "It's a special sword that allows you to fight hollows." He explained.

Naruto rushed through the crowd in time to hear Rukias voice trying to stop them from doing this but his father knew what to do with her. He used a simple bakudo to bind her on her place.

Ichigo charged like an idiot straight towards Menos's feet only to be kicked down by it without it even realizing.

"Kurosaki!" Ishida yelled when he was about to hit the ground hard but Naruto came out of nowhere and caught him before that could happen.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked. "That was pretty stupid, charging straight like that."

"Exactly! What were you thinking!" Ishida screamed.

"I'm okay. Thanks Naruto. I owe you one." Ichigo stood up. "It really is huge."

"Don't ignore me! What were you thinking!"

"Well…" Ichigo looked serious. "I thought that if I were to chop his feet first and then work my way up until I could reach its mask." He explained.

"What do you think this is? Daruma-otoshi! You can't do that!" Then he looked at Naruto who seemed to understand the idea even if the face was unrecognizable behind the mask. "And don't you start!" He cleared his throat and took the charge. "Now that Urahara-san is here to help us, we should-"

"CHARGE!" Both Naruto and Ichigo charged towards the menos, forgetting all plans and ideas.

"Don't do that!" Ishida screamed after them but it was too late. Ichigo managed to scratch the huge thing before it simply knocked him down again. Naruto had climbed up a tree but his bokken was still just a bokken. He landed a solid hit but it hardly left a bruise. Then he noticed a small description: This wooden sword is just a prototype. If you try to use it against something bigger than a D-rank hollow, it won't do any damage. "Damn you bastar-" He hit the ground hard.

((A))

"I completely forgot about that." Kisuke was holding his laughter. Pranking his son was so funny.

((A))

"Naruto, are you okay?" Ichigo run to him and helped him up.

"Yeah, I think so." He nodded. "Again?"

"No!" Ishida stepped right front of them, blocking them from doing that. "Calm down both of you and let's form a plan." He guided Ichigo sword away to step closer. When he did, his bow suddenly enforced like crazy. "What a-"

"Maybe we should try to so one of us is a decoy."

"That's a good plan!" Ichigo nodded excited. "Ishida, you cou- what's up with your bow? It's huge!"

"Just listen!" Ishida realized the power within Ichigo. "We might be able to defeat that thing. But I need both of you to help me!"

"Eeh… sure." Naruto nodded.

"Okay…" Ichigo agreed.

((A))

Meanwhile on an overwalk far away, Chad, Orihime and Ryo were watching what was happening. "Can you see Ishida with Ichigo and Naruto?" He asked from his companions.

"Yes…" Orihime answered.

Ryo agreed by nodding.

"'Please watch from here', he said." Orihime whispered. "'Watch and choose what path to walk.'"

"I can't believe he just wants us to do this? While they are facing that huge thing?" Ryo whispered agonizingly.

"Calm down," Chad whispered. "He said that nothing would happen to them."

"But I didn't know." Ryo whispered. "When I first suspected something, I thought it had something to do with the delinquents. Not anything like this… nothing like this…"

"What should we do…" Orihime whispered on Chads other side. He looked back and ford between the two, just as confused but not just showing it outside.

((A))

"Now! We can fight!" Ishida yelled.

"I'm not going with this." Naruto backed away slowly when he watched Ishida aiming his huge arrow towards the menos. That wasn't the problem. The problem was how he had strapped Ichigos katana on his head looking like an idiot.

"He's pretty stupid, isn't he?" Ichigo asked.

"What!" Ishida jumped up shocked of their insubordination. "Stop complaining. I need Kurosaki to release his spirit power much as he can in this pose so I can shot an absurdly strong arrow. Urahara-san! I need you to give us some cover while we prepare for this!" Then he turned back to Ichigo. "And don't let your incredible reiatsu to ooze uselessly."

Naruto and Ichigo looked at him suspiciously. "Dude, don't, like, say 'ooze'…"

Ishida ignored that. "Now, Kurosaki! Maximize your reaitsu output and take hold of your sword."

"How?" He asked.

Even Naruto felt like falling down. "You don't know how?" He screamed before Ishida had a chance. "Dude, that's lame! Even I think so!"

"How have you fought hollows until now!" Ishida screamed.

"Instinct."

While Ichigo and Ishida ranted about his powers, Naruto kept his eyes on menos. Not because Ishida had ordered so. But because even if it was just a small for a menos, it was still a menos. Wrong move and it would be all over. "Guys!" He yelled. "Mister Daruma-otoshi is doing something!"

Both Ichigo and Ishida turned around when it started loading its cero. Naruto looked over at his father. Cero of this level would probably burn him but only lightly. But Ichigo and Ishida would be turn into ashes. Yet, Kisuke just stayed still, like he was following a football game.

"Don't screw with me, old man." He muttered but turned to face the hollow. Cero was almost ready.

"Kurosaki! What are you doing?" Ichigo charged right forward, gaining menos's attention. Then, the cero was fired.

"That idiot!" Naruto yelled and was about to stop him when he felt something binding him. He looked over his shoulder to see his father pointing fingers at him. The message was clear. Stand down. Naruto nodded and the binding ended. He would just watch from sidelines when Ichigo fought back the Cero with pure resilience. When he shot back his own reiatsu damaging the menos. Naruto felt the burst throwing everything around. It wasn't destroyed but it quickly started feeling like running away.

Naruto watched as it took hold of the edges of the rip and started to cover himself with it. "That… I have never seen before."

"Victory!" Ichigo screamed like he had just run a marathon.

"Incredible." Ishida gasped.

"Superb indeed." Tessai nodded. "I can see what Owner sees in him."

On a rooftop, far away, Vizards were bored. A Shinigami fighting against a hollow. Who hadn't seen that before?

"That was amazing." Naruto commented as he walked up to Ichigo. "You actually fought back a menos all by yourself."

Ichigo didn't answer. He just glared at Ishida. "I cleaned up your mess for you. And I'm still waiting for the 'thanks'."

Naruto stepped next to him and looked at Ishida too.

Ishida closed his eyes and sighed. "Fine, tha-"

Suddenly, Ichigo collapsed on the ground. "Ichigo!" Naruto yelled.

"What are you doing! This isn't funny!" Ishida yelled.

"What the …hell!" Ichigo screamed. "I… can't move…"

Naruto watched from sidelines when Ichigo lost the control over his reiatsu. It had happened to him before. Unfortunately, there wasn't a full sealing team and medics waiting on stand-by here. He had to do something when he felt another binding again. What the hell was his father thinking!

Suddenly, Ishida stepped forward and activated his bow. It was ridiculous sized and very unstable. Then he started firing arrows into the thin air, one after another, while ranting about 'just paying back' and 'hating shinigamis'. Some kids were just amazingly stubborn. Well, it seemed to be working so he shouldn't interfere.

Then, it became quiet. The battle was won. Ishida collapsed from exhaustion right next to Ichigo. "Well, you two really make a good team." He laughed as he walked next to them. He even moved the mask enough for them to see his smiling face.

"Shut up." Ichigo muttered. "And help us."

Naruto turned around laughing loudly and hid his face again. "Why don't you two deepen your bond while lying there? I need to get going." He tightened his hand around the bokken he was holding. "I have a skull to crack." He laughed devilishly.

He walked next to his father who was still standing next to the collapsed Rukia. "You cunning fox." He whispered so quietly that she wouldn't hear.

"This is vital for both Kurosaki-san and us." Urahara answered and turned around and loudly exclaimed: "Huuuh! It's over! That really scared me! Let's go home! I could use some nice tea and crackers."

They walked away, leaving heroes of the day, in the park.

"DON'T LEAVE US HERE! NARUTO! SLIPPER-HAT! ANYONE!" Ichigos screams filled the air.

"Naruto," Kisuke began. "what you think will happen now?"

"12th squad's scanners must've picked this up. They will send someone to investigate and they will most likely find Rukia-chan before long." He looked over his shoulder at the girl who was trying to stand up.

"You know what that means."

"We must stay low until the dust settles and search parties leave." Naruto sighed. "I could use this time to practice my bankai."

"Take all the time you need." Kisuke whispered. "All the time you need."

((A))

Few days later in school, Ishida opened the classroom door, still covered by bandages. "Ishida? What happened to you?" Teacher asked.

There was a moment of silence. "I fell down the stairs." He whispered and corrected his glasses.

"LAME!" Everyone thought the same thing but teacher quickly dismissed him and continued the lesson.

"That's even lamer excuse!" Someone yelled.

"Don't care." Teacher brushed it off. "Okay, let's begin…"

The class ended and the lunch began. Ichigo made Ishida to come with him up to the roof while Rukia made her way downstairs deep in thought. She had waited for too long already. Finding a solitude place, she sat up on a tree and thought of what to do.

"You can't think that through." She turned around to see Urahara-kun standing on the branch above hers.

"Urahara! Why aren't you in school?" Rukia demanded.

"Well obviously because I'm sick." Naruto laughed and waved his fan. "And back to the matter at hand, no, you can't think it through."

"What?"

"Whatever excuse you're thinking so you can go on and run away." Naruto answered. "You wouldn't make it far even if you tried."

"So what am I supposed to do? I gave my powers to Ichigo! If higher ups find him, they will execute him!"

"That is if they can find him and if they can kill him." Naruto pointed out. "Ichigo isn't that weak."

"You don't understand! There are some serious people in there! Ichigo may be strong but he's still just an ant compared to some people!"

She saw Narutos eyes under the hat. "Like your dear 'Nii-sama'?" He asked.

Rukia's eyes shot open. "How- what- who are you!"

Naruto looked around the tree. "They are coming." He whispered.

She quickly turned around to see group of girls looking up to her. "Kuchiki-san! Do you want to eat lunch with us?"

Rukia felt like hitting Naruto, who she thought was just as annoying as his father but he had disappeared somewhere.

"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime yelled getting Rukias attention.

((A))

"What I am curious about is… why she isn't back yet?" Naruto asked while eating dinner with his family. "Normally, shinigamis powers should've returned by now many times in fact. I wonder what's wrong."

"Maybe she's just too weak." Jinta suggested bored.

"But then she should been dead or something. But I've felt it. Her powers are slowly diminishing. Like something is sealing them away." Then he cleared his throat. "But on the other note," He looked across the table. "why is Yoru-baa here?"

"Who're you calling 'baa'?" Yoruichi narrowed her cat eyes. "And back to the original discussion, Kisuke, haven't you told him?"

"Told me what?"

"It… kind slipped from my mind." Urahara laughed nervously.

"What slipped from your mind? What you're not telling me?"

Just then he felt an unknown reiatsu spiking up somewhere near. "That was… a vice-captains reaitsu… who?"

"He's not alone." Yoruichi pointed out.

Naruto felt how Ishidas reiatsu spiked up too. He was engaging who ever this first one was. And if he really tried, he could sense a third one. And that one he recognized. "Kuchiki-taichou. What's going on?" He jumped up. "Dad, what did you do?"

((A))

Meanwhile Ishida shot an arrow at Renji who was forced to jump back out of shock. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm just a classmate." He answered and corrected his glasses. "But I still can't allow two armed men to attack unarmed girl. I'll be your opponent!"

"Hoo…" Renji smirked. "I don't know what you are, human, but I know this." He raised his zanpakuto. "You're no match for me!"

((A))

"Y-you did what?" Naruto whispered when Ishidas reiatsu disappeared. "You sealed that Hoygoku inside her soul!" He screamed and jumped over the table, grabbed his father from collar and slammed him onto the opposite wall. "What the hell is matter with you? And when I said to take care of her! Not to make her a part of your stupid plans!"

"What has happened has happened." Kisuke answered darkly. "And our survival isn't stupid."

"So you went and made Rukia-chan, Kaien-Anikis legacy, as pawn?"

"If you want it so crudely to be announced, then yes."

Naruto raised his hand to a hit but then he felt another spike. "Ichigo is there now." He whispered and threw his father aside. "I need to go and help them!" He was about to exit his gigai when:

"Bakudo #61. Rikujokoro!" Six rods of lighting surrounded him and he was stopped on his place.

"What the hell!" Naruto screamed as he tried to struggle but in vain.

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Kisuke whispered as he used a carefully aimed punch into his gut to knock him out. "But as your father, I will do what I have to in order to protect you and everyone else in my family. Sleep now."

"You… te…meee…" Naruto fell limb and unconscious.

Kisuke sighed sadly when he released the bakudo. "It will end shortly." He walked out of the door.

"Where are you going, Owner?" Tessai asked as he picked Narutos body up.

"To oversee this to the end." Kisuke answered and disappeared.

CHAPTER END