Okay! Here I am, slowly dying from a killer cold that seems to be invading

my lungs. (not really... but it sucks.)

So, 4-day weekend, to do nothing but sit in bed and do nothing but write! So, after I get some stuffs out of the way, I'd like to do something I've been putting off for a while. RANT! (and reply to some reviews. If you log in, it's much easier, and faster to reply dang it!)

Okay. Here we go, in no particular order... and I'm only replying to those who've asked a question. All others, thanks for you praise!

Super saiyan Ichigo – While I'd love to look over your story, I'm sad to say that I never really got into the Naruto fan base, so I may not be the best person to ask...* sweatdrop* But continue to read as I post and I believe you'll find your recommendations fulfilled!

Naruto 32 – I'm not really sure... :3 but if you go to your profile, you should be able to set it all up from a link there.

TraLaLa – (not so much a review, as a :) Come back! I miss you!

Special thanks to all those who've added my story to their favs/alerts! It really means a LOT!

Now, without further adou – which I have no idea how to spell... - here ya'll go!

"Well?" Urahara asked me, eyebrows disappearing into his hat-shadow as I took a deep breath, steadying myself. The stupid doll had, surprisingly, worked; which left me with about a tenth of my original spiritual pressure. The sudden drain had been disorientating, and caught me off guard with how rapid the absorption had been. I shot the shopkeeper a glare, and he grinned slyly and chuckled.

"At any rate, I would put your current level of reiatsu at about a high-captain level. Enough to do damage, but not to anything you don't want to, save a few building that may or may not get in your way in a fight. However, I have to warn you; your body is used to your extreme spiritual strength, and will react negatively to the sudden decrease." I arched an eyebrow, and the coward hid behind his fan.

"Reiatsu is produced naturally, although over a long period of time. Since you're technically dead now, you won't be able to go beyond your top level. But, that means that when you use the little guy here," he wiggled the plush, "Your body will begin to produce more reiatsu to make up for the amount you lost."

"Which means?" I motioned for him to continue.

"You can only put any in the doll for about a week at a time, or else you won't be able to take any back, and be stuck at the level you're at until it fully replenishes itself, because with the doll, you either take it all back, or none of it. If you've already generated a substantial amount of replacement, you'd break your barrier trying to take it all back, and basically explode!" He gestured wildly, mimicking an explosion. I took a deep breath and tried not to kill him.

"So, you're saying if I wait a week, I'd have to let it come back naturally?" I said, but he scowled.

"I know what you're thinking, but it won't work. If you attempt to put it off for that long, not only will you not be able to absorb it back, your soul will eventually decay and collapse from a lack of reiatsu. The rate of regeneration is slower when the amount to be restored is larger. Hell if I know why," I looked at him in surprise... I'd never heard him swear before. "But that's how it works." I bit my lip and waited for him to continue, but he closed his eyes and sighed, remaining silent.

"So..." I started, then paused, in case he wanted to say something else. He apparently didn't. "Basically, I have a week to visit everyone before I have to come back and take it all back." I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, but Kisuke didn't take advantage of the pause.

"How often can I do this? I mean... AGH!" I shouted as the previously immobile shopkeeper jumped up and gave the 'peace' sign.

"We have a winner! That, there, is the golden question! I was wondering how long it'd take you to ask..." I looked at him, shocked, as I lowered my hands from their previous position covering my face.

"Well?" I asked, and he grinned.

"You need to keep all your reiatsu for about 24 hours for every week without. That way it'll have time to stabilize before you go running off without it again!"

I nodded. That made sense, right?

"Alright then. I guess I'll go put this somewhere safe 'till I need it. Thanks." I said, then opened a gateway into my dimension, but stopped half-way in when Urahara coughed expectantly. I rolled my eyes, but tossed him the note I had been hiding in my Shihakusho(1), and tossed it behind me, watching it fall into the shopkeeper's open hand. He looked at it, wide-eyed.

"You've been promoted. That's basically a copy of the key to the Royal Dimension. It'll only work for you, and one person of your choosing, who must be approved by me personally before being allowed in. Yoruichi is already on the list, as is Tessai. There's also a substantial raise for you three, paid in full monthly to your respective private accounts. The information to access them is in the envelope." I took in his shocked face with mirth as he opened the envelope and pulled out a small golden zanpakuto, the size of a letter opener, as well as three slips of paper with a sum larger than anything Kisuke had ever seen.

However, when he nearly dropped it in his sudden drop-and-bow routine, I rolled my eyes.

"Come on, Urahara. I really hope my right-hand man doesn't do that every single time he sees me. Tell Tessai and Yoruichi that if they do that, I'll deduct ten percent from their pay." He rose slowly, still shocked.

"I'll give you as much time as you need to celebrate. I don't expect you to be there constantly, just enough to help when I need it." I turned to step into the gate all the way, but paused as Kisuke spoke.

"You know, Kurosaki-dono, I really don't deserve this. I've done nothing, and I know that your friends would be much better suited for the job." He said hesitantly, but I shook my head.

"No, they really wouldn't. Their views are narrow, and I worry that their loyalty to me would make them more followers than advisers. You've shown in the past that you're willing to do nearly anything to achieve a goal, which makes you the person to ask about the harder issues." Stepped into the gate, letting it close, and leaving him with one more piece of advice.

"Don't sell yourself short, Kisuke. I repay my debts to those who deserve it."

I left the plushie under my bed (shut-up), and immediately opened another gate to the Real World before Kirio could sense me and find me. The light there seemed brighter than ever before, and I soaked it in happily, pausing to breathe it in before shunpo-ing to the Kurosaki Clinic as fast as I could.

I didn't arrive as fast as I normally would have, but I made it in a time that would've made Byakuya appreciative. I stopped short, however, when I looked at the house I grew up in, and found it... deserted.

"EXCUSE ME?" I yelled, making a few birds fly away. I was furious, mainly due to my ignorance of the situation. I stomped through the door angrily, but paused at what I saw there. Everything was exactly like I remembered it, just covered with a year's worth of dust. I swept my finger along the top of the table that rested beside the door, and made a face at the grime before wiping it off on the same table.

I searched the house and found no one except a small spider hollow that kept watch over Yuzu's stuffed animal collection. I left it alone... maybe gave it a small crumb of a cracker I'd liberated from the desktop.

Everything was exactly the way I left it, which disturbed me to no end. So, I decided to pay one of my more friendly rivals a visit. I ran to the school, this time taking notice of the normalcy of the rest of the town. Nothing had changed there either except for a new road and a few houses. I dodged around the unaware people on my way, and took pride in my lack of physical contact with anyone as I weaved in and out of the crowd.

When I did finally get to school, I ran to the sixth floor, opened the door to my old classroom, and yelled, "ISHIDA!"... and got no response.

My eyebrow twitched as I realized, it had been a year... he'd be in the next class. I stomped angrily to the next room, leaving a bunch of kids scared of a self-opened door, and knocked quietly on what I hoped was the right one.

When it opened, I flash-stepped in, and hid at the back of the class before anyone 'saw' me. The look on my friends faces was worth is as they looked in fear at the empty doorway. Unfortunately, my supposedly silent laughs gave away my position, and soon half the class had stood and looked straight at me, before whispering loudly and incomprehensibly. I scowled, and they laughed. I guess more had become spiritually aware after I'd left, because I didn't recognize half of the people staring at me. However, the half of the class that had no idea what was going on started whispering too, and I rubbed my temples.

My friends, those who knew the whole story, realized what was going on and all ran out the door at once, headed to the roof. I laughed, and followed.

When I reached the roof, I was taken by surprise at the distance they had put between themselves and me. Uryu, Chad, Orihime, Tasuki, Keigo, Mizuiro, and a dirty-blond haired guy I didn't recognize were standing on the side of the roof opposite the door, and eyed me warily. I waved, and they all gawked.

"Hi there... does anyone want to tell me who this guy is?" I pointed to the blond, and he chuckled as the rest looked at him, amusement suddenly on their faces.

"Well, Ichigo, you took your body, and Urahara wanted mine, so I took a Gigai instead." He said, shrugging innocently. This time I blanched, and spluttered.

"K-Kon?" I asked, and he nodded, smirking. I rubbed my forehead, but sighed and just went with it... before I realized something. I glared at him, and marched up to him, grabbing his shirt in my fist. The rest of the group skirted around us, and backed up, making a circle.

"Kon. Where the hell is my family?" The silence that followed was broken by Ishida saying "That's definitely Kurosaki..." and Kon's shallow breathing. I shook him, and he broke.

"They were taken to the Soul Society! The shinigami wanted to keep them safe, so they took them there! What did you expect? That they'd leave the family of the King, who's prone to rash decisions concerning them, here to get kidnapped or killed? As far as I know, they've been made into their own Noble family, and have a mansion next to the Kuchiki's!"

I exhaled and released Kon. As much as disliked him, Byakuya would keep them safe. If I'd chosen anyone to look after them, he actually would've been at the top of the list.

Kon's scurrying to join the rest of the group brought me out of my musings to wonder at their distance, and the fear on their faces. I took a step forward, and they took one back. Comical, if it wasn't so serious. I held my hands up innocently and took a step back, and they relaxed a little. I looked at Ishida questioningly, and he pushed his glasses up his nose in that annoyingly familiar fashion.

"Well, we were told when you left that, at your level, physical contact equals death. Care to explain?"

I paused.

"Oh yeah... :)"

Ishida scowled.

"Well, Urahara invented this thing that is basically a container for the majority of my reiatsu. Right now, I won't be disintegrating anyone." I said with a grin, then had the wind knocked out of me by Inoue, and Keigo, who I clothes-lined away. He fell in a mumbling heap, and I rolled my eyes, then looked down at my new parasitic friend, amused. I hugged her back, since I'd missed her too, but released her after a few seconds, not really comfortable with the prolonged contact. She seemed slightly depressed, I didn't know why, but only for a second before that huge smile she had came out. Chad had walked over and put his arm on my shoulder, silent but strong, like I remembered him. Ishida shook my hand and welcomed me back, Tatsuki punched my arm and did the same, while Keigo and Mizuiro smiled (and cried like a baby) and told me they'd missed me.

I returned all favors, and told them what had happened after I'd left them, slightly furious at the S.S. For keeping them in the dark for so long. I left them, promising to see them all before I returned to the S.S., and they all went back to class, save Kon. I looked at the mod-soul, and smiled. He seemed extremely confused, so I decided to explain.

"Did you keep them safe?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Until they left. I wasn't allowed to come."

"Then you deserve that Gigai." I handed him an envelope like the one I'd given Kisuke, and he took it tentatively.

"I don't believe in servants, even artificially created ones. In there is your late paycheck, and you'll be getting another monthly until I believe you've been fully repaid." He opened it and gaped.

"And how long will that be?" He asked, slightly in shock. I snickered.

"Until I feel like it." I said, and he just shrugged and pocketed the King's ransom, (I couldn't help it...) and went back to class.

"Kon," I said before he shut the door behind him. He poked his head back out. "Thanks." He rolled his eyes and nodded, before winking saying "Hey, at least all the goddesses down there aren't attracted to you anymore. It's all ME!" and disappearing before I could decapitate him. My eye twitched, but I decided to put my anger to a much better use, and opened a gate to the Soul Society. I had some business to attend to there, and I had the feeling that it wasn't going to be that enjoyable... for them at least.

(1) - Shihakusho – The shinigami uniform has finally been named! (Meaning I finally took the time to actually look it up!)