I own nothing but my OC.

"English speech"
"Japanese speech"
'Thoughts'
[ | ] Scene transition and/or time lapse
(…) shift from one separate group's perspective to another within the same ongoing scene.
Setting/scene
Flashbacks and changes in POVs will be labeled as needed (unless stated otherwise, it will be third person omniscient)
SOUND EFFECTS WILL BE IN ALL CAPS

Death & Strawberry [Reprised]

"Tch! That emo-looking guy pisses me off…" Seren muttered darkly as she bandaged Yoruichi's arm for her. "… Calling other people 'trash'…"

"That's just because you were wearing those synthetic sekkiseki earrings that Kisuke made for you a while back, in addition to consciously keeping your reiatsu low. Anyone who doesn't know you would've assumed you were just a normal human." Yoruichi reminded her, smiling slightly, as she watched the younger girl blush a little and tuck her hair behind one of her delicate ears exposing the earring in question.

He had made them for her a few days into their training after realizing just how much potential she had. They acted as a safety net to keep Hollows from noticing spikes in her reiatsu while she was learning to keep it under control. Seren didn't actually need them now, since she had become very skilled in controlling her reiatsu and could easily defeat most hollows by herself, but she still wore them out of habit… and sentiment.

"Anyway… I can't believe you got hurt just from hitting that mountain with legs… At least none of your bones were broken, I guess." Seren said, smiling wryly, as she finished the last bandage and shut the first-aid kit.

"That's because I'm always drinking milk!" Yoruichi said, grinning proudly, as she held up her glass with her uninjured hand.

"No, no, I think you're giving the calcium level in there way too much credit!" Seren corrected, waving her hand at such a silly notion. "Even if drinking lots of milk is supposed to give you strong bones, there's a limit, you know…"

"Whatever." Yoruichi said carelessly, shrugging slightly. "Anyway, I've been taken care of, why don't you go check on Ichigo? Kisuke and Tessai are still using healing kidō on Inoue and Chad. Ichigo said he could manage by himself, but that kid can be pretty troublesome sometimes. Make sure he isn't just off sulking by himself." She added, frowning slightly in concern.

Since their injuries were pretty severe and had been inflicted directly on their human bodies, Orihime and Sado had needed immediate attention. Ichigo was pretty messed up as well, but since he had been in his shinigami form, he could take a beating a lot better than them, thanks to his massive reiatsu. They weren't pretty, but none of his wounds were life-threatening after taking Urahara's special medicine.

"Okay." Seren said, nodding in understanding, as she stood and went to do just that. "Take care of Yoruichi-san for me." She told Ururu and Jinta, patting them on the head reassuringly as she passed.

(…)

"..." Seren said as she stared down at Ichigo, who was leaning back against the wall as he stared out at the darkened sky, watching the rain fall.

Yoruichi's suspicions had been proven right. He was obviously sulking and wallowing in self-depreciation after his defeat. He hadn't even touched the first-aid kit they had left out for him. The room was heavy with an incredibly dismal atmosphere.

"If you stay like that, mushrooms will grow on you…" Seren deadpanned to break the oppressive silence.

"!" Ichigo said, startled. He had been so absorbed in his pity party, that he had hadn't even noticed she was there. "You…! Who are you, again…?"

"I'm Seren. You're Kurosaki Ichigo-kun, right? I've heard a lot about you from Kisuke-san and Yoruichi-san." Seren said, smiling kindly at him as she grabbed the first-aid kit.

"Seren, huh? You look kind of familiar… Have we met before? How do you know Urahara?" Ichigo asked, furrowing his brow slightly, as he tired to figure out what it was about her that seemed so familiar while she started treating his wounds. He didn't have enough energy to raise any protest against being treated by a stranger, like he might have if he were feeling better. Besides, he knew Urahara and the others were busy taking care of Orihime and Chad, and he wasn't going to anything that might interfere with that.

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember if we did, but I've been coming here off and on since I was little, so it's possible." Seren replied absentmindedly as she focused on wrapping a bandage around his head wound. "Like you, I've been training under Kisuke-san to master my shinigami powers, but right now—"

"Ehhh!?" Ichigo exclaimed loudly, right next to her ear.

"!!" Seren yelped, wincing at the sharp pain in her throbbing eardrum. "Could you please not yell in my ear like that!?" She shouted incredulously, shooting him a sharp look.

"Ah, sorry… I was just surprised..." Ichigo apologized, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought you were human, like me…"

"I am. What? Did you really think you were the only one able to become a 'living' shinigami?" She said, raising an eyebrow at the stunned look on his face.

"I… I don't know." Ichigo said honestly. "I guess I just never thought about it before… Urahara never mentioned you."

"Oh… Well, now you know." Seren said, smiling wryly, as she applied the last bandage, slapping his cheek lightly. "I'm basically your sempai, in a sense… So, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I know he has a habit of being a little too cryptic sometimes. My nickname for him when I was little was 'Fortune cookie-sensei', because he sounded just like the ones that give you advice, you know?"

"Yeah, and he does crazy stuff that always seems totally random, but it always ends up working out in the end." Ichigo said, nodding his head in agreement. "Like when he made me go in that hole that speed up the hollowfication process of a soul in order for me to be able to activate my shinigami powers… Wasn't that the worst…?" Ichigo muttered darkly, feeling irritated just remembering it. He still couldn't believe those kids spit on him… Still, it was thanks to that, that he was able to save Rukia from being executed…

But, now… Now he couldn't even protect his friends because of that damn hollow inside of him…!

"I'm sorry, Ichigo-kun…" Seren said when she saw the guilt in his eyes as he bowed his head and clenched his fist. He had obviously started thing about something depressing again. "… But I never did anything like that during my training with him~!" She confessed, smiling apologetically, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"What…? But, then… how did you activate your powers?" He asked, staring at her like she had just grown a second head, snapping out of his funk due to his surprise.

"Well, I'd been dreaming about Yato, my zanpakutō, so after cutting my chain of fate, he put one of those artificial souls in my body to keep it from shutting down and getting damaged from going too long without breathing. Then, I did some training dodging a couple of basic attacks to strengthen my soul, and I spent the next few days trying to meditate or dream my way into my inner world again…" Seren explained, slowing her roll when she noticed the waves of irritation radiating from Ichigo.

"So, there was that method, too… That slipper-hat bastard…!" Ichigo muttered darkly as a vein throbbed on his forehead. Seren sweat dropped.

Just what the heck did they do to this poor guy…?

"A-Ah, but… that's probably just because I had more time than you! You were in a hurry to save, Rukia-san, right? You couldn't afford to take things slow. Kisuke-san wouldn't have done something so risky otherwise—not unless he thought it was absolutely necessary, so don't get too mad at him, all right?" She said quickly, trying to calm him down before he reopened his wounds. "It took me a whole week to do it the other way, and that was when my zanpakutō had already started reaching out to me. It probably would've taken someone who couldn't hear their zanpakutō's spirit at least three times as long as that…" She sighed in relief when Ichigo relaxed a little. He must have decided to let Urahara off for now…

(…)

"That should do it…" Urahara said, sighing as he sat back and looked over Orihime again. Her wounds weren't life-threatening anymore, at least. Her face was much better too, however, using kidō to repair human bodies was a bit trickier than using it on bodies made of concentrated reiki, since it was originally intended for use on soul to begin with. The medicine would have to do the rest. At least Orihime hadn't had to be conscious for this part. She had passed out from the pain on their way back to the shop.

He considered dressing Orihime's remaining wounds himself, but decided against it. Orihime would undoubtedly prefer to be treated by a fellow female for this part, since he'd have to remove her shirt, and Seren probably wouldn't be too pleased with him either…

Yep. It would definitely be better if he asked Seren to do this part. They needed to find some clean clothes for her to change into, too. Her school uniform was completely ruined now.

Urahara sighed tiredly as he stood and exited the room, making his way towards the room Ichigo was waiting in. He didn't need to worry about Sado with Tessai looking after him, but he had a feeling Ichigo might be beating himself up over this too much…

He was about to open the door, when he overheard Seren and Ichigo discussing his training methods.

'So… He's still bothered by that, huh?' Urahara thought, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped. Maybe he had teased the boy a little too much, after all… However, Urahara was a little surprised to hear Ichigo's next question.

(…)

"Hey, Seren… after gaining your powers… did you…? I mean… have you ever… Has a hollow mask ever formed on your face?" Ichigo asked hesitantly, watching her with guarded eyes as he waited for her answer.

"… No. I've never had a hollow mask form on me." Seren replied solemnly. For a moment, Ichigo thought he saw an unreadable expression pass over her face, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared. "I don't have an inner hollow, either… Is that what's been bothering you?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She was pretty sure she already knew the answer, but Ichigo clearly needed someone to talk to, so she waited patiently for his response.

"… Yeah. I thought I could control it, but… when I was fighting those guys from earlier… Even though I managed to keep it from taking over my consciousness, it somehow got control of my body instead. Since I wouldn't let him out, he wouldn't let me fight. I couldn't move at all." Ichigo admitted grimly, clenching his fist in frustration.

"I see… I'm sorry I can't help you, Ichigo-kun." Seren apologized sincerely. If she had inherited more of her father's Visored traits, then she might at least be able to do something for him. She was tempted to tell him to go to her father for help, but seeing how little progress he was able to make with recruiting Ichigo… Enlightening him about their relationship as father and daughter would probably just make him suspicious of her, and then he wouldn't have anyone to talk to. "Do you want to ask Kisuke-san about it?" Seren asked Ichigo, somewhat puzzled as to why he hadn't done so yet, despite being in so much trouble.

"No. Knowing him, he's probably already figured it out… And if he had a solution, he would have told me by now." Ichigo stated calmly, turning his head back to stare out the window again. Seren sighed. It looked like that was the end of their discussion on the matter for now. Well, there probably wasn't much left to say anyway…

"Oh, I see you're being well taken care of, Kurosaki-san~!" Urahara said as he abruptly, but somehow still rather casually, slid the door open and joined them before an awkward silence could form.

"How are Inoue and Chad…?" Ichigo asked seriously as he turned his attention to the shopkeeper.

"They'll be fine. Their lives aren't in danger, but they will have to stay here for the night." Urahara stated calmly. "Sado-san is still sleeping, and Tessai-san is watching over him. I've finished doing what I can for Inoue-san with kidō, so I thought I should ask Seren-chan to switch with me. It'd be a big help if you could bandage Inoue-san's wounds and help her change into some clean clothes." He noticed Seren was giving him a rather odd look. "Problem, Seren-chan?"

"No, but… do you seriously think any of my shirts will fit her?" Seren asked practically. Her serious doubt about that was written all over her face. After all, Seren was barely even a B-cup, and Orihime was, well… stacked.

"Ah… I see your point…" Urahara said, hiding a smirk behind his fan as he let his eyes drop from Seren's face to her chest. Well, there was still time… She was a growing girl, after all, and, even if they didn't get any bigger… Seren was already well-proportioned for such a petite and slender girl. He didn't mind them being on the small side since they were both so perfectly—

"Urahara-san. Stop staring at my chest, or I'll tell 'You–Know–Who' that you're sexually harassing me… you dirty old man." Seren said icily, scooting cautiously away from him, as she crossed her arms over her chest, treating him like some kind of pervert…

Well, he was, actually… but he wasn't a dangerous one!!

"…?" Ichigo said as he glanced between Seren and Urahara, who looked as though he had just been physically stabbed by her words and actions.

"Well, Yoruichi-san doesn't have a lot of clothes, but I'll see if I can find something comfortable for her." Seren said coolly as she exited the room, without looking back.

SHUT.

Seren sighed as she leaned against the door that she had just closed behind her. Her cheeks flushed rose-red with the blush she had been holding back.

That man was so confusing!! One minute, he's treating her like a child, and the next, he was staring at her chest!! It was true that she wanted him to stop treating her like a child and see her as the growing woman she was, but…

Why the heck was he looking there in the first place!?

And did he really have to agree with the part about her being super flat-chested in comparison to Orihime so quickly!? Even if it's true, he could've at least been a little more tactful…!!

(…)

"… Are you okay?" Ichigo asked the perverted shopkeeper after a moment of silence. He flinched in surprise when the older man suddenly fell to his knees.

"…Old man… Sh…She called me… old…!" Urahara mumbled incoherently, paling so much that he had turned blue with shock.

Sure, there was an age difference, but…!!

Ichigo sweat dropped as he watched. The man looked like a fallen warrior that had just been mortally wounded in battle… He wasn't quite sure what had just happened. Why was he suddenly acting like it was the end of the world!?

Whatever it was, Ichigo decided he didn't want to know. He had a feeling some questions were just better left unasked...