I do not own Bleach.

"Talking out loud"

'Thinking'

'Zanpakutou'/'Hollow'

~Heuco Mondo~

"Not a fucking chance!" Grimmjow shouted across the table at the other Espada. "You want to go back there?! After they took Shiro down with no casualties!" He growled as the Primera gave him a nod. "Is Aizen fucked in the head? He lost five Espada in his last adventure into Soul Society. How many more is he willing to lose?"

Starrk sighed as he rested his chin on his hands. "All of us, if necessary." He noticed everyone in the room tense. "Aizen-sama wishes to become God, it's not a path bathed in golden light."

"We will need to replenish our numbers if we are to continue." Tier stared at the table as she spoke. "But the fact remains, Aizen-sama is more powerful than all of us combined. Rebellion is pointless." She directed her last statement at Grimmjow. The cat had always been quick to cause conflict.

"Plus attacking the shinigami again is not the main plan." Nelliel pointed out while thinking over the orders. "He is asking us to keep an eye on this 'Shiba Kaien' person. And see if he has a weakness Aizen can exploit."

"And how do you plan to keep an eye on him while he is in the middle of a city of shinigami?" Grimmjow asked annoyedly. "He didn't exactly make this fucking easy for us. And why did we even attack in the first place?"

"Aizen-sama wanted information. And it will not be too difficult. We have this." Ulquiorra slid a flat, rectangular device down the table. "Touch the screen and it will tell you exactly where Shiba Kaien is on the map."

Starrk did exactly as the Sugenda Espada said. He nodded with a frown as a blinking red light came onto the screen. "So, we just sit and watch? Kind of boring." He sighed as he slid the rectangle back towards Ulquiorra. "You can keep an eye on that. I'm going to take a nap." With that said, he got up and left.

Grimmjow huffed as he slouched in his chair more. "What God damned information did Aizen want? I almost got left behind, along with Nel." He left out the fact that none of his Fraccion had returned with them. It was still too fresh of a wound.

"He wanted to know what became of the shinigami that killed him in Soul Society." Ulquiorra stated while standing up. "Excuse me."

Nel let out a sigh as she was left in the room with Grimmjow and Tier. "I wish Shiro was still here. He at least stood a chance against Aizen."

"Why did he stick around here?" Grimmjow asked with a frown. "Shiro could have easily left, and Aizen wouldn't have risked sending anyone after him. So why listen to the guy?"

"He would not abandon friends." Tier stated as she gazed at the table. "He did not take well to authority, but he is loyal to those he deems worthy. He stayed for those who could not disobey Aizen." She pushed her chair out and pushed herself up form her chair. "You would know if you spent more time speaking with him rather than fighting him."

Grimmjow let out a growl as the woman walked past him. "I can handle myself."

"Says the weakest of Shiro's group." Nel giggled as Grimmjow sent a glare at her. "Shiro may be gone, but we are still here. And it now falls to us to make sure there is still a home for us hollow's to return to."

~Seireitei~

Kaien let out a deep breath as he attempted to meditate. In front of him was the pond that was behind 13th Division barracks, his usual meditation spot. But peace would not come to him. Even a month after the Metastacia incident, he was still haunted by what he did.

"Kaien-kun?" Kaien let out a sigh as he gave up on meditating. Jushiro sat down beside the young man. "I thought I would find you here. Isshin-san is worried about you. Says you haven't been home in weeks."

"I've had a lot on my mind." Kaien kept his eyes on the pond in front of him. "I don't want to bother them, it's nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be staying away from them." Jushiro chuckled a bit, but it died out when he noticed the young man didn't even smile. "What's on your mind?"

Kaien chewed his lips as he thought of what to say, if anything. He knew he could tell Ukitake anything, the man was as close of a father figure as Isshin was. But he didn't know if he could share this information with him. "It's...complicated." Ukitake sat patiently beside him as he thought of what else to say. "More complicated than me being a piece of someone else's soul."

Ukitake looked away from Kaien. "So, you know." He got a nod from the young man. "I'm sorry. Yamamoto-sensei thought this would be for the best, for you not to learn it from someone else."

"Except I did." Kaien left out the source of the information, no shinigami would trust a hollow. "I'm not mad, Ukitake. You didn't know how I would react. I don't know how I would have reacted all those years ago. I've slowly been piecing things together, so it wasn't a big shock. It makes sense, kind of." He chuckled as he tried explaining his feelings.

Ukitake nodded as Kaien explained some of his thoughts. "But that's not what you're trying to hide from everyone." He noticed Kaien instantly sober at his words. "You can tell me, Kaien."

"I know." Kaien met Ukitake's calming green eyes. "But right now, I need more time to think on it."

Jushiro gave the boy a nod, but he would remember to ask him about this again. "In that case, would a change of scenery help?" He smiled as Kaien's face changed to curiosity. "There has been an increase of hollow activity in a town in the human world. We are temporarily opening a position in the living world until the activity level returns to a more normal level."

"It's in 13th's jurisdiction?" Kaien thought on the option, it would give him time to think, and take him away from Isshin. "How long is the job?"

"About a year, if it takes that long." Jushiro reached into his hoari and pulled out the form for authorizing posts into the living world. "Do you want to go?"

Kaien unfolded the form to read through it. "Karakura Town." The name sounded familiar to him. "Urahara-Taichou is there?" He raised an eyebrow seeing who his contact was in the living world. "Is that why Kurotsuchi-san is mostly running 12th squad alongside Hiyori-Fukutaichou?"

"Yes. He's on a mission of his own making." Jushiro let out a small laugh. Urahara hadn't really told anyone why he was spending so much time in the living world. His only explanation had been he was researching a very interesting human. He watched as Kaien refolded the piece of paper. "Are you accepting, Shiba-san?"

Kaien gave Ukitake a smile while handed the form back. "I think some time away will be very good for me." The man gave him a pat on the shoulder along with one of his happier smiles. "Thank you, Ukitake-Taichou."

"Taichou!" Both men looked over as Kuchiki Rukia ran towards them. She stopped once she reached them and caught her breath. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Yamamoto-Soutaichou wants to know if you have picked someone for the mission to the world of the living."

Kaien gave the man beside him a pointed look. "How long ago did you get that form?"

Ukitake gave Kaien a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Maybe a week ago." He chuckled lightly as he got two exasperated sighs. "It was hard to ask you while you were all depressed and moping."

"I wasn't moping." Kaien argued while crossing his arms.

"You were moping." Rukia stated with a deadpan face. "Shall I report back to the Soutaichou?"

"Yes, yes. Last thing I need is Sensei hunting me down himself." Jushiro shivered as he got a flashback of Yamamoto doing just that with him and Shunsui back in their academy days. "Let him know he will have the form, completed, by the end of the day." His Fukutaichou gave him a nod before running off again.

Kaien laid back with a grin on his face. "I've never been to the world of the living. What's it like?"

Ukitake tilted his head as he tried to remember the last time he had gone to the living world. "It's much different than Soul Society. Human's can't see us, at least most of them. There will be some that are spiritually aware, but not many. It's been a while since I have been there."

"Maybe you should visit more often." Kaien stared up at the clouds floating across the bright blue sky. "It doesn't do anyone any good if we keep to ourselves."

Ukitake chuckled as he looked up at the sky as well. "No it doesn't."

~Human World~

Ichigo frowned as he felt a ripple in the reishi in the air. 'Someone's traveling between the worlds.' He looked around him carefully, the road was clear. He had been walking home from practice with a soccer team he coached. And since his assistant had taken the equipment home, all he had was his sport's bag. "Let's see who it is."

Ichigo secured his bag before using the reishi in the air to follow the ripple back to it's origin. He wasn't all too shocked to see Urahara Kisuke standing on the river bank. But there was someone else with him. He was a bit taller than Geta-boshi, and had black hair that matched his black shinigami uniform.

"Great, another one." Ichigo mumbled under his breath before slipping back down out of sight. He ran down the road towards his house. He had people to warn. 'Did Tsukishima bring them here? Or is it the rising number of hollows?' He shook his head as he thought more, he wouldn't figure anything out until he had called a meeting.

Ichigo reached his apartment after another 10 minutes of running. "Welcome home Ichi-nii!" His brothers called as he swiftly walked through the house and into the kitchen. He downed a glass of water before reaching for the phone. "Is something wrong?"

Ichigo looked over at his brothers, Kazuya was frowning at him while Kazuo just stared. "Just need to call a meeting. Can you both make something to munch on?" The twins smiled as they raced into the kitchen, they loved cooking.

Ichigo maneuvered out of the kitchen as he listened to the phone ring. When it picked up, he hung up. then called back, adding the extension 007 to the end. Then waited till it picked up again, then hung up. Then called back and waited as it was picked up. "Hey, Kutsuzawa-san, I need you to gather everyone and meet at my place."

"As you wish Ichigo-san." Ichigo hung up as the familiar voice of the old bar tender at his father's club finished.

"Now to call the others." Ichigo pulled out his cellphone and dialed Orihime. "Hey, Orihime-chan, it's Ichigo."

"Hey Ichigo-kun." Ichigo smiled at Orihime's chipper voice. "Oh, one second, my pasta just finished." Ichigo waited as he listened to the sound of Orihime rummaging around her kitchen. After a minute or two, the girl picked her phone up again. "So, what can I help with."

Ichigo chuckled as he shook his head. "How do you always know when I need to ask you something?"

"It's an instinct I have." Orihime chimed happily. "Does this have something to do with the ripple that happened today? Even Sora felt it." Her brother wasn't as spiritually aware as herself, but he also had his own power. Much like her hairpins, but his own. "Is something happening?"

Ichigo sighed. "I don't know. I'm calling a meeting to tell Xcution to lay low. We should do the same, let the shinigami do his job. I doubt they would have sent a shinigami if Urahara-san had told his organization about us. Or he did and the shinigami is here to kill us all."

"Do you really think Urahara-san would do that? He seemed to nice." Ichigo frowned, Orihime always saw the best in people. "But I will be careful. Do you want me to help you call everyone? I'm sure you have your hands full with the other Fullbringers."

"Thank you, Orihime-chan." He smiled hearing the girl giggle on the other end of the line. "I'll call Arisawa. Can you call Ishida?"

"Ichigo, Regi's death wasn't your fault. Ishida-kun knows that. You don't have to avoid him." Ichigo gave off a heavy sigh as he messaged his temples. "His family doesn't blame you either."

'Look who agrees with me.' Ichigo turned a glare towards the other voice in his head. 'Just saying, she's right. But she doesn't know you coach Karin's soccer team does she?'

'Shut it Regi.' Ichigo stated before turning his attention back to the strawberry blond on the phone. "I know, Hime-chan. I'll-" He was interrupted as his doorbell rang. "Looks like the others got here earlier than I thought. Can you call both Arisawa and Ishida?"

"Okay. Good luck." Ichigo gave off a faint smile as he hung up the phone.

'That went well.' Ichigo rolled his eyes as Regi's voice returned. 'I'm just saying, you should get used to having a voice in your head. Because I don't think I'm going away anytime soon.'

'I know.' Ichigo reached the front room just as Kazuo and Kazuya set a platter of assorted mochi and dango on the table. "Thank you Kazuya, Kazuo." He ruffled their hair as he looked around the room at the members of Xcution. "Welcome to the meeting. Thank you Kutsuzawa-san for gathering everyone."

"So what's all of this about?" Yukio stated as he pulled his headphones off of his ears. "You don't usually call meeting just to check on all of us."

"This meeting is very serious." Ichigo reassured the teen as he slid his hands into his pocket.

"The ripple." Ichigo, and everyone else, look over at the largest guy in the room. Sado met his friend's eyes, asking if he was right.

"Yeah, we have another shinigami in town." Ichigo let the news sink in and he picked up a dango ball and bit into it. "He looked young, but shinigami age differently. And he has already touched base with Urahara Kisuke. He's going to be here for a while." He popped the rest of his dango into his mouth.

"What brought him here?" Tsukishima asked as he laced his fingers together. "Has Urahara told the shinigami about us?"

"They would have sent more than just one shinigami in that case." Jackie spoke up as she tossed a mochi into her mouth. "More likely it's the increased number of hollows. Which we still don't know why that is."

Ichigo nodded while looking at his two brothers. "For now, lay low. Let the shinigami deal with the hollows, it's his duty." He got a nod from everyone around the room. "Good. Meeting adjourned."

And we have movement! They are finally in the same world. Sorry there is a lack of Reginald, but we will certainly see more of him in the future.

Thank you for your support. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter.

And I apologize for the late update. Today turned out far too busy than I thought it would be. And I also apologize for the shortness of the chapter. Please forgive me!