THE COVENANT OF THE WITCH

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well this is a longer chapter than usual. That's because this was originally going to be both chapter 3 and 4. However, my wonderful wife has been reading this story as I write, and she informed me that it seemed like it was taking a while for things to really start happening. I'd already been half-worried about that possibility to start with, so hearing her say that confirmed it. Therefore, I decided to combine the two chapters into one long one. As always, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Three

It could have been a perfect day; one full of pretty girls, strong sake and romantic poetry. The weather was certainly right for it. A sunny sky interrupted only by the occasional solitary cloud, a light breeze that took the edge off the heat of the day. There were birds scattered among the trees filling the morning air with their delightful melodies. Yes, Shunsui Kyoraku thought, it truly could have been a perfect day. He could picture it now. He would walk to the woods nearby the barracks and have a nice stroll along the river that ran through those woods. Once he found a nice, quiet and secluded spot he would settle down and drink liberally from the jug he'd take with him. He would spend the afternoon drinking and composing, and maybe even take a swim if the afternoon sun was warm enough. Then he could return to the barracks, share his new compositions with any ladies who crossed his path, ladies who would no doubt be thrilled to be the first to read his next great work. Finally he would down some more sake, and slip into his bed for a well deserved night of rest.

But alas, all of the beauty and warmth of the day was not meant for him, it would seem. Instead he sat behind the large oak desk in the 8th divisions main office. From there he watched with a growing sense of dismay as his Lieutenant, Ise Nanao, set yet another binder full of papers on his desk.

"This is a preliminary list of officers to be assigned to security during the festival," She said as she thumbed open the binder. "You can see here that I've already determined a number of suitable locations around the event site for our men to be posted. These positions will provide a wide field of view along with quick reaction times in case of an incident. All that's left is your review, Captain."

Kyoraku lifted the binder from his desk and briefly scanned the first page. He made a thoughtful grunt and set the folder back onto the desk. "Looks like good work to me. As expected of my Nanao."

She scowled at him. "Captain, you should really be taking this matter seriously. This festival is going to be under the scrutiny of the Central 46; it is vital that we leave nothing to chance."

Kyoraku sighed dramatically and slumped in his chair. "But you're so good at these sorts of things, very detail oriented. I think I can trust you with this matter."

Ise frowned at him. "Don't think you can flatter your way out of work. If anything does happen and our squad isn't ready, then it will reflect badly on you as a captain."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you expecting something to go wrong?"

"Of course not," She replied. "However, isn't it our responsibility to prepare for any eventuality? Isn't that why we volunteered our division to handle security?"

"We volunteered because Jushiro asked nicely if we would, since his men were going to be busy setting up and running the actual festivities, and I owed him a favor." Kyoraku said.

"Right," Nanao voiced her agreement quickly. "And remind me Captain, why is it that the 13th division might be tied up like that?"

The captain of the 8th sighed again. He could feel himself being worked into a corner, a corner full of more work to do. He was truly proud of his Lieutenant, but some days he wished that she could just be a little bit more care free. Perhaps he should ask Captain Hitsugaya to trade Lieutenants for a week. That Matsumoto was way more laid back than Nanao, and easy on the eyes as well. And the 10th division Captain did often seem annoyed at his second in command. An idea worth considering at a later date. "Well, old man Yama insisted on using the old training grounds behind the 13th as the festival site, since all the other divisions still use theirs. It only made sense for Jushiro to take over the administrative duties for an event occurring in his own back yard."

She gave him a pointed look. "So, Captain Ukitake wants your help to run an event that has been arranged by the Head Captain himself, and you want to half ass it?"

He winced at the accusation in her tone. She wasn't wrong necessarily, he was trying to get through this with as little work as possible. He'd been a captain for many centuries, and in that time he'd sifted through enough paperwork to account for entire forests worth of trees. Going through personnel files, supply requisition forms, budget reports and all the other minutia of running a small army had bored him when he'd first gotten the job, and it bored him now.

Shunsui wanted little more than to put his duties off to the side and just enjoy life for a while. He wanted to get out of this stuffy office and go take a stroll by a quiet little stream in the woods, or perhaps duck out to his favorite drinking establishment in the Rukongai. Put in the most simplistic terms possible, Shunsui Kyoraku wanted to have fun. So of course he was going to spend the upcoming festival overseeing its security rather than participating in the fun.

It couldn't have been helped, of course. What was he supposed to do when his oldest friend came by asking for his help with a project that Jushiro was plainly enthusiastic about. Hell, Jushiro seemed more upbeat about the idea than the old man did. He could have said no; Jushiro was much to kind to ever hold it against him, but then he would have spent the entire event feeling bad that he hadn't done his part, and there was nothing like guilt to spoil a good mood.

He reached for the binder again. It didn't feel to heavy, wasn't overflowing with excess pages the way some particularly annoying files could be. "Ah what the hell. You're right Nanao, just like always."

His lieutenant did not smile, but some of the tension did seem to go out of her. Unfortunately her next words sent that tension directly into him instead. "Good. While you go over that, I'll get the lists of invited guests, as well as planned activities so we can go over those next."

"Ah, more paperwork, good." Kyoraku cast a wistful glance at the beautiful day that waited just beyond the office windows. For a moment he considered leaping out of those windows here and now. A single flash step could carry him out of the barracks and into the wider Sereitei. Nanao would never be able to catch up to him, and he'd be free to smell the flowers, smell the air, and write another of his wonderful poems. Never mind that the last several poems had all been reviewed horribly by the Shinigami Women's Association, just the act of writing it out would be good enough. Although he had to admit that seeing the strange expressions his reader's faces contorted into was half of the fun.

But no, it was time to play the role of the dutiful captain, at least for a few more hours. He'd go out drinking tonight instead, maybe invite some of the meatheads from the 11th along. They weren't the best company, but their boisterous antics amplified by the presence of alcohol would no doubt provide enough entertainment to make up for the boredom he was no doubt about to endure.

He leaned forward in his chair and started thumbing through the binder once again, this time paying careful attention to names, locations and other what not. As he'd expected, everything seemed fine; they had a good number of people assigned, most of whom were experienced and proven officers. They would be dispersed evenly in and around the festival site at unobtrusive locations where they could easily keep an eye on things. Kyoraku penned in the names of some of the divisions most recent recruits, assigning them stations close to the more experienced officers. It wasn't necessary at all, but on the off chance anyone decided to cause trouble it would be a good opportunity for the rookies to pick up some experience in a relatively low stakes environment.

He was just about to sign off on the plan when there came a knock on the office door. This was not a surprising event, it was quite common for squad members to come to the office for all manner of things: submitting after action reports, time off requests, schedule changes, or even complaints against other squad members. It was all just another part of the job, all perfectly normal. It was also normal that all of those people would typically wait to be invited into the office; this individual simply let himself in.

"Well I'll be," Kyoraku smiled as he saw the green robe trimmed with gold that hung around the shoulders of his guest, and the cloth wrapped object tucked under his arm. "Aren't you dressing fancy these days? Nothing like the 3rd seat I remember, I hardly recognize you."

Benjiro Nosaku smiled as he nodded towards the pink flowery kimono that Kyoraku had draped over his captain's haori. "You're one to talk, with that flamboyant get up of yours."

Kyoraku shrugged lazily. "Didn't say it was bad thing. At any rate, its been years since the last time you deigned to visit the barracks. What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Benjiro's face contorted into mock surprise. "What, can't a guy pay a visit to his old captain?"

"Given that it's still in the middle of the day, its unlikely someone of your status would be here for a social visit," Nanao said from her own desk. She regarded their guest with a wary expression. Kyoraku frowned, but chose to ignore it.

Benjiro laughed for his part. "Perceptive as always, Lieutenant. You're right, I did come here to discuss something with the good captain, but don't think I'm all business today. I haven't gotten that boring yet." He winked at Kyoraku, who in turn resisted the urge to laugh as Nanao rolled her eyes so hard that the captain of the 8th feared that they might roll right out of her skull.

Instead Kyoraku directed his attention to the object tucked away under his former officer's arm. "A present?"

"Ah, this." The nobleman took the seat across from him and set the object on the desk. He quickly unwrapped it to reveal a bottle of bourbon, along with two glasses. "A conversational aid," he explained.

Kyoraku regarded the bottle with curiosity. Sake was his true love in the world of beverages, but he could enjoy the occasional fling with a good bourbon just as well as the next man. He glanced back at his guest. "Well thank you. I thought you'd given up drinking though."

A shrug. "Its something new from the world of the living; emulates the taste and smell of normal bourbon, but there's not a drop of real alcohol in it."

Shunsui tilted his head. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Well, to start with its probably better for when you're working. I'm sure Nanao here would be out of her mind with anger if you got drunk on the job." Benjiro rolled his head back to look at the lieutenant in question. "Am I right?"

She scoffed with irritation. "Please, its a much bigger surprise if this old fool manages to get through a day of work sober."

The nobleman nodded in a sympathetic manner. "That sounds about right. Keep at it Lieutenant, I'm sure you'll instill some kind of discipline in him one day."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." The captain leaned back in his chair. 'So, what can I help you with?"

The nobleman glanced at Nanao. "Sorry, it's a private matter. Any chance there's another lazy lout somewhere about for you to whip into shape?"

He received a glare for that. "Undoubtedly." She stood and made for the door. "I'll do a walk around of the barracks, make sure everything is in order."

Once the door had closed behind her, Benjiro leaned forward and poured for both of them. Kyoraku took his glass and sniffed curiously at it. His nose crinkled as the scent burned its way up his nostrils. "Well it certainly smells like the real deal."

Benjiro smiled. "Try a sip. I think you'll find its got more than just a good smell."

The nobleman was correct; the non alcohol burned its way down his throat and warmed his belly in a manner that drew a pleased sigh up from his lungs. "Not bad at all. You sure there's no alcohol in this?"

"Positive," the nobleman chuckled. "A lightweight could drink that whole bottle and not get so much as a buzz. Well, at least not without a healthy dose of placebo."

The two sat in a mostly comfortable silence for a little while, sipping at their drinks. Shunsui enjoyed the quiet companionship. He thought back on the young man who had joined the 8th division more than two centuries ago as its 3rd seat, and self proclaimed party captain. Most other captains would probably have hated having a man like that in their ranks, but Shunsui Kyoraku had been pleased to have someone he could point to and say "See, its not me this time," whenever Old Man Yama decided that it was time to lay down the law.

He observed the other man. Despite the easy expression he wore, it was clear the nobleman was actually quite tense. Kyoraku could see it in the bags under his eyes, and the way his shoulders bunched as if he couldn't get himself to fully relax. Whatever had brought him here was likely far less pleasant than a friendly drink. He kept his own expression lazy and friendly even as he braced himself internally.

"You said you have something to discuss?"

The nobleman took a slow pull from his drink before he responded. "Yeah, and I'm sorry to say its not any kind of fun." Kyoraku waited for him to elaborate. "The fact is my position gives me a front row seat to a lot of political nonsense, and it so happens I've heard a few things lately that concern me deeply."

Kyoraku resisted the urge to groan. "Of course you have. Anyone I know?"

Benjiro smiled apologetically. "Maybe, maybe not, I'm not one to say." Of course he wasn't, if he started spreading names around then his whole clan could end up bogged down in controversy.

Kyoraku said "My my, these sorts of things sure are bothersome. Who has time for all the cloaks and daggers?"

The nobleman nodded his agreement. "Just about makes you wish for a stand up fight, eh?"

"Ah, well, I don't know if I'd go that far." Kyoraku sipped at his drink. "I suppose at least that way I'd know who my enemy was at least. I don't suppose you can tell me what sorts of things you've heard?"

"I can give you an idea," Benjiro offered. Kyoraku nodded, and the nobleman kept talking. "No doubt you're already aware how controversial the Head Captain's recent decisions have been among the nobility. Now with this festival, well, some see it as an insult."

The 8th division captain raised an eyebrow. "Some?"

Benjiro met his gaze. "Others might see it as an opportunity. Depending on how things go, well you know what they say in the world of the living: it takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only a second to destroy it."

"Ah." The Captain considered that. He had heard that Ichigo Kurosaki was to be a guest of honor at the main ceremony. The poor boy had become a point of contestation among the nobility, whether he knew it or not. Those nobles could be a duplicitous bunch at the best of times, it wasn't a stretch to think one of them might use the festival as an opportunity to make a move against the substitute shinigami. What better way to attack Old Man Yama's reputation than to go after the person he'd chosen to endorse?

Benjiro held his gaze a moment longer, then drained the rest of his glass. "Well, it seems you understand what I have to say. I shouldn't take up any more of your time."

Kyoraku blinked, and his lazy friendliness was back in place. "Leaving so soon? Surely you can afford the time for a second drink."

The nobleman stood from his chair. "Another time, perhaps. As it is, I have a lot of work to do, not unlike yourself. We'd best get to it before that Lieutenant of yours comes after both of us."

"I suppose so." Kyoraku finished his own drink, set the glass down. "Thanks for the drink."

"Keep the bottle," Benjiro said. "I've got more at the estate, so I won't miss it." He made his way to the door, paused and looked back. "Captain Kyoraku, its no secret that you and Captain Ukitake are both very close to the Head Captain."

The Captain didn't like where this was going, but he could guess what the other man was getting at. "Is that going to be a problem?"

A shrug. "There's always a risk for those who have a stake in the game."

Kyoraku was still thinking on those words almost an hour later when Ise finally returned to the office. He was going over the security binder for what must have been the fifth time when the stern lieutenant quietly entered the room.

"How was your meeting?" She asked.

That was a good question, one that had many possible answers. Kyoraku decided to go with the one that stood out most prominently in his mind. "It was informative."

She seemed to perk up at that. "Informative in what way?"

"That remains to be seen," he replied. "On an unrelated note, I think we should increase security, maybe assign a few more seated officers."

A pointed look of concern. "Are you expecting something to go wrong?"

"You can never be to careful." He handed the binder to her, confident that she would make the needed alterations. Then he snapped his fingers as though he'd just remembered something. "Oh, one more thing."

His lieutenant asked. "Yes, captain?"

Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain of the 8th division said "I'll personally oversee security for the main ceremony. In particular, I want to be able to keep an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki."

The first thing Ichigo did that morning was quickly move his head out of the way of the ax kick which had been less than a second from spoiling his mood for the entire day. The second thing he did was observe as that sock clad foot slammed down onto his pillow with enough force to fold it in half. He spat a curse; he was definitely going to have to run his pillowcase through the wash now. The third thing he did was to grab that foot up off of the pillow, and shove hard.

Isshin Kurosaki yelped with alarm as he fell backwards, but he caught himself with a makeshift handstand. From there it was a simple matter to spring back to his feet and lunge at Ichigo with a flying tackle. Unfortunately for him Ichigo had now fully gained his bearings. He was also deeply annoyed, a fact which no doubt influenced the amount force which he put behind his fist as it crashed into his father's oncoming face. Isshin let out another yelp, this one tinged with pain, as he toppled to the floor in a thoroughly undignified heap. It did little to curb his obnoxiously high energy, however. Isshin sprang back to his feet in a manner that made Ichigo think of one of those inflatable waving tube men that advertisers used being inflated for the first time.

"Stay down damn you!" Ichigo launched from his bed and took his startled looking father back to the floor with a flying clothesline.

Isshin rolled at the last second and retreated across the room in a defensive stance, one hand raised in a beckon of challenge. "Come on Ichiiiigo! You won't beat anyone fighting like that, you don't even have an ounce of subtlety!"

"Oh, shut up," Ichigo snapped. He moved forward with a feigned punch meant to draw his opponent's attention up towards their face. It worked beautifully, and Ichigo felt a twinge of sadistic satisfaction as his father threw his arms up in defense, leaving his lower body completed exposed. He dropped into a crouch and threw his leg out in a sweeping kick, and Isshin went to the floor for the third time that day. Ichigo wasted no time pinning the man with an arm lock; he didn't want to have to humiliate his old man a fourth time.

"Ow ow ow!" Isshin tapped furiously on the floor with his free hand. "Not so much pressure!"

Ichigo twisted harder. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you came barging into my room!"

"A deterrent eh?" Isshin somehow managed to sound upbeat even though tears of pain were welling up in his eyes. "You have truly learned all I have to teach, I'm so proud!"

Ichigo rolled his eyes and let the fool go. "You've been saying that for months now, but here we are. If I've really learned everything then why do you keep doing this?"

Isshin sprang up like a damn slinky, his face twisted into an expression of outrage. "What are you saying? A man should always keep himself sharp and ready for a fight!"

Ichigo wandered to his closet, wondering what clothes he ought to wear for the day. "I'm still sharp, old man. Not that it matters, the war is over, so there's nobody left to fight anyway."

Isshin made a tsking sound. "The war may be over, but there's always somebody else to fight. Aizen wasn't the first upstart who thought he could bring the whole system down, and he won't be the last."

"Well if somebody does come along then I'll deal with it, so there's no need for you to worry." Ichigo turned a glare on his old man. "Now would you mind getting out of my room? I have to get dressed."

"Huh?" Isshin blinked, as if just noticing that his son was still in his pajamas. "Ah, right, well hurry up and join us for breakfast. Yuzu made a delicious miso soup to go with the rice. If you miss out it might make her cry, and then I'll never be able to forgive you!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Ichigo waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be down in a minute, just get out."

By this point in the morning Ichigo had technically done several things, but now that his father had finally pissed off it was time to do the thing he'd meant to do first. He got his phone from the bedside table and opened a group chat with Uryuu, Chad and Orihime.

Ichigo:You guys down to meet for lunch? I got some news from our friends up above.

Uryuu:..

Uryuu:What kind of news?

Ichigo:Relax, its nothing bad, I think.

Uryuu:You? Think?

Chad:He does that sometimes

Ichigo:What the hell man?

Chad:Sorry. Keigo said I needed to work on my banter.

Uryuu:I've seen worse attempts. Keep at it

Ichigo:Yeah, just make sure to insult Uryuu next time

Uryuu:I am beyond your meager insults

Ichigo:Sure ya are

Orihime:I'll bet Uryuu feeds on the insults, like they make him stronger

Ichigo:What?

Uryuu:What?

Chad:That's probably true

Orihime:Right? Like there's probably an alien or something that lives in his head and eats the insults, and it gets stronger and stronger with each one.

Orihime:But if he ever stops getting insulted, the alien will eat him and his body will wilt away to reveal a horrible insult monster.

Ichigo:No seriously, what?

Uryuu:Orihime, have you ever considered becoming a sci-fi writer? I think you'd be good at it.

Orihime:But if I did that I wouldn't have enough time to become both a world class chef and a ballerina!

Chad:That's a good point

Ichigo:Dad's callin' me down for breakfast. Lets meet at the ramen place off 5th ave, say around two o'clock?

Orihime:Looking forward to it!

Uryuu:I'll be there

Chad:Sounds good

The smell of freshly prepared food hit Ichigo's nose with mouth watering force. Bowls of soup and rice had been set up at the table, and Ichigo happily took his seat across from Yuzu and Karin.

"Good morning big brother!" Yuzu said excitedly. "You're just in time; the food is still hot."

"It smell delicious," Ichigo said with a genuine smile. He looked down at the soup and felt his stomach rumble. He could practically taste it already, and it was wonderful. The reality matched his expectation, and he let out a moan of pleasure when he ate the first spoonful.

Karin glanced between Ichigo and Isshin briefly. "Who won this time?"

Isshin replied before Ichigo had a chance to speak. "Your big brother is growing into a strong young man. I held back on him of course, and he's still got a long way to go, but he's also come a long way!"

Ichigo glowered. "Held back? My ass! That's some excuse you have there."

"Oh yeah?" Isshin put his fists up and made a show of punching the air. "Lets go another round, I'll show ya what your old man is made of!"

Ichigo ate another spoonful of soup. "I'm eating."

"Yeah," Karin said. "If you wanna cause a ruckus, do it somewhere else so you don't spill any food."

"Don't go off fighting," Yuzu whined. "I worked really hard to make the soup perfect, you have to eat it."

Ichigo shrugged at his father. "There you have it, my hands are tied."

Isshin sighed dramatically as he took his own seat at the head of the table. "Very well son, you're off the hook for now. But keep your guard up, you never know when the next round is coming."

Ichigo ignored him. He was enjoying his meal far to much to expend any more effort or attention on a loud old fool. He had almost managed to completely tune his old man out before he spoke again.

"Oh, Ichigo, good news," Isshin said excitedly. "I heard about your trip next weekend, and I wanted to let you know I'm taking the day off to look after your sisters so you don't have to worry about anything."

"Please," Karin gave the old man a dirty look. "We hardly need a babysitter. Especially one as loud and childish as you."

Isshin adopted an exaggerated look of hurt and surprise. "Such harsh words from my oldest daughter, it would be enough to break the spirit of any normal man. But fear not girls, you're dad is made of tougher stuff, and I'll be here to keep you safe!"

Ichigo frowned and looked up from his soup. "How'd you know about it? I haven't said anything yet."

Isshin grinned. "I have my ways."

"Urahara told you," Ichigo said flatly.

"Urahara told me," Isshin admitted.

"Great," Ichigo returned his attention to his breakfast. "Now I just have to figure out how old hat n' clogs seems know everything and then I'll be golden."

Isshin nodded. "By the way Ichigo, I want you to be careful on your trip."

Ichigo paused. A quick glance showed that his father's demeanor was suddenly more serious. "Something wrong?"

Isshin considered. "You'll probably be fine. I've just heard some rumors that a few of the people where you're going are feeling a bit suspicious of outsiders these days."

Ichigo considered that. He doubted he had much to worry about from the captains, but he knew from experience that the governing body behind the Gotei 13 could be a different sort of problem altogether. "You don't think anyone would try to start something, do you?"

"Against my boy?" Isshin laughed. "They'd be foolish to try. Then again, the world is full of foolish types. I'm just saying to keep your eyes open, and don't trust strangers."

"Isn't that just good advice anyway?" Karin asked through a mouthful of rice.

"Indeed it is!" Isshin ruffled his daughters hair, seemingly oblivious to the irritated look she was giving him.

Ichigo considered for a moment. 'Ok, got it. Thanks for the advice."

Isshin gave him two thumbs up. "Just lookin' out for my kid!"

After breakfast, Ichigo returned to his room and decided it was a good time to work on the Final Fantasy VII remake. He only had a few chapters left to complete, and Tatsuki had messaged him again after he'd gotten home last night threatening to steal his bones if he didn't return the game to her soon. He couldn't blame her; he'd first borrowed the game almost three weeks ago, but he'd just kept getting distracted with other things. At half past one he saved his progress and switched off the console. He would've liked to keep playing, but if he didn't head out now he was going to be late to lunch. Normally that wouldn't bother him, but in this case he was the one who had invited everyone else, so it only seemed reasonable to make sure he showed up on time.

Ichiran Ramen was one of the most popular ramen chains in all of Japan, and had locations across the entire country. This particular branch was located off of 5th ave in downtown Karakura. It was busy when Ichigo arrived, as was to be expected during the lunch hours, but he was able to find a table easily enough.

Uryuu arrived almost as soon as Ichigo sat down, followed shortly by Chad and Orihime, who came in together.

The young quincy was the first to speak once they'd finished ordering. "So, what's this news you mentioned, Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, tell us. I'll bet its something really exciting!" Orihime was practically vibrating with enthusiasm, a trait which Ichigo found genuinely endearing. Chad, for his part, simply worked on his noodles and waited for Ichigo to speak. So Ichigo did speak. He explained everything about how Rukia and Renji had visited him the other night, and he explained about the festival they'd invited him to.

Orihime practically leapt from her seat at the mention of it. "A festival!? That sounds incredible! I'll bet they'll have all sorts of deep fried foods and souvenirs. You can count me in!"

"Awesome," Ichigo smiled at her. "What about you Chad? Feel like having a party in the Soul Society?"

Chad nodded once. "Sure, sounds like fun."

Ichigo turned his attention to Uryuu, who hadn't had much to say since he arrived. "What about you Uryuu?"

"No thanks," the quincy said. "I have no love of the shinigami or their customs. It'd be better for everyone if I stayed home."

"You can't stay behind," Orihime protested. "Uryuu, we had so much fun together the last time we went!"

Uryuu gave her an odd look across the table. "You call that fun? We both almost died!"

She smiled. "But we didn't die. Besides, Ichigo said we're being invited to a festival, not a battle."

"The two can feel the same under the right circumstances," Chad muttered to himself. He noticed the odd looks the others were giving him. "People can be loud and pushy."

"True, but this is the Soul Society. I doubt anyone would push anyone for fear of starting some kind of blood feud," Ichigo said, only half jokingly.

Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "Nevertheless, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to be in attendance at a shinigami festival."

Ichigo considered the quincy for a long moment. "Ya know, I've heard there are some people in the Soul Society that are upset about the idea of outsiders coming and going as they please. Might be a good way for you to flip them the finger."

Uryuu looked at him, bemused. "You want me to go to the Soul Society because it might piss some people off?"

Ichigo shrugged. "I'm just saying, you like annoying me well enough, might be fun to try annoying someone else."

Uryuu narrowed his eyes. "What a compelling argument."

"Come on Uryuu, it'll be like old times!" Orihime declared.

Uryuu blew out a long sigh. "Look, I don't mind hanging out with you guys, not even you Kurosaki, because all of you are humans first. A quincy like me has no business with the shinigami however."

Ichigo let out a sigh of his own, but quickly replaced it with a friendly smile. ""No worries, I figured that was probably gonna be your answer. I just wanted to ask you before I went to anyone else."

"Thanks," Uryuu said. "I almost appreciate it."

"Who will you invite instead?" Chad asked.

Ichigo took a moment to mull it over. "That's a good question, I really don't know."

Orihime said "It's still a week away, right? I'm sure you can find somebody by then."

As it so happened, Orihime would prove to be entirely correct. They talked off and on for the next hour or so before Ichigo paid the bill and they all went their separate ways. Ichigo gave no small amount of thought as to who he could invite. He could invite Tatsuki; she was both aware of the existence of spirits and other similar phenomenon, and also curious about the Soul Society. He also considered inviting Keigo, mostly because he thought it would be funny to watch the various shinigami he knew try to make sense of the chaotic young man. Eventually he ruled out both of those options. Tatsuki because she'd no doubt end up getting into a fight with one shinigami or another, most likely one from the 11th division, and Keigo because Keigo would almost certainly get lost in the Sereitei and never be seen again.

He briefly considered inviting his dad along. The old man was a shinigami himself, after all. He dismissed the idea however. Isshin may have been a shinigami, but he was still very tight lipped about that part of his life. Whatever secrets he still carried from that time were ones that he clearly intended to hold onto for a while longer. So even if he were invited he'd probably just decline, the same way Uryuu had.

So it was that the evening found Ichigo contemplating this issue as he struggled to overcome Rufus Shinra. His first few attempts at that boss fight had proven to be nothing short of infuriating, but he distracted himself from that frustration by talking out loud to himself about what his options were, and who might be willing to go to Soul Society with him. And it was through those self directed words that he found the solution to his problem, albeit not in quite the way he might have imagined.

"You could take me," Kon volunteered. The stuffed Lion hopped up onto Ichigo's desk, rather annoyingly blocking his view of the screen. "I haven't seen Rukia in so long, she must miss me. Take me to see Rukia!"

Ichigo considered the plushy. "You sure? Aren't mod souls wanted by the Soul Society?"

Kon punched at the air. "I'd like to see those shinigami try to capture me!"

"Me too." Ichigo kept it to himself that if anybody actually tried, they'd shortly be on the wrong end of a Getsuga Tensho. "Well, I can't think of anyone else, so welcome aboard I guess."

"Alright!" Kon looked unbearably pleased with himself. "I'll bet the Soul Society is just full of hot girls!"

"Is that why you want to go? Really?" Ichigo shook his head with disgust. "You're hopeless."

Kon jumped up and down on the desk and took a swing at Ichigo's face, though his blow fell woefully short. "And why do you want to go then, huh!?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Well, Rukia invited me after all."

Kon seemed to grin. "So you also want to go for a girl."

Ichigo shook his head. "It's different."

A challenge. "Oh yeah? How?"

The substitute shinigami made no effort to hide the irritation that he often felt when talking to the animated toy. "Well to start with, I'm not going in the hopes of seeing whats under Rukia's clothes."

Kon turned away and crossed his arms. "I see. You're taking it out on me because you're not good enough to get a girl in bed."

Ichigo could feel his blood pressure going up. "And when was the last time you took a girl to bed?"

The lion glared back at him. "It's not easy ya know, being just a stuffed toy with all these feelings and urges. Maybe I'd love to take a girl to bed, but how am I supposed to do that in a body like this? What beautiful, erotic woman wants to spend her time with a stuffed toy?"

He considered that for a while. "Well, maybe I can ask that Mayuri guy to make you a different body while we're there."

He was met by a look of horror. "Are you kidding? That guy's crazy, he'd have me strapped to an operating table before you could say bankai."

Ichigo thought that was a fair point. "Well I'll ask around. Shinigami use gigai all the time right? It can't be that hard to get one."

Kon went quiet for a moment, and his voice was soft when he spoke again. "Do you actually mean it?"

"Why not?" Ichigo leaned back in his chair, all thoughts of defeating Rufus having now been forgotten. "If nothing else, maybe I can get you to stop hanging out in my room all the time."

He expected the small lion to yell at him. Instead, the self absorbed toy started listing off all the characteristics that he thought the ideal body should have, some of which made Ichigo want to take a trip to the bathroom so that his stomach could begin the process of violently rejecting some of the more out there ideas.

The rest of the week passed smoothly. Uryuu and Chad behaved as normal, neither seeming inclined to acknowledge the upcoming event. Orihime was excited enough to keep bringing it up, but Ichigo didn't really need to say anything during those conversations; she said plenty enough for the both of them. Kon also expressed many ongoing thoughts, but Ichigo had long since become a master of tuning the small creature out. It was either that or go completely insane.

School didn't present any particular issues either. Somehow, probably because of Orihime, the rest of their class was soon aware that Ichigo was planning to take a weekend vacation of some sort. Keigo attempted to interrogate him intensely about it, but he soon found other things with which to distract himself. Tatsuki had little to offer on the subject beyond 'be careful' and 'when am I getting my game back?'

Finally the day came. Ichigo was the first to arrive at the dirt lot in front of Urahara's shop; the location they met anytime they were doing something spirit related. He arrived in shinigami form with Kon riding along on his shoulder. His living body remained safely at home, where his father would hopefully find time to keep it safe in between bouts of doting on Yuzu and a no doubt annoyed Karin.

Chad and Orihime arrived shortly thereafter, just after ten in the morning. Ichigo had hoped to have departed by now, but he wasn't to worried about it. He had never been told what time the festival was actually supposed to start after all. They could arrive only to find that they still had several hours to wait.

Orihime ran up to him, a glowing smile stretched across her face. "I'm so glad I made it on time!"

"What, you didn't think I'd leave without you?" Ichigo asked.

She shook her head with alarming violence. "Of course I didn't. But what if I was super late and you didn't have a choice?"

"Then I'd wait anyway," Ichigo said. "I'm the one who invited you, how rude would it be if I just took off before you could get here?"

"Besides," Chad said. "We arrived at the same time."

Orihime smiled at him. "That's true, and you're almost never late."

Chad shrugged. "It's just polite to be on time."

They gathered around in a circle. Kon frowned as Ichigo withdrew the ticket from inside his shihakusho. "Are you sure this is safe?"

Ichigo shrugged. "We'll find out if it isn't."

Kon gaped. "What the fu-"

Ichigo tore the ticket, and the four of them were engulfed in a blue-white flash of light that momentarily obscured their vision. There was a rushing sensation around them, as if they were caught in violent hurricane. When it cleared, they found themselves standing in a plainly decorated office.

"Good, you've arrived. Welcome to the Winter War Anniversary Celebration," said Jushiro Ukitake.