Three uneventful days after that, R was finally summoned by the 1st squad messengers. "R sama. Sou-taichou requires your presence at the interrogation." She could not hide her smile, at being referred to as 'sama' when it was unspoken that she was most probably a criminal.

"Let's go." She said, getting up from her desk.

The past three days had gone by in a blur of worry. She did not know how time worked here. She wondered how many days had gone by in her world, and wondered if her mum thought she'd run away or gotten herself killed by another natural disaster. Her interfering manager would try to label her as a slacker if she took so many days off without so much as a note. And most of all, being in limbo was affecting her mentally. It was like she did not know what would happen to her. With Soul Society's reputation of destroying and/ or burying everything they were not capable of understanding or dealing with, she was not even sure she would be able to return home. And that was frightening.

They reached a room smaller than the meeting room, where the Sou taichou sat at a desk. There was a huge number 1 written in Kanji on the wall behind him. It must be his personal office. She stood in front of him and bowed her greetings. Better not to piss the old man off. Beside him were the three oldest captains, Kyouraku Shunsui taichou, Ukitake Juushirou taichou and Unohana Retsu taichou.

"So, onna. Let us come straight to the issue at hand. Who sent you here?"

"Sou taichou, I believe I have already explained the circumstances of how I came here. I did not break in nor am I scheming with anyone. Like I said—"

"If that is the case, you may well tell your story to that person standing to your left so he can try to explain it to us." Sou taichou signalled to her left.

She had not seen, had not noticed, but there he was: Urahara Kisuke, former Captain of the 12th squad and now just a 'poor simple' shopkeeper.

"Urahara san!" She exclaimed. He was another of her favourite characters.

"That won't be necessary, sou taichou, R san. I have already received the story!" Yoruichi San appeared beside him. Damn it, did these people ever walk? "I might have figured out what happened with R san."

Sou taichou leaned forward ever so slightly and queried, "So how did this happen, Urahara Kisuke?"

"The most basic explanation that I could give is one that R san already gave to you. She managed to cross worlds." Urahara san paused. "Her theory is that she is energy sensitive and that is why she managed to come here. But that is only a vague explanation," Urahara san continued. "I believe she is able to manipulate the energy she is surrounded by. I am not sure of the viability of the myth that she spoke about regarding the mirror. But we in Soul Society know what powerful mediums mirrors could be. Sou taichou san. Have you never wondered how our Technological Bureau had all the modernities of the real world, even a hundred years ago?"

Looking at Urahara San, R thought about how she always considered that one of the unexplainable, only-happens-in-anime things in Bleach universe.

Yamamoto Sou taichou cleared his throat. "Naturally it was built that way. And when you started that Bureau, I made sure you went to ask for permission from Central 46 before you built anything." His reply was incredulous and almost embarrassing. She would not deny that the sou taichou was a good leader and a great mentor to the Gotei 13, but he was sometimes unfathomable and had a couldn't-care-less attitude about his subordinates. Priorities, perhaps?

"What if I told you that I managed to find a way to cross worlds to find my equipment and my samples?" Urahara casually threw this question out to the 4 captains, who were visibly growing uncomfortable.

"Then I would have you know that that is dangerously close to breaking the law of Soul Society!"

"My, my. But I have already been exiled. Plus the Central 46 approved of this, because they considered the betterment of Soul Society above the laws, sou taichou." Urahara said this while covering half his face with his fan, as he usually did when he was teasing someone. "R san is not lying about this because this is something that has been done throughout time in Soul Society. Sou taichou san, I believe you are aware of the ancient techniques of sekaitenko (world transfer)."

No one, absolutely no one was shocked by this revelation except for R. She gasped and stared at the sou taichou who remained silent, his eyes still drooping. So it was not that he could care less. He did not want his own secrets out in the open. But who could blame him? No one knew who would take advantage of powerful secrets like this to try and well, destroy Gotei 13 or the universe.

"Are you implying that this onna knows of the techniques of sekaitenko, Urahara san?" Unohana taichou asked, speaking for the first time.

"I do not assume so. However, my point is that we know such a thing exists, and has been used to travel to alternate universes and beyond. I believe that R san, with her capability to manipulate energy, managed to find a path to Sereitei through an accidental world transfer technique we might not be aware of, but which exists in her world."

Mentally, R sighed. How was the situation growing ever more complicated than she thought it could? "Urahara San," she said quietly. "Would that mean you know how to send me back to where I came from?"

"Oh, that may be too much for this poor shopkeeper!" He laughed in that dubious way.

"Kisuke. Stop evading the damn question will you!" Yoruichi san glared at him.

"Alright then." Kisuke changed his tone and directed his shady eyes at R. "I could possibly bring you back to where you came from," he paused. "but I'd like you to know that it will take time and," he turned to the Sou taichou, "some resources."

If there was anything R knew about Urahara by now, it was his sneakiness. She admired his cheek to demand things from the Sou taichou for an investigation that whose technicalities will benefit solely himself.

Sou taichou sighed. "You shall have what you need from our Technological Bureau, with the condition that you will be supervised by Kurotsuchi taichou. The onna will be monitored during this time period and should she arouse the slightest bit of suspicion, she will be thrown in jail."

After everyone was escorted back, Unohana taichou turned to Sou taichou. "Sou taichou, are you sure about letting that onna leave especially after the amount of time she has been here? Plus, it's been masked pretty well, but she has considerable reiatsu for a human."

Sou taichou got off his seat and huddled to the window, a false expression of age. "We are not yet done with her," he replied, looking over the horizon. "Kurosutchi will assist in elongating the time. But we will get out of her what she knows of the future, and we will keep her in unassumed captivity till we are able to gauge her powers. We have to win this war at any cost."

Ukitake taichou let out a small breath of sigh. Things were going to change yet again, whether Soul Society was ready for it or not.