A/N: Almost a dozen to thank for reviews: Hidden Masked, ella811, Dark Inu Fan, Nocturna Mae, Carrie96235, Rukia's Reflection, Grimelark, BiblioMatsuri, wolfhead, KitElizaKing, and dragonlord1337. And thank you to everyone who add this or I too their lists. Contrary to popular belief, I have not abandoned my stories. I just needed to step away for a while. Getting back into things took longer than I thought but once you see this; my other stories should have been updated as well.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha and Bleach characters, mangas, animes, movies, etc. They belong by copyright laws to Rumiko Takahashi et al, and Tite Kubo et al, respectively.
Secrets Abound
We Have a Plan This Time
Ichigo lifted the suitcase onto the bed and opened it, intent on getting Rukia's belongings out of it so that she could shower. The group had decided to settle in and rest for a while after Hisana had left, figuring that they were simply tired and that's why the chaos they'd run into had been too much for them to handle. Tatsuki had immediately grabbed Inoue's hand and staked claim on one of the rooms while Ishida had announced that he was rooming with Chad. That had left the third bedroom to the two Shinigami (there was no way Ichigo was letting Rukia room with either Keigo or Mizuiro who'd been left with the fourth and final bedroom) and both had shrugged, believing that there would be two beds. It had been a while since they'd shared space at night but it was really no different than when Rukia had secretly stayed in his closet so neither had thought much about the arrangement.
Until they'd gone to put their things away and found one bed instead of two. Granted the single resting place seemed to be larger than Ichigo's entire room but it had still thrown them for a loop. They'd stared in dumbfounded silence at the sight for several minutes before either managed a coherent thought. Embarrassment had quickly followed and the partners had instantly realized the potential dangers of the situation.
Said dangers being a thousand tiny blades after Ichigo's hide if Byakuya were to learn of the single bed that looked like it was meant for nighttime fun and games. Luckily there had been a bolster all across the top of the bed and the daiko had latched onto it like it was a lifesaver. He'd divided the bed in half with the giant pillow, leaving more than enough room on either side for both of them. It wasn't the best situation but it would have to do for the moment.
"Ichigo, have you found my clothes yet?" Rukia yelled through the door of the bathroom.
"You want the pink top and the black shorts you borrowed from Karin, right?" he shouted back, piling the two pieces of clothing on top of her carry on.
"Yes. Can you hand them to me? I've already taken a shower." The door to the other room opened slightly and a small hand was thrust through the gap. Ichigo reluctantly brought her the clothes, pulling the door shut the moment she had them through the slight space. He was thankful that at least she had brought her underwear in with her. A few moments later she came out, her hair still a little damp.
Rukia only spared him a glance before she sat down and began brushing her hair. The small vanity table in one corner was quickly littered with her personal belongings and Ichigo knew she'd claimed that as her personal space. "Ichigo," she said quietly, putting her brush down and turning to him.
"Hmm?" he murmured, rolling over to look at her with one eye. The other was still closed in a vain attempt to stay half asleep.
"We need a plan this time," she declared, coming to lie on the other side of the bolster. Still warm from her shower, she felt sleep tugging at her.
"Sure, but later, okay? I'm tired too." He vaguely remembered setting the clock for the ungodly hour of three thirty and Kon hadn't made what little sleep he'd gotten easy. He'd complained for nearly an hour about being left behind. They'd left their soul pills home knowing that in this instance having modified or temporary souls taking over their bodies probably wasn't a good idea. Chappy and Kon emitted their own spiritual energies and anyone with half a brain and the ability to sense otherworldly occurrences would know instantly that something was rotten in Denmark.
"Deal," Rukia whispered, allowing sleep to finally take her. Ichigo's spiritual energy wrapped around her like a blanket, keeping her warm so that she wouldn't get chilled in the lightly air conditioned room. The daiko tugged on her bangs once, slipping the still uncooperative lock of hair through his fingers, the repetitive motion lulling him back to slumber as well. The two Shinigami slept peacefully, both content with simply being in each other's company.
Right up until their friends found them two hours later.
Ishida and Tatsuki entered their friends' room when a grumbled reply by their orange haired "leader" gave them permission to enter. At least they thought it was permission. It could have just as easily been "Leave me alone" as "Yes." Upon opening the door they were surprised to find the partners on the same bed sound asleep. That neither stirred when two other spiritual presences came near said a lot about the amount of trust they had in their friends.
"I guess he meant to tell us to go away," Tatsuki mused. One of Ichigo's arms was stretched out protectively towards Rukia, the other underneath his head in place of a pillow. "We should probably wake them."
"My thoughts exactly." The Quincy pulled out a Seele Schneider, and held it up for the other teen's inspection. His grin in the eerie blue light made him seem briefly demonic and Tatsuki rolled her eyes.
"You're not going to do what I think you are, are you?"
Ishida straightened his lips quickly and pushed up his frames. "I don't know what you mean," he said, moving over to stand so that he was facing Ichigo's back.
"Sure, you don't." Digging out her cell, the dark haired girl scrolled through the features until she got to the video option. It wouldn't be high definition by any means but everyone would be able to tell who it was and what was happening. "Go on and wake the idiot up."
The moment the sharp point of the arrow sword touched the daiko's rear he bolted up fully awake although unaware of the reason why. "Tatsuki!" he roared, forgetting that the small Shinigami next to him was still asleep.
"Don't look at me," his childhood friend said; laughter in her voice. The video still rolled, capturing the varied expressions that crossed Ichigo's face. The Shinigami extraordinaire finally settled for extreme annoyance before flopping back down onto the bed.
Ishida continued to smirk, his arrow blade once more tucked away. He doubted whether his orange haired friend even knew that it was actually him who'd done the prodding. "We thought you might want to wake before Kuchiki-san," he stated calmly, as if he'd had no part in what was going on.
"Huh?" Ichigo uttered, turning around to gaze stupidly at the small woman on the other side of the large bed. "Shit…" By some divine grace, Rukia was still asleep, apparently none the wiser about what had just gone on. Sighing in relief, Ichigo was about to herd the others out of the room before she stirred when he noticed something that could spell his early entry into the Soul Society. The bolster, which had separated the two Shinigami, was now on the floor, obviously having been thrown there. Who had done it was unclear but the orange haired daiko had a sneaking suspicion that it had been him during one of his odd dreams.
"I wonder if I can just put it back without her noticing…" he murmured, having temporarily forgotten the presence of his friends.
Ishida shot a quick look over Ichigo's shoulder at the discarded pillow before a slight fluctuation in spirit energy caught his attention. Studying the small death goddess, he caught a glimpse of violet. "I take it that was meant to maintain propriety."
"Yeah…"
Tatsuki stopped recording and took a step back from the bed. "You could have used the floor," she pointed out, ready to make a dash to safety. Having seen Rukia's real personality, it wasn't any surprise to her what was going to happen to her old friend when the other raven haired girl found out what had happened. And she would. Rukia's fingers had twitched slightly, obviously aching to do bodily damage to her partner.
"Didn't feel like it," Ichigo said irritably, moving around to pick up the cumbersome pillow. He wasn't going to admit that the idea hadn't even occurred to him.
"I see. Well, perhaps we should leave you to your stealth mission," the Quincy suggested, edging towards the now open portal. The martial artist had already made her escape.
"I'll be out in a minute. We should probably order something to eat and then think of a plan."
"Excellent suggestion," his friendly rival said and left just before Rukia got tired of suppressing her spiritual energy. And her anger.
The rest of their friends looked up in mild astonishment when Ichigo yelped and pleaded for mercy not two seconds after Ishida came back into the common area. With a shrug they went back to perusing the menus spread out before them, a running list in front of Chad. "Should we rescue him?" Orihime asked, scrunching her nose at a foreign word she didn't recognize.
"I do not think the entire Gotei could rescue him at this point, Hime," Tatsuki answered, voting for copious amounts of junk food with Keigo.
"And miss the sorry state he'll be in shortly?" Ishida asked.
"I hate it when our friends fight," she returned.
"I'm sure you have nothing to be concerned about, Inoue-san," he tried to soothe. "Ichigo just did something in his sleep like the time he gripped Yoruichi-san's tail."
"Oh. Well, I guess everything will be fine then once he apologizes."
"Certainly." The archer didn't have the heart to tell her Ichigo wouldn't get the opportunity to do so.
Rukia had Ichigo on his stomach; arms secured behind him with the bakudo that she seemed to favor. While he could easily have broken out of the spell, her small body sitting on his legs prevented him from standing. She was currently twisting his ear with one hand, an elbow from the opposite side digging painfully into his kidneys.
"Damn it, Rukia, I already apologized!"
"Hn, like I'll believe some lame excuse like that! 'I must have been dreaming, Rukia' you say. Just what were you dreaming about, Ichigo? Molesting my person? Whatever would your father say about you harming his dear third daughter?"
"Oh, come off it, we both know what he would say. He alluded to as much when we told him we were coming here. Besides, it's not him we have to worry about. It's your darling 'Nii-sama.' He has a friend in this world now, you know. If anything of what happens gets to Taisho-san he'll gladly fork it over to Byakuya."
"Exactly. Nii-sama will think you've taken my innocence." Rukia let the pressure off of his back for a moment.
"Okay, okay, enough. I was telling the truth, though. I do have weird dreams sometimes, just ask the others. I once grabbed a hold of Yoruichi-san's tail. It ended up looking like one of those weird bended straws." He could feel the disbelieving stare on the back of his head. "I also shouted something incomprehensible as I woke up, disturbing Ganju from learning the kido spell he needed to use to drive that thing into the Seireitei."
Rukia tried to stop the giggle that came bubbling up her throat from coming out but wasn't quite successful. "You're such an idiot." Sighing, she let him go, getting up to straighten the wrinkles out of her clothes. "I'm going to see what the others are ordering for dinner. If you break the spell in time, I'll make sure to save you some."
"Hey! You can't just leave me here!" Rolling onto his back, he stared at her as she paused in the doorway.
"Please, a powerful Shinigami like you should have no trouble breaking that little thing. You did it the first night we met, don't forget. Besides, if you can cast it without saying anything but its name, there's no way you'd be stuck for long, now is there?" With that she joined their friends, ignoring his cursing as he tried to figure out how to release his arms.
"Insane midget!" he yelled and flopped back onto his back in defeat.
This was going to take a while.
Tatsuki snickered at Ichigo's less than witty parting shot, knowing that he had lost the war. Rukia was perusing the menu, amused mischief in her eyes as she contemplated her choices. "This seafood platter sounds interesting. I think I'll have that."
"Shouldn't we order for Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked, pouring herself something to drink from the small refrigerator in the kitchenette.
"I suppose. It's going to take a while for him to remember how he got out of that the first time. Is there any curry on the menu?"
"Afraid not, Kuchiki-san," Chad answered. He picked the several paged booklet of food offerings up and began looking over it again for something he thought his friend might like. "Ah, this might do," he murmured, adding it to the list of final choices without saying what it was. Going over to the phone, he dialed the kitchen and put in their order.
"Kuchiki-san, perhaps having him expend the energy necessary to release himself is not a good idea. From what the other demons have told us, our abilities are supposed to be a secret for the moment. Since he has trouble controlling his power…" Ishida let the rest of the sentence, hang, knowing she'd come to the correct conclusion.
"You have to spoil all my fun, don't you?" Delicate lips scowled briefly before she concentrated on letting her partner go.
"Hardly, Kuchiki-san. After this is all over, if you wish to go ahead and tie him up for his idiocy, I may ask to help you."
Thank you, Ishida-kun. You're always a gentleman."
"Isn't he?" Orihime asked. He's always offering to help me."
Pink dusted the bridge of his nose and the archer found the other females slightly amused while the guys openly grinned at him. Ishida even noticed the slight chuckle Chad gave before the larger teen coughed to try to cover it up. Ichigo was just coming into the living area and hadn't heard the conversation. For that much the Quincy was glad. Who knew what kind of ribbing he would have gotten otherwise.
"Tell me you haven't ordered yet," the orange haired teen said, rubbing his arms. He knew Rukia had released the spell, having come to the same conclusion Ishida had during his momentary study of the bedroom ceiling.
"Just now," Keigo answered, taking a large gulp of soda. "Don't worry, Chad ordered for you."
"Thanks, man," Ichigo said to his friend, earning a slight nod in reply. "So, should we discuss strategy now or after dinner?"
"Can't it wait? I'd rather have a full stomach before we talk about how you're going to use Mizuiro and me as bait."
"We're not going to use you as bait," Ichigo denied, although the thought did have merit. At the very least they could serve as distractions.
Before Keigo could protest further, a soft bell was heard, indicating someone was at the suite door. Mizuiro was closet and went to answer it, a slight frown on his face. There hadn't been enough time for the food to be cooked, much less brought up. Looking through the peep hole, he sighed heavily before opening the portal.
"Who is it?" Ichigo inquired, his answer coming in the form of a tall, elegant lady.
"I'm so glad that you're rested," Hisana stated, coming to stand by Chad's chair. The large teen got up, earning a smile from the Taisho matriarch.
"We've just ordered dinner, Lady Taisho," Rukia informed, coming to stand next to where Ichigo had plopped his large frame. "I thought you were going to come after dinner."
"I was but when I was informed that you'd asked for food and as the pups were eating their meal, I thought now was the better time as I could inform you of the plan then leave you to eat in peace. Those two can be a handful and I know that you will want a good night's rest."
"Yes…"
"There's a plan?" Tatsuki asked, wondering if the lady demon was going to go off into "crazy mode" or if she'd stay in her right mind long enough to tell them what the "plan" was.
"Of course, my son never leaves things to chance. It's quite splendid, if I do say so although don't tell him that. He has a big enough ego as it is."
"All right."
"Now then, the beginning is quite simple. You will start by going out to the beach and spending some time there. The three pairs will eventually spit off from the group and do whatever it is that courting human adolescents do with no parental supervision. The two of you," she said, pointing to Keigo and Mizuiro," "Will pretend to pick up women. Pretend, mind you, because if you actually managed to do so, I'm not sure the fathers around here would let you live very long otherwise."
"Can I at least collect numbers?" Keigo asked, pouting. He'd so hoped to get a girlfriend out of this vacation.
"Certainly, it'll add to the legitimacy of your cover. I'm not sure how easy that's going to be but go for it." Hisana paused for a breath, only then noticing the acute embarrassment of the other six teens. For his part, the dark haired playboy seemed content with his role. "Is there a problem?"
"Eh…" the martial artist started, unsure of what to say. "We're not dating, ma'am."
"Whatever do you mean? I distinctly remember being told that there were three couples and two guys that liked to pick up women."
"Arisawa-san's correct, Lady Taisho," Ishida seconded. "We are nothing but a group of friends."
"Is that so?" the demoness murmured, using her sensitive nose to detect any subterfuge. Her eyes narrowed on Ichigo and Rukia, making the two of them blush under her scrutiny. "So the fact that their scents mingle is simply coincidence."
"I believe that is because they were fighting not too long ago," he returned logically. "Kuchiki-san also lives with the Kurosakis' during her assignment here in the Living World."
"Ah, that would explain the third scent I'm picking up. Kurosaki-kun has a younger sister."
"Two, actually. I occasionally borrow their clothes," Rukia admitted.
"Occasionally? You use their clothes on a regular basis. Dad's offered to buy you your own wardrobe but no, you'd prefer theirs."
"They have good fashion sense and why should I let your dad spend money when he doesn't have to?"
"I don't know, maybe because they're too young for you? You look like you're sixteen years old. My sisters are still in elementary."
"Some of them are too young. I don't wear those. And I do have clothes of my own now. This shirt is mine. Inoue-san even helped me buy it."
"That's Yuzu's shirt that she bought last week that looks identical to the one Inoue helped you buy. With my money. See the hem? It came unraveled when she washed it for the first time and I had to listen to Yuzu complain that she didn't have the right color thread."
Rukia looked down at the spot that had the slightly different shade of thread. "Huh, didn't even notice."
Hisana chuckled, bringing their attention back to her. "Well, no matter. You two act like a couple and that's all that matters. You four though… That may be a problem."
"I'm sure we can manage something, Lady Taisho," Ishida assured, trying to get the discussion back to where it was supposed to be rather than on the two Shinigami. The demon lady's words had upset the Rikka wielder and he didn't like that. He wanted to be mad at Ichigo and Rukia but the sad truth was that they didn't know how intimate their relationship seemed to other people.
"Well, I guess you could just pal around together, leaving these two alone. It's best not to try to fool anyone. Sharp noses can smell lies and other such falsehoods." She heard the almost silent sighs of relief from the other teenagers and almost laughed out loud. They weren't fooling anyone. The auburn haired girl had a mad crush that probably bordered on love for the orange haired leader while the dark haired archer had genuine feelings for the girl. It would be a simple matter to get the two alone together. If she pushed the auburn haired girl at the archer, the two teens already close could be maneuvered into getting even closer.
A chance to make mischief scented, Hisana almost lost track of her true purpose. The doorbell rang again and she paused, waiting until the food was brought in and placed on the dining room table in the alcove next to the kitchenette. She waved the server away when it was clear he was going to wait for a tip and stood up to pace to the set of windows facing westward.
Several stomachs growled and she turned briefly to smile at them. "Go ahead and start. I'll hurry my explanation."
"Thank the gods," Keigo breathed, beginning to eat his hamburger quickly.
"Yes, well. That's the first part. The second part is to keep your eyes and ears open. Except for a few, the demons around here are unaware of your special abilities. They won't know to be cautious around you. If they're seen by you going or coming to some place you don't think they should be, let me or the pups know immediately. I haven't been able to pinpoint their hideout on this island and my trackers only got here yesterday. Once their meeting place is determined, it'll be your job to apprehend them."
"And does your esteemed son have any preference as to how he wants that done?" Ichigo asked, handing a napkin to Orihime and getting a soft 'thanks' in reply. He didn't even notice.
"Well, he would prefer that they were alive when you do so, leaving him the honor of disposing of the traitorous bastards but if you must kill them, then that's fine."
"I see."
"And for those of us that don't have actual powers?" Tatsuki asked, passing a glass of water over to Rukia. Two other glasses sat in front of her waiting to be filled.
"While the fighters are subduing the traitors, I want you three to look for any physical evidence of what they've been planning. Gather as much as you can and bring it here. By the time the actual battle starts, help will have arrived so you needn't worry for your safety."
"Rather simplistic in its execution," Ishida said after taking a bite of his sushi. "I like it."
"Yes, well, my son and his brother like things simple. It makes up for their father's complex way of raising them hundreds of years ago." After a brief moment of reflection, Hisana moved to the door. "That is all, dears. I'll let you eat in peace now. If there's anything you need, please let us know."
"Wait, there is one thing," Rukia brought up. "Ichigo and I noticed that there's only one bed in the master bedroom. Can't there be a cot or smaller bed added, please? I'd rather my brother not find out that the room we shared didn't allow for propriety to be maintained."
Hisana frowned. "What do you mean? Did you not see the other one?"
"What other one?"
Well, it's in the other room attached to the main sleeping quarters. The door is right by the vanity table."
"Oh, I thought it was a closet," Rukia replied, unsure of what else to say.
"Well, it is to an extent but it also has another name. It's not so affectionately known by the males of my clan as the 'dog house.'" It took a moment for what she meant to sink in, but when it did, laughter broke out around the table.
"I see, thank you."
"My pleasure. Enjoy your dinner." She left several amused teens and a couple of embarrassed ones to the ribbing of their friends. Satisfied that she'd done all she could for the moment, she went to hunt down her own meal. Glancing at the clock in the elevator, she sighed briefly. "I suppose I should call Sesshoumaru and give him a progress report. He'll want to know if his niece and nephew managed to make it through the day without blowing anything up." On the other hand, she could sit in her office and plot ways of getting teenagers to admit their feelings for each other. Playing matchmaker was ever so much more fun than playing spy. "No, better call my son." With her luck he'd wake her up in the middle of the night just to get an update. He'd never understood the concept that some demons actually liked to sleep.
She couldn't wait until he had pups of his own. Then they'd see how much he woke others up at all hours of the day and night. She'd never let him live it down. In the mean time though—
"Grandmother!" Inuyasha's youngest son was coming towards her with a strange blue substance staining his shirt.
She'd deal with the current disaster coming at her on two legs.