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Chapter 8: Disturbance

July 17th, pursuant to the Living World's calendar

3:00 p.m.

Seireitei

Rukia and Renji exited the Captains' Assembly Hall. Both of them allowed their posture to relax and exhaled deeply. They had reported to their own divisions on their arrival in Soul Society three days prior, and it was their respective captains who presented the findings of their reports at the meeting, meaning neither Renji nor Rukia were required to speak except to answer the other captains' direct questions, if there were any.

As it happened, the captains of the Court Guard were less than interested in what was happening in the World of the Living, and eager to get the meeting over with. There were only two questions. The first was from the captain of the eleventh division, asking if Ichigo Kurosaki had shown any signs of regaining his powers. When Rukia answered negatively, he replied with a tsk and stopped listening altogether. The second question, surprisingly, came from Captain Hitsugaya, who asked after the well-being of his former hostess, Orihime Inoue, with a slight blush. Renji informed him that 'Inoue-chan' was much improved with his and Rukia's presence in Karakura town, causing several eyebrows in the room to lift slightly and a discreet elbow to the hip from Rukia for his lapse in formality.

As the pair left the First Division Headquarters and started toward the Sixth Division to head back to the World of the Living via the Kuchiki family's senkaimon, they felt a strange, mild but tangible, tremor in the air. Rukia and Renji looked at each other for assurance that the sensation was mutual. Before either was able to confirm anything they were both knocked to their hindquarters by a shockwave of foreign reiatsu. Scarlet and ebony strands of hair tangled together and whipped over the shinigamis' faces, stinging their eyes and cheeks as they strained to stay conscious amidst the onslaught of oppressive spirit energy that streamed with gut-wrenching velocity in every direction. Their ears popped as the roar of rushing reiatsu muffled all other sound, and their breath was stolen from their lungs. After several seconds, and just as Rukia's vision was beginning to blur, the reiatsu pulled back at an impossible speed, suctioning reishi particles with it in a vacuum caused by the swiftness of its retreat. As quickly as it began, it was over.

"Rukia!" Renji gasped, reaching down to his lover.

"I'm alright," Rukia said, panting and holding a palm to her forehead, as Renji assisted her back to her feet. "What was that?"

As if to answer her question, sirens began to sound throughout Seireitei. After an initial round of sirens, announcements ordering a return to barracks were issued. Renji took Rukia's hand and began to pull her toward the Sixth Division, but she pulled back, aware that the orders dictated that she was to return to the Thirteenth. Before they were able to argue with each other, Byakuya Kuchiki appeared in a burst of shunpo, grabbed Rukia by the waist, and nodded to Renji to follow before taking off toward Kuchiki Manor in another impossibly fast flash of shunpo.

The sound of the alarms muffled as Byakuya shut the Manor door and looked at Rukia with only a trace of concern visible on his face.

Rukia was first to speak.

"Onii-sama, thank you for getting me to safety, but I have orders to-"

"You have already returned to the World of the Living, as far as anyone else is concerned," Byakuya interrupted, his calm voice betraying none of his inner turmoil. "You will exit through the senkaimon at once. When you arrive in Karakura town, you will find the eleventh division members currently stationed there and advise that they are to shelter in place until further orders." He turned his focus to Renji and continued, "I will send a communication with pertinent information on receipt of same. Until then, continue as you were, keep a low profile, and await my orders."

Renji bowed deeply, answering "Understood, Captain."

With that, Byakuya led the pair silently to the senkaimon. Upon arrival, he looked at the pair again and gave Renji a meaningful gaze, before turning his attention to Rukia and nodding serenely, closing his eyes and effectually closing any potential argument.

"Thank you, Onii-sama…" Rukia whispered before being pulled through the senkaimon by Renji.

July 17th

Karakura

3:30 p.m.

"Ahhhh," Orihime said deliciously, as she stood from her desk, enjoying well-earned stretch, with one fist behind her head and the other reaching up and out at a 45 degree angle from her shoulder, before lifting her bust and expanding her ribcage for a deep breath and then collapsing into herself with a quick exhale. Midterm exams were officially over, and summer vacation had begun. Her eyes scanned the classroom briefly, and as they passed over Ichigo, she found him looking at her through the corner of one eye, giving her an amused half-smile. She gave him a small smile in return and blushed prettily, quickly resuming her scan of the room in an attempt to look casual.

Chizuru approached the auburn-haired beauty from behind, purring into her ear, "Now that we have some free time, and Arisawa-san is off to karate camp tomorrow, perhaps we can spend some of it getting to know each other more intimately…" she trailed off, bringing a hand up the side of Orhime's hip, creeping toward her ribcage.

Before Tatsuki had a chance to slap that hand and shoo away Chizuru, Ichigo had a flash of inspiration, thinking up a fib to get the tenacious lesbian to give up any hopes of corrupting Orihime over summer vacation. "Sorry Honshou-san, Inoue is going to be busy this summer volunteering at my dad's clinic. She won't have any time to herself, right, Inoue?"

"What?" the bespectacled girl whined, dejected. Simultaneously, eyebrows were raised in various degrees of surprise throughout the classroom.

Tatsuki was surprised indeed by both Ichigo's interest in helping Orihime out of her stalker's grasp and also the cleverness of the lie. It was perfect; the rouse kept Orihime out of Chizuru's hypothetical reach until school resumed at the beginning of September. Plus, Chizuru was right; Tatsuki was going to be out of town for Karate camp for almost half of the break, and she also had to travel for competitions after that. She spoke before Orihime could respond to Ichigo's question.

"Yep! Orihime was just telling me while we were studying last night that she was really excited to start helping out! In fact, she was planning on walking home with Ichigo and starting today, isn't that right, Ichigo?," she asked, directing an intense stare at him, willing him to understand what she was doing telepathically.

Telepathy may not have been Tatsuki's strong point, but Ichigo understood nonetheless. "Uh, right, we were just about to get going. Come on, Inoue," he said, standing and walking out of class without looking to see if she followed or not. He was beginning to worry about how far this charade was going to go before it blew up in his face, and he didn't want to be surrounded by his classmates if and when it did.

Orihime looked at Tatsuki, mouth agape, with confused eyes. Tatsuki got up and linked arms with the healer, leading her out of the classroom, saying "I'm so excited for karate camp, but I'm really going to miss you!" loud enough for everyone in the classroom to hear, in an attempt to keep Orihime from speaking until they were out of earshot.

Once they were out of the classroom, Orihime hissed to Tatsuki, "Is there something wrong with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't remember ever volunteering to work at Kurosaki Clinic! Do you think I've suffered brain damage? I mean, I know I can be kind of absent-minded and clumsy sometimes, but I didn't think I ever hit my head hard enough to cause any memory problems…" she whispered seriously, terrified, as tears began to brim around her eyes.

Ichigo had been waiting, partially hidden behind a wall separating the stairwell from the hallway. When Tatsuki led Orihime past him, he fell in step next to the girls.

"Ichigo, tell Orihime she's not losing her mind, please?" Tatsuki begged, rubbing the nearly hyperventilating girl's back.

"What's wrong, Inoue?"

"She won't believe that we just made all this up."

"No, Inoue, Tatsuki's right – the idea just kind of came to me while I watched Honshou trying to feel you up –" Ichigo stopped dead in his tracks, his face turning thirteen shades of red, as he recognized the potential implications of what he was saying.

Luckily, the girls continued, completely oblivious to any potential dirty thoughts the former shinigami may have harbored. After a brief huff of a relieved exhale, Ichigo caught back up. "I never meant to embarrass or confuse you or anything, Inoue, I was just trying to give you an excuse to avoid her, and I just blurted it out before thinking. I'm really sorry," he said, stopping before her and bowing to her with his palms pressed together in front of his head for comic effect, looking up at her through squinted eyes that begged forgiveness.

Orihime stood on the landing of the stairs feeling rather stunned. As a group of other students began to descend the stairs, Ichigo stood up, observing Orihime's speechless expression. He smiled to her gently and she finally responded.

"You mean, I didn't tell Kurosaki-san I would volunteer?" She looked both relieved and slightly disappointed.

Ichigo let a short, voiceless, laugh escape through his nostrils. "No, really, I made that up just now. I promise. Now, come on, let's go before Honshou figures out our secret," he said, narrowing his eyes and smiling conspiratorially. Tatsuki ruffled Orihime's bangs for good measure, and the trio made their way down to the lockers before anyone else caught up to them.

As the three made their way to the school courtyard, they were met with Ichigo's friends, blocking the school gate, each with varying magnitudes of question written on his face. Mizuiro spared Ichigo a curious glance, looking up from his phone for a moment. Chad held a bemused, surprised grin. Ishida stood with poison in his eyes and arms crossed over his chest, waiting impatiently for the opportunity to interrogate. Unsurprisingly, however, Keigo was the first to break the line as he rushed toward them.

"Ichigooooooooooooooooooo!" he whined, "You are so lucky! I would give anything for the lovely Inoue-chan to come to my house every day! How could you do this to me, keeping her all to yourself?"

Ichigo's eyebrows began to twitch, and his elbow met with Keigo's head. "Idiot," he said lowly, and kept walking, as Keigo bent over, rubbing the sore spot, and then followed behind like a kicked puppy.

As Ichigo approached the group, Ishida started next. "So, what is this all about?," he asked icily. Chad backed up the question with an inquiring "Hmgh?" of his own.

"Relax you guys, he just said it to get Chizuru to stop fondling Orihime and to get her to leave her alone over summer" Tatsuki responded, seeing that Ichigo was too busy rolling his eyes as hard as he could to respond.

"Good thinking," Mizuiro replied good-naturedly, while Chad flashed his best friend a thumbs-up.

Uryuu blushed when he realized he had let his feelings become transparent. He tried to backpedal. Thinking fast, he formulated a way to cover his tracks and stick it to Kurosaki. "That is what I thought, but how are you going to keep Honshou-san from finding out? She is likely to drop by the clinic from time to time to harass Inoue-san. What are you going to say when she is never there?" He asked, smiling victoriously.

"Well, maybe she could volunteer once in a while. You never got a part-time job for the summer, and I'd hate to think of you sitting alone in your apartment for most of it. Plus Kuchiki is coming back soon, and she is staying in the clinic, so you two could hang out. The rest of the time Karin and Yuzu will be there, and they adore you. Ichigo is not the best company, but I'm sure his dad wouldn't mind having you there, right Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, looking between the two expectantly.

Both Ichigo and Orihime were speechless at first. Ichigo was not against the idea at all, but he didn't want to say that in front of his friends, nor did he want to give Orihime the impression he had a feeling about it one way or the other, so he waited for Orihime to give some kind of indication about how she felt before he said anything.

After a brief pause, Orihime's eyes began to light up. "Oh, Tatsuki, you're right! It would be wonderful to have something to do, so close to Kuchiki-san, Karin and Yuzu," she started, sparing a shy glance toward Ichigo to gauge his reaction. When his face softened, she smiled and added, "If Kurosaki-kun wouldn't mind, that is…"

"Of course not, Inoue. I'm sure my old man wouldn't mind the help, either," he said, trying not to appear too eager. "He should be at the clinic today, we could try talking to him about it now, since we are supposed to be walking there "together" anyway."

Uryuu exhaled in disgust, realizing his plan to embarrass Ichigo just pushed his rival and the object of his own affection closer together.

Isshin was, as expected, over the moon that Orihime asked to spend some time with him in the clinic. Ichigo did not miss his father's waggling eyebrows and pointed looks between his son and Orihime every time her back was turned to him, either. Aside from a twitching brow, Ichigo was able to keep from alerting Orihime to anything amiss during his father's suggestive eyebrow-dance sessions.

It was decided that Orihime would help by manning the front desk Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, organizing files, answering the phone, and greeting patients from 1:00 p.m. until dinner, which Isshin insisted she have at the Kurosaki residence on the days she was working. His justification was that her help in the clinic freed Yuzu to focus exclusively on cooking, earning Orihime a seat at the table. And while Orihime maintained it was volunteer work only, Isshin insisted on giving her a small weekly stipend.

After showing her around the clinic, greeting Ichigo's sisters, and filling them in on what Orihime would be doing there this summer, Orihime looked at her phone, her face falling apologetically.

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-san, Kurosaki-kun; I have to go now. I promised I would have dinner with Tatsuki and her family before she leaves for karate camp tomorrow."

"No worries, Orihime-chan," Isshin said kindly, placing a fatherly hand on the healer's shoulder. "We will see you tomorrow afternoon, anyway! Ichigo will walk you to Tatsuki's house, won't you?"

"Um, sure."

"Oh, you don't need to do that, Kurosaki-kun, I don't want to hold up your dinner."

Isshin gave Ichigo a look that meant to say, 'don't even consider not walking her an option'.

Ichigo shot one back that meant, 'As if I would, cut me some slack!'

Refocusing on Orihime, Ichigo answered, "We know I'm going to do it anyway, Inoue. Don't bother protesting," with a friendly smile.

"OK, kids, look both ways before crossing the street and don't be in too big of a rush!"

"Goodnight, Kurosaki-san!"

"Goodnight, Orihime-chan!"

Ichigo slammed the door in Isshin's face and turned his face to Orihime as if nothing happened. "Let's go."

Orihime burst into a bubbling waterfall of a laugh, one that relaxed the teenagers into a mood of comfortable companionship.

"Kurosaki-san sure is lively, isn't he?"

"That's one way to put it," Ichigo said with a chuckle, and looked to Orihime with an unguarded smile.

Orihime's own smile widened at the sight of it. He always was good looking, with his angular bone structure and wide, intense eyes. But like this, this rare, carefree moment – he took her breath away. Her cheeks became dusted with pink as she looked forward, closing her eyes and taking a deep, comfortable breath, sighing on the exhale.

"Are you tired, Inoue?"

She reopened her eyes and looked up at him with a serene smile. "No, I just have the loveliest feeling whenever I am around your family. Each of you are so kind, and I am so happy that I will be able to see you so often this summer," she said airily, but with a deepening blush indicating she felt self-conscious with her admission. She smiled at Ichigo again, closing her eyes to avoid becoming more embarrassed.

She was so radiant and sweet, Ichigo's breath hitched. He struggled not to reach for her, so strong was the pull to touch her. Instead, he looked forward and remembered how he hadn't had time during final exams to speak with Orihime much, and besides greetings, they hadn't spoken privately since his birthday party and the texts on his birthday. He had missed her.

He was also feeling slightly reckless; buzzed on the feeling of freedom born from having finished his exams and from the thrill of how events had fallen into place that afternoon. Her blinding smile pushed him over the edge. He spoke before thinking. "You know, we have not spent enough time, just you and me. Do you want to hang out somewhere after dinner tomorrow?"

Orihime couldn't process what she heard and breathe at the same time. Could she have heard him right? No, she couldn't have. He said it so casually. But those were the words, right? The words she had wished to hear so desperately for over a year. Ichigo Kurosaki had just asked her on a date, right? Right? Inoue's eyes began to bulge in their sockets as she looked straight at the pavement two meters ahead, her face going a bit pale as her blood pressure waned. She faltered.

Ichigo still hadn't considered what he had said. He heard his own words echo through his mind as if they were someone else's voice. He caught Orihime as she tripped on her own feet and steadied her; threading his arm under her near shoulder and around her back to clasp her side below her far shoulder. He held her like that for a moment, then turned her to face him, still with his arm supporting her back. When she kept looking down, he tilted her chin up with a crooked forefinger. "Are you alright, Inoue?"

Orihime slowly raised her eyes to him. Her face was still pallid and her eyes were still opened quite widely, but as they met his, her blood pressure came back and she blushed profusely at their proximity.

It was not until that moment that Ichigo realized what he had done. He jumped back, putting a respectable distance between them. Orihime looked back down to her feet for a moment and rubbed her eyes, discreetly pushing aside the tears that were threatening to spill over there. Then, before Ichigo had a chance for mortification to set in, Orihime looked up at him again, smiling, and nodded. "I'd love to!" she added with a small giggle.

If Ichigo felt buzzed before, he was completely intoxicated now. Everything was right with the world. Nothing could wipe the dopey grin off of his face as they walked side by side in comfortable silence, hands nearly brushing the rest of the way to Tatsuki's house.

When they arrived, Ichigo stopped with Orihime in front of the door, waiting awkwardly. He didn't want to leave her so soon, but he also didn't want Tatsuki to come out and ruin his mood. Realizing he would see Orihime again, in person, in less than 24 hours, he turned to leave, with a quick "I guess I'll get going then…"

After a beat, he turned back, unwilling to let her go so quickly. "See you tomorrow, Inoue, have fun with Tatsuki…" he looked down at his companion's sweet smile and struggled again with the urge to touch her. He settled with a brief, polite bow of the head and a smile that showed his teeth.

Orihime bowed back, and when she saw his smile, she sighed contentedly. "See you tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun," she said softly.

The door behind her opened. Ichigo took that as his cue, turning around so that when Tatsuki viewed him, she would only see his back. "Bye Tatsuki! See you in a few weeks. Do your worst at Karate Camp!" He shouted while walking away, one hand in his pocket, the other waving as he went.

"Bye Ichigo!" Tatsuki shouted, bemused. Then she saw Orihime's face. She yanked her inside by the shoulder and slammed the door. "What happened?!" she asked, looking at Orihime's flushed face.

"Um, let's talk in your room after dinner," Orihime said with a shy face, and then burst into a fit of giggles, before looking back up to Tatsuki and throwing her arms around her best friend's neck, squeezing briefly and then sighing and letting go. As she gathered her composure, she whispered, "It's good news."

Tatsuki lowered a knowing smirk at her friend.

After dinner with Tatsuki's family, Orihime ran with her best friend up the stairs and into her bedroom, each of them throwing their bodies onto Tatsuki's bed with a bounce before drawing their feet up and facing one another in a huddle.

"Ok, Orihime, Spill," Tatsuki commanded.

"Well," Orihime dragged out, "I went to Kurosaki Clinic and Kurosaki-san agreed to let me work part-time. He even insisted on paying me!"

"Well, that's great news, Orihime, but that's not what I meant! Come on! Get to the juicy part!"

"Well, Kurosaki-kun walked me here. At first it was just normal. Well not normal, nicer than normal. He was really in a good mood. Then…" Orihime blushed at the memory.

"What?!"

"Then he asked me on a date" Orihime squealed quickly.

"WHAT?!"

Tatsuki had seen it coming, of course, she just would never in a million years imagine that Ichigo would just man up and ask her best friend out directly.

"Wait a minute, Orihime, I am having a hard time imagining this. What did he say, exactly?"

"Well, I told him I was looking forward to spending time with him and his family on regular basis, then he said something like, 'We don't spent enough time together, just the two of us. Do you want to hang out somewhere after dinner tomorrow?'"

"Well, I'll be damned. He actually did it. Well done, Ichigo." Tatsuki said incredulously. "Wait, what did you say?"

"I said I'd love to."

Tatsuki grinned at her best friend. "I'm happy for you, Orihime. Make sure you let me know how it goes! I'll have my phone in the evenings."

Just then, Orihime's phone's text tone sounded.

"Who's that, I wonder?" Tatsuki said with a knowing eyebrow raise.

Orihime blushed and looked at her phone. Tatsuki was right, of course. She opened her phone, read the message, and squealed slightly as she held the phone to her heart.

"What did it say?" Tatsuki said, reaching for the phone.

Orihime attempted to keep the phone out of Tatsuki's reach. Not because she wanted to keep the message a secret, but to protect Ichigo's privacy. Her effort didn't last long before Tatsuki swiped the phone from her grasp and read the message.

Thursday, July 17th, 7:12 p.m.

From: Kurosaki Ichigo

I forgot to ask, are you staying over at Tatsuki's tonight?

"Oh, boring…" Tatsuki groaned, gently tossing the phone back to Orihime.

Orihime furrowed her brows back at her, and quickly replied.

Thursday, July 17th, 7:16 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

No, she has an early start tomorrow so I'll go home after this (smiley face).

Tatsuki reacted in the most mature way she could imagine. "So, did you write back 'No, but I love you and I want to have your babies'?" ending her question with a multitude of air kisses.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime whined. Then her phone chimed again.

Thursday, July 17th, 7:18 p.m.

From: Kurosaki Ichigo

How are you getting home?

Orihime responded this time before Tatsuki could intervene.

Thursday, July 17th, 7:19 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

Tatsuki's mom is going to give me a ride.

Before Orihime looked back up at Tatsuki she felt a stinging sensation. Tatsuki had been reading over her shoulder and was not impressed with Orihime's response, apparently, so she slapped her upside the head.

"Tatsuki-chan! What was that for!?" Orihime cried out.

"You silly thing," Tatsuki said, patronizingly. "Why didn't you say no? Then he would have offered to walk you home!"

"Oh…. But, Tatsuki-chan, he must be tired. We all just finished exams."

"You are so innocent, my dear," Tatsuki responded, shaking her head. Just then, Orihime's phone went off again; another message had arrived.

Thursday, July 17th, 7:22 p.m.

From: Kurosaki Ichigo

Ok, good. Text me to let me know you get home safe. Also, Renji and Rukia just got back, they say hi (smiley face).

Orihime texted back that she would and to say hi back from herself and Tatsuki. The girls sat around for about another half hour, analyzing the events of the day and talking about potential first date scenarios. At eight o'clock, Mrs. Arisawa shouted for the girls to come downstairs to drive Orihime home.

As Orihime got out of the Arisawa's station wagon, Tatsuki leaned across her seat to give her bestie a hug. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" She teased, then gave her best friend a wink and a wave, and off they went. Orihime went upstairs and let herself into her apartment, locking the door behind her and settling down on her sofa, taking a moment to digest how much her life had changed in the span of several hours. She reminded herself to reign her wild thoughts in; just because she was going on a date with Ichigo didn't mean they were yet 'dating', but 'Oh my god,' she thought to herself, 'it almost does!'.

Orihime took a deep, calming breath, and took out her phone.

July 17th, 8:11 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

I'm home now (blushing smiley face).

The reply was almost immediate.

July 17th, 8:11 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

Oh good. Thanks for letting me know (smiley). Are you coming right at 1:00 tomorrow or a bit earlier?

July 17th, 8:12 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

I'll be a bit early, I'm sure. I'm so excited! (excited smiley).

July 17th, 8:13 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

I'm looking forward to it too. I'm glad we'll be able to see each other so often this summer (sun emoji)(beach emoji)(hospital emoji)(eyeroll emoji)(laughing emoji)

July 17th, 8:14 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

ROFL! (laughing emoji) But seriously, I am too (heart).

July 17th, 8:15 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

Ok then, big day for you tomorrow. Do your best! (bicep curl emoji)(smiley).

July 17th, 8:16 p.m.

From: Orihime Inoue

I will. Thank you, Kurosaki-kun (heart). Good night (moon emoji).

July 17th, 8:17 p.m.

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

Good night, Inoue (heart).

July 17th, 11:00 p.m.

Urahara Residence

Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika sat around a small tea table in the middle of Urahara's living room. The mood was quietly apprehensive. Urahara was visible, in the next room over, looking at something on a monitor, tapping his fan to his lower lip nervously. His guests sipped on tea, each holding on to his or her cup as if it were an anchor to sanity.

Finally, Ikkaku broke the ice. "Have you noticed that since you two came back, there have been no hollow outbreaks?" he asked quietly.

"It hasn't really been that long," Renji replied, with equally suppressed volume.

"It's been about eight hours. The longest lapse we have had since all this started in was about three hours. Something is up, or this is a really strange coincidence," Rukia said as if she didn't expect anyone else to hear.

None of them spoke further, until the hush was broken some minutes later, with a screeching meow, followed by the sound of Urahara's senkaimon closing.

"Kisuke! Would you please get me a towel?" Yoruichi shouted, having transformed back into her nude human form and heaving herself up the ladder from the underground level which housed the senkaimon.

She reached the main floor level and, with the exception of the towel flung over her arm, proceeded to enter the living room buck naked, without a trace of modesty. "I'll fill all of you in after I've had a quick bath," she said, heading up to the stairs to the second story.

Renji and Ikkaku's complexions reddened considerably, earning Renji a punch in the shoulder from Rukia. Yumichika had kept own eyes diverted from what he anticipated would be an unrefined scene.

Urahara then came into the living room and sat in his armchair, lit his pipe, and waited for Yoruichi to return.

Ikkaku was getting impatient. "So have you been able to figure out why we can't go back to Soul Society yet?" he asked with irritation creeping into his voice.

"Patience, Madarame-san. It appears the 12th division is still out in the field gathering information. Until they return and start entering any findings into their system, I am in the dark, I'm afraid," the former captain of the 12th admitted. He had long ago hacked backdoor access to the 12th's database, but that's were his indirect surveillance reach ended. Anything else had to be gathered physically, either by sending Yoruichi, a surveillance hell butterfly, or by taking clandestine trips back to Soul Society on his own, all of which were generally inadvisable. In this case, he had decided against hell butterflies due to their inefficiency - he could send one today and not expect it back until a week from now. Sending himself into Soul Society was also a bad idea – he attracted too much attention. But Yoruichi, former Captain of the 2nd division and Queen of Shunpo, was made for stealth missions, as much as he disliked sending her into the unknown.

After another round of tea, and just as Urahara was about to snuff out his pipe, Yoruichi made her way down the stairs, her hair still up in a towel, and a sleeping yukata tied haphazardly over her body. She sat on the arm of Urahara's chair, helping herself to his pipe.

"So, how did it go, Yoruichi-san?" Urahara asked pleasantly.

"I don't know, Kisuke," she said to him, before broadening her focus to the other occupants of the room. "I overheard a meeting of the Captains – none of them know what that was yet. The 2nd and 12th divisions are still out scouring Rukongai, trying to find a trace of where the epicenter of the reiatsu surge might have come from, but no one has been able to locate anything yet. I myself went out into Rukongai in hopes of finding a trail, but there was nothing. It's like nothing happened, except for that everyone who experienced it has been feeling like –"

"-like they were doused in a wave of fear and despair" Rukia interrupted. Yoruichi made eye contact with her and nodded somberly.

"Well, well, we'll just have to sit here and wait, then, won't we?" Urahara said, glancing toward to monitors again.

"Urahara-san," Yumichika politely asked, "do you think this event could be related to the sudden end to the hollow appearances here in Karakura town?"

"I don't know the answer to that either, Ayasegawa-san, but it is curious." He answered from under his hat brim.

"EEEyaaaaaah," Ikkaku yawned dramatically, stretching out before laying down on the floor. "If we are stuck here without any hollows to fight this whole time, I'm going to go insane," he said to the ceiling.

"It will be a short trip, at least," Yumichika said under his breath.

The two began to bicker conversationally, effectively chasing away the room's quiet tension.

Renji and Rukia stood then and bid their host and Yoruichi goodnight, leaving to return to the Kurosaki Clinic. Soon after they left, the rest of the group broke up to go to bed.

On their way up the stairs, Yoruichi whispered to Urahara, "Kisuke, do you think Aizen has anything to do with this?"

"Not directly, no. But I'm afraid the hogyoku might," he answered heavily.

"You have to stop blaming yourself for things outside of your control, Kisuke."

"If only I could, Shihouin."

OK! There we go! Thanks again to the reviewers, and for the new faves and follows. Next week's plan is for first dates and more summer vacation fun, along with potentially some new info from Soul Society. And unlike this chapter, the next should incorporate the spans of more than one day, but the day in this chapter was pretty plot point dense. Anyway, thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think in the reviews.