Main POV

"I think I got sunburned while sleeping," I mumbled, just waking up for the day as Ichigo held me in his arms. He stirred then, moaning softly as he rubbed his eyes.

"What?" He replied.

"We need to start closing the blind for the window by the desk," I told him, feeling the sting on my face. I couldn't believe my luck, Ichigo was the ginger and somehow he was more tanned than me.

"You're burned?" He asked and I nodded. I rubbed my face before opening my eyes and moving to sit up.

"We're at Urahara's?" I asked. "When did we get here? Did we sleep here last night?"

"Yeah," Ichigo nodded, sitting up. "Don't you remember?"

"I must do," I yawned. "It's too early."

"Do you remember anything about the other day?" He asked and I sighed.

"I never said I don't remember anything, I just woke up a little groggy and confused, that's all," I replied. He was freaking out or some reason.

"Alright then," he nodded. "Prove it."

"What's wrong with you," I huffed. "Ruining a perfectly good morning."

"You're dodging the question," he pointed out, leaning in closer.

"Alright fine, we got up yesterday..." I thought back. "Oh, my apartment.. There was an explosion. That old guy came back again, didn't he?"

"He did, and not yesterday, several days ago now." Ichigo nodded. "You feeling alright, now?"

"It's not sunburn on my face," I commented and he shook his head solemnly. After Urahara and the others had finally managed to neutralise the burn, they'd kept it just healed until they could end out if the chemical had took, and the parasite wouldn't just come back a few hours later.

"No," he confirmed.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, trying not to be upset. I hadn't looked at my face since before everyone had tried their hand at healing it, so I didn't actually know how bad things were, but regardless, I wasn't happy about a large, unsightly scar taking up residence on my face.

"Well," Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "We've got to try and figure out what it is that they want, and a way to beat them. Or to send them back to their realm."

"Or both," I said. "If we could find my brother, then I'm sure we could ask him what he knows. He's been here 10 years longer than I have, there's no way he hasn't at least seen something."

"That's true," Ichigo nodded, although I could tell he was apprehensive about the idea of involving my brother.

"Uotani," I heard at the door. The paper slider was pushed open and Rukia walked through the door. "I'm glad you're awake, how are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," I shrugged. "All things considered."

"I'm sorry to bother you this early in the morning, but I had a proposition for you," she said and knelt down beside Ichigo and I.

"Oh?" I raised a brow. "Sorry, Rukia, I have to apologise, Ichigo and I aren't into that sort of thing." I joked and a tick mark appeared on her head.

"That wasn't what I meant!" She roared and punched me hard in the forehead.

"Right," I nodded, rubbing my head. It was way funnier when I imagined this scenario without getting punched.

"Myself, Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto are required back in the seireitei for a few days on urgent matters, and we're concerned that you won't have enough protection here with just the others," she explained. "So we were wondering if perhaps you'd consider coming to the Gotei 13 with us so there wouldn't be any risk of the those guys getting you."

"I thought humans weren't supposed to enter the soul society," I replied.

"It's with the Head Captain's permission of course," she told me.

"How the hell did you get that?" I asked, thinking about the crumbly old man. And then I remembered Shunsui had taken over. "Or is Captain Kyoraku more lenient than his predecessor?"

"The Head Captain is excited to meet you," Rukia told me. "He said something about it being a surprise Ichigo could get a girlfriend, let alone one one as pretty as you." I saw a few tick marks and a deep red blush spread over his face.

"That damn old man," he growled.

"I uh," I started. I guess if my brother was in the soul society this was the perfect time to find him. But I was concerned I might not be allowed to leave again if I went by myself. I supposed now though, because I had forgotten that Shunsui was Head Captain, he might be less likely to murder me. And most of the decisions made by central 46 regarding Rskia's execution were made by Aizen. But I was still concerned by their choices about Kusaka and Hyōrinmaru.

"Ichigo is welcome to escort you, if you're concerned about going to a strange place alone," she assured me. "The Head Captain has been briefed on the situation and wants to make you as comfortable as possible."

"That's nice of him," I said. "What's going to happen while I'm gone?"

"Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika will stay here, in case the rift invaders return and decide to attack anyone else," she explained. "And Urahara is working on repairing the damage to your apartment. Apparently there's some damage from that parasitic spell to the structure of the building as well."

"Man, that green shit really got everywhere," I commented. "I have a job though, I'm not sure what to do about my deliveries."

"We don't leave until later tonight if you think you can find someone," she told me.

"Alright," I nodded. "I'll discuss it with Ichigo."

"I need to head out now, so if you have any further questions Captain Hitsugaya should be able to help you," she told me. "I've got to say goodbye to Renji before I got."

"Yeah say goodbye," I laughed and she swung for me again but I ducked. "Ha! I win this round Kuchiki!" I yelled triumphantly before getting sideswiped. She got up and stomped out while I sat by Ichigo under the blankets still.

"You're absolutely going," he told me.

"I'm concerned I might not be able to get back," I told him. "They might try and keep me there."

"I'm not worried about that," he told me. "I'm happy to take you there because there's an army of people ready to help me fight off those guys. And I'm not worried if they do keep you prisoner, I've broken in there before, I'll do it again. We'll get you back."

"Well if you've got it all planned out," I rolled my eyes. "I wanna go back to my apartment though, just to grab a few things. There's something there that would be pretty dangerous if it got into the wrong hands that I can't just leave."

"So did you take something from those guys?" He asked.

"No," I replied honestly. "I'm going for something that might help them win if they ever discovered it's existence though."

"Alright," he sighed. "Can I ask what it is?"

"No," I told him. "I'm too selfish to tell you."

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"I have a vague memory of me saying to you I had something important to tell you," I told him. "There's actually a couple of things and I'm not sure which one is worse. Do you wanna know?"

"I don't know what you could possibly tell me that would upset me," he told me.

"Oh trust me, you're gonna get upset over both," I assured him.

"UO-CHAN~" I heard Kon's distinct whine as squeaking footsteps ran into the room. "My goddess, you're awake," he said.

"Morning Kon," I sighed. "Speak of the devil," I muttered.

"What?" Ichigo asked.

"He saw me shirtless a few days ago," I told him. "I was going to tell you but I got a little distracted with that smelly guy constantly attacking me."

"When was this?" Ichigo roared. "YOU LITTLE PERVERT!"

"I think it was legitimately an accident," I told him. "It was that day we got all hot and heavy and the hollow interrupted us. I was getting dressed when he popped out of the closet to find you. He did say though that I'd shown him something he'd never seen before. I told him not to go on about it though or you'd kill him for sure."

"I did wonder why he kept calling you a goddess." Ichigo rubbed his chin. "I suppose if it was an accident, but don't go getting any ideas," he said punching the stuffed animal into the ground with an overly aggressive thump.

"My hero," I commented sarcastically.

"What was the other thing you didn't want to tell me?" He asked.

"I did say I was too selfish," I told him. "I do feel guilty though."

"All the more reason you should share it with me, but I'm not going to force you, tell me when you're ready," he sighed. "Come on, lets head back to your place while it's quiet, grab a shower and pack some stuff."

"Just the one shower?" I wiggled my eyebrows at him.

"We are not having shower sex while your apartment building is literally falling apart," he grumbled and got up out of bed, storming over to the door.

"Alright, grumpy," I laughed. I got up and folded up the bedding and put it in the corner. I went to follow him out the door and when I stepped out I saw everyone was gathered in the main part of the shop. They stared at me in slack jawed shock as I stood in the doorway. My face had to be bad.

"Wait for me!" Kon screamed from behind me. "Don't leave me Uo-chan!"

"Come here you," I reached down to grab him and dropped him down on my shoulder.

"What's everyone staring at?" Kon asked.

"My face," I replied and everyone seemed to snap out of it, assuring me that, no, they weren't and it was something else that gave them a collective brain haemorrhage.

"Why? You still look like a goddess to me," Kon said.

"You're only saying that because you saw my boobs," I rolled my eyes as I walked out the font to my car, which Ichigo was leaning on.

"I thought you were pretty before that," he assured me. "But now I've seen such an intimate detail, something no one else, well, besides Ichigo, has seen, it makes me love you even more."

"Wait a minute, I never said only Ichigo has seen me naked," I told him. "I've had other boyfriends."

"What?" Kon gasped. "Uo how could you?"

"Easy, I existed in another dimension where you did not, before I met you," I told him and put the keys in the ignition.

"Did you know about this, Ichigo?" Kon asked, still perched on my shoulder.

"Yeah I knew she'd had boyfriends before me, so what?" He asked.

"I thought we were special," Kon replied.

"I'm with you now, doesn't that matter?" I asked.

"Uo-chan," Urahara greeted, standing in my apartment. "I wasn't expecting you to be up and about so soon."

"The Head Captain invited me to the seireitei for a little while," I explained. He was spraying something out of a weedkiller tank at the wall I was crouched next to when I'd gotten hit the other day. Ichigo had told me in the car that I'd actually slept for a couple of days, dropping in and out of consciousness every couple of hours.

"I see," he nodded. "And you came to say goodbye before you left. I can't say it's not a bad plan. Kyoraku should be able to assure your safety there, until we can figure out what to about these rift invaders."

"You looked like you knew why they were after me the other day, what are your theories?" I asked. He gestured to the one couch that hadn't been destroyed while he sat in a half sliced armchair with the cuffing coming out. Ichigo perched beside me, elbows on his knees.

"Well, I have a feeling it's about the rift itself actually," he said. "See normally the rift is open from about 5 to 10 days, averaging at about 7. It closed this time after just a couple of hours. Highly unusual. We know that you broke the kido barrier the soul society put around it but it exploded. We also know that the explosion caused you to absorb at least part of the rift through your wounds. I believe that what they are demanding you give back is the rift itself."

"Holy shit," I said. "I thought you said we might never be able to get it open?"

"While it's in you, yes," he replied. "But I believe they're going to try and get it out by any means necessary."