Chapter 17: A Revealing Fact

Tatsuki was glaring at Verena during homeroom. The entire time Verena was really trying to ignore her. Thankfully Orihime either had blocked the night before from her memory or really had forgotten it. She did remember Urahara once saying that he had a device that could erase memories. The thought of her and Ichigo's creepy, but brilliant teacher going near Orihime made her cringe slightly. He may have told them he wasn't a pervert when they were kids, but now as teens they could really see it, though it was usually directed at Yoruichi.

After class Verena found herself caught by Tatsuki and forcefully pulled into the girl's bathroom. "Okay, spill it!" she demanded. "What the hell happened last night?"

"T-Tatsuki!" Orihime cried out in shock.

"What?" she asked from her friend angrily.

"Look, last night was one of those times where it's best not to questions things and let it go." Verena told her the irate girl.

"Not happening." Tatsuki slammed her fist onto the counter. "Something was happening last night. I could feel this...evil presence in Inoue's apartment and minutes after you sent me that text you were there! You saved our asses!" She looked at Verena in the eyes. "I want the truth. What occurred last night and why?"

Verena frowned for a moment. This isn't just my story to tell. she thought. Chad has known for years, mostly because of his training with Urahara. Biting the bottom of her lip, Verena gave a nod. "Come to the roof during lunch. Ichi and I will explain then."

The dark haired girl scoffed before looking away from her. "You better." she mumbled as she walked away from Verena, leaving her with Orihime who was looking at Verena nervously.

"Is there something that's bothering you Orihime?" she asked the gentle girl.

"Well..." she began as she playing with her fingers. "I know I was hurt last night when I went to bed at your home, but this morning I was better." She pointed at her ankle. "Then I know something happened, but it's all jumbled up in my mind."

Verena looked at her with a soft expression. Touching the other girl's shoulder she smiled warmly at her. "I promise, we'll explain it." she promised to the girl.

Orihime gave a nod. "Okay." she said softly before running out of the room.

"You shouldn't have promised them that." a voice from one of the stalls stated. Verena jumped slightly at the sudden noise. Rukia walked out of the bathroom stall. "To reveal yourselves to them would put those two in unneeded danger." she told Verena, a frown of disapproval appearing on her face.

Verena was getting the feeling that Rukia would always disapprove everything she and Ichigo did. "They're our friends. They already know we see spirits." She looked Rukia over. "Look, in this world, friends mean something. They're important to Ichi and I. We want them to be safe, but sometimes they'll be put in danger regardless of us not telling them things, but if we train them in how to defend themselves they'll have a better chance at surviving."

"That's-" Rukia was about to argue when the bell went off.

"I've got to get to class." Verena began to walk away.

"Wait!" Rukia cried out as she rushed to Verena's side. "I know friends are important. They're important in Soul Society too. Without your friends keeping watch over your back you'll be attacked from behind."

"Sounds more like comrades." Verena muttered causing Rukia to frown at her. "Yes, friends have your back, but they're also there to support you emotionally in life, but sometimes physically too."

"Physically?" Rukia inquired questioningly.

Verena grinned. "Like if I was scared to talk to a guy I liked, it would be my close friend's job to encourage me to do so or push me, literally, to talk to him." she stated as an example.

Rukia looked at her nervously. "I don't think I've had those kinds of relationships before." she said before she recalled her red haired friend. "Well, there was Renji." she said thinking out loud.

Verena raised an eyebrow. "Was he a love interest or just a friend?" she inquired with a wide grin.

"A friend!" Rukia cried out in surprise as a blush rose up across her cheeks.

Verena laughed as she opened the classroom door. "Just checking!" she yelled at her as she took her seat for the next period.

As the lunch bell rang, Verena finally got to pull Ichigo to the side near his locker. "What do you want Vere?" he inquired as he pulled out his lunch.

"Tatsuki and Orihime want the truth about last night." she told him gaining a surprised look from him.

"I guess I should be surprised." he said As he scratched the back of his neck before releasing a deep sigh. "Chad knows. I suppose they should too." He looked off go the side towards Chad who was surrounded by Keigo and Mizuiro on either side of him, though it was Keigo who seemed to be the only one talking. "When did they want to talk?"

"Now." she answered as she went to grab her lunch out of her locker that was across from his.

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Now?" he asked having been wanting to actually eat today.

"Yep." she answered him as she began to leave the room and walk towards the stairway towards the roof. She heard Ichigo's slow steps behind her and knew he was afraid Tatsuki was going to beat the scrap out of him for this. She smirked at that thought. Tatsuki had been their friend for years. It was doubtful she'd hurt either of them very badly, if ever.

When the two got to the roof they found it empty except for Tatsuki and Orihime who standing near the chair linked fence near the edge of the roof. "Yo." Ichigo greeted Tatsuki who gave him a smile back. "I hear you want the truth."

"Yeah." she said with a nod, a frown was still on her face.

Ichigo took a deep breath before releasing it in a long winded sigh. "Okay." he agreed. "You know sis and I see spirits..."

"Sure." Tatsuki said with a nod. "You've said that since elementary."

"Last night an evil spirit called a hollow tried to attack Karin." Ichigo said with some worry etching into his features.

"Ichi fought off the spirit." Verena added.

"But it looked...familiar." he said nervously as he looked towards Orihime. "I'm sorry, but it was Inoue's brother. His spirit had turned evil and after leaving my home he went to hers to hurt her."

"My brother would never hurt me though!" Orihime yelled out as she tried to defend her brother.

"When he was human he wouldn't have, but he wasn't human." he said as he stuffed his hand into his pocket as he sat his lunch on the ground. "As a hollow he wasn't a human spirit any longer and needed to be purified in order for his soul to return as it once was." He tried to explain though a deeper explanation would need to be given later on.

"So Orihime's brother was the one to completely destroy her apartment?" Tatsuki asked with doubt in her voice.

"Ichigo may have helped in that." Verena joked with a grin.

Ichigo looked away nervously. "I already asked Mom if Inoue could stay until her apartment complex is rebuilt." he told them.

"Of course she's staying." Verena stated matter of factly. "My brother can't purify a hollow without doing damage."

"Really?" Tatsuki asked with a grin spreading across her face.

"Remember the blackout that covered half the city for a week last winter?" she asked before pointing at Ichigo. "He fought a hollow near the power station. It moved and instead of it getting hit, the generators got hit. Boom! Big explosion." She laughed at Ichigo's embarrassed flush that spread across his face.

"Well you still can't use any real power yet." he challenged her.

Verena scoffed. "I've got my bow." she told him.

"I've got a sword and a big ass arrow." he told her.

The two siblings began to glare at each other causing the two girls to look between the two. Tatsuki sighed. "It may make me seem crazy, but I actually believe you; even if I can't see these spirits like you two can."

"I really don't know what to think." Orihime spoke softly. She was having mixed emotions about all of this. Did my brother really try to kill Ichigo's little sister and I last night?

Verena walked over to Inoue. "I don't blame you for feeling confused or angry over all of this." she told her friend. "Whatever you decide, we won't hold it against you; even if you decide not to believe us."

"Ah, it's not that." she state nervously. "I'm just having a hard time believing that my brother wanted to your sister and myself. It's so out of character for him." She touched her hair pins. "He always did things to make feel loved and always tried to make feel safe. For him to want to hurt me makes me wonder what made him turn his heart evil." She sighed sadly. "It's just going to take me some time to get use to all of this."

Verena smiled softly. "That's alright. We know it's a lot to take in." She then went to sit down to eat her lunch when Tatsuki spoke.

"So are we still on for this weekend?" she inquired as she joined Verena in opening her own lunch.

"I've got movies we can watch!" Orihime exclaimed joyfully as she too joined them on the rooftop.

Ichigo sighed internally. He was glad that neither of the girls seemed to hold it against them for hiding this from them. Verena seemed equally happy as she joined in on the conversation. As Ichigo took out his lunch and joined the three girls, he wondered exactly what the weekend would hold for them. It was as the first bell rang signaling that lunch was over that Ichigo had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something. Shrugging his shoulders he figured it would come to him later if it was important.

Later that afternoon Ichigo seemed to remember what that day was. Training day with the Visoreds. This meant that he and Verena had to find a way to ditch Rukia. Thankfully they didn't have to do anything drastic. As the end of school bell rang, the twins walked out of the schoolyard to find one Urahara Kisuke waiting for them at the gate.

"Good afternoon Kurosaki." he greeted them with his usual fanfair with his fan pulled out hiding his smile that was obviously behind it.

"Getabushi." They both greeted in unison and in the same deadpan tone.

Rukia walked up behind the two, her eyes widening as soon as she saw Urahara. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, Kuchiki!" he exclaimed with false surprise in his voice. "I've come to get you of course!" Rukia seemed surprised by this. "Before you ask, it's to test your powers and see if your reiatsu has returned."

"It hasn't." she told him in a matter of factly tone.

"Oh?" he asked. "It should have begun to by now. In fact, it should be leveling out to your normal output. For it to not be doing so means that something terribly wrong could be going on." He grabbed her wrist. "Kurosaki, I'm sure you two don't mind me borrowing her, do you?" He winked at them before pulling Rukia up next to him.

Both of the twin's blinked in surprise as Rukia was suddenly being dragged off by the essentric man that they'd called teacher for the last six years. "Seems like Kisuke had taken the Shinigami away." A voice behind them spoke.

Turning around Ichigo smirked as he spotted Uryu Ishida standing behind them with Chad only a few feet from them. "Yo, Uryu."

"It's Ishida at school you idiot." he stated with mild annoyance in his voice.

"You're our cousin." Ichigo said. "As family I can call you whatever I want." His voice was challenging causing Uryu to get upset.

"Ichi stop." Verena told her brother as she looked at him over her shoulder. "We're going to be late. I don't want to deal with a pissed off Hiyori."

"Hiyori is always pissed off." he grumbled as he eyed Chad. "You coming Chad?"

The larger darker skinned boy shook his head. "Not today. I have things to do."

"Where are you two off too?" Tatsuki's voice caught them all off guard causing the two other boys to look at her and Orihime nervously.

"Training." Ichigo answered with a grin.

Tatsuki grinned back. "Oh? With ghosts?" she asked.

"Please be careful Kurosaki." Orihime fretted. She still wasn't certain about everything she'd been told about her older brother, but it sounded to her that it was dangerous in what the two Kurosaki twins did.

Verena smiled at the blush on Orhime's face. "Would you two like to come?" she inquired gaining a nervous look from her brother. "What?"

"Hiyori hates people." he stated. "Especially when it comes to normal people."

"Sounds like this Hiyori needs an ass whoopin'." Tatsuki joked gaining a chuckle from Ichigo.

"If you could see her, I'd love to watch you kick her ass." he told her before shrugging. "But you can't. Neither of you can." He gave them a rare true smile. "I'll see you both later." He turned away from them and followed Verena off to the warehouse district.

Shinji was waiting at the entrance of the warehouse with a mildly annoyed looking Hiyori who threw her shoe at Ichigo the moment she saw him. "You idiot!" she screamed at him. "What do you think you have been doing?!"

After years of practice and years of being hit by the offending shoe, Ichigo caught it in mid-air with practiced ease. "What are you so upset about?" he asked her as he threw her shoe into the warehouse behind her.

"What am I upset about?!" she half asked half screamed at him. "You fucking idiot lit up the entire skyline last night!"

"Oh. That." he said as if just remembering it. Stopping in front of her, Ichigo sighed. "I had no choice. It was that or use my Getsuga."

Hiyori seemed to not like that answer as she tackled him immediately. "You're going to bring Soul Society down upon us!" she screamed as she began punching at Ichigo.

Verena walked up next to Shinji to watch the two for a moment punch and kick at each other. "Hachi is downstairs, right?" she asked gaining a nod from the blond.

"He always is." he replied as he decided to pull Hiyori off of their star pupil.

Verena grinned at him before walking into the warehouse. Kensei looked up from the newspaper he was reading as she walked inside. "Heard you two have a visitor staying at your house." he stated causing her to pause in walking towards the stairs that led down into the training room.

Mashiro suddenly jumping down from the rafters near him. "A Shinigami?" she asked causing him to glare at her.

"You already know that." he growled with annoyance.

"Kensei!" she cried out. "Don't be mean!"

Verena smirked at them. "Yeah, but she isn't that bad." she told them causing both to look at her with worry.

"You need to be careful around them." Mashiro told her as she walked over to Verena. "They might act like your friend, but given the chance they'll turn on you."

"For once she's right." Kensei agreed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just don't let your guard down."

"I won't." Verena assured them. "She doesn't approve of how Ichi and I do things." She said. "Rukia is always seeming to find fault in the way Ichigo fight. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten angry enough that his hollow comes out."

"I do have some control sis." Ichigo's voice sounded behind her. Looking over her shoulder Verena saw that Shinji had Hiyori in a chokehold with her head under his arm as her hands flailed around trying to get him to let her go. "Besides, he's calm as long as she doesn't threaten the girls or Mom."

"I still find it strange how your hollow is so calm and you've hardly had any problems with him." Kensei grumbled.

Ichigo grinned at him. "I think it's because we've been partners since the day Pops died." he stated as he looked towards Shinji. "Besides, he's kind of itching to fight someone today. It could be me, but I think he's wanting out more often."

"Then let's see if he's up for a challenge." Shinji said as he released Hiyori who began gasping like someone who hadn't had air in a long while.

"Shinji! Are you trying to kill me!?" she groused. "You stink!" she yelled as she pointed at him.

"I do not!" he yelled back.

"And people think we're bad when we fight." Verena stated as she made a face. "At least you never smell." she told Ichigo who chuckled as Shinji continued to yell at Hiyori.

"True." he staid softly as he followed her down into the training room.

Karin glared at Tessai as she tried, and failed, to understand what he was trying to teach her when it came to the kido. It was hard, very hard. Condensing her spiritual energy while chanting out the words, but keeping her energy in a regulated flow was hard, especially since she was really bad at controlling how much of her energy flowed around her. Turned out she was like her older brother, or so Tessai said. Ichigo couldn't use any Kido above thirty-five because of how horrible of control he had over his reiatsu, or spiritual energy. Basically, she was screwed.

With sweat dripping down her forehead, Karin began chanting out another kido based enchantment. She wasn't even certain if she could do this correctly. She had already burnt herself once, she really didn't want to get burnt twice. This one was a low level bakudo spell or binding incantation that was used as support towards others. "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo number 9: Geki." she cried out as she used it on Jinta who was suddenly engulfed in a red light and paralyzed. Ururu touched him and caused him to fall over on his side to prove that he was unable to move.

Tessai nodded as she finally used one of the incantations correctly and it didn't fire back upon her. Bending over he touched the red headed young boy. "Release." he said softly causing the binding spell to come undone. "Very good Kurosaki. Again."

"Eh!" Jinta yelled at the older man. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Pushing his sunglasses up Tessai looked at the younger boy. "I never kid about kido." he told him.

Jinta felt sweat drip down the back of his neck before looking at Karin. "Please don't miss." he begged her only gain an evil grin from the dark haired girl.

Rukia sat as still as she possibly could as Urahara poked and prodded her throughout the entire afternoon. The former captain and now exile looked at the data he was receiving. The gigai that he'd given her would power down her powers in order to hide the device he'd stored in her soul form, but it wasn't to completely take away her powers. He tapped the computer console. If her powers vanished completely she'd become human and he knew she wouldn't enjoy that experience. Cupping his chin he tried to figure out how to gain the right balance. Typing a few more buttons a new set of data come through giving him a new idea. Nodding he began typing into the console once again before standing up and finding a needle to inject her with a new compound that would allow some of her powers to leak through a little better, but not so much so that she'd be detected by Soul Society; just yet.

"That should do it Kichiki." he told her as she continued to glare at him.

"And my powers should come back after this?" she inquired.

"Your reiatsu should stabilize to the point that your powers will fully heal." he partially lied to her before giving a deeply troubled sigh. "However, there is a chance you may loose all of your powers. If that happens, you'll never be able to return to the Seiretei in Soul Society."

Her eyes widened at his words. "Never?" she inquired.

"Not until that body breaks down and that could take a hundred years." he told her as he sat back down in the chair by his computer. "When I build things, they tend to last a very long time." He looked at her seriously. "If that happens, what will you do?"

Rukia sighed. "I'll have no choice." she told him. "I'll have to integrate into the Living World's society."

Urahara nodded. "True. So very true." he told her before he turned back towards his computer screen to file away everything he'd done for the day as Rukia got up off of the table and turned to leave. "Kuchiki." She turned towards him. "Don't tell either Kurosaki about this. They'll end up blaming themselves somehow." Rukia gave him a nod before leaving him in his laboratory.

M-Angel: Wow, I think I may have gone way over what I usually do on this chapter. Also, just as a reminder starting next week I'll be posting two chapters a week for the Month of May. I also just posted a poll on my profile that deals with the Arrancar Arc in this story, which won't come into play for a little while. It's possible I'll start around chapter 50 or 60, that is if I don't do the Bount Arc. I may do another poll on what Arcs I should or should not do. I know how I want to end the story, it's getting there that's the journey for me. Also, thank-you everyone for answering my question that I asked last week. That really helped clear things up for me.