Jinta Hanakari hates Sakura Haruno. He hates her dumb pink hair and her equally dumb goodie two shoes act. He hates her creepy lack of presence and the way she tries to play nice with him. And he definitely hates the way she just stormed into their lives with no reservations, and certainly without his permission.

Jinta hates most things about Sakura Haruno, but the biggest killer, oh the biggest killer, is definitely how much Ururu, and everyone else in the household for that matter, has taken a shine to her.

But Jinta knows. He knows that underneath that sweet and polite exterior lies creepy, sniveling liar. If Sakura were to know the truth about their world, she would most certainly cry and run away with her tail between her legs. He doesn't trust her as far as he can throw her and he hates that he seems to be the only one that realizes any of this.

Because of her they now have to be on the downlow because her dumb human presence messes with business. They have to act like they are a normal shop selling normal candy and not like they're the major shinigami goods supplier they are. All of their business has to be done when she's not around and listening and its such a huge pain. Jinta doesn't get why their boss would do such a dumb and reasonless thing like have a human live with them. Just what the hell was he thinking?

Jinta doesn't get it. Doesn't get why they have to adjust their lives for a complete stranger and human they picked up off a park bench. They don't owe her a thing and she certainly hasn't earned it. Not only that, she's been equally sketchy, showing up at seven o'clock at night when she had left at like three for the easiest errand ever. It's suspicious and Jinta doesn't like anything about it.

And the worst part is, Kisuke seems perfectly fine with all of it. He doesn't mind that she traipses into the shop late into the night, and he even makes them wait to eat until she gets there. He doesn't seem bothered by moving their business into the late hours of night or extremely early hours of the morning. And even wilder, is that their greedy businessman of a boss had given Sakura a large sum of money for no discernable reason. Jinta had accidentally overheard them talking about it the other day and it most assuredly grossed him out. It's all so stupid and makes zero sense and Jinta hates it.

And then when he voices his concerns he's the one that gets in trouble!

"Kisuke-san knows what he's doing." Ururu tells hims, and he scoffs at her. What was she trying to act mature for? She couldn't possibly like having a stranger in their house any more than he does. Then again, Ururu never really voices her opinion on anything.

"Sure doesn't look like it." Jinta swings the broom he's holding like a bat in an attempt to hit the ball he throws into the air. "He never tells us anything." He pauses in his toss and makes a face. "Maybe he's in love with her or something. Gross."

Ururu looks shocked at his words. Good, then maybe she'd be as creeped out as he is. "You know that's not true." She says instead, pausing in her sweeping. "And Sakura-san is nice."

Jinta glowers. Of course he'd expect such a response from Ururu, but she doesn't know what she's talking about. Pissed off, he forgoes his impromptu batting session and hits her in the back of the head with the bristly part of his broom. "Don't talk back you low level weakling, you don't know anything." He barks.

Ururu yelps and clutches her head, crouching in an attempt to shield herself away from his torment. That's for always acting like she's better than him. That'll show her.

"But I'm t-three years older than you!" She cries out.

"I'm not talking about age, I'm talking about level! Level!" He continues to poke her relentlessly, and not gently either.

"Y-you're gonna get in trouble with Tessai-san for not cleaning!" She attempts to scare him, and it nearly works.

"Ha! I'm not cleaning because I'm scared of him!" Jinta falsely boasts, dropping the broom and reaching to pull her dumb cockroach bangs instead. That however, proves to be an issue when he finds his wrist caught behind him. He startles at the action and fears for a moment that Tessai actually has appeared. He whips around furiously, only to stop upon seeing who the perpetrator is.

"You never change, huh tiny." Comes the familiar voice of their most loyal customer. Though, she was only truly loyal through necessity. "Is the boss in?"

Jinta glares at Rukia Kuchiki and wrenches his wrist out of her grasp, slightly relieved it hadn't actually been Tessai. He would have gotten into deep shit for both bullying Ururu and shirking his work.

"Welcome." He says, though his tone implies that she is not welcome at all.

"I-I'll go get him." Ururu sniffles and takes the opportunity to escape Jinta's tormenting. She runs over to the entrance of the shop and rushes inside.

Always a star employee, Jinta attempts to go and let Kisuke know about their visitor too if only to get away, but is halted by Rukia's sudden hand on his shoulder. He turns to her and quirks an eyebrow.

"What?" He says, ever so patient.

Uncertainty crosses her features for an instant, a piece of paper clutched in her other hand. He hadn't spotted that before, not that he really really cared enough to bother looking in the first place.

"You wouldn't happen to know if a Sakura Haruno lives around here, would you?" She asks,

It's like a rope tied to an anvil that is abruptly cut from its pulley. A ball drops and Jintas mind explodes, causing him to nearly trip over his own two feet while standing stationary. What?

Jinta doesn't just rush to conclusions, he sprints over the damn border and lives there. His mind is going 100 miles a minute with the possibilities Rukia's information has just presented him with. He has a hard time keeping up with his thoughts but he manages to hold onto something in the whirlwind of conspiracies.

"No one like that lives around here." He blurts before he can think, and the lie comes out easily, his face schooled into an expression of disinterest. He supposes this is what he's doing now. "Name sounds pretty fake though, you get scammed or something? Or is she a friend?"

Rukia frowns and looks back down at the piece of paper in her hand, disappointed. "No. No, I barely know her."

This is it. This is what he needed to prove that there's more to Sakura Haruno then what appears. He supposes that Rukia knowing Sakura isn't necessarily evidence of anything bad, especially considering Rukia is posing as a human at the moment. But what are the chances of them meeting? Thats some coincidence if so, but Jinta doesn't think it is. He considers Sakura's late and suspicious arrival last night.

Jinta knows Shinigami don't kiss and tell, so there's no reason for a human to go walking around without an unerased memory if a Hollow was involved. No, Sakura has to be apart of something bigger. The real question was what?

Regardless, he can't have Rukia asking Kisuke or Tessai about it, because they'll most certainly tell her the truth and she'll know that he was lying. If that happens he'll lose his chance to find out just who the hell Sakura Haruno is.

"If I hear anything, I'll let you know." Jinta supplies helpfully.

"For free?" Rukia quirks a disbelieving eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe."

Right, why would he offer something like that for free? C'mon Jinta.

"Just don't tell Tessai or the boss that I was slacking." He proposes, picking up the broom from the ground and leaning on it. He knows she wasn't going to say anything anyways, but she didn't need to know that.

"Just what I'd expect from one of Urahara's." Rukia sighs but nods. "That's fine, I won't say anything."

"Just let me know what I'm looking for." Jinta prods. He knows there are very few people running around with such a unique name, but he's playing the long con right now and he needs to do his part.

"She's hard to miss." Rukia says. "Pink hair, green eyes. Taller than me, about average height." She pauses, and then adds after a thought. "And strong."

Being strong isn't really a great descriptor, Jinta thinks, but doesn't mention that. He can't help but wonder how Rukia would know that. Was there a fight after all? A Hollow? He doesn't know, but he's not going to prod too much for the sake of his ruse. Not to mention Sakura doesn't look like the strong type.

"Pleasure doing business." Jinta smirks, and part of him puffs in pride. He was a genuine business man. Maybe he'd make a good merchant after all? Images of being a CEO of a huge company enters his mind momentarily before he comes back to earth. "What business you got with her anyways?"

Rukia opens her mouth to answer but is abruptly interrupted.

"Good morning Kuchiki-san." Kisuke appears in the shop doorway, gently fanning his face and smirking. "Always a pleasure."

Jinta tenses and pretends like he wasn't just plotting something that would get him in trouble if found out. Hopefully Kisuke hadn't heard any of their conversation.

"Urahara." Rukia returns his greeting with a curt not.

He and Rukia spare themselves any further formalities and just dive straight into business, heading inside. Jinta stays outside and idly twirls the broom a couple times in his hand before looking to the distance, a scowl plastered on his face.

Sakura Haruno is up to something, and he swears he's going to find out what.


"Hollows?" An expression of fear appears momentarily on Rikishi's features "Thats what those beasts are called?"

"So you do know about them." Sakura confirms, leaning over with her hands clasped together.

"There isn't a single veteran soul around her that doesn't." Rikishi looks distressed as he strokes his beard. "Sakura-san, how do you know this?"

"I fought one yesterday." She says matter of factly, like it was the most normal thing to mention in the world.

Rikishi sputters. "You fought one?! What!?"

"It was attacking someone, so I stepped in." Sakura explains, paying no mind to his shock. Or rather, not really noticing it while deep in her thoughts. "Rikishi-san what do you know about Shinigami?"

"Sakura-san you can't just bowl me over with something like that and then change the subject!" Rikishi exasperates, letting out a soft wheeze. "Is that why you were limping? Were you injured?"

Sakura freezes. Had it been that obvious? She'd been doing her best to hide it, and even thought she was doing a pretty good job too.

"...You noticed?" She questions, a tiny amount of shame leaking into her tone.

"You tend to when all you can do is people watch." He says, and a somberness sets into his features at the notion, reminding Sakura once again that she's most likely the only living being that has interacted with him in probably decades. "Did you go and get treated?" He continues, voice thick with concern.

"No, but I'm okay." She attempts to placate, raising a calming hand. "Something like that won't kill me, I assure you."

"Take this from an expert on being dead." Rikishi's tone is full of warning. "It's only a small wound now, but death is a lot easier to stumble upon than you'd think. Don't make the mistake of letting yours be a preventable one, Sakura-san."

"I'm tougher than the average human." Sakura insists as modestly as she can. She knows better than most that death can take anyone at anytime. "And I don't mean that in a boastful way, my body can take a lot of damage and still be fine, I really will be okay."

This is mostly true. While her body is able to take more damage than most, much of it is due to her precise chakra control. Being able to harden parts of her body at a moment's notice is exactly why that leech hadn't ripped her body in half with its explosion. But these details are kind of convoluted for the point she's trying to make, so she'll settle for something simpler. And she'd rather not mention the exploding leeches.

"Yet you're still hurt." Rikishi points out. "Sakura-san, I get that you aren't a regular person and I don't doubt your strength either, but every human has their breaking point, ninja or otherwise. I would prefer to speak with the living you and not the dead one."

Sakura opens her mouth to once again refute and tell him that it's fine, that she really has suffered worse, but stops herself short. She knows her body better than anyone, and she most certainly knows her breaking point but Rikishi has a point and she's not gonna sit there and tell him he's wrong when he's only expressing concern for her wellbeing.

They might not have known each other long, but the oddness of their situations brought them together in an unexpected way. With Rikishi being dead and Sakura being completely out of her element and world, they are both entrenched in circumstances not understood by others. It's easy to empathize with each other based on these facts. Rikishi proves to be a very kind man again and again, and his actions and words speak much about his character. His legacy too, in the form of Yumie, his equally kind daughter. And same as Yumie' Sakura can't help but find herself at ease in Rikishi's grandfatherly presence.

"I will." Sakura affirms with a nod, if only to lessen the strain on his conscience. "I'll take care of it don't worry. I am a certified medic you know."

Rikishi seems to accept that, eyeing her leg with a level of disappointment that is soon overturned by curiosity. "A medic too? You're a woman of many talents. How many professions do you require, Sakura-san?"

"As many as I need." She grins. "But that's for another time. Sorry to be so blunt and quick about this, but what do you know about Shinigami?"

Rikishi is stroking his chin. "Right, you did mention that earlier. Shinigami huh. Not a topic you hear everyday." He says. "If you're talking about the beings from stories and other myths, then yes, I'm familiar."

"Folklore?" Sakura prods curiously. So there are existing documents and stories about them.

"It completely depends on the religion and area I suppose. I know westerners have different ideas about what a Shinigami is." Rikishi explains. "As for us Japanese, I think the most common idea of a Shinigami is a being that invites the living towards death."

That is… very interesting. That's very similar to the mythology and tales of Shinigami in her world. A being that ends the life of the living, causing them to cross over into the realm after death. There a micro details that are different, and that is a given, but the similarities between this world and her own are stacking up in a way that makes Sakura think that perhaps appearing here was far more purposeful and significant then first thought.

"What do you know about their appearance? Is there a look that generally associated with them?" She continues. Anything she learns would be of use.

Rikishi thinks for a moment, humming a sound that echoes in the alleyway, but is only audible to Sakura. "Westerners often associate Shinigami with skeletons and black cloaks." He says. "But as for us… I don't believe there's an exact image that comes to mind aside from maybe the colour black. The image of death is one that has many faces."

That seems… very accurate. She recalls the black garb Ichigo wears. Its very traditional in design, not a cloak, but definitely black.

"Sakura-san, correct me if I'm wrong, but you're asking about the fellows that wear the black kosode and hakama aren't you?"

Sakura perks up at this revelation and leans in instinctively. "So you have seen them before?"

"That I have." Rikishi nods. "But I wouldn't call the experience great."

"Did something happen?"

"Yes." He nods once more and lets out a great sigh. "He was a rude man, that one. It was right after I had just died and he wasn't exactly breaking the reality to me in the nicest way. He was very cold." He lets out a slight laugh. "That man probably never cracked a smile in his life."

"Sounds like an asshole." Sakura intercepts.

"Maybe he had his reasons." Rikishi counters. "Regardless my impression wasn't great." Something sparks in his eyes and he waves his finger in remembrance. "That's right! This was also the first time I saw a… Hollow you called it? The beast snuck up on us and that fellow told me to run. I had no reason to disagree so I did, and I thats how I ended up here."

"And the Shinigami?" Sakura questions.

"He survived, but he never came after me. Either something came up or he didn't want to bother." Rikishi lifts his hands and shrugs. "I always thought it was strange, but back then everything was strange."

That… was strange. From what she had seen from both Rukia and Ichigo, Shinigami seemed take their job very seriously. She recalls Ichigo's kind words to the child soul after their fight with the Hollow and how thorough he had been. His gentleness and kindness had shone through and painted a picture of an entity capable of empathy. Then again, Rukia had said Ichigo was a "substitute Shinigami" but unfortunately for Sakura, she had no clue what that entailed.

In her world the Shinigami - singular - is believed to be a higher being. Spirit or god, they are at a level not easily achieved by humans, nor understood. Sakura doesn't know the exact circumstances surrounding it, but she does know of the Uzumaki Clan fuinjutsu; the one used to seal Kurama into Naruto involved summoning that exact entity. Other than that, she knows nothing beyond tales and stories.

But… if the Shinigami here are plural and not only a single creature, then it's understandable that they would all be different in the end, as all sentient beings capable of emotion are. Some would take things seriously… and others wouldn't. Same as humans. Same as shinobi.

Doesn't excuse it though, Sakura thinks. If she had just died, she would be drowning in the shock and tragedy of it all, and most definitely terrified. For a Shinigami to not finish the job… that was, one, unprofessional, and two, very weird. She can't blame Rikishi for being slightly wary of them after such a botched meeting.

"I met two of them." Sakura says after some thought. "They were interesting to say the least, but they mentioned a place called Soul Society, do you know anything about that?"

"Well, being that you're able to see me, I'm not surprised that you would manage to meet them too, but so soon?" Rikishi eyes are closed in concentration as he thinks. "It's been years now, but I do recall that man mentioning such a place. Unfortunately it was around that time that Hollow creature showed up so our talk was cut short. Beyond that, I know nothing."

"And he never came after you? At all?" Sakura can't shake the strangeness of that no matter how much she tries. Didn't they care about what happened to the souls of the dead? Wasn't it their job to guide them to Soul Society? That seemed… shitty.

"Nope, not in my entire afterlife have I seen him since. I've seen others dressed similarly, from a distance at least, but not face to face." The old man lets out a small sigh. "That is fine with me, I have things I'm not ready to let go of quite yet."

"Even with Hollows milling about?" Sakura asks. "Rikishi-san you said that every veteran soul is familiar with them. If you know they're dangerous, why hang around?"

"This old man has some unfinished business." He says, and he doesn't seem like he's going to elaborate beyond that. Respecting his privacy, Sakura doesn't dig into the man's life any deeper after that. He clearly doesn't want to talk about it, and she wouldn't dare step on his toes after he's been so helpful.

"Now that I think about it, I haven't had a run in with another Hollow since then either." He opens his eyes. "From a distance sure, but they haven't attacked me at all."

"That seems like awfully good luck." Sakura says, slightly skeptical. "All this time and only one Hollow? They don't seem like the lazy types." Her legs sting in reminder of her miscalculation of their speed

Rikishi shrugs. "Whatever the reason, I am grateful. It's given me the ability to stick around without fear. They leave me alone and that's fine with me."

It's not that simple to Sakura. It seems strange to her that Hollows would give up on such a defenseless food option after only one run in. Hollows, in her admittedly very limited experience, seem to be beyond rational thinking when it comes to consuming souls. Enough to create dastardly plots in order to eat their fill and more. So why leave Rikishi of all people alone?

Unless of course they have a reason to avoid this area and not others.

None of it adds up, but she's wasting too much time on mysteries that aren't exactly prevalent to her current situation. If Hollows avoid the area, than that's fine with her. She won't have to worry about Rikishi being eaten anytime soon. That's not something she wishes to have weighing on her conscience. He seems to have been doing fine on his own so far up, he'd be fine in the future too. Hopefully.

"Thank you for the help, Rikishi-san, sorry to grill you about so many things." Sakura lets out a deep sigh. She didn't learn much beyond what she's already aware of. Again, she's simply been presented with more mysteries and not many answers.

It seems she'll simply have to wait for Rukia to make her appearance and she'll get her info that way. It was unfortunate that Sakura hadn't asked for where she could find her instead. In retrospect being able to seek Rukia out opposed to waiting for her would have been far more optimal.

"I'm hoping by learning as much about this world as possible, I'll get some hints as to why I'm here." She finishes.

"You don't have to apologize my dear! This old man is happy to help! Being able to actually talk to someone after so long is a treat and I'm more than happy to help you figure out how to return home." Rikishi gives her a wide grin. "Just visit again, won't ya?"

Sakura looks aghast at the notion of her never returning again. "Of course I will!"

Rikishi laughs and waves his hand. "Of course, of course, I wouldn't doubt you. You're such a good child. A little bit reckless, but good."

As if proving his point, when she stands up she accidentally lets out a noise of pain, causing Rikishi to sigh. "Reckless indeed."

Her faces warms. "I'm just a little sore."

"Of course." He humors her and then adds. "Gone so soon?"

Guilt replaces embarrassment and she gives him a sad nod. "I should head back now. I'm working as a live in housekeeper for a place near here, I should have probably returned an hour ago."

"Housekeeper? How did you manage to find a place to stay and ajob?" He looks surprised. "It's not some shady place is it?"

"It found me." Sakura deadpans. "And it's not shady, I promise."

It was a little shady.

Rikishi raises an eyebrow but doesn't attempt to dig deeper into the situation. "I suppose you can tell me all about it when you come back again. For now, you have somewhere to be, don't you?"

"I'll be back soon." Sakura assures him.

Rikishi smiles up at her. "Of course, but make sure to take care of yourself first, hmm? No more reckless storm chasing." There's a note in his tone that tells her he'll be unhappy with her if she continues. Sakura's childlike sensibilities flare up at the thought of disappointing the grandfatherly man. She doesn't doubt that she'll be chewed out when it happens.

With that in mind she prepares to take off, but not before Rikishi voice causes her to stop.

"And… visit Yumie too, won't you?" Rikishi's smile morphs into a for more sad looking expression. "I know you have more important things to worry about but, if she's anything like me - and she is - I know she would be delighted to see and talk with you again."

Sakura gives him an understanding look and then a big grin. "It's a promise!"


When Sakura returns to the shop later that morning it's with an apology already at her lips and an excuse on the back burner. What she doesn't expect… is it to be completely vacant. Its clearly open for business; she gleams this from the fact that the wooden sliding doors have already been removed allowing onlookers to see inside. And yet here's no signs of its occupants anywhere.

Gently sliding open the front doors, she calls inside.

"Hello?" Her voice reverberates into the heart of the house, but there is no answer. All of the lights are off and the only sign of any recent life is the box sitting on the tatami porch next to Kisuke's desk.

Sakura ducks in nervously, worried that this is all for a purpose she's unaware of and for some reason or another she's ruining something. When nothing explodes and no one yells at her, she scoots on in, all the while looking around for any signs of her housemates.

This whole time she had been worried she would be late again but without the residents of the house anywhere, she had no idea what to think. That being said, with her being gone all morning, anything could have come up and she would be none the wiser. Maybe… it would be better if she didn't wander off nearly as much, if only to stay in the loop. Even though getting home was definitely a priority, losing her standing with the people giving her a home isn't exactly the best outcome. After all, it had already shown to be an inconvenience to not have a phone as her conversation with Rukia had proven.

Her eyes are immediately drawn to the box on the porch in her scanning of the area. Being that it's the only object in her line of sight that is interesting and different, Sakura can't stave off her curiosity. Double checking to make sure no one is around, she approaches the box, leaning over it with her arms behind her back.

She spots the words "Defective Soul" splayed across the side of it in big red letters and her interest is immediately grabbed. It's quite the coincidence considering she been on the topic of souls and other supernatural things for the last couple days. Was it a brand of snack? It was certainly a strange thing to leave on the porch unattended.

She uncurls her arms from behind her and tentatively reaches for the flaps of cardboard hiding its insides from her prying eyes. She can't help but be interested in it, being that it's just… there, but her conscience doesn't make it easy. Should she really be nosing about business that wasn't hers? Her hands hover unsuredly.

Letting out a sigh, her conscience ultimately wins the battle and she instead grabs the box and places it off to the side. It poses a tripping hazard, and she supposes she might as well make herself a little useful. She hasn't really been much of a housekeeper as of yet. Now she can at least add "box mover" to her incredibly basic resume.

Something rattles just behind her and Sakura whips around almost instantaneously. Her body tense and her eyes wide. She scans the area for any danger, mind concocting different battle and escape strategies in the case of an enemy attack.

"Myow."

Oh.

There's a cat sat on top of one of the wooden candy displays, eyes a startling yellow, and fur a shining black. It wears a look common among the average cat. A knowing and wise look, like its experienced things far beyond Sakura's imagination. And maybe it has. Cat problems are a lot different from hers afterall; or so she imagines.

One thing that incredibly apparent from the get go, however, is that this cat is very beautiful. Its body poised in such a way that it just oozes regality, making Sakura think for a moment that she is in the presence of a being most important. She... very much wants to pet it. Like any cat she sees really. This one is no exception.

"You scared me." Sakura laughs, scratching the back of her head. She expects no real answer as she slowly approaches the feline in hopes of not scaring it away. When it sticks its ground despite her nearing presence, Sakura holds her other hand out for it to sniff.

It looks at her for a time with its piercing gaze and then leans down and sniffs her hand in a languid motion, softly butting its head against her palm. Sakura has to stop herself from making embarrassing cooing noises unbefitting of a Jounin of her stature.

"Myoh." Is all it says in response. It's a deep and raspy meow, and Sakura is almost taken off guard. It was not the sound she expected to hear from its small form, that's for sure. Its initial meow had not prepared her.

"You're just the sweetest." Her opinion remains unchanged as the cat continues to headbutt her hand. She can't tell if its a boy or a girl, Sakura notes as she pets the length of the animal. Regardless, she scratches it gently behind its ears and it leans into her touch. "You're a beautiful thing aren't you?"

The beautiful thing in question purrs loudly in response and flops onto its side, stretching out her limbs as she soaks up all the attention. Oh, it is female, Sakura notices accidentally as the cat stretches. She looks very pleased and Sakura can't help but think its because she had just been complimented. It seems like the cat is used to these types of words from others. She has no collar though, so possibly a neighbourhood stray?

"You're like a queen." Sakura chuckles, realizing at this point she's only truly talking to herself and no one else. The cats ears, however, flick and she looks up at Sakura with her big yellow eyes as if that word in particular has peaked her interest. "You don't have a collar, so I guess I'll just call you "the queen" then." The queens eyes close slowly and she almost seems pleased with the name.

Sakura then stands there showering the queen with attention for god knows how long and is so taken with her she completely forgets where she is.

Right. In Kisuke's shop. Petting a stray where his merchandise is. That's not great thing to be doing.

Sakura lets out a big sigh and the cat looks up at her from her reclined position like its questioning her sudden change in attitude. Or at least, that's what Sakura imagines. In reality she's most likely wondering why Sakura has suddenly stopped petting her.

"I'm sorry precious thing, I gotta kick you out. This isn't a place for kitties, and I'd like to stay unfired, you know?" Sakura gives her another gentle scratch behind her ears.

The queen sits up like she understands. "Myoaw."

"I know, it sucks right? But I'm sure you have ton of important business to attend to anyways." Sakura reaches out slowly and when the queen seems unbothered by the action, she scoops her up and carries her out to the storefront.

She purrs in Sakura's arms and Sakura feels guilt crawl into her stomach. "You're making me feel horrible, you know that?"

"Mror."

She puts the cat down onto the ground and the queen looks up at Sakura with her big ol' eyes, barely giving her a moment to rest from her bleeding heart.

"No, you stop that." Sakura scolds the cat, whose doing nothing but stare.

"Mrrp."

And that's all it takes.

"I'm so easy." Sakura groans, pulling a hand down her face. "You're probably hungry and thirsty, huh? I don't really know what I can give you to eat since it's not really my food to take, but I can check. For now I'll get you some water okay?"

"Mrrmp."

"I am but you're loyal subject." Sakura mocks a bow and heads back inside, closing the door behind her. She finds a bowl in the kitchen and unfortunately nothing immediately edible for her little feline friend. She comes out with a bowl of water and places it next to the big concrete fence separating the shop from the surrounding apartments.

The queen bounds over and rubs up against Sakura's legs the moment she comes outside and then sits down and drinks to her heart's content.

"Sorry to give you the boot sweetness, it just isn't my place, you know?" Sakura attempts to crouch and immediately back pedals. Her leg doesn't agree with that action and she is forced to comply. Instead she leans against the fence and watches as the queen has her fill of hydration.

The queen lifts her head from the bowl and looks at Sakura inquisitively, making her realize she was probably producing some pained noises back there. Sakura smiles down at her. "Got into a lil brawl and got kind of roughed up. I won though, so don't you worry."

The queen is looking up at her with rapt attention and a look that is somehow… human, causing Sakura to wonder what it is about that sentence that's causing her to be so interested in what she's saying. After all, it's unlikely that she can understand anything Sakura is saying anyways.

"You live in a wild world, you know that?" Sakura continues, despite knowing it's stupid to be talking to a cat at all. It's more of an excuse to talk to herself without having to actually talk to herself. "Its given me nothing but trouble since I came here."

The queen is still staring up at her and Sakura takes that as a sign to keep talking, even with knowing that this cat has no damn clue what she's saying.

"I've been told I attract danger like a magnet, but never has so much happened in such a short amount of time." Sakura snorts to herself. She supposes, in her days as a more active shinobi these types of things weren't that incredible, but as a ninja who stays in the village now more than ever, it's the most excitement she's had in a while.

"With monsters running amok and attacking people, I was bound to get caught up in it. That's just my luck." Sakura folds her arms and looks down at the queen, who tilts her head in turn. "I'm sure your worries are a lot different huh? Ah, but I'm sure avoiding getting hit by cars is a similarity we share."

There is no answer, as expected. Sakura definitely prefers the non-judgemental silence of an animal opposed to the judgemental silence of a human. Especially an animal who won't think she's crazy spouting all this nonsense.

"I'm pretty fortunate Urahara-san found me when he did. God knows I would have still be sleeping on that park bench if he hadn't." Sakura sighs, leaning back and staring at the clouds rolling across the deep blue sky. If that hadn't happened, maybe she would have come across a Hollow much earlier.

"I'm sure you have it rough too, huh your majesty?"

"Myow." Is all the queen says before dipping her head back down and drinking more water. They both stay like that for a while, taking in the sunlight and the nice summer breeze until the queen herself turns tail and bounds up the stone fence once she's done.

"Gone so soon?" Sakura parrots Rikishi from earlier. "I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything to eat, but you seem resourceful. I'm sure you can captivate another poor saps heart like you did mine." She laughs at the notion. "Be safe little thing, it's rough out there."

Sakura expects her to leave then, but the queen stops and spares one more look at Sakura.

Its then that she feels something, like a sharp object being jabbed into her stomach and a heavy sheet being thrown over her body. It is like a Hollow, and yet different. Her body complies to the law of the universe and gravity pulls her downward and she just barely stops her descent with a hand on the wall. All the while she can't break her gaze away from the cat's burning golden eyes. Her head pounds and she's forced to shut her eyes as the lights and sounds around her become to strong for her to handle.

And then the feeling is gone before she can think; and when she opens her eyes, so is the cat. Breathing heavily, Sakura puts a hand above her heart and feels it's frantic beating through her chest.

It takes her a second to gather her bearings after such an intense episode. Had that cat actually been a Hollow? Sakura doesn't know what to think now. What even quantified as a Hollow in the first place? Could they look like animals? Was she maybe just mistaken and the presence had actually come from somewhere else? Certainly not, she had felt that aura come right from the cat. If there was one thing she was becoming good at, it was pinpointing the location of that pressure.

She hadn't exactly gotten the impression that the cat was interested in eating her soul, but now that she thinks about it, she hadn't seemed like a regular cat either.

Picking up the mostly empty bowl, the only evidence that the cat had even existed at all, Sakura wanders back into the shop a little wobblier than usual. As she cleans the porcelain object under the high pressure water of the sink head, she can't help but feel she had been face to face with something unexplainable.

Stomach churning after such a meeting, Sakura forgoes breakfast and coffee altogether and instead fills up a bucket she finds under the sink with water and a tiny sprinkle of dish soap. She brings it to the storefront and distracts herself with the monotony of dusting and cleaning. Rather than wait around for her boss to show up and give her things to do, she might as well take initiative and do what she thinks will help. And… she needed to do something opposed to being consumed by her thoughts as she had been for days. Her mind was certainly racing after what had just happened and she didn't know what to make of any of it.

Had the cat sought her out purposefully? That thought doesn't give her the most comfort, and her paranoia is not helping the matter either. Considering everything, strange and intelligent animals are not something new to her, but is it a standard here?

That in mind, Sakura continues to tidy up for the next hour or so in order to distract herself, all the while making regular checks outside to see if her employer and co have come back. Even as hours pass, there is still no sign of them.

Eventually, she finishes tidying and organizing and settles herself down in the dining room with a fresh cup of tea. That's when she spots it, a small piece of paper sat dead centre of the table.

Haruno-san,

You weren't around to tell you in person so I'm leaving this note just in case we aren't back by the time you return. Some business came up and we had to take care of it. I don't know when we will return so help yourself to anything if you get hungry~

Kisuke

After Kisuke's signed name is a little doodle of him doing the peace sign and a heart. It's strange, but through the weirdness of it, she can't help but think it's kind of adorable.

Worries now quashed and instead replaced with irritation over the fact that she hadn't seen the note earlier, Sakura grabs magazine off to the side of the coffee table.

She raises an eyebrow at the cover. It displays an eccentric looking man with an equally eccentric get up, sporting a top hat and a fancy cane. His arms are crossed over his chest in an "X" formation and written underneath his arm is some text that Sakura has to squint to make out.

"Don Kanonji does it again! Our favorite spiritualist star talks about his life as a psychic and what it means to 'smell a mean spirit' in this new exclusive interview!"

Well intrigued, she flips open the book and scans its contents, another distraction for her aching mind. It seems Kanonji is a famous television star who specializes in the extermination of spirits. She wonders just how authentic this man truly is considering Rukia told her the average person shouldn't be able to see spirits or their ilk. He seems like an interesting character though, that was sure. The rest of the article talks about his early career and then most recently his "Spontaneous trips to Spiritual Hotspots" all around Japan.

She's genuinely surprised to see such a magazine lying around the shop since Kisuke nor Tessai seem the types to believe in astrology or the works. Maybe it belongs to one of the kids? The article did mention that Don Kanonji's fanbase is made up of mostly women and children. She supposes he does have a certain charm to him.

As she flips through the rest of the magazine, Sakura finds herself more enlightened about the modern day Japan. Fashion, politics, technology. They're all so unique and interesting, and the more she reads the more fascinated she becomes about this world.

And the more she reads, the more she realizes how hard it's going to be to return to her own.

How many days have passed now? Five? Six? And she is still no closer to making her way back than she was on day one. By now, her friends and family must know something has gone wrong and be looking for her. And Naruto… the guilt he must be feeling… He had only been trying to help her by giving her such a simple mission. He knows first and foremost how suffocated she's felt since her self imposed retirement; all he wanted to do was alleviate that feeling. But, no matter how god-like his powers may be and no matter how much he attempts to help everyone, Naruto is only human. And while try as he must, he can't solve all of Sakura's problems.

Wanting to get off of thattrain of thought before it leaves her with another migraine, Sakura shuts the booklet and tosses it back onto the table. It helped give her a little bit of insight in regards to this world, but really only on a popular culture level. That was helpful in its own right, but not necessarily for dimension hopping.

With her head in her hand, Sakura downs the rest of her tea and drums her fingers against the flat surface of the table. Boredom is setting into her bones, and she's finding that she doesn't really know what to do with herself. Her idea of finding a library is currently off limits because the idea of walking a far distance with her leg isn't entirely wanted. And for once, she'd rather actually be here when everyone returns.

Sakura's stomach grumbling hungrily is a reminder that it's far after lunch time and she hadn't even eaten breakfast yet. While the idea of rummaging around in a fridge that isn't hers for food that isn't hers doesn't exactly sit well with her, Kisuke had said to help herself.

An idea pops into her head as she combs through the fridge in the kitchen and spots eggs.

That would be something to do, wouldn't it? Sakura goes through the rest of the cupboards and manages to find several things prevalent to her interest, namely a baking sheet, a bowl, and a handful of specific ingredients.

Hands on her hips and a pleased smile on her face, Sakura Haruno dons an apron and decides that today will be the day she bakes.


"Haruno-san?"

Sakura rouses from her unconsciousness with a gross sense of pressure in her head and a overly nasty feeling of exhaustion. Also the vague taste of chocolate cookies mixed with green tea in an entirely unpleasant way.

"Harunooo-san~" There is a weight on her shoulder that feels like a hand and its gently shaking her.

Yawning and lifting her head up from the coffee table, Sakura rubs her eyes blearily. She's still in the dining room, and as she moves her arms, the rustling of material reveals that she had fallen asleep while reading another occult magazine.

"Welcome back." She says, drowsiness apparent as she attempts to peel the glossy material of the pages from her bare arm. It makes a slightly painful noise, and she cringes slightly. "I hope everything went well."

"Sorry to wake you." Kisuke apologizes from behind her. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay here."

"There was no problem." Sakura turns to him and waves her hand. "There were no customers, but I did clean up a little."

Yeah, no customers, but most definitely a cat that nearly caused her to throw up all over her feet. Smiling despite the thought Sakura also adds, "Oh and I made cookies, I hope that's alright."

Kisuke blinks and Sakura stifles a snort when she sees his taken aback look. "I did think it smelled rather good in here." He says. "I'm sure the kids will be happy to hear."

Sakura gives him a slightly drowsy thumbs up, momentarily forgetting this man is her boss. "Cool." She says, and then coughs embarrassedly. "I mean. Great. That's great. I couldn't find much to do so I figured I would bake something."

"That's very much my fault." Kisuke admits, and she hears some vague rustling of paper as he moves just out of her sight. "I gave you this job… but it seems like I don't have much for you to actually do."

Sakura waves his apology away. "You gave me a place to stay. And I did manage to make myself useful." She points out. "Are you really sure you don't want me to be paying rent?"

He finishes rustling about and sits down at the other side of the table across from her, evening the stack of documents in his hands on the tabletop. "Could you pay rent?" He asks, eyebrow raised.

"...No." Sakura concedes.

"Then there's nothing you can do, hmm?" Kisuke says, and his attention shifts to the papers in front of him. He flicks through the sheets from beginning to end, and then lifts his pen and begins writing. "If we keep having to have this conversation maybe I will charge you rent."

Sakura heats up embarrassedly and looks away. "Sorry."

"The more you apologize the thinner the ice gets Haruno-san." Kisuke says. "It's not a problem, really."

An awkward silence sets in after that and lingers just a little too long. Sakura doesn't know what to do to break it. Should she even? He seems busy and she really doesn't want to get admonished again.

"Where is Tessai-san?" Is the weak conversation topic she offers and she can only sigh inwardly.

Kisuke, without looking up, answers her. "He's preparing dinner at the moment, and the kids are upstairs."

In a single moment he has taken her conversation topic and her backup topic and thrown it right in the trash. She should probably not pester him about any more inane things. Would it be rude if she just got up and left? What if she excused herself to go to the bathroom?

"You like magazines?" He suddenly asks, and Sakura blinks. She hadn't expected him to be the one to initiate.

"Um… No, not particularly." She answers, pushing the open magazine underneath her away, closing it. "It's just something to read."

It was actually as close as it got to visiting a library without actually physically visiting a library. While she had been waiting for the cookies to bake, she had nothing to do, so she found a couple more magazines lying around and scrounged them up to read. She now has a much clearer understanding about many things she didn't before. Like how a "lawnmower" is used to cut the lawn! Which, she probably could have guessed through context clues had she tried to.

"Yourself?" Sakura returns the question.

Urahara hmm's as he flips a corner of the document he's on, and then returns to his current page. "It's just something to read."

And with that its silent again.

Sakura's not really sure, because she doesn't fully understand Kisuke beyond his weird vaguely flirtatious and mysterious persona, but it almost feels like he's… in a bad mood? He doesn't seem the type that gets upset easily, this is clear from her many interactions with him; and even right now he doesn't seem upset so much as he seems kind of… off.

"Urahara-san… is everything alright?" It's a tentative question, because Sakura doesn't want to butt into a situation that is none of her business and pester him more than she already has, but she asks regardless because that's what she does. The Sakura Special is what Ino calls it.

He pauses in his writing, and she nearly misses the slightly startled expression he wears before it morphs back into a more familiar look. It almost seems… faker to her now, even though it looks absolutely no different from usual. Why is that?

"I'm quite fine!" His tone is once again cheery as continues writing. "Why is it that you ask?"

Sakura rubs the back of her head in a nervous gesture she picked up from her Naruto. Should she not have said anything? Was it weird that she did? Maybe she was wrong after all.

"A-ah, well it just seems… like you're kind of down, somehow." She laughs nervously.

Kisuke hmm's and stops writing.

"Well," He admits after a pause. "I accidentally sold a damaged item to a customer today."

Sakura perks up at this. "Was this the business you mentioned?" She asks.

Kisuke sighs. "We dealt with the matter, and it ended up working out, but as a merchant dedicated to his craft, it left quite a sour taste in my mouth."

That definitely makes sense to Sakura. Even if the issue had resolved itself, the fact that it happened in the first place would feel like a personal failure. At least in her experience. And she… had a lot of that.

"And you feel frustrated because of it?" Sakura gently prods. She should probably stop while she's ahead, but butting her nose into problems that aren't her own is so intrinsic to her personality she can't stop herself.

Kisuke pauses and looks to be thinking, like he's unsure if he should say what he's about to say. "There's that," He says, looking uncertain. "And… my boss won't be happy if they find out."

A merchant's dilemma, Sakura thinks. The feeling of personal failure mixed with the threat of a higher up finding out about it all. She can't say she's been in that exact situation, but she's been in very similar ones.

...Many.

"That's tough." She starts. "I know from experience that some bosses aren't very forgiving."

Technically her real "boss" is the Hokage first and foremost, but before she became a big name medic-nin she had all kinds of different bosses within the hospital itself. Some were good, some were great and some were... Bad.

"This boss definitely is not." Kisuke exhales, and Sakura doesn't know how to feel about seeing this usually cheery man seem so worn. It doesn't sit well with her at all.

Sakura crosses her arms and pinches her eyes closed in thought. "Hmmm..."

Kisuke let's outs a slight laugh at her expression. "Haruno-san, don't worry yourself over things you have no control over."

"What if I beat them up?"

Kisuke chokes and the pen falls out of his hand. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah, I'll fight them." She says with a firm nod.

"My boss?" He attempts to confirm. "You'll fight my boss?"

"A little strong arming never hurt no one." Sakura states. "Except the people that it hurts." Kisuke produces a 'pfft' noise in response.

"As much as as I believe you, Haruno-san, I don't think my boss will be easily 'beat up'." He says, a laugh escaping him.

"What? You're telling me that fighting the people I disagree with is a bad business practice?" Sakura remarks, thick with humor. "I guess I know where I went wrong all these years. Maybe my advice is fallible after all."

"Certainly not." Kisuke says with a hint of sarcasm. "I've never heard of such a sound business plan in my life."

"Oh? Then maybe there's hope for me yet."

"Maybe, Haruno-san. Maybe." He chuckles.

"Regardless," Sakura admits with a tint of seriousness to her voice. "Mistakes happen, and if you need someone to vouch for you." She gives him a thumbs up. "It's only natural after all you've done for me. I'd be happy to help."

Kisuke blinks at her, surprised, and for a juncture he looks like he's unsure. She supposes that is fair, her word doesn't necessarily carry a lot of weight in a world she isn't supposed to exist in. Someone he found on a park bench is probably something that doesn't unstill much confidence.

"Haruno-san, you continue to intrigue me." He says after his pause, picking up his pen once again.

"In a good way, I hope." Sakura lets out a nervous giggle. That was the second time he had said that now, and it was starting to sound like a murderers mantra.

"Of course." He says.

Amongst the sound of his pen scribbling on paper, Sakura can't help but find herself unable to believe him.


There is so much damn hang time between each chapter in the Bleach manga yall and it's an absolute nightmare to write Sakura into. It's a great recipe for developing Ichigo and Rukia's relationship in canon, not so much for what I'm trying to do here! How many times can I write Sakura making cookies before it becomes too much LMAO.

Also I wanted to address something I've seen being said quite a number of times and it's about how I've made Sakura "weak" in response to that Hollow and I just want to set some things straight!

Sakura has just appeared in a world that isn't her own, and has been faced with a creature that she's never seen before and has no knowledge on. There are two civilians involved (from her perspective), she is fighting in an urban area full of homes and innocents, and is then faced with the addition of a third hostage in the form of Yuichi. She is also not only trying to lie low and disclose as little information about herself as possible to the people around her, but is also trying to learn as much as she can whilst doing so.

Now, from a writing perspective, I also wanted to keep the original charm of the Bleach world and manga. It's a lot of fun and I didn't want to lose that with, from a narrative standpoint, a boring instant kill. Developing a relationship between Rukia, Chad and Sakura was far more interesting to me in that respect.

I'll tell you right now that Sakura is quite the shinobi, and there will be many moments to illustrate her plethora of skills and strengths, but for now… it's only chapter 5!

I'm glad you're all so interested in my story and its development and I hope you all continue to read to find out more!