The days following pass without consequence. No Hollows reared their heads and no black cats made her throw up all over her shoes. Occasionally, she would feel Hollows at the edge of her senses but they always disappeared soon after. Most likely the doing of Ichigo. It had become commonplace for Sakura since her first introduction to the beasts, and now more than anything, they were simply another fact of this world she was growing accustomed to.

Hollow "energy" - it wasn't chakra so what else could she call it? - was always at the forefront of all of those facts. Sakura wasn't a sensor type like Ino. She couldn't tell you a family's entire emotional history and their last meal through their chakra. But that isn't to say her senses are poor or anything like that. She can detect other's chakra well enough, and even her ability to sense physical presence is slightly above average. However, within that scope it's understood by many that this extends mainly to shorter distances.

And that is why, being able to feel these Hollows, and feel them clearly at that, is astonishing to Sakura. It's so different from chakra. When she senses chakra, it is like a flag in the form of a being. Each one is unique to the person, and with her eyes closed Sakura would be able to tell all of her friends apart just by chakra alone. But this energy… its so much different. It buzzes against her insides and sets her on edge, lingering in her senses far too long. It presses down upon her soul and pulls at her spirit in ways she can't comprehend

And she can feel them, the Hollows. She can feel their position and even the amount of - Pressure? Energy? She still doesn't know what to call it; it was too specific - they gave off. Not measurable by regular means, but more like intuition. It was a feeling she was struggling to grow accustomed. But with it, in its fully unpolished form, Sakura was at least able to discern how close the beasts came to the neighbourhood.

They all stayed just far enough, just as Rikishi had claimed and the conclusion Sakura came to was that Shinigami probably had routes around the area. And being that Karakuracho is definitely not a small town by any means, there are probably more than a handful of these routes. The Hollow's must be wary of them.

Coming to terms with this new sense of hers was most certainly exhausting and overwhelming, but the "energy" at least no longer sent her sprawling onto the floor. In her opinion, that was good progress even if she didn't know what she was exactly measuring in regards to her slow but sure success. If it helped her avoid beefing it and passing out at inopportune times, she was a big fan.

Unrelatedly, as the week progressed and having become more familiar with her surroundings and homestay, Sakura finally inquired about directions to the nearest library and subsequently made her way there, thanks to the help of Tessai. Unfortunately, she had no luck finding exactly what she needed, not that she really had much hope to begin with.

The libraries in Konoha are sprawling with books and scrolls of all sorts of topics ranging from simple subjects like kunai throwing to forbidden techniques and jutsu's (though that latter was not actually available to the ready public like it was to her) and she had become slightly spoiled by its stock. In Karakura's library, all Sakura managed to receive was a strange look from the receptionist and a side eye when she asked for books on "non-fictional dimensions and realms". She settled for books on Japanese mythology and history after that.

It didn't end up being all hopeless, because one thing that was proven from her little excursion, however, was that the mythology of Japan was frighteningly similar to the stories and tales she read and heard growing up. It was fascinating to her in many ways, and unnerving in others. The mentions of shinobi and other familiar figures of her world - such as the daimyo - in their history only continued to bring up questions she couldn't answer. The theory of alternate dimensional travel is one thought she had played with for awhile, but again… what would she do if that even was the case? She couldn't will up a portal just because she wanted to.

Once upon a time, the concept of alternate dimensions were the type of plot point Sakura would find in a movie or book before actual reality. Things had definitely changed in the last 10 years.

Insanity aside, she didn't actually have any solid physical proof of an alternatedimension beyond herself just being in this world, and even then it wasn't very telling. But it still brought up an interesting point that she wished she could explore further. It was no help that Rukia still had not shown her face since the fight and it left Sakura rather disappointed. Rukia was most likely busy with Hollows and who knows what other duties Shinigami have, but Sakura was going through a big dry spell of inaction as the week progressed and it was driving her crazy.

Meanwhile on the shop-front, her duties were about the same, sometimes she would have something to do, sometimes not. The rest of her housemates kept plenty busy, though, and there was hardly a time where she didn't see Kisuke doing some semblance of paperwork. She had offered to help them all, but had ultimately been waved away. Apparently orders were piling up and it was making things very chaotic for them. It was interesting to Sakura that they seemed so busy, but not once had she ever seen a customer. Perhaps they delivered items long distance? It seemed kind of old fashioned versus what she had seen this world was capable of.

Overall, Sakura was just… hanging out more than anything. Her presence at the shop didn't seem to bother the rest of the house minus one of course, but fighting against the mentality of "oh god I have to be doing something" was killing her inwardly. Especially when everyone else seemed to be incredibly busy with things they wouldn't let her help with.

As for the residents themselves, Sakura had attempted to talk with Jinta again since they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but that went about as well as one would expect. He had cursed at her and stomped off, causing Tessai to admonish him and apologize to Sakura again to which she just laughed off. In all honesty, it was a hit to her ego because she felt like she was good with kids. Ururu at least seemed to like her and that was 50% of the total kids in the house so that was good at least. Maybe it would take time.

And somehow, that nothing-week brought her to now, amongst a crowd of excited fans and a cacophony of noisy and excited chatter. None of her initial week had prepared her for this, of all things. To be on the set of Don Kanonji's show so shortly after learning about him, that sure was something. And the amount of people it had amassed- the article she read had severely underestimated the amount of fans Don Kanonji seemed to actually have. Initially said to be mostly children and women, the turn out seemed to be harboring just more than those two sets of people.

Big crowds like this, gatherings or the like, are not situations Sakura does well in anymore. She excels at many things. Working under pressure, making the tough calls, punching, cutting people open (not exclusive to surgery), keeping cool with upset patients and their desire to yell at her despite the fact that she was doing everything she could-. Yeah, there were a lot of things she had gotten good at dealing with.

Crowds though… Since her self imposed retirement, she had become rather adverse to them. And yet, in a completely unprecedented act from her, she accepted Kisuke's extended offer to join them all on their outing anyways. It was the polite thing to do and between her work off dusting object one and object two, a show about ghosts and psychics was 100% more riveting than laying on her futon doing nothing but constructing conspiracy theories. She is a little familiar with Don Kanonji too and if he is a psychic like he claims to be, she might just be able to learn something useful. Fun with a dash of info gathering. It might just be the most interesting thing to happen to her all week.

Eyeing the heavy security with disdain, Sakura figures that if she intends to talk with him face to face, it probably won't be through the proper channels. Maybe after the show she can track him down if he proves to be worth it, but she doesn't exactly have high hopes.

"Bohahahaha!" A group of teenagers performing Don Kanonji's infamous line and pose grab her attention away from watching the crew set up the filming equipment. Seeing the cameras and lighting fixtures brought up the fonder memories of Team 7's mission in the Land of Snow and she had become lost in her thoughts.

Scanning the crowd for the culprits of the noise, a particularly large man catches her eyes. They widen in recognition and she can barely contain her surprise as she sees not just Chad, but Ichigo and Rukia as well. The three of them are surrounded by a couple of other teenagers she doesn't recognize, but based on how they're interacting, they all must be friends. They seem to be visibly teasing Ichigo with their antics and Sakura can't help but crack a smile at his scowling face. Chad himself seems unbothered by their antics with his calm and stoic expression. He seems to have recovered since their last meeting and for that she is glad.

Seeing Rukia however, comes as quite a shock to her. After such a long period of time where Sakura hadn't seen hide nor tail from her, of all places she expected to run into her, the shooting of a flimsy psychic show was not on that list. Sakura makes to approach them, because goddamn she's been wanting to speak with Rukia for days now, but a voice causes her to stop.

"Sakura-dono, over here!" She hears Tessai call from over by the back of the crowd, quite a distance away. It seems while she was distracted, Kisuke and the kids had already made their way into the thick of the people.

"R-right!" Sakura shouts in reply. "I'll be right there!"

She spares a glance back at Ichigo and Rukia and decides that she can approach them post show. It's not urgent for her to see them right now, and being that they're with their friends, it wouldn't be appropriate to talk about what she needed to anyways.

Sliding into the mass of people in an attempt to follow Tessai, her small stature makes it hard for her to make any headway. She loses him rather quickly and she tries not to panic when she can't see his very recognizable head.

"Tessai-san?" Sakura calls, but the crowd is much too loud and drowns her out. She squeezes past a couple of people and ends up at the front of the barrier easily, but there is no sign of the people she came with. She looks around and attempts to find them, but people are still floating about and talking with their friends so she can't see much for long. A displeased frown crawls onto her face and she can only rub her bicep nervously. This whole crowd deal was a much easier prospect when she thought she was going to be with her group. God dammit.

"It's about to start!" Someone calls from behind her, and she grunts as she gets pushed forward into the barrier from the excited mass of people. The air is buzzing with excitement Sakura can't help but be influenced by it too, despite her overwhelming anxiety. It had been a long time since she had been on a show set and it was sort of nostalgic for her. No Princesses or ancient technology though, but that's to be expected from this world. If only the crowd didn't make her feel like she's about to fall apart at the seams; otherwise she might have been a little more excited.

Amongst the chatter, something bites at her senses and causes a shiver to wrack her body. It enters the fog of noise, piercing through the clamor of the horde around her and at first she can't quite make it out, too distracted with her thoughts and the voices of those around her, but then it becomes loud enough to overpower the noise and she has no choice but to listen.

AAAAAAAUGH

It is a scream that isn't entirely human and it causes her stomach to curl into itself. It takes much self control for Sakura to refrain from covering her ears at the frequency of the sound. The people all over don't seem to take notice of it at all, laughing and talking happily with one another. It clearly belongs to something from the unseen world then. It doesn't stop her teeth from chattering and her body from breaking out into a cold sweat though. What the hell.

Followed by the shouting, a presence appears. She feels this viscerally, and the horrible feeling doesn't stop growing within her chest. The presence materializes in front of the hospital and Sakura's eyes become glued to the spot in front of the dilapidated entrance. The presence grows and grows until something starts to form human shape.

It's a man, chain protruding from his chest with more chains wrapped around his body in a restricting fashion. She can't help but swallow nervously at the man, wondering why he would be restricted like he is, but then she notices that the chains lead back toward the hospital itself. She's seen a similar chain before on Rikishi's spiritual body; the kind that came out of his chest. It's the tell tale sign of a spirit then, Sakura thinks, but this spirit feels unlike Rikishi.

"THIS HOSPITAL IS MINE!" He shrieks, and Sakura cringes at the ferocity and volume of it. "I WON'T LET ANYONE TAKE IT FROM ME!"

He then goes on about his inheritance and his father and brother, and Sakura basically tunes him out in favor of her own thoughts. Just what is he exactly? Is he dangerous? The chains are clearly restraining and keeping him from moving but do nothing to stop his incessant screams of anger. Her senses may be going haywire because of him, but it seems he seems like he's all bark and no bite. He's cursing at people, especially the camera men who get too close; but he can't actually do anything. Sakura doesn't quite know if it's okay to leave him be, but there's not much she can do anyways.

The content of the spirits yelling don't so much bother as the actual sounds he's producing. It borders on Hollows like, reverberating in her heart and body and shaking her to her core. It scratches at her insides and her chest in an uncomfortable tightness she can't just shrug off. Maybe she should have just stayed back at the shop after all. Hopefully whatever is happening, Ichigo and Rukia will take care of it.

"We're about to start shooting!" Shouts one of the crew members, and they begin counting down. Sakura fidgets nervously as the narrator does his introduction and all of them are forced to look up as a giant metal machine flies through the air. It takes her a second, not wanting to tear her eyes away from the screaming spirit, but the terrible ruckus the machine creates forces her to relent. Sakura immediately tenses at the sight of it. If it was anything like a car, she didn't like it.

Don Kanonji dives from the vehicle and parachutes down all the while delivering his lines. Sakura can't help but be impressed. Real psychic or not, he definitely knows how to put on a show.

He lands down in front of the camera, and the show officially starts. The people behind her chant Kanonji's catchphrase and nearly blow out her eardrums.

She would have really preferred to be with Kisuke and the others, because now she felt out of place and nervous all by herself, facing the brunt of all of the noise. She wonders how they're holding up on their end. Better most likely.

Despite that, Sakura watches with keen interest as Don Kanonji circles around the spirit, confirming that he does indeed see them like he proclaims too, unless its sheer chance. It seems unlikely, being that Kanonji is holding his chin in thought and staring at the spitting spirit in concentration. The spirit in turn curses at him aggressively. From an onlooker who is also capable of seeing spirits, it is extremely fascinating. That is until Kanonji stabs the end of his cane into the spirit's hole in its chest. The scream the spirit lets out is head splitting, and equally as hair-raising. The scratchy feeling doubles in its intensity and instinctively Sakura's fists clench around the rope barrier.

Sakura knows very little about Hollows and even less about spirits but this whole situation screams bad news to her. She can only imagine that what Kanonji is doing is harming rather than helping. She grabs the rope instinctively but refrains from vaulting over it, knowing that acting out in front of the entire crowd and cameras isn't a good idea. Security would be easy to handle, but Kisuke, Tessai and the kids were all watching from wherever they were and she didn't want to seem like she was a few marbles short. And getting arrested might not be a good look for her either.

Looking around for any sign of Rukia or Ichigo Sakura prays that they jump in before something terrible happens. If its as bad as she believes it is, that means they will be on their way over soon.

"Oi!" She hears an oh-so familiar voice shout and her prayers are thankfully, and rather quickly, answered as the boy himself vaults over the barrier a couple meters away from her. However, her relief is short lived as Ichigo is tackled by a group of security guards in his sprint. This is then followed by Rukia entering the fray, who is also tackled by security guards. They both struggle and when Ichigo is punched in the face by one of them, Sakura just about jumps into the fray herself, laying low be damned.

"Hey, watch it!" Someone to her left shouts, arm swinging and managing to hit her in the temple with his elbow hard enough to send her toppling backwards into the crowd. The woman behind her kindly helps her up and curses out the person who accidentally hit her. If it were any other time Sakura might have a few choice words, but instead thanks the woman before pulling herself just in time to see Ichigo sprinting away in his familiar black outfit.

Rubbing her temple, Sakura doesn't know how he managed to get free, but lets out a big sigh of relief and deflates visibly. But then, a small explosion sounds off - like something is popping- somewhere in the mass of people and the individuals next to her, as well as herself, are alarmed.

"What the hell was that?"

"Aren't things getting really weird?"

"What if it's a crazy fan? Isn't that dangerous?"

The crowd is growing more and more unsettled and as Sakura watches the spirit's form begin to crumble and deteriorate, her instincts tell her it's only going to get worse. A white light flashes and the spirit explodes, a deafening boom shaking her and the people around her, all whom sound and look terribly confused.

With an extremely rushed 'thank you' to the woman who caught her, Sakura whips around and pushes back through the crowd. None of this seems good to her, even if the spirit had vanished. Weaving through person after person. Sakura spots a familiar stripe hat wearing man; or the tail ends of him at least.

"Urahara-san?" She calls out after him but he doesn't seem to hear her, and disappears once she pops out of the back end of the crowd.

On one hand she's confused and on the other she's concerned seeing her employer in a rush like he is. But her senses blare like sirens in her mind, warning her of what's about to come and she's forced to look past that in favour of the current situation. She can dwell on it all later, because a Hollow just appeared up above the hospital and that's a presence she can't mistake.

She jogs down the length of the crowd, searching for any gap she might be able to spot in the security. She sees a spot by the edge of the building, near the tall concrete fence. There's no security there, and if she knows anything about hospitals, and she knows lots thank you, it's that there's most definitely a fire escape up the side.

She starts in that direction, but someone familiar catches her eyes and causes her to stop.

"Rukia!" Sakura calls out the the woman standing at the edge of the mob, whose face is taught with concern.

Rukia perks up and whips around to face Sakura, eyes widening in surprise. "Sakura?"

"What's happening?" Sakura comes to an abrupt stop in front of her, panic apparent and unease settling on her skin.

Rukia cuts right to the chase. "The demi-hollow turned into a Hollow, Ichigo is dealing with it right now."

"Demi-hollow?" Sakura asks, then shakes her head. It might explain the horrible noises he produced but questions of that type could come later. "Shouldn't we help him?"

As they speak, Ichigo has already dragged Don Kanonji through the front doors of the hospital, and disappeared into its darkness and out of their sight.

Rukia shakes her head. "There's nothing we can do right now. With security being the way it is, we'll get caught immediately."

"I can sneak by." Sakura offers, eyes darting back to the hospital and then back to Rukia. This isn't something to be speaking idly about. "I'll go up the fire escape and help Ichigo without a single person noticing." Her instincts are screaming at her to just move and help the poor boy.

The sound of rubble and glass breaking echo throughout the building along with the sound of the Hollow's screeching has her grinding her teeth. Sakura doesn't wait for an answer, because her body is saying go and she's agreeing with it.

"I'm going." Sakura says, and makes like she's about to sprint, but Rukia's fingers clasping around her wrist stop her.

"Don't be stupid!" She hisses. "Ichigo is used to handling these situations, he'll be fine."

"What about Don Kanonji?" Sakura bristles. "He'll be killed if we don't do something!"

"He won't." Rukia declares, and stares right into Sakura's eyes with a look of certainty. "Ichigo won't let that happen."

Rukia's hand remains clasped around her wrist, and Sakura finds the weight somewhat comforting but shakes it off regardless.

"I'm going." Sakura says, and turns.

"This isn't business for a human!" Rukia yells at her. "Leave it to us!"

Sakura glares back at her. "No." And then she runs off.

Rukia groans loudly but doesn't chase after her. Maybe she knows nothing will deter Sakura from getting involved or she hopes Sakura will get eaten. Either way Sakura is going, because there's too much that can go wrong and it all falls on one young boy's shoulders.

Sakura approaches the fire escape and hops from railing to railing, ascending quickly. The noises are rampant within the building, and amongst the clattering and crashing can be heard screaming as Ichigo shouts at Kanonji. She slams open the door of the floor she lands on just as the Hollow crashes through the outside wall with Ichigo unfortunately attached. She hears his yells all the way up and curses.

Don Kanonji is laying on the ground but seems in completely fine condition. Good. Sakura goes back out the door and continues to ascend.

None of this sits well with her. She might still not understand all the details, like what a Substitute Shinigami is and why Ichigo is playing that role, but even she can see that it's a heavy job for just single person. Why should all of this responsibility be left to Ichigo and no one else? And why won't Rukia help him? Sakura clenches her teeth in frustration.

She lands on the final railing and hops gently onto the concrete of the roof. There she sees Ichigo duking it out with the beast. He manages to spot her in the scuffle and his eyes widen, but he doesn't get a chance to call out. Not wanting Ichigo to blow her ambush, Sakura roundhouse kicks the Hollow in the back of the head. Ichigo jumps out of the way as it skids across the ground and he looks slightly flabbergasted.

"What the hell- what are you doing here!?" He gawks, between irritation and large amounts of confusion.

"Lending a hand." Sakura replies with a small smile. "Thought you might want some help."

"I-" Ichigo starts, but gets cut off as Don Kanonji slams the rooftop door open.

"Sorry to keep you waiting boy!" He shouts dramatically and Sakura can just see the nervous anger come off Ichigo in waves. Don Kanonji then spots Sakura and looks befuddled.

"Another spirit whose a fan?" Kanonji asks, head tilted in question. The Hollow begins to rouse and shakes itself off, causing Ichigo to burst out in panic.

"Kanonji Run!" Ichigo makes a wide motion with his arms, sword still in hand.

"Unfortunately," Kanonji says weakly. "I can't even stand." His legs give out beneath him as if to emphasize his weak state.

"Then why did you even come here!?" Ichigo's howls in annoyance, and the Hollow leaps at him again while his guard is down. Sakura, who had been watching the beast with keen eyes as the two of them bickered, intercepts. She grabs the Hollow by the back of its neck as it lunges and slams it into the concrete.

"Spirit fan girl! You're also quite strong!" Don Kanonji shouts in awe and Sakura can't help but feel slightly annoyed herself. Kanonji doesn't look like he knows as much as she originally thought he did and his common sense seems to be even less.

Meeting Ichigo's eyes and communicating non-verbally, Sakura leaps back off the Hollow and Ichigo follows it up with a downwards slash to the Hollow's mask. He cuts it in half, and a bright light shines as the beast's form slowly starts to crumble, signalling its defeat. Sakura lands back on her two feet and frowns slightly.

Kanonji jumps for joy at their victory. "Amazing! You're a wonder boy! And you too Spirit Girl!"

"Don't jump for joy just yet." Ichigo says, sheathing his sword. They all watch as the form of the beast begins to disintegrate, revealing the man who had been screaming before. Its as Sakura suspected, but it doesn't make it any less unfortunate.

Kanonji however, looks absolutely devastated. Understandable, after all the man thought he was helping spirits, not hurting them. He falls to his knees with tears in his eyes as Ichigo explains just what Hollows are. However, his realistic words and mentions of Kanonji's dedicated fans heard cheering below, sobers the man up and he wipes his tears away.

Sakura prepares to make her exit, but Ichigo gives her a quick look and she stops. Ah, he probably wants to talk to her.

Don Kanonji does his infamous pose and lines at the lip of the roof and his fans return it to him. It's a touching scene. But, maybe Ichigo did have it all under control after all. Well, she wouldn't be herself if she didn't involve herself where she wasn't needed.

After it's all settled, Kanonji hands Ichigo a card before he leaves that she can't see from where she's standing, but the face Ichigo makes hints at its content.

"Spirit Girl!" Kanonji quite suddenly shouts and Sakura jerks at being talked to so suddenly. He approaches her steadfast and she freezes.

"Um, no I'm not-" Sakura attempts to lessen the misunderstanding that had somehow come about, but something gets thrust into her hands as well.

"I don't know where you came from, but you were quite brave!" He praises her, and Sakura laughs nervously. What could she say really?

She looks down, and the object in her hands is a card that reads 'Don Kanonji Fan Club' and its addressed to 'Brave Spirit Girl!'. Now she understands why Ichigo made that face.

"...Thanks." Sakura says meeting Ichigo's eyes over Kanonji's shoulder. He points over his own shoulder, motioning towards the ground and she understands his message. Don Kanonji looks pleased as punch and Sakura doesn't want to hurt the man's feelings.

"I'll treasure it." She lies and he smiles.


"I told you he had it all under control." Rukia points out the moment they come back.

Both she and Ichigo had descended from the roof and rejoined with Rukia who in turn peeled herself away from the set and onto the street. Sakura's okay with that. She's had about enough of crowds for one day. And Hollows.

"Well, there was no point risking it was there?" Sakura argues, idly twisting the fan club card in her hand. It had a holographic film on its surface.

"... It's not like I'm ungrateful or anything but," Ichigo admits. "I did have it under control."

Sakura scratches the side of her cheek, pocketing the card. "Well, I would have regretted not getting involved so it is what it is, yeah?"

"That's an extremely simple way of putting it, but yes." Rukia sighs again and then looks at Sakura with a hard expression. "We need to talk."

Ah, yes that's right.

"I have some questions too." Ichigo says, scowl back in place. "You're… not human are you?"

If Sakura recalls its actually the first time Ichigo had seen her in action. Had Rukia not told him about her after everything last time? Weird.

"Again, yes, I am human." Sakura laughs slightly. "But where I'm from, humans are… uh. More capable?"

That's one way to put it, but Sakura hadn't really thought about what her explanation was going to be since she last saw them. She had been a little preoccupied with other things.

"You said something like that last time. What do you mean where you're from?" Rukia narrows her eyes. "Just who are you?"

It's not worth putting it off anymore. Sakura lets out a big sigh.

"I'm not from this world." She says and points down for emphasis. It really sounds twice as insane when she says it outloud. Rukia and Ichigo both blink at her response. Maybe that's not what they expected her to say though she feels like she remembers saying something like that before. Maybe she phrased it differently.

"At least I think so." Sakura tries to assuage their disbelief. "I don't know how or why but for whatever reason I'm just… here now."

"What do you mean you don't know how or why?" Ichigo questions, confused.

"I was sent here by someone. Through a portal or through… something, and where I ended up was here." Sakura scratches the back of her head. "I've yet to actually figure it all out to be honest."

Rukia holds her chin in thought and Ichigo looks down at her.

"What are you thinking Rukia?" He asks.

"If she's telling the truth, it's not totally implausible." Rukia says after a moment of deliberation. "Soul Society and the human realm are two different worlds that are connected after all, and the same could be said about Hell. However, just where did you come from if not from Soul Society?"

She's totally accustomed to this sort of thing. Ichigo too. Sakura can't help but think. Comes with the job it seems. Its making this discussion very easy as least.

"We refer to my world's planet as 'Earth' and I've noticed that it's the same here. But if you want specifics, the place I come from is a village called Konohagakure which is found in Fire Country."

"Konohagakure?" Ichigo parrots. "I've never heard of it."

Sakura slumps slightly at the declaration. A look of guilt flashes across his features and he scratches his cheek bashfully.

"Neither have I." Rukia adds. "Along with Fire Country. Though it's curious that 'Earth' seems to be a similarity shared."

"And it's not just that either." Sakura sits on the sidewalk railing as she delves into explanation. "I did a little research and found out a couple things that our worlds share. First being language which I think we already know, and second being mythology and certain historical figures."

"Oh?" Rukia raises her eyebrow. "Figures like what?"

"No one specific, but I read up on Japan's history when I had time and I discovered that shinobi, along with the daimyo, also existed here in Japan at some point." Sakura explains. "There are some minor differences, but it seems like the base is almost entirely the same."

"Ninjas? That's a strange thing to have in common." Ichigo blinks, confused. Rukia looks thoughtful at this new information.

"I thought so too." Sakura nods, and then clasps her fingers together. "However, unlike society here, our society is completely based around the existence of shinobi, in other words, they aren't figures of the past."

"A… society based around shinobi?" Ichigo repeats, stunned. Rukia looks completely intrigued.

Ah, this is more stuff she'll have to explain. Maybe she'll just take it slow for now.

Sakura nods. "It's kind of complicated for a single conversation like we're having now, but in simpler words, I am a ninja. And the abilities you both saw are connected to that."

Ichigo rubs the back of his head with a look of disbelief. "... A ninja huh…"

"Sorry, I'd delve into it more but I don't really think here is the best place." Sakura sighs. "I was hoping you both might know something about me being here given your occupation, but it seems like you know even less than I do."

Rukia's looks slightly guilty. "Ah, yes, this all comes as quite a shock to me so I don't really know what to think." She crosses her arms and sighs. "But it definitely explains your weird reiatsu and your powers. If you come from a different world… I can only imagine the rules differ too."

"You two seem very used to this kind of thing, huh?" Sakura chuckles.

Ichigo scratches the back of his head, still looking unsure. "Well, it's pretty unbelievable in my opinion, but," He gives her a small grin and Sakura thinks he looks much nicer like that than scowling all the time. "After everything I've experienced in the last month its… digestible."

"You're a good kid." Sakura says suddenly, causing Ichigo's face warm. He scowls and looks away bashfully.

"W-well I saw how you fought with my own eyes, and it's not like you're weak. I'd be stupid to not believe what you're saying after that." He says, and rather embarrassedly at that. Its cute, Sakura thinks.

Rukia looks amused at his response and turns back to Sakura. "I'm sorry there's nothing I can tell you that will help you in this situation. My experience with… realms really only extends to Soul Society and the human world."

"Ah, no don't worry about that." Sakura waves her away. "I expected as much but it was worth bringing up just to hear what I'm dealing with. I think I finally have the scope of my situation." Yeah, a big issue with zero leads.

"However, if I learn anything that will be of help, I'll let you know. I owe you one after all." Rukia offers, and Sakura is deeply moved at her kindness. "I can't guarantee I'll be able to find anything out soon, so you'll just have to sit tight."

Sakura leaps up and grabs Rukia's hands in her own, and bows. Rukia jumps at the sudden contact but doesn't pull away, surprised at her sudden actions.

"Thank you!" Sakura smiles widely. "Thank you so much, you don't know how much I appreciate that."

Rukia returns her smile, though slightly shy. "Lets just say we're even now, and that next time you get a chance, tell me how you healed yourself before. Another day, though."

Sakura releases her hold on Rukia's hands. "I don't mind that, but you're right, that's for another day. And if you can, I'd like to learn more about shinigami and this 'reiatsu' you spoke of."

Rukia's expression falls for a moment before returning to her regular expression. "I can only tell you some things, but again that can wait another day."

She has things she can't talk about either, Sakura thinks. That's fine, hers is only curiosity anyways.

"I can't promise any results." Ichigo adds too, after a moment of silence. "But I'll help you out too."

"Thank you both so much." Sakura smiles widely. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."


Ah, she forgot.

"We were concerned about you, Haruno-san, when couldn't find you after the show ended, I was worried something might have happened." Kisuke flaps his fan, tone chiding but mostly upbeat. He stands between her and the staircase and Sakura puts a little too much thought into how much speed running and jumping off the wall behind him in order to avoid

this conversation entirely would take.

"I'm sorry." Sakura apologizes, bowing politely. They had all beaten her to the shop first, and before she could sneak her way upstairs and into bed, Kisuke caught her red-handed.

It had completely left her chaotic mind that she had gone with Kisuke, Tessai and the kids to the Don Kanonji event. She had been so preoccupied with the Hollow and everything else, it completely flew right past her that they would most likely be upset about her just abandoning them.

After she had left Ichigo and Rukia with promises to see eachother again, she had promptly made her way back to the shop. That's when she ran into her boss.

He waves her off. "Don't apologize, we were just concerned that's all, you didn't say anything so we didn't know."

"Well, after we got separated, I wasn't sure where you all were." Sakura says. Yeah, that had been real cool. Nothing quite like being by herself in a horrible crowd. Yikes.

Kisuke doesn't respond immediately and stares a little too long. Worrying that she has something on her face Sakura nervously sweeps back her bang.

"Is everything alright?" She asks, self conscious. And tired. She'd kindly like to go to bed now but Kisuke is still blocking the hallway.

"Did you hit your head?" He asks, and Sakura gets a little hostile before realizing he meant it literally and was not calling her an idiot.

She reaches up and touches her temple, remembering that she had been hit pretty hard by that guy's elbow. She completely forgot about that in the discord. She winces when her fingers make contact with the tender skin.

"Ah, yeah, sort of. There was a guy in the crowd who hit me." She says, and Kisuke's eyes go wide.

"Not on purpose!" Sakura follows up realizing how it sounds. "It was an accident. I'm pretty short so I just got an unlucky elbow that's all. It was after I lost you guys." She doesn't really want to dwell on this because it's an extremely minor bruise. And it's embarrassing. She's a trained Jounin who didn't even see an elbow coming from such a close proximity.

"Ah, I should get Tessai-san to grab the first aid box then and we can at least bandage it-"

"No!" Sakura interrupts abruptly.

Kisuke looks slightly surprised and equally confused. "Haruno-san?"

Realizing she has just snapped at Kisuke for no reason, Sakura scratches the back of her head in a nervous gesture. "I-I mean, no, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. It's just a bruise it'll heal eventually."

"Well," Kisuke starts. "I won't push you, just let either me or Tessai know if your head bothers you at all."

"A-ah, I will thank you." She smiles a little too wobbily.

Kisuke gets an odd look on his face before it gets replaced with an even more unreadable one.

"Anyways," Sakura clears her throat before the awkwardness can settle into her bones and make the situation more embarrassing for her. "I'm gonna head to bed I- I'm dead tired. Thanks for inviting me along."

Kisuke dips his head and moves out of her way. "Of course." He says. "I won't keep you any longer, just glad to know you're okay."

She wouldn't say that, but Kisuke is just being nice so she avoids saying anything overly rude. Sakura moves past him and towards the staircase but pauses as a brief memory of a striped hat in the crowd hits her. She had been too preoccupied to do anything then, but now she has a perfect opportunity to ask him about it.

"By the way," Sakura says after a moment. "I managed to catch you during the show but you seemed like you were in a rush. Did something happen?"

Kisuke doesn't say anything, fan snapping open and covering the bottom half of his face, but he seems to straighten up. It might just be because she's dead tired and the trick of the light, but he looks… ominous like that.

"Everything is quite alright." He says. "I got a phone call regarding business and had to take it."

Its… unexplainable but something in Sakura slams against her ribcage at his answer and she can't figure out why.

It's not the first time Sakura has been off put by this man. When she first met him, she hadn't exactly been impressed by him. He was nosy and had no sense of personal or emotional space with his odd invasive questions. And then, he said weird vague things she couldn't quite understand and dodges questions like it's his job.

Kisuke Urahara is a mystery.

From head to toe that man confounds her; be it his strange fashion choice or cheerful front. Kisuke Urahara is someone she can't explain nor does she think she'll ever be able to. Even now, with her instincts flaring and telling her something about this man, she can't tell what this something is supposed to be.

"I see." Sakura says after a long stretch of silence. "I hope it went okay then."

Kisuke seems… disappointed by her answer and she hasn't a clue why. What was he expecting her to say?

"Goodnight." Sakura bids him farewell with a small bow, far too exhausted to prolong the conversation and put off her sleep any further.

"I-" Kisuke stops himself short and pauses. His eyes get lost under the brim of his hat and he nods in her direction "Goodnight Haruno-san."

As Sakura climbs the staircase, she spares one more glance at Kisuke before ascending to her destination.

It must be paranoia.


Ururu likes Sakura.

The whole situation involving her is a strange one for sure. Between finding her on a park bench and then their boss just up and deciding to essentially adopt her into their home, Ururu doesn't know which stranger. But, Kisuke has always been a strange one so it is truly no different from any of his other antics.

And Sakura is a sweet woman. She always says hi to Ururu and they talk even if Ururu doesn't always say anything. Sakura acknowledges her and includes her in the conversation regardless, and while its something simple it touches Ururu in ways she can't quite vocalize.

And to top it off, she makes good cookies too. She and Jinta promptly devoured those after finding out from Kisuke that she had made them while they'd been out trying to wrangle the Mod soul. Jinta had been a little more hesitant at first, but even he couldn't resist cookies made by the person he hates.

But that's something that confuses her. Ururu doesn't get why Jinta hates Sakura like he does. Sakura's been nothing but nice to him since she showed up and just like with herself, Sakura always tries to talk with Jinta when she has the chance. Considering Jinta has been nothing but rude to her since day one, she doesn't owe him anything but tries regardless. Sure, Ururu herself was a little nervous at the prospect of having a stranger live with them too, but it became easy to see that Sakura is a kind soul. And it's not like Kisuke has ever steered them wrong either. She trusts his judgement.

But Jinta hates her, and Ururu is not sure what to make of it, because Jinta hates many things but never as vehemently as he hates Sakura Haruno. He's a little rough around the edges and immature too, so it easy to mistake his feelings on certain subjects as just childish anger. Just like how she knows Jinta cares about her even if he teases her all the time, though she wishes he wouldn't. But there's no mistaking his hate for Sakura.

"Jinta, why do you hate Sakura-san so much?" Ururu asks him one day while they're busy moving boxes from an early morning shipment to the storage room.

Jinta immediately scowls, as if even the idea of Sakura infuriates him.

"I think she's nice." Ururu says when Jinta doesn't answer her. "I think if you gave her a chance you'd-"

"She's creepy." Jinta blurts, though his tone isn't angry like she expects. It's completely calm for Jinta. That's very weird.

"C-creepy?" Ururu repeats, very confused. She never got that sense from Sakura at all. She's mysterious sure, and despite the strangeness of finding her asleep on a park bench, she's actually quite normal.

"She's lying too." He says, and Ururu can only stare at his back as he turns away. She's never seen him like this before; was his dislike for Sakura that extensive?

"A-about what?" Ururu asks, because she has no clue how or why Jinta thinks this.

"Everything!" He whips around with his arms raised. "Don't you see it too? She lies about everything and I can tell. Whatever reason made her end up in that park wasn't some family squabble or whatever dumbass excuse she gave us! The boss realizes too but he doesn't say nothing!" He growls and crosses his arms. "It's all so stupid. If he knows, why doesn't he do anything."

Ururu's stomach drops at the thought of Sakura lying to them, but she doesn't fully believe his point.

"Maybe she just can't talk about it." Ururu offers, because if there's one thing her and Jinta share, its dislike of talking about things from their past.

Jinta frowns but doesn't argue that point. Even he won't tear someone down for that. Seems that even he draws a line somewhere.

"But don't you feel it? Her reiatsu, it's… weird." Jinta looks disgruntled at just the thought.

Its true. Ururu has noticed how strange Sakura Haruno's reiatsu is. It's hard to explain, because the woman doesn't have very much to sense to begin being a human, but it's an unsettling energy. Not like a Hollow because Ururu is sensitive to Hollow reiatsu more than the average person and if Sakura even showed even a hint of it, her body would react instinctively. It's more Shinigami-like than anything but even then… it is a little creepy; even she would admit that.

"Kisuke-san knows what he's doing." Ururu repeats her words from a week ago because she genuinely believes it and wishes Jinta would too. Kisuke takes care of them and would never put them in a situation that would endanger them.

Jinta grabs the dolley and starts wheeling it towards the door.

"I wonder about that."


"Sakura-san! What an absolute pleasure to see you again!" Yumie beams, wasting no time in waving Sakura through her front door.

Sakura yelps as the woman pushes her in, barely even letting her get her greeting out and even less time to kick off her shoes, which land messily on her porch.

"Horikoshi-san?" Sakura questions, the old woman's hands at her back as she shoves Sakura further into her apartment.

"I just finished making my wagashi and I want you to try them first." She says, paying no mind to Sakura's confusion.

"Oh, um, okay. S-sorry for the intrusion." Sakura says politely, not even attempting to object to Yumie's rather… assertive actions. Yumie doesn't look like she's about to listen to her until she eats anyways, and in fact, she's quite strong isn't she? Sakura isn't the lightest person thanks to her muscle mass, so the fact that Yumie is pushing her with very little trouble is quite impressive. Is she seriously the same old woman whose groceries she helped carry all those days ago?

They make their way into the kitchen, Yumie sitting Sakura down in a chair at her dining room table. She then quickly flees into the kitchen and reappears with a plate full of multicolored wagashi and sets them down in front of her.

"These are beautiful, Horikoshi-san!" Sakura compliments immediately, picking up a beautiful pink one. It's shaped into a cherry blossom, and it's a rather fitting first pick.

"Not too bad for a decrepit old woman, huh?" Yumie beams, looking rather proud of herself. "Help yourself, my dear, I'll make you some tea and then you can tell me what you think." She puts a hand on Sakura's shoulder and then disappears back into the kitchen.

"O-oh, yes, thank you!" Sakura calls after her, and then looks back at the pretty plate of wagashi in front of her. She then looks at the bag she has in her hands and sets it on the floor. It's full of the cookies she baked and managed to snag before Ururu and Jinta devoured the rest like wild beasts.

After the fiasco at the Don Kanonji event and her confession to Ichigo and Rukia, Sakura figured she should finally make her rounds and see Yumie like she promised she would. Seeing as she'll probably be stuck in this world until further notice, she might as well make herself cosy. Anything can happen, but she's hinging on the fact that it won't for a while. Which is… a bummer in some aspects but she'll deal with it.

She bites into the pink wagashi and looks around Yumie's apartment. It's exactly how Sakura imagined her apartment would look like. Soft colors adorning the walls, shelves lined with photos and knick knacks, some pretty cross stitched flowers. Grandmothery is definitely one way to put it, and entirely in a good way.

"It's absolutely delicious, Yumie-san!" Sakura calls behind her, meaning every word.

"Oh, fantastic!" Yumies replies, coming out with a bowl of rice crackers. She sets them in the center of the table and there's a brilliant grin on her face. Sakura can't help the smile the grows on her own.

"I brought these for you." Sakura grabs the bag on the floor and stands up. "They're chocolate chip cookies. I wasn't sure if you'd like them or not but I figured if that was the case you could give some to your grandchildren if you wanted to."

"Ohoho~" Yumie chuckles as she takes the bag from Sakura. "These little demons are coming with me and me only. Thank you Sakura-san, you're such a sweet girl."

"Just don't eat too many, it's not good for your blood sugar." Sakura says instinctively, and then realizes what she said just a fraction too late.

Yumies blinks at her, then smiles gently. "Yes, yes, I'm perfectly healthy my dear."

Sakura's face heats up. "I'm s-sorry, that was totally insensitive! I'm so used to saying that type of thing to my patients that I-"

Yumie waves her away and smiles to herself. "Quit fussing you. It's fine. In fact it's... just like having one of my grandchildren over and it's nice to hear."

Ah, that's right. If Sakura remembers correctly all of her grandchildren are at school at the moment so they don't visit as much anymore. A frown crawls onto her face.

"Horikoshi-san-" Sakura begins, but stops when Yumie lifts her hands again to stop her.

"Its alright Sakura-san. After both my husband and my father died, I've grown accustomed to the people in my life leaving. It's just a fact of life, and I wouldn't dare guilt my grandchildren into visiting their grandmother because of it." Yumie looks at the wall of photos and smiles somberly.

Something lodges in Sakura throat, and her eyes become somewhat blurry.

"Call me Sakura-chan!" She blurts, causing Yumie to look at her in surprise. "And please feel free to consider me like one of your grandchildren!"

Yumie blinks. Once, then twice. There's a great silence and Sakura worries that's she just crossed a line she shouldn't have but then, Yumie lets out a hearty laugh, tears welling up in her eyes. It's unclear whether they're from laughter or not, but she smiles brightly.

"I would love that, Sakura-chan." She says, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes. "If that's the case, please treat me like your grandmother."

Oh no, she might have just made a promise she can't keep.

"I-I will!" Sakura replies just as the kettle goes off.

"I'll go get that." Yumie sniffs, still wiping her eyes. "And then I'll take out some cards and we'll play a game, how about that?"

"That sounds great, Horiko- Yumie-san." Sakura flounders momentarily.

"Call me Grandma, I'd prefer that. Who calls their grandma by her first name?" Yumie produces a 'pffft' noise. "Are you up for a game of poker?"

Sakura was expecting a game of Go-Fish or even Old Maid, but Poker is just as fine.

"That sounds good to me." She says. Yumie smiles at her, and heads towards the kitchen but stops.

"Just so you know," Yumie says, grinning. "I can play Poker up there with the best of them."

Sakura blinks, and then grins widely too. "That sounds like a challenge and I accept."


Oh my god I'm sorry this one took so long, I was away from home for 2 months while I worked this summer and had no

internet while I was away. I chipped away at this one for a quite a while, mostly because I wanted to worldbuild a

little more, but didn't know how to go about it. Also not gonna lie, i highkey ship rukia and sakura now…. what have i

done to myself.

Shits gonna pop off soon, if yall know what chapters are coming up. Some quincy vs shinigami might cause some

problems in our little town :]

Thanks for reading and thanks for the lovely reviews as always! Save for just a couple, you guys have been so sweet!

Also when i reread chapter 4, I noticed a big error and akdkkskd that's embarrassing fuck

*sakura voice after seeing ichigo once* this is my son now

*Yumie voice after seeing sakura once* this is my grandaughter now

The cycle never ends

See you guys next time!