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Chapter Fifteen - Searched for but not Found

Chuckling softly to himself Urahara fell into step behind the white haired boy, though it was quite obvious that the kid could care less whether he came along or not. His eyes briefly surveyed Toushirou's small frame, taking in the injuries that he had sustained. Given the power level of his opponent he had faired incredibly well though he would require some attention from Squad Four.

That is, if he wasn't too stubborn to accept their help.

This thought was put on hold however as he watched the child sway slightly to the side. Lengthening his stride the Squad Twelve Captain managed to prevent Toushirou from falling to the ground, reward by a scowl from the boy as the blond captain placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"Back off," Toushirou said, gazing up at Urahara through slightly narrowed teal eyes.

"Now that's no way to be," Urahara said, raising his hand and flicking the youth between the eyes. This simple motion served to cause the kid to once again lose his balance and, point proven, Urahara steadied him once more. "I think we should be getting back to the Seireitei before anything happens to you."

The tone of the man's voice annoyed Toushirou but not half as much as the fact that Urahara took it upon himself to scoop the white haired boy up into his arms. "Little late for that… and put me down!"

Completely ignoring the protests from the boy Urahara resumed his course toward the Seireitei, effortlessly maintaining his grip on Toushirou despite the boy's attempts to gain his freedom. It was blatantly obvious that Toushirou wasn't happy with the current situation but it was equally obvious that Urahara just didn't care. He continued to walk along as though he were carrying a sack of flour and not a squirming boy.

And as he walked he whistled a merry tune.

"Head Captain Ukitake!"

The white haired captain heard the combined voices and immediately braced himself for the inevitable encounter. There could be no doubt as to the identity of those behind the door and he could tell, by the sound of their dual voices, that they came bearing what they considered important news. Reflexively reaching up and massaging his temples with the tips of his fingers Ukitake called out, "Enter."

The door of the office was unceremoniously opened as two slightly blurry forms entered the room, each vying to get to the desk first. One was a short woman with sandy blond hair while the other was a dark haired man. And both wanted to be the first to reach their captain as was obvious by the fact that they continuously pushed one another to the side.

"I came here to give him important news Sentaro!" the woman said, grabbing the man by the shirt and pulling him back so that he was a few steps behind her.

"My news is more important Kiyone," Sentaro countered, sticking his foot out in an effort to trip her.

"Enough," Ukitake said, his voice calm despite the growing irritation. He knew that his subordinates meant well but at times they were more than he could deal with. And he could feel the beginnings of a headache forming. "I'll listen to both of you so just calm down."

Seemingly somewhat abashed Kiyone and Sentaro both nodded their head, saying simultaneously, "Yes captain."

"Alright," Ukitake said, trying to reach a decision on which of them to allow to speak first. It wouldn't really go over well no matter who he chose but he was seeking to keep the protests to a minimum. Finally, reaching a decision, he turned his attention to Kiyone. "So what is it that you came to tell me Kiyone?" he questioned, hoping both that Sentaro would remain quiet and that whatever news she had was worth the headache that he was beginning to get.

Casting a somewhat smug look in the direction of Sentaro, Kiyone replied, "I was visiting with Isane at the Squad Four barracks when I saw Captain Urahara arrive with that little boy, Toushirou. I didn't get all of the details but from what I overheard it seems like he fought with a Hollow out in the Rukongai."

Feeling his heart jump up into his throat Ukitake had to work hard at maintaining his calm. "Do you know anything of his condition?"

"I think he'll be alright," Kiyone said, her gaze locked onto her captain. "Cause he was arguing with Captain Urahara… rather heatedly."

Ukitake smiled as he envisioned the white haired youth, the image conjured up in his mind's eye wearing a scowl that was decidedly out of place on his young features. "Sounds about right," he said, resolving to go and see the boy once their business here was complete. Turning his attention to Sentaro he said, "And what is your news Sentaro?"

Sentaro was slightly annoyed that Kiyone had been given the opportunity to speak first but said nothing as he addressed his captain. He'd take it up with the girl at a later time. "The search party that you sent out to look for Captain Aizen and the other Shinigami in his group has returned Head Captain… and they couldn't find so much as a trace of their reiatsu. It's as though they vanished into thin air."

This bit of news was disconcerting to the Head Captain, who had expected for the Squad Five Captain to be found fairly quickly, along with the other members of his group. Sousuke was an incredibly skilled Shinigami so Ukitake had thought that the disappearance of his group had simply had something to do with the disappearance of the Hollow that they had been pursuing. "Thank you for informing me of this… I'll look into it." Sounding somewhat distracted the white haired captain inclined his head to his two subordinates. "You're both dismissed."

Picking up on the fact that something seemed amiss with their captain both Kiyone and Sentaro bowed and left his office without so much as a word.

A testament to exactly how dire the situation truly was.

"This isn't good," Ukitake thought to himself once his two subordinates had left. The fact that so many Shinigami had disappeared without a trace was disturbing and he resolved to increase the search for them. "I won't stop until I've found them," he said, rising from his position behind his desk and making his way across the office.

He wanted to go to Squad Four and check on Toushirou but first he had to speak with Kyouraku and make plans to increase the search for Aizen and the others.

A/N - End of another chapter and Ukitake is stepping up efforts to find the missing Shinigami. Hope that you enjoyed.