IT LIIIIIIIVES!! -insert evil laughter and background thunder effects here-
So I decided to come out of retirement and start writing again. As I skimmed over the list of stories I'd left unfinished, this little jewel caught my eye. I realized that it had a lot of potential, and it'd be a shame to waste all that. So rejoice! Camping with Squad 6 is now back in progress. :)
Sadly, I've forgotten a few of the jokes I had planned. However, I remember the majority of them, so hopefully it'll still work out pretty good.
Lets get this show back on the road! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of its characters or content.
"Aaaah..." Kisuke Urahara sighed, propping his feet up on the counter of his store and leaning back in his chair. "What a great day... Nothin' to do but sit back and relax..." Business at his little shop had been slow today, but he didn't care. Its not like he needed the money... Ichigo and Rukia tended to fund him for weeks with every purchase they made, and ever since they'd started doing business with him, he'd found himself rarely concerned with money. Granted, he had other things to worry about now, thanks to them, but those things didn't bother him all that often. None of that mattered right now, of course. At this point in time, all he wanted to do was lay back and relax.
The jingling of the door's bells ruined all hope he had of relaxing, though. Especially when he tilted the brim of his hat up slightly and realized who had just entered his store. Instantly, Urahara's eyes widened, and he yanked the brim of his hat back down over them. "Oooooh crap..."
"Why are we hear, Abarai?" Byakuya Kuchiki growled to his Vice-Captain, looking around the shophe'd just been forced to enter against his will. Both men were wearing camouflaged hunting pants, white t-shirts, and camo jackets. The also had on camo caps - which forced them to wear their hair down. Renji's had his in a long pony tail which hung to his lower back, while Byakuya's was simply hanging loosely around his face. The Captain would never admit it, but it was actually nice to not have his hair done up in some weird fashion for once.
"Because, Sir..." Renji Abarai sighed, "We need camping supplies. I brought sleeping bags and some food, but we still need a tent, lanterns, fishing supplies, and other such things. Whats the fun of camping if we don't have everything we need for it?"
"Ahem!" Urahara coughed, slightly changing his voice in order to avoid unwanted attention. He also tilted his hat further down, shielding his eyes. "If you're interested in camping supplies... I might be able to help. Just wait right here, and I'll see what we have in stock!" He quickly rose to his feet, and scurried into the back part of the store. Byakuya stared at him for several seconds, a look of curiosity on his face.
"Sir..." Renji arched an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Byakuya suddenly blinked, and averted his eyes. "That store owner just reminded me of someone I once knew... But I'm sure it was just a coincidence. So... When are we actually going to start the camping itself?"
"Well, once we get what we need, we can just head out to the local camping park, find a place, and set up camp. Or if you'd like, we could stop by and see Rukia and Ich-" Renji held his tongue at the sight of the glare Byakuya shot at him. "Right, straight to the park it is..."
"If time permits, we can visit them before we return to the Soul Society," Byakuya relented after a few seconds of silence. He did not notice the dinging of the door's entrance bell in the background. "But I would much prefer if my sister and her substitute did not know we were he-"
"BYAKUYA?!" a familiar female voice suddenly exclaimed from behind them.
"Uh oh..." the two Shinigami both muttered involuntarily in unison. Turning around, they beheld a surprising yet not-altogether-unexpected sight. Rukia and Ichigo were both standing in front of the entrance, dressed in their school uniforms and wearing horrified expressions.
"Wh-wh-WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?!" Ichigo stammered, eyes wide in shock - it wasn't just the fact that they were there, it was the fact that they were there dressed like that that caught him so off guard.
"Official Soul Society business," Byakuya snapped back without hesitation. "We are not allowed to answer questions, so do not even bother asking them, Kurosaki." He made sure to put a little extra venom in the last part, just to cement his image as the intimidating older brother...
"The better questions is, what are you twodoing here?" Renji smirked, inwardly praying that he could change the subject quickly.
"We're, uh..." Ichigo blinked dumbly. In truth, he and Rukia had come by to pick up the bounty on the Hollow they'd killed yesterday. But he got the feeling that Urahara wouldn't want them knowing that he dabbled in stuff like that... Ichigo was dumb, but not stupid.
"We came by to get some candy!" Rukia suddenly chimed. "Yep, Ichigo wanted a candy bar, so I said we could drop by here and pick up a few..."
Byakuya stared at Rukia, and then slowly shifted his gaze to Ichigo. There was something he wished to say, but his stubborn nobility wouldn't allow him to sink to that level, no matter how entertaining it would have been to see Ichigo's reaction. Luckily, Renji said it for him. "Hah hah!" Renji laughed, pointing at Ichigo. "You have to have her permission just to get a candy bar? Man, you are WHIPPED! HAH HAH HAH!!" Renji doubled over, laughing at the fact that Ichigo effectively had no free will with Rukia around, it seemed. His laughter was infectious - Rukia began to giggle at the sight of Ichigo's rapidly reddening face, and Byakuya's expression showed the subtle hint of a smirk, which was as much as he would allow.
And then, of course, Ichigo did what was expected - he charged across the room, jumped into the air, and let loose a stream of obscenities as he drop kicked Renji in the head. The two rivals promptly hit the floor, and began to roll around punching and kicking each other without mercy while screaming swears and insults at each other. As the brawl continued, Rukia made her way over to her brother, and bowed to show her respect. "It is good to see you again, Brother. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help."
"It is good to see you too, Rukia. I trust all is well?" Byakuya asked, arms folded behind his back in an aristocratic manner, which definitely did not match his image at the moment.
"Yes, Brother, everything is normal," Rukia nodded. A loud crash and a pained shriek from nearby helped to back up her statement.
"Good," Byakuya nodded. "Be sure to inform me if Ichigo fails in his duties, or ignores your instructions, or-"
"HEY JERK!!" Ichigo screamed from nearby as he tried to wrestle out of a headlock. "I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO TRY TO GET ME FIRED, YA KNOW!!"
"Hmph..." Byakuya frowned slightly. "Such horrible manners. I do not see why you continue to work with him..." Or what she sees in him. Fate must hate me if this man is to be my brother-in-law one day... Ugh. What a horrifying thought!
"AHEM!" a loud voice suddenly coughed. Rukia and Byakuya turned their attention the counter, while Renji and Ichigo stopped choking each other for a moment to see what was going on. Urahara, hat still yanked over his eyes, gestured to several cardboard boxes he'd placed upon the counter. "Tents, lanterns, fire-starting kits, first-aid kits, fishing supplies, hatchet, knife, compass, map, survival guide, canteens, bottled water, soap, and a flare gun. Everything you need to camp in a fun AND safe manner is in these boxes!"
"Camping?" Ichigo and Rukia both arched their eyebrows, but neither Byakuya nor Renji paid them any attention.
"Excellent!" Renji staggered to his feet, dusting himself off. "Thanks!"
"Now how will you be paying for this?" Urahara quickly asked, pulling out his fan and suddenly flipping it up in front of his face, so that only his mischievous eyes could be seen.
Renji checked his wallet... and realized he had no human money. "Uh oh..." He looked back at Byakuya, who shot him a confused glance. The Captain obviously didn't carry any human money - he probably didn't even know what small bills in Soul Society currency looked like! Renji then looked at Rukia, who shrugged. There was no way she could help him out. The only person who probably had any human money was...
"Huh?" Ichigo, still sprawled out on the ground, suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him. "What? What are you looking at me for?" Then it hit him. "Oh..." he narrowed his eyes, and with a sigh began to reach for his wallet.
"I hate all of you..."
Huzzah! I finally got around to continuing this story! I'm so happy!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you got a laugh or two out of it, too. Thank you for reading it, and I also hope you'll be kind enough to leave me a review, too. If you have any suggestions or comments, I'll be sure to read them!
Thanks for reading. Until next chapter, see ya!
-Agent HUNK