a/n - G'day, this chapter in all honesty is a little crap, gotta fill in spaces between awesome bits somehow though =/
"Layne!"
"Oh far out Jim, I'm going home" Layne sighed "Still not satisfied?"
"Hell no, you honestly think I'm just going to accept no explanation for you vanishing off the face of the planet… and turning up here"
"You wouldn't believe that your God dropped me here" Layne asked sarcastically
Jim punched Layne
Layne's head snapped back and forwards, a dribble of blood leaking from his mouth
"When did you learn how to punch?" Layne asked "That was a good one"
"Don't insult my religion"
"I've been doing it for years, when did you get so touchy"
"Since I had to watch out for myself when you vanished"
"That's what you're pissed off about?" Layne said incredulously "Let me be the first to inform you, that I had no control over this"
"Then give me a good reason"
"How about you and I fight, and if you win, I'll tell you everything"
"If God wills it"
"Trust me, I know a little more about what God wills than you think" Layne laughed
"So we know who… do we know why?" Renji asked
"I can't believe it…" Rukia replied
"What's going on?" Moll asked "Got a lead?"
"No, no we don't have anything" Renji said hastily "How's Joel doing"
"Not well… there's some sort of anti-coagulating reiatsu in the wound… we can't stop the bleeding, I need the sword that did it"
Renji and Rukia looked at each other and nodded
"We'll go investigate… it couldn't help to have a couple of extra hands on the task"
Rukia and Renji left, leaving Moll staring after them, eyes narrowed
Jim knelt down, and started wrapping his hands in bandages
"Why do you have bandages in your bag?" Layne asked
"Protecting my hands"
"I carried bandages at home too" Layne replied, laughing "Never usually had a chance to use them before a fight however"
"These are for protecting my hands, although when you get forced into a fight you don't exactly get a chance to put them on until the fights over…"
Jim finished bandaging his hands and stood up
"You sure you want to do this?" Layne asked
"If it's the only way you'll tell me the real reason you vanished and turned up here"
"It is, but I'd rather not kick the crap out of you to get you to drop it…"
Jim smiled
"You'll be surprised Layne"
"Maybe"
"We have to get our hands on that sword" Renji muttered "We can't let Joel die because of these guys"
"I don't know why we can't bring Ichigo and Layne in on this one" Rukia asked "It seems fairly important"
"I don't know, but I don't think it's because Soul Society needs to feel like it can stand on its own feet without those two, there's got to be something else to it"
"Yeah, I hope you didn't really want to know why… because that seemed like a poor effort for how badly you seem to want to know" Layne said, looking at Jim, flat on the floor
"I don't understand… I fought so hard, but I couldn't do anything" Jim wheezed
"Experience Jim, you've been fighting for what… less than a year? I've been fighting for longer… and I'll throw you a bone, being here in Japan hasn't really stopped me fighting"
Layne started walking off, then turned around, realizing a couple of things
"Where are you staying?"
"I'm hosted at… Kurosaki clinic?"
Layne burst out into laughter
"C'mon, I'll carry you there, I'm fairly good friends with Ichigo"
"Evening Ichigo" Layne greeted casually, dropping Jim's things on the floor "I've brought you your boarder"
"Boarder?"
Layne indicated Jim
"Why's he here?"
"He's boarding here apparently" Layne said "Ironic isn't it"
"Yeah…"
"The boarder's here!" Isshin shouted "About time!"
Layne and Ichigo looked at each other and sighed
"I bet that's why you know nothing about it, eh Ichigo?" Layne muttered
"I wouldn't take that bet" Ichigo replied, then to his Dad
"Well, where's he staying?"
"In your room, I took the doors off your closet and put a proper mattress in there"
"…"
Layne dumped Jim on the bed and Ichigo threw his things in a pile and they went out, deciding to go talk to Urahara
"Who is that anyway Layne… and why does he know you?" Ichigo asked
"Jim's my bloody cousin for crying out loud, I'm just as surprised as he is… though to be honest, I might have expected it"
"Oh?"
"Jim's had a little bit of a rough life, his mum, my aunt died when he was six, and his dad just became the worst human being in the world afterwards, Jim pretty much hero worshipped me… it was somewhat creepy, he wanted to be just like me, but he could never get a hang on Japanese… or learn to fight"
"So what's he doing here?"
"He's on exchange apparently, its one hell of a coincidence that he'd rock up here… in Karakura town though, where I just happen to be"
"Urahara might have something to do with it"
"That's what I was thinking, and why I said we should go talk with him… though for the life of me I can't think of a decent reason why he'd be involved"
"Yeah, fuck yeah… the real world has a real different smell to Soul Society… it's kind of nice, in a lacking spiritual energy kind of way"
"Shut up, we have work to do"
"I know, I know, I'm just savouring the air…. Before it starts to reek of death"
a/n - Done, enjoy =D=
