I'm sorry I haven't published for so long! I have had a busy schedule. But finally, here is chapter three, I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 3
Renji's POV. (The red pineapple)
"Renji! Renji! Wake up! Nel's gone!" I opened my eyes blearily and stared into Rukia's strikes face. "C'mon Renji! Wake up!" She shook me again and I sat up.
"Alright, alright all ready! I'm awake! What was it you were saying?" I looked across the room at Ichigo, who was already awake and dressed, though he was staring blankly at the wall. You would think Nel was one of his sisters. "Nel's gone missing! She left this afternoon looking for someone to play tag with, and when Orihime went to bed Nel still wasn't back and now it's morning and she's still gone!"
"Well," I said, unconcerned. "She did say she wanted to play never ending tag."
"I know, but she's gotta sleep eventually."
"She probably went to sleep where she was so she could start up again in the morning, the moment she woke up."
"But shouldn't we at least look for her?"
"I guess, but mark my words, we're gonna find her playing her never ending tag with some poor shmuck she picked up on the street. I guess we can always search, though."
"Why am I being granted permission? If anything, we should ask Captain Hitsugaya, seeing as he is the highest ranking person among us."
"Hey, I am a lieutenant." I said, a little hurt. "But I suppose that we should ask him anyways..."
"That will be unnecessary." Said a voice from the door. We all jumped and looked around. There stood Captain Hitsugaya, arms crossed, with Inoue, Sado, and Ishida behind him, all fully dressed as well. Evidentially he had heard everything from Inoue. "We tried to negotiate with the innkeeper, but we must all work our shifts. So as of right now, Kurosaki and Yatsutora will be staying behind." Captain Hitsugaya gave Ichigo as close as he comes to a sympathetic look. Ichigo didn't notice, he jumped up saying: "WHAT!? You expect me to stay behind while you guys go out and look for my friend!? Are you kidding me!?" It occurred to me that perhaps he was feeling responsible for Nel's disappearance. Suddenly, I had an idea.
"Kon!" I jumped up, pointing at Ichigo. Ichigo gave me an incredulous look.
"I'm Ichigo, dipshit." And then a look of comprehension crossed his face. "You're right!...Where is he?" Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen the stuffed lion anywhere lately. The last place I remember seeing him in was in the car we arrived in. I vaguely remembered something to do with a glove box.
"Oh jeez, now we have to search for two people?" Ishida exclaimed.
"No...wait a second, I think I know we're Kon is." I said jamming my feet into my shoes and hurrying out the door. I walked over to the car and opened the door. After a couple of seconds, I managed to open the glove box, and sure enough, there was Kon, jammed in there with a pair of white gloves. I grabbed his head and started the extraction process, in which Kon nearly lost his ears. Then I hurried back to my room. "Here he is." I said, holding him up. He struggled to release himself, but seeing as he's a stuffed animal, he didn't succeed. Then he spotted Rukia, sitting on my bed. "Nee-san!" He cried. "Pineapple head shoved me in the glove box! How can you be friends with such a cruel person?"
"Shut up!" I snapped and shoved my hand in his mouth, grasped for the mod soul pill. I grabbed it and pulled it out, and the stuffed lion went limp. I handed the pill to Ichigo and he popped it in his mouth. As he swallowed, his spirit form slid out of his body and stood up behind it, which was now inhabited by Kon. Who blinked and then continued his tirade against me.
"Hey Kon." Ichigo said, trying to get the mod souls attention. Kon pretended not to hear him. Ichigo tapped him on the shoulder and was once again ignored. He huffed and waved his hand in "Kon's" face. Kon turned his head away. Finally, Ichigo grabbed him by the shoulder, spun him around, and punched him in the cheek. Kon winced, even though the punch hadn't been very hard. Kon frowned and feigned confusion. "What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his cheek. Ichigo looked like he was about to punch Kon again out of pure annoyance, but Rukia intervened.
"Kon," She said sweetly. "We need you to take Ichigo's place."
"We'll that much is obvious." He huffed.
"We need you to work in the kitchen for a couple hours, while Ichigo goes to look for Nel."
"I hope you know, I have never cooked a meal in my life."
"Well," said Captain Hitsugaya. "If you do what you're told, you should be fine."
Kon harrumphed and crossed his arms. "Come on Kon," Coaxed Rukia. "It's just two hours!"
"We'll, if I must...it is only two hours, after all. Right, Nee-san?" He conceded.
"Right!" Said Rukia. I am forever amazed by her ability to keep Kon in check.
Orihime's POV.
"All right! Let's split up into groups of two! We'll find her faster that way." Ordered Captain Hitsugaya. "Kurosaki, go with Inoue. Abarai and Ishida. And I, will go with Kuchiki."
I winced in sympathy for Abarai-kun, Ishida-kun hates Shinigami, although he seems to get along better with Abarai-kun after the trip to Hueco Mundo to save me ー I shuddered at the memory of that place. No! I mustn't think of that now!
"Inoue?" I blinked and saw Kurosaki-kun looking at me with concern, he'd been doing that a lot after coming back from Hueco Mundo. He must know something about how much that scarred me ー even though I try not to let it show.
"Are you all right?" Asked Kurosaki-kun. I nodded and looked around. Everyone else had left to go search for Nel. I must have been really out of it to not notice that.
"I'm fine, rarin' to go!" I said, and slapped my forhead, trying to physically banish the bad memories. Kurosaki-kun gave me an odd look and then said, "Well, why don't we start by asking around to see if anyone has seen Nel." I nodded and together we started walking towards the nearest house, which was quite a ways away.
When we got to the house, Kurosaki-kun stepped up to the door and was about to nock when the door swung open to reveal a short golden haired boy who looked to be about our age, whom Kurosaki-kun nearly punched in the face. The boy was speaking over his shoulder to a girl with long pale blonde hair, wearing a violet jumpsuit type thing. She widened her eyes at me (She couldn't see Kurosaki-kun because he was in soul reaper form) and the boy turned around, he looked startled for a second. His eyes scanned over me and then over Kurosaki-kun. Wait - over Kurosaki-kun? He could see him?! I looked over at Kurosaki-kun and was met by an equally stunned expression. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the blonde girl retreat to another room.
"What is it? What do you want?" Asked the boy, calling our attention back to him.
"Wait, you can see me?" Asked Kurosaki-kun, waving his hand in front of the boys face. The boy frowned at him. "Of coarse I can see you, I'm not blind." The boy started looking confused, so I jumped in.
"Anyways, have you seen a little girl with short green hair and green eyes around here anywhere? She was traveling with us and last night, she disappeared, and we can't find her anywhere."
"Is there anything special about her?" Asked the boy.
"you mean besides the fact that she's an Arrancar?" Asked Kurosaki-kun.
"A what?"
"Nothing. Let's just say that she's very special, very powerful too."
"In that case, I know where she is." Said the boy, looking grim.
"And where is that?" I asked, having a feeling I didn't want to know.
"the lair of the Homunculi, come with me."