2. A tree falls.

The day after Ruby's birthday, Ichigo found himself trekking through the rain. Trudging to the apartment complex, he shook the extra moisture off his shoes. Taking the elevator, he finally reached Ruby's apartment 333. Ichigo knocked the door loudly.

"Coming!" Ruby shouted from her apartment.

The next several minutes Ichigo heard the sounds of things being knocked onto the ground. Ichigo leaned his forehead on the door as he prayed that Ruby didn't destroy her home just trying to get to the front door. As the sounds of collisions continued, he imagined a sheepish younger Ruby burning down his kitchen.

The door was rushed open and Ruby's head popped out the door. "Hey, Ichigo."

"You're late", Ichigo stated.

It took a couple of seconds before her eyes grew wide with understanding. "I'll be right back!" Before Ichigo could say anything else, she slammed the door in his face.

Ichigo looked thoroughly unimpressed with the turn of events. Even as the sounds of crashes grew more chaotic, he couldn't help but chuckle just a bit. Ruby would lose her head if it wasn't attached. Crossing his arms, he patiently waited.

"What are you waiting for?" Ruby cried as she rushed out of the door. Taking Ichigo by the hand, she raced out of the apartment complex. Only rose petals were left behind in the hall.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as water splashed against his face as his girlfriend used her superhuman speed. It was an innate ability she had since youth. Every second she got faster and faster. Despite the difference of their body type and weight, him being significantly larger and more muscular than her, she was able to pull him along.

"Listen to what I'm trying to say. Slow down!"

"No can do, Ichigo. We're late enough, hold on", Ruby said with determination. She was fortunate that the rain deterred others from the road. Rose petals galore were spread over the street as they were carried by the rushing rain, simply to flicker out of existence.

They reached Kisuke's shop in a matter of minutes.

"We're here, guys", Ruby cried as she stomped into the shop, soaking wet.

Her state of attire had Kisuke giggling behind his signature fan. "I see you came here in a rush. Should I be concerned about your fashion sense?"

Ruby tilted her head as she tried to figure out what he meant. Looking down, she grew embarrassed. She had left her apartment in her pajamas, which were now drenched. "Ichika, why didn't you say anything?"

Ichigo responded with an unmoved glare.

She chuckled nervously in return, "I guess I got a little excited. Sorry." She began to bow rapidly.

"No need to be so grumpy, Ichigo~. Luckily for you, I prepared for such an emergency. What a responsible adult I am." After passing a change of clothes to Ruby, he tossed one right at Ichigo's face.

As it dropped to the ground with a plop, the orange haired teen had to resist the urge to throttle his fighting master. Ruby wouldn't approve of homicide.

A few minutes later, all the teens stood in front of Kisuke. Each one wore a black button shirt or blouse with equally dark pants or skirts. The only difference between them were the varying color of their accents and ties. Ichigo, Ruby, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu wore orange, red, green, pink, and blue respectively.

"We look like a ridiculous pop band. This better have a point", Ichigo warned as he crossed his arms. His ire from his impromptu shower hadn't lowered a bit. Drips of rainwater fell from his dampened hair.

"Let me help you with that, Ichigo", Ruby warmly suggested. In her hands was a light pink towel. Being considerably taller than Ruby, Ichigo had to crouch down for her to reach his moist hair, "Thanks."

"No problem", she said honestly as she gently dried his hair.

"While the lovely couple is having their moment, let me explain. If you would direct your attention to the gate behind me", Kisuke began as he pointed towards the sliding door behind him. It wasn't connected to any portion of the shop. "I was able to match the energy from Ruby's intrinsic signature to a separate reality. I won't bore you with the details, but it took a lot of trial and genius."

"So, you're saying that there are many more worlds than we were aware of. This supposedly leads to Ruby's homeland. Can we even survive the conditions of the world or even the trip?" Uryu questioned sternly.

"Of course, he wouldn't send us without making sure it was safe", Ruby said in Kisuke's defense.

"You wound me, children. You should follow Ruby's example and believe in me."

"No", Ichigo and Uryu said in unity.

"Frowning like that all the time will give you wrinkles, Ichigo. Believe me, I have your best interests in mind." While the females of the group smiled at him in appreciation, the male portion weren't as welcoming. Undeterred by the lack of praise on the latter's part, he smiled brightly.

Orihime did a little twirl in her outfit. "These clothes are so pretty. Did you design them yourself?"

"Of course! They're not only stylish, but functional. All of your clothing has been designed to record the environment of the brave new world. The more varied the areas you visit, the better. And, it allows us in mission control to keep track of your health. Go my little munchkins, discover the new land and make be proud… and famous. Oh, heads up, it would be best if certain authorities weren't aware of this. It's not really their concern, right?"

"Right, suspicious and illegal. That's so new." Ichigo made no attempt to hide his heavy sarcasm, therefore getting a light nudge in the ribs by Ruby. He shrugged. There was no reason to pull his punches. "It's true."

"I see you've gained your father's rudeness. No matter, step right up."

"I'm going first", Ichigo stated as he walked to the gate. Before he entered, Ichigo nodded at Kisuke with the utmost respect. "You did good, Kisuke. Don't ever doubt that." The two males were silent, a level of understanding passing between the two. With no further words, the orange haired teen walked through the gate.

All but Ruby followed suit.

Turning around, Ruby rushed towards Kisuke and embraced him tightly, "Thank you so much. I knew you could do it. You're the greatest genius in the world after all. "

Kisuke returned the hug as he rubbed her back. "Of course. Go find your family. You need this", he said solemnly.

"I'll see you later." Her goodbye said, she ran through the gate.

"Of course, Ruby", Kisuke said unconvincingly as an aura of reluctance and regret settled on the shop.

When the light of the gate died down, Kisuke sighed deeply. Dropping to his chair, he pulled an album from his table. Depicted on a page was an image of Kisuke with a young Ruby sitting on his lap. The eight-year-old Ruby was wearing a pink sundress while giving a wide toothy smile. Her eyes were covered by Kisuke's hat. Kisuke was genuinely smiling in the picture.

"Good luck, Ruby." Alone in his shop, he continued flipping through his album of his life together with Ruby.