Hikifune studied Aizen's inscrutable expression. Was that hope she had heard in his voice? Surely he wasn't actually this worried about running out of tea, was he? Still, she gave a soft smile as she handed him what looked like a futuristic cell phone. "Hanatarou-kun sent these pictures yesterday."

The Soul King fixed his gaze on a series of photos taken from the Squad 4 vegetable garden. Tarps had been carefully placed over the plants, and a light mist of snow obscured the handwritten signs identifying the garden's contents. His brown eyes softened as he recalled the taste of freshly-picked tomatoes he had eaten with Yume. In his soft baritone, he remarked, "Young Yamada is becoming skilled at photography. It would seem that fourth squad is safe."

His old friend nodded. "I don't have any updates on your tea, unfortunately. Senjumaru-san was supposed to be working on some sort of weather monitor that could connect you with the residential districts."

"That interests me. I would definitely approve of more readily available access to weather conditions throughout Soul Society." His expression grew thoughtful. "I wonder…."

"What do you wonder, Sousuke-kun?" wondered Hikifune.

Aizen raised an eyebrow but merely shook his head. "It is late. Morning will come soon, and there is still much to be done."

Once Hikifune had excused herself for the night, Aizen stretched out his sore joints and put on his favorite pajamas. He turned out the light and settled in under his blue floral blanket, which he had insisted upon bringing with him. That should keep him warm for the night. "Good night, my mother…Kirio," he murmured before drifting off to sleep.

Darkness fell over Soul Society, with the more affluent districts feeling a significant drop in temperature as the northerly breezes picked up. In the Royal Realm, Aizen's usually green lawn was now covered with a gossamer layer of misty snow.

In the west meditation room, Masaki finally stirred. The temple was actually more inviting and comfortable than she'd expected. Soft blue candles illuminated the small but elegant room, which was also furnished with a bookshelf and a floral patterned area rug. On the nightstand rested a bouquet of silk flowers. Masaki didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but she was glad for the chance to rest in such a peaceful atmosphere. She guessed that not many others had had the opportunity to spend the night in the temple.

With relief, she sighed and rolled over. After several minutes of watching the candles flicker, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She'd have to ask her questions in the morning. She'd noticed Yume's surprised expression after hearing the name Kurosaki.

At the Golden Leaf bookstore, only the sound of the central heater could be heard. Katsuhiko hadn't been able to find any blankets, but the heater was doing its job of keeping the four young people warm. No one was eager to spend another night in the stiff-backed chairs, but Ichigo guessed it was much better than the alternative.

There was no alarm clock, but Katsuhiko had simply explained, "I'm not opening the store until this snow lets up, so let's just get as much rest as we can."

After standing up to stretch, Ichigo moved to the floor. His joints were already feeling the effects of sleeping in a chair. He wished morning would come and this snow would melt.

In the living quarters of the Minamoto Temple, Seinousuke woke up to feel a kneading sensation on his arm. "Love?" he murmured, opening one eye to glance at his arm. "Is it 4:30 already?"

But Yume's soft breathing assured her husband that she was sleeping soundly. He opened the other eye and focused more intently on his arm. A smile crossed his face, and he chuckled softly. Purring contentedly, Ringo had again started kneading his arm for all it was worth. "You having fun there, Ringo?" he whispered, closing his eyes to go back to sleep.

But he soon found Ringo's face in his, meowing quietly. "Oh, all right then," he sighed, reluctantly climbing out of bed and putting on his robe and slippers. "Something wrong?" he wondered, following her to the living room. Soon, the cat was sitting on the back of the couch, staring wistfully out the window. Plaintively, she started meowing again.

"You want to go outside, don't you?" He sat down next to her and started petting her.

As if she understood his words, she cocked her head at him and kept meowing.

"It's too cold out there. You don't want to get sick, do you?" He closed his dark eyes. "It was like this when I found you, remember?"

Resignedly, the cat climbed out of the window and rested her head on Seinousuke's leg. Soon, she was asleep again. It wasn't long before her pet father could no longer stay awake. Groggily, he lay down next to her on the couch.

It didn't seem long before they were woken up by a soft voice. "Sei-kun? Ringo?" As if they were reading each other's mind, cat and monk woke up and stretched out simultaneously. "Hate...wake you up," Yume murmured, reaching down to pet Ringo.

"Huh?" Seinousuke yawned, cautiously standing up. "What time is it?"

"It...seven...in morning," Yume told him. "Not work out today?"

"It actually felt good to sleep in. Didn't want to disturb her," her husband explained, cocking his head toward Ringo, who had once again run to the window and begun meowing.

Yume's laugh rang out softly but warmly. Making her way to Ringo, she tried to see what had captured the cat's interest so intensely. "Ringo...what...you see?"

Not seeing what she was hoping for, Ringo began walking back and forth in front of the window, occasionally giving her pet parents a confused glance.

Finally, Yume picked the cat up and whispered, "Ringo...not know...what you look for... You...help me...understand?" Finally, Ringo closed her eyes and started purring contentedly. As she purred, Yume's butterfly appeared next to her. "My butterfly!" Yume exclaimed delightedly.

The butterfly landed between Ringo's ears and nestled in her soft fur. Almost inaudibly, the butterfly began whispering gently into the cat's ear. Ringo slowly opened her blue-gray eyes and looked questioningly at Yume. A curious meow followed.

Finally, Yume understood. "Ringo...miss...my butterfly?"

The cat purred contentedly as the butterfly continued to talk to her. Soon, the two were asleep together on the couch.

"Ouch!" Ichigo moaned, stretching out his stiff joints. Blinking, he made his way to the front window and looked outside. Daybreak had finally come, and the snow was now a gentle mist. No sign of the wind gusts remained.

"Good morning, Ichigo-kun!" Orihime greeted him brightly, kissing him on the cheek. "The storm's over, huh?'

"Seems that way," her fiance confirmed. "Guess we'll straighten up here and head for the temple."

Upon hearing that, the Hollow popped out. "We're finally going to see the lovely lady!" he practically sang.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Where do you find all this energy so early in the morning?"

Katsuhiko cleared his throat and stared at the Hollow. "Uh...what are you?" he asked quizzically.

"WHAT am I?" the Hollow sputtered. "I'm the real Ichigo. And just who are YOU?" he sneered.

"White Ichigo..." Orihime giggled. "Katsuhiko-kun let us spend the night here. You'll behave, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Only 'cause you asked me to." He elbowed Ichigo in the side. "Say your goodbyes and let's go. We can't keep the lovely lady waiting forever."

"You're impossible."

"Sei-kun?"

"What is it, love?"

"We...let them sleep." She gave the animals a motherly smile. "Fix breakfast."

"What are we going to do about our visitor?" her husband wondered.

"We...fix breakfast...for her too. She...a guest."

"I'm not used to having visitors. But do you really think she knows Ichigo?"

"Not know. You...want to ask?"

"Maybe." He kissed her lovingly on the cheek before rummaging through the refrigerator. "Why don't we check on her? She hasn't made a peep all night."

Together the couple made their way to the west meditation room, where Masaki's futon was folded up and pushed to one side of the room.

"She...leave already?" Yume wondered.

"Not in this weather," her husband answered thoughtfully. "This is a big temple. We'll find her." Arm in arm, they began searching.

After checking out the central training room, the couple reached the showers and locker room. There, they heard the sound of water running. "Masaki-san...in shower," Yume surmised. "Need...change of clothes?"

Her husband nodded. "There should be something in the donation boxes." He waved a hand toward a cabinet in the central training room. "We'll find her something." Carefully and thoughtfully, Yume picked out a set of clean clothes and socks for Masaki and left everything in the locker room with a note. "Now...time for Sei-kun...get dressed too," she suggested lovingly, wrapping her arms around him.

As was his habit, Aizen woke up with the sunrise. The sun shone gently in the Royal Realm, gradually melting the snow that had blanketed his garden just last night. As Aizen climbed out of his warm, comfortable double bed, he stood at the window and studied the glistening dew on what remained of his grassy lawn. Deep down, he hoped his prized indigo flowers, lovingly covered several days ago, would bloom once again. He left the window and made his way to the library practice his calligraphy.

Soon, he heard a familiar knock at the door. Tea sounded good right about now. "Perhaps the weather in Rukongai #15 has improved," he murmured as he answered the door.

There stood Hikifune with a small canvas bag. "Sousuke-kun? Is this a good time?"

The Soul King sighed imperceptibly. "Do you need something? There is no meeting today."

His old friend held up the bag. "I thought you wanted some tea," she told him, raising an eyebrow." "Of course, you'd have to let me in first."

"You have been to Rukongai #15, then?" he asked hopefully, motioning to the dining room table.

"Things are back to normal," Hikifune confirmed. "The town square was busy again." She grinned as she took the tea out of the bag. "Mrs. Yasuda's tea supply was backed up, so I bought most of what she had. You don't mind, I hope."

"Thank you," the Soul King replied simply. "How are arrangements for the winter celebration going?"

"About that..." She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "I met someone called Yuiko-kun. She said the event's going to be on Saturday. This is Tuesday, so..."

"Very well," Aizen replied, standing up and retrieving a larger canvas bag from the hall closet. "Then might I request you to take this?"

Hikifune raised an eyebrow. "Just how much is in here?"

"Yuiko-kun will know what to do with this. You need simply deliver it. Attend the celebration if you like."

"Sousuke-kun..."

Back at the Minamoto Temple, Masaki trudged into the lobby, where she had originally come in. Yume's note had asked her to wait here. Soon, her hostess came in, followed closely by a cat and a butterfly. The sight was fascinating. "Good morning...Masaki-san. You...sleep well?"

Masaki nodded gratefully as she returned the animals' gaze. "I don't remember the last time I've slept so well. This is a beautiful temple, Mistress Yume." She knelt down and put her hand down to pet Ringo. "There's a good cat," she murmured, petting the cat's soft fur.

"Her name...Ringo." Yume gave her visitor a warm smile. "You...want breakfast? Sei-kun...I...fix extra."

"I don't want to impose. You and your husband have already been so kind."

"I said to you...we make extra. You...guest. Need to eat." Not inviting further argument, the priestess and the animals led the way to the kitchen. There, the inviting aroma of coffee greeted them. "Sei-kun...like coffee," Yume explained, showing her visitor a chair.

"You know it!" her husband grinned, setting cups and the carafe on the table. "Glad Mrs. Yasuda gave us all these jars of vegetable stock," he mused, stirring the hot soup once more before setting it on the table. "Breakfast is served," he announced with aplomb.

"Sei-kun...silly." Their affectionate banter was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. "Wonder...who come," Yume remarked.