"How about we call it a day?" Seinousuke suggested, standing up and stretching his limbs. "She's ready to get home." He nodded at Ringo, who had fallen asleep while being petted.
"I...ready...go home, too," Yume agreed. "This...long day."
"How would you like to visit fourth squad later this week?"
"Like that." She smiled brightly, but then grew thoughtful. "What...we do there?"
A gentle smile came to her husband's face. "Well...you know some of our students are new recruits, right?"
"I...read that."
"We haven't been there in a while, so I thought it'd be nice to host a meet-and-greet."
"We...tell them...about academy?"
"I think a lot of current and future students might like to meet our new goodwill ambassador."
"Ringo...come too?"
"Of course. She's our animal ambassador, after all. You two are partners."
"We take...pamphlets?"
"Of course. Now how about we lock up and call it a day?"
"This is all very strange, Urahara-san," Tessai remarked once Hisagi was gone.
"I agree." Urahara absently scratched his goatee. "I hope Hisagi-kun knows what he's getting himself into."
"I am actually more concerned about this woman he called the Queen Mother."
"Indeed. The current arrangement goes against how things have normally been done."
"This woman obviously has some history with the Tsunayashiro family, but..."
"Tessai-san...I have some arrangements to make. Can you watch the shop for a few days?"
Young Hikone studied the new place with some confusion. Here, desert sands could be seen for miles in every direction, and the tumbleweeds wafted through the air into the child's face.
Soon, however, a regiment of nondescript soldiers appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"State your business," the leader barked.
"Are you my sparring partners?" Hikone asked eagerly, presenting the coordinates Tokinada had written. "Lord Tokinada told me to come here."
The leader raised an eyebrow. "Sparring partners? I am Rudiborn, captain of the military protection squad. Why would we spar with a mere child?"
"Sir," one of the soldiers interrupted. "Should I inform Mistress Neliel?"
"Indeed," Rudiborn agreed. "Alert her and Mistress Halibel at once." He turned to the mysterious child. "Who is this Lord Tokinada, and why has he sent you here?"
"Lord Tokinada is a wonderful person!" the youth enthused. "He said I could be Soul King! Wouldn't you like me to be your king, too?"
"No, we would not like you to be our king," a stern female voice responded from behind.
"Mistress Halibel!" Rudiborn exclaimed. "You understand the situation, right?"
Halibel nodded as she beckoned her three Fracciones to her side. "Child, you wish to spar with the elite soldiers of Hueco Mundo?"
"Lord Tokinada sent me to practice my swordsmanship," the child explained, taking out an odd-looking sword with serrated edges.
"Very well. I am Halibel, joint ruler of Hueco Mundo. My assistants will oblige you."
"Now then," Tsunayashiro murmured, setting the mail on a table in his living room. "I should do my part to set this plan into motion." With that, he locked the door and strolled down the walkway toward the street. Money talked in this district, and one thing Tsunayashiro Tokinada had no shortage of was money.
His first stop would be to the editorial offices of Soul Society Monthly. The indignity of being overlooked for the "Most Influential People" list was unforgivable. He clenched his copy, featuring Yume, in his fist as he barged in.
The receptionist tried vainly to disguise her distaste for the newcomer, but Tsunayashiro noticed and gave her a disdainful smirk. "Inform your editors that I, the head of the Tsunayashiro family, am here to see them," his voice oozed.
With a curt nod, the receptionist excused herself to go to a back room. "Uh, Sirs? There's some creepy guy called Tsunayashiro in the lobby, demanding to see you."
The managing editor sighed resignedly as he accompanied the receptionist to the lobby. "Lord Tsunayashiro! What a...surprise. To what do we owe this visit?"
"We can talk in a back room, can we not?" Tsunayashiro's voice made it obvious that this was a command rather than a request. Once in a back room, the receptionist brought tea and hastily left. Now alone with the editors, Tsunayashiro cleared his throat. "Now then, about this list." He slammed the issue down on the table. "Surely you don't think this woman—this self-professed Queen Mother—holds more influence in Soul Society than I, the head of the Tsunayashiro family."
"You must understand, Lord Tsunayashiro, that we meant no insult to the legacy of the Tsunayashiro family," the editor-in-chief explained.
"Furthermore, issues go to press several months before publication," the managing editor added. "Unfortunately, you had not ascended to your current position when this issue went to press."
"Now that you're aware of the problem, how do you intend to make it up to me?" Tsunayashiro sneered, a glint coming to his hazel eyes. "I have been head of the Tsunayashiro family for nearly two weeks, and I have yet to be shown the courtesy of an interview request."
The two editors glanced apprehensively at each other. "What did you have in mind?"
"How long has it been?" Urahara murmured to himself as he arrived at his destination.
Seireitei, as most residents of Soul Society knew, was the home of two groups of people: the highest ranks of nobility, and the 13 Protection Squads who (some suspected) served and protected the interests of those wealthy elite.
As a former captain, Urahara knew well that "Court of Pure Souls" was a misnomer for this area. He'd seen his share of unsavory characters during his time as overseer of the Maggots' Nest, where the most dangerous criminals were sent. Of course, he also knew how easy it was for nobility to escape justice simply by dangling a bribe under the nose of the Central 46.
Still, though, he remained friends with the former head of the Shihouin family, ex-Squad 2 captain Shihouin Yoruichi. Yoruichi had a special set of skills that served her well as advisor to her younger brother Yuushirou, who now held the position of family head. Urahara took another deep sigh before approaching the entrance.
"Captain, I have a bad feeling about this," Nanao commented once Hisagi and Hanatarou had left.
"I know, Nanao-chan," Kyoraku sighed. "Whatever Tsunayashiro has planned, it's not going to be pretty."
"Is it really a good idea to send Hisagi-kun by himself? You know he hates Tsunayashiro."
"There's a lot he doesn't know," Kyoraku agreed thoughtfully. "It'll be educational for him to venture out of his comfort zone."
"I wonder..."
"I think I want to have a word with that fish vendor," Seinousuke announced, taking a large brown envelope from his office.
"Not want...buy tuna...from him," Yume insisted. "Ringo...not cause trouble." At this, Ringo meowed in agreement and curled up in Yume's arms.
The small family stopped in the garden. As Ringo visited her rose bush, Seinousuke opened the envelope and took out a sealed plastic bag. "This just came in today," he explained, handing the bag to Yume.
A smile came to her face as she opened the bag and pulled out an official college badge on a lanyard. "Lady Yume...Goodwill Ambassador," she read. "This...have my picture. When...you take it?"
"It's one of your old ones. I figured, since you're an official staff member now, you should have an ID badge." Now finished at the rose bush, Ringo trotted over to her pet parents and meowed expectantly. "Yep, you've got one too," Seinousuke laughed, showing her and Yume a collar with an apple-shaped tag.
"Ringo...Animal Ambassador," Yume read. "This...for you," she told Ringo, scratching the cat between the ears. "Has...your name." Ringo stretched her neck out and let Yume put the collar on. Once the tag was just right, the cat strutted in front of her pet parents as if modeling.
"Now we'll go to that fish vendor. Maybe he'll change his tune once he sees your badges." With that, the family made the short trip to the market square. Once there, Ringo jumped into Yume's arms and started meowing defiantly at the vendor."
"You again?" the fish vendor snapped, glaring at the cat. "I already told you to go away."
''And why are you yelling at my cat again?" demanded Seinousuke.
"Uh...didn't see you there, Director Yamada."
"My wife tells me you yelled at her and the cat. Just what was my cat doing?"
"That cat was sniffing around the merchandise. I'm not running a charity for cats here."
"So what you're telling me is, my cat never actually touched the tuna."
"Ringo...not misbehave!" Yume cut in. "Want me...buy it...for her." At this, Ringo began meowing in agreement.
"Well, I didn't know that," the fish vendor retorted, trying to defend himself.
"I tell you...she my cat," Yume insisted.
"As I'm sure you can see," her husband interjected, "they both have ID badges. In other words, you yelled at two academy representatives." He made a grand show of pointing out the titles on Ringo's tag and Yume's ID badge.
"Goodwill ambassador...and animal ambassador?" the vendor sputtered. "You're joking, right? Whoever heard of an animal ambassador?"
"Have you ever known me to joke?"
"Uh, no."
"Then don't let this happen again." He turned to Yume and Ringo, who gave a satisfied meow. "Now we can go home."
Urahara knocked uncertainly at the entrance to the Shihouin manor, not expecting Yoruichi to be home.
"Master Urahara!" the butler exclaimed, showing the guest in. "Are you here to see the young master?"
"I was hoping to see Yoruichi-san, actually."
"Ah, the mistress should be on her way home from a meeting." The butler's expression darkened for a brief moment. "She was summoned by the new head of the Tsunayashiro family."
"I find that intriguing," Urahara answered sincerely. "I think I will talk with Yuushirou-san if he's here."
"Urahara-san!" the youngster called out. "You here for a visit?"
"I was hoping you could do me a favor."
At the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo and Orihime were busily looking over the day's paperwork before leaving for the day. Thanks to Isshin's sudden bout of pneumonia, the couple had postponed their wedding to take care of the clinic. "I never realized it was so much work to run a clinic," Orihime remarked, sipping her tea.
"You've been a big help," Ichigo assured her. Now a licensed nurse practitioner, Orihime had been seeing Isshin's patients. Ichigo, meanwhile, was building his physical therapy practice as part of the clinic's services. But just as he was logging the last of the day's expenses in the accounting journal, he heard a desperate knock at the door.
Ichigo's eyes widened as he opened the door and saw the visitor. "Neliel! What's going on?" he breathed.
"I don't even know," Neliel admitted. "The Exequias just told me and Halibel that some kid was there, talking about someone called Lord Tokinada and offering to be our king."
"Huh? I have no idea who this Lord Tokinada is."
"Us either. The strange thing is, the kid came through a Garganta like ours."
"Now I'm really confused. Maybe we need to talk to Urahara-san."
"I wonder if Soul Society knows anything," Orihime added.
"Let's ask my dad first," Ichigo answered thoughtfully. "He...knows a lot more than he tells me."
At this, Orihime shook her head. "Your dad's still sick. I wanted to see Lady Yume again, anyway."
"I like that idea better!" the Hollow exclaimed, appearing seemingly out of nowhere. "We should go see the lovely lady."
"You're impossible," Ichigo sighed resignedly.