"UKITAKE JYUUSHIRO! YOU GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL…"
"Yo, Hirako." The door creaked open, and Ukitake popped his head out, a wide smile on his face. Waving happily, he opened the door fully before ducking as a slipper connected with where his head had been mere milliseconds ago, the grin not once wavering. (Nanao's spirits sank. This was not good. Reinforcements were supposed to be better than the original force, and this did not look like it. Not at all.)
"YOU FINALLY SHOW YOUR FACE, YOU BAKA!" Hiyori scowled, her other slipper already in hand. It would have been extremely threatening on a normal day, the silence of the room holding its breath. "Would have been" being the three keywords. However, seeing as there was a soft drip-drip in the background as water dripped from the ponytails, clothes and weapons down into a little puddle on the ground, it was not at all intimidating. Ukitake's smile merely widened.
"Pleased to meet you too, Sarugaki-san."
A low growl as the motley crew of sopping wet people flopped into the room, trying and failing to not wet the carpet. Shunsui chuckled at the gradually increasing puddle of damp carpet. (Nanao winced at the paperwork required to send said carpet for dry cleaning.) "Have a seat. You have… business to conduct with us, Shinji-kun?"
Said 'Shinji-kun' narrowed his eyes, glaring unhappily back. "Why yes, Shunsui-san," he trilled. Half the room glared at him for completely ruining the moment, and the other half recoiled in horror at the shockingly sarcastically sickeningly sweet tone.
"Oi, oi." Something collided with Shinji's head with a loud thunk, and attention shifted that way to find a grey-haired man standing right next to Shinji, his MP5 raised up high threateningly. (For some reason, Nanao felt that she should recognize these people, but for some reason, she did not. How curious.)
"Don't you EVER use that tone again. Killing my eardrums, stupid." Muguruma Kensei scowled fiercely, not at all yielding to the pathetic face that Shinji was attempting to pull.
"I see you haven't changed a bit, eh Kensei-kun?" Ukitake beamed, gesturing to one side for the grey haired man to sit down. Kensei did so with a scowl, but it was another of those I-am-annoyed scowls rather than the I-really-do-not-trust-you scowls.
"And neither have you, Ossan." He shot back, this time a smirk growing on his face at the semi-annoyed look on Ukitake's face. The room sat back and enjoyed the show, with the sole exceptions of Shinji and Hiyori, who were engaged in a glaring match.
"Maa, I'm not that old. Really now, Kensei-kun." Ukitake waved a hand, grinning sheepishly. He stopped in mid-wave, turning around and smacking Rose on the head with a roll of newspaper that had been on the table. "Oi, oi. No smoking." The room blinked at the sudden shift in topic.
Ryuuken cleared his throat, and the attention was drawn back to him again. He shot a glance at Shunsui and Shinji, the former having taken Hiyori's place in the 'Let's piss off Shinji tournament' and thus unavailable for comment, before speaking up.
"We've been attacked," he began simply, "We all know who did it. Ishida Enterprises treats this as war." A glare was shot in Uryuu's direction, almost daring him to speak up and object, before Ryuuken continued. "And so, the required funds, logistics and associated materials will be rendered available. What I can get, I can provide." Shunsui looked like a kid in a candy store, and Nanao had no qualms whatsoever that Ryuuken had noticed.
"However," the sadistic businessman cum doctor continued, a slight smirk going to his face, "Because I can does not mean I will. I am rather aware of the financial state of Kyouraku Industries, and since you would appear to be the largest contributor and party in this war, it thus makes perfect sense that the majority be paid by Kyouraku Industries."
Shunsui's spirits sank as he slumped rather noticeably on his chair. Ukitake snorted loudly at the sight, the room burst into laughter, and Gin whipped out a camera, snapping away before Shunsui's attention turned away from being hurt by Ukitake's 'cruel laughter' (Jyuu? I thought you were my best friend? How could you?) and onto the camera. A good seven shots had been taken before said pink man noticed and attempted futilely to grab for the camera.
A chuckle rose from the doorway at the spectacle, and the room acted collectively and turned once more. "A party I was not invited to? How could you, Kisuke?"
"Eh… Kurosaki-san…" Urahara beamed happily, waving and gesturing to Kurosaki Isshin to sit down. Hiyori looked particularly displeased at the arrival of someone new whom she did not recognize, and even Shinji looked skeptical.
"GOATFACE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" The door to the kitchen had just eased open, and that orange-haired punk from earlier had been holding the drinks. Had been. The tray had fallen from his grasp as soon as he had entered the meeting room, and the disposable plastic cups of well, who would have guessed it, orange juice splashed to the floor. And onto an annoyed Kuchiki Byakuya's leather shoes, but that was another matter all together.
"Why, I could ask the same of you, my darling son!" Somehow, and Nanao could not quite figure out how, this Kurosaki managed to launch himself clear over Zaraki-san's head, and landed, feet first and fists flying right in front of the punk, who if she was not wrong, went by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo. (And Nanao was rarely wrong.)
"GET AWAY FROM ME, ASSHOLE! WHAT KIND OF FATHER TRIES TO PUNCH HIS KID THE FIRST THING HE SEES HIM?!" Wildly swiping at the flying man, the junior Kurosaki stumbled backwards into the kitchen followed closely by Isshin. A few crashes were heard, and Urahara pouted mournfully. (The kitchen had been his territory.) Nanao winced for a different reason. Those broken equipment would need to be logged.
A loud oomph and a metallic crash before Ichigo popped his head outside, grinning sheepishly before he slammed the sliding door shut with a crash. Yells were heard, but the kitchen was relatively soundproof, so what was said was not clear. Two minutes later, Ichigo emerged scowling from the kitchen, a frying pan in hand. There was a groan from behind him, but that was swiftly put down with a clank.
Instead of looking mortified as Nanao would have expected, half the room merely looked amused. Kyouraku-san was chortling, Ukitake-san was grinning, Ryuuken's upper lip curled slightly and even Unohana-san was smiling. On the other hand, the new arrivals, Hirako-san and his gang all looked suspicious. Suspicious and annoyed.
"I'll dispose of him." Ichigo scowled, emerging once more and gesturing to the kitchen. "Sorry about the trouble. I hailed a taxi here, so I've no idea how Goatface found this place. I didn't tell anyone about it."
Urahara's grin grew much wider. Very much wider, while Ryuuken looked exasperated at best. "Maa, Kurosaki-san, your father was one of us quite some time ago, but he quit," here a triumphant grin grew, and Ichigo noticed to his horror that suddenly, most of the others looked predatory. Really predatory, and he did not like that. "To have you!"
Ichigo blanched and chuckles erupted all around the room with the sole exception of Ryuuken who looked annoyed. Nanao suspected that there was something between the Ishidas and the Kurosakis, but she could be wrong. There was always a possibility that she was wrong. It just had not happened yet. But she would bet quite a load of money there was, in any case.
Ryuuken looked annoyed. He looked very annoyed and from what Nanao could see, seemed to be counting something, occasionally taking a glance at his mobile phone.
"An urgent appointment, Ishida? Are we taking up too much of your precious time now?"
The voice boomed from the kitchen as a smiling but very beat up Kurosaki Isshin emerged. He reached to the nearest thing for support, which just so happened to be his very annoyed and scowling son.
"No, of course not, Kurosaki. Whatever could give you that impression? Besides, as you would already know, my house and lab are no longer standing. How could I have some urgent meeting to rush off to," his tone took on a less dangerous tone, now more like a drawl than anything else. However, his leaning forward menacingly completely mitigated and possibly overwrote his previous reduction in meanness, "if the venue no longer exists?"
His smirk was creepy, Nanao would hand that to him. However, it was not at all close to the Almighty Creepiness That Was Ichimaru Gin. Still, it was creepy enough since it was not on the Almighty Creepiness That Was Ichimaru Gin. In any case, Kurosaki-san looked slightly sheepish, shrinking back a little and hiding behind Ichigo.
"Can we start now?" A voice whined from the corner where a lime green haired girl sat perched on Kensei's chair. "I'm boooored, Kensei." Perhaps to emphasize her displeasure, she thumped his head with a gloved fist, pouting all the while. Nanao noted that that was definitely not one of the wisest things to do. And rightfully so.
"MASHIRO!!" Kensei leapt out of the chair, MP5 falling to the floor with a thud. He leapt towards the back of the chair (which was actually a rather stupid thing to do) and knocked it over, crashing to the floor. Mashiro had already hopped nimbly off the chair and was standing a few feet away looking confused. "Ne, Kensei, what's the matter?"
"Love, grab his arms. I'll take his legs. Lisa, hit him on the head. Hachi, get Mashiro." The remainder of the un-introduced Hirako gang leapt towards the chair on cigarette man's order (his name was apparently Rose or something like that), and Nanao winced. Loudly. She was not the only one who winced. Ichimaru looked more amused than ever, but Urahara and Ukitake had joined her in wincing at the numerous thumps on the floor.
"LISA! STOP READING! HIT HIM ON THE HEAD!" The same blond man yelled again, grabbing onto Kensei's struggling legs. The one called Love (which Nanao figured to be a rather innovative but curious name for a male) attempted to speak up, only to be clubbed in the face by a fist as Kensei struggled wildly. Zaraki was guffawing in the background, and Ryuuken quirked a smile. Kyouraku-san, on the other hand, looked positively mortified, as though he was the one who was about to get hit. (Nanao could not quite figure out why, although the name 'Lisa' did ring a bell. A bell that she could not quite place, that was.)
"Maa, keep your head on, Rose." Lisa slowly rose from her seat, closing her book. A swift punch to the side of Kensei's head, an "Oomph" and it was over. He drooped and the bunch of people let him go. Mashiro wrinkled her nose, pouting as she plopped into Kensei's seat. Rose, Love and Hachi breathed sighs of relief as they flopped into their seats.
"See, that was easy, wasn't it? I really don't see what the fuss was all about, Rose."
"Yeah well, next time you hold him down and I'll hit his head," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Gee. Mashiro, stop antagonizing Kensei. I'll scold him later." Before anyone else could react, Rose turned to Shinji and Hiyori, the man about to open his mouth and no doubt say something witty. He was quickly cut off. "And not a word from you two either."
A quick look around the room at the amused and bemused looks directed his way and Rose buried his head in his hands. "Oh gawd. I feel like a parent." There were sniggers from all around, the loudest from the circle around him.
"A parent of a bunch of unruly children." The sniggers nearest to him stopped, and laughter ensued from the others.
"Are you done?" Kuchiki Byakuya sounded pissed. Then again, he sounded mostly the same all the time, so Nanao was not too sure if he really was pissed or not, or if he was then was he really pissed because reading his body language was simply impossible. In any case, he had spoken up, and the room gradually quietened down.
"Ne, Byakuya, ya have an urgent meeting to attend to?" Ichimaru sat up, his smile slightly smaller. (Nanao supposed this was his 'surprised' look. His expressions were all the same, merely smiles on different degrees. That that the feel that he exuded. He seemed to be surprised.)
"No. This is simply a waste of time," the noble countered. "I could name many things I would rather be doing." His eyes narrowed in distaste and the atmosphere in the room turned a little more tense than usual. All the cheeriness was gone and even Ukitake-san seemed a little mournful.
"Meh. Ya really know how ta ruin the mood, Kuchiki-san." Gin's smile drooped slightly as he leant forward and rested his chin on his palms.
"But it's really simple ya? We're here ta discuss the Aizen problem, no?"
"Isn't that what I said earlier, Ichimaru?"
"Ah… Ah… Ah… Of course, Ishida-sama!"
"Are they always this crazy?"
"Goatface is."
"Oh."
Okay, here's the chapter. It's taken me a lot more time than it should, and I apologize for that. Hope this is to your liking! It's one of those filler-esque chapters because character development is fun and because action takes a lot of effort. :P.
Cheers,
Tan