Well, daily updates are continuing... for now. Not quite sure how good I'll do when school starts though...

If I owned Bleach, there would be an episode devoted to the Shinigami figuring out how things like remotes, lightswitches, alarm systems, and other human world gadgets work. If I owned Staples, I would own all of those pens. And that would be awesome. I like pens.

Renji looked up when Byakuya entered the hotel room, looking pleased with himself.

"You can drive now?" Renji asked, fiddling with the remote. Byakuya dropped onto the bed beside him.

"Of course."

"Huh. How the hell does this thing work?" Renji glared at the remote, considering throwing the stupid thing across the room. Byakuya gently pulled it out of his hand and placed it on the side table.

"Where's Kaili?" he asked.

"Here!" Kaili poked her head out from under the bed and waved cheerfully at Byakuya. The small man waved back.

"Can I go for a ride in the car?" Kaili scrambled out from under the bed and scrambled onto Byakuya's lap.

"You're going to have to," Byakuya replied, pulling to sheets of paper from a pocket and holding them out to Renji, who took them apprehensively.

"What's this?"

"School supplies," Byakuya sighed.

"… Huh?"

"We have to buy them before you two go to school tomorrow."

"Well that's short notice."

"I know." Byakuya lifted Kaili off of his lap and set her gently on the floor, before standing up himself and offering a hand to Renji, who was still sprawled on the bed. "Come on."

"Now?" Renji asked.

"When else?"

Byakuya could drive, and he was fairly good at it too, although Renji had to force himself not to wince every time another car came at them. Kaili didn't seem to like it at all- she sat in the back seat with her eyes squeezed shut, whimpering softly.

When they reached their destination- some big store called 'Staples' Kaili had decided that cars were 'monsters', and she never, ever wanted to be near one ever again. Ever. And then she wanted a piggyback ride, which Renji gave gladly. After all, she was going to have to ride in the 'monster' again that day, and the day after, and the day after…

The piggyback didn't last very long though. After Kaili caught sight of the metal shopping carts, she wanted to ride in one. And so, with Kaili happily settled in the cart, they started the worst adventure of their lives.

If anybody had told Byakuya two years earlier that he would be 'school supplies shopping' with a little girl and Renji, he would've given them the Look. And then, later when he was alone, he would have laughed until he cried. However, here he was, and he was very confused. He didn't know what half of the things on the lists were, and even if he had, he wouldn't have had the slightest idea of where to find them.

"Scientific calculator," Renji read out, and the two of them exchanged a puzzled glance. "A calculator?" Renji muttered. "Like a person who does all of the thinking for you? That would be neat, but not very efficient."

"So it would seem," Byakuya agreed, looking around. "There should be a sign somewhere around here in any case."

It was how they'd managed to find everything else. They'd just looked for the signs, and then picked what seemed close enough to what the paper said. It seemed to be working, as they had found everything.

"Calculators, calculators, calcu- found them!" Renji pointed, and Byakuya followed him to the aisle. "They're not people after all," Renji pointed out softly. "Just little boxy things."

"Just put it in the cart," Byakuya sighed, rubbing his forehead, and resisting the urge to lean against Renji and bury his face in his shoulder. He wasn't an expert, but he had a feeling that that wasn't a particularly 'fatherly' thing to do. After all, Renji and Kaili were supposed to be his children. And normally, a father didn't depend on his children for comfort… right? Maybe? Who was he kidding? He had absolutely no clue what fathers were and were not supposed to do. So instead he fell back on the rules established for him over a hundred years before. The image of a Kuchiki. He had to admit, it did have some advantages, although he had never thought that he'd been using it to pull through school supplies shopping, of all things.

"Anything else?" he asked. He'd have plenty of time to collapse later, when they were out of sight. For now he would be a Kuchiki. It hurt a bit, but he had learned to tolerate the pain.

Renji smiled at him, as though he knew what was on his mind, and Byakuya felt a small smile creep up over his lips in response. Renji helped. Renji had made everything better.

"Nope," Renji replied cheerfully.

"Uh uh." Kaili agreed, fiddling with a box of pens. Byakuya sighed.

"Let's go back then."

The trip back to the hotel was slightly better than the trip to Staples. It was still nothing less than painful though. Kaili was terrified of the cars, and Byakuya couldn't blame her. He didn't really like them either. If there had been a better way to get around, he would have taken it gladly. However, there was really nothing else, so they'd stick with this.

The evening was spent figuring out how to work the TV remote, carefully preparing Kaili and Renji's school supplies, and telling Kaili bed time stories until she fell asleep.

Gently, Byakuya settled Kaili in bed, watching with a small smile as she curled up into a small ball and snuggled into the mattress. Renji came up behind him and wrapped both arms around his waist. Byakuya tilted his head back so that he could look up at Renji.

"How much do you want to bet that she'll wake up around midnight with car related nightmares?" Renji asked.

"No bets," Byakuya replied softly. "It's a certainty."

"Wonderful…" Renji sighed. "I suppose we should just get as much sleep as possible now."

"Mm hm." Byakuya shut his eyes for a moment, content. Renji slid one arm under his knees, and scooped him up bridal style, and Byakuya opened his eyes to look at him lazily. "I can walk on my own."

"I know. But 'can' doesn't automatically translate into 'have to'," Renji retorted, dropping Byakuya onto the bed, and crawling in beside him. "You have me."

"I do." Byakuya agreed, shutting his eyes again, only to open them again two hours later when Kaili crawled up in between him and Renji. Noticing his questioning look she tilted her chin up defiantly.

"I don't like cars."

"I can't blame you."

Crappy endings are crap. But it's the best you're getting. I have to go back to school tomorrow. Ew.

Anyways, this is devoted to all you who have suffered through school supplies shopping, in which you are dragged through endless rows of pens, paper, binders, and other school necessities, and every where you look things remind you of the dreaded prison called school.

Or, if you actually like school supplies shopping this is devoted to you also. Why? Because I love everybody except for creeps, homophobes, and the math teacher I had last year. Thank anybody and everybody who may or may not be listening that I never get him again.

-Stormy