Don't get too used to this semi-fast update (I consider it fast. It hasn't even been two weeks!)

Thanks again to all of my reviewers, especially those who review every chapter. While I like it when people favorite/alert my stories, reviews are the best thing you can give to an author, even if it's a simple little "Nice story." Mucho respect and thanks to PL, the beta. She's the one who makes sure this fic doesn't get too crazy or nonsensical!

I'm not going to say what this chapter's reward for reviews is until the end. I don't want to ruin the surprise appearance in the last scene. Read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 6

In those few weeks

Ichigo never understood why the few hours he spent in Hueco Mundo felt like ages, but the past few weeks flew by in the blink of an eye. Granted, he hadn't been fighting powerful Arrancar, trying to save a friend, and wondering in the back of his mind if he would get out alive. So much had happened in those few hours he supposed that it felt like it took days.

A lot had also happened in the past few weeks, but nothing compared to the scale of Hueco Mundo. His time had been spent, instead, doing piles of homework, regaining lost time with his family and friends, and just trying to find a sense of normalcy.

When he first arrived back to Karakura, and returned to school, he felt like he was just posing as a student, much like Rukia and the rest of the shinigami. His life had been so interrupted, and he had gotten so far behind, he didn't feel like he belonged there. But when he dropped the last pile of his missed homework on Ochi-sensei's desk three weeks after his return, he finally felt like a real student again.

He was no mind reader, but he guessed Ishida, Sado, and Inoue felt the same as they relieved themselves of their assignments and laid them on the sensei's desk. Ochi raised her brow, and smirked in satisfaction. "Nice job. This is the last of them?"

Ishida nodded. "Yes. I hate to mention this, but surely we missed tests, quizzes, and the like."

She waved her hand dismissively. "I'm going to let those slide. Given your… special circumstances, I got it cleared with the school to let you pass on them."

Relief flooded Ichigo like a tidal wave. "Thanks, sensei."

"It's fine. Just try not to be gone for so long, if there is a next time. It's not easy getting that cleared."

Orihime bit her lower lip lightly, looking slightly abashed as she bowed her head. "Ah, we're sorry, Ochi-sensei. We didn't mean for it to happen."

Ichigo compulsively leaned towards her, driven by a need to comfort her. "Hey, it's all right. No one thought we'd be gone for so long. It isn't anyone's fault." Except for Aizen and his scheming, maybe.

Ishida turned his head away, hiding some expression he didn't want Ichigo to see.

Ochi blinked confusedly. "Eh? I didn't mean it like that. Just, warn me next time or something. Plan ahead. Anyway, I'll get these assignments graded and back to you in time."

They nodded to her before turning to go to their seats. Orihime smiled warmly at Ichigo as he followed her over to her desk. "We're free, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Finally," he muttered in assent. He leaned against a desk as Orihime sat down in hers. "I have no idea what to do with all this free time."

He almost expected her to make some joke or a light tease. She was still smiling, but her eyes were scanning the immediate area around them. As she turned to talk to him, her voice lowered. "What about that training with Shinji-kun and the others?"

Ichigo scowled. He hadn't forgotten about it, but it wasn't something he wanted to jump into. The Vizards seemed to be in no rush to start, and quite frankly, he wasn't either. It was one thing to train to control his Hollow powers, since his sanity and life depended on it. This full Hollow form was something completely different. He didn't like using his Hollow powers at all, so he certainly wasn't giddy at the thought of trying to bring them out in full force.

"I'll talk to him about it later, after school. Maybe we can start Monday, to give us a few days off. It's only Wednesday today, right?" She nodded, and he continued, "Just relax for a few days, and then we can start." He paused. "If you're ready."

There was something cute about the determined look she had on her face, he noticed. "Yes, as long as you are." Her tiny hands clenched together into a tight, fisted ball. "We're going to figure this out, for your sake," she said, her voice tight as her gaze bore into his.

Okay, maybe it's not just cute. It's… He met her stare. …powerful. Unconsciously, he kneeled down until he was eye to eye with her, and, despite being in a classroom that was slowly filling with students, he smiled. "No, we're going to figure it out for both of us," he corrected her, hoping to sound as resolute as she was.

She flushed pink as she glanced down at her hands, hiding her smile. "Right. For both of us, then."

He seemed to take no notice that someone was behind him until they were practically leaning over him, and when they said, "Isn't this cozy?"

His face went beet red in an instant as he turned around, and came face to face with Tatsuki instead.

"Tatsuki-chan," Orihime said in surprise.

She smirked. "You might wanna get up, Ichigo. I just saw Chizuru down the hall. She catches you like this, she'll go on some flying rampage, thinking you're proposing to Orihime or something," she warned, although her tone was light. It wasn't like she couldn't just kick Chizuru out of the room if that happened.

Ichigo mumbled under his breath, nodding to Orihime before quickly getting up and hurrying off to his seat.

Both girls watched him walk away. Tatsuki shook her head in amusement before glancing down at Orihime. "What was that all about?" she asked with a slight smile.

Her friend looked shyly up at her, and laughed nervously. "Um, talk about it at lunch?"

Tatsuki smiled understandingly. "Talk about it at lunch" was a sort of code, meaning that the subject at hand couldn't be talked about in the open. Usually things "talked about at lunch" pertained to Soul Society, Hollows, or any other subjects related to the spirit world that the general populous wasn't mean to know about.

"You bet," Tatsuki assured her.

The bell rang, and Tatsuki made her way towards her desk. Just as the last pangs of the bell echoed through the building, Shinji stumbled into the room, half-asleep. Tatsuki frowned in concern as the Vizard shuffled to his desk, and collapsed into his chair. As she sat down in her own, she watched as Ichigo leaned over, and nudged Shinji with his elbow. "You okay?" he asked.

"Tired. Long night. Talk later." Those were the only words Shinji muttered before laying his head on his books, and falling asleep just as Ochi-sensei began checking attendance.

Tatsuki shook her head. This is going to be an interesting lunch, she thought, and wondered what the hell could have happened that would keep Shinji up so late, if not all night. While mindboggling, it was certainly more interesting to contemplate than trigonometry.

Unfortunately, come lunch time, Tatsuki was no closer to the truth, and no more knowledgeable in trigonometry. The only conclusion she could come to with confidence was that Shinji was incredibly tired. He slept through the first two periods, and remained in a zombie-like state up until lunch.

As she headed to her locker and grabbed her lunch, she kept Shinji in her peripheral, even as Orihime babbled on about a dream she had involving running pencils, dancing mugs, and a legion of apples trying to take over the world. She nodded along and refrained from rolling her eyes, but she couldn't help but keep glancing over at the Vizard. He seemed to take no notice of her, and instead just moved along sluggishly, tossing his books into his locker and yanking out his lunch.

Tatsuki didn't say anything to him, even when Orihime cheerily greeted him, and he half smiled in return. She was content to just watch and think, still trying to figure out what would have kept him up so late.

When they met the others on the rooftop, Orihime suddenly cried out in alarm. Tatsuki spun around instinctively, hands bunched. "What's wrong?"

"My lunch!" Orihime glanced behind her. "Where did it go?"

Tatsuki relaxed, although she felt like hitting her head against the wall. She had been so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even realize they hadn't stopped by Orihime's locker to get her lunch bag. "Orihime, I think we just forgot to-"

"It's the apples, Tatsuki-chan! They're going to take over the world by using my lunch as a weapon of mass destruction! They'll blow up Tokyo!" Orihime took off, blowing past Ichigo and Sado before she ran down the stairs.

Tatsuki sighed. "Only thing your lunch would blow up is someone's stomach," she muttered.

Ichigo looked down the stairs, understandably puzzled. "Did she say something about apples and blowing up Tokyo?"

Taking a bite from a stick of Pocky, Shinji stepped backwards until he was behind Ichigo. "Go after her," he said, before raising his foot and pushing Ichigo's back with it, sending him tumbling down the stairwell. "Who knows what she'll do if left alone."

Tatsuki wasn't sure whether to laugh or to send Shinji after Ichigo. She brushed past him, and leaned her head inside the stairwell. "You all right?" she shouted.

There was scuffling from below, and she heard a loud groan. "Damn it," Ichigo muttered, his voice echoing up the skinny stairwell. "I'm gonna kill him."

"I'll take that as a 'yes.' Look, if you don't mind, can you make sure Orihime doesn't at least decide to go after any stray apples?" Tatsuki asked.

A pause, and then, "All right." A door opened, and then slammed close from below.

Tatsuki turned around, and glared at Shinji, who was still working on his Pocky stick. "You're a dead man."

He smirked. "I already am by technical standards."

Having run out of patience and knowing he deserved it, Tatsuki strode over to him, and smacked him as hard as she could upside the head. Ignoring his curses and complaints, she dropped her lunch bag on her usual spot, and sat down. "So, what was that about?"

To her surprise, when she directed her gaze back at him, she caught him in a moment of unpreparedness. He looked a little baffled, before he coughed and looked away. "What? Someone had to go after her, and he was there."

Ishida pushed his glasses back. "You really are that tired. It's a little obvious you wanted to get rid of him. Has it anything to do with why you were up so late?"

Shinji sighed, and pulled out another Pocky stick. "Who am I kiddin'? Yeah, it does. Around midnight, I got a call from Riza."

Mizuiro and Keigo looked over at Rukia. She quickly lowered her voice, and explained, "One of the Vizards, the group Ichigo was training with. Long black hair in a braid?"

"Oh!" Keigo exclaimed, "The school uniform one! Ya know, she wears it pretty well, but really, if you gotta wear that uniform, she should wear it like Matsumoto-san. In my highly professional, but humble-"

With a quick elbow jab from Tatsuki, Keigo was silenced. "You're lucky she isn't actually here to hear you say that."

"She will be in enough time. Although," Rukia glanced around inquisitively, "Hitsugaya-taichou isn't here, nor Hinamori-fukutaichou. Where are they?" she asked.

Renji glanced away from her, off into the distance. "Hinamori might have had a bad night, and Hitsugaya-taichou decided to skip to stay home with her."

Knowing that talk about Hinamori's all too frequent night terrors made everyone depressed, Mizuiro took a bite from his sandwich before glancing back at Shinji. "Ah, I remember Riza-san," he said hastily, "she and the rest of your friends went to that Soul Society place for research, right?"

Shinji nodded, looking slightly grateful that the topic veered away from Hinamori. She wasn't a comfortable subject for him. "Yeah. They've been lookin' for some answers, and," he paused, chewing thoughtfully on his Pocky before continuing, "they might have found somethin'."

The shock from the news was like a tremor that shot out from Shinji, spreading over the group and silencing them. Blank stares and surprised expressions were exchanged before Rukia whispered, "Found something?"

Renji shook his head. "I thought you said they wouldn't."

The Vizard narrowed his eyes. "No, I said we didn't think we'd find anything. I was just as surprised when she told me."

Tatsuki set aside her lunch, not interested in her food for the time being. "What did they find?"

Shinji leaned back against the side of the surrounding wall. "A story. Ise-fukutaichou was the one to find it, actually. She and Kyouraku have been helping Riza with the research."

Rukia's face set into a deadpan frown. "I was under the assumption that we didn't want Soul Society to know about all of this."

Shinji shrugged. "She insisted they didn't know what they're really lookin' for. Even if they did find out, wouldn't they have said somethin' by now?" He set his lunch bag down, and pulled out a canned drink. "Anyway, Riza's been havin' a blast with 'em, and I trust her, so, no harm done."

It was Tatsuki's turn to frown. "I hope you're not trying to avoid the subject, or something."

Rolling his eyes, Shinji opened his can. "No. Yeesh, you people. Fine, I'll get to the point. Last night, Riza woke me the hell up to tell me they stumbled upon somethin'. Little Nanao found it wa-a-a-a-ay in the back of the Library, where the books are so old, she said, that they'd practically fall apart in your hands if ya weren't careful." He took a sip from his drink. "The story she found is really old. Older than the Gotei 13, and maybe even Old Yama himself.

"So, it goes somethin' like this: a long while back, there was this warrior. He was a rogue soldier, until one day, a really well-to-do noble family hired him as a bodyguard. He was assigned to protect the sole daughter of the family. So.."

He suddenly paused, and glanced towards the stairs. He sighed softly, and scratched his head. "Look, if ya wanna hear the entire story, you can ask Riza when she gets back. But, for the abridged version, here's how it goes. They eventually fall in love, blah blah, but the girl's father finds out and gets pissed. He sends a group of hired mercenary soldiers to kill the bodyguard after he refuses to comply with his demands to leave the girl.

"She's there the night he's attacked. He does his best to fight them off, but he's struck down. The noblewoman was injured trying to help him. As she was about to be taken away by the soldiers, she declared that she'd love the guy, no matter who he was or what he became." He shifted his glance to the side, and grinned. "Here's where it gets interesting. The warrior somehow hears this, and suddenly, he springs back to life. They say his reiatsu became immense, and overwhelmed the mercenaries."

Ishida lowered his head slightly, and his body tensed inadvertently. "If I were to take a guess, if these men saw his face, it wasn't that of a human, was it?"

Shinji shook his head. "Nope. He was wearin' a full, genuine Hollow mask, with a hole in the middle of his chest. His sword was still in his hand, but he had the presence of a beast."

"Just like Ichigo," Rukia murmured, her eyes wide.

"Exactly. Nanao showed it to Riza because of the mask part, but you can imagine how surprised Riza was. Anyway, the story ends with the warrior kickin' ass, and the two of them run away, never to be seen again. The whole tale was written to show the noble girl in a bad light, trying to preach the consequences of what happens when you don't listen to yer father or somethin'."

Keigo chuckled nervously. "Geez, that's a little extreme."

"It was the old days, although a lot of the nobility in Soul Society still would adhere to that lesson. While it's only some story, most tales like that are rooted in some fact." Shinji relaxed a little, the story told and done, and stretched his legs. "Hollow attacks weren't that frequent back then. They were almost unheard of. They didn't really show up until right before the squads were formed. And it's really too close to what happened on the dome to be a coincidence. It doesn't give us answers, but it still says a lot. It also might mean the truth's out there."

Chad crossed his arms, his expression neutral as he spoke up for the first time since lunch started. "You think it really happened before?"

"Ah," Shinji propped his elbows on the wall's edge, and drifted into silence for a few brief moments before answering, "I'm not sure. It seems unlikely, but who knows? Point is, what happened with Ichigo might not have been some isolated incident, and there's a chance we can get him to do it again. If we can see him in that form, we'll get answers, or at least get a better idea of what we're dealin' with. I'm damn curious."

Without warning, Tatsuki slammed her fist into the ground, causing those sitting near her to jump. "What is this to you?" she asked Shinji, her teeth gritted. "Some kind of activity? This is serious! You're toying around with something between my two best friends, and you're doing it because you're curious?"

The combative tone in her voice and the glint in her eyes had Ishida on edge. "Arisawa-san," he said.

"Tatsuki-chan!"

Orihime's voice broke the tense atmosphere, and Tatsuki leaned back. "Forget it," she muttered, before turning around to see Orihime and Ichigo come up the stairs, both with their lunches. She forced a smile upon seeing Orihime's, but it quickly faded when she saw a large band-aid on her forehead.

"Orihime, what happened?" she asked, gesturing to the bandage.

Her friend flushed in embarrassment. "I thought I saw one of the evil apples, and I ran towards it. I tripped over something, and smacked my head into the edge of a locker. I laid there for a minute, wondering what happened, and then Kurosaki-kun appeared."

It was then that Ichigo continued the story, perhaps due to not wanting to let Orihime's imagination run wild and think up something crazy. "I helped her up, but the gash was kind of bad, so we had to go to the nurse. That's why we took so long."

They walked over and sat next to Tatsuki. She shook her head, and ruffled Orihime's hair affectionately. "At least you're okay, but be more careful."

"I'm fine! I wish that apple didn't get away, though."

It was then Ishida politely asked about Hinamori, and the conversation picked up from there. Tatsuki let her thoughts drift a little, not feeling too talkative anymore. She nodded along at some points, like when it was confirmed that Hinamori had had a nightmare, and stayed home that day, or when the subject switched to the upcoming history test they all were dreading.

At one point, she caught Ichigo glancing uneasily at her. She tilted her head to the side, and he responded by mumbling, "Sorry I didn't get to her sooner. She actually bled a little, and…"

Although she internally winced at the thought of Orihime bleeding, Tatsuki just shook her head and smiled reassuringly at Ichigo. "I can't always stop her from getting hurt, either."

He half-smiled in relief, and then resumed eating his lunch.

He's that concerned? Tatsuki briefly closed her eyes, not wanting to show her astonishment, and let her mind drift some more.

While in her reverie, Shinji's image popped into her head. "If we can see him in that form, we'll get answers.… I'm damn curious."

Then Ichigo saying, "Sorry I didn't get to her sooner."

I've had it all wrong, Tatsuki thought ashamedly. Here I thought that these Vizards really wanted to… and that Ichigo was only…

How could I have been so stupid?

She didn't voice any of her thoughts for the rest of the day. She faked a smile and forced some laughs, and tried to play it cool.

But Orihime wasn't fooled.

The young healer let her friend walk off to karate practice, but she watched Tatsuki's back with a concerned frown. It wasn't like Tatsuki to have something on her mind, but not say it. Orihime didn't want to push her, so she didn't mention anything about it. As she turned to start walking home, she decided that, if it kept up, then she would say something. She could at least give Tatsuki some time to gather her thoughts and voice them when she felt ready.

"Inoue."

Her head craned towards the source of the voice, and she unconsciously smiled as Ichigo strode over to her. "Kurosaki-kun," she said.

His scowl lessened, and he nodded to her. "I'm gonna go talk to Shinji. Did you wanna come along?"

She nodded eagerly. "Sure!"

"I'll try to make it quick, since I know you probably need to get home to check on Hinamori-san. I'll walk you back, afterwards."

Her smile softened. "You've walked me home every day the past few weeks. I feel bad that you always do. You don't have to, you know."

"But I want to," he replied bluntly. Then realizing that his statement could be misconstrued, he quickly added, "I mean, I like walking you home. You don't drive me nuts or anything, and you're a girl and-" He winced. "Not that I feel like I'm obligated or something, but… uh…"

A slim arm was suddenly slung around his shoulder. Shinji, having appeared out of virtually nowhere, rolled his eyes. "Try this on fer size: 'Inoue, while I, being a good gentleman, would never knowingly let a lady friend walk home alone, I enjoy your company and like walking you home, so it's not a problem for me at all.'"

Ichigo's eye twitched. "The hell? 'Lady friend?' I don't talk like that!"

"It was an example, ya incompetent blockhead. You're supposed to get the gist of it."

"I could have figured it out myself!"

Shinji's face pinched as he tried to suppress laughter. "Right, after five minutes of mumblin' and lookin' like a fool."

This was when Orihime knew that she needed to stop them before the argument turned into a fight. "Shinji-kun, good timing!" she said rather loudly.

"Huh?" His expression went blank as he peered over at her. "Whaddya mean?"

"Kurosaki-kun and I were going to go look for you!"

He glanced over suspiciously at Ichigo. "Oh, really?"

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo grabbed the elder Vizard by his shirt collar and began to drag him along. "Walk and talk," he muttered.

Orihime quickly strode after them, quietly musing that it was more like "drag and talk." But then, that was how Ichigo got things done, and she supposed it did work. And he'll let go of Shinji-kun eventually… I hope.

By the time they were a good distance from the school, Shinji was walking of his own accord and had been brought up to date with Ichigo and Orihime's homework status.

"So, yer all done?"

They both nodded.

Shinji smirked as he slyly glanced over at them. "I suppose that means yer both ready for trainin', then?"

"We'd like to start Monday," Ichigo clarified. "Just a couple days off, at least."

Shinji nodded along amicably. "Fine, fine. Gives the others a heads-up and time to come back. Urahara and I will be goin' to Soul Society sometime this weekend, anyway."

He honestly couldn't say he was surprised at the questioning glances they gave him. Still, he asked, "What?"

"Why are you and Urahara-san going there?" Orihime questioned, although her tone wasn't condescending, just curious. "I always figured you were happier not going back there."

She's as observant as Ichigo is dense. He shrugged. "Well, Urahara's going over there to get rid of certain documents. His argument, and it's a good one, is that, unless we want another Aizen, some stuff needs to be destroyed and forgotten about."

Ichigo furrowed his brow in wonderment. "You mean his documents about the Hougyoku?"

"That, among other things. He invented a lot of stuff that could be used fer the wrong purposes. He'd rather no one else get the same bright idea as Aizen and use his inventions for… well, to put it bluntly, evil."

"Okay," Ichigo said, "but what about you? Why are you going?"

Shinji looked away shiftily. …But not dense enough. "Abuse privileges, goof off, maybe give some fifth squad veterans a heart attack… who knows."

When Ichigo just kept staring at him, Shinji frowned heavily. "What, ya don't believe me?"

"Not really."

"Thanks for the trust, ya little-"

If he hadn't been so tired, he would have saw it coming, or so he believed.

At least he had time to dodge the sudden attack that came from his left. Shinji shunpoed next to Ichigo, and his eyes scanned his surroundings.

He heard rustling behind him, and when he turned, he caught sight of his attacker, who still had his weapon in hand.

"I let a blind guy attack me. This is embarassin'," Shinji muttered.

Tousen frowned in disgust at the trio. "So, you are collaborating." Although his eyes were covered, it was obvious that his attention shifted to Orihime. "I can understand those two, but why are you involved?" he asked.

Ichigo's hand immediately went for his pocket, where he kept his shinigami badge. "What do you care?"

Suddenly, another presence came racing towards them. "Stop him!" a voice rang out, and Shinji recognized it immediately as Yoruichi's.

Tousen tensed, looking like a deer caught in headlights, and then disappeared in a flash.

Shinji cursed, and threw his books towards Ichigo. "Hold these!" he commanded before he took off after Tousen.

Not too far behind him, he sensed Yoruichi gaining speed, although something seemed to be holding her back. Shinji knew she could shunpo much faster than she currently was, especially given her lofty title of "Goddess of the Flash-step." Despite his concerns, there was no time to wonder why. He had a fugitive to chase, and a much larger problem: he didn't have his sword on him.

It would make things tricky, but he wasn't totally unarmed. He did have his mask.

Despite his exhaustion, Shinji poured all of his energy into chasing Tousen. They darted around trees and foliage, like a dangerous game of tag. He was beginning to catch up with Tousen when the other man turned and fired a kidou spell at him.

Shinji quickly pulled on his mask, and with the added power, was able to dodge the spell, despite its rather large range. Although he would pay for it later, the mask was giving him the extra boost he desperately needed, and within a minute or two, was within arm's reach of his pursuit.

He tried to reach out and grab him, but Tousen spun and swung his sword, forcing Shinji to recoil his hand. I need my zanpakutou, damn it! he mentally cursed, And how the hell can a blind guy maneuver like this, anyway? Shouldn't he have run into somethin' by now?

He pushed himself forward, and was about to make another grab when a clearing appeared before them. Shinji swore out loud when he saw a Garganta open up in the sky. He skidded to a halt, all the while charging a Cero. If I can't grab him, I'll just incinerate him. That'll make him stop.

From the left, on the other side of the clearing, Yoruichi burst out from the forest, and raced forward towards Tousen. Shinji was forced to stop his Cero, not willing to risk hitting her.

Yoruichi flipped forward, and as she landed on her hands, she swung her legs over her head. Two hidden daggers soared out, and went straight for Tousen.

They found their mark, as the man had little time to dodge. However, despite being stuck in his side and slowing him down, they didn't stop him from continuing. Even as Shinji used his last burst of energy to try and chase him down, and as Yoruichi rocketed towards him, he kept going.

Yoruichi leaped, and tried to block Tousen as he neared the Garganta. He struck her with his sword, and she was forced to leap deftly out of the way. She skirted to his right, and began to condense her reiatsu. "Shun-"

"Bakudou #66, Raikouhou."

As soon as Tousen chanted the spell, Shinji fired off a Cero as quickly as he could, aiming it so it was between Tousen and Yoruichi. The martial artist managed to leap back, at the very least, and enough so that the Cero was able to stop the kidou spell by colliding with it.

While Yoruichi came out of the encounter alive, so did Tousen. He leapt into the Garganta, and it immediately closed behind him.

Shinji's chest heaved in and out as his mask disintegrated. Yoruichi hobbled over to him, and for the first time, Shinji realized that she was injured. "He got you?" he asked.

"Earlier," she replied, holding her side, the clothing stained red with blood. "Kisuke and I were out. When we came back to the shouten, we found him. It looked like he had been searching the store, and then Jinta and Ururu must have found him." Her eyes seemed to darken as she continued, "He had his sword pointed at them when we walked in. He used his shikai on us, and Kisuke and I both got injured from it. I went after him anyway."

Very worried, and a little disturbed that the nearly infallible Urahara and Yoruichi were caught off guard enough to be injured, Shinji frowned, and took a step towards her. "Let's get ya to Orihime-chan so she can fix ya up, and then take her down to the shouten, too. What the heck was he looking for, anyway?"

Yoruichi uneasily met Shinji's gaze. "I don't know. I don't know what Kisuke would have that he would want. I don't even know why he's bothering with us. Aizen's dead. What purpose does he have, or what is he striving for?"

Shinji sighed tiredly. "Oh, I'm sure we're gonna find out, whether we want to or not."

He couldn't speak for Shinji, but Urahara Kisuke could say without a doubt that he certainly wanted to know.

He would have been determined to find out the truth had Tousen attacked anyone else. But he had personal motivation to figure out Tousen's mysterious activities. The wretched man had the audacity to break into his store, rummage through his things, corner his charges, and then hurt his best friend.

Urahara was always regarded as patient, and he knew he was. Yet, even he had his limits.

No action, no associate was too low or below him. He didn't care who he had to rely on, as long as they figured out what the captain-turned-traitor was up to.

For two days, he had been stumped as to how to go about gathering information, even though he was willing to try anything. Being unable to act had frustrated him, even to the point of anger. There was no telling if and when Tousen would come back, and he couldn't just waltz into Hueco Mundo and try to find him.

No, he couldn't, but that didn't mean he couldn't have someone else do it, granted he gave them incentive.

The perfect candidate came on the second night after the attack, peering out from a Garganta before stepping out onto thin air. Urahara had never personally talked to this resident of Hueco Mundo, but he certainly knew who he was.

His bright teal hair and the infamous bone jaw he wore on his face told Urahara right away that it was Ichigo's infamous Arrancar rival, Grimmjow Jeagerjacques. From what he garnered, the rebellious Arrancar would serve as the perfect spy, especially since Urahara knew exactly what would get him to cooperate.

Having gone for a midnight stroll when Grimmjow appeared, Urahara initially hid himself when he sensed his presence. But once he saw who it was and the lucky opportunity before him, he stepped out from his hiding spot. Urahara pulled out his fan, and covered most of his face behind it before addressing the wandering Arrancar. "Careful, former Espada. It won't be too long before one of the many shinigami stationed in town take notice of your presence and decide to investigate."

Grimmjow slowly turned towards Urahara, his usual unconcerned frown on his face. "Huh. What makes you think I give a fuck?"

Urahara shrugged innocently. "Just thought I'd point it out. But of course, you wouldn't care. You're only here in regards to one particular shinigami. A substitute, to be exact."

Perhaps not sure whether to be suspicious or not of the knowledge Urahara had of him, Grimmjow glared at him uneasily. "You know Kurosaki?"

"Why, yes!" he exclaimed cheerily, "I suppose you could call me a sort of mentor to him." He lowered his fan, revealing a large smile. "Now, we can go and beat around the bush, or get to the point. I know you're here to fight him again."

The former sexta sneered. "So, you're here to protect his ass?"

"I'm none too familiar with Kurosaki-san's rearend, but no, I'm not. I'm quite confident he can do that on his own." A bit amused by Grimmjow, he shouldered Benihime and tried not to chuckle. "I'm here to offer you a deal."

Now most definitely suspicious, Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at him, his posture tense and ready to go on the defensive. "What deal?"

"You live in Hueco Mundo. I'd like for you to keep an eye on the going-ons of Tousen and Ichimaru. They're up to something, and considering one of them broke into my home the other night, I'd like to know why." Since he knew Grimmjow wouldn't even consider helping without getting something in return, Urahara went on to explain his end of the deal. "I'll give you two weeks. You come back, give me enough pertinent and useful information, and I will give you the chance to fight with Kurosaki. It won't be just any fight, either."

Grimmjow said nothing, but his eyes urged him to continue.

Hooked him. "I don't know if you've been made aware, but Kurosaki-san has gained a significant power increase. Enough to overwhelm the fourth Espada when he was in Hueco Mundo. If you want the match to end all matches with him, I suggest you fight him in this form. The only problem is, it's not something he can call out at will, but I will do my best to inform you of when I think it may happen." He eyed Grimmjow, brow raised. "Have we ourselves a deal?"

The Arrancar snorted softly. "I can just come whenever the hell I want and fight him when he goes into this form."

"Ah, I suppose, but do you really want to keep showing up here every night, and risk getting caught? You'll end up fighting someone who's not Kurosaki and may very well get killed, and that'd be a waste." He glanced over to the side. "Unless, of course, you're collaborating with the two traitors. Then I suppose I can understand your hesitance."

Grimmjow's face contorted into a violent glare. "Don't fucking associate me with them!" He emitted a growl, but then suddenly stared at him in surprise. Cursing his stupidity out loud for falling into Urahara's trap, Grimmjow grumbled, and turned away from him. "Fine, I'll spy on them. Two weeks, right? What exactly are you looking for?"

Satisfied that he finally found help, Urahara visibly relaxed. "Anything suspicious, something that would indicate what they're up to. Strange people wandering around, different activity, odd behavior… anything that you would label as not normal. You would know, I imagine."

Grimmjow nodded curtly. "Sounds easy enough. I'll have your damn information in time. I better get that match."

Urahara smiled slyly. "Oh, you will, I promise. And it'll be a fight you'll never forget."

A small figure peered over the edge of the Garganta. It listened to the conversation exchanged between former shinigami and Arrancar. When they were finished, it slunk back into the dark depths of the portal, its presence unnoticed.

Just the way it wanted to be.

A/N: Okay, be honest: how many Grimmjow fangirls/boys squealed when they saw him appear? Raise your hands. And oh yes, Grimmjow-shaped cookies for this chapter for reviewing!