I'm back! The noveling season is over, and so I make my return to fanfiction. And what better way to come back than with a new chapter? Amirite?

Sorry guys, I'm on a major sugar rush, so I'll just get to the shout-outs and the thanks before I go off on a tangent. Many, many thanks to SleeplessxB3auty, Lydia, p17oyDONju9n, Racholasj, Aline, WestAnimeBrigade, b4ndg33k, Rachel, chuchootrain, Lustful Moon, DarkAngel2098, war90, nypsy, D U A L I T Y x2, Somerlia, and ombre nocturne for the reviews! I luff you guys!

And special thanks to Star and Crystal Dawn for beta-reading this for me! Now, I shall shut up and let you read.

Chapter 17

The worsening funk. The clearer understanding

"Concentrate." Hachi's voice was soft but commanding as he gestured with his large, broad hands at the much smaller Orihime.

She nodded briefly before her brow puckered and she held out her hands in front of her. "Santen Kesshun," she said, deciding to call out at least part of the incantation in order to aid her.

The three Rikka swooped out from her hairpins and formed the triangular shield in front of her. Hachi nodded at it and then glanced at Orihime, who was kneeling on the ground a few feet in front of him. "All right. Now, use your willpower and your reiatsu."

As Orihime stared intently at the shield, Shinji and the other Vizards were watching the training from their perch atop several rocks. They kept a safe distance from Orihime and Hachi just in case, though none of them believed they were in any danger. The worst that could happen was a stray Tsubaki and even then, with Orihime's less-than favorable outlook on battling, he probably wouldn't hurt them much.

"What are they trying to do?" Mashiro asked as she cocked her head to the side. "Make the shield stronger?"

"I don't think so," Rose murmured as he watched Orihime run her hands along the shield. "I think they're trying to make it bigger."

"What the hell for?" Hiyori asked. She crossed her legs stubbornly and rested her elbows on her knees.

Riza glanced over at her casually. "Why not? The shield itself isn't very large. If a huge blast of energy were to come streaming towards all of us right now, her shield wouldn't be able to protect everyone."

"It's easier to work on somethin' like size, rather than strength or power." Shinji never took his eyes off of Orihime as she struggled with the shield, even as Hachi murmured encouraging words. "With all the shit that happened the other day and with Ichigo bein' a dick, her mind's just not altogether. Need her at her best if she's gonna improve her offensive abilities, and I can tell ya fer sure, she ain't at her best right now."

"Then why train at all?" Hiyori countered.

"Better than mopin' in the bathroom, where I found her earlier. Gets her mind off of him for a little while at least."

His answer was a sandal to the head. Shinji spluttered and cursed as he was knocked off his rock by Hiyori's well-aimed smack. "The hell?" he screeched from his sprawled position on the floor as he rubbed his head.

"You were in the girls' bathroom?" Hiyori's glare seemed fiery enough to melt rock as her eyes narrowed at Shinji. "You pervert!"

"I didn't actually go in!" Shinji scrambled to his feet. "I just knocked on the door when I sensed her reiatsu!"

"Liar," Hiyori muttered. "You probably went in to look under the stalls to see some panties, especially considering the last time you probably saw any-"

His pride wounded by Hiyori's insinuation, and refusing to listen to her insulting insinuation, Shinji stuck his face in front of Hiyori's. "Ya friggin' brat! It hasn't been that long, and I could say the same for you-"

Hachi clapped his hands together with enough force to snap everyone's attention towards him. "Enough!"

"S – Sorry," the bickering pair murmured as they backed away from each other.

An astonished gasp made Hachi look away and back down at Orihime, who was smiling in triumph. While Shinji and Hiyori had been bickering, Orihime had managed to expand her shield to three times its original size. "Ah, Hachi-san! I did it!"

"Excellent," he said, patting her on the head as he beamed. "Now, shall we test it?"

"Sure."

He pointed to the other Vizards, who watched warily as Orihime moved the shield and positioned it in front of them. "Like that?" she asked Hachi.

"Yes. Now, keep it steady." Hachi clapped his hands together and chanted, "Hado #63: Raikouhou!"

Before Love could finish the protest that was beginning to form on his lips, the kidou spell fired and rocketed towards the shield. Instinctively, everyone leapt out of the way and behind the rocks just as the spell hit the shield.

The air shook for a second as spell and shield met before it was over. Once the dust cleared, all that was left was Santen Kesshun, still intact and behind it a bunch of flabbergasted, if not impressed, Vizards.

"Nice, Orihime-chan," Shinji said as he poked his head from behind the rock. "Bigger and still strong."

"That was our goal," Hachi said as he relaxed his posture.

The momentary silence was broken with the shrill ring of a cell phone. Shinji frowned bemusedly as he pulled out his cell and looked at the number. "Don't recognize it."

"Then don't answer," Hiyori said.

Ignoring her, Shinji shrugged and flipped it open. He waved off her angry remarks as he said, "Hello?"

"Shinji? It's Matsumoto."

He blinked twice, his expression now completely bewildered. "How did you get my number?"

"A woman has her ways," Rangiku answered coyly. "It's no matter. Is Orihime there?"

"Yeah." Shinji glanced over at Orihime as a way to indicate to her that they were speaking about her. "Why?"

"I need to talk to her. It's kind of urgent, if you don't mind." Her tone wasn't pressing or betrayed any hint of worry on her part, which made Shinji question just how "urgent" this really was.

But he knew better than to question Rangiku. "Right, right. Here." He hopped off the rock and handed the phone to Orihime. "It's for you."

Orihime walked over and took the phone from Shinji, quietly thanking him before pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

She was quiet for a minute, only occasionally nodding to whatever Rangiku was telling her over the phone. She pursed her lips together, her brow furrowed as she finally said, "I understand. I'll come right over. Thank you, Rangiku-san."

She closed the phone and handed it back to Shinji. "I'm sorry everyone, but I need to get back home."

"Is everything all right?" Hachi asked, his smile falling as his eyes met Orihime's.

"I – I think so," she said, hunching her shoulders. "It's just that… Tatsuki-chan is over and from what Rangiku-san told me, it sounds like she really needs to talk with me. And Hinamori-san."

Shinji scratched his head awkwardly. "That might not be too good."

"It's why I should get back." Orihime picked up her books which had been propped against a rock and smiled at Hachi. "Thank you for your help today."

"I'm glad we were able to make some progress. Take care until next time."

She nodded, and then waved to the other Vizards quickly before running towards the stairs.

When she was out of earshot, Shinji sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. "She's more worried than she's lettin' on."

"She's always more worried than she lets on," Hachi amended with a saddened frown.

When Orihime came home, she found Tatsuki waiting for her in the living room, sitting across from Momo. Though it seemed like they had been there for awhile, the tense atmosphere told her that nothing had really been said.

"I'm home," Orihime said brightly, trying to mask her concern as she closed the door behind her.

Tatsuki and Momo both snapped their heads up quickly. "Hey," the former said. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry if I made you worry." Orihime shrugged off her coat and hung it carefully on the coat rack. "I left school with Shinji-kun. I wasn't doing any good by being there anyway."

Her best friend nodded in understanding, and Orihime smiled gratefully, having been afraid that she would get a lecture from her friend about skipping. She looked across the room towards the kitchen, where she spotted Rangiku leaning against the counter. The vice-captain seemed relaxed, but in her eyes Orihime could see the immense relief.

"So what's going on?" Orihime asked Tatsuki.

With her shoulders hunched defensively, Tatsuki glanced away from Orihime nervously. "Well, I kind of wanted to talk about stuff, but…"

"But what?"

For the first time since arriving at the apartment, Tatsuki finally looked at Momo. "I think I owe an apology first."

Momo lifted her head in surprise, but waited for Tatsuki to speak.

Taking Momo's cue, Tatsuki forced her body to relax before she began, "Look, about what happened at the training grounds the other day… I'm sorry. At least, I'm sorry for my words and how I pretty much bit your head off.

"But I'm not sorry for sticking up for Ichigo." Tatsuki leveled a stern gaze at Momo. "I stand by that. I'm not sorry for my feelings, but I'm sorry for the way I… expressed them."

Momo let her head bow and clasped her hands tightly on her lap. "Harsh words or not, they got me thinking. And you were right: I had no right calling Ichigo-chan a monster. I can't even believe I said that."

"You do believe it," Tatsuki said, her tone mildly angry.

"Tatsuki-chan-"

"I don't mean it like that," she corrected before Orihime could scold her. "I just mean, it's what she really believes. I just don't think she ever expected the words to come out of her mouth."

The troubled vice-captain sighed. "Yes and no. I did think what happened during the battle was terrible, but I was just worried, too. And I like Ichigo-chan, don't get me wrong." She glanced up at Orihime and Tatsuki with a plea in her eyes. "I wanted to beat myself up for hurting him so much. But I just don't know what to make of what happened."

Deciding that now was a good time for her to step in, Rangiku walked over in the living room and took a seat next to Momo. "Well, it was a shock for everyone, but it seems like it affected you more. Why were you so…"

"Appalled?" Momo offered with a self-depreciating smile. "I'm not sure, not entirely, but I think it has something to do with all my issues concerning Aizen."

Rangiku and Orihime exchanged surprised, if not worried glances, while Tatsuki just frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Momo was quiet for about half a minute, struggling to get her thoughts together. She fidgeted with her hands before she finally said, "It just makes no sense. As a shinigami, I've always been taught that Hollows are the enemy. They're the ones that we must oppose. And us shinigami, we are supposed to have reason and faculty on our side for the sake of maintaining order in Soul Society and to keep balance in all the worlds. Hollows are just lost souls with no conscience or reasoning."

"But that's not necessarily true," Orihime said quietly. "Nel-san is a very kind Hollow. And Arrancar have a sense of reason, even if they don't always use it."

"I know." Momo shook her head, almost as if in disbelief. "It all seems so backwards. Aizen-tai – I mean, Aizen was supposed to be good and kind, but yet he…"

"Went off the deep end?" Tatsuki offered.

Momo chuckled a bit, despite her words. "Yes, I suppose that's one way of putting it. He just went in a completely different direction and turned into something I didn't recognize. Then the other day, Ichigo-chan transformed into that Hollow and I automatically wanted to label him as a monster, and I did, really." She hung her head in shame. "I was so bent on my absolutes that I didn't bother to consider how careful he was with Orihime-chan or how he didn't hurt anyone who didn't try to stop him."

"And he only hurt them because he was trying to protect us," Orihime explained. "From what I can tell, that form operates on instinct. Anyone who tries to stop him is seen as an enemy."

"Except for you," Rangiku pointed out with a coy smile. "He has a soft spot for you, even at his most primal."

"Yeah, how romantic." Sarcasm dripped in Tatsuki's voice as she rolled her eyes. "But she has a good point."

"Ichigo-chan just wanted to keep her safe." Momo's mouth became set into a determined line. "And really, after everything's said and done, that's all he was doing. Hollow or not, his intention was good, so he isn't a monster for it."

Suddenly she looked up at Orihime, her eyes burning with a question. "But I have to ask, Orihime-chan. During the battle, when he was standing so close and spattered blood all over you, weren't you scared?"

Orihime was understandably surprised at her question, and it took her a moment to register it and think it over. When she came to an answer, she smiled sadly. "Yes. I was scared. But I wasn't scared of him."

"You were scared for him," Tatsuki finished. "You said that a few weeks ago when you came back from Hueco Mondo."

"I did, and I still mean it, but…" The rest of what she wanted to say was left unspoken but understood by the other women: Ichigo doesn't seem to believe that.

"We'll get him to come around," Momo swore quietly, though there was a powerful determination in her words. "I'll do what I can to help; it's the least I can do."

Orihime smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

From his perch against the hallway wall, Hitsugaya sighed quietly in relief. That's one issue down, he thought. Momo had been lost in thought a lot the past two days, and he had figured it was because of Tatsuki's words. He was glad that she had apologized for how she had spoken her mind, but he was even gladder that Momo was seemingly beginning to understand what Tatsuki had been trying to say.

But their problems weren't over. Hitsugaya glanced in the direction of Ichigo's house and frowned. Kurosaki, on the other hand, continues to be a stubborn idiot. What are we going to do about him?

The young prodigy was stumped for an answer to that question. This wasn't a traditional battle, and it certainly wasn't one that reason and logic could win. Therefore, he was out of his element and at a loss as to what to do.

He crossed his arms and leaned his head forward. We have to try, though. Right now, our best bet is that Kuchiki will knock some sense into him. But even she doesn't seem to be having any luck.

Rukia would have, begrudgingly, agreed with Hitsugaya's thoughts.

"Ichigo!" she called for him as she marched up the stairs towards his room.

She received no answer, which was commonplace the past two days. Under normal circumstances, she would have beaten him up for blatantly ignoring her like that, but she decided that right now, persistence was better than physical violence. Then again, she hadn't ruled out the latter option yet.

"Ichigo!" she said again as she peered into his room. She found him sitting at his desk, staring at his blank notebook and closed textbooks. "Hey, are you deaf? I've been calling for you."

His only acknowledgment was a weary but irritated gaze aimed at her. But it was better than nothing; at least he was looking at her.

"Let's go for a walk," she suggested enthusiastically. She wasn't sure why she was trying to ask him to go instead of just forcing him. Maybe it's because even though I'm angry and irritated with him, when I look at him he just seems like he's going to fall apart.

Ichigo did certainly look worse for wear, if not pitiful. His hair was messier than normal, his eyes bloodshot, and his overall demeanor was crestfallen. It was like he hadn't seen the sun shine in years.

"I don't feel like it," he answered before turning away.

No surprise, Rukia thought dryly. "You don't seem to want to do anything, not even your homework," she said, pointing to his notebook which had nothing written in it. "You need to force yourself."

She watched him lean his head forward, and she was sure he wasn't going to answer her when he said, "I just need time."

"For what?" she countered, her tone more demanding than she had intended. "To think? Brood over what happened? Beat yourself up some more? You've done enough of that!" Her voice softened as she continued, "You need to talk to us. You need to talk to Orihime."

His shoulders stiffened when she mentioned Orihime. Still refusing to look at her, Ichigo said quietly, "No. She shouldn't be around me."

"That's crap!" Rukia slammed her hand against the wall, venting her anger. Despite the rather uncommon display of violence (at least against an inanimate object), Ichigo didn't even flinch at her outburst. "She needs you!"

"Needs me?" Ichigo finally met Rukia's gaze, but the dark anger that lay within his eyes almost had her stepping back. "What she needs, Rukia, is a guy who won't have her enduring days of training because she has a connection with a monster. She needs a man who won't put her in harm's way. And she needs a man who won't ever spill blood on her!"

"That's not for you to decide!" Rukia's fist clenched tightly, enough for her stubby nails to dig into the skin of her palm. "It's up to her! Even if you're not good enough for her, which is bullshit, that's her call, not yours!"

She met his ferocious gaze with one of her own, refusing to back down, even as his reiatsu spiked. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Don't even try to intimidate me. It doesn't work."

With a sudden bang, Ichigo's chair was knocked to the floor as he abruptly stood up and strode past Rukia.

"Where are you going?" she demanded as he walked into the hallway.

"The bathroom," he snapped before he walked into it and slammed the door behind him.

Rukia kicked his fallen desk chair, but winced when it collided with the desk and knocked his books onto the floor. "Damn it," she muttered under her breath. She considered picking them up, but then decided to let them stay. "He won't touch them anyway."

She stalked out of his room and stomped down the stairs. From the corner of her eye she saw the twins glance at her in concern, more than likely having heard the yelling from upstairs. As much as Rukia wanted to assure them everything was fine, she couldn't. She didn't have it in her to lie right now.

Instead, she walked past and grabbed her coat. She threw it on as she hurried outside. Her initial plan was to take a walk, but now she felt too drained to go anywhere. She opted to just sit against the side of the clinic and take a breather.

Her hands were shoved into her pockets, and she wiggled her fingers as she felt for her communicator. Without thinking, she pulled out her phone, opened it and punched a few buttons. She held it to her ear and waited as it rung.

"Yo."

It was good to hear Renji's voice. It had served as a harbor for her during the storm that started after the battle two days earlier. "Hey…" Her voice was hesitant, but she didn't bother to conceal it. There was no point in hiding her emotions. Renji would have picked up on it sooner or later.

"…What did he do now?" Renji's voice was irritated, but Rukia knew it wasn't aimed at her.

"Besides his usual rotten attitude?" Rukia sighed as she recalled Ichigo's self-loathing words. "He basically said that Orihime deserves better and that she doesn't need him."

She couldn't see him, but Rukia was sure Renji probably had slapped his palm to his forehead. "Great. He cuts her off, we're in trouble."

"I don't know what to do!" Rukia lightly banged her head against the wall. "I've never seen him hit rock bottom like this. He's going to self-destruct at this rate."

Renji was silent for two minutes, and Rukia could only tell he was still on the line was from the sound of his breathing and the occasional background noise.

"Renji?"

"Then we need to do something drastic. I don't care if we have to throw him in a closet with Inoue and lock the door for a couple of hours." Despite the rather humorous suggestion, his tone betrayed no joking on his part.

"We may have to," Rukia agreed in a low murmur. "I just, I feel like this is my fault."

"Rukia-"

"I know I have no reason to think that, but I do." She glanced up at the sky and noticed it was getting dark already, much like her mood. "I told Orihime once that it was my job to snap Ichigo out of any funks he got himself into." Her voice quieted as she said in a self-depreciating tone, "Some job I'm doing."

"Oi, knock it off." Rukia winced from the anger she heard in his voice, though she knew she had it coming. Renji hated it when she came down on herself. "You're his friend, not his caretaker. If he can't be rational on his own then we'll all have to knock some in there together."

She smiled; those were words she needed to hear. "Yeah, you're right." Suddenly, she started chuckling. "Since when did you turn into the reasonable one?"

"What? I'm reasonable all the time!" Renji protested. Because she knew he was being serious, Rukia couldn't help but laugh even harder. In turn, this made Renji splutter and become even more defensive. "I am!"

"When?" Rukia asked, trying to hide her smile as if Renji could see it, though she was sure he could hear it in her voice.

She wasn't surprised when her question was met with silence. Smirking in triumph, she said, "Like I thought."

"I've been reasonable many times," Renji retorted. "…I just can't think of where to start."

"Right," Rukia said skeptically. "I suppose that you and Ichigo breaking down the wall when we wanted to enter Las Noches is considered one of your reasonable moments."

"What else were we going to do? Walk for three days to the entrance? And for the record, it wasn't just my idea. It was his, too."

"Yes, Ichigo, who embodies the definition of reason," Rukia said dryly.

"…Good point, but it still wasn't a bad idea!"

This set off another string of chuckles from Rukia and thus another string of spluttering from Renji. When the former finally calmed down, she said, "You're a buffoon." Before Renji could protest, she added in a soft voice, "Don't ever change."

I need that goofiness of yours just as much as I need your strength. "It's not a bad thing," she said when Renji grew silent, perhaps at a loss as to what to say to her earlier statement. It's not. It's one of the best things about you, and that's why I…

"I'm coming over."

"Eh?" Rukia blinked in surprise, even as she heard shuffling in the background and Renji yelling that he was leaving to Urahara or whoever was there at the shop.

"I said I'm coming over. We're going to get this crap done with. I'll see you soon." And with that he hung up, leaving Rukia to stare bemusedly at her phone.

Renji arrived over a half hour later, his bright red hair visible even in the fading light. Rukia was still sitting outside of the clinic when he shuffled up to her, his shoulders hunched underneath his coat. "Yo."

"Hey." Rukia stood to her feet, and glanced up at him. "What's with the sudden urge to come over?"

"Like I said, I want to settle this." Renji glanced towards the clinic, his eyes narrowing in determination. "Come on. Let's go talk to him. We won't stop until he listens."

Rukia nodded. "Right." As she began walking back into the clinic, with Renji right behind her, she thought, Goofiness and strength. It makes no sense, but it works for him.

She gently pushed open the side door before poking her head in. "Uncle?"

Within seconds, Isshin appeared from parts unknown, wearing his usual smile. "Ah, Rukia-chan! What can I do for you?"

"Well, uh, I thought I'd let you know I have a friend of mine over." Rukia stepped in and beckoned towards Renji, who remained standing in the doorway. "This is Renji."

Isshin walked over to Renji. His expression stern, he held his face just inches away from Renji's as he closely examined him. The vice-captain refused to step back, even though he felt Isshin was seriously violating his personal space. The corner of his lip twitched, but he showed no other sign of discomfort under Isshin's scrutinizing stare.

Without warning Isshin thumped Renji heavily on the shoulder, almost sending the redhead toppling. "Ha! I like him! I approve heartily, Rukia-chan!"

"A – Approve?" she asked as she helped Renji up.

"Of him! What a fine young man!" Isshin gave her a not-too-subtle thumbs up. "I'm so happy for you, Rukia-chan!"

It took the pair a moment to register what Isshin was implying. When they did, both of them bore blushes the shade of Renji's hair as they said, "What?"

"Oh don't be so shy about it!" Isshin waved his hand dismissively at them. "Young people these days. When I was a lad, we boasted about our love lives! Now, if Ichigo would only…" He looked towards the stairs. "Perhaps a good daddy and son talk is needed! Oh Ichigo-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

"W – Wait, uncle…" Rukia reached her hand out to stop him, but Isshin was already bounding up the stairs.

"So much for our smackdown with him," Renji muttered under his breath.

Isshin reappeared on the stairs, this time looking a little confused. "Hmm, Rukia-chan, do you know where Ichigo is?"

Frowning, Rukia started walking towards the steps. "He was in the bathroom earlier. Could he still be in there?"

Rukia, Isshin and Renji climbed the stairs and walked cautiously towards the bathroom door, which was still shut. "Ichigo?" Rukia knocked on the door. "Hey, are you still in there?"

They were met with silence. Rukia and Renji exchanged glances before the latter nodded and pounded on the door. "Oi, Ichigo. Open up. We gotta talk."

No answer again. Isshin scratched his chin and stared thoughtfully at the door. "Odd. I know he's been acting strange lately, but even this is going a little far."

Apparently Renji agreed, because he suddenly wrenched the door open. "Hey! We're-"

His mouth dropped as he stared into an empty bathroom. Rukia peered around him, and her eyes widened as they traveled over towards the open window. The room was freezing with all the cold air blowing in.

"What on earth?" Rukia nudged Renji aside and stepped inside. "Did he go out the window?"

Isshin quietly walked past her and to the window. He leaned against the windowsill with his hands and looked out. His smile had vanished, leaving behind such a serious expression that Rukia felt like she was looking at a different person. "Uncle…"

"We'll search for him, sir," Renji said, his mouth set in a grim line. "I'm sure he didn't get far."

"Yeah, we'll find him, uncle. We'll be back soon."

Rukia began to walk out, but paused right before the threshold. She threw a glance over her shoulder at Isshin, who remained silent and was still looking out the window. She sighed quietly before walking out of the room and down the stairs with Renji, leaving Isshin alone with his swirling thoughts.

As soon as the two of them were a block away from the clinic, they both pulled out their communicators and began calling their friends. Renji called Sado while Rukia called Ishida, and they both explained to them what had happened.

Once both friends told them that they hadn't seen Ichigo but would join them in the search, they hung up and made the next set of calls.

"I'll call Shinji," Renji said as he went through his contacts.

"You have his number?" Rukia asked in surprise; even she didn't have it.

He nodded as he pressed some buttons. "Urahara gave it to me. I asked for it back when Ichigo and Inoue started training with them. Just in case."

What Renji had in mind for "just in case" Rukia didn't know, but she decided that whatever his reasoning was didn't matter. "Right. I guess… I need to call Orihime."

"We should have called her first, I think, but…" His eyes saddened as he met Rukia's gaze, and she understood what he was saying: it was unlikely that Ichigo was there, and telling Orihime what had happened was only going to make her worry more.

"I know." Biting back the guilt, Rukia punched in Orihime's number and held the phone to her ear as the other line rung.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Orihime." Rukia tried to make herself sound relaxed, despite feeling anything but. "What are you doing?"

"Um, I'm just having some tea with Rangiku-san, Hinamori-san, and Tatsuki-chan. Would you like to join us?" she asked cheerfully, her voice filled with so much sweetness that it only fueled the guilt Rukia felt, knowing that she was about to ruin Orihime's day.

"I'd love to, but… ah, damn it." She wiped a hand over her face and tried to compose herself. She felt Renji's hand squeeze her shoulder, and it helped her to continue on. "Orihime, have you seen Ichigo?"

"Not since yesterday. Why?"

"He's sort of missing. I mean, I'm sure he's just out taking a walk or something," she said, trying to sound nonchalant. "But he left the clinic without a word and we can't feel his reiatsu."

She heard Orihime inhale sharply, and she winced. I'm sorry, Orihime.

"We have to find him," Orihime said, her voice shaky despite how resolute she sounded.

"We're out searching for him right now. Ishida and Sado have been told and are going to help and Renji's calling Shinji."

"I will, too. And – oh, um, hang on." Orihime's voice became muffled as she started talking to someone else. Rukia waited and listened until Orihime was finished. When she came back on, her voice was slightly sheepish. "Tatsuki-chan, Hinamori-San, Rangiku-san and Hitsugaya-taichou are coming, too."

"The more the better. We're meeting at the community park."

"Okay. See you soon."

"Yeah." Rukia hung up and turned to Renji, who was already finished speaking with Shinji. "What'd he say?"

"Haven't seen him either. They're gonna start looking through the warehouses before meeting up with us."

"All right. Let's head over to the park then. We'll ask anyone along the way if they've seen Ichigo."

By the time they reached the park, they had asked over two dozen people if they had seen Ichigo, and none of them had. Most of the people they talked to assured them that they would have seen someone with orange hair, and since it was easy to see Ichigo in a crowd, Rukia and Renji knew that wherever Ichigo was, he wasn't anywhere near where they were searching.

"I'm going to throttle him when we find him," Renji muttered darkly as they walked into the park.

"That makes several of us." Rukia was not in a good mood, although her worry currently overrode any irritation she felt towards Ichigo. "I think I see Orihime."

As they came closer, the pair could clearly see Orihime, Tatsuki and the shinigami staying with Orihime standing next to a group of trees. Orihime waved to them, though it lacked her usual enthusiasm.

"Any luck?" Rukia asked them.

"No." Hitsugaya crossed his arms and closed his eyes in concentration. "We asked anyone we could, but if Kurosaki's out there, he's not in the vicinity of Inoue's apartment."

"And he's not in the clinic's part of the town, either," Renji said as his brows furrowed. "But there are plenty of places we haven't searched."

"Oi!"

Everyone's heads turned towards the direction of the voice. Further down the path, they saw Ishida hurrying over towards them. "Someone spotted Kurosaki."

"Where?" Orihime asked, taking a step towards Ishida.

"In the east, heading towards the Mitsumiya district. It was about an hour ago, though."

"It's better than nothing," Hitsugaya said as he straightened his back. "It's a trail. Let's head that way and see if we can catch up to him."

"Sado's where we talked to the witness." Ishida turned and led the way, the others following closely behind him as they ran out of the park and headed east.

They were a strange sight: a rather odd-looking group of eight individuals tearing through Karakura Town. They startled the older man whom Sado was talking with when they arrived. "Goodness, what a party," he said.

"We apologize, but we're looking for a friend." Ishida bowed politely to the elder before continuing, "You said you saw him?"

"If you're referring to that downcast orange-haired boy, then yes. He was moving rather quickly. He went down that way." He pointed to an adjacent street nearby. "Knew where he was going, if you ask me."

"Thank you very much, sir." Ishida bowed again before turning to the others. "He has some destination in mind."

For the first time, Sado spoke, "We're near Urahara's shop, aren't we?"

"Ah!" Orihime smiled and nodded. "That's right! Maybe he went to talk to Urahara-san!"

"I hope so," Rangiku murmured. "Let's stop by and ask. If anything, he might have an idea of where Ichigo is."

Together they walked to Urahara's, following the same path that Ichigo likely had used to get there. The trek wasn't a long one, for the shop was only a few blocks away.

When they arrived, Orihime excitedly pushed open the shop door, likely expecting to see Ichigo inside. "Hello, Urahara-san! Where is…"

She froze when she saw the shouten residents standing around in a loose circle around Urahara, who was holding a note in his hands.

He looked up when Orihime came in, his expression neutral. "I'm afraid you missed Kurosaki-san. As did I."

"Huh?" Orihime slowly walked inside with the others right on her heels. "What do you mean?"

Urahara handed her the note as Yoruichi frowned sadly. "I think this will explain it."

She took the note and read it out loud for the others, "'I'm sorry for taking your cloak. I promise to return it soon.' Signed, Kurosaki." Her shoulders sagged as she let the note dangle at her side. "I see."

"I'm afraid that cloak he stole represses reiatsu, so searching for him would be close to impossible. It's getting too dark outside to conduct a proper search anyway." Urahara leaned his head forward until his hat covered most of his face. "He doesn't want to be found right now, and as much as we may hate it, we have to respect it for the time being."

"So, what are we supposed to do? Just wait?" Tatsuki demanded.

"What else would you propose?" Urahara asked, lifting his head and raising an eyebrow. "Searching for him now would be pointless and time consuming. If anyone else is searching, I suggest you contact them and call it off."

Renji grumbled as he pulled out his communicator. "I'll call Shinji back," he said as he punched in his number. "He's gonna be mad."

Tatsuki clenched her fist for a second before forcing it to relax. "Let's go back to your place, Orihime, and get some work done. We'll worry about your idiot boyfriend tomorrow." She slung an arm around her best friend's shoulders and gave her a smile.

Orihime nodded, and Tatsuki began to lead her out of the shop. She stopped, bringing Orihime to a halt with her right before the door. Tatsuki turned her head and said, "I'm letting this slide tonight, but starting tomorrow, this crap is going to stop."

Granted, she had no idea how she was going to bring an end to Ichigo's funk, but she had a gut feeling that something tomorrow would inspire her to put an end to it.

She had no idea just how right she was.

A/N: dun dun dunnnnnn. Well, maybe. We'll see how right she is next chapter. Until then, R&R and have a good holiday everyone!