Once he felt Ichigo was asleep, and sleeping peacefully, Urahara adjusted their bodies so that Ichigo was laying on the bed, no longer laying on top of him. Grabbing his pants, he put them on quickly, trying to be as quiet as he could. He didn't want to startle his lover awake, but he also wanted to find out just what the fukutaichou was doing in his shoten.
Urahara opened his bedroom door quietly, watching the sleeping substitute shinigami for any sign of waking up. All he heard were the gentle snores of Ichigo, which made a small smile appear on his face, his bangs falling into his eyes, obscuring his vision only momentarily. He closed the door behind him and heard a loud cackle come from down the hallway. Shaking his head, he headed towards all the noise.
Walking into the room which had previously been occupied by Orihime, Ishida and Sado was now occupied with a couple Urahara was most definitely not expecting to see. He saw Yoruichi watching his reaction when he saw just who was sitting in there. She let out a snicker as Urahara felt severely undressed, only in his drawstring pants.
"Abarai, why did you not inform me you weren't alone?" Urahara asked, trying to keep his focus on the redhead, rather than the other persons that were in the room with him.
Renji chuckled. "Well, I never saw an opportunity in the short conversation we had."
"That's enough." Urahara looked at Renji's taichou, Kuchiki Byakuya, who was sipping his tea as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. I wish I knew how he does that. Urahara sat down next to the taichou, shaking his head. "Yes, Kisuke?"
Urahara scratched the back of neck. "I...I'm not quite sure why you're here, Byakuya. Just exactly why are you here?"
"Yamamoto has decided it would be best if there were a few members of the Gotei 13 here to help in case there is another Arrancar attack." Yoruichi said from across the room, a smirk on her face. "And I would have warned you, but it seems you were rather...occupied when we returned from Soul Society."
Heat began to color his pale cheeks, making the shop keeper speechless. "Oh, don't worry about it!" Urahara looked at the buxom blonde who was sitting next to her taichou. "We all understand that you two needed some time. It was our poor timing."
"Matsumoto..." Hitsugaya Toshiro spoke in a strained voice, his eyes closed tightly.
"Tssch," another voice sounded from behind where Urahara was. There were two more Gotei 13 members, the one that had made the noise was wearing a burnt orange cloth covering his shinigami uniform. "I thought it sounded rather lovely." Ayasegawa Yumichika said, his long false eyelashes batting playfully.
"You would," his bald partner Madarame Ikkaku grumbled. "This is ridiculous. Why are we even here again?"
Byakuya set his cup of tea down. "Because you cannot survive in the human world without a gigai. And the man who you all keep speaking about is the one that will provide those to you."
"Kuchiki-san," Urahara's voice trembled, his nerves getting the best of him. "I...I don't even know where to start with that many Gigai."
Yumichika let out a snort. "Well, you should still have our Gigai's, from when we were here fighting the Bounts, yes? Or did you destroy those?"
"I destroy nothing," Urahara said, quick to answer the fourth seat. "Yes, your Gigai is still here, as is Abarai's and Matsumoto's. However, I will need to create one for Ikkaku and the two taichou's."
Byakuya cleared his throat. "I only came to make sure they all arrived safely. I will be heading back to Seireitei as soon as everything is taken care of. So, I will not be needing a Gigai."
"Is there anyone else hiding?" Urahara asked, looking at Yoruichi.
She shook her head. "No, but both Jushiro and Shunsui give their regards."
"Wonderful," Urahara said, the blush returning at the mention of the two taichous. "What am I supposed to do about Ichigo? He cannot know you all are here."
Toshiro nodded his head. "I agree. It would be best to keep him uninformed until it's absolutely necessary."
"Awww...taichou..." Matsumoto whined softly. "I wanted to see him and his friends."
"Might I suggest you all attend his high school?" Byakuya commented off-handedly. "This way, you all can keep an eye on him at school."
Urahara closed his eyes, his control of the situation starting to slip away. However, he would be the first to admit that Byakuya did have a valid point. It would be easy to assimilate the shinigami into his school, have them watch over the others where he could not. He looked at Yoruichi. "I'll be in the lab with the two shinigami." He looked at the others. "I suggest you all go out for a few hours, as this may take a bit. And do not return here until I get Ichigo out of here. He does not have school until the day after tomorrow, so this may be a little tricky."
"Just call Shinji," Renji suggested. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind hanging out with Ichigo tomorrow."
The shop keeper felt his heart clench at the mention of his lover spending time with the Visored. He knew it wasn't necessary to be that way, as he trusted Ichigo and he trusted Shinji. The worry must have been etched on his face, more so than he intended, for Renji continued speaking. "I mean, you can always spend the time with them as well. I know my way around this place."
"A good point," Urahara said as he stood up. "Since you're familiar with this place, why don't you go and show the others where the lab is? I'll be there in a few minutes." He looked over at Byakuya. "When will you be leaving?"
The noble taichou gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "In a little bit, I suppose. Why?"
"Join me?"
Byakuya stood up and smoothed out his haori. The two exited the room, as the shinigami took back up their talking and bantering with one another. Urahara approached his room and looked at Byakuya. "Would you mind giving me a moment? I...I had only expected to see Abarai, so I did not feel the need to put on a shirt."
"Go ahead," Byakuya said, a small smirk gracing his face as he leaned against the wall.
Heading into the bedroom, he saw that Ichigo was still sleeping soundly, his snores filling the quiet room. Urahara grabbed a t-shirt, not wanting to put on the matching shirt to his pants, as he knew his lab was not the cleanest rooms in his place. He walked quietly back out of the room, closing the door behind him. He looked at Byakuya and began to walk down the hall towards the room he used to store the Gigai. He opened the door and heard Byakuya close it behind him.
"Ah, wonderful," Urahara said, looking around the room at the assortment of Gigai. "It seems that I have two already available for both Hitsugaya-san and Madamare-san."
"Kisuke," Byakuya's voice sounded from behind him. "Why did you want me to come in here with you?" The quiet nature of the taichou's voice forced the shop keeper to keep his ears open.
He turned to look at him. "What is Soul Society's plan?"
"There isn't one," Byakuya said.
Surprisingly enough, the shop keeper wasn't shocked by this statement. "If there is no plan, why are the others here? I can understand why you would allow Renji to be here, as he's been here before under assignment. But the others? And a taichou? Surely there must be some sort of plan."
"I believe that the Gotei 13 want to wait and see what happens. Based upon Yoruichi's telling of what happened when the two of you arrived, Yamamoto thinks that Aizen won't be striking again."
"You're joking," Urahara said, shaking his head.
"I wasn't finished," Byakuya said, smirking. Urahara stopped his next sentence and gave a small nod of his head. "That being said, the rest of the court decided that it would be in our best interest to send reinforcements to help, should his logic prove to be incorrect."
Urahara let the air out of his lungs, unaware that he had been holding his breath. "And who do I have to thank for that?"
"Who do you think?" Slate-grey eyes held a hint of mischief behind them, causing Urahara's heart to flutter for a moment.
"Jushiro," Urahara ran a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture.
"And...?" Byakuya asked, the smirk growing larger.
"You?" Urahara's eyes grew wide. "But...why?"
"I want to make sure everyone is safe," Byakuya shrugged his shoulders. "It's not my fault you both have gotten under my skin. Do you know that Renji still talks about when you and Kurosaki were in Soul Society?"
The heat began to race through Urahara's body, unsure of what he was supposed to say to that statement. The taichou, however, didn't let him have a chance to say anything before continuing on. "Would you like for me to go and get the others, so they can be in their Gigai, so you may be left alone with Kurosaki?"
"Please?" Urahara heard his own voice waver, still trying to process what Byakuya had just admitted to him. He leaned against the tall table where miscellaneous equipment was stored.
Byakuya turned and walked over to the door. He walked out, not bothering to say anything else, leaving the shop keeper trying to keep his body in check. He looked around and pulled the already used Gigai's out from behind a cloth, and then placed the two unused ones on the table. He saw the shinigami walk into the room, Renji flipping on the light, forcing Urahara to blink a few times to let his eyes adjust to the light.
"Why were you in the dark?" Renji asked, tilting his head to the side.
Urahara laughed nervously once more. "I was in the dark? Huh, I guess I'm so used to the dimness that it didn't even bother me." Before anyone else could make a comment, Urahara began to speak again. "Alright, those of you that have been here before, you can see which is your Gigai. Please, if you will?" He gestured to the three bodies that were resting against the wall. He watched Matsumoto, Renji and Yumichika approach their Gigai. He looked over at Ikkaku and Toshiro. "Hitsugaya-san, this smaller model should be good for you."
"Please, just call me Toshiro," the small taichou said, looking at the blank Gigai. He walked over to it and pushed himself into the muscle mass, the Gigai immediately taking his shape, making him pass as a human.
Urahara gave a small nod of his head. "Alright, Toshiro."
"Oohhhh, taichou!" Matsumoto crooned. "You look so cute in your small Gigai!" She bent over, smiling brightly.
Toshiro shook his head. "Matsumoto...I'm warning you. Just because I appear smaller, I am still your superior."
"Haaaiii," Matsumoto whined. "Fine. You're no fun."
Ikkaku looked at the other blank Gigai. "Am I supposed to get into this?"
"That would be correct," Urahara nodded his head. "If you please? I want to make sure the lot of you are out of here before Ichigo wakes up."
The third seat of the 11th division got into the blank Gigai, it instantly transforming into a human version of the bald man. "Where's my ZanpakutÅ ?" Ikkaku said, searching his waist.
"It will only appear when you leave your Gigai," Yumichika said. "So, I guess you'll just have to not have something in your hands."
"Like hell!" Ikkaku said, clearly perturbed by this new information. "I need a weapon!"
Matsumoto giggled, shaking her head. "Come on. I think Urahara-san would like us to leave now."
The shinigami filed out of the room, except for the redhead and the dark-haired taichou that seemed to have snuck back into the lab at some point. Urahara looked between the two of them. "Byakuya, are you leaving now?"
"I am," Byakuya nodded. "Will the two of you escort me downstairs?" Now it was the taichou's turn to request something of him.
The three headed down the hallway and Urahara opened the trap door. He watched Renji climb down first, followed by Byakuya. Stepping onto the ladder, Urahara closed the hatch behind him. When he got to the bottom of the ladder, he saw that both Renji and Byakuya were engaged in a passionate embrace, kissing each other with an unrequited passion. He cleared his throat, not wanting them to forget that he was standing right there.
Renji pulled away first, resting his forehead against the side of Byakuya's left cheek, not wanting to put the man's kenseiken out of place. Byakuya wrapped an arm around him and gave a warm embrace. "Byakuya..." Renji's voice was strained.
"It's going to be fine," Byakuya said, keeping him close to him. "You know that I would not leave you like this if I did not feel it was safe." Slate-grey eyes found Urahara's watching him. "Make sure that everyone stays safe. I'll come back when I can to visit."
Urahara nodded his head. "I'll make sure nothing happens to them, Byakuya." He walked over to the noble man and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. Leaning over, he pressed a soft kiss against the man's cheek. "Better get back before Yamamoto worries."
"I suppose," Byakuya withdrew Senbonzakura from his waist, opening his personal senkaimon. Renji was about to say something, but the quiet taichou held up in his hand, facing away from them. "Goodbye," Byakuya stepped through the sliding screen, the senkaimon disappearing as soon as he had stepped through.
The shop keeper looked at the redhead. "Are you going to be alright?" Urahara's voice was soft, not wanting to make the fukutaichou more upset than he already was.
"I guess," Renji said, his shoulders sagging. "Where am I supposed to go for the next few hours?"
Urahara rubbed the redhead's back gently. "You can stay here, Abarai. I just don't want Ichigo to know that the others are here. He already feels horrible for not being able to protect the other two from their attackers. If he found out that members of the Gotei 13 were here to supposedly help him...? I don't think he'd take that very well."
"I'll stay in the back," Renji said, shaking his head. "You're right. He shouldn't be made aware of us just yet. Can I...can I stay here tonight?"
The shop keeper smiled. "Of course you can. Your old room is still available."
"Yeah, but that's right next to where your room is. I really don't want to hear you guys going at it again," Renji groaned.
"Well, I don't know what the alternative would be," Urahara shrugged his shoulders. "Besides, it shouldn't bother you that much."
Renji grumbled under his breath. "Right, you try having to listen to him moan like that when you can do anything."
"My, my," Urahara said, smirking. "And here I thought Byakuya was just being nice." Urahara began to ascend back up the ladder. "Perhaps, if Ichigo is feeling up to it, and you so desperately need a release, then maybe we could work something out."
The redhead grumbled even more. "Right. You didn't hear Byakuya tell me no touching. I can't let him down."
Urahara laughed, opening the door. He held out his hand to Renji. "Serves you right. Your hormones could stay in check for a little bit of time apart. They do say that distance makes the heart grow fonder."
"Right. Fonder. More like painful." Renji sighed. "Fine. I'll go and hide out in my room. Let me know when he's gone home. I'm starving." The redhead walked down the hall and went into his old room.
Taking a moment to collect himself, Urahara walked back into his bedroom. He saw that Ichigo was still fast asleep, much to his surprise. He walked over to the bed and laid down next to him, pulling the teen into his embrace.
"Mmm..." Ichigo mumbled quietly, adjusting to his new position against Urahara. "K-Kisuke...?" Ichigo asked, his voice thick with sleep.
Urahara ran a hand through his short orange hair. "Go back to sleep, Ichigo. I just wanted to hold you for a little bit."
"But...I'm awake..." Ichigo yawned as he looked up to stare at Urahara's face. "Hi..."
"Hi," Urahara smiled, cupping his lover's face with his hand as he kissed him softly. "Did you sleep okay?"
Ichigo nodded and stretched in his arms. "I did. I had a weird dream, though."
"Oh?" Urahara asked, moving to lay closer to Ichigo once he was finished stretching. "What was it about?"
The substitute shinigami shrugged his shoulders, yawning once more. "Now I can't remember..."
"When you do, feel free to tell me all about it," Urahara said, chuckling softly. "Did you want to go back home?"
"I suppose I should," Ichigo said, sighing softly. "I'd rather not, but I guess it would be nice to see my sisters and father. No, wait. Just my sisters."
Urahara laughed. "Yes, just your sisters."
"Will Hirako be watching my house tonight?" Ichigo asked.
"Would you be happier if he wasn't?" Urahara asked.
"No, no. I'd be fine with him watching over us. I...I'd feel better, actually." Ichigo looked up at him. "Before I forget, thanks for watching out for my family. Sorry I got a little upset before."
Kissing him softly, Urahara held Ichigo close. Pulling back from the gentle kiss, Urahara shook his head. "No reason to say thank you, Ichigo. It's the least I can do."
Ichigo pulled himself out of his embrace and stretched one more time. "Did you want to go now?"
"Whenever," Urahara shrugged his shoulders. "If you'd like to go now, we can."
The substitute shinigami nodded and stood up. "I think I'd like that."
"Then, get dressed and we'll head out." Urahara let his eyes linger on Ichigo's lower body, marveling at just how beautiful his lover was.
Ichigo squeaked and quickly covered himself. "Kisuke!"
"What?" He smirked, loving how self-conscious he had made his lover by just one little statement.
Ichigo threw a pillow at Urahara. "You're terrible, you know that?"
"And yet, there you stand, still naked..."
"Kisuke!"
...
A/N: And now we've got everyone in place. Up next, a day with Shinji. ^_^ Thanks for reading!