Previously on Bridge the Gap, Kyoukan!

Jesa wakes up in her inner world and sees a woman, who is revealed to be Jesa's power spirit. Jesa explores her inner world, which truly does represent her mind rather literally. Nee-chan, as Jesa dubs her power spirit, at least until said spirit is willing to reveal her name, shows Jesa a part of her inner world where doors are placed here and there. Jesa quickly realizes that these doors lead to her friends' inner worlds, and the white one was Sode no Shirayuki's entry point when Jesa accidentally drew her in.

Chapter 10: A Riddle and Other Questions

"So, what's the test to prove I'm worthy of learning your name, Nee-chan?" I asked eagerly as she sat down beside me.

"My name is spelled out somewhere in here. Your test is to figure out where," my power spirit answered.

"What! But-but-but... There are so~ many books in here! How can I figure out which one has it?" I complained.

"Listen closely. I'll repeat the hint," she said with a mischievous smile. "'My name is spelled out somewhere in here.' You just assumed it was in a book, but I never said that."

"So... it's not in the bookshelves?" I asked, trying to clarify what she was telling me.

"I didn't say that, either." Nee-chan started chuckling madly. "You're gonna be so~ annoyed once you figure this out, if you don't get it soon." She pulled out a notepad and pencil from her jeans pocket and handed them to me. "Here, use this to write down the riddle and anything else you think might be relevant."

I nodded. "Hm. You called this a riddle, and those usually have clues hidden in plain sight. I'd better copy our whole conversation down." I began writing on the notepad rapidly so I wouldn't forget any of the details.

"You do that," she replied. After I finished writing, Nee-chan stood up. "While you think about the riddle, I'll go see how Sode-san's doing."

"You mean those doors work both ways?" I said, looking up. After she nodded, I smirked deviously. "Which one's Renji's door?" I asked excitedly. "I wanna see if Zabimaru will work with me on some pineapple jokes. Zabimaru gets along with her wielder about as well as Ichigo and Rukia get along, right? They work together well, but are more than willing to give each other a hard time?"

"Jesa..." Nee-chan sighed. "I don't think you should be fooling around in other people's inner worlds, especially when they don't even know you have access, let alone how you can get in."

I briefly wondered how Nee-chan could sound so much like a parent reprimanding a stubborn child when she hardly looked much older than I was. "So why's it okay for you to go visit Sode-san?" I protested, crossing my arms over my chest, unintentionally making that analogy even more valid.

Nee-chan took a deep breath in exasperation. "Sode-san and I have already met. While you were telling Rukia where her zanpakuto was, I took the opportunity to explain the situation to Sode-san. Thus, she already knows about the doors."

I opened my mouth to continue protesting, but Nee-chan kept going. "And she gave me permission to visit, as long as I don't abuse the privilege."

I huffed. "Fine... Guess I'll go see what's going on outside." After a few seconds' pause, I asked sheepishly, "Um, how do I get back to my body?"

Nee-chan paused and turned back to me, her hand already on the doorknob of the door to Rukia's inner world. "It's one of the doors around here. Find the one with the picture of your cross charm."

I nodded. I was surprised at first, but then it started to make sense. The other doors lead to other people's inner worlds, presumably people I'm friends with, or maybe other Bleach characters who are trustworthy (e.g. Shiro-taicho, but not Aizen-the-evil-freak-I-prefer-not-to-think-about), so my door leads to my body, since I'm already inside my inner world.

"One more thing, Jesa," Nee-chan called, breaking me out of my musings. "If you need me, just call for me. You don't need to come looking for me in Rukia's or anyone else's inner world. I'll hear you, wherever I am."

"Drat," I said, feigning annoyance. "Now I'll have to find some other loophole."

Nee-chan apparently didn't deem my comment worthy of a reply, since she just walked through the white door and shut it behind her. I didn't quite realize she had already left until I heard the soft click of the latch as the door closed.

"Guess I'd better find that door back to my body, then," I said as I stood up to look for my door.

"Gosh, darn it!" I muttered as I woke up in my body, which was still on the futon Yoruichi led me to in Urahara's training ground. "I forgot to ask Nee-chan what my call phrase is!"

"But you did meet your power spirit, right?" I heard a young female voice say from my left.

"Yeah, that's true. At least I made some progress," I answered as I sat up. I turned to see who was talking with me. It was... a chicken plushie wearing a blue hoodie. "Lirin, right?"

"Not quite," she answered. "But you're from America, so as long as you don't mess it up again, I'll let it go this time. It's Ririn." Her tone told me she was trying to be uppity, but my kyoukan said the tone was faked.

"That's... generous," I said, smiling in surprise and gratitude. I knew how up-tight this mod soul could get. "Thanks, Ririn-chan." I looked around for the others, eager to share the news of my success, but it seemed that Ririn and I were the only ones down here. My check for the others' reiatsu confirmed this, so I asked Ririn what the others were up to.

Ririn hopped up onto the futon and took her time getting comfortable, sitting on my knee, before answering. "Urahara made some ramen for everyone for dinner, and Renji mentioned a message from his captain. I suppose they're probably discussing the details of that message currently."

"Mkay. So, ramen for dinner? Oh, crap, dinner!" I slapped my forehead. "Mom wanted me to call if I wasn't going to be eating at home! Oh, where's my cell phone?" I felt something vibrating in the pocket of my jeans. "Well, that answers that question. So, question number 2: Who's calling me?" I pulled out my pink flip phone and saw 'Mom' on the caller ID. I quickly flipped the cell open. "Hey, Mom," I greeted.

"Jesa, it's after seven o'clock. Have you had dinner yet?" my mom asked worriedly.

"Not yet," I answered. "But it's just about ready. Sorry I forgot to call." I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment.

"It's okay, but I do worry. You're my only daughter, and you're my eldest." There seemed to be something Mom wanted to add to that, but she changed the subject instead. "So, are you having fun with your new friends?"

I thought about that. I had spooked Jinta, which was fun. I had comforted Ururu after Jinta stopped picking on her, which wasn't as fun. I had teased Renji for being a pineapple, which definitely was fun. I got a new nickname that I liked, which was, if not fun, at least enjoyable. I met my power spirit, which was awesome. "Yup, I'm having a great time, Mom."

"Good to hear," Mom said, no longer worried. "I want you home by 9, Jesa. You have school in the morning, and you need to get used to a proper sleep schedule."

"Okey-doke. I'll make sure I set an alarm so I don't forget. Love you, Mom," I said, smiling happily.

"I love you more," I heard as I hung up.

"So, Ririn, want a ride upstairs?" I offered after setting my phone alarm for 8:30.

"Sure," she replied, hopping from my knee to my shoulder.

As I shut the trap door to the basement, I heard a knock on the outer door of Urahara's shop. I looked up to see...

A/N: To see... a cliffhanger!

As always, thanks to Apocalyxtic98 for beta reading, and to Delaware Visitor (the original Kiwi) for her help as well.

Story Image is up! Credit goes to my friend who shall remain anonymous as I have lost contact with her since then, and I never managed to ask what name she wanted me to use.

God bless, and Happy Holidays! (Christmas has passed, but there's still New Years!)