Jumping out of his garganta the young hybrid touched down softly. The sun was starting to set over the thriving metropolises below, which he had to admit gave it calm and peaceful appearance. 'She could be at MBI headquarters, it makes sense. That would also mean a frontal assault like Hueco Mundo and that turned into a real shit show. No! I'm going to have to do this Kisuke's way.' He was getting ready to let out his spiritual senses to begin tracking Inoue, when his pocket started to vibrate. Scowling a bit at being interrupted he dug through his pocket to retrieve his phone. Cursing at which name showed up on the display screen, he tentatively answered the call.

"Hello Ukitake Taicho what can I do for you?"

"No need to be so formal Ichigo. I just received a rather troubling call from Urahara-san and I wanted to clear up the details with you." Stated the white haired dual sword wielder.

"Right, something came up and I'm going to be on vacation for a while. I just wanted to let you know so preparations could be made in case I took longer than expected." Lied the young visored.

"Lying doesn't suit you very well Ichigo, you're not very good at it. Besides Urahara-san already told me all about the Sekirei, so why are you trying so hard to cover this up?"

"Because Inoue is involved and the Gotei Thirteen doesn't have the best track record when it comes to beings with unique powers." The teen stated rather bluntly.

Ukitake actually blanched a little at that. It was true the Central Forty-Six was comprised of xenophobes, which preferred to kill off those different than themselves, instead of implementing a live and let live policy. The Mod-Souls, Bounts, Visoreds and Quincy all raced to mind after the teen made his statement.

"So you decided not to tell us because you don't trust us is that it?"

"Partially yes, don't misunderstand me Ukitake you know my loyalty is to the Seireitei, but right now I want to do this on my own. If you could keep this quiet for me I would appreciate it."

"Why all the secrecy Ichigo?"

"Aside from what I already stated I don't want Kurotsuchi getting wind of the Sekirei. God only knows what he would put them through."

With a heavy sigh he had to give in, Ichigo brought up good points. With Inoue being a Sekirei he had to agree that keeping his demented colleague and the others out of the loop would probably be for the best. He owed the young lady that much after she cured him of his chronic illness. He was really glad he had that coughing fit in front of her, after explaining the circumstances, being the kind soul that she is she insisted on letting her help him. He was amazed at the results, the young teen had managed to heal something that no other in the Seireitei had been able to do. He would keep this quiet, his honor wouldn't allow him to do otherwise.

"You have my word that I will not tell anyone else Ichigo, not even Shunsui."

"Thank you Ukitake, did Geta-Boshi also mention his conditions for my participation in this?"

"Yes he did and I agree with his logic one hundred percent. Not using your power will also help keep you under Squad Twelve's radar." The older man confirmed.

"One other thing, I might have to get my hands dirty in this mission." The young transcendent warned.

Ukitake was never comfortable with letting his subordinates kill anything but hollows. For Ichigo of all people to indirectly request permission left an unsettling feeling in his stomach. He knew Ichigo wasn't a blood thirsty individual, but he also knew that if an innocent were in danger Ichigo wouldn't hesitate to use lethal force. He didn't like it, but he trusted Ichigo's judgment.

"That's fine, just please use your best judgment and keep the body count as low as possible." Pleaded the Thirteenth's Taicho.

"Understood, I will get in touch with you when I find Inoue, bye Ukitake."

"Be careful Ichigo talk to you later."

Placing his phone back in his pocket, he let out his spiritual sense. It was cumbersome to cover the whole city and much to his chagrin he wasn't able to. To his amazement though this city was packed with individuals with high reiatsu. From his vantage point on a steep hill bordering the city, he could feel at least fifty different signatures. Though they were different individuals all the signatures came back eerily similar.

'FUCK' he was pissed, all of these Sekirei had a damn near identical reiatsu to Inoue. Things just got a shit load more complicated for the orange haired hybrid. With his spiritual senses still trying to locate the busty healer, he felt a sudden spike in reiatsu indicating that someone was in trouble. He was gone a split second later in a whisper of shunpo.

"Stop resisting me you little bitch!" demanded a young brown haired man, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

"No! Please stop you are not my destined Ashikabi!" pleaded the frantic young lady. She was tired, it had been an all-day game of hide and seek, except this game had not been played for joy. No matter where she went the young man was hot on her heals, her giant hammer made it difficult for her to hide. Now she was finally out of breath without the energy to run another step. 'I don't want this, not from him, why is this happening to me.' She was crying now as he roughly grabbed her by her chin tilting her face up towards him.

Ichigo rounded the corner into the alleyway just as their lips met. He was disgusted with himself, he heard her pleas for help as he was drawing near. He pumped as much reiatsu in his legs as he could, but it still wasn't enough. He could only stop and stare when light azure wings erupted from her back, made completely out of energy.

With tears still in her eyes she addressed her new ashikabi "I am Sekirei number 84, Yashima your wish is my command Ashikabi-Sama." Finishing by bowing to her new master.

Ichigo was seeing red at the image in front of him, an emotionally broken, brown haired, grey eyed girl was just forced to pledge her loyalty to a scumbag. An image of a crying Inoue overlapped with the young Sekirei, who was now sitting on the ground exhausted from her winging. He didn't even realize when he started moving again or if he even had his power contained (he did). When his mind cleared the newly made Ashikabi was flat on his back holding a shattered nose.

"What the fuck is your problem you fucking asshole!" the brown haired man roared as he scrambled to his feet producing a small knife from inside his pullover sweatshirt.

"You just forced yourself on that Sekirei you pile of shit!" the Visored shot back before continuing in a spookily calm voice "and I don't plan on letting you walk out of this alley."

He was cursing himself mentally for the chill that ran down spine at this kid's voice. He was even more disheartened by the involuntary shake in his hand. 'What the hell am I shaking for I'm the one with the knife god damn it! This little bastard just caught me off guard is all.' With some small measure of resolve restored he charged forward intending to impale his opponent. He nearly shit his pants when his hand was stopped mid strike, his eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of the incoming fist. With a sickening thud he was sent reeling back once again.

"Why are you doing this to me" the downed man slurred, spitting up a small glob of blood. "They are nothing more than tools to be used in the game."

He made up his mind he was going to kill this fucker! Anybody that looks at another living person as just a tool, is a piece of shit in his book. It was no longer time for conversation, he wasn't going to enjoy doing this. Stalking towards his intended prey like the apex predator that he was, was when a small hand gripped his sleeve tugging him away from the fearful man. Looking down into the grey eyes that were moments ago spilling tears, he noticed that they were burning with defiance now directed solely at him.

"I-I can't let you kill my Ashikabi." Her voice was small and trembling, but it held her conviction.

Sighing he removed her hand from his sleeve, that's when he remembered what Kisuke had said 'If you kill the Ashikabi you will kill the Sekirei.' Closing his eyes his heart filled with regret he wouldn't kill this man, but he damn sure wouldn't let him off the hook scot free either. With quick fluid hand movements he chanted.

Bakudo 1, Sai locking the young brown haired girls arms behind her. He regarded her with a sad look kneeling down beside her.

"I won't kill him, but he has to be punished for what he did to you."

Standing up he turned his attention back to the object of his fury. Said object was on his belly trying to crawl away from the wrathful transcendent. A shrill scream reverberated off the walls surrounding them after Ichigo drove his foot hard into the man's lower back, eliciting a sickening snap.

"My legs, oh god I can't feel my legs!"

That was the last thing Ichigo heard before releasing the Bakudo and taking off in a burst of speed.

-With Orihime-

Her eyes fluttered open when she felt the van come to a gentle stop. 'Huh I must have fell asleep after we started moving again' she thought as she stretched her arms above her head yawning. Locking eyes with her temporary travel companion the young healer asked. "Are we finally there?"

Her only reply was a nod and a hand beckoning her to move towards the sliding door. Stepping out of the van the busty teen noted that they were in an underground parking complex. There were several sets of elevator doors that the group of four started moving towards. Cutting her eyes to the left she looked at the man that she had fought with on the way here, she was satisfied when he averted his gaze to anything that wasn't in her direction.

Hitting the call button for the elevator the grey haired Sekirei turned to her shorter companion.

"We're going to the top floor to meet the president of MBI, Hiroto Minaka, he will be the one to answer any questions you may have."

"T-The president of MBI!" Orihime squeaked. She knew that whatever she was involved in was big, she never thought it would be that big though.

The ding signifying the elevators arrival brought her out of her thoughts. When the doors opened she moved forward on shaky legs. She was nervous now, never would she have ever imagined that she would meet the head of one of the biggest companies in the world. The auburn hair teen eyed the control panel with a bit of wonderment, her fingers were itching to press all the numbered buttons. That idea brought a smile to her pretty face, 'Onii-Chan would always get so frustrated whenever I did that'. She giggled drawing the attention of the older woman.

"Press only number 70 or I will personally remove your hands, am I understood." The cold sekirei stated, looking down at the younger females pout she just sighed. "If you want your answers it would be best to quit screwing around."

Saluting the older woman, Orihime pushed only one button before putting her hands behind her back and moving far away from the control panel. She waited in the back of the elevator playing with the ends of her hair, humming a nameless tune. Doing whatever she could think of to ease some of her nervousness.

Listening to the large breasted girl humming was starting to give her a head ache, in fact this whole damn mission had given her a migraine. The only eventful thing that she had done so far was kill that bastard of a security guard and that could barely sate her desire to fight for a little while. Stepping out of the elevator on the top floor she considered returning to her own room, her curiosity got the best of her though. She wasn't really interested in the girl, it was another person that peeked her interest. When she read through Orihime's file she came across something interesting. One of the young girl's acquaintances was described as extremely powerful, he was also reported as being an unclassified individual. Meaning that he was neither human or Sekirei, it made her blood burn with excitement; this being could possibly give her the fight she had been looking for. 'Kurosaki Ichigo…' the name nudged the corners of her mouth up into a wistful smile.

Sitting behind a large desk was a tall slender man, he was dressed from head to toe in white, and he also wore a long high collared cloak to complete his immaculate look. Resting his elbows on his desk with his hands clasped and fingers forming a steeple, the bespectacled man could barely contain his excitement. After fifteen years one of his little birds was returning to him, just in time to compete in the most amazing game known to man. If he was being honest it wasn't her return that had him excited, it was the answers she could provide. Three years ago number 90's power popped back up on his radar, in the small town of Karakura. What amazed him more was all the different power signatures that constantly accompanied hers. It was driving him insane (more insane) not knowing who these people were or what powers they held.

Twice during his surveillance of the buxom teen did he lose complete track of her for long stints of time (when she was in Soul Society and Hueco Mundo). What had him more perplexed was when one of her companions returned with her, from wherever they went, and had no traceable energy. Every person had an energy signal, even if it was very small it was always there. It didn't matter if it was an infant or a person on the verge of death, everyone could be traced by him! Except Kurosaki Ichigo, when he first observed them the orange haired teen gave off one of the highest energy readings he had ever encountered. Now the young man was a complete ghost unless he was captured on camera! When the ding on the elevator sounded he was quivering with joy, only to face plant a second later when the bubbly girl dashed past him and onto the large rooftop terrace outside of his office.

Her nervousness quickly subsided when the elevator doors opened to reveal one of the most amazing rooms she had ever seen. The ceilings where twenty feet high, it had incredible intricate columns lining the walls, also a large main frame lined the wall to her left. Her eyes drifted to the large Sekirei symbol stamped into the grey granite that was inlayed with gold. Completely bypassing the occupant of the room her eyes sparkled when they landed on the doors at the back. Being hopelessly curious her whole life she couldn't resist the urge to have a look. Her travel companion couldn't help but face palm when she made her dash for the doors.

"Wow this is so cool!" she chirped then jumped when a deep thundering echo sounded behind her. Whirling around, she gawked at the giant clock as it chimed that ten o'clock had come.
"Karasuba look look, this view is amazing! You can see the whole capital from up here! The young adult cheered.

"I am well aware of that Orihime. I have seen the view up here many times before." Sighed MBI's hound. This girl was something else she thought, 'going from timid detainee, to fierce fighter, back to timid, and now she is acting like a damn tourist.' That was it, she was convinced this one and Musubi had to be sister Sekirei, 'and just like Musubi this girl is going to lead me to a worthy opponent.' Gently taking the girls arm she led her back inside.

"You wanted answers, well this is the man that is going to give you them." The tired looking Sekirei stated pointing to Minaka.

Bowing at the waist she greeted the man she completely ignored earlier "It is nice to meet you Hiroto-san, my name is Inoue Orihime." She knew who he was, it was hard not to, him and his ridiculous white hair had been plastered all over the news lately.

"My my so polite, it seems that Ueda-san did a wonderful job raising you!" the exuberant man replied.

"Ueda-san?" the confused girl questioned tilting her head to the side trying to recall the name.

"Yes Ueda Sora the man that took care of you ever since the day you were born." He knew she wouldn't know that name, he just really enjoyed toying with people. To further mess with her, he led her to one of the computer monitors in his office. Where he proceeded to move his fingers across the keyboard at amazing speeds, bringing up a video of a young toddler and black haired man.

"Come on Orihime you can do it!" encouraged the black haired man in the video, as the small child looked at him clutching the edge of the bed like a life line. After a few seconds a large smile lite up the bright haired toddlers face, as she made small shaky steps on chubby little legs. Five unsteady steps later and she was in the grasp of her caretaker, being swung around in a slow circle, eliciting a squeal of delight from the small girl, as he laughed and gazed at her with a look that could only be described as pride.

Before any questions could be asked a notification lit up the screen signifying that number 84, Yashima had been winged.

"Well isn't this interesting one of your sisters has met her Ashikabi! Let's have a look and see who the lucky person is!" the eccentric man jumped for joy, twirling in a circle before pulling up the live feed.

What awaited them when satellite linked up was not what they were expecting. It showed the newly claimed Sekirei's wings burst from her back, that was fairly standard, but the beating of the newly christened Ashikabi wasn't. Everyone in the room except for Karasuba flinched when the hybrid stomped on the man's back. Minaka was enthralled by the spell the unidentifiable anomaly used to detain the young woman, Karasuba was buzzing with delight at his sheer brutality, and Orihime was heartbroken at the rage that marred Ichigo's handsome face. She was so confused, she made no effort to stop the tears slowly rolling down her cheeks. Whatever she was caught up in involved her departed brother and now apparently the love of her life also.

"Wow he is quite the blood hound! You haven't even been gone three hours and he is hot on your trail terrorizing the city! This is going to make the game immensely more enjoyable for me!" Minaka cheered throwing his hands to the sky as if he just received a gift from the gods. "Now Orihime it is time to explain to you what you are involved in."

-With Ichigo-

The Squad Thirteen representative sat on a roof top trying to calm his nerves. His hands were shaking with pent up energy, his heart was pounding in his ears, and he had a severe case of tunnel vision. He couldn't believe this soon into his mission and he had already snapped. 'What the fuck was that back there! I-I didn't even realize when I hit him, not that I feel bad about that piece of shit. This is exactly what Kisuke was talking about, when it comes to Inoue being in trouble my control is shit. Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Ichigo once again tried to get a bead on Inoue's location. Once again he came up short, that's when he felt a tingling at the edges of his conciseness.

This one wasn't panicked though it gave of a warmth that seemed to draw him near. He knew this type of warmth it was comparative to the feeling that Inoue always gave off when he was around her, it had a calming effect on him. He was grateful that the soothing essence was bringing him out of his negative mood. He was compelled to find the source and the close proximity wouldn't be a burden on his search.

Jumping across rooftops while cloaked in the shadows was his preferred method of travel, it gave him amazing sight lines to potential enemies, and also it allowed him to keep away from curious eyes. Landing on the roof of a three story apartment complex he spotted the object of his new search.

The woman he spotted was definitely the one who drew his attention, in a park below stood a well-endowed young woman with long, dark brown hair, brown eyes and a curvaceous figure. She was wearing a pink/violet belly top with a golden star on the front, along with Capri jeans and sandals to complete her look. She was laughing and playing around with a young girl, who he guessed was around his sister's age. The scene before him made the warmth start to return to his heart, 'this is how it should be' he mused. Another thought struck him though 'what the hell is every Sekirei a beautiful woman, I know that I have only met three but those three are all very attractive. At least this one has found a decent Ashikabi.' His inner monologue was cut off when he noticed the two part ways with an affectionate hug at a third story apartment, not far from where he was watching them.

Figuring he might be able to get some information out of the taller woman, he waited for her to leave, hopefully for a more private area to have their discussion. What he wasn't expecting was for her to be so damn agile and quick. With a single leap she was on the opposite roof heading in the other direction. Cursing himself for being too lax he coiled his legs preparing for a shunpo, when a high pitched scream caught him off guard. His big brother instincts kicked in over drive, he had no doubts where the scream originated from. Changing his direction he was instantly through the apartment door that the little girl disappeared inside a few moments prior.

Struggling on the kitchen floor with a larger man with slicked back greasy hair, he was wearing a suit that just screamed lackey. In the intruders grip was a syringe, which he was desperately trying to shove in the terrified girls arm.

"Hold still you stupid bitch, wouldn't want to accidently stick myself now would I heh heh." He chuckled cruelly at her predicament, while bringing up his hand intending to beat her in to compliance.

"Hado 1, Sho" The over protective teen recited knocking the man off of the distressed victim with an invisible thrust of power. Not satisfied when the attacker slammed into the refrigerator he cast a Bakudo "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo 9, Geki." The newly paralyzed man was instantly terrified as he was being held by an invisible force.

Pulling off his captives tie, Ichigo quickly tied it around his head as a makeshift gag. He knew the man wouldn't be getting out of his spell anytime soon. So he calmly retrieved the syringe that rolled under a small table inside the kitchen, before dragging the bound man to the bathroom, dumping him in the tub. Satisfied he went back to the small female sitting on the kitchen floor with her knees to her chest. Each sob that escaped her was tearing at his restraint, he wanted nothing more than to strand the bastard in the tub in the unforgiving deserts of Hueco Mundo. He needed him alive at the moment though.

"Hey" he began softly kneeling down next to her, he understood when she flinched away from his touch.

He waited a minute or so before he attempted to console her again.

"It's over he can't hurt you anymore." Once again he used a tender voice that was almost exclusively used for Yuzu when she was upset.

His calming voice caressed her in a sense of security, with slowly movements she brought her head up to look at the man who saved her. What she saw was not what she was expecting, the man before here looked like a delinquent and more of a threat then the man that attacked her! It was his eyes though that made her want to believe in his words, they were a warm chocolate brown that radiated protectiveness and concern.

"W-Who are you." She sniffled adding a small thank you when he handed her a Kleenex.

"I was just someone that heard you scream and wanted to help"

"Should we call the police?" she asked her voice becoming a little more stable.

"I'll take care of that, is there anyone you can call family perhaps?"

Watching her shake her head no to answer him, he blew out a breath and tried again.

"OK so no family, do you have a friend you can call?" he wanted her to call her Sekirei so he could question her after he was done with his other interrogation. When she nodded yes he smiled.

"Can you tell me who it is and what they look like so I'm not startled when they arrive?" He once again questioned in a comforting voice, he knew he was being underhanded, but he was in desperate need of information.

"Her name is Uzume, she is about your age and really pretty. She's also really umm…" she blushed as she used her hands to gesture the shape of a curvaceous woman.

He chuckled at her shyness 'At least she's somewhat calm now' and he had no doubt she was describing the Sekirei from earlier.

"OK I got it" he stated holding up his hand to stop her impromptu game of charades "I want you to call her and then go watch some T.V. and wait for her. I'm going to call the police and have a talk with our guest." He had no intentions of calling the police, but she didn't need to know that. Once again he hated the path he was being forced to take.

Watching her give a small nod and scamper into living room, he pocketed a knife from the display set resting on the counter. Making his way slowly towards the bathroom, he steeled his nerves for what he was about to do. Interrogation wasn't his strong suit, but Yoruichi definitely made sure it was in his arsenal. Quietly he threw up a sound barrier and gazed at the man with cold eyes, any traces of warmth had long fled his chocolaty pools.

"This is going to be very unpleasant and you're going to tell me everything I want to know" He started as he jammed the blade through the prisoners knee cap until it surfaced out the other side. The hybrid almost winced at the man's muffled screams.

"What were you preparing to do to that young girl?" All he received in return was a defiant stare. Reaching for the immobile hand in front of him he latched onto to the middle digit, before forcing it to touch the back of the whimpering man's hand. He didn't repeat his question he just calmly grabbed the ring finger repeating the process, drawing another cry of agony. Doing this made his stomach hurt, but he couldn't afford to lose his nerve. Pulling the knife out caused a pool of blood to start building up on the man's pant leg. Still no response so he aimed the tip for the man's eye jabbing just below it into his cheek bone. It was shallow but extremely painful.

"What do you know I missed, let me try again."

"MMPHM, MMPHM" the black haired quadriplegic frantically cried his compliance. It was just a job and whoever this demon was meant business 'FUCK HIGA, this was all his damn idea'

Pulling out a small note pad and pen, which he also lifted from the counter, he undid the man's gag.

"Same question as before what were you trying to do?"

"I was going to infect her with a deadly virus." He wheezed out through the pain.

"Why?" the orange haired man fired off scribbling down his previous answer.

"He thought she was going to wing a powerful Sekirei, he wanted to use the cure to control her."

'This fucking game is getting out of hand, who the fuck would intentionally infect a young girl?' an image of Yuzu and Karin interrupted his thoughts.

"Who ordered you to do this?"

"Higa, Higa Izumi he is known as the Ashikabi of the East. He also owns Hiyamakai Hospital and is the heir of a pharmaceutical company that rivals MBI."

"For a lackey you sure know a lot, you're not lying to me are you?" he asked menacingly waving the sharp weapon at him.

"I-I'm not a lackey, I'm the head of security. I-I can help you if you let me go!"

"One more question before I release you, does the name Orihime mean anything to you?"

"No." he replied shaking his head "but if she's a powerful Sekirei he will set his sights on her."

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath he knew what had to be done 'no loose ends'. He roughly grabbed the man by the chin and the back of his head. Avoiding the man's panicked eyes he jerked up and to the left breaking his neck letting the body slump into the bath tub.

"OH MY GOD!" was shrieked from behind him.

"Shit!" he caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman from earlier as she bolted from the bathroom, 'Fuck me sideways my barrier must've dropped when I lost concentration'. He took off hot on her heels, grabbing her by the arm as the entered the living room. To his relief he didn't see the young girl anywhere. He almost didn't see the kick aimed to decapitate him either, ducking he caught the still raised appendage in the crook of his arm. With the limb secured, he wrapped his arm around her waist and drove her back into the wall. Normally he would've blushed at the extremely intimate looking position, but he was in trouble. He never wanted to drag them into this 'the plan was simple get answers and throw his ass into a garganta. Nice and easy no mess. Well that's fucked now!'

"Calm down and I will explain!" He could feel her power rising she was no threat to him, but he didn't want a needless brawl. Her power was still rising in what he could only assume was preparation for an attack. He did the only logical thing he could think to do with his arms occupied, he head butted her in the middle of her forehead.

"OW! What the fuck would you do that for!? The Brunette whined

"You were going to attack me." He stated as if he were talking about the weather or something. "Will you let me explain?"

"Like hell I'm going to listen to some murderer!" she was already recovered and on the move again.

Heaving a heavy sigh 'things are so much easier just blowing shit up' feeling her power level he reasoned that he would need a bit more than Sai or Geki.

"Bakudo 30, Shitotsu Sansen." A golden triangle formed on his finger before firing three beams that slammed into Uzumes' body in three places in the shape of a perfect triangle pinning her to the wall.

"Wh-What the hell are you?" The bewildered female questioned. Warily eyeing him as his palm started to glow green, while advancing on her trapped body. She almost moaned in gratitude when his hand made contact with the throbbing goose egg forming on her forehead, it felt cold to the touch. After a few minutes the pain was completely gone along with the swelling.

"We can discuss that later, right now we need to talk about the current predicament don't ya think?"

A small nod was his reply. During the ten minutes in which he explained his side of the story, he could feel her fury rising with each uttered statement.

"…And that's why I broke his neck."

"Thank you for saving her she means a lot to me." It was a quiet whisper, but he heard the gratitude in her voice.

"All right I have to dispose of the body, while you go get your Ashikabi so we can discuss where we should go from here." The Visored directed with a nod towards the door.

Turning away from her he began to drag his feet to the bathroom, he would have never thought disposing of bodies would become a part of his life. Hearing a second set of footsteps behind him, he just kept on his path. Opening the bathroom door he cringed 'Well that's going to be burned in my mind for life.' Lifting the body out of the bathtub and settling it on his shoulder he turned to the other living occupant of the bathroom.

"You don't have to help me." He reminded her softly

She couldn't explain why she wanted to help him, but that expression of regret on his face pulled at her heartstrings. She seen the same look for a brief second when she called him a murderer. Everything he did in this bathroom was for Chiho-Chan's safety, he charged into save her with no hesitation.

"I want to help, how do you plan on getting him out of here? Even though its night time lots of people are still out."

'What the hell she's already seen my Kido' snapping his fingers a small garganta formed shocking Uzume speechless.

"It's really no problem for someone like me" he replied dumping the corpse into oblivion, before regarding his accomplice with a nervous expression.

Finally finding her voice, "You are definitely going to have to tell me what you are eventually." Turning to leave she added "Clean up in here and meet us in the living room." Throwing him a wink for good measure she made her exit.

She couldn't find the words to explain it, but for only knowing this man for under a half hour, she had to admit she trusted him. Walking out the front door and down the steps, she finally arrived in the office of the apartment complex, where she asked Chiho to wait for her. She was extremely glad she did there was no way she ever wanted her to be a witness to something like that.

Walking out of the bathroom ten minutes later after making it spotless, he met the girls who were sitting at a small table in the living room.

After giving Chiho the highly edited version, in which the bad guy went to jail, it was time to make an important decision.

"Hidaka-San it is no longer safe for you to stay in the city, I think it would be best if you and your Sekirei left."

"Uzume is not my Sekirei Kurosaki-san, I don't have any family a-and I don't have anywhere else to go." She knew what Uzume really was and she wanted to stand by her side, but in all reality she knew she wasn't going to be able to. The only problem was she was already being targeted, with no family she literally had nowhere to go.

"I can't leave Minaka would track me down and sneaking her out of town would be nearly impossible, Higa is very well connected and almost as resourceful as MBI. If she doesn't wing me he would lose interest in her as a target right?" the usually carefree woman replied.

"I don't know him, but I highly doubt it." Ichigo replied leveling them with a serious gaze from across the table. "He knows you have a weak spot for her. I've met guys like him before cold hearted and manipulative he will use that weakness."

"Then what the hell are we going to do!"

Raising a hand to calm the raging girl down the young man started, "I have a plan, but you will have to trust me."

"What's the plan?" the youngest person in the conversation nervously asked

"Hold up Kurosaki, I appreciate your help I really do, but why are you helping us?" questioned the busty brunette

"Like you, there's someone special I need to protect and she's also involved in this fucked up game." The lone male replied softly with his head down bangs shadowing his eyes. "Her name is Orihime and she is Sekirei 90, I will walk through hell to make sure she is safe."

Uzume's heart leapt in her chest at the vow made by the unique individual before her. For being spoken so quietly it seemed to hold the weight of the world, he seemed to literally be willing to walk through damnation for his loved one.

He knew he should be tracking Orihime right now, but the protector in him wouldn't turn his back when someone was in need.

"My father and two sisters live in Karakura, I know for a fact if Higa made the mistake of going there he would regret it. What I'm trying to say is, if you want Kidaka-San you can stay with them until this is all over. I already know a way to get us there without being detected." He finished his offer looking straight into the young girl's eyes.

Staring back into his warm brown orbs she couldn't detect the slightest bit of deception. She was still unsure so she let her eyes drift to the woman who had become the most important person in her life. Receiving an imperceptible nod she had her answer.

"Ok, but when are we leaving?"

"Now's good let me make a call first."

"MBI will be listening in, they monitor every call made in the city. If their doing it I'm sure Higa probably is too. A man as well connected as him there's no way he isn't also monitoring calls." the veiled Sekirei reasoned.

"Not this phone they won't." He returned walking from the room to make his call

Returning to the room a few minutes later the hybrid looked determined. Waiting twenty minutes for Chiho to pack a bag with only the necessities they were ready to go.

"All right lets go" he directed knelling down motioning for Chiho to climb on his back.

Confused the young girl asked "Go where Kurosaki-san"

To answer her question he once again snapped his fingers tearing a hole in the air. Throwing a final look at Uzume he warned "You better keep up and stay on the path I make. I can't help you if you fall off."

A determined nod was her only reply, outwardly she looked stable, but she was quite unnerved by jumping into the abyss. Carrying the backpack for her loved one, Uzume had to be on her best to keep up with Ichigo. 'He's so fast and the path he's creating is only stable about twenty steps behind him.' The energy that circulated through the in between was incredibly chaotic and the very pits screamed of nothingness. She couldn't tell how long they had been running, but she was starting to fade. Instant relief washed over her when the guide called out they were nearing the end.

Jumping out of the garganta the trio landed in the Kurosaki living room. Waiting for them was none other than the family patriarch Kurosaki Isshin along with him were the twins and Urahara bucket hat and all.

"Already running back with your tail between your legs Ichigo?" the hatted man jabbed at him.

"You know damn well why I'm here." Ichigo retorted drawing the syringe from his pocket before tossing it to the strange man.

"What's wrong with you what if that stuck me and I got infected!?" shrieked the shop keep

"Tch, you would have just had to work faster to make a cure asshole." Lazily drawled the teen before continuing "Everyone these people are Hidaka Chiho…" he started motioning to the young teen "… and Uzume" he finished by motioning to the attractive Sekirei.

"Hidaka-san, Uzume they are Kurosaki Karin, her twin sister Kurosaki Yuzu, Kurosaki Isshin aka Goat-Chin, and this eccentric bastard is Urahara Kisuke." Pointing to each member as they were introduced.

"Well I got to be on my way cures to create and what not. Oh and Ichigo the phones you requested are on the counter." The blonde haired man waived over his shoulder as he made his exit.

"We're going to bed nice to meet you guys." The black haired twin stated heading for the stairs.

"We'll talk more in the morning Hidaka-chan." The friendlier twin added

Walking over to the counter Ichigo let a genuine smile grace his face since Orihime's abduction, the cause was none other than a cell phone shaped like a hamburger. Pocketing it before he grabbed the two remaining phones turning to Chiho and Uzume giving one to each of them.

"Here, your numbers are already programmed into each other's phone. It should help you keep in contact and don't worry they can't be traced or hacked."

Staring at the orange haired man's back disbelievingly as he walked out of the room with his father, so they could have some privacy. Her heart clenched harder in her chest 'It can't be'.

"You know I don't have a problem helping people Ichigo, but I'm going to need something in return." The older Shinigami stated in his dead serious voice.

Taken aback by his Dad's serious side he was compelled to comply "Sure, what do you want?"

"After you save Orihime-Chan I want… half alien grandchildren lots of them." He finished in his usually cheery tone wiggling his eyebrows for emphasis.

Uzume and Chiho jerked from their embrace when they heard the loud crash in the other room. Curious they started walking towards the other room only to have a red face Ichigo walk by them muttering 'fucking idiot' and 'perverted bastard'

"Oi, let's go Uzume" the irritated Kurosaki ordered walking away from the pair

"What the hell is wrong with him" Uzume asked to no one in particular

"Sexual frustration" the boisterous man supplied, breaking out in laughter when his son almost walked into a wall after hearing him.

A/N: Once again thanks for all the reviews, favs, and follows. It may seem like I was straying from the story a bit, but trust me I'm not.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.