-Urahara Shoten-

It had been a half an hour since Karin's abduction, the tension in the air was palpable. Isshin took a seat across from one of his oldest friends and took in a calming, slightly shaky breath. He just laid the other two girls in a spare room to recuperate. The images of their unconscious bodies when he found them streaked through his mind, the similarity between that scene and Misaki's death were not lost on him. His heart was gripped by an icy hand when the absence of a particular dark haired young lady dawned on him. Without thinking he picked up both girls and ran to his best friends, hoping against all hope that the hatted man could help him. So there he sat with the shop keeper, waiting for any conversation at all to start up. Mercifully Kisuke started after only a few moments.

"I really don't know how to say this Isshin, but I think that your daughter was abducted by a Sekirei." Kisuke started in an even, calm voice while studying the man's reactions.

"W-what? Why? Why would they go after Karin?" The bewildered father asked.

Pain, confusion, contemplation and finally anger flitted through his companions eyes. He had no doubt that Isshin pieced it together.

"Are you sure it was a Sekirei?" He asked closing his eyes. There was only two reasons a supernatural being would attack Karin. One would be a hollow if it picked up her budding Reiatsu. Two would be a person trying to gain leverage over Ichigo.

"I haven't sensed a hollow in days, and I'm sure you haven't either. What my sensors did pick up was a lone Sekirei in town about the same time that your daughter disappeared. I'm sorry Isshin, I should have expected something like this to happen." The usually energetic man stated with a hint of remorse in his voice.

"It's not your fault Kisuke, it was mine, even with my powers it seems I can't protect my own family." The sullen Doctor replied.

"Knock it off! Both of you quit blaming yourselves!" Snapped an irritable Yoruichi, as she walked into the room just in time to catch their self-deprecating statements.

"I should have been there to protect her!"

"You can't be there every second of your daughters' life Isshin! Whatever happened caught us all off guard!" Taking a deep breath she calmed herself. Arguing with Isshin about protecting those he holds close to his heart was unwinnable, a trait that was no doubt picked up by Ichigo. "She is alive and I can guarantee that because they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of taking her if all they wanted was to kill her."

This wasn't only his greatest fear it was Ichigo's as well. He remembered a few late night conversations with his only son. It was after a nightmare when Ichigo confessed his fears that someone would harm his loved ones to get to him. Isshin tried his best to comfort his son and alleviate him off those worries. Even when that same fear plagued him the same way, like Ichigo he knew that no one would try to come after his son when he could see it coming. Clenching his fist until his knuckles gave a soft pop he returned his gaze to the two people in front of him.

"How are we going to find her?" His voice was low, but the barely restrained anger was present.

"That's going to be difficult, I tried tracking her Reiatsu and currently I'm unable to find it." Yoruichi answered in a neutral tone. Keeping her composure was easy, after all she would have been a shitty leader of the Stealth force if she lost her cool at the drop of a hat. Switching her gaze to Kisuke she could see him working the problem over in his head.

"Well, if this is a ploy to get Ichigo's attention they will no doubt try and contact him." Kisuke stated pulling his hat down to cover his eyes. He already had a clue of who it could be, but he was keeping that information guarded until he was sure. He would never unleash one enraged Kurosaki, let alone two if he had the slightest doubts of their targets guilt.

Blowing out a ragged breath he regarded his friends with tired eyes. He was hoping to get this situation handled before it ever reached Ichigo's ears. Unfortunately he wouldn't know where to start the search and from the sounds of it neither did his friends. He supposed he could just go to Shinto Teito and search, but that would be like finding a needle in a haystack. He knew waiting for the assailants' demands would be the quickest way, didn't mean he liked it.

"You both know what Ichigo is going to do when he finds out. Whoever did this may as well signed their own death warrant."

"That is to be expected, but we need to make sure the damage is kept to a minimum." Urahara replied back pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Why do people insist on provoking him, I'm sure that don't know about his power, but for crying out loud he can crush mountains if he desires it.'

"Well that means we should get to him before whoever has Karin does. If he goes to Shinto Teito in a blind rage…" The were cat stopped and slightly shivered at the mere thought. Seeing the two nod in agreement she stood up and walked out of the room with cat like grace.

"On a scale of 1 to 10 how bad do think Ichigo's reaction will be? 10 being the worst of course." Kisuke asked hiding behind his trademark fan, his attempt to lighten the mood fell flat when Isshin just paled slightly.

"We should just prepare for the worst, if we can't get to him first."

-Sogyoku Hill-

Uzume stared unblinkingly at the phone in front of her the call had long been disconnected, but the news had yet to fully set in.

"Uzume-Chan?" Orihime asked quietly she heard her sister sekirei's response to whatever was said in the conversation.

Someone made a big mistake and whatever it was involved her ashikabi. Nervously wringing her fingers in front of her she walked up to Uzume. Reaching up to gently shake her shoulder, she stepped back when the brunette gasped and turned terrified eyes towards her. It was unnerving she had never seen that look before on Uzume's face. She had seen scared when they were training with Yoruichi, but this wasn't a scared expression this was downright terrified.

"Uzume-Chan what's the matter? W-Who was on the phone?" she asked stepping forward and grabbing one of her hands trying to break her out of her trance.

Each second seemed like an eternity to her. Stealing a glance at Ichigo she was slightly relieved to see that he was still meditating. Whatever happened to Uzume would definitely have negative consequences for the poor soul that caused it.

"O-Orihime, something bad has happened." She finally answered back with her voice trembling slightly.

"What do you me…" she was cut off from asking her question when Ichigo's phone began to ring once again. Noticing the stiffening of her sister she took the phone out of her death grip and checked the caller I.D. With a relieved breath she answered.

"Yoruichi-San? What's going on?" She asked timidly.

"Shit! So you guys already know, let me talk to Ichigo please Orihime." She demanded. This wasn't an ideal situation, but hopefully she could do some damage control.

"He's still meditating Yoruichi-San. What's going on? Uzume is really scared and I'm not fairing much better." She asked trying to calm her racing heart.

Whatever was going on had to be big if even Yoruichi was getting involved, that thought alone had her nerves fraying ready to snap. The gentle breeze that blew across her favorite place in the Seireitei did little to comfort her. She heard her recent sensei blow out a breath of… relief?

"So Ichigo doesn't know yet?"

"No, he and Soi-Fon Taicho have been meditating since we found them this morning." Again she heard another sigh of relief.

"Thank God for small miracles." She mumbled under her breath moving a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Orihime, what happened to Uzume?"

Listening to the usually bubbly girl ramble on about how Uzume answered Ichigo's phone and suddenly became somewhat catatonic. The ex-assassin had no questions about who was on the other side of that call, it had to be the kidnappers.

"What I'm going to tell you needs to stay between us until Ichigo is back at the Shoten, Am I clear?" She more demanded than asked.

"Y-Yes." She answered just the tone of the other woman's voice unnerved her.

"Alright. Kurosaki Karin was kidnapped earlier by another Sekirei. If my assumption is correct the kidnapper has already tried to contact Ichigo, if Uzume took the call that could explain her state of shock. I hate to put this burden on you, but you have to convince Ichigo to come back to the Shoten. Also, do your best to pull Uzume together before he is done meditating." Hearing the slight gasp followed by sniffling her heart softened.

"Orihime?"

"I-I will make sure we come to Urahara-San's."

The next thing Yoruichi heard was a click and the complete sound of silence. Making her back to the meeting area to relay the only positive news they had so far. She stopped when a random thought struck her 'What hell are Ichigo and my Little Bee meditating together for?' Storing that thought in the back of her mind she proceeded on her way.

Dropping the phone on the ground she made her way to the brunette that was still standing still. Instead of trying to speak to her as she did before she wrapped her in a gentle hug. After a couple minutes of embracing she pulled back, she needed to be strong for her Ashikabi and Uzume.

"Uzume-Chan are you okay?" she asked moving a strand of hair out of her face.

"Why would someone do this to him and his family?" she asked lifting her head to look Orihime in the eye.

"I don't know, but my guess is that someone is trying to control him for some reason." She stated before another more horrifying thought struck her. "Or maybe their trying to control us through them."

"W-What! We could be the reason behind this?!" She answered back with tears pricking the corners of her eyes as she stole a glance at Ichigo and the peaceful expression on his face.

"No! We are not the reason for this! People make their own choices and have their own reasons! This is not our fault!" Orihime snapped abruptly startling her sister sekirei with her fierceness. She recognized the look settling on Uzume's face the guilt and self-loathing. It was the same face that stared back at her in Hueco Mundo, she blamed herself for months for all the pain and suffering her friends endured trying to save her. It took her friends a long time to convince her that it wasn't her fault. They made it clear that it was her choice to sacrifice herself for them, but it was their choice to fight their way through that god forsaken dessert to get her back. She smiled slightly at the memory, it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off of her and she refused to let Uzume place that weight on her own shoulders.

"B-But…"

"Uh-uh, no buts. You need to calm down and we need to get Ichigo back to Karakura."

She could see the worry in Orihime's eyes, but there was also confidence in them as well.

"Okay." She spoke softly her eyes once again drifted to Ichigo.

Following her eyes she answered the unasked question.

"He'll come to shortly, and when he does we'll leave." If there was one thing that Inoue Orihime was it was patient and truthfully she didn't mind delaying the oncoming shit storm for a little while.

-Ichigo's Inner World-

Calming waves of energy surged through him as he swam beneath the surface of the great lake. It was solitude and quiet in the crystal depths, sometimes he wondered if he could swim forever inside his soul. Some days that's exactly what he wanted to do, he knew it would be running from his problems. He also knew that the warm lake would turn frigid if he tried. A sudden jolt of panic swept through him so fast he almost missed it. Tilting his head up, he could see rain clouds rapidly forming again over the lake. He was neither despairing nor remorseful for his actions in the Rukongai anymore, so he was incredibly confused by this new development. Breaching the surface he swept his damp locks out his face and looked up just as the first rain drop hit him in the forehead. Swimming to the beach he got dressed in a cave just as the rain increased in intensity. Staring unblinkingly into the down pour, he struggled to find his answer. Remembering the jolt of panic he shunpoed out of the cave and high above the trees. The flower fields were pulsing erratically and a dawning horror hit him.

"Fuck, they're in trouble!"

Closing his eyes he forced himself out of his inner world, only to open them ready to cut down anything in his path. What he was not expecting was for both of his Sekirei to be sitting on the ground staring at him. Looking to his left he could also see that the diminutive taicho of the second had also opened her eyes, and also looked slightly confused at their presence.

Soi-Fon was one of the last people to claim to be intuitive of emotions regarding others, but even she could tell that something was off with the girls in front of her. Catching something out of the corner of her eye she turned and caught the camera that was carelessly tossed to her. Shooting the brunette a glare that faltered slightly when she nodded at the camera. Looking through the recent photos she smirked at the picture of Ichigo. 'Gotta admit it's not a half bad picture of the idiot.' What she liked more is that it would show younger Shinigami that the path all great warriors take involves the need to communicate with their Zanpakutou. Another thing she picked up was that the brunette was asking her to go away. Without a word she nodded to the trio before shunpoing away.

"What the hell was that all about?" asked a completely befuddled Ichigo.

"Oh nothing, just returning a camera I borrowed." Uzume returned smiling tentatively at him.

"Why would…" he stopped himself in his questioning to take a good look at them. Something was off they were smiling, but it was strained at best. Orihime was fiddling with her hands and Uzume wouldn't meet his eyes, then he remembered the beginning of a monsoon in his inner world. With narrowed eyes he asked.

"What's wrong?" It was more of a demand than anything and to his ire the forced smiles stayed in place.

"N-Nothing." Orihime winced when his eyes snapped to her. Her mouth suddenly felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Swallowing a dry lump in her throat she chanced returning his gaze only to panic. 'He knows he knows heknowsheknowsheknows… H-He can see through my soul and read my mind!'

"Ichigo c-can you wait for us to go get our things from Rangiku's… we um need to go back to Karakura." Uzume asked while laying a hand on Orihime's back trying to draw her away from the oncoming panic attack. Relief washed over her when Orihime's golden shield flared into existence and they both jumped on and made a hasty retreat.

Scowling at their retreating forms before turning away, something on the ground caught his eye. Walking closer he realized that it was his cell phone, he knew for a fact that he left it in the top of his shihakusho. Curiosity getting the better of him scrolled through the recent calls, there were two one of them he didn't recognize and the other was Yoruichi. Closing his eyes he hit the recall button and waited.

"Hello?"

"Yoruichi, what's going on?" He asked in confusion.

"Ah Ichigo, not much same as always. What's going on with you?" She replied in a carefree voice.

"You called me and talked to either Uzume or Orihime, now both of them are acting weird. So I'm asking again, what the hell is going on?" Irritation was starting to leak into his voice.

"I was just calling to see how your trip was going."

"Uh-huh and when have you ever just called me out of the blue?" He retorted flatly.

"Speaking of out of the blue, what are you and my Little Bee meditating together for? Are you trying to add more members to your harem?" She questioned in a chiding voice. She inwardly smirked at her quick thinking, she wanted to keep his mind occupied as long as possible.

"W-Where the hell did that come from? And for the last time I'm not starting a fuckin' harem!"

"Language Ichigo that is no way for a respectable young man to speak."

"Tch, like I give a shit." He replied rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"So back to the subject at hand what were you and Soi-Fon doing so early in the morning, all by yourselves, away from prying eyes…"

"Would you knock it off we were sparring and that's it! And I'm pretty sure she would rather stab me in the face than date me anyway!" He hollered through the phone.

"Oh, so you have thought about dating her!" She couldn't help but start laughing at the growl and mumbled curses coming through the line.

"I hate you Were-Cat I really really do. We were sparing because she is one of the few people here that can push me in hakuda and you know damn well I work out with her division when I'm here, so stop twisting my words around." He seethed.

"Fine I'll stop, when are you guys stopping by?" She asked airily while polishing her nails on the front of her shirt.

"As soon as they get back from getting their things from Rangiku's. Which reminds me what the fuck is going on!" He wanted to face palm that insufferable woman sidetracked him. Seeing his girls approaching he continued. "You know what? Nevermind I doubt I would get a straight answer out of you anyway, see ya in a bit."

-Urahara Shoten-

Sighing to herself she slumped against the wall. That was close and she was glad that she didn't have to lie to him face to face. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, lying after all was her stock and trade, but with Ichigo it just felt wrong to do. Walking in the back room she seen her two friends with a map of Shinto Teito rolled out on the table. Isshin and Kisuke were obviously in their own little world since they didn't even notice her entrance.

"He's on his way and what the hell are you two doing?" She asked tilting her head to the side to get a better look at the map, which had several place circled in red marker.

"Looking for possible places to set up safe house in the city." Kisuke answered back not dragging his eyes away from the map.

"Really, may I suggest a place in a deserted sector? After all we're going to need a training room after all."

"You're not done with the girls? I suppose your right, plus it will give Ichigo a place to blow off some steam when he needs to." He asked finally looking up into Yoruichi's golden eyes.

"So does he know?" Isshin asked seeing her shake her head he sighed. "Well that's good, at least we'll have a chance keep him calm."

Abruptly halting their conversation was the sound of a garganta being ripped open. Out of the rip stepped the trio that they had been waiting for. Ichigo seemed irritated and impatient, the other two wore shaky smiles that they aimed at the adults. Seeing them Yoruichi smiled softly at them and mouthed the words 'Thank You' when Ichigo wasn't looking.

"So, why do I feel like I'm in the middle of some big damn conspiracy… again?" The hybrid snapped out.

"Take a seat Ichigo this isn't going to be easy for you." Isshin stated in his serious tone, instantly catching his son off guard.

Sitting down before he was even planning to, he felt a sense of dread curling in his gut. He didn't look, but he felt Uzume and Orihime take a seat on either side of him. His eyes never left his fathers' even when he felt each one of his hands grasped in comforting holds. He already knew his life was going to take another fucked up turn.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, earlier today a Sekirei kidnapped your sister Karin." Isshin stated keeping his stare on his son and ready to retrain him at a moments' notice. He thought that his son had misunderstood him, there was no widening of the eyes or screams of profanity. Then he seen it through the expressionless façade…Rage, the same rage that was coursing deep in his own soul. Enough rage to cripple the world if let loose. At the moment he was glad he could no longer feel Ichigo's Reiatsu, judging by the horror and fear on the young sekirei's faces, he was an inferno.

'How did this happen, why did this happen!?' An image of Karin streaked his mind and his rage exploded. Someone was going to die painfully for this, 'But who? Minaka definitely has a reason for pay back, but this isn't his style. He seems like the kind of guy that would want you to know it was him fucking with you. It doesn't make sense I don't know any other Ashikabi and the only other Sekirei that I have a problem with is the Discipline squad. They answer to Minaka, so it couldn't be them.' The more he thought the more his anger and desperation grew.

"chigo…Ichigo..ICHIGO!"

Snapping his eyes to the person that yelled his name he set his sights on Urahara.

"What!" He ground out

"You're hurting your Sekirei! You need to calm down!" The hatted man pleaded

Turning his head at break neck speeds he looked at Orihime and then Uzume. Their hands were still joined with his, but he wasn't crushing them with his grip. What the hell is Geta-Bosshi talking abo… 'My reiatsu Fuck!' Orihime was crying and Uzume was on the verge.

She was frozen to her spot. She couldn't lift her free hand to her face to wipe away her tears if she wanted to. The rage and hate scared her there was no denying that, but the pain she could feel under it all was what was breaking her heart. She wanted to take all his pain from him, she would gladly take that burden if it meant he didn't have to. Looking across his torso at a trembling Uzume, she knew she wasn't alone in that thought. Just as she was at the breaking point the maddening swirl of emotions were receding and being drawn back into their original container until only a dull ache remained. It was too late they had already felt the pain and sorrow he expertly kept hidden from everyone. They had felt his happiness, his love and his embarrassment. This was the first time that the super powered girls caught a glimpse of the hollow troubled part of his soul and it fucking floored them. Feeling his hand retreat from her grasp she desperately clung to him tighter, afraid that he would disappear if given the chance.

"You two knew before we came here. Why wouldn't you tell me?" His voice was a rasp. He didn't know if he was mad at them or mad at himself. He knew they made the correct call in letting his dad tell him, but it still stung in his heart.

"We asked them not to Ichigo and you're smart enough to know why we did." Yoruichi answered meeting his eyes unfazed. Seeing him taking deep breaths she inwardly smiled, 'You've come a long way Ichigo.'

"Ichigo."

It was spoken so softly that he nearly missed it. Looking down he stared into a set of beautiful brown eyes, even red and slightly puffy they made his heart warm. Feeling Orihime snuggle deeper into his side while Uzume rested her head on his shoulder, he felt the rational part of his mind returning. There would be blood spilt, but that could wait, information needed to be gathered first. 'Calm down, calm down, you need to bath in his blood… NO' it felt like a distant echo in his heart, a voice soothing him while also trying to lead him down the path of his primal urges. 'Move forward Ichigo' once again it was an echo or distant memory being recalled in his time of need. He could almost picture Zangetsu standing in front of him with unrelenting stare forbidding with from drowning himself in despair and next to him was the bleached copy mocking him.

"What do we know so far?" He asked bringing himself back to the people around him.

"The kidnapper called you when we were in the Seireitei." Uzume stated tightening her hold on him. Even though she felt him stiffen at the revelation his energy was calm, well as calm as it could be at the moment.

Isshin wanted to smile at the sight, but the severity of the situation wouldn't allow him to. His foul mouthed, bad mannered, and temperamental son just received devastating news without so much as destroying the area around him. 'Heh, all it took was two aliens.' The news wasn't as shocking to him since Yoruichi relayed that little tidbit when they were waiting for Ichigo to arrive.

Picking up his phone he disentangled himself from his girls. He knew what number it was, he was kicking himself for not calling that number first. After all he knew that only his friends had his number and a random number on his phone was irregular. Taking a last look at the occupants in the room he shut the door behind him.

"You girls did an amazing job." Isshin stated he started chuckling at their 'deer in the headlights' look before continuing. "Getting Ichigo to keep his composure is no easy task and you two were able to do it with one word and a few comforting embraces. It's truly an amazing bond you three share."

"How are you holding up Kurosaki-San?" The young healer asked timidly.

"I'm dealing the best I can Orihime-Chan. I've had centuries to learn how to control myself and deal with these kinds of situations." He answered back honestly. The days of his hot tempered youth were behind him, but that never meant that he was beyond beating a little human ass when it was called for. This situation was something that called for an ass beating.

-Under Ground Training Area-

His feet led him mindlessly through the underground cavern as he stared at his phone. He knew the next voice that he would be hearing was going to push his restraints to the limit. That's why he opted to have this conversation in private and hopefully the Kiddo that stabilized and hide the large room would shield his sekirei if his emotions started slipping. Taking a deep breath he hit the call button.

-Shinto Teito-

Sitting in Higa's office in a chair across from his best friend/boss he just gave him a rundown of the kidnapping. He mentally sighed when Higa gave little interest in his successful mission. He wasn't expecting much anyway, his boss was so used to getting his way that nothing surprised him anymore. Standing up he was getting ready to excuse himself when his phone went off.

"Seems Kurosaki is finally returning my call. Would you like to talk to him Sir?" Kakizaki asked pushing his glasses up his nose. Receiving a dismissive wave he shrugged before answering the call.

"Kurosaki-San so nice of you to return my call." He answered snidely

"Cut the shit, I want my sister back now." He answered in a low even voice. He decided, he hated this man already.

"Really you can't believe I would go to all this trouble just return her back to you just because you asked, did you?"

"…"

"Oh my, you did! How painfully naive of you Kurosaki-San!"

He could hear the humor in the man's voice, like this was some big fucking game to him. 'Calm down, calm down'

"What do you want in return for her safety?" Once again his voice was low lacking the swirl of emotion hiding beneath the surface.

"Ah, now you're speaking my language. What I want is loyalty." He replied watching as his boss strolled to the window in his office, stopping momentarily to rub a flower pedal in between his fingertips from a vase that sat on a nearby table.

"Loyalty?"

"Precisely, of course you mean very little to me, it's the loyalty of your Sekirei I want. Of course they're loyal to you hence were your sister comes in." He easily offered crossing his legs to get more comfortable.

"You're putting my sister's life on the line so my Sekirei will follow you?"

"Not follow Kurosaki, obey my every command."

"You're going to pay for this." He mumbled almost inaudibly.

"Really? Clear your head Kurosaki this is not a personal attack against you, think of it as a business transaction. You do your job and your sister will stay safe and receive whatever she requests while in our care, well except for going home of course. You fight us on this and well… I really don't need to elaborate do I?"

"You made it personal when you went after my family instead of me. I will be back in the capital tomorrow, we'll talk more then." There was an edge to his voice this time, almost sharp enough to draw blood.

"I look forward to it Kurosaki. You're making the right choice." He drawled out before hanging up the phone. Looking at his boss he took in his bored expression before stating. "He's in."

-Upstairs Urahara Shoten-

The five people were sitting around the table with varying levels of concern. Ichigo disappeared beneath the story over an hour ago, and they had yet to hear from him.

"We're going to check on him." Orihime stated rising to her feet with Uzume. Only to be knocked off of them again when an earthquake rocked the shop.

"Ichigo!"

"That isn't good."

"My training grounds!"

"Ass." Yoruichi stated flicking Kisuke in the forehead.

A/N: Thank you to all that have reviewed favorited and followed this. I'm pretty sure Kakizaki may have misinterpreted Ichigo's intentions there at the end… ah well he'll figure it out eventually. And I do have some good news, well for me anyway and hopefully you as well. My work load is starting to finally calm down so no more 80 hrs. + work weeks for me. Hopefully in a couple weeks I will be able to start posting regularly again.