Chapter 6:

The Senkaimon opened in an alley behind a tall skyscraper, out of sight. It would be strange for five people to just materialize out of nowhere. Everyone was in their proper Gigai and ready to blend in with the human crowd. As the Senkaimon closed, everyone piled out into the busy street.

Ichigo squinted in the bright sunlight, stepping out of the dark alley and into the bright warmth bouncing off the tinted windows. The tall buildings surrounded them like trees in a thick forest, though they provided very little shade from the hot sun.

The city was as busy as the last time Ichigo traveled here. People passed them by without so much as a glance and different smelled blended together in the smoky air. Cars were zooming by and horns were honking and people were talking loudly in different languages and no matter where he looked, Ichigo found at least four people selling things on the sidewalk from foldable tables and plastic chairs.

"Keep in mind, you guys, that since you're all in bodies and people can see and hear us, not everyone… Hey!" Ichigo turned around finding Yumichika and Rangiku going in one direction while Ikkaku went in another. "Hey! Get back here!"

Rukia pushed through the crowd like a pro and fought to catch up with them. Once she made it to the corner, they were completely gone from sight. "I don't know where they all went!"

"Damn it, what the hell are they thinking?"

"Should we split up?"

"No, we'll all get lost…" Ichigo looked around. This seemed to be a popular tourist area. There were shops and restaurants everywhere. There was even a stand that provided maps of the city. After sifting through subway maps and bus schedules, Ichigo found a map of the area and took it over to Rukia. "I see… All the streets are numbered… That should make things easier."

"Can you even read English?"

"Sort of." Ichigo struggled to make sense of the map's locations. He was decent in his English classes but he had never mastered speaking the language yet. It was one thing to copy it from the board and another to understand it. "Uh… Let's just start looking over this way."

For the next twenty minutes, Ichigo and Rukia ran up and down streets trying to find the rest of their group with no luck. They were supposed to stay together and find their way to Linnette's house, where they would be staying for this mission.

"Leave it to those two to get overexcited and run off…" Ichigo muttered under his breath, running to another block. Rukia was looking inside shop windows trying to see if they were inside. No such luck. Ichigo looked up at the street signs, seeing the numbers change every time he passed one. It was going to be impossible to find them in a city like this. At least, that's what he thought. When he looked up again, he saw something across the street. "Rukia!"

She turned around and came back to him. "What is it?"

He pointed to the building across the street. It was a three-story clothing store. Large windows displayed differently dressed manikins and large signs which read 'sale' and 'today only'. Standing in the third story window was none other than Yumichika, eyeing a plastic model up and down.

"For God's sake!"

The two of them ran across the street and into the building. At first they weren't sure how to get to the next floor, but Rukia managed to find a staircase in the back of the building and ran up to the next floor and then to the next. Once on the top floor, they stopped, seeing Yumichika run passed them carrying an armful of clothes to the changing booths.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Ichigo barked, grabbing his arm.

"What?" he asked as if they were the ones being rude. "They have surprisingly good taste here. I am loving this scarf. I'm going to try it on right now."

"Oh, no, you're not. Have you forgotten that we have a mission to do? You're coming with us right now!"

"I don't think so. Rangiku's in the booth right now, so you're going to have to wait anyway. Might as well let me try this on while I'm here." Yumichika pulled away and went straight over to the fitting room.

"You've got to be kidding me…"

Unable to go into the changing booth, they were forced to wait for Rangiku to come out and then wait for Yumichika to do the same. After several long minutes, Rangiku came out of a booth sporting a pair of skinny jeans, a white blouse and a cutaway jean jacket. Now she was eyeing a display case filled with sunglasses and jewelry. "Ohh, this one looks adorable." She pointed to a pair of sunglasses encrusted with sparkling faux jewels. The clerk opened the case and handed her the glasses. She put them on and looked at her reflection in the small round mirror on the table. "I'll take 'em!"

Rukia and Ichigo went up behind her and gave her the same lecture they gave Yumichika.

"What's the big deal? They're having a sale today and this stuff is really cheap compared to most places. I mean look at this outfit! So much cuter than the one I had on, right? I'll fit right in around here."

Yumichika came bursting out of this changing booth, tapping Rangiku on the shoulder. "What do you think? Isn't this style amazing?" The 5th Seat showed off is new outfit as if he were a runway model. It was a pair of tight black jeans and a dark blue top with a purple peacock shining over the left side of his chest. He had a dark leather jacket on over it with long sleeves. "Look, look! They even have these cute holes for your thumbs to fit through. Isn't that something?"

"Are you done shopping yet?" Ichigo asked impatiently.

"Are you kidding? We've only just started!"

"We have things to do! You can shop later!" Rukia glanced around the store. "Where is Ikkaku, by the way?"

"I don't know," said Yumichika. "He went off in another direction. He hates shopping."

Ichigo groaned and started toward the stairs. "I'll go find him. Rukia, can you keep them all here until I get back so we don't lose each other again?"

"I can try." She looked over at Rangiku who was carrying yet more to her booth. "How do you intend to pay for all this?"

"I have money. Remember? Everything was taken care of. We had our currency switched to American money so we can pay for anything."

"Yes, yes, I know that. I meant how do you intend to pay for it when you don't know the language?"

"Easy. We'll just give them the money that flashes on that screen over there. Very simple. No talking needed."

Meanwhile, outside, Ichigo was running up and down the streets again, trying to find Ikkaku. He kept looking for a shiny head in the crowd of people pushing him aside. Finally he found that head on a bench near a small park. Ichigo ran up to him and spotted the wooden sword in his lap. "I'm sure there are laws around here that say you can't have that out."

Ikkaku shrugged. "Eh. Don't give a damn."

"Come on. No more running off. At least until we get to where we need to go."

Very slowly, Ikkaku stood up and followed Ichigo back to the store where Yumichika and Rangiku were coming out with their purchases, Rukia trying to pull them back into the store. Once she saw Ichigo, she let them go.

They had a quick meeting by the front door. Since Ichigo wasn't sure how to get to Linnette's house from where they were or how long it would take, they decided that it would be best to take a cab up to where she lived. Ichigo knew her address thanks to all the letters he sent to her home. Now the issue was finding a cab that would take all five of them.

They tried hailing a cab a number of different times. Rangiku thought that if she flashed a little leg she could get one. That plan failed. Ikkaku tried whistling. That didn't work either. Finally a small van pulled up to the side of the street and opened it's doors, asking if they needed a ride. They all piled inside, packing their shopping bags into the back and Ichigo gave the diver the address. The car pulled away from the curb and into traffic at a brisk pace. Ichigo gripped his seat as the driver made his first turn a little too quick for his liking. The car drove up a tall hill and behind buildings.

The buildings started to thin out as they got further away from the shopping areas. Now there were a lot of apartments and small shops. Soon they saw grass and the buildings were more spaced out. Ichigo knew this area. Her house should be coming up on the right side of the street any time now. Sure enough, the driver stopped in front of a neatly kept two story house with pillars around the door. Neatly trimmed hedges framed the front of the house and there was a stone birdbath in the front yard surrounded by flowers, exactly the way Ichigo remembered it. Linnette lived in this elegant-looking building along with Victor and Cedric.

The doors opened and everyone started to get out. Rangiku handed her bags to Ikkaku and Rukia on their way out the doors. Ichigo reached in through the window and paid the driver. Once everyone was out of the van, the driver sped off down the road. Everyone stood in front of the building in awe.

"So this is her house?" Ikkaku asked.

"Yup. That's it."

"Huh. Guess there will be room for us after all." He led the way, walking across the grass instead of taking the stone pathway connecting to the long driveway.

Everyone hurried after him. They stood by the front door and waited for Ichigo to ring the doorbell for them. They figured that it was only right seeing how he knew this odd family best. He reached forward and rang the doorbell. Within a couple of seconds, the door opened.

There stood Cedric, towering over the group as he normally did, dressed in his usual casual clothing. He looked from each one of them without a word. When he got to Ichigo, he gave a small grin and stepped aside. "Welcome back. Come in."

"Thanks."

Ichigo stepped into the wide open, high ceiling living room. The skylights above his head looked like they had recently been cleaned and polished, no doubt by Victor and Cedric. For anyone else, cleaning those would be a hassle, but not for the men could do an entire day's work in a matter of minutes if their time was managed properly. The beautifully polished wooden floors reflected his image the same way it did that day. The house was always so clean and well-kept. In the center of the room was a couch facing the door and two armchairs on either side, all pointed to a coffee table in the center. This room opened up into the well-kept granite kitchen.

And in that kitchen stood the tall handsome man Ichigo knew as Victor. Even while doing the housework, he was never without his white suit. He smiled at them as everyone moved inside. "Hello."

Taken by his looks and warm greeting, Rangiku dumped her bags by the armchair and bolted over to him. She stood around the island, leaning over so that her large breasts touched the countertop and immediately started flirting with him. "Well, hello. You're Victor, right?"

"Yes. That's right."

"Remember me? I'm Rangiku. Captain Hitsugaya's single and available lieutenant."

He nodded politely to her. "That's nice to hear." He took a dishrag and started to clean off the area where her breasts had smudged the countertop. "I figured you all would be hungry when you arrived so I'm making some snacks right now. They'll be done in a minute."

"Ohh! What are we having?" asked Rangiku, making herself at home at once.

"Some fruit tarts."

"Mm! Sounds wonderful!"

"She's such a tease," muttered Ikkaku. He looked over at Cedric who was cleaning up Rangiku's shopping bags from the floor. "Hey, you. So where are we supposed to crash?"

Ichigo elbowed him in the ribs. Cedric was the less trusting of the two men and didn't take kindly to rude people. He was the one Ichigo was more concerned about when it came to making a good impression. Cedric wouldn't hesitate to put him through the wall if he should do anything he deemed uncouth.

Cedric nodded toward the room to the right of the kitchen. "The den."

Ichigo had to stay in that room before the last time he was over. He led them into the room, showing them around. The den looked about the same as it did the last it he was here. The grey colored couch wrapping around two walls was still there in front of a flat screen TV. There was a lone armchair parked in front of the window, a lamp pointed to it and a bookcase sitting behind it, filled with books, knickknacks and pictures. Ichigo looked over at the photographs in different sized frames. There were some new ones but every single one of them featured Linnette in it. The only difference were the people accompanying her in the photos. Some were of Victor and Cedric and others were her by herself , then there were ones of her standing with other girls her age which Ichigo knew to be her local friends.

"Works for me," Ikkaku said stepping inside and knocking a picture off a shelf as he made his way over to the couch. Ichigo caught the photo and shot Ikkaku a look he didn't notice. Ikkaku sat down and put his feet up on the couch cushions, resting his sword across his chest.

Ichigo returned the photo to the shelf, looking at the picture of Linnette. She was at the beach, making a poor sand sculpture with two other girls. It looked like she was trying to make a building, but the sand wasn't staying together. She had written something in the sand with a stick using Japanese characters which spelled out 'Soul Society'. Ichigo placed the photograph beside two others. To the left was a photo of the family sitting together, their arms wrapped around each other lovingly, Linnette in a red dress and both men in suits on either side. Victor was wearing his usual white suit while Cedric was wearing a dark suit, making the two of them look like both halves of a yin yang. In the photo to the right was Linnette at a fair, holding up a large zebra plush smiling wide with Cedric's arm around her shoulders. In every photo, no matter what she was doing, she looked so happy. None of those smiles were faked for the camera. She was truly happy.

That's when Ichigo noticed that he hadn't been tackled yet by the girl in the photos. "Say, where is Linnette anyway? You all knew we were coming, right?"

Victor answered from the kitchen, pulling something out of the over. "Yes. She's upstairs taking a shower. She should be finishing up."

Yumichika wandered into the den with his own shopping bags, looking the room over. "Hm… I wouldn't have chosen this interior but I suppose it'll do fine. That couch looks nice, but did it have to be grey? It's such an ugly color."

"Says the guy who had worn grey pants before," said Ikkaku.

"That's different. It wasn't grey. It was dark brown and only the belt was grey. It's not the same."

Ichigo went into the kitchen. The girls were gathered around a tray Victor had set small fruit tarts on, looking at them hungrily. "Have some," offered Victor.

Rangiku picked up a tart and took a bite. "Oh! They're good! Rukia, have one."

She took one off the tray and took a bite herself. "Wow, this is good. It's not too sweet, either."

"That's because I don't add any sugar. We try to give Linnette healthy things to eat. Any sweetness in those tarts are from the fruit."

Now Ikkaku and Yumichika had wandered back into the kitchen and were looking around at what everyone was eating. Ikkaku frowned at the tarts while Yumichika gave them a curious look.

"They're good," said Rangiku. "And now I don't feel bad about eating them now that I know they're not bad for you."

"A lovely woman such as yourself shouldn't have to diet to maintain such a naturally perfect figure," commented Victor.

Rangiku's face flushed a bright pink and she stared at Victor as if he had just popped the question to her then and there.

Victor, however, wasn't flirting. He was just being kind and friendly using his natural princely charm.

"You're blushing," teased Yumichika. Rangiku grabbed a tart and crammed it into his mouth. Yumichika choked on it at first but managed to clear his airway and chewed the rest of the snack. "It's not bad once you get past the hand sanitizer."

"Shut up." Rangiku picked up another tart having finished her first.

Ichigo was tempted to grab one like everyone else when he heard a voice call from upstairs.

"Victor! Are the tarts ready yet?"

"Yes, sweetie!" he called back. "Where are you at the moment? Top of the stairs or the loft?"

She paused. "Top of the stairs! Why?"

He smiled. "We have company!" Victor looked in Ichigo's direction, giving him a secret message to go near the stairs and call for her.

He walked toward the stairs and called up to her, letting her know he was there. "Hi, Linnette!"

There was a moment's hesitation and then running footsteps. Linnette appeared at the base of the stairs and jumped at him, hollering happily. "Ichigo!"

When he caught her in his chest, he spun his body around, taking her for a ride and set her back down, letting her hug him. Ichigo gave her a hug back, touching her long wet hair. She was dressed in a fuzzy red and pink robe, parts of her still sopping wet.

"Linnette, honey," said Victor. "Why don't you get upstairs and properly dressed? He'll be here."

She quickly ran back up the stairs to change.

Smiling, Victor returned to his work at the counter. "So… since our guests have arrived, what would everyone like to have for dinner?"

"We get to decide?" asked Rukia.

"Of course. You are going to be staying here for a few days and you are the guests. It's only fair that you get to choose what you would like to eat. I can make anything you want."

"Anything?" Rangiku asked slowly.

"I may have to run to the store to pick up ingredients but other than that, yes." Victor waited for their answer, mopping up the crumbs left behind by Rangiku and Yumichika. "Any thoughts?"

Rangiku seemed to be taking her sweet time, thinking. If this man could really make anything, she wasn't about to pass up the perfect opportunity to have a handsome man cook her any delicious dish she wanted. She wanted the most extravagant meal possible. Something she could never get either because it was so expensive or such a rarity.

"She's going to ask for lobster or something like that," muttered Ikkaku into Yumichika's ear.

"Ooh! Maybe some Blue fin tuna… Or maybe Matsutake Mushrooms. Or some salmon… Or maybe…"

"We could also order take-out if you can't decide."

"You have that here?" Rangiku looked very surprised. "I've heard of take-out before but I had no idea they had it here, too." She turned to the other Soul Reapers. "Isn't this city so much fun?"

"Fun isn't the word I would use…" said Ikkaku.

Ichigo looked around the room for ideas. He noticed a plastic case displaying a cake on top of the refrigerator. Getting an idea, he asked, "Got any chocolate cake?"

Everyone looked at him.

"That's hardly a substantial dinner, Ichigo," criticized Rukia.

Victor smiled and took the cake down from its resting place. "As a matter of fact we do. Linnette's already been into it, however. There's always sweets in this house. We also have cookies and ice cream for later if you like." Victor opened a drawer and pulled out a knife. He started to cut a generous piece for Ichigo. "But aside from sweets, is there anything you would like to eat for dinner?"

No one could decide. While everyone was debating what to have, Ichigo asked for Victor to wrap up the piece of cake so he could have it later. Victor wrapped the cake in a piece of tin foil and set it aside for when Ichigo wanted it. Ichigo didn't intend to eat that piece of cake. He wanted to take it to Veneno. He had promised to bring him some more chocolate and wasn't about to go back on his word. He wanted to see Veneno again and check up on him. There were still things he wanted to know. Things he had to find out.

Linnette came running back down the stairs wearing a red jumper and matching socks and bounced over to Ichigo, calling his name happily. Playing along with her high energy, Ichigo took her outstretched hands in his and started to spin with her around the kitchen. Everyone stopped to watch them. Ichigo normally wasn't this energetic nor was he ever so playful. It was certainly a sight to behold. Ichigo knew what Linnette liked to do and also knew that she was ecstatic to see him again, so he decided to play with her a little.

They stopped spinning. That was when Linnette spotted the others. "Rukia!" She ran over to the dark haired girl and grabbed her. "It's good to see you again! Who else is with you? Did Hanataro come? What about Rin? Or Kira?" She started listing Soul Reapers she had become good friends with during her visit to the Soul Society. Unfortunately none of them managed to come. She was a little disappointed, but was happy that she got to see Ichigo and Rukia again. There were also three other Soul Reapers with them who she might be able to become friends with.

Ikkaku looked over his shoulder at Victor. "So… you got food or what?"

"Have you decided on something?"

"I was just asking. I'm fine with anything."

Linnette turned to Victor. "They still deliver on Friday nights, right? We can order something so you don't have to go out."

"We could…" He turned around and pilled something off a shelf near the phone. "We have plenty to choose from if people will decide." As he made his way over to the group carrying a selection of take-out menus, he suddenly stopped and looked up. "It's Friday, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He quickly set the menus down on the table and turned into the dining room. He was looking at a calendar mounted on the wall on the other side of the phone. He ran his index figure over the Friday boxes of this month and froze. "Oh, dear."

"What's the matter?"

He looked back into the kitchen. "We had another commitment this evening. We were only informed of your arrival the other day. It was such short notice that we neglected something we had planned two weeks ago."

"What is it?" Linnette asked coming closer. "An appointment?"

Victor looked down at the girl with a weary grin. "You had arranged a slumber party this evening with some of your human friends."

"That's tonight?!" she gasped. She had forgotten all about it. The excitement of having Soul Reapers in her home was too much and she had devoted all her energy to preparing for their arrival. "Oh, no. That means they'll be coming here, too."

"And since we're all in gigais that means that they'll all be able to see and hear us," said Rukia. "Just how many people are coming?"

"Only four or five at the most," answered Victor. "It'll just be for one night. They'll all go home in the morning."

"And when are they coming exactly?"

The doorbell rang.

"Now."

Ichigo looked around in a panic. "What do we do? Just hide in another room or something? Or spend the night somewhere else?"

"Nonsense," said Victor. "They all sleep upstairs in her room. You can sleep down here. We have plenty of room."

Ikkaku turned to Ichigo. "Jeez, what's got you so worked up?"

Ichigo started backing away as Victor went to answer the front door. "Have you ever seen how girls act at a sleepover?" He had two sisters so he understood how things got from time to time at parties. Karin's friends were more rowdy than Yuzu's, but no matter whose friends were over, he never got any sleep that night or a single thing to eat. Girls ate more than he thought.

As soon as the door opened, four young girls around Linnette's age came barreling through and into the room, shoving Victor to one side. One girl tossed her bag on the coffee table without looking to see where it landed while another ran and tackled Linnette to the hardwood floor, screaming her name loudly. The other two came in more slowly, but weren't any less loud. One held on to her things while the other handed her belongings to Victor and ran to tackle Linnette herself. "Lin-Lin!" she cried and jumped on top of her.

Cedric stood by anxiously, worried that one of those girls was about to injure Linnette with their horseplay. Victor took the girl's bag toward the stairs. He called out to the girls in English and they all answered him by grabbing their things and tossing them in his direction.

That's right. These girls were from this country and spoke the language. They probably didn't speak Japanese like they did. They wouldn't be able to understand each other.

Cedric bent down and hoisted the girl off of Linnette one handed resulting in all the girls crowding around him, begging for him to do the same to them. They marveled at his strength, all wanting to see what he could do with it. Simply lifting them up wasn't enough. Some girls wanted to ride him like a circus animal while others began climbing all over his body as if he were a jungle gym. The tall man tolerated this and stood there while they had their way with him, giggling and pulling on his body.

One of the girls had wandered over to where the Soul Reapers were standing and started talking to them in a language they couldn't understand. That only made her speak louder.

"Suddenly, staying in a hotel doesn't sound too bad," muttered Ikkaku as he watched the girls run around the room, screaming and laughing. Girls at play; what was to be expected?

Linnette came rushing over when she saw the girl talking with Ichigo and the others. She started talking to her in English and pointed to each one and saying their names. She pointed to the orange haired teen and said "Ichigo" in between some English words he didn't understand. The girl giggled and said something to Linnette who started laughing and playfully slapped her shoulder.

Ichigo looked at the Soul Reapers and then at Linnette. "What did she say?"

"She thinks you're cute!" she chirped. The girl started pulling on Linnette's sleeve and pointed at Ichigo, saying something else. Linnette answered her and the girl looking Ichigo up and down again. Then she said something else which made Linnette giggle.

"What did she say now?"

Linnette giggled again. "She wants to feel your arm."

"Why?" Linnette waved Ichigo down and told him to hold out his arm. The girl moved forward shyly and felt Ichigo's upper arm with both hands. She jumped back into Linnette squealing and laughing in delight. Ichigo straightened up looking confused. He looked over at Rukia who was also laughing. "What?"

"Isn't it obvious? She thinks you're buff!" she laughed.

Frowning, Ichigo looked around at the others. Rangiku was laughing along with Rukia and Yumichika just stood there shaking his head. Ichigo looked from side to side. Ikkaku was missing. He pushed his way passed them and into the kitchen. Ikkaku had managed to slink away into the next room, looking for an exit. He reached for the sliding glass doors just as Ichigo showed up.

"What? I can't stand hyper little girls. Have you seen my Lieutenant?" With that Ikkaku opened the back door and ran outside.

When Ichigo returned to the kitchen, he saw Yumichika being pulled into the crowd by one of the larger girls. When he fought back, the others started to pull him in as well, helping their friends. They were all laughing and speaking their own language so no one had any idea what they were saying. But Yumichika didn't like the sound of it. Luckily, Linnette was there to translate. Whatever she told him caused him to start thrashing around and screaming at the top of his lungs. Laughing, Rangiku joined the girls, pulling Yumichika towards a chair.

Ichigo moved along the wall and over to the wad of tin foil on the counter. Picking it up, he made a break for the dining room and out the back door.

The warm air had cooled off somewhat but it was still warm outside. The sun was starting to set which was strange for Ichigo, being in a different time zone. He would have been making lunch right about now if he had his time correct. He knew when he had called home in the morning from Linnette's house, his sisters were getting ready for bed, having just finished their dinner. This was going to screw up his time clock so bad. Good thing it was the weekend. So much for it being his weekend of nothing.

Ichigo stepped onto the wooden porch and looked around. He saw Ikkaku laying in the grass near the bottom step, looking at the setting sun, leaving orange and purple streaks behind the tops of the trees which fenced in the backyard. Ichigo walked down the stairs, carrying the piece of cake with him and sat on the bottom step by Ikkaku's head. "I need a favor."

"What is it?" he asked without looking at him.

"I need you to open the Senkaimon for me. I have to take something there real quick."

Ikkaku rolled onto one shoulder. "We only just left. You sick of being here already?" Screaming from inside the house caused Ikkaku to flinch. "Then again, I don't blame you."

"Please? I made a promise to someone. It will be real quick. I'll be there and back before you know it."

Sighing heavily, Ikkaku took out something from his pocket and swallowed it. He stepped out of his body and took his Zanpakuto. He stabbed the air in front of him and turned his blade like a large key, opening the Senkaimon. "There you go. But you're getting back on your own, got it?"

"Yeah. Thanks?"

Ikkaku stepped back over to his body and entered it again. "Pain in the ass…" He laid back down and looked back at the sky as Ichigo left for the Soul Society.

What did you think of this chapter?

Please review! ^-^ Thanks!