Hello everyone!

Alright, so admittedly, this one got away from me a bit. But hey! Longest chapter so far, so it works out.

Kisuke was fairly certain that he had never met someone as stubborn as Kurosaki Ichigo.

The kid was determined - knock him down and he was already standing back up before he'd even hit the ground. He'd survived the Encroachment and dove head long into the training Kisuke had planned for him. And for all the kid complained about the insanity of Kisuke's methods, he pushed through it anyway.

He wasn't powerful - not exactly, not yet. But the potential was there. The possibility was there.

Kurosaki Ichigo was going to be a force to be reckoned with one day.

For now though, he was a kid that Kisuke had spent the last five days, thirteen hours, and six minutes trying to kill - only trying, because for all his potential if Kisuke actually wanted the kid dead, he'd be dead - while Ichigo's only job was to knock Kisuke's hat off.

"This is ridiculous!" Ichigo exclaimed, "We've been at this for five days! Can't we take a break?!"

Kisuke hummed. "I thought you wanted to save Kuchiki-san?"

The glare that got him was admittedly very impressive.

"Don't be stupid," his student growled, "But I'm not going to be much use to her if I keel over!"

Kisuke smirked, which only served to make Ichigo's glare darken. "I suppose," he drawled, tapping his chin in thought, "I'll give you a three minute head start."

"What," Ichigo said flatly.

"Three minutes," Kisuke repeated cheerfully, holding up three fingers to emphasize his point, "To hide and then I'll come find you!"

"That's not a break!" Ichigo yelled at him.

"Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds~" he singsonged back.

Ichigo glowered at him before running off.

Kisuke chuckled, mentally counting down the time. When the three minute mark came, he ambled off in the direction of Ichigo's presence. It wasn't even that much a challenge; the kid still had no grasp on how to conceal his reiatsu. It spilled out of him in waves, telling Kisuke exactly where the boy had gone without him even needing to look. He supposed that was something else they would have to work on.

He perched himself on the bolder Ichigo was reclining against, hand curling around Benihime's hilt. Ichigo showed no sign of knowing he was there, eyes closed and posture loose.

Then the boy suddenly jerked up, eyes going wide and for a moment, Kisuke thought that the boy had sensed him.

"I am such an idiot," Ichigo grumbled to himself, clearly having not registered Kisuke's presence at all, "I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Grandma!"

Kisuke blinked, bemused, wondering why on earth Ichigo was calling for his grandmother. Just as he was about to announce his presence to the teen by pouncing on him, however, the air next to his student shifted and suddenly a woman was stepping out of empty space.

She pulled a silvery hood off her head, revealing wild black curls and stunning green eyes. She looked human, wearing a pair of simple jeans, a plain red shirt, and a beat up pair of old trainers, but the cloak she wore looked more like liquid than fabric and hinted at something other.

Kisuke's eyes widened before he dropped back, pulling his reiatsu in tight around his core, hiding it as best one could without a concealing cloak.

The woman smiled. "Hello, sweetheart," she said to Ichigo.

The teen flashed her a brief smile, before frowning. "Grandma, Rukia's been taken, can you – "

The woman chuckled lightly, holding up a hand. "Stop, Ichigo, she's alright."

Ichigo's shoulders eased some. "They haven't done anything to her?"

She shook her head, her gentle smile fading. "No. Not yet," she answered, "She's been locked away in a cell to await her sentence, but until that time, she's being left alone."

Ichigo blew out an explosive sigh, falling back against the rock as the woman sat next to him.

"Are you going to save her?" she inquired.

"Of course," Ichigo scoffed, brow furrowing as he added, "I just wish there was a way to let her know that I was coming."

The woman's expression turned contemplative and Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the look.

"...I know of a way that you could contact her, and only her, but I am not sure if you are capable of learning it," she said slowly, "It has been many, many generations since anyone has been able to use the power granted by my blood."

"I won't know if I don't try," Ichigo said, jaw already set in that stubborn line that Kisuke was becoming very familiar with, "What is it?"

"It's called a Patronus," she explained and Kisuke very carefully started taking mental notes, "I suppose in simple terms, it is a physical projection of yourself. It's primary function it to protect the caster's soul from harm, but it can be used for other things as well."

Hmm, she'd said caster. Perhaps a kind of kido?

"Like passing messages," Ichigo said.

She tilted her head in acknowledgement. "It is not an easy thing to learn and it is even harder to use in combat."

Ichigo was sitting up straight now, brow furrowed and eyes dark. "Why? How does it work?"

The woman paused, seeming to gather her thoughts, bright green eyes going distant. "When you are at your lowest point," she said at last, "When the only thing you know is despair, when your greatest fears have been brought to life right in front of you, you must be able to remember what it is to feel joy."

Ichigo blinked. "Joy?" he asked, echoing Kisuke's thoughts.

She nodded, an absent smile quirking her lips. "To manifest a Patronus, you must think of a memory, a powerful memory. It doesn't have to be long or complicated or even real - it just has to make you happy."

"That's it?" Ichigo asked skeptically.

The woman snorted. "It's not as simple as it sounds," she warned, "Casting a corporal Patronus, which is the only form that can carry a message, is extremely difficult. Being able to feel joy in a seemingly hopeless situation is no easy task," she said, eyes dark.

"Have you?" Ichigo asked after a long moment, "Cast one in a hopeless situation?" he added when she just blinked at him.

She hummed, looking out over the training ground, but not really seeing it.

"When I was thirteen," she started, "My godfather and I were attacked. The closest comparison I could give you would be a Hollow, but I personally feel that these creatures were much, much worse. They were cold, Ichigo, so very, very cold. Water froze over in their presence, plants withered and died. All that was good was suddenly sucked from the air as if it'd never been there, as it would never return. No joy, no love, no warmth. Just emptiness."

Ichigo leaned into her, bumping his shoulder against hers when she stopped, her expression becoming a little too vacant. Kisuke found himself wondering how old she really was, how much she had seen. Ichigo referred to her as his grandmother. He - and all other Shinigami - was far older than he looked, but when he looked at this woman, he could feel the weight of her age for all she looked to be in her twenties.

She flashed Ichigo a smile before continuing. "My godfather had been badly injured and was in no condition to fight. Anyone close enough to help was incapacitated and any other reinforcements were too far away to even be an option. We were surrounded on all sides and they were going to kill him. Me as well, simply because I was there, but they were aiming for my godfather. The only family I had left that gave a damn about me, that cared, and they were going to kill him."

"What did you do?" Ichigo asked softly, thought Kisuke suspected the teen already knew where this was going.

The woman smiled, withdrawing a long stick with small nobs along its length from her cloak and pointing it at the space in front of them, whispering, "Expecto Patronum."

Kisuke watched with wide eyes as silvery blue light exploded from the end of the stick, spilling out in rivers, twisting and twining until the seemed to solidify into the form of a large stag.

Quincy, was Kisuke's first thought, though he retracted it a moment later.

This wasn't reishi manipulation, not exactly. Quincies shaped the reishi around them, but this was something different. The reishi in the immediate area remained undisturbed and the apparition didn't seem connected to it in any way regardless. No, this was something else entirely.

Fascinating.

"Whoa," Ichigo breathed.

The woman laughed. "This is Prongs, my fully corporal Patronus."

"It has a name?" Ichigo asked, reaching out with tentative fingers as Prongs lowered its head to peer at the teen.

The woman shrugged. "He," she corrected, "I named him because I felt like it. Not everyone does."

"He's warm," Ichigo murmured, flattening a hand against the stag's neck and Kisuke dearly wished he was close enough to touch.

"He's a manifestation of my joy," the woman said simply, as if that explained everything.

"What are you thinking of?" Ichigo asked suddenly, turning to her, "You said that Patronus come from memories - what are you thinking of?"

She grinned. "You."

Ichigo blinked. "Me?"

"Hm-mm. The first time I ever held you," she recounted, "Two weeks after you'd been born. Masaki thought something terrible had happened because you didn't start crying in the middle of the night and she came rushing in ready to take off my head."

The woman laughed and Ichigo's expression turned fond and sad.

"Yeah," he said softly, "That sounds like her."

"She'd have been a lion," she said wistfully, "Brave and reckless and everything in between."

Ichigo quirked a smile - a small, fragile thing, but more genuine than any other expression the shopkeeper had seen on the teen's face.

The woman shook herself from her thoughts, reaching out and tapping Ichigo on the nose with a slender finger. "Don't you have training to be doing?" she asked.

Ichigo jolted to his feet. "Ah, right! I wonder what's taking so long for Geta-boushi to find me..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

The woman smiled. "Oh, I don't think it took him that long at all," she said slyly, eyes flicking up and landing directly on Kisuke.

He was more than a little shocked - had she known he was there the whole time? - when their eyes met. He was also more than a little confused when after a few seconds of eye contact, her eyes went wide and surprise flashed across her features.

"Oh," she said softly.

"What?" Ichigo asked, spinning to look at him as well, "Geta-boushi?! How long have you been there?!"

Kisuke hummed. "How long has it been since the first three minutes?" he asked, hoping down from his perch.

The woman watched him with avid interest and Kisuke noted that the stag had turned towards him as well. Ichigo made to say something, but paused when he noticed where Kisuke was looking.

"Can you see her?" he asked.

Well then.

Kisuke tilted his head. "Am I not meant to?"

Ichigo scowled. "No," he said shortly crossing his arms.

The woman chuckled, rising to her feet. "Most people cannot," she said, "When I last saw you around twenty years ago, Urahara Kisuke, your eyes passed right over me. What changed, I wonder?"

"Oh?" Kisuke said, letting only cheerful curiosity show, "I apologize then, miss, for not noticing you."

Ichigo's gaze was suddenly intense, eyes narrowed, as though he was gauging Kisuke's sincerity.

The woman only smiled. "You may call me Hariel, little one," she said, "I think I will enjoy our future conversations."

While pleased at the promise of future meetings, Kisuke found his thoughts circling back to her age. Physically, she looked a few years younger than him, yet she spoke as though she was far older - as though she knew she was far older.

Ichigo rolled his eyes, cutting in before Kisuke could form a response. "Grandma, you can have tea with Geta-boushi later," he said, hefting his blade over his shoulder, "I have training to get to."

"Maa, I thought you wanted to take a break, Kurosaki-san?" Kisuke asked.

Ichigo glowered at him while Hariel's eyes gleamed with laughter.

"Ichigo," she said, tilting her head towards the stag still standing by its mistress, "Before you get back to it, wasn't there something you wanted to say?"

The teen blinked, eyeing the Patronus. "Uh, do I just talk?" he asked. Hariel nodded and he turned back to the stag, a determined expression on his face. "Rukia," he said, "I'm going to save you, so just sit tight until then."

The stag bowed it's head before it's form wavered and collapsed inward, the silvery blue light winding into misty tendrils that curled together to form a sphere and shooting off through the ceiling of the training ground as if it'd been launched out of a cannon.

Kisuke released a low whistle, tilting his hat back as he eyed the place the Patronus disappeared. Very, very interesting.

"Well that's that, then," he said cheerfully, "Back to work. Nake, Benihime!"

Ichigo's eyes went wide and he dove out of the way as Benihime carved away the ground he'd just been standing on.

"Damnit, Geta-boushi!"

"Now, now, Kurosaki-san, you need to learn to think on your feet~!"

Hariel laughed as Ichigo ran off. "Have fun, sweetheart!" she called after him.

Kisuke grinned at the disgruntled yell she got in reply. "So much to do, so little time," he sighed.

Hariel hummed in agreement, but called out to him before he could chase after his student.

"Kisuke," she said, "Are you familiar with the sensation of the calm before the storm?"

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was watching Ichigo's retreating back, her expression serene, but her eyes dark.

"I suppose I am," he answered slowly.

"It's going to start soon," she said absently, voice idle as though they were speaking of the weather and not dangers that hovered just out of sight, "Rukia has been sentenced to death by Sokyoku." She paused here and turned to look him in the eye, lips pressed into a grim line. "Your Central 46 was not the one to issue this order."

Kisuke felt his blood go cold. "You're sure about that?"

Hariel's lips quirked into smile that was far too sad to labeled as such. "As sure as I am that there is a Hollow in my grandson's soul."

Kisuke jerked, spinning around to face her, eyes wide. The Encroachment, while effective, came with side effects. Ones that Ichigo would not be pleased about once he learned of them.

She waved him off. "That's not your fault. It's been there since he was born – it all has. Quincy and Hollow from his mother, Shinigami from his father. All you've done is brought some of it a little closer to the surface."

Ah.

"Masaki-san's condition," he murmured to himself. He'd stabilized her but it seemed that the damage had already been done. "What about the girls?"

Hariel shook her head. "No, Ichigo absorbed all of the Hollow reiatsu while he was still in the womb. The girls are mere Shinigami-Quincy hybrids."

"You say that like it's not a significant combination in and of itself," he said dryly.

Hariel laughed and gave him a beaming smile. "There are stranger things, Kisuke. I'll have to tell you some time."

Kisuke found himself returning her smile. "Over tea?"

"Indeed," she said, "Perhaps after my grandson has left for his rescue mission?"

"It's a date~!"

That got him another laugh. "Yes," she agreed, green eyes glittering, "Until then, little one."

And then between one blink and the next, she was gone.

Hm. It seemed he had something to look forward to in the next few days.

In the meantime, he had a student to hunt – er, train.

The tower was cold.

Not the kind with ice and snow and freezing temperatures, but the kind that seeped through your skin and sunk into your bones. The kind of cold that lived in silence and echoed emptiness.

The reiatsu suppressing collar felt like a noose around her neck, a heavy weight she was constantly aware of.

The light that filtered into her cell through the narrow window was enough for her to see, but…it's funny, she never thought she could miss the sky. Now all she could see was a small sliver of blue.

"Rukia."

She jerked around, shooting to her feet at the sound a voice that shouldn't, couldn't, be here.

But he wasn't here.

The cell was empty save for her.

Yet she suddenly felt warmth brushing against her skin, surrounding her, chasing away the lingering chill.

"I'm going to save you, so just sit tight until then."

"Ichigo…" she whispered, looking around for the source of the voice.

It was a little distorted, echoing around her, but it was his voice.

"Rukia, I'm going to save you, so just sit tight until then."

Her breath hitched and she blinked back sudden tears, her heart somewhere in her throat.

He sounded just as he always did when he made up his mind: stubborn and determined and unmovable. She should have known he wouldn't just sit by, he'd find a way to get to her, even if it was this strange message. Because for all she couldn't see the source, she had no doubt that this was Ichigo's doing.

And it made a part of her hope.

She knew she shouldn't.

She knew her fate.

She knew there was no escaping it.

But.

Ichigo was fierce when it came to his friends and family. He was like a dragon that guarded its hoard – unwilling to part with it, willing to kill for it. As much as she wanted him to stay away, she knew that if he could find a way into the Soul Society, Ichigo would come for her.

And as much as the thought warmed her, she dreaded it.

Her brother had taken Ichigo down easily, with almost no effort. And he was not the strongest fighter here.

Ichigo wouldn't stand a chance.

And yet.

"Rukia, I'm going to save you, so just sit tight until then."

With the warmth wrapped around her, holding her, protecting her, all she felt was joy.

"You idiot," she whispered, smiling through her sudden tears, "You stupid, stubborn, hard-headed fool."

"Rukia, I'm going to save you, so just sit tight until then."

Ichigo was coming.

All she had to do was wait.

To clarify the ending a bit:

Rukia can't see Hariel meaning that she also cannot see her Patronus. However, the message was from Ichigo, so she heard it no problem. Make sense?

Until next time,

~Elri