Did You Think You Could Tell?
Away from the Vizards, Ichigo found a note in the magazine Lisa had given him. It said to meet at an address neither he nor Chad knew. Both were tired of being run around, but still curious of the unknown location. Karakura town was relatively small, and the address was located on the outskirts of it, in an area they rarely visited. The place turned out to be a foreign restaurant. They found the stern-looking, school uniform-clad Vizard waiting for them outside.
"Ichigo," she said as they approached, "Did you have any trouble finding this place?"
"No," he said, "What is this place Yadomaru-san?"
He tried to sound respectful. Beyond occasionally teasing him about borrowing her erotic material, Ichigo had interacted rarely with the braid-wearing Vizard and was unsure how much to trust her.
"Lisa is fine. I'll explain in a moment," she said in an unexpected, slightly warmer tone. She then turned to Chad. "It is Sado Yasutora, yes?"
"Yes?" Chad answered with caution.
"Please excuse this rather crude method," in the blink of an eye, she drew her Zanpakuto and released its Shikai, "Smash! Haguro Tonbo!"
Her sword transformed into a huge spear-like weapon. She immediately charged at Chad as she released, driving him back several meters.
"Chad!" Ichigo called out in shock at the surprise attack. Much of it became obscured by a cloud of dust from their collision.
"He's fine, Ichigo," Lisa responded as the dust cleared. Chad had bought out his arm armor in time to defend himself and caught the head of her spear in his palm.
Lisa pulled back her weapon. As she withdrew, the tip of her spear cracked and broke off.
"I doubt you'd have been able to manage if I'd used my mask," she said as she examined the damage.
"Likely," Chad responded calmly.
"I apologize again, Sado-kun," she spoke with the mildly warmer manner again, "I can't say how you'll fare in Hueco Mundo, but some time ago Hiyori boasted how easily she'd take you and that Orihime girl. Glad to see you've gotten a bit stronger since then."
"Thank you, I guess," Chad said, "You plan to help us?"
"If I can," Lisa replied, "I can't personally get you to Hueco Mundo myself."
She gestured to the unfamiliar restaurant, "But maybe the people in here can."
"Why are you helping us Lisa?" the orange-haired boy asked. He felt almost hostile demanding an answer so directly, but he simply couldn't endure any more misdirection and half-answers.
"Is it not obvious to you also, Ichigo?" Lisa replied, sounding sympathetic to boy's plight, "This is a rare chance to observe a real-life rescue romance scenario between you and that girl. There was no way I could miss this opportunity."
Ichigo's jaw dropped and his face turned redder than either Lisa or Chad had seen for a human.
"Ah, that is," he stammered "Um, Chad?" Ichigo asked his friend, lost for some way to reply.
"Uh, well, Ichigo, you didn't deny it," Chad said unhelpfully.
"Ichigo," Lisa said pointedly, "Promise you'll take her in your arms when you save her."
Ichigo and Chad both went silent. It was impossible to tell if she was being serious or mocking him.
"Ichigo," she continued, "You didn't answer. Were you imaging holding Orihime in your arms just now?"
"Well, uh," Ichigo floundered further, "I mean, I haven't rescued her yet."
"Ichigo, you still didn't deny it." Chad pointed out again.
"Well, I mean, maybe, if she's happy to see me," he blurted out, unsure what he was saying any longer.
"So your plan is to let her a make the first move," Lisa said, "A fascinating strategy, and so modern and enlightened."
It looked as if Ichigo had been reduced to mix of a small child and a dying, wounded animal. Chad worried if he opened his eyes any wider the orange-haired teen risked injuring them.
"C'mon you two," Lisa ordered, heading in, "It's really time you met the purveyors of this place."
"Uh, yeah," Chad said, himself bewildered by the conversion.
"Hey wait up,"Ichigo called, following them after several moments.
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The inside of the restaurant had a greeting area and a separate section for dining. In the front was mix of decorations and trinkets for sale that must have come from all over the world. Some the teens recognized, from American cowboy hats, to Mayan statue replicas, to Russian nesting dolls and local temple tokens. Others were beyond anything even remotely known to them.
"You're thinking, where in the world are these things from?" Lisa whispered, "You might as well ask though, are these even from this world? It's your classic 'Was this place here yesterday?' case."
As Ichigo and Chad took in the unusual surroundings, they did not notice the approach of the waiter, "A pleasure to see you again, Yadomaru-san. three for dinner?"
They turned to find an olive-skinned man in his thirties. He appeared to be from perhaps somewhere in Europe. He wore ordinary black slacks and a formal white shirt beneath a server's apron. What stood out much more to the two boys was what looked like a fragment of bone-like upper jaw on his left cheek.
"An Arrancar," said Ichigo immediately identifying him. He was in his mortal body and didn't have any means of defending himself, but still went on guard.
Chad again drew his arm armor. The two teens also failed to notice Lisa was wholly unconcerned about the server not being human.
"You can see this," the man said touching the mask piece, "Looks like you are not ordinary customers."
"Bakudo One, Sai," came another voice from the back.
Both boys had their arms bound behind them by an invisible force. Ichigo recognized it as the Kido Rukia had used on him back when they'd first met. He glanced towards Chad, who had also realized they would likely be able to break out of the low level spell with little effort. Before they could move to, the caster appeared from the rear. She was a pleasant looking woman, likely also in her thirties. She looked to be possibly Indian in origin, "Please do not fight in our establishment. Yes, my husband is an Arrancar, but, oh my!"
She released them from the Kido, "Our deepest apologies. Antonio dear, didn't you recognize them?"
"Hmm, oh, they're more members of the group that broke into the Soul Society, " the server noted.
"And embarrassed those high and mighty Shinigami," the woman added.
"That means you are honored guests," the man called Antonio continued.
"Please, let us offer you a special feast to celebrate you," the woman added.
"All compliments of us, of course," Antonio said, "Your friend is already waiting."
"Huh, friend, who?" Ichigo managed to ask as he rubbed his wrists. He was quickly answered.
"It took you long enough Kurosaki," said a white clothed teen coming in from the dining area, " Sado-san, good to see you again."
"Ishida, what are you doing here?" the confused Ichigo inquired.
"Wondering why you're so late, " Uryu said, unable resist sniping at the Substitute Shinigami as they always did. He then turned to the two members of the staff, "These are the people I was waiting for Sirvino-san. I'll have them join me at my table."
"Wonderful, sir," the Arrancar answered, then turned to the woman, "Come my dear Kiara. We have promised this group a fine meal."
"Of course, Antonio," she said, then turned to the group, "Do come in and make yourselves comfortable. We will return shortly."
As they exited, the until-then silent Lisa stepped forward, "So, you are Ishida Uryu, the infamous last Quincy of Ichigo's group?"
"I am a Quincy," he replied, eyeing her carefully, "And you are?"
"Yadomaru Lisa, former Eighth Division Lieutenant Captain," she responded, revealing her former rank to the teens. "Now I am a Vizard and outcast of the Gotei Thirteen."
"I see," Uryu responded with a guarded tone.
After a few seconds staring down each other, Lisa spoke first, "Ichigo, is this boy a romantic rival of yours for the affections of Inoue Orihime?"
Ichigo again turned a deep red, becoming incapable of answering.
"What, that's prepos-," Uryu said, but then tried to redirect his discomfort over the topic at Ichigo, "Kurosaki, why is this vulgar woman with you?"
"I am not vulgar," Lisa protested, "I merely want all people of any gender to be honest about their feelings for one another."
"That's not-" Uryu started to further object.
"Then again, and forgive me if I assume too much," the woman continued suddenly sounding academic in her questioning, "But meeting you now, I wonder. Is it really the girl that is the object of romantic interest?"
"What are you even talking about!?" the dark-haired boy shouted, totally losing his composure.
"Um, Ishida, you didn't deny it," Chad repeated towards the dark-haired teen now.
"Alright Lisa, that's enough," Ichigo somehow spoke up, trying to sound authoritative enough to make her stop.
"Why? She asked. "Are they too difficult questions to answer."
"Well, some, actually yes,"Ichigo said with a blush, but he immediately refocused, "But they aren't important right now."
"Okay, maybe, but then when?" she sighed and cleaned her glasses, "You're all so young, and it seems like you have so much ahead of you. But you also are all still going some place you know next to nothing about except it's dangerous. It's really all I know about it. I'd have no regrets over that if I can at least try get you to think about what the people around you mean to you."
The three youths stared wordlessly at her, taken aback by this sudden personal plea to consider more carefully their actions and what they meant to the people in their lives.
Chad collected his lost-in-thought friends, "Okay you two, she's not wrong," he said towards the Vizard woman, "But, if you can't say what you need to right now, I think it's enough you're at least thinking about it."
Lisa nodded, and with that Ichigo and Uryu made their way to the back. Once they were inside, Lisa paused giving the large teen a thoughtful look, "You think you'll be able keep guiding them like that, Sado-kun?"
"I don't know," he considered, "Over the day, it sometimes feels like I'm just pretending in the role. I'm never sure I'm saying or doing the right thing."
"I see," Lisa said, concern for him clear in her voice.
"It's like I told some other friends earlier," he said, "We don't always get to choose, sometimes the only thing we can do is try."
"I don't know if what I think is worth much," she patted the large teen on the arm then took it lead him forward, "but the job you've done so far has earned you a nice meal at minimum. Let's go."
"Yeah," he replied, following her to join the others.