Bleach is owned by Tito Kubo, however my OC's are my own.

Apricot Parfait

Ch.4 An Old Friend Returns

Sitting atop a building looking over Karakura town, Rukia looked at her spasming hand.

"I'd say it's about time, I make a trip to the shoten". Sighing, she closed her eyes as she angled her head to the sky.

"Now up to bat. Jinta Hanakari! Here comes the wind up on the pitch, and with a perfect swing, he lets it fly~. Home run!", cheered Jinta as he swung around on one foot holding the broom he was supposed to be sweeping with like a bat. Ururu looked at him concerned before speaking.

"Please Jinta. You have to get back to work or we'll be in trouble with Tessai".

Inside the shop, Tessai and Anju were restocking products.

"That Jinta. Maybe I should go outside and scold him a bit", spoke Tessai as he placed several boxes on the ledge of the shop floor so that Anju could open and put each good on its respective shelf or in one of the various containers that were located through out the shop.

"Jinta's just super passionate about baseball, and so long as he gets his work done in a timely fashion, I see no harm in letting him mess around a bit". Anju took one of the boxes and extended the nail of her index finger to cut the tape off the top.

"I suppose you're right young miss". Tessai went back into the storage room to grab the last of the needed boxes.

Placing candy in a container Anju turned her head so that Tessai could hear her from the storage area. "Aren't I always?", she smirked before finishing her task and breaking down the box for easier recycling.

Sensing someone approaching, Anju smiled. "I know that spiritual pressure"

Back outside Jinta abandoned his chore and was bullying Ururu.

"I don't get scared. Who do you think you are? I'm bigger than you", berated Jinta as he rubbed his broom on Ururu's head.

"Ow Jinta, that hurts. Stop it. Jinta. Ow, ow, ow".

The doors to the shop burst open as Anju appeared with a dark look on her face fuming.

"Wait big sister. "I-it was just a j-joke", stammered Jinta as he held his hand out to try to cushion the beating he knew he was about to get while his other hand still held the broom out of fear. Shaking.

Anju squinted her eyes staring Jinta down not buying the excuse and rushed towards him. Making a chop with her hand, she swung her arm back and brought it down over Jinta's head.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, owwie!" cried Jinta as he rubbed his head trying to lessen the pain. He loved his big sis, but man did she pack a mean chop. Her punch was nothing to take lightly either.

Walking away from Jinta, Anju crouched down to be eye level with Ururu, patting her on the head. "Are you alright, Ururu".

"Uh huh", Ururu said shyly as she blushed.

"Why don't you go inside and help Tessai. I'll finish sweeping with Jinta", Anju gave Ururu a reassuring smile as Ururu went inside".

"Ow, that really hurt big sis", continued Jinta as tears formed on the corners of his eyes. A red bump beginning to form on the top of his head.

"I wouldn't have needed to do that if you hadn't of bullied Ururu" admonished Anju. "Besides, I thought you liked doing morning cleaning with me cuz we get it done so fast?"

"I do, but you didn't have to run out here and hit me. It was scary".

Chuckling, Anju rubbed the side of Jinta's head that didn't have a bump before she started sweeping with Jinta following suit. Five minutes later, Anju stopped.

"And here she is"

"Let me guess, Jinta did something that warranted that bump on his head" said Rukia crossing her arms as she looked at the golf ball sized bump that had formed in the middle of his head. "You just never change. Do you little one?", Rukia rhetorically questioned.

"You know it", Anju smirked. "It's good to see you, Rukia. I hope you've been well. I see you've decided to embrace human culture", Anju observed clearly referring to Rukia's high school uniform. "You look cute".

Rukia closed her eyes for a moment and smiled before uncrossing her arms. "Yes, well I've had quite the adventure lately. I actually find the uniform easier to move around in than I had previously thought. Now that I think about it I'm pretty sure I'm going to the school you went to". Both Rukia and Anju gave each other a knowing look. They'd known each other since Anju was around 15 years old and had developed a sort of friendship due to Rukia making frequent trips to the Urahara shoten whenever she had duty in the world of the living.

"Kisuke should be up by now. As much as I'd like to think that you came just to visit little old me, I'm sure you're here for much needed supplies. Am I right?" Anju started walking towards the shoten with Jinta leading and Rukia following.

Rukia gasped. "Did you feel that something is off about me?"

Anju put on an air of seriousness before speaking again. "Yeah, I can tell something is off about your gigai. I wish you'd take better care of yourself, Rukia. Kisuke's inventions are amazing, and I can help fix most issues when it comes to the repair and maintenance of most soul technology, but there are no miracle cures once the damage reaches a certain point". Anju gave Rukia a sad smile before perking up. "Let's head inside the shop and see what Kisuke recommends".

Kisuke opened the shoji doors and covered his mouth when a yawn escaped his mouth.

"Good morning, Tessai. Ururu", Kisuke greeted as grogginess slowly lifted from his body. Rubbing his arm over his face, he tried to wipe the sleepiness from his face as best he could. He had a long night working on his latest project in the shoten's basement. He still felt a little bad about turning down Anju's offer to help him with whatever was bothering him when she noticed he seemed more deep in thought and tense than usual, but he couldn't let her get involved with this particular project. Not yet anyway, and he hoped that she never would have to.

"Good morning, boss. Don't you look bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning"

Kisuke grinned at Tessai's jest as he rubbed his mouth and scratched the back of his neck.

"Morning, Kisuke".

"Morning, Ururu", waved Kisuke.

Opening the doors to the entrance Rukia, Jinta, and Anju entered.

"Good morning, Kisuke. Look who's here", beamed Anju.

"Well hello again Miss Kuchiki what brings you back to my shop?", Kisuke stifled another yawn.

"Let's see, one base grade item, 60 tablets of fixer-". Kisuke looked at Rukia, "Look, I know it's none of my business, but this stuff can be toxic if you take too much. Over synchronizing with your gigai will lead to a world of hurt when you finally jump out of it".

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but lately my connection with it has grown pretty weak". Rukia looked irritated as if more than her short circuiting gigai was on her mind.

Anju took note of this, but decided it was best to talk to Ruki privately to see if she could help since she was adamant that she didn't want Kisuke to do a detailed tune-up on it himself. Which was understandable since it'd be like Kisuke was seeing her naked.

Ururu returned from the storage room handing Rukia her special order.

"Thanks, Ururu".

Ururu smiled as Rukia took the package. Feeling like she did a good job.

"I'll be going now. Thanks, Kisuke, and it was good to see you again Anju".

Instead of waving goodbye and wishing her well, Anju started walking out with Rukia. "Wait up, let me walk with you Rukia". Anju intended to go as far as she could with her to see if she could get an understanding of the situation.

"I see you still have your motorcycle". Rukia noted as they walked through the front yard of the Urahara shoten.

"Mhmm, we do deliveries now, so it comes in handy". Anju clasped her arms behind her back as both girls continued to walk.

"Rukia, what's going on? Your gigai feels unstable and a couple days ago I saw you with a group of humans. It looked like you guys were talking to a parakeet".

"You saw that, huh". Rukia commented continuing to look forward as she walked in a predetermined direction.

Sighing, Rukia saw no harm in telling Anju what happened. It's not like she would tell anyone that'd get the news back to soul society.

"So that's what happened. I sensed that your reiatsu was much lower than normal, but since I never saw that orange haired boy before, I assumed he was a new recruit from your squad. I never would've guessed that you'd end up living with a human let alone give one your powers. How exciting".

"It's not as cool as you think, Anju".

"You say that, but I'm sure this whole experience has brought a sense of adventure to your life. Don't take this the wrong way Rukia, but you're not the best at making friends, and you're still rather awkward when it comes to being in the human world, so maybe developing a human side will help you with that", Anju teased.

Rukia shook her head as she gave a light laugh. "Maybe, we'll have to wait and see won't we.

"So how have you been, Anju? Any excitement in your life lately".

"I graduated two weeks ago. I wouldn't say it's exciting cuz I still have to attend grad school, but it's nice not having to worry about cramming for tests or dealing with people who would do anything to take your spot, ya'know?".

"I remember when you first told me that you were going to college, I can't believe humans require so much schooling just to get a job. The academy was only 6 years, and I was exhausted by the end of it. I can't imagine if I had to spend any more time there".

Anju chuckled. Slowing down, she decided now would be a good stopping point. "Well, I guess I'll let you go from here. It'd probably be hard for you to explain if your friends if they saw you hanging out with a college-aged woman".

Flustered Rukia waved her hands frantically, "I wouldn't call them my friends. I mean sure, we eat lunch together, but that's about it". Rukia sweated as Anju gave her a knowing smile.

"What ever you say, Rukia. See ya". Anju waved as she turned to go back to the shoten.

"See ya" said Rukia as she watched Anju's retreating form for a moment before continuing her walk to school.

Almost at the shoten Anju couldn't help but think of the orange haired boy she saw with Rukia, "That boy". Images of the spikey haired teen flashed through her mind. "Mmm, I shouldn't dwell on it too hard, I'll probably never come into contact with him anyway" with a shake of her head to clear her mind, Anju turned the last corner to get to the shoten.

Entering the store front, Anju noticed that the door to the house component of the shoten was slightly ajar, and as she approached, she could see the delicate fluttering of red fabric. Just as quick as it appeared it disappeared. One would think it was a trick of the light if they were not more spiritually attuned.

"I guess Benihime was wondering where I went". Sitting on the ledge to take off her shoes, she stood up and entered, closing the door behind her.

"That hag is always checking for you, I swear she acts like I don't know how to protect you".

"Hey, be nice you. Beihime isn't so bad once you get to know her. She's just a little sharp around the edges is all".

"Easy for you to say. You may not notice it but whenever we train with Kisuke it's like she's staring me down… like… like I'm mud on her boot or something, and she's always looking for something to nag me about. I swear I saw her run her finger along her neck one time as if to say that she was gonna kill me" . The voice shuddered.

"Um yeah, cuz you were goofing off when you were supposed to be focusing. You know Benihime is a zanpakuto of few words. That was her way of telling you to get your act together".

Anju made her way towards her room but decided to stop by the kitchen first to see if any dishes needed to be washed.

"Well, she's no Sakanade that's for sure. Now she's fun", continued the voice. Anju could feel her zanpakuto's admiration for Shinji's zanpakuto. It's true they got along well to the point that both had a sort of sibling like relationship with each other. Sakanade was a big siter type and had a mischievous nature of her own. One Shinji didn't appreciate as much as Sakanade thought he should.

"Honestly, what am I going to do with you"? Anju shook her head exasperated but amused.

"Oh, you know you love it, ha ha ha ha". The voice laughed hysterically as if he said the funniest thing ever.

Washing the cup and three plates, Anju rinsed and put them on the drying rack before heading to her room to work on a secret project of her own.

It was morning, and Ichigo Kurosaki was currently dealing with his newest problem which he dubbed "Kon". Between Rukia and this mod soul, he knew he was going to have a massive headache. The stuffed lion was currently hiding with Rukia in his closet while his sister Yuzu made her way out of his room.

Stepping out of his closet, Rukia jumped down while Kon fell to the ground with an "ow" and a squeak. Noticing Ichigo's change in mood Rukia asked what was wrong.

Staring out the window, Ichigo didn't turn to her and he responded, "It's nothing. Tomorrow, I will be gone for a while so stay out of trouble you two".

What Ichigo didn't know was that there was an invisible fine print clause that he unknowingly agreed to when he decided to let Rukia transfer her powers to him, and that was that trouble would follow him no matter where he went.

Working in one of the shoten rooms Anju was doing maintenance repair on her gigai. Her tools were spread out on the floor and table as she worked. Some were in the new tool pouch Shinji and co. gave her. Pumping some reiatsu into the gigai to see what else needed a tune up, the shoji door opened with Tessai telling her that it was time for dinner.

"I'll be right there Tessai. Let me just find a stopping point".

"Alright young miss".

"So what have you been working on, Anju?", asked Kisuke as he plopped some rice into his mouth.

Putting a piece of fish in her mouth Anju chewed well before swallowing. "What have you been working on, Kisuke"?

Kisuke let out a snort before telling Anju that what he was working on was so secret that if he told anyone the device the government put in his head would explode. Sweeping both hands up his face and making an explosion sound with his mouth for emphasis.

Anju snorted. "Alright, I get it. I won't press any further. If you must know I did a tune up on my gigai, and everything went well".

"That's good to hear", said kisuke who lifted some more rice to his mouth

"Kisuke"

"Hmm?", Kisuke said while chewing his rice.

"Do you know anything about an orange haired boy who recently got soul reaper powers?", Anju put another piece of the broiled salt fish into her mouth mentally praising Tessai for being so good at the culinary arts. She wasn't a bad cook herslef, but Tessai was something else. Anju had told him on several occasions that if the shoten didn't work out, he'd make someone a great wife one day to which the brawny man chuckled.

Deciding it was best to tell the truth, especially since he had a haunch that Anju already made contact with the boy in some form, he responded. "I have. Why do you ask?".

"It's faint, but he reminds me of Shinji and the others. I'm curious what he is, is all".

Anju took a sip of tea not looking at anything in particular on her plate as she took another piece of fish off the bone. Kisuke looked at her from her left side.

"I'm not sure, I can answer that, but I have a feeling, he'll be coming to the shoten very soon".

Next chapter we set the stage before we pick up the pace