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 overlooking downtown Karakura, Rukia stared worriedly at the spasming right hand of her gigai.

"Why is this happening? This is the third time in two weeks". If her gigai rejected her now... no, she couldn't afford to think like that.

"I'd say it's about time, I make a trip to the shoten". Sighing, she took one last look at the townscape ahead. "I better head back to Ichigo's. Kon is sure to worry about me since I haven't been home since last night".

With a leap she jumped down the high-rise making her way back to the Kurosaki home.

"Now up to bat is~, Jinta Hanakari! Here comes the wind up on the pitch, and with a perfect swing, he lets it fly~. It's a 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 with a nervous look in her eyes.

"Please Jinta. You have to get back to work or we'll be in trouble with Tessai. We only have fifteen minutes left and we're still not done sweeping the front".

Inside the shop Anju and Tessai were doing morning restock.

"That Jinta. Maybe I should go outside and scold him a bit". Tessai shook his head to himself as he placed several boxes on the ledge of the shop floor.

Chuckling lightly, Anju took a box from the stack."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 horse around a bit". Extending the nail of her index finger, she cut the tape off the top of the box.

"I suppose you're right, little 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 boxes for easier recycling.

Sensing someone approaching, a small smile spread on her lips. "I wonder if she's going to stop by the shop"?

Back outside, Jinta had fully abandoned his chore and was bullying Ururu.

"I'm not scared of no one, you hear me, and who do you think you are acting like you can tell me what to do?! I'm bigger than you, so I'm the boss!", berated Jinta to a poor Ururu as he rubbed his broom on her head.

"Ow Jinta, that hurts! Stop it! Jinta! Ow, ow, ow! And why are you the boss when I'm three years older than you"? Tears where now in her eyes. All she wanted was for them to finish their chore so that they wouldn't get scolded by Mr. Tessai.

The screen doors to the shop rapidly slide open with a loud thunderous smack. Anju appeared with a murderous look on her face. In Jinta's mind, she had devil horns, her pupils glowed red, and a thick dark purple aura surrounded her making her look like a demon. Only one thought was in his head. His big sis was going to let him have it for bullying sweet innocent Ururu.

"W-w-wait big s-sis. "I-it was j-j-just a joke", stammered Jinta holding his hand out to try to pacify her or cushion the beating he knew he was about to get. His other hand clutched his broom out of fear. Now trembling, he realized that maybe he had gotten a little caried away, but it was too late to reflect on his actions and get off with just a warning.

Anju didn't move as she stared him down. Not buying the excuse, she ran towards him with heavy steps. Making a chop with her hand, she swung her arm back and brought it down over the boy's head hard once she was within prime chopping range.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Owwie!", the boy cried as he rubbed the top of 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. Something she reserved for his worst offenses.

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

"Uh huh", she said shyly. She loved being comforted by her big sister. She was warm and kind.

"Why don't you go inside and help Tessai. I'll finish sweeping with this one over here". Anju shot Jinta a nasty glare. Turning her attention back to Ururu, she gave her a reassuring smile and with a sisterly hug, she sent the sandal wearing girl inside to help with the morning restock".

"That really hurt big sis!", Jinta groaned in pain as tears formed in the outer corners of his eyes. The telltale sigh of a red bump beginning to emerge where Anju had chopped him.

"I wouldn't have needed to do that if you hadn't of bullied Ururu", she chided. "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. "C'mon Mr. Boss. Let's finish sweeping the front before Tessai comes out here and really makes you cry". Jinta flinched, quickly picking up his broom and swept the spot he had been sweeping before his earlier shenanigans with Ururu. Grabbing the broom Ururu had been using, Anju started sweeping with him. In about five minutes they'd gotten the chore done with thirteen minutes to spare before opening.

"And here she is". Turning to the incoming figure, Anju smiled. Seeing his big sis was looking at something, Jinta turned his attention to see who was coming.

"It's you!", the boy pointed.

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

"Never", Anju shook her head. "It's good to see you again, Rukia. It's been practically forever since we last saw each other. I must say I'm quite shocked to see you in a high school uniform". Anju looked Rukia up and down smirking. "It looks good on you".

Rukia blushed at Anju's words. Clearing her throat lightly to dispel the awkwardness of being complimented. "Yes, well I've had quite the adventure lately. I actually find the uniform easier to move in than I originally thought. Now that I think about it I'm pretty sure I'm going to the same school you went to, Anju". Both girls gave each other a knowing smile. They'd known each other since Anju was around 13 years old and had developed a sort of friendship due to Rukia making frequent trips to the 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 some much needed supplies and a full tune up. Am I right?" Anju started walking towards the shoten with Jinta leading and Rukia walking beside her.

Rukia flinched. "Do you feel that something is off about my gigai?"

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

Kisuke opened the shoji screen leading to the shop. Covering his mouth a loud yawn escaped his lips as he stepped down from the ledge and walked to where Ururu and Tessai were finishing stocking new candy flavors in glass jars. Jinta and Ururu's idea to entice more customers to the shop. About two months ago, Anju and them had scoped other shops in the area to see what snacks they did or didn't offer making suggestions for Kisuke to order so they could taste test and rate the snacks before selling them in the shop. It was slow, but there had been a slight increase in customers since they started carrying a larger selection.

"Good morning, Tessai. Ururu", Kisuke greeted as grogginess slowly lifted from his body. Rubbing his arm over his face, he tried to wipe away the feeling as best he could. He had a late night last night finishing the final touches on his latest project, but due to several missed calls from Rukia, he thought it'd best to see what she wanted in-person having expected that she'd stop by the shop this morning before going to school.

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

Kisuke grinned at Tessai's jest as he let out another yawn and scratched his stubble.

"Morning, Kisuke", Ururu nodded.

"Morning, Ururu", he waved.

Opening the doors to the entrance Anju, Rukia, and Jinta entered. Since it wasn't opening time just yet, Anju reclosed the sliding doors.

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

"Well hello again Miss Kuchiki what brings you back to my humble shop?", Kisuke stifled another yawn smiling sleepily at the young soul reaper.

"Let's see, one base grade item, 60 tablets of fixer-". Kisuke paused looking 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". The young soul reaper looked irate 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 Rukia privately since she was adamant that she didn't want Kisuke to do a detailed tune-up on her gigai himself. Which was understandable since it'd be like he was seeing her naked.

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

"Thank you, Ururu", Rukia nodded.

Ururu smiled as the teenage looking woman took the cloth wrapped package. She was happy to have done a good job.

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

Instead of waving goodbye and wishing her well, Anju started walking out with the dark haired girl. "Wait up, let me walk with you, Rukia". Anju intended to walk as far as she could with her to see if she could get an understanding of the situation. She wanted to respect Rukia's right privacy as she delt with her own problems, but Anju wasn't one to let her friends suffer in silence. It just wasn't in her character, and she could tell that whatever Rukia was dealing with was effecting her, so she wanted to do what she could to help her whether it be servicing her gigai for a tune-up or just listening to her vent and giving advice.

"I see you still have your motorcycle". Rukia commented as they walked through the front yard.

"Yes, we do deliveries now, so it gets plenty of action when I'm not riding it for funsies". Anju clasped her arms behind her back. "If you're up for it, I can give you a ride around the block again when you've got some free time".

"I'd like that".

To celebrate getting her motorcycle license, Anju had offered to take Rukia on a joy ride around the block. Hesitant at first, she was encouraged by Anju to try something different and fun for once. Handing her a helmet, she put it on and sat behind the silverette holding her midsection tight. The sound of the engine was loud and caused the body of the bike to shake, something Rukia had never felt before. With a "hold, tight", they took off down the street. It was exhilarating. She could see why Anju liked riding this motorcycle so much. She felt like she was flying.

Now a few blocks away from the shoten, Anju decided that now would be a good time to ask Rukia about more serious matters.

"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 looked up to the sky. There were no clouds this morning just the sun.

Sighing, she knew there was no use in lying to Anju. She'd already sensed that something was wrong with her gigai, and it's not like she would tell anyone that'd get the news back to Soul Society regarding the loss of her soul reaper powers.

"So that's what happened. I sensed your reiryoku was much lower than usual, 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 your powers to one. Though, I'm afraid that I won't be much help with restoring your soul reaper powers. The good news is they'll eventually restore themselves with time since you only transferred your reiryoku to Ichigo, you didn't actually give him your abilities. Otherwise, he would've been able to immediately wield a zanpakuto with powers similar to Sode no Shirayuki.

"That's a relief, and it's ok. I figured this would be beyond anybody's capabilities to fully restore my powers. I just wish whatever's going on with my gigai would resolve itself. That's the most pressing matter". Rukia looked at her palm.

"I wish I could help you right now, but without my tools, I won't be able to see what's going on internally. When you get another chance, you should stop by the shoten. I'll be sure to do the tune-up away from Kisuke's naughty eyes". Anju giggled. It was no secret that Kisuke had a perverted side. Though not as perverted as Lisa or Love's. "Aside from that. How's human life treating you? It must be rather exciting being in a new place having new experiences". Anju tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear before looking at her friend.

"It's... different. I like it more than I thought I would, but I still have my reservations". Rukia crossed her arms.

"That's only natural", nodded Anju. From what I've been told, Soul Society is like a total different world from here. If it means anything, I think you're doing a good job adjusting to these new circumstances, and it sounds like you've had some positive interactions. That Ichigo fellow sounds like quite the character. I can't believe he even lets you sleep in his closet". Giggling, at the thought, Anju couldn't imagine living in a teenage boy's closet, they were known to do some unholy things in their alone time. Rukia on the other hand didn't seem the least bit bothered by her current living arrangements. In fact she acted like she enjoyed it which was a good sign in Anju's eyes. Maybe Ichigo kept a certain level of decorum when she was in the room. "I'm genuinely happy for you, Rukia. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're not the best at making friends, so to hear that your classmates are treating you well makes me glad. Your time in the human world may prove to be a good experience for you".

"I- I mean I wouldn't call them my friends. Sure, we eat lunch together, but "friends"? That's a bit much don't you think"? Rukia blushed profusely scratching the back of her head. It wasn't the norm for soul reapers and humans to be friends. As far as she was concerned she was just using her classmates to experience the human world. At least that's what she told herself. Maybe Anju was right. It wouldn't be so bad to make friends while she was here.

Anju chuckled. "Whatever you say, Rukia". Slowing down, she decided now would be a good stopping point since Karakura High was only a few blocks ahead. "Well, I guess I'll let you go from here. It'd probably be hard for you to explain to your friends if they saw you hanging out with a college-aged woman". She teased

"Out of all the things I've done around them, I think they'd question my walking to school with you the least". The purple-eyed girl gave a small smile which Anju returned.

"See you around, Rukia". Anju waved before walking back to the shoten.

"Bye, Anju".

Rukia continued walking the two and a half blocks left to Karakura High School. She could see Ichigo, Keigo and Mizuiro chatting about something in the courtyard with Keigo making his usual over exaggerated movements. Orihime and Tatsuki approached the group followed by Chad and Uryuu.

"Friends, huh"?

Rukia crossed her arms feeling something in the right breast region of her blazer. She reached inside pulling out a box of pocky. "Matcha flavored? Anju must've snuck this when I wasn't looking". Putting the snack back in her blazer, she smiled.

Spotting her, Ichigo waved followed by the rest of the gathered teens. Rukia awkwardly waved back.

Almost at the shoten Anju couldn't help but think about what Rukia had told her about the boy named Ichigo Kurosaki. Images of the spikey haired teen flashed through her mind. "Hmm, 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 shop.

Entering the store front, Anju noticed that the screen to the house component of the shoten was slightly ajar. As she approached, she could see the delicate fluttering of red fabric. Just as quick as it appeared it disappeared. The less spiritually attuned would think it was just the trick of the light, but to Anju it was a sight she'd seen ever since she was a little girl.

"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. Benihime 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 silk slipper 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 woman 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 his admiration for Shinji's zanpakuto spirit. It's true they got along well to the point that both had a sort of sibling-like relationship with each other. Sakanade was the 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. "And don't get me started on that frigid Sode no Shirayuki. She's beautiful sure, but she's so stuck up. I don't get how Rukia can work with her. They're total opposites".

"So are we, but we work fine together".

"That's different. I'm the Britney to your Spears. The Celine to your Dion. Shirayuki could only hope to be as cool as me". The voice grinned having been pleased with his comparisons.

"You're so silly. I don't think the regal and stoic Shirayuki thinks about such things".

"And that's why she'll never be as cool as us". Both Anju and her zanpakuto spirit laughed. Them, cool? How funny.

Having finished 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's antics with his body, 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 his closet, Rukia jumped down landing on her feet 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, he didn't turn to her as 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 many rooms behind the storefront, Anju was doing maintenance repair on her gigai. Her tools were spread on the floor and table as she worked. The new tool pouch, Shinji and co. had gifted her for graduation was securely buckled around her waist. Pumping some reiryoku into the gigai to see what else needed a tune up, the shoji screen slid opened with Tessai telling her that it was time for dinner.

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

"Alright, little miss". The brawny man closed the screen and headed back to the kitchen.

"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. "Just giving my gigai a much needed tune-up. So far, everything is coming back normal. How's you're project going"?

"It's going. Lots of dead ends, but that's to be expected on the road of science", Kisuke said cheerily while waving his fan at Anju who chuckled at his antics.

"Yes, you taught me that. It must be frustrating, but I'm sure once you figure out whatever it is you're working on you'll feel relieved".

"Oh trust me, I will". the shop keeper lifted some more rice to his mouth

"Kisuke"?

"Hmm?"

"Do you know anything about an orange haired boy named, Ichigo Kurosaki who recently attained soul reaper powers"? Anju put another piece of broiled salt fish into her mouth mentally praising Tessai for being so good at the culinary arts. She wasn't a bad cook herself, but Tessai was something else. Anju had told him on several occasions that if the shoten ever shut down, he'd make someone a great wife one day to which the bespectacled man chuckled with Kisuke stating that Tessai was practically his common law wife already.

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 or another, he responded. "I have. Why do you ask?".

"It's faint, but in a way, 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 glanced at her from his right 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