§ x § x §

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EINUNDVIERZIG

TIMELINE X + N + 1

The party settled in at Urahara Shop once again. Tessai served them all ice cream in a bizarre gesture of normalcy as they sat around the table to discuss everything. A loud smack drew their divided attention to Urahara, who was sitting with a bowl of ice cream in one hand and his fan in the other.

"Okay!" the scientist announced. "I will analyze the data we collected tonight later! Question time for you lovely ladies!"

Homura stiffened. Karin grimaced. Yuzu nervously pushed her ice cream around with her spoon. Urahara proceeded to grill them on how Familiars functioned, how the girls performed their various techniques, summoned their weapons, and so on.

"That's enough to work with for now. In the next few days, I'll ask you three to come—"

"No."

Everyone turned to Homura, who turned her lips down into a stubborn frown.

"Excuse me?" Urahara asked.

"No. I am not staying a few more days. I shall return to Mitakihara in the morning."

Everyone stared. Urahara recovered and said, "Miss Akemi, I need to investigate more fully— observe live demonstrations—"

"No," Homura insisted. "You can ask me by phone, but I must be back in Mitakihara. Without my interference, Madoka will contract tomorrow afternoon. I will not allow it."

Urahara's frown matched hers. "We have Miss Inoue to—"

Homura narrowed her eyes. "You know as well as I do that the possibility of her reversing the contract is conjecture at best."

Several people raised their eyebrows and looked to Urahara.

The scientist bit his cheek. "...I concede your point."

Homura inclined her chin in acknowledgment.

"But how do you expect me to be able to help you if you distance yourself from me and my base of operations?"

"You are intelligent," Homura said coolly. "I presume you are capable of solving such a problem."

Urahara's intense gray eyes bored into her for a long minute. "How do you know she'll contract tomorrow? You estimated a few days before."

"Statistics." Homura pushed a strand of hair behind one ear. "Over the course of many timelines, I have determined a pattern for her contracting. I confirmed early on that unless I am present to alter events, Madoka will encounter the Incubator on her way home from school tomorrow. It will trick her into wishing to heal a cat that she witnesses being hit by a car. I suspect the Incubator does not move more quickly because it wants Madoka to make a weak wish and is stalking her for an opportunity to convince her to make one." She tilted her head. "In my experience, if I am present over the weekend, it is easier to delay or eliminate the encounter by indirect means. In waiting this long to approach Madoka, I have eliminated a wide array of potential distractions and will likely have to interfere directly."

Frowning harder and tapping his fan absentmindedly, Urahara tilted his head and said, "You said you would stay a few days. I didn't take you for a liar."

"I said no such thing," Homura sniffed as she turned her attention to her ice cream. "You and Ms. Yoruichi were the ones to bring up a term of 'a few days leeway'. Monday is the second day after that conversation. Two is within the span of 'a few', which is generally accepted to be three or four."

A self-deprecating grin spread on Yoruichi's face. "You weren't convinced by my argument at all, were you? You just dropped the subject so we'd shut up."

Homura inclined her chin in a snobby affirmative. Yoruichi laughed darkly. Honest frustration made Urahara press his lips together like a parent having trouble controlling an unruly child.

"Kisuke," Isshin said quietly, face somewhere between entertained and disturbed. "Kisuke, this is what it's like to be friends with you. My god." He couldn't stop himself from chuckling lowly.

Urahara blew a deep breath out his nostrils and reconsidered his options. Recognizing her friend's recalculating expression, Yoruichi stalled for time. "So, let's back up a second. The girl who can one-shot Walpurgisnacht contracted... to save a cat."

Homura's eyes darted from one former Second Division officer to the other, plainly figuring they were distracting her. She allowed it to continue for now. "Yes. In many timelines in which she contracts before Walpurgisnacht, anyway. A black cat she named Amy. She is a stray that will not let herself be adopted. Madoka calls her independent. She is concerned for Amy's welfare and assists her when she can."

Yoruichi's face turned sly. "An independent black cat, you say?" Her eyes slid to Kisuke for a moment, then back to Homura. "So she likes cats?"

The magical girl tilted her head a bit, guessing where she was heading. "Very much so. Caring for Amy was one of the things that brought us together in the original timeline."

"Oho~," Yoruichi crowed. "What if you had your very own pet black cat with an independent streak? One who takes a liking to your new classmate and coincidentally distracts her from danger sometimes?"

Homura pensively looked down into her empty ice cream bowl. Cooperation would mean that she would be under constant observation herself as well, but a bodyguard for Madoka who the Incubator wouldn't suspect could be priceless. Actually... "Wouldn't the Incubator be able to sense your magic? ...Reiatsu?"

Urahara distractedly waved his fan while scribbling ideas in a notebook, ice cream forgotten. "There are ways to conceal reiatsu."

Homura looked up at them, then down again. So Yoruichi could also observe the Incubator's interactions with Madoka. There would also be the opportunity to ask questions about shinigami in private. "I... suppose... that would be a mutually beneficial arrangement," she said carefully.

"Right, then," Urahara said decisively. "Yoruichi will go back to Mitakihara with you tomorrow. She'll do what she can as a cat without provoking suspicion. In the mean time, I will work with Karin and Yuzu to study the basics of the magical girl soul-state. Others—" he gestured around the table— "will investigate other angles, such as studying disappearances and history in more depth. I will contact you by phone to ask questions or give updates. Is that satisfactory for now?"

Homura silently nodded her agreement.

"Now, before Ichigo and his friends go back to their condo—" Urahara began.

Ichigo balked. "What?! I need to be with my sisters—!"

"No, you do not, Ichigo," Urahara said calmly. "We can monitor Karin and Yuzu now. Until we have more information, there's nothing you can do but perhaps assist with research. Which you can do via internet from your condo." His expression softened at the frustration on Ichigo's face. "Once we know what to attack and how, we'll point you at it and let you go to town. Until then, cooperate so you don't jeopardize the entire investigation."

Ichigo looked conflicted and furious, but reined himself in. He nodded, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.

"Now, as I was saying," Urahara continued, "before you four leave I want Miss Inoue to repeat the experiment her future self did for me."

Orihime started in surprise, then her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! The purification?"

"Yes." Urahara placed two items on the table: the spent Grief Seed Homura had given him and the new Grief Seed they had just collected. Then he slid something that looked like a smart phone across the table to Karin. "If you would put your Soul Gem on here, please." Karin dubiously complied and looked up for further instruction. He pushed the new Grief Seed to her. "I want you to purify your Soul Gem using the conventional method. Miss Inoue?"

"Yes!" Orihime chirped. She gestured at her hairpins. "Ayame, Shun'ō, come out and watch!"

Homura watched more closely this time as the two fairies split away from the older girl's hairpins with a flare of gold magic. It was difficult to make out what exactly they looked like even though she went so far as to lean over the table to watch them drift around the clouded ruby. Humanoid was about all she could make out. She decided to not push to see them up close for now.

On Urahara's signal, Karin tapped the new Grief Seed against her Soul Gem with a distinct clink. Everyone watched as darkness gathered and seeped out of the ruby like iron filings drawn to a magnet. Soon, the Soul Gem was a more brilliant red than it had been. Karin withdrew the Grief Seed, going still when the two fairies darted after her hand. She held the Grief Seed rigidly as the fairies flitted around and chattered, then swooped back to the Soul Gem. After a few cycles, they zoomed back to their mistress and fluttered around her head.

Orihime clapped delightedly. "They think they can do it!"

Urahara looked at her intently. "Purify tainted Soul Gems, reverse the transformation from Grief Seed, or both?"

"Both!" the fairy mistress cheered.

Everyone made hopeful sounds as Karin returned the Grief Seed to Urahara, who hummed and looked at it thoughtfully before putting it down. "Do they have any comments about the items?" he asked.

Orihime looked at her fairies expectantly. After some chattering and chiming, Orihime looked back to Urahara and gave the same report her future self had. Urahara steepled his fingers together. "Miss Inoue, would you mind testing your purification on Yuzu's Soul Gem?"

"Sure!"

Karin recalled her Soul Gem into ring form as her twin manifested her own Gem. Yuzu set the citrine on the smart phone sensor. Orihime held her hands out.

"Sōten Kisshun: I Reject!"

The two fairies floated on opposite sides of the Soul Gem. A translucent gold shield snapped into place over it. Black reishi drifted up and dissipated against the shield like smoke. In the span of two minutes, the Gem was perfectly purified. Many at the table sagged in relief.

The girls didn't have to rely on participation in the magical girl food chain to retain their souls.

Urahara nodded in satisfaction. "Miss Inoue, are you tired?"

"Not at all!" she chirped. "That was simple."

The scientist picked up the Pumpkin Witch's Grief Seed and rolled it around in his fingers, considering it. "Would you be willing to try to reverse the damage to this soul and return it to a Soul Gem state? Documentation from last time said you were able to do it, but it tired you."

Face determined, Orihime said, "I can do it. I'll just sleep a lot tonight and tomorrow."

Urahara nodded seriously. He gestured for Orihime to take the smart phone device, which she did. He balanced the Grief Seed's spindle on its surface and made a gesture of invitation. "Whenever you're ready, Miss Inoue."

Orihime took a deep, steadying breath, centered herself, and held her hands out. "Sōten Kisshun: I Reject!"

The same shield manifested again. Dark mist drifted upward and evaporated against the golden light. Ten minutes slipped by before the black stone shifted color to have muddy traces of orange. Sweat beaded on Orihime's temples as the gem progressed from opaque dark mahogany to mildly translucent rust. It gained more clarity, shifting to a cloudy carnelian before amber light blossomed from the crown of the Grief Seed and flowed downward around the silver spindle like flower petals. There was a pulse of energy as the hollow space filled with orange reishi. The silver, pumpkin-shaped decoration atop the Grief Seed shimmered and filled out with orange light, the metal shifting from silver to gold. Gold settings burst out and wrapped down the egg-shaped fire opal, met at the bottom, and filled out along the bottom to form a golden cup. After one last pulse of light, Orihime's fairies disengaged their shield and wobbled back to their tired mistress. Sado and Ishida held Orihime's shoulders to steady her as she swayed and blinked.

"Orihime, are you—?" Ichigo cried.

Orihime laughed weakly and waved her hands, blushing. "I'll be fine, Ichigo, really! Ahaha, that was a workout!"

Ichigo looked unconvinced, but bit his tongue.

"My, my," Urahara murmured wondrously. He had lifted the new Soul Gem. He tilted it this way and that, examining the unique filigree and admiring the shifting colors of the fire opal.

"It looks like the embers that were in the lanterns," Hitsugaya said quietly.

The scientist hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder what would happen if I put this in the hand of a new gigai?"

"Don't," barked Karin.

Urahara started in surprise. He looked at her. "Why not?"

Karin grit her teeth. "That's a soul. A person. If the other me remembered... and it drove me... drove me..." She swallowed hard. "Just don't." Isshin wrapped his arm around her back to soothe her.

Urahara's face fell into blank seriousness. "I understand." He quietly put the orange Soul Gem in an isolation jar like the one containing the Grief Seed Homura had brought with her. The silence drew out to awkward lengths. Urahara sighed. "Well. I think that's all I need you all for at the moment. Captain Hitsugaya, please return on... let's say Wednesday. I'll give you a list of things to look up in the Great Spirit Library. In the mean time, advise the Captain-Commander you may need the highest security clearance." The shinigami nodded curtly. "Ichigo and company, please come home next weekend for further discussion. I will email you assignments for during the week. Except for you, Mr. Ishida. You focus on your Quincy history research." The older teens all nodded. "Karin, Yuzu, you will go back to school. If you encounter any Familiars or Witches, please call me for backup. I would also like you to be on call for experiments in the afternoons." At some suspicious looks, he clarified, "Ah, I mean seeing if you can do certain tasks with your 'magic', seeing if you can differentiate how certain things feel, seeing if there is a difference in your perception with and without your transformations active, demonstrating your version of Soul Burial, simple stuff like that." Everyone settled down again. Urahara turned to Homura. "Miss Akemi, you should leave on the same train as Ichigo and his friends in the morning. I will make arrangements for Yoruichi overnight. You'll carry her with you on the train."

Homura nodded. That was reasonable.

Urahara looked around the table appraisingly. "I think we're done here—"

"No," Hitsugaya objected. "There is a question Captain-Commander Yamamoto posed. I think it should be addressed while we're all together."

Everyone tensed. "Go on," Urahara said cautiously.

Hitsugaya took a deep breath. "How did the Incubator know about the process to create a King's Key? Even the possibility of forging one at all is highly classified information. The captains and lieutenants were only told when intel indicated it was Aizen's goal. The rank and file were told Aizen saw capturing the jūreichi as the step between conquering Hueco Mundo and Soul Society."

Everyone looked flummoxed. Homura was completely lost. Urahara scratched his chin in fascination. "That is an excellent question."

"Uh."

All eyes turned to Karin, who was giving Yuzu a look of dread. "You have an idea, Karin?" her father asked gruffly.

Karin squirmed and winced. "It's... it's really classified information?"

Hitsugaya frowned. "Yes. Otherwise there could be more attempts to conquer Karakura and breach the King's Realm."

"...Shit."

Yuzu didn't object to Karin's language, face pale.

"What did you do." Hitsugaya's flat words weren't even a question.

"Back before we contracted, when we didn't know Kyub— the Incubator was a soul-sucking bastard, we tried to convince him to contact shinigami because they were nicer since the war. And he— it— asked why a shinigami would want to conquer a human city. And I told him. It."

Everyone stared in silence until Hitsugaya snapped, "Dammit, Karin!"

"I didn't know it was a secret, okay?!"

"How do you even know about it? I know I was purposely vague about it when we talked."

Both twins looked at their brother.

Ichigo thought back. "...Shit."

Hitsugaya gestured angrily, but could produce no words. Instead, he dropped his face in his hands and forced himself to breathe evenly.

Ichigo flailed his arms in front of him in denial. "I didn't know it was a secret, okay?! No one told me it was a secret!"

"Have you heard of common sense?"

Ichigo squawked incoherently, mortified.

"He doesn't have military training, Captain Hitsugaya," Yoruichi said with a sigh. "None of them do. They're teenagers. They're just such competent fighters and blend in so well with shinigami officers on and off the battlefield that it can slip the mind that they're just teenagers. Really, that's an oversight on our part. We should have sat them all down and discussed operations security afterward." She huffed, glanced aside, and muttered, "Soifon will be insufferable if she finds out."

Hitsugaya inhaled deeply and looked heavenward for patience. "Has anyone else been told this top secret information?"

"Ummm." Everyone looked to Orihime. She made a weak, guilty giggle. "I told Tatsuki and Chizuru."

"I told Keigo and Mizuiro," Sado said quietly.

"They were conscious when Aizen attacked, and actually encountered him, so I thought they deserved to know why... why that happened," Orihime explained softly. "I'm sorry."

Hitsugaya sighed and massaged his closed eyes with one hand. Homura felt bad for him. "Just... just tell them not to tell anyone else. God, Yamamoto will be pissed."

"Blame me," Urahara said soberly. "I'm nominally in charge of monitoring and administration of the locals with powers. The fault lies with me." After another long silence, Urahara asked, "Are there any more questions?"

"Yeah," Jinta said. He leaned on his elbows. "Maybe it's dumb, but have you three even told us what this Incuthingy looks like? So we can, like, kick its ass or catch it or something? You said it has a bunch of identical bodies but did you say what they look like?"

Consternation was plastered all over Urahara's face. Yoruichi grimaced.

"Ha, I thought so," Jinta droned. "You're doing too many things at once and forgetting stupid shit, old ma—" He stopped with a shudder when Tessai heavily dropped a hand on his shoulder from behind, his magic menacing.

"That's easy," Karin said with a casual wave. "The Incubator looks like a drunk artist tried to draw a white cat with a fluffy tail dressed up as a rabbit with pink mittens and little gold hula hoops on its ears. Oh, and it has a red... egg-shaped? ...ring on its back that opens up like a trap door to eat Grief Seeds."

Brains ground to a halt as they tried to picture it and figure out if she was joking at the same time. Unanimously, all turned to Homura, who had demonstrated zero humor about anything regarding the Incubator.

Homura's mouth was opening and closing, face confused. She raised a hand, lowered it, raised her finger, lowered it to her chest, and frowned uncertainly. "I... actually... can't disagree with that?"

Karin pantomimed a mic drop and said "boom" in the incredulous silence that followed.

§ x § x §

After telling the girls to draw what they meant, for heaven's sake, the Urahara Shop crew sat and watched their guests drift away— Hitsugaya to Soul Society, Uryū to his house to do research and pack up books, and everyone else to the Kurosaki home. They were silent for a time. Then Tessai took off his glasses and handed them to Kisuke.

Kisuke accepted them and tucked them into a pocket. "You got clear shots of her when she was stopping time?"

Tessai nodded and took his real glasses out of a pocket. "Yes," he said as he donned them.

"Excellent," Kisuke murmured. "Your thoughts?"

"It felt far more complex than Jikanteishi. Extremely powerful, but equally subtle." Tessai frowned. "Jikanteishi is limited in comparison, but one facet of its being forbidden is that only the most experienced of shinigami can control it or maintain it for any amount of time without draining all their power and possibly falling into a coma— or worse. It requires extreme focus and mental discipline. The way she uses this more refined and extensive technique so casually, with such little effort— not even an incantation— it's actually disturbing. Very disturbing."

"What a terrifying child," Kisuke mused quietly. He stared down speculatively at three different sketches of the same creature.

Peering over his shoulder, Tessai said, "It looks like an anime magical girl mascot."

Yoruichi lounged back on her elbows. "Which came first: The chicken or the egg?"

Both men looked up at her in question. She rolled her eyes. "Do you think one of the early creators of magical girl manga and anime was or knew of a magical girl and used them as inspiration? Then others took the idea and ran with it?"

The men stared. Kisuke looked fascinated. "That could be fun to research once this mess is over."

Yoruichi rolled her eyes again, this time in fond amusement. "Whatever. You need me to do anything overnight?"

"Hmm." Kisuke tapped the papers into a neat stack and put them in his box of miscellaneous notebooks and sensors. "I'll give you all the intel on the Mitakihara metropolitan area. Study that. Stay up all night if you have to. You should avoid acting like more than a cat once you're in hostile territory and you'll have a four-hour train ride to catnap on in the morning."

Yoruichi snorted and threw a lazy salute.

"Jinta. Ururu."

The redheaded boy looked wary. "What?"

"Take some money out of the shop's register and go buy a pet crate and supplies for a cat," Kisuke ordered. "And get a few of those breakaway collars designed to pop open if a cat gets caught on something. I want to modify them."

"Don't scrimp," Yoruichi drawled.

Kisuke's lips twitched. "Only the finest for the Kitty Princess, of course."

Yoruichi made a snobby pose, nose turned up. "Of course. I'm not your average alley cat."

"Um," Ururu said with a little wave. "It's almost midnight. No pet stores are open."

Kisuke swiveled to look at a clock. "Huh. So it is." He shrugged. "Break in, I guess."

Ururu looked worried and Jinta looked doubtful. Tessai cut off their objections with a calm, "I'll do it."

"Good," Kisuke said decisively. He slapped his closed fan into his open palm. "Everyone go do whatever. I have a lot to do before morning."

§ x § x §

An hour later, Kisuke finally had some quiet time— he had assembled the information for Yoruichi, given it to her as Tessai brought him the purloined cat collars, and the task he set for himself was time-consuming but simple. It allowed his mind to wander as he worked. The subject that dominated his thoughts was one Homura Akemi.

The girl seemed to have little to no appreciation for just how godlike her power was. Such power, borne by a girl who made an innocent wish to protect and had the strength of will to shoulder the resultant burden. He was endlessly thankful that such an ability hadn't been gifted to a megalomaniac like Aizen— shuddered to think of what the traitor would have done with it.

Shuddered to think what Akemi could do with it if anything aside from the Incubator drew her ire.

Having spoken briefly with Captain Hitsugaya before the boy left, Kisuke thought the Captain-Commander was wise to be so cautious about the girl and her power. If she ever lost sight of her target or, heaven forbid, her grip on sanity, there was no telling what she could do.

Akemi had a spine of steel as strong as those of the great warriors he knew. But even steel could bend under intense pressure. Even steel could become brittle in harsh conditions. Kisuke's and Isshin's accounts from the previous timeline were strong indicators of such. Her handful of breakdowns was worrying, to say the least. If she had been repeating heartbreaking tragedies for many dozens of timelines, it was honestly a miracle that she hadn't completely snapped already. Consistent Soul Gem purification probably had something to do with that, but didn't account for all of it from what he could tell. No; it was like her sheer, stubborn devotion to Madoka Kaname reinforced her on many levels, poured glue in her cracks. And she was cracking, if the accounts from the previous timeline were accurate. It was very subtle in this timeline. Isshin was probably the one who saw it most keenly. The Kurosaki patriarch had texted him about their conversation in the wee hours; Kisuke had heard their quiet exchange after the Witch hunt. Isshin was doing a good job of gently tethering her to the buoyant Kurosaki family with genuine kindness and he hoped the progress continued, but he worried for the girl's mental state. The repeated denial of self-worth was troubling. Among other things. Like the way her reiatsu was often thick with melancholy. He couldn't fault her for any of it, given the circumstances, but dire consequences had to be avoided.

So. The girl hadn't snapped yet... and he needed to make sure she wouldn't ever.

She was their ace in the hole— their last resort reset button to recover from failure to hold the Incubator in check. So even though there were several huge threats to evaluate, Kisuke's number one concern had to be the continued sanity and survival of Homura Akemi.

...Their reset button. Hmm. One of those would be useful if the girl could persevere.

If they could keep her sane and focused.

If they could give her new hope to bleach out the despair that clung to her like stains that could never be completely washed away.

An idea began to coalesce in his mind.

§ x § x §

Karin and Yuzu hustled Homura up to their room when they got home. After changing for bed, Yuzu walked up to Homura and took her hands in her own. She looked at her fellow magical girl with a stubborn cast to her features. "You are taking our phone numbers and are going to call or text us when you need to talk," she said firmly. Homura tried to object, but Yuzu squeezed her hands harder and looked fierce. "Yes, you are. You're not alone anymore. We won't let you be alone anymore."

"You don't understand," Homura protested unhappily as she wrested her hands out of Yuzu's. Her voice rose in distress as she spoke. "If everything goes wrong, if I go back in time again, you won't know me. You won't remember me. But I will remember you. Do you have any idea what that's like?"

The sisters looked sympathetic, but Karin's face went stubborn, too. "That's why we're going to start writing our own notebooks for you tomorrow. You're our friend now. And Goat Face already dotes on you." She rolled her eyes as Homura sputtered a denial. "You're stuck with us, Homura. Make it easier on all of us and accept it."

"We promise to be your friends in any timeline," Yuzu affirmed, her serious eyes boring into Homura's. "And Kurosakis don't break promises."

"You won't remember," Homura objected. She would not cry. Would not.

Karin scoffed. "If Goat Face could pick up where the other him left off because of a diary, so can we."

"Don't underestimate a Kurosaki," Yuzu said with a wink. "We've only known one another few days, but we want to know you better. We admire you. You're so dedicated to your friend that you willingly endure all of this. We'd love to be friends with a person who can love a friend that much."

"And you're capable of messing with Urahara and inflicting mini heart attacks with your badassery," Karin added with a lopsided smirk. "You're our kinda person."

Silent tears rolled down Homura's cheeks. She didn't trust herself to speak. Yuzu smiled and took her hands again. "Karin, get the pillows and blankets down on the floor. We're having a sleepover. Just the three of us." Karin hurried to comply as Yuzu tugged Homura toward the futon on the middle of the room. Yuzu's smile went very gentle. "Would you like to tell us about Madoka? She must be an amazing friend."

Homura looked surprised, then slowly nodded. "I... I'd like that," she whispered.

§ x § x §

Monday morning was chaotic in the Kurosaki household. Homura jolted awake to the sound of a shout and a window slamming in the next room over. Karin had sleepily grabbed her to keep her down, mumbling about idiotic morning rituals. Way too many teenagers struggled to use the only bathroom to get ready for the day. Sado disappeared after receiving a text— Ishida wanted his help carrying books. Yuzu's rule of the kitchen was ironclad as she aggressively cooked breakfast and fended off assistance and food-thieves alike. Ichigo was bickering with Isshin, who was obviously just messing with his son for Homura's wide-eyed if uncertain entertainment while Karin drowsily ignored them to drink juice. It was loud, unruly, overwhelming... warm. Inviting. Close.

Homura liked it. Didn't want to leave it.

Felt guilty that she didn't want to leave it for the lonely stillness of her townhouse.

She didn't have much opportunity to dwell on it, though, as Urahara and Mr. Tsukabishi soon descended on the clinic. Urahara popped out from behind the door jamb, waving his arm at them all, fan in hand. "Good morning, good morning, good morning~" he sang.

"Good morning, Mr. Urahara!" Orihime chirped sleepily.

"How the hell did you get in here?" Ichigo muttered.

Urahara ignored him. He zeroed in on Homura with a gleeful grin. She froze, wary.

"Miss Akemi! I brought you a going away present! To keep you company back home~!" He waved behind him. Mr. Tsukabishi stepped forward with a pet crate and held it up high. Urahara made a show of emphasizing the crate with wide sweeps of his arms and fan, smiling as though displaying a prize on a game show. "One perfectly normal if very spoiled pet kitty-cat! Don't worry, I crate-trained her myself! You're on your own with the litter box, though, ahahahaha!"

Amber eyes glowed in the crate. A clawed limb darted out and drew blood on his ear as the cat within snagged his hat with a hiss.

"Awww, rude kitty," Urahara pouted as he struggled to retrieve his hat.

Homura stared. Tilted her head. Frowned. "I don't sense Ms. Yoruichi at all. How?"

"Science!" Urahara straightened and replaced his hat on his head, smiling madly despite the red scratches on his cheek. "One of my earlier inventions was a reiatsu-concealing cloak. I simply replaced the material from some cat collars with this material. Voilà! Just your average pet. Except not." He pressed his fingers together deviously.

"We brought supplies for you," Mr. Tsukabishi added more calmly as he lowered the crate and held up a couple shopping bags. "To make the ruse more believable."

Homura manifested her shield and tucked the supplies into it as everyone else scrambled to gather their things. Mr. Tsukabishi met her eyes and nodded seriously at her. She returned the nod; he seemed a decent sort. A hand stopped her before she could step toward the foyer. Homura looked back and up.

Isshin had approached from behind. His face was conflicted and concerned. He squeezed her shoulder. "You take good care of yourself. If you need anything— I mean anything— you give me a call, all right?" Homura tilted her head silently and gauged him with quiet surprise before nodding once in hesitant acceptance. Isshin breathed deeply and didn't press for further reply. He smiled and patted her shoulder, stepping back after saying, "It has been an honor to meet you— to get to know you, Homura. You're a very strong young woman."

His last words perplexed Homura. She was further confused when Isshin clenched his jaw. She hadn't even said anything?

The teenagers tumbled out into the streets of Karakura. Homura's parting with the twins where they split off to go to their school was tearful. Homura and Karin managed to limit themselves to watery eyes, but Yuzu outright bawled and threw her arms around her new friend.

"I'll miss you! Come visit! Keep in touch! I'll send you cookies!"

Homura, Ichigo, and Orihime met Ishida and Sado at the train station. Each had the overnight bags they brought with them and several large canvas bags of books. Ishida looked exhausted and disturbed, but his fingertips and eyes twitched toward the books every few minutes as though eager to continue his research. They all boarded a northbound train together, irritating office commuters with the expanse of their books, bags, and Yoruichi's pet crate. Any complaints were rebuffed by apathy and sleepiness.

They had been traveling for about forty minutes when Ichigo shifted uncomfortably, then managed to find words. He looked at the magical girl across the pet crate between them and seriously said, "Homura." When the girl looked up at him, he bit his lip and looked concerned. "I know you have my number. I want you to call me if you run into something you can't handle."

Homura stared at him, nonplussed. "You will be a few hours away," she hedged.

"I have ways of traveling quickly," the redhead said with a dismissive wave. "In an emergency, I can even call Tōshirō and he can bust through a senkaimon wherever you are to give you backup. He'll do it. He's a good guy." A loud meow issued from the pet crate. "If Yoruichi doesn't beat everyone to it, I guess." He breathed deeply. "You can still call me if you need help, or... or if you want to talk or something." Ichigo scratched his neck, a bit embarrassed. "I dunno if I'll really be able to help you, but I can always listen, yeah? Or if you just need someone to talk about something to distract you, I can talk about some of the stuff I've done, or tell you about people I know... or give the phone to Orihime. She might be better at that. Oh, and if any of the others gets to be too much for you, call or text me and I'll handle it." Ichigo smiled ruefully. "We can be a pretty... overwhelming bunch, I guess. But we all mean well."

Homura followed his affectionate glance at his friends across the aisle. Orihime was slumped on one side of Sado, drooling on him in her sleep. Ishida had his bags of books on and under him like a dragon's hoard, eyes sharp as he glared people into not touching his dusty treasure. Sado was a peaceful rock between them, immune to drool and glares, calmly nudging them both into preparing for their stop.

After a minute of thought, Homura softly said, "All right."

Ichigo looked surprised for a moment but beamed like sunshine. He ruffled her hair with a grin as the train slowed. "Great. Remember: You aren't alone anymore. Never again. We'll win this— together."

Homura nodded slowly. "...Yes." Whispered carefully as though afraid to express any kind of optimism too loudly lest it be crushed.

Ichigo's face softened sadly, but he didn't comment. The train slowed more drastically as it entered a station. He swung his bag over his shoulder and stood. He faced her with his arms crossed sternly. "Now, you stay safe as you can. Don't take stupid risks."

Ishida scoffed loudly as he gathered up his books. "Hypocrite."

Ichigo ignored him. "Take care of yourself. Eat real food. Get real sleep. Help your friends. Be a friend. You have some time while Urahara figures out the big picture. Use it. Got it?"

Homura looked uncertain, but her face firmed and she nodded her head.

Ichigo's grin widened proudly. As the doors hissed open, he darted forward and tweaked her nose then scooted for the exit while she was still squawking over the surprise. "See you soon, Stopwatch!" And then he and his friends were lost in the rush of people.

In the loudness of commuters getting on and off, she heard Yoruichi's voice quietly sing, "Someone~ has~ a nick~ name~"

Homura stared at the closed door in stunned silence until the next stop. For the first time, she wondered if this was what it felt like to have a brother.

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A/N: *pinches Homura's cheeks*

Mitakihara, here we come! *fistpump*

This chapter was replaced with an edited version on November 1, 2019. Reviews with timestamps before that date refer to a slightly different version of the chapter.