Mmkay, first off let me apologize for the mistake of writing Onii-san instead of Onee-san, thank you to those who pointed that out. Second off, sorry for the long wait for this update, I'm kind of going through a rough time right now since I recently lost my brother so I haven't been in the mood to write. And also sorry about going and changing my name on you guys again! Just know that whenever I change it, I'll always have ox xo around it.

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. Bleach.

---Chapter 18---

"Renji..." Rukia said both softly and innocently, batting her eyelashes as she clasped her hands together.

"Yeah?" He replied roughly, never averting his gaze from directly in front of him with Rukia placed upon his shoulders as Ichigo had done earlier.

"I order you to put me down." She answered sharply, her cute expression of innocence completely replaced with sudden short temper. "Right now."

"What am I, your servant boy? I don't have to listen to you." He said with a bit of a chuckle.

"Of course not, but either are you Ichigo's servant." She said with a sly grin, since she knew all too well that Renji wouldn't do anything for the sake of her husband.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He questioned, furrowing his eyebrows together (Or tattoos, whatever).

"Well, Renji, it's supposed to mean that you're helping Ichigo out by taking me to this meeting and letting him go back."

His mouth drooped as his muscles contracted lazily. "Gah! Damn it." He growled, gently setting her down. "I'll use shunpo and go back for Carrot-Head," He said as his shoulders sagged and his left thumb pointed in the direction behind him. "But you've got to promise that you'll get to that meeting."

She smiled to herself because it was simply amusing to her that she could get Renji to do anything she wanted, she juat had to use the right approach. Whether that meant begging on her knees or just saying the right word(s), she always got him to side with her eventually. And she also smiled to herself because she thought Carrot-Head was an absolutely adorable nickname for Ichigo, but mostly because she got her way.

"Deal." She replied quickly, smiling a toothy grin.

He sighed, rubbing his forehead before he disappeared with the use of shunpo. Rukia continued to smile and wave until he had disappeared completely out of sight when she turned around and clamped her fists at her side. She looked behind her before taking off down an alleyway that would eventually lead her to home after several weaves and turns.

"Ichigo, I'm going to kill you."

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"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie?" Ichigo answered, looking up from his newspaper, which he was quickly scanning through.

"Why did Uncle Kon leave? He doesn't like me?" Keiko had a sad pout plastered onto her face while she stared at her father, anxiously waiting for a positive answer.

Ichigo frowned as he set his newspaper aside and knelt down,

"'Course he likes you, you're so cute I don't know how someone could think anything else of you."

"You sure?" She probed, her violet eyes sparkling up at him as she gripped tightly to her Chappy Rabbit blanket.

"I'm positive." He answered with a smile. "Now we gotta get out of here before Mommy shows up." He said as he looked around outside of the windows with his hand over his eyebrows to shade his eyes from the sunlight.

"Why?" Keiko questioned him as he lifted her up.

"Because Daddy is in trouble and ticked Mommy off."

"Again?"

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Renji huffed for a few seconds at the Kurosaki household doorstep as he tried to catch his breath.

"Damn you, Ichigo." He grumbled as he lightly knocked on the front door. "What the hell am I doing? Rukia isn't there, I can just beat this damn door down." He whispered as he swung his fist at the door only to see it open and his fist to collide with the cheek of Ichigo Kurosaki.

"What the hell are you doing!?" He hollered in surprise and anger at the crimson haired Shinigami standing before him. "I know we don't get along, Renji, but I mean what the hell!? What were you doing, standing at my front door just waiting for me to come out so you could sock me a good one!?" He yelled as he rubbed his cheek.

Keiko, who had been holding Ichigo's hand until he was whapped in the face, looked up curiously at Renji until she decided she wasn't in the mood to watch yet another argument between her father and Renji, and so she toddled out into the backyard while her father hadn't been paying attention.

"No! I wasn't doing that at all! I was getting prepared to break down your door to drag you down to that damn meeting which has to be almost over by now!"

"Oh, so beating my door down and destroying my property is better than hitting me in the face!?"

"I'd like to think so!"

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Rukia skidded around at least the fifteenth allway corner that morning before she bent over and rested her hands on her knees as she stopped to breathe.

"I don't remember it taking me this long to get home..." She said lifting her head as she took several deep breaths followed by long exhales. "And I don't rememeber being this tired after only half an hour..."

"Oh, don't you?"

Rukia stood back onto her feet and quickly looked around to try and identify the voice speaking to her.

"Who's there?" She said firmly.

"No one of much importance, Deary. Just here to say hello." The mystery figure said simply as he stepped out from the shadows. "Before you have to go buh-bye." He said with a perky yet eerie smile as he waved his hand.

Rukia stared him straight in the eye and she knew just who he was. She recognized his hair, his eyes, his voice, his everything. She knew all but his name. Her breathing became faster and faster, sharper and sharper. She thought she was going to have a panic attack right there in the middle of a dirt alleyway.

"Oh, what's wrong Ms. Rukia? Can't speak? Are you really that shocked to see me? I gave you a warning last night, but apparantly you didn't listen. Tsk, tsk, tsk." He said waving his white gloved finger in front of her.

"W-what do you want? Why are you here?" She spoke loudly.

"Well didn't I make that clear enough for you in the little dream I sent you? I suppose you would rather call it a nightmare, whatever floats your boat, Missy."

"Why!? Leave her alone!" She was scared out of her mind, but not for herself.

"I guess I'll leave you here to reminisce all of your memories, since that's all I'm leaving you with." He said, turning his back to her as he began walking away.

"Leave my daugher alone!!"

He slowly turned his head around and waved his finger again. "Temper, temper. Think a little, Rukia. Who said I was going after her right away? I have several other targets in mind, Mrs. Kurosaki." He said before disappearing into the shadows.

Her eyes grew wider as her pupils shrunk and she gripped tightly onto her Zanpakuto.

"Ichigo!" She said desperately before continuing down the alleyway.

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Keiko sat down on the back porch stairs as she stared up at the sky, still gripping her blanket closely to her. She was getting a little uneasy without Rukia, especially after the dream she had experienced the previous night.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She turned her head to see a strange man with white gloves covering each of his hands and a cane swinging in his right. Lifting her hand slowly, she wiped at her eye and looked at him carefully and thoughfully.

"I'm not s'posta talk to strangers, Mister." She answered and turned her head away.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm only here to see your father. Is he around?" He replied, standing back up to his feet.

"Yeah! He's in the house." She exclaimed as she also stood up, happy that she could be of help to someone. You could say those sort of things made her proud of herself.

"Thank you, young lady."

"Mmhmm." She said with a nod.

She could feel something strange about that man, but she just couldn't figure out what. She knew she had seen him somewhere before.

But where?

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"Can't you just tell me what the meetings are for? That way I probably won't have to go."

"No! Go find out for yourself." Renji mumbled furiously.

"Just tell me, you stubborn ass. You know I'm not going to show up there, anyway."

"Damn it, Ichigo! I don't understand how you were appointed Captain! You barely attend any of the meetings, you're human, plus you've violated Soul Society's rules several times too many!"

"Guess I'm just better than you." He muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his head in the other direction.

Renji really was prepared to blow steam out of his ears considering Ichigo had been testing his nerves the entire morning, and after an arrogant comment like that, who wouldn't become upset? But he was quickly interrupted by a sudden unfamiliar voice.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, correct?" He said with a bow, swinging his cane.

"Huh?" Ichigo said confused as he whirled around. "Maybe, who's askin'?" He said insecurely as he eyed the man suspiciously.

"Name's aren't important, my friend." He said with another eerie smile. "I'd like to speak with you privately, if it isn't too much trouble."

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"This is stupid, who's idea was it to call this meeting?"

"Shut up, Soi Fon." Kenpachi mumbled from the corner of the room, his legs and arms crossed.

"You wanna say that again!?" She hissed, stepping toward her fellow Taichou.

"And what if I do, huh?" He continued arrogantly.

"Calm down, both of you." Ukitake called from the middle of the room. "We needn't be at each other's throats." He said with a cough due to his reoccuring sickness.

"True." Kyouraku cut in. "But that Kurosaki needs to take more responsibility to his rank. He should be here by now."

"Is it not possible that we continue without him?" Gin suggested as he rested against the wall with his arms crossed and his head bowed, but his never-ending smile was there more than ever.

"It wouldn't be the best idea. Although this isn't exactly the most important matter to be dealing with..." Hitsugaya mumbled.

"Exactly! We should just end it now, this is such a dumb idea, who came up with it, anyway?" Soi Fon whined.

Byakuya glared coldly around the room and he knew Renji had yet to return since he couldn't sense his reiatsu, and it was obvious that Ichigo hadn't showed up yet.

"We can't wait for him forever..." Hitsugaya said with a sigh.

"Why don't we just get the Shinigami Women's Association to plan all of this? They're better at parties, anyways..." Kenpachi grumbled.

"Yes, but we're the ones directly serving Yamamoto, not the Shinigami Women's Association." Ukitake added.

"I'd be stuck with it either way..." Soi Fon groaned.

"Now, now, everyone. I'm sure Ichigo will be here soon, there's no need to become angry with one another." Unohana stated calmly.

"I say that when he shows up, I get to use my new invention on him." Kurotsuchi smiled mischieviously as he rubbed his hands together.

"No one will be experimenting on squad five's Captain, Kurotsuchi." Tousen said firmly.

"I just don't get why we have to plan him a birthday party. I've never gotten a birthday party. What is he, anyway? Like a million years old?" Soi Fon complained impatiently.

"Not quite..." Ukitake said with a sigh as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Pretty close, though." Kyouraku said with a chuckle.

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