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A Shadow of What Was	By : katami Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 49594 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 54
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- 56
Author's Notes: You people seriously underestimate my dear little fox. He is a wily critter. *grins and hugs Gin* And who said Tatsuki was the one to call for help? Gin handled the communicator too. Kinda puts a new spin on the end of the last scene, huh?

AJS, I know I'm evil, but cliff-hangers are fun. Plus, I write until I get to where a scene needed to go and then move on to the next scene. That's just how I work. Sorry.

* * *

He was becoming thoroughly sick of late night wake up calls. Karin murmured and stirred restlessly, rolling towards their nightstand and the source of the noise that had roused him a mere moment before. Toushirou smiled faintly as the bed sheets shifted and her breast came into view, that was worth waking up for.

"'Shiro?" she murmured faintly.

"Hush, love. I'll handle things. Just rest," he told her, kissing her brow. He tugged the sheets back up, savoring the brush of her breast against his hand. He slid from the bed and pulled on his robe, his wounds giving him a twinge of pain, but not enough to slow him. He grabbed his communicator and sword, slipping from the bedroom before storming into the hall.

"Report," he barked into the little device, heading for the largest concentration of reiatsu. It was generally a good bet that the trouble was there.

"We've received an alert from Arisawa-san, sir. We've tried to raised her, but get no response. A team has been dispatched. Also, Tessai-san has reported a breach at the shouten," reported whoever was on duty. Hitsugaya nodded, the reiatsu felt like it could be coming from the shouten.

"I want a report as soon as the team makes contact with Arisawa. I'm on my way to the shouten now. Is there any word on the nature of the breach?" he demanded, stalking through the halls.

"What's all the commotion, Shiro-kun?" asked Shunsui in a drawl, falling into step with him. Jyuushiro was only a moment behind his lover, securing his robe and blinking sleepily.

"I'm trying to ascertain that, Kyouraku-taichou," grumbled Toushirou. "Well? Do we have word on the breach?" he demanded of the communicator.

"Not at this time, taichou." He cursed and increased his pace, taking the shortcut up the ladder from the training ground. The ladder was rarely used these days, sparing Tessai and the others a constant stream of people stomping through their home.

He emerged into the shop to the sound of raised voices and the angry pulse of several reiatsu. It took a moment to figure out where they were coming from, but Hitsugaya quickly headed toward the back of the shop. Jinta and Ururu stood between Kurotshuchi and the door to Urahara's lab; the former was wielding a bat and the latter looking slightly dazed, like she tended to get while fighting.

Tessai was standing between the captain of the Twelfth and Ishida and Abarai, and appeared to be trying to stop the three from coming to blows.

"I need to check inside," growled Kurotshuchi.

"And we told you, no," snarled Ishida, Abarai's arm around him to hold him back.

"What's going on here?" barked Hitsugaya, pleased when all eyes present snapped to him, even if he knew Kyouraku was grinning behind him.

"Jinta was doing one last check when he noticed the door to the workshop was ajar. I reported the breach and Kurotshuchi-san came to investigate. Ishida-san and Abarai-san barred his entrance on Kurosaki-taichou's request however," reported Tessai.

"That bastard is not getting into Urahara's workshop," growled Ishida, his eyes blazing. Good to know they were all being rational about it, thought Toushirou with annoyance.

"Uh, where is Kurosaki-kun, if I might ask?" came Jyuushiro's voice.

"Ichigo went with the team to check on Arisawa," explained Renji and Toushirou remembered that the captain of the Fifth was friends with the young woman.

He sighed and rubbed absently at his midsection, the wound aching a little as his tension grew. "The shop and all its contents belong to Kurosaki, isn't that correct?" he asked, seeming to recall that Urahara's will had said something to that effect. Or he hoped to god it did, because that would allow him to handle this problem quickly and easily by not handling it.

"That's right. Urahara-san left everything to Kurosaki-san," confirmed Tessai, as Jinta and Ururu nodded.

"What are you getting at, Shiro-kun?" asked Shunsui.

"The shop belongs solely to Ichigo. This isn't officially a Shinigami matter," purred Ishida. "Meaning he," A venom filled glare at Kurotshuchi, "has no business interfering." The captain of the Twelfth hissed wordless anger at the Quincy and for a moment Hitsugaya wondered if the situation would erupt in violence. It wouldn't have been the first time Kurotshuchi and Ishida had fought.

"Taichou? The team has found Arisawa. She is down and there is residual energy indicating a gate," voiced his communicator.

"Shunsui and I can check that out, as well as send Kurosaki along to handle this, " murmured Jyuushiro with a small tug on his lover's sleeve.

"Abarai, if you and Ishida can remain until Kurosaki arrives I believe the situation will be contained and you can return to your room, Kurotshuchi-taichou," prodded Hitsugaya, figuring it was wise to get the captain of the Twelfth out of the way before Ichigo arrived. Ishida was hard enough to handle around the man, but throwing Kurosaki into the mix would be like pouring gasoline on the flames after the assault on Mizuno-kun.

With a few muttered words the captain of the Twelfth stomped off and Hitsugaya released a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. A moment later Kurosaki joined them, his robes smeared with blood and his hands red. "How is Arisawa?" he asked the other man. She was rather new to the Tenth, but the girl showed potential and Toushirou couldn't help but like the young woman. She reminded him of Karin, the two sharing many of the same qualities.

"She was stabbed through the chest. The thrust missed her heart, too low, and got her liver and nicked a lung. It was bloody as hell, but the healer got to her fast and says she'll pull through. She was actually lucky, a centimeter higher and she'd be dead, according the healer." Hitsugaya nodded, glad to hear that his underling would be well. Ishida and Abarai were also nodding and he knew they understood.

"What's the damaged here?" asked the redhead, wiping his hands on his robes before Ururu slipped back with a wet towel for him. Ichigo gave a her a nod of thanks that sent the young woman blushing.

"The workshop's been breached, sir," offered Tessai with a gesture to the open door behind him. Kurosaki swore and Hitsugaya could understand why, Urahara's workshop had always been a powder keg that they all hoped never received a spark.

"Wait. How the hell did anyone open the door, the wards are still up," growled Kurosaki, holding out a hand toward the building and receiving a nasty shock. Three eyes stared at the captain of the Fifth and Kurosaki sighed. "Tessai and I just warded the place up after..."

"Take them down and we'll take a look at the damage," muttered Ishida, straightening his robe with great dignity, as if his lover hadn't been holding him back from attacking a man only a few minutes before.

Kurosaki gave Tessai a nod and the other man began tearing down the carefully constructed spells barring Urahara's lab. As he did so Ishida and Abarai moved to stand beside Ichigo, and Toushirou could hear them talking, smiling faintly at the easy camaraderie they shared.

"You owe me a new pillow," Ishida murmured to Ichigo, raising a furious blush on the young captain's cheeks as Abarai snickered.

"Then you two owe me a new desk."

"You are all degenerates and insane," muttered Toushirou, earning a frown from Ichigo, an affronted sniff from Ishida and a grin from Abarai.

"So, how's the kid?" asked Renji.

Ichigo stared at the other redhead, blinking owlishly.

"You're covered in his reiatsu," explained the captain of the Third with a grin.

"Oh, I talked to him a little earlier. And we might want to look over the guard arrangement on his rooms," laughed Ichigo.

"He got out?" demanded Ishida with a sharp look for the other man.

"Yep. He didn't mean any harm, just wanted to be alone."

Ishida growled softly and Renji hugged him from behind, gently rubbing the Quincy's arms. Despite the slightly disturbing aspect of finding them in flagrante delicto more often than was reasonable, they were good for each other, thought Toushirou.

"Oh! Do you know where the hell Rukia was tonight? Kuchiki-taichou called looking for her and he didn't seem happy," demanded Renji.

"Haven't seen her since lunch," replied Ichigo.

"Karin mentioned something about a date and having to help her get ready. I chose not to ask," murmured Hitsugaya.

The wards fell and Tessai sat heavily, sweating and panting. Ichigo nodded his thanks to the other man and the four of them cautiously entered the darkened room. A window on the far side of the room was open and drew a frown from them all. Ichigio found the lights and flipped them on, glancing around, his frown deepening as his eyes moved over Urahara's desk.

"Kisuke's notes are gone. There should be a several pages of notes over here," murmured Ichigo, waving to the desk. "And his notebooks were stored on this self." A shelf that was now conspicuously empty, especially since every other shelf was filled to the brim with books or bottles.

"Are you certain?" demanded Hitsugaya, wondering who would want Urahara's notes - aside from Kurotshuchi. According to Ichigo and Tessai, most of Urahara's work would be unfathomable to those not familiar with it.

Ichigo nodded, his frown growing deeper and his reiatsu lashing angrily around them until a gentle presence brushed soothingly over it, calming the redhead and drawing a faint smile to his lips.

"Taichou, the healers are finished with Arisawa-san," interrupted the communicator."

"Someone should speak to Arisawa. There's something very odd about this. An officer on patrol assaulted in a park she is not supposed to be in on the same night someone breaks in to Urahara's lab - this stinks of betrayal," muttered Ishida.

"Tatsuki isn't strong enough or skilled enough to break these wards," countered Ichigo.

"Ishida's point is still valid however, Arisawa was somewhere she shouldn't have been. Is there anything besides the notes missing?" asked Toushirou.

"Not that I can see. I'll have Tessai look over things before we lock it down again, he'll be more familiar with Kisuke's work than me. And I'll come with you to talk to Tatsuki."

"I guess that means we can return to bed, love," purred Renji, wrapping an arm around Ishida's waist and receiving a speculative smirk from the archer.

Toushirou rolled his eyes and stalked from the room, not eager to watch Abarai and Ishida flirt, especially when Karin was waiting for him. "We'll speak to Arisawa in the morning then. I doubt she'll awaken before then anyway. I'll station guards on the shop and on Arisawa until this is resolved."

Ichigo shrugged and glanced at his friends. "Mind if I crash with you guys again tonight?"

"Touch my throw pillows and you die," snarled Ishida, making Renji laugh and hug the archer.
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A Shadow of What Was