Sanctuary

A/n: For my loyal readers! I’ve done some considering and decided it wouldn’t hurt to do e-mail alerts to let you all know about updates. Anyone interested in this e-mail me at Liquidlele03@gmail.com.

Remember reviews bring luck to authors and help prevent writer’s block

*~*~

“Inoue-San… you okay?” Ichigo asked for like the millionth time since arriving at the shop.

“Really… I’m okay.” She smiled despite the look of exhaustion that said otherwise. He looked back at the room behind them, the shoji pulled shut. The inhabitant inside was breathing, but with every breath in a moan in pain followed in the exhale. “I-I’ll just take a moment to regroup then I will finish her healing.” Inoue offered looking at her hands.

She had arrived on the scene and had begun to work on Ayame’s front scars which healed with relevant ease, but the scar on her back, that took some serious work. For whatever reason it resisted Inoue’s healing powers and while some of it did heal; it took far too much for it to reach that point.

“So what does it mean?” Rukia spoke up and bit back a flinch at the eyes that were all on her. Her gaze proceeded to look at Ishida who couldn’t bring himself to meet the gaze back.

“What does what mean, Kuchiki-Chan?” Inoue looked at her.

“Ishida’s abilities…” Rukia lowered her gaze to the table. “We thought he was well past this instability. His ability to fight had been growing in leaps and bounds since getting them back.” The room fell to silence.

“They were there.” Ishida said suddenly. “I could feel them there, but it was like a fog, a heavy fog blocking them.”

“It wasn’t just Ishida-San that has been unstable.” Urahara spoke entering the room with Ururu close behind with a bowl of water and a medical kit tucked under her arm. When Urahara sat down the girl proceeded to enter the room where the soft groans of pain were coming from and closed the screen.

“Urahara…” Rukia looked at the man who just right on serious.

“What if there was an outside force equally, if not more, unstable and it could affect all of you just as it has been affecting Ishida-San? The nullifying of your powers, abilities when it could be crucial.” They just stared. “If you knew such a force existed what would be your next move?”

“That’s obvious, isn’t it?” Ichigo said. “Get rid of that force before it gets rid of us.”

“Really?”

“Its us or them.”

“Us or her.” Urahara glanced at the group. “Ishida-San wasn’t completely incorrect in suspecting something incorrect with the young woman, but the enemy she is not.”

“Ayame-Chan…” Inoue uttered softly.

“What does-” A clang and a high pitch squeal came from the room with the sleeping patient. The squeal abruptly stopped and the shoji slid open.

“WHICH ONE OF YOU BASTARDS DID THIS TO MY MOMMY?!?” In the doorway stood a red headed child… no not child… “DID I STUDDER? WHICH ONE OF YOU UGLY BASTARDS HURT MY MOMMY!”

“Oh for such a cute doll you have such a vulgar mouth!”

“Cute?!? I’ll show you cute by bursting your eardrums if you don’t tell me who was responsible!”

“Doll?” Inoue looked at the red curly headed doll. “You’re that doll Ayame-Chan carried--AHH!” Inoue’s head hit the floor as the said doll had rushed forward and grabbed a bit of the auburn locks and pulling hard.

“It was you, wasn’t it?!? I should kill- PUT ME DOWN! UNHAND ME YOU CAD!”

“What are you?” Ichigo held her by her dress and brought her up to eye level. The Doll merely stared a moment longer before opened her mouth-

“EEEEEEEEEEEEE!” She squealed and immediately all non shinigami clapped their hands over their ears in pain.

“What’s wrong with you guys?”

“Ariel… stop!”

“Momma!” The doll brightened. “Put me down Shinigami scum!” She glared at Ichigo struggling out of his grip.

“Ariel, be nice.” Ayame wheezed bringing a hand to her hair, once tight curls fell into something looser; almost wavy. “He’s… he’s family.”

“This guy?!?” Ariel scrutinized Ichigo’s face. “I don’t see it.”

“Yeah…”

“Ayame-chan?” Rukia looked at the female holding herself against the shoji door, her face a deathly pale.

“Oh so you’re up!” Urahara brought his fan up to his face.

“I am…” She wobbled to a vacant spot next to Ichigo and took her doll from him. “Ishida-San, I’m sorry.” She looked down missing the shocked look aimed in her direction. “What happened back there, with your powers; It was my fault but, I can’t help it either. Its how my reiatsu is.”

*~*~

“Have you found anything yet Kaya?” The long haired male before her idly playing with a bit of hair

“I didn’t but I have a lead.” She smiled sitting across his lap. Her smile grew wider as his hands instantly shot to rub her thigh.

“A lead?” He brushed kisses down her neck

“Karakura Town, dar-ling.” She bit her lip as his hands slowly slid higher.

“Karakura Town?” He whispered hotly in her ear.

“Yes… All of the hallow you’ve been allowing me to govern…” She closed her eyes as long fingers slowly invaded her nether regions. “They have all gravitated in one general area, but stray Shinigami handled them, but the most of them in one spot-ah!”

“Karakura Town?” He whispered hotly in her ear pressing his fingers deeper inside of her.

“Its also where that girl went.” Kaya whispered breathily, his fingers working magic on her petite body.

“Girl?”

“The one who was living with Mina, until she grew ill of course.”

“You neglected to report this.” His fingers stopped and he stared at her.

“It was not I, remember, you were cross with me then, killing Mina was to earn forgiveness. It was Ayak who knew about her.” His eyes shot across the room at the mirrored wall. While he saw his own reflection, Kaya’s was nowhere to be found. Ayak was hiding from him.

“I see…”

*~*~

“How your reiatsu is…?” Ichigo looked at his cousin who sat there holding her doll who cuddled up to her and glared at everyone else.

“I didn’t know, you were Shinigami, Ichigo. Otherwise I would’ve stayed home rather than uproot everything. Your mom would be proud.” Ayame smiled. “See, In the Kurosaki family blood lines there are two opposing reiatsu in place. Opposing because of an old romance that shouldn’t have happened occurred.” She looked at them all with a soft smile. “A romance between a past Mock-Shinigami female, like Ichigo, and a Quincy male.”