Kurosaki Ichigo is, in a word, frustrated. He's been frustrated all afternoon.

For the past few weeks, the lull following Rukia's rescue from the Seireitei has been maddening. After those many days of constant combat and near-death situations, Ichigo can't help but feel high-strung with the sudden return to normalcy. Hell, it took him almost 3 days to stop immediately jumping to his feet after awakening.

The looming threat of that bastard Aizen has done nothing to ease the teenager's nerves, either.

Just as Ichigo was beginning to allow himself to relax, the ever-present hollow population within Karakura town suddenly and mysteriously plummeted into nonexistence. For the past several days, no hollows have emerged, and the sudden disruption to the norm was suspicious.

At first, Ichigo suspected that his spiritually aware friends were encountering the monsters first, but a conversation at school dispelled that notion. Neither Orihime nor Chad had encountered anything.

Uryu didn't say a word throughout that talk, and Ichigo struggled to not let his pity show on his face, knowing it would do nothing but anger Uryu, who burned his Quincy powers away with that glove to avoid death during the Seireitei invasion.

Hat-n-Clogs, aka Kisuke Urahara, didn't know a damn thing either, but after being alerted to how unusually quiet Karakura has been, the old shopkeeper said he would keep an ear to the ground.

The several days of restless quiet finally pushed Ichigo to his limit. After dinner with his family, Ichigo used the Substitute Soul Reaper badge gifted to him by Captain Ukitake to separate his spirit from his body, so that he could patrol the city as a Soul Reaper.

"Damn it," Ichigo curses from his place atop a tall building in the center of town. "What the hell is going on? Is this Aizen's doing?"

The orange-haired teen cranes his head around, his spiritual form unbothered by the cool evening air. As far as the eye can see, the town is quiet.

Scowling, the young soul reaper closes his eyes and concentrates. Even if his spirit-sensing abilities aren't the best, he should still feel something out of place.

…Nothing. Nada. Not even a hint of hollow reishi. Even the usual places in Karakura where spirits congregate are peaceful. He checked out the burned-out hospital on the edge of town, the section of train track where a young boy was tragically struck a decade ago, and the old shrine in the park.

Maybe he's just being paranoid?

With a sigh, Ichigo reaches back and wraps a hand around the hilt of Zangetsu. As it usually is, the zanpaktou is warm to the touch, and thrums comfortingly in his palm. Knowing Zangetsu has his back takes the edge off his nerves.

Opening his eyes, Ichigo turns and leaps off of the building, letting himself free fall for a handful of seconds. Then with a flicker, he Flash Steps once, twice, three times, moving at speeds far beyond any man. In just a few seconds, he's standing outside of Urahara's small shop all the way at the edge of town.

Stepping forward, Ichigo goes to open the sliding door and step inside, but pauses when he hears voices within.

"-like the rest of Sylvy's abilities, logic should be the last thing considered. Believe me, fairies operate on their own rules. Wish should do what you want, but it's not a guarantee."

"…I see. Thank you for the warning, but if you are willing, I would still like to try. There are… Some conditions I'd rather avoid with the other avenue of reclaiming my powers."

Ichigo's eyes widen. The second voice is Uryu! The soul reaper withholds the urge to throw the door open, instead leaning closer to listen a bit longer. Who is the first voice? And what's this about fixing Uryu's powers with a wish?"

"If that's what you want, Ishida-san, then we'll see about getting a spiritually sterile place set up for the procedure. The fewer variables that can foul up Sylvy's Wish, the better," the first voice says. Their Japanese is heavily accented, but fluent. "Urahara-san –"

"Kisuke is fine, Henson-san," Hat-n-Clogs says, sounding as if he's smiling. "Anyone I can talk theory with is a friend in my book. So tell me again, you said this "Wish" move is Normal-type? It seems to be a misnomer, isn't it?"

"Well, with Sylvy's Pixilate…"

Ichigo jumps back with a startled yelp when the door is suddenly thrown open, revealing Urahara's tall, mustachioed assistant, Tessai.

"Can I assist you, Kurosaki-san?" Tessai rumbles, his expression flat and unreadable.

"Oh, I didn't even feel Kurosaki-kun outside!" Urahara exclaims from within. "Tessai, see him in, please!"

The large man stands aside, gesturing for Ichigo to come in with a polite bow.

"Thanks, Tessai-san," Ichigo murmurs awkwardly, hurrying past. The shop is small, or "cozy" if he were to use Urahara's words, so it takes no time to get to the small meeting room of the Urahara shop. Without bothering to knock, he slides the door open and steps in.

Sitting around the low table are both Urahara, who looks at Ichigo with a small, resting smile, and Uryu, who looks considerably more disgruntled. On the table itself is Yoruichi in her cat form, watching Ichigo with a raised eyebrow. The fourth and fifth members, however, are new to the teen.

Across from Urahara is a brown-haired man. His face is distinctly Western in appearance, explaining his accent, and his blue eyes regard Ichigo with curiosity. The only thing outstanding about the man is the trio of burn scars on the left side of his face, which look painful.

'He must be 'Henson',' Ichigo assumes, moving his eyes to the next unfamiliar person.

Next to Henson and across from Uryu is a large, golden-furred fox. Nine tails tipped in orange trail out from behind the creature, slowly waving about as if possessing minds of their own. On the top of the fox's head is a hair-like tuft of fur, and its shiny red eyes lock into Ichigo, watching carefully.

'Is that a real kitsune? Or is it a soul reaper who can transform like Yoruichi?' He wonders.

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"Really, Ichi-kun, eavesdropping?" Yoruichi asks before anyone else can speak up, her smirk all mischief. "That's a bad gateway to peeping. I know a growing boy like you might be tempted to snoop around where you don't belong as a spirit, but what would Orihime-chan or Rukia say if they found out?"

Ichigo's face instantly lights up red at the accusation. "Shut the hell up! Don't accuse me of being a pervert when you're the one who flashes people for fun!"

The cat clicks her tongue. "Flashing people? I'm a cat, Ichi-kun. There's nothing to see," she coyly teases.

"So what brings you to my fine establishment tonight, Kurosaki-kun?" Urahara asks, saving the blushing boy from the mischievous cat. "Did you finally encounter a hollow?"

"No," Ichigo shakes his head, the red color draining from his face. "I was just patrolling the town to clear my head. I decided to stop by to see if you had any leads on why there's been no hollow activity."

Henson interjects with a lame chuckle. "Ah, that might be our fault," he says, gesturing to himself and the fox. "Ninetales and I were actually attacked by a hollow a few days ago."

Ichigo withholds an eye roll. Nine tales? That's some lame wordplay.

"The hollow wasn't very strong, so Nine warded it away without too much trouble," Henson continues. "She didn't kill it, but she did hit it with Imprison, which may as well be a death sentence. If it told any other hollows what happened to it, it might have spooked them into not showing up here."

"Imprison?" Uryu questions with a raised eyebrow. "Is that some sort of traditional spell? I recall no Quincy nor Soul Reaper technique with such a name."

The gold fox lets out a snort, and Henson shrugs. "Imprison is more of a curse than a spell. Once it's laid, the target can't use any techniques that the caster also knows. With enough power, Imprison can dig deeper and cause worse debilitations. The gap between Ninetales and the hollow was so large that Imprison completely paralyzed it. It couldn't move, it couldn't mould energy, it couldn't even speak. All it could do was open a portal to fall into."

"Really, now?" Yoruichi chimes in, leaning forward. "Hypothetically speaking, if a soul reaper was to know Imprison and use it on another soul reaper, what would happen?"

"That's hard to say," Henson frowns. "If the two soul reapers were equal in power, had the same Kido spells, and both had unlocked zanpaktou, then the target would theoretically be locked out of all of their Kido and their zanpaktou abilities," he says, each word carefully considered.

The hair on the back of Ichigo's neck stands up. On his back, he can feel a chill run through Zangetsu.

"Do you have other 'moves' like that?" Urahara asks suddenly. "You mentioned that you wanted to use my Senkaimon, and I would be happy to let you do whatever you want with it… Provided we can trade notes?"

Henson smiles back knowingly. "Remind me later, and I'll do my best to teach some useful tricks to anyone of your choosing. Something tells me you would appreciate Heal Block and Embargo."

Heal Block sounds straightforward, but what the hell is Embargo?

"That sounds wonderful," Urahara grins, his eyes flashing in the shadow of his hat. He glances toward Ichigo. "Ah, where are my manners? Henson-san, please meet Kurosaki Ichigo, my troublemaking protégé. He was the spearhead of our little invasion a few weeks back."

"Protégé my ass!" Ichigo exclaims with a scowl. "You haven't taught me squat!"

If Henson is annoyed by the antics, it doesn't show on his face. "A pleasure to meet you, Kurosaki-san. Henson Lee is the name," he says with a smile and nod. "If Ninetales doesn't give it away, I'm a scientist of a supernatural sort."

"Yeah, I was about to ask," Ichigo begins, looking between him and Urahara. "How do you know Hat-n-Clogs?"

"I don't mean to interrupt, but can we return to what we were speaking about before Kurosaki barged in?" Uryu cuts in, visibly annoyed. "Henson-san," he addresses the scarred man. "What sort of price are you asking for to give me back my powers? I have more funds than most, but I can't hand out a blank check."

A waved hand is Uryu's answer. "Don't worry about it, Ishida-san. Urahara-san –"

"Kisuke!"

"– Gave me the story in broad strokes, and you've got my admiration and sympathy for everything you've gone through. If I can help you, then I will, no need for repayment."

Uryu's face flashes with annoyance, but he bows his head. "Thank you."

The fox, Ninetales, noses Henson-san's shoulder, prompting the man to look at Ichigo once more. "Huh, when you're right, Nine, you're right," he says aloud. "Kurosaki-san, have you been getting enough rest? You're looking a little rough."

"Huh?" Ichigo blinks. He looks down at his soul reaper robes, which look the same as they always do. "Yeah?"

"You're certain?" Henson questions. The man stands up and steps closer. "When it comes to spiritually attuned life forms, I've noticed that the physical self has a way of mirroring the emotional self. Take a look here – " he points to the edge of Ichigo's sleeve, "– doesn't that seem a bit off?"

The teenager looks down at his sleeve and holds it up to the light, feeling his jaw drop a little bit.

Some of the threads on his sleeve are bunched up! He looks more and finds other imperfections, like frays and tiny holes. Normally whenever he leaves his body and takes on his soul reaper form, his clothes seem to magically repair themselves. He's never given his spirit clothes any more thought beyond that.

"Tilt your head back a little, please," Henson continues, squinting at Ichigo's face.

Ichigo complies before he could even think to ask why.

"Slight bags under the eyes, and skin is a little pale," Henson murmurs under his breath. He reaches out behind him, making a grasping motion.

Back by the table, Ninetales audibly sighs before her eyes begin to glow. As her eyes glow, a backpack situated against the wall unzips itself, and a notebook and pen float out, landing in Henson's hand.

The instant that the notebook is in the scarred man's grasp, he flips to a clean page, uncaps his pen, and begins to write. "Kurosaki-san, would you say that you eat healthily?"

"What?" Ichigo questions, confused.

"Do you enjoy exercise?"

"I guess?"

"Do you smoke or make use of recreational drugs?"

"What?! No!"

"Have recent events been weighing heavily on you?"

"Uh…"

"Would you say that you are a kinesthetic learner?"

"A kine-what?"

As the interrogation rolls on and the page Henson is scribbling into rapidly fills, Yoruichi leans towards Ninetales. "Does this sort of thing happen often?" The disguised soul reaper asks.

Ninetales tiredly nods.

"I see…" Henson nods slowly. "Well, firstly, let me apologize for worrying you with the lack of hollow attacks. I know that you've probably been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and that can be stressful. Secondly, I understand that you were a key player when you went and rescued your friend Rukia, right?"

"I suppose I was," Ichigo admits, looking away bashfully.

"Would you do it again?" Henson asks, drawing the boy's eyes back to him. "Would you do something else like that, knowing that you could get killed?"

Ichigo's face hardens. "In a heartbeat."

Henson looks down at the filled page of his notebook, seeming neither pleased nor displeased with the answer. "Well, Kurosaki-san. My friends and I are going to be here in Karakura for a little bit, so if you'd allow me, I'd like to help you train and even the odds for your next encounter. I'm not very strong, but making others strong is my specialty," he says, looking over his shoulder towards Ninetales.

The fox's eyes shine, and she smiles back.

"I'll make sure that the next time you meet one Sosuke Aizen," Henson turns back to Ichigo, a smile rising to his lips, "he'll be in for a very nasty surprise."

That's all that Ichigo needs to hear.

"I'm in," he says, resolute.

"As am I,"

All the eyes in the room are drawn to Uryu, who doesn't shrink into the attention. "Henson-san, I don't mean to impose, not after you said you would assist in fixing my powers, but if you are training Kurosaki, then I would like to join as soon as I am able."

To his credit, Henson recovers from his surprise quickly. "Well, the more the merrier. You and Kurosaki-san might make good whetstones for each other. Heck, if you have any other friends who would like a better fighting chance, bring them along." He looks down at his notebook.

Ichigo looks at the book as well, feeling his eyes widen. The writing is small, and the page is full!

"It's been a while since I've had a challenge like this," Henson murmurs, flipping to a new page and beginning to write like a human printer once more. "Where do soul reapers land on the P.G.D.F. compass? I'll probably have to get my hands on some spiritually-saturated foodstuffs and begin testing immediately. I can probably set Octi on securing some local funds…" He looks back up towards Ichigo. "Kurosaki-san, you should head home and rest. You're going to need it."

For some reason, Ichigo can't resist the urge to gulp. 'Why do I feel like I just made a mistake?'