Welcome to Gaia! ::

Orihime frowned a bit when Ishida mentioned that he was the only one able to detect reiatsu, but she was too polite to say anything about it. Though she didn't react as quickly as Ishida, she was definitely capable of sensing an enemy. Perhaps he just meant it like so, not that she and Chad were incapable of sensing it. She brushed that off and continued to listen to Kurosaki. If he was worried about them fighting the Arrancar, then this was serious. Kurosaki was one of the toughest guys she knew! But worry would do nothing for her, so she looked forward to training with Urahara again and getting to know Himura.

"I feel the same way, and I've been here for 15 years!" Orihime also continued their conversation and giggled. It was true; she loved her life, though some would say that hers has been unfortunate at times. "We can dress up if you want, and you can meet my friends from school. In fact, let's just go over to my place now and plan!" she added and continued grinning.



Rukia had listened intently to their small discussion as well, though she already knew all of this information from the battle earlier and from Urahara. She was fortunate enough to avoid sustaining damage, so she was prepared for another invasion. However, she wondered how Ichigo's friends would fare. They were strong, but they had their mortal limits. She would definitely discuss this with Urahara later.

When the chatter began again, Rukia remembered something. Was Rina alright? She was injured badly earlier, though Rukia used kido to heal her worst wounds. Still, it was better to err on the side of caution, and the girls sounded like they were ready to leave.

"Inoue-san, do you mind if I tag along? I want to check Rina's wounds to make sure I didn't miss healing anything from battle," Rukia explained.

A look of concern washed over Inoue's predictable face immediately, and the girl answered, "Of course!" The frown was replaced quickly, though. "You can help us plan for tomorrow, as well. You're always welcome, Kuchiki-san!"

Satisfied, Rukia smiled back and decided to take the lead. "I'll be back in about an hour, Ichigo. See you guys," she said and turned toward the door. She waved for Inoue and Rina to follow.

The girls stopped to gather their belongings before heading out the door to Orihime's apartment. Rukia was glad that Rina hadn't been feeling pain throughout the day, but she always erred on the side of caution. "I see. Then it shouldn't take long to check. Such a relief. We can spend more time just enjoying each other's company," Rukia said and smiled as they walked.

As for Orihime, she eagerly answered Rina's question, "Do you mean ice cream and the movies? Oh, they're such wonderful things! Ice cream is a type of dessert. It's cold, creamy, and usually really sweet depending on what flavor you get. My personal favorite is bean paste!" She didn't notice, but Rukia was sweating at how fast Orihime talked when she was excited.

Now describing the movies was a bit more tricky. Orihime hummed to herself as she tried to figure out a way to explain it. "Oh! You haven't seen this, either, but it's like a television set-- that large black box you saw in Kurosaki-kun's living room. Basically, we record stories in live action and can watch them in a theater with a television ten times bigger! Doesn't it sound fun?" Orihime said and began giggling. She loved the simpler things in life, especially sci-fi movies. Perhaps she could show the two Shinigami one of her favorites in the next few days.

((Edited because Orihime never says "Ichigo" =n= ))

The walk to Orihime's apartment was short, or perhaps time just flew by because Orihime was talking the entire way there. Orihime unlocked her apartment for the young women and pointed Rina in the direction of her hallway straight ahead. "There's a bathroom on the first door to the left. I'll be back. Let me find you a pair of comfy clothes," she told them before heading down the hall and into her bedroom on the right.



Rukia had never been to Inoue's home. It was very simple with little furniture, but the girl had managed to decorate the walls with various posters and pictures. Rukia found it to be nice and welcoming. After Inoue directed the Shinigami, Rukia walked behind Inoue and turned left as she instructed them. Once inside the small bathroom, Rukia closed the door behind Rina and told her, "You'll have to change back into your soul form with the dispenser Urahara-san gave you. Sit down when you're ready." She sat on the cool white tile and waited patiently, not needing to leave her gigai to use simple kido.



"Now let's see... She's petite like Kuchiki-san, so maybe I should-- GAH!" That was the sound of Orihime tripping over a book she left on the floor in her bedroom and falling on her face. "I'm okay...Ow.." she mumbled to no one as she rubbed her sore nose. It was a good thing that she had a hard head. Once she recovered, she managed to find some old gray sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt from an obscure drawer in her dresser. She walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door, wanting to be polite to her guest. "Permission to come in, Himura-san?" she asked.

After Rina gave her permission, Orihime stepped inside the bathroom and placed the clothes carefully on the counter. Curiosity got the better of her for a few moments when she peeked at Rina's torso, wondering how badly injured she was. But she recovered and politely turned away. Though Orihime could also heal as well as anybody, it was not her role at the moment.

Instead, Orihime happily continued to inform Rina on all things she thought were important to know about ice cream. "There's hundreds of flavors! It depends on the shop. There's chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, mint, mint chocolate, mango, peach....." Orihime ranted for a good minute until she finally needed a breath of air. "And you can mix things into it! Sprinkles, candy, fruit. The combinations are endless."

Rukia listened with a smile as she carefully eyed the area for damage. The wound was nothing more than a shallow scratch now, thankfully. Earlier, it was a horrible gash. Now, you could hardly tell. "Everything looks okay. I'm going to put my hands on you. Do you feel anything sore or tender?" she told Rina as she placed her hands on Rina's torso to feel for any sensitivity.

Rukia noted the moment that Rina flinched and let her hands hover over the side. Nodding, Rukia began channeling her reiatsu into her hands. In a few seconds, her hands were glowing a light blue and healing kido flowed into Rina's soul. "Yes. Don't worry, Himura-san. I trust that you won't do anything reckless if you don't have to. I will have you free of soreness in less than five minutes," Rukia reassured her new acquaintance.

While she loved ice cream like the next person, Rukia didn't think that it was the best idea to walk around town at night. She decided to make that concern known. "Maybe we can just get some ice cream tomorrow. We should get some rest after today's fight." And being caught by an enemy at night is not fun. But she didn't want to sound too negative.

Orihime was happy to know that Rina was okay. She didn't seem to be in much pain. When Rukia mentioned that getting ice cream wasn't a good idea, Orihime pouted a little bit. She sure did want some now. Still, she smiled and nodded as she said, "Kuchiki-san is probably right... We can go and get it before the festival!"

Rukia stood up and dusted off her uniform skirt, satisfied that RIna was well. "You're welcome. If you feel anything else not quite right, don't hesitate to let me know. Inoue-san knows how to contact the Kurosaki residence. I suppose that I'll go. I'm feeling a bit tired, too," Rukia said and stretched upward.

Inoue replied, "Oh, so soon? Okay, I'll be sure to take care of 'Operation: Girls with Powers Have a Day Out'!" The declaration was met with a fist pump in the air.

Rukia sweated a little at the... interesting name choice. But she wasn't about to burst her friend's bubble. Whatever got her motivated, Rukia was for it. "Umm, sounds good!" she said with some forced enthusiasm for Inoue's sake before leaving the bathroom and walking toward the door. Inoue followed, opened the door for her, and told her to be safe before Rukia left and the door was shut.

The air was a little brisk, but Rukia didn't mind. She enjoyed the coolness. It soothed her, surprisingly. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that her zanpakuto was an ice-type. Rukia let out a huff and smiled to herself. Tomorrow would be a good day.

In about ten minutes, she was back at Ichigo's house. She hopped onto the ledge of Ichigo's window with nimbleness and slid the pane open, knowing that he was he was in there. "Ichigo, you really should think about locking your window. It's not safe at night," she announced casually as she jumped down into the room.

Himura walked up to Orihime and thanked her for the clothes. "Of course! Kurosaki-kun and I have been friends for a long time. A friend of his is a friend of mine!" Orihime responded cheerfully, as usual. "Now how about we relax and get you acquainted with the television!" she suggested and walked toward the television. She sat at the traditional floor table on a pink pillow and motioned for Rina to sit on the matching pillow beside her.

For the rest of the night until they went to bed, Orihime flipped through channels and stopped when Rina saw something interesting or had a question. It was a good time, and Rina seemed to be very curious. After two or three hours passed, they decided to call it a night. Orihime laid out a makeshift bed for Rina on the floor, across from her own with a few feet in between. They said their good nights, though it took a while for Orihime to tire her mind out and fall asleep.



Rukia smirked at Ichigo and crossed her arms. "Ah, but do crooks ever have manners? I think not!" she said matter-of-factly. She was just teasing him, anyway.

When she sat down on the edge of his bed, she calmed down and said more thoughtfully, "It's good to be careful these days, Ichigo. I wouldn't want anything bad happening to you." Her gaze became distant as she stared at her small feet. Ichigo was a very strong young man, but that could only go so far. He was still so young and prone to carelessness. She hoped that he lived a long life in this world, and she'd protect him for as long as she was able.