Orihime was perturbed.

She had enjoyed the past month with Rukia, but she'd be lying if she hadn't noticed the odd surge in Hollows.

Previously Orihime would only occasionally encounter a Hollow, but ever since Rukia came into the picture there were dozens of Hollows a week. Why, just last week there was such a huge influx Orihime had to personally clear out thirty on her way to pick up Gremmy.

She did not think it was an intentional correlation—Rukia struck her as a sincere Shinigami—yet she could not dismiss the possibility.

Something had happened.

Something was causing the influx.

She wished she knew what.

She was tempted to call Mother, but the enemies that had appeared were not significant enough to be called a threat.

And so she was perturbed.

She did not think Rukia's presence was a coincidence.

Was the flood of Hollows a targeted attack against Rukia? Or was Rukia dispatched to the Human World in anticipation of the surge? Was that why she recruited Ichigo as a Substitute Shinigami?

Orihime did not know, and she did think Rukia would answer honestly if she directly asked.

'Hmm...'

Orihime pondered the situation as she left school that day, again alone. Rukia and Ichigo were constantly leaving early to fight Hollows or whatever. Orihime was so engrossed in her thoughts she almost missed the familiar feel of reiatsu.

However, as soon as she noticed it, her entire demeanor brightened like the dawn chasing away the night.

"Auntie!" Orihime squealed with delight for none other than her favorite aunt had come to pick her up after school.

Yoruichi grinned. "Princess! Come here."

Orihime leaped into Yoruichi's arms, laughing as Yoruichi spun her around. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Yoruichi said. "I brought you and your brothers some souvenirs."

"Oh?! Where'd you go this time?"

"Seoul in South Korea," Yoruichi answered. "I had to scope it out for the next family vacation."

Orihime beamed. Once a year, normally at the beginning of December, they would go on a big family vacation. Her, Mother, Gremmy, Sora, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, and Urara. They always went to a different country and stayed in lavish resorts or hotels. It was such a blast, and something Orihime looked forward to every year.

"Then are we going to Seoul this year?" Orihime eagerly asked.

Yoruichi laughed. "Definitely. Did I miss anything while I was gone?"

Orihime shook her head. "Mn-mn! Well, a Shinigami showed up."

"No kidding? Did they approach you—?"

"No, no. They turned Ichigo into a substitute Shinigami," explained Orihime. "Her name is Rukia. She's been staying with us."

"Ru—" Yoruichi blinked, then started to laugh. "No way! Hahahaha, what a coincidence."

"Do you know Rukia?"

"Mmm... More like I've heard about her?" Yoruichi cackled. "Gosh, what is she up to?"

"She?"

Yoruichi flicked Orihime's nose. "Don't worry about it, Princess. Come on, I'll take you to the shop."

"Thanks, Auntie!"

"Anything for my favorite niece."

(◕▾◕✿)

The past weeks slipped by in a warm, fuzzy haze. Routine made things comfortable.

In the mornings, Orihime prepared breakfast and lunch for herself, Rukia, and Gremmy. Although Shinigami did not require sustenance to survive, Orihime thought it was a shame to not enjoy good food, so she prepared meals for Rukia anyway.

It was quite nice to have someone else wake up early with Orihime. The two of them would sit at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of tea or cocoa to start the day off.

Orihime had grown to cherish those mornings. It was something she and Mother used to do, but Mother had been gone for months by that point...

She sent messages, but she hadn't been able to return home just yet.

Orihime missed her dearly—and she knew Gremmy did as well—but there wasn't much she could do about it.

They would go to school, and sometimes Rukia and Ichigo would disappear in the middle of the day to go fight nearby Hollows. They usually returned before class was over, but not always.

Evenings Orihime spent her time alternating between studying, visiting Kisuke's shop to chat with Uncle Kisuke, Uncle Tessai, or Auntie Yoruichi, and enjoying time with either Gremmy, Rukia, or the Kurosaki family. She always had something to do, and that made time speed by.

"Summer vacation, oh summer vacation~ almost here," Orihime sang as she sat on the patio of Uncle Kisuke's shop.

"Got any plans this summer?" Yoruichi asked in her cat form, lounging in Orihime's lap.

"Mmm... I dunno?" Orihime tilted her head. "Gremmy has another tournament in the summer."

"Ugh. Can I skip that one? It's out of town," Gremmy complained. He was playing another round of chess with Uncle Tessai.

"Is it a qualifier?"

"I'm already qualified for the winter tourney," he said.

"Oh." Orihime tapped her chin. "Mmm... okay. I don't think Mother would mind."

"Think she'd even come back in time for the tournament?" Gremmy asked.

"She said she would, so she will."

"Mm..."

Yoruichi rolled in Orihime's lap, purring. "You two miss her, huh?"

"Shut up," Gremmy grouched while Orihime answered with a firm, "Yes."

"Your summer vacation is coming again, huh?" Kisuke asked.

"Yeah," said Orihime. "Mother said she'll visit then."

"Did she pick where to go?"

"No."

Kisuke grinned and clapped his hands together. "Then how about we all have a beach BBQ? Eh? Doesn't that sound nice?"

Yoruichi snickered knowingly, while Gremmy gave Kisuke a look of disdain. Yoruichi cooed, "You just want to see Rirī in a bathing suit again!"

Kisuke gasped, scandalized. "I would never tarnish scared family bonding time with such lewd thoughts."

"You're so full of shit," Gremmy muttered quietly. "Pervert."

"Gremmy," Orihime gasped. "Don't be so rude to our horny uncle."

"Argh, I hate that you said that word!"

"Horny, horny, horny~"

"STOP, GAH! No brother wants to associate his sister with that kind of stuff, it's so gross," Gremmy whined, covering his ears. "Ewww."

The adults—and Orihime—laughed at Gremmy's pain. Yoruichi cooed, "Your sister is a blossoming young woman, Grem! Lots of guys are probably already—"

"NASTY. STOP." Gremmy's eyes screwed shut and suddenly there was a thunderstorm outside despite the fact that it was completely clear and sunny moments prior.

Orihime took pity on her adorable little brother and scooted back to kiss the top of his head. "There, there, Gremmy. We'll stop teasing you, so make the thunderstorm go away, okay?"

"No. The thunderstorm stays," he muttered rebelliously as lightning cracked. "But I won't cause a tsunami, okay?"

"Okay," said Orihime.

Kisuke sighed. "This is why he's a siscon, you spoil him—"

Gremmy promptly imagined a dimensional hole underneath Kisuke that would lead him to Tokyo, and like that, Kisuke fell through a portal hole. Yoruichi laughed while Tessai shook his head disapprovingly.

(◕▾◕✿)

That night

Rukia left that evening.

Her reiatsu was faltering. Something was wrong. She had been trying to ignore it for as long as possible, but she couldn't anymore.

She knew her body and her reiatsu like she knew her bankai. Rirī and Shiori had taught her to be exceptionally sensitive to reiatsu.

Something was wrong with her reiatsu.

She had... She had to return to Soul Society.

It was before her mission time was up. It would technically be a mission failure, a blemish on her perfect record, but it would be foolish for her to linger any longer.

But...

She was already in trouble when she granted Ichigo the Substitute Shinigami status. She had hoped it would only be for a week, not months. A week she could excuse—and she knew her Captain would support her decision—but for months?

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the reiatsu behind her until the Shinigami it belonged to called out.

"Oi, Rukia."

Rukia nearly flinched, but the lieutenant kept her poise as she turned around. "Renji?"

Renji was a childhood friend and old classmate of Rukia's. They hadn't interacted very often after Rukia graduated, since she was always busy. The red-haired man jumped in front of Rukia, swinging his zanpakutō down onto her. She stepped back to dodge, immediately putting on a cold, stoic expression.

"You didn't notice me before, did you? Granted, you're in a gigai, but haven't you become too lax in just a couple of months? Explain yourself, Rukia. Where is the human who took all your powers?" Renji asked, resting his zanpakutō on his shoulders.

"What are you saying?" Rukia bluffed. "Just because I'm in a gigai doesn't mean I've lost my powers. Furthermore, to assume that the one who took my powers was a human—!"

"It was a human," Renji sharply rebuked. "Otherwise you wouldn't have such a human expression on your face."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone. You are not my superior, Renji."

"Maybe not. But he is."

Rukia wanted to bite her tongue because of course her older brother had to show up. Of all the Shinigami...

But—

Rukia squared back her shoulders. "Captain Kuchiki. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Passing on your powers to a human is forbidden," Byakuya softly intoned.

"Good thing I didn't," Rukia lied, suddenly extremely happy for all the poker games Rirī had forced upon her.

"Rukia..."

"Yes, Captain?"

"We're here to take you back," he said.

"My captain told me to stay here until she came for me," Rukia said, her eyes narrowed. "Do you have her permission?"

"It is by orders of the Central 46."

"And I assume you have the paperwork for that?" she retorted.

Rukia was going to go back regardless, but she did not want to return with Byakuya and Renji. Doing so under these circumstances would be practically confessing to her crimes, and damaging to hers and Rirī's reputation. She had to return, but Rukia planned on doing so using one of the designated portals. She'd sneak back to the 5th division barracks and ask her captain for help.

'He always has the worst timing,' Rukia inwardly complained.

She didn't dislike her adoptive older brother. But damn was he hard to get along with sometimes. He was straight-laced to an irritating point, and rarely displayed an expression outside resigned apathy.

He wasn't mean or anything along those lines. He just made for awful small-talk so any attempt to build a relationship with him was like pulling teeth. There were countless evenings where Rukia would nervously babble and he'd deadpan stare at her the entire time.

Rirī kept encouraging Rukia to try and have a positive relationship—something about a potential armada or something—so Rukia did her best.

But. Damn. Was. He. Annoying.

Rukia wanted to groan. There was no getting out of the situation. Byakuya was one of the few captains who did not give Rirī much leeway, let alone Rukia.

If she was ordered back, she'd have to go back.

'If only I had even just a fraction of my reiatsu,' thought Rukia. If she did, she would have been able to flee to one of the emergency portals Rirī set up—it wasn't too far from where they were. The lieutenant actually found herself wishing for an invasion of Hollows at that moment, anything to distract Byakuya and Renji and offer her a chance to escape.

'Come on, I've been dealing with literal hoards for months and now it decides to be peaceful?!'

"Rukia, come with us," Byakuya quietly ordered.

"I've yet to see any official paperwork," Rukia rebuffed. "I refuse to believe someone as meticulous as you would not have it... if this was an official call-back."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. It was the only sign of his displeasure, but the fact that he expressed it at all spoke volumes to how deeply offended he was. Being accused of doing something unofficial or off-records was like a personal insult to his honor.

Suddenly there was a bullet of raw reiatsu shot through the air from behind Rukia. Rukia leaned to the right to dodge, and Renji was forced to completely jump out of the way as it was directed at him.

"This doesn't seem to be a polite situation," calmly spoke a familiar voice. To Rukia's surprise, it was Uryū Ishida, the Quincy Ichigo had recently become acquainted with. Rukia only had passing interactions with the child, so it was surprising he would involve himself in such a dangerous affair.

"You can see us?" Renji barked.

"He's a Quincy," Rukia coldly retorted. "Ishida, what are you doing here?"

"Sheer coincidence. Nothing for you to concern yourself with," answered Uryū as he approached Rukia. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said.

"Who the hell are you?" Renji demanded.

"Watch your tone," Rukia snapped, immediately irritated by Renji's insistent aggression. "Mr. Ishida has been ally during my time in the World of the Living. From his perspective, it must have appeared like you two were harassing me. Which you are, as you've yet to provide proof this is an official sanction."

Renji scoffed. "Talk of or harassment by Rirī's lieutenant is rich."

"Captain Rirī," Rukia and Byakuya corrected.

Renji sighed. "Captain Rirī."

"Thank you," said Rukia while Byakuya stoically stared ahead. "Anyway. Paperwork. Yes?"

"I have it here," said Byakuya, producing a scroll from his sleeve. "It's an arrest warrant."

"Arrest for what?"

'WHY. WHY?!'

As much as Rukia wanted to groan at the timing, she kept her calm, and collected demeanor. Even though it was utterly absurd that Ichigo Kurosaki somehow came across them right on time in his Shinigami form.

Oh sure, a Hollow invasion was too much to ask for, huh? The only living Quincy in town and the one person Rukia actively tried to prevent from finding her that night show up instead. What the hell?

Rukia ignored Ichigo for the moment, striding forward to accept the arrest warrant and look it over.

"Oh," was all she said as she realized she was already given the death penalty.

'AM I dreaming? This night is starting to feel surreal. Started off with nearly losing the last bit of my reiatsu; I was then "arrested" by the one person I did not want to be arrested by literally a block away from my escape portal; in the brief ten minutes I was stopped not only did a Quincy show up, but the Substitute Shinigami I contracted with also showed up. And I have been issued a death sentence without a trial.'

It definitely felt unnatural. Rukia had a sneaky suspicion that a scheme was happening.

All the more reason she needed to get back in touch with Captain Rirī.

She sighed, handing Byakuya the warrant back. "Okay."

"Arrest warrant for what?" Ichigo demanded.

"For my death sentence," Rukia dismissed. "Goodbye Kurosaki. Goodbye Ishida. May you two have a pleasant life."

"Death WHAT?!" Ichigo went pale with rage.

"Miss Rukia!" Uryū gasped.

"Stay out of this, mortals," snapped Renji, hoisting his zanpakutō. "Wait... are you the human who took her powers?"

"I'll go," Rukia cut in. Byakuya immediately opened a doorway for her. "Leave the humans alone."

"If he's the one that took your powers—"

"Leave. The. Humans. Alone," Rukia snarled. "You do not have enough power to get away with murdering a human. What I am dealing with is none of your concern. Kurosaki, stand down. These two are out of your league."

"But—"

Rukia turned on her heel and walked through the gates. If she left, the other two would be forced to follow her and thus de-escalate the situation.

"Rukia!"

She did not turn back.

(◕▾◕✿)

Orihime was awoken by the sound of someone spam-calling her cell phone. Groggily, the young woman fumbled with the phone before answering it with a, "Humphrall?"

"Princess, get down to the shop. Your buddy's nearly dead."

Orihime blinked at Yoruichi's voice. It took her a couple of seconds to register what the words were said. Then she gasped. "G-GREMMY!"

She flew out of her bed, rushing down the hall where she stumbled into Gremmy who had started to run to her when he heard her scream. She grabbed her brother, frantically looking him over. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, what's wrong?" Gremmy demanded.

"Auntie called—we need to get to the shop, now!"

Gremmy grabbed her and imagined that the bathroom door was really a door that would lead them to Kisuke's shop. The two ran through, and to their surprised horror they found two boys laid out on the floor, bleeding heavily.

Orihime wasted no time in healing Ichigo Kurosaki and Uryū Ishida, enraged and terrified by their state. Kisuke, Tessai, and Yoruichi—she was in her black cat form—stood around them and watched.

"What happened?" Orihime asked.

"Ugh," moaned Ichigo.

"They got roughed up by a Shinigami," said Yoruichi. "I saw what happened and when they left, I grabbed them and brought them here."

"A Shini—Rukia?!"

"No," said Kisuke. Ichigo and Uryū slowly sat up. Ichigo rubbed his head while Uryū assessed his now-gone injuries.

Tessai cleared his throat. "It would appear Rukia has been arrested."

"More than that," whispered Ichigo. "She's been given a death sentence."

"What for?" Gremmy asked, the blond boy perturbed by that revelation.

"Likely because she gave some of her power to Ichigo," said Kisuke.

"How are we healed?" Uryū asked.

"I did that," said Orihime. "I have... abilities."

"Thank you kindly," said Uryū as Ichigo let out a huh.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You do? I never knew."

"Mother taught me to only use them to protect," she said. "It's not something I need to use in our day-to-day life anyway."

Ichigo rubbed his forehead. "I... suppose. Rukia... they took her to Soul Society, right?"

"Probably," said Kisuke.

"Then I'm going to rescue her. She shouldn't be executed for helping us."

"Uh," was all Kisuke said in response to that. "Aha. You'd think that, right?"

Yoruichi snorted.

Orihime pursed her lips. "I'll go with you."

"What?" said Gremmy.

"What?" said Kisuke.

"What?" said Ichigo.

"Hell yeah," said Yoruichi.

"Oh no," said Tessai.

Gremmy sighed. "Fine. I guess I'll have no choice but to go with you now."

"That's really not necessary—" Ichigo began.

"Rukia is my friend," Orihime retorted. "I'm not going to sit by and watch her be executed for doing the right thing. I'm going. As is Gremmy. We can discuss this more once the sun is out, for now you and Mr. Ishida should rest. Come along, Gremmy, let's go home and start prepping."

"'Kay," said Gremmy.

"I think maybe we should talk about this a bit more—" Kisuke began but he was kicked in the face by Yoruichi's hind legs. "Or not. I'll help you both get there. Please don't die. Your mother will never forgive me if you die."

Gremmy and Orihime started to whistle innocently as they went back through the door to their home. When the door shut behind them, Gremmy sighed.

"Soul Society, huh..." Gremmy leaned against the hallway wall. He raised his right hand, conjuring butterflies of light. One landed on his fingertip.

"Mother said it's a dangerous place," Orihime murmured. "But if Rukia could be executed. I... I think I should go. Are you sure you want to come with? I would not ask it of you."

"Mama would understand," he said. "I want to stay with you."

"Gremmy—"

"Better together," he said. "Worst case I summon that demon army."

Orihime giggled. "Oh gosh. Those poor shinigami won't know what hit them."

Gremmy smiled. "Right? Besides... who knows. Maybe we'll have fun."

"Oh my! I certainly hope so. I'll get some cameras ready."

"Excellent call, Sis. We can't forget to take pictures while going on a dangerous rescue mission in a place that even our mother warned us to stay away from."

"I'm glad you agree."

(◕▾◕✿)

Surprise!

Soul Society Invasion Arc Next! :D Then finally our Espada babies will make their return. We'll get some more Rirī time next chapter.

Answer: I would call Orihime "My Princess" and she'd probably have me as "UwU" at my request. :D

Question: Who's your favorite lieutenant?

Reviews are love!