of his hand and rubbed his thumb over the smooth surface, reading the signs.

Clenching his hand around the stone and its troubling news, he snapped his fingers to activate the gate without any further argument. "And not a moment too soon it seems." Kisuke declared, tucking the sensor stone back into his pocket for safekeeping. "Your wife needs you."

Renji whipped around as a black Jigokuchō came through the gate to flutter around his head. "My wife, what's happened?"

Kisuke held his hands in front of him in reassurance before the redheaded captain came for his throat again. "No, not yours," he was quick to point to the scowling man beside him with his furled fan, "His."

Ichigo stared blankly at the storekeeper, only to feel his stomach drop as Urahara'swords penetrated his mind. What happened to Orihime? Not something with the babies. It was still months too soon. He frantically wondered as he stared unseeing in Kisuke's direction, feeling distinctly weak in the knees.

"Orihime's waiting."

Snapped out of his darkly spiraling thoughts by Chad's deep voice, Ichigo looked up in time to see the senkaimon's shoji doors slide close with a resonate clatter. A large hand squeezed his shoulder in reassurance and gave him a little push.

"Get going, Ichigo" said Chad, giving him his signature thumbs up. "Renji said he'd see you on the other side."

Ichigo stumbled forward on wooden legs before pulling himself together and nodding in thanks. Turning to run inside the gate, he would wait and punch the chuckling shopkeeper when he came back through,