Renji got up and stretched. Keeping this information to myself is hard. He thought about everything and nodded. "Need help cleaning things up?" He asked, stretching he picked up a stray plate and put it into the dishwasher. "You forgot this one." He chuckled.

" I would like some help. Thank you for noticing that one. I get wrapped up in my thoughts too much at times. My dad used to joke that I was trying to find the answer to every question. " She said with a sad smile . Hikari missed her father Daichi very much. She wondered if he had found peace in the afterlife. She had so many questions about her father and was sad she would never find the answers to them. " How does chicken teriyaki and fried rice sound for dinner?" Hikari asked, as she was taking care of the rest of the rice.

"Anytime Hikari. I don't mind helping you set up." He noticed her sad smile. "What was your dads name?" Renji wondered if one of her relatives was a hollow wandering around and had made all of these weaker hollows in order to find her. It could also be a restless spirit and all of this could be a coincidence. "Chicken Teriaki sounds great! I could help out with that. I could try and make some takoyaki too." Renji didn't even try to smile. He was to deep in thought.

" I would enjoy your help ." She said with a smile ." His name was Daichi Komatsu. You would have liked him. He was very overprotective of me as a child , and when I left for college, I called him once a week so he wouldn't worry too much. I didn't like it when he was overprotective, but sometimes it felt he was trying to protect me from something.Would you like to see a picture of him? " Hikari asked.

Renji was curious since the name sounded familiar. "I would like to see a picture of him if you do not mind." He might have to report back to the soul society at the end of the day and report his findings. He might be able to find out more information on Hikari's deceased loved ones. "I feel like I am protecting you for the time being." He let it slip. Dammit. He got the urge to kick a wall but he didn't act on it. Great, now she'll think I am a stalker or weird or something.

Hikari gave a strange look as she went to get the pictures. Maybe she was right that Renji was differnt than most people she knew." Sorry if I took too long. I got pictures of my mom and grandma too." Hikari said laying the frames on the table for Renji. The first one was of an man who looked to be in his mid forties that had short dark brown hair and wire rimmed glasses. " This one is my mom.Her name was Sanae" Hikari said pointing to the one with a lovely long black haired woman with brown eyes. " And this one is my grandma Emiko, she was my mom's mother." She said pointing to the one with an older woman with gray hair that went to her chin and had brown eyes.

Renji shook his head and his hair hung low in his eyes. He had forgotten to put it up. When Hikari came back he straightened up. She had placed the frames in a very organized manner. As she pointed the people in the picture out Renji eyed them closely. When he looked at the picture of her dad his eyes widened. He had seen this man somewhere eventhough he couldn't recall it at the moment. As she went on explaining her mother and grandmother he tried desperately to remember where he had seen Daichi before. "Do you have a picture of yourself from when you were younger?"

Great Renji! You seem like a creeper now. Creeper radar going off on a full 10 here Renji. His mind screamed at him as he just waited for her response. A silent pause seemed like it had caused the air around you both to seem stale and stagnant as his mind kept screaming for him to stop pressing on. Renji just had to know why this was happening to Hikari.

" Sure you can. Just don't laugh. I wasn't a very pretty child. " Hikari said as she went to the living room and grabbed a picture. She came back and put the photo in front of Renji. " I was 10 when it was taken. " She said. It was a picture of a skinny girl with long brown hair and glasses with black frames sitting by the river and she had a smile on her face. It was taken during a picnic with her dad and grandmother to celebrate Hikari's 10th birthday. Hikari was glad she was able to wear contacts now instead of those horrid glasses. The kids at school had teased her about those glasses.

Renji's face flushed. "You were so cute." He recognized the girl in the picture though but he wasn't going to tell her that he had seen her before. "I look the same as I did back then, minus the tattoos though." He chuckled and held the picture of Hikari in his hands. "Your glasses are very interesting looking."

" I know they were. They were the only frames that my eye doctor had a that time that cold fit my narrow face. Now I have a pair of wire rimmed ones, but I usually wear contacts. " Hikari said. " We better get going. Today will be slow since it's a Saturday. It's mostly the people who have special orders that come in. Though I have one order I have to deliver myself. " Hikari said, not wanting to have to travel to the Mitsumiya distrct today.

Renji chuckled softly and smiled. "Well I could do the delivery for you. I don't mind going." He eyed her and looked back at the pictures. He had to check in later. He didn't know when he would be able to slip away to the Soul Society and keep a close eye on Hikari at the same time. Renji didn't want Hikari to worry so he will just keep his concerns to himself.

"That would be nice thank you.But let me know if this guy gives you any trouble. He's scared me since high school and he was a friend of my dad's. I have the address in the office. Ready to head on down?" She asked as she finished taking care of the pans. She went to the door near the entry way and opened it and it led to a set of stairs that went down to the office.

He scoffed. "Hikari, if need be I can beat the crap out of him easily." No one really scared him and he liked it that way. Having that mentality, he followed Hikari to the door. Renji never did alot of thinking and it was weird because he was doing alot of thinking lately. Renji was also surprisingly tame the past, not even, 24 hours.

" I hope you can. I should warn you he likes to talk in riddles. Here is the address. It's a shop in the Mitsumiya district and his name is Urahara. If he asked who sent you say that you work for me. " She said and handed him the package with the address on a slip of paper. "She hoped this guy wouldnt give Renji any trouble.

Renji's eyes widened. "Urahara!?" Renji busted out laughing. "He is riduculous..." He tried to control his fit of laughter. "Me and Urahara Kisuke go way back." Renji patted Hikari on the head. "I will take care of it for you. I actually have to talk to him about some things."

" It's good that you know him. Thank you so much for delivering that package for me. " Hikari said with a smile as she unlocked the front of the store and turned the sign to open. She mentally added vacuuming to the list of chores she needed to do today once hours were over. She still hoped she would be brave enough to tell Renji about the night before.Hikari wondered what Renji wanted to ask Urahara, having an uneasy feeling about it.

Renji nodded as he took the package and walked out of the door. He would do this simple task and be back in an hour or so. Seeing Kisuke wouldn't be that bad since he needed answers. He needed to know why this was happening to Hikari and what is making these hollows go crazy. Renji had a hunch as to what it might be but he hoped it wasn't what he thought it was.
Walking down the street he saw a wandering spirit. "Hey kid wait up!" The spirit ran away as Renji tried to catch it he realized the chain was almost gone.

After a while he caught up to it and helped it. He had wasted time and could've been talking to Urahara by now. Renji sighed and kept walking.

Renji strolled up to the shop. He had seen Urahara and looked at him tensely. "Hey Kisuke." Renji motioned toward the package as he stretched out his arm. "Here." Renji suddenly felt tense and he shrugged it off.

"Kisuke shut up." Renji's eyebrow twitched, he was getting irritated. This man always had that effect on him. "Lets go inside so we can talk about this in private." People were staring at them both. Humans are always so nosy. Renji walked right in without being invited and pulled Urahara with him. "I met her yesterday when a random hollow decided to show up. It attacked her and I just happened to be there in time. I think something is going on. I am living there until I can figure out why all of these spirits and hollows are following and attacking her." Renji looked at Urahara and sighed. "Do you know anything?"

((Sorry! I have been travelling the past few days))

Renji sighed. "I know you know more than this. Go on." He looked at Kisuke with a distant look. At this point he was worried about what was to come. He hoped it wasn't as bad as he thinks it might be.

( I understand. )

"Daichi was a 5th seat for Squad 7 for many years, He was also taught combat skills at the academy. I'm not sure if you remember him though. He accidentally stumbled upon some information that members of his family, who were nobles , wanted to overthrow the Goeti 13 and take control. He turned in that information anonymously and the Komatsu's were banished. Daichi came to the living world to hide from his family , by faking his death. He didn't want to do that, but he saw no other choice. He knew that if the other members of the Komatsu clan found him , he would die. I assume that they did find him and are the ones controlling the hollows. Daichi feared they want to unlock what shinigami powers Hikari might have and try to take their revenge." Urahara said , telling Renji what Daichi had told him.

((How have you been?))

Renji listened intently. He was shocked to find out why the names sounded so familiar. Renji remembered Daichi and was surprised. "So Daichi isn't dead...? He may be captured though?" Renji thought to himself for a second. "So that means... Hikari is in grave danger." Renji's eyes got wide. "Call her house later. I gotta' stay with her and protect her. She shouldn't be alone right now. He was close to freaking out. She was alone in the shop.. ALONE. Renji got up quickly and bolted out of Urahara's shop. Rushing back to Hikari's shop his mind was racing. Renji didn't want anything to happen to her. Remembering Hikari's dad was enough to make up his mind. Daichi was looked up to by many of the students and to know that it was her dad sealed the deal. He had to protect her.