Summary: Uryuu is spending his birthday the usual way. Alone and unnoticed. Until Uharaha arrives.

Authors Note: Uryuu revealed he lived alone in a Radio Kon interview. There was no explanation given on how he pays for his living expenses.

His book bag was put away. His school clothes were neatly hung. He was dressed in his casual clothes and ready to spend a quiet night at home. Going over to the calendar, he marked off another day.

"Happy birthday to me." He whispered under his breath. Even before leaving Ryuken to live on his own, his birthdays had never been festive occasions. Not since Souken died. As it stood, he didn't have enough money to do anything to celebrate even if he wanted to. The most he could splurge on was a fresh mackerel to make his grandfather's famous miso soup. With a little skimping, he could make it last all week. He stretched, then turned to the tiny kitchenette area of his apartment to get dinner started. He didn't get too far before the doorbell rang. That was odd. People didn't normally visit him. His curiosity piqued, he opened the door less cautiously than he should have.

"Happy birthday!" Yoruichi cried, flinging herself through the doorway to glomp onto him.

"Happy birthday Ishida-san." Urahara said behind her. "I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Oh, look at how much you've grown!" Yoruichi said cupping his face. "You've become a very handsome young man, Ishida-san."

"Um, thanks." Uryuu nervously replied removing her hands and stepping back. "Welcome Yoruichi-san, Urahara-san. So what brings you guys out here? How did you know it was my birthday?"

"I know you're not exactly my employee." Urahara explained "But we have been working together rather closely these past several months and I like to maintain cordial relations with my associates."

Yoruichi picked up a box from outside and handed it to him. "We brought you a cake."

Uryuu was touched. No one had given him anything for his birthday in years.

"Thank you." He said as he accepted it. "Won't you come in for a few minutes?"

"Oh, I don't know." Urahara demurred. "We wouldn't want to get in the way of you setting up for your birthday party."

"Or maybe your birthday date with your girlfriend." Yoruichi winked.

Blushing, Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "I'm…I'm not having a party Urahara-san. And I don't have a girlfriend."

Urahara and Yoruichi looked at each other.

"No party?"

"No girlfriend?"

"I was afraid of something like this."

"No, no. this won't do at all."

Leaning outside, Urahara shouted. "Bring it in Tessai!"

Almost immediately, the bespectacled giant appeared carrying something bulky.

"Good evening, Ishida-dono." He rumbled as he walked past. "Happy birthday. I'll have this set up in no time."

"That's a full sized karaoke machine." Uryuu exclaimed.

"Where ya want the food?" Jinta demanded entering with his hands full.

"Food?" Uryuu asked.

Ururu quietly entered and gently took the cake box from his hands.

"Don't worry about a thing, Ishida-san" She said. "We'll do all the work."

Uryuu could feel a lump rising in his throat. "You..you guys don't have to do something like this for me."

Yoruichi gave him a hug. "We wanted to. We're not going to leave one of our own hanging on their birthday. "

"Unless of course, you don't want us to?" Urahara asked.

Uryuu had to think about that for a minute. Did he really want a bunch of people over? Birthday or not, he wasn't used to being around people. On the other hand, Urahara and his people had really gone out of their way. They had been working together a lot during the last year with Ichigo losing his powers and while it was difficult for him to call anyone friend, he had grown close to the shopkeeper and his strange little crew.

"It's no problem." He replied. "It's just so unexpected, that's all."

"Hmph. It's not right to spend your birthday alone." Yoruichi declared as she put a paper hat on his head. "Nobody should be forgotten on their birthday."

"Come on." Urahara said clapping him on the shoulder. "Let the birthday boy have a seat while we get everything set up."

Ururu and Jinta soon had a lavish spread laid out on Uryuu's modest table as Tessai and Urahara did mike checks and got the video screens running. Uryuu sat uncomfortably on his threadbare couch watching them. His every attempt to help was rebuffed. They insisted he shouldn't have to help since it was his birthday.

"This is nice." He nervously stated. He wasn't used to making small talk. "A cozy little karaoke party with just us."

"Ah, about that." Urahara said holding his fan in front of his face. "I hope you don't mind, but I felt things would be boring with just us. I took the liberty of asking your friends if they would like to come."

"Friends?" Uryuu asked. "What friends?"

He jumped as the phone rang. He hurried to where it hung on the wall to see who it could be.

"Moshi-moshi?"

"Ishida! Was that a full sized Karaoke machine I saw some strange man carry up to your apartment?"

It was the landlady.

"Ah, good evening Yamaguchi-san. Yes, that was a karaoke machine."

"I knew it!" she shrieked. "What did I warn you about when you moved in here? I just knew a young man like you would be trouble, having loud non-stop parties left and right! I should never have given you a lease. Never! What was I thinking?"

"I don't usually throw parties Yamaguchi-san." He patiently explained. "In fact I'm pretty sure this is the first party I've ever held. If I'm not mistaken, my lease says I'm allowed to have small gatherings as long as they do not disturb the other tenants."

The phone buzzed and crackled in his ear as she chewed over that reminder. "All right. A small party then. But if you don't keep it down, I'm throwing you out on your ear!"

"Of course Yamaguchi-san." Uryuu soothingly agreed. "We'll keep it…"

The harsh click and steady tone told him she had hung up on him. He sighed. She didn't trust young people in genral and was suspicious of him in particular. Legally, she had no grounds to refuse his renting an apartment, so instead she went out of her way to be a pain, accusing him of doing drugs or running numbers for the yakuza or some other unsavory activity. It didn't help that she had occasionally caught him coming home in the wee hours of the morning after hollow hunting. She would be insufferable for weeks afterward pointedly reminding him that nothing good happened after 11 PM. She was aggravating, but he couldn't afford to live anywhere else. His musings were cut short by the doorbell.

"I'll get it." He announced. He opened the door with a bit more care this time.

"Happy Birthday Ishida-kun! So this is your place, huh?"

Uryuu's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Inoue-san. Guys. What are you all doing here?"

The whole gang from school was there. Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru, their other girlfriends he didn't really know, Keigo, Mizuiro and even Chad. They were all smiling and carrying presents.

"Urahara said you were having a party and asked me to round up everyone." Orihime explained. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Can we come in?" Tatsuki asked.

"Oh…ah, of course! Of course you can come in." He allowed stepping aside. "Please make yourself at home."

Everyone wished him happy birthday and gave him their present as they entered. Ururu and Jinta quietly appeared to take the boxes and bags away to keep him from holding too many things at once.

"Hey, where's Ichigo?" Uryuu asked. "Will he be coming later?"

Mizuiro grimaced. "I called his cell phone to tell him to meet us here, but some strange lady picked up and said he had to work late. I thought I heard him shouting in the background though."

"Look, a karaoke machine!" Chizuru cried. She grabbed Orhime's hand and dragged her off. "Let's sing a duet honey!"

Tatsuki angrily followed her. "Don't be monopolizing her all night you weirdo! I'm singing with her next."

Uryuu stood there watching as his classmates spread out, helping themselves to the refreshments, looking up the lists of songs on the machines and in Mizuiro's case, chatting up Yoruichi who seemed more amused than annoyed.

"You're not used to this, are you?" Urahara asked Uryuu.

"It's been a long time since I've been around so many people in an informal setting." He admitted.

"It won't do to be a wallflower at your own party. Ishida-san." Urahara said. "As the host, you will be expected to mingle."

"It's all right." Uryuu replied shaking his head. "I'm happy just watching them."

Urahara gave a naughty grin from under his hat. "I'm afraid you won't get a choice in the matter. The first song loaded on the machine is 'Happy Birthday to You.' And someone's going to have to blow out these candles."

Ururu popped up before him holding the cake. As she sadly gazed up at the young quincy, the candles burst into flame.

The evening was like nothing he could remember. After blowing out the candles and cutting the cake, he had opened up his presents, thanking everyone for their thoughtful gifts. Then there was food and drink and singing. He had never been to a karaoke parlor with friends, it was too expensive for him, but that night he sang lots of songs. He sang solo, he watched and applauded when the others got up to sing and somehow in the course of the evening he even got paired off with Orihime to sing a duet. It was the most fun he'd ever had. As he was taking a break and getting a drink, the doorbell rang again. Thinking it must be Ichigo, arriving late but in a dramatic fashion as always, he flung open the door. What he saw was definitely not Ichigo.

"Can I help you gentlemen?"

The men standing in the doorway were rough. Unshaven. Tattooed. Everything about them spelled trouble, right down to the sunglasses they wore even though it was night.

"Gentlemen!" Urahara crowed. "Glad you could make it. Ishida-san, this is, uh, Mr. Jones, Mr. Smith, Mr Johnson and Mr. uh, Terwilliger and a few others who would rather not be mentioned. They are business associates of mine. I invited them here to spend some time in the real world. I hope you don't mind."

The tough looking group of ruffians smiled and nodded affably as they waited to be let inside.

"Any friend of Urahara-sans is a friend of mine, I suppose." Uryuu allowed. "Please come in gentlemen."

Grinning savagely, the clump of thugs made their way into the apartment, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the strange fixtures like the light switches and door knobs. Alerted by the commotion in the hallway, Yoruichi made a beeline for Urahara with a furious look on her face.

"What are they doing here Kisuke?" She demanded. "What kind of game are you playing now?"

"No game." Urahara insisted with his fan in front of his face. "My 'suppliers' wanted to spend some time in the real world to get a sense of my operation and maybe have a good time, so I thought why not kill two birds with one stone and invite them here? It's good for business."

"So you thought it would be a good idea to bring them to a birthday party!? With schoolchildren!?"

"Well karaoke parlors are expensive." He explained. "Besides, look how much fun they're having."

Uryuu didn't know about fun, but it looked like Tatsuki was about ten seconds away from decking one. She stood in front of Orihime in a defensive stance, her lips curled back in a snarl. Ryō, Mahana, and Michiru had taken shelter behind a scowling Chad. Chizuru didn't seem to be having any problems at all, although Keigo was sweating profusely. The situation looked messy.

Yoruichi made an irritated growl. "Of all the boneheaded, irresponsible, not to mention cheap stunts you could pull!" She pointed in Urahara's face. "We will take about this later. Ururu, Jinta, Tessai!"

The three shop employees appeared before her like magic.

"Keep Kisuke's 'special guests' entertained and separate from the others. I've got some calls to make. I know some people who can keep these punks in line."

Uryuu was going to ask who, but the doorbell decided it would be a good time to ring again. This time, he looked through the peephole first. Seeing his newest visitor, his blood ran cold. Steeling his courage, he opened the door a crack.

"Good evening Yamaguchi-san." He said through the crack. "What brings you here?"

"What brings me here?" She threw back at him. "I'm sure you know good and well what brings me here. I saw some strange men going up the stairs earlier. They looked like YAKUZA! I bet they're in there right now, aren't they?"

Uryuu shifted his body back and forth as his landlady tried to peer past him.

"Yakuza? Don't be silly Yamaguchi-san, there's no yakuza here."

"You let me in this instant young man. I'll find out the truth myself!"

A huge hand reached over Uryuu's shoulder and opened the door wider.

"Pardon me Ishida-dono." Tessai boomed. "Urahara-dono asked me to go buy some beverages more suitable for our guests."

Yamaguchi stared up at the big man, her mouth a dark "O" on her face.

"Uh, Tessai-san, this is my landlady, Yamaguchi-san." Uryuu said moving out of the way.

"Good evening, Yamaguchi-dono." Tessai said bowing low. "Ishida-dono didn't tell me he had such a lovely and attractive young landlady."

Uryuu held his breath. Yamaguchi-san was bound to take offense at such blatant lies.

"Oh, stop! I'm not that young." She giggled. Much to Uryuu's amazement, she hid her face with her hands and blushed. "My goodness, you're a big one."

"Pardon me young lady, did I hear you say there were suspicious characters walking around?" Urahara interrupted. "Tessai, instead of going to the store, perhaps you should accompany Yamaguchi-san back to her room. Just to be on the safe side."

"Certainly, if Yamaguchi-dono would like." Tessai agreed.

She immediately succumbed to another fit of nervous giggles. "Please, call me Kameyo. I wouldn't mind an escort back now that you mention it. I was about to make some tea."

"Tea sounds wonderful Kameyo-chan." Tessai said as he followed her back downstairs. Uryuu shut the door and put his back against it.

"That was a close one." He breathed.

"Oh, I don't know." Urahara said fanning himself. "She didn't seem so bad."

"Not that bad?" Uryuu repeated. "She's been trying to find a reason to kick me out for years! If she had seen your…your…suppliers, she'd call the cops." He wearily pushed his glasses higher on his nose. "It's a good thing Tessai-san was able to handle her. At least nothing else can go wrong tonight."

As if to prove him wrong, the doorbell rang. Uryuu's eyes bugged out in disbelief. Not more people. How could there be more people? Maybe if he ignored it they would…

The doorbell rang again, with the person on the other side holding it down. No, it looked like he couldn't ignore it. He looked through the peephole and groaned. Why were they here? He opened the door to reveal the Shinigami Women's Association in full force.

"Happy Birthday!" They chorused.

"Sorry we took so long to answer your call." Nanao apologized while adjusting her glasses. "We had to take a moment or two to prepare our gigais and find some real world clothes."

"My call?" Uryuu asked.

"We all got a text from Yoruichi-san." Kiyone explained holding up her phone. "She said you needed our help right away."

"And that there's free saké!" Matsumoto added.

"I'm off to the convenience store to get some more." Urahara said as he edged his way out. "We went through our original supply fairly quickly. I'll be right back."

"Be sure to get the good stuff." She called to his retreating back as they stuffed themselves into the hallway.

"Girls, there you are." Yoruichi exclaimed. "And not a moment too soon. Huddle!"

The women quickly formed a circle. Occasionally, one of them would lift their head to glance over at the other guests. The circle buzzed and purred as they whispered amongst each other, exchanging information and making plans.

"Aaaand, break!" Yoruichi ordered.

"I don't know about this." Momo said.

"Piece of cake." Matsumoto assured her. "You set the boundaries early, keep their saké cup full and they'll be putty in your hands."

The women dispersed to engage with Urahara's guests. As they spread out, Uryuu spotted someone he didn't expect.

"Captain Unohana?" He blurted out. "What are you doing here?"

"Good evening Ishida-san. Happy Birthday." She elegantly greeted him. "I also received Yoruichi-san's text message and decided to come along. I don't get to visit the real world often these days and this looked like fun."

"But Captain Unohana." He protested. "She asked them to come here to keep an eye on those guys." He inclined his head to indicate the unsavory crew currently making the new guests acquaintance. "I'm not sure it's safe. They look like they're all gangsters and thugs."

"Gangsters and thugs you say?" She echoed with a smile. "Oh my. That does sound dangerous. Nonetheless, I'm sure I can handle it."

"But Captain Unohana…"

"Ishida-san" she interrupted. "I'm sure I can handle it."

"Yes…of course." He shakily agreed. "S-sorry."

Unohana followed the rest of the women leaving one last person behind.

"Happy birthday, Ishida-san." Nemu shyly said with a polite bow. "Thank you for allowing me to attend your birthday party."

"You're welcome." He replied bowing back. At this point, it's not like anyone was asking for his permission anymore.

"I wanted to get you a present, but there wasn't enough time."

He smiled. "That's OK, Nemu-san. You didn't have to bring me anything."

"But I did bring you something." She countered. She reached into her real world purse and pulled out a gaily wrapped box. "When I asked Mayuri-sama if I could come, he said he would make something just for you while I got ready. I hope you will enjoy it."

She held the box out to him with both hands. Normally he would politely accept the gift, but after hearing it came from Mayuri? While he hesitated, he saw the sides of the box swell and bulge, as if something alive was trying to push its way out.

"Do you know what's inside?" He asked.

Nemu shook her head. "He didn't tell me. He only said it would be a big surprise. It made him very happy to send you this gift. I haven't seen Mayuri-sama laugh like that in many years."

She thrust the box out to him once more, clearly expecting him to take it.

"I'm back." Urahara announced as he came in. His usual lackadaisical demeanor vanished when he spotted the box in Nemu's hands. Hurriedly setting down his shopping bags, he rushed over with hands outstretched to take the box away from her.

"You'd better give that to me, Nemu-san!"

Nemu snatched the box away and held it close. "No. Mayrui-sama told me to put this gift in Ishida-san's hands only."

"You can't do that." Urahara replied.

"Why not?" She demanded.

Urahara looked at Uryuu. Why not indeed?

"Because…" Uryuu drawled as he wracked his brain for an idea.

"Because it's bad luck." Urahara finished. "You see, here in the real world, you must put your presents on the gift table. Handing your gift directly to the receiver is very bad luck and insulting to your host."

"Is that so?" Nemu asked Uryuu.

He fidgeted with his glasses. "I'm sure it will be bad luck for me if I touch that box, yes."

Nemu nodded in understanding. "Very well. I must respect real world customs. Where is this gift table?"

"You can just put it on top of the shoe rack for now and I'll take care of it." Urahara assured her.

Nemu did as she was told and politely took her leave to mingle with the other guests.

"Ururu!" Urahara called.

The sad faced girl came trotting up from somewhere. "Yes Urahara-san?"

He patted her on the shoulder. "Ururu, be a dear and take that back to the shop, won't you? Use containment protocol Alpha 7c."

The glum faced girl nodded her understanding. From…somewhere…she equipped herself with safety goggles, heavy leather gloves and a pair of long iron tongs. She gingerly used the tongs to pick up the present which now seemed to pulse malevolently.

"Could you please open the door for me?" She requested.

Uryuu did so, shrinking back in alarm as she raced out into the night.

"What was that thing?" He demanded.

Urahara smiled. "I'm not sure, but coming from Mayuri-kun I have no doubt it's something interesting. I hope dear Nemu-chan doesn't get into too much trouble for not doing exactly what Mayuri-kun said. I'll give him a call later. Help me put these bottles on the table?"

"Say, Urahara-san." Uryuu said as he helped pick up the shopping bags. "How is everyone fitting in here? My apartment is not that big. We should be unable to move right now."

Once you noticed what was wrong, looking around the room made you dizzy. While the walls seemed as close as always, everyone seemed to have plenty of room to walk around.

"Oh, you noticed that?" Urahara responded as he put the bottles on the table. "I knew crowding might be a problem, so I made a little interdimensional twist to the floor space. Don't worry, it's a temporary effect."

"How many people were you expecting?" Uryuu asked. "Are any more going to be showing up?"

"No, no." Urahara assured him. "This should be everybody. Now relax and go have fun. I'm sure nothing else will happen tonight."

Uryuu had his doubts, but tried to get back into the swing of things. Before he knew it, he actually was having fun again. The shinigami women's association seemed to be the perfect addition to the mix, blending well with everyone while keeping things under control. Captain Unohana was especially effective, surrounded by a ring of admirers eager to do her slightest bidding. Matsumoto and Orihime sang a duet, showing off their excellent voices. Chad was deep in conversation with Isane, bonding over the many problems of being tall in a world designed for short people. Everything was going great. He just hoped that doorbell never rang again.

It didn't. This time somebody pounded on the door with their fist.

Uryuu couldn't see anybody when he looked through the peephole. All he could see was black. Cautiously opening the door, he realized it was because the person standing in front of the door had on a black t-shirt. And he was huge. Looking up, and up, and up, he eventually made it up to the scowling face of Kenpachi.

"Huh." He grunted. "I actually found the place. I'll be damned."

"Hiya, pencil!" Yachiru crowed from his shoulder. "Happy birthday! Sorry we're late. Kenny got lost."

"I was following your directions." He huffed.

"You didn't do it right!" she declared twisting his ear.

"Ow. Stop that." He growled.

Yachiru hopped down and ran past Uryuu into the apartment. "Where's the cake?"

Uryuu felt very awkward standing outside alone with Kenpachi. How exactly was he going to handle this one? "So…Captain. Um."

"Don't worry about me." Kenpachi said as he stooped to get in the doorway. "Cake. Singing. That stuff's boring. Just let me find a corner somewhere. Yachiru will conk out sooner or later and I'll take her home."

Grabbing a bottle of saké and a cup, Kenpachi did as he described, finding a suddenly empty corner and sitting cross legged on the floor, patiently waiting for his lieutenant to get tired. Once he was sure there wouldn't be a riot, Uryuu closed the door. Only the door wouldn't close all the way.

"Hey!" An angry voice yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

He quickly swung the door open again. "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was there, uh…Captain Soifon?"

"Never mind all that." She snapped. "Where's Yoruichi-sama?"

"Right this way." He said leading her inside.

"Hey Soifon." Yoruichi said when she saw them coming. "Finally made it I see."

The petite captain prostrated herself before her idol. "Yoruichi-sama!" She wailed. "Please forgive me. I had my phone turned off. I came as soon as I saw your message. Forgive me!"

"Stop that." Yoruichi chided as she pulled Soifon off the floor. "There's nothing to forgive. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I failed you." Soifon tearily insisted. "You asked for my help and I wasn't there for you."

"Everything's fine." Yoruichi countered. "See. Everybody's enjoying themselves. Nothing bad happened. It's OK. Say, why don't you sing a song with me? Would that make you feel better?"

"Sing? With you Yoruichi-sama? Oh yes, I would like that very much."

Putting her arm around Soifon's shoulders, Yoruichi led her young protégé over to the karaoke machine to pick out a song. Uryuu took a moment to look around him. Everywhere in his shabby little apartment there were people talking, laughing, having a good time. Whenever he made eye contact, the people smiled at him, many raising their glass. It was all so unfamiliar. So different from any birthday he could remember. He felt a lump in his throat and his breath started to catch. He felt the need to go outside. Exiting his apartment, he went to the walkway railing and leaned against it. He took a deep breath of the cold night air. The door opened behind him.

"Ishida-san? Are you all right?" Urahara asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied.

"Are you sure?" Urahara pressed. "You don't look like a young man enjoying himself."

"I needed a moment to take it all in." Uryuu confessed. "I've got a house full of guests here to celebrate my birthday, everyone is happy, everything is going great and I suddenly realized I had no idea how many people…how many…"

Urahara clapped him on the shoulder. "How many people cared about you?" He finished. "I think we all feel like that sometimes. You go through your daily routine, you feel like you're being ignored or overlooked, like no one appreciates you, when in reality, you're touching people's lives in a hundred different ways. You're a good man, Ishida-san, and you've touched a lot of people whether you realize it or not. That's what occasions like this party are for. To let the people you care about know how much you appreciate them."

They stood in silence after that for a while, looking up at the moon glowing in the night sky.

"Think you're ready to go back inside now?" Urahara asked.

Uryuu smiled. "Yes, Urahara-san. I think so."

Before either of them could move, they heard a loud crash! Rushing inside, they found one of the "suppliers" on his back on top of the wreckage of a coffee table, an angry Soifon standing over him.

"Insolent dog!" She shouted. "How dare you act so disrespectfully to Yoruichi-sama?"

"Boss!" Mr. Smith, or possibly Jones, yelled.

"She hurt Aniki!" Mr. Terwilliger accused.

"ALL RIGHT!" Kenpachi roared snatching up a chair. "NOW THIS IS MY KIND OF PARTY!"

"STOP!"

Who said that? Uryuu wondered. After a moment, he realized it was him. He was standing in the middle of the room with his hands raised.

"Stop this now." He continued. "I appreciate you all coming out here for my birthday. I had a wonderful time, at least up to this point, and I thank you, I thank you all. But I cannot allow this to turn into a fight. This is the real world. There are serious consequences if we get into a brawl. People will be hurt. Property will be destroyed. And I could get kicked out of my apartment! So maybe it's time to shut this party down and everyone go home."

"Too late for that young man!" Someone shouted. Uryuu turned around to see who it was. His heart dropped right down to his feet.

"Yamaguchi-san. You came back. I can explain."

"There's nothing to explain you delinquent!" She snarled. "It's very obvious what's going on around here. Just look at this place! Gangsters! Prostitutes! Probably drugs too I have no doubt. I know exactly what's going on here. This is your Yakuza initiation ceremony, isn't it!?"

"Yamaguchi-san, that's not what's happening at all." He assured her. "You see…"

"Save it, criminal! I'm calling the police! You're not only going to be kicked out of this apartment, you're going to jail!"

"There's no need to call the police." Urahara smoothly interrupted. "I have something to show you right here that can fix everything. Look closely please."

Yoruichi saw him pull a slim object out of his pocket. "Cover your eyes everybody!" She yelled just before the memory eraser went off, filling the room with billowing purple smoke.

"Goodnight. Goodnight." Uryuu repeated as his departing guests shook his hand on their way out. What a night. Tomorrow, thank goodness, the landlady would wake up with no memory of this ever happening. Unfortunately, some of the guests hadn't covered their eyes in time and were also affected. Tesssai, Jinta and Ururu had taken them back to the shop until they recovered.

"Goodnight Ishida-san." Urahara said. "We'll be back tomorrow to take back the machine and help you clean up."

"Thank you Urahara-san." Uryuu replied shaking his hand. "Thanks for everything."

"Don't be a stranger now." Yoruichi said giving him a goodbye hug. "Feel free to stop by the shop anytime you feel lonely."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The door closed and that was it. It was over. Uryuu looked around at the party's remains. There were empty cups, dirty plates, paper napkins and all sorts of things covering every level surface. It irritated his scrupulously neat soul to let it all stay there. On the other hand, it was late and it had been a long day. He went to the closet to get out his futon when the doorbell rang.

Who is it now? He wondered. "The party is over." He called out. "You may as well go home." The doorbell rang again. Annoyed, Uryuu threw open the door.

"I said the party is…Ryuuken?"

His father glared down at him in disapproval. "Uryuu."

"What brings you here?" Uryuu sullenly asked.

Ryuuken adjusted his glasses. "You're landlady called me earlier. She said you were throwing a wild party with dangerous criminals and loose women. I didn't believe her of course, but the mess in your apartment argues otherwise."

"My friends held a birthday party for me." Uryuu explained.

Ryuuken's arched an eyebrow. "You have friends?"

Uryuu indignantly straightened his spine in defiance. "Yes. I have friends. And now that the party is over, they have all gone home. I'm afraid you came all this way for nothing. Now if you're done insulting me, I am going to bed."

Ryuuken held up a hand. "Wait. I didn't come here just to chastise you." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a slim leather case. "Happy birthday, I suppose."

Frowning, Uryuu accepted the case from his father. He undid the latch and opened the lid.

"Gintō?" He asked confused. The case held several of the special silver tubes used by quincy for their spells nestled in velvet.

"They were Soukens" Ryuuken explained. "He wanted you to have them when you were older. When your landlady called, it reminded me it was your birthday. I thought it was an appropriate time."

They stood there in silence for a moment, Uryuu running his finger over the smooth silver tubes his grandfather had used for years. Yet another gift for his grandchild.

"I will allow you to go to sleep now." Ryuuken announced. "Goodnight."

Uryuu watched his father head towards the stairs. He sighed. "Ryuuken. Wait."

Ryuuken turned around, saying nothing.

"Before you go home, won't you come in and have something?" Uryuu continued. "I still have a lot of food inside."

Ryuuken seemed to take a long time considering it.

"If it won't be an imposition." He said as he came back. Entering the hall, he took a good look at the tiny apartment where his son had lived since he was fifteen. It was the first time he'd ever been there.

"Is that a commercial grade karaoke machine?"

The End