Read the note in the end, folks! Late update, I know, so sorry about that. But I'm really busy, so I have to take it slow. You feel me? :/

Enjoy!

Chappie Numero Sies : When Things turn Darker

Are you sure you're not stealing all this from some illegal James Bond movie?

-Tatsuki Arisawa

I

"What the hell!? What are you saying?"

"Now, Kurosaki-san, I understand this information isn't at all pleasant, but-"

"I'm telling you! Something fishy is going on here!"

"We kind of figured that out already, Ichigo-san-"

"Damn it! Are you sure it's not tucked in somewhere?"

"I already told you, the book is exactly the same as the other, except there is no name in the front page-"

"I know that! *sigh* I'm sorry; this is just so damn infuriating! We waited two weeks for this?!"

"Nothing can be done about it now. Tell me how things are going in Chicago."

"*grunt* Nothing fancy as of yet. I went down to the Human Resource Department yesterday, and I had to go through a hell of a procedure just to speak to the Head there. Then, there was another hell as they refused to cooperate. I showed them my ID, but all those saps could say was their information is strictly confidential. If it was that confidential why do they have a Human Resource Department in the first place, damn it!"

"It's good to breathe now and then, Kurosaki-san."

"*exhale loudly* Sorry for being such a wuss. Well finally, they complied, but they said I'll be allowed only under strict regulation. Whatever, I'm just glad it worked out, sort of. Anyway, I have to go back there again, I'll email whatever I find over to you."

"Good, Kurosaki-san. That's good."

"…."

"Is there something else you wanted to say?"

"How is Orihime?"

"Don't worry yourself, your wife is doing just fine. She's only a bit restless, mostly for your well-being."

"I see."

"She really wants to help you, Ichigo-san."

"I know."

"Come back with some answers, then. I'm sure we could all use some."

"I will."

II

It was a warm sunny day, quite a contrast from the normally windy mornings for which Chicago is so well-known. And on this fine morning, we see a two young men making towards a large white official looking building, one with a sign that read 'Human Resource Department." The men walked swiftly, occasionally exchanging a few quick words, but otherwise there was only a constant furrow of brows evident on their faces. Anyone could tell that they were getting impatient.

"Hello sir. What can I do for you?" asked the woman behind the desk in a very nasal voice, which involuntarily caused the orange-haired man to clench his jaw. After all the mess he had been through the previous day, had she forgotten who he was already? What in-

"We'd like to speak with the Head, please. You will recognize us as the same clients who approached him yesterday." Uryu Ishida explained calmly, expressionlessly.

She looked up for a brief second, before lowering her head again nonchalantly. "Take a seat, then. He will see you in half an hour."

And so they complied. Thirty minutes of their life was spent gazing at the white walls and mindlessly scanning through outdated magazines. Forty minutes and feet started tapping restlessly. Fifty minutes and it was decided someone was going to lose a head.

"Excuse me?" Ichigo tried his best to maintain a socially acceptable sound level. "But I think thirty minutes was up a while ago. May we be allowed in now?"

She looked up yet again, her gaze stony and unmoved.

"Do you have anything to do with a request to seek information regarding a Mr. Allen Stephens?"

A face-palm-worthy moment.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, that's the only reason we're here."

"Well it must have slipped my mind." She shrugged. "The Head said that you may proceed to the file room directly. Your authentication has been verified."

She couldn't have said that fifty-five minutes ago? How could something like that just slip? Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose and forced a smile.

"Thank you. I'll take that as an approval then." Motioning for Uryu, they (finally) walked towards the indicated room.

It had taken all afternoon to get comfortable in the enormous hall, its desks and drawers and cabinets and infinite number of files lined neatly in alphabetical order could easily enrage a sane man. The stark blankness of its floors and ceilings was a remarkable contrast to the very turbulent thoughts going through the minds of the young men. Uryu and Ichigo were faced with more security measures before they could settle themselves in a quiet atmosphere, but despite that, there were more guards standing at the doors and an inspector who often came and looked into their research. But there was one teenage boy who was pleasant and was most helpful in their search for information. Together, the three of them dug through folders and computer files, searching every available nook and electronic cranny, for facts on a particular Mr. Stephens.

It was late evening when they made their discovery, an undeniably astonishing discovery that cried a halt to their progress so far. What fools they'd been! Of course! Allen Stephens, the friend of Arthur Redmund, the explorer! It all made sense now, and the pieces of the puzzle was slowly coming together. When they were sure they'd exhausted the Resource Department, they cleaned up the place before setting back for their hotel.

By sundown, we see two men leaving a large white official looking building, one with a sign that read 'Human Resource Department." The men walked swiftly, occasionally exchanging a few quick words, but this time, there was no frown etched on their brows. Instead, a look of pure enlightenment was evident on their faces. The mystery had taken a sharp new turn. And it was about damn time too.

III

"I'm sorry for putting you under such an inconvenience, madam, but that is the whole story." explained the young man, as he eyed the silent woman warily. She seemed perfectly harmless; the kind of woman you'd expect to hand out large chocobars on Halloween night. Not more than fifty, she sat patiently through the entire recital with thoughtful yet kind eyes, hardly ever interrupting. The man felt rightfully sorry that it was her possession that was at stake.

"I understand. The book looked quite special when I first saw it; I just knew I had to have it there and then." She smiled. "I'm glad I could be of some help to you, but I'm also sorry that the page you are looking for is missing. Though I can assure you the book was intact when I sent it."

"I understand madam, we are not yet sure of the cause of it yet." said the representative of the archaeological department of the Tokyo University.

"If only there was something I could do." she sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I've always loved a good adventure, ever since I was a young girl. My brother and I, we had some good times together." She whispered, eyelids gently falling. The hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen was the only sound for a few discreet moments.

"Tell me, which page was missing exactly?" she asked softly.

"Um… There was this one which had some kind of Cornish poem, a four-lined script of some sort."

Almost instantaneously, she broke into a wide grin, her crow's feet apparent at her eyes. Slowly she stood up and made for the drawer, returning with a yellow notebook.

"I think I can help you after all."

IV

"Can you believe it, Tatsi!"

"I… I'm not sure I can. Are you sure you're not stealing all this from some illegal James Bond movie?"

The redhead looked aghast and shook her head vehemently. "Of course not! Ichigo said he was absolutely sure about it! See! I'll read the email out to you again!" she chirped, and did as she exclaimed. Tatsuki sat there stunned, momentarily forgetting about the cup of tea that was now losing heat. She shook her head and smirked.

"Well how about that? These Redmund guys sure are tricky."

V

"Urahara-san! We've received it! We've received the passage! I think I've translated it accurately."

The superior sat upon his ergonomic chair patiently, welcoming the news with a pleasant smile.

"Thank you, Kuchiki-san. This was quite the agreeable surprise." He said happily. Rukia Kuchiki frowned for a moment and bit her lip. Things were actually beginning to happen. She placed the brown envelope neatly on the polished desk, and took her seat. Casually, Urahara pulled out the yellow notepad paper from the small envelope, a vague twinkle in his eyes. He looked it over, nodded, and put it down.

"Good job, Kuchiki-san. I'm sure Ichigo will be quite pleased about this."

She grumbled under her breath. "He'd better!"

VI

You have (1) new email!

From: Urahara Kisuke

To: Ichigo Kurosaki

Subject: Surprise!

Fantastic news Ichigo! We got the missing passage! Apparently the good woman found it interesting enough to copy it down for herself, seeing as she has a passion for antics and mysteries. She sent it to us, Rukia-san has got it translated. I won't bother going on, you'll probably just skip to the passage anyway! ^_^

'To the roots of the old man's tree,

Lies a trail of yellowed stones,

Find the walls of the third cave,

the city hidden from the sun.'

Remarkable isn't it? I look forward to hearing from you soon, how did the visit to the Human Resource Department go?"

…

You have (1) new email!

From: Ichigo Kurosaki

To: Urahara Kisuke

Subject: Another surprise

Don't have much time since the café is about to close, but I received your message. I have shocking news for you too.

Allen Stephens was an American. That much we knew. But to add dimension to that, we also know that Arthur Redmund was known to have a brother, but we aren't sure who he got the second book. It turns out, both the brother and Stephens got the book. So there ought to be three, right?

Well, after a bit of searching, we found out that Allen Stephens wasn't an American by birth; he was actually an immigrant. Coincidentally, he happens to come from the British Isles.

Now if Stephens is from the British Isles, his name can't have been Stephens. So we researched some more. In fact, his name was originally Ailen Stephens.

Ailen isn't a very common name. It's indigenous to the Irish language, at least in the year 1859 it was. So if Ailen Stephens was by birth Irish, it gave more than a few suggestions.

See, Arthur Redmund had a brother. Nothing much is known of him, but we do know that he like travelling. Ailen could have been ruled out as having one of two possibilities attached to his connection with the infamous book.

1) He was a friend of Arthur and his brother, and so he received a book. This is probable, but it still doesn't explain why we have only two copies in existence.

2) This is the more plausible conclusion. Ailen Stephens was NOT Ailen Stephens to begin with in the first place. Like I said, Stephens was not a name used in the British Isles, much less Ireland.

The only reasonable conclusion: Ailen Stephens was the brother of Arthur Redmund.

At first, it was hard to pin point this exactly, so Uryu and I continued to look through files and folders. Then in one of them, it was mentioned how Allen was known to be the brother of a famous Irish explorer. How many do we know?

So that's that. Arthur and Ailen Redmund. That was the name, and they were brothers. There were only two books all along, and after Arthur's death, Ailen moved to America and was referred to as Allen Stephens. The second book was his the whole time.

Now we know where both books are, and we've cleared up this bit of the puzzle. Honestly I'm relieved we got somewhere. I'm glad we won't have to visit that Resource dept. any time soon. I'll be there in four days. Hope this clarified everything.

Take care,

Ichigo Kurosaki

P.S Thank the midget for the translation.

VII

Ichigo and Uryu were prodding towards their hotel after their evening at the internet café. It had been a long day, and the shock of their recent discovery still hadn't completely worn off. Just as they were opened the door to their double roomed suite, they caught sight of a white sheet neatly folded and lying on the carpet just in front of their feet. It seemed that someone had slipped it under the door. Curious, they picked up the note, the contents of which drastically changing their countenance altogether. For on the stark emptiness of the paper, newspaper cutouts of alphabets were arranged and stuck with wet glue to form a sort of message.

'Stop interfering, if you value your head that is.'

Ichigo was first to speak, the look of horror mirroring Uryu's. He scowled heavily and reread it, then looked up once again.

"The hell?"

VIII

"Ichigo-kun! I'm so glad you're alright!" Orihime flung her arms around her husband, causing him to stumble back a few steps. He returned the hug, and easily lifted her to the couch close by. The anonymous threat they received four days ago was still fresh in his mind, but it was kept with Uryu lest Orihime should see it and start worrying again. He knew he should tell her, but how could he? She always wanted to protect, him and everyone else, and that would just put her in greater danger. Obviously, they weren't playing a game now. His dark musings didn't go completely unnoticed by the flustered woman.

"Ichi-kun?"

"Yes, Hime?"

"I've missed you." He kissed her hair. "I know."

"You have to tell me everything that happened there."

He frowned further. She didn't say it with the usual cheer. He could only nod. He would tell her when the time was right.

"I will. But now, let's go get some dinner. Hotel food sucks compared to your fried rice."

She giggled and swat his arm. "No cursing, Ichigo!"

IX

The old red building of the local post office stood proudly against the afternoon sky, blushing a brilliant crimson owing to its newly painted walls. Urahara and Tessai, a close friend of the eccentric genius, made their way through the doors, causing the bell over the frame to ring diligently. Upon recognition, the man behind the counter widened his eyes for a fraction of a moment before he resumed his stiff position, calling out names and flinging letters and other packages through a glass window. The men walked forward.

"Good morning, Stark. Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Good morning, I wouldn't know, been in here since five in the morning." He replied drily.

"You must step out for a while though, it's a sad waste of a Spring day if you don't." Urahara Kisuke was as enigmatic as ever.

"What do you want?" the man Stark was getting quiet impatient.

"I want to speak with the young boy you have here. You know, the one that joined a month ago?"

Stark frowned and scrunched his nose. "I don't know your business here, so I can't let you in."

"Oh but I think you do." The man's eyes darkened for the briefest of seconds. "I understand that the book I'd been waiting for all this while reached on time. And yet, there was an uncharacteristic delay in finding out about its arrival."

"You received it didn't you? I'm busy, sir. You-"

"I won't bother you for long. May I please speak to the young lad?"

"That's none of my concern." He replied forebodingly. A bundle of notes securely wrapped and bound suddenly appeared on his desk, concealed from the eyes of passersby. Stark looked up, shocked, but it didn't take long for him to react.

"Wait for an hour. The boy's on lunch break. A word of this slips to anyone and you regret it." his eyes were formed into slits and he hurriedly replaced the notes into his pocket. Urahara smiled as if nothing had occurred and nodded. "Good to see we finally agreed!"

An hour passed slowly, incredibly slowly, the sound of names and addresses being called out and the smell of ink and freshly-printed postage stamps the only turbulence in the otherwise quiet room. Soon, they were allowed in, and sure enough, a boy sat awkwardly on a cardboard box, stacking letters and arranging them in piles. He looked up and his wide eyes turned wider, before his head tunred back to return fervently to his work.

"Don't worry, son." Tessai said gently, sitting beside the nervous boy. He shook his head. "I don't know anything!"

"I didn't say you did. Listen now," Urahara began slowly, almost nonchalantly. "Remember a package that arrived not long back? A big fancy red book?"

The flicker in his eyes was more convincing than the feverish shaking of his head. "I don't know anything!"

"Of course you don't, son! Calm down, nothing will happen." He smiled, and surprisingly his quivering decreased.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Luppi."

"Okay then, Luppi. Can you tell me why the book reached so late? I understand it was here on t-"

"I WON'T SAY ANYTHING!" he shouted, panting raggedly. Tessai frowned and crossed his arms. "Look, boy! We won't hurt you at all! We just want to know what happened to the package when it was here. Tell us anything, we won't mind at all!"

He looked hesitant, then shook his head once more. "I can't say… I won't say."

"Why not?"

"He… He'll kill me!" he was in a frenzy once again, and it took a while to steady him.

"Luppi, we'll protect you. Tell us."

The boy shivered and cried out, falling to his knees. "It was me!" He was bawling his eyes out. "It was me, alright? Luppi did it! They made me do it!"

"Do what, son?"

"They-he- they told me that when the book comes, I should keep it!" his shoulders shook violently. "They- they said to tear out that funny page, and I did! Not because I wanted to, I was scared! They're bad men, bad men!" poor boy, he was sobbing pitifully on the floor, his cries muffled. Urahara nodded as if he'd known all along, he comforted the boy. After a while, he calmed down, taking in raspy breaths. He was handed a tissue by Tessai.

"you-you'll tell?"

"No, we won't Luppi. No one will know. You're safe now."

"They won't kill Luppi?"

The man's smile became stiff. "No. They won't kill Luppi."

..

..

..

I was actually preparing for a fancy author's note, but my sleeplessness is catching up to me. I'm tired, but I hope you liked the chapter! Honestly, I feel I'm losing the zing, I need to kick myself soon, but rest assured, I am a girl of my word, and i will finish this story if God wills it.

^_^ how are you my little sugarplum?

I'm so grateful to all those who reviewed! I am especially happy to see nypsy-chan again, thank you ever so much for your advice, love! Really, I'd be nowhere mentionable without you!

Also a great big Pooh bear hug going out to alice hc, Guest, Damaio the End, erica, Ermilus, Magdalena! you guys are the bomb! Seriously, can you please just give yourself a hug? Cause I really want to but I can't! *pout*

Shoutout to all those faved and followed!

Take care, sugars! All the best for everything! See you soon!

God bless every single one of you sugarplums!