Just like he promised, Erich returns as the sun breaks the horizon, Alexis at his side and the hoshi no tama once more tucked beneath his chin.

They find Ishida Uryuu sitting up in bed and scrubbing at his face, hair wild from sleep and exhaustion dragging at his shoulders. He squints out his window when Erich taps on it with his trunk then makes a face and gestures for them to enter.

::Good morning,:: Erich greets the boy as he slips through the wall and drops to sit on the floor. ::This is Alexis, the one who called me here,:: he announces as Alexis follows him in and flops down at his side, sprawling out without a care in the world.

Ishida frowns and looks between them, then reaches for his glasses and slides them in place. “You…” he chews on his lip and gives them another assessing look, “will forgive me if I mistake you at first, I hope?”

Alexis lifts her head from her paws, ears perking forward. ::We are baku. I would be surprised if you didn’t,:: she answers for the both of them. She yawns and nudges Erich until he gives in and flops onto his side, then pats her trunk against Erich’s flank. ::Erich’s mane is a shade darker than mine, you see? And our spots are not identical either. See how these form an arc while mine are a bit more staggered?::

“I will… try to remember,” Ishida says, brows furrowing in concentration.

::We don’t mind,:: Erich reassures the teen. He rolls back onto his stomach and rises, turning his attention to the other teens across the town. He’s familiar enough with their presence now to sense their awakening even in the face of the thousands of other souls residing around them.

They’ll need to be told, Erich knows. He’s seen secrets force groups like this apart and he’s grown… attached to them and their well-being. Now is not the time for a reveal though, unless…

::Would Kurosaki Ichigo prefer to be told alone or with all of you?:: Erich wonders. He knows the teen but does not know him; perhaps Kurosaki’s companion will know the answer instead.

Ishida fidgets with his glasses and gazes at the floor. “I— maybe?” he offers, before frowning and continuing, “Or… no. Maybe not. He… I think… I…” He blows out a breath. “Give me some time to think?”

::Of course. We are in no hurry.:: Erich waits patiently as Ishida crawls out of bed and starts to fuss with his dresser, pulling out clothing and preparing for the day.

Ishida has a frown of concentration on his face as he moves about, attention directed at whatever it is he’s thinking about and moving on autopilot. He almost trips over Erich’s paw in his distraction, then flushes red and hurriedly gathers up his clothing, edging out of the room and murmuring for them to stay there.

Erich is not one to feel awkward but he knows enough of human custom to know that being left alone in a near-stranger’s bedroom is not usually permitted. Then again, he doubts humans have customs for meeting yokai. Ishida Uryuu is taking it all quite well when Erich considers it from the teen’s point of view.

Alexis yawns again and drapes herself across his back, propping her chin on his shoulder and closing her eyes. ::Wake me when he decides.:: And like that she’s asleep, unrepentantly pinning him to the floor.

He worries for her. Baku do not need sleep but Alexis has been tired of late. Perhaps it’s nothing; she shows no other signs of sickness or fading, and he’s been tired too. Every day he feels a bit more lethargic and weighted down than the previous, and it’s only gotten worse with the stress of safeguarding a hoshi no tama.

He cannot wait for Kurosaki to be healed so he no longer needs to worry about the safety of Inari Okami’s priceless gift.

Erich stares out the window and lets his mind drift while waiting. Alexis is a warm weight across his back, her strength leaking out and tangling with his own. Mingling their powers is comfortable in a way he never expected, lulling his mind into a state of calm. Maybe they should do it more often.

Ishida slips back into the room, drawing Erich’s attention away from the outside. “I think—” Ishida begins, then switches tracks at the sight of Alexis— “oh, she’s… asleep?” His expression turns sheepish and red dusts his cheeks once again. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, “you’ve both been awake all night, and here I am dithering and forcing you to stay awake longer…”

::We sleep because we can, not because we need it,:: Erich says. He turns his head to nudge Alexis awake, amused by her disgruntled expression. ::He’s returned,:: he tells her before asking Uryuu, ::And you have an answer?::

“If you’re sure.” Ishida takes a steadying breath and rubs at his eyes again. “So, I think… I think we should introduce you to Sado-san and Inoue-san first, and, uhm… I think Kurosaki would appreciate Sado-san with him when you tell him what you’re doing.”

::You know them best.::

Ishida shrugs awkwardly and looks away, snatching up his phone from the bedside table and focusing on it. “Stay in here until I call you,” he half orders, half suggests, moving towards the door. “I’m inviting the other two over. I’d rather not— uhm…” he swallows and casts a wary look over his shoulder at them, “You’re a bit… startling?”

Laughter rumbles in Erich’s throat and Alexis snorts in amusement at being described as ‘startling’. They know exactly how poorly humans can take their appearance; ‘startling’ is an understatement and they both know it.

Their reaction makes Ishida flinch and duck his head, which sobers both of them up. They exchange looks, and it’s Alexis who ventures to speak, her tone gentle, ::We are, yes. And we apologize for laughing; ‘startling’ is one of the kindest things a human has called us in a while. We were amused by that, not laughing at your decisions.::

Ishida stares at Alexis, eyes wide and startled, then swallows and darts out of the room before Erich or Alexis can say anything else.

::We will need to be careful with all of them,:: Alexis muses into the silence that falls. She sits up and stares at the closed door, tail swishing through the air. ::If their dreams reflect reality, they have been through enough already.::

::And we will do our best to not put them through more.:: Erich never meant to get involved like this, but a part of him expected it from the moment Urahara revealed he could see them. It stands to reason that like would attract like, and Urahara is far too protective of all the teens for his ability to See to be unique to him.

The only surprise is that Urahara has not seen yokai or minor kami before. Not all of them remain within shinkai after all.

Or perhaps Urahara brushed the sightings off as either imagination or just an odd experience with a normal animal.

Not that it matters.

Erich heaves a sigh and situates himself comfortably against Alexis’ side. All they can do right now is wait for the other two to arrive and for Ishida to call for them.

Maybe he’ll get some rest while he can. Something tells him this will be a long day.