Something tickled at the edges of Kaito’s senses, a familiar ripple followed by familiar signatures appearing out of nowhere, and he turned towards his father immediately, ignoring the balls of wrapping paper that slipped through his guard and hit him. “Father—”

Urahara chuckled and waved his fan. “Go, go, welcome our guests. I was wondering when they’d arrive.”

“You planned this,” Kaito complained as he scrambled to his feet, but he couldn’t hold onto his annoyance very long. Hanataro had shown up with Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Renji and that was more important than holding a grudge against his father.

His father’s warm amusement followed him out of the shoten and down the street, and it took every fragment of his self control to keep from using shunpo to reach the others faster. The senkaimon had dropped them off not that far away and all of them knew their way to the shoten, he didn’t need to hurry.

(Didn’t need to go meet them either, but that wasn’t stopping him.)

“Kaito-san!” Hanataro greeted him happily as he approached.

He smiled and couldn’t resist flickering forward the last few steps to Hanataro’s side. “I didn’t know you were coming,” he said to Hanataro, then glanced over at Kuchiki and Abarai and nodded at them in greeting. “Any of you, actually. Father didn’t let me know.”

Abarai barked a laugh and flashed him a grin. “Yeah, he told us not to say anything. Something about surprising all of you with our presence, I think.”

Kuchiki elbowed Abarai in the side and smirked at his offended yelp, then gave Kaito a polite smile. “Ignore him, he doesn’t know what he’s saying,” she said with all the noble poise she could muster.

It was a thin veneer.

“Sure he doesn’t,” Kaito answered dryly, amused by the mischief that shone through Kuchiki’s mask. “Everyone’s gathered at the Shoten, even Kurosaki’s sisters. We were about to play a card game if you wanted to join us. Or you could sit back and needle Kurosaki as he loses.”

“Hah! He’ll be losing because I’ll be winning!” Abarai declared, striding past Kaito towards the Shoten. “C’mon Rukia, let’s show everyone how real winners play.”

Kuchiki snorted and trotted after him with a backwards wave at Kaito. “Real winners?” she asked archly as she caught up. “If you think you’re winning anything today you are sorely mistaken.”

Kaito watched with growing amusement as the two left, their banter sharp but friendly, then exchanged a look with Hanataro and burst into laughter.

“M-munchkin?” Hanataro forced out through a fit of giggles. When Kaito nodded, his giggles turned brighter, sharper, and his soft reiatsu presence filled with amusement. “They w-won’t l-la-last long, huh?”

He shook his head, unable to speak through his own laughter. Given the cheerful, friendly bickering between Abarai, Kuchiki, and Kurosaki, he didn’t give any of them good odds at lasting past mid-game. Add in the others and this was shaping up to be a long, drawn out, and hilarious game. Though with the addition of at least two more players, they should probably play as a single entity; he directed the thought towards his spirits as soon as he considered it, wanting to know their take. They had been promised playing at two teams, after all, so—

(*Tch, it’s fine,*) Shiro said with a scoff, warm amusement blunting his tone. (*Game’s really big as it is, an’ I have a promise from th’cub to play video games on Sunday.*)

(*I don’t have a problem either,*) Ichigo added.

Zangetsu’s agreement joined the others without hesitation. (*I am also fine.*)

Hanataro leaned lightly against his side, smiling up at him as Kaito looked down and arched an eyebrow at his friend.

“Talking about, uhm… s-something interesting?” Hanataro asked with curiosity.

“About the game. Father said we could play as two teams, but with three more players on top of everyone we currently have it… doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Hanataro hummed and nodded slightly. “We c-can, uhm… play to-together later? I… I’m here f-for, uhm… ten days.”

Kaito blinked in surprise, a smile creeping across his expression as the meaning of Hanataro’s words sunk in. “Father really went all out, didn’t he?” he asked softly, hand resting tentatively on Hanataro’s upper back. It had been a bare month since he’d seen Hanataro last but it felt… much longer than that.

(He’d never missed someone before, not like he missed Hanataro when he couldn’t see his friend.)

(The first time after the invasion of Seireitei, he’d been too caught up in his own misfortune to truly miss Ichigo, and this time he was never given a chance to truly begin to miss any of the teens.)

(He… didn’t particularly like the sensation.)

“W-well, u-uhm… I’m also here t-to do a bit of t-teaching,” Hanataro offered, leaning a bit more firmly into Kaito’s side as he said that. “Unohana-taicho w-wants me to, uhm… see h-how Inoue-san is progressing.”

“About what I expected,” Kaito answered with a nod, nudging Hanataro to start moving towards the shoten as he did. “Ah… do you mind if I… I mean, I’m still not very good but I’ve been trying to practice, so…?”

Hanataro smiled up at him, warm-proud-happy in a way that made Kaito’s stomach squirm. “O-of course! Y-you might, uhm… it might n-never get m-much easier, but practice helps! I can… er, your presence is… it’s better? Y-you’re making progress.”

“Father’s said as much but… it helps to hear it from someone else,” Kaito admitted with a sigh, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “I never used to have such problems with control,” he grumbled, ignoring the warmth of Hanataro’s hand as his friend reached up to touch his shoulder.

“Kaito-san will get better,” Hanataro said slowly and firmly. “Kaito-san is… is already much better, s-so… so Kaito-san can definitely do it.”

He tipped his head back to stare up at the bright blue sky, unable to resist a smile at Hanataro’s confidence in him. “Thanks, Hanataro,” he murmured, then shook his head and grinned down at his friend. “Want to help me make everyone’s life difficult in Munchkin?”

Hanataro’s free hand rose to cover his mouth, but not before Kaito caught a glimpse of a bright, cheerful, mischievous smile that was becoming a common sight the longer he spent time with Hanataro. “I would never,” Hanataro murmured softly, his protest entirely spoiled by the glint in his eyes.

“Of course not,” Kaito agreed gravely as they approached the shoten. “Any such misfortune is entirely on accident.”

“Y-yes, absolutely.”

Kaito laughed. Gave Hanataro a brief, tight hug.

Swept back into the shoten with his friend at his side and a plan already forming.

The teens wouldn’t know what hit them.